Showing posts with label biodynamic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biodynamic. Show all posts

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Biodynamic Winemaking with Austria’s Fred Loimer. Kerosene aromas, fertility symbol, compost tea. And more.

Biodynamic Winemaking with Austria’s Fred Loimer
Kerosene aromas, fertility symbol, compost tea. And more.
Fred Loimer

“Cow manure is the best you can find for composting.”  

Cows and their role in composting have been getting the thumbs-up recently from winemakers across the globe.  Endorsements by Aurelio Montez (Chile) and Giovanni Manetti (Chianti Classico) were followed up this Thursday as you can see by our opening line from Fred Loimer (Austria).

The Loimer winery is based in the Kamptal region of Austria and it is biodynamic and that was what Liberty Wines asked Fred to talk about in the latest of the series of online masterclasses by Liberty suppliers. 

Fred: “Kamptal soil is mainly sandstone. Area is steep and here we grow mainly Riesling.” South of Vienna they own a vineyard in the Gumpoldskirchen, an area with a historic reputation for high quality wines. Limestone features here in an area “very different to Kamptal.” In the south, they grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and indigenous varieties Zierfandler and Rotgipfler.

One of Fred's opening slides was of Van Gogh’s The Sower at Sunset, to emphasise the Loimer connection with biodynamic farming, a connection that began in 2005. They and other farmers didn’t know too much about it so they formed a learning group and met monthly in the early years before forming a Respekt Group. Having the “Respekt-BIODYN” mark on their labels now endorses the wines as biodynamic (and at a higher standard than the EU regulations).

“The main biodynamic principle for me is ‘farm individuality’, how farming was over 1000s of years. Use resources you find in your place, not to buy everything, but to find on the farm what you need to produce. For instance, we make our own compost and we buy very little. Second, you cannot separate plants and animals, nature works in a holistic way, together they have composted over the years to create the soil we have today.”

Biodiversity is another essential plank. “Monoculture is a big problem today. It is necessary to create as much biodiversity as possible. Not one hundred per cent vineyard but always bushes, trees and grassland over the whole area.”

“Herbicide is a disaster. There is life in our soil. Always something going on, even in a small square, something like 60,000 lives in there, all doing something. We cover our soils, green cover, blooming cover. Our own compost is getting better and we spread it in the autumn and we also make compost tea out of it for spraying. Stinging nettles (they’re everywhere) and other herbs are also used for spraying teas.”

“Cow horns, many people don’t believe. You can’t really measure the impact of these preparations but you can see the difference. There is for sure an impact and cow manure is the best you can find for composting.”
Horn of Plenty

And Fred warned, with a picture of the cockerel, that you must be on alert in the vineyard, know when the rain is coming, the frost and so on. “You have to react quickly to changing conditions.”

In the vineyard work, they use their hands, a lot. Pruning, for instance, is by hand and it is “soft” pruning, meaning that the wound is kept small. Big wounds can lead to big damage. Canopy management too is key as it can have a big impact on the health of the grapes at the end.

And the harvest is also by hand, again for healthy fruit, then careful all the way in small baskets to the press-house. Good fruit allows them to be more flexible in the press-house where low-impact machines are used.

Downstairs the Loimers have an amazing 19th century cave, “a very good atmosphere for wine.” Fred uses stainless steel and values it but when more age and complexity is required, oak is hard to beat. He also said that clay (buried in the ground) is used. “We have just two, don’t think we’ll get more but it is very interesting.”

He took us through the “hierarchy”. In Kamptal: regional, village and crus and also mentioned their “different and interesting Achtung series”. “We also do sparkling (Sekt). Kamptal is the best place in Austria to do it!" They are fresh with a lowish ABV. And he tipped us off to be on the lookout for their 2014 Blanc de Blancs, due to be released in about 6 months.
Soft pruning

Some interesting queries in the Q&A towards the end.

Q: Is there much checking on the Bio regulations?
A: Yes there is a company doing annual checks by appointment and they can also occasionally drop in without an appointment. Everything you do requires paperwork. They ask for it and then go out and check to confirm. Sometimes, they take away samples for testing in case you’re using chemicals. “Yes, it is quite strict.”
Compost "cooking"

Q: Where does the kerosene aroma of Riesling come from?
A: “It is in the grape’s genetics, some years more, some less. When the petrol aromas are not too much, it is fine but, when dominating it can get too much. The balanced growth that biodynamics seeks may help. Ultra Violet light may be a factor so canopy management, where the fruit is left in half-shadow, helps get fresher aromas and not so much petrol.”
Cheeky

Q: Is that label a fertility symbol? 
A: Fred smiled as did most of us who know the well-endowed male figure (right) on the label - he’d probably pair well with our Síle na Gig. He told us how the label came about and that it was indeed a fertility symbol originating in Indonesia about two thousand years go, “a strong symbol you recognise and remember”.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Some terrific wines to look out for in the current O'Brien promotion.


