Wine -- The View From Orlando

Tour of Berlucchi Franciacorta operations and Palazzo Lana Berlucchi

2012-01-31T06:38:00.000-05:00

The evening before the the Berlucchi tour had been devoted to the Grand Finale Dinner of the 2011 European Wine Bloggers Conference and an "after party" but we were all at the appointed meeting place in the heart of Old Brescia at the appointed time. As sleepy as I was, I wished the buses would be there on time so that I could catch a quick snooze en route. No such luck. The buses showed up eventually and we boarded and wended our way out of Brescia and onto the Autostrada Milano-Brescia in a northwesterly direction. We exited the Autostrada at Via Provinciale and travelled due north to Borgonato and the Berlucchi facility.

We were welcomed outside the winery by a large group which included Arturo Ziliani, Vice President and Chief Winemaker and Cristina Ziliani, Head of Public Relations, Communications, and Image. Cristina did most of the speaking at this time and informed us that we had been tardy and would have to hurry in order to complete the appointed program. Headsets were distributed to us as we made our way into the winery and positioned ourselves in a semicircle around Arturo and, as he explained, his translator. Hence the headsets.

When we had settled down, Arturo utilized a presentation on a large flat screen TV to explain the estate's viticultural and vinicultural practices. He was especially proud of the company's Coquard presses. According to www.winenews.it, these presses are insatiable and, further, "A fast and efficient press avoids the insurgence of uncontrolled microbiological processes that occur among the grapes in the crate. The Coquard's inclined plate favors the rapid descent of musts, thus clarifying the wine with this first natural filtration while at the same time limiting the time in contact with the skins." The pressure exerted on the grapes by the press can be automatically adjusted based on its reading of pre-set parameters. According to Arturo, every major Champagne House utilizes this technology but Berlucchi was the first non-French estate to acquire it.

After completing our tour of the vinification facility, we re-boarded our bus for the trip over to the cellar and Palazzo Lana Berlucchi. We were warmly welcomed there by another staff contingent and taken on a tour of the cellars where the wines are bottled for re-fermenting and aging after assemblage. Depending on the wine style, a bottle can spend anywhere from 18 to 60 months in the Berlucchi cellar. Berlucchi still uses some manual riddling to concentrate the spent yeast into the neck of the bottle but has supplanted it with machines for the most part. Automatic riddling, via the gyro palette, was developed by the Cava industry in the 1970s and has been adopted by traditional sparkling wine makers the world over. The method can reduce the riddling time to as little as three days in comparison to an average of six weeks for a hand-riddled wine.

As Arturo explained it, the pressure in a Franciacorta bottle is six atmospheres (with the exception of Satén which is bottled at 5 atmospheres of pressure). He demonstrated that this pressure is contained within the wine itself by opening a bottle, placing it on a flat surface, and then tapping gently on the outside of the bottle with a metal object. The resulting eruption of wine was a sight to behold.

Our tour was actually conducted in reverse to the construction and maturation processes in that we started with the bottles at rest, went next to the remuage process, on to the bottling facility, and then ended at the base-wine tasting room. In the base-wine tasting room we were allowed to taste a number of base wines from different lots, different vintages, and different varieties. In the actual assemblage of the wine, a four-person tasting team, to include Arturo, convenes to determine the composition of the estate's offerings.

At the conclusion of the cellar tour, we were taken over to Palazzo Lana Berlucchi, the early 16th century chateau that nests alongside the cellar, for a tour and light repast. The delicate finger foods to which we were treated paired exquisitely with the array of wines to which we were treated. While in the palace, Arturo revealed a special, wine-blogger-specific bottling of a "61 Franciacorta and said that we would take it outside to the vineyards and crack it open. And so we did.

All in all a wonderful day. The management and staff at Berlucchi were kind, attentive, and informative. The ongoing back and forth between Arturo and Cristina exhibited a fun, close familial relationship. The knowledge and passion of Arturo for Berlucchi and Franciacorta were on display for all to see. If there was one disappointment it was that Franco Ziliani, the father of Franciacorta, was too sick to meet with us on the day of our visit. But no matter, his spirit was in every glass that I drank that day. And every glass that I have drunk since.

Guido Berlucchi: Franciacorta's leading light

2012-01-27T00:44:00.001-05:00

On the final day of the 2011 European Wine Bloggers Conference, a number of bloggers participated in a tour of the winemaking facilities of Franciacorta powerhouse Guido Berlucchi. Our hosts for the tour were Arturo Ziliani, Vice President and Chief Winemaker and Cristina Ziliani, Head of Public Relations, Communications, and Image. Key elements of the estate's genesis and operations are highlighted in this post.

Guido Berlucchi was founded in 1955 by Guido Berlucchi, Franco Ziliani and Giorgio Lanciani. Guido Berlucchi was a gentleman farmer in Borgonato who produced an unstable, still white wine called Pinot del Castello. His search for a solution to the wine's stability problems led him to Franco Ziliani, a recent graduate of the Alba Winemaking Institute. Ziliani solved the stability problem and then promptly turned to enlisting Berlucchi's assistance in the attainment of his goal of making a sparkling wine in the Franciacorta area. Berlucchi signed on and they were joined by Giorgio Lanciani. After years of effort, Ziliani finally produced 3000 bottles of quality sparkling wine in 1961. This wine was called Pinot di Franciacorta, the first time that the word Franciacorta had appeared on a wine label in Italy.

Grapes for the Berlucchi wines are sourced from 600 hectares of estate and grower vineyards. The climate and soil extant in the Franciacorta region have been described previously, as was the University of Milan zonation study which detailed the soil characteristics. In a project called the 1001 Vineyard Project, Berlucchi has extended the University of the Milan zonation study to divide its vineyards into over 215 different lots. Vineyards on these plots are spur-cordon trained and planted to high density and, combined with practices such as the use of cover crops and green harvesting, are designed to produce low yields of high-quality grapes.

The technological sophistication of the Berlucchi organization is on display in the way in which the vineyards are managed. At the beginning of the growing season, the vineyards are mapped -- using infrared technology on satellites or drones -- to determine vegetative vigor. As the grapes ripen, they are sampled according to the mapped zones and harvesting decisions are driven by the results.

Grapes for the Berlucchi wines are hand-harvested on a lot-by-lot basis by over 1000 pickers. Careful harvesting is designed to retain the freshness and flavors of the grapes. The grapes are loaded onto eight inclined-plane presses in intact bunches and are then delicately pressed to release the must. The wines are vinified by lot with initial fermentation in stainless steel tanks or, in some cases, oak barriques. Some of the wines undergo malolactic fermentation in oak barrels. The result of the vinification process is 200 base wines some of which undergo bâttonage in order to stir up the lees.

In the winter following the harvest, the wines are blended then bottled. They are held in the cellar -- a 17th-century structure that is 10-meters underground -- for 18-60 months while they re-ferment and mature.

Berlucchi produces approximately 5,000,000 bottles of sparkling wine per year. The company's portfolio of wines is shown in the table below.

Champagne and Franciacorta: Comparisons and Contrasts

2012-01-25T08:05:00.001-05:00

Franciacorta is regularly compared to Champagne by its boosters and there are some areas of similarity: (i) they are both sparkling wines; (ii) they are both produced using the method of second fermentation in the bottle; (iii) in both cases the wine is identified with its region of production rather than by variety; (iv) each of the regions have a single-word nomenclature; and (v) the levels of sweetness of the finished product is similarly characterized. But there are also many differences. In this post I will highlight these differences, some dictated by environment, others of choice.

Champagne Wine Region. Source: http://www.terroir-france.com/wine/champagne_map.htm

Franciacorta Wine Region. Source: Franciacorta Consorzio

Franciacorta is the new kid on the block. Enologist Franco Ziliani had been engaged by the Berlucchi estate to help with the stabilization of its wines. While undertaking that effort, Ziliani also sought to convince Guido Berlucchi that the area was well suited to the production of a sparkling wine using the methode champenoise. Berlucchi gave him the go ahead and, after a number of tries, Ziliani successfully produced his first batch of sparkling wine in 1961. The wine was awarded DOC designation in 1967 and DOCG in 1995. The history of Champagne, converesly, stretches back 300 years from the birth of Franciacorta to the period when Dom Perignon was the cellar master at Abbey of Hautvilliers and established the principles that are used to this day in its production.

The first major difference between the two regions is location. Champagne is located at latitude 49 degrees, 160 kilometers to the east of Paris, while Franciacorta is located at latitude 45 degrees in Lombardia (Italy), 700 kilometers south of Champagne. The northern location of Champagne makes it difficult for grapes to ripen, resulting in acidic base wines which require the bubbles of the second fermentation to make them sparkle. Grapes in Franciacorta have no difficulty ripening and the resultant wines are richer than Champagnes of an equivalent sweetness level.

The Champagne region consists of 32,900 hectares of vineyards in 300 villages distributed between five sub-regions: Vallée de la Marne, Montagne de Reims, Côte de Sézanne, Aube, and Côte des Blancs. In this region, 15,000 vineyard owners grow and sell grapes while another 5000 grow grapes as well as produce wines. Vineyards are classified as Grand Cru, Premier Cru, or Deuxième Cru. Blending, aging, and marketing of the wines are the domain of large Champagne Houses. Franciacorta has approximately 3000 hectares under vine spread between 19 municipalities. All of the sparkling wine produced in Franciacorta is estate grown by its 104 producers. Vineyards are not currently classified.

Franciacorta is mild in the winter and hot in the summer. The climate is moderated by winds blowing in off Lakes Iseo and Garde which act to protect the region from the autumnal and hibernial fogs that threaten from the Brescian plains. Rainfall in the region is concentrated in the spring and fall. Champagne lies at the northern edge of the vineyard-growing areas and, with an average July temperature of 66ºF (18.8ºC), grapes struggle to ripen. Rainfall is at its highest during the month of September.

The soil in Champagne is chalk or a clay-chalk mix. This soil absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night. It also absorbs water during wet periods and retains it such that it can be accessed by vine roots in search of moisture and nutrients. The region's thin layer of arable top soil is infertile and requires the aid of fertilizers. There are four glacial morainic soil types in Franciacorta with pH ranges from neutral to sub-alkaline and drainage ranging from poor to good.

Vineyards in Champagne are planted on slopes at elevations between 90 and 210 meters. Montagne de Reims and Côtes des Blancs can be said to have the best vineyards as they have the highest concentration of Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards. The vineyards are planted to Pinot Noir (35%), Pinot Meunier (40%), and Chardonnay (25%). Franciacorta vineyards are planted in the "gentle" hills that are characteristic of the region and are constituted thusly: Chardonnay (80%), Pinot Nero (15%), and Pinot Bianco (5%).

The grapes utilized in the production of Champagne are Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. The permitted grapes in Franciacorta are Chardonnay, Pinot Nero, and Pinot Bianco (maximum of 50% in the bottle). Champagne production was 370 million bottles in 2010 as compared to Franciacorta's 10.3 million bottles, an average 10% annual production growth from 2002. Champagne exports 50% of its production while the corresponding number for Franciacorta is 15%.

The average price for a non-vintage Champagne is in excess of 20 euros while the price for a non-vintage Franciacorta ranges between 10 and 35 euros. At the high end, the Franciacorta will not exceed 100 euros while the tête de cuvées of the large houses will cost several hundred euros.

1958 Biondi-Santi, wine of the night: Guest Post by Ron Siegel

2012-01-22T23:04:00.001-05:00

The @wineORLs invited Bev, Russell, and me to join them for dinner at Terramia, a Winebar and Trattoria in Longwood, Florida. The food at the restaurant was very good. We ordered a number of small plates so that we could open and taste all of our wines and have them served with each course. @wineORL had said that he had a few Italian gems that he wanted to try and asked that I bring an assortment of wines to flesh out the evening's offerings.

We started off with two Champagnes:

(i) 1980 Lanson Noble Brut ( Ron). This was the sixth bottle of this wine that I have had in the past 6 months and it was drinking beautifully. It had a nose of Crème Brulee and brioche with a touch of green apple, a nice creamy mousse, great acidity, and nice balance.

(ii) 1978 Dom Perignon (Russell). What a nice surprise when Russell pulled this out of his bag. This wine had a nose of lemon curd, tangerine, and a little burnt sugar and a slightly lighter finish than the 1975 Dom but had really nice acidity and freshness on the palate.

Then came the reds:

1958 Biondi Santi Brunello Reserva (@wineORL). This was truly one of the best Brunello’s that I have ever consumed and it was in really good shape. It started off as almost Burgundian (Russell thought more like a Barolo) and was opulent and sexy. It had a nose of cherry, orange peel, and mushroom. On the palate very rich red fruits along with some basalmic and tobacco notes, perfect acidity, and balance. The wine presented as much younger than its years.

1950 Liger-Belair Morey-St Denis (Ron) Nice dark color with a nose of sour cherry and Asian spice. A nice finish with sweet red fruits, along with some soy and Basalmic. A very nice Burgundy.

1995 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo ( Russell). Bouquet of dried cherry, soy, and sandalwood. Medium length with red fruits, leather, and mushroom.

1995 Soldera Brunello Reserva (Ron). This was a very big and old style Brunello with red fruits, tobacco, and roasted nuts. Very rich and thick, saucy texture with some underbrush and spice notes also showing. This will be a killer with some more time in the cellar.

1998 Conterno Barolo Monfortino (Ron) This was a big, rustic, old-style Barolo that could also use more time in the cellar. Russell commented that he had always wanted to try a Monfortino and I do not think this bottle let him down as it had beautiful aromas of dried cherry, tobacco, licorice, and spice box and a long finish.

2001 Cheval Blanc ( Ron) I always bring a Burg and a Bordeaux with me no matter what the theme. A really nice Cheval that is drinking well but will be so much better in 10 years. I really like the 2001 Bordeaux’s and wish that I had bought more of this vintage. Black and red fruits with shoe polish, cedar, and herbs. Very elegant and balanced and a great way to finish the evening.

Another great night of food and wine and lots of fun. As usual, we closed the restaurant. We all agreed that the Biondi-Santi was the wine of the night. I made that choice because of the rarity factor as well as how well it showed for its age. The Soldera will probably be equally as great in another 20 or 30 years but ... who knows. The Biondi-Santi was a real treat.

Franciacorta: A "sparkling" wine region

2012-01-13T06:23:00.002-05:00

The 2011 European Wine Bloggers Conference was held in the ancient city of Brescia (Italy), the closest urban center to the Franciacorta zone, home of Italy's (and one of the world's) finest sparkling wine. The region, which attained its DOCG classification for sparkling wines in 1995, has gained a reputation for producing high-quality sparkling wines using the classical method (second fermentation in bottle). This post will provide some background on the Franciacorta wine zone.

Franciacorta (the name means either "little France" or "tax-free zone," depending on the publication consulted) is located in the "gentle" hills in the area of Brescia and is bounded thusly: to the east by rocky hills; to the west by the Oglio River; to the north by Lake Iseo and the foothills of Alpi Retiche; and to the south by the Brescia-Bergamo Highway. The region lies in an amphitheater which was carved out by a falling glacier and encompasses all or part of 19 Brescian municipalities. The zone is approximately 18,000 hectares in size with 2665 hectares under vine.

Source: Franciacorta.net

Franciacorta is mild in the winter and hot in the summer. The climate is moderated by winds blowing in off Lakes Iseo and Garde which protect the region from the autumnal and hibernial fogs that threaten from the Brescian plains. Rainfall in the region is concentrated in the spring and fall.

Thanks to exhaustive zoning studies conducted in the region in the late 1990s by the University of Milan, a very clear picture of soil differentials -- and the differing contributions of each type to the finished product -- has been established. The figure below shows that the combination of landscape units (formations by geologic era) and soil types results in six distinct regional terroirs. The figure illustrates that the soil, vegetative productive, qualitative, and organoleptic characteristics of each terroir has also been identified. The details of those characteristics are contained in the table following.

Formulation of Terroirs Derived from Franciacorta: un vino, una terra, p. 28-33

Characteristics of Franciacorta Terroirs. Derived from Franciacorta: un vino, una terra, p. 28-33

The sparkling wine is produced under the DOCG classification from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Bianco grapes. As indicated previously, the wines are produced using the classic method and, depending on the terroir in which it was grown, or the blend of terroirs, will exhibit some subset of the organoleptic qualities indicated in the last column of the table above. The wines can be either non-vintage (white, Rosé), vintage (white or Rosé), Riserva (white, Rosé, or Satèn), or Satèn. Non-vintage wines are aged for a minimum of 25 months with 18 of those months being on the lees in the bottle. Vintage wines are aged for a minimum of 37 months with 30 of those months being in the bottle on the lees. In addition, a minimum of 85% of the wine must be from a single vintage. Riserva wines are aged for 5 years on the lees. Satèn is made from Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco and, as a result of lower bottle pressure, manifests a satiny feel with tinier bubbles. Rosés must contain a minimum of 25% Pinot Nero. Wines are labeled in terms of sweetness much the same as is the practice for Champagne.

Still wines are produced in the zone under the Curtefranca DOC. White grapes are produced as blends or varietals from Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco while reds are produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Nebbiolo, and Barbera.

The most respected producers in the region are Bellavista, Berlucchi, Ca' del Bosco, Cavalleri, Facoli, and Monte Rossa.

Abacus, Trilogie, Reserva Especial: Leading non-Vintage still wines

2012-01-10T07:24:00.001-05:00

We are all familiar with non-vintage Champagnes but may be less so with high-quality, non-vintage, dry still wines. In this post I will describe three instances of the latter: Chateau Le Pin's Trilogie, Vega-Sicilia's Reserva Especial, and ZDs Abacus.

Château Le Pin's Trilogie

Variously described as "hedonistic," "exotic," and "more California and Australia than traditional Bordeaux," the Merlot-based wine of Pomerol's Chateau Le Pin is one of the world's most highly desired -- and highly priced -- wines. The estate sits on a 1.6-hectare plot of granite, clay, and sand that is planted to 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc (the wine is 100% Merlot), old vines that yield 30-35 hectoliters/hectare. The grapes are hand-harvested and then fermented in stainless steel tanks. After fermentation the wine is transferred to 100% new oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and 18 months of maturation. The wine is subjected to egg-white fining prior to bottling. Annual production ranges between 500 and 700 cases.

In order to maintain its high level of quality, Chateau Le Pin employs an extremely rigorous selection process. It has been said that the wine excluded in the Le Pin selection process would be the core of the Grand Vin of many a Bordeaux estate. These extra barrels are the source of Le Pin's Trilogie. In any given year the estate does not have enough of this unselected wine to make a second label but, over multiple years, unselected barrels can be combined to provide enough volume for a market offering. The most recent Trilogie offering is a blend of the 2007 and 2008 vintages which can be purchased for approximately $125 at retail.

I have not tasted this wine to date. I bought a 6-pack from Antique Wine Company in the UK but the seal remains unbroken.

Vega-Sicilia's Reserva Especial

Vega-Sicilia is a highly regarded (Lafitte of Spain) estate located in the Ribera del Duero region of Spain. The winery, in operation since 1864, sits on a 1000-hectare property, 250 hectares of which are planted to vine: 80% Tempranillo and the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec. Planting density on the clay-limestone soil is 2200 vines/hectare and yields are 22 hectoliters/hectare, with each vine producing less than 2 kilos of wine. The estate's Grand Vin is Unico (10 years of aging) with the second wine, Valbueno, being approachable a little earlier (5 years of aging). If the grapes for Unico are not of the best quality, they are declassified to Valbueno and no Unico is produced in that year. This has happened previously in 1992, 1993, 1997, and 2001.

The Unico wine is fermented for 15 days in in oak vats and are then transferred to oak storage containers for malolactic fermentation. The wines remain in these containers for 1 year. The Unico wine is aged for 7 years during which time it is transferred successively to barrels with less new oak characteristics. When the desired harmony of wood and wine is attained, the wine is placed into large wooden vats to await bottling. The wine is bottle-aged for three years. Annual production is approximately 7000 cases.

The Reserva Especial is a blend of three-years' harvests. One recent offering contained a blend of 1991 Unico (aroma), 1994 Unico (power), and 1995 Unico (quality of finish). These wines average $380 per bottle at retail.

I am an avid collector of Vega-Sicilia and have previously reported on my tastings of the 1970 and 1994 vintages on this blog.

ZDs Abacus

The ZD estate is located in Napa's Rutherford AVA and is the source of grapes for its Cabernet Sauvignon wines along with grapes from "low-yielding vineyards" In "recognized viticultural areas within Napa." Grapes for the ZD Cabernet Sauvignon are hand-harvested at full maturity and transported to the winery for destemming and crushing. The grapes are fermented in open-top stainless steel tanks for between 6 and 14 days, with cap punchdown occurring every 8 hours. After fermentation the wines are placed in 50 gallon oak barrels for 24 months of aging. The Reserve blend is aged for 36 months.

Abacus is a solera-type blend of all of the existing vintages of the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The first bottling was released in November of 1999 and contained elements of the 1992-1998 vintages. A total of 200 cases of the first bottling was produced.

Source:zdwines.com/abacus

The 14th bottling will be released in October 2012 and it will contain contributions of all Reserve vintages between 1992 and 2009. The 14th bottling is available from the winery at a pre-production price of $500 per bottle. The average price on wine-searcher.com for earlier bottlings is $380.

I have tasted this wine on many occasions and have never been disappointed. Click here for one of my tasting experiences.

2011 "New World" Wine Law Changes

2012-01-05T04:36:00.000-05:00

The Guild of Sommeliers has published a list of 2011 worldwide wine law changes and I have obtained their permission to reproduce it on this blog. 2011 French, Italian and German wine law changes have been covered in prior posts. This post covers "New World" wine law changes implemented in the same time period.

USA

The following new AVAs were approved by the TTB:

Southern Napa: Coombsville
Sonoma County: Fort Ross-Seaview. The coastal AVA is located with Sonoma Coast AVA, south of the Annapolis area.
Northern Sonoma County/Southern Mendocino County: Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak. Overlaps part of Alexander Valley.
Columbia Valley: Naches Heights

South Africa
Elandskloof is a new ward within Overberg. Napier is another new ward located in the Cape South Coast region. It is not located within a district.

Argentina
As of 2008, producers in Argentina may use the terms "Reserva" and "Gran Reserva" for white and red wines produced from certain varities. To qualify for "Reserva", white wines must age for a minimum six months prior to release, and reds must age for a minimum twelve months prior to release. Minimum aging increases to one and two years, respectively, for white and red "Gran Reserva" wines.

Chile
In 2011, the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture approved a new set of geographical terms, based on east/west geography rather than north/south geography (Ministry of Agriculture Decree # 16, an amendment to the original 1994 Decree # 464). Now producers may use the designations "Costa" (coast), "Entre Cordilleras" (between mountains), or "Andes" to reflect the proximity of their vineyards to the coast or the mountains. These new appellations may complement the existing appellations on labels in the future. A min. 85% of grapes must be grown in the listed appellation.

2011 Italy and Germany Wine Law Changes

2012-01-03T21:16:00.002-05:00

The Guild of Sommeliers has published a list of 2011 worldwide wine law changes and I have obtained their permission to reproduce it on this blog. 2011 French wine law changes were covered in a prior post. This post covers Italian and German wine law changes implemented in the same time period.

