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Sub-editor's column Paul Howard takes on the heavyweights... |
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| Overseas member Julie Buclez, sends us an interesting overview of wine education in Hong Kong... | |||
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...and staying on an Oriental theme, Richard Bampfield MW talks tea at the Jing Tea Tasting. |
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Andrew Bennett tells us about his experiences after landing his dream job... |
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| Michelle Cherutti-Kowal was a judge on the 2007 ABSA Top Ten Pinotage Competition in South Africa. Here are the results... | |||
| Peter Morgan & Kevin Sutherland give us the 2007 Vintage Report for Plumpton College Estate... | |||
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Jacopo Poli explains everything you ever wanted to know about Grappa. Carol Whitehead reports on January's AWE/CWW Grappa seminar... |
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| Brett Jones visits Robert Mondavi's COPIA, where wine education goes hand-in-hand with winemaking... | |||
| Big changes in Navarra - Susan Hulme MW talks to Pilar García-Granero, the new President of the Consejo Regulador... | |||
| Vivienne Franks goes to Saxony and finds much to recommend... | |||
| Richard Bampfield MW was both moderator and reporter at a recent IMW seminar by Christian Seely of Château Pichon-Longueville Baron... | |||
| John Ducker gives us the benefit of his stage experience on how to get your voice heard above the crowd... | |||
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AWEsome Wine - Paul Howard on a mouth-watering Gavi.. |
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| AWEsome Opinion - Wink Lorch on the shrinking choice available to UK consumers... | |||
| AWEsome Review - Laura Clay reviews Graham Hardin's 'A Wine Miscellany'... | |||
| AWEsome Internet - Wink Lorch recommends Robin Garr's 'Wine Lover's Page'... | |||
| AWE Member Updates - Six new members! | |||
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Editorial by Susan Hulme MW
This issue has a distinctly Oriental theme: Hong Kong resident Julie Buclez gives us an overview of wine education on the island and Richard Bampfield MW reports on a China tea tasting and seminar which reveals that the tea world is every bit as complicated as the world of wine. The Eastern flavour continues (albeit in Europe) as Vivienne Franks gives us a snapshot of a visit to the relatively unknown German wine regions of Sachsen and Saale-Unstrut.
The variety of topics in this issue does not end there: January's AWE/CWW Grappa Seminar is covered by Carol Whitehead and Richard Bampfield MW writes about the IMW Château Pichon-Longueville Baron seminar and tasting. We also focus on the fascinating diversity of our members activities, from buying and selling wine to judging Pinotage in South Africa to visiting a wine educational centre in Napa.
I am very pleased to say that in this issue we also have a vintage report on English wines from our corporate members at Plumpton College. We prepare for a future AWE voice coach seminar with some thoughts on the subject by our very own actor and wine educator John Ducker, while Paul Howard gets vocal against the use of heavy bottles. And finally, following on from the last issue, in which I visited Navarra, I catch up with the latest developments with the new Presidenta de la Consejo Regulador.
All this, together with the usual AWEsome snippets, will hopefully provide some lively reading.
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Chairman’s Column by Susan Hulme MW
Taking that analogy a step further, the AWE has been on an upward cycle for some time now. One of the things I am most proud of is the number of younger members wanting to join recently. Over the last three years, in terms of membership we have had our own ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ in terms of the number of new members wishing to join but now we seem to be on an upward path again with six new members so far this year. Overall we have had 14 new members join since 2005 and we may well be at a higher number than that by the AGM in May 2008 when I officially stand down as Chairman. Considering how rigorous our selection process is, I think a steady increase of approximately 20% in new members is very pleasing and long may this continue into the future.
And so goodbye…this is my last column as AWE Chairman. When I first took on the role in May 2005, three years seemed an awfully long time but in some ways it has sped by in an instant. According to the constitution, the Chairman must stand down after three years but I also feel it is the right time for me to focus on other things. However, I will continue to be an active AWE member and the editor of the AWE e-newsletter. So it is not so much goodbye but arrivederci. See you at the AGM where I hope we can celebrate in the time honoured AWE way with a glass or two of something delicious among friends.
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Sub-editor's column by Paul Howard
I’ll be honest; I wouldn’t buy a wine that was contained in anything else but a glass bottle. Bag in Box? Nada. PET bottle? Irredeemably naff. Tetrapak? That’s for milk.
But it’s time to fight the creeping tendency towards bottling wine in ever thicker and heavier glass. The average wine bottle in the UK weighs 500g and the lightest 300g. Of course Champagne bottles are far heavier, but at least they have the excuse that they have to have extra strength to cope with 6 atmospheres of pressure!
Luxury product I regularly encounter glass wine bottles that are in the 800-900g category and the worst offenders are now easily over the kilo mark. Supposedly, this is all about marketing, about creating difference and recognition, of shouting “hey! I’m a super premium and super lovely luxury product!” However I refuse to believe that anyone is so stupid that they will choose a wine primarily based on how heavy it is in their shopping basket. Moreover, I’ve tried to correlate bottle weight, wine quality and price at a number of Trade tastings attended over the past year and can now report: there is none.
Yes, glass is 100% recyclable, but the UK just can’t use it all up and the extra weight of these über-bottles adds cost to the product, uses more raw materials and makes a bigger carbon footprint too. Then they don’t fit on merchants' shelves and won’t fit in my bottle racks either.
Breakage I’ve also heard other arguments advanced for thicker heavier glass, such as more protection from breakage. Guys, a 300g glass bottle can have enough structural integrity so that it is no more statistically likely to break. Or this one – “well, heavier glass is more opaque, better for ageing and protection from UV.” Umm, that’s surely about colour, not weight and the majority of wine bought is consumed quickly after purchase anyway.
And the culprits? Well I originally thought that Californian excess and Italian design flair would make these countries the worst offenders but in fact those responsible for these steroidal excesses can be found globally. One of the saddest findings is that some organic and biodynamic producers are also guilty and you’d think they’d know better.
Wasteful It’s great to see that the WSTA and WRAP have just hosted a London forum on improving company co-operation to use lighter weight bottles, as clearly this is a wasteful supply chain issue where producers and retailers need to change. Given that single estates in particular prefer to bottle at source rather than ship in bulk then moving to lighter bottles is straightforward and makes a lot of sense.
I also think that, as Wine Educators, we can play our part – in consumer education yes, but also by taking this up at Trade tastings with merchants, importers and producers. Perhaps if our voice is loud enough they will listen.
