Northern Rhône Wines: Elegance and Expression

The Rhône River, one of France's major waterways, originates in the Alps and flows west, then south through Lake Geneva, before reaching its final destination at the Mediterranean Sea. Along its banks lie two important wine appellations: the Northern and Southern Rhône, each offering diverse terroirs, grape varieties, and winemaking traditions, recognized worldwide for yielding bold reds, rosés, and a small percentage of whites.

Nestled along the steep slopes of the Rhône River, between the cities of Vienne and Valence, the Northern Rhône is revered for its boutique appellations and single-varietal wines, made particularly from Syrah, which reigns supreme here, producing wines of unparalleled depth, complexity, and finesse. 

The Northern Rhône features a continental climate with hot summers, cold winters, and ample fall rainfall. Vineyards are planted on steep terraces with granite and slate soils that ensure excellent drainage and heat retention. Most vineyards face south to maximize sun exposure, ideal for ripening Syrah grapes. Small amounts of white wines are also crafted, primarily from Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne. In some appellations, all three of these are also used in minimum percentages as part of red blends.

Stylistically, the Northern Rhône produces some of the world's finest Syrah wines, known for their concentration, full body, and elegant profiles. Influenced by the cool Mistral winds from the north and high altitudes, these wines feature flavors of black fruits like blackberry and plum, complemented by spicy notes of black pepper, violets, leather, and game. The region's whites, particularly Viogniers from Château Grillet and Condrieu, are exceptional though often pricey. Roussanne and Marsanne grapes are also used to make dry whites that offer rich, almost oily textures, featuring aromas of peach, quince, honey and lemon, and showing minerality, balanced acidity, and high alcohol content.

The Northern Rhône Key Appellations:

• Côte-Rôtie: Renowned for its steep terraced vineyards and mineral-rich soils, Côte-Rôtie produces powerful yet elegant Syrah wines. These wines are characterized by floral aromas, black fruit notes, and a distinctive peppery spice, often complemented by a touch of Viognier to accentuate acidity and elegance.

• Hermitage: Home to some of the world's most age-worthy wines, Hermitage offers bold, full-bodied Syrahs with flavors of dark berries, chocolate, cedar, smoked meat, with hints of black pepper. 

• Cornas: Known for robust, deeply colored Syrah wines, Cornas showcases intense flavors of black fruit, espresso, and a distinctive earthiness. These wines are structured and capable of significant aging.

• Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage: These appellations offer approachable and affordable expressions of Syrah compared to their prestigious neighbors. Saint-Joseph wines balance fruitiness with earthy tones, while Crozes-Hermitage exhibits more fruity aromas and softer tannins. 

• Château Grillet and Condrieu: are two important appellations for producing intense aromatic whites made from Viognier. They are full-bodied with low acidity, showcasing aromatic profiles of apricot, jasmine, spice, orange peel, and lanolin.

My Recommendations: (though not all present in my picture)

Cave de Tain Terre d’Ivoire 2022, Saint Joseph AOC,$40

Domaine Niero Les Ravines 2022, Condrieu AOC, $72

Maison Les Alexandrins Crozes Hermitage 2022,$28.99

Equinoxe Crozes Hermitage 2022,$35

Les Vins de Vienne “Les Grappiats” 2020, Crozes Hermitage AOC,$39

Ferraton Père et Fils “Patou” 2020, Cornas AOC, $52

Ferraton Père et Fils “L'Eglantine” 2020,Côte-Rôtie AOC, $65

M. Chapoutier Chante Alouette Hermitage 2021, $135

Other outstanding producers that you can try are: Jean Louis Chave,  E.Guigal,Tardieu Laurent, Delas and Alain Voge.

Cheers! Silvina

Don’t forget to subscribe to continue receiving Thoughts of La Wina in your inbox. For more wine recommendations, you can follow me on Instagram @: Silvinalawina.

Santa Rita Wines from Chile

Founded in 1880, Viña Santa Rita epitomizes a harmonious blend of innovation and traditional winemaking, producing artisanal wines sourced from their expansive 3,500-hectare vineyards that span from the Limari Valley, in the north to the Maule Valley in the south. The winery produces several wine ranges, including Floresta, reviewed in this post, plus also Viña Carmen in Chile and Doña Paula in Mendoza, Argentina.

