Hurrah for syrah, a forgiving grape

Syrah has a forgiving nature. More than any other grape, it forgives being grown in the wrong place, made under less than perfect conditions.

Hurrah for syrah, a forgiving grape – Wine – MiamiHerald.com.

Fine wine values ring in a thrifty new year

The first major wine release of the year is a breath of fresh air. All the great value wines that took a back seat to premium priced and icon wines in December, are finally emerging on Vintages shelves today.

TheStar.com | living | Fine wine values ring in a thrifty new year.

Sherry’s Bitter Half Gains Exposure

With Spain’s food and wine more popular than ever in this country, the spotlight is moving toward finer sherries.

Sherry’s Bitter Half Gains Exposure – NYTimes.com.

Renowned Wine Regions Unite to Protect Place Names

Thirteen internationally-renowned wine regions –Napa Valley; Oregon; Washington; Walla Walla Valley; Champagne; Porto; Jerez, Sonoma County and Paso Robles, California; Chianti Classico, Italy; Tokaj, Hungary; and, Victoria, and Western Australia, Australia have signed a Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place & Origin, a set of principles aimed at educating consumers about the importance of location to winemaking.

“We are excited to join this remarkable group of winemakers dedicated to protecting place names. Despite our fierce competition in the worldwide marketplace, we all agree that location is the most important ingredient in creating truly unique and distinctive wines,” added Marco Pallanti, President of the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium.

Representatives of the wine regions have met with Members of Congress, Bush Administration officials and local leaders and dignitaries to inform them of their joint efforts to protect consumers from misleading labels.

The Declaration is yet another milestone in the growing movement to protect place names and demand accurate and fair labeling (In 2005, the California Supreme Court ruled that a wine labeled “Napa Ridge” was required to source its grapes to the Napa Valley or cease to use the name on its label. In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the case. Last September, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that requires any wine with “Sonoma” on its label to contain at least 75% wine made with grapes grown in Sonoma County.)

“Americans are more knowledgeable than ever before about wine and will not settle for anything less than authentic products. Consumers have a right to know that the information printed on a bottle’s label accurately reflects the origin of the wine they are purchasing. When a place name is misused, a part of the identity of that distinctive wine region is lost,” said Pete Downs
from Sonoma County.

The Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place Names & Origin was signed by the original seven members on July 26, 2005. The full text of the Declaration can be found at www.protectplace.com.

A Champagne Primer

Just in time for New Year’s Eve, Epicurious.com has prepared a guide to all things champagne.

Why does Champagne cost more than other wines? You can get sparkling wine around the globe: Spain’s cava and Italy’s Prosecco are also world-famous.

However, the real-deal stuff—wine that can legally be called Champagne—generally costs between $25 and several hundred dollars in the United States.

Why the steep price?  First, there’s a limited quantity: It must come from a specific region of France. Second, it goes through a labor-intensive process (described in the production section). Third, you are paying rent on the aging of the bottle, in a sense. Like any good wine, the aging process transforms (mellows, integrates) the flavors. Better Champagnes have been laid down for several years. And finally, there are many special cuvées (blends): Some contain wine only from a specific vintage (harvest), for example.

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