The strangest thing happened to me last evening. I wanted to drink some red wine with…nothing else. I usually drink a glass of wine during a lunch or dinner. But the days are longer than before, now that we have to stay indoor during the lockdown. So, obviously many of us are eating and drinking more than before.
Here is the list of wines you might wanna try this spring.
Chardonnay
The most popular white wine in California. When fermented in stainless steel, it is crisp and dry. When fermented or aged in oak, it is a full balanced wine with some nutty richness and creamy texture.
Chardonnay is also grown in Washington, Oregon and New York. It is the grape that produces some of the greatest wines of the world in the Burgundy area of France. Chardonnay’s popularity now has other regions growing the grape with success such as Italy, Australia, South Africa and Chile.
Sauvignon Blanc
This wine is also known as Fume Blanc in California and Washington. It is the Primary grape used in making white wines in the Bordeaux region of France. It is thought by many experts to be the perfect food wine in that it matches well with a vast array of dishes.
Also popular in Chile, South Africa and the French areas of the Loire Valley and Languedoc – Roussillon. It is starting to become popular in Northeastern Italy.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The leader in California red, especially in Napa and Sonoma counties. Originally from Bordeaux in France, this grape produces a rich, full bodied wine. Aged in oak barrels where the tannins are enhanced and the wine is rounded out.
Also grown in Washington, France (Bordeaux and Languedoc -Roussillon), Italy, Chile, Australia and South Africa.
Champagne and Sparkling Wines
The Champagne region produces the most famous sparkling wines. A blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier that undergoes 2 fermentations that produce the celebrated bubble that makes champagne special.
Brut is a designation of dryness. Blanc De Noir and Blanc De Blanc are wines made only from black or white grapes. I suggest Taittinger and Belle Epoque Champagne.
California produces many quality sparkling wines using the same types of grapes and methods.
Spanish sparklers are known as Cava.
German sparklers are known as Sekt.
Italian sparklers are known as Spumante.
An inexpensive method to make sparkling wine is known as Charmat. The bubbles here are made from fermentation in large tanks, not individual bottles.
Merlot
Fast becoming the favorite California red varietal wine. It’s soft, easy drinking style is perfect for today’s lighter food dishes. Long a grape used for blending in the Medoc area of Bordeaux, it is the primary source for the famed Chateau Petrus, perhaps the most expensive red wine in Bordeaux.
Also grown in Chile, Italy, South Africa and the Pacific Northwest with great success, as well as the South of France.
Pinot Noir
A difficult grape to grow that achieves best results in California, Oregon and the Burgundy region of France. Lighter in color than Cabernet Sauvignon, with lots of berry like fruit. It also is used in making sparkling wines.
Other regions where popular – Italy, Germany (known as Spatburgunder), Alsace, Loire and South Africa.
Zinfandel
A red grape in California that possibly is the Primitivo from Italy. It produces a wine with rich color and intense fruit flavors.
This grape thrives in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma and the Sierra Foothills.
White Zinfandel
This very popular wine is actually a blush, rather than white wine. Wine gets its color from the grape skins. Zinfandel is a red grape but its juice is white. By putting the juice in contact for a short while with the skins, it creates a blush color. Light in body, fruity in flavor and low in alcohol.
This wine is somewhat unique to California.
Here you go, you know how they say-Drink moderately.
