In-Depth: Deciphering Spanish Wine Labels

Wine labels from New World wine countries (i.e. the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South America and South Africa) are fairly easy to read. They offer wine consumers little if no trouble in navigating the script as you'll easily find the name of the producer, where the grapes were grown, the year and the variety right there in front of you.

Clear and simple.

Such is not the case in the Old World. For many producers in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, the region plays a prominent role in wine labeling while the grape (or grapes), often viewed as the vehicle in which the wine expresses itself take a back seat making the buying experience a bit more confusing.

SPAIN - A BIT OLD, A BIT NEW

Of all the Old World countries, I find Spain (and to a certain extent Southern Italy) the most customer-friendly.

Here's a label from a premium and popular producer in the Rioja region, Marqués de Cáceres.  Cáceres, like many bodegas in the region make a blend of Tempranillo (in this case 85%) with Garnacha Tinta and Graciano (15%). The former is the staple variety of Rioja while the latter two are used to add alcohol and tannins to the wine.

Just below the bodega's name we find Vendimia Seleccionada which translates as 'Vintage Selection'.

2005 is the Vintage and an excellent one in Rioja. 

Then we find Denominación de Origen Calificada or DOC (or DOCa). 

Spain, like France, Italy and German have what is called an appellation system that ensures quality. The larger  controlled appellation system of Spain is called  Denominación de Origen (DO) and is governed by a Consejo Regulador. This latter organization is comprised of representatives from the regional government along with vine-growers, winemakers and merchants in the DO's area (i.e. Bierzo, Calatayud, Yecla, etc...)

DO regulations stipulate the boundaries of the region, the varieties allowed in wine production, yields and alcohol strength. If a wine doesn't meet these standards it can be either labelled Vino de Mesa (i.e. Table Wine) or Vino de La Tierra. The former often indicates basic if not low quality but the latter can simply mean the grapes making up the wine came from a larger area. For instance, Vino de La Tierra de Castilla indicates the wine has been sourced from vineyards throughout New Castile.

Just above DO is DOC (Denominación de Origen Calificada) indicating the highest quality region. At this point only Rioja and Priorat have been given such a status. 

ANOTHER GLANCE

Here's another label from a Rioja bodega, Lan. (In this instance the wine is 100% Tempranillo - one can always check the company website for product details.)

We know already it is the 2006 vintage but what does Crianza mean?

In many New World countries, labels will read 'reserve' or 'proprietor's reserve'. These are often empty, blanket statements because in Canada or the USA, there is no law controlling their appearance on a bottle. It is often a marketing tool and the savvy consumer over time will undoubtedly have to learn how to distinguish the plonk dubbed 'reserve' from the more premium wines with the same title.

However, Spain, like Italy, do use such words and they have a purpose beyond superficial sales rhetoric. 

The DO or DOC not only guarantee quality and certify the region of origin but also indicate aging. 

TERMS TO LOOK OUT FOR:

Vino Joven (or 'young wine') may or may not have spent time in a barrel and wines are typically released a year after vintage.

Crianza (sometimes translated as 'breeding') are wines aged for at least two full years after harvest. Of those two years, the wine must have spent a minimum time of six months in oak casks. In Rioja, the time in oak must be one year.(NOTE: You may encounter 'Semi-crianza' or 'Roble' which are not official terms but will give some indication of oak aging).

Reserva and Gran Reserva grant the wines have been aged three years (at least one in oak) for the former and five years (of that time, two in oak) for the latter. 

Other phrases you may encounter in the Spanish wine section are Noble, Añejo and Viejo. 

Noble solely means the wines were stored a year in larger oak vats (no more than 600 litres) which will impart a slight oak character. Añejo indicates the wine is 'mature' after spending two years in cask or bottle while Viejo, meaning 'old', the wine is three years old and can very well show oxidative aging.

MODERN SPAIN

I mentioned that some Spanish wines have a bit of the New World influence.

Here's one more label we can look at.

Bodegas Castaño is the producer and I must say,  fairly modern in their approach. 

Though Lan and Marqués de Cáceres are popular brands and well-known and lauded amongst critics and connoisseurs, 'La Casona', the wine displayed here is meant to appeal to a younger, more novice wine market.