In fact I raised this recently with a Californian producer known for his 17% Zinfandels after I found I did not have the musculature to lift a 750 ml bottle approaching 2kg in weight. As the contents were invisible I was surprised to find the bottle nearly empty. So heavy and over-engineered it was that it looked like it should be used at Sellafield to contain spent nuclear fuel. Suffice to say I’m not on his Christmas card list anymore. Actually, given the contents…
Yours proportionately, Paul Howard
© Paul Howard 2008
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Hong Kong
update by Julie Buclez
Duty down, demand up The Hong Kong government slashed taxes on wine by a whopping 50% last year. The new duty of 40% is still high yet some believe this lower rate has fuelled demand for wine education. “We have witnessed an increase in enrolment following the cut,” says Jennie Mack, managing director, Asia Wine Service & Education Centre. More Chinese customers are willing to try wine as it is now affordable.
In fact, demand has been rising every year since they opened 13 years ago, says Mack. The booming Chinese economy has created a wealthy and curious middle class in Hong Kong. “Having been raised here, I am aware of the current trend to follow some Western fashions such as tasting and learning about wines,” offers Mack. "Perspective students often call seeking red wine courses as many think all wines are red. Interestingly, after taking classes most prefer whites as they are less tannic and alcoholic", she notes.
Saving face Away from curiosity, some consumers take wine courses in order to ‘save face’. In China, offering a gift of wine would require the gift-giver to know something about the wine in order not to lose face. Others take courses to learn the foreign names. “Beaujolais is difficult to pronounce, if you don’t speak French”, says Mack.
Courses Like most international cities, Hong Kong provides a large variety of wine education from sources such as universities, specialty wine retailers and wine schools. Some classes are offered in Cantonese (the local Chinese dialect) although most are in English. According to the WSET website, Hong Kong and Macau have 11 APP's (Approved Programme Providers) providing the whole range of WSET qualifications.
"Generally speaking, Chinese students seem more willing to invest time and money in courses offering them a certificate even if they are not in the trade", agrees Ian Symonds AIWS *, an independent WSET tutor. “Out of the current Level 2 WSET class, none of our students are in the trade. That is a first.” Although he agrees that some of the increase in consumer demand for wine education may stem from the drop in taxes, he feels that there would be a greater impact if the duty was further reduced. “The consumer currently only benefits from a 10 – 20% decrease in price.”
Away from WSET qualifications, there are wine appreciation courses, food and wine pairing sessions, corporate tasting events and even master classes being offered in Hong Kong. Next week, Berry Bros and Rudd is sponsoring Jancis Robinson MW to provide a luxury tutored tasting on “What is wine quality’’.
Speaking of MW’s, there has been a media frenzy surrounding the recent success of two ex-pats in Hong Kong - Jeannie Cho Lee and Debra Meiburg. Both recently passed the gruelling MW exam (they still need to submit and pass the Dissertation before becoming Masters of Wine - editor). Such publicity is great news for wine educators who are already busy and expecting to be even busier as further wine duty cuts are anticipated by some in the soon to be announced 2008 budget.
(Stop press - As anticipated, the HK government has now lowered the wine duties to 0%.)
Text & photo © Julie Buclez 2008
* (Ian Symonds is one of our new recruits to the AWE. See AWE Member Updates below for more details - editor)
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Jing Tea Tasting – January 24th, 2008 by Richard Bampfield MW
In case you thought wine was the only complicated beverage, here are some musings on a recent tea presentation and tasting laid on for the Circle of Wine Writers and Guild of Food Writers……..
Tea is divided into 6 main categories:
China is to tea what France is to wine. Just one province in China can offer hundreds of different tastes, whereas India has just 3 main tea tastes (Assam, Darjeeling and Nilgiri). It takes about 5 years for a tea tree to come into production and they can grow to up to 1,000 years old. With some teas, the first pickings, early in the season, are the most prized. With others, such as Oolong, the leaves tend to be picked later in the season.
A few hints. Tea should be kept in the dark, not in the fridge. For green tea, the temperature of the water should be about 70˚, for Oolong and black teas, 100˚ is fine. However, the water should not actually boil as the aim is not to boil out the oxygen. They recommend using mineral water with a relatively low mineral content, Volvic and Highland Spring seem to be favourites. Fine teas are normally good for two or three infusions. Great Puerh and Oolong teas might provide up to 20 infusions. As well as aroma and flavour, texture is very important in the appreciation of tea.
The whole experience of learning about and tasting tea was fascinating – if you want to look like an expert when tasting tea, slurp it loudly (not good etiquette at the Ritz, though). I would normally share my tasting notes with you, but they remind me of my first, faltering steps in wine 26 years ago and I am rather self-conscious about them. Far better to hear what the specialists say at
© Richard Bampfield MW 2008
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My Dream Job by Andrew Bennett
I always wanted to be a wine buyer! So, in that sense I have a dream job. I joined 3D Wines last May after responding to an advert in Harpers. I wasn’t looking for a job at the time, but as I said…
I have been asked to give an insight into the job of a wine buyer. I will try not to make it sound too glamorous!
The best bit of the job is tasting wines that I feel will provide excitement to our customers. The worst bit is when they don’t agree with your enthusiasm!!
3D Wines Firstly, about 3D Wines. We are a French specialist wine company that was set up by two ex-M&S directors in 1992. They established a unique concept that allows our customers (Partners) to rent a row of vines in one of 38 vineyards throughout France. Although we don’t actually own the vines, we work very closely with our vignerons and our links with them have been forged since the beginning of the 90’s.
When a Partner rents a row of vines, it lasts for a year and it entitles them to up to four cases of wine from their particular vineyard. They can choose to buy either all their allocation, or just some. They also have the option to collect the wine either at the vineyard, at our storage facility in Calais, or it can be delivered to their door.
Partners Over 70% of our Partners collect at the vineyard because they want to meet the vignerons, see how the wine is made and to see the region from whence the wine came. It also works out significantly cheaper that way too. In a nutshell, this is the 3D concept and it works very well. We organise the visits, we have arrangements and special deals with hotels, gîtes and chambres d’hôtes throughout France and we know many of the best restaurants too. It is a bit like a wine club in many ways.
Many of our wines are made exclusively for 3D and part of my job is to take part in the blending process – which is fascinating. So far I have helped blend a Margaux, a Vintage and NV champagne and a Blaye. It will be fascinating to see how they turn out in years to come!
A big part of the job is tasting forthcoming vintages (often wines in barrel) and then writing notes on the wines which compel our Partners to buy. Those of you who have tasted unfinished wine will know this can be quite tricky, especially at 9am in the morning! Having a good imagination is an essential part of the job of course.
Ensuring quality is upheld and maintained is also an essential part of the job. Diplomacy skills also come in handy at these times. I am currently developing and honing my French language skills as a number of our vignerons do not speak English.
