The wine industry in increasingly dominated by large New World companies, selling wine through multiple retailers on brand and promotion. It is a trade under threat, because the smaller Old World producers, the individuals, the guardians of authenticity struggle to find an outlet for their wine in today’s busy market place.

The New World, especially through its larger scale producer has done much to make wine accessible and indeed affordable.  They are able to react to changes in consumer taste, and fashion.  If the world likes rich oaky Chardonnays, then they change their plantings, adapt their winemaking techniques to suit that taste, if oak loses its popularity then out go the barrels.   Their adaptability is usually helped by a more reliable climate, the assurance of achieving grape ripeness and of course none of the restrictions of the appellation controlee system or equivalent of the vineyards of Europe.

Despite the fact that most of us just want to enjoy a wine we like at a price that we can afford, it would be a shame if the smaller producer was forgotten along the way, for it is their character and ability to translate a place and its story into wine that sets it apart from every other alcoholic beverage.

A recent visit to burgundy, gave me time to visit an old friend, Etienne Grivot in Vosne Romanee, and enjoy wine at its purest.  Domaine Jean Grivot, named after Etienne’s father is widely considered amongst the finest of the Cote d’Or, his door is constantly knocked on by the wine trades most enthusiastic.  He is however amongst the most modest men I have ever met, with a passion that burns stronger than any winemaker I know, as passion to handcraft the very best from the vineyards sites available to him.

Etienne Grivot took over from his father in 1990, making him the 5th generation of Grivots to make wine in Vosne-Romanée. In the 1930s it was one of the first domaines to bottle and sell the wines themselves.  It is a Domaine that owns some of the finest vineyard sites in Burgundy, with old vines averaging 50 years, across 22 different appellations, including the finest sites of Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Clos de Vougeot, Echézeaux and Richebourg. With such history, and vineyard holding comes responsibility, and it weighs heavily on Etienne’s shoulders.  However, unlike many New World winemakers he in no way considers himself the hero of the wines production, indeed he would argue that to produce the ‘perfect’ wine he would play no noticeable role at all.

Burgundy produces wines from only one variety, Pinot Noir.  Its attributes, flavours, characteristics are all taken from the soil, drawn up through the old vines roots as they bury into the bedrock.  The work of the winemaker does not begin when the grapes are delivered at the cellar door, but in the vineyard, working the soil, manipulating the vines to ensure ripeness and concentration that can be tasted in the finished wine.

Etienne works hard in the cellar too, tirelessly in fact, for as he explains ‘there's no recipe, it's very personal and as a result it's very frustrating as one's never content’, but his work is not to add character, but rather to let the true personality of the wine shine through.

Whenever I talk with Etienne I get a feeling that he understands his place in history.  He values those that have gone before him, and is mindful of the responsibility of caring for such a prestigious estate and of handing it on to the next generation.  He has walked every inch of his vineyards since he was a child, he understands every undulation, every geological fluctuation, and can explain, with glass in hand the influence they have on the finished wine.

Etienne is a true individual, but he is not unique.  This understanding of the tangible connections between their ‘terrioir’ and their wine is what sets smaller producers apart.  They make ‘real’ wines.  Such wines may not always be the easiest to sell, may not satisfy every ones palate, but they are authentic, and us wine enthusiasts embrace them for that.

 

Liam

At Red & White we are always trying to find ways to improve the company but to be honest, because we are a young company the majority of improvements are made simply to try and make the company work, to allow it to survive.  However like one can no longer pick up a newspaper without reading that we will be worse off tomorrow than were are today, there is a point when the issue of the environmental impact of our daily lives becomes impossible to ignore. 

Red & White is a company that over the last three years has focussed on the supply of wines to the hotel and restaurant trade in the South West, but we are increasingly working with private customers and much of our success has come through our differing pre-mixed cases.  The inevitable discussion ensued of how we can become a ‘greener’ company.  Small we might be but there is no morality in disposing of cardboard and glass bottles through the normal trade waste collection system, we have moved to a recycling company for cardboard, paper and glass.  But what about what we sell, could we look closer at the environmental impact of our product mix?  So the ‘Green Case’ was born, a mixture of 12 different bottles all of which have been chosen to highlight areas that focus on the ‘greener ’ aspects of the wine industry.

We began by looking at wines from producers who have concerns about the use of artificial chemicals in grape production and winemaking. One is Organic, one Biodynamic and the other follows a system known in France as Lutte Raisonee.

Organic wines are made from grapes that are cultivated without recourse to synthetic fungicides, herbicides and fertilizers. It is important to note that ‘organic wines’ are made from organically grown grapes, but chemicals may be used in the winemaking process.

Biodiversity is encouraged by creating a friable soil rich in worms and bacteria, from which the vines draw maximum levels of minerals, whilst becoming naturally resistant to disease and drought. The followers of the ‘Biodynamic principles’ established by Rudolf Steiner take winemaking to the extreme in a holistic approach that combines traditional self-sustaining agriculture with the forces of the cosmos. It is controversial in its dramatic opposition to the modern scientific agricultural practices however whether its concepts make sense to us or not, its adoption by many of the worlds finest winemakers gives it credence as they continue to create outstanding wines.

Making wines organically is not an option open to everyone, certainly in areas prone to rot and disease.  Winemaking is a business and sometimes the risks involved in organic viticulture are not a realistic option.  Lutte Raisonee or ‘reasoned struggle’ is a practice based on finding a balance.  Its says, ‘yes’ we want to keep chemicals to a minimum and ‘yes’ we want a rich and tolerant soil full of microorganisms and we find systematic spraying abhorrent.  However we will not let our grapes die when seasonal conditions play against us; we will intervene when necessary.

Packaging is an issue we are being asked to address almost every time we shop, and the use of glass in wine bottling puts it in the spotlight.  Glass is incredibly un-environmentally friendly; heavy to transport and poorly recycled, especially in the UK.  In this country we recycle more green than clear or brown glass whereas packaging companies in the UK use more clear and brown glass than green. This is because it is the imported products such as wine and beer that are bottled in green glass. As a result almost all of the green glass we attempt to recycle ends up in landfill. If you want to be green in the UK, avoid bottles of that colour!  Light bottles are a more environmentally friendly option but better still are plastic bottles or tetra packs, you may be dismayed but they are coming to a shop near you soon.

The argument over cork versus screwcaps rumbles on.  Screwcaps seem to be winning most debates on their ability to reliably seal a bottle of wine and indeed they can defend their environmental standing for the aluminum used is recyclable.  Cork gets little support these days but I feel deserves at least its relevance in ensuring that the natural habitats of its native cork forest are preserved.  In Portugal, the world’s largest producer of wine grade corks, the forests not only contribute strongly to the local economy but are also natural habitats to the likes of the Iberian eagle and the Iberian Lynx.

The concept of ‘food miles’ applies as much to wine as it does to food.  Transportation of wine across the world burns up a lot of fossil fuels and consequently contributes to global warming. The concept of ‘food miles’ and of sustainability has led to a general movement towards local production and consumption. Buying ‘local’ is a philosophy that has been widely adopted for food in the Southwest and perhaps it’s a consideration with wine also?

If the idea of drinking wine exclusively from your local vineyard does not appeal, then perhaps buying from a winery that offsets its carbon production is a more realistic approach.  There is also a move towards wineries now planting trees in addition to their vineyards to gain ‘carbon neutral’ accreditation. Alternatives that are now also commonplace include shipping in lighter weight bottles or shipping wine in bulk and bottling in the UK.  All of these options help to support the environment.

Fair-trade is a concept that few of us would argue with.  The guarantee that the producing nation receives a fair and rewarding deal from the products it sells to the privileged western world is hugely important.  Certain countries, South Africa for example, have made much of this importance but one should be aware that fair-trade should apply across the world, especially in the poorer nations such as Argentina who have less of a ‘voice’ to spread the awareness of their plight.

The ‘Green Case’ has, in its formulation, made us as a company consider what we buy, how we transport it and how we sell it.  It has made us stop and think and I believe it will have an impact on the company going forward.  As with anything we do, the wines have to succeed on the tasting table before we consider their additional attributes.  However I believe that many of the options that the winemaker currently has will in the future no longer be choices but regulations as we are increasingly forced to consider the environmental impact of all our decisions.

 

Liam

Liam

I have recently finished reading ‘The Ripening Sun’ by Patricia Atkinson, which recounts the story of her experiences emigrating to the picturesque region of Gageac in South-West France and transforming a run-down winery into a successful business. Remarkably, her struggles were undertaken almost completely alone; she mastered the language, the people and prejudice and of course the winemaking with incredible dedication and humour. With Patricia’s amusing anecdotes still fresh in my mind, I therefore was very interested last week to be introduced to James and Catherine Kingslake and to hear their story.

In 2003 James and his wife Catherine, with no prior wine experience, gave up their life and fast-paced career in the London stock market and began scouring southern France for a winery to make their home. Having spent much of my childhood and indeed recent summer holidays with my family travelling through France, it is a dream I understand, but to their credit they gave up the safety nets that financial success in London affords and transformed their lives.

Searching along the southern coast amongst huge swaths of vineyards from Gaillac to the Italian border, they eventually settled upon a 25 hectare vineyard and winery in Limoux, about 15 minutes from Carcassonne, falling in love with the beauty of the estate and its jaw-dropping views of the Pyrenees. Domaine Begude however was not purchased simply so they could live in a beautiful place and enjoy French wine without involving the British Chancellor in the transaction. The attraction was in the terroir and its ability to produce high quality wine.

Confidence in the vineyard they were buying came from its previous owner Robert Eden, curiously also British, who was somewhat of a pioneer in the Languedoc. A successful producer, his winemaking credentials backed up his fervent belief that the terroir of Limoux was perfectly suited to produce affordable, top quality white wines to rival those produced in Burgundy. The vineyards surrounding Domaine Begude have been planted with Chardonnay since the 1500s and their success is partly due to the long growing season of sunny days and cool evenings in these relatively high altitude sites.

On meeting James and Catherine I immediately understood why buyers would be interested in their produce. Their enthusiasm was contagious yet also structured and well thought out and they have marketed their wines with great skill. In the four years they have run the winery they have achieved notable listings worldwide and in the UK not just with small merchants but also Majestic Wine Warehouses and Waitrose. The buyers of the bigger multiple retailers do not allow the wool to be pulled over their eyes easily and so it was with much eagerness that I waited for the box of samples to arrive, sent out on their return to France.

Although I have long fancied the idea of owning some vines, I have no real confidence in my ability to produce anything drinkable, let alone a wine that could succeed in the market place. The success that has been achieved at Domaine Begude is quite incredible, as wine after wine impressed our tasting table. Chardonnay is clearly the trump card of this estate and following the simple and elegant entry level ‘Le Belle Ange’ the AOC Limoux Chardonnay blew us all away with an intensity comparable to first rate Puligny Montrachet. The top wine from the estate ‘l’Etoile de Begude’ is one of the most impressive wines I have tasted this year. Chardonnay apart, the featherweight Pinot Noir rosé with its charming red fruit scented nose and palate puts to shame most Sancerre at twice the price.

We taste a lot of wine in our office yet I can think of few occasions where such a unanimous decision to ship from a winery has been made so quickly. Outstanding wine at affordable prices; James and Catherine have proved that the ‘no going back’ dream really can work out.

Liam

The 2005 road movie Sideways filmed in California’s Napa Valley is credited for making Pinot Noir into the world’s most fashionable red grape variety. Insisting on Pinot Noir, the main character Miles said to his friend Jack just before dinner: "If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am not drinking any f****ing Merlot." In that moment US sales of Merlot collapsed and Pinot Noir sales went through the roof.

There is nothing new about Pinot Noir; it has been around for hundreds of years, responsible for the aromatic, velvety red wines that are produced on Burgundy’s Cote d’Or. However it is capricious, and has historically not travelled well, winemakers outside of Burgundy finding it difficult to grow and almost impossible to vinify. It is the Prima Donna of all red grape varieties.

Given the number of different grape varieties available you could be forgiven for asking ‘why bother?’ But for some reason, Pinot Noir has a semi-mystical allure for those who have been bitten by the Pinot bug, and for many winemakers in the New World, getting Pinot Noir right has been sort of a holy grail of winemaking.

A winemaker’s fascination with Pinot Noir begins with that first visit to the cellars of Burgundy, or taste of one of its finer wines. Bordeaux may be France’s flashiest wine region, but Burgundy is where the heart is, it is the countries viticultural soul. With only one red grape to play with, the concept of ‘terroir’ rings more true in Burgundy than anywhere else; winemakers drawing every essence out of the berries to reflect the quality and vineyard characteristics from which they have been harvested. The great Pinot’s of Burgundy, combine depth of fruit with an earthy complexity that no other wine region can match.

One could argue that the New World regions have all established themselves based on a Bordeaux or Burgundy model. Certainly, Chardonnay has been the more successful of the two Burgundian grapes, but that does not mean Pinot has not been planted, indeed it is widely grown throughout the New World; in regions where it is successful, and regions where it is not. Unfortunately most of the chosen New World sites have been too warm, resulting in over-ripe, jammy wines, whilst those planted in cooler sites have often had a streak of under-ripe, herbaceous character. The big, jammy wines have achieved some popularity but have none of the finesse and subtlety that great red Burgundies are known for.

As site selection becomes and increasingly important in New World regions, single varieties begin to dominate areas within which they are successful, for example Riesling in Australia’s Clare Valley or Sauvignon Blanc on the stony plains of Marlborough, New Zealand, so Pinot Noir is starting to find footholds where it can shine.

In New Zealand, Marlborough has the ability to produce outstanding Pinot Noir, but its reputation will always be for Sauvignon Blanc, whereas the regions of Central Otago in the South Island, and Martinborough at the bottom of the North Island have really hit their stride and make some of the world’s most flavoursome, intense Pinot Noirs.

Australia is largely too hot for Pinot Noir, however the windswept coast of Western Australia produces some outstanding examples, as too does the Yarra Valley near Melbourne and Tasmania. In South Africa, Walker Bay/Hermanus has the edge on the rest, helped by the fascination with the variety by the two leading wineries there Hamilton-Russell and Bouchard Finlayson.

California has had long term success with Pinot Noir, largely due to the cooling effect of the Pacific Ocean, and its ability to temper the climate. Nowhere is this more noticable than in Carneros, just north of San Francisco Bay, where a daily sea mist rolls into the vineyards and shelters the vines from the midday sun. Pinot Noir grown here has a velvety smoothness, a silky quality that makes it one of the world’s most delicious red wines.

Pinot Noirs march is not limited to the New World; I have tasted some incredible versions from both Spain and Italy within the last few months, plus one from Romania that tasted at least three times the price I paid for it.

Sometimes I get quite gloomy about the state of the UK wine trade. An aging consumer base, drinking bland Pinot Grigio’s or over extracted Shiraz. However the success of Pinot Noir is certainly something to be excited about. Never made successfully cheaply, it exudes quality and charm. It’s a wine you smell, taste and have another smell, even when you are in the pub. Pinot Noir produce’s interesting wines, and in my book, that’s good news!

Liam

Last week I met up with the head of Tesco’s Wine Department Dan Jago. In terms of world retailing, only the US giant Wal-Mart is bigger, and when it comes to wine, no one gets close; TESCO are the world’s most important wine merchant.

The power that TESCO holds is terrifying. Total alcohol sales are now worth £3bn per year, which is made up of wine sales of over £1.5bn, with beer and spirits adding a further £750m each. Twice as big as the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, TESCO is not just the country’s biggest supermarket, but also the fastest growing; the supermarket is responsible for one in every four bottles of wine sold in the UK.

Dan Jago is not your typical supermarket department head; his background is not in retailing. When I worked with him, it was at London Wine Merchant Bibendum. Within a few years, Dan went on to become the Managing Director, and set the company on course to become the country’s largest, and in my opinion best Independent Wine Merchant, turning over more that £100 Million a year. It was from this position that he was asked by TESCO to take control of their wine department. It is the sort of success story that keeps me awake at night, annoyed all the more by the fact that he is such a nice guy!

What his background gives him, is an entrepreneurial spirit that one would not expect to find in a supermarket buyer. He wants TESCO to not only be the biggest and most powerful retailer of wine in the world, but also the best; he wants TESCO to become ‘Everyone’s Wine Merchant’. He wants to educate the customer, offer diversity, and real interest from the cheapest wine to the most expensive.

One could argue of course that turning Tesco into ‘Everyone’s Wine Merchant’ is not such a difficult task, given that everyone is becoming a TESCO customer, such is their monopolisation of the high street. It could also be argued that a lack of education was in fact beneficial to a supermarket like TESCO, dumbed-down customers racing through the aisles with screaming children in their trolley’s , buying the wine on promotion, is surely the frame within which the industry has achieved its success.

TESCO’s wine department is not however run by some business school prodigy, contented only by sets of figures, he is a product of the wine industry, and I hope and believe that TESCOS are in better hands for that. I am sure he spends much of his time concerned about the financial targets that have been set, but I am as equally convinced that he spends as much time ensuring the product range evolves with interest and diversity As we talked, I started to believe that the country’s biggest source of wine, is probably more exciting place to visit than I thought.

Five years ago, TESCO like many other supermarkets reduced its range. Only 400 wines sold fast, so why have 800. Observers like me, talked of supermarkets offering only an ‘illusion of choice’ an apparent global selection, but in reality one that lacked any real diversity of style. However such are argument would be hard to levy against TESCO today, with its range that numbers 1’150 wines in total.

So what does the world’s most powerful wine buyer believe will be the biggest development in the wine industry this decade? The answer is ‘packaging’; “big changes are going to be forced upon us”. The truth is the glass is very environmental unfriendly, it is extremely heavy to transport, and in the case of green glass, almost never recycled (apparently it almost all goes to landfill in China). Prepare yourselves for tetra packs, wine pouches (plastic sleeves) and what is likely to become the container of choice for wine producers, plastic (PET) bottles.

As far as wine ‘styles’ were concerned, Dan’s answer very simple ‘Refreshment’. ‘Look around, everything is sold cold, wine is no different’. Beer comes ‘super-chilled’, Guinness is ‘Extra Cold’, Cider comes with Ice and wine, well wine needs to be crisp and refreshing; simple as that.

TESCO’s are huge already; they are marching through Europe and breaking ground in the US. Globalisation is a concept that does not sit happily with our lives in the south west, surrounded by small producers, tied with the local countryside. However the reality is that as our lives get busier supermarkets satisfy consumer need. As an Independent Merchant I will always fight for our cause; believing that what we can deliver in terms of diversity, interest and quality will never be matched by a Multiple Retailer, however I am forced to admit that from the outside at least, it seems that the wine department of the world’s biggest retailer, is not just in capable, but also dynamic hands.

Liam

“What is your favourite wine?” is a question I am frequently asked. Simple as it sounds it is almost impossible for me to answer. You could I believe, as an art enthusiast respond with your favourite painting or sculpture, but there is a difference with wine, which is the need to include the circumstance and the atmosphere before making a decision on the wine that will play a supporting or lead role. If you have £5 in your pocket however, there is one continent that consistently out performs all others, and that is South America.

Following school I did not, probably mistakenly, take a year off to travel before going to University. My career has luckily given me plenty of opportunity to explore the world, but there are certain places that I am sure are at their very best taken slowly, with no deadlines and with a rucksack on your back. Chile & Argentina have always struck me as being such places. However a couple of years ago when I was invited by Nicholas Catena, one of Argentina’s most respected wine producers to visit his winery, I jumped at the chance.

Mendoza is the wine capital of Argentina, it is located high up under the Andes, about two hours by plane from Buenos Aires. So remote; wine dominates this large town, offering employment to the majority of its inhabitants. It is a wonderful place to visit, vibrant and culturally alive with South American soul. Full of beautiful people, its restaurant scene is rightly legendary and opportunities to taste Argentina’s world class beef with its incredibly complimentary Malbec wine are frequent.

The vineyards lie to the north and the south of Mendoza, in the dessert like conditions that are formed by the rainshadow of the Andes. Indeed the lack of rainwater is apparent through the drainage channels that irrigate the vineyards with the water that runs off the mountains above.
Mendoza is now littered with wineries, many of which produce outstanding wine. Low production costs result in value being very easily achieved in its wines, although there is now an understanding of a need not just to rely on production of wines at the bottom end. The country’s ability to produce wines all the way up the quality pyramid should be realized and is now starting to be.

Nicholas Catena did not establish his eponymous winery, his forefathers founded it back in 1898, having sailed from Italy with some of the countries earliest vines. However, it was a struggling business when he took over and he can almost be completely credited with its success. Spending time in his company leaves one quickly aware of the respect he commands in the region, not only for his own achievements, but how such results have improved the potential of the nation as a whole.

Taking the reins of the family vineyards and wineries in the mid 1960s, Nicholas concentrated on expanding distribution throughout Argentina during years of turmoil in the 1970s. However, a war with the United Kingdom and inflation rates of over 1000 per cent made the business unviable and so he left to become the professor of economics at the University of California. It was there that Nicholas experienced the magic that is the Napa Valley and with Robert Mondavi as inspiration, he returned to Argentina to make world class wines.

‘Loco’ was how his neighbours viewed this entrepreneurial winemaker with his fastidious dedication to quality. His determination to find new vineyard sites, often higher and more remote where the Malbec grape could ripen, combined with development of different clones of the grape; he proved the low fertility of the soils and the ability to manipulate the climate completely through irrigation allowed for incredible control and excellent quality wine production.

To say that Nicholas Catena has succeeded is an understatement. IN 1997 his wine was compared blind in Europe and the USA to Château Latour, Haut Brion, Solaia, Caymus and Opus One, and came first or second in every tasting. His winery is pyramid shaped with an innovative gravity flow cellar, it stands out on the skyline and now is as iconic as his wines. The grandure if the situation as we sat on the roof terrace, tasting Malbec after Malbec with the backdrop of the Andes was no illusion. This truly is one of the finest quality producing wineries in the world and its wines always an absolute pleasure.

Liam

There is a saying in the wine trade that you can make poor wine from great quality grapes, but you can’t make great wine from poor grapes. It emphasises the importance of the raw ingredients in wine production, highlighting the fact that no wine maker, however capable can create wine of real quality without having ripe grapes, balanced in acids and tannins that have a character which can be reflected in the final wine.

Whist the ‘great grapes’ analogy works for most wines, it is one that is difficult to defend if you ever have a chance to see the black, heavily rotten grapes that are hand harvested from the vineyards of Sauternes before they are pressed and slowly fermented into one of the world’s greatest sweet wines. Hanging on the vine, the grapes covered in a thick fungal mould look unpleasant to say the least, yet the juice within is some of the wine world’s most precious.

Although there are many methods of producing quality sweet wines, the most famous (Port apart) are produced from rotten grapes. Botrytis Cinerea (also known as ‘noble rot’) is a fungus that under the right conditions attacks already-ripe grapes, shrivelling them, concentrating the sweetness and acidity. Although some regions are much more prone to infection than others, sweet wines in these areas are also usually inherently expensive to produce. Botrytis affects grapes capriciously and takes a great deal of patience, selection and manpower to harvest them, let alone transform them into wine.

Sauternes, just south of the city of Bordeaux is the most famous producing area of quality sweet wine. Like most of the Bordeaux wine region, Sauternes has distinctly maritime climate which brings with is the viticulural hazards of autumn frosts and rain that spoil an entire vintage, however its micro-climate is quite unique. Located at a point where the Garonne river and its Ciron tributary meet, the cooler water from the Ciron spring creates a mist when the two rivers meet that descends upon the vineyards from evening to late morning. It is this condition that affects the delicate Sauvignon, Semillon and Muscadelle grapes that are grown there, causing the development of the Botrytis Cinerea fungus.

The most famous Chateau in the region is Chateau d’Yquem, often described as the greatest sweet wine in the world. Located on the highest hill in Sauternes it enjoys the best growing conditions in the whole appellation. Only fully botrytised fruit is picked by the 150 highly skilled pickers and yields are so low that each vine produces only one glass of wine. Intensely opulent when young, Yquem develops an extraordinary complexity and exotic richness when fully mature, with the best vintages lasting for over 50 years. Near to Sauternes, the regions of Cadillac, Loupiac and Ste-Croix-du-Mont produce wine of a similar style, at a much more affordable price, quality however is never matched apart from in the appellation of Barsac, Sauternes closest neighbour.

The Loire Valley is France’s other greatest source of fine sweet wines. Chenin Blanc is a most capable grape variety and develops honeyed characters when late harvested that can be just as fine and interesting as its more famous Bordeaux cousins. Two main styles of sweet wines come from the Loire River. Those from the Layon tributary near Angers are generally heavily botrytised when the conditions are right, whereas those from Vouvray are more racy and nervous and elegant. The wines from both areas can be truly immortal, as proven by Domaine Huet's Vouvray ‘Le Haut Lieu’ Moelleux 1947, which was recently ranked sixth, just behind Domaine de la Romanee Conti ‘La Tache’ 1978, in a Decanter Magazine feature concerning the 100 greatest wines ever.

Also relying on botrytis for its complexity but made in a different way is Hungary’s famous sweet wine, Tokaji. The nobly rotted grapes are made into a paste that is then added to the base wine, adding sweetness and flavour. Wines from Tokaji aren’t cheap, but they are unique with complex honey, marmalade and raisiny flavours, often with a hint of oxidation.

Botrytis is an ally used in sweet wine production the world over, great examples being made in Canada, Australia and South Africa. However, in my opinion the world’s finest sweet wines come from perhaps the country whose wines are currently some of the least fashionable, Germany.
Like Chenin Blanc, Riesling is a grape variety which ages magnificently (due to its naturally high acidity), its defined varietal character and crucially its ability to reflect the terroir of the region in the finished wine. Germanys great wine regions of the Rhine and the Mosel are on the limit of viticultural possibility, the grapes only just ripen, so sweetness is always balanced by piercingly fresh acidity. On impossibly steep slate slopes, vines are hand harvested at varying degrees of ripeness or botrytis infection to create wines graded (in sweetness), the most unctuous of which being Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.

When did you last drink sweet wine? Sweet wines have somehow become increasingly isolated from mainstream wine consumption. They very obviously contain sugar, an ingredient we have been taught to revile, yet fine chocolate has never been more popular or fashionable. The risks in their production, makes sweet wine rarely a profitable production and many great examples are made out of love, and offer incredible value for money. Half a bottle also goes a long way. Next time you go out to friends for dinner, take a bottle of sweet wine, it will be appreciated.

Liam

This year has begun with an incredibly dismal economic outlook. The stock markets are in free fall, and the property market is following suit. In currency, the Sterling, which was holding up above 1.50 against the Euro last summer has fallen at an alarming rate, last week converting at only 1.26. Small harvests, and increasing glass costs, mean that the cost of bringing wine into the UK has never been higher. When it could not look worse for the British wine trade, the Chancellor pops up and increases the duty, with the encouraging promise that he will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

I have always held onto the belief that people drink in good times and bad, but 2008 does look like it might be a tough year to be successful in. In the South West, we learnt last year that without sunshine, there is not much money to be made; this year if the sun does not show its head, there will be a lot of business’s in trouble. For us wine merchants, the current economic climate in the South West is not an easy one within which to introduce price rises, but we are going to have to and they will be noticeable.

The increase in duty on a still bottle of wine means that it now sits at £1.49. Price hikes are going to be most evident at the bottom end, although you could argue that cheap wine is sold to cheaply anyway. Take a bottle of Argentinian Malbec on sale at your local supermarket at £3.49. Remove the VAT and the duty and you are paying £2.01 in tax alone. The winery, sitting pretty under the Andes has planted vines, trellised them, harvested and fermented, and placed the wine in a bottle with a cork in it and a label. The bottle has been shipped a long way, cleared customs, passed through a bonded warehouse and distributed in the UK by an Agent, who one assumes makes some money. The bottle is then bought and sold by a Supermarket, who one assumes also makes money, how is it possible to sell that bottle for £3.49?

Hotels and Restaurants will struggle to keep their house wines priced as they were last year; surely the days of £9.99 wines in pubs, or £11.99 wines in restaurants are over. My concern in a climate like this is that hotels and restaurants will be fearful of increasing their prices. Worried that the customer is more aware of the amount of cash in his/her pocket than before and will demand house wines at the same cost price as last year. There is only one way this can be achieved, compromising on quality.

It’s a tough trade the wine trade. The supermarkets sell wine on price and the UK consumer is increasingly happy to glug cheap Pinot Grigio or southern French Sauvignon Blanc rather than spend a little more and perhaps drink a little less. I am the first to admit an element of ‘The Emperors New Clothes’ exists in the wine trade, buts it’s not all pretentious drivel, great wines, made by talented people in the right places do exist, and they are what sets wine apart from most other alcoholic beverages. In years like these less people will drink them, not just because they have less money in their pockets, but because the retailer and restaurateur will try and make their money out of the mass drinker, rather than selling quality wine to the connoisseur.

Some argue that a recession is something you can easily talk yourself into. I believe this to a certain extent, and if the sun shines all summer I am sure restaurants concerns will be running out of rosé rather than too many empty tables. However if it rains it could be a very gloomy year indeed.

Liam

The Loire Valley is as famous for producing wine as Bordeaux and Burgundy and it’s place on the worlds wine map is as equally assured. Yet the Loire, whilst creating some of the world’s most elegant and delicate wine, is no longer particularly fashionable. In a wine market flooded with fruit rich wines, the produce of the Loire often feel left behind, a relic of the past, when wine was sipped and admired with the patience one gives classical music, before the New World turned up with its ‘rock and roll’.

The wines of the village of Vouvray certainly suffer such an image problem. Turn back the clock four decades and Vouvray was the off-dry option in the village pub; a fashionable wine for the masses, it’s sweetness suited the palate of the time. As with all things wine related, the one thing you never want to be, to ensure long term success, is ‘fashionable’ - today’s fashion is passé tomorrow. Vouvray’s history did not however start in the 1970’s.

Vouvray is one of the most enchanting wine regions in France. It feels untouched by time, the winemaking methods the only progression in a simple process of producing varied and unique wines from the grapes harvested from the vineyards above the village.

Chenin Blanc is the grape variety used to produce Vouvray. Like Pinot Noir, it has until recently struggled to achieve any level of greatness outside of its native home. It is South Africa’s tap-water grape, often labeled ‘Steen’ and has historically produced a meager wine, with no hint of its greater capabilities. Yet in the vineyards of Vouvray it produces more than one style of wine well; reds, sparkling and bone dry to the most unctuously sweet. It is capable of producing wines that can last a century and reflect both the vineyard and the wine-maker, is Chenin the world’s most capable white grape? Maybe.

Vouvray is a special place; the troglodyte cellars, carved into the Tufa limestone, store some of France’s most treasured wines and it was these intricate tunnels that protected the wines from the invading Germans during the second world war. Consequently vertical tastings in Vouvray are remarkable as you can find yourself tasting wines over 40 years old – not an opportunity one could find often in the cellars of Bordeaux or Burgundy.

There are many cellars of note in Vouvray but one man, Gaston Huet, ensured that a belief in quality remained when the consumer began to lose interest. Gaston passed away in 2002 but the Domaine is now run by his son in law Noel Pinguet and it still sets the quality parameters of the village.

Born in 1910, Gaston led an eventful a life; as a prisoner of War he boosted morale in the camp by organising wine tastings fueled by bottles posted into the camp from the Loire. When finally released, a weak and shrunken man, he had the grit to walk home across France to his native Vouvray. He was a man of incredible resolve and as mayor of Vouvray in 1947 (a post he held for over 40 years) he forced the diversion of a new TGV line, which was about to plough straight through the vineyards of Vouvray.

I was lucky enough to meet Gaston once, in his cellars near the centre of the village. With a twinkle in his eye he took me through his range of wines. The tasting began with his sparkling wine from Chenin picked early, almost green, through to wines picked at increasing points of ripeness. The grapes come from three separate vineyards, Le Haut Lieu, Le Mont and Clos du Bourg and they are vinified and bottled separately. As the tasting progressed the distinctions between the three vineyards became increasingly apparent as crystalline acidity became replaced by pure sweetness. With age the vineyard characters remained, as did Gaston’s clear winemaking style and the complexity of the wines was remarkable.

I have been lucky enough to taste wines from many of the world’s finest producers, but that day tasting with Gaston Huet in his cellars in Vouvray was my most memorable. If the fashion for wines from this region does not return then the consumer will surely miss out.

Liam