This guide will tell you all about how rosé wine is made, so you’ll be able to impress whoever will listen at your next barbeque!

What is rosé wine?

Rosé wine, sometimes called Rosado (in Spanish and Portuguese) and Rosato (in Italian), is neither white nor red, but pink. There are many different shades of pink and many different styles of rosé wine. Rosé is increasingly popular these days, with quality Provence rosé and inexpensive Californian rosé wines constantly in demand.

There is not just one style of rosé, just as there’s not just one style of red, white or sparkling wine. Rosé is often overlooked as being too simple a category, but there’s a wide range produced from bone dry to a little sweet, pale to quite dark and light to almost full-bodied. The different styles are down to a whole host of factors, from wine growing regions and grape varieties to winemaking styles.

In this guide, we’ll try to get a handle on rosé winemaking in particular. Let’s go back to our friend Pinot Grigio rosé, then.

How is rosé wine made?

Making rosé wine has a lot of steps in common with white and red winemaking, though it has some distinct methods of its own. The winemaker starts with (red) wine grapes, and has a number of options to choose from in order to produce a rosé wine. Four of the most common methods are:

• Direct pressing:

  Here, the grapes are gently pressed before alcoholic fermentation. The grapes do not stay in contact with their skins for very long, so the juice does not contain that much colour or tannin. This produces the lightest coloured rosé wines.

• Drawing off:

  In this case, the process is the same as making red wine until the alcoholic fermentation begins. After the fermentation has been going on for some time (between a few hour and a couple of days), the winemaker drains the juice away from the skins (“drawing off”). The juice finishes fermenting without its skins, producing a relatively dark rosé wine.

• Saignée:

  This French term means “bleeding”, and the process is similar to drawing off. The difference is that instead of drawing all the juice off the skins, the winemaker leaves some in the tank. This actually produces two wines: A rosé, and a highly concentrated red wine. The red wine is usually the winemaker’s primary goal, meaning that the rosé is often just an afterthought and not necessarily the best quality.

• Blending:

  This is pretty simple: The winemaker blends some red wine and some white wine together, yielding a pink wine. Blending is not permitted in the EU, with one key exception: Pink Champagne.

How do they make Pinot Grigio rosé?

That’s all well and good, but what about Pinot Grigio rosé? If blending is not permitted, how do they do it?

You probably know Pinot Grigio best as a light and simple dry white wine, probably from Italy. You may not have seen Pinot Grigio rosé, but it exists. The secret to how Pinot Grigio can make a pink wine lies, quite simply, in the skins: The Pinot Grigio grape has a dark skin, ranging in colour from blue to purple to red to grey.

Making Pinot Grigio rosé can thus be done using any of the techniques mentioned above. The Italians produce a skin-fermented rosé wine from Pinot Grigio known as Ramato, that is quite interesting indeed.

What is your favourite style of rosé wine? Tell us in the comments below. 

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What is vin doux naturel?

The French phrase “vin doux naturel” literally translates to “naturally sweet wine”. VDNs, as they are often known, are produced mostly from Muscat, though sometimes from Grenache. The typical VDN is a strong Muscat drink with a lot of sugar, a lot of alcohol, and some pleasant, if a little simple, grape flavours.

The name is not entirely accurate, however, as the level of sweetness (and alcohol) does not occur naturally. Like Port, VDNs get their sweetness and high alcohol by the addition of a high-alcohol spirit during fermentation. The alcohol kills the yeast before it has had the chance to convert all the grape sugar into alcohol. The result is a wine with high residual sugar and high alcohol. In the best cases, this makes for a very tasty Muscat drink indeed.

VDN: Is it a “wine” or a “Muscat drink” (or what)?

VDN is officially considered to be a wine, and not just merely a “Muscat drink” or similar term. The best French VDNs tend to come from two distinct winegrowing regions: Languedoc-Roussillon and the Rhône Valley. Within each, there are numerous individual appellations dedicated to VDN production, and most bare the word “Muscat” in their name, leading many casual drinkers to think of VDN as its own category, a type of Muscat drink, rather than as a wine.

Where does VDN come from?

