On Wednesday January 22, 2020, at approximately 1:30 pm, the door near the bottom of a large blending tank, containing near 100,000 gallons of wine, popped open, spilling wine onto the ground at Rodney Strong Vineyards in Healdsburg, California.
This past week, we welcomed the winter solstice, which is the official start of winter and the shortest day, with the least number of sunlight hours, of the year. In the words of Edith Sitwell, “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand, and for a talk beside the fire: It is the time for home.” The only thing missing from Miss Sitwell’s wintery quote is the wine to pair with said good food.
Originally, there were six noble grapes identified: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Merlot for the reds; and Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling for the whites. “Noble grapes” is a term that was coined to describe international grape varieties that were the most recognized for the top-quality wine they produce.
We start our quick tour of Spain with a stop in Ribera del Duero, which is in the country’s northern plateau. Red wines from this region are made from the grape Tempranillo.
The term “Super Tuscan” has been used since the 1980s to describe a wine made from grapes indigenous to Tuscany, which may be blended with non-indigenous grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Syrah. There is no legal definition for the term “Super Tuscan” in Italian wine law, and these blends fit only under a lower wine classification within the law, because the higher classifications restrict which grapes can be used.
