Carmenère is Chile’s fifth largest production fine grape variety, comprising 10% of red grape vineyard planted area and 7% of total. Originally from France’s Bordeaux, this late-ripening variety performs exceptionally well in Chile’s dry, warm climates, as it requires these conditions to reach full ripeness. Further, since carmenère production has faded in France, Chile is virtually the sole source of wines made from this special grape.

Carmenère is definitely one of our favorites. At its best, it delivers smooth full-bodied wines, packed with huge fruit and savory, spicy notes; flavors include herbs, bell pepper, smoke, coffee, blackcurrants, leather, and tobacco. Acidity levels are low and it is best consumed young. While there are certainly varietally-produced versions, carmenère-based wines often incorporate small amounts of other grape varieties — cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot — to provide structure and acidity.

The best regions for excellent carmenère are Cachapoal (Peumo sub-area), Colchagua (Apalta sub-area), Maipo (Isla de Maipo sub-area), and Maule (Cauquenes and Empedrado sub-areas).

AG Wine for Chile’s wines is now available! AG Wine now supports Chile’s wines, profiling all of the country’s winemaking regions, grape varieties, appellations, and vintages. Best of all: It’s a FREE upgrade for existing AG Wine for iPhone and iPad owners!

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Known as carignan in France, cariñena (a.k.a. mazuelo and samsó) is best known for being a contributor to the great wines of the Priorat and Montsant DOs in Catalunya (near Barcelona). While its traditional role has been as a blending grape, it is starting to be used on its own to make respectable single-varietal wines. That said, in cariñena’s most important production zones, the Priorat and Montsant DOs, wines are chiefly based on the garnacha grape variety; cariñena adds some acidity, dark coloration, and a boost of tannins, coupled with some bright cherry notes.
Cariñena is chiefly grown in the Rioja, Catalunya and Navarra regions of Spain.

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What to Drink

After a long day of sightseeing and shopping, Florence offers the perfect backdrop for a glass or two of Tuscan wine from nearby vineyards. Here are some of our suggestions on what to look for (from our wine guide for the iPhone):

Tuscany’s wine options are vast and quality is high, although, when compared to other regions in Italy, the price-to-quality ratio is not quite as compelling. That said, as a general rule, you should stick to red wine options in Tuscany, where sangiovese-based wines are the stars; focus on the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Chianti Classico, and Brunello di Montalcino DOCGs as signs of quality. For wines based on international grape varieties (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, etc.), the Maremma area, located in a relatively undeveloped portion of Tuscany along the Ionian (west) coast, offers some great wines at attractive prices.

Where to Eat

The following three restaurants consistently delivered world-class food and were the favorites that we returned to again and again.

Cavolo Nero

Cavolo Nero is our go-to restaurant in Florence. Located off-the-beaten-path (in the oltr’arno), this charming and elegant restaurant serves excellent, fresh food that changes with each season. Cavolo Nero’s super-friendly staff is happy to help you navigate the menu and its wine list. Another plus? The wine and food are very reasonably priced.

Cavolo Nero. Via dell’Ardiglione, 22; S.Frediano; Tel: 055/294 744; closed Sundays.

Where to Shop

Florence is known for its shopping. Here are two of our favorite stores:

• Yesterday’s Fausto Santini Outlet (Via Calzaiuoli, 95R; tel 055/239 8536). High-fashion shoe maker, with gorgeously unique shoes for men and women at prices that are 1/3 of those in the Milan boutique.
• Paolo Carandini (Via de’ Macci, 73R; tel 055/245 397). Paolo Carandini sells his beautiful, handmade leather goods (journals, bags, etc.) out of a tiny workshop in the city center.

Where to Go

Cultural Walking Tour: Florence Frescoes

The presence of large number of Last Supper frescoes (called cenocoli in Italian) in Florence’s historical city center allows visitors to view several sites over a few hours or a few days, giving them a brief but complete lesson in comparative art history. In this travel guide, we highlight the best of the Last Supper frescoes of Florence (spanning 1335-1645) and look at how they relate to Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic depiction in Milan (1496-98). Learn more about Last Supper frescoes in Florence…

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Napa Valley Wine Regions/AVAs

Along with Sonoma, the Napa Valley appellation, with 15 additional “nested” AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) over 45,000 planted acres, is one of the premier wine producing regions in America. Geographically, the Napa Valley is framed by the Vaca Mountains in the east and the Mayacamas Mountain Range in the west. Generally, soil in the north of the region consists of volcanic gravel, while the south consists of clay and silt deposits associated with historical advances of nearby San Pablo Bay. Napa has a wide range of micro-climates, largely shaped by altitude and the relative exposure to the influence of cooling fog.

Cabernet sauvignon dominates grape production in Napa. Napa’s magnificent cabernet sauvignon-based red wines come in a range of styles: in warmer environments (such as the Napa Valley floor), flavors will be dark, soft, and generous. In cooler environments (such as the mountain appellations), wines increase their structuring tannins, retain greater acidity, and take on slightly more earthy and herbal flavor characteristics. Merlot comes in swift second place, offering immediately approachable wines with generous fruit, easy tannins, and low acidity.

While cabernet dominates red wine production, chardonnay holds the leadership position in white wine production. That said, there are a range of white wine options worth exploring: sauvignon blanc, riesling, pinot gris, viognier, and gewurztraminer.

