Last Updated Jan 15th 2007.

Introduction

I finally finished Karen MacNeil's Wine Bible. ISBN 1563054345. This is an excellent book. It is big ... Almost 900 pages. And yes, I read the whole thing. The book goes country by country and talks about there wine industry, common grapes, general quality discussions, methods and the like. She actually does take note of specific wines worth noting. Obviously summarizing this book is impossible, but I'm going to note some items that seemed interesting to me. Of course if you were to read the book, you might find other things more interesting. Without further adue, here we go ...

Phylloxera

One of the items that has shaped the wine industry is a pest called Phylloxera. This pest eats the roots of grape vines. It wiped out a lot of vineyards before a solution was found. The native root stock was pulled out and an American root stock was put in the ground and existing vines were then grafted onto it. This American root stock turns out to be resistant to the pest. T.V. Munson of Texas is credited with finding this solution. Most vineyards in Europe today including the great vineyards of Bordeaux are all grown on American rootstock.

Wine Laws

Countries vary widely on the laws that are in place. These laws can control everything from what grapes are grown where, to what methods are used to make the wine, whether irrigation can be used, the amount of grape that be produced etc. France was not the first country to enact such laws but theirs is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Wine laws can have two edges to the same sword. On one hand they restrict the creativity of the wine maker. On the other hand they assure the consumer of the methods etc used to create a wine.

Wine Labels

Wine labels vary drastically by country. Some country legislated them and some don't. Those that do control labelling have completely different standards meaning reading wine labels is complicated at best.

Characteristics of wine

varietal character (flavors derived from the type of grape used)
complexity
integration
connectedness
expressiveness