Moreover, this is a wine focused on grabbing the attention of consumers already familiar with such branded wines as Yellowtail and Berringer. 

The vintage is 2007 and the grape is Monastrell, the leading variety of The Levant or Spanish Mediterranean. 

Yecla is the DO and like Jumilla and Valencia produce full-bodied reds that can be high in alcohol and rich in black-berry and black licorice flavour. 

A FINAL WORD

Because Spain belongs to the Old World and is regulated by their appellation system, many labels will adhere to quality guidelines. 

However, Spanish wine is continuing to experience what many industry writers have called a 'revolution' and their wines are showing a New World influence, both inside and outside of the bottle. 

The combination of old and new not only ensure quality but will help consumers buy with confidence. Either way, the label should never halt your curiosity - in fact, it should stimulate it.

Bibliography

Jeff, Julian, The Wines of Spain. Mitchell Beazley, London, 2006.

Radford, John, The New Spain. Mitchell Beazley, London, 2007.Robinson, Jancis (ed.), The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 2006.

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The Spanish Mediterranean: The Levant In-Depth

 

Vistas de la Ciudad El Faro

There I’ll enter, letting my soul slip

Into the loving voice of grapes to say,

“Trample my heart, it’s already ripe”

 - Miguel Hernández (1910-1942 – native of Alicante)

There is more to Spain that the wines of Rioja and Ribera del Duero, let alone the fortified wines of Jerez.

In the east, just south of Catalunya is the region where the sun gets up (or levantarse in Spanish), the beaches are bountiful and beautiful and the architecture, exotic and quaint, a melodic mix of Moorish and Latin influences.

VALENCIA

Barcelona holds the honor of Spain’s biggest sea port but the city of Valencia is the largest wine port. So big in fact that the local fishermen have complained about being bullied out by the numerous bulk container ships. The result, a nearby harbor was built exclusively for them.

Besides shipping out the majority of Spain’s wine and being the busy “boulevard to the sea”, it is the home of paella, Mediterranean Spain’s gift to seafood cuisine (it also helps that Valencia is the rice capital of the country).

In terms of wine, there are three sub-zones outside of the city: Valentino, Alto Turia (both in the east and northeast) and Clariano in the south.

Valencian vineyard

WINE STYLES OF VALENCIA AND THE LEVANT

There are a variety of styles made from the dry to the sweet. The quarter of the varieties produced come from the mundane Merseguera, a staple variety of the Levant. Critically viewed as a bland grape, it does have a refreshing light herbal zing to it. Easy to drink, but not memorable.

Other whites include: Malvasia Riojana (a grape of Greek origin also used for oak-aged white Rioja), Pedro Ximénez (used in Sherry), some Chardonnay and Verdil, a promising grape according to John Radford in his The New Spain.

In terms of red varieties, Garnacha Tinto and Bobal are used in rosados with Monastrell being the main red.

Most wine drinkers know Monastrell as Mourvedre in France and Mataro in Australia, this grape is either made into a varietal wine or a blend with Tempranillo and the international variety, Cabernet Sauvignon in southern Spain. These wines are worth seeking out as they offer connoisseurs more quality. However, because of the incredible heat which contributes to immensely juice grapes, these wines are rarely aged and better off drunk young. Monastrell has been quite popular with Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, many Jumilla and Yecla wines gaining 90+ points. 

OTHER DOs OF THE LEVANT:

UTIEL-REQUENA

In Spain, La Mancha is considered the first 'scorcher' (i.e. hot climate) DO in Spain followed closely by Utiel-Requena.

Bobal makes up 80% of the vineyards with Tempranillo and Garnacha making up the rest. Some wines are fermented here then shipped east and bottled under the Valencia DO.

There are some amazingly rich reds grown in the region made in the doble pasta style. Basically, the grapes are crushed as they normally are then “the wine is run off and another consignment of crushed grapes is put into the same vessel on top of the previous skins and pulp” (The New Spain). The Result: a wine with big power and mucho, mucho colour.