Sebastian Labbe, acclaimed as one of the top 100 enologists worldwide by Drinks Business magazine, oversees the production of Viña Santa Rita's premium wines, which are sold both domestically and worldwide in countries such as South Korea, Brazil, Ireland, and the US. The Floresta line, introduced in 2004 and revamped under Labbe's stewardship in 2017, focuses on grapes sourced from selected plots within Santa Rita's own vineyards. This approach allows for a unique interpretation of classic varieties, capturing each terroir's distinctive qualities. Labbe, advocates minimal winemaking intervention, by championing for early harvesting to preserve acidity and fruitiness, usage of natural yeasts and new oak judiciously to enhance fruit characteristics and to introduce subtle spicy notes, employing whole cluster fermentation to enhance freshness and moderate alcohols levels and opting out of fining and filtering to preserve his wines’ inherent qualities. His winemaking philosophy is aimed to highlight tension and elegance across all of his fine wines.

Floresta Chardonnay 2022 ($25) Sourced from three different plots in the renowned cool-climate Limari Valley, known for being one of the best areas to grow varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The combination of the influence of the Pacific ocean, located only 27 meters away from the vineyards plus the calcareous soils, rich in marine fossils yield an elegant white, made in Burgundian style. This is 100% Chardonnay, fully fermented in barriques with natural yeasts. 50% of it undergoes malolactic fermentation, plus up to 5 months of battonage or aging in lees.  This elegant and textured white showcases vibrant citric notes complemented by aromas of green apple and yellow pear, embodying the elegance and minerality typical of Chilean coastal Chardonnays.

Floresta Carménère 2022 ($25) is a single vineyard wine, from the Apalta Valley, the epicenter of Carménère in Colchagua. Made with fruit from 90 year old vines planted in granitic soils, this red was fermented and aged entirely in concrete vats without any oak influence. Labbe explains how his Carménère is different from others in the market, mostly due to the lack of pyrazines, so while the wine has green herbal notes, typical of this variety, it is not overtly vegetal. By closely monitoring the organoleptic maturity of the grapes, he produces a Carménère that is fruit forward, meaty and rich with blackberry, blueberry and cassis aromas. With balanced acidity and soft yet very present tannins that make this wine approachable and easy to drink, contributing further to its appeal. 

Floresta Cabernet Franc 2022 ($25), is another single vineyard red, made from fruit sourced this time, from the Alto Jahuel in Maipo, where the winery is located. This wine undergoes fermentation in concrete vats and matures for 14 months in second hand used oak barrels. The result is a ripe Cabernet Franc that is very floral and fresh, full of red fruit notes of raspberry, red cherry, cedar, and a hint of lead pencil. The palate is beefy with grippy tannins that need a couple of years to soften up, yet this was a complete (pleasant) surprise to me, as I’m not a fan of this grape variety.

Floresta Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 ($25) is sourced from hillside vineyards in Alto Jahuel, planted at 637 meters above sea level with a southwest exposure. This optimal location ensures ample sunlight for vine maturation, complemented by cool mountain breezes at night to preserve acidity. The wine was fermented in concrete and stainless steel vats, with natural yeasts, followed by 14 months of aging in second hand French oak. This medium plus Cabernet Sauvignon displays lovely black cherry and ripe black plums notes, with graphite, cassis and cedar hints. 

Triple C 2021 ($40) represents Viña Santa Rita's pinnacle Bordeaux-style blend, where Cabernet Sauvignon provides structure, Cabernet Franc the fruit and freshness and Carménère the tannins and spices. The blend for triple C varies each vintage. For 2021, Labbe chose a dominant Cabernet Sauvignon component (50%), complemented by Cabernet Franc (42%) and a touch of Carmenere (8%). Aged for 18 months in a blend of new and used French oak barrels, it exudes richness and structure, with layers of black fruits: cassis, blueberry, ripe blackberry all nuanced by allspice aromatics. Robust yet balanced, it promises longevity and evolving complexity over the next 15-20 years.

Finally, the last wine was Pewen Carménère 2022 ($40), sourced from 100-year-old vines rooted in granitic soils. It undergoes aging in both old and new French oak for 18 months. This is indeed a Powerbomb red, concentrated yet very refreshing.  It unveils intense flavors of blackberry, ripe plum, and dark chocolate, supported by lively acidity and remarkably silky tannins, that culminate in a long, lingering finish. Truly outstanding!

