France - Wine Hub for the World

Burgundian slope

What does the vineyard do to me?... What would heaven do to me if heaven were empty?
- Alphonse de Lemartine

The beautiful thing about wine is often just drinking wine. And the beautiful thing about learning about wine is also, well… you know… drinking it. Or, tasting wine (less fun sometimes because this might involve spitting).

My journey began with beer and harder spirits – gin and Canadian Rye still being my two favourites. Scotch is not for me.

I used to enjoy a nice, refreshing lager on a summer day. Sometimes a deep, dark ale. But over time, I found wine more fascinating. I ventured first into the world of whites. Living in Victoria and then North Vancouver, in British Columbia, I began to drink Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris from the Okanagan Valley, Sumac Ridge, Tinhorn Creek, and Grey Monk being three of my favorite producers. Soon enough I discovered that Alsace, in Eastern France right on the German border, is the home of both these varieties.

I started putting a puzzle together. Every time I learned about a different grape, I would try to source its origin in Europe.

Soon a bigger picture was revealed. I began to see France as the hub of a greater world wine-wheel, with different spokes (grapes) finding homes in different countries.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON – Bordeaux – left bank of the river Gironde, from Médoc in the north down to Graves. Cabernet is the superstar grape of the wine world, used to make the world’s most brilliant and expensive wines. Names such as, Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild, Château Haut-Brion and Château Margaux are all synonymous with Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated wines (left-bank Bordeaux – i.e. Médoc, Haut Médoc - wines are blends which include Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdo and Malbec).

Where else and what to expect - You can find Cabernet Sauvignon literally everywhere but the best places after France are California (Napa Valley), Chile (Central Valley, including the Maipo, Maule Valleys), Australia in the region of Coonawarra in the state of South Australia. In South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina you’ll find some good Cabernet Sauvignon wine, either as a varietal (single variety) or a blend. Cabernet is also used to make excellent blends in Tuscany, Italy.

But how do you like your Cabernet? If you like big black fruit, most will satisfy but there are slight variations. California is for you if you like hints of herbal sage. In Chile, green pepper. Australia can have interesting notes of eucalyptus. South Africa can be smoky and bold while Argentina is often rich. New Zealand, like Bordeaux has a bit more acidity and a finer body, often blended with Merlot.

CHARDONNAY – Burgundy – from Chablis down through Maconnais. Where Cabernet is the King of red, Chardonnay is the great royal white. In France, especially in Burgundy, the grape is rarely listed on the bottle. Famous vineyards of Burgundy include “Le Montrachet” where bottles fetch hefty high prices. You’ll find Chardonnay in Champagne where it is either used to make blancs de blancs (white from white) or blended with Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir.

Where else and what to expect - Chardonnay, also like Cabernet Sauvignon, can be found in most wine-producing countries. But unlike the red grape, it is more of a chameleon. In Chablis of northern Burgundy, Chardonnay is often mineral on the palate with notes of green fruit. Further South in Burgundy (Côte de Beaune, Mâcon), it is more toasty, buttery like a good apple pie. When it sees little oak in such villages as Saint-Veran, there is more of an apricot and peach touch. In Australia, the best un-oaked Chardonnays often have a pineapple-tropical flavour. California Chardonnay is often heavily oaked, meaning more butter and toffee notes (I like to call them ‘butter bombs’) than what you will find in France. Chardonnay labels will often tell you if they are oaked or not.

SAUVIGNON BLANC – Loire Valley – Main sites include Sancerre, Puilly-sur-Loire and Touraine. Sauvignon Blanc is easily distinguished compared to Chardonnay. The grape has pungent, bright aromas of lime and lemon with asparagus and grassy green pepper. Pouilly-Fumé (fumé = smoke in French), there is a hint of flint that gives the wine a gunpowder touch.

Where else and what to expect - By far the most famous Sauvignon Blanc wine-producing country is New Zealand. In 1985, Cloudy Bay appeared on the wine scene and took the world by storm. Since then, varietal Sauvignon Blanc has become synonymous with the islands of the Kiwi. As the famous English wine critic and writer Hugh Johnson once wrote, it is Sauvignon Blanc with the ‘volume turned up’. Other places include Chile, in Casablanca and San Antonio Valley where you can find surprising value and delicate lemon and grassy flavours. The grape is also found in South Africa in coastal wine regions (more fig and green fruit) as well as Australia where it is blended with Semillon. In California, some Sauvignon Blancs are oaked which impart a tasty, toasty component. In Spain, it is often blended with Verdejo in the region of Rueda in northern Spain.