ALICANTE

This DO shares the heat of the south and the vines are trained low to the ground. The wines here have traditionally between sweeter-styles but there are emerging pockets of fine red wine producers coming onto the scene with Monastrell leading the pack. The reds I’ve tried from Alicante have tended to be incredibly fruity, packed with a delicious, deep ruby punch of dark cherry. They are rarely expensive and easy to consume. If you can serve these wines slightly chilled to bring out the flavor.

MURCIA AND ENVIRONS: JUMILLA, BULLAS and YECLA

When the Moors conquered the majority of Spain in the 8th century, they brought not only their culture but agriculture. They were able to provide irrigation to the seething hot south. This is the land where a vast majority of our citrus fruits were first introduced to Spain: oranges, bananas and lemons.

Nowadays, you’ll find the Moorish influence has not waned by no means – Mursia (from the Arabic Mursiyah) has become the canning centre of Spain, with apricots and peaches being the main fruits.

Surrounding Mursia in a fan like spread are Bullas, Jumilla and Yecla.

Monastrell

Bullas grows 95% Monastrell with a small amount of Tempranillo and Garnacha. The town itself has a diverse past beginning with the Romans and seeing itself as heavily fortified castle under the Moorish Caliph, Abd-Al Rahman. Finally, during the reconquesta it fell into the hands of King Alfonso the Sage providing protection to the neighboring towns and villages.

Jumilla was largely a bulk wine region, selling everything, satisfying the market. So what happened? Well, in 1989, Phylloxera (that nasty little aphid known for eating European vine rootstocks) showed up a hundred years late. Production plummeted to one-third of what it had previously churned out. The region eventually recovered with winemakers starting over, moving forward, ready with a new approach. Research by the local Oenological Station believed that Monastrell could perform better here.

Yecla is a small inland enclave centered around the town of Yecla in the province of Murcia. It is the only DO in Spain to have the distinction of containing but a single municipality.

The vineyards are situated on gentle hillsides at altitudes of 400-800 metres, surrounded by even higher hills and mountains, providing some excellent views. Archaeological investigation has revealed that wine has been made in the area for nearly 2000 years, most likely by the Phoenicians then the Romans.

This wines in this region are relatively young and fruity. Years ago, Yecla supplied wine for bulk blending and export and for a time, fortified wines. It is a region that is finding its own, producing styles that are extremely appealing to new wine drinkers.

Bibliography
Crow, John Armstrong, Spain: The Root and The Flower, Berkley, University of
California Press, 1985.

Davidson, Alan (ed). Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1999.

Grigson, Jane (ed). World Atlas of Food,Mitchell Beaszley:London 1974

Jeff, Julian, The Wines of Spain. Mitchell Beazley, London, 2006.
Radford, John, The New Spain. Mitchell Beazley, London, 2007.

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In-Depth: Eastern Europe - Bulgarian Wine

Cathedral in Varna

I was not a very good caterer. It wasn’t so much serving food or working behind the bar that I failed at (I can set up a beautiful bar), it was just the refined and robot-like dignity I was forced to maintain while working. Our head manager was the most thankless perfectionist, went by the book and a few of our supervisors were just plain mean – like ‘power-trip mean’.

So one night I cracked. I was bartending for a small group of accountants and, at six-thirty twenty people showed up. They nibbled, they drank, they kibitzed and around quarter after seven, most had left. A handful of guys stayed behind. Settling into the nice plush chairs, they wanted to drink, shoot the breeze. I stood behind the bar trying to maintain my rigid pose but they only yelled at me, ‘Hey relax, buddy! Or, ‘Don’t stand like that, you remind me of my wife!’ One of them with what I thought was a Russian accent invited me to have a drink.

I thought, what the hell, why not?

I poured us both some wine, ate some veggies off the table and we talked for a half hour. Eventually I was caught and (I suspect) ratted out by my supervisor. Not surprisingly, my hours were pared down after that episode.

I learned the man was from Bulgaria and he told me about the wine of his country.

