international - Fine wine magazine

Transcription

I n s p i r at i o n a l w i n e k n o w l e d g e a n d t h e p e o p l e b e h i n d t h e d r i n k
May
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
Concours Mondial PAGE 24
The Emigrants Part 2 PAGE 27
2010
Domaine Duseigneur PAGE 31
INNEHÅLL >
PAGE 4 Fréderic Brochet at Ampelidae PAGE 11 The latest cry from Spain´s world of fashion white wine
PAGE 15 Waiting for the Barberas PAGE 19 The Beverage Auction Stockholm 1st June 2010 PAGE 24 Concours
Mondial de Bruxelles in Palermo PAGE 27 The Emigrants part 2 PAGE 31 The Predecessor - Domaine Duseigneur
PAGE 34 Sexual frustration at René Barbier´s PAGE 36 Fine Wine Guides: Madrid PAGE 39 Drinking wine out of a
Plastic Mug PAGE 41 Verona - a week in the Service of Wine PAGE 43 Ornellaia guarantees its legitimacy with the
help of RFID
news
Chilean Top Producer
Expands 400% in Twelve
Years
The Chilean Bodegan Concha y Toro
is bursting its seams. 12 years ago the
company was one of the biggest in
Chile with its 3000 hectares of wine cultivation land. This alone was impressive
enough, but it is during the last 12 years
that great expansion has occurred in
Chile and in Argentina as well.
During this year they reckon with having 12000 hectares of vineyards in wine’s
own paradise as well In neighboring Argentina, where at the present time they
own 1200 hectares of grape cultivation.
This makes Conch y Toro to one of the
absolute largest wine producers and
acreage owners in the world. The super
company makes a range of wines under
various brand labels amongst others
Casillero del Diablo, everything from
high to low, as well as some of Chile’s
iconic wines like Don Melchor and Almaviva.
JFC
Torres Expands its
Presence in Kina
The Spanish bodega Miguel Torres was
amongst the first commence wine cultivation in China. However the project
cooled off after a series of administrative
blunders. After this in Spain they decided to invest in exporting the wine to the
gigantic market in the East.
Now follows the next phase of Torres’s
marketing strategy, namely a chain of
wine stores, where according to the
Spanish press, the staff are trained in
Fine Wine to be able to give extra service
to the stream of Chinese customers. “We
started with distribution in 1997, which
ran at a loss, but now we’ve been in
the black for several years”, says Miguel
Torres the company’s CEO.
During 2009 sales of Torres wines in China increased by 14%, which puts their
turnover at the present time of approximately 10 million Euros. At the moment
Miguel Torres has 6 wine stores dotted
around China as well as sales through
the internet.
JFC
A New Fine Wine
Player on the
Swedish Market
Vinlusen (The wine louse) is the
name of a new player on the
Swedish Wine and Spirits market.
Primarily they will be working
with Fine Wines and high quality
spirits. Amongst the products that
they represent we find the cognac
Maxime Rijol and the bio dynamically grown products from Trénel
Fils from Bourgogne, Laurent Perraud in the Loire, Daniel Crochet,
Sancerre. Even the Domaine Gilles
Chollet, Poilly Fumét and another
ecological wine from the Chateau
de Surande, Quarts de Chaume.
For more information on Vinlusen
call +46 70 471 19 66
WELCOME TO A NEW EDITION OF FINE WINE
Your on-line magazine in a glass of its own
When Europe Rose from the Ashes of Winter like the fabled Phoenix
Spring time this year has been unusual for a number of reasons. Up here in Sweden we’ve been caught in the iron
grip of winter for four months of relentless snow, ice and sub zero temperatures. Even the southern latitudes of
France and even as far down as Barcelona have received a good covering of snow.
How is this likely to effect this year’s grape harvest? The producer’s that I’ve been speaking to
are all agreed that the snow is a good thing, It all helps to get rid of a number of destructive
insects and protects the vines against the cold. Let’s hope that they’re right!
In this edition there is a lot of discussion about quality and investment, exciting developments
and new endeavors. Naturally we’ll be covering the great beverage auction in Stockholm. Do
You? http://www.auktionsverket.se/s.asp?s=online_10/online.asp
Now with summer approaching we notice more and more that “good food” tourism is
increasing more and more. A hot tip for anyone who’s on the lookout for a special culinary
experience and has the wherewithal to pay for it, then Mathias Dahlgren’s Dining Room
adjacent to the Grand Hotel. You’ll not be disappointed with either the food, the drink or the service.
Allow us to wish you all a really pleasant summer.
Welcome to a brand new and exciting number of Fine Wine International
Ove Canemyr
Chief Editor Fine Wine Magazine
It is permitted to forward Fine Wine Magazine to friends and acquaintances interested in Fine Wines and are over the age of 18 years. Please
let us know about anything interesting that you get to know about, people, events etc. We cannot be held responsible for any unsolicited
material, manuscripts, photos etc. You’re welcome to please quote from Fine Wine Magazine,but always reveal your sources.
Editoral Office:
Ove Canamyr: Chief Editor , Fine Wine Magazine/Trendsetter Box 24013, 104 50 Stockholm. Layout : Sophie L Slettengren, By Design AB,
International Edition Translations: Roger Brett, Broadcasting Arts. [email protected] Front Cover photography: Anne-Marie Canemyr.
2
n o t i ce
For Chateauneuf du Pape Terroir is Everything
Daniel Brunier made a guest appearance at Pontus’s one of Stockholm’s fantastic
restaurants and he had this to say, “Wine is a 100% terroir! It is its personality.
In my opinion we should interfere as little as possible in its development”.
How does climate change affect production?
“We are affected by it just like everyone else. Back in 2003 to 2005 we were really frightened, there was an extreme drought but then came 2006-2009 where
conditions were perfect. It seems that everything goes in cycles but we´re all
affected by climate change.
In which order should we consume the products?
“If you’re asking me? Then I suggest you drink la Roquette and let the Vieux
Télègraphe continue to age in peace.” For the enthusiasts, if you’re interested?,
these wines are available at your nearest
Fine Wines from Western Australia
David Hodgson of the 3 Oceans Wine Company in Australia
has a dedicated goal, namely to make wines of European
caliber. The cultivations are situated on the Margaret River
in Western Australia and the Franklin River about 14 miles
inland. Here they produce amongst others, Palandri and
Baldavis. Thanks to the relatively cold winds off of the sea
the reasonably low summer temperatures affords them
a slowly ripening process not unlike the circumstances in
Bordeaux. Apart from that they have access to water, something which is unusual in other parts of Australia.
In previous years almost all of the prizes in the indigenous Australian wine competitions have gone to producers in the South and East. But now the wine world
has started to raise an eyebrow since products from the western provinces are
suddenly walking away with prize after prize. Having ambition is one thing, but
turning your plans into reality is another.
In between times however, one thing is sure. There are producers here that will
enjoy great response at blind tasting events all over the world.
Why don’t you try them yourself? They’re at an off license near you. (SystemBolaget
is the name of Swedish, state owned chain of off-licenses).
4000 Euros for Wine in
the Sauce
Pity the poor cook, who uses wine in
his cuisine. In Dubai, that sit reports
that owing to many complaints from
restaurant guests that they suspect
the chefs in their kitchens are using
alcohol to enhance their culinary
creations. Devout Moslems do not
consume alcohol, so the authorities
have decided to impose a fine of the
equivalent of 40 000:- Swedish crowns
(approx 4000 Euro) on any cook who
infringes upon the faith. Incidentally
the ban is only on cooking.
Regular bars that have a license to
serve alcohol may continue to do so.
JFC
Support our operation and inform us about
Fine Wines
Take this opportunity to give yourselves and your friends Fine Wine
throughout the whole of 2010.
A present that will last a long time. Pay Sek: 200:- into the bank giro number BG 721-1980 and add the E-mail address of the lucky recipient of this
thoughtful and lovely present.
(send to [email protected])
3
fréderic brochet
at ampelidae
Text Britt Karlsson photo Per Karlsson, bkwine.com
I have met few wine producers who are as active as Fréderic Brochet. To own a vineyard that
isn’t situated in a well known wine district, well hardly a wine district at all, demands a great deal
of perseverance and tenacity to gain the attention and recognition that he indeed has received,
but not without a struggle.
>>>
4
began his career as
an academic, after studying Biology and Psychology he doctored in
Oenology at the university of Bordeaux with a thesis entitled “Cognitive Aspects of Tasting”. He started his vineyard Ampelidea in 1995.
Though he didn’t turn his back on
academia completely, he wanted to
find out more about our behavior
when we drink wine. He carried
out many conspicuous experiments
towards the end of the 90´s. (More
on this later)
During the years 2005-2008 Fréderic spent one month every year
teaching Oenology at the Slow
Food University at Pollenza in Italy. He dropped this assignment in
2008 owing to lack of availability
as he assumed the responsibility for
the Wine Dept at Fauchon. With
its main store in the Place de la
Madeleine in Paris and its branches
in Japan, Fauchon is Frances most
luxurious delicatessen.
Frederic Brochet
consumption. This is the way that
Frederic started in 1990 by making
a little wine for the family and discovered just how much fun it could
be. Now he makes wine from 120
hectares 75 of which he owns outright. The rest of the grapes come
from contracted growers. “Though,
he says, I and my employees take
care of most of the work, even in
the vineyards”. The only thing the
growers do is pruning.
This 38 year old is completely tireHe has 16 employees at Ampelidae
less, others would be on their knees to help him at Ampelidae and all of
for much less. When I met Fréderic his other engagements. The work at
at Fauchon to check a few things Fauchon demands his presence in
for this article, he tells me that his Paris a couple of days a week.
young oenologist at Ampelidae
has just tendered his resignation Of course it´s not quite true that
because he couldn’t keep up with Ampelidae is completely isolatFrederic´s exhausting tempo.
ed. It lies in a wine district called
Haut-Poitu, which accommodates
He’s been running Ampelidae now about 800 hectares of wine cultivafor about 15 years The name itself tion. So there are other vineyards,
comes from the Greek word Am- though none of them have become
pelos meaning vine. For a vineyard as reputable as Ampelidae.
