In Chile, it is Pisco, a traditional grape brandy that has been made for centuries in the northern regions of Chile.
It’s considered Chile’s national spirit and Chile legally protects pisco as a national product.
This means it can only be produced in certain regions of the country, similar to how Champagne is protected in France.
Of course, we had to go check it out, for educational reasons.
And then there are those that are nondiscriminatory and like
them all. Or, don’t like any.
Chile is better known for red wine, but, there are also areas where the climate and soil are better suited to grapes for white wines.
The Maipo Valley and the Casablanca Valley are two important wine regions in Chile, but they produce different styles of wine because of their different climates and soils.
It is the climate and topography that grapes thrive on.
We love it too.
So it is no wonder that we love visiting areas with
vineyards.
Chile is world famous for their wines.
There is no way we could go to Chile and not check out the beautiful scenery and vineyards – for purely educational purposes.
Every country has what I term, its local “hooch”, or adult alcoholic
beverage of choice.
It is always based on what can be produced locally.
The town of Tequila is famous as the birthplace of the liquor spirit tequila, which is made from the local blue agave plant.
Tequila, the town, is designated a Pueblo Mágico (“Magic Town”.)
This is a recognition given by the Mexican government to places with cultural and historical richness.
We had to go check out the town, and the liquor... for purely educational purposes.
Think of Scotch, tequila, rum, rye, whiskey, etc.
In Spain, it is vermouth, or, as it is called locally, vermut.
Vermut began in Spain in the 1800's.
By the early 1900's it had become very popular in Spanish life.
Traditionally, almost every town had a bodega (local lingo
for a bar) serving its own house vermouth, often drawn straight from a barrel.
For purely educational purposes, we decided it would be a good idea to go visit a vermut distillery to learn more.
But cold winters got in the way of their quest.
The cold temperatures would pause the fermentation process of the wine, and then, in the spring when it got warmer, the yeast would wake up and fermentation would start again.
The double fermentation had a surprise result - bubbles.
At first, that was not the desired result.
But then, instead of fighting it the locals started perfecting the process of bubbly wine.
With its sunny Mediterranean climate, varied landscape and rich volcanic soil, Sicily produces a wide range of high-quality red and white wines from indigenous and international grape varieties.
For purely education purposes we tested this at two wineries, one in western Sicily and one in eastern Sicily.
Cyprus’ wine making tradition dates back over 5,000 years.
Vineyards contribute to the island’s landscape, culture and economy.
The Mediterranean climate with long sunny days, cool mountain breezes and fertile soil creates ideal conditions for growing grapes.
Vineyards are mostly concentrated in the central Troodos Mountains area where the altitude and terrain contribute to the unique flavor profiles of Cypriot wines.
I certainly didn't.
There are over 100 registered wineries in Montenegro that produce over 50 types of wine!
This small country produces about 17 million liters of wine a year. About 30% is exported.
Wine is one of the most important agricultural products in Montenegro.
It is nestled in the Andes mountains and surrounded by vineyards.
I discovered Cafayate through the power of Social Media.
A friend on Facebook has posted many photos over the years of her Happy Place in Cafayate. At Christmas she was back and her beautiful FB photos intrigued me. So I contacted her for more information.
Digging around I also found stunning Tilcara and the surrounding area 6 hours further north.
Loving the mountains I was hooked, or should I say, I was “booked”.
Tunuyan, south of the city of Mendoza, has high altitude vineyards with the Andes as a backdrop.
The grape vines were heavy with fruit as the end of February is harvest season in the southern hemisphere.
We felt "lucky" one day as the workers were picking in "our" vineyard.
We asked if we could watch for a bit.
Oh, okay, I also think about wine.
So when in Mendoza wine tasting is in order.
The end of February is the end of summer in the southern hemisphere, so in many vineyards the grapes were still hanging from their vines.
We chose Decentera vineyards to sample some of the local produce.
I certainly didn't.
The lack of common recognition is because the producers are small and locals consume a large portion of it, which leaves little for export.
There are 3 main wine regions and more than 300 geographically defined wine districts. They produce mostly white wine in the north with red and white wine in the south.