BULGARIAN WINE

From what this man shared and what I’ve read, Bulgaria was once the ‘wine lake’ for the Soviet Union. As we saw with Romania and Slovenia, wine has been made in the region for thousands of years. But when Communism was foisted on the people, the country was intentionally planted with a massive amount of international grape varieties, all there for the sole purpose of supplying Mother Russia.

By 1966, the country’s output placed them as the sixth largest wine importer in the world. During the seventies, British bargain-hunters who were too cheap to splurge for a left-bank Bordeaux, bought the cut-rate claret-like Cabernets of Bulgaria. The country peaked in exports before the fall of Communism in the 1980s. The first signs of let-up arrived with Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign.

During the 1990s, figures suggest yields had greatly fallen below the French average. It was at this time that many of the state-owned wineries were privatized. International investors rushed in to take advantage, with foreign support arriving from as far away as Japan and the U.S. Even Russia, newly ‘democratic’ took part.

BULGARIAN WINE QUALITY

Before things took a bit of turn for the worse, Bulgaria initiated the Wine Act of 1978. This decree classified wine into several categories: Standard wines for your basic light wines, Special Wine which included sparkling, liqueur and fruit wines, High Quality wines without Geographical Origin (similar to our ‘Cellared in Canada’ wines except the grapes are actually grown in the country), High quality wines with Declared Geographical Origin (DGO), which are wines grown in one of the five regions and Controliran – which is higher than DGO and similar to France’s Appellation Contrôlée. This assures customer quality but if it says Reserve, the oak flavor will most likely come from the oak chips instead of the time spent in a large wooden vat (which imparts hardly any flavor).

BULGARIAN GRAPE VARIETIES

My new Bulgarian friend told me about Bulgarian Cabernet. “The freshest and fruitiest. It is absolutely delicious. One of the best reasons to visit my country. It is so good and reasonably priced.”

Besides the four main international varieties - Merlot, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and of course the Cabernet (the country is believed to have more Cab vineyards than California) – Bulgaria also offers up eastern European varieties.
Mavrud grape bunches

MAVRUD – is a fine, late-ripening grape used to produce spicy reds.

MELNIK – named after a small town in the Struma Valley, this variety is grown closer to the Greek border, producing powerfully scented wines of beautiful, sometimes sweet flavor.

PAMID – a common grape, pale and quaffable.

GAMZA – a grape you’ll find in Hungary called Kadara, it is also planted throughout Bulgaria

Whites include: a Georgian, Rkatsileli, Dimiat (Serbia’s everyday Smederevka), Red Misket (not red but a crossing of Riesling and Dimiat) and some other foreign grapes, including Muscat Ottonel which is very popular and Aligoté, the lesser-beloved grape of Burgundy widely planted in Eastern Europe.

BULGARIAN WINE REGIONS

Bulgaria isn’t a big country. (“You can drive it in a day.”) From Serbia to the Black Sea, it’s only 450 km and from northern Greece to southern Romania (at its widest), just about 300 km.

The summers are hot, temperatures can reach as high as 40 degrees Celsius while winters can be quite cold with -25 degrees at its lowest. The Black Sea does offer a moderating effect in the east but much of the country experiences a continental climate.

There are five distinct wine regions:

The DANUBIAN PLAIN, where most of the famous regional wines are produced in the north-northwest of the country. (Look out for wines from Sukhindol or Subhindol)

In the east, the BLACK SEA takes up the entire coastline. International varieties like Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer are grown here and do extremely well due to the maritime influence. Reds are planted further inland on the mountain slopes around Khan Krum and Novi Pazar.

The southern portion of the country is divided between the EAST and WEST THRACIAN LOWLANDS, with the West Thracian Valley putting out the most wine. Here you can find higher-quality Mavrud from Assenovgrad.

The STRUMA VALLEY (or South West) is considerably smaller than its neighbors as the vineyards ‘snug up’ against the Greek border. This is where you’ll find the Melnik wines I mentioned, the most “original wines” according to Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson in their World Atlas of Wine. Unfortunately, the originality of these wines is fast becoming “a rare commodity” in Bulgaria according to the Atlas.

