June 2024
Wine Box Experience - Alex Salazar
Navigating Worldly Wines
This month we are exploring the differences between how Europe classifies its wines versus the rest of the world. To represent that I’ve selected 2 wines (Miros de Ribera Ribera del Duero Roble from Spain & Araucano Clos de Lolol from Chile) which have an interesting approach to wine making while classifying themselves in, what feels like, opposing designations in the world.
When we refer to last month’s Wine Box Topic Sheet for classification systems in Europe, we learn that European countries are governed strongly by laws. Every wine made which registers under this system must abide by the laws of the region, from which grapes can be used to how long the wine must be aged. This is the opposite in the rest of the world. When you look at this month’s Topic Sheet, you see that everywhere else any grapes and whatever methods of winemaking can be used to produce a wine based on more flexible standards by region.
The wines selected this month display these principles in a unique way. In the case of the Spanish wine, they use modern techniques while still abiding to traditional standards, and with the Chilean wine, they use traditional methods while providing a modern approach to the wine. Let’s explore these concepts a little further.
With the Miros de Ribera RDD Roble from Spain, the winemakers at Bodegas Peñafiel love to use modern winemaking techniques like new oak barrels which give the wine a richness uncommon for many wines from this area, but still abide by the standards of the region using 100% Tinto Fino grape, or Tempranillo as it is commonly known, and aging it a minimum of 6 months in barrel to earn the classification of “Roble” for the Ribera del Duero (RDD) region.
On the other hand, when we look at the Araucano Clos de Lolol from Chile the winemakers are the Lurton Family, which are a family of French winemakers who love their traditional grapes (Syrah, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Malbec & Petit Syrah), but are blending them in a uniquely modern way with the national grape of Chile (Carmenère). The result being a wine that speaks to their French roots but sings Chilean wine in its style.
The experience of these wines is meant to represent how in each wine the producers are trying to take advantage of where the wines come from while still providing a nod to the approach of the winemakers. The perfect blend of old and new world in one bottle. Cheers!
