Monthly Archives: April 2020

Dispatch from Rueda

  By admin | April 9, 2020 - 9:19 am |
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Graphic via: https://www.dorueda.com/es/

Graphic via: https://www.dorueda.com/es/

Quite a few changes have been made to the rules and regulations that define the wines of DO Rueda.

Rueda, located in Castilla y León (in northwest Spain), lies along the Duero River—slightly to the west of Ribera del Duero.  The area is best-known for its crisp, dry, white wines based on the Verdejo grape, which comprise over 90% of the region’s total production.

The main changes to the Pliego de Condiciones for the Rueda DO, to be reflected as of the 2020 vintage, are as follows:

Rueda Blanco: Previously, the region produced several different white wines, including Rueda Blanco (based on a minimum of 50% Verdejo), Rueda Verdejo (min. 85% Verdejo), and Rueda Sauvignon (min. 85% Sauvignon Blanc). These three products will be replaced by a single version—to be known as merely as Rueda (Blanco). This new version of Rueda Blanco must contain a minimum of 50% (combined) Verdejo and/or Sauvignon Blanc; the remainder may contain Viura, Palomino Fino, Viognier, and/or Chardonnay. (Viognier and Chardonnay are newly approved varieties for the region.)

Rueda Tinto: Red wines make up a tiny proportion of the output of the Rueda DO. Rueda Tino is a Tempranillo-based wine that may also contain Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. As a result of the recent changes, Syrah is now allowed as well.

Rueda Pálido DO: Biologically aged, fortified wines (similar to the flor-influenced styles of Sherry) are another traditional specialty of the Rueda region; however, such wines were not included in the previous line-up of Rueda DO-approved wines. This has now been remedied with the approval of the “new” category of Rueda Pálido DO. Rueda Pálido DO is a dry, fortified wine produced using the Palomino Fino and Verdejo grape varieties. The wine must be bottled at a minimum of 15% abv and be oak-aged in the presence of film-forming yeast for a minimum of three years. The resulting wine is expected to the “straw yellow to pale golden color, with aromas and flavor of yeast, marzipan, dried fruit, and roasted apple.”

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Vino Espumoso Gran Añada: The Rueda DO is approved for sparkling wine—vino espumoso—although it is rarely seen outside of Europe. A new aging designation—Gran Añada—has been approved for sparkling wines with a minimum of 36 months of lees aging.

Two other new categories—Gran vino de Rueda (implying “old vines” of at least 30 years of age) and Vino de Pueblo (made from the grapes of a specific municipality)—are also part of the new plan.

Rueda Dorado: Another product rarely seen outside of Spain, is a vino de licor (fortified wine) known as Rueda Dorado. Rueda Dorado must be produced using Palomino Fino and Verdejo grapes and bottled at a minimum of 15% abv. In addition, it must be aged for at least four years, including two in the barrel; this aging process earns the wine its golden (dorado) color and nutty, oxidative aromas and flavors. (Rueda Dorado was not affected by the recent regulatory changes, but we thought it was interesting enough to include in our list.)

The updates to the Pliego de Condiciones for the Rueda DO were first proposed in early 2019. By July they had been approved by the local Consejo Regulador and sent to Spain’s of Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for further approvals. The proposal was published in Spain’s Boletín Oficial del Estado and approved by the European Union in March of 2020. Official at last!

References/for more information:

Post authored by Jane A. Nickles…your blog administrator: jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org

New Rules Adopted for US Wine, Beer, and Spirits

  By admin | April 1, 2020 - 2:09 pm | ,
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At long last, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) of the United States  has finalized a new set of rules, known as the “Modernization of the Labeling and Advertising Regulations for Wine, Distilled Spirits, and Malt Beverages.” This rule was published today (April 1, 2020) and goes into effect on May 3. The original proposal was first announced in November of 2018 and has gone through several rounds of (often cantankerous) public comment and debate.

One of the most debated (and certainly most controversial) parts of the proposed new regulations sought to limit the definition of oak barrels (as used in the aging of distilled spirits) to only include cylindrical drums of approximately 50 gallons. During the public comment periods, the TTB received nearly 700 comments on this issue, almost all of which expressed opposition. The proposal was seen to limit the creativity of distillers that prefer to use smaller—or differently-shaped—barrels and to incur a financial barrier to entry as well. The good news is that this part of the proposal was NOT adopted into the final rule.

The majority of the new rules apply to the production, process of label approvals, importation, and distribution of alcoholic beverages. However, there are many parts of the new rules that are of interest to wine and spirits professionals as well as enthusiasts. Some of these changes are discussed below.

Vodka: The definition of vodka has been updated to read as follows: “Vodka” is neutral spirits which may be treated with up to two grams per liter of sugar and up to one gram per liter of citric acid. Products to be labeled as vodka may not be aged or stored in wood barrels at any time except when stored in paraffin-lined wood barrels and labeled as bottled in bond. (The requirement for US vodka to be “without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color” will be rescinded.)

Agave Spirits: Agave Spirits (as a class of products) have been defined (for the first time in the US). The new definition reads as follows: “Agave spirits” are distilled from a fermented mash, of which at least 51 percent is derived from plant species in the genus Agave and up to 49 percent is derived from other sugars. Agave spirits must be distilled at less than 95 percent alcohol by volume (190° proof) and bottled at or above 40 percent alcohol by volume (80° proof). Tequila and Mezcal are specifically defined as products of Mexico, made in compliance with the laws and regulations of Mexico.

Triple-distilled(?): Tighter restrictions on claims of the “number of times distilled” were implemented. According to the new rules, a distillation means a single run through a pot still or a single run through a column of a column still. Previously, some distillers claimed one “distillation run” for each plate found in a column still (as in “distilled one hundred times!”).

The document outlining these new rules is several hundred pages in length, but if you have the time and the fortitude, check it out for yourself here.

References/for more information:

We’ll be keeping an eye on the news concerning these new laws as they develop!!