SAUVIGNON BLANC
THE ACID QUEEN

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/ SAW-vin-yawn BLOHNK/

Sauvignon blanc is aggressive. In fact, the French name sauvignon blanc translates to “savage white.” Not only does this unruly grape grow wild in the vineyard, with loads of leaves bursting in every direction, but it’s also forceful in the glass, confidently announcing itself with big, pungent aromatics. Then there’s the grapefruit factor. If you can’t stand it, I’d be inclined to steer you in a different direction for your whites. But if you’re a fan of grapefruit—or at least the smell of it—chances are you’re going to love sauvignon blanc; grapefruit is the single most identifiable character for this grape. Depending on where it grows, sauvignon blanc can also smell and taste like a variety of green herbs and veggies. Cool-climate versions smell like green peas, freshly cut grass, or asparagus, while warm-climate versions tend toward a more dried grass and herb smell—more like hay. Last, there’s the grape’s polarizing penchant for acidity. No matter where it’s grown, well-made sauvignon blanc’s high acidity will always make you pucker. Some might call the grape sour aand pronounce it too prickly to love. Others are seduced by the thirst-quenching taste and find sauvignon blanc to be the perfect companion to any food you’d squeeze a lemon on.

MOST NOTABLE VERSIONS

Loire Valley, France / luh-wah /

The Loire Valley is a thin, picturesque east-west strip of vineyards, medieval castles, troglodytes (people who live in caves!), and goat farms, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean inland. If sauvignon blanc had a birthplace, it would be here, in this white wine wonderland. In the Loire Valley, the grape is at its most sophisticated, most steely, and most connected with terroir. The valley’s dramatically northern climate ensures a long, cool ripening season, which always leads to racy acidity in the finished wine. And the soil, a unique composition of chalk, gravel, and flint, generously contributes a beautiful “wet rocks,” mineral taste to these sassy, classy wines. The best wines come from the villages of Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé, and Quincy, and they are all incredible with the fresh, tangy goat cheese that’s made here.

Bordeaux, France / bor-DOE /

Not too far south of the Loire is another winegrowing region buttressed against the Atlantic: Bordeaux. Although Bordeaux is undeniably famous for red wines, white Bordeaux can be a stunning example of sauvignon blanc. Here the climate is decidedly warmer, especially with the moderating influence of the warm Atlantic Ocean. This warmth, combined with the Bordelais tradition of adding a healthy dollop of semillon (a grape with a rich, oily texture and a honeyed character) and barrel aging, make for a soft version of sauvignon blanc. Sure, that tart citrus character is still there, but it’s wrapped in a cream puff. When you think of white Bordeaux, think silky, sexy, gentle, gravelly, grapefruity goodness.

New Zealand

It still blows my mind that a country so new to fine wine has made such a respected, showstopping entre. The New Zealand wine industry didn’t get going until the 1990s. But in just a couple of short decades, it has created such a buzz and carved out such a defining niche that no world-class wine list would be complete without its claim to fame: sauvignon blanc. Sauvignon blanc from this cool-climate island country is the world’s most aggressively aromatic and tart version of the grape. Stick your nose in the glass and you get a loud whiff of grapefruit, green peas, and asparagus screaming at you. If white Bordeaux is Vivaldi, New Zealand sauvignon blanc is Nine Inch Nails.

California

Taking its cue from Bordeaux, California’s sauvignon blancs, hailing mostly from Napa, Sonoma, and Lake Counties, are creamy and soft. California’s weather is even warmer and more temperate than Bordeaux, though, so there is less mineral tang and more ripe fruit. Aromas of fresh peaches, guava, passion fruit, and melon are often found in these rounder, richer versions of the grape. Here, the herbal quality comes out more like freshly cut grass or hay. And like Bordeaux, many of the more expensive versions spend a little time in oak barrels, adding to the creamy weight of the wine. Just like the stereotypical Californian, these wines are m-e-l-l-o-w.

South Africa

For many years, the phrase “South African wines” conjured up the image of funky, subpar vino, mostly meant for distillation into brandy. But with the fall of apartheid and a resurgence of quality-conscious producers, South Africa is churning out some beautiful, complex wines that you can’t miss. In fact, as far as sauvignon blanc goes, this is one of my favorite regions. Widely available and relatively inexpensive, the South African version of the grape is like a cross between mineralladen Sancerre and grapefruity New Zealand. The best examples are elegant without being austere, and still provide plenty of bright, citrusy fruit.

