Blog Title: Wine Scrolls

Pinot Gris

Pinot gris (or pinot grigio, as it is known in Italy) probably is the best-known "white" variant-clone of Pinot Noir. Ripe pinot gris grapes may be described as having colors from bluish grey to light pinkish brown. Clusters with a variety of colors are not unusual.

The variety can attain a very high level of sweetness, but will begin to lose acid rapidly when near to fully ripe. Sometimes it is used to add richness and to lighten, when blended with Pinot Noir.

Some pinot gris is grown in Burgundy, where it may be called pinot beurot. Where planted in Germany, it is known as ruländer. It is of little commercial significance in either locale. Friuli, in Italy, produces the largest quantity, but only two appellations have Pinot Gris stars in the wine quality galaxy: Alsace, France, the traditional base of Pinot Gris appreciation and Oregon, the newest Pinot Gris area to come to light.

In Alsace, the pinot gris grape is called tokay d'Alsace (no relation to the Hungarian Tokay). The Alsatians value it as a full-bodied wine that can stand up to food without introducing any flavors of its own. In Italy, Pinot Grigio can be quite distinguished, coming from some producers, especially in the Friuli region, who devote attention to growing and vinifying. Unfortunately for its reputation, there are many other Italian Pinot Grigio makers that overcrop and harvest early to produce crisp, but vapid wines.

There are winemakers in the United States who are putting serious efforts into growing and producing Pinot Gris. Nearly 1,620 acres are planted in California, mostly in the Central and South coastal areas. Both quality and sales have been erratic thus far. Many Oregon wineries, on the other hand, have had good success and are moving steadily away from making Chardonnay while increasing production of Pinot Gris. In the 2000 vintage, Pinot Gris total plantings (1270 acres) and quantity crushed (2917 tons) surpassed Chardonnay (1125 acres, 2523 tons) for the first time.

Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio is usually delicately fragrant and mildly floral with lightly lemon-citrus flavors. Depending upon ripeness at harvest and vinification technique, Pinot Gris can be tangy and light, or quite rich, round and full bodied. Made in an appropriate style, it is one dry white wine that may even age well.

Muscadelle

Not to be confused with the Muscat grape, Muscadelle is an increasingly unimportant grape that calls Bordeaux home. Part of the blend used for both dry white Bordeaux and the sweet wines of Sauternes et al., Muscadelle has now taken a back seat to Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. In fact, most of the Muscadelle plantings today are in the outlying area of Entre-Deux-Mers instead of the more prestigious Graves or Sauternes. Also found in the Dordogne area of the Gaillac region further to the south where it is capable of producing light and aromatic wines with notes of flowers, peaches and honey.

Muscadelle is most famous today for the outstanding dessert wines known as stickies that come from southern Australia and the Rutherglen in Victoria. These wines are often referred to as Tokay as the Muscadelle in Australia was thought for years to be the Hárslevelu varietal that is a big part of the Hungarian dessert wine Tokaji.

Marsanne

This grape is relatively new to the "varietal scene", as one of the white wine grapes that is helping, along with Viognier and Roussanne, to increase the visibility and popularity of "Rhône-style" wines in California in particular and the United States in general.

Its probable origin is the northern Rhône region and it is one of eight white grape varieties allowed in the Côtes du Rhône appellation. Offering greater productivity and intriguingly different aromas, it has gradually taken oven the role of blending that traditionally was held in many Rhône appellations by Roussanne. Besides fairly recent and limited plantings in California, Australia has less than 250 acres of vineyards planted to Marsanne, although some date back a century or more.

While the vines are relatively hardy, the grapes hangs in winged, long, well-filled, and compact clusters. This leaves the fruit susceptible to powdery mildew (odium), bunch rot, berry cracking and excessive juicing at harvest. Marsanne grapes tend to be low in acidity, so both must and wine have tendencies to oxidation and browning. This grape's varietal character has little tolerance for weather that is either too cool or too warm and bland, simply vinous wine will result.

The round, medium-gold to amber Marsanne berries make deep-colored wine that is also fairly full-bodied, sometimes described as almost "waxy". Where growing conditions are right, Marsanne aromas can suggest almond paste or citrus, mixed with perfume or model airplane cement. Low aciditiy means Marsanne wine is best consumed young.

Gruner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner, or Gru-Vee, as it has been dubbed, is the latest craze. It’s Austria’s own white variety: although lots of attention has focused on Austrian Riesling, there’s actually an awful lot more Gru-Vee planted (by a factor of 10). Now it’s rightfully regarded as the centrepiece of Austria’s wine industry. If you want to look cool this summer, then you should really be sipping Gru-Vee.

So if Austrian whites, and Grüner Veltliners in particular, are so good, how come we haven’t seen many of them here in the UK? The main reason they’ve not been better known abroad is because the domestic market greedily snaps up most of the good stuff, and keeps the prices high across the board. Indeed, Austria doesn’t actually make that much wine. But the word is out, and Grüner Veltliner is gaining more of the attention that it deserves. With its food friendliness, versatility and in many cases a capacity to gain complexity with age, Grüner looks set to gain more friends.

Much of the hype surrounding Grüner Veltliner comes from a series of blind tastings (there have been three so far) put on by a Swiss aficionado of Austrian wines, of which the best publicized was held in the UK at the invitation of MWs Jancis Robinson and Tim Atkin. In this shoot-out, Austria’s leading Grüner Veltliners and Chardonnays were pitched against top Chardonnays from around the world, including some very, very stylish white Burgundies. Remarkably, the panel of illustrious judges voted the Austrian wines into seven of the top 10 places. Grüner Veltliner was the clear winner.

Grüner has a variety of expressions. Cropped at high yields it can make a pleasant but light quaffing white, but if growers take a little more care it is capable of making complex, full flavoured, spicy whites often with a distinctive white flower and cracked pepper edge to them. The examples that I tried below (at a tasting put on by the Austrian wine marketing board) aren’t necessarily the best; they represent a spectrum of styles, and many of the most famous names are missing. However, the quality was consistently good across the board. Only a couple of these wines have seen new oak: generally, Gru-Vee doesn’t need new oak to enhance its character, and if barriques are used they have to be used with care.

Garganega

An ancient vine which is nearly identical to Sicily’s Grecanico, Garganega is thought to be of early Greek origin, as the name suggests. It has been established in northeast Italy for centuries and is widely planted throughout the Veneto, where it is the primary white vine and the staple ingredient of Soave. Cultivated to lesser extent in Friuli, Lombardy and Umbria, it shows up almost nowhere else.

Garganega is a late-ripening and extremely vigorous vine, with medium sized, pentagonal leaves with pronounced notches. The loosely-knit clusters are long, cylindrical and winged, supporting spherical, thick skinned, juicy berries of moderate acidity, medium in size and pale white-green in color.

