Zinfandel

An interesting grape indeed and one that has travelled extensively before making it's home in California , the wine attains a very high alcohol with a sweet fruit , nice acidity , and a bramble like jam quality. Some other aromas you may get on the nose are black pepper , dates , prunes , chocolate herb aroma and even some black tea. All of the mentioned are the indicators of a wine that when benefiting from a long hot growing season can produce a grape with very high sugar levels that when fermented make for a alcohol sometimes as high as 17%. In California where the temperatures can get quite hot the grape can shrivel quite quickly into a raisin if not careful.

One of the difficulties in growing Zinfandel is the uneven ripening of the grapes due to the tightness of bunches which can cause the vitner a headache when it comes time to picking them. Some may be ready and some may not.

To bring out the dried fruit spiciness of a great Zinfandel it ages in large oak red wood casks coming from the States. A really good Zin can be aged from 4 to 7 years making some bottles of this wine pretty expensive. Aging in the bottle brings out the dried fruit spiciness that characterizes an expensive bottle of Zinfandel. To add some backbone as well some Petite Sirah is blended in with the Zin in some spots.

Although many thought Zinfandel was native to American soil it has now been proven through DNA testing that the parent of Zinfandel is that of the primitivo grape found in Apulgia , Italy. Now there is thought that both Zinfandel and Primitivo come from another grape named Crljenak Kastelanski in Croatia. All a bit confusing isn't it? Especially now that this Crljenak grape for short has crossed with another local grape variety named Dobricic to become Croatia's best known variety , Plavic Mali.

Why do you ask that a Zinfandel from California can produce different styles of wines from dry to sweet , light and fruity to rich and dark , dessert wine to sparkling and white to rose? Just because of the uneven ripeness that occurs when growing the grape itself. Some may already be ready for picking while other grapes still are in the green stage. This is for the vitner to decide on what kind of wine he will choose when vinification time comes around.

The Zinfandel grape depending on the ripeness of it may go ahead and develop a red wine but the inferior grapes may go into making a White Zinfandel wine that still is a popular summer drink to enjoy amongst all ages.

Some food matches for a full bodied red Zinfandel include a chicken with a barbecue sauce to go with the sweetness of a ripe Zin , a Thanksgiving turkey with all the trimmings and that cranberry accompaniment , stuffed peppers to go with the herbal nuance you get with the wine , or even a dark chocolate cake with the wines jammy like quality.

In concluding , a nice bottle of Zinfandel is a real treat and guaranteed to warm your insides , and leave your palate well coated with a whole bunch of flavours going on leaving you wanting more after that first sip.

Madeira

Today's wine post is about a fortified wine that comes from the island of Madeira which belongs to Portugal in the Atlantic. I have had the opportunity of stopping for a day at the port of Funchal doing a crossing of the Atlantic while working on a cruiseship. What a beautiful island it is too!

The story of Madeira starts when the early explorers while heading south toward the West Indies searching for the spices or just seeking out new lands to claim , would bring with them some wine to drink. Over a long voyage without any temperature control in those days , the wine would undergo a transformation in the bottle when it crossed the equator causing the wine to heat up and oxidize. When the explorers opened the bottle to drink in the New World they noticed it was not the same as it was back where they started. Actually it tasted a whole lot better to them. The heating of it gave it longevity as well.

So when we say a wine is madeirized in today's world of wine terminology it means the wine is cooked and oxidized. The main cause is it has been stored in too high a temperature. Not a good thing for a wine but for Madeira it is normal. Unfortunately that is why you do not see Madeira on too many wine lists and is mainly used in the kitchen for that madeira sauce you see on the menu. It deserves better attention than what it is given.

To reproduce the same effect of the temperature changes that took place when the explorers used to cross the equator with bottles of wine , a unique method called "estufa" which literally means stove was begun.

How this works is the wine will be held in stainless steel tanks with a water-jacket containing hot water. Heated gently to about 113 degrees F ( 45 C ) , the wine returns to an ambient temperature over the next 6 months. It is gently cooled so as to allow the wine to develop without any unwanted flavours.

