Christmas wines - which wine for which roast
I wonder what Scrooge’s idea of the perfect Christmas lunch would be? Roast pauper with all the trimmings I suspect, washed down with a few bottles of claret. Well if you can’t treat yourself on Christmas Day, when can you?
If you’re opting for a more traditional roast this year, different types of meat taste their best with different types of wine. The general rule of thumb is the more intense the flavour, the more intense the wine to go with it. Below are a few recommendations.
Glazed ham
Ham is pretty versatile when it comes to wine, but whites that have freshness and richness in tandem often work a treat – like an Alsace Pinot Gris, or an Australian Semillon Sauvignon. For something a bit different, you could try a Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley – their autumnal apple and quince flavours backed up with a zingy bite can work well, particularly if the ham is served with a fruit sauce or honey glaze.
Good: Château de la Roulerie ‘Les Grandes Brosses’ Chenin Blanc 2011, Loire, France (£8.75; Oddbins)
Very good: Mount Horrocks Semillon 2011, Clare Valley, Australia (£15.95; Slurp.co.uk)
Roast goose
Goose, eh? Get you. There’s something wonderfully decadent about roasting a goose though I must admit: partly how it starts out plump then gradually shrinks as you spoon off ladles of fat from the roasting pan below. The meat is richer and darker than turkey, so whether you go white or red, you need something with plenty of flavour and natural acidity to stand up to the richness of the meat. If you want white, try a dry Riesling from the Pfalz or Mosel in Germany (it will be dry if it says trocken on the label). If you’re going red, try something medium-bodied with a bit of spice – maybe a Syrah from the Rhône or New Zealand, or a Cabernet Franc from the Loire.
Good: Sainsburys ‘Taste the Difference’ Crozes-Hermitage 2010, Rhône, France (£9.79, Sainsburys)
Very good: Domaine de la Chevalerie, ‘Cuvée Bonn’heure’ 2011, Loire, France (£11.75; Good Taste Food & Drink)
Turkey with all the trimmings
I suspect there’ll be a fair few more of us eating turkey than goose this year. They may both be birds, but the meat is very different and calls for a different approach. Turkey is relatively mild in flavour, sometimes with a slightly earthy side, so opt for a medium intensity white wine like a lightly oaked Chardonnay. Red wine can also work well if you prefer, but try to veer towards the less full-bodied end of the scale – so avoid powerful Shirazes or Cabernet Sauvignons and go for a lighter style like a Beaujolais or a Pinot Noir.
Good: La Grille Pinot Noir 2010, St-Pourçain, France (£6.99; Majestic)
Very good: Jean Foillard Morgon 2010, Beaujolais, France (£16.50; Theatre of Wine)
Rib of beef
Roast beef loves a big chunky rich red wine. You’re safe with pretty much anything full-bodied and red. If it’s from a hot country, chances are it will be more powerfully flavoured. If it’s too light, like a Valpolicella, you won’t be able to taste the wine very much and it might taste a bit sour. This is the only time where you really need a red wine for the match to work; if you do want a white on the table too, go for something rich, flavoursome and maybe a bit oaky. Definitely not Sauvignon Blanc, it never works very well with red meat. Choices like an Aussie Shiraz, a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon or an Argentinean Malbec would all fit the bill, or powerful reds from Spain and Portugal.
Good: Tesco ‘Finest*’ Stellenbosch Red Blend 2010, South Africa (£9.99; Tesco)
Very good: Palacios ‘Camins del Priorat’ 2009, Priorat, Spain (£14.99; Hennings Wine Merchants)
Christmas pudding
Stuffed or not, there’s nothing more pleasing at the end of the meal than digging your spoon into a steaming chunk of Christmas pud and inhaling the boozy vapours. Sweet foods call for sweet wines, but instead of going for the traditional golden Sauternes from France, consider one of the darker, browner wines that contain more dried fruit and nut notes rather than fresh fruit flavours. That way you are marrying the flavour of the pud with the flavour of the wine. Try a fortified wine. If you haven’t drank one for a while, you’ll wonder why not on revisiting them, good ones are utterly delicious, great value and work really well with food. Try a sweet Oloroso sherry, a Malmsey madeira or a tawny port. They’d all go well with a mince pie, too.
Good: Tesco Finest* Late Bottled Vintage Port 2006, Portugal (£10.00; Tesco)
Very good: Grant Burge 10 Year Old Tawny, Australia (£19.75; Slurp.co.uk)
First published in The Transmitter magazine (Nov/Dec 2012).
The young tearaway of the south
Named after the local Occitan dialect (langue d’oc), the Languedoc is a huge swathe of land running from Narbonne in the west to Nimes in the East, stretching 70km inland from the coast. Every type of terrain imaginable is represented, from grassy plains to jagged mountains, dense forests to swaying palms. But much of it is rocky, rugged and rough.
Some of the winemakers are too. Broadly speaking they are a down-to-earth lot, often first generation vine growers, mastering their craft through trial and error. Burgundy can boast ten generations of winemakers in a single estate, and benefits from the wealth of experience that brings. But history and tradition can be ossifying.
The wines of the Languedoc are still being defined, which gives the winemakers freedom to experiment and determine their own story. Of all the major regions of France, this is the most exciting, dynamic and rapidly changing. New terroirs, new grape varieties and new producers are forever frothing up like the bubbles in a glass of fizz.
Not only does this make it an exciting region to explore, it also means there are still some extremely good value wines to be discovered. Because the Languedoc is a relative latecomer to quality wine making, many of the talented growers here are still establishing themselves. They may be making excellent wines, but few have cemented their reputations compared to the dynasties of Bordeaux or the legendary growers of Burgundy. As such, they can’t yet trade on their name alone – the quality has to be good enough to turn heads, year in, year out.
Additionally, the Languedoc doesn’t yet have the cachet of some of the more famous wine regions of France, which makes it hard for producers to charge high prices, no matter the quality. The best wines for the Languedoc are a tenth of the price of the best wines of Burgundy.
Most traditional regions such as Burgundy and Bordeaux use a fairly limited palette of grapes, Languedoc growers are willing to give anything a go in the search for something special. Most wines are a blend of varieties, the most common being Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault for reds; Vermentino, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Bourboulenc, Marsanne and Roussanne for whites. This is the warmest grape growing region in France, which makes for intense, ripe and rich wines – but the best still have complexity and finesse.
Like most of the famous wine regions of France, the Languedoc is split up into a number of more and less distinct regions. Some, such as Corbières, Faugères, and Minervois are quite well-known, but recently there have been four small, precisely-defined sub regions (crus) that have been marked out: Corbières-Boutenac; St-Chinian-Berlou; St-Chinian-Roquebrun and Minervois-La Livinière, all of which are worth a closer look. There is also a kind of ‘training camp’ of other sub regions that are trying to break into this top tier, and they are legally allowed to state the name of their region. This is often where to look for top quality and excellent value, and all are worth exploring.
