World Cup of Wine Last 16

Some pulsating, epic matches in the last 16 of the World Cup, with five of the eight games going to extra time. In the end, there were no upsets, setting up some heavyweight clashes in the quarter-finals. There was only one direct wine match-up, so I've expanded the competition to allow a comparison between two great beer-producing countries.

Argentina v Switzerland

Argentina: although Argentina has been making and drinking wine for centuries, its emergence as a wine-producing country of international importance is relatively recent. Throughout most of the twentieth century, its wine was cheap and for domestic consumption only, for which there was quite a demand - in the late 1970s, the average Argentinian drank 100 litres of wine a year (now down to around 30 litres). The late 1980s, as Argentina haltingly recovered from years of economic depression and military rule, saw a shift in the wine industry: production was lowered and quality raised to produce wine good - and expensive - enough to export. The success of this initative was led by the popularity of Malbec, at the time a relatively obscure French grape. In Argentina, it grows high up in the Andes, at altitudes of 1,000m or more, ideal for the grape as the cold nights and hot days allow a long ripening season which brings out the qualities not always evident in the more moderate French climate.

Catena Alta Historic Rows Chardonnay 2011 (£18)

Catena

Altitude is all-important for Argentina, enabling a sustainable, viable viticultural environment, and this is even more true for the white varieties than black. This Chardonnay is grown at heights of 1,450m, the cold nights and cooler days allowing a natural acidity to develop in an environment different from the grape's French heartlands. Its been aged in French oak for a long 12-16 months, but is surprisingly lean with a restrained oakiness. A possible glimpse into Argentina's white winemaking future.

Switzerland: it's rare to see Swiss wine; this rich, insular country had strict import laws to protect its industry until fairly recently, meaning that the wine industry existed to serve itself. It does produce quite a bit of wine, though most of the country is too high. Swiss wine is quite different from German or Austrian, as it has lower acidity and greater use of malolactic fermentation, resulting in much softer, creamier wines. Chasselas is a white grape which accounts for up to 60% of total wine production, while the main black grape is Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder).

Domaine Lupin Frangy Roussette de Savoie 2013 (c.£13)

As I didn't expect Switzerland to get this far into the tournament and to be featuring a Swiss wine, I didn't have time to get hold of one. This wine is made right on the Swiss border in the French area of Savoie; the grape is Roussette, also known as Altesse, the highest quality grape in the region. Although the grape is little grown in Switzerland, the nutty apple creaminess (from a little bit of MLF) of the wine gives an indication at least of what Swiss white wine tastes like at its best. 

wine result lean sophistication from the Argentinian Chardonnay against a fruity creaminess from the substitute wine. Argentina 2-1 Switzerland

actual result a defensive performance from Switzerland nearly paid off, but Argentina pulled off a very late victory thanks to the genius of Lionel Messi. Argentina 1-0 Switzerland (aet)

Belgium v USA

Belgium: Belgian beer is perhaps the greatest, and certainly the most inventive, beer in the world. Although Belgian beer, with its Trappist monastery breweries, may seem very traditional, it's only the last 150 years or so that styles with which we are now familiar have emerged. Having said which, whatever familiarity you feel with Belgian beer will always be upset by the first taste of a lambic or gueuze: these are complex, ageworthy beers to be appreciated in the same way, for instance, vintage Madeira should be.

Saison Dupont (c.£2)

A "saison" is one of the many different styles of Belgian beer, in this case brewed in spring deliberately hoppy and seasoned with herbs in order to be drinkable throughout the long summer months for the workers in the fields. Dupont are the great traditional brewer of saison (although only established in the 1920s) and the standard against which any other saison should be judged: citrus fruits, a balanced bitter hoppiness, an appealing funkiness on the nose, refreshingly dry, delicate yet complex. Particularly recommended with goat's cheese.

USA: the first time I visited the US as an adult, I was in dread of what I would drink while I was there: Coors Light, Miller Draft (sic), Budweiser (sic), and other local variants of some of the worst beer (sic) in the world. The first few hours at a bowling alley confirmed all my worst fears: the only beer available was Budweiser, admittedly in a really cool pin-shaped bottle. Never has it taken so long for me to finish a drink. That still remains the only truly bad beer I've had in the US in the many times I've visited. As I discovered on that same trip thirteen years ago, the US is home to a fantastic, diverse range of microbreweries, which expand year on out and which have been influencing fledging UK breweries for some time. There are now not just American breweries making very dry, hoppy IPAs, for which the country has become known, but ones confident, and good, enough to make beers in the style of whacky, highly imaginative, seemingly inimitable Belgian oak-aged, yeast-affected, funky ales.

