Approximately four bottles of wine out of every 10 sold in this country are from overseas. When they come from Italy, France, or Spain, some of the better wines are not easy to identify.
The reason for this is that in several countries the name of the district is all that is needed, not the name of the grape. The law allows many wines to carry geographical data; the name of the grape variety isn’t required.
In fact, using the grape’s name actually suggests that the wine is not of high quality. So although a wine called Meursault is, by law, entirely made from chardonnay, the grape will not be mentioned if the district name, such as Meursault, is there.
This creates problems for Americans who are unfamiliar with imported wines’ place-naming system. Here are a few common translations that might help:
Vouvray, Savennieres, and Anjou are three smaller regions within the larger Loire Valley of France that produce white wines made entirely of chenin blanc. Most of them are slightly sweet. Those designated “Sec” are dry.
Bourgogne Passe-tout-grain (poss-too-grah) is seen only occasionally. It is a lighter-styled red wine made from a blend of gamay and pinot noir in burgundy and can be a good value.
Related Stories
Chianti (key-ahn-tee) is a widely distributed, light-styled, tart red wine made from Sangiovese that goes nicely with red-sauced dishes like chicken cacciatore and pizza.
Chinon and Saumur (she-nohn an sao-moor) are red wines from the Loire Valley, both made from cabernet franc. Neither wine is typically aged in small oak barrels and their elegant fruit works nicely with grilled salmon.
Cotes du Rhone (coat-due-roan) usually refers to a rustic red wine blend of 27 approved Rhone Valley grapes like grenache (usually dominant), mourvedre and syrah.
Langhe Nebbiolo (lahng-ehh): One of my favorite red wines, it is usually a pale red from north of Milan in Piemonte. It is usually made by producers that also make Barolo from the same grape. In recent years, Langhe Nebbiolo’s reputation has increased, especially from Alba.
Cava and Sekt (kah-vuh, zekt) are sparkling wines. The former is from Spain and typically is made from local grape varieties xarel-lo, macabeo and parellada. Most Sekt is produced from riesling.
Nizza (neet-zah) spans 18 Italian districts covering more than 600 acres, all of which are planted to Barbera grapes. The products of numerous producers once were called Barbera d’ Asti Superiore Nizza, but the Italian government now allows just Nizza as a special designation, indicating quality.
Quincy (can-see): Another Loire Valley sub-district, which gained official government status 90 years ago, mainly because of its distinctive and more subtle white wines made mostly of sauvignon blanc with a small amount of sauvignon gris.
Wine of the Week: 2025 Domaine Mardon Quincy, Cuvee Tres Vieilles Vignes ($25)
The aroma of this “old vine” classic Loire Sauvignon Blanc displays lemon peel and hints of citrus blossoms and minerals. The entry is slightly soft, but the wine is dry, though not austere. It is similar to wines from the neighboring region of Sancerre (sahn-sair) and is priced about $15 to $20 less.
