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Fountaingrove Inn
The Fountaingrove Inn of Sonoma County offers gracious hospitality in the heart of Sonoma Wine Country.

101 Fountaingrove Parkway
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

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Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one the five varietals that account for the stellar reputation of red Bordeaux. A cousin to the more well known Cabernet Sauvignon, this grape is normally used in minute quantities, blended with both Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to create a sum that is greater than its parts. While American vintners also use the grape as a blending component, many have found a modicum of success with bottlings of 100 percent Cabernet Franc. The latter tend to show dark berry/cherry flavors with a certain chalkiness.

Cabernet Sauvignon
The king of red wines, Cabernet’s reputation was established decades ago by the great estates of Bordeaux, although it has proved distinctive in other regions as well. While sometimes a bit harsh in its youth, it has the ability to mature into a most complex and full-bodied red wine. Its flavors are comfortable with simple grilled meats as well as more complex dishes like venison in mushroom sauce. Great and consistent producers of Cabernet can be found in the Napa, Sonoma and Long Island, as well as Australia, Chile, and, of course, the châteaux of Bordeaux, which produce the true benchmark of this varietal.

Carmenère
The now resurgent Carmenère grape was brought to Chile in the 1850s before it was virtually wiped out in Europe by the phylloxera epidemic in the 1880s. It has since thrived in Chile, and was mistaken for Merlot until its spicy and distinctive flavor was rediscovered and developed separately from Merlot in recent years.

Catawba
This was perhaps the earliest discovered native American grape, growing wild in Ohio and New York valleys, but it has since been surpassed by the Concord as the most widely planted native East Coast grape varietal. It primarily is used to make off-dry or sweet red wines, with a pronounced foxy (a unique aroma/flavor profile variously described as wild and musky) labrusca flavor. A number of producers also utilize this grape to make sparkling wine.

Chambourcin
A French hybrid that is native to the East Coast, Chambourcin is usually fashioned in a claret or Bordeaux style as a dry red wine. It is also used to make rosé.

Charbono
This uncommon Italian-style red grape is grown mostly in California’s Napa Valley and Mendocino County. Most Charbono wines are very dark purple in color and hold a distinct aroma of plums and other sharp flavors. The full-bodied wine is also very tannic and acidic, and can take more than five to ten years to develop.

Concord
This native American grape varietal (of the genus vitis labrusca) is used in making old- fashioned, “rustic” country-style red wines, often displaying what most people think of as a “grape jelly aroma.” In fact, the Concord is widely used in the production of jellies and jams. This East Coast varietal produces wines that have been variously described as foxy, meaning they have a unique aroma/flavor profile variously described as wild and musky. Mogen David is perhaps the quintessential Concord wine.

Merlot (vinis vinifera)
This variety was once relegated to blending status, but in the last 20 years it has taken on an identity of its own. When varietally bottled, Merlot has herbal and fruity flavors similar to Cabernet, but also has a smooth and supple character in the mouth without the bite of tannins. It complements the same types of food that Cabernet does, albeit less distinctly. Top producers hail from Bordeaux (where the wine is mostly blended with Cabernet but sometimes bottled separately, depending on the region), Chile, Argentina, Napa, Sonoma and Washington state. Other successful regions in the U.S. include Virginia and Long Island, New York.

Muscadine
A species of native American vines that were first discovered by European explorers, who found them growing along the low lying Southern coastal regions. Most Muscadine wines (reds and whites) are blends, usually given proprietary names by the winery (e.g., “Vintners’ Blend”), and vinified in the sweet or semi-sweet style. Muscadines and blends are usually sweet and foxy (a unique aroma/flavor profile variously described as wild and musky).

Norton
In 1835, Dr. Daniel Norton of Virginia developed this grape varietal that was originally known as the Virginia Seedling. Widely planted in the Midwest (where it is sometimes called Cynthiana), it has become a source of interest to East Coast vintners in recent years. It produces a dark, inky wine with flavors of plums and cherries. Horton Vineyards in Virginia is particularly interested in reviving the grape’s reputation. In the South, look for Norton (or Cynthiana) from Moonrise Bay, Mountain Valley, Three Sisters, Tiger Mountain and Tennessee Valley.

Petite Sirah
A grape with a checkered history in the U.S. First brought to the continent in the nineteenth century as Syrah (the great red grape of France’s Rhône Valley), later clones were identified as Durif, a minor red variety of the Rhône. Recent DNA mapping technologies in California indicate that various varietals are among those grapes identified as Petite Sirah. Depending upon a given vineyard’s location and age, various clones of Durif, Peloursin, Mondeuse, Grenache, Zinfandel, Carignane and Syrah may be present. In practice, the so-called Petite Sirah generally produces wines of deep red color and lusty character that require aging.

Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir has the potential to be the most seductive, beguiling red wine in existence. In the past decade or so, however, Pinot Noir has shown the greatest increase in quality of any varietal in America. The perseverance of younger winemakers and traditional winemaking methodology is resulting in Pinots that can stand side by side with the benchmark wines of Burgundy. Lighter than Cabernet, Pinots have a richness and intensity of fruit that is unparalleled. The best of them drink like velvet and accompany a wide variety of foods. Top French Burgundies are bottled under different names and labels, depending on region, vineyard and producer. In America, considerable success with this Burgundian varietal has been from the cooler regions of Napa, Sonoma (Carneros), Santa Barbara and Oregon.

Sangiovese
Red variety that is the dominant grape in Italy’s Tuscany region. It is being replanted in California and elsewhere. The revival is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. Sangiovese literally means “Blood of Jupiter,” derived from the Latin Sanguis Iovis.

Syrah
The great grape of the Rhône Valley has become more widely planted in California, Washington, Arizona and Virginia, in the last ten years. Highly aromatic wines with meaty, smoky, spicy and peppery flavors are the trademark of the Syrah grape. When made in a lighter style, it’s a good quaffing wine to pair with simple bistro food. When made in a richer style, it’s a good accompaniment to lamb and wild game. Syrah is the grape found in French Côte Rôtie, St. Joseph and Cornas, and plays a major role in the spicy Châteauneuf-du-Papes of the southern Rhône, too. In California, the Syrah grape is being cultivated in such diverse regions as Santa Barbara, Sonoma, Monterey, and the Amador Foothills.

Zinfandel
Real Zinfandel is red, a fact many wine drinkers are rediscovering now that the trend for “white” Zinfandel has stabilized. “Peppery,” “briary,” “brawny” and “chewy” are only a few of the adjectives used to describe this mouth-filling wine. It has a real zest for matching up with tomato-based pasta dishes. It is one varietal that the first Italian winemakers propagated and cultivated when they came to California. Though it was previously thought to be the Italian primotivo and the Croatian plavac mali a grape, DNA profiling has linked the varietal to crljenak kastelanski—also from Croatia—and, in fact, the fahter of plavac mali. Today it’s a grape variety that is almost unique to California. Vintners in Napa, Sonoma and Amador seem to do the best job with it. Other states like Arizona, New Mexico and Texas are trying as well. It has been planted in other world regions more recently.

Look at the Wine
Hold your glass up to the light. Color can vary substantially, even within the same varietal. Reds range in color from pale red to dark brown. Generally speaking, a paler wine has a lighter body, while a darker wine is more full-bodied. White wines appear golden, sometimes with elegant green tints. Swirl the wine in your glass to check the body. If you notice “thin legs”, you’re looking at a wine with a higher alcohol content.

Smell the Wine
When you swirl wine in the glass, the agitated molecules release the aroma. Take a quick whiff for an initial impression. Then smell more deeply and slowly. Concentrate on what you have just smelled. You might notice flowers, fruit, an earthy scent, or an oaky aroma.

Taste the Wine
Do you taste fruit, oak, acid, tannins? Look for these characteristics in the wine. After you swallow, consider the taste. Does it go away quickly or does it linger? Is it acidic or sweet? This can be difficult at first, but more practice helps distinguish the different qualities of individual wines.

Evaluate the Wine
An outstanding wine will have a wonderful balance of all these elements-appearance, smell, taste, and feel. Remember that there are individual wines to suit many different occasions. A rich, complex wine may be paired with a gourmet meal, while a simpler wine can be perfect for a casual get-together with friends. Trust your instincts-the only thing that really matters is that you enjoy the wine!

Alcohol: High alcohol (above 13.8 to 14%), will give a wine a certain hotness and it will taste slightly sweeter. Although not the death knell of a wine, high alcohol is a major concern. It is not intrusive as long as there is a lot of fruit to go with it. In evaluating young wines, we may come across and be impressed with a wine sporting 14.5% alcohol that seems to have enough fruit to age for 6-8 years. Ifwe are wrong, however, the fruit will diminish in a few years, but the alcohol will still be 14.5% and the wine will be out of balance. Moreover, is that initial hotness due to the alcohol or to an artificial boost in the acidity? It’s not easy to tell. High alcohol wines often do not age well. Amarone is an exception.
Residual Sugar: Sugar may be fme in Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Chenin Blanc, but it is worrisome in Sauvignon Blanc and a danger signal in Chardonnay. Tasters may fmd a young wine among many that is “easy drinking.” Residual sugar (r.s.) does that. But will such a wine offer much interest when the acidity has been tamed by 3-5 years in the bottle? The answer lies in the amount of acid, pH, and balance the wine has. Most experienced wine lovers agree that a heavily oaked wine with residual sugar will not age well, no matter how appealing it seems. Kendall-Jackson lovers beware! Such wines should be (and, in fact, are) consumed early.

Tannin: Tannin is the puckery, astringent sensation found in red wines. Tannins act as palate cleansers when paired with foods high in protein or oil. Tannin is derived primarily from grape skins, seeds and stems, but also from oak barrels. Tannin acts as a natural preservative that helps wine age and develop. You won’t usually fmd much tannin in white wines, on the other hand, because whites are made from grape juice without the skins.

In the ’80s it became de rigeur to ask for “a glass of Chardonnay” in a restaurant and passé to simply request “a glass of white wine.” Chardonnay is the most popular wine in America for a reason: It’s cold, fruity and easy to drink. It’s pleasant with just about any dish involving cheese, eggs, fish or fowl. Winemakers have divided into two camps over the style of Chardonnay; one school of thought emphasizes the high-toned, steely, fruitlike qualities of the wine with little or no use of oak, while the other emphasizes barrel and malolactic fermentation in addition to the fruit characteristic, which lends the wine a rounder, buttery taste. Benchmarks for Chardonnay are (rich and extracted) white Burgundies and (steely and crisp) Chablis. There are fine Chardonnays from just about every region, including Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara and New York.

Gewürztraminer
This so-called “aromatic” varietal is making a minor comeback with wine consumers who are looking for something different. “Gewürz” translates as “spice” and it’s immediately detectable when poured into a glass. The flavors echo the fragrant and flowery nose echoes, while providing an additional punch from a piquant, spicy component. Made with some residual sweetness, the wine seems to be a good counterpoint for spicy Chinese and Thai dishes. The Alsatian region of France has about four centuries of experience in producing these wines in the traditional style. In the U.S., cooler growing regions, such as Sonoma, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, do well with this grape.

Niagara
A native American grape varietal, the Niagara is often referred to as the “white Concord.” Widely grown in New York, it is a popular table wine, vinified in a slightly sweet style, though the best producers tend to minimize its inherent foxy (a unique aroma/flavor profile variously described as wild and musky) qualities.

Petite Arvine
White grape variety grown in Italy’s Valle d’Aosta used in both dry and sweet wines. Known in Switzerland as Humagne, it is a slightly aromatic grape that makes a “raisin wine” from semi-dried grapes that still retain some of their original juice.

Pinot Blanc
White grape popular for the dry white wines it produces. Increasingly grown in California, the Northwest, Northeast, Canada.

Pinot Grigio/Gris
Pinkish-white variety producing a very crisp white wine. Grown in Oregon, the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, and more and more in California, it shows promise for other cool climates. Also known as Tokay d’Alsace in France, Rulander in Germany, and Pinot Grigio in Italy.

Riesling
Another “aromatic” that is also gaining in popularity, Riesling can be a particularly refreshing alternative to the Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc white wine tandem. Unlike its cousin, Gewürztraminer, this varietal has little spice and instead relies on its delicate aromas and subtle flavors for its special niche. Usually lighter in style and sometimes with residual sweetness, it’s better paired with lighter fare. The Riesling is a mainstay of German winemaking and also ripens to full maturity in Alsace. The top American producers have generally been those who have also had success with Gewürztraminer.

Sauvignon Blanc
This variety is often considered the poor man’s Chardonnay; it can be vinified similarly but costs only half as much. But Sauvignon Blanc has a number of identities ranging from a clean, slight grassy white wine to an herbaceous, full-bodied wine backed up with oak aging. It does its best service at the table when paired with strong, forceful, herbal flavors like goat cheese and raddichio salad. Unheralded but excellent examples come from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé in the Loire Valley. In California, just about every region produces a Sauvignon Blanc, although the North Coast counties seem to have a real knack for it.

Seyval Blanc
A French hybrid that is often thought of as “East Coast Chardonnay,” or at least an alternative to same. Produced in a crisp, dry style, this white wine is often fermented or aged in oak to enhance the rather neutral flavors of the grape itself. It lends itself to service at the dining table and is food friendly. Seyval Blanc is often used in proprietary blends; good examples can be found from Prejean, Clinton and Château Lafayette Reneau.

Vidal Blanc
A cousin to Seyval Blanc, this French hybrid is becoming increasingly popular for its fresh and fruity characteristics. Normally vinified dry or just off-dry, the wine is similar in style and an alternative to Sauvignon Blanc or Muscadet; it is equally as reasonably priced. When harvest conditions permit, some wineries also produce a late-harvest, sweet dessert wine from this varietal.

Villard Blanc
A white French hybrid once widely planted in the south of France, it is more suitable for growing in warm and humid climates like the South. These vines are prolific, producing large golden berries, suitable for eating out of hand as table grapes. When vinified, Villard Blanc makes a fruity, mildly intense white wine (somewhat Sauvignon Blanc like) of fairly neutral and simple flavors. Primarily used for blending.

Viognier
The most acclaimed white wine grape from France’s Rhône Valley, Viognier is a highly aromatic varietal, with a flavor profile that could include peach, apricot, nectarine, lichee, musk and flower blossom. The heady perfume of this varietal is one of its trademarks, although its flavors are sometimes problematic in matching with food. However, it does well with lobster, crab and moderately flavored fish. Use it as an apéritif as an alternative to Chardonnay. The “Rhône Rangers” in California have done an excellent job promoting this varietal.