Champagne, I love you, you’re wonderful and I’ll see you on birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. Prosecco is for the everyday celebration. You should have sparkling wine at least once a week. At least. Prosecco fills that niche with grace and charm.

So what if it isn’t wafting complex toasted brioche and apricot aromas like the great sophisticated Champagne it is inevitably compared to? It’s not supposed to be Champagne. Yes, they both have bubbles and are usually white…and that’s about where we can stop comparing them. Decent Champagne starts at $30 a bottle, but good Prosecco can be had for $12 a bottle.

You may know Prosecco from the Bellini, that wonderful fizzy peach cocktail. Prosecco can be an aperitif, or a table wine to go with an easy Wednesday night dinner. Prosecco is hip and in-the-know. Prosecco says “I like bubbles, and I don’t care if it’s not from France, I’m going to drink what I want.”

Prosecco hails from the Veneto region in Italy, roughly a third of the way down, on the western side. It’s a pretty land with gently rolling hills. The wine is protected by the Prosecco DOC and by a new DOCG for Prosecco di Valdobbiadene. Just look for the little pink ribbon on the top of the bottle and you’re good to go.

Prosecco is that rarest of rare old world wines that makes sense to the American labeling mindset: Prosecco wine is made from Prosecco grapes. It’s that easy. You just don’t find ‘em like that in Europe. (Of course the Italians caught on that us Americans were having an easy time understanding their labels, so they went ahead and changed the name of the grape to Glera)

Prosecco may not have the reputation that Champagne has earned, but it still should be a go-to bubbly for quality, fun and value.

Petite Sirah is not Petite Syrah.

Durif is Petite Sirah and Syrah is Petite Syrah. Confused? Well let’s clear up what the heck are Petite Sirah and Petite Syrah.

Let’s start with the old world. Petite Syrah was the name given to some Syrah plants in the Rhone that produced smaller berries. Pretty simple there, petite = small.

Now, the first immigrants to bring Syrah to California in the 1870’s noticed that the grapes were smaller than they were used to—probably owing to differences in climate, exposure and soils—so they called these Syrah grapes Petite Syrah. Petite = small. Then, no one thought about it much for 100 years.

Okay, so petite means small, that’s fine. Does Sirah = Syrah? Nope. Petite Sirah is actually Durif. (Aren’t French words supposed to be lyrical and pretty?) Anyways, Durif is an accidental cross of Syrah and Peloursin that occurred in a field in France somewhere and was discovered by a guy named Durif. He named the new grape after himself and released it to the world.

The resulting grape was noted to be vigorous and resistant to mildew. So they planted some more. Then some immigrants brought it to California. Durif grew well in California and around the turn of the century was widely planted. From there on out Petite Sirah ebbed and flowed in popularity, hitting a peak in 1976 and a low in 1990.

Currently, Petite Sirah is enjoying some popularity. There are a lot of old plantings, which mean that the vines are older and producing great juice. Also, that means the plantings are paid off and the wine can be sold for a pretty nice value. Petite Sirah is some great wine for the price. It’s got some big tannins, a very lively acidic backbone which has blueberry, plum and black pepper on the nose. The wine has a firm structure, but generally only a medium finish.

The French more or less abandoned Petite Sirah, which means that most of the planting are here in America. If you think about it, it’s kind of a great American wine: it’s tough, it’s strong, it’s unpretentious and it has an ambiguous cultural heritage. Oh, it’s pretty inexpensive. So, it’s not Syrah, it’s just good wine and you can get a great bottle of it for under $15.

Now just memorize these fun facts and recite it at a wine party, you’ll sound really smart.

No other name evokes American wine in the way that Napa does. The consistently excellent quality of the wines coming out of the Napa Valley in California has earned the region an amazing brand. In most instances, a famous wine region is known for producing a single grape or style of wine; think Cabernet blends from Bordeaux or Pinot Noir from Willamette. While Napa certainly has cemented its reputation with Cabernet Sauvignon, the region is also known for excellent Merlot, Chardonnay and Zinfandel, amongst others. Basically anything that has Napa on the label will be able to sell for a higher price than if it was produced elsewhere. This is truly a triumph of wine making skill and excellent geographic site selection

Vineyards popped up in the Napa Valley almost as soon as settlers reached the area in the 1800’s with the first established in 1858. The wine industry in Napa moved along slowly from there, garnering a little attention here and there. Then came the double-whammy of Phylloxera and Prohibition. Phylloxera knocked out the vines and Prohibition denigrated wine production to sacramental purposes only. After Prohibition wine production picked up again and fine wine became the focus of some producers. The seminal moment came at the Judgment of Paris in 1976 when a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa beat the best of Bordeaux. This led to renewed interest in Napa and California in general and began the landslide of activity that has culminated in the industry we know today.