Luckily the vignerons we work with are
small family-oriented domaines and they tend to be very receptive and
open to comments. Many of their wines regularly win top awards at the
IWC and other competitions, which speaks volumes.
Selling Although the role is titled wine buyer, I suppose much of what I do is aimed at selling wine. Every month I put together wine offers for our Partners from different appellations, even different countries, like Spain and Italy. Last year I introduced them to New Zealand wines for the first time in 3D’s history.
I have just come back from 4 days in Montpellier searching for new and interesting wines from southern appellations and southern European countries.
It’s fashionable to knock the French of course. They can be frustrating to deal with at times, but for diversity, style, balance and sheer enjoyment, whether drunk on their own or with food, their wines cannot be matched by any other country. Long may this be so!!
Text © Andrew Bennett 2008 Photos © 3D Wines
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Pinotage by Michelle Cherutti-Kowal
The mention of Pinotage elicits varied responses from those within wine circles - I cannot think of a more controversial grape. Fortunately, I am in the lover’s category and looked forward to my assignment as one of two international guests asked to join the judging panel for the ABSA Top Ten Pinotage Competition with great anticipation.
One-hundred forty eight Pinotages, six men and me (the lone female) secluded for three days within the stunning setting of the Devon Valley. Life doesn’t get much better.
Judging The competition was extremely well run with each judge having their own computer terminal and keyboard. The five South African judges moved through the wines very quickly, so my colleague and I were challenged to keep up. For the most part, over the first two days both the stars and the lesser quality wines were readily identified. The third and final day dawned leaving the more onerous task of whittling down the best forty wines down to a select twenty finalists. Battle lines were drawn but not breached. There was remarkable consensus identifying the top fifteen and only minor jousting for the final five spots.
Two styles Two distinct styles of Pinotage emerged. One exhibited dense black cherry fruit, spice and tobacco paired with layers of new wood. The other were pinot noir in character - not as much weight but elegant and earthy with hints of the local fynbos. The locals clearly preferred with dense wines while we Brits (although a proud Canadian I am considered a transplanted Brit) had an appreciation for the lighter styles.
The vintages held even more surprises. The much heralded 2003’s were notably absent from the top marks as very few held their own with bottle age. Better samples were found in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 vintages.
The Top 10 The Top Ten and the Runners Up were announced in November 2007 and the wide range of regions represented was a telling sign; the Pinotage world doesn’t revolve around Stellenbosch anymore with only three of their wines in the Top Ten. Paarl and the Coastal region each had two, and Robertson, Swartland and Pieknieskloof one each. The list also included six first-time winners with one wine, Stellenzicht Golden Triangle Pinotage 2006 landing its third consecutive Top Ten and fourth in five years.
Eleven years of competition has revealed the Top Ten winners to consistently have the following in common:
The Absa Top 10 Pinotage Competition winners for 2007 were [1] :
*First time Top Ten Winners.
The runners-up from the twenty finalists were:
I stayed on the following week to judge in the Veritas Competition and, after one day of judging sauvignon blancs (which were fantastic), I was happy to spend three more days judging Pinotage. The consistency between the two competitions was reassuring with four out of five Veritas Double Gold winners also making the ABSA Pinotage Top Twenty.
Within a three-minute walk of my London home I have access to three supermarkets and four off-license shops where I can find merlot, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay from anywhere in the world. But I have to travel much, much further to get first rate Pinotage!
To those who may grimace at the word Pinotage - my heartfelt thanks. I had a wonderful two weeks in the Cape Winelands as no one does food, wine and hospitality quite like South Africans. My own shipment of 2007’s Top Ten winners is sleeping peacefully in my cellar and before anyone asks, I’m not sharing.
[1] More information can be found at www.pinotage.co.za. Thanks to the Pinotage Association who provided the photographs.
© Michelle Cherutti-Kowal 2008
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Plumpton College Estate, 2007 vintage report by Peter Morgan & Kevin Sutherland.
The 2007 English grape harvest was set for a record early start, with an early spring and a particularly warm and sunny April-perhaps 3-4 weeks ahead of a normal vintage. However, the cool early summer period put paid to that, with the rains in late June and July hitting many vines just as they were flowering and trying to set the tiny young berries. The net effect of this was a much-reduced potential crop across most of England. In the end, many UK vineyards reported a reduction of over 50% on 2006 levels.
Harvest The College grape harvest began in earnest on September 24th (two weeks earlier than in 2006) with the Regner and Ortega varieties. It finished on October 18th with the final loads of Seyval Blanc. The late summer / early autumn warmth had saved the day for grape quality and, though yields were down, the Plumpton College Estate vineyards (4 ha in production) yielded 13.5 tonnes (compared to 17 tonnes in 2005, and the all-time record for us of 20.5 tonnes in 2006) This, together with 3.5 tonnes of grapes bought in, will make up to 12,000 bottles wine.
Thanks to fastidious work with canopy management in the vineyard (and that late summer sun), some excellent quality fruit was harvested, particularly the Pinot Noir for sparkling and the aromatic white varieties (Ortega, Bacchus & Schonburger). As the vintage progressed, and the weather conditions held up, the Reichensteiner yielded very well and will form the basis of our Cloudy Ridge Dry White wine. However, it had also become apparent that the Seyval Blanc (white) and Rondo (red) had suffered in the wet early summer and yields were going to be tiny; a significant reduction in our tonnage.
Winery In the winery, the fruit was lightly pressed to optimise quality and yielded 10,000 litres of must for fermentation. Particular care was taken when processing the varieties destined for sparkling wine (Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay), which were pressed uncrushed. The red wine varieties (Early Pinot and Dornfelder) were given gentle pump-overs and short skin contact times during fermentation to optimise soft fruit character.
All the fermentations are now completed and the wines are being racked, apart from the aromatic Bacchus, which will be left on its fermentation lees in barrel for a few weeks to give it extra body and flavour. The red wine and the sparkling base wines are undergoing the malolactic fermentation, which will reduce their acidity and increase their complexity. The reds will subsequently receive some oak ageing in barrel.
Bottling This year the Plumpton College winery intends to reproduce the excellent 2005 vintage of American-oaked Ortega, which sold exclusively in Hakkasan’s Michelin-starred restaurant. Additionally, we will produce 2,000 bottles of our award-winning rosé, along with 1,000 bottles of our soft, fruity red and up to another 4,000 bottles of the (gold-medal-winning!) Cloudy Ridge fresh, dry white wine. Our premium range will include just 300 bottles of oak-matured Pinot Noir and at least 2,000 bottles of Pinot/Chardonnay sparkling.
