Grape Alternatives

Different Wine Grapes, a quick guide.

 

There are, according to different sources, approximately 10,000 different wine varieties grown throughout the world today.  Wine Enthusiast breaks down those to “just” 300 of the more commonly found wine grape varieties.  Other professional wine websites break this number down into 24 or even the 10 most common types you will come across.  These numbers are a little more palatable.  In our experience we’ve found its easier to break these numbers down into red wine and white wine varieties. For now, we are going to focus on single grape varietals.   In most regions around the world, sometimes the region describes the wine, not the variety.  An example of this would be Bordeaux, which is usually a blend of five different grapes.  Or Burgundy, which is a region that predominantly produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  There are exceptions, in the wine industry, there are always exceptions.  

 

Our intention is to take this a step farther.  Below are the most popular, and most produced varieties.  That often means they’re going to be more expensive.  We pay for brands, and grape varieties, regions and produces have become brand names.  So, we’d like to also point out similar alternatives that are lessor known but have similar characteristics to their more popular cousins.  We will of course, offer a discount to our Viognier at the end of the post.  

 

So what are some of the more well-known red and white wine grapes?  Here is a quick list of 20 wines:

 

Red:

- Merlot
- Pinot Noir
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Syrah/Shiraz
- Termpranillo
- Sangiovese
- Zinfandel
- Malbec
- Grenache
- Nebbiolo

 

White:

- Chardonnay
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Pinot Grigio
- Riesling
- Chenin Blanc
- Viognier
- Semillon
- Gewurtzaminer
- Mustcat
- Vermentino

 

We have found that people tend to order and drink wine varieties and wine brands they are familiar with and recognize from experience. Which can be very helpful when looking at a complicated wine list at a restaurant.  Especially when you’re about to have a meal with friends or colleagues.  We recommend consulting the restaurants sommelier if possible.  Explain to them your budget, and maybe some of the dishes you’re thinking of ordering and the wine or wine styles that you like. (if there isn’t a Sommelier (Somm)available, a quick google search putting in some of these parameters often works well).  Let them come back to you with a couple options and alternatives to the variety you usually order.  You might be surprised with something new and worst case; you’ll officially know you don’t like that new grape.  If you’re dining with a larger group, it’s nice to always ask the Somm or waiter to keep an extra bottle of what you ordered ready, so you don’t run out during the meal.  

 

Here are some alternatives to the top three red and white grape varietals. 

 

Red Wine Grape Alternatives:

- For Merlot try: Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Valpolicella or Ripaasso,  Grenache or Nebbiolo.  
- Alternatives for Pinot Noir might be: Gamay, Cinsault, Mencia, Trousseau or Frappato.  
- Instead of Cabernet Sauvignon maybe try a Syrah, Mouvedre, Tempranillo, Grenache or Aglianico

 

White Wine Grape Alternatives:

- Instead of a classic Chardonnay maybe try our viognier! Or Chenin Blanc, Godello or Etna Bianco.  
- For Sauvignon Blanc instead try Gruner Veltliner, Vernaccia, Albarino or Vermentino
- Maybe instead of Pinot Grigio try Soave, Cortese, Greco di Tufo, or a Muscadet

 

Hopefully this helps the next time you are thinking of what to order at a restaurant or searching the shelf of a local wine store for something to pair with dinner.  Please use CHARDORNOT for 20 percent off 6 or more bottles of our viognier for the month of October.

Bottling Line

Bottling wine is the final step in wine production.  It is the closing paragraph, concluding that year’s harvest, which begins with the budding of the grapes on the vines.  This year we bottled our 2022 Pinot Noir and our 2023 Viognier.  The grapes were harvested a year apart but bottled together.  This is because our Pinot Noir spends 8-14 months in an assortment of new and used French oak barrels.  We like to use the analogy that the different types of barrels that we use are like a spice cabinet when cooking.  Our Viognier is a pure expression of the grape and not only doesn’t have any extended aging, but there isn’t any oak barrel aging. While the conclusion of the year always ends with bottling our wines, the process changes every year.  

 

We don’t follow a recipe in our wine production.  Every vintage presents itself with unique situations and challenges that we must deal with.  It is better to say, we have a wine making philosophy which we follow, rather than a strict recipe, adding 2 tablespoons and ¾ a cup every time will not produce the same results in a winery as it would baking in a kitchen.  Our philosophy is simple.  Be as minimal as we can with any additions, taste the wine frequently and always question and refine our practices and beliefs.  A good example of this is in the corks that we now use.