You’ll find Muscat-based VDN produced in various parts of France, generally in and around Languedoc-Roussillon and the southern Rhône Valley.

Roussillon

The largest appellation and production area is Muscat de Rivesaltes, in Roussillon. Muscat de Rivesaltes accounts for some 70% of France’s total Muscat production. Most Muscat de Rivesaltes is released very early, often in the spring following the harvest, and is intended to be enjoyed right away.

Another local VDN, simply known as Rivesaltes, is permitted to use Muscat grapes, though many other grapes are also permitted and, often, favoured.

Two other appellations, Banyuls and Maury, produce excellent red VDNs, with Grenache being the major grape variety.

Languedoc

In Languedoc, VDN is associated with four appellations in particular:

• Muscat de Frontignan
• Muscat de Lunel
• Muscat de Mireval
• Muscat de St-Jean-de-Minervois

Of these, Muscat de Frontignan is the most historically significant, known to produce the finest fortified sweet Muscat drink of all. Classic Muscat de Frontignan is gold, luscious and sweet. Its flavour profile is not all that complicated, but very generous and pleasant: Think a lot of grape flavours and aromas, sugar and alcohol. It’s not exactly an everyday drink, but it can certainly give a lot of pleasure.

Rhône Valley

In the Rhône Valley, the best fortified Muscat drink comes from Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise. The other well-known VDN appellation in the area is Rasteau, where Grenache is the primary grape. Rasteau is a rich, heady red fortified wine.

Have you ever tried any vin doux naturel?

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Say hello to El Coto Rosé!

Introducing El Coto Rosé: The perfect summer wine

Rioja talk is dominated by red wine, although Rioja Blanco is pretty trendy too. Far less talked about is rosé wine from Rioja. This is a shame, but it’s an easy fix. Summer’s here and that’s as good a reason as any to discover pink Rioja.

El Coto Rosé 2016 is a great example and is just about perfect as a no-nonsense summer wine. A rather classic blend of Tempranillo and Grenache (or “Garnacha”, to give it the local twist), El Coto’s Rioja rosé is a glassful of sunshine, and it’ll cost you less than €5 a bottle.

Keep a case or two of El Coto rosé on hand this summer and you’ll always have a suitable bottle to welcome guests or enjoy a leisurely lunch. Don’t let its price point fool you, though: This is a pretty serious wine, too.

El Coto Rosé 2016: Some technical stuff

We’ve got summer on our minds, so let’s not get too bogged down in the detail. Here are a few technical tidbits that might just come in handy if you find yourself at a loss for words at a family barbeque.

• The grapes for the El Coto rosé are sourced from two distinct vineyard areas. The Tempranillo is grown in the Rioja Alavesa region, while the Garnacha grapes come from the El Coto vineyard in Ausejo.
• The El Coto technical team use a combination of two distinct rosé winemaking techniques.
• Everything in the winery is down at low temperatures in order to preserve the inherent fresh fruit aromas and flavours of the wine.

That’s the awkward small-talk with your brother-in-law out of the way. Let’s get on to the fun stuff: Tasting the wine!

Tasting El Coto Rosé 2016

Still not convinced that you need El Coto rosé in your life? Not enough for you that it comes from one of Rioja’s most famous producers, it’s a stone cold bargain, and it’s seriously well-made? OK, let’s open a bottle and see what it tastes like.

• Sight:

  Well, it’s pink. No surprise there. It’s quite a pale pink, telling of the dual winemaking methods used.

• Smell:

  Mmmm. It smells like summer. Think strawberries – fresh market strawberries. A little bit of sweetness too, a bit like caramel.

• Taste:

  Fruity, clean and refreshing. You’ve got strawberry and some other red summer fruits zipping around, with the faintest hint of sweetness. Above all else, it’s thirst-quenching and easy to drink. Well-chilled, this is exactly what you want for an outdoor picnic or lazy day at the beach.

Alcohol content: 13%

Serve between 2ºC and 5ºC

Optimal consumption period: 2016-2017

Best served in Riesling Glass

Pairing: Eggs, Omelets, Pasta, Rice Dishes, Roasts, Semi-mature Cheese, Soft Cheese, Soups and Creams, Whitefish.