Napa is further broken down into 15 sub AVAs, which are defined by unique microclimate and geographic differences. The geography of Napa leads to several climatic differences within the valley. The southern end of the valley abuts the San Pablo Bay, which brings cooler air in. The northern half of the valley is usually much warmer. Two of the best known are: Rutherford and St. Helena.

Rutherford lies just north of Oakville and is home to the famous Rutherford Bench a stretch of low-vigor soil composed of well-drained volcanic and maritime sediments. The star of the Rutherford Bench is Cabernet Sauvignon. This small appellation is home to some of the best producers in Napa, and some of the most famous wines in California, a sample list: Caymus, ZD, Livingston, Beaulieu, Quintessa, Frogs Leap and Cakebread.

St. Helena is home to some of the most sought after Cabernet produced in Napa. The AVA is the warmest in the entire valley and the vines are able to climb the steep valley walls and soak in the rays. The Grace Family and Colgin Herb Lamb wineries, based in St. Helena, have developed a near cult-like following for their mailing list only Cabernet Sauvignon. The bottles sell for hundreds, even thousands of dollars. Others in the AVA are Revana, Nickel and Nickel and Chase Family; and while Cabernet is big here, excellent Zinfandel is also produced.

South Australia is home to the biggest names in Australian wine and the majority of the fine-wine production is found here. Vines are quite popular in this corner of Australia—a world-famous wine region lies just outside Adelaide, the provincial capital of the state of South Australia. Just past the suburbs of the capital—15 miles to the south—lies the region of McLaren Vale.

Vines were planted to the regions almost immediately after settlement in the 1840’s. A few farmers set up shop with cereal grains and grapes followed quickly thereafter. To this day, there are continuously functioning wineries from the 1850’s and 100 year old vines that still produce fruit for harvest. Many of the wineries are small operations producing high-quality wine from the regions major grape: Shiraz.

The Vale rests between the sea and a range of low mountains, in a pocket of Mediterranean climate, a rarity in much of Australia. The climate of McLaren Vale is ideal for Shiraz, warm but never too hot, with limited frost risk and generous (for Australian standards) winter and spring rainfall. The Shiraz of the region is a vine that produces smaller berries (compared to old world Syrah), which in turn lead to a higher ratio of skin-to-juice and create a wine with added structure and intensity. Shiraz from the Vale is classic Australian: deep purple color, ripe fruits that border on jammy but aren’t overbearing; a firm, rich structure of tannin and acid that maintain excellent balance and considerable complexity; the nose will often show a lot of chocolate, berry and spice.

Shiraz is the leader here, but not far behind is another French import: Cabernet Sauvignon. The king of Bordeaux here is usually made in an un-blended varietal style and enjoys the long, warm days and light precipitation. The Cab from McLaren shows the terrior of the region in its aromas of chocolate and spice, but also plays its own cards with vibrant blackcurrant aromas and tightly wound tannins that take years to develop in bottle.

Outside of the red grapes, McLaren does dabble in some white wine production, of which Chardonnay is the leading grape, followed by Sauvignon Blanc. Chardonnay is graced with deep peach aromas, ripe and jammy or white peach depending on the location of the vineyard, the wines are generally big, but elegant. Sav Blanc from the Vale shows the relative warmth of the area (compared to where Sav Blanc is normally grown) with higher alcohol content and a supple body that often shows clean, sharp acid and a nose of tropical fruits and savory vegetables.

It’s rare for a new world area to have a significant history of grape cultivation and wine making. One exception is the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia. The Hunter not only has chronological history, it also has unique vineyard selection and has matched grape varieties to the area. These traits of a wine area are common in the old world but most places in the new world haven’t had the time to form such culture. The Hunter, with its iconic Semillon and rich history, is a special place in Australian wine.

The close proximity of the Hunter Valley, located just 100 miles away, the Hunter was first explored and populated very quickly in Australian history. Grape cultivation began in the 1820’s and was actually encouraged by the Australian government—wine was thought to be a less disruptive intoxicant than the hard alcohol favored by the settlers. The Hunter began producing quality wine in short time, even taking medals in international competition in the 1800’s. Sweet wine production reigned for quite a while, until dry table wines returned to prominence in the 1960’s. After that transition the Hunter really took off into quality production.

The Hunter can be thought of as a “Goldylocks” area of grape growing because it’s “just right.” Situated inland, but still close to the sea, it receives a perfect dose of cool ocean air. This breeze cools the vineyards to levels that vines thrive in, farther inland it gets very hot and closer to the sea the temperatures drop below ideal levels. The Hunter River gives the valley it’s name, but the most important feature is the Brokeback Mountains, a range that shelters the valley and provides hillsides on which to plant grapes

The grape that is most well recognized as being unique to the Hunter is Semillon. The Hunter is the most famous area for dry Semillon outside of its native Bordeaux. Though they share the grape, the style of Hunter Semillon is quite different from Bordeaux wines. Hunter Semillon is usually picked a little under ripe—to maximize the acid in the naturally low-acid grape. It is then fermented dry and usually not oaked or put through malo-lactic fermentation. The magic happens in the bottle, after about 10 years the wine starts to change and displays a rich body, full of mineral and toasted bread flavors.

