A few basic guidelines to help you select a bottle that suits your personal preferences can go a long way.

That’s why Dune Wines has compiled a list of the seven most common wine types with a brief description of the flavor profile for each.

1. Chardonnay

Chardonnay is the most popular white wine in the world. This full-bodied white wine is made from green-skinned chardonnay grapes that grow in almost every major wine region on the continent.

Although the grapes tend to be neutral in flavor, they easily take on other characteristics depending on where they are grown and how they are matured. People love chardonnay because it is easy-to-sip and has low acidity.

Chardonnay can have aromas of tropical fruit, butter, and citrus – which makes it a perfect pairing for scallops or lobster in a cream sauce.

2. Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is a light-bodied white wine that usually has subtle scents of grapefruit, herbs, or asparagus. It is one of the most popular white wines in the world.

The flavor profile of Sauvignon Blanc stands out due to its pronounced fruitiness, but the flavor varies in intensity depending on where the grapes are grown.

Its clean, acidic flavors complement light meals like green vegetables, chicken, pork, and fish with herbs.

3. Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris

Pinot Grigio – also known as Pinot Gris – is a light to medium-bodied white wine. Pinot Grigio’s aromas are typically reminiscent of honeysuckle, peach, citrus, and apple. This wine is usually crisp, dry, and light on the palate.

Pinot Grigio’s zingy acidity and pleasant mineral base notes are best paired with dishes with scallops, fresh vegetables, or a cheese platter.

4. Merlot

Merlot grapes are grown throughout South America, Europe, Africa, and the United States. They produce a medium to full-bodied red wine that’s “juicer” and “softer” than Cabernet Sauvignon, and it’s available in most parts of the world.

Merlot is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, and it pairs best with charcuterie boards, meat dishes, and roasted vegetables.

5. Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is a bold red wine that’s usually medium to full-bodied. It usually has the aromas of blackberry, plum, leather, cinnamon, and black pepper. Due to this wine’s abundant tannins, it is quite dry.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted wine grape in the world, and it grows in almost any region.

Cabernet Sauvignon is best paired with red meat dishes like steak, braised short ribs, or even hamburgers.

6. Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is a light-bodied red wine. It isn’t typically challenging or bold, which is why it is sometimes referred to as a “starter wine.”

Pinot Noir is usually from Burgundy, but it is also made in Oregon, New Zealand, or even Germany. Pinot Noir grapes are notoriously difficult to grow in less than optimal conditions, which means that this wine can be on the pricier side.

Pinot Noir red wine is usually earthy, with subtle sweet and sour notes of cherry and raspberry. It is best paired with rich ingredients – such as mushrooms, pork, chicken, rabbit, venison, and duck.

7. Rosé

Although many people think that rosé wines are made by combining red and white wines, this is a misconception. Instead, rosés are made by removing the skins from red grapes shortly after they are processed.

The process of leaving the skins on the grapes for only a short period results in a light, refreshing wine that’s a pale shade of pink.

Photo Credits

Wine image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
Charcuterie image by matticasco from Pixabay

Guest Author Bio
John Moran

John Moran is an American who enjoys the fine art of living well. His interests include anything wine, food or nature related especially when enjoyed with friends and family.

Technology makes anything possible, and an imaginative wine cellar design team can use the refrigerated space to concoct special shelving for anything your heart desires. But is it the right thing to do? Is maximizing the space the best thing for your wine? The idea of partitioning your chilly wine cellar to accommodate other passions is a topic of heated debate, and one that is occurring more and more frequently as modern cellar builders create diverse spaces that wouldn’t have been possible ten years ago. Times are changing. In Toronto, a specialized wine cellar construction team has recently built an entire house that has wine cellars throughout the living space. By using compartmentalized storage spaces which have two-way glass, the homeowner’s dimly lit cellar can be viewable to the public in daylight and yet still remain cold and dark on the inside. There are wine cellars where partitions make it possible to set two or three or ten different temperatures and moisture levels. But be warned, while it’s technically possible to store anything anywhere, and smart devices can help make it all manageable, there are conditions when co-mingling commodities in your cellar space that could lead to catastrophe.

Here are the arguments that wine storage purists make against storing anything but wine in your wine cellar. They’ll warn against:

• Increased foot traffic that will disturb the cellar’s sedate chill and darkness more regularly to the detriment of the fine wines being stored in the space. When people use the wine cellar like a kitchen pantry, or a walk-in refrigerator they diminish the sanctity of the room. They leave doors open and lights on and worse – they put hands on your wine. Your wine collection should not be disturbed with such run-of-the-mill traffic.
• Unattractive new odours of meat and cheese or worse may find its way into your wine through wooden corks over time.
• Incorrect shelving as your cellar is racked for wine bottles and not sealer jars, books or cigar boxes which come in all shapes and sizes. This can lead to cluttered rooms, excess debris and breakage.
• Incorrect temperatures as the cargo you’re warehousing may require a slightly warmer or colder climate.
• Incorrect humidity as moisture may be more or less of a factor when storing strange articles.

But some exceptions can be made. Let’s go through the list and look at each different commodity on a case by case basis.

CAN I KEEP FRUIT & VEGETABLE PRESERVES IN MY WINE CELLAR?

Vegetable and fruit preserves never seem to have the right shelving!

Preserves are on the list of items that could be stored in your wine cellar if you don’t mind the clutter of shelving the odd-sized jars. As far as temperature is concerned, glass jars filled with fruit and vegetables and glass bottles filled with wine can coexist together. Your wine cellar is likely set at between 55 – 65 degrees Fahrenheit. All home-canned foods can safely be stored at just about any temperature between 50-70° F.

