The flavor of earth in wine of Ecuador
Discover the of Ecuador wines revealing the of earth flavor during the olphactive analysis (nose) and during the gustative analysis (mouth).
Ecuador is a country located on the Pacific coast of northern South America. There are only a few hundred hectares of Vineyards and rum and beer are produced in much larger quantities.
It is remarkable, however, that Ecuador has wine production: the equator, which gave the country its name, runs through its northern third. If an exception to the theory of the wine belt (the latitudes between which winemaking can be effectively practiced) was needed, Ecuador provides it.
Only the Andean topography of Ecuador's interior makes quality viticulture possible. Over the millennia, the peaks of the northern Andes have risen to altitudes well over 4,500 meters (15,000 feet), taking with them many hectares of what were once low-lying coastal plains. It is in these cooler, mid-altitude areas that Ecuadorian wine is produced, primarily from members of the robust and prolific Muscat family.
The annual climatic cycle of the Ecuadorian highlands is such that the vines experience a period of dormancy during what is considered winter on the equator.
Without this, the plants do not have the opportunity to recover from their fruiting periods, their wood does not harden and, as a result, the fruit they produce is of lesser quality for wine making.
In the coastal plains below, where humidity is high and sunshine is extreme in intensity and duration, the vines produce up to three harvests per year. A similar situation occurs on the other side of the Pacific in Vietnam, where the difference between the wines of the highlands and the lowlands is striking.
Pruning and other vine management techniques can be used to control fruiting in these sweltering conditions, resulting in a single harvest per year, but the quality is rarely high.
First introduced with the 2006 vintage in 2009, the Vendemmia d’Artista series commissions different artists each year to capture the character of the vintage in limited edition sculptures and labels. This 14th edition of the Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista series will see 100 double magnums, 10 imperials and one salmanazar sold to raise money for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, which plans to expand its Mind’s Eye initiative – a programme that enables the visually impaired to experien ...
When I first visited Bordeaux, the sleepy landscape of turreted stone châteaux and vineyards seemed timeless, with traditions so well established you felt they would go on forever. But new energy in this famous wine region is visible and audible: bees buzz and sheep graze in organic vineyards; brand-new cellars brim with sustainable features and wine fermenting in trendy amphorae; unusual grapes are gaining attention; and the number of women in key roles keeps growing. Yoga among the vines is s ...
The new range, drawn from whisky stocks laid down by the Gordons for almost a century and named after the family home in Dufftown, comprises The Charles Gordon Collection – in 2022, four whiskies priced at £3,000-4,500 per bottle – and The Legacy Collection – four whiskies priced at £950-1,450. They include the first spirit produced at the Girvan grain distillery in South Ayrshire in 1964, and a 56-year-old whisky, unusually blended as new make spirit before its maturation. ‘This is a collection ...