What is an AOC? Or a PDO? Or a PGI? You’re pouring me a Châteauneuf-du-what?
If you find yourself feeling lost, you’re not alone. Even some of the world’s leading experts on wine classification have trouble making sense of the myriad regulations and ever-shifting laws that govern the winemaking world.
And now, in Germany, their new wine laws are poised to transition to the Romanesque model, which follows the principle “the closer the origin, the higher the quality.” So a riesling won’t just be a riesling anymore — they’ll be known by the village or even the single vineyard and everything that comes with that.
We’ll sit down with global wine expert and Cornell professor Cheryl Stanley for a brisk discussion on the sense of place. We’ll also uncork a bottle or two while we’re at it. Join us?
Below is the list of wines we’ll be exploring during our 30-minute tasting session, so run out and grab what bottles are available to you. And don’t forget your tasting notes — there’s lots to discuss!
Wine list:
South American cabernet sauvignon — single-vineyard Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo, D.O.
Sonoma County or Napa Valley AVA (American viticultural area) — single vineyard, ideally
Riesling Gutswein vs. riesling Erste Lage/Grosse Lage/Grosse Gewächs — these wines would be from a VDP producer as their classification is already established
