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More wines available from Zarate
More Details
Winery
Zarate
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: Albarino
Albarino grapes have been cultivated and processed in Spain and Portugal for centuries, and have played a key role in developing the white wine cultures of these two countries. Today, they are grown in several locations around the world, in regions where plenty of heat and humidity help them reach full ripeness. Such climatic condition allow the grapes to strongly express their unique flavors and their strong characteristics in the wines which they produce, and which are greatly enjoyed by those looking for a white wine offering something a little different. Most commonly, Albarino grapes produce wines which are very aromatic, pale in color and full of soft fruit flavors, including peach and apricot. They are renowned for their high acidity, which couples nicely with a light body and some residual bitterness coming from the grapes' thick skins and plentiful pips.
Region: Galicia
The northern Spanish region of Galicia is not the first place many people think of when considering Spanish wines. Admittedly, the region does not enjoy the fine weather of La Rioja, or the excellent soils of Catalunya, and the Atlantic Ocean often brings strong winds and heavy rainfall. However, the Galicians have been producing wines in their region for centuries, and wineries which operate there know how to get the most out of their grape varietals in order to bring to the world characterful, flavorful and quintessentially Galician wines. Most of Galicia's produce is blended, taking fine grape varietals such as Albarino, and carefully balancing them against other grapes in order to produce something truly special. Whilst the wine production in Galicia is still relatively small, great efforts are being made to ensure that the world once more rediscovers this special and unique part of Spain, and the wonderful wines they produce.
Country: Spain
Spanish wines are renowned world-wide for carrying all the passion and character of the Spanish culture within them. Any lover of Spanish wine would undoubtedly be able to confirm this notion, as the variety and range of flavors and aromas coming from the high end of Spanish produce is truly impressive, and continues to delight and fascinate both newcomers and the more experienced. Spain benefits massively from an ideal climate for wine production and vine cultivation, with its long, scorching hot summers and far reaching oceanic breezes working perfectly with the native and imported grape varietals, which thrive on the mineral rich soils that cover much of the country. With centuries of knowledge, and generations of expertise under their belts, Spanish wineries continue to focus on raising the quality of their nation's wines, helped along the way by relatively new laws and regulations regarding regional excellence and representativeness.