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vitis vinifera grows in the california sunshine

One Species, Ten Thousand Names

From its ancient Eurasian origins to vineyards across six continents, Vitis vinifera defines much of what we understand as wine.

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fortified wine glasses poured for somm.site

History

Fortified Wine is Built to Survive

For three centuries these were the most valuable and widely traded wines on earth, engineered to cross oceans that destroyed everything else. The category never truly disappeared, and it is quietly finding its way back.

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Regions

Priorat: The Comeback Written in Slate

In a remote fold of Catalan mountains, monks planted vines, blight and poverty emptied the valleys, and a handful of outsiders rebuilt one of Europe's great red wines within a single generation. The soil did the rest.

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History

The Sweet Origins of Modern Wine

For most of history, the world's greatest wines were sweet, and dry wine was the hard thing to make. The bottle you now take for granted is the product of a quiet revolution in science and taste.

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chenin blanc hanging on the vine in the loire valley

Grapes

The Remarkable Versatility of Chenin Blanc

No white grape wears more disguises. From bone-dry and mineral to lusciously sweet to sparkling, Chenin Blanc may be the most versatile fine wine in the world, and one of the most rewarding at the table.

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Regions

The Oregon Trail

The same valley that once marked the end of a great American migration has become an unlikely promised land for one of the world's most demanding grapes. In a single generation, Oregon turned a reckless bet on Pinot Noir into a wine region spoken of alongside Burgundy.

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History

Insights into the French AOC Wine Classification

The Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée is the most imitated idea in wine, the reason a French label names a place instead of a grape. It guarantees a great deal, but not quite the thing most people assume.

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Regions

Understanding Santa Barbara County

On a southern stretch of the California coast where you might expect heat and ripeness, a quirk of geography instead delivers fog, cold ocean wind, and world-class cool-climate wine. The secret is which way the mountains face.

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Production

A Year in the Vineyard

Every bottle of wine is the record of a single trip around the calendar. Follow the grapevine from its first spring bud to its winter rest, and the wine in your glass begins to make sense.

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