Spain is the third largest wine producing country in the world and whose dominant feature is the vast plateau known as the Meseta Central that covers much of central Spain. Several of Spain’s principal rivers that are at the heart of many Spanish wine regions flow to the sea from that central area. These include the eastward flowing Ebro river that runs through the Rioja and several Catalan wine regions and the Duero which flows westward through Ribera del Duero. …
Depending on what type of sparkling wine is being produced, the key feature for the grapes is to be either neutral (for Champagne, for example) or flavourful (for Lambrusco o, for example), but they are usually high in acid to ensure that the sparkling wine is refreshing. Sparkling wine grapes can be either white or red. Red grapes are often pressed for sparkling wine without contact with their skins, which yields a wine juice.
Stellenbosch is South Africa’s most well-known wine region. The town, in Western Cape’s Coastal Region, is steeped in history and is home to the country’s best-known wine estates. Cabernet Sauvignon is the region’s most widely planted grape variety, and is often combined with Merlot to create Bordeaux Blend wines. The region is hot and dry, but the climate is moderated by winds blowing in from False Bay to the south. Free-draining granite and sandstone soils are found throughout the region, …
Another of the famous French diaspora grapes that is grown in virtually every wine producing country, but whose ancestry was long a mystery prior to DNA testing. It was assumed to either have been brought from Persia to France within the last 200 years or brought to the Mediterranean shores by the Phoenicians around 600 BC. It has more recently been discovered to be an offspring of the old French grape Dureza and is indigenous to the very place it …
The most famous red grape of Spain, Tempranillo is the the principal component of wines made in Rioja, Ribero del Duero and Toro, among others. Its name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano (“”early””), a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks earlier than most Spanish red grapes. In Rioja, Tempranillo is usually blended with Garnacha (Grenache) and Mazuelo (Carignan) to which it adds red fruit like plum and strawberries to the blend.
Negramoll was thought to be a native variety of the Canaries and Madeira (under the name Tinta Negra Mole), where it was already widespread in the 19th century. However, recent DNA studies have shown that Negramoll is identical to Mollar, an old variety from Andalucia, possibly from Cadiz where it was first mentioned in 1787. It is therefore likely that this variety was introduced from Andalucia to the Canaries and to Madeira in or before the 18th century. Here it …
Located in central Italy, Tuscany is the fifth biggest wine-producing region in the country, but probably the one that is the most well-known to people in North America. However, the region more diverse than many realize. Between Florence and Siena, of course, lies Chianti, and further south is the towns of Montalcino (Brunello) and Montepulciano (Vino Nobile). The Tuscan coast, which includes the vast Maremma district as well as the areas around Bolgheri, is where some very exciting wines are …
Considered by many to be Portugal’s finest grape it toils, nevertheless, in relative obscurity. It produces low yields from its small grapes yet plays a big part in the blends used for ports, and is increasingly being used for table wine in the Douro and Dão. Touriga Nacional provides structure and body to wine, with high tannins and concentrated flavors of black fruit. Some have compared its relationship with Touriga Franca to the partnership between Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, …
Originally from the Conca de Barbera region of northeastern Spain, this pale red grape is now also grown in the Costers del Segre DO as well. Generally Trepat is used for rosé wines (rosados) and pink Cava, but of late there has been a move toward making light reds with it too. It is also known as Bonicaire further south in Valencia. Trepat varietal wines tend to be pale and lightly structured but full of wild strawberry and raspberry fruit, …
Trousseau is a black grape originally from Jura, in northeastern France. It is thin skinned and wines made from it are usually quite light in colour, with red berries (cherries, forest berries), floral and often some earthiness. It is very similar to Pinot Noir is both colour and aromas. It goes by various names, most notably called Bastardo in Portugal.