 

When we first began building our brand and producing our wines, we strived for the “best” quality in every aspect we could source.  Our bottles were heavy, beautifully crafted glass from France, our foils were heavy tin from Germany and our corks were the longest, highest grade from Portugal.  As our understanding of the industry and our customers evolved, so did our focus on the products we sourced and the reason for sourcing them.  

 

During the pandemic, we started shipping more of our wine.  Our beautiful, heavy Burgundian bottles hindered this development.  Our packages were heavy, bulky and had higher than normal breakage.  We solved this problem by sourcing a lighter bottle.  Our heavy tin foils were harder to remove, and the edges were sharp.  We changed these as well.  It took us awhile, but after hearing some bad cork stories from our customers, we changed our corks also.  The reality is, after the wines leave the winery, we do loose some control of how they are handled.  

 

Our goal is to always have the best quality wine poured from our bottles.  And that is what we focus on.  We’ve realized that the quality of that wine is what people talk about.  Not the cork, or the foil or even the glass bottle (Although our limited edition run of Albertus Magnus bottles might test that thought.  Some of our customers made lamps and filled them with sand after they were so beautiful) it is what is inside the bottle that’s important.  When we are ready to bottle our wine, we are looking to source the best quality products to protect and ensure that the wine you pour, is what we intended when we produced it.  

 

The day we bottle is a special day for us.  The bottling line is a conveyor belt of automation and finally tuned parts.  Years of work and preparation are culminated in a final product.  We always smile at the first bottle, then case, then palate that goes through the line.  The latest wines that we bottled were our 2022 Pinot Noir and our 2023 Viognier.  While they are not available yet for release, they will be soon.    Use the promotion code: FIRSTPICK23 for half price shipping on any order of 3 or more bottles.  The first 10 people to use the code will also get an extra 10% off.  Thank you for your support!

Olive Oil

In our modern world, olive oil is something we might drizzle on our salads, slowly pour into our aioli, or to fry our fish with.  But its history and its uses go back to at least 3500 BC, when the earliest olive oil amphorae, are dated. Most likely even before 4000 BC.  However, its uses went far beyond a food seasoning.  There is historical documentation of olive oil being used as fuel for Roman oil lamps, perfumes, lubricants, and soaps.  There is even a history of using it as a preservative for fruits and human bodies before burial.  We prefer and recommend our olive oil as a compliment to food and our wine, but it is nice to know it has an incredibly diverse history of alternatives.

 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is the highest grade of Olive Oil, it is free of any chemical processes to change its composition.  The Olives are harvested and then cleaned before they are crushed using a mill.  The paste that comes out goes through a cold extraction and decantation.  Only the first press of juice is used, and this must be done at temperatures below 35 degrees Fahrenheit in order to retain EVOO status.  It is then filtered and stored in cold stainless-steel tanks.  Our Olive Oil has repeatedly qualified for Ultra Premium grade, the highest designation of quality.  

 

So why is EVOO one of the healthiest fats we consume?  According to Health.Harvard.edu, Howard E. LeWine, MD states, “olive oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, containing about 75% by volume. When substituted for saturated fat, monounsaturated fats help lower your "bad" LDL cholesterol. The health benefits of olive oil have been attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, observational studies have shown a link between lower risks of cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and even dementia in people who consume higher amounts of olive oil than those who use little or none.”  Not only does it add complex flavor and taste to a dish but it is very healthy for you to consume.  

 

As in different varietals of grapes, there are different varietals of olives.  We have three Italian varieties planted throughout our vineyard.  There are many other species planted around the world.  This combination has a history of being blended and co-planted together.  They are:

 

• Frantoio

Native to the Mediterranean it is the most widely planted olive in

Italy. Characteristically, these olives are slightly bitter, pungent with

aromas of green grass. It produces a sweet, astringent almond

flavored olive oil. These olives are well suited to our site and grow

very easily in our long and hot growing season.

 

• Pendolino

These olive trees are one of Italy’s most ancient species. They are

also universally praised as being the best pollinators. They pollinate

our Leccino Olives.

 

• Leccino

This olive is native to Italy and produces a high amount of

delicate olive oil. This delicate oil is a key contribution to our final

blend. The Leccino trees produces our largest olives and are always

the first to ripen.

 

When blended these olives make up the quintessential “Tuscan Blend” with herbaceous hints of fresh cut grass and almonds. It has golden color and is very viscous. In the finish it is soft and has a balance of bitterness and sweetness as it coats your mouth with a smooth nutty flavor.  Warning, it will tickle your throat ever so lightly on the way down if you take a sip and we recommend you do.  If you’d like to try some of our freshly pressed olive oil use the code BDVEVOO and for the next two weeks receive free shipping and 20 percent off a case of our freshly pressed olive oil.  

Rose Wine History

The history of Rosé predates our modern understanding of “red” and “white” wines.  Before grapes were separated by varietal, even before they were separated by color, the red and white grapes were crushed together.  This produced a darker, more tannic rose wine.  It wasn’t until the 6th Century, when grape vines from Greece, were planted in southern France, that the vines of our modern rosé wines started to grow.  Again, these were field blends, both red and white grapes, fermented together but producing a light, pink wine.  Over time, particularly in the 19th Century with the increase of tourism, it became fashionable to enjoy a glass of Rosé after a long day on the beach in the Cote d’Azur.  This helped create a sense of glamour and leisure often associated with drinking a glass of Rosé. 

 

Rosé became popular as an easy drinking summer wine.  Simple and straight forwarded but with an aura around it of ocean waves crashing on a beach.  Eventually this spread to the United States with the creation of brands like Mateus which initially enjoyed a nice reception as a sweet, easy drinking wine.  This wine was imported from Portugal and although had some swings in popularity, the taste for sweet rosé wine started to grow in the United States.  

 

Rosé wines weren’t really produced in the United States with any popularity until the 1970’s.  Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home Winery, while attempting to concentrate his red Amador County Zinfandel, incidentally brought into fashion “white zinfandel.”  It was actually discovered 100 years before in Lodi, California but never gained much popularity.  The story goes, as most in the wine industry tend to, that it was a stuck fermentation of white zinfandel by Stutter Home Winery which created a slightly sweet, blush pink, white Zinfandel Rosé.  Once it was released it became an instant hit.  (Essentially the yeast, eat sugar and create alcohol and Co2.  As the sugar levels drop the alcohol level rises and the Co2 burns off.  A stuck fermentation is when the yeast, for some reason, like temperature change, stop eating the sugar).  This wine also could have filled a void in the United States market created during the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, which eventually led to the democratic country we know today, but caused a signification drop in exports during that time.  

 

The popularity and production of Rosé wine grew through the 80’s and into the 90’s.  It did not however achieve any status as a fine wine.  It was usually an afterthought product for a winery and the quality of Rosé wines, especially those produced in the United States was minimal.  Eventually, with the help of some better-quality Rosé from southern France the tide began to turn and people realized they could have quality and Rosé in the same glass.  Soon it was all over the Hampton’s and numerous celebrities were endorsing or even investing in Rosé houses across the world.  Today the United States is one of the top consumers of Rosé, and the quality of production has improved.  

 

At BDV our idea was to keep this momentum going.  While we will never say you shouldn’t open a bottle of one of our Rosé wines on a beautiful beach or lying next to a luxury swimming pool (People do)!! It is a wine meant to be enjoyed with a well-prepared meal.  Grilled Salmon or a bagel and lox.  We spend a lot of time in our production ensuring a balance of skin, seed, and stem contact. It creates a slightly darker color with a smooth finish and fruit forward balance.  The slight structure in the wine is a nod to the original style of Rosé.  

 

We hope you enjoy our Albertus Magnus Rosé, now on sale for just $24 at bottle.  This is $15 off from our regular price of $39.  For orders of 6 bottles or more use the code BDVROSE for Free Shipping.  The code for this purchase is valid through May 31.   

Farming at Barowsky Disesa Vineyards

At Barowsky Disesa Vineyards (BDV) we are often asked about our farming methods.  There are many ways to farm a vineyard.  We think it’s important that the different types of practices are easily defined.  They are often confused, rightfully so, and all serve different purposes and achieve different results.  Sometimes vineyards even use multiple methods and overlapping styles.  Examples of some of the more common methods are Dry Farming, Sustainable Farming, Fish Friendly Farming, Organic Farming and Biodynamic Farming.  

Dry Farming or Dryland Farming is interesting because, in some areas around the world, vineyards have no choice but to farm this way.  This works by only allowing the water from nature to water the vineyard. Meaning, no irrigation, ever.  In some of the most popular viticultural areas in Europe, it is sometimes mandatory to farm this way. The areas known as the “5 B’s” Bordeaux, Burgundy, Brunello, Barolo and Barbaresco are all required to Dryland Farm.  It is important to note that these areas are often areas that get enough natural rainfall.  And more importantly, the origin of Dryland Farming regulation came not with the result of creating the best quality fruit, but to prevent farmers from irrigating the vineyards right before harvest to increase the weight of their fruit.  In most areas around the world, grapes are sold by metric weight.  More water in the fruit means heavier fruit with leads to a bigger payout.  Often it is not always the amount of rain that naturally falls, but when it falls that impacts the vineyard the most, so irrigating has become a tool to help vineyards obtain the best quality fruit.  

