Vineyard designated wine

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A vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rio Lago Vineyard in the Alexander Valley region of Sonoma Valley, California. Alexander valley cab.jpg
A vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rio Lago Vineyard in the Alexander Valley region of Sonoma Valley, California.

A vineyard designated wine is a wine produced from the product of a single vineyard with that vineyard's name appearing on the wine label.

Wine alcoholic drink made from grapes

Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol, carbon dioxide, and heat. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different styles of wine. These variations result from the complex interactions between the biochemical development of the grape, the reactions involved in fermentation, the terroir, and the production process. Many countries enact legal appellations intended to define styles and qualities of wine. These typically restrict the geographical origin and permitted varieties of grapes, as well as other aspects of wine production. Wines not made from grapes include rice wine and fruit wines such as plum, cherry, pomegranate, currant and elderberry.

Vineyard Plantation of grape-bearing vines

A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture.

Wine label

Wine labels are important sources of information for consumers since they tell the type and origin of the wine. The label is often the only resource a buyer has for evaluating the wine before purchasing it. Certain information is ordinarily included in the wine label, such as the country of origin, quality, type of wine, alcoholic degree, producer, bottler, or importer. In addition to these national labeling requirements producers may include their web site address and a QR Code with vintage specific information.

Throughout the history of winemaking and viticulture, the differences in quality between one plot of land and another have been observed with the boundaries of these vineyard generally well demarcated. In Burgundy, the vineyards of the area are classified with the highest quality vineyards receiving the ranking of Grand cru. [1] The names of these vineyards, such as Montrachet, will often appear on the wine label of Burgundy wines in bolder, more prominent print than even the name of the producer. [2]

Viticulture science, production and study of grapes

Viticulture or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of Vitis vinifera, the common grape vine, ranges from Western Europe to the Persian shores of the Caspian Sea, the vine has demonstrated high levels of adaptability to new environments. For this reason, viticulture can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

Montrachet

Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine made of Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It straddles the border between the two communes of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet and produces what many consider to be the greatest dry white wine in the world. It is surrounded by four other Grand Cru vineyards all having "Montrachet" as part of their names. Montrachet itself is generally considered superior to its four Grand Cru neighbours, and this is reflected in its higher price.

In the United States, the appearance of vineyards name on wine labels is a relatively recent phenomenon with one of the first vineyard designated premium wines in California being the 1966 vintage Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. [3] Later examples include the 1975 Robert Young Vineyard Chardonnay from the Sonoma wine estate of Chateau St. Jean. [4] [5] On the East Coast, Unionville Vineyards produces single vineyard wines, primarily Chardonnay. [6] Under US wine laws, if the name of vineyard appears on the label at least 95% of the grapes used to make the wine must come from that vineyard. [7]

Heitz Wine Cellars

Heitz Wine Cellars is a California wine producer located within Napa Valley east of the town of St. Helena. An early modern era Napa Valley presence and pioneering exponent of French oak, the estate enjoys a historical renown with the success of its Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and has also been described as a "master of Grignolino".

Chardonnay green-skinned grape variety used in wine production

Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new and developing wine regions, growing Chardonnay is seen as a "rite of passage" and an easy entry into the international wine market.

In Washington State, some of the top vineyards appear on vineyard designated wines including Champoux Vineyard and Destiny Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA and Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley AVA. [8]

Champoux Vineyard

Champoux Vineyard is a grape growing estate located in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA of Washington State. Grapes grown in the vineyard have been used to produce some of the most critically acclaimed Washington wines with the name Champoux regularly being featured on vineyard designated wines. Paul Gregutt, wine writer for the Seattle Times and Wine Enthusiast, list Champoux as one the "top ten" vineyards in the entire state. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Champoux vineyards were featured in the consecutive 100 point Robert Parker rated wines from Quilceda Creek Vintners for the 2002 and 2003 vintages.

Horse Heaven Hills AVA viticultural area in southeastern Washington, USA

The Horse Heaven Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area in southeastern Washington, and is part of the larger Columbia Valley AVA. The Horse Heaven Hills AVA borders the Yakima Valley AVA on the north and the Columbia River on the south. Elevations in this AVA range from 200 feet (61 m) above sea level in the south to 1,800 feet (549 m) above sea level at the northern boundary. Grapes planted in the south-facing slopes of the Horse Heaven Hills benefit from strong winds that arrive from the west via the Columbia Gorge, reducing the likelihood of rot and fungal diseases.

Boushey Vineyard

Boushey Vineyard is a grape-growing estate located in the Yakima Valley AVA, north of Grandview, Washington. Grapes grown in the vineyard have been used to produce some of the most critically acclaimed Washington wines with the name Boushey regularly being featured on vineyard designated wines. Paul Gregutt, wine writer for the Seattle Times and Wine Enthusiast, list Boushey as one the "top ten" vineyards in the entire state. The vineyard is owned and managed by viticulturist Dick Boushey who was honored in 2002 by the Washington State Wine Commission as Washington's "Grower of the Year" and in 2007 by Wine & Spirits as their "Grower of the Year". After Red Willow Vineyard, which was planted with David Lake and Mike Sauer, Boushey was one of the first Washington wine growers to plant Syrah. Today, Boushey Vineyard is considered by wine experts such as Jon Bonné to be "One of the state's top Syrah spots" with many Washington Syrahs made from Boushey's grape receiving critical acclaim.