Stillwater Stateside Saison (c.£4)

Stillwater are a North Carolina brewery producing really interesting, distinctive Belgian-style beers - I say "Belgian style", but the beers, in their use of yeasts, carbonation, and hops, seem very particular to the brewer. Having said which, this saison (or farmhouse ale, as it's sometimes called in the US) lacked something, a bit of funkiness perhaps. Extremely drinkable, quite hoppy with bready citrus fruits, but missing the complexity I was hoping from it - though I had no goat's cheese at hand.

beer result very interesting to compare two beers of the same style from a traditional and a new brewer - in this case, tradition won. Belgium 2-1 USA

actual result Belgium, a re-emerging football nation full of young players, struggled to exploit the open play of the US but just about came through due to strength in depth. Belgium 2-1 USA (aet)

The World Cup of Wine quarter-finals feature just one game, but what a contest: France v Germany

World Cup of Wine Round Three

The final set of group matches saw Italy and Portugal crash out, and Luis Suarez bite an opponent for the third time in his career. Sadly, these will be the last Italian, Spanish, and (less surprisingly) Australian wines of this World Cup, but the next blog will feature the first Argentinian wine as well as beers from Belgium and the USA.

Spain v Australia

Spain: I'm never going to stop banging the sherry drum, as I firmly believe it's the greatest drink in the world: for variety of styles, value for money, and sheer quality, there is no other drink that can rival it. Its problem is that it's not well understood, and drinkers are easily put off by their lack of knowledge of what sherry actually is. In a nutshell, sherry is a fortified, usually dry, wine that spends a long time ageing in permeable old oak casks; the style of sherry depends on how long the wine has spent ageing. Fino and manzanilla are young, delicate, and fresh; amontillado a little older and rustier in colour; oloroso older again, darker, with lots of dried fruit character; palo cortado a complex wine that combines the fresh nuttiness of amontillado with the mature aromas of oloroso; Pedro Ximenez is made from grapes that have been dried to the point of raisins, making the wine intensely sweet. Simple, right?

Valdespino Manzanilla Deliciosa En Rama (c.£12 for a half bottle)

I had an accident this week: I broke a bottle of this wine in the back of the shop van. It's painful to think of such a waste, but the van smelt so beautiful. Manzanilla is very similar to fino, but the wine has to have been aged in the coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda which gives it saltier qualities. This manzanilla, from one of sherry's most historic producers, is classic: fresh, delicate, yet with a woody structure from 5-6 years' ageing, with aromas of apples, salt, and almonds.

Australia: Australia too has a long history of making fortified wine, though it makes far less than it used to. Both "sherry" and "port" have long been made, although those names cannot be used for wines sold within the EU - red fortified wine, often from Shiraz, is instead called "Tawny." Its most famous fortified wine is Rutherglen Muscat, from the hot inland town of Rutherglen in Victoria. Like sherry, it's aged and blended in a solera system, and like Madeira, it ages in hot conditions, together creating a rich, intensely sweet wine quite different from any other.

Stanton and Killeen Rutherglen Muscat, 12 years old (£16 for a half bottle)

Australians refer to their sweet fortified wines as "stickies," which is the perfect term for this mature, lusciously sweet, treacly, Christmassy wine. An ideal accompaniment to Christmas or sticky toffee pudding.

wine result a thrilling contest between two of the world's great fortified wines. Spain just comes out on top, as the Muscat is just so richly sweet it demands the further indugence of a pudding. Spain 4-3 Australia

actual result with both teams being eliminated and Australia missing their star player, Tim Cahill, this was a rather one-sided and inconsequential match. Spain 3-0 Australia

Italy v Uruguay

Italy: besides being home to some of the most famous wine names in the world, such as Valpolicella, Chianti, and Barolo, interesting wines from non-Italian varieties are being made in Italy. Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot (both cheap and higher quality) are found in the Veneto region in the north east, Pinot Noir (or Nero) in the Alto Adige, and Merlot in Lazio around Rome.

Marchesi di Grésy Monferrato Merlot 2007 (c.£20)

Marchesi di Grésy is one of the top producers in the Piemonte region of Barbaresco, and they also make this exceptional wine from Merlot in the small DOC of Monferrato, a hilly area where non-Italian grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are grown. This wine has spent several years in old oak casks to mature, only released when ready to drink. It has a lovely balance of oak and fruit, with sweet spices and dried fruits coming through too. For such a good wine, this is great value.

