Santa Rita Reserva Carménère, 2006

Santa Rita Reserva Carménère, 2006

The Santa Rita winery owns vineyards in Chile’s most exclusive wine making valleys. It owns vineyards in the Maipo Valley, Casablanca Valley, Rapel Valley, Leyda Valley and in the Lontué Valley. Santa Rita is the second largest land-owning winery in Chile. With access to diverse climates and soils, Santa Rita is able to produce a wide variety of world-class wines showcasing the remarkable quality and versatility of the country.
Over the past decade Santa Rita’s viticulturists have adopted a number of practices to enhance site and varietal characteristics which include the following: sustainable agriculture, better clone material, improved trellising and irrigation techniques, balanced vine viticulture, restricted yields, leaf and canopy management, later harvesting, individual block farming, and small-lot vinification . We recently enjoyed a bottle of this reserve Carménère with a dinner off the grill. This wine is quite a "stand-out" for its dark fruit and vegetal characteristics. On the nose are fresh green peppers, cherries and cedar. This is a medium to full bodied wine with a deep red color and an elegant, smooth mouth feel. On the palate, ripe black fruit, bell pepper, espresso, tomato and roasted herbs commingle to create a luscious and balanced wine. This wine will appeal to people who enjoy vegetable characteristics in their wine. Interesting and different!

Map of Spain with Wine Regions

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Italian Classifications... What do they mean?

IGT, DOC or DOCG?

If you look on any Italian label you will find the winery name, sometimes the vineyard name, the year, and an abbreviation (DOC, DOCG) or a phrase (Vino Da Tavola) which can be confusing and of-putting. What does this mean? Why is it there? What is the difference? Do not fret! The classifications for Italian wine are easy to understand with simply a base education which is outlined below.

There are four major categories of Italian wines:

- Vino Da Tavola

- Vino a Indicazione Geografica (IGT)

- Vino a Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC)

- Vino a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG)

Vino Da Tavola (VdT) (table wine) was once only required by law to not kill the drinker. There were few rules or regulations and most were thin, weak wines and sold in jugs which eventually became candlesticks. But now—the world has changed. There are some winemakers dedicated to changing the image of the VdT and the consistency, and these wines can be excellent and great bargains.

Vino a Indicazione Geografica (IGT) is a classification for a wine produced in a specific area. “Toscana” is a common IGT where Tuscans blend Sangiovese with varying amounts of other grapes like Cabernet or Merlot. These can be amazing wines with good acidity. The ‘Super Tuscan” blends are IGT status and can be some of the best wines coming out of Italy, as well as some of the most unique.

Vino a Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) is the Italian version of the French AOC. DOC wines are produced in specific well-defined and tenured regions. There are very specific rules designed to preserve the traditions of Italian winemaking—each unique to the individual regions. Thus, the rules for making Barolo differ markedly from those for making Chianti Rufina. Region of production, grape varietals, minimum alcohol content, and aging length are all DOC regulations. In addition, to be eligible for a DOC designation, wines must pass a taste test and a chemical analysis.

Vino a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) is the mother of all classifications. Only the strong survive this set of rules and regulations. To meet the standard, average yields are generally lower, and all DOCG wines must pass an evaluation of a tasting committee before they can be bottled. The DOCG testing has resulted in an overall improvement in quality for Italian wines. For many historic wines of extremely high quality, which meet all the requirements, the DOCG system functions splendidly and provides the wine drinker and consumer with an accounting of every bottle produced. This information was provided by Marchesi De' Fescobaldi (great wine makes for centuries).