Responsible for oceans of bland, undistinguished wine, when sited in the best microclimates and cultivated to restrict yield it can produce an elegant, delicate wine reminiscent of greengage plums, citrus and almonds, with balance, structure and texture.

Garganega is also produced in a recioto version, during which the finest parts of the bunches are dried on mats until winter, and the resulting semi-raisins slowly fermented to yield a seductive, sweet dessert wine that can age for decades.

Zinfandel

Zinfandel was for many years somewhat of a mystery grape, as far as its origins are concerned. Recent research in Croatia and at the University of California at Davis, using DNA profiling, has proved Zinfandel is a clone of the Croatian variety Crljenak. While it had been theorized that Zinfandel's genetic twin, the Italian Primitivo, was the source, this grape also originally mutated from Crljenak. Further research may indicate the very first plantings migrated from Albania or Greece.

In April, 2002, the TTB announced they are considering ruling Zinfandel and Primitivo synonymous for use on wine labels. Producers of California Zinfandel will probably object, anticipating that Italian producers with a bountiful supply would then be able to undercut the market with inexpensive Primitivo wine labeled "Zinfandel".

Zinfandel came to the United States in 1820, when New York nurseryman George Gibbs carried back various cuttings from the Imperial Austrian plant species collection. Over the next two decades, Zinfandel became a popular table grape in the Northeast U.S. Although there are some commercial claims that Agoston Harazsthy brought Zinfandel to California, records show that a Massachusetts nurseryman introduced it here. In either case, Zinfandel is now considered indigenous to California, where it has thrived since the mid-1850's.

Nearly as versatile as Chardonnay in the number of different styles of wine produced from it, it has only achieved widespread popularity in America since 1980, as a pink, slightly sweet wine. In fact, this popularity has so outstripped all other forms, that many fans think that there is actually a grape called "White Zinfandel" (there isn't)!

Zinfandel as a red wine can be made light and fruity, much like French Beaujolais, or lively, complex and age worthy, like Cabernet or claret. It can also be made into big, ripe, high alcohol style wines that resemble Port. Zinfandel is also a component of most California "jug" wines, since it is the most widely planted red wine grape.

This vineyard proliferation can be attributed to zinfandel's hardy nature. Adaptable to a wide range of soils and climates, its vines tend to be vigorous and productive. Zinfandel also has a frequent tendency to set a second crop.

The clusters are compact and full and the berry stems (peduncles) somewhat short. These factors make Zinfandel somewhat susceptible to bunch rot and some types of mildew. Water management is particularly critical to raising Zinfandel. Under stress from lack of moisture, it is prone to raisining. It also ripens more unevenly than most other varieties and it is not uncommon for green and raisined berries to occur within the same cluster. This tendency to can be aggravated by poorly-timed irrigation. Uneven ripening also means that machine-picking is impractical and a Zinfandel vineyard may often require a few passes, days apart, to harvest all the fruit with the same level of maturity.

Because of its vigor, generosity and resistance to vine disease, many zinfandel vineyards exist that are 75 to 100 or more years old. Zinfandel aficionados believe these "old vines" produce the best wines, because the older vineyards set smaller crops and the grapes tend to ripen more evenly.

At its best, Zinfandel (red) has a very fruity, raspberry-like aroma and flavor and a "jammy" quality. The most common aroma and flavor descriptors used with Zinfandel are: >>>

Zinfandel is one red varietal that is probably best enjoyed in its youth, within three to five years of the vintage. With more bottle age than this, the luscious fruit that distinguishes Zinfandel drops markedly and the wine can show a pronounced "hot" taste of higher alcohol levels and become more neutrally vinous. It is sometimes hard even for experienced tasters to pick an older Zinfandel from among similar-aged Cabernet Sauvignon, for instance (not that there's anything wrong with that).

When paired with outdoor-grilled steaks or chops or meat that has been stewed with or stuffed with fruit, Zinfandel becomes a prime motivation for people to become wine-lovers.

Tempranillo

Tempranillo is a primary red wine grape for much of Spain, especially those from the Ribera del Duero and the Rioja Alta. It is also a key blending varietal in Port and known by the name of tinta roriz in Portugal's Douro Valley.

While its varietal character is somewhat vague, its aromas and flavors often combine elements of berryish fruit, herbaceousness, and an earthy-leathery minerality. Rarely bottled as a stand-alone varietal, its most frequent blendmates are grenache, (aka garnacha in Spain), carignan (aka mazuelo in Spain) and, more recently, cabernet sauvignon.

Shiraz

Shiraz is the most widely planted grape variety in Australia. It currently represents 40% of the total red grape crush and constitutes one fifth of all wine grape production in Australia. It is without doubt Australia's favourite red variety, both domestically and internationally.

However Shiraz has not always enjoyed the popularity that it does today. Until the mid-1900s, Shiraz was grown purely for fortified wine production. Its ability to get very ripe, along with its inherent rich flavours made is perfect for this wine style. When the red table wine boom began in Australia, Shiraz was overlooked whilst the refined and sophisticated Cabernet Sauvignon became the wine of fashion.

Shiraz reached its lowest point when the South Australian government implemented a vine pull scheme to replace old, low yielding Shiraz vines with the more fashionable Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Thankfully, some growers resisted, giving us the iconic old block Shiraz styles that Australia is now renowned for.

Shiraz underwent a renaissance when the international world began to focus on Australia. Never before had Shiraz as opulent, as powerful and as seductive been seen. Ripe fruit, a fleshy mid palate, soft tannins and a kick of American oak became the template for Australian Shiraz. And the regions of focus were the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and the Hunter Valley.

The beauty of Shiraz is that it can flourish in a range of climates and slowly cool climate Shiraz came into focus. The cooler regions of Central Victoria, Coonawarra and Padthaway became known for structured wines that had black cherry, pepper and spice characters rather than the chocolate and stewed plums found in warmer climates.

Shiraz can be made into a range of styles, defined by the terroir of the region and the winemakers' artistry. In an attempt to allow for regional characters to be expressed, many winemakers are moving away from 100% new American oak, preferring the use of older barrels and/or French oak. The result is a plethora of new styles with finesse and complexity.

Never before has Shiraz enjoyed such stardom. With its soft ripe tannins, it can be crafted into wines suitable for immediate consumption. However it real character is seen in wines with longevity that show layers of intoxicating complexity with age. Shiraz deserves is status as Australia's flagship grape variety. Find yourself a 10-year-old Barossa Shiraz and you will easily see why.

