On the heals of back-to-back excellent vintages of 2009 and 2010, the “second-tier” appellations have produced some exciting wines that begin to enter the realm of affordable, a term that is rarely associated with red Burgundy. We have attached a quick reference list of those appellations in Burgundy (outside of Beaujolais) offering [...]]]>

On the heals of back-to-back excellent vintages of 2009 and 2010, the “second-tier” appellations have produced some exciting wines that begin to enter the realm of affordable, a term that is rarely associated with red Burgundy. We have attached a quick reference list of those appellations in Burgundy (outside of Beaujolais) offering the best price-to-value ratios.

The following profiles are pulled from the Approach Guides Wine app’s detailed profiles of Burgundy’s appellations and crus.

• Auxey-Duresses (Côte de Beaune). Like those of Monthélie to its north, the wines of Auxey-Duresses offer hints of the delicacy and high aromatics characteristic of those of its famous neighbor to the north, Volnay, although they tend to lack their concentration, complexity, and intensity. Although some of the Premiers Crus can develop bigger profiles, wines are typically medium-bodied with red fruit-biased flavor profiles. To take the comparison further: While the Premiers Crus of Auxey-Duresses often do not consistently rival those of neighboring Monthélie (they can lack the polish), its basic Village wine (labeled simply as Auxey-Duresses) often surpass those of its neighbor; accordingly, this is an appellation in which to seek out its basic Village wines (branded simply as ‘Auxey-Duresses’). We advocate a ‘Village strategy’ in the best vintages. To help further with wine selection, we have placed asterisks by those crus that are producing the most consistently high quality wines. Premiers Crus vineyards : Bas de Duresses, Les Breterins, *La Chapelle, Climat du Val, *Clos du Val, *Les Duresses, Les Ecusseaux, Les Grands-Champs, and Reugne.
• Beaune (Côte de Beaune). Beaune’s Premiers Crus are medium-bodied and approachable; tannins and earthy elements are held in check, allowing their bright aromatics and soft, red cherry fruit characters to stand front-and-center. To put the wines of Beaune into stylistic perspective, they sit between those of its more famous neighbors to the south, Pommard and Volnay: Pommard’s wines are bigger and more concentrated, while those of Volnay are more refined and delicate. The basic Village Beaune wines are lighter and more straightforward than the Premiers Crus; they are grown on flatter plots where clay levels are slightly higher. The Premiers Crus should be given five years to age; the Village wines, however, are ready for immediate consumption. To help further with wine selection, we have placed asterisks by those crus that are producing the most consistently high quality wines. Premiers Crus vineyards : Les Aigrots, Les Avaux, Le Bas de Teurons, Beaux-Fougets, Bellisand, Blanche Fleur, Les Boucherottes, *Les Bressandes, *Les Cent Vignes, Champs Pimont, Les Chouacheux, Clos de la Feguine, Clos des Avaux, *Le Clos des Mouches, Le Clos de la Mousse, *Clos du Roi, Clos des Ursules, Aux Coucherias, *Aux Cras, A l’Ecu, *Les Epenottes, *Les Feves, En Genet, *Les Greves, Sur les Greves, Les Longues, *Les Marconnets, La Mignotte, Montee-Rouge, Les Montrevenots, En l’Orme, Les Perrieres, Pertuisots, Les Reversees, Les Seurey, *Les Sizies, *Les Teurons, Tielandry (Clos Landry), Les Toussaints, Les Tuvilains, and *Les Vignes Franches.
• Blagny (Côte de Beaune). Blagny reds are generally aggressive wines, packed with flavors of game and earth. Although less so than those of Pommard, they are nevertheless powerful wines. Further, as they are generally well made and relatively little known, they represent particularly good values. To help further with wine selection, we have placed asterisks by crus that are producing the most consistently high quality red wines. Premiers Crus vineyards : *La Piece sous le Bois, La Jeunelotte, and *Sous le Dos d’Ane (These crus can be can be called ‘Meursault-Blagny Premier Cru’ if white and ‘Blagny Premiers Crus’ if red.). Sous le Puits, La Garenne, Hameau de Blagny, and Le Trezin (These crus can be called ‘Puligny-Montrachet’ if white, yet only basic ‘Blagny’ if red.).
