The truth is, however, that Tannat is somewhat the “heritage grape” of Uruguay — a region I’ve only recently began to explore through various media tasting events. After reading my take on Tannat, I was quickly put into contact with Artesana, a boutique estate winery located in the Canelones region of Uruguay. They, too, are deserving of a noteworthy title, as the creative women who run the winery are (as far as we know) the only in the world to create a unique “TMZ” blend — Tannat blended with Merlot and Zinfandel (the latter varietal being the unexpected ingredient). And so it is high time we take a look at the single-varietal expression of Tannat, straight out of the country the grape now calls home.
It makes sense that Zinfandel has gained a reputation as California’s “heritage grape.” For many years, Zinfandel’s exact origins remained a mystery, or, as Jancis Robinson calls it, “a romantic thriller.” The red grape seemed to have made the trek and set fresh roots in the Golden State in conjunction with the forty-niners seeking their fortune in gold. Here, when the search for treasure proved fruitless, settlers turned to farming — and the Zinfandel grape thrived more than the Gold Rush ever could. Fields of vines flourished throughout the Sierra Foothills, and wine — namely jug wine — became a household staple and a new California industry.
With no known parentage and no knowledge of how the red wine grape arrived in the States in the first place — Zinfandel became California’s “wine child.”
Lester and Linda Schwartz discovered their love of wine in their native homeland of Cape Town, South Africa. A lawyer and an artist, respectively, the couple found themselves living in California, and it wasn’t long before Lester got the itch to build himself a countryside home reminiscent of his roots. So they purchased a plot of naked land along the craggy cliffs of the Pacific Ocean in what would eventually become the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA. The couple custom-built their own home, featuring traditional South African architecture; just a few years later they planted their first grapevine rootstocks and saw near immediate success. Alongside legendary winemaker Jeff Pisoni, today Lester and Linda craft beautiful Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and — as a nod to their heritage — Pinotage. (Fun fact: Lester and Linda were the first private grape growers to import Pinotage vine cuttings.)
Made famous by the movie Sideways, Pinot Noir has become the favored wine in popular culture. But Miles wasn’t kidding when he said it’s a difficult grape to grow. It’s thin-skinned, susceptible to disease, and can’t bare too much sun-exposure. And because of this fragile quality, Pinot Noir has become known as the “headache” grape amongst vintners. But if those vintners practice patience, and pay attention to those tight clusters and petite buds, it will produce a red wine that speaks eloquently of soft tannins and subtle fruits. Indeed, it is the great grape of Burgundy, used in such famous wines as Pommapd, Nuits-St-Georges, Gevrey-Chambertin, and is one of the primary grapes used in traditional Champagne. Now a staple single-varietal in the New World winemaking culture, our New World has its own Pinot Noir voice expressed differently from region to region.
It may have taken awhile, but Canadian wine is on the rise. Yet many wine consumers — including those inside Canada — are unfamiliar with what’s being produced. Undoubtedly, when one thinks of Canadian wine, one can’t help but think of the sweet icewines the country is known for. But I’m here to tell you that modern Canada is much more than icewines. Indeed, just within the past fifteen to twenty years, the production of dry still wines has increased, and today many of these wines can stand up amongst the best New World producers.
Courtesy of NatalieMaclean.com
The history of Canadian wine starts out as many of North America’s wine regions do — with missionaries planting grapes to create sacramental wine. But there were many economical, social, and political barriers that prevented the success of any kind of wine industry. So it wasn’t until the late 1980s and early 1990s that the country saw a modern wine movement. And it wasn’t until about 2003 to 2013 that the country saw an increase in grapes planted and wineries established, creating a real name for Canadian wine.
And so it is that Canada is probably the newest of the New World of wine — and still quite small. According to Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible, as of 2012 there were only 29,000 acres of vines planted in the entirety of the Canadian country — that’s less than a third of what’s planted in California’s Napa Valley alone. Part of the reason may be the unique — undeniably cold — climate known to Canada’s main wine regions.
To reference Karen MacNeil again, she describes Canadian wine regions as “refrigerated sunlight:” cool, sunny, and mostly dry. This makes it a thriving environment for white wines: Gewurtraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Vidal Blanc, Viognier, and even Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. When it comes to red wines, Pinot Noir is the reigning king — although I would make the argument for Gamay as prince to that throne — with scattered plantings of Bordeaux varieties, and the lone Rhone, Syrah.
Courtesy of winesofcanada.ca
Grape growing in Canada is most common in British Columbia, southern Ontario, and Nova Scotia. But the three largest wine regions are inside British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Okanagan boasts about 82% of the province’s total wine production and is Canada’s second largest wine-producing region. For that reason, I’m going to focus on this area for the time being.
East of Vancouver, Okanagan stretches from about 100 miles north of the Canadiana–American border from Washington state. A point of pride for the up-and-coming wine region is that its exact location is between the 49th and 50th parallel north — meaning it’s within the same latitude as such major wine region players as Champagne and Rheingau. (See the above map.)
Courtesy of theguardian.com; There are seven Okanagan viticultural regions: Lake Country/North Okanagan, Kelowna-Central Okanagan, West Kelowna-Mount Boucherie, Summerland-Peachland, Penticton-Naramata, Okanagan Falls, Oliver/Golden Mile and Black Sage/Osoyoos.
Here the climate is mostly continental, but temperatures are kept low due to the Okanagan Lake and its connected bodies of water. Additionally, the Cascade and Coast Mountains shield the area from excessive rain. So, as Karen MacNeil said: it’s dry, sunny, but considerably (and to the benefit of the grapes consistently) cool.
Of course, like with any other valley, Okanagan vineyards will experience diverse microclimates depending where along the valley floor or valley walls they grow. Thus, the region is home to over 60 grape varieties. And styles span the whole spectrum: sweet, sparkling, still, fortified, dessert and — yes — icewines.
For this Canadian experiment I’m sticking to varieties that I am most familiar with from a winemaker from BC’s Okanagan Valley.(Links will become live as the reviews are published.)
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Courtesy of the International Wine and Food Society
