South Africa

South Africa may be the best country in the world to go wine tasting: most of the wine regions are within an hour or two's drive from the major city of Cape Town, many of them are located near the beautiful Atlantic coast, and the wine, like the food, is incredibly cheap. The low prices are in part because of the weak rand; this is great for the international consumer, but it is not particularly good for either the South African economy or the wine industry. A common complaint I heard from producers during my visit to South Africa is that the wine is "too cheap": the best wines simply do not fetch the prices that other countries can charge. Land and labour cost little, and the domestic market will not pay much more than 100 rand for a bottle. That’s about $8 right now, and I know of no other market where high quality wine is available for that price (and the mark-up in restaurants is very small).

Despite enjoying the low prices, I understand the concerns of those within the industry. In the UK, South African wine is very popular because of its affordability, but it's difficult to persuade customers to spend as much on a bottle as from, say, France or California. Meanwhile, in the US, those consumers who like to spend money on wine will choose a $100 bottle of Cabernet from Napa over a $30 bottle from Stellenbosch, even though they're the same quality - $100 sounds much more impressive than $30.

But while South African wine remains so affordable, there's no more consumer friendly wine market. I was there for just eleven days, which allowed me a short introduction to the country's diverse wine regions, and how they are fast developing.

Constantia 

South Africa's modern, international wine industry is very young, going back to the fall of apartheid in the 1990s. At the same time, winemaking dates as far back as many of Europe’s regions. Farms - as locals describe wineries - were established in the late 1500s, and the industry flourished in the late 1700s and early 1800s, before collapsing due to favourable tariffs in the UK being removed in the 1860s and the onset of phylloxera.

The wine that set the standard for South Africa two hundred years ago was the sweet white of Constantia, just south of Cape Town. It was as highly prized as any wine in Europe; no other "New World" wine, and few European wines, came close to its reputation or price. After the collapse of the wine industry and twentieth-century government protectionism, the wine had long ceased to be made before it was regenerated in the mid-1980s by Klein Constantia. This was part of a small number of conscious efforts by producers to revive the production of quality wine in South Africa, which laid the foundations for the post-apartheid boom. Now, Klein Constantia have over 75 hectares planted on the steep slopes rising up from False Bay, the winds from which make Constantia one of the coolest in South Africa.

Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2013 (895 rand; $65)

Vin de Constance is mainly made from Muscat de Frontignan, harvested over the course of two months, from fresh, young grapes until the last to be picked are almost like raisins. The wine is rich and sweet, with expressive aromas of honey, marmalade, orange peel, and dried apricots, the sweetness on the palate lifted by a refreshing acidity, with a long finish of sweet spice aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. A complex wine that most likely has several decades' life left in it. ✪✪✪✪✪✪

Tulbagh 

Wine production in the twentieth century was dominated by sweet, cheap white wines. It’s hard to imagine an area as warm as Tulbagh - despite being part of the Coastal Region, it's 75km inland from the coast - but things have changed over the last twenty years, mirroring the advance in South African wine since the fall of apartheid. Instead, the focus is now on Shiraz, which suits the warm climate that's still moderated by cool breezes from the sea and the protection of the surrounding mountains.

view from Saronsberg vineyards

For all the interesting Shiraz being made, Tulbagh is also home to what I consider the country’s best Pinotage. Pierre Wahl is the winemaker at Rijk’s and makes three different Pinotages (as well as Chenin Blanc and Shiraz), under three different labels: A Touch of Oak (a terrible name, but the wines are very accessible), Private Cellar, and Reserve. The wines get better with each label, but maintain their quality throughout the range.

Pinotage has the often well-deserved reputation of being bitter, with an imbalanced combination of underripe and overripe aromas. However, all three of Rijk’s wines are quality examples of Pinotage. I asked Pierre what distinguishes the best Pinotage - i.e. his - from lesser examples, and his answer was enlightening:

• Pinotage is a high yielding grape, so yields need to be contained by planting on low quality soils and stressing the vines
• Bunches are very tightly packed and don't receive the sun evenly; to counter this, the canopy should be cut back while the berries are very small so that they can receive extra sun and load up on sugar before the bunches are fully set
• Pinotage is high in malic acid, which is why, after malolactic fermentation, it can lose a lot of its acidity and feel very flat and flabby: acidification is necessary before the MLF begins

Pierre convinced me, through his wine and his observations, that Pinotage is a grape capable of producing high-quality wine. Nevertheless, his were the only evidence of that opinion I tasted throughout the trip: the winemaker has to be fully committed to Pinotage to make memorable wine out of it.

Rijk's Reserve Pinotage 2013 (375 rand; $27)

The top range Pinotage is made from 70% bush vines, which add extra concentration. Although the wine has rich aromas of ripe red and black fruits, there's great structure, with firm tannins, a spicy finish, and a long, lingering finish. There's a subtlety to this wine that's so often lacking from the obvious chocolate, coffee aromas of most Pinotage. ✪✪✪✪✪✪

Saronsberg Full Circle 2014 (400 rand; $29)

Saronsberg produce a range of Rhône reds, and this wine brings them all together. Mainly Shiraz, with Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Viognier also in the blend, the Full Circle has ripe, spicy, smoky characteristics, attractive floral aromas from the Viogner, and ripe but firm tannins. Still a young wine, with the structure to age well. ✪✪✪✪✪

Stellenbosch 

view from Vergelegen of one of Stellenbosch's many mountains

Stellenbosch is the Napa of South Africa: full-bodied Cabernet-based wines that are more expensive than anywhere else in the country, and where the tasting room is as important as the wine. It’s a beautiful region, cooled by the nearby Atlantic coast but warm enough to get Cabernet Sauvignon grapes fully ripe. The mountains also shape the region, resulting in different climates: wind is an especial factor, blowing in from the coast and buffeted around by the many mountains. This is the one region where producers - often backed by international money - are trying to make wine that can compete internationally, both commercially and in terms of quality. In that, those wines can taste little different from other full-bodied, ripe reds from the New World, though there is slightly more of a herbaceous quality and the wines are usually not quite as extracted as, say, those of Napa.

As elsewhere in South Africa, there are good Shiraz/Syrah-based wines being made, the warm climate giving the wines an attractive voluptuousness. There are also some very good whites, and it was very pleasing to see Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc blends. This is the classic white Bordeaux blend, but it has been much neglected in recent years in favour of single-varietal Sauvignon Blanc. Again, the warm climate, together with some oak ageing, gives the wines full richness, but the acidity of both the grapes keeps the wines refreshing. These are extremely good food wines (fish, white meat), convenient given that many of Stellenbosch wineries have excellent restaurants.

