Alexander Valley

  

Hop yard with climbers

In 1840, Cyrus Alexander headed west from his home in Illinois to set down roots in northern California.   He settled in a broad valley by a river, hoping to continue in his trade as a trapper.  But farming was more important in the valley, so by 1843,  Alexander had joined the local farming community.   

Cyrus Alexander became a leader in the small growing community, a move that was recognized when the valley was named in his honor.  Farming in the mid-19th century, in what would become  Sonoma County,  was mostly row crops.  Prune orchards and hop yards were added, and up to the 1960s, were the major agriculture in the Alexander Valley.  

The transition to vineyards, mainly to support bulk wine production, came later.  By the early 1970s, hops had mostly disappeared from the crop mix and prunes gave way to vines, a sign of the new reality that would help slake Americans growing thirst for wine. 

These were early years for wine in Alexander Valley.  Jug wine and bulk wine were the first wines to build a core for the wine business. Varietal wines, mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, were poised to bring fame to Alexander Valley. 

As vineyards spread across the bench lands east of the Russian River, wineries got busy transforming grape juice into wine.  With one eye on vineyard soils and climate, and the other on the growing consumer demand for wine, growers planted more red grapes.

The change to the modern era of wine making in the valley began in the early years of the 1970s, with the resurrection of Simi Winery and the arrival of Jordan Vineyard & Winery.  

The ocher colored Jordan winery building, designed to appeal to Francophiles, Tom and Sally Jordan, at first produced, in Bordeaux fashion, only an Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, later adding a textured, weighty Chardonnay.

Alexander Valley's warm climate is well suited to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, planted in hillside  vineyards and flatter valley floor.  A singular distinction occurred with the 1974 vintage when Rodney Strong Vineyards bottled the valley's first single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander's Crown near Jimtown.

 In the mid-1960s, Robert Young, on the advice of UC Davis, planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, positioning Robert Young Vineyards as one of the most valued wine grape growers in the state.  Word of  Young's success soon spread to other wineries including Chateau St. Jean. 

Alexander Valley Cabernet leans toward a harmonious blend of herbs and black fruits, backed with nicely integrated fine tannins.  Alexander Valley Merlot is decidedly fruit driven, with plenty of natural acidity.

Seghesio Home Ranch Vineyard

Zinfandel is Alexander Valley's other red that attracts Zin fans everywhere. One of the top Alexander Valley Zins is the Seghesio  Home Ranch Vineyard, an old-vine Zinfandel that plays off of the Seghesio's Italian heritage.  The Home Ranch is one of a dozen Zinfandels from Seghesio. 

Ridge Vineyards, a winery with a long history of storied Zinfandels, has an impressive collection of 17 Zins, four of them from Alexander Valley, including Buchigani Ranch, Boatman, Stone Ranch and the iconic Ridge Geyserville.

Chardonnay, on the other hand, benefits from cooler conditions  along the Russian River and around Jimtown, the small spot famous not only for neighboring vineyards but also the Jimtown store, where you're likely to see local wine people picking up a sandwich.  The Chardonnay from this area is lean with tropical fruit notes.  

There are more than two dozen wineries in Alexander Valley.   Here are 12 worth consideration: Alexander Valley Vineyards, deLorimer Winery, Ferrari-Carano Winery, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Jordan Vineyard & Winery, Lampson Family Wines, Lancaster Estate, Robert Young Estate Winery, Rodney Strong Vineyards, Silver Oak, Stonestreet Estate Vineyards, Trentadue Winery.

 

Next post: Wine & Wood 

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Vin from Southern France

 

 

Life is good along France's posh Mediterranean coast.  Seafood is plentiful, orchards and gardens are bountiful and the vineyards of Roussillon, Languedoc and Provence are busy supplying France and the world with a wide range of wine.

These are fertile lands, from the border with Spain, eastward along the Mediterranean arc.  Here, the wine culture of France is at its most colorful and diverse.  A maritime climate enhances the conditions for an abundant array of wine styles like nowhere else in France. 

As familiar as the wines of the south of France are to today's French wine drinkers, they had trouble in the past attracting the attention of Americans.  In the 1970s, as Americans were becoming more familiar with Bordeaux and Burgundy,  the Russian born American, Alexis Lichine, was busy pitching the marketing campaign, "French Country Wines," mainly about wines from the region of the Cote de Roussillon.

Lichine was known to American wine drinkers as the owner of Ch. Prieure-Lichine in Margaux, and the guy who married  glamorous Hollywood movie star, Arlene Dahl.  But his efforts to sell French country wines to Americans met with sales resistance, mostly because Americans knew little then about Mediterranean wine regions, much less that Roussillon, Languedoc and Provence have individual personalities.  

A lot has changed since Lichine's day, so let's take a closer look at the three main French Mediterranean wine regions. 