Strength to strength The vineyard and winery continue to go from strength to strength, with further new plantings planned for next year at the Rock Lodge vineyard. We will plant more of the noble varieties Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, along with further acreage for Dornfelder, which makes a fine red wine. The winery has recently been equipped with a new Scraped-Surface Heat Exchanger (for chilling and cold-stabilisation of wines) and we have also invested in a capping machine so that our wines (initially the rosé) will be available with screw-caps.
Wine Science Centre The £1.5 m Wine Science Centre building was successfully completed in the summer and was officially opened by Jancis Robinson on 29th June 2007. lt includes two laboratories, a new tiered lecture room, a dedicated wine tasting area and a state-of-the-art events room which is particularly useful for short courses designed specifically for the wine industry.
In the new tasting room we are accepting sponsorships and there are just three booths left for sponsors to take up the opportunity to have their name / logo engraved on the glass back panel.
The student intake for this 2007/2008 academic year is encouragingly high, with a particularly large cohort of wine production students and a good business stream too.
New recruits The Wine Studies teaching staff team has been greatly enhanced and strengthened by the arrival of three new recruits:
This new team should help ensure the continued success of Plumpton college Wine course graduates as they pursue careers throughout the wine world.
It is thanks to College student vinegrowers and winemakers that Plumpton College Estate wines have become extremely popular in the local area, appearing as house wines in at least two of Brighton’s top restaurants (‘Due South’ & ‘Riddle & Fin’).
We trust that the 2007 wines will uphold this reputation and that the next (2008) vintage will be fruitful enough to help satisfy the growing demand for fine English wines.
To discover more about the full time and part time wine courses at Plumpton College, contact Chris Foss, Head Wine Studies, Plumpton College, email: chris.foss@plumpton.ac.uk Tel: 01273 892018
Find out more about all full time or part time and bespoke courses, including wine courses, at Plumpton College by visiting the website: www.plumpton.ac.uk
Plumpton College, Ditchling Road, Plumpton, Nr Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 3AE Tel: + 44 (0) 1273 890454. e: enquiries@plumpton.ac.uk www.plumpton.ac.uk
© Peter Morgan (Winemaker) & Kevin Sutherland (Vineyard Manager), Plumpton College, November 2007
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The Grappa Masterclass by Carol DB Whitehead
Presented by Jacopo Poli, The International Wine & Spirit Centre, London, 29th January 2008
Prior to this Masterclass, what I knew about Grappa could have fit on a pin head. I did know that it was an Italian distillate, and made from grape pomace, or marc. The few Grappa that I had tried in the past seemed to me rather common and harsh: industrial-strength palate bombs.
A two-hour Masterclass with Jacopo Poli at the helm, has educated, enlightened, and excited me about Grappa. Mr. Poli is a charming and erudite man - the perfect guide to unlock the mysteries of this ancient drink.
Excellent technical papers awaited each taster, covering the history, definition, and production methods of Grappa.
Background Grappa was produced as long ago as 1636, and is now recognised by European law as an exclusively Italian distillate, with a protected name and designation of origin. It is an alcoholic drink made by distilling grape marc or pomace ("vinaccia" in Italian). Marc is the solid residue of skins, stalks and pips which remain after grapes have been pressed for winemaking.
So Grappa is an Italian pomace brandy, and joins other such brandies like "marc" in France and "bagaceira" in Portugal. They all spring from a rustic tradition of "waste not, want not", and of course the range of grapes used to make pomace brandies is enormously diverse, particularly in Italy. Grappa traditionally comes from the north of Italy, in the highlands and mountainous foothills of the Veneto, Trentino, Piedmont, Friuli, and Lombardy.
Our tasting began with advice from Mr. Poli on what to look for in evaluating Grappa.
INTENSITY is first; of both nose and palate. Then, ELEGANCE and refinement. Next is FRANCHEZZA - difficult to translate via one English word; it combines the ideas of honesty, clarity, and trueness. True to its origins; clarity in translating grape varietal integrity; honest and frank as a drink. The last to look for and evaluate is FRAGRANCE.
The tasting The first three Grappas that we tasted were all from the Poli Distillery: Vespaiolo, Moscato (from the grapes of the same name) and Torcolato. Single-varietal Grappas are new. The old way was to blend varieties.
Vespaiolo was particularly elegant and fragrant. Torcolato, being made from the marc of grapes dried for dessert wine, was very intense and complex. The Moscato had many floral and fruity fragrances, and great elegance; it was one of my favourites. All three were entirely colourless, and all were 40% alc./vol., which is usual.
The fourth Grappa was called "Luce", and made in concert with the Marchesi de' Frescobaldi family. It is a young, single-vintage Grappa, made with marc from Sangiovese and Merlot grapes, grown in the Luce vineyards in Montalcino, Tuscany. Great intensity and fragrance, with herbal and mineral aromas which Mr. Poli said is a "typical Grappa nose". I found it very powerful and chewy, but with some of the refinement looked for in modern Grappa.
Next we met this same "Luce" Grappa, but from the 1999 vintage. Our first Grappa with colour: bright medium-gold with notes of amber. The colour comes from aging in French oak. A powerful yet refined drink, with attractive spice and woodiness, and high in "franchezza".
Grappa number 6 was from the Sassicaia vineyard of Marchese in Incisa delle Rocchetta (Bolgheri, Tuscany). Spicy, smoky notes, and great power and intensity on nose and palate. This Grappa is a pale straw colour, from 5 years in oak barrels.
Seventh Grappa was Poli Barrique 1994; aged 13 years in in old French barriques, which shows in the medium-gold colour with amber nuances. A clear and open nose of medium intensity, but sweetly nutty with a smoky, mineral edge. Despite the 55% alc./vol., it was smooth and rich on the palate; refined and flavourful. A great deal of "franchezza" here! Mr. Poli said that they stopped making this (old-fashioned) style in 2001, when his father died. We all felt privileged to share this taste of the past.
And so to our final Grappa, the Poli Miele; a honey-based Grappa. All Grappa comes from grape marc only, but there's great interest in added flavourings for future offerings.
This one is a very pale lemon colour, with firm legs, and at a low-ish 35% alc./vol. Strong and unusual nose of great complexity: spice, honey, green herbs, liquorice and aniseed, as well as mint, pine, and orange peel. Complex and really elegant overall, and deliciously warming. Not high marks for "franchezza", but ticks the boxes for intensity, elegance, and fragrance, and proved very popular with the tasters.
More information So much more was covered during the two hours that I must refer the interested reader to Emma Roberts of Eviva Communications (emma@eviva.co.uk) who can provide information on each Grappa; detailed history of Grappa and how it is made; as well as Jacopo Poli's Grappa Presentation.