De Toren Z 2013 (330 rand; $24)

It was pleasing to find a producer (from anywhere, not just South Africa) willing to take Merlot seriously. Although it's only 50% of the blend, it's the backbone of the wine and there are engaging, balanced aromas of smoke and tobacco, herbs and sweet spices, ripe but not overripe red and black fruits, with gripping, textured tannins. ✪✪✪✪✪

Waterford Kevin Arnold Shiraz 2012 (210 rand; $15)

Another Shiraz-based wine - in this case, blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre - that demonstrates the potential for the grape in South Africa's diverse climates. The wine, named after the winemaker, is full of black pepper, liquorice, earth, and blackberry aromas, but what really makes the wine stand out is the dusty tannins which make it especially reminiscent of the Rhône. ✪✪✪✪✪

Vergelegen GVB 2013 (340 rand; $24)

Taking their Bordeaux influence to an extreme, the top wine of Vergelegen (don't even try to pronounce it unless you speak Dutch or Afrikaans) is a Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc blend. On its own, with rich aromas of stone and tropical fruits, beeswax, vanilla, nuts, salt, and cumin, this is an interesting, powerful wine. With food, it becomes something else. We ate at the on-site Camphors restaurant and this wine paired superbly with the pork belly dish, cutting through the fat and sweetness of the pork, which in turn subdued some of the wine's intense aromas. ✪✪✪✪✪

Elgin/Walker Bay/Elim 

Very different were the wines a little further along the coast. Wind and coastal influence are so important in South Africa, and nowhere more so than the Elgin, Walker Bay, and Elim regions, which are all an hour’s drive together east from Stellenbosch. Although the sun beats down on the regions, the wind is noticeably cooling. This makes the regions great for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and, most unusually for South Africa, Pinot Noir. These wines are still full of ripe fruit aromas and not tame by any means, but the acidity is refreshing and crisp in the whites and the tannins firm and gripping in the reds that they take on a different aspect from other wines in South Africa.

Paul Cluver Estate Pinot Noir 2014 (180 rand; $13)

Travelling through the Southern Hemisphere has one disadvantage: the warm climates make it hard to find quality Pinot Noir. Elgin's cooler climate, however, is well suited to the variety and the nose of this example immediately took us away from the warm sunshine of Stellenbosch. Smoky, with aromas of wild strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, coffee, black pepper, and liquorice, and with really gripping, grainy tannins, this is one of the few New World Pinot Noirs I could confuse for Burgundy - and at a ridiculously good price. ✪✪✪✪✪

Hamilton-Russell Hemel-en-Aarde Chardonnay 2016 (395 rand; $28)

It's rare to taste a wine so young that already has such deep complexity. It was bottled just three weeks before we tasted it; no surprise that the acidity was so fresh, but the aromas of stone and tropical fruits, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and a smoky texture were astonishingly developed. We immediately bought a bottle of this wine and drank it with our sandwiches while we looked over the lake next to the tasting room. Like the Paul Cluver, this was a wine that could be mistaken for Burgundy (though at a not dissimilar price) - Walker Bay and Elgin are regions to look out for. ✪✪✪✪✪✪

Hamilton-Russell, Walker Bay

As important as the cooling influence as the Atlantic Ocean is, South Africa’s climate, even by the coast, is still warm. Alcohol is high, fruits are ripe, and the wines are rich. In a climate as sunny as South Africa’s, that’s how it should be. The country, after a century of isolationism, is still learning its trade. Because of the value of its wines, it may at times struggle to be taken seriously, but take advantage of the low prices to taste some very, very good wine.

Uruguay

Through football, Uruguay is famous for its street-fighting spirit, forged from lying between the two major giants of South America, Brazil and Argentina. Essentially created as a buffer between the two, Uruguay is a small country of just 3m people which features aspects of both countries - the language has a Brazilian shush to it, while the meat-based food is similar to Argentina’s. Uruguay is, however, quite distinct from the two countries, as its wine shows.
 

view from Alto de la Ballena

the climate 

Uruguay is over 1,000km from Mendoza, and unsurprisingly its climate is quite different. Situated on the Atlantic coast, Uruguay is much wetter and more humid than neighbouring Argentina or, indeed, Pacific Chile. This has a big impact: grape varieties must be hardy enough to withstand the humid, wet, and often windy conditions; the vineyard needs a lot of attention; and the style of wine is less ripe and full-bodied. The climate is not dissimilar to Bordeaux’s and, like most of Bordeaux, it’s difficult to get Cabernet Sauvignon fully ripe.

the regions 

The historic vineyards of Uruguay are situated around Montevideo, almost in a semi-circle, where Canelones, to the east, is the most known. To the north, on the Brazilian border where the climate gets more humid, is Cerra Chapeu, where the first plantings were in the 1970s. Another recent region is Maldonado, near the ocean and subject to particularly wet, windy weather. Alto de la Ballena were the first winery here, buying their first land in just 2001. There’s a mixture of tradition and innovation, found in other South American countries, that can make Uruguay quite unpredictable.

tannat 

tannat and its large leaves

Tannat dominates plantings and it sets Uruguay apart from other wine-producing regions around the world where the variety is little planted. The grape originates from south-west France, where the main appellation is Madiran, and, like Malbec, it was brought over in the mid-nineteenth century during the wave of phylloxera-driven emigration. It can be a difficult grape to grow, requiring attention in the vineyard to manage its large leaves that can shield grapes from the sun and prevent ventilation, but it’s suited to the climate of Uruguay as its robust berries can withstand fungal pests. It’s planted all over the country, more bitter and tannic near the coast, softer and fuller bodied further inland.

In Madiran, the wines can be incredibly tannic, ready to drink only after many years ageing. This is in part due to the grape variety, but also because of long periods of extraction which make the wine very difficult to drink when young. In Uruguay, the wines are more approachable, due to less extraction and also because the grapes get riper on the vine. Even so, on its own Tannat can be quite astringent and is arguably best in a blend - either in a main or a supporting role. Back in the 1970s, wines from Tannat were often blends to soften the wine, then 100% Tannat took over as international consumers are more receptive to single-varietal wines. Blends are coming back, though; for instance, adding Merlot certainly makes the wine more immediately attractive, while still giving the wine ageing potential.

What I noted about wines from Tannat is that they have a consistent herbal quality, with aromas of fennel, oregano, and tarragon, which makes the wines quite distinctive. Although the fruits are riper than a wine from Madiran, the wines are still not forward or overly expressive. There’s a subtlety to them, with firm tannins to give the wine backbone which allows a period of oak ageing without fear of domination from the oak.

other grape varieties 

Quite a few people I met argued that, rather than Tannat, the most suitable grape for Uruguay is Merlot. Unfortunately, it’s a difficult sell, particularly abroad, but Uruguayan wines made from Merlot can be world class. The grape ripens before the autumn rains come and the small berries withstand the humid conditions. The Alto de la Ballena 2010 Merlot was as good a wine as I’ve tasted on this trip so far: smoky, intense red and black fruits, and really alive, despite some age, with high acidity and gripping tannins. It’s what high-quality Merlot tastes like, and it’s a shame that the UK and US markets are so unreceptive to Merlot that the winery is unable to export the wine.

White wines are also high quality. Uruguay’s climate is cool enough for the wines to have refreshing high acidity: Chardonnay is the most planted white grape, but Sauvignon Blanc is more interesting with a crisp, mineral drive. My favourite white wine of the trip was an Albariño, another grape whose thick skins are ideal for holding up to wet weather. From Garzon, a relatively large producer, the Albariño wasn’t quite as floral or aromatic as wines from Rías Baixas often are, but there was a wonderful crisp, stone, mineral aspect to the wine.

It will be interesting to see how Uruguay develops, and if it’s able to make its mark on the world stage in the presence of such major players as Chile and Argentina. Like its football team, the country punches above its weight and the wines are exported to Brazil, Europe, and the US. Tannat is the grape that will continue to drive Uruguay’s market, but if you're visiting look out for the white wines and reds from Merlot and, another grape with high potential, Cabernet Franc.

Mendoza

pergola trained vines

Although Mendoza is just 250km from Santiago de Chile (in contrast, it's 1,000km from the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires), it's immediately very different, not least in the fact that the Spanish is more easily comprehensible. The Italian influence is apparent, in the amount of coffee drunk, the milanesa steaks and the better food, as well as the tall pergola vines grown throughout the Mendoza region. The latter is something only a wine geek would spot, but it does show how Argentina's wine culture has been heavily shaped by immigration, not only from Italy but also France and Spain.

