Spain seems to fly under the radar compared
to neighbouring France when it comes to wine notoriety. Spain is actually the
third largest wine producer in the world and has the most land dedicated to
vineyards, having over a million acres. Spanish wines range from great value to
the highly prestigious.
There are over 60 different regional districts
producing everything from light and zesty Albariño to inky black Monastrell.
Spain consists of 7 distinct climate regions
which are described as follows:
Northwest
“Green” Spain
Galicia is the only sub-region where lush
green valleys are plentiful and the common cuisine includes lots of fresh fish.
Albariño is the champion grape of the sub-region called Rias Baixas (REE-us
BYE-shus), which skirts the coast. The area specializes in zesty white wines
and a few aromatic red wines made with Mencía (men-THI-yah) grapes.
Mediterranean
Coast
The coast is a very diverse macro-region
that contains the sub-regions of Valencia, Catalonia and Murcia. Catalonia is
known for Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) and a highly acclaimed red wine
sub-zone, Priorat. Valencia and Murcia are warmer growing regions that produce
a bulk of value wines from deep red Monastrell to aromatic white Malvasia and
the widely planted Airén.
Ebro
River Valley
The sub regions of La Rioja and Navarra are found in the Ebro River Valley. Here, Tempranillo is king and long-standing bodegas such as Lopez de Heredia and Marques de Murrieta make age-worthy wines. Navarra is known mostly for rosado (rosé) wine made with the Garnacha (aka Grenache) grape. The region also produces oak-aged white wines of Viura (Macabeo). In Basque country, zesty white wines called Txakoli (pronounced “CHAK-o-li”) are common.
Duero
River Valley
The Duero River is the same river as the
Douro in Portugal. This region is notable for the minerally white wine,
Verdejo, of Rueda and the bold red wines of Toro, Ribera del Duero and Leon.
The wine grape of this region is Tempranillo and in Toro it’s called Tinta de
Toro, where it is considered to be a slight mutation of the Tempranillo grape.
Central
Plateau
The central plateau or Meseta Central is the
inner plateau of Spain which is home to the capital city, Madrid. Some of the
best value red wines of Spain can be found here made of Garnacha, Tempranillo
and even the rare, Petit Verdot.
Andalucía
Andalucía is a very hot and dry region famous for Sherry. The even hotter, Montilla-Moriles produces fortified dessert wines that are called PX. An aged PX, such as those from Bodegas Toro Abala, have similar nutty-date flavors like Tawny Port.
The
Islands (includes The Canary Islands)
The Islands of Spain offer a wide range of
wines from Listan Negro-based reds to dessert wines made with Moscatel. The
volcanic soils of the Canary Islands add a gritty taste of rustic minerality.
Currently, there are very few exporters of the limited wines of the Islands of
Spain although you can find a few from places like Tenerife.
My personal favourite Spanish wines include
the red wines of Rioja, which are typically developed from the Tempranillo
grape and primarily blended with the Garnacha grape.
Rioja wines are classified by the amount of
time spent aging in barrels and bottles before they are offered for sale. The classifications are legal terms that
indicate the quality level and aging requirements.
Crianza wines are aged in oak barrels for a
minimum of one year. They then must be
bottled a few months before being available for sale.
A Reserva
wine must be oaked for a minimum of a year followed by at least 2 years in the
bottle before being sold.
Lastly, Gran
Reserva wines are made only with the best grapes, which have been
hand-picked. These wines must spend a minimum
of 2 years in an oak barrel with an additional 3 years in the bottle before
being sold.
Generally speaking, Rioja wines have a much better price point than similar quality wines from other countries. Spain produces excellent wines at an affordable price and are well worth considering the next time you are shopping for wine.
People sometimes shy away from French wine
because they are unable to determine what type of wine they are selecting. No where will you see the varietal of grape
identified. This is because France
identifies its wines using the Appellation System, a complex system of laws that
define each wine region and its boundaries and imposes strict rules around
winemaking practices.
Most appellations take the form of place
names, such as Champagne or Bordeaux. What this means is that the grapes grown
in each region are consistent with all of the wine producers within that
region. This becomes the key to
understanding what grapes are contained within a particular French wine.
Here is a brief explanation of what grapes
are grown in each of the appellations.
