The Cellar: Great Wines from Big Companies

The Cellar: Great Wines from Big Companies

Back in the day, when you couldn’t just go to the market and pick up a bottle of wine, you had to grow the grapes and make the wine yourself in order to enjoy this wonderful beverage. In countries across Europe that meant that there were thousands of individual family wineries that would grow grapes and make wines. As popularity grew and commercial winemaking became something one could make a business of, more and more family farms combined their resources. These entities became known as ‘cooperatives’ – one company owned and operated by up to hundreds of families.

2007 Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha

The backstory: Bodegas San Alejandro is a Spanish cooperative founded in 1962 and consists of 350 individual winegrowers who plant a combined of 1100 hectares. Just because these wines don’t hold the ‘single

vineyard’ or ‘estate grown’ labels, that doesn’t believe that these cooperatives can’t produce great wines. You may remember a certain 2006 Zaca Mesa Syrah which I reviewed last year. It was rated the 29th best wine released in 2010 by WineSpectator Magazine and is also from this cooperative.

The wine: Imagine taking a piece of deer meat and smothering it in strawberry preserves - that is what this wine tastes like! On the nose it displays dark fruits and spice. The palate is loaded with ripe cherries and berries, as well as a hint of tobacco. It is medium-full bodied with great acidity and a finish that lingers nicely. (B+)

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

2007 Gallo Family Merlot, Sonoma

The backstory: But the wine business is more than just cooperatives, and people holding hands in brotherly love. There are plenty of big powerful companies out there, especially in the new world. Among them the

makers of this week’s two next wines. The first one, E. & J. Gallo Winery, is the world's largest family-owned winery; an American company and the largest exporter of California wine. While their lower priced, mass-produced wines are often criticized for lacking character, substance and soul, the fact is that the quality of their entry-level wines is on the rise.

The wine: The 2007 Sonoma Merlot is a good example of a wine that drinks very well for $10. With Merlot grapes sourced from throughout Sonoma County, their own vineyards as well as outside vineyards, Gallo has created a nice wine with a deep dark berry flavors and a great mouthfeel. While it finishes a little awkward with slightly bitter tannins, there are enough jammy flavors to make it a pleasurable experience. (B-)

2009 Amado Sur, Mendoza, Argentina

The backstory: This week’s last wine comes from another major player on the global wine marked; South America’s largest wine producer Concha y Toro which is based in Santiago, Chile. Founded in 1996 by Concha

y Toro, Trivento Bodegas y Vinedos, which is the company behind the 2009 Amado Sur, is an interesting white blend that has received great press, among them a 91 point rating from none other than Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. All the grapes for this wine are sourced from the eastern mountainous region of Mendoza.

The wine: In making this blend the winemakers took Torrontes, an indigenous Argentinean grape known for its floral aromatics and light body, and added some Viognier for sweetness and Chardonnay for backbone and body. The result is a great sipper that is both aromatic and fresh, filled with citrus, stone fruit and minerality in a medium bodied frame. (B)

Enjoy!

If you have any wine related questions, comments or concerns feel free to contact Steffen Rasch by emailing [email protected]. And as always, don’t forget to follow GoLocalProv’s Wine Cellar on Facebook.