THE KEY TO BULGARIA

Unlike France, Germany, Spain and Italy where the vineyards of the Côte du Beaune, the Mosel, Rioja and Tuscany take precedence on a wine’s label, Bulgaria is all about the winery. What happens in the vineyard, stays in the vineyard and what you’ll discover is that the winemaker’s expertise and the winery’s expensive equipment are more important than where the grapes are sourced. In many instances, they’re grown in one region and vinified in another. This is why the European Union only recognizes two of Bulgaria’s wine regions (Danubian Plain and the Thracian Lowlands) in terms of quality.

This issue has largely been a result of fragmented land holdings. With the fall of Communism, the government wanted to resolve pre-1947 ownership of plots. My friend explained that: “Yes, vineyards, unfortunately fell into the hands of people who had no vine growing experience whatsoever. But here you are, let us say you are a young man living in the city. One day you get a call. You find out your grandfather used to own land in Lozitza near the Danube. That was in 1939. You live now in Varna on the coast. What are you going to do? It is on the other side of the country and you don’t have the money or the time to work the land. But you don’t want to sell it, either. You are very proud of your family. The land has been returned to you; you don’t want to just let go of it. So, for many, the vineyards just fall into neglect.”

So if you’re in the wine store, it won’t much matter where the wine is from as who is making it.

In the north, top producers are as follows: Russe (under Russian ownership since 2003), Suhindol (best known in the west), Magura, Festa Holdings, Vinex Slavyantzi.

And in the south: Boyar (one of the biggest selling - 65 million bottles worldwide) Vini Sliven, Blueridge, Beleveder Group, Vizvanod Assenovgrod, Peshtera Group (a leading Bulgarian spirits producer) and Damianitza.

FINAL WORD

I had a great chat with my new Bulgarian friend. He told me about his culture shock when he first arrived in Canada. Apparently nudity isn’t a problem in Bulgaria and children swim naked. When he went home to the Black Sea (the Cherno More in Bulgarian), he told a friend children had to wear bathing suits in Canada. His friend replied, “they must be sick people!”

“The fact that you are ashamed of nudity makes you suspect in my friend’s eyes. And in the eyes of my country.”

Bulgarian beach with nudity edited out (note there are two sailboats)

I had to laugh. Maybe we are a bit twisted – too much Victoria prudery.

He also mentioned a therapist he met at a business conference. She told him that we are all intrinsically connected to our homeland. It made sense as he talked of Chernobyl, a city he knew that was literally wiped out by an environmental mishap. The citizens had safely gotten away but within a year, many had died of cancer. His belief: their city had ‘died’ and its displaced people eventually died with it.

“That is why I have to go back to my homeland. I have to be there. To see it, to live it. Yes, the Black Sea is beautiful. Do not get me wrong, Canada is nice but a temporary home. I have work here. But I have to go to my true home once a year. And when I am there, I drink my country’s wine. It gets me through the year.”

Bibliography

Fielden, Christopher, Exploring the World of Wine and Spirits. WSET: London, 2005.

Johnson, Hugh and Jancis Robinson, The World Atlas of Wine. Bounty Books, London, 2001.

Robinson, Jancis (ed.), The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 2006.

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In-Depth: Eastern Europe - Slovenian Wine

Wine-dark grapes smell sweet here...

-Anna Akhmatova

France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Portugal all have fascinating histories. France was once divided between the Franks and the Normans. Italy, long after the fall of Rome fell under the political sway of  both Spain and Austria. The lands of present day Portugal and Spain were once ruled by the Moors and latter-day Germany was divided into tiny territories (Bavaria, Prussia, Swabia etc.) before unification under Bismark.

Over time, these western countries took shape and acquired their present character. As for Eastern Europe, many nations such as Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and even Greece had been conquered and torn by western powers (notably Austria) and the east (Russia and Turkey), leaving little time for them to establish their mark in the world.

SLOVENIA

Tucked in between Italy and Croatia, Slovenia’s share of the Adriatic shoreline is consequently minimal. Though small,  it is nonetheless a beautiful country with a diverse background.

