Azienda Agricola Arianna Occhipinti Sp68 Sicilia Rosso Igt 2017
Arianna Occhipinti SP68 Rosso is a tangy, gluggable red from Sicilys Vittoria region. In recent years, regional producers like Occhipinti have led the charge for terroir-driven, organic winemaking using local grapes like Nero dAvola and Frappato. The unfiltered SP68 Rosso is an approachable wine, with a mix of tart cranberry, strawberry, and cherry fruits. Earth and savory herbs come through as well, adding depth and complexity. The palate is similar to the nose light, lip-smacking, and savory.
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The 7 Best Wine Regions Of Latin America
When talking with any seasoned member of the wine community, the old world is immediately where people go when talking about the best wine in the world. And for good reason. The wine regions of France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, and pretty much anywhere else in Europe not only have the best wine minds in the world, but the oldest, most established vineyards as well.
However, the last century has seen many wine regions throughout the world making a push for the crown the old world has held since wine became a thing. Specifically, Latin America is home to some of the most productive, delicious, and refined wineries on the planet.
These 7 regions are the best in Latin America for growing grapes and making wine. When you plan your next trip around wine tourism, dont forget to consider these areas, which are rich in food, culture, and, of course, wine.
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How Should I Serve Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir has an ideal serving temperature range of 5565°F. Pinot Noir can be delicate and fresh, or rich and oak-aged. You can serve lighter wines closer to 55°F, and fuller-bodied Pinots closer to 65°F. If you dont finish a bottle of Pinot Noir, replace the cork and stick it back in the refrigerator. The flavors will stay fresh for 13 days. Beyond that, the wine will start to oxidize.
Poliziano Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2015
One of Tuscanys classic Vino Nobile di Montepulciano producers, this estate belongs to the newly created Nobile Alliance, which is pushing to rename the wine simply Nobile. This Sangiovese-heavy blend gives pricier Brunello a run for its money. Fragrant and well-structured, it brims with ripe red and black fruits, seasoned with light spice. Medium-bodied, with nice acidity and gentle tannins, its an incredibly easy-drinking wine. Take this to a dinner party and youre guaranteed to please everyone at the table.
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Matthiasson Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
This is one for all the wine geeks out there. Matthiassons 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is proof that Napa can make low-alcohol, old-world style Cabernets that are still age-worthy. The wines nose is abundant with brambly red and black fruits, and hints of minerals and herbs. Its fresh, vibrant body includes light tannins and refreshing acidity.
Common Red Wine Flavors
You’ll want to shift to darker fruit for red wine profiles. The most common scents and flavors for red wine varietals include blackberry, blueberry, cherry, cranberry, fig, plum, raisin, raspberry, strawberry, and various floral tones and spices. In reds, you’ll often notice more tannins, which are responsible for the dry mouthfeel.
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How To Drink Wine
The easiest way to find the right bottle of wine for you and your occasion is simply to ask a wine expert or sommelier for their recommendations based on your taste. If youre pairing wines for dinner, tell the expert what dishes youll be making. If youre simply buying a bottle of wine to broaden your horizons, the most important things to state are your price range and flavour preferences.
When it comes to preparing and drinking wine, there are differences based on the colour of the wine. Red and fortified wines should be served a touch below room temperature, while white, rose and sparkling wines benefit from a chill. Red wines should be kept in the fridge for around 45 minutes before serving, while white, rose and sparkling wines can stay in the cool for around two hours.
White wine glasses are typically smaller than red wine glasses, as they dont need the same surface area to oxidise. When drinking the wine, hold the glass by the stem rather than the bowl. This will help the wine to keep at the same temperature, rather than warming up in your hand.
Pour 30 to 60 ml of wine into a glass to taste it before serving. Swirl the wine in the glass, holding the stem, to expose it to a larger surface area. Smell the wine as you swirl it to release the flavours and varied aromas. A higher quality wine will offer different aromas the more its swirled.
Royal Tokaji The Oddity 2015
Dry Furmint is an emerging, lesser-known style of Hungarian wine, and this bottle is a brilliant example of its potential for fans of crisp, mineral-driven whites. The Oddity coats the palate with a pleasantly chalky mouthfeel, yet theres no lack of fruit look for an abundance of apricot, peach, and citrus notes on the nose and palate.
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Snake River Valley Idaho
Best known for Chardonnay, Merlot, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah
Tucked between southwest Idaho and east Oregon, Snake River Valley is a small wine region comprised of around 15 wineries and 46 vineyards, conveniently close to the state capital of Boise.
Wineries to visit in the Snake River Valley
- Telaya Wine Co. perched on the Boise River, this winery is noted for its Syrah-based blends.