The thing about preserves however, is that unlike wine they don’t have a very long lifespan, and they certainly don’t improve with age. You can’t crack open a ten year old jar of pears and delight in its special bouquet and delicious flavour. Preserves are best six or eight months after canning. After one year in a jar most organic matter will begin to deteriorate. Jams and jellies last longer. A typical full-sugar fruit spread could last ten years on the shelf, and even after fifteen years it may still be safe to eat if the jar’s seal remains intact and the product shows no visible signs of spoilage from molds or yeasts. But unlike wine this stuff doesn’t get better with age.

CAN I KEEP RIND CHEESE IN MY WINE CELLAR?

Cheese caves are cool dark rooms, just like wine cellars.

Yes and no. Yes! Storing cheese, especially rind cheese, for any length of time requires the exact same conditions as wine. Cheese caves need airflow, a regulated temperature, darkness and a certain level of humidity. So it isn’t uncommon for expensive cheese to be stored in wine cellars, right alongside expensive wine collections. But Purists would argue against it.

No self respecting sommelier would allow cheese to be stored in their wine cellar. Discriminating cellar managers would point out how its possible for the smell of the cheese, especially the more pungent cheeses, to penetrate the wooden corks in your wine bottles and contaminate your collection. They would say that importing all that bacteria into your wine cellar is just asking for trouble, and they would point out how the smell of the cheese will attract vermin. And those are all weighty arguments.

The affineur (one who ages cheese) would tell you that you need to think about humidity. Cheese ages best at about 55° to 65° F, with about 70% humidity. Maintaining the humidity is tricky, and for this reason cheese needs more inspection and maintenance than wine. Occasionally cheese rinds need to be rubbed with olive oil or coconut oil if they appear to be getting too dry. And if storing more than one variety of cheese, they need to be kept some distance apart to avoid cross contamination. When storing cheese in your wine cellar, more attention has to be paid to food safety and cleanliness and cellar managers will need to make an effort to mitigate dust. Cellar owners should wipe shelves with white vinegar occasionally to keep the storage space sterile, and none of that is necessary for wine.

CAN I KEEP ANTIQUE BOOKS IN MY WINE CELLAR?

First edition Tom Sawyer under glass in conditions similar to a wine cellar.

Although storing books in a wine cellar might seem odd, the temperature and humidity in that cool dark place are just what the librarian ordered for the long term preservation of fibrous plant material. Antique books, maps and ephemera are made of paper and just like fine wine, old paper requires cool dark rooms to prevent deterioration and mold. If you’ve ever visited the US Library of Congress in Washington, or the Toronto Reference Library in downtown Toronto you will find books contained in special glass rooms that have climate and humidity controls. The lights in these rooms are turned-off automatically when nobody is present. Does this sound familiar? You could say that these libraries are filled with wine cellars! The glass case that surrounds the Gutenberg Bible in Bonn Germany is a mini wine cellar with a ventilator and cooling unit built into the podium. The book Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, seen in the photo above, is the original 1876 edition and is no longer on display because it was recently sold at auction and fetched a price just over $100,000 USD. With a price tag like that you can be certain the book will be kept in a dark, chilly and probably very secure glass box cellar space.

CAN I KEEP CIGARS IN MY WINE CELLAR?

Cigar distributor product storage at room temperature.

Storing tobacco products in your wine cellar will not harm your wine, but it might ruin your cigars. Cigar Aficionado magazine states that the ideal conditions for cigar storage is approximately 70 degrees Fahrenheit at 70 percent humidity, which roughly matches the growing conditions of tobacco. Seventy degrees Fahrenheit is room temperature. The photo shows a Southern USA tobacco distributor’s back room where there is very little ventilation or temperature control. Wine cellars run ten or twenty points cooler and they’re generally not that moist. So for long term storage situations, your cigars are likely to dry out and be ruined if left for too long in your wine cellar. You’re better off keeping your cigars under your bed.

CAN I KEEP CURED MEATS IN MY WINE CELLAR?

An entire pig is butchered and hung in a wine cellar

Wine cellars provide ideal conditions for storing cured meats but not necessarily for curing meats. Hunters know that part of their hobby includes butchering, drying and preserving the meat of game animals, but wine cellars are the wrong temperature to be very helpful for any of those activities. Meat lockers are more similar to refrigerators in that they are twenty degrees colder than wine cellars. Where the cellar space can be employed is in storing cured meats.

Hunters know that five to seven days is the ideal length of time when hanging a deer. The week-long hang allows the meat to cool and the collagen to begin to break down. This results in the meat being more tender and flavorful. But the hang should happen at 35 degrees Fahrenheit which is significantly cooler than your wine cellar. Game birds like ducks, geese, and pheasant can also become more tender and delicious if hung in the cellar, at slightly colder temperatures. So it’s easy to see why Purists would argue that you cannot store meat in your wine cellar without always being tempted to lower the temperature a bit which would have a negative impact on your wine collection.

Photo Credits

Wine cellar – pixabay creative commons
All other photos courtesy of Rob Campbell

Guest Author Bio
Rob Campbell

Rob Campbell is a freelance nature writer and author living in Toronto, Canada. Son of a beekeeper, Rob is keenly interested in using technology to improve conservation and the preservation of our natural world; he funds projects that use gadgets to study and improve the lives of insects (honeybees) and animals around us, especially those unfortunate creatures that are, like so many of us humans, stuck living in the city.

Rob is actively involved in Toronto’s business world and the city’s cultural art scenes.

Website: Dumpdiggers Blog

Follow Rob on: Twitter

The first thing that happens is our elderly waiter frowns and motions for me to sit directly across from my wife, instead of diagonally opposite… probably thinking it’s more romantic. But, the irony is, after many years, we love giving each other the space. Next, we ask for white wine with our fish dinner: our waiter brings us red. This is great service? Yet, it’s okay; we’re bilingual about wines.