• Chorey-lès-Beaune (Côte de Beaune). Chorey-lès-Beaune is known for straightforward, easy-drinking, everyday wines that have pleasant, fruity profiles; they are light-bodied, yet with noticeable tannins. We recommend looking to this appellation in the best vintages for very good values (some of the lowest price points in Burgundy). These wines should be drunk within five years of the vintage. Most of the village’s wines are actually sold as ‘Côte de Beaune Villages’, rather than as Chorey-lès-Beaune. There are no Premiers Crus vineyards, but a few select climats (named vineyards) produce high quality wines (favorites are marked with asterisks): Les Beaumonts, Les Bons Ores, *Les Champs-Longs, Aux Clous, Les Crais, *Piece du Chapitre, Poirier-Malchaussee, and Les Ratosses.
• Fixin (Côte de Nuits). These pinot noir-based wines display good red and black fruits — leaning slightly more toward the latter — with distinctive gamey and earthy notes. Fixin’s wines are often called ‘sauvage’, meaning that they are powerful and tannic, and therefore require some aging in order to soften up; this is quite a change from the appellation’s neighbor to the north, Marsannay. Fixin is a particularly good area to look for good values in Burgundy, particularly in quality vintages, when the favorable conditions round out characteristic rough edges. While Clos du Chapitre and Clos de la Perriere (marked with asterisks below) are generally regarded as the best Premiers Crus, they are quite powerful in their youths and require aging. That said, if you are looking for something to drink young, lean toward the more delicate Premiers Crus: Les Arvelets and Les Hervelets. The non-Premiers Crus vineyards are also meaningful contributors to the affordable wines of Côte de Nuits-Villages; these are also worth being on the lookout for. Premiers Crus vineyards : *Les Arvelets, *Clos du Chapitre, Clos Napoleon, *Clos de la Perriere, and *Les Hervelets.
• Givry (Côte Chalonnaise). Givry’s pinot noir-based reds strike a balance between those of its neighbors to its north, Rully and Mercurey: They are a bit more intense and full bodied than Rully’s light reds, yet hold back from the bold, earthy profile characteristic of those from Mercurey. That said, these medium-bodied wines have a persistent quality and intense aromatics; as you might expect, they favor the red side of the spectrum, display brisk acidity, and have an earthy, peppery finish. The wines are also typically good values. Of all the appellations in the Cote Chalonnaise (which includes Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny), Givry gets our vote for the consistently best wines. Premiers Crus vineyards : Les Berges, Bois Cheveaux, Bois Gauthier, Clos de la Barraude, Clos du Cellier aux Moines, Clos Charle, Clos du Cras Long, Clos Jus, Clos Marceaux, Clos St-Paul, Clos St-Pierre, Clos Salomon, Clos de la Servoisine, Clos du Vernoy, Grands Pretants, Les Grandes Vignes, Marole, Petit Marole, Petits Pretants, Vaux, En Vignes Rouges, and Le Vigron.
• Maranges (Côte de Beaune). The appellation’s heavy clay soils serve to yield wines of great power that possess a characteristic earthiness. In their youth, Maranges’ wines pack quite a punch and typically require years of bottle aging to soften them up. That said, wines are made to a high quality standard and represent good values. To help further with wine selection, we have placed asterisks by those crus that are producing the most consistently high quality red wines. Premiers Crus vineyards : Le Bourg, *Le Clos de la Boutiere, *Le Clos des Loyeres, Le Clos des Rois, *Les Clos Roussots, La Crois aux Moines, *La Fussiere (aka Fuissiere), Les Loyeres, En Marange, Maranges, Les Plantes de Maranages, and Aux Roueres.
• Marsannay (Côte de Nuits). Reds based exclusively on pinot noir lead the charge in Marsannay, accounting for two-thirds of total production. Compared to the wines from its better known neighbors to its south, Marsannay reds are relatively simple affairs, tasty but not overly layered or complex: they are medium-bodied and low in tannins, with notes favoring the red fruit (cherry, raspberry, and strawberry) over black fruits, often with an inkling of earth and game. Marsannay is actually best known for its high quality and attractively-priced roses, which account for 15% of total production; they are juicy wines, reminiscent of strawberries and peaches. Marsannay is unique in that it is the only Village-level appellation that is allowed to produce a rosé under its own designation; all other Burgundy rosés are restricted to the regional appellation Bourgogne. These pinot-based pinks are some of the tastiest, food-friendly versions available and get our vote. There are no Grands Crus or Premiers Crus vineyards in this appellation, only about 20 lieux-dits (named vineyards).
• Mercurey (Côte Chalonnaise). Mercurey is a good source of value-priced, red Burgundy. Due to higher clay and iron levels in its soils and slightly warmer temperatures, Mercurey’s reds are fuller bodied, deeper in color and possess greater aging potential than other appellations in the Côte Chalonnaise. Stylistically, they tend to be rather earthy wines, with their cherry fruit flavors often taking a back seat to those of wet soil, stone, and mineral; further, while there are some excellent winemakers, there is some inconsistency in this appellation, owing chiefly to its large size. We advise only opting for red wines from Mercurey in the best vintages. To help further with wine selection, we have placed asterisks by those crus that are producing the most consistently high quality red wines. Premiers Crus vineyards : La Bondue, Les Byots, La Cailloute, *Champs Martins, La Chassiere, *Clos des Barraults, Clos Chateau de Montaigu, *Clos l’Eveque, Clos-des-Fourneaux, Clos des Grands Voyens, Clos-Marcilly, *Clos-des-Montagus, Clos des Myglands, Clos de Paradis, *Clos-du-Roi, Clos Tonnerre, *Clos Voyens (Les Voyens), Les Combins, Les Crets, Les Croichots, Les Fourneaux, Grand Clos Fortoul, Grifferes, Le Levriere, La Mission, Les Montaigus, Les Naugues, Les Puillets, Les Ruelles, Les Saumonts, Sazenay, Les Vasees, and *Les Velley.
• Monthélie (Côte de Beaune). The wines of Monthélie share much of the delicacy and high aromatics characteristics of those of its well-regarded neighbor to the north, Volnay, although they tend to lack their concentration, complexity, and intensity. That said, overall they are impressive, sophisticated wines, particularly for the price; they exhibit medium-bodied profiles and red fruit-biased flavor profiles, with subtle notes of underbrush, earth and spice. Overall, Monthélie is a little known appellation producing consistently good quality wines; as a result, we believe it is a highly recommendable source for very good red Burgundy values; seek out wines from Premiers Crus vineyards (particularly those we have highlighted with asterisks below). Premiers Crus vineyards : Le Cas Rougeot, *Les Champs Fulliot, Le Chateau-Gaillard, Le Clos Gauthey, Les Duresses, *Le Meix Bataille, Les Riottes, La Taupine, *Sur La Velle, *Les Vignes Rondes, and Le Village.
• Pernand-Vergelesses (Côte de Beaune). The red wines of Pernand-Vergelesses have seen great improvement, and as they are relatively unknown, offer good values. Most resembling those of neighbor Savigny-lès-Beaune, they are bigger wines than others in the Côte de Beaune; further, they are more polished, exhibiting less earthy rusticity and more bright fruit. The iron-heavy soils create wines that are medium- to full-bodied, with concentrated flavors of black fruits (think blackberries and black cherry); the Premiers Crus have more polish than the Village level wines. We recommend looking to these wines as excellent values; however, these wines should generally only be sought out in high quality vintages; in less favorable vintages winemakers can have difficulties bringing pinot noir to optimal ripeness (yielding less attractive, green, herbal flavors), due to the less than favorable northeasterly exposure of most of the vineyards. To help further with wine selection, we have placed asterisks by those crus that are producing the most consistently high quality wines. Premiers Crus vineyards : Les Basses Vergelesses, En Caradeux, Clos Berthier, Clos Le Village, Creux de la Net, Les Fichots, Ile des Hautes Vergelesses, *Ile des Vergelesses, Sous Fretille, and Les Vergelesses.
