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Syrah/Shiraz

On January 29, 2008, in Black Grapes, Syrah/Shiraz, wine geeks, by ngorevic

Syrah is a grape that traditionally comes from the Northern Rhône area of France. In most other parts of the world, it's called Shiraz, which is the exact same grape. The Australians started calling their Syrah Shiraz, and their wines became so popular that the rest of the world for the most part has followed suit. In Australia, Syrah is frequently blended with Cabernet Sauvignon.

Syrah/Shiraz wines classically taste like blackberry and fruit flavors. In cooler climates like the Rhône valley, the wine will be high in tannins and acidity and have secondary charateristics of black pepper and occasionally mint. In warmer climates, like Australia, Shiraz is even fuller in body, but has softer tannins and secondary notes of sweeter spices, leather, and sometimes liquorice.

Merlot

On January 29, 2008, in Black Grapes, Merlot, wine geeks, by ngorevic

Merlot is the other major black grape produced in Bordeaux. It is usually blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot on its own makes a wine with soft tannins. This is the reason why Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot complement each other well. There are two major styles of Merlot when it's not blended. The first is mostly a New World style, sometimes called the International Style. In the International style, the grapes are harvested as late as possible and tends towards blackberry and plum flavors and soft tannins with fuller body and high alcohol. Often these wines are aged in oak to add toasty flavors. This style of wine will be found throughout the new world as well as in Bordeaux.

The second style of Merlot is to harvest the grapes earlier, which results in a wine with lower levels of alcohol and lighter body. These wines tend more towards red fruit flavors like raspberries and strawberries, and have much more acidity. This style of Merlot is rarely found anywhere except Bordeaux in France.

Cabernet Sauvignon

On January 29, 2008, in Black Grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, wine geeks, by ngorevic

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most prolific black grape used to make red wine. The traditional home of Cabernet is in the Médoc in Bordeaux. In that region it is usually blended with Merlot (and many other grapes), and that tradition has been copied in most places growing Cabernet around the world.

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes have a very thick skin, which is important for a few different reasons. It makes the grapes very resistant to rot and insect problems, and also gives it the ability to produce high tannin wines, that can survive in the bottle for many years. Cabernet is often blended with other grape varietals because it is so high in tannins-- other grapes can help soften the tannins and make the wine more drinkable while it is young.

Cabernet wines are typically high in acid, full in body, and their classic flavor in cooler climates is of blackcurrants. In warmer climates, the flavor is often more fruit forward, tending towards black cherry. If you're tasting a cabernet sauvignon and you're not sure what kind of fruit you're tasting, but want to sound like you know what you're talking about, it's always a safe bet to say you taste black fruit and you'll almost never be wrong! As Cabernet Sauvignon wine ages, secondary characteristics like leather or animal hide are often accentuated.

Sauvignon Blanc

On January 28, 2008, in Sauvignon Blanc, White Grapes, wine geeks, by ngorevic

Sauvignon Blanc is another white grape which is grown in France (Bordeaux and the Loire Valley) and throughout the New World. It can make a very aromatic white wine, and is usually dry. In cooler climates, the wine often takes on what wine people call an herbaceous quality. There are lots of words used to describe this herbaceous quality, such as grassy, vegetal, green pepper, asparagus, or even cat's pee. Yes, cat's pee! As an owner of a cat with a problem, I can tell you that it doesn't actually smell that foul. It smells more like a subtle hint of ammonia. It also often has some elements of fruit, like citrus or passion fruit. In warmer climates, the vegetal qualities often fail to develop, and a simpler peach or grapefruit flavored wine develops.

Sauvignon Blanc is usually aged in stainless steel, but does age in oak in some areas. Most notable among these areas is Pouilly-Fumé. This area is not be confused with Pouilly-Fuissé, which is a Chardonnay area. Confused yet? This is one of those things you just have to memorize. I find it helpful to remember that if you see Fumé, you know it's Sauvignon Blanc. Fumé means smoked in French, which refers to the oak used in the aging process. Oak, as I'll get into further detail later, can often add a smoky element to the taste of wine because the barrels are toasted during the cooperage process. When Sauvignon Blanc is aged in oak in Napa, it's called Napa Fumé Blanc, which is an attempt to copy the French style and labeling term.