Now, before I proceed, I must give you some crucial information: we’re in Portugal; the staff spoke mainly Portuguese; and, salted cod and grilled sardines are national dishes. So, they know a thing or two about preparing and serving fish. Our waiter was simply doing what he thought was best… becoming a truly proud culinary guide.

“A bronze man still can tell stories his own way”
~ Saturday in the Park by Chicago

The meal was delicious; but our waiter wasn’t done… just yet. Noticing we’d finished our meal, he came back to top up our glasses with more red wine, along with another plate of cheese and bread – no charge.

Obviously, he felt we should sit back and enjoy our dinner a bit longer; and, since we’d been in such good hands all night, why fight it? As the late cultural chef, Anthony Bourdain, advised, “Don’t be afraid of random acts of hospitality… be open, without judgement or fear. Walk in their shoes, or at least eat their food. It’s a plus for everybody.”

“Listen children all is not lost… oh no, no!”

Even though we had some fantastic outings – including breathtaking mountaintop winery tours and scenic riverboat cruises – I’ll fondly remember the Portuguese people. Despite being economically depressed – like much of Europe – people care and work hard. They epitomize workers, everywhere, who get things done despite inadequate support. In fact, our critique on ‘TripAdvisor’ indicated the pros: (the staff); and the cons: (the hotel). We think twice before complaining, as it could cost someone their job through no fault of their own.

“Before traveling”, Bourdain said, “I thought the human race, as a whole, could and would turn on itself at any moment. But, I’ve met mostly very nice people doing the best they can under very difficult conditions.”

And, we’ve witness the continuing polarization, fear and intolerance, worldwide, within all economies – fueled by the media and populist politicians – both vying for either our dollar or our vote. Like, CBS Chairman Les Moonves admitted, “It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS.”

Yet, locally, I’ve been encouraged by the pride and passion of a semi-retired Yugoslavian/Canadian stonemason. He’d been working on our century farmhouse when he surprised us by constructing brick window basement casements, as a gift to us. They looked great… cementing a wonderful relationship.

“And I’ve been waiting such a long time
For the day… (waiting for us all)”

Photo Credit
Bilingual Wines! – pexels creative commons

Guest Author Bio
Fred Parry
Fred Parry lives in Southern Ontario. He is a lover of people and a collector of stories, music, wisdom, and grandchildren. His newspaper column, Music in Me, can be found in ‘The New Hamburg Independent’ Metroland Media. His book, ‘The Music In Me’ (2013) Friesen Press is Available from Amazon and Indigo / Chapters.

Blog / Website: www.fredparry.ca

I was one of the guests at a vertical tasting of each vintage – 2002-2012 – at Dancing Bear Ranch atop Napa Valley’s Howell Mountain to mark the milestone.  A booklet in front of me containing notes on each year, including weather conditions, what percentage of Merlot or Cabernet Franc were added to massage the wine to just the right balance by winemaker extraordinaire Julianne Laks, and then room for my comments. Also in front of me was a spittoon of sorts. It felt like sacrilege to expectorate even an ounce of these magnificent wines but I relented for fear of ending up horizontal from this vertical tasting.

Dennis Cakebread (left) and Bruce Cakebread (right) at their 2015 vertical tasting of their
2002-2012 Dancing Bear Ranch Cabernet Sauvignons.

Taking “tasting notes” whether it’s during a world-class vertical tasting with the winemakers themselves, or simply at home with a good bottle of wine – using forms found in many wine books – can enhance the experience and develop a deeper appreciation for all the effort that goes into the bottle. Another way is through set wine pairing dinners where world-class sommeliers such as Kelli White at Press in St. Helena, or Chef Ken Frank at La Toque in the Westin Verasa in Napa, will team up great wines with great courses.

Overseeing the tasting were Bruce and Dennis Cakebread, sons of Jack Cakebread who founded Cakebread Cellars in the early 1970s. Dennis serves as vice chairman and senior vice president of sales and marketing while Bruce holds the reigns as president and COO.  

A glass of Sauvignon Blanc over the Cakebread Cellars Dancing Bear Ranch vineyard
on Napa’s Howell Mountain.

After an amazing night of vertical tasting at Dancing Bear Ranch it was time to get horizontal, and the boutique Wydown Hotel on the main street in St. Helena was the perfect place to do it.

Before calling it a night, I watched the movie “Somm,” the documentary about four sommeliers attempting to pass the Master Sommelier exam. While it’s unlikely that I’ll ever develop the depth of knowledge and sophisticated palette of these wine experts, I felt like one, at least for a night, on the magical vineyard-covered slopes of Howell Mountain in Napa.

The fog rolls into Napa Valley as seen from Dancing Bear Ranch on Howell Mountain.

Photographs and Text © Mark Edward Harris

Mark Edward Harris Photographer Bio

Mark Edward Harris
Photo: Stephen Smith

Mark Edward Harris’ editorial work has appeared in publications such as Vanity Fair, Life, GEO, Conde Nast Traveler, GQ Thailand, Tatler Russia, The Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine, and The London Sunday Times Travel Magazine as well as all the major photography and in-flight magazines. His commercial clients range from The Gap to Coca-Cola to Mexicana Airlines. He is the recipient of numerous awards including a CLIO, ACE, Aurora Gold, and Photographer of the Year at the Black & White Spider Awards. His books include Faces of the Twentieth Century: Master Photographers and Their Work, The Way of the Japanese Bath, Wanderlust, North Korea, South Korea, and Inside Iran. North Korea was named Photography Book of the Year at the 2013 International Photography Awards.

