Wines made from Vermentino grapes of Atlantique
Discover the best wines made with Vermentino as a single variety or as a blend of Atlantique.
The vermentino grape variety was widespread in Italy, Sardinia and Corsica. Today, Vermentino is grown in the regions bordering the Mediterranean, mainly in Provence (Côtes de Provence, Bellet), Corsica (Corse Calvi), Languedoc (Côtes du Roussillon, Costières de Nîmes) and the Rhône Valley (Côtes du Luberon). Because it ripens late, Vermentino requires a warm climate for its development and can only be grown in regions with good sun exposure. Conversely, cold or temperate climates do not allow it to ripen properly. Vermentino is only susceptible to powdery mildew. When vinified on its own, Vermentino produces a single-variety dry white wine that is light and full-bodied with a pale yellow color. It can also be blended with other grape varieties such as Ugni Blanc, Cinsault and Grenache, in which case its low acidity makes it light and fresh. Vermentino belongs to the grape varieties of Ajaccio, Corsica and Corbières. The aromas released by this variety are multiple. One can detect notes of fresh apple, green almond, sweet spices, hawthorn, ripe pear and fresh pineapple.
The regional name of Vin de pays de l'Atlantique exists since 2006. For red, rosé and white wines, it brings together 76 producer and Cellar members in Gironde, Dordogne and other departments of Poitou and Aquitaine, for a production of 39. 500 hectolitres of wine, 62% of which is red wine. This denomination is a complement of range of the AOC of Bordeaux.
I’m fortunate enough to taste a fair amount of fine wine each year and I have come to the conclusion that each of us is forced to build our own stylistic preferences, regardless of the appellation or classification of a wine. Instead of simply choosing a bottle of Bordeaux over Barolo, for example, most of us probably aim to drink each on the right occasion and, in doing so, carve out our individual preferences for these wines. My personal bias – which I must confess, to be fair and transp ...
Sonoita Creek carves through the basin, laying down terraces of vegetation – shrubs of acacia, mesquite, yucca, barrel cactus and flowering ocotillo. To the south, a panorama opens, the horizon unimpeded by mountains until the other side of the Arizona-Mexico border. Sonoita, with its 800 residents, sits an hour south of the city of Tucson. The basin rises above 1,370m, with the surrounding mountains even higher. Sonoita is the birthplace of Arizona wine. Missionaries settled to the south, bring ...
A little background first. The unstitching of France’s colonial empire in North Africa between 1956 and 1962 intensified political tensions on Corsica as well as giving rise to an ill-starred attempt by recently arrived French-Algerian wine farmers to turn Corsica’s eastern plains into a gigantic factory vineyard. Between 1960 and 2000, production rose four-fold – then collapsed. Away from the plains in the higher-quality appellation zones, meanwhile, an undiscerning tourist market combined with ...