Torrontés - Argentina's Treasure

Torrontés is the best known white wine variety in Argentina, but as far as planted acreage goes it places second to Pedro Gimenez.  This fact hints at Argentina's winemaking and wine consumption patterns of the past.  Think quantity over quality.  With more than 400 years of winemaking tradition and culture Argentina has become a recent player in the field of wine exports.  As recently as the early 1990's the main concern for grape growers in Argentina was maximum yields.  After World War II and up until the nineties a tumultuous political and economic environment made investing in the vineyards and wineries of Argentina a very risky proposition.  In the nineties Argentina experienced an unprecedented influx of capital.  Fueled by land cost one tenth of the cost of property in France or Napa, between 1991 and 2000 an estimated $ 1.5 billion was invested into the wine industry of Argentina.  Money moguls and political influences made investments palatable, but what sealed the deal for many was Argentina's treasured natural climate; high-altitude valleys, low fertility soils, lack of rain, a wide range of temperatures and intense sun.

The leading exported wine of Argentina is Malbec.   Seventeen times more Malbec is exported than Torrontés.  Translation, you'll have to look a little harder to findTorrontés.  Most retailers will have a few examples but you're not going to discover and aisle full of Torrontés on your next wine buying trip.  Although its cultivated in other countries of South America we were unable to find any examples from Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay of Bolivia

Argentine Provices Growing Torrontés

(Photo Copyright © en:User:Ahoerstemeier 2004)

We found Torrontés to be unlike any wine we've tasted before.  Torrontés is considered indigenous to Argentina and is thought to be a cross between the Mission grape (Criolla Chica) and Muscat of Alexandria. Torrontés is cultivated in most of the valleys of Argentina but the most aromatic and flavorful examples hail from Salta the most northerly region.  Since most Torrontés is made sans oak you can expect purity of flavors.  The aromatic profile can be aggressive.  The aroma strikes as a cross between Viognier and Riesling.  We picked up aromas of citrus, flowers, honey, apricot, peach, musk melon, lime and lemon peel.  Torrontés is a light to medium bodied wine and when you take in the aromas you reflexively prepare yourself for a slightly sweet, fuller bodied white wine.  The trap has been set.  Upon tasting and swallowing a good example of Torrontés you are immediately hit with a strong lemony acidity and a slight saline quality.  The contrast between the florality and the crisp acidity is striking and to some may be an acquired taste.  Torrontés serves well as an aperitif wine and we found it to pair well with Asian, Indian and Mexican cuisine and a variety of cheeses.

While shopping for the wines for this pod cast we noticed a fair number of older vintages on retailer shelves ( 06, 07, 08, 09 ).  Having tried several long in the tooth examples we think its fair to say that you should select the newest vintages you can find.  As Torrontés ages it loses the delightful aromatics and the zippy acidity that makes it so appealing.

On this pod cast we profiled six wines.  Go find a few bottles of Torrontés, chill em down and join us as we explore Argentina's treasure Torrontés.

Merlot It's so Smooth

Miles freaking out about Merlot

" I like Merlot."  There I said it.  Bucking the trend in this pod cast we highlight Merlot, the wine that the movie Sideways kicked off the stage.  These days the trendy wine set wouldn't be caught in public with a glass of Merlot in their hands, yet for as unfashionable as Merlot has become there's a substantial amount of it grown worldwide.
 
After experiencing a protracted run of popularity through the eighties and nineties, punctuated with over-planting, overproduction and overpricing Merlot now enjoys a comfortable co- starring role in the wine world.  An important part of France's Bordeaux Blend ( Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot ), Merlot is estimated to be the third most grown grape globally.  Wine types and brands go through cycles of popularity ( IE White Zinfandel, Mateus Rose and Blue Nun ) and Merlot in the end seems to have benefited from the spotlight.  With wine producers and grape growers chasing the latest wines of fashion those that continue to cultivate Merlot are producing wine that represent better consistency, quality and better value than in the past.  Just what we're looking for at Vino 101.
 
