Wine from Montils

Posted by Unknown at 02:44

In France,Montils is considered to make a white wine comparable with that of Colombard. At Merbein,Montils usually ripens about 2 weeks later than Colombard and has excellent low acidity. Yields of the two varieties are comparable. Wines from Montils over 4 seasons scored at least as well as those from Colombard, and Montils was one of the most promising varieties in trials in north-east Victoria. In France it has produced excellent brandies.

Wine of Marsanne

Posted by Unknown at 02:28

In France,Marsanne used alone has the reputation of producing light white wines with little varietal character, which age very quickly. The addition of a proportion of another variety, Roussanne, is considered to improve quality.Wines from Marsanne in Australia appear to have more body and character, but the major plantings include an appreciable proportion of other varieties, which may take the place of the Roussanne. Some of the wines made from Marsanne in the past have been rather heavy; now they are light and fruity with a perfumed fragrance.

Wine of Malbec

Posted by Unknown at 02:04

With moderate yields in cooler areas, Malbec makes a balanced red wine of good colour which has a less intense varietal aroma and is softer than Cabernet wines. It combines well with the other Bordeaux varieties to give wines designed for earlier maturity rather than very long holding. In the Loire Valley it is sometimes used alone to give rosé wines with strong fruit character; in Cahors it is used with up to 30% of Semillon or three other minor varieties to give a very deep-red wine which is aged for several years before bottling.

Chambourcin

Posted by Unknown at 02:54

Chambourcin (sham-bour-sin) is a complex hybrid produced in France by the private breeder Joannes Seyve (JS26-205). Its parentage has not been published but it would be based on the better Seibel hybrids and involve up to eight of the US species of Vitis. It was officially released in 1963. It is being grown commercially in the eastern US and was introduced into Australia by CSIRO in 1973.

Chambourcin shows very good resistance to downy and powdery mildews and to phylloxera, both against damage to the root system and galling on the leaves

Cienna

Posted by Unknown at 02:45

Cienna (sih-en-nah) is one of three new varieties of wine grape varieties developed by CSIRO and granted Plant Breeders Rights in 2000. Cienna, Rubienne and Tyrian are all progeny of a cross between the Spanish variety Sumoll and Cabernet Sauvignon, made in 1972 by the late Allan Antcliff at the Merbein research station. Each of the new varieties was selected using criteria including good (grape juice) sugar:acid ratios, low pH, good colour and flavour and adequate yields.The aim was to produce highquality red varieties suited to Australian conditions.The best few varieties were extensively trialled and evaluated by industry panels and under a range of climatic and cultural conditions.

Cinsaut

Posted by Unknown at 02:44

Cinsaut (sahn-soh) (sometimes spelt Cinq-saou or Cinsault) is a variety from the Mediterranean region in the south of France. Some Cinsaut is registered for the purpose of table grapes but its main importance is as a recommended variety for improving the quality of the wines from the south of France. In South Africa it is called Hermitage. It was formerly grown quite widely in Algeria and, being the black variety best adapted to the hot dry conditions there, plantings of it may not have been as drastically reduced as those of other varieties. It is grown in Italy under the name of Ottavianello in the province of Brindisi. In California, the small planting (63 ha) is also called Black Malvoisie. In Australia, some is grown in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. It has been called Blue Imperial in north-east Victoria, Black Prince at Great Western and often Ulliade or Oeillade in other areas.

Dolcetto

Posted by Unknown at 02:37

Dolcetto (dol-chet-oh) is an important
variety in the Piemonte region of Italy.
Unlike some of the other red varieties of
the region, which are also grown in other
parts of Italy, Dolcetto is regarded as
having a special adaptation limited to
Piemonte. There is very little Dolcetto in
other countries, with only a few hectares
in both Argentina and Australia. Australian
plantings are confined to South Australia
and Victoria. The area in South Australia,
where the variety has been correctly
named, has decreased over the years,
while in Victoria, where it has been
confused with Malbec, there have been a
few small new plantings which were
intended to be of Malbec.

Doradillo

Posted by Unknown at 02:36

Doradillo (dor-ad-il-loh) is a variety which seems to have found its greatest acceptance in Australia. It was imported under that name from Spain by James Busby in 1832. It was also taken to South Africa and further importations were made to Australia from there. It does not seem to be a commercial variety in South Africa and it is not recorded separately in Spanish plantings. It may perhaps be included under Jaen, a name said to have been used for more than one variety in Spain. Jaen that was imported to Merbein from the Estacion de Viticultura y Enologia et Requena in Valencia province has proved similar to, but distinct from, Doradillo.Of the 145 ha of Doradillo in Australia, about three-quarters grows in South Australia and the rest in New South Wales and Victoria.

