SICILY; Lost & Found

Sun-baked, wind swept vineyards of Occhipinti, Vittoria DOCG

 Everything on this sunny, wind swept Mediterranean island seems to have seeds; the eggplant, the tomatoes, the prickly pear, and certainly the grapes.  The nucleus of life, the seeds of Sicily are a reflection of the native spirit and passion, a time capsule of its long history of cultural occupation that creates a wonderfully unique confluence.  Grillo and Catarratto, white grapes that are the basis for fortified Marsala DOC, as well as sea food-friendly table wines, combine here with reds Frappato and Nero D'Avola to create a uniquely native wine grape palate, distinctively Sicily.

Greeks may have introduced the vine here almost 3000 years ago, followed by the Phoenicians of the Fertile Crescent, and the cultivating, wine loving Romans.  Goth's, the Byzantine's, the Arabs and the Normans followed in rapid succession, creating a broad stroke of multi-cultural influences and instability. As the unity of Norman rule influenced language and religion, creating the Kingdom of Sicily in 1154, it eventually would fall under the influence of the Crown of Aragon in the late 15th century. Even as this period would usher wealth and influence for the strategic island, the 18th/19th centuries would again create instability, culminating in a constitution that initiated the end of feudalism and eventually a unification with the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. Neglectful governing would then give way to powerful networks of organized crime and radical left-wing peasant labor, the popular fascist rise of Mussolini, and eventually the Allies devastating Invasion of Sicily in 1943.  It would be then a miracle that any Sicilian identity would persevere, or even survive, for to be Sicilian was to be under the influence of others.

Amphora of Sicilian antiquity

In post-war reconstruction, sweeping land reforms of the 1950's gave new rise to the workers small farm cooperatives, and for its survival, Sicily became the undistinguished volume wine producer for all of Italy.  A national launch ushered in 1963, established an official system, regulating the wine industry, and creating important categorization and guidelines.  Over the following decades the Italian DOC(Controlled Designation of Origin) system was updated, creating top-tier DOCG and the regional typicity of the IGT categories in 1992.  Even as it was presented with its lone DOCG, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily remained a source for mostly simple table wines, or Vino di Tavola produced from its unique native grapes. 

What perseveres is a love of this land, a dedication to the life it gives; from the broad, fertile soils of the Mt. Etna wash, to the clay & limestone jagged profile of the rugged south. In the most recent generations her wine producers have moved towards an increasingly sustainable landscape, to smaller vineyard yields that enhance indigenous grape characteristics. Experiments with IGT blends that include recognizable international varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, are also becoming increasingly marketed.  And, global recognition for its diverse quality wines grows daily, from innovative and contemporary producers like Hugues de la Gatinais, Marco de Bartoli, and the dedicated enterprises of the Occhipinti family. Today, from their ancient and indigenous vines, Sicily is generating new and vibrant life from the seeds of its resilient past. And for the generations to come, a Sicily which was so often lost can once again be luminously found. Salute'!

Sicilian palmento in an 18th century farmhouse(restored)

"If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change."
The Leopard, Guiseppe di Lampedusa

Tasting Values:
  Stemmari Nero D'Avola, Sicilia DOC 2014
  Tenuta Rapitala 'Nahar' Nero D'Avola-Pinot Nero, Sicilia IGT 2013

Wine Links:
winesofsicily.com

MUSCAT: One for the Ages

Vineyards of Asti, Piemonte

Label images began to populate the app's storage once it was downloaded. The smart phone application was to help visualize what I drank, and perhaps keep a few notes as a refresher. Recently, Vivino presented its top 100 rated sub-$50 wines, confirming a few drinking trends, and offering a few surprises. Sure there was Chardonnay and Pinot Noir represented, but more than 25% of its list rated red grape blends.  At least six(6) of the rankings were of the venerable white grape, Muscato Blanc, so that everything that was old was new again. Once dismissed as being grapey and ubiquitous, old Muscat is making a comeback. As a result of the widely distributed survey, it appears that our wine consumption trends where everything is new again, currently is one for the Ages.

Muscat itself is a very large family, known by many local synonyms, and has a documented history that goes back at least three thousand years! Countless clones and variations are part of its lineage, which is perhaps something expected from a very old grape vine that has literally traveled the world. Know as Anathelicon moschaton by the ancient seafaring Greeks, Muscat traveled too with Roman conquests, eventually making its way beyond the Mediterranean with the exploration of the New World. As Muscat was reliable and adaptable, it found itself the as a base principal of many emerging styles of wine around the globe.

Rutherglen vineyards of Australia

Vigorous Muscat historically is a workhorse of sorts, producing wines of no residual sugar(dry), semi and sweet, as well as fortified and even sparkling styles. Old World ships eventually brought Muscat to the tip of Africa, there partially fermented in Constantia to travel sweet and celebrated to the far away European courts. More than a century later, early 19th century English vine plantings in Australia saw fortified Muscat wines back sent to anticipation in the UK by 1854. Today, Muscat vineyards of the Rutherglen region of SE Australia continue to produce some of the worlds finest sticky, fortified, barrel aged and celebrated wines(Liqueur Muscats).  Additionally, the unique brandies of Peru and Chile, know as Pisco, as well as Metaxa, a grape brandy from Greece, have historically been produced from long cultivated Muscat grapes.