Sangiovese

Italian immigrants from Tuscany probably introduced the Sangiovese grape to California in the late 1800s, possibly at the Segheshio Family's "Chianti Station," near Geyserville. It is one of several varietal components of the field blend in many old North Coast and Gold Country vineyards that are often otherwise identified as Zinfandel.

Sanguis Jovis, the Latin origin for the varietal name, literally means "blood of Jove" and it is likely that Sangiovese (a.k.a. Sangioveto or San Gioveto) was known by Etruscan winemakers, although the first literary reference to it was in 1722. It is probably indigenous to Tuscany, whose most famous wine is Chianti.

The basic blend of Chianti was established by Baron Ricasoli in the 1890s. This averages 70% sangiovese as the varietal base (along with 15% canaiolo [red], and 15% trebbiano [white] and sometimes a little colorino [red]). Many vineyards are traditionally planted with this varietal mix. It is difficult even for the Italians to keep up with their own ever-changing and very detailed wine laws, which specify permitted grape types, maximum yields per acre, minimum alcohol content, minimum aging standards before sale, etc. Currently, the minimum amount of sangiovese permitted in Chianti is 90%. Other grapes that may be used now include malvasia toscana, a white grape far superior to the ubiquitous trebbiano. Still, the total white grapes used must not exceed 5% of the blend.

In some ways sangiovese is to Chianti as cabernet sauvignon is to Bordeaux. Both form the base of wines normally blended with other varietals and both by themselves share a certain distinctive elegance and complexity, when well-made.

There are at least 14 separate and distinct clones of sangiovese. At one point, there was some attempt in Italy to identify two separate "families", Grosso and Piccolo, although this seemed to have more commercial basis ("mine's better than yours") than ampelographic or taste evidence to justify this attempt to classify.

The fruit is slow to mature and late-ripening. With relatively thin skins, it has a tendency to rot in dampness and does not mature well if planted above an elevation of 1,500 feet. Sangiovese vineyards with limestone soil seem to produce wines with more forceful aromas.

The hot, dry climate, such as Tuscany provides, is where sangiovese thrives. Because these climatic criteria generally enhance quantity, rather than quality, it takes careful cultivation and winemaking techniques to produce really excellent wine from this grape. The official classification of Chianti itself demonstrates the widely fluctuating range of Sangiovese quality from those identified as ordinary vino di tavola to the highest classico superiore. Sangiovese is the #1 varietal in Italy with 247,000 acres, 10% of the entire wine grape crop.

The flavor profile of Sangiovese is fruity, with moderate to high natural acidity and generally a medium-body ranging from firm and elegant to assertive and robust and a finish that can tend towards bitterness. The aroma is generally not as assertive and easily identifiable as Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, but can have a strawberry, blueberry, faintly floral, violet or plummy character.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is often described as being a "difficult" grape, to grow, to deal with in the winery, and to find truly great examples of, but fans are passionate about this veriety, as sensually expressed by the dialogue between Miles and Maya in the 2004 movie "Sideways."

Pinot Noir is one of the oldest grape varieties to be cultivated for the purpose of making wine. Ancient Romans knew this grape as Helvenacia Minor and vinified it as early as the first century AD. Recognized worldwide as a great wine grape, pinot noir has many alias and is grown in Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria (called Blauburgunder or Spätburgunder), Brazil, Canada, Croatia (Burgundac), Czechoslovakia, England, France, Germany (Spätburgunder), Greece, Hungary, Italy (Pinot Nero), Mexico, New Zealand, Switzerland (Clevner, but labeled "Dole" when often blended with Gamay Noir), and the United States.

The reputation that gets pinot noir so much attention, however, is owed to the wines of Burgundy (Bourgogne), France. For most of wine history, this two-mile-wide, thirty-mile-long stretch of hills, called the Côte d'Or ("Slope of Gold"), is the only region to achieve consistent success from the pinot noir vine.

The quality of Bourgogne is due to a number of factors. Its vineyards slope gently down toward the East, providing the vines with long sun exposure yet avoiding afternoon heat. The soil there is very calcareous (chalky; containing calcium carbonate), offering good drainage. Well-drained soils have a higher average temperature, which assists ripening. Pinot noir seems to reflect more pronounced Gout de Terroir, or flavor of the soil, than other black grape types, making vineyard site selection a critical factor.

Difficulties plague pinot noir at every step, from propagation to even its bottle-aging characteristics. Genetically unstable, the parent vine may produce offspring that bear fruit that is nothing like the parent's in the size and shape of the berry or cluster and will frequently even have different aromas, flavors, and levels of productivity. There are 46 recognized clones (genetic variants) of Pinot Noir in Dijon, France. Ampelographers estimate there are as many as 200 to possibly 11,000 clones of pinot noir worldwide. By comparison, cabernet sauvignon has only twelve identifiable clones.

Nearly every affliction known to affect vines is common among pinot noir vineyards. Although quite tolerant of cold climates, it is particularly susceptible to Spring frosts, because it is one of the earliest-leafing varieties. The sharpshooter leafhopper finds pinot noir a perfect host. This bug carries Pierce's Disease, which can destroy an entire vineyard in as little as three years. Leaf-roll virus is prevalent in almost all pinot noir plantings over ten years old. The pinot vines are not very vigorous and often lack adequate leaf cover to protect the fruit from birds, which do much damage. Even if the grapes survive the birds, if not picked promptly at maturity, the thin-skinned and tender berries shrivel and dry out rapidly (notice this shriveling in the photo), resulting in a raisiny aroma and neutral flavor.

Pinot Noir is also one of the more difficult wines to ferment. Partly due to the presence of 18 amino acids, which are naturally balanced in this variety, Pinot Noir ferments violently, often "boiling" up and out of its container, speeding the process out of control. Color retention is a major problem for the thin-skinned berries. Pinot is very prone to acetification and often loses the sometimes promising aromas and flavors it seems to display through fermentation and aging, as soon as it is bottled.

There is one component in which Pinot Noir seems naturally quite rich, three to four times higher compared to other varieties, especially when it is grown in cooler and more humid climates: resveratrol. While this may not affect the aspects of sensory enjoyment, it may draw the attention of health-conscious consumers.

Pinot Noir shows some promise and has a possible future in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, and in New Zealand, although all may prove to have growing seasons that are generally too short and too humid for consistently outstanding results.

The popular image persists that California Pinot Noir is a light, fruity wine of no consequence, but California vintners over the past twenty years have been improving site and clonal selections, viticultural methods, and vinification techniques to increase their record of success. The nominees for Best Supporting Appellation in California Pinot Noir are much the same as for Chardonnay: Santa Maria Valley (Santa Barbara County); Russian River Valley (Sonoma County); Carneros (in both Sonoma and Napa Counties); Anderson Valley (Mendocino County); as well as the Pinnacles (Monterey County) and, recently, Santa Lucia Highlands (Monterey County).

