The Basic Styles of German Wines

Germany, where Riesling originated, today produces nearly half of the world's Rieslings and ones that are considered the best the world has to offer. German Rieslings have bright acidity and equally big sweet fruit flavors of green apple, citrus and peach.

As discussed last time, Riesling can be a bit confusing, especially German Riesling. So, to start to understand German Riesling, there are a few things to know about German wines in general.

The first thing you need to know about German wines are the basic styles:

1. Trocken is the German word for dry. On a wine label, it indicates a wine that is dry (little to no residual sugar).  If all you are looking for is a dry Riesling, Trocken is the one word to know.

2. Halbtrocken translates as 'half-dry.' These wines are off-dry meaning they will have higher residual sugar and be a bit sweet.

3. Lieblich or restsüß is a semi-sweet style

4. Süß or Edelsüß is a flat-out sweet style of wine

The next thing to know is that there are two major categories of German wine: table wine and "quality" wine.

Table wine includes the designations tafelwein and landwein. These are inexpensive, light wines. They aren't very exciting, are not produced in large quantities, and account for less than 5% of Germany's production.

So, next time we'll move on to the good stuff - quality wine. Until then, Prost!

Riesling - Seemingly Confusing and Often Misunderstood

Riesling is a wine that is most famously produced in Germany where nearly half the world's Riesling grapes are grown. Other great producers of Riesling include the Alsace region of France, Australia, Austria, Canada and the United States. Riesling that is grown in cooler climate regions result in highly aromatic wines with great acidity and big, bright fruit flavors. But mention a Riesling and most often you'll hear "Oh, that's a sweet wine."

One of the reasons that Riesling is considered "a sweet wine" is because it has flavors of sweet fruits - green apple, apricot, nectarine, peach, pear, and pineapple. Flavors that our brain associates with sweetness. Another reason for Riesling's sweet flavors is the fact that it is rarely aged in oak. Not having the rich, toasty and butter flavors of oak lets Riesling's bright sweet fruit flavors shine though. Also, Riesling is rarely blended with other grapes. So, what you get are the pure sweet fruit flavors of the Riesling grape. And the final reason that Riesling is considered sweet is that many Rieslings are, well, sweet.

But not all Rieslings are sweet. They can span the range from dry to sweet. The Alsace region of France is known for its dry Riesling. And warmer climates, such as California, Oregon and Washington, produce dry Rieslings that typically have more muted fruit flavors, are more medium to full-bodied.

Next time we'll look into more detail about at the world's largest producer of Riesling, Germany.  And, yes, German Riesling can be a bit confusing. But, learning just a few key terms will help to cut through the common misunderstand of "sweet" Rieslings and aid in finding the one that's just right for you. Until then, Cheers! Or, "Prost!" as they say in Germany.

It's Beaujolais Nouveau Time!

Beaujolais Nouveau. Its name literally means 'new Beaujolais.' This wine is named for the village of Beaujeu in France, which is a small region just south of Burgundy.

On the third Thursday of each November, France releases Beaujolais Nouveau wine to the world.

The 'new' part of this wine is due to the fact that the grapes used to make this wine are picked from the vineyards just a couple of months prior to its release! That's compared to most wines that spend a year or more going through the fermentation and aging process before being bottled and shipped to market.  But Beaujolais Nouveau gets from the vineyard to you in about two months!

Word has it that this wine was originally produced for the harvest workers in France to immediately thank them for all their hard work just after harvest was complete. But now its production is somewhere between 30-60 million bottles so that the entire world can enjoy.

Although there are more than 100 Beaujolais Nouveau festivals held each year in the Beaujolais region, the 'Les Sarmentelles' multi-day festival is said to be the biggest and most famous for celebrating the release of Beaujolais Nouveau. The festival includes music, dancing, fireworks and, yes, plenty of wine.

This wine is produced entirely from handpicked Gamay grapes and because it is so new, it is very fresh and fruity. Many describe Beaujolais Nouveau as having flavors of candied cherries, strawberries, red plum, bananas and bubble gum.

Beaujolais Nouveau is meant to be enjoyed young, not critiqued. So get a bottle soon and give it a slight chill. Then raise a glass of Beaujolais Nouveau to the French harvest workers. It's Beaujolais Nouveau time! Cheers!

Do You Know Primitivo?