There are some definite similarities with Chile. The export market is important, and producers are looking towards cooler regions such as Salta to the north to provide greater variety for those markets. But it's the differences which are more interesting, particularly as Argentina's culture is more wrapped up in wine (and food) than Chile's.

mendoza

Mendoza is a very large region. Of Argentina's 1,400 wineries, 1,250 are in Mendoza. On a map, getting from one sub-region to another, or even one winery to another, looks like a short trip, but it's something of an ordeal travelling around (and don't rely on either google or apple maps!), as the areas are so spread out. This explains the subtle variety of climates and styles of wine which makes Mendoza such a fascinating and popular wine-producing region.

The city of Mendoza itself is vibrant, bustling with traffic till late in the evening. This is not the centre of wine production, however. Fifteen kilometres to the south is Lujan de Cuyo, which is where quality wineries begin to be based. The land rises from 750m elevation in Mendoza to 950m south of Lujan, to over 1,000m - and even as high as 2,000m - in the Uco Valley. It is at this altitude that some of the more interesting wines are being made. There's plenty of sunshine to get the grapes fully ripe, but the heat is less intense and the afternoons much cooler than the flatter vineyards to the north and east. This results in wines of a balanced restraint and a refreshing acidity.

To the east of Mendoza is Maipú, lacking the elevation of Uco and therefore producing simpler, fruitier wines from the warm climate. Mendoza is a hot region, which is why altitude is so important to lessen its impact. Tasting a wine, especially Malbec, from Maipú and one from Uco really emphasises this.

Andes behind the vineyards

malbec

Argentinian wine is synonymous with Malbec, even though this is a relatively recent development. The grape was brought over by immigrants from Bordeaux and south-west France in the mid-nineteenth century in the wake of the phylloxera epidemic that struck Europe. Until the late 1980s, due to financial crises and dictatorships, Argentinian wine was simple and for local production - in the 1970s, Argentinians drank a remarkable 100 litres of wine a year per person.

The last 30 years have seen a transformation in the quality of Argentinian wine, and it's been led by Malbec. This grape has given the industry a unique position in the wine world, as in France it's now limited to the small, though high-quality, region of Cahors. The grape succeeds in Mendoza because it needs the warm climate in order to ripen fully, but in the mean time the cool nights slow the ripening down which retains the acidity and prevents over-ripeness.

Altos los Hormigas Valle de Uco Terroir Malbec 2015 (230 pesos in a restaurant; $15)

This was the first wine we tasted after arriving in Mendoza (at the excellent Fuente y Fonda restaurant), and we were so surprised by how restrained this Malbec was in contrast to so many fruity examples we've previously tried. This shows how the altitude of Uco Valley transforms Malbec into a very different style of wine. Wines in both Mendoza and Buenos Aires restaurants represent extremely good value. ✪✪✪✪

torrontés

However, Malbec's dominance can prevent customers from seeking out other Argentinian wines. That's why producers are investing in regions to the north and south to produce cooler-climate wines. At the same time, they've also been looking towards grape varieties other than Malbec as a way of advertising Argentina's potential diversity. Chardonnay is an international variety much planted, but it's Torrontés, which like Malbec has the unique characteristic of being grown little elsewhere in the world, that producers use to distinguish Argentina from the rest of the world. It's a problematic grape, though. It's incredibly aromatic, with rich floral, pear, and grape aromas. Locally, it's called 'The Liar,' because there's a perception of sweetness on the nose despite the wine being completely dry on the palate. In this, it's like Voignier. Also similarly to Viognier, it lacks acidity, and often feels flabby and flat; alcohol too can be overly high. To compensate these difficutlies, grapes are grown at the high altitude of Salta where the cool nights can raise acidity and reduce alcohol. Despite this, alcohol can reach over 14% and I am still to encounter a wine made from Torrontés that truly convinces.

Susana Balbo White Blend 2015 (550 pesos; $36)

The exception perhaps comes in a blend: the best wine I tried featuring Torrontés was a Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc-Torrontés blend from Susana Balbo (Argentina's first female winemaker and now a senator). Torrontés adds body and rich aromatics to the waxy herbaceousness of the other grapes, which in turn compensate Torrontés's lack of acidity. ✪✪✪✪

bonarda 

Another grape variety which could serve as a direct alternative to Malbec is Bonarda. Known as Douce in France, Croatina in north-west Italy, and Charbono in California, Bonarda is the second-most planted grape in Argentina. It's fun, fruity, with rich aromas of plums and chocolates. It's often used for inexpensive wine or in blends with Malbec, but the odd single-varietal wine stands out. The fruitiness of the wines, whether cheap or expensive, is very appealing; the best examples go from being jammy to having a firm tannic structure and a smoky quality.

Zuccardi Emma Bonarda 2014 (580 pesos; $38)

One of Argentina's biggest - 2m cases a year - and oldest producers, Zuccardi produce everything from entry level to incredibly expensive. This is probably the most expensive Bonarda I have tried and it was fantastic. Smoky, fruity, tannic, upfront, but very balanced. ✪✪✪✪✪

A week in Chile

For a long time now, my wife and I have talked, at times wistfully, about going on a big wine trip to explore different regions and experience first-hand where the wines we enjoy so much come from. Well, we finally took the plunge, quit our jobs, and have just embarked on a nine-week tour that will encompass Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. I'll be blogging as I go along, sharing what I learn; like the trip the blog starts with Chile. 

climate 

We're here at the end of November, just as Chile's summer is beginning. No surprise that the weather is warm, but the heat in the afternoon is intense, the sun beating down relentlessly. There are moderating factors, however, which add to the quality of the wines. Breezes blow in from the ocean, which can still be felt in the foothills of the Andes. Fog can roll in too, though not beyond the coastal regions. The nights are cool, the temperature dropping drastically, which helps most of all to prevent the grapes from becoming overripe. 

Chile's climate is by no means uniform. As a whole, it can be split into three: coastal, the valley, and the Andes, going from cool to warm to moderate. There are lots of specific variants to these climates which have the potential to make Chile's wines more interesting, relating to proximity to the sea, exposure to the sun, protection from the wind, and altitude. 

Viña Aquitania, Maipo Valley

Our first visit was to Viña Aquitania, in the suburbs of Santiago but also in the foothills of the Andes (the buildings of Santiago are not attractive, but the backdrop of the Andes is spectacular). As we felt the breeze gently blow, our guide explained how this western part of Maipo Valley was cooler than the lower, eastern part, mainly due to the much cooler nights at higher altitude as well as the wind. As a result, the fruits in the wine are less ripe and obvious.

There are local variants on the coastal side of Chile too. The coolest parts of Casablanca are the lowest vineyards, as they are most exposed to the ocean; the warmest are higher up away from the ocean. Again, this produces different styles: Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca's most distinctive grape, is grassy and vegetal in the cooler vineyards, more tropical and full-bodied in the warmer, higher ones. 

styles 

Overall, the wines are ripe and fruity. Often, this ripe fruitiness can be too obvious, a simplicity the best producers are working to move away from through site selection. Other producers tend towards oak to compensate for simplicity. 

