Superiore

Generally indicates a wine of higher quality, often because it has more alcohol than the minimum required and/or it has been aged longer than regulations stipulate. Valpolicella Superiore, for example, is a Valpolicella with at least one year of aging in contrast to basic Valpolicella, which has no minimum.

What grape variety grown in Chile was, for many years, thought to be merlot?

A. Cabernet Sauvignon

B. Malbec

C. Carmenère

D. Cabernet Franc

Indigenous to Bordeaux, carmenère was brought to Chile in the late 1800s where inexplicably, it began to be made into wine called merlot. It wasn’t until the DNA fingerprinting of grapevines was pioneered in the 1990s that Chile’s “merlot” was discovered to be carmenère. Carmenère is now virtually extinct in Bordeaux, but is thriving in Chile where it can produce fascinating, soft, plush wines redolent of green tobacco, coffee, and leather.

Alsace—What You Need to Know

The wine region of Alsace looks like it’s right out of a fairytale. There are 119 storybook villages, tucked among over 38,000 acres of vineyards set against the backdrop of the Vosges Mountains. While Alsace… Continue reading

Get WineSpeed