This month our journey takes us to South Africa, Slovenia, Chile, some lesser known corners of France (I can’t imagine a month without France!) and Mendoza in Argentina. We will also see some cool labels, and taste at least one slightly off the map flavor (really tasty though!). For those of you who love alternative closures, I have to apologize: no bottle caps this month. If you ordered all reds, you don’t get anything from South Africa, or Slovenia, but you will get a tasty Italian wine, and another from Spain to round things out. But most importantly, this month we have a group of exceptionally tasty wines all of which deserve far more recognition than they get. For our sake, let’s hope they don’t get discovered until we have drunk our fill.
To see the details of all of the wines in your current shipment, click here, or follow the Categories link to “Off the Beaten Path January 09″
If you ordered the “All Reds” Selection, click here, or follow the Categories link to “Off the Beaten Path All Reds January 09″
The first vines in 
hich includes Stellenbosch, Paarl and many of the other better-known regions in South Africa.
Africa. Wine-maker Mike Dubrovic uses prime Chenin vines from cool spots, and ferments the grapes dry. 89% of the grapes are fermented and aged in temperature controlled tanks, while the remaining 11% are fermented and aged in a combination of new Hungarian and American Oak, and second fill French Oak. The oak serves here to give a richness, and a hint of spice and vanilla, rather than a decidedly oaky flavor. The last trick in Mike’s hand is that he blends in 8% of his Noble Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc to add just a hint of sweetness that helps to make the fruit stand out more in this wine.
Côtes du Ventoux is the name for the large and diverse area in the Southeastern corner of the Rhône Valley that ecompasses all of the land affected by Mount Ventoux, by far the tallest and largest geographical feature in the South of France. Because of the cold air sliding down the sides of the mountain, this area is cooler and sees more rain than neighboring areas of the Rhône and Provence, and has much cooler nights after the still-blisteringly hot days in the middle of the summer. The area is also sheltered from the Mistral (the cold, persistent wind that blows from the north down the Rhône Valley in the fall, winter 
and spring and stunts the growth of everything). The resulting wines are similar to those in the rest of the Rhône, but with more delicacy and fresher fruit.
Right now you’re saying, “off what path? I drink Pinot Grigio all of the time.” But when was the last time you had Pinot Grigio (or any wine for that matter) from Slovenia? The truth is that other than names that often lack a few vowels, and its status as a former communist dictatorship (Yugoslavia) sworn to destroy the capitalist pigs in America and Western Europe, Slovenia is one of the most promising wine countries in the world. The Brda area (so far the most successful) is identical to the Italian region of Collio in Friuli (in fact, wines grown in part of Collio can be called Slovenian if they are made in Brda and vice versa). The only thing (besides vowels and lingering vendettas) that holds Slovenia back, is a winemaking style that is very 
foreign to us in the West, that employs extremely oxidative (oxidative winemaking creates many flavors that we find weird such as nuttiness, volatile acidity or vinegar, and a lack of fruit) winemaking techniques like ageing in amphorae buried under ground.
The Elquí Valley
feet above sea level) provide the cool climate that makes powerful, complex, vibrant reds, and near dessert conditions which further challenge the grapes (this is good!). The region is also beautiful: a picturesque river valley, high in the Andes.
or consult for many of the best wineries in Chile. Chono is different, because is his own, and the love is very apparent. The winery is named after the ancient Chono tribe that lived in the area.
Château Capion
Franc along with Syrah. The vines face Northwest (to limit direct sun exposure in this very hot region) and are further benefitted by the cooling influence of the nearby forest and the Gassac River. All of these factors allow them to keep the grapes on the vines for longer and produce more balanced and complex wines.
This wine qualifies for the ugliest label award in this month’s shipment (thank goodness it tastes so good).
wned Trapiche. Now, having sold Trapiche, his son Carlos is free to run the family estate with a total commitment to quality.
The Tomero has been a key character in the vineyards in Argentina since 1833. Tomeros controlled the water supply for each district in the province and regulated the channeling of the meltwater from the Andes to make certain that every user receives his fair supply. The tomero’s main tool was locks on the sluice gates of the irrigation channels that had been built into the vineyards. By openning the gates for set amounts of time he could make sure to give each vineyard its rightful supply of water.