The most interesting variety is arguably Syrah, particularly from the cooler San Antonio and Casablanca regions. It's spicy and smoky, but immediate and appealing with ripe black and blueberries. Inland, it’s bigger, bolder, and more tannic. The coastal regions also produce crisp, acidic Sauvignon Blanc with pleasant fruit aromas ranging from green to tropical fruits. Pinot Noir is being grown in different parts of Chile in attempts to make styles of wine that reflect the country's varied climates, but even from the cooler areas such as Casablanca or the southern Malleco, I've found it too fruity.

Carmenère 

Such is the wide range of grape varieties grown in Chile that there has been an understandable attempt to focus on just one in order to give Chilean wine a discernible identity. The chosen variety is Carmenère, a Bordeaux grape planted in Chile back in the nineteenth century, when it got confused with Merlot. Given that virtually nowhere else plants Carmenère, there's certainly room for Chile to carve out a niche. However, there is a good reason no one else plants Carmenère: it's just not that interesting and even the best wines offer little other than blackcurrant aromas. There is perhaps a future for Carmenère away from single-varietal wines in the guise it was originally used in Bordeaux - in blends; Carmenère can add structure, tannins, and black fruits, and distinguish a wine from other Bordeaux blends made around the world. 

the market 

Much of Chile's wine is exported, as there is relatively little domestic demand for the wines. This is a country in thrall to beer and pisco, rather than the cheap wines locals remember past generations drinking. Most visitors to wineries are foreign, and the best wine bar in Santiago, Bocanariz, was almost solely filled with tourists. This influences Chile's producers in several ways. Domestically, brands dominate and consumers rely on scores, as there is little interest in finding small, unknown producers. All producers, whatever their size, have to appeal to the international market, which is why so many good-value but simple wines are produced. It also explains why so many varieties are grown, from Sauvignon Blanc to Chardonnay to Merlot to Malbec, in order to appeal to an international audience used to single-varietal wines. The result is a dependable style of wine, but based more on international trends than local taste. 

the future 

Viña Montes, Colchagua

Speaking to those in the wine industry while I’ve been here, I’ve heard a lot of debate about the quality of Chile’s wines and whether they will ever come close to the great wines that have been made in France for centuries. It’s certainly frustrating that Chileans are not more interested in their wine, and that lack of domestic interest holds the industry back. It must be remembered, however, that although winemaking in Chile goes back to the 16th century, Chilean wine in its modern incarnation is relatively young. The Casablanca region saw the first grapes planted in 1982, while many of the wineries I visited were only established in the 1990s onwards. There is still a lot to learn about the different regions, particularly the cool ones near the coast and those far to the south such as Bío-Bío and Itata. It may take some time for these regions to fully express themselves, but there is potential, should the industry choose to follow it, for Chile to make wine of more consistently high quality than it currently does.

wines  

These are some of the highlights of our tastings. They’re more expensive than most Chilean wine sold domestically or abroad, but they give an indication of what the best producers are trying to achieve and that Chile’s wines can go beyond the ordinary.

Viña Aquitania Sol de Sol Chardonnay 2012 (17,000 pesos - $25) 

Many Chilean producers source grapes from different regions in order to produce the many styles of wine that the international market demands. Although Viña Aquitania are based outside Santiago, the grapes for their Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay come from Malleco, the southernmost region in Chile where just a handful of producers work. This Chardonnay is aged for nine months on its lees, giving it a nutty, biscuity feel. The cooler climate of Malleco ensures high acidity, making this a refreshing wine, with stone and tropical fruit aromas that aren’t too overripe. ✪✪✪✪

Viña Montes Folly 2007 (80,000 pesos - $120) 

Of the 800,000 cases Viña Montes produces, 95% of them are for export, showing just how dependent producers are on the international market. They make a wide range of wines, from the everyday drinking to the very expensive. Tasting this wine was our first indication of the great potential Syrah has. It’s named "Folly" because Montes were the first to plant in the hills in warm Colchagua, even in the 1990s deemed a foolish thing to do. At nine years old, there’s a wonderful, expressive maturity to the wine, with a beautiful nose of smoke, chocolate, coffee, tobacco, and violets, but it’s still big and bold, with blackberry and spicy black pepper and liquorice aromas. ✪✪✪✪✪✪

Matetic EQ Syrah 2013 (12,000 pesos - $18) 

Another Syrah, this time from San Antonio near the coast making the wine a bit less big and bold than the Folly. The warm days still give plenty of ripe fruits (blackberry, blueberry), but there’s a perfumed nose of violets, vanilla, and cedar to give the wine an attractive balance. Very drinkable, particularly at the price. ✪✪✪✪

Loma Larga Malbec 2013 (17,000 pesos - $25)

Loma Larga are another young producer focusing on quality from their small property in Casablanca. This Malbec, unusual as the grape is so strongly associated with neighbouring rivals Argentina, demonstrates the potential of Casablanca's cooler climate. This climate makes the Malbec very distinctive, more like one from the Loire than Mendoza. It's very restrained with high acidity, firm, light tannins, and aromas of brambles, violets, fennel, and a light pepper spice that lingers on the finish. ✪✪✪✪✪

Montsecano, Casablanca

Refugio Pinot Noir 2013 (20,000 pesos - $30)

In a country of overripe Pinot Noir, the best wine from the grape variety by far is the Montsecano from Casablanca. It’s a joint project between Julio Donoso, a photographer who lived in France for nineteen years, and André Ostertag, one of Alsace’s great and most distinctive winemakers. The grapes are grown on a steep hill just seven kilometres from the coast on difficult red clay soils with as little irrigation as possible. The second wine, Refugio, is similar in style, some of the grapes coming from Montsecano and the majority from a nearby vineyard. Neither of the wine is aged in any oak, which Donoso views as too dangerous with a high chance of contaminating the wine. Instead, they’re aged in concrete eggs, although the Refugio sees more stainless steel than the Montsecano. The Refugio is an intense wine, with almost underripe fruit aromas of raspberry, red cherry, blackcurrant, and blackberry and bitter, herbal aromas of mint and fennel. Donoso told us that he finds beauty in the imperfections of a wine; this is a great example of a wine whose unusual distinctive qualities repeatedly draw you in. ✪✪✪✪✪✪

Huaso de Sauzal Pais 2014 (28,000 pesos in a restaurant - $42)

This is a suitable wine to finish on, as it perhaps shows that Chile’s future best lies far back in the past. The first vines in Chile were planted by Spanish missionaries in the 1530s for religious purposes. The simple grape used to make wine for Mass is called Mission in California, Criolla Chica in Argentina, and Pais in Chile. There are still plenty of old Pais vines planted, particularly in the warm Maule Valley, and arguably it is those old vines that Chilean winemakers should be focusing on to distinguish Chile from other countries, rather than Carmenère. Drunk with a delicious rabbit dish on our last night in Santiago in Bocanariz, this Pais from Cauquenes in the Maule Valley was an extraordinary, quite delicious wine that was almost like a Pinot with restrained red fruit aromas, and a smoky, peppery, meaty quality. The acidity from the old vines was refreshingly high, making it an extremely good food wine, together with the fine, grainy tannins. Maybe not all Pais is as high quality as this wine - yields do need to be kept in check - but I look forward to trying more examples. ✪✪✪✪✪✪

We were only able to visit the Maipo, Colchagua, and Casablanca regions - there's a lot to explore both further north and south. Let's hope Chilean winemakers continue to explore the country and push Chilean wine beyond its safe limits.

Other Italian highlights

My recent trip to Italy involved tasting (and more to the point drinking) plenty of great wine, but that wasn't the only aspect I enjoyed while visiting such a culturally diverse country.

Bolzano brewpub

beer

Here's a phrase I never thought I'd write - I enjoyed the Italian beer. The craft beer movement has found its way to Italy, meaning there's finally an alternative to bland mainstream products like Peroni and Nastro Azzurro. Many of the towns I visited had small local producers making a range of beers from California-style IPAs to dark, malty German beers.

Given its connection to Austria, it was no surprise that Bolzano in the Alto Adige had a brewpub called Hopfen & Co making good, malty, creamy beers - my favourite being a seasonal chestnut beer. Further south in Tuscany, the trend is for hoppy IPAs, similar in style to California though not quite as big and extreme. These beers aren't in mainstream bars or restaurants, but they're not too hard to find in more independent minded places.

restaurants

Less surprising was the quality of restaurants. It's not hard to find good-value food in Italy, though look a little bit further and there are some extraordinary meals still at affordable prices. The key is freshly made pasta, as well as dishes based on local tradition and food. If you're travelling around Italy, here are some standouts:

Osteria a Due Spade, Trento

Like being in an underground cave hiding out in the Second World War. Small, atmospheric, great food, and a fantastic - and reasonably priced - wine list.

Restaurant Zur Kaiserkron, Bolzano

How does food get better than this, we asked ourselves in Trento, and then two nights later we ate in this superb restaurant in Bolzano. The attention to detail - regarding food, design, and service - is astonishing, and again another very good wine list.

Il Leccio, Sant' Angelo in Colle, near Montalcino  

fantastic mousse au chocolat

A clear sign of a good restaurant is when it's full on a Thursday lunchtime in November - even when it's in a small village in the middle of nowhere. A simple but freshly made pasta dish with mushrooms was a perfect lunch, especially with a wee half bottle of Brunello di Montalcino.

Locanda Amordivino, Asciano

Asciano is a village that has little but a museum with ancient vases decorated with prominent phalluses. Next to the museum, though, is this extraordinary restaurant where steaks are cooked on an open fire in front of all the guests.

All of these restaurants were magnificent: the truly crazy thing is they were all easily affordable too. Why anyone bothers to cook at home in Italy, I don't know. 

truffle beer

truffles

While visiting Siena, I had a truffle beer which had intense, stinky aromas of, well, truffles. These are underground fungi often confused with mushrooms and are highly prized as well as very expensive. When I was visiting it was truffle season, which meant plenty of pasta dishes topped with the earthy aromas of truffles. Italy's truffles are white, in contrast to France's black version, so they sit very nicely on top of pasta. Still not sure I want such earthy aromas in a beer though.

polenta 

This is a speciality of northern Italy, made from maize and found on many menus as an alternative to potatoes. Restaurants in Italy often have identical looking menus but each one has its own take. So with polenta, which can look and taste like mashed potato or be hard and firm like a potato cake. It doesn't quite have the complex texture of potatoes, but it goes well with the meat and game dishes common to the north.

grappa

One of the most difficult spirits to get right is grappa. Made from the pomace (leftover grape skins, pips, and stalks from fermentation), many producers don't take it seriously enough leading to pungent, unpleasant aromas of turpentine. However, if a producer handles the pomace carefully then grappa can be a sophisticated drink. In the north of Italy, grappa is often made from one grape variety, from Chardonnay to Gewürztraminer (black grapes are particularly difficult to make quality grappa out of), though it's hard to discern varietal character. Grappa has grapey, floral aromas with a perception of sweetness which makes it great for washing down heavy Italian food.

hilltop villages

view from Montepulciano

Tuscany abounds in beautiful hilltop villages. Some of them are tourist magnets, others are sleepy one-street towns. Either way, each has its own character with a different reason for visiting - the views, the history, a weekly market, or an unexpectedly fantastic restaurant. San Gimignano is one such village, attracting crowds of tourists for its beauty and its crisp, clean white wines. Another village is Montepulciano, again known for its wine. Visiting these villages all depends when you turn up: there may be hordes of tourists or you may be the only people there. In which case, head to the next village in time for lunch...

Montalcino

My second week visiting Italy saw me take the long drive down to southern Tuscany and the famous village of Montalcino. Brunello di Montalcino, made from the Sangiovese grape, is one of the great wines of Italy, but one which I don't get to taste that often in large part due to its expense (in the words of my father, a wine you want someone else to buy for you). Just a few days here taught me a great deal about the region: its beauty, the extraordinary diversity of the wines, and the surprising youthfulness of such a renowned winemaking area.

the hilltop village of Montalcino

styles

The village is located just over an hour south of Florence and the vineyards of Chianti, producing more austere, mature, and long-lived expressions of Sangiovese. The wines must be 100% Sangiovese, called Brunello here, and to be designated Brunello di Montalcino the wine must have been aged for at least five years, two of which have to be in barrel.

However, these rules allow a lot of flexibility, leading to a variety of styles. The traditional rules stipulated four years in barrel, usually old and large, and some producers still follow those historic guidelines. This ageing results in pale, garnet-coloured wines, with a hint of oxidation, and earthy, mushroom aromas. More international producers prefer new French oak barriques, which lead to heavier, darker-coloured, and spicier wines.

Further differences come from where the grapes are grown. Although Montalcino is a small growing area, there are distinct sub-zones - which, frustratingly, the local authorities refuse to map and classify. These differences come from proximity to the sea, aspect, altitude, warmth, and the chances of rain. All of this means Brunello di Montalcino is a difficult wine to pin down. 

history

view over the southern and eastern vineyards

Given Italy's long history, one would think that these many differences have arisen from centuries of winemaking experience. There is, indeed, plenty of history here. The property of my new favourite producer, Sesti, features an eighth-century church that stands on a pagan site dedicated to the Roman god, Janus. However, the modern history of Brunello di Montalcino dates back to just the 1880s, when the region's oldest winery, Biondi-Santi, were the first to make wine solely from Sangiovese (in contrast to Chianti, which has historically been a blend). Until after the Second World War, Biondi-Santi was the sole producer in the region and, although their wines no longer stand out as they once did, they laid the benchmark for the standards and practices of the area. For thirty years after the Second World War, Montalcino was a deprived and unpopulated rural ghost town, until the 1970s saw gradual investment followed by a boom of interest in the 1980s. Now, there are over two hundred wineries. It's astonishing to think of this beautiful area, dominated by prestigious wineries, and attracting visitors from all around the world, as neglected and poverty-stricken, but that's how far Montalcino has come in just under fifty years.

the other Montalcinos

The wines are expensive, and require patience on the part of both the producer and the consumer. There is a younger wine, though, called Rosso di Montalcino which only requires a year's ageing before release. The temptation is to dismiss it as a younger, fruitier, and inferior version of Brunello, but Elisa Sesti evocatively described it as an opportunity to "herald the new vintage," a chance to taste the region's wines three or four years before the Brunellos are released. On the other scale is Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, which is aged for at least six years before release, three of which must be in barrel. These are substantial, oaky, tannic wines which are not for the faint-hearted.

There a few whites made, but the only one to fall under an official Montalcino classification is Moscadello di Montalcino, which can be still, sparkling, or sweet, and is made from the high-quality strain of Muscat, Moscato Bianco. Despite the contemporary dominance of Sangiovese, Moscadello is the historic wine of Montalcino, dating back to at least the 1500s.

wines

Capanna Moscadello di Montalcino 2014 (€11; ✪✪✪✪)

The sweet, late-harvest version of Moscadello, which must be aged for at least a year. Low in alcohol (9.5%), rich in floral, grape aromas, but light bodied, refreshing, and high in acidity. Despite the low alcohol and light body, the sweetness of the wine stood up to chocolate. As testament to the friendliness of the locals of Montalcino, everyone at my table was given a complementary glass at the end of a delicious meal. 

