THE REST OF THE WORLD Flashcards
BULGARIA
- 2 major regions + indigenous grapes
- climates
2 EU-recognized PGI:
- Danubian Plains - continental/very hot summers
[Gamza (Kadarka), Pamid]
- Thracian Lowlands - continetal but more temperate
[Mavrud]
Cab Sauv + Merlot account for over 1/2 of plantings. Major white grapes.. Red Misket, Rkatsiteli, Dimiat.
These PGI’s produce 30% of Bulgarian wine. There are 52 PDOs, though many aren’t used. The Struma River Valley (differentiated by its Med climate) and Valley of the Roses areas are also important. Stara planina divides the country.
ARMENIA
- 3 major regions
- terrain/climate
- grapes
- term for quevri
REGIONS:
- Vayots Dzor: most wineries; 900 - 1200M. Phylloxera free. Grafting is illegal.
(Keush, Yacoubian-Hobbs)
- Armavir: leading in output
- Ararat
W: Chilar, Lalvari, Voskehat (Viognier-ish), Khatourin (blender with Voskehat)
R: Areni, Kakhet, Kindlayni
CLIMATE
Very continental. Summers are hot and dry- nearly all vineyards require irrigation. Harsh winters- most growers must bury their vines for protection. Avg elevation 1500M. “Boiling pot of mountains”. - Ararats and Aragats.
SOILS: volcanic and/or limestone
Quevri = Karas
CROATIA
- major grapes
- main regions
67% W, 32% R
Istria: Malvasija / Teran
Western Continental
Coastal (Primorska): Istria and Dalmatia
Grasevina (Welschriesling) - most planted
- Crljenak Kastelanski (Zinfandel- native!)
- Plavac Mali (red)
- Terlan (related to refosco - main red of Istria)
GEORGIA
- main regions/subregions
- main grapes
- what is maghlari
- name for brandy
Kakheti produces ~3/4 of wine, followed by Imereti & Kartli.
CLIMATE: Continental climate w mild to subtropical temps, arid to ample. Caucasus Mtns + Black Sea are main moderators.
REGIONS:
- Kindzmaurali: semi-sweet Saperavi
- Tsinandali - sits across the Alazani River from Kindz. Whites.. Rkatsiteli + Mtsvane blends
MAIN GRAPES: Saperavi, Rkatsiteli (re-KATS-ih-TEHly)
Production is 75% white, 25% red.
Chacha = Georgian brandy
Maghlari = An ancient Georgian cultivation method in which grapevines are trained to grow up tree trunks; literally, “raised”
ROMANIA
- lay of the land
- climate/moderating features
- most important places/grapes
- TERRAIN: Carpathian Mountains dominate center of country - Transylvanian Plateau is highest elevation area. Danube marks southern border. Many regions ring outer slopes of Carpathians.
- CLIMATE: continental; Black Sea moderates
COTNARI: located in the Moldaven Hills. Dry and sweet wines made primarily from Grasa di Cotnari; once rivalled Tokaji and Constantia
TARNAVE/JIDVEI (nested): coolest region. Feteasca, Traminer Rosé
Cotnari DOC
Historic Romanian sweet wine; Moldovan Hills
* Grasă de Cotnari = most prominent grape
* Frâncusa, Tămâioasă Românească, Fetească Albă can be blended with Grasă or vinified and bottled separately as varietal wines
* Cotnari may be dry, but the sweet Grasă-based interpretations are the most complex and long-lived
Romania’s 2 most “important” DOC
- Târnave DOC (in Jidvei DOC/Transylvania): coolest region
- Cotnari DOC (Moldavia): famed sweet wine, historically on par with Tokaj. Grasă de Cotnari is most prominent grape (related to Furmint)
RUSSIA
- most important region
- most planted grapes
Krasnodar, on the Black Sea coast
* Moderate climate, maritime influenced
Cabernet Sauvignon = over half of plantings
SLOVAKIA
- important areas
- grapes
An emerging scene, not too much to worry about now.
- Malé Karpaty Hills (“Small Carpathian”) is among most important
- Tokaj: contiguous with.. Tokaj. Can label Tokajský if they meet revised Hungarian requirements
Wine law is influenced by France & Germany
UKRAINE
- most important grape
- what 2 places grow most of the wine
4 Major Regions:
Crimea (Krim), Odessa
Nikolayev-Kherson, Transcarpathian
Odessa + Crimea = 80% of plantings
Rkatsiteli is important vits; Isabella (hybrid) gaining ground
LEBANON
- major growing region + lay of the land
- wineries
- climate
90% of production is in the Bekaa Valley. 1000M, runs N-S. Sits between Lebanon Mtns (rain shadow) and Anti-Lebanon Mtns (protect from dry desert air), along the Litani River.
SEMI-CONTINENTAL climate
~2k hectares of vines. Cinsault was the 1st widely planted grape.
