Author: Terry Connor

  When God was busy creating the earth, and it was time to place the finishing touches on South America, He decided to place the Andes mountain range between Chile and Argentina. The range became the dominant geographical feature of the Argentine and Chilean wine regions, with snowcapped mountains often serving as the backdrop view in the vineyards. Each year as spring approaches, an intricate irrigation system of dams, canals, and channels carries the vital water supplies from the mountains to the wine regions below.

I was going to make my next stop New Zealand after I finished Australia. I debated with myself and practicality won out. I headed for Chile because, for us here in the Lowcountry, the magic connection with New Zealand is based on only one wine, that being Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough Region. This is a good product and it does well in the Lowcountry. Prices are competitive, the quality is good from all of the producers, and it does well against the competition from California, Australia and France.

  I am going to take a “one time” detour from our regular format and still remain consistent with our general theme of Drinking Globally. Included in the most recent issue of The Wine Spectator is the list of restaurants that are noted as having the world’s best wine lists.

Contrary to popular belief, Australia is not a country populated with kangaroos, sheep, crocodiles, and a few humans. It is a country filled with talented, hard-working, friendly, and industrious people. Fortunately for us wine lovers, these qualities carry over to the wine industry. Karen MacNeil is quick to point out in her book The Wine Bible that high tech is the name of the game in today’s wine production methods in Australia. Yet, in spite of the sophistication in production, the wine remains like the people themselves – outgoing and unpretentious.

The wine industry in Australia is nothing short of huge. It is interesting and diverse. We are indeed fortunate to have access to the wines of Australia as they are plentiful and readily available throughout the Lowcountry.

Sadly I had to say good-bye to Franco. He was unable to make the move to South Africa with me. I sold him the Citroen for 25 Euros and filled the tank with gas. I have this strange feeling that we will meet again.

I arrived back in Austria, from Oregon, where I met up with Franco. He’d taken good care of the car and enjoyed his Austrian vacation. Now it was time to get back to work. I deferred to Franco for a suggestion. Where should we go next? His answer was Hungary. Without hesitation I agreed and off we went. The plan was to explore the regions of Eger and Tokaji. There are others regions in Hungary; very good regions. However, the two regions that we were going to explore export wine in significant volume to the US, including the Lowcountry.

You have got to see this area to believe how beautiful it is. I was here four years ago and was to rushed to take it all in. This trip, I made sure that there was enough time to visit the wineries, talk to the owners and winemakers, and appreciate the sheer beauty of the landscape.

The wine group that I belong to arranged a wine tasting for last Saturday evening. The theme was “alternative whites” for summer drinking. The intent was to call attention to the fact that there is life beyond chardonnay. The group brought in Sancerre, Fume Blanc, Viognier, and Vernaccia. These wines are good selections, however I felt like such a dummy when I realized I’d forgotten to suggest an excellent choice from Austria, a wine made from the Gruner Veltliner grape. (Gru-Vee for short) It would have been a perfect addition as the wines made from this grape are affordable and plentiful in the Lowcountry.

The town of Montalcino, situated 70 miles southwest of Tuscany, is surrounded by vineyards that grow the Brunello grape. This particular grape is a clone of Sangiovese. (Actually a special clone called the Brunello clone.) Although it is only 70 miles further south, it appears to make enough of a difference in that the warmer climate has the effect of producing bigger and bolder grapes. From this grape is produced “Brunello di Montalcino” red Italian wine. The final product is revered, expensive, and well deserving of every accolade that is showered upon it.