All Varieties

Question 1

Describe the Carignan variety

Answer 1

Carignan

• high yield - control for flavour concentration - best from old vines (nat red yield)
• late bud, late ripe needs long warm summer
• Prone to P MD, grape moth
• Not suited to mech harvest - bunches cling to vine

Character

• hi acid, hi tannin - softened by use of carb mac / blending
• Not old vine: med ruby, simple blackberry, hi acid,hi tannin, unoaked: a/g, inexp
• Old vine: vg/OS intense black fruit, spice and earth for prem & sprm prices

Question 2

Cinsaut

Answer 2

Cinsaut

• late bud, high yield (restrict for quality)
• Good drought and disease resistance
• Prone to esca (trunk disease) and Eutypa, mites, grapemoth
• Lime soils - chlorosis

Winery

• Small part of red blend,
• Usually vinified to preserve the fruit:
  
  • SS vessels, with mid range fermentation temperature

Character

• Light ruby, m/m+ raspberry, cherry; hi alc, l/m tannin
• aromas most prom in first year after wine is made - therefore suitable for early drinking reds/rose

Question 3

Clairette?

Answer 3

Clairette

• Ripens late (aut rain!)
• Vigorous, best on low fertility, dry soil - suits S Rhone & its low rainfall
• Pruned short and buds removed to control vigour
• Grows upright - wind resistant, without staking

Character

• Handle with care - oxidises easily
• primarily white blends in S Rhone
• cont freshness and fruit - white flower, fennel, apple, gfruit,
• hi alc, l/m- acid

Question 4

Grenache Blanc?

Answer 4

Grenache Blanc

• early budding (no frost in South France/Spain)
• Good wind resistance with an erect habit
• Almost only grown in S Rhone
  
  • dry white blends & VDN (it can reach hi alc levels)

Character

• Lo int green fruit and floral, hi alc, low acid

Question 5

Grenache Noir?

Answer 5

Grenache Noir

• High yield Vigorous – does better on poorer soils
• Late ripe, needs warm site (autumn rain=risk)
• Good drought resistance, but prone to coulure, D MD, phomopsis, BBR
  
  • bacterial necrosis, bacterial blight (event kills the plant)
• In ripening can accumm sugar very quickly - issue for dry, but good for VDN

Character

• Major component in southern Rhone blends (“GSM”)
• Pale ruby, ripe red sberry, plum, cherry, spicy, herbal.
• Hi alc, l/m tannin, Low acid

Question 6

Malbec?

Answer 6

Malbec

• Vig, mid ripe
• Full-bodied , deeply colour wines
• Ripe blackberry, plum

Micro-climates have distinct influence

• Low alt/lat (warmer) – fuller body, riper black fruit, softer tann, lower acid.
• Hi alt/high lat – lower abv, m+ acid, firm, m tann, fresh fruit both red and black, floral or herbal
• Above offers blend opp, but many choose single VY for expressions of terroir

Mostly single var

• light/fruity for drinking young; (inexp -mid)
• Hi,smooth tannin, matured in new oak – subtle spice
• Recently extracted more gently for elegance

Also blends with Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and /or Petit Verdot

• Blends: inexp to prem
• Also into Rose

Question 7

Marsanne?

Answer 7

Marsanne

• Late bud, vigourous, productive - control for hi q wines
• Performs best on stony/low fert soils (lowers the yield)
• > good on the slopes of the N Rhone Valley.
• Prone to P MD, mites, BBR

Character

• M Lemon / Gold, lo int honeysuckle, lemon, apricot, oily texture, med acid, full body, m/hi alc.
• In N Rhone made as varietal or blended with Roussanne
• S Rhone - part of blend

Question 8

Mourvedre?

Answer 8

Mourvèdre

• Low yields,
• late bud, late ripen, needs warm/hot climate to ripen
• underripe if late summer not hot
• Not drought resistant, needs small + regular water (calcareous soils perfect)
• Trained short, and grown on a cordon or bush vine
• prone to mites, leafhoppers, sour rot

Winery

• prone to reduction - must have adequate access to O2 (punch & pump)
• Typically aged in oak - cost
• Usually part of a blend:
  
  • deep ruby, pron blackberry, blueberry, violets, hi alc, hi+firm tannin
• By contrast - principle variety for red/rose of Bandol AOC, Provence

Question 9

Describe Pinotage

Answer 9

• Pinot Noir x Cinsault (SA dev)
• Significant plantings, small berries, reach high sugar levels
• early bud, mod susc to fungal dis. deep colour needs only short alc mac for deep col (3 -5 days)
• Range of styles
  
  • Light fruity style, Red berry flavours
• Cape Blend with int varieties
  
  • Some from old vine > Full-bodied,Rich, spiced, berry fruit
• When fermented or stored with heavily toasted oak staves, Pinotage takes on intense coffee/chocolate aromas

Question 10

Roussanne?

Answer 10

Roussanne

• Late bud, best on low fertility, well drained soil,
• Poor resistance to wind (coulure9- sites carefully chosen
• Variable yields -> coulure
• Susc to P MD, BBR, mites
• More diff to grow than Marsanne, > less common in Rhone Valley

Character

• med lemon - gold,
• m /m+ aroma pear, herbal, m/m+acid, m/h alc
• ages quicker than Marsanne
• Normally blended (but single var also)
  
  • N Rhone Marsanne
  • S Rhone Clairette & Grenache Blance
  • contributes acidity and perfume, with age develops hazelnut aromas

Question 11

Syrah?

Answer 11

• Syrah
• Late bud, early ripe (rel to position)
• Vigourous
  
  • yield control for aromas and acid
• Stakes protect frm Mistral (hand work - cost)
• Sus to mites, BBR, and “Syrah decline/disorder - leaves turn red, graft point breaks, vine dies)

​Character

• High levels of anthocyanins, respond well to oak
• deep ruby, m/h acid, m/h tannin
• m/pron int violet, plum, blackberry, black pepper, herbal notes (red if cool, black fr if warm)

Rules

• only red grape authorised in N Rhone
• Syrah adds structure, fruit and colour to Southern Rhone blends

Question 12

Torrontes

Answer 12

Torrontes – 3 Var

• X Muscat Alex/ >> strong floral rem of Muscat
• Hi yield, early ripe >
  
  • planted in warm Mend, S Juan, La Rioja means often over ripe & too alc./low acid / bitter finish
• imp by red yld, early harv, prot wm for fruitier wines (rather than only floral), fresher, lower alc
• mostly early drinking
• some prod ferm a prop in large oak for to blend with unoaked, to create a more ageworthy wine
• single var, sometimes blended with SB
• Fragrant sweet late harvest also made
• Good examples from Salta and VY at alt e.g. Uco Valley

Question 13

Viognier

Answer 13

Viognier

• • Early bud (frost) - trellis/poles to protect from wind
• Coulure, poor flowering > low and unpredictable yields
• Must be fully ripe to have true flavours - picking time !!
• rapidly loses flavour, acid, accumm sugar if left too long.>unbalanced wine

Character

• med lem, pron honeysuckle, apricot, peach; m/hi alc, lo acid.
• 20% Viognier allowed in N Rhone Syrah