Website: MarkEdwardHarris.com

Follow Mark Edward Harris on: Instagram

Websites:              www.cakebread.com

Napa Valley:        www.VisitNapaValley.com

San Francisco:    www.sanfrancisco.travel

The winding switchbacks are treacherous enough without roadworks teams digging up one of the lanes.

There is a single, skinny roadway crossing the 3800-metre high range between Santiago and Mendoza, linking Chile with Argentina. This crude slab of tarmac is slashed by about 30 switchbacks, and is constantly heaving with heavy transport and overcrowded passenger vehicles. It is often closed because of the danger posed by rocks falling due to storms. You can see machine wreckage as you pass by.

It is especially hard to relax when, after noticing more than a few burned-out metal skeletons of cars and buses, we see a crowd of vehicles stopped ahead. A host of onlookers is peering forlornly into the ravine, and as we pass, we notice a freshly-crushed vehicle still smoldering.

This particular bus did not survive the travails of the Andes.

This upsetting scene is out of sight in a fleeting moment as the bus lurches violently around the next switchback. It is enough for any passenger to feel queasy, except perhaps for the patient grandmothers sitting opposite, calming sucking on a jar of the mild herbal infusion they call ‘mate’ – crushed green leaves brewed in hot water. If they see you looking anxious, they lean across with a smile and offer you a suck on their metal straw. It is most impolite to decline.

It is more calming to become mesmerised by the geology, with rock faces shooting high above us at dramatic angles. Ancient they may be, but they appear new, raw and alive. There is no vegetation up this high, only sheer faces glistening in the sunlight and crumbled rock debris. Among the grey pebbles, we notice the odd tower threaded by a wire. This is a ski resort in the winter – Escuela de Alta Montana, with basic hut accommodation, where technical training is conducted for mountaineers and the military. It is bereft of luxury.

Bereft of luxury.

Realising that a ski run sits atop the highway reminds me that this stretch would be especially treacherous in winter – and reminds me that there are snowstorms here even during the summer. It is the most rugged country imaginable; Aconcagua (the highest mountain in the Americas) is visible next to the road.

Still, it is a thrill to see all of this in daylight. We had earlier made the east-bound journey through the night, having no idea about the terrain, except for the constant lurching and weaving of our bus, negotiating hairpin bends. Our only relief from this was the bizarre border crossing from Chile to Argentina – Paso Los Libertadores, where Chile Route 60 becomes Argentina Route 7. Within a giant shed at 3200 metres, everyone disembarks, all the luggage is removed, and then you escort your bags down a table before they are opened and all of their contents examined. It is 2am in freezing darkness at the crown of the Andes, and the process is maddeningly slow and inefficient. You shiver in the gloom and wait in silence.

It is not until you are deep into Argentina, having driven through a three-kilometre tunnel carved beneath the mountain, that you understand the significance of the mountain pass name. As you exit the tunnel, a four-tonne statue of Christ the Redeemer of the Andes (Cristo Redentor de los Andes) makes an imposing monument, erected in 1904 on the encouragement of the Catholic Church to remind warring Chileans and Argentinians of their Christian kinship.

The bus journey may be long, but is well worth it, because it takes you to the glorious wine country of Mendoza – one of South America’s great surprises, since the region is home to more than one million people and 900 wineries.

It looks like the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand’s south island – big blue skies over flat alluvial high plains, with dramatic snow-capped peaks in the near distance – although the elevation is much higher at 1000 metres.

Upon arriving in Mendoza with a decent thirst, a very different type of Andes exploration begins.

The predominant wine here is malbec, and you will taste unique artisan styles because most of the wine produced in Argentina is consumed domestically. Therefore, the vast majority of Mendoza’s wineries – and the 40,000 labels that are produced – have never been introduced to Australia. And so, upon arriving in Mendoza with a decent thirst, a very different type of Andes exploration begins

Photo Credits

All photos by David Sly – All Rights Reserved

The bizarre rockscape of central Cappadocia is complemented
by up to 100 hot air balloons each morning.

Situated in Nevsehir Provence in the Central Anatolia region, this rugged terrain, pock-marked with severely eroded hills and valleys has an ancient history. It was here that early Christians hid in the hills to avoid persecution from the Roman armies that ruled in the first century. These Christians dug caves in the sandstone as their refuge and, honouring their essential faith, they carved out stone basilicas inside the mountains. Several of these still survive – some have been ripped open by rockslides caused by earthquake and erosion over the centuries, but others can be entered through tiny doorways and explored.

Prominent among these is Kaymaklı Underground City, complete with a labyrinthine network of rooms once used as a winery, a bakery with chimney vents, and with large stone wheels that were rolled across doorways to block invaders in times of siege. Equally fascinating is the Göreme Open Air Museum, which includes caves bearing a former monastery and the vast Tokali Church, boasting striking, colourful murals of Jesus and Christian saints. Their faces were chiseled off by Ottoman Muslims in the 14th century, who deemed offensive the images of these religious figures.

Cappadocia balloon flights lift off shortly after dawn.

A walk through the nearby Pigeon Valley floor shows off many of these caves carved high in cliff faces, and also reveals evidence of their later use as pigeon coops. Local peasants would spread grain in the vacant caves to attract birds, and then collect their droppings and sell it as fertiliser – the only type of agricultural stimulant available in this stark area for many centuries.

The most prevalent ancient crop that survives is wine grapes, including some of the oldest shiraz vines in the world, still being tended by horse-drawn ploughs that scrape furrows in the silt-grey sand. These grapes are mainly used by local farmers for their own wines, and are mostly very crude, flawed by oxidative handling and questionable storage. Local restaurateurs do not seem to care; they are proud of the local vinous handiwork and offer it by the glass on most menus. I found it undrinkable.