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Cune Rioja Reserva 2011: The basics

Let’s get a few basic things straight. Cune Rioja Reserva 2011, officially Cune Imperial Rioja Reserva, is the latest Reserva release from Rioja wine produce CVNE. The name CVNE is an acronym for Companía Vitivinícola del Norte de Espana, which is a bit of a mouthful if you don’t speak Spanish fluently. CVNE is more commonly known as Cune, pronounced “kooh-nay”.

The CVNE bodega was established in Haro by two brothers, and to this day remains a family affair. It is owned and managed by the descendants of its founders, Raimundo and Eusebio Real de Asúa. CVNE enjoys a strong reputation as one of the leading Rioja wine brands and produces Rioja wines at all ageing levels. Cune Rioja Reserva 2011 is a part of the esteemed CVNE portfolio and has pride of place as something of a flagship wine.

Cune Rioja Reserva 2011: The winemaking

Cune Rioja Reserva 2011 is a blend of three classic Rioja grape varieties; Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo (also known as Carignan or Cariñena). The grapes were harvested by hand from CVNE’s vineyards in the Rioja Alta region. The 2011 vintage in Rioja was great, and that shows in the wine. Before its release, the wine was matured for two years, in new oak casks produced from a combination of American and French oak. Following its oak ageing, the wine was aged in bottles for a further two years before its release.

Tasting Cune Rioja Reserva 2011

As is always the case with Rioja wines, Cune Rioja Reserva 2011 was released ready to drink. Open a bottle now and you’ll find a red Rioja wine in the prime of its life. You can lay this down for another five years, easily, but when it tastes this good, why wait?

• Sight:

  Visually, Cune Rioja Reserva 2011 has a dark red colour, reminiscent of dark cherries.

• Smell:

  Aromatically, there’s a lot of red and black fruit right away. This gives way to coffee and balsamic notes, with some spice and vanilla on the end as a result of the oak.

• Taste:

  In the mouth, this is smooth and velvety. There’s some fruit, a lot of spice, and a lingering finish. It’s a beautiful Rioja Reserva, no doubt about it.

Alcohol content: 13%

Serve between 14ºC and 18ºC

Optimal consumption period: 2011-2022

We recommend to decant the wine 1 hour before serving

Best served in Tempranillo Glass

Pairing food with Cune Rioja Reserva 2011

Pairing wine and food can be a lot of fun if you don’t take it – or yourself – too seriously.  Try some modern takes on classic food pairings for Rioja Reserva, like:

• Beef:

  Think a dry-aged steak, or even a juicy hamburger and fries!

• Roasts:

  Nothing quite like a Sunday roast – unless, of course, it’s with a quality Rioja Reserva. Roast lamb shank is ideal here.

• Stews:

  It seems that every country and region has its own sort of stew. Try something a little out there like an Irish stew (Guinness, beef and potatoes, basically) or try your own take on Boeuf Bourguignon, cooked and served with Cune Rioja Reserva 2011.

Buy Cune Rioja Reserva 2011 here.

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La entrada The Cune Rioja Reserva 2011 cheat sheet: Tasting and food pairing se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.

This beginner’s guide will teach you everything you need to know to appreciate Piper-Heidsieck wines. History? Yep. Winemaking? Why not! Wine tasting? You bet. We’ve even got some Piper-Heidsieck Champagne food pairings for you to try.

A brief history of Piper-Heidsieck

Few wine regions on the earth can boast as dramatic and storied a history as Champagne. For centuries, Champagne has been the drink of choice for kings and queens, tsars, presidents and more. There are family affairs to rival Game of Thrones or Downton Abbey. Lest we forget, the Champagne vineyard was also ravaged by war not so long ago. Each of the major Champagne houses has its own storied history, and Piper-Heidsieck is, of course, no exception.

• 1785:

  One Florens-Louis Heidsieck, a German who had discovered Champagne some years earlier, founded the company that would become Piper-Heidsieck Champagne. Originally known as Heidsieck & Cie, the company had the ambition to create a cuvée to impress Marie Antoinette. Whether you consider her a brand ambassador or a very early case of influencer marketing, Marie was enraptured by the wine and Piper-Heidsieck was set for big things.

