Wausau Pilot & Review
Editor’s note: The Wine Life, by Ron Glaman, is a special feature from Vino Latte in Wausau that will help you appreciate and better understand the wonderful world of wine, from tasting and buying tips to food pairing recommendations and more. Learn more about Vino Latte at 3309 Terrace Ct., Wausau, or online at http://www.vino-latte.com/.
By Ron Glaman
One of the most daunting experiences in one’s Wine Life can be buying wine, at a restaurant or retail store – the unending options, with words that are like (and often are) a foreign language, terminology that does not mean anything to us, geographical regions that we do not recognize, and more! With this column I hope to equip you with some basic information, clues, and techniques to help you navigate the experience, as well as spark a desire to learn!
Wine labels can be divided into the front label and the back label – and it does not really matter which is which but know that both can hold information that may be useful in understanding the wine in the bottle. There are some legally required notations on labels – such as the alcohol by volume, the country of origin (i.e. Product of Italy), the warning about alcohol and a notation that the wine Contains Sulfites (a labeling requirement in the United States where sulfur dioxide or a sulfiting agent is detected at a level of 10 or more parts per million (ppm), measured as total sulfur dioxide).
You will also often see a year on the label – which is called the vintage – and relates to the year the grapes were grown and harvested. If a wine does not have a vintage, it is a “non-vintage” (NV for short) wine and is therefore a blend of grapes grown in different years. Champagne and other sparkling wines are very often non-vintage. The vintage of a wine may be important because some years weather conditions are better for growing grapes, and better wine is typically made from better grapes.
The wine world can be divided by Old World wines and New World wines, with the Old World being primarily Europe where they have been producing wine for thousands of years (France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Greece, etc.), and New World being pretty much everywhere else. The differences between Old and New World wines are apparent in the characteristics of the wines and labeling of the wines.
The two most important things a wine label can tell us are the grapes used to make the wine and the place those grapes were grown. This leads to the two main types of wine labels: those that are labeled by the grape, and those that are labeled by the region. New World wines are mostly identified by the grape, followed by the geographical designation of where the grapes were grown, while Old World wines are mostly identified only by the geographical designation where the grapes were grown, with an occasional mention of grape variety.
Of course, knowing what grape(s) the wine was made from is important – since different grape varieties have distinct characteristics (flavors, textures, sensations, aging potential, and more), and it is what we frequently default to in our discussion of what we like or do not like. Where a wine comes from is equally important because where grapes are grown can tell us a lot about the wine – in terms of style, flavors, textures, etc. The equation of grape varietal and location is what makes exploring wine an endless endeavor.
The “borders” of wine regions include governmental designations (county, villages, property ownership), but can also be defined through the variations in soils, climate, altitude, slope, aspect to the sun, and more. Those varying characteristics can produce wines from the same varietal that are quite different. Therefore, a Cabernet Sauvignon from California will be different than a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile (or anywhere else in the world). It is also why a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa is different than one from Sonoma – or for that matter, from one side of the road to the other!
Let’s look at New World wine labels first – since these are generally easier for us to understand and what we are most accustomed to when buying and thinking about wine. As mentioned, New World wines are primarily labeled by grape variety – the predominant grape from which the wine is made. These names may be familiar: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Zinfandel, Pinot Grigio, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and many more! In fact, there are now more than 10,000 different wine grapes in the world – but thankfully, we only need to know a couple dozen to get a handle on the most popular wines of the world.
When a bottle of wine has the name of the grape on it (referred to as being “varietally labeled”), laws pertaining to the production of wine specify the percentage of the wine that must have been made from the named grape. In many instances this is at least 75% of that grape, but the requirements can vary by country and region/state. This means that many wines labeled as a varietal wine are blends, but most times you will not know that without digging much deeper. Some bottles may discern the blend obviously (like labeling it Cabernet – Shiraz), others may spell out the specific percentages of the other varietals, but most will not mention them at all. There are many legal requirements for varietally labeling a wine based on other factors, but for this article, we will not go into those details.
