If the pandemic vintage of 2020 is to be known as one of plenty, then its successor 2021 will perhaps be best known for the opposite. There is no denying that 2021 was a tough vintage in Burgundy, with frost issues, and cold, damp conditions leading to a dramatic reduction in quantities produced. Yet despite the low yields, the vintage is one that perfectly showcases the amazing resilience of Burgundian winemakers. They are ones to weather every storm, and out of a tough year, they have crafted beautiful wines with good potential. In the expert words of Jasper Morris MW: ‘do not panic, the wines taste much better than the weather conditions might have suggested.’
We have previously enjoyed the 2018/2019/2020 vintages as they were born from warm, generous years that have allowed them to be quite approachable when young. Yet all three of these years were perhaps lacking some of the classical elegance many of us crave in our Burgundy.
2021 was a tough year, but with perseverance and drive the winemakers and growers have been able to create wines that should return to the elegant styles we love most. This is reassuring to know, as the yields were dramatically down and as a result, we expect prices to be quite high. This is a necessity though. Each winemaker we love, and champion runs a tiny operation and relies on mother nature to make or break a vintage that they spend an entire year carefully nurturing. Their bills for dry good etc have also increased substantially, and unfortunately, that translates to a higher price for us to pay. All the more reason to buy En Primeur to ensure you receive not only the best price, but also the opportunity to support the producers who have toiled hard to create these amazing wines.
The 2021 vintage shows early promise, and we believe these wines will reward patience and go on to offer elegant, refined expressions of Burgundy. This really is a rarity in a time when global warming makes the 2018/2019/2020 vintages the rule and no longer the exception. With 2022 being exceptionally warm, will 2021 perhaps be one of the last, classic Burgundy expressions for quite some time? Only time will tell.
]]>We know organic and biodynamic winemaking, but what about the new kid on the block, 'Regenerative'? Jamie Goode's latest book delves into the ins and outs of this farming technique. Read an edited version of the introductory chapter here, and explore Regenerative farming through his accompanying mixed case.
]]>Although it was introduced in the 1980s, the widespread use of the term ‘regenerative’ farming is quite recent, and there are several intertwining threads and different origins. The overall concept is one of taking something that has been damaged or misused, and then regenerating it: modern agriculture has depleted the life and functioning of the soil, and this is about farming in such a way as to restore it, make it healthy, to replenish what has been taken out, to encourage biodiversity, and get it functioning again. And into this, we must add social capital, too. This is true sustainability.
A functioning soil will enhance nutrient cycling and store organic matter. Soil structure and water storage capacity will be increased. Erosion will be stopped. Regenerative farming borrows from permaculture ideas and ways of farming practised by many indigenous people, who see themselves as part of the land, rather than owners of it. It’s new but it’s old.
We need to see the land as belonging to future generations, and that we are temporary custodians.
Currently, we tend to categorize viticulture in three ways: ‘conventional’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘organic’/’biodynamic’. This categorization is often portrayed as a pyramid, with a distinct hierarchy or progression. There is increasing virtue attached to each ascending level in the pyramid, but a reduced number of practitioners.
‘Conventional’ viticulture sees the soil merely as a medium for vine growth. Weed control is usually by herbicides, and disease control is mostly dealt with through systemic fungicides. Insecticides are the pesticide of choice for dealing with insect pests, and when vine nutrition is challenged it’s time to reach for artificial fertilizer.
‘Sustainable’ is harder to define because there are lots of different sustainability schemes with their own rules for certification. They share the fact that they get winegrowers to keep records of what they do in the vineyard, and there is usually a restricted set of chemical inputs. Many schemes have ‘yellow list’ chemicals that can only be used under certain circumstances and ‘red list’ ones that are banned. The guidelines encourage good practice. Herbicide is still allowed. The good thing about most sustainability schemes is that they are realistic. They aren’t too onerous, and the wide take-up reduces inputs on a significant level. But the bad side of these schemes is that some of them have a whiff of greenwashing, and they aren’t truly sustainable as these practices can’t be carried on for another 100 or 500 years. Also, there’s little traction in the marketplace for ‘sustainable wine’.
‘Organics’ and ‘biodynamics’ are similar in practice, although there are extra elements to biodynamics. Both arose in the 1930s and 1940s largely as a counter-reaction to the widespread use of agrochemicals and the environmental impact of modern farming practices. The emphasis is on soil health, and only ‘traditional’ agrochemicals are allowed, which means that elemental sulphur and copper-based fungicides are an important part of the viticultural toolkit in these systems. Biodynamics actually predates organics but has extra ‘spiritual’ dimensions. One interesting question is whether there is any efficacy beyond organics in biodynamics.
There are some challenges for organics, though, when it comes to soil health. Contact fungicides are washed off and need reapplying, so there will likely be more tractor work, with attendant carbon footprint and soil compaction implications. Copper has toxicity issues, and tillage can reduce soil micro life and damage soil structure and stability.
‘Regenerative’ farming is the newcomer. It is based on a fairly new branch of science called agroecology, which in the case of wine means seeing a vineyard as an agroecosystem. Biodiversity and soil health are the key emphases of regenerative farming. Closely related, but not exactly the same, is permaculture. The idea is to create a functioning ecosystem, where inputs are vastly reduced: the term ‘ecosystem services’ is often used, where the management system creates an ecosystem that does the job previously attempted by using inputs.
What does regenerative viticulture look like? There is no regenerative recipe or template: the best way to farm differs from one region to another, but it is best defined by the readouts mentioned above: is your farming respecting and improving soil health, and is what you are doing truly sustainable?
The idea is to farm soils, not vines, and in the process, the vines do better.
What regenerative viticulture gives you is a toolkit that can be adapted to place, recognizing that there is no perfect one-size-fits-all way to farm. With this approach, you choose what you think will be the best way to farm, and you get to choose your compromises.
The first priority in regenerative farming is to establish a robust agroecosystem. This builds resilience into vineyards, and – given time – will see the reduction of inputs as the ecosystem services kick in.
One important facet of regenerative viticulture is the change in attitude towards soils. There’s a famous quote by New Zealand winegrower James Millton that sums this up well: ‘We're not standing on dirt, but the rooftop of another kingdom.’
Some 700 million years ago plants emerged from the sea onto land. The association of green algae with fungi was key to this successful colonization, which occurred via a partnership between a fungus and a photosynthetic alga. There is evidence of mycorrhizal association in the earliest fossil records of plants, and now some 80% of terrestrial plants have these mutually beneficial symbiotic relationships in which fungi become associated intimately with the roots and help with nutrient uptake, in exchange for lipids and carbohydrates from the plants.
The area around plant roots is called the rhizosphere, and roots are ‘rhizosphere ambassadors’ facilitating communication between the plant and other soil organisms. Plants secrete a wide range of compounds into the soil from their roots, including amino acids, organic acids, vitamins, nucleosides, ions, gases and proteins. The estimates are that between 10% and 40% of the plant’s photosynthetically fixed carbon is released by the roots. Clearly, for plants, maintaining life in the rhizosphere is important.
Soil structure is also key for successful regenerative farming, and organic material in the soil is vital for establishing good structure and texture. Structure in this context describes the way soil particles are bonded together into aggregates. If the aggregates are unstable, then the soil is easily compacted. This can lead to poor water exchange with the roots and poor gas exchange. Vine roots need at least 10% air-filled space in the soil, and preferably 15%. Crusting can occur at the surface of the soil if aggregates are broken down, which makes water penetration difficult. And soil microbes are highly important in forming soil structure
For viticulture, it is probably time to say goodbye to herbicides. Although some regenerative farming approaches allow them, herbicides are bad because soil without plant growth lacks life, and it is this life that helps the soil to function properly and to gain and maintain proper structure. Microbes in the soil, fed by the vines and other plants growing there, release nutrients to encourage fungal and bacterial growth, and these microbes are involved in a signalling cross-talk.
Without herbicides, there are two options for vineyard floor management: tillage and no-till. No-till is becoming popular in broad-acre farming, but in most cases relies heavily on herbicides. Tilling reduces soil micro life and damages soil structure, so there’s a lot of discussion about what conservation tillage (limited tillage looking to maintain soil structure) or no-till will look like practised in vineyards. This is at the centre of regenerative viticulture discussions.
Cover cropping is a key tool in regenerative approaches. The right cover crops can prevent erosion, increase soil life, help ensure aggregate stability, replace nutrients taken out by the vines, increase water infiltration, sequester carbon dioxide, increase soil organic matter and then can be rolled and used as a mulch. These mulches suppress weeds, lower soil temperature and reduce water loss. Allied to cover cropping is the concept of agroforestry – incorporating trees into the agricultural system. This is beginning to be explored for viticulture.
Composting, if done well, can also be a useful tool for increasing soil organic material and replacing nutrients removed from the system in taking a crop every year.
The incorporation of animals into agricultural systems is a facet of regenerative farming that needs to be explored more carefully in viticulture. So far, the most widely applied version of this is keeping sheep in the vineyard during the dormant season. But more possibilities exist.
One issue particularly pertinent to growing vines is the presence of two diseases which the main wine grape vine species Vitis vinifera is particularly susceptible: downy and powdery mildew. It’s because of these two diseases that much of the spraying of pesticides in vineyards takes place, with attendant carbon footprint, soil compaction and cost issues. A lot of work has gone on to breed new resistant varieties that require very little or no spraying, and this is increasingly something being talked about in the wine world.
In conclusion, regenerative viticulture answers the need for a new, scientifically rational viticulture that uses a toolkit of approaches emphasizing our new understanding of soil life, modified to take account of specific site characteristics. This promises a new viticultural approach that is truly sustainable.
This is still quite a new term in the world of wine, so it’s not easy to highlight specific producers who are ‘regenerative’. Most of the producers listed by The Sourcing Table try to farm well, and many of them will be implementing several regenerative practices, trying to look after their soils and the vineyard environment. Here are a few that fit into this category.
Bret Bros / Domaine de la Soufrandière
You can also buy Jamie's 'Regenerative Farming' mixed case on our shop now.
]]>And so, with a little help from our good friend Ellen Doggett at The Sourcing Table, my wife Jess, and I found ourselves accidentally eating second lunch in Stellenbosch with one of the most engaging people in the wine trade I have ever met: Kayleigh Hattingh. It was hard to resist when she insisted, we try the steak tartare at the Fat Butcher (a local favourite recommended by literally every winemaker we met in Stellenbosch) and then maybe the calamari as well. And go on, burrata too, it's just too good to miss. Kayleigh and her wines took me completely by surprise - it was delightful.
Kayleigh is bright, funny, and vivacious, and her personality really comes across in the wines she makes. Despite also being the winemaker at Kaapzicht - one of the major names in the area - in her mid-twenties, Kayleigh speaks with real sense of humility.
She talks about her wines as a work in progress, always looking to improve and develop them as she explores different sites and techniques.
We went off on a fascinating tangent on the impact of barrel fermentation and how it spikes the temperature, stressing the yeast and causing a richer, fuller wine. Later we talked about different cap management methods for the red and how to best polymerise the tannins... her attention to detail and viticultural curiosity is both insatiable and infectious.
While she will certainly hone her techniques, to capture the character of these two plots more accurately over the years, let me tell you dear reader, these wines are already fully formed and glorious.
Although Kaapzicht are making more traditional rich, oaky wines, Kayleigh's passion is - in her own words - natural wines. A divise labelling, but ‘Rebel Rebel’ wears it with supreme ease. These are low intervention wines with minimal, if any, added sulfur, guided by the vines and site above all.
They are natural wines with all the purity and sense of adventure but none of the faults. They are also, to use a ‘technical’ term, really cool!
The name ‘Rebel Rebel’ pays homage to Kayleigh's innovative and experimental approach, but also to her lifelong idol: David Bowie. The lightning bolt on the label matches a tattoo on her wrist, and she tells us her parents remember her singing along to Bowie as soon as she learnt how to talk.
I like to think that there's similarities to Bowie's music in the wines too: 'Rebel Rebel' are treading their own path, inexplicably moreish, and driven by real soul. Oh, and they rock.
This wine is made from the oldest Colombar vines in South Africa, planted in 1986 on decomposed granite soils with lots of sand and some shallow clay. They sit at the base of the valley, bush vines sprouting among prickly pear trees, shrouded in fog that drifts down from the mountains in the morning.
The nose brims with delicate white flowers, crunchy green apple, and river pebbles. The palate is super citrusy with a herbaceous background of bay leaf and fresh thyme. It's also got a slightly chewy phenolic texture alongside laser-like acidity. There's an intensity of flavour and character here driving it forward like its gathering speed - it's delicious now but I'm sure it would gain some incredible complexity over a few years if you can resist it.
This vineyard is the highest in the area, sitting around 320m with Kayleigh's plot framed between two massive granite boulders, buffeted by cold sea breezes. The cooling influences of altitude and the cape winds create a perfumed nose and fresh cracked black pepper character that wonderfully enticing. Yet the palate is more brooding, loaded with ripe damsons and black olive tapenade, finishing on a gamey note. The tannins are classic Syrah, fine grained but pleasingly chunky and the lasting impression is a balance of elegance and oomph, like a rumbling cello.
Alex Aldersley-Hey is one of those rare and wonderful people in wine who manages to make a big topic fun and engaging. After all, wine is to be enjoyed and as Alex can personally attest, an informed drinker will only gain more pleasure from the wines they drink. He is a keen writer alongside his day job as a wine Brand Manager, having published articles for JancisRobinson.com and The Buyer.
His trip to South Africa came about after he won the Vintners Scholorship in 2019, through his excellent results on the WSET Diploma Award exams. Here he met some incredible producers, but Kayleigh was a real stand out - a testament to her skills to shine in such a strong list of equally wonderful people. We are very pleased to be able to offer them to you in the UK, and share Alex's experience meeting her.
But now we are also seeing a fifth category of wines, which I’m dubbing the ‘in-between land’. These are not red wines, but they aren’t rosé wines either. Instead, they are intensely coloured rosés that could also pass as pale red wines, but generally sit somewhere in between light pink rosés and full, coloured red wines. Here I’m going to highlight a few of my favourites.
I should make it clear that I’m not criticising rosé here because it is a great category that is doing exceptionally well. It’s just that we’ve seen a trend towards increasingly paler and paler rosés, that are also lighter in flavour. Most of these are bottled in clear glass so when you see the bottle it looks like the wine has a pretty, pale pink hue. Yet, when it’s in your glass, it’s often hard to tell that it has much colour at all.
To make these trendy, pale pink wines is technically quite difficult. Usually, it requires taking red grapes and pressing them without any skin contact, to get as little colour from the skins as possible. What this also means, is that the winemaker is taking very little of the flavour that comes from the skins, so the wine can often taste fairly neutral. In some cases, this quick pressing can backfire and produce too much colour. From here, the wine has to be treated with activated carbon, to remove colour and inevitably some flavour too.
Yet we are starting to see a slow move, in a few small, winemaking circles, to rosé production with more extraction and colour, and hence a lot more flavour. These can be beautiful wines. One of the most interesting examples is the revival of an old traditional style, which goes under the name of ‘palhete’ or ‘clarete’. These wines are made using a blend of red and white grape varieties, fermented together. There are several permutations on how these wines are made, but often they are whole cluster ferments. The results can be fabulous: vivid red/pink colours, though never as dense as traditional red wines, and lovely aromatics.
These ‘in-between land’ wines are often very fresh, with modest alcohol. In the past, they would’ve been daily fare for those working in the fields, who’d bring wine to slake their thirst as they laboured. Spain and Portugal are leading the way with this style of wine, and a brilliant example is the ‘Picaro’ Clarete from Dominio del Aguila, in Ribera del Duero. This is a deep pink colour, and it is a striking wine with a nice savoury, spicy edge to the sweet cherry and cranberry fruit. It has some lovely complexity.
In Portugal’s Douro, Folias de Baco’s ‘Uivo Renegado’ is a great example of ‘palhete’. It’s a 50:50 blend of red and white grapes from many native varieties. These are old vines planted on a plateau in the Douro at 550-700 m above sea level, with clay, granite and schist soils. The grapes are fermented in whole clusters in a lagar and then aged in a mix of old oak and cement. The resulting wine is bright pink/red in colour and has lovely elegance and more than a touch of seriousness.
As well as mixing red and white grapes together, another way to create deeper coloured ‘in-between land’ wines, is to skin-ferment grape varieties that have a ‘gris’ or pink skin, resulting in a similarly pink tone to the wine. If you see Pinot Gris in the vineyard, for example, it has a vivid pink colour once it has ripened (aka gone through ‘veraison’). There are three great examples of this kind of ‘in-between land’ wine on The Sourcing Table shop.
The first is from California: Pinot Gris from Jolie-Laide in Sonoma. This is what Pinot Gris does best. It’s a remarkable skin-contact expression, with a beautiful onion skin/coral colour. There’s a lovely rose petal edge to the nose which also shows some earl grey tea and a touch of red cherry. The palate is fresh with watermelon, spice, orange peel and a touch of mandarin, as well as some sweet cherry.
Then we have the remarkable ‘Graue Freyheit’ from Heinrich in Austria’s Burgenland. Packaged in a distinctive ceramic bottle, this is a skin-fermented blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay. It has a wonderful colour – a sort of combination of coral pink and bronze – with lovely notes of pure sweet cherry, redcurrant, and lemon fruit on the nose and just a hint of wax and quince jelly. The palate is fine, juicy and expressive with bright citrus fruit as well as redcurrant and a touch of pear.
And then there’s the Malvasia Rosada from Suertes del Marques in Tenerife. This is a synonym of the Malvasia di Sardegna Rosada variety and has a pink skin. Fermented on the skins, the result is an intriguing deeply orange-pink wine. This is a very rare variety with limited plantings, making the final wines from Suertes del Marques highly sought after and produced in tiny quantities.
Finally, we have more traditional, darker-coloured rosé which undergo even longer skin-contact fermentation. The most celebrated of these currently is the Viña Tondonia Reserva Rosé from Lopez de Heredia, but this has escalated rapidly in price of late and is pretty much impossible to get your hands on. But don’t despair! We have the Ripa Rioja Rosado on The Sourcing Table shop. And there’s a connection here: the man behind Ripa is José Luis Ripa Sáenz de Navarrete, who is married to Maria Jose Lopez de Heredia. He makes just one wine, this aged rosé from a hectare of vines in the Najerilla Valley, in Rioja Alta. It’s 85% Garnacha and 15% Tempranillo. 24 hours of skin maceration in stainless steel is followed by 18 months ageing in 500 litre barrels, and the resulting wine is complex and spicy with marmalade, and red apple. This is such a textural and rich rosé that defines this category perfectly.
Explore our full range of ‘in-between land’ wines in the shop now and get to grips with these fantastic expressions this summer. They are all perfect to chill in the fridge and have wonderful versatility, whether you wish to enjoy them on their own or paired with a range of food.
