January 2009 - Burgandy Wine
I Love French Wine and Food - Reviewing The Whites
I recently finished a wine tour of Italy?s twenty administrative regions, briefly describing each region prior to tasting a representative wine with food, and at least one imported Italian cheese. I enjoyed the experience so much that I plan to repeat it, but only after doing something similar for France and perhaps a few other countries. I am happy enough with Italian wine to continue to drink it for the rest of my days, but there are other wine-producing countries out there, and other wines to drink. I am going to give you a bit of a report on the white wines I encountered on this wine tour, but only after a quick summary of Italian white wines, as if such an endeavor was possible. Look for a similar article on Italian red wines.
You wouldn?t be alone if you immediately think red when the subject of Italian wine is raised. In spite of extreme variations in climate, soil, elevation, and other geographical conditions, every single one of Italy?s twenty regions produces white wine. Of course the percentage varies widely from 84% in the central region of Latium to 9% in the southern region of Calabria. Many of the best-known Italian white wines come from northern Italy.
But the reality of Italy wine is more complex than first meets the eye. Who would have thought that Sicily, a southern Italian region if ever there was one, produces almost as much white wine as red wine. Considering that Sicily holds first place for Italian wine production that?s a lot of white wine. In fact, Sicily?s annual white wine production is greater than the total wine production of all but five Italian regions. Not all of it is good. But not all of it is bad, and in fact some Sicilian white wine is excellent.
In chronological order we tasted a white wine from the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, the central region of Umbria, the southern region of Campagnia, the central region of Molise, the northern region of Friuli-Venezia Giuli, the southern region of Sicily, the northern region of Veneto, and finally the northern region of Tuscany while describing its neighboring region of Liguria. I was unable to find a Ligurian wine.
These eight wines varied in classification from basically unclassified table wines to IGT, DOC, and DOCG. In short all Italian wine classifications were represented. IGT stands for Indicazione Geografica Tipica, which may be translated as Typical Geographic Indication, in other words a wine that typifies its specific location. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin. DOCG stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Guarantita, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin.
The wines varied in price from $6 (actually $8 for a one-liter bottle) to $20. Interestingly enough they all contained from 12% to 12.5% alcohol. They were all 2004 or 2005 vintages. In contrast, the grapes used varied widely, including both international and strictly Italian varieties. Some wines included multiple grape varieties, others did not. And now for the question that you?ve been waiting for, what about the quality, and in particular the quality as a function of price? That too varied widely, there were both positive and negative surprises. We overpaid and there were definitely some bargains. Which was which? Read the articles.
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com . |
A Short Burgandy Wine Summary
I Love French Wine and Food - Reviewing The Whites
I recently finished a wine tour of Italy?s twenty administrative regions, briefly describing each region prior to tasting a representative wine with f...
Click Here to Read More About Wine ...
Burgandy Wine Items For Viewing
Tritan Diva Champagne Flutes (Set of 4)
Have a clumsy house guest…not to worry! Far stronger than ordinary crystal and technologically superior because they’re based on much rarer and more expensive titanium instead of lead Tritan has developed the perfectly shaped and crystal-clear goblets for each type of wine. Go ahead– put ‘em in the dishwasher. They will not dull nor cloud nor break easily as lead crystal is prone to do. This revolutionary new very thin lead-free crystal chimes when tapped belying its super-strength. Measures 10' H 7.5 oz.
Price: 49.95 USD
Burgandy Wine in the news
Dona Paula Los Cardos Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 wine review by (PB)
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:59:00 -0800
Purple with vibrant ripe plum and black cherry fruit, with bittersweet chocolate highlights and fruity rhubarb.Palate--Sweet, smooth tannins with down right varietal flavors. At $8 this is a great value wine! Raise a glass and check out (NW's) post on the same wine!
Wine and Spirits / An Israeli innovation (Haaretz Daily)
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:30:00 -0800
In early November, I tasted three of the newly released wines in Segal's single vineyard Rechasim series. The first was their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and the second the 2004 Merlot - both excellent wines; the third was the Argaman wine.
Meet Mike Brunson
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:00:16 -0800
Yeah, there’s the ultra-fresh organic produce and the hot sticky buns and those guys playing that crazy Peruvian pan flute music but here’s the coolest reason to shop at your local Farmer’s Market – you get to actually meet the person who raised the food you buy and eat. To me that’s a very comforting thing. Back in the days when I ran a small organic farm I would set up my table of goodies (picked early that morning) every weekend at the Market and spend all day hefting bushels, chatting, sh
Apaltagua 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - Red Wine
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:25:37 -0800
Red Wine by Apaltagua from Chile, South America. This Cabernet Sauvignon from an excellent vintage is of deep violet hue and has a nose with hints of tobacco and dark chocolate, coupled with ripe stone fruit character in the mouth. This wine received minimal handling before bottling to preserve its uniqueness and integrity. USD 9.00 | Chile | Read more...
Whatever Next! Bordeaux Chardonnay and Zinfandel?
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:14:00 -0800
Apparently the Syndicat des Vins de Bordeaux (Bordeaux Wines Union) has asked the INAO for permission to plant experimental trials of grapes that are not part of the official 14 Bordeaux grape varieties allowed to make wine. At the moment red Bordeaux wines can be made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere. Today Malbec is very seldom used, and Carmenere is used in tiny quantities. An example of famous châteaux that use Carmenere are the Fifth Growth
Wine Rating
Wine Varietal
Labels: Wine Appreciation | Wine Atlas
0 Comments:
<< Home