Sauvignon Blanc wines are mostly made to be drunk young, when they are fruity and fresh. In the Loire Valley and in Bordeaux, however, the wines can age up to 15 years in the bottle. During this aging process, the vegetal notes develop and the fruit notes fade, which many people find very desirable. This happens in the Sancerre area of the Loir Valley, and as a result are very popular and therefore quiet expensive.

Riesling

On January 23, 2008, in Riesling, White Grapes, wine geeks, by ngorevic

Riesling is another white grape that is planted all over the world. It's traditional homeland is in Germany, and the Alsace region of France. It can come in many different styles, including dry, off-dry, sweet, and luscious (that's what you call something when it's the sweetest a wine could possibly get). In Germany they make some outstanding dessert wines from Riesling called Trockenbeerenauslese, which means the grapes were hand picked very late after the sugars have concentrated to a very high degree. Many of these wines are also botrytized, a fascinating process I'll describe in detail later. Riesling has a distinctive aromatic character to it, that you will recognize easily after you've had it a few times.

Riesling's claim to fame is it's ability to ripen very late, even in very cold conditions. In cooler climates, like in Germany and Alsace, Riesling is often not picked until October or early November. There it has flavors of grape and apple, and will have high acidity. Many people enjoy Riesling with food because of this high acidity. In warmer climates like Australia, however, Riesling can often ripen quite early, which can dull its flavor and acidity. Here, Riesling will tend towards more lemon and lime flavors. There are some very nice Rieslings to be found here, but they are all grown in areas closer to the water where the temperatures are much cooler.

In the wine world, Riesling has something of a cult following. It's fruity and flowery aromas are seductive to those that enjoy it. In case you couldn't tell, I'm one of those people! It also has something for everyone, because of the range of sweetness it can offer. But for some reason it never really seems to catch on the way Pinot Noir has since the movie "Sideways." Therefore, it is often very undervalued.

Because of its high acidity, Riesling can age in the bottle very well, especially when it's from Germany or Alsace. The wines can pick up accents of petrol (gas) in the aroma, which sounds disgusting, but it's really not, and it never tastes like gasoline anyway, so don't worry.

Tagged with: Grape varieties • Riesling

Chardonnay

On January 16, 2008, in Chardonnay, Grape varieties, wine geeks, by ngorevic

Chardonnay is one of the most widely grown and vinified wines in the world. This is because you can grow it in almost any climate where grapes can be grown. It's named after a town in the Mâconnais in France. Chardonnay is a very neutral grape to begin with, it doesn't have a lot of aroma, so the winemaker often uses a lot of techniques to affect the flavor and aroma of the wine. These include Malolactic Fermentation, Lees Stirring, and aging in oak barrels. Don't worry, I'll explain what those are later. Chardonnay is also one of the key grapes used to make Champagne.

In colder climates, Chardonnay will usually have lighter or medium body, flavors of green fruits, like green apple, and lots of acidity. In warmer climates, Chardonnay can take on more exotic notes, such as tropical fruit flavors like pineapple. In those areas, the wine will often be lower in acidity, contain higher levels of alcohol and be much fuller in body.

In the United States, the Chardonnay grape is what most people think of when they think of white wine. There have been times when Malolactic Fermentation and techniques like oak chipping were taken quite far, so that it tasted like a stick of butter or a piece of wood. Currently however, these techniques are used more sparingly.

Chardonnay from most parts of the world is a wine to be drank young. In the Burgundy region of France, however, Chardonnay can age phenomenally in the bottle, developing very complex nutty characteristics. Why does this only happen in France? No one really seems to know. None of those wines will come cheap, in case you were wondering.

Tagged with: Chardonnay • white grape

Vitis vinifera

On January 16, 2008, in Grape varieties, wine geeks, by ngorevic

The first thing I'm studying today is grape varieties. So what exactly is a grape variety? Well, first of all you should know that all of the wines we drink come from one particular species of grape, vitis vinifera. There are plenty of other species of grapes out there. Vitis labrusca, for example, is the common table grape you get at the grocery store, and is a species native to North America. Some people have made wine out of labrusca, but none of it is very good. Labrusca is, however, very useful for its resistance to phylloxera, a bug that destroys grape vines. I'll have more on phylloxera for you later. For now all you need to know is that all the major grape varities you've heard of, like Chardonnay, or Cabernet Sauvignon, are made from vitis vinifera.