The New World

Writing about what wines to sample if one “did” a different wine every fortnight, I’ve covered sparkling and white wines; the reds of France; and reds from Italy, France and Spain. Which brings me to The New World: red wines from the rest of the world, outside Europe.

USA: Now the largest wine consumer in the world (yes, ahead of both France and Italy), with wines produced in every one of its 50 states (even Alaska), the United States of America has some terrific wines. Interestingly, California accounts for some 90 per cent of all wines produced in the US — with 2.5 billion litres produced in 2017. If California were a country, it would be the fourth-largest wine producer in the world!

Although wines were produced here since the mid-18th century, the defining moment for Californian wines came in 1976, when Steven Spurrier held the tasting now known as “The Judgement of Paris”, when for the first time it was established that their wines were as good (if not better) than the best Bordeaux and white Burgundies. Californian Cult Wines (expensive, largely available only directly) include Screaming Eagle, Sine Qua Non, Schrader, Harlan and Bryant Family — any one would do for my bucket list, if only I could get hold of a bottle.

The 2014 Baron de Brane blend has loads of ripe berry fruit on the nose with hints of liquorice, menthol and caramel

Argentina: Fed by snowmelt water from the Andes, vineyards were set up here back in the 16th century by missionaries from Spain and have made this the fifth-largest wine producer worldwide. The Mendoza region of central Argentina accounts for the bulk of their wines, with Malbec and Torrontés (a white) being their signature grapes. Look for Malbec from Achaval-Ferrer, Catena Zapata or Viña Cobos, and Torrontés from Alamos or Alta Vista.

Chile: Spanish colonists brought the wine grape to Chile also in the mid-16th century but exports took off only in the 1980s when Chilean wines established a reputation for high-quality wines at reasonable prices, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, producing an easy drinking wine with soft tannins and flavours of mint, blackcurrant, olives and smoke. Try wines from Concha y Toro, Viña Montes, Lapostolle or Viñas Santa Rita.

Australia: Wine production started here only towards of the end of the 18th century and, as expected, is concentrated in the cooler parts of the subcontinent: regions around Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The country is actually the world’s fifth-largest wine exporter, a trend that started only in the 1990s with better quality and value: Jacob’s Creek is India’s largest-selling imported wine.

However, the best Aussie wines are as good as anything in France or the US. My bucket list would include the Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Hermitage Shiraz, but also look at wines from exceptional wineries like Henschke, Mount Mary, Leeuwin and Cullen; see Langton’s Classification for a complete listing.

South Africa: The Dutch East India Company had established a trading station in Cape Town and produced their first harvest in 1659. Today, South Africa is the world’s eighth-largest wine producer; its signature grape is Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, produced in a lab in the 1920s. Go for a Kanonkop Black Label 2016 Pinotage from Stellenbosch, rated at 93 points by Wine Spectator. There are also excellent Pinotage wines from Beyerskloof, Neil Ellis and Fairview.

There are still speciality wines to cover, principally Port and Sherry but also dessert wines, which will conclude this series of articles.

Wines I’ve been drinking: The 2014 Baron de Brane, Château Brane-Cantenac (Margaux, Bordeaux) at The Wine Connoisseurs’ dinner at the Conrad Bengaluru. Rated at 89 points and priced at Rs 9,770 in Bengaluru, this Merlot/Cab blend had firm tannins, loads of ripe berry fruit on the nose with hints of liquorice, menthol and caramel,  and a powerful finish.

Alok Chandra is a Bengaluru-based wine consultant