As summer approaches, our minds dream up our next vacations; they take us to the café-lined streets of Paris, the sunny beaches of Bali, the snowy mountains of Mendoza…
For those of us who can’t exactly hop on a flight to our dream destination next week, certain wines – and their ability to reflect a distinct sense of place – can be the next best thing. One example is Albariño from Rías Baixas, a white wine that almost tastes like sitting at the beach along Spain’s cool, misty northwest coast.
Rías Baixas is unlike anywhere else in Spain. The small coastal D.O. sits in the broader region of Galicia, also known as “Green Spain” due to its cool maritime climate and abundance of rain – a kind of oasis in a country known for its hot, dry summers.
This climate is a perfect match for Albariño, a thick-skinned grape variety native to the region. While there is plenty of rain in Rías Baixas, there is also ample sunlight, which allows Albariño to ripen and ultimately express notes of white peach, apricot, melon and honeysuckle. Still, the region’s cooling coastal influences produce wines that are light and elegant, chock-full of mouth-watering acidity. The wines often show a slight salinity, mirroring the cool, salty air in which their grapes thrive.
It is no surprise that Rías Baixas wines have burst onto the global wine stage, adored by trendy sommeliers and industry influencers. Comparable to some of the most renowned white wines in the world, Albariño from Rías Baixas offers exceptional value – you can get all the crisp acidity and minerality of a Chablis or a Sancerre for a fraction of the cost. The wine’s fresh style also makes it an ideal pairing with a wide range of foods, but it really shines with its region’s staple cuisine: seafood.
So, what are you waiting for? Pour a glass, grill some oysters, and take a mini-vacation at your dinner table.
Brimming with a pioneer spirit, Washington state is not just host to some of our country’s biggest success stories like Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, and Costco, it has actually become America’s second largest wine producer, after California! Doubling in the last 10 years from 450 in 2006 to over 900 today, it boasts an exploding number of wineries. On top of that, out of Washington’s 900 wineries, nearly 850 are small, and family owned.
Presently, the state has more than 50,000 acres of vines spread out across its diverse landscapes from evergreen forests in the west to sagebrush desert in the east where a particular mixture of soils contribute to making Washington wine truly unique.
With the exception of two (Puget Sound and Columbia Gorge), all of the AVAs of Washington state are actually sub-AVAs of the larger Columbia Valley. This valley is the center of a soil base of basalt bedrock. On top of this base are the soils of the Missoula Floods, a series of 30 cataclysmic floods occurring after the last Ice Age 15,000 years ago. After the damn of the glacial lake covering parts of Montana and Canada broke, it sent huge rivers of water rushing from Western Montana, across the state and out to the Willamette Valley of Oregon. It brought with it granite and well-drained, clay-poor soils. On top of the Missoula Floods layer are loess and wind deposits that have been scattered and blown over the landscape for years. These vary from four to 50 feet deep in places.
In the eastern part of the state, where almost all of its AVAs are located (14 total in the Washington), this windy and rolling landscape has a dry and arid climate; this combined with the soils make the area inhospitable to phylloxera, an aphid-like insect that feeds on grapevine roots. This extraordinary set of climate and soil conditions means that vine grafting is not needed and virtually all of the state’s vines grow on their own rootstocks, which some would argue makes a more authentic wine.
While the state produces wine from well over 40 varieties, it particularly excels in making fantastic wines from Cabernet Sauvingon, Merlot, and Syrah for reds and Riesling and Chardonnay for whites. Here are some of our favorites, which we find to all express the spirit of Washington wine!
The 2013 Figgins Estate Red is a truly remarkable blend. Consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Merlot, it shows a pretty mix of aromas of cocoa powder, forest floor, and red cherry. A full and ripe palate brimming with black fruit, which leads to a long, fine-grained finish. This is a special one that will lie down in the cellar for a few years!
Figgins Family Wine Estates fall release party, Walla Walla, Washington. From Washington State Wine.
One of the most famous and arguably the best Cabernet vineyards in the state, the Champoux Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills, turns out some of the most supple and well-balanced reds. Januik Winery 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon shows exotic aromas of dried flowers and florest floor. The palate explodes with black and red berries; the finish is full of sweet, velveteen tannins.
Wines of Substance Super Substance Stoneridge 2013 Merlot is a great example of what Washington is capable of. Pronounced aromas of blackberry pie, conserve, and cola give way to a big, juicy, and ripe fruit flavors, a hint of espresso, black licorice, and a good depth in the finish.