As with every large family their is a hierarchy and a prominent member. For Muscat Blanc, the grape that turn wines that taste like the grape itself, makes a wine known for opulent aromatics of orange blossom, honeysuckle and stone fruits, and offering complementary taste that is typically viscous and high in acid, it is the variety Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. In northern France near the end of the Roman trade route, an Alsatian regional and food-friendly dry wine is widely produce here from this golden orb variety. And, in the south near its origin, the white grape Muscato Canelli is the basis of a range of wine styles including the increasingly popular sparklers, Moscato d’Asti(frizzante) and Asti Spumante.

Still or sparkling, dry or sweet, and even fortified, Muscat Blanc is the world traveler that today produces quality wines for every occasion, every palate, and importantly every budget. Fueled by the younger culture of neophyte winos, its accessible pricing, and ever-popular range of styles, ubiquitous Muscato is today enjoying a consumer Renaissance. Our affinity for the grapes reliable character and its unparalleled functionality truly make it One for the Ages.




Salute!


 Links:
 http://muscat-wines.com/
 http://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/white/muscat

BRAMBLES; Growth and the Muscat

Flooded Vineyards are a Problem

There was a plan in our small Sonoma county garden.  Organized nature, I think it was, with a tapestry of colors, shapes and textures that blend into one another over small spaces, seemingly isolated from one another. That was five(5) years ago, and we continue to move and re-plant, replace and mourn our garden losses.  My curtain of vitis vinifera grape vines and our barrels of seedless vinifera table grapes over the same period have also never really reached our modest expectations.  There would be overly vegetal growth with long, irregular canes and poor fruit-set; or when they had promise, like in 2010, my fruit would became a steady diet for local birds or raisin from a flash of summer heat.  Chronically disappointed by these developments(or lack thereof), this new Spring is now following a dryer than normal, and again a mild winter, and I have come to the new philosophy that sometimes things just do not grow the way we want.  We just need to grow with it!

Domestic Concord grapes

What continues to grow are wine $ales. I remember hearing once that the 'American sweet tooth' was reflected by the commercial dominance of sweet wines in the domestic marketplace.  With sweetened White Zinfandel, Boones Farm, Concord and other fruit wines prominent outside of dry-wine California, it seemed to make sense. It was also understood that an easy way to mask flaws in any wine is to add up to the allowable measure of sugar. But recent trends here are indicating that there are now newly discovered wines that have continued to add to the domestic power of sweet.

• Wine Business reports that sales of retail wine, off-premise segments below $20 and above $20 all showed significant growth in the four(4) weeks prior to early March. This continuing trend is supported in large part by the great growth of sweet red wines and the newly found popularity of white moscatos(Muscats).

• As impressive as that is, Wine Business has also reported that U.S. imports of Rose' wines from the Provence region of southern France grew at an astonishing 62% in volume in 2011 over the previous year!

• Continued domestic wine growth has currently been reported by the Wine Institute as well as Nielsen Company, citing the 18th consecutive year of volume growth for our industry.  In addition, current numbers confirmed that U.S. wine drinkers are continuing to firmly be the World's largest wine consumers by overall volume.

• Western Farm Press noted that a 2011 survey of California nurseries showed a whopping 25%+ of all grape variety sales were for the Moscato vine. It is expected that plantings of Muscat grapes are to increase by as much as 136% by 2015!

Immature Moscato

Perhaps the world's oldest domesticated variety, Muscat grapes(WINE STUDY:01/23/12) known by many synonyms are grown around the world, and as such are a thirst-quenching workhorse. They have evolved into a pretty large grape family. Uniquely, the variety has high concentrations of antioxidant flavonoids; about the amount found in many black skin grape varieties. It can produce dry wines in Spain or Alsace, semi-dry wines in Croatia(near its ancestral origins), or a sweet wine in the U.S. or Austria. Muscat is often fortified to arrest its fermentation or sun-dried to concentrate its sugars as with the VDN's of France or the passito wines of Italy, respectively. It even is the base for sparkling wines, most notably the Moscato d' Asti products of Asti Spumante made from the pressurized-tank Charmat method.

Moscato d'Asti Vineyards

An azure blue bottle with a golden foil sat chilled recently on our dinner table.  What could only be described as tropical aromas escaped even as I opened the bottle. A clear, golden straw tinted wine poured into the glass and what arose left impressions of stone fruits and warm Summer flowers.  The La Sirena 2007 Napa Valley Moscato Azul enjoyed that evening was a rich, dry and balanced wine; described by my wife as being what could be only imagined as a papaya/ guava galette. Delicious, textured and flavorful, and it could not be mistaken for fresh. But, the evolution of this nectar was such that it filled and enriched our senses with its warm color, its complex aromas and its mouth-filling fruit character. This was one terrific food wine that added so much to our meal, and I had a moment where I understood its now growing varietal popularity. 

Ripe Moscato

From what has been reported by current wine trends and this reporters personal wine journey, Muscat or Moscato is in pretty good shape.  Pricing, both imported and domestic, continues to reflect value, and selection seems poised to grow consistently in our marketplace. Sometimes we just need to grow with it. Now where did I put that bottle of dry Provencal Rose'?

Update: Wine Educator practical exam results should be coming out in the next few weeks, and I'll advise.

Salute!

WINE STUDY: Grape Characteristics (2)

Winter pruning in the Loire

Assessment of any wine(s) appearance(sight), aromas(smell) and taste(flavor) are the foundation for varietal and quality recognition in what sommelier's call the 'tasting grid'.  Years of practice and discipline are usually required to train the palate and our olfactory memories to the typical characteristics of growing environments, production treatments, relative wine age and its grape variety. Plus, there are a multitude of wine 'styles' and literally thousands of Vitis Vinifera grape varieties or blends in today's global production. As I continue to prepare for the next part of the Wine Educators Certification exam(by drinking, of course), a continued review of the world's most popular wine grape varieties will, I hope, prove to be the foundation of success in this effort. 