Great Pinot Noir creates a lasting impression on the palate and in the memory. Its aroma is often one of the most complex of all varietals and can be intense with a ripe-grape or black cherry aroma, frequently accented by a pronounced spiciness that suggests cinnamon, sassafras, or mint. Ripe tomato, mushroom, and barnyard are also common descriptors for identifying Pinot Noir. It is full-bodied and rich but not heavy, high in alcohol, yet neither acidic nor tannic, with substantial flavor despite its delicacy. The most appealing quality of Pinot Noir may be its soft, velvety texture. When right, it is like liquid silk, gently caressing the palate. Pinot does not have the longevity in the bottle of the darker red wines and tends to reach its peak at five to eight years past the vintage.

Although Pinot Noir harmonizes well with a wide variety of foods, the best matches to show off the delicacy and texture of Pinot Noir are: grilled salmon, a good cut of plain roast beef, or any dish that features mushrooms as the main flavor element. Classic French cooking has creations based on Pinot Noir, such as Coq au Vin (chicken cooked in red wine) Boeuf Bourginon, and Cassoulet. Other main dishes that match well with Pinot Noir include roasted and braised preparations of lamb, pheasant, and duck, as well as grilled meaty fish, such as salmon, shark, and swordfish. Best are foods that are simple and rich. Go easy on the spices, some of which may mask the delicate flavors of pinot noir and generally tend to accentuate the hot taste of alcohol.

Pinotage

The result of a cross between the Pinot Noir and Cinsault varieties, 1Pinotage was created in South Africa in 1925, by Stellenbosch University Professor A.I. Peroldt.

Pinot Noir makes the classic highly-prized wines of Burgundy, while Cinsault is a prolific cropper that makes relatively undistinguished wines in the south of France. Pinot Noir is very difficult to grow successfully, whereas Cinsault is sturdy and resistant to most vine ailments. It was hoped, by 2crossing these two, the new variety would gain the good points of both parents: classic Pinot Noir taste with a large crop from easy-growing vines.

However, as all parents know, offspring do not always turn out as expected. Initial tastings did not sufficiently impress, so Pinotage was largely ignored until 1961, when a 1959 vintage Pinotage won the Grand Championship at the Cape Young Wine Show, South Africa's long-running and uniquely-themed wine competition.

There was a subsequent rush towards planting Pinotage vines. The vines proved easy to grow and high sugar levels were easily achieved, it is a good cropper and many farmers overproduced. The resulting wines didn't show the early potential and Pinotage tended to be used to bulk out popular-priced blends. There was also a tendency for the wine to show a sweet paint or nail-varnish like bitterness. And as such it suffered descriptions such as "rusty nails".

A few wineries began to specialize in pinotage and showed that a wine worthy of serious consideration could be made. But plantings declined year by year. Pinotage acreage sunk to around 2% of total area by 1993, with prices and demand for Pinotage grapes dropping, much was distilled for brandy.

Again, a wine competition proved savior. In 1991, Kanonkop's winemaker Beyers Truter entered his Pinotages at England's International Wine and Spirit Competition. These so impressed the judges that he was presented with the "Winemaker of the Year" award - becoming the first South African to win this honor.

Pinotage gained international attention, and wine drinkers keen to enjoy a new taste clamored for the unique wine, causing the price of Pinotage grapes to shoot up 500% by 1995. Again winemakers started taking the wine seriously and many even invested in French oak casks to age it. Wine Spectator Editor James Suckling was at a 1995 Cape of Good Hope tasting of old Kanonkop Pinotages when he declared, "What the hell's going on around here? These are spectacular …… SPECTACULAR! Why did you murder the grape?"

The Pinotage Producers Association was formed, research funded, and an annual Pinotage Top 10 competition begun. Research found that fermentation at too low a temperature was the cause of the nail-varnish problem.

The ending of apartheid not only removed trading sanctions, thus opening up new markets, but also created a great international interest in all things South African. And what was more South African than its own varietal? On the other hand, vineyards could finally import vine stocks and the inclination was to plant more fashionable world varieties. At the start of the twenty first-century, demand for Pinotage is increasing and the acreage now forms almost 5% of the South African total for wine grapes.

Pinotage may be made in several different styles: young, light, and fruity, like Beaujolais, deep and rich like a Cotes du Rhone or Zinfandel, or elegant and restrained like Bordeaux are the most common styles. There are also a few rare 'blush' versions and several fortified into "Ports." At least one producer makes Methode Champenoise sparkling red Pinotage.

So what should you expect in a red Pinotage? Good depth of flavor, a unique individual fruity refreshing wine. Some tasters remark on a banana-like taste. I have noted bramble fruits and a velvet texture. It is a dinner wine, with good levels of alcohol giving depth and structure and keeping ability. But - like Zinfandel - there is no old-world style for winemakers to model on, so opening a bottle from a new winery is very much an adventure.

The list of top Pinotage growing estates includes Kanonkop, Simonsig, Warwick, Clos Malverne, Aventuur, L'Avenir, Uiterwyk, and Middlevlei3. The words "bush-vine" on a South African label indicate that the vines are old, as it is only recently Pinotage was thought worth the expense of trellising.

Pinotage is not unique to South Africa. It is made in neighboring Zimbabwe and also widely planted in New Zealand, where the relatively thick, rot-resistant skin is an added benefit in this humid locale. Unfortunately many of the original New Zealand vines had a viral infection and acreage severely declined. New plantings of virus-free vines are improving the Pinotage reputation in New Zealand.

Pinotage has been planted in 4California, with just four wineries currently producing - J Wines, Phoenix, Steltzner and Sutter Ridge. Lake Breeze Vineyards in British Columbia released Canada's first commercial Pinotage in 1999. There are also experimental plantings in New York and Australia.

Mourvèdre

Mourvèdre as a cultivated wine variety originated in Spain, where it is called monastrell. Over 250,000 acres are planted there and, although many vineyards are intermingled with the bobal variety, only grenache outnumbers total monastrell acreage. It is the principal black grape of the five appellations that cluster on Spain's Southeastern Mediterranean Coast, Almansa, Valencia, Alicante, Jumilla, and Yecla. Prior to the late Nineteenth Century phyloxera devastation, mourvédre was also widely planted in Southern France.

There are contradictions and anomolies in the growth characteristics and properties of mourvédre vines. Mourvédre is a very late variety in both bud break and ripening season. It can recover quite well from Spring frosts, but sometimes fail to survive cold Winter temperatures. It craves heat, but is drought-sensitive.