RECOMMENDATIONS

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OTHER GRAPES AND WINES YOU MIGHT LIKE

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CHARDONNAY
MISS POPULARITY

/ shar-doe-NAY /

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Chardonnay is popular because it’s easy. That is, compared with many other grapes, it’s easy in the vineyard and easy to make into wine. It’s also a chameleon, eagerly taking on the colors of a vineyard and of the winemaker who shepherds it from vine to bottle. I guess that’s why chardonnay has such a broad spectrum of possible flavors. Sure, there are usually some apple and citrus flavors with any chardonnay, but beyond that, terroir shapes its taste.

Want a steely, lean, lemony version of chardonnay? Plant the grape in a super-chilly climate like Chablis, France, where it will be happy to retain tons of acidity and soak up all the minerals in the ground. How about a lush, tropical fruit style with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel? No problem, chardonnay can do that too. Vintners simply plant the vine in a warmer climate, and make sure to allow the wine some extra time to hang out in barrel with the dead yeast cells left over from fermentation. Chardonnay will enthusiastically absorb the yeasty flavor and creamy feel of these “lees” with no complaints. How about oak? This grape definitely doesn’t need it to shine (as evidenced by the brilliant selection of unoaked chardonnays on the market) but if oak is desired, chardonnay is one of the most amiable white wine vehicles for oak flavor. It will take a swim in oak barrels and meet you on the other side smelling of toast and butterscotch. If there’s one defining characteristic of this grape, it’s that it’s always different. That’s why I grin when someone says they don’t like chardonnay; I know that they just haven’t found the right one yet.

MOST NOTABLE VERSIONS

Burgundy, France / BUR-gun-dee

Most wine geeks put Burgundy, France, on a pedestal. The mythical status of this region revolves around its two star grapes, pinot noir (red) and chardonnay (white). Both are believed to reach optimum potential in this very special spot. Despite its tiny production, this thin strip of coveted land boasts a lineup of legendary wines. Burgundian chardonnay is generally bright and minerally (think limestone and chalk). Specifically, wines from Chablis, in the northernmost end of Burgundy, are the world’s most pure expression of the grape. They are ultra-lean, lemony, and chalky. The most acclaimed wines from the southern half of Burgundy are still racy, but express riper apple flavor, and are sensually robed in the finest French oak, which gives the wine hints of butterscotch and toasted hazelnuts.

Did You Know? Chardonnay is the second most widely planted white grape on the planet. The first is airén, a rather innocuous grape planted on one million acres in Spain. Most airén goes into the distillation of brandy.

Champagne, France / sham-PAIN

Here’s another teeny-tiny place with a huge reputation. Champagne is undeniably the world’s most famous sparkling wine. By law, the wines must be made from a combination of one, two, or three of the approved grapes: chardonnay, pinot noir, or pinot meunier (a lower-quality country cousin of pinot noir; also red). Most Champagnes are blends of the three, with each grape contributing a little something special to the taste. In Champagne, chardonnay is the top performer, adding elegance and finesse. Some producers make a 100 percent chardonnay Champagne called blanc de blancs (white from whites). They are beautiful and long-lived, but can be very expensive.

California

Chardonnay is one of the grapes that put California on the world wine map. In 1978, at a highly publicized tasting contest later dubbed “The Judgment of Paris,” the then-best California wines were tasted blind (or with their labels covered) against the most esteemed wines of France. In the chardonnay category, Chateau Montelena of Napa beat out all of France’s most iconic chardonnays from Burgundy. The French judges were flabbergasted when their picks were revealed, and like it or not, they had to give credit to California for producing some incredible wine. (In the same tasting, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. cabernet sauvignon, also from Napa, beat out all of the top French cabernets. It was an astonishing victory!)

Today, California has about one hundred thousand acres planted to chardonnay, and is responsible for 25 percent of the worldwide production of the grape. You can buy hugely varying styles, in widely ranging price points, from all over the state. The most coveted versions come from the coolest climates, where chardonnay’s ripe flavor, thanks to all that sunshine, is balanced with crisp acidity. Look for chardonnays made close to the coast. Sonoma Coast chardonnays are some of my favorites.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Chardonnay comes in a wide range of styles and flavors, but I’ve split my recommendations into two main categories. First, I recommend chardonnays that are clean and crisp (those with a more tart, refreshing taste and little to no oak). The second list includes chardonnays with more richness and body, and a creamier, more buttery taste (many of these also have oaky flavors).

