Ever Consider a Wine from Chile?

If you like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, you really should check out the highly-acclaimed wines coming from Chile. And, they're great values too.

Spanish missionaries began planting grapes in Chile in the 1500's to make sacramental wine and, by the 1800's, French varietals began being imported. But it wasn't until the 1980's that Chile began achieving international recognition for its wines.  At that time only about 2% of Chile's wines were exported but by 2010 that had grown to 70% with sales of $1.5 billion.

Chile is now the fifth largest exporter of wines and the ninth largest producer of wine in the world. With six regions, the Maipo Valley and Colchagua Valley are its two most renowned, but other notables include the Colchagua region, having sub-regions of Los Lingues and Apalta, the Casablanca Valley and Valle de Leyda.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted grape in Chile but Carménère, a grape indigenous to Bordeaux France, is the country's signature grape.  Nearly three-quarters of the world's Carménère is grown in Chile. This medium-bodied red wine has big fruit flavors of plum, blackberry, raspberry and for a bit of a twist, green bell pepper. This grape was originally planted in Chile in the 1800's and thought to be Merlot. It wasn't until 1994 that modern DNA methods reviled its true identity. A bit lucky for the Carménère grape, because it is estimated there are less than 20 acres of these grapes remaining in France.

Look for wines of Chile to be featured in upcoming Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week postings. Until then, Cheers!

Alsace - Another Great Region for Riesling

Germany is the home of Riesling, and still produces nearly half the world's Riesling. But there's another region that is well-known for its Riesling and that's Alsace [Ahl-zahs] in France.

Alsace is located east of Paris, along the border with Germany. It should be no surprise that Alsace produces great Riesling since it was part of Germany from 1871 to 1919.

But while most German Rieslings tend to be sweet, the Rieslings from Alsace are not. The Alsace winemakers ferment all the natural grape sugar to produce a totally dry wine. Because all the grape's natural sugar is converted to alcohol during fermentation, Alsace wines are higher in alcohol. Typically, they are in the 11 to 12% ABV range versus Germany's wines that are less than 10%

The Alsace AOC also requires that a varietal wine contain 100% of the grape variety identified on the label whereas the U.S. only requires 75%. So, when the label says Riesling, you are getting 100% Riesling.

In another difference that unlike the rest of France, Alsace wines are labeled according to their grape varieties, rather than by the region where the grapes were grown. This give you a strong hint that the winemakers of Alsace are keenly focused on the grape and letting the grape tell the story. The winemakers are not looking to produce a wine with a certain taste. Instead, they are looking to the grape, and the land (terrior) to define the wine.  For this reason, you'll seldom see a blended wine from Alsace. Again, quite different from most wine regions in France.

The wines of Alsace are typically not produced in wood barrels, instead opting for stainless steel tanks, concrete vessels or foudres casks that impart little to no oak flavor.

A Riesling from Alsace is typically dry, with aromas that range from flowers and bright citrus (grapefruit and lemon) to peach, pear and spices.  The high acidity makes them very fresh and refreshing but remaining well balanced.

Riesling goes well with goat cheeses, seafood, poultry and pork dishes, and most spicy Asian dishes. Cheers!

German Rieslings and the Various Categories

German Rieslings can be a bit confusing. Last time we took a look at the basic styles of German wines.  Most notable was the German term "Trocken" that means dry (no residual sugar).  So, if you are looking for a German Riesling that is not sweet, "Trocken" is the word to remember.

In addition to the different styles of German wines, there are also different designations. The German word Prädikatswein translates as "quality wine with specific attributes" and is the top level of German wines. But, Prädikatswein range from dry to intensely sweet. Unless it is specifically indicated that the wine is dry or off-dry, these wines always contain a noticeable amount of residual sugar.

The different Prädikat (quality) designations used for German wine (wein) are as follows, in order of increasing quality, price and sugar level:

• Kabinett (Ka-bee-nett) - These wines are dry to off-dry and the lightest and most delicate style of German Riesling. Picked early in the harvest, with low sugar content, it is often very low in alcohol.  Off-dry Kabinett wines have an alcohol content of around 7-8% ABV and dry Kabinett wines are usually around 10-11% ABV. These are light-bodied and refreshing wines.

• Spätlese [SHPAYT-lay-zeh] - While this translates as "late harvest," these wines are made from riper grapes (more sugar), not necessarily those picked late in the harvest.  These wines can be dry to sweet with more body, richness and intensity of flavor. These are often more like a medium-bodied wine.

• Auslese [OWS-lay-zeh] - These "selected from the harvest" grapes are from particularly ripe bunches.  These very ripe grapes have high sugar content and often exhibit some amount of noble rot (botrytis).  These have very concentrated, intense flavors and are considered medium to full-bodied wines.

• Beerenauslese [BEAR-en-ows-lay-zeh] - These "berries selected from the harvest," produce a very sweet dessert wine also made from botrytis grapes. These wines are produced from low yields, are often aged for decades, and are always sweet. These wines are rare because they are not made from every harvest.  Often Berrenauslese is only made two or three time per decade.

• Trockenbeerenauslese [TRAW-ken BEAR-en OWS-lay-zeh] - Here's that word trocken again. But this time it indicates the grapes have been dried on the vine before harvest. This drying process results in a super sweet, syrupy, wine. These are extremely rare. And expensive!

So, I warned you, finding just the right German Riesling can be a bit confusing. But if you make note of these key terms you'll be on your way to finding the ones that best suit your tastes.

Next time we'll take a look at another great region for Riesling, Alsace in France. Until then, Prost!

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!

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!