Syrah Du Monde 2012 Results

Syrah du Monde 2012 results.

Ampuis Castle, Ampuis, France - 2nd to 4th May,2012.

The 6th edition of the Syrah du Monde international competition, which was held at Ampuis Castle, in Ampuis, France between the 2nd and 4th of May, 2012, has just come to an end. Syrah du Monde 2012 brought together 24 countries, making this competition one of the world's top events for Syrah/Shiraz wines.

Over the course of three days, international experts tasted 445 Syrah/Shiraz wines. Syrah du Monde occupies a special place amongst international competitions thanks to its worldwide scope and its rigorous method. Strict quality standards and optimal tasting conditions enabled the international judges to award 149 medals that are recognised as a reliable criterion for selection. The Top Ten ranking has a strong international diversity. Five countries appear among the world’s best Syrah/Shiraz wines 2012. South Africa, Australia and France occupy the first three places with Chili and Portugal following. France obtained six Gold Medals. A South African Shiraz has this year been classifid at the top of the top ten Shiraz wines. There were 100 International expert judges.   24 countries have participated  fielding 445 wines  out of which 149 were awarded medals: 30 Gold, 119 Silver.

Official Awards and Results of the 2012 Top Ten Syrah/Shiraz International Wines. The Top Ten Gold Medallists out of thirty that made it to the Gold Medal, denoting the best of the very best Syrah/Shiraz varietal wines in the World.

South Africa  Hartenberg The  Stock Shiraz 2008.	HHaartenberg The Stork Shiraz 2008	Hartenberg Farm
Australia  Gatt Shiraz - Barossa Valley 2010.	Gatt Shiraz - Barossa Valley 2010	Gatt Wines
France  Luberon Grand Deffand 2009.	Luberon Grand Deffand 2009	Château la Verrerie
France  Cotes de Provence Habillage "noir et Or" 2006.	Côtes de Provence - Habillage "Noir et Or" 2006	Château La Tour de l'Évêque
Chile  El Olivar Alta Syrah 2009.	El Olivar Alta Syrah 2009	Viu Manent y Cia
France  Hermitage Cuvee Emilie 2010.	Hermitage Cuvée Emilie 2010	Desmeure / Domaine des Remizieres
France   Crozes-Hermitage Immanence 2009.	Crozes-Hermitage Immanence 2009	Cave des Clairmonts
Portugal   Alentejano-Homeenagem a Hans Christina Andersen 2009.	Alentejano - Homenagem a Hans Christian Andersen 2009	Cortes de Cima
South Africa   Saronsberg Shiraz 2010.	Saronsberg Shiraz 2010	Saronsberg Cellar
France   Costieres de Nimes Les Marquises 2009.	Costières de Nîmes Les Marquises 2009	Lamargue
South Africa   Rust en Vrede Shiraz 2009	Rust en Vrede Shiraz 2009	Rust en Vrede
Australia  Anthropology Shiraz 2010.	Anthropology Shiraz 2010	Cumulus Wines
Chile    Tamaya Winemakers' Gran Riserva Syrah 2010.	Tamaya Winemaker's Gran Reserva Syrah 2010	Vina Casa Tamaya del Limari
France   Saint Joseph Esprit de Granit 2010.	Saint Joseph Esprit de Granit 2010	Cave de Tain l'Hermitage
* Some wines were considered to be equal thus the TOP 10 2012 includes 14 wines.

Viticulture Notes.

Viticulture Notes by Reno Spiteri.

A top quality grape cluster.
Aglianico from Campania, Italy.

It is a sacrosant fact, that is advocated by most wine professionals that high quality wine can only be produced from high quality fruit. This means that great wines and top quality wines are made in the vineyard, in fact 80 per cent of quality winemaking happens in the vineyard. There ar a host of factors, both in the vineyard as well as in the winery that can effect the final product as it goes through the various procedures and is finally bottled and sealed. Even so, some wines require further aging in the bottle, in some cases even for years rather than months, in adequate and temperature controlled cellars before they are released for sale to the consumer.

Prime grapes for fine white wine.
Fiano di Avellino.

Many believe that the whole character of wine can be achieved in the winery, through modern equipment and new techniques, or through age-old traditional winemaking practices. Others including myself, believe that professional viticulture, terroir, and the climatic conditions during a specific year are of the utmost importance to obtain a prime, end-finished product. It is impossible to produce a top quality product from sub-standard raw material, and as was already stated, and for the sake of repeating myself, good quality wine can only be made with, and from good quality fruit, this is in our case the grape.

