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Let me share some tips from my favorite author Jancis Robinson in her book Guide to Wine Grapes. The age-old question; what came first the chicken or the egg??? Thus the question of geographical region versus grape variety should be of interest to the wine consumer. For centuries the wine producers labeled their final product solely on geographical area. This practice was not purposely done to confuse the consumer; it was a method of recognizing established and influential wineries. To this date geographical labeling consists of 5 percent of all wine made in the world. Some of the geographical areas are Bordeaux, Soave and Rioja.

It all started some 4,000 years ago, when prehistoric people pressed wild grapes into juice that, as if by magic, fermented into wine. The complexity of the vines, which have different leaves, sizes and shapes and very different tasting grapes, which produce discernibly different sorts of juice, gave way to a new method of labeling "grape variety". It wasn't until the mid 20th centuries that grape variety was introduced in the United States and popularized during the California wine boom of the 1970s. Today an increasing proportion of wine sold trumpets the name(s) of the grape(s) from which it is made on the front or back label.

Therefore the question must be asked which is better for the consumer, geographical or grape variety? For us the answer is obvious, grape variety because it is easily understood and categorized. But you be the judge. Tonight uncork one those luscious bottles and sit back and absorb all of their complexity.