As you probably know, the current O'Briens Wine promotion is up and running and will go on until the end of December. Not too sure if the two beauties below will last that long. One is biodynamic, the other is organic, and both are Very Highly Recommended. You'll find four other sale wines covered below as well, along with brief descriptions of what organic and biodynamic, and a few other wines terms, mean, terms that keep popping up on labels these days.

Musella Valpolicella Ripasso (DOC) Superiore 2016, 14%, €20.95 (22.95)

This biodynamic wine from near Verona comes in a mid to dark ruby robe. Superb intense aromas of ripe cherries. And cherry flavours are richly concentrated on the palate, a matching acidity, the mouthfeel soft, the tannins sweet. And there’s a fruity and well balanced finish. Really excellent wine, another Very Highly Recommended for you.

The concentration here is the result of the Ripasso method. Ripasso (re-passed) wines are made by fermenting young wine with the unpressed but drained skins and lees left over from making Amarone and this process can give the  Ripasso a “super-charge”. Read more details about the method here

In this case, the winery tells us this is “ripassato” on unpressed skins of Amarone “to earn colour and structure”. The blend here is the usual threesome of Corvina (the main grape), Rondinella, and Barbera and it has spent 12 months barrel ageing (French oak). Suggested pairings are cold meats/pâtés, Duck, Nutroast, Pheasant/Pigeon, Pizza/Pasta, Rib-Eye Steak, Sirloin/Striploin/Rump steak

Musella, as well as turning out rich satisfying ripassos, are also one of the 'Twelve Amarone Families', a group of the very best producers in the region in North East Verona.

By the way, I was just reading there in Vino Italiano that Valpolicella means “valley of many cellars” (vallis polis cellae). The Modern History of Italian Wine debunks that theory though, saying the POL refers to large mounds of sand and gravel left behind after flooding in the local river but goes on to confirm that “this great land of wines has always practiced the characteristic technique of over-ripening and drying the grapes”.

Symington Altano Vinho Tinto Douro (DOC) 2018, 14%, €12.45 (17.45)

Colour of this beautifully balanced organic red wine from the Douro valley in Portugal is a deep garnet. Scents of ripe red fruits are noted. On the palate it is fresh, smoothly intense, a sweet hint of smooth tannins and, with good acidity, is harmonious all the way through to a long finish. Very Highly Recommended and fantastic value at the moment.


This wine is made with 100% organically grown grapes from the family’s vineyards, the family being the Symingtons, a leading winemaking family who have been making Port in the Douro for five generations.

As you know, much the same grapes are used for port as for still red wine. The grape varieties for the Altano are Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional and Tinto Cão. The advice is to serve at 14 to 17 degrees centigrade. It is evidently ready for immediate consumption but “has the potential to continue developing favourably up to 6 years.”


Two excellent wines from South America feature in O'Brien's current promotion.

Dozens and dozens of wines are reduced in the current O'Brien's promotion that runs up to the end of the year. I've picked a few and have a couple of South American beauties below for you. Some of the others are pretty good too and I'll come to those in the next week or so. In the meantime, check out this magnificent Malbec from over 1,300 meters in the Andes foothills - that's higher than Carrauntoohill. The other, a Cinsault, a very pleasant light red, comes from the highly regard Di Martino winery in Chile.

Once upon a time, we bought red and white and maybe rosé. But now you'll see organic, biological, natural, even orange on labels. Can be confusing, I know. O'Brien's have put a handy leaflet together to explain the terms and I'll reproduce parts here from time to time. The first two are below - hope they help!

Casa de Uco El Salvaje Malbec Los Chacayes (IG) 2016, 13.5%, €16.95 (19.95)

Purple is the colour of this organic wine from a high altitude vineyard in the Mendoza region of Argentina. The rich aromas of ripe dark fruit rise to meet you. And on the palate the big flavours (plum, dark cherry and blackberry) are matched by an excellent acidity, a harmony relayed to the decent finish (not overly long). An immediately engaging wine and Very Highly Recommended. Just 2,500 bottles are produced and the wine has been fermented in large concrete eggs.

Los Chacayes is one of four wine areas in Tunuyan in the Uco valley. The vineyard Casa de Uco is located in the valley, tucked against the foothills of the Andes Mountains, and close to Mendoza. El Salvaje (wild) also figures prominently on the label and is the overall name given to a series of organic wines that also includes, among others, a Pinot Noir and a white blend.

