Simplicity and affordability are two words that most aptly describe our desires in the current steak and potatoes economy. As we have recalibrated our priorities over the past two years to focus our energy and money on what we deem most important in our daily lives, many of us have tossed aside the superfluous trends that, looking back, signified that we strayed too far away from substance. Wine trends come and go while others stubbornly hold on. However, when it comes to simple and affordable, nothing holds a candle to the wines from the Western Loire Valley wine region of Muscadet...
There are few grapes grown in the world that lead the taster to one specific area of production without a consideration for other regions where that grape is also planted. Some of the best Chardonnay’s in the world are produced in Burgundy. However, other fans of Chardonnay believe the best examples come from California. Many of the classic varieties grown in the wine world are grown in many different places. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and countless others are grown in many different regions throughout a range of climates and altitudes. All of these grapes produce wines of magnificence, though, at the risk of being mocked by my contemporaries...
Is it fair to say that something cannot be forgotten about if no one realized that it existed in the first place? That’s what I was thinking as I read through a few of my wine books on the history and importance of Ribolla Gialla within the world of popular wine. And then it hit me, who the hell cares if Oz Clarke, Tom Stevenson, Jancis Robinson and Nicolas Belfrage only contribute a few sentences to one of the most interesting, nuanced and overlooked grapes in all of the world’s vineyards?
Ribolla Gialla is a grape that many of you haven’t come across in your neighborhood wine shops. It produces white wines (there is also a red version, but that’s for another day) and is grown predominantly in Northern Italy, Slovenia and Greece. Rumor has it there is a smattering of vineyards planted in California as well...
Being the least important variety in a region best known for producing wines of legend can doom a grape to hanger on status. However, in the case of Dolcetto and Piedmont, living in the shadow of some of the greatest vineyards and wine producers in the world hardly means that the ‘little sweet one’ doesn’t yield some of the most reliable and delicious wines in the world. Do not be fooled, as much as its translated name might suggest, Dolcetto more often than not is produced in a bone dry style. Associated with the Piedmont region of Italy more than anywhere else in the world, Dolcetto is often thought of as the fruitier, less serious grape grown alongside Barbera and Nebbiolo. Nebbiolo is used in the production of Barolo and Barbaresco, the former historically known as the
wine of kings...
Gruner Veltliner is easily one of my favorite grapes. I must admit that I am quite biased towards Gruner. It is marvelous with food, friends or by itself while working on the tomato garden in the back yard. Though I’m not knee deep in Purple Cherokees this time of year, Gruner still makes frequent appearances at this wine writer’s dining room table. Gruner Veltliner is still relatively unknown to most wine drinkers – it’s hard to pronounce and most casual wine stores don’t carry many. Quality Gruners range from $10 all the way into the triple digits, depending on winemaker, vintage and level of quality. More bottling are making their way into the US market as the grape is gaining in popularity. And just like any other variety, there are as many duds and as there are stars...
It is sort of appropriate that we start off the 12 Grapes of Christmas with wine a variety that is not well known. And for wine lovers who do know the grape, they probably have only had it as an aperitif. Grechetto, grown in fairly unheralded winemaking areas of Italy, is typically blended. In Umbria, Grechetto is often blended with Trebbiano, Malvasia and Verdello. The most widely-known incarnation of Grechetto-based blends is Orvieto. The Orvieto DOC is perhaps the most important white wine produced in Umbria. However, when bottled on its own, Grechetto yields a refreshing, fairly weighty and very interesting wine that can often be more satisfying that the most well-made blended Orvietos...
When someone hears the word Zweigelt for the first time, perhaps the inexperienced wine drinker would at first think the term had something to do with 19th Century existential philosophy, not wine. Of German and Austrian origin Zweigelt is, but the savvy wine doesn’t need to understand Nietzsche in order to enjoy one of Austria’s greatest vinous gifts to the wine world. Prior to the early 1900s, Zweigelt didn’t exist. Not only is Zweigelt arguably the most well-known red variety exported from Austria, but it is a cross of two grapes – Blaufrankisch and St. Laurent. Named after the man who produced the crossing, Zweigelt has been wildly successful for the Austrians (Germans and Brits, too!) over the past few decades as producers have likened the grapes potential to Pinot Noir...
Riesling, you ask? This series was supposed to be about grapes that we have never heard of before and I pick Riesling? How dare I! Well, relax. I picked Riesling for the Second Grape of Christmas for a reason that most wine lovers out there wouldn’t guess – it’s from the United States. And it’s not from Oregon, Washington or the Finger Lakes of New York. So where from? Idaho! Yes, Idaho. The land of potatoes and college football underdogs produces world-class wine. I figured we do a little write-up not just on Riesling, how one of the classic grape varieties of the world transcends national boundaries and is putting a small area in Southerwestern Idaho on the winemaking map...
If I were to play a little game of word association with a group of casual wine drinkers, I am certain that if I said the word Cabernet, 9 out of 10 people would associate Cabernet with Sauvignon. Maybe 1 out of 10 would say Franc. The relative anonymity within which Cabernet Franc thrives shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Often blended with Merlot to produce some of the most highly sought after wines from Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc is thought by some to be at its best when acting as a team player. Though wines from Pomerol, Saint-Emilion and other Right Bank Bordeaux appellations are wonderful (on someone else’s dime, especially), I find that Cabernet Franc expresses itself best when acting alone...
I am trying something a little different at the WCP this year. As many of you know, I am not a big fan of points or grading systems for wine. I also try not to write a Top-Whatever list at the end of the year in terms of ranking wine. College football teams should be ranked, not wines. However, in the spirit of ending the year with something special, I have put together The 12 Grapes of Christmas Series. Over the next 2 weeks, I am going to post 12 different profiles of grapes that are relatively unknown. And in a couple of cases, the grapes will be household names, but grown in regions most wine drinkers wouldn’t suspect. This has been a fun project for me to work on over the past few days and I hope you all get a little bit of enjoyment out of it...