Hopefully this will help you crack the code to identify the varietals
found in French wines.
Alsace
Alsace is the only French wine region to
grow significant quantities of Riesling and Gewurztraminer grapes, as well as
Pinot Gris.
Alsace Grand Cru wines are general only
allowed to be made from these three varieties but may also contain some Muscat.
Chasselas, Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois are
also grown although these three varietals tend to be used only in blends.
There are some red wines produced in the
region as well, mainly from Pinot Noir. Alsace
Pinot Noirs are typically lighter-bodied and more rustic than the majority of
Pinot Noir wines produced in France.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is produced in the southwest of
France. The majority of Bordeaux wines
are the dry, medium- and full-bodied red Bordeaux Blends. There are some high-quality
white wines as well, both dry styles and the sweet, botrytized varieties. Botrytis is a type of fungus that generates
sugar and sweetness in the grapes.
Most Bordeaux reds are made from a blend of
Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot is
the most common red wine grape in Bordeaux, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and
then Cabernet Franc. Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenère are also permitted, but
only make up around two percent of the red grape total.
Bordeaux’s white wines are generally blends
of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Sauvignon Gris the only other
white variety that is permitted.
Burgundy
The two key grape varieties of Burgundy are
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Gamay and Aligote are also grown throughout the
region, producing more rustic styles of wine. Gamay is used in the red and rosé
wines.
Beaujolais
Beaujolais is famous for its vibrant, fruity
red wines made from Gamay.
Pinot Noir is used in small quantities in
red and rosé wines, but is being phased out. Although best known for its red
wines, the region also produces white Beaujolais Blanc, from Chardonnay and Aligote.
Champagne
Champagne is the name of the world’s most
famous sparkling wine. While it has been used to refer to sparkling wines from
all over the world, Champagne is a legally controlled and restricted name.
Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay are
the primary grape varieties used to make Champagne.
The key Champagne styles differ in their
color, sweetness, base grape varieties, and whether they are the product of a
single vintage or several (referred to as Non-Vintage). The whites may be
either Blanc de Noirs (made from black-skinned grapes), Blanc de Blancs (made
from green-skinned grapes) or just plain Blanc (made from any combination of
the permitted varieties). Pink Champagne Rosé is made either by adding red wine
to a white blend or sometimes by fermenting the juice in contact with the
skins. These types all come with varying degrees of sweetness.
Cognac
Cognac is the world’s most famous brandy. It is graded in three official tiers, which
reflect how long the spirit spent in barrel. VS (Very Special) is the lowest
tier and means the brandy has been stored for a minimum of two years in casks.
VSOP (Very Special Old Pale) is the middle tier and denotes Cognac that has
been aged for at least four years. XO is the finest grade and is reserved
exclusively for those cuvees aged for six years or more.
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean
Sea, located between the southeast coast of Provence and the west coast of
Tuscany. Although it is closer to Italy, Corsica is governed by France. The
island’s Italian origins are evident in its wines, which are made predominantly
from the Italian classics Vermentino and Sangiovese.
Corsica’s wines have both a French and
Italian influence. Pinot Noir, Grenache, Tempranillo and Barbarossa are all grown
there alongside one another.
Grenache is a primary ingredient in many
Corsican red wines and Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsaut and Carignan all play a
variety of supporting roles.
The only white varietal is Vermentino/Rolle.
Coteaux
du Lyonnais
These wines are of a lighter style similar to
those produced in Beaujolais. The red wines are produced from Gamay grapes.
A small amount of white wine is made from
Chardonnay and Aligoté. Occasionally some Pinot Blanc is added to the blend.
These are traditionally dry, floral styles, some of which are matured in oak
barrels for up to a year to produce a slightly more structured, weighty
version.
Jura
Jura is a small wine region in eastern
France.
The five main grape varieties used in the
region are Poulsard, a red grape which accounts for about one-fifth of the
region’s plantings; Trousseau, the other local red variety, covers only the
warmest 5% of Jura’s vineyards; White Savagnin, which is responsible for the
idiosyncratic vins jaunes (‘yellow wines’);
Pinot Noir; and Chardonnay.
Dry white wines are also made in Jura,
increasingly from Chardonnay as are dry red wines produced from Pinot Noir.
