Category: grapes

Yavapai College offering virtual winemaker symposium

As the Arizona wine industry continues to gain popularity and international respect those making the wine, the winemaker have two ways to learn how to make wine. One way is by hands on trial and error and learning along the way. The other is to learn from a school of wine-making then apply what you’ve learned in the vineyard and winery. Yavapai College is one of those that teach you how to make wine here in Arizona. The school has announced a one-day “Emerging Winemakers Competition & Symposium” on Saturday April 24th.

The virtual and free event will offer 2 seminars, 3 speakers, 7 judges and 1 Best in show winner from 9:30 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. The seminar & symposium is being organized by the Grand Crew, a student & alumni organization at the Yavapai College of Viticulture Enology at the Verde Valley campus in Clarkdale.

“After canceling last year’s event due to COVID-19 safety precautions, we are excited to return this year as a virtual event for wine lovers throughout the state,” said the Competition Organizer Bill Anderson. “As one of our state’s fastest growing industries we created this event as a platform for those new to the industry to be recognized for their efforts in helping it flourish,”

The schedule of events is as follow

9:30-10:15 a.m. PDT

Welcome + Introductions:
Bill Anderson + Michael Pierce

Keynote Speaker: Jennifer Montgomery
Topic: Different Beginnings, Same Destination

10:30 – 11:15 a.m. – Seminar 1
Lisa Froncioni-Hai:
California Sustainable Winegrowers Alliance
Topic: Sustainability from Grapes to Glass

11:30am – 12:15 p.m. – Seminar 2
Philippe Corderey:
Introduction to Biodynamic Viticulture

12:15 – 12:45 p.m.
Break for lunch

1:00-2:15 p.m.
Awards Presentation + Roundtable Discussion

To register for the virtual symposium head to their website.

What grape is that…..?

Rondinella is a red grape found in the northern part of Italy, in the Veneto region. It’s usually blended with the Corvina grape. It is used to make Valpolicella and Bardolino wines.

Pedro Ximinez (PX) is a white grape found in Spain and is used to make sweet, dessert style Sherry. It’s also found in Chile and Argentina where it’s the most widely white grape there. It’s also grown in Australia where it’s used to make fortified wines. Originally found in the Canary Islands it was brought to Spain by a soldier named… Pedro Ximinez.

Tannat is a red grape found in the southwest part of France and it’s also the most widely planted grape in Uruguay. It’s also found in other countries in South America and experimented with in Virginia and is seeing increased plantings in California. In France it’s usually blended with fuller bodied wines to soften it up and make it more drinkable. Tannat has raspberry overtones and can age well. In Uruguay it has more blackberry overtones and softer tannins with more elegance.

What grape is that….?

A few more grapes that you may not of heard of ….yet!

GRENACHE BLANC is a white grape found in Rhone region of France, also southern France and a northeast Spain. A little bit can be found in growing in the central coast of California. Related to the red grape, Grenache, Grenache Blanc when made into wine is high in alcohol and low in acidity. It’s often blended with another Rhone grape ROUSANNE and other white Rhone blends.

PINOT MEUNIER is a black wine grape and is most often used in the making of Champagne. Experts think it’s a mutation of Pinot Noir. It is also found grown in Germany where it is used in red wines and also found in the Carneros region of California, Oregeon and down under in Australia and most recently New Zealand.

ST> LAURENT is red grape found in Austria and Germany and is part of the Pinot Noir family. It is known for having a big aroma. It’s also widely planted in the Czech Republic. When crossed with the grape BLAUFRANKISCH you get the grape ZWEIGELT that can be found growing in Austria.

Stay tuned for more in upcoming posts.

What grape is that….?

With an estimated 10,000+ varieties of grapes used to produce wine around the world, why are only familiar w/ a small portion of them. Some grapes grow in specific regions in the world, some are grown throughout the world. Some are used exclusively for blending and some are bottled by themselves. Some grapes are the same but called by different names in different parts of the world i.e. Shiraz & Syrah or Grenache & Garnacha.

In on going posts “What grape is that..” I will shed some light on lesser known varieties that are slowly making their way onto the international wine scene. Quite often we’ve tasted theses wines, but never knew what they were. Think about it, 10 years ago who knew what Gruner Veltliner, unless you were from Austria. Here we go……

GRILLO is a Sicilian white grape that is used in Marsala and some producers bottle it by itself and it makes for light, refreshing glass of wine. It should not be confused with the red grape GROLLEAU from the Loire Valley. This grape is often used for rose or blending. It also has a very unique taste profile.

TORRONTES from Argentina is white wine that is very aromatic on the nose and is starting to get some recognition in the U.S. after riding Malbecs coat tails.

Just a few wines for today. Continue to check back for other grapes/wines you may not have heard of.. yet!