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Editorial By
Susan Hulme MW
 Among
other things, the AWE newsletter is intended to reflect our members'
activities. Never more so than this edition which brings together an
eclectic mix of visits to various wine regions and countries around the
world. Some of these trips have been undertaken independently to places
as far apart as the Finger Lakes,
Penedès and Navarra in Spain and
Central Loire and
Champagne in France. In addition, other reports reflect our close
association with both the WSET and the IMW (see reports on the WSET trip
to Chile and the IMW trip to Germany).
It just goes to show the effort we as wine
educators go to keep ourselves up-to-date and informed.
As well as these trip reports, two themes
emerge: the issue of high alcohol wines and
their marketing; and the search for more
environmentally-friendly methods of viticulture, from agriculture raisonnée
to biodynamics.
In this issue we also cover all of the
major AWE events since the July edition and we have two lively book
reviews which we hope will encourage you to add them to your Christmas
present list for wine-loving friends or simply to enjoy yourselves when
relaxing over the festive season.
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Chairman’s Column By
Susan Hulme MW
Lately
I find myself tasting wines where there has been much talk about the
specifics of a particular vineyard site, the care and attention which
has gone into nurturing a special terroir, only to find the wine in the
glass a disappointment. Any sense of place there might have been has
been obliterated by heavy-handed winemaking. Too many wines are
over-extracted, over-oaked, overly alcoholic and unfortunately over
here.
Terroir is not just a marketing term to
beguile the consumers into paying more. It is what makes one wine more
exciting than another because it has a specific identity linked to the
place it has come from. Some winemakers seem to believe that new oak is
the high quality ingredient, regardless of vintage or terroir.
Excessive alcohol
The other
major problem is excessive alcohol levels which may have been
exacerbated by climate change. Too much alcohol obscures aroma and
flavour and renders a wine unbalanced and, in my opinion, undrinkable. A
glass of one of these monster 14.5% + wines may be impressive, especially
under the constraints of a very large-scale tasting, but try drinking
more than a glass and it quickly becomes a chore.
Phenolic ripeness
I know that for many winemakers the key
issue is how to achieve phenolic ripeness while retaining more moderate
alcohol levels. In the winery, various solutions such as removing
alcohol or diluting must are little talked about but widely practised
around the world but I would like to see more emphasis placed on
what can be done to achieve better balanced grapes in the vineyard.
In fact, one argument for biodynamic
viticulture is exactly that. Those who practise it say it produces a
better balance between phenolic ripeness and sugar accumulation. The
proof is always in the tasting but please let us have more confident and
restrained winemaking that allows us to see the real excitement of
terroir.
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WSET Update, by
Ian Harris,
Chief Executive, WSET
Firstly let me apologise for the delay in
getting a resolution to the issue of whether wine courses and
educational tastings are to be considered as ‘licensable activities’,
requiring a licence under the new Licensing Act. I am very conscious
that I offered to take on this issue on behalf of not only WSET but also
the members of AWE nearly eighteen months ago, but in spite of using the
weight of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, who have been lobbying
government for many months on this and other licensing issues, we are
still no nearer a conclusion.
I spoke with Jeremy Beadles, Chief
Executive of WSTA, and he has assured me that this matter is still very
much on the agenda and he has a meeting with the Licensing Minister,
Gerry Sutcliffe, during the first week of November. Jeremy is as
frustrated as I am, and informed me that the latest letter from the
Minister states: ‘I am aware that I and my colleagues have not responded
to your recent correspondences…’ How slow are the wheels of bureaucracy
in Government!
But pleased be assured that I will contact
you as soon as I have some news – positive or otherwise.
Continued Growth
Moving on to matters over which I do have
control, academic year 2006/7 ended with the WSET registering over
21,000 candidates who sat for a WSET qualification during the year. The
number of students at each qualification level showed significant growth
year on year, as did the number of students who studied at WSET’s London
Wine & Spirit School.
In addition, the number of countries where
WSET qualifications are available has now risen to 41, including India,
China, Russia and even Iceland!
Over the past five years the most
significant growth in WSET’s student population has come from
international markets but I am delighted to be able to tell you that the
biggest growth sector for WSET qualifications in 2006/7 was the UK
on-premise sector. This is a most encouraging sign, although I believe
we have only scratched the surface of what is a very important service
industry and one which contributes a huge amount of income to the UK
economy.
It is estimated that over half a million
people work in the on-trade sector and less than 1% of these employees
have a recognized wine and spirit qualification, so there is a long way
to go!
Business Development
In order to take advantage of this
opportunity, and to develop training initiatives in other trade sectors,
WSET has enlarged its business development team to four – the newest
addition to the team being Rosemary Rogers, who is based in Doncaster,
and who will look after the Midlands and North of England. It is the
role of the business development team to encourage employers to
recognize training as an investment rather than a cost, and the team is
an invaluable resource to drive student traffic into the 200+ Approved
Programme Providers (APP’s) of WSET qualifications in the United
Kingdom.
The Wine & Spirit Education Trust has very
strong links with AWE, and many AWE members lecture for us both in
London and at our other APP’s. As the demand for education in wines and
spirits grows, both for the industry and for the interested consumer,
there is clearly a need to broaden the number of tutors who are willing
and able to deliver WSET courses, and I would encourage any educator who
feels they want to get more involved with teaching WSET qualifications
to contact me, as there are many APP’s who are struggling to find good
tutors.
New Qualifications
Over the next three years the WSET will
launch three new qualifications and will have distance learning options
available at all levels of qualification by 2010, so the demand for good
tutors and increased product knowledge will continue – all good news for
both WSET and AWE!
Reflecting the growth in Diploma
graduates, we are taking the plunge with a full Graduation Ceremony,
which will be held at the Guildhall in January 2008, and all Diploma
graduates from the past year will have the opportunity to be presented
to WSET’s newly appointed Honorary President, Michael Broadbent MW.
In the coming months we are commissioning
extensive research to establish future educational needs based on the
requirements of the both the UK, and global wine and spirit industries,
and this will ensure that qualifications are kept up to date, current,
and most importantly relevant to the industry we were set up to serve.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if
you have any questions or suggestions about WSET, and I look forward to
seeing many of you at the upcoming shows, fairs and generic tastings at
which WSET will be represented. Contact email:
iharris@wset.co.uk.
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AWEsome Visit - Les Vins du Centre
Loire, September 5-7th 2007 by
Lindsay Oram
There are winemakers, there are legends,
there are legendary winemakers and then there is Didier Dagueneau. We arrived late afternoon and are
welcomed, loudly, by his dog racing team; he dispatches us to see his
vineyards, while he returns to the winery, promising to join us later.
His appearance - long wild red hair tamed slightly by a multicoloured
bandana and John Lennon spectacles - make him look more like an extra
from the film Woodstock than the producer of the worlds most expensive
varietal Sauvignon Blanc. His vineyards look less eccentric and are
clearly well loved, including his 18 rows of un-grafted Sauvignon Blanc
vines, used to produce Asteroide, a wine that sells for €140 at the
vineyard!!!
Church Tasting
So back to the tasting, not in a tasting
room, but in a church which he has renovated, there is something poetic
in the master of Sauvignon Blanc speaking to his followers in a church.
So what of the wines? We tasted 15 wines
including Asteroide, Pur Sang and Silex, covering vintages from 2005
back to a 1986 Silex.
So do they deliver? Yes for a grape
variety that I usually find hard to get excited about these deliver
purity and a precision of winemaking that is rare. All the wines are
rich and generous and have real texture in the mouth, with a tight and
focused structure. Like the winemaker they seem to be very clear on
where they are going.
In such a line up it is difficult to pick
a favourite as they are all great, but different. My pick of the bunch
were Silex 2002 with layers of tart grapefruit, smoke, flint and
flowers, Silex 2004 packed with minerality, elegance and an everlasting
length, and Silex 2000, with feral notes, overlaid with purity of fruit
and an unswerving structure.
Pushing the boundaries
Didier has been making wine since 1983, so
what is his trick in winemaking? Belief, passion and focus. He does not
appear to have any secret methods, just low yields, higher planting
densities, hand picking, careful use of wood and minimum use of
additives, letting the wine make itself. By his own admission this has
got him into problems in the past; in what he calls his ‘peace and love’
years, 1994-98, he used no sulphur, which is why none of those vintages
were at the tasting, and he has also been a bit excessive on high
planting densities. One senses he is a man who pushes boundaries, does
not worry about making mistakes and if things go wrong does not brood
but moves on.
He has new ventures, in nearby Sancerre at
the Monts Damnés vineyard, not necessarily a popular move with the
Sancerre winemakers, and down in Jurançon; when asked why Jurançon his
reply, ‘why not?’
Domaine Alphonse Mellot
Our next appointment, with dinner, was at
Domaine Alphonse Mellot in Sancerre with the delightful Alphonse Mellot,
the 19th generation of Mellots.
This is a family property with 48 hectares
of vines, (38ha of Sauvignon Blanc and 10 ha of Pinot Noir), producing 3
white and 4 red wines; they have been biodynamic since 1999. This, they
believe, gives better acidity and maturity to the wines. To protect
fruit from oxidation they have one of only three Bucher presses in
France that inject carbon dioxide into the press.
I was anxious here to taste the reds,
starting with La Demoiselle in barrel; this was more intense than most
red Sancerre, with notes of roast coffee and meat, combined with sweet
red fruits, with a flinty character from the silex soil. None of the
reds disappointed; in fact they changed my view of red wines from the
central vineyards, which in the past I have rather discounted.
Maison des Sancerre
Thursday morning took us to the Maison des
Sancerre for a breakfast tasting and a look around their exhibition.
This shows interviews with old vignerons, who tell their stories of
driving to Paris restaurants to sell their unknown wines, in the days
before Sancerre had a ready market. There is also an excellent exhibit
on soil. This shows graphically the flooding of the area which left
Jurassic marine soil, then the coming of the sea, which then recedes,
followed by massive underground activity which leaves a fault line. This
gives the west of the area clay rich terres blanche soils, the middle a
chalky caillotes and in the east, flint and clay, each giving a
different character to the wines.
Henri Bourgeois
We finished the morning with another
excellent tasting of biodynamic wines at Vacheron before moving on for
lunch at Henri Bourgeois. Here we are entertained by Arnaud, 10th
generation of the family. As well as Sancerre, the family have interests
in the other Central Vineyard appellations and in New Zealand, and
certainly this presence in the New World has had an effect on the wine
making style. It was interesting that despite having family ties to
South Africa they could not find a suitable area to plant Sauvignon
Blanc and Pinot Noir so went to Marlborough instead, and acquired a 90
ha hillside site.
We took lunch and tasted overlooking the
Monts Damnés vineyard. The food, cooked by Arnaud’s brother, was
outstanding, in particular the crab mousse starter paired with Le MD de
Bourgeois. We tasted our way through the range, all good sound wines;
the three highlights for me were firstly the smooth and rich 2005
d’Antan which is barrel fermented, matured on fine lees and racked
according to the lunar cycle.
Then there is Le Chêne Saint-Etienne 2000,
of which only three vintages have ever been made.
