When grapes don’t travel
Name a wine grape, think of the land that made it famous: Pinot Noir in Burgundy, Cabernet in Bordeaux. Can these grapes do as well in other places?
This question is pretty easy to answer when we think about how well the most sought-after grapes have traveled. Cabernet from Napa, Sonoma, or Coonawarra can compete with Bordeaux’s finest. Even Burgundy faces challenges from Willamette, Central Otago, and California’s cool coastal regions. Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Syrah – just about any of the most loved varieties – seem to perform very well far from home.
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In short, with the caveat that wine grapes thrive best in relatively temperate regions, which mostly rules out the Equator and the Arctic, a skilled winemaker can start with just about any variety and make something drinkable with it.
Sure, you can argue that wines from each grape’s place of origin outperform the rest, and Cabernet’s Bordeaux, Pinot’s Burgundy, Riesling’s Mosel, and Syrah’s Northern Rhône can make a strong case for that. But California, Australia, and many more would like to have a word with us about that.
Okay, fine. Good grapes and good wine can travel. Point made. But here’s a curious question: With so many top grapes performing admirably in a world of vineyards, why do other equally admired varieties seemingly prefer to stay home? Why don’t we see a lot of Napa Nebbiolo, Oregon Grüner Veltliner, Barossa Tempranillo, or Washington State Sangiovese, just to pick out a random few?
Vines in Washington State’s Wahluke Slope wine region grow on wine-blown sand. The region gets only 6 inches of rain in an average year. It doesn’t look or feel much like Tuscany, yet we really enjoyed Charles Smith’s CasaSmith Cinghiale Sangiovese grown there.
One logical assumption is that it made sense for New World winemakers to start with the world’s most well-known and sought-after grapes, making varieties like Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir the obvious picks. It might be, too, that some varieties are more finicky than others in their preference for the combination of soil, geology, microclimate, length of growing season, prevailing winds, and all the other minutiae that make up terroir.
And of course, we have the reality that commercial wine is a business with a profit motive. Tried and true varieties proven to thrive are perceived as a better risk than dreamy experimentation.
But for every rule there are exceptions, and aren’t we glad? This week I’m enjoying an excellent Washington State Sangiovese from the Columbia Valley’s Wahluke Slope. CasaSmith Cinghiale Sangiovese is no Chianti, nor is it a dead ringer for Barbaresco. But winemaker Charles Smith’s fascinating effort doesn’t have to be. It speaks the language of its ancestors, but it does so with a distinct American accent; and that’s all right.
This week’s Substack conversation: Some wine grapes like Cabernet or Chardonnay are grown all over the world. Others, like Sangiovese or Tempranillo, mostly stay close to their place of origin. But the exceptions can be fun! I’m tasting a Washington State Sangiovese this week. Have you tried a memorable wine from an unexpected place?
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