328643 Mon Sep 25 02:15:50 -0700 2006 8 34 Wine 0 1899577 I had an unusual wine at a tasting the other day. I am always on the lookout to try different varietals and was intrigued to try a 2002 Vinedos de las Vientos Tannat ($23) from Uruguay. I had never had Tannat varietal before. The wine had a very unusual flavor, earthy and rustic, with a lot of tannins. Yet it still was unlike many other wines. It is a big, bold wine and definitely should be accompanied with food, especially wild game or big meats. I enjoyed this wine, and would recommend it to the the adventurous. I even did a little research on Tannat: "Tannat is widely considered to be the national grape of Uruguay. Once grown exclusively in the Madiran region of southwest France, Tannat was brought to Uruguay in the 1870s. It has become centerpiece of a small but intense wine industry, making up 25 percent of the country's vineyards. Uruguay boasts some 300 wineries, but most of them are very small and produce no exports. The entire country has fewer than 25,000 acres in vines, about 1/20 the vineyard land of neighboring Argentina. Tannat is named after its most prominent feature, a high tannin content. In Uruguay, they say that their Tannat is softer than the Tannat of Madiran, thus allowing them to create 100-percent Tannat wines that can be drunk young. Tannat is not easy to find in the States. Uruguay ships only a tiny percentage of its production overseas." Mon Sep 25 02:15:50 -0700 2006 39783 RichardA 1 1899597 It is also used in some Basque wines, Irouleguy for one. Mon Sep 25 02:26:18 -0700 2006 1899577 10133 wally 2 1929161 The Basque region is right next to Madiran, so that's not surprising. A little Tannat makes it into Cahors too. Sat Oct 07 01:40:31 -0700 2006 1899597 22450 Chris Weber 1 1899689 If you liked that try....Eolo, Tannat/Ruby Cab, Vinedo De los Vientos, Uruguay it's a real sophisticated bottle of wine. Mon Sep 25 03:31:33 -0700 2006 1899577 19281 2top 1 1914923 Quara has a tannat from the Cafayate valley that is inexpensive (around $10), tannic, and probably ageworthy. Very tasty, but needs to breathe alot when drunk young. ed Sun Oct 01 20:04:44 -0700 2006 1899577 40270 Ed Dibble 1 4157411 I have had the opportunity to drink two California Tannats during the last 2 weeks: a) The Cambiata 2005 Tannat: was surisingly soft and round in the mouth I expected a tannic explosion that would burn my mouth, but tannins were surrisingly contained. The wine had a beautiful dark purple color. I think this wine is a good choice for a change of pace or for fooling your friends in a blind tasting. b) The Putah Creek 2006 This winery operates out of my hometown, Davis, CA. Again the wine was dark purple and not as tannic as I feared. It was also relatively soft, but not as well finished as the Cambiata. My next sampling will be the Tablas Creek Tannat if I can manage to get hold of it. Still on balance, I feel Tannat lacks the sructure and backbone of more established varietals like Cabernet, Syrah or Mourvedre. Its new found popularity is due to the fact that it is supposed to have the highest concentration of resveratrol among wines, due to its high tannin content. French men in the Gers, the area where Madiran is grown, live in their 90s at twice the country's average. Fri Nov 07 20:18:54 -0800 2008 1899577 192682 bclevy 2 4157643 Tannat is a rustic red wine, with some harsh edges that need to be softened by food, especially fat.Gers still produces a lot (Madiran), and I've had a few Tannat from there, but none from anyplace else. Tannat has a very high level of the "good" suff we drink wine for -- procyanidins. Learn more by reading the research/articles of Roger Corder and his writings. But Cabernet has almost as much, and is much better tasting. Highest of all is the red from the Nouro region of Sardinia. I believe. Sat Nov 08 00:39:32 -0800 2008 4157411 18222 maria lorraine 3 4157649 ms. lorraine, Sagrantino from Umbria ranks pretty high in that procyanidins list, does it not? Have you been favorably impressed by any of those Nouros? I have a weak spot for these highly tannic wines and haven't tried that one yet. grazie Sat Nov 08 00:49:52 -0800 2008 4157643 11012 moto 4 4159364 Yes. the Sagrantino from Arnoldo Caprai was measured to have the highest amount of procyanidins OF ALL THE WINES TESTED in Italy. But that doesn't mean all Sagrantino in general is high in pros, ony that this AC Sagrantino is. Corder's rating system: V = Average (30-45 mg per 4-ounce glass) VV = Shows promise (45-60 mg) VVV = Good (60-90 mg) VVVV = Very good (90-120 mg) VVVVV = Excellent (120 mg+) ITALY 1. Sagrantino di Montefalco Collepiano, Arnaldo Caprai, Umbria VVVVV One of the very highest Corder has found so far, anywhere 2. Rosso Superiore del Mandrolisai, Cantina del Mandrolisai, Sardegna VVVVV 4 V's from North to South: 3. Barolo Ciabot-Berton, Piemonte VVVV 4. Langhe Nebbiolo De Forville, Piemonte VVVV 5. Dolcetto di Dogliani, Luigi Einaudi, Piemnte VVVV 6. Palazzo della Torre, Allegrini, Veneto VVVV 7. Morellino di Scansano, Le Pupille, Toscana VVVV 8. Morellino di Scansano, Lohsa, Toscana VVVV 9. Poggio Bestiale, Fattoria di Magliano, Toscana VVVV 10. Aglianico Contado, Di Majo Norante, Molise VVVV 11. Aglianico Beneventano, Vesevo, Campania VVVV 12. Fatascia Syrah, Alire, Sicilia VVVV 13. Merlot, Ceuso, Sicilia VVVV 14. Kent'annos, Cantina del Mandrolisai, Sardegna VVVV FRANCE 1. Madiran, SW France VVVVV 2. La Mere Grand, Vignoble du loup Blanc, Languedoc-Roussillon VVVVV 3. Domaine la Rouvioule, Minervois la Liviniere, Languedoc-Roussillon VVVVV 4. Mas de Daumas Gassac 2003, Languedoc-Roussillon VVVVV 5. Pommard VVV to VVVVV. 6. Cahors, SW France VVVV 7. Lo Cagarol, Domaine Tour Trencavel, Minervois, Languedoc-Roussillon VVVV 8. Cuvee Gaia, Les Trois Blasons, Minervois la Liviniere, Languedoc-Roussillon VVVV 9. Arenes Sauvage, Cave de Tain, Cornas, Rhone VVVV 10. Chateau Montaiguillon 2002, Montagne-St. Emilion, Bordeaux VVVV California Cabernet ranks very high. Sorry I don't have the rankings for that. Read more here: http://tdh46.typepad.com/mondosapore/2007/09/top-procyanidin.html Sun Nov 09 01:59:31 -0800 2008 4157649 18222 maria lorraine