Saracco, Moscato d’Asti 2019, Piedmont, Italy. The Moscato Bianco grape, from which Moscato d’Asti and a number of other wines are made, has been cultivated for centuries in the Piedmont region, marking it out as one of the oldest grapes in the Italian wine industry, and certainly one of the most revered in the entire Piedmont region.
However, by contrast, the Moscato d’Asti is actually a fairly new wine, especially when considering the age of the grape. While the wine itself had often been made by the producer, using the frizzante style, in general it was kept back for the producers themselves to enjoy, rather than being made available for the general public. As such, it had a minor reputation as a winemaker’s wine, rather than one that would be commercially viable for a number of years. That all started to change as the 19th century drew to a close, and by the 1870s, Moscato d’Asti had started to become something of a regular fixture in stores and households.
The wine shows a light golden color with fine bubbles. Riesling: What to Know and 6 Bottles to Try. Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here.
We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Riesling is one of the wine world’s most misunderstood grape varieties. Wine drinkers often deride riesling as cheap, sweet and less highly regarded than other more fashionable varieties. These stereotypes couldn’t be further from the truth. 8 Bottles That Show Rioja Is Making Outstanding Wine for Your Money. In North Central Spain, Rioja claims to contain more wine barrels than any other region in the world.
Verification on that is a little hard to come by, but those barrels are surprising for another reason too: A very large percentage of them are made of American oak. Juan and Isaac Muga, of historic Bodegas Muga, explain how that came to be, in a place just a stone’s throw from France, and it involves more than a little old-fashioned protectionism. It seems there was a time, at the turn of the last century, when “only French citizens were allowed to buy French oak.
But Spain had regular trade routes with Cuba and the independent American colonies, so achieved a regular flow of American oak.” This is no small thing, because the wines of Rioja—legends of longevity—have traditionally derived their character from years spent in wood, and the telltale whiffs of vanilla and spice they picked up from our oak became an integral element of their profile. Pinot Noir: What to Know and 8 Bottles to Try. Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here.
We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Known for its high acid, low tannins and incredible ability to age, pinot noir produces some of the most sought-after wines in the world. However, despite its many redeeming qualities, it’s not always smooth sailing with this finicky variety. On the viticultural side of things, pinot noir is actually quite difficult to grow, as its thin skins make it very susceptible to hazardous climate conditions. Malbec Wines: What to Know and 5 Bottles to Try. Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here.
We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Malbec has seen a spike in popularity over the past decade. Once relatively unknown in the U.S., this purple-hued grape is now frequently found on by-the-glass lists at bars and restaurants and often has its own section in wine retail shops as well. Malbec’s rise in consumer appreciation isn’t hard to understand. Wines to Try if You Love Cabernet Sauvignon. Known as mourvèdre, mataro or monastrell, depending on where in the world you’re drinking it, this robust grape variety is regarded for both its single-varietal expressions and its major role in viticulture’s famed GSM (grenache, syrah, mourvèdre) blends.
In their youth, mourvèdre-based wines are extremely tannic, which, when made well, means that their cellar-worthy potential is out of this world. Mourvèdre is most commonly grown in France’s Rhone and Provence regions, as well as South Australia, South Africa, California and Valencia, Spain. These high-ABV wines are known for their gamey flavors of red fruits, underbrush, cassis, sweet spice and black pepper.
Wines to Try If You Love Pinot Noir. Thanks in no small part to the movie “Sideways,” pinot noir has enjoyed wild popularity during the last couple of decades.
But of course the film cannot take full credit; it simply helped raise awareness among wine drinkers of pinot’s remarkable qualities. And it truly is a grape that has earned its venerated reputation. While pinot noir is on the lighter end of the red wine spectrum, it’s typically bursting with flavor and beautifully textured, with notes that include ripe red fruits and fragrant flowers, as well as baking spices and earthy undertones. Pinot also possesses the ability to take on vastly different personalities depending on where it’s grown.
The 14 Best Sweet Wines to Drink in 2020. Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here.
We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Sweet wine is one of the most overlooked and underrated styles of wine on the market. These wines provide thought-provoking and delicious drinking experiences, especially when paired with the right foods. Still, knowing where to start is key. The 14 Best Pinot Noirs to Drink in 2020. Oregon Wines: What to Know and What to Drink. Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here.
We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Wines from Oregon often live in the shadows of their California counterparts, though that should change. Oregon is putting out some of the most exciting and terroir-reflective bottles to come out of the United States. Quinta da Alorna, Touriga Nacional Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2015. Tejo is a wine region in central Portugal that covers the same area as the Ribatejo province, just inland from the major city of Lisbon.
The wine appellation’s name was changed from Ribatejo in 2009. The entire region may use the Tejo VR (Vinho Regional) designation, similar to the French IGP/Vin de Pays, while some areas produce wines labeled with the higher-level Do Tejo DOC (Denominação de Origem Controlada). A warm, dry area, it is also Portugal’s only landlocked region – although it is influenced considerably by the Tejo river. As is the case in neighboring Alentejo, Tejo’s top wines are mostly red.