- Coiled Wines the Syrah blends are the stars, but the sparkling brut Riesling and Chablis-style Chardonnay are also worth a try.
- Cinder Winery noted for Riesling, Chardonnay, Viognier, and rosé.
Butter Flavor In Wine
The butter and Chardonnay connection comes from a compound called diacetyl, which is a standard byproduct of the fermentation process. This same compound can be found in your spice cabinet. Just open a bottle of artificial butter and take a whiff and you’ll find your own version of diacetyl and an unforgettably strong butter aroma.
To identify “buttery notes” in a Chardonnay, pour an oaked Chardonnay in a glass, give it a swirl and stick your nose in the glass. Try to bypass the other aromas screaming for your attention and focus in on the diacetyl. If you don’t get it at first pass, then take another whiff of your fake butter and then swirl and sniff the Chardonnay again. Interestingly enough, you’ll also often taste this smell on the finish of the Chardonnay when you swallow. Give it a gopeople are amazed at how they are able to single out this famous component of many Chardonnays with this simple exercise.
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How Is Wine Made
Wine is made by picking, crushing, fermenting and ageing grapes.
The process begins by picking the grapes, before theyre taken to the crushing pad. Here, a destemmer will remove the stems from the bunches of grapes and will lightly crush them at the same time. The next step differs between red and white wines when it comes to removing the skins. White wine is pressed and the grape skins discarded, while red wine is made from grapes that are fermented with their skins still attached.
Next is the fermentation period, where yeast is added to the vats of grapes in order for the sugars to convert to alcohol. When producing red wines, carbon dioxide is released, which causes the grape skins to rise to the surface.
The ageing step comes next and its here where creativity and flavour profiles really come into play. Wines can be aged for anything from a few months to several years. Some white wines are ready to be bottled after only a few months while most dry red wines benefit from being left up to two years. Wine can also be aged in new oak, used barrels or stainless steel, in American oak barrels or in French oak barrels, or in charred barrels, like those used when ageing Bourbon.
The Different Types Of Wine
Cabernet Sauvignon:
Cabernet Sauvignons are rich, robust red wines from the Napa Valley. These wines are full-bodied and are made up of dark fruit flavours mixed with spices and earthy aromas. Its one of the worlds most widely recognised red wine grape varieties and is most commonly aged in French oak.
Chardonnay:
Chardonnay is the most popular wine varietal in North America and is characterised by its medium to full body and its buttery mouthfeel. It combines crisp flavours like apple and pear with citrus aromas and hints of vanilla.
Malbec:
Malbec is known for its plump, dark fruit flavours and inky dark colour. Its grapes grow mostly in Argentina although it was originally produced in France. Malbecs have moderate tannins and are typically made up of ripe flavours like plum, black cherry and blackberry.
Merlot:
Merlots have milder flavours and lower tannin levels than other varieties of red wine. Although still a type of dry red wine, theyre sweeter than Cabernet Sauvignons and are made of dark blue-coloured wine grapes. Merlots are a fruit-forward wine with plenty of flavours, with spicy and sweet notes that come from ageing in oak barrels.
Pinot Grigio:
Pinot Noir:
Riesling:
Sauvignon Blanc:
Most Sauvignon Blancs are left as dry white wines, with a few brands preferring to leave a small amount of residual sugar for a richer consistency. Its a crisp and light wine with flavours of citrus like green apple, lime and vanilla.
Syrah:
Zinfandel:
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The 50 Best Wines Of 2018
As 2018 comes to a close, its nearly time to stress about holiday plans and devise a list of short-lived New Years resolutions. But before we look forward, lets reflect on the year thats passed.
Red, white, rosé, orange, and sparkling weve had the privilege of tasting some amazing wines this year. And we thought it would only be fair if we share 50 of our favorites with you.
drop!
Some highlights from this years list include the triumphant return of Cabernet Sauvignons from the Napa Valley. After years of hard-hitting, heavily oaked iterations, next-generation Napa Cabs have less alcohol and a lighter, fresher fruit character.
Additionally, Greece and Chile emerged from our tasting as countries to keep on your radar, with both producing some of the best wines we tried all year.
Sparkling wines stood out, too. We included a record number in our list this year, including four Champagnes. While they often come with a premium price tag, we find they consistently deliver on quality, and are not just for special occasions.
To come up with this ranking, members of the VinePair team, including staff, contributors, and trusted industry friends, compiled a short list of their favorite wines tasted in 2018. After some energetic discussions, wines were brought in and tasted as a panel before we whittled down the list to our top 50, guided by the following criteria.
Here are VinePairs top 50 wines of 2018, ranked.
Domaine De La Romanee
Next on the list of the most expensive wines in the world is the Romanee-Conti Romanee-Conti Grand Cru 1990.