Roussillon, in the west, next to Spain, shares the Catalan culture and language with Spain.  The Spanish influence in Roussillon is similar to the history of the French-German region of Alsace. 

A large part of the Roussillon economy is dependent on olives and grapes, with abundant orchards supplying cherries, plums, peaches and apricots to markets throughout France. 

Vineyards are rooted in the valleys and  rolling foothills.  Roussillon's variety of soils are a suitable medium for a wide range of grapes.  Blends  are common in Roussillon, with Grenache Noir, Syrah and Carignan the leading red grapes and Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris and Macabeo for whites.  Macabeo is a popular white variety adopted from northern Spain.

Roussillon is famous for its range of dry and sweet Muscats, as well as Banyuls vins doux naturels, a French specialty where fermentation of a naturally sweet wine is stopped by adding grape spirits. It's essentially the same technique as is used to make Port and Madeira. 

 Roussillon Wines: Domaine Pierre Cadene, $11;  Domaine Lafarge Nicolas, $20; Danjou Bauessy, $67; Domaine Forca Real, $15.

Languedoc is France's volume leader and an ambitious producer of a range of wines, from sparkling to dessert.  Heading east along the Mediterranean, the inland region of Languedoc lies between Roussillon and Provence.  A slight detour before crossing the Rhone river takes you to the Southern Rhone and a different expression of the wines from those found in Roussillon or Provence. 

Syrah and Grenache, followed by Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvedre, are the most common red grapes.  Plantings of Carignan, once a major variety, were dramatically reduced in 2015 by an EU vine-pull scheme, to reduce a wine surplus.

Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are the leading Languedoc whites.  Chardonnay and/or Chenin Blanc play a minor role, supporting Mauzac, in Languedoc's popular sparkling wine, Blanquette de Limoux.

Long a sprawling area of limited AOC wines, In 1985, Languedoc 's noted Corbieres and Minervois wines were elevated to AOC status, boosting the total AOCs to ????. 

Languedoc Wines:  Reserve Saint Marc, $15; Deferlante, $33; Coteaux du Languedoc Saint Cristol Cuvee, $23; Les Darons, $14. 

Provençal lavender

Provence may be better known for tourism than wine, although Provence Rosé is the wine favored by locals and tourists to wash down local dishes centered around an olive oil and garlic-based cuisine, featuring aioli, the versatile garlic infused mayonnaise.

Pale pink rosés, made primarily from Grenache and Cinsault, are mildly fruity and mostly off-dry.  Mourvèdre, Carignan and Syrah are reserved for Provence red wines, while Semillon, Ugni Blanc and Vermentino are the main white grapes.  

Vermentino, known in Provence as Rolle, is identified mostly with Sardinia and had its moment a few years back as an alternative white to Albarino and Viognier.

Cassis, a small white wine area in Provence is better known for cassis, French for blackcurrant. The popular liqueur is the noted Provençal contribution to the world of drinks.  Mix cassis with chilled white wine and you have Kir. 

Not as well known outside of Provence as cassis, are the oak-aged red wines of Bandol.  Based on Mourvèdre, Bandol may also include Grenache and Cinsaut. 

Provence Wines: Chateau Saint-Pierre-Eden Rose, $20; Provence Vineyards, $23; Mas de Gourgonnier, $18; Juliette, $17. 

With some exceptions, wines from these three regions are plentiful and affordable.  The dozen wines suggested above are mainly blends and mostly red, but there are plenty of white varietal wines, sparkling wines and sweet dessert-style wines.  Most of the choices you'll find in your local market are from Languedoc, but that depends on wine merchant preferences and local demand.

Next post: Alexander Valley

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Rhine Rieslings

Note: An odd usage convention refers in print to a certain German river and wine region(s). For the English speaker, Rhine (river) is easier to understand than the German word Rhein. But the names of the wine regions - Rheingau, Rheinpfalz and Rheinhessen - are more pleasing to the eye in German than the awkward "Rhinegau." Thus, all of the following references of Rhine and Rhine regions, will be English and German, respectively.  

 

                                                

Riesling is often mentioned as the greatest white wine grape on the planet.  If so, why isn't wine made from Riesling more popular?

Germany's Rhine region is frequently cited as the source of the greatest white wine made.  If so, why doesn't Rhine Riesling sell better than, say, Chardonnay, which happens to be the planet's best-selling white wine.

Riesling is made in smaller quantities than Chardonnay, in such far flung places as Australia, Northern Italy, Finger Lakes, Alsace, Washington state, New Zealand.  Yet, in many of these same places, wine shoppers will reach for a bottle of Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc and pass right by the Rhine Riesling. 

"Meininger's International" report on the share of the 2024 market had Other Whites (including Riesling) at less than 1%, while Chardonnay held 21% of the market.  Although both white wines showed an increase, they lagged behind the dominance of red wine sales.