Two of my favourites are Montpeyroux and Terrasses de Larzac, both in the eastern Languedoc near Clémont-l’Hérault – if you’re passing through, pay a visit to Mas de Daumas Gassac, Domaine d’Aupilhac, Domaine de Montcalmès or Mas de la Séranne. Back in England, for an inexpensive introduction to Languedoc wines, try Domaine de L’Aigle or Les Jamelles. Like a young Marlon Brando, this wild, rebellious region is growing into something special.
First published in Living France magazine, but this is longer.
A sketch of four German wine regions
I went over to Germany a few weeks ago to get a feel for the different regions and what was happening over there. Although they are mostly bunched together around the border with France, each region has a very different identity.
Rheinhessen
Rolling low green hills and golden fields of wheat. Fertile arable land, with various crops planted amongst the vines. Pretty villages amongst lush pastures, encircled by the flowing Rhine. Lots of different grapes planted here in the largest wine region of Germany, mostly Müller-Thurgau still, but increasingly Riesling is taking over. The typical style is plump, rich and full, with lots of apricot and peach among the citrus flavours.
Rheingau
To the north of the Rheinhessen, looking down on its neighbour from slate cliffs across the Rhine. Pleasure cruisers slowly slide up and down the river, and you’re never more than a stone’s throw from a castle and two churches. This vertiginous south-facing slope is incredibly steep, and covered in vines wherever possible. Made up of crumbly grey and brick-red, brick-hard slates, both studded with pure white quartzite. The wines are sculpted from emeralds.
Pfalz
Almost like a German Burgundy, the Pfalz is a patchwork of ancient vineyards amongst small wealthy villages with low spires. An 80km stretch of sunny, dry vineyards on the slopes of the Haardt Mountains (a continuation of the Alsatian Vosges). This warm region was once teeming with Müller-Thurgau, which has since been slashed back in favour of the regal Riesling (often dry) and a scattering of other more unexpected grapes. Powerful wines, explosive flavours.
Mosel
The Mosel is the most beautiful of all. Endless rows of manicured vines cover every slope around each fairytale village. And there are some stunning slopes; layers of grey, red or blue slate suddenly rising hundreds of feet from the houses below. Six-foot tall vines stand precipitously on the sides of these cliffs on wooden stakes clutching hard bunches of bright green grapes. It would be easy to lose your footing on the shingle. Whereas the other three regions are forward-looking and keen to modernise, the Mosel remains more traditional and conservative. The Riesling here is fruity, fresh, clean and mineral whatever the level of sweetness.
Not only is Germany a beautiful and varied country, but they make some of the greatest white wines in the world. I'll post an article next week about what's happening with the new generation of winemakers.
Thanks to Wines of Germany for organising the trip.
Northern Whites: wine in a cold climate
Inspiration can come in many forms. For Anders Selmer, his lightbulb moment was at a café in Copenhagen, and it was shaped like a turnip: “I was served a turnip like it was a fruit – it was sweet like a pear”. It started him thinking about the unusual growing conditions in Denmark, and what else might be achieved in this cold yet bright country. “In Denmark it doesn’t really get dark… my terroir would definitely be the light.”
That was back in 2003, when he was sommelier at Reni Redzepi’s restaurant Noma in Copenhagen (three times winner of Restaurant magazine’s ‘The World’s Best Restaurant’). The cuisine is determinedly Nordic, and the dishes on the menu only use Scandinavian ingredients. Danish wine however, wasn’t the most exciting of raw materials for his wine list: “back then there were 40 or 50 growers, but all working with hybrids, mostly Rondo and Léon-Millot… so not that interesting, and not servable”.
Despite having no formal training, Selmer wondered if he could manage something better. Hybrid grapes may be more suited to cold climates, but he was determined to work with higher quality yet relatively delicate vitis vinifera varieties. Finding the right terroir was the key, and his search led him to Lilleø (‘Little Island’) 100km south west of Copenhagen.
Although this tiny island (inhabitants: 6) is on the same line of latitude as Newcastle in north east England, it has a number of advantages when it comes to ripening grapes. It is situated relatively far south in Denmark; the shallow waters around the island help protect the grapes from spring frosts; and they help reflect the sunlight onto the vines. Though success was far from guaranteed, under the guidance of Martin Steinmann (owner of Schloss Sommerhausen in Franken, Germany) he planted 1 hectare in 2005, and another 1.5 hectares on the other side of the island in 2008. He selected a number of different types of grape to see what would work: mostly Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Sylvaner and Solaris (a clone of Sauvignon Blanc); also some Pinot Gris, Grüner Veltliner and Chenin Blanc.
From these grapes he makes two different white wines, one still and one sparkling. The Arwen 2010 (named after Redzepi’s daughter) is a still white wine made of 45% Pinot Gris, 40% Solaris and 15% Riesling. They are fermented to dryness separately in stainless steel tanks, and then blended. The result is not as pale in colour as you might expect, and shows a lot of typical Pinot Gris aromas: apricot and a touch of musky spice. It also has the fullness and silkiness in the mouth of that variety, with enough (though not too much) bright acidity. Though not long, it finishes fresh and clear, with a subtle mineral undertow. The alcohol level is 12.3%. If tasting it blind, you might reluctantly guess Alsace, but it certainly has its own unique style.
The sparkling wine is named after the Danish word for bubbles: Skum. Selmer replies to my raised eyebrow with a weary smile as he smoothes down his light brown beard: “I know, it’s a blunder – but now we’ll stick to it because it’s fun”. The blend changes each year, but the 2010 vintage is 50% Riesling, with the other 50% made up of a blend of Grüner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc, Sylvaner and Chenin Blanc. The alcohol is low at just 9%, and so is the fizz – it is bottled at less than half the pressure of Champagne (just 2.5 bars). Although the method used to create the fizz is artificial carbonation, the bubbles are surprisingly soft and frothy, if not terribly long lasting. The wine is dry (5 g/l residual sugar), with nicely balanced acidity. It has attractive elderflower and pear aromas, and although the flavours aren’t terribly persistent, it is a pleasure to drink. Selmer’s suggestion of pairing it with mussels is an appealing one.
The trend for natural wines in Copenhagen is “really, really big: still the big thing with the best restaurants” but not a very practical approach in Denmark. It’s too cold and too wet. Selmer has lost up to 70% of his crop in previous vintages due to rot. Though he practices ‘lutte rasionée’ in the vineyard, if there is a danger of mildew or other disease, spraying is sometimes necessary. If not warmth, at least he can rely on plenty of sunlight, with and a very long growing season – he harvests late into November, 120 to 130 days after flowering compared to the more common 100.
To date, these are the only two Danish wines sold at Noma, and at Selmer’s Copenhagan restaurant Kødbyens Fiskebar. But with wine sales now overtaking beer sales in Denmark local demand is growing. Selmer mentioned that Jacques Diebolt of Champagne Diebolt-Vallois has expressed an interest in buying some land on Lilleø. And Selmer has spotted another potentially promising terroir 40km to the west of Lilleø, on the steep chalk hills of Møn. It may be a little while yet before we see Danish wines widely available outside of Denmark, but when we do, it will be thanks to bright young pioneers like Selmer.
First published on www.timatkin.com.
Beaujolais – beau et joli
Take a gentle walk around the diminutive Beaujolais region in eastern France and you can’t fail to be struck by just how pretty it is. Neat villages are scattered over this jumble of green hills like freckles on youthful cheeks. The wine trail is 20 miles from top to tail, but it’s the northern half, sitting just underneath the southernmost part of Burgundy, that is most rewarding.
It’s an easy region to understand, and this simplicity is an asset. Ninety-nine percent of production is red wine from the Gamay grape. Gamay tends to make undistinguished wines elsewhere, but on this stretch of granite it can really shine. It typically makes light, fresh wines with black and red berry flavours, sometimes with a perfumed or spicy aroma. The remaining 1% is the increasingly fashionable Beaujolais Blanc made from Chardonnay grapes, which – in the right hands – can be floral, minerally and refreshing.
Beaujolais is often described as the lightest of French reds, and when it comes to the simpler wines and the lightest styles this is true. These are best drunk young and lightly chilled to accentuate their purity and freshness. But most of the wines from named villages (known as ‘crus’) are actually more medium-bodied, and stand up well to white meats and game birds. Another misconception is that they don’t age well, but the more robust styles can last for a decade or more in a good vintage, becoming more akin to a fine Pinot Noir as they mature.
Beaujolais Nouveau, when the wine is ready in a matter of weeks after the harvest, has proved a mixed blessing. Although it reliably draws attention to Beaujolais once a year, the spotlight is pointed at its worst wines. Due to the rapid way in which these Nouveau wines are produced, they often smell more of bananas than berries. Celebrate with one of the village wines instead.
Look for the name of the village on the label: Chiroubles, St Amour, Régnié, Fleurie, Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Juliénas, Chénas, Morgon or Moulin-à-Vent. Each village has its own personality, but they are broadly ordered above from lighter expressions to fuller styles.
In recent years there has been a growing movement in France towards producing ‘natural wines’ – organic wines made with minimum intervention in the vineyard and the cellar. It is a style that suits Beaujolais particularly well, leaving off any superfluous make-up from its naturally pretty profile.
Some reliable natural-style producers:
Jean-Paul Brun
Brun’s wines are authentic expressions of the region and often good value. Even his most basic wines are good quality and worth seeking out.
Georges Descombes
As natural, satisfying and delicious as eating wild berries in the countryside, Georges Descombes’ wines are a joy to drink.
Jean Foillard
Without question, Jean Foillard is one of the greatest – a legend in Beaujolais. Somehow his wines are both highly drinkable and profound at the same time.
First published in Living France magazine.
Champagne: where the party’s really at
Sometimes I feel very lucky to be living in the UK when it comes to getting hold of good wine. Since the UK has historically been an importer of other countries’ wines, rather than producer of its own, the UK wine industry has tended to be open-minded and meritocratic when it comes to the wines it sells. This has led to a diverse range of countries, regions, grapes, producers and vintages, giving us excellent choice, and on the whole, carefully researched wide selections for at least the more established wine-producing regions of the world. But there is one major region where we are letting ourselves down, and ironically it’s right on our doorstep: Champagne.
If you take a drive around the some of the 300-odd villages that make up the Champagne region, 90 miles north east of Paris, a couple of things immediately strike you. Firstly, how extremely clean and tidy everything is, and secondly, just how many small producers there are. It seems every main street in every village has half a dozen signs hanging from buildings advertising yet more Champagne producers you’ve never heard of. There are over 2,000 small producers making their own wines in Champagnes; if you’re from the UK, you’d be forgiven for thinking there were around 20.
The Champagne region makes a huge variety of different wines. They can be anywhere on the scale that runs from bone dry to medium sweet. They have more ways of making rosé wines open to them than any other region. The fruit can be all from one vintage, blends of a few recent vintages, or the majority from one year, but blended with a multitude of older wines. They can be single vineyard or multi-site blends. They can be varietal wines, or blends of up to seven different varieties. They can be released relatively fresh, or matured for many years either on the lees or post-disgorgement. Or any combination of the above.
This huge diversity, coupled with the fact that we are by far the biggest export market for Champagne (35m bottles last year, the second biggest being the USA at 19m bottles) might lead you to think it would be easy to find a massive variety of Champagnes in the UK. But it’s still not as easy as you’d expect. Just like Burgundy, here are hundreds of small artisan producers making brilliant, characterful, unusual, fascinating and great value wines. But the vast majority of restaurants and wine shops in the UK still concentrate on the ubiquitous Grandes Marques and other big negociant Champagne houses. Of the Champagnes we imported into the UK in 2011 just 1.5% of bottles were from growers. Japan imports less than a quarter the volume of Champagne we do – but it imports more grower champagne than us.
It’s understandable that supermarkets work almost exclusively with big brands (or co-operative wineries for their vast own-label requirements). They need huge volumes, and they value consistency and recognisable brands: all requirements that the smaller growers have trouble in supplying. But most independent wine shops and quality minded restaurants have been slow to catch on. Admittedly we are seeing one or two growers sneaking in to many selections, but usually just for the ‘house’ champagne. In the past five years we have seen more concerted attention by a handful of retailers who stock a large range of growers such as Armit Wines, The Sampler, Lea & Sandeman, Theatre of Wine, Berry Bros, Bottle Apostle, Define Fine Wines and Vine Trail which is great – but a drop in the ocean really, and very London-centric. Tom Jarvis from Bottle Apostle: “our growers (Tarlant, Veuve Fourny, Paul Déthune, Gallimard) are holding their own very well and getting a decent share of our Champagne sales… It is hard to comment on why independents might be relying on the bigger names, when they could be stung by a promotion at the nearest Tesco.” Why has the broader UK wine trade been slow to catch on?
When it comes to creating recognisable brands in the UK market, you have to take your hat off to the Champenois. At the sub-£10 end, there are many recognisable Australian and Californian wine brands that line the supermarket shelves, but at the £20+ end, it is only really Champagne that has managed to achieve this.
The Champagne making process is time and labour intensive, and the grapes are the most expensive in the world. This adds up to a costly product. The average cost of a bottle of wine in the UK still bobs along under £5 per bottle, but thanks to its intrinsically celebratory aura, this is one wine where many are prepared to make the occasional exception. And when spending many times the average retail price all on a single bottle, a reassuring brand is particularly valuable when making a selection. In a supermarket where there is no-one to help you choose, this is useful. But one of the principal benefits of good restaurants and independent shops is that there is someone to ask, and someone to help us make a selection when the wines aren’t recognisable.
