jeudi 28 novembre 2013

The Concise Guide To Fine Wines

By Anita Hale


Vitis Vinifera is the main grape used to make wine. The blanket name given to wine-making grapes is "noble grapes." These include white grapes and red grapes. The white grapes are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Grigio. The red grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Grenache. These are just the main grapes. In reality, there are over one thousand different grape varieties.

You have probably gone into your supermarket and noticed that wine is often organised by country. In the wine-making world, these countries are divided into two types. They are Old World Wine and New World Wine. Old World wine consists of countries where there is a long tradition of wine-making. Most of these countries are in Europe. France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria and Greece are just a few examples of Old World wine. However, there are North African and Mediterranean countries that also make Old World wine. New World wine refers to wine from countries like the USA, Australia, New Zealand and South America.

Bordeaux is probably the most famous French region for making wine. It is particularly known for the way it classifies its wine. This system is over 150 years old and only applies to wine made on the left bank of the Dordogne river. It involves five levels of rating. This is applied to the top Chateaus of the area. France naturally has other famous wine regions. These include Alsace, Burgundy and Loire Valley.

Other famous wine regions include La Rioja in Spain. This region contains over 15,000 vineyards. It produces both red and white wine. However, the vast majority of its output is red wine. Chianti is the main wine region in Italy. Chianti Classico is a sub-region of the area and is highly favoured.

Let's turn our attention to some New World wine regions. In California the most well-known wine regions are the Napa and Sonoma Valley. Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon are the grapes of choice here. Popular Californian wines include E&J Gallo and Mondavi.

In Australia the most famous brand of wine is called Jacob's Creek. However, the country has many famed wine-making regions. These include McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley. Both of these are located in Southern Australia. The main grape that is cultivated here is Shiraz. The Hunter Valley is another famed wine region. It is situated in New South Wales and is known for producing Semillon. This is also produced in the Margaret River region of Western Australia.

New Zealand is fast becoming as popular as Australia for their New World wines. It is mostly known for its Sauvignon Blanc. This is produced in large quantities in the Marlborough region. However, Pinot Noir is also becoming steadily more popular in the country. This is generally grown in Central Otago.




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