Clean, crisp chardonnay

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Full, rich, buttery chardonnay

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OTHER GRAPES AND WINES YOU MIGHT LIKE

If you like clean, crisp chardonnay:

If you like more full, rich, oaky, and buttery versions of chardonnay:

RIESLING
THE NERD

/ REES-ling /

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Nerds are always out of fashion. They are a little offbeat, a little reserved, generally misjudged, and underappreciated. Wine’s indisputable nerd is riesling. Riesling is not like the others. First, it’s usually naked and alone. I’ve yet to meet a riesling blended with any other grape or one that showed even a trace of oak; this grape shines when it’s brazenly bare-skinned. This is because at its best it is so supremely talented at communicating terroir. There is no other grape that can as effortlessly and accurately taste like the place it was grown, yet still taste like itself. In this case, itself is a grape with pretty floral aroma, tangy acidity, a propensity for picking up mineral notes, and the potential to develop favorable petrol or rubber smells.

The most widespread misconception about riesling is that it’s always sweet. Many Americans’ impressions of the grape were established with the supercheap, sickeningly sweet jug wines from Germany that they guzzled in the 1970s and ’80s. But basing riesling’s reputation on those wines is like giving someone a McDonald’s hamburger as their first and only reference to beef.

The truth is that riesling—even top-quality riesling—can indeed be very sweet. It can also be bone-dry. And to make things even more confusing, it can also land anywhere in between. The difference with higher-quality rieslings is that their sweetness comes from the natural ripeness of the grapes (as opposed to added sugar) and that it is expertly counterbalanced with an invigorating shock of acidity. This gives the best sweetish rieslings a yin-yang of sweet-and-sour—kind of like a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade. In addition to regular wines, riesling also makes some killer sparkling wines, as well as some of the most acclaimed dessert wines made.

MOST NOTABLE VERSIONS

Germany

Germany is riesling’s mecca. No other country is as obsessed with the grape, or can offer such a breadth of variation. German labels are notoriously cryptic, but actually the most informative to the educated eye. In stereotypical fashion, Germans created an intricate (and very intimidating to pronounce) system of classifications for their national treasure, based on levels of ripeness. Your best bet when shopping for any riesling, especially from Germany, is to enlist the help of an expert who’s familiar with the wine. He or she can help you understand the label and know what style of wine is in the bottle.

Alsace, France

Another place where the grape finds respect is the tiny wine region of Alsace, France. The Vosges Mountains to the west keep this stunningly beautiful place nice and dry. The northern location and an abundance of sunshine make for a long, steady growing season, producing mostly dry rieslings with slightly more body than their German neighbors.

Austria

When I think of the best Austrian rieslings, I think of refreshingly dry, stony, pure wines with lovely green and yellow fruit flavors. Typically, these have higher alcohol and more power than Germany’s rieslings.

Australia

Australia’s signature rieslings, most notably from the Eden and Clare Valleys, are ultradry and crisp, with a distinctive lime kick and an elegant mineral edge.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Dry

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Off-Dry (Just a Hint of Sweetness)

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OTHER GRAPES AND WINES YOU MIGHT LIKE

If you like the dry style of riesling:

If you like off-dry or sweeter styles:

PINOT NOIR
THE SEDUCTRESS

/ PEE-no NWHAR /

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Pinot noir gets under your skin like no other grape. First, pinot lures you in with distinctive, sensual aromatics. Pinot’s perfume is both savory and earthy (like a wet forest floor) and incredibly feminine (like rose petals and raspberries). Pinot’s smell can, in fact, be so intoxicating that superfans of the grape often spend a great deal of time just sniffing the wine before moving on to any actual drinking. In the mouth, pinot is equally entrancing, with a unique texture. Ultrathin skins mean very little tannin in the finished wine. The result is a light, smooth, luxuriously silky mouthfeel.