Italy
The following new DOCG zones were formally approved in 2011:

Veneto: Montello Rosso, Friularo di Bagnoli, Colli di Conegliano
Toscana: Rosso della Val di Cornia, Suvereto, Montecucco Sangiovese, Elba Aleatico Passito
Puglia: Castel del Monte Bombino Nero, Castel del Monte Nero di Troia, Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva, Tavoliere delle Puglia
Marches: Offida
Lazio: Frascati Superiore, Cannellino di Frascati
Fruili: Rosazzo
Emilia-Romagna: Colli Bolognesi Classico Pignoletto
Campania: Aglianico del Taburno

In Asti DOCG, three legal subzones now exist: Canelli, Strevi, and Santa Vittoria d'Alba. All three subzones only produce Moscato d'Asti. Maximum pressure for Moscato d'Asti has been raised to 2 atmospheres. Moscato d'Asti late harvest (Vendemmia Tardiva) wines may be produced.

Germany

VDP Erste Lage sweet wines may be released on May 1 of the year following the harvest. Grosses Gewächs dry whites are not released until September 1.

New World 2011 wine law changes will be covered in my next post.

2011 French Wine Law Changes

2012-01-03T00:55:00.004-05:00

The Guild of Sommeliers has published a list of 2011 worldwide wine law changes and I have obtained their permission to reproduce it on this blog. This post covers the French wine law changes with subsequent posts covering the remainder of Europe and the New World.

France Wine Law System
Confusion has reigned regarding the alignment of France's traditional appellation system with the Common Market Organization reforms of the EU, but it is now clear that AOC and AOP are intended to be complementary designations. AOP will not entirely replace AOC on labels; rather, producers have the choice of using one or the other. Vin de Pays and IGP are likewise complementary designations. VDQS has been eliminated, leaving three tiers of French wine appellations: AOC/AOP, Vin de Pays/IGP, and Vin de France.

Bordeaux:
"Côtes de Francs" was eliminated as a geographical designation for Bordeaux AOC/AOP.

Burgundy:
In 2011, maximum yield requirements for nearly all village, premier cru, and grand cru appellations were raised, as were the requirements for minimum must weights. Monopole grand crus now require manual harvesting—an amendment to AOC rules that reflects the tradition in these vineyards.
While Burgundy's greatest vineyards saw yields increase in 2011, base yields in the crus of Beaujolais decreased, from 58 hl/ha to 56 hl/ha.

Coteaux Bourguignons AOC/AOP is the new name for an old appellation, Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire. Blended red, rosé, and white wines are authorized.

Loire:
In Pays Nantais, 3 former VDQS zones received AOC/AOP status: Gros Plant du Pays Nantais, Fiefs Vendéens, and Coteaux d'Ancenis. In the tradition of Muscadet, Gros Plant wines may be labeled "Sur Lie". Coteaux d'Ancenis produces red and white wines; white wines from the appellation are off-dry, varietal versions of Pinot Gris.

In Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine, the "Cru Communaux" proposal raised over a decade ago has finally been adopted into AOC law. Three crus (subzones) now exist: Clisson, Gorges, and Le Pallet. It is expected that more will follow shortly. These wines are aged on the lees for a longer period of time than is legally allowed for the "Sur Lie" designation, and therefore may not list that term on the label.

In Anjou, two former crus (subzones) of Savennières are now fully-fledged, separate appellations: Savennières Coulée de Serrant AOC/AOP and Savennières Roche Aux Moines AOC/AOP. Both totally prohibit chaptalization, and each has tighter controls on yields, and higher minimum must weight and minimum potential alcohol requirements than the basic Savennières AOC/AOP.

In the Coteaux du Layon region, producers of Quarts du Chaume are legally allowed to label their wines as "grand cru" from the 2010 vintage forward. The new AOC regulations for the appellation bar cryo-extraction and require a new minimum 85 g/l of residual sugar, up from a prior 34 g/l. Quarts du Chaume now mandates the highest minimum residual sugar level of any non-fortified wine in France. With the approval of the "grand cru" designation for Quarts du Chaume, producers of Chaume (a geographic designation for Coteaux du Layon) may once again label their wines "premier cru".

In addition to Mesland, Amboise, and Azay-le-Rideau, Touraine AOC/AOP has 2 new subzones, Oisly and Chenonceaux. White wines from both subzones are produced solely from Sauvignon Blanc. Reds from Chenonceaux are blends of Cabernet Franc, Cot, and Gamay.

South of Touraine and Anjou, the former VDQS Haut-Poitou has been elevated to AOC/AOP status. Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc are the principal grapes for the region's white, red, and rosé wines.
In Central France, near St-Pourçain, Côtes d'Auvergne is now AOC/AOP.

Alsace and Lorraine:
Moselle joins Côtes de Toul as an AOC/AOP of Lorraine. The region's principal grapes are Pinot Noir and Auxerrois.

In Alsace, Riesling now has a maximum required residual sugar level. All varietal Riesling from Alsace AOC/AOP may contain no more than 9 g/l of residual sugar, making the wines effectively dry. This does not apply to wines labeled "Vendanges Tardives" or "Sélection de Grains Nobles", nor does it apply to Grand Cru wines or wines labeled as a lieu-dit. This applies from the 2008 harvest forward.

Several new geographic designations join Klevener de Heiligenstein under the Alsace AOC/AOP: Blienschwiller, Côtes de Barr, Scherwiller, Vallée Noble, Val Saint Grégoire, Wolxheim, Ottrott, Rodern, Saint-Hippolyte and Côte de Rouffach.

Southern France and the Rhône

In Provence, white wines have been added to the Les Baux de Provence AOC/AOP.

Going forward, Rasteau's VDN wines will be labeled in a manner similar to Rivesaltes. White VDN wines are either "blanc" or "ambré", indicating either a fresher or a more oxidative, tawny style. Red VDN wines are "grenat" or "tuilé". Maury and Banyuls have adopted these terms as well.

Maury AOC/AOP may now produce non-fortified, dry reds. Maury and Baixas, which appeared as subzones for Côtes du Roussillon-Villages in early 2011 on the INAO's official site, are not listed in the appellation's most recent revision of its regulations.

Languedoc's system of Grand Crus and Grand Vins is seemingly still under discussion and revision. As of the close of 2011, the Languedoc AOC/AOP subzones La Clape and Pic-St-Loup have not yet achieved AOC/AOP status.

In Southwest France, a number of former VDQS zones now enjoy AOC/AOP status: Estaing, Entraygues-Le Fel, Brulhois, Côtes de Millau, Coteaux du Quercy, Saint-Mont, Saint Sardos, and Tursan.

The subzone "Bellocq" in Béarn has been eliminated.

The minimum percentage of Tannat in the Madiran encépagement has been raised to 60%.

Select list of the best wines tasted in 2011

2011-12-30T07:12:00.010-05:00

Over the last few weeks I have seen a number of articles on the best wines of 2011 but hard as I looked, I couldn't find any of the wines that had moved me during the past year. So I decided to create my own list. This is a list of the best wines I tasted in 2011, regardless of vintage. These wines were, for the most part, consumed at our Orlando tasting events and were acclaimed wines of the flight, and in some cases, wine of the night, by our tasting panels. There is no preferential ranking implied other than chronological. So here goes.

The first set of wines is drawn from our 13-vintage Dominus tasting:

Dominus 1984 Nose of ripe red fruit. Earthy. Sweet fruit, coffee, tobacco, and earth in the mouth.
Dominus 1992 Beautiful nose of cassis fruits, cedar, earth, and coffee. Nicely balanced with good fruit structure.
Dominus 1994 Yes it was richer and more opulent than the 1991. Huge ripe black fruits, spice, earth, and truffle with amazing texture and a super-long finish.
Dominus 2007 Nose of sweet ripe red fruits and licorice. Richer and denser on the palate than both the 2005 and the 2006.

The next wine on the list was tasted as a part of the Italian Wine Merchant's tasting held at my home:

Valpolicella Superiore 2001 from legendary producer Giuseppe Quintarelli. Aged for six (6) years in Slovenian oak, this wine did not reach the marketplace until eight (8) years post-harvest, a massive amount of time for a Valpolicella. The wine is made in the Ripasso style, where the finished Valpolicella wine is passed through the pomace (crushed grapes, skins, etc.) from the production of Amarone. The wine was phenomenal, presenting a nose of flowers, dried fruit, dark caramel, and figs. The aromas carried over to the palate, with some hints of earth and licorice added for good measure.

The 1982 Bordeaux tasting held at the Bull and Bear yielded quite a few gems:

L'Evangile 1982. Aromas of dried rose petals, potpourri, acorn-fed meat, prosciutto, sugar cane, and cedar box. On the palate reinforcement of aromas along with a chocolate creaminess and long finish.
Leoville Las Cases 1982 had notes of of carmelized chocolate pudding, fresh pine, spice box, vanilla, and sweet tobacco. This wine was concentrated, a "big boy." On the palate, stiff tannins with a rich, lush, long finish. This wine was still in a youthful phase.
Cos d'Estournel 1982 Notes of black fruit. Rich and concentrated with black olives showing through on the palate. Balanced, with acidity and fruit retention.
Pichon Lalande 1982 Roasted pine nuts and coffee. Lush creaminess. Well balanced. Very long finish.
La Mission Haut-Brion 1982 Notes of mushrooms, earth, tobacco, molasses, and dried stewed fruits. Layered, complex, with a long finish.
Laville Haut-Brion 1982. Notes of crushed pineapple, ocean air, boat exhaust, linseed oil, and a certain waxiness. On the palate, freshness, gasoline, smoked lychees, stony minerality, volcanic ash. Dry, balancd finish. Vino da meditazione.

As did our A World of Cabernet Sauvignon tasting:

Ducru-Beaucaillou 2003 On the nose hints of chocolate, clove, and ripe fruit. On the palate a good mouthfeel, structure, and body with persistent soft tannins on the backend. This wine had a Napa structure -- a result of the heat in Bordeaux in 2003 -- without the jamminess and alcohol. Excellent finish.
Heitz Martha’s Vineyard 1985 This wine was huge and expansive on the nose. Hints of graphite, chocolate, leather, tobacco, asian spice and earth co-exist with a decided creaminess. The wine retains some acidity, is silky smooth, balanced, and elegant with a long finish. This is the way California wines used to be.
Leonetti Reserve 2003 Raspberry and blackberry on the nose along with a certain creaminess. The components of the wine hang together well. Beef stock and petrol flavors. Well integrated tannins. Described by one panelist as "refreshing and in a perfect place in terms of development."

Two wines stood out at our Missing Link(s) tasting:

Magrez Fombrauge 2000 Aromatic. Ripe. Opulent. Surprisingly well balanced. Seamless and seductive.
Masseto 1996 Terroir-driven. Coffee. Smooth. Great texture and complexity. Grippiness. Concentrated but not weighty.

Flight winners from our 1996-vintage Champagne tasting sparkled:

Pol Roger Cuveé Sir William Churchill Brut 1996 This wine showed amazing balance, a laser-like focus on fruit and acidity, and notes of buttered apple and pear danish.
Deutz Cuveé William Rosé 1996 Freshest, most vibrant, and most open of the Rosés. Rhubarb and sherry.
Krug Brut 1996 Off the charts in intensity. Its bracing acidity, steely minerality, and fruit structure are reminiscent of a great Chablis. Notes of toast, marrow, and sea shell.

Non-Sparkling wines from the post-Champagne-tasting dinner:

Gruard Larose 1961 Cigar box, tar, minerals, brush.
Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape 2000 Meat, herbs, cherry, vanilla, brambles, cigar box, mint.

A number of wines tasted in less formal settings demand attention:

Fiorano 1985 Dark gold in color. Lively. Earthy. Waxy.
Antinori Solaia 2001 Blackcurrant, earth, coffee and vanilla. Balanced wine with a smooth texture and a long finish.
Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano 1999 Dark fruit, sweet tobacco, new leather and spices.
Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano 2001 Ripe and fruit-endowed. Fine tannins.

A number of wines deserving of honorable mention include 2004 Abreu Madrona Ranch, 2004 Abreu Thorevilos Vineyard, 2007 Ovid, and 1992 Guigal La Mouline.

In discussing this list with Russell last night, his wine of the year was the Laville Haut-Brion 1982. I do not disagree with his choice as that was truly a phenomenal wine. But by a thin margin I will give the nod to the 1982 L'Evangile, because every time I open a bottle of this wine it is orgasmic.

So there it is. Fire away.

2011 Blog Year in Review and Foreshadowings of 2012

2011-12-29T06:28:00.007-05:00

This was a very satisfying year as I endeavored to share my learnings on wine and the wine world, colored as it is by my Orlando domicile. It was satisfying because: (i) I exit the year knowing more about wine than I did at the beginning (yet this is but a drop in the bottomless wine-knowledge bucket); (ii) I secured my WSET Level 3 certification; (iii) I have been enriched by meeting and interacting with wine lovers from all corners of the world; and (iv) I have been able, through the platform that this blog provides, to share my experiences and learnings with other inquisitive wine lovers from around the world.

Over the course of the year I have put pen to paper (or, more correctly, fingers to keyboard) 91 times (an average of 7.58 times per month, 1.75 times per week) to write posts of interest to me. My posts were concentrated in the following broad categories (ranked by frequency): wine regions; wine tastings; wine culture; book reviews; and soils. Posts not falling into one of these categories are lumped into a catch-all called "other."

I have always sought -- without reward -- a single source for comprehensive information on global wine regions. In order to fill this perceived need, I have been writing periodical posts on wine regions associated with stories I am already covering. My hope is that this will allow me to build a substantial wine region data base over the course of a number of years. The table below shows the wine regions covered in this blog this year listed in order of appearance (See the tab above for the wine regions covered over the life of the blog). The Douro region stood out for me based on its antiquity, its beauty, and the extreme environment in which grapes are grown for the production of quality wine.

I attended a number of wine tastings during the course of the year, but, for the most part, only wrote extensively about sit-down affairs. The table below shows the wine tasting events that were covered by the blog. As can be seen, our group does not sit around waiting for formal organizations to take the lead in putting on tastings. We follow our taste buds. The La Mission tasting was impressive, held as it was at London's Trinity House and presided over by HRH Prince Robert of Luxembourg (President of Domaine Clarence Dillon) and Jean-Philippe Delmas (Estate Manager). The 13-vintage Dominus tasting was held in less-impressive surroundings but the number of times that this post has been read is a testament to the esteem in which this label is held.

Prompted by an article in the Huffington Post that took the position that American wine culture was on the ascendancy -- due to the fact that our wine consumption had surpassed that of the French -- I wrote a piece titled The Myth of an American Wine Culture which argued that, based on the anthropological definition of culture, we lacked a true wine culture. An Inside IWM blog post took me to task slightly for my conclusion and this fueled a number of articles further detailing my thoughts on an American wine culture, the movement towards a global wine drinking architecture, and several posts on the demise of the French wine drinking culture and potential solutions to the malaise. I found the research in this area fascinating and hope to further leverage my anthropological background to do additional work in this area in 2012.

I reviewed four books this year (Passion of the Vine, Wine Drinking Culture in France, The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, and A Toast to Bargain Wines) and, while each affected me in its own way, I was most influenced by Wine Drinking Culture in France. This book, as stated in my review, "is a dense, scholarly effort which ... utilizes disciplines as diverse as sociology, political science, philosophy, law, and consumer market research to lay out a framework and context for a French wine drinking culture and its evolution through the years." The principles and arguments contained in this book informed my views on wine drinking architectures and cultures and the demise of the French wine drinking culture. See the tab above for all of my Book Reviews.

An article on the differences between forests grown on sedimentary and non-sedimentary bedrock appeared in the September 1 issue of Nature. The authors attributed this difference to the release of trapped nitrogen from the sedimentary bedrock during normal weathering processes and this led to my proposition that a number of the great vineyards in the world could have been unknowing beneficiaries of this phenomenon. The research requirements associated with this post sparked an interest in the role of soils in wine grape production and led to two subsequent posts on the topic as well as development of a soils-type page on this site. I expect to continue exploration of this topic in 2012.

During the course of the year I made four wine-oriented trips to Europe that provided valuable source material for 2011 posts. Early in the year I travelled to London for the Institute of Masters of Wine La Mission Haut-Brion vertical tasting and while there interviewed Sarah Kemp, Decanter Publishing Director. In early summer I visited Tuscany with Bordeaux Index and while there visited Montalcino and Bolgheri, after having feasted within the hallowed Florentine walls of Enoteca Pinchiori. In late summer I visited Porto and the Douro wine region with Decanter followed by an early fall trip to the European Wine Bloggers Conference in Brescia, Italy. The post-conference trip to Friuli-Venezia Giulia informed much of my late-year postings. I expect to continue to source material from Europe in the upcoming blog year with the 2012 European Wine Bloggers Conference in Turkey already on my agenda. Given this region's potential position as the home of wine, I expect to be posting a few articles on vitis vinifera and the origins of wine in 2012.

My "Occupy" moment this year centered around the battle to change the requirements for Rosso di Montalcino. The Brunello Consorzio had proposed the changes and called for a vote. A number of voices were raised in opposition to the proposal and I lent my voice to the cause. I had an overwhelming sense of relief when Brunello producers voted down the proposal.

Bye bye 2011. Seemed like you just got here. Gone too soon.

1996 Vintage Champagne Tasting at Vintage Vino

2011-12-21T10:27:00.003-05:00

Vintage Vino is a wine shop in Kissimmee, Florida best known for being the site of Ron Siegel's 13-vintage Dominus tasting. Well, Ron and Vintage Vino teamed up again to showcase a number of Champagnes from the spectacular 1996 vintage in an event titled '96 Champgne Tasting and Dinner. The event combined a three-flight tasting of Champagnes from that heralded vintage followed by a 5-course dinner prepard by Chef Josh from the Ravenous Pig, one of the leading restaurants in the Orlando area. But first, the vintage.

The 1996 vintage in Champagne was one of the most highly acclaimed in recent memory. Superlatives abounded. "Exceeded all expectations." Most successful vintage for Champagne since ... 1990" "Best vintage since 1928." What seemed to catch the eye of the experts was the combination of ripeness of fruit and high levels of acidity, a state of affairs resulting from the growing season depicted in the figure below.

So it was with great anticipation that we showed up at Vintage Vino last evening. The tasting had been organized into three flights of three wines each:

Flight 1:
1996 Pol Roger Cuveé Sir William Churchill Brut
1996 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne
1996 Philipponat Clos des Goisses

Flight 2:
1996 Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé Grand Cru
1996 Deutz Cuveé William Rosé
1996 Moet et Chandon Dom Perignon Rosé

Flight 3:
1996 Moet et Chandon Dom Perignon
1996 Louis Roederer Cristal
1996 Krug Brut

The details of the tasting are reported brilliantly here by Steve Alcorn, one of my tasting companions, on his blog.

The tasting notes of the event organizer, Ron Siegel, are presented below.

The Champagnes were amazing and having them served side by side was a great way to compare and identify house styles. In the 1^st flight, the clear winner at our table was the Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill. It showed amazing balance, a laser-like focus on fruit and acidity, notes of buttered apple and some pear Danish; really a beautiful wine. This was followed by the Taittinger CdC which showed some earth and toast on the nose with a beautiful sour green apple on the palette. The Clos des Goisses showed a more oxidative note which some compared in style to the Jacques Selosse Substance which uses a solera aging system going back to 1986 (Cider and baked apple were the distinguishing notes on this wine).
The 2^nd flight (Rosé) did not show as well as the other two flights. The favorite at our table was the Deutz Cuvee William which seemed the freshest, most vibrant, and most "open for business" with a nose of Rhubarb and some sherry-like notes. I have gone through 6 bottles of this wine and can’t seem to keep my hands off it. This also happened to be the lowest- priced Champagne of the night.

This was followed by the Dom which happens to be one of the most expensive and I felt this night did not live up to its lofty reputation, maybe it needed more time in the glass to really show its stuff or it was off. There were notes of orange, horse saddle, sweat, and some felt a slight brettiness on the nose. No one thought that the Ruinart tasted like a prestige cuvee, most found it simple and uninteresting, comparing it to their non-vintage Rosé.

I felt that the 3^rd flight was spectacular. All of the wines lived up to their reputations of being long-lived and some of the best Champagnes in the world. The WOTN, and most everyone’s favorite, was the Krug. This Champagne was off the charts in intensity. Its bracing acidity -- showing green apple -- steely minerality, and fruit structure reminded me of a great Chablis. There were also notes of toast, marrow, and sea shell. This will turn out to be one of the greatest Krugs ever made! The Dom was also showing well. It had nice structure and a long finish with crème brulee and roasted nuts along with some spicy citrus. A great Dom. The Cristal, which I feel usually needs more time to open than the Dom, showed beautiful fruit and acid structure with florality, some apple and pear along with a lemony citrus and brioche.

It was a great night and lots of fun!

Port Master Class with Paul Symington, CEO Symington Family Estates: Decanter Great Port Wine Weekend

2011-12-16T11:27:00.001-05:00

I will use the Douro soil discussion from my previous post as a springboard to launch me back to Portugal and the events surrounding Decanter's Great Port Wine Weekend. It has been awhile. On Friday morning we were scheduled to tour and taste at both the Taylor's and Graham's Port Lodges. The tasting at Graham's was led by Paul Symington, CEO of Symington Family Estates, and I report on that event in this post.

The Symingtons have been involved in the Port business through their grandmother's line since 1652 and in Port production since 1882. The family is the largest vineyard owner in the Douro with 947 hectares under vine in 27 separate estates. The family has direct ownership of five Port Houses (Graham's, Cockburn's, Dow's Warre's, and Smith Woodhouse) and the fabled Quinta do Vesuvio. The family is currently responsible for 30% of the world's production of Premium Port.

Source: warres.com

After completing the tour of the Graham's Lodge, we were led upstairs to a light, airy room with a long table running down the center. Ten glasses, each with a tasting portion of wine, stood at each seating position.

According to the sheet lying beside the glasses, we would be tasting: Graham's Six Grapes, Graham's Late Bottled Vintage 2006, Graham's 10 Year Old Tawny, Graham's 20 Year Old Tawny, Graham's Crusted 2004, Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos 1999, Graham's 2007 Vintage Port, Dow's 2007 Vintage Port, Warre's 2007 Vintage Port, and Warre's 2009 Vintage Port. Based on the lineup, this was a Graham's tasting with the Dow's and Warre's 2007 Vintage Ports thrown in for comparison with the 2007 Graham's Vintage Port. The Warre's 2009 Vintage Port was a limited-edition bottling which commemorated the liberation of Oporto in 1809.

Graham's, with its acquisition of Quinta dos Malvedos, was one of the first Port companies to invest in the Upper Douro. Today Graham's is considered one of the top Port houses in the world. Its complement of estates, their sizes, and the distribution of varieties grown are shown in the figures below.

Source: W. and J. Graham's Port

The characteristics of the Douro region, in general, and the soil, in particular, have been described previously, as has been the viniculture as it relates to Quinta do Vesuvio. The vinicultural processes for Graham's is similar to Quinta do Vesuvio except for the widespread use of mechanical treaders in lieu of foot-treading. Graham's feels that mechanical treading allows better temperature control during the fermentation process and is more reliable in a time of diminishing availability of human resources.

The first wine tasted was the Graham's Six Grapes. According to Graham's, this wine is sourced from Quinta dos Malvedos and Quinta das Lages, the source for Vintage Port in declared years. These wines are bottled young in order to present a profile that is not dissimilar to a young Vintage Port. This wine has been aged in wood. Pepper on the nose. This wine is smooth, elegant, balanced with great structure and acidity.

Next up was the Graham's Late Bottled Vintage 2006. LBVs mature for an average of 5 years in seasoned oak casks prior to bottling. The grapes for this particular wine is sourced mostly from Quinta dos Malvedos. This wine has a rich, structured, perfumed nose accompanying elegance and restraint. Good acidity, caramel, butterscotch and a nice clean finish.

