Wine Atlas

Why try to develop fruit characteristics in wine when you can make wine of the real thing, asks organic fruit winemaker Malcolm Hadlum.

"You hear wine experts say they love the raspberry taste of a pinot or the plum flavour in a cabernet," he says. "That may be so, but have they ever considered trying wine made of the real fruit."

Hadlum, who makes wine from plums, apples, feijoas and ginger, as well as cider from apples and mead from honey, at his winery beside Lake Horowhenua, has a thought- provoking view of winemaking.

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Hunter Martin, a retired former oil executive in Houston, for years was unable to enjoy one of his favorite wines at home - a chardonnay from the Peter Michael Winery in Sonoma County. That's because he lived in Texas, which banned out-of-state wineries from shipping directly to its residents, and he couldn't find the prized chardonnay in local wine shops.

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Don't miss: Panarroz 2004 Jumilla, Spain $10

Style: Full-flavored, hedonistic, with tons of dark berry fruit. An easy entree into the stunning values of Spain.

"Panarroz" is a brand name for this Monastrell blend (aka Mourvèdre, in France). It's made at Bodegas Olivares, a large facility in Jumilla (hoo-MEE-yah), a growing region in Spain's arid southeast. Jumilla's vineyards are at very high elevations; the huge swings between daytime and nighttime temperatures help preserve the grapes' acidity. The wine contains a good portion of Garnacha (France's Grenache) and Syrah, as well as a little Tempranillo. It's un-oaked, made and aged in neutral vats. This accentuates the intense dark berry fruit. The nose is a hedonistic delight, with violet scents. The palate is fruity and tannic, big but not clumsy.

Monastrell reigns in the southeastern regions of Jumilla and Yecla. It is usually dry-farmed (unirrigated) and produces reds with a spectacular deep color and dense texture. In southern French blends, as "Mourvèdre," it gives alcohol, color and "meatiness." Young-minded Spanish winemakers are playing with Monastrell-Cabernet and Monastrell-Syrah blends.

Where to purchase: Metro Detroit wine shops. It's imported by Handpicked Selections. If you can't find it, contact Wines of Distinction by e-mail: kornvino@earthlink.net.

Continue reading: detnews.com

Proving that this city's out of the doldrums and back to its leading position as restaurant capital of Asia, good things are happening around town. A surge of investment and confidence in Hong Kong's restaurant and bar scene has also seen the introduction of some super wines. The most notable come from Spain, South and Western Australia and the grape-growing gem of South Africa: Stellenboch.

First of the snazzy venues to dazzle diners on Kowloon side is undoubtedly Spoon at the Intercontinental in Tsim Sha Tsui. The brain-child of Spoon's very accomplished sommelier Thomas Scheidt, the regular wine menu already reads like a wine connoisseur's dream, and his latest way of encouraging wine enjoyment is just brilliant: the Wine Explorer Tasting Corner.

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By Shelley Mann Staff Writer shelley.mann@gwinnettdailypost.com

There’s no shame in not knowing the difference between merlot and cabernet. Wine aficionados and novices alike can learn everything they ever wanted to know about wine at the Wine South festival, which returns to the Gwinnett Center on Saturday and Sunday with lots of open-air wine seminars and demonstrations on cooking with wine, said festival founder Dan Thompson.

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Abramovich rumoured to be considering buying a vineyard (ANSA) - Spoleto, September 18 - The Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich could be planning to extend his business interests from soccer and oil into wine, according to reports from this central Italian town .

Abramovich, best known as the boss of British soccer champions Chelsea, has stopped at several of Italy's top wine cellars during a visit in recent days .

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New Zealand wines have scooped 15 gold medals in the prestigious International Wine Challenge.

The awards are run by the Wine International magazine and involve more than 9000 wines from around the world.

Spokesperson for New Zealand Winegrowers Chris Yorke said local wines won twice as many awards this year than last with eight of the golds going to red wines.

Yorke said two New Zealand wines also received trophies, the Sileni Estates Cellar Selection for the best sauvignon blanc and the St Clair Doctors Creek for best pinot noir.

New Zealand was the only still wine producing country to increase its gold medal count at this years event, Yorke said.

With all the concerns over the status of French wines, it’s a great time to be a consumer. First they were giving away wine in the streets, now supermarket wine buyers in France are getting insane deals on top French wines. Decanter reports that while it used to be that good wines weren’t sold in supermarkets now supermarkets are selling top chateaux such as Margaux, Mouton Rothschild, Sociando Mallet and Cos d’Estournel at deep discounts. High end wine sales have increased as the French snap up the deals(...)

Continue reading: luxist.com

Theo gets to grips, or should that be sips, with white wines from Alsace.

Well, after my last installment about the way to buy expensive which cannot be drunk for at least two years, I thought I'd offer some advice on wines that are as far from en-primeur Bordeaux as you can get. The wines in this article are white, available now, admirably affordable and will only prove to be a good investment if every other wine region on the planet goes up in smoke. Yes, I’m talking about Alsace.

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''__Bodegas Rejadorada, acogida a la Denominación de Origen del Vino de Toro, ha conseguido dos premios en el concurso internacional 'Mundus Vini', celebrado en la ciudad alemana de Neusdadt. El jurado de este prestigioso certamen ha concedido una Medalla de Oro al vino 'Sango 2001' y una Medalla de Plata al 'Rejadorada roble 2.003'. __''

Esta bodega recibió ayer la comunicación oficial en la que el comité organizador informaba de la concesión de los premios con los que reconoce la calidad de los vinos presentados por la bodega toresana a la cata oficial de este concurso.

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With cries of 'vive le France' and 'hier kom die Bokke!' 10 Western and Northern Cape wine farm workers this week set-off for the Burgundy wine region in France to receive theoretical and practical education about the Burgundian wine industry, producers of some of the most famous red and white wines in the world.

The two month excursion is part of an exchange programme between the local governments of the Western Cape and Burgundy that annually sees 10 South African wine farm workers visiting France to broaden their horizons and to expose them to a famous wine culture.

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The country's Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée classification system, around since 1935, is creaking under its own weight

Believe it or not, even the French have trouble picking out wine. Like non-French consumers, our Gallic friends are known to scan the wine aisle, glassy-eyed, wondering what is what, what goes well with what, and what is any good at all. Incroyable, non?

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Wines of Argentina has announced a new managing director in Argentina. Fernando Farré will be responsible for co-ordinating all aspects of the Wines of Argentina campaign worldwide in the new role.

Continue reading: just-drinks.com

Hail Vouvray, Aristocrat of the wine world

Just as The Aristocrats is the dirty joke that comedians tell each other after the punters have gone home, Vouvray is the tipple of choice among sommeliers once the ties have come off at the end of the evening.

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Southern Oregon's 2005 World Of Wine Festival Takes Place September 10

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