Champagne is often bought as a gift, and the bearer may want the receiver to understand the value of their offering, and this is another reason a recognisable brand is preferred. Patrick Sandeman from Lea & Sandeman certainly sees this: most customers “will still opt for a bright orange label and recognisable brand when they wish to impress at a party or with a gift”. So it would be understandable for independent wine shops to stock a few branded wines for this purpose. But what about their core market, the wine lover – the drinker that wants to explore and drink fantastic wines, rather than simply show off the label? They are being under-served, particularly seeing as these wines can be such great value: Sandeman agrees “they offer such excellent value for money compared to most of the Grandes Marques”.
Other countries don’t share our lack of confidence when it comes to stocking artisan Champagnes. The US has embraced them, and it is relatively easy to get hold of a wide variety of growers’ champagnes. This may well have something to do with the proliferation of independent wine shops in the US market. But Belgium and Japan, the fourth and fifth biggest export markets for Champagne, have also been quick to adopt smaller producers – both import over 7% of their champagnes from growers. The dominance of supermarkets in the UK wine trade may make the Grandes Marques more visible, increasing the strength of their brands, but nonetheless, we are lagging well behind. It’s time the UK trade stopped fearing the strength of the big brands, and started getting behind the smaller producers like they have so well with the other famous regions of France.
The growers don’t have the volume to get big distribution. They don’t always have the in-house expertise to market or advertise their wines, and rarely the funds to do it above the line anyway. It is up to us to go to them. But it’s only a 2½ drive from Calais, so not that difficult to manage. Many grower champagnes don’t have the consistency of the big houses; some can be a little rustic or unusual, and some simply aren’t very good. So careful selection is important, and so is regular tasting of new bottlings, disgorgements and vintages. Sandeman also points out that because of their relatively small production compared to bigger houses “the introduction of small growers champagnes is not limitless”. Equally, some of the big negociants houses such as Louis Roederer, Pol Roger, Bollinger and Krug make terrific Champagnes, and shouldn’t be dismissed just because they don’t own all their own vineyards. But variety and discovery are surely all part of the fun of drinking.
In the UK, when it comes to fine wines, because of the strength of the Champagne brands many of us think we know Champagne better than any other region. If I asked a group of people in the average pub which Champagnes they liked, I suspect many people would state a preference; it would be revealing to ask the same group which Bordeaux wines they enjoyed – a stony silence would likely be the result. But the wines of Champagne are sorely underrepresented on these shores. It’s time we put that right. The good thing is we’ve got it all ahead of us to discover.
Here are twenty fantastic artisanal champagnes whose wines I have tasted recently and are well worth exploring:
Doyard (Vertus)
Léclapart (Trepail)
Tarlant (Oeuilly)
Egly-Ouriet (Ambonnay)
Autréau (Champillon)
Soutiran (Ambonnay)
Lahaye (Bouzy)
Coutier (Ambonnay)
Lilbert (Cramant)
Lancelot-Royer (Cramant)
Juillet-Lallement (Verzy)
Cedric Bouchard (Aube)
Georges Laval (Cumières)
Waris Larmandier (Avize)
André Beaufort (Ambonnay)
Varnier-Fannière (Avize)
Pierre Péters (Le Mesnil-sur-Oger)
Jacques Selosse (Avize)
J. L. Vergnon (Le Mesnil-sur-Oger)
Larmandier-Bernier (Vertus)
Thanks to the Champagne Bureau for providing the data.
First published on www.timatkin.com
The Grape Day Calendar
It all started a few years ago with Cabernet Day. So far in 2012 we’ve seen Carignan Day (29th February) and Grenache Day (21st September). But what about those lesser known varieties – don’t they deserve a day too?
Well I’ve come up with the Grape Day Calendar for easy reference. Looking to celebrate Godello Day? That’s 25th April. Gamay lover? Keep your best bottles for 10th June. I thought it was a bit of a shame that Carignan had been allotted 29th February, as it meant we only got to celebrate it every four years. So I’ve moved Carignan to 28th and given 29th to Triomphe. Can’t see any complaints there.
You can also use the calendar to discover your Patron Grape. Simply look up your birthday, and your Patron Grape will be revealed. Got a job interview? If your birthday is 30th June, have a few glasses of Tannat before you go in and your smile won’t fail to win them over. If you’re 1 – 0 down during an important football match, simply drink a glass of Clairette (if your birthday is 21st October) along with the half-time oranges and you’ll find skills you never knew you had. But if your birthday is on the following day, you’ll need to find a bottle of Dunkelfelder. Good luck with that.
Regional synonyms have been included, so you’ll find Pinot Noir, Pinot Nero and Spätburgunder are all featured. Better this, than discovering your Patron Grape is Bastardo…
In fact, there are dozens of uses of the Grape Day Calendar. Enjoy!
