WINES & SUCH: Learning to identify regions of wine

Gentle readers familiar with wine surely have noticed while strolling through wine shops some labels are grouped by grape variety (merlot, chardonnay) while others are tagged with place names, such as Loire or Medoc. And many are simply arranged by country of origin such as Australia, Germany and so on.

So when I am asked about a good merlot, and I point to Pomerol or Saint-Emilion as districts to search, I am too often met with blank stares.

The reason is, in Europe, most wine is identified by the area where it is grown. So if folks are not up on place names, they are in a bit of trouble.

Old-fashioned crib sheets have helped many students. So, it suggests folks not overly familiar with wine districts of the world might appreciate a one-minute browsing guide to use at the wine store.

Let’s begin with perhaps the most confusing and the granddaddy of them all — France.

This Old World country is divided into almost 400 different wine districts, each with its own set of laws. The most important subdivisions are:

1. Bordeaux.

Main grapes are cabernet sauvignon and merlot blended always with minority grapes such as Malbec and Petite Vedot. White grapes grown mostly are Semillion (not found often in the U.S.) and Sauvignon Blanc. No chardonnay is planted here.

2. Burgundy.

This famous region runs north and south down the center of the country. No brainer, the only red grape is pinot noir. The only white is chardonnay.

The region known as Chablis in the north end is composed entirely of chardonnay. It will not resemble its California cousins.

3. Beaujolais.

It is at the southern end of Burgundy and is entirely composed of gamay grapes.

4. The Rhone Valley.

It is a huge district, home to mostly Grenache and Syrah. But more than a dozen other varieties are cultivated. Cote de Rhone is a prime example.

5. Alsace.

On the German border, this area is home to delicious dry rieslings, spicy gewurtraminer and pinot blanc. All are quite dry and delicious.

Let’s travel to another old-world nation — Italy.

Here the country is divided into a number of sub-districts, too.

Three which concern us the most are:

1. Tuscany.

It is home to chianti, made entirely from the Sangiovese variety.

2. Piedmont.

It is further to the northeast and famous for the three Bs — barolo, barbera and barbaresco. A nice light red is called dolcetto, and white grapes are the sparkling asti and fragrant gavi.

3. To the east of Venice lies the Tres Venetia, a popular grape-growing area for prosecco, soave, valpolicella and its brother bardolino. Good everyday table wines.

Let’s continue our European journey in Spain, another ancient wine growing nation.

Spain’s signature red grapes are “Tempranillo,” the cabernet of this country. Lovely grenaches abound as well.

Make Spain your next area to explore. A wonderful white grape if you can locate it is “Albarino.” It will remind you of fresh peaches.

Too many good folks are ready to dismiss Germany because “the wines are too sweet.” The constituency suffers from what I think of as the “Little Blue Nun” syndrome. And those labels with the forbidding unpronounceable place names!

The fact is, with its northern latitudes, Germany produces some of the world’s most exotic and delicious white wines made mostly from the noble riesling grape. By all means, consult the wine specialist in your favorite store to talk about the pleasures of German riesling and expect a real treat beyond the pale.

Our crib course now leaps across to other continents.

Australia is home to many varieties, but is most noted for syrah or shiraz as it is pronounced there, most often blended with cab or merlot. Chardonnay and riesling abound among the whites.

Another New World pair is Argentina where the latest “hot” variety is malbec. A new label seems to show up weekly.

And finally there’s Chile. It is home to a large variety of friendly consumer-priced reds and whites, including the big four — cabernet, merlot, chardonnay and riesling.

So there you have it, a spot-on guide to local wine aisles.

Do remember there is never a substitute for your own palate, so be daring and venture forth. The best is always yet to come.

Oak Ridge resident Ron Drinkhouse was a buyer and seller of wines in his native Connecticut. He welcomes inquiries, and can be reached via email at ronoct9@aol.com or via telephone at 352-445-0328.