Phylloxera nearly drove mourvèdre to extinction, because the vines took so poorly to grafting that most vineyardists deemed the results not worth the effort. Replanting did not begin seriously until following World War II, 60 years after the devastation, when sufficient vinestock was developed that had both adapted to grafting and had consistent production history.

Until the late 1960s, however, the main French plantings of mourvédre were in Provence, where it is the dominant grape in Bandol. Total mourvédre vineyards in France increased from 2,200 acres in 1968 to nearly 14,000 by 1988.

Mourvèdre is a slow-ripening variety that develops tight bunches of grapes that need good ventilation to avoid rot. It seems to do best in windy climates like Southern France, and in parts of Spain and Algeria.

On their own, Mourvèdre wines tend to be deep-colored, quite tannic, somewhat alcoholic, and have generally "spicy" aromas and, sometimes, "gamey" flavors in their youth.

Montepulciano

Montepulciano is an ancient hilltop town in southeast Tuscany. Worthy of a visit because it is a treasure trove for enthusiasts of medieval and Renaissance architecture and artifacts, it also the home of a very fine Sangiovese-based red wine. The noble wine of Montepulciano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, is one of Tuscany's classic red wines. Although notice of the town's wine dates as far back to 790AD, it was the poet and doctor Francesco Redi who widely established the fame of the wine in a famous poem, Bacco in Toscana in which he toured the great Tuscan wine regions of his day with Bacchus and Ariadne at his side. Redi stated, "Montepulciano is the King of all wines."

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, in both regular and riserva versions, is a blend of 60-80% sangiovese grapes with 10-20% Canaiolo Nero grapes and with a maximum of 20% of either recommended local varieties such as Mammolo or authorized grapes such as the "international" varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Since Canaiolo Nero produces a lighter style of wine, the 80% cap on Sangiovese makes Vino Nobile less powerful than Chianti Classico or Brunello di Montalcino, which both use higher percentages of Sangiovese. Vino Nobile also must be aged a minimum of 2 years in barrel, which is too long to preserve the fruit of the current grape blend in most vintages. Best examples have a solid ruby-crimson color, a rich cherry scented aroma with accents of leather, violets, and cigar tobacco, and a rich full taste in the mouth.

In excellent vintages, when the quality of the fruit is high, the wines from the best vats are selected for Riserva, which receives at least 2 years barrel aging and a total of three years maturation in all. Riserva has more intensity of flavor than regular Vino Nobile. The component aromas and tastes seem better integrated. The overall impression is of a wine with more polish. Sometimes new oak is used in Riserva. giving it a faint oaky smell.

Since the late 80s, Rosso di Montepulciano, a lighter and fruitier version of Vino Nobile, has been made. The grapes are usually collected from vineyards less advantageously sited or from young vines. There are no aging requirements, which makes this wine the cash crop for Montepulciano wineries and a less expensive bottle of wine for consumers. Most wineries also make a luxury wine, commonly referred to as a Super Tuscan wine, usually using "international" grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Super Tuscan wines are usually aged in small, French, new oak barrels. Since they represent the highest aspirations of the estate and are often the personal statements of winemakers or estate owners, these wines are usually of very high quality, but can be eccentric in taste.

A dessert wine made in Montepulciano as well as throughout Tuscany is Vin Santo, a Sherry-like wine made from dried white grapes (usually Trebbiano and Malvasia). It can be made dry or sweet and is usually served after dinner with local hard, almond filled, biscuits called "cantuccini". The tradition is to dip the cookies in the wine. This is a good idea if you are drinking an inexpensive Vin Santo. Due to its difficult production process and aging period , usually about 4 years, Vin Santo can be expensive. The best and the most expensive Vin Santo made in Tuscany is made by the Montepulciano producer, Avignonesi. The glass of 1987 Avignonesi Vin Santo I enjoyed recently in a Montepulciano restaurant is available in the Massachusetts area for a mere $108 per half-bottle.

Despite Redi's coronation of Montepulciano, the average level of wine quality of modern Vino Nobile has lagged behind that of the two other famous Sangiovese-based appellations in Tuscany, Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino. The problems have been that the color of the wine has been lighter and more prone to develop orange and brown hues with time. The bouquet has been occasionally volatile, smelling of vinegar or airplane glue. On the palate Vino Nobile has also tended to have high acidity and to lack texture and richness in the middle of the mouth. In the last decade and increasingly so in the last two or three years, there has been improvement in the quality of Montepulciano's wines. This has been due to recent transfusions of investment into the region's vineyards and wineries. The area also now draws on the attention and skills of many of Tuscany's top enologists.

Recently, I visited many wineries and tasted a broad range of the region's wines.. I found that while the average level of quality has risen, there is still a more than usual variance of quality among the popular brands. From my experiences in Montepulciano, I recommend the following producers.

The established pace setters in quality have been Avignonesi and Poderi Boscarelli. Avignonesi's dynamic owners, brothers Alberto, Ettore, and Leonardo Falvo, have rapidly expanded their company based on the critical success of their Vino Nobile and Super Tuscan wines, such as Grifi, which is a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon aged in new small oak barrels. While Avignonesi's wines are very high in quality, they are shy of the level of quality achieved by Poderi Boscarelli, which now makes the best wine of the region. Also rapidly rising to stardom are the wines of Poliziano and Fattoria Le Casalte. Bindella, Fazi Battiglia (using the well-known brand name, Fassati), Fattoria La Braccesca (owned by Antinori), and Lodola Nuova (owned by Rufino) are wineries whose wines have vastly improved due to the support of wealthy, quality-oriented parent companies.

Other producers whose wines I thought excellent in my recent tastngs in Montepulciano are Nottola, Canneto, Fattoria della Talosa, Tenuta Valdipiatta, and Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano.

Montepulciano wines are improving by the day. New laws affecting the 1998 vintage will allow producers to increase the percentage of Sangiovese to 100% in the blend and to reduce the current 2 years aging period in oak requirement to 18 months. These changes will help ambitious producers so that they can make wine that will compete with Tuscany's best.

Malbec

One of the traditional "Bordeaux varietals", Malbec has characteristics that fall somewhere between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A midseason ripener, it can bring very deep color, ample tannin, and a particular plum-like flavor component to add complexity to claret blends.

It is known in much of France as Côt, and, in Cahors, also as Auxerrois. There are in fact hundreds of local synonyms, since Malbec at one time was widely planted all over the country. Sensitivity to frost and proclivity to shatter or coulure is the primary reason Malbec has become a decreasing factor in most of France. Although plantings in the Medoc have decreased by over two-thirds since the mid-twentieth century, Malbec is now the dominant red varietal in the Cahors area. The Appellation Controlée regulations for Cahors require a minimum content of 70%.