| January | 1st | Grecanico |
| January | 2nd | Arvine |
| January | 3rd | Sangiovese |
| January | 4th | Vernaccia |
| January | 5th | Brachetto |
| January | 6th | Kotsifali |
| January | 7th | Grolleau Gris |
| January | 8th | Cortese |
| January | 9th | Klevner |
| January | 10th | Gaglioppo |
| January | 11th | Len de l'El |
| January | 12th | Garrido |
| January | 13th | Chardonnay |
| January | 14th | Monica |
| January | 15th | Bacchus |
| January | 16th | Müller-Thurgau |
| January | 17th | Loureira |
| January | 18th | Ruby Cabernet |
| January | 19th | Dornfelder |
| January | 20th | Zweigelt |
| January | 21st | Scheurebe |
| January | 22nd | Fromenteau |
| January | 23rd | Sauvignon Blanc |
| January | 24th | Vespolina |
| January | 25th | Zibibbo |
| January | 26th | Tinta Barroca |
| January | 27th | Delaware |
| January | 28th | Inzolia |
| January | 29th | Grolleau |
| January | 30th | Friulano |
| January | 31st | Verdicchio |
| February | 1st | Brunello |
| February | 2nd | Faber |
| February | 3rd | Rabigato |
| February | 4th | Vespaiola |
| February | 5th | Rhoditis |
| February | 6th | Biancame |
| February | 7th | Humagne Blanc |
| February | 8th | Kadarka |
| February | 9th | Tarrango |
| February | 10th | Cornalin |
| February | 11th | Grillo |
| February | 12th | Encruzado |
| February | 13th | Furmint |
| February | 14th | Negroamaro |
| February | 15th | Garnacha |
| February | 16th | Hondarrabi Zuri |
| February | 17th | Pošip |
| February | 18th | Airén |
| February | 19th | Pardillo |
| February | 20th | Spätburgunder |
| February | 21st | Muscat Ottonel |
| February | 22nd | Blauer Portugieser |
| February | 23rd | Garganega |
| February | 24th | Falanghina |
| February | 25th | Malagousia |
| February | 26th | Assyrtiko |
| February | 27th | Sipon |
| February | 28th | Carignan |
| February | 29th | Triomphe |
| March | 1st | Baco Blanc |
| March | 2nd | Frappato |
| March | 3rd | Xarel-lo |
| March | 4th | Lagrein |
| March | 5th | Trollinger |
| March | 6th | Amorghiano |
| March | 7th | Reichensteiner |
| March | 8th | Catarratto |
| March | 9th | Nerello Mascalese |
| March | 10th | Jurancon Noir |
| March | 11th | Folle Blanche |
| March | 12th | Rondinella |
| March | 13th | Melon de Bourgogne |
| March | 14th | Gros Manseng |
| March | 15th | Marselan |
| March | 16th | Romorantin |
| March | 17th | Pinot Gris |
| March | 18th | Robola |
| March | 19th | Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains |
| March | 20th | Rkatsiteli |
| March | 21st | Picpoul Noir |
| March | 22nd | Négrette |
| March | 23rd | Tempranillo Blanco |
| March | 24th | Mondeuse |
| March | 25th | Blauburger |
| March | 26th | Touriga Francesa |
| March | 27th | Verdeca |
| March | 28th | Malvasia |
| March | 29th | Garrut |
| March | 30th | Gamé |
| March | 31st | Concord |
| April | 1st | Colorino |
| April | 2nd | Schönburger |
| April | 3rd | Mavrud |
| April | 4th | Barbarossa |
| April | 5th | Durif |
| April | 6th | Merlot |
| April | 7th | Sémillon |
| April | 8th | Perricone |
| April | 9th | Madeleine Angevine |
| April | 10th | Molette |
| April | 11th | Welschriesling |
| April | 12th | Pecorino |
| April | 13th | Espadeiro |
| April | 14th | Syrah |
| April | 15th | Kerner |
| April | 16th | Aspiran |
| April | 17th | Debina |
| April | 18th | Fetească Neagră |
| April | 19th | Pais |
| April | 20th | Thalia |
| April | 21st | Nosiola |
| April | 22nd | Nobling |
| April | 23rd | Huxelrebe |
| April | 24th | Albillo |
| April | 25th | Godello |
| April | 26th | Ortega |
| April | 27th | Viura |
| April | 28th | Arrufiac |
| April | 29th | Verdejo |
| April | 30th | Auxerrois |
| May | 1st | Mantonegro |
| May | 2nd | Terrantez |
| May | 3rd | Dinka |
| May | 4th | Rauschling |
| May | 5th | Monastrell |
| May | 6th | Doradillo |
| May | 7th | Auxerrois Blanc |
| May | 8th | Duras |
| May | 9th | Trousseau |
| May | 10th | Traminer |
| May | 11th | Corvina |
| May | 12th | Cinsaut |
| May | 13th | Poulsard |
| May | 14th | Portugieser |
| May | 15th | Uva di Troia |
| May | 16th | Xynomavro |
| May | 17th | Humagne Rouge |
| May | 18th | Emerald Riesling |
| May | 19th | Cot |
| May | 20th | Terret Noir |
| May | 21st | Koshu |
| May | 22nd | Grignolino |
| May | 23rd | Esgana Cao |
| May | 24th | Riesling |
| May | 25th | Erbaluce |
| May | 26th | Mourvèdre |
| May | 27th | Petit Manseng |
| May | 28th | Pinot Noir |
| May | 29th | Malvasia Nera |
| May | 30th | Chenin Blanc |
| May | 31st | Juhfark |
| June | 1st | Bourboulenc |
| June | 2nd | Pedro Giménez |
| June | 3rd | Mauzac |
| June | 4th | Macabeo |
| June | 5th | Rotberger |
| June | 6th | Cabernet Severny |
| June | 7th | Aragónez |
| June | 8th | Lazki Rizling |
| June | 9th | Pinot Grigio |
| June | 10th | Gamay |
| June | 11th | Greco |
| June | 12th | Muscadelle |
| June | 13th | Schiava |
| June | 14th | Petit Verdot |
| June | 15th | Parellada |
| June | 16th | Freisa |
| June | 17th | Malbec |
| June | 18th | Fetească Albă |
| June | 19th | Frühburgunder |
| June | 20th | Fernão Pires |
| June | 21st | Primitivo |
| June | 22nd | Peloursin |
| June | 23rd | Grand Noir |
| June | 24th | Sauvignon Gris |
| June | 25th | Blaufränkisch |
| June | 26th | Irsai Oliver |
| June | 27th | Hárslevelű |
| June | 28th | Ondenc |
| June | 29th | Baroque |
| June | 30th | Tannat |
| July | 1st | Öküzgözü |
| July | 2nd | Plavai |
| July | 3rd | Marsanne |
| July | 4th | Zinfandel |
| July | 5th | Muscardin |
| July | 6th | Mazuelo |
| July | 7th | Savatiano |
| July | 8th | Hondarrabi Beltza |
| July | 9th | Torbato |
| July | 10th | Negru de Dragasani |
| July | 11th | Cesar |
| July | 12th | Tămîioasă Românească |
| July | 13th | Caladoc |
| July | 14th | Tinto Cão |
| July | 15th | Roussanne |
| July | 16th | Teroldego |
| July | 17th | Petite Arvine |
| July | 18th | Goldburger |
| July | 19th | Rotgipfler |
| July | 20th | Pedro Ximénez |
| July | 21st | Lambrusco |
| July | 22nd | Roussette |
| July | 23rd | Grenache Gris |
| July | 24th | Grüner Veltliner |
| July | 25th | Petit Courbu |
| July | 26th | Timorasso |
| July | 27th | Domina |
| July | 28th | Segalin |
| July | 29th | Kanzler |
| July | 30th | Jacquère |
| July | 31st | Tempranillo |
| August | 1st | St. Laurent |
| August | 2nd | Tinta Amarela |
| August | 3rd | Grechetto |
| August | 4th | Aligoté |
| August | 5th | Moschofilero |
| August | 6th | Aleatico |
| August | 7th | Sauvignon Vert |
| August | 8th | Pinot Blanc |
| August | 9th | Groppello |
| August | 10th | Ugni Blanc |
| August | 11th | Ribolla |
| August | 12th | Pineau d'Aunis |
| August | 13th | Montepulciano |