Loire Valley Chenin Blanc

Chenin Blanc(Steen, Pinot de la Loire), is a bit of a workhorse white grape variety, being produced in dry, sweet and even sparkling stylings in its native Loire. These wines of bright acidity with typical stone fruits, quince or apple personalities are capable of luxurious aging, versatile food pairings and rich, viscous texture. It is among the most widely planted varieties in South Africa, where it is known as Steen.
Gewurztraminer, born in the Italian Tyrol, can offer rich aromas of lychee nut, citrus, and spice like ginger or nutmeg.  In fact, 'gewurz' means spice in its native dialect. With a propensity for quick ripening, low yields and low acids within its high extract, this aromatic grape balances what can be high alcohol with rich floral and spice notes.  In its best examples, however, like the Alsace AOC Grand Cru's, this spicy variety balances its rich exotic perfume with the same power on the palate.

Muscat(Moscato), which may be the ancestor from which all other wine grapes descended, is all about rich qualities that could only be described as 'grapey'. With a very high concentration of 'flavonoids', like those found in red grapes, high-extract Muscat has become a workhorse, producing just about all wine styles imaginable. Within this widely grown and very large family are popular global varieties such as Muscat Blanc a' Petits Grains(Asti DOC), Moscatel de Setubal, and ancient Muscat of Alexandria, among others. Sometimes its aromatics are quite earthy, but generally, a pungent, almost floral aroma is one of its signatures. 
Viognier, an ancient grape, is the only grape variety allowed in Condrieu AOC wines from the Northern Rhone. The grapes origins and even its name are a bit of a mystery, but it remains popular in spite of the challenges in growing a low acid, high extract grape that is prone to the malady powdery mildew.  The reward if found when it is fully ripe and becomes profoundly aromatic with notes of yellow stone fruits, tropical fruits, citrus or ginger, and echos the same personality on a richly textured, or fat palate.

Cote Rotie Syrah terraces

Malbec(Auxerrois, Cot) is one of only six(6) varieties allowed in red Bordeaux wines, in-spite of Argentina growing more of it than the rest of the world combined! Its inky dark color and robust black plum flavors have made it a suitable blending partner over the centuries. But it is in the South West, and Cahors where it can produce an aggressive, youthfully tannic wine that's dark and juicy. In the New World, it tends to be softer in character, yet displaying juicy black fruit and plum notes with under currents of violets and tobacco.
Sangiovese, the backbone of Italy's Tuscan wines, has very often been the base of a blend. Not a heavily pigmented grape, it is low in extract and high in acid with aromas of dried cherries, sour strawberry, toast and sometimes even licorice.  Flavor notes here can be distinctive, offering sour cherry, dried orange peel and spice flavors. Due in part to its site adaptability, Sangiovese clones, like Brunello di Montalcino, are prominent throughout Central Italy, but the backbone of its character remains. 

Sangiovese

Syrah(Hermitage, Shiraz) is an Old World dark-skinned grape of powerful, concentrated flavors and a high tannin content that needs late season sunlight to ripen. Inky dark, its herb, spice and tertiary aromas richly mix with black fruits and even smoke in this heavy tannic grape. In the extremes of the Rhone's Cote Rotie, a 100% Syrah appellation, the grape can offer floral aromas dancing with black fruits, dried game and bacon fat. Yum!
Zinfandel(Crljenak Kaštelanski, Primitivo(?)) may have its origins in Croatia, but it is California where today we can find its greatest expression. Moderate in its tannic structure, but with higher acids, this grape can be densely pigmented, but prone to uneven ripening with its thin skins. When ripe, it can be an exotic walk through a berry bramble, almost savory and sweet at the same time. Aromas of ripe berries and spice are common, along with that brambly undercurrent of flavors that offers hints of herb and pepper spice. Sometimes, Zinfandel's physiological & physical ripeness come at the cost of producing a higher alcohol that is out of balance.  When under-ripe, the grape can produce herbaceous and thinly disguised wines that are also unbalanced. As a result, this dark skinned grape is very much subject to the generosity of Mother Nature and the gifts of its winemaker.

Old Vine Zinfandel

Just five weeks remain until the tasting exam in Napa, and there are so many more grape international varieties to have a memory recognition of.  I guess I'll just have to open another bottle and begin working on the next post!  Cheers!

NEBBIOLO: A Dark Mystery to Celebrate

Serralunga a'Alba - Piemonte

At the foot of the mountains, and surrounded by the imposing Alps, lies hilly Piemonte(Piedmont). Its waters collected throughout these hills ramble and snake under a cool continental climate to converge at the mighty, easterly flowing Po. Above these fertile lowlands, a broad crescent of rolling hills are the home to grazing livestock, dark forests rich with game, and the much sought-after white truffles of Alba. Politically, Piedmont is composed of eight (8) provinces surrounding its capital of Torino(Turin), but our study will take us to Cuneo, Asti, and Alessandria.

Piedmont

Indigenous grape varieties here are the widely planted, low-tannin Barbera; the fruity Brachetto, Dolcetto, and Grignolino; as well as the tannic Freisa and Nebbiolo. Piedmont is also home to a number of white grapes, including a grapey grape, producing the lake-sized volumes and spectrum of wine styles of the popular Moscato d'Asti.

Nebbiolo can be found here in many corners north of the Langhe Hills, in the DOCG frontier wines of Ghemme and Gattinara, and the DOC's Nebbiolo d'Alba and Langhe Nebbiolo, but its greatest incarnation is to be found in the regions more temperate southern hillsides, where the best sites are planted near the hilltops, facing south. Here, the noble Nebbiolo grapes in these vineyards are among the first to bud, and the last to ripen. Every vintage they must fight the frosts of spring and the occasional early snows of October. As a internationally recognized variety, Nebbiolo surprisingly doesn't adapt well, preferring the calcareous marl and sandy soils of its foggy homelands. Being naturally high in acid and high tannin, Nebbiolo had often been traditionally blended with lighter regional grapes to modify its course personality. Fortunately, today's DOCG Barbaresco and Barolo's use newer equipment and modern techniques to meet the stringent requirements of artfully producing un-blended 100% Nebbiolos.

Often described as feminine, the Barbaresco production zone includes three Cuneo communes to the east of Alba: Barbaresco, Treiso, and Neive. As a smaller demarcated zone, Barbaresco wines generally have more continuity, but less production than the robust Barolo's. If declared DOCG wines, a minimum 2 years aging is required. The more masculine, longer historied Barolo's are of produced in eleven(11)communes located along the region's Tanaro River, west of the commercial center of Alba. Of these cooler communes, La Morra, Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Monforte d'Alba and Serralunga d'Alba, represent the majority of DOCG production in the steep demarcated zone. Reflecting their tannic nature, current regulations require a minimum of 38 months aging prior to their release for these prestigious DOCG wines.

Lesser Nebbiolo's are cultivated in a limited areas outside these important zones. In some vintages, and some of these producers, as in Nebbiolo d'Alba,  can produce Nebbiolo's of great power while offering considerable value. In Piedmont's extreme north, the communes of Gattinara and Ghemme produce blended, long-lived Nebbiolo's under the synonym of Spanna. Even further north on the steep hillsides neighboring Lombardy, locally cultivated Nebbiolo grows in a very cool climate, producing a even lighter-style and blended Nebbiolo from the local Chiavennasca. Here Nebbiolo can also be produced with Amarone-style dried grapes, called Sforzato.

Barbaresco's Triesco

Opaquely dark, sometimes with an orange-tinted rim, with rich perfumes of dried fruits and even tar, these long-lived wines can be a prized memory for wine lovers. But, their scarcity keeps pricing high, which is one reason why I can count my Nebbiolo experiences on both hands, but I do remember each isolated discovery.
In spite of it's international prestige, dark, brooding Nebbiolo remains today a minor grape in its home region of Piemonte, and undeveloped in the rest of the viticultural world.  Now that's a mystery!

As I continue to await results from September's Wine Educator's exam, I raise a glass and wish all a Happy Thanksgiving!

To Your Health!

RHONE: A River runs thru It

It is defined by a mighty river.

Head due South from Villefranche-sur-Saone, thru metro Lyon, and in about an hour's drive you are in the ancient capital of Burgundy, Vienne. But, surrounded by granite-based soils and the steep slopes on the eastern flank of Massif Central that shore the mighty river Rhone, it is not Burgundian. This is a rocky, uniquely continental environment that is only half of the Rhone wine region. The Rhone viticultural region is so unique that it produces world benchmarks of red Syrah and white Viognier in perhaps the steepest, most challenging vineyard sites in all of France from its thread-like northern region.  Cross a thirty mile stretch south of nearly vine-less landscape and even greater volumes of now mostly blended wines appear from the Rhone's Mediterranean climate southern half where these grapes(Syrah & Viognier) are in a minority and may not even appear in the wines. Tied together by one of the great rivers of Europe, such is the polarity of the diverse growing regions that make up the great Northern and Southern Rhone.

A narrow strip in granite-based soils, where the best sites triumph on stony terraces above the mighty Rhone River make the Northern Rhone world class. Here in Cote-Rotie AOC, Saint-Joseph AOC, and on the historic east bank promontory of Hermitage AOC, noble Syrah is at least 80% of their defining composition. South of the confluence of the river Ise're, tiny and mighty  Cornas AOC requires100% Syrah to assure its noble status. Sandwiched in the middle are the white grape AOC vineyards of Condreiu and Chateau-Grillet which exclusively produce some of the worlds greatest aromatic Viognier. Curiously, the wine offering aromas of apricots and peaches is not found significantly outside these two AOC's, except for some blending in Cote-Rotie.

Cote-Rotie vineyard terraces

South of Monte'limar, the region fans under a dryer Mediterranean climate and a limestone landscape of rugged, rocky rolling hills as the Southern Rhone. Perhaps among the earliest places to see the vine in all France, the regions wine production and prominence grew greatly under the Avignon Papacy from 1309. Re-actively, the import and export of Rhone wines were banned by the Dukes of Burgundy, and in 1446 the city of Lyon forbade all wines from the region south of the city. To further define the region, in 1737 the King of France decreed that all of this regions wines be authenticated by barrels branded 'CDR'. Importantly, in 1923 regulations of production were drawn to guard against the region's growing wine fraud, effectively becoming the first AOC laws in the country.