Les Collines vineyard in spring, Walla Walla, Washington. From Washington State Wine.
Syrah absolutely flourishes in many of Washington’s AVAs. Gramercy Cellars 2013 The Deuce Syrah is a benchmark Washington Syrah and will remind avid Syrah lovers of Northern Rhone. The Syrah grapes come from three vineyards in Walla Walla: Les Collines, Forgotten Hills, and Old Stones. Aromas of violets, olives, and white pepper balance the savory flavors and stony, mineral texture.
Eroica 2015 Riesling offers an amazing balance of ripe citrus fruit, intriguing floral notes, and a mouth-watering acidity typical of Washington Riesling.
The Abeja Chardonnay gives pleasant aromas of white flowers and pear. On the palate its unctuous texture is balanced by a refreshing acidity. Flavors of lemon chiffon and nectarine come to mind.
To search out more Washington wines to try, follow this link.
As wine consumers, we have learned to ask a lot of questions about what we are drinking. What exactly is in this bottle? Are pesticides or herbicides sprayed on the grapes used to make this wine? Is anything added into the wine in the winery? Are any organisms or the environment harmed to make this? The laws that govern sustainable wine growing and processing can actually be quite tricky. We need to understand how to ask our questions before we can understand the answers.
Biodynamic Vineyards at Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace, France
What is sustainable farming?
Wine Spectator gives a thorough definition of sustainable as it relates to the production of wine.
“Sustainability refers to a range of practices that are not only ecologically sound, but also economically viable and socially responsible. (Sustainable farmers may farm largely organically or biodynamically but have flexibility to choose what works best for their individual property; they may also focus on energy and water conservation, use of renewable resources and other issues.) Some third-party agencies offer sustainability certifications, and many regional industry associations are working on developing clearer standards.”
The sustainable label is useful; it tells the consumer which wines are made with ecological, economical, and social principles in mind. Its limitation is that it is locally defined and therefore varies regionally.
What is organic wine?
“Organic” is a system of farming and food processing, as well as a label. In the USA, organic is regulated by the National Organic Program (NOP) of the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), in accordance with the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA). These entities ensure uniform and reliable standards.
By definition, organic farming and food processing integrates cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster the cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering are not allowed. Products from outside of the cycle are used minimally.
Oragnic farming promotes soil health with a mix of specific plants growing between the vineyard rows, Grgich Hills, Napa Valley, CA.
1 – wine made from organic grapes with the addition of sulfites during the winemaking process. Sulfites are allowed in small amounts (less than 100 mg/L (ppm)); this wine cannot be labeled as “organic” but can mention the use of organic grapes.
2 – wine made from organic grapes with no added sulfites. This wine can be labeled as “organic.”
But is 100 mg/L a lot? And does no “added” sulfites mean that there are no sulfites at all in the finished wine? To give perspective on these numbers, understand that natural yeasts, which are present on healthy grape skins, produce trace amounts of sulfites, usually around 15mg/L and often up to 20mg/L. Since 1988, in the USA, all wines containing more than 10mg/L must state, “contains sulfites” on the label. That means that just about every wine produced and imported—whether it be organic, made with organic grapes, or conventionally produced—will say this, which doesn’t help the consumer much.
If you are sulfite sensitive, or the levels are of concern to you, it is important to realize the limits behind the labels. In the USA, these apply to all wine produced, as well as imported.
By law the USA allows sulfite levels of up to 350 mg/L in any conventionally produced finished wine. Finished wine made from organically produced grapes is allowed to contain only up to 100 mg/L of sulfites. Wine labeled as organic cannot have any added sulfites, though it still may have a small amount since they occur naturally (probably 10-20 mg/L).
There are also about 70 groups of products allowed as additions (and not required to be listed on labels) in the conventional wine making process in the USA, Europe Union (EU), Australia, and Japan. But these products are restricted from organic wines according to the National List.
Two issues further complicate the organic label. For one, any foreign company who is exporting wines to the USA for selling and marketing as organic wine, must comply with the USA standards. However, the EU and other wine producing countries have different laws and standards than we have in the USA on the quantity of allowable sulfites in finished organic wines.
In the EU, allowable sulfite levels depend on the type of wine being made. In organic wine, sulfite levels must be at least 30-50 mg/L lower than their conventional equivalent. The EU allows only 150 mg/L of sulfites in finished conventional red wines, which means that red wine labeled as organic in the EU is allowed to have about 100 mg/L of sulfites in the finished product. For conventional white wines in the EU, 200 mg/L is the sulfite limit; 150 mg/L is the limit for organic white wines. For conventional sweet wines, the legal limit in the EU is a sulfite level of 450 mg/L and for organic sweet wines that level depends on the sugar levels in the finished wine.