• 1828:

  Florens-Louis passed away, and his nephew Christian stepped in to continue the family legacy. Christian’s trusted associate and colleague Henri-Guillaume Piper joined him and the two managed to elevate the company’s already sterling reputation, going on to secure numerous lucrative royal warrants.

• 1838:

  Following Christian’s sudden death in 1835, his widow remarried – with Henri-Guillaume Piper, of all people. Their marriage secured the bond between the Heidsieck and Piper families, and hence the name Piper-Heidsieck was born.

• 1885:

  The first Piper-Heidsieck prestige cuvée was created. Its luxurious bottle was handcrafted by the master jeweller to Russian Tsar Alexander III. Since then, Piper-Heidsieck Champagne has shared a bond with fine jewellery.

• 1933:

  A bottle of Piper-Heidsieck became the first Champagne to appear on the big screen, in the Laurel & Hardy movie Sons of the Desert. Hollywood’s love affair with Piper-Heidsieck has never abated, and it has appeared in numerous memorable films since. Marilyn Monroe was a particularly influential fan of the brand. In 1993, Piper-Heidsieck became the official Champagne supplier of the Cannes Film Festival.

• 1942:

  As war raged on throughout Europe, the house and cellars of Piper-Heidsieck were used to conceal weapons for the French resistance, before ultimately becoming occupied by the Germans. The house and its reputation managed to survive the war and thrive from then on.

• 2011:

  Following a period of ownership by luxury goods group Rémy Cointreau, Piper-Heidsieck was bought by the Descours family of the EPI group.

How Piper-Heidsieck Champagne is made

The house of Piper-Heidsieck does not own any vineyards. Its business is to buy grapes from the many Champagne growers in the region and to use these raw materials to vinify, blend, bottle, age and eventually sell world-class sparkling wine.

As with all Champagne, Piper-Heidsieck is produced using the traditional method. Also called the “Champagne method”, this is a lengthy and expensive process involving a second alcoholic fermentation that takes place in the bottle. It is this secondary fermentation that gives Champagne its sparkle. Piper-Heidsieck’s different cuvées will each have slightly different production methods and blends.

Let’s open a bottle and see what the end result tastes like, shall we?

Tasting Piper-Heidsieck Champagne

The Piper-Heidsieck wine range has something for every type of Champagne lover. Perhaps best known is Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut, its non-vintage Brut Champagne. If you really want to get a measure of a Champagne house, try their non-vintage wine. This is the flagship for most producers, and if it’s good (or isn’t), that’ll usually give you an idea about the rest of the range.

• Sight:

  It’s got a light colour with what looks like a million fine, racy bubbles.

• Smell:

  On the nose, it’s got floral aromas, fresh apricot and peach fruits and some bready and yeasty notes.

• Taste:

  In the mouth, this is crisp and refined. The vibrant acidity is refreshing and decidedly more-ish. The finish is long and elegant.

Alcohol content: 12%

Serve between 4ºC and 8ºC

Optimal consumption period: 2017-2018

Best served in Champagne Glass

Food pairing with Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut

The beauty of Champagne is that it’s good anytime, anywhere. Food or no food, Champagne is a versatile drink to match just about any occasion. For this Piper-Heidsieck Champagne, we recommend:

• French-style fruits de la mer:

  If you’ve ever been to a traditional French market, you’ll know this dish. It’s a big platter of the freshest seafood you’ve ever seen. You’ve got oysters, prawns, sea snails, crab and more. All totally fresh and straight out of the sea. The crisp acidity and delicate flavour of the Piper-Heidsieck will go down a treat.

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Let’s leave the winemaking to the experts, then. Inquisitive wine lovers should read on, though, as this guide will explain some of the most common and important machines that wineries use today.

From the tractor to the wine corker: Why wineries use technology

Wine is a natural product. At its essence, it’s fermented grape juice. There’s a lot more to the process of making wine, however, and thus there are many reasons why wineries make use of technological advances. Though it is fashionable to eschew as much mechanisation as possible, most wineries rely on machinery to a greater or lesser extent.