Sesti Rosso di Montalcino 2014 (€19; ✪✪✪✪✪)

This is a superb example of a Rosso: youthful, fruity, approachable, but with complex layers beneath that fruitiness, with grainy tannins, lively acidity, and depth of flavour. This is Montalcino at its youthful best. 

Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino 2011 (€40; ✪✪✪✪✪)

The latest release across the board of Brunello is the 2011 vintage, which saw a very warm summer, resulting in wines with very ripe, forward aromas. What's astonishing about the wines, including this one, is the high acidity despite the warm vintage. It's tingling, offsetting the ripeness of the wine and balancing the tannins and spices from the oak. The fruitiness of the wines makes them very enjoyable now. 

Sesti Brunello di Montalcino 2008 (€50; ✪✪✪✪✪✪)

I tasted the 2008 and 09 side by side. The latter (✪✪✪✪✪) was noticeably spicier and riper, while the 2008 was subtler but still very expressive with aromas of smoke, earth, red cherries and raspberries, figs, dates, and prunes, with grainy tannins and a long, gradual finish. Sesti are one of the traditional producers who use large, old oak barrels (as well as closely following ancient lunar calendars), and it's this more restrained style of Brunello which I prefer.  

Tassi Selezione Franci Brunello di Montalcino 2004 (€120 in a restaurant; ✪✪✪✪✪✪)

Due to the long ageing before release, as well as the naturally high tannins and acidity of Sangiovese, Brunello is a wine which will develop maturity and complexity with time. At twelve years old, this is a wonderfully expressive wine, still with fresh red fruit, herb, and spice aromas, on top of earth, mushroom, and dried fruits. The tannic and acidic structure hold the wine together, and will do so for some years yet. This 2004 was drunk alongside white truffle pasta and guinea fowl - an indication of the rich foods that Brunello will soften. 

There are perhaps few greater, more memorable experiences in the world of wine than tasting older Brunello. There's a sophistication, a subtlety, and a beauty to these wines which is best not described but simply tasted and enjoyed. I know I will be drinking a lot more Brunello than I used too, and my life, if not my wallet, will be richer for it. 

Alto Adige

For the first time in eighteen months, I found myself in Europe exploring and tasting the wines of northern Italy, where the Alps fall down to the great lakes for some of the country's most famous and stunning scenery. After a brief stop in Franciacorta just south of Lake Iseo, I firstly concentrated on one of Italy's most geographically extreme and unusual regions, the Alto Adige where some of Italy's highest vineyards are located. At the beginning of November it was cold and wet, with snow falling on the peaks, giving an indication of how non-Italian the region is. 

geography and history

Alto Adige/Südtirol

The Adige river flows down from the Alps into a valley surrounded by the Dolomites that somehow have vines growing on their steep rocky slopes. This is Italy at its most Germanic - it belonged to Austria-Hungary until the First World War and it's now a semi-autonomous region that shares as much with its Austrian neighbour as it does with Italy. The place names are in German as well as Italian (Südtirol instead of Alto Adige); both languages appear on wine labels, and locals switch between the two languages, confident and certain in German, gesticulating with self-doubt in Italian. In either language, the accent is staccato and sharp, and quite hard to understand.

vines falling into the town of Bolzano

This is one of Italy's most distinctive regions. Vines are planted at altitudes of 250m up to over 1,000m - these highest vineyards are already covered in snow. The weather is extreme, hitting heights of 40˚C in the summer, with cool, fresh nights, followed by cold, snowy winters. Warm breezes flow from Lake Garda to the south, with cool air in the north where Riesling and Sylvaner are planted at altitude. These conditions produce aromatic white wines with notably high acidity, and light reds, all of a consistently high quality.

grape varieties

Just a look at the grape varieties grown here shows how Germanic this region is. Gewürztraminer most likely originates from the local town of Tramin, from where it made its way to Alsace and found some added spice aromas (Gewürz means spice). The wines here retain more acidity than is often the case, and they're not quite as full bodied.

Perhaps the two most interesting wines from German varieties I tried on the trip came from Sylvaner and Kerner. Sylvaner is a quality grape that gets overlooked both in Alsace and Germany, so it was refreshing to try some good examples here in Italy. Again, the wines were marked by high acidity, with herbaceous, citrus and stone fruit aromas, and not as earthy as wines from Franken in Germany. Kerner, which is a crossing between Riesling and Trollinger (a black grape grown locally as Schiava) was a bigger surprise, with plenty of body and structure to counter the high acidity. 

wines by the glass

These aren't the only varieties grown, with up to 25 planted in the small valley (Alto Adige produces less than 1% of Italy's wines). By far the most interesting and distinctive of the non-German varieties is Pinot Bianco (or Weißburgunder in German), a grape variety again often overlooked elsewhere. Surprise, surprise, the wines have high acidity, but with nutty, spicy, stone and tropical fruit aromas that provide body and structure and some ageability. There is also Chardonnay, which at its best can be like a creamy, spicy Chablis.

As for the black grapes, Lagrein is common, with rich, chocolate, ripe black fruit aromas. It can be a little too much, although Franz Haas does a lighter, more considered example. One of the more extraordinary wines of the trip was from neighbouring Trentino; Merlino 1400 (€25; ✪✪✪✪✪), was a fortified wine displaying all the young, fresh, fruity characteristics of Lagrein, but moderated by the added alcohol. The wine is from 2014, while the brandy is from 2000, leading to a very integrated fortified wine - and it's great to see such a quality fortified wine from an area of Europe not associated with that style.

Alto Adige also makes Italy's most consistent Pinot Noir (or Pinot Nero or Blauburgunder - the number of names for grapes and places can be bewildering). It's deceptively light, with red fruits, spices, and acidity. It's often planted at altitude - Franz Haas is experimenting with a vineyard at 1,150m - which adds to the intensity of the aromas. Fruity when young, the Pinot Noirs of Alto Adige can mature into earthy, sophisticated wines that retain the fruits and the acidity even after a number of years.

These wines are especially worth looking out for as they display the unique characteristics of this varied region. With different altitudes, exposures, and microclimates, Alto Adige can be a surprisingly hard region to pin down, meaning that it's a region always worth re-exploring.

tasting at Franz Haas winery, showcasing the many grapes grown in the region

 next blog post: the incomparable wines of Montalcino

Douro and Port

Portugal is, of course, best known for port, the great fortified wine made from grapes grown on steep slopes in the dry, warm Douro Valley. At a Portuguese tasting at the swanky Palace Hotel in San Francisco, I sampled some extraordinary old ports, which showed just how ageworthy the finest ports are. I also tasted a number of table whites and reds from the Douro - in this case demonstrating the quality of Portuguese wines, but also the difficulty in selling them to consumers used to French grape varieties.

the whites

Portuguese white wine has a lot going for it, as the wines I tasted from the Douro confirmed. The grape varieties are fairly aromatic and share a crisp acidity, and blending adds different characteristics and qualities. The wines are refreshing and approachable, with structure added by lees ageing and maybe a little old oak. The downside is that there are so many grape varieties used, often unfamiliar to the consumer, that it's difficult to get a handle on the many subtly different styles of wines. Some wines, grassy and herbaceous, reminded me of Sauvignon Blanc; the most interesting were reminiscent of the best Italian whites, with smoked almond aromas and a really dry, mineral mouthfeel.