Taste preference is certainly a factor for avoiding Riesling, but surely there is more.  So, lets look at why Riesling, and in particular Rhine Riesling, is not a better seller. 

✔ Riesling is perceived as a sweet wine, although some are dry; Chardonnay is perceived as a dry wine, although some are sweet.

There are two kinds of wine making: Wine made by a winemaker that you can taste, such as intended sweetness; and wine made in the imagination of a marketer or salesperson.  Stylistically, the winemaker's wine is as advertised.  For years, though, we've been told by marketing and sales that Riesling is a sweet wine. To be sure, there are sweet Rieslings, but there are dry Rieslings as well, like German Trocken (dry)  and Halbtrocken (off-dry) Riesling.

✔  German wine language is hard to read and understand, especially on German wine labels.

Ask six people to pronounce Gewürztraminer and you'll likely hear six different pronunciations.  The word is pronounced geh-vairtz-tra-mee-ner, with emphasis on "vairtz" and "mee."  And the two dots over the letter ü is an umlaut, or diacritical mark placed over a vowel to give the letter a different sound.  That can be confusing to the non-German speaking wine drinker, especially when reading a German wine label.  In recent years, the German wine industry has worked to simplify label language, but it is what it is and the language will not change.

 ✔ Consumers don't understand the difference between Rieslings from the Rheingau, Rheinpfalz, and Rheinhessen.

While the flavor characteristics can vary greatly depending on vineyard terroir, in general Rheingau Rieslings are mineral-rich and long lived.  Rheinhessen Rieslings have more of the typical peach and citrus flavors.  Rheinpfalz (now known as Pfalz) Rieslings are full bodied and dry with citrus notes.

✔ Wine buyers, perhaps subconsciously, reach for Chardonnay in a familiar shaped bottle, but shy away from the unfamiliar tall flute-like shape of a German wine bottle.

Bottle shape and color are subtle buying aids.  Consumers have been conditioned to recognize Chardonnay in the modern slope-shoulder, dead leaf green colored Burgundy bottle.  There's some question, though, about what wine is in that tall green (Rhine and Moselle) or brown (Rhine) flute-shaped bottle?  

This list of reasons why Riesling doesn't sell better is not exhaustive, but it is an indication of four possible things that may explain what Rhine Rieslings are all about, especially when compared to Chardonnay.  

Understanding Rhine Riesling, and all German wine, requires a definition of terms, not something most wine drinkers bother with, but knowing the ins and outs of German wine standards is essential to knowing the style of wine you're buying.  

Qualitatswein: Germany's largest wine category, known as QBA, vary in sweetness  and alcohol depending on the rules of the region where the wine is produced.  QBA wines may contain added sugars (Chaptalized).

Kabinett: The lightest of the six Prädikat "wines of distinction," that may not be Chaptalized.  Finished alcohol range for Kabinett is 9-11%.  

Spätlese: A Prädikat wine that means "late harvest." Defined by must weight, Spätlesen finished alcohol is 10-12%. A spatlese is noticeably sweet, but balanced with steely acidity.

Auslese: This Prädikat wine means "selected harvest."  Auslesen are sweet and long-lived.  It is at this level and above when the grapes are often botrytized, resulting in a complex sweet wine with a unique flavor. 

Beerenauslese: Full-on botrytized Prädikat wine, rich, sweet character and strongly influenced by botrytis.  Beerenauslese means "berry select" and by some estimates it is the ultimate dessert wine.

Trockenbeerenauslese: Just when you thought Rhine Rieslings couldn't get any more luscious, there is Trockenbeerenauslese or "TBA," botrytized sweet wines made from grapes shriveled on the vines. Quantities are sometimes so small that the wine is made in glass demijohns, with fermentation often taking up to a year or more to reach the required 5.5% alcohol for TBA.

You may not agree with those who say Riesling stands at the top of the world's best white wines, or that Rhine Riesling is the leader, but Riesling's complex flavors grow on you.  And to help in your discovery,   here's a quick look at the character of Riesling and why you should consider Rhine Riesling next time you make a white wine purchase.

                                       

 Common descriptors for Riesling are citrus, honeysuckle, jasmine, fruit salad, mineral, Granny Smith apples, marzipan, peaches, apricots.  Riesling has fruit sweetness, and certain styles also have residual sweetness, but there is always sufficient zesty acidity, to keep the wine from cloying. 

Riesling trocken from the Rhine is a good match with shell fish and Chinese and Thai food.  Sweeter Riesling Halbtrocken and Spätlese are perfect with fish or white meat in a light cream sauce. You'll need the weight and sweetness of Auslese for dessert.

Finally, if you haven't yet had the pleasure, next time you're dining at a Thai or Chinese restaurant, check the wine list for a Rheingau Halbtrocken (half dry or off dry). 