This fine selection from Viña Santa Rita exemplifies Labbe's commitment to crafting wines that celebrate Chilean terroir nuances, while showcasing the intrinsic qualities of each varietal.  Do let me know if you try any of these, by tagging me on my Insta. Until the next one, Cheers! Silvina.

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What Millennials and Gen Zs drink. Is there any hope for Wine?

According to IWSR, wine sales are projected to decline by another 2% by 2027. The future appears particularly challenging for red wines, while growth is expected to continue, at least steadily in the bestselling categories of rosé and sparkling wines. 

Several factors contribute to this trend, including inflation and a shift in priorities away from wine towards other essentials. Additionally, there are substantial wine stocks still held in distributors' warehouses from the pandemic era that need to be moved. Another critical issue is the shrinking wine consumer base, as more Baby Boomers (aged 60+) retire to fixed incomes—this demographic currently represents 36% of total wine sales— are expected to spend less in the future. Meanwhile, Generation Z (ages 21-27) currently only accounts for 6% of total sales and has not yet shown a significant uptake in wine consumption. Observing their wine habits as well as Millennials’ (ages 28-43) will be crucial for the future of wine. Besides these, global trends towards low-alcohol and non-alcoholic products continue to grow, driven by health and dietary concerns. Ready-to-drink (RTD) products are also gaining popularity, taking for the first time, part of the wine market share. All of which are prompting wine producers to reassess their strategies, focusing particularly on appealing to younger generations. Understanding the consumption habits of Millennials and Gen Z is essential in this process. 

One significant hurdle is that these younger demographics are less alcohol-centric compared to Gen X and Boomers, with health concerns playing a major role in their choices. Alcohol's importance has diminished significantly for Millennials and Gen Z; in 2003, it ranked 12th in importance, dropping to 26th by 2023. Both groups drink less at their respective ages compared to previous generations, with a decline of at least 10% over the past two decades. Only 44% of Millennials and Gen Z drink wine twice a month. Complicating matters is the lack of wine education among Millennials and Gen Z, who show little interest in wine regions or countries and instead focus more on wine styles and in flavors that appeal to them. Wine is perceived as less flavorful compared to the diverse options offered by RTD (ready to drink) products for example or by soft drinks which are the beverage of choice for most Gen Z.  Let’s not forget that thanks to inflation, there is a shortage of affordable wine options, a critical factor for Gen Z as they enter the wine consumption market.

Availability, value for money, and versatility are crucial factors for these younger generations. Millennials still associate specific beverages with events, like wine with dinner or beer with sports, whereas Gen Z shows a preference for soft drinks over other beverages and don’t care much about occasions. They favor single-serving packaging and cans, enabling them to sample a variety of beverages without spending much and without committing to a full bottle of wine. They are receptive to RTDs, including wine-based ones, but are open to try other stuff such as THC and Adaptogen Drinks. Eco-friendly practices and sustainability are important considerations for both Millennials and Gen Z, who prioritize mental and physical wellness more than previous generations.

Now looking specifically at consumption, they prefer lighter and fresher wines such as rosé, white, sparkling, and light, juicy reds.  This is indeed true, as according to Nielsen, the top-selling new entry- level wine in 2023 was Stella Rosa Pineapple, a flavored, semi-sweet, low alcohol wine made from Moscato grapes.  A promise that may lead new wine consumers, eventually to more serious wines, as once upon a time White Zinfandel led me there too!

Both generations are price-conscious, preferring wines priced at $15 or less, with occasional purchases up to $30. Geographically, most Millennials prefer Italian and American brands, while Gen Z tends to favor French wines. Given their digital upbringing, Millennials and Gen Z are most likely to follow social media recommendations from influencers or bloggers rather than traditional wine experts or specialty wine magazines. Offline, they trust recommendations from family, friends, colleagues, or wines they've tried at restaurants or recommended by wine shops.

When marketing products to these generations, it's essential to reflect diversity and engage with them on platforms they normally use such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.  They also appreciate ease of purchase and of payment, favoring the use of PayPal, Venmo, ShopPay, and GPay, and prefer a streamlined checkout process when making purchases online.

