“Wine is sunlight held together by water. “
Galileo

Ever since the wonderful taste and its relaxing powers were discovered by a happy accident in the fruit storage of a Persian king, containers and their enclosures evolved.

At first, earthenware jars were used for local transportation. Then observant carriers switched to animal hides that were tightly knotted. These were lighter, and unbreakable on rough roads and during perilous river transportation.

Ancient Greeks invented the amphora. Over centuries, many different shapes were designed and produced around the Mediterranean wine drinking countries. There was a lively wine trade between Roman and Spanish merchants. In fact, broken Spanish wine amphorae from first and second centuries B C can be found throughout a large area of Rome. Trastevere in Rome is founded on shards of Spanish amphorae.

Wineries of the Caucasus where wine is said to have originated had must fermented in huge terra cotta vessels that were buried up to their necks. They were two to three metres tall, tapered at the bottom, and held anywhere from 1500 – 7500 litres. Some small family operations still use such vessels and claim that terra cotta fermenting vessels represent the rebirth of wine in earth.

In antiquity, wine was simply ladled out of terra cotta vessels into small earthenware cups. There are still some flat terra cotta tasse de vin producers in Portugal who claim wine to taste smoother from such cups than in a glass.

Then ingenious people discovered the beneficial effects of barrel aging and how it helps in transportation of liquids. Herodotus reports of palm wood barrels being used to transport Armenian wine south to Mesopotamia.

Amphorae openings needed to be stoppered. Some wineries used olive oil to top off the wine, then sealed the container with hemp. This way, amphorae had to be transported upright. Barrels could be stoppered much easier and more tightly.

Even today in some European countries wine region grocers or wine merchants dispense wine from huge casks to consumers who bring their own bottles daily. Needless to say, by the time the barrel is half empty, the wine if fully oxidized. Many people fail to identify this since it is a gradual process.

For a long time, amphorae and barrels were the only wine containers.

Bottles for wine were first used in 1680 in Europe and have evolved into today slim and coloured versions. At first they were short with short necks and chubby. Shortly after bottles were used, winemakers discovered the unique characteristics of cork and started using tapered versions as bottle enclosures.

The majority of wineries are still using corks. There are only six major cork-producing countries (Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, France and Italy), and the supply is limited, not to mention quality variation. High quality, long corks have become very expensive and are only used for very expensive wines. Cork, being a natural product, develops a compound known as TCA (trichloranisol) and which imparts an unpleasant odour often identified as mouldy, wet cardboard.

Some six to eight per cent of all cork stoppered wine bottles are said to be affected by TCA.

This led many specialized laboratories to research and invent synthetic stoppers of which there are many varieties. They are consistent in quality and are said not to affect the wine, but such wines should be consumed within one to two years of vintage.

Australia and New Zealand have been very active in promoting new and improved versions of screw caps a.k.a ropp (roll-on pilfer-proof) and use it extensively for quick-consumption everyday wines. Comparisons of the same wine stoppered with cork and screw cap reveal that in the short run screw caps preserve wine effectively, particularly if the wine has been nitrogen-flushed during bottling.

A good portion of New Zealand, Australian and other New World wine producing countries and a few European wineries use screw caps for their middle- and low range lines.

German researchers have developed glass stoppers that require a specially designed seal, but so far this stopper failed to capture an appreciable market share.

At the beginning of the 21^st century, Tetrapack, long used as a milk container, burst into the market place with a composite for inexpensive every day wine products. Boisset first introduced them in North America, a large publicly traded Burgundy shipper, and enjoy some popularity.

Tetrapack breathes, and wineries recommend using such products within a year. Tetrapack is light, but only 25 per cent of the composite is recyclable. It appears recycling of tetrapack is as expensive and cumbersome as its assembly and production.

Australian winemakers tried to market the collapsible pouch in 1980’s, but for many reasons it was unsuccessful partially because many young and inexperienced consumers associated this form packaging with tasteless wines. This assumption is partially valid, but plastic, regardless of its composition is not an appropriate container for wine regardless of length.

Wolf Blass, part of Beringer-Blass wine conglomerate, introduced plastic, screw capped bottles in 2006. These bottles are light (52 grams), do not break, consume less space, and according to the winery, the material contains a secret ingredient that makes the bottle impervious, and hence adequate for long term cellaring.

These wines enjoy a moderate popularity.

Then there are now a few wineries that market canned wines meant for one time use being 250 ml in size.

Large format bottles, once relatively popular in Bordeaux and Champagne, still enjoy some popularity with connoisseurs who like to cellar their wines and wait until they have reached their peak.

Large format bottles age slower, and better.

As you can see, wine packaging has evolved from earthenware to highly scientific laboratory-created containers.

In my view, the glass bottle is still the best vessel, and cork the most appropriate enclosure for long cellaring, not withstanding their shortcomings.

Glass bottles have undergone several design changes.
Some are embossed, heavy; contain punts (i.e bottles for strength and easy storage) with labels painted, or sporting labels, neck-labels, often also back-labels, and different sizes.

There are many sizes starting from all the way up to Nabuchadnezzar.

Piccolo 187 ml

1/2 bottle 375 ml

1/1 bottle 750 ml

One litre

1 ½ litres Magnum

3.0 litres Double Magnum or Jeroboam

4 ½ litres Rheoboam

6.0 litres Metuselah

8.0 litres Salmanazar

9.0 litres Imperial (mostly used in Bordeaux)

12.0 litres Balthasar

15.0 litres Nabuchadnezzar

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail. Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?   Professor B offers seminars to companies and interested parties on any category of wine, chocolates, chocolates and wine, olive oils, vinegars and dressings, at a reasonable cost.

In Old World wine producing countries the concept of co-operatives has been a driving force for centuries. The necessity for the co-operative movement stems from the fact that many growers own very small properties, some as small as one hectare, some even smaller, and none more than five hectares. The quantities of harvest are anywhere from miniscule to small, and often growers lack winemaking knowledge.

Very few have the financial means to buy equipment, cerate a winery, and market their wines.

This led to co-operatives where hundreds of farmers pool capital with help from local or provincial governments, start a fully equipped winery including properly trained winemaker(s), marketing professionals, and other essential employees.

Growers are assured a source buy their grapes at market prices, but only if the quality standards set are met.

France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal have many government supported co-operative wineries.

Most are large and produce huge quantities of wine. A portion of the production may be sold in bulk to other wineries or shippers, and now there is a movement afoot to make more upscale wines in an attempt to capture a larger market share and increase exports.

In North America wine co-operatives never worked well, in fact, in the U S A there is none, and in Ontario there was one which went bankrupt after two years simply because members never understood that inferior quality grapes cannot yield drinkable wine and insisted that the co-operative buys their crop.

There was from the beginning, no fruit quality standards established and the winery management proved to be incapable to resist the insistence of growers to accept their poor quality grapes. It seems North American mentality is the “freedom” to be able to make financial choices.

Recently, a co-operative winery association from Portugal consisting of 27 wineries called A9, was in Toronto to showcase their wines.

There were approximately 70 wines from seven member wineries.

The following were the highlights of the tasting:

Via Latina Alvarinho Vino Verde, 2008, Vercoope

Vinted exclusively using alvarinho (albarino in Spanish), this fragrant, acid-driven, medium-bodied wine offers pleasant fruitiness, and long aftertaste.

88/100

Selected Harvest, 2009, Adega de Pegoes, Setubal

Composed of chardonnay, arinto and antao vaz grapes, this full bodied, aromatic, smooth, and elegant wine would be fine as an aperitif with hors d’eouvre, pan fired fillets of white-fleshed fish, pastas, sautéed chicken breast, and shrimp win tomato sauce

89/100

Touriga Nacional, 2008, Adega de Pegoes, Setubal

One of the best red wine grapes of Portugal touriga nacional smells of ripe blackberries is dark, and well extracted. The mid-palate boasts layers of flavours including chocolate. Powerful and long aftertaste. Good for beef- and game stews, and aged cheeses.

89/100

Aragones, 2008, Adega de Pegoes, Setubal

Aragones a.k.a tempranillao in Spain grows well in Setubal’s warm growing season. Aromas of ripe berries waft out of the glass, followed by a full body and satisfying aftertaste.

88/100

Touriga Nacional, 2008, Caves Santa Marta, Douro Valley

This is one of the larger co-operatives of the Douro Valley producing approximately 10 per cent of all the wine output of the region.
Ruby red, fruity, well balanced, full-bodied, velvety, and with a long finish. Best with foods of substance like med-rare grilled steaks, roast leg of lamb or grilled lamb chops.

