Italy's Maremma Toscana DOC Wine Region

Tuscany is a world famous wine region of Italy that is best known for its Sangiovese-based red wines that include Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. And, within Tuscany, there are more than 40 sub-regions. Maremma Toscana is one such region.

The Maremma Tuscana DOC sub-region was created in 2011. It is located along the western coast of Italy and includes the province of Grossetto.

The wines of Maremma Toscana DOC are based on many grapes such as Trebbiano Toscano, Vermentino, Malvasia bianca, Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, Ansonica, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Alicante, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Black Canaiolo, Merlot, Syrah, and Viognier. When blended, these are considered “Super Tuscan” wines. Maremma Toscana also produces single varietal wines.

Over the course of the next few weeks well explore several wines from the Maremma Toscana region including a white wine, several Ciliegiolo-based wines and then some red blends and varietals. Look for these in up-coming Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week features. Cheers!

Portugal’s Alentejo Wine Region

As with many areas of Southern Europe, wine has been made in the Alentejo (ah-len-TAY-zhoo) region of Portugal for centuries. In terms of size, the Alentejo region in southern Portugal is about the same size as the state of Massachusetts. At 56,500 acres, its vineyard plantings are slightly more than Napa’s 45,000 acres and about the same as at plantings of Washington State.

This region is a real up-and-comer in today’s global wine world. Here are just a few facts about the exciting Alentejo wine region:

• Alentejo is blessed with an astonishing array of native grapes. With over 250 indigenous grape varieties, Portugal has the highest density of native grapes per square mile of any country in the world, including Italy.

• Alentejo red wines are the darlings of Lisbon cafés and restaurants. Alentejo wines are the preferred option of the Portuguese at large when it comes to what they choose to drink. Their red wine grapes include Alfrocheiro (full of blackberry and wild strawberry notes), Alicante Bouschet (possibly Alentejo’s flagship red) and Castelão (juicy red currants).

• Alentejo’s emerging category of wines includes several aromatic whites. A surprising one-fifth of Alentejo wine production is from white grapes. These include Antão Vaz which is the full-bodied white star, Arinto that offers lemon-lime freshness and Alvarinho with citrus, peach and minerals.

• Sustainably made wines. While Alentejo’s dry, sunny climate naturally reduces the need for rot-and mildew-fighting pesticides, embracing sustainable, organic or biodynamic farming is a necessity. With just about 23 inches of rain per year, the Alentejo region is one of the world’s most threatened wine regions from global warming. Creating nature protection areas, encouraging mixed plant and animal life, conserving scarce water resources and limiting chemical run-off into streams and rivers are all tools being used.

• Blending old with new: ancient and modern winemaking practices. The first Portuguese wines exported to Rome may have come from this region. The Alentejo region is the only area in Portugal were some winemakers still practice the Roman technique of fermenting and storing wine in clay pots. These talhas de barro or amphorae, hold up to 520 gallons of wine and can be as large as seven-feet in height, and weigh a ton (literally!)

• Alentejo is Cork Country! Alentejo is home to about one-third of the world’s cork tree forests.

As relative newcomers to the global wine market, Alentejo wine producers have embraced opportunities to learn from their peers in other emerging regions. So, discover for yourself the exciting array of intriguing and original well-crafted wines across the price spectrum. And, look for some delicious and refreshing white wines to be featured in the next two Behind the Cork™ Wines of the Week features. Cheers!

Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile - The Maipo Valley

Last time we explored Chile’s Colchagua Valley that is located in the southern part of the Central Valley.

Now, let’s explore one of Chile's most important wine-producing regions, the Maipo Valley that is located just south of the capital, Santiago where Cabernet Sauvignon is its most celebrated wine.

The Maipo Valley was first planted around Santiago in the 1540s, but it wasn't until the 1800s that viticulture really began to expand significantly.

