Lively red wine feels rich and rustic

Louis Bernard’s offering focuses on sweetness, peppery/spicy flavours

In the bad old days, books explained the wine world in terms of rivers. Almost all wine regions had a river running through it — Bordeaux was on the Gironde, Germany on the Rhine, Champagne on the Marne, Sancerre on the Loire, Port on the Douro, and so on. Producers would argue which side was best — it was always theirs, of course.

Then along came Australia and California, and the new wine books talked sunshine instead of rivers, and grape varieties instead of regions. Regional wine from a river bank became old-fashioned, so yesterday! The talk at parties was on Cabernet and Chardonnay.

Well, after a few decades of sunshine and Chardonnay, people are bored and have begun to ask, “What else?” Where are wine’s “roots?” — the places worth a story, worth exploring. Where wines are not only nice but characterful, too — the New Orleans or Chicago of wine.

You know the answer. Wine’s roots are on the river banks in Europe. And what’s interesting is these places have picked themselves up, dusted off their old ways and relearned winemaking.

Their star shines brightly again and many offer better value than the Aussies and Californians who have started getting greedy.

One of my favourite river regions is the Rhône Valley in the south of France. It is home to the Shiraz grape, and many of the best reds in the world today are modelled on the Rhône style.

Over the winter, I’ll be talking more about this region, but for now I want to tell you about one red that could fit the bill over the holidays. Louis Bernard’s wine is dry with a lovely sweetness, and peppery/spicy flavours.

It’s also gutsy and lively, so it feels both rich and rustic. Wine with roots. It has a lot a character for the price. Get some!

• P.S. Read my recommendations fortoday’s Vintages release.

Women And Wine

Raise a glass in praise of women and wine.

• Taste exclusive vintages.
• Enjoy live jazz.
• Savour exquisite hors d’oeuvres from Focaccia and Bloom.
• Pick up lots of superb holiday entertaining ideas.
• Score some great holiday gifts at the silent auction.
• Feel good about helping an important cause. Lifford will be donating one dollar from every bottle of featured wine sold at the event to Lupus Ontario.

The entire event is in support of Lupus Ontario and takes place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow at the Summerhill LCBO store. The event is free but you must RSVP to 416-440-4101.

Billy Munnelly is author, wine critic and publisher of Billy’s Best Bottles Wineletter and Billy’s Best Wines For 2007. Sign up for Billy’s free monthly wine letter, read Vintages recommendations and learn more about his in-home wine seminars at www.billysbestbottles.com.