Nemea is the most important wine region on the Peloponnese peninsula, just an hour from Athens. The mountains and valleys surrounding the small village of Nemea have been producing wine for centuries, mostly from the native Agiorgitiko grape. Winemaking in this region dates back to at least the 5th Century BC. The last twenty years have seen a huge renaissance in Greek wine production, which is now made in a much more modern style (no longer using pine resin as …
One of the most important Sicilian grapes, Nerello Mascalese is indigenous to the slopes of Mount Etna in eastern Sicily. It makes up the highest proportion of the Etna Rosso DOC where it can be blended with Nerello Cappuccio and others. It is also found in Calabria on the mainland. Nerello Mascalese tends to make lighter coloured wines in the ruby spectrum with good levels of alcohol and an ability to transmit the character of Etna’s volcanic soils. The grape’s …
New Zealand has become a wine powerhouse in the past 25 years thanks largely to the success of Sauvignon Blanc on world markets. The style of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is crisp, intensely fruity and herbaceous, and it has become the New World reference for the grape. Despite attempts to introduce the world to other varieties, however, New Zealand has become more and more associated with Sauvignon Blanc, to the point where the grape represents 70% of the total crop …
The Okanagan Valley is BC’s largest wine region and second to Niagara in Canada. It runs for some 200 kms from Salmon Arm to the US border. Many of the vineyards are centred around Lake Okanagan between Kelowna and Penticton. The region sits between the Columbia and Cascade Mountains, which protect the vineyards from both maritime influences from the Pacific Ocean and Arctic winds from the north. Instead, the warm continental climate has very low rainfall, and warm sunshine throughout …
Padthaway is a relatively new South Australian wine region established in 1963 on the Limestone Coast, but not becoming a named GI until 1999. It was developed primarily by two of the largest Australian wine conglomerates, Lindeman’s and BRL Hardy because of soil similarities to the more famous Coonawarra region to its south. Although plantings of Shiraz and Cabernet outmeasure all others, the region is probably most associated with Chardonnay (25% of total plantings) thanks to the popular Lindeman’s bottling …
Originally a French variety called Durif, named after the grape breeding botanist, François Durif, it has all but disappeared in France. Brought to California in 1884, mislabeled and misspelled as Petite Sirah, its Californian plantings have grown to almost 7,000 acres, the best of which are pockets of old vines dating back to the early twentieth century. While the apogee of its fame may be in California, it has also found a home in Washington State and Mexico, and especially …
Of all the immensely popular Bordeaux varieties, Petit Verdot has the least amount of total acreage devoted to it but has probably gained some ground in proportion to the others recently around the globe. Early budding but one of the latest-ripening of all black grapes, Petit Verdot produces wines that are deeply coloured, rich, tannic and ageworthy with excellent acidity. A part of the classic Bordeaux five grape blend, Petit Verdot adds spice, colour and structure to the assemblage but …
Located in the North west of Italy, Piemonte literally means “”the foot of the mountains””. Piedmont is often described as the Burgundy of Italy, a reputation due to its many small-scale, family wineries and a focus on quality which sometimes borders on obsession. What Burgundy does with Pinot Noir, Piedmont does with Nebbiolo. Barolo and Barbaresco are the most famous wines of the region, but the dark-skinned Barbera is the workhorse red grape and the white Moscato makes oceans of …
Pinot Grigio is actually the same grape as Pinot Gris, the noble grape of Alsace. Northern Italian producers tend to prefer to pick this variety a little earlier in order to retain fresh acidity and more neutral green fruit flavours. When labeled as Pinot Grigio the wine generally refers to this lighter, fresher style.
Pinot Gris is a genetic mutation of the black Pinot Noir grape which normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name (gris meaning “”gray”” in French) but the grapes can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance. Unlike the Pinot Grigio style, which is light, fresh and fairly neutral, wines labeled Pinot Gris tend to be more full-bodied, richer, spicier, and more viscous in texture. They also tend to have greater cellaring and ageing potential.
