The South Island of New Zealand is an improbable place to find “the best in the world” of any type of wine. Consider that the area began producing quality wine with any seriousness in the 1970’s. Yet the Kiwis were able to successfully match a single grape to a geographic area—and get modern winemaking ideas in place. It’s quite remarkable. So is Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough. This gem of the New Zealand wine crown is not the only show in town though, there are excellent wines coming from all four wine regions of New Zealand’s South Island.

The smallest wine area on the South Island is also the farthest north (remember, we’re below the equator so north = warmer) The little area of Nelson doesn’t yet have the international recognition of its neighbor Marlborough, but its certainly on its way. The area lies in gentle rolling hills and enjoys the climatic regulation of the Tasman Bay. Wine production in the area is small, but focused on quality wine. Delicate, balanced Pinot Noir is the main red production and vibrant, flinty Chardonnay is the main white—along with some Riesling and Pinot Gris.

The world famous Marlborough lies on the northeast corner of the South Island, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean and rimmed by mountain ranges. The vineyards of Marlborough lie on broad alluvial plain that is home to some of the worlds best Sauvignon Blanc and quite respectable Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More than 60% of the countries vineyards are in Marlborough. The regions climate is exceptional with very long sunny days and cool nights that help the grapes to retain the acid structure, which is such a hallmark of Marlborough Sav Blanc. The wines are generally very intense and pure with a balance of fruit and acid that is unparalleled.

Canterbury and Waipara two areas which are often grouped together as a single wine producing district. Both areas lie on the eastern coast of the island, south of the Marlborough region, near the city of Christchurch. Both areas produce predominately Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with Riesling the third most planted. The best area is in Waipara, in and around the Omihi Hills where quality Pinot Noir is the choice product.

Fun fact: Otaga is the southernmost wine region in the world. Otaga is unique on the South Island in that it is located in the interior, well away from any coast. Otaga is a geographically complex area with a true continental climate. This means there are significant temperature variations and well defined seasons with cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers. Today the area is producing some of the most exciting Pinot Noir in all of New Zealand. The land under production is rising quickly and the quality of the wine is surprisingly good. In good time this area will most likely be as synonymous with Pinot Noir in NZ as Marlborough is with Sauvignon Blanc.

Fine Wine, International Wine, Pinot Noir Marlborough, New Zealand, Otaga, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, South Island

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.

Cheap Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine, Sparkling Wine italian sparkling wine, Italian Wine, Prosecco, prosecco grape, Sparkling Wine

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.

Australian Wine, International Wine, White Wine Australian Wine, hunter valley, semillion wine

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.

French Wine, International Wine, Red Wine Côtes du Rhône, French Wine, grenache, Red Wine, rhone valley

Perhaps no other wine in the world has been able to cultivate an image quite as well as Champagne. The houses of Champagne spent the 19^th and 20^th centuries making their wine as synonymous with upward mobility, the affordable luxury product. They affectively tied their sparkling wines with moments of celebration in the minds of the world’s consumers. In a stroke of genius, they specifically advertised to women. In an age when this was uncommon, it reaped rewards in brand loyalty that last to this day.

It should come then, as no surprise that the Champagne producers of France feel a great need to protect this valuable brand. There are literally international treaties that the French have negotiated to stop anyone, anywhere outside of the bounds of the Champagne AOC from calling their sparkling wine product “Champagne.”

True Champagne comes from the Champagne region, located in north-central France. The vineyards lie near to the city of Paris and are one of the most northerly outposts of grapes in the world. The grapes used to produce Champagne are actually quite familiar to most wine consumers: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with a little of the obscure Pinot Meunier thrown in.

Champagne is usually a white wine, but Pinot Noir is a red grape…no? Well, yes, it is, but in Champagne production the Pinot Noir grapes are crushed very lightly and removed from the skins quickly so that no color leaches into the juice. Most Champagne is a blend of the three grapes, however a bottle labeled Blanc de Noirs will be made exclusively from Pinot Noir and Meunier and a bottle labeled Blanc de Blancs is made from only Chardonnay.