Maybe another part of pinot noir’s allure is that it’s maddeningly hard to get right. Often called high maintenance by grape growers and winemakers, it’s difficult in both the vineyard and the winery. On the vine, those preciously thin skins make pinot highly susceptible to sunburn, disease, and pests. Unlike chardonnay or cabernet sauvignon—grapes that will happily take up residence in a variety of climates—pinot noir requires very specific, cool-climate conditions to grow well. Even when the environment is perfect and the growing season has been ideal, stellar pinot noir fruit is extremely fragile once harvested, and all throughout the winemaking process. So why go to all the trouble to grow this persnickety grape? Because when it’s grown with the utmost care, in the optimum environment, with near perfect weather conditions, and treated with kid gloves throughout the winemaking process, pinot noir can make some of the sexiest, most intriguing, and most beautiful wines ever.

One unfortunate truth: You’ll always pay more for pinot. Because pinot noir is such a challenge, the cost for quality is higher than for other varieties. You can find really good deals on bottlings of other grapes—cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, zin—at around ten dollars. But for a decent bang-for-your-buck starter pinot noir that truly showcases the finesse and aroma that make this grape special, you have to spend more like twenty-five.

MOST NOTABLE VERSIONS

Burgundy, France / BUR-gun-dee

Not every pinot noir producer on the planet aspires to make pinot that tastes like it comes from Burgundy, France, but every one of them uses it as a reference point. Burgundian-style pinot noir is earthy and typically lean in comparison with other versions from around the globe. Flavors include cranberry, pomegranate, mineral, mushroom, and wet dirt. Long considered the birthplace and the soul of pinot noir, the best red Burgundies are iconic. It seems everyone wants a taste of this lauded juice, but production is minuscule. Thus, getting your hands on great bottles of Burgundy can be a very costly endeavor. It’s also tricky to navigate Burgundy’s vintages. The weather varies greatly from year to year, so even the same wine from the same producer can taste drastically different each vintage. Your best bet for buying Burgundy is to establish a relationship with a wine shop that is passionate about this region, and let them guide you. Be prepared to drop some serious cash for your diligent research.

California

California produces pinot noir that is much more outgoing than the Burgundian style. More sunshine means wines that are higher in alcohol, with the accent on ripe fruit instead of earth. California pinots are likely to taste like fresh raspberry, strawberry, or cherry. The best come from the coolest parts of the state: foggy, coastal areas with big temperature shifts from day to night, and dense cloud cover that protects the grapes from the intense sun. Try wines from Carneros, Russian River Valley, Mendocino, Sonoma Coast, Monterey, and coastal Santa Barbara.

Oregon

Oregon is often commended for striking the perfect balance between Burgundy and California. It’s true, the wines have fruit-driven flavors like California, but they are also earthier and more restrained in comparison. One major advantage the grape has in Oregon is focus. The area is too damp and cool to grow much else; pinot is the local superstar. Weather is variable, so vintages may show quite a bit of difference in flavor. In a good year, though, Oregon pinots come out looking like a steal. They are more elegant than other American pinots, and they are priced at a fraction of their French counterparts.

New Zealand

New Zealand, with its cool, crisp climate, is turning out to be a superb location for pinot noir. In fact, Central Otago, the epicenter of pinot on the tiny South Island, is actually the southernmost winegrowing region (and one of the chilliest) in the world. Although New Zealand is relatively new to the pinot noir scene, I’ve had some incredibly promising examples.

RECOMMENDATIONS

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CABERNET SAUVIGNON
THE KING

/ cab-ur-NAY so-vin-YAWN /

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Cabernet sauvignon is the undisputed king of grapes, its respect and adoration won during centuries of top performance in the vineyard, the winery, and the bottle. Cabernet’s birthplace, and the place that launched it into celebrity, is Bordeaux, France, where the grape produces its most celebrated, most collected wines. But cabernet has never been content to rest on its French laurels. The grape has traveled well and is capable of making both good-value and premium-quality wine in most winegrowing regions.

Cabernet has been eagerly cultivated for many reasons. For one, it’s a hearty, reliable crop. It has good disease and pest resistance, and thrives in a variety of climates and soils. Australia, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, Washington state, New Zealand, and Italy are all capable of producing beautiful cabernet, but Bordeaux and Napa are the grape’s most important environs. Cabernet is also the most recognized grape in the world, which makes it easier to sell than lesser-known varieties. Familiarity, especially in the daunting domain of wine, is half the battle when it comes to marketing. Another part of cabernet’s allure is that it endures. Not all cabernet is ageworthy, but many of the best bottles are built to persist, and improve, over decades; that in itself is the stuff wine legend is built on.

