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adelaide hills, australia, fiano, grenache, mclaren vale, tasmania -

australia

I'm just back from a two-week trip to Australia, only the second time I've been there. I visited producers I know well, and discovered others I'd never heard of. Some are making wine that's quite traditional to Australia's long wine-producing culture, others are much more experimental, many are somewhere in-between, advancing the quality of Australian wine with lower alcohol, less fruity wines. Here were some highlights. sparkling wine There is some phenomenal sparkling wine being made in Australia. The history of bubbles in the country goes back to the nineteenth century, when wines won awards in Europe. The development of...

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california, carignan, grenache, mediterranean, mourvedre, rhône, syrah -

california & the mediterranean

California is most famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, but the wines I often find most exciting are those made from Mediterranean varieties, such as Carignan, Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Syrah. It makes complete sense that these varieties work, because, after all, California has a Mediterranean climate in common with southern France and eastern Spain. These varieties have been planted since the nineteenth century, but went by the wayside when the trend for Bordeaux and Burgundy varieties made California so successful internationally. Due to the price of land and of varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, producers are returning to...

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