Loire
The Loire Valley is a key wine region in
western France.
White wines are the Loire Valley’s best
wines, and account for the vast majority of production. The key white-wine
grape varieties used to make Loire Valley whites are Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin
Blanc, Melon de Bourgogne and, more popular than traditional, Chardonnay.
Loire reds are of increasingly high quality.
The number one red-wine variety is
Cabernet Franc. Lighter-bodied red wines are made from Pinot Noir, Malbec
(known here as Côt) and Gamay.
Moselle
Moselle is an appellation covering white,
red and rosé wines. While Auxerrois
Blanc, Muller-Thurgau and Pinot Gris are the principal varieties set out in the
appellation law, Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Blanc are permitted in the
white wines in limited amounts.
The reds must be made entirely of Pinot
Noir, but Moselle rosés may have a proportion of Gamay.
Provence
Provence is a wine region in the far
southeastern corner of France, best known for its rosé wines.
Traditional varieties such as Carignan,
Barbaroux (Sardinia’s Barbarossa) and Calitor are being replaced by more
commercially viable grapes like Grenache, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The more successful local varieties
Mourvèdre, Tibouren and Vermentino are incorporated in Provence’s red, rosé and
white wines respectively.
Rhône
The Rhône Valley is a key wine-producing
region in the southeast of France. The
smaller, more quality-driven northern section focuses on Syrah for red wines
and Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne for whites. The larger south region contains a much
longer list of varieties; the most notable of these are the red Grenache Syrah and
Mourvedre, which are combined to produce the ‘GSM’ blend.
Savoie
Savoie is a wine region in eastern France. Around three-quarters of the region’s wines
are white. Jacquère is the most widely
planted white grape variety. Altesse,
known traditionally here as Roussette, is used to produce some of Savoie’s
finer wines.
As in many other areas of France, Chardonnay
is increasingly being planted in Savoie. It is used in still and sparkling
wines.
Although Savoie is dominated by white wines,
it does have a standout red variety, Mondeuse. Gamay and Pinot Noir are also grown.
These are lighter in style than their respective counterparts in Beaujolais and
Burgundy.
Personally, I am most attracted to the reds
of the Rhône. I find them to be very
versatile, being both full bodied and flavourful while at the same time being
smooth. They are suitable for pairing
with a favourite meal or simply enjoyed on their own.
No matter what your likes or dislikes, don’t
allow yourself to be intimidated by foreign wine labels. Be adventurous and go exploring.
Before jumping into this week’s post, I just want to explain why I haven’t published anything in the past few weeks. On September 1st I sufferred a hemorrhagic stroke. My recovery is expected to take some time though I plan to continue to write as much as possible during this challenging time. Now on to the business at hand.
During a trip to Austria this past summer I was excited by the prospect of visiting the acclaimed wine capital, Winzer Krems. Winzer Krems prides itself in its claim that the grapes grown by the 960 grape growers on 990 hectares (2,450 acres) of land are hand-picked.
The grape varietals in Winzer Krems include,
Grüner
Veltliner, which is the most important indigenous grape variety in Austria.
Riesling,
the most important white wine variety in the Wachau and Kremstal regions after Grüner
Veltliner.
Blauer
Zweigelt, the most widespread red wine variety in Austria.
The grapes are transported from the
vineyards to the Winzer Krems winery where they are separated according to the
varietal, quality, and the particular locations of origin, to enable a wide
range of individual wine qualities and specialities to be bottled.
The grapes are gently pressed to extract the
juice in the whole cluster pressing. This process is to ensure the quality
produced in the vineyard is maintained in the wine. The juice is then fed into
stainless steel tanks and fermented in a temperature-controlled process. Only
perfect bottles with the necessary quality features are marketed.
The kicker is that the wine production
process is operated as a co-op. All of
the producers ship their grapes to a single wine making facility where each
varietal of grape is combined with other grapes of the same varietal using a
single type of process. Because of this,
any subtleties in flavour that would result from the soil characteristics and
the fermentation process are lost. All
wine of the same varietal will taste the same.
There is no opportunity for a vintner’s expertise or unique growing
conditions to shine.
The advantages are that you have a
consistent product with no surprises or variation. On the other hand, I for one like to taste
the uniqueness of wines produced in different soils, using different
fermentation processes. I like to see
the vintner’s skills to be able to stand out.