Ampelidae lies somewhat isolated
exactly between Paris and Bor- The wine from Ampelidae is considdeaux, not far from the town of ered to be Loire Valley wine even
Poitier. Fréderics grandparents used though it lies a fair way away from
to have a few hectares of wine cul- the river. It was formerly designated
tivation here, and his father grew a as Vin de Pays de la Vienne because
half hectare here purely for his own the department were vineyard is
situated is in turn named after the
river Vienne.
“Of course Vin de Pays Loire is
clearly more sellable”, says Fréderic. But never the less, not sellable
enough for a property with his level
of ambition. “I don’t have any well
know AOC to lean on, therefore I
have I to see to it that my property
is awarded its own unique identify”, he continues. He is a strong believer in séléction massale as a way
of achieving it.
“Our old vines give us a fantastic
quality and with sélécton massale we retain our vineyards originality when we plant new ones”.
“Everyone´s talking about terroir,
then they go and buy the same
plants again at the nursery. Selection Massale means that instead of
going to the nurseries to buy vines
which are already grafted from
American vines, he takes cuttings
from good vines on his own property to produce vines and carry out
the splicing himself on Ampelidae. Of course this is much more
laborious than going to the plant
school. He also does his own grafting, which is very expensive and
time consuming. What it actually
entails is that he makes use of old
vines when he is going to plant a
new type of grape. For example he
grafted the rare Sauvignon Rose”which is cloned from the Sauvignon
Gris- 40 year old Gamay vines.
The resulting wine was good from
the start, very pure, minerals and
expressive.
education influenced his way of working?. “Yes,
absolutely, he says, I have learned
to always be in doubt…that there
is no certainty. I all observe, I anaHas his scientific
>>>
5
lyze the results and then I decide
what is good and what is not good”.
Though on the other hand he feels
that he also has a creative side and
even that influences his work as
well. He makes use of this creativity
not least in his work at Fauchon,
where he has produced a series of
wines from a range of wellknown
French appelations, which are old
sold with identical Fauchon labels.
Theese wines are big in Japan.
“Frédéric calls them “designer wines,
completely the opposite to the wines
that I produce at Ampelidae, which
have the property’s own signature.
Personality in wines demands that
one be scrupulously thorough both
in the vineyard and down in the
cellars. Frédéric says that “sensible
harvesting is important”.
He does it manually as part of the
vineyard is situated near the facilities. Which actually means that a
third of the harvest can in the fermentation tanks five minutes after
the bunches of grapes have been
picked.
empty their baskets
straight onto the sorting tables. “It’s
difficult to imagine anything more
idealistic”, says Frédèric.
“In such a northern climate like
ours, you must never have a big
yield. The red wines must never
exceed 45 hectoliter per hectare.”
He achieves this by hard pruning
in winter and plucking off the superfluous buds (ébourgeonnage) in
the spring. He also wants a lot of
leafage to catch as much solar energy as possible.
The height of the wines is between
2.30 and 2.50 meters. Only the
leaves surrounding the grapes are
removed for maximum exposure
The bearers
fate is 6kg per year and hectare for
the ecological cultivators, however
they are discussing whether or not
to reduce it that down to 4kg. I
ask Frédéric if that is possible. “I
suppose so, but these small doses
need a perfectly calibrated spraying
The whole property has changed
tractor, so they’ll have to check over
over to ecological cultivation de- their machinery. One will have to
noted by their AB (Agriculture Bi- follow the meteorological reports
ologique) classification since 2007. and be ready to act quickly.
“The most important thing when
you’re working ecologically says Frédéric has maintained for a long
Frédéric is to keep your eyes peeled time that if you´re not allowed to
and act immediately. “You have to use copper sulfate then it is imposbe especially observant on rainy sible to grow grapes ecologically in
years, like for example 2007 when these northerly, rainy latitudes. But
the bouts of mildew were very dif- now he’s saying that in the future
the answer for the ecologists lies
not in using copper.
He thinks the problem can be solved
by gene manipulation. “People are
frightened with out reason”, he
says. “GM means simply that people are using their brains, there is
absolutely no risk involved.” “Solving the copper problem is quite
simply making the Vitis Vinifera
equally as resistant to diseases in a
natural way as the American vines
are already”. “Grafting the American vines after the phylloxera back
in the 1800´s was more of a shock
for the vineyards than this will be.”
Of course his declaration is controversial, there is compact resistance
ficult. It’s easily done that on years to gene manipulation amongst his
like this one uses too much copper producer colleagues in Europe.
sulfate”. Mildew is the scourge of
us all, not least for the ecological The environment in general is
growers, who can only fight fungi something that lies very close to
with the contact activating copper Frédéric´s heart. It is always cropsulfate based Bordeaux mixture. ping up in conversation. He is
Systematic biocide penetration is not satisfied with just growing his
more effective but forbidden for the grapes ecologically, he wants to
ecologists. In the long run though, show his consumers that the wines
copper is also dangerous for the do not contain any residue from
soil. Today the limit for copper sul- pesticides. In fact he guarantees it
to the sun. He starts early with the
eastern border in June, The other
sides are plucked after the 14th
July.
The density of the cultivations are
5000 plants per hectare.
>>>
6
Zero Residue.
There are two separate laboratories
that test his wines for traces of 244
different substances in the wines.
Our vineyards are protected by
forests which is also a factor that
contributes to our Zero Residu,
even though we are producing
everything ecologically. “The land
is small isolated island which cannot be contaminated by the surrounding non ecological properties. Customers are not assured
of a Zero Residu, purely because
they buy an ecological wine”.
Cultivators have to follow a set of
rules to reach a certain goal, however they are not obliged to reveal
how they did it!”.
His dream is
to be as selfsupporting
as possible.
A part of that dream was fulfilled,
when he received a donation from
the Community to install 400
square meters of solar cells on
Ampelidae. “Now we are self supporting on the electricity front,”
he declares. Which is almost true
with a slight modification.
The solar cells do in fact produce
as much electricity as the vineyard
needs in a year. But during the
summer there is a surplus, which
they sell off, unfortunately they
have to buy in electricity again
in the winter. To store the excess
electricity would be much too
complicated. The northerly position is just enough to capture the
affectivity of the solar cells.
we´re not allowed
to talk about ecological wine, but
rather “wine produced from ecologically cultivated grapes”. During the spring the EU were supposed to present a rulebook about
At the moment
how the ecological producers were
work in the cellars.
This would mean that at last they
could speak of ecological wine.
“It’s good that it’s to be regulated”, Frédéric adds, “even though
I believe that there’s a big risk
that it will just be a watered down
(no pun intended) compromise.
There´s just too many wills that
have to appeased and have a say in
things. “There are the extremists
that won’t allow anything at all in
the cellars, they say that wine be
as natural as is heavenly possible”.
“It’s very important that the EU
makes up their minds about what
is and what isn’t ecological wine,
says Frédéric”.
however that
the permitted amount of sulfurcontents are to be reduced. Frédéric
however already has a lower measOne thing is certain
>>>
7
the pike is a great specialty on the
Loire, so there’s that association
as well. “And not only that, says
Frederic, just like the pike I’m very
fond of butter and white wine.
kinds of
grapes, but his favorite is Sauvignon Blanc, a grape that he considers himself to be something of
a specialist in. His distinguishing
characteristics are acidity, purity
and minerality.
“The Sauvignon thrives and flourishes here with us, It´s a little
more difficult to get the cabernet
grapes to mature properly”. All
of the Ampelidae wines are stored
on oak, however quite discreetly.
“Oak is like the salt in cooking: it
should not be easily noticed but it
is still necessary”, he says. The oak
casks are French, American and
Russian. He uses screw tops on
the white wines because he thinks
they give the wine a better freshness. H even uses screw tops for
the red wine market in Japan. He
´s a big believer in screw capsules,
but he’s noticed that with the red
wines there’s a certain closed in
aroma and a certain harshness in
the wines. Perhaps these problems
can be solved when the screw tops
are further developed.
Frederic grows many
ure of sulfur and chooses nitrogen
to protect the wine.
“Always have a good hygiene in the
cellars, that is vitally important”,
he says. For the green grapes he
likes pressurage á la champenoise,
that it to say crushing without removing the stalks, which protects
them against oxidization. Timely
bottling also reduces the need for
sulfur and he also uses sterile filters
on many of the wines. “though,
he continues, there are many who
think that sterile filtering is not in
tune with ecological thinking…”
a lot of different
wines at Ampelidae, mostly diFrédéric makes
vided into three categories. Wines
from the young vines and the
less advantageous soil are called
Marigny Neuf. His best wines
bear the name Ampelidae with the
first letter of the grape added: Le
S for Sauvignon Blanc, Le C for
Chardonnay, Le K for Cabernet
and P.N. 1328 for Pinot Noir. The
1328 being the designated number
of the patch of earth where the
grapes were grown. A new series of
wines called Brochet are to show
up a certain creativity. The label
is designed to represents the letter B drawn to look like the head
of a Pike, which is what Brochet
means in French. Apart from that
Frédéric carried
out some interesting experiments
that caught the attention of the
press. Since he took his Doctorate
he been interested in how we think
and function when we are tasting
wine and what it is that influences
us when we drink it. It was actually Ampiledae that made carry
out the experiments. In the beginning it was a struggle to build up a
vineyard in an unknown wine disBetween 1998-2000
>>>
8
trict and equally as difficult to be
accepted as a producer of quality
wines. He wanted it down in black
and white that people judge not
only the wine’s taste but also other
factors when they are tasting wine.
Experiment # 1:
Frédéric served the same mediocre
Bordeaux in two different bottles,
a Grand Cru Classé and a simple
table wine bottle. The wellmerited
tasters described, not entirely unexpectedly, the wine in the Grand
Cru bottle as complex, balanced
and high class, while wine in the
plain bottle was depicted in words
like unpretentious, simple and
light weight. Even though the
experiment was based upon the
same wine.
Experiment # 2:
The same white wine was served in
in two different glasses. In one of
the glasses of wine he added a red
tasteless food dye. All of the tasters
were convinced that the wine was
Frédéric Brochet´s wines.
Marigny-Neuf Pinot Noir 2008
VIN DE PAYS DU VAL DE LOIRE/AMPELIDAE
A nice, slightly smoky and rather elegant fragrance and
taste.
Marigny-Neuf Rosé 2008
A Pinot Noir Rosé which is pleasant, easily drunk.