89/100

CSM 59, 2005, Caves Santa Marta, Douro Valley

A profound wine with aromas of vanilla, roasted coffee beans, full-body, and chocolate falvour. Powerful and lingering finish

89/100

Moscatel 10 year old, Adega Cooperativa de Favaois, Douro Valley

Muscat grapes thrive in the heat of the Douro Valley. This Muscat smells of raisins, has a sweet but well balanced taste with a fine and pleasant finish. Recommended with ginger-infused fresh fruit salads.

89/100

Tawny Port, Caves Santa Marta, Douro Valley

Composed of tinta roriz, tinta francesa, and tinta barroca, this complex tawny offers ample ripe fruit aromas and powerful flavour. Spicy but elegant with a clean and long finish.

88/100

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail. Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?   Professor B offers seminars to companies and interested parties on any category of wine, chocolates, chocolates and wine, olive oils, vinegars and dressings, at a reasonable cost.

Spain has been producing, consuming and exporting wine for thousands of years. It has the most land devotes to grape growing, but is the fourth largest producer of wine in the world. This means that yield per hectare is low, and this translates to more flavourful wines.

The tour starts with Penedes close the second largest city, and the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona.

Penedes produces mainly dry table wines, and 99 per cent of all sparkling wines of the country. San Sadurni di Noya, a village some 35 km. from Barcelona is the main locale for sparkling wine production with Freixenet and Codorniu (the largest of all Spanish producers) being the main and largest of the industry.

The red wines are medium- to heavy weight, balanced and flavourful, ranging form mid-priced to very expensive.

Some fine, fragrant white and rose wines are also produced by reputable and old wineries.

Montsant and Priorat to the west of Penedes have become prominent in the last two decades for their dark, powerful, fruity, smooth, and balanced wines mainly derived using syrah, garnacha, monastrell (a.k.a mourvedre), merlot, cabernet sauvignon.

Continuing to the north we arrive in Calatayud a less known but excellent wine region for its red wines, as is the case with Navarra further north and close to the Pyrenees.

Navarra`s rose wines from garnacha deserve the attention of all who enjoy light red, fragrant wines in the summer.

West of Navarra is the world-famous region of Rioja. It produces outstanding red wines, superb long-lived whites, and fine roses. Rioja`s vine-cuttings wood fired owns yield outstanding roast leg of lamb, and in season, restaurants feature white succulent asparagus sautéed in butter and olive oil.

Further west we arrive in Ribera del Duero, well known it dry red wines derived mostly using tempranillo, one of Spain’s best, if not the best red wine grapes.

Ribera del Duero wines are long-lived and should be tried by all who look for succulent, `juicy red wines with their food.

Rueda, south and west of Ribera del Duero, is better known for its white wines made with verdejo grapes, but Toro further west, for its impossibly elegant and flavourful red wines derived from tempranillo, here called tinto del pais.

Spain excels in frd wines, but in Rias Baixas fragrant white wines reign supreme. They please all palates looking for low-alcohol, fragrant, balanced, succulent white wines.

Some 400 kms south of Rias Baixas, we arrive in Jerez de la Frontera, made famous by English wine merchants centuries ago under the name sherry.

This is a very versatile wine category, available from very dry to deliriously sweet and everything in between. It is fortifies to 19 – 21 per cent alcohol by volume and goes well with dried ham, seafood, potato, tuna salads, and all kinds of tapas.

Jumilla, now produces dark red, super fruity dry wines that can rival any from the New World countries at very attractive prices.

Here are a few wines you may want to try:

White wines:

Albarino, 2009, Leira, Rias Baixas

Verdejo, 2008, Via Vilano, Rueda

Crianza de Toro, Finca Sobreno

Cune Monopole, 2008, Cune, Rioja

Red wines:

Sabor Real, 2006, Toro

Vivir, 2007, Vinos de Fabula, Ribera del Duero

Vina Zaco Tempranillo, 2006, Bodegas Bilbainas, Rioja

Artazuri Garnacha, 2008, Vinedos Artazu, Navarra

Old Vines Garnacha de Fuego, 2008, Bodegas Ateca, Calatayud

Vino Tinto, 2006, Latria, Montsant

Monastrell, 2008, Julia e Hijos, Jumilla

Sangre de Toro, 2008, Torres, Penedes

Marques de Riscal Reserva, 2006, Rioja

Campo Viejo, Rioja

Marques de Caceres Crianza, 2008, Rioja

Fortified Wines:

Dry Sack, William and Humbert, Jerez de la Frontera

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail. Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?   Professor B offers seminars to companies and interested parties on any category of wine, chocolates, chocolates and wine, olive oils, vinegars and dressings, at a reasonable cost.

Now that you know the difference between drinking and tasting, it is time outline precisely why and how you should taste wine.

Wine happens to be a beverage reflecting its environment. The same grape variety planted on two vineyards looks, smells, and tastes different due to soil variation and climatic conditions.

In fact, the following four important aspects contribute to the taste and texture of a wine:

• Grape variety
• Soil
• Climate
• Winemaker

The above compel both professionals and amateurs to taste wine in an attempt to determine its intrinsic qualities.

Professional wine tastings are serious affairs, and generally conducted before noon when the palate is most acute and in odour-free, well-lit, and quiet rooms.

It is best to taste a maximum of ten wines per sitting; all from the same region and of the same color in an attempt to focus on specific flavours.

Some people taste the same grape variety from a number of countries i.e shiraz from Cotes du Rhone, (France), South Africa, Australia, California and Campania (Italy).

In all cases it is crucial that appropriate glasses are used. You can employ standard tasting glasses, but specifically designed stemware will help showcase the wine much better than standard tasting glasses. All glasses must be free of detergent residue.

Red wine benefit from decanting. One reason to decant is to prevent sediment from finding its way into the glass thus rendering the wine cloudy; the other is to aerate which helps aromatics to develop.

If very old wines are being tasted, it is crucial to decant then immediately pour the wine to minimize oxidation between decanting and tasting.

For serious wine tastings, only plain cubed baguette or neutral tasting biscuits must be served to cleanse the palate.

For evaluation, adhere to the following steps;

• Evaluate colour and clarity
• Sniff
• Taste
• Record your impressions.

All professional tasters spit the wine in an attempt to prevent inebriation.

All of the above steps are important and should be followed.

The colour of a wine provides important information about its place of origin.

Hot climate wines tend to be dark and viscous. Cool climate wines are lighter in colour, less alcoholic, and more aromatic.

Clarity is also important, but today most wines are filtered and clear.

A dull colour indicates oxidation. Air (oxygen) the liberator and death of the wine. Too much of it is detrimental, and too little is insufficient for aromas to develop.

Smell – the nose is a very sensitive organ and a well developed smell treasury will help tasters to pinpoint faults (cork, excessive sulphur, volatile acidity like vinegar, nail polish remover, geranium) and identify fruit aromas like berries, apples, pears, apricots, peaches, just to name a few.

Of course, these terms also change with the location. Tasters from tropical countries will liken smells to fruits with which   northern hemisphere tasters are not.

A wine must smell appealing, and be free of faults.

Taste – before tasting, swirl the wine to volatilize aromatics, then smell and take a sip. Suck air into your mouth to help the wine give off its aromas.

Evaluate the texture (light, medium-body, full-body), and then swirl the wine in your mouth to expose it to all parts of your tongue.

The tongue has four flavour-sensitive areas; the tip determines sweetness or lack of it, the sides’ acidity, the middle “weight”, and the back bitterness.

Once all parts of your tongue are exposed to the wine and obtain the information, the brain comes in. Here the information is recorded and stored for future reference. Some people have excellent smell and taste memories that others do not possess.

Researchers determined that 25 per cent of the population excels in tasting, 25 per cent is very poor and the remaining 50 per cent are average.

All your first impressions must be recorded on specially designed forms. (There are many. Some scale 20, others 100, yet others do not score but insist that you describe the wine in your own words).

Always restate wines 10 minutes after the first evaluation to confirm your first impressions. Often the first impression is more favorable than the second. In rare cases the second impression will be better. This applies only to very fine, fully mature and pedigreed wines.

Also important to remember is that upbringing, education, age, experience, and nationality influences your taste perceptions; for example North Americans like fruity, young, smooth, alcoholic wines, whereas Italians show a higher tolerance to bitterness.

English like well-aged red wines, while Germans prefer off-dry or sweet and old white wines.

The French prefer regional wines with which they are most familiar, but by and large like red, light to medium bodied fruity, acid-driven wines that complement food better than fruit-driven low acid, high alcohol wines that are appealing at first sip and then start to fade rapidly.

Tasting requires, discipline, a well-organized mind, good vocabulary and a lot of practice!

Wine tasting terms:

Acid-driven: a sharp acid taste with fruitiness

Aftertaste: the taste left in the mouth after swallowing

Aroma; the smell of grapes

Aromatic: grape varieties that have a spicy character, such as Riesling, Muscat family grapes, and gewürztraminer.