The most important factor in cabernet’s rise to stardom, however, more important than anything else, is that people just like the way it tastes. To start with, tannin almost always has a commanding presence in wines made from cabernet sauvignon. The most iconic cabs are broad-shouldered, with a massive, powerful structure on which succulent fruit hangs. The fruit is usually the black kind—black currants, blackberries, black cherry—and is incrementally riper the more sunshine the grapes receive. Other common aromas and flavors include cocoa, cedar, leather, cigar box or tobacco, and mint. Most cabs also spend some time in oak barrels, which can add cedar and vanilla. There’s a complexity to cabs that makes them interesting. Even simple versions typically have more going on than other wines at a similar price, and the best examples are downright intriguing, changing much over the course of years, or even just dinner.

The Other Cabernet: Cabernet Franc

There are two important cabernets: cabernet sauvignon and its less-loved little brother, cabernet franc. You don’t often see cabernet franc bottled alone. (The Loire Valley in France is home to a few exceptions, most notably the minerally reds from the town of Chinon.) Typically, cabernet franc is blended with cabernet sauvignon and/or merlot to add tannin, acidity, or aroma (cabernet franc can smell like violets, green pepper, and coffee). When you hear people say “cab” or “cabernet” you can bet they are referring to the more famous, more highly acclaimed cabernet sauvignon.

MOST NOTABLE VERSIONS

Bordeaux / bor-DOE

The Gironde is the massive estuary at the conjunction of the Dordogne and Garonne rivers that leads straight through the heart of Bordeaux to the Atlantic Ocean. This body of water is special because it divides more than just geography; it is the defining line between the two main types of red wine made in this part of France. The left bank, or west side of the estuary, is considered the spiritual home of cabernet sauvignon. (Merlot dominates plantings on the right bank.) Left bank red wines are always rooted in cabernet sauvignon (typically 70 to 80 percent), but usually contain a large percentage of merlot, and can also include three other grapes: cabernet franc, petit verdot, and malbec. These are added to a much lesser extent, and sometimes not at all. You can find cabernet from Bordeaux for ten dollars, a thousand dollars, and everything in between. No matter the price point, though, it is typically staunch and earthy compared with cabernet sauvignon from other areas. Quintessential cabernet sauvignon from Bordeaux has more acidity, more tannin, and showcases more of the slightly underripe flavors of this grape: mint, tobacco leaf, and bell pepper.

BORDEAUX’S MOST MYTHICAL WINES
In 1855, Bordeaux needed a classification system for its best wines; they were to be on display that year at the Exposition of Paris. Wine brokers ranked the wines according to a chateau’s reputation and the current trading price, which at that time was directly related to quality. Four Bordeaux estates were classified as “first-growth chateaus,” or top-rated wineries. Although the list has gone relatively unchanged and unchallenged since its inception, one winery has been elevated from a second growth to a first growth. The top five estates, which fetch the highest prices in Bordeaux and enjoy royal-like status, are Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Latour, and Château Haut-Brion.

Napa Valley

Excellent cabernet is grown all over the state of California, but no one does it like Napa. The tiny valley, for all its fame, only produces about 4 percent of California’s total wine, the majority of it premium cabernet sauvignon. Napa cabernet, and American cabernet in general, is more round and supple than cab from Bordeaux. Higher alcohol and rich, rounded tannin is complemented by ripe black fruit, sometimes leaning toward jam and chocolate. Mountain fruit (wines made from fruit grown on, for example, Napa’s Spring, Diamond, or Howell Mountains) can be more muscular and less fruity than fruit from the valley floor, where nutrients and water are abundant.

RECOMMENDATIONS

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OTHER GRAPES AND WINES YOU MIGHT LIKE

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MERLOT
THE WALLFLOWER

/ mer-LOW /

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In its best form, merlot can make delicious red wines; they can be plummy, with a deep, velvety texture, and aromas of blackberry, blueberry, violets, and sometimes smoke and mineral. It hasn’t the tannic structure of cabernet sauvignon, nor the acidity, so it comes off as softer and easier to drink. The problem with merlot, and the reason why it has come under such scrutiny, is that it is rarely great. Often, the grape is lackadaisically made into easily drinkable but dull, flabby, inconsequential wine.