Uruguay: the fourth-largest wine-producing country in South America, with much of its exports going to neighbouring Brazil. There's a strong Italian influence, which is why many growers are small farmers, as well as from the Basques, who introduced the Tannat grape to the country in the 1870s. More than a third of plantings are of Tannat, a grape which, as it name suggests, is high in tannins and is found in Madiran, in south-west France. The wines produced are quite different, however: whereas Madiran is heavy in tannins and ages over many years, Uruguayan Tannats are softer and fruitier, and drunk younger.

Alto de la Ballena Tannat-Viognier 2011 (c.£20)

A very unusual blend of Tannat and Viognier, a white grape which is used in the northern Rhône and Australia to soften and give fragrant aromas to Syrah. It performs a similar function here, with floral, perfurmed aromas overlaying the spicy oakiness.

wine result two high-quality wines offering power with a touch of finesse. A close victory for the Italians, with just a touch more sophistication and maturity. Italy 3-2 Uruguay

actual result a bitty game won by Uruguay, which saw them qualify from the group at the expense of Italy but will be remembered more for Luis Suarez's actions than the football. Italy 0-1 Uruguay 

Germany v USA 

Germany As mentioned in the first round of matches, Germany may not be particularly known for its red wines, but it produces high-quality Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder). The grape, which in Germany produces generally earthy, gamey wines, is grown in the regions of Rheingau to the west of Frankfurt (particularly around the wonderfully-named village of Assmannshausen), sunny, dry Pfalz near the border with Alsace, and Baden in the Black Forest, Germany's warmest and most southerly region.

Franz Keller Spätburgunder Ahr 2011 (c.£20)

An earthy, smoky, spicy wine from Baden, with red cherries and plums, which goes well with hearty meat dishes. Franz Keller is a family-run winery that's been making wines for several generations, and also owns several highly-regarded restaurants in the area, including the Michelin starred Schwarzer Adler. Matching this wine with the local food in the beautiful surroundings of the Black Forest would certainly be a heavenly experience.

USA the region of the USA most known for Pinot Noir is Oregon. Until the 1960s, virtually no wine had been made in the state, but a small number of intrepid oenologists started wineries in Willamette Valley south of Portland during the decade, including David Lett, a young student and avid fan of the wines of Alsace and Burgundy and convinced that Willamette Valley had the ideal conditions for the same grapes. His 1975 Pinot Noir was entered into a competition in Paris in 1979, where it performed so well that Joseph Drouhin, a noted Burgundy producer, invited Lett to enter the wine into another, more formal competition in Beaune in 1980, where it came second. All of a sudden, this unknown state became the centre of attention for Pinot Noir lovers.

Domaine Drouhin Cuvée Laurène 2010 (c.£40)

Drouhin was so impressed by the Pinot Noirs being produced in Oregon that he persuaded his daughter Véronique to visit there, where she became winemaker at the newly-established Drouhin Oregon off-shoot in 1987. Oregon is the one New World region that makes Pinot Noir comparable in style to Burgundy, as this wine proves: red fruits, integrated oak, an earthy nose, a gamey texture, and plenty of ageing potential.

wine result two exceptional wines, but the quality, longevity, and class of the Drouhin wins the day. Germany 2-4 USA

actual result another close run thing, the US competing gamely, but Germany's class was ultimately too much. Germany 1-0 USA

in the next blog, the competition expands to include the beers of Belgium and the USA, as well as featuring Argentina v Switzerland.

World Cup of Wine Round Two

The second round of fixtures saw some dull games, but there were some thrillers too and Costa Rica provided the biggest upset by qualifying from a group featuring three previous World Cup winners, including England, after just two games. Just the three wine match-ups in this round; let's see how the wines fared compared to the football.

Spain v Chile

Spain: classic European wine-producing country, famous especially for its aged, oaky reds from Rioja. There's plenty more to the country than Rioja, though: aromatic Albariños from Rías Baixas in the north-west, zesty Txakoli from the Basque country, muscley Monastrells from Jumilla in the south-east. Recently, Spain has been producing too much bulk volume wine at too low a price, undermining its reputation and the industry, but once you get above the £10 mark Spanish wine can punch its weight with any in the world.

Raimat Blanc de Blancs Albariño-Chardonnay 2013 (c.£10)

Raimat takes up a third of the Costers del Segre DO, inland from Barcelona, where the Cava giant Codorníu has since 1914 experimented with making sparkling wine from non-traditional grapes, in particular Chardonnay. This unusual, but well-balanced, wine combines the floral freshness of Albariño with citrus and tropical fruits from Chardonnay.