This country had partaken in the livelihood of greater powers for over two millennia. The land once belonged to the Roman Empire (27 BC – 476 AD), to the Principality of Carantania (7th century), the Holy Roman Empire (10th century), the Habsburg Monarchy (14th century – 18th century), the Austrian Empire (19th century), and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (20th century). Between the two world wars, it struggled under the political yoke of the Germans, the Italians and Hungarians before becoming part of Croatia.

In 1991, after centuries of foreign rule, the country finally gained independence. However, it has a long winemaking history despite the decrees of differing empires, monarchies and kingdoms. In Ancient times, the Celts and Illyrians tribes made wine here before the Romans. During the Middle Ages, the monks and monasteries took over before the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Following World War II, production fell into the hands of co-operatives and quality became an issue. In 1967, the PSVVS was founded, a business association devoted to improving the identity of Slovenian wine. Over a decade after independence, Slovenia joined the European Union in 2004.

The country produces approximately 1 million hectoliters of wine per year, three quarters of which is white. Of this, 5% (or about 50,000 hectoliters) is exported to other Eastern European countries, North America, Italy and Germany. There are over 40,000 registered wine growers covering 24,600 hectares of land, making for a fragmented world of vineyard quality.

It is my belief that without a strong government identity, it is difficult to be recognized in the international wine market (Canada is experiencing this now as many grape growers are being undermined by the government).

Slowly but surely, Slovenia is emerging from the shadow of its dark and strife-ridden past as her wines are finally gaining the recognition the country deserves.

 Slovenian vineyards

VARIETIES IN SLOVENIA

As I mentioned, white grapes make up the majority of the Slovenian vineyard, many of which are of eastern European origin. These include: Šipon (also known as Furmint in Hungary), Ranina (Bouvier in Austria – a cross between Zöldsilváni and Chardonnay), Kraljevina, Pinela, Zelen, and Rebula (in Italy: Ribolla).

In terms of International varieties, they are planted here in abundance but grown under their Slavic names: Sauvignon Blanc becomes Muškatni Silvanec (inspired by the German  name for Sauv Blanc - Muskat Silvaner); Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris in Slovenia are Beli, Modri and Sivi Pinot, respectively. Traminer is Traminec, Riesling is Renski Rizling (not to be confused with Welschriesling which is Laški Rizling), Müller-Thurgau is Rizvanec and Blaufränkisch is Modra Franinja.

The Italian varieties Refosco and Picolit simply become Refošk and Pikolit. (The Refošk red I tried from Vinakoper - see 'Deciphering Slovenian Wine Labels' below - was exceptional: chocolate and cedar, tobacco and mulch held together by deep blackberry fruit... lush and delicious.)

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay thankfully keep their names for easy recognition.

SLOVENIAN VINEYARDS

There are three wine regions which are further divided into 14 sub-regions:

PRIMORSKA is right on the coast. Here the climate is Mediterranean and the wines more Italian in style – dry whites and firm, fuller-bodied reds. In some instances, the vineyards of Primorska are just a continuation of Italian ones: Collio becomes Brda, Kras is east of Corso. Vipava and Koper make up the other sub-regions.

Near Koper, the town of Piran stretches towards the idyll Adriatic

POSAVJE is more continental in climate, divided by the Sava River (Dolenjsk in the south, Bizeljsko and Smarje north of the river). In some parts of the region, especially Bela Krajna, the wines tend to be fuller as red grapes can ripen with ease. But the region is also perfect for producing botrytized wines (from grapes that have experienced Noble Rot, helping to concentrate the sugar and make the wine sweet).

PRODAJVE in the north east is similar to its neighbor in terms of climate. Resting along the Darva River, the wines grown in this region are lower in alcohol and typically white. You can find sweet wines to rival the best of Austria along with Icewine (during the good years) and Sparkling wine which is on the increase. Subregions: Maribor, Haloze, Radgona-Kapel, Predmurske, Sredjeslovenske Gorice, Prekmurske Gorice and Ljutomer-Ormoz.

DECIPHERING SLOVENIAN WINE LABELS

If you thought German labels were tough, well, I'm sorry to report, these are a bit tougher. Written in the Slovenian language, they can be rather intimidating. But there's hope as most of what's on the label is rather essential. Here's a breakdown: 

VINAKOPER – is the name of the producer. Koper (in Primorska on the Adriatic coast)  is also the place where the grapes have been sourced.