The man himself is gentle and humorous, and the most complete Grappa educator and ambassador. He noted that, "Grappa was created as a simple drink for simple people", but that it has now moved beyond that. "Our goal", he stated, "is to create a link between the place of Grappa, and the place of the customer." A very human connection, celebrated in a glass.
Text © Carol DB Whitehead, AIWS 2008 Photos © Christos Ioannou 2008
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Copia visit by Brett Jones
We know Napa does things on a grand scale, and when the inimitable Robert Mondavi is behind it, and education is the cause, it just has to be big and good.
Much has changed in the Napa Valley since I last visited but nature continues to parade all its beauty with the bright yellow of the mustard between the dormant vines. Twenty years ago I particularly enjoyed a fascinating visit to the iconic Robert Mondavi winery, the Mission tower standing out amongst a sea of vines. In 2008 the building still looks exciting but is now joined by newly constructed neighbouring wineries.
Vision Back in 1988 there was a twinkle in Robert’s eye – indeed there were several which included Opus One and Caliterra amongst others. With his wife Margrit they “had a vision of a place that would celebrate and explore the abundance and diversity of this country's fine food and wine”.
Wine, food and the Arts Mondavi bought 12 acres of land in a part of downtown Napa that has been reclaimed from the flood plain and, with funds from other substantial donations, COPIA was built, opening in November 2001. Named after the Roman goddess of abundance, COPIA celebrates the role of wine, food and the Arts in American culture.
However the first director had a museum background and too much attention was paid to the Arts; and the horrific events of 9/11 didn’t do any favours to visitor numbers either. The director resigned and Peter Marks MW became the Senior Vice President of Wine.
So it was a great pleasure to meet Peter when we were in the Napa Valley in February 2008. Exhibiting even more exuberance and enthusiasm than is the norm in California he proudly showed us around. After graduating from UC Davis he worked in wine wholesale and retail and became one of the few American MW’s. His job prior to joining COPIA was with Wine.com so he says, with a smile, that “he moved from one non-profit to another non-profit”!
Education Wine education is his passion and COPIA offers all manner of classes for visitors just there for the day. Examples are the wine class which has a particular theme each month (March is Sauvignon Blanc) and lasts 30 minutes; a special half hour class on how to visit wineries; and an introduction to food and wine pairing. As well as running WSET courses, since 2002 COPIA has been the US centre for the Institute of Masters of Wine.
Tasting As well as these, and many other classes, there is a complementary tasting table offering a choice of four wines from a particular winery (not always American – New Zealand will be featured at the end of this month), or of a certain style (I tasted Californian Ports – yes they’re still called that!). In the main area are a number of special CRUOVER-like machines holding four bottles of wine, each with a different theme, which dispense, on payment of a token, tasting measures. There is even a selection of four faulty wines – which have to be paid for too! But is there is lot, lot more on offer at COPIA. The splendid bright building houses art exhibitions, a concert hall, tasting rooms, a wine shop as well as meeting rooms – you can even get married there!
Cookery school The celebrated American doyenne of cookery, the late Julia Childs, was involved at the outset with the setting up of the cookery school as well as a fine restaurant and a cookery shop - she bequeathed her library of cookery books to COPIA. There is a daily food class as well as special food programmes with all manner of experts. There are regular festivals with different themes which are enjoyed by connoisseurs, members of COPIA and the general public.
Gardens And the education continues outside! In front of the building are the 3½ acres of biodynamic gardens which range from plots with plants whose aromas are reminiscent of wine styles, called the Taste gardens, and a vineyard showing the different soils and vines. There is a barbecue area where food and wine matching events are held. COPIA has even developed its own tomato...
When we returned to England we heard that Peter would be leaving COPIA mid-March, to take up a new position as Vice President of Education for Icon Estates in St. Helena, the fine wine company of Constellation USA. Peter Marks has certainly left his mark and I feel sure that his successor will take COPIA on to even high things.
COPIA is a splendid institution, a beacon of learning about wine and food as well as the arts, and we owe a debt of gratitude to Robert and Margrit Mondavi for their foresight and generosity.
© Brett Jones 2008
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Interview with Pilar García-Granero, Presidenta del Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Navarra – 6th March 2008, London by Susan Hulme MW
On a trip to Navarra last October I reported on the air of excited anticipation and renewed enthusiasm among the wine producers as a new president of the Consejo Regulador, the local wine regulating body, had been elected.
After nine long years of being held back and hampered by outdated restrictions and a lack of communication, at last a breath of fresh air was blowing through the region in the person of new CR President Pilar García-Granero. I had the opportunity to find out more about the changes that are being made by interviewing Pilar at the recent annual wines of Spain tasting in London on March 6h.
Pilar studied in Bordeaux and is a trained oenologist and experienced winemaker herself, and is much respected by her colleagues. She is now doing revolutionary things in Navarra including talking to interested parties and listening to their views. Since she was elected in June 2007, many changes have taken place and more are to follow.
Problems of the past Her first challenge was to tackle some of the problems inherent in the Navarra wine and grape industry, which, over time, had served to hamper the region's progress.
"In Navarra," she explains, "we are producing more than we can sell and the prices paid for grapes are too low. As a result, relations were very strained between the grape growers, the co-ops and the wineries." Pilar has already greatly improved relations between the different interest groups simply by involving them all in the discussion.
The complicated administration system in the region makes matters more difficult. "We have 17 regional governments and 17 Ministers of Agriculture. Until recent changes in the National Wine Law in 2003 the old wine laws dated from 1970 and many were outdated and restrictive; since 1970 a lot of changes have taken place."
ICAN In the past the Consejo Regulador not only made the rules but also enforced them by performing the inspections themselves. This latter role has now been made the responsibility of a new organisation, ICAN (Instituto de Calidad Agrolimentaria de Navarra). The Consejo Regulador sets the rules and makes the judgement about whether they are being kept, but the day-to-day monitoring is done by ICAN.
Inflexible Some of the old Consejo Regulador rules were very restrictive and old-fashioned; As Pilar explains, "For example you were not allowed to put more than one grape variety on a label, even if the wines were blends; you could not put ‘aged in oak’ or other such terms which help the consumer know what is in the bottle, even when they were accurate. You were only allowed to use the official terms such as Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva so there was no room for flexibility."
Separate Wineries "Another issue", she continues, "was that if a winery wanted make both DO wines and Vino de la Tierra or Vino de Mesa wines, they had to have 2 or 3 completely separate wineries and separate bottling lines. They were not allowed to make these different levels of wine in the same winery which made life difficult. This has now changed and different categories of wine can be made in the same winery as long as they are clearly identified and traceable."
Wine Classification One of the major changes to be implemented concerns the classification of wines.