Bitter: an aftertaste, usually associated with tannin

Body: the feel of the wine in the mouth. Light, medium or full depending on teh wine’s alcohol level and extract

Bouquet: combination of aromas and effects of barrel aging of the wine

Clean: a wine free of “off” odours or flavours

Closed: a young wine not yet expressing its bouquet or flavour

Crisp: a green-apple freshness in white wines denoting high levels of acidity

Dry: a wine with no residual sugar

Faulty; a wine with flaws i.e off odour, corky, cooked cabbage, oxidized, geranium smells etc

Fruity: a wine with good fruit extract from fully ripened grapes

Green: unripe grape flavours

Hard; the mouth puckering effect of young tannins and acidity masking fruitiness

Herbaceous a grassy vegetal taste, especially in sauvignon blanc

Hot: high alcohol leaving hotness in the throat

Legs: the wet residue left on the walls of the glass. The thicker and slower moving the higher is the alcohol or residual sugar

Musty: an “off” odour caused by dirty barrels, or rotten fruit

Oaky: the toasted vanilla or coconut smell and taste imparted by new oak barrels

Petrol: a characteristic smell of old riesling wines

Short: a wine with little and short aftertaste

Soft: a well-rounded wine with mature tannins and little evidence of acidity.

Tannic: a dry, astringent taste and mouth-feel from the skins and stalks of grapes. Can also be imparted by new oak barrels after a lengthy aging

Terroir: the total physical conditions surrounding a vineyard: climate, soil, drainage, and exposure

Toasty; The toast level and taste imparted in oaked wines.

Toasting levels are light, medium, and dark

Unbalanced: excess of one or more elements in wine: fruit, alcohol, acidity, bitterness, oak

Well- balanced: perfect harmony between all the wine’s smells, texture, acidity, texture, and finish.

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail. Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?   Professor B offers seminars to companies and interested parties on any category of wine, chocolates, chocolates and wine, olive oils, vinegars and dressings, at a reasonable cost.

Beyond its iconic appellations, Bordeaux, offers a myriad of fine wines to discover.

Many wine consumers falsely think of all Bordeaux as being costly. This perception is wrong. A few world-famous estates produce very expensive and extremely fine wines, others put out fine and affordable products

Bordeaux. With its 120 000 hectares of vineyards, is the largest quality-wine producing region of the world, making on average 800 million bottles annually.

A very small fraction of 9 000 Bordeaux estates were classified in 1855 (62 estates to be exact) into five categories starting First Grand Cru, Deuxieme cru, and so on to Cinquieme cru. There rest were classified as cru Bourgeois and cru Artisanal.

In Bordeaux estates are called chateaux. Some are huge and impressive castles most consist of modest buildings. Estates produce either generic Bordeaux wines, or communal  (i.e St. Julien, St Estephe etc), or sub-regional (i.e Haut Medoc, St Emilion, Sauternes etc.)

The 1855 classification classified Medoc and Sauternes estates; St. Emilion and other sub-regions were not classified.

Classified Bordeaux estate wines are expensive, and the top five grand cru very expensive, regardless of vintage quality. Demand for all of them is always high and the management of these properties know how to take advantage of their fame and reputation.

Considering the fact that Bordeaux produces a huge quantity of wine, classified estates represent less than two per cent of the total, the rest are reasonably prices and very affordable.

Pending on vintage, they can be great; in lesser vintages still good and fine with appropriate foods.

Most are low in alcohol (12.5 per cent ABV) than New World wines (14 – 15 per cent ABV) and more appropriate with food. Simply put, they are acid-driven, rather than fruit-driven.

Recently wine writers were offered an opportunity to taste well over 20 Bordeaux wines available as general list products throughout Ontario.
Also, starting April 25 to May 1 several L.C.B.O stores in Toronto, London, Ottawa and other cities will offer opportunities to taste Bordeaux wines at minimum or no cost.

The following represent good value:

Chateau des Laurets, 2006

excellent brilliant colour, fruity, medium-bodied, with good depth and long finish

90/100

$ 18.80

Reserve Mouton Cadet, 2006, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Medoc

Deep dense colour with a violet tint. Black fruit (blackberry, blackcurrant, Morello cherry) aromas mingle. Subtle floral notes. Powerful, full-bodied and well integrated. Long aftertaste.

87/100

$ 16.95

Chateau Pey La Tour Reserve du Chateau, 2007

Brilliant and crimson colour. Intense berry aromas with a hint of oak. Supple and elegant, well balanced with a fine finish.

88/100

$ $24.95

Chateau Lilian Ladouys, 2004

Composed on 40 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 55 merlot, and 5 cabernet franc this fine full-bodied red wine has good depth and elegance.

Enjoy with grilled lamb chops, spring lamb kebabs or stews, or semi-hard cheeses

92/100

Chateau Belle Air, 2008

Brilliant, fruity, medium-bodied, acid-driven, and very appropriate with food, ie. Medium rare hamburger, proc roast, roast beef sandwiches, and stews.

86/100
$ 11.95

Mouton Cadet Blanc, 2009, Baron Philippe de Rothschild

This Bordeaux appellation white originates mostly from the vineyards of Entre-deux-Mers, a sub-region of Bordeaux.

The wine displays citrus and tropical fruit notes, is smooth and clean in eh mouth with a medium-body. Well balanced and easy to enjoy with or without food.

87/100
$ 13.45

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

How many times have you had a great glass of wine and looked at the label to remember the brand? Well, I’ve done it many times, so I could remember to purchase the wine again. I try to memorize the label information or even jot it down in a notebook or wine journal. But how many times have we wondered who made this great wine?

We at Winesworld has done something about this!
The easy answer is to use our wine database. You ADD the wine here: Give Dice in the database and then you can find it later on this page: My Wines. The only thing to remember is your own name you used when you commented on the wine.

Easy?

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail. Post writer – Morten Pedersen – E-mail Visit our main site: Winesworld the Amateurs Wine Guide

New Zealand is well known as wine producing country, but unfortunately it’s recognized exclusively for sauvignon blanc. The electric gooseberry style of sauvignon blanc, originally from the Loire region in France, was popularized first by wineries of Marlborough in the north of south island. New Zealand is composed on many islands but the north and south islands are the largest, and referred to as such.

Marlborough has been a boon to New Zealand’s wine culture and wine industry, but has overshadowed the grand wines produced from other varieties

From north to south, New Zealand’s unique terroir, which features well-draining, stony soils in climates ranging near-tropical to sub-Alpine has proven ideal for a wide range of grape varieties, including pinot noir, pinot gris, riesling, chardonnay, viognier and, many others.

New Zealand lcoat6ed in the southern hemisphere between latitudes 36 and 45 south consists of two major islands, with a cool climates and produces fine, mouth-watering wines. The country has carved out a distinct identity in the global scene with zealous commitment to premium quality.

First it was sauvignon banc that captured the imagination of millions all over the world, but now pinot noir, riesling, chardonnay, viognier, merlot, Bordeaux blends, and even sparkling wines are capturing awards in prestigious wine competitions in London, Paris, Burssels, Bordeaux, Vinitaly in Verona and other European capitals.

New Zealand wineries succeed by carefully matching grape varieties to ”terroir”.

In the north island, the regions from north to south are: Northland, Waiheke Island, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, and Wairarepa.

In the south island – Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury, and Central Otago make up the viticultural pallete

Sauvignon blanc may be the original superstar of Marlborough, but today over 100 wineries successfully produce pinot noir, chardonnay, riesling, pinot gris, and gewürztraminer.

In this relatively large region summers are warm, the soil poor, well-drained, and stony, but grapes thrive and develop appealing aromatics.

Marlborough chardonnays may be barrel aged or marked un-oaked and are always refreshing, and well with light foods.

Pinot noir grows best in Central Otago and most wineries age their wines in French oak barrels to refine them. Of late some wineries are also producing barrel-aged chardonnays with creamy textures.

In early 1980’s there were less than 10 wineries in Otago, now the number has doubled and by the time you read this article there may be even many more.

In Hawkes Bay there are now well over 80 wineries that are supplied by 4600 hectares of vineyards on gravely soils with merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and syrah.

Hawkes Bay wineries are garnering international praise and taste closer to European wines than New World products.

Pinot noir is the leading red grape variety of New Zealand responsible for 18 per cent of all vineyard acreage, whereas merlot covers ( 6 per cent), cabernet sauvignon ( two per cent) and syrah (one)

Central Otago, the southernmost wine region is sheltered by mountains and enjoys a continental climate. Hot dry summers are followed with short, cool fall seasons, and cold winters. Pinot noir thrives in the steep and rocky terrain, achieving perfect ripeness.

