Africa, East Europe, East Med, Asia Flashcards
Bekka Valleys (and Lebanon’s) largest winery’s in terms of production?
1 notable mention?
1 Château Ksara (Oldest Also)
1857, In the heart of Bekka Valley. Founded by Jesuit Monks for sweet wine they later made Lebanon’s first dry red wine. In addition to the usual suspects also have some Arinaroa planted.
Domaine des Tourelles
1868; fell into decline during the war - claim to be Lebanon’s oldest ‘commercial’ winery. ‘Marquis des Beys’ top range white (Chardonnay) and Red (Syrah & CS).
Lebanon 3 main wine regions?
2 producers of note?
No legal appellation system. Can label whatever you want..
Batroun
Ixsir (1,800m HIGH) means ‘elixir’ in Arabic. Bordeaux varieties + Syrah, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc & Chardonnay.
Mount Lebanon
Château Belle-Vue
2000. La Renaissance is Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon. La Château is CF, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
Bekka Valley
Bekka Valley Terroir?
2 mountain ranges & 1 river?
At roughly 900 to 1,000 meters in elevation Bekaa Valley rests shielded from the Mediterranean humidity behind Mount Lebanon and the Syrian desert’s heat by the Anti-Lebanon range.
The Litani River extends the length of the Bekaa Valley before emptying into the Mediterranean just north of Tyre – frequently the river dries up.
Rainfall is low. Semi-continental. Alluvial soils? Clay, chalk-limestone and stony.
The dry region widely facilitates an organic approach to viticulture
Lebanon
Varieties of note?
Bordeau &, Rhône varieties:
- Obaideh, Merweh, Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscat
- Cinsault (35%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Carignan, Grenache, Merlot, Mourvèdre etc
Obaideh & Merweh the most notable indigenous varieties long mistaken to be Chardonnay and Sémillon, respectively, they are organoleptically similar to these French counterparts. Tend to be most successful in the mountain vineyards, rather than the Bekaa.
Chateau Musar
Red blend?
Viticulture and vinification?
White blend?
6 vintages of note?
Red: CS Carignan and Cinsault from vineyards near the
Low yielding bush vines planted in the 1930’s in the
Bekaa Valley on gravelly soils over limestone. Dry-farmed.
12-36 months in predominantly old French oak barriques (Nevers), before being blended and bottled in the third year after the harvest.
White: Obaideh and Merwah. Ungrafted 80-90 year old bush vines@ 1,4-1,500m elevation. Ferments in cask.
- 1967 Vintage shown at the 1979 Bristol Wine Fair to M.B
- 1976 was not produced as shelling was too heavy to get
fruit into the winery and they had no electricity, no fuel
and no transport. - 1984 not commercially released
- 1989 Last vintage of pure Cinsault
- 1992 declassified due to the weak vintage - neither did
d’Yquem - 1998 is meant to be its best vintage ever – has more
Cinsault than usual.
Vintages are notoriously inconsistent.
Lebanese Civil (1975-1990) .
6 Major winemaking Regions of Israel North to South?
2 most important by % of production?
Galilee [Upper & Lower] (25% of Production)
Golan Heights (18% of Production)
Coastal Plain [Samson] (15% of plantings)
Central Mountains [Mt. Carmel, Menashe, SHOMRON HILLS, Judean Hills] (11% of plantings)
Judean Foothills (27% of plantings) - Domaine du Castel here
Negev (4% of plantings)
How old is Israel’s winemaking History?
Wine has a history in the region going back 5,000 years to Biblical times however went into dormancy during the Muslim conquest and then later when Ottoman Empire began ruling the territory in the early 16th century. The modern state of Israel wasn’t formed until 1984.
1 major climatic influence in Israel?
Khamsin/Hamsin—hot winds that blow in from the Arabian Desert and can boost temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius, which causes the vines to close down.
Israel’s Largest producer?
2 wines of note?
Israel’s 2nd largest?
Carmel Winery 1,400ha
1882 by Edmond James de Rothschild (of Lafite). It is the largest producer in Israel and one of the largest in the eastern Mediterranean.
All of Carmel’s wines are Kosher (all Non-Mevushal?).
1400 ha stretching from the Upper Galilee in the north to Negev in the south. Grapes intended for the estate’s largest production wines primarily come from the Shomron region, while the estate’s single-vineyard and prestige wines are primarily produced with fruit from the Upper Galilee (notably Kayoumi Winery).
- Carmel Limited Edition: Bdx blend
- Carmel Kayoumi Vineyard Riesling, dry 12% abv
- Carmel Kayoumi Vineyard Shiraz
Barkan Wine Cellars - fight over 1st…
Name and location of Syria’s most famous winery?