Since the wines are produced in the same
manner by a single producer, the consumer of Austrian wines has very limited
choice of product.
I was told that these Austrian wines are good quality “table wine”, which means that all of the wines produced are intended for immediate consumption. None of the wines are produced with the intention of laying them down, unlike neighbouring Germany where wines are developed by independent wine producers, each with its own characteristics. Personally speaking, I have purchased and laid down some wonderful German Rieslings that I have been rewarded with some well-aged flavourful wines.
The advantage of the co-op manufacturing
approach is that the individual grape growers don’t have to concern themselves
with marketing, as the co-op takes on that responsibility. However, from the way I see it, there are no
opportunities or incentive for producers to develop their own personality,
quality and uniqueness that can then be rewarded on an individual financial
level. It is a very socialistic approach
and I feel that individual entrepreneurial uniqueness is lost, as well as the
opportunity to create superior quality wine.
In a previous post I described Canada’s VQA
standard for helping to ensure the wine you purchase is an enjoyable
experience. Not all countries take this
same approach to standard identification.
Many countries, such as Australia and the United States, govern the wine
industry with a general set of standards and controls and do not adhere to any
particular categorization for wine quality.
However, there are other countries, such as France, Italy & Germany
that do have quality standards specific to wine.
To begin I will focus on France, which has 3 primary quality groupings. The first is AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée), which indicates the geographical origin, quality and the style of a wine. The Europe-wide equivalent of AOC is AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée). All Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines fall into the AOC category.
Grand
Cru
is the very highest classification of French wine. The term can refer to a wine
in one of two ways, either the plot of land where the grapes are grown or the
chateau at which the wine is made. The former applies most famously in
Burgundy, Alsace and Champagne but is also used in Languedoc and the Loire
Valley; the latter being exclusive to Bordeaux.
Premier
Cru
denotes either a vineyard plot (most often in Burgundy) of superior quality, or
the very highest tier within a Grand Cru classification (such as the ‘Premier
Grand Cru Classé chateaux of Bordeaux).
The second wine category is VDP (Vin de Pays), which means ‘wine of the land’, although it is often translated as ‘country wine’. The European equivalent is IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée). This category focuses on geographical origin rather than style and tradition, and gives winemakers greater stylistic freedom than AOC. Vin de Pays was introduced in the 1970s, and by the year 2000 there were more than 150 individual VDP titles, covering about a quarter of French wine production
The final category, Vin de France, replaced Vin de Table in 2010, but remains the most
basic quality tier for French wine. This is the least regulated (and least
used) of the three categories; Vin de France wines can be made from grapes
grown anywhere in France, but their labels do not mention a specific region of
origin. Vintage and grape varietal statements are optional.
Some of the French quality scales can be
easily identified on the wine label. For
example, if applicable the term ‘Grand Cru’ or ‘Premier Cru’ will appear
somewhere on the label. You will also
notice a correlation between the quality rating and the price of the
wines. Generally speaking ‘Grand Cru’
wines are at the top end of the price scale, with ‘Premier Cru’ are somewhat
less expensive.
Here are some helpful hints when interpreting a French wine label; some of the terms are more obvious than others.
Blanc = White wine
Brut = Dry
Château = The name of the wine producer
Côte/Coteaux = Slope of a hill/hillsides, for example Côtes du Rhône
Crémant = A style of sparkling wine different from Champagne
Cru = Means ‘growth’ – it is used to denote the status of a winery or vineyard
Cru Classé = Classified vineyard, suggesting a certain quality or age of the vines
Demi-sec = Medium-dry
Domaine = Estate
Doux = Sweet
Grand Cru = Signifying the highest quality wines
Méthode Traditionnelle = Traditional method of sparkling winemaking, like Champagne
Mis en bouteille au château/domaine = Bottled at the winery
Premier Cru = First growth
Propriétaire = Identifies the estate or vineyard owner
Rouge = Red
Sélection de Grains Nobles = Sweet wine made from botrytized grapes (grapes containing botrytis fungus, which is seen as being beneficial to the wine)
Supérieur = Wine with a higher alcohol content as a result of being made from riper grapes
VDQS (Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure) = a mid-level classification used between 1949 and 2012
Vendange Tardive = Late harvest (sweet) wines
Vieilles Vignes = Old vines
Vigneron/Viticulteur = Vine grower/grape grower
Vignoble = Vineyard
Vin = Wine
Hopefully all of this will help take some of
the mystery out of how to find an enjoyable French wine. I have found that the French wines that are
exported, especially any of those that appear on the shelves of the Vintages
section of my local liquor store, are all worth a try. I think you will find that French wine does
not need to be expensive nor of a specific quality standard to be enjoyable.