Like many parts of Portugal, Tejo’s vine growers are looking to the future, planting international varieties like Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon alongside traditional varietals like Touriga Nacional, Castelao and Trincadeira. Quinta da Alorna was founded in 1723 by Pedro de Almeida, First Marquis of Alorna.
> For more information, visit the Quinta da Alorna official website. We Asked 15 Wine Pros: Which Cabernet Sauvignon Offers the Best Bang for Your Buck? As bars and restaurants continue to navigate the coronavirus pandemic and reopening phases, VinePair asked the bartenders and drinks professionals below to provide a virtual tip jar or fund of their choice. More resources for helping hospitality professionals are available here.
Of all the noble grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon wins the popularity contest. Best Portuguese Wines. 4 Super Unique and Undervalued White Wines To Try. You won’t find Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio on this list. Still, the following four white wine varieties are worth some serious praise. White wine definitely seems like an afterthought in the wine world. For whatever reason, white wines don’t command the same prices or prestige as their red wine counterparts. Still, they are equally challenging to grow and to make. Ironically, this is good news for white wine enthusiasts. In this tasting, we try four unique and undervalued white wines from four regions you ought to know more about. Wine Map of Italy Get to know the regions and the wines of Italy on this illustrated map.
Buy Map. 5 Best Moscato Wines to Drink All Year. 7 Chardonnays for People Who Think They Hate Chardonnay. It’s a common refrain: “I hate chardonnay.” So much so, in fact, that a whole movement has sprung up around it—the ABC faction. You guessed it. That stands for Anything But Chardonnay. The ubiquitous grape had a substantial heyday in the 1980s and ’90s, when a lot of New World producers were attempting to emulate the revered white wines of Burgundy, France. But as chardonnay skyrocketed in popularity, wineries scrambled to make the wine accessible to the masses. Chardonnay in and of itself is actually a relatively neutral variety, meaning that it’s not particularly aromatic or overpowering. But in their pursuit of excess, the winemakers of the United States, South America and Australia wanted their wines to get bigger and bigger, bolder and bolder.
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When it comes to versatile, widely available, and affordable Italian wine, Castello di Volpaia sets a standard. The winery’s 2016 Chianti Classico is listed in almost 100 stores on the pro version of Wine-Searcher, with good distribution across the United States. And that’s fortunate, because this $20 wine is a top Chianti Classico at this price from the stellar 2016 vintage. Volpaia is centered in a fortified medieval village of the same name dating back 900 years in the heart of the Chianti Classico region.
It’s now pretty much a company town, with most of the historic buildings owned by the winery and devoted to its production. Within the village, Castello di Volpaia farms 114 acres of vineyards using certified organic methods. The blend is 90 percent Sangiovese, the signature red variety of Chianti and Tuscany, and 10 percent Merlot, which I imagine is used to soften the wine a bit. Bodegas Campos Reales Tempranillo - Delightfully Delicious. Five Excellent Alternatives to Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon. Best $15-and-Under Wines. Our Reader Panel Selects The Rioja You Should Be Drinking Now. Rioja is one of the great wine regions of the world. We Asked 9 Somms: Which Wine Do You Wish People Ordered More?
A restaurant’s wine list can be incredibly daunting. Long menus are filled with producers we’ve never heard of and grape varietals we can’t pronounce, plus all that extra information about cuvée and vintage that’s meant to demystify a wine and only makes it more obscure. We Asked 9 Somms: What's the Most Overrated Wine? 5 Wines That Just Get Better With Age - Gear Patrol. Gifts grounded in experiences — a vacation, a tour of an otherwise off-limits building, dinner at a notable restaurant — are among the most memorable that you can give. The Best California Pinot Noir Wines. 18 Washington Wines to Freak Out About. 2017 Wine Buying Guide (For Reds and Whites) Best $15-and-Under Wines. Best Cabernet Sauvignon Under $100. Cabernet Sauvignon is the alpha daddy of wine varietals. The 50 Best Wines of 2016. Here at VinePair we drank a lot of really great wine in 2016.
Still, some bottles truly stood out, and you’ll find the list of these below. Top 10 Wines of the Year 2016. 5 Epic Wines and their Affordable Alternatives. De Wetshof Limestone Hill Chardonnay 2016. 10 Wines Under $20. Boxed and Canned Wine You'll Want to Drink This Summer. In Pursuit of $20 Pinot. Epic Vintage Alert: 2015 Wines To Seek Out. Seven Loire Valley Wines You Must Be Drinking This Fall. 3 Eastern European Wines to Try. Review: Herdade Do Esporão Monte Velho Red 2014. 7 White Wines To Make You Forget The Big Three. The Best Wines at Trader Joe's. Winemaker Randall Grahm's "Weird, Different, Crazy" Vision. White Wines for Red Wine Drinkers. Review: Il Poggione Brancato Rosato di Toscana 2015. 5 South American Wine Varieties You Need to Know.
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