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Winery
Domaine Nerantzi
Vintage: 2008
2008 saw very high yields across wineries in much of the southern hemisphere, as a result of highly favorable climatic conditions. Although in many areas, these high yields brought with them something of a drop in overall quality, this could not be said for South Australia's wines, which were reportedly excellent. Indeed, the 2008 Shiraz harvest in South Australia is said to be one of the most successful in recent decades, and western Australia's Chardonnays are set to be ones to watch out for. New Zealand's Pinot Noir harvest was also very good, with wineries in Martinborough reportedly very excited about this particular grape and the characteristics it revealed this year.
Pinot Noir also grew very well in the United States, and was probably the most successful grape varietal to come out of California in 2008, with Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley delivering fantastic results from this grape. Elsewhere in United States, Washington State and Oregon had highly successful harvests in 2008 despite some early worries about frost.
However, it was France who had the best of the weather and growing conditions in 2008, and this year was one of the great vintages for Champagne, the Médoc in Bordeaux, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, with Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grapes leading the way. Italy, too, shared many of these ideal conditions, with the wineries in Tuscany claiming that their Chianti Classicos of 2008 will be ones to collect, and Piedmont's Barberesco and Barolo wines will be recognized as amongst the finest of the past decade.
Varietal: Syrah
There are few red wine grape varietals in the world quite as versatile as that of the Shiraz/Syrah vine. These powerful darkly colored grapes are responsible for several wildly popular wines, and are used in the production of still, fortified and sparkling wines, all which carry its magnificent strong flavors very well indeed. This grape varietal is a robust one, easily adaptable to several different climates and terroirs, and yet has a strong ability to express the conditions it is grown in when it ferments and is drank. Most typically, Shiraz/Syrah wines are known for spicy flavors with a big fruity punch, and the fact that they can demonstrate the decisions made by the winemakers in their secondary flavors very clearly.
Country: Greece
Few countries in the world can claim such an illustrious history of viticulture as that found in Greece, just as few countries can benefit from such an impressive range of terrain as that found across the mainland and islands of this ancient and fascinating land. When we consider that grapes are grown everywhere from the tiny islands in the Aegean sea, to larger land masses such as Rhodes and Crete, on the arid and rocky mainland and mountainous regions of Greek Macedonia, it is no wonder Greek wines show such huge diversity in style, flavor, aroma and character. One thing remains consistent, however, and that is the dedication to producing distinctly 'Greek' wines, full of characteristics which reflect the slow evolution of viticulture in a country which has been producing wine for several thousand years. Whilst certain wines, such as Retsina and those made from the Agiorghitiko grapes have long since been popular with fine wine drinkers world-wide, Greek wineries are continuing to produce superb wines using a wide range of native and imported grape varietals, meaning there are always plenty of new flavors and aromas to discover.