Good berry taste with an aroma of rosehip and other red
currents.
Marigny-Neuf Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Aromatic and tasty with a clear grape character..
Marigny-Neuf Chardonnay 2008
A round wine with a good and ripe fruitiness.
Brochet Sauvignon Rose
Fié Gris
High acidity,Minerals, good citrus fruit, aromatic, clean
and dry.
Brochet Sauvignon Blanc
Mon blanc
Frédéric´s grandfather called his white wine Mon Blanc, to
this is in his honor. A very evident Sauvignon Blanc, with a
lot of gooseberries and green apples and high acidity.
Brochet III Pointe de doux
3 grams of residual sugar gives a little roundness and
gentleness. Otherwise typical grape and minerality.
red and it was even described as
jammy, by a taster who described
the same wine in another glass as
aromatic and acidic.
experiment was interesting for just about everybody.,
but for Frederic it was proof of
how People taste wine. With heir
nose in the glass and their eye on
the label. He wasn’t the least bit
surprised by the result. As he expressed himself, “If I owned Laffite-Rothschild I would never have
carried out this experiment.
Naturally the
Ampelidae Le C 2008
The C naturally stands for Chardonnay. The fragrance
drifts towards pears and oak, a taste of almonds and
flowers. There’s a hint of vanilla in there as well. A full and
richly tasting wine.
Ampelidae Le S 2008
84 LGP a very aromatic sauvignon blanc. But rather complex with lots of layers of fragrances. A little smoky, little
truffle, citrus, elderberry and apples.
The essence has skin contact for one night beneath a
blanket of nitrogen to avoid oxidization. The pressing is
very careful. I kilogram grapes gives up ….. essence.
Frédéric recommends this wine to asparagus, scallops
or as an aperitif on its own.
Ampelidae Le K 2007
Powerful but elegant Cabernet Sauvignon, with dark berries, a little coffee, spices. Frédéric thinks it needs a large,
first-rate entrecóte, or perhaps roast lamb.
Ampelidae PN 1328 - 2007
A harsh little Pinot Noir with a smoked aroma and good
fruitiness.Very good. Stored in one year old casks.
Cries out for pheasant in a pot or even a tournedos with
chanterelles will do.
Ampelidae, Frédéric Brochet, Manoir de Lavauguyot,
86380 Marigny-Brizay, www.ampelidae.com
Swedish importers Moestu Grape Selections in Stockholm
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10
the latest cry from spain’s
world of fashion white wine
Text & bild Johan Franco Cereceda
The new trendy wine from Spain is spelled b-l-a-n-c-o, in other words white! Just a mo-
ment forget the mineral beauties from Priorat, that ultra modern Rioja and the subtleties
from Bierzo. Cast your eyes instead to Albarifo, Godello, Verdejo, Malvasia,Merseguera, PX
because it’s here that things are happening , faster than the speed of sound.
When Pablo Alvarez himself, head
of Spain’s pride and joy Vega Sicilia,
is insinuating that perhaps the bodega will be releasing a white wine
in the near future, a shiver runs
through the Spanish wine industry. Because it is exactly this kind
of utterance that is needed to make
an impression on the international
wine press, a little gossip that Spain
actually does make white wine.
about 8 years ago
when I was there For the third
It happened
time within the space of a year.
H was being more than secretive
, but he revealed that in any caser
they were cultivating the Rhone
grapes; Roussanne, Marssanne
and Viognier. Experimental cultivation he added. Still no white
wine has been released, maybe
there never will, if the Bodega
does produce one it would have to
be of the absolutely highest class,
as unique as a white wine from the
Ribero del Duero wine district.
But of course that told us a whole
>>>
11
smoothly. Not least thanks to the
new consumers who are prepared
to pay 12 Euros for a wine that is
acidic, with tones of green apples, has
a very appealing, fresh fruitiness.
Anyone who has been to Galicia
and eaten seafood for breakfast
will understand where this wine is
headed in the culinary world. Albarino has worked well as an eye
opener for the international public, who now admit that That one
of world’s best countries for making red wines can also make really
good white wines.
is that white
wine Spain doesn’t start and end
with a statement made by a top
producer or a type of wine. Because there’s more to come. Just
like in Galicia we come across
another type of grape, namely the
Gödel, which has a little more
rounded character with good tropical overtones, wax, mango and a
really good acidity. This grape is
so powerful that it manages to
lay on the wood, without the oak
dominating the taste, which is different from the Albarino grape. At
the same time it has a low yield
that pushes up the price. But for
those who like good things then
just overdo it. The wines are of the
highest class. Usually when you’re
The interesting thing
lot about Spain the wine country.
A chance remark, is a sensation.
While at the same time they have
been working very hard in Spain
to raise the quality of the white
wines, but that it hasn’t been easy
to make an impact, because there
are still many that consider Spain
to be an Island in a red wine sea,
where also a little bull dangles
from the every bottleneck. Almost
15 years ago the SystemBolaget
(Sweden´s state owned off-license
chain) tried to introduce the Alberino grape onto the Swedish
market. The monopoly offered its
customer not one but three wines
made from this phenomenal grape
from Gaul. But however was a
“but”, these wines cost about 12
Euros a bottle. The market wines
in that price range from Spain was
stone dead, even though the wines
in themselves were very high class
and offer a challenge to just about
any Chablis in the same price
class. Fifteen years later the whole
thing is looking much brighter.
There are now several wines made
from the little green grape and the
SystemBolaget off-licenses have
managed to get the price down
without forfeiting too much in
quality. “Well Done!”
The reason that they cost so much
has to do with the growing conditions. They are small vineyards
and the producers are so small
that they are almost invisible.
Today though the Albarino, the
Rias Baixas district and the whole
of Galicia have achieved almost
cult status and is now running
>>>
12
traveling around Spain with your
thoughts on food and drink, cautiously working your way through
the local offerings, one is often
pleasantly surprised. In Alicante
on the Mediterranean coast which
is not directly well known for its
vineyards, you might be served
white wine made from the local
Merseguera grape-and be completely astonished. It’s light, almost frivolous, fine fruitiness with
a slight biting acidity coupled to a
final tartness. It goes perfectly with
grilled saltwater crayfish partaken
on a beach, while your toes play in
the sand. “Don’t forget that there
are certain areas around Alicante
that have a surprisingly chilly climate”, says José Mendoza Garcia oenologist with the Eduardo
Mendoza. Of course the climate
is a deciding factor and perhaps it
is this that makes things difficult
for the international consumers.
Spain is a warm country, it is here
that we come for the long beaches,
to bask in the sun and take a dip
in the Mediterranean. What we
tend to forget is that a large part of
the hinterland lies high up on the
Mesas, that I to say the high plains
measuring up to 800 meters above
sea level. Anybody who’s ever been
in Madrid during the winter knows
that it can get really cold thanks
to the severe inland climate. On
certain summer days when the
old quicksilver makes its way up
to the 50 mark, it can get really
chilly at night in parts of the Castilian La Mancha region. It might
drop right down 5-10 degrees. For
the white wines with good acidity
then this climate is very good, the
wines have a high fruit level and
wellbalanced freshness. This is apparent in, not least, the Rueda district
which concentrated on white wines
original type.
from the Verdejo, Viura and Sauvignon grapes.
The wines have a high acidity content thanks to the grape´s own
individuality but also due to the
high altitude cultivation. There are
few wines that can compete with a
really good verdejo in the 6 Euro
class and with its distinct taste of
gooseberries, black berries and elderberry. But that’s not so strange
really now that the Rioja giant has
awakened to the reality of modern
white wines in this area. But the
emphasis is still upon ripeness,
casks, classic typically wine original instead of modern white wine.
But now high time for revolution
in the super district.
Time for the world’s most famous
wine district after Bordeaux show
that they can also produce wines in
absolute world class. As a first step
they have been allowed to grow a
brand new grapes for this area, the
Chardonny, Sauvignon Blanc and
Verdejo alongside the old local
grapes like Turruntés, Maturana
Blanca and the newly discovered
cloneTempranillo Blanco. Together with the previously sanctioned
Viura, Garnacha Blanca and Malvasia Rioja, their intention is to
compete with the greats, which
of course remains to be seen. But
of course hope are high but at the
same time aware of preserving the
A wine must contain a majority
of the three previously allowed
grape sorts, if they want to create something new, now that they
have proven that they’ve managed
to adapt their classical red wine
production to an ultra modern
mindset for wine which will result in many ultra modern wines
as a consequence. Finally we find
some very interesting wines in
Spain’s north eastern corner.
The fact that Peter Sisseck the
great Dane behind Dominio de
Pingus ,Spain´s perhaps best wine
is acting as consultant winemaker
for Bodega Clos´dÁgon in Ampurdan, works with Roussanne,
Marsanne and Viogner which
naturally arouses our awakes interest, like the cava-industry has
its headquarters here as well. But
even when it’s all about white
wine you can’t Discount Priorat,
who in record time have managed
to profile themselves as one of the
world´s most prominent wine district, red wine district. How ever a
little change of course is underway
and the focus is upon Garnacha
Blanca, a grape that has always
had a good reputation. But in this
area it has turned out that this
grape has the capability of absorbing the characteristics of the soil
called nicorella a kind of red slate
which gives the wines an extremely
interesting tone of minerals. Many
producers are still investing in Red
Wines, but there are a handful that
are paving the way, and Chining
Blanc are being planted. Interest is
growing, not least internationally.
Greatness in waiting I wrote about
this area more than 10 years ago.
Maybe it’s time again to dust off
the old cliché.
13
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sydafrikan.
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Alkoholkonsumtion under
graviditeten kan skada barnet.
14
waiting for the
barberas
by Stuart George
On 8–11 March the Barbera Meeting 2010 was held in Asti, a four-day event to show-
case Barbera d’Asti, del Monferrato and d’Alba to an international audience of journalists, bloggers, sommeliers and buyers. Over 180 wines were tasted blind during the
four days of the Meeting.
Wood you if you could?
Second only to Sangiovese in its
total plantings in Italy, Barbera
is low in tannin, high in acidity
and high in anthocyanins, all of
which supposedly make it suitable
for barrique ageing. But many of
the wines tasted at Barbera Meeting 2010 were as soaked in oak
as the Piedmont landscape was
in snow, with tannins as thick as
ragù sauce.