Typical vineyard.

The production of good quality grapes depend on many factors. The terroir and how the vines are grown and maintained through the season are vital issues. Viticulture, otherwise known as the growing and cultivation of vines for winemaking, is strongly affected by the terroir or the environement in which the vines are grown. Terroir involves the soil; the climatic conditions of the country, region, and vineyard location, that is, the macro and micro climate elements are of vital importance; the vineyard location and aspect.

A perfect vine growing season for the production of the finest grape yield would invariable involve, and necessitate:
- Cool, wet winters to provide plenty of ground water when the vines are dormant;
- Lack of rain or frost after the first warm days of Spring and lack of strong winds that would play havoc with the canopies and the flowering season;
- Fruit yield reduced from the vines to ensure only a moderate crop yield of the best grape bunches;
- Mild days and cool nights all Summer, with long hours of sunlight,  no rain or heat waves;
- Vines minimally irrigated and moderately stressed. Adequate green pruning of stalks, excessive leaf growth, and sub-standard grape clusters;
-Warm dry days preceeding and during harvest.

Prime Merlot Clusters.

Also of importance are:
- the application of organic amendments to the soil in the vineyards. A soil amendment is any material added to a soil to improve its physical properties, such as water retention, permeability, water infiltration, drainage, aeration and structure. The goal is to provide a better environment for roots
- and the adequate and timely use of pesticides.


The final quality of the grapes are greatly influenced by the combination of all these elements, which invariably are responsible for the total natural and human environement in which the vines grow.

Chardonnay Grape Clusters.

It is a well known fact among viticulturists that certain grape varieties produce their best fruit when planted in certain specific soils. For example Chardonnay enjoys calcrous, chalky or limestone soils; Merlot grows and thrives best on clay soil; whilst Cabernet Sauvignon produce its best fruit on sandy and gravely soil.

Barolo terraced vineyards.

Well drained soils are essential, hence the reason why the best vineyards are planted on terraced plantations or along the sloping sides of valleys, but nevertheless the vines require water to thrive, therefore the water retention quality of the soil and the underlying ground structure is also of the utmost importance when one chooses the location for the planting of vineyards.



Agriculturally poor soils ar often considered to be best for vine cultivation as the vines will be forced to grow their roots long and to send them further deep into the ground in search of moisture. Consequently they find and  absorb different minerals, trace elemenets and nutrients which are not available further up.

Deeper roots make the vines to be less likely to be adversely affected by severe cold winters, as well as they enable the vines to withstand long dry spells and hot Summers.

Indegenious grape varieties grown in hotter climates require less water than grape varieties that thrive in cooler climates. Rootstocks and clones are developed and chosen to suit the soil and environement where the grapes are to be grown.

SO WHAT WOULD A YEAR IN THE VINEYARD ENTAIL: After all the above aspects of viticulture are studied, researched and taken into account, what remains is to discover what a year in the vineyard with the viticulturist would entail:

WINTER: Winter, when the vines are dormant entail the professional and skilled pruning of the vines.There are four basic choices of pruning: Cane pruning the most skilled; Spur-pruning easier and quicker; Machine pruning - effectively spur pruning but done by pruning machines and which is followed by a certain amount of further hand-pruning; and Minimal pruning - effectively no pruning at all during winter, which is not recommended or encouraged as this will give inferior bud growth.

SPRING: Planting - the optimum time for planting is early spring as the ground is starting to warm up yet still retains good moisture; Foliage Sprays - lime sprays are applied to guard against fungal desease; Working the soil - to avoid excessive use of herbicides to control unwanted weed or excessive grass growth; Canopy trimming and training - directing the new growth to establish the balance of the vine and to expose adequately the grape bunches to sunlight.

SUMMER: Irrigation - this period of flowering and fruit-set is a critical time in which the vine needs warm and calm weather, and in which the itrevention of the grower is limited. Irrigation will begin at this time in dry regions. Vine Maintenance - foliage spray by the Bordeaux mixture or other approved substances; Trimming the vine - canes to be trimmd and foliage raised and attached to the trellis wires to allow maximum sunlight to reach the leaves and grapes. Working the soil - the area under the vines is not to be disturbed, but the soil between the rows of vines is sometimes lightly plowed to prevent runoff and to conserve moisture. Pest Control - caterpillars. moths, snails, and toward ripeing, birds have to be controlled.

