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  Quaffers® Feature - March 2001
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FEATURE: RED ALERT!
Classic varieties - red wine grapes
Red is the colour of the moment, with Valentine's Day and Comic Relief Red Nose Day just past. Quaffers® launches its new monthly feature with notes on what to expect from four of the best-known red wine grape varieties in the world today.
All are classic grapes, which means that they are capable of producing fine wines in a variety of conditions. All are widely planted across the globe. This leads to interesting regional variations in growing conditions, production techniques and the resulting wines.
Taste some benchmark French examples of each grape (or a blend in which it is the major component) with Quaffers ® each week for the next month...
 see our Wine of the Week here
Cabernet Sauvignon
Surprisingly, not the most commonly-planted grape in its spiritual home of the Bordeaux region in South-Western France.  Predominant on the left bank of the Gironde, Cabernet Sauvignon's small, thick-skinned fruit resists pests and disease, ripens late and brings complex tannins to a typical Bordeaux blend. Relatively low yielding, it prefers warmer growing areas and has proved crucial in the burgeoning wine industries of Chile, Australia, Central Europe and California.
Tannins present in the skin, seeds and stalks can make it a risky drinking proposition while young, but the payoff is excellent ageing in bottle which results in many long-term keepers. Careful blending with other grape varieties can overcome the presence of these tannins, without overly compromising Cabernet Sauvignon's principal characteristics.
Tell-tale signs that you are drinking Cabernet Sauvignon include a deep purple colour when young, and blackcurrant on the nose (and sometimes fresh green pepper). Depending on the amount of oak to which the wine has been exposed, cedar and cigar box notes may emerge. Its fruitiness should follow through in the mouth, but under-ripe grapes can make the finished wine seem green (herbaceous). Examples from California and Australia may show mint or eucalyptus, reflecting the surrounding environment.
Merlot
The most prolific grape variety in Bordeaux, it prefers the damp clay soils of the eastern banks of the Gironde.  Merlot ripens early but has thinner skins than Cabernet Sauvignon, making it prone to downy mildew and grey rot. Blended with its near neighbour however, lower tannins and more rapid maturing bring balance to the great wines of the region.
Signature smells from Merlot are plums, raisins, some blackcurrant and even oak-driven vanilla, with velvety texture and rounded flavours appearing on the palate. It takes the edge off other wines in any blend, making them approachable. Merlot's flexibility has led to further successful plantings in the USA (particularly Washington State) and the South of France, as well as in pockets elsewhere in the world.
Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder in Germany, Pinot Nero in Italy)
Or should that be "Bête Noire"? The scourge of many a winemaker, perseverance with this difficult grape can create some world-beating wines. The best examples still come from Burgundy in eastern France, in the corridor running south from Dijon to Mâcon between low hills on the extreme edge of the Massif Central and plains on the far side of the Saône river.
 Pinot Noir offers many a contradiction in its production: it clones easily so is liable to mutate and diversify. Its yield is small but it ripens relatively early; however it needs to stay on the vine for as long as possible to develop the acids which are crucial to its performance in wine. Leaving it on the vine lays it open to rot and mildew, so well-drained soil is a must.  Cool or humid coastal growing regions where the soil is right are not easily located: hence worldwide experiments to find similar conditions to Burgundy and its enigmatic concept of terroir (local influences) in places as diverse as North-Western USA, New Zealand's Martinborough and Otago regions and anywhere else in between.
You should be looking for sweet soft red fruits in young Pinot Noir: cherries, raspberries, strawberries, plums. These give way in older examples to savoury tones of the forest floor such as wet leaves, peat, licorice and fungal aromas. A truly exceptional Pinot Noir is a rare thing indeed, but worth pursuing.
And in case you ever think you have Pinot Noir well and truly worked out, don't forget it can be used in Champagne production as well!
Syrah (Shiraz in Australia)
The great grape of the Northern Rhône Valley in France, Syrah produces full, powerful wines from disease resistant, high yielding vines.  It also provides a crucial blending ingredient in the wines of the Southern Rhône. If left past the critical ripening point and too much sugar develops in the fruit, Syrah can lose some of its characteristic aroma and acidity. Judicious pruning on steep terraces above the river concentrates all the goodness in the fruit, and helps to maintain quality in the best examples such as Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie.
Look for black berry fruit and spice on the nose and in the mouth, with black pepper and licorice, and sometimes even chocolate. Burnt rubber has been known to make an appearance also.
Outside the Rhône, Syrah enjoys great success giving spicy structure to many wines. In Australia its name changes and it produces a riper, more robust, version of its French counterparts. Sweeter, with high alcohol, it is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Don't forget to taste examples of wines made from these four grapes now...
see our Wine of the Week here
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| Next month we'll introduce you to three of our favourite classic white wine grapes: Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. |
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