• Saint-Aubin (Côte de Beaune). Stylistically, the reds of Saint-Aubin resemble those of neighboring Chassagne-Montrachet, however they are lighter, have a bit more acidity, and display a greater bias toward the red fruit side of the flavor spectrum (think cherries, raspberries, and strawberries). These are very pleasant and well-made reds that should appeal to price-sensitive wine lovers (aren’t we all?) seeking a relatively lighter-bodied style of red Burgundy. We advise seeking these wines out, particularly in high quality vintages. To help further with wine selection, we have placed asterisks by those crus that are producing the most consistently high quality red wines. Premiers Crus vineyards : Bas de Vermarin a l’Est, *Les Castets, Les Champlots, Le Charmois, La Chateniere, Ez Champs, Les Combes au Sud, Les Cortons, Derriere Chez Edouard, Derriere La Tour, Echaille, En Creot, En Vollon a l’Est, *Les Frionnes, Le Bas de Gamay a l’Est, Sur Gamay, Marinot, En Montceau, Les Murgers des Dents de Chien, Les Perrieres, Les Petangerets, Les Puits, En la Ranche, En Remilly, *Sous Roche Dumay, *Sur le Sentier du Clou, Les Travers de Marinot, Vignes-Moingeon, and Le Village.
• Savigny-lès-Beaune (Côte de Beaune). Overall, the reds of Savigny-lès-Beaune are a relatively light style, with a seductive aromatic profile, offering notes of violet and red berry fruit, often with some earthy flavor notes. While all wines generally share the prior character, those on the Pernand-Vergelesses side are medium-bodied, intense, fruity, and can be drunk younger; those on the Beaune side are fuller-bodied, earthier, and require aging to soften up their more aggressive profiles. In our opinion, Savigny-lès-Beaune is an excellent appellation from which to seek out very good red Burgundy values, particularly from the northern portion; production levels are high (which keeps a lid on pricing), but quality levels are consistently good.To help further with wine selection, we have placed asterisks by those crus that are producing the most consistently high quality wines. Premiers Crus vineyards : Northeast side (towards Pernand-Vergelesses) : Basses Vergelesses, *Batailliere, Les Charnieres, Aux Clous, La Dominode, *Aux Fourneaux, *Aux Gravains, *Aux Guettes, *Les Lavieres, Petits Godeaux, Les Rouvrettes, *Aux Serpentieres, Les Talmettes, *Aux Vergelesses, and Les Vergelesses. Southwest side (towards Beaune) : *La Dominode, Les Hauts Jarrons, Les Jarrons, Les Marconnets, Les Narbantons, Les Peuillets, Redrescul, and Les Rouvrettes.
• Santenay (Côte de Beaune). Although wines are more sophisticated and restrained in the highlighted Premiers Crus, Santenay’s medium-bodied reds tend to be powerful and spicy, with tannins that are abrupt in youth; flavors favor the red fruit side of the flavor spectrum, e.g., cherries and strawberries. While the distinctive earth and mineral component characteristic of Santenay’s wines can overpower the fruit in some cases, this is typically not the case. These wines are good values and are appealing options for those who find a sophisticated, earthier style red appealing. To help further with wine selection, we have placed asterisks by those crus that are producing the most consistently high quality red wines. Premiers Crus vineyards : Beauregard, Beaurepaire, Le Chainey, *Le Clos Faubard, *Le Clos de Mouches, *Le Clos de Tavannes, *La Comme, Comme Dessus, Les Fourneaux, Le Grand Clos Rousseau, *Les Gravieres, La Maladiere, *Passetemps, and Le Petit Clos Rousseau.

