RESOLUTION TIME
II’m not much of a new year’s resolution person.
Let’s be honest, with the amount of sleep I get with three kids, I forget the resolution I’ve made about 2 hours after I make it.
If I did make one, it would be something like this: work out more, figure out common core math, travel more and be more adventurous. Also, I’ve been bombarded with emails and news about January being dubbed “no alcohol month”. I gave that a try, and made it three days – THREE days, did you hear me? Yeah, I ROCK! I ended my three day wine fast with a gorgeous Bordeaux!
Sometimes you need a resolution in wine!
Be Adventurous.
You walk into a wine store, and are overwhelmed with choices. It’s hard not to reach for the same wine over and over again, because you know it’s good, and the best intentions to try something new suddenly become anxiety ridden. Now, I’m not asking you to find a Bulgarian wine (yes, they make good wine there) or source an expensive Swiss wine (yep, there too!), but try something new within the parameters of what you already like.
For example, if you are always reaching for a California Chardonnay, follow me down the rabbit hole…
Why not instead try a white Burgundy (always made from Chardonnay), a Chilean Chardonnay, Margaret River (Australia) Chardonnay or a South African Chardonnay?
The taste will vary given differences in the weather, soil and sort of vinification the producer used. For example, they could be using new French oak barriques (which impart toasty flavors) or large format, neutral Slovenian oak casks, where gentle oxidation rounds off the wine, or even stainless steel vats to preserve acidity and fresh fruit.
I’ve even noticed that California wines are trending away from the ubiquitous buttered popcorn feel (lets be honest, the kids may like that taste… but do you want that in your wine?) to more subtle nuances, which is changing the game in terms of flavor and taste. Alpha Omega is currently making a un-oaked and oaked version of Chardonnay.
Look for Walker Bay from South Africa: it’s a cooler site where Chardonnay does well. (Pinot Noir from here is good too). SA offers great value, and it is accessible in most decent wine stores. Shout out to any wine store selling it! One of my other favorite alternatives to CA is Margaret River, Australia, which is slightly harder to locate, but you will be rewarded by an elegant wine when you find it. (Yarra Valley also worth checking out).
Good values can be found in Chile too. Look for Chardonnay from Limari & Casablanca, and the Aconcagua region. These are pretty easy to locate. You never know, you might find a new favorite go-to…
Are you still with me?
The adventure continues! Today, I’m looking at you, consistent swiller of Cabernet Sauvignon. Taste profiles can be big and wide in this field – maybe you usually stick with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon or go for a typical Cab blend from CA, but there are a few other grapes out there that also can please your palate, if you’d like to try something different. In general Cabernet Sauvignon tends to taste like black fruit, with herbs, spices and oak flavors. For a comparable, yet excitingly different experience, I recommend trying:
Italy: Nero d’Avola from Sicily (less expensive), Super Tuscans (premium pricing)
Spain: Ribera del Duero, Rioja (look for Tempranillo grapes)
Argentina: Malbec and Cabernet
France: Rhone (robust wines from Syrah/Grenache), Bordeaux (Cabernet and Merlot blends chiefly) and Cahors regions (70% Malbec, often called Auxerrois in France)
Portugal: Touriga Nacional
South Africa: Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon
Italy has more than 3,000 grapes. To know every grape and wine in Italy would take a lifetime. Having said that, there are a few Italian wines that can please a palate looking for a wine similar to a California Cabernet. Nero D’Avola is a full-bodied wine from Sicily that has high acid, although not as high as a more premium priced Barolo. It will frequently be blended with other grapes, such as Syrah. A Super Tuscan is a red blend from Tuscany. Although the Sangiovese grape is native to Tuscany & featured in Chianti, ‘Super Tuscan’ wines are vinified from non-indigenous grapes, particularly Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.
Portugal is definitely a region to try. The Dao region, south of Douro is producing some elegant wines. Touriga Nacional is a black grape used in making Port but when produced in a dry style, it takes on ripe flavors very similar to Cabernet Sauvignon; look for this also in a blend.
Malbec from Argentina. This wine is distinctive in taste, but can mimic an earthier version of Cabernet. These wines are priced well and you can find great examples from Mendoza, the homeland for Malbec.
To be honest, there are also lots of options in France. Let’s start with the obvious: Bourdeaux (right bank, left bank – you can’t go wrong…): Medoc, Haut-Medoc, Saint-Emillon, Cotes du Bordeaux. Cahors is another region nearby that makes a good tasting, easy drinking wine for a bargain.
Last, but not least, is one of my favorite places, South Africa. You can find Cabernets and blends here, but the country is really known for its Pinotage. This wine is a grape only found in SA, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, which is blended with international red-wine grapes, usually Syrah, to produce a ‘Cape Blend’. Try wines from these regions: Diemersfontein, Southern Right (by Hamilton Russell) and Kanonkop. Look for Cabernets from Paarl & Stellenbosch (Coastal Region) and Franschhoek (typically more herbaceous)
Bottom line..Be adventurous… Let me know what you try!