AUTUMN: Harvest - machine harvesting or the gentler, slower, more controllable hand-picking of quality grapes will be carried out as decided by the viticulturist and the oenologist at this time. Application of Post-harvest sprays - at about 50% leave fall, sprays are applied to kill mildew spores that would otherwise establish themselves on the vine during winter. Working the soils and application of the fertilizers - manure and fertlizers are worked into the soil and the soil is banked up under the vines to protect them from frost. Vineyard Maintenance - between the end of harvest and the commencement of pruning much vineyard maintenance is required, to keep the vineyard in tip-top condition, clean and neat, with all cuttings removed and disposed of or chopped and incorprated into the soil; trellising is checked and repaired; broken wiring renewed. etc.

Vines have been found to grow best between the latitudes of 30 to 50 degrees North and 30 to 50 degrees South. The average yearly temperature must not be  below 10deg C, and the ideal is an average of 14Deg C. Too much heat will result in small grapes with toigh skins and high potential alcohol with low acidity. Too little heat will rsult in grapes high in acidity and short on sugar and flavour.

Climate change is having an effect on vine growing worldwide. Australia in the Southern Hemisphere and countries in the Northern hemispher like for example Spain  have been subjected to droughts with the resultant lack of water for irrigation purposes.This has meant that rootstock varietals and viticultural methods shall have to be looked at and re-assessed in the present traditional growing areas. Climate change have also had its benefits in northern countries which traditionally lacked the required sunshine and temperatrures, and which are now seeing a massive improvement in their vine growth and grape quality. Such countries are England, Switzerland, Germany.

Of all the climatic conditions frost is the  most feared. Frost in late Spring will damage new shoots, thus reducing the size of the crop at harvest.

Locations are of the utmost
importance.

Locations and aspects of vineyards are of the utmost importance as vines require the ultimate amount of available sunshine in any location. The best aspects are normally South facing slopes or terraced locations. This causes the vines to recieve more concentrated rays from the sun. Temperatures are important to the well being of the vine, but sunlight is also a vital factor. Warm daytime hours and cool or cold nights are beneficial and allow the vines to rest at night and consequentially raise the acid content of the grapes.

Winds can also cause problems for the vines. Too much wind can cause vines to close down thus halting the process of photosynthesis. Strong windscan damage the vines by breaking off stems and leaves. a little wind or slight breezesare sometimes needed and desired to dry out the vines and leaves when wet and thus reduce the danger of rot.

Other important factors that would affect the quality of the grapes are vine densities, vine training, canopy design and management, pruning, irrigation, yields, green picking of the grapesto reduce yield and vine green pruning.

Desease and pests are other variables which need to be addressd and watched for continuously.

The overriding attribute of a good terroir is balance. Balance in the soil; balance in the climate; and balance in its treatment.

Fine wine.

Making outstanding wine is not an easy matter. In the vineyard the selection of the most suitable varietal on the most suitable rootstock, for the prevailing conditions and the type of wine that is intended to be produced is of the greatest importance. Many varieties of grapes are used to produce wine. The majority are based on the grafting of scones of mainly European varieties of the species Vitis Vinifera on to American rootstock. Such grafting began in the nineteenth century after all vineyards in Europe and all over the vine growing world of the time were destroyed by the louse Phylloxera which was inadvertently imported into Europe from the United States of American  with American rootstock that was infested with this tiny bug. This practice has continued all over the world ever since to elimate another very costly outbreak.

Grafting is also used on existing vines, to replace varietals which may not be performing well in the prevailing conditions, and/or which might not be popular and in demand.

Viticulturists are well aware of the dangers imposed on their vineyards through various desease and pests, that appear in vine from time to time and which may attack vines as well as the grapes wiuth disastrious results. Some of these deseases and pests are named herewith for reference:

Botrytis Cinerea.

- Botrytis Cinerea or rot appears in avariety of forms, one of which is highly priced. This is called "Noble Rot", but if this becomes grey rot or black rot, the desease will be disastrious for the grapes.

- Leaf Roll Virus is spread by the mealy bug and through infected cuttings.

- Coulure is the non-proliferartion of some of the blossoms, causing the grapes either to fall off or never to develop.

