The Wine Pair Podcast

WTF is Bonarda AKA Charbono?

• The Wine Pair • Season 1 • Episode 189

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If you are looking for a crowd-pleasing, bigger red wine, this may be the ticket. Wait, you’ve never heard of Bonarda or Charbono?!? Shameful! It’s time to get you edumacated! It is not uncommon that the same wine will have two different names depending on where it is from, but it is unusual that a wine that has been around for thousands of years, was once one of the most popular wine grapes in California, Savoie France, and Argentina (in fact was more widely grown than Malbec in Argentina for a while), is almost completely off everyone’s radar. But no more! This is an easy drinking and food friendly red wine that we think is compatible with almost every red wine drinkers’ palate. It may not be the most complex wine ever, but it is a wine that is hard not to like. We think it is a wine you should hunt down if for no other reason than it may be a wine that you are shocked is not more popular. It’s way better than the average crappy Cabernet Sauvignon by a long shot! Plus, one of the wines we selected is from a rising star in California named Kenny Likitprakong who some are calling the best winemaker in California making under $25 wines. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Folk Machine Charbono, 2022 El Enemigo Bonarda

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Show Notes

Episode #189: WTF is Bonarda AKA Charbono?  00:00

Hello to our Grand Cru! And welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and my wine pairing partner in crime, Carmela. And we are The Wine Pair!

If you are new to our podcast, here is what you can expect. If you love wine and want to find great wines at affordable prices, and you want to expand your wine horizons, and you want to have some laughs and fun while doing it - then you are in the right place! Each week we explore a different wine varietal, style, brand, or region of the winemaking world, and learn about what makes them worth knowing about. And then we taste 2-3 of those wines that are reasonably priced to let you know if they are worth your hard earned money. If that feels like your vibe, then we are super happy you are here. And, we are proud to say that Decanter Magazine calls us fun, irreverent, chatty, and entertaining.

Carmela, this week we are going to taste and review a wine we have never tried before, and it is a wine with two names (at least) depending on where in the actual world it is coming from. When the wine is from Argentina, it is called Bonarda, but when it is from California, it is called Charbono, and we are going to dig into why that is, as well as if this wine is worth seeking out.

But before we get there, we need to take to listener Bob who gave us the name for our tribe this week and who runs the podcast Cocktails with Friends and Carmela and I were guests on his podcast a few weeks ago and had a great time, so go check it out and you can get maybe a different view of us from that interview. But let’s chat with Bob.

Interview with listener Bob 02:39

Thanks to Bob for being our guest, and for taking the time to meet with us and chat with us and answer our dumb questions. We love this segment, and please keep the names coming, and if you send us a name, we’ll ask you if you want to be on the podcast, but there is no obligation at all to do so.

Alright, so before we get to this mystery wine with two names that we have never had before and are going to drink and see if we think it is worth you seeking out, we have to get to this that is now just breaking, because it’s time for . . .

WIne in the news this week: Mid-strength alcohol trend is growing fast 07:38


Okay Carmela, here’s one I probably should have seen coming, and I think it might be something that you would be interested in learning more about.  It also tells us a little bit about where wine and drinking culture are heading, particularly as wine sales stall all over the world. 

We have several articles about this in our show notes, but here is the title of the article by Donna Eastlake from Food Navigator: Mid-strength alcohol trend is growing fast. So, evidently winemakers around the world are suddenly betting big on mid-strength wines, think 6 to 8 percent alcohol, that are lighter but technically still “real wine.”

Now, we’ve talked before about zero-alcohol wines, those de-alcoholized wines that were supposed to be the next big thing, but they really haven’t taken off. We have not liked them, and most wine drinkers I know do not either. According to Wine Australia, no- or low-alcohol wines together still make up less than one percent of global still-wine sales, and are projected to stay under one percent by 2028. Even though more and more people are seeking low or no alcohol alternatives, and zero-alcohol beer, which I think can be pretty good, is all over the place. 

The reason why zero alcohol wine is not selling well is very simple - it doesn’t taste good. The sad fact is that alcohol is a very important aspect of wine, helping with aroma which hugely impacts taste, and giving wine body and mouthfeel. Without alcohol, wines taste very thin and frankly very uninteresting. They just kinda don’t taste like wine. 