SYRAH – Rhône Valley – Côte-Rôtie in the north down through the Southern Rhône. Northern Rhone Syrahs are often very expensive and sometimes blended with a touch of Viognier, a white grape known for aromas of apricot and peach. There is the black pepper, the hint of Brettanomyces (brett – for short), a yeast found on the grapes and in wines of the Rhône that lend a chicken-coup kind of perfume. These wines are complex and need time in bottle before opening. If you’re impatient (like me) you can find excellent Côtes du Rhône Village wines that are a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre (the latter grapes also known as Garnacha and Monastrell in Spain).

Where else and what to expect - Just as Sauvignon Blanc is synonymous with New Zealand, Shiraz (which is another name for Syrah) is the flagship grape of Australia. The Barossa Valley is the most famous Shiraz growing region. The wines are bursting with big vanilla-rounded black fruit and black pepper. Along the southern coast, where it is noticeably cooler, Adelaide Hills Shiraz often have a white pepper spice to it. California makes excellent Syrahs. In the 1970s and ‘80’s, Cabernet and Chardonnay were all the rage. A group of winemakers, known now as the Rhone Rangers decided to focus on alternatives, Syrah being one of their favoured grapes. Chile also makes excellent Syrah which is similar to the bold California style (although there are some that are more Rhône in style which have a gamey-black pepper to it). In South Africa, it is surpassing Pinotage as the new must-plant grape where the black pepper is softened with blackberries. There is often a smoky quality to the wine, making them ideal with BBQ.

RIESLING – Alsace/South Western Germany – Alsace is on the border of Germany and the region has had a significant German influence (especially in the names like “Schlumberger” which is pronounced with a French feel – i.e. SHLUM-ber-jay). Riesling is Germany’s grape but because the history of the region is intertwined with the legacies of both countries, I placed it here.

You could say there are two styles of Riesling. The German, especially the Mosel version, has a mineral, steely, apple beauty to it you often cannot find in France. These wines I often dub as ‘autumn harvests in a glass’ – drown your nose in the leafy, windy far reaches of vertigo-steep vineyards and cool, steel skies. Elsewhere in Germany, you can expect apricots and melon, sometimes grapefruit. Alsatian Riesling can be off-dry but there is a delicacy to them, a solemn finesse. You can taste the apple but it is more reserved, reticent. Alsace is the place to find dry-style Riesling. Producers like Trimbach and Hugel make solid offerings.

Where else and what to expect - Riesling is an important grape in Ontario, perhaps the one with the most diverse character. Styles here range from dry to ice wine and Canada has become the go-to place for High Class dessert wines. Green apple, green fruit, honey, petrol, sometimes a bit of peach is what you’ll find in the Niagara Peninsula. Washington and New York State both make excellent Riesling, perhaps closer to the traditional German-style with aromas of petrol, honey and apple harvest. In the Southern Hemisphere, Australia (Eden and Clare Valley) and New Zealand (Wairarapa just north of Martinborough on the North Island) tend to deliver New World dry-Rieslings. These wines are alive with zingy, bright acidity, apple, star fruit and hints of pineapple. Most Southern Hemisphere Rieslings will be typically dry with the off-chance of a hint of sugar.

PINOT NOIR – Burgundy, especially, Côte-d'Or, – While Cabernet is blended with four other grapes in left-bank Bordeaux, Burgundy is Pinot Noir. But you wouldn’t just call it a Pinot Noir from Burgundy. Pinot Noir is a vehicle for the expression of Burgundy, one of the many elements that go into making a great bottle. Here, as in many places in France, terroir is the word, more the aura of viticulture that leads to the wonders of vinification. In Burgundy, factors such as soil, slope, exposure, climate, weather, vineyard practices and management all come together to create a wine. For many, red Burgundy is similar to the ecstasy of Saint Teresa in Botticelli’s famous sculpture – it is a religious experience poised with sensuality. The bouquet is a quiet, fading thunderstorm of flowers, earth and red, bright fruit.

