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Learn about the basics of wine each week.
And, get great recommendations for affordable and attainable wines in the weekly Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week.
2014 Oak Ridge Lodi Ancient Vine Zinfandel ($12)
This Zinfandel has great dark fruit flavors, a bit of black pepper and nice chocolate, vanilla and caramel from its oak aging. While this Zinfandel varietal is made from at least 75% of the Zinfandel variety of grape, it is also blended with some Petite Sirah to create this full-bodied wine with low tannin for a nice smooth texture.
There are a lot of confusing wine terms. And there seems to be constant confusion over the difference between a variety and a varietal. Yet, it's quite simple.
Old World wines, most notably from western European countries such as France, Italy, Spain and Germany, identified their wines by region. So, with French wines, you'll find the wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Loire Valley and the Rhône Valley. Italy has Chianti, Spain has Rioja and Germany has Pfalz and Franken. If you know the region, you know the wines and the grapes used to produce them.
But the New World, most notably California, decided on a different tact. Instead of just growing grapes by regions, the early winemaker found that California's climate and soils were excellent for growing many grapes and producing many wines. So, they focused on selling wines that identified the type of grape used in its production. This is where the two words come in. Various grape varieties are used to produce varietal wines. While Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are each a grape variety, when they are used exclusively to produce a wine, the wine is considered a varietal wine.
Now, as usual, things are never quite so simple. In California, wines using varietal names must derive at least 75% of their volume from the grape variety designated. So, yes, when you buy a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, it's made from the Cabernet Sauvignon variety of grape. At least 75% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The other 25% of the grape variety(s) used can be left to the winemaker's creativity.
Nonetheless, just remember when you pick up a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, know that you are purchasing a varietal wine made with the Cabernet Sauvignon variety of grape. Cheers!
2015 Blackstone Winemaker's Select California Merlot ($5)
The theme of Behind the Cork ™ - Wine of the Week is to feature affordable and attainable wines that are enjoyable to drink. This Merlot fits that description. This Merlot is blended with 14% Syrah, 4% Petite Sirah, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec. But it's the 79% Merlot that shines through. Nice black cherry, plum fruit flavors along with chocolate and vanilla from its oak aging.
Last time we looked at the term "Vinted by" that may appear on a wine label indicating that somebody else grew the grapes and/or produced the wine. The sellers simply put their name on it.
A step up is the situation where the winery and the winery's own vineyards are not in the same viticultural area. Here, the winery may designate that the wine has been "Proprietor Grown" on the label.
In the best of all cases, that is becoming rarer, is when a bottle's label identifies that it is "Estate Bottled." This means the winery produced 100% of the grapes used to make the wine, and the grapes were pressed, fermented, aged and bottled in the viticultural area stated on the label.
When looking for “Estate Bottled” wines from France, look for "Mis en Bouteille au Château," "Mis en Bouteille au domaine" or "Mis en Bouteille a la Propriete." In Italy, it's bottigliato all’origine, while in Spain it's "Embotellat a la Propietat" and in Germany look for "Erzeugerabfüllung."
Estate Bottled wines generally are of higher quality and therefore a bit more pricey. But, while a lot of information on a wine label is actually marketing, you can trust that an Estate Bottled wine has been entirely made the label's winery. Cheers!
2013 Rabbit Ridge Allure de Robles Rhône Style Blend ($6)
This Rhône style blend is a perfect fit for Behind the Cork ™ - Wine of the Week. It's affordable, it's attainable and it's a nice wine to enjoy any day of the week. Being a Rhône blend, it is made from Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre (GSM). It's medium-bodied with flavors of blackberries, black currants and just a hint of pepper. Being aged in a bit of oak also add to the character of this easy drinking wine.