In the USA, any wine labeled as organic is not allowed to have any added sulfites, resulting in usually less than 20 mg/L. While the USA certainly requires a lower level of sulfites in its organic wines compared to the EU, remember that we also allow a much higher level of sulfites in our conventional table wines. The EU also does not have a distinct category for wines made only from organically grown grapes like we have in the USA.
The second issue that complicates the understanding of organic wines is the non-labeling of some wines that are indeed organic, or nearly organic. Some of these are neither certified nor labeled as such because many producers—whether in the USA or abroad—do not want to deal with the bureaucracy or fees associated with the certification process. If the producer exports to the US, they may not want to be halted by the USA organic certification process when they just want to sell their wine. So they skip it.
So what about biodynamic wines?
Biodynamic wines use a form of agriculture very similar to organic farming, and winery methods similar to those required for organic winemaking, but which include various concepts from the ideas of Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925). Steiner’s farming methods treat soil fertility, plant growth, plant products, livestock care, and livestock products as ecologically interrelated. Biodynamic agriculture uses compost and manure for fertilization, natural herb and mineral supplements for field sprays, and prohibits the use of anything artificial on the farm. It treats the entire vineyard as an interrelated part of a self-sufficient farm and considers the influence of weather, air pressure, seasons, and movements of the moon and planets on the rythms of the farm. The term “biodynamic” refers to both the agricultural methods used to grow the vines, as well as winery processing.
Natural winemaking at a certified biodynamic winery, Zind-Humbrecht, Alsace, France.
Biodynamic wines run into similar labeling and conceptual problems as organic wines. Demeter is the brand for products labeled as biodynamic. While International Demeter ensures a comprehensive certification process and strict compliance, it is important to realize that there are different Demeter certification organizations in every country and often several within each country.
Furthermore, biodynamic farming reaches farther back in history than the Demeter certification and Steiner. Historically, before any chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and mechanizations were available, farmers had to understand the natural interconnectedness of all living things on a farm. To this day many winegrowers, especially in Europe, still practice biodynamic philosophies on their farms and see no point in spending time and money for Demeter to brand and certify them as biodynamic.
Biodynamic farming uses sheep to cut the grass between rows, Manincor Estate, Alto Adige, Italy.
Wine.com categorizes all wines—biodynamic, organic, and sustainably farmed—into an overall “Green” category. You can rest assured that anything that we’ve put a green leaf next to has been produced in an ecologically responsible manner with the environment and our health in mind.
If you have a specific allergy or concern, our Green category is great place to start your wine search. After locating wines you are interested in, contact our recommendations team for more information or the producer to find out more on their production details.
Here are some examples of different “Green” wines we carry to help you get started.
A wine’s vintage is simply the calendar year that the grapes were grown and harvested. Neatly tagged on bottle labels, the vintage year represents one clue, among many, as to what’s going on inside of a particular bottle. Think of a wine’s vintage year as its birth year, and while we may associate certain events from a given year personally, producers tend to recall tricky weather patterns from a demanding year first and foremost. A wine’s vintage is a collective mirror of the weather patterns, vineyard management and state of the vine in each growing season, with climate conditions typically playing the biggest role in determining what kind of crop rolls through the cellar doors at harvest.
Location, Location, Location – Where Geography and Climate Collides
If vintage reflects a region’s weather patterns in a given year, then what makes a vintage good or bad? It often boils down to sunshine. Similar to “good” or “bad” vacation weather, the best vintages have plenty of dry, warm, sunny days with cooler, sweater-themed evenings. It’s these sunny, happy weather days that give grapes the best chance of reaching full maturity and optimum ripeness levels. These cheery growing seasons carrying sunny days and cool nights are the vintage years that typically garner the best ratings. If a region is bogged down by constant clouds and rain in a growing season, then the grapes are less likely to fully ripen, may be more prone to rot and disease, and tend to deliver skewed sugar and acidity levels if soggy conditions persist through harvest. These are the years where winemakers must work their magic in the cellar to keep the final wines intact. Keep in mind, certain grape varieties crave specific climates. Riesling prefers the cooler climes of Germany’s more northerly latitudes where acidity levels remain quite high. While, Cabernet Sauvignon’s roots dig deep in sunny, warm soils, and these thick-skinned grapes tend to thrive in California’s long, historically warm growing season.