Predominantly a red wine region, blends of Grenache Noir, Syrah and other Mediterranean varietals proliferate in its rocky vineyards. Low-trained bush vines stand against the fierce 'mistral' winds; although powerful, the dry climate here is not receptive to most fungal diseases. The regions broad, general appellation of Cotes du Rhone AOC (CDR) produces volumes of the areas generic quality wine, with superior qualities found in specified village wines of Cotes du Rhone Villages AOC, from places like Cairanne and Vinsobres. Stars of the region include the red Grenache blends from the appellations of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, and Vacqueyras AOC. Nearby Lirac AOC produces generally lighter blends of all three(3) colors, with neighbor Tavel AOC originating some of the world's best dry rose' wines from widely planted Grenache and Cinsault blends. Regional whites here too are typically blends, including Grenache Blanc, Roussane, Marsanne and Clairette Blanche.

Natural sparkling wines can be found in the isolated, eastern region from the chalky soils of Clairette de Die AOC or Cremant de Die, using the native Clairette or Muscat blanc grapes. Other specialties include the eastern regions Muscat de Beaumes de Venise AOC, a sweet, fortified wine, and Rasteau AOC, with VDN's of all Greanache colors. Diversity in landscape, in climates, in grape varieties and wine styles is what makes the volume wine producing region known as the Rhone so important. Within its regional borders there are vineyards reclaimed from hillsides where nothing else will grow, and vineyard's planted in fields of pudding stones, known as galetts. Dominant single variety sensations and the artful balancing act of blending are found here, too. Holding all of its diversity together, threaded through its terraces and baked, wind-swept hillsides, is the meandering, life-giving Rhone.

Hermitage above the Rhone

Cheers!

PORTUGAL: Paradox of Iberian Discovery

Distinct Discoveries of Difference await wine lovers in Portugal.

Douro Valley's Cima Corgo

Arguably among the world's great wines, Port, Moscatel de Setubal and Madeira's, all fortified, sweet wines, are produced with regional style in the independent country of Portugal. This is also the modernizing wine producer who in recent decades gave the world bulk, sweetened Lancers' and Mateus Rose', so perhaps the real Portugal lies somewhere in an exploration of what lies in-between. A wet and mountainous landscape, the wine grape has been part of this culture for 4000 years, and today proudly touts as many as 300 native varieties, few grown anywhere else! Following Roman and Moorish occupation, Portugal finally became independent with the 1143 Treaty of Zamora, and quickly developed a trade relationship with powerful England, galvanized with the protectionist 1386 Treaty of Windsor.

Atlantic accessed Oporto developed as a gateway trading center; only to find that conflict and international commerce were to become the parents of the modern Portuguese wine industry. Importantly, the Methuen Treaty(Port Wine Treaty) of 1703, established a military/commercial alliance and tax-free exchange status between Portugal and thirsty England. In an effort to protect its domestic interests, in 1758 Marquess des Pombal with a royal charter became the first noble ever to formally demarcate a European production area, the English influenced Douro, almost 200 years prior to the French AOC system. Following the devastating outbreak of the vineyard louse phylloxera, Portuguese wines remained stagnant throughout the 20th centuries authoritarian Salazar corporate era, then saw a quick rise of even more small farm cooperatives in the decade that followed, and only finally began modernization with newly adopted EU agricultural regulations and investment in 1986. Throughout all this turbulent Portuguese history, Port remained constant in wine quality.

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Within the Douro DOC and more than forty(40) miles inland from Oporto lie the Porto DOC's three(3) important sub-regions: cool Baixo Corgo, the higher quality central Cima(Alta) Corgo, which produces more concentrated wines and Douro Superior, the warmer eastern sub-region.With more than 80 varieties of grapes(castas) sanctioned, only five(5) red(tinto) varieties: Tinta Roiz(Tempranillo), Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cao, Touriga Francesa, and Touriga Nacional and three white varieties are recommended for quality Ports, as regulated by the I.V.D.P. This official body administers the Cadastro vineyard ranking system, regulating vineyard rank, grape production and price, as well as declaring the superior Vintage year classifications. Barrel(wood) aged that benefit from evaporation and reductive bottle aged(Ruby, Vintage, Late Bottle Vintage-LBV) are the two(2) principal families of Port production styles. Barrel-aged Tawny's from a single vintage are designated, Colheita, and a rare intermediate barrel & bottle aged Port from a single vintage may be labeled Garrafeira.

Single vineyard estate (quinta) Ports are becoming increasingly common, as the majority of Ports historically have been blends of grapes and quintas assembled, aged and bottled by the shippers lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia across the Douro river highway. The valley composed of pre-Cambrian schist is also home to quality regional table wine production from the same native Port grape varieties, as Douro DOC. Between the Douro and the Minho to the North lies the provincial provinces of Atlantic-influenced Entre-Douro-e-Minho, and Tras-os-Montes, with the important demarked region Vinho Verde DOC in the northwest being the most prominent. Portugal's largest production DOC, Vinho Verde, is a low alcohol, high-acid blended red or white(branco) wine from regional grapes(dominated by the white Alvarinho) that is produced in a light and fresh style from within the quality (9)sub-districts of the Minho VR. Today, it is Portugal's second most-widely exported wine(vinho).

Cool, Green Minho Vineyards

South of the Douro lies the inland high country of the Dao DOC; principally a red wine temperate climate region, and today producing increasingly elegant, quality wines from blends based in Touriga Nacional. Bairrada DOC is located on the Atlantic side of the Beiras VR, and finds the thick-skinned and tannic native red variety, Baga(Tinta Fina?) its most widely planted grape in its clay soils. This maritime environment proves beneficial too for a regional sparkling wine industry from the fragrant white native Maria Gomes or a blend of local red grapes.

