Australia Day has passed but word
reaches us that whilst Australia is still basking in the strength of its currency
Moet & Chandon Champagne is selling for less than, amongst others, the Yarra
Valley-produced Domaine
Chandon! Trouble is if you are in the UK it's not worth a special journey - yet!
February 2012
Raising yeast
New Zealand scientists at the
University of Auckland have now discovered that wild yeasts differ according to
region. This is interesting because there are some winemakers who swear by
cultured yeast and others who prefer a so called 'wild ferment'. On a recent
visit to the Douro one Port maker was adamant that he only ever made use of wild yeasts
whereas he was unsurprised that another house visited earlier (at the time owned
by a large brewing group) only ever used cultured yeast! Because of course, a
cultured yeast to a brewery is vital - it offers the possibility of consistency
of style with every brew, which are often produced on a daily basis. With wine,
produced just once a year, a certain variation in vintage is sometimes considered a
good selling point so may actually be advantageous. What is more it now seems
certain that wild yeast would play a part in this variation. It will also be a
constituent of
the mix in the 'terroir' of the wine - the individual vineyard character and regional identity. So far only New
Zealand has investigated yeast in this way, but it seems reasonable to suppose
that New Zealand is not unique. So this is just another small stitch in the
large tapestry of wine analysis....
January 2012
Legal Niceties
The loi Evin (the law which
prevents the advertising of alcohol in France) reached the ripe old age of 20
last month and there is debate as to whether it should be amended. The French,
true to their stereotype, consider that one advantage of the law is that New
World wine producers have found the French market very difficult and even now
manage to retain a level of less than 5%. Many though, consider the image of
France abroad is tarnished by such a law. Its inability to properly regulate the
digital and social media worlds - never thought of twenty years ago - is clearly
a disadvantage that could be a threat to the law itself but the principles of
the loi Evin are surely good ones. We have come out before in favour of no
advertising for alcohol as that would lead to a concentration on what is inside
the bottle rather than the frippery outside it. The majority of EU wine laws are
based on the French system - perhaps the EU could adopt their advertising rules
as well?
January 2012
Vineyard mapping
We hear the European commission
has come up with a proposal to remove all restrictions on vineyard planting by
2019. There is clearly no reason why vineyards should be any different from,
say, wheat. What has existing vineyard owners more than a little worried is that
if these vineyards are planted in existing AOC areas they will automatically be
entitled to that appellation - that could mean, for example five times as much
production in Rioja or twice as much in Burgundy. If this all gets approval then
there could well be a very interesting supply and demand inbalance in 2020.
December 2011
Britain in the
beerage
Normally when an Italian, a
Portuguese and a Greek go to the pub the Germans seem to pay, even if only with
considerable reluctance. But the Germans drink twice as much beer as the Brits
yet Britain pays more than five times as much duty and VAT. According to
accountants, Ernst and Young. Britain pays more than 40% of the European beer
tax bill! even though Britain represents just 13% of Europe's beer consumption
and 12% of the European population. Emigration anyone?
November 11
Hearty fayre
There is rejoicing at the Hôpital
de Montbard, near Dijon,
because a recent trial conducted by the Université de Bourgogne has affirmed the
efficacy of red wine in assisting recovery from - or perhaps more properly
guarding against a recurrence of - a heart attack in cardiac patients. Just a
fortnight of consumption of 1 glass of red wine with meals improved blood cell
fluidity and decreased levels of LDL (so-called 'bad') cholesterol compared with
those who were given water. What seems to get less mention however, is that both
groups were not dining on Boeuf Bourgignon and Chaource but alas, a
Mediterranean diet. They were however drinking (what else?) red Burgundy. It
would be interesting to know if the effect might have been more marked if
Malbec rich wine from South West France had been prescribed instead. But
probably this is not the piece of research that one should look to the
Université de Bourgogne to conduct...
November 11
When NATURAL
WINE is not so NATURAL
There is a growing
clamour about the so called ‘natural’ wine movement which
seems to market itself as a half way house to organic. Organic wine itself is
rather full of inconsistency and confusion and the thinking behind ‘natural’
wine is equally muddled. The promoters are proud of their non interventionist stance and lack of ‘treatment’ of
wine which they parade as naturally better. Reality, we feel, lies elsewhere!
If we return to first principles we can see that wine is
never natural! Because although alcoholic fermentation takes place naturally in
grapes, without human intervention it all too quickly ends up as vinegar which
is the real natural result. So it is all very much a matter of degree. Some so
called 'natural' wines are distinctly variable bottle by bottle. Interestingly,
(leaving aside Austria and Germany where producers are still conscious of the
antifreeze scandal) the natural wine
movement is largely confined to France - a country with a Roman Catholic
heritage and where not so long ago wines with what would today be regarded as
faults were routinely on sale – the Good Lord had made the wine, as it were, and
that was how it turned out, faults and all. The Protestant background of somewhere like
Australia has led to a much more widespread technical approach in winemaking as
a way of 'improving' nature. Of course this can lead to a certain
standardisation, but for inexpensive wines this amounts to a version of quality
control for the consumer. Without intervention interesting variabilty can all
too easily be a lottery. And even for wines in wide production careful
'interventionist' winemaking and cellar practices lead to wines that have more
individuality such as, for example in the barrel ageing of any number of wines
from both old and new worlds, or Château Buisson Redon's microbullage
(oxygenation) to enhance ageing characters of a simple Merlot based Bordeaux
'Petit Château'.
To
paraphrase the cream producers, it may not be natural but it's nice. And nicer
than it would 'naturally' otherwise be!
November 11
Has the time come to
be hard on soft drinks?
Amid the much criticised news
that the government is to continue with its cooperative approach with the food
industry in reducing fat, this does not seem unreasonable when the soft drink
industry seems to have been completely overlooked. Of course Coca-Cola is the
leading sweet drink in the world and is - irony of ironies - a sponsor of the
Olympics. The tooth decay it engenders is well-known, but less so is that unless
you burn up the energy you consume in a soft drink virtually immediately (and
here let it not be forgotten that Coca-Cola is selling not to the athletes but
to the spectators) this energy will be changed into fat. So fine if your are
running the 500 metres and like your dentist, but surely not such a good idea if
you are not or don't.
October 11
Uncontained
Joy?
News that the container ship that
hit the reef of New Zealand's North Island has at least half a million pounds
worth of wine on board is not good tidings for wine suppliers or customers.
Certainly delays in someone's supplies are inevitable. There are no insurance
claims yet permitted as the goods aren't yet lost, though the recent revelation
that 70 or so containers have fallen into the sea may engender a rethink. Maybe
there will be scenes as there were some years ago when the MSC Napoli came to
grief off the South Devon Coast and "Sauvignon Galore" will turn out to be the
sequel to "Whisky Galore"...
October 11
Beaujolais Nouveau
2011
We now have pricing for the 2011
Beaujolais Nouveau - release day is Thursday 17th November. For details please
ring us on 0800 05 666 12 or email by clicking here. The harvest was, like
everywhere else (including even England) very early and the wines produced are
decidedly approachable with modest alcohol levels and soft tannins which should
lead to a wide appreciation. Indeed we have sold more Beaujolais Nouveau year on
year for the last three years so Nouveau seems to be enjoying a little gentle
revival - at least it lends some interest to what can otherwise often be a
miserable month of November!
September 11
Australian non
sequitur
As Autumn approaches we are
brought down to earth with a bump as an Australian health body is adamantly
declaring that alcohol does you no good at all. The 'Alcohol Policy Coalition'
says that more than half of all alcohol-related deaths globally are from
diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer or liver cirrhosis. Now here
they are undoubtedly stating no less than the truth - but what they seem to have
ignored is the length of life before death. After all, the fuss about the French
paradox was not that Frenchmen didn't die (that really would have been a
marketing gift for their wines!) but that they died later (or lived longer, to
put it a little more genteely) than most and in particular than would be
expected from their fat and alcohol intake. That seems still to hold. The
message is still that red wine in moderation is likely to help you live longer
and, we hope, more happily. But not, alas, for ever...
September 11
Mad Dogs, Midday Sun
- and wine
Now we learn that drinking wine
or eating grapes can help to prevent sunburn. According to researchers at
Barcelona University, certain flavenoid compounds found in grapes are capable of
stopping the death of cells and scarring of skin tissue caused by spending too
long in the midday sun. How extraordinarily convenient. Remember you heard it
here first - that large glass of red consumed with lunch earlier is purely and
simply preventative before stretching out for a tan. Soon there should surely be
a UV protection rating on the bottle next to the alcoholic strength..
August 11
Special Relationships
As those of you who keep up with
such things will already know Poland has taken over the Presidency of the EU.
They have decided to celebrate the historic friendship between Hungary and
Poland (of which in our ignorance we confess we were unaware) by serving wines
only from Hungary at the EU functions hosted during their Presidency. We wonder
if this could set a precedent? Perhaps it should even be a condition of the
presidency. It might be that only German wines could be served when the French
hold the Presidential seat or only French wine when the Brits are in charge.
Maybe only Greek wines when the Portuguese are on duty and only Portuguese when
the Greeks hold sway. The fun could be enormous...
August 11
The Nuclear Option
Some Californians have set up a
website www.beersnotbombs.com
to change the world - they say - 'one beer at a time'. Still heavy on word play,
they want to move 'from War to Peace' and so are selling bottle openers recycled
from disarmed nuclear weapon systems. So if, when you open a beer with your new
opener you feel a warm glow - well - keep your distance and don't call us...
August 11
Sit Down, Relax and
Take Notice
Resveratrol, a compound found in
most red wines is, according to the The Federation of American Societies for
Experimental Biology, likely to assist those with a sedentary lifestyle back to
health. This is after one group of mice were given a daily dose and were found
to have improved muscle mass and bone structure when compared with a control
group. Trouble is that a glass of even the most resveratrol packed wine contains
only one milligram of the stuff whereas a health supplement, for example, may
contain as much as 500 milligrams. Farbeit for us to cast aspersions but after
the first five hundred glasses the sedentary lifestyle might be rather difficult
to quit, but you probably could keep taking the tablets...
July 11
Happy Birthday Pinot
Grigio..Happy birthday to you!
Keep it quiet, but Pinot Grigio
has become middle aged.... It is now 50! First produced in the style we now know
by the Santa Margherita winery in 1961, when, as their usual style lacked market
success, they decided they would create a very lean and fresh wine by picking
grapes early and having next to no skin contact during the fermentation. This
also meant that the wine was straightforwardly fresh - even perhaps 'citrussy'-
and also clear and limpid without the slightly coppery hue that it was wont to
take on when fermented with the skins (as can sometimes be noticeable in Alsace
Pinot Gris, for example). So they invented the lean and mean, undemanding
drinking style that has been so very widely copied. Whereas the fuller style
they changed from, which is predominant now only in Alsace, remains much less
appreciated. Indeed so successful have the first fifty years been for the style
that we bet there are many that do not even know that Pinot Grigio and Pinot
Gris are exactly the same grape type!
June 11
A very good
trip
Word reaches us from our
supermarket spies that one of their customers received £10,500 this month - for
slipping on a grape. But the Ambulance chasing lawyers seemed to do even better,
pocketing £18.500. Only goes to show how dangerous these grapes are - much
better to keep them safe by fermenting them.
June 11
Ripe for change
The American Association of Wine
Economists (no less) has analysed climate data from1992-2009 and decided that
the rise in the alcoholic strength of wine is primarily man-made. Climate
warming might have lead to an increase of 0.9% but the actual average increase
is 1.12%. We never doubted that the rise was man-made. Even the French are
paying much more attention to ripeness of grapes and now tend to harvest as late
as possible. Fuller, riper wines are more crowd pleasing and because of the
riper fruit often have more alcohol. In particular Robert Parker, whose palate
is much reputed in America, likes big and forward fruit. Such has been his
influence that the French even have an expression for being mentioned in his
publications - être 'parkerisé'! The problem is the rest of us have been well
and truly parkerisé too and French wine is not like it used to be...
June 11
Raise the bottle -
then sink your ship, or is it the other way round?
We understand that a record
price was paid for a 200 year old bottle of Veuve Clicquot that was found in a
shipwreck in the Baltic Sea of Finland's Åland archipelago during the summer of
2010. The buyer was from Singapore and spent 30,000 euros on his purchase.
Indeed it seems that such was the auction's success that the islands are said to
be thinking of holding a similar auction on an annual basis. Quite how this
would work is not entirely clear but would seem to involve sinking a ship first.
Still, forewarned is forearmed, so anyone finding themselves cruising in the
Baltic would do well to ensure the Captain gives a wide birth to the Åland
islands - particularly if there is Champagne on board.
June 11
Thumbs down
It is said that although the
label might sell the first bottle, it is the wine that sells the second. Yet now
there is news that Bordeaux is to fund a wine centre. It is a dramatic and
expensive modern design fronting the Gironde river and likened, apparently, to a giant thumb. As the equally modern Copia Wine Center in California has gone
bust and London's Vinopolis has in turn only lately achieved a firm financial
footing, the record is not promising. It is important therefore that the
customers will be suitably attracted by the giant thumb to part with their cash.
But then it would need to be to really remarkable to persuade people to come
back again and again. Unless the operators are just counting on a spate of wet
Wednesdays - and Tuesdays, and Thursdays...
May 11
We are all flying
now...
News that the Meat Trades Journal
has discovered that about 17% of meat eaters think pork wings are a real cut of
meat, makes us worry that either genetic modification has gone further than any
of us here realised or that we really do believe that pigs may (not
might) fly. And what wine to accompany Pork Wings Sir? Well if only on the
grounds that one impossibility deserves another we have to recommend
the Flying Kiwi Pinot Noir..
April 11
Warm advance
creates delay
As the UK bathes in the sunshine
of what could perhaps be called an Indian Spring, most French vineyard areas are
reporting that their vines are are at least a fortnight in advance of usual. But
worries persist about a late frost which could be dangerous or even fatal to
grape crops. As the vines race to flowering the vignerons are in turn racing to
catch up - or as one wag put it; if the crops are early then the farmer is
always late.
April 11
Wine Tunes
We understand that an Austrian
winemaker, a certain Markus Bachmann (perhaps the clue is in the name?) has
invented a special speaker that exposes fermenting grape juice to classical,
jazz or electronic music. The sound waves, he claims, produce better-tasting
wine. Aside from the fact that he is a former French horn player (although brass
players are normally reputed for their beer prowess) he says the wines seem to
get more fruity - as, it must be admitted, many of us do when we listen to
music.
Mr Bachmann has teamed up with six other Austrian wine growers to produce
so-called Sonor Wines, priced - and maybe this is the clue - north of 19 euros a
bottle and including a 2010 pinot blanc "infused with Mozart's 41st Symphony".
Whilst the sound waves may indeed have an effect on the fermentation, the waves
created by the price might be of a different kind - especially when across the
Atlantic a Mexican producer also claims to use music, but he says he cannot be
sure any of it works but is completely confident that it does ..er...no
harm.
March 11
Sweet or Savoury?
A wine critic, one Eric Asinov,
writing in the New York Times has suggested that detailed tasting notes are a
waste of time because "one critic’s ripe raspberry, white pepper and blueberry
is another’s sweet-and-sour cherries and spice box". This contains a
considerable element of truth and is one of the reasons why we try not to indulge in
too much florid prose in our own tasting notes. He continues "But the general character of a
wine: now, that’s another matter. A brief depiction of the salient overall
features of a wine, like its weight, texture and the broad nature of its aromas
and flavours, can be far more helpful in determining whether you will like that
bottle than a thousand points of detail. In fact, consumers could be helped
immeasurably if the entire lexicon of wine descriptors were boiled down to two
words: sweet or savoury." He goes on to say that rather than actually
requiring sugar in "sweet" wines or none in "savoury" they should be applied to
the tasting impression and that wines with lots of weight would count as sweet
and lean and minerally wines would count as savoury. An interesting idea that
has erm, legs, but perhaps "heavy" or "light" might be an easier description?
March 11
New Zealand News
Amid the very sad news of the Christchurch earthquake we are pleased to say that
our nearby Marlborough wine producers were almost completely unaffected - indeed
for them the worse earthquake was in fact the first one - last year. NZ wine
supplies should continue unaffected.
Feb 11
Head hurting
A food chemist at the University of British Colombia has received approval from
the authorities in Canada and the USA to use a genetically modified yeast which
achieves malolactic fermentation (though the malolactic is not strictly a
fermentation but a bacterial reaction - but we digress) at the same time as the
alcoholic fermentation. This produces fewer biogenic amines (the
neurotransmitter, histamine is an example) that produces allergic reactions
-particularly headaches- in some people. The modified yeast doesn't introduce
any genetic material that would not be present anyway in the normal bacterial
malolactic fermentation. A gene from malolactic bacteria was, apparently,
spliced it into the DNA of some wine yeast and the resulting yeast completes the
alcoholic fermentation and the malolactic fermentation simultaneously. Clever -
and quicker. But not all wineries like to add yeast - many prefer to let
naturally occurring yeasts do the job. And because it is genetically modified
nobody will admit to using it - so if you are looking for that wine that's not
going to give you a headache you might get the headache just looking for it. And
being genetically modified it has not been approved in Europe. So at least
that's one headache we won't - or perhaps will - be getting.
Feb 11
Logical Moderation
Word reaches us that a book by Robert Beardsmore called Guilt-free
Drinking concludes, with irrefutable logic, that if moderate drinking actually
improves health then reducing moderate drinking or giving it up altogether makes
health worse. It should, therefore, not be encouraged by the 'nanny' state or
anyone else. It would be unkind not to drink to that - in moderation of course.
Jan 11
On the Pink
What we forgot to say is that the same Vinexpo research established that
Britain consumes 10% of world Rosé production! Still the Brits are not the only
ones - we are only fourth in the world!
Jan 11
Wine by numbers
Vinexpo, the Bordeaux world wine exhibition, has commissioned research which
reveals that China is the most rapidly expanding wine market - but that 90% of
the production is home produced. So whilst the French cry into their Perrier (or
whatever it is they drink now, because it's much less wine!) it has been
established that France, Italy and Spain are still the largest producers of wine
but their production is expected to decline (lower yields and grubbing up of
poorly performing vineyards apparently). Argentina, Chile, South Africa and of
course China are on the up. The UK meanwhile has become the world's largest wine
importing country both by volume and value. And in the wine consumption league
per head? Britain is languishing at tenth.
Jan 11
Weathering the storm..
The weather has naturally been hampering some deliveries and indeed supplies (it
has been snowing in Perpignan for example) but our carriers have generally been
doing a sterling job and we are suffering - if any - only minor delays in this,
the third week of December. We have had a problem with corks on Casal Garcia so
we had to suspend sales of certain lot numbers and this situation is likely to
be back to normal only in the week before Christmas - apologies are in order for
those of you still waiting for supplies and we must hope the weather does not
get too ferocious. Weather updates appear regularly on our delivery page here.
Perhaps, after all, a white Christmas is not all it's cracked up to be...
Dec 10
Location..location..
This is rather belated news principally because few countries seem up to
speed - although this change was instituted from 1 August 2009. We seemed to
have missed the rejoicing in the streets but the EU wine regime is being brought
into line with that of food. So the Appellation d'Origine Protegée (AOP)
replaces Appellation d'Origine Controllée, the Italian DOC becomes
Denominanazione D'Origine Protetta (DOP), and so on. The Vin de Pays are
replaced by IGP - Indication Géographique Protegée. Gradually sub regions will
disappear - so no more Chianti - all will be Chianti Classico, no more Premières
Côtes de Blaye just Côtes de Bordeaux. So simpler in the end. But this
simplicity will take about 10 years to 'transition'! We are likely to have two
lots of regulations running alongside each other which is likely to be confusing
for some considerable time Additionally in France (and potentially in other
countries if they wish) Vin de Table has been abolished! In its place is Vin de
France, which like Vin de Table, can come from anywhere in France but, unlike
it, can declare the constituent grape varieties and the vintage on the label.
There is a rathe strange website which gives further details. This is really a
reposte to the New World, who have for so long sold their wines by grape variety
rather than by area and is likely to help in France's export markets - whilst
the French home market remains blissfully unconcerned by grape varieties and is
much more interested in location..location..
November 10
Not so think as ..
There is much fuss and reflection about the British propensity for drink
(although it seems to have gone unnoticed that Britons are actually consuming
less alcohol than we did 10 or even 5 years ago) with some even suggesting that
it is indicative that English has more words for drunk than Eskimos have for
snow. Whereas the sober French for example have it so imbued into their culture
that they rarely get drunk and do not require or have the variety of synonyms
that English has. (The small matter of not actually knowing how many words the
Eskimos have for snow doesn't seem to impair the debate.) These suggestions
rather miss the fact that English has a larger vocabulary than most other
languages - including French. England and the English speaking world has
Protestant traditions (the country of the Plymouth Bretheren after all) where
drinking was frowned upon - if not made illegal. So when you examine the other
words for drunk it turns out that most terms are borrowed and are either ironic
or euphemistic or just emphasise disapproval. Have you been slaughtered or just
pickled? Or only whoozy or tight? After all none of these words is unique to
alcohol consumption - far from it! This doesn't prove that Britons are more
drunk - or less sober - than other nations but just that they are linguistically
inventive. And no, I haven't been on the sauce.
November 10
Hello, 'ello, 'ello
Amid the frightening news that various companies selling wine en primeur
for investment, seem only to have ever had one case of wine between them all
although their turnover was £2.5m! it is comforting to note that a national
fraud line has been set up (to include wine). With some of the eye watering
prices asked - and seemingly paid - for 2009 Bordeaux (which, let us remember,
is still in the barrel at the Château) wine for investment is probably very
attractive to crooks in that it involves large amounts of money for something
which, even when bought legitimately, takes about two years to deliver. And as
the market in the past has been remunerative for genuine investors, people still
think wine will bridge the recession. But, even if we avoid the crooks, with low
inflation it may be may difficult to avoid making a loss this time round. And if
you wait too long, eventually it all ends up as vinegar.... So, now
particularly, proceed with care, as the Constable might say. - Oh and that
fraudline number is 03000 123 2040.
Oct 10
Are screwcaps just boring?
There is now debate as to whether screwcap closures are in fact greener
than cork. It has been suggested that because the failure rate is much lower
than cork (no cork taint) then in fact the screwcap closure avoids wine spoilage
and so, even though it consumes more resources to produce in the first place, it
is 'greener'. Even leaving aside that barrel taint and cork taint can be exactly
the same thing, as these findings generally revolve around quantities of wine
that were bottled a decade or more ago (and particularly in the New World where
the systems of shipping European corks half way round the world wrapped in
plastic were not conducive to high quality outcomes), it is still difficult to
draw any firm conclusions. Standards in the cork industry have definitely
improved substantially of late and the days of bottling vintage port or Château
Lafite under screwcap are still not with us. It is the imperceptibly slow
oxidisation that cork allows that reaps such great rewards for the consumer -
though clearly without a 100% pass rate. Screwcaps seem to allow change using
the oxygen already in the bottle but not anything extra. As with many things it
is balancing homogeneity against high (and sometimes low) quality that has us
all squabbling.
It is often considered that this variation would not be acceptable for Baked
Beans so why should it be for wine? The answer is that Baked Beans in a can
would long ago have been deemed to be past their 'use by' date but, subject to
the correct storage conditions, should be edible. They are unlikely to improve
in quality however. Baked beans in a vacuum sealed glass jar should taste pretty
much the same as on the day of production as long as the jar seal remained
completely secure. Here wine has an advantage, because not only is it usually in
an inert glass container but also contains alcohol as an antiseptic and
preservative - so the seal to its 'glass jar' can be less secure. Subject to the
correct storage conditions many cork sealed wines will get better. Not a
certainty of course - they may just change, but with a judicious choice of raw
material 'magic' can result. Perhaps then, we should reckon that corked wines
are for fun and screwcapped wines are just for drinking?
Sep 10
Chilean supplies back to normal - but not so for Argentina
We are pleased to say that supplies of Chilean Wine are broadly back to normal.
Where there are supply problems it is that there is no Mission Peak Red for
example until the new vintage. But in the meanwhile Vicuña Cabernet Merlot
should be able to take the strain. The same cannot, however, be said of
Argentina where delays in analysis for Natamycin in the very limited facilities
available locally continue to cause stock shortages in the UK. There appears
little prospect at the moment of much improvement in the situation this year and
the best advice seems to be to fill your boots when you can get hold of what you
require...
Aug 10
The shape of things to come?
In Pennsylvania, as an addition to state controlled liquor shops, wine is now
being sold from wine bottle dispensers. See the picture here These machines not
only require your identity and age to be verified before they will supply but
also the customer must undergo a breathalyser test before the machine will
dispense your choice! Designed to enable people to buy wine in smaller
supermarkets, it is experimental to start with but allegedly has, so far, been
well received...Just blow in this bag.
Jul 10
Organic failure - or success
We are unsure whether to rejoice or to be slightly worried to discover
that the European Commission takes a similar view to ours: there is no such
thing as organic wine - only wine produced from organically grown grapes. The
world of organics is very disappointed (as well it might be) but there really is
little excuse for such a wide variation in the requirements of the supervising
and approving authorities between - and importantly often within - countries.
This really needs to be harmonised first, long before anyone gets near deciding
whether, for example, it is correct organic practice or not to ladel in the
sulphur during and after making the wine...
Jun 10
The future is egg shaped
An 'environmental' Champagne producer (and no, we don't believe the
emphasis should be on the last two syllables) has ordered two large oak casks
that are egg shaped. He sees this shape as giving a better fermentation as it
"favours natural convection". So far these seem to be unique and are quite a
sight (see here). Still, at least there is somebody who doesn't see the future
as pear shaped.
Jun 10
Natamycin in Argentinean Wines
This problem - if such it is - relates to a chemical which is widely used
in the dairy industry in tiny quantities as a mould suppressant on cheese. Under
EU rules because natamycin is not permitted in wine it is therefore illegal. (It
is not legal in winemaking in Argentina either!) A new German system of analysis
first spotted it and ever since Argentinean shipments have been delayed trying
to get the only laboratory in Argentina with the capability of such analysis to
certify that there is no natamycin in the wine... The most likely source of
contamination is, it seems, oak chips where small quantities may have been used
by a supplier to ensure the chips remain biologically 'clean'. Meanwhile all
Argentinean wines destined for the EU are subject to lengthy shipping delays.
Hence please understand that our stock levels do not currently accord well with
demand...
May 10
Top spot?
Champagne Heidseick Monopole has, it is alleged, complained to the tiny
Old Dairy brewery in Kent about an infringement of the trade mark 'Red Top' -
which seems an entirely appropriate name for a beer from an old dairy, yet also
seems to indicate a remarkable lack of confidence by the Champagne company in
their own product. Is it really something that would get confused with beer? It
is true that the champagne is now part of the Remy Cointreau empire, but even so
surely noone is going to confuse Champagne Charlie - or are they?
May10
Some encouraging news from Chile
Despite continuing aftershocks - though of reducing intensity - Chilean
wineries are giving their full attention to the 2010 harvest. Many point out
that, as the main event occurred at the weekend and with fermentation tanks
already standing empty and ready to receive the new vintage, damage both to
personnel and equipment has been less and recovery has been easier than was
first feared. It seems that it is probably the infrastructure of roads and
services - and housing in the worst affected areas - that will take longest to
recover.
March 10
A fino moment
We wonder if it is the start of a trend with the UK's first sherry bar
opening this month. Certainly sherry sales do not seem to be as buoyant as we
are always told they are. Yet it seems somehow appropriate that this sherry bar
should be opening in - Islington.
March 10
South Africa Moves up
For the twelve month period ended 23 January this year. AC Nielson the marketing
research agency shows South African wine sales grew by 20% in volume to 12.27
million 9-litre-cases. In contrast, French sales fell by 12% to 12.266 million
9-litre-cases. So South Africa has moved to third in the UK supply league table,
after the USA and Italy. Although France appears still to retain its leadership
in the on trade here too they seem to be feeling the pressure.
March 10
Cork - Wise
The Portuguese cork industry is branching out in a bid to find new markets for
its declining cork stopper business, where the screwcap has made painful
inroads. Of course there will probably always be a place for a good unblemished
long cork in a bottle of vintage Port or Claret, which is designed to mature in
the bottle. But most wine is consumed in the month after purchase and in this
market the cork share is only about 70% (down from over 90%). The industry needs
to consider the long term - the cork bark is first harvested when the tree is
about 20 years old and then again about every 10 years for the next two
centuries. The future plan is to make aircraft wings out of carbon fibre and
cork instead of PVC, whilst resistance to fire (and oil prices) will be used to
advantage inside the aircraft too. But they may have some unexpected competition
in that land of the screwcap: Australia is considering planting the Quercus
Subur to exploit its resistance to bushfires. At least the Portuguese know they
have to give a minimum of 20 years notice...
February 10
Scottish Wine at last?
A vineyard has been planted in Perth and is due to give its first vintage
in 2010. Jokes about global warming seem inappropriate this year but as anyone
who has spent a winter in Burgundy will know, it's not the winter but the summer
that's important. So here's to a blistering Perthshire 2010 vintage!
February 10
Brand New Red Bicyclette
What is it with bicycles? Various wineries and co-ops in the South of
France are being prosecuted by the French authorities for selling cheap Pinot
Noir, that wasn't, to Gallo for its 'Red Bicyclette' brand. One might have
thought Gallo should have been able to smell and taste the difference but, as
one wag has already pointed out, probably the overwhelming aroma was that of a
nice fat, high margin...
February 10
Make Mine A Swimming Pool - continued
Making derogatory remarks about lager has - of course - prompted a
'friend' to point out that you can bathe in red wine too. At Kanagawa in Japan
there is a health resort where bathing in red wine is said to be a rejuvenation
treatment for the body. Well perhaps, but the last time this writer so much as
trod grapes for half an hour it took two months for the legs to tone down from
bright pink to pallid white. If it had been total immersion there would need to
be a racial type created. Closer inspection of the spa does reveal - doubtless
to the relief of passport authorities everywhere - that there is quite a lot of
water with it - so it is more of a dark rosé colour. Just enough probably to put
you in the pink..
January 10
The Tractor Factor in New Zealand
Grove Mill, the world's first Carbon Zero winery, has modified a tractor to run
on vine prunings, which as a tractor is often going six hours a day they
consider well worth the cost. Although we had visions of this new tractor
looking rather like Stephenson's rocket it turns out that the vine prunings
undergo gasification first and the result can then be used as fuel. But the real
pity is that those steaks grilled over the vine cuttings will loose that unique
tangy flavour that is so delicious... Still, perhaps that's progress, perhaps
not.
January 10
Make Mine A Swimming Pool
Word reaches us from Starkenberg in Austria that a health spa is offering a
recuperative break where the spa's bathing pools are filled up with - er beer.
Apparently bathing in beer has health benefits such as improving skin tone and
blood circulation. Pure prejudice leads us to suggest that this must be the
proper use for lager and is for certain miles better than drinking the stuff...
December 09
PET Beaujolais Nouveau in Japan
Japan has for some years now been Beaujolais Nouveau's largest market but
recessionary pressure and declining sales has led to what the trade will
doubtless call 'packaging innovation'. Many retailers are to sell Nouveau in PET
plastic bottles, which are both cheaper and -allegedly- more environmentally
friendly than glass. It is certainly true that nobody is looking to buy
Beaujolais Nouveau to 'lay down' so part of the objection to plastic bottles is
immediately overcome. As the largest Burgundy negociant supplied the USA with
Beaujolais Nouveau in plastic last year, we are left wondering whether this
light, fruity and easy to appreciate wine might be the forerunner for a major
packaging change for other wines. If Australia and New Zealand can champion the
screw- cap perhaps France will be the PET champion? At least if we are selling
our Beaujolais Nouveau next year in PET you'll know they are!
November 09
Wine (not just Guinness) is good for you
At the World Wine Symposium in Italy Jean-Robert Pitte, ex President of the
Sorbonne University, lamented the fact that the French state did not separate
alcohol from wine. That sounds rather like being able to get alcohol out of the
wine but being unable to get the wine out of alcohol. This is entirely logical
and nor should they be separate. Where he does have more force is when he
pointed out that L'Association Nationale de Protection contre l'Alcool et les
Addictions (French quangos seem to have even longer names than British ones) has
an annual budget of 66m Euros and 1,400 employees! What on earth do they all do?
We trust they don't drink at lunchtime.. Yet Dr NK Yong, a Singapore wine
enthusiast, seems rather to hope they do - "anyone who tells you wine is not
good for you is lying. If the politicians don't understand this, you should
change the politicians." This has rather more impact when you realise that Dr
Yong is 80 years young.
November 09
White wine attacks tooth enamel shock
We were unsurprised to discover that the acidity in wine is bad for tooth
enamel and the acidity in white wine is generally higher than red. According to
the German University study that made this earth shattering discovery, eating
cheese with the wine helps (full of calcium - like our teeth). The British
Dental Association has replied that "If you're going to have a glass of wine do
so with your meal and leave a break of at least 30 minutes afterwards before you
brush your teeth." What they don't mention is that if you brush your teeth
before drinking the wine you might never drink wine again...Please don't try
this at home!
October 09
Paternoster Lift
This lovely phrase (referring to one of those lifts that goes on
continuously without ever actually stopping at a floor) has been used by a
report in the American 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' to
describe the way the bubbles in Champagne act as a flavour delivery system! It
is not unique to Champagne but also found in 'good' - for which read bottle
fermented - sparkling wine. By using mass spectometry it was discovered that the
aromatic compounds were present by a factor of up to 30 times more in the
bubbles rather than the wine. Their continuous rising and bursting delivers the
flavour. (Shades of "every bubble has passed its fizzical" which was an
advertising campaign of old for a soft drink.) However, to anyone who has ever
tasted still 'Champagne' before it passes through its bottle fermentation this
will certainly come as no surprise. Without the improvement brought about by
secondary fermentation it is doubtful if it would be drunk at all!
October 09
Some like it hot
French wine lovers - and Greenpeace in particular (though it is unlikely many of
us had them marked down in this category) are warning that global warming may
see off the wines of Meursault, Montrachet and Volnay. If global warming
continues at is current rate the temperature will be six degrees warmer on
average by the end of the century. Already between 1996 and 2008 the time taken
for grapes to mature in Burgundy has reduced by ten from fifty to forty days.
This is distinctly serious for such a prestigious area, where the length of time
taken to fruit maturity is very important for finesse and complexity. France
losses this at its peril! No wonder a group of chefs, sommeliers and winemakers
wrote to 'Le Monde' in August to insist that Nicolas Sarkosy push for a stung
agreement on climate change. He would probably be all the more motivated if they
were to mention that Southern Britain is likely to be a major beneficiary of
this particular bit of climate change...
September 09
Record price for Zonnebloem Cabernet Sauvignon
It is true that we do not unfortunately have stocks of Zonnebloem Cabernet
Sauvignon1965 and 1967, which achieved record prices at the recent South African
Nederberg wine auction, but we do have stocks of a rather later but almost as
delicious 2004 vintage at just £7.29 a bottle!
September 09
Bring on the Clones
Carmenère is the grape that may well have originated in the Médoc. After the
phylloxera outbreak the 1880s it was not replanted. Chile however had been
supplied with vines earlier in the century and had no phylloxera problem (indeed
still doesn't) and is now the home of far and away the largest quantities of
Carmenère vines, such that it is now considered a (so called) signature variety
for the country. Even so it is remarkable how it can add an attracrive depth to
a Cabernet Sauvignon as in the Terra Mater version. Perhaps this should be
unsurprising in view of its Médoc heritage!
With a view to improve quality - some single variety Carmenères can be a bit
'grassy' or 'herbaceous' - the Chilean government is funding the University of
Talca to try and discover the best clone. But again the attitude is very wise
"We don't want to completely lose the green or peppery character, otherwise it
won't be Carmenère" says the university. Hear, hear - a clone but not cloned!
September 09
Chilean Sustainability
The University of Talca in Chile is attempting to put forward a programme for
sustainability, which is "more than organics". Although Chile is a country
admirably suited to organic viticulture, being protected from pests and
pestilence by both the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Andes mountains to the
East it is admirable that there is a realisation that producing organically
grown grapes can count for very little, particularly if, say, the vineyard
contributes to soil erosion, intrusive irrigation or large energy use. Hats off
to the Chileans for some welcome work on the complete picture!
September 09
Seriously folks..
A professor of oceanography and statistics (an odd combo - but at least the
second is relevant) who also happens to own a small winery in California's
Humboldt County decided to study wine competitions after seeing his own wines
win in some events and yet get no awards in others. He has upset many by
discovering that this alarming inconsisitency in the way his own wines were
rated was the norm. His suggestion that the competitions were pretty self
serving has not gone down well in the sunshine state!
It is interesting to compare with the UK's own International Wine Challenge,
where not only is it the world's biggest competition but anecdotally is fairly
consistent. The stupidity is that the long embargo on the results often means
that the wine has changed considerably since it was judged and in one or two
cases sold out! The add- ons of Wine Merchant of the Year are though similarly
self serving, indeed companies propose themselves in true unbiased fashion! The
panoply of competitions is however likely to be much enhanced if the BMA get
their way for a ban on alcohol advertising. This would be one of the minor
drawbacks of what would otherwise be a very good thing. Alcohol probably needs
to be made more serious..
September 09
France back as top dog
It seems that France after faltering last year, is set to be the world's number
one wine producer again. Spain's production is well down this year, by 4%,
Italy's - last year's top producer - production will be little changed whilst
France's production is scheduled to increase by 12%. According to a study by the
Milan based Italian Wines Union, France is due to produce 48.1 million
hectolitres of wine. Can the world keep up, because French consumption is
declining..?
September 09
Gloomy View from Australia
No this is not a recessionary new wine from Australia, but a summary of the
economic outlook given by Fosters, the brewer that now owns the famous
Australian names of Wolf Blass and Penfolds. It has announced that its global
wine volumes are down 5%. It is scrapping 37 wine brands and disposing of 36
vineyards. It also has started selling its vineyards in California. The bright
spot? Beer sales are strong... Penfolds Grange drinkers may be pleased that more
potential investment is on its way from beer drinkers..
August 09
You heard it here first..
Well actually no - we are indebted to 'The Guardian' for bringing this to our
notice. Italian banks are likely to take wine as collateral for loans. And it is
not as crazy as it at first sounds because they won't be accepting cases and
cases of plonk de plonks so you can max out on the holiday money, but good wine
that matures and improves. So it should be perfectly safe as long as they ensure
they get repayment before it has turned into vinegar. Could put a whole new
slant on the idea of taking the bank manager for a drink...
August 09
Drinking not smoking..
News reaches us from Canada's Niagara that old kilns once used for drying
tobacco leaves are to be used by a winery to dry grapes so they can make their
own version of Amarone - but not by drying the grapes over a couple of months or
longer but just a fortnight! More intriguingly they are going to use another old
kiln to blast the harvested grapes with humidity and botrytis cinerea, which is
the mould responsible for the sweet concentration of Sauternes for example. But
in European vineyards the mould attacks the grapes on the vine and they are late
picked so the juice is highly concentrated. Although it will be an intriguing
trial, factory kiln production is unlikely to be any great threat to Château
Yqem just yet...
August 09
New Zealand feeling the squeeze
Gisborne grape growers are facing difficult times as Pernod Ricard, the French
drinks conglomerate, seems to have cut back its grape requirements by as much as
25%. This is predominantly destined for its Montana label, New Zealand's biggest
(but not its best) wine producer. Constellation - another conglomerate, this
time American- has not helped by following a similar course for its Nobilo
label. Chardonnay is the predominant grape of the area and the one most out of
favour with the consumer now touched by the so called ABC view (Anything But
Chardonnay). Some producers are vowing to go back to growing avocados...
Certainly fashion and farming are uneasy bedfellows and probably it is also
prudent to beware of exclusive supply to enormous conglomerate wine companies.
August 09
From Prohibition to McMerlot in less than 80 years
In what one American wag has christened the arrival of the McMerlot one fast
food chain in North America (not in fact that one, but another Gourmet Cuisine
Company!) has decided to sell wine with its burgers - in order to move up into
"fast food premium" according to their spokesman. Whatever that means. Anyway
don't they know that if there really is beef in those burgers McCabernet
McSauvignon is likely to be a better choice?
August 09
Please contain your excitement...
On the 1st August 2009 the EU introduced new Wine Regulations. Appellation
d'Origine Contrôlée(AOC or AC) becomes AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protegée) and
Vin de Pays wines, often referred to as Country Wines, will now be known as IGP
(Indication Géographique Protegée). So that's allright then. At least any wine
is now, legally, able to put its constituent grape varieties on its label, which
is how most of us start to consider the style of wine that is likely to appeal
to us. This should certainly help Europe to compete a little more easily against
the New World. Money to subsidise distillation will now also be phased out to
encourage wine producers to be more market orientated. However this writer
laments that the addition of sucrose (one lump or two?) has at the last minute
been permitted - concentrated grape must would be much more honest!
August 09
When is a Burgundy not a Burgundy?
A recent Wine & Spirit Association survey has found that most UK wine consumers
think that, whilst the country of origin is probably of consequence, region is
unimportant. It is intriguing in this context to see that the Burgundians are
locked in dispute with their Beaujolais colleagues further South, who are
planting Chardonnay apace. Beaujolais has always been counted as part of
Burgundy even though their red grape is Gamay rather than Pinot Noir. But a
mature Beaujolais Cru such as Moulin à Vent is often indistinguishable from
mature Pinot Noir from further North. Yet it is the Chardonnay - the same white
grape that is grown throughout Burgundy that is really causing the problem. The
Burgundy winemakers' association considers that the Beaujolais producers should
be calling all this production Beaujolais Blanc, whereas in fact it has the
right to be called Bourgogne Blanc. They consider it is not Burgundy.. Surely
their time would be better spent on ensuring the quality was indistinguishable
from the posher stuff further North. But on second thoughts this is probably
what is worrying them...
July 09
The Real Thing
Apparently a consignment of Bodegas Kohlberg wine from Bolivia has been found to
offer rather more than was expected. The Bulgarian authorities have discovered
that over 90% of all bottles contained just liquid cocaine. We did not know too
much about Bolivian Wine either but it is apparently much appreciated in the
Czech Republic. No wonder..
July 09