Another more traditional method is to store and rack in heated warehouses so that the wine can adjust to the changing temperatures gradually. This is called the canteiro system by which the more noble wines are usually aged.

Using either method , the wine is must be aged 3 years before going on sale.

The four noble grape varieties to make madeira are malvasia , bual , verdelho and sercial. The other grape variety used to make up over half the madeira is the Tinta Negra Mole.

Malmsey which is associated with the Malvasia grape is the sweetest version of Madeira. Malvasia has an extreme sweetness and strength that comes from ripening late that enables this grape to succeed in making the sweet version.

Madeira colheitas are single vintage wines made from the noble varieties which can survive up to 200 years. These wines must be stored in casks for a minimum of 20 years and bottled for another two years before going on sale.

When you see a Madeira bottle with the label saying malmsey , bual , verdelho , or sercial on it , this means that it must be produced by at least 85 % of the named grape. Usually sold as 5 ,10, or 15 year old madeira and colheita as well.

When you see sweet , medium-sweet , medium dry , and dry , this madeira is made from the workhorse grape Tinta Negra Mole with the four levels of sweetness representing the styles of the four noble grapes.

As with port , during fermentation the wine is fortified to about 17-18%.

Here is a brief description of the 4 noble grape varieties from dry to sweetest.

Sercial - coming from the highest vineyard and harvested very late this wine is the slowest to develop and needs aging before it can be enjoyed as a wonderful aperitif more substantial than a fino sherry.

Verdelho - a faint honey and smokey flavour this madeira is good before or after meals.

Bual - the most planted white grape variety on the island it is slightly less sweet than Malmsey and lighter but still makes an excellent dessert wine.

Malmsey ( Malvasia ) - the sweetest of all and the earliest maturing , it has soft texture and very fragrant. Fatty in the mouth you can distinguish it with it's colour of dark brown.

If you get a chance and you see Madeira at your local wine store pick up a bottle of Malmsey and enjoy it on it's own after dinner. It makes a nice digestif.

Malbec

Called Cot in the Medoc where it produces an early maturing , soft , mouthfilling , low acidic wine , it is of not great significance. Where it is popular for winegrowers in the Bordeaux region is the Bourg and Blaye region. However finding a cot from there is difficult to accomplish.

In Cahors where the Malbec grape is called Auxerrois , during the pre-phylloxera days the grapes were grown on rugged limestone vineyards which produced wines full of tannin , flavour , and so much colour they were referred to as the "Black Wine" of Cahors. Nowadays the vineyards are located in the richer vineyard land alongside the river Lot. The wine of Cahors are made up of a minimum of 70% Malbec ( or locally called Auxerrois and Cot in the Medoc ) with Merlot and Tannat making up the difference.

The wine in Cahors is known for it's leaner wines with dry tannins , fairly good acidity with the nose of blackberry fruit and pencil shavings similar to a Bordeaux style.

Where you see Malbec taking a front row seat though is in Argentina where full rich fruity , spicy reds with flavours of blackberries and I detect some chocolate as well. Pretty high in alcohol , somewhat spicy , nice tannins and acidity too , a Malbec partners well with a spicy beef such as a grilled steak with a pepper sauce.

What I like most about Malbec is as well as being a great drinking wine it is of great value in the store especially the ones from Argentina. In today's tight times when people are watching their budgets you cannot go wrong with Malbec. For some of the old world style go with a Cahors and for a new world style that has a bit more fruit go with an Argentine Malbec.

I do not believe you will be disappointed....

Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo is one of those grapes that does well in one part of the world and that is about it. In California and Australia they are trying to introduce the grape but neither match where it's home is in a corner of northwest Italy in an area known as Piedmont.

Flanking the town of Alba is where you will find the stars of the grape , Barolo and Barbaresco. Barolo being the powerful and long lived one while Barbaresco the gentler version and not as long lived. These wines are so popular within Italy they were the first to be elevated to the DOCG level which is a step up from DOC.

The name itself is said to be derived from the word "nebbia" which means fog that rises from the warmer valley in late October when the grapes are picked.

