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. 

Argentina is responsible for 45 percent of the production of wine in South America, and is the sixth-top wine producing country in the world. As of 2018, the country has over 489,000 acres of vineyards.

“Pét-Nat,” or “pétillant naturel,” is the term given to sparkling wines made with a single fermentation. Fermentation is started in-tank, then the wine is put into a bottle and topped with a crown cap, like those on beer or glass soda bottles. The yeast in the bottle will continue to ferment the sugar in the grape juice, and the carbon dioxide that is a byproduct of fermentation has nowhere to go, except into the wine itself, yielding a sparkling wine.

Join City Vino on Thursday night, June 25th, at 7 PM, as we virtually hit the highway with a tasting of wines from Highway 12 Winery. Jon Yeager, of International Cellars, and Paul Giusto and Jeff Lubin, of Highway 12, will be steering us on this trip along the highway. The tasting will feature the Highway 12 Carneros Highway Chardonnay 2018 , Highway 12 Sauvignon Blanc 2019, and the Highway 12 Pinot Noir 2017.