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cagnulari, cannonau, italy, nero d'avola, sardinia -

italian island wines

The Italian islands of Sardinia and Sicily have long, indivual winemaking traditions with many local varieties as well as others found across the Mediterranean. blackpoolmatt's wine club has three new wines from the two islands which demonstrate the range of styles made there. Cagnulari When tasting Italian wine, there's always something unexpected. I had never heard of the grape variety, Cagnulari, before, but it turns out it's a clone of the Rioja grape, Graciano. Even though Sardinia is now a part of Italy, it's a Mediterranean island with Spanish and Catalan influence as seen in some of the varieties planted...

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carignan, france, st-chinian -

carignan

Carignan is one of my favorite grape varieties. It produces wines with a meaty, spicy, black fruit character, high acidity, and a firm tannic structure. It's great on its own and also contributes greatly to blends in southern France and eastern Spain, especially with Grenache/Garnacha. Winemakers across the world are beginning to realize the full potential of Carignan and there are some extremely exciting wines being made. But ... Carignan is a high-yielding variety and if those yields are unchecked the wines can be dilute and astringent. In the 1970s and 80s it was the most planted variety in both...

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rioja, spain, tempranillo -

rioja

Imagine you're a pilgrim in the 900s. Yes, the 900s not the 1900s. You set off from France from Paris or the volcanic town of Le Puy-en-Velay or St-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the Pyrenees. Your mission is to view the relics of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela on the Atlantic Coast in Galicia. There are songs, stories, prayers as you walk. There also has to be wine because it's a long, long trek, but where to get it from? The pilgrims encountered several wine regions as they walked, and one of them was Rioja. Producers discovered the pilgrims too, and sold...

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california, chenin blanc, clarksburg, south africa, stellenbosch -

chenin blanc: not just the loire

Chenin Blanc is one of my favorite grape varieites. That's perhaps not surprising because the Loire, where Chenin Blanc originates, is one of my favorite wine regions—but it's a bit more complicated than that. It's also grown in other parts of France which are quite different from the Loire: there's actually more planted in Languedoc than in the Loire Valley, and it's found in various appellations in south-west France. In fact, until recently, it was technically permitted in Bordeaux. It's planted elsewhere too: there's more Chenin Blanc in South Africa than the rest of the world put together, and there...

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cinsault, languedoc, south africa, southern rhône -

cinsault

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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