Otago pinot noir wines are high in alcohol, dark in colour, brimming with berry (strawberry in particular), nuanced to please even the most discriminating palates.

In Ontario the L C B O carries a few New Zealand wines in the general list, but often features this country’s wines in its bi-monthly releases.

The following wineries are known for their consistent quality:

Seifried

Seresin

Gunn Estate

Sacred Hill

Cooper’s Creek

Jackson Estate

Spy Valley

Gravitas

Culley

Lowburn

Waitiri Creek

Kim Crawford

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

In Italy, Tuscany enjoys an exalted reputation in winemaking. It is a beautiful province full of life, good food, agriculture, viticulture, culture, and graceful living.

Business savvy Tuscan wineries invented agritourism converting self sufficient farms and/or estates with old, majestic buildings to luxurious accommodations fully equipped with kitchens, tennis courts, swimming pools and in case you decide to eat out, with a trattoria.

Chianti, in all its guises, is undoubtedly the most famous wine of Tuscany, but there are many other regions that produce fine wines, i.e Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Bolgheri, and Maremma.

Maremma, located west of Lake Bolsena, south of the city of Grosetto, is now becoming famous for its powerful and concentrated red wines.

In the Maremma Hills hot summers ripen grapes fully, and the fruit acquires a thick skin that renders wines more flavourful, dark, and more expressive.

Volpaiole (Fox’s Corner) is a small winery and olive grove in the Val di Cornia, Maremma Hills on the Etruscan Coast of the Thyrennian Sea.

Located only seven kilometres from the coast, Volpaiole at an altitude of 150 – 180 metres above sea level is small winery that cultivates only 1.2 hectares of vineyards. The vines are 15 – 20 years of age, and at their prime.

The previous owner decided to plant 4000 vines per hectare and keep the yield low to 8000 kgs./hectare to ensure high quality and healthy fruit.

The present owner Mr. Morandini follows the same policies, but produces a more refined and sophisticated style of wines.

The soils are schistous and argilocalcareous with good drainage.

The grapes are harvested manually and selectively to ensure that only fully ripe and healthy grapes arrive at the winery/

Only the free run juice is used. Skins and stalks are returned to the vineyard to enrich the soil.

The winery produces only 5 – 7000 bottles per vintage pending on climatic conditions. Only 600 litres of wine are produced from 1000 kilogram of grapes. Most wineries produce on average 750 litres.

The estate produces only two wines and one olive oil.

The wines are Volpaiole Classico and are composed of 50 per cent sangiovese, 25 cabernet sauvignon, and 25 merlot and Merlot entirely from the variety.

The classico is aged for 12 months in French oak barriques of 225-litre capacity, and 12 months in bottle before release.

Recently, Mr. Morandini  was in Toronto and conducted a vertical tasting of both Volpaiole Classico and Merlot for wine writers and later one for the public.

We tasted the vintages of 2007, back to 2001 except 2006 of Volpaiole Classico.

The tasting revealed that all the wines are worth cellaring. 2002 showed the best with complexity, excellent berry aromas, full body and good acid backbone with 13 ABV.

95/100

Vintage 2003 was complex, with a little higher acidity, fine berry aromas, smooth texture and long aftertaste.

94/100

Vintage 2005 exuded ripe berry aromas, had layered flavours, smooth, with an excellent mid palate, and long satisfying aftertaste.

94/100

Volpaiole Merlot production fluctuates between 800 – 1200 bottles and display characteristic plum flavours, excellent aromatic complexity, full body and long aftertaste.

Of the three vintages 2005 was the best and finely balanced. 2006 is likely to be outstanding in a year or two.

Vintages 2005 and 2006 of both wines will be available soon, and 2007 vintage in September.

Prices are for the classico $ 100.00 and for Merlot $ 110.00 per bottle pending exchange rates.

This estate’s wines are well crafted, cellar worthy and above all, balanced.

They are mostly featured in high-end restaurants, in Belgium and the U S A.

Volpaiole is represented in Ontario by wineonline.com, a company that specializes in small, high quality wines.

The advantage of buying on line is for those who cannot or do not want to shop at an L C B O store, but wish to enjoy extraordinary wines representing good value.

Wineonline.com serves all consumers interested in fine wines that the L C B O does not carry.

For more information contact wineonline.com



Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

Austrian wine history harks back to 500 B.C when Celtic tribes planted vineyards. Later on, Romans occupied the Pannonian Plains and expanded viticulture.

Austria has been growing grapes and making wine ever since.

White wines represent approximately two thirds of the production from 60,000 hectares of vineyards.

Considering the size of the country and its mountainous topography, vineyards occupy a large proportion of land.

Most vineyards are located in the eastern, flatter part of Austria.

There are four main regions – Niederosterreich (Lower Austria) with the following sub-regions appellations Kamptal, Kremstal, Wachau, Traisental, Wagram, Carnuntum, Weinviertel, and Thermenregion; Wien (Vienna); Burgenland with sub-regions Neusidlersee, Neusiedlersee-Hugelland, Mittelburgenland, and Sudburgenland; and Steiermark (Stria) with sub-regions Sud-Steiermark, Susteiermark, and Weststeiermark.

Ever since the wine scandal of 1985, the government designed and implemented the strictest, and best controlled system.

Winemakers must adhere to all the rules and regulations, although acidification and capitalization are allowed but may be initiated only with the approval of authorities and in certain vintages.

Growers plant a variety of grapes – gruner veltliner,   grauburgunder (pinot gris or rulander), traminer, gewürztraminer, sauvignon blanc, weissburgunder (pinot blanc), rotgipfler, zierfandler, riesling, welschriesling, chardonnay (in Austria known as morillon), scheurebe (a.k.a samling 88), muscat-ottonel, bouvier, goldburger, muller-Thurgau, sylvaner for white wines; and St. Laurent, blaufrankisch, blauer portugieser, Zweigelt, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir (a.k.a spatburgunder) and a few experimental varieties for reds.

Young, university-educated winemakers produce acid-driven, fruity, elegant, dry and sweet wines, which can compete with any from anywhere, particularly those from single vineyards and/or estates.

Labels display a lot of valuable information with regard to region, sub-region, alcohol level, vintage, producer’s name and address.

In addition there is another relatively new qualification called Districtus Austriae Controllatus – DAC-. Only wines displaying characteristic flavours of the sub-region and pass a tasting panel blind tasting are entitled to this appellation. This is indicated on the label as Weinviertel DAC gruner veltliner or Kremstal DAC riesling.

Vienna, the capital; of Austria, is the only major city in the world with 700 hectares of vineyards within city limits. Most are white wines and generally consumed in the taverns of this suburb.

Burgenland used to produce mostly white and sweet wines, but now a lot of good quality red wines originate from this region adjacent to Hungary.

Lower Austria produces mostly white wines with good acidity and charming fruitiness.

Steiermark bordering Slovenia is somewhat warmer than the other regions and produces both white and red wines along with some sweet wines.

Of late, exports of gruner veltliner wines to the U.S.A and the Untied Kingdom have increased, since it is perceived to be excellent to be an excellent  food wine with good fruit, lively acidity, and a normal alcohol level ( approximately 12 – 12.5 per cent ABV).

Germany has always been a lucrative market for Austrian exports, in bottles and bulk wine.

Some blended red wines show great complexity and aging potential.

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

The glass that makes your cabernet sauvignon taste terrific can make your pinot noir bland and insipid. It is a fact: the shape and size of the glass make the wine. Old winemakers always insist on terroir, which contributes to the taste and texture, but they never mention the importance of cellaring, service temperature, size, the glass shape and. All are important contributors to the enjoyment and appreciation of wine.

Wine is a luxury and must be treated from beginning to end with due respect and consideration in order to derive maximum satisfaction.

Glass colour, shape and size are important contributors to optimize taste, aroma, and enjoyment. A fine wine served in a tumbler will never develop to its full potential.

Gourmets always buy the best glasses for their fine vintage wines.

Glass consists of quartz sand, lead oxide and potassium. Manufacturing may be manual or by machine. Manual or mouth blown glassware is finer, and more expensive. Machine blown glassware tends to be less expensive but thicker and less appealing.

The process starts in the furnace with a walnut-sized nugget of molten glass on the blowpipe to initiate pre-molding. This is followed up by pre-shaping, followed by blowing, formation of stem and bed, fusing, and correction of bedplate. Old, well-established, specialized manufacturers who devote considerable time and effort to determine the optimal shape and size for different types of wines make the finest glasses.

Most reputable glass manufacturers are located in Europe, although many developing countries produce inexpensive, acceptable quality stemware to suit one or two types of wine. They lack the expertise of stemware manufacture for specific ISO glasses used during professional tastings. On the other hand, specially designed stemware, has an enormous impact on taste and smell when used for specific wines.

The evolution of glass manufacturing occurred in 1950’s when Claus Riedel thought that smell and taste could be increased by glass size and shape. He reasoned that in a big glass the wine could be easily swirled to volatilize phenolics and expose it to a larger amount of oxygen. Oxygen is the liberator and death of the wine. Too much causes its death, and sufficient unlocks aromas.

He then invited gourmets, sommeliers, winemakers, technical experts and chemists in an attempt to determine the best shape and size for stemware for specific wine types.

He has been very successful by designing stemware that truly enhances both aroma and flavour of wine.

Research shows that a wine that scores very high in one glass, fares poorly in a glass of another shape and size. When wine writers recommend wines, they could and should enlighten readers by mentioning the type of shape of glass used for tasting the wine, or recommend, much like food, the most appropriate. A wine glass can be compared to a specific tool that makes the job possible, or at the very least renders it easier and more accurate.

George Riedel, an Austrian glass manufacturer, was the first to commercially exploit this phenomenon, and produces several lines of mouth blown, specially designed glasses for different wines.

The shape and size of a glass will increase or diminish each of the various characteristics of wines: fruit, acidity, perception of tannin, texture, and aftertaste, just to name a few.

If you taste a fine vintage red Bordeaux side by side using especially designed glass for Bordeaux and a regular all-purpose glass, the difference will be astonishing.

Riedel stemware are very expensive and fragile, but other manufacturers like Eisch, Spiegelau (now owned by Riedel), Zwiesel, Rosenthal, Arco, Costa/Boda, Orefors, and Schott have developed similar glasses that fulfill the purpose at a fraction of the cost of Riedel. They are also more robust, but many of them are not mouth blown.

A well-designed glass turns every sip of well-made wine into a celebration of taste and aftertaste.

Large glass bowls with tapered openings are appropriate for red wines, but for white, somewhat narrower, smaller bowls should be considered.

Pinot noir and nebbiolo being aromatically delicate require large but trunkated bowls and tapered openings.

Slender bowls are best for riesling and sauvignon blanc.

Large and short bowls with wide openings optimize the aromas and flavours of chardonnays.

Rosé wines taste best in glasses with moderately large bowls and slightly curved openings.

Of course sparkling wines should be served in flute shaped glasses to preserve bubbles.

Dessert wines, i.e icewine, Sauternes, sweet sherries, ports, vin santo, Muscat of Samos, Commanderia from Cyprus, Beaume de Venise from Cotes du Rhone, require slender stemware with flared rims, and German auslese, beerenauslese, and trockenbeerenauslese wines.

Fine stemware is expensive and fragile, but well worth the expense. In restaurants the payback period of fine stemware can be quick if staff is careful in handling it.

Decanters come in different shapes and sizes. Most are designed to allow a lot of oxygen to envelop the wine; others are narrow to restrict it. Wide designs help young and oxygen-deprived, excessively fruity but tannic wines to develop and taste relatively smooth, whereas narrow decanters are for old wines cotaining dregs that develop over time in the bottle. However, decanters drip and stain tablecloths if improperly handled.

The most important factor in all these are prices, which are reasonable for the quality and convenience they offer.

NOTE: Aisch, a German manufacturer located in Bavaria, developed a red wine glass (called breathable glass) and decanters that do not drip. Breathable glass actually renders young, tannic red wines palatable a few minutes after pouring the wine. The cost is reasonable. After trying it, I am convinced that it works as promised.

For a comprehensive list of retailers, contact Mr. Bishu at info@winecellarexpress.com

Manufacturers design hundreds of different shapes.

A larger (500 – 600 ml.) capacity stemware that is narrower than a Burgundy balloon but taller is appropriate for cabernet sauvignon, Bordeaux blends, Meritage wines from California, Washington State, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

Viticulture, and to a lesser extent winemaking, started in 718 with vines imported from China in Katsunuma.

Jesuit missionaries brought wine in the 16th century to feudal lords of Kyushu who developed a taste for it.

Japanese monks were more interested in grapes for their medicinal properties, or at least, they attributed those properties tot eh fruit.

Japanese call wine tintashu, combining (tinto=red) and shu (sake).
Even today there is a fortified wine brand called Tintashu.

During the Tokugawa shogunate in the 17th century, missionaries were expelled, Christians persecuted, and practices associated with Christianity, such a wine drinking, condemned.

However, transferring the capital of Japan from Kyoto to Edo (Tokyo) during the reign of Tokugawa encouraged grape growing in the Yamanashi district where Kyoto is located. This region southwest of Tokyo in the shadow of Mount Fuji turned out to be the best for grape growing, although it receives 1000 mm of rain a year, of which 80 mm occurs during harvest tie.

Yamanashi grapes were thought highly of in the Tokugawa court.

Eventually in 1875 attempts were made in Yamanshi to make wine. Even today, Japanese prefer sake, western-style beer and Scotch whisky to wine but consumption on wine is increasing gradually. Presently, it stands at 1-½ litres per capita.

Only after World War II have Japanese started to show an interest in wine and winemaking. Most profound efforts were made in 1970 – 1980.

Today Japanese wines taste much better than their predecessors. Grapes are grown in Hokkaido, Honshu (the biggest island) in the following prefectures from north to south – Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagato, Niigata, Nagano-Yamanashi, Aichi, Hyogo, Okayama, Shiwane, Fukuoka, and Oita.

Yamanashi grows approximately 30 per cent of all grapes in Japan.

Japan’s climate, being humid, is by and large unsuitable for viticulture. The soil is acidic and land is scarce. All of these make grape growing expensive. Vines must be trained pergola style at heights to allow vigorous air circulation between bunches to prevent fungal diseases and to protect the fruit from overexposure.

Presently, 23,000 hectares of vineyards exist on which the following grape varieties are planted – koshu (the most popular), Muscat Bailey A (developed in Japan by crossing), kiyami, Delaware, Campbell’s early, Riesling, kyoho, pione (concord x rosaki) black queen, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot, pinot noir, chardonnay, Mulelr0Thurgau, sauvignon blanc. Although at first American hybrids were planted soon growers found quality wanting.

Phylloxera has also contributed to replanting vineyards.

Japanese wineries import must, grape concentrate, and bulk wine, and blend liberally. According to Japanese law, any grape product fermented in the country is considered Japanese.

Many prefectures now are in the process of developing laws along the lines of AVA (American Viticultural Area), and AOC (Appellation d’Oirigine Controllee, France).

Small family operated wineries are now producing varietal wines i.e chardonnay, and Bordeaux blends using cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, and petit verdot.

The largest wine organizations are Mercian, Suntory, and Sapporo, followed by Domaine Takeda, Chateau Sakaori, Aya Wine, Kyoto Wine, Kawachi Wine, Tanbo Wine, Hitomi Wine, Shinsu Wine, Katsunuma Wine, Tendo Wine, Ikida Wine, Kazan Wine, and Maru Fiji.

Mercian and Suntory purchased wineries in Bureaux and California planning to train their winemakers and have them return to Japan. While this training and transfer of technology helped somewhat, the companies still cannot produce wines that can compete with those from Bordeaux or California; it proves that terroir makes a huge difference in quality.

Agriculture in Japan is expensive due to scarce land, high cost of labour, and the humid climate.

Japanese wines cannot compete with Australian-, New Zeeland, Chilean- and Argentinean wines.

Of late the, the industry realized this and started promoting the uniqueness of its wines – mainly very light, to medium bodied, acid-driven, and fruity products.

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

During the Soviet era, Ukraine had more than 75,000 hectares of vineyards under cultivation and supplied most of the wines to the population of the U S S R.

After the dissolution of the “Empire”, the vineyards suffered a setback due to lack of demand. Soviet central planners decreed that vineyards were to be planted to produce excessive yields and the resulting wines were of predictably poor quality. Soviet planners were more interested in quality rather than quality. Statistically higher numbers appealed to the ruling class more than quality ever did.

The industry waxed and vained in Ukraine because it suffered numerous raids from nomadic tribes, witnessed long periods of war and poor planning.

Ukraine’s vitiviniculture has been traced back to fourth century B C. The climate of the Crimean Peninsula is very conducive for viticulture. Ukraine’s climate and geography are generally suitable for grape growing particularly southern Ukraine’s a continental climate.

With 290 days of frost-free days all grapes are harvested ripe and some overripe.
Crimea has the largest are devoted to viticulture (63,000 hectares), Odessa (50,000), Kherson (20,000); Nikolayev (15,000), Transpcarpathia (7000) and Zaporozhy (2000).

Yields have been too high (occasionally exceeding 200 Hectolitres which corresponds to 11 tonnes of fruit per acre or 26 metric tonnes per hectare), but now they have been dramatically reduced to increase quality.

The Institute in Magarach is the most famous of all research establishments. It also operates significant hectares of vineyards among with experimental plots.