REFOŠK – is the variety, also known as Refosco in Italy. Remember, the wines of the Primorska region have Italian-style wines because they are closer to Italy.

KLASIČNA PREDELAVA – translates as ‘Classical Production’ or Classic.

VRHUNSKO VINO ZGP – means the wine is the highest or ‘top quality’ vino. The ZGP or Zaščiteno geografsko poreklo is the quality control division of Slovenia’s wine industry. According to the law, all wines must be analyzed, tested and scored before they are delivered to the market. During this process, the wine is determined to be one of the following:  


namizno vino (table wine),
deželno vino (wine from a specific part of the country similar to Italy’s IGT),  
kakovostno vino (quality wine) and 
vrhunsko vino (or top-quality wine).

PRIDELAL IN POLNI – literally ‘grown and bottled’ by the producer Vinakoper

PRIDELEANO V SLOVENIJI – Grown in Slovenia.


FINAL WORD
Slovenian wine is not nearly as popular as Italian wine. You're more likely to find a Greek or Croatian wine before you track down a white or red from Primorska, Prosavje or Prodavje. But if you're determined, check out the LCBO, especially the Vintages stores in major cities. The more popular these wines become, the more likely you'll see them around. In time, hopefully, Slovenian wine will gain a greater following. This  great country certainly deserves it.


Bibliography
Johnson, Hugh and Jancis Robinson, The World Atlas of Wine, Bounty Books, London, 2001.
Robinson, Jancis, Jancis Robinson's Wine Course. Abbeville Press, New York, 2003.
Robinson, Jancis (ed.), The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 2006.

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In-Depth: Deciphering - German Wine Labels

INTRODUCTION

I know what you’re thinking already. Did I step back into time? Is this an old German wine label?

German wine labels have been known to exhibit a Teutonic quality, with illustrations of the Rhine and medieval villages while featuring old Germanic script. Not to mention the amount of writing on the label, all of it in a foreign language contributing to what most wine marketers and buyers would call a ‘nightmare’.

But once you get past the label’s archaic illustrations (I find them quite beautiful myself but I have a fascination with German culture) and learn how to deconstruct the label, you’ll find that the Germans have made it a lot easier for you than the French or Italians.


DECIPHERING
Greg Nees in his fascinating book, Germany: Unraveling an Enigma, provides some of the most fundamental insights into the German people. He writes of their need for order, knowledge and clarity.

Germany wine labels offer all of this. Let’s break this label down together.

JOH. JOS. CHRISTOFFEL ERBEN – this is the name of the wine producer/estate in Germany (and a personal favourite of mine). You will always find a producer’s name on the front of the bottle.

2003 – The year of the vintage. So far so good. Easy, right?
ÜRZIGER WÜRZGARTEN RIESLING AUSLESE - Alright now, don’t panic, we can handle this.
Ürzig is the name of the town. The name of the town always ends in the ‘er’ on a
label. (Basically, it is the possessive, ie. Ürzig’s’…)
Würzgarten is the vineyard name. So the first title would read in English as: Ürzig’s Würzgarten.
Riesling (pronounced REEZ-ling) is the name of the grape.
Auslese or selected harvest (lese = harvest, aus = out) is the time when the grapes were picked. The grapes used to make this wine were harvested late in a warm season. These wines tend to be more expensive because the growers picked individual bunches. Most likely this wine is going to be medium-sweetness.

QUALITÄTSWEIN mit PRÄDIKAT (QmP) – literally translated as ‘Quality wine with specific attributes’. These are top of the class. The wines are natural with no Chaptalisation (a process by which grape juice or sugar is added to get higher levels of alcohol) is allowed.

You will also find on other German wine labels:

QUALITÄTSWEIN bestimmter ANBAUGEBIET (AbA) – translating as ‘Quality wine of a particular region’. There are thirteen wine-growing regions or Anbaugebiete in Germany. The ones you’ll most likely encounter in the North America wine market, including the Mosel Saar Ruwer are: Nahe, Rheingau, Rheinhessen and the Pfalz. The remaining regions, Ahr, Mittelrhein, Baden, Franken, Wurttemburg, Hessiche Bergstrasse, Saale-Unstrut, and Saachsen are either much too small (Ahr and Hessiche Bergstrasse) or the domestic market leaves little to export (Baden for instance, which also imports a great deal of red wine).