Champagne today is always a sparkling wine, though it was a still red at one point in time. The geography and climate of the area sparkling wine production the best choice for growers in the area. The cooler climate gives the grapes a high dose of acid and lower sugar content. The high acid is beneficial to balance the texture of the bubbles in the wine. Champagne is made by the process invented in the Champagne area called méthode champenoise. While the process is repeated throughout the world to produce sparkling wines, the name is protected and cannot be used on labels of wines that are not Champagne.

Champagne is produced in several levels of sweetness, from driest to sweetest: Brut zero, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Sec, Sec, Demi-Sec and Doux. Most Champagne is a non-vintage wine. This is different than most still wines, and is why there is generally not a vintage on the label of Champagne. The Champagne houses blend their wines, using wines from several years to arrive at a “house style.” This process is designed to ensure that you’re favorite bottle of Champagne will taste the same, year-to-year.

Imagine if Coca-Cola or Budweiser tasted different every year…that consistency is what the Champagne houses are aiming for. Every few years though, there is an excellent vintage and the Champagne will be made from only that year’s wine. These special wines are called vintage Champagne and are aged for longer, then released with a vintage date on the label.

Chardonnay, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Sparkling Wine champagne, Chardonnay, French Wine, Pinot Noir, Sparkling Wine

The Nebbiolo grape ripens particularly late, which historically meant that by the time the grapes were picked and the wine was made, it got really cold outside. Cold enough to stop the fermentation of the wine while it still had sugar left in it. Barolo wasn’t a dry wine until the mid 1800’s. Global warming has actually helped the grapes late ripening schedule—a little extra time in the autumn for sugars to develop has allowed the production of Barolo to increase.

Barolo is certainly one of the finest wines to come from the great nation of Italy. It’s been called the wine of kings and the king of wines…and not too many people will argue about that. It’s a wine made from a single grape—Nebbiolo—in a small area in northwest Italy.

The Barolo vineyard zone is located in the Italian province of Piedmont—home to the world famous white truffles and the wines of Barbaresco. Barolo is region that has received the highest honor from the Italian government—DOCG, which means it is a product of guaranteed quality. Borolo wines are usually highly concentrated, rich and full bodied; the wines gain this power, tannin and acid-load from the traditional practice of macerating the wine on the grape skins. Modern producers have shortened the length of time that the wine sits on the skins, but have been able to retain some of the characteristic body that is gained from long maceration by utilizing a practice that mechanically pumps the wine over the skins.

The wine can be made in several communes and areas around the zone, but the majority of the wine comes from the original communes of Barolo, La Morra, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d’Alba and Monfornte d’Alba—any of these names on a label of Barolo is good news. In addition to the communes a few vineyards in Barolo have generated the best wines over time; look for the names: Cannubi, Sarmazza, Brunate, Roche and Cerequi. Traditional style Barolo needed at least 5 years of aging to soften the deep tannins—some newer-style winemakers have moved in a direction that produces wines which are more approachable at a younger age.

Once you’ve found a great bottle of Barolo, you need to get yourself a nice hearty meal to go with it. The huge tannins in Barolo (and many big red wines) are a natural pairing for red meats as well as starches and sauces made from cream, butter and meat stock reductions. Risotto made with Barolo wine—and lots of Parmesan cheese—is a specialty of chef Mario Batali. Go enjoy some Barolo wine…but don’t plan on cooking with it, because you won’t want to stop drinking it.

Fine Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine barolo, Italian Wine, nebbiolo, piedmont wine

You may have heard of wines called “Super Tuscans” at some point. Alas, these are not Italian super-heroes…but they are fantastic wines. They hail, of course, from the region of Tuscany in central Italy and their history is one of rebellion greatness.

First, you must understand Italian wine laws. There are several quality-level designations within the Italian wine law that basically dictate which grapes can be grown where, based on historical practices. The name for the highest level of quality (and strictness) is DOC and DOCg—which is Denominacion de Controlatta and Denominacion de Controlatta garantita.

In many parts of Tuscany the grape that is accepted for DOC and DOCg use is the great Sangiovese (which you many know as it makes Chianti). In Tuscany the Sangiovese grape has been established for centuries.

Cabernet Sauvignon has not. Cabernet is a French grape. It does not have a history in Tuscany, or Italy for that matter.