Ancient shiraz vineyards in the foreground –
a mad cluster of balloons in the skyline.

Much more appealing are the bizarre rock sculptures that ring central Cappadocia, given a smooth shape by melting snow following the frigid winters that grip the region. It results in many precarious steeples that locals call fairy chimneys – derived from folk tales suggesting that magical fairies live underground and have shaped this unusual landscape – and you see these formations from extremely close range during hot-air balloon flights at dawn. The joyflights have soared in popularity within the past three years – so much so that authorities finally legislated maximum numbers as a safety measure, putting a limit of 100 balloons in the sky at any one time. Most mornings see all the baskets filled with excited tourists.

Fortunately, within such a crowd, our vastly experienced pilot Tolga Tekgul, from Urgup Balloons (one of scores of companies operating in the towns of Urgup and Goreme), had the skills and smarts to quickly draw away from the throng. He performed deft pirouettes around peaks, dipped into the valley floor just metres above the ancient shiraz vines we walked beside the previous day, and concluded the flight by landing the basket deftly on a steel trailer attached to the towing vehicle, which was perched atop a vineyard ridge.

Fly me to the moon: Urgup Balloons is one of scores of joyflight companies operating out of the towns of Urgup and Goreme.

As the balloon slowly deflated, the flying party celebrated with 7am sparkling wine (sadly it was made with an unfortunate mélange of local grapes and a lot of residual sugar), a gaudy certificate to commemorate the flight, and a camera full of extraordinary images that reinforce the strange and captivating beauty of this most unusual landscape.

Photo Credits

All photos by David Sly – All Rights Reserved

A secret uncovered?

La Banca del Vino is Italy’s first interactive wine museum that covers all regions and all styles of local wine, bringing the encyclopedic regional detail of Italy’s complex wine story into clear focus. The only problem is that its administrators no longer want this great facility to remain a secret.

‘This is the cultural memory of Italian wine!’ says manager Francesca Rinaudi. While surveying the 100,000 bottles stored in the cellars, hailing from about 300 producers across the length and breadth of the country, a compelling snapshot of the Italian vinous landscape emerges. The regional differences are clear to see; the indigenous grape varieties of each region are proudly celebrated. No attempting to piece together the complex regional wine story within this diverse wine nation has happened in Italy before; however, the unique nature of this offering has also been The Wine Bank’s curse: people in Italy are not sure what to make of it.

“The majority of the 80,000 visitors who come here each year are foreigners,” explains Francesca. “There are many Germans, Russians, Americans – but not so many Italians, I’m afraid. They think that drinking wine is something to be done after 7pm, with the evening meal, and not during the day. They don’t quite understand that this is a place of education, to learn about all aspects of Italian wine.”

A tasting masterclass.

For anyone who is keen to learn, The Wine Bank offers unlimited possibilities, with scores of tutored tasting workshops available on wine, terroir and food matching, each led by prominent wine experts and wine producers, and at a very reasonable price of €30-€40 per person. Among its most popular workshops are tasting tours that link different Piedmont regions (Langa, Roero, Monferrato and Asti, accompanied with traditional salami); a focus on the Langhe’s Barolo and Barbaresco wines; a celebration of the Piedmont’s most celebrated wines (Barolo, Brunello and Amarone) and a comparative tasting of aged white wines (paired with goat’s cheese from Roccaverano).

Wines from Piedmont, Francesca admits, are rather over-represented in the cellars, due to local producers having the strongest understanding of and support for this Wine Bank concept. “Their support comes as appreciation of what Carlo Petrini, through Slow Food International, has done in promoting the virtues of Piedmont wine to the rest of the world,” she says. “His endorsement over many years has been especially important for the small winemakers, and it has shown the full picture of our region’s wines of excellence. By always talking about wine with food, he got more people looking more closely at all of the wines of this area.”

Petrini’s staunch advocacy of fine Italian wines not only drove up prices from serious international buyers, but also encouraged wineries to view themselves and their wares with greater seriousness. Previously, most producers saw all wines as mere commodities and sold every bottle from every vintage; they kept no museum stock and therefore never had comparative tastings of their aged wines. Petrini demonstrated that there was great value in holding onto some of their wines, to present them to critics and buyers to assess them in maturity, showing off when and how these wines perform at their absolute best.

This is the task that The Wine Bank aims to perform for wineries across Italy, and the presence and variety of wines from regions beyond Piedmont is steadily growing. “We have a quite democratic approach,” says Francesca. “Anyone who chooses to participate and meets the criteria will be included.” Still, it is mostly larger wine producers that submit wines, because they need to have sufficient quantities to meet The Wine Bank’s entry criteria – about 90 bottles of each wine per vintage – and embrace a spirit of generosity.

It marks a significant commitment for wineries to participate: a third of the bottles are offered for sale, a third are allocated for tastings and a third are kept as reference material in the library. “We guard our stocks very preciously. We actually don’t have enough to be a wine shop, so we suggest that people go back to the winery they like to obtain direct sales.” Still, tourists can buy individual bottles of the wines that they have tasted and been delighted by.

Participating wineries see the presence of their wines in The Wine Bank as a good promotional opportunity, and they obtain a listing in the best-selling Slow Food Guide, an international bible for food and wine connoisseurs. Still, this form of promotion doesn’t resonate with everyone.

