Non-traditional varietal wines are kind of "in" these days…as you’ve probably noticed. Shelves are stocked with not just Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, or red blends, but with varietals many people are not so familiar with. This includes varietals such as Mourvedre, Tempranillo, Cabernet Franc, Grenache,and…Malbec.
"This is a Rhône-style wine." You've heard the line before, but the definition of a Rhône-style wine can vary and calls for some discussion. As always, we're here to bolster your vino knowledge. So grab your corkscrews and let's go Rhône!
Pinot Blanc (or Pinot Bianco) is a semi-dry white wine that is often compared to Chardonnay. It is typically crisp and refreshing and, depending on where it's made, it can be sweet or have nutty flavors. It's very common for winemakers to use the Pinot Blanc grape when making sparkling and sweet dessert wines as well.
In the early 19th Century, the variety was introduced to the United States, under the name Zinfandel. It proved extremely successful there, earning a reputation as the American 'national grape'. It caused significant consternation on both sides of the Atlantic when DNA analysis proved that Zinfandel and Primitivo were the same variety.
Unfortunately, as you travel the world, and even up the California coast, you find that wine tasting can be a bit stiff. You often find yourself feeling belittled by wine snobbery. You just don’t feel at home. To help remedy that problem, here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when you are away from your home - A Taste of Monterey.
Whether you call it a Rosé, a Blush, or a Rosado, what we are talking about here are pink wines. Unfortunately, these wines have a bad reputation that stems back from Sutter Home’s introduction of their White Zinfandel in the late 1970’s. Many people think of pink wines as cheap, sweet and thin and refer to them as a ‘starter wines’. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Simply stated, the popularity of these pink-tinted wines is on the rise.
Cima Collina roughly translates as “hill top,” and there’s really no better way to describe the quality Cima Collina winery produces. Here at A Taste of Monterey, we are excited to have Cima Collina represented as one of Monterey County’s top wineries. A quote from winemaker, Annette Hoff, truly reflects the character and approach of the winery.
Albariño is a white varietal most often associated with Spanish wines. The majority of the world’s Albariño grapes are grown in Spain and made into Spanish wines as either varietal wines or white blends. But the varietal is not limited to Spain. It’s grown prolifically in Portugal, and is growing in popularity in new world growing regions such as Australia and California.
If one compares the wine grape growing process to a novel, the harvest is by far the denouement of the story. This is the point where the developing plot of the story (in our analogy here, this would be the development of the grapes on the vines) fully comes to light (seen here as the picking of the grapes that will ultimately be turned into wine).