Malbec truly comes into its own in Argentina, where it is the major red varietal planted. Much of the Malbec vines there were transplanted from Europe prior to the outbreak of phylloxera and most is therefore ungrafted, on its own roots. Sadly, over the years, the bug has infested Argentina, too, and vineyards are being replanted on resistant rootstock.

Argentines often spell it "Malbeck" and make wines from it that similar in flavor to those made in Europe, but with softer, lusher structure, more like New World Merlot. Another difference: where French examples are usually considered short-lived, Argentine Malbecs seem to age fairly well.

Malbec is also planted in Chile, and there's relatively little and recent acreage in California and Australia. It is usually blended with other red varietals in these countries.

Successful Argentine Malbec growers claim that, in order to develop full maturity and distinction, Malbec needs "hang time" even after sugar levels indicate ripeness. Otherwise, immature Malbec can be very "green" tasting, without its characteristic notes of plum and anise.

Grenache

Grenache noir is the world's most widely planted grape used to make red wine, sometimes made into a stand-alone varietal, frequently as a rosé, but most often as a backbone of red blends.

Used as a component in some Northern Rhône reds, nearly exclusively for Rhône rosés and as the primary component in nearly all Southern Rhône red blends, Grenache is probably most notable as the base varietal for Chateauneuf du Pape, Cotes du Rhône and Gigondas. In spite of its fame coming from French wines, Spain is most likely this grape's origin1.

Grenache is known by local names (alicante, carignane rousse) in the Mediterranean regions of France. Particularly important in the areas of the Languedoc and Rousillon, there are also variants with different colored berries: white grenache blanc, and pink grenache rose or grenache gris. Nearly three times as much grenache is planted in Spain as in France. The spanish know this grape and wine as garnacha or garnacha tinta and it is the dominant red wine variety in the Rioja and Catalonia. The grape is known in Italy as cannonau.

In the New World, Australia has extensive plantings of Grenache and has been very successful making full-bodied Grenache-dominated red blends. Until surpassed by plantings of merlot in the past decade, Grenache was the third most planted red variety in California after Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. Most of this acreage is in the Central Valley and used to produce bulk rather than premium wine.

An abundant producer of fruit, grenache habitually will "alternate" a crop of 8 to 10 tons per acre one year and 14 to 16 tons the next. The vine is very sturdy and woody, lends itself well to head or spur pruning, and survives arid and drought conditions better than less vigorous vines. Cool and damp conditions can cause "deadarm" disease in grenache, however, and its compact and well-filled clusters are quite prone to rot. Grenache is also susceptible to shatter or coulure.

The grenache grape is relatively low in both pigment and malic acid, and oxidizes readily. Although some 100% varietal wines are produced from grenache, particularly in Spain's Rioja and from some "old vines" plantings in California, it is mostly used to "fill out" red blends and soften harsher partners, such as syrah and carignan.

On its own, grenache makes fleshy, heady, very fruity wines in their youth. They tend to age rapidly, showing tawny colors and prone to oxidation or maderization after only a relatively short time in bottle. The general character and mouthfeel of Grenache wines are more distinctive and identifyable than any particular aromas or flavors.

Partly due to its commonplace abundance and partly due to its hardiness in warmer climates that are generally considered to grow lesser-quality wines, Grenache has never achieved as much of a premium reputation as other red varietals. The group of California wineries marketing themselves as the Rhône Rangers are committed to raising both the quality and profile of this and other lesser-known grape varieties.

Gamay

Gamay noir is the primary black grape of France's Beaujolais region, where the wines are typically fermented, spared from aging, and consumed young to appreciate their fresh, fruity qualities, with more tang than tannin.

In 1395, the Duke of Burgundy, Phillip the Bold, ordered Gamay vineyards to be torn out and banned the variety evermore from being planted in the vineyards of Burgundy, so that it would not compete with Pinot Noir. Although this decree nearly erradicated Gamay altogether, it found a new home to the south in Beaujolais.

The name is so closely associated with Beaujolais, that many vineyard plantings and wines, in California especially, were incorrectly identified as the variety "Gamay Beaujolais" for many years (an illegal practice after 2007). Gamay is also planted, but is less significant, in the Loire, Rhône, Jura and Savoie appellations of France.

Although gamay noir vines grow with moderate vigor in many soil types, it seems partial to granite and limestone soils. Gamay can be quite productive, averaging five to seven tons per acre. Heavy crop loads may slow growth to below average, as well as reduce fruit quality, so crop thinning is often used to control this tendency.

Gamay begins its annual cycle early as grapes go, budding and flowering early and may therefore become victim to early Spring frosts. Ripening is usually early to mid-season. Both the clusters and juicy berries of gamay noir are large and it is a relatively easy variety to pick, with relatively thin but tough skins. The true full name of this grape is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc; there are, however, some clones of teinturier gamays, with colored rather than clear juice.

Generally light in color with hue that usually is more blue-purple than red, wines made from gamay noir can be very fragrant, full of fruit and fresh, floral esters. Frequently tart in their youth, wines made from gamay noir tend nonetheless to be short lived. Like its distant cousins, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Gamay tends to easily lose its varietal aroma and flavor identity when blended with another grape variety. Both red wines and rosés are typically produced from unblended gamay noir.

The technique of carbonic maceration is quite often used to enhance the fruitiness of this grape. The fruit is placed whole, uncrushed, in the fermenting vessel and the fermentation begins within the individual berries, trapping the forming bubbles of carbon dioxide until the grape bursts. The resulting wine has a lighter, yet brighter color, a "banana", "candy" or "bubblegum" quality in the fruity aroma, often accompanied by a slight petillance or "tickle" to the texture.

There is relatively little gamay noir planted in California, even less than was thought to exist only a few years ago, because many vineyards, once thought to be planted to gamay noir, were positively identified by DNA "fingerprinting" as valdiguié in the 1990s.

Dolcetto

The Dolcetto grape makes soft, pleasantly fruity wines that are for early consumption. It is used in the Piedmont region of northern Italy but it's use is diminishing. There are also limited plantings in California and most other key wine producing regions around the world, but most of those plantings are for experimental purposes.

Thoughts of Piedmont usually bring images of big tannic Barolos and Barbarescos, but an oft-forgotten everyday variety of the region is Dolcetto. Roughly translated, Dolcetto means "little sweet one." While not exactly "sweet," the wines made from Dolcetto are definitely light and fruity.

Dolcetto is an early-ripening grape, grown in the Northwest area of Piedmont. It produces wines that are soft and fruity and ready-to-drink when released. The Italians like this wine for everyday drinking because of its soft tannins, ripe fruit, and ability to match with a variety of foods. No cellaring required here and prices are usually quite affordable.

Carmenère

Historically, Carmenère has been difficult to grow in cold, humid climates, and, although this is one of the most ancient varieties in Bordeaux, plantings have not been maintained even in this region, let alone any other in France, or for that matter, anywhere in Europe!

Carmenère was prized in the Medoc for both its depth of color and, in ripe years, flavor that can range from herbal to gamy and add complexity and interest to blends. Carmenère requires more heat to ripen than the other varietals planted in Bordeaux. This and its erratic tendency to develop a condition called coulure, poor fruit set after flowering, may have caused Carmenère to fall out of favor.

Thought to be the antecedent of other better-known varietals, some think Carmenère is possibly a long-established clone of Cabernet Sauvignon. The Bordeaux synonym for Carmenère is Grand Vidure and Cabernet Sauvignon is also known there simply as Vidure. Some suggest that Carmenère may be Biturica, the vine of not only ancient Roman praise, but also the word then used to call the city that became Bordeaux.

Carmenère was imported to South America in the 1850s, along with other Bordeaux varieties, prior to the European outbreak of Phylloxera. The largest established vineyards of this variety are in Chile, although many of these were misidentified as Merlot (the two vines share many similarities) for more than a century. French ampelographer Jean Michel Bourisiquot discovered the truth in 1994.

There may soon be something of a resurgence in plantings of Carmenère. In California, the virtual rescue and revival of this cultivar was the result of a twelve-year quest by Karen Mulander-Magoon, co-proprietor of the Guenoc and Langtry Estates in Lake County. Cuttings of the cultivar had to survive three years of quarantine and testing in Canada and New York, prior to admission and planting in California in the late 1990s.

Carignan

The most widely-planted red wine grape in France is Carignan (sometimes spelled Carignane in the US, a.k.a. Carginano in Italy and Cariñena or Mazeulo in Spain). Planting became widespread in France during the 1960s, when Algeria gained its independence and was no longer an inexpensive source of ripe grapes. Most Carignan is confined to the Languedoc and southeastern France and is gradually being replaced with more distinctive and aromatic varieties.

Carignan buds and ripens quite late, so is not prone to spring frosts, but requires a long season. A vigorous, though not really hardy vine, it is very sensitive to downy mildew and powdery mildew (a.k.a. oidium). Carignan has but a single characteristic to recommend it for planting: high yields. An acre of Carignan may easily produce 10 to 12 tons of grapes.

The berries are bluish-black, round and fairly large, with fairly thick, astringent skins. They hang in large, rather compact clusters that are short-stemmed, difficult to harvest, and susceptible to grape worms. They also rot easily.

Like Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, and Grenache, Carignan is a somewhat unstable species, with the tendency to mutate. The French recognize and approve over 25 separate clones.

Carignan mostly produces wines that have high color, acidity, and tannin, without displaying much distinct flavor or personality and with very little appeal. Only a few growers carefully manage vine vigor and limit crop size to produce interesting, distinctive wines from this grape. As with many other varietals, older carignan vines seem to produce wines with generally more character and less brutality.

Thus, Carignan frequently becomes a wine for blending or, on its own, for inexpensive everyday consumption. The whole cluster fermentation technique of carbonic maceration can somewhat improve its tendency toward harshness. Oak treatments, on the other hand, seem merely to exacerbate the variety's underlying toughness, while adding little to either its complexity or interest.

Cabernet Franc

Recent studies in ampelography, using the relatively new application of DNA fingerprinting, have determined that cabernet franc is one of the genetic parents of cabernet sauvignon (the other is sauvignon blanc). Both cabernet varieties are among the five major grapes of Bordeaux. The differences between franc and sauvignon become apparent when grown and fermented in close proximity.

Cabernet franc vines bear thinner-skinned, earlier-ripening grapes with lower overall acidity, when compared to cabernet sauvignon. Yields are similar, although cabernet franc normally buds and ripens somewhat earlier.

Consequently vineyards in climates where rain is a harvest-time threat often plant this grape, in place of or in addition to cabernet sauvignon. Cabernet franc vines survive cold winters better than cabernet sauvignon, but are more susceptible to being damaged by Spring frosts.

France has by far the most cabernet franc plantings of any wine producing nation with over 35,000 acres. There are significant plantings of cabernet franc in St. Emilion, the Loire Valley (where it is known as Breton), and south west France (aka Bouchy). There are cabernet franc vineyards in Romania, Hungary, the Balkans, and the Friuli region of north eastern Italy (aka cabernet frank). New plantings in the 1990s in Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina show promise. In the United States, cabernet franc is planted in Long Island, New York, and in Washington state. California has about 2,000 acres, mostly planted since 1980, over half in Napa and Sonoma.

Depending a great deal on vineyard practices, the flavor profile of Cabernet Franc may be both fruitier and sometimes more herbal or vegetative than Cabernet Sauvignon, although lighter in both color and tannins. Over-cropping and underexposure each tend to accentuate the vegetative flavor elements. Typically somewhat spicy in aroma and often reminiscent of plums and especially violets, Cabernet Franc is more often used as a secondary or tertiary element in varietally-blended red wines, such as Bordeaux or Meritage, instead of as a stand-alone varietal bottling.

Barbera

Barbera is a wine grape variety from Monferrato in Piemonte, Italy. Babera produces an intense red wine with deep color, low tannins and high acid and is used in California to provide "backbone" for so-called "jug wines".

Century-old Barbera vines still exist in many regional vineyards and allow production of long-aging, robust red wines with intense fruit and enhanced tannic content. In Italy the best known varietals made from it is Barbera d'Asti, made in Asti, and Barbera d'Alba, made in Alba, which can produce a high quality wine with some ageing potential.

Probably one of the most underrated grapes in the world, Barbera can be used to make an incredible range of styles, ranging from young and spritzy to powerful and intense wines that need extended cellaring. It is a deep ruby color, full bodied, with low levels of tannins balanced by higher levels of acidity.

Barbera, the ultimate Italian summer red is also known as the perfect pizza wine for many. Barbera's tooth jarring acidity, high alcohol, low tannin and lush fruit, make Barbera an ideal food wine that will stand up against anything you throw on the barbeque.

No other wine has the versatility that can cut through tomato sauce or compliment a steak as nicely as Barbera wine.

Prosecco

Prosecco: dry, lemony, and bubbling, is Italy's answer to refreshing, well-made, sparkling wine. Created from predominately Prosecco grapes in the northern Veneto region of Italy in the foothills of the Alps, Prosecco is light, affordable, and fun.

