Le Marche wine region in Italy. Located on the central eastern coast of Italy, and home to Cesare Mondavi (Father of Robert and Peter), this is a region sadly somewhat overshadowed on a global stage by its neighbors Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Abruzzo, and Umbria, yet in no short supply…
Understanding Italy: Marche
Understanding Italy: Alto Adige
Alto Adige, a wine producing region residing in the northernmost reaches of Italy, sitting just due east of the center, and producing a whopping <1% of the country’s wine production, a small, yet world-renowned region for wine production. The region is known for its Austrian influences not only…
Understanding Italy: Piemonte
Beautiful Piemonte, home to Barolo and Barbaresco. Well, home to Nebbiolo more correctly. Take it a step further, home to Barbera, Dolcetto, Moscato, Cortese, and Arneis in addition to other local and international varietals. In addition to a plethora of grape varietals grown in Piemonte, the region produces…
What is Maceration?
Maceration is the process where the skins and juice hang out together after the crushing of wine grapes, and flavor compounds, tannins, and color compounds are leached into the must (juice). Generally speaking (there are always exceptions to the rules) red wines macerate until fermentation is complete. Sometimes…
National Zinfandel Day
Zinfandel Day is the third Wednesday each November. Here are some good ‘ol Zinfandel facts for a bit of conversation over the turkey (and wine) tomorrow afternoon/evening: Zinfandel is considered California’s heritage grape, there are some vines in Sonoma and Amador County that are 100+ years old, and…
Happy Beaujolais Nouveau Day!
The third Thursday in November is a big day in the Beaujolais region south of the Burgundy in France. On this day there is a mad dash for the first, freshest bottles of the new vintage of Beaujolais that has been sent into the markets to arrive on…
Merlot, Merlot, Merlot…
Happy International Merlot Day! Here are 10 facts about Merlot you may (or may not) know: Merlot is the child of Cabernet Franc & Magdeleine Noire des Charentes, recent DNA testing has proven this where the grape’s full origins were unknown for many years. Merlot’s soft skin is…
What is Carbonic Maceration?
Carbonic maceration is a process by which grapes are fermented in their skins in a carbon dioxide rich environment. The weight of all the grapes crushes the juice from the lower areas of the tank that holds the grapes and gas, and undergoes a somewhat more conventional fermentation…
Dormancy
What does wine dormancy and the winter season have in common? For those of us who celebrate daylight savings, it comes to an end this Sunday the 4th. Getting up in the mornings will be harder, and driving home from work will begin to occur under the blanket…