There is a lot at stake when making wine. As a seasonal, agricultural product, there is obviously a limit on the overall production at any given winery. Making wine is risky business, and any mistakes or damage done in the winery can lead to some serious losses of the overall crop.

3 important machines that wineries use

Technology can, and does, help. Whether that’s computerised temperature control during fermentation, or state-of-the-art wine corker machines and technology designed to eliminate corked wine, there’s no shortage of useful equipment.

1. Optical grape sorter

After harvest, grapes are sorted. This is traditionally done by hand, and requires teams of workers to sift through the freshly-picked grapes in search of imperfections such as rotten or unripe berries. As with any human activity, sorting by hand is open to individual error.

Some wineries have thus invested in optical sorter machines, which is usually used in conjunction with hand sorting as a type of quality control. The optical sorter uses camera technology to inspect every single grape, and is equipped to remove any berries that don’t fit the winemaker’s requirements. These are super-quick machines, and they cost a pretty penny, but they’re very effective indeed.

2. Temperature controlled fermentation vats

The grape juice needs to undergo alcoholic fermentation to make wine – otherwise it’s just grape juice! Alcoholic fermentation is where yeast converts the grape’s sugar content into alcohol content. This can be a very high-tech process, or not at all. Some natural winemakers like to leave things up to nature, and that’s OK, but their results can vary. Fluctuating temperature can lead to problems, and even outright disaster.

Many more winemakers like to use temperature control technology, then, to ensure that fermentation takes place according to plan. Temperature control technology prevents any wild fluctuations inside the fermentation vats or tanks, allowing for a smooth fermentation with little to no surprises!

3. Wine corker (or bottling line)

A tank of wine is all well and good, but it needs to get to the consumer somehow, and that’s where bottling comes in! While you can buy home wine corker kits on Google, most modern wineries will make use of a full-service wine bottling line, with wine corker included. Many large wineries have their own bottling lines on-site, while others will rent the machinery they need when they need it.

Bottling lines can be very basic or very complicated. Essentially, the machine is “fed” with empty bottles, which then enter something of a production line. The bottles are then filled with wine and pass through a wine corker to be sealed. Some machines may also have labelling and cap capabilities, though in other cases this will be done separately, potentially a lot later.

Have you ever visited a winery? Have you seen any of this equipment in action? Tell us about it!

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Bollinger Special Cuvée: The basics

First things first: Bollinger Special Cuvée is the non-vintage wine of Champagne Bollinger, one of the top Champagne houses in the Aÿ region. Non-vintage Champagne, you may remember, is produced by blending base wines from a number of different vintages. Producers do this in order to achieve a consistent house style from one year to the next. The climate in Champagne is lousy and vintage variation is huge, so this is generally impossible to do with the wine from one single year.

Bollinger Special Cuvée is one of the most iconic non-vintage Champagne labels, alongside other top wines like Louis Roederer Brut Premier, Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial and Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label. It’s in good company! The benefit of these wines is that you get a taste of the very best Champagne houses, at a relatively affordable price.

A simple Bollinger Special Cuvée technical sheet

Keeping it simple, here’s what you need to know when it comes to the technical and production aspects of Bollinger Special Cuvée. It’s not crucial to your enjoyment, but being familiar with this stuff will help you understand and appreciate Champagne all the more!

• The blend involves the three classic Champagne grape varieties: You’ve got 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier. More than 85% of the grapes used come from Grand Cru Champagne vineyards.
• The wine is aged in Bollinger’s cellars for at least three years, considerably longer than the minimum requirement by the official Champagne appellation.
• Bollinger Special Cuvée is a Brut Champagne, with a dosage of just 8-9 grams of residual sugar per litre. In plain English: it’s a dry Champagne with only minimal sugar!