The most popular grapes of Ukraine are: Rkatsiteli, Aligote, Saperavi, Riesling, Sauvignon Vert, Gewürztraminer, Pinot gris, Sercial, Feteasca, Bastardo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bastardo Magarach, Golubuk, Saperavi severnyi, Pervenets Magaracha, Fieltovy Rami, Podarok Magaratcha, Karmraiut, Stepniak, Olimpiiski, and Sorok let Otiabria.

Due to decreased demand for wine, many vineyards are now being diverted to table-grape production. Of all the regions, Crimea has the most favourable soil and climate for viticulture. Here the Massandra Winery enjoys a good reputation for long-lived fortified wines resembling Madeiras and Sherries.

Ukraine’s sparkling wine production continues to prosper. Russians and Ukrainians like sweet sparkling wines, and even economically hard times have continued to consume copious quantities.

Most of the sparkling wine is produced around large cities lie, Kiev, Lvov, Odessa and Kharkow. Most of the production is based on Pinot Blanc, Aligote, Riesling and Feteaska. Visitors to Yalta, a famous resort city on the Crimean Peninsula, should not miss the opportunity to visit Magarch Wine Institute to sample some of their 20,000 different wines derived from 3,200 vine species. The vast majority are uninspiring, but a few sweet wines deserve the attention of serious wine consumers.

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

This sunny state on the Pacific Ocean of the U S A is both industrial and agricultural. California produces more wine than any other state of the union and stretches fro 42 latitude north to 33 north approximately 1000 km.

The ATB (Alcohol, and Tobacco Bureau formerly known as Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms) recognizes five main regions, each of which has its own AVA’s (See bar).

North Coast covers the north coast from San Francisco to Mendocino. (The famous AVA’s are Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and Los Carneros that is located in both).

Central valley is the largest region, stretching north and south of Sacramento and Fresno (Lodi is the only AVA here).

Sierra Foothills lies just east of the Central Valley and contains one AVA: Amador County.

Central Coast stretches south from San Francisco to Santa Barbara (the AVA’s are San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey County, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County).

South Coast covers the region south of Los Angeles, to San Diego, to the Mexican border. This region’s wines are mainly marketed locally, and rarely ever shipped outside of California.

The location of each region and the altitude of each AVA and vineyard largely determine the style of wine.

Many connoisseurs refer to wines as “liquid geography”, which is essentially the philosophy of appellation d’origine controllee laws of France, denominazione di origine controllata laws in Italy, denominacion origen laws in Spain.

Terroir, (the combination of soil, climate and other geographical factors) determine the quality if the winemaker cares enough to handle the fruit expertly and uses appropriate technology.

Quality in wine, however, can only be achieved by growing flavourful grapes on the right soil, using the right grape variety, and with expert handling, from picking, al the way to bottling. Every step in the process counts towards quality, including packaging. But beyond all these, wine must be carefully transported, stored, and served at the correct temperature in the appropriate glass of the suitable capacity.

Mendocino County stretches from Eureka in the north to Hopeland in the south. Pacific Ocean breezes cool the region’s vineyards, and with appropriate vineyard location the wines can be fine to excellent. Vineyard-suitable land is plentiful and inexpensive. Many Sonoma and even Napa wineries source their fruit here and purchased additional land to plant.

Lake County, just east of Mendocino, is relatively new to wine growing, but shows promise.

Sonoma County is much smaller than Mendocino but much larger than Napa Valley to the east/ It stretches from Geyserville to the town of Sonoma and contains the following AVA’s (Rockpile, Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek, Russian River, Green Valley, Bennett Valley, Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma valley, Sonoma Coasty and Carneros Sonoma). Each AVA’s fruit shows slight but recognizable flavour differences.

Napa Valley enjoys a worldwide reputation for quality, although historically up until 1930’s the region grew mostly tree fruits, the majority being plums. Much of its reputation comes from constant and clever marketing. The 1976 blind tasting in Paris putting Napa Valley wines against top Bordeaux châteaux and Burgundy bottles helped put California on the world map.

In red and white categories, California wines edged their French counterparts by a small margin. The tasting was arranged by S. Spurrier, an Englishman operating a wine shop and wine appreciation school at the time. He selected all the wines carefully by travelling to Napa Valley and visiting wineries.

Napa Valley is relatively short, stretching north to south 55 – 60 km. from Calistoga to Carneros. It has several AVA’s (Calistoga, Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain District, Chiles Valley District, St. Helena, Spring Mountain District, Rutherford, Oakville, Atlas peak, Stags Leap District, Yountville, Oak Knoll District of Napa valley, Mount Veeder, Wild Horse Valley and Los Carneros).

The Sierra Foothills, east of San Francisco stretches from Sacramento to South lake Tahoe in the east. The wines are high in alcohol, low in acidity, and reds are dark in colour with low cellaring potential.

Central valley, almost bisecting California, is very large. Sacramento in the north and Fresno in the south represent this region’s boundaries. The climate is hot, vineyards mostly on flatland, and must be irrigated.

Central Valley’s Amador County is famous for its highly alcoholic and powerful zinfandel wines, some of which contain as much alcohol as 16.5 ABV (alcohol by volume).

South Central Coast with Paso Robles in the north and Santa Barbara in teh south is now producing excellent wines from grapes on high-altitude vineyards close to the Pacific Ocean.

The South central Coast boasts several new AVA’s including Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Louis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Barbara. The region has such a high wine quality potential that French wineries started joint ventures with local entrepreneurs. The results are excellent.

Southern California includes the city of Los Angeles in the north and Escondido in the south. It is hot, and most of the vineyards are on flatlands. All must be irrigated, and the fruit lacks sufficient acidity to yield lively wines

While Napa Valley and Sonoma County are well established and enjoy an excellent reputation, Mendocino and South central Coast are up-and-coming regions

AVA (American Vitcultural Area) is a unique system used by the ATTB. Wineries collectively apply to the Bureau outlining boundaries, and report all special and discernible flavour characteristics possessed by the wines based on soil and climatic conditions. They must, at least in theory and by submitting samples, prove that their application has merit.

There are no yield maximums, or grape variety recommendations or regulations, nor barrel aging for reserve wines, or for the claim of “old vines”.

The Bureau may or may not approve the application based on consultations with experts.

Some AVA’s are huge (Central Valley), others very small

The ATTB believes that quality is based on how consumers perceive the brand and/or the wine. They believe the market, sooner or later, will determine whether the wines is worth buying.

Important note: Canada is an impotent market for California wines. California wineries pour their selected products coast to coast from Vancouver, to St. John’s and every major Canadian annually to convince consumers of their fine quality.
This yea, the Toronto segment of California Wine Fair will take place at the Royal York Hotel on April 19.
This year 430 wines will be available for tasting.
In March, wine writers had an opportunity to 53 in a preview tasting.
This gala event is not to miss.
When there try any or all of the following:
Chardonnay, 2008, Chappellet, Napa valley
Chardonnay, 2007, Gloria Ferrer Winery, Sonoma County
Chardonnay, 2008, Miner Wines, Napa Valley
Merlot, 2005, Sterling Winery, Napa Valley
Syrah, 2007, Stolpman Vineyards, Santa Ynez Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006, St. Clement Vineyards, Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006, Stag`s Leap Winery, Napa Valley
Zinfandel, 2007, Truchard Vineyards, Napa Valley
Pinot Noir, 2008, Laird Family Estates, Carneros
For more information log on to www.californiawinefair2010.com



Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

In this small Central European country, history and mystique are deeply intertwined. Even the Hungarian constitution, one of the oldest in Europe, is wrapped in mystery. The first page of the constitution is missing and the author is an unknown monk.

Hungary’s wine culture goes back to more than 5000 years and for centuries Hungarian wine was exported to all continents. In Tokaj-Hegyalja, the vintner’s association classified vineyards (a quality control system of sorts with the idea of terroir) in 1655, well before Marques de Pombal in Portugal did for the famous region Douro region now famous for its port wines, which was in the middle of the 18th century.

A period of decline in the industry followed Hungary’s defeat in 1526, at the Battle of Mohacs at the hands of the Ottoman Empire’s army, ushering a period of occupation that lasted more than 150 years.

Ottoman Turks, being Muslim, shunned alcohol and its production was forbidden. Hungarian continued to make and consume wine, but on a much smaller scale and could hardly trade, much less export the precious liquid!

The excellent reputation of Hungarian wines suffered after 1950’s with the Soviet style production system based on quantity at the expense of quality.

Huge state farms and co-operatives were created to increase production. Fortunately, a good portion of vineyards remained in private hands.

While vitiviniculture was in the hands of state farms and co-operatives, marketing was handled by Hungarovin, Egervin, and Pannonvin, all owned by the state.
Monimpex was the only state agency in charge of exporting.