Where else and what to expect - If you venture into Oregon you’ll find the quintessential New World Pinot. These wines are a bit more robust than Burgundian offerings with a delicious dill element that is both aromatic and inviting, not to mention, intriguing. In California, the wines are bigger still. Usually Carneros and other cool climes along the coast will give you the Pinot that has the most finesse but like a WWF wrestler in a tux, they are hefty and muscular. In New Zealand, you can find Burgundian-style Pinot Noir that exhibits more the barnyard, the mulch and red fruit that makes the variety so charismatic. Chile has some beautiful, delicate Pinot Noir along the coast in Leyda and San Antonio. In Australia, Tasmania is considered the best Pinot-producing regions.

And of course, let’s not forget Ontario where the style is reminiscent of Burgundy as well as New Zealand. Ontario Pinot is perfect with salmon, the cherries are light and lovely with a little barnyard beauty.

MERLOT – right bank, especially Pomerol and St-Émilion as well as St-Estèphe. Merlot plays a showy second-fiddle to Cabernet Sauvignon in the world of wine. On the right bank in Bordeaux, it comes first followed by Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. It is softer, plummier, with black fruit, blueberry and hints of chocolate and coffee. It is what Oz Clarke calls ‘red without tears’ because the tannins are easier on your palate.

Where else and what to expect - In Italy, especially in Veneto and Toscana you can find varietal Merlot (in the former) and Merlot blended with Sangiovese and Cabernet in Super Tuscan wines (see A Tale of Two Tuscanies June 2009). Veneto is cooler so expect more red fruit and juicier acidity.

In the New World, Merlot has found a beautiful home in both California and Washington. Washington State Merlot exudes black fruit with moody doses of chocolate and coffee. In California, the wines are softer, cozy and with the right oak treatment will have a vanilla character that reminds me of toast and black berry jam. If you like Chile, Merlot is chewy and herbal and might even be blended with Carmenere (see The Cinderella Story of Carmenere June 2009). New Zealand and Australia, you’ll find varietal Merlot or blends with Cabernet and other grapes such as Shiraz/Syrah and Petit Verdot. Here in Ontario, I find the Merlot has a blackberry coffee feel with a deeper darker cocoa element.

France offers beautiful wine but unless you feel comfortable with their wine labels, I suggest starting with varietal wines in the New World. Once you get yourself grounded and can maneuver through the various variety names and aromas, you’ll be on your way. Just think of it as research for your palate.

And you don’t have to spit if you don’t want to.

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Spain: The Wines of Old Castile

Night of Castile;
The poem is spoken,
Or, better, not spoken.
When everyone is sleeping,
I’ll go to the window
- Antonio Machado, from Canciones

UMAYYAD BEGINNINGS

It is spring, 711. Tariq ibn Ziyad, a Muslim Umayyad general with a band of some 7000 Berber soldiers is crossing over from northern Africa into Visigoth Spain. The charismatic leader and his troops, under the shadow of the mountain soon to be named in his honor (Gibraltar - gebel = mountain, al-Tar = Tariq)  are about to encounter an army and government weakened by internal corruption - easy prey.

Within several months of the historic landing, the Visigoth presence in Iberaia is dissolved in the wake of Tariq's untimely invastion. By summer, King Roderic falls in the Battle of Guadalete and the Muslim general is made governor of the region, ushering in a new era of Muslim culture, technology and architecture.

MUSLIM SPAIN
For over three hundred years, the Muslims hold control over the vast majority of the Iberian Peninsula and cities such as Cordoba, Toledo and Granada prosper. Fountains, gardens and lanterns adorn the golden streets and beautiful mosques and palaces are erected for the emirs. Men of science, literature, music, mathematics and philosophy practice their esoteric art in libraries and in courts. 

The Muslims conquerors are, for the most part, tolerant people and continually encourage religious freedom. Many Jews rise to prominence and power while a small population of Christians or Mozarabs (‘wannabe Arab’) contribute to this society. In the main, being Muslim simply affords citizens adequate tax breaks, inspiring many converts.

Yet, in the far wet north, another band of exiled Christians cling to the green coastline of present day Galicia, Asturias and Basque country. Their faith can’t be broken by tax incentives nor by what they perceive to be the lax culture of the Muslim-dominated south. After several humiliating defeats by Moorish marauders, these Christians slowly begin to retake the peninsula. From their little Kingdom of Asutrias, a small settlement of Spanish culture, Christians cross south over forbidding mountain ranges (now called the Cordillera Cantábrica) into Northwestern Spain to retrieve what they believe to be their land. 

By the 10th and 11th century, the conquerors, like those they once conquered have begun to grow weak and corrupt. Internal strife breaks down the varied layers of government.

Asturias expands and joins forces with León and then Castile.

OLD CASTILE
Today this territory is known as Old Castile because the reclaimed land south of Madrid became New Castile. 

It was King Alfonso VI, King of Castile and León in the 11th century who took Toledo from the Moors. 

In the 13th Century, King Alfonso X helped solidify the Spanish language so Castilian (mixed with Arabic and Latin) became the vernacular of the north.

By the 15th Century, Old Castile was a thriving centre with a university in Salamanca and the royal court in Burgos. 

In 1469, Isabella, heiress to the throne of Castile, married Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Aragón. Through this union, Castile and Aragón -as well as lands of La Rioja - fell under their control. The capital moved from Burgos to Valladolid (Isabella’s home city). 

The wealth from sacked Moorish cities fell to the nobles.

WINES OF OLD CASTILE

Observers of history, of western civilization note that wherever there is money and wealth in society, there is bound to be a wine market.

In Old Castile, the wine trade did exceedingly well. Local dukes, bishops, professors and physicians possessed palates that needed pleasing and the nearby vines and merchants served them well.

These wine traditions have endured to this day. “Castilian wines are still made to suit Spanish tastes: powerful, high-strength, full of fruit, with a hint of oak” (The New Spain).

Now, let us take a look at the five wine DOs (Denominación de Origen) of Old Castile

BIERZO

Bierzo is located in the province of León in the far west, bordering on Galicia. John Radford in The New Spain calls it the ‘maverick in the Castilian corral’ for the landscape is a far cry from the dusty, dry, arid slopes of Toro, Cigales, Rueda and Ribera del Duero. This hermetic region (once the location for the headquarters of the Knights Templar) is surrounded by mountains, dwelling in a meditative cocoon of verdant, rolling hills – the Cordillera Cantábrica to the west and north, the Sierra de Cabrera to the south and the Montes de León to the east.

In the time of the Romans, it was a rich, golden landscape. Today it is a coal-mining district although one wouldn’t suspect it by traveling amongst the umber and green mountains.

The most famous variety of the region is Mencía. Wines made from this grape may have notes of leather, cedar, black fruit and barnyard. It is very similar to Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley. They can range from a gentle, medium-bodied offering to robust and vigorous wines of powerful aromas and fruit.

TORO

Situated on the Duero River, some 150 km southeast of Bierzo DO, the ancient town of Toro rests on a rocky hilltop. To the north, one can see the swaying fields of golden wheat and the old Roman bridge, bleached by centuries of sun, spanning the river. South of the town, one can find the vineyards where a genetic variation of Tempranillo, the Tinta de Toro grape, is planted.

Here, through different propagation methods and at a higher altitude (600 to 700 metres) than Rioja (400-500), the grapes, now accustomed to the harsh summer days and continental climes, are riper with thicker skins. The result is a full-bodied wine with a noticeably darker fruit flavour.

Not only big in flavour, Toro wines are big in alcohol. Even in the Middle Ages, clerics, kings and students all wanted to get their hands on the heady wines of Toro.

Many of these wines are of incredible value and highly rated by the famous American wine critic, Robert Parker. If you enjoy bold and beautiful wines bursting with earth, smoky blackcurrant and dark cherry, check out the wines of Toro.

RUEDA

As you move eastward along the winding river Duero, you’ll find Rueda, a wine region now famous for its bright, crisp, clean whites.

In the days when Old Castile became the frontier, the defeated Moors, out of a sense of revenge, ravaged and pillaged the area from which they were forced to retreat. This devastated landscape (called Tierra de Nadie - ‘The Land of Nothing’) lay fallow for many dreary decades; however, this time of recuperation brought the soil back to healthy fertility. In the 11th century, King Alfonso VI, ruling from Burgos, issued an edict to his people – if you can work the land, it is yours (the decree accompanied by smaller print, of course).

