Vino Novello

The wine of the current year, now used in the same sense as Beaujolais Nouveau, though Italy’s vino novellos are not as highly promoted as France’s Beaujolais Nouveau.

What is Puliniacus?

A. A heritage strain of yeasts used in the 18th century when Champagne as we know it began

B. The name of a Roman poet who wrote about the beneficial relationship between wine and the emotions

C. The name of a village that later became known as Puligny-Montrachet

D. A type of rot that can overtake botrytis cinerea in the vineyard, potentially devastating sweet wine production in the vineyard affected

Originally a Gallo-Roman village known as “Puliniacus,” Puligny-Montrachet got its current name in the late nineteenth century. The wines of Puligny-Montrachet (poo-le-KNEE mon-ra-SHAY) are often considered the most ravishing chardonnays in the world. The tiny village (just 1,260 acres) sits in between two other great white wine villages—Chassagne-Montrachet to the south and Meursault to the north. Before World War II, the village was also planted with wheat, blackcurrants, and mulberries.

“Wine is earth’s answer to the sun.”

—Margaret Fuller,
American journalist
(1810 – 1850)

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