This wine is 100% Malbec from certified organic vineyards located at 1300 metres above sea level. This elevation maintains the fresh acidity in the grapes. Unoaked, this is a pure expression of the Uco Valley terroir. 

Enjoy with beef, lamb or char-grilled vegetables. In Argentina, I’m told they pair it with juicy Sirloin of pork, Braised lamb shoulder with roasted parsnips, or Fillet steak with chimichurri. Wine Folly says the perfect Malbec Food Pairing is Black pepper buffalo burgers with blue cheese mushrooms and rosemary infused garlic kale chips. Sounds great to me.

Alberto Antonini, Winemaker Casa de Uco, is enthusiastic: "After 16 years of experience in the Uco Valley, I can affirm that this is the exact area where the best wines of Mendoza are produced. The proximity to the Andes Mountains, the ideal day to night temperature ranges, and the fertile soil with excellent drainage, make this land exceptional to produce high end wines and develop the viticulture and enology in the most natural way possible"

De Martino “Gallardia” Cinsault Itata (DO) 2017, 13%, 14.95 (19.95)

This delightful 100% Cinsault is a light ruby, quite like Pinot Noir. Aromas are rather intense: red fruit (including raspberry) mainly, plus floral elements. Mouthfeel is soft. Smooth and fresh on the palate, the raspberry prominent again, good acidity too, and a pleasing finish as well. Highly Recommended. Maybe Very Highly Recommended if you love these light dry reds as many people do nowadays.

De Martino say this, from their Guarilihue vineyard (22km from the sea), “is a tribute to the coastal vineyards located by the southern region of Chile; it is the cradle of the country’s viticulture, with vines dating back to 1551…. A sustainable agriculture, including dry farming and ploughing with horses are practiced in our vineyards.”

Wines of South America has a very high regard for De Martino and have included some of their wines in Top Ten varietal lists. De Martino winemaker Marcelo Retamal is one of the country’s most accomplished and is known as el doctor.  “He uses no new oak, preferring larger older casks, nd promotes the use of the old ceramic tinjaras, clay amphorae, for fermentation. There are no cultivated yeasts, no filtration, and no intervention.”
Head South For This Smashing Pair,
 One White, One Red.
Or Just Head to O'Brien's!

(Below, you'll find notes on two wine terms that are now current and, also a chance to read over the other four wines picked from O'Brien's November December promotion, a versatile "six-pack" for the holidays.

Domaine Begude “Etoile” Chardonnay Limoux (AOC) 2018, 13.5%, €18.95 (21.95)

Beautiful mid-gold colour. The aromatics are quite complex, regular fruit (such as apple and pear) along with the exotic (mango) in the mix. It is certainly more of the exotic on the rich palate, quite a rounded almost creamy mouthfeel, more complex than most French Chardonnays (not that there is such a thing as a typical Chardonnay as the chameleon grape makes itself at home wherever it finds itself), good acidity too though, so the long finish is harmonious.

This Highly Recommended wine should be fine with salmon and trout, with roast chicken (even roast turkey!). The winery also says it is “heavenly with Comté & other hard cheese”. Worth a try so with Hegarty’s Templegall though I know cheesemaker Jean-Baptise may prefer a Saint-Emilion.

This certified organic wine, full-bodied and smooth, is crafted from Chardonnay grapes high in the cool climate region (hot summer days and cool nights) of Limoux. Fertilised using only natural manures and cultivated with the utmost respect for the environment, this wine is vinified and matured in the very best French oak to bring you “our finest cuvée, Etoile”.

Colour is a dark red. Intense nose of dark fruits, notes of spice, perhaps a hint of the garrigue, the scrub that thrives around here. I once stayed in a gite in Languedoc owned by a Madam Garrigue. Like the senior citizen Madame, this wine is amazingly smooth (the madame used tidy up the pool in her bikini every evening). Must say that gite was great value for money and I can indeed say the same about this Prestige, fresh, and full of fruit, enhanced by nine months in oak. No pesticides, no herbicides, just excellent value (more so with the current reduction). 

Garrigue, by the way, is a feminine noun. And since I’m on gender, the French language version of the label indicates that Syrah is feminine while Carignan and Mourvedre, the other two in this blend, are masculine!

O’Brien’s tell us that Caraguilhes is completely organic, “this estate was using organic techniques when it was virtually unheard of anywhere else”. The Prestige is their oak-aged Reserve wine and is a seriously stylish wine. 

As regards keeping the wine, the winery advices that while it has potential of 6 or 7 years, it can be drunk today. Decant one hