The Cellar: Spring Values
Friday, April 15, 2016
Steffen Rasch, GoLocalProv Wine Writer
Spring has (finally) arrived and it is time to soak up this season’s first rays of sunshine. And what type of wine is the best to accompany a lazy afternoon in the spring sun? Bubbles of course!
The bubbles I have decided to feature is a high-end Italian Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore made by Valdo. A step up from your ‘everyday’ Proseccos wines from Valdobbiadene can only be made from grapes grown in the Treviso province of Veneto on the steep hills between the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. The steepness of this sub-region’s terrain means that all the work in the vineyard has to be done by hand, everything from the pruning of the canopy to the eventual picking of the grapes.
After harvest the grapes are pressed gently with the following fermentation occurring with selected yeasts in stainless steel tanks. 5 months of traditional ‘Charmat’ ageing is followed by 3 months in the bottle. The resulting wine is soft and smooth with tiny fine bubbles and flavors of pears, peach and apricot. A nice, easy-drinking Prosecco for $15ish.
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Once you are done with the bubbles, and have thrown the steaks on the grill, it is time to open the red. This week’s recommended example is from southern France. More specifically, a traditional red blend from Corbieres; a sub region of Languedoc-Roussillon. The wines of Corbieres represent roughly half of all the wines produced in the Languedoc and by law have to be blends of at least two different varietals; this is the case for whites, rosés and reds alike. The region’s red wines are primarily blends of two or more of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan (in various proportions). Many of the region’s wines are available locally and usually very reasonably priced.
This week’s example, the 2011 Blason d’Aussières, retails for around $20. As one could imagine the warm Mediterranean sun assures ripe grapes on a consistent basis and with that, generous dark fruit flavors in the wines. And while the 2011 Blason is no exception there is a lot more to this wine than ripe fruit. The (only) medium-bodied 40% Syrah, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache and 10% Carignan blend was aged for 12 months in 20% new oak barrels. This means only subtle hints of wood, with plenty of acidity, game and savory herbaceousness – a particular trademark of the significant proportion of Mourvèdre. This is good stuff!
Cheers,
Steffen Rasch is a Certified Sommelier and Specialist of Wine. Follow him on Twitter at @SteffenRasch or learn about wine in person by signing up for one of his tastings at the Providence Wine Academy.
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