The National Wine
UnClub
Newsletter
July/August 2008
Wine Families - Part 2
No, we're not referring here to the famous Mondavis of Napa Valley or the Rothschilds of Bordeaux, France. This is simply a discussion about how wines seem to fit into certain 'families' of taste and character. Have you ever noticed how all French wines share something in common, or how all Australian wines share certain traits? There is what might be called a 'family resemblance' across the spectrum of red, white, rosé, dessert, and bubbly wines from the various regions around the globe.
This 'family' quality in wines could also be applied regarding varietal categories like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, or Cabernet Sauvignon. Many of these beloved varietals are produced in almost every fine wine region around the world and when you taste through a group of them there are certainly more similarities than differences.
The subject of wine is still a bit mystifying to a vast majority of wine drinkers. Certainly there are many that feel they know what wine is all about and don't think that wine is mysterious at all. Well, I'm not one of those people, thank heavens! Having bought and sold wine for nearly thirty years I'm proud to say that fine wine still fascinates me.
However, the quest to understand wine is still a worthy goal for all of us wine enthusiasts out there. This is why I continue to write this column, a wine 'blog' (weblog) that I initiated eight years ago in 2000 (long before blogging became the normal thing for anyone with a point of view on a subject to type regular web postings!).
The 'wine families' concept is one approach to begin to know wine in a way that at once simplifies understanding wine...as well as making wine more complex and interesting. What do I mean by this? Well, to really appreciate a wine's character in this regard you must have an appreciation for the culture of the region where this wine is produced. The French have subtlety and elegance in mind as they render their cuisine and you also seem to find this quality mysteriously revealed in their wines.
Most Italians love bold, strong flavors in their cuisine and this is reflected often in their tarry, savory, smoky red wines. The Germans have always been enamored with natural sweetness in their wines (because they live so far north that natural sugars in grapes are at a premium) so German wines with residual sugar have always been a hallmark of great German wines.
So you can see that once you get to know a 'people' and their preferences for the foods they prepare and enjoy regionally you can begin to gain a much larger appreciation for their wine styles. These styles evolved (particularly in Europe) regionally and have been maintained to a large extent today despite the deplorable homogenization of the wine world.
In 'New World' regions like Australia, California and New Zealand you see less of the indigenous cuisine-oriented wine styling and a greater emphasis on 'international style' wines. While there is nothing wrong with this it becomes more challenging for the wine enthusiast to assign certain cuisine types with these wine regions. It becomes more important to consider the prevailing wine-style philosophy in these newer regions to begin assigning a 'family' orientation.
As far as varietal families, one should always look for a bright cherry fruit profile and pekoe tea tannins in the Pinot Noir 'family' whether the wine came from Burgundy, France, Russian River Valley in California, or Marlborough, New Zealand. Cabernet Sauvignon takes on regional differences that are distinctive (pruney in Argentina, bell peppery in Chile, band-aid (iodine) in South Africa, but it always seems to show through with its familiar (family identification) flavors of 'blue fruit' (cassis, blueberry, blue/black plum).
We hope this discussion inspires you to go out and try more wines with more worldly cuisines. I'm already thirsty and hungry just writing this column today! Remember, life is too short to drink bad wine. Keep an open mind and a fresh palate friends and great new wine and dining experiences shall be yours.
Cheers!
Donald W. White