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Association of Wine Educators : AWE Inspiring News Issue 26, July 2009 |
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| English Wine Producers Tasting by Gilbert Winfield | |||
| The recent AWE trip to Trentino & Alto Adige was enjoyed by all - here are their reports... | |||
| Charles Metcalfe gets all statistical with this year's International Wine Challenge results... | |||
| Tasters were put under the spotlight at Australia House with an AWRI Assessment. Susan Hulme MW reports... | |||
| For those who missed it, Carolyn Bosworth-Davies reports on a memorable James Millton Seminar... | |||
| Quentin Sadler attended a tasting of wines from the little-known Vinos de Madrid region... | |||
| Charles Metcalfe attends a vertical tasting of Les Forts de Latour... | |||
| On the 21st July the AWE held a joint seminar in Birmingham: Stewart Blunt of Nielsen somehow made statistics interesting and entertaining .... and Richard Bampfield gave us an MW Style Tasting... | |||
| AWEsome book | |||
| AWEsome wine | |||
| AWE Member Updates | |||
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Editorial by Susan Hulme MW The summer may be a quieter period for many of us workwise, but it seems we have been busy practising what we preach and getting a bit of education ourselves. Both Richard and I attended a challenging tasting assessment run by the Australian Wine Research Institute and several AWE members attended Richard's MW Style Tasting.
Some of our members went farther afield in search of self-development, to Trentino/Alto-Adige in fact, and you can read their detailed reports in this issue.
There was also a lot to learn when Stewart Blunt of Nielsen gave a seminar on the past year's wine statistics, a potentially dry subject which he managed to make both interesting and amusing. And if that wasn't enough, see our honorary president’s summing up of this year's IWC results in which the statistics reveal a few surprises, not least the most successful country...
Apart from that we’ve been making our presence felt on some interesting tastings: we have reports on Les Forts de Latour by Charles Metcalfe, Vinos de Madrid by Quentin Sadler, the English Wine Producers Trade Tasting by Gilbert Winfield and our well-attended James Millton seminar by Carolyn Bosworth-Davies.
Happy reading and have a great summer!
© Susan Hulme MW 2009
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Chairman’s Column by
Richard Bampfield MW Some interesting events recently, inspiring, businesslike and, er, humbling...
Firstly, on a recent tour to Alsace, a 40 minute introduction to Alsace by Olivier Humbrecht MW that was without doubt the most informative and best delivered presentation I have ever heard……and English isn’t even his first language!
Climate change A couple of points he made that struck a chord with me: firstly that, up until now, he reckons that climate change has had a positive influence in Alsace as it has led to more consistent ripening, with budbreak and flowering being on average 2 weeks earlier than 40 years ago. Secondly, an AWEsome fact: the earth can metabolise about 1 kg / ha per year of copper. Organic growers routinely use up to 6 kg/ ha per year of copper as it is their only permissible defence against disease - a reminder that organic viticulture may not be as sustainable as some would have us believe. Olivier followed up his introduction with a 2 hour tasting that the whole group begged him not to finish, so thrilling were the wines. I have asked him to talk to the AWE on a future visit to the UK, so fingers crossed.
Vinexpo On a more businesslike note, I spent 5 days at Vinexpo in Bordeaux in June. Normally this is not the easiest of events to enjoy because of an energy-sapping mix of crowds, heat, humidity and poor French organisation. This year however made a pleasant change: a light breeze kept temperatures down and a predictably smaller turnout made for less congested aisles and surrounding roads. In fact, for the first time ever, it was almost a pleasure to taste at Vinexpo, with the wines being tasted in a more airy, cooler environment. There was also a more businesslike air about the whole thing, as if those who had taken the trouble to go this year had clear commercial objectives.
Escape Fortunately I managed to escape the meetings for long enough to taste my way through, amongst other things, the Philipponnat range of Champagnes, including 3 vintages of Clos des Goisses, and the rosés from Château d’Esclans in Provence. The latter is the creation of Sacha Lichine, with one of the cuvées selling for up to 80 euros a bottle. I was not sure what an 80 euro rosé tastes like, but I certainly do now. Well worth tasting if you get a chance.
Identifying wine faults And the more humbling note…….A day-long seminar organised by Wine Australia and the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) that promised to teach us how to judge like an Aussie. This is being covered by Susan elsewhere in this newsletter, so I will not go into great detail. The early part, covering the identification of wine faults, was especially interesting as it made the clear point that different people have different thresholds when it comes to identifying faults.
Eye-opener This was as heartening as the second part was humbling. This involved blind tastings in which the same wines were served twice at random points in a line-up, revealing how consistent (or not) we were in marking the same wine. Quite an eye-opener and another event that I hope that more AWE members will be able to attend in the future.
And, just in case we needed it, a further reminder that our own education is continuous!
© Richard Bampfield MW 2009
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English Wine Producers Trade Tasting by Gilbert Winfield
The annual trade tasting and launch of English Wine Week took place at Chelsea Football Club on Thursday 23rd April. The wall at the entrance to the club is decorated with a mural of the seated Chelsea team, a space left empty with a chair. Fortunately, I had had the foresight to arrive at the tasting in my full Chelsea kit (those of you who know me should be able to decide whether this is true or not), so I was able to get a pretty decent picture of myself next to John Terry and the team. Unfortunately, I seem to have mislaid that memory card from my camera, so you will not be able to enjoy this illustration!
Fabulous I found the atmosphere a little subdued (maybe due to anxiety about our current economic plight), but there were some lovely wines, principally, as you would expect, in the sparkling section - and not only from Ridgeview and Nyetimber. Their wines were fabulous: I especially enjoyed tasting ‘behind the bar’ fizzes from the latter, particularly the Blanc de Blancs 1998, which showed the rich toastiness that comes with maturity, and I think gave an indication of what the 2001, currently rather one-dimensional, will become.
I preferred the Champagne variety wines, like Stanlake Park Brut Superior NV, and Denbies Greenfields Cuvée 2002, to the crossings, although Camel Valley ‘Cornwall’ Brut 2006 (Seyval Blanc, Reichensteiner, Huxelrebe) was fresh, tangy, and managed to avoid the synthetic fruit flavours present in some. Why Richard Balfour-Lynn thinks we should fork out £34 for his pleasant, but pedestrian Hush Heath Balfour Brut Rosé 2005, though, is beyond me. Maybe it has to do with a tanned sales person at his stand.
The still wines were more of a lottery. Categories on the central tasting table were:
Dry White In this category, the wines seemed well described by the term, and no more! A Leventhorpe Seyval 2006 was thin and ordinary, as was Brightwell Oxford Flint 2007. The Bookers Autumn Spice 2007 had a hint of promising spiciness, yes, but still finished short.
Aromatic Dry White This category seemed to me to have the winners in it. Three Choirs Estate Reserve Siegerrebe 2007 was peachy, a little hollow, but still pleasant. Camel Valley Bacchus 2007 had attractive natural (meaning it avoided the synthetic side present in several wines) white stone fruit, and fresh acidity, and the Chapel Down Lamberhurst Estate Bacchus 2007 was pleasantly tropical, with a refreshing sweet/acid balance. The price tags up to £13, though, explain why England is still a ‘niche’ producer.
Oak Aged Dry White Fortunately, this category only had Stanlake Park Kings Fumé 2006 in it. I know this wine to have a dried out, over-oaked character, so I was pleased to be able to miss the entire category.
Off-Dry/Medium Dry White This had an oddly unbalanced mix. Three Choirs Midsummer Hill 2008 was just as dry as the dry whites, and just as ordinary. Three Choirs ‘English House’ Medium Dry 2007 was dull, and too sweet for the acidity, as was a downright flabby Chapel Down Cinque Port Classic 2006.
Rosé Several very pleasant wines here, which seem to be successfully riding the bandwagon for this colour, at relatively reasonable prices, ie. under £10.
Red I had already been warned away from Bookers Dark Harvest 2006, which, I was told, had palate-stripping tannins, but I found Chapel Down’s Pinot Noir ‘Tullens’ 2007 to have a similar dimension, not quite palate-stripping, but raw, and showing how unpleasant unripe Pinot Noir can be. Maybe the UK should stick to white? The Bookers Pinot Noir 2006, however, was delicious, with pleasant strawberry fruit, reminiscent of Irancy.
Late Harvest Chapel Down Nectar 2007 was anything but! It was lacking depth of fruit and acidity, and had a synthetic fruit finish.
Formative It seems to me that, despite the unifying effect of the creation of the Regional Vineyards Associations, English wine production is still in a formative stage with each producer still pulling in quite different directions. I feel that with sparkling wine as its ‘flagship’, it has huge potential. Cost implications aside, you can’t build a wine industry on this one category alone; the still whites need to find a coherent message. For me, Bacchus seems to be the grape with the most consistently natural flavours - perhaps Bacchus is the way forward. It’s an attractive enough name!
© Gilbert Winfield 2009
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AWE trip to Alto Adige & Trentino 15th to 19th May 2009
Friday, May 15th Laimburg Research Center and Winery by John Ducker Saturday, May 16th Visit to Produttori Colterenzio Cooperative Winery at Cornaiano/Girlan by Claire Blackler; Trentino Manincor by Susan Hulme MW; Visit to Abbey Muri-Gries at Bolzano/Gries by Michelle Cherutti-Kowal; Bolzano Wine Tasting Festival & Dinner at Wirtshaus Vögele by Brian Wheaton MW.
Sunday, May 17th Trentino seminar at Enoteca Provinciale del Trentino by Lena Inger; Cavit by Anthony Stockbridge.
Monday, May 18th Visit to the Ferrari Spumanti winery by Keith Grainger; A guided tour of Villa Margon and lunch at Locanda Margon by Wink Lorch; The Trentino Wine Show by Tim Syrad; Cantina La Vis e Valle di Cembra & dinner at Maso Franch by Brett Jones.
Tuesday, May 19th Mart: “Futurismo 100: Illuminazioni. Avanguardie a confronto. Italia – Germania – Russia” by Phil Cooke; Azienda Agricola Vallarom by Hazel Tattersall. |
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Laimburg Research Center and Winery by John Ducker
On arrival in a chilly Verona under zero-level raincloud any onward expectations we might have had of crisp alpine weather and gentian-blue skies seemed dashed. Misty glimpses of the wide vineyard-covered Valdadige valley and of the swollen fast-flowing Adige river itself appeared through the overcast as we headed up Superstrada A22 to Bolzano.