Chances are that eight dollar bottle of Merlot you find at your local grocer ( Please consider buying your wines at a reliable wine retailer ) is likely to be made in a simple, plain and smooth style with no rough edges.  Nothing wrong with that but you can get so much more flavor and pleasure by spending a little more.  To experience good quality Merlot you need to spend around thirteen to twenty dollars.  You can spend a lot more, but the top price you pay won't always translate to a wine that delivers the most satisfaction.
 
Pinot Noir usually gets all the praise for being the great translator of terroir, however Merlot which is climate sensitive can speak well of where it is grown and the differences in wine raised in cool climates versus warm climates can be striking.  Merlot has more body than Pinot Noir and less body and tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon.  The color ranges from medium to dark, with low to medium tannins and a soft texture.  Typical aroma and flavors of Merlot grown in cool climates are red berry fruit, mint, green olive and bell pepper.  In warmer climates you will notice blackberry fruits, plum, blueberry, caramel and chocolate.  Merlot doesn't bowl you over with intense aromas or flavors like a Zinfandel or a Cabernet Sauvignon.  The appeal of Merlot is it's structure or mouth feel.  In a word it's smooth and that's why so much of it is produced worldwide.
 
For this show we profiled ten Merlots priced from eight to twenty-five dollars.  Your best insight into what Merlot can bring to the table is to use the contrast and compare method.  Purchase several Merlots from different areas, invite some friends over and pop some corks.  Tasting the wines side by side helps to accentuate the differences and similarities of the wines.
 
Thanks to all for your support and feedback.  Enjoy the cast.
 
Cheers!

Valpolicella - The Valley of Many Cellars

We've finally made it to the wonderful wines of Italy and on this pod cast we focus on Valpolicella wines from the hillsides and valleys of the Verona countryside.  The Valpolicella production zone is located in Veneto, one of Italy's twenty wine  growing regions.  The Veneto region is located in northeast Italy and  shares its southern border with Emilia-Romagna and Lombardia.  Its  eastern borders are the Adriatic Sea and Friuli-Venezia Guilia.  The  wine regions to the west and north are Trentino and Alto Adige.  Veneto also shares a portion of its northern border with Austria.

The Valpolicella zone lies south of the  Monte Lessini range and just north of the city of Verona ( think Romeo  and Juliet).  Verona is in the same latitudinal zone as the Willamette  Valley in Oregon and benefits from the moderating influences of Lago di Garda the largest lake in Italy and to a lesser extent the Mare  Adriatico (Adriatic Sea).

Veneto is the third largest wine producing region in Italy,  surpassed by Apulia and Sicily in the south.  Other wines produced in  the Veneto region that you may recognize are Bardolino, Prosecco and  Soave. 

Valpolicella comes in several styles and starting from light bodied to fuller bodied the types are Valpolicella, Valpolicella Superiore, Valpolicella Ripasso, Amarone della Valpolicella and Recioto della Valpolicella.  In this cast we'll explore what each of these names means and how the wines are made.

Valpolicella is made predominately from  three grape varieties, Corvina ( 40 to 70 percent ), Rondinella ( 20 to 40 percent ) and Molinar ( 5 to 25 percent ).  Barbera, Negrara,  Trentina, Rossignola and or Sangiovese up to a maximum of 15 percent can   also be used in the blend.  There's a sea of very ordinary Valpolicella that is made at cooperatives, but the better wines are usually made by smaller family owned, quality minded Fattoria ( farm/ wine estate ).   Confusingly though there are several large houses that make some of the best Valpolicellas.  As always we're searching for the best wines and  the most value for our buck and we found several great buys this time  around. 

The typical taste profile of basic Valpolicella is tart cranberry, red cherry fruit aromas and flavors.  The wine is  usually light to medium bodied with soft tannins, a tongue tingling  acidity and a slightly bitter finish.  We tasted eight wines, three  Valpolicellas, three Ripassos and two Amarone della Valpolicellas.  The price points ranged from twelve to sixty dollars a bottle. 

From a consumer standpoint, the wide varience in pricing and the  difficulty of knowing what style of wine is in the bottle, it's  understandable that one might default to wines they're more familiar  with.  In this way Valpolicella wines face the  same problem as California Zinfandel; if you don't know what the wine is   likely to taste like, how can you make an informed buying decision?