There are four ways of raising
Barbera: In steel tanks; in barrique
(225 litres); in botte (a large barrel of unspecified size); or a mix
of steel and wood, either barrique
or botte. Ageing in bottle can then
follow any of these.
The Barbera d’Asti DOC created in 1966 made provisions for
Barbera d’Asti Superiore, which
was created as a separate DOC in
2000, to be aged for a minimum
of six months in oak or chestnut botti. This was confirmed in
the 2008 promotion to DOCG,
which stipulates no requirement
for the use of wood with Barbera
d’Asti but Barbera d’Asti Superiore (and Monferrato Superiore
DOC) cannot be released before
12 months from January 1 of the
year after harvesting; it must also
spend at least six months in “botti
di legno” (wooden barrels). Sometimes Italian wine laws are as tangled as a bowl of spaghetti.
The late Giacomo Bologna pioneered the use of barrique with his
now famous 1982 Barbera d’Asti
Bricco dell’Uccellone. But as the
Meeting showed, today nobody
seems capable of pairing Barbera
with new barriques effectively.
Botte is the “traditional” method and often gives good results,
though many of these wines lacked
freshness. The tank-only versions,
which showcase Barbera’s juicy fruit,
can give much pleasure but lack the
>>>
15
structure of wines that have been
buttressed by wood-ageing.
100%. It is intended to be a richer
and more structured version of
Barbera d’Asti.
Nizza is a subzone of the larger
Barbera d’Asti Superiore area, to
the south-east of Asti. Formed in
November 2002, the Associazione
Produttori del Nizza’s membership includes 43 producers in 18
towns and villages surrounding
Nizza Monferrato, a small town
140 metres above sea level.
The self-imposed rules are more
demanding than for the Barbera
d’Asti or Superiore DOCG: The
maximum yield is seven tons, or
49 hectolitres, per hectare (Barolo
is eight tons!) and the wine must
be aged for at least 18 months
from the first day of January after
the harvest, of which six months
must be in “wooden barrels.” The
DOCG requires only 85% of the
wine to be made from Barbera but
the Produttori del Nizza insist on
After a tasting of 28 wines in Nizza Monferrato’s 200-year old Foro
Boario (cattle market) that now
houses the town’s Tourist Information centre, we were invited to
ask questions of the winemakers.
The issue of oak was raised and the
temperature in the room became
colder than the snowy landscape
outside. Lodovico Isolabella, owner of the Isolabella winery, shouted
back to one questioner, “Do you
know anything, anything at all,
about wine?”
For the winemakers it was a vision as gruesome as the human
skeletons rising from their graves
in the Charlemagne fresco at
the abbey of Vezzolano. As wine
writer Tom Maresca described the
defensive play of the winemakers, “Commendable passion and
pride, perhaps, but mighty poor
Nizza not nice
public relations – and a wasted opportunity to hear what a knowledgeable segment of its audience
was telling them.”
Charles Scicolone, a New Yorkbased wine consultant, wrote afterwards, “These producers had
invited journalists from all over
the world. The journalists were
telling the producers the same
thing – the wines are too oaky.
Bloggers are the wave of the future (they have become more important than the print media) and
these young people are telling you
the same thing – no oaky toasty
flavours in your wine.”
The Piedmont wine regions of
the Langhe, Monferrato and Roero
are candidates for UNESO World
Heritage status, a nomination
that implies preservation rather
than innovation. But the response
of visitors to the Barbera Meeting 2010 suggests that changes
need to be made to how Barbera
is made in northeast Italy.
TASTING NOTES
The following wines were tasted at the Barbera
Meeting 2010 held in Asti 8–11 March 2010.
All wines were tasted blind.
2007 Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy Barbera
d’Asti DOC
Lighter colour. Similar styling to the Tenuta La Tenaglia
but with less stuffing. Tasty finish. Yum.
Barbera dÁsti
2008 Cantina Sociale Barbera dei Sei Castelli Barbera
d’Asti DOCG
Lush fruit and very moreish. A good example, the fruit
showing lots of Barbera tipicità.
2007 Coppo SRL Pomorosso Barbera d’Asti DOC
Barriques here but better integrated than many other
wines. A sexy, modern style – but not really what Barbera
is for.
2008 Fratelli Trinchero La Trincherina Barbera d’Asti
DOCG
Crisp acidity and some rustic tannins on the finish. A good
example of Barbera in the yeoman style.
2007 Marchesi Alfieri SRL SA La Tota Barbera d’Asti DOC
Fleshy and brightly flavoured. A good example of il dolce
stil novo (sweet new style) that shows how oak – second
and third fill in this instance – and Barbera can work together in harmony.
2007 Dezzani SRL La Luna e le Stelle Barbera d’Asti Superiore DOC
No excess oak. Characteristic high acidity and light tannins.
2007 Borgo Isolabella S.S. Augusta Barbera d’Asti Superiore DOC Nizza
A successful version of il dolce stil novo, with some oak
flavours but not dry or harsh on the palate. Nice finish.
2007 Tenuta La Fiammenga Paion Barbera d’Asti Superiore DOC
>>>
16
>>>
This is in the rustic style that for me epitomises Barbera
from Piedmont. It also recalls the Tenuta La Tenaglia.
2007 Tenuta La Tenaglia Giorgio Tenaglia Barbera d’Asti
DOC
One of the best examples yet in this tasting – plentiful
acidity, dark cherry flavours, some tannin. Italianissimo
and probably great with food. Yum.
2006 Cascina Castlet Litina Barbera d’Asti Superiore DOC
Morello fruit and a rustic texture. What Barbera d’Asti is
all about! An exception to the rule that Barbera does not
age well: Even with all that acidity, it usually lacks the fruit
and tannin concentration necessary for extended bottle
ageing.
Barbera del Monferrato
2008 Azienda Agricola Morando Silvio Barbera del Monferrato DOC
Fruity, relatively simple, juicy and unpretentious. What
Barbera – and Italian wine – is all about.
2006 Cantina Iuli Barabba Barbera del Monferrato Superiore DOC
Modern style but very crisp acidity means that this might
go well with food.
2007 Cascina Ballarin Pilade Barbera d’Alba DOC
A bit more acidity than the Giuli but otherwise similarly
styled.
2007 Bric Cenciurio Naunda Barbera d’Alba DOC
Just a bit oak-dry on the finish but otherwise good – rich
fruit, plenty of acidity and quite elegant.
2007 Parusso Armanda Vecchie vigne in Località Ornati
Barbera d’Alba Superiore DOC
Slightly dusty nose. Palate not all that appealing in the
middle but finishes bright, sweet and juicy.
2007 Vietti Scarrone Barbera d’Alba DOC
Dusty nose but pleasantly supple and juicy palate.
2006 Azienda Agricola Scarzello Giorgio Barbera d’Alba
Superiore DOC
A bit oxidised on the nose but a Nebbiolo-like texture on
the palate of silky tannins buttressed by plenty of acidity. This is not a coincidence – the grapes are from Barolo. Barbera d’Alba is something of a mixed blessing: It is
planted on the most privileged terroir of Piemonte – of
Italy! – but in the Barolo and Barbaresco villages it will
always be second best to the mighty Nebbiolo. A pity but
understandably necessary.
2006 VICARA Visconti Cassinis Ravizza Vadmò Barbera del
Monferrato Superiore DOC
Mature. Drink with lots of protein. Like a Nebbiolo in its
structure and aromas!
Barbera d’Alba
2008 Cascina Chicco Granera Alta Barbera d’Alba DOC
Rather neutral flavours but really nice texture. Good
wine.
2007 Cascina Ballarin Giuli Barbera d’Alba DOC
The best one yet – rich fruit, not over-oaked, and a crisp
finish.
Fine Wines very own homepage
w w w. f in e wine. n u
www.finewine.nu Here you’ll find the last 4 editions of Fine Wine.
17
Good News for
Connoisseurs.
Support our
operation and
inform us about
Fine Wines
It is time for the next Selected Wine
and Spirits Auctions.
Auctions
The small auction, for single bottles, takes place on
May 25th, at 3 pm at Stockholms Auktionsverk,
Magasin 5, Frihamnen in Stockholm.
The large auction takes place on June 1st, at 12 pm at
Stockholms Auktionsverk, Nybrogatan 32, Stockholm.
Preview
The objects are on view in Frihamnen, Magasin 5,
Stockholm on May 24th, between 3 and 7 pm.
For a private viewing please contact Stockholms
Auktionsverk, telephone +46 8 453 67 91.
You will find all objects at www.auktionsverket.se
as well as in the printed catalogue.
A L
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O
T I
A
R N
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T
Read more about the auction at www.systembolaget.se
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selves and your friends Fine Wine
throughout the whole of 2010.
A present that will last a long time.
a
b
c
Pay Sek: 200:into the bank giro number
BG 721-1980 and add the E-mail
address of the lucky recipient of
this thoughtful and lovely present.
(send to
[email protected])
a. Bordeaux Grand Cru, b. Whisky Single Malt, c. Champagne,
18
peter thustrup
the beverage auction
stockholm 1st june
2010
ON-line bud :
http://www.auktionsverket.se/s.asp?s=online_10/online.asp
4085
Château d’Yquem 1981
Sauternes, 1er Cru Supérieur
Stored in private cellar
6 bts
12.000 - 15.000
EUR 1.200 - 1.500
Yquem, for my taste demands at least 20 years before it is
mature and has a little vintage to show up its class. The terroir makes its appearance earlier, which means that one can
enjoy the wine already now, less sugariness and a greater
complexity. I’ve tasted this 11 times. It’s always a brilliant
wine. 95/100
4086
Château d’Yquem 1988
Sauternes, 1er Cru Supérieur
3 bts
7.500 - 9.000
EUR 750 – 900
Stouter, juicier, a fantastic vintage, but needs in my opinion
at least another 10 years 95 plus.
4092
Le Montrachet 1969
Leroy, Côte de Beaune, Grand Cru
Slip label: Adventures in wine, Daly City
1 bt
An unbeatable vintage for a white Bourgogne, now with
slightly nutty taste, complex and sufficiently long! 92
4093
Le Montrachet 1982
DRC, Côte de Beaune, Grand Cru
u. 2 x 2,0cm, 2 x 3,0cm, 1 x 4,0cm, 1 x 4,5cm
Danish tax labels
6 bts
I’ve tried this 3 times, it’s better after 10 hours breathing.