There will be two categories of wine: 1. The Navarra DO, with maximum yields of 8000 kg per ha. 2. Vino de la Tierra, which allows higher yields, more experimental grape varieties and a greater range of new techniques. Many of the rules for this, including the maximum yield and which techniques should be allowed are under discussion now, but the VdT category allows the producers the flexibility to respond to consumer trends and the market as well as experiment with new techniques and varieties.
Hopefully this latter category will allow Navarra to compete on a more even footing with New World wines.
New varieties As far as the Navarra DO is concerned, the new permitted varieties will be Pinot Noir, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc. In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay have been allowed in the Navarra DO for many years. In spite of this, it is still the case that 70% of the grape varieties grown in Navarra are the traditional ones of Tempranillo and Garnacha.
Quality Controls While allowing much greater flexibility and freedom in some areas, Pilar is careful to emphasise that quality will be enforced more rigorously than ever before. "There will be stricter controls on yields and vigour, especially in the month of August. Inspectors will inspect vineyards who wish to use the DO to ensure that they do not exceed the maximum yield of 8000 kilos per hectare. If they do, a letter will be sent inviting them to do a green harvest and request a second inspection if they want to retain the DO."
There will also be stricter tasting criteria. Wines will be tasted by a tasting panel not only when they are made but if they remain unsold they will be re-tasted one year later for rosados or 18 months later for reds. A new tasting panel made up of 40 members has been selected and is currently receiving training so that they are all aware of what they should be looking for.
Promoting the region As well as structural and administrative changes, Pilar wants to address the lack of marketing and PR for the region, particularly as home sales have been shrinking. "The previous Consejo Regulador did not feel it necessary to spend money on promoting the region of the wines outside Spain. However consumption of wine per capita in Spain is now 23 litres whereas 15-20 years ago, it was 60 litres. People are drinking less but better quality wine."
While the domestic market wine consumption is decreasing, in other countries it is increasing. The new Consejo Regulador wants to have more active and effective promotional campaigns in three target export markets – the UK, Germany and the USA. They have applied for money from Brussels to do this but failing that they are committed to find money from other sources.
Meetings The new Presidenta has done the unprecedented thing of calling a series of meetings with producers, winemakers and export managers to discover what they feel is necessary to promote Navarra abroad. They want to also target the HoReCa sector of the market.
As for the immediate future, she outlines her initial goals: "First, to increase prices for grape growers; second, to improve the image and perception of Navarra wines in the eyes of the public; third, to improve distribution in the export market and also in Spain and fourth, to encourage new wineries and new, young winemakers with smaller wineries to the region."
She also has a plan to develop a new website which perhaps will allow the consumer to buy wines online and direct from the winery.
Co-operation
Navarra's first Pago As if to underline Pilar's belief in the region, Bodegas Chivite's Señorío de Arínzano estate has been awarded the Vino de Pago denomination. It is Spain's highest wine classification and it becomes one of only five estates in the country to receive the certification.
Left: View from the Chivite Señorío Arínzano Estate Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2008
© Susan Hulme MW 2008 Photos of Pilar García-Granero and logo courtesy of Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Navarra.
With grateful thanks to Lindsay May PR and Pilar García-Granero.
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Visit to Winzer Klaus Zimmerling in Sachsen in March 2008, by Vivienne Franks
Saxony (Sachsen) in North East Europe is Germany’s smallest wine region and extends along the banks of the Elbe River for about 55 kilometers. Vines have been growing here on the southward leaning slopes for about 800 years, which is 500 years longer than porcelain production from the famous town of Meissen!
In common with most European vineyards, the Cistercian monks planted the first vineyards in the 12th Century. By 1811 Europe’s first winegrowing school was founded in Meissen. The 5,000 ha region was ravaged by phylloxera in the late 19th Century, replanting on grafted vines began in the early 20th Century, and today there is approximately 425 ha of quality vineyard area.
Icy winters and late frosts can decimate the vines and yields are generally pretty low (approximately 35 hl/ha). The best soils tend to be loamy loess, gneiss, limestone and sandstone. White wine accounts for 82% of production, the main grapes being Müller-Thurgau, Riesling and Weissburgunder, with some interesting wines from Traminer, Gewürztraminer, Gold Riesling and Elbling. The remaining 18% Red wine is generally made from Spätburgunder and Dornfelder.
Klaus Zimmerling Weingut Klaus Zimmerling is in Pillnitz, east of Dresden and is owned and run by Klaus and his charming wife Malgorzata Chodakowska, a renowned Polish sculptor. The 4 ha vineyard which surrounds the house was originally a peach orchard. Klaus, an engineer by profession, planted his vines in 1987. He practices organic farming and has incredibly small yields (0.5 litres per vine). He is currently building a new winery and cellar which he hopes will be operational before the 2008 harvest. Wines are bottled in 375ml or 500ml formats, with photographic labels depicting a different piece of Malgorzata’s work for each vintage.
Grape varieties Klaus grows a wide variety of grapes; we tasted three Weissburgunders from 2006 from different small plots. All three were bone dry, with delicate, crisp minerality and clean fruit. This was followed by a 2006 and then a 2004 Grauburgunder, both were very delicate and creamy with intense stone fruit flavours.
A 2006 Kerner with ripe creamy apricot flavours preceded three Rieslings from 2006 from the same small plots as the Weissburgunders. Again each wine showed well with beautiful fruit aroma, acidity and a delicate balance.
A pairing of 2006 Gewürztraminer and Traminer showed the difference between the two grape varieties. The Gewürztraminer was more subtle and elegant than the more rustic Traminer.
Beautiful balance We finished with a trio of sweet wines, a 2005 Gewürztraminer and a 2005 Riesling, (both at Beerenauslese level) and finally a 2003 Traminer Eiswein. All three demonstrated the delicacy and elegance that Klaus strives for in his wines. He achieves a beautiful balance between acidity, fruit and weight.
Fortunately, Klaus Zimmerling’s wines are available in the UK, (from The Winery, London W9). This is unlike other wineries I visited in the region, including the oldest and largest private estate in Saxony (57 ha), VDP producer, Weingut Schloss Proschwitz, and the 90 ha state-owned winery Sächsiches Staatsweingut Schloss Wackerbarth.
My expectations of the wines in this region were exceeded. I had anticipated tasting light bodied wines with searing acidity and minerality. All the estates I visited demonstrated Saxony’s ability to make excellent quality wines with a good balance of acidity, weight and fruit.
Photos & text © Vivienne Franks 2008
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Château Pichon-Longueville Baron tasting by Richard Bampfield MW
Vintners Hall, London – February 5th, 2008
On becoming MD of AXA Millesimes, Christian Seely effectively took over the running of Château Pichon-Longueville Baron in 2001. He was keen to emphasise that there is no formula for producing the wine there and that his only instruction to the winemaking team is to produce the best wine they can, given the vintage conditions.
In general, since 2001, there have been the following changes:
The consultant at Pichon-Longueville Baron is Jacques Boissenot and the best parcels of vineyard tend to be those facing Léoville-Poyferré, on the other side of the road from Château Latour.
Selling to restaurants In answer to a question from the audience, Christian pointed out that La Place de Bordeaux is not very good at selling wines to restaurants, which means that it is not well equipped to sell second wines which, being earlier-maturing, are more restaurant-friendly. That is why he has taken the step of withdrawing Les Tourelles from La Place and distributing it through agency houses, such as Bibendum and Berry Bros & Rudd in the UK.
Stelvin Some of the Les Tourelles stock has been shipped to the UK under stelvin and this has been well received. In blind tastings held at the chateau, there are clear differences between stock aged under cork and bottles aged under stelvin. However, there is no clear indication as to which is preferred. He is also researching the influence on ageing of bottling the Grand Vin under stelvin.
The tasting The first flight of wines consisted of all six vintages between 2000 and 2005. All had roughly the same blend of 65 to 70% of Cabernet Sauvignon and 30 to 35% of Merlot, with perhaps a very minor component (not more than 2.5%) of Cabernet Franc. What was noticeable was the faithfulness of the wines to the climatic conditions of the vintages. The wines were characterised by purity and freshness and seemed to have over-performed in so-called lesser years like 2001, 2002 and 2004. The 2001 was particularly good and, on this showing, a more exciting wine in the medium term than the 2000.
We finished off with the 1959, served from magnum. Mature, richly perfumed and still sweet on the palate, this must be wonderful drunk à table.
This was a fine opportunity to taste one of Pauillac’s great growths at 3 clearly different phases of maturity. Christian Seely is a humble, yet highly knowledgeable speaker who makes managing a wine estate sound ridiculously simple. His natural habit of giving a direct, honest answer to each question also endeared him to the audience. He is an excellent supporter of the Institute in every sense.
© Richard Bampfield MW 2008
Photo of Richard and Christian courtesy of the Institute of masters of Wine.
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Voice and Communication by John Ducker
“Only Connect….” E.M. Forster. Some years ago when I was wine-lecturing on a Mediterranean cruise I learned that my immediate predecessor, a prominent member of the British wine establishment, had left his own audience somewhat behind. Bombarded as they may have been with names of classic villages and ‘lieu-dits’, together with information on relevancies of pedigree, viticulture and vinification, his lay audience apparently struggled to grasp what was well beyond their own collective experience. There were complaints. The speaker wasn’t invited back. Knowing one’s subject is fine, but one also needs to know one’s audience.
Voices of all types In our own role as wine lecturers we are commissioned to engage audiences of all types and there is room for voices of all types. I believe that none of us is to be criticised UNLESS we cannot be heard or, even if we are fully audible, our style of communication is compromised by a number of other factors: being unpleasant or difficult to listen to either because our speech is
Full engagement Being able to be heard is important, of course, but it is only a part of the total picture: full engagement of the audience we address. Some of us will be aided by course books, OHPs, or PowerPoint® to help reinforce the points we want to make, but as wine teachers we are assisted uniquely by the subtleties of the wine examples we show. From time to time I am reminded that the wines themselves are far better able to convey my point than I can myself, and can often raise helpful points of discussion.
Physical barriers Let’s just broaden the picture a little and look at some of the physical barriers we may have to surmount in getting our own message across. The room in which we are delivering our messages may offer difficulties of various kinds. I myself have had to speak in a lofty atrium of a huge insurance building with an echo second only to that of St. Paul’s Cathedral, to the accompaniment of reverberating chatter from an audience less interested in being educated in wine than in sloshing back the stuff after work. A real horror! Again, not a few of us may relate to a tasting organizer’s cheery “Yes, we usually have a good PA system, but it is currently out of service. I’m sure you’ll cope.”
Targeting the voice So we’ve arrived at our lecture venue and we’ve brought our voice with us, but we must obviously have regard to the space we will be required to fill. A large number in our audience can have an effect on the degree of ‘boominess’ or ‘deadness’ of the space, as clothing and bodies are absorptive of sound. Precise ‘placing’ of our voice within the available space is extremely important. It is not sufficient to use a ‘scatter-gun’ approach.
Resonance It is helpful to think of the floor space as a sounding board. If there is no perceptible resonance in the room then it helps specifically to aim your voice towards the floor at a point 2/3 of the way to the back wall.
In bigger, more resonant spaces, speaking ‘up’ and ‘out’ results, paradoxically, in greater diffusion and ultimately in less clarity. Under these circumstances we must be crucially aware that our diction needs to be that much sharper. We may also have to adapt our speed of delivery to fit the acoustics of the space we are using – this is even more the case when a microphone is being used, as our sound may be bouncing around the space through loudspeakers in an untargeted way. This is the classic railway announcer syndrome – plenty of audible booming sound but no clear information communicated!
Sensitive Voice and Speech are so intertwined as part of everyday life, and our own voice is a precious and unique statement of who we are; our personal badge of recognition. Any criticism of the way we sound could well be received as an implied criticism of ourselves that could possibly be destructive!
Yet, especially in the public speaking arena, the voice is immediately and crucially sensitive to feelings of unease.
Tension Tension of the wrong kind is most certainly the enemy of good communication. It restricts both our resonating spaces and our breathing capacity….the amount of the excitor (the breath) we can use to caress the strings of our personal ‘violin’. We may instinctively feel we haven’t breath enough to get to the end of a sentence…therefore we may feel we need to compensate by the use of force in our utterance.
This basic feeling of ‘fear’ or ‘inadequacy’ – whether we recognise it as such or not - puts our unconscious and instinctive defence mechanisms on the alert and we may tend to become tense, particularly in the upper body around the neck and shoulders.
Exercises to reduce tension A little preparation may help, using simple exercises…. I suggest these are done well in advance of our delivering our spiel.
It is impossible, obviously, fully to explore Voice and Speech techniques merely in an article like this. Subject to demand, I hope later this year to be able to repeat a short seminar I gave to AWE members some time ago, complete with practical exercises to aid a more open utterance, better communication, and ultimately greater audience control. Stay tuned!
© John Ducker 2008
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AWEsome Wine
by Paul Howard
La Raia was created by Management Consultant Giorgio Rossi Cairo in 2003. He bought and amalgamated three wine properties and built a brand new eco-winery between the towns of Gavi and Novi Ligure. The estate is run biodynamically and is now Demeter certified.