So, amidst this comes mid-strength wines which seem to be hitting the sweet spot. They’re still fermented like normal wine, and they still have more alcohol than most beers, so the flavor and aroma and mouthfeel are there, but you can enjoy a glass or two without feeling heavy or logey or buzzed. Food Navigator calls this type of wine part of a “balance trend” consumers aren’t necessarily abstaining; they’re moderating. They don’t want to get blasted, but they still want something that tastes like wine. 

And producers are catching on. In Spain, Codorníu has launched sparkling and still wines around 8 percent ABV. In the UK, there’s an entire label literally called 6 Percent. And in Australia, McGuigan is selling a “Mid Shiraz” that’s about 7 percent ABV.

So Carmela, the question is if mid-strength wines can be that perfect balance of tasting like wine without all the alcohol. So, here are some questions 

What do you think? Would you try it, and does it sound appealing to you?
Do you think this middle ground has some staying power, or is it just another marketing fad?

But we are not here to talk about low alcohol wines or why anyone would want a wine with zero alcohol. Uh-uh. We are here to talk about Bonarda AKA Charbono, we are going to find out just what this wine is, and we are going to see if either of the wines we found today is worth you going out and buying . . . 

But first . . . we have to do our shameless plug.

Thank you for listening to us and for supporting our show, and remember, we buy all of our own wine so that we can give you real and honest reviews, and we do all of the writing and recording and editing ourselves to bring you a show every week because we love you all, and all we ask you for in return is that you please follow or subscribe to our podcast and also please leave us a nice rating and review  to help us grow our listeners - and a huge thank you to all of you who have done so already! 

You can also follow us on Instagram at thewinepairpodcast, and on Bluesky. You can contact us on our website thewinepairpodcast.com, and you can sign up for our email newsletter there and you can also visit our “Shop Wine” section where you can find links to buy the wines that we rate as buys in each episode. 

And we want to make content you care about and you like, so send us a note or DM us and give us some feedback or let us know if there are wines you want us to try or wine making areas of the world you are curious about - and we’ll take care of it! joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

  • Shout out to Timmy on IG who said our last episode was like an adult film
  • Janyne K who reached out via email and shared a trip they took to visit her aunt and uncle in Provence - jealous - and shared some wonderful wines from Domaine de la Janasse including some nice white Cote du Rhones and Chateauneuf du Pape. And, she sent pictures which was AWESOME. 
  • JMKizer on BS who let us know he enjoyed the last episode on orange wine
  • East Idaho Foodies who love that Carmela cheers on the Mariners even if she cheers at the wrong time. 
  • Chris M via email who sent us a tribe name idea and who let us know TJs has a great bordeaux blanc called Sauvignon de Seguin and gave an idea on us doing a virtual meet-up with our tribe.


And, as we do every week, we’ll tell you someone we think you should recommend The Wine Pair Podcast to - because the best way for us to grow listeners is when you tell your family and friends about us - and this week, we want you to recommend us to anyone who is looking for an off the beaten path wine that is an alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon or who loves Malbec but is wondering if there might be something else like it. We’ll see if this is it. 


RESEARCH ARTICLES AND LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE


Topic: WTF is Bonarda AKA Charbono? 18:11

Carmela, let’s learn just what the eff Bonarda AKA Charbono is.

And let’s start with the name, because it is a little confusing. In Argentina, the grape and wine is known as Bonarda, and in the US it is known as Charbono. These are the exact same grape. The grape originated in Europe where it has another name. Douce Noir. What the hell.

The name Charbono is thought to be an Italianization of the French word Charbonneau which means “coalman.” Or maybe the French word Corbeau which means crow. We don’t really know, but the latter is probably correct because the grape was known as Corbeau in Savoie. When the grapes originally came to California, they were misidentified as Barbera, and for a long time they also thought the grape was the same as Dolcetto, but then were later correctly identified. Lots of identity issues with this grape.

