There isn’t a full consensus on whether Primitivo, from Italy, and Zinfandel, from California, are exactly the same grape or not. Some believe they are siblings, but DNA testing proved that they are both clones of an indigenous grape from Croatia known both as Tribidrag and Crljenak Kaštelanski. Clones occur when a vine has a slightly different characteristic, due to natural changes, and that plant is propagated to take advantage of that difference. This grape was thought to be extinct in Croatia, but in 2001 researchers discovered nine remaining vines, and DNA testing was performed.
The Maule Valley is one of Chile’s designated wine producing areas. It is located over 150 miles south of Chile’s capital city of Santiago, and is the southern part of a region called the Central Valley. This large region is one of the country’s oldest and most diverse wine growing areas, dating back to the original colonization of the area by the Spanish.
While discussing wine, terms like AOC, AOP, DOC, DOCG, AVA, and appellation are often thrown around. The acronyms and words all equate to a recognized geographical area where wine is made. Within that geographical area, there are often rules, laws, and regulations that dictate what grapes can be grown, the weight of the grapes that can be harvested off one acre or hectare, barrel aging requirements, and what percentage of grape varietals have to be in a bottle labelled with the geographical term.
While the year 2020 has been one of the most difficult years most of us have ever experienced, the positive aspect of this year most certainly has to be in the creativity and resilience of restaurants, merchants, and wineries to come up with ways to market their products electronically, and make sales in as relatively a contactless way as possible.
This week at City Vino, we will be conducting two in-store tastings. On Christmas eve, December 24th, we will be featuring four wines for your last-minute holiday gift giving, or to serve at your own dinner table. Then on Saturday, December 26th, we will be having Jon Yeager, of International Cellars, pouring four sparkling wines which pair with his bubbly personality.