Napa’s wines are world class – the only drawback generally being the high prices relative to some non-US wineproducing zones — and should be sought out by wine drinkers seeking the best experiences.

Our most recent update for the iPhone app includes wines of Napa and Sonoma. We are on track to deliver the update to our iPad app by the end of September. Approach Guides Wine is the ultimate wine guide for the iPhone and iPad, giving you the confidence to pick a great wine every time. Click to buy AG Wine or search ‘agwine’ on iTunes.

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Barbera, the most widely-planted grape variety in Piedmont (and the third most popular in Italy), offers low tannins, very high acidity, and sharp, often sour cherry and fruit flavors, complemented by earthy overtones. This high acidity makes barbera-based wines fare better when paired with food, ideally rich and hearty foods. Although there are many great values, barbera wines are often variable in style and less consistent than wines from Piedmont’s other two red varieties, dolcetto and nebbiolo.
There are some stylistic differences among the three main barbera DOCs: Alba (fuller, richer versions of barbera), Asti (lighter versions of barbera; this is the largest DOC and offers the most affordable pricing, but lower quality consistency), and Monferrato (our favorite, often a bit sparkling)
Barbera is also grown to good results in Lombardia’s Oltrepò Pavese DOC.

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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.

• Appellations (DOs): Binissalem and Pla i Llevant de Mallorca.
• Primary White grape: Prensal Blanc
• Primary Red grapes: Callet, Manto Negro

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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

Having finally won the island of Sicily from entrenched Islamic forces after thirty years of battle, the Normans set upon creating a multicultural kingdom to inspire the world. While the Norman civilization has since faded from history, its brilliant churches, glittering with mosaic decoration, serve as enduring reminders of its greatness. Learn more about the mosaics of Palermo’s churches..

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While best known for its full-bodied reds, Chile is producing some sophisticated, terroir-driven white wines, some of the best of which are based on the sauvignon blanc grape variety; winemakers from Casablanca are leading the charge.  We have pulled our review of wines from this grape variety from our new AG Wine for Chile upgrade.

First planted in the early 1980s, the Casablanca (ka-sa-BLAHN-ka) Valley sits northwest of Santiago along a dry area of Pacific coastline on the western side of the Coastal Range. Only 18 kilometers / 11 miles from the coast, Casablanca is well known as one of Chile’s premier cool-climate regions, as its growing conditions are directly impacted by the sea. Heavy, cool fog enters in the evening and does not burn off until early afternoon, adding to the region’s already cool temperatures.

Although varied, soils are comprised of clay over a decomposed granite base in the flat areas and granite pebbles and sand on the hills. Further, since no major rivers run through Casablanca, the loose quality of the ancient soils allows vines to penetrate and establish deep root systems, which affords the resulting wines greater subtlety.

Casablanca can be informally divided into three sub-areas, all of which experience varying exposure to the sea’s influence:

• Lower Casablanca sits on the lowest lying land in the far west of the region. The center of Casablanca’s production, it has the greatest exposure to ocean winds and is therefore the coolest. To draw a distinction: the region is less impacted by the sea’s temperature-stabilizing effects than neighboring San Antonio — another exceptional region for cool-climate style wines — so it experiences greater daily swings in temperature (slightly warmer days and slightly cooler nights).
• Upper Casablanca sits at the highest elevation on the eastern edge of the region. The least impacted by the sea, it gets the greatest amount of sunshine and experiences the widest daily fluctuations in temperature.
• Central Casablanca has a mix of the conditions experienced in the Upper and Lower sub-areas.

Casablanca has built a reputation for attractively-priced whites that are simple, fruity, and crisp, perfect for everyday consumption.

However, more recently, there is a new class of white wines emerging that is serious and very high quality. Further, they continue to hit attractive price points, making them tremendous values.For the absolute best wines in this elite category, go with those based on sauvignon blanc, some of the best in Chile.

AG Wine for Chile’s wines is now available! AG Wine now supports Chile’s wines, profiling all of the country’s winemaking regions, grape varieties, appellations, and vintages. Best of all: It’s a FREE upgrade for existing AG Wine App owners!

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There a few wines that pair as well as cava sparkling wine and Spain’s famous jamon iberico (click for a detailed guide to jamon iberico).  We have pulled our review of the Cava D.O. from our AG Wine app for the iPhone and iPod Touch/iTouch.

Cava, (meaning ‘underground cave’) is Spain’s sparkling wine, 95% of which is produced in area between the cities of Tarragona and Barcelona (chiefly around the city of Sant Sadurní in Penedès) in the region of Catalunya.

Cava is based chiefly upon the traditional Catalunyan white grape variety triad consisting of macabeo, xarel-lo, and parellada (typically with small amounts of subirat and chardonnay): xarel-lo provides the structuring body, parellada the crisp acidity, and macabeo the soft creaminess.

Although cava sparklers use different grape varieties, the production method is the same as French champagne, in that the wine is fermented in the bottle (rather than in large pressure tanks, as with Italy’s prosecco).

As far as a comparison versus France’s champagnes: cavas are more approachable, in they exhibit similar gentle fruit flavors, good body, and a level of creaminess, but with a lower relative acidity. Best of all: they are the most attractively priced sparkling wines in the world. You can’t miss with a cava from Catalunya!

AG Wine for Spanish Wines is now available! The AG Wine app profiles all of Spain’s winemaking regions, grape varieties, appellations, and vintages. Best of all: It’s a FREE upgrade for existing AG Wine App owners!

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