Nonetheless, in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s a group of winemakers started blending the native Sangiovese with the Bordeaux grapes, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon along with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The first of these wines was Sassicaia, followed by Tignanello, Ornellaia rounds out the three most famous names in Super Tuscans.

Since these wines were not made according the DOC rules, they had to be labeled as Vin d’Tavolo—that is, table wine. But then something happened, the wines became famous and started commanding very high prices. The Italian government was not pleased that the most expensive wines coming out of Italy were lowly table wines that didn’t follow the rules. So, they went ahead and changed the rules. They called the wines IGT (Indicazione Geographica Tipica) which meant that at least 85% of the grapes for the wine came from the geographic area, in this case, Tuscany.

Winemakers all over the world have followed in the footsteps of the first Super Tuscan producers by planting French varietals and blending them with all kinds of grapes. The Italian government even granted Sassicaia it’s own DOC—the only one for a single vineyard in all of Italy.

Fine Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine, Red Wine Cabernet Sauvignon, Italian Wine, super tuscan, tuscan wine, tuscany

The region is officially known as “La Rioja”, but you can just called it Rioja. Found in the north of Spain, adjacent to the Basque lands, this region has been producing wine since at least the 9^th century. The region has been producing more or less continuously since then. The fist caretakers of the vines were monks, followed later by private citizens. A seminal moment came in 1852 when a winemaker trained in Bordeaux came to the area to create wines in the dry French style. Since then, the wines have been celebrated as some of the best in Spain. Rioja was first granted Denominacion de Origen status in 1970, then in 1991, was the first wine region to be elevated to the superior rank of Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa).

The area of La Rioja lies on a huge elevated plateau, surrounded by mountains to the north. The vineyards mostly lie along the path of the Ebro River between the towns of Haro and Alfaro. Within the region, there are three subregions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. Rioja Alta is generally considered to produce the best wines, though excellent example do come from all over. The Rioja Alevesa is in the Basque country and has more small producers, which create wines that are a little lighter in body, owing the limestone soils. Rioja Baja is less cultivated and warmer than the rest of the regions and does produce some wine, but not usually of the quality of the rest of the area.

The wine of Rioja is almost all red, though small amounts of white wine are made from Viura. The red grapes of Rioja are dominated by Tempranillo, along with some Graciano and Garnacha (called Grenache elsewhere). The reds wines of the area share the same aging guidelines used in the rest of Spain: Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva. These classifications dictate how much time the wine has spent aging in oak barrels. Oak aging and the trademark vanilla notes that it gives the wines are a hallmark of Rioja. Both French and American oak are used, with French being the more historic oak choice and American being the newer style.

The use of more American oak barrels, along with a decrease in the time spent aging Rioja in oak barrels has had an impact on the style normally associated with wines from the region. Todays’ Riojas are less pronounced in the vanilla and spice notes that were once tell-tale Rioja traits. You should note though, that this change in barrels and aging hasn’t affected the quality of the wines, just the style. Rioja wines are generally great wines and can be found a very good value for the quality.

Fine Wine, International Wine, Spanish Wine Rioja, Spanish Wine, Tempranillo

The tiny region of Priorat is located in the northeast of Spain about 50 miles outside of Barcelona. The land is mountainous, windswept and jagged, home to strange volcanic soils and immense red wines.

The area was first planted in the 12^th century by Spanish monks, and remained in their hands until the 1835 when the government distributed their lands. The area was well planted when the Phylloxera louse hit in the late 1800’s. The bug caused near total devastation of the vineyards and put a stop to fine wine production in the area for almost a century.

Thankfully for the wine-consuming world, a man of vision stepped in to restore Priorat and turn in into the region it is today. That man was Rene Barbier, and the wines he makes to this day are beautiful concentrated expressions of the Garnacha grape and llicorella soils in which it grows.

First off, Garnacha is just what is sounds like—it’s Grenache—the robust grape of the Southern Rhone and the “G” in those Australian GSM blends. Garnacha is the most planted grape in Priorat, but it’s not the only one. Cariñena, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are all planted and used in the wines of Priorat. Garnacha is, however, the grape that provides the character of the Priorat The Garnacha vines are the oldest in the area, the yields are very low and the fruit they produce has earned the region the highest designation of quality from the Spanish government – DOCa—an honor shared only with the Rioja region.

