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Winery
Domaine Cabirau
Vintage: 2012
2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in.
The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
Varietal: Grenache
For many centuries now, vintners in the dry and arid regions of Europe have been growing the purple skinned fruits of the Grenache vines for use in a wide range of different wines. Their influence and popularity led to them being planted all over the New World in any region with the correct climatic conditions for them to thrive in, away from the damp or wet weather which causes this particular varietal to very easily rot. Grenache grapes are prized by many as a result of their spicy berry flavors, and the fact that they have a relatively high alcohol content in the bottle. This has led to them being often used as a blending grape, although single variety bottles are also common and make the most of their light body and interesting, rich flavors
Region: Languedoc Roussillon
The southern French region of Languedoc Roussillon is one of the most important wine regions on earth, being responsible for over a third of France's annual output – a vast quantity of wine which exceeds even the annual output of the United States. Despite the fact that Languedoc Roussillon produces such enormous quantities of wine, the quality of the region's output remains a priority for the wineries which operate there. Languedoc Roussillon takes great pride in the fact that could be considered one of the oldest wine regions in the world, with a history which stretches back thousands of years to the ancient Greeks, and remains highly important to this day. Vintners in Languedoc Roussillon work with a wide range of grape varietals, and the region produces a wide variety of wines, from still red and white table wines, to blended and aged wines, dessert and sparkling wines.
Country: France
French winemakers are subjected to several laws and regulations regarding the wines they produce, and how they can be labeled and sold. Such procedures are designed to increase the overall quality of the country's produce, and also to ensure that wines made in each particular region or appellation are of a character and type which is representative of the area. Thankfully for consumers of wine world-wide, the French have a particularly high reputation to uphold, and seem to do so flawlessly. Every year, wineries from all over France produce millions upon millions of bottles of fine wine, making the most of their native grape varieties and the excellent terrain which covers most of the country. From the expensive and exquisite red wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy, to the white wines and cremants of central France, the French are dedicated to providing the world with wines of the highest quality and most distinctive character.