The name Bonarda in Argentina is also a case of mistaken identity, as the grape was believed to be the grape called Bonarda from Piedmont. It is also important to mention that both California and Argentina have a lot of immigrants who came from Italy, so the fact that the grape was mistaken for different Italian grapes is not a big surprise. DNA tests done in the mid-2000s proved it was not related to the Bonarda from Piedmont, but even after they realized it was the same grape as Douce Noir and not Bonarda, they still decided to keep the name Bonarda because they didn't want another French-named grape since Malbec had already become popular. Tired of the French.

The grape was thought to have originated in the Savoie region of France, which is on the Italian border near Torino in the Alps. That area was under Italian rule in the 18th century, by the way. It is believed to have been cultivated as early as 3,000 years ago by the Etruscans in Italy, where it was possibly known as Carbonica which means “dark grape.”

Douce Noir, the name of this grape in Europe, means “sweet black,” and in the 19th century, it was one of the most planted grapes in Savoie. But, by the 20th century it experienced a significant decline - a story we have heard many times about grapes in Europe before they made comebacks.

Italian immigrants brought the wine to Argentina at the end of the 19th century, and it did well in the warm, dry climates of Mendoza and San Juan. Actually, it did very well. In fact, for a while, it was the most widely planted grape in Argentina before Malbec took it over. However, still today, Argentina has over 85% of all the Bonarda vineyards in the world. Bonarda was traditionally used to produce high-yielding, mild, fruity bulk wines for domestic consumption in Argentina or for blending with other varieties, such as Malbec, due to its low tannins, low acidity, and deep color.

Starting in the 2000s, producers started to make higher quality wine from Bonarda, focusing on lower yields, better grapes, and better vineyard management. They are now considered to be fruity wines focused on black fruits, soft tannins, and in a variety of styles from fruity to sparkling to more complex.

Moving on now to the US, Italian immigrants brought the grape to California in the 1800s as well. It was sort of a middling grape in terms of popularity for a while until the famous Napa Valley winery Inglenook released its first labeled vintage of Charbono in 1941, leading to a period where Charbono was highly regarded and known for its age-worthiness (up to 30 years).

However, there is a reason you have never heard of it. It was never very popular, and from the 1970s onward, plantings declined significantly as growers favored more recognized and profitable varieties, primarily fucking Cabernet Sauvignon. When Inglenook was purchased by Francis Ford Coppola in 1975, they proceeded to rip out much of the Charbono and plant Cabernet Sauvignon. BOO!!!

There is not a lot of Charbono around in the US. In California, there may only be about 100 acres in the whole state. It survives mainly in Napa's Calistoga and Mendocino County, where the conditions provide the long ripening season it requires. Producers who continue to make Charbono wines do so partly to preserve heritage and resist the Cabernet Sauvignon "monoculture.”

And, quite frankly, that is what we want to do, too. We are, as our faithful listeners know, tired of Cabernet Sauvignon, and we are hoping that with our podcast we can save the world from shitty wine like Cabernet Sauvignon. Maybe Bonarda or Charbono will do it, and maybe not. On a side note, to give a sense of what it might taste like, some called it an exotic Merlot. Interesting, right? I used to really not like Merlot, but I find it is growing on me.

So, I think we head over to learn a little more about the specific wines we are drinking today so we can get to drinking. Whaddya say?


Bonarda AKA Charbono Wines We Chose for This Episode 26:02

Ok, so, the wines we have chosen for this episode are almost under $25 each, but we had to go just a bit over this time around because this isn’t the easiest wine to find, and both them should be relatively easy to find because I bought them at wine.com. Again, Bonarda or Charbono is probably not going to just waiting for you at any old wine shop, since it is an up-and-coming wine from Argentina, my guess is that if you go to a wine shop with a good South American wine selection, you will find it. And, as always, just go to your local wine shop and the proprietor there will be happy to help you. 

The first wine we are going to drink is the 2022 Folk Machine Charbono. This wine is made by a pretty hot winemaker called Kenny Likitprakong from California. The San Francisco Chronicle recently wrote an article about him entitled “No One is Making More Exciting Sub-$25 California Wines Than This Winemaker.” Sounds right up our alley. His wine brands in addition to Folk Machine are Hobo, Camp, Banyan, The Way Back, Edith & Ida, and Ghostwriter.