Misc notes

Europeans came to understand that cheese somehow made wine especially cheap red wine taste better
Cabernet Sauvignon can be aged longer due to high tannins. Tannins are what in red wines make them age well
In 1988 US gov required a contains sulphites warning on wine. All wine contain sulphites naturally. Some wine makes add preservative 220 which is sulphur dioxide to stop discoloration of the grape skins. The warning is required if sulphites are greater than 350 ppm in the wine.
fining is a process of clarifying the wine. Sometimes egg whites and milk protein are used. Additionally sometimes isinglass (a gelatinous substance derived from fish bladder) is also used to clarify the wine.
almost all wine barrels are made of oak. No other wood enhances the wine like oak. Of the over 400 species of oak only 3 are used. American oak and two french oak. Barrels give little to no flavor to wine after 4-6 years of use. Barrels are made from wood up to 100 years old. In Europe barrels are still hand made. During curving of wood fire is used. The amount of wood fire used is called the amount of "toast" the barrel has. Steam can also be used in which case the barrels have no toast. American oak barrels give the wine a vanilla flavour.
Chardonnay's process is quite similar to red wine. Some are even aged in oak.
Syrah is also known as Shiraz and is the same grape
Chilean wines are less pure than some old world countries. Some vineyards are even interplanted with more than one type of grape.
Smaller grapes are much more intense in flavor and thus make better wine.
Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris both make for light fruity wines.
Gewurtztraminer a white grape can make a very full bodied aromatic wine
Viognier is one of the rarest grapes and is usually used as a blending grape
Gamay is used to make Beaujolais are fruity simple wines and should be served slightly chilled. Beaujolais's are sometimes referred to as white wines that just happened to be red. They are not meant to be aged.
Nebbiolo grape is used to make Barbaresco and Barolo is a full bodied long finish wine that when young can be so powerful it can totally shut down your palette. They age very well ...
Sangiovese grape is used to make Cianti, Vino Montepuliciano and Brunello di Montalcino
Zinfandel can be used to make white, Rose and red wine. The reds can be full bodied jammy wines.
generally speaking when a label says old vines it means >40 years old but this is not legislated
Petit Syrah's are actually not Syrah grapes at all but a totally different grape. They can lead to a full bodied tannic wine that can age well.
Petit Verdot is a grape used in blending to all depth color and spice to wines.
"one of the discoveries I made during the early part of my wine career is that wine pros often buy very reasonably priced wines ... It's often people who don't know a lot about wine that pay enormous amounts of money assuming price will be an assurance of quality."
wine is best aged between 55 and 70F. The warmer the wine the faster the aging. The rate of chemical reactions in wine double with each 18 degree F increase in temp
red wines should be served at between 60-65F which is what use to be room temperature
most corks used in the US come from Portugal. Cork comes from the bark of trees.
Young tannic wines benefit most from decanting
the term body of a wine refers to the "weight" or texture of the wine
all truly great wines have long finish. Finish refers to how long after swallowing the wine you can continue to taste the wine. A truly great wine can last up to 1 minute. My good friend Lance says "so can a truly bad wine!" LOL.
white wine get darker as they get old. Red wines get lighter.
White wines should always be clear not cloudy.
to check the finish of a wine use a process called "retro nasal breathing". Take a sip, hold it in your mouth and then swirl it and then swallow with your mouth closed. Then breath out forcefully through your nose.
Vintage charts attempt to identify the quality of a wine from a region for a particular year for a particular grape type. They pay no attention to the vineyard or winery. There are people who believe vintage charts are everything and others believe they are meaningless given modern wine making techniques. Winemakers can often craft an excellent wine out of a not so great vintage. There can also be times when a vintage can be thought at first to be excellent but will not age well and thus redefined as a not so great vintage.
some countries believe that blending wines are a way to create a more complex wine. Other countries believe blending is a no no.
terroir is the sum entity and effect of soil, slope, orientation to the sun, elevation, climate, elevation, climate, rainfall, wind, fog, sunshine, average high and low temp and the cumulative effect all of this has on the taste of the wine.
Pinot Noir is a very temperamental grape. Sometimes referred to as the bad boy of grapes. Hard to grow, unpredictable. It is very low in tannins making it generally not an aging wine. Fish goes best with low tannin wines like Pinot Noir's. When Pinot Noir's are blended they simply disappear and add little to the wine. As such Pinot Noir's should not be blended.. Pinot Noir will benefit from being blended with other Pinot Noir's from other vineyards to increase complexity and depth. Over oaking can also overpower a Pinot Noir.
some winemakers cheat and pick grapes early not wanting to wait and risk loose a crop to frost. To make up for the lack of natural sugar they then add white cane sugar to the wine as it is fermenting. This is called chaptalization.

Individual Country notes

France

France wines are tightly controlled by legislation. Not all wine choose to be under these controls. Labelling will tell if they are. The legislation is called Appellation of Control or AOC. AOC controls area of production, labelling, variety of grape , yield per hectare, vineyard practises (pruning and irrigation etc) degree of alcohol, wine making process, and taste.
Bordeaux region produces 700M bottles of wine per year.
Bordeaux wines are about elegance and intensity. They are rarely massive or powerful.
In 1855 French vineyards were graded into Cru's (growths) according a subjective designation applied by the Chamber of Commerce for Bordeaux and have not been revisited since. This classification was mandated for Paris world fair by Napolean. First Cru or Grand Cru would be the best then second etc.
the best vineyards are grown on well drained often gravelly soil.
Here's a cute quote ... "perhaps the best way to tell when a wine is ready to drink is philosophically. A wine is ready when you can't bear to wait for it any longer"
Burgundies vary wildly by year. Burgundy is in fact a crap shoot year to year. There are mostly two grapes grown in Burgundy Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and are rarely blends. Vintage charts are quite useful for the Burgundy region.
Red Burgundies should not be allowed to breath or be decanted. They evolve as they are exposed to air and as such you will miss part of the experience!
there is no french word for winemaker because it would be inappropriate, man after all does not make wine nature does.
Up until 1950's almost all Chardonnay's were French
Red Burgundies should not be decanted or topped up in a glass because they tend to evolve as they are exposed by air.
Chaptalization is legal in France and is common in Beaujolais. It is also commonly used in the Loir region where the cold temperatures mean the grapes do not always ripen properly.
Sancere is made from Sauvignon Blanc
wine should be the purest possible expression of grapes. A wine makers goal in France is not to craft the wine, but to showcase it's inherent character of the grape itself and the ground it is grown ...
Alsace region of France makes most fruity wines. Rules on Alsace are not as strict as other regions allowing high production. Over 10 grand crus. Alsace wines are labelled according to the grape used to make it unlike most other French. Almost all Alsace wines are white. Alsace allows chaptalization.
cremants and blanquettes are made similar to champagne but since they are not made in the Champagne region can not be called Champagne
wine legislation ...
1. Vin de pays (lowest quality level)
2. vin de table
3. AOC