Restoration of the former palace in Pollenzo has provided a spectacular home
to The Wine Bank and the University of Gastronomic Sciences

“Not all winemakers understand what we are doing,” admits Francesca. “We approach many each year and only a few new ones come to us each time; it is a slow success rate. We find that they need to see it to understand it – there is nothing else like this in Italy, being completely even-handed and not purely provincial. I suppose that’s why the Piedmont is so proud of this and is represented in such strong numbers. These wine producers have been here and they appreciate what The Wine Bank is doing.”

The Wine Bank collection has been building for the past ten years, although it is only in the past five years that its doors have been open to tourism – and Francesca says they would like to double the current number of visitors; yet without resources for widespread marketing, recognition and excitement about what the facility has to offer has been slow.

However, upon entering The Wine Bank, its virtues are clear to comprehend. To start our tour, we are handed a glass of Fratelli Mossio Dolcetto d’Alba, one of the Piedmont region’s more pleasant lighter red wines, full of lifted sweet cherry and plum aromas, the flavours held tight and fresh by a firm seam of acid running down its long spine.

This wine, explains Francesca proudly, is evidence of increasing regional quality. In previous decades, dolcetto was often insipid and lacking in character – a nondescript workaday wine – but now, wineries such as Fratelli Mossio are putting greater care into viticulture, fruit selection and winemaking to ensure its dolcetto is of consistently high standards. Indeed, it stands as a fitting emblem of the Italian wine story that The Wine Bank strives to explain to its visitors and tasters.

As you walk through more than two thousand square metres of storage space in the cellars, the full story unfolds. Areas are divided into regions, with cards detailing the wine styles that are indigenous to each region, and the wares of producers are displayed atop boxed dozens. Then there are the treasures of big bottles – up to six-litre vessels of mostly Barolo and Barbaresco – stored behind a locked gate in a separate alcove.

The gateway to the treasure.

Francesca says it is especially important that all facets of this story are told in one place. “Usually you have to travel to the individual regions and spend time with the winemakers to learn about their wines,” she says. “We have a chance here to do more – to pull focus on all the obscure indigenous grapes, which are so prevalent throughout Italy. Our ultimate goal is to promote culture, and tasting across a wide platform of wines from many places is a very important part of that.”

A hint of the old palace’s former grandeur and historical significance is still evident in The Wine Bank. Tucked away in a far corner of the cellar, just next to the section of wine from Umbria, is an excavation that reveals an ancient Roman ruin, signposted to inform the curious about its origins. Out in the gardens, many more ancient ruins stand proudly. It’s hardly surprising that restoration of this former Savoy residence has resulted in it now being recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The Wine Bank also forms part of a bigger gastronomic picture that unfolds within the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele compound, and throughout the town of Bra. The note of regional gastronomic authenticity that has long been preached by Carlo Petrini and his Slow Food brethren is most clearly defined at Osteria del Boccondivino, a charming 16th century courtyard restaurant managed by Slow Food since 1984. Its menu promotes Slow Food Presidia projects, promoting small-scale production of superb-quality foods in dishes made according to traditional practices. These recipes range from the daunting Bra e carne cruda (raw meat sausage) or lumache con cipollotti e fagioli (snails with spring onions and beans) to the irresistible comforts of fresh pasta tajarin (the famed “40 egg yolks” ribbon pasta) with butter and sage sauce, or a truly extraordinary panna cotta, made without gelatin and held firm by exceptional, thick local cream.

Celebration of food is equally vaunted at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, where about 100 undergraduates and Masters students from around the world find the allure of campus life very seductive. A big part of this is the food service. Le Tavole Accademiche (The Academic Tables) is a new project aiming to combine education, haute cuisine, fair price, taste and local produce. The project invites Michelin star chefs, including Alice Waters, Ferran Adria, Antonio Santini and Niko Romito, to each create a weekly menu prepared by the kitchen staff for daily student lunches. Each dish costs no more than €5, although it is exclusive to university students. “This way, lunch becomes an educational experience for us all,” says university staff member Alice Fabi. “Between this and The Wine Bank, we’ve got the best learning experiences that anyone could dream of.”

La Banca del Vino – The Wine Bank – is located in the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele in Pollenzo, near Bra in Piedmont. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday: 10.30am to 1pm, and 3.30pm to 7.30pm from Tuesday to Saturday. Bookings are recommended.

For more information, visit the website: Banca del Vino

Photo Credits

The gateway to the treasure – reproduced by permission of La Banca del Vino

All other photos by David Sly – All Rights Reserved

I’ve discovered that I love a good blend. Red or white, it matters not. When done well, an enormous drinkability factor is achieved – it’s balanced, delicious and extremely ‘easy’. I enjoy varietals as well (wine made from a single grape variety), as I believe there’s a wine for every mood and occasion. But I no longer believe one is necessarily inferior to the other, they’re simply different. If you look at the wines you may have at home right now, it’s possible you have a blend in your collection and you don’t even know it. Take VQA wines from British Columbia, for example. In order for a winery to list a single grape variety on their labels, 85% of the wine must be comprised of that grape. So, it’s possible your ‘varietal’ could be blended with 15% of another type of grape. You may also be getting grapes from different vintages, even though only one vintage is stated on the label. In order to show a vintage on a label, winemakers must ensure that 85% of the grapes were grown during the stated vintage year, which means it’s possible 15% of the grapes were grown in a previous year. You may even have a bottle of Bordeaux in your collection, or perhaps a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. These are two highly-regarded wines from different regions of France, and both happen to be blends.

The point of all of this is to suggest that perhaps blending grapes or vintages is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, oftentimes the result is phenomenal and can allow for a vintner’s (winemaker’s) skill to really shine. The word ‘synergy’ comes to mind – ‘the creation of a whole that is greater than its parts’. 