Revelation Our first tasting visit was a revelation. Founded in 1975 and set in imposing surroundings at the foot of a mountain crowned by a ruined 13th century castle, the Laimburg centre is the fountainhead of research across all the agricultural applications of the Alto Adige including (for viticulture) studies in vine diseases, microflora analysis in vineyards and cellars, work on yeast strains etc., plus targeted training for local wine farmers, few of whom can boast more than half a hectare under vines.
James Bond Given scarce usable ground space in this alpine region the tasting rooms and cellars of the institute had been blasted into the living rock of the mountain, finding us in an ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ winery worthy of a James Bond movie set!
Local dialect Laimburg ‘Estate’ and ‘Manor Selection’ wines encompass both ‘international classics’ and indigenous varietals ,the latter labelled with local dialect names…so among others we saw “Rayèt” ‘07- a crisp, balanced Pinot Bianco with 6 months lees ageing; “Oyèll” ‘07, an understated Sauvignon Blanc – discreet perfumes of talcum on the finish of the palate; then a delicately almond-scented Riesling and a surprisingly crisp Gewürztraminer, leading to a clutch of finely balanced reds and, arguably, the star wine of the evening: “Sass Roà” ’05, a Cabernet Sauvignon Riserva at a deceptive 14% abv. where a vibrant colour and red fruit/violets nose led seamlessly to a palate carrying even greater depth and detail. Our chance to have the wines ‘sing’ alongside the delicious buffet provided for us was greatly appreciated.
Punctiliousness, cleanliness and precision seem to be the hallmarks of Laimburg where they even employ software critically to gauge the effectiveness of their tasters’ noses and palates. Now there’s a thing!
Text © John Ducker 2009
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Visit to Produttori Colterenzio Cooperative Winery at Cornaiano/Girlan by Claire Blackler
I was particularly looking forward to visiting Colterenzio. I know their wines well and use them regularly on my WSET courses, particularly the Pinot Grigio from the classic range (available from Enotria). It’s a fantastic example of what Pinot Grigio can do when treated properly and a welcome relief from some of the over-cropped, neutral Pinot Grigio that seems to be taking the UK by storm at the moment! Sadly, I was a little disappointed when I got out of the bus! Of course it was a beautiful area, all of the vineyards we visited were, but the winery itself was remarkably ordinary, concrete, angular and with a busy road pushing between it and its vineyards.
Ethos Wolfgang Raifer, the son of the founder took us into the vineyards and explained the ethos behind their co-operative. 290 members cultivate over 300 hectares of vineyards, carefully and naturally with as little intervention as possible. Yields are managed to ensure the vines productivity is balanced, training and pruning systems are chosen appropriately for the variety and pests and diseases are treated without synthetic chemicals. The result is a series of varietal wines that express the nature of the variety and of course their origins.
I wasn’t however disappointed by the wines! The tasting room itself was fabulous with a fantastic view over the road and down the vine covered hills. As was typical of the Alto Adige, a range of mountains dominated the background.
The tasting We tasted several of their wines but my favourite was the Gewürztraminer, a grape variety that I’m not particularly fond of but this one was smashing - classic Gewürztraminer structure, aromas and flavours of rose, spice and grapes. It was really well put together with none of the oily bitterness that I associate with Gewürztraminer. This would be a real pleasure with spicy Thai food.
Care and attention Colterenzio is a great example of a co-operative that says the right things and does the right things and the results of the care and attention that they give to the vines in the vineyard and the grapes in the winery can be seen in the wines in the bottle. Text © Claire Blackler 2009
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Trentino Manincor by Susan Hulme MW
This visit was in the most spectacular setting beside Largo di Caldero. The word ‘caldo’ means hot in Italian and this has always struck me as odd in what, geographically, would seem to be an alpine climate but as our host explained, Largo di Caldero is the warmest alpine lake in the country. The area is in fact a little sun trap and that day, those of us who are fair skinned were sheltering from the sun for the whole visit and the delicious lunch that followed in the restaurant beside the lake itself.
We descended from the coach in a blaze of brilliant sunlight to be met by our very congenial and knowledgeable host, sales manager, Matthias Jaeger, who gave us some of the key facts and figures.
Facts and figures The company started in 1996 but the site has a history dating back to the 17th century. The owner is Count Michael Goëss-Enzenburg and the winery manager is Hemuth Zozin, previously the winemaker at the Cantina di Caldero and who is on the same wave-length as Goëss-Enzenburg in their belief in biodynamic viticulture.
The total production at Manicor is 200,000 bottles and they have 48 ha under vine. The main black grape varieties grown here are: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Lagrein and Tempranillo among others. White varieties include: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Viognier among others.
We were told that in this particular mesoclimate the climate is Mediterranean but with an Alpine influence which gives them hot days with cool nights and huge diurnal differences. In summer this is occasionally as much as 40 degrees difference between day and night time temperatures but they regularly have as much as 20 degrees difference.
'Respect' Manincor adopted a biodynamic viticultural system 5 years ago to get more individual identity in the wines. At the time this increased costs by 25% for the first two years but now the costs are evening out and they will be officially certified as biodynamic by Demeter by 2009. They are part of a group of winemakers called ‘Respect’ which comprises 12 Austrian winemakers, including famous names like Alois Lageder and four wineries who are biodynamic. Here at Manincor, in the winery they use gravity, not pumps to move the wine and the smart new oak fermentation vats are arranged in a circle in a similar system to that used by Jacques Lardière at Louis Jadot.
There were four main highlights of this visit for me:
Manincor tasting notes: Moscato Giallo 2008 12% (50hl/ha, 5.6-5.7 ta, 1g/l r/s) Bright lemon yellow in appearance with honey, rose petals, spice and yellow rose on the nose. On the palate, surprisingly dry while being richly aromatic at the same time with mouthfilling flavours of rose petals, crystalline ginger, exotic fragrance and spice. This wine has great flavour intensity with a fresh balancing acidity and a long, lingering ginger finish.
It is 100% wood-fermented but you’d never know it. Wonderful flavour intensity and concentration and so well balanced at 12 abv rather than the usual heavyweight alcoholic versions one usually finds - the best Yellow Muscat I’ve tasted and a memorable wine.
By an interesting little moment of serendiptity, after this trip I went on to Venice for a few days holiday and did a wonderful tour of Murano glass jewellery shops in Venice. When I came home my neighbour told me about a restaurant in London she’d recently been to called Murano, run by Angela Hartnett - so I had to look it up and found this wine was on their wine list priced at £38 in the restaurant. What an interesting an exciting food wine it would make.
Sophie 2007 13% 1 g/l r/s. Chardonnay (85%) Viognier (10%) rest Sauvignon blanc. 100% malolactic fermentation. Yellow gold, nose muted, minerally, chalky nose, closed down at present. Palate creamy, leesy, lovely creamy texture. Hint of honey but dry, incisive and quite linear, assertive wine. Little closed at present but lots of potential just needs a little more time.
Mason Pinot Noir 2007 - Bottled for only two weeks at the time of tasting. The Pinot Noir is grown on chalky, calcareous and red porphyry soils. Very pale garnet/ruby, nose closed (bottle shock?), but some spice and delicate red fruits, raspberries, cherries peeping through. On the palate light, red fruits some delicate wood spice and creamy oak balancing bright cherry flavours. Smooth finish. Light, delicate and quite fine.
Mason di Mason Pinot Noir 2007 13%. This wine is made from a selection of the topmost parts of the vertical rows of vines i.e. the parts that get the most sunlight. Much deeper ruby, sweet cherry & violet riper fruits on the nose. Lots of juicy refreshing acidity and fine, chalky tannins. Nicely balanced on the mid-palate by sweet cherry, red fruits and spice and nutmeg of judiciously balanced oak.
Lagrein 2007 12.5% - Grown in the vineyard on the right side of the lake. Deep dark ruby with a narrow violet rim. The nose is closed with spicy, farmyardy, vegetal notes and a hint of brett. The palate has some initial sweetness and fruit with dark, bitter cherry notes and vibrant acidity. Lighter more rustic, gravelly tannins.
Text © Susan Hulme 2009
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A visit to Muri-Gries Winery and Abbey by Michelle Cherutti-Kowal
Located in Bolzano (Bozen), the Abbey of Gries can trace its foundations back to an 11th century fortress that was given to an order of Augustinian monks who developed the property into a monastery. Abandoned in the early 19th century, it was once again given to monks from the Order of St Benedict from Muri, Switzerland and in 1845, became the Abbey of Muri-Gries.
Still a working monastery with 14 monks, the Abbey is self-sufficient with over 230ha of working land and income is provided from the winery, fruit farming, livestock and timber. Winemaking flourished under the church and the cellar built in 1788 is still in use today. Throughout its history, wine was sold in bulk but all was changed in 1968 when the first estate-bottled wines were produced, establishing what is today the Winery of Muri-Gries.
Lagrein The winery produces 80% red wine of which the majority is from Lagrein, an indigenous Italian varietal from Trentino-Alto Adige related to Marzemino and Teroldego. The grape has been recorded as far back as the 14th century and has been grown at Muri-Gries since the 17th century where its spiritual home is the exclusive 2.7ha walled vineyard, Anger, a clos surrounding the Abbey.
As a grape, Lagrein is deeply coloured, high in acid as well as tannins so the word ‘rustic’ is frequently used to describe the wine. Traditional pergola training has not controlled the vine’s natural vigorous tendency (the root of its vegetal characteristics and unripe tannins) and its reductive tendencies during winemaking have not enhanced its reputation either.
However, recent clonal selection made possible by older Lagrein at Muri-Gries, combined with the higher density, guyot planting has shown that the potential of this grape has yet to be tapped as evidenced by our vertical tasting.
Vintage tasting We sampled Lagrein Riserva “Abtei Muri”, a selection of the best grapes from 3 vineyards in Gries, including the Anger clos. The wine is aged for 3 years before release, 16 months in oak, 35% new. The vintages were as follows:
Under the guidance of winemaker Christian Werth (who is given the nickname “Pope of Lagrein”) and vineyard manager Walter Bernard, with help from above, the future of this indigenous grape is bright.
