INTERNATIONAL WINE DAY 5/25-Celebrate with Global Selections
INTERNATIONAL WINE DAY 5/25
By: Marina Kennedy May. 14, 2024
May 25th is International Wine Day! Grab your maps as we journey through a number of countries to celebrate. Take this wine tasting trip and gear up for an unforgettable excursion around the world. Enjoy some unexpected pleasures as you taste this global selection of six wines. We have included the purchase links for our readers' convenience.
Italy: Our first stop is in Tuscany, Italy. Journey through Tuscany and taste a Super Tuscan; Lucente 2021 (SRP: $34). The estate, from the famed Frescobaldi family, is in the southwest of Montalcino, at one of the highest elevation points and south/southwest facing; the freshness and structure that result play in tension with the deep, perfectly ripe fruit.
-With a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Sangiovese, Lucente 2021 appears a deep ruby red and boasts an intense bouquet of red berry fruit, wild blackberry, and other floral notes. Broad and generous on the palate, with tannins beautifully integrated into the structure, it develops tangy, aromatic fruit, including dark wild berry, black licorice, and smooth spices.
Spain: Next, explore Rías Baixas, Spain to taste Mar de Frades Albariño 2022 (SRP: $24). Mar de Frades 2022 is a bright, pale lemon-colored wine, with enticing flashes of lime. The nose is fresh and intense, with tropical fruit (mango and passion fruit), wild flowers and notes of eucalyptus and mint that are always present. On the palate, it is fluid and refreshing, at the same time smooth and flavorsome, a wine that shines for its saline and mineral character.
-As Mar de Frades is 100% Albariño, it shows off its warmth and freshness. Pair this refreshing white with fish rice dishes, vegetable or seafood paellas, warm scallop salad, or marinated fish.
France: Let’s travel to France and take a look at the Rhône Valley to taste a Côtes du Rhône white, Héritages AOC Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2022 (SRP $10). A blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Bourboulenc and Viognier, this Côtes du Rhône Blanc is an exceptional wine from Ogier, one of the leading producers in the Rhône Valley.
-This white blend is plump and round in the mouth, but finishes long and crisp. The aromas that this Côtes du Rhône Blanc provides are clean and pleasant with scents of apple and citrus.
Georgia: Known for its unique amber wines, Georgia’s GRW Kisi Amber 2022 (SRP $19) is a skin-contact white selection from the country’s Kakheti region. The GRW Kisi Amber is a varietal wine made from the indigenous Kisi grape. Georgia’s winemaking process dates back 8,000 years ago, vinified in qvevri (a large clay vessel used for fermentation, maturation, and storage of the wines that is buried into the ground, leaving only the vessel’s rim visible above ground), the winemaking process involves pouring pressed grape juice, skins, stalks and pips into the qvevri, allowing for three to six months of fermentation underground.
-This amber wine presents with aromas of ripe pear, marigold, tobacco and walnut typical to Kisi. It shows fruit flavors like ripe apple, peach and pear on the palate. This Georgian amber is an incredibly food-friendly wine. Enjoy the GRW Kisi with hearty dishes such as steak, lamb and barbeque.
Lebanon: Let’s taste a white wine from Lebanon, IXSIR Altitudes White 2022 (SRP $20). This highest-altitude winery in Lebanon produces unique, terroir-driven wines from the Batroun region that showcase purity of expression and freshness from the Lebanese mountains. A floral and fruity blend of Obeideh, Muscat, and Viognier, the wine transitions into a balanced and sharp palate hinted with spicy undertones, followed by a soft touch of acidity that provides pleasant freshness.
-IXSIR Altitudes White 2022 shows off its light yellow color, with a pale-green hue. On the nose, you’ll find aromas of citrus. Obeideh, an indigenous grape variety from Lebanon, has a wonderful roundness and a fullness of volume that fills the mouth. On the palate, it has persistent notes of fruits. It is a wine that is fresh and full of sunshine.
Armenia: Our final stop is Armenia, where we will be exploring a wine from internationally-renowned winemaker, Paul Hobbs, and the Yacoubian family: Yacoubian-Hobbs White 2019 (SRP: $28). This dry white is composed of 90% Voskehat, 5% Khatuni, 3% Qrdi, and 2% Garan Demak. By harmonizing the elegance and acidity of the Voskehat variety with the rare, aromatic depths of Khatuni, this white blend emerges as a symphony of complexity, minerality, and enchanting floral notes.
-Paul Hobbs ventured to Armenia to craft modern, world-class wines with his partner, the Yacoubian family, from the indigenous varieties found in the high altitude, mineral-rich soils that Vayots Dzor, Armenia has to offer. The Yacoubian-Hobbs label includes rare grape varieties that will expand your palate and turn you and your readers into Armenian wine aficionados.
Raise a glass to International Wine Day and keep these wonderful selections on hand for all the good times ahead!
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Frescobaldi
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