Wine Atlas

As noted yesterday, the week of 4th of July is prime time for wine bargains. And his week’s email special at Arrowine is one of those great buying opportunities, particularly if you like to buy good, Spanish reds by the case.

Sabor Real Toro 2006, from the excellent Spanish growing area of Toro is 100% old-vines tempranillo. The warm Toro climate – where the hot days and cold nights are said to help grow smaller grapes with thicker skins (for a higher skin to juice ratio) – makes for wines of considerable color, flavor, power and longevity compared to tempranillo-based wines from the more famous Rioja region.

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WHEN Jock Tulloch hosted a tasting event to showcase his family's wines this year, he threw a party in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with a DJ, tapas and an upbeat vibe. "I didn't want anything stuffy," says the 31-year-old. "No sit-down dinner, long speeches or overdosing on technical jargon. Wine should be fun."

Jock's childhood friend Lisa McGuigan would thoroughly approve. She describes her Tempus Two wines, with their pewter labels and curvy bottles, as a "fashion accessory". "It's a girl thing," she says, "just like choosing what to wear to dinner. You pick your Prada handbag, but which wine will you take?"

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The city of Pensacola is gearing up to commemorate its 450th anniversary. In celebration of this historic time, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to feature the wine regions of Spain. Many other Spanish wines in the local market are unknown treasures made by small, independent family bodegas (wineries).

Some of the most influential importers of Spanish wines in this area are Jorge Ordonez and Classic Wines of Spain. Wines from these importers range in price from inexpensive to very pricey, but all offer solid quality and value.

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Napa Valley wine maker who transformed the reputation of American wines by striving to enhance subtleties of flavour

Robert Mondavi, who died on Friday aged 94, played a leading part in the widespread growth in admiration for American wines, especially for the wines of the Napa Valley, California, where in the 1960s he established the Robert Mondavi Winery and did much to improve the wines produced there.

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MADRID (EJP)--- The fifth Sephardic Conference of La Rioja, which took place in San Millán and the Wine Museum Dinastía Vivanco, analyzed the role of wine in Jewish religion and culture last week.

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Anthony Terlato, head of The Terlato Wine Group, and French vintner Michel Chapoutier have announced the release of the inaugural wines from their Australian joint venture, Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier.

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You've heard of chick lit? Of course. But do you know junk lit? I do. I encounter it all the time. It's verbiage from people pretending to be experts, when all they're really doing is selling their spiel.

"Wines From Spain: Far From Ordinary Wine Guide 2005-2006" is decidedly not junk lit. It's a thoughtful, insightful, informative guide to the finest wines America imports from Spain, which is the world's third largest wine-producing country. The guide, published by Wines of Spain, spotlights history and winemaking laws and offers a comprehensive glossary of Spain's wine grapes as well as a thorough list of the country's disparate and intriguing wine regions. Best of all, it's got clearly written, user-friendly tasting notes written by one of the great wine minds in the world, Doug Frost, one of three wine pros in the world to attain both master of wine and master sommelier honors.

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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

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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''__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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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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The Spanish revolution, in the qualities of its wine, started more than 30 years ago.

Modern wineries, modern winemaking techniques and a drive for high style have given Spain and its artisans (old and new) a lot to offer.

Along with its neighbor Portugal, Spain is offering more variety and bang for the buck than any European country.

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First they rehabilitated the metal screw cap. Long despised as a sure sign of cheap, nasty "brown-bag" wines, the new-and-improved screw-off closure is winning wide recognition as a sound alternative for sealing even the finest wines without the risk of "cork taint" that afflicts a non-trivial portion of wines closed with natural tree-bark cork.

What's next? Try the much-maligned glass jug.

The familiar glass-handled bottle has been part of the English language since 1538, and it has been widely used to carry liquids in quantity from spring water to Appalachian "mountain dew." As a wine container, though, its image is decidedly downscale, so much so that "jug wine" has become a dismissive synonym for inexpensive table wine of such low merit that wine snobs wouldn't even consider it.

But now come Charles Bieler, Joel Gott and Roger Scommegna, the self-described "three thieves," also known as "the liberators of fine wine." In 2003 they took advantage of California's wine glut to acquire a quantity of decent Zinfandel in bulk. They put it in jug bottles (with screw caps, of course), labeled it "Three Thieves," and quietly moved it into the market in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles...

Source : wineloverspage.com

It is an historical irony that the wines of Southern Italy have been piquing the interest of connoisseurs in recent years. In fact, the vineyards of Puglia, Sicily, Campania and Basilicata are some of the oldest and most productive on the face of the earth. When the Greeks first ventured into Italy centuries and centuries ago, they called the lower peninsula Oenotria, land of wine. But discerning imbibers are to be forgiven if they have paid less attention to this region in years past. The winemakers in the bottom of the boot have generally been more interested in quantity than quality, sending tankers of grape juice around the world to form the base of mass market wine products and wine-based beverages such as Vermouth.

There has been a sea change in the viticulture of the region in the past few years, with a growing number of vintners marketing their wares to a more sophisticated international market. Instead of trying to compete with the famous wines to the north, including Tuscany's Chianti, and the fabled reds of the Piedmont, Barolo and Barberesco, the new wave of Southern Italian wine makers are often embracing the traditions of the region. The climate there is warmer than is ideal for wine grapes, resulting in robust, fruity flavors that tend to lack the subtlety and layers of wines produced in cooler regions. But when the vintners resort to tenting vineyards to reduce the heat, or simply moving the plants to higher elevations, these grapes produce wines of unique and intriguing character.

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Five years ago, I predicted here that Spain would enjoy dramatic gains during this decade in consumer appreciation of its wines.

This prediction is faring quite well at this point, but Spain must now respond to a major new challenge.

In 2004, total Spanish wine sales in the United States were 72 percent higher than in 2000, according to U.S. Department of Commerce figures. A major obstacle has arisen, however, in the form of a steep decline in the value of the dollar against the euro. This has inevitably translated into higher shelf prices for all European products. Particular Spanish wines that looked inexpensive a couple of years ago now look notably less affordable.

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