Italy

best Italian wines come from Piedmont, Tuscany, Fruili-Venzia, Guilia, Trentino-AH and Veneto.
Wine, bread and olive oil are the mediterranean holy trinity.
in Italy if someone is drunk it is said he has not had enough to eat yet.
of all wine made in the world Italy and France make up 30%
the grapes that make the best Italian wine are rarely grown in other countries
wine laws governing Italian wines are
1. IGT (lowest quality level)
2. DOC
3. DOCG
There are also legal definitions for the term Reserva.
regions are given categorizations not specific vineyards
Barolo and Barbaresco two very large full bodied wines, come from Piedmont and are from the Nebbiolo grape. Piedmont wines are rarely blended
Barolos must be aged a min of 3 years. Reserva 5 years. Barbaresco's must be aged 2 years, 4 for Reserva.
Barolos and Barbarescos are best appreciated after 5 years worth of aging.
Gattinara also made of Nebbiolo can be a leaner Barolo/Barbaresco.
Barbera is Piedmonts most juicy and delicious red, and Italy's most planted grape. Asti and Alba are two excellent wines made from Barbera.
Dolecttos are lighter easier drinking wine, Italy's Beaujolais.
In Italy red wine is a religion, white is an after thought. Best whites are Gassi and Arneis (Italian for rascal).
most Vino Nobil's are not great wines.
Friulian whites are rarely plain Jane wines. Tocai's are some of the more unique.
Amarone (which means the bigger better one) are large full bodied wines. Grapes are left to dry 3-4 months after being picked. Aged 5 years or more. It can be a tricky process leading to moldy tasting wines when not done right. They are made in places that are cooler where the normal grapes tend to not fully ripen such as Veneto.
Appassimento process, where the ripe grapes are allowed to dry for one month, results in wines that are more flavourful and have a higher alcohol content than standard Valpolicella.
Ripasso is an Italian term meaning repassed. It is a technique that adds additional flavor and alcohol to the Valpolicella. The unpressed grape skins to make raisinated wine called Amarone are added to the already blended and fermented Valpolicella. This adds an incredible amount of body, character, and style to the typically simple wine. The benefits of this process are oxidized and botrytis flavors and additional tannins. The tannins give this wine a few extra years in the cellar as well. The process of creating a Ripasso wine only occurs in exceptional vintage years. The latest one available in our market is the 1997, which was a pretty great year for Chianti as well. It is an expensive technique, which fetches a high price, but not nearly as high as an Amarone.
Valpolicella is a wine zone in the Veneto region of north east Italy

Spain

Spain's best wines come from Rioja
has most acres of planted grapes than any other country. They do not produce the most wine because most are low yield vineyards due to dry infertile land They are #3 wine producer behind France and Italy. More than 600 varieties of grapes are grown in Spain.
Spain's best red grape is the Tempranillo.
Spanish wines are aged longer than almost any other wines. 4-10 years is fairly common. This practise is controversial in that there are those that believe that aging wines for long period of time in barrels robs wine of the fruit's vibrancy.
Like France/Italy there are strong laws governing the production of wine.
1. DO (lowest quality)
2. DOC
Additionally there are designations of Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva (best). Gran reserva represents only 1-10% of all wine in Spain.
Spain is very much in France's image and a lot of Spain's heritage and people are French