Goldilocks and the Three Grapes:
Under-ripe grapes – Typically coming from cooler climates, these under ripened grapes lean towards lighter styles of wine and vinify into lower levels of alcohol while carrying less pronounced fruit character.
Over-ripe grapes – It’s possible that a vine may suffer from too much sun, too much heat and the dire result is a cluster of grapes that become raisined in color, character and taste. Excessive summer heat can stunt growth and development significantly reducing quality levels and yields
Well-ripened, mature grapes – These grapes are perfectly poised to produce wines that show balance in terms of sugar, acid, tannins and carry their fruit and aromatic character particularly well.
When Vintage Matters Most
Crazy Climates: Vintage matters most in winegrowing regions with the least consistent weather patterns. In general, many of Europe’s more northerly winegrowing regions (France, Germany, Austria, Northern Italy, Northwest Spain) are subject to more meteorology madness than the New World’s sun-drenched surroundings. From late spring frost, where entire vineyards can be taken out before bud break begins to severe hail knocking buds off the vine before they have a chance to set fruit, to excessive rainfall near harvest, which dilutes innate sugar and acidity levels, wicked weather can quickly take its toll on the vine. Ironically, France the iconic birthplace of modern wine is home to some of the least predictable runs of weather. Bordeaux, located 30 miles southeast from the harried Atlantic coastline, is notorious for battling all sorts of weather-induced mayhem, especially as the fall harvest draws near. Likewise, Burgundy’s bud break is often the target of regional spring hailstorms that wipe out flowers before the fruit ever has a chance to set.
Collecting Wine: Vintage matters most when collectors are buying wine to age. The best vintages create wines that carry high levels of tannin and acidity, both are must-have preservatives when considering the age-worthiness of a wine. That’s why high-end reds from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany, Piedmont, Rioja, the Douro and New World regions like California, Washington, Australia, Argentina and Chile from the best vintage years have the greatest aging potential. In the case of white wines, Germany’s high end Rieslings, Champagne’s vintage bubbly, along with premium white wines from the likes of the Loire Valley, Alsace, Alto Adige and Burgundy all pin their aging potential on the quality of the vintage.
When Vintage Matters Least
Consistent Climate Zones – International winegrowing regions with calm, consistent, warm weather packed with plenty of sunshine tend to produce wines that are also consistent themselves, with little vintage variation from year to year.
Budget Bottles – High volume, commercial wines shoot for consistency year in and year out. Vintage variation is significantly reduced by the careful management of a wine’s key structural components like pH levels, alcohol, total acidity, and levels of residual sugar.
A Word on Non-vintage Wines
Non-vintage (N.V.) wines are essentially a blend of various vintages and won’t carry a specific vintage year on the bottle label. Examples include many sparkling wine and Champagne bottles, several fortified wines like non-vintage Port, Sherry and Madeira along with some inexpensive high volume still wines.
Current Vintages to Know (and love): The last several years have produced high quality fruit for many New World regions. Australia and New Zealand carried out 2015 with smaller yields and exceptional quality, and the Old World icons of Bordeaux and Burgundy packed a strong regional run for the last six years.
Keep in mind, vintage years serve as an initial indicator, a happy, helpful guideline when scouting for wines. There are very few vintages that could qualify as so poor as in it’s worth avoiding the year as a whole. In fact, producer reputation, vineyard vigilance, and winemaker interventions can often balance and carefully redeem rough weather conditions.
Every wine lover, from the novice drinker to the seasoned professional, knows that the world of wine can be an intimidating one. Between regions, grape varieties, science, history, and more, there is a never-ending world of knowledge to be uncovered. Though it may seem overwhelming at times, learning about wine can be an exciting and fulfilling lifelong pursuit. Fortunately, there is a wealth of reading material out there to shed light on the universe of vines, grapes, and wines, and the people responsible for bringing them to your glass. In today’s fast-paced world of digital media, most people rely on blogs and online publications for information—but there’s nothing like a great book to enhance one’s understanding of a subject, whether it is a broad survey or a deep dive into a specific topic. We have curated a list of some of our favorite books about wine, with something for everyone, whatever your specific interests may be. Continue reading A Balanced Bookshelf: Recommended Reading for Every Wine Lover→
Rías Baixas is unlike anywhere else in Spain. The small coastal D.O. sits in the broader region of Galicia, also known as “Green Spain” due to its cool maritime climate and abundance of rain – a kind of oasis in a country known for its hot, dry summers.
