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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The Central Valley of California has a bad rep among wine consumers. The Central Valley is monstrous in size and has the dubious distinction of being home to the huge producers of inexpensive box and jug wines that make up a sizeable chunk of the output of California. And while there is no denying the bulk nature of wine in the Central Valley, there are some pockets of fine wine production in this goliath of wine regions. Most notable are two areas in the northeast of the Valley: Lodi and the Sierra Foothills.

The Sierra Foothills must have been named by a seriously un-creative bureaucrat, but don’t let the obvious nature of it’s name fool you; this region is capable of producing some very complex wines. The eponymous mountains of the Sierra Foothills area provide this large AVA (American Viticultural Area) with a necessary cooling effect, which tempers the heat of central California. The vines were introduced to the area with the flood of humanity that ensued during the gold rush of the 1850’s. The Sierra Foothills is compromised of several sub AVAs including: Fiddletown, Shenedoah Valley and El Dorado.

Zinfandel has found a foothold here and produces wines that have become a style unto their own. The Zin production in the area is centered around Amador County and the style is generally called Amador Zin. The wines are unmistakable, huge alcohol content—16% isn’t abnormal—with a rich body and deep tannins. The best examples have the acidity and fruit to balance out the monstrous body and alcohol of these wines. Amador Zin is certainly an acquired taste, you have to be ready for these wines, but they can be quite enjoyable and reasonably priced for the quality.

Outside of Zin, Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted grape in the Sierra Foothills region. Cab is grown all around the region, but El Dorado is home to a good portion of the vines. The acidic magma soils and cooling mountain breezes bring out a strong, but balanced Cab. Some Syrah is also planted and the grape generally does well in the region.

The Lodi area is located between the Sierra Foothills to the east and the rest of the Central Valley to the west. The area has a Mediterranean climate regulated by the mountains and the northern location in the valley. Zinfandel is the main product of Lodi and the area benefits from huge swaths of old Zin vines that have been producing for decades. The Lodi style of Zin isn’t quite as big as Amador Zin and could be though of as halfway between the more restrained Dry Creek Zin and the over-the-top style of Amador Zin.

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The dry tablelands overlooking the Mediterranean on the southeast coast of Spain hold treasure. Their bounty isn’t gold or silver but the gems of wines they produce from the complex and tannic Monastrell grape.

The DO of Yecla is nestled in the northeastern corner of its larger neighbor, Jumilla. Both of these official designation of origin (DO) regions grow the marvelous red grape Monastrell. The vines are usually older and are often not irrigated. This leaves the vines and their grapes thirsty and feisty. Vines—and the wines they produce—are like humans; if life is too easy they get soft and flabby. Not here. Here they fight for their rain and bask in rich heat of they day and the cool of the night.

The Monastrell grape is the third most planted grape in Spain, its heartland is the Mediterranean coast. In fact, you may know Monastrell. It travels under many aliases, but most common is Mourvedre (say moo-vahd, like a cow) in the Rhone region of France. In France it goes into the Cotes-du-Rhone and Chatueneuf-du-Pape blends—along with its partner in crime, Grenache.

These are decidedly old-world wines. On the nose they have some of that dusty-Spanish-funk-thing going on, but they’re clean and sweet and gamey. Bright, intense cherry is a feature of both the nose and palette for this Monastrell from Spain. The flavors are ripe and sweet berries, fresh leather and just a whiff of dark chocolate. The acid is big and tight, but balanced. It’s smooth without being overly tannic. And it goes with food. This is great wine.

And here’s the best thing about these Jumilla and Yecla bottles they’re ridiculously underpriced for their value. Given the value of the Euro vs. the dollar and the serious quality that is in these bottles, you are getting a real value from these Spanish bottles. I recently paid $12 for a great bottle at a liquor store. I’ve seen them wholesale for less than $10. Sure, there will be some more expensive bottles out there, and you’re probably find a clunker if you try enough producers, but, the bottom line is buy some Jumilla or Yecla if you can find it.

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The case could easily be made that the Côte de Nuits is the most complex piece of land growing vines in the entire world. This little strip of land, perhaps two miles wide, along a single ride of limestone in hills of central France produce wines from a quilt of appellations and communes. And these aren’t any ordinary wines; the grape juice from these hills can command the highest prices in the world in any given year—how about $9,000 for that bottle of ’88 Richebourg at a fancy restaurant. That’s not a joke.

The wines of the Côte de Nuits are almost exclusively red, from only Pinot Noir. This special little segment of the Earth is blessed with the ability to grow the most graceful Pinot Noir around. The Côte de Nuits is one of the most northern wine-growing regions in the world; it lies along the 47^th parallel (which is about the same latitude as northern Minnesota!) That far north, the weather is inconsistent, it can go from very hot to very cold with hail an issue every summer. The climatic variation means that vintages are quite variable in quality levels.

As with most of the great wine regions of France, the Romans were the first to introduce vines to Burgundy, and the Côte de Nuits. The vines remained after the Romans left and continued to make wines, with a good amount of monastic supervision. The reputation of Nuits wines traveled far; the wines from the area were the favorite among the Popes when they briefly moved the church to Southern France. King Louis XIV drank only Nuits wines—his personal physician recommended them for supposed restorative properties.

Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte de Nuits have been proven over time to produce the best wines in the area, and there are many in the Côte. The village Givery-Chambertain has nine Grand Cru that share the last name –Chambertain, all are excellent. Clos de Vouget is a single vineyard inside of ancient monastic walls. Morey-St-Denis has the Grand Cru vineyards of Clos de la Roche, Clos St. Denis, Clos des Lambrays, Clos de Tart and Bonnes Mares. Though all the Grand Cru are famous, none is more so than those in the village of Vosne-Romanee, home to Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, La Romanée, Romanée-St. Vivant and La Grand Rue. These are the bank-busters, the archetype of red Burgundy and are sought after the world over.

The power and grace of wines produced in Nuits is legendary. Here, Pinot Noir reaches its highest potential, producing wines that have earthy aromas, elegant tannic structure, seamless integration of oak and acid and the ability to age with poise. These are expensive wines, but they are truly one of a kind, not found anywhere else, and the rarity along with the quality makes them worth every penny.

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Maybe it’s a coincidence that those tacky straw-wrapped bottle of Chianti are called fiasco. Yeah, maybe, that’s a coincidence. If you worship any particular deity, thank him or her for the fact that those horrible bottles have been phased out of use. We can also be thankful for the gallo nero, the black rooster who resides on the neck of Chianti bottles whose producers belong to the eponymous organization dedicated to the quality and integrity of Chianti wine.

The central region of Italy is home to the Chianti region, a large region with multi sub-units that takes up a serious portion of Tuscany. The area has been home to a wine traveling under the name Chianti since the 13^th century—which makes it one of the oldest continuously planted and named wine growing regions in the world.

Today we know Chianiti as a Sangiovese based red wine, however it hasn’t always been produced in this style. For a while Chianti was a white wine, then a wine based around Canaiolo, a red grape which today makes up a minority blending grape in Chianti. The modern “recipe” for Chianti was developed in the mid-nineteenth century by an Italian statesman named Bettino Ricasoli. His Chianti formula called for 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 15% Malvasia. This stuck for quite a while. Though the percentages in Chianti vary today, the dominant grape is still Sangiovese, with some Canaiolo blended in.

Today’s Chianti is made in one of 8 sub-regions, all centered around the heartland of Chianti, known as Chianti Classico. The regions use their sub name after the Chianti name; for instance: Chianti Colli Senesi or Chianti Rufina. Most are named for the towns they are based around, Colli Senesi around Siena. The Classico region is still considered to produce the most consistently quality wine—though all regions produce excellent wine from select producers.

No matter where you find yourself in the Chianti sub regions, the grapes and mix will be the same—lots of Sangiovese, a little Canaiolo. The wines can range from light to medium-heavy in body. Acidity is generally medium-high and tannin levels are in the medium area. That’s a lot of “medium” descriptors, but rest assured these wines can be downright stunning. The aromas are righteously old-world: earth, dirt, mushrooms and general funkiness. Don’t forget the aging potential of Chianti; four to eight years for average bottles and vintages and ten to twenty years of improvement for stellar wines.

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Perhaps no other wine region in the world is as obsessed with terrior as Burgundy is. And just what is terrior you ask? Terrior is and idea the French came up with to describe a piece of land given the variables of: microclimate, soil composition and local geography. The differences in those variables and the way that they come together can have a profound impact on the resulting wine. Burgundy has been classifying tiny parcels of land according to soil, climate and geography for centuries. Most believe they were the first to start this practice.

Burgundy is located in the east of France, just north of the Rhone district. The area has been under cultivation for thousands of years and today remains one of the premier wine regions in the world. Climatically, the Burgundy region is described as continental, which means it has distinct seasons, cold winters, hot summers and potentially severe weather.

The Burgundy district contains several regions: in the north there is Chablis, in the south there is Beaujolais, and in the center is the Chalonnaise, Maconnais and Côte d’Or. All the regions produce quality wine, but only the Côte d’Or is home to the astronomically priced wines that are often associated with Burgundy. The Côte d’Or itself is split roughly into two areas, north and south. The North is the the Côte de Nuits and the south is the the Côte de Beaune.

The region of Burgundy covers a significant geographic area and contains more separate AOC areas than any other in France, but it uses only a small number of grapes. The dominant white grape in Burgundy is Chardonnay. Grown from the north to the south, Chardonnay makes most of the white wines in Burgundy, though some is made from Aligote as well. There are only two significant red grapes in Burgundy: Pinot Noir and Gamay. Gamay is only grown in significant amounts in Beaujolais, other than that, Pinot Noir is the dominant grape, especially in the Côte d’Or.

The Catholic Church has played a significant role in the history of Burgundy. Historically the Church has owned many vineyards and monks were vintners of Burgundy. The Cistercians were the first to really put together the idea that different vineyards made different quality levels of wines. This was the beginning of the concept of terrior that is so crucial today in Burgundy. The other key player in Burgundy is the negociant, a person or company that buys grapes or grape juice from many vineyard owners and then makes and bottles wine from this collection of sources. The negociant plays a critical role in Burgundy because so many of the important vineyards have had their ownership split into tiny parcels as they have been passed down generationally. In some vineyards an owner may only own one or two rows of vines. It’s not feasible for this owner to make wine commercially, so they sell their grapes to the negociant.

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