Theloosetannin

March 15th-Moscato

Last weekend, I was out with some friends at a local casino. One of the ladies chose a bottle of wine from the wine list to toast with for our little celebration. She selected a Moscato and we weren’t surprised when a 1.5 liter bottle of Sutter Home arrived at the table! Many of theContinue reading “March 15th-Moscato”

March 8th-Niellucciu

Niellucciu is the name of the Sangiovese grape (the grape used to make Chianti) on the French island of Corsica. For a long time they were considered to be different grapes, until DNA proved them to be genetically identical. It is either made into a varietal wine or can also be blended with the lessContinue reading “March 8th-Niellucciu”

March 1st-Lamézia Rosso

Last week, I sampled the grape Mantonico in a Lamézia blanco blend. This week, I decided to taste a red blend from this same DOC. The red blends are a bit more complicated when it comes to possible grapes and composition. The base wine is usually 30-50% Nerello, either Mascalese or Capuccio, with Gaglioppo and/orContinue reading “March 1st-Lamézia Rosso”

Feb 22nd-Mantonico

A couple weeks ago, I found a bottle of blended white wine that consists of Mantonico Bianco (easily confused with Montonico Bianco, another Italian white grape grown in central and southern Italy) and Greco Bianco from the Lamézia DOC in the Calabria region of southern Italy. Greco is more commonly found in Greco di TufoContinue reading “Feb 22nd-Mantonico”

Feb 15th-Mtsvane and Rkatsiteli

Mtsvane (Ma-svah-nay) and Rkatsiteli (ra-ka-see-tell-ee) are both indigenous white grapes to the Republic of Georgia. Rkatsiteli is one of the oldest grape varieties in the world and the most widely grown wine grape in Georgia (Ukraine and Moldova also have significant plantings). Its stone fruit and floral notes are commonly blended with Mtsvane, which contributesContinue reading “Feb 15th-Mtsvane and Rkatsiteli”

Feb 8th-Petite Arvine

Petite Arvine, which also goes by the name Arvine, is a white grape indigenous to the Valais canton in Switzerland. Just to the south of Valais is northern Italy and the Valle d’Aoste DOC. In order to differentiate Arvine from Grosse Arvine, a grape thought to be a descendent of Arvine, the name Petite ArvineContinue reading “Feb 8th-Petite Arvine”

Feb 1st-Arneis

Arneis is a white grape native to the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. It also goes by the name of Nebbiolo Blanco, despite not having any genetic relation to the famed dusty black grape. This nickname arose because significant quantities of Arneis are planted across the Tanaro River from Barolo, an area famous for theirContinue reading “Feb 1st-Arneis”

Jan 25th-Zelen

Zelen is an ancient indigenous grape from the Vipavska Dolina area in southwest Slovenia (to the east of Northern Italy). I had tried a wine previously that was a field blend that included a small percentage of Zelen but on my last trip to the wine shop, I found a varietal wine. Zelen translates toContinue reading “Jan 25th-Zelen”

Jan 18th-Jacquère

While sorting through my bottles of wine over the past week, I stumbled across a bottle of Vin de Savoie made from Jacquère, a white grape believed to have been imported to the region in the 13th century. Savoie is located in southeastern France, in the foothills of the French Alps. The grapes in theContinue reading “Jan 18th-Jacquère”

Jan 11th-Petit Rouge

Petit Rouge is a small red grape (just as the name would indicate) grown in the Italian Alps in the region Valle d’Aosta. It is believed to have been transported to the area during the fifth century when countries along the North Sea became Burgundy territories. It is a vital grape variety in the ValleContinue reading “Jan 11th-Petit Rouge”