QbA simply means that the grapes for this wine can only come from the specified region on the bottle. Blending between different regions is absolutely verboten. These wines are generally chaptalised with higher levels of sugar and alcohol.

BEFORE WE MOVE ON…
Let’s look at the different quality categories (found on QmP labeled German wines) indicating when the grapes are picked.
KABINETT – a wine made from grapes during the regular harvest. Normally a Kabinett wine will be low in alcohol and typically dry but there are variations and exceptions (see below). Kabinett wines are food-friendly but great with conversation.
SPÄTLESE (pronounced ‘SHPATE-lay-zuh’) – which means “late harvest” The grapes are riper, the intensity and strength is more full on. These wines can be either dry or blessed with a touch of sweetness.
AUSLESE (pronounced ‘OUSS-lay-zuh) – already mentioned…
BEERENAUSLESE (BA) (BEER-EN–ous-lay-zuh) “berry selected harvest”. These wines are rare, expensive and usually affected by noble rot, Botryis cinera, a friendly rot that concentrates the sugar of the grapes, giving these grapes a tangy-honey component. Not to be missed.
TROCKENBEERENAUSLESE (TBA) (TRAWCK-EN-BEER-EN-ouss-lay-zuh) – or ‘dry selected harvest’. Don’t let the dry fool you. These are rare, very sweet, very exquisite wines, made in the most exceptional of years. The individual grapes picked for these wines are shriveled up like raisins. It will take one person a full day just to select these grapes. The alcohol is low but the price isn’t.
EISWEIN (pronounced in German as ICE-vine) or Ice Wine. The grapes are usually picked in the early, early morning (2 or 3 am) by harvesters wearing gloves so their hands don’t warm up the grapes.

GUTSABFULLUNG – the wine was bottled at the estate of Joh.Jos. Christoffel Erben.
WEINGUT – meaning Wine Estate
MOSEL SAAR RUWER – one of the most famous Germany quality wine regions. The Mosel (Moselle in French) is a left tributary of the Rhine with the Saar and Ruwer being its tributaries. The vineyards in the Mosel are among the most beautiful and steepest in the world, making mechanical harvesting impossible and hand-picking a necessity. The high cost of labour is factored into the cost of these bottles.

You’ll also notice a lot of numbers on the wine label. This means the wine has been given a quality-approved number, letting the customer know that a special organization has approved of these wines.

Still with me?

FINAL WORD (INCLUDING THE EXCEPTIONS)
German Rieslings are perhaps, like Sherry from Jerez in Southern Spain, the most under-appreciated wines in the North American market. At the turn of the 20th century, they were the most sought after. But tastes change and so do perceptions. Many wine buyers are either put off by their labels or the sugar levels. Most fine German wines are not sweet, but rather intense and bold. The ones that are sweet are far less sugary than a can of cola.

It was in the 1960s that mass-produced German bulk wine (aka ‘sugar water’ like Liebfraumilch) came on the market and ruined Germany’s reputation for being regarded as a fine wine producer.

If you happen to like Riesling but are not partial or prepared for the occasional sweetness, there are ways to tell if the wine is going to be sweet or not.

First of all, some German wine labels will have the following words on their labels:
TROCKEN – meaning dry
HALBTROCKEN – ‘half-dry’ with up to 1.8% residual sugar.
FEINHERB – also indicates dry
CLASSIC – or ‘harmoniously dry’

Sometimes these words don’t appear. You can get a Kabinett that is sweet and a Spätlese that is dry. Many German wine producers are quite small but produce somewhere between 20 and 30 different wines. How can you tell if one is going to be sweeter than the other?


Well, the lower the alcohol, the sweeter the wine. Sugar converts into alcohol. The more sugar converted into alcohol, the less sugar left in the wine. This is the best way to tell.

Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?

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