trying to get home for xmas. New traffic extension for Google Chrome: https://t.co/MXy7N9dU
| 02 December 2011
One of my first forays into learning about wine was an introductory wine course. While covering the Bordeaux region, the subject of second wines came up. The instructor imparted this wisdom: “Always buy second wines in poor vintages because you get most of the declassified grand vin at a bargain price.” The question that inevitably followed was, “And in good vintages?” “Well, then,” said the instructor, “you should also buy second wines because then overall quality is better, including the second wine.” Clear. Yep. Okay, I get it; it’s probably a good idea to buy second wines.
“What exactly is a second wine?” you might ask. “Isn’t that the bottle that follows the first one you just polished off?” While I admire your way of thinking, that isn’t what we are talking about here. Second wines (aka second labels) are declassified lots of wines bottled under a different name than their iconic siblings. A good comparison would be to look at these wines much like you would seconds in the apparel world. Clothing manufacturers will often divert certain batches of items or entire production runs into secondary labels, which are often referred to as “seconds.” This allows them to maintain their brand equity, but still get something back for these items — albeit a lesser amount. The important point here is that seconds are still made using the same expert designers and tailors and the same materials, but the quality might be only marginally less, if at all, than the exclusive brand. Read more
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| 18 November 2011
During the 2011 Millésimes en Languedoc event in France’s Midi, hundreds of wines from the 2008 and 2009 vintages were presented, plus a few dozen 2010 barrel samples. With so many wines, one can only stick to general impressions. Besides the fact that there were a number of excellent quality/price ratios, the 2008s appeared to be best drunk on their fruit, that is early on. They are in fact already at their best. The 2009s were concentrated, with great structure and aging potential to match. 2010 has inherited the best of the two preceding vintages. The wines showed near-perfect ripeness and balance, which is a promise of a good deal of elegance when they are finished and bottled.
During that intensive week of tastings, a new hierarchy was presented to the media that will, according to the CIVL (Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Languedoc), help guide consumers in their choices. Things will be simpler, they said, because all AOC wines will be grouped under one of three levels of quality. The top wines will be labelled “Grands Crus du Languedoc,” the middle section will be called “Grands Vins du Languedoc” and the rest will keep the existing “AOC Languedoc” name. Reactions in the audience were mixed.
In recent years, a number of new AOCs have been created in order to extract the best vineyards from the existing appellations. That led to a portion of Corbières now being called Corbières-Boutenac. The same thing happened to Minervois (La Livinière), while Saint-Chinian was split in three, introducing two new AOCs: Saint-Chinian Roquebrun and Saint-Chinian Berlou. This multiplication of appellations may be justifiable from a quality point of view, but it results in a complicating of the system and possible confusion in the consumer’s mind.| 16 November 2011
Characterizing Tuscan wines narrowly would be a mistake. There is as much diversity within Tuscany as there is between Italy’s various regions. Sangiovese may be the workhorse grape, but it comes in so many different styles due to the region’s diverse microclimates and the extraneous number of genetic clones that exist in the vineyards. It forms the major component of Chianti (Italy’s most globally recognized wine), Carmignano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (clone known as Prugnolo Gentile), and Morellino di Scansano (clone known as Morellino). Sangiovese is also the sole varietal in Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino (the Sangiovese Grosso clone is traditionally used in these wines, but it is not mandatory).
Perhaps the wines with the most caché and that have generated the greatest interest over the past quarter century are the Super-Tuscans. While there are no rules or guidelines with respect to the composition or production of these bottles, their origins are rooted in wines blending Sangiovese with “international” varietals such as Cabernet (Antinori’s Tignanello being one of the first) and with wines composed solely of “international” varietals such as Cabernet (Tenuta S. Guido’s Sassicaia being one of the first) that originally fell outside the traditional wine producing DOC(G) laws. This opened the door for other winemakers to experiment with their own blends and for additional plantings of varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. The modernization of the DOC(G) laws (a gradual and slow process) now allows the inclusion of wines that originally fell outside the rules, such as the Super-Tuscans.
| 04 November 2011
Canada’s love affair with Italy’s Amarone wine was documented in a Tidings story that ran a while back. We at Tidings certainly love this deep, concentrated and powerful red wine made from air-dried grapes harvested from the hillside vineyards of the Veneto region. So our response was practically automatic when an invite to join Dott. Sandro Boscaini, “The Godfather of Amarone” for a special tasting in the now legendary cellar of Toronto’s Barberian’s Steakhouse.Boscaini, President and Owner of Masi Agricola as well as the “Famiglie dell’Amarone d’Arte” (Amarone Families), was in town to showcase wines from the Cantina Privata Boscaini – single vineyard (mostly) Amarones from his collection of older vintages. A selection of tasty hors d’oeuvres whetted the appetites of the gaggle of journalist (practically a “who’s who” of Toronto-area wine scribes) along with the white Masi Masianco 2010 and red Masi Campofiorin 2008 – a well-known and widely available pair of Masi staples. We were then lead into the Barberian’s cavernous, multi-story cellar for a spectacular tasting and equally spectacular dinner.
The formal part of the tasting included the Masi Campolongo di Torbe Amarone Classico 2004, Masi Mazzano Amarone Classico 2004, Masi Costasera Amarone Classico 2000, Masi Costasera Amarone Classico 1998 and finally, the Masi Amarone Classico 1995.
| 10 October 2011
Every year, as part of Cuvée, a.k.a. Ontario’s Academy Awards of Wine, there is an event reserved for industry professionals dubbed the “Experts’ Tasting.” Recognition is doled out to media and promoters of the Ontario wine industry, and a themed wine tasting is conducted. The grape diva of choice this year was Chardonnay, which has a long history in the province. The first Ontario wine made from the varietal was in 1955.
As the tasting progressed, a presenter suggested that we need a term to denote that our wines are made in the Côte de Beaune model. One such idea was to dub the wines as “Beaune-ified.”Now, I will readily admit that I have compared many an Ontario wine to a Chablis, Chassagne or Vosne in my writings. But this started me thinking. Do we actually need to use a meter stick to measure Ontario’s quality? In doing so, does it actually help, or hinder, our wines?nRecently, I was a member of the tasting panel for the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Symposium (i4c). After sampling an array of 50 Ontario Chards, I was convinced more than ever that we do make wines which approximate the Burgundian model — fresh acids, elegance, and not overtly oaked. Why?
| 04 July 2011
“The bottom line is that Beaujolais is struggling,” Fred Lockwood tells me. “Beaujolais Nouveau was a huge success, but the fad has largely passed, hastened by falling quality. During the Nouveau craze people became increasingly ignorant about the traditional Beaujolais wines. And with the world now awash in wine, a comeback seems hard to imagine. At least the name ‘Beaujolais’ is well known.”
Lockwood, along with his wife, Helen, own the Maison des Bulliats winery in the village of Régnié, the most recently designated (in 1988) Beaujolais Cru. He occupies a rather unique position in that he is a winery owner in France but was actually born in Ontario, Canada. He and his wife, both having retired from careers as university professors, purchased the property with its 7.75 hectares of vines in 2005.Today, the Lockwoods are presented with the same dilemma facing many a Beaujolais producer: namely, how to get this famous wine back into the limelight. It’s going to be a tough go, as Lockwood freely acknowledges, but it’s not all doom and gloom. The 2009 harvest was one of the most glorious the region has seen (“the best since the last ice age,” Lockwood jokes) and 2010 is shaping up to be exceptional as well. A new wave of young, quality-minded winemakers is focusing on the region, and investment is starting to flow as well. With Nouveau madness largely expunged, eyes are now shifting to the top end Cru wines. Who knows, the stars and planets may be aligning in just such a way as to usher in a new Beaujolais renaissance.