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Unusual Varietals
Diversity in Wine Page 5
Ortega |
England |
This fruity dry English wine is made from Ortega. Ortega is a German cross of Muller Thurgau and Siegerrebe and frequently used to elevate thinner wines. It's named after Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset.
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Baga |
Portugal |
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Baga is grown mostly in Portugal where it makes an enjoyable tannic red
wine capable of aging many years. The name means berry and the grape is
thick-skinned which contributes to the tannin levels. This wine was grown in the Beira region.
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Bacchus
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England
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What a great name. Bacchus is the god of wine, and this is a cross of a
Sylvaner-Reisling crossed with Muller-Thurgau popular in England and Germany, making
a fruity wine with low acidity.
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Vidal |
Ontario |
Vidal is a hybrid. A cross between Ugni Blanc and
Seibel. Its hardiness during cold winters makes it a popular
variety in Canada. Visit the Henry of Pelham web site.
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Carmenere |
Chile |
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Carmenere used to be up there with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon as an important component in Bordeaux. But it didn't survive the post disaster replanting - a victim of its low yield and susceptibility to disease. However by then it
had been planted in phyloxera free Chile where it survives and makes excellent wine which is labelled as Merlot, a vine with which it shares many characteristics. Modern DNA testing has now shown that many merlot vineyards are in fact Carmenere, but marketing practices has meant there hasn't been a rush to change the labels.
But with France now experimenting with re-introducing it to give an extra dimension to red Bordeaux, the smart money is on Carmenere becoming a fashionable variety. This wine from the Colchagua Valley in Chile is is one of the few labelled as a Carmenere varietal.
Visit the MontGras web site
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Carignan
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Morocco
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Carignan is not a rare grape; it is widely grown in southern France where it bulks out anonymous blends. But it is rare to see it named as a varietal. These vines are grown in northern Morocco in the Beni M'Tir region, between the Atlas mountains and Atlantic Ocean.
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Unusual
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http://www.geocities.com/winelabels/varieta5.htm
21 November 1999
winelabels@geocities.com
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