Whether it’s a varietal or a blend, the skill of the vintner is key. The choices made during every step of the winemaking process are purposeful and specific, based on the type of grape(s) and the style of wine he/she wants to produce. I’m realizing now that the choice to blend can be a conscious one, not necessarily a reactive one, as I may have believed in the past.

Scotch is another example of where I’ve held a certain perception – my thought being that perhaps single malts are superior to blended whiskies. What I found helpful was to first understand the definition of the two terms. A single malt whisky is a malt whisky made using only malted barley, it’s made in a pot still and comes from just one distillery (the word ‘single’ refers to the fact that it comes from one distillery, not from a single barrel). Blended Scotch whisky is a blend of malt and grain whisky (grain whisky is made in a column still from a combination of different grains). The truth is, most single malt whiskies are blends too, in varying degrees. They are comprised of whiskies of different ages that are blended together in specific proportions to achieve a desired end result (the age statement you see on the label of a single malt is the age of the youngest whisky in the blend). In both cases, it’s the high level of skill and care taken during distilling and blending that allows for quality and consistency to be achieved.     

I realize I may be opening a can of worms with this topic, and there’s definitely more that can be said on the subject than there’s room for here (I haven’t even touched on the sentimentality of ‘terroir’!). Varietal and blended wines exist in two very separate categories, and I’ve come to appreciate each of them for what they are. In my experience, there are fantastic examples of both (the same can be said for single malt and blended whiskies). At the end of the day, we will all have a difference of opinion – that’s what makes us interesting! The important thing is to have fun exploring what’s out there and to become experts on our own likes and dislikes. Once that happens, we can move on to other interesting subjects, like corks versus screwcaps.

How’s that for a can of worms?

Photo Credit

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Christmas is the perfect time to indulge one’s sense of adventure. From starting new traditions or tweaking old ones, to taking part in some of the wonderful celebrations your community has to offer (local Home And Lifestyle magazines like YAM Magazine make this easy)…the possibilities are endless!

This year, I decided it was time to expand my horizons in one specific area of the holidays – the libation.

Guided by natural curiosity and an aversion to taking the ‘same old’ approach to my decision-making, I took a closer look at what my local BC Liquor Store had to offer. I soon realized there was adventure on every shelf, around every corner and behind every label. Always a lover of sharing my enthusiasm, I’ve come up with a few ideas on how to maximize your holiday ‘cheer’:

BEER

In addition to ‘old faithful’, why not try a beer that has been oak-aged? Or, how about a limited edition seasonal brew with notes of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg? Never tried an import? Maybe this is the year. The variety is endless, and some are available in single bottles or cans – perfect for sampling.

WINE/SPARKLING WINE/CHAMPAGNE

After you’ve gathered an ample stockpile of your ‘go to’ (because you never know who’s going to drop in), now’s the time to try that special bottle you’ve had your eye on but have always talked yourself out of. Treat yourself to the experience and share it with like-minded friends or family members. Make an event out of it, slow things down, savor each sip. Close your eyes and take the time to smell the aromas and really taste what’s in the glass. 

SPIRITS

There are more versions of your chosen spirit than you can shake a candy cane at – follow your instinct on this one. Is there something you linger in front of while shopping, or do you simply want to know what something tastes like? Reach for spiced or dark rum instead of your usual white. Try a gin with slightly different botanicals or one made from a local distillery. Maybe you’re ready to try a Scotch aged in different casks, or perhaps with a little more peat? What the heck is a digestif, how do you drink them and is there really one made by Monks that don’t speak? Tequila, cognac, liqueurs…whatever you choose, create some anticipation by taking your taste buds where they’ve never gone before.

While my curiosity plays a part in the selection process, it doesn’t stop there. I make it a habit to research my new find when I get home, as the education always seems to complete the experience. It’s extremely satisfying to me to try something new and then learn all I can about it. This satisfaction is typically prolonged as I single-handedly take conversations at future family gatherings to new heights.

I’ve never forgotten that simple advice from my friend, and continue to look for ways to keep life interesting on a daily basis. If I keep this up, I just may have a shot at becoming The Most Interesting Woman In The World…

Stay curious, my friends. 

Photo Credit

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

It is a magic rural carpet, a chequered landscape of tranquil beauty.

The chess board at the Novotel Barossa Valley Resort

Looking out from a balcony at the Novotel Barossa Valley Resort, one can see two armies, their knights and foot soldiers locked in battle overseen by kings, queens and opposing castles. The clash is on the giant chess board set in the front lawns between a father and his young son. The boy king was victorious, a win he did not let his father soon forget. It is the only war game that has ever taken place in this valley, and on this sunny morning in the Barossa, peace reigns supreme.

The resort, next to the 18-hole Tanunda Pines Golf Course, overlooks the Jacob’s Creek Vineyards and the hamlet of Rowland Flat, first settled in 1850. The Barossa  is a magnet for wine lovers from around the world, with its sprawling 13,256 hectares of vineyards nurturing annual harvests of grapes, including big-bodied Australian Shiraz, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mataro, Riesling and Semillon.

The Novotel Barossa Valley Resort

This rural ritual has been taking place since 1842, conducted by the descendants of around 750 grape-growing families, many of whom can trace their roots in the Barossa back six generations.

More than 170 wine companies, both big and boutique, process the grapes of the valley to produce iconic wines, including Penfolds Grange, Orlando Steingarten, Yalumba The Virgilius, Henschke Hill of Grace, Rockford Basket Press, Seppeltsfield Para Tawny and Peter Lehmann Stonewell.

Vines – Seppeltsfield Road

But the valley’s attractions go far beyond the fruit of the vine. It has a rich, thriving farm gate and gourmet food and dining scene, a big history and a range of cycling and walking trails set in secluded pockets of bushland scattered across the valley.

