VINO-CLUES! 2/20/12 “The C-Words. Carignan and Cinsault!”
Okay, well these are the C-words in France. And other parts of the world…well, at least in the vineyards of the world.
These two grapes are not well known by many, but boy are they freakin' awesome and important.
Carignan is a red grape thought to have originated in southern Spain, and was/is prominent in Algeria, Sardinia, and southern France. But, you will also find it as a main grape in northeastern Spain's ruddy & rugged Priorat region. It ripens slowly, so it thrives well in consistently warm regions with long growing seasons.
Carignan is well known for having dark, intense red ink, as well as uber-astringent tannins & acidity. Sounds yummy, right?? Errr….well…with those characteristics, it actually does makes an excellent blending grape; kind of like adding that dash of hot sauce to food, or Worchestershire sauce to a bloody mary! Extra kick! Extra muscle!
In most cases, while it is capable of incredible finesse and elegance, it starts off as a killer, savage, godzilla, intense, teeth-enamel-stripping wine that absolutely needs years in the bottle, and hours in a decanter to relax and show itself. But let me tell you…when you do taste one that has opened up or softened up, you are in for the BIG SHOW. The Super Bowl. The World Cup. The Kick-ass Glass!
In a blend with Syrah, Grenache, and/or Mourvedre, this grape is the "salt to the margarita", the "rock to your casbah" (or your "amadeus!") Sardinian Carignans are deep, rich, plush, & dark….like black velvet, blue suede shoes, and a burgundy velour tracksuit rolled into one outfit.
Cinsault ("san-SOH"), on the other hand, is an easy-squeezy grape that lends softness and bouquet to red blends. It is most commonly found in the south of France, but is also well known for its role in the Frankenstein hybrid grape of South Africa called "Pinotage", which is a genetic blend of Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Because of its resistance to drought, it is also found in Morocco, Lebanon, Syria, and the difficult agricultural areas of Australia.
Cinsault is often used in a blend to soften Carignan!
Could these two be more opposite??? Yet, they both play a vital role in creating the perfect recipe in blends of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cabernet, and other grapes, most notably in the Mediterranean world. If you're curious to try these grapes…especially from Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, Morocco, Sardinia, and Spain…then you need to hop on a 14-day cruise, OR, simply come to "CLUB MED-iterranean" on February 28th, our version of traveling by featuring 24 wines (many with the C-grapes) from these regions. $33 to taste and take home educational wine literature. Click on http://www.vinoversity.com/social-tasting-events/tuesdays/
C you there!
VINO-CLUES! 2/6/12 “New Yawk, New Yawk, it’s a wonderful region”
With the Giants in the Superbowl, we MUST tawk about and celebrate New Yawk wines! Specifically, the
But you would be mistaken.
This area of NY is an exceptional wine-making region. Cayuga and Seneca lakes, the longest “fingers”, are also two of
Lakes and other bodies of water are critical and desirable for excellent grape growing. During the harsh winters, the waters retain summer heat longer than the air, preventing frost on the vines at budding time. In the Spring & Summer, the lakes retain their cold temperatures, cooling off the vineyards, thereby preventing sugar development that is too quick on the outside of the grapes before the insides and seeds have a chance to catch up.
Ultimately, some of the most prestigious wine in the world comes from super-cold regions (and believe me, upstate NY is like an arctic tundra wasteland in the winter!) because the cold night temperature causes (during photosynthesis) the development of super snappy & puckery acidity…in other words, a lip-licking, lip-smacking, snap-crackle-pop that excites the palate!
All in all, this region has everything that it takes to produce stellar wine…and it does. But keep in mind, as with any region of the world, that there is lots of wine produced meant for every-day local consumption, and the wines may be deliberately made in a fruity, or simpler style for this purpose. This can be even said when you travel, let’s say, to Italy, where you will have a carafe of a local wine literally made in someone’s backyard, and it is served with your pizza & pasta, tastes just fine and lovely, but is certainly not THE representative of a cellar-worthy, complex, high-price-tag Italian wine.
Many upstate producers are small farmers, and their wine is made to drink on a Saturday afternoon while enjoying the fresh lakeside air. But there are also plenty of producers making serious wine, such as Dr. Konstantin Frank, the “father of Vitus Labrusca” (i.e. American-grown grape species, vs. Vitus Vinifera, or European-grown grape species.) There are plenty of other excellent wineries, and at the end of the day, a great wine maker matching the correct grape variety to the proper agricultural conditions (the “terroir”) will make a great wine.
Probably the best grapes for and from this region are Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris, and American grapes such as Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Catawba, and Vignoles.
Two really cool things about the American grapes: first, their aroma is often called “Foxy”; not because they smell like a Fox animal, but because they have a very aromatic, sweet, musky smell like Grape Jelly. Second, when these grapes ripen, their skins literally slip right off the pulp & stem, leaving a ball of grape pulp that can be crushed separately. This allows the wine makers to crush the skins and release the tight & grippy Tannins independently, and then work the tannins back into their wine-making recipe, if at all. With European grapes, skins and pulp are crushed together, and various machines & methods will determine the extraction of tannins in a very different manner.
Vitus Labrusca are found throughout northeastern
How cool is that?? With or without football, Upstate NY is a total winner!