Cortese When yields are restricted and the grapes treated gently Cortese can shine. Guyot pruning, a biodynamic regimen and hand picking ensure high quality fruit. Pneumatic pressing followed by low temperature fermentation with wild yeasts in stainless steel is then employed. Finally, the new wine is left on the lees for a month to for extra complexity. Oak treatments are rightly avoided and the result is this just released 2007 Gavi.
Like many a young white it’s pale silver-green. However, the nose is recognisably Italian; white flowers, lemon and almond create interest until this wine can score on the palate. There is the essential crisp acidity followed by restrained and delicate limey fruit and a good length. It may be no showstopper but the subtle fruit flavours are very engaging - this is a wine that insinuates itself after a couple of mouthfuls. It’s the rounded silky texture that lifts this wine above the Gavi-norm and makes it worthy of DOCG status.
Best drunk young, it may improve over the next 18 months but I wouldn’t keep it longer.
Biodinamici!
Vintage Roots, £7.99
© Paul Howard 2008
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AWEsome Opinion by Wink Lorch
Wine Choice becomes more limited in the UK I’m returning to a subject that I wrote about in an AWE Inspiring News editorial in 2002 - that of the reducing choice of wines available in the UK. Britain and in particular London was once regarded as the world’s wine centre principally because all notable wines could be found there. It’s not original for me to suggest that this is no longer the case, and that accolade now belongs to the USA and in particular New York.
Eclectic
In the course of three weeks in the USA,
two in California (including San Francisco and Santa Barbara) and the
remainder in Washington D.C. and New York, I visited several recommended
wine shops, ate at many mid-priced restaurants of all styles and visited
a couple of wine bars. Whilst American wines are alw
Superb range Concerning wine in restaurants and wine bars, two things struck me most. First, there was always a superb range of wines by the glass (the standard seemed to be a sensible 15cl) – usually a selection of at least eight of each colour, sometimes 30 or more, at several different price points with a truly interesting choice. Secondly, it was, once again, eclectic European wines that offered choice and value. I felt that being there I should drink USA wines (especially when in California), but the temptations of the European selections and their good value meant that we chose these more than once. Best value from California was shown by the more unusual grape varieties or regions - over the three weeks we drank red and white Rhône blends, Verdelho, Chenin Blanc, Sangiovese, Graciano, several Zinfandel blends, and only occasionally classic varietal wines. From Europe we enjoyed Albariño from Spain, Arneis, a Montalcino blend, Tocai and several others from Italy. Malbec and a Chardonnay from Argentina were our only non-USA New World choices.
Value for money Money plays a part here. In the USA, wine lovers are prepared to pay much more than us in shops, yet the mark-ups in the restaurants are more restrained than ours, so there is value to be had. The willingness to spend more must contribute to why we are offered a more limited choice of wines today in the UK. True, a handful of independent shops and interesting restaurants in the UK provide good choices, but too few have the courage to do so. It’s a chicken-and-egg situation, in that too few importers dare to bring in eclectic selections as they are worried about being landed with stocks. I know that most wine educators, and some writers who have suitable outlets, do introduce people to wines of the widest possible variety, but shouldn’t we be trying even harder in order to attempt to reverse this situation?
Text & photo © Wink Lorch 2008
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AWEsome Review by Laura Clay
A Wine Miscellany by Graham Harding This is a book for wine enthusiasts, connoisseurs and professionals alike, a book for dipping into when you have a spare moment or, as I found, not being able to put down, always thinking I’ll read just one more anecdote. For A Wine Miscellany is a collection of stories and snippets of information, every one to do with wine, sometimes very loosely, often very amusingly and most which could easily find their way into an educator’s presentations!
There are no chapters but each anecdote seems to lead seamlessly one to the next, though how he got from Wine and Sex, to Health in a Glass to Death by Wine I am not quite sure – but it works! This book is both fun and informative, enlightening and surprising and I have found it very useful to enhance my ‘witty repartee’ - but I always give credit to the author!
© Laura Clay 2008
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AWEsome Internet by Wink Lorch
Wine Lovers Discussion Group – www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/index.php
There are a great many wine forums out there, but I have visited this one regularly in recent months as I enjoy many of the postings from the largely, but not exclusively, North American contributors. One of the first ever wine forums on the internet, this is part of Robin Garr’s wine information site – www.wineloverspage.com - and he moderates the forum well.
Contributions are polite, occasionally amusing and there seems to be a genuine wish amongst ‘members’ to share and learn about all sorts of wine experiences. One warning – only join in if you are genuinely willing to share some of your own wine tasting experiences. If you do, you could not only learn, but reap benefits and make some interesting contacts. Weekly live chats and conference phone discussions are also a feature.
© Wink Lorch 2008
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Please update your Directory of Members with the following changes: John Ducker's email has a new email address: j.ducker2@ntlworld.com Bryony Wright's email address has changed to bryony.wright@provenpr.co.uk Richard Bampfield has a new email address: bampwine@gmail.com Andrew Bennett has a new email address: andrew.bennett@3dwines.com John Lamond will become a full member for his 2008/2009 membership as he is not currently selling wine.
We welcome three new members who have joined recently: |
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Durham Leys Barn Marsh Baldon Oxfordshire OX44 9LP 01865 341043 07973 183684
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10 Hudsons Close Stanford-le-Hope Essex SS17 7AX 01375 404906 07710 414260
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+852-6292-7839 |
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We are also pleased to welcome three new corporate members from Plumpton: Paul Harley, Wine Sales Manager on paul.harley@plumpton.ac.uk Kevin Sutherland, Vineyard Manager on kevin.sutherland@plumpton.ac.uk Tony Milanowski, Lecturer in Wine on tony.milanowski@plumpton.ac.uk
Anyone interested in becoming a member of the AWE should contact our membership secretary Alison Moller: Email - molleralison@yahoo.co.uk Tel: 07718 468 463 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 / Proof-reader: Paul Howard Many thanks to Paul Howard and to all of our contributors.
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The second flight was the great trio of
1990, 1989 and 1988. Again, it was astonishing how different the wines
were, faithfully reflecting the different vintage conditions. As ever,
the 1990 and 1989 made a fascinating comparison and, on a show of hands,
the 1990 was preferred on this occasion. However, the 1989 may well be
the more interesting in the long term. As a mature glass of classic
Pauillac, the 1988 takes a lot of beating.
ays
present in force and Australian wines have belatedly gained a firm
foothold, even in California what struck me most was the passion shown
for traditional and eclectic European wines. The first thing I did on
entering a shop was look to see if there were any Jura or Savoie wines –
there almost always were. Shops stocked not only wines from remote
corners of France, but also often from Austria and Greece, along with a
fine selection from Germany and a smattering from Portugal. Traditional
areas of France and Italy I would have expected to see, but the others
were a surprise.