Tasting Bollinger Special Cuvée

Though it’s not cheap, Bollinger Special Cuvée is relatively affordable, and represents great value for Champagne. If you’re not sure whether or not to trade up to Bollinger from a Prosecco or Cava, this might help. Here’s what you can expect when you pop the cork:

• Visually, there’s a brilliant gold colour, with lots of fine bubbles. It’s a very pretty Champagne.
• On the nose, it’s complex. You’ve got fruit and you’ve got spice. It develops in the glass and you’ll find sensations of apple and peach. Very enticing!
• Take a sip, and you’ll find the palate incredibly smooth and well-balanced. There’s racy bubbles and acidity, and beautiful fruit flavours giving way to toasted brioche. Incredibly refreshing.

What to eat with Bollinger Special Cuvée

Champagne is the perfect aperitif and rarely needs any food. However, it is a surprisingly versatile food wine, and Bollinger Special Cuvée is no exception. Serve it to your guests with nibbles and party food, or, if you’re feeling a little more ambitious, consider pairing it with chicken parmesan, or a herb crusted fish pie.

Sound good? Buy a bottle of Bollinger Special Cuvée here.

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La entrada The Bollinger Special Cuvée Fact Sheet se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.

French oak in wine

It has long been accepted in fine wine circles that French oak is the gold standard. Many of the great wineries of Bordeaux, Burgundy and California all use French oak for their best wines. Many wineries in Spain, Italy and elsewhere in the wine world do so too. French oak is highly regarded, but it’s not the only type of oak out there. It has various competitors, including Austria and Hungary. If there was one other source of oak that could give France a run for its money though, it’s American oak!

How do American and French oak compare?

There are numerous differences between American and French oak. Let’s look at a number of them in order to try to differentiate between the two.

The origins of American vs. French oak

First things first, American oak and French oak have some geographical differences. Sure, one comes from the USA and the other from France. Beyond that, French oak largely comes from just five prestigious forest sites:

• Allier
• Limousin
• Nevers
• Tronçais
• Vosges

Each of these forests is prized as having distinctive and individual characteristics. Winemakers may choose one or more sources of wood in order to help give their wine the best expression. The forests date back historically to the times of Napoleon, and each has a firm sense of place and history. By contrast, American oak has less discerning origins. 18 individual states produce oak destined for barrel usage in wine, and the origin is not of such paramount importance.

The flavours of American and French oak

To a winemaker, the source of the oak is obviously important. Whether it comes from Allier or Vosges, or Oregon or somewhere in the Midwest is of crucial importance. The decisions of the winemaker here will have an impact on how the wine matures and develops – and tastes.

Ultimately, the consumer cares primarily about the taste. If French oak makes for a tastier wine, then so be it. So what does wine aged in French oak taste like, and how does that compare with American oak? As with everything in wine, generalisations are difficult – and risky. In broad strokes, however:

• French oak is thought to be the subtler of the two from a flavour point of view. French oak barrels can impart gentle spicy notes and give the wine a smooth and silky texture.

• American oak is said to be more pronounced. Its flavours are bolder than French oak, with notes of coconut, vanilla and cream considered to be typical. Texturally, American oak makes for a creamier wine.

So that’s our primer on French oak and American oak. Do you think you could tell the difference between American and French oak in a blind tasting? Which flavours are your favourite? Tell us in the comments below!

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What is Retsina wine?

Retsina is a resinated wine from Greece. Resinated wine is a peculiar style of wine that uses tree resin, mostly that of the pine tree, in the winemaking process. These wines take on a distinctive resinous taste, which some find very attractive indeed. Greek Retsina is the world’s best known resinated wine. Interestingly, the term “Retsina” is a protected geographic origin according to the European Union. Much like with Champagne or Pomerol, this is a legal designation that means winemakers from other countries and other regions cannot label their wine as Retsina. True Retsina wine can only come from Greece.

How is Retsina wine made?

Historically, the Greeks made their Retsina wine in much the same way as any other wine, with the key difference coming in ageing and maturation. Most wine today is aged in oak barrels or stainless steel, though the Greeks would use amphorae, old clay containers. To make Retsina, they would seal the wine inside the container using a layer or pine resin to protect the wine from oxidation. The resulting wine had a strong colour and pronounced flavours of pine and resin, not often associated with white wines.

