Every once in a while a few terms seem to get a lot of buzz, but may not be understood by a fair number of wine drinkers. With this in mind, I decided to try to shed a little light on a few of these terms today. I will try not to get too deep in the weeds with the terms or my discussion about them, but for those interested in a deeper dive I will include some good resources. From time to time, I may revisit this discussion, adding a few more wine terms of interest.
Coeur d’Est
I thought it appropriate to start with a term very meaningful to New Jersey wine drinkers. Coeur d’Est is a French term literally meaning “Heart of the East.” It became “a thing” in New Jersey when some members of the Outer Coastal Plain (OCP) chose this as a term to apply to a wine they make which exemplifies a highly rated red wine, utilizing grapes exclusively from the Outer Coastal Plain. Other criteria include the use of only the following grapes: Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot. To ensure the quality of the wine, it must be highly rated by the Beverage Tasting Institute (an independent rating service). The following wineries make a Coeur d’Est:
- Auburn Road Vineyard
- Bellview Winery
- Coda Rossa Winery
- William Heritage Winery
- Plagido’s Winery
- Sharrott Winery
These wineries may not produce a Coeur d’Est every year and there is a limited production. As a result, they may not be available when you visit. However, I strongly recommend you check these out, whenever you can. I have tried at least one or two Coeur d’Est wines from each of the above wineries over the past several years and they do not disappoint. A few that I have on hand are pictured below:
Pet-Nat Wine
Pet-Nat is short for Petillant Naturel. Admittedly this is a term I was not familiar with a few years ago. Pet-Nat is a very old school way of making a sparkling wine. It is actually an older method than the more famous “methode champenoise.” A sparkling wine is generally only called “Champagne” if it is produced in the Champagne region in France and made with grapes from that area. Some countries forbid the use of the term, when not applied as described.
Pet-Nat is produced by allowing the initial fermentation process to start, but not complete before bottling. The result is a sparkling wine with a little less carbonation and a capped bottle (rather than the oversized cork used in Champagne). Pet-Nats may also be a little bit cloudy, due to the lees (spent yeast) still in the bottle. They settle at the bottom of the bottle. With Champagne, sugar and yeast are added to the still wine to start a second fermentation and produce bubbles.
What is old is new again. An old, but true saying. This style of wine has become very popular. I recently tried to purchase bottles of two New Jersey Pet-Nats that I have enjoyed immensely. Unfortunately they were both sold out. The first is a Pet-Nat made at William Heritage Winery (made with Chenin Blanc). The second is a Pet Nat at Unionville Vineyards (made with Dry Riesling). Both are wonderful and dry, with that classic note of brioche.
Field Blends vs Co-Fermentation
In an era when blends are one of the hottest trends in wine, I thought it might be helpful to add these two terms to the discussion:
Field Blends are mixtures of different varieties of grapes grown in the same vineyard. An example of a field blend in New Jersey is the Fox Hollow’s 2016 Field Master.
Co-fermentation refers to the simultaneous fermentation of two or more varieties in the same fermenter. An interesting example of this method is the use of some Australian producers who co-ferment Shiraz (Syrah, called Shiraz by the Aussies and some other producers) and Viognier (white wine). The co-fermentation does not have to be a red and a white and could be a field blend-just to make matters a little more confusing. A nice example of co-fermentation: d’Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier 2013 from McClaren Vale, Australia (WS=90). Many wineries utilize this technique (including New Jersey wineries). The classic Shiraz/Viognier came immediately to mind.
Cheers!
Resources for a deeper dive into these terms (and many others):
- Jancis Robinson’s classic book, The Oxford Companion to Wine
- Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible
- Wine Folly-Magnum Edition: The Master Guide by Madeline Puckette Also try her excellent blog, wine folly.com
Coming Attractions
- Federal Twist Vineyard (New Jersey’s newest vineyard)
- NJ Cabernet Sauvignon -Yes, please!
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