In this pod cast you'll learn how to better judge what style of wine is in that bottle of Valpolicella.    You will also learn what type of foods pair best with these wonderful wines.  Most wine retailers will have several Valpolicellas for you to choose from.  A good way to find quality Valpolicella is to engage your favorite retailer by asking questions.  A smart  retailer will pick up on your interest and will go out of their way to  recommend wines that suit your taste preferences.  Of course the best  way to learn about wine is to pop some corks so let's get to it.  Open  up a Valpolicella, chop up some chunks of spicy Salami and Asiago cheese and listen up as we talk about one of Italy's most famous wines.

Pinot Noir - The Heartbreak Grape

This is our second pod cast featuring Pinot Noir.  While we focused on Sonoma County Pinot Noir on the last show, we opted to show a little more range this time.  This show features Pinot Noirs from New Zealand, France and Mendocino County as well as several wines from Sonoma County.  Sorry Oregon, we'll devote a podcast to the wonderful Pinot Noirs you produce in an upcoming show.

The different aromas, taste and styles that we experienced during the tasting made it easy to see why Pinot Noir is such a hot ticket wine.  In fact, this was the first tasting we've conducted where there was no leftover wine.

Some of the topics covered in this show are old world wines vs new world wines, the different colors of Pinot Noir and the Sideways phenomenon.  Most of the wines we featured are readily available at your local retail outlets, though some may require more diligence to   acquire.  The average price for the wines was $26.  Did we find a knock  your socks off $15 Pinot Noir?  Does such a wine exist?  Take a listen to find out the answers to these questions and more.

We used our tasting panel format to evaluate the wines.  First  tasting without food and then trying them with food and cheeses.  As  expected the Pinots showed their affinity for food.  If you're invited  to a dinner party and you don't know what's on menu, but you're in  charge of the wine, Pinot Noir is an excellent default red wine to rely on.  Bill kept the pizzas  coming and the kids had a wonderful time helping him make them.  A good time was had by everyone in attendance. 

Kick back and pull a cork on bottle of Pinot Noir and join us as we share what we learned about "The Heartbreak Grape".   

ZAP - Epicuria

We were fortunate enough to be able to attend the  Zinfandel Advocates and Producers Epicuira event on Thursday.   Wow!   What an eye opening experience it was.   This event dramatically  highlighted the diversity of the varietal.  More importantly dispelled  the myth that Zin's "just a barbeque wine".  

Over 50 producers and 50  restaurants worked in concert to pair Zins with everything from duck  prosciutto (Taste Restaurant - it rocked) to artisan chocolate (more  likes works of art - Kollar Chocolate).      Zinfandel's true diversity shone through, wine from large producers  (Ridge / Ravenswood) to small producers (Gamba / Claudia springs).   The   event included live cooking demonstrations in addition to the amazing tasting.  If you're a Zin fan (or anyone who wants to know more about  Zin and what its all about) this is an event not to miss.  

Our wine  favs included:

M2
Ridge (East Bench)
Peachy Canyon
Klinker Brick
Claudia Springs
Boneau
Gamba
Carol Shelton
Wilson

Our Food Favs:

Taste

Il Davide

Kollar Chocolates

Pacific Catch

Fiscalini Farmstead Cheese

Fifth Floor

Wayfare Tavern

Central Market

Carneros Wine Bistro

All in all an amazing event showing Zin's true diversity.   Its not just about the Barbque......

ZAP Festival

Yes, If you are a Zinfandel fan you probably know  about the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers Association.  ZAP was formed  about 20 years ago to help promote Zin.   As listeners will remember we  titled our last show about Zinfanel as Zinfandel - The Rodney  Dangerfield of wine.  Yes its the varietal that gets no respect.  It is ZAP's intent and mission to help Zinfandel get the recognition and   respect it deserves.   The ZAP Festival is 4 day celebration of all  things Zinfandel.   This year we will be attending part of the show and  plan to give you a taste, no pun intended, of what its like to  participate in this great festival.   Stay tuned for more….   Oh and if  there are any specific Zin's that you want us to check out just let us  know.