| August | 14th | Vitovska |
| August | 15th | Glera |
| August | 16th | Cannonau |
| August | 17th | Rolle |
| August | 18th | Bical |
| August | 19th | Colombard |
| August | 20th | Niagra |
| August | 21st | Viognier |
| August | 22nd | Albariño |
| August | 23rd | Carmenère |
| August | 24th | Steen |
| August | 25th | Verdelho |
| August | 26th | Plavac Mali |
| August | 27th | Pinotage |
| August | 28th | Palomino |
| August | 29th | Gouveio |
| August | 30th | Saperavi |
| August | 31st | Gouais Blanc |
| September | 1st | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| September | 2nd | Treixadura |
| September | 3rd | Jaén Blanca |
| September | 4th | Grecanico Dorato |
| September | 5th | Calitor |
| September | 6th | Carignan Blanc |
| September | 7th | Dolcetto |
| September | 8th | Croatina |
| September | 9th | Nerello Cappuccio |
| September | 10th | Aubun |
| September | 11th | Matrassa |
| September | 12th | Aglianico |
| September | 13th | Trebbiano |
| September | 14th | Pinot Bianco |
| September | 15th | Nebbiolo |
| September | 16th | Trepat |
| September | 17th | Xynisteri |
| September | 18th | Cencibel |
| September | 19th | Kékfrankos |
| September | 20th | Mission |
| September | 21st | Grenache |
| September | 22nd | Fié Gris |
| September | 23rd | Terret Gris |
| September | 24th | Baga |
| September | 25th | Sercial |
| September | 26th | Mataro |
| September | 27th | Trousseau Gris |
| September | 28th | Arinto |
| September | 29th | Callet |
| September | 30th | Symphony |
| October | 1st | Optima |
| October | 2nd | Arbois |
| October | 3rd | Mullerrebe |
| October | 4th | Muscat Hamburg |
| October | 5th | Castelão |
| October | 6th | Jaén |
| October | 7th | Petit Meslier |
| October | 8th | Tibouren |
| October | 9th | Fetească Regală |
| October | 10th | Petite Sirah |
| October | 11th | Vaccarèse |
| October | 12th | Elbling |
| October | 13th | Dona Blanca |
| October | 14th | Savagnin |
| October | 15th | Aramon |
| October | 16th | Blauburgunder |
| October | 17th | Viosinho |
| October | 18th | Arneis |
| October | 19th | Pinot Nero |
| October | 20th | Sagrantino |
| October | 21st | Clairette |
| October | 22nd | Dunkelfelder |
| October | 23rd | Silvaner |
| October | 24th | Graciano |
| October | 25th | Picpoul |
| October | 26th | Bonarda |
| October | 27th | Weissburgunder |
| October | 28th | Catawba |
| October | 29th | Touriga Nacional |
| October | 30th | Bual |
| October | 31st | Nero d'Avola |
| November | 1st | Tinta del Pais |
| November | 2nd | Grauburgunder |
| November | 3rd | Picardin |
| November | 4th | Vermentino |
| November | 5th | Sylvaner |
| November | 6th | Rufete |
| November | 7th | Agiorgitiko |
| November | 8th | Baco Noir |
| November | 9th | Completer |
| November | 10th | Barbera |
| November | 11th | Canaiolo |
| November | 12th | Gewürztraminer |
| November | 13th | Perle |
| November | 14th | Bouvier |
| November | 15th | Bosco |
| November | 16th | Raboso |
| November | 17th | Torrontés |
| November | 18th | Chasselas |
| November | 19th | Alicante Bouschet |
| November | 20th | Băbească Neagră |
| November | 21st | Lledoner Pelut |
| November | 22nd | Misket |
| November | 23rd | Tinta Pinhera |
| November | 24th | Molinara |
| November | 25th | Roupeiro |
| November | 26th | Caiño Tinto |
| November | 27th | Avesso |
| November | 28th | Tinta Roriz |
| November | 29th | Melnik |
| November | 30th | Green Hungarian |
| December | 1st | Picolit |
| December | 2nd | Schioppettino |
| December | 3rd | Pamid |
| December | 4th | Villard |
| December | 5th | Cabernet Franc |
| December | 6th | Lado |
| December | 7th | Muscat of Alexandria |
| December | 8th | Gutenborner |
| December | 9th | Gros Plant |
| December | 10th | Bobal |
| December | 11th | Orion |
| December | 12th | Findling |
| December | 13th | Shiraz |
| December | 14th | Tinta Negra Mole |
| December | 15th | Roter Veltliner |
| December | 16th | Gray Riesling |
| December | 17th | Fer Servadou |
| December | 18th | Grenache Blanc |
| December | 19th | Fiano |
| December | 20th | Counoise |
| December | 21st | Mavrodaphne |
| December | 22nd | Sciacarello |
| December | 23rd | Juan Garcia |
| December | 24th | Mammolo |
| December | 25th | Grk |
| December | 26th | Frontignan |
| December | 27th | Refosco |
| December | 28th | Knipperlé |
| December | 29th | Favorita |
| December | 30th | Ull de Llebre |
| December | 31st | Pinot Meunier |
Start drinking Furmint
To be sung to the tune of ‘Start Wearing Purple’ by Gogol Bordello:
“Start drinking Furmint drinking Furmint,
Start drinking Furmint for me now,
All your sanity – and wits – they will all vanish, I promise,
It’s just a matter of time.”
My Eastern European geography isn’t great. If you give me a pen, and ask me to draw the borders of Hungary, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia the results will be pretty dodgy.
Fortunately, Furmint, one of the world’s great unsung grape varieties, doesn’t understand these boundaries either. It’s most prevalent in Hungary, but some is found in Slovenia (where it is sometimes called Šipon – pronounced ‘shipon’) and it also occasionally strays over into neighbouring Austria and Croatia (though it changes its name to Zapfner and Moslavac and wears an enormous moustache so as not be recognised).
It’s probably best known as being the principal grape in the sweet Tokaji wines from Hungary. They can be incredible but they tend to sit in my rack untouched for months before I can find the right excuse to open them. The Furmints that I’m most excited about are the dry ones.
It is an unusually versatile grape. The wines can vary in colour from the lighter, leaner, silver-green Furmints of Austria, right through to the deep golden versions from Hungary, with the Slovenian ones sitting somewhere in the middle. The grape is thought to take its name from froment, the French word for wheat, referring the more common golden colour it displays. The typical aromas range from green apple and pear through to more tropical fruits such as mango and pineapple. It works well in a fruity, unoaked style, but it also takes very well to ageing in oak barrels. What all the dry styles have in common is a bright, vibrant acidity running through them, making them buzz with energy.
Furmint is like a white grape supergroup. It’s got it all: the pungent aromatics of Sauvignon Blanc; the richness and oak-friendliness of Chardonnay; the minerality and acidity of Riesling. Somehow it manages to combine all these attributes into one unified whole. Not surprisingly, it is often a pretty intense experience.
Eastern Europe is a rather unfashionable part of the world when it comes to wine. Experiments with Bulgarian, Romanian and Hungarian supermarket ranges in the past have left some of us a bit wary. But Eastern Europe has come on in leaps and bounds over the past decade, and some hugely exciting wines are now being produced in Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia. Many of them, including some of the wines below, are still fantastically good value.
When it comes to food, fish, white meats and spicy dishes tend to the best bet, but since so many different types of dry Furmint are produced it’s hard to generalise. As a rule of thumb, Austrian Furmint tends to work better with relatively light, fresh cooking such as simply prepared fish or salads. Slovenian Furmints can handle a bit more intensity of flavour, working well with chicken and ham in cream sauces as well as richer fish dishes. More powerful flavours like roast pork or chicken would match better with Hungarian examples. The age of the wine also plays a part – fresh, herbal dishes pair better with younger wines, and rich, buttery dishes work well with slightly older ones, particularly those matured in oak.
When it comes to ageing, most are best drunk reasonably young, no more than 4 years after harvest on the whole. Better ones can last a bit longer, and the very best can age for a decade or even longer, building in complexity and taking on more honey, spice, barley sugar and cooking apple flavours as they develop. The best of the sweet versions can last for 50 years plus.
Though it tends to be grown in lesser known corners of the wine world, this is surely one of the most versatile white grapes on the planet. I’ve even tried some good sparkling versions. It’s got everything you could desire in a grape, being a rare combination of powerful aromatics, minerality, richness and body. It deserves to be held in the same esteem as better known varieties such as Pinot Gris, Chenin Blanc and Grüner Veltliner. So if you haven’t discovered it yet – start drinking Furmint.
Some 100% Furmint wines that are (almost all) available in the UK
Austria
Günter Triebaumer Furmint 2010
100% Furmint from Burgenland, Austria (12.5% ABV)
£12.60 from Nick Dobson Wines
Very pale green with some little silver hints. Not much on the nose to begin with, a bit of pear, a touch herbal, maybe even some seaweed. Lean, and fresh like a just-ripe green apple. Medium length, with zingy acidity and a keen minerality. 88 points, fair value.
Heidi Schroeck Furmint 2009
100% Furmint from Burgenland, Austria (13.5% ABV)
£19.20 from Nick Dobson Wines
Pale yellow/green with silver hints again. Green apple, but with a pleasing vegetal hint. More apple and kiwi in the mouth. Fresh, with a silky texture and mineral finish. More concentration and length than the Triebaumber. 89 points, just about fair value.
Slovenia
Dveri Pax Šipon 2009
100% Furmint from Podravje, Slovenia (13.5% ABV)
£10.75 from The Daily Drinker
Fresh, tangy limes. Quite full-bodied, soft and smooth in the mouth. Fresh, grippy and intense. Balanced and very long. 90 points, good value.
Verus Vineyards Furmint 2010
100% Furmint from Podravje, Slovenia (12% ABV)
£11.50 from Astrum Wine Cellars
Exciting nose with lots to entertain – peach fruitiness, smoky and herbal. Full-bodied, with more peach and nectarine in the mouth. Spicy too, with a little touch of tannin and streak of minerality holding it all in check. Well balanced, very long, compelling. 92 points, very good value.
Gomila ‘Exceptional’ Furmint 2011
100% Furmint grape from Podravje, Slovenia
£11.99 from Wine Unfurled
Bright lemon in colour, this has a heady aroma of lemon, kumquat and banana with a hint of spice. Very clean, defined flavours. Intensely concentrated, with more citrussy acidity in the mouth, a tiny touch of tannin and a mineral edge. Medium to full-bodied, this is intense, long, modern, and very impressive. 91 points, very good value.
Jeruzalem Ormož Arhiva Šipon 1993
100% Furmint from Podravje, Slovenia (11% ABV)
Around €12, not available in the UK
Smelt faintly of natural gas and swimming pools on opening. Then started to take on some honeyed aromas and preserved lemons. Medium dry yet lean with good balanced acidity. Only light to medium-bodied, but complex flavours of pineapple and lemon in the mouth, with impressions of varnish or beeswax after swallowing. Still fresh. Very drinkable and very interesting. 92 points, very good value.
Hungary
Tornai Nagy-Somlói Furmint 2008
100% Furmint from Somlo, Western Hungary (12.5% ABV)
£9.41 from Astrum Wine Cellars
Smelt distinctly of corned beef when we opened it! But don’t let this put you off, it soon blew away and it took on some lemon and lime smells with a touch of rubber. Fruity, but dry and lean in the mouth, with flavours of lemon and unripe apple. Full-bodied, with firm acidity. 87 points, fair value.
Kerkaborum Vörcsöki Furmint 2008
100% Furmint from Zala, Hungary (near border with Slovenia) (13.5% ABV)
£10.00 from Pannon Wines
Medium gold in colour, with developed aromas of honey, mango, herbs and nuts. Smells like it’s going to be a bit sweet, but tastes dry. Tangy acidity, with a smoky, toasty, oaky finish. Getting a bit old now, but still enjoyable. 87 points, fair value.
Royal Tokaji Furmint 2009
100% Furmint from Tokaji, Hungary (14% ABV)
£10.95 from Jeroboams
Deep, spicy, flinty nose, with some oak aromas. Full, soft, full-bodied with intense concentration of flavour. Dry, modern, well made. Lovely acidity and minerality, bright and intense like a jewel. High but balanced alcohol, and very long. 91 points, very good value.
Oremus Mandolas Tokaji Furmint 2009
100% Furmint from Tokaji, Hungary (14% ABV)
£14.50 from Green & Blue
Intense nose of peach, lemon, lime and markedly oaky. Dry, full-bodied and spicy, a touch boozy, but with firm acidity. Modern, powerful, and intense. Creamy texture, and coconut flavours become more apparent while drinking, and some banana, sweet fruit flavours and toffee on the finish. Unashamedly lush, ripe and oaky, overtly hedonistic. 90 points, good value.
Dobogó Tokaji Furmint 2010
100% Furmint from Tokaji, Hungary (13.5% ABV)
£16.00 from Highbury Vintners
Bright gold colour. Spicy and fruity, with lovely nectarine aromas and a touch of mint. In the mouth the flavours are apricot, nectarine and dried mango all underpinned by keen acidity. Full-bodied, very fruity, long and punchy. 91 points, good value.
Szepsy Tokaji Furmint 2008
100% Furmint from Tokaji, Hungary (13% ABV)
£29.00 from Top Selection
Medium gold colour. Complex aromas of mango, honey, vanilla custard and a hint of sweetcorn. Dry and full-bodied, lovely acidity and very well-balanced. Alcohol in check. A very elegant and restrained style compared to some of the more bombastic Furmints on show. A very fine wine, with pure, sweet fruit and dry, refreshing minerality into the long finish. 93 points, fair value.
And one sweeter style pure Furmint to finish off with
Pendits Tokaji Furmint Édes (late harvest) 2007
100% Furmint from Tokaji, Hungary (11.5% ABV)
£10.00 from Pannon Wines (half bottle)
Medium gold in colour. Very naturalistic fruit aromas, mostly orchard fruits, and lots of them: cloudy apple juice and comice pear. Medium sweet, but only just past off-dry, and very well balanced. Slightly spicy oak and Demerara sugar flavours on the long finish. Not that complex but very natural-tasting and a pleasure to drink. 90 points, very good value.
First published on www.timatkin.com.
What the wine trade could learn from natural wines
“Wine’s not my kind of thing… it’s a bit, well, posh.”
“It’s too complicated, I don’t understand all that stuff about tannin.”
“I’ll probably get into it when I’m older.”
I hear similar things all the time when I put on tastings. These perceptions act as major barriers stopping people getting into wine. It’s nothing new; it was the same when I was first exploring wine. Yes, things are improving. But we have a long way to go, and I don’t see enough individuals, companies or professional bodies addressing these issues or even taking them seriously.
There has been much introspection in the wine trade press lately about ‘engaging with consumers’. The opening comments above are people clearly telling us what they want – something down to earth, easy to understand, and relevant to a younger audience. No wonder natural wines have made such an impact in such a short time.
Don’t get me wrong, I am no table-thumping advocate of natural wines. I’m not here to discuss their merits or otherwise. My personal feelings are mixed. But the broader wine trade can learn from what this movement has achieved – unintentionally or otherwise. Many of these wines are challenging, difficult, or downright weird; yet they have found a market remarkably easily. Doug Wregg of Les Caves de Pyrène is correct to assert that natural wine is “taking wine out of its traditional niche into something cross-cultural, vibrant and funky… it’s associated with young people.”
Thanks to the increasing interest in food and its provenance in the UK, there is one word that you are hearing more and more in marketing circles: authenticity. In spirits, Sipsmith haven’t been slow to notice. Even in other types of products such as cosmetics, brands such as Liz Earle and Bobbi Brown are accentuating the importance of raw ingredients and the people behind the brand, to great success. Compared to many of the big brands seen in supermarkets, natural wine has authenticity in spades, and people are prepared to pay a premium for it.
Where natural wines are drunk, emphasis on the human element is always present. At Green & Blue the names of natural winemakers are written on the walls. At Terroirs, instead of images of vineyards and chateaux, you see photographs of winemakers. They’re not wearing Hermes ties and Gucci suits; they have beards and holes in their jumpers. They look normal – anything but ‘posh’. They look like they have a story I could relate to; I want to hear it.
The importance of food can’t be underestimated in bringing these wines to a wider audience. It has been the opening of bars and restaurants with the specific intention of showcasing these wines that has been key to their dissemination. More often than not they are run by young people who are passionate about the wines. Isabelle Legeron MW of RAW Fair states “a lot of people come to natural wine from the food perspective… who’ve never really thought about wine, but are coming at it from a fresh food angle”.
Another great benefit of natural wines is their simplicity: organic grapes, hand-picked, no additives, naturally made. The image is of a product that is easy to understand. The emphasis is on enjoying and drinking rather than analysing and collecting. Rather than precision of winemaking and tasting note – low yields, optical sorting tables, the textural finesse of the tannins, the weight on the mid-palate – they are more often sold on the story of the wine.
For what is still a small movement, natural wine has made a huge noise. The whole wine trade seems to be talking about them. There are countless blogs singing their praises. The wine trade has created little in the way of resources for the budding wine lover; blogs are easily found on the internet, and more readily trusted since they speak the language of the reader.
Craft beers are similar in many ways to natural wines. Not just that they are artisanally made alcoholic drinks, but in their brand values: authentic, straightforward, inclusive, down to earth. According to Legeron, natural wine will “always be underground”. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that the natural movement has made wine cool; but it’s certainly helping.
“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.” Mahatma Ghandi
Natural wines can be challenging and they are rarely cheap. Nonetheless, they have made remarkable inroads of late, with minimal marketing spend. Like it or not they are here to stay. They established themselves in part through addressing glaring barriers to consumer engagement that have existed largely unaddressed for too long. They have supplied the UK with what local drinkers have been wanting for years.
Original article published in Harpers Wine & Spirit, but this is slightly longer.
St Emilion: Liquid Luxury
St Emilion, in a nutshell: first published in Living France magazine, but this is longer.
For many, the word ‘Bordeaux’ conjures the image of the classic fairytale château in beautiful gardens. But the majority of these are only found in one half of the Bordeaux region: the Left Bank, aka the Médoc. The Right Bank, however, with St Emilion at its heart, has a very different aesthetic.
Here the winemakers steer clear of Gucci suits in favour of jumpers and casual jackets (still by Gucci though: this is Bordeaux after all). Cabernet Sauvignon is the grape of choice on the Left Bank, as it loves its well-drained gravely soils. On the Right Bank they grow more Merlot, as Merlot loves mud; clay to be precise. Wellies are called for in the rolling fields of the Right Bank, which has a more ‘country’ feel.
Merlot grapes produce less tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon, and they make for a soft, lush, fruity wine that is ready to drink a little earlier than its neighbours on the Left Bank. Here, they blend the Merlot with Cabernet Franc, which provides some extra tannin, freshness and fragrance.
The typical flavours you might find in your glass from a traditional St Emilion are plum, blackberry, blackcurrant and a hint of smoke. Modern houses show a richer style, with more cola, vanilla and stewed black fruits. As they mature, they start taking on aromas of autumn leaves, chestnut, game and cigar tobacco; few wines become so complex or compelling.
The town of St Emilion itself is beautiful; grey stone buildings perched on a hilltop overlooking the manicured countryside. The little streets are a pleasure to explore – but walk on past the bottles. Unusually for France, reasonably-priced wine shops are rare here – wait until you’re out of town or at home, they might well be cheaper.
When I say cheaper, I don’t mean cheap. You’ll be hard pushed to find many St Emilions that are worth buying for less than £15 per bottle. If you’re hunting for a bargain, travel a little further out, to the neighbouring sub-regions such as Lussac-St-Emilion, Lalande de Pomerol, Côtes de Castillon and Fronsac. But next time you deserve a treat, the best wines of St Emilion are sumptuous, opulent, and unforgettable.
Some reliable producers:
Château Puy-Blanquet
Just at ‘Grand Cru’ level but usually a reliable buy at the cheaper end (though avoid the 2007).
Château de Fonbel
This estate belongs to Alain Vauthier, who owns Château Ausone, one of the top two estates of the region. Much cheaper than the celebrated Ausone, and often good value.
Clos Fourtet
Understated, subtle and refined, Clos Fourtet is one of the best estates in St Emilion. It crafts stunning wines that are well worth seeking out.