Domaine de Bargylus
2006, Saadé brothers. Located in the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range; these mountains, known as Mount Bargylus in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, produced notable wines up until the rise of Islam. 900m above sea level with shingle and limestone terroirs.
- Vin Blanc: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc.
- Vin Rouge: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Morocco
1 synonym?
AOC?
1 producer of note?
Morocco 7,000ha
A former French colony.
Hariri is the local synonym for Mission, Listán Prieto, Chica, Pias etc.
Coteaux de l’Atlas AOC
The appellation surrounds the Northern Moroccan city of Meknès “mek-nez”.
Château Roslane
Created by Brahim Zniber in 1964, it is part of Celliers de Meknès group that operates 2,000 hectares in AOG Guerrouane, AOG Beni M’tir and the AOC Côteaux de l’Atlas. It Is the Moroccan wine leader responsible for 85% of the countries production.
It is the only estate authorized for bottling as Coteaux de l’Atlas Premier Cru. The red is Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah. (Chateau is a term that requires authorization as well?).
Algeria
Region of note?
Mountain?
Grapes of note?
A former French colony. Algiers the capital sits on the coast.
Côteaux de Mascara, south-west of Algiers.
Slopes of Mount Bénichougrane, 650-950m, on alluvial limestone sand soils. “benny-shu-gran”.
Red: Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Alicante-Bouschet, Aramon and Mourvedre.
White: Clairette, Muscat, Merseguéra and Farana.
100 year old history of producing Rose wines as well
Algeria 2 producers of note?
Koutoubia
One of the more famous producers from the Côteaux de Mascara region. Red: Grenache, Cinsault & Alicante. White: Clairette pred.
Domaine Frédéric Lung
Known for older vintages of the ‘Royal Kabir’ bottling. E.g. ’42 & ’45.
Tunisa 4 AOC?
1 Producer of note?
- Grand Cru Mornag AOC - mainly south but AOC
surrounds Tunis. - Mornag – east of Tunis on the Peninsula
- Coteaux de Tébourba – NW of Tunis. Some bottles are
labelled as Premier Cru.. - Côteaux d’Utique – NW of Tunis
Chateau Mornag
Rhone for varieties for Rose’s (#1) and Reds. Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvedre dominate plantings. Known for their Grand Cru Mornag AOC.
Name the Cyprus PDO that has the highest elevated vineyards?
1 Producer and bottling utilising the PDO?
Pitsilia PDO
Nestled below 3 mountain tops, notably Cyprus’ highest mountain, Mt. Olympus (1,950m). Naturally the highest vineyards on the Island are found here. Sandier Volcanic soil. Typically smaller holdings under contract to one of the 2 main wineries in the area.
Tsiakkas Winery ‘sea-akas’
Vineyards as high as 1,400m (Petralona Vineyard planted to Xynisteri).
‘Pitsilia White’: 100% Xynisteri botteled as Pitsillia PDO from 2 vineyards, one being Petralona.
Why in Cyprus are PGI’s more commonly found?
Name one Cyprus PGI?
Name a producer and bottling utilising the PGI?
Less restrictive and allow for international varieties, while PDO’s do not?
PGI Lemesos / Limassol (eng)
Tsiakkas Winery bottle ‘Vamvakada a single vineyard Vamvakada from 1000m elevation. (aka Maratheftiko). Aged French & American Oak. ‘sea-akas’.
Commandria PDO
Altitude requirement?
Vineyard age requirement?
Training method?
Varieties and min. must weights?
Production styles?
Aging requirements?
Synonym?
400-900m.
min. 4 years are allowed.
Goblet method and watering is prohibited.
- Xynisteri (white) min must weight: 204 g/l ‘lacking acidity” although is considered superior?
- Mavro (red) min. must weight: 230 g/l
Sun dried 7–10 days for a min. 374 g/l.
OR
IF fortified: Min. Base Wine of 9.5% abv before fermentation
Min. 2 years in oak barrels. Don’t have to be vintage dated; many producers utilise a solera system approach aka locally as ‘Mana’.
KEO
2 bottlings of note?
Cyprus’s largest wine and beer producer.
Known for the ‘St. John’ bottling named after the St. John Knights of Jerusalem who were feudal owners of the land were the original vineyards are found.
St. John Commandaria ‘Vintage’ also – 1984 is the current release.
There are 14 villages/communes of production for Commandaria PDO
Name 5?
Zoopigi/Zoopiyi, & Kalo Chorio are the most famous
Agios Georgios, Agios Konstantinos, Agios Mamas
Agios ‘ay-ge-os’ means Saint.
Commandaria PDO
2 single village, single vintage bottlings?