]]>When it comes to fine wine, Bordeaux is much simpler. You only need to learn the names of some of the top Châteaux, and each of these will typically make one ‘top’ wine, and then perhaps a second or third wine alongside. Plus, these famous Bordeaux properties are usually quite big, with 60-100 hectares (a hectare is just a little bigger than a typical football pitch, at 100 x 100 m) of vineyards. In Burgundy, there are lots and lots of small producers, and each will typically make a dozen or more wines in each vintage. They’d typically be farming 5-15 hectares, spread over many plots; in some vineyards, they might have just a few rows. So immediately it is a whole lot more complicated. Let’s break it down.
Some geography. Burgundy is basically a strip of vineyards running more-or-less north to south on the eastern side of France, roughly in the middle of the country. To the north is a bit of an outlier: Chablis. This is a lovely region of gently rolling hills and limestone soils, and it is unusual in that it is a region dedicated to just one variety: Chardonnay.
The main part of Burgundy starts just below Dijon, and runs southwards, following a particular geological feature. Burgundy is all about the soils, and these are largely based on limestone from an ancient seabed (sedimentary soils), that has resulted in the deposition of clays, marl and limestone that make up the region’s vineyards.
There is a geological fault that runs through the region, exposing this beautiful limestone and creating a gentle hill. Where your vineyard is located on this hill, and along this north-south fault, determines the exact make-up of your soil. Generally speaking, the soils are described as argile-calcaire, which is clay-limestone. The amount of clay, and the depth of topsoil before the limestone subsoil is hit, will have an impact on the way the vines grow and thus the flavour of the wine. It is for this reason that there is this incredible parcellation of the region’s vineyards into the aforementioned 900+ climats.
Generally speaking, again, the best vineyards are found on the mid-slope, bringing us to the notion of hierarchy. Burgundy is very hierarchical, and the vineyards are divided into four different tiers. At the bottom end, we have regional wines, labelled just as Bourgogne. This is where we need to mention names. In English, we refer to the region as Burgundy, but the official professional body there would like us to stop doing this and use the French name, Bourgogne. I try to do this as much as I can when I write, but I also realise that Burgundy is so heavily entrenched in the wine world as the region’s name, that making this switch will be very hard. So, Bourgogne regional wines might be labelled with Pinot Noir, or Chardonnay too.
Then we have what are called Village wines. This is where one of the village names is used to cover vineyards that aren’t in the higher levels of the hierarchy. So, you might find wines labelled Vosne-Romanée, or Meursault, or Gevrey-Chambertin, or with the name of any one of the strings of 44 villages that the region runs through.
Next up is the Premier Crus. There is only one appellation for this, with reference to a specific vineyard. The name of the village is then added to the name of the vineyard for clarity. An example of this would be Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Pucelles. In all, there are some 640 premier cru vineyards, so learning them all would take some time.
Finally, at the top of the tree, we have the Grand Cru wines, and each of these is an appellation in its own right. There are 33 in total, and just the name of the Grand Cru is used, without the village name. Chablis is an exception, where there is just one appellation for Chablis Grand Cru, which is then split into 7 climats which end up on the label.
Let’s go back to geography. Down from Dijon, we encounter the famed strip of vineyards at the heart of the region called the Côte d’Or. This is split in two: first of all, there’s the ‘Côte de Nuits’, which encompasses some of the most famous Pinot Noir vineyards in the world and passes through villages such as Nuits-Saint-Georges, Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne-Romanée. Then, just before we get to Beaune, we hit the Côtes des Beaune, which include some famous villages such as Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault and Volnay. The Côte d’Or is home to some of the most celebrated expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and these days wines at Premier Cru and Grand Cru levels can be eye-wateringly expensive, and even then, they remain in strong demand.
Therefore, it is worth heading further south. The recent surge in prices of Burgundy’s most famous wines has caused winegrowers to pay more attention to the less well-known subregions. These frequently have very good soils and climates for fine wine production. In the past, there simply wasn’t a demand for more expensive wines from these areas, but now there is.
First, we come to the Côte Chalonnaise, which is home to villages such as Rully and Mercury. It is an exciting time for this area, which previously flew under the radar. This is also where we have to mention Burgundy’s third grape variety: Aligoté. Aligoté is a white variety and even has the sub-appellation of Bouzerondevoted to it. In the hands of a good winegrower, Aligoté, is amazing and this variety is now being taken seriously when in the past it was not.
Heading further south we get to the Mâconnais. This is a large region that has in the past focused on making affordable wines from Chardonnay. Yet increasingly it is making more ambitious bottles. There are lots of what we call Mâcon-plus sub appellations, such as Mâcon-Solutre or Mâcon-Lugny, and there are also the more well-known appellations of Pouilly-Fuissé and Pouilly-Vinzelles. It is also a very exciting time for this area, with lots of ambitious growers doing great things to utilise these interesting terroirs.
The climate in Burgundy also needs mentioning. It is well adapted to making exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Burgundy is cool in the spring (frosts can be an issue, especially in Chablis), and then warms up: the continentality plays a role here, giving cold winters and warm summers. Then towards harvest, it gets cooler again, so picking takes place in autumnal conditions which are good for achieving high quality. Yet there is often a race against autumn rains, and this goes some way to explaining why vintage variation is quite strong in Burgundy. The big challenge viticulturally speaking is rain during the growing season. This can lead to issues with downy mildew and botrytis, especially with the thin-skinned, tight-clustered Pinot Noir grape.
One key concern in the region is also climate change. As with many wine regions, it has been getting significantly warmer in Burgundy. The concern is that if this carries on for too long, Pinot Noir, in particular, will no longer be well adapted to the region. Chardonnay and Aligoté are less sensitive, however, and can adapt to warmer temperatures.
Finally, it is important to note that while there is a hierarchy of vineyard sites in Burgundy, this doesn’t always correspond with wine quality in a linear way. The winegrower is the best indication as to whether a wine is likely to be good. I’d rather have a village-level wine from a talented winegrower than a Grand Cru from and middling producer. Even more reason to explore intriguing bottles from the less famous subregions and make note of the producers you enjoy.
We have a wonederful selection of Burgundy wines on The Sourcing Table webshop. Let’s highlight a few and decode the labels in light of what we’ve said here.
Chablis 'En Boucheran', 2019
This is from Chablis, the northern outpost of Burgundy, which means it is made from Chardonnay. En Boucheran is the name of the vineyard – this is a village-level wine (a straight Chablis), but this vineyard is actually between two highly regarded premier cru vineyards, so it is very well positioned. Edouard and Eleni Vocoret are excellent producers, and this is the most important consideration when choosing Burgundy.
Domaine Devevey
Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Beaune 'Champs Perdrix', 2015
This is a regional wine: a Bourgogne. But it is from a regional-plus appellation, Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Beaune. This indicates the wine is sourced from a vineyard at the top of the slope above the Côtes de Beaune. This area has interesting soils but in the past was quite cool. With global warming, however, it is becoming very interesting. The producer is Devevey who is also very good, meaning this Chardonnay is particularly interesting.
Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes, 2015
Chambolle-Musigny is a highly regarded village in the Côte des Nuits, and this Pinot Noir is a village-level wine from a really good producer: Frederic Magnien. It is also from a fantastic vintage, 2015. Vieilles Vignes also means old vines, which is usually a positive indicator for quality (though this isn’t always a general rule of thumb, which you can read more about on our blog here).
Puligny-Montrachet 'Les Champs Gain' 1er Cru, 2017
This is Chardonnay from a premier cru vineyard in Puligny-Montrachet called Les Champs Gain. Once again, the producer matters a lot, and Mischief and Mayhem are making fantastic wines.
]]>These incredibly talented Sommeliers are writing some of the most exciting wine lists around. With numerous Michelin stars, industry accolades and years of experience between them, they've pooled their vast knowledge to create a case that is brimming with exciting bottles and dynamic producers. Each wine is perfect to drink now: ready to open, pour and enjoy! The ultimate selection for your dinner table and wine rack.
This is a limited edition case. Once they're gone, they're gone!
Before opening Kerridge's Bar & Grill, at The Corinthia Hotel in London, Charles spent seven years at Tom Kerridge's two-Michelin starred pub The Hand & Flowers. He is now the Hotels Wine Director and continues to work closely with the Kerridge group. Charles has a knack for balancing classic British cuisine with innovative, boundary-pushing wines.
"This one, I owe to Ellen at The Sourcing Table! It seems I have a penchant for native varietals, especially with a bit of oak on it. Purity with a smoky edge all dancing around some powerful lime and grapefruits. And such well-integrated lees, just the perfect ratio of weight to texture. It feels so alive!"
"I would happily have some juicy Ortiz anchovies with this. Oily fish getting zapped by this mineral white, I cannot see myself stopping eating one, taking a sip and then taking another and sip…"
Matt is the brains behind the ground-breaking wine list and mezcal offering at Mexican fine dining restaurant KOL in Marylebone, which just received its first Michelin star. He is also Beverage Manager for the MJMK group, which includes Nuno Mendes' newest venture 'Lisboeta'. His enthusiasm for natural, sustainable wine is infectious and inspiring.
"In short, this wine represents tremendous value for money from a conscientious winemaker in a wine region that I feel is becoming more and more widely recognised for tremendous quality – especially by our guests at KOL. Lovely texture to this wine with fleshy fruit and a delicious smokey streak that for me makes it hard to put the glass down."
"I know it’s a classic pairing but recently in Barcelona, I went to a restaurant, where a friend used to work (Fismuler), and I saw a gentleman order a veal schnitzel the size of a satellite dish - a good 45cm in diameter. The waiter then cracked an egg and shmooshed the yolk over it. There were pickles too, lots. Perfect!"
Shane cut his teeth with some of the UK's most acclaimed chefs, including Gordon Ramsay, Jason Atherton and Adam Handling, before taking on the list for iconic steak restaurant group Goodman. His passion for wine is far-reaching, but centres on a deep love for Californian wine. You'd be hard pushed to find someone with better Californian wine knowledge!
"My whole goal/mission for Goodman, is to show just how much quality and diversity there is in California today, that it's not just about allocation, big producers with big chewy wines. That people can plant a vine, achieve a dream and reach a goal. I have a weak spot for Semillon, and this wine so waxy, nutty and moreish, it hits every spot."
"What I love most about this wine, is that it is the ULTIMATE pairing for one of our signature starters, tempura prawns, cajun mayo and avocado!"
Emma is the Assistant Head Sommelier at two-Michelin starred The Clove Club, which currently ranks at 27 on 'The World's 50 Best' restaurant list. She is one of the best wine communicators we know and started her own Youtube channel 'Wine Chat' in 2020. She is also a current finalist for the prestigious Taittinger UK Sommelier of the Year award - particularly impressive given she's ranking amongst Master Sommeliers.
"The 'As Xaras' from Fedellos do Couto is so pure and juicy, I don't see how anyone couldn't love it. It starts off with a fresh elegance with lots of pretty red fruit, but then always surprises me with its spicy complexity on the finish. Mencia is a grape that definitely doesn't get the attention it deserves, and I think it's incredibly delicious!"
"This example is great on its own, especially if you chill it down a little bit or to be paired with a really large range of food: anything from a charcuterie board to pizza and pasta or a summer BBQ. But I really think it's at its best paired with great friends in a park on a summer's day."
Sara has been Head Sommelier at Michelin starred Trinity, in Clapham, since 2018. She has immense knowledge of fine wine, alongside a serious passion for small producers and natural wines (heavily influenced by her time working at Simon Rogan's 'Fera' in Claridge's hotel). Her passion and talent lead her to win GQ Sommelier of the Year in 2020!
"The wine comes from the eastern part of Georgian, in Bakurtsikhe, Kakheti region. it is made with 100% Saperavi variety, which is a rare grape from Georgian. It's fascinating because it's fermented and aged in the traditional qvevry amphora. Completely buried under the ground where the temperature stays constant throughout the year, allowing the wines to ferment in the natural coolness of the earth. I have chosen this wine, because of its unique history and taste, with deep structure and fine tannins!"
Though a substantial red, this is incredibly versatile. Try with grilled chicken, fresh herb and seasoned with extra virgin olive oil. Provencal tomatoes and new jersey potatoes cooked with butter.
Luke is currently the Head Sommelier for The Pig's latest hotel opening in the South Downs, where he not only oversees the wine offering but their new vineyard project as well. He has also recently started his Master of Wine studies, which he juggles alongside an ongoing winemaking collaboration in Devon. There isn't an area of the wine world that Luke hasn't got covered!
"A wine of passion, emotion, and rusticity. Elegance whilst remaining humble, akin to Tuscany’s unmistakable persona. A wine able to transport us to the winding backstreets of San Gimignano, it’s archetypal for Sangiovese, rich, generous with a signature herbal note carrying through on the finish. Gravelly, robust tannins give the wine an unplugged truth, resembling the poignant yet beautifully amicable gothic history of the region.
One of Chianti’s finest offerings, and a true credit to the seismic gastronomic culture surrounding the foothills of the Apennines."
"Keep it classic - Wild boar ragù and pappardelle!"
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For most wine producers pét-nat is something they make in small quantities on the side of their 'proper' wine business; it’s risky, highly unpredictable and can go spectacularly wrong. I’ve taken the opposite approach and become a pét-nat specialist, having devoted the last ten years of my life to building Wildman Wine into Australia’s most successful pét-nat brand, and am about to launch a new English pét-nat called ‘Lost in a Field’. I admit it, I’m a pét-nat tragic. Here are six reasons why I’m hopelessly devoted to this heartbreak wine style and what I’ve learnt along the way.
I’ll start with a confession, I’m not a trained winemaker. Despite being a Master of Wine (MW), I’ve never been to actual winemaking school. When I bought a one-way ticket to Adelaide in 2013 I hadn’t planned on making wine, but then I lost a bet with a friend which resulted in me picking a tonne of grapes. But what kind of wine was I going to make? I didn’t have the skills to make ‘fine wine’ so I decided I was going to make fun wine, and what is more fun than pink pét-nat?
At the time there were just six producers making pét-nat in Australia, and only two of them really knew what they were doing, whereas I had an experience of French pét-nat through my previous job in the UK.
It was the perfect choice for an unskilled chancer, there was no defined style, and I had a bit more knowledge than anyone else. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man makes pét-nat.
I’ve always loved that part of the Venn diagram where quality grapes overlap with frivolous wine styles, I call this kind of wine ‘Thinky-Drinky’, wines you can quaff with impunity but also have detail and interest if you pause to look.
I made most of the mistakes possible with that first vintage of Astro Bunny, it was 15% alcohol, the pressure was too high, with too much sediment, so on opening half the bottle gushed out, which had to be fixed by hand disgorging all 600 bottles. But it sold, and I believe it was the fundamental quality of the grapes I’d bought that allowed me to get away with it. Good pét-nat can be the ultimate Thinky-Drinky wine.
The Astro Bunny bottle has always intentionally had an image on the front label and text on the back. That front label is meant to convey 100% emotion, not information, an aspect where pét-nat has more in common with craft beer than conventional wine. The labels are bold, eye-catching, often with a street art aesthetic and punk energy, clearly signaling this is not ‘Boomer Wine’.
I want the customer to have an emotional response to the label, if it looks fun it will taste fun.
There are also stylistic affinities between pét-nat and craft beer, Millennial drinkers used to the yeasty flavours of sour and lambic beers can feel at home with pét-nat’s ‘bottle conditioned’ flavour profile. Pét-nat is the gateway beverage into wine for a generation of craft beer drinkers.
I’ve always had a problem with the whole concept of food and wine matching. I’m more likely to match wine with people, with mood, with memories of shared experiences on holiday, or wines made by mates. There’s also wine and location matching, what’s the best wine to drink in the park out of paper cups, or sitting in a camper van watching the sun set? The answer is of course pét-nat.
I dare anyone to make a pét-nat and food matching recommendation with a straight face. Pét-nat is a wine style that sticks two fingers up to the received rules of the wine establishment.
When we first start learning about wines, we’re taught to look at it with our eyes, smell it with our nose, taste it with our mouth and think about it with our brain. All activities that are ‘above the neck’.
The best natural wines are those that bypass all that education and etiquette, where your stomach recognizes something alive and nutritious in the wine and you want to eat it as much as drink it. These are what I call 'below the neck’ wines, and I associate them with wines that are made with low or no sulphur, no additions or additives, often cloudy with yeast cells, and good pét-nat ticks all these boxes. Once your gut gets involved you will forever see the world as divided into a binary division of wines that your stomach wants to drink versus the rest, and there’s no going back.
I love drinking pét-nat, but I love drinking other people’s as much as my own. If there’s a pét-nat by the glass in a bar I’ll buy it, on trips and at wine fairs, I seek out the pét-nat producers.
Only by drinking widely, sharing stories, swapping tips and developing a highly critical sense of what you like, and don’t like, with a wine style, do you learn how those features can be achieved or avoided in the final wine. If you want to master a technique you have to immerse yourself in it, to live it.
William Blake famously saw the ‘world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wild flower’, and so has pét-nat been for me. It has allowed me, in a modest way, to help develop and shape a whole new emerging category of wine, whilst making a meaningful contribution to the industry I’ve spent my whole life working in. I’ve also had a lot of fun along the way, met some great people and made some amazing friends, so maybe that’s not so tragic after all.
Experience Tim Wildmans delicious Pét-Nats for yourself. Available to buy online now.
]]>Mendoza is a remarkable place to make wine. Its patchwork of different terroirs create a broad variety of Malbec styles; each reflecting the singularity of their unique vines. None harness this as beautifully as Per Se. Jamie Goode breaks down the magic of this world-class Malbec producer, and explains why their vineyards epitomise a 'sense of place'.
]]>I visited the Per Se vineyard a couple of years back. I was with sommelier Paz Levinson, who has produced one of the Wine Club cases for The Sourcing Table, and we were shown around by proprietors Edy Del Popolo and David Bonomi. I was stunned.
If you have spent much time in Mendoza, you’ll likely have seen some vineyards. However, the Per Se vineyard was completely different to the others I’ve seen there. It’s in a special part of one of the most remarkable subregions of Mendoza, which is Gualtallary.
Edy and David were good friends before they started this project and have worked together before. Currently, David is the head winemaker at Norton, and Edy was the chief winemaker at Doña Paula for a while.
‘I hired David in 2005 to join me as a winemaker at Doña Paula,’ says Edy. ‘We had been working for different companies and that’s the way we really learned about Argentine viticulture and winemaking. Working for big companies like Doña Paula and Norton led us to not only understand the reality of our terroirs but also to understand the reality of producing more commercial wines.’ During this time they got to know the potential for great sites in Mendoza, and this provided the basis for this project.