Verdejo, derived from verdugo or “green shoot” is a grape believed to have been brought from North Africa by the Mozárabs. It became the grape of choice for Old Castile. Jerez, which lay in the hands of the Moors, produced the famous oxidized wine of the region. (Verdejo was a perfect substitute because as soon as the grapes were picked, it oxidized all by itself.)

These wines were eventually designated for the king’s court in the 17th century. In the nineteenth century, phylloxera founds its way in and hit the region hard. During the long replanting period, Jerez reclaimed its place as the fortified wine of choice in Madrid and Rueda faded with the memories of fabled kings and queens. Then the Spanish Civil War struck and Palomino replaced Verdejo due to Franco’s new policies.

PACO Y PEYNAUD

The situation looked bleak and foreboding for the Verdejo grape. But thankfully, the world of wine was changing and innovation made its way to Old Castile.

Francisco Hurtado de Améga y Dolagaray (or “Paco” to his friends), director of Marqués de Riscal, consulted his former Professor, Emile Peynaud at the University of Bordeaux. Paco wanted to make a crisp, clean white wine. The two men agreed on Rueda to carry out their project. With the help of modern technology such as stainless-steel vats, cool fermentation, and nitrogen, (an inert gas used to prevent the grapes from oxidizing), they produced the first modern white of Rueda.

If you like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, you will most likely love Rueda. Some of these wines have a seductive lime-green component with hints of grapefruit and gooseberry. You can find varietal Verdejo as well as blends with Viura (also known as Macebeo in Eastern Spain) and Sauvignon Blanc.

CIGALES

North of Valladolid lies Cigales, a DO that has recently become synonymous with rosados or rosé wines. The region lies between 700 and 800 metres above sea level where large pudding stone rocks literally litter the vineyards. Here the Tempranillo variation is known as Tinto del País and provides the foundations for most reds and is amongst Garnacha Tinta, Verdejo, Viura (aka Macabeo), Palomino, and Albillo in making the rosados.

While walking though the town, tourists may notice what may appear to be monoliths rising out of the ground. “Called luceras, they act as vents, providing fresh air and a little daylight to the cellars situated ten metres or so below ground. Here the temperature never varies, winter or summer” (The New Spain).

Like Toro, Cigales reds are quite beefy and full-bodied. They are the perfect BBQ wine during the summer and pair extremely well with steak.

RIBERA DEL DUERO

Our final stop is one of the most famous and - one might even say - the crown of Old Castile. Lying at 750-900 metres above sea level, Ribera Del Duero is the place where the finest Tempranillo wines are made. The summer suns are hot but the nights are cool, giving the grape an adequate period for growth and rest. This is incredibly beneficial for the grapes. In a hotter region like Toro, the vine is feeding off the soil 24/7, while here, the vine can close its eyes at night and open them during the day, thus not absorbing nutrients too fast. And you can taste the difference. Toro often produces full-bodied, hefty wines whereas Ribera del Duero’s output is much more lush, mature and deeper. It is the difference between a passionate, stubborn, overzealous wine and a staid, strong, confident, patient older one.

Of the many bodegas found here, Vega Sicilia is the historic jewel of the DO. In the 1860s, Don Eloy Lecanda Chaves came back from Bordeaux with a few French winemaking tricks up his sleeve. Like his two famous peers, Luciano de Murrieta García-Lemone (later Marqués de Murrieta) and Don Camilo Hurtado de Amexage, the Marqués de Riscal (see my Rioja: The Bordeaux of Spain June 2009) he decided to plant French varieties and age his wines in oak to create a French style of wine.

Through trial and error, he found the local grape variety, Tinto del País (aka Tempranillo), fared much better than the French varieties he had imported. He inspired fellow grape growers and winemakers to follow his lead.

After a long period of quality stagnation that began in the early twentieth century, Vega Sicilia and another famous bodega, Pesquera, raised the standard by balancing modern technology with craftsmanship in the late 1970s and ‘80s.

Visiting Ribera del Duero, one will be taken aback at the vineyards which appear as white as snow. The soil is rich in gypsum and trace elements but chalk is what gives them their snowy appearance.

Wines from Ribera del Duero can run anywhere between $12 to $700.00 in our Canadian market. In the higher echelons, of course, is the Vega Sicilia’s Gran Unico Reserva, a wine released after ten years of aging, if not more.