Pure single-varietal merlot wines are an anomaly. More often than not, merlot—even the best examples—needs some structural help, and usually finds it in the form of cabernet sauvignon and/or cabernet franc. When it is blended with one or more of the cabernets, merlot is often described as providing the “flesh” of the wine, while the cabernets give the wine its “bones.”

MOST NOTABLE VERSIONS

Bordeaux / bor-DOE

The east side of Bordeaux’s mighty Gironde estuary, the right bank, is a merlot sanctuary. Clay and limestone soils give birth to much mediocre merlot, but some is destined for excellence. Pomerol and Saint-Émilion are the two most prestigious regions. In good vintages, and from the best sites, merlot from here can achieve its highest potential. Wines like Château Pétrus (from Pomerol) can have captivating complexity and texture. Unfortunately, they usually come with an equally surreal price tag.

California

California’s best merlots grow up next door to cabernet sauvignon in Napa. Much less merlot is grown in Napa, but what is grown is taken seriously and given similar, if not equal, treatment to cabernet. Most merlot from Napa and other parts of California is blended with some cabernet sauvignon, and will taste less earthy than French versions, showcasing ripe black fruits, juicy plums, higher alcohol, and a supple body.

Washington State

Like cabernet sauvignon and syrah, merlot has found a happy home in Washington state. As with the other grapes, Washington tends to capture the best of both worlds in merlot by combining the opulent fruitiness of the New World with more of an Old World–like structure. This is a region to watch if you are a merlot lover.

Did You Know? The name merlot comes from an old French word meaning “little blackbird.” This title was probably given to the grape because its skins have a dark bluish black color.

Italy

Though certainly not considered a traditional Italian grape, merlot is producing some beautiful wines in Italy, from central Italy (Tuscany) and the very northeastern tip of the country (Friuli) as well as some breakout regions in the southern part of the country (Lazio) and (Campania).

RECOMMENDATIONS

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SANGIOVESE
THE ITALIAN ALL-STAR

/ san-gee-oh-VAZE-ee /

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Wine is an inescapable part of Italian culture. It seems every nook and cranny of the country is planted with vines, and there are an astonishing two thousand-something documented native grape varieties growing there. Little bitty Italy is the world’s second largest producer of wine, and the number-one consumer per capita. On average, Italians drink around seventy liters of wine each annually (about six times as much as Americans). But even with all this wine, there is one clear all-star: sangiovese.

Sangiovese is ancient. Its name literally translates to “blood of Jove,” leading historians to suspect that it predates the Etruscans. Although Tuscany has long been considered its home, and is the region that produces the most regal examples of this grape, sangiovese has traveled to almost every corner of Italy. Today, more than 10 percent of Italy’s vineyards are planted to the grape, and a huge range of flavors and quality exists. What you’ll always find in sangiovese, no matter where in Italy it’s grown, is bright, tangy acidity and the flavors of dusty earth, saddle leather, and dried sour cherries.

Sangiovese and Its Many Monikers

Because sangiovese has made itself at home in vineyards all over Italy, it has inherited a litany of regionally specific nicknames, the most prominent being brunello, prugnolo gentile, morellino, nielluccio, sanvicetro, and sangioveto. The nicknames probably emerged because sangiovese has a tendency to mutate easily. That is, it adapts to its environment. This subtle morphing means that over time, sangiovese has taken on slightly different attributes (like thicker or thinner skins) depending on where it grows.

MOST NOTABLE VERSIONS

brunello di Montalcino / brew-NELL-oh dee mon-tall-CHEE-no

One of Italy’s most esteemed wines, brunello di Montalcino is grown outside the charming Tuscan town of Montalcino and is always 100 percent sangiovese. Brunello literally means “little dark one”; the brunello clone of sangiovese is especially dark and rich. When this clone is planted in Montalcino’s particularly warm, dry climate and the wine is subjected to the region’s requirements for extended aging, it produces a powerful, stately version of sangiovese with more tannin, color, body, and richness than you’ll find anywhere else. Brunello di Montalcino offers ripe fruit flavors, as well as complex aromas of chocolate and violets. It is expensive and can age well for several decades. Some wine experts assert that great brunello does not even start to hit its stride until it’s been in the bottle for at least ten years.