- Eutype or Dead Arm Desease is a fungal desease which affects the trunk and canes of the vine and causes them to die slowly.

- Fanleaf Virus causes the leaves and shoots to be deformed with poor fruit set and serious reduction in yield.

- Millerandage is another result of cold, wet vweather at flowering, causing poor fruit set which prevent some of the berries from developing.

- Nematodes are minute round worms which feed on the roots of th vine.

- Powdery Mildew attacks the green parts of the vine and develop white spores which have a powdery appearance.

- Downy Mildew known as Peronospera also attackes the green parts of the vine in particular the leaves and cause them to fall off. This reduces the photosynthesis causing late ripeing, reducing yields and lower sugar content in the grapes.

Phylloxera Adults and eggs.

-Phylloxera Vastestrix is a small and very tiny louse-bug which originated in the USA and devastated the vineyards of Europe and the rest of the world other than the USA whose generic and indegenious vines were resistant to it. The existence and emergence of Phylloexera Vastetrix  in Europe was first recorded in 1863. This bug attacks the roots of the vine and is letal on Vitis Vinifera vines.

The Phylloxera bug.

- Pierce's Desease is a bacterial infection which kills vines affected by it. There is no known cure for it at the moment. It is mainly prevailent in the Napa and Sonoma valleys and in Southern California, but might find its way to other countries if careful attention is not given to imported rootstock and even other plants.

As was stated at the beginning of these notes, great wine is produced in the vineyard, and that fine wine can only be produced from great and high quality fruit. As can be seen from the above, this is not an easy matter as the work and expertise involved is considerable as well as very expensive. Great and fine wine come at a cost, but the investment must start in the vineyard. That is the only way that the oenologists can finally produce such wines in the winery for us to enjoy.

Harvested prime grapes.

One of the very finest and most
expensive wines in the world

  

So what do you know about wine faults?

Wine Faults:

There are a considerable number of wine faults and flaws which are common knowledge, such as oxidation, cork taint often referred to as corked wine, heat damage due to bad storage, etc. There are also many obscure faults that are dealt with in textbooks, and which may be found in home-made wines, but which are not common in mainstream commercial wines. Here, I shall endeavour to name some of the most important flaws and faults that might occur in wine not only during the production stage, that is, after the grapes had been harvested, but even slightly before, when the grapes are still on the vine. The main faults, but, do occur and develop during the production stage, and some even in the bottle.

Varietal Character or Fault:
Hydrogen Sulfide; Sulfides and Marcaptans.

Hydrogen sulfide formation, which if left untreated by the winemaker forms marcaptans. This gives rise to flavours ranging from rotten eggs to burned rubber, none of which are in the least attractive or desirable. With some wines it is a sign of their typicite', when the wine is still young, and once the wine age, in most instances, pure fruit aromas and flavours develop.

One of the prime sources of hydrogen sulfide is elemental sulfur. In many parts of the world, elemental sulfur is used extensively in vineyards to control powdery mildew or oidium. Sprays made out of a mixture of sulfur, lime and copper is a traditional spray which originated in France, and is commonly known as the Bordeaux Mix. This mixture is also used extensively in most wine-grape growing countries and regions both in the Old-World as well as in the New-World, as grape growers and viticulturists seek to pull back from the systematic chemical and bio-chemical sprays whose long term side-effects are uncertain and not really known. In this regard it is advisable that grape growers cease to spray sulfur at least one month before harvest.

Hydrogen Sulfide is produced to a degree in almost every fermentation. Even if no elemental sulfur is present. The yeast breaks down certain amino-acids and in the course of doing so triggers the formation of hydrogen sulfide. If the hydrogen sulfide is left untreated , it reacts with other chemicals in the wine to form, as has been said earlier, more complex sulfur compounds , usually  referred to as marcaptans. These substances can be very difficult to remove.

Marcaptans in themselves are far more varied than hydrogen sulfide, and they assume an ungodly range of totally unpleasant personalities  such as burned rubber, tar, rotten game, fowl manure, rancid garlic, leather, gravel to name a few, are some of the aromas, while the taste always has a bitter astringent finish to add to whatever particular flavour it may have.

