Tradition!
Does tradition matter? Should every region stick with the grapes it does best, or try new ideas? For instance, would you like to try a Mosel Shiraz?
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I doubt that lovers of German wine tradition need to fear that wacky notion. If not for any other reason, government regulators would be unlikely to approve it. On occasion, though, a free-spirited producer will simply defy the regulations. Ulrich “Ulli” Stein, maker of last week’s featured wine, famously produces a Mosel Cabernet Sauvignon that flatly ignores the German wine standards.
Some other wine categories that feel almost traditional nowadays were considered rebellious not that long ago. Italy’s sought-after Super Tuscans, Spain’s Vino de la Tierra, and France’s Vin de France all lured experimental producers who felt confined by the strict rules of tradition and willingly accepted a bottom-shelf classification in exchange for the freedom to make a wine that broke the rules but could command big bucks at the wine shop.
Outside these strictly governed European wine regions where traditions are respected for their antiquity, though, the rules aren’t so strict. When European colonizers arrived in the Americas in the 16th century, they didn’t think much of the indigenous wild grapes, so they brought their own. Spanish missionaries planted the Mission grape from Chile to California, using it mostly for sacramental wine and later as a base for cheap jug wines.
Later on, in the 1800s, European winemakers from Italy, France, and beyond brought the grapes they knew and loved. The French Malbec, made with an Italian accent, became Argentina’s flagship wine. French settlers fleeing the phylloxera vine louse plague back home filled Chile’s vineyards with Cabernet Sauvignon. And California’s coastal vineyards filled up with a Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, and most of the other European standards, not to mention the once mysterious Zinfandel.
More recently, in the late 20th century, the mass-market popularity of the four European grapes dubbed “fighting varietals” for their quest for wine shop shelf-space dominance – Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc – built a new market for inexpensive, inoffensive table wines. This wave made producers a lot of money, but for a time failed to enhance the reputation of Argentina, Chile, France’s Languedoc, and other regions that went all in on them.
I think this trend may be finally fading. I’ve been impressed with recent tastings of affordable wines from all three of those places and beyond. Today’s featured wine, Domaine Laroque 2023 Pinot Noir Cité de Carcassonne, comes from Languedoc-Roussillon in Southwestern France, a region that turns out its share of modest, affordable wines along with a few trophies. Pinot Noir fails to make it into the region’s list of most-planted vines, but this is a good one. I doubt anyone will mistake it for a quality Burgundy, but at a low to middle-teens price, it’s worth stocking up.
How do you respond to wine made from a grape that’s not traditional to its region – a Mosel Shiraz, say, or Sicilian ice wine? Would you try it, shrug, or run away?
Today’s Tasting Report
Laroque 2023 Pinot Noir Cité de Carcassonne ($13.99)
Laroque Pinot Noir Cité de Carcassonne is an attractive, clear ruby color, not too dark. Its red-fruit aromas suggest red berries, fresh red cherries, and gentle spice: appealing although not clearly typical of Pinot Noir. Medium-bodied red-fruit flavor continues the impression, shaped by fresh, not overwhelming acidity and light tannic astringency. 13% alcohol. U.S. importer: Aquitaine Wine USA LLC, Berkeley, Calif., a Jean-Christophe Calvet Selection. (June 6, 2026)
FOOD MATCH: Whatever its geographical source or price point, Pinot Noir tends to be a versatile wine for food. The back label suggests enjoying it alone or with pasta, salmon, tuna, roasted chicken, lamb, and pork dishes, and I agree. It was excellent with an Asian-inspired plant-based mushroom and snow pea stir-fry with tofu, onions, garlic, and ginger in a light soy and sesame sauce.
WHEN TO DRINK: This light, approachable wine is just right while it’s relatively young and fresh. Not for aging, but should be fine over the next two or three years.
VALUE:
Wine-Searcher.com’s $16 average U.S. retail price is appropriate. Better still at my local $14 price tag. If you can find it in the middle to lower teens, buy up for everyday enjoyment.
WEB LINK:
Here’s a brief importer’s fact sheet. A link there to detailed specifications requires a Microsoft login.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Laroque Pinot Noir Cité de Carcassonne on Wine-Searcher.com.
Follow this Wine-Searcher link to read more about the wines of Cité de Carcassonne.
Browse Wine-Searcher’s listings for Domaine Laroque’s wines, with vendors and retail prices, at this Wine-Searcher link.
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Good wines we’ve tried under $12!
Want tips to still more good, inexpensive wines? Here are Wine-Searcher links to vendors and prices for a bunch more wines for $12 or less that I’ve told you about in recent years. In some cases, the prices may have risen since I reviewed them, but they should still be excellent bargains. Please tell us about your favorites!
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As you say outside of those regions where it is already strictly regulated and has an international reputation that generates decent revenue for vignerons I think cultivation of wine grapes and wine making is a process of evolution everywhere. There are so many varietals so many terroirs who's to say where the next perfect planting of a non traditional varietal, for that region, occurs and results in wines that are unexpectedly amazing. Especially new world regions. Having spent a number of years in the Washington wine industry I love seeing the experimental approach to vineyards and wine making. It's all a process of discovery. It could also be that after 45 years of drinking wine I'm just a little burned out on Bordeaux and Rhone varietals.😁