Rosso di Montalcino / ROW-so dee mon-tall-CHEE-no

If brunello di Montalcino sounds delicious, but you’re on a budget, try Rosso di Montalcino, a younger, less prestigious wine made in a similar style. Like brunello, this wine is made from 100 percent sangiovese grapes and comes from the same town. The main difference is that Rosso di Montalcino wines are generally made from slightly less than exceptional grapes (the B team, if you will) and not aged nearly as long before release. These “baby brunellos,” as they are affectionately called, are lighter, fresher, and do not have the aging ability that their big brothers do. But they’re also usually about half the price.

Chianti / kee-AHN-tee

Chianti is no doubt Italy’s most famous wine. In this region, sangiovese has no nickname—it is actually called sangiovese—and it makes up 80 to 100 percent of the blend. (Today’s Chianti rules allow a handful of other indigenous grapes as well as cabernet sauvignon and merlot.) Although there is a very large range in quality, in general, most Chiantis are medium-bodied, with tangy acidity and dry tannin. Chianti Classico is a designation in which, by law, the grapes must come from the heart of the region. In good vintages, most producers make a riserva, or reserve, bottling. These are from the producer’s best grapes, have a fuller body, and are aged longer before release.

morellino di Scansano / more-ah-LEE-no dee scahn-SAH-no

A dry, fragrant and youthful version of sangiovese can be found as morellino (the local nickname) di Scansano (from the town of Scansano). Many people think that the nickname morellino was derived from the Italian word morello, or “brown,” a reference to the traditionally brown color of the Maremmano horses that also hail from this coastal Tuscan region. Alternatively, some think the name may have come from an association with the morello cherry, an almost inky-red cherry with tartness and acidity that is reminiscent of these wines. Typically, morellino di Scansano wines are good values.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano / VEE-no NO-bee-lay dee mon-the-pull-chee-AH-no

The “Noble Wine” of Montepulciano is one of Italy’s oldest documented wines. It was named “noble” because it was apparently a favorite of the noblemen of the seventeenth century. The sangiovese clone used for this wine is prugnolo gentile, and it usually makes up 80 to 100 percent of the blend. At its best, Vino Nobile is worthy of its name, and tastes like bright red fruit, plums, and toasty oak.

Did You Know? The gallo nero (black rooster) emblem you see adorning the neck of many Chianti Classico bottles is the symbol for the Consorzio del Vino Chianti Classico, an organization of producers formed to promote quality and awareness of the region. Theoretically, the mark should be an indication of supreme quality; in reality, it’s not a guarantee.

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ZINFANDEL
THE GOOD-TIME GRAPE

/ ZIN-fan-del /

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Zinfandel is jolly. It is a grape that makes unapologetically full-throttle wines that are high in alcohol and rich with color, fruit, and life. Zinfandel is big and exuberant, and never too serious or stuffy. Even the most venerated versions of the grape would never be called graceful; rather, their charm is that they seem to surge with joyfulness and an indulgent hedonism. Along with warm spices like black pepper, clove, and sandalwood, the ripest fruit flavors—raisins, prunes, and blackberries bursting with juice—are what zinfandel is all about.

Zinfandel is less aristocratic than the other grapes in this chapter—it lacks a regal pedigree. In fact, up until very recently, it was considered California’s bastard grape. Zinfandel was everywhere (it accounts for about 10 percent of the state’s planted acres) but nobody knew where it had come from. Recent DNA studies have proved that it is genetically identical to Italy’s primitivo grape and also a grape from Croatia, crljenak kaštelanski (tsurl-YEN-ak kash-tel-AHNski). Try saying that three times fast. So now it has a bit of ancestry, albeit obscure.

The antielitist grape comes with a bonus—its antielitist price. With a couple of outrageous exceptions (seriously, like two), most zinfandels are very reasonably priced, and even the best almost never top fifty dollars.

MOST NOTABLE VERSIONS

Not only is Zinfandel distinctly American but it is distinctly Californian, and finds its most happy habitats in the warmest corners of the state.

Sonoma County

The northern and most inland areas of Sonoma County are the ones known for producing exceptional zinfandel. Away from coastal fog, Dry Creek and Sonoma Valleys are the appellations most identified with the grape. In Sonoma’s rural landscape, zinfandel grows extra brawny alongside apricot, peach, prune, and olive orchards.

Napa Valley

Napa is colossally partial to cabernet sauvignon, but you can find tiny pockets of zinfandel grown in most of its appellations. Zinfandel grown in Napa tends to be more expensive than Sonoma, and something about the Napa terroir brings out the grape’s chocolaty character.