Once bottled, certain types and styles of wine, have to be aged for several years in the bottle prior to release; but there are many wines that are released young for immediate consumption. The best way to make sure that the wine that you are about to drink,( unless it is an everyday, quaffing wine), is free from most of these gasses and substances, is to open the bottle a few hours before it is to be drunk and or better still to decant it, so that it will be given the opportunity to breath and dispose of all undesirable gasses to the atmosphere.

Volatile Acidity:

Is volatile acidity a fault or a virtue in a wine? It is well known that VA is present in all wine to a lesser or greater degree.

Volatility or the presence of acetic acid and ethyl acetate, is caused in three ways, at different times and different degrees. The initial level which is present in all commercial wines, stems from their inevitable formation as by-products of yeast activity during the primary fermentation. The next cause is the malolactic fermentation, and the last, and most destructive, is bacterial activity, which can be either lactic bacteria, and acetic bacteria, that in the presence of air, readily oxidise alcohol to acetic acid and ethyl acetate.

The level at which volatility becomes apparent varies with the wine. At low levels it manifests itself as a slight piquancy . As the level increases, the piquancy becomes sharpness, which might muffle other aromas. Finally if it increases it gets to a vinegary, fiery, sourly acidic finish on the palate, with a solvent like aroma.

Volatile acidity can be prevented through the use of reverse osmosis technology, which is also used to remove water from must or juice. It also allows the reduction of acetic acid to whatever level the winemaker stipulates.

Maintenance of adequate levels of sulfur dioxide, the exclusion of oxygen, cool to cold storage in casks, and an appropriate pH level will help prevent the development of unwanted levels of volatility. Once a wine is bottled, prevention of undue ullage (that is the space between the wine level in the bottle and the cork once pressed in place), together with good storage, under stable, cool conditions, will protect it.

Oxidation:

There are two principal types of oxidation: Chemical and Micro-Biological.

Chemical oxiditaion is a two-stage process. First, oxygen is taken into and dissolved in the wine. Depending on a number of factors, it will then slowly or quickly, as the case may be, react with phenols in the wine, causing chemical changes, principally seen as a loss in aroma, flavour, colour change, and degradation.

Micro-biological oxidation is caused by bacteria, which might also be present during the process of chemical oxidation and results in additional chemical or biological changes.

Oxygen can be absorbed by wine in almost any circumstance in which it is brought into contact with it. Any handling involving movement or agitation will have this effect. Racking, filtration (if misused), and transport are three examples.

An oxidised wine may partially briefly recover, but its ultimate demise will be hastened significantly and it will never approach its true potential.

Oxidation is one of the least forgivable faults in red wines, simply because it can so easily be prevented.

Brettanomyces or "Brett":

In the last three decades, a number of seemingly, unconnected developments have occured that have made "brett" the most common spoilage factor in wine.

First, there was a move toward higher natural alcohol in the wine of most wine-making countries, especially those obsessed with achieving high scoring points from the international wine critics.

Second, is climate change, and canopy manipulation, and picking of the grapes at a later date than normal, so that natural sugar concentration is increased.

Thirdly, is the use of highly efficient cultured yeast.

The internal relationship of some of all these factors varies from place to place, region to region, country to country. Elevated levels of alcohol in high quality wines are a matter of concern as not everyone likes, dense, full-bodied, rich, alcoholic wines, being either red or white.

Main response to solve these problems is to harvest the grapes earlier in the season, and to move to lower levels of sulfur dioxode additions. Cork permeability, that is the extreme variability in the oxygen permeability of one-piece natural corks, and thence their inability to retain near-constant levels of sulfur dioxide SO2.

Cork and Cask molds:

The weak point and main fault of the cork and some oak casks is trichloroanisole (TCA), which imparts a musty, moldy aroma and flavour. Everyone can, within reason, recognize a grossly corked bottle of wine. Winemakers accept the fact, that a significant number of their wine bottles, will be found wanting by consumers. Consumers might not realize that the faint bitterness they taste in wine is in fact cork mold. A croked wine will have a musty, wet-carpets type smell, and the taste will invariably be flat. About 3 to 7 per cent of all bottled wine is found to be corked.

If a wine batch is affected by cask mold, this in all cases should be recognized and found out by the winemaker prior to bottling.  Once discovered to contain this serious fault, the wine must be disposed of down the drain. TCA taint cannot be removed once it has taken hold.

Another taint is mousiness, which is formed by certain types of lactic acid bacteria, which may work symbiotically with Brettanomyces, and which produce a nearly identical mousy smell.