Organic and Biodynamic Farming are two methods which are most frequently confused, and are often interchanged, but they are different.  This could be because of the popular resurgence of Natural Wines.  The first step in creating such a wine, is farming Organically and then the process continues in the winery.  We will get into Natural Wines, and other types of wine in the future, when we talk about production methods.  All Biodynamic farming is Organic but not all Organic Farming is Biodynamic.  As every square is a rectangle, but not every rectangle is a square.   I think explaining Organic Farming, in related terms to grape growing first, is important. 

Organic Farming methods vary slightly around the world and in different viticultural areas.  But the important concepts involve only using natural products to maintain the vines and the soil.  The fertilizers, nutrients, and plant protection products are all natural and chemical free.  There are no herbicides, genetically modified organisms or synthetic chemicals used during farming.  Maintaining a healthy vineyard with organic additives is what Organic Farming is trying to achieve.  With everything in life, there are pros and cons of farming this way, or everyone would be doing it.  It can be cost prohibitive.  It can also lead to certain diseases or growths that are not healthy for the vineyard and negatively affect grape quality.  But it is a healthy approach towards sustainable farming.  

Organic Farming in California is done under The California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) is a USDA agency which certifies vineyards with an organic label if certain conditions are met and upheld.  These include, using only organic pesticides and fertilizers with strict recording of such, registration and fees paid to California and annual third-party inspections by a certifier of both record keeping and farming.  

Biodynamic farming takes organic farming a step further.   We like to describe this method as a philosophy more than a technique.  Not only do these vineyards farm under the strict guidelines of organic certifications there are some noticeable differences.  One might label these as metaphysical or spiritual.  They entail details such as, using home grown composting, following a calendar based on earth and cosmos patterns, and overall treating the vineyard as one entire living ecosystem.  Again, as in the following of organic farming practices we respect and admire the farms that choose this method for growing their vines.  

The farming methods described serve a purpose.  To be clear, at BDV we do not choose to strictly follow the above methods, and this is why.  Dry Farming for us is by all accounts, irrelevant.  We like to be able to control the amount of water the grapes get, and we have very little rainfall during the production season, so the vineyard is by all practical sense, farmed in a similar way.  We are always farming grapes to make the best quality and value focused wine.  We have over 13,000 vines planted on approximately eight acres of steep terrain.  It is a small vineyard focused on quality of fruit, and while the restrictions and ideas of farming biodynamically are very romantic, they are not practical for us.  That type of high-density planting would not be natural under any environment in nature so why pretend to present it as such.  With this in mind, we decided to obtain and follow what is known as the California Sustainable Winegrower Alliance (CCSW) and Fish Friendly Farming (FFF).    

These methods all have strict standards to obtain and upkeep and we respect all vineyards that have made the choice to do so.  We have found a less invasive, and more sustainable model at our vineyard which you often hear during wine tours.  We farm with organic intentions but are not certified.  This means we are aware that sometimes we need a specific fertilizer or spray which might not fall in the organic category but will benefit the health of our vineyard.  An appropriate analogy would be that we don’t limit the medications we could use to fight in an illness by only using homeopathic methods.  

The CCSW website says it best.  “Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CCSW) is a globally recognized and widely adopted certification program dedicated to producing quality wine grapes and wine while protecting the environment, people and businesses.”  This quick promotional video visually reinforces that statement: 

https://youtu.be/MCZQ3pt5b6o

The primary goal at BDV is to produce the highest quality fruit for our wines, while at the same time creating an environment that is healthy for the terroir of the vineyard and the people who farm it, all the while producing a wine that is of the highest quality value to our customers.  While there are many, many decisions that factor into what is poured into your glass from one of our bottles of wine, they all begin on the vineyard.  The health of the vineyard does not just encompass the vines or the soil.  Like the ambiguous definition of Terroir, we like to think of it as total sustainability.  For example becoming Fish Friendly Farming certified.  This is a sustainable program focused on restoring fish and wildlife habitats and improving water quality. True sustainability ensures that the grapes we grow will continue to produce wines for years to come.  We believe this not only produces the best quality of fruit for our wines, but is the best practice for our microclimate, the people who work there and the animals and organisms that survive there.  

This is our first letter outlining the differences of farming standards and their importance in wine production.  Throughout the season we will continue to explain more of the decisions and techniques we use in creating our wines.  Our goal is to become as transparent as possible so that when you pour a glass of our wine, you can enjoy it knowing all the decisions that go into it.