Forcada is an ancient white grape variety indigenous to the Penedes region of northeastern Spain, near Barcelona. Penedes is well known for the production of the sparkling wine, Cava. Forcada, along with many other Spanish grape varieties, were left in the wild following the phylloxera infestation in the early 20th century. Once the infestation hadContinue reading “August 2nd-Forcada”
Author Archives: Theloosetannin
July 26th-Vinho Verde Rosé
Last weekend, while doing a rosé tasting at my favorite local wine shop, I tried a can of Vinho Verde rosé. The region of Vinho Verde DOC is located in northern Portugal, just south of the Minho River, which marks the border with Spain in this area. The region is known for producing gently sparklingContinue reading “July 26th-Vinho Verde Rosé”
July 19th-Gouais Blanc
This week is the second of the two installments on the wine varieties I tried while tasting in Willamette Valley a couple weeks ago. Gouais Blanc is a parent grape to over eighty grapes including Chardonnay, Auxerrois, Gamay Noir and Aligoté. It is an ancient grape variety, with its earliest written mentions occurring in theContinue reading “July 19th-Gouais Blanc”
July 12th-Auxerrois
A couple weeks ago, while wine tasting in Willamette Valley, I stumbled across a couple unusual wine varieties. The first, Auxerrois, is the one I’ll discuss this week. Auxerrois (aus-ser-whah) is a white grape native to the Alsace-Lorraine region of northeastern France. It’s debatable when it was first mentioned in text, but dates back toContinue reading “July 12th-Auxerrois”
July 5th-Nebbiolo Sparkling
This week, I opted to discuss a common grape that used the traditional method of making sparkling wine to create a less common product. Nebbiolo, the red grape from the Piedmont region in northwestern Italy, is typically used in the production of Barbaresco and Barolo. It is regarded for its high level of tannins andContinue reading “July 5th-Nebbiolo Sparkling”
June 28th- Mondeuse
Mondeuse is a red grape indigenous to the Savoie region of eastern France. It is sometimes known as Mondeuse Noire to differentiate it from Mondeuse Blanche. Mondeuse Blanche was long considered to be a white mutation of Mondeuse Noire but this theory was proven incorrect through genetic testing. It was also determined that the NoireContinue reading “June 28th- Mondeuse”
June 21st-Touriga Nacional
Touriga Nacional is a red grape indigenous to Portugal and commonly used in blends to make fortified Port wine. It is hypothesized that it originates from Tourigo, a small village about 100km (62 miles) southeast of Porto. It once accounted for almost the entirety of the red grapes planted in the Dao. This number droppedContinue reading “June 21st-Touriga Nacional”
June 14th-Mencía
Mencía is a red grape primarily grown on the Iberian Peninsula. It is thought to be from the town of Salamanca, located in northwestern Spain. Its first historical mention wasn’t until after phylloxera had swept through Europe in the late 19th century. There have been multiple theories regarding the genetic origins of the grape, includingContinue reading “June 14th-Mencía”
June 7th-Xinomavro
Xinomavro is a red grape indigenous to northern Greece. I previously discussed a blended wine made with it on February 16th, 2022. This week, I opted for a varietal wine. The name Xinomavro translates to mean ‘acid black’ due to the grape’s color and level of acid. It is the second most widely planted redContinue reading “June 7th-Xinomavro”
May 31st-Lacryma Christi Rosso
On May 18th 2022, I discussed Caprettone, a white grape found in Lacryma Christi Bianco. This week, we are taking a look at the Rosso variation. Lacryma Christi is a DOC located in Campania, around Mount Vesuvius in southwestern Italy. Red wines from this region are predominantly blends with a majority of the blend consistingContinue reading “May 31st-Lacryma Christi Rosso”
A Trip Around the World of Wine in 52 Weeks 