To prevent either of the above, proper levels of sulfur dioxide have to be maintained both in the casks as well as in the bottle.


Reduction:

Let me make one point very clear: by Reduction we do not want to mean a reduction in the ullage, that is the level of the wine, in either casks or bottles. It is much more technical than this.

Reduction is a chemical reaction that is in effect the complement of oxidation and one in which an element or compound gains electrons. The essential feature of oxidation is, that electrons are transferred from the component being oxidised to the one being reduced. That is, to have a reduction, something else must be oxidised.

Wine in a stoppered bottle or other airtight container is said to be in a reductive state because any reaction that takes place within it reduces the possibilities for further change by using up some of the available oxygen.

Reduction has become a much debated topic in the wine trade since the more wide-spread adoption of tin-lined screw-caps as closures. These make a near impermeable seal which prevent the entry of the miniscule amount of oxygen that can be permitted by a cork closure. But, it must be pointed out, that reduction is not unique to wines stoppered with a screw cap. The gas impermeability of very good cork stoppers has been shown to be as good as screw caps. Reduction characters can therefore appear in a wine regardless of the closure, unless the characters have been prevented or removed during the wine making process, as explained in preceding headings in this feature.

Hydrogen Sulfide, Marcaptans, Thiols, etc., tend to form under reduction and therefore the foul smells described earlier under these headings, can be detected when "Reduction" in a wine bottle has taken place.

Non-Faults:

Fragments of cork which might be caused whilst openening the bottle is neither a wine fault nor is it a flaw.

Sediment in the bottom of a wine bottle is not a fault nor is it a flaw.

Wine diamonds which are deposits of potassium bitartrate crystals that form at the bottom of bottles of some highly rated white wines, is not a fault. These diamonds are not sand, glass or any other lethal substance or signs of incompetent winemaking. They occur naturally in certain wine styles, and might in most case dissipate with age. But nevertheless if found, they are not considered to be faults or flaws.

Wine sparkles, spritz or petillance, is normally tolerated in most aromatic, light-bodied wines; are frowned upon in full-bodied whites; and rejected in red wines.
If this is caused by a secondary, probably malolactic fermentation in the bottle, this is totally undesirable. But if it's just carbon dioxide it might not be a fault as this is normally removed naturally by aging in the bottle.

Most wine tasters, alas, do not take the latter into consideration and just put the blame on the secondary fermentation which would automatically condemn the wine as faulty. Education and experience is required here.

There might be others which some of you might have read about in books, but the above illustrate the most important faults and flaws in wine. The best, commercial winemakers, even the mainstream ones, take very careful steps to avoid these faults during the production process, and the improvements in both viticulture as well as oenolgy knowldege have to a very large degree improved the science of winemaking from the soil and vineyard direct to the bottle to give consumers a near perfect bottle of wine.

The World's Top Ten Most Famous Wine Regions and Wine Holiday Destinations Part 10: NEW ZEALAND.

THE WORLD'S TOP TEN MOST FAMOUS WINE REGIONS AND WINE HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS.

10. NEW ZEALAND.

Wine Regions of
New Zealand.

New Zealand is the last country in this ten part feature about the most famous wine regions and wine holiday destinations. Not that there are no more wine producing countries in the world apart from these ten. It could be that you might go to countries such as: Hungary, Greece, Austria etc. and you might enjoy a good wine tasting holiday as part of your overall vacation, but these ten are considered to be the top.

New Zealand lies isolated in the middle of the South pacific. The country is composed of two long main islands, called simply the North Island and the South Island. There are numerous offshore islands which form part of the archipelago.




New Zealand's vineyards are the southernmost in the world. They are also the first vineyards on earth to see the sun each day thanks to New Zealand's location close to the international date line.

The Best Sauvignon Blanc
in the World.

New Zealand was virtually unknown as a wine producing country up to the mid-1980's, when a single wine, sauvignon blanc, put this country on the international wine map.

New Zealand's top sauvignons are among the most exotic, vibrant, intensely flavoured sauvignon blancs in the world. Quite simply they taste like no other sauvignons made. Exquisite. The county's Chardonnays are also elegant. New Zealand's main grape growing region for these two garpe varieties is Marlborough on the South Island.

Vineyards and scenery.