Freepik photos

Next post: Provence & Languedoc

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Prosecco Rising

  

Are Champagne houses pricing their bubbly out of the U.S. wine market?  It's a timely question, since sales of the elite French fizz are slumping, while the market for a more prosaic sparkling wine is soaring. 

What wine is that?  Prosecco, the northern Italian spumante that is setting sales records, everywhere it is sold.  

According to the Consorzio Prosecco DOC, more than 660 million bottles of Prosecco were sold in 2024,   up 7% over the previous year.  More than 76% were Extra Dry and Brut and 8% was the rising Sparkling Rose category. Prosecco DOC amounts to nearly 25% of Italy's total sparkling wine production.  

The grape responsible for all that impressive performance is Glera, the main grape in Prosecco.  The name, Glera, wasn't adopted until 2009, for reasons that had  to do with protecting the Prosecco name from others benefiting from the success of the Veneto fizz.  

Up to 15% Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco (Blanc) and Pinot Grigio (Gris) can be added to Glera to boost the wine's aromatics and flavor.  In 2020, Pinot Nero (Noir) was allowed for Prosecco Rose.

While Champagne Brut claims to be dry, Prosecco proudly admits to being off-dry.  Fact is, the percentage of residual sugars for both brut-style sparklers is about 1.2%, while Extra Dry is 1.7%.  And, Prosecco clocks in at a pleasant 10.5 to 11.5% alcohol, depending on style.  

Prosecco col fondo, or "with sediment," is a departure from standard Prosecco.  Col fondo is not disgorged and is bottled with the crown cap still in place.  The dry style spumante is capable of short-term aging (similar to Champagne) for added complexity.

 Other select Proseccos: Prosecco Superiore DOCG, from the best vineyards in Conegliano-Valdobbiadene and Asolo.  Not as well known as Valdobbiadene Prosecco, the wines of Asolo are popular among Prosecco fans.

How It's Made

Most Prosecco is made by cuve close (Charmat), a tank method named for a Frenchman.  However, Italian inventor, Federico Martinotti, developed the sealed tank method before Eugéne Charmat. Outside of Italy, though, credit for the process goes to the French. 

A base wine, with yeast and sugar, is put into a sealed pressure tank, for the second fermentation, the stage when the bubbles are made.  After the rapid second fermentation, sugar is added to adjust for style and the wine then goes directly to bottling.  

The main advantage of using the tank method is it's faster and more economical than a second fermentation in the bottle, such as is used for making Champagne.  Secondarily, the tank method is ideally suited to wine that does not normally age. The disadvantage is the wine may just taste like a nondescript wine with bubbles, lacking the depth and complexity of a bottle-fermented sparkling wine.

Critics claim that Prosecco is too sweet and tooty-fruity.  Bargain bin Prosecco, perhaps, but the best Brut Prosecco tastes like Golden Delicious apples and ripe luscious peaches.  Those enticing flavors bring out the best in cocktails like the Prosecco Mimosa and the Bellini.

An aside. I first visited Venice in the 1950s, before tourists crowded the romantic city's narrow byways and canals. I didn't know anything about Prosecco then. 

The last time I visited Venice, tourism had picked up considerably, so I avoided the popular sights for the relative quiet of a famous bar and the pleasures of a classic cocktail. 

Sometime between 1934 and 1948, the exact date is unclear, Giuseppe Cipriani founded Harry's Bar in Venice. Cipriani's lasting fame, though, was the creation of the Bellini, a blend of white peach puree and Prosecco, topped with a few drops of raspberry juice to give the cocktail a pink blush. 

The color reminded Cipriani of the pink hue of a painting by the 15th century Venetian artist, Giovanni Bellini. 

My Venetian Bellini was served lightly chilled in a flute-shaped glass. It had the touted pale pink color and luscious flavors of a perfectly ripe peach. 

A Bellini at Harry's was everything I hoped it would be.  

Tasting and Buying Prosecco 

Prosecco is casual fizz compared to the more formal Champagne bubbly. The attraction of Prosecco is its high fruit profile supported by a little sweetness. Add
brisk acidity and you have a characteristic Prosecco, just right as a balanced sipping wine, or the base for a wide array of cocktails.

Most Prosecco is priced about $25 or less. Prosecco Valdobbiadene and Prosecco col fondo are more. 

Look for these Proseccos: Ca' dei Zago, Ruggeri Vecchie, Col Vetoraz Valdobbiadene, Nino Franco, Bianca Vigna, Adriano Adami, La Marca. 

When confronted with an either-or decision, my brother was fond of saying, "That's why there's vanilla and chocolate ice cream."  The same simple logic works for deciding on sparkling wine: Champagne, sparkling wine, or Prosecco. 

 

Consorzio Prosecco DOC photo

 

Next post: Rhine Rieslings 

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