Articles by Matt Penman
Wines of the Southern Rhone
by Matt Penman
The Rhone river brings its alpine waters from Switzerland through the southern half of France and dumps out into the Mediterranean by the charming town of Arles. The whole Rhone region is lovely, but if we're talking wine one must distinguish between the north and south. From Lyon down to the town of Valence the Syrah grape is the star, with rich whites of Marsanne and Viognier playing supporting roles. However immediately to the south things open up, ...
Continue ReadingRed Wines From Etna
by Matt Penman
One of the weirdest wine regions in the world, the vines of Etna on the Italian island of Sicily grow on the slopes of the huge active volcano which is constantly belching gases and ash, and occasionally letting loose lava flows that can threaten all the hard work of the daring winemakers that choose to work there. The resulting soils however are ridiculously rich, and different micro climates around the mountain make it a terroir geek's paradise: for instance some ...
Continue ReadingHooray for Beaujolais!
by Matt Penman
This region hasn't always had the best reputation, and if you think the wine comes as jugs of thin, insipid juice that they truck out with forced smiles just as it's getting inappropriately cold in Paris, well, sometimes it does. But Beaujolais Nouveau just isn't worth the calories, darling. Spend some time instead exploring the 10 different villages or “crus" where people have been making high quality wine from the Gamay grape for centuries, using traditional methods as well as ...
Continue ReadingChenin Blanc from the Loire
by Matt Penman
The wild Loire river runs from the Atlantic ocean deep into France's center, and there is beautiful, diverse, and historically under-appreciated wine throughout its entire length. But the middle section, from Angers to the city of Tours, is where Chenin Blanc rules. A varietal with a real talent for expressing the land, it sucks up available minerals and gives wines of generosity or austerity depending on the soil and location--not to mention the personality of the winemaker. Exposed ...
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