On a warm, autumn day, there’s no better way to explore its small corners than on foot. The Jack Bobridge Track, a 27-km-long cycling and walking trail links Tanunda with the rural regional centre of Gawler to the west. The trail skirts the base of the hill on which the resort is perched, linking the Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre with nearby St. Hallett Vineyards, established in 1944, on St Hallett Road a few kilometres away. It is a beautiful stroll, following the North Para River through rolling vineyards and bushland.

Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre

Magpies warble in the big red gums along the river, hidden frogs croak amongst the reeds, and in the distance, a flock of raucous white cockatoos call out to one another, acting like silly galahs as they lazily wing their way over the valley. The kookaburras in the trees further upstream seem to get the joke and laugh at it amongst themselves for so long they are the ones that sound foolish.
A big, dusty kangaroo stands stock still in the scrub, its ears twitched to our approach, suddenly deciding to hop deeper into the bush.

The Barossa Valley is a moving feast of culinary evolution. Foodies drive the three-hour round trip from Adelaide to dine at one of the valley’s latest food incarnations, FermentAsian on Murray St. in Tanunda. The award-winning eatery is the loving work of chef/owner Tuoi Do who launched the restaurant with partner Grant Dickson from Rockford Wines. The food is created with fresh ingredients, grown by Tuoi’s Vietnamese parents. Try the Thit Lon Cuon La Lot (Betel leaves with Caramelised Pork), a subtly spiced blend of South-East Asian flavours.

If you are into wine, don’t end your meal without at least looking through Grant’s extensive wine list, which offers rare wines. A bottle of antique French wine might set you back $4,500. For a slice of good German fare, drop in to Linke’s Central Meat Store in Murray St., Nuriootpa, for a stick of their best garlic mettwurst, grab some bread from the bakery, and tuck in.

Smallgoods and preserves abound in the valley and you will find many of them at the Barossa Farmers Market in Angaston, open Saturdays from 7.30am to 11.30am. There’s everything free range, from pork to bacon and eggs, along with chutneys, relishes and jams. At noted South Australian cuisine creator Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop on Seppeltsfield Rd., Tanunda, you can see free daily cooking demonstrations, be instructed in the magic of cooking with Verjuice, dine on the deck overlooking the pond or picnic on the lawns.

At the boutique end of the winery scale, it’s worth dropping in at Two Hands at Neldner Rd., Marananga. Two Hands’ catalogue of eight wines features grape varieties ranging from Moscato to Riesling and a good swag of Shiraz. The wines can be sampled in a structured tasting costing $A5, which is donated to the charity, The Uganda Project. Established in 1999 by Michael Twelftree and Richard Mintz, with wines sold from a 19th-century stone cottage and associated bakehouse, Two Hands Wines was set up to highlight the characteristics of Australia’s Shiraz regions. Following a mantra of “quality without compromise,” the first vintage was produced from 17 tonnes of fruit in 2000. Two Hands now exports to more than 24 countries around the world and in 2012 was named in the Wine Spectator’s Annual Top 100 for the 10th consecutive year, an achievement unique in the world of winemaking.

If you are looking for a stroll through history, be sure to explore one of Australia’s most famous wine estates, Seppeltsfield, and visit Chateau Tanunda. Seppeltsfield’s history dates back to 1851; it is the only winery in the world to release a 100-year-old single vintage wine each year. Visitors can try their own birth-year vintage of Tawny Port, direct from the barrel. A dozen professional artisans, including a blacksmith and a shoemaker, work in the historic stable building which houses the creative art workshop and gallery, the Jam Factory.

Chateau Tanunda – Tasting/Barrels Room

Chateau Tanunda, established in 1890, is one of the oldest chateaus in Australia and is the site of the first winery in the Barossa Valley. Its cellars are a beautiful, cavernous place of old oak barrels and dust where, scrawled on the beams, you can see the signatures of the famous winemakers who worked there as apprentices. To walk off the food and wine, try the Barossa Goldfields Walking Trail, southwest of Lyndoch. When gold fever took hold briefly in the late 1800s, the goldfields attracted around 5,000 diggers out to make their fortune. The walking trails include Victoria Hill (1.4 km), Phoenix Circuit (4.2 km) and Lady Pearce Circuit (6 km).

The Nuriootpa to Angaston Path is a 7 km trail which follows the old rail easement over steep embankments and through deep cuttings. Designed for a pleasant stroll, the bitumen trail has regularly placed seating.

Australia’s longest walking trail, The Heysen Trail, passes through the Barossa Valley on its 1,200-km route from South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula to the Flinders Ranges in the Far North of the state. The trail meanders through the stringybark-clad ridges of the Kaiser Stuhl Conservation Park, south of Nuriootpa, which has a 2.5-km walking trail through Pewsey Vale Forest.

The Kidman Trail is a 269-km-long cycling, walking and horse-riding trail along roads, forest tracks, through private land and unmade road reserves, running the length of the Mount Lofty Ranges from the Fleurieu Peninsula through the Adelaide Hills and the Murraylands to the Barossa and Clare valleys.

Photo Credits

Chess board at the Novotel Barossa Valley Resort © Vincent Ross

The Novotel Barossa Valley Resort © Vincent Ross

Chateau Tanunda – Tasting/Barrels Room © SATC Adam Bruzzone

Vines on Seppeltsfield Road © Dragan Radocaj

Regional Seasonal Platter © SATC Jacqui Way

Maggie Beers Farm Shop © SATC Brett Sheriden

Maggie Beers Farm Shop – Brie & Blood Plum Paste with Walnut Toast © SATC Brett Sheriden

Para River walking trail Para River © Vincent Ross

Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre © Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre