Perhaps it’s my tiny universe, but wine seems to be crossing a crucial threshold. Parties whose alcoholic lineup formerly included only beer (in kegs) and vile vodka from Idaho now mingle with white and reds. This highly anecdotal evidence is backed up with stats from the Wine Institute, a trade group based in California that reports American wine consumption has grown steadily since 1998. Other reports declare similar jumps. So is it maybe time to suggest wines be served at the ultimate Manfest — Super Bowl? Hell, why not?
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Argentina has been a revival ground for many funky grapes. Malbec was all but forgotten in France before it saw a renaissance in the Mendoza region. The grape is happier there, without the misery of Bordeaux’s unpredictable and often gloomy climate. And with this same terroir, Mendoza is doing it again, but this time with an esoteric Italian grape called Bonarda.
Read more & comment...Late May and early June in the vineyard brings flowering and fruit set. New vines branches, or “shoots”, that emerged during bud break develop clusters of minute white flowers. When the flowers fall off, those that were pollinated leave behind hard beads of green that will grow up to be grapes.