Portugal

Like Italy and Spain the governing body is called DOC.
Vintage port is the best port. Made only in a very good year. Will age well in a bottle and is not filtered.
opened Port will last longer if refrigerated
a Port should be decanted for 3-12 hours prior to being served
Vintage Port, Late bottled vintage port and crusted ports should all be decanted
Ports are almost always heavily blended
the Douro region where port comes from is a very steep area. Most grapes are hand picked. It is very challenging work. Additionally most Port's are still stomped by foot rather than pressed.
Port is made by adding clear grape spirits (Brandy) to wine as it is fermenting.

There are 10 different styles of port: (simplest type first)

White port. Not much produced. Simplest style. Not aged long, and not in barrels but in tanks.
Ruby port. Barrel aged for 2-3 with no bottle aging. It is is heavily blended from different years of wines and different types or wine.
Young tawny port. Again aged for 2-3 years. Sometimes White port is blended in.
Aged tawny these can be aged 10, 20, 30 or 40 years and are the best loved ports. Long barrel aged, heavily blended years and types. Highest quality grapes are used. Aged tawnies are about finesse not power.
Vintage character port. 4-6 year aged, average quality wines used.
Late bottle vintage port. All comes from one year of grape, aged 4-6 years in barrels, and have been filtered. These will not age for long periods of time. Comes from grapes of very good quality grapes, but not the best. Also called LBV.
Traditional Late bottle vintage port. Just like vintage ports but come from good not great years. Aged 4 years, not filtered, and will bottle age for 10-20 years.
Vintage port. Most expensive. 2-3% of all port made. Made only in very good years. Not filtered/ Only from 1 year of grapes. Aged 2 years in barrels and then long periods of time in bottles.
singe quinta vintage port. All grapes come from one quinta (vineyard). All grapes come from the same year.
crusted ports. Inexpensive, simple port that can leave a heavy sediment in the bottle.
Garrafeira port. Come from single exceptional year, aged briefly in oak and then a long time in bottle. Not really a different style of port.

How long will an opened bottle of port last?

Type of port	Will last
White	several weeks to several months if refrigerated
Ruby and Young Tawny	2 weeks to 3 months
Vintage character	2 weeks to 4 months
Late bottle vintage or crusted	1 week to 2 months
traditional late bottled vintage	1 day to 2 weeks
Vintage, single quinta vintage and garrafeira	1 day to 2 weeks

Germany

in Germany wines rarely fully mature. As such German wines are very different from most countries. They are made to hit precision and finesse. If you want big and powerful do not buy German wines.
Germans do nothing to mold or shape wine and seek to highlight the natural flavours of the grape. They never use commercial yeast and do not age in new oak. They do not fine or clarify there wines.
reds account for only 18%.
rarely blend
Reisling is the best and most common grape
red wines are most loved by Germans
produces 3% of worlds production
Wine legislation
1. QBA (Lowest quality)
2. QMP highest class. Chaptalization not allowed.
there are 6 levels of ripeness for German wines:
1. Kabinett (least ripe)
2. Spatlese
3. Auslese
4. Beerenauslese
5. trockenbeerenauslese (made only in exceptional years)
6. eiswein (ice wine)
some other useful terms: trocken (bone dry) and halbtrocken (dry 1.8% sugar)
German wines live on the edge of ripeness so vintage charts are quite important. Far more important than other countries
almost all of the 90's were good years for German wines
the high acidity of German wines mean they age well
best wines come from Mosel Saar Ruwer
German wines are made to hit precision and finesse. If you want big powerful wines ... don't buy German wines
reds account for only 18% of Germany's production

Greece

wine laws:
1. EO (least quality)
2. TO
3. OPE
4. OPAP
75% white
xynomarvo is one of the better red grapes. It means acid black.