Chile: as featured in the first round of matches against Australia, Chile is a young wine-producing country still learning its trade. The challenge for Chile is to produce wine that is genuinely good value for money and not just cheap.

Tabalí Reserva Especial Chardonnay 2012 (c.£10)

This is a terrific example of Chilean wine punching above its weight - creamy apple flavours with the use of neutral oak to produce a wine that's both refreshing but with plenty of body and substance to give the wine a satisfying structure.

wine result two interesting uses of the Chardonnay grape, to produce good-value wines that provide a great deal of complexity for the price. Spain 2-2 Chile

actual result a disappointingly flat performance from Spain which saw the World Champions crash out against a vibrant, exuberant Chile. Spain 0-2 Chile

Japan v Greece

Japan: I wrote about Japanese wine in a recent blog, but the country is far more known for sake than wine. Sake is made from rice (meaning it can't be called wine, which has to be made from grapes) in a wide range of styles, from dry to sweet, fresh and crisp to oaky and full bodied. This number of styles can make sake a confusing drink, but it also means there's always a sake to suit different occasions or palates.

Akashi-Tai Daiginjo (c.£35 for a 72cl bottle)

The style of sake in part depends on how much the rice is milled or "polished." As this delicate sake has been 60% polished, it is light in colour, and it has refreshing floral and peach and melon aromas. Another factor in the style is the proximity to water - Akashi is near the sea and this sake has a definite salty character.

Assrytiko vines in Santorini are protected from the wind by wooden baskets

Greece: It is easy to mock Greek wine, but wine has been made there for millenia and there is high-quality wine to be found if you know where to look. The best whites come from the Assyrtiko grape, especially on the island of Santorini, and reds from Xinomavro in northern Naoussa. (Greek grape names may be hard to pronounce but, as the maker of the wine below pointed out to me, names of grapes are always hard to pronounce if you don't already know how to say them.)

Gaia Assyrtiko Wild Ferment 2013 (c.£20)

From Santorini, this an intriguing, complex example of Assyrtiko. It's made using indigenous yeasts which are allowed to develop and ferment without any interference, giving the wine a slightly funky, barnyard quality. With the slight use of oak as well as acacia, it would be difficult to tell this apart from a quality Burgundy white.

wine result two drinks full of local character, demonstrating the best of their tradition to the outside world, though only one can be classed as a wine. Japan 1-2 Greece

actual result a forgettable game between two poor teams who most definitely did not demonstrate the best of their traditions to the watching world. Japan 0-0 Greece

USA v Portugal

USA: a wine-making powerhouse that's just going to get bigger and bigger. The industry is concentrated in California, which makes more than 90% of the country's wine. However, each of the 50 states does make wine of some sort. Washington is the second largest wine-producing state, followed by New York and Oregon. The latter produces Pinot Noir that rivals Burgundy in both style and quality, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Washington are a bridge between Bordeaux and Napa Valley.

Clos du Val Merlot 2010 (c.£30)

Merlot is a grape that gets a bad press, but in the hands of a quality winemaker it remains one of the world's great grapes. Clos du Val, founded by Frenchman John Goelet in the early 1970s, are one of the generation of Napa Valley producers that gained international acclaim following the famous 1976 Judgement of Paris. This is a classy but inviting Merlot, with ripe black fruits and a lovely spicy toastiness from the use of oak.

Portugal: as mentioned in the first round of matches, Portugal is more famous for its fortified wines than its still. However, it now produces high-quality whites and reds, especially in the Douro (the area where grapes are grown for port production), Dão, and, increasingly, Alentejo further south. There are over four hundred indigenous grape varieties found in this small country, giving Portuguese a unique identity.

Julia Kemper Touriga Nacional 2009 (c.£25)

Touriga Nacional is the most important grape for the production of port, and it also produces the most distinctive of Portugal's red wines, with floral, perfumed aromas. This rich, powerful, oaky wine from one of Dão's up-and-coming producers is a great example, and one which will get better and better over the next five years.

wine result a clash between two high-quality, powerful, ageworthy wines. USA 3-3 Portugal

actual result an open, entertaining game, with a surprisingly strong performance from the USA, who were denied victory by a last-minute Portuguese equaliser. USA 2-2 Portugal

The next round of matches will feature Italy v Uruguay, Australia v Spain, and USA v Germany