The soils of the Priorat are special, and hard to pronounce. The soil is volcanic in origin and consists of black, red and brown slate with a touch of mica. Llicorella (say “yee-core-ay-yah”) is the local Catalan word for the jagged mixture. The llicorella reflects sunlight that hits it back up the grape vines and its dark color absorbs heat during the day that radiates out to keep the vines warm at night.

The wines of Priorat are virtually all reds; some are single varietal bottlings of Cabernet, Garnacha or Syrah, while others are blends sold simply under the Priorat name. The wines are intense, bold and concentrated, but also delicate and mineral-scented. These are very special wines, and the prices reflect the low regional output and the great quality. A good bottle of Priorat, while not cheap, will stand up to big reds from around the world and should be a part of any wine lovers vocabulary.

Fine Wine, International Wine, Spanish Wine grenache, old vines, priorat wine, Spanish Wine

Anyone getting into wine will at some point in time come across the idea that there are two broad “worlds” of wine—the old world and the new world. These distinctions are made across many areas of study—foodstuffs and monkeys for example. To talk about the differences in wines between old and new world we must first define them. The old world, in wine, is Europe and the new world is everywhere else. The classic old world countries are France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Austria, Hungary and Greece. The new world wine countries are the U.S., Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa. The differences between the two are not of grape type (all use old world grapes) but of tradition and wine making style.

Wine began, as we know it, in antiquity, and was propagated across Europe by the Romans thousands of years ago. The lands the Romans brought vines to developed into nations that produce the bulk of wine in the world today. France, Italy and Spain dominate the production and export of wines in the world. Each country has eons of tradition behind their winemaking. Tradition in wine is all about matching the right grape to the right place; then developing ways to make the wine better through viniculture and viticulture, vineyard management and fermentation techniques, respectively.

Producers in the old world have had generations to make these wine making choices and have developed what we now understand as traditional practices for making wine which carry on to the present day. The new world has had much less time for these developments to take place. Remember, wine making is a long process: it can take ten years before a vine is producing good fruit and another two or three years before a wine is even ready to drink. Given the shortened time period, the new world has made great progress in figuring out which grapes to grow where, classic examples are Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough, New Zealand; Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley and Pinot Noir in Willamette Valley, Oregon.

Apart from the process of finding the right sites for the right grapes, what we can think of as tradition, the largest overall difference in old vs. new world wine is the style in which the wines are made. Very broadly speaking there are three areas of difference: fermentation and storage vessels, fermentation temperatures and ripeness which all add up to different perceived flavors in the final wine.

Generally, new world producers use much more neutral fermentation tanks, stainless steel, which impart almost no flavor to the wines. In the old world, fermentation is carried out in wood, and depending on the size of the tank and the age of the wood, can result in more austere wines.

Old world producers tend to ferment their wines at a higher fermentation temperature and leave the wine resting on the mashed up grapes (called maceration) for longer than new world producers. These production choices will leave the wines with more tannins, which will give more complexity—but will also require longer aging periods. New world producers tend to shy away from these choices because their goal is to make a wine that can be consumed relatively quickly, that is without needing extended aging.

Producers from both old and new world use oak barrels to age their wines—both red and white, though a minority of white wines get barrel aging. New world producers tend to use new oak and American oak while old world producers choose smaller French oak. New world vineyards are often much warmer than old world ones, and therefore new world wines tend get riper. This ripeness leads to higher sugar contents and thus higher alcohol levels.

To summarize: old world wines are about expressing terrior and vineyard location, with emphasis on earth and wood flavors. New world wines are about expressing the grape varietal with emphasis on fruit flavors and texture. New world wines feature the wine maker prominently and old world wines feature the terrior—the soil and climate—prominently. Dry and earthy is old world style, while rich and fruity is new world style. Finally, new world producers label their wines with the grape used to make it, while old world producers generally label their wines with the region its from—and expect the consumer to know what grape is grown in that region.

Fine Wine, International Wine, Uncategorized, Vineyards french oak, new world wine, old world wine, wine aging, wine styles