Local Wines

If one were to enter a wine store or a restaurant and look at the offerings for sale, how many different chardonnays, cabernets, merlots, syrahs, etc. would one find? LOTS! Not that there is anything wrong with that. But how much is enough?

One of the most interesting aspects of the wine trade at the moment is the “discovery” of indigenous grape varieties that can produce excellent wines at their best; and well made and flavorful wines at the least. These are grape varieties that have previously not made the leap into the august realm of international celebrity status, but have remained on the more or less local level. Why are some of these grapes becoming more well known?

One of the reasons is that many of these “new” grapes are from southern Italy, Spain, the south of France; others are less well known Rhone Valley varietals, and so on. Some, such as Gruener Veltliner, are virtual specialties of a single country, in this case Austria. In the south of Europe, with a Mediterranean climate, days are very hot in summer. Without modern wine technology, white wines can often start to oxidize before they are pressed, with the result that the must is slightly brown and tastes bitter. Not exactly a great flavor profile to start with. Reds that ripen too quickly lose balance by being overly alcoholic and have a super ripe taste; that is because the balance of acid crucial to quality wines is not present in the grape must.

Modern wine technology can alleviate many of these problems. Night picking and temperature control fermentation tanks, refrigerated transport from vineyard to pressing facility, alcohol extraction, and advanced scientific knowledge have all made immense contributions to the quality improvement of less well know grapes; and often these grapes have come from regions that historically were not wealthy areas, think Puglia. The EU made money available for improving wine technology; we are seeing the results of these efforts now.

What is also happening is that producers in Spain, Italy, Greece, etc. are getting into international varieties, sometimes at the expense of local varieties. Albarino produces a wonderful white from Rias Baixas. But this terroir is also good for sauvignon blanc. Puglia has a wealth of black grapes, including Negroamaro, that produce earthy, tannic, rustic wines that marry with the intense flavors of the regional food. But classic red Bordeaux varietals also do well here. In Spain, we have Mencia, a very old native Spanish grape that produces a spicy, dark fruity wine and is just being discovered after about 2,000 years of hiding out! But this land also does well by syrah.

What I am getting at, is that we should relish the chances we have to sample all of these wonderful local wine varieties, as we do regional cuisines. Why would anyone go to Spain or Italy or Greece and eat at American style restaurants? Or watch American television shows at night? We have a wonderful opportunity not available to people ever before: to experience, appreciate, and cherish our regional differences in foods and wines from around the world. If I want a chardonnay I can select a Burgundy, a million labels from the US and Australia; if I want a cab, well you get the idea.

And remember, in addition to grape varieties, “local wines” reflect where they are produced. They reflect the Terroir where they live, the soul of the people who live there, and the foods that grew up on the same block as the wines.

Let’s just hope that winemakers do not give up the dynamic variety of local wines to offer yet another international flavor.