Text © Michelle Cherutti-Kowal 2009
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Bolzano Wine Tasting Festival & Dinner at Wirtshaus Vögele by Brian Wheaton MW
After our visit to the Abbey Muri-Gries, the group came back into the middle of Bolzano and visited the Bolzano Wine Tasting Festival at Castel Mareccio. It was a walk-around tasting on several floors (and steep staircases!), where some sixty producers showed more than three hundred wines. The place was hot, airless and crammed with people, and several of us left early – although I personally stayed long enough to consider that, en masse, the white wines of the area were, in my opinion, still better on the whole than the reds.
That said, long before the end I called it a day and went back to the hotel with several others, guided by the ever-efficient Michele Shah, the Deus ex Machina of the whole trip. Later, fortified en route by a cold beer at a pub known to Anthony Stockbridge (who else?), a small group of us ambled down in the gathering twilight to the Wirtshaus Vögele, situated in the Old Quarter, where we had yet another beer outside whilst waiting for the main body to arrive.
Historic Feeling more human now, we went into the historic little restaurant, and trooped upstairs to where a long table had already been laid for us. The meal was absolutely superb, starting with asparagus strudel on marinated salad, followed by braised beef cheek in a red wine sauce ‘St. Magdalena’ with polenta and spinach.
As if this wasn’t enough, we finished with cottage nougat praline with strawberry ragout. Two growers had joined us, Zeno Staffler from H. Lun Estate, and Hannes Durnwalder from E & N Estate, not forgetting Judith from Cantina Terlano. Judith only worked part time for the Cantina, but provided a running translation at our end of the table.
Both of the men kindly provided the wines for the meal. We were really off-duty now, but some members were still heroically making notes between courses. Rising to thank our hosts at the end, I also included Michele Shah, whose work behind the scenes had done so much to make our visit a success.
© Brian Wheaton MW 2009
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‘Trentino wine growing region’ - seminar at Enoteca Provinciale del Trentino by Lena Inger
On Sunday, May 17th we left the Süd-Tirol and drove south, following the valley of the River Adige, into the Trentino region, still surrounded on both sides by the magnificent Dolomites.
On arrival in Trento, which is a fascinating, rich and historic city, we found the annual 3-day Wine Exhibition in full swing. Once we had checked into our (very central) hotel, we walked through the streets to the Trentino Vinotheque, or wine centre, which is housed in the elegant Palazzo Roccabruna.
A special presentation and tasting, introduced by Roberto Anesi, top Trentino sommelier for 2008, had been laid on to introduce us to the wines and grappa of the region. We learned about the major grape varieties and styles of wine, and some of them were certainly new to me.
In an area of around 10,000 ha, (production accounting for 2% of the national total), there are three indigenous grape varieties, many international ones, a spirit - the Trentino Grappa and, very importantly for the region, the sparkling wine known as Trentodoc.
There are many small growers - 69% still work with vineyards of not more than one hectare. Not surprisingly, there are 14 wine co-operatives, responsible for around 85% of production.
Nosiola The white grape, Nosiola, grows mainly in the Valle dei Laghi, a zone characterised by a sub-continental climate and the presence of numerous lakes, and kept constantly fresh by the Ora, a breeze which blows from nearby Lake Garda (allegedly between 4 pm and 7 pm!)
Marzemino The red grape, Marzemino, (yes, it does sound like a Mozart/Da Ponte character, and the reason it seems familiar is that the grape is mentioned in Don Giovanni) prefers the southern part of the Trentino, particularly the basaltic soils of Vallagarina, an area dotted with castles and centred on the town of Rovereto.
Teroldego The other indigenous red grape, the Teroldego, prefers the alluvial deposits of the lush Piana Rotaliana, situated to the north of Trento, where the rivers Adige and Noce meet, in what Goethe described as “the most beautiful garden of vines in Europe”.
Trentodoc The feather in the cap of the region is the D.O.C. Trentino known as Trentodoc. This accounts for 40% of all traditional method sparkling wine made in Italy. It is based on Chardonnay and grown on the calcareous slopes of the Dolomites at altitudes of between 200 and 800 metres so that the grapes can ripen slowly. It may contain Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir.
The international varieties grown are the usual suspects, notably Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines put on for us to taste showed great expressiveness, as well as being very fresh and clean. I was surprised by the quality of the Pinot Blancs.
Müller-Thurgau Müller-Thurgau (which they are convinced is a cross of Riesling and Madeleine Royale) is especially prized, and it does seem to perform well in the hot days and cool nights of the growing season here. In the Valle di Cembra, in particular, it seems to have found its ideal habitat where its best features are brought out to the full, and we certainly tasted some good examples.
There is also a D.O.C. Vino Santo, made from the Nosiola grape, and a D.O.C. Moscato Rosa which is similar to that found in the Süd Tirol.
This was an excellent introduction to the wines of Trentino.
Text © Lena Inger 2009
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Cavit by Anthony Stockbridge
The prospect of a visit to a co-operative does not always fill the wine educator with joy. An early morning flight of thin, acid, earthy wines produced by small, parochial groups has the potential to spoil one’s palate for the rest of the morning.
What joy it was to visit Cavit in Trentino. This is a huge, outward looking company where research, innovation and high standards are tightly woven into the group’s whole philosophy.
Unique Trentino has a unique microclimate in which wine grapes, Mediterranean olives and fragrant apples grow side by side. The fertile valley floor is home to Italy’s main apple production while vineyards cling to the steep rocky slopes, where the pink porphyritic limestone features, to an altitude of 1,500 metres
Grand scale Formed in 1950, Cavit has grown to be the largest co-operative in the Southern Tyrol and the second largest in Italy. It manages 55% of the region’s wine production with 5,700 hectares of vines worked by 4.500 associated growers. This is wine production on the grand scale.
Excellence and quantity Cavit has a large team of specialists in every aspect of the production all of whom have been pursuing excellence and quality down to the last detail by training growers, protecting local production, preserving the local winegrowing heritage and culture and respecting tradition.
The huge winery in Trento is a monument to all that is best in winemaking technology. Stainless steel sparkled as far as the eye could see. Here we also experienced one example of Cavit’s high standards. Hygiene is so good that the acute noses of the AWE visitors could not detect a trace of wine aromas anywhere outside the tasting room.
Il Maso A major innovation by Cavit has been its collaboration with the San Michele All’ Adige Institute of Agriculture. Together they have established a state-of-the-art experimental research centre at Maso Toresella, Cavit’s imposing Villa at the head of Lake Toblino. In particular the ‘Il Maso’ project is being developed here. By matching specific grape varieties to the best possible terroir they have produced a range of eleven wines that express Trentino and its grape varieties, both indigenous and imported.
We tasted ‘Il Maso’ full-bodied red wines from the local Marzemino Gentile and the Teroldego Rotaliano, the quality of which came as a most pleasant surprise after tastings of Lagrein at earlier visits. Surprisingly good Pinot Noir and Bordeaux-style blends also surpassed expectation.
Other Maso DOC wines included a Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc, an interesting rosé 100% Moscato Rosa, and a Nosiola Vino Santo. A perfect match for blue cheese was Rupere Trentino Superiore DOC late harvest made from a blend of Traminer Aromatico, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Nosiola…Hmmm.
Sparkling Not only does Cavit produce light, still wines but also a range of sparkling wines. One million bottles are produced using the traditional method and a further 4 million bottles by the Charmat process. Of the former, the elegant Altemasi Riserva Graal was outstanding. Made from Chardonnay (80%) and Pinot Noir (20%) grown on the highest slopes, it ages on the lees for a minimum of 36 months.
Il Maso is positioned at the top of a range of Cavit brands designed to fill every market sector from the fresh and fruity value-for-money labels to those sold in the expensive restaurants of the region and all between.
A perfect end This was our final visit of the day. From Trento, the coach took us south to Maso Toresella where, beneath the awnings of a terrace overlooking Lago di Toblino, we were treated to a wonderful buffet dinner cooked for us by the highly regarded chef from Ristorante Prime Rose and all accompanied by wines that matched the food and expressed the high quality of Cavit’s range. A perfect end to an eye-opening visit. Text © Anthony Stockbridge 2009 + + + + + + + |
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Cantine Ferrari by Keith Grainger
Having been surprised and impressed by the quality of the Trento DOC sparkling wines we had tasted at the Enoteca Provinciale del Trento the previous afternoon, I was eagerly looking forward to our visit to Ferrari.
We were hosted by Vice Presidents Matteo and Marcello Lunelli together with our cellar guide Nicoletta. It is not widely known that Ferrari is not only the largest producer of Metodo Classico (traditional method) sparkling wines in Trentino, but indeed in the whole of Italy. Sales in 2008 amounted to 5 million bottles, are there are currently some 20 million bottles lying in the cellars. The cantine uses only Metodo Classico for its production.
History Our visit began with a video about Ferrari, its history and wines – although perhaps a little dated, this included a well-structured section on the ‘traditional method’ of sparkling wine production. Over a hundred years ago, Giulio Ferrari (b.1879), a graduate of San Michele went to study at Montpellier and Geisenheim before travelling to Epernay. He was convinced that Trentino was perfectly situated for the production of high quality traditional method sparkling wines. Giuilio smuggled into the region the Chardonnay variety, which became known as ‘el Borgogna zalt’ (yellow Burgundy).
Ferrari Spumante was founded in 1902, the first sparkling wine producer in Trentino, which was then still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Incidentally, Giulio did not marry until he was 66, and then to a woman 32 years his younger. Now that’s what I call style! He had no children and in 1952, the business and brand was sold to Bruno Lunelli, a local wine shop owner who financed the purchases with loans and promissory notes. The production at the time of sales was just 8,800 bottles a year. The third generation Lunelli family members run Ferrari today with passion, style and acute business acumen.
The tour We toured the cellar and production facilities and, whilst Nicoletta wisely suggested we save our technical questions for later, there were still things we could learn. The company produces its own yeasts to ensure the second fermentation and subsequent maturation proceed according to design.
The bottles are sealed with a bidoule and crown cap, the colour of which changes each year – a simple way of seeing at a glance how long the wines have been on lees! The non-vintage wines undergo remuage in gyropalettes, but the vintage wines have a traditional hand-riddling in pupitres, aided by a fearsome looking metal device!
Style and class Our tasting was led by oenologist Marcello Lunelli, who exuded style and class that somehow found its way into the bottles! He was warm, open and fielded questions with gusto and honesty. It is interesting to note that yields for the spumantes are typically in the region of 9 tonnes a hectare, which by my calculation is approximately 56 hl/ha, well below the average in the Champagne region.
The tasting began with a 2007 Villa Margon Trentino Bianco Superiore. This still wine is produced by Lunelli from their own tenuta (in another cellar), and is made up of 80% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Bianco and 10% Sauvignon Blanc and Incrocio Manzoni. This was eminently gluggable, with melon, grapefruit and soft peach tones.
The Ferrari Maximum Brut, and Maximum Rosé were both well structured, yet elegant.
These were followed by 2004 Ferrari Perlé, particularly delightful with is apple blossom nose and rich, bready palate.
However, it is perhaps no surprise that the star was the 1999 Giulio Ferrari Riserva – the palate again rich and full, a little honeyed and with intense autolytic tones - a fitting finale to out visit to Gruppo Lunelli’s Ferrari winery.
Text © Keith Grainger 2009
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A guided tour of Villa Margon and lunch at Locanda Margon by Wink Lorch
From the Ferrari cellars on the outskirts of Trento, a short drive up narrow winding roads through the vineyards took us to the Villa Margon which sits high above the city in an area of preserved parkland. This historic estate, owned by the Lunelli family, is open to the public on certain days, but we were given a private viewing of the extraordinary country villa with a proud, passionate and knowledgeable guide, Franco Lunelli, father of Marcello Lunelli, Ferrari’s oenologist and son of Bruno Lunelli, who first purchased the Ferrari spumante company.
Summer retreat The situation and the collection of buildings including an 18th century chapel are simply beautiful in themselves, but it is the actual villa and the art that it contains that is the highlight of a visit here. The current villa was built in 1540, though there has been a house on this site since the 13th century as it was used as a pilgrims’ resting place. The Basso family, who had purchased the land from the Bishop of Trento, built the ‘new’ villa and it became a summer retreat for prestigious guests travelling through Europe, including cardinals and other church dignitaries; it is believed that Emperor Charles V was a guest too.
Frescoes Between 1540 and 1560 artists were invited to the villa from Belgium and from Venice to paint frescoes on the walls and these have never been restored. All the rooms of the villa are adorned with these frescoes, which remain in amazingly perfect condition with colours so bright that experts continue to debate what materials must have been used to paint them nearly 500 years ago. The floors and ceilings of the rooms are original too and period furniture (including a bed probably slept in by Charles V) adds to the splendour.
Not being trained in the history of art, I am not the person to describe these historical and allegorical frescoes in detail and I’ve found few detailed references on the internet. A recent blog post by a visitor gives some enlightenment and good photos – you can find it at http://citizen-europe.blogspot.com/2009/05/villa-margon.html.
In brief, the frescoes in one room illustrate the battles in which Charles V was involved; in another they are devoted to bible stories from the Old Testament and a further room has stories from the New Testament. It was amusing to listen to AWE members vying with each other to “name that bible story”. My favourite room had 12 frescoes each representing the typical activities occurring in one month of the year. At least three were wine related with March showing the pruning (that would generally be earlier these days, wouldn’t it?), August preparing the barrels for the new harvest and September illustrating the harvest itself. Two months that amused me were January showing the men playing cards whilst the women work in the kitchen and December which was the shopping month - prospecting for wood amongst other purchases.
Michelin star Our amazing guide, Signor Lunelli left us and we went on to the Lunelli/Ferrari owned restaurant very close by, on the same hill (all part of the land originally purchased by the Basso family). Before the Lunelli family purchased the land there had been a restaurant here, but it had been sold on and closed. They decided only to restore the building and open their own restaurant when they found the right chef, namely Walter Miori who came from a restaurant close to Lake Garda. The newly named Locanda Margon (www.locandamargon.it) quickly gained a Michelin star after opening a couple of years ago and during our meal we could see it was deserved.
Delicious We ate a wonderfully delicious and relatively simple country meal in a very relaxed atmosphere in the company of Matteo Lunelli. After a tomato soup and ricotta appetiser, the first course was braised oxtail and tomato lasagnetta accompanied by Ferrari Brut and the main course, rolled/stuffed guinea fowl (‘faraona’ in Italian, as John Ducker explained, this is the “bird of the pharaohs”) on a mousseline of potatoes and asparagus, matched with the Ferrari rosé.
Finally, we were served a Ferrari Demi-sec (which at 25-28 g/l dosage was not quite sweet enough) with three delicious desserts – mascarpone mousse, pistachio ice cream and coffee crème brûlée.
The other Ferrari Matteo took the time over lunch to explain Cantine Ferrari’s relationship with Ferrari Marinello, the car makers. First he told us that Ferrari was, along with Rossi, one of the most common names in Italy – the equivalent of Smith or Jones, so it was crucial for both companies to protect the use of the name commercially. The two companies are good friends and Matteo explained that they were “two expressions of luxury lifestyle”.
Some years ago the two companies came to an agreement giving Cantine Ferrari the exclusivity of the name for the world of drinks while Ferrari Marinello has the exclusivity for all other products. When Ferrari wins at a Grand Prix race, the team always celebrate with Ferrari spumante.
Philosophy At our visit reported on by Keith above, we were told that Ferrari aimed to be a large company with a small company philosophy – I think this showed through with our glorious non-wine, art visit (which should be a compulsory part of any wine trip) and our relaxed, but classy lunch.
Text © Wink Lorch 2009
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Trentino Wine Show by Tim Syrad
Monday was trade-only day at the 73rd Annual Trentino Wine Show, held in the wonderful Teatro Sociale in the heart of Trentino. With only 60 stands to potentially visit, the occasion was calm and focused – an unusual pleasure in generic tastings.
The Trentino area covers 10,000 hectares and production accounts for 2% of the national total – 85% of which is DOC quality – one of the highest DOC percentages in Italy. Cooperatives account for around 85% of production. Furthermore, 40% of domestically consumed, traditional method sparkling wine is made within Trento DOC. Grappa is also an important aspect of the area accounting for 8% of national production.
Indigenous There are three grape varieties that claim an indigenous origin – the white Nosiola and two reds – Marzemino and Teroldego. It was these three that I decided to focus on – together with Müller-Thurgau which is widely planted and is believed to have great potential.
Nosiola and Müller-Thurgau can often be quite neutral so the highlights of the tasting were examples that expressed minerality and defined fruit character. The Müller-Thurgau 2008 from Riva del Garde Co-op was clean, spicy, aromatic and floral with white pepper notes. The Nosiola 2008 from Spagnolli Enrico was light and aromatic with clean citrus flavours.
Potential Marzemino was a surprise. I tasted many examples that were light, fruity, refreshing and spicy with my highlight being a particularly juicy 2007 wine from Albino Armani. As a summer red I feel Marzemino has great potential as well as its ability to partner a variety of light foods.
Teroldego Teroldego accounts for 8% of vineyards in Trento and is highly regarded. Grown exclusively in the alluvial terrain of the Piana Rotaliana it generally produces full bodied styles. The highlight of the tasting was a 2007 Armilo Teroldego 2007 which showed good balance and structure with a firmness and rich spicy fruit. I also tasted a grape called Rebo from Cantina Toblino – a crossing of Merlot and Teroldego that was initiated 15 years ago. Spicy and rich with smooth berry fruit – it seemed to reflect its two parent grapes.
Trentino is a very high quality producing region that deserves greater awareness in the world scene.
Text © Tim Syrad 2009
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Cantina La Vis e Valle di Cembra & dinner at Maso Franch by Brett Jones
When we arrived for our last visit of the second day in Trentino at the La Vis winery in downtown Trento we were joined on the coach by the General Director, Fausto Peratoner and two colleagues who then whisked us off for a trip into the vineyard - in fact, three vineyards!
Cantina La Vis was founded as a winery in 1858 and developed into a cooperative in 1948. The name La Vis is derived from the Avisio stream, one of the most important features of the area. The power of the Avisio is summarised in the Latin word Vis, meaning strength. Their vineyards sprawl across the Valle Dell’Adige, taking in the breathtaking hills of LaVis, Sorni, Meano and Valle di Cembra, as well as parts of Verona province.
It now has 1300 members and 1,400 hectares of vineyards which are at an altitude of between 250 and 800 metres above sea level, with 80% of vines being on hillside or mountain slopes as we were to find out.
Zoning project At the end of the 1980s La Vis was the first cooperative to be involved in the Zoning Project in Italy: “A study of climatic and agronomical conditions of winemaking areas, with the purpose of identifying the traits which allow cultivation to be optimized. Wines made according to these specifications, and coming from a very small and particular area have unique characteristics, which are a direct expression of their territory”. There is also continuous involvement with the Istituto Agrario di San Michele all’Adige, which has a high reputation for its work with viticulture and oenology.
Vine training Our first stop was in their Pinot Grigio vineyard on the flatter land on deep alluvial soil just above the river Adige at 200 metres. The vine training was recently changed from trellis to guyot, doubling the density, reducing the yield and thereby increasing the quality of the fruit. The cost of this conversion is in the order of €32,000 per hectare. The ‘Ora’, a regular afternoon wind, also helps with the quality as does the diurnal temperature difference of over 10°C (around 25°C in the day down to 14°C at night). In order to avoid the over-phenolic taste that Pinot Grigio is prone to, work must be done in the vineyard rather than in the winery.
We were cheerfully served delicious local salami from tables bedecked with white cloths as we tasted the Ritratti Pinot Grigio 2008: A touch of creamy apple on the nose; dry with good, crisp acidity this wine is a cut above many Pinot Grigios on the market.
Maso Sette Fontane The coach then took us on and up to the Maso Sette Fontane vineyard at 500 metres above sea level, near to their spumante winery, where we met Giorgia Brugnara the oenologist responsible for this area. This is where Giulio Ferrari planted the first Chardonnay vines in Trentino – indeed many of the co-op members still supply fruit to Ferrari! Specific Chardonnay clones for sparkling production were developed by the San Michele Research Institute, and they are once again using the pergola system because the extra shading is better for sparkling wine grapes.
Prestige The wind at this altitude is much cooler which gives a good balance between quantity and vigour. The soils are stony over water-retentive clay, and are rich in magnesium, poor in potassium. The particular vineyard we were in was geared to produce grapes for their prestige sparkler, Cesarini Sforza: there are only 1.5ha of vines 15-30 years old with another .5ha coming on stream. Production is 7.5 tonnes per ha, 1.5 kilos per vine.
The tables and the smiling ladies had followed us, this time offering us smoked salmon as we tasted the top cuvée Aquila Reale, vintage 2001: 100% Chardonnay, a dry, full bodied, elegant and very stylish bottle fermented sparkling wine. Even more enjoyable amongst the vineyards from whence it came!
Hard work Now our coach climbed even higher, indeed to the limit of vine growing in Trentino (as ever there are a few exceptions), over the brow of the mountain into the Valle di Cembra. We were greeted by a totally different view with vineyards tumbling to the left and right below us, most of which are planted on the right bank of the river Cembra.
Here the soil is very stony, full of porphyry, which is neither deep not fertile. Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Noir grow here where the manual work is very hard and difficult, but the wines produced have a fine purity.
Choice of clones The chief winemaker at Valle di Cembra, Massimo Tarter, told us that they increased the number of vines per ha to 6/7000 choosing clones that are rich in terpenes.
The aim of the vinification is to preserve all the aroma of Müller-Thurgau, avoiding oxidation. So there is no barrel ageing, no malolactic fermentation and the wine is left on the lees until the following April – they had just bottled the 2008 prior to our visit.
This time the cheerful camp followers served us lardo; pure fat from under the skin of the pig it is cured in such a way that it isn’t greasy but absolutely delicious, especially with the Dos Caslir Müller-Thurgau 2007: Dry, fresh and exotic on the nose with bright acidity and a very long finish.
Maso Franch We managed to clamber back up the steep path to the coach and we travelled on to Maso Franch, the one Michelin-starred restaurant owned by La Vis. An old farmhouse amongst the dramatic vineyards of Valle di Cembra it has been stylishly renovated into a 12 bedroomed Relais hotel.
Preceding an excellent meal accompanied with a selection of La Vis wines we enjoyed a small comparative tasting of six different styles of Müller-Thurgau, introduced by Francesco Polastri, the chief winemaker of Cantina la Vis.
Indeed when we returned to England we all received a bottle of their Müller-Thurgau which will provide a happy reminder of a very interesting visit to a modern and proactive wine company. Thank you.
Text © Brett Jones 2009
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Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto - Futurismo 100 by Phil Cooke
On the morning of our last day in Trento our hosts arranged for us to have a cultural treat. We went to a spacious and well lit art museum in Rovereto to see an exhibition celebrating the centenary of the Futurism art movement.
On our arrival we were introduced to our guide Mirko Casagodale. Each of us was quickly equipped with headphones and communicator that enabled us to hear our guide clearly, even if we wandered or dawdled!
Celebration Mirko explained that the exhibition was celebrating an art movement that involved leading-edge artists across Europe, but which was centered on Italy. The artists were reacting to a rapid change from a rural and tranquil life to one of speed and industrial cities. Cars and trains were now commonplace, manufacturing had brought in new shapes and everything was more dynamic. They wanted to reflect this somehow in their paintings.
Mirko proved to be an eloquent, knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. As we moved from picture to picture, and room to room we got to understand how this movement had changed the art world. Simultaneously we saw mould-breaking images that had led to the sort of pictures that were now commonplace: juxtaposed shapes, a feeling of movement, and abstract art with vibrant colours.
We are very grateful to our hosts for including this cultural opportunity in our visit. This was yet another factor that led to the whole group saying, “this is a region I want to return to”.
We would like to express a big thank you to our guide, Mirko Casagodale for helping to make the visit so memorable.
© Phil Cooke 2009
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Azienda Agricola Vallarom by Hazel Tattersall
Maso Valloram, wine farm, and family home to Barbara and Filippo Scienza was quite a gem to complete our visit to this breathtaking region. This farm, taking its title from a medieval name, sits 200 metres above sea level on the slopes of the Vallagrima Valley overlooking the River Adige. The steep 8ha vineyards surround the house and are cooled by morning winds from the valley and afternoon breezes from Lake Garda to the south (the wind from Lake Garda is called the Orla). The owners greeted us on the terrace of their delightful home, as warm breezes carried the scent of lemon blossom.
Filippo studied firstly at San Michele all’Adige, followed by Beaune and California. He and his wife, with only occasional help, undertake all work in the vineyard and the winery.
Organic On our vineyard walk with Barbara, we heard that organic practices were followed. The rocky soil is limestone-dolomitic with some volcanic content and so needs drilling for planting. No plastic is used for tying vines; interestingly, reeds from the river are dried and used instead.
Chardonnay forms the largest part of the production for whites, but a wider range of reds is produced including Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot, Pinot Nero and Marzemino.
Respect Returning to the house, a staircase from the hall leads to the winery below with its 2 small barrel cellars. Its solid stone walls ensure perfect temperature regulation. This truly is ‘home winemaking’! Filippo’s philosophy is ‘to respect the rhythm and nature of the land’ and ‘to let the grapes speak for themselves’. He stresses soft pressing for the whites, no remontage or micro-oxygenation for the reds - only hand-punching down.
Part of the family Back in the main house, cooking aromas of warm pasta, cheese and bread enticed us, a foretaste of the delicious lunch to come. We sat comfortably in the sitting room for the tasting, feeling part of the family.
From the range of wines tasted, I particularly enjoyed the Vadum Caesaris 2006, a blend of Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc with its fresh citrus and lime aromas which carried through to the palate with some white stone fruit.
It had a refreshing crisp acidity and an elegant finish. The Pinot Nero 2005, deep-coloured, a little herbal and with some perfumed aromas and firm structure was reminiscent of a Pommard.
All the wines were of IGT status. Filippo said he wanted his wines to remain in the IGT classification ‘as a statement’ giving him wider scope to experiment.
Our thanks go to our hosts for their most generous hospitality in providing a visit to remember with great pleasure.
Text © Hazel Tattersall 2009
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The International Wine Challenge by Charles Metcalfe
It has been fascinating to watch the evolution of wines over the 26 years in which I’ve been judging at the International Wine Challenge (IWC). I’ve seen the rise of Australia and New Zealand, the renaissance of Italy, Spain, Germany and Austria, and now the emergence of Portugal, Chile and Argentina. And one thing is certain: better wines give better results.
Numbers of medals in all categories grew at the 2009 IWC, at the expense of Commended awards, and wines that won nothing at all. There were 304 Gold medals, up 13% on last year’s figure, 1,304 Silvers (up 11%) and 2,154 Bronzes (up 7.9%). At last, submitters seem to have realized that if they send poor wines to be judged, they will not be rewarded. Or maybe the world’s wines have leaped forward in quality.
More countries There were also entries from more countries than ever before. Producers from 42 countries sent in their wines, including Denmark, Holland and the Czech Republic. 38 of these won some sort of award (the unlucky ones were Montenegro, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine). Denmark won their first ever Silver medal (Don’s Orion Brut 2007), and Holland (the first entries ever) took a Commended for their Achterhoekse Wijnbouwers, Solaris Barrique 2007.
Most successful countries 1. Austria Best performing country on the medals table in percentage terms was Austria, with an astonishing 89.03% of wines entered winning some sort of award. They also achieved the highest percentage of Gold medals to wines entered, with just under 11% of the 155 Austrian wines in the IWC winning 17 Gold medals. It was by no means only sweet Austrian wines that won Gold medals, though there were 11 of these that did. Six of Austria’s Golds went to dry wines.
2. New Zealand New Zealand maintained its usual high-scoring record, with 83.49% of its entries winning awards, including 20 Golds and 92 Silvers. Sauvignon Blanc collected most New Zealand awards (118), and Chardonnays won 33. The unexpected aspect here was the success of New Zealand red wines. 133 won awards, of which 87 went to Pinot Noirs, 27 to Merlot-based wines, and 19 to Syrahs (six of which won Golds).
3. Germany Germany came next, with 79.69% of its entry taking 153 awards (of which 16 were Golds and 50 Silvers). 70 went to dry wines (including four Golds), showing the ever-increasing quality of German dry wines.
4. Australia Australia was a whisker behind Germany, with 79.46% of its large entry winning awards, a considerable achievement. The majority of these (548) went to red wines, with 313 white awards and 14 rosés. Biggest red grape winners were the 287 Shiraz-based and the 162 Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines. Among the whites, 120 Chardonnays won awards, as did 74 Rieslings, 42 Semillon-based and 30 Sauvignon Blanc-based wines.
5. Japan Japan was another success story at the 2009 IWC, with the largest number of sake entries ever submitted (359), and an award success rate of 77.44%. These awards included 18 Golds and 42 Silvers. Two days were devoted to the sake judging, with many judges coming direct from Japan, as well as sake experts from all over Europe. The IWC’s sake entry now makes it the largest sake competition held outside Japan.
6. Argentina Another success story this year was Argentina, with the sixth highest award rate for its 270 entries. Its 77.41% success rate was easily the highest Argentina has ever managed, and reflects the increasing confidence of Argentinian winemaking. Argentina won 10 Golds, 44 Silvers and 63 Bronzes, almost half of them Malbecs or Malbec-dominated wines.
7. England (see side bar)
8. Portugal After England, Portugal came next in the medal league, with a success rate of 76.08%, and they weren’t all fortified wines. 12 of Portugal’s 36 Golds went to red wines, three to whites, and the others to the two great fortified categories of Port (15 Golds) and Madeira (7 Golds).
The Guest Co-Chairman at the 2009 IWC was Joshua Greene, owner and publisher of Wine & Spirits in the USA. He quickly and effectively settled into the routine of checking hundreds of wine results daily. © Charles Metcalfe 2009
Originally printed in Harpers Wine & Spirit
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France topped the medal board with
a total of 729 medals (and 533 Commended awards), out of a total of
1,782 wines entered (the largest country entry). Second was Australia, with 591 medals and 287 Commendeds, out of 1105 entries. Italy came in third, with 405 medals and 305 Commendeds, out of 1102 entries. |
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England had its best-ever IWC,
winning 46 awards, including Gold for the Camel Valley Bacchus 2007, a
still white, and seven Silvers, five for sparkling wines, and two for
still whites.
England’s success rate of 76.67% made it seventh most successful country in the IWC in percentage terms, beating many other far more established wine-producing countries, such as France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Chile, South Africa and the USA. |
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Top collectors of Gold medals: France (49) Australia (43) Portugal (36).
Next, in order, were Italy, Chile, Spain and New Zealand.
The biggest improvement on last year’s IWC results for Gold medals was by Chile, with a 120% increase. |
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AWRI Wine Assessment Tasting by Susan Hulme MW
Australia House, 29th June 2009
I was very pleased to be invited to participate in the recent Wine Assessment Tasting, hosted by The Australian Wine Research Institute. Those attending included a mixture of journalists, wine educators, winemakers and trade, including Jancis Robinson MW, Anthony Rose, our own Richard Bampfield MW, Sarah-Jane Evans MW, new AWE member Natasha Hughes and AWE corporate members Michael Buriak and Anthony Moss (from WSET) and Peter Morgan (from Plumpton).
This was an event aimed at testing and possibly developing one’s own tasting skills and ability. Such opportunities are rare but I really believe in the need for continual development, however uncomfortable it may be to put yourself to the test yet again.
Trepidation So with some trepidation, I welcomed this challenge; I had little idea of what to expect as information had been kept to a minimum except that I would be tested in some way on my tasting ability and some of it would involve identifying wine faults.
We all arrived promptly as if for an exam, and listened to an introduction by Con Simos, the course leader. This one-day assessment was in fact based on a four-day training course usually held before the major Australian wine shows to prepare and assess judges.
Part 1 - fault identification The first part involved fault analysis and we were presented with 22 red and white wines which we were told may or may not exhibit various faults.
Wines 1-11 were white, 12-22 red; wines 1 and 12 were the controls and only the last white wine (11) needed to be tasted, with the others to be assessed by nose alone. We then had to tick a box for each wine saying whether it was faulty and if so, what was the fault.
Sensitivity We had to work fast. This bit I liked a lot because it simply involved nosing the wines and identifying what we smelled, along the way developing an awareness of our own sensitivity to different faults, for we all have different tolerances to various degrees of faults.
I remember being surprised the first time I heard that some people, including wine experts, cannot smell cork taint. They are what is called 'anosmic' to it . Even more prone to bring out the differences in people's sensitivities is the wine fault Brettanomyces, which many people, especially consumers, seem to like in a wine and which is often scored highly in competitions. This is a subject much debated every year on my tasting panels at IWC as to what level is acceptable and what isn’t.
Chemical names Anyway, this was an interesting first exercise, not least because we got to put a chemical name to those faults. For example, we learned that the 'smoky, phenolic, medicinal' nose on wine 2 was in fact due to guaiacol while the 'chemical, plastic, mothballs, jasmine/flora’ descriptions of wine 3 were caused by indole.
A point I found interesting (in an anoraky kind of way), was that the ‘corky/musty’ taint of wine 4 was 2, 4, 6–tribromoanisole (TBA) at 5 mg/l was very different to 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) also at 5mg/l which also had a description of musty, mouldy aromas. Both were powerful, obviously musty and faulty to me but unlike most of those I spoke to, I found my sensitivity to TCA was even stronger whereas most people found the TBA more intense.
Fascinating Some other faults we were given examples of included mercaptan, 4-ethyl phenol (band-aid, brett character) acetic acid (vinegar), geosmin (earthy, nutty, musty smells), 4-ethyl catechol (described as horsey, smoky, bacon) among many others. For anyone interested in fine-tuning their own tasting ability, identifying which faults we are hypersensitive to, which we are just sensitive to and which we are more tolerant of is fascinating.
Part 2 - consistency After a welcome break for coffee, we went back to the exam room and were presented with 20 mixed white wines. We were told nothing about them except that there were two different varieties, Chardonnay and Riesling, mixed in a random order. What we didn't know at the time of tasting was that the wines were also repeated randomly within the flight to test us for consistency of marking.
We had to mark them out of 100 as if in a competition such as the International Wine Challenge, awarding gold, silver, bronze, or commended as we saw fit. We also asked to write a brief description of why we had given these marks. These wines had in fact been entered into the IWC in 2009 and some, whose identity would be revealed later, had been awarded medals.
We had to work quickly again and there was some time pressure but I managed to finish in time - just. Our marks were photocopied so we couldn't change them and then we went through as a group with a show of hands saying what what we had awarded and why. We were then told what was actually awarded at the IWC.
After lunch the procedure was repeated with the reds.
Conclusion So what did I learn? Well I was pleased to see that I was very consistent with my own marks for the repeated wines, especially the whites and slightly less so on the reds. Mostly I had awarded the same medals as the IWC with one or two exceptions. However in the afternoon, after lunch and as the number of wines tasted increased I was a bit more inconsistent.
Overall I feel it is a pity that there are so few opportunities for wine experts to refresh and develop their tasting skills, having attained qualifications such as the WSET Diploma and the Master of Wine. Although it is challenging and may be uncomfortable at times to put oneself through such an assessment, it encourages a refreshing kind of openness and humility in wine tasting that we could all do with more of. One of the great things about preparing for the Master of Wine practical exam was that, for me, it encouraged just that.
Exams aside, I think we should all have an annual 'MOT' on tasting so that we can become more aware of our strengths and weaknesses as tasters; not in order to pass or fail, but so that we can really develop our abilities more honestly. Perhaps then we wouldn't feel embarrassed at being less sensitive to a particular smell or taste or hypersensitive to another. Increased self-awareness of our natural predispositions can only improve our tasting abilities in the long term.
I think this would be an excellent one-day course for anyone involved in tasting and I’m sure many of our AWE members would benefit from attending such an event. Let's hope another one will be organised in the near future.
A very big thank you to Wines of Australia, AWRI and Lindsay May for organising this event. I found the whole day very stimulating, challenging and enjoyable.
© Susan Hulme MW 2009
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James Millton Seminar, 1st July 2009 by Carolyn Bosworth-Davies
Why have we come to Gisborne?’ said my teenage son and daughter on a trip to New Zealand back in 2003. Well it wasn’t, as the signposts say, because it’s the ‘Chardonnay capital of New Zealand’, but rather because it is where Millton Vineyards are, and I was (and still am) a huge fan of James Millton’s Chenin Blanc.
As anyone who has been to New Zealand knows, you have to specifically want to go to Gisborne, it is not en route to anywhere else, and it takes quite a time to get there. So for AWE members a trip to the Penthouse floor of New Zealand House in the Haymarket in London was a much easier way of seeing James Millton and trying his range of winess.
Privilege For those of us who were already familiar with his wines, we were not disappointed, and for those who had yet to discover them, a new band of fans were won over by the end of the seminar. This was a true master class from James and it was a privilege to attend it. Funny, forthright, opinionated, a control freak (his words), but hugely entertaining and engaging are just some of the adjectives that can describe James. Two hours just flew by.
Wholehearted From the first moment James starts to speak you are aware of his wholehearted approach to winemaking and what he feels about making honest wines; wines that are a true reflection of nature and where they come from, rather than wines that tick all the boxes technically and win competitions around the world.
Pioneering Before starting the tasting James explained his route to becoming New Zealand’s pioneering organic and biodynamic producer. His life had seen major turning points every seven years and he believes that life is in cycles of seven years and, happily now approaching 56, he hopes that he will have finally attained wisdom! Joking apart, he has done twenty six vintages in Gisborne since establishing his vineyard near Manutuke with his wife Anne in 1984. Over that period he has been doing vintages – four in twenty five years – in Bordeaux. His vineyards are Bio and Demeter Certified.
Commitment James acknowledges that although Sustainable Wine Growing New Zealand is a laudable approach – the approach required to become a biodynamic producer is much more demanding. It’s like comparing the chicken and the pig in terms of a plate of bacon and eggs. The chicken has a passing interest, but the pig is totally committed. Or like a pregnant woman – you can’t be just a little bit pregnant!
Being biodynamic means total commitment. For James part of that commitment is being part of the famous Renaissance Group of Biodynamic producers founded by Nicolas Joly.
Somewhereness James believes Biodynamics is based on logic and instinct. The modern world though is making it increasingly hard to ‘tune into the rhythms of life because of the immediacy of life today, with the rise of cell phones and the internet’. On his 32 hectares of vineyards – spread over single vineyards on four different locations, he looks to achieve grapes that will express ‘somewhereness’, Millton’s own phrase for terroir.
Minerality Key to this is dry farming, planting high density vineyards (so the vines grow up high to reach the sunshine), encouraging a ‘fungi floor’ and encouraging earthworms who are ‘policemen of the soil’. James explained that for him minerality is heightened by biodynamic viticulture; spraying kills fungi and reduces minerality. Minerality is an indication of ‘somewhereness’. Natural yeasts also heighten this, so he eschews the use of cultured yeasts except for his Riesling.
Luminosity Before we tasted his wines he pointed out that for him the clarity of a wine is paramount and that clarity is about luminosity – whether a wine shines or not. Wines should shine, not merely be clear and bright.
The tasting With this in mind we proceeded to sample his range which included a comparison of two vintages of his Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay wines (2005 and 2007), which revealed the significance of the stylistic differences between the vintages.
For me his white wines reign supreme and his Riesling and Chenin Blanc are outstanding.
The 2008 Riesling is Spätlese style, though the level of sweetness varies on the vintage and level of alcohol. This was beautifully honeyed with citrus and apple flavours, richly textured but perfectly balanced with acidity.
The Chenin Blanc from 2005 and 2007 illustrated magnificently why they are regarded as the best Chenin outside the Loire. James chose Chenin because of its acidity. The grapes are picked at three different stages over a period of a month: firstly, when they are ripe; then late harvest; then with a little botrytis. He wants the style to be off-dry, which he believes suits the Kiwi palate (around 7–9 grams r/s). Ageing is in large 600 litre used French barrels.
The 2007 was star bright, vibrant and full of apricot and hints of honey, off dry but with a searing acidity and a wonderful length. The 2005 showed evolution with a golden colour, waxy beehive aromas, a lovely rich texture and huge cutting acidity.
The Viogniers and Chardonnays again showed real concentration and complexity with good acidity.
We concluded the tasting with four of his reds, which are newer to his range and are in some respects work in progress for him. The Malbec he refers to as a ‘lazy man’s wine because it gives tannins and colour easily. It is a simple wine for a bistro’.
The 2005 Malbec had a big nose of ‘somewhereness’, rich spicy berry fruit with a hint of minty/ herbal notes. Eucalyptus trees are behind the vineyard and James explained that he believes that this character in the wine is as a result of being ‘absorbed into the DNA of the plant from the flowering period as the vine breathes and takes in all the aromas around’.
The 2006 Clos Ste Anne Pinot Noir – grown because 'it's a challenge in Gisborne’, showed evolution on its colour and was fragrant with vegetal hints.
Finally we sampled his Syrah from two vintages, 2006 (his second vintage), and 2007. He is honing down the style of wine that he wishes to achieve, moving from 600 litre barrels for the 2006 to barrique for 2007. Both were sealed under cork which he insists he will maintain. Again good peppery fruit was displayed and a medium intensity.
In due course James plans to blend all three varieties along with Viognier, but we will have to wait for that and hope he will bring it to a future seminar for the AWE. If not, you may just have to visit Gisborne!
Thanks to NZ Wine Growers, Lance Pigott from Vintage Roots and of course to James.
Text © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2009
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Vinos de Madrid by Quentin Sadler
Vinos de Madrid presented their first ever London event on 1st July 2009. It took place in the Century Club on Shaftesbury Avenue and was a great chance to try some wines from a region that was entirely new to me.
Firstly, there was a mini wine fair tasting with wines from 9 of the 45 producers in the region. This was followed by an excellent tasting and presentation led by John Radford.
Refinement I found the wines to be generally of high quality and with some real flashes of elegance and refinement. Although wine has been made here for centuries, for the most part these were not traditional, but stylish, well-crafted modern wines with abundant fruit and good balance. There was not a single over-extracted, over-oaked, Parker points follower amongst them - although some achieve pretty high Parker points anyway!
Altitude It seems that the secret behind this elegance, apart from very good wine-making is the altitude. Madrid is Europe’s highest capital and the vineyards sit at between 500-900 metres above sea level. In addition, the summers are very hot and sunny at 41˚C, but the height protects them from the worst ravages of the heat, while the winters are very cold at around -8˚C, so giving the vines a good rest.
I could not detect a sense of terroir in these wines, mainly, I think, as they are all so different from each other and made from different grape varieties and blends. So the feeling I got was that it was a collection of Pagos making interesting wine, rather than a single Terroir. Perhaps that will change one day as they become more established and grow into their vineyards - we shall see.
The standout wines for me were:
Julio Herrero Blanco 2008, Solera Bodegas, €2.20 ex cellars. This was my first ever 100% Malvar. It was good, fresh, slightly smoky and herbal, with a touch of creamy ripeness and clean, zippy acidity. A very good everyday wine. Their red wines were also excellent and great value for money.
Tejoneras Alta Selectión 2006, Bodegas Nueva Valverde, €5.50 ex cellars. This bodega produces tiny amounts of a Tempranillo, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache blend and rather annoyingly will not say what the proportions are - they said it is a secret and somewhat worryingly compared themselves to Colonel Sanders!
However, once I tried the wine I forgave them - it has a lovely balance of ripe, black fruit, and smoky, spicy oak (from 12 months in cask) that gives a fresh mouthfeel and a delicious savoury tinge to the finish.
Tagonius Crianza 2004, Bodegas Tagonius, €4.40 ex cellars. Probably my star wine - certainly as far as value for money is concerned. 20% Tempranillo, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Syrah and 10% Merlot - 9 months in oak. Very complete, balanced and supple with bright, creamy fruit and delicate oak giving a lovely balance between sweet and savoury sensations. It’s juicy and long with smooth fine grain tannins.
Licinia 2006, Bodegas Licinia, €11.00 ex cellars. 40% Syrah, 30% Tempranillo and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon - 12 months in French oak. This organic wine was my absolute favourite, they only make 1000 cases, and it pains me that some of that goes to the US, and none comes here. It is really lovely, balanced, poised and elegant with vivid fruit and a deliciously supple texture and freshness, but with an underlying power and delicate spiciness.
It was a great tasting and a welcome opportunity to try these exciting wines and I look forward to some of them becoming available in the UK.
© Quentin Sadler 2009
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There is a large palette of permitted grape varieties:
Red Tempranillo (Tinto de Madrid/Tinto Fino) Garnacha Merlot Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon.
White Malvar (only grown here, this makes light whites with some texture) Airén Albillo Parellada Macabeo Moscatel de Grano Menudo Torrontés (why doesn’t Spain make more of this excellent grape?)
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Les Forts de Latour by Charles Metcalfe
Frédéric Engerer, general manager of Château Latour, was in town recently. An amazing-sounding dinner at The Greenhouse on the Friday night, then a tasting, mainly for sommeliers, on Saturday morning. And not a bottle of Château Latour to be had at either occasion. Why? It was a celebration of Les Forts de Latour, Latour’s second wine.
Not so much a second wine... But, as Engerer outlined, not so much a second wine as a wine from its own vineyards, made to the level of a Second Growth Bordeaux. If it was virtually a different property, why keep the name? ‘I rather like the name,’ he admitted. (And, of course, it comes with the Latour brand attached. That can’t be bad for sales.) ‘Now I want someone else to represent Forts de Latour, because we’re killing ourselves by presenting Latour and Les Forts together,’ Engerer said. (Applications on a Mouton postcard to Latour will not necessarily secure the job.)
Character He explained how almost all Les Forts comes from two parcels, Petit Batailley and Pinada, to the west of l’Enclos (nearest the river Gironde, and the home of the vines that go into the Grand Vin); how Les Forts always shows the character of the vintage much more clearly than Latour (whose wonderful terroir enables it to make great wines every year!); and how Les Forts always has more Merlot than Latour, usually about 30% (if the Cabernet Sauvignon from l’Enclos is ripe, very little Merlot gets into Latour.)
The tasting We tasted 10 vintages of Les Forts, preceded by the current release of Latour’s third wine, the Pauillac de Latour. This is always intended to be the early bird from the stable, released purely to restaurant trade (that’s the idea, anyway). And when it’s gone, it’s gone. It’s ripe, smooth and red fruited. Bright and fresh, with soft, silky tannins, a stylish but easy-drinking Pauillac.
Then came the run of Les Forts wines, 2006 back to 2000, then 1996, 1995 and 1990. As Engerer had said, vintage showed. 2006 was first out, a real contrast to the Pauillac before. It’s darker, sweeter-fruited and denser, with firmer tannins, good intensity and bright, red and black fruit. It’s very young as yet (Engerer said Les Forts usually takes 10 to 20 years to show its true character).
Then came the 2005, true to the excellent year, a wine that definitely needs the ageing, dark, inky, quite treacley on the nose, with rich, soft, velvety tannins, dense and delicious in the mouth. Fabulous wine, that developed more and more muscle in the glass.
The 2004 Forts de Latour is less opulent than the 2005, with a dark, ripe centre, very much in the black fruit spectrum, with a hint of black olives. The palate has very rich tannins, with mulberry and blackberry fruit flavours.
The 2003 was a shade disappointing. It’s certainly true to the year, with baked, soft, sweet fruit through nose and palate. Tannins are quite firm, and it finished a little shorter than others. It’s light, easy and very ripe, but I wouldn’t keep it for long!
The 2002 was also contentious, from a less ripe vintage, and showing a grassier aspect than others. But on the palate it has freshness and balance, with leafy blackcurrant length.
Everyone liked the 2001, sweet-fruited and elegant. It’s a vintage that was neglected after the hype of the 2000s, but has re-emerged as a delightfully poised, traditionally Bordeaux year. This Forts has lovely, sweet, blackcurrant and cedar aromas, with rich, soft, bright flavours. It has beautiful balance, real sweetness to the fruit and savoury balance.
Then came the 2000, Engerer’s favourite wine. It’s very big, opulent and flamboyant, very ripe. Engerer said it needed another couple of years. It’s obviously super-ripe, with firm tannins, but seemed to me to lack density. I went back twice, but remained unconvinced. Good but not great.
The gap between 2000 and 1996 was enormous, the difference between unrealised potential and actual drinkability (it’s served its 10 years plus in bottle). Aromas are sweet and candied, and the palate echoes these, with fresh acidity, firm tannins and lovely, candied fruit. Fresh acidity keeps the whole balanced and elegant.
The 1995 is the other vintage (with 2003) that suffered from too much heat. And the team at Latour didn’t have the know-how they do now. Sweet, ripe aromas are followed by quite leafy flavours, with slightly dry tannins. This lacks a central richness and finishes firm, with a leafy finish.
The last wine was the 1990, very voluptuous and figgy. It’s very seductive, fleshy and smooth, but seemed rather out of line, inviting but lacking the backbone that the other vintage showed. Lovely today, but maybe fading tomorrow.
A fascinating tasting, as you don’t often get the chance to taste ten vintages of a First Growth’s second wine. Thanks to Frédéric Engerer of Latour and Ronan Sayburn of The Greenhouse for organising it. And Engerer made his point. Maybe not the ‘super-seconds’, but Les Forts is certainly up at the level of some Second Growths.
© Charles Metcalfe 2009
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AWE Nielsen Seminar, by Laura Clay
I first met Stewart Blunt of Nielsen when he was presenting the 2008 sales figures of Bordeaux for the CIVB and its guests – what a gloomy day that was! Despite that, I enjoyed very much learning about the vagaries of the wine buyer, was impressed with the way Stewart made numbers seem interesting and when I discovered he was also based in Birmingham it seemed only natural that I should approach him to do a presentation for the AWE. My request was met with some reservation. Clients of Nielsen usually part with large sums of money to find out exactly what the market is doing and I was asking him to do it for peanuts.
Predicting the future But on 21st July, he did just that! And I think he enjoyed it. He was just on time having mistakenly walked a scenic route (I didn’t know such a thing existed in the centre of Birmingham) from his office to our venue, and with everyone present we looked forward to finding out about what has been happening in the UK market in recent times. Stewart is unable to predict figures for the future as he says that the only guaranteed fact about any forecasts Nielsen might make, is that they would be wrong!
Buying better So the information we were given in the form of pie charts, spider web diagrams, line graphs and bar charts showed what has been going on the wine trade in 2008 and up to 13/06/09. The recession has obviously played a major role in overall sales and where the on-trade is losing, the off-trade is gaining to some extent. Consumer confidence has fallen in the UK below the global average, but perhaps unsurprisingly not as low as in France! One of the surprising facts we learnt, is that the average price per bottle of wine in the UK is currently £4.26 so there may well be something in the suggestion made earlier in the year that consumers may be buying less but better in this recession. However, 39% of the time they will still be selecting from the top 20 brands! And, no surprise here, 18 of those 20 are New World brands. On a positive note, wines over £5 are growing at 20% per annum.
The rise of rosé It didn’t come as a shock to any of us that rosé sales continue to rise, but by 27% this year?! Sales of rosé now account for 12% of all wines bought in the off-trade, 46.6% from USA! Portugal it seems still holds some muster in rosé sales (6.5%), but I was amazed that only 0.2% of all red wine bought in the UK is from Portugal – less than from New Zealand! Whilst sales of all European wine continue to drop, the New World obviously climbs and is now at 60% in the UK. Australia though is losing market share to Chile, South Africa and New Zealand. Despite the fact that anywhere I go, Pinot Grigio seems to be the white wine of choice (I obviously move in the wrong social circles) Chardonnay is still the most important wine, selling over 8m cases a year. This figure does not include Chablis, for example, which is not labelled as Chardonnay!
AWE guidance I have summarised only a fraction of the information Stewart gave us, in his usual quiet, amusing and instructive manner and he completed his presentation in a mildly optimistic way. In the last 20 years wine sales have doubled, and from our point of view this can only be a good thing, especially if consumers are looking to trade up – surely they will want to know more about what they are spending their hard-earned money on and will look to AWE to guide them!
© Laura Clay 2009
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How to Taste like a Master of Wine, by Laura Clay How to Taste like a Master of Wine, presented by Richard Bampfield MW Despite the unlikely location, i.e. outside London and with Birmingham not exactly being the wine capital of anyone’s world, 19 of us were able to attend what turned out to be an excellent presentation. People travelled from far and wide, as far north as Edinburgh, as far south as Surrey, to further educate themselves and their palates. Practice, concentration, focus... I suspect a few of us who have not done a lot of blind tasting in recent years (I for one sat my Diploma almost 20 years ago) were concerned that not only were we out of practice but that this might be blatantly obvious to our friends and colleagues around us and immediate expulsion of AWE might ensue! Richard allayed these fears by promising not to pick on us! He also alerted us to the fact that Masters of Wine do not have an inherent tasting ability, just that they practise a great deal, concentrate and focus very hard on what they are doing and have confidence in their assessments. I would add to that, that they must have exceptionally good and fine-tuned memories – we always admire what we lack most!
Flight 1...Sauvignon Blanc? Richard had organised three flights which we tasted and discussed separately. The first of these was a Sauvignon Blanc dominated group of three wines, where we had to identify the grape, giving reasons for our decision, comment on other grapes which may have been used in the blend, if any, identify the origin and assess the quality level giving an approximate UK retail price. Pips! Or so you would have thought, but actually none of the wines seemed very obviously Sauvignon Blanc. I think however, we all just about crawled to the correct conclusion but we were grateful to Matthew Hudson for taking the first steps to reveal his evaluation of the flight. The rest of us kept our heads down and wouldn’t catch Teacher’s eye! Not until we were sure we were on the right lines!
Flight 2...Burgundy! The second flight were two wines from the same region of origin which we had to identify, assess their merits, quality and state of maturity and outline the winemaking techniques likely to have been used for each wine. This seemed more straightforward to me, as the wines appeared to both be Old World Chardonnay, which would lead to Burgundy and then the winemaking techniques used seemed relatively easy to work out using one’s knowledge and palate. Again, I think, as a group we were all more or less there but lacked the confidence to shout about it!
Flight 3...??? The last flight of 5 reds was another story altogether! There was a common grape variety, though not necessarily the dominant one – we had to identify it, the origin of each wine, the other grapes used in the blend in each case, the age and state of maturity and the quality. This proved quite tricky. The grape variety was Cabernet Sauvignon which came through beautifully on two wines but less so on the others. One of the wines was a Bordeaux with a very high percentage of Merlot and used American Oak which put us off the scent; another Bordeaux, a St-Estèphe, was a 2003 vintage perhaps leading some a little to the New World and the South African wine which smelt for all the world of Pinotage, had no Pinotage in the blend!
First impressions It was tricky but it was fun, and by the end of the session few of us had any qualms about giving our opinions. We learnt a great deal from Richard about interpreting our evaluations, about the importance of first impressions, about the relevance and significance of colour and particular aromas we may have detected. We also learnt that it helps to taste a flight of wines in a different order to give each wine a fair chance and for a better comparison between them. This was a most instructive session and now that we have reminded ourselves how to do it, I think there is room for another such class to truly hone our tasting skills – and for those for whom Birmingham is just too far north of the Watford Gap to participate, this time we may locate it in London!
© Laura Clay 2009
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Flight 1 Chilcas Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Casablanca Valley, Chile
Château Brown Blanc 2006, AC Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux
Cape Mentelle Sauvignon/Semillon 2007 Margaret River, Western Australia
Flight 2 Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes 2006, Domaine du Pavillon Albert Bichot
Bourgogne Chardonnay 2007, Vieilles Vignes Albert Bichot
Flight 3 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Merlot 2006, Margaret River, Western Australia
Damarakloof Racetrack Red Blend 2006, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Premius Merlot Cabernet 2007, AC Bordeaux
Shiraz, Mondeuse and Cabernet 1990, Brown Brothers Victoria, Australia
Château Lafon-Rochet 2003, AC St-Estèphe, Bordeaux
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AWEsome Book, by Susan Hulme MW
The Food and Wine Guide to Naples and Campania by Carla Capalbo, published by Pallas Athene, ISBN 1-873429-71-1.
To many people, Italians included, the south of Italy is largely unknown, ignored in favour of the wealthier and more fashionable central and northern regions, with their rich artistic and musical heritage and their historical importance; Rome, Venice, Genoa, Florence - all have played significant roles in the development of Italy, the region and the world beyond.
Identity Yet Naples has played a major part in the growth of Italian culture. Initially founded by the Greeks (who brought with them grapes) in the 8th Century BC, the city, with its key location on the Mediterranean, was subject to a succession of invasions (friendly and otherwise) over the centuries, all the while assimilating different cultures and foods while remaining uniquely Neapolitan.
The rich volcanic soil and the sea, abundant in fish, made the region a major supplier of food in Roman times. But it took the arrival of the tomato (amongst other plants) from the Americas during the Renaissance to really give Naples (and by extension Campania and Italy) its own gastronomic identity.
Pleasure In her book, Carla Capalbo has achieved a very difficult feat: as a guide book, it is logically structured, going from area to area listing the best restaurants, wineries, cheese, olive oil, bars and more but it contains such a wealth of fascinating information, cultural, historical and gastronomical, that it is just a pleasure to read.
Mouth-watering The sections dealing specifically with food are especially mouth-watering and at the same time extremely interesting. We learn how mozzarella is made and what makes Neapolitan pizza the best; from pasta to pastries, ragù to ravioli, the book is crammed full of details and photographs which will leave you with a desire to rush out to Carluccio's (born in Campania incidentally).
Depth of feeling What makes the book so special however is the people; barely a page goes by without a quote or two from a winemaker, a restaurateur, a cheese maker or olive farmer. The wonderful photographs of them going about their everyday work give the vibrant text added immediacy. And this is what elevates it above conventional guide books; three years in the making, it has a depth of feeling for its subject which is evident on every page.
As someone who spent two years living and working in Naples, in a house that looked out over orange groves to Vesuvio, I find the book irresistible and am sure that anyone who reads it will feel the same.
The Food and Wine Guide to Naples and Campania is available from Amazon.
© Susan Hulme MW 2009
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AWEsome Wine by Quentin Sadler
Marqués de Griñon Caliza 2005, D.O. Dominio de Valdepusa, Syrah-Petit Verdot
While putting together a Spanish session for a wine club recently I was thrilled to find this splendid wine, it is interesting and different as it comes from an area not historically associated with wine, but an estate that has its own D.O. - indeed it was the first of the 7 Vinos de Pago to be created, what is more it is easily available, great value for money and is rather good.
This is an accomplished wine, the colour is opaque with deep black fruit hues, and the nose is full of raspberry, black cherry, smoky, cinnamon spice and earthy, rocky notes. In the mouth it is full-bodied and mouth-filling, but still elegant with touches of fresh acidity. The rich dark fruit tastes lively and is supported by gentle spice, well integrated oak and smooth tannins on a long finish.
At first the wine seems quite tight, but appears to emerge from a shell by the mid-palate, rather like a Minstrel chocolate, so countering the front-loaded feel that so many fruity wines seem to have.
The only thing I have against the wine is the rather odd label, I realise that it is supposed to be an arty stone, but it looks more like an outline of Greenland!
I showed this as a finale at the tasting and it really did impress, especially when they heard the price.
Available from Marks & Spencers @ £9.99
© Quentin Sadler 2009
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Please update your Directory of Members with the following changes:
New Members Natasha Hughes
10 Calais Street,
London SE5 9LP Ray O’Connor 86 Roding Road, London, E5 0DS Phone: (m) 0778 6654 637 E-mail: ray.oconnor@william-reed.co.uk
Contact detail changes for existing members: Paul Howard has changed his mobile number to: 07967 683957
Isabelle Legeron has moved to: 31 Sidney Road, London, E7 0ED
Carol Whitehead has a new email address:
Departing Members Barry Howarth has decided not to renew his membership as he has a new job and is not currently involved with any wine tastings or education. We wish him luck in his new role and he says he will certainly return if he begins teaching again.
Sue Crabtree has also resigned, which was not an easy decision as she has been a member since the early inception of the AWE. However she is not able to currently partake in a number of the activities of the AWE so felt it was appropriate not to renew at present.
We do hope to welcome both Sue and Barry back as members in the future. |
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Anyone interested in becoming a member of the AWE should contact our membership secretary Alison Moller: Email - molleralison@yahoo.co.uk Tel: 07783 723728 Address: Little Mead, Langley Lower Green, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 4SB
Prospective members should hold the WSET Diploma or equivalent.
Please note the administrative office
telephone number has changed to 01753 882320. See below for full
details.
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AWE Inspiring News
Editor: Susan Hulme MW Sub-editor: Laura Clay Many thanks to all of our contributors.
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