Dourado

Posted by Unknown at 02:14

Dourado (du-rah-doh) is a variety from the Tagus Valley of Portugal. Its full name is Gallego Dourado. In South Africa it is planted as (False) Pedro. lt is likely that it was brought from South Africa to Australia as it is known here as Pedro, sometimes Pedro Ximenez in error, but more usually distinguished as Rutherglen Pedro. It may also have come in James Busby’s collection in l832 under some other name or unnamed, as it occurred unidentified in vineyards which might be sourced from Busby’s collection.Dourado can be found as odd vines in most of the older wine-growing districts. Appreciable numbers of vines are mixed with other varieties at Mudgee and Great Western and small plantings are present at Roma, in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and north-east Victoria.

Durif

Posted by Unknown at 02:10

Durif (dur-if ) has been known as a variety for only about a century, and owes its name to Dr Durif who propagated it in the Rhone Valley in France around 1880. It resembles Peloursin and may be a seedling or a sport from this variety. It was popular in France as it appeared to have some resistance to downy mildew. However, it is no longer recommended or authorised and its planted area in France is declining. It is sometimes known as Pinot de l’Ermitage but is in no way related to the true Pinots. Another name, Syrah Forchue, refers to its tendency to produce forked shoots.The Petite Sirah of California may be a mixture of Durif and Peloursin, although the proportions are unclear. All clones imported to Australia have proved to be Durif.Vineyards examined have shown roughly equal numbers of the two varieties – the total area of plantings in 2003 was 331 ha.

Graciano

Posted by Unknown at 02:39

Graciano (grah sih-ahn-oh) is primarily a Spanish variety. Although it is not one of the major varieties used in bulk wines, there are a few thousand hectares of Graciano in the Ebro Valley where, along with Carignan and Tempranillo, it is an important component in the appellation wines of Rioja and Navarra. In France the variety is called Morrastel and is recommended in the south, but little remains, possibly because of its relatively low yield. The area of Graciano in Australia is very small. The variety should not be confused with the so-called Morrastel of South Australia, which is really Mataro, nor with the Mourastel imported from California, which is Carignan. In Algeria, large areas of Mataro were mistakenly called Morrastel. Xeres imported from California proved to be Graciano.

Grenache

Posted by Unknown at 02:15

Grenache (gren-ahsh) is a very important variety in southern Europe.There are large plantings in Spain, where it is known as Garnacha. In France the area of Grenache was around 87 000 ha in 1988, and has no doubt continued to increase at the expense of the high-yielding but poorquality variety Aramon. It is an important variety on the island of Sardinia, where it is called Cannonao. Grenache is also grown in Sicily and the southern Italian mainland under the names of Granaccia and Alicante.Other than Europe and remnant plantings in Algeria, the only appreciable areas are in California and Australia. Australia has 2322 ha, most in South Australia and the rest fairly evenly dividedbetween New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.

Jacquez

Posted by Unknown at 02:07

Jacquez ( jak-ez or jah-kay) is one of a group of varieties to which the species name Vitis bourquiniana or V. bourquina has been given. The original members, including Jacquez, appear to be natural hybrids between V. aestivalis and V. vinifera. Jacquez, generally known as LeNoir in the US, is thought to have originated in Georgia or the Carolinas but has not been widely grown in that country. It became very popular in France after the vineyards were devastated by phylloxera, but was banned from the production of wine for sale about 50 years ago. It may still be used as a rootstock and remains popular for this purpose on suitable soils in South Africa. In Australia, where it has been called Troya, annual production has been about 100 tonnes, mostly in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area with a little in the Hunter Valley.

Malbec

Posted by Unknown at 02:06

Malbec (mahl-bek) (sometimes spelt Malbeck) is an approved synonym for Cot, the official French name of this red grape variety. Another synonym used in some areas is Auxerrois.Most is grown in Gironde, some in the departements to the east of Bordeaux, and some in the Loire Valley. It is permitted in wines of controlled appellation in all these areas and is the principal variety in Cahors. It does not seem to have spread elsewhere in Europe and there is only a little in California, but it is one of the most important black varieties in Argentina. There is a significant amount in Chile. In Australia at least two other varieties, Dolcetto and Tinta Amarella, have sometimes been incorrectly called Malbec, but in 2003 plantings were recorded at 488 ha.

