Unfiltered, Unfined

In Europe, delineation of terroir has been a two-millennium exercise. Southern hemisphere commercial winemaking has only hit its stride in the past few decades, and obviously much work remains to be done. But the territories involved in the south are so vast and widely separated that significant regional differences have already evolved. Thus, some trends and generalizations are now evident.

Last week I detailed the first half of my wine tasting adventure in Northern California (see Napa Wines in Napa). This time it’s Sonoma’s turn. Sonoma is quite a bit larger and much less tamed than its cousin to the east. Therefore I invited my friend Steve along, gaining the benefit of his palate while sharing driving, navigational, photographic and food-spotting duties.

While big, red wines have their place in the wine lifestyle most bottles worth opening on a warm porch will probably be either white or pink. Whites and rosés are generally lighter than most reds. However, as we’ll see later, there are definitely red wines that deserve a vernal mention. And of course, in order to be properly poundable, prices must be reasonable.

Italy defines micro-regionality. Every village and hamlet has its own unique drinks, foods, architectural styles, even dialects. Certainly this is true of Tuscany, where my wife Yaël and I spent the last week tasting great wines, eating fabulous food, and generally living la dolcé vita.

While European grapes rule the wine world, they can also express themselves quite favorably when grown in climes other than home ground: those portions of the southern hemisphere that are, weather-wise, somewhat equivalent to Europe (roughly Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile and Argentina). These areas excel at producing those same varietals, albeit with unique expressions based on varying terroir and winemaking tradition.

…while seeking out wine thrills may pay my bills, it’s actually much more interesting bringing wines to your attention that are not only delicious but also fun. But what is fun about wine other than a reasonable price per bottle and some vinous complexity and food-friendliness in the glass? While many top wines are also great at the table, one doesn’t need to spend an arm and a leg to procure meal-worthy juice. In fact, in order for the beverage to blend into the meal perhaps the opposite might be true.

Last week I highlighted some of the juice that’s impressed me during the past year that hadn’t yet made it into any of my columns or articles (see Potpourri Part I). But there was only one problem - I didn’t have room for all of the bottles I wanted to mention. So, without further ado, here is more of my “List of Noteworthy Wines About Which I Haven’t Yet Written Much of Significance.”

Opportunities often run in streaks. A perfect example in my business are the months of September, October and November, when representatives of public relations firms and wineries tour the world to make sure their products are in the front-brain of their clients, the restaurateurs, liquor store owners and employees who actually sell to the consumer. This procession of lunches, dinners and barbecues has become an expected part of my year-end routine, and I use these opportunities to taste wines that may be right for my audience, which is of course you.

I had no sooner penned a column on red dessert wines (see Consumer’s Corner #4) than I received several emails asking for recommendations on how to pick other, non-red stickies. Upon reflection, this may be an easier task because there’s a surfeit of wonderfully sweet white wines now available.