Monthly Archives: June 2020

Welcome to the World, Cowichan Valley GI!

  By admin | June 21, 2020 - 10:40 am |
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Good news from Vancouver Island, British Columbia (Canada)!

As of June 2020, the Cowichan Valley (48°46´N), located along the southeast coast of Vancouver Island, is a newly approved sub-geographical indication (sub-GI) of the Vancouver Island wine producing region.  The area surrounds the city of Duncan and extends from the coast between Maple Bay and Mill Bay (in the east), along Cowichan River to Cowichan Lake (to the west) and as far south as the village of Cobble Hill. (For those not too familiar with this part of North America, all of this is taking place off the west coast of British Columbia, Canada.)

The defined area covers approximately 350 square kilometers, with an estimated 60 to 70 hectares (150 to 175 acres) planted to vineyards.  Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir are the leading grape varieties, followed by Gewurztraminer, Ortega, and Bacchus. Hybrid grapes also thrive in the area. Many of these hybrids—including Petite Milo, Cabernet Foch, and Cabernet Libre—were created by Swiss grape geneticist Valentin Blattner and affectionately referred to as Blattners.  Grapes from the Cowichan Valley are used to produce sparkling wines—something of a specialty—and table wines (both dry and sweet).

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The cool, humid climate of the Cowichan Valley is largely influenced by the nearby ocean; although some Mediterranean-like features— such as cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers—are noted as well. In the western (inland) reaches of the area, vineyards are planted at elevations up to 250 meters (820 feet) above sea level.

Modern commercial viticulture in the Cowichan Valley dates to the early 1990s. Vignetti Zanatta—a converted dairy farm and Vancouver Island’s first estate winery—was founded here in 1992. At last count, there are more than a dozen wineries in the area, including Glenterra Vineyards, Blue Grouse Estate Winery, and Averill Creek Vineyard (among others).

The Cowichan Valley is named in honor of the First Nations Cowichan (Qu’wutsun) Tribe of Vancouver Island. There are over 3,800 registered members of the Cowichan Tribe living on Vancouver Island.

Welcome to the world, Cowichan Valley (sub) GI!

Cowichan Valley Map via BC Wine Authority

Cowichan Valley Map via BC Wine Authority

References/for more information:

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

At Long Last: Prosecco Rosé DOC!

  By admin | June 15, 2020 - 4:14 pm | ,
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Photo via: https://www.prosecco.wine

Photo via: https://www.prosecco.wine

Just in time for Valentine’s Day 2021, the world will have the pleasure of Prosecco in pink!

The drive to approve a rosé version of Prosecco DOC was begun back in 2018, when the consorzio first agreed to the proposal to revise the rules regarding the uber-popular bubbly from the Veneto. At that time, several Prosecco estates were producing pink versions of Glera-based sparkling wine, but they were unable to label the wine as Prosecco.

The newly-defined Prosecco Rosé must be produced using a base of Glera grapes that includes 10% to 15% Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir)—which must be fermented on the grape skins. Pinot Nero is the only red grape allowed, despite the fact that the area grows a wide range of red grapes—many of them used in other sparkling wines of the region—including Raboso and Merlot.

Other rules and regulations include the following:

  • The sweetness level/residual sugar can range from Brut Nature (less than 3 g/L RS) to Extra Dry (12 to 17 g/L RS)
  • The wine must be vintage-dated and labeled with the term Millesimato and the vintage year; a minimum of 85% of the wine must be from the stated vintage
  • The second fermentation must occur in a pressurized tank (Charmat method) and must last a minimum of 60 days
  • The wine may be released on January 1 of the year following the harvest
  • The wine should appear as light-to-bright pink, with a lively, persistent mousse
Photo via: https://www.prosecco.wine

Photo via: https://www.prosecco.wine

Much of the wine world declared Rosé Prosecco DOC “official” on May 21, 2020 when the Prosecco Consorzio announced that the proposal had been approved by Italy’s Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali (MIPAAF). As of this week (June 15, 2020 to be exact), the updated disciplinare has been published in the Official Journal of the Italian Republic, and national approval has been confirmed. (The modification will now head to the EU for “final, final” approval.)

