The Sampler

Visited The Sampler (link) in Islington a couple of days ago. A fantastic concept, especially their Icons selection which lets you taste a range of fine wine which most pockets would not stretch to. The wines below are currently on show.

• Chateau Musar 1970
• Chateau Musar 1977
• Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1985
• Paternina Conde de Los Andes 1955 Rioja Gran Reserva
• Torbreck RunRig 1999
• Borgogno Barolo Riserva 1961
• Chave Hermitage 1998
• Pichon Baron 1964

Here is what I tasted:

Reserve de Gassac 2007 (£9.90 per btl) - citrus, floral notes and a savoury finish from this Viognier/Marsanne blend

Araldica Barbera d'Asti 2007 (£8.20) - high acidity, red cherries, sweet spice, hint of choc, slightly jammy

Chateau Musar 2002 (£21.50) - dried/cured meats and leather on nose, huge red fruit flavours (dried and fresh), raisins, cured meats, leather, vegetal/leafy, goes on and on

Gilles Barge Cote-Rotie Cuvee du Plessy 2003 (£36.00) - red cherry, dark savoury spice on nose but less on palate, some tertiary (leather, vegetal)

Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 1996 (£90.00) - finegrained tannins, highish acidity, lovely long finish, quite 'Burgundian' in style

Chateau Cissac 1978 - savoury, earthy, concentrated coffee nose-, with dried fruit and raisins on palate, but somewhat dominated by developmental characters (meat-leather-coffee) - I have tried a 1995 Cissac which was past it so am amazed that the '78 is still drinking so well

 

Giacomo Borgogno Barolo 1961 (£175.00) - from the "icons" range this one - raspberries on nose, with spice, vanillin, cloves, nutmeg, raisins, prunes, dried black fruit, smoky, coffee ground, leather (opening out with a bit of air); on the palate high acidity, fine dusty tannins, and still with awesome fruit concentration which suggests this could go on and on (unlike the Cissac...)

Selling Chilean Wines in a Recession: A Market Survey

Click here to read this article.

Are Chilean wines holding up during the recession?

A recent piece of research from Chilean investment bank Banchile concluded that Chile's ability to offer quality wines at cheap prices would see it gain market share from foreign competitors who generally have greater labour and raw material costs. It gave a "buy" recommendation for Concha y Toro shares and classed them as "medium risk" (the main risks being exposure to foreign exchange markets due to 80% of its sales being exports and climatic risk).

Wine Exports

Whilst Concha y Toro shares may currently be undervalued, data from inside the Chilean wine industry does not paint a wholly rosy picture. According to the monthly export figures of wine industry association Vinos de Chile, growth in exports of wine peaked in October 2007 and has since tumbled back down to Q2 06 levels.

Government statistical body ODEPA notes that, while the volume of total wine exported in 2008 was 3.5% lower than in 2007, there was actually a 9.6% increase in total value due to higher unit costs and a shift towards bottled DOC wines rather than bulk and non-DOC wines. In 2009, despite a 9.5% increase in volumes exported in the first 6 months, unit prices have decreased once more, meaning the value of 2009 wine exports to August is 2.7% lower than in 2008. From this it may be surmised that Chile is slightly increasing its export volumes, although prices are being squeezed. In terms of recession-proofing, this is not necessarily a bad sign, as despite lower margins, market penetration (and therefore brand development) is increasing.

Total Exports and the Price of Copper

Whilst total Chilean exports by value have fallen in the last 7 quarters (see table below - click on image for larger version), this comes on the back of 4 years of sustained growth, meaning they are still at Q1 06 levels. Chile is the largest exporter of copper, making the Chilean economy highly dependent on world copper prices.



From Q3 05 there was a pronounced spike in copper prices (see graph below), although they then fell sharply in Q1 08. The export data therefore needs to be read in the light of these fluctuations in the price of copper. Copper prices are important for the Chilean wine industry however, as they directly affect Chilean GDP and therefore the national wine market, but perhaps more importantly because several Chilean wineries are owned by companies or families with interests in the copper sector.

New Wave Spanish Wine Awards 2009

This tasting took place yesterday at The Worx in Parsons Green. On show were a selection of 110 Spanish wines which to qualify had to be either imported into the UK or be shown at the Wines from Spain annual generic tasting.

The Cantosan Brut sparkling Verdejo from Grupo Yllera offers fantastic value at £5.99 and is a good alternative to Cava. (See Jancis Robinson's comments on the same here.)

Getariako Txakolina Getaria 2008 is an interesting Basque wine which comes in an Alsace-shaped bottle. Made from indigenous Basque grape varieties, it is slightly Pinot Gris-ish, has a little residual sugar and is only 11% abv. Moving from the eastern to the western side of northern Spain, Galician producer Bodegas Docampo's Vina do Campo is also Alsatian in character and also refreshingly low in alcohol (12%). At £9.95 it is very fairly priced.

The judges (chaired by Tim Atkin MW) seem to have looked for varietal typicity when awarding best of category. The Best White Under £10 went to Castrocelta Albarino 2008, a classic Albarino with tons of apple and green melon. Best Value White was awarded to Frutos Villar's Maria de Molina 2008, clean and crisp citrus flavours and a pronounced nose - outstanding value at £5.99. Best Red Under £10 went to the Luna Beberide Mencia 2007, two years old but still a vivid purple colour and equally young-tasting, with a palate of zippy red cherries.

Some of the reds, especially those from the more traditional regions, were disappointingly over-oaked and tannic. A refreshing exception was Can Rafols dels Caus' Gran Caus 2001, a deep garnet-coloured 'Bordeaux on steroids' with really concentrated fruit (and a lot of sediment in the bottle). Pretty good value at £15.99. Ochoa's Vendimia Seleccionada 2001 was garnet coloured, with a vegetal claret-like nose and some good fruit on the palate (but will it keep much longer?) A Pinot Noir from Ronda was predictably baked and showed why Andalucia's climate is just too harsh for thin-skinned Pinot Noir.

As to price, there seemed to be quite a few good value wines in the up-to-£15 bracket, but in the £30-50 range I would generally have wanted more for my money. There still seems to be a line of thought in Spanish winemaking that quality is directly related to the amount of new oak used. It seems to me that oak should never be used as a flavour component in its own right, but rather to compliment the all-important primary fruit character. If it overpowers the fruit, it is not doing its job.

In the small fortifieds section there was a lovely Moscatel de Grano Menudo (aka Muscat a Petits Grains) from Bodegas Camilo Castilla and a fantastic, delicate Palo Cortado from Fernando de Castilla (which, incidentally, was also the Best Wine of Show and Best Dry Sherry!)

Rutherglen

Rutherglen is a fortified wine grown in the hot, dry, continental climate of North Eastern Victoria in Australia. The soil is water-retaining deep red loam (see below).


The grapes used in the production of Rutherglen are Brown Muscat (a clone of the old world Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains which is found in the classic French Vins Doux Naturels) and so-called "Tokay" (Muscadelle).

Viticulturally, Rutherglen is unirrigated (water being scarce and so strictly controlled by the Australian authorities). The grapes shrivel, concentrating the sugar and allowing the grapes to achieve 20-22% potential abv without botrytis.

The wine is fortified to interrupt fermentation, in the traditional Port manner, leaving a minimum 160g/l sugar. Ageing takes place in a solera-like system. It is oxidative and evaporation takes place. Once bottled, Rutherglen does not develop further.

The 3 styles are Classic (which must be 5 years old); Grand (10 yo); and Rare (15 yo, but is usually much older). These categories also indicate increasing quality, concentration and sweetness.

(Sources: WSET materials, The Oxford Companion to Wine)

Fortified wine comparisons

The following is a comparison of some key features of Port, Sherry and Madeira.

Climate, topography and influences

Port - Hot continental, very dry. Serra do Marao shelters Douro. Sudden heavy rain and hail. Lack of water.

Sherry - Humid, despite low rainfall. Sunny and hot. Mediterranean. Levante/poniente winds.

Madeira - Humid, hot, subtropical, high rainfall.

Microclimates

Port - Cima Corgo best region. Also Baixo Corgo and Douro Superior.

Sherry - Sanlucar sea influence for ageing Manzanilla

Madeira - North/south split (north cooler - Sercial; south warmer - Bual)

Soils

Port - Schist, broken into terraces.

Sherry - Albariza (white, water-retaining, over 60% chalk). Also barros and arenas.

Madeira - Volcanic, fertile. Decomposed red or yellow tufa, with small round iron-rich basalt stones.

Grapes

Port - Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cao

Sherry - Palomino, PX, Moscatel

Madeira - Sercial, Verdelho, Bual, Malvasia (Malmsey), Tinta Negra Mole

Viti

Port - Guyot-pruned, wire-trained. Terraces. Hand-harvesting on socalcos (6,000 vines/ha); small tractors on patamares (3,500 vines/ha).

Sherry - Vara y Pulgar pruning (similar to Guyot). Bush or head-trained vines. Hand harvesting. High yields (max 80 hl/ha).

Madeira - Tiny plots, small terraces, access difficult, hand-harvested. Trellises. Levadas (irrigation).

Vini

Port - Rapid extraction, lagares (foot/mechanised), fortified early. Vinified in the Douro (but maturation in Villa Nova de Gaia, see below).

Sherry - Free run/press wine (fino/oloroso). Flor. Fortified late spring (i.e. about 9 months after harvest). Mitad y mitad. Solera, in one of the 3 towns. (For PX and Moscatel, raisins, fermentation stops naturally.)

Madeira - Sercial and Verdelho little/no skin contact, fermented until almost dry, then fortified. Boal and Malmsey - fermented on skins for max extraction, fortified early.

Fortification

Before fermentation - Moscatel de Valencia, Samos Doux (Muscat of Samos), Vins de Liqueur (e.g. Pineau des Charentes)

To interrupt fermentation - Port, Boal, Malmsey, VDNs, Samos VDN (Muscat of Samos), Fortified Cyprus Wine, Rutherglen (Victoria), Mavrodaphne of Patras

After fermentation - Sercial, Verdelho, PX, Moscatel, Sherry, Commandaria (Cyprus)

Not fortified - most Montilla-Moriles, Samos Nectar (Muscat of Samos)

Fortified to a:

- low level - Fino, Manzanilla, VDNs

- medium level - Port, good Oloroso and Amontillado (in sherry, ageing increases levels of VA)

- high level - everything else

Acidity

Port - high

Sherry - low (with ageing, can gain sufficient volatile acidity to get up to medium)

Madeira - high

Maturation and finishing

Port - Aged in Villa Nova de Gaia, although some quintas are building warehouses in the Douro - cheaper, easier access. Cask ageing vs bottle ageing. Some Ports are bottle-aged so are not finished before bottling and will throw a deposit (Vintage, Crusted, Traditional LBV); others are filtered and cold-stabilised before bottling (Tawny, LBV).

Sherry - Aged in solera system, the object of which is consistency of style. (The solera system was started in 2nd half of 19th century for commerial reasons - previously sherry was vintage-dated.)

Madeira - The estufa system is central to Madeira viniculture. By heating the wine with hot water pipes for 3-12 months (3-6 in cuba de calor; 6-12 in armezem de calor) the effects of a sea voyage through the tropics are simulated. Vintage Madeiras are aged in the Canteiro system, which uses the heat of the sun, for anything from 20 to 100 years! A small and decreasing amount of Madeira is aged in soleras - known as Solera Madeira, the date indicates the foundation of the solera.

Vintage variations

Port - Vintage Port varies, as does LBV. Crusted is a blend of years so will be more uniform. Colheita (vintage tawny) varies; other tawnies do not - esp Tawny with Indicated Age, where the age indication refers to a particular style. (Beneficio - output prescribed by law.)

Sherry - There is almost no vintage Sherry - the solera system blends out vintage variations (same in Montilla Moriles).

Madeira - Vintage and Colheita Madeiras vary; other styles aim for consistency.

Trade and Legal Structures

Port - Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Portugal (IVDP)

Sherry - Consejo Regulador Vinos de Jerez y Manzanilla (see website)

Madeira - Instituto do Vinho da Madeira (IVM)

Markets

Port - Portugal, US (now more than UK), UK, France (now more than UK, esp young tawny styles to drink chilled as aperitifs)

Sherry - Spain, UK, Netherlands

Madeira - UK, cooking wine

Principal Producers

Port

Normally labelled under the name of the shipper.

Symington Family Estates - Graham's, Warre's, Dow's, Quinta do Vesuvio, Smith Woodhouse, Martinez, Gould Campbell and Quarles Harris. See website.

Taylor's - independent family company - Quinta de Vargellas (produced first Single Quinta Vintage Port in 1958). See history and website.

Quinta do Noval - owned by AXA. See website.

Sherry

Gonzalez Byass - Tio Pepe Fino (GB website and TP history)

Vinicola Hidalgo - La Gitana Manzanilla, Napoleon range

Also Antonio Barbadillo, Pedro Domecq, Emilo Lustau and Sanchez Romate

Madeira

There are only 6 companies licensed for export:

Henriques & Henriques

Madeira Wine Company (Blandys, Cossart Gordon)

Also Justinhos, D'Oliveiras, Barbeito, HM Borges


White Grapes - Palomino, Muscat/Moscatel, PX, Malvasia, Sercial, Verdelho, Boal, Gouveio

Black Grapes - Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cao


Oxidised Wines - Oloroso, Madeira, Rancio-style Grenache-based VDNs (eg Banyuls Rancio), Rutherglen, Aged Tawny Port, Amontillado and Palo Cortado (although both start anaerobically)

Not Oxidised - Fino, Manzanilla, Ruby/Vintage Port, LBV, Muscat-based VDNs


Sources: WSET, The Oxford Companion to Wine

Sherry

Here are some essential sherry facts:

Location

Cadiz, Andalucia

Aged in bodegas in Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlucar de Barrameda (below)


Climate

Humid, despite low rainfall. Sunny and hot. Mediterranean.

Winds - from east (levante) hot, dry conditions; from west (poniente) cooler, more humid.

Soil

Albariza - white, water-retaining, over 60% chalk

Barros and Arenas soils are much less important, especailly in these days of reduced demand for sherry - many vines on these soils have now been grubbed up. However, Moscatel is grown in some arenas areas.

Grapes

Palomino, PX and Moscatel

Viticulture

Pruning - vara y pulgar (similar to Guyot)

Training - bush vine (en vaso) or head-pruned (trunk is trained into a knob at the top)

Yields - high - max 80hl/ha

Vinification

For Palomino, there are two distinct pathways - one for free-run juice and one for press wine. The below chart is a bit simplistic but the majority of the free-run juice will end up as fino and the majority of the press wine as oloroso-styles (i.e. matured without the influence of flor - see earlier post on flor). The relatively high fermentation temperature (28 C) is due to the fact that primary fruitiness and fermentation esters are not wanted.



For PX and Moscatel, the grapes are dried in the sun until they shrivel and become raisin-like. The high concentration of sugars means the fermentation stops naturally at about 5% abv, leaving 200-400g/l residual sugar. PX is fortified with mitad y mitad at around 54% abv and is aged oxidatively in a solera.

Styles

Fino - flor prevent the wine from oxidising; "salty", acetaldehyde nose and taste

Manzanilla - fino aged in Sanlucar de Barrameda - climate moderated by sea

Manzanilla Pasada - older than c.8 years - flor starts to die and wine oxidises

Pale Cream - fino sweetened with rectified, concentrated grape must (RCGM)

Amontillado Seco - aged first under flor (min 3 years), then oxidatively (usually by refortifying and moving to new solera, but sometimes by allowing flor to die away); "hazelnut" on palate

Blended Amontillado - sweetened using younger amontillados/fino/other

Palo Cortado - like Amontillado, aged first under flor then oxidatively; fuller-bodied; PC solera wine sometimes not under ullage

Oloroso Seco - aged oxidatively (without flor), sometimes for several decades; "walnut" on palate; although not aged under flor, may have some flor influence as flor forms on all sherry pre-fortification

Oloroso Dulce/Cream Sherry - sweetened oloroso (using PX or other)

PX and Moscatel - 15% abv, solera-aged

Trade/Legal

Bodegas de Crianza y Expedicion - shippng companies which dominate production, located in 3 main sherry towns (Jerez, Sanlucar, Puerto de Santa Maria)

VOS - average age at least 20 years old

VORS - 30 years

Also 12yo and 15yo

See also my post on fortified wine comparisons.

(Sources: WSET materials, The Oxford Companion to Wine)