Likitprakong, the winemaker, has said that there are three heritage grapes in California:  Zinfandel, Valdiguié, and Charbono, and that of those, he has been making Valdiguié for a while, but had been keeping an eye out for Charbono. He calls them “endangered” because people are not making them, probably because they’re making so much crappy Cabernet Sauvignon.

Well, in 2013 he found a guy in a place called the Suisun Valley AVA, which is sort of between San Francisco and Sacramento in the North Coast region of California. Evidently, the guy had a two acre block of Charbono that had been grafted from Merlot.

In terms of winemaking, they had 20% whole clusters (which is the grapes and stems and stuff) included, they use uninoculated fermentation - meaning they are using natural yeast - and the wine was aged in all older barrels for 10 months before bottling. So, I am expecting this to have some body from the whole clusters, but not a ton of oakiness because they are using used, also called neutral oak. 

The second wine we are drinking is also a 2022, but this one is from Argentina, and is called El Enemigo Bonarda. This one has a ton of strong reviews including a 94 from Vinous, 92 from Robert Parker and a 92 from James Suckling. On an editorial note, we tend to like Vinous as reviewers, and tend to not like Parker and Suckling. I don’t like Parker because he just loves oak bombs, and we don’t like Suckling because he sucks. Look at our Instagram from last week so see how we really feel. 

I did find a tech sheet for this wine, and there are a few interesting things about it. First, it is actually 15% Cabernet Franc. Adding Cabernet Franc can create more balance for bigger wines, and can add herbal and vegetal flavors as well as acidity and firm tannins. 

The wine comes from the famous Mendoza winemaking region in Argentina, and they also use wild yeast. The fermented the wine for 15 days, and then they do a 15 day infusion with minimal movement. Infusion is a more gentle way of getting flavors out of the wine than when extraction with pump overs is used. See, I got it in there. In infusion, they kind of just let the grape stuff hang out with the juice. In extraction, they are doing things like pump-overs or punch-downs. Then they age the wine for 15 months in a few different proportions. 50% is in large wooden foudre, 25% is in barrels, and 25% is in stainless steel tanks. So, again some oak, but foudre are so big that the oaking is light, and 25% has no oak, so I am not expecting a super oaky wine.

On a closing note, the winemaker Alejandro Vigil says: “This is the best year that I have lived through.” That feels profound. 

But, I think that is enough information - let’s get to drinking! We’ll take a quick break and be right back. And, if you have these wines or similar wines, drink along with us to get some participation points, which you can trade-in for free stickers. You just need to send me an email with your mailing address, and I will get those “I drink with The Wine Pair Podcast” stickers over to you!


LINKS TO SOURCES FOR THESE SPECIFIC WINES


2022 Folk Machine Charbono, 2022 El Enemigo Bonarda Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review 32:59

Wine: Folk Machine Charbono (Click here to find this wine on wine.com. We may be compensated if you purchase.)
Region: California, North Coast
Year: 2022
Price: $22.97
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 12.1%
Grapes: Bonarda
Professional Rating: Vivino 3.8

What we tasted and smelled in this Folk Machine Charbono: 

  • Color: Very dark purple, inky, opaque
  • On the nose: Hot, spicy, black pepper, plum, Syrah-like, rose, matchstick, leather, cedar
  • In the mouth: Juicy, big wine drinking wine, not very oaky, big mouthfeel, a lot of flavor, dries nicely off the tongue, red roses, floral, grape juice, great party wine, very drinkable, not very complex, a crowdpleaser, good flavor without the heaviness


Food to pair with this Folk Machine Charbono: Would stand up to a lot of foods, versatile, juicy steak, juicy bacon burger, cookout wine, great party wine, pizza, grilled foods, heavy pasta dishes
 
As a reminder on our rating scale, we rate on a scale of 1-10, with no half points, where 7 and above means that we would buy it, and 4 and below means that we are likely to pour it down the sink, and a 5 or 6 means we are likely to drink it and finish it, but we are probably not going to buy it. 

