{"id":14648,"date":"2015-01-19T09:19:04","date_gmt":"2015-01-19T14:19:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=14648"},"modified":"2015-01-19T09:19:56","modified_gmt":"2015-01-19T14:19:56","slug":"dont-be-afraid-to-go-farther-afield-for-wine-values","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=14648","title":{"rendered":"Don’t be afraid to go farther afield for wine values"},"content":{"rendered":"

Emerging regions offer value, new tastes to broaden your horizons<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Brian Gurnham<\/strong><\/span>, Columnist, The Times<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"BgurnhamRevised\"<\/a>Sweating away at the local YMCA, and trying not to be annoyed by the massive influx of post New Year\u2019s exercise wanabees, I couldn\u2019t help but wonder what would happen to the wine industry if people put as much emphasis on trying a new or different wine in the new year as they do on getting healthy.\u00a0 Most likely the outcome would be the same.\u00a0 As the attendant scanning membership cards summed it up, \u201cjust wait four or five weeks, they\u2019ll all be gone\u201d.\u00a0 But I want to believe that at least of few of the well intentioned survive the initial infatuation, and continue their exercise regimens throughout the year.<\/p>\n

With that hope well in hand, here are some suggestions for you to exercise your wine horizons in 2015.<\/p>\n

Think undiscovered regions<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Bulgarina\"<\/a>Everyone knows the Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire, Rhone and Provence regions of France, but who has ever heard of the Thracian Valley in Bulgaria, or the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia, or even the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada?\u00a0 With the demand for wine increasing, and issues such as water scarcity in California, limited land in Bordeaux, and the effects of global warming in Australia, limiting supply, prices will only increase, and you will have to look past the traditional wine regions to find value.\u00a0 Many of the up and coming regions are, ironically, some of the oldest wine growing regions in the world \u2013 Greece, Croatia, Romania, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Lebanon.\u00a0 A little digging may be required to find wines from these regions, but your hunt will be rewarded with quality wines at affordable prices.\u00a0 You can also try going north to Canada, where both the Okanagan Valley and the Niagara Peninsula in Southern Ontario are producing delightful cool grape variety wines.\u00a0 Coyote\u2019s Run Estate Winery, only minutes from Niagara Falls, produces crisp aromatic white varietals such as Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Gew\u00fcrztraminer.<\/p>\n

In addition to new countries, take a fresh look at some local areas \u2013 New York\u2019s Finger Lakes region, Virginia, and lesser known American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in California and Washington.\u00a0 The quality of Virginia wines has been steadily improving over the last few years with producers such as Barboursville Vineyard, Tarara Winery, and Linden Vineyards gaining national recognition.\u00a0 Similar quality improvements can be found in wines from the north Fork of Long Island.<\/p>\n

Think undiscovered grapes<\/b><\/p>\n

Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio sure, but what about Dornfelder, Assyrtiko, Plavac Mali, or Lagrein.\u00a0 Stretching your senses to include lesser known grape varieties can often lead to pure palate pleasure.\u00a0 The change might not be dramatic, but different enough to provide a pleasant change from the predictable profile of better known varietals.\u00a0 Not to diss mainstream noble wines, but I find that increasing the spectrum of aromas, acidity levels, and terroir influences helps one to isolate the most enjoyable elements of a wine.\u00a0 Sticking with the gym analogy, the more different exercises you do, the better the workout!<\/p>\n

Many of these lesser known varietals can have tongue twisting names, but think of learning the pronunciation as a part of your new exercise regimen.\u00a0 Friulano, Moscofilero, Assyrtiko, Xinomavro, or Carignano might be difficult to pronounce, but each offers a unique element of palate diversification.\u00a0 Whether it is the lemon, lime and steely acidity of Assyrtiko, the earthy mushroom, sun dried tomato and olive of Xinomavro or the plummy earthly chewiness of the red wine Lagrein from the Trentino Alto Adige region of northern Italy; these undiscovered grape varieties all represent new items on the menu.\u00a0 I know, and am certainly guilty of, having the same entr\u00e9e every time I visit my favorite restaurant.\u00a0 Why, after all, go off script, when the Kung pao chicken is a safe bet.\u00a0 But let\u2019s face it, trying something new is a risk that is often worth taking \u2013 even the Kung pao chicken was new once.<\/p>\n

Get Started!<\/b><\/p>\n

Much like that first trek to the gym, sometimes getting started is the most difficult part.\u00a0 The best way to find new wines is to ask your local wine shop owner, friends, or read trade magazines who constantly scour the globe for new and exotic wines.\u00a0 To get you started here are a couple of my suggestions \u2013 wines I\u2019ve enjoyed in the last couple of months, and all available in the tri state area.<\/p>\n

Bulgariana Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011<\/b> \u2013 Listed as one of the Wine Enthusiast best 100 values of 2014, this unassuming cabernet focusses on dried black fruit, is not overly oaked, and has a touch of spiciness on the finish.\u00a0 This easy drinking cab will not compete with a rich complex Napa offering, but at $11 a bottle, well worth a try.\u00a0 Thracian Valley, Bulgaria<\/p>\n

Chateau Ksara Chardonnay<\/b> \u2013 I was first exposed to this rich full bodied chardonnay as a gift from my wife\u2019s daughter as she returned from a three month work assignment in Beirut.\u00a0 Not expecting much, I was more than a bit surprised to find such a well-crafted wine.\u00a0 Balanced fruit, oak, and acidity, all come together in a wine with over 14% alcohol.\u00a0 This chardonnay uses grapes from Ksara\u2019s highest vineyard and ages the wine in new oak \u2013 imparting a toasty buttery flavor.\u00a0 Not a steal at $17, but better than many of Sonoma\u2019s higher end offerings. Zahle, Lebanon<\/p>\n

Zenato Lugana<\/b> \u2013 OK, Veneto is not exactly a new wine region, but Zenato\u2019s Lugana is a very unique wine crafted from a clone of the Trebbiano grape \u2013 best known as the grape in Orvieto.\u00a0 But unlike the light, crisp and fruity Orvietos, Lugana, although aged in stainless steel, offers complex aromas of peach, banana, and citrus without any bracing acidity.\u00a0 The wine has a full bodied mouth feel, 13% alcohol, and just enough acidity to offset the residual sugar.\u00a0 Lake Garda, Veneto, Italy<\/p>\n

Cheers to your new found discoveries and let us know your favorites.\u00a0 Experimenting is half the fun, and you have to admit, trying a new wine is a lot easier than that Stairmaster!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Emerging regions offer value, new tastes to broaden your horizons By Brian Gurnham, Columnist, The Times Sweating away at the local YMCA, and trying not to be annoyed by the massive influx of post New Year\u2019s exercise wanabees, I couldn\u2019t help but wonder what would happen to the wine industry if people put as much […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,4],"tags":[5751,5750,5753,5752,306],"class_list":["post-14648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-featured","tag-baltic","tag-new-regions","tag-non-traditional","tag-north-america","tag-wine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14648"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14652,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14648\/revisions\/14652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}