2011 Zambartas Winery ‘Melusine’ Zoopigi Commandaria PDO
100% Xynisteri from the single villageof Zoopigi. Sun dried for 2 weeks, indigenous ferment in stainless steel (no fortification) then aged for 10 years in used oak. 2011 first vintage 13.5% abv. 500ml bottle.
2012 Tsiakkas Winery Commandaria DOP
vintage dated 100% Xynisteri single vineyard from Agios Mamas at 800m. 10 days sun-drying with no fortification, aged 3 Years in French & American oak. 500ml bottle.
Koshu
Viticultural characteristics?
Styles?
Heritage?
A delicate light bodied white variety with thick pink skins that help to protect it in Japans humid growing environment.
Vigorous and Mid-late ripening. Typically pergola (as are all vines) trained and tends to be lower in abv and thus Capitalization is often necessary.
Sweet-dry, barrel ferment, sparkling, skin contact etc are all techniques being experimented with.
a pred. Vitis Vinifera x with wild Vitis Davidi.
Vitis Vinifera variety do not grow naturally in Japan. One of the more interesting theories is that it made its way from the Caucasus to China via the silk road and then was introduced to Japan from there via Monks and picked up some Asian DNA somewhere en-route.
Muscat Bailey A
Parentage and characteristics?
Bailey (Red American V. labruscana) x Muscat of Hamburg (v.v)
A red vitis vinifera x labrusca x linceumii hyprid that was developed to adapt to the Japanese climate. Sweet fruited candy like reds with moderate acidity and soft tannins
Yamanashi, Japan.
2 most planted varieties in Japan?
2 most planted Vitis Vinifera varieties in Japan?
Koshu
Muscat Bailey A
Merlot
Chardonnay
5 wine GI of Japan?
- Hokkaido GI (2018) #3
- Nagano GI (2021) – Sake GI also #2
- Osaka GI (2021)
- Yamagata GI (2021) – Sake GI also
- Yamanashi GI (2013) #1
What is Japans 3rd most important GI?
2 producers of note?
Hokkaido GI
Domaine Takahiko
Founded 2010. Hokkaido Island, 4km inland in the small valley of Yoichi Nobori. Volcanic clay mixed with weathered gravel.
4.6 ha of Pinot Noir located on a hilltop 60 meters above sea level. Organic. Ethereal, earthy and elegant Pinot Noir, 95% whole bunch 5% new oak. indigenous yeasts. Traditional bottling via gravity, without fining or filtration and little to no sulphur added. Compares his flavor profile to ‘dashi’.
de Montille & Hokkaido
Hakodate, Hokkaido. Etienne de Montille of Domaine de Montille (300-year-old family-owned estate) – Japan’s first foreign owned vineyard. In 2016 planted 7ha of grapes; hope to produce in 2023 and have plans to increase plantings to 25ha.
What is Japans 2nd most important GI?
Island?
Elevation?
1 producer?
Nagano GI
Located in the centre of Honshu Island
Created in 2021 is a GI for Sake as well as wine. Mountainous region, vineyards typically are around 500m. Good diurnal shifts.
Chateau Mercian
One of the biggest producers in Japan. Has vineyards in Yamagata (Katsunuma Winery) and Nagano (Kikyogahara & Mariko winerys).
Jyonohira Ortus Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Kikyogahara Merlot Signature
What is Japans most important wine GI?
Location?
Basin?
climate?
elevation?
Most important grape?
Yamanashi GI #1 est. 2013
Yamanashi prefecture is southwest/west of Tokyo, Honshu Is. Kofu is the county’s capital. In the Kofu basin were majority of the vineyards are found lies Mt. Fuji in its southern backdrop.
Monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate. 80% mountain, many vineyards are above 500m.
90% of Japan’s 175ha (2008) Koshu plantings are found here, although it is planted in other areas of the country.
The main grape crop however is Shine Muscat as a luxury table grape.
1 iconic producer from Japans most important region?
1 single vineyard wine & site?
1 wine of note?
Grace Wine
1923 but first ‘Grace’ released wine 1957. Shigekazu Misawa 4th gene proprietor of Grace Wines. Among the first to trail and utilise VSP for Koshu.
Akeno site @ 700m elevation is said to have the longest sunshine hours in Japan. Misawa Vineyard (8.6 hectares) planted in 2002.
Top wine: Cuvée Misawa (1989) renamed Koshu Misawa Vineyard in 2020. Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, followed by malolactic fermentation (rare for Koshu) and maturation in stainless steel tanks or old French oak barrels for 7 months. Different terroir driven style.