In the future I will take a similar look at German and Italian wine classifications.
It is usually quite easy to identify the varietals contained in new world wines, such as those from Australia, North America or South America, and some European countries such as Germany. These producers often display the varietal or blend as part of the label. On the other hand some countries and regions, such as France and Italy, do not follow the same practice.
In France the wines are usually identified
by the region in which they are grown.
The same is true for some German, Italian and Spanish wines. This can
make it very confusing for you when trying to find a certain type of wine for
your drinking pleasure. The good news is
that both France and Italy label their wines in a consistent fashion so once
you understand their naming conventions it is easier to determine the varietals
the wines consist of. The effort to
understand these naming conventions, which are buried deep in their wine making
history, will be well rewarded as it will provide you with great drinking
pleasure for years to come.
In both
France and Italy the grapes grown are unique to each geographic region. By taking note of which regions are renowned
for the type of grapes you enjoy, you will be able to select one of these wines
with more certainty than by just grabbing a bottle off the shelf randomly, or
worse yet, avoiding them altogether.
From there you may find a particular winery or two or ten that you have
a craving for.
In the weeks ahead I will
tackle unravelling the mysteries many of the European wines and decipher the
meaning of what appears on their labels.
I am sure it is no surprise that the
varietal (type of grape) a wine is composed of has the most significant impact
on taste. Generally speaking, white
wines are much more subtle and delicate in flavour compared to reds, which are
bolder and richer in flavour.
There is also a range of flavour and
intensity, as well as sweetness within each of the whites and reds. The depth of flavour and sweetness of the
grapes is impacted by where the grape is grown and to a lesser extent, the
characteristics of each individual growing season, whether it being warmer,
cooler, wetter, and/or dryer.
The warmer the climate, the more intense the
flavour of the grapes. This is because
warmer climates have longer growing seasons, thus giving the grapes more time
to develop and enhance their flavour.
There are micro climates within regions as well, which have a comparative effect on the flavour and richness of the wines produced. For example, within Canada, wines grown in British Columbia will generally have a bolder flavour than those grown in Ontario. This is because the Okanagan Valley where the bulk of B.C.s grapes are grown is a warmer location with a longer growing season than the wine regions of Ontario.
Wines will sometimes be categorized by
dryness while other times they are assessed based on the intensity of their
flavour, sometimes referred to as “body”.
Retailers will typically display ratings based on dryness, that is, the
amount of natural sugars present in the wine.
Dryness or sweetness does not always relate
directly to whether the wine has a bold or mild flavour. The body or boldness of the flavour will be
more dependent on the type of grape, the amount of tannin and acid in the wine,
as well as the region the grape was grown in.
For example, an Australian or Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon will most
likely have a much more intense flavour than a similar wine from France or
Canada.
The more tannin and alcohol content in a
wine, the fuller the taste. The reverse
is true for the level of acidity within the wine; the higher the levels of
acidity, the less bold the taste of the wine.
Since darker coloured fruit usually has more
intense flavour, the darker the colour of the wine, the more intense the
flavour will be. The colour of a wine
doesn’t help though when purchasing a wine from a merchant since the bottles
are usually coloured preventing you from seeing the natural colour of the wine.
Light bodied wines are considered to be
those with an alcohol level of 12.5% or less whereas medium bodied wines have
alcohol content between 12.5% and 13.5%.
Finally, any wine with an alcohol level of 13.5% or above is considered
full bodied.
The grape content within a wine is not
always easily identifiable by simply reading the label. In France for example, wines are identified
only by the region in which they are produced, such as Bordeaux or Burgundy. An upcoming article will discuss how to
identify the varietals contained in wines that are only identified on the
bottle only by region or type.
A Layman's Wine Musings 