Tastings, festivals and events should be oriented to themes they care about. My guess, there’s plenty of work for all of us to do, in order to influence young generations into the fantastic world of wine, not only at the education level, but also by paying attention to what resonates mostly to them. Cheers! Silvina. 

This post is based on information shared and presented by Erica Duecy (Business of Drinks) during Vinexpo Americas 2024. As always my opinions are my own.

#thoughtsoflawina #WineWednesday #genz #millennials #winepredictions

Prosecco Rosé recommendations for Labor Day!

Indeed the arrival of Labor Day marks for most of us the end of Summer. Hopefully you have spent yours, exploring wonderful new cities, enjoying the sunny outdoors, swimming at the beach, relaxing and reading and of course indulging in one of my favorites: Refreshing, sparkling Prosecco Rosé.

Officially approved as a category about four years ago, Prosecco Rosé is mostly made from native Italian Glera grapes blended with up to 15% Pinot Noir, which provides its beautiful pink hue. Stylistically, Prosecco Rosé can range from dry to off dry and compared to other sparkling wines, is fruitier than Cava, Crémant or Champagne, featuring refreshing, crispy acidity, and delicious fruitful notes of strawberry, red cherry, golden apple and white peach. Like all sparkling wines, the secret resides in the technique/method used to create its beautiful effervescence, in this case, the Martinetti method, in which the second fermentation occurs inside a pressurized tank. 

According to Prosecco regulations, Prosecco Rosé is always a vintage wine, as 85% of the total grapes used in any blend should be sourced from the current vintage. The remaining 15% can be supplemented with wine from previous vintages, to create the perfect blend, similarly to what is done with non-vintage Champagne.

Here are my recommendations:

Valdo Marca Oro Prosecco Rosé, DOC 2022, $14.99
A blend of 90% Glera with 10% Pinot Noir is fermented separately and combined to create this low alcohol Prosecco. This medium-bodied, handcrafted sparkler boasts an exhilarating bouquet of white cherry, blood orange, and grated ginger. Mouth-watering acidity preserves the freshness and elegance of this savory bubbly. 

Fiol Prosecco Rosé, DOC 2021, $21.99
Recently launched for the US Market, this elegant Prosecco is also a blend of 85% Glera and 15% Pinot Noir. It offers a burst of red fruit flavors, featuring aromas of raspberry, wild strawberry, golden apple peels, and white peach notes. This truly seductive, medium-bodied sparkler delivers plenty of palate-cleansing pleasure and a long, lingering finish.

As always remember to enjoy your Prosecco Rosé, within a year from its vintage, while its fruitiness is at its peak. Happy Labor Day to everybody! Cheers, Silvina.

#Thoughtsoflawina #proseccorosé #WineWednesday #winesforlaborday #proseccoforlaborday

 

Low and Non-alcoholic wines, can they replace the real thing?

According to the IWSR, non alcoholic and low alcoholic beverages will see a 7% growth in the next three years, a considerable increase in sales, especially when alcohol consumption and in particular wine consumption is expected to continue declining worldwide.

This trend raises two pivotal questions: What is the evolving consumer’s relationship with alcohol? and can non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beverages replace the real thing?

First, allow me to share my relationship with alcohol. I'm one of those that condemns a wine that has alcohol levels higher than 13%, mostly because when I was learning about wine, about 22 years ago, medium alcohol levels were much lower than what they are today. On those days, anything above 13% was labeled as having high alcohol. Of course, things are very different now and mostly due to global warming, wines that used to be 12,5 %, reach 14% or more every year without any difficulty.  This changed everything for me, as I prefer my wines to have lower alcohol levels. This is in part the reason why I love German and Austrian wines so much, because they are naturally low in alcohol, but still have all the flavor, the fruitiness and the acidity. 

Of course, some may say high alcohol is not so noticeable, if there’s a balance or integration with the rest of the elements in wine. I found such cases rare. My love for acidity is so big that it has led me away from wines produced in warm regions, and therefore away from their high alcohol levels. Complicating matters to the worse, I can’t trust labels either, as producers can, by law, misstate alcohol content by up to 1% of what is declared. This means that even though a label may say that a wine has 12% ABV, the wine may indeed have 13%. 

Consumers are also moving away from high-alcohol wines for various reasons, including health concerns, or a desire to reduce sugar intake and to consume fewer calories. 