Traditionally Prosecco was made as a soft, somewhat sweet wine with just a little fizz, but today's Proseccos are dry and very bubbly. Sometimes combined with a small amount of Pinot Blanc or Pinot Grigio grapes, Prosecco is made using the Charmat method rather than the Champagne method, the French method of making sparkling wine. The Charmat method allows the wine to go through the second fermentation in pressurized tanks rather than in individual bottles. No turning the bottles every day as in Champagne. The shorter, tank fermentation is preferable for Prosecco because it preserves the freshness and the flavor of the grapes.

Straw-colored Prosecco, with its overtones of citrus, melon, lemon, almonds, and honey, is a perfect summer wine. It is crisp and clean with small bubbles and pairs nicely with seafood - especially calamari and crabmeat, salads, and even all but the heaviest pastas.

Most Prosecco is at its best when consumed within three years of its vintage, but the highest-quality Prosecco can be aged for up to seven years.

Venetians consider Prosecco an ideal apperitivo or ombrette (pick-me-up). Prosecco is also delicious when combined with fresh peach juice to make Venice's most famous cocktail, the Bellini. Prosecco is very affordable when compared to her French or California sparkling cousins and is becoming more widely available in wine stores and restaurants in the United States.

Pinot Meunier

Pinot Meunier, like Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, is one of the many mutations of Pinot Noir. The name comes from the appearance of its leaf undersides, which look as though they've been dusted with flour (meunier is French for "miller"). It is also simply called Meunier in France. In Germany, it is known as Müllerrebe (miller grape) and also Schwarzriesling.

The home turf for Meunier is the region of Champagne. Its value there is due to the fact that it buds later and ripens earlier than Pinot Noir. Pinot Meunier thusly avoid damage from early spring frosts or from coulure and can be more reliably productive than either Pinot Noir or Chardonnay in this regard.

Pinot Meunier has a slightly higher natural acidity than Pinot Noir and gives some brightness and fruitiness to Champagne blends. It is, on the other hand, lower in color and tannin than Pinot Noir and wines that use Meunier in their blend are not as long-lived. This also keeps it from being a candidate for wide use as a varietal red wine, although some is used in some areas of France for rosé.

A little Meunier is planted in Australia, where it occasionally does appear as a varietal red, and also in California, used mostly as a component in sparkling wines.

Malvasia

The Malvasia vine is one of the most ancient known, planted widely throughout the Mediterranean basin though not in great quantity. Though believed to have originated in Asia Minor, the variety is named for the Greek port of Monemvasia, the exit route from which wines produced in the surrounding Agean Islands were shipped.

Usually thought of as a white vine, Malvasia is in fact a family of related subvarieties whose grapes may range in color from red to pale green, each of which typically adopts a place-name, as in Malvasia di Toscana, or a characteristic, as in Malvasia Fina. There are also numerous other varieties referring to Malvasia, such as the French Malvoisie, which are entirely unrelated. The most important subvarieties of Malvasia are generally grouped under the term Malvasia Bianca.

At the risk of overgeneralization, Malvasia is a reliable, resistant, moderately productive hot climate vine which prefers a dry climate and well-drained slopes. It has large, deep green, sharply notched leaves and loosely-knit bunches of spherical berries. Depending on the strain, acidity will vary, as with color. The fruit is high in flavor, fragrance and extract and can achieve high potential alcohol levels.

Malvasia is as versatile as its family members are numerous. Throughout Italy it is blended with other white varieties, notably the equally hard to buttonhole Trebbiano, for fresh, dry wines; in Spain with the Viura in the white wines of Rioja and Navarra; and in Portugal in numerous dry blends. Malvasia stands on its own in eleven different Italian D.O.C. wines, both dry and “passito,” in which the grapes are dried to the semi-raisin state before being vinified as a sweet wine. In Portugal, as a fortified wine, it may appear in any proportion in semi-dry to very sweet white Ports, and it is one of the five varieties cultivated on the island of Madeira, where it is known as Malmsey, for production of the sublime, immortal sweet wines of the same name.

As a dry wine, Malvasia offers spicy perfume, full body, heft and fat, peachy fruit with nuances of musk and almonds and a note of acidity on the finish. As a sweet wine the grape-like, nutty qualities intensify. In Maderia the volcanic soil, method of production and customarily long aging yield a deep gold, smoke and honey-scented wine with notes of toffee and chocolate underscored by a firm acidic tang. Also planted sparsely in Germany and California.

Grenache

Grenache noir is the world's most widely planted grape used to make red wine, sometimes made into a stand-alone varietal, frequently as a rosé, but most often as a backbone of red blends.

Used as a component in some Northern Rhône reds, nearly exclusively for Rhône rosés and as the primary component in nearly all Southern Rhône red blends, Grenache is probably most notable as the base varietal for Chateauneuf du Pape, Cotes du Rhône and Gigondas. In spite of its fame coming from French wines, Spain is most likely this grape's origin1.

Grenache is known by local names (alicante, carignane rousse) in the Mediterranean regions of France. Particularly important in the areas of the Languedoc and Rousillon, there are also variants with different colored berries: white grenache blanc, and pink grenache rose or grenache gris. Nearly three times as much grenache is planted in Spain as in France. The spanish know this grape and wine as garnacha or garnacha tinta and it is the dominant red wine variety in the Rioja and Catalonia. The grape is known in Italy as cannonau.

In the New World, Australia has extensive plantings of Grenache and has been very successful making full-bodied Grenache-dominated red blends. Until surpassed by plantings of merlot in the past decade, Grenache was the third most planted red variety in California after Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. Most of this acreage is in the Central Valley and used to produce bulk rather than premium wine.

An abundant producer of fruit, grenache habitually will "alternate" a crop of 8 to 10 tons per acre one year and 14 to 16 tons the next. The vine is very sturdy and woody, lends itself well to head or spur pruning, and survives arid and drought conditions better than less vigorous vines. Cool and damp conditions can cause "deadarm" disease in grenache, however, and its compact and well-filled clusters are quite prone to rot. Grenache is also susceptible to shatter or coulure.

The grenache grape is relatively low in both pigment and malic acid, and oxidizes readily. Although some 100% varietal wines are produced from grenache, particularly in Spain's Rioja and from some "old vines" plantings in California, it is mostly used to "fill out" red blends and soften harsher partners, such as syrah and carignan.

On its own, grenache makes fleshy, heady, very fruity wines in their youth. They tend to age rapidly, showing tawny colors and prone to oxidation or maderization after only a relatively short time in bottle. The general character and mouthfeel of Grenache wines are more distinctive and identifyable than any particular aromas or flavors.

Partly due to its commonplace abundance and partly due to its hardiness in warmer climates that are generally considered to grow lesser-quality wines, Grenache has never achieved as much of a premium reputation as other red varietals. The group of California wineries marketing themselves as the Rhône Rangers are committed to raising both the quality and profile of this and other lesser-known grape varieties.