WINERIES:
- Chateau Ksara: est 1857; largest producer
- Dom. des Tourrelles: est 1868; 1st modern serious commercial venture
- Chateau Musar
[R: Cab, Cin, Car // W: Obeidah, Merwah]
- Chateau Nakad
* these 4 were the only operating in 1975
National drink of Lebanon
Arak
Grape-derived spirit, typically distilled 2-4x in a Moorish copper pot still. Anise seed is added before final distillation. Ages in cloth covered amphora.
MOROCCO
- lay of the land
- best region
CLIMATE: semi-arid Med is a catchall, but there’s a lot of variation with maritime and continental infuence
Meknès is the premier wine region - halfway between the Atlas Mountains (block the Sahara) and the Atlantic Coast
MOLDOVA
- does this really matter at all
Greatest number of vines per capita in the world
* Very moderate climate. Same latitude as Burgundy. Black Sea = cooling influence
* a few indigenous grapes, but Chard, Cab, Pinot Noir, Sauv Blanc, Aligoté and other varieties dominate production
- Codru: central/continental. Elegant reds, fresh whites
- Ștefan Vodă: Med climate; full-bodied reds; SE
- Valul lui Trajan: SW, brandy
CZECH REPUBLIC
- main regions
- grapes
REGIONS
- Moravia: SE; densely planted and pretty prolific. 96% of wine are here.
- Bohemia: NW: less vineyard, but more family operations
GRAPES - whites dominate:
- Gewürztraminer (Tramín Ceverný), Pinot Gris (Rulandské Šedé) and Riesling (Ryzlink Rýnský). Sauvignon Blanc
- Cab, Merlot, Lemberger (Frankovka)
ISRAEL
- regions (4)
- major wineries
REGIONS:
- Golan Heights - NE corner, where Isreal meets Lebanon
- Galilee - larger region
- Coastal Plain - hot humid, not quality
- Judean Hills - terra rossa over limestone
3 biggest wineries:
Barkan Wine Cellars, Golan Heights, Carmel Winery
[Israeli Simcha Blass invented drip irrigation. Baron Edmond de Rothschild (Lafite) helped modernize the industry]
Japan’s oldest vitis vinifera grape?
Koshu
*thought to be from the Caucasus region - in Japan for ~1000 years, probably arrived via the Silk Road
*vitis vinifera. Thick skins, distinct rose color
Most popular grapes in Japan?
Muscat Baily A (red, hybrid)
Koshu
Muscat of Alexandria
CYPRUS
- main region
- main grapes
Phylloxera free.
REGION: Limassol is the main growing area and most historic. Located on southern slopes of Troodos Mtns.
GRAPES: Xynisteri (w), Mavro (r) are main locals
Commandaria
- history
- grapes/style
- aging
- max yield
World’s oldest continually produced style of wine (Cypriot Manna - 800BC). Grand
- Mavro + Xynisteri (white)
- sun-dried
- must age 2 years in oak
- 17hl/ha
Two divergent expressions:
1. non-vintage, fortified wines composed primarily of Mavro made at the larger firms
2. vintage-dated, unfortified examples with a higher concentration of Xynisteri.
Raisin wine OR Fortified (only fortified AFTER fermentation)
WHERE: 400 - 900M; South slopes of Troodos Mtns, 20m north of Limassol. 14 delimited villages can make it.
[Commandery was collective property of Knights of St. John of Jerusalem and where most vineyards were, who organized land ownership by social hierarchy. Commanderie was at the top.]
NINGXIA
- most important area
- climate + considerations
- elevation
East Foothill of Helan Mtn GI
- 1st official Chinese appellation; 1 of 4 Eu-recognized. Helan = “beautiful horse”
- CLIMATE: arid continental. 3100 hours of sun, >7in rain/yr.
- TERRAIN: 1100 - 1200M. Large diurnal shift. Lack of humidity coupled with chill make burying vines a necessity. Soil moisture is raised via flood or drip irrigation right after harvest.
- SOILS: pebbly, sandy soils in Yellow River floodplain (allows vines to dig for water)
SHANDONG
- most important area
- climate + considerations
- elevation
- most important wineries
YANTAI: China’s wine capital
CLIMATE: maritime - Yellow Sea, Bohai Sea moderate. Humid monsoonal area - vines are planted on slopes with good drainage.
TERRAIN: Yantai-Penglai’s 3 valleys… Qiushan, Pingshan, and Nanwang
- Domaines Barons de Rothschild ‘Long Dai’, Qiu Shan Valley
- Chateau Changyu - 1st commercial winery; owner was “James Busby of China” in 1890’s
YUNNAN
- most important area
- climate + considerations
- elevation
- most important wineries
GREATER SHANGRI-LA
- TERRAIN: 1500 - 3000M. Altitude mitigates latitude.. 21 to 29º. Steep slopes, terraced vineyards.. mechanization is impossible
- CLIMATE: continental with maritime influences.
Moët Hennessy’s Ao Yun planted Cab Sauv/Franc in Dequen County