Grace’s ‘Gris de Koshu’ 2012 was the first Japanese wine to win a Decanter Gold Medal. 3? Weeks on skins. Clear and faultless. Fresh with an overflow of fruity aromas such as white peach, pear, orange and orange peel, floral notes of sandalwood and jasmine, and spicy aromas of white pepper and clove.
Which wine making Province in Coastal China has a PGI for ice wine?
1 producer?
Liaoning Province ‘lee-aw-ning’
Huanren Icewine PGI
100% Vidal. Naturally frozen on the vine, no chaptalization. 9-14% ABV, Min 150 g/l RS.
Wunushan wines and Changyu Gold Diamond Icewine Valley are both in this region.
What is Chinas 2nd most important wine making province?
Location and climate?
2 PGI?
2 producers?
Hebei Province“Huh-bay” (Coastal China)
The region roughly surrounds the capital city of Beijing. Despite is coastal location and proximity to the Bo Hai Sea (north of Shandong Peninsula) it has more of a continental climate. East Asian Monsoon is a challenge.
Shacheng PGI is located northwest of Beijing. Hillier region - known for producing Chinas first dry white wine.
Changli PGI is located northeast of Beijing - known for producing China’s first dry red wine (albeit later than white?)
Great Wall. Based in Shacheng although vineyard holdings here in Shandong, Ningxia and Xinjiang as well. One of the country’s largest domestic producers.
Domaine Franco Chinois (DFC) & Canaan Winery. Same winery although different vineyards. Winery in Shacheng?
Neither appear to bottle under Shacheng PGI.. at least not in English. Hebei seems to be the most prominent geographical label.
Chinas most important wine production province?
Terroir
climate?
latitude?
threats?
soil?
1 PGI and 2 sub-regions?
Shandong
40% of country’s production.
Maritime climate due to its proximity to the Yellow Sea. Just north of the Peninsula is where the yellow sea flows into China to become the Yellow River (2nd). Cooler summers and warmer winters. East Asian Monsoon is a threat with cool, moist Pacific Ocean air that can cause high summer rainfall and fungal disease. 45 latitude - same as Bordeaux.
Yantai PGI
Penglai - county of Yantai. The most northern tip of the Shandong Peninsula. Majority of the region’s vineyards are located here on granite soils.
Qingdao
Most Southern part of the Shandong Peninsula. A few vineyards here - Tsingtao brewery located here also.
Who is China’s oldest and largest winery?
3 co-labs of note?
2 wines of note?
Changyu Pioneer Wine Co
Yantai, Shandong. Established in 1892 it is China’s oldest and largest modern winery. Have an estate and vineyards just south of the city of Yantai itself?
Portfolios include:
* Chateau Changyu-Castel collaboration with French
Castel Company in 2002.
* Chateau Moser XV with Lens Moser
* A majority of Australia’s Kilikanoon estate in the Clare
Valley
Centenary Cellar Dry Red Wine
Cabernet Gernischt & Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the top parcels in Ningxia, Xinjiang and Yantai.
Gold Diamond Icewine Valley, Huanren PGI, Liaoning.
Château Lafite Rothschild’s China project?
location?
1st and 2nd wine?
Domaine de Long Dai
- Mount Qiu, Penglai. Château Lafite Rothschild.
- Long Dai (2017) : Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Marselan. - Hu Yue (2018) : Cabernet Sauvignon, Marselan, Syrah &
Cabernet Franc.
Gansu Province
location?
climate?
varieties?
PGI of note?
2 producers?
Borders the Gobi desert. Semi-arid to arid continental climate. Wuwei the largest sub-region has a cooler continental climate. Winters in Gansu are extremely cold and dry, and that necessitates burying the vines in the earth to protect them.
- White: Riesling, Chardonnay
- Red: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
Hexi Corridor PGI
Mogao winery
Wuwei,1983. Government-owned listed company. Top wine is Golden Knight SCJQ1099; an 1,800 USD+ Pinot Noir. Info is scarce.
Moen Estate
Tianshui. Joint venture between Greece’s Kir-Yianni (now son Mihalis) and China’s Mogao. First in China to have planted Xinomavro. Now known for Pinot Noir.
Ningxia Province
Varieties?
PGI? & Terroir
elevation?
soil?
river?
White: Chardonnay
Red: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Gernischt
Helan Mountain East Region PGI (38,000ha 2nd largest)
arid to semi-arid climate - sits on the eastern edge of the Gobi Desert. Vineyards must be buried to survive winter.
Viticulture takes place around 1,200m elevation (more anthocyanin) on the east facing sandy, gravelly banks of the Huang He (Yellow Rover). The river proximity is essential allowing for easy to carry out manual irrigation as rainfall is low and unfortunately tends to fall late summer.
Best sites skirt the foot of the Helan Mountain range above the alluvial flats of the Yellow River.