Over time, the use of amphorae gave way to oak barrels, and the need for resin sealing diminished. The exact method used 2,000 years ago has given way to a more modern compromise. Winemakers today mix resin with the wine must during fermentation, and later use techniques of racking and clarification in order to separate the wine from this solid material.

Retsina wine grapes

The key grape varieties in producing Retsina are:

• Savatiano, a tough grape resistant to drought and widely planted throughout Greece, though particularly in central Greece in the Attica region close to Athens.

• Assyrtiko, which is certainly Greece’s most famous grape today. It produces highly acidic wines that are incredibly versatile with food, and thus is very popular among sommeliers.

• Rhoditis, a pink-skinned grape most popular prior to the Phylloxera outbreak. Today it is used to produce Retsina and is grown in Bulgaria.

• Athiri, known in particular for its lemon flavours. It is used on the Greek island of Rhodes to produce Retsina.

What does Retsina wine taste like?

Today’s Retsina is likely a lot more refined and palatable than the stuff made 2,000 years ago.  Old-style Retsina was incredibly pungent, and could show unpleasant aromas of turpentine. Advances in winemaking technology, changing tastes and a decrease in the amount of resin used may all contribute to Retsina’s flavour profile today. The modern style still shows plenty of pine aromas, and will not suit everybody’s palate. The Greeks like to pair their Retsina with strongly flavoured dishes, so keep that in mind!

Have you ever tried Retsina wine? What can you tell us about it?

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La entrada Retsina: The Greek wine you need to know about! se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.

Grower Champagne

Broadly speaking, there are three types of Champagne producer. You’ve got the big Champagne houses as mentioned above, co-operatives that make wine on behalf of member growers from a particular region, and growers that produce their own Champagne from their own grapes. Growers produce Grower Champagne, which is like craft Champagne or artisanal Champagne.

How to spot a Grower Champagne

The official French term for this type of producer is Récoltant Manipulant (RM). Grower Champagnes will bear the initials “RM” on the bottle, allowing you to quickly identify them. Some other initials that you might see are:

• “NM”, short for Négociant Manipulant. These wines are produced by large companies that buy grapes from growers rather than growing their own.

• “CM”, “RC” or “SR” indicate that the Champagne has been made by a co-operative.

The appeal of Grower Champagne

Grower Champagne is popular among wine lovers, and for several good reasons.

• The wines are usually great. Champagne houses and co-operatives certainly produce great sparkling wine, though in most cases these are large companies and the wines are established brands. Most of the houses themselves are luxury brands, too. As such, there is a lot of pressure for the wines to adhere to a brand or house style. Careful blending ensures that there is a broadly homogenous style, year in and year out. By no means is this a bad thing, but it means that the wines express the style of the brand as opposed to the character of their place of origin. Not so with Grower Champagne, which is truly an expression of its terroir: Each release from each producer is a unique and genuine taste of the soils, climate and other conditions which gave rise to the wine. Individual producers have very distinctive styles and are must-try wines for adventurous wine drinkers!

• Growers tend to be small, family-run operations. Consumers today really appreciate the human story behind their food and drink, from vegetables and meat to coffee and, of course, wine. Fans of Grower Champagne can appreciate the personal and human touch behind these delicious sparklers!

Some Grower Champagne to try

There are many options out there for top-notch Grower Champagnes, so we’ve picked out a couple of our favourites to get you started:

• Champagne de Sousa 3A, a non-vintage Champagne whose name refers to the three Grand Cru Champagne villages where the de Sousa family have plots – Avize, Aÿ and Ambonnay.

• Egly Ouriet Rosé Grand Cru is a non-vintage rosé from the eminent Grower Champagne Egly Ouriet. This maker is incredibly popular in the discerning US market, and is considered one of the top growers.

• Egly Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes, from the same grower as above, is a beautiful Blanc de Noirs (a white Champagne made entirely from red grapes), is a top quality bottle and comes highly recommended from Robert Parker (92 points) and Antonio Galloni at Vinous (94 points).

What is your favourite Grower Champagne? Share your recommendations with us!

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La entrada Introducing grower Champagne – and why you should care! se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.