Rosé Prosecco is only approved to be produced under the Prosecco DOC; it is not expected that the Prosecco DOCGs (Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG and Colli Asolani DOCG) will follow suit.

The first bottles of Rosé Prosecco are expected to be released on New Year’s Day in 2021—which might also be an excellent occasion for celebration.

Welcome to the world, Rosé Prosecco DOC!

References/for more information:

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

Big Corvina

  By admin | June 14, 2020 - 1:23 pm | ,
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Big CorvinaFor generations, it was assumed that Corvinone—the big-berried, dark blue-black grape grown sparsely throughout Veneto—was a roly-poly mutation of the locally renowned Corvina grape variety. Thus, it was given the name Corvinone—”big Corvina”—and tolerated for use (in limited quantities) alongside Corvina in some of the red wines of the region, namely the Valpolicellas and the Bardolinos.

However, in 1993, S. Cancellier and U. Angelini—as published in the Vignevini Journal of the University of Bologna—gave the world proof that Corvinone is a separate grape variety. Corvinone is, they stated, most likely related to Corvina, but distinct, nonetheless.

According to Italy’s Registro Nazionale delle Variet di Vite, Corvinone tends to break bud fairly late, experience medium timing in flowering and veraison, and is a medium-to-late ripener (germogliamento: tardiva, fioritura: media, invaiatura: media, naturazione: medio-tardiva). Both the bunches and the individual grape berries are noted for being large in size and distinctly larger than Corvina. Corvinone is quite able to respond to water stress and takes well to drying; for this reason, it often goes through the appassimento process for use in Amarone and Recioto.

I have never encountered a varietal Corvinone wine, although they are allowed (at least in theory) to be produced under the IGT Veneto, IGT Vallagarina, or IGT Verona.  These wines might show the typical primary aromas of Corvinone, including red and black fruits such as cherry, raspberry, and blackberry; floral notes (violet), cocoa, and tobacco.

We are not quite sure from where the name Corvina, and thus Corvinone, is derived. However, many experts suggest that the grapes were named for their dark blue-black color, reminiscent of the color of the feathers of a raven (corvo in Italian).

For super-advanced students of wine: Late last year, the disciplinari for the wines of Valpolicella (Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG, Valpolicella DOC,  and Valpolicella Ripasso DOC) were all revised to allow 45% to 95% Corvina OR Corvinone grapes in the wines. You might recall that, up until this change, the allowed amount of Corvinone was limited to no more than 50% of the amount of Corvina used. This limitation has been now removed for all the variants of Valpolicella. The allowance for Bardolino DOC and Bardolino Superiore DOCG remains unchanged for now (35% to 80% Corvina, of which 20% may be replaced by Corvinone).

References/for more information:

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

Welcome to the World, Île-de-France PGI!

  By admin | June 8, 2020 - 8:36 pm | ,
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Photo of Clos Montmartre by Par Son of Groucho via Wikimedia Commons

Photo of Clos Montmartre by Par Son of Groucho via Wikimedia Commons

On May 25, 2020, France’s Bulletin Officiel du Ministère de l’Agriculture et de l’Alimentation (Official bulletin of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food) announced the approval of the Île-de-France Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for red, white, and rosé wines.

Wine produced from grapes grown anywhere within the Île de France administrative region will be eligible. Aisne, a department located in the neighboring Hauts-de-France region is also included in the defined area. More specifically, the Île de France PGI includes five sub-appellations:

  • Coteaux de Blunay—covering the commune of Melz-sur-Seine, located on the eastern border of the Île de France (about 50 miles southeast of Paris)
  • Coteaux de Suresnes-Mont-Valérien—Suresnes is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, located about 9 km/5.3 miles from the Paris city center
  • Coteaux de Provins—covering the commune of Provins, located about 10 miles northwest of Melz-sur-Seine
  • Guérard—covering the communes of communes de Guérard, Tigeaux et Crécy-la-Chapelle (located about 28 miles west of Paris, and just a few miles from Disneyland Paris)
  • Paris—covering the city of Paris, including its famous Montmarte Vineyard
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A long list of grape varieties are permitted—33 white varieties, 8 pink (gris/rose) varieties, and 30 red varieties. Most or all of the grapes you would think of as typical French varieties—including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc, Gamay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc—are included in the list. Some unique grapes—such as Meslier Saint-François, Chasselas, Mûller-Thurgau, Romorantin, and César. (For a complete list, see the Cahier des Charges, linked below.)

