Theloosetannin

May 18th-Caprettone

Caprettone is a white grape that originates from the Campania region of Southwestern Italy, around the city of Naples. This region is heavily influenced by Mount Vesuvius (pictured on the wine label) and the volcanic soils of the area. Caprettone is almost entirely grown in the Vesuvio DOC (denominazione di origine controllata, meaning a wineContinue reading “May 18th-Caprettone”

May 11th-Xarel·lo

Xarel·lo is a white grape native to the Catalunya region of northeastern Spain. It is one of three varieties notably found blended in the sparkling wine Cava. It is used in the traditional blend for Cava because it adds a high level of acid that balances out the richer texture of the grape Macabeo. CavaContinue reading “May 11th-Xarel·lo”

May 4th-White Zinfandel

When someone asks me if I can teach them about wine, one of the first questions I ask to gauge their knowledge base is what color they think zinfandel wine normally comes in. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard the sweet older lady at the end of the bar exclaim ‘I thought thisContinue reading “May 4th-White Zinfandel”

April 27th-Pecorino

Pecorino is a light skinned grape found in the central Italy regions of Marche and Abruzzo along the Adriatic coast. These regions have been known for sheep farming for generations. The grapes of Pecorino are low yielding and one of the first to ripen in the vineyard, making it a real problem that it wasContinue reading “April 27th-Pecorino”

April 20th-Fiano

Fiano is a white grape that originates in the southern Italian region of Campania, around the city of Naples. It was first mentioned in the 13th century in a property register on a purchase made by Emperor Frederic II. The wines produced from this grape are fuller bodied with notes of tropical fruits, tree fruits,Continue reading “April 20th-Fiano”

April 13th-Return to Armenia

This week, I decided to select another bottle from Armenia. This one is a blend of 2 indigenous white grapes, Voskéat and Garandmak, from the winery Zorah in the Voyots Dzor region. According to the winery’s website (there isn’t a lot of information about these grapes out there), the name Voskéat means ‘golden seed’ inContinue reading “April 13th-Return to Armenia”

April 6th-Baja California

A couple weeks ago, while having dinner with some friends in Seattle, our waiter told me they had a couple bottles of wine available from the Baja Peninsula, a portion of Mexico. While I knew this to be an up and coming wine region, I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to try wines from theContinue reading “April 6th-Baja California”

March 30th-Vaccarèse

This week, I’m going to discuss the little known French grape variety, Vaccarèse. It is a dark skinned grape that originates from the southern Rhône Valley in France. It also goes by the name Brun Argenté (which translates into brown silvery, indicative of the skin color the grapes exhibit). The French wine laws dictate whichContinue reading “March 30th-Vaccarèse”

March 23rd-Roussanne

Roussanne is a grape native to the Rhȏne region in southeastern France along the Rhȏne River. In this region, you will commonly find it blended with Marsanne to create a Cȏtes du Rhȏne Blanc. Individually, Marsanne is rich and full bodied while Roussanne has a significant level of acidity, fruit, and floral notes. They canContinue reading “March 23rd-Roussanne”

March 16th-Vidiano

While trying to decide what to taste this week, I came across a bottle of Vidiano tucked away in my pile of bottles (I’m a bit behind on putting bottles onto my racks…). Vidiano is a white grape variety indigenous to Crete (a Greek Isle in the Mediterranean east of mainland Greece and west ofContinue reading “March 16th-Vidiano”