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Leslie Cramer
Wine ExaminerLeslie Cramer has worked in the fine wine industry for twenty- something years. Known in some circles as "The Wine Wizardess," she'll cover topics from wine education, to trends o' the day and how to properly propose a toast, to health benefits of the grape.
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Showing entries for Category: New-Zealand-Sauvignon-Blanc
Classic 'Noble' grapes, part two
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by Leslie Cramer, Wine Examiner
A Sauvignon Blanc and a Cabernet Sauvignon, two "nobles"
Whites:
- Chardonnay- A profoundly adaptable grape variety, it is the most successful white grape of classic vines. It is grown to perfection, especially in California, Australia, Burgundy, and Champagne (France). The grape is extremely climate-tolerant and may be aged in stainless steel, or more preferably oak to pick up characteristics of the cask. Flavors range from oak, to fruit (which will vary in hotter climates,) to butter.
- Sauvignon Blanc- This was a fairly recent classic 'entry.' Sauvignon Blancs are fresh, acidic and bold, yet with enough fruit to be enjoyable. Besides Bordeaux, where the grapes (along with the Semillon) make the whites of Sauternes and Graves, New Zealand and California are producing outstanding Sauvignon Blancs as well. The grape requires cooler conditions, and run run from fruity, to vegetal, to grassy tasting, even taking on the characteristics of cat pee, considerd by some a favorable trait.
- Riesling- This classic vine is grown to perfection in Germany, it is perfectly adapted to the cool, steep, river-slope vineyards. The virtues of Riesling are that it produces a wine that balances sweetness with acidity. It ripens late in the year, but this can mean superb sweet wines if the autumn is warm. Riesling also resists winter cold, able to survive frosts that kill other wines. It has a relatively low yield, by German standards. Rieslings can be dry or sweet, made for early-drinking or able to lay down and age for many years. Great Rieslings are also grown in Austria and the Alsace (France) as well as California, Australia, and New Zealand.
For more info: Try the Larousse Encyclopedia of Wine for these and all the other wine-producing grape varieties.
Topics: New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc , German Riesling
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