For all those visiting New York City (or locals who need a few new spots to check out), here is a list of our favorite downtown wines bars in our hometown, New York City.

While most of the wines from [...]]]> About the Balearic Islands

Talk about a largely undiscovered grape growing region…the Balearics offer good values and some totally unique, high-quality varieties worth exploring.   We have pulled our review of wines from this region (and under-appreciated) grape variety from our wine app (available for both iPhone and iPad).

While most of the wines from the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera; located off the east coast of Spain) are nothing to actively seek out, the distinctive, full-bodied manto nero grape variety is an exception to this rule and worth trying.  We would recommend wines from the Mallorca’s Binissalem DO, specifically.  If you are looking for a white, try the local prensal blanc grape which yields light, herbal white wines.

Primary White grape(s): Prensal Blanc

Primary Red grape(s): Callet, Manto Negro

Appellations (DOs): Binissalem and Pla i Llevant de Mallorca.

Download AG Wine to learn more about Spanish wines AG Wine profiles all of Spain’s winemaking regions, grape varieties, appellations, and recent vintages, making learning about Spain’s wine fun and enjoyable.

Looking for a great value in Italian wines? We have got one red grape variety to add to your list: Bonarda. We have pulled our review of wines from this tasty and little-known grape variety from our app’s description.

Bonarda is the local [...]]]> The Bonarda (aka Croatina) grape offers great values in Italy

Looking for a great value in Italian wines? We have got one red grape variety to add to your list: Bonarda. We have pulled our review of wines from this tasty and little-known grape variety from our app’s description.

Bonarda is the local name for the croatina grape in Lombardia and Emilia-Romagna. The croatina variety delivers some attractive wines at good prices. Croatina-based wines offer dark color, gushing fruit, low acidity and soft tannins, resembling, in many cases, montepulciano or dolcetto varieties in expression.
The grape achieves its highest levels of expression in the Oltrepò Pavese (Lombardia) and Colli Piacentini (Emilia-Romagna) DOCs; the Oltrepò Pavese and Colli Piacentini are located right over the border from each other in the southwestern tip of Lombardia and the westernmost portion of Emilia-Romagna..
NB: These wines are not be confused with the uva rara variety, known more specifically as ‘bonarda novarese’ in Piedmont; the uva rara delivers simple, medium-bodied, fruity wines with notes of raspberry and cherry, with good acidity.  They are generally basic wines made for everyday consumption.

Get the app! Learn about Italian wines on the go with AG Wine! AG Wine for iPhone and iPad profiles all of Italy’s winemaking regions, grape varieties, appellations, and recent vintages.

Godello (a.k.a. verdello) is another up-and-comer and one of our favorite whites, anywhere. Godello-based wines have the big fruit of albariño (peaches, citrus, apple), but with an even slightly greater level of acidity. While Galicia’s star albariño grape variety has become increasingly well-known internationally, godello continues to fall [...]]]> About the Godello Grape Variety

Godello (a.k.a. verdello) is another up-and-comer and one of our favorite whites, anywhere. Godello-based wines have the big fruit of albariño (peaches, citrus, apple), but with an even slightly greater level of acidity. While Galicia’s star albariño grape variety has become increasingly well-known internationally, godello continues to fall below most consumers’ radar screens; this has served to make godellos excellent values. The best are from Galicia’s Valdeorras and Monterrei DOs, as well as in Castilla y León’s Bierzo DO.

About Galicia, Spain

Galicia is one of our favorite regions in Spain, due in large part to its tremendous whites based on the albariño and godello varieties. Look to the excellent Rias Baixas DO for albariño and the Valdeorras DO for godello. However, red lovers need not despair: the mencía variety produces high quality wines, with a rich, earthy character. The best mencías are from the Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras DOs.

Learning more about Spanish wine

Learn about Spanish wines on your iPhone and iPad with the AG Wine App (view on the App Store). Our top-rated wine app gives you everything you need to choose wine from a wine list or store like a professional.

AG Wine is a different breed of wine app –- we give you a strategy to for choosing wine — offering recommendations on which regions, appellations, grapes, and vintages to look out for and which to avoid. With this critical information, no matter your level of wine knowledge, you can make an informed wine choice that is sure to meet your expectations.

Australia’s oldest and most famous appellation, Hunter Valley experiences a hot and wet climate, its regular rainfall and cloud cover serving to moderate temperatures such that they are better suited to growing grapes for premier quality wines. Although the appellation’s reputation has been somewhat tarnished recently as widespread commercialization has occurred, it is still [...]]]>

Australia’s oldest and most famous appellation, Hunter Valley experiences a hot and wet climate, its regular rainfall and cloud cover serving to moderate temperatures such that they are better suited to growing grapes for premier quality wines. Although the appellation’s reputation has been somewhat tarnished recently as widespread commercialization has occurred, it is still producing many world class wines.

While Hunter Valley is synonymous with big, juicy shiraz-based wines,  when it comes to white wines, the choice is clear: semillon. Hunter Valley wines based on semillon initially show herbaceous, grassy, tropical fruit flavors; however, given time, they reveal a complex palate, filled with honey, straw, nut, and toast, all the while maintaining good acidity (low acidity being the traditional knock on this variety). The wines are usually unoaked and relatively low in alcohol.

However, Hunter Valley, while certainly the most famous, is not the only making high quality semillion-based wines.  Those from the Barossa Valley (where a full-bodied, fruit forward style prevails, with flavors include acacia, honey, citrus, and figs) are probably number two in the overall rankings;  quality versions are also made in the Clare Valley and Currency Creek appellations.

WHAT’S NEW AT AG WINE

• COMING VERY SOON! Australia! We are putting the final touches on our next update to AG Wine: Australia! This content above was pulled directly from the app’s appellation profiles.  The update will be available for both iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch later this month; as always, updates are free to existing AG Wine users.
• AG WINE’S NEW RSS READER APP! AG Wine just released its free RSS reader app, bringing you hand-selected educational wine news from blogs across the web.

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The Etna DOC is one of our favorite [...]]]> Sicily, the land of abundant sun, good food, and a rich culture infused with Byzantine and Arabic influences, continues to see growth in tourism and exports. Although Sicilian wines can be inconsistent at times, winemaking is improving at a breakneck pace with prices remaining generally reasonable.

The Etna DOC is one of our favorite winemaking areas in Sicily. While also known for its catarrato-based whites, the Etna DOC zone is one of the premier areas (along with the Faro DOC) for the nerello mascalese red variety. The Etna DOC is located in eastern Sicily on the slopes of the Etna volcano; wines are derived from a minimum of 80% of the variety.

The nerello mascalese variety offers a lighter, gentler side of Sicilian reds. This rare, indigenous variety offers approachable, ripe berry flavors, gentle spices, sweet tannins and an underlying mineral earthiness; it shares many common flavor characteristics with both pinot noir and nebbiolo varieties. These wines come at attractive price points and are certainly worth trying.

Food Pairing

One of the joys of traveling to Italy is experiencing the traditional local cuisine. Unlike America, the cuisine of Italy changes as you move from region to region (even sometimes, from city to nearby city), with each area having unique recipes, specialties and culinary traditions.

While wines based on the nerello mascalese generally do not pair well with Sicily’s vast seafood repertoire, they make the perfect match for arancini, pasta all norma, panelle, as well as chicken and rabbit dishes. Learn more about the typical foods of Sicily and other regions of Italy

Cultural Travel in Sicily

Sicilian cities Catania, Noto and Ragusa contain some of Italy’s most beautiful and fanciful Baroque architecture. Originating in Rome, the emotionally-charged Baroque style spread throughout the Italian peninsula, with each location bringing to the movement unique architectural elements and sculptural style. Whether you plan to visit Rome, Venice, Naples, Sicily, Torino or Puglia, this guide will draw you into the action as you visit each site. Learn more about the Baroque sites of Italy..