Sidebar

Drink your appellations— they are good for you

By Sylvia Jansen, DipWSET, CSW, Sommelier

Have you ever had Champagne from a can? How about Chianti Classico wine in a bag-in-box? And what does that word “Reserva” mean? To find the answers to these questions, just look up The Rules.

In wine, The Rules ride under the banner of appellations. Appellations are geographic areas, but for European Union wines, these are much more than just boundary lines. Any Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) has its own rules, and each country has its own PDO language. The little initials AC or DOCG or DOCa are windows into production details about the where, the what, and the how. The Rules behind these initials can tell you where the grapes were grown; what varieties are allowed; how grape growing and winemaking are done; how much is harvested; in some cases, how much comes off the press; and what happens in fermentation, maturation, bottling, and timing before a wine’s release from the winery. Regulations restrict what can be done and effectively create a list of what cannot be done.

The Rules for Italian Chianti Classico mean that this wine cannot go out to market dressed in anything but a straightshouldered bottle, sealed with a cork—no screwtop, no bagin-box, no experimental tetra pack. Spanish Reserva wines must spend certain amounts of time ageing in oak and in bottle before release. Wines often need to be submitted for evaluation before approval for particular PDO designations. No authentic Champagne or Prosecco can be sold in cans. Even if the producer thinks they have a better idea, they are not allowed to experiment with PDO wines. And these are not just rules on paper: regulators check in, inspect, and even prosecute rule-breakers.

The Rules are not an absolute guarantee of high quality, but they give a standard of expectation. And in general, the more tightly drawn the appellation, the higher our expectations can be: a wine labelled “Brunello di Montalcino DOCG” will be from a much tighter boundary, made in a different way under more stringent rules than a wine labelled “Toscana Rosso IGT”—even if they both contain 100% Sangiovese.

Outside the European Union, rules differ from country to country. In general, geographic provenance is the focus. A “Napa Valley” Cabernet Sauvignon has tighter boundaries of production than a “California” Cabernet Sauvignon (and the required percentage of actual Cabernet Sauvignon in these wines is different). At the same time, a California winemaker can grow whatever varieties they think best, train vines how they wish, harvest when and how they want, and make wines as they see fit.

At the other end are rules so loose or unenforced as to be meaningless. A French winemaking friend told me that when she was in an internship at a New World winery, she was directed to “make Pinot Noir” by mixing leftover Pinot Noir skins with white wine grapes. She could scarcely believe she was being asked to do it: “In France, we complain about all the rules, but I realized that the absence of rules can be a very bad thing.”

Appellation regulations are not written in stone. In the face of climate change, some appellations are adding climatehardy varieties to approved lists. Boundaries, designations, and limitations can change from time to time. But one thing an appellation offers is a set of rules that can give a bit of the story and something of an ingredient list. So far, I have not seen any appellation regulation anywhere that endorses the logic of Pinot Noir skins + white wine grapes = a quality red Pinot Noir—and I am happy about that.

So here’s to you, ever compliant.

Prosecco DOCG bears the seal of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, along with a QR code to verify the wine’s authenticity.

Showroom: 969 Fife Street, Winnipeg 204.586.2794 I www.yarrow.mb.ca

Whether your project is a renovation, an addition, or a new home, our window and door experts are here to collaborate with you from concept to completion.

• Wood & Metal Clad Windows • Wood & Metal Clad Doors • Fiberglass Windows • Hardware • Installation

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram