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

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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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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.

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.

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.

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).

Continual Development

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 (pictured left). 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.

Challenging

Although it is challenging and may be uncomfortable at times to put oneself through such an assessment, it encourages a refreshing kind of openess 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.

MOT

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.

Text © Susan Hulme MW 2009

Photos © Lindsay May 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

Photos © Brett Jones 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?)

Vinos de Madrid map.

 

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

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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AWE Member Updates

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
This is the newsletter of the Association of Wine Educators. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Association.

Editor: Susan Hulme MW

Sub-editor: Laura Clay

Many thanks to all of our contributors.

AWE Administrative Office:
Andrea Warren
Scots Firs, 70 Joiners Lane,
Chalfont St Peter,
Bucks, SL9 0AU
Tel/Fax: 01753 882320  

E-mail: admin@wineeducators.com 
Web Site: www.wineeducators.com 

© AWE Inspiring News 2009

No part of this newsletter may be reproduced without permission.

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