Varietals and Varietal Character is sometime a confusing term for new wine drinkers. It really is interchangeable with “variety” or the single type of grape within a species with distinct characteristics. Common varietals most have tasted include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Riesling among many others. There are thousands of varieties of grapes – Italy alone has over 1,000 varietals and France has about 150 varietals. Not all wine producing countries list varieties on their labels leading to some confusion for the wine buyers.
In the United States, since 1983, at least 75 percent of a varietal must be in a wine labeled as a varietal wine. This means some wine producers can designate their wine “Chardonnay” although it may include 25 percent other varieties. Most reputable Chardonnay producers (higher end wines) produce wines with 100 percent Chardonnay.
The 75 percent rule was great for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but posed a problem for wine makers producing wines with the classic Bordeaux varietals – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The United States Bordeaux style wines were made by blending some or all of the Bordeaux varietals. Wines such as Cain 5, Phelps Insignia, Opus and Dominus are proprietary wines (names that are trademarked or copyrighted). These costly wines were required to carry a description “California Red Table Wine” the same designation appearing on cheap jug wines. The premium wine producers, believing this designation was unworthy of their world class wines, organized a world-wide contest seeking a name for proprietary named wines made with traditional Bordeaux grape varietals. In 1988 the term Meritage (designating wines with merit and heritage) was selected. This word is pronounced MEHR-ih-tihj (combine the two words merit and heritage and you have it.(It is not mer i tahj as it is often miss-pronounced by French imitating sommeliers in New York). A Bordeaux style wine in England is call Claret pronounced with a hard “t” not “claray”.
California producers are blending more than traditional Bordeaux wines.
Rhône style wines – Syrah and Viognier are increasingly being grown. Most of these varietals are usually shown on the label but there are new labels that don’t fit the concept of Red Meritage (being Bordeaux blends) that contain other varietals.
France: French wines are usually designated as being made from grapes from a particular wine region. Wine under the control of the French AOC may use the name of an area on a label if the wine is made from 100 percent approved grape types, is from a limited zone or area of production, is regulated as to grape weight, alcohol level, is from a vineyard with a maximum yield level producing grapes by regulated methods, is bottled in the region and passes a taste test to confirm the wine conforms to traditional taste for the region.
As an example, Burgundy has been divided into Appellations or AOC sub-regions – Chablis, Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune (overall the Côte d’Or), Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais and Beaujolais.
Regional wines labeled Bourgogne (Burgundy) are from any region within Burgundy.
A communal or “village” wine is from a village or town and has the name of the village on the label. These wines are made from lower yields and higher minimum alcohol levels. Examples are Meursault, Vosne-Romanée and Puligny-Montrachet villages producing distinct wines.
Premier Cru wine labels show a commune or village name followed by the name of an approved climate or terrior. (“Terrior” is French for soil and this term includes the type of soil, altitude, position relative to the sun, angle of planted slopes and water drainage.) An examples are Beaune Clos des Mouches, Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne and Hospices de Beaune Premier Cru Meursault. These wines are more expensive but are worth the extra expense.
Grand Cru wines of Burgundy, the very best wines, have their own appellation and aren’t required to list their commune on the label. These are superior wines and Grand Cru is the top ranking a vineyard can receive. An example is Joseph Drouhin (the producer) LeMontrachet Marquis de la Guiche (often considered the world’s best Chardonnay) also Bâtard-Montrachet from a vineyard a few feet from the Le Montrachet vineyard.
As a generalization – if a wine from Burgundy (other than Beaujolais) is red the varietal is Pinot Noir and if the wine is white it is Chardonnay. Chablis is 100 percent Chardonnay and comes from the Chablis area and cannot be compared to American Chablis which is a rip-off of the French name and rarely contains chardonnay.
There is an exception to French labeling of communes (locations) for vin de pays wines (country wines) produced in large quantities in zones mostly located in the warm southern areas such as Languedoc-Roussillon or “Midi”. In 1979 a government ruling permitted wines from these regions to be labeled by the varietal – in part because of the popularity of some varietals in the marketplace. It has been said that the labeling was to make it easier for Americans and non-French to more easily understand the wine thereby increasing sales. A wine buyer may now easily determine if the wine from these regions is a Merlot or other varietal from the label.
Remember the caveat – if you like a wine it is a good wine – if you don’t like a wine regardless of what other people say – it isn’t a good wine for you.
©Leonard Logan 2003
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Leonard Logan's passion for wine, love of good food, and knack for entertaining has garnered him a reputation on both a local and national level. As the owner of a restaurant that has won countless awards-from "The Best Fine Dining Wine Restaurant in the United States" (Santé Magazine, 2003) to "The Award of Ultimate Distinction" (The Wine Enthusiast, 2004 and 2005) - Logan has been honing his craft since his college days at Duke University as an amateur caterer for football games and college parties. |
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