North of  Lisbon(Lisboa VR) is the hilly wine region formally known as Estremadura VR, Portugal's largest bulk wine producing area(Mateus & Lancers). Prominent, historical DOC's within its demarcated region include Bucelas, Carcavelos, and Colares DOC, home to the un-grafted, phyllloxera-free Ramisco red grape, grown in the sandy vineyards of this maritime climate. Here near Lisbon, the Tagus or Tejo river out of Spain separates Portugal into halves with great plains fanning to the south. On the Peninsula de Setubal, south of Lisbon, one of the world's notable dessert wines is produced from fortified, wood aged Muscat of Alexandria grapes, Moscatel de Setubal DOC. Along with native red grapes(Castelao) and newly planted international varieties, like Merlot, there are local sweet wines here also similar to Port, but DOC rules require a minimum of 70% Moscatel for the regions most classic treat.

In the past, Portuguese were quick to joke that the expansive Alentejo VR region, with its broad, golden wheat fields, was 'the land of bad bread and bad wine'. Known mostly for cork oak production(about half of the world supply), this arid region has recently embraced investment and moderization, with eight(8) sub-regions entitled to the higher DOC designation for their production of fruity, improved quality native and international variety wines. Sunnier still is the touristy Algarve to the Mediterranean south,classified only as Algarve VR, the designation offered to the country wines similar to the Vin de Pays of France.

Off the northwest coast of Africa sits Madiera DOC, home to long history producing a fortified dessert wine that is both deliberately heated(estufagem) and exposed to air(oxidized); a process so unique it has an identity that is enshrined by the EU's Protected Designation of Origin status. Although the workhorse red variety, Tinta Negra Mole is most widely planted on these islands, it is the four(4) noble grapes from the graduating strata's of this volcanic landscape: Bual(Boal), Mavasia(Malmsey), Verdelho and off-dry Sercial, that give quality aged Madiera's their special status. Maderized and long living, wines labeled 'Finest' have been aged for at least three(3) years, while Seleccionado are between 3 - 5 years old, 5 Anos or Reservas are between 5 - 10 years old, and all the way to Mais de 40 Anos. Colheita's are minimum 85% single grape variety, minimum 85% single vintage, and the best of these is aged more than 20 years to earn the label, Frasqueira.

Modern Bairrada winery

One of the world's largest wine producers and exporters, Portugal today is a paradox that is greater than Port vs. Lancer's Rose'. It is the resolution of tradition against viticulture and winemaking improvements; going beyond Vinho Verde, to other regions like modernizing Alentejo, which is producing an ever increasing amount of Portugal's top quality DOC table wines. Among its rising stars today are the old, rustic provincial regions, now producing the best table wines from the Dao, like 'Alianca' and 'Grao Vasco' , or the Douro's Quinta de Crasto. Here native grapes grown for a thousand years are finding new contemporary markets to showcase how unique and individual they really are. Last year's Decanter World Wine Awards saw the Regional Trophy's and Gold medals to Portugal's sweet, fortified wines as expected, but a surprising 93 Silver medals to distinctive wines from the Minho, the Dao and the Alentejo. As we look to our rustic, Old World image of these wines, the discovery of what is different and distinct about today's wines of Portugal may be the biggest paradox of all.

Saude!

LANGUEDOC & ROUSSILLON: Massively Beyond Country Midi

Massive volumes of wine from a great mass of vineyard acreage along the Mediterranean crescent south of the Massif Central in France are produced each year. In the Languedoc-Roussillon region(s) there are currently more than 700,000 acres of vines, annually producing more than a third of all French wines.  Although this historical region, which extends west of the Rhone river to the Spanish border, produces mostly Vin de Pays(country) classified wines, that's still more than all of the wine produced by the U.S. each year! Importantly, this regions current wave of innovation and quality improvements are a benchmark for all wine lovers, because this is simply the largest wine growing area in the world.

Rocky Roussillon vineyard soils

France's highest quality tier, the AOC, is built with numerous restrictions in grape selection, yield and vinification, as well as its most stringent quality evaluations for typicity of the specific appellation. Created in the 1970's, the broad Vin de Pays classification allows producers a less regulated quality category for typically selected regional varietals evaluated on their individual merits. Among the oldest planted vineyards in all of France, the Vin de Pays d'Oc is the nations' largest VdP. Within its less regulated production of non-indigenous varietals, grape blends and even varietal labeling, the regions of Languedoc-Roussillon have seen a great wave of investment and modernization in the last 30 years, making it perhaps France's most innovative and exciting wine region. If a wine here is labeled by grape variety, it must contain 100% of that grape!

Today coastal dominated Languedoc, and Catalan influenced Roussillon remain the wine frontier for France.  There are over 50,000 growers here, mostly organized into more than 400 cooperatives, which alone produce around 70% of the regions wines. And they have a long and active history of flexing their political muscle to maintain their traditions and promote the wines of the region by way of dozens of 'brotherhoods'. In 1992 these political action associations grouped together to form the Languedoc & Roussillon Brotherhood Academy to maintain their long established ancestral traditions. The region(s) have long been the source of France's vin ordinare, and today only produces about 10% AOC designated wines.

Reflecting its Iberian sensibilities, Banyuls AOC producers use mutage, similar to that of Port, to fortify(arrest) the fermentation, and can expose the barreled wine to the sun, like maderized Sherries for their sweet and blended Carignan/Grenache vin doux naturals. Red as well as white VDN's from Muscat, Grenache Blanc and Spains's Macabeu are produced in volume at Rivesaltes AOC in the northern foothills, amounting to almost 75% of the entire countries' VDN production! Heading towards the Mediterranean, the appellation of Fitou AOC is a still red wine zone from the same widely planted regional grapes, and the regions first AOC.