Paso Robles

Paso Robles is serious about zinfandel. The city has even been hosting an annual festival celebrating the grape for more than twenty years. Paso zin is intense, bold, and spicy.

Sierra Foothills

Due to vast elevation differences and growing conditions, a range of zinfandel styles are produced within this rugged appellation. Some are over-the-top fruit versions, while others are a bit more cabernet-like, with lots of tannin.

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SYRAH
THE DARK AND MYSTERIOUS ONE

/ sih-RAH /

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Syrah is a grape capable of making complex, substantial, and sophisticated wines. At their best, the wines can be sinewy and powerful yet generously warm and round, with a rainbow of bold flavors: leather, black and blue fruit, smoke, tar, roasted meats, pepper, and spice. Syrah’s origins are somewhat shrouded. Some believe the grape was brought to France from the region that is modern-day Iran as early as 600 B.C., while others remain adamant that it is native to France. Either way, the grape’s heartland is inarguably France’s Rhône Valley, and it is now also well established in Australia and North America. George Saintsbury, British scholar and wine critic, once remarked, “Syrah is the manliest wine I’ve ever drunk.” I agree. Syrah is a burly, rugged sort of manly, and decidedly not for the faint of heart.

SYRAH = SHIRAZ Syrah and shiraz are exactly the same grape. When the French traveled to South Africa in the 1700s, syrah was one of the grapes they brought with them. In Africa, the grape was renamed “shiraz.” Later, this same grape was taken from South Africa to Australia and the Aussies kept the shiraz name. Typically, it is called syrah in North America. Occasionally you may see a wine from California or Washington state that is labeled shiraz. Generally you can expect these to be made in an ultra-jammy Australian style.

SYRAH ≠ PETITE SIRAH For many years, people were confused about the exact relationship between syrah and petite sirah. Consumers had a tendency to get them mixed up, and for justifiable reason: Both grapes have the capacity to make massive, bold wines with lots of fruit and spice. Through extensive DNA research at the University of California, Davis, one of the most prestigious schools of viticulture, scientists discovered that the grape we call petite sirah, most often found in California and South America, is actually durif, an ancient French variety. Accounts of durif date back to around 1870 in the Rhône Valley of France, and show that this grape was a crossing (or cross-pollination) of syrah and another Rhône grape, peloursin. Petite sirah does not have the regality that syrah does, but it remains relatively important in both North and South America, where it produces fairly tannic, well-colored, sturdy wines. Petite sirah is often used to give a little oomph to less-than-oomphy zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, and even pinot noir.

MOST NOTABLE VERSIONS

Northern Rhône Valley, France

In the menacingly steep hillsides of the Northern Rhône, where it would be too cold to grow this grape if not for the southeastern-facing slopes, syrah reaches its most dramatic potential. The wines from the appellations of Côte Rôtie (literally “roasted slope”) and Hermitage are ageworthy wines that are usually made up of 100 percent syrah, although winemakers there sometimes add a tiny bit of white wine in the blend for added fragrance and complexity. Tastewise, syrah from the Rhône Valley has lots of tannin and a serious gamy, leathery grip. Cornas is a lesser known Rhône appellation, comprising 100 percent syrah, which is typically a great value; it has all the smoky, rough-hewn meat-like taste of Côte Rôtie and Hermitage—at about half the price.

Australia

Syrah is called shiraz here and pronounced “SHEEEE-raz,” with a thick Australian accent. Many people associate Australia’s version of the grape with the mass-produced, lackluster wines of huge corporations, but more and more small-production, handcrafted wines are now being imported into the United States. The best accentuate the grape’s warm blueberry jam, chocolate, and spice character.

California

Although syrah grows contentedly all over California, it is defining an especially compelling niche in the viticultural areas of the middle and southern Central Coast. In the late 1980s, a visionary group of winemakers calling themselves the Rhône Rangers set out to plant Rhône varietals (namely syrah, grenache, mourvèdre, and viognier) in this area. Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande Valley, Santa Maria Valley, and Santa Ynez Valley are all Central Coast homes to syrah, a grape that is helping to call more attention to these appellations.

Washington State

Washington syrahs may be somewhat new, but recent vintages show immense promise. The best are intense, with a dark core of fruit and a lovely mineral component. They are undoubtedly American in taste, but somehow demonstrate more grace than many of their California cousins.

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