Cariñena is the same grape as the French Carignan. As in France, it used only as a blending grape, giving additional alcohol and adding structure to the wine. In Rioja, it is called Mazuelo and is sometimes found in blends along with Tempranillo and Garnacha. It is also used in Priorato to blend with Garnacha, [...]
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Monastrell is the same grape as the French Mouvedre. Monastrell does very well in the harsh and hot Spanish climate and is very resistant to disease. It produces wines that are very high in alcohol and body, and have a great deal of color. Monastrell is the most common grape used in the DO’s of [...]
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Graciano is a blending grape native to Rioja. It is used to add aromatics, tannins, and acidity to Rioja wines. Its production is very small, accounting for only 4% of the total grapes grown in Rioja. It is usually found planted in between the other grape varietals in the vineyard. If you want to impress [...]
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Garnacha Tinta, which is the same grape as the French Grenache, is the most widely planted grape in Spain. It does well in the hot and arid areas so common to Spain. Garnacha is an important grape in many Rioja blends, and it is the primary grape in wine from Priorato. Garnacha produces a wine [...]
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Tempranillo is the most prestigous grape grown in Rioja and Ribeira del Duero in Spain. It produces less alcholic wines than garnacha and can age very well, especially when it is blended. Tempranillo benefits from a cooler climate and requires more rainfall than garnacha. It produces a full bodied wine that has a fair amount [...]
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Malbec is a grape that originally found its home in Cahors in France, but has since fallen largely out of favor there and has risen to fame in South America, particularly in Argentina. It is allowed to be used as a blending grape in Bourdeaux and the Loire, although it is rarely seen these days. [...]
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Sangiovese is Italy’s most planted grape. It’s at its best in Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. It has think skin and can be prone to rot. It can often have a long ripening season, with harvests in Tuscany often not coming until October. This makes a long-lived, high-alchohol wine in [...]
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Cabernet Franc is a cousin of Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s less intense than it’s cousin, softer in tannins, and ripens earlier. It’s historic homeland is in the Loire valley and the cooler damper soils of St-Emilion. In St-Emilion it’s planted to blend with Merlot, and in the Médoc and Graves it is planted as insurance in [...]
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If you’ve seen the movie Sideways, you know all about Pinot Noir. Right? As he says in the movie, Pinot Noir is a finicky grape, because it has very thin skins. It grows in tight bunches which historically made it susceptible to rot problems. Today this isn’t as big a problem because of improvements in [...]
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Syrah is a grape that traditionally comes from the Northern Rhône area of France. In most other parts of the world, it’s called Shiraz, which is the exact same grape. The Australians started calling their Syrah Shiraz, and their wines became so popular that the rest of the world for the most part has followed [...]
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