Porto Réccua Branco 2015

From a new winery, this was a good example of how Italian the Douro whites can feel, with stone, peach, mineral aromas, and a very refreshing acidity. ✪✪✪✪

the reds

Portuguese - and especially Douro - reds are so distinctive that it can take some getting used to for those trained on New World wines. The tannins are unavoidable, and I have to note that there was a stinky, Brett character to a lot of the reds I tried that wouldn't sit well in California. Furthermore, the many different indigenous varieties don't have an easy international comparison. But these wines are worth persevering with, with ripe red and black fruit and floral aromas and a rich, almost sweet intensity.

There are a couple of important labelling terms that can be easily confused with neighbouring Spain. Reserva simply refers to a wine that's been aged for one year (like Riserva in Italy), without denoting the nature of that ageing. Grande Reserva (pronounced more or less like Gran Reserva in Spain) is a term I hadn't previously encountered; the wines, I was told, must be aged for at least eighteen months. Unlike Spain, this term does not denote a style but refers, a little tenuously, to quality.

adorable representative of J Rosas

Vieira de Sousa Reserva 2014

I preferred the Reservas to the Grande Reservas, as they kept a little more of the youthful fruitiness. This wine had a year's ageing in used oak, allowing the red and black fruits to shine, backed up with dry, grainy tannins and high acidity. ✪✪✪✪

J Rosas Quinta da Touriga-Chã 2013

Tannic, smoky, spicy, with black fruits, and a long, complex finish. ✪✪✪✪✪

the white ports

White port is such an obscure category that it was surprising to see that most producers at the tasting poured it. Not only that, but there were some old, serious bottles too. The best wines were almost like madeira, but without that baked fruit character, and almost like sherry, but much sweeter. I'm not sure when I'd want to drink these intense wines, dominated by fudge and toffee aromas, but they showed an individual quality that in some cases was truly astonishing.

Vieira winemaker Luísa Borges

Vieira de Sousa Fine Very Old White Port

Perhaps one of the most extraordinary wines I have ever tried. With wines up to sixty years old, this was an intense, sweet wine with grapey, aromatic aromas that almost made it taste like a brandy or a grappa - the winemaker commented that the grape spirit in the wine gets more concentrated with time. There were plenty of dried fruit aromas too, with fudge, toffee, and caramel. Like a sweet version of palo cortado, and then some. ✪✪✪✪✪✪✪

the ports

Equally extraordinary were the red ports, both young and old. 2011 is the standout vintage of recent years, and all the producers were sold out. A great alternative to vintage port is Late Bottled Vintage, which spend longer ageing in barrel before bottling. 2011 LBVs are wines I definitely recommend buying to drink now, with intense, rich dark fruits. Older vintage ports were also available to try: the warm 2009 year produced quite hot, but complex wines; 2004 still felt very fresh; 2000 remarkably tannic even now. The best wine of all, though, was Kopke's 1966 Colheita - a vintage tawny, which means deliberate oxidative ageing. Tasting a wine fifty years old brooks no comparison.

Ramos Pinto LBV 2011

An attractive, elegant, restrained, but tannic wine, with intense, sweet red and black fruit aromas. ✪✪✪✪✪

Kopke Colheita 1966

Old, nutty (walnut), spicy, with rich toffee aromas. Like an old, sweet sherry. Intense (a word I repeatedly wrote down during this tasting) and with layers and layers of flavours. Unforgettable. ✪✪✪✪✪✪✪ The 1978 I also tasted was a bit hotter, still very alive with aromas of dried fruits, fudge, and spice. ✪✪✪✪✪

the market

There's no doubting the quality of Portuguese wine, particuarly from the Douro. The wines have distinctive characteristics that distinguish the wines from other countries, although a valid comparison would perhaps be the wines of Italy, both white and red, rather than Spain. But how to market those wines? The grape varieties are numerous and difficult to pronounce; the tannins and acidity are forward; and the fact that the wines are invariably blends makes it awkward to market the wines on the nature of those varieties. And it needs to be said that the Portuguese are not the best at marketing: whenever asked about the price of a wine, the producer had no answer.

There's so much foundation to work with, though. Port is one of the historical great drinks; the dry, table whites are crisp, approachable, with nice complexity; and the reds are great with heavy food. And there are few regions in the world capable of producing fifty-year-old wines that can hold up to further ageing. Explore Portugal: prepare to be perplexed, challenged, and excited, which is how wine should be.

Nuits-St-Georges

Nuits-St-Georges is one of Burgundy's most famous appellations, wine having been made from the iconic St-Georges vineyard for over a thousand years. The Côte de Nuits, a series of villages encompassing some of the great Pinot Noir vineyards of Burgundy, takes its name from the town. Originally simply called Nuits, the town expanded its name to Nuits-St-Georges in 1892, adding its most renowned vineyard to its name. The wines are known for being bigger, bolder, fruitier, and more tannic than the elegant, nuanced wines of nearby Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, and Vosne-Romanée. A tasting of six wines from Nuits-St-Georges gave the lie to that stereotype, showcasing a range of styles that depend, as is so often the case in Burgundy, on site as well as winemaker.

no Grands Crus

Despite its rich history, Nuits-St-Georges has no Grand Cru vineyards. Instead, the best vineyards are classed as Premier Cru, reportedly because of the modesty of the appellation's leading winemaker, Henri Gouges, when it was created in 1936. It doesn't really matter that there are no Grands Crus - the renown and quality of Nuits-St-Georges speak for themselves - but it's still surprising that the best vineyards don't receive that official acclaim.

The appellation covers Nuits-St-Georges and the smaller village of Prémaux-Prissey to the south. The town of Nuits-St-Georges is at the base of a valley formed by the river Meuzin. To the north of the town, the vineyards are high - 300m and more - with soils full of pebbles as well as limestone and a little clay. These vineyards border Vosne-Romanée, and the wines are floral, spicy, and elegant. It's these that perhaps counter most the reputation of Nuits-St-Georges as being big and fruity. To the south of the town, the soils gradually become less stony, deeper with more clay, and the wines get denser and more tannic.

elephants, oak, planets, and famous writers

I couldn't help be amused by the continued comparisons of Thibault Liger-Belair, a local winemaker, to help us understand the appellation. He first likened the wines to an elephant, partly because of the memories they hold. Taking it further, he described the south part of the appellation as being like an African elephant, big and bold, with the north more like an Indian elephant, round and gentle. He then went on to describe the wines as like an oak tree, because of their robustness but also because they require oak-ageing to give them structure and ageability. He didn't stop there. If Nuits-St-Georges were a planet, it would be the moon (sic), a comparison made I think solely because there is a crater there named after the St-Georges vineyard. There was still another comparison to be made, as he wanted to compare Nuits-St-Georges to two famous French writers: Rabelais, because of the b‪on vivant style of the wines, and Molière, for their more philosophical qualities. As leftfield as his comparisons were, they did enlighten the differences between this varied appellation.

the wines

The tasting covered two vintages: 2013, described as fruity with high acidity and dry tannins, and 2014, which is rounder with softer tannins. It also covered wines from the northern part of the appellation, and three from the southern part, finishing with a wine from the St-Georges vineyard, which should clearly be a Grand Cru.