It's always fun to find and try new and different wines. And, when it comes to exploring "Old World Wines" it can be even more of an adventure. That's what happened to me when studying the shelves of Italian wines. I came across a completely unknown wine called Primitivo (Prim-ah-TEE-voh).  Excited by this new find, I bought a bottle and tried it.  It was nice. It had a good bold fruity flavor with a bit of tannin and nice finish. I thought I'd discovered yet another great wine.  But as soon as I did a little research into this newly found wine I discovered that I'd actually met an old friend.

Primitivo, meaning "early one" due to its relative early ripening, does have heritage from Italy. It is a well-known wine from the Puglia region that is located in the far southeastern corner of the 'boot' of Italy. But it is believed that it arrived in Italy via Croatia, just across the Adriatic Sea.  And, it is a naturally cloned version of the Croatian grape Crljenak Kastelanski.

It wasn't until DNA testing in the 1990's that it was revealed that not only was Primitivo a clone of Crljenak Kastelanski, but American Zinfandel was also a naturally cloned relative. So, Primitivo and Zinfandel are actually the direct clones of the Croatian grape and essentially the same.

Interesting enough, in Europe, where wine restrictions are seemly very strict, Primitivo and Zinfandel may legally be used interchangeably. But, in the U.S., labeling laws don't allow interchangeability. So, it's possible that a U.S. made wine could be labeled as a Primitivo-Zinfandel blend.

But, for all intents and purposes, Primitivo and Zinfandel are the same grape. Though the Italian Primitivo is often somewhat different than the California Zinfandel.  This is usually attributed to the growing conditions such as the soil and the weather (terrior) and the winemaking process, not the grape.

So, if you are a Zinfandel lover, be sure and pick up a bottle of Primitivo. The Italian Primitivo wines likely to be lighter in style than California Zinfandel, but still have the great depth of flavors just like Zinfandel. And, you'll typically find great values on these wines from Italy.  Cheers!

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Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week - Layer Cake Primitivo ($13)

This wine from Puglia Italy is a Primitivo, but as stated in the blog, is also allowed to be labeled as a Zinfandel by European laws. This is a very accessible Italian Primitivo that is made very much in the style of California Zinfandels.  It has nice bright fruit and a smooth finish, with just a hint of earthiness and minerals from the ancient seabeds of Puglia Italy.

What is Chablis?

There was a time when ordering a glass of Chablis meant that you wanted a glass of white wine. No specific wine, just a white wine. But there is so much more to Chablis than just a white wine.

Chablis is a region located in the northwest corner of the province of Burgundy in France.  It produces light, dry white wines known for their minerality and crisp acidity. And all white wines produced in Chablis are made exclusively from the Chardonnay grape.  They tend to be dry and fresh in flavor with distinct minerality. Chablis is usually un-oaked to retain its bright, crisp flavors. A few Chablis producers do use oak barrels in their wine making but these are restricted to the higher-quality wines and does not lead to overpowering oak flavors.

The vineyards of Chablis are classified into four tiers of quality, all precisely regulated by the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC), and noted on the bottles' label:

• Chablis Grand Cru AOC- Highest quality wines from seven vineyards on one slope

  • Only region where some oak aging is done. These wines have flavors of passion fruit, apricot, apple and orange rind.

• Chablis Premier Cru AOC - Seventy vineyards in some of the better locations

  • The limestone soils produce richer fruit with flavors of lemon, starfruit and flint minerality

• Chablis AOC - Comprised of the vineyards mostly closer in to the town of Chablis

  • These wines have nice flavors of citrus, pear and minerals

• Petit Chablis AOC - Vineyard areas in the outer areas from the town of Chablis

  • These tend to have higher acidity, tart citrus flavors, and are best enjoyed young

So when shopping for white wines from France, remember that a white Burgundy from Chablis is a Chardonnay. And, don't just order a glass of white wine, order a French Chablis and enjoy some of the finest white wine the world has to offer.

Next time I'll discuss the other famous wine from Burgundy, the red one. Cheers!

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Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week - Jacques Bourguignon Chablis ($13)

It's Chardonnay, but if you've become accustomed to California Chardonnays, this is a different wine.  It's a lot more subtle in its flavors, a bit tart and has definite hints of minerality.  Give a French Burgundy from Chablis a try!