Not too long ago I had a chance to try the 1996. It had to be the closest thing to an out-of-body experience. From the blackberry fruit to the ashes, to the roses and blueberries, I felt like I’d tasted not a wine but the essence of an unforgettable place. (I even wrote a poem about the experience which I might share in a future entry.)

OLD CASTILE IN THE MODERN WINE MARKET

Spain, along with the Chilean and Argentine offerings, gives the best value for the money. Check your Spanish wine section for any of these wines. These DOs of Old Castile are quintessentially Spanish.

Believe me, you won’t be disappointed.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Crow, John Armstrong, Spain: The Root and The Flower, Berkley, University of
California Press, 1985.
Jeff, Julian, The Wines of Spain. Mitchell Beazley, London, 2006.
Lowney, Chris, A Vanished World: Medieval Spain’s Golden Age of Enlightenment. New York, Free Press, 2005.
MacNeil, Karen, The Wine Bible. Workman Publishing Company Inc. New York, 2001
Menocal, Rosa Maria, The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain. Boston, Little Brown, 2002
Radford, John, The New Spain. Mitchell Beazley, London, 2007.

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Wine and Words: Books for Imbibers

During an enlightening lecture on Martin Heidegger, (a famous German existentialist philosopher), our professor profoundly noted that what you devote your time to is, in fact, a reflection of who you are.

Years later I applied his profundity to my own life and I can confidently if not conclusively say I am a wino.

I should rephrase that - a learned wino.

And you can be one, too.

It does engage a fair bit of one's time to learn about the eternal ins and outs of wine. But the knowledge isn’t esoteric. Learning about wine has become increasingly easier, far more than in previous decades.

BOOKS – BEGINNER GUIDES
I am voracious reader and I love a good book so let’s start with some of the best and more accessible texts on wine.

If I had to recommend two essential works, it would have to be Kevin Zraly’s Windows on the World Complete Wine Course and Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible. Both are widely available and both are highly readable.

Kevin Zraly’s book has sold 3 million copies. Over 19,000 students have eagerly attended his Windows on the World Wine School. He is perhaps the most famous wine educator in the United States.

Zraly’s book is a great coffee table volume. It is something you can pick up, peruse and put down on any given occasion, whether you have an hour or a few minutes. He begins with the basics of sensory wine appreciation then moves on towards a thorough breakdown of the world's greatest wine regions of the world. You can start just about anywhere in his book.

Karen MacNeil is the United States’ answer to Jancis Robinson, famed British wine critic and editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine. Like Jancis, she has hosted an award-winning televised wine program and has written numerous articles for The New York Times, Food & Wine and Wine Spectator.




The Wine Bible really is the Bible to consult in all matter relating to wine. You can take it anywhere, whereas Windows on the World is something you will treat with respect, lay down in plain and envious sight for guests to admire. I’ve watched colleagues reread, highlight and post-it note MacNeil’s book nearly to wearied shreds and tatters. Like a university text (but more fun), it is chock-a-block full of fascinating wine details on wine regions and the cultural nuances of the countries she discusses. This is the book you decisively lug along on your wine-buying excursions. It travels well, a sort of Lonely Planet for wine enthusiasts.


BOOKS – BATHTUB/BEACH READS
It’s summer time so I have to recommend what another university prof called bathtub reads (although he once dubbed Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time a bathtub read – far from it). You will also know them as ‘beach reads’.

I am a patriotic Canadian so I urge everyone to pick up a copy of Ottawa-native Natalie MacLean’s Red, White and Drunk All Over. This book is pure pleasure. You can read this at the beach (but I highly recommend the bathtub so you can have a glass of wine with your ‘bubbly’).

MacLean’s prose is fervent, fun and unpretentious. Her passion for wine is so contagious you’ll want to visit Burgundy and Italy and host your own tasting parties. Also, check out her website, Nat Decants at www.nataliemaclean.com

If you’re looking for a little history and another leisurely read, I recommend Wine and War: The French, The Nazis and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure by Donald and Petie Kladstrup. This volume is ideal for wine lovers who also can’t get enough of the History Channel. You’ll learn how the French sabotaged German trains, outsmarted Nazi wine dealers and hid their most precious vintages. This book is so fascinating and fabulous, non-wine lovers might just get the wine bug after finishing it. (Another Kladstrup tome to take to the beach: Champagne: How The World’s Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Time is another page-turner you shouldn’t miss.)