Folk Machine Charbono Wine Rating: 

  • Joe: 7/10
  • Carmela: 6/10


Wine: El Enemigo Bonarda (Click here to find this wine on wine.com. We may be compensated if you purchase.)
Region: Argentina, Mendoza
Year: 2022
Price: $27.97
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 13.5%
Grapes: 85% Bonarda, 15% Cabernet Franc
Professional Rating: V 94, RP 92, JS 92 Vivino

What we tasted and smelled in this El Enemigo Bonarda: 

  • Color: Dark purple, very pretty, opaque
  • On the nose: Dark cherry, stewed blueberry, jammy, blackberry, baking spices, blueberry pie filling, warm smell
  • In the mouth: A little vegetal, fruity, juicy, cherry, blackberry, black currant, warm blackberry pie, a little sharper - not quite as round, a bit more grip, relatively simple, pleasant


Food to pair with this El Enemigo Bonarda: Can go with some lighter foods, chicken and turkey, Thanksgiving, burgers, steak, hard shell beef taco, Mexican food, enchilada, big beefy burrito, needs food, baked meaty pasta, spicy foods, very versatile wine
 

El Enemigo Bonarda Wine Rating: 

  • Joe: 7/10
  • Carmela: 7/10


Which one of these are you finishing tonight?

  • Carmela: El Enemigo Bonarda
  • Joe: Folk Machine Charbono


Taste profiles expected from Bonarda aka Charbono  45:15

  • General 
    • Black cherry, plum sauce, allspice, violet, tobacco leaf.
    • Bonarda wines are very fruity on the nose, with notes of black cherry compote, fresh blueberry, and plum. They can be nuanced with aromas of violets, 5-spice, allspice, and peonies. And, if oaked, they may have notes of cigar box, sweet figs, and chocolate. 
    • It is generally a medium-body, juicy, acidic, with  a smooth, low-tannin finish. 
  • Folk Machine Charbono
    • Winery: Typical for the grape, this wine is very dark in color and heavy in the nose, but it doesn’t live up to this expectation. It actually drinks very pretty, almost light. The tannin level is moderate given the way it looks and smells.
    • Cost Plus Dollar: From the first swirl, reveals aromas of black cherry, plum, leather, and subtle spice. On the palate, delivers juicy dark fruit, firm tannins, and lively acidity with an earthy finish. Balanced and expressive, captures both power and freshness in every glass.
    • Full Body: An incredibly unique wine. Wild, brambly blue fruits with an earthy and mossy backbone.
  • El Enemigo Bonarda
    • Winery: Shows a deep violet color with bluish reflections. The nose is intense and complex. Intense aromas of ripe black fruit, blackberries, raspberries, black cherries, chocolate and liquor, with some spicy notes of fresh herbs provided by the Cabernet Franc appear. The taste has a sweet impact with silky tannins and aromas of ripe black and red fruits with notes of licorice and vanilla. Its natural acidity is refreshing. By its concentration and complexity the finish is long and persistent.
    • V: This is a vibrant and well-crafted red with blackberry, plum and a hint of raspberry layered over oak aging and a touch of balsamic herbs. Dry, plush and lightly grippy, it flows with good juiciness and black fruit flavors.
    • RP: It is inky, roasted and savory on the nose, introducing an immensely concentrated, tensile palate before concluding with a sturdy and taut finish.
    • JS: This shows aromas of asphalt and incisive blue fruit. It’s juicy with precise, round and supple tannins. So pleasant to drink

What is your verdict on Bonarda / Charbono? 47:55
Worth a good try. Go out and give it a go. Good food wine, crowd pleaser, a party wine, great conversation piece


Wines coming up in future episodes in case you want to drink along with us 48:42

Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast 49:02

Ok, so, Carmela, it’s time for us to go, but before we do, we want to thank you very much for listening to us - and if you haven’t done so yet, now would be the perfect time to follow or subscribe to our podcast and also a fantastic time to leave us a nice rating and review on our website or Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts - and it is an awesome and free way to support us and help us grow listeners.

We would also love to hear from you about a wine you would like us to taste and review. You can leave a message for us on our website thewinepairpodcast.com and you can join our email newsletter there - and if you missed our latest newsletter, email me and I will send it to you. You can do that by reaching out at joe@thewinepairpodcast.com. And tell us some things you want to hear us do, or not hear us do!

Alright, with that, we are going to sign off, so thanks again, and we will see you next time. And, as we say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine.

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