DRC do a very concentrated Montrachet, (as opposed to the
Maquis de Laguiche which is complete in its finesse), juicy,
complex and almost like the Yquem almost no sweetness,
but with an unbelievable length.
97/100
48.000 - 60.000
EUR 5.000 - 6.000
4098
Corton-Charlemagne 1990
Dubreuil-Fontaine, Côte de Beaune, Grand Cru
6 bts
A wine that is full of ripe, powerful, golden dependent upon
storage, but optimally can be quite complex, must
be drunk now. 90/100
3.600 - 4.200
EUR 360 - 420
4101
Puligny-Montrachet La Garenne 1997
>>>
19
Etienne Sauzet, Côte de Beaune, Premier Cru
8 bts
5.600 - 6.400
EUR 560 – 640
One of Sauzet´s stoutest, but the least complex Puligny. A
mediocre vintage but definitely still drinkable. 87/100
4127
Château Calon-Ségur 1949
St-Estèphe, 3ème Cru Classé
Slip label: Kressman & Co, Bordeaux
1 mag
5.000 - 6.000
EUR 500 – 600
One of the great Calon Segur. Which has an earthiness comparable to the first Cru, complex, refined (unlike the St Estephe) with a good length with fine fruits that end like a
good Latour. 95/100
4132
Château Cos d’Estournel 1982
9 bts (owc for 12 bottles)
18.000 - 22.000
EUR 1.800 - 2.200
A fantastic Cos, round, soft now, a little harsh but a lot with
a rounded tannin that fills the mouth. 92/100
4133
Château Cos d’Estournel 1988
12 bts (owc)
16.800 - 19.200
EUR 1.700 - 1.950
A little more complex than -82, a little harder, but good
89/100
4141
Château Mouton Rothschild 1928
Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé
u. vts
1 bt
EUR 800 - 1.000
4142
Château Latour 1929
u. us
Soiled label
1 bt
10.000 - 12.000
EUR 1.000 - 1.200
It´s difficult to say what this bottle is like.
It was a fantastic vintage, though at this stage it varies quite
a lot from bottle to bottle. The condition of the bottles
doesn’t offer much indication. Of course it’s an experience
to drink an old wine like this, which effect isn’t much more
experience than a good
10 year old vintage. 92/100
4143
One of my greatest experiences, that was about 15 years
ago. It might sound unbelievable but prepare yourself for a
wine that can go over the top.
Naturally not the fruitiness that you’d expect from a
1982 er. 92/100
Château Latour 1937
u. us
Bin soiled label
1 bt
3.000 - 4.000
EUR 300 - 400
4159
u. hs
Glue stained label
Slip label: Trebon Wine & Spirits Corp., New York
1 bt
>>>
20
1.600 - 1.800
EUR 160 – 180
A wine that is definitely on the way down. It has never been
one of Mouton’s most successful. It’s shame short, bad corks
that haven’t helped retain the fruitiness and complexity.
89/100
4172
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1982
Pauillac, 2ème Cru Classé
1 dmag
10.000 - 12.000
EUR 1.000 - 1.200
A superb wine it doesn’t have Latour´s complexity, but for
this price and a double magnum, is a sure thing
93/100
4174
Château Lynch-Bages 1985
3 bts
4.800 - 5.400
EUR 480 – 540
One of the best 1985 er, in its time. A wine that usually
reaches its top after 10-15 years. It´s difficult to know what
it will taste like today. The last time I tried it was 10 years
ago. 92/100
4180
5 bts (owc for 12 bts, lid missing)
20.000 - 25.000
EUR 2.000 - 2.500
Good, A typical 1986, with its crackling, dry tannins.
A little bit straight lined, not particularly exciting but well
balanced. 92/100
4186
Danish tax labels
5 bts
8.000 - 9.000
EUR 800 – 900
A hard vintage, that will stand storing, classy and good, but
lacks complexity, but with the price and the name I might
be something to serve on a slightly larger occasion, where
guests might well look at the label without necessarily analyzing the wine in detail.
88/100
4196
Château Lafite Rothschild 1990
4 bts
12.000 - 15.000
EUR 1.200 - 1.500
Unfortunately a disappointment (often with Mouton)
For the vintage, which at the time was considered to be the
vintage of the century. (before 2000, 2005 and 2009 came
along) which took turns in being hailed as the best that had
ever been produced)
A bit thin, should be drunk now.
4210
Château Pontet-Canet 2004
Stored at Vinkällaren Grappe, Stockholm
12 bts (owc)
6.000 - 7.200
EUR 600 – 720
One of the new “fruit tree” wines, a little bit exaggerated,
but commercial and easy to get to like
4241
Château Palmer 1973
Margaux, 3ème Cru Classé
Danish tax labels
Broken wax capsule
1 dmag
3.000 - 4.000
EUR 300 – 400
Fun to try a double magnum, by now should be pleasant,
Well balanced, not especially the experience of a lifetime,
but well worth taking a chance at this price.
>>>
85/100
21
4248
Château Margaux 1983
Margaux, 1er Cru Classé
4 bts
10.000 - 12.000
EUR 1.000 - 1.200
I tried this one recently and was a little disappointed. It was
supposed the “wine of the vintage” but it was a little muted.
Maybe it needed more breathing than I gave it (1 hour decanted) nevertheless a Chateau Margaux under the new
auspices of Paul Pontallier, So perhaps it’s worth waiting a
little more, about 10 years or so. 88-92/100
4267
Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1947
Pessac-Léognan (Graves), Cru Classé
u. bn
1 bt
6.000 - 7.000
EUR 600 – 700
The Mission from this epoch is pure magic, especially 1945,
1947 and 1949. If you like the smoky, leathery serious taste.
More power and personality than the Haut Bryon, La Mission is always a 1:a Cru class (as opposed to the Mouton
Rothschild) 95/100
4274
Château La Tour Haut-Brion 1961
Pessac-Léognan (Graves), Cru Classé
Bottled by V&S
2 bts
4.000 - 5.000
EUR 400 – 500
I tried this bottling from the Swedish Wine & Spirits Company which is very good. Worth tasting, might become
memorable 95/100
4275
Château Haut-Brion 1966
Pessac-Léognan (Graves), 1er Cru Classé
u. 1 x 2,5cm, 2 x 3,0cm, 1 x 3,5cm, 1 x 4,0cm, 1 x 5,0cm
6 bts
10.800 - 12.000
EUR 1.100 - 1.200
I’ve tried this several times in recent years, a hard vintage
(like the 1988) it has kept remarkably well, a brilliant wine
and a good price which appears that few people know
about! 95/100
4276
Château Haut-Brion 1973
Pessac-Léognan (Graves), 1er Cru Classé
u. 2 x 3,5cm, 1 x 4,0cm, 1 x 5,0cm
Slip labels: Schröder & Schÿler, Bordeaux
4 bts
3.200 - 3.600
EUR 320 – 360
Good but bit thin 85/100
4292
Château Cheval Blanc 1947
St-Emilion, 1er Grand Cru Classé (A)
u. us
Damp affected label
Slip label: A. de Luze & Fils, Bordeaux
1 bt
15.000 - 20.000
EUR 1.500 - 2.000
One of the best wines ever made, tried it in a magnum 3
years ago, it doesn’t get any better than this.
Which has a lot to do with the storing. 100/100
4299
3 bts
15.000 - 18.000
EUR 1.500 - 1.800
Lovely, fine as well as concentrated with unbelievable class.
It’s still on its way up, still hasn’t fulfilled its potential in complexity as yet. Should reach its top in 10-20 years. 100/100
>>>
22
4300
Château l’Arrosée 1982
St-Emilion, Grand Cru Classé
12 bts (owc)
6.000 - 7.200
EUR 600 – 720
Made during the Alain Vauthier epoch, who was forced to
negotiate with Mme Dubois-Challon about which day was
the best to harvest. Not a good period, and one can feel it in
the wine, which is good but nowhere near as good as what
they’re doing today. 89/100
4301
3 bts
4.800 - 5.400
EUR 480 – 540
Superb Cheval Blanc at a brilliant price! 95/100
4308
Château Troplong Mondot 1995
St-Emilion, 1er Grand Cru Classé (B)
Stored at same professional facility since release
6 bts (owc)
4.200 - 4.800
EUR 420 – 480
In my view a little bit over rated, over concentrated wine
made for the American market.
4320
Château Pétrus 1978
Pomerol
u. 2ts, 1hs
3 bts
10.500 - 12.000
EUR 1.050 - 1.200
Here Petrus shows us his class, a 20-30 year old ripe Merlot
from the best Merlot soil in the world. Refined,
well balanced, but with fine rounded fruitiness and length.
Wonderful 96/100
4355
Musigny Vieilles Vignes 1985
Comte Georges de Vogüé, Côte de Nuits, Grand Cru
Stored at Magnusson Fine Wine, Stockholm since 2008, before that at Vinkällaren Grappe, Stockholm
6 bts
18.000 - 24.000
EUR 1.800 - 2.400
Made during a gloomy period at de Vogue, nothing special,
unfortunately.
4360
La Tâche 1989
DRC, Côte de Nuits, Grand Cru
Stored at Vinkällaren Grappe, Stockholm
u. 2 x 0,5cm, 1 x 1,0cm, 3 x 1,5cm
6 bts
48.000 - 54.000
EUR 5.000 - 5.500
La Tache in its element. 95/100
4367
Gevrey-Chambertin Le Fonteny 1990
Sérafin, Côte de Nuits, Premier Cru
12 bts (oc)
6.000 - 7.200
EUR 600 – 720
A hidden reserve, one of my favorites, It beat a DRC
Echezeaux 1981 recently at a blind tasting that I held for a
few friends. 92/100
4377
Romanée-Conti 1996
DRC, Côte de Nuits, Grand Cru
1 bt
25.000 - 30.000
EUR 2.500 - 3.000
Already radiant, Romanee Contis´s class and unbeatable finess and complexity. 98/100
23
concours mondial de
bruxelles in palermo
Text Britt Karlsson photo Per Karlsson, bkwine.com
on the 23-25 april in Palermo, Italy , the annual Fine Wine World Championships,
(Concours Mondial de Bruxelles) will be held for the 17th time. For the last few years the
competition has left its homeland in Belgian to wander around Europe. This year it was
Palermo in Sicily’s turn to play host for the championships.
from a modest
beginning in 1994 to become one
of the world’s most biggest wine
competitions. In 1994 there were
861 wines competing, this year
there were 6964 wines and spirits
from 58 different countries, tasted
by 300 experienced tasters from 40
countries. (Of these Britt and Per
Karlsson, BKWine, were the only
representatives from Sweden.
The CMB has grown
The results of
the world Championships will be published during the
month of May. Check it out on
www.concoursmondial.com
The jury consists mostly of wine
journalists (65%) Though also of
sommeliers, oenologists and buyers.
During the three days this jury (divided into groups of 5+7 people)
evaluate about 150 different wines
each. That’s roughly 50 wines a day.
The tasting are done exclusively in
the forenoon. The tasting is done
blind, the only thing we in the jury
are told is the vintage. This means
that the wines are tested completely impartially. Which of course is
the only way to be fair way to the
wines. So to make things a little
bit easier for the tasters, the wines
are tasted in series of 10-18. They
are wines that have a certain common association (country, district,
grape) which in and of itself doesn’t
>>>
24
necessarily mean that they have anything in common. The wine’s appearance, fragrance, taste and overall impression is judged. The wine
taster’s personal taste should not
steer the verdict, even though one
cannot completely discount one’s
own personal taste. However one
should not penalize an oak stored
wine just because you don’t like
those kinds of wines. Regardless
of your own preferences you have
to be able to differentiate between
a well balanced wine and an over
“soaked” and heavy wine.
a silver or gold medal
from wine competition actually
mean to the producer? In a world
where the supply of wine is everincreasing, where the majority of
purchases are in self service stores,
it becomes more and more important to be visible and well-known. A
medal on the bottle means that the
consumer feels secure in his/her purchase. A consumer that has no real
idea what they have picked off of the
shelves knows that the medal guarantees a certain standard of quality
in the wines. Or he or she dares to
try something new, just because the
wine has been awarded a medal.
What does
Being a member of the international
jury is unbelievably interesting and
enlightening to be able to taste and
judge a wine in this manner. Naturally one tries to guess the origin of
the wine. Sometimes your right but
we often get it wrong. We all know
how influenced you can become by
a label, so the fact that we have no
idea where the wine comes from,
means that sometimes even countries that we don’t associate
with quality wines. That might be
that Mexico, Turkey, Georgia or
Serbia all have a chance of winning
a medal.
25
“Det här är
Stockholms
motsvarighet till
Osteria Verona
på Piazza Erbe
fast listan på
Primewinebar är
bättre.”
www.amaroneguiden.se
Primewinebar
Östermalmstorg 5, Stockholm
wwww.primewinebar.se
26
the emigrants
part 2
A continuation of an interview with Katarina Bonde and Bengt Åkerlind´s emigra-
tion to the USA and how the dream of producing their own wine came true.
How did it feel the first time that
you realized that had your own
wine?
“- It was in October 2004 at one
of our regular wine tasting out of
the cask, that we began to understand that something fantastic was
happening. After a years fermentation, the wine had assumed that
young, rugged taste that is so typical of the early stages.
Now 10 months later and 10
months before the wine is to be
bottled, we began to feel the character that we had striven for-and
dreamed about. We could ascer-
tain a weak but unmistakable
trace of black currents and plums,
slightly spicy, saucy, regular character. What Joy!”
When did you star t to produce
your own wines?
“-That was about two years earlier,
the beginning of 2003, that we decided to take the step and become
full scale wine producers. We had
been cultivating grapes already for
5 years. Both Chardonnay and
Cabernet Sauvignon. We made
wine on a little scale, mostly for
our own family use. We sold our
grapes to other vineyards around
the Sonoma district.
Some of our customer’s made
awardwinning wines from our
Cabernet grapes. Grapes that sold
for up to 80 dollars a bottle. So we
sat down and started to consider
what was needed to produce our
own wines under our own brand
label. Our ambitions were high,
to produce something that was
mediocre wasn’t an option. We
were aware that northern California produced some of the best
high class wines in the world. So
the pre-conditions were there
>>>
27
to make something really, really
good. At the same time we realized that margin of error was very
limited. If we were to be successful it would have to be right from
the beginning, a “hole in one”.
We calculated what we would need
for own production, We pondered
over a trademark and label, how
we would go about the marketing. We spoke to other growers
who had taken the same path. A
big winery that used to regularly
buy grapes from us promised to
lend a hand. We could hire out
a corner of his facility, we could
co-purchase certain items that
were need in the production, like:
casks, glass, corks seals etc.
Most importantly we found an
experienced wine maker with 25
years in the business, who became
our consultant in the production.
The whole thing was clearly a great
big challenge. But it felt incredibly
exciting.
When you finally made the decision - what happened then?
“A plan began to grow. It felt like
natural to start off with a wine
made from Cabernet Sauvignon.
We were influenced by the fact
that some of the world’s greatest and wonderful Cabernet’s are
produced In Northern California.
Few of these wines find their way
to Europe. Partly because of the
very limited production, which in
turn leads to prices of sometimes
Hundreds of dollars a bottle. So we
thought if they can do it, so can
we, but without the skyhigh prices.
The other reason for the Cabernet
Sauvignon was because we had European ambitions, the Cabernet
Sauvignon is highly appreciated on
both sides of the Atlantic”.
Tell us about you first production.
“As spring rolled around, it was
extra exciting to follow the developments in the vineyard. We decided quite early which part of the
vineyard would have “our” grapes,
namely one of the highest elevated
pieces of land on a western slope.
The 2003 season turned out to be
both up and down. The harvest
was less than usual, but the grapes
had a high taste intensity. As the
harvest time approached, the
weather became unsettled. As luck
would have it the Cabernet Sauvignon is quite impervious to moist
weather conditions. The grapes
are thick skinned and sit sparsely
on the bunch, which allows them
to dry off more quickly after the
rain. In the middle of October the
weather changed again and Sonoma had a real Indian summer,
which is the ideal condition for
harvesting in. Our vineyard was
a hive of activity. We measured
sugar contents on a daily basis, as
well as the pH and TA values now
and again. Every day the measurement crept nearer and nearer
the ideal readings, while all the
time the grapes taste continued
to develop. Taste is judged quite
subjectively. This is where the 25
>>>
28
years experience comes into play.
We started to harvest early on the
morning of the 21st October, before the sun was up. A few hours
later our grapes were transported
to the vineyard, the grapes were
crushed and the essence together
with the skins were pumped over
to a tank.
How do you see the whole production process?
“It’s exactly here when the cultivation is over and the Wine production begins. Now it’s down
to choosing which kind of yeast,
temperature, fermentation, choice
of casks and storage period all of
which influence the wine. The
first fermentation in the tank went
without a hitch. When the fermentation was finished the skins were
separated and the young wines
was transferred to oak casks. The
choice of oak influences the wine’s
style and character more than you
can imagine.
We had a long time previously
tested our way to a mixture of
casks, most of them were made
from French oak, while about
20% were of American, though
they came from the French coopers. Once in the casks begins the
second phase of the fermentation.
The so called malolactic fermentation, (where malic acid is changed
into lactic acid) that continued
through to Christmas. Then began the long process storage pe-
riod which allowed the wine in
the casks to slowly let the wine in
the cask with the help of the oak’s
character, the little amount of
acidity, to be rounded off with the
tannins, let the flavors emerge that
compliment the grapes own natural tastes. Most of it is patience
and waiting. The wine’s character
is already in place, now it’s time to
let it go forward.
What did you do during this period
do you hibernate?
“During this period we were mostly working with marketing decisions. We had to decide on our
brand name. Design the labels,
choose corks. The biggest decision
was the Brand name. We had lots
of candidates. We wanted a short
name, which easy to remember,
but at the same time described our
wine and our operation. In the
end we chose the name “WEST”.
Short and to the point, easy to recall. Our vineyards are amongst
the most westerly in Sonoma
which the most westerly wine district on the west coast of California in the western hemisphere.
We succeeded in registering the
name. www.westwines.colm
But most of all WEST with American patents and registration office.
When did the first WEST vintage
hit the shops?
“Towards the end of July 2005,
nearly two years after the wine
was ready for bottling. It was an
unbelievable sensation to see the
first bottles come off the conveyor
belt. Even though we’d been advised to let the wine rest for another year in the bottles before we
started selling. But we couldn’t
help but compare it to some of
California’s super cabernets”, as
much as the 2003 vintages were
available. We continued comparing and we weren’t disappointed,
on the contrary! We commenced
sales in 2007. We engaged distributors on the American west coast
and our customers in the USA can
order our wine over the internet.
We exported a lesser number to
Sweden and the restaurant market
went very well.
Now after the fact, are you pleased
with the result?
“The wine has been well received,
nowadays we store them longer in
the bottles before we release a vintage. We have complimented with
Chardonnay and Vainer. The next
step is our own production facility
and a place for wine tasting.
One last question, how come the
Swedish astronaut Christer Fugelsang has a photograph of you
all together?
“Yeah, Christer and his wife Lisa
are both old friends from student
days. We’ve lived in many places
around the world, but we’ve always
kept in contact. The Fuglsang visited us a couple of weeks ago and
Christer took the picture.
29
Genuin engelsk Ale från Fuller´s
30
the predecessor
–domain duseigneur
Today, everyone’s talking about biodynamically cultivated wine. A trend
that´s increasing in time with all of the natural catastrophes that befall us in different parts of the world. Waves 6 meters high in the harbor at Cannes recently,
and who doesn’t remember Chile’s problems this winter.
>>>
31
At the Domain Duseigneur in the
southern Cóte-du- Rhóne , the
knowledge about nature and
what it can give to us has been
bequeathed. It was just this kind
of cultivation that John Duseigneur who founded the Domaine
in 1967 was interested in when
he moved here to France from Algiers. Today he has transferred his
knowledge to his sons Bernard and
Frederic, who became certified as
biodynamic growers in 2004
know, at the present
time bio dynamic cultivation
means keeping the balance between the vines and the surrounding natural vegetation
They adhere strictly to the moon’s
calendar and only employ natural methods. To the skeptic we
can only ask what it is that influences the sea so much that it the
water level sinks several meters
As most people
during certain periods and then
floods again….if it isn’t….right!,
the moon. Storage in oak casks is
avoided, but if it sometimes does
happen, then it’s always second
hand oak barrels from Bourgogne
that are used. T ex Romanée Conti.
“But the most important thing is of
course that soil wherein the grapes
grow and what it contains.
At Duseigneurs it is sedimentary.
That is to say red clay and awkward stones some of them as big
as a fist. Nowadays it’s vitally important for the “Terror” to speak
for itself in the wines”, as they say
here at Duseigneurs. Production
is fully underway in Lirac and
Laudun in the southern Cotes du
Rhóne.
are planted on the
slopes in a north/south direction
are exposed to the “mistral”, that is
Vineyards that
to say the winds that flay the area
with its hot desert sand particles,
throughout most of the year.
It’s a fact that only the grapes are
able to retain the moisture and
water in this area, thanks to the
stony soil. Lots of sun throughout
the year speeds up the ripening
process and creates a high concentration of alcohol which in turn
means a relatively early harvest.
they work with
here are the Grenache black, Syrah, Cinsault, Mouvedre, Bourboulenc as well as the Clarriette
white.
Thee type of grapes
If you wish to know more about
the Domaine Duseigneur, then
visit your local SystemBolaget
off-license or www.domaineduseigneur.com.
w w w. f in e wine. n u
32
13 % vol
Nya
å
200 rgånge
n
8ie
n bu
tik
nära
dig!
Pris: 99 kr
Artnr: 2393
Lata dagar på balkongen...
Lösningen till det italienska korsordet hittar du på www.enjoywine.se
Varannan förare som omkommer i
singelolyckor i trafiken är alkoholpåverkad.
33
sexual frustration
at rené barbier’s
There are many ways of getting rid of destructive insects in the vineyard. At René
Barbiér´s they are constantly trying out new methods. This year’s method for the little
pests goes under the heading of sexual frustration.
By spreading the female hormones
over whole of the area contained
in little plastic tubes so that the
male insects don’t find any females
to mate with. Total frustration
then becomes the order of the day
resulting in no new insect issue to
destroy the grapes. According to
Sebastiá Raventos, who is in charge
of the RB viticulture, that is to say
all of the René Barbiér vineyards,
they make sure that the hormones
are not spread outside of the cul-
tivation area they are destined for.
Apart from that they have tested
tying up the branches in the shape
of a harp, enabling the sun to illuminate the grapes more evenly.
Because the leaves grow upwards,
then the sun can reach them at
least 2 times a day.
attempts that we’ll
see the results of already this auReally exciting
>>>
34
tumn. Otherwise it’s business as
usual at René Barbiér´s in the continuous pursuit of quality.
Joseph, the man in charge answers
a question directly about whether
the influence of climate change effects production in any shape or
form. “The noticeable difference,
which sometimes makes things
difficult for us is that when it rains,
it really rains!”
Of course irrigation at the beginning of a season is good for the
grapes. But when it pours down at
a rate of 50 millimetres an hour,
it means that
it
washes
away about
5 centimeters of soil
along with
it every time
it happens.
Sebastià Raventos
Of course it
is quite impossible to replace the soil, so in
recent times, every year a large
amount of earth has quite literally
been washed away from the plantations.
Otherwise though there’s a lot happening right now at René Barbiér´s.
Joseph
“Mr.
Pe r s o n a l i t y”
tells us about
how they’re using their own
variety of local
grapes again.
Josep Sardà
The Te X Macabeo for fruitiness, Xarel-lo for the structure and
Parellada for the finish. Even the
yeast comes from their own vineyards originally.
“This, Mr. Personality” informs is
very important for their very own
identification.”
The 120 hectares that they control
(30 in St Cugat Sesgarriques and
he other 90 in the nearby village
of Masquefa) are painstakingly
maintained by Sebastia who shows
us a map of where which grapes
thrive the best and even the reasons why. He has a file with him
containing an exact analysis of the
soil from every section of the 129
hectares he presides over.
For those of you that are interested and Wish to know more about
René Barbiér visit www.renebarbier.es Your Most Welcome.
Världspremiär för En Värld av Vin på nätet
All världens vinländer, regioner, viner och producenter i en dator nära dig.
Registrera dig gratis på www.envarldavvin.se. Välkommen hälsar Mikael Mölstad.
35
Fine Wine Guides:
madrid tempts with tapas,
wine bars, really nice
wine stores and bodegas
I haft to admit that after having lived in Madrid for several periods that I am equally
as blameworthy to those who claim that Madrid never sleeps. They are completely right
of course though it’s more like the Spanish capital never goes to bed. For those who are
inclined, here there’s a party going on around the clock and the choice is surprisingly
wide-ranging. The very latest fad is clandestine clubs or secret restaurants where you can
only gain entrance by nefariously cultivated contacts. But the experience becomes that
much greater when the food is absolutely top class, the wine unparalleled and that one’s
companions receive a hundred procent attention is not exactly something we are spoiled
with regardless of whether the city is spelled Rome, London or Santiago de Chile.
There are so many bars in Madrid
many of them you can/should
avoid at all costs. However you
will find here below some good
tips from Fine Wine the best wines
that have anything to do with good
wine and good food. That Madrid
is the promised land for Tapes aficionados becomes quite obvious
after an evening stroll. Don’t forget though that in the City that
never sleeps, people turn out quite
late to eat. Lunch around 14.30,
dinner around 22.00. On the other hand there are some bars that
don’t open until midnight.
>>>
36
Wine Bars & Tapas
Entre Vinos
C/Feraz 36
Tel: + 34 91 548 31 14
www.entrevinos.net
Sober, pretty an almost glassy wine bar with more than 300
really good references. Add to that about 20 wines served
by the glass- some that won’t cost you your shirt. There is
of course an abundance of food. Try some different kinds of
Tapas with the wine.
El Quinto vino
C/Hernani, 48
Tel: + 34 91 553 66 00
www.elquintovino.com
A wine bar that’s like a restaurant that ´s like a tapes place,
a bodega and a wine store. Everything has a place in this
quite plain locality with wine from more or less the whole
of Spain. Here like most of the places it’s all about trying
the local tapas with a glass of white wine from Merseguera
from Alicante..
Sobrino de Botín
Calle de los Cuchilleros 17
Tel: + 34 91 366 4217
www.botin.es
More of a restaurant than a wine bar, but the wine list is an
impressive 25 pages and actually contains some foreign
wines. Very classy, like the Spanish wines from all corners of
the country. The place is a veritable classic, well worth going
out of your way for.
La Venecia
C/Echegaray 7
Tel: + 34 91 429 73 13
A stone’s throw from the Puerto del Sol lies this sherry bar
which enjoys a cult status. The wines are served direct from
great big casks that lined up against the wall. To the wine
you can order some simple tapes like sausage, olives or Boquerón’s. The bill is written by hand directly on the bar with
chalk and they won’t accept any tips. This one of the genuine place that hasn’t been seduced by modernism, design
hysteria or a top modern wine list.
Aloque
C/Torrecilla del Leal 20
Tel: + 34 91528 36 62
This is one of Madrid´s oldest wine bars, it was so long before wine became trendy. The food is simple, you can choose
between ten or more dishes and you can order a so called
tostados, (toast with tapas) which tastes much better than
it sounds. Try the ham and surprise yourself with a Spanish
white wine from the wood with the necessary pata negra.
La Terraza del Casino
C/Alcalá 15
Tel: + 34 91 521 87 00
www.casinodemadrid.es
For those of you that love molecular gastronomy a la
Ferran Adria, the man behind El Bulli. The site is right in the
middle of the action and the terrace is a classic place to take
a nice cava on. For the fortified wine lovers this is a veritable
Mecca and one of the best places on the Iberian peninsular
and the world, with more than 100 different references. And
the rest, to use an understatement
isn´t all bad either.
Real Café Bernabeu
Avenida Concha Espina, 1
Tel: + 34 91 458 36 67
www.realcafebernabeu.es
Yeah, this is a seldom seen type of wine bar, situated within
Real Madrid´s enormous football stadium Santiago Bernabeu. This alone is reason enough to go and savor the atmosphere. Though there is a range of interesting, extremely high
quality, some of them by the glass from the most prominent
wine districts. Which means that even “Barca” fans can find
their way here without being ashamed.
Wine Stores
Lavinia
José Ortega y Gasset
Tel: + 34 91 426 06 04
Email: [email protected]
www.lavinia.es
In the snobby Salamanca quarter lies one of the world’s best
wine boutiques. Lavonia that is even to found on the internet (and in Paris) But there something rather grand about
wandering amongst the precious flagons from the Spanish
wine industry, wines that otherwise are very difficult to get
hold of. For visitors to Madrid, it’s fun to visit their homepage
and prepare a little shopping list. There guaranteed something
for every one and the prices very reasonable.
Vinarium
Capitán Haya, 22
Tel: + 34 91.417.97.68
Email:: [email protected]
www.vinarium.es
Long, narrow wine store that carries most of everything. If
you don´t see something on display then ask for it. The service and knowledge is very high level without being snob-
>>>
37
bish. The idea is that the shop is to become a chain store,
but at the minute they’ve only opened 2 stores. For Madrid
visitors this place is almost obligatory.
Bodega Santa Cecilia
Blasco de Garay, 74
Tel: + 34 91 445 52 83
www.santacecilia.es
Spread over 400 square metters you’ll find 5000 different,
which on its own is impressive enough. The focus is on
Spain and here we can see reasonable prices, even great
international wines are in stock as well those from the new
world. You can even purchase through the Internet. (which
foreign store doesn’t do that? There are also 4 day course in
wine tasting, which start every month as well the staff can
organize special tasting upon request.
Viuda de Cuenllas
Ferraz, 3
Tel: + 34 91 547 31 33
www.cuenllas.es
The Cuenllas Delicatessen in Madrid’s west side is a little bit of
Paradise, still waiting to be discovered.
Here they sell really exclusive wines, and the food is
somewhat rustic with its feet firmly entrenched in typical Spanish tradition . But perhaps that’s what makes a stop-off here so
unexpectedly memorable.
