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Iona Vineyards
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: Chardonnay
Despite having its origins in western France, Chardonnay's immense popularity and flexibility quickly meant that before long, there wasn't a wine producing country in the world which wasn't investing in this fascinating and versatile grape varietal. Today, Chardonnays manage to win fine wine competitions and satisfy supermarket shoppers simultaneously, due to the fact that this grape varietal can take on many characteristics and features of where it is grown and how it is handled. Indeed, this green skinned grape is renowned for not having so much unique flavor within the fruit, but is very sensitive to the features of the terroir it is grown in, as well as to aging As such, it isn't unusual to find bottles of single variety Chardonnay wine described as holding notes of white stone, mountain waters, or other such geological features alongside the more predictable fruit descriptions This makes Chardonnay grape varietal wines an exciting world to delve into – full of surprises, full of delights.
Country: South Africa
Perhaps the most famous and well respected of all the wine regions in South Africa is that of Constantia, which holds many of the oldest and most traditional wineries in the country. Here, the temperate climate receives the Atlantic winds which cool the vineyards, and the fertile soil allows the grapes to grow to full ripeness, resulting in highly flavorful wines which are enjoyed around the world. Whilst Sauvignon Blanc varietals make up the most widely exported wines of this region, the rest of the country produces a huge and impressive range of wines, made up from varietals native to many different European countries. From excellent Champagne style sparkling wines, to aromatic fortified examples, fruity reds and refreshing whites, South Africa continues to impress and surprise, with modern techniques and technologies leading the way and producing exceptional results.