Per Se launched with the 2012 vintage. It’s a small, vineyard-based project of 20,000 bottles. This is divided into two separate labels: Per Se and Inseperable. All the wines come from the same vineyard. Mendoza, the most important wine region in Argentina, has 225,000 hectares of vines, and its Uco Valley subregion is now about 28,000 hectares. The Uco Valley is right below the Andes and is the same sort of size as Burgundy. Most of the grapes here are red, with Malbec being the main one. It’s also crossed by two rivers.
Per Se is based in a sub-appellation of the Uco Valley called Gualtallary. This is a new-ish appellation that is a potential GI (Geographical Indication – an appellation classification system similar that indicates notable provenance) and it has 2,300 hectares of vineyards, ranging from 1,200-1,600 m altitude. Because of this altitude difference, there is huge climatic variation within Gualtallary. It goes from climate zones Winkler 1-3 (essentially a very broad range of temperature and climatic changes), which is very rare in one region.
The high altitude Monasterio vineyard of Per Se (which is often referred to as Argentina's 'Grand Cru') has a similar climate to Alsace or Champagne, but other vineyards just 11 km away have a climate similar to Bordeaux. Soil composition is also important here, and this is one of the things that amazed me about the vineyard. This isn’t marine-derived limestone like you find in Burgundy, Sancerre or Champagne, yet it is still very calcium-rich.
‘The amount of calcium carbonate in our soils is an important factor,’ says Edy. Their vineyards are found where the calcium carbonate concentrations are the highest. Typical Gualtallary soils are stony, with sand and loam, with varying levels of calcareous deposits. It’s normal for soils here to be 80% rocks, and then the rest sand, clay, and silt.
The Per Se Monasterio vineyards are planted at almost 1500 m elevation. There are two vineyards planted here and at the bottom, the vineyard is classic Gualtallary. This is used to make Inseperable, and it consists of calcareous sands and gravels.
The Per Se wines come from different parcels on the top of the hills, with completely different soils, and extremely high levels of calcium carbonate. ‘In Gualtallary, the average level of calcium carbonate in the soils is 10-12% (10-12 g/100 g) soil,’ says Edy. ‘Monasterio has 48% which is an almost pure calcareous soil. This is the main difference. Inseparable is from calcareous gravels and sand, but Per Se is mostly chalk.’
Inseperable is planted with a high VSP (Vertical Shoot Position), but in the hills, they have bush vines, planted at high density. ‘The idea was taken from the reality of this particular landscape,’ says Edy. ‘We wanted to control the vigour and have a nice balance between the canopy and the yield. The way to control this yield is to produce smaller plants giving smaller bunches. The natural yield of Inseperable is 6/7 tons/ha whereas the natural yield for Per Se is about 2.5 tons/ha.’ They don’t like to expose the vines to too much manipulation.
There are lots of rocks in the hillside vineyards of Monasterio. There are also conglomerates made out of calcareous sand and silt called ‘caliches’. When they are wet you can break them with your hands, so the roots can go through these caliches, take up water, and breathe because of the oxygen in the soil. ‘It is an outstanding type of soil,’ says Edy. It is unique in Gualtallary. This is a small plot: 2.2 ha, divided into three parcels, with the smallest one just 312 vines, so just one barrel. PerSe, Jubileus and La Craie are made in quantities of around only 1000-1500 bottles.
We are pleased to have the new vintages of Per Se available for purchase on an allocation basis. Please email us hello@thesourcingtable.com to receive this offer.
]]>Clemens is based in an area called Terrassenmosel, which has very steep slopes. ‘This means a lot of working by hand, of course,’ he says. ‘And we prefer to work with really old vines’, he says. ‘The oldest are 110 years old now and completely un-grafted.’ In fact, Clemens says that most of their vines are un-grafted across the Domaine. ‘We are really proud to have a good basis to make great wines.’
These un-grafted vines tend to have slightly smaller leaves, Clemens explains, giving a good balance to the fruit. I asked him to explain the unique way that vines are grown in the Mosel, each with a single stake, rather than trained on a trellis. When he prunes, does he leave short spurs, or does he leave longer canes?
‘We make a heart,’ he says, showing me a picture of the pruned vine: two canes are taken and looped over, and joined to the stake, with the canes sketching the shape of a heart. This training method has the potential to produce quite a lot of grapes. ‘We prefer to have a sure harvest, and then we make a green harvest. This way we can regulate the final crop better.’
Clemens is also a pioneer of biodynamic farming in the region. ‘We have been working biodynamically for 15 years now,’ he says. ‘We were one of the first in the Mosel and we still have a good reputation for farming this way.’ Even now in the Mosel, many producers will make their Rieslings in a predominantly off-dry style, but Clemens goes against the grain. ‘90% of our Rieslings are made in the dry style,’ he says.
Another pressing question centres on the topic of ever-changing growing conditions. Has the change in climate been noticeable in the Mosel over the last 15 years?
‘Of course,’ he replies. ‘The alcohol level has gone up a bit but working with old vines gives us good stability. The roots are very deep: if there is too much rain it is not so important, and if it is too dry it is also not so important. Old vines are working better with climate change.’ The Mosel had a hot vintage in 2020. Yet the top wines, the GGs (Grand Cru’s), have just 12.5% alcohol with perfect balance.
What does Clemens do for weed control in his vineyards? ‘For us, there is no problem, we don’t need to control them. Our vineyards are dry, and many of them have only stone or rock, so there isn’t much chance for weeds to grow.’
The most important soil type in the Mosel is grey slate, but Clemens also has red and blue slate across his vineyards. He believes they give different mineral expressions to the wine. Can you taste the difference in the wines? ‘Of course. This is important for us. So, we use nothing for vinification, just a little sulphite addition before bottling.’ The resulting wines are completely unique to their vineyards.
At the winery, Clemens vinifies his wines in large, old oak barrels; the traditional Mosel fuders of 1000 litres. Most age for at least 12 months in barrel on their lees, but in some wines, it’s even longer with Rieslings aged up to two years on their lees. This not only changes the structure of the wine (adding further weight and texture) but also greatly increases the wine's ageing potential.
Presumably, these wines, which taste great young, also age well?
‘Yes, I have a range of different vintages with me [Clemens is showing wines at a tasting when I speak to him]. It’s important to show the ageing potential of Riesling. The oldest is 2016, and it has spent five years in the bottle, but it’s not at the end of its development.’
If there is a poster child for the wines of the ‘New Spain’, then Envínate is a strong candidate. Envínate is a really exciting project from Spain, focusing on making terroir-transparent wines from mainly Atlantic-influenced regions. It began in 2008 with four friends who'd studied oenology together in Alicante: Laura Ramos, José Martinez, Roberto Santana and Alfonso Torrente. Laura and José work in Almansa and Extremadura, but the main focus of Envínate is two regions: Tenerife and Ribeira Sacra. Overall, 140 000 bottles are produced annually, with Tenerife accounting for just over half of these.
I recently met with Alfonso and Roberto in London, to taste through their wines. They began in Ribeira Sacra, where they were inspired to start Envínate by some of the old vineyards which were too small to interest big companies and were being abandoned as the older generation retired. They bought a 0.75 hectare plot in 2008, and started making wine, as well as consulting.
‘We are not rich people,’ says Roberto, ‘and we had no land. So we started little by little.’
At the same time, they began working in the Canary Islands, where Roberto comes from; he made the wines of Suertes del Marques until 2016. From Envínate’s Tenerife project, Roberto and Alfonso produce the wines together.
Their red winemaking involves a lot of whole bunches in the ferment – most commonly they will be 100% whole bunch (you can read more about this winemaking technique in my article here). They use stems almost all the time, and the wines are never green because of them, even though the stems aren’t brown and lignified. Roberto says that it is only when you work them too hard and break them that you get greenness in the wine. He says it is impossible to get ‘ripe’ stems without overripe grapes.
‘You need to work with hands and feet,’ he says. ‘The stems have potassium and so you lose acidity, but the sensation in the wine is fresher.’
The wines are made quite naturally here with the only addition being some sulphur dioxide at bottling.
Roberto and Alfonso say that they are very happy with the 2020 wines; an Atlantic-influenced vintage that is more their style. But the problem is that for Táganan, their ‘village’ wine from Tenerife, they have very low production, although the quality is good. In Almansa, it’s the best vintage they’ve made. In Galicia it was a warm vintage, but a good one, and there was low production with just half the quantity of a normal year.
Has anything changed recently? They have bought some of the vineyards that they’ve been renting, and this means that they own around 70% of their vineyard sources. And in Oratava they now work with higher temperature fermentations (30-32 °C) and slower maceration. I reckon that these are some of the best, and best value for money, wines to come from Spain.
Envínate, 'Benje Blanco' 2020
Tenerife, Spain
This is Listan Blanco from 1000m, so the vines see a lot of sun. 30% of the blend is aged under flor in concrete, and 70% goes through neutral barrels. Mineral, taut and saline with lovely freshness and intensity. Mineral and has a slightly tangy flor character. Very fine. 94/100
Envínate, 'Palo Blanco' 2020
Tenerife, Spain
This is from Oratava, with black basalt soils and an altitude of 400-800 m. Lots of different terroirs. Fermented and aged in a mix of foudres (75%) and barrels (25%). Lovely fine citrus nose, which is expressive and very refined. The palate is really mineral, stony and refined, with high acidity and a lemony core. Very special. 96/100
Envínate, 'Migan' 2020
Tenerife, Spain
From four different terroirs in Oratava. Spicy, mineral nose with bright red fruits and some pepper character. Very stylish. The palate is mineral, peppery and fine with juicy cherry and raspberry fruit. Lovely precision, but also some depth. 95/100
Envínate, 'La Santa' 2020
Tenerife, Spain
This is 15% carbonic maceration, with the rest still whole bunch but foot trodden. Fine, pure red fruits nose is very lively, quite expressive, and distinctly mineral. The palate is supple, fine, bright and juicy with red cherries, plums, raspberries and good structure. 95/100
Envínate, 'Lousas Vinas de Aldea' 2020
Ribeira Sacra, Spain
100% whole bunch, foot trodden. Very fine and juicy with red cherries to the fore. Fresh and very fine with floral aromatics, lovely texture and elegance, and a sour cherry finish. Velvety, but also fresh and detailed. 95/100
Envínate, Albahra 2020
Almansa, Castilla-La-Mancha, Spain
This is 75% Garnacha Tintorea in concrete, with the balance in barrels. Lovely nose: fresh, bright, supple cherry and plum fruit. Sweetly fruited and fine on the palate, showing raspberry and strawberry with a sour cherry twist. This is the finest expression of this wine yet. 94/100
You might have spotted them in your local wine bar or deli - champagne style bottle, beer style metal cap, eye catching label... is this some trendy ‘New World’ wine import? Well no, this style of sparkling wine, known as Pétillant Naturel or ‘Pet-Nat’ for short, is made by a method so old that the French term for it is Méthode Ancestrale (the Ancestral Method).
Many sparkling wines, such as Champagne, are made using the traditional method. Here winemakers add sugar and yeast (called the liqueur de tirage) to dry, still wine to trigger a second fermentation in bottle and produce bubbles. Unlike this method, Pét-Nat works by bottling wine that is only partially fermented (some yeast and sugar remains), so fermentation continues in the bottle. However, as the remaining amount of grape sugar is lower than for a liqueur de tirage, the amount of CO2 produced is less, so Pét-Nats often have a softer fizz than a fully bottle fermented wine.
Another difference is that Pét-Nats are often not disgorged - disgorgement is the removal of the light sediment made from the spent yeast cells and fragments of grape skin from each bottle - if this sediment is left in the bottle, they'll be slightly cloudy. This gives you a choice when you serve them: carefully pour and leave the sediment in the bottle; or upend it and enjoy the 'autolytic', bready flavours and texture offered by the yeasts.
In a word: diverse. They can be made from any number of grapes, in styles ranging from unfiltered and full of sediment to clean-as-a-whistle. They often have slightly less alcohol from not adding the extra sugar, there may be a touch of residual sweetness, and the flavours are fruit led: nectarine and lemons in white varieties or raspberry and forest fruits in the varying shades of pink. If you want to dip your toe in the Pét-Nat pool, we have a great selection on the Sourcing Table.
The Loire is a hot spot for the style, organic producer Frantz Saumon makes some of the best in the region. His bright berry infused La Cave se Rebiffe Pét-Nat Rosé made from Gamay, Grolleau and Cot (Malbec) has been disgorged so it is crystal clear, with creamy red berry fruit making for a wonderful aperitif. Moving south-east to the Mâconnais the Bret Brothers, best known for some pretty serious Chardonnays from their family estate Domaine de la Soufrandière, are making some more experimental cuvees like their ‘Bret Nat'. Bright gold, with a vibrant fruity nose balanced by a savoury salinity, it shows that top quality fruit and skilled winemaking can take Pét-Nats to the next level in terms of quality and complexity…who says Pét-Nat's can't express terroir! This is a wine that takes you to the sunny undulating hills of Mâcon, where the Bret's farm biodynamically, making extensive use of cover crops and respecting biodiversity.
The method has been taken up enthusiastically all around the world. In the Swartland dynamic young producer Johan Meyer has taken South Africa's native grape Pinotage and given it a completely original spin. Force Celeste Cuvee Pét-Nat is a joyful slightly hazy salmon-pink rosé, with aromas of raspberries, blood orange and earthy rhubarb. Fresh with crunchy cranberry and a savoury edge it's the most moreish Pét-Nat I've tried, delicious and dangerously drinkable at only 11%! In Portugal Marcio Lopes, best known for his mouth-watering Vinho Verdes, takes the local Louriero grape to make an energetic juicy Pét-Nat which he labels as Ancestral.
Italy also has a long tradition of ‘Metodo Ancestrale’ and bottle fermented ‘frizzantes’ wines, like Col Fondo (unfiltered Prosecco) and Lambrusco. In Italy’s Veneto region, young winemaker Marco Barba is bringing together an eclectic blend of Riesling, Moscatel, Glera and Gargenega to make Barbabolla a zippy, citrusy fizz with a refreshing kick of acidity which has become my aperitif du jour.
It's tempting to think of Pét-Nat’s as fun summertime picnic wines, and they certainly work well for that, but there is a whole range of styles out there from funky to more classic proving the excitement and versatility of this popular style.
]]>‘Sal da Terra’ is now three vintages in since its debut in 2018! A quick re-cap: back in 2018 Ben Henshaw came to Daniel Primack (of Winerackd, who among other things import Zalto glasses into the UK) and me with the suggestion that we might make a wine together. What about an Albariño from Rias Baixas?
The obvious choice would be to work with Eulogio Pomares of Zarate, who also makes the Carralcoba wines under his own label. For all of us, Eulogio’s ‘Carralcoba’ was the reference point for truly great Albariño. He agreed to the project, and we went out to scout vineyards with him. He chose two, and we decided to vinify them in different ways.
The first, we chose to vinify in the 1200 litre chestnut barrels that he uses for Carralcoba. And for the second, we wanted to use concrete, which he hadn’t used before, so he bought a 1500 litre concrete tank. We made the blend, and shortly after ‘Sal da Terra’ was launched, with a label designed by Mariëtte Kotzé in South Africa. The following two vintages, 2019 and 2020 were blended remotely, with samples sent over, and Eulogio on the phone. And we are really pleased with how they have turned out.
‘There is a real difference between 2019 and 2020,’ says Eulogio, talking of the vintages. ‘2019 was warm during August and the grapes got very ripe, and ripened fast. We had to advance the date of the harvest to the first week of September, and we did a quick harvest. The sugar was rising fast. For me, this is a warm vintage.’
‘2020 is a vintage where it was rainy and cold during flowering, and we lost maybe 40% of the flowers; it is a low yield vintage. It was also rainy and cool in August, but September was really nice. I think the acidity in 2020 is wonderful. The Albariño’s made in 2020 are wines that will live longer in bottle than the 2019s. You can drink 2020 now, but you can also keep it.’
How does he find the difference working in chestnut and concrete? ‘In chestnut the ageing of the wine is faster, and in concrete it is blocked. So now if you taste 2021 in chestnut the wine is finished, and you can drink it, but in concrete it is totally different. It is like a wine at the end of the fermentation, so I think that the concrete is something that slows the ageing of the wine. It is interesting to give more time in concrete and less time in chestnut.’
The chestnut barrels that Eulogio uses are made differently to oak barrels. ‘In chestnut, the traditional way is to boil the staves to give the form to the barrel. It’s never with fire. If you toast the chestnut, it doesn’t give a nice flavour to the wine.’ There are two ways that chestnut barrels are made these days. As well as this old method of boiling the staves, there’s a more modern method where steam is used. ‘With the traditional method you extract more flavour from the chestnut. I prefer this old technique because the nose of the wine is better.’ These traditionally made chestnut barrels are more neutral. His tonnellerie (barrel maker) is based in Barcelona, and they use chestnut from both Galicia and around Barcelona. These are 1200 litre in capacity and half the price of oak.
The great news is that Eulogio thinks that in 2021 he will be making a bit more ‘Sal da Terra’. The 3 hectare vineyard in Castrelo, close to the ocean, which is one of the two used for Sal da Terra, is now rented in its entirety by Eulogio from the 2021 vintage, meaning more grapes. He’s thinking of getting a 3000-litre chestnut barrel. He says that in Ribera Sacra they also have chestnut from Asturias (a mountainous are in northwest Spain), and that chestnut is also used in the north for cider production. It is becoming much more commonplace.
The big news is that this year, ‘Sal da Terra’ has been joined by a younger sibling, ‘Salz der Erde’; a Riesling. This is a collaborative wine made by Theresa Breuer, of Weingut Georg Breuer in the Rheingau region of Germany. The debut vintage, 2020, makes use of two vineyards that Theresa recently purchased in a village called ‘Lorch’, down river from their base in Rudesheim, where the valley gets narrower and the vineyards steeper.
Like ‘Sal de Terra’, it is a blend of two vineyards. 60% comes from an elevated site in ‘Kapellenberg’, vinified in stainless steel. This vineyard has more quartzite in the soils, which results in mineral, stony flavours, and a bit salinity. 40% comes from ‘Krone’, a warmer site with more slatey soils, vinified in large old oak. Both sets of grapes are whole bunch pressed and then bottled after 10 months on lees. The result is a pure, mineral, dry expression of Riesling. We blended it quite a while ago, so it was great to recently be able to try the finished wine, which we are really happy with.
"Our project is about trying to make wine the way it would have been before Cava."
]]>L'Enclos translates as ‘clos’ in Catalan; Peralba refers to the white rocks common in elevated sites in the region.
Leo introduced the wines. His father and Roc’s father, who run the company, agreed to let them begin their own project, which they felt they needed to do to express their creative energy.
"We had our own ideas at Gramona, but with a company like this with a lot of history and trajectory, it is not easy to change,’ says Leo. ‘It is a big ship to turn around."
So they talked to their parents and they allowed them to begin their own project. "We started scouting for some of the vineyards we thought had potential for still wine. We worked with viticulturists who already had a relationship with Gramona"
"Our project is about trying to make wine the way it would have been before Cava."
Cava as it is today, is largely a result of the phylloxera crisis at the end of the 19th century. Champagne was hit relatively early and there was a need for sparkling wine, so French technicians came to Penedes where phylloxera had yet to appear. Lots of merchant houses from around Europe came and installed themselves in the region.
"After this a lot of international grapes were planted in the region because they made commercial sense," says Leo. "Now, with our project, we are trying to recover the winemaking before that happened."
"It is a parcel project," he says, "so we are focused on parcel wines. Production is around 2000 bottles per label. We are trying to express the micro-terroir." He adds, "We have scouted for different vineyards that made sense. We have Xarel.lo, two Garnachas and Malvasia de Sitjes (we think this has a lot of potential and will be the Riesling of the region). We are getting away from the plain in the middle of Penedes with its big yields and going towards the mountains, with more altitude and longer cycles."
They began in 2017 after some experiments.
"We have a tier system. The base is the blend wine. The focus is parcel wines: we make 8 parcel wines. Then some of the wines of each parcel we blend to make a base wine (Vi Fi de Masia). This represents the style of our region. Each parcel wine represents each parcel. We are creating a classification of parcels depending on whether the parcel is consistent enough over time. If it is, we are going to qualify that parcel as a top parcel."
"We don’t want to be pretentious and call it a Grand Cru because it is our classification,"
The wines released so far are very exciting:
12.5% alcohol. This is a blend of Grenache Blanc and a special clone of Malvasia. This is bright and mineral with nice citrus fruit core and some lively spicy framing. Lots of interest here in this crisp, characterful wine with a sense of precision. 93/100
'Tres Feixes' Garntaxa Blanca, 2019
12% alcohol. Complex spicy citrus nose with some subtle honey and nut characters. The palate is bright and focused with a lovely texture to the mineral-strewn citrus fruit, showing hints of richness against a backdrop of bright fruit. 93/100
'Els Presseguers' Xarel.lo, 2018
12.5% alcohol. Lovely complex citrus fruit nose. Textured and detailed on the palate with some crystalline character, and lovely citrus and pear fruit. Such complexity here: a really beautiful expression of this interesting variety. 95/100
12.5% alcohol. Limey and intense with high acidity and a mineral core. This has lovely pithy intensity with some structure to the pronounced citrus fruit. So lively and energetic. 94/100
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One of the most interesting of all 'wine faults' goes under the name ‘reduction’. This name is actually a bit of a problem, because it has led to all sorts of misunderstandings. What we should really be calling this fault is ‘volatile sulfur compounds’ (VSCs) instead, but this is a real mouthful and sounds scary in a difficult chemistry sort of way. I’ll explain why the term ‘reduction’ is a misnomer in a bit, but first I need to mention why reduction is such an interesting wine fault.
Reduction is interesting because it isn’t always a fault, and some of these sulfur compounds, in the right context and at the right levels, are considered by many to be desirable. This infuriates wine educators and some wine judges, who want everything to be simple and binary. Instead, reduction is very much ‘it depends’.
The flavour impact of these VSCs varies dramatically. The most basic VSC is hydrogen sulfide, H2S, which smells of bad drains and cooked eggs. Hydrogen sulfide is often made by microbes present in our guts, and it’s a large part of the rather undesirable smell of a fart. In winemaking, it’s not uncommon for fermentations to go through a smelly stage where it all gets a bit eggy, but H2S is volatile and often blows off. It’s when it accumulates towards the end of fermentation, or is released from the yeast lees after fermentation finishes that it becomes a problem.
The H2S can then hang around long enough be converted to more complex sulfides or mercaptans, and these don’t simply blow off. These compounds also have the annoying habit of changing their form from a less smelly one to a more smelly one, and so a clean wine with a below threshold level of, say, a disulfide, can become stinky after it is bottled if that disulfide then turns into a mercaptan. Other VSC aromas include cooked cabbage, onion, gunflint, and sweet corn. Some even smell nice and fruity, like passionfruit and grapefruit. As you can see, this is a complex topic.
These VSCs are largely made by yeasts. They produce these VSCs in certain conditions, such as low nitrogen availability, or when they are stressed by sudden changes in temperature. Some yeast strains produce more of them than others. And sometimes reduction develops after bottling, especially where closures are used that don’t allow even the smallest bit of oxygen in. The chemistry involved is pretty complex, to the point that it still hasn’t fully been worked out.
So if ‘reduction’ is a misnomer, why was the term originally coined? These problems frequently occur in wines at a stage where they are protected from oxygen (such as aging on lees in barrels), and reduction, chemically speaking, is the opposite of oxidation. So the association of VSCs with conditions where reductive reactions are encouraged (where oxygen is kept away) has led to the use of this name.
The reason this is such an interesting group of compounds is that some can be the source of faults in some wines, but provide positive attributes in others. Indeed, VSCs are important in the aromas of many fermented foods and drinks, such as cheese and beer, but have the paradoxical ability to be both positive and negative, depending on the context and concentration. In particular, there are a group of VSCs known as polyfunctional thiols that are a vital part of varietal character in Sauvignon Blanc, and—as more research results become available—it turns out they are involved in wine aroma for many grape varieties.
The most intriguing form of reduction in a fine wine context is that of flint/struck match/matchstick/mineral.
This is from a specific type of VSC that is one of a group of compounds called thiols or mercaptans – the terms are interchangeable. The flinty mineral character is something that works particularly well in the context of white wines, and of late there’s been a concerted effort by some winemakers to encourage this particular character in their Chardonnays. Related compounds can give attractive toasty, smoky, roasted crème brulée aromas. These can also work in red wines as well as white.
Some vineyards tend to give nice reductive characters to the wines that are made from them without any intervention from the winegrower. A great example here is the wines of Suertes del Marques from Oratava in Tenerife. These often show reductive notes, but it is not because Jonatan Garcia is doing something special in the cellar. He points out that he’s making the wines of Tameran, from Gran Canaria, in exactly the same way, also picking quite early, and these don’t show reductive characters. In this case, it’s the terroir having its influence. Perhaps the soils in Oratava are lower in nitrogen and so the yeasts start making VSCs. One thing interventionist winemakers like to do is to check nitrogen levels in the must and supplement them with nutrients so the yeasts are well provided for. But is this interfering with terroir expression?
These days, now people realise what those complex matchstick mineral notes in Chardonnay actually are, many winemakers set out to add them to their wines. I really like them, when they are in the right context. With increasing numbers of winemakers looking to interfere less in the winemaking process, and with the growing acceptance of these sorts of complexities in wines, it’s becoming quite common to find a hint of reduction as part of the aroma of lots of different sorts of wines.
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Wine grapes like it warm, but not too hot. London restaurant chain 28-50 was famously named after the latitudes in the northern hemisphere where wine grapes can be successfully grown commercially, and it’d down at the bottom of this range – 28 degrees North – that we find Spain’s Las Canarias. These seven islands are best known to Brits as The Canary Islands, and they are an important holiday destination. When it’s too cold for the Mediterranean, they’re the best bet for a winter or early spring break, and the climate there in February beats many domestic summers. But it’s the proximity to the sea that really helps with viticulture.
Just 100 km from the West African coast, if they were continental the vineyard would be fried every summer. But with the sea influence moderating temperatures, it never gets really cold in the winter and it doesn’t get baking hot in the summer, where the average highs are comfortably below 30 C. Vines like that. In addition, there’s the altitude factor that in some places moderates the temperature. After all, this is a volcanic archipelago, and volcanoes do tend to stick up a bit.
Like many wine lovers, I first came to know about Canary Island viticulture through pictures of the dramatic vineyards of Lanzarote. Here there was a thriving agricultural scene that got wiped out by volcanic activity in the early 18th century. The thick layers of ash that were deposited left much of the island with a weird treeless landscape that looks something like a science fiction depiction of another planet, with grey black soil. Here, vineyards look like nowhere else on earth: the vines are individually planted in pits surrounded by stone walls to protect them from wind.
The first time I visited wine country in the Canaries, though, was in Tenerife. It was the exceptional Tenerife wines from two producers that made me sit up and take notice. These are Suertes del Marques and Envinate.
They aren’t just good by Canary Island standards: they are world class wines by any standard. And if Lanzarote viticulture is other worldly, then the viticulture I encountered in Oratava, one of the main Tenerife regions, was also quite remarkable.
This is the home of the Cordon Trenzado. And it looks quite amazing. The canes of the vines are wrapped around each other in a sort of braided formation, and become a permanent cordon from which short canes are pruned and then tied in. Over time, the vine grows in a horizontal direction along the row, reaching as much as 15 m in length. Some of these vines are very old indeed. Originally, this was developed to make a success of the Malvasia grape, to allow the cultivation of other crops mid-row, and to adapt to the slopes, which can be steep. Elsewhere on the island other training systems are used, but it’s the trenzado that gets in all the pictures.
Some context. Viticulture in islands like these would have had quite a bit to do with their functions as ports. So we find islands stuck in the middle of the sea that have a wine industry that historically was all to do with trade. Madeira is a famous example, with its famous sweet wines, fortified to survive the rigour of a long sea journey. Varieties like Malvasia, Tinta Negra Mole, Verdelho, Bual and Sercial covered much of the island. However, the 19th century saw powdery mildew and then more significantly phylloxera hammer the vineyards, which drastically reduced in size.
Then we have the Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily, with a more recent history: their glory years were in the early 19th century when the strait of Messina became a frontier. British soldiers were stationed there, prepared to face down Napoleon, and started developing an appreciation for the Malvasia wines from these islands, particularly Lipari and Salina. Soon, this wine was being exported to England by sea. The families in Salina built bigger boats and planted more vineyards. Its economy flourished and more vineyards were planted. But then came phylloxera, destroying 90% of the vineyards and causing half the population to leave. Production resumed on a much smaller scale in the 1930s. The new wines made were called Mavasia di Lipari, with the island names of Lipari, Salina and Vulcano added.
Malvasia was also important in the history of Tenerife wine, because it was used to make sweet wines that survived sea journeys well. Canary ‘sack’ is mentioned in Shakespeare, even, as well as being noted by Johnson, Pepys and Dryden.
Other old varieties that are coming into their own today include the two most widely planted: Listan Blanco (which is Palomino) and Listan Negro. The latter is not to be confused with Listan Prieto, which is the same as the Mission/Pais/Criolla Chica that found its way to the Americas in the 16th century.
The sweet, and possibly fortified Malvasias are now a distant history and the Canaries took their viticulture in the direction of inexpensive, easy-to-drink tourist wines. But the likes of Envinate and Suertes de Marques have broken free, and these are wines of precision, balance and elegance. The combination of soils and climate here, together with sensitive winemaking after picking the grapes early enough to retain acidity, creates something magical.
Elsewhere in the Canaries, exciting wines are beginning to emerge. The most recent is an excellent set of white wines from the Gran Canaria project of footballer David Silva, Bodegas Tameran. Working in partnership with Jonatan Garcia of Suertes de Marques, David’s wines are exciting, and will only get better as Jonatan gets to know these new terroirs better, and production moves into a purpose-built winery. And then there’s the Puro Rofe wines of Lanzarote that have garnered critical acclaim, not just domestically, but on export markets.
This is, in viticultural terms, an unusual place. But the quality of the wines emerging is undeniable. Expect more great things to come!
]]>Bodegas Tamerán is the winery owned by ex-Manchester City footballer (and club legend) David Silva. It is based in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, in Gran Canaria.
Gran Canaria hasn’t been known for high quality wines in the past, but David Silva wants to change this with Tamerán. He’s enlisted the right help, because the wines are made by Jonatan Garcia of Suertes del Marques in Orotava, Tenerife. Like Tenerife, Gran Canaria is a volcanic island, but with slightly different soils (poorer and less acidic than Orotava, with more sand and less clay).
Jonatan and David had become friends after David had tried some of Jonatan’s wine while he was in Manchester. David, who comes from Gran Canaria, bought the vineyard from another winery on the island, and the first vintage – 2020 – was made in rented space at Los Berrazales (in Agaete). The second vintage was made in the newly built Tamerán winery.
Farming is organic, with the only treatment used in the vineyard some sulphur against powdery mildew. Because this is on the south facing side of the island, the climate is quite warm, resulting in wines tending to opulence, but as with Jonatan’s own wines, there’s freshness and vitality here.
I interviewed Jonatan to find out more about the project.
Jamie Goode: Jonatan, I’m really impressed with this first vintage. How did the project start?
Jonatan Garcia: I’m really happy that you like the first vintage. I’m happy with the results, for a place I didn’t know – I didn’t know the grapes and the soils – and also working in another cellar, it’s not like making Suertes where I have my team, I have my equipment. So I’m happy with the result, and also David is happy with the results. The next vintage, 2021, I think is going to be a step ahead of 2020. But I’m happy with 2020.
It all started when David contacted me by Twitter because he was drinking El Ciruelo 2016, and he was impressed. He said, congratulations, it is great that the wines from the Canary Islands are so good now. So we started a friendship. Six months later we were talking about making something together, and he said, we could make something in Tenerife together. I replied that I know Tenerife, I have different projects here, so for me this doesn’t have any interest. I said ‘why don’t we look for something in Gran Canaria?’ Finally, he found a vineyard that was selling, so I negotiated for him. I visited and saw that they had planted local varieties. If they had planted international grapes, I’d have told him there was no interest. But the grapes I found there were amazing.
Jamie Goode: Is David a wine fan?
Jonatan Garcia: Yes, he’s a freak! He is obsessive. When he does something, he wants to be the best. If he wants to be a footballer, he wants to win, to always improve. With the winery it is the same. He wants to do something that he can be proud of. He tastes very well: he tastes a lot of wine. He doesn’t only taste labels, he likes it a very good Morgon, or Rioja from Artuke. He’s a person that appreciates the quality of the wine first.
Jamie Goode: How are these vineyards different from yours on Tenerife?
Jonatan Garcia: The main difference is the orientation. In the Canary Islands, in the islands with elevation it is very important whether you face north or south. In Lanzarote, there are flat areas, so this is not so important there. These vineyards are facing south, so they have higher temperatures and more sun. This makes the wines much more aromatic than those from the north face of the island. The second difference is that the pH of the soils is higher than in Oratava (Tenerife). The pH in Oratava is 4.5/5, which is very acid, while in Gran Canaria it is 6.5/7.
I have a feeling that being in a warmer place, if I were to make a malolactic fermentation the wines would be too wide, too fat. So, when we finished the alcoholic fermentation I added sulphites fast, to block the malolactic and keep acidity. Also, I advanced the harvest time by around three weeks from where the previous owners picked the grapes, to preserve acidity. I like wines that have freshness and acidity. The wines are from 11.5% alcohol to 13%, whereas before they were at 14%. At 14% I don’t think the wines would have the tension and the freshness.
Jamie Goode: What are the soils here?
Jonatan Garcia: It is a mix. In some parts there is a bit of limestone, but it’s mostly a mix of sand and silt, with a little bit of clay.
Jamie Goode: Does David have just one vineyard or lots of different plots?
Jonatan Garcia: When I went there, I didn’t see a big difference in the soils from one side to the other. The composition of the vineyards is in blocks. So, I thought there was more sense in taking a new world-style block approach, rather than the old-world whole vineyard approach. For example, in block 4 the grape is Marmajuelo. I make the wine using the block concept, not by terroir. We work with single grape varieties from single blocks.
Jamie Goode: So, at the moment you have wines that are single grape varieties. Is that the model?
Jonatan Garcia: That is the model. But there are some grapes where we don’t have very much, so we blend them in, but they are a small percentage of blends. Mostly, we work with single grapes.
Jamie Goode: So, this was a good start, with the first vintage made in a borrowed cellar. Now you have your own?
Jonatan Garcia: Yes, we made the 2021 in our own cellar that we built. It is in the middle of the vineyard; it is a fantastic place. I made the 2020 in another cellar, but with our barrels. For me it is very important that we do fermentation in oak – foudres and barrels. We had some new Stockinger barrels, but you don’t feel that they were new.
Jamie Goode: In terms of the elevage, it is very similar to the way you make the wines at Suertes?
Jonatan Garcia: I make them in exactly the same way. I have learned a lot from this project. Sometimes I start to think, is my style of winemaking reductive? But then I realised it is not the style, it is about the soils. Our soils in Oratava with low pH are less balanced and sometimes they cause the wines to become reductive. Also in Oratava, the wines from Trenzado from the west where there is more black basalt are more reductive than the soils from Vidonia, from the centre and the east, with more clay. For me this was a good exercise for understanding that not all the wines from the Canary Islands must be reductive.
Jamie Goode: Yes, you are known for making wines with Suertes that often have this reductive character, but that is not your stylistic imprint, it is the place being shown through the lens of microbiology: the yeasts are causing reduction because of the lack of nutrients from the soil.
Jonatan Garcia: Yes, it is the soils, but it could also be something about the yeasts and the grapes. It is not easy to isolate a single reason, but for me the soil is very important.
Jamie Goode: What are you planting?
Jonatan Garcia: We have planted Listan Blanco. David likes Vidonia a lot, and so we have planted Listan Blanco to see how it does here. Last year we planted a big plot of Baboso Blanco. It makes fantastic wine and has great potential. We will plant some more this year.
Jamie Goode: This sounds like a fun project.
Jonatan Garcia: Yes, David is a fantastic person and he enjoys this a lot. He is always asking, and trying to learn every day. He is a fanatic for knowing everything. It helps that he’s a great wine enthusiast.
Bodegas Tamerán, Vijariego Blanco, 2020, Gran Canaria, Spain
11.5% alcohol. Fermented in 500 litre barrel. Full yellow/gold in colour. Richly aromatic with pear, canteloup melon and mandarin notes on the nose. The palate is lively and intense with good acidity and forward pear and melon fruit, a bit of baked peach, with some taut lemony notes sitting underneath. Vivid and characterful with lovely fruit intensity, finishing with some firmness. 93/100
Bodegas Tamerán, Verdello, 2020, Gran Canaria, Spain
12% alcohol. Fermented in a 1500 litre foudre. Full yellow colour. Lemony aromatics with some pear and a touch of orange peel. The palate has lovely texture with some richness to the lemon and table grape notes, with a chalky, mineral underpinning. Lively but assured with nice weight. Quite special, and a little understated. 94/100
Bodegas Tamerán, Malvasia Volcanico, 2020, Gran Canaria, Spain
11.5% alcohol. Fermented in a 2500 litre foudre. This is lively and aromatic and has a lovely grapey edge to the keen citrus fruit. Real power and intensity here, with a lovely acid line and distinctive minerality. Long, spice-laden, mineral finish. Such intensity and power, with real complexity. 94/100
Bodegas Tamerán, Marmajuelo, 2020, Gran Canaria, Spain
13% alcohol. Fermented in a 2500 litre foudre. So intriguing: powerful flavours of pear, apple, lime and grapefruit, with good acidity. Quite intense and mineral with lovely presence. Initially understated, this finishes expansively with complex fruity notes coupled with a lovely minerally acid line. 93/100
Bodegas Tamerán, Baboso Blanco, 2020, Gran Canaria, Spain
12% alcohol. Fermented in a 500 litre barrel. Intensely aromatic with powerful quince and peach notes, as well as some spicy notes. The palate is intense and concentrated with a great acid line and powerful pear, mandarin and grapefruit. So intense with great acidity and very ripe fruit. 95/100
]]>Jamie Goode delves into the wonderful world of Restless River, a South African winery that's steadily developed a stellar reputation amongst wine lovers and critics alike. "These new releases are exciting, and in particular the Ava Marie is a complete stunner. These won’t hang around long."
Learn more about Craig and Anne Wessels remarkable wines, and snap up their stunning Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay while stocks last.
Back in 2004, Craig and Anne Wessels decided to buy a vineyard in South Africa’s Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. They Wessels are not from a wine background (Craig founded an animation and design agency called Wicked Pixels, while Anne was a model), and perhaps this has helped them forge such a unique – and now highly respected – project.
Craig is self-taught as a winemaker and started this small winery in the Upper Heme-en-Aarde Valley from scratch. Their first vintage was 2005, and along with the following vintage, this was made in a tiny hut as a sort of hobby venture. The development of the vineyard was slow.
‘Every now and then we’d have to stop because we’d run out of cash,’ says Craig, ‘and then we’d carry on again.’ They moved to live here in 2008.
The Restless River label, as we know it today, was officially launched in 2012. The winery has grown from its humble hut beginnings, but not by too much. There are just 7 hectares of vines on this 20 hectare property.
Restless River made their name initially for a grape you wouldn’t usually associate with Hemel-en-Aarde, which is one of the coolest climates in the Cape. It’s Cabernet Sauvignon. With low yields and careful farming on good soils, the Restless River Cabernet has developed a loyal following. 'I'm happy for Cabernet to taste like Cabernet,' says Craig. 'I'm not scared of greenness. I'm committed to 100% varietal character. I'm the only idiot in the valley who takes Cabernet seriously.' The low vigour of the vines results in open bunches with small berries, and the result is superb.
The other wine that has established the winery's reputation is Chardonnay. Craig looks for freshness in his Chardonnay, and picks with high acidity. He also likes old barrels, and when he buys new ones, he often lends them out for a year before using them. An interesting new addition to the cellar is a pair of amphorae, from Tuscany, which are also used to ferment Chardonnay. A newer addition to the range is Pinot Noir, first made in 2016 from vines planted in 2013.
Their other wine offering is a bit different. ‘Wanderlust’ is the label for their special one-off wines made each year as a sort of experiment. Initially this was under the label DILLIRGAF label, which is a biker acronym for 'do I look like I really give a ****'. Wanderlust is probably easier to explain. In 2021 this also included a Piquette.Then there are the labels, which are inspired by old whisky, which Craig is a fan of. They have lots of detail. 'If you understand what is on the label, then you are the sort of person I am making wine for.'
These new releases are exciting, and in particular the Ava Marie is a complete stunner. These won’t hang around long.
Restless River, 'Ava Marie' Chardonnay, 2019, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde, South Africa
13% alcohol.
From a 2.06 hectare plot planted in 1999 on granite and clay soils, this is a truly remarkable Chardonnay – one of the best I’ve had from South Africa. Pressed, settled, and then fermented in a mix of barrels (just a small proportion new) and unlined amphora, it has a complex, mineral nose with ripe citrus fruit, a touch of pear and pineapple, and some spice, honey and hazelnut. It’s chiselled and linear, although there’s a touch of richness. In the mouth this is concentrated and quite intense with good acidity, and notes of lemon, mandarin, white peach and cashew, finishing spicy and vivid. This is a really beautiful, multidimensional expression of Chardonnay with potential for development, even though it’s compelling now. 96/100
Restless River, 'Main Road & Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon', 2018, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde, South Africa
14.5% alcohol.
From two blocks (1.59 hectare Main Road; 0.71 Dignity; both planted in 1999 on granite/clay soils). Many questioned the choice of Cabernet Sauvignon for the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde, but Craig Wessels’ viticulture is impeccable, and the winemaking sympathetic. The result is intense and structured with powerful blackcurrant and berry fruits, supported by firm structure, with some savoury gravelly and ashy notes. This is powerful, concentrated but has freshness. Slightly drying finish is the only distraction. Layered and sturdy, and really good. 94/100
These remarkable wines are now available to buy. With just 5 cases available of each, availability is limited so be sure to snap some up before they're gone!
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Below we’ve put together a selection of six different categories of wines to make your holiday gifts extra special. We believe these wines would make an excellent gift for a loved one or a fantastic way to say thank you to a business or an employee.
Here is a breakdown of how we chose each wine in the red, white, rose, sparkling, organic, and vegan wine section:
Affordable wines - we’ve gone for a price point that we feel is best suited for filling the wine rack at home. These are wines you can reach for on any Wednesday evening when you fancy a nice glass with dinner or something to enjoy relaxing with Netflix.
More expensive wines, but worth it - these are special bottles! Wines that push the boat out a little more, taking you into a price point you’d maybe reserve for an occasion such as a dinner party with friends. Wines that are intriguing and exciting are more of an ‘event’ to taste and enjoy.
Luxury wines - indulgent offerings from sought after, highly-acclaimed producers who are the future of fine wine (at least to us). Future and current classics by winemakers pushing boundaries and electrifying the palate. These wines can also be laid down to age if the customer wishes, and will only continue to get better with time.
This fruitful, Spanish red wine is a must-have this festive season. Created using a blend of Bobal, Syrah, and Grenache it’s a spicy wine that will fill your heart and taste buds with wild red berry fruit and cherry.
Sourced from breath taking high altitude vineyards where vines can be as old as 80 years or more, this gorgeous red wine is priced at an affordable £13.00 and has a 14% alcohol content.
This is a wine that shows why the Willamette Valley in Oregon is often compared to Burgundy. Salem Wine Co produce their fruit from some of their best vineyards, creating a Pinot Noir that will give your palette a taste of ripe plum and savoury earthiness. This is the perfect dinner date wine that pairs wonderfully with game meats.
Salem Wine Co is the brainchild of winemaker Sashi Moorman and superstar sommelier Rajat Parr. Here they draw inspiration from their love of fine European wines, to create this lush 14% alcohol Pinot Noir priced at £28.00.
For anyone looking to treat themselves to a beautifully aged red wine, we recommend this Reserva Ribera del Duero from Spain. Produced using some of the oldest vines in Ribera del Duego (many over 100 years old!), the fruit is handpicked and slowly fermented in a cool cellar for 35 months before it is ready to leave the old fragrant barrels and be welcomed into your home.
Jorge Monzon and Isabel Rodero have invested in making a winery that strikes a balance between traditional and modern winemaking knowledge. This lavish wine is priced at £65.00 and contains 14% alcohol, it’s a red wine that will leave a lasting impression.
This fresh and aromatic white wine will turn every evening into fun with the signature Le Bon Cote Blanc blend of Vermentino and Terret. It’s a white wine that doesn’t overcomplicate its taste, leaving you with a citrusy and juicy stone fruit taste. Our very own Ben Henshaw has created this fun-loving wine along with Domaine des Lauries to give you a bottle of wine that will leave you wanting more.
Reach for a second glass of this gorgeous white wine, enjoy an evening of laughter, and soak in the balanced taste that makes you dream of Mediterranean Shores. With an alcohol content of 12.5% and priced at an affordable £12.00, this is a wine you’ll look forward to at the end of a good day.
We have searched long and hard to find a Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre that will blow us away, and 'Ovide' by father and son duo, Gerard and Pierre Morin, is a wine that you will not forget. Crafted from a small and 50-year-olf plot of vines, rooted in gravelly limestone this wine is elegant, pure, and leaves you an incredible texture.
Perfect for a special occasion, this Sancerre is exclusive to us at The Sourcing Table for £27.00 a bottle and with a 13% alcohol content. Gerard and Pierre believe in high quality over quantity, so be sure to make this traditionally-made wine yours before they are gone!
Referred to as Terroir al Limit’s “oxidative” white, Pedra De Guix is created using a blend of old vine Pedro Ximenez and Garnacha Blanca from various plots giving you a fresh and mineral white wine akin to white Hermitage.
Simply put, this white wine has a grand amount of class and elegance in each sip as you feel the warmth of the Priorat wine coarse through your taste buds. This luxury white wine is priced at £68.00 a bottle and carries a 13% alcohol content.
Transport yourself to the warm shores of the South of France with a bottle of Line Rose wine from Domaine des Lauriers. This bottle of rose wine will lure you in with its lightness as you enjoy glass after glass. With grapes picked at night to preserve freshness and only lightly pressed during production, this mix of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah is perfect at any time of day.
We can’t think of a better rose to add to your everyday collection, this light and fruity wine has a 13% alcohol content and can be yours for £13.50 a bottle.
Dominio del Aguila have recovered a traditional Ribera del Duero winemaking technique, blending fresh white grapes and full-bodied red grapes, to create this beautiful more premium rose wine. Creating a mix that gives you the best of both worlds in a gorgeous hue of pink, it’s a rose you’ll want to show off at a dinner party.
This extraordinary and complex rose wine contains 14% of alcohol content and is priced at £26.00 per bottle.
This exquisite rose wine is the epitome of everything we love about Tillingham and good English wine. With this luxurious rose, you’ll be taken on an exciting journey filled with notes of strawberry, raspberry, and cranberry, accompanied by hints of wild herbs. It's an exciting wine that we can’t get enough of.
Produced in East Essex, the home of grapes perfect for still wines, enjoy your very own bottle of Tillingham Rose wine for £32.90 a bottle and alcohol content of 11.5%.
Made using traditional winemaking techniques, this estate-bottled Prosecco owes its taste to the natural sweetness of the fruit and the fermentation process which adds natural acidity. With no gimmicks needed, this organic sparkling wine will grace your taste buds with white blossom and pear drops. We’ve put this wine to the test and it wins as the perfect aperitif that you need in your home.
Enjoy this classic Italian sparkling wine before your favourite meals for £17.50 a bottle.
A fantastic blend of Auxerrois, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, this sparkling wine echo's the Champagne training of its winemaker, who spent time working with acclaimed Grower Champagne producer Vouette et Sorbee. The same level of sophistication and flavour, that you'd expect from a bottle twice its price. We’d recommend this wine as an aperitif at a classy dinner party, it’s bone dry (meaning, zero dosage) and it’s beautifully aged before your purchase to give you the creaminess you’d expect from a must-try sparkling wine.
This is a more premium, but most definitely worth it, sparkling wine has an alcohol content of 13.5% and is priced at £26.00 a bottle.
Grown and produced in none other than Champagne, France this highly concentrated wine is exactly what we’d expect from a luxury bottle. This indulgent champagne is rich in notes of citrus, stone fruit, pineapple, and smoky minerality that adds to its complexity. This bottle is exactly what you'd want ready for a night to never be forgotten.
Brothers Francois and Pierre have created this elegant champagne on family vineyards spanning across Montagne de Reims. Feel the French air lift you up as you sip on the 4 Elements Champagne that the brothers joke is a “Roulot with bubbles” at only 12% alcohol content and priced at £73.00 this is a bottle of sparkling wine you must get this Christmas.
Just as the name would suggest, this is a red wine that will quench your thirst and elevate even a pizza night in. This easy, breezy, and oh so very fruity wine is so drinkable we’d recommend more than one bottle of this unconventional Gamay. Alex Dale and Ben Radford are devoting their winemaking to natural processes, opting for organic wines made from magical old vines.
For an organic, fruity taste of wine, reach for Thirst with a 12% alcohol content and priced at only £13.50 a bottle.
Fragrant with aromas of citrus, white peach, and apple blossom, this wonderful Chablis comes from a small vineyard sheltered between Premiers Crus of Montmains and Vaillons. The soul and energy of this rich organic wine come from the vines that run across three different soil types, allowing the blend of fruit to create a divine and unique taste.
We’d recommend this organic wine for those wanting to experience something new, a glass of rich wine with a kick of acidity and a creamy smooth finish. Celebrate an occasion with Chablis ‘En Boucheran’ priced at £28.00 per bottle and with an alcohol content of 12.5%.
Fill your special occasion with this extravagant organic red wine. Spicy and bold, the Cote Rotie Les Binardes comes from a small vineyard on the slope of Cote Blonde, where more refined and elegant wines are produced. This refined wine will hit you with notes of dark fruit, violets, liquorice, and a hint of minerality. Made with 10% Viognier, you’ll experience a perfume on the nose that is simply unforgettable.
Age only adds to the richness and luxury of this organic wine, we’d recommend purchasing a whole case to store and try bottles over the years to fully experience just how beautifully this wine ages. Priced at £79.00 per bottle and with a 15% alcohol content, this is a must-have for those looking to try perfection over time.
Produced on fertile, rich soil just East of Verona, this beautiful Soave is a vegan white wine we can’t get enough of. Gaining recognition for production in an area where agriculture has thrived since ancient Rome showcasing notes of creamy peach, river stone, and a hint of almond nuttiness. This vegan wine is renowned for its natural production, allowing earth and wildlife to protect and prepare the fruit.
Enjoy chilled with any meal to taste the balance of fruity and savoury, this vegan white wine is priced at an affordable £15.00 per bottle and has a cool 12% alcohol content.
As you may have noticed, Dominio del Aguila wines hold a special place in our hearts and this fantastic vegan red wine is a testament to why Jorge Monzon is a master winemaker. With this wine, you will pick up notes of blackberry, blueberry, dark cherry, vanilla, and sweet spice. The taste starts with your first sip and continues smoothly throughout, it’s the ultimate celebration of red wine.
Picaro del Aguila Tinto is made naturally with sprinkles of tradition mixed with new techniques, this wine will age wonderfully and we’d highly recommend a bottle for a special occasion. Priced at £29.00 per bottle and a 14% alcohol count, this expensive but worth it wine won’t disappoint.
Thanks to the cooler climate of Sta. Rita Hills, this vegan pinot noir carries lighter and fresher expressions we’d expect from a Pinot Noir. Not your standard red wine, full of layers upon layers of berry fruit and soft herbs, finishing with a subtle note of earthiness. With this red wine, you will experience the beauty of fine Californian Pinot Noir thanks to the low-intervention techniques mastered by Drake Whitcraft.
This elegant vegan red wine will age beautifully and would be a wonderful addition to a collection of divine pinot noir’s. Although luxurious, this bottle is priced at only £49.00 per bottle, we’d recommend more than one to savour the lightness as long as possible.
We’ve all been there when there are too many choices and they all seem right, what do you do? Simple, give the gift of choice - as in a gift card. Let your gift recipient decide what wine they fancy, they might be a classic red or white wine lover, or an adventurous spirit who wants to venture out into the beauty of orange vino.
This guide has been put together using our love for wine and we hope it has inspired you to choose something new, something unique, something unforgettable. If you have any questions or simply want help choosing the perfect wine, contact us here. For those looking for corporate wine gifting, we’ve got your business covered - take a look at how we can help you deliver a classy Christmas
]]>Alsace should be higher up the pecking order of classic wine regions. I suspect the reason it isn’t is fivefold. First of all, the complexity of the region, with several grape varieties all jostling for attention. And secondly, it’s primarily a white wine region: I think the relative lack of convincing reds has held it back a bit.
And could it also be about identity? The bottle shape is a German flute. The architecture looks more German than French. But this is a French wine region. The people in Alsace tend to consider themselves neither French nor German.
Then there’s the thorny issue of sweetness. Some Alsace wines are dry, some are off dry, and some are sweet. The fully sweet wines are usually indicated by Vendange Tardive or Selection Grains Nobles on the label, but there’s usually no way of telling which of the rest has some sweetness. Many producers try to get the message across with a pictorial scale, but there’s no standard.
And fifth, the classification system, with just over 50 vineyards designated as Grand Cru. This has been criticized in the past for not being selective enough, and progress towards delineating Premier Crus is moving at a glacial pace. Two of the region’s leading producers, Hugel and Trimbach, have chosen to disregard the existing classification, although Hugel have now begun to acknowledge the vineyard origin of some of their top wines.
But in its favour, Alsace has been a leading region for organic and biodynamic wine growing. One of the most famous proponents of biodynamics has been the eloquent Olivier Humbrech, of Zind Humbrecht. His wines speak beautifully of their place. And the likes of Marcel Deiss and Jean Paul Frick have also propelled the reputation of the region forwards.
Alsace excels with a number of varieties. Riesling takes top billing, and the best examples have an intensity and precision that puts them among the world’s finest examples.
Gewurztraminer (here with no umlaut over the u) is a remarkable and distinctive variety that does better in Alsace than anywhere else. Pinot Gris from the top sites in Alsace is a million miles away from Pinot Grigio, possessing a beautiful savoury dimension. And then there’s Muscat, here transformed into a gastronomic wine that ages and pairs wonderfully with white asparagus – try it! I also have a soft spot for Sylvaner, which is all old vine, simply because no one has planted it for so long. Now there’s increasing attention of the traditional method sparkling wines from the region: Cremant is a significant presence in Alsace.
At The Sourcing Table we’ve managed to get one of the rising stars of the region on an exclusive basis: Domaine Mann. I caught up with Sébastien Mann, the new generation, who has turned around this family domain and is beginning to attract a lot of attention. He joined in 2009 after gaining experience elsewhere.
Jamie Goode (JG): Can you tell us a bit about your Domaine? What's the story behind it all?
Sébastien Mann (SM): We are a family estate and today we farm 13 hectares of vines biodynamically. We’ve been certified by Biodyvin since 2018.
We took a slightly unusual route. The vineyards are a legacy of the Freyburger family (our great-grandparents) who owned five hectares of vines on good sites in Eguisheim. Unfortunately, the 2nd World War decimated the family, and my grandmother was left an orphan. She married my grandfather (a Mann) who took over the vineyards.
When my father took over the Domaine in the 1980s, he already had avant-gardist ideas, and wanted to produce more natural terroir wines. He was passionate about Alsatian geology. Maybe these ideas were too ambitious at the time, which made it difficult for my grandfather and father to understand each other.
Through marrying my mother, he took over a second family estate. This doubled the vineyard holdings, and my parents decided to stop bottling, and deliver our grapes to a cooperative, to be able to manage all the vineyards.
My father was a lover of great wines, and quite meticulous, and he continued to train with the best Alsatian winegrowers – like Ostertag, Deiss and Humbrecht. As a result, he stopped using herbicides in 1990, and we began producing our own wines again in 1998.
(SM) The vines have been farmed organically since 1998. From the first year we produced 35 cuvées, one for each parcel. Our idea was to make great wines, reducing by half the yields of the vineyard compared to what is allowed in Alsace. A necessary step to make terroir wines with aging potential.
For my part, the situation was different, I first did general studies and then specialized in viticulture. I was lucky, my parents are very open-minded and absolutely wanted me to bring my style and ideas. So I had the opportunity to travel quite a bit before joining the family estate in 2009.
I did a stage in Côte-Rôtie at Pierre Gaillard, which gave me experience with making red wine. It’s no secret for Pinot Noir, it is absolutely necessary to have very small yields to obtain great results!
I worked for a year in Champagne at Domaine Bertrand Gautherot - Vouette & Sorbée - which allowed me to understand how to make top-of-the-range Crémant, before my arrival my parents did not make bubbles.
I also had the chance during this year to learn about biodynamics with Bertrand. I met Jean-Michel Florin, the president of Demeter France, who transmitted to me his passion for considering the vine as a truly living being ... I fell in love with biodynamics! I also went to Austria and Australia for six months.
As soon as I got back, I went straight to the Domaine and I made all our wines in 2009. There was no question for my father that there was an important transition between him and me. In 2010, we decided to convert the entire Domaine to Biodynamics and joined the Biodyvin group in 2015.
The style of the wines changed very quickly, now more than 95% are dry. It was not an easy task. [Alsace is one of the warmest and driest regions in France, grapes can easily ripen with a high sugar level.] I don’t think my father could imagine that with biodynamics we would be able to achieve such a great evolution, achieving phenolic maturity while making dry wines.
JG: What is your approach today in the vineyard?
We love living vines. We are still in search of balance; we can no longer work the vines like 30 years ago: global warming is well established, and we must adapt to it.
I think that thanks to biodynamics we have succeeded in bringing an additional element to our vines. My father made wines essentially linked to the earth; I have a much more holistic style, linked to the stars.
We make composts that we apply before winter. The thinking is: we feed our soils and not our vines, which pushes the vines to seek out the mineral elements available in their environment.
During the summer season, we hardly ever trim our vines, to avoid any loss of energy. The vines are pruned from the start for moderate yields.
We apply biodynamic preparations in spring, summer and autumn. Most of our treatments are with herbal teas of wicker, horsetail, nettle, chamomile, valerian, yarrow, comfrey, and dandelion, which we make. This allow us to fight against vine diseases, but helps against periods of drought or heavy rains.
We consider that 90% of the success of our wines comes from the vine and not from the cellar.
I am not saying that there is no work in the cellar but that if the quality of our grapes is not extraordinary when it arrives in the cellar, we cannot make very great wine.
JG: What is the situation generally in Alsace now? Do a lot of people cultivate more sustainably?
SM: I think the situation is the same as in other wine-growing regions, there is a two-speed viticulture: there are those who want to work by hand and those who do intensive production.
I also think that the world is changing and that the new generation of consumers is today much more sensitive to the ecology and the future of our planet. One day I hope we will see 100% organic viticulture, and it won’t even be necessary to note it on the bottle.
JG: Do you look to any wineries or winegrowers for inspiration?
SM: Yes of course I appreciate many other winegrowers in Alsace and France who inspire me, but I never told myself that I wanted to achieve exactly the same thing as them. I think there are so many characteristics that go into making great wines and that it belongs to the personality and character of each of the winemakers.
This result is the work of several generations. We work continuously to understand our vines, our terroirs, the environment that surrounds them. Despite everything, my dad tells me each time we finish the harvest and despite his great experience: "Here is another vintage that I had never known".
There are of course plenty of Domaines that I appreciate. There are three that come to mind first. In Alsace, Domaine Ostertag for its purity and the precision of its wines; in Côte du Rhône, Château Rayas where I am always impressed by the airy side of these wines in this sunny region; and in Champage it was emotional being able to taste at Domaine Jacques Selosse, Champagnes of incredible vinosity.
JG: Which varieties do you enjoy working with most?
SM: I love Pinot Noir what a beautiful grape! I am of course also a very big fan of Riesling. There is also another grape variety that I like a lot and that we have worked a lot (over 10 years) to make great dry wines, it is Pinot Gris.
JG: I particularly like your Crémant. Can you tell me a little more about this? It seems to have more character than many Crémants d'Alsace.
SM: For me, Crémant was a big challenge, my parents did not produce it, but given my career in Champagne, it was impossible for me not to when I returned to the Domaine.
In my initial idea, was to choose beautiful plots on limestone soils to bring the chalky side that I like in Champagne. My first negotiation was therefore with my father what parcel of Pinot Noir I could have to make this wine. In 2010 it represented 5% of our production and it was intended to make our reds.
I had chosen a plot on the heights of our village of Eguisheim. The first year my father kindly accepted that I use 30% of the grapes from this vineyard. The result was magnificent and suddenly the following year I was able to have 50% and the following year 100% of the grapes.
We now make two Crémants. Brut Nature, a blend of Pinot Auxerrois, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. And a longer aged prestige cuvée, produced in the best vintages.
If you're intrigued by Alsace explore our selections from Domaine MANN and Zind Humbrecht.
]]>Fawlty Towers was filmed in the mid-1970s. Since then, the popularity – and accessibility – of wine around the world has grown. A recent YouGov poll of UK consumers revealed that 28% consider wine to be their favourite alcoholic drink, above 23% for beer and 20% for spirits. Yet scepticism of the elusive 'fine wine' category remains, as anyone who has tried to justify the price tag of an expensive bottle to an uninitiated friend will understand.
In April last year wine think-tank the Areni Institute published a report exploring the definition of fine wine. No easy task: the report runs 30 pages. Its findings on how we value the best wines of the world are telling.
The simple answer is that fine wines all have exceptionally high quality, and something else; an X-factor. But it’s that something else that proves difficult to pin down.
Pedigree might be the most traditional answer. Anyone lucky enough to tour the great chateaux of Bordeaux will be treated to numerous stories of the kings, queens and presidents who favoured wines from the various estates. You’ll see the grand buildings, hear of the ancient families. The message is clear: When you pour a glass, you’re not just drinking exceptional wine, you’re also enjoying the culmination of hundreds of years of winemaking history. And a grand one, at that.
But what if a different type of heritage also intrigues you? Here’s one story: For hundreds of years, families have farmed small vineyards around the remote Gredos mountains, about an hour west of Madrid. Some families made wine for home consumption. Others sold grapes to local co-operatives which made wine to quench the thirst of neighbourhood bars in Madrid. One such vineyard, known as Rumbo al Norte, was on the brink of conversion into a chestnut orchard in 2009. Its Grenache grapes earned just 20c per kilo, too little to justify the time needed to farm its 60-year-old vines by hand.
“Gredos has an incredible heritage of people working in the middle of nowhere, mainly for themselves. We want to continue this amazing heritage”, says Fernando Garcia of Comando G, who started making wine in Gredos in 2008. With his business partner, Daniel Landi, he acquired Rumbo al Norte in 2009. Since then, wines from the vineyard have earned 100 points – a rare accolade – from The Wine Advocate twice. It has become virtually impossible to get hold of. The only listing on Wine Searcher is a magnum valued just north of £1,500.
Spanish wine specialist Sarah Jane Evans MW suggests that old vines are important: “One benefit of old vines is the concentration you get. The other is the history”, she says. She references Frontonio, a winery in Valdejalón, Aragon. It was founded by Master of Wine Fernando Mora and two friends in 2010. They spent time purchasing vineyards from local people, including one that was planted in 1898. “It wasn’t a big corporate coming in - this project was based on many years of friendship. The people behind the wine are very important. Without them, a truth and an understanding of the land is lost”, says Evans.
Stories like these are found throughout Spain. There’s Envínate, founded in 2005, making elegant and expressive wines from old vineyards in the Canary Islands, Ribeira Sacra and Almansa. Telmo Rodriguez works with vineyards across Spain. His newest project, tending to the historic Yjar vineyard, has produced the first Rioja wine to be sold via La Place de Bordeaux: the 2017, his first vintage from the vineyard, debuted last month. It is rumoured to have sold out within 30 minutes.
In Priorat, many producers work with historic vineyards. As you drive around the region, you see patchworks of old vineyards on precipitous slopes. In some parts, vines poke out of the hillside at almost a right angle. It’s hard to imagine vineyards like this being planted today. One recent success story is that of Terroir al Limit, founded in 2001, making elegant Priorat wines which have caught the eye of many reviewers, including The Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutiérrez who awarded 100 points to the Les Maynes 2016.
These producers have several things in common: they are relatively new, are working with historic vineyards, and are recognised for quality. They also share an interest in sustainability. Dominik Huber, of Terroir al Limit, suggests that a fine wine must be at least organic:
“The relationship to the earth, soil, and nature is important”.
Comando G’s Fernando Garcia agrees, adding that the social side of sustainability is also important. For him, fair pay of the winery team and a horizontal team structure are both key. So too is bringing opportunities to an area with a declining, and ageing, population: “There are two sides to sustainability: Ecological, and people”, he says.
In a recent article for Decanter, columnist Jane Anson wrote in favour of rethinking fine wine:
“The simple truth is that there has to be more to luxury today than wines that taste wonderful and have a history that most of us can only dream of”.
Her point was that sustainability – both environmental and social – should become a key part of how we think about fine wine.
But do fine wine drinkers agree? Not all of them. Respondents to a survey commissioned by the Areni Institute ranked sustainability as the least important element of a fine wine – in 17th place! – far behind the fame of the wine region (ranked third) and consistency over time (second). “Sustainability is still quite a distant concept to the UK consumer”, suggests Evans. But there is a sense that change is on the horizon. A comment in Areni’s report from London-based collector Queena Wong hints at this: “Do I choose the wines I buy based on how sustainably it has been produced? No, not now. But ask me again in five years.”
Perhaps, when trying to pin down that something else, we’re simply looking at different sides of the same coin. The history of a vineyard or region can help to make it special, but it doesn’t need to feature royalty. And if we treasure the idea that heritage of the land helps to make a wine special, it follows that caring for it, and the people who work it, are vital too. That brings pedigree.
Alongside sustainability, Huber suggests two other features of a fine wine. One is an ability to provoke emotion. Another is that it finds its place in the market: “If you have a piece of art that nobody wants to buy, it’s not really great. The market decides.”
When asked who is buying Terroir al Limit, he pauses. “A bit of everyone”, he says. “The educated hedonist, who is open-minded, not dogmatic, not conservative. Everyone with those qualities.” That doesn’t seem stuffy at all.
Title photo credit: Estanis Nuñez, the Envinate team
]]>I visited him at Trivet to taste through some new arrivals on The Sourcing Table.
There’s a buzz about Greek wine in the UK. I asked Isa why this is.
Isa Bal (IB): In markets like the UK, customers are always willing to give a new wine a go, at least once. Greece is seen as the mother of western culture, so there is already a huge sympathy there, and many people have good memories of holidays in Greece. Plus, the established wine countries have seen a huge increase in prices, countries like Greece were waiting in the wings to fill in the gap that was created.
Jamie Goode (JG): With your wine list, you have done something unique, organizing it by era. What era would Greek wines come in at?
IB: It’s not an exact date, but we are looking at around 4500 BC. The oldest winemaking area in Greece is Crete, Northern Greece also has a long history. They are almost the same era as Lebanon and Palestine.
JG: So shall we look at the wines? This first is Kyrenia 2020 PGI Achaia. It’s 100% Roditis – a pink skinned grape which is thought to have originated on the island of Rhodes - from two organic high altitude vineyards in the northern Peloponnese.
IB: This is nice and dry. There is probably some lees contact here. It gives it a nice richness. It has this lovely strong fruit characteristic. There’s some greengage and fresh almond coming at the end.
JG: I love the texture in the mouth: it has a vitality to it, with a fine grained texture.
Jamie - For me, this is an exciting style of wine. It has freshness and also personality, it’s not just a simple acid bomb, it has some salinity.
IB: Definitely. As you know, Roditis is one of the main varieties of retsina. I’m not dissing restina, but this is the way to go. It’s also a good food wine: a glass of this would be great with fish dishes like grilled sea bream.
JG: I also like that this is just 12% alcohol.
IB: 12% is the magic number. As soon as you go beyond 13%, it becomes an issue, even if some producers can keep the freshness.
JG: The second wine is a Robola from Cephalonia, made by Sarris Winery. The grapes are from ungrafted vines. It’s made by Panos Sarris, a sommelier from Athens who returned to his home island of Cephalonia to open a restaurant, and make wine. The vines he makes this from come from his wife’s family.
IB: This is a bit more serious. There’s very well managed reduction, and there might be some oak here. In every respect this is a very well-made wine, and there’s lots of character to it. It’s a beautiful wine.
JG: I love the concentration on the palate. It is rich without being blowsy, and has freshness. I like the way the acidity feels in the mouth.
The third wine is an Assyrtiko from Vassaltis in Santorini.
IB: It has lovely intensity, and on the nose there’s lots going on. There are beautiful fruit aromas. It’s clean, and very well balanced with lovely acidity, and this offsets the alcohol. There’s a zingy finish, which is cleansing. It works really well, and this is why Assyrtiko has become Greek’s most well known variety.
Isa - love Assyrtiko. I think all three whites are lovely wines.
This first red is a blend of local varieties, organically farmed, from mountain vineyards. It’s called Antiphon 2020.
IB This is unoaked with a beautiful fruit intensity, and nice crunchy fruit. Whether you are drinking red or white, wine should be refreshing. This wine has that lovely red fruit, and a little bit of earthiness and minerality coming through.
JG: And it’s not jammy, is it? I like the definition of the fruit. It a beautiful primary wine.
IB: It is the first time I’ve tasted a blend of these varieties. My brain is having fun, meeting something new.
Isa -One of the things I like about Greek wine is that we have all these grape varieties that tend to have unique taste profiles. There is an element of discovery.
JG: I like the freshness, and the fact that there’s a bit of grip.
IB: it has lovely balance.
JG: The next wine is the Tetramythos Mavro Kalavrytino Natur 2020. This has no added sulfites and weighs in at a very friendly 12.5% alcohol. This is quite different.
IB: There is certainly a depth of aroma that intrigues you, and you just want to go back to it again. There is an element of greenness, an element of ripe fruit, some dark fruit.
JG: It is a little spicy and gamey, and there’s a little wildness there. It’s juicy and supple.
IB: It is clean: there is nothing funky about it. Especially now, there are wines that are way funkier and are considered fine. This is mainstream in this sense.
Isa - In a way, it reminds of Crozes-Hermitage, with some blood notes.
This variety is a bit like Xinomavro in that the tannins are on the higher side. This gives this wine grip that you want to be there. So the tannins are working nicely. It’s a brilliant food wine. There’s also some nice fruit in this wine, like black cherry and morello cherry. There’s a lot going on here. It is my kind of wine.
JG: The last wine is more familiar territory: a Xinomavro from Naoussa.
IB: The 2017s I have tasted from northern Greece have been brilliant.
JG: What do think the appeal of Xinomavro is? Do you think it has the potential to make the breakthrough as Greece’s red grape, just as Assyrtiko has made the breakthrough as Greece’s top white?
IB: Assytriko’s breakthrough is mainly in restaurants and specialist wine shops. You don’t see many on supermarket shelves. Xinomavro is not far behind in that sense. Everyone in the wine industry understands and knows the high quality and potential of Xinomavro. The issue with Assyrtiko from Santorini is that it’s an island and there’s a limited amount they can produce. If you look at northern Greece, in the appellations where Xinomavro is grown, vineyard ownership is similar to Piedmont or Burgundy, in that it is fragmented into small plots. So to expect a large number of bottles to be made by a single producer is not realistic. I believe these wines are always going to be restaurant and independent merchant wines. If you look at Grüner Veltliner, that started in restaurants and independent merchants, and now every supermarket has a couple of Grüners. But I am not sure this will be the case for Assyrtiko and Xinomavro, unless the production scale changes.
JG: This is interesting: it has some tannin but it is not high tannin, and it has really textured silky fruit. It has the edges that Xinomavro is known for, but they are weaved into a silky core.
IB: Definitely. There are different styles of Xinomavro, and there are some producers making more approachable styles that are enjoyable young. This has attractive aromatics and beautifully balanced tannic structure. I love the variety.
JG: In conclusion, are you quite hopeful about the ‘new Greece’?
IB: Absolutely. I think that from a restaurant point of view these are wines that can give value and new experiences to customers.
A huge thank you to Isa Bal MS for hosting us at Trivet. The restaurant is an oasis of Scandi-style calm between Bermondsey and Borough Market, Isa's list was awarded the Special Jury Prize by UK Star Wine List this year, and it goes without saying the menu from ex- Fat Duck chef Jonny Lake is also winning plaudits.
]]>A wider acceptance of wilder, more challenging flavours has led more people than ever to try orange wine – particularly millennials. It’s perhaps because of this that the more traditional side of the wine industry continues to tar skin contact with the same brush as oat milk and jackfruit burgers – despite it being the most ancient type of wine in recorded history. Fact is, experts claim it to be the original wine, and can trace production back to 6,000 BC, where grapes were crushed and fermented in qvevri (large terracotta pots) to achieve a rudimentary (but undoubtedly delicious) rendition of the style we know today.
Months ago, I brought an orange wine to a dinner party. As the night’s resident ‘wine expert’, I arrived with a golden bottle of skin contact Riesling and the smug hope it would become their ‘eureka moment wine’ – a euphoria every wine-lover experiences, often the instance that kick starts a life-long obsession. I watched closely as they took their first sip. They politely smiled, dubbed it as ‘unfinished cider’, and left their glasses half empty until the end of the night. This hasn’t been an isolated instance. The tirade of complaints continues: to many well-meaning wine enthusiasts, orange wine is dirty, confusing, or just plain awful.
I think it’s dangerous to pigeonhole new, challenging tastes as ‘bad’ too quickly. I’m yet to meet a coffee-freak who didn’t shudder after their first ever sip, or a three-year-old who immediately adored broccoli.
Simply put, just because something is unfamiliar to your palate, doesn’t mean you need to (or will) hate it forever. Having said this, I recognise it’s incredibly pretentious to blame someone’s ‘undeveloped palate’, which is quite literally everything I stand against. On any given occasion, it is always better to meet skeptics in the middle, rather than condemn them for having the ‘wrong’ opinion. Where would we be without friendly debate – something, I find, which is always succoured by good wine?
It is my firm belief that the better we can understand how something is made, the more we can come to appreciate how and why it tastes the way it does, and the (often strenuous) steps taken to achieve it. Only then can we put to rest this notion that orange wine is crude, unfinished, or incomplete. It is exactly as it should be.
Whenever I explain orange wine to the uninitiated, I first explain how white wine is made. To make a traditional white wine, grapes are crushed and immediately pressed, normally resulting in a clear, lemon-coloured wine. For orange wine, the process diverges after the crushing stage. Instead of immediately pressing the juice off the grapes, the juice is left in contact with the skins, seeds and stems, which impart more flavour, texture and – of course – colour. The result? An entirely different beast.
My love for orange wine doesn’t stop at a glassful on the sofa, its complexity, juiciness and texture makes it the perfect wine style for pairing with food.
They’re bold enough to stand up to strong flavours, but have the gentle aromatics to balance aromatic dishes.
If there’s a sharp acidity to cut through richer foods, even better. I’ve found expressions that have paired exquisitely with jollof, Malaysian chilli crab, and a peach and mozzarella salad.
Just like red, white and rosé, orange wine can be made in a range of styles depending on winemaking techniques and grape variety. Strictly speaking, the longer you leave the grape juice in contact with the skins the more deeply flavoured and textured the wine will be. Expressions therefore vary from the tropical and complex (check out this the Graue Freyheit, an energetic blendfrom Heinrich, or González Bastías Naranjo an old-vine Moscatel, Pais and Torontel blend from the south of Chile) to gentle, more perfumed styles like Orange natur, from Tetramythos in the northern Peloponnese, or Jeremy Bricka's fragrant, bergamot and clementine scented Vin Orange made from Chasselas.
]]>This tongue-twister of a grape is native to the Basque country on the cool Atlantic coast of Spain. It’s the main ingredient of Txakoli (cha-co-lee), a thirst-quenching, bone-dry white, with a saline tang. It’s a cousin of those other great Atlantic wines, Muscadet and Vinho Verde, and as natural a partner to sea fish as a squeeze of lemon. Bengoetxe is a little more serious than your average Txakoli, it's aged for a year before bottling, giving a lovely weight and mouthfeel balanced by racy acidity, think Muscadet-sur-Lie.
Best known - if it's known at all - as the Sherry grape. Palomino can take the baking summers in Andalusia and still produce a reliable crop. More recently a group of enlightened producers including Willy Perez (Bodegas Luis Perez and De La Riva) and Ramiro Ibáñez (Cota 45) are seeking out the best sites (called pagos around Jerez) where the chalky albariza soil brings out the character in Palomino. They're ditching fortification and treating it like a 'normal' table wine, to produce bright, zesty wines with citrus, orchard fruit and a saline edge typical of the area. Try Sábalo an organic Palomino from historic Bodegas Barbadillo or El Muelle de Olaso from Luis Perez.
Heading south to the Canary Islands, where the conquistadors left vines en route to the new world, Palomino goes under the name Listàn Blanco. Producers like Suertes del Marques are producing complex almost Burgundian interpretations from their old vines on the volcanic island soils. Try Trenzado which takes its name from the “el cordon trenzado” trellis system unique to the Islands.
Another example of winemakers taking a fresh look at a traditional grape. Xarello (shah-rel-oh) is traditionally hidden within the Cava blend. It has a long growing season, so when planted on the best sites it can accumulate lovely orchard and tropical fruit flavours, it also retains high natural acidity and can age well.
“It’s about minerality” says Ramon from Celler Pardas.
Pardas were among the first wineries in Catalonia to recognise the potential of Xarello for still wines. Their focus is on preserving the balance and health of their land, they farm organically without irrigation, and aim to work in partnership with nature. Pur Xarel.lo is rich with a vibrant acidity and fine toasty notes, a great introduction to the grape.
Sometimes called Spain's Pinot Noir for it's ability to reflect terroir, and produce perfumed, complex reds. Mencía is mainly grown in Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra in the Atlantic north-west, where the rediscovery of old, low-yielding steep hillside plots started a Priorat-like revolution in the region, showing Mencía can produce wines of great concentration and complexity. Names to know: young winemaker César Márquez has deep family roots in the Bierzo region, his fresh, balletic Mencías like Parajes show the promise of this grape in the right place and hands.
Envínate, a quartet of friends who met at university, is one of the hottest winemaking names in new-wave Spain. Their village wine, pure, savoury Lousas Vino de Aldea comes from beautiful old vineyards in Ribeira Sacra, predominantly Mencía blended with a smattering of other local varieties. Fedellos do Couto make Mencía with an Atlantic freshness and a slatey minerality that make them unmistakably Galician.
Spain's second most planted red after Tempranillo. Once written off as a workhorse grape, only suitable for bulk wines, it keeps freshness in hot climates. Revived by producers such as Juan Antonio Ponce, in whose careful hands it can make complex spicy wines. Try plush, biodynamic Clos Lojen or everyday hero El Risco.
Garnacha Tintorera, try Albahra from Envínate; Listan Negro, 7 Fuentes is a great starting point; Caiño Tinto, slightly herbal like Loire Cabernet Franc, try Carralcoba from Eulogio Pomares; and Sumoll, Spain's crunchy fragrant answer to Gamay?
]]>Itata in the south of Chile is in the spotlight all of a sudden. Wines from here, 400km south of the popular Central Valley region, tend to be made with a very different aesthetic to many of the Chilean wines that we’ve seen in the past. Rather than ripe Bordeaux-style blends, you see lighter reds made from traditional grapes, and whites fermented on their skins. Instead of icon wines with lots of new oak and ego, Itata seems to be about something entirely different.
Leo Erazo “Itata is a very old region. It's probably one of the oldest in Chile. The records say that the first vines arrived here in 1561”.
Chile’s other wine regions are largely dominated by large wine estates. Not so Itata. “It has many special features, but one that caught my attention is artisanal wines have always existed there. In the last census, there were around 4,000 hectares and 4,000 producers. This means that a producer has on average one hectare of vineyards. The layout of the vineyards is pre-industrial revolution, it hasn't changed, 95% are managed by hand. The weed control is done by horse and ploughing, treatments are done by hand”.
Itata also has different grapes to the more famous regions. “We normally say you get a big estate after colonization, after independence, or after a dictatorship”, says Leo. “This is when concentration of land happens. But around the 19th century, there were big mining companies”. He says that some well known families who’d made money from mining then set up Bordeaux-style estates, mainly in the central region just south of the capital Santiago. “When the Bordeaux style took over in the 19th century, the Mediterranean grapes like Pais, Cinsault, Semillon and Muscatel were all thought of as secondary grapes. The fine grapes – Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay – came into play”.
These days what have been regarded as secondary grapes are becoming quite trendy in some segments of the market. “Now we see this”, says Leo. “But at university I was taught that Cabernet was the king. País has always been the basic Chilean wine”.
If you are a wine geek, you are probably more excited by Chilean País than Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon.
Chile has always had around 10,000 hectares of País, even though it rarely got a name check on the label. The first wine grower to champion it was Luis Antoine Luyt in Maule, the northern neighbour of Itata.
Leo came back to Chile after a lengthy period travelling the world’s wine regions. “I was young so I wanted to travel, and wine was a really nice excuse. Everyone needs a hand with harvest, and you meet nice people”.
He worked at Rustenberg, a well known estate in Stellenbosch, while he was studying his Masters in viticulture. In Australia he worked in Canberra, and Tintara in the McLaren Vale. “It’s a huge winery, but it was a nice team and we lived next to the beach”. In New Zealand he was based at Sacred Hill in Hawke’s Bay, and did a spell in Central Otago.
On his return to Chile, Leo went to Itata. “I knew Itata for Carignan”, he says. “The first wine we did was an old vine Carignan in 2008. Just two barriques. And I got offered a position at the University which was great. I had no money so I did small batches”.
At the time there were very few people trying to do the same thing, but Erazo says over the last five years quite a few have moved to the region, and have stayed there, making interesting wines in small quantities. The big wineries have also woken up to the region. “Every winery wants to have a Cinsault from Itata in their portfolio”, he says, “but it really makes no sense when you have a Cabernet, a Carmenere, a Bordeaux Blend and then a thousand bottles of Itata Cinsault”.
Itata is rare among Chilean wine regions in that it’s possible to grow vines without irrigation here. “This was the first thing that drew me here”, says Leo. “And then when I was travelling I realized that everything is on rootstocks in Europe and here there are no rootstocks, so you have the connection between the roots and the vine, with no problems of compatibility or issues in the graft”.
Leo buys grapes from growers but also owns vineyards. “Every time I can, I try to buy a vineyard. But there is a big attachment to the land. Although the prices for grapes are very low, the people who live on the farms have a good quality of life. They bond to their land, so the only way you can buy is when the old guys can’t work anymore, and the children don’t want to take over”. These plots are all small though, normally 0.5-0.7 hectares, and the economics here only work if you bottle and sell your own wine.
The encouraging thing is the influx of young winemakers, drawn by the availability of old vine grapes at affordable prices. “For the last five years, many young people have come here”, says Leo. “It’s a bit like the Swartland. Now we have 20 young producers. They come with nothing, they start buying grapes, they bottle, and then they might buy a farm”. South Africa’s Swartland region has been a winemaking hotbed of evolution over the last decade, with young winemakers starting small by buying grapes and then building up their own brands from scratch, with the resource of interesting old vine grapes previously untapped the driving force behind the movement.
Is there an aesthetic to working more naturally in Itata? “I was in the Swartland when it started”, says Leo, “and this was very much natural focused, with no added yeast and no corrections”. Itata has a tradition of farmer wines, called Pipeños. “They are all no intervention, and they have been fermenting fine for hundreds of years. There is a harmony in the environment that helps make natural wines. We don’t call it natural at all: it is just the traditional way in Itata.
“Take skin ferments, for example. You had to do it. If you direct press a Muscatel grape, out of 100 litres of grapes you get 30 litres of juice. The pulp is so thick. There was no sense of making orange wine because it’s popular”.
One of the issues in Itata is the widespread use of herbicides. “Because the price of the grapes is so low, the old guys use herbicides.”. How does Leo work without them? “The first thing I did was plough with a horse. [heavier machinery compacts soil, reducing oxygen and literally squeezing the life out of it.] But I could see that I wasn’t building up fertility. Because of many years of herbicides, and the fact that ploughing doesn’t bring new organic matter, the crops went down. The old guys were laughing at me. They liked the ploughing, but said ‘the vine has to eat’. This is true, but they would use chemical fertilizer, and I didn’t want to do that. But now, after seeding grasses like wheat, and then using these as a mulch (something I learned from Rosa Kruger in South Africa) which retains moisture in the soil and adds organic material, it’s working well. After seven years in the first plot we have the crop back”.
The Itata region is divided into ‘sectors’. One of Erazo’s goals is to discover the characteristics of these sectors and reveal them in sector-specific wines. “In the next 10 years we will see the differences between the sectors: they have been naturally mapped by the people there”.
So is Erazo looking to delineate special terroirs in Itata, in effect finding the top crus? And would this benefit the region? “I think it is the way it is going to go. The old guys have the names for the little places. They aren’t fancy cru names; they are farmer’s names. Because of the exposure and the weathering of the rock, we see different expressions of the granite. Sometimes there is more clay, sometimes less clay. There can be red clays and quartz, or you can have a more yellow profile. The Cinsault and País from different soils taste completely different”.
The Pipeños in litre bottles have proved popular. “It’s the perfect size”, he says. “Some people relate it to bulk, which is a pity”. Pipeño has been made in the south of Chile for centuries, the name came about because it was made in raulí oak vats, known as pipas.
Leo isn’t just looking to the past. “We built a family farm, in front of the Pacific ocean”. He has planted a mix of grapes including Chenin Blanc. “I put in all the varieties that I thought would work,’ he says. Leo got the first Chenin crop, of just 60 litres, this year. “It is really special. The Pacific is cold, so we harvest this last, it only gets to 11.5% alcohol. The flint character shows in the Chenin Blanc fantastically well”.
We’ve got an exciting selection of deliciously different wine from Chile – from Rogue Vine and González Bastías who work with old vines in the south to super modern Viñedos de Alcohuaz – mountain wines from the top of the Elqui Valley.
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What led him to put all this experience into a book?
“Claire and I get daily messages from friends, and friends of friends, asking what to drink. We quickly realised there was no fun, easy to read reference. So after many pints of Guinness and drunken talk about writing a wine book, we finally did”! In 2020 they published ‘Which Wine When’, dedicated to ‘all of our friends who have ever asked us what to drink’. “We wanted to combine our practical food and drink knowledge so a reader could quickly and easily find a wine pairing and why it works for most lunch and dinner options.
“We drink and eat together all the time, but well-matched wine and food are so much more than the sum of their parts.
“When you pair food and wine thoughtfully, you elevate two already brilliant things to next-level deliciousness – without necessarily spending much more or going to much additional effort”.
“But beyond these immediately practically, short-term fixes, there’s also the fact that approaching wine through the food you love to eat is a great way into a world that can often feel vast, impenetrable and riddled with snobbism”.
Bert has looked through our list and cherry picked some of his favourite, fun and seasonal pairings to try out over the summer months.
The locals of the Loire Valley love to drink their Muscadet with oysters and other fishy treats: the refreshing, citrussy flavours and beautiful, slightly salty minerality makes it the perfect match for anything for anything that tastes of the sea … even scampi fries. You could also try it with little fried fish, such as whitebait, salt cod or fish croquettes, or, of course, oysters.
TRY Domaine de la Pepiere, Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie, 2019: A refreshing, feather light wine that mirrors its Atlantic home: juicy lemon, stony minerality, crunchy green apples and distinct hint of the seaside.
Lots of big flavours in the nachos, especially if you like to load them with all the toppings, a wine with lots of complexity is needed. English Sparkling seems to have turned a corner recently and the wines are increasingly expressive and impressive. The mouth-watering acidity will easily deal with the spice of jalapenos and also cut through the rich molten cheese. The crunchy fresh apples will complement the tart notes in the salsa and the toasty notes will work wonders with the nacho chips.
TRY Busi Jacobsohn, Brut Classic Cuvee, 2018: New to the Sourcing Table but a firm staff favourite already. Elegant, refined and crisp, bursting with fresh green apple, buttery pastry and a richness on the finish, it sets a high bar for English sparkling wine.
A Ribera del Duero wine tends to have plenty of acidity but it also has bold levels of tannins which help break down the food in your mouth and heighten it’s flavours. Because of the oak ageing, a good Ribera will have incredible chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla notes, plus sticky, dark, dried-fruit flavours, all of which work a treat with the rich molasses-based sauce.
TRY Quinta Milu, Ribera del Duero 2020: This fresh, juicy red with a lovely nose of cherries and plums and cracked pepper will keep all your guests happy.
Padron peppers are one of Spain’s most iconic snacks. They’re named after the town of Padron, which is also found in Galicia, so, as is so often the case, what grows together goes together. These little green peppers are mild nine times out of ten, with bright grassy flavours enhanced by the oil, salt and heat. Albariños slightly salty, ocean-breeze tang and herbaceous notes will take those simple but addictive flavours to the next level.
TRY Zarate, Albarino, 2020: A charming Albariño from one of Rias Baixas' finest, producers, overflowing with zippy citrus, crunchy green apple and a stony minerality.
Alsatian food is heavily influenced by Germany, thanks to its history. There’s no nation that loves sausages more than Germany, so it’s not surprising to find that Alsatian wines are brilliant with any sausage-based snack. The fresh acidity of the region’s white wines cut through the deliciously fatty meat and pastry like a dream.
TRY Domaine Zind Humbrecht, Riesling Roche Granitique, 2018: Pimp your picnic with this ‘baby Grand Cru’ from top producer Zind Humbrecht's Sommerberg vineyard.
This classic dish also originates from Provence and is all about simplicity. The fresh vegetables, summer herbs and really good olive oil need a relatively simple and refreshing wine to wash them down. You’ll also benefit from a wine with a bit of texture – and this is what you’ll get from a rose (especially a darker-hued one) that you wouldn’t find from most wines.
TRY Domaine des Lauriers, 'Line' Rose, 2020: A stones throw from Provence, this rosé from the Languedoc gives big name brands a serious run for their money. Bursting with berry fruit and mouth-watering acidity, it will take you straight to the Mediterranean.
'Which Wine When' has been shortlisted for the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards best debut drinks book. You can buy the book HERE.
Shop our favourite food-friendly wines, and save 10% until August 11th.
This thirst for richer, blacker wines was probably a reaction to the pale astringent reds of the previous decades, made from high yields of slightly under-ripe grapes, and many weren’t very nice. As viticulture got better, and ambitious wine producers started picking fully ripe grapes, red wines got darker.
But the pendulum had swung too far, and now we're seeing a rebound, an appreciation for paler reds, which haven’t been punched down and stirred up to extract the maximum colour and tannin from the skins.
We’re currently seeing a growing appreciation for paler reds that haven’t been punched down and stirred up to extract the maximum colour and tannin from the skins.
The natural wine movement has played a part in this trend: it’s part of the natural wine aesthetic not to force wines into a mould that doesn’t suit them. As a result, many natural red wines are a bit lighter in colour. This is due to:
This is especially the case when whole clusters are used in red ferments - that is, the entire bunches are put in the tank, rather than destemming the grapes and crushing them first.
Winemakers like Comando G (Fernando García and Daniel Landi) just keep the cap wet with a watering can, rather than pumping over or punching down to extract colour and tannins, and other flavour elements from the grape skins in a physical manner. This leads to paler-coloured red wines.
Chilling a red wine emphasises the tannins - the astringent and slightly bitter notes that come from seeds and skins, and that create structure in the wine. Most white wines don’t have tannins like reds do (except for orange or skin contact whites) because the juice is pressed out of the berries before fermentation, which means whites work well chilled.
Red wines that have lots of tannin simply become too grippy when they are chilled. But lighter colour also means less tannin, in most cases. Notable exceptions include Nebbiolo, the grape of Barolo, and the Greek variety Xinomavro, as these produce pale-coloured reds even when they are handled normally, and the wines can be light in colour and very tannic.
As a rule of thumb, most paler-coloured reds can be chilled down, and the tannins don’t stand out, because there aren’t too many of them. But why would you chill them? Because they taste fresher and more alive when cooled down.
Just as whites at room temperature taste a bit soft and flabby, lighter reds drink better a bit cooler. We aren’t talking fridge temperature (4°C), but rather just a short spell in the cooler to bring them from room temperature down to about 13°C or 14°C.
Almost all red wines taste better at 17°C or 18°C, rather than room temperature, which in the summer can be into the 20s. However, paler reds are better when they’re stored at even lower temperatures than this.
Remember, once a red wine is brought out and poured, it will warm up in the glass. It’s easier to warm a wine that’s a little on the cool side than it is to cool down a wine at the table.
I’ve often been in the position in a restaurant where a red wine - and not just a lighter red wine - has been too warm so I’ve asked for an ice bucket. This causes some raised eyebrows, but if you’ve paid for a good red wine, then you want to drink it at the right temperature.
Grenache tends to work well chilled, but only when it hasn’t been extracted too much - but with the current trend for lighter, more elegant Grenache, chilled is definitely best.
Other red wines that are best served on the colder side include:
In the past, in fancy houses with cellars, red wines would come up to the dining room at 11°C, which is cellar temperature. They’d warm for a bit, but they’d still be well below room temperature when served.
But these wines would probably be aged Bordeaux and Burgundy, with naturally less tannin than a young chunky red today. If a red wine is young and has a lot of body, with quite a bit of tannin, then serving it cold will be a problem. So the rule is:
At The Sourcing Table, we’ve curated a collection of reds that are perfect for chilling, ready for you to discover your new favourite summertime drink, or find a red with a difference to serve at your next cheese and wine night.
Our selection of chilled red wines features reds from Italy, South Africa, Chile, France, and California, so there’s something to suit every preference. Browse our full collection of chilled reds here.
]]>Grenache (or Garnacha) is a vital ingredient to some of the world’s most famous wines. It’s absolutely essential to a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Priorat, Rioja, or a Côtes de Provence rosé. Grenache is perhaps best known as one of the Rhône blend’s holy trinity alongside Syrah and Mouvèdre, and the list goes on - even Burgundian winemakers used Grenache to beef up their Pinot back in the 17th century.
The Grenache grape brings body, spice and sometimes fiery alcohol to wine. But here’s the thing: because it lends itself so well to blends, it’s scarcely heralded as a variety in its own right.
The secret to Grenache’s success as a variety is its ability to thrive in climates others wouldn’t dare flower in. From unforgiving deserts to intense sunlight and the beating of the Mistral - these conditions are no inconvenience to the Grenache grape's tenacious old vines.
Because this grape is slow to ripen, these hot, continental climates naturally lead to rich and bold expressions. As a result, Grenache is often typecast as a powerful, unsubtle, beast of a wine, when there’s actually a lot more potential in this variety than many give it credit for.
More recently, more and more winemakers are leaning towards lighter, perfumed, more smashable expressions of Grenache - blends and varietal wines alike.
It’s one thing to make a different style of wine, but another thing entirely to convince the consumer that it’s worth drinking. In this way, Grenache wine has been in need of something of a PR campaign for some time. Indeed, Australia’s sun-drenched Barossa Valley is home to the world’s oldest Grenache vines (still producing fruit, mind), which were planted way back in 1850.
The first Grenache I ever tried was of this ilk: a big, spicy bottle from Navarra made from 40-year-old vines. It blew my head off. Completely drinkable, mind, but as a guilt-free 5pm glass on a school night? A total misfire. Although it pains me to admit it, that mis-judgement resulted in my own misconceptions of Grenache.
That is, until, I was greeted with a glass of something pink and effervescent for a tasting menu some months later. I’m one to leave myself in the hands of the sommelier in these situations (I’m all for being guided by someone far more experienced than me), so was none the wiser to what was in my glass. A swirl, a sip, and to me, it was a textbook Pinot-dominated sparkling wine. Swathes of strawberries, a subtle streak of citrus and a creamy mousse - you can imagine my surprise when I was told it was the same variety that had flushed my face several months earlier. It became apparent why Grenache is referred to as ‘the Pinot Noir of the south’. In the right hands, Grenache wine has the power to seriously defy expectations.
So how do you tame the Grenache grape that’s so famous for its power and body? You could source it from a cooler region or higher altitude vineyards like Daniel Landi does for his perfumed Garnachas from the Gredos mountains north of Madrid.
The Grenache grape calls for a much more attentive approach from the winemaker. When treated right, Grenache can deliver a vibrant, complex, perfumed style of wine. Instead of leaving the late-ripening grape to intensify on the vine, it can be picked early to retain its underrated aromatics and natural high acidity, like Dominik Huber does at Terroir al Limit. Other techniques include crushing and pressing at a low temperature, and there can also be a shorter period of maceration, especially if you’re making rosé.
Grenache wine’s biggest asset is also its downfall. The ease with which it elevates other grapes in a blend means that it’s often not often taken seriously as a varietal wine, but there are hidden gems to be found with both.
The Navarra region in Spain is less well known than neighbouring Rioja, but has a stash of old-vine Grenache. Young producers like Viña Zorzal are mapping their vineyards, and making fresh juicy expressions and complex, restrained single vineyard wines from Grenache.
On its own, Grenache expressions range from spicy and heady to bright and ethereal - a style that’s also becoming more prominent in blends. When it comes to these, don’t be afraid to head off the beaten track. Swap regions like Rioja and the Rhône for Australian, Sicilian, or South African styles - check out the Family Red or sublime Raaigras Grenache from Adi Badenhorst. Whichever route you go down, there will always be a new side to the Grenache grape to discover.
The current trend in the world of Grenache is leaning towards lighter, more elegant vintages that work especially well served chilled - Grenache that’s heavily extracted is always best served at room temperature. But when it comes to what’s next for Grenache, we’re as intrigued as you to find out.
See the latest from the world of Grenache and browse our full collection of Grenache blends here.
Header image Caitlin Isola @scaitboard
]]>When you open a box of delicious wine from us, you’ll notice that the packaging inside is a bit different than your usual run-of-the-mill wine case.
The internal packaging elements are called PulpSafe and are made from 100% recycled materials, which can also be easily recycled and are biodegradable. They also provide a great level of protection, so reduce the environmental impact of breakages significantly (we’ve sent hundreds of boxes out with minimal issues). They’re also lighter than other secure options which helps reduce the environmental impact of transportation.
The outer box is made from 85% recycled material and can also be fully recycled. We chose to move onto using non-coloured boxes (brown cardboard) as this requires less chemicals to produce, and they are printed using vegetable-based inks.
The tape we use to seal your box is printed using soya ink and uses a natural rubber for adhesion which means it’s 100% recyclable and biodegradable.
And those lovely packing slips with the outline of your order? That paper is also made from 100% recycled material. Our gift wrap takes things up a notch too, with all the tissue we use being recyclable, acid-free and printed using a soy based ink.
When we pack and repack orders, there is naturally a bit of cardboard waste that emerges. We are very conscious that a lot of ‘recycling’ programmes can end up in landfill, which is why we work with First Mile. This way we receive a report of where our waste goes, and how effectively it is recycled – currently we have a 100% recycle rate!
It’s very important for us to work with likeminded winemakers, producing wines in a way that’s good for the planet as much as its good for the soul. For us, sustainability in wine comes in many forms. The wine world as a whole (us included) talk a lot about the sustainability of farming vines and making wine, but often overlook other facets like economic and social sustainability.
We aim to always work with wines that have been made as sustainably as possible. Producers who treat the planet and vines with respect and do everything in their power to make wines in a way that supports Mother Nature. We don’t require a wine to have certifications to list them, as often attaining these certificates -organic/biodynamic etc - is a complex and expensive process. The relationship we’ve cultivated with producers allows us to have confidence in how they work, without needing the papers to back it up. We know them as individuals, speak to them, experience their passion and working methods.
Social sustainability is also very important to us. Winemaking is an industry that requires a lot of manpower, and the human element is one we try to consider as much as the environmental one. We aim to work with producers who care as much for their community and employees as their vines. Sustainability has many facets, and we try to take them all into consideration when deciding producers to work with and wines to offer our lovely customers. Great wines we love to drink, made by great people who are dedicated to sustainability and leaving the world better than they found it.
As a wine producer, the UK had no real identity, and even less diversity. At times, it felt as if we were copying/competing with the French (sigh) and not looking to the right places for inspiration on varieties, styles, farming and future proofing.
I’d had the idea for this jaunt for two or three years, but there was always a reason not to do it. When 2020 came around serving up the unholy trinity of a break-up, Covid, and cancer in a mere matter of months, the ‘Fuck it, let’s go!’ approach seemed entirely sensible.
The intention was to keep the itinerary fluid and flexible in keeping with the romantic notion of a road trip. Plus, proper planning runs the risk of realising the stupidity of the idea before setting off. So, in effect, I just set off - in a 38-year-old campervan I’d bought the week before. To give you an idea of how competent a driver I am not, I had to call the RAC out before I left my own street.
Anyway, back to English wine. The Sourcing Table team asked me to cover things such as:
I have no finite answers to any of these questions, I’m afraid.
As I said, this whole English wine road trip was very loosely planned. On day three, I awarded myself RAC’s Customer of the Year as I was being towed out of a field in Devon, while sourcing my own replacement parts. Fiendishly planned press trips with generous budgets were, at that point, looking rather more practical. But isn‘t life meant to be about the journey? I hate people who say things like that. Especially when you’re trying to get somewhere…
I’m most excited about the new still wines coming through, but the English sparkling wine offer gets bigger and better every year. It’s crucial for the sector not to be dominated by two or three brands focussed on challenging Champagne.
There are also more producers making other styles of wine, such as Col Fondo and Pet-Nat, which are great and accessible. Alternatively, they’re using Charmat (like Prosecco, which has by accounts ruffled some feathers) and carbonation to keep costs down.
English wine regionality hasn’t properly developed yet, and no one seems sure that it will. A lot of wine people are obsessed with place, but perhaps we don’t need to worry too much for now.
For perspective, the Loire Valley wine route stretches to 800km in length, and Trevibban to Tillingham is just under 500km. Granted, the Loire is massive, and has all sorts of climates and soil, but you get the point.
The south-east is lumped together as one, enjoying the ‘best’ soils and weather, but it all feels rather vague. The south-west is wet but workable, but good results can be achieved.
I had a brilliant time at the largely organic Trevibban Mill near Padstow, which shares a winemaker with Oxney, an organic estate in East Sussex, and is the home to the wonderful Wild Wine School who run a brilliant hybrid programme of WSET courses and others focused on sustainable viticulture and low intervention English winemaking, all taught outside in the vineyard.
English wine’s move away from traditional-method sparkling wine has brought interest in other varieties and vessels, with some used to bring out the best of the hybrids historically planted here.
Tim Phillips of Charlie Herring planted Riesling and then Sauvignon; Ancre Hill in Monmouthshire planted Albariño; and Ben Walgate at Tillingham has 20 varieties, including Gamay and Trousseau and makes dozens of cuvées, several in qvevri. I can’t think of a better way to explore, discover and develop what English wine is or can be than with this ambitious and experimental approach. Ben’s most recent Pinot Noirs from 2020 have a purity, elegance and drinkability all of their own. No faux Burgundy aspirations here - how refreshing.
That said, I hope English wine producers can look to the centuries of experience of other countries and learn from them in a much shorter space of time. The environment, lack of biodiversity and depletion of soil health is now an urgent concern. To plant a vineyard or set up a winery that doesn’t ensure a reasonable and responsible level of protective and regenerative husbandry feels wrong and out of touch. I’ve never really bought the attitude that it’s impossible to produce organic or biodynamic wines in the UK due to the climate - especially when the likes of Davenport, Tillingham, Ancre Hill, and more prove otherwise.
We’re lucky to be able to watch a new region lay its foundations and make its mark - you can’t do that in Bordeaux or Piedmont, can you? I’m being facetious, of course. But we’ll never get this time again and future generations will just have to read about it.
Should people drink more English wine? Of course they should, but then I think people should drink more wine in general.
However, the price of English wine is pretty exclusive, and I don’t believe in making people feel guilty for drinking cheaper from elsewhere.
Another thing we’re missing is the romance of wine and food culture that even a bottle of cheap Rioja, Bordeaux, or Chianti can conjure up, even if you know full well the chateau on the label and the story of the family is a load of nonsense.
I get frustrated with the comparisons people make to other countries or regions - something I am guilty of too. But I get even more frustrated when the industry makes comparisons, as if the aim is to imitate. Maybe I’m being harsh, we all need a framework or compass to direct us. How do you know if what you’re doing is ‘good’ or even on the right track, if there’s no comparison? But to bastardise the phrase: England should be itself; every other country is taken.
My favourite English wine producers are those that have travelled and worked abroad, or at least drink far and wide - people with a passion for wine in general. I met a few who didn’t seem to really drink much wine at all, which seemed odd, or only drank what they made. If you only drink your own wine, how do you know if it’s any good?
Speaking of good English wine, The Sourcing Table has a few.
Will Davenport has been proving organic farming is entirely viable in this country for years, and continues to be an inspiration to many. His English wines are bright, pure and clean; not to mention keenly priced and frankly difficult to not drink. His traditional sparkling English rosé and Horsmondon Dry white blend are £32.50 and £16.50 respectively (in home turf terms, this is very reasonable).
Busi-Jacobsohn is a new English wine producer, with their first vintage in 2017. I was impressed when I visited them last autumn. They’re not messing around - they’re smart and accomplished for such a new outfit, run by a very cool Swedish couple Douglas and Susanna. Try their 2018 Brut.
So, where does that leave the future of English wine? In a few short years, we’ve now got smart wines, quirky wines, natural wines and commercial wines, packaged in cans and kegs, as well as traditional bottles.
English wine is currently a little all over the place, and I wouldn’t say it’s found its direction yet, but that certainly makes for an exciting time. But does it even need a direction?
English wine is on a journey and, as I’ve found, journeys aren’t always plain sailing, but sometimes the wrong turns lead to the most exciting discoveries. So perhaps you’ll consider serving a bottle of something a little more local at your next dinner party.
From English wines produced at leading Sussex vineyards to stunning vintages from the producers of Kent, there’s a fantastic selection of English wines waiting to be discovered at The Sourcing Table. Shop the full collection here.
]]>While for many of us the past year has meant a change of rhythm, for winemakers the seasons and the work in the vineyard continues as normal. Theresa Breuer, one of the most energetic winemakers I've met, has used this year, when she couldn't do her usual travelling, to focus a bit more at home.
Many people in the UK still have a view of German white wine as off-dry, slightly insipid, as a hangover from the tides of Blue Nun in the 80s.
I asked Theresa how she goes about changing hearts and minds about German wine and Riesling in particular.
"There was a huge market and a big demand for these wines, people were obviously drinking and enjoying them! However they didn't help people step up [to higher quality German wines]. Liebfraumilch was based on a quality idea - the sweet wines Germany was historically known for - and it's up to us to bring quality wines back.
"When you speak to wine professionals, who work with food for pairings, they love Riesling. It's on us to transfer that to the consumer".
"It was a smart move around 30 years ago to focus on dry wines, the opposite of what German wines were known for. Riesling is a great grape to showcase dry, pure wines that stand out for their origin. Germany has such a long history with Riesling and the grape is identified with us. So we have to keep delivering the quality, make sure the wines are as good as we want them to be".
Change in wine regions often comes with a generational change of stewardship. Today's winemakers are well educated, well-travelled, and have often worked vintages in other regions. In Germany they have a programme called Generation Riesling, for producers under 35, aimed at celebrating exponents of ‘the new Germany’.
Theresa is part of Generation Riesling, I asked her what fresh ideas this group are bringing to German wines.
"The most positive thing is that the generation coming now has a much wider knowledge. They've tasted wines from all over the world, seen other ways of producing wine, and they're confident about what they can do. Understanding our own individual experience is so important. The biggest change is the acceptance of us as producers who can be part of the quality wine game, on our own individual terms.
"It's a more open-minded generation, that loves Riesling, and so plays with it in a slightly different way".
"If you have that feeling you start to think differently, establish new ideas. We see the potential due to our tradition and history, we just have to deliver quality and the personality behind the wines".
Riesling is renowned for expressing the region and soils on which it's grown. I asked Theresa to explain how Rheingau Riesling compares to the Mosel, Austria and Alsace.
"Rheingau is a cool region, compared to Austria or Alsace, we're further north, and this is something you taste in our wines. But also in our region, and Rheingau is really tiny only 3,300 hectares, we're situated on the right bank of the river Rhein where it changes direction. Due to the geology the river takes a curve, and the vineyards have a southern exposure. This allows us to build more flavour and ripeness in our grapes, due to the sunshine we get”.
Theresa on Rheingau Riesling: "They're traditionally dry, with fruitiness, a minerality from the slate and quartite soils, balanced by acidity".
"Mosel wines are a bit tighter with fresher acidity, and traditionally a tiny touch sweeter to balance the acidity. This is something we don't need because we have a natural balance in our wine. But we're still north so we don't reach 13% alcohol like hey often do in Austria and Alsace making their wines richer".
Climate change is a concern for winemakers. I asked Theresa how she sees it affecting her vineyards and how they are dealing with it.
"We've learned that it doesn't work to work against nature, you have to find ways to adapt, it's a lot about reaction. In recent years the seasons haven't followed their calendar timing. So we have to be flexible, work with these new conditions we're having to face.
"Lower rainfall is a bigger concern for us than increasing temperature. Riesling is fine developing in a slightly higher temperature range and we can adapt to more sun using canopy management. But we don't have an answer yet for the lack of water, we're considering irrigation in the steepest sites to encourage vines to establish deeper roots which can access more water themselves.
“Being organic brings a calmer spirit and balance into things. The closer you work with nature at all levels, the vines have an inner strength, they're not waiting for chemical help”.
The 2019 vintage was challenging in the vineyard but has received amazing reviews. James Suckling asked: is 2019 Germany's 100 pint vintage? Calling it: the best vintage I have ever tasted for German Riesling in my four-decade career. We're delighted to have a section of 2019 Georg Breuer wines on The Sourcing Table. Does Theresa think it lives up to the hype?
"It was another dry warm year [as was 2018], so the vines didn't have water resources left. And we had heat peaks, over 40 degrees at times. We could see parts of the grapes were burned even though we tried to cover them with the leaves, it was tough, hard to see our vines fighting. In the end the grapes were tiny and extremely concentrated. We had very intense flavours in the grapes, and harvest was later so it was a nice balance of acidity which you keep better with later, cooler harvests.
"We had high acidity with a lot of concentration, but low yields, half of what we picked in 2018. The wines have a lot of structure, intensity, they're probably great for ageing.
"It's a classic Riesling year for flavour and intensity and acidity in the wines. It's a vintage for Riesling lovers".
"2018 is a great door opener if you're just starting to get to know Riesling, it's more gentle. But 2019 is the vintage to follow".
When I visited Theresa in 2018 she explained about the patchwork of parcels of vines they own. Depending on how warm or cool, wet or dry a vintage is different plots thrive. Theresa and her team vinify and keep each plot separate, giving them a palette for their final blending. Had any of the Crus performed particularly well in 2019?
"There's not one star in 2019. They're all so loaded, they carry their character and typicity very well this year. Berg Rottland is more fruit driven and opens up a little earlier. Schlossberg is the warmest plot and develops an intense ripeness, it's a little more creamy and rounder, but extremely mineral. 2019 is a year that points out the nerve and soul of the different sites".
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