In 1962 the U. S. S. R forced a highly restrictive economic agreement on members of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (better known as COMECON). These policies conferred upon members specialized manufacturing i.e Czechs specialized in trucks, Russians in tractors, Hungary in buses etc., which in turn caused all members to be dependent on Russia.

Monimpex decided to capitalize on the low price of Hungarian wine in western European markets in an attempt to increase sales. Quality mattered little, and the reputation of Hungarian wines declined rapidly with the exception of Tokaj-Hegyalja wines. Meanwhile the lowest quality was exported in bulk to Russia, and its other satellites. The best wines went to Moscow for the Russian ruling elite.

Towards the end of 1980’s, Hungarian decided to open the market a little to foreign investment. That continues in the 1990’s when old, well-established, western European wineries from France, Italy, Spain and Germany purchase potentially excellent land and vineyards at lucrative prices.

Today, Hungarian wines receive prestigious awards in competitions. (Tibor Gal Gold Vinexpo, Bordeaux 1999, and silver medals; Vilmos Thummerer Gold at Vinagora Budapest 1998 and 2000; The Vesztergombi Farm Vinexpo Bordeaux Gold 1999; and Sarolta Bardos National Hungarian Awards 2001 are only some that come to mind.)
Hungary has 22 well defined wine producing regions – Songrad, Hajos-Vaskut, Kiskunsag, Aszar-Neszmely, Badascony, Balatonfured-Csopak, Balatonmellek, Etyek, Mar, Pannonhalma-Sokoralja, Somlo, Sopron, Del-Balaton, Mecsekalyja, Szekszard, Villany-Siklos, Bukkalja, Eger, Matraalja, Tokaj-Hegyalja, Zala, and Tolna.

The most important of all are: Tokay-Hegyalja, Eger, Villany-Siklos, Sopron, Szeszard, Somlo, and Badascony.

Tokay-Hegyalja, located in the northeast of the country has approximately 6000 hectares of vineyards and is famous for its botrytis affected sweet wines.
The vineyards benefit from a long, relatively dry and sunny climate. Diurnal sharp temperature changes benefit the fine sugar-acid balance of grapes.
The Bodray and Tisza rivers help create climatic condition for the onset of botrytis cinerea a.k.a noble rot.

The soils on different parts are loess, and heavy clay of volcanic origin.
The grape varieties are furmint (65 per cent), harslevelu (30), and muscat de Lunel (5).

Botrytis affected grapes are picked in 20 kg. Capacity baskets and stored in specially designed containers with spigots. The free-run juice is drained off for essencia – the highest quality of Tokay wines.

After botrytis affected grapes are picked, all others are harvested to make the base wine, which generally contains 14 per cent alcohol by volume. Once the base wine is made, 140 litre base wine is macerated with 120 litres of botrytis affected grapes yielding a six puttonyos Tokay. (Puttonyos are the 20 kg. baskets in which botrytis affected grapes are harvested).

After an appropriate period, the wine is transferred into 140 litre barrels called gonci where a long, slow fermentation takes place (pus or minus three years), and during which time, base wine is added to adjust intensity to five, four, and three puttonyos.

The six puttonyos quality remains as it is.

Then different levels of quality Tokay are blended and submitted for approval.
Essencia is the highest quality, followed by six puttonyos etc.

Tokay szamorodni, which means as it comes in Polish, may be dry or sweet, fragrant pending on vintage. At one time Poland was the best market for Tokay wines.

Sweet Tokay wines are low in alcohol, but long lived, and display extraordinary pleasant fruitiness, depth, complexity, and length.

Essencia contains 18 per cent sugar, six puttonyos 15 – 17, five puttonyos 12 – 15, four 9 – 12, and three 6-9.

Sweet Tokay wine must be barrel aged for a minimum of two years, szamorodni one year.

Sweet Tokay wines are marketed in specially designed 500 ml long necked bottles.
During Soviet times, and oxidative wine making technology was employed, but now most winemakers prefer a reductive technique to preserve fruitiness.

Presently Tokay vineyards are in 28 villages, and the average vineyard size is .6 hectare feeding 548 wineries, of which 48 are large and produce all quality levels of Tokay.

Eger is a little south and west of Tokay, and famous for its Bull’s Blood red wine. It has approximately 6000 hectares of vineyard planted to kekfrankos, kekoporto, zweigelt, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franx, kadarka, pinot noir, And merlot for red wiens, and leanyka, kiraly leanyka, olaszrizling (welschriesling), harslevelu and traminer for whites.

Bull’s Blood (Egri Bikaver) must contain a minimum of three grape varieties in the blend, all grown within the region, and must be barrel aged for a minimum for 12 months.

The yield per hectare for the grapes must not exceed 84 hectolitres, and all wines must be approved before bottling.

Debroi harslevelu is the most famous white wine of the region.

Villany-Siklos is located south of the country close to the Slovenian border, and has approximately 2000 hectares under vines. A large proportion of the soil consists of loess over limestone and red clay. The region enjoys hot summers.
Siklos is well known for its whites, and Villany for reds.

Juhfark and keknyelu and furmint grapes are used for white wines, and kadarka, kekfrankos, kekoporto, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and a few others experimental grapes for reds.

Sopron, in Hungary, is actually the same area as Burgenland in Austria. It has 1900 hectares of vineyards planted mainly to zold veltlini (gruner veltliner) for whites and kekfrankos for reds.

Szekszard is located approximately 250 km. south of Budapest and has 2200 hectares of vineyards. Kadarka, kekfrankos, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot are planted for red wines, szurkebarat (pinot gris) for whites.

Somlo is located a few kilometres north of Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Hungary. It is the smallest region of the country with approximately 300 hectares of vineyards on volcanic soil.

Juhfark, furmint and harslevelu are the grapes used for white wines that are off dry and very fragrant. Before phylloxera attacked vineyards, Somlo’s sweet wines used to compete with those from Tokay; the phylloxera attacked vineyards have never recovered their former vigour.

Badascony region is located on the northern shores of Lake Balaton. The soils are volcanic in origin and contain approximately 2000 hectares of vineyards, producing mainly white wine grapes – olaszriesling (welschriesling), szurkebarat (pinot gris), traminer, keknyelu, muscat ottonel, rizling-silvani (Muller-Thurgau), rajnai riziling (Rhineriesling), and Irsai Oliver.

Hungary has the potential to produce outstanding wines, and since the “liberation” from the Soviet economy, growers and winemakers have proved that they can produce wines to complete with the best anywhere.

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

Most wine enthusiasts think the lifespan of a wine as an arc, with a peak of perfection at some point in the centre. Pinpointing where the perfect peak lies challenges experts and amateurs everywhere.

On the other hand, infrequent wine consumers thin that red wine gets better with age.

A few days ago, I offered a friend of mine a well-made Australian red from Western Australia (cabernet/merlot blend 2006 vintage). He asked me why I was not drinking it myself. I explained that I have too many aged wines; and could not consume them all by myself. My answer startled him. He obviously believed that red wine could age and get better indefinitely.

In reality, all wines have a finite shelf life; some are much longer than ordinary wines at low cost. In fact thee days 96 per cent of all wines are made to be consumed within one to three years after harvest.

Even vins de garde, (wine to cellar), have a limit. While previously many red wines were made to become drinkable after 10 – 20 years of cellaring, this period is now much shorter, being close to six to twelve may be 14 years tops.

Great red wines of classified Bordeaux chateaux of outstanding vintages can last 30 – 40 years (longer if in large format bottles, i.e magnums, jeroboams, or imperials) if cellared properly at a constant temperature of 10 – 11 C (50 – 53 F) and appropriate levels of humidity.

Only in the 1950’s the winemakers made wines to last longer than four decades.
Tannins are the preservatives of red wines, acidity and/or sugar in whites. Sparkling wines, with sufficiently high acidity levels age well for 10 or more years.

There is a distinct difference between aging and getting “old”. A properly cellared and aged wine changes for the better, and tastes more compelling, more appealing, more complex, and evocative, whereas “old” wine looks dull in colour, (reds turn blackish brick red, whites turn orange to yellow brown), smells of nothing, in particular and offers very little, if any enjoyment.

Well-aged white wines smell complex, have an appealing texture, offer layers of taste sensations and finish with a pleasant and long aftertaste.

Botrysized grapes yield wines that age well. They possess scintillating aromas and flavours with vibrant acidity, and become viscous, mouth filling and sensual. Some Sauternes and Trockenbeerenauslese rieslings can last more than a century.

Properly cellared red wines created with aging in mind, all components integrate, fruit aromas become subtle, and bouquet more enticing with a long evocative finish.
During aging, various acids attached to glucose detach themselves and contribute their own flavour characteristics. Aldehydes (compounds in transition from alcohol and acids to oxidation) change the overall flavour of the wine.