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Beaujolais wine from the Beaujolais AOC of France

Beaujolais is a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) wine generally made of the Gamay grape which has a thin skin and is low in tannins. Like most AOC wines they are not labeled varietally. Whites from the region, which make up only 1% of its production, are made mostly with Chardonnay grapes though Aligoté is also permitted until 2024. Beaujolais tends to be a very light-bodied red wine, with relatively high amounts of acidity. In some vintages, Beaujolais produces more wine than the Burgundy wine regions of Chablis, Côte d'Or, Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais put together.

Chablis wine French white wine

The Chablis region is the northernmost wine district of the Burgundy region in France. The cool climate of this region produces wines with more acidity and flavors less fruity than Chardonnay wines grown in warmer climates. These wines often have a "flinty" note, sometimes described as "goût de pierre à fusil", and sometimes as "steely". The Chablis Appellation d'origine contrôlée is required to use Chardonnay grapes solely.

Burgundy wine

Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here—those commonly referred to as "Burgundies"—are dry red wines made from Pinot noir grapes and white wines made from Chardonnay grapes.

Corton (wine) type of Burgundy wine

Corton is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) and Grand Cru vineyard for red and white wine in Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located on a hill shared between the three villages of Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses and Ladoix in the Côte de Beaune, Burgundy. The appellation covers the lower parts of the Corton hill and includes several subordinate vineyard names, or climats, within the AOC. Because of the size of the AOC and the variability of these climats, it is the rule rather than the exception that the name of the climat is indicated together with that of the Corton AOC, leading to designations such as Corton Clos du Roi and Corton Les Bressandes. Corton is rare in this aspect, as the 'climat' is seldom used for other Grand Cru appellations in Côte d'Or. The AOC was created in 1937.

Alexander Valley AVA

The Alexander Valley is a Californian American Viticultural Area (AVA) just north of Healdsburg in Sonoma County. It is home to many wineries and vineyards, as well as the city of Cloverdale. It is the largest and most fully planted wine region in Sonoma. Highway 101 runs through the valley, and the Russian River flows down the valley, surrounded by vineyards on both sides. From the higher elevations of the valley rim, there is a view as far south as Taylor Mountain and Sonoma Mountain. The region was named for Cyrus Alexander, owner of a part of the Rancho Sotoyome Mexican land grant, in 1847. Granted AVA status in 1984, the boundaries of the appellation are defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Section 9.53.

Jura wine

Jura wine is French wine produced in the Jura département. Located between Burgundy and Switzerland, this cool climate wine region produces wines with some similarity to Burgundy and Swiss wine. Jura wines are distinctive and unusual wines, the most famous being vin jaune, which is made by a similar process to Sherry, developing under a flor-like strain of yeast. This is made from the local Savagnin grape variety. Other grape varieties include Poulsard, Trousseau, and Chardonnay. Other wine styles found in Jura includes a vin de paille made from Chardonnay, Poulsard and Savagnin, a sparkling Crémant du Jura made from slightly unripe Chardonnay grapes, and a vin de liqueur known as Macvin du Jura made by adding marc to halt fermentation. The French chemist Louis Pasteur was born and raised in the Jura region and owned a vineyard near Arbois that is still producing wine today under the management of Jura's largest wine firms: Henri-Maire.

Côte de Nuits Côte de Nuits

The Côte de Nuits is a French wine region located in the northern part of the Côte d'Or, the limestone ridge that is at the heart of the Burgundy wine region. It extends from Dijon to just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges, which gives its name to the district and is the regional center. Though some white and rosé wines are produced in the region, the Côte de Nuits is most famous for reds made from pinot noir. The Côte de Nuits covers fourteen communes. Six produce grand cru wines, in the central district between Gevrey-Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges, with four lesser villages either side. The Grand Crus of the Cote de Nuits are some of the smallest appellations in France, less than a hectare in the case of La Romanée.

Côte Chalonnaise

Côte Chalonnaise is a subregion of the Burgundy wine region of France. Côte Chalonnaise lies to the south of the Côte d'Or continuing the same geology southward. It is still in the main area of Burgundy wine production but it includes no Grand cru vineyards. Like the Côte d'Or, it is at the western edge of the broad valley of the river Saône, on the rising ground overlooking the town of Chalon-sur-Saône which is about six kilometers out into the plain. To the north, across the River Dheune, lies the Côte de Beaune. To the south is the Mâconnais. The grapes of the region are predominantly Pinot noir and Chardonnay with some Aligoté and Gamay also grown in vineyards spread over a stretch of 25 kilometers long and 7 kilometers wide of undulating land in which vineyards are interspersed with orchards and other forms of farming.