Vineyards of Carcassone

South of the Roman fortress, Carcassone, lies Limoux, whose monks of Saint Hilaire are to have produced sparkling wines from 1531, more than a hundred years before the birth of Dom Perignon! Without the benefit of disgorgement of its lees, the cloudy Blanquette de Limoux AOC continues to produce methode ancestrale sparklers from the local late ripening Mauzac white grape. This region also produces the more traditional method Cre'mant de Limoux AOC, with Mauzac, Chardonnay and even Chenin Blanc in its version of blended sparklers. Corbieres AOC, the regions largest AOC, sits to the north, producing vast quantities of Carignan dominated blended reds, plus whites and rose' wines from all the usual regional varieties. The catch-all Coteaux du Languedoc AOC sits to the Mediterranean east, with its numerous communes poised for individual recognition of their continuing  improvement of traditional and international variety wines.

Diversity in geography and geology, with mountainous schist terraces to coastal sedimentary sands, uniquely combine here in the Languedoc-Roussillon with passionate traditions and modern innovation. In the summer of 2010, the regions authority introduced a new hierarchy of wine classifications, Grand Vins du Languedoc, and the top tier Grand Cru du Languedoc intended to simplify consumer recognition of their existing 29 AOC's. And, a recent N.Y.Times tasting panel found great quality for value relationships in several Cotes du Roussillon AOC wines and even a few stellar examples within the regions Vin de Pays. As this historic and proud region, sometimes referred to as the Midi, moves quickly forward it remains for savvy consumers to seek out these fine wines and discover the new benchmarks in Old World wine innovation.

Vineyards of Corbieres

Cheers!

BRAMBLES: Items from a Vines Spring

Discovery. That's what this journey is all about.  As I anxiously await Certified Wine Educator exam results, there has been a recent realization that this path of wine education is all about discovery. In the months before the test I felt the weighted pressure to study day after day, and the peaking anxiety as the test drew near was all about feeling the need to do so much more to be prepared.  What a relief it was to accept that I have already been teaching about wine in my chosen career, and that the challenge of the exam was simply a measure of my growing & summary wine knowledge.  That epiphany was a rebirth and offers a chance to grow forward.

A look outside and we are beginning to see the new growth of Spring bud break on our pruned grape vines. Perhaps this new seasonal vine growth is also reflected by our domestic retail wine sales. Based on numbers accumulated from 2010, the Nielsen Company has reported that wine consumers are beginning to trade up, with the largest growth in the +$10 market segments.

On the other end of the wine scale, Reuters reports that so far in 2011, leading wine auctions have sold over $46 million in ultra-premium collectibles. "I don't see prices going anywhere significantly except up", said John Kapon, head of auctions for New York's Acker, Merrall & Condit.

• Three hundred and thirty million cases of wine, with a value estimated at over $30 billion, were consumed by Americans last year.  This benchmark makes the United States the worlds number one volume consumers of wine, surpassing the French for the first time in history! More than 105 million cases of that total(almost 1/3rd)  were produced in foreign lands and imported, according to newly released figures.  That volume makes the U.S. the biggest foreign wine marketplace in the world!

 The Wine Economist reports that the next big thing (TNBT?) in white grape varietals is going to be domestic Muscat and imported Torronte's from Argentina. Does that mean that imported and domestic Pinot Grigio/Gris has arched and is no longer the growth segment it once was? 

• In the U.S Congress, an important new wine bill is currently making its way thru the legislative process.  HR1161 is the current version of last sessions HR5034, sponsored by the WSWA and  the National Beer Wholesalers Association, and takes aim to protect an individual states right to regulate alcohol under the 21st Amendment. If passed, this measure could reverse existing statutes and close many out of state markets to small wine and craft beer producers.

• An appeal of the Fifth Circuit Court decision in Texas on the issue of direct interstate wine shipments was recently refused to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. The outcome appears to be a victory for controlling Texas distributors, and spokespersons for the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America have applauded the high court's decision.

• As a rite of Spring, Maryland state politicos this week overwhelming approved bills in two legislative committees that would allow as many as 18 cases of wine shipped to the states consumers directly from wineries!  If passed into law, direct shipments of out of state wines here would align with approved statutes in neighboring Virginia and Washington, DC.  In summary, that's two(2) pending victories for large, monopolistic beverage distributors, and just one(1) for the little guys who need open markets to survive.  These and many more legal updates are always available at www.freethegrapes.org!

Heavy rains during the current harvest season in South Australia's Barossa and Clare Valleys are reported producing rampant fungus on the regions grape vines. What may be the worst rain-affected vintage ever is being fought by almost constant spraying in the vineyards, but the forecast is for more of the same. Australia's winegrape yields are as a result expected to be down by more than 20%.

• More than 1000 miles to the East, New Zealand winegrowers anticipate a near record grape harvest, as much as 50,000 tons greater than last year. With a continued growth in its wine exports, at about 10% each year, grape oversupply may not become a pressing issue and consumers should still find value from Down Under.

With a reduced California grape crop yield reported for 2011 and fruit prices generally lower than last year, it has been reported that our states grape supply is in balance. Average per ton grape prices were down across the state, including the Napa Valley, with the notable exception being the Lodi Viticultural Area, where growers enjoyed a marginal per ton price increase in 2010.

As consumers we're drinking more domestic and imported wines than ever before, but there continues to be formidable clouds on the horizon that would limit our beverage selections. And, it appears that the rich keep getting richer in a sustained market and drinking richer top end wines. It may be an old song, but vineyard management is not for the meek As this market gradually appears to be moving into 'balance', for all of those who are passionate about farming, winegrape-growing continues to remain a voyage of discovery!


