Mourvèdre, Monastrell, Mataro — a grape of many names 
If you enjoy powerful, full-bodied, high-tannin red wines, Mourvèdre is a grape well worth your attention. You may already know it, though perhaps under a different name. Mourvèdre is the French name for this variety, and in France it is best known as a component of the famous southern Rhône blends, commonly referred to as GSM blends—after the first letters of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. It is also the backbone of the powerful red wines of Bandol in Provence. Under this same name, the variety is now known in the United States, South Africa, and several other countries. In Spain, the grape’s homeland, it is called Monastrell. In Portugal and Australia, it goes by the name Mataro. And these are only the three most widely used names—this variety has an astonishing number of synonyms, as if it were deliberately hiding that it is the same grape. Indeed, for centuries Mourvèdre / Monastrell / Mataro lived in the deep shadow of other, more fashionable varieties. Only now is it gradually stepping into the light.
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The Rising Star of Petit Verdot 
Petit Verdot, an ancient French grape variety that has spent centuries as a supporting player, is slowly stepping into the spotlight. More and more wine lovers are discovering a truly unusual wine that combines full body and high tannins with a vivid floral-fruity aroma. A well-made varietal Petit Verdot is a deeply colored, almost inky wine with powerful yet silky tannins, aromas of violet and lilac, flavors of black cherry and plum, and notes of pepper and spice, sometimes with touches of tobacco and leather.
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Cava. Sparkling wine of Spain 
Champagne, a sparkling wine produced in the French region of Champagne using the traditional method—where the secondary fermentation, which creates the bubbles, occurs directly in the bottle—is widely regarded (and not without reason) as the gold standard for sparkling wines. But Champagne has one major drawback: it’s expensive, sometimes very expensive. However, Champagne is not the only wine made using this traditional technology. When it comes to national sparkling wines—those made with their own grape varieties and/or unique technological features that differ from Champagne—Spanish Cava should be placed second only to Champagne in terms of quality. And in recent decades, both the quality and diversity of Cava wines have been growing rapidly. Cava is always made using the traditional method—this is required by law. The wine must mature on the lees for a minimum of 9 months for regular wine. Cava is available in almost every wine-consuming country, and in terms of volume, production is only slightly behind Champagne—250 million bottles per year, compared to Champagne’s 300 million. At the same time, Cava is much more affordable, making it hard for any sparkling wine lover to ignore.
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Claret, Clairet, Clarete 
Claret is the perfect wine for the characters in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland,” because there’s plenty of their favorite thing—confusion—surrounding it. Starting with the name itself: Clairet or Claret? And, by the way, there’s also Clarete… And again—are we talking red or rose?
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Albariño 
August 1st marks World Albariño Day, a delightful occasion to pay homage to this beautiful grape variety that gives us light, refreshing, and highly aromatic wines, perfect for the summer season.
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World of Magic Bubbles 
In the article about Champagne I talk in detail about the history of the foremother of all sparkling wines, about Champagne’s styles and technology. However, the world of magic bubbles doesn’t restrict to Champagne; it is wide, deep, diverse, and very interesting.
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Grenache 
September 17 is The International Grenache Day. So, it is a good time to say a couple of words about this interesting and beautiful grape variety.
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Jerez/Xerez/Sherry 
The best accompaniment for this article is a glass of good sherry. So, pour yourself some Amontillado or well-aged Oloroso before reading on. Jerez, also known as Sherry, a name that is more popular in the English-speaking world, is a wine that’s remarkable in many ways. Particularly, Jerez is a wine that connects you to history—you could share your glass of Jerez with an Englishman who lived a hundred years ago, quite literally, without it costing you all the world money. Of course, not every drop in your glass would have mingled with drops from that gentleman’s glass, but some of them truly have. Part of the special charm of Jerez lies in this living connection to the past, beyond its inherent taste qualities.
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