The Wines of Chile

The South American country of Chile has been producing wine since the 1500s. Bordeaux varietals began arriving in Chile in the 1850s and in the early 20th century, Chile saw a period of mass production and mass consumption of wines. Then, in the mid-1980s, the wine industry in Chile was reborn and revitalized with new free market policies, new plantings of international varieties and a new focus on exporting its wines.

Chile is a country that spans 2700 miles of land from north to south but is only 100 miles wide. Its land, which is between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, is very favorable to grape growing.

The Pacific Ocean brings cooling breezes to its coastal vineyards, while the shelter of the Coastal mountain range makes Chile's Central Valley relatively warm and dry. Along the eastern edge of the country, in the foothills of the Andes, high altitudes and rivers make for a different terroir again.

Unlike so much of the wine growing parts of the world, Chile's vineyards have remained protected to this day from the devastating effects of the phylloxera aphid that wiped out so many of the world’s vineyards.

While Chile has multiple wine regions, let’s focus on two regions with many differences yet so many similarities - Maipo and Colchagua. And, that will be the focus for next time. Cheers!

Once Again 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, which is November 18th this year, 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 at least 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, pick up 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!

The Puglia Wine Region of Italy

As we’ve explored the wines of Italy, we’ve learned about the regions of Tuscany, Piedmont’s red wines and white wines, Sicily, Veneto, Valpolicella, Soave, and Montepulciano, Italian grapes such as Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, and the non-traditional red blends designated “Super Tuscans.”

As we continue learning about the wine regions of Italy, we now move to the “heel” end of the boot that forms Italy’s shape and learn about Puglia. This is a lesser-know region that has traditionally been home to a lot of grape growers, rather than wine producers. But, there are now winemakers producing quality wines. And, in addition to all this grape growing, Puglia produces nearly half of Italy's olive oil.

Puglia is home to more than thirty DOCs (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) and six IGTs (Daunia, Murgia, Salento, Tarantino and Valle d’Itria). Puglia is divided into three viticultural areas, which correspond to its administrative provinces: Foggia in the north, Bari and Taranto in the middle and Brindisi and Lecce in the south.

Puglia once produced more wine than any other region in Italy but has, in recent years, focused on quality instead of quantity.

Red grapes grown in Puglia include:

Bombino Nero - Used to produce both red wines and rosés

Montepulciano - Used to make Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Negroamaro - Grown on the Salento peninsula, these grapes are a dark-skinned, tannic and used in the production of Salice Salentino and Brindisi as well as rosés (rosatos in Italian)

Nero di Troia/Uva di Troia - Named after the Puglian town of Troia, this grape is used in some single-varietal wines as well as blended with Bombino Nero, Montepulciano and Sangiovese.

Primitivo - Also known as Zinfandel, this is one of the most planted grape in Puglia

Sangiovese - Italy’s most famous grape is Puglia's most planted grape

Puglian white wine grapes include:

Bombino Bianco - A high-yield varietal with a neutral flavor that is most often used in blends

Chardonnay - Not an Italian grape, but Chardonnay is grown for bulk distribution

Trebbiano Toscano - This is another high-yield, acidic white grape that is most often sold in bulk to produce blended wines

Verdeca - Typically blended with Bombino Bianco and Trebbiano Toscano.

So, don’t overlook Italy’s Puglia region. Not only can you find some great wines, but you’ll also find them to be great values. Cheers!

The Veneto Wine Region of Italy

The Veneto wine region is located in the north-eastern part of Italy between Milan and Venice. Its geography includes the foothills of the Alps to the north, Lake Garda to the immediate west and the Adriatic Sea to the east. While it is smaller than the wine-producing regions of Piedmont, Tuscany, Lombardy, Puglia and Sicily, it produces more wine than any of them.

The region of Veneto is known for Pinot Grigio and Prosecco. But other wines from the region include Valpolicella, Amarone, Soave and Bardolino. Geographically, Veneto is split into three primary areas — Bardolino, Valpolicella and Soave.

Bardolino is a cooler climate that is influenced by the Alps. It produces fresh, crisp white wines under the Bianco di Custoza and Garda titles. Bardolino is best known for its light red wines that are a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and up to 20 percent Molinara.

Just east of Lake Garda and north of Verona is Valpolicella. It is second only to Chianti in its wine production. There are four key styles of wine produced here - Valpolicella, Valpolicella Ripasso, Amarone della Valpolicella and Recioto della Valpolicella. All are made with Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara grapes with each using its own unique wine-making technique.

To the east of Valpolicella is Soave, home to the dry white ‘Soave’ wines that are among Italy's most famous.

Next time we’ll dive a bit deeper into the various styles of Valpolicella. Until then, Salute!

The Wines of Sicily

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and has been making wine since 4000 BC. Its dry, warm climate, regular sunshine and moderate rainfall is well suited for winemaking.

Marsala is Sicily’s most famous wine - a fortified wine. But, Sicily also produces both red and white varietal wines.

There are three key red grapes in Sicily - Nero d’Avola, Frappato and Nerello Mascalese.

Nero d'Avola (also known as Calabrese) is the most widely planted red wine grape variety in Sicily. Its name comes from the town of Avola on Sicily’s southeast coast along with the fact that “nero” means "black" referring to the grape's dark color. Nero d'Avola has traditionally been used to add color and body to wines but has also become a popular varietal wine.

Cherry-colored, aromatic and low in tannins, Frappato wines are light bodied and somewhat like France’s Beaujolais wines. While winemakers do make single variety Frappato wines, it is most commonly blended with Nero d’Avola to soften and lighten it.

Nerello Mascalese grows mostly on the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily. Its wines are fresh and fruity with herbaceous flavors, good minerality and earthy tones. This grape is also used in a variety of blends including Nero d'Avola.

The key white wine grapes of Sicily are Catarratto, Grillo and Inzolia.

Catarratto is the most widely planted grape in Sicily. Catarratto produces soft, dry wines and is a component of in the production of Marsala. Grillo and Inzolia are also used in the base blend for Marsala.

It should also be noted that Sicily’s winemakers are also making wines with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.