All these happen slowly or rapidly pending on cellar temperature. At least in theory, you can age a bottle by subjecting it to heat, but this brings changes that fail to be positive such wines smell and taste “cooked”, dull, and unpleasant.

Red wines that are “over the hill” have a dull brown colour, smell “off”, and in the mouth only alcohol is perceptible with an oily texture.

White wines that are past their prime have an old gold or brown-yellow colour, practicallt no fruit and complexity, taste of alcohol and little else.

Here are some guidelines to aging parameters of vartietal wines in proper cellars with constant temperatures and appropriate humidity levels:

Cabernet sauvignon 3 – 14 years
Classified Bordeaux chateau red 6 – 18
Merlot 1 – 8
Tannat from Madiran or Uruguay 3 – 10
Raboso from Piave, Italy 3 – 6
Saperavi from the Republic of Georgia 2 – 8
Baga from Portugal 3- 12
Kadarka from Hungary 2 – 6
Xinomavro from Greece 3 – 8
Pinot Noir from Burgundy, New Zealand 2 – 8
Pinot noir from Oregon, Australia, Piedmont 3 – 7
Shiraz from Australia 1 – 15
Syrah from Cotes du Rhone 2 – 18
Nebbiolo from Piedmont 4 – 18
Sangiovese from Tuscany 2 – 10
Zinfandel from California 2 – 8
Aglianico del Vulture from Puglia 3 – 12
Plavac Mali from Croatia 3 – 6
Melnik from Bulgaria 2 – 6
Nero d’Avola from Sicily 3 – 8
Negro amaro from Puglia or Sicily 3 – 7

Reising form Germany 2 – 30
Chardonnay Burgundy 2 – 6
Chanin blanc from Loire 4 – 30
Furmint from Hungary 3 – 20
Tokay Hegyalya 7 puttonyos quality 50 plus
Tokay Hegyalya essencia quality100 plus
Madeira of superior quality 100 plus
Petit Manseng from Jura in France 3 – 8
Borytisized wines 5 – 25
Icewines from Ontario or British Columbia in Canada 4 – 12

Aging wine is a means to an end, and not an end in itself. When in doubt it is better to err on the side of youth, rather than wait for too long.

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

Ukraine, now and independent country of CIS (Confederation of Independent States), was the third important wine source of the U. S. S. R after Russia and Moldova.

The Crimean Peninsula, with its relatively mild climate, is the main region of vitiviniculture in this large country with its capital Kiev.

According to researchers vines were brought to what is today Ukraine in the seventh century B.C by enterprising Greek traders. By the fourth century B.C., there were large tracts of vineyards in southern Crimea.

Viticulture and wine production waxed and waned in the Ukraine since the land suffered several raids by nomadic tribes and witnessed numerous, prolonged wars.
Under Catherine II (1729 – 1796) in 1783 Crimea became Russian and started supplying wine to the Russian court.

The Institute for Vine and Wine Magaratch, the first such school in the world, was established in 1828 and still exists. This venerable institute contributed many grape varieties to vineyards in the U. S.S. R still grown today.

In 1882 Prince Leo Golitsyn established a winery in the village of Novy Svet, Crimea, specializing in sparkling wine.

Under Tsar Nicolas II (1868 – 1918) the now famous Massandra winery was founded. During this period the Institute for Design of Orchards and Vineyards in Simferopol, and Tairov Institute in Odessa were created for research and to educate future viti- and viniculturists.

Orthodox monks grew grapes around Kiev ( 50 27min latitude north) and sued to make wine for their own consumption.

Capitalism in Ukraine necessitated establishing new and profitable agricultural branches in 1913 there were already 54 000 hectares of vineyards, but phylloxera soon appeared ad devastated a large portion of the acreage, dwindling vineyards to 13 000 hectares.

Restoration gradually took place and by 1940 103 000 hectares were producing grapes for winemaking.

World War II devastated vineyards and reduced vineyards to 68 000 hectares.
U.S.S.R.’s planned economy restarted many of the vineyards and added more to the existing inventory. In the Soviet era there were 250 000 hectares of vineyards.
Gorbachev’s anti alcohol consumption policies in 1990’s diminished vineyards acreage considerably.

To supply the vast Russian market Ukraine produced approximately 50 million bottles of sparkling wines in Crimea, under the name of Crimean Champagne, against all logical appellation laws, since champagne can only be produced in the champagne region of France.

The climate in Crimea, the main source of viticulture in Ukraine, is mild continental with low winter temperatures of – 8 C and summer highs of 19 C with 230 – 290 frost free days in teh south.

Crimea has well over 60 000 hectares of vineyards, followed by Odessa region, Kherson, Nikolayev and Transcarpathia. Vines are grafted on phylloxera resistant rootstock.

Average yields are very high (200 hectolitre per hectare) leading to mostly very “thin” wines that must be capitalized to render them sweet as Ukrainians like off-dry to sweet wines.

Much of the wie produced today is still being exported to Russia, in addition to other republics of the CIS.

The following grape varieties are planted for white wines: rkatsiteli, aligote, pinot gris, sercial, feteasca, riesling, sauvignon vert, gewürztraminer, isabella, and muscats.

For red wines growers prefer bastardo, bastard Magarackski, fioletovy rauni, golubok, saperavi severnyi, pervenets, stepniak, podarok Magaracha, olimpiiski, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon.

The Crimea has the most favourable growing conditions, and Massandra winery is the best known of all Ukrainian wineries, followed by Novy Svet, Inkerman, Koktebel, and Magaratch Artyomovsk.

Massandra produces fortified port-type wines, Koktebel owns and manages 2200 hectares of vineyards and also distils brandy.

There is no legislation nor are there guideline for wine production. Most of the wine produced is designed to please the east European palate that favours off dry to sweet wines.

After the “separation” from the U.S.S.R, Ukraine’s economic policy has been reverted to capitalism with imports of all goods permitted. West European dry wines are now widely available to those who can afford them. Many rich and “nouveau riche” drink French and Italian wines, albeit not always the best, but the majority of the population prefers beer and vodka.

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

Organizers staged the first Cuvee in 1989 as a fundraiser for local charities but the event has evolved to lavish celebration of Ontario wines and foods.

The first Cuvee event attracted 350 guests and 16 wineries participated. Today well over 800 attend and 57 wineries pour their best wines, in the new Fallsview Casino’s lavishly furnished ballroom.

Many famous and local chefs demonstrate their culinary inventions to the delight of participants and wineries eagerly pour their award winning wines.

All Cuvee wines are blind tasted over three days by winemakers, with a panel of moderators and experts to break ties, or settle disputes.

Toronto Wine Writers are given an opportunity to taste the winners. The sit-down tasting is held in a quiet room, of the head office of a bank on the 68th floor of the First Canadian Place in downtown Toronto.

Although a range of white (dry and sweet) and red wines are poured, this year I decided to focus on red wines.

All are produced in very small quantities and generally available at the winery store or by mail in Ontario and for export.

If you are interested in any of the wines listed below contact the winery at your earliest convenience.

Here are my selections:

Merlot Reserve, 2007, Cattail Creek Estate Winery – vibrant red, subtle fruit aromas (cherries/berries) and long aftertaste. Cellar for two years.
90/100 $ 40.00

Onyx, 2007, Featherstone Winery – composed of 60 per cent cabernet franc, and 40 merlot. The wine exudes cherry aromas, is of a medium body and possesses a depth of flavour.
92/100 $ 29.95

Impromptu, 2007, Lailey Vineyard – a full bodied and balanced wine blended of syrah (68 per cent), malbec (12), petit verdot (12), and cabernet sauvignon (8). Excellent mouth feel with a long and satisfying aftertaste.
92/100 $ 45.00

17th Street Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2007, Tawse Winery – this single vineyard pinot noir from the Bench was fermented in large oak barrel and aged in 30 per cent new oak. Dark red, smells of strawberries, creamy texture, with depth of flavours and long aftertaste.
92/100 $ 58.00

Small Lot Benchmark Red, 2007, Thirty Bench Winemakers aged for 24 months in French oak this brilliant red wine, exudes ripe fruit aromas, is elegant and balanced. It would be excellent with a medium rare grilled steak or pepper steak.
91/100 $ 60.00

Estate Series Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007, Wayne Gretzky Estates a fine wine from the 2007 vintage, considered to be one oft eh best in the century so far. Vibrant red, smells of berries intermingling with oak, pencil shavings. Medium-bodied and well balanced.
Excellent value.
91/100 $ 22.95

Note : Clos Jordanne and Stratus wines were not presented, possibly all wines are sold out.

It is surprising that so many red wines of such high quality were produced and vinted in a province better known for its white and sweet wines.

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?