The National Wine
UnClub
Newsletter
The 'International'
It all began with an opportunity to taste the rare and expensive Gaja Barberesco a few years ago. This wine was one of the most highly touted Italian Piedmontese wines of the vintage and I awaited my sip with breathless anticipation to say the least. Upon sampling this monumental red, I was astounded not by the expected greatness of the wine (and it indeed was a fabulous wine!) but by how Bordeaux-like this Italian red seemed.
Now, being a purist/traditionalist wine enthusiast, I must say that I experienced a definite sense of mystification and disappointment when I couldn't identify this Barberesco as a Barberesco wine from Piedmont. It was anything but traditional; the tell-tale rusticity of a classic Barberesco was missing, primarily due to the fact that the traditional, resin-rich Slavonian oak wasn't employed in ageing this wine.
The reason Gaja's wine tasted like a refined French Grand Cru-level Bordeaux is answered by the way Gaja handled his fruit from harvest to bottling. He introduced a modern international style to his Nebbiolo-based Barberescos, utilizing stainless-steel fermenters and small French oak barrels to refine his wine. While I must say I still prefer traditional Barolo and Barberesco wines with ample smoky, savory qualities, I also love how Gaja has crossed over an international line of wine greatness achieved only by a handful of producers worldwide.
While Angelo Gaja led the way in northwestern Italy, his vigneron counterparts in Tuscany embraced the international stylistic approach en masse. The tired, old Chianti blend was losing favor anyway, so many innovative producers broke the mold with abandon. They began utilizing more modern viticultural and vinicultural methods, including the use of new French oak and even including non-traditional French varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah) to the classic Sangiovese to create international-style reds of distinction.
The introduction of these wines, named with fanciful proprietary terms like Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Solaia, was accompanied by a significant degree of consumer confusion. Tuscan wine enthusiasts were used to the established pedigree of Tuscan wine greatness officially designated by the Italian government under the DOCG (controlled and guaranteed wine appellations) wine ranking system. The new super-Tuscan reds could only carry the humble Vino da Tavola (table wine) designation.
But there was no denying the quality of these wines and they rather quickly took the wine world by storm with the best labels commanding astronomical prices in today' market. It is an admirable commercial achievement although I tend to feel that many quality traditional wines of Tuscany have been overlooked in the process. Thankfully, the dazzling quality of super-Tuscan wines has driven other Tuscany wine producers to make their traditional DOCG wines better, benefiting all wine lovers in the process.
California joined the international wine style bandwagon with their Meritage wines, naming these special wines in a similar proprietary fashion as the Italians (ie. Marlstone, Briarcrest, Opus I, Quintessa, Rubicon, etc.). These wines strictly followed BATF law which prescribes the Bordeaux formula for wine greatness: various blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, and Malbec in French oak. And, as was the case for the Italians, these California Meritage wines immediately became wildly popular and frightfully expensive.
In Spain, where value wines are almost a religion, international style has taken hold as well, particularly evident with the wines of the relatively new wine region of Ribera del Duero in central western Spain. Here, Bodega Vega Sicilia led the pack of Spanish producers with their innovative Tempranillo/Cabernet blends that sold for surprisingly high prices. With the success of Vega Sicilia, other Ribera del Duero producers emerged with the same concept, including such labels as Pesquera, Vina Mayor, Abadia Retuerta, and Emilio Moro.
The Spanish international-styled reds have spread to other regions in Spain like Rioja, Navarra and Priorato. It is our current opinion that these Spanish wines represent the greatest value international wines now available. With the exception of Vega Sicilia and Pesquera, these lovely reds are just appearing on the wine radar screens of most wine enthusiasts.
The world of wine is a quickly changing place; new styles emerge with the passing of every year. Changes that are positive will obviously experience longevity; whereas many innovations are destined to fail. Without a doubt however, the international wine style is here to stay!
Cheers!
Donald W. White