Zinfanel Advocates and Producers Association (zinfandel.org)

ZAP Festival

ALT.PACKAGE

This epidsode focuses on alternative  packaging for wine.  We discuss aluminum cans and bottles, tetra-paks,  Bag in Box wines and other alternatives to glass bottles.

Box Wine was invented by Thomas Angove, a winemaker in Australia.  As a result Box Wine is well received in Australia and has gained  acceptance in Europe as well.  In fact Bag in Box wines represent 45% of   all domestic wine sales in Australia.

The story in the U.S. is less cheery.  Box Wines have not been able   to escape the image of poor quality wines, made to offend the least  amount of people.  We took a little heat from the wine ladies when we  asked them to participate in evaluating the wines, as they showed the  prejudice that many wine drinkers in the U. S. can express towards wines   offered in a vessel other than the traditional glass bottle.  The  payoff for the ladies was that they got to pick the featured wine for  the next show and they chose Pinot Noir.  A fine choice, since we  feel that Pinot Noir is perfectly suited for the foods we enjoy during  the fall and winter months.  We uncovered several standout Pinots for  that show and we look forward to sharing our discoveries with you. 

The equivalent of four bottles in one easy to store and use  container and the fact that unused box wine stays fresher for longer  than wines bottled in glass make Bag in Box wines a viable choice for  consumers.  Lower manufacturing and shipping cost and a smaller carbon  footprint make Bag in Box programs attractive to many wine producers.

For this show we tasted nine wines.  As always we're looking for  wines that offer good character/ flavors, that are true to type and  represent a good value.  Hey, who knows, maybe we'll find a wine that  you could put in a decanter that will be good enough to fool one of your   know it all wine friends. 

A big Thank You to all our listeners.  We appreciate the support!

 

Rhone Reds

The Rhone Valley lies in southeast France.  From the town of Vienne in the north to Avignon in the south the Rhone River runs south for roughly 120 miles.  The Rhone Valley is actually two valleys with Syrah being the main varietal grown in the north.  In the southern Rhone region the king grape is Grenache, which is usually blended with Syrah, Mouvedre, Cinsault and Carignan. 

On this podcast we review five Cotes Du Rhones and two Cru wines from the villages of Gigondas & St. Joseph.  Once again we convened a panel of tasters to help us evaluate the wines.  Open up a bottle of Rhone wine and join us as we explore the rich red wines of the Rhone Valley.

Sauvignon Blanc - The Wild White

Sauvignon Blanc is a great bang for your buck wine. Most of the wines featured in this  show retail for $13 or less and none of the wines cost more than $18.   Good quality and value is what you can look forward to when you drink Sauvigon Blanc.  It's possible to spend more than twenty dollars on a bottle of Sauvigon Blanc,  but the increase in quality relative to what you pay is marginal.

Sauvignon Blanc is food friendly and pairs well with oysters, shellfish, Sushi, Thai  and Indian cuisine.  Sauvigon Blanc goes well with many cheeses as well and a  classic pairing partner for Sauvigon Blanc is goat cheese.

Taste along with us and learn about the different styles of Sauvignon Blanc as we discuss wines from five different countries.

Episode 14 - Enigmatic Riesling

German Riesling can be enigmatic.  Searingly bone dry to decadently sweet Riesling can display a wide variety of quality levels and styles.  The riddle of Riesling is tied to it's tightrope act of acidity and delicious fruity  sweetness.  Germany's cool northerly grape growing climate, with a  diverse topography punctuated by steep hillside vineyards composed of  slate and shale, and the tension of acidity vs sweetness in the finished   wine is what makes great Riesling so unique and impossible for other grape growing regions to duplicate. 

In this show you will learn what Riesling taste like, the different regions where it's cultivated, how to read the   labels, how to better judge if a bottle is likely to be dry semi dry or  sweet and hopefully a great deal more.

Join Vino101 as we navigate tongue twisting winery, village and  site names and attempt to decode old fashioned labels and the constantly   changing wine label terminology that is the world of German Riesling.