Five(5) wines for $40.!

• Castano Monastrell 2009Yecla, Spain

• Figaro Tinto (Red Wine) 2009, Calatayud, Spain

• Chono Reserva Syrah 2008 Elqui Valley, Chile

• la MaiaLina 2008 Chianti, Italy

• Domaine Laurier Merlot, 2007 Sonoma County Reserve, CA

Enjoy!!

JUST TESTING: Power in Wine Trivia

A few days removed from the important Wine Educator's Certification exam, I thought it would be good to explore a few trivial items that I should have known more about.  This is a long process after all, and continued research after a benchmark exam is not unlikely or unrewarded. With the inescapable image of Atlas holding up the World, I realize now more than ever that there is a mountain of wine information, facts and details that must be commanded if I am to be successful in this quest.  It is the factual Power in Wine Trivia which I must command. To that end, here are a few odds and, well, ends.

Grown around the world, and produced in a spectrum of wine styles, the Muscat family may be the worlds oldest domesticated grape variety. It sparkles as Italy's Moscato d'Asti, and as a multi-functional still wine, Muscat Canelli.  Across the continent, it becomes a deliriously ethereal syrup in Portugal's Moscatel de Setubal, and produces a number of sweet, fortified French Vins Doux Naturels(VDN's) in celebrated examples like Muscat de Rivesaltes. As one of the Alsace regions Noble grape varieties,  Muscat is produced in an AOC regulated dry style, or even patiently made as a late harvest treat, Vendenges Tardives.  In Hungary, where it can be in the Furmint dominated grape blend of the noble Tokay Aszu dessert wines, it is known by the varietal Muscat synonym, Sárgamuskotály or Muscat Lunel.

Across two oceans, it is the pride of Australia's Rutherglen district 'stickies', possibly amoung the world's greatest fortified wines. As a grape brandy, this grape is the base for the aromatic Pisco's of Chile and Peru. South Africa too, long a fortified and late harvest wine producer, grows the same grape as Muscadel or Hanepoot.  Regardless of its synonyms, its unique property among all white grapes is its high concentration of 'flavonoids', as much as some red varieties. Perhaps it was these beneficial effects that were recognized by Muscat loving Kind Midas back in the 8th century BC! With its almost unmistakable fruity character, and in each of these manifestations, this noble, time honored grape is Muscat Blanc a'Petits Grains.

Among the oldest wine regions in the world, Greece, is a much publicized member state of the EU.  Its standardized agricultural regulations meet the Unions requirements, allowing for inter-European trade in commodities like wine. From the Ionian Island region of Kefalonia, across to Nemea of the Peloponnesus, and stretching South to the Agean Islands of Santorini and Rhodes, this wine country is more than Retsina. A mirror of the French model(again), Greece has two designations of controlled appellation of origins for its best wines. Qualified traditional sweet wines are labeled OPE, with a separate Appellation of Controlled Status for its awarded dry table wines, OPAP. Noble indigenous grape varieties, such as red Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro, and white Vilana vines create some of the countries best wines.  Muscat Blanc a'Petits Grains, known as Muscat Aspro, here too is a time tested workhorse, producing sparkling, fortified and still wines.

With archaeological evidence going back to the Stone Age, the Eastern Mediterranean has a rich, far reaching wine history.  East of the Lebanon Mountains there lies a fertile valley long ago discovered by the grape-loving Phoenicians. Among the few dozen wineries concentrated in Lebanon's Bekka Valley, it's 150 year old Chateau Ksara, Chateau de Kefraya, and Chateau Musar are the most prominent producers of world-class wines. With many decades of colonial influence, France today remains Lebanon's principal trading partner.  Grape varieties here are mostly southern French in origin, with the exception of indigenous white grapes, Obaideh and Merwah.

 How can you taste a Sherry barrel sample through that veil of flor that lies across the top of the wine?  Artisans of Andalusia, the veneciadors, use a venezia, a specifically designed cylindrical cup at the end of a long wand to taste the fractional blending of the solera.  Like Champagne, each Sherry is a blend of grapes and vintages that define a house style. Dry Sherry typically is produced from the neutral Palomino grapes grown in chalky albariza soils. Barros and arenas soils of the Jerez usually produce the sweet style Sherries from the white grapes Pedro Ximinez and Moscatel. There's that Muscat grape again!

It has been said that great wines, including Muscats, are made in the vineyards. Every viticulturist knows that healthy vines are balanced vines with a managed canopy and controlled fruit yields that optimize the vineyards productivity.  One of the decisions that will be made in pursuit of balance will be which trellising or pruning system to use. A Vertical Trellis system directs the new growth of fruiting canes upward and offers a number of variations. A cane trained Guyot, Cordon de Royat(Cordon training), and the Goblet are variations of Old World spur and cane pruned trained trellising systems.The opposite of VSP, vertical shoot positioning, the Geneva Double Curtain, is a 4-arm trellising system developed in New York, where canes trail down. A Lyre system is similar, but with canes positioned up, and another French innovation.

It is certainly not trivial to know and understand your subject. Consumers, too, can benefit from more wine knowledge.  True, that insightful bit of wine information can contribute to a parties parlor conversations, but has far more reaching impact for us when choosing a wine from our well-stocked retailers. With a greater command of these and a few other wine details, the power found in trivia will continue to make us better consumers.  And, hopefully, better Wine Educators!