The Hunter is also home to a significant planting of Chardonnay and Shiraz, much is bulk grapes for the big Australian wine companies, though some can be quite good. A final interesting grape of the Hunter is Verdelho, a native of Madiera, used there for its namesake wine. It was planted in the Hunter during the sweet fortified wine days and today is used to make some very interesting dry white wines.

If grapes could be said to have a homeland, an ancestral place of origin and power, then for Grenache this place would be the Rhône. Yes, there are many other grapes that grow in the Rhône, and, there are many places in the world where Grenache grows well. Still, the Rhône, with its multitude of communes and appellations is home for the Grenache grape. Here, it grows both red and white and is made into rose, red and white wines. There are many outstanding appellations in the Rhône, but there is one overall appellation that covers the whole area, this is the Côtes du Rhône.

The river Rhône enters France from the East and leaves it at the Mediterranean Sea. Along this north-south traverse, the river hosts many grape vines, and has since antiquity. The first efforts to protect the areas brand were enacted in 1737; in the form of branding the barrels with “CDR.” This effort was a first for wine regulation and eventually helped form the Appellation system that is used to this day in all of France, and most other European wine producing nations. Côtes du Rhône received full AOC status 200 years later, in 1937. the Côtes du Rhône AOC is one of the largest single appellations in the world, covering more than 80,000 hectares and producing more than 400 million bottles of wine.

Besides Grenache Noir and Blanc the Côtes du Rhône has an array of grapes growing in its area. In one AOC—Châteauneuf du Pape—there are 13 grapes allowed in the blend! The grapes that make the most sizable plantings are the red grapes Syrah (especially in the north), Mouvedre, Cinsault, Carignane; and white grapes Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier and Clairette. All white wines must contain at least 80% of the aforementioned grapes; while all reds must contain at least 40% Grenache.

Within the rules of the Appellation Côtes du Rhône, there are several sub-levels of quality. The best are cru level, which are small areas with separate AOC designations, Gigondas and Lirac for example. Just below that in standing are the Côtes du Rhône-Villages, first with a named village (i.e., St. Maurice) and then with the generic “Villages.” Finally, all wines grown in the AOC area can be labeled as simply Côtes du Rhône.

There is such a range of styles coming out of Côtes du Rhône AOC—from white to red to rose to fortified wines—that a specific wine style is difficult to come by. Still, some general qualities of the wines can be assessed. The reds will range in color from light red, to dark red and even purple, the tannins are usually strong, but smooth and fall on the full-bodied side of the spectrum. The whites can range from dry to just off-dry and are generally on the bigger side for white wines, some can be quite floral and others very citrusy.

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Today Washington is the second
largest producer of wine in the U.S. 
The majority of the grapes grown in the state are a product of the
Columbia Valley.  The vineyards of the Columbia
Valley AVA—American Viticultural Area—all benefit from unique set of climatic
conditions and geography.  In addition
to favorable weather, the area has been blessed with producers and a wine
consuming public that is ready to embrace high-quality wines from outside of the
established areas of California and Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

The origins of the fine wine
industry in Washington are unique, even by American standards.  The grapes that started this whole
enterprise were the outgrowth of a couple of guys’ home winemaking hobby.  Of course these couple of guys were a couple
of university professors that knew what they were doing.  They followed the studies of one Dr. Walter
Clore of Washington State University who researched the best varieties of
grapes to plant in the various climatic conditions of Washington.  From there the professors commercialized
their hobby and founded the company that would become Columbia Winery.

The vineyards of the Columbia
Valley, and Washington in general, lie on a broad plateau, in near desert-like
conditions.  They owe their lack of
rain—8 inches yearly—to the semi-coastal Cascade Range of mountains, which
collect the majority of the moisture and form a rain shadow that covers much of
eastern Washington State.  Though this
may seem like a disadvantage to agriculture, it’s actually a bonus for grape
growers.  With these conditions, the
vines struggle and focus their energy on fruit production.  Of course this is only successful with
sufficient irrigation—which the numerous tributaries of the Columbia
provide. 

Popularity is a fickle thing, and
grape vines are certainly not immune. 
The Columbia Valley has seen several waves of grape varieties rise and
fall in favor.  The vineyards of the
Columbia Valley are now home to a variety of grapes planted in times of
popularity, from Chardonnay in the 70’s to Merlot in the 80’s and Syrah in the
90’s and recently Cabernet Sauvignon. 
Today Merlot and Cabernet are considered the best reds and some very
good Riesling is produced in the Columbia Valley.

Within the Columbia lie several separate,
smaller AVAs: Walla Walla Valley AVA, the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, the Wahluke
Slope AVA, Lake Chelan AVA and the Yakima Valley AVA.  You’re likely to find any of these names on a label, otherwise
they can use the Columbia Valley name on the bottle.