Mataro

Posted by Unknown at 00:22

Mataro (mat-ahr-roh) is another variety from southern Europe, and needs more warmth than Grenache. In Spain it is also called Monastrell or Morastell. In France, apart from small plantings under the name of Balzac in the Cognac area, where the fruit does not ripen properly, it is confined to the warmest areas of Provence, where it is called Mourvedre. It was a very successful variety in Algeria but it is not clear how much of the 20 000 ha formerly planted has survived. There are about 264 ha in California. The 1092 ha in Australia are in South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. The name Balzac is used at Corowa, and at Great Western the variety is called Esparte.

Merlot

Posted by Unknown at 00:20

Merlot (muhr-loh) is the principal black variety of the Bordeaux area and is also recommended in the south of France.The area planted in France increased dramatically between the late 1950s and the late 1980s.The variety has been introduced into other European countries and replaced local varieties. In Italy it is now recommended in more provinces than any other single variety, although it is far from surpassing Italian varieties such as Barbera and Sangiovese in area or production. In California there were almost no plantings before 1970, but by 1992 the area of Merlot was approximately 4050 ha and ten years later had increased to 21121 ha. It is a minor variety in Chile and Argentina. No early introduction into Australia has been traced.There were 10 350 ha of Merlot in production in Australia by 2003.

Mondeuse

Posted by Unknown at 00:15

Mondeuse (mohn-deuhs) is a minor variety in eastern France and its area has been decreasing slowly. In California there was a more rapid decrease, to about 40 ha in 1980. Although the variety is called Refosco in California it is different from any of the varieties known as Refosco in Italy. In Australia a small area of Mondeuse is grown commercially in north-east Victoria.

Muscat à petits grains

Posted by Unknown at 00:05

Muscat à petits grains (mus-kat ah-petigran) is the official French name for this variety, and means simply Muscat with small berries. There are three colour variants – white, rose and red. The two coloured forms mutate readily from one to the other and to white, but there appear to be two types of white – one is stable and the other mutates to the coloured forms.

The white form seems to predominate in Europe. In Italy the officialname is Moscato Bianco, and there are plantings in other Mediterranean countries. The name Muscat Blanc in California seems to indicate that only the white form is used there, and the plantings in Argentina are listed as Moscato d’Asti, among the white varieties. In South Africa most of the Muskadel, as the variety is known there, are of the red form. In Australia there are 560 ha. A little more than half is the red form and the name Brown Muscat used in north-east Victoria is very appropriate.

The fruit ripens early and, if left on the vine, wilts to give a very high sugar concentration.

Petit Verdot

Posted by Unknown at 23:52

Petit Verdot (pe-ti vehr-doh) is a minor red grape variety from the Bordeaux region of France. It has long been part of the varietal mix in Bordeaux but has probably never exceeded 5% of the total planting. The area planted in France decreased from 685 ha in 1958 to 338 ha by 1988, then underwent a minor revival to reach 380 ha by 1994. It is grown mainly on the left bank of the Gironde from Margaux to Saint-Estephe, and produces a highquality wine.

In Argentina two varieties are grown under the name Verdot: one is a clone of Malbec, the other is the true Petit Verdot. It is also planted in Chile, and there were 359 ha of Petit Verdot in California in 2002. In 2003 the total area harvested in Australia was 1337 ha, a rapid increase from less than 100 ha in 1998. There has been increasing interest in the variety, with some excellent wines produced.

Pinot Gris

Posted by Unknown at 23:50

Pinot Gris, (pee-noh grih) like Pinot Noir, is grown in many countries including France, mostly in Alsace, in Germany where it is known as Rulander, and in northern Italy. It is also grown throughout central and south-eastern Europe, one of its more interesting names being Szurkebarat (Grey Friar) in Hungary. In 2002, 1637 ha of Pinot Gris were harvested in California. Pinot Blanc is probably the least-grown of any of the Pinot family.The situation has been confused because Chardonnay has often been called Pinot Chardonnay or even Pinot Blanc Chardonnay and so has come to be called Pinot Blanc in some areas. In South America Chenin Blanc has been wrongly identified as Pinot Blanc, while in California the variety Melon has been wrongly called Pinot Blanc. The true Pinot Blanc has only recently been imported into Australia and earlier plantings by that name would be either Chardonnay or derived from the Californian Melon. There is some true Pinot Blanc in France, mainly in Alsace, in northern Italy and a little in Germany and central Europe.