Maipo Valley Climate

Maipo is in the very northern part of Chile's Central Valley. On the west, the Coastal range of mountains separates the Maipo Valley from the Pacific coast, and on the eastern side, the Andes Mountains separate Maipo from the Argentinean region of Mendoza.

Daytime temperatures can be high but the higher altitudes (up to 2500 feet) ensure cooler night-time temperatures. These difference between daytime and night-time temperatures slows down the ripening process, resulting in higher quality grapes and higher quality wines.

The soil also creates challenging growing conditions for the vines, which have to struggle to get to a water source. As a result, the grapes provide concentrated and intense flavors.

Maipo Valley Terroir

The Maipo Valley is divided into the sub-regions of Alto Maipo, Central Maipo, and Pacific Maipo.

• Alto Maipo sub-region is in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The sub-region has a mountainous climate and extremely porous and rocky soil. These conditions place stress on the vines, which results in the production of elegant Cabernet Sauvignon.

• Central Maipo is located along the Maipo River and is one of the oldest winemaking regions of Chile. In Central Maipo, Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant varietal but more recently, winemakers in the region have also begun producing Carmenere wines.

• Pacific Maipo is the youngest of the sub-regions in the Maipo Valley. This sub-region has only a few vineyards along the banks of the Maipo River. The grapes grown here benefit from the influence of the Pacific Ocean and the local alluvial soils.

Maipo Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

The Cabernet Sauvignon of the Maipo Valley are of high quality and offer tremendous values. They tend to be medium-full to full-bodied with herbal notes and moderate tannin. If you are looking for a Cabernet Sauvignon with red fruit flavors and more delicate notes than the ‘big’ Cabs from Napa, give the wines of the Maipo Valley a try.

Cheers!

Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile - The Colchagua Valley

The Colchagua Valley

The Colchagua Valley is located in Chile approximately 80 miles south of Santiago. It stretches south-east to north-west for 70 miles at its widest point with its western boundary formed by the coastal hills that run the entire length of Chile's Pacific coastline and to the foothills of the Andes in the east.

Colchagua Valley Climate

The Colchagua Valley has an ideal wine-growing climate. It has warm days and cool nights due to the ocean breezes. It’s a relative dry region that gets its water supply from Andes run-off and the occasional rain. The region maintains a consistently Mediterranean climate where Cabernet Sauvignon plantings mostly occur in the warmer eastern region.

Colchagua Valley Terroir

Like so many other wine regions, the slopes on the edges of the coastal mountains are the most desirable locations for grape growing in the Colchagua Valley. These vineyards have well-drained granitic soils, cooler temperatures than those in the valley floor and benefit from the diurnal temperature variation.

Colchagua Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

The Cabernet Sauvignon of the Colchagua Valley are some of the best wines of Chile’s Central Valley and are available at great values with many in the $20 price range. An upcoming Behind the Cork™ will feature three Cabernet’s from this region and providing more details on their characteristics.

The soils and higher temperatures of the Colchagua Valley results in a different profile for Cabernet Sauvignon than that found in Maipo Valley. And, we’ll explore that region next time. Cheers!

The Wines of Chile - Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted red variety in Chile and it is the grape credited with putting Chile on the world stage. It accounts for around 100,000 acres planted which is just over 20% of all vineyard plantings in Chile. These vineyards extend from Atacama in the country’s far north to the Araucania region midway down the coast – a distance of roughly 1000 miles.

But, the productive core of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon is the Central Valley where three regions account for 97% of total planted surface area: O’Higgins (43,103 acres), Maule (38,338 acres) and the Metropolitan Region (14,807 acres). These regions span the area west of the Andes and on to the Pacific Coast, meaning that they include all the different terroirs of Chile.

So, within the O’Higgins region, for example, the Colchagua Valley covers two-thirds of the Cabernet Sauvignon planted, while the Maipo Valley boasts a historic core of vineyards in the Metropolitan Region.

Comparing and contrasting these two iconic Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon regions is where we’ll go next. Until then, Cheers!