A bottle of this vintage red will cost you $21,200, but according to experts, its well worth the investment.
1990 produced a fantastic wine, due to a well-balanced harvest, rich in plentiful healthy grapes.
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Top 9 Wine Regions To Visit In 2020
While Napa Valley and Sonoma County should be high on your list of places to travel to in 2020, we also fully support venturing outside of our state every now and again. However, we realize the world of wine is a vast one, which makes choosing from the long list of destination-worthy global wine regions a rather difficult thing to do.
Luckily, weve narrowed it down to the top nine wine regions to visit in 2020. Whether youre an oenophile hoping to go off-the-beaten-path or an enthusiast looking to experience a familiar region you may have only explored via a bottle at home, let our guide be an inspiration to #travelmore this New Year.
The United States Has It All
As we mentioned before, the worlds three largest wine-producing countries make up just under half of the worlds total production, and America is number four. If we add in the USAs 23.9 million hectoliters then these four countries make up well over half. A
lmost every state in the US produces wine in some way, but California makes the most with a landslide of almost 90%. Californian wines are on par with much older wine regions in Europe, impressive considering winemaking has only been happening for a few centuries in America. Vintages produced here, as well as in other non-European countries, are called New World wines.
In the 1930s, Prohibition means many prized vineyards were ripped up from the earth, and wine production was halted for many years. However, winemaking was destined to return to the country, and in less than a hundred years, the US has gone from having a wine consumption of zero to the largest consumption by volume by a single country in the world.
Napa and Sonoma are the dominating regions in California as well as the whole US, where the wineries are visitor-friendly and leaders in worldwide wine tourism. The most common wines here are oaky whites and flavorful reds, and the most popular grape by far is Zinfandel. Cabernet Sauvignon is also a common grape variety grown in California, but the best-known producers are still those exporting Zinfandel.
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Wine Production In Europe
Just under half of the entire worlds wine production happens in only three countries in Europe France, Italy, and Spain. These three have been leaders in for millennia, exporting favorite and famous bottles of wine. The European Union as a group of countries produced the most wine in the world, with an average annual production of a huge 167 million hectolitres.
In fact, 60% of all global consumption happens in this relatively small group of countries, and that doesnt even include European countries that arent in the Union.
Best Wine Regions In Thenew World
What are the top wine regions in the new world? Like that of the old world, the answer is that it depends. The regions below dont have the same historic appeal as the Old World wines of Europe, but they are still immensely popular.
Here are the best wine regions in the new world that you should know about as a global-minded traveler.
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Is The Wine World Ready For An Old New World Order
Most winemakers from these historic regions believe their biggest obstacle for overseas success is a lack of recognition in Western markets. Producers have tried to raise awareness of these wines to persuade hesitant consumers and importers.
Are casual wine drinkers ready to try something different? If the rise of interest in natural wines and offbeat winemaking techniques are any indication, maybe youll soon see Georgia and Lebanon featured as prominently as Bordeaux on wine lists.
And even if the rest of the world isnt ready yet, these wine regions have proven their patience. After all, theyve been here since the beginning.
Flneur La Belle Promenade Chardonnay 2016
A single-vineyard bottling made with organically-farmed grapes, Flâneur La Belle Promenade is a luxurious Oregon Chardonnay. Careful oak integration combines with crisp, refreshing grapes to provide a bottle akin to liquid honeysuckle with a savory saline finish. Get your hands on this small-production wine before it sells out.
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Where Does The Wine Barrel Oak Come From
By | Submitted On October 05, 2008
Mostly German oak was used in Australia for barrels around the start of the century. From the 1920’s onward American oak found it’s way to Australia. Before WW II oak imported from Europe was known as ‘memel’ oak since it was shipped through the port of Memel, now known as Klaipeda in Lithuania. After WW II and Russian occupation, ‘memel’ oak was no longer available. Also currency and import limitations made it difficult to source American oak. The 40’s and 50’s saw French oak used in Australia. Sold as Limousin oak, it was quartersawn instead of split and very porous. In France it was used for brandy production rather than wine. In the 60’s when we were to really starting to expand our wine making skills we started using more French oak.
There are five well know French oaks Limousin, Nevers, Allier, Vosge and Troncais.
Limousin defines the broad region from where the oak is cut.
Nevers is the city where oak is auctioned yearly from the many different forests of the Nievre ‘department’.
Allier is another ‘department’ in the south.
Vosge is in the north east and was the scene of many fierce battles in WW I. Up until the last 15 years very little oak was taken from Vosges as shrapnel embedded in the timber damaged saws and tools.
Oak is cut to produce only about 5,000 barriques a year. None was cut in the year 2000 due to storm damage. Having now defined these regions it’s interesting to note they are rarely used in France itself.