MAGAZINES, JOURNALS

The most well-respected wine journal is Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate. Parker fell in love with wine while on a trip to France to visit his college girlfriend. Back in the States, he graduated, practiced law but on the side began to devote himself to writing what he considered a ‘democratic’ wine magazine. He left the law to focus on wine criticism shortly after subscriptions to his journal sky-rocketed in the early 80s.

Whereas Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast and most wine magazines are inundated with advertisements, Parker’s periodical remains impeccably bare. He is also on the web at www.erobertparker.com.

I mention Parker with some trepidation. The man’s nose and palate are incredible and he has been known to name a wine after a blind tasting (for more details on Parker's life: Elin McCoy’s The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker J., and the Reign of American Taste) but there is a dark side to his influence. You will get to know the trends and wine imbibing fashions of our time simply because he creates them. Wine producers throughout the world have been known to doctor wines to make them more appealing to Parker's palate. If you notice that the majority of top-selling and expensive wines are big, lush ‘fruit-bombs’ (colloquial phrase referring to rich concentrated flavours) it is because Parker has awarded them 90+ points (the equivalent of getting an A in high school). The point system was devised by him and is imitated by many international wine critics.

I will also recommend Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast but only for their articles. It is not that I don’t trust their scoring and recommendations, it’s just that the magazines are American publications and some of the wines they rate aren’t available in Canada. Instead, I urge Canadian wine aficionados to turn to Wine Access and Vines. Both focus on Canadian content as well as international. The articles are informative, fun, there are plenty of good recipes and tips while the wines they score are easily available in most major cities and priced conveniently in Canadian dollars.


OTHER MEDIA 
Besides me, you can get on YouTube and type in the name of a variety or a region. Google or Wiki your favourite grapes.

If you’re looking for something more intense and in your face, look no further than tv.winelibrary.com.

GaryVaynerchuk, like Parker, is another influential figure. What is it about Americans? When they take on something, their presence is huge just as as their celebrities are bigger than life. Vaynerchuk is what would happen if a frat boy got hooked on wine and started to educate his friends about it. He is a walking exclamation mark. Whereas British wine critics Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson are known for their subtlety, their very English evocations of wine, Vaynerchuk’s online show is over the top.

But he has true enthusiasm for what he does. Born in the former USSR, his family emigrated to New Jersey in the late 1970s. Vaynerchuk grew up around wine and became co-owner and Director of Operations at his father’s Wine Library store. He doesn’t describe wine in typical fashion – again think frat boy – but instead uses words like ‘baseball glove’ to describe a rustic French wine or ‘oak monster’ when a wine has been heavily treated with wood. He calls his program The Thunder Show and refers to his fans as ‘Vayniacs’ and the ‘Vayner Nation’. He has also been featured on Conan O’Brien and Ellen.

You’ll learn a lot from Vaynerchuk. He’s crazy, fun and definitely approachable and best of all, he likes to explore all the nooks and crannies of the wine world. You’ll either love him or hate him. He is definitely influential and another great place to start. (UPDATE: Vaynerchuk has started another internet wine education program called the The Daily Grape after completing his thousandth episode of Wine Library.)


ABOVE AND BEYOND
These are just a few places to begin. There are classes you can take, either through Wine & Spirit Education Trust or the International Sommelier Guild. If you’re looking at something much more casual then continuing and general education classes at your local universities and colleges these two are the way to go.




Once you get going, you’ll learn more and suddenly realize you can’t stop.

Every bottle is a journey for your palate. But it’s nice to be prepared.

This wino is still learning.

A drop of wine's inscribed upon your lips.

Adam Jagajewski 'Little Waltz'

RECOMMENDED READING RECAP
Windows on the World Wine Course – Kevin Zraly
The Wine Bible – Karen MacNeil
Red, White and Drunk All Over – Natalie MacLean
Wine and War: The French, The Nazis and the Battle for France’s Greatest Treasure - Donald and Petie Kladstrup
Champagne: How The World’s Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Time – Donald and Petie Kladstrup
The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr., and the Reign of American Taste – Elin McCoy


MAGAZINES
The Wine Advocate (US) Wine Spectator (US) Wine Enthusiast (US)
Vines (CAN) Wine Access (CAN)

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