Taste the place

In 2011 I tasted roughly 2,000 wines, and I can't see any reason why this year's tally will be much different. Some were tasted on their own, others over dinner, a couple of hundred were at wineries and hundreds of others were tasted blind (I didn't know who made them) in competitions.

For me, one of the characteristics that helps a wine stand out from the rest is a sense of place. Wine types call it terroir -- a French word that strives to encompass soil, climate, geography and everything else about the land and the place that makes a wine taste the way it does.

What does terroir taste like? It's tough to sum up neatly and simply. Terroir is often associated with European wines: the flintiness of German Riesling, the earthy notes in a Spanish Rioja, the lean, focused fruit of an Italian Sangiovese or the delicate mushroom and forest-floor components of a French red Burgundy.

On the other side of the coin are entry-level wines from new world wineries -- California, Australia, Chile, Canada, etc. These wines typically bring big, jammy fruit, often with a dollop of creamy oak. It's what many consumers like, so you can't blame winemakers for producing wine in this style. But wine geeks like me often cringe at this style. It's a homogenous style of winemaking whose origins are often as much in the boardroom as they are in the barrel.

To be clear, I don't think this fruit-forward style of wine is bad; I just find it gets boring fast. It's akin to only going on holiday to Disneyland or an all-inclusive resort -- enjoyable enough, but entirely predictable. Experiencing the local flavours of the country you're visiting -- the people, the food, the culture, etc. -- is such a rewarding experience. Like taking a holiday, drinking a glass of wine is almost always a joy, but the pleasure is diminished if you keep doing (or, in this case, tasting) the same thing.

Not all new world wines are constructed in that heavily extracted, super-ripe fruit/big oak style. Exploring different regions of these countries -- heck, of any wine-producing country -- is a valuable and rewarding exercise in terroir. When I was in Australia in May, for example, I tried dozens of stellar wines driven by the place they were made: delicate Tasmanian Pinot Noir, minty Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, complex Hunter Valley Semillon, vibrant Clare Valley Riesling, and burly, balanced Barossa Valley Shiraz. Yes, there were many entry-level "South Australia" or "South Eastern Australia" wines tasted, but they didn't reward in the same way terroir-driven regional wines did.

Next time you're looking to buy a new world wine -- or vino from any wine-producing country -- pick something from a specific region. It might cost you an extra few bucks, but you'll almost certainly be pleasantly surprised at how the expression of the region, the terroir, shines through.

Cloof 2010 The Very Vivacious Viognier (Darling, South Africa -- $17.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

I used to hate Viogniers -- I often found they were too oaky and overripe/borderline sweet. Here pear, spice, apricot and a definite floral note on the nose marry with light minerality. With only three months in second-fill French oak, there's just a touch of spice and vanilla on the dry, medium-bodied palate, letting bright peach, spice and pear notes shine with a balanced, restrained elegance. At a modest 12.5 per cent alcohol, there's not too much heat on the finish, either. 88/100

Aresti 2008 Limited Release Reserva Carménère (Curicó Valley, Chile -- $13.95, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Blackberry, black pepper, earth and milk chocolate notes are out front on the nose as the grape's typical vegetal/bell pepper characteristic lingers in the background. A bit leaner than most Carménères, the Aresti shows restraint, with black pepper, spice and earthy notes providing adequate structure around the core dark berry and chocolate flavours. There's a light mintiness to the dry, medium finish that works pretty well here, too. 87/100

Santa Margherita 2007 Chianti Classico (Tuscany, Italy -- $19.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Known mainly for its super-popular Pinot Grigio, Santa Margherita's Chianti Classico brings classic Sangiovese characteristics on the nose: dried and ripe cherries, earth, tobacco leaf and a hint of tomato plant and spice. A medium-plus-bodied red, the cherries are slightly sour on the palate, but that tartness is counterbalanced by bell pepper and raspberry notes, as well as modest oak and tannins. I'm impressed -- try this with eggplant parmigiana, or skip the eggplant and drink with some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. 90/100

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Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 14, 2012 E4