Word: grapes
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Carmenere is just one of the reborn grapes that South Americans are using to make their breakthrough wines--the ones to finally set them apart from French Bordeaux and Spanish Rioja. Malbec, another recently revived red-wine varietal, already represents a quarter of Argentina's wine exports and is hailed as the nation's new vinicultural emblem. "Now we intend to place Argentine wines among the best in the world," says Ernesto Catena, 37, leaping over Malbec casks at his family's Catena Zapata winery in the Mendoza region. Even Uruguay, whose coups until now were usually only military...
...Europe's 75% share of the $7 billion global-export market. But Australia, with the help of its Shiraz, managed to overtake France as the No. 2 exporter to the U.S., bested only by Italy. South Americans have also learned a little something about the value of an offbeat grape. Chilean wine exports top $500 million, but they're better known for value than vintage. And so since 1997, the area of Carmenere vines has risen 1,800% in Chile, to more than 15,000 acres and counting. (Terrunyo--the best Carmenere at Chile's largest winery, Vina Concha...
...winemaking more of a fiesta. "By September," Silva gushes, "we plan to offer a high-end hotel with a restaurant, polo games during tastings, Chilean rodeo and horseback riding" beneath the Andes. Casa Silva and many other Chilean wineries are partying because their high-stakes bet--a red-wine grape called Carmenere--is paying off. Brought to South America from France in the 1800s, Carmenere was rediscovered in Chile in the 1990s as a delicious compromise between the robust Cabernet Sauvignon and the softer Merlot--and a chance to market a signature Chilean wine. Casa Silva has already made Carmenere...
...producers--who make more wine than Chileans but export only 15%--had a choice: export or go bust. "We had to differentiate ourselves," says Bernardo Hoffmann, marketing director for the Wines of Argentina export association. Hence the rebirth of Malbec, a French migrant long dissed as merely a blending grape. Enologists found the grape to be a more complex varietal than once thought, especially in Mendoza's dryer, Andean conditions. Today, Malbecs like Catena's, from $10 to $50, score high with U.S. critics for their exuberant, fruity and floral styles. "We're aiming for the 25-to-40-year...
...Greece, most Americans associate the country with retsina, a traditional, pine-resin-flavored wine. Now U.S. consumers are embracing a wider range of oinos. Sales of Greek brands were up 18% last year--and those going for the Olympics may hasten the trend. The wines are made from indigenous grapes unfamiliar to most Americans. Some to try: Moschofilero yields aromatic whites like Boutari's Moschofilero. Agiorgitiko is the grape in the herbaceous 14-18h Rose (the name refers to the number of hours the fresh grape juice remains in contact with the skins in fermentation). And the Xinomavro grape...