US

US ranks 4th world wide
wine is still not as popular in the US as in other countries. 10% of the US population represent 88% of all consumption
Ernst and Julio Gallo currently is the largest winery in the world.
wine legislation (which there hardly is any) is controlled by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. They have designated agricultural viticulture areas. There is no control over the process or yield.

California

California's best known wine is Cabernet Sauvignon.
Chardonnay's from California are often bland and over Oaked.
Phylloxera hit California again in the 1980's
California's vintages don't vary hugely in that it has a fairly even climate
California Sauternes are injected with Boytris to make sweet wines in California. It is too dry for this to happen naturally.
Napa Valley is one of the best producers, but not the largest regions.
Robert Mondavi is given credit for starting the Napa Valley region
Prohibition of the 1920's hurt the California wine industry because it was just getting started at that time. In addition the depression happened hitting the wineries hard and causing a lot of them to replant. Old vines are very treasured because of this.

Other

Most of New Yorks vineyards are used to make Welch's Grape juice
Washington's best winery are Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Phylloxera never touched Washington
Oregon's wines are very variable due to cold rainy weather

Canada

Canada's cold winters make it perfect for making Ice Wines and can be made each year
Southern end of Okanagan Valley is officially classified as a desert
the process of discovering what grows best in each area can take a long time. Canada is very much in this experimental phase figuring out what to plant where.

Australia

Australians have the highest consumption of wine almost 2X per person that of the US
Australian wine makers use the highest amount of modern techniques
Does not have strict wine laws
Aussies blend there wine fairly heavily including different grapes and from different vineyards crafting the final product
Aussies are moving away from corks to screw caps faster than a lot of other countries
there are a lot of wine competitions in Australia insuring there are plenty of awards for all
Aussie vineyards and wineries are heavily mechanized
60% of production in Australia are White with Chardonnay's dominating
Shiraz (also called Syrah) is only grown in Australia and South Africa.
Half of all Aussie wines come from the South including areas such as Adelaide, Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, Clare Valley and Coonawara.
Semillions (a white grape) star out as fairly plain wines but with 5-10 years again become much more interesting.

New Zealand

best known for Sauvignon Blanc
up until 1960 wine could not be sold in restaurants
up until WWII wine could only be sold to banquet halls and hotels
all this slowed the New Zealand wine industry
up until the 1960 wines were very watered down, up to as high as 25%.
75% of all wine in New Zealand is white
No laws governing New Zealand
New Zealand is the south most place where wine is made. It can also be very rainy

South Africa

Only significant wine producer in the African continent
laws control only regions not methods
white wines outnumber red
chenin blanc is the leading grape
Cabernet Sauvignon is the leading red
the grapes are often mishandled and mis harvested running the grape robbing the wine of flavour

Chile

Chile is almost an Eden like wine growing area with dry bright days, little to no pests and uses almost no chemical sprays. Chile is one of few places never touched by phylloxera.
land is still fairly inexpensive
Chilean wine industry is very much modelled after France. Including grape varieties and methods.
no wine laws
wines labelled with a particular vintage need only have 75% of that vintage
Chile use to flood there vineyards as an irrigation method leading to bland wines with high yields
Chilean Sauvignon Blancs are better than there Chardonnays

Argentina

also not touched by phylloxera
Argentina has been known in the past for bland cheap wines. That is changing
no wine laws
like Chile, Argentina is an Eden like wine growing area. With little pests and a perfect climate.
high amounts of irrigation are needed in the vineyard just like in Chile. Sometimes as in Chile they flood the vineyards again leading to bland over yielded wines.
yields of 22 tons per acre vs 2-5 for the bordeaux region
Mendoz is the largest production region in Argentina and is larger than bordeaux
60% are red wines
malbec is the prominent grape