Because of the long growing season necessary to ripen Nebbiolo as it is an early budder and late ripener it is planted on south-facing slopes at the highest altitude possible. This ensures that conditions are cool for the grape throughout the growing season so it has the time to fully develop. The long autumns does much to ensure that the high acid of the grape is met with as much ripeness as possible. Additional sunlight from the south facing slope does much to ensure ripeness along with some Cabernet Sauvignon that is being tried out in the area.

Highly resistant to parasites the main problem with growing Nebbiolo is coulure which occurs after bud break when barely formed berries dry up and drop to the ground due to a lack of essential nutrients caused by wet and dry conditions in the Spring.

Nebbiolo makes for a tough wine with it's high acidity , tannin , and dry extract. To tame the wine the winemaker has to be skilled and know what he is doing. Fermentation can last up to two weeks with the skins submerged to give the wine even more colour and tannins.

The wine has to be aged for many years to soften it and it usually is done in Slovenian oak so as not to give the wine too much wood tannins and leave the fruit tannins to dominate.

Even after 10 years in cask the wines are a deep colour with a noticeable orange rim caused by a slight oxidation while it was aged in oak. Full of acid and with some noticeable tannin you will still get on the nose some violets , dried fruit and herb , truffles and tar , and even some prunes and dark chocolate. Truffles being grown in Piedmont and featured in local cuisine makes for a perfect food match.

Big dishes such as game stew and rich beef dishes are matches for the big Barolos , while the lighter , more perfumed Barbaresco would go good with a rare roast beef dish , or liver and kidneys.

Hope you enjoyed this post on Nebbiolo....

Tempranillo

When you think of Rioja wines from Spain this grape variety comes to mind right away. It is the major grape variety in Rioja wines blended with Grenacha ( Grenache ) , Mazuelo , and Graciano. The latter being the most important because it makes the Rioja long lived , aromatic , and a delicate character.

You see Tempranillo alone does not age well because it has very low acidity so while an all Tempranillo Rioja may keep it's colour it would lose it's liveliness and fruit after a few years.

The Tempranillo grape ripens early , a good two weeks before it's counterpart Grenacha so it's growth cycle is short. Therefore , although it is defined as a Rioja grape it thrives only in the Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa subregions where it is cooler than the hotter Rioja Baja subregion where Grenacha rules.

It also needs a lot of the rain that comes to the region throughout the year where it is grown which makes it susceptible to downy mildew , and anthracnose which is when lesions appear on the leafs. In contrast to where it is hot during the growing season and Grenacha is grown with high alcohol content , Tempranillo has to grow in a cooler region that extends the growing season as long as possible. The finished product is lower in alcohol , low acidity , but good colour.

Marques de Riscal from Rioja will usually spice up his Rioja wines with Cabernet Sauvignon and Graciano grapes. Some growers are mixing up these different grape varieties as soon as when they are growing in the vineyard , let alone the production process.

The soils it grows well in are deep calcareous or sandy clay with much better results when the grape is grown on slopes. In the Rioja too, soils tend to be low in phosphorous.

Known as Tinta Roriz in Portugal it is found in Port and table wines from the Duero Region , and in Argentina it is an important grape variety but the quality is leaner and not highly regarded.

Tempranillo is aged in American oak which is far stronger than the oak used in Burgundy. Unoaked , it is ripe and fruity but not particularly distinctive.

The oaked has the vanilla bouquet , plums , black cherry , strawberry on the nose while some wines from the Rioja region may even have tomato puree or ketchup chips as well.

I neglected to mention another region in Spain which grows good Tempranillo , or locally called Tinto Fino , which is the Ribera del Duero region where full bodied wines go well with goose and game dishes.

The finest wines from Rioja go well with a leg of lamb or roast pork and an oak matured Rioja has a pairing with mushrooms that is hard for many wines to pull off. Some Crianza lightly oaked wines can go well with some curries too. Rioja is generally a food friendly wine due to the low alcohol and softness that comes with it from the vanilla and fruit.

On the palate I have always enjoyed a Rioja just because I find it engulfs the mouth and the finish is quite good. There is no spot on the palate left wondering where it's share of the wine disappeared to.

This is my post on Tempranillo. Hope you enjoyed this one...