The Île-de-France  PGI title is approved for still (non-sparkling) wines and includes allowances for primeur or nouveau wines to be released on the third Thursday of November (of the harvest year).

Wine-producing vineyards in and around the city of Paris were widespread in the 18th century and at one time occupied 42,000 hectares (103,000 acres) of land. These vineyards all but disappeared after the Second World War; but were brought back to life in 1933 with the planting of 2,00 vines in the Clos de Montmartre vineyard. Clos de Montmartre—the famous “urban vineyard” of Paris—is located on the north side of the Hill of Montmartre just a short walk from the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre.

Later—in 1965—the Municipal Vineyard of Suresnes/Clos-du-Pas Saint Maurice was replanted on the crest of Mont-Valérien, just across the Seine River from the Bois de Boulogne Park in Paris’ 16th arrondissement. Today, the vineyard produces an average of 4,500 bottles of white wine per year and is an under-the-radar “find” for smart (or lucky) tourists.

With this announcement, we can be certain to find PGI wines from the Île-de-France in our local neighborhood wine shops soon (that is, as long as your local neighborhood wine shop is located somewhere in or close to Paris).

Welcome to the World, Île-de-France PGI!

References/for more information:

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

Welcome to the World Tualatin Hills and Laurelwood District AVAs!

  By admin | June 3, 2020 - 10:02 am | ,
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Today—June 3, 2020—the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) of the United States announced the establishment of two new American Viticultural Areas (AVAs): Tualatin Hills AVA and Laurelwood District AVA.

These new AVAs are located within entirely Oregon’s Willamette Valley AVA. This brings to total of Willamette Valley sub-appellations to 9; the total number of Oregon AVAs to 21, and the total number of AVAs in the United States to 248.

The Laurelwood District AVA lies entirely within the previously established Chehalem Mountains AVA; and is located along its northeastern boundary.  Foremost among the region’s distinguishing features is the predominance of the Laurelwood soil type. Laurelwood soil is an ancient wind-blown (loess) soil that dates to the Pleistocene era (typically dated from 2.580 million to 11,700 years BCE). During this period, a thick mantel of silt was blown into the eastern slopes of the Chehalem Mountains, forming deep, well-drained soils located at elevations between 200 to 1,500 feet (61 to 457 m).

The total surface area of the Laurelwood District AVA covers approximately 33,600 acres; of these, approximately 975 are planted to vine. There are just over 25 wineries and 70 commercial vineyards located in the new AVA. Principals from Ponzi Vineyards and Dion Vineyards championed the original petition and successful establishment of the Laurelwood District AVA.

The Tualatin Hills AVA is located within the larger Willamette Valley AVA, covering roughly 144,000 acres in what could be described as a U-shaped area in the Willamette Valley’s northwest corner.  The boundaries of the AVA are defined by the watershed of the Tualatin River and ranges from 200 to 1,000 feet (61 to 305 m) in elevation. The Tualatin Hills are the only place outside of the Laurelwood AVA where Laurelwood soils dominate the landscape.

The Tualatin Hills AVA is currently planted to just over 860 acres of vines and is home to more than 21 wineries and 33 commercial vineyards.  Principals from Montinore Estate, Apolloni Vineyards, and David Hill Vineyard and Winery were among the leading proponents for the petition and establishment of the Tualatin Hills AVA.

Welcome to the World Tualatin Hills and Laurelwood District AVAs!

Map via the original petition, as submitted to the TTB: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=TTB-2019-0003

Map via the original petition, as submitted to the TTB: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=TTB-2019-0003

References/for more information:

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