Graham's Tawny Ports, according to Paul Symington, are made in an "old woody style" through being aged in 534-liter oak casks. The wines are a blend of several years production and generally present with a light amber color. The 10 Year Old Tawny was pale in color and had hints of almond, cinnamon, honey and butterscotch on the nose. Unctous and rich on the palate with great acidity. Delicate, clean finish. The 20 Year Old Tawny had a green tinge on the nose along with walnut, almond, cinnamon, and vanilla. Some oxidation. Rich, syrupy, slight medicinal quality, buttered popcorn, and nuttiness on the palate.

According to Graham's, its Crusted Port is made from a selection of young ports from two to three harvests from Quinta dos Malvedas, Quinta das Lages, Vila Velha, and Vale de Malhadas. The wines are blended, assigned to oak casks, and are then bottled and stored for a further three years of maturation prior to sale. The Graham's Crusted 2004 had a deep dark nose of purple fruit and molasses along with butterscotch and almonds. A lot of fruit and power on the palate. Good acidity. Bitter finish.

In declared years, the wines from the Malvedos vineyard serve as the backbone for the Vintage but in non-vintage years they serve as the basis for a single-vineyard vintage offering called Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos. The Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos 1999 had an elegant, restrained nose with hints of cinnamon, vanilla, and spice. On the palate it was rich and creamy with dark chocolate flavors.

The 2007 Vintage was widely hailed by all members of the Port fraternity. Conditions were sunny but relatively cool and the resultant even and balanced ripening produced, according to 2007 Vintage Ports, "... wonderfully elegant wines, with superb vibrant fruit quality as well as the crisp acidity and firm tannins required for a long life in bottle." The Graham's 2007 Vintage Port was elegant, with rich ripe fruit. Clean taste with some drying on the finish. The Dow's 2007 Vintage Port was edgy and full-bodied. Dark fruit and good acidity. Warre's 2007 Vintage Port was elegant with a spicy bite and good acidity.

The year 2009 was very interesting in the Douro. Taylor Fladgate declared vintages for Taylor, Fonseca, and Croft but Symington refrained from doing so for any of its major houses with the exception of one. In an email exchange with Adrian Bridge, Managing Partner of Taylor Fladgate, Paul Symington referenced his family's pedigree in the Port trade and the reputation of his company as being key reasons for only declaring a vintage when he has produced a truly exceptional wine. The implication was that such was not the case for the 2009 vintage. In that same communication he did mention that the company would be declaring a 500-case Warre 2009 Vintage in honor of John Warre, a Major in the Portuguese wing of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese army that faced Napolean, who played a key role in the 1809 battle that liberated Oporto. A portion of the proceeds from each case (₤48) would be donated to a fund for soldiers wounded in the war in Afghanistan. The Warre's 2009 Vintage Port exhibited a perfumed nose and dark fruit and dark chocolate on the palate.

This was a special treat in that it was supposed to be a tasting but quickly became a master class. Paul's wide-ranging knowledge of the history of the region, the Port trade, and his wines, coupled with his tasting capability, resulted in an exceptional experience for the Decanter readers.

Growing grapes in soil-challenged environments: Carso (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy) and Douro (Portugal) wine regions

2011-12-15T05:59:00.000-05:00

I have previously noted the importance of soil as a key influencer on the growth of the vine plant through the provision of: (i) a supply of water; (ii) anchorage in the ground; and (iii) a source of nutrition. The Douro (Portugal) and Carso (Friula-Venezia Giulia, Italy) wine regions are separated by the land mass that is Portugal and Spain, the full width of the Mediterranean Sea, and the Italian land mass but they have in common a lack of a classic soil profile as represented in the graphic below. Even with this challenge, both

Source: westone.wa.gov.au

regions still manage to produce high-quality wines. In this post I will detail the challenges presented to both regions and compare and contrast the solutions they have implemented in order to mitigate said challenges.

Carso DOC lies on a Karst landscape and is subject to all of its vicissitudes: lack of a surface-water web; no water retention; hard, rocky surface with no surface soil or vegetation. The Douro soil is schistose with granite at the borders and, in some cases, penetrating horizontally into the schist layers. Prior to its current state, the Douro land under vine was characterized by "the presence of bedrock at less than 15 cm (5 inches) below the surface" (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP)). This was untenable for vine growth given the rooting requirements of the vine.

In both Carso and Douro, viticulturists have found ways to get around nature's lack of gifts and to create environments wherein grape vines can thrive. In the case of Carso, vineyards are prepared by cutting away any vegetation existing on the rocky surface and then digging down into the limestone to remove the roots. Yellow soil trucked in from Trieste is laid to a depth of 3 meters and is then overlaid with 0.5 meter of Carso red (terra rossa) soil. This red soil -- found in collapsed caves called Dolina -- is rich in iron and lime but poor in organic components. According to IVDP, the Douro soil has been created by man "digging down deeply and forcing the vertically layered rock to break up, thus totally altering its original disposition and creating changes to its original morphology, added to which he has applied fertilizers." This scarification has resulted in soils with depths of between 1 and 1.3 meters. In both cases the roots take advantage of the pliability/makeup of the underlying bedrock to dive to great depths.

In both regions the manufactured soil profile consists of three layers. Carso soil has a 0.5-meter layer of terra rossa, a 3-meter layer of yellow soil, and then bedrock. The pH of this soil is essentially neutral. The Douro soil profile consists of a 12.5-cm layer -- "the result of the digging that is done around the roots of the vines every year" -- followed by a layer of between 87.5 centimeters and 1.17 meters thickness, and then bedrock. The composition of this topsoil is a clay-rock mix with (IVDP): little organic matter; low calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous levels; and medium-high levels of potassium. The soil pH is predominantly acid (4.6-6.5). The low nutrient levels in the region will act to reduce yield and retard fruit ripening if unaddressed. The solution is the application of fertilizers for the macronutrients and foliar sprays for the boron deficiency. Lime is added to the soil as necessary to counteract the effects of low pH.

Carso terra rossa soil

Douro surface soil at Quinta do Vesuvio

The resulting vineyard architectures are similar in that both Carso and the Douro employ terracing. In Carso, the vineyards reside on stone terraces and vines are Albaretto-trained. In the Cante vineyard, the density is 8500 vines/hectare, a situation necessitated by the expense associated with creating each acre of vineyard. In the Douro the vines reside on hillside terraces and are Guyot- or cordon-trained. Planting density is on the order of 6000 vines/hectare. Drip irrigation is utilized in Carso but is shunned in the Douro.

Albaretto-trained vines in Carso

Terracing in Carso

Terraces in Douro (Quinta do Vesuvio)

Production levels differ greatly between the two regions. Given the ready availability of raw materials, and the size of the region, the Douro has by far the greater number of hectares under vine. But due to the relatively harsh conditions in which the grapes are grown, the berries from both regions are small and thick-skinned with high skin-to-pulp ratios.

These regions were both handed a similar challenge -- lack of a readily apparent wine growing region -- but pioneers living therein saw it not as a problem but as a challenge. And both regions met the challenge in their own inimitable way.

The Carso DOC of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

2011-12-08T09:46:00.001-05:00

Between Trieste and Collio Goriziano, and running from the Gulf of Trieste over the border into Slovenia, lies a rocky strip of land called the Karst (German; Carso in Italian and Kras in Slovenian) Plateau, an area whose name, according to Gams (Origin of the term "karst," and the transformation of the classical karst (Kras), Environmental Geology 21(3), pp. 110-114), derives from a pre-Indo-European word "karra" which means stony. And stony it is.

A karst landscape forms when water interacts with soluble bedrock, such as limestone or dolostone, to create an environment that is riven with unique landscape shapes and underground rivers and caverns. This condition arises when falling rain picks up carbon dioxide (either from the atmosphere or ground) and forms carbonic acid. This mildly acidic solution dissolves the surface of the soluble bedrock and, over time, creates distinct surface shapes and underground cavities and drainage systems.

The characteristics of a karst landscape are :

Absence of a surface water web
Partial or total lack of soil
Irregular plateau
Closed depressions
Rocky, stony surface which reflects a higher degree of the sun's radiation than say a gneiss surface
Limited vegetation cover due to a lack of soil and surface water

Karst landscapes exist in many parts of the world but the area in the Slovene-Italian region was the first to be subjected to rigorous scientific study and, as a result, is called Classical Karst.

And it is in this area that we find the Carso DOC of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. Bounded by the Gulf of Trieste, the border with Slovenia, Vipacco River, the Gorizia-Monfalcone Railway Line, and the A4 Autostrade, this land is a testament to man's perserverance, patience, and ingenuity. Cultivating land here is a hard, intense, expensive process.

The Carso climate is maritime Mediterranean at the coast and continental approaching the Julian Alps. A sea breeze -- Yugo -- during the day time keeps the vineyard dry while a nightime breeze --Tramate -- brings the temperatures down at night. A strong northeast winter wind called Bora-- named after the Greek mythological figure Boreas (the North Wind) -- pummels the area in the winter time with gusts that can reach up to 120 km/hr.

I have just described the karst landscape and it is not vine-friendly in its native state because of a lack of surface soil. Vineyards are prepared by cutting away any vegetation and then digging down into the limestone to take away the roots of the old vegetation. Yellow soil from Trieste is then trucked in and laid to a depth of 3 meters. This soil levels the ground as well as retains some humidity in the environment. One-half meter of Carso red soil is overlain on the base Trieste soil. This red (terra rossa) soil is found in collapsed caves called Dolina and is both hard to find and expensive. This soil is rich in iron and lime but poor in organic components. This soil is the result of the mixing of calcium carbonate solutions from the bedrock with blown sand from the Sahara and Sahel regions of Africa.

Vineyards reside on stone terraces and vines are Albaretto-trained. In the Cante vineyard, the density is 8500 vines/hectare, a situation necessitated by the expense associated with creating each acre of vineyard.

Grapes are hand-harvested. DOC wines must contain 85% of the stated variety with the remainder from permitted varieites of the same color. The permitted varieties are the major internationals plus two indigenous whites -- Vitovska and Malvasia -- and one indigenous red -- a strain of Refosco called Terrano. The Vitovska is a cross between the Malvasia and Prosecco varieties. A Rosso is also produced from 70% Terrano and the remainder from other permitted red grapes.

The influence of soils on grape vine growth

2011-12-05T04:11:00.001-05:00

The Douro (Portugal) and Carso (Friula-Venezia Giulia, Italy) wine regions are separated by the land mass that is Portugal and Spain, the full width of the Mediterranean Sea, and the Italian land mass but they have in common a lack of a "native" soil. Even with this challenge, both regions still manage to produce high-quality wines. I will detail the challenges presented to both regions and the solutions of choice but will precede that discussion with some background on soils and their role in the production of quality wine.

According to Christopher Bargman (Geology and wine in South Africa, Geoscientist 15(4), April 2005), soil is the major influence on the growth of the vine plant as it provides: (i) a supply of water; (ii) anchorage in the ground; and (iii) a source of nutrition. According to education.mhusa.com, " soil is more than just dirt." It is, instead, "... a complex system of decomposed rocks that have been enriched over time by decomposed organic matter." The classic soil profile is shown below.

Source: westone.wa.gov.au

Adequate amounts of the appropriate nutrients are required to support proper growth of the vine, fruit development, and fruit maturity. The table below shows the mineral requirements of the vine plant, the role of each mineral, acceptable ranges of each mineral in the soil, and the impact of mineral deficiency on the vine.

Source: Compiled from LGRGP.org and others

The key factors in nutrient availability are soil type, soil composition, and root structure.

The soil type dictates the quality of nutrients present and the adequacy of water drainage. Our soil-type page shows the different types of soil that are of interest to the viticulturist. The optimal soil type has a moderate content of low cation exchange capability (CEC) clay (Clay minerals act as harbors for nutrients because the positive ions of the nutrients are trapped by the negative charge of the clay minerals. The abundance and types of minerals determine whether the clay is classed as low- or high-CEC.).

Soil composition affects root growth and development and the availability of nutrients for soil uptake. Areas of interest here are soil pH, texture, and drainage.

Soil pH is a measure of the acidity (3.5 - 6.5) or alkalinity (7.4 - 9.0) of soil which, through its influence on nutrient solubility and micro-organism activity, affects the number and types of nutrients in the soil. Soil pH between 6 and 7 is considered optimal for vine plant growth as most of the needed nutrients and micro-organisms are available in that range. Alkaline or acidic soils can be chemically treated to bring them closer to optimal.

Soil texture refers to the nature, size, shape, orientation, and arrangement of particles. In our soil-type page we showed that sand, silt, and clay have standalone properties which are transformed when the soils are combined. Clay forms flexible elastic bridges between soil particles to maintain soil structure and preserve porosity. Pebbles and rocks in clay-rich soils break up the soil, providing pathways for water and root penetration. Deep, rich soils will provide high-vigor growth and large, watery grapes.

Drainage Water is needed to transport nutrients to the vine plant roots. Sandy, well-drained soils with little or no clay mineral content may provide inadequate amounts of nutrition, leading to reduced grape quality and a vegetal taste in the wine. Soils which retain too much water will exclude the oxygen needed for the nitrogen cycle.

Root Structure The roots of the vine plant: i) anchor the vine; ii) absorb water and nutrients; iii) store nutrients that nourish the plant during dormancy; and iv) produce hormones that control plant functions. The vine deploys a three-part structure to meet these varied needs. First, quick-growing, short-lived roots deployed close to the service are tasked with moisture collection. Second, subterranean roots provide the anchoring function. The principal roots are tasked with nutrient delivery and storage. According to UCDavis, about 60% of the root structure of a vine plant can be found in the first two feet of the surface but individual roots can grow as deep as 20 feet depending on soil permeability, the level of the water table, and the rootstock variety.

Now that we understand the role of soils in the wine grape environment, we can go on to the next step in the Douro and Carso wine regions comparison.

Schioppettino di Prepotto, the variety brought back from the dead

2011-12-02T10:31:00.007-05:00

"I unreservedly recommend the wines of Schioppettino di Prepotto. High-quality, fresh, food-craving wines of great consistency." Thus did I tweet on October 27, 2011, after reflecting on a tasting of seven Schioppettino wines with the Association Produttori Schioppettino di Prepotto at Ristorante Al Monastero in Cividale del Friuli on October 10, 2011. And that is still my position today.

The Schioppettino grape -- also known as Ribolla Nera and Pokalça -- is native to the Prepotto commune of the Cialla zone of Colli Orientali del Friuli but is currently grown in other Friuli-Venezia Giulia communes (Buttrio and Manzano, for example) and in Sonoma County in the US. Prepotto occupies a 30-square-kilometer area in the Judrio River Valley and shares a border with Slovenia.

Source: Associazione Produttori Schioppettino di Prepotto

The Prepotto climate varies between Mediterranean and continental but experiences significant temperature differentials between day and night which contributes to the aromas and flavors of the wine. The dry wind that blows along the river valley serves as a preventative against rot. The soil is alluvial marl and sandstone covered by a thin layer of clay or gravel.

Schioppettino, a late-ripening variety: is blue-black in color; is thick-skinned; grows in long, large, winged bunches; has a predilection for clayey, calcium-carbonate-enriched soils; and has a low tolerance for common vineyard diseases.

Like Lazarus, Schioppettino was raised from the dead. References stretch as far back as 1282 but the variety fell victim to the ravages of phylloxera and then competition from international varieties. By the 1960s, less than 100 Schioppettino vines were in existence and it was banned as an illegal variety. Then along came Sig Pancho Rapazzi. He founded a vineyard in Ciallo in the late 1960s and sought out every Schioppettiano vine that he could find to plant on his estate. His efforts paid off when the Prepotto local council met in 1977 and one of the agenda items was "defense of Schiopettino at risk of extinction." The EEC regulation in 1978 added Schioppettino to the vine species authorized for cultivation in the province of Udine and the variety was listed as authorized in 1981. The 1983 EEC regulation -- EEC 3582/83 -- included Schioppettino among the recommended varieties for the province of Udine. DOC status was attained in 1987. The producer association was formed in 2002 and its efforts led to the designation of the subzone Schioppettino di Prepotto in 2008. The association's production requirements are indicated below.

After leaving the Bastianich Winery tasting, we headed into Cividade for a walking tour of the city and a Schioppettino tasting with the regional producers. It was raining when we got into town so @aleskimethonen, a second blogger, and I found a small wine shop in which to hang out until lunchtime. We arrived at the restaurant where the tasting was to be held at the same time as our larger group but were drier and in better spirits. We entered the front section of the restaurant and then were led through a courtyard to a second section where tables had been set up in a u-shaped fashion to support the tasting.

As soon as we were all seated, they began to pour the wines. While the wines were being poured the President of the Association welcomed us to Cividale and Prepotto. As the wines were being poured I was struck by the intensity of the color. I tasted the first four wines and was struck by the consistency of aromas and flavors with the only distinguishing characteristic being increasing weight on the palate as I went from right to left. On the nose, blackberries, violets, and some spice. On the palate medium-bodied and fresh with good extension on the finish. I liked this wine. Then they brought out the meal, which was capped with a wild boar offering, and the wines truly excelled in this environment.

The wines tasted at this event were Stanig 2009, Grillo 2008, Pizzulin 2008, Vigna Lenuzza 2008, Vigna Petrussa 2008, La Buse dal Lof 2007, and La Viarte 2007.

"I unreservedly recommend the wines of Schioppettino di Prepotto. High-quality, fresh, food-craving wines of great consistency."

James Beard Nominees Charity Dinner at Cress Restaurant: The Spinoff

2011-11-30T05:33:00.001-05:00

In an earlier post on the Cress Restaurant James Beard Nominees Charity Dinner, I had described how my wife became caught up in a bidding war to secure two tickets to dine with Chef Hari Pulapaka of said restaurant. Bill Budzinski, owner of Elusive Grape, had spiced the offer up by promising that Chef Hari and his wife Jenneffer would join the lucky "winners" for dinner. Further, Bill and his wife would also join the party and he would supply the wine. Hence a three-way bidding war. One of the wiser combatants called a truce just as things were about to really go off the deep end and proposed that the three parties split the current bid amount equally -- that's how bad it had gotten -- and would all participate in the dinner. I jumped at that deal on behalf of my wife before she had a chance to do any alpha-dog stuff.

The dinner was set for Sunday, November 27th. One of the winning bidders could not make the date but gave us permission to press on. So we did. Eight of us in a downtown Deland restaurant that was closed to members of the public. As I stepped into the restaurant I noted that it had been set up such that the focus was on a centrally located, tastefully appointed table. The lighting in the restaurant was somewhat restrained. The wines for the night were arrayed on the bar to the southern side of the restaurant. Napkins were carefully draped across every place setting and folded, sealed menus nestled comfortably on them.

We were the first to arrive, followed in rapid succession by our fellow diners. We greeted each other with a sense of anticipation. We were going in and we were going in together. I was ready. I had eaten lightly during the course of the day because Chef had promised us a meal fit for a Rajah.

We were welcomed to the event by Jenneffer who thanked us for our contributions to the success of the original charity dinner and reminded us that the charities which had benefited from the event were The Taste of Orlando and Second Harvest Food Bank. We toasted ourselves with a bottle of Ca'del Bosco Brut Rosé and then followed up with a wonderful 1992 Bollinger.

There were no servers or other help around. The Chef was doing all the cooking, plating, and serving. He appeared unflustered as he brought out the Amuse Bouche: Two types of Croquettes (Applewood Bacon and Vegetarian), a Blooming Onion Pakora, Cranberry Compote, and South Indian Coconut and Ghost Chile Sauce. The Onion Pakora was bound together with chick-pea flour and had a distinct ginger flavor. I tried the Croquettes with both of the sauces and felt that the latter provided a better textural contrast. This was very flavorful all around with a definite undercurrent of exotic Indian spices. The Bollinger paired very nicely with this course.

The second course was a visually pleasing salad constructed with Smoked Heirloom Tomatoes, Roasted Grapes, Seasonal Local Lettuce, Sesame Sherry Vinaigrette, Chèvre, and Toasted Walnuts. A distinctive smoked-herring and walnut flavor accompanied the crisp lettuce onto the palate. The wines presented were a 1968 Vina Valoria Rioja and a 2007 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay. Unfortunately the Vina Valoria was corked but the crisp acidity of the chardonnay carried the day.

Had I mentioned that this was going to be a seven-course meal? That was big enough but, within the courses, the chef presented options from which we could choose. For example, the options for the second course were: i) Cast Iron Roasted Grimaud Farms Duck Breast; ii) Pan Roasted Breast of Ashley Farms Chicken; or iii) Butternut Squash Ravioli. Each of option was presented with a black habanero reduction and, additionally for the third option, Point Reyes Bleu Alfredo. I opted for the Duck Breast and was treated to an explosion of flavor tinged with spiciness. A mixture of crispy, crunchy texture close to the skin and softer moistness as you moved towards the center. Wonderful. This course was paired with a Two Hands 2003 Lily's Garden McLaren Vale Shiraz.

The third course was Linguini with San Marzano Vodka Sauce and Parmeggiano Reggiano. The pasta had great consistency with hints of pine nuts, lemon zest, and pesto. Low-grade spiciness. Paired with a 1997 Don Melchor Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

As was the case for the second course, the fourth course provided options: i) Kurobuta Pork Cheek Tikka Masala; ii) Cape Canaveral Wild Shrimp Tikka Masala; or iii) Vegetarian Kofta Tikka Masala. Each of these dishes was offered with Poblano and Grilled Garlic Naan. I went for the Pork Cheeks. Its soft texture allowed it to become fully engaged with the Tikka Masala in a mutually beneficial relationship. A Tikka-Masala-dunked Naan is a special experience when delivered with this level of care and expertise. Excellent. Paired with a 2009 Zind Humbrecht Gewurtztraminer.

For the fifth course the chef asked us to choose between a Darling Downs Wagyu Ribeye and an Exotic Mushroom and Pistou Napolean, both prepared with a Smoked Onion Velouche and Truffled Porcini Foam. You have probably noticed my penchant for meat. This course was paired with the 2003 Lokoya Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. An excellent steak which I only succeeded in polishing off today.

Following a cheese selection, our final course was Dark Chocolate Pots de Créme, Grilled Figs, and Salted Caramel Sauce.

This meal had unfolded in a somewhat surreal setting: the restaurant was empty -- save for us --and downtown Deland was empty -- save for us. It was as though we were alone in the world, eating in a vacuum. But this was of no account to us. Chef had gone from strength to strength as we moved through the courses. The pace had been somewhat languid with Chef spending a fair amount of time at the table shooting the breeze. Our conversation was animated and far-ranging (as it is won't to be in Jenneffer's presence) and it was now midnight (The dinner had originally been scheduled form 6:00 to 11:00 pm). I had to give up. I was begging for mercy and aluminum foil.

This was a rich, opulent, and decadent meal fit for a Rajah. And us.

Have the World's best wine regions benefited from a previously unrecognized source of nitrogen?

2011-11-28T09:16:00.002-05:00

Recently published research on sedimentary bedrock (Morford, Houlton, and Dahlgren, Increased forest ecosystem carbon and nitrogen storage from nitrogen rich bedrock, Nature, 9/1/2011, pp. 78-81) leads me to posit that some of the major wine growing regions of the world have been the unknowing beneficiaries of a heretofore unheralded source of nitrogen and that this has benefited them in their production of high quality wines. Before expounding further on this hypothesis, I will provide some background.

As shown in the table below, nitrogen is an essential element in the growth of grape vines and an imbalance in its levels can lead to problems in the vineyard and/or in the winery.

Nitrogen and grape vines (Compiled from Grande Passione -- Soil minerals vs wine quality)

According to Schwarcz and Schoeninger (Stable Isotope Analysis in Human Nutrition, Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 34, pp. 293-321), almost 100% of exchangeable nitrogen is found in the atmosphere or dissolved in the world's oceans and is transferred from these environments into the biological system through the processes illustrated in the figure below. The commonly held view is that grape vine plants receive their nitrogen through the terrestrial nitrogen cycle but the Morford study calls this into question.

Source: http://tolweb.org/notes/?note_id=3920

Nitrogen, as is the case for all plant nutrients, is sourced from the soil by the plant. According to Christopher Bargman (Geology and wine in South Africa, Geoscientist 15(4), April 2005), soil is the major influence on the growth of the vine plant as it provides: (i) a supply of water; (ii) anchorage in the ground; and (iii) a source of nutrition. The classic soil profile is shown below.

Source: http://www.westone.wa.gov.au

Now back to the Morford, Houlton, and Dahlgren study. According to the authors, sedimentary rocks contain considerably more fixed nitrogen than all of the fixed nitrogen in the biosphere due to the capture of "... organic matter in marine and freshwater sediments, where it is incorporated into rock as organic N or as ammonium in silicate materials." Greater amounts of this rock-based N is contained in sedimentary rock (consolidated rock deposited in layers) than is contained in metamorphic ( a rock formed from preexisting solid rocks by mineralogical, structural, and chemical changes, in response to extreme changes in temperature, pressure, and shearing stress -- Answers.com) and igneous rocks (formed when molten minerals cool from a liquid into a solid). Even though it has been known to geologists that this fixed N is secreted in bedrock, "... it is generally believed that rock N is not sufficiently important to alter the terrestrial N cycle." The results of this study has shown otherwise.

The authors studied the nitrogen content of soils and forest foliage in forests that were underlain by both sedimentary and igneous bedrock and found the following: (i) the nitrogen content in soils and foliage that grow above sedimentary bedrock is 50% higher than soils and foliage that grow over igneous bedrock; (ii) nitrogen isotope values for rock, soils, and plants are indistinguishable among each other when located above a nitrogen-rich sedimentary bedrock but that is not the case for the same elements overlaying an igneous bedrock; and (iii) "forest responses to geological N inputs are manifested as higher foliar biomass production ..."

The authors conclude that "Our results raise the possibility that rock weathering may be a significant source of N to terrestrial ecosystems..." underlain by terrestrial bedrock.

I compiled the following table of wine regions that may and may not have benefited from the phenomenon described by the authors. The table shows that some of the world's foremost wine regions are underlain by sedimentary bedrock and may have benefited from that "siteing.".

Additional study will be required to determine the benefits and disadvantages associated with subterranean nitrogen, the implications, and what, if anything, should be done to maximize its effects and minimize its disadvantages. The information provided herein could be of benefit in making decisions regarding vineyard locations or vineyard retention in the case of a vine-uprooting program.

In Search of the Missing Link(s): A Wine Tasting

2011-11-23T12:22:00.002-05:00

There is an avid and motivated group of wine drinkers residing in the Orlando area who meet regularly to indulge in their passion. This group has formed a syndicate which buys and holds wines for the benefit of the group. Individual members can, and do, have wine holdings of their own. This group holds syndicated tastings wherein either the community wine is used or where the wine used is supplied by an individual who is then reimbursed by attendees. The group also holds non-syndicated tastings where each attendee provides bottles from his/her cellar and the cost of the following meal is divided between attendees. The event held last Saturday night fell into the latter category.

I am not a member of the group but was invited to last Saturday's tasting by Ron Siegel, a good friend who has written a guest post for this blog in the recent past.. The format of the event was a blind tasting wherein each attending couple brought three wines which were linked in some way and the tasting group was expected to decipher the linkages. I had never tasted with this group before, nor had I participated in such a format, so I had some angst in putting my offering together. I did not complete my final list of wines until 3:00 pm; the event was scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm.

The tasting was held in the basement cellar of the famed Winter Park restaurant LUMA on Park. A total of 13 people participated in the event. The cellar room at Luma has a beautiful cocktail area where we drank champagne and ate hor d'oeuvres prior to the start of the sit-down tasting. At the completion of the cocktail hour, we were called to take our seats for the actual tasting.

This turned out to be a very challenging format. In the blind tasting that we do at Antoinio's on Friday afternoons, you are asked to identify the varietal and age of a single wine at a time. In this format, you are being asked to decipher the linkages between three wines and these linkages could include varietal, year, country, etc. The difficulty posed is that the first wine may give one indication which may be totally reversed by the second wine which is then further set ablaze by the third wine. Further, the conclusions are discussed publicly -- which serves to place further doubts in your mind about your conclusion -- before the actual revelation of the labels. Each individual poured his/her own wines with assistance from the dedicated wait staff.

As the table below shows, an equal number of the offered wines originated in the US as did from France and the dominant varieties were Merlot and Pinot Noir. A majority of the offered wines were from the decades of the 1990s (seven) and 2000s (also seven).

The distribution of the linkages is shown below and the most common linkages were a single varietal or a single varietal distributed between two countries.

The outlier linkage was the Steve's flight, the first flight tasted. We were provided information that the bottles were priced at $6, $66, and $466 and we should identify which wine was associated with each price. I approached this with a jaunty step because I was sure that differences between the high- and low-end wines would be easily discernible. That was not the case. I expected the $6 wine to be relatively young and fruity but no such characteristic showed up. The flight (Flight 1) was revealed to consist of a 1979 Charles Krug Cabermet Sauvignon, a 1986 Chateau Margaux, and a 1980 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon. According to Steve, the effective price for the Krug when bought at auction is $6; I checked a retail site and it was $27 at that store. The other difficulty is that old Napa Cabs can be very Bordeaux-like on the nose and palate. The Chateau Margaux also did not show as well as it should. We were bamboozled.

The most consistent flight in terms of quality was Russell's Merlot flight which consisted of two St. Emilions (2000 Magrez Fombrauge and 2003 Bellevue Mondotte) and one Bolgheri (Masseto). Russell had decanted these wines previously (the only one to do so) and had then returned them to the bottle and to his cellar. These wines showed beautifully both on the nose and the palate and was the only flight that was retained in its entirety by the group for continuing consideration.

The most complex linkages were associated with Ron's offering. His wines were the same variety (Cabernet Sauvignon) from the same year (1990) but from three different regions (Bolgheri, Napa, and Bordeaux).

The flights are presented in the pictures below.

Flight 1: 1979 Charles Krug, 1985 Chateau Margaux, 1980 Jordan

Flight 2: 1990 Louis Latour, 1989 Drouhin Vosne-Romanee, 2004 Evan's Ranch Pinot Noir

Flight 3: 2000 Magrez Fombrauge, 1996 Masseto, 2003 Bellevue Mondotte

Flight 4: 2006 Derenoncourt Merlot, 1995 Masseto, 1982 L'Evangile

Flight 5: 1994 Rex Hill Pinot Noir, 2001 Penner-Ash Pinot Noir, 2004 Vosne-Romanee Beaumont

Flight 6: 2006 Flor de Pingus, 1996 Castillo Ygay, 2006 Remirez de Ganuza Trasnocho

Flight 7: 1990 Dominus, 1990 Chateau Montrose, 1990 Solaia

Prato. Work Ahead

2011-11-20T23:51:00.000-05:00

Prato (124 North Park, Avenue, Winter Park, FL), because of its association with LUMA on Park, arguably one of the best restaurants in the Greater Orlando area, was highly anticipated by the restaurant-going community so it did not require a lot of effort from @wineontheway to gain my agreement to visit the restaurant on Thursday last to celebrate Mrs@wineontheway's birthday. The restaurant had had two soft-opening events on the prior Saturday and Monday and was now open to the general public.

Prato seeks to "... seamlessly blend Italian classics with modern techniques and seasonal ingredients" in order to meet a perceived market need. The restaurant is managed by Concentrics Hospitality Solutions (also manages LUMA), the sister organization to Atlanta-based Concentrics Restaurants, itself the owner of concept restaurants such as ONE. midtown kitchen, TWO. urban licks, and Tap. The chef at Prato is Brandon McGlarney (also the chef at LUMA) with Matthew Cargo as the chef di cuisine. The restaurant features a long bar, two Acunto wood-burning ovens imported from Naples (Italy not Florida), and patio seating. Our long-term positive experiences at LUMA had us anticipating a stellar evening.

Dinner was at 7:00 pm and we arrived on time. I was pleased to see that the restaurant provided complimentary valet service because that section of Park Avenue is a parking wasteland. My first view of the restaurant was of the outside seating area which appeared to be pretty well full. The signage on the building was understated and subtly lit. The French doors had been retracted and this allowed a clear view deep into the restaurant.

We made our way to the Greeter's Station to see if our party had arrived. They had and we were shown to the table. I noticed the bar as we were being taken to our seats. It ran almost the entire length of the front section of the restaurant, was well lit and stocked, and had three wide-screen TVs at the topmost portion of each side.

We sat down and exchanged pleasantries with our dinner companions and proceeded to open a bottle of 1995 Ducru. The menu was on the table and, upon examination, seemed to have a more-than-adequate selection of trattoria-style offerings. The beverage selection was on the back of the menu and I was impressed to see two (count them, two) Franciacorta selections: Bellavista Cuvee Brut NV and Ca' del Bosco Cuvee Prestige NV. These guys were cooking with gas.

We ordered two Roast Pumpkin soups for our starters while the @wineontheways ordered Chicken Wing Candito and Escarole Caesar. The chicken and salad arrived before the soups so we all dug into the chicken while we waited. One soup arrived. Where was the other? The waitress had not heard my order so had not placed it. But, no worries. She would order it straight away. It took another 15 minutes before the soup finally appeared and by this time the @wineontheway entrees had arrived.

For our main course we had ordered a Roast Chicken for two with Broccoli Siciliano and Marble Potatoes. When the dish arrived it was very salty so we told the waitress to take it back and we would have two orders of the Chicken Candito instead (They had been excellent first time around; slightly crispy on the outside with a tasty topping and presented in a skillet sans handle.). Shortly after we sent the Roasted Chicken back, a second Roasted Chicken order showed up. We are perplexed. We explained to the server that we had already received our order, rejected it, and re-ordered so there was no way that this order was ours. She appeared confused but we could provide no further assistance. About 10 minutes later a second server appeared with another order of Roasted Chicken and we had to go through the spiel once again. He looked even more mystified. All the while we were still awaiting the two orders of Chicken Candito. It finally arrived but it was on a white plate -- rather than the skillet -- and it appeared to be undercooked vis a vis the first order. We finally requested a manager. He listened to our concerns with a sympathetic demeanor then took the chicken away with a promise to set things right.

At this time our server tells us that we probably should have gotten the special. What special, I ask. She takes a note pad out of her apron pocket and proceeds to read the daily specials to me. I point out to her that those are normally shared with customers prior to ordering rather than after they have returned two separate orders to the kitchen. After what seemed like a lifetime, the Candito Chicken arrived. It was good but it could not salvage the evening.

While I was disappointed with my food experience I know that this team will whip things into shape sooner rather than later. There are some things, however, which may require a hard second look. For example, the bar is impressive but there is very little space between it and the seats on its north side; and the problem is compounded by oversized barstools. If someone is standing and speaking to a person sitting at the bar, the passageway is effectively blocked. If the server is taking an order, the passageway is blocked. The busboys have to pass the empty plates over the heads of the customers as they take dirty stuff towards the back. This state of affairs will result in customer dis-satisfaction over the long haul if allowed to continue.

I also had some issue with the chairs used for outside seating. These plastic chairs are bright red in color and appear cheap and insubstantial next to the polished brown wood of the tables. I am not a design expert so I could be wrong on this one but I did find the contrast jarring.

Because of the positioning of the TVs, they can be comfortably viewed from the booths adjacent to the bar. Patrons seating at the bar, however, have to look up to view the TV in a fashion that would eventually put strain on the neck muscles.

I will give the restaurant a little time and then revisit. This is a deep-pocketed organization so they will keep at it until they get it right. The owners and management team have a reputation for quality and that will shine through once the bugs are zapped. It will be interesting to see if/how the structural issues are handled.

Colli Orientali del Friuli Sub-Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia

2011-11-18T06:44:00.003-05:00

The agenda on the final day of the European Wine Bloggers 2011 post-conference trip to Friuli-Venezia Giulia called for: a visit to Bastianich Winery; a walking tour of Cividale del Friuli; and participation in a wine tasting and light lunch with members of the Schioppettino di Prepotto Producers Association. All of the identified locations are contained within the Colli Orientali del Friuli, a region that competes vigorously with its southern neighbor Collio for the title of best zone in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia wine region. The characteristics of the Colli Orientali del Friuli sub-region are detailed in this post.

Colli Orientali del Friuli -- the name translates to "eastern hills of Friuli" -- is a predominantly north-to-south, 2300-hectare strip of land that is located in the province of Udine and is famed for its rich, mineral-driven wines. The region encompasses 14 communes that are arrayed in a crescent shape to the east of the capital city and is bordered by Friuli Grave to the west and Collio to the south.

As is the case for Collio, the region's climate is moderated by the Julian Alps and the Adriatic Sea. It experiences hot summers and long autumns and the occasional hailstorm. It is cooler and damper in the north adjacent to the alpine foothills.

The soil is similar to the soil of Collio, its southern neighbor.

Soil at Bastianich Winery, Colli Orientale del Friuli

Vineyards in the sub-region sit at elevations which average 400m and are terraced. The vineyards are located in the row of hills bordering the Plains of Udine and run from Buttrico in the south to Tarcento in the north. The best vineyards can be found in the south of the DOC in close proximity to the northern vineyards of Collio.

The DOC is permitted to produce red, white, and rosé wines which can be dry, off-dry, or sweet. Sixty-four percent of the zone's production is white wine and 50% of the red is Merlot. In addition to the DOC wines, three Colli Orientale del Friuli sweet wines have attained DOCG status: Ramandolo (Verduzzo), Colli del Friuli Picolit (Picolit), and Colli del Friuli Picolit-Cialla (Picolit from the Cialla zone). Varietal wines must contain a minimum of 85% of the stated variety with the remainder, if any, permitted varieties of the same color.

Colli Orientali del Friuli is sub-divided into three zones: Ramandolo, Cialla, and Corno di Rosazzo. Ramandolo, located in the northeastern portion of the sub-region, is probably the oldest wine area in Friuli. It is located in the hill country overlooking the town of Nimis and its steep slopes average 400 meters above sea level. It is the coolest, and most rain-soaked, of the three zones. Ramandolo has a DOCG classification -- Verduzzo di Ramandolo -- for wine grown from a local clone of the Verduzzo grape. Cialla lies in a small valley that runs northeast to southwest in the middle portion of the sub-region and produces dry (Cialla Bianco and Rosso), off-dry (Picolit and Verduzzo), and sweet. The southern zone, Corno di Rosazzo, is located in hill country and features east-, southeast-, and southwest-facing slopes.

The Hybrid George M. Taber: Review of A Toast to Bargain Wines

2011-11-14T14:54:00.001-05:00

George M. Taber, author of the famed Judgement in Paris, participated in a number of panels, and gave the Keynote speech at the recently held European Wine Bloggers conference (Brescia, Italy, October 12th - 14th), all on the same topic: storytelling. In these public appearances, Mr. Taber mentioned his soon-to-be-released book A Toast to Bargain Wines -- even reading some passages from the book in an early morning workshop -- and I, at that time, resolved to acquire and read said tome when it became available.

The full title of the book is A Toast to Bargain Wines: How innovators, iconoclasts, and winemaking revolutionaries are changing the way the world drinks. I found some dissonance between the title and the layout of the book, on one hand, and the title and the content on the other.

In Taber's three previous books (Judgement in Paris, To Cork or not to Cork, and In Search of Bacchus), an average of 280 pages was devoted to the telling of the "story." In this book, what I consider "the story" runs for approximately 158 pages, with another 123 pages taken up by a buyer's guide to bargain wines; material which, in my humble opinion, and based on the title, is referential and, as such, would have been better positioned in an appendix. I read the "story" component of the book and set the reference material aside for use when needed. It is not clear to me that this is the best medium for delivery of point-of-use information such as a wine-buyers guide anyway. If you are in the grocery store and decide that you want to purchase a bargain wine, an electronic reference source would have greater utility.

In contrast to its prominence within the book, the presence of the buyer's guide is not indicated in either the main or sub- titles. At the wine bloggers conference we were told that our stories should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. This story has a beginning, a middle, an end, and a buyer's guide.

In terms of organization, the book is divided into three major sections: A Global Business in Turmoil; The Iconoclasts; and The Wine Revolutionaries. Each of these sections is preceded by a short introductory paragraph which, in my view, could have been aggregated at the front of the book to provide an overall roadmap. I needed a navigation aid through the first four chapters; something to tie them to the title. The first chapter (titled Embarassing Moments in Wine History), for example, seemed to have no place in the book until Mr. Taber ties it to novice tasting capability in a closing paragraph. In Brescia Mr. Taber had recommended using an anectdote as a "grabber" to start a story and, maybe, that was the intent here but, if so, it had me faked out.

The book was slow-moving and somewhat non-specific through Chapters 3 and 4. In the chapter titled Unravelling the Mysteries of Taste, Mr. Taber spends a lot of time on Tim Hanni and his battle to have the wine establishment understand that people taste differently. The inclusion of Hanni's Taste Sensitivity Assessment was interesting as it helped in understanding some of the differences between reviewers' reports and helped me to understand where I stood on his scale. While interesting, this chapter seemed broadly applicable and no significant attempt was made to tie it to the main topic of the book. I raise the same issue with the chapter on wine judging competitions. At the end of the story Mr Taber tried to tie these all into the reader being an arbiter of his/her own taste but by this time the damage had been done. The attempt to correlate should have been done up front.

The story reached its pinnacle in the wine revolutionaries section and, specifically, the stories around the introduction of Two Buck Chuck and [yellow tail]. This is George Taber at his best, tieing primary and secondary sources together in a tightly spun yarn which is both entertaining and revealing.

One of the sessions at the European Wine Bloggers conference was titled Stories Never Told. One of the shortcomings of this book is that it does not adequately tell the consumer story. Iconoclasts, winemakers, gatekeepers all get their day in the sun; not so the customer. When the writer segments the market, it is from the producer/retailer perspective: luxury; ultra-premium; premium; low cost; and extreme value. No attention is paid to population segmentation of the type that has been discussed by Lorey and Poutet and Marion Demoisser -- and written on extensively in this blog -- which segments customers by drinking profile: regular drinkers; occasional drinkers; and non-wine drinkers. The issue that I would have liked to see addressed was whether the bargain wines covered in the book are penetrating the regular-drinker segment (as implied in the subtitle) or whether they are increasing the number of drinkers by positively impacting the actions of the occasional and non-wine-drinking customers. This is a story that is of exceptional importance, especially to markets such as France which is experiencing declines in regular drinkers and increases in occasional and non-wine drinkers.

I have bought George Taber's books in the past because of his capabilities in research and storytelling. In this book, Mr. Taber makes himself a part of the story. Beginning in 2009, he blind-tasted five or six wines per day in order to come up with the final best buy list included in the book. In the section on gatekeepers, Mr Taber warned us about their role and positioning as arbiters of taste, yet he plays the role of gatekeeper in this book. And he does not even alert us as to his Sensitivity Taste Assessment so that we can get a sense of where his taste lies; that is after warning us in the body of the document to pick a gatekeeper who is most aligned with our taste and to then stick with that individual.

I get the storyteller Taber brand; the jury is still out on the hybrid (storyteller-gatekeeper) Taber.

Fulvio Bressan, Bressan Wines: Top-15 Winemaker (Self-Styled) in Collio and Isonzo DOCs

2011-11-10T23:40:00.003-05:00

We had started out the first day of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia EWBC 2011 post-conference trip behind schedule and things worsened as the day progressed. After a drive through the Collio hills, a brief trip over the border into Slovenia, and a stop at our hotel to check in, we made our way to Enoteca di Cormons for a scheduled tasting and dinner with Collio producers.

The event was being held on the floor above the shop and, after climbing a flight of stairs, we debouched into a room decorated with banners and pennants in the ceilings and with producers manning wine-endowed tables arrayed adjacent to the room walls. The producers were gathered together in little groups but quickly moved to man their respective tables when we arrived. The producers were all conservatively attired, both in color and style, save one; an orange shirt stood out starkly amidst this sea of conformance. This was my first glimpse of Fulvio Bressan.

The President of the Consorzio stepped to a makeshift podium and welcomed us to the region and then asked each producer to introduce him/herself. The producers did so in a clockwise fashion and in reserved terms (matching their attire) except for the one wearing the orange shirt. This individual stood out in that his physical makeup stood in stark contrast to a producer group that was greyhound-like in appearance. His self-introduction was confident and strong in contrast to the rather tepid introductions that preceded and followed his. He was Fulvio Bressan of Bressan Wines. This is no shrinking violet, I thought. More of a Barnum and Bailey type. At the conclusion of the introductions, the President declared the tasting underway.

I began to work the room in a clockwise fashion beginning with the producer directly in front of me. After working my way through a number of wines, I noticed a congregation around Bressan's table and he appeared to be holding court. One of the bloggers at Bressan's table was @aleksimethonen (my newest best friend) so I ambled over to see what the fuss was all about. When I got to the table, @aleksimethonen suggested that I taste the Pinot Nero. It had a great Pinot nose but with added richness and depth. Ripe red fruit, but balanced, and the absence of oak associated with Pinot. Fulvio stated that he picked his fruit late in order to ensure full ripeness.

As Bressan buttonholed passing bloggers and poured them his wine, he kept up a steady stream of conversation, with one liners ranging from outrageous to outrageously funny. As he poured wine into the glass of one taster he remarked, "my surname is on the bottle, you think I will put shit inside." He confided that he was a ninth-generation farmer and one of only 15 serious winemakers in the region. "Most of the others are here to make money," he says. "I need to live but beyond that ..."

Bressan properties cover 25 hectares in DOCs Collio and Isonzo, 20 hectares of which are planted to vine. Fulvio insisted that quality wines are made in the vineyard ("A cellar is only a place where you store the wine until it is ready to be bottled.") and that it begins with the soil. The Bressan soil is topped by a 1-meter layer of gravel through which the roots penetrate as they search for water and nutrients. The gravel aids in the ripening of fruit (by reflecting the sun's rays) but also allows water to pass through to the clay and marl levels where it is captured and held.

The vines in the Brerssan vineyards are mostly between 50- and 100-years old. Grapes from vines that are younger than 7-years old never make it into Bressan wines. Guyot training is used on the estate with one shoot and four or five buds for each vine. Plant density is 5000 vines/hectare.

In terms of vineyard management, Fulvio says that he used to be biodynamic but isn't anymore. He claims to have visited many "biodynamic" farms and seen weed killer being used. "You can gain biodynamic certification but the certifying agency is not with you 24/7," he says. "Only the producer knows what goes into the wine and a lot of the stuff that makes it into the wine is the shit they put into the ground." Fulvio does some winter pruning (by hand), but does no green harvesting ("Old vines are self-regulating"), has no grass in the vineyard, does not irrigate, and sprays copper only when necessary.

Fulvio feels that you can't have high volumes and high quality. "It is a tradeoff." He produces 3.5 tons/hectare, well below the DOC Collio limit of 10 tons/hectare. In addition, his viticultural practices of no green harvest and no grass put him in violation of DOC Isonzo requirements. In light of the foregoing Bressan declassifies his wines and sells them as IGT.

"I drink coke because it is made by a professional chemist and it is even and consistent every time I drink it. I don't drink much of today's wine because they are made by a bunch of amateur chemists." No chemical manipulation of Bressan wines is practiced.

The vinicultural practices of the estate are illustrated in the figure below. After the grapes have been pressed (Step 2), they are delicately pumped into temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Indigenous yeasts are used to jump start alcoholic fermentation (According to Fulvio, using synthetic yeasts would be akin to giving his wife to his best friend.). The time between harvesting and the completion of final maceration is approximately four weeks.

Bressan Viniculture

At this time Fulvio turned to a discussion of oak casks. "What is oak really required for," he asked. It was a rhetorical question. "It is for oxygenation of wine." he said, answering his own question. "Why then do I want wood tannins in my wine? Why then do I need coconut and vanilla in my wine? These flavors are not of the vine." In order to ensure that these flavors do not make it into his wines, he never uses 'uncleaned' new oak. I raised a querulous eyebrow. I had never heard of cleaning new oak. Fulvio described his new-oak-cleaning process for my benefit:

Fill the new oak barrel with a mixture of sea salt and well water and let sit for 10 days
Dump out that mixture and fill barrel with water; let sit for five days
Taste water after 5 days. If still oaky, go back to step 1. If no oak taste, the barrel is ready for use.

By this time the tasting was almost at an end. I had spent most of the evening in dialogue with Fulvio and had not visited with all of the producers. I looked around sheepishly and tried to quickly touch a few of them.

Fulvio's insights were extremely entertaining and his personality was captivating. I had truly enjoyed our dialogue.

In addition to the Pinot Nero, Bressan produces the following wines.

Reds
Schioppettino
Pignol
Merlot
Cabernet Crown Domains
No. 3 Bressan
Ego
Rosantico

Whites
Carat
Pinot Grigio
Verduzzo

Bressan Wines and Collio and Isonzo DOCs, Friuili-Venezia Giulia

2011-11-08T21:50:00.002-05:00

Fulvio Bressan calls to mind visions of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie both in terms of his mien and the personality he projects: brash, unselfconscious, garrulous, and opinionated; but without a hint of animus. In other words, an interviewers dream. Fulvio crashed on to the radar screen at our wine tasting and dinner with the Collio producers at Enoteca di Cormons on the evening of October 17th and stayed there, larger than life, for the remainder of the evening. Who is this Fulvio Bressan, you ask? Well, set for a while.

Fulvio Bressan traces his roots back to one Giacomo Bressan, born 1926, who began the family's oenological journey eight generations prior to Fulvio's involvement. Fulvio was born in 1964 to Nereo and Paolina Bressan, who, post-WWII, had re-assembled the property which had been split up for inheritance purposes upon the death of Antonio Bressan in 1944. Fulvio became fully involved in the business upon graduation from university.

The Bressan vineyards are situated in both the DOC Collio (2 hectares) and DOC Isonzo (18 hectares) zones of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia wine region so I will briefly describe those zones before further elaboration on the Bressan philosophy, viticulture, viniculture, and wines.

DOC Collio

Colli Goriziano, simply called Collio (hillsides), is a crescent-shaped collar of land located in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region and bounded to the west and south by the Judrio and Isonzo Rivers and to the east by the Slovenian border.

The area has a mild temperate climate with cool winds from Central Europe and warm air currents from the Adriatic Sea combining to keep the grapes dry and healthy. The Julian pre-Alps protect from the biting north winds while the Adriatic, in addition to its warm air currents, reflects solar radiation and, in so doing, aids grape ripening. Diurnal temperature variation allows ripening in the daytime with acidity retention in the cool nighttime air. Heavy rainfall (1000-1600 mm on average) provides a reservoir that plant roots can tap into even in the hottest of times.

The soil in the region is called "ponca" and its marl and sandstone strata are rich in calcium carbonate and alkalinity.

A total of 1500 hectares of vine are planted at elevations ranging between 100 and 430 meters and these produce 7,000,000 bottles of aromatic, crisp red and white wines. Twelve white and five red varietals are permitted and they may be bottled as blends or single varietals. The primary white grapes are international (Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon, and Chardonnay included) but indigenous varietals (Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, and Malvasia) comprise 20% of the plantings. Red wines are primarily made from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Merlot. Most of the wines are fermented and aged in stainless steel and are made to be drunk young.

Collio is considered one of the most technologically advanced of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia zones in that it was the first to adopt cold fermentation of white wines, refrigerated fermentation tanks, and pneumatic wine presses. The Consorzio Tutela Vini del Collio (110 members currently), founded in 1964, was among the first wine associations in the country. The zone was granted DOC status in 1968. The Collio Consorzio merged with the Carso Consorzio in 2010 and the surviving body is called Consorzio Tutela Vini Collio e Carso.

DOC Isonzo

Isonzo is a small DOC (classified in 1974) lying in the southeastern portion of Friulia-Venezia Giulia.

Source: vinidocisonzo.it

The climate is maritime with the DOC experiencing more rainfall than any of the other regional zones. The Julian Alps serve as a natural barrier against north winds and there is a constant circulation of warm winds coming off the Adriatic and through the passage offered by the Isonzo River.

The soil on the left bank of the river is rich with clay and red gravel while the soil on the right bank is chalky and layered with white gravel. The river bed is susceptible to periodic shifting and the resulting floods serve to re-invigorate the soil with minerals from upstream sources.

The requirements for wine production in Isonzo are set by a 110-member producer group called the Consortium for the Protection and Appreciation of Isonzo DOC Wines. The following mandates apply to the regions' vineyards:

No more than eight varietals planted in a vineyard
3500-4000 vines/hectare
60-90 quintals/hectare production
Irrigation only when necessary
Grass planted in the vineyard
Organic integration of soil by utilizing mowing residue
Two periods of grape-thinning

The varietals found in DOC Isonzo are a subset of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia population.

Combining the foregoing factors yields unique, high-quality wines with exotic aromatic ripeness in DOC Isonzo.

Now let us return to Mr. Fulvio Bressan and Bressan Wines.

The Friuli-Venezia Giulia Wine Region: Contextualizing an EWBC Post-Trip

2011-11-06T15:54:00.001-05:00

The European Wine Bloggers 2011 Conference (recently held in Brescia, Italy) program included two 3-day post-conference tours -- one to Chianti Classico and the other to Friuli-Venezia Giulia -- and, wanting to gain some additional insight into Italian white wines, I opted for the latter. Twenty-two of the conference attendees were scheduled for the trip and they all showed up on Monday morning bright-eyed, bushy tailed, and ready to embark on this exciting adventure; but, of course, the bus was late. Starting out late affected all of our activities for the remainder of the day.

It was a 4-hour ride to Villa Russiz and our first scheduled event: a presentation of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia agro-food industry by ERSA, the body responsible for regional agro-food development and promotion. After some confusion as to where we should actually be, we were shepherded into a classroom where we were treated to a lecture on Friuli-Venezia Giulia by Claudio Fabbro, an Italian lecturer and wine historian.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the most north-eastern of the Italian wine regions, is bounded by Austria to the north, the Gulf of Trieste to the South, Slovenia to the east, and the wine region of Veneto to the west. The region's location, as well as its history, has endowed it with a richness of diverse cultural influences.

Source: broker-wine.com

The Friuli-Venezia landscape can be divided into four major areas: (i) the mountainous region to the north which includes the Carnian and Julian alps with peaks in excess of 2000 meters; (ii) a hilly area that is south of the mountains and along the Slovenian border; (iii) the central plain which is characterized by poor soil which has been made fertile through irrigation; and (iv) the coastal flatlands which is low and sandy to the west of the Isonzo River and rocky to its east.

In general, Friuli-Venezia Giulia has a humid, temperate climate which varies according to the landscape; areas to the north experience an alpine continental climate while those in the south experience a Mediterranean climate. The Alpine system protects the region from icy north winds but air movement from east to west causes low pressure systems which can bring summertime hailstorms and thunderstorms. Being open to the Adriatic, the region experiences Sirocco winds which can bring heavy rainfall.

The climate is modified by the presence of the Adriatic Sea and the Alps resulting in warmer winter temperatures and cooler summer temperatures. Mean temperature in the summertime is 22.8℃ (73℉) and mean rainfall is 1524 mm (60 inches). Vineyards to the north and east lie above the level of the fog that flows in occasionally from the Adriatic and this allows the grapes to take advantage of the increased hang time to promote phenolic ripening. The diurnal shift is somewhat mitigated by maritime influences closer to the coast. There is a constant breeze known as "la bora" flowing in from the Adriatic and this provides great air flow in the vineyards as well as serving as a deterrent to fungal outbreaks.

The soil in the region is calcium-rich marl and sandstone in hilly regions and clay, sand, and gravel elsewhere.

The region is noted for small, high-quality, family-run vineyards producing fresh, rich, fruity, textured wines from a large number of indigenous and international varietals. As the figures below show, Italian wine production (millions of hectoliters) has been experiencing a slow, steady decline over the years while Friuli-Venezia production (thousands of hectoliters) has experienced an 11% percent increase 2009 over 2008 and a 5% increase 2010 over 2009. In 2010, Friuli-Venezia production represented 2.6% of all Italian wine production.

Italian Wine Production (Source: ERSA Presentation)

Friuli Venezia Wine Production (Source: ERSA Presentation)

Friuli Venezia DOC and DOCG Wine Production (Source: ERSA Presentation)

Friuli is best known for its white wines grown on south-facing slopes of the region's terraced vineyards (ronchi). As shown in the charts below, the top five non-native varieties are better represented in the region's wines than Tocai Friulano, the leading indigenous varietal. The distribution of varietals in the region can be directly traced to rulership influences over the span of its history.

Source: ERSA Presentation

Indigenous Grape Varieties (Source: ERSA Presentation)

This, then, would be our "theatre of operations" for the next two and one-half days. During that time we would be visiting wineries and meeting winemakers from the various sub-regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. At the conclusion of the lecture I felt that I had had a baseline briefing which prepared me for any eventuality. But I was wrong. I was not prepared for the hurricane that was Fulvio Bressan.

Quinta do Vesuvio (Douro, Portugal): Vinification

2011-11-04T11:35:00.000-04:00

The terroir and viticulture at Quinta do Vesuvio were detailed in my most recent post. The activities within the adega will be discussed herein.

As soon as enough for a tractor load has been picked, the grapes are trucked down from the vineyard to the adega. Grapes are introduced into the winery through a door at the eastern end of the building where they are deposited onto a sorting table-cum-conveyor belt for a second level of selection. The selected grapes are passed through a destemmer and then a crusher and are then gravity-flowed through a large-diameter hose into one of eight 24-pipe (13,200 liters) granite lagers (open stone tanks).

The objective of port wine fermentation is the rapid extraction of the maximum amount of flavor and color from the skin of the grape prior to attainment of a predetermined brix level. For Quinta do Vesuvio, it is held that the most effective means of facilitating this goal is through foot-treading of the grapes. This is a very ancient process which has been supplanted/supplemented by automatic processes in a number of quintas. Teams of up to 50 people first tread the grapes in a two-hour march called the "cut" and then tread freestyle for an additional two-hours in a music-accompanied session called "liberdade." Stainless steel radiators submerged in the lagers keep the fermentation temperatures within bounds.

Fermentation is initiated with innoculated must. The cap is punched down with a wooden device called a macacos in order to keep the juice in contact with the skins. The entire process of fermentation and maceration continues until a predetermined brix level is attained (about three days) after which fermentation is arrested by the addition of 20% by volume pure grape alcohol.

Quinta do Vesuvio offers a single quinta vintage port to the market . This limited-production wine is estate-bottled and sold en primeur and will not be produced if conditions fall below certain levels. The wine that is destined to be estate-bottled is gravity-flowed into large chestnut vats which have been a part of Vesuvio environment since 1827. All other wine is stored in smaller casks until the next spring when they are shipped down river to the port lodges for storage and assignation.

Quinta do Vesuvio is truly an impressive estate.

Quinta do Vesuvio (Douro, Portugal): Terroir and Viticulture

2011-11-03T11:00:00.002-04:00

So here we are at Quinta do Vesuvio, the jewel in the Symington Family Estates crown, and our home for the remainder of the weekend. The Symington Family has been involved in port production in Portugal for over 350 years and today produces one-third of the world's fine ports under such iconic labels as Graham's, Cockburn's, Dow's, Warre's, Smith Woodhouse, and Quinta do Vesuvio. In addition to port, the family produces Madeira and still (Douro DOC) wines.

The ride from the train station to our weekend home is a short 300 meters. The vineyard stretches away in all its majesty up and out to our left and front. The road from the train station merges into the road leading down from the vineyard to make its way under the train track. A left turn brings us face to face with our home: the estate house.

The house is a white, three-storied, 19th-century structure that is separated from the river by a feeder road and with a longitudinal portion running east to west and a chapel attached to its western end. It is endowed with 40 rooms and there is a large, open-air veranda running the length of the building which is memorable for the many special meals, aperitifs, and digestifs consumed therein by our team. The building's size is hidden by the way in which it is presented to the viewer and its interior is quaintly furnished. Bathrooms are ex-suite.

The region of which Quinta do Vesuvio is a part has been previously described. The vast property, then known as Quinta das Fuguerias, was acquired by Antonio Bernardo Ferreira in 1823 and he immediately set about building a Douro showpiece. Using up to 500 men at the peak, Ferreira completed a massive adega (winery) in four years and the repair of old terraces and development of new in 13 years. At the completion of the effort Ferreira noted that the English of the day "... could not find another adega to match mine in the Douro." The estate was passed on through marriage and widowhood to Dona Antonio Ferreira who continued to improve the Quinta and made it her base of operations. The estate was converted to an olive estate after the phylloxera outbreak of the 1870s but was largely replanted to vine after the disease was brought under control. The estate was acquired by the Symington family in 1989.

At dinner on Friday evening, Paul had promised us that we would be awakened at 6:00 am by the winery foreman dropping a gear as he made the turn by the house on his way to the adega. So said, so done. And it was loud in the piercing silence that is a part of this vast, underpopulated expanse. So we tumbled out of bed, conducted our ablutions, and congregated on the veranda for a much-anticipated breakfast.

After breakfast we piled into vehicles driven by Paul and the viticulturist and drove up a steep, winding road which took us into the upper reaches of the estate. It was awe-inspiring. The view across the expanse of the estate and the estate across the river was breathtaking. Then the vehicles stopped. Paul jumped out, ducked under the vine wire and stepped out onto a narrow ledge (his wife drew her breath in sharply and refused to look further), and beckoned us to form a semi-circle around him. He then began to tell us the story of Quinta do Vesuvio.

He reached down (oohs and aahs) and came back up with some rock fragments in his hand. The soil, he explained, was schist, a metamorphic rock with a high mineral content, with some granite outcroppings. As is the case for all soil above the Valeria gorge, the soil at Quinta do Vesuvio is alkaline (the soil below the gorge is acidic). The specific vineyard in which we were congregated was called the Schoolhouse vineyard because a school for the vineyard workers had been located in this part of the estate. The entire Quinta do Vesuvio estate is is 340 hectares, with 146 planted to vine, and is 3 kilometers from end to end.

The property is subjected to temperature extremes during the course of the year. Winters are freezing cold and fog will sometimes come into the valley and block out sunlight for periods of up to two weeks. Summers, on the other hand, are very hot with temperatures getting as high as 50 degrees C (122 degrees F). Rainfall averages a low 400 mm per year.

The slopes are primarily north-facing, allowing the grapes to benefit from the luminosity of the sun without having to deal with the long, direct sunlight (in Douro heat) associated with south-facing slopes. Elevation ranges from 180 meters at the waterline to 530 meters in the upper reaches of the estate. Vines are trained single Guyot on hillside terraces with two rows of vines per terrace. The Symingtons have been extremely agressive in their stewardship of the estate. Between 1990 and 1991, they planted 61,500 vines and added 30 hectares (90,00 vines) of Touriga Nacional vineyards in pretty inhospitable terrain in 2003. Terracing at Vesuvio is of the patamares (banked earthen walls) variety.

There are approximately 375,000 vines planted at Vesuvio: 33.8% Touriga Nacional; 19.6% Tinta Barroca; 18.5% Touriga Franca; 17.8% Tinta Roriz; 3% Tinto Amaral; 1.6% Sousao, .3% Tinta Cao; and 5% other. The average age of the newest vines is 10 years while the older vines average 35 years.

Two treatments of fertilizers are conducted during the course of the year. There is also spraying to prevent against odium and mildew. "If you do not pay constant attention to your vines you can lose them," says Paul.

Grapes are hand harvested with first-level selection in the field. Teams of pickers are brought in from far-away villages and are housed on the property for the duration of harvest. Grapes are placed into bright blue containers which are stacked onto tractors and trucked down to the winery for immediate crushing.

My next post will discuss operations within the adega.

Travel to Quinta do Vesuvio (Douro Superior) by Rail: Decanter Great Port Wine Weekend

2011-10-31T10:31:00.003-04:00

The March 2010 issue of Travel and Leisure described the ride on the Douro Line (Linho do Douro) as one of the 10 most scenic train rides in the world so it was with great anticipation that I set out to travel from Porto to Quinta do Vesuvio -- the Symington Family Estates property in Douro Superior -- as a part of Decanter's Great Port Wine Weekend.

The Douro Line runs between Porto and Pocinho, a town approximately 20 kilometers from the Spanish border. The line is 160 kilometers long thanks to the enabling capabilities of 26 tunnels and 30 bridges along its path. The line was put into service in 1887 -- after a 12-year construction effort -- in order to speed up the carriage of Port wine, other goods, and passengers between Porto and the stops along the way. At its inception, the journey from Pocinho to Porto was cut from 12 days to 5 hours.

Our day in Vila de Gaia had begun with tours of the Taylor's and Graham's Port Lodges, followed by a masterful Port wine Masterclass led by Paul Symington, CEO of Symington Family Estates, and lunch at the Symington Family Estates Executive Offices. We were scheduled to travel by train to Quinto do Vesuvio where we would be spending Friday and Saturday nights. With all of our scheduled activities, and the interest that these generated among our team members, we were perilously close to missing the train for which we had reservations. We said hurried goodbyes and got into our waiting rides for a pell mell trip through Oporto streets to the Campanhã train station.

We arrived at the station and hurriedly disembarked, snatched up our luggage and headed for the platform. One of the Symington staffers had ridden along with us to ensure that we went directly to the appropriate platform. We helped each other get the luggage onto the train. I cursed my wife under my breath (she has never met a jumbo-sized suitcase that she doesn't like) as I struggled to get her "weekender" aboard the train. There were no luggage racks inside the passenger compartment so we stacked the suitcases in the loading areas outside the compartment (There was some overhead space within the compartment for small items.). We made our way into the carriage and plunked ourselves into the seats that had not already been claimed by early-arriving passengers. Shortly after we collapsed exhausted into our individual seats, the train moved out.

Our schedule called for us to leave Porto at 3:20 pm and travel to Régua, making a number of stops along the way. We would arrive at Régua at 5:05 pm at which time we would be told whether we would have to change out trains for the remainder of the journey to Vesuvio, the stop for Quinto do Vesuvio. We were scheduled to leave Régua at 5:30 pm and arrive at Vesuvio at 6:39 pm where Paul Symington -- who had gone ahead by car to make arrangements for our arrival -- would meet us.

It took me a while to stop breathing heavily (after my encounter with my wife's luggage) and take stock of my surroundings. Having boarded the train in a rush, I had not had the luxury of being strategic in my seat selection. I was facing away from the direction of travel and had limited visibility of the scenery to my right and even less so on my left. So here I was, beginning one of the most scenic train rides in the world, and having no view. A punch in the gut. I would have to figure something out. But not now. I needed more resuscitation time. I did have an excellent view of our carriage and noted that it seemed occupied by locals with members of the Decanter team sprinkled randomly throughout the carriage.

For the first (what I found out later to be) 60 kilometers, the scenery was pedestrian but this all changed when the line met the river at Mosteiro where it travels west to east along the river on its north bank. We were sitting on the side of the train furthest from the river and saw everyone looking out and up. My backward facing seat was not getting the job done for me. After a few kilometers of fleeting glances of this scenery as it fled into the distance, I got out of my seat and went on the platform outside the passenger compartment in order to gain an unobstructed view. This was a great move until I found out that this was also the access point for the onboard bathroom which, when flushed, flooded on to the floor inside and outside the bathroom. I beat a hasty retreat.

There were a number of stops between Mosteiro and Régua and, at each stop, people would disembark and be replaced by new passengers. But between each stop we were treated to kilometer after kilometer of beautifully terraced vineyards rising from the river's edge and working their way up the slopes to the tree line; and if the hill were below a certain height, along its crest. Where vineyards were not planted, olive groves abounded. In many cases they were interspersed. In cases where vines or olive trees were not planted, the tree line reached down to the waters edge. Or a forest of rocks. At some points along the way a roadway paralleled the river. The river itself is fairly tranquil and its even disposition and height sets it in stark contrast to the sometimes rocky, sometimes craggy, sometimes terraced hillsides that frame it along its entire length.

At Régua we found out that we would not have to change trains after all (This was a relief as I wanted to delay re-tangling with my wife's "weekender" for as long as possible.). Régua had been a very important stop in the olden days as the town had been the capital of the Port wine trade. Another important stop along the way is Pinhão. This station is decorated with blue and white glazed tiles (azauelos) which depict local river and harvest scenes.

Source: Railbrit.co.uk

Shortly after leaving the Alegria stop, we see an imposing granite formation, the signature of the Valeria Canyon. The longest tunnel on the line (712 m) had to be blasted through the granite to allow passage of the rail line. Passage through this tunnel gets us into Douro Superior, the region that is home to Quinta do Vesuvio. And four stops later we arrive at our destination. We are the only ones to get off at the station. And then it hits me. This stop is expressly for the use of this estate. Paul is there to meet us. He has shed his corporate trappings and is now attired in blue jeans and a land rover. The look of gentleman farmer fits him. He welcomes us and then sets about loading our luggage into the vehicles. We rush in to help.

Oh and about the trip. It is the most scenic train ride I have ever taken.

Potential Marketing Approaches to the French Occasional/Non-Wine Drinker Segments

2011-10-25T10:50:00.000-04:00

French wine consumption has been in a steady downward spiral since the 1970s, fueled to a large extent by an increase in occasional and non-wine drinkers. In previous posts I have examined institutional and market-level initiatives aimed at stemming the tide. In this post I will propose some approaches to long-term exploitation of the occasional and non-wine-drinking segments.

According to the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), of the 51 million potential wine drinkers in France in 2010, 41% were non-wine-drinkers while 43% were occasional drinkers. According to Lorey and Poutet, most of the members of these two segments are 40 years of age or younger. Further, according to the same source, 46.7% of French women are occasional drinkers while 40.8% are non-wine-drinkers. These categories are of interest to the wine producer because, according to INRA, occasional winer drinkers consume five to six times less wine than does a regular consumer. Further, they are of interest because the regular consumer segment is declining. According to INRA, "Since 1980, each generation includes a lesser number of regular consumers than the previous and the share of the regular consumers within a same generation does not increase with aging" (CCE).

A number of reasons have been advanced (Demoisser, Lorey and Poutet, Winebusiness.com (5/2/08)) for the reduction in French wine consumption but the one that stands out for me is the disassociation of wine from meals. Historically wine was viewed as a part of the meal in France and everyone participated in all aspects of the meal. This not only contributed to high wine consumption levels, it also provided a template for the next generation. The meal was a vehicle for culture transmission. And, according to Lorey and Poutet, the father was the driver of that vehicle.

In recent years fast food has gained in popularity (damned American culture). According to the Wine Spectator (2/20/08), in the preceding 10 years the number of family meals and business lunches had decreased by 50%. The key takeaways here are (i) that there was a loss of the main wine culture transmitting vehicle and (ii) the people who would have been in that vehicle are somewhere else drinking something else.

Wine consumption in France has suffered because it has fallen off the wall; and no one has tried to put it back together again. No attempt has been made to position the category wine in the mind of the consumer. Instead, winemakers have pursued Parker scores in order to build their brand (and their sales) while the larger population, who know nothing about Parker (and couldn't care less), have been left to their own devices. This is, I feel, is one of the opportunity areas for targeting the segments of interest. The regular drinker knows why he/she drinks wine; the occasional/non-wine drinker should be advised towards this end because, for the neophyte, wine is not easily approached. I believe that the wine industry in France needs to undertake an effort to re-establish a tight linkage between food and wine. It should partner with the food industry, grocery chains, and restaurants to speak to the symbiotic relationship between wine and food with events, advertising, road shows, etc., all targeted at this point. Rather than the focus being on where wine is from, it should shift to what it goes well with. This approach provides the targeted segments a reason to pursue wine and would be equally relevant for eating in or out.

A second key opportunity is the opening up of wine regions to broad-based tourist activities as a way of attracting and converting occasional/non-wine drinkers. If a locale is easily accessible, has a lot of wineries that can be easily visited, and has high quality food options, either at the wineries or close by, people will come. And many of these people will be other than regular drinkers. And if they have a great time, they will want to be part of that culture. They will want to do it again. And they may even go to their favorite restaurant back home and order wine with a meal. Or go to their favorite after-work hangout and order a glass of wine. A classic example of this phenomena is Napa Valley which with its tasting rooms, restaurants, and events has played a pivotal role in the growth of wine drinking in the US. And wine drinking regions in places like Long Island, Virginia, and other places across the globe are pursuing that model in spades (For more detail on this trend see George Taber's book, In Search of Bacchus.).

Many years ago, 60 Minutes ( a CBS news magazine) ran a segment on what it called the French Paradox which highlighted the fact that even though the French consumed higher amounts of saturated fats than US residents, their incidence of coronary heart disease was lower than in the US case. The show implied that this effect was due to the higher amounts of red wine consumed by French citizens and this been borne out by subsequent research which attributes a beneficial effect of 1-2 glasses of red wine per day. There is a clear health benefit associated with moderate consumption and there is some concern that this turn away from wine by, especially the young French, are causing them to lose this "Paradox" benefit. According to the Wine Spectator (2/20/08), if the potential drinkers were consuming one to two glasses of wine per day, French per capita consumption would be at 90 liters versus the current 54. The health benefits of moderate wine drinking should be emphasized as part of the long-term positioning of the beverage with occasional/non-wine drinkers.

Today's generation communicates by Twitter, Facebook, etc., and go out on the web to collect data for purposes of comparison. I have sought out many a small French producer online only to come up blank. In addition to investing in vineyard renewal projects, the French government should also invest in a technology infrastructure for some of these small producers, thus improving their visibility, especially to this youngest generation.

In a study by Liz Thach and Francois d'Hauteville (see winebusiness.com, 5/2/08), French Millenials (aged 21 to 31) were asked why they did not drink wine. Their answers were as follows: Wine is old; wine is expensive; they did not like its taste; it was confusing; and they had strong anti-alcohol sentiments. These answers provide additional avenues of focus for a specific sub-segment of the segments of interest. If wine is viewed as old, producers need to find a way to make it appear hip to youngsters (this would most likely require advertising programs which associate wine with a life style or with an iconic individual); if wine is viewed as expensive, then there may need to be entry-level alternatives, or pricing by market segment; if they do not like the taste then we may need to use fruitier wines to encourage initial participation, knowing full well that palates change as people are exposed to different things. And finally, producers may have to experiment with packaging options to appeal to the lifestyle and habits of this generation.

These potential approaches are advanced as a means of starting a dialogue on the topic because exploiting the occasional/non-wine drinker market is not a problem unique to France. I look forward to your views on this matter.

French Producer Strategies for Combatting Domestic Wine Consumption Declines

2011-10-23T20:58:00.001-04:00

The much-heralded French wine drinking culture has died, as evidenced by a significant and continuing decline in domestic wine consumption. A number of institutional initiatives have been implemented in order to stem the tide and producers are moving to take advantage of the openings provided by these initiatives. This post will examine examples of these market-level initiatives and options.

The 2009 CMO allows for the production of Vin de Table wines without Geographical Indication and with/without varietal names indicated on the label. Consumers around the world have been responsive to labels which indicate the varietal(s) included in the wine. Some French producers have embarked on this path. For example, Cahors, the home of the Malbec grape, and famed for its long-maturing "black wine", has moved to take advantage of Argentina's popularization of the grape, and its associated style, by producing a fruitier, easy-drinking style of wine which is labeled Cahors Malbec.

Italian wine makers in Bolgheri saw DOC rules as too restrictive and created non-DOC compliant wines which they sold as the lower-classified IGT wines. These so-called Super Tuscans were high-quality wines and were rewarded with overwhelming market demand even at relatively high price levels. Some French wine makers are taking a page out of the Super Tuscan book, but at the other end of the spectrum, and are producing their everyday wines under the less restrictive Vin de Pays -- now called Indication Géographique Protégéa IGP) -- level.

A "terminal option" available to individual producers is the sale of the estate. And Chinese investors, with a different market in mind, appear to be ready buyers. According to The Daily Telegraph (3/20/11), the recent purchase of the Cru Bourgeois property Chateau Laulan Ducos by Chinese businessman Richard Shen Dongjun brings to six the number of Chinese-owned vineyards in Bordeaux. According to the article, the production of these estates is modified to meet Chinese tastes -- smooth, fruity, and deep-colored -- and then shipped in its entirety to China to meet that market's need for Bordeaux wines. This approach is a win-win for all parties: the French owner cashes out; the gap between production and consumption in France is narrowed; and the wine that is sent to China is counted as French wine exports.

At this time it is not clear how/if France tourist wine consumption is included in national consumption figures. Nor is it clear whether tourist wine consumption over the period of interest has been steady, increasing, or declining. Regardless, tourists should be viewed as a viable target market by French wine producers.

According to Crosscut.com (8/12/11), France has: the most cultural sites of any European country; some of the best food in Europe; the most spectacular scenery; and the liveliest city life. The country played host to 75 million tourists (Germany, Britain, and Scandinavia are the largest sources) in 2010, notwithstanding its reputation of being an unwelcoming destination for visitors. This apparent lack of appreciation for tourists is blamed for shorter stays and lower tourism revenues. The Ministry of Tourism recognizes the problem and has initiated a long-term program to improve the country's performance in this area. If successful, and longer tourist stays result, tourist wine consumption, it follows, will increase. But, beyond these macro-level forces, producers need to mount marketing campaigns aimed at getting tourists to drink French wine while in France. Every drinker of French wines while in France is a potential French wine drinker when they return home.

While many New World wine producers are vigorously pursuing wine tourists, French producers still largely view tourists as a bother. The Joseph Report (4/21/08) ascribes this to the French philosophy of "to each his own craft." In practice this means that the wine maker grows grapes, crushes them, and makes wine. He then negotiates with someone else to do the selling of the wine to the consumer. Selling wine at the cellar door thus does not fit easily into the French winemaker's psyche. Further, in the cases where it is done, the focus is on selling wine while New World producers are seeking to provide a broader range of activities (food, picnic areas, events) to keep the wine tourist engaged.

In my next post I will discuss the issue of the occasional/non-drinker and their potential as target markets.

Stemming the Decline of French Wine Consumption: Institutional Initiatives

2011-10-21T07:16:00.001-04:00

In dialogue with @GrapeConviction following his reading of my post on Generational Roles in the Demise of the French Wine Drinking Culture, two questions were raised: (i) did I expect to see continuing declines in French wine consumption? and (ii) what steps could producers take to mitigate this problem? I will address these two questions over the course of my next two posts, this one inclusive.

First, as regards future consumption, French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and Viniflhor projections (in Comité national des conseillers du commerce exterieurs de la France (CCE), "Wine in the world as we approach 2050: the 21st century market challenges," September 2009) show that, in a market of 51 million wine drinkers: regular drinkers will decline from 20% in 2005 to 17% in 2010 and 13% in 2015; non-consumers will represent 39%, 41%, and 43% of the market, respectively, in the same years; and occasional drinkers will rise from a base of 41% in 2005 to 43% over the forecast period. The projected decline in regular drinkers, and the increase in occasional drinkers, signals further erosion in consumption as, according to INRA (CCE), occasional drinkers consume five to six times less wine than does a regular consumer.

The CCE report has identified two fronts on which the French wine industry should battle the decline in wine consumption: (i) seek growth in international markets to offset the declines at home and (ii) target the large, and growing, occasional and non-wine-drinking segments. To these I will add the options of (i) exiting the market completely (available only to individual producers) and (ii) seeking to increase the amount of wine drunk by foreign tourists while in France (At this time it is not clear how tourist consumption maps into the overall domestic consumption figures.).

Initiatives focused on combating the consumption problem can be broadly categorized as being at the institutional or producer level. In this post I will cover institutional initiatives.

Initially the European Union saw declining consumption as a supply problem and sought to address it by mandating the grubbing up of vineyards and reducing subsidies to farmers. In its August 2000 Common Market Organization (CMO) for wine, the EU began to take a broader view of the problem. The 2000 CMO sought to (i) enhance quality, (ii) protect quality wines produced in specified geographic areas, (iii) increase industry market orientation, and (iv) subsidize renewal of old vineyards. As the data have shown, this initiative did not solve the declining-consumption problem. This then led to the August 2009 CMO for wine.

The August 2009 CMO sees improving wine producer competitiveness as both a foil against foreign wines in the domestic market as well as a tool for helping to win business in foreign markets. One of the significant aspects of the CMA is its simplification of the quality level scheme (to essentially three levels: AOP, IGT, and Vin de Table; the German sweet wine levels is retained) with the option of using varietal names at the Vin de Table level. In this scheme, a producer who wants to use a varietal name can do so providing the wine is labeled VdT, regardless of actual quality level. This initiative seeks to protect the domestic market by protecting place names (something the local consumer would, ostensibly, be familiar with) while giving the local producer the flexibility of using varietal names where that is the preferred mode for communicating the contents of the bottle.

It may be a statement of the obvious but the French wine industry is important to France. According to CCE, the industry: is responsible for 350,000 upstream and downstream jobs; is a key part of France's heritage; is, in some rural areas, the only economic activity; and is a key contributor to the country's balance of payments. Given the industry's importance, one would expect the French government to seek a role in addressing the declining-consumption problem. And it has. As a direct offshoot of the 2009 CMO, the French wine authorities have launched a 5-year program to modernize French viticulture. In addition, the Inspector General of French agriculture has been charged with developing programs aimed at improving industry promotional activity in international markets.

These initiatives by themselves will not solve the problem (assuming it is soluble). They are, instead, designed to create an environment wherein producers and marketers can apply creative solutions. The task is daunting, however, as they attempt to change course in the face of implacable competitors, unenthusiastic consumers, and tepidly religious marketers and producers. My next post will focus in on this area.

Generational Roles in the Demise of the French Wine Drinking Culture

2011-10-11T09:50:00.000-04:00

French wine drinking culture is dead. So says Marion Demoisser in her book French Wine Drinking Culture ..., where she details a number of changes in French wine production and consumption which have had material, deleterious effects on the "strong national wine drinking culture." According to Demoisser, a key indicator of the death of the French wine drinking culture is a decline in consumption, a decline that can be attributed to a number of factors: (i) wine has been replaced by water and other beverages in many instances as the liquid accompaniment to meals; (ii) a government clampdown on drinking and driving; (iii) an increased focus on healthy living, especially among the younger generation; and (iv) an increase in beer consumption among young people. In a recent journal article ("The representation of wine in France from generation to generation: a dual generation gap." Int. J. Etntrepreunership and Small Business 13(2), pp. 162-180, 2011), Lorey and Poutet provide additional insight into French wine consumption and the roles played by successive generations in its decline. We examine the Lorey and Poutet research and findings in this post.

The table below shows the decline in French wine consumption using a number of different indicators. The table shows both overall and per capita consumption declining markedly, even in the face of an almost 50% population increase since the beginning of WWII. It also shows the precipitous decline in people who drink wine on a daily basis and a significant increase in the people who self-identify as non-drinkers of wine.

Looking at the declines in consumption, the authors wondered whether they were reflective of a shift in the way that wine was imagined or thought of (The way of thinking or imagining about an item is called representation and is "... a dynamic structure which evolves and becomes different with the passing years and social changes, under the influence of culture and social practices."). Further if such a shift had taken place, could its tracks be followed across generational cohorts.

In order to answer these questions, the authors undertook a research study whose objectives were to (i) describe and assess the representation of wine, and its relation to consumption, for a generational cohort comprised of people over 65 years of age; (ii) conduct similar exercises for a 30-40-year-old cohort and a post-1980-birth cohort; and (iii) compare and contrast the results. Data for the study were collected from subjects in face-to-face interviews.

The research shows the over-65 generation as key markers for a French wine drinking culture: they consume wine on a daily basis; they view wine as a symbol of French culture; they feel very strongly about the generational transmission of this very French patrimony and were very forceful in identifying the father as the person responsible for transmission; they see wine as a healthy, therapeutic drink; and they are not impacted by drunk-driving campaigns.

In examining the data for the 30-40 year-old cohort, the authors note what they call "the first generational gap." This group drinks wine occasionally and wine becomes the preserve of social groups -- rather than society wide as in the older generation -- that seek to promote it as a status symbol. It is also in this group that we first begin to see concerns about drunk-driving beginning to take hold.

There is a second generation gap for the cohort born after 1980. Wine drinking in this group is reminiscent of the way that champagne is drunk in the US -- occasionally and for special events -- and wine loses its cultural identity as fathers from the prior generation fail to pass on the patrimony. It is in this group that wine begins to take on the mantle of a "hazardous product."

With the insights provided by this data, the demise of the French wine drinking culture is easily tracked. The baseline group (over-65) represents the epitome of French wine drinking culture; and they continue to consume wine according to their beliefs but in declining amounts as members of their cohort die off. The 30-45 group has elements of the wine drinking culture passed on to them but they begin to go their own way and drink wine occasionally or as a part of a special group. So during the time when these two generations are in their "wine-drinking years," the over-65 generation is fully engaged while the 30-40 group is only partially so. And the consumption numbers reflect this situation. Then along comes the post-1980 generation and they contribute almost nothing to the pot: occasional/exceptional drinkers; no wine culture; and, furthermore, beginning to look at wine with upturned noses. So now in society as a whole, we have the older generation fully engaged (but their numbers declining), the middle generation partially engaged, and the post-1980s acting as a drag on the system. The picture that emerges is of a declining national engagement in wine drinking with the resultant decline in consumption. Hence the statement regarding the death of the French wine drinking culture.

The French wine drinking culture has given way to what I call the Unitary wine drinking architecture. According to Demoisser, the forces in France have led to the culture transitioning from a perception of ubiquitous wine knowledge to a three-tiered society with (i) 38% of the population (2005 figures) self-identifying as non-wine-drinkers; (ii) a middle grouping -- which she characterizes as the "wandering drinker" -- that has limited knowledge and only drinks occasionally; and (iii) the wine lover. Given the technologies available today, and the international nature of wine opinion making, this architecture will likely prevail.

Douro (Portugal) Wine Region

2011-10-07T09:36:00.002-04:00

In my most recent post I elaborated on the formulation and evolution of the Douro Valley as a wine region. In this post I will discuss the physical characteristics of the region and its viniviticulture.

The Douro wine region runs from Mesao Frio, about 100 km inland from Porto, to Freixo do Espada a Cinto on the Spanish border, a distance of approximately 70 km. The 250,000 hectares of the Douro are broken down into three sub-regions: Baixo Corgo, Cima Corgo, and Douro Superieur.

Source: pinalta.com

Baixo Corgo is the westernmost of the sub-regions and, being closest to the Atlantic, is also the coolest and wettest. This sub-region runs eastward along the Douro from Barquaros/Barro to Régua, where the Corgo River flows into the Douro. Baixo Corgio has a surface area of 45,000 hectares of which 14,582 are under vine. Cima Corgo runs between the Corgo River and the Valeria Canyon and covers 95,000 ha (20,969 under vine). This sub-region is centered around the town of Pinhão, and is considered the heart of the broader Douro producing, as it does, most of the region's high-quality Port. Douro Superieur, the area to the east of Valeria Canyon, is the warmest and most rugged of the regions. It has a surface area of 110,000 hectares, 10,175 of which are under vine.

The Douro climate is continental with hot, dry summers and bitingly cold winters but is protected from the cool Atlantic winds by the Marāo and Montemuro mountains.

The Douro soil is primarily schist with granite at the edges. There is no natural topsoil so this has to be manufactured by breakage of the schist and the addition of fertilizer (This type of soil is called anthroposoil.). This anthroposoil is a fine dusty soil mixed with stones and bricks and this composition allows: the absorption of heat and its radiation to the grapes; rain to seep deep into the ground; vine roots to dive vertically into the ground in search of that moisture.

Given the steepness of the hillsides, vineyards in the Douro are, for the most part, terraced. Prior to the phylloxera outbreak in 1863, these terraces were narrow, irregular, and buttressed with stone walls and had one or two vines per terrace. Vine density was low at 3000-3500 vines/hectare. The Douro was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century and the new terraces were continuous with monumental walls. They had a slight slope (for better sun exposure) and supported 6000 vines/hectare.

A third terracing system was introduced in the late 60s, early 70s in order to take advantage of the possibilities afforded by mechanization. These terraces are horizontal and are supported by earthen walls with one or two rows of vines per terrace. In the cases where there are two rows of vines, they are far enough apart to allow a tractor to pass between them. This type of system, called patamares, allows for 3000-3500 vines per hectare and is best suited for larger estates.

A non-terrace planting style is used in areas where the slopes are not very steep. In this approach the vines are planted up the hillside vertically as shown in the mid- and foreground of the below picture.

Vines are trained single- or double-Guyot and close to the ground. Constant care is required to ensure a healthy vineyard. A particular requirement is frequent spraying with copper sulfate to protect against mildew. Earth around the vines have to be loosened in March and April and and some of this loose earth is banked up against the roots to protect against the dryness of July and August.

Grapes grown in the region are primarily native varietals which are grafted onto American rootstock. The varietals suited to the harsh conditions tend to yield small, thick-skinned berries. The primary red varietals are Tourega Nacional, Tourega Francesa, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela, and Tinto Cāo. The notable white varietals are Malvasia Fina, Viosinho, Donzelinho, Rabigato, and Gouveio. The authorized maximum yield is 55 hl/ha.

Harvesting in the Douro occurs during September and October. Given the nature of the vineyards, hand harvesting is the norm with a first level of selection done in the field. The selected grapes are transported down to the winery where another level of sorting is applied before de-stemming and/or crushing.

In the case of Port production, the crushed grapes are fed into a square concrete structure where they are crushed by the treading action of human feet for rapid extraction of color and flavor from the skins. The must is fortified by the addition of 20% by volume of pure grape alcohol. This fortified port is then stored in wooden barrels until the next spring when they are shipped downriver to Vila Nova de Gaia for aging, blending, and classification.

While the region is best known for Port, the Douro is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the table wine arena. Its red wines are primarily blends of the major native varietals mentioned earlier and are notable for their complexity and richness. Its white wines are also blends while Rosés are made from light maceration of red grapes. Moscato do Douro is a fortified white wine made from the Moscatel Galego grape while Espumante do Douro -- a sparkling wine -- and Colheita Tardia -- a late-harvest wine -- round out the Douro region's offerings.

Douro: The Making of a Wine Region

2011-10-05T12:02:00.000-04:00

Decanter's Great Port Wine Weekend revolved around immersion of 11 of the magazine's readers into the production and enjoyment of the namesake wine. After a welcome lunch and a tour and dinner at The Factory House, we turned our attention fully to the wines of the region. Before describing these adventures, I will spend some time detailing the wine region, beginning with its formulation and evolution.

Portugal is home to a large number of indigenous grape varietals but is best known for its Port wine; and it is in the Douro region that the production of this fortified wine has reached its pinnacle. Wine has been produced in the Douro for thousands of years but its importance on the world trade market came about as a direct result of the ongoing conflicts between France and England. The British have historically been partial to "claret" from Bordeaux but supplies ebbed and flowed depending on the state of affairs that existed between these two countries at any point in time. Seeking alternative sources of supply, British merchants seized upon the wines of Douro which were robust and could be easily shipped from Porto to England. These wines did not stand up well to the Atlantic voyage, however, and brandy was added to the mix to stabilize it. This solution worked and, over time, it was seen to improve the acceptability of the wines to British palates. Under the Methuen Treaty of 1703, England granted preferential duties to the Portuguese and, for the next 100 years, became the largest market for Douro wines.

For many a year, trade between the British Port shippers and Portuguese growers followed a pattern where the wine was brought down-river by the growers and then fortified by the shippers prior to export. Over time, incursion into each others traditional role occurred. Shippers began travelling upriver in search of land for their own vineyards while growers began fortifying wine before shipping it down to Porto. The shippers did not like this incursion into their area of responsibility as they felt that it provided scope for adulteration of the wine. The issue came to a head after a particularly bad harvest in 1955 when the shippers told the growers that they would not purchase any more Duero wines if adulteration did not cease. The growers sent a delegation to the Prime Minister, Marques de Pombal, who promptly established a company under royal charter (Companhia Geral de Agricultura dos Vinhos do Alto Douro) with the power to set prices and regulate the production of Port.

As a part of this process, Pombal demarcated the boundaries of the Port region and classified the estates as to suitability for production of export wines. The Port region was demarcated with 335 granite markers, each with the word FEITORIA and the date (either 1758 or 1761) carved on the side facing the road. The vineyards were classified A-F based on points awarded in categories to include: altitude, productivity, incline, aspect, sun exposure, and vine age. The Douro thus became the third region in the world to be demarcated -- after Chianti (1716) and Tokaj (1730) -- but the first to be both demarcated and protected.

Travel on the Douro beyond the Valeria cataract was historically very difficult and dangerous and, as a result, very little vine-growing activity took place beyond the cataract. The offending block of granite was removed from the Valeria canyon between 1780 and 1791, opening up the area beyond for vine planting. This area came to be known as the Upper Douro. When the dictator Franco took office in 1907, he signed a decree regulating Port production and sale based on the principles established by Pombal 150 years earlier. In that decree he extended the Douro demarcation zone to include the Upper Douro sub-region.

In 1936 Portugal adopted a new provincial scheme, based on the work of geographer Amorim Girão, which divided the the country into 13 natural regions. Under this new schema, what had been the Douro now fell into two provinces: Duoro Litoral and Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro. The demarcation point between these two provinces was thus used to divide the sub-Valeria Douro into the Baixo Corgo and Cima Corgo sub-regions of the Douro region.

In my next post I will discuss the physical characteristics of the Douro wine region.

Tour of The Factory House (Porto, Portugal) and Dinner: Decanter Great Port Wine Weekend

2011-10-04T06:50:00.000-04:00

The second official item on the Decanter Great Port Wine Weekend itinerary was a tour of The Factory House in Porto and an in-place dinner. Before getting to the tour and dinner, a brief review of The Factory House is in order.

According to the literature, in 1827, the British Port shippers formed an association called The Factory House whose express purpose was promoting their interests and defending their priveleges. A structure to house the association was designed and built in the neo-Palladian style (following on the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio 1508-1580) by the British Consul John Whitehead with construction completed in 1790. The Factory House was closed in 1807 when the French invaded Portugal and was reconstituted in 1810 as the British Association, an organization limited to British Port wine shippers. The building was re-opened in 1811 to house the new organization. Today the British Association functions solely as a private club of the Port wine shippers and has 10 male and one (new) female members.

Our transportation the The Factory House was scheduled for 7:15 pm and we were picked up at that time and transported to our destination without incident. We were welcomed outside the building by Paul Symington, CEO Symington Family Estates, and Nick Heath, Marketing Director, Taylor Fladgate and Yeatman. We were ushered into the building foyer where the tour was kicked off with a very warm welcome from these two gentlemen.

According to Paul, The Factory House was built in 1790 and was maintained by merchant contributions which varied in relation to the value of a member's exports. The British Association currently has three sustaining companies.

One of the prized possessions of The Factory House is the first detailed map of the Douro region drawn by Baron Joseph James Forrester 160 years ago. The map shows the river and quintas from San Joao da Foz near the Atlantic coast to Barca d'Alva close to the Spanish border. Baron Forrester was a formidable cartographer and photographer who drowned in the river when his boat hit the rapids and capsized. While alive he had been opposed to fortification of the Douro wine and it is likely that his death eased the way for the advancement of that process. A 21st century edition of the Forrester map by English artist David Eley was introduced to the public in a ceremony held at the Yeatman Hotel on March 3, 2011.

Port shippers were British and sought every opportunity to remind themselves of that fact and to keep as tight a link as possible to the motherland. The practice of all families was to school kids in Portugal up to a certain age and then to send them to England to complete their education and acculturation (a practice that is still followed to this day). The Factory House was a key manifestation of that Britishness. The furnishings and color schemes are reminiscent of a British gentleman's club of yore and, as you walk through the structure, you are transported back to the days when members would congregate here to do business, catch up on the news, read papers of the day, and have lunch. Paul indicated that they had copies of the Times going back over 100 years and on their traditional Wednesday lunches, copies of the paper for that same date 100 years ago are pulled out for members to read. As an aside he mentioned that the same issues we are wrestling with today were being discussed and debated 100 years ago.

Beginning in the 1820s, a library of English books was established at The Factory House to meet the reading needs of the British families living in and around Porto. A fiction library was established initially and books were acquired as published based on librarian perception of need, reader requests, or London book agent initiative. Over the next 70 years the collection grew to over 1000 books. As the number of families declined and reader tastes changed, many of the earliest books were moved to shelves and back rooms to make way for more current material. According to University of Tulsa McFarlane Library, this old fiction library built between 1820 and 1890 lay forgotten until rediscovered in the 1970s. This 2500-volume, 1000-title library now resides at the University of Tulsa. Notwithstanding this fact, The Factory House is still endowed with an extensive library which, according to Paul, is the most valuable item in its inventory. The collection was recently assessed and valued by an English company flown in for that express purpose.

The member's penchant for locking things up and then forgetting about them was once again on display as we were toured through a fully equipped period kitchen. According to Paul, someone had apparently walked out and closed the door to the kitchen and it was forgotten; lost in its own house. But what a gain for us. We were able to see a working kitchen as it functioned rather than the way some curator thought that the pieces might have been arranged.

One can imagine the types of parties that were thrown here based on the splendor of the ballroom and the extensive collection of dance cards on display.

At the conclusion of the tour we were led into a salon for aperitifs and butler-passed hors d'oeuvres. Dinner was a two-room affair with the major courses in the formal dining room and the cheese course in the Port Room.

The menu for the evening's dinner was as follows:

Course 1: Scallop Tartar with Prawns and Avocado Puree; paired with Symington Family Estates Altano 2010 Douro DOC Branco
Course 2: Beef Tournedo with Sauteed Potatoes and Vegetables; paired with Symington Family Estates Chryseia 2008 Douro DOC
Course 3: Trilogy of Traditional Portuguese Puddings with Lemon Sorbet; paired with Taylor's 20 Year Old Tawny
Cheese Course: Serra and Ilhas Cheese; paired with Graham's 1970 Vintage Port

I sat next to Paul Symington for dinner and thus began three days of intensive education at his hands regarding the history of his family, the land, the business, and his blood. Because all of this is in his blood.

The Yeatman Hotel (Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal): Portuguese Wine Ambassador

2011-09-30T08:02:00.000-04:00

Participants in Decanter's Great Port Wine Weekend event were scheduled to lunch and overnight at the Yeatman Hotel, a 5-star luxury hotel located above the Port Lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia and famed for its stunning views of the Douro River and the town of Porto running northwards from its banks. In that the Yeatman was designed, and is being marketed, as a wine hotel, I will explore its wine-related characteristics in this post.

The Yeatman is owned by Fladgate Partners which, in addition to the hotel, controls such fabled Port labels as Taylor's, Croft, and Fonseca and a number of Quintas (estates) on the Douro, upriver of Porto. The hotel, which came online in the summer 2010, is designed with the ground floor as its highest point with guest rooms sunk into the face of the hill below. Travel from the reception to a guest room requires taking an elevator downwards. According to the hotel sommelier, Croft, Delaforce, and Fladgate Port Lodges were destroyed to make room for the hotel.

The Yeatman as seen from the river bank

The common areas of the hotel are tastefully designed and decorated with the internal designs flowing gracefully outwards from large, glass-enclosed spaces to terraces and patios which direct the eyes outwards towards the Douro and Porto rather than to the Port Lodges directly below.

There is not a single guest room with a bad view as all 82 rooms have a similar northward-facing view and a private balcony from which to soak in the sun and the view. Amenities abound. The hotel boasts a restaurant, breakfast room, and pool bar, all well-appointed and, of course, overlooking the Douro and Porto.

The wine focus of the hotel becomes apparent as soon as you step into the elevator. The leftmost elevator (as you face them) is decorated (fully) with an amazing panoramic view of a Douro vineyard. In juxtaposition, the second elevator is decorated such as to give the impression that you are in a Port Lodge. I have never thought of the inside of an elevator as being picture-worthy but both of these are.

The elevator lobbies on the guest-room floors, the halls leading to the lobbies, and the guest-room hallways are all decorated with maps of the Douro (river and region), pictures of vineyards, and scenes from the production and storage of Port. On the walls leading to the wine cellar, there are plaques and framed matter showing the primary Portuguese wine regions and representing Portuguese varietal aromas as fruits in a glass.

Wine can be bought at the hotel in the restaurant, at the pool bar or at an attractively stocked lobby shop. The hotel describes the restaurant wine list as being the best Portuguese wine list in the world.

In order to gain better insight into the hotel's wine activities, I arranged for a tour of the wine cellar with Elisabette, the restaurant sommelier. We met in the main lobby and then worked our way down to the cellar (We were joined in this adventure by two other couples from the Decanter Reader Team.).

As we entered the cellar, we were confronted by a large, free-standing wall that stood to the right of the entrance and was adorned with name plates. Elisabette explained that these were the names of the hotel's Wine Partners, the producers of the best wines in Portugal. Each partner, according to Elisabette, gave their name to a room and was allowed to decorate it in a manner which promoted their wines. The partner wines are on the restaurant wine list which is organized into Chapter 1 (by the glass), Chapter 2 (bottle), and Chapter 3 (vintage; requires a trip to the wine or port cellar). In addition to the general wine list, there is a weekly list which features the wines of an estate by the glass. That particular wine is promoted heavily by all of the hotel's outlets during that week. Also during that week, a dinner featuring that wine, and complementary fare prepared by the chef, will be held.

The Yeatman cellar is home to 25,000 bottles drawn from 800 primarily Portuguese labels. The wines are arranged in the cellar from the northernmost Portuguese wine region southwards and the management of the contents are the responsibility of a full-time cellar master.

The management of the Yeatman has successfully melded the themes of luxury and wine into a seamless whole which is pleasing to the senses. The partner advertising in the rooms are very understated and appear more as accents than sales pitches. The wine list is impressive in terms of the volume of Portuguese wines included and Elisabette is of inestimable value in helping you navigate through it. I liked this hotel.

Review of Decanter's Great Port Wine Weekend

2011-09-28T21:37:00.008-04:00

Decanter, the leading wine magazine in the UK, implemented a program last year to bring a select group of its readers to top-end Bordeaux estates in order to meet and interact with the winery managers. The intent of the program was to increase the Decanter value proposition in the eyes of these readers. This initial effort was extremely successful from the reader's point-of-view (see my review here) and, apparently, from Decanter's also, because they opted to repeat the effort this year, this time calling it the Great Port Wine Weekend. This year's event differed from last year's in that it: was held in Portugal's Douro region rather than in France's Bordeaux; extended from Thursday to Sunday, rather than the two days covered by last year's program; was held during harvest so that we could observe and (participate in) the process; had a significant fortified wine (Port) component; had separate vitivinification and maturation aspects due to the structure of the Port trade.

Decanter leveraged its standing and relationships in the wine world to provide its readers with a four-day package that had the leading lights of the Port industry showcasing the leading Port locales in an encompassing, breathtaking fashion. First, the level and intensity of executive access was unparalleled. Every single activity in which we participated was led by some combination of Paul Symington, CEO, Symington Family Estates, Nick Heath, Marketing Director, Taylor Fladgate and Yeatman, Adrian Bridge, CEO, Taylor Fladgate and Yeatman, Dominic Symington, Executive Director, Symington Family Estates, and Ana Margarida Morgado, PR Manager, Taylor Fladgate Yeatman. For perspective, Symington Family Estates owns Graham's Port, Cockburn's, Dow's Port, Warre's Port, produces 30% of the world's premium Port, and is the largest vineyard owner in the Douro.

This "extreme access" began with an aperitif on the terrace and a private lunch in a private dining room (Both locales affording spectacular views of the the Douro and Porto) at the Yeatman Hotel, both hosted by its dapper Managing Director, Adrian Bridge. The Decanter team was comprised of 11 readers, Sarah Kemp, Decanter Publishing Director, and Emma Franc, Decanter Events Manager and this was our kickoff meeting. A glorious start to what would turn out to be a glorious weekend. Adrian's welcome was very warm and he stayed with us for the duration, a practice to which we became accustomed over the four days.

This was only the beginning, however. Both Paul Symington and Nick Heath took us on a tour of the Factory House and then hosted us for dinner in this fabulous historical structure. And this level of executive attention and care continued until Dominic Symington deposited us into the buses that would take us from Graham's Quinto dos Malvedos to the airport at Porto on Sunday evening for our trip back to London. And every day was chock full of activities.

Nick Heath, Marketing Director, Taylor Fladgate and Yeatman

Paul Symington, CEO, Symington Family Estates

Over the course of the four days we met the winemakers at Quinto do Vesuvio (a very important Symington Estate in the Douro) and Quinto dos Malvedos (a Graham's property), the viticulturist at Quinto do Vesuvio, and the head of Viticulture for all Symington properties. The upshot of this level of access was a constant immersion in the history of the region and its families, the viniviticulture of the Douro, maturation processes, soil, climate, the wines of the region, and the difficulty associated with farming here.

As one travels up the Douro River, whether by train or boat, one is struck by the beauty of the terraced vineyards on gently sloping hills which reach at once for the sky and the horizon. Punctuating these vineyards are patches of scrubland, walnut and olive trees, and granite outcroppings. The appreciation for the beauty of the landscape is tempered by a mental tip of the hat in recognition of the human effort that was required to transform this inhospitable environment into a setting wherein extreme agriculture could be practiced. The river, placid as it is, has been known to rise up and break a rib or two of the unsuspecting water-skier.

Occurring as it did in the midst of harvest, this trip afforded us the opportunity to observe the winemaking process for the 2011 vintage. Port is vinified in the upper reaches of the Douro and then shipped downriver for maturation the following spring. We visited three estates and were able to observe hand-harvesting of the varietals, the transportation of the picked grapes down to the winery, treatment of the grapes prior to crushing, various manual and mechanical crushing methods, fortification of the must, and the temporary storage of the fortified wine in the winery. We participated in a manual crush but also gained an appreciation for the long hours that vineyard workers put in during harvest. They are up at the crack of dawn and are picking grapes from 7:00 am until about 4:00 pm and are in the winery stomping grapes (gently) from 7:00 pm until 11:00 pm.

Our accommodations over the four days were an experience in and of themselves and contrasted luxury-living in a port town versus living on a working farm where the nearest convenience store is 40 kilometers away (When you forget to pick up milk on the way home you are not going back.). The Yeatman Hotel, our place of abode in Gaia, is a new luxury hotel with all of the amenities. The estate house at Quinto de Vesuvio is two-story, multi-bedroom structure with an attached church and no room-service button but we all jumped at the chance to stay on a working estate during harvest. And this is not your every day rural farmhouse. It exuded warmth and charm which, in combination with the famed Symington hospitality, made us feel right at home.

We did not want for food or drink on this trip. Being as close as it is to the Atlantic, fish dominates the Douro menu, with cod (for the most part slightly salted) as the victim of choice (Being a bacalou aficionado, I had no problem with this.). The meals in the upper Douro were hearty and reminded me somewhat of Tuscan fare in its appropriateness for the land. Drinks were always at hand either in the form of a tasting, an aperitif, or an accompaniment to a meal. One popular aperitif is white port and soda on the rocks with a slice of lime and a mint leaf. Very refreshing. The meal progression is to first sit around in a circle and have a port-and-soda-fueled discussion before decamping to a nicely laid out table for the actual meal.

This trip was impeccably organized and well-managed on the ground. I was not privy to the workings of the process but it was obvious that a yeoman Symington logistical effort underpinned the entire program. Our transportation needs were frequent and varied but the bus, train, or boat was always there; and so were we. The concern for time, and respect for others, was especially evident in the cases where we were being handed off from Taylor's to Symington or vice versa.

If this program had been organized by anyone but Decanter I would have been advising them to get out now. To quit while they were ahead. I would have suggested that it would be exceedingly difficult to better (and, after all, we always expect better) the experience that was afforded this year's participants. That it would be hard to find partners who are so hospitable and generous with their time; so willing to include us in their family activities. But after all, it is Decanter of whom we speak. And it is Decanter to whom we will look next year for another mind-blowing experience.

I will detail the individual elements of our trip in future posts.

2009 Beaujolais Tasting: Cru Wines

2011-09-27T10:54:00.001-04:00

The press had spoken glowingly of the 2009 vintage in Beaujolais, as had critics and winemakers alike. Even Andrew McNamara, the Master Sommelier who was leading us in this tasting, had referred to the vintage as the best he had ever seen coming out of Beaujolais. Yet we were more than of a quarter of the way through the tasting and had not yet encountered any earth-shaking wines. But maybe our fortunes would change with a shift to tasting the cru Beaujolais wines. Our experiences in that regard is the subject of this post.

Before we get to the wines, some acknowledgements that should have been covered in my earlier post. First, the wines were provided by Ron Siegel, John Alport, and the author. Some of the wines had to be shipped in overnight (given the time of the year and the fact that the tasting was being held in Florida) and the cost of shipping was significantly greater than the cost of the wine. Secondly, I would like to thank Ron for securing the tasting locale and associated excellent service personnel.

Now back to the wines. The characteristics of the individual crus were covered in an earlier post as was the tasting order, which flowed from lightest to most robust. The first cru tasted was the Vissoux Brouilly Pierreux. On the nose butterscotch, carmel, and raspberry. On the palate, tart cranberry, raspberry, dusty earth, and a certain spiciness. Also, some evidence of tannin and texture.

The second wine tasted was the Domaine des Braves Régnie. This estate is owned by Paul Cinquin and was initially founded by his grandfather. It was broken up into many pieces as a result of the French inheritance laws but Paul has reconstituted 20+ acres of the original estate on soil that is a mix of sand and clay. Paul picks his fruit seven to ten days later than his neighbors in order to ensure maximal ripeness. The wine is unique in Beaujolais in that it is a blend of three distinct vilification methods: thermo (for color and lightness of aromas); pigeage (for extraction of tannins and aromas); and semi-carbonic (for fruit and soft tannins). The wines are 100% tank-aged and are bottled unfined and lightly filtered. This wine threw off aromas of bubblegum, red fruit, perfume, game, and earth. It was fuller-bodied than any wine tasted to this time and was smooth on the palate. Now we were beginning to cook with gas.

The next wine up was the Damien Coquelet Chiroubles Vielles Vignes. The label on this bottle was rather unprepossessing, as French wine labels go, but this was one serious wine. The nose launched us into a lengthy discussion on brett and its contribution to/detraction from wines. This wine did exhibit some brett on the nose but it was not off-putting. The wine had great body, asian spices, and a pepperiness to accompany kirsch-liqueur and black-fruit flavors. It had a long, silky finish. Impressive. I have bought a case of this wine post the tasting.

Chateau Thivin Brouilly was the next scheduled wine in the lineup. This estate has 8.3 hectares of east-, south-, and southwest-facing vineyards on the steep slopes of Mount Brouilly. The soil is composed of blue stones of volcanic origin. The estate's vineyard strategies promote natural regulation of pests and diseases, proper soil conditions, and sun exposure and aeration for the hanging fruit. Grapes are hand-harvested in whole bunches, macerated for 8-12 days, and aged in oak casks for 6 months. Tart red fruit on the nose confirmed on the palate along with some minerality and a medium finish.

The wine from the cru of St. Amour was the Domaine des Champs-Grilles Revillon. This wine exuded sweet, floral notes with a hint of decomposing rose petals. It was light of body, soft, feminine, and elegant. It was not as acidic as the crus tasted to date and was endowed with late-arriving tannins which dried out the palate on the finish.

The Pierre-Marie Chermette property that is the source of the Fleurie wine is called Poncie and is a 4.5 hectare, southeast-facing plot on the heights of the cru. This vineyard was planted 35 years ago on pink granite soil that is rich in mica and quartz. This wine is meaty and iron-rich on the nose; somewhat reminiscent of a charred grill. Light on the palate. Rustic with a non-round mouthfeel.

The contribution from the Juliénas cru was the Domaine Eve and Michel Rey Les Paquelets. The grapes for this wine were sourced from low-yielding vines with an average age of 90 years. Slightly medicinal on the nose with lots of (good) funk and granite. Dense on the palate with great texture and a fulsome representation of acidity and tannin. This was the most Burgundian of the wines tasted that day and earned the designation "wine of the day." I have since bought a case of this wine.

The next wine tasted was the Jean-Paul Thevenet Morgon. Jean-Paul Thevenet is one of Beaujolais' most respected growers. He practices organic cultivation, ferments with natural yeasts, and adds little or no sulfur to his wines. This particular wine was aged for 6-8 months in aged Romanée Conti oak barrels and is bottled unfiltered. This wine exudes perfume. Florality and a little bit of sulfur on the nose. Spicy and metallic on the palate.

The Jean-Paul Brun Domain des Terres Dorées Moulin-à-Vent had hints of reduction and burnt matches on the nose and was rich, big, and balanced on the palate. Another victim of my post-tasting shopping spree.

The final wine of the tasting was the Domaine Piron-Lameloise Chenas Quartz. This wine had lots of fruit on the nose and spice and tannins on the palate.

All in all a wonderful event. Andrew walked us through the wines in a masterful fashion, imparting nuggets of wisdom along the way. The cru Beaujolais stood out and have made me a believer; so much so that I have since bought three cases of the standout crus with the intent of tracking their evolution over time. In my opinion (based on the performance of the wines in this tasting), cru Beaujolais from the 2009 vintage is deserving of your consideration.

2009 Beaujolais Tasting: Non-Cru Wines

2011-09-15T10:16:00.002-04:00

Beaujolais, and, specifically, cru Beaujolais, is an excellent option for the serious -- or the not so serious -- wine drinker, a point that was driven home to me during the course of a 2009 Beaujolais tasting which I hosted at the Capital Grille in Orlando on August 9th. The objective of the tasting was to explore the breadth of Beaujolais for this much-heralded vintage. The tasting panel consisted of nine people and we were fortunate to be led in this effort by Master Sommelier Andrew McNamara. The tasting will be reported in two posts: this one covering the non-cru

Master Sommelier Andrew McNamara and John Alport (Augustan)

Adam Chilvers (Wineontheway.com) and Ron Siegel

wines and a second covering the cru tastings.

The wine lineup is presented in the table below. The wines were tasted lightest to heaviest with the sparkling and white comprising the first flight.

In his opening remarks Andrew reminded us that Beaujolais is really a part of Burgundy and that the two regions overlap in Beuajolais' northernmost areas. Beaujolais wine, according to Andrew, owes its heritage to the religious orders that came into the region and made wine from the indigenous grape, Gamay. Philip the Bold felt that Gamay was only fit to be served to pigs and livestock and ordered the vines pulled out. The Gamay vines in Beaujolais were spared that fate and have survived and thrived in the region over the years.

While Beaujolais is a part of Burgundy, in many ways it is Rhone-like, says Andrew. For example, the soil in many parts of Beaujolais is granitic, a Rhone characteristic. Second, both Gamay and Syrah are descended from Gouvay Blanc, an ancient varietal originally grown in Central Europe.

With the attention being paid to Beaujolais, a number of producers from outside are beginning to make wines in the region. Most of the very good Beaujolais wines are still, however, mede by Beaujolais specialists. As we turned our attention towards tasting the wines, Andrew stated that the 2009 vintage was the greatest Beaujolais vintage that he had ever tasted.

The first wine tasted was the Domaine Vissoux Brut Blanc de Blanc. This winery and its practices have been summarized in a previous post.

This sparkling wine is 100% Chardonnay from grapes grown on a 2.5 hectare, southwest-facing plot which sits on a limestone-clay soil. This blend of 2006, 2007, and 2008 vintages has seen very little dosage liqueur and has been aged for 18 months. The bubbles on this wine appear to be short-lived. Initial bread aroma with a hint of apricot followed by a more distinct rubber note. On the palate a short, tongue-coating finish. Less minerality, alcohol, and yeastiness than a traditional champagne. I will not be running out to buy this wine anytime soon.

The second wine tasted was the Domain des Terres Dorées Beaujolais Blanc. This winery and its practices have been summarized in a previous post. On the nose the wine was fruity,

oily with a beeswax character, herbal with a basil tint, and had grapefruit notes. On the palate grapefruit and lemon rind with good acidity. This wine was lean and light with a residual bitterness on the palate. This wine was not well regarded by the tasting panel.

At this juncture the tasting switched to the forte of Beaujolais, wines made from the Gamay grape. The first red wine tasted was the Domaine Dupeuble Pere et Fils Beaujolais. This producer ferments the wine using natural yeasts, uses no sulfur, and bottles unfined and unfiltered. This wine had aromas of bubblegum, fruit, rubber, and cotton candy. Tart cherry on the palate with a hint of bitterness on the medium finish.

The final non-cru wine tasted was the Mommessin Beaujolais-Villages Vielles Vignes. The grapes for this wine were sourced from 40- to 80-year-old vines located on granite-schist-limestone hillside plots. The grapes are handpicked, sorted, and vatted as whole bunches, then bled in search of greater concentration. The grapes are fermented for 9 days in vats after which malolactic fermentation occurs. Cherry and bubblegum on the nose. On the palate a tartness and tannin (some wood, some grape). A full, richer body with fine-grained tannins. More character and greater length than any of the preceding wines. Hopefully a harbinger of things to come.

With the tasting of the Mommessin, folks were lessening the frequency of accusatory glances cast my way. Up to this point the looks were clearly asking "Why are you wasting our time here today?" I started to breathe a little easier. Cru wines up next.

Inside the Rosso di Montalcino "No" Vote

2011-09-13T06:44:00.003-04:00

"The assembly of producers congregated in the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino met this afternoon and rejected the proposal to modify the regulations of the DOC Rosso di Montalcino." So began the brief, two-paragraph press release issued by the Consorzio on September 7th to inform the world that this initiative had been soundly defeated. The results are now history but what actually transpired in that meeting where the vote was taken? I have consulted with reliable sources in order to gain some insight into the setting and proceedings and will share those insights in this post.

But first let us revisit the purpose of the vote. According to Decanter.com, the proposed motion would, if adopted, allow: (i) the inclusion of up to 15% of non-Sangiovese varietals in Rosso di Montalcino; (ii) permit irrigation in the vineyards; (iii) remove regulations stipulating that vines used to source Rosso wines be planted on hills and slopes; (iv) allow for the inclusion of grapes planted below 600m; and (v) broaden the acceptable terrain on which vines could be planted.

Now back to the vote. The meeting to vote on the motion was held in the Teatro degli Astrusi, the newly refurbished 18th-century structure overlooking the old town hall.

According to my sources, the meeting was initially convened at 2:30 pm but did not proceed due to insufficient attendees. A second call-to-order was made at 3:30 pm at which time the meeting formally began. A total of 638 votes were included in the final tally but as the theater only seats 180, the multiple-vote-per-producer system becomes readily visible. According to Decanter.com, voting rights are tied to producer size with small and medium-sized producers having three votes each and the largest producers having as much as 60 votes, depending on bottle count. My sources indicate that there were about 150 producers present with some attendees having the delegated authority to vote for absentees.

This was a very important vote for producers. In addition to the production impacts they would feel, they had to contend with the fact that major wine critics like Jancis Robinson had expressed an opinion on the matter and that Decanter, an important industry magazine, was following the story closely. The tension that came with all this pressure was palpable in the lead-up to the vote. But with all of the weightiness of the day one of the hallmarks of the afternoon's activities was civility. The producers were civil and professional as they went about the afternoon's business; for example, producers socialized freely prior to the start of the meeting even though some had taken very public stands for or against the motion.

As indicated in the picture, the theater has seating capacity in the central hall as well as in the boxes lining the walls above. The producers sat in these seats while the Consorzio President, Vice President, Director Stefano Campatelli, and two advisors sat on a podium at the front of the hall. The agenda was presented by the President -- brief, as there was only one topic -- after which the producers launched into a debate of the motion. The three-hour-long debate was heated but civil.

At the conclusion of the debate, the vote was held. Voting was by secret ballot. Each producer was called by name at which time the representative filled out a voting sheet and placed it into a box provided for that purpose. At the conclusion of the vote producers employed a number of strategies to pass the time as they waited for the results. Some, including the President, left shortly after the vote was taken. Others stayed in the theater while some hung around outside. Others simply went for an aperitivo.

The results became known 4 hours and 15 minutes after the meeting had been called to order. There was no official announcement in the theater but news of the results came trickling out and, as all of who had remained in the theater were on the "no" side, the news was received with relief and glee. The final count was 465 against (a full 70%) and 210 in favor; a stunning, stinging setback for the President and his agenda.

In a previous post on the Rosso di Montalcino affair I had asked where were the men and women willing to stand against the forces seeking to change this aspect of Montalcino culture. I now have my answer. They were in the hall and the box seats of Teatro degli Astrusi on the afternoon of September 7th. And they made sure that they were counted. And they made their votes count.

The Rosso di Montalcino Affair: Marketing Folly or Cynical Expropriation of a Common Good by a Powerful Few

2011-09-07T09:18:00.001-04:00

As the Montalcino producers prepare to vote today on the proposal to change the requirements for Rosso di Montalcino, I could not help but view the exercise as either (i) one of the world's greatest marketing follies or (ii) a cynical expropriation of a common good by a powerful few. Let's examine the evidence.

The Consorzio as well as Brunello producers have spent enormous sums of money positioning Rosso di Montalcino as the early drinking baby brother of Brunello di Montalcino. And the campaign has worked. Ask anyone who is even remotely familiar with Montalcino about Rosso di Montalcino and they will say "Brunello's baby brother." That is branding, a marketer's delight. Companies expend a lot of effort and funds to gain that type of association; and once it is attained, they guard it jealously. Enter the Consorzio. Let us assume that they found something wrong with Rosso and determined that the fix needed to be a two- or three-wine solution (ignoring for the moment the question of why we are retaining the original Rosso as part of the solution if it has a problem), you would expect that the brand goodwill would be retained by keeping the relationship between the original product and the original name. Any new nomenclature would be associated with the new instances of the product. Not so the Consorzio. They are proposing to throw out all of the investment in branding by having the name Rosso di Montalcino associated with the new product while the existing product gets a new, needlessly confusing name(s); a senseless elaboration of what it already is. By the standards of even a first-year marketing student, a colossal blunder.

But is it? Or is it a schema for expropriating that goodwill towards another end? Two lines of evidence point towards this latter explanation. Franco Biondi Santi had previously been reported as being in favor of the proposal to change the requirements but he clarified his position in later statements to the press. According to doBianchi.com, Mr Santi had previously been in favor of adding softening wines to Rosso but certain provisions in this proposal took the motion above and beyond that consideration. According to Decanter.com, the motion would revisit vineyard requirements for Rosso to include removing restrictions of (i) planting on hills and slopes, (ii) plantings below 600m, and (iii) terrain from specified geologic periods. With these changes, it is no longer about softening up Rosso di Montalcino; it is about bringing the unsaleable Sant'Antimo grapes into the fold. Under those conditions, Mr Santi could not support the vote.

With all producers having a common Rosso in their portfolio, the branding efforts, and the goodwill that accrued as a result, was a common good. If only a select few of these producers have international varietals to add to a blend, and if that blend now retains the name that has been established in the marketplace, then that common good has been expropriated by a few, leaving the majority to try to explain to the marketplace what this new Rosso di Montalcino Sangiovese or Sangiovese Superiore is. The net benefit is a negative to the producers left holding the bag.

We keep our fingers crossed.

Parker's "Magical 20": In Search of the Objective Criteria

2011-09-05T23:35:00.001-04:00

Robert Parker's announcement of a Bordeaux "Magical 20" chateaux list -- whose wines will be tasted at The Wine Academy of Spain's Wine Future Hong Kong event on November 8 -- is significant in that it has the potential to: (i) cut through the confusion of the existing Bordeaux classification schemes to create a new Bordeaux "super-scheme" which is positioned just after the First Growths; (ii) creates winners and losers among the chateaux; (iii) exposes a set of wines below the First Growths to the Asian market -- with attendant benefits to the chosen chateaux and price increases to your favorite wines if you are a consumer in other markets; and (iv) kick-start efforts to modernize the outdated 1855 classification scheme. Given the potential impact, it is important that we understand Parker's criteria for inclusion on this list. While we await Mr. Parker's revelations, I will attempt to use available data to try to tease out some of these criteria.

In his announcement, Parker stated, "I have chosen estates that produce wines of first growth quality, although technically not first growths. Consequently, they are under-valued and very smart acquisitions." Parker will be accompanied at the tasting by representatives from each estate. The estates, their current classification, and their respective AOC are shown in the table below.

My first impression in looking at the list is that there are some names that I would have liked to see on here that are not mentioned. But then again, I am @wineOrl and he is Robert Parker. He wins. The list contains 11 chateaux from the 1855 Classification (5 second growths, 3 third growths, and 3 fifth growths), two from the St Emilion classification, and three from the Graves classification (Pomerol properties have never been classified.). Every meaningful Bordeaux commune is represented in the list with 70% of the properties being left-bank-based. Of the individual communes, Pauillac, Marguax, and Pomerol, with four chateaux each, are the most represented. Nothing in this table appears to be list-composition drivers.

Not finding the criteria above, I turned to the release price of each chateau's primary wine. In that the 2009 release of the wines will be tasted at Wine Future Hong Kong, I wanted to include that year's price in the analysis but I also wanted to look at least five years back so that meaningful analysis and comparisons could be made. I was able to obtain time-series data on release prices from genesiswines.com and those data are presented in Table 2 for the years 2004-2009.

The series includes two exceptional years (2005 and 2009) and two less-than-stellar years (2004 and 2007). The prices are stated in British Pounds. In that 2009 was a stellar year, I wanted to compare it against another stellar year and 2005 fit that bill. The second comparison was the pricing differential between 2008 and 2004. In the cases where a price range is given, the low end of the range is used. The comparisons are shown in the last two columns and indicate no correlation between inclusion on this list and 2004-2008 or 2005-2009 price growth so Mr. Parker could not have used these as criteria for composition of the list. Onward then.

I looked further into areas such as ownership (a mix of owners to include industrialists, families, insurance companies, etc.), consultants employed (Michel Rolland, Stephen Derenoncourt, among others, but not in a suffocating way), and recent quality-focused investments (Cos, Pontet, and Angelus stand out) but no clear commonalities exist that one could point to and say "these are the objective standards for inclusion in the list."

If we have exhausted the possible objective selection criteria, then inclusion on the list must be subjective. Could Parker scores have been the basis for inclusion? Let us take a look at that. Table 3 shows Parker scores for each of the chateaux between the years 2004 and 2009 and a calculated average in the rightmost column. In looking closely at

the list, Pontet-Canet, Pape-Clement, and Smith Haut-Lafite show excellent scores in the down 2007 vintage. On the other hand, Lynch-Bages and Pichon Lalande scored poorly in 2005, a year when even street-corner vendors were making excellent wines. This is not the first time that Pichon Lalande has received low scores in a good vintage year. You might remember a similar occurrence in 1990, another stellar Bordeaux vintage. And this begs the question as to why Ducru-Beaucaillou is not on this list. It had an average score of 94.8 over the highlighted period; better than some of the wines included herein.

The average scores earned by the chateaux range from the low 90s to 96, a non-uniform distribution. However, according to The Wine Advocate Rating System, a wine scoring between 90 and 95 is "an outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character"; and all of these wines, save one, fall within that orbit. But so do a lot of other Bordeaux wines that have more stuffing than Le Gay, for example. Did they create a list and then stop calling when they got 20 people willing to travel to Hong Kong to participate in the event? I hope not because this is potentially a guide to the Chinese as to what they should be buying next; and in so doing will create winners and losers among the second-tier Bordeaux players. It will also have pricing implications for Bordeaux buyers like me.

With all of the foregoing, my biggest concern is the potential for creation of a new "super-second" classification scheme which is both subjective and single-sourced. All previous Bordeaux classification schemes have come about as a result of group action. In the case of the 1855 classification of the Medoc, Napolean requested a classification schema and it was developed by the brokers based on chateaux reputation and prices. In the case of the St. Emilion classification, the Syndicat Viticole had begun considering the idea in the 1930s but held off until 1954 when the Institute Nacional des Appellations d'Origine (INAO) agreed to manage the process. The Graves classification was implemented in 1953 by a jury appointed by INAO and was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. The scheme was updated in 1959 and has survived in that state to the current day. All of these systems need updating to account for the passage of time (the St. Emilion classification is supposed to be updated every 10 years but the 2006 update had been mired in legal wrangling which has finally been resolved) but, given the implications, I would expect a studied, broad-based effort(s) to be the vehicle for such change given the number of stakeholders. I fervently hope that Parker's "Magical 20" does not become a de facto Bordeaux classification scheme.

Central Florida James Beard Nominees Charity Dinner at Cress Restaurant

2011-09-01T10:41:00.004-04:00

The patrons of Deland's Cress Restaurant were tickled pink that their hometown restaurant was hosting the inaugural Central Florida James Beard Nominees Charity Dinner and this delight was manifested in the turnout and their enthusiastic embrace of all aspects of the evening's event.

The event featured a 7-course meal prepared by an all-star cast of Orlando chefs to include Scott Hunnell of Victoria and Albert's, James and Julie Petrakas of The Ravenous Pig, Kevin Fonzo of K Restaurant and Wine Bar, and Chef Hari Pulapaka of Cress Restaurant. All proceeds from the event benefitted The Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

The event was slated to begin at 6:30 pm and most people arrived on time. The doors were closed, however, as management and staff continued with their last minute preparations. When the door was finally opened, it was only long enough to allow one couple through. Once that couple was placed in pre-assigned seats, another couple was let in, and so on until all seats were filled. The table settings were gorgeous and menu presentation impeccable. Once you arrived at your seat, a member of the wait staff came over and introduced him/herself and offered a flute of Heidsick Monopole Blue Top Brut champagne.

Once everyone was seated, the chefs came out of the kitchen to be introduced to the attendees. Chef Hari opened the proceedings by thanking his fellow chefs and remarking on how impresesed he was with them. They had shown up two to three hours earlier and had immediately gone about setting up their material. Things had run so smoothly that they were now helping him in his set up. Each chef then introduced him/herself and acknowledged the underlying purpose of the evening and how happy they were to be able to participate in this worthy cause. Chef Hunnell talked about these chefs being at the vanguard of a food and dining movement in Orlando which is aimed at providing residents and guests with an attractive culinary scene. Chef Petrakis also referenced this culianry movement but expanded its reach all across Florida. At the conclusion of their comments, the chefs exited stage left and the serious examination of their handiwork commenced.

The first course was an Amuse Bouche composition with contributions from a majority of the chefs: Applewood Smoked Bison with an Apple-Walnut Salad from Chef Hunnell; Blue Fin Tuna and Scallop Tartare with Caviar and Hazelnut from Chef Petrakis; Pickled Deep Creek Ranch Pickled Beef Tongue Reuben with House Kraut, Caraway Gribiche, and Toasted Pumpernickel from Chef Fonzo; and Pasture Prime Farm Milk Fed Ranger Chicken Bisteya with Tikka Masala Ice Cream and Preserved Lemon from Chef Pulapaka. This was paired with the Heidsick champagne referenced earlier.

The second course was a Chef Hunnel creation and featured Spanish Octopus, Summer Tomatoes, Arbequina Olive Oil. It was paired with a 2010 Legado del Condo Albarino Rias Baixas, a Spanish white wine.

The third course, offered by Chef Pulapaka, was a Roasted Local Snowy Grouper, Local Shellfish "Cioppino", and Summer Truffles. It was paired with a 2006 Domaine GuffensHeynen Macon Pierreclos.

The Intermezzo was Blackberry Blood Orange with an Habanero gel.

Course 4: Oxtail Tortellini, Butter-Poached Maine Lobster, Sunchokes, Lobster Mushrooms. A Chef James Petrakis offering paired with 2007 Jose Maria da Fonseca Domini Plus Douro, Portugal.

Course 5: From Chef Fonzo, a Braised Lake Meadow Naturals Goat Rib, Goat Belly Confit, House-Made Goat Cheese Pudding, Succotash of Sweet Corn and Summer Beans. Paired with 2004 E&E "Black Pepper" Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia

The sixth course was a cheese composition: Artisanal Cheeses and Accoutrements. Paired with 2008 Benton Lane First Class Pinot Noir, Oregon

Course seven was a dessert course from Chef Julie Petrakas. It was a Fig Duo: Creme Caramel, Black Mission Fig Compote, Dark Choclate-Brown Turkey Fig Tartlet, Fig-Cardamon Sorbet. Paired with Taylor Fladgate Tawny Port 40-Year Old, Portugal

By this time I was truly tuckered out (To be truthful, I had blown my wad long before this.). This had been a truly formidable array of dishes offered up by chefs at the top of their game. Two of the dishes/pairings which stood out for me were courses four and five. Course four was special because I did not initially get the rationale of the pairing given the white sauce-red wine combo. Hidden under all the white, though, was the oxtail tortellini and the lobster mushrooms and they were more than adequate to support the Portuguese red. On course five, I have eaten goat in the past but in more of a comfort-food style (Curried goat, for example). This was my first encounter with this gourmet-style presentation of goat and ... I liked it. All of the pairings worked well in my estimation with the exception of the Black Pepper Shiraz which had a brackish taste and added nothing to the dish.

Midway during the meal, Bill Budzinski of the Elusive Grape announced an upcoming live auction of seats at their restaurants donated by the participating chefs. This announcement lent a further dash of excitement and anticipation to the evening's proceedings. After the meal was completed, Bill proceeded with the auction. The first offering seemed to take everyone by surprise because, before you knew what was happening, my table mates had "won" at the opening price. This did not happen again as people warmed to the proceedings. The most hotly contested offering of the evening was two seats at Cress Restaurant. The author's wife became involved in a bidding war with two other tables which was only terminated by having all six of us agree to a joint dinner which would also be attended by Chef and his wife and Bill and his wife. A welcome relief.

Post the auction, all of the chefs and the kitchen staff were brought out to take a bow. Chef Pulapaka thanked them for their support and thanked the attendees for thier participation. The chefs were all very gracious in their concluding remarks.

All-in-all a very successful evening: the event raised $13,500 for charity; the guests had an enervating evening where they went away satisfied and with a feeling of having done something good; the participating chefs seemed to have had a good time; Chef Pulapaka represented his abode and his constituents admirably; and the small kitchen did not in any way restrain the artistry and creative forces of these dynamic chefs.

The Rosso di Montalcino Affair: A Crime against Culture?

2011-08-31T11:18:00.003-04:00

In a recent post on the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, I identified the genesis of Rosso di Montalcino as a foil to the lengthy aging requirements of the Brunello. The early drinking character of the wine would allow a stream of revenue to flow to producers while they awaited the realization of the promise of "big brother" Brunello. Note that Rosso was not established to be a wine on its own; it was to provide revenue flow from the same infrastructure, resources, and harvesting to meet the day-to-day requirements of the winery while waiting for the "coming." Yet the Consorzio -- the Brunello di Montalcino producers association -- seems hell bent on changing the character and intent of Rosso, an initiative which I see both as ill-founded and ill-fated and, potentially, a first step along the path of changing the composition of the hallowed Brunello di Montalcino. In this post I will lay out some of my issues with the proposal. I would also like to acknowledge quality efforts on this topic by @winewomansong, @doBianchi, and Decanter (which also points to an open letter written by Nicolas Belfrage MW).

The current Rosso di Montalcino battle is a microcosm of a larger overshadowing; the fear of which is driving the revulsion with which the Rosso di Montalcino proposal has been received. As in many other old-world wine growing regions, Montalcino has been the scene of an ongoing battle between traditionalists and "new agers." Banfi has been a leader in modernizing Brunello production so when its former oenologist Ezio Rivella was elected president of the Consorzio, it seemed a vote for modernity. Rivella and Angelo Gaia, the famed Piedmontese producer (and now a Brunello producer of some stature), are identified as being in favor of blending international varietals with Sangiovese to increase the appeal of Brunello on international markets. Gianfranco Soldera of Casse Basse is at the other end of the spectrum saying, in effect, that real winemakers do not make Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and that these varietals are "vulgar" in comparison with Sangiovese. Lamberto Frescobaldi is quoted in the above Decanter article as saying that whatever needs to be done should be done while Franco Biondi-Santi has taken the position that many of the areas now planted to Sangiovese are not suitable for growing the varietal.

So here we have this fundamental discussion about the future of the region and, after advancing a proposal and then rescinding it, the Consorzio has advanced another proposal which calls for remaking Rosso di Montalcino into a blend with up to 15% of international varietals and adding a Rosso di Montalcino Sangiovese Superiore and a Rosso di Montalcino Sangiovese to the mix with the key differences between the latter two being yield, alcohol content, and acidity levels. This proposal has been greeted with loud hoots of disapproval around the world (Free Willy and Save the Rosso signs are going up all over.). The Consorzio is being accused of aiding the large producers in getting rid of their unsold Merlot crop by drowning it in Rosso; of fixing a problem that does not exist; of disadvantaging smaller producers vis a vis larger producers; of seeking to segment a market that has exhibited no need for segmentation; and of not demonstrating an understanding of the market.

While the battle is about Rosso, methinks this is really only one skirmish in the war regarding the future of Brunello di Montalcino. Sure, if a large producer has offerings across the Rosso board, and a smaller producer has only one offering,a consumer could conceivably discriminate against the small producer based on a perception of inability to compete and, following, a lack of staying power. Sure this adds cost and complexity to the production of Rosso, and confusion in the customer environment, with potentially deleterious consequences. But what I think opponents fear most is that a loss on the Rosso front opens up Brunello to similar attacks from the arch-enemies of tradition.

I would like to look at this battle through two different lenses: European Union (EU) Wine Laws and Italian cultural patrimony. Earlier this year I attended an EU Wine Law conference hosted by UC Davis School of Law and held at the UC Davis campus in Davis, CA. In one of the sessions, Alessandro Baudino, Attorney and Partner in the firm Franco Baudino e Associati, indicated that the 2009 EU reform targeted: improved wine producer competitiveness; perception of Community wine quality; and preservation of Community wine making traditions. It is the EUs view that implementation of the laws will, amomg other things, guarantee fair competition in the wine industry. Firstly, it appears to me that the move to dismantle Rosso di Montalcino is not exactly an action focused on preservation of Montalcino wine-making tradition. The tradition, and the "sense of place" espoused in the laws, has been to make Brunello di Montalcino from 100% Sangiovese Grosso planted in demarcated areas of Montalcino. Further, approximately 68% of the yield can be classified as Brunello with the remainder sold in bulk or allocated to an easy-drinking wine called Rosso di Montalcino. So while the EU diplomats are out arguing for protection of these special places in world trade forums, the Consorzio is undercutting them by saying that these places and traditions are not so special after all. See, we can add some names and change some blends and voila. But you had still better protect us.

As a corollary to the above, the Consorzio is tasked by the Farming Policy Ministry with protecting and enhancing the value of Montalcino DOC wines. Rather than protecting, this proposal expands the number of wines in a dilutionary manner (maybe delusionary would be better) with further unintended consequences sure to accrue. Rather than protecting the wines of Montalcino, the Consorzio proposal sets the stage for similar depradation of the Brunello franchise.

I have just finished reading a book by Felch and Frammolino titled Chasing Aphrodite: The Hunt for Looted Antiquities at the World's Richest Museum (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011). The book revolves around the Getty Museum's purchasing of looted antiquities but a major underlying theme is the fight by Italian authorities for repatriation of instances of the country's cultural patrimony that had illegally ended up in these large institutions. General Roberto Conforti and Salvatore Morando of the Caribinieri Art Squad, Paolo Ferri of the state's prosecutors office, Judge Muntoni, Maurizio Fiorelli and Francesco Rutelli of the Italian Culture Ministry all played key roles in breaking the back of the looted-art conspiracy and gaining repatriation of the stolen objects to Italy. Where are like-minded cultural fighters in the Rosso di Montalcino affair? Not at the Consorzio. They are more akin to the tambarolo, the men who robbed the ancient sites of the artifacts before selling them to dealers. Except this time the cultural heritage will be plundered in plain view. And to add insult to injury, the pieces that are being removed from the shelves will be replaced with foreign wares. And further, deeper encroachment into the patrimony may be in the offing. With a victory in the "Rosso Affair" under its belt, the "internationalists" could ask to deepen the international component(s) of the blend as we move forward in time and (heresy) seek to impose the same type of construct on Brunello.

If there is a problem with Sangiovese, the Consorzio should facilitate its fixing. So if, for example, there are areas of Montalcino planted to Sangiovese that should not be (as per Franco Biondi Santi), then maybe tightening the demarcation boundaries should be considered. If major growers are sloshing around in Merlot, then maybe they should consider making an IGT wine and naming it in a fashion that does not confuse the market. Robbing Rosso of its name and intent, and diluting its impact by confusing the buying public, is nothing less than a crime against culture.