Another important thing a New World label tells us is where the grapes were grown. The location designations can range from extremely broad to very specific, with the more specific labeling providing more information and being more purposeful to point out exactly where the grapes come were grown. The broadest term used is the country of origin, with the smallest, most narrow (specific) being a specific vineyard or even a “row” or “block” (which are defined/identified by the winery). In between the broad and specific can be a myriad of other designations. There are legal requirements which must be met when labeling at each level of specificity, which are from broadest to most narrow. In the United States the geographic designations range from United States/American, Multi-State, State, Multi-County, County, and approved American Viticultural Area (AVA). Those laws primarily focus on the percentage of grapes that must be present from the geographically designated area for that area’s name to be used. In other New World countries, there is a similar naming structure to identify geographical locations, all based on similar laws.
The most notable, and significant, geographical designation of wine growing regions in the United States is the American Viticultural Area (AVA) – as the designations and boundaries of them are delineated by characteristics other than governmental unit borders. In having an AVA approved, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) must determine the characteristics are so different that it really matters (to put it simply). Similar laws exist across the world – with requirements which must be met to label a wine in a certain way.
When you look at a bottle of Old-World wine the notable difference is they rarely have the name of the grape on them, but instead are named for the region, also known as the appellation, where the grapes were grown. Laws pertaining to how a wine can be labeled vary from country to country and region to region, however, they dictate permitted grapes, methods of growing and harvesting the grapes, ageing requirements of wine and more. All those details are complex and not relevant to a basic understanding of labeling. The laws are meant to protect products from each geographical designation, to ensure authenticity and the adherence to certain restrictions, thereby providing the consumer with confidence in the products.
The specific appellation (region) is what will inform you of the most likely grapes from which the wine was produced. As mentioned, laws dictate the allowed grapes – so if a wine is labeled with an appellation, it must have been made with the approved grapes of that appellation (among other requirements). The key to getting a handle on Old World wines is to be able to recognize the regional names and memorize the grapes permitted in those regions. There really is no other way to go about it, however, if you start small, you can quickly get a handle on the most popular wines. I have found that learning one country at a time works well, and I recommend starting with France because the grape names are those with which we are most familiar. When first learning, focus on the regions from an overall perspective, and do not worry about the sub-appellations (smaller regions within a larger) which can have their own laws. Also focus on the primary grape varietals permitted in a region, and not the lesser-known grapes.
Let us look at three of France’s most well-known regions to understand how this works. To put come context on the complexity of appellations, France has ten primary regions, each with sub-appellations.
Bordeaux is one of the most famous wine regions in the world and produces both white and red wine (some sub-regions only allow red OR white wines to be labeled with the appellation name!). White wines labeled Bordeaux are predominantly Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon or Muscadelle (all white grape varieties) – and are typically blends of two or more of them. Red wines labeled Bordeaux are predominately Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet France, with lesser quantities of Petit Verdot and Malbec – and are typically blends of two or more of these five varietals.
Burgundy is complex in history, specific regions, and other classifications – but the grapes are easy. White Burgundy is (nearly) always Chardonnay and red Burgundy is (almost) always Pinot Noir. There are many other factors, but once again – start general and when you are comfortable and desire to know more, go for it!
The Rhone Valley is vast, with many sub-appellations and plenty of confusing details. Plus, there are many permitted grape varietals. The entire valley is split into the Northern Rhone and Southern Rhone. In the Northern Rhone, only one red grape is allowed – Syrah. In the Southern Rhone, more red grapes are permitted, but the three primary grapes are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre (which leads to the acronym GSM to identify wines made from these three grapes). The white wines in the Rhone Valley are primarily made from Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier. There are other red and white grapes grown in the Rhone, but those details can wait.
Once you have memorized what grapes are permitted in each of France’s regions, move on to Spain, then Italy and so on and so forth. Of course, it is much more fun to learn while you drink – which allows you to practice tasting and will assist in learning more about the wines and regions.
I am sure you have seen wines labeled by just a name/word – this is a name the winery uses to identify the wine and does not really tell you anything about the wine. These wines are most often blends, called “proprietary blends,” because the varietal percentages do not meet the legal requirements for naming it by varietal, or perhaps it’s a blend of grapes from different regions as well. The only way to know more about these wines is to research them or ask someone at your favorite wine store!
Living the Wine Life is not always about learning the “technical stuff,” but with some of the basic information provided, you can further explore and enjoy with a deeper understanding of the process, products, and places.
Until next time, Drink Well!