French wine

French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world. French wine traces its history to the 6th century BC, with many of France's regions dating their wine-making history to Roman times. The wines produced range from expensive wines sold internationally to modest wines usually only seen within France such as the Margnat wines were during the post war period.

Corton-Charlemagne winery

Corton-Charlemagne is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine in Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located in the communes of Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses and Ladoix-Serrigny with Chardonnay being the only permitted grape variety. Around 300,000 bottles of white wine are produced each year in the appellation.

American wine has been produced for over 300 years. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 89 percent of all US wine. The United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.

Languedoc-Roussillon wine

Languedoc-Roussillon wine, including the vin de pays labeled Vin de Pays d'Oc, is produced in southern France. While "Languedoc" can refer to a specific historic region of France and Northern Catalonia, usage since the 20th century has primarily referred to the northern part of the Languedoc-Roussillon région of France, an area which spans the Mediterranean coastline from the French border with Spain to the region of Provence. The area has around 700,000 acres (2,800 km2) under vines and is the single biggest wine-producing region in the world, being responsible for more than a third of France's total wine production. In 2001, the region produced more wine than the United States.

Chapelle-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot noir as the main grape variety. It is located in the southern part of the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin and on the lower hillside east of Chambertin-Clos de Bèze and north of Griotte-Chambertin. The AOC was created in 1937.

Belgian wine

Belgian wine is produced in several parts of Belgium and production, although still modest at 1,400 hectoliters in 2004, has expanded in recent decades.

Mercurey wine

Mercurey wine is produced in the communes of Mercurey and Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu in the Côte Chalonnaise subregion of Burgundy. The Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) Mercurey may be used for red and white wine with respectively Pinot noir and Chardonnay as the main grape variety. The production of red wine dominates, with almost 80 per cent.

Vougeot wine is produced in the French village of Vougeot in Côte de Nuits of Burgundy. The Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) Vougeot may be used for red and white wine with respectively Pinot noir and Chardonnay as the main grape variety. A characteristic of Vougeot is that most of the commune's vineyard surface is taken up by its single Grand Cru vineyard, Clos de Vougeot, which at 49.86 hectares is the largest Grand Cru of Côte de Nuits. Of the rest, most is classified as Premier Cru, leaving village-level Vougeot wine a rare occurrence, mostly restricted to a small area of flat land immediately to the east of the N74 road, but inside the commune.

Maranges wine

Maranges wine is produced in the communes of Cheilly-lès-Maranges, Dezize-lès-Maranges and Sampigny-lès-Maranges in Côte de Beaune of Burgundy. The Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) Maranges may be used for red and white wine with respectively Pinot noir and Chardonnay as the main grape variety. The production consists of around 95% red wine and 5% white wine. There are no Grand Cru vineyards within the Maranges AOC.

Monthélie wine

Monthélie wine is produced in the commune of Monthelie in Côte de Beaune of Burgundy. The Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) Monthélie may be used for red and white wine with respectively Pinot noir and Chardonnay as the main grape variety. The production consists of more than 85% red wine, and less than 15% white wine. There are no Grand Cru vineyards within Monthelie.

Nuits-Saint-Georges wine

Nuits-Saint-Georges wine is produced in the communes of Nuits-Saint-Georges and Premeaux-Prissey in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy. The Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) Nuits-Saint-Georges may be used for red and white wine with respectively Pinot noir and Chardonnay as the main grape variety. The name of the appellation is sometimes written simply as Nuits, without the Saint-Georges part. The word "Nuits" has nothing to do with "nighttime" but comes from the Latin for walnuts, Nutium. The production of red wine dominates greatly, with around 97 per cent, and only around three per cent white wine. There are no Grand Cru vineyards within Nuits-Saint-Georges.

Unionville Vineyards

Unionville Vineyard is a winery in the Unionville section of East Amwell in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Originally part of the largest peach orchard in the United States, the vineyard was first planted in 1988, and opened to the public in 1993. Unionville has 41 acres of grapes under cultivation, and produces 4,500 cases of wine per year. The winery is named for a former village near where the farm is located.

References

  1. ↑ B. Giliberti "Variations in Vineyards" Washington Post, August 31st 2005
  2. ↑ K. MacNeil The Wine Bible pg 194-196 Workman Publishing 2001 ISBN   1-56305-434-5
  3. ↑ Gerien, J. Scott, Wine Business (April 15, 2003). The Vineyard Designation
  4. ↑ T. Elkjer "Tale of Two Valleys Archived 2008-07-24 at the Wayback Machine ." Appellation America, October 4, 2005
  5. ↑ H. Cline "Robert Young, 84, energized to better wine grape growing" Western Farm Press, Accessed: Jan 11th, 2009
  6. ↑ Hunterdon County Democrat "Unionville Vineyards releases two Chardonnays (PHOTOS)" NJ.com January 31st, 2015
  7. ↑ CNN Interactive "Wine labels: How to read them" CNN.com November 19th, 1998
  8. ↑ P. Gregutt "Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide" pg 85-92 University of California Press 2007 ISBN   0-520-24869-4
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