Zametovka (Zah-meh-TOV-kah)

Ancient Slovenian variety where it is used as part of the blend in the crisp, pale red Slovenian wine called Cviček. Known worldwide for a different reason—namely, the presumed oldest vine in the world—a 450-year-old vine in the Slovenian town of Maribor—is žametovka. Its nickname is Stara Trta, Slovenian for “old grapevine.”

On the island of Sicily, what is a contrada?

A. A wine grown in gravel soils

B. The name of single vineyard sites on Mt. Etna

C. The name of the agreement for selling wine grapes

D. A vintner who makes wine for personal use only

The term contrada, which is used throughout Sicily, means vineyard parcel. Each contrada is determined by a number of elements including altitude, soil, exposition, and microclimate. On Mt. Etna, the fingers of lava flow on which vines grow are known as contrade; often the name of the contrada will be listed on a wine’s label. There are more than 130 contrade on Mt. Etna alone. Not (yet) legal appellations, the contrade are more like historical hamlets, and each is made up of several tiny vineyard parcels. (“Roads” connecting the contrade are often so small they can only be traversed by foot or motorbike.)

The Name Shiraz

The Second Annual International Shiraz Day was yesterday. Herewith, some information on the name shiraz. Until the 1980s, Australians often called syrah “hermitage” and occasionally “shiraz.” But because Hermitage is an official appellation in the… Continue reading

Get WineSpeed