Bodega
Now Madrid doesn’t only have the world’s best places to
eat tapes. The fact is that the Spanish capital is also a wine
district in its own right, even if the bodega lies a few miles
away from the city center. So for those who can’t keep away
from a vineyard, here a few tips on Bodegas (vineyards)
where you can also purchase wines.
Bodegas Tagonius
Ctra. Tielmes a Carabaña, km 4,4
28550 Tielmes
Tel: +34 918 737 505
Fax: +34 918 746 161
Email: [email protected]
www.tagonius.com
Vinos Jeromín
San José, 8
28590 Villarejo de Salvanés
Tel: +34 918 742 030
Fax: +34 918 744 139
www.vinosjeromin.com
Bodegas Castejón
Ronda de Watres, 29
28500 Arganda del Rey
Tel: +34 918 710 264
Fax: +34 918 713 343
www.bodegascastejon.com
Bodega Ecológica Andrés Morate
Camino del Horcajuelo, s/n
28390 Belmonte de Taje
Tel: +34 918 747 165
Fax: +34 918 747 165
www.andresmorate.com
Bodegas Jesús Díaz
Convento, 38
28380 Colmenar de Oreja
Tel: +34 918 943 378
Fax: +34 918 944 585
www.bodegasjesusdiaz.com
w w w. f in e w in e. n u
38
drinking wine out
of a plastic mug
by Christopher Jarnvall
We drink water out of them, we drink juice out of them. But you can’t drink
a good beer or a fine old whiskey out of them. For me the thought alone is an
Abomination. Drinking wine out of plastic mug, I conjure up pictures of being
young on a package tour drinking wine from disposable glasses. We drunk
wine because it was wine and all of them tasted sour-and plastic mugs …..
Baaaah!, that was before I’d tried “Gavin” (a stem less glass).
The framing of a banquet, pretty table decorations, well prepared food
and fine drinks are of course the A
to Z for taste and gratification.
And of course the company and the
circumstances. A beautiful wine
glass accentuate both the wines appearance, fragrance and taste seems
like an absolute must for a civilized
wine drinker. Perhaps though one
can actually drink both a round
Amarone and light Chablis out of
a Govino. That will do fine. A cold
beer as well and the taste of a Johnny Walker Black label won´t be adversely affected either. Let me say
though that I still prefer a whole so if I have to choose, then I have to
glass made of glass.
say that a Gavin has a better standard than many “real” wine glasses.
What is it that determines that we
should be drinking wine out of The Govino is a drinking glass of
thin, transparent plastic which is
made of glass and not plastic?
Taste of course. Real drinking glass- equally as good at a party as a dises are neutral and don’t add any fla- posable or to washed up and used
vor to a good wine. But there are again. Hand wash of course, madifferences between glass and glass chine wash would be totally unsuit-
able… at the moment. The rim is
perhaps a little sharp that´s just a
question of product development.
Wow,! I just realized that I must
sound like the Govino marketing
director. Well, I´m not. I’m just
an old friend of Gabriel Rape who
gave me a 4 pack to test.
wines, well can’t you
try them and give us an appraisal.
At the time of writing Vie actually
strawberry cordial in one. It works
perfectly for that as well. Otherwise
I’m going to try the Gavin glasses
on a couple of German wines that
I bought on tour a few months
ago. I’m namely quite enamored
of German Riesling. Nope I’m not
engaged in selling those grapes either. May I take this opportunity
to wish our readers a pleasant summer with good wines. Please try the
Govino- you can drop them by the
side of the pool or on terrace without breaking them.
“You like good
39
Den bästa moderna Riojan!
”Den bästa moderna riojan är 2004 BARON DE LEY RESERVA
för 105 kronor. Välstrukturerad med betydande mognadstoner
och friskt, långt slut gör den till ett stort spanskt vin i prisklassen.”
Anders Röttorp, DI Weekend
www.enjoywine.se
Alkohol kan
skada din hälsa.
40
verona - a week in the
service of wine
Text & photo, Ursula Hellberg
With measured steps I could hear the sommeliers getting closer. There are 21 of them
each of bearing a wine carafe and a single bottle, well concealed in a blue, numbered
linen bag. Suddenly they come to a halt, lift up their bottles and begin to decant the contents. Then they commence the serving.
they stand up
straight waiting for the command.
“sommelier grazie”, they then depart the area together. I am in a
great hall, belonging to Verona’s
Trade Fair together with a 100 other jury members. During the coming week we pass judgment upon
Concurs Enolocigo Internazionale.
5 MINUTES PER WINE
actually starts a
week earlier. Vinitaly is considered
to be the biggest in this context.
This years competition is the 18th
in a row. During the week we will
be tasting a total of 3634 wines
Every sommelier serves his particular wine to 5 jury members. Two of
them are wine journalists while the
other three are oenologists. Now
it’s up to me and the rest of my jury
to accurately choose which wines
should be awarded the Gold, Silver
When they’re finished
The competition
from 27 different countries. During
our 40 hours of adjudicating fill out
more than 22670 forms, containing
322600 separate opinions.
Apart from that we get to see our
nice white teeth becoming and bluer
from all of the wine we are tasting.
and Bronze medals. This is carried
out in silence without any conferring whatsoever. I no nothing more
about the wine that’s been poured
into my glass other than it’s age,
color. The country, grape and price
is known only to a few people within the competition’s organization.
Not even the sommelier’s know
what they are serving. In front of
me I have a form which I have
fill in and sign within 5 minutes.
But it’s not only about being able
to count quickly. You also have to
know words like hue, refinement
>>>
41
and persistence signify. The look,
fragrance, taste and overall impression is then morphed into numbers. I notice the 5 minutes have
gone really quickly.
there are people
from the four corners of the world.
A colorful array of flags give their
homelands away. Brazil, China,
Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Chilé,
USA, India, Norway, Finland, Italy, Spain, the list is long. About a
third of the delegates are women.
When I started this about 10 years
ago there were only 4 women in
attendance. The amount of wine
was also considerably less. Another
major difference is the geographical
breadth of the wines.
In the lighted hall
from the classical wine countries like Italy, France
and Spain are judged right along
with wines from Mexico, Switzerland, Sam Marino, Venezuela and
Slovakia. There are lots of Vineyards in the world.
Apart from the wines
58 KILOMETRES A WEEK
I taste 12-13 wines in a row, then
it´s time for a break. While we in
the jury get into a huddle for a chat,
the sommeliers take off their jackets and start relaying jury’s tables.
Within 30 minutes 1500 glasses
have to emptied and replaced.
In all we’re talking about 26000
glasses that have to be filled, emptied and washed during the week.
This means a lot of walking, it’s been
calculated that the sommeliers walk
the equivalent of 58 kilometers in
all. After the break we retake our
seats to the sounds of loudspeaker
music. When everyone’s been seated the music is toned down and we
hear again the advance of the sommeliers.
THE RESULTS
From this years competition we noticed amongst others:
Grand Vinitaly 2010
The prize that goes to the producer with highest scores.
Gianni Zonin Veneto Italy
Best White 2009
Budai Nyakas Prince ZRT Chardonnay, Hungary
Best White 2008
Scheurebe Spätlese, Winzer Sommerach, Franken
Best Red 2008-2009
Carmenere Reserva , 2009, Vinia Luis Felipe Edwards, Colchaugua
Valley Chile
Best Red 2006-2007
Sicilia Nero dÁvola Aynat 2006, Cantina.Soc Viticultori Ass. Italy
The Silver Medal in this group was won by a Mexican wine: Cabernet
Sauvignon Shiraz Valle de Parrs “Casa Grande” 2006 Vinicola San
Lorenza, Mexico.
Best Red 2004-2005
Amarone della Valpolicella DOC Classico 2004 Soc. Agr Corte San
Benedetto, Italy
Best Red 2004 and older
Tocana IGT Rosso Acciaiolo 2001, Castello dÁlbola Soc. Agr., Italy
Best Rosé
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC Cerasuolo 2009 Agr. Terra dÁligi,
Italy
Best Naturally Sweet Wine
Traminac Izborna Berbra Prosusenih Bobica 2006, Croatia
Best White Sparkling Traditional method (fermented in
the bottle)
Oltro´Pavese DOCG Pinot Nero Spumante Brut
“Oltreno”, Tenuta il Bosco, Italy this placing beat several French
champagnes.
Best Sweet Sparkling Wine
Vidal Sparkling Icewine Niagara Penninsular VQA 2007
Canada
42
0rnellaia guarantees
its legitimacy with
the help of rfid
An interview with Giovalli Mazzoni, Ornellaia
Its been quite a few years since we started working to find a solution to the counter-
feiting problem and such like. Everything to protect the genuine quality and authenticity in our products for the sake of the consumers.
our 2001 vintage,
where we chose flagons of Ornellaia and Masseto with embossed
ornaments, to make it more difficult for the forgers, so that they
couldn’t use just any old bottle.
sell them in their own countries.
In this way we hope to combat the
black/grey market.
It began with
We believe in attaining an authenticity guarantee for the consumer
and an authenticated safeguard
for the 70 odd importers that we
work with around the globe.
Apart from these details, we have
discovered false Massetto crates
on the market. In 2008 we decided therefore to intensify our fight
against the imposters and implemented an RFID chip which contained all the pertinent production information. Including the
invoice number printed on the
gum side of the label.
the main thing
is to protect our products from
plagiarizers, but it is something
more than that. Our wines are
quite rare, they are difficult to get
hold off, at the same time the demand is great all over the world.
This presents another important
Naturally enough
have no intention
of adding information regarding
shifts in temperature to RFID
chip, because at the present time
the chip is a little too thick to be
used successfully, as opposed to
the chip we’re using right now
which is which is almost impossible to detect.
Otherwise we
aspect for us. Correct high quality
distribution.
are important for
keeping track of the products.
Every year we carefully place our
wines in every country. The aim is
to distribute them to the leading
importers, who in turn intend to
The RFID chips
the near future when
the sensor chip has become much
thinner, we will probably revise
our standpoint. Everything to assure the quality of our products.
However in
43
“Det här är
Stockholms
motsvarighet till
Osteria Verona
på Piazza Erbe
fast listan på
Primewinebar är
bättre.”
www.amaroneguiden.se
Primewinebar
Östermalmstorg 5, Stockholm
wwww.primewinebar.se
44

international - Fine wine magazine

Transcription

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