Le Chêne Saint-Etienne takes its name from
a 433 year old oak tree, which was planted at a crossroads where people
came to pray. In 1993 a violent storm felled the tree so its life was
ended until it was purchased at auction by the Bourgeois, and made into
40 barrels.
Finally there was Vendange de la
Saint-Charles 1997, made from over-ripe grapes with 65 g/l residual
sugar, a perfect end to an outstanding meal. The visit finished with a
trip to the top of the Monts Damnés vineyard, (see below), just to see how cursed it
is, and with between a 25-40% slope, believe me it is.
Our last visit was to Domaine Henry Pellé
and a tasting of their well made reliable wines, the best on the day for
me being the 2004 Clos Blanchais with a rich truffle nose and a mineral
palate.
This was a very enjoyable visit with some
really good wines, and showed the area in a professional light, with all
the winemakers showing dedication to quality.
© Lindsay Oram 2007
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AWEsome
Opinion by Christopher Fielden
My gripe of the moment is the strength of
some of the wines that we are now being offered. At a time when we are
offering up ‘responsible drinking’ as a paltry defence against the
forces of prohibition, wines of 15% abv and more are being promoted.
When 12.5% used to be perceived as Manly,
now, in the words of the old Charles Atlas ads, it is a ‘seven stone
weakling’. I would draw out for particular mention a leading mail order
company. It offers selected dozens of wines, all of which weigh in at
15%. In addition, the wines have emotive names, such as El Bombero (the
fireman), Alto Grado (high strength) and Le XV du Président (The
President’s XV) – perhaps in honour of the Rugby World Cup, a
replacement in case of injury was thought wise, so customers were
offered a wine named Le XVI du Président, at a whopping 16% and,
presumably, a higher rate of duty.
I am not suggesting that these are not
good wines, or that wines should not be made at such strengths; what I
am suggesting is that they make a mockery of guidelines such as units of
alcohol. They are not far from being promoted on the basis that ‘you get
more bangs for your buck.’ This can hardly help those of us selling the
message of drinking in moderation. Let’s face it; there are many wanting
to take alcohol down the same path as tobacco. Such promotions can only
help their cause.
© Christopher Fielden 2007
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The Finger Lakes by Alison
Moller
Little of the wine produced in the Finger
Lakes leaves New York State let alone the USA, so it is perhaps not an
obvious destination for wine educators. However, the area’s infamy as
being one of the cradles of Phylloxera, mildew and “foxy” wine has long
fascinated me and I jumped at the chance to visit.
 Not the handprint of the god Manitou as
Indian legend has it, but the heavily eroded valleys of glacial rivers,
these lakes are very deep and rarely freeze. Seneca Lake, where the
highest concentration of vineyards lies, is 38 miles long and only 3
miles wide but 630 feet deep and so the water mass is great enough for
the convection currents to keep the surface ice-free and therefore
allows the moderating effects of the summer-warmed water to help get the
vines through the vicious winters.
Vitis vinifera
It was these winters which led Cornell
University in Ithaca and Geneva to advise
against planting Vitis vinifera and to stick to native varieties, but
Ukrainian Professor of plant
science Dr Konstantin Frank proved it was possible to grow Vitis
vinifera if the best microclimates
were utilised and the vines were “hilled up” by a foot of earth. He
experimented with 50 varieties at Keuka Lake and, being an academic
rather than a commercial grower, was very happy to share his expertise
and supply the grafted vines. He established his winery in 1962 and some
of the vines extant at Keuka appear to date from that time.
Fox Run
The
highlight of the trip was the visit to Fox Run. This winery lies half
way down on the western slope of Seneca just about level with the
deepest part of the lake. The vines run north to south to maximise the
sun exposure because the season is so short. Spring frosts are not too
much of a problem because of the very late bud burst. The hot humid
summer does mean that mildew is a problem and at the moment this rules
out organic viticulture.
Delicious & refreshing
The winemaker Peter Bell was exceptionally
generous with both his time and his samples. By this stage I had ceased
to be amazed at the quality of the dry Rieslings from this area, but
Peter’s were sensational. It typified his general philosophy of wine
making which is to ask: “Is it delicious and is it refreshing?”
 The
fresh, zesty lime flavours were accompanied by tingling acidity. He does
not ferment out all the sugars but the high acidity balances them.
Lemberger (Blaufränkisch) is a variety which he rates highly for the
area and his was bursting with rich black fruit but with a strong tannic
structure. Peter can only make a Gewurztraminer in 3 or 4 years out of
10 and we were lucky enough to taste his latest which was surprisingly
delicately scented and un-blousy.
Heart and soul
The real treat was his Pinot Noir.
According to Peter, this is where his heart and soul lie. I approached
this wine with some trepidation as I have had more disappointments from
prestigious Pinot tastings than from all others put together. He
described it as “sexy” and certainly there was a tactile quality to this
wine – sensuous, silky tannin under the delicious fruit.
Here at last
was a Pinot worthy of the hyperbole.
On the other hand...
What a contrast our next two visits made.
There is still a surprisingly large market for native variety wines and
both Glenora and Wagner make the full range. I think “stunned” is the
best description of my state of mind and palate at the end of these
sessions. It is legal to add sugar to the finished wines and they had
lots of sugar.
The photograph below perhaps gives a clue
to the general taste – garish – is that a recognised tasting term? Put
it this way, I managed to bring back just one bottle of the Niagara
variety and gave it to two classes I had over consecutive days. Never in
25 years of teaching this subject has a wine provoked such fierce debate
and reaction. Retsina tasting probably comes closest to describing the
experience. Once tasted, never forgotten. “Something disgusting that a
dog had rolled in” was the general consensus from the 40 people at my
Finger Lake wine tastings – so I reckon “foxy” will do!
Text and photos © Alison Moller 2007
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The Prospect for
the Champagnes of 2007 by
Anthony Stockbridge
2007 is going to be a challenging year for
makers of Champagne.
At Champagne Moutardier, the Vendange
started on the third of September. The following day I had the
opportunity to speak with Managing Director Jonathan Saxby to learn
about the prospects for this year’s wines. When I had seen Jonathan at VINEXPO his
spirits were high after a promising early part of the growing season.
From that point on, he said, things got progressively more difficult.
Hail in late June destroyed 30% of the
crop. Then the series of low-pressure weather systems that blighted the
northern half of Europe resulted in a loss of 200 hours of sunshine. As
picking approached, damp conditions saw an onset of grey rot.
Damaged
We inspected the 45 kg crates in which the
harvest was being delivered and saw that a high percentage of bunches
had been badly attacked by the hail-stones and that many also had a
proportion of undeveloped berries from ‘milerandage’. In most other
regions, the affected grapes would be rejected at a sorting table but
this is not necessary in Champagne. Jonathan showed us how the majority
of the partially damaged berries were ignored by the juice extraction
process and any remaining ones would merely fall to the bottom of the
settling vat after pressing.
Gentle press
The key to this is the slow, gentle form
of pressing used. Champagne Moutardier now have three of the most
up-to-date 8000 kg Coquard horizontal presses as well as two traditional
4000 kg Coquard machines. The pressure they exert is sufficient to
release first the cuvée and then the taille but not enough to burst the
unripe small berries, which invariably stay with the ‘raffle’ and do not
join the juice at all.
Blending
When we went to the top of the receiving
vats, Jonathan pointed out the lack of phenolic aromas he would have
expected from a normal year’s crop and this was confirmed when we tasted
it - pleasant but still discrete. By contrast, the taille had the
typical flavour of pears and apples. ‘This will be a year when blending
really plays its part’ he commented.
Unlike the disastrous vintage of 1911,
which followed three extremely poor vintages, Champagne has had a
succession of good to very good years over the past decade.
Consequently, the reserve wines are of a high quality and this year some
Moutardier cuvées may contain up to 30% of these.
Low yield
Moutardier generally uses the same
hordons (teams of pickers) each year, including both local families
and itinerant groups who travel Europe throughout the year gathering
whatever crop is in season. As we spoke, the leader of one groups drove
up in a battered old Renault and Jonathan broke off to have an animated
conversation with him. ‘They are complaining about the low yield and are
demanding a higher rate per kilogram to compensate’, said Jonathan with
an air of resignation. As any form of mechanised picking is forbidden
under the Champagne appellation regulations he had no option but to add
to the cost of the harvest this year. As the man said, ‘A small fortune
can be made from producing grapes if you start with a large crop’.
2007 will be a year to test this thesis.
© Anthony Stockbridge 2007
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IMW GEISENHEIM TRIP 2007
(Friday Sept 28 – Sunday Sept 30)
An organic/biodynamic demonstration in FA Geisenheim
vineyards by
Susan Hulme MW
Late
morning on day two of an MW trip to Geisenheim.
After a long morning of lectures on topics
such as organic and biodynamic viticulture, the ORWINE EU funded project
and yeast populations in organic & biodynamic vineyards, we now had our
first chance to get out into the vineyards at Geisenheim. We were here
to look at the specifics of organic and biodynamic viticulture, so what
turned out to be a very large group of MW’s, MW students and Austrian
Wine Academy graduate students stood in a field with Georg Meissner, PhD
student at Geisenheim, next to the three experimental plantings of vines
cultivated by conventional, organic and biodynamic means.
Initial findings
The plantings are part of a three year
project. So far only one year has passed so Georg was naturally very
reluctant to talk about results even when he felt there were some clear
differences so far. Results are measured in terms of many parameters
such as soil life (microbial activity, enzymes, nutrients etc), ripening
and phenolics (differences in sugar, acid and pH) and of course the
quality of the wines at the end. The early differences between
conventional, organic and biodynamic cultivation show the latter has
much more flavour in the grapes and better concentration in the wines.
The vines themselves have better root systems. Blind samples of wines
and grape juice have been sent to Bonn University where they are able to
identify which samples are from biodynamically cultivated vines. The
results have been 100% accurate.
Delicate cycle
In biodynamically cultivated soils
especially, the plant itself is feeding the soil. In a process known as
the endocytose cycle, the vine is able to derive nutrients from material
too big to be absorbed directly by first enveloping this matter in a
sac, then breaking it down with acids and enzymes. The dissolved
substances are thus accessible to the vine and the enzymes are passed
into the soil. Georg commented that if you add fertiliser to this subtle
mechanism, you are ‘force feeding’ the vine and it won’t release these
substances because it does not need to. In fact you break this delicate
cycle.
Had we been a smaller group we were to
take part in planting a cow horn as part of the biodynamic method of
cultivation, but being too big a group for that Georg answered our
questions about the basics of biodynamics instead.
Cow horn
The cow horn itself acts as a container
for either a mixture of yarrow, chamomile, nettle, oak bark, dandelion
and valerian or for cow manure (called green gold in Africa). The filled
horn is buried in soil for between four to six months during which time
it ‘ferments’. The plant material preparation is added to compost to
help make the nutrients more readily available to plants. The cow manure
preparation is dissolved in water for spraying onto the soil (the
dissolving itself must be done in a specific way for full effect). The
result of this is to improve soil crumb structure, the ability of the
soil to absorb and retain water and increase bacterial, fungal and earth
worm activity.
Ideally the cow horn should come from a
cow which has had calves and which has been reared organically. We were
told that our visit was an optimum day (29th of September) for burying
the horn because it was St Michael’s Day and the start of autumn. In
addition to the changes of the seasons, and the rhythms of each day, the
rhythms of the moon are central to biodynamics and particular
significance is paid to the periods of waxing and waning, ascending and
descending, apogee and perigee.
We were told, that between 1-3 cow horns
per ha per year was considered enough. Similarly with silica horn (fine
ground crystal) only 1-4 grams which has been diluted in water per ha is
needed. “Biodynamics is not about quantity” Georg commented. This aspect
of biodynamics seems to be very like homeopathy for vines - a little
goes a long way and it is meant to stimulate the vine’s natural
tendencies to protect itself and achieve optimum conditions.
©
Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Georg Meissner, PhD student at Geisenheim
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Cow horn preparations
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Tutored
Tasting at Kloster Eberbach with Jurgen von der Mark MW, by
Brian Wheaton MW
On the last day of our stay in Germany, we
were taken directly to the Kloster Eberbach, headquarters of the VDP in
the Rheingau. The VDP is short for Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter,
or Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates.
Jurgen then gave an exceptionally good
tasting in three parts – four wines from the superb 1990 vintage were
followed by five wines from the 1996 and 1997 vintages. And as if this
wasn’t enough, a further five wines from a number of different vintages
were collectively presented under the heading of ‘Great Dry Rieslings’.
The tasting was conducted on one long and
massive table, set in the middle of a raw stone upper room with arches
across the ceiling. Jurgen sat at the head of the table, dispensing a
stream of wine knowledge as each wine was presented to us by staff of
the Kloster Eberbach.
New Era
Starting with the 1990’s, Jurgen regarded
the year as perhaps the first of a new German wine era. The year itself
was brilliant, with perfect autumnal conditions and although acidity was
higher than in 1989, the fruit was excellent. It was also the year when
the first serious red wines were made from Pinot Noir. My own favourite
here was a Trittenheimer Leiterchen Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 1990
from the Mosel. It had a heavy, fruity nose, showing some glycerine and
a full, ‘petrolly’ flavour. There was good, solid depth here, and in my
opinion it should be drunk now.
Moving on to the 1996/97 comparisons, the
1996 Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese, again from the Mosel, showed far
better than the three 1997’s (although a 1996 Dorsheimer Goldloch
Riesling Spätlese from the Nahe had a good Rhine flavour with, as usual
from this area, lots of Mosel-like acidity).
The last wine in this flight was also a
1996, a Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel, again from the Mosel – in
my opinion, this was the best of the flight, although I have to admit to
a long-standing preference for that region!
The final flight of ‘Great Dry Rieslings’
finished with a tribute to a great vineyard – a Schloss Johannisberger
Roslack Riesling Auslese 1989. The vintage was huge at the time, with
some estates producing their best wines since the legendary 1971’s. This
particular wine still had lots of glorious golden colour, a honeyed nose
and flavour, and a long, gracious farewell. It made a fitting end to a
wonderful tasting.
Erste Lage
After a quick lunch we went upstairs,
where another big tasting was already in full swing, being open to the
German Wine Trade as a whole. One huge room running almost the length of
the building housed no less than 90 tables showing the Erste Lage (best
demarcated vineyard sites) of just about all of Germany. The tasting was
really a showcase for the wines of 2006 of course, but I personally felt
that the vintage was rather patchy to say the least. This was rather
confirmed by a Burg Wildeck Riesling from Württemberg and a Stein Weisser Burgunder from Franken, both more or less chosen at random.
Although I had seen good ‘06’s in other tastings on this trip, I fear
that the vintage as a whole must be treated with reserve, at least at
this stage.
© Brian Wheaton MW 2007
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Zero sulphur wines
by Richard
Bampfield MW
At the recent Wines of South Africa
tasting, I was chatting to a chap called Dudley Wilson who, in his
Stellar Organics range, features a no-sulphur-added Cabernet Sauvignon.
He uses inert gas instead, both during winemaking and at bottling, to
reduce the chances of oxidation.
pH is clearly an issue and he admitted
that South Africa was maybe not the easiest place to produce this type
of wine because pH's tend to be on the high side. So he tries hard to
source fully ripe grapes but with low pH. He then applies what he termed
"aggressive" acid adjustment as high acidity and high alcohol help
protect the wine. Naturally the wines have to be fermented to full
dryness.
The wines produced are characterised by a
very deep colour (no bleaching from the sulphur dioxide....) and are
high in acidity. I cannot say that the wine I tasted compelled me to buy
some, but I liked the fact that he was playing with zero sulphur and am
sure that we will hear more about this sort of initiative in future.
© Richard Bampfield MW 2007
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Central Otago – Pinot Noir Masterclass,
September 17th 2007 by
Carolyn Bosworth-Davies
 This
was not really a seminar in the normal, structured way, but more an
informed debate while we tasted twelve different wines from five of the
leading winemakers and producers from Central Otago. They were Nigel
Greening from Felton Road, Rudi Bauer from Quartz Reef, Nick Mills from
Rippon, Jeff Sinnott from Amisfield and Carol Bunn from VinPro, who is
both winemaker and consultant to several smaller wineries in the region.
History
Nigel Greening initially gave some
historical background to the arrival of Pinot Noir in Central Otago back
in the 1860’s and remarked that it was somewhat extraordinary that Romeo
Bragato had affirmed in 1895 that Central Otago was ‘pre-eminently
suitable’ for winemaking. Then he moved on to discuss more critically
why Central Otago has an affinity with Burgundy and Pinot Noir.
Or does it?
Differences
Central Otago’s soil is very different
from Burgundy, varying throughout the region from broken schist and
clays to heavy silt loams, gravels and light sands. Nick Mills stated
that Central Otago is not Burgundy and if any comparison should be made
with any French region it should be with Alsace with its mosaic of soils
that are in reality more suited to Riesling and Pinot Gris.
Central Otago is also much cooler than
Burgundy, especially at night, but also sunnier and drier. Crucially it
is Otago’s drier autumns which lower the risk of rot and threat from
pests that really benefit Pinot Noir. This also allows good phenolic
ripeness without jamminess plus good aromatics and typical Pinosity.
Negatives
The main negatives for growing Pinot Noir
in Central Otago are the high ultra-violet levels which encourage high
sugar levels. Global warming is not yet bringing warmer temperatures,
but more unsettled weather patterns are a feature. Most conceded that
frost is the biggest fear in Central Otago, however they are becoming
more adept at managing this and selecting better sites where the risks
are less. Site selection is the key to future success in the region.
Pioneers
Nigel explained that the development of
Central Otago can currently be broken down into three distinct phases.
The first phase was from the late 70’s to early 80’s which saw the
‘pioneers’ who first established commercial wineries, such as Black
Ridge, Rippon and Gibbston Valley.
Professionals
Then followed the ‘professionals’ who
moved into the region during the 90’s; names such as Felton Road, Mount
Difficulty, Peregrine, Quartz Reef, Carrick and Amisfield. Finally there
has been the phase which Nigel described as the ‘Second Gold Rush’
during the late 90’s and beyond, where there were over a thousand
hectares of Pinot Noir planted in five years.
What are the opportunities and challenges
for Pinot Noir from Central Otago today?
Demand for fruit and good wine is high
with large quantities being sold to outside producers such as Montana
and Craggy Range. Cost is and will continue to be an issue - Central
Otago just cannot make a £10 Pinot Noir. All agreed that Pinot needs
more hard work and produces lower yields in Central Otago than
elsewhere. I personally think that this is an issue for them as
consumers really do expect something quite special if they are paying
£20 per bottle retail.
Double-edged
Nigel commented that one of the criticisms
leveled at Central Otago Pinot Noir is that many wines have a similar
flavour profile, which does have a double-edged benefit. However, recent
vintages are showing greater variations of style and all the winemakers
believe that as the vineyards mature a broader profile of styles will
evolve.
Regionality
This inevitably led to some discussion as
to regionality within Central Otago and how this might be explored in
the future. For now, the winemakers are keen to promote Central Otago as
a region but do feel that differences between the sub-regions will
become more evident in time. Stylistically, the Pinots from Alexandra,
(which is furthest away from the Great Divide and its rain shadow and
which is both the hottest and coldest sub-zone), produce more elegant
and even herbal styles. From Cromwell the Pinot fruit is bigger and
produces bolder styles and closer by, Pisa and Lowburn are also
developing more structured and herbal styles. Gibbston, being further
west, is much cooler and hence more vintage sensitive.
Individuality
Next, Nigel Greening broached the question
of professionalism overriding the personality of the wines. Never shy
with his views, Nigel explained that he wants his Pinot wines to have a
certain kind of quirkiness or individuality. Nick Mills agreed that
perhaps one of Central’s biggest challenges was the winemakers own ego!
What they need to do is look at the sites more carefully so the vines to
express themselves, and not be merely an expression of the winemakers.
Quirkiness he believed would develop as the vines age. However Jeff
Sinnott maintained that the human factor is an important aspect of
terroir, and as they themselves age and gain more experience and
curiosity, individuality will be undoubtedly be expressed in the wines!
Growing pains
Nigel sees Central Otago as a region that
is manifesting the growing pains of a child prodigy. With its huge early
success it has to come to terms with the big levels of expectation
associated with producing New Zealand’s second classic wine. Meanwhile
they are still very much on a learning curve, discovering much about the
region itself, its soils and sub-regions and the sites where best to
plant and grow Pinot Noir.
Ageing
Encouragingly, the region is becoming more
focused with new plantings stabilising. Vines are now developing the
benefits of age - this in turn is allowing winemakers to experiment more
with oak aging. The future is a positive one with a community of
wineries and winemakers who communicate their knowledge with each other
and share the desire to see Central Otago wines get better and better
each year.
The Tasting
My personal stars from the tasting were
the Amisfield Pinot Gris 2006, produced from eight year old vines. This
is Pinot Gris with attitude. Partially barrel fermented, it showed
delicious smoky and peach aromas with a rich creamy texture with great
integration and balance.
Quartz Reef Pinot Noir 2003 showed
evolving vegetal notes but still retained ripe cherry fruit with a
lovely texture and elegant finish; and Olssen's Reserve 2005 had
attractive smoky and perfumed aromas with great fruit purity that was
well concentrated and balanced with good acidity.
From the general tasting in the hall we
had the opportunity of tasting a further 16 different producers, and not
just their Pinot Noir. Relative newcomers Wooing Tree Vineyard were a
highlight - wines of great elegance, texture and richness.
Having the opportunity to hear leading
Otago winemakers discuss frankly and openly the regions future and the
issues that are confronting them and was a real privilege and a valuable
learning experience. Can you imagine the same thing happening in Beaune?
© Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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AWEsome Review by
Carol Whitehead
THE HEALING POWER OF CHAMPAGNE;
History, Traditions, Biology and Diet" by Dr. Tran Ky and Dr. F. Drouard
Translated by Reginald Duquesnoy
Published in 2006 by Savoir-Boire Ltd.
Printed in the UK by Butler and
Tanner, Frome, Somerset
"The Healing Power of Champagne" is a
book for our times, yet seems to come from another time - one with a
slower pace, a gracious and polite charm, a giving of attention,
careful consideration of argument, studied and calm judgement. It is
a dignified work.
This book has an unusual and beguiling
"otherness" which makes it memorable. The prose is somewhat
ponderous and old-fashioned; perhaps because it is the voice of an
older Cambodian medical man, writing in French, translated into
English. It is a unique voice, which some readers will warm to, and others not.
(Now may I request that the good
doctors turn away from this gnat's-buzz of a critical review, and
attend to patients in "one of the poorest districts of Paris"? Alas,
the authors will not enjoy what I must say; that this book needed
more rigorous scholarship, and even more rigorous editing.)
To begin with, it is a handsome book
to look at and to handle. Paper is smooth and heavy, and type used
in the body of the work is attractive and readable. In the
Documentary Annexes at the end of the work (pp. 111 to 154), a less
classy "computer print" type is used. A pity, as the Annexes prove
to be the most useful and interesting part of the book for the wine
student and researcher.
Contents are divided into ailments and
illnesses; each apparently influenced by drinking champagne. One's
eye and imagination is instantly engaged by chapters on "Stimulation
of Desire", "Obesity and Cellulite" and "Distention, Flatulence and
Indigestion". Most of the writing, even in the chapter on
"Gynecological Troubles", relies greatly on anecdote and quaint
observation from the 1600's onwards. Seeing as this chapter is only
6 pages long and includes 3 large illustrations, you can imagine how
history was condensed!
The history of Champagne as a region
is given short shrift. Two pages cover the Middle Ages to the
present, including a terse description of how champagne, the wine,
is made. Here the authors make a statement (p. 22) which is later
contradicted several times: "Champagne is not a wine for laying
down; it does not improve with age..."
By page 23, the authors assert, "With
a low pH, it (champagne) is an acidic wine, which even when too
young, does not irritate the stomach, however sensitive." And again
on page 89, "But a good champagne, well-aged and with an alcohol of
12 per cent stimulates the appetite..."
A good editor would catch these
contradictions and demand clarity. Does champagne improve with age,
or not? When is a champagne considered too young? Why describe a
good champagne as well-aged, in that case? Since you ask, I will add
my own personal experience to the wealth in this book: with a
sensitive tum, I have felt slightly unwell after a glass or two of
green and unripe champagne. This same champagne was then pushed to
the back of the cellar and ignored for 10 years, suffering
none-too-gentle moves from France to Scotland to England. Recently,
one of these bottle was grabbed to serve as a base for Kir Royale. A
sip revealed a toasty mellowness, vibrant yet rounded and fragrant.
The Creme de Cassis was put away.
Back to page 23, where the authors
explain champagne: "Its carbonic gas content derives solely from the
second fermentation, very different from other sparkling wines, most
of which are brutally conditioned by artificial gas injection." Do
you see what I mean by "otherness"? In one sentence, an entire
industry of sparklers is blithely ignored. Goodbye to Asti and Sekt
and all those New World sparklers made by transfer and tank (cuve
close/Charmat); goodbye to all that! WSET students, turn away now.
How charming though to visualise a
world where one flute of champagne (for the ladies - gentlemen may
take two) will confer so many life-enhancing properties on the
imbiber. Out with Comparative Studies! Away with that crass brute,
Modern Science! Let us feast our eyes on these delicious
illustrations; enjoy the author's gentle voice; trink-trink with
friends and sup our winking, brimming flute. I tried it one day, and
felt great.
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Educating Tastes by
John Ducker
I was first introduced to the pleasures of
wine in the 1960’s when no one in the UK could have anticipated the
welter of bright New World flavours now crowding supermarket shelves. My
own earliest wine memories were probably of the semi-sweet Liebfraumilch
variety. Dryer tastes in cheap white wine probably called for Lutomer
Laski Riesling or some other underpowered, neutrally flavoured
shelf-filler from eastern Europe. Red wine on a budget probably meant
the dumpy straw-covered flasks of cherry-flavoured Chianti, the
clustered ‘empties’ of which adorned the walls of ethnic Italian
trattorie in Soho and elsewhere. Maybe ‘Bulls’ Blood’ from Hungary
filled the bill if we wanted something beefier. We were cheap dates!
How it all began
My own enthusiasm to learn more about wine
was fuelled in part by a visit to rain-soaked Paris shortly after my
wife and I were married. We found ourselves standing hungrily in the
portico of a restaurant near the Gare de l’Est with little option but to
enter. No Paris bistro here, no Gallic ambience. Given our situation
within a stone’s throw of the Seine rather than the Rhine we little
realised how authentically Alsacien the restaurant would prove to be: we
were bewildered by the unfamiliarity of words like flammekuche and
baeckeoffe on the menu and Gewurtztraminer on the wine list, one of a
clutch of which had been suggested by our waiter as best partner to our
main dish, a civet of wild boar. An inspirational choice! We both felt
that we had mined gold in a bottle.
Our waiter could never have realised that
his recommendation would prove such a catalyst to my later career as a
Wine Educator. This rather begs the initial question of how one can
actually teach wine tasting in the first place. I suggest, though, that
if taste can be acquired then there is every chance it can be taught.
Building confidence
To stand at the beginning of learning
about wine is to stand at the threshold of a bewilderingly awesome
world, with a landscape often further confused by a largely irrelevant
overlay of wine ‘hype’. In the early stages of a course some less
practised members of the group will not dare express an opinion lest it
be found ‘wrong’ or laughable by their tutor or their peers, so a
long-term aim must therefore be to build up students’ personal
confidence in wine appreciation, to get them to take ownership of their
own judgement, their own values, their own convictions, otherwise they
will never fully grasp the subject for themselves.
Taste
I try to encourage a rapprochement between
sensory perception and objective evaluation, the two senses of the word
Taste. My audience is already well disposed to learning about wine – an
essential first step – but is naturally undisciplined in its approach to
making sense of the significance of smells and tastes. Using a structure
of six well-differentiated generic wines as examples, our first session
together concentrates both on the mechanism of how we taste, and also on
how perceptions of taste can change radically relative to the
juxtaposition of other tastes. Where possible I provide the class with
taste comparators, e.g. slivers of lemon or lime to lick once they have
sampled a relatively low-acidic white wine. The result comes as rather a
shock: having licked the fruit the class tastes the wine again when its
level of acidity is found to have been overtaken by the much sharper
citric attack of the lemon. The broader lesson, of course, is that it is
fairly pointless to serve a very low-acid wine alongside a dish dressed
with lemon juice or a vinaigrette.
Likewise, students’ perceptions are
challenged once an astringent, tannic red wine is tasted: they then
nibble a piece of cheese and taste the wine again, suddenly perceiving
something different in their glass, with more apparent fruit and
approachability. More importantly than anything else, perhaps, the
students are making the discovery for themselves.
Specifics
Given that we taste with our noses the
next key step is to sharpen their awareness of what anything smells like
– it may sound ridiculous but anything from old leather armchairs to
new-mown hay to dry pavements newly-washed by rain, let alone the dried
herbs and spices in their kitchen cupboards or fresh fruit and
vegetables on market stalls, simply as a means of tuning up their
olfactory machinery and of establishing a descriptive vocabulary for
note-writing. I am quick to warn students that unsupported comments like
‘gorgeous’ or even ‘fruity’ are completely meaningless indicators and
are of no help whatsoever when referring back to their notes. Specifics
matter: to write down that a wine’s flavour is of ‘apples’ must open the
further question of what kind of apples – tartly acidic ones like
English ‘Granny Smith’s’ for example or sweetly fragrant ones like
‘Gala’ or ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’. Equally, is the flavour of the apples
fresh or cooked?
I remember once that an extremely
well-endowed young student proclaimed that the wine she was sampling
tasted of melons. Alas, my innocent enquiry “How ripe are your melons?”
got the reaction from the entire class that it probably deserved!
Relative quality
The remaining sessions take in the basics
of Viticulture and Vinification, including procedures for fortifieds and
sparklers, and include a progressive ‘world taste-tour’ across grape
varieties and wine styles, with well chosen generic examples to suit. It
is a
chance for the students both to grasp a bit of ‘wine in its context’ and
also to develop their own sense of comparative value in the wines they
taste together, when perceptions of relative quality can be contrasted
with price.
As ever, the journey from sap-in-vine to
wine-in-glass remains the eternal variable and, yes of course, the
endless fascination! No matter what, the taste of wine will always tell
the truth about itself, its fruit, its age, its origins and the way it
has been made – factors insufficient in themselves to lead the
uninitiated to immediate blinding insights, of course. But educating
tastes is both satisfying and fun, and indulging in regular practice
oneself - strictly for research purposes - always helps!
©
John Ducker 2007
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REPORT ON CAVA &
PENEDÈS COURSE SEPTEMBER 2007 by
Carolyn Bosworth-Davies
Earlier this year Patricia Green
encouraged AWE members to apply for a place on this years Cava & Penedès
Course. For me, the timing this year was perfect, regarding my work
load, and given that I had never been to either Penedès, Catalonia or
Barcelona I duly applied and happily was accepted as one of the
participants.
The course has been running for over 20
years (this was the 24th) and the participants are drawn from across the
wine trade. Our group of 12 was a mix of wine bar owners, independent
wholesalers, wine retailers, importers, and members from the Wine and
Spirit Trade Association. I was the only educator and quickly (and I
think affectionately) became known as ‘Teach’.
Sponsors
The course is sponsored by various
companies but chiefly by Torres (and the Torres-owned Jean Leon), and
Freixenet (and the Freixenet-owned Segura Viudas) and is organised by
Unio Vinicola del Penedès. Also the Consejo Regulador de la Denominación
d’Origen Penedès and the Consejo Regulador del Cava and the Confraria
del Cava organised and played host during the week’s visit.
The week’s programme was not as intensive
as AWE trips; we did not visit a huge number of different producers, and
it was inevitably skewed towards Torres and Freixenet, but that in
itself was invaluable given their standing in the wine world and in the
UK market.
Day One
Our first day was fairly leisurely. After
an early start from Heathrow, we arrived in Barcelona and were quickly
taken up to the heartland of Cava country around Sant Sadurni d’Anoia,
where 75% of the Cava production comes from (95% is from Penedès and 5%
elsewhere). Here we had a relaxed and delicious traditional lunch and
met with leading members from the companies sponsoring the course. It
was a ‘getting to know you’ kind of lunch – which, since none of us had
hardly ever met each other before, was a good thing. It set the tone for
the week. Lots of food, plenty of Cava and Penedès wines, combined with
an abundance of good humour and laughter.
Feeling contented, we were then taken off
by Jep Bargallo from Freixenet to one of the growers supplying grapes to
Segura Viudas higher in the hills where harvesting of the Parellada was
taking place. Grapes were harvested in small crates with
perforations in the side and bottom and taken directly to the winery
which, during the harvest period, works 24 hours a day.
DO Varieties
In Penedès, Chardonnay is the first to be
picked, followed by Macabeo, then Xarello and lastly Parellada . Recent
changes to the DO for Cava now include Garnacha, Monastrell and Pinot
Noir for the production of white Cava. Trepat is only permitted for
rosé. During the week we were told consistently by different producers
that Parellada was the finest variety and was planted at higher
altitudes to encourage gradual ripening and high aromatics. For many the
best Cavas had higher proportions of Parellada, and it is the Xarello
that provides the spine and structure.
Before my visit I had not fully realised
that N/V Cava as such was really a product of a single year. Few
producers use significant proportions of reserve wines – only perhaps
for the dosage. Vintage Cavas are usually stipulated, because of
prolonged aging and/or are from selected vineyards.
Recently, changes regarding the terms
denoting age have been introduced by the Consejo. Cava must have 9
months aging. Reserva must have 15 months and Gran Reserva must have 30
months plus Calificada – i.e. certification from the Consejo after
samples have been tested.
Segura Viudas
During the course of the week we were
taken to Segura Viudas in Torrelavit, where were given a comprehensive
tour of the winery which was in full swing with the harvest. The chief
wine maker Gabriel Suberbiola and the brand manager Gloria Collell Puig
accompanied us.
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Segura Viudas
Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Segura Viudas
Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Segura Viudas
Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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The pressing for the Freixenet grapes is
also done at Segura before the must is transferred to the Freixenet
winery. It is therefore a huge operation, making 8% Cava and 20% still
wines, and responsible also for the wines of René Barbier.
The highlight of the visit was the tasting
of tank/cask samples of base wines for both the still wines and their
cavas.
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Tasting
Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Tasting
Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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The Wines
The Creu de Lavit was delicious - waxy,
lemony, gently oaked with a rich texture and excellent integration and
balanced acidity.It was made predominantly from Xarello, of which 40%
was barrel fermented, then aged for five months.
Segura are a seriously good producer and
for me offered the best Cava of the week, their Torre Galimany 2003.
Made largely from Xarello that has been fermented in oak with small
percentages of Macebeo and Parellada added to the blend, it is aged for
36 months and is Brut Nature (no dosage).This is a full bodied Cava with
candied citrus fruits, complex and deliciously long.
Freixenet
Visiting Freixenet is a mind blowing
experience because of its slick professionalism, its sheer size, and its
constantly innovative and imaginative marketing. The figures from the
Consejo Regulador del Cava for 2004 just sum up the scale of their
operation. For Cava exports Freixenet’s share was 68%, the rest 32%!
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Freixenet
Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Freixenet
Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Freixenet
Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Their new winery built in 1970 to cope
with the scale of their business is massive: rows upon rows of palettes
going back 25 metres; four 1.5 million litre stainless steel
fermentation tanks; forty 600 litre tanks; 9000 bottles/hour of Cordon
Negro degorged, whilst they receive 88000 visitors a year and employ
over 1000 staff!
And their Cava? For me the Trepat Rosé was
the most interesting. Not pink, just a slight hue, with refreshing red
fruit and a good texture on the palate and a long finish.
Perspective
After seeing such a big player it was
excellent that the course had arranged for the group to attend a tasting
where eight Cava and Penedès wine producers had brought their wines for
us to taste. This helped to put the region into perspective by talking
with people with less of a corporate view on the region and its wines.
The tasting showed how varied and individual the styles of Cava can be
and the range of new still wines being produced in Penedès. It also
brought up interesting view points and issues that many of them have.
For instance some prefer to make sparkling wines under the DO Penedès,
rather than the DO Cava. The power of the big companies and their
‘influence’ over the regulations for Cava is not always welcomed by the
smaller producers.
From the tasting Albet i Noya’s wines were
first rate with a new wine, La Milana (made from Cabernet Sauvignon,
Tempranillo, Syrah and Merlot from old vines and aged for 12 months),
showing real quality. It was a huge wine, with delicious concentrated
fruit and spicy mocha aromas.
The curiosity of the selection were the
hand made Cavas from Mestres, one of the earliest Cava producers from
Sant Sadurní. These are massively serious and structured Cavas and
totally uncommercial. But the most elegant were the Cavas from Gramona
with vibrant, refreshing and stylish wines that were really moreish.
Confraria Del Cava
One of the rewards of being selected to
attend the course was being invested into the ‘Confraria Del Cava’. This
is an organisation that was established to promote the joy of Cava. They
have a series of events throughout the year, including a Cava week where
a Cava Queen is elected, plus many dinners and investitures of people,
who enjoy and understand Cava! Run by producers, growers and
administrators, all involved with the production of Cava, the occasion
summed up the generosity of spirit of both Cava and Catalonia. The
message is that Cava is a wine to be enjoyed at every opportunity and
without too much seriousness.
Surreal
The investiture itself was a marginally
surreal experience, where we had to down a glass of Cava in one, put on
a velvet cloak and be ‘knighted’ by one of the senior members of the
Confraria (who, to me rather looked like Penguin in Batman) in a
ceremony held in their cellars, followed by yet another enormous meal
and many more Cavas!
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Confraria del Cava
Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Carolyn gets 'knighted'.
Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Torres
As mentioned earlier Torres is also one of
the main sponsors for this course and we were lucky enough to spend one
day totally devoted to Torres. This started with a visit to the
headquarters in Vilafranca. Arriving there, I commented that I felt like
Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz – such was the sense of anticipation amongst
as in meeting with Miguel Torres. We were not disappointed. He gave a 2
hour plus lecture on the history of viticulture in Penedès, its history,
origins, culture, vinification and latest trends.
Experimental vineyard
His commitment to wine education is clear.
He lectured us in an instructive and inclusive way, happy to engage with
questions, and it is clearly evident that he is still passionate about
his wines and Catalonia. Leading points from his lecture were his belief
that the future for the region is the old Catalonian varieties and he
explained that there is much research in their laboratories into
varieties brought to Torres by growers who have no idea what they are.
His experimental vineyard at Mas Rabell trials hundreds of different
varieties and even has hybrid varieties affected by phylloxera.
Meanwhile in Catalonia there are over 30
different varieties; now even Albarino is permitted. Surprisingly the
most planted variety in Penedès in Merlot.
Organic
During his talk he explained many of the
viticultural practices they employ at Torres and their decision to go
towards being organic, with projects including managed forests
surrounding vineyards, recycling water, solar panels and electric cars
for the staff. As he said ‘We live from the earth. It is our living’.
Interestingly though, whilst sitting next
to him at lunch I asked him about his views on global warming and he
said he did feel it was a real concern and going organic was not a
gimmick, however he did not feel that we should have the same level of
concern as Al Gore!
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In the Freixenet vineyads
Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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The Torres day also included a visit to
the Pacs del Penedès visitor centre and winery which is akin to many a
New World winery. After which, we visited Mas Rabell, the experimental
vineyard and corporate restaurant for lunch, preceded by a lecture (on
vinification at Torres) and tasting with Miguel’s daughter, Mireia.
Included in the tasting was the 2001 Reserva Real, a Bordeaux blend aged
in new oak for 18 months, a fabulous wine with a big structure and
massive concentration. Only produced in certain years, it has an ageing
potential of 30 years and was truly delicious.
Jean Leon
Late in the day we went to the winery and
cellars of Jean Leon, who introduced Cabernet Sauvignon to Spain, and
was a personal friend of Miguel Torres. After his death, Torres took
over the winery and it is run today totally separately but under the
Torres umbrella.
The story of Jean Leon is fascinating, and
much of the visitor centre is given over to this extraordinary figure,
who went to the USA to seek his fortune and ended up being the founder
of modern Catalonian wines. Stylistically his wines are quite oaky.
Reputedly they were the first to ferment white wines in oak. Here they
use predominantly 225 litre barriques – whereas those at Torres are 300
litres. At the tasting we were shown the Jean Leon Cabernet Sauvignon
1999 Gran Reserva from the top pago ‘La Scala’. This is aged in new oak
for two years and a further year in bottle, and has a wonderful dried
fruit cake nose, full of tobacco and spice, with well integrated oak,
whilst still full of lively fruit acidity. A hugely elegant and complex
wine.
At the end of the week we were taken up on
a mini tour of Priorat, visiting both the Torres vineyards which produce
Salmos, and also a joint venture that Freixenet has with a property
called Morlanda. The spectacular scenery and vistas were a fabulous
finale to what was a great week, full of fun, good company, generous
hospitality and wonderful wines.
Penedès facts
The big companies dominate in Penedès
- seven companies produce more than 80% of the production of
Cava.
In 2006 there were 270 producers
registered, of which a high proportion produce less than 50,000 bottles
per annum.
146 companies produce only 1% of Cava.
There are over 7,500 growers from 32,409
hectares planted in the DO.
The permitted rendement from pressed juice
is a maximum of 66.6%, or 100 litres per 150 kilos of grapes.
No chaptalisation is permitted.
After the first fermentation, alcohol
levels must attain between 9.5 and 11.5 degrees.
Yields for Cava are 12,000 kilos per
hectare, but for the 2007 vintage 13,200 kilos per hectare have been
permitted by the Consejo – because ‘ the demand for Cava is growing
because of its value for money, and price/quality ratio’.
Facts courtesy of the Consejo
Regulador.
©
Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Harvesting Parellada.
Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Photo © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Priorat
Photos © Carolyn Bosworth-Davies 2007
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Virgin Publishers by
Charles Metcalfe
 Perhaps
I should have had a quick mental health check before I started. It
wasn’t that I thought it would be easy, writing a 446-page travel guide,
with 1,600 colour photos and 19 maps. And selling it. I just had no idea
what was involved.
Visiting, tasting, and writing the words
about wine regions, wineries and wines was only the start. I had also
set out to place wine in the broader context of food and tourism,
complete with recommendations of restaurants, places to visit and places
to stay, and highlighting wineries visitable by the general public.
 I made 10 trips to Portugal, organised by
ViniPortugal, to update myself on all the wine regions (visiting a
couple of regions for the first time – the Beira Interior and the
Azores). When I wasn’t being entertained at wineries, I ate at as many
restaurants as possible! We also relied heavily on a huge network of
Portuguese winemakers and their friends, and Portuguese wine writers and
restaurant critics, for restaurant and hotel recommendations.
photo: Charles Metcalfe and Kathryn
McWhirter in the Azores
Organisation
Back at home, and starting to write, I
realised I had no chance of writing everything about everything and
organising the whole project. I turned to Kathryn (for better, for
worse, she had promised…), knowing she had more editorial experience,
was a far better writer, and had a much better eye for design than I.
She came on board with considerable misgivings (thanks to a better
perception of what might be involved), and a more realistic idea of how
to achieve our target.
Design
We were guided in early days by
experienced publishers and friends Chris Foulkes and Carrie Seagrave.
With their help, and Kathryn supervising, well, everything apart from
the wine content, we turned to design and maps. We were lucky enough to
have an old friend, Sarah Moysey (our now-teenage sons were at nursery
school together), who is a magically talented and experienced designer.
We discussed colours (each region/chapter is colour-coded), type-faces
and layouts, decided on the shape of the book, the type of paper, and
that it should be a hardback cover. Sarah also offered to do all the
layouts at a very friendly rate.
Maps
Then there were the maps, one for each
chapter, the 12 chapters being based on Portugal’s Vinhos Regionais, or
regional wine areas, plus the cities of Lisbon and Porto/Gaia. We found
Wendy Price on the website of the Society of Cartographers, attracted by
her airbrushed maps showing the relief of her local Highland mountains.
In the end, her maps for our book used digital terrain modelling to show
the relief, providing a fascinating satellite’s-eye-view of the lie of
the Portuguese land.
When we began we had no idea of the
difficulties the maps would cause. (The bill nearly doubled in
consequence.) Many of the wine regions had been only sketchily mapped
before, though the regional wine authorities had lists of communes and
parts of communes… Wine regions apart, we had to have written permission
to use any existing road maps as base maps from which Wendy could draw
our own. (Cartographers have apparently been known to insert crafty
kinks into motorways or rivers, so as to be able to check future maps
for plagiarism.) The hardest quest was for base maps for Lisbon and
Porto. The department store chain El Corte Ingles kindly came to our
rescue. You might not guess, looking at the maps, the time we all spent
creating them.
Research
Meanwhile, all the prices and other
details for the visitable wineries, restaurants and hotels had to be
checked, so we needed a researcher (preferably in Portugal, to keep
phone costs down). Kathryn had a university friend now running a guest
house in the Algarve. He is fluent in Portuguese and valiantly helped us
with all the research except in his busiest period, August. Then it was
over to a support team, the younger brother and girlfriend of one of our
Portuguese friends. Email was not an option… replies could take weeks,
or forever. Even phone calls often had to be repeated until the boss was
in, and much info was not forthcoming in the absence of an explanatory
fax…
The logistics of the book’s printing were
sorted out by another friend of a friend, an Englishman with a fine
glossy magazine empire in Portugal. Between advice from him and from our
designer, Sarah, almost all technical aspects of the book’s production
were covered.
As always, Kathryn and I edited each
other’s work as we went along, seven days a week, from 6.30am to 1am… As
pages and chapters were laid out, we sent them off to more friends, in
England and Portugal, to read the proofs. Another Portuguese-speaking
friend created the index – a bit last minute, but not so much so as the
photographic credits.
Photos
Ah, photographs! With about 1,600 finally
used in the book, finding these was a major undertaking, on a small
budget. Wineries, restaurants and hotels were sometimes able to supply
them, and I had been accompanied on most of my research trips by Luís, a
photographer paid by ViniPortugal, so many of the wine-related photos
are his.
Kathryn went to Lincolnshire to stay with
our designer for the last couple of weeks. And while normal life started
again for me in the second week of September, she and Sarah spent long
days closing the book - just one hour after the deadline of September
12th. Seven pallets of books arrived in Sussex on October, just in time
for the launch in Harrods on 18th October.
Selling the books
Now the task is to sell the books. We
printed 10,000, of which ViniPortugal and AICEP have 1,000 as recompense
for their support for the book. I presold another 3,000 to Portuguese
wine producers, to sell to their visitors. Bruce, the magazine magnate,
has plans for the distribution of another 1,500 copies through hotel
newsagents, book shops, supermarkets and an offer in his magazines. We
have 3,000 copies sitting in a warehouse near Gatwick, and another 250
or so at home.
Selling to the big UK retailers is a
nightmare. Waterstones have approved the book for sale in their shops,
but have no centralised buying. Every Waterstones manager is responsible
for buying what is on that branch’s shelves! So far, we’ve got the books
into Harrods and a couple of Waterstones branches in Bristol. And by the
time Waterstones have taken 50% of the £16.95 retail price, another 7.5%
has gone to the distributor that has the sole contract to supply them,
and we’ve paid for the postage and packaging, we reckon our profit is
around 26p.
 Selling to small shops is much more
civilised, with lower margins for the retailer. But Gardners, the
distributor that supplies the majority of British book shops, both
independent and chains, will not hold stock of a book until it sees a
track record of regular and substantial monthly sales. So for the time
being we parcel up books for Gardners each day, and support the village
post office. Direct sales are even better, for a price that comes out
about the same as recommended retail, and delivers the book to the
client’s front door. What the publishing trade calls ‘special sales’ are
best of all – when you can make them. Corporate presents, hotels and
cruises wanting to impress guests, whatever. Larger numbers of books
sold, at better prices.
Now the book exists, we’re proud of it.
And we know it will be useful to any wine and food lover who visits
Portugal. Just for the moment, though, we’d like to reduce our
book-mountain. Special price available! (They make brilliant Christmas
presents…)
The Wine & Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal
by Charles Metcalfe and Kathryn McWhirter. Order through book shops or
Amazon £16.95, or direct from Inn House Publishing at a special price
for AWE members of £9 + £5.75 postage and packing (single copy price –
for more than one copy, the unit p+p cost falls). Cheques payable to Inn
House Publishing. Old Inn House, London Road, Balcombe, Haywards Heath,
RH17 6JQ.
office@innhousepublishing.com
©
Charles Metcalfe 2007
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AWEsome Review
by
John Ducker
The
Wine and Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal By Charles Metcalfe and Kathryn
McWhirter - INN HOUSE PUBLISHING 2007.
No, not just another book about the wines
of Portugal – not that you’ll find many to choose from in the first
place - but a brilliant and thoroughly comprehensive working document
which eclipses anything seen so far on the subject. Charles Metcalfe
and Kathryn McWhirter’s “the Wine and Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal”
deserves the title of a magnum opus, and deals in thorough detail with
the regional wines, major wineries and individual winemakers of mainland
Portugal, Madeira and the Azores as they underpin the Portuguese wine
market today.
The picture that emerges of Portuguese
wine in its transformed state is firmly embedded within a broader
context of local and traditional gastronomy and of modern Portuguese
restaurant eating, the latter as suggested by the Portuguese wine
industry itself where we are light years away from ‘365 ways with salt
cod’.
Although primarily a ‘wine’ book with all
the authority of Charles and Kathryn’s dedicated tasting research behind
it, this smartly produced volume radiates a natural encouragement to
explore, and travellers to Portugal in general will find it an
invaluable general guide to markets, food shops, churches, and places to
eat and stay, many of them well off the beaten track – helpfully
written-up, the latter with ‘michelin-style’ symbols aplenty for easy
reference.
Importantly, there is also a wealth of detail on
‘visitable’ wineries. The offshore islands aside, the book is divided
into the mainland regions that were originally designated for Vinho
Regional wines, and contains the best maps so far seen of the specific
wine producing areas, many of them marked in relief to give one a
general idea of local topography.
Maps aside, a wealth of jewel-like colour
photographs adorn most of the book’s pages. There is a customary – and
necessary - Portuguese grape variety guide and even a ‘vital vocabulary’
of useful words and phrases to help non-Portuguese speakers oil the
wheels of hotel or restaurant service.
The astonishing wealth of dedication and
research by Charles Metcalfe and Kathryn McWhirter that has obviously
gone into this exciting book places them as creators of what must surely
become the standard reference work on the modern Portuguese wine and
food scene for many years to come.
©
John Ducker 2007
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WSET Tutors Tour to
Chile - October 2007 by
Christos Ioannou
According to the latest Nielsen figures,
sales of Chilean wine in the UK for the year to July 2007 rose 15% by
volume and value, and Chile has now overtaken Spain to become the 6th
biggest player in the off-trade. Keen to find out first hand exactly why
consumers have been increasingly attracted to the wines from this wafer
thin country, nine WSET tutors made the long trip south for a ten day
study tour at the end of October.
One of the things that has made Chilean
wines so exciting in the last five years is the development of new areas
of the country, and the increasing diversity of new varietals that have
been planted. Some of these areas are:-
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Leyda Valley, only 12kms from the
Atlantic, and so the cool breezes which sweep in from the ocean make
it ideal for Sauvignon, Riesling and Pinot Noir. The first vines
were only planted in 1998 after a pipeline was built to bring in
water from the Maipo River for irrigation.
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Rosario Valley, also part of San
Antonio like Leyda, which saw its first plantings in 1999 when
Matetic was founded. Their range includes a stunning Pinot Noir and
Syrah under the EQ label. Open top fermenters are used for these two
varietals to allow manual punching down.
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Limari Valley, 300 miles north of
Santiago. This is the other rising star which everyone is really
excited about. Limari is considered to be on the edges of the
Atacama desert, the driest place on earth. Indeed the dusty, barren
landscape and wealth of cacti are clear evidence of this. The visit
to Tabali winery here was one of the highlights of the trip, and the
wines all showed wonderful elegance and finesse.
‘Newer’ varietals
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Syrah: there wasn’t a single vine
planted in Chile until ten years ago, so it was particularly
exciting to see what winemakers are doing with this grape. Styles of
course varied between areas, but tended to be closer to the subtlety
of the Old World, rather than the full-on fruit of the New World.
Apart from Matetic and Tabali already mentioned, there were some
very fine examples from Errazuriz, Montes and Arboleda.
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Viognier: a very fine Single Vineyard
wine from Anakena, another relative newcomer, showed finesse,
fragrance and good varietal expression.
Carmenere
And what of this variety which has stolen
the limelight from Merlot? The winemaker at Valdivieso, Brett Jackson,
who originally comes from New Zealand, expressed the view that Merlot is
actually not an ideal variety for Chile. He said that it has a weak
rooting system and can’t really support the vegetation that the plant
puts up. Carmenere is better suited to the climate, as it’s the very
last red variety to ripen in the vineyard and is often picked as late as
the middle of November. It’s therefore perfect for Chile’s very long,
dry growing season.
During our visit to Casa Silva, Dominic
Harmsworth, who emigrated from the UK to Chile several years ago,
described Carmenere as a ‘naughty adolescent’. It needs very careful
controlling, and should ideally be harvested bunch by bunch as the
timing of picking needs to be got exactly right.
Unlike other varietals little work has
been done in identifying the best clones of Carmenere. So in order to
discover this, Casa Silva are sponsoring a five year research programme
with the University of Santiago with fruit sourced from their Los Ingles
vineyard.
Pests in the Vineyard
Chile of course has been fortunate not to
have suffered from the ravages of phylloxera. But, until our visit to
Cono Sur, it would have been easy to get the impression that Chile is a
viticultural paradise with no problems at all. Half of Cono Sur’s
vineyards are certified Organic, and winemaker Alfonso Hurtado gave us a
very frank summary of the challenges faced and how they are dealt with.
The main pests are:-
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Burrito (little donkey): a small
insect which buries into the soil during winter, and then in spring
emerges to climb up the vines and eats the buds. The remedy is a
mixture of garlic, glue and grease pasted around the trunk of the
vine to prevent this. Also the 4000 geese which are kept on the farm
are allowed out to eat the bugs (not during the 2 months before
harvest though!)
Morande
There were many highlights of this trip,
but a special mention must go to Morande, which was really memorable.
Pablo Morande, one of the pioneers of the Casablanca valley gave us a
very interesting presentation on the research done before the planting
of his newest vineyards in 2003:-
On the basis of this research vines were
planted at a density of 10,000 per hectare, and very specific varietal
to site matching was achieved.
At the House of Morande restaurant we were
treated to a fabulous gastronomic food and wine matching lunch, when
every wine was perfectly matched to a canapé or dish. Intense flavours
mingled seamlessly with these beautifully made wines, which all showed
individuality and character. The Limited Edition Carignan, made from
unirrigated vines planted in 1950 was truly extraordinary: My tasting
notes read: ‘On the nose rich black fruit, black olives, dark chocolate;
on the palate dry, ripe tannins, lush fruit, concentrated but unforced,
long and delicious’
As one of the group commented, Chile needs
to plant more Old Vine Carignan!
Conclusion
Chile’s wine have really ‘grown up’, and
the country is producing an exciting and diverse range particularly in
the £6-15 sector. With all the new planting and innovation ongoing they
can only continue to improve, and will no doubt continue to increase
their market share in the UK even further. Aurelio Montes considers that
the 2007 vintage could be the best ever for Chile, so the future is
indeed bright.
© Christos Ioannou 2007
With thanks to Wines of Chile’s generous
sponsorship of the tour; Anita at WOC and Ngarita at WSET for all their
hard work in organising the trip; Anthony Moss of WSET for valiantly
leading us; Alfonso Soto for being such a knowledgeable and courteous
driver.
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Leyda Valley
Photo © Christos Ioannou 2007
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Open-top fermenters at Matetic.
Photo © Christos Ioannou 2007
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Desert landscape near Tabali Vineyard in the Limari valley. Top right is the perimeter of the vineyards.
Photo © Christos Ioannou 2007
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Los Inges vineyard at Casa Silva, which is providing the fruit for the Carmenere clone research.
Photo © Christos Ioannou 2007
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Flowers planted every 5 rows to attract California Trips
Photo © Christos Ioannou 2007
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Pablo Morande (on right).
Photo © Christos Ioannou 2007
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Tasting at Anakena
Photo © Christos Ioannou 2007
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The group at Vina Mar
Photo © Christos Ioannou 2007
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Group transport at Montes.
Photo © Christos Ioannou 2007
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Agriculture
Raisonnée lecture
presented by
Christophe Mangeard
by Richard
Bampfield MW
Christophe Mangeard is an agronomist and
oenologist who is in charge of Quality at Yvon Mau, encompassing
everything that impacts on the quality and condition of the wine in the
bottle.
He started off by defining sustainability as the capacity of a
vineyard to develop over time, whilst having its natural properties
refreshed and retaining its natural balance.
He then identified the 4
objectives of Agriculture Raisonnée
(AR):
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Quality of product - to ensure
customer loyalty
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Economics - to balance yields and
costs
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Environment - to ensure that it is
maintained in a way that is sympathetic to sustainable viticulture
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People - to safeguard the health of
both workers and the consumer
In order to achieve these objectives, Yvon
Mau pursues 10 themes with the 17 estates which are in partnership with
Yvon Mau on this programme and which are AR accredited.
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Fertilisation. Aimed at ensuring the
health and physiological health of the vines, without excessive
vigour. Use of natural compost and observation of the vine to
understand its needs. A 35% reduction in vineyard treatments has
been achieved.
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Weed control. Aim is to improve
microbiological life in the soil. The width of the weeded area under
each row has been reduced and no weedkillers are used from Aug 31 to
April 1, leading to a 40% reduction in weedkiller use. Wide, low
pressure tyres are used on tractors, so less compacted soils. Less
erosion.
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Leaf and Grape health. In order to
reduce use of sprays and chemicals, adapted pruning ensures better
spread of bunches, canopy management allows better air circulation
(double guyot training, manual thinning, leaf removal) and reduced
fertilisation leads to less vigour. In 2007, no anti-botrytis
treatments were required, compared to 2 in 1999, and copper
treatments have been reduced by 30-50% (2.1 and 1.5 kg/ha in 2006
and 2005, compared to 3.0 kg/ha in 1999).
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Treatment programmes. Aim is to reduce
chemical use to a minimum and to use only products with least
environmental impact. Doses and frequency are strictly controlled
and only permitted when observation justifies the need. Tractor
passages through the vineyard have been reduced by 30% and
treatments have been reduced by 40% in volume.
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Chemical handling, waste water. Aim is
to reduce the risk to both employees and environment of treatments
used. Chemicals are kept in a secure room and are prepared in a
dedicated space. Employees attend a local public safety course. All
waste water from the cellars is collected and biologically treated.
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Waste and recycling. All waste is
sorted and, through local recycling schemes, 98% of all waste and
packaging is recycled. No oil or diesel leaks into the soil.
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Traceability. Aim is to ensure, via
computer and paper records, total traceability of the contents of a
bottle of wine, following each parcel through all treatments in the
vineyard, all cellar operations and bottling. This leads to greater
transparency of all operations and improved analysis of the causes
of non-conformance.
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Biodiversity. Aim is to develop a
more diverse and balanced ecosystem in the vineyard. Use of fewer
and less noxious chemicals, fewer tractor passages in the vineyard,
less ploughing, planting of hedges and building of wildflower
ditches and ponds. The result is the reappearance of insects and
the predators that prey on parasites of the vine.
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Energy. Aim is to reduce emissions.
Sunflowers and rape are grown on the estate, which can then be
converted by a local co-operative to pure vegetable oil. By using
this to power tractors and boilers, emissions are reduced by 80%.
By harvesting at night, 65% less energy is used to chill the must.
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Training. Aim is to develop good
practice and to acquire new knowledge and skills which might benefit
the environment and wine quality. Key subjects are pruning,
fertilisation, worker safety, HACCP, canopy management and tasting.
The result is a healthier environment for both vines and people.
Christophe emphasised throughout that
Agriculture Raisonnée concerns all the activities on the farm as a
whole, not only practices relating to growing grapes. The aim is to
take these estates though LEAF marque accreditation so that their
efforts can then be recognised on the shelves by the UK wine consumer.
The fact that we referred to Agriculture
Raisonnée in the seminar as both Integrated Farm Management and
Sustainable Viticulture highlights how hard it is to grasp exactly what
this subject is about. Once you have read this, do please tell
Richard
Bampfield, who organised the seminar, how you think AR is best
translated!
© Richard Bampfield MW 2007
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Christophe Mangeard delivers the lecture.
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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The class.
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Christophe and Richard.
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Navarra
by
Susan Hulme MW
These
are some of the highlights of a whirlwind 2½ day press trip to Navarra.
I was pleased to be going there, having been to the more famous Rioja a
few times recently but never having had the opportunity to visit its
somewhat Cinderella-like neighbour. We managed to cram in nine wineries
in our short flying visit so below are only some of the highlights.
Fact or fiction?
Before going I had a few ideas about
Navarra in mind – Atlantic influence, champion of rosado-style wines and
much more innovative and export market driven than its more famous
neighbour, Rioja. It also freely promoted the use of the international
interlopers Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Would these stereotypes
be challenged or would they prove to be true?
Pilgrim’s way
Our first stop was Bodegas Irache, founded
in 1891, near the town of Estrilla. Just beside the winery is a
beautiful old church and monastery. This latter building is shortly due
to be converted into a parador and has already been designated the
second best in Spain. It is just a few paces away from the famous Camino
de Santiago di Compostella, the historic pilgrimage route that goes
across the top of Spain and finishes in the eponymously-named town.
Bodegas Irache had the brilliant idea of establishing a font for
pilgrims that dispenses drinking water through one tap and their wine
from another. I thought this was such an excellent idea that I just had
to try some of the wine myself. It was a light, lively and refreshing
red, a bit like Beaujolais Nouveau at its best and probably just what
weary pilgrims need to aid their flagging steps.
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Pilgrim's font at Bodegas Irache
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Bodegas Irache
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Conchi Roig, Export Manager, Bodegas Irache
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Rosé
future?
Here and along the way at other wineries
we discussed the role of rosé.
I was surprised to hear that contrary to the trend in the UK, rosé
sales were decreasing on the
Spanish domestic market. We were told several times and by different
people that consumers were drinking it less, considered it old
fashioned, and were more interested in drinking red wines and even
whites. Another argument put forward as to why Navarra made rosé
a speciality was that it wanted to
distinguish itself from Rioja rather than from any deeper love of this
style of wine. Well that’s one myth dismissed then!
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The beauty of older wines
After a brief tour of their museum and
wine cellars, we moved on to the tasting room. The first two wines
tasted were the Irache 2006 Chardonnay and Rosé Castillo
Irache 2006. The owners were very proud of their ‘modern’ Chardonnay
but for me it was a little simple, with pear-drop, estery aromas and a
too heavily-oaked palate for the fruit to support it.
We moved on to the Crianza 2004 and
Reserva 1999 matured in 100% American oak. I liked both of these
wines. The Reserva had good weight and balance without being
hefty, was soft and seductive marked by bright acidity and delicate warm
strawberry fruit. Then came a really exciting wine – the Irache Gran
Reserva 1996 – 24 months in oak, approximately 60% Tempranillo, 20%
Garnacha, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon with a ‘touch’ of Graciano. This wine
was still a youthful ruby in tone, with no overt signs of ageing; on the
nose, some vanilla and pastry-shop aromas followed by faded roses and
soft red fruits. But the palate stole the show – smooth and silky with
excellent weight and texture, punctuated by a vibrant acidity and some
firm, spicy tannins giving grip and backbone. It had great vitality and
vibrancy for a wine more than 10 years old; indeed it seemed decidedly
youthful.
As a grand finale, we were given the
privilege of tasting the Real Irache Gran Reserva 1973. The
colour, though tinged with garnet, was still youthful overall. On the
nose there were lovely complex aromas of wood smoke, spice, cream, dark
cherries and leather. It was silky-smooth and beautifully-textured with
fine, gravelly tannins, vivid, refreshing acidity and a long, savoury
finish. It was a beautifully integrated, supple wine yet still fresh and
vibrant with plenty of life left. What a joy to taste!
The tasting was followed by a delicious
lunch of local specialities such as jamón serrano, croquets, red peppers
and cheese accompanied by the wines we had just tasted. We were also
generously given two wines to take home, one of which the 1996 Reserva
will definitely be on my Christmas drinking list.
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Vintage 1936
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Bodegas Nekeas
Bodegas Nekeas Valley, owned by a
consortium of eight producers, was our next stop and it was just what we
needed after the slight stupor engendered by a long, leisurely lunch. It
was quite literally a breath of fresh air as we were taken up to a high
point for a bird’s eye view of the valley below. The valley is only 4 km
long yet there are big differences between the northern end at 650
metres high and the southern end at 430 metres; the southern end is one
degree warmer for a start and there is a huge difference in rainfall of
150 mm in just the 4km distance. Bodegas Nekeas has vineyards scattered
all across the valley so there are many differences in the various plots
of each variety, making for good blending complexity. When we visited in
mid-October, they were in the middle of harvest. They are usually one of
the last to harvest in the whole of Spain due to the Atlantic influence
felt here. That’s one belief confirmed then!
Windy valley
As the five of us stood and admired the
contours of the valley below we could hardly hold our own against the
cold wind called the Cierzo (a cold, dry, north-western wind that blows
across this part of Navarra) and our eyes streamed as we swayed at an
angle against the hillside like figures in a Lowry painting. The Cierzo
is welcome here because of the humidity in the area and the wind helps
to dry out the vines and prevent rot. They had yet to harvest the
Cabernet and Garnacha but we were told that this vintage is going to be
the best for a long time.
In this valley the day and night time
temperatures differ hugely by between 10 and 20 degrees. Last week for
example, we were told it was 25 degrees during the day and only 6
degrees at night. Here we were in the middle of Navarra physically but
very much in a Northern Spanish climate. As if to reinforce this point
they told us that they had had hail this year in the Southern part of
the valley. We finally ended our King Lear-like encounter with the wind,
coming down from our high vantage point to look at the vineyards
themselves. At the southern end of the valley lies the San Juan Cabernet
Sauvignon vineyard The landscape is more rolling and warmer (by 1
degree) and the vineyard has heavy, clay soils, giving some water stress
and low vigour.
Interestingly, from next year they are
going to irrigate here when necessary. Working closely with the local
university, they will test vines for water stress in the belief that
irrigation at critical times of high water stress gives earlier phenolic
ripening and better balanced grapes. Going back to my current bug bear
of overly alcoholic wines, this is one arguably natural way of keeping
alcohol levels down and producing a more balanced wine by encouraging
earlier phenolic ripeness. There is a strongly held belief that a
stressed vine produces a better quality wine, but like many beliefs in
the world of wine they do not always hold true; not all water stress is
good and too much of it is detrimental to quality. In spite of all the
controversy about irrigating vines within the EU, I think I would rather water the vines when
they really need it
than water the must when it is too late. In an arid country such as Spain, water
is at a premium; Bodegas Nekeas have ambitious plans to get irrigation
water by means of a huge canal project to bring water from the Pyrenees,
40km to the west and North of Navarra.
We then continued our ramble across to the
Merlot vineyard with a different soil type and then to the old vine,
bush trained Garnacha vineyard with a very red soil. Coonawarra eat your
heart out – there is so much red soil in Spain!
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Nekeas Valley
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Nekeas Valley
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Nekeas Valley
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Bodega Nekeas tasting
We then tasted through a range of their
wines. All of the wines tasted were good, clean, fresh and well made but
the ones that really stood out for me were those below:
Odiaza 2006 a characterful white
wine with white flowers, acacia, and honey aromas. Warm pears and spice
on the palate with a rich texture and good depth of flavour combined
with a long, minerally finish.
Olazari 2002 ( 50% Garnacha, 50%
Syrah blend). This was a very smooth, very well balanced wine with very
lively acidity & intense cassis fruit, followed by a long finish. The
tannins were firm but not rustic.
El Chaparral 2006 (Old Vine
Garnacha - approx £9.00 to £10.00) violet and floral notes combine
with sweet, dark cherries on both nose and palate. Again wonderfully
smooth initial attack and texture punctuated with vibrant acidity. The
elegant, perfume violet, note to fruit on the palate was at the core of
this wine. This was a delicious combination of sweet fruit and vivid
acidity, encased in silkiness. I gave it my highest mark here.
It was only day two and yet we had done so
much but this day was a real challenge, with five winery visits in one
day. The most I had attempted before was four! Edited highlights only
follow below.
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Nekeas Valley
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Carlos Biurrun, Export Manager, Bodegas Nekeas
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Vines, Nekeas Valley
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Bodegas Ochoa
The highlight of this day for me was our
visit to Ochoa. This was a name I had known for a while and whose wines
I had sold in my days at Wine Rack. I was very much looking forward to
this visit and I was not disappointed. We were met by Adriana Ochoa. Ochoa are a family owned bodega and one of the
smallest sized companies in the whole of Spain, but one of the largest
owners of vineyards with 145 ha in Navarra. Adriana was one of those
bright, open-minded young winemakers who had travelled and worked on
vintages abroad before coming back to take on the winemaking side of the
family business.
She did the 2004 vintage side by side with
her father, then she made the 2005 whites, but the 2006 and 2007 wines
are all her own. Previously, she had worked with Louisa Rose at Yalumba
(whose Viognier in particular had impressed me at a tasting a few years
ago) and she also worked for the Mouiex family in 2000 and did a study
on ripeness there.
We had a brief tour of some of their
vineyards while we chatted about methods. Grapes here are mostly picked
by machine except for white grapes because the most important thing is
to harvest at the right time. Their Moscatel however, is always
harvested by hand. It takes 40 pickers 3 days to harvest 23 ha of
Moscatel whereas it takes 3 weeks to pick the rest by machine. Like many
others they were in the middle of harvesting when we visited. This
year’s vintage had a particularly long ripening season and was a month
later than usual. Normally, acidity in Tempranillo here is very low and
pH is high but this year is very different and exceptional. The acidity
on the Tempranillo is 5.5 TA while the potential alcohol is 13 %.
Biodyamics cropped up again - Adriana
likes the idea and is experimenting with a small parcel of Tempranillo
using these methods but she thinks it is probably impractical for 145
ha!
All of their investment goes into the
vineyard.
They use oak barrels for four years and
80% of their barrels are made from split (not hand sawn) American oak
coopered by Murua, a local cooper from Logroño.
New varieties
In the vineyards they have a little parcel
of Viognier (Bodegas Nekeas also have some) but at the moment it is not
allowed in the DO although they would like it to be. Adriana’s father,
Javier Ochoa was a director of Oenology at Evena (Estación de
Viticultura y Enología de Navarra) from 1981 until 1992 and although
he chose Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to be accepted by the DO at the
time, he always told Adriana that lots of other varieties would work
well here too. Apart from all the usual varieties they have parcels of
Syrah, Graciano and Moscatel. Graciano is very clone-dependent and they
have both the good and the poor clones here. Apart from their other
classic wines Ochoa are famous for their Moscatel. In fact they grafted
Moscatel onto 10 year old Merlot rootstocks in the vineyard to have a
ready source of more mature vines in this variety. They use ‘mass
selection’ to select the best vines and have developed their own
Moscatel clone.
Some of their vineyards near Traibuenas
are near desert soils so they have to irrigate to survive. They lie in
former riverbeds and are very stoney.
Ochoa wines tasted
We again tasted a whole range of Ochoa
wines but the ones that impressed me the most were the Ochoa single
vineyard rosé, Rosado de Lagrima 2005. It was a more serious
style rosé with some depth of flavour which Adriana aptly described as
‘rosé with a red soul’. In spite of the trend away from rosé, they sell
well on the home market.
The Ochoa Crianza 2004. Really
lovely balance of cream, vanilla and strawberry fruit.
The Ochoa Vendimia Seleccionada 2000.
fine, silky texture while still retaining purity of fruit.
I also thought the M de O Moscatel de
Ochoa 2006 was a really fun, lively wine. Aimed at the younger
market it was light, grapey and uncomplicated Moscatel at its best. The
final wine Ochoa Moscatel 2006, made from Muscat á Petit Grains,
was a delicious example of sweet Muscat. It combined honey, spice and
musky notes with a sweetness and richness on the palate that was
intercut with flavours of lemon zest.
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Chivite (Señorío
Arínzano Estate)
Our last stop (and probably the real
highlight of the trip) was the most famous bodega in Navarra, Chivite,
and their super-modern and expensive winery Señorío
Arínzano. Designed by Rafael Moneo, a famous architect and friend of the
family, this was lavish even by modern winery standards. The stainless
steel tanks came complete with blades at the bottom to press the grapes
and make press wine. There was a special low-ceilinged room for
malolactic fermentation which we were not allowed to enter for fear of
disturbing the temperature and even a bridge high up over the
barrel-room to avoid vibrations from people passing through. It was
clear that no amount of expense had been spared and it reminded me in
places of a James Bond set.
But great wineries do not always mean
great wine and I find it difficult to be impressed by vast amounts of
money alone. However I am pleased to say the wines did not disappoint.
They were very excited about our visit as the site was due to receive
the first pago designation for Navarra within the next few days. To be
given this status, the producer has to prove that there is a special
terroir and all of the grapes must come from the estate. In addition all
of the vineyards must be within the Navarra DO. Chivite's Marife Blanco
describes their philosophy as ‘terroir wines’.
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Chivite facts
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The Arínzano site covers
700 ha but only 350 ha are under vine.
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They started planting here
in 1988 - before this it was it was farm land.
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The capacity is 1 million
bottles but so far they only produce 200,000.
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Chivite hand-harvest all
350 ha but do have machine harvesters in case rain sets
in.
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They choose to grow grapes
organically as long as the quality of the grapes are not
impaired and they recycle water.
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One excellent idea they
have is to convert one of the small houses on the estate
into a small 4-roomed hotel to encourage wine tourism.
Left: Views from the Chivite Señorío
Arínzano Estate
© Susan Hulme MW 2007 |
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Chivite - Bridge over the barrel room
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Señorío Arínzano barrel
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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View from the tasting room to the boutique hotel (pink house)
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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New president - new beginnings
One theme that recurred throughout our
trip both here and at other bodegas was that there was a real feeling of
excitement and opportunity because of the newly appointed president of
the Navarra Consejo Regulador, Pilar Garcia-Granero. Everyone we spoke
to was enthusiastic about their new president as not only someone who
was an experienced winemaker but someone who had a good understanding of
the market. This was seen to be something that was sadly lacking in the
previous president of the DO who many felt had outstayed his welcome,
holding on to the position for 10 long years. In the past the DO was
seen by many to have hindered and hampered the progress of Navarra, not
least because little or no funds were allocated to export marketing. So
Navarra has been languishing in the doldrums a little when it comes to
innovation though not for the want of trying on the part of the best
producers.
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It’s now or never for Navarra
Finally Navarra’s producers have a chance
to work together through the DO to achieve the quality changes they want
with freedom from some of the legal constraints that have held them
back. The new DO president has requested suggestions and opened the
lines of communication with the producers. Among the things being
discussed are which new grape varieties if any, should be allowed in the
DO. Also to be discussed is the possibility of the DO re-tasting wines
before release in order to give the final seal of approval and the DO
designation; currently they are tasted after the vintage only. If it
gets accepted this would be a strong stance to take and very much a move
towards ensuring only the better quality wines are released onto the
market, ultimately improving the image for all of the wines of Navarra.
So what has Navarra got going for it as a
wine region? It has a stunningly beautiful landscape providing a variety
of different terroirs and an Atlantic-influenced climate (a huge boon
under the current threat of climate change) enabling it to produce
elegant wines with freshness and vitality. It has some great grape
varieties and some very passionate and committed winemakers. It now also
has a new DO council who want things to change, so if any time was the
right time for Navarra to take a giant step forward I’d say the time was
now.
With huge thanks to David Lindsay at
Lindsay May PR and the Navarra Consejo Regulador.
©
Susan Hulme MW 2007
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Shopping for peppers
Photo © Susan Hulme MW 2007
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And finally, Carolyn Bosworth-Davies sent
this in:
Seen on a wine list in a restaurant in St
Ives, Cornwall. Rosé Garnacha. ' Dry, vibrant pink from Calatyud with
enough alcohol to knock the knickers off a nun!'
What price wine education eh?
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AWE Member Updates
Please update your Directory of
Members with the following changes:
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
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 / Proof-reader: Paul Howard
Many thanks to Paul Howard and 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 2007
No part of this newsletter may be reproduced without permission.
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