Domaine Phillipe Gavignet Les Argillats 2014

Situated in the northern part of the appellation a little higher than most of the surrounding Premier Cru vineyards, the Les Argillats vineyard takes its name from argile, meaning clay. It's 340m high, with the same pebble, limestone topsoils as the neighbouring vineyards. It proves that a Burgundy vineyard does not need to be a Premier Cru, let alone Grand Cru, to be high quality. It was smoky and oaky (with 15-16mths oak ageing), with ripe strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Pricy at $65. ✪✪✪✪✪

Domaine Frédéric Magnien Les Damodes Premier Cru 2013

From the highest Premier Cru and from the 2013 vintage, this wine had firm, dry, slightly astringent tannins, but with a refreshing high acidity. Although not as ripe as the previous wine, there were still clear fruit aromas of strawberries, plums, and blackcurrants, with some spice, as well as stone and steel texture. Not as fruity as the the first wine, but a little more complex, and even pricier ($90). ✪✪✪✪✪

Domaine Faiveley Aux Claignots Premier Cru 2014

This was an excellent wine, ultra-modern, with 60% new oak which I found a little too much. That oak dominated with smoke, cedar, vanilla, liquorice, and roasted almond aromas. It was intense, concentrated, and ripe, with raspberries, blackcurrants, and blackberries. If the oak had been more restrained, this would have been a truly extraordinary wine ($110). ✪✪✪✪✪

Maison Joseph Drouhin Les Procès Premier Cru 2013

With this wine, we moved towards the southern part of the appellation. As a result, the tannins were more drying and gripping, but the wine was still floral, with dried roses. There was also an intense nuttiness, with walnuts and hazelnuts (the name Nuits may come from noyer, French for walnut). The wine was made through whole-bunch fermentation, which may have added to its intense tannic structure. A very interesting wine with some longevity ($110-115; N/A in USA). ✪✪✪✪✪

Domaine des Perdrix Aux Perdris Premier Cru 2013

This was the only wine we tasted from the small village Prémaux-Prissey, and it was much bigger, blacker, and bolder. It was a voluptuous, ripe wine, but with a sharp acidity. The difference between this and the wines from the northern part of the appellation was marked. Perdrix means partidge in French, so naturally the label had a drawing of the bird. ✪✪✪✪✪ (€55)

Maison Chanzy Les Saint-Georges Premier Cru 2014

Although the other wines were all of a very high quality, this was easily the highlight of the tasting, combining the best of the different parts of the appellation. Winemaking, though, was also key: what I particularly loved about this wine was that it spent just ten months in oak, of which only 10% was new. It was ripe yet restrained, fruity but spicy and oaky, with a layered, textured mouthfeel. ✪✪✪✪✪✪ (€79)


The overall conclusion from this tasting is that Nuits-St-Georges is not an easy appellation to pin down. There are truly great vineyards from which the best producers make amazing wine - it's definitely an appellation the consumer needs to understand to make the most deserving purchases. To underscore that observation, the wines are expensive: do some research before buying to get the best value and quality.

 

 

WSET Educator Top-Up Course

I just passed what I hope is the last ever exam I have to endure. Last November, I took the WSET Educator course, an intensive four-day assessment gearing me and my fellow students to becoming WSET Certified Educators. It was a course that shed a lot of light on what the WSET expect from their students, as well as educators, and definitely helped make me a better teacher.

As I still had one Diploma exam to take at the time, I wasn't able to complete the course fully. Last week, I spent a morning in San Francisco with two recent Diploma graduates, coincidentally both from Canada. Our mission was to prove that we were able to teach WSET Level 3, both the theory and the tasting, a mission complicated by the fact that Level 3 is quite different from what it used to be.

teaching the new Level 3

As I've previously written, the WSET have overhauled the Level 3 course and exam. I think for the better - the teaching is more interactive, and both theory and tasting are designed to get students really thinking about why a wine tastes like it does. However, for those educators long used to the old Level 3 the change has been difficult.

My fellow educators and I were asked to prepare a Level 3 class (in my case, Grenache-based wines) with a powerpoint presentation and session plan, just as we'd done last year for Level 2. Luckily for me, I have a habit of procastinating. Just at the point that I was about to knuckle down and prepare the class, I received a panicked email from Karen Douglas, WSET's Director of Education, asking me to stop making the powerpoint and session plan; instead, she wanted me to use a presentation and session plan (now on the white wines of Alsace) that she had prepared. The reason for this was that she had discovered that educators preparing for the course had found it difficult to adapt their methods to the new level, so Karen wanted to help us learn without having to build a class from scratch. This shows the difficulty of change, given that the WSET had spent several years developing the new course, but also how necessary it is for them to demonstrate why that change is worthwhile.

It was certainly useful to pick her brain about the WSET's approach to the new level, without having to worry that my presentation met that approach. Besides the more interactive teaching methods, the biggest change is in the revised tasting methodology. Aromas are now classified as primary, secondary, and tertiary to help students demonstrate where aromas in a wine come from - the grape, the production methods, or bottle ageing. I learnt that students do not have to write the terms primary, secondary, or tertiary aromas in their tasting notes, but they have to recognise them: if a wine, for instance, has tertiary aromas, then the student is expected to write examples of those aromas otherwise they'll lose points.

Related to this, I asked what to do about wines that had primary aromas of nuts (for instance, Rhône whites or Verdicchio) rather than tertiary aromas from oxidation (for example, sherry), which is the only place nuts are mentioned in the revised Systematic Approach to Tasting. The answer is that we, as educators, need to teach students how to understand where aromas come from, which is why being able to explain the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary aromas is so important. That understanding enables students then to expand on the SAT to use their own descriptors, where appropriate. This underscores something that it's easy to forget: that tasting a wine is a personal experience, based on one's own knowledge and ability to interpret the qualities of a wine.

the old and new WSET lexicon

mediumitis

My theory presentation on the white wines of Alsace went extremely well, but for the tasting (on Viña Ardanza Reserva 2007) I was guilty of "mediumitis," ironic given that I am always pushing my students to be bold in the analysis of a wine in describing the acidity, tannins, or flavour intensity as high rather than medium plus. When teaching students, I am in a position of authority which allows me to push them beyond their received thinking. It's different, however, when in the presence of fellow Diploma graduates, the WSET Director of education, and an MW: I became much more cautious in describing the wine I'd been assigned for the tasting.

Both myself and my new Canadian friends were afterwards given a very useful lesson on what exactly low, medium-, medium, medium+, and pronounced mean to the WSET. Either a wine, for example, has low, medium, or high acidity, which is what Level 2 students are taught. At Level 3, the gradients medium- and medium+ are introduced. These are not alternatives to low or high, but variations on medium. So when tasting a wine, the assessment should be: are the acidity, tannins, or the flavour intensity of a wine low, medium, or high? If it's medium, only then do medium- or medium+ come into play.

The most important aspect to remember is that there is a spectrum within those gradients. In describing a wine as having high tannins, it does not have to be the most tannic wine you've ever tasted (like a Barolo): it simply has to have high tannins. Likewise, a wine with high acidity does not have to be a Riesling: it simply has to have high acidity. Failing to appreciate the structure of a wine just because it isn't as extreme as others previously tasted is a fault that students at both Level 3 and Diploma are guilty of, and frustratingly I was too in the assessment. But it's not something I'll be guilty of again.

how to use the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting

So I am now almost a WSET Certified Educator. I just have to complete an online course on assessing Level 3 tasting notes, and then I'm done. As the WSET is consistently assessing its own courses in an increasingly competitive wine education environment, I'm excited to see where teaching the WSET takes me. But, I swear, no more exams, ever.