Let's discover emerging Wine Regions

SPECIAL FEATURE, by Joanie Métivier

The wine world offers a wide array of unparalleled styles and flavors. The boundaries of viticulture and winemaking are constantly being pushed. Yet, many fabulous terroirs are still unknown or even unexplored. In fact, much of today's wine is produced in places you may have never even heard of; and this despite their production of significant volumes and involvement in the wine industry for centuries, or in some cases, even millennia. These emerging areas may surprise you and be interesting to discover.

ENGLAND

England has recently established itself as one of the world's largest producers of sparkling wine. Over the last 30 years, bubbles have been appearing in various regions across the south of England, where climate change has created the perfect conditions for sparkling wine production. Wine-growers follow the same model used for Champagne, growing the region's three grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Still, their wines have a unique identity. The essential characteristic of the "English style" is freshness. By freshness we're referring to an electric-like rush of acidity, coupled with invigorating minerality and the taste of orchard fruits.

FINGER LAKES, NEW YORK

In 1982, New York's Finger Lakes region was established as an American Viticultural Area (AVA), the American equivalent of an IGP. It's the United States' 4th largest state by production. Yet, there are only 130 producers, most of them small family wineries.

The region is especially known for its Riesling production. Producers offer all the different styles of Riesling ranging from dry to semidry, even including unique terroir expressions. The last decade has seen them showcase Riesling's enormous potential and produce world-renowned wines, revealing a unique identity and great precision.

But as you travel through the region, you may be quite surprised by the diversity of both the grape varieties and wine styles produced there. Cool-climate Chardonnay offered in various styles and expressions, smoked Cabernet Franc, more and more Gewürztraminer, and even Grüner Veltliner are planted alongside the shores of the different lakes. The production of sparkling wine has also been recognized as an enormous success.

GUADALUPE VALLEY, MEXICO

Over the past five years, the idea of wine-making in Mexico has gone from completely crazy to very appealing. Situated on the Baja Peninsula and straddling the US-Mexican border, the Guadalupe Valley boasts some 150 wineries, most of them small operations taking full advantage of good winemaking conditions. Here the usual rules don't apply. The Napa-like weather, 1000-feet elevation, and Mediterranean microclimate allow producers to experiment with grape varieties and styles to suit their tastes.

PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA

Often referred to as wines from the end of the world, Patagonia, especially the Rio Negro Valley, located 430 miles south of Mendoza, is home to the southernmost vineyards in the world. The vines are planted against a backdrop of spectacular glaciers. Amazingly, even though the region is well-known for its snow-capped mountains, the vines are located in foothills at an elevation of around 820 feet. They're still exposed to extreme weather conditions though, including incessant gales, a rather cool climate, late frosts, and large temperature variations.

While Argentina is mostly known for its fruity and mature red wines, Patagonia is known for its Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs, offering a fine balance between refreshing acidity and the power of fruit aromas.

NEW GRAPE VARIETIES IN BORDEAUX

On June 28, 2019, a list of 6 new authorized grape varieties was approved for the production of Bordeaux- and Bordeaux Supérieur-designated wines. This addition to the list of 13 classic grape varieties authorized for these designations (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carménère, Merlot Rouge, Malbec, and Petit Verdot for the reds, and Sémillon, Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle, Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Merlot Blanc, and Mauzac for the whites), helps in the fight against the consequences of global warming on the vines.

These grape varieties were selected among the 52 tested since 2009 on an INRA experimental plot in Villenave-d’Ornon as part of the "Vitiadapt" experience.

ARINARNOA, a bright red grape variety obtained by crossing tannat and cabernet sauvignon, producing well-structured, tannic wines.

CASTETS, very resistant to gray rot, downy mildew and powdery mildew, all major areas of concern in Bordeaux. It allows for the creation of very colorful long-keeping wines.

MARSELAN, a rather late variety, a cross between cabernet sauvignon and grenache that produces colorful wines well-suited for aging.

TOURIGA NACIONAL, already very common and known in Portugal. This variety is resistant to spring frosts and temperature spikes and produces complex, aromatic wines of excellent quality that are highly-suited to aging.

ALVARIHNO, white grape variety known for its freshness; usually found at Rias Baixas in Spain or Vinho Verde in Portugal.

LILILORIA, white grape variety, cross between chardonnay and baroque, originally from Gascony. Selected for its pronounced aromatic qualities, allowing it to make up for the loss of aromas often caused by global warming.

The wine world will never stop impressing us with its innovation and growth. Geographic and climatic limits are no match for the passion and determination of wine growers around the world. It is the same for winemaking; progress is always at the forefront and that's what makes this world so captivating.