40 per cent of New Zealand's vineyards are located on the North Island in the two largest and most important wine districts - Gisborne and Hawke's Bay, and the territory around Auckland were the greatest number of wineries can be found. Wairarapa/Martinbotough are famous for their Pinot Noir.

In 1973, Montana Wines planted vines in Marlborough on the South Island and pioneered what was to become one of the most prestigious wine districts in the whole country.
Nelson, Canterbury and Central Otago are smaller wine regions on the South Island but also worth a visit once there.

New Zealand's vineyards grow mainly the following grape varieties: Sauvignon Blanc; Chardonnay; Muller-Thurgau; Pinot Gris and Riesling for the production of white wine; and Cabernet Sauvignon; Merlot and Pinot Noir for their reds.

The Maori - New Zealand's
Ethnic people.

New Zealand food finds its origin from many places in the world starting from the Pacific, to Polynesia, Asia and Europe. All these influences have had great impact on what has become a cooking reference.

Maori Traditional Food
The Hangi.

Food in New Zealand is appreciated and shared in a relaxed and generous way. It is important to experience the way of life in a country by merging into its lifestyle. Food is one special way to do so. The Maori Hangi cuisine is a must to try when in New Zeland. It's the traditional way to merge with the ethnic people of this great country.

New Zealand Beef Bavette.

New Zealand Lamb.

New Zealand is a bit far off the beaten track, but it is a wonderfull country to visit if one can afford it and has the time to tour it. Remember that there are two very large main islands to tour.





Happy touring. Should you visit any of these ten countries, and should you have the opportunity to spend a few days in a wine region and to savour both the wines and the cuisine, please let us know. Tell us about your experiences and adventures.

New Zealand Kiwi.

New Zealand Wine.
Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc
And Cabernet Sauvignon.

The World's Top Ten Most Famous Wine Regions and Wine Holiday Destinations Part 9: SPAIN.

Wine Regions of Spain

THE WORLD'S TOP TEN MOST FAMOUS WINE REGIONS AND WINE HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS.

9. SPAIN.
Spain is the third largest wine producer in Europe behind France and Italy. This is due to very low yields and wide spacing of the old vines planted on dry, infertile soil found in many Spanish wine regions.

Rosado.

For many Spanish vintners now making wine with shiny high-tech equipment, it seems as though it was only just yesterday when they were stripping off their clothes, hopping into the vats and crushing the grape harvest by foot. For all the modernization that the country has experienced, Spanish winemakers continue to respect the wisdom of the old ways - and the exceptional flavours that results from them.

Tempranillo Grape.

Spain has over 600 varieties of native grapes, but the country's wine production comes only from some 20 of these grape varieties.

Rioja City View.

Spain's most famous wine destination is RIOJA, which is divided into three regions: Rioja Alta; Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Baja.
Most recognised for its outstanding red, produced from the tempranillo grape, the region's wines are particularly distinctive because of the oak aging and delicious vanilla flavours. Rioja's red wines are aged longer before release than any other wine in the world hence their high quality and body. Rioja is often tought of as Spain's Bordeaux, although its wines have a delicacy more reminiscent of Burgundy.
The beautiful vineyards of Rioja lie on the River Ebro valley, with mountains to the north. The distinctive orangey-red soils of the Rioja Alta accounting for at least half the wine production. The highest quality grapes come from Rioja Alavesa a wide slope on the north of the Ebro. The Rioja Baja is a warmer climate and lies significantly lower down the slope on a flat area, with soils of alluvial deposits.

Albarino best white wine for fish
and seafood in the World.

Ribera Del Duero which is known for their Tempranillo grape production are also famous wine destinations. Its most legendary and expensive red wine in Spain, Vega-Sicilia's Unico is made here.

Jerez on the other hand is famous for its Sherry.

Penedes is famous for its sparkling wine as well as numerous good wines made with a full-fruit style.

Rias Baixas famous for its exciting white wines, such as Albarino which is a racy, refreshing wine considered one of the best matches in the world for seafood.

One of the best
Rioja Crianza Wine.




Crianza.

Priorato is a tiny isolated wine region just west of Tarragona in Catalonia but is famous for its Cabernet Saivignon, Carinera, Garnacha, Merlot, Syrah and Tempranillo grape varieties from which are produced excellent world famous wines.


Spain is world famous for its paella which comes in all forms and sizes, and which can be enjoyed by all tastes:

Spanish Paella.

Spanish paella.

Spanish Paella.