According to the IWSR, Millennials (ages 28-43) and Gen Z (ages 21-27) are two important groups that favor this trend of zero and low-alcoholic beverages, favoring products such as hard seltzers and zero alcoholic beer and wine. 

To further grasp this, the IWSR categorizes and divides consumers in 4 groups, based on their consumption of low or zero alcoholic beverages:

1)Substituters:  are those that switch between non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, depending on the occasion.

2)Triallers: are those who regularly consume alcoholic beverages but occasionally try non-alcoholic beverages.

3)Blenders are those that consume both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages at the same occasion.

4)Abstainers: are those who completely avoid alcohol. 

To answer whether zero-alcohol wines can replace traditional wines, consider my recent experience with BevZero, a company that sells the technology and machinery to remove alcohol from beverages. They also offer consulting services to make all kinds of low and non-alcoholic wines and spirits. 

Without giving all the technical data involved in the different processes to remove alcohol, it looks there are two ways to create a non-alcoholic wine 1) By using grape must or fruit juice without any fermentation, the final product is therefore sweet, and lacks the aromas and complexity, that wine usually obtains only through the fermentation process and 2) the wine is produced through fermentation (like any regular wine), but then alcohol is removed by filtering, vacuum distillation or by using reverse osmosis or other similar process. Unfortunately this process can also remove many of the wine’s flavors and personality.  And there’s more, as sometimes, the process is completed by rebuilding the wine completely, by adding more flavorings and artificial additives to compensate for the alcohol loss, further compromising its integrity.

Always eager to taste something new, I decided to stop by the two Bev Zero booths at Vinexpo that had non-alcoholic wines and tasted some of the samples offered. I'm sorry to say, I was not impressed at all.  I found many of these non-alcoholic wines to be overly artificial and sweet. However, my sampling was limited and could hardly be representative of the entire category.  For the moment, non-alcoholic wine is not a category I will be actively seeking out, as for me they can’t replace the real thing. Now, low-alcohol wines are different, and this is in part why, I decided to include some recommendations at the end of this post.

To non-alcoholic wine producers, I encourage furthering your efforts to improve quality and authenticity. While I doubt non-alcoholic wines can replace traditional wine offerings currently, they could serve as a viable alternative for abstainers providing another option beyond soft drinks or lemonade.

Now, regarding non-alcoholic beers, my perspective differs, as I have to acknowledge the appeal of some of these, which also coincides with the growing popularity of them in countries like Spain and Germany. It seems non-alcoholic beers’ strong flavor and carbonation is more than enough to compensate for their loss of alcohol. I have the pleasure of tasting Coors Edge and Heineken 00 that are two of my favorites.

 

To wine producers in warm regions, keep monitoring sugar and acidity levels closely, as emphasizing elegance over power can enhance your wines’ appeal. Just my two cents on this and only my view! 

My recommendations: it's a fine selection of three low-alcohol wines (with less than 10%ABV) tasted lately. Good for those that want to drink less alcohol and less calories per serving, without compromising any flavor!

Cavit Cloud 90 Pinot Grigio 2022, 9% ABV $10.99

Indulge in a light and refreshing Pinot Grigio, with only 90 calories per serving. Showcasing vibrant flavors of white peach, pear, and delicate floral notes, complemented by hints of honeydew melon, and finishing with bright, juicy acidity.

Yealands Lighter Sauvignon Blanc 2022, 9%ABV $ 15.99

Enjoy this outstanding Sauvignon Blanc crafted from grapes grown in Yealands' Awatere and Wairau Valley vineyards. Following a gentle pressing, this wine undergoes full fermentation in stainless steel vats to preserve its fruity character and delightful acidity. Captivating flavors of passionfruit and grapefruit, are complemented by herbaceous green pepper (pyrazines) undertones.

Lo Ca Chardonnay 2023 9% ABV, $14

Domaine Bousquet, the well known organic producer based in Mendoza, Argentina is behind the launching of the LoCa (abbreviated from Low Calories) line up made from organically certified grapes.

Savor this light-bodied white that showcases vibrant notes of golden pear, red apple, and meyer lemon, complemented by refreshing zesty acidity and soft mineral notes.

There's a red version of this wine made from Malbec grapes, which was not reviewed for this post.

Until the next one, Cheers! Silvina.

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