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cinsault, languedoc, south africa, southern rhône -

Cinsault (also spelt Cinsaut) is a black grape variety with a strange reputation. It's quite widely planted in southern France and South Africa, yet isn't regarded as a high-quality variety. It's planted because it produces big berries with lots of juice and therefore high yields. That makes it popular with growers, but less so with producers. Its reputation also suffered as it's one of the parents, alongside Pinot Noir, of South Africa's Pinotage. Pinotage is a variety which produces much better wines than its reputation suggests, but Cinsault, with its high yields and basic wines, was seen as part of...

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bío-bío, chile, cinsault, itata, país, sémillon -

Last week, I hosted Chilean winemaker Roberto Henriquez in my back yard here in California. As I tasted the wines, we spoke for an hour about the identity of Chile's wines and his work in the vineyard, both of which he spoke passionately about. He's based in Bío Bío, one of the more southerly of Chile's regions, and also makes wines from neighboring Itata. Although both Roberto and the wines are most definitely Chilean, they represent a different side to Chile. Winemaking in Chile goes back to the mid-1500s, after the country was colonised by the Spanish. Religious missionaries brought...

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cinsault, languedoc, mourvèdre, pinot noir, rosé, sparkling rosé, st-chinian, tasmania -

Over the last ten years, rosé has become much more fashionable, but the stereotype remains that all rosé is the same: but here are two very different rosés.

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carignan, cinsault, france, grenache, languedoc, mourvedre, provence, rhône, sardinia, syrah -

The south of France has always been a favorite place to visit for its beauty, its weather, its diverse geography, its food, and of course its wines. There's such a range of wines made, mostly red, but also plenty of rosé, a little bit of white, some fortified wine, and a small amount of sparkling. You don't have to venture far to try every style of wine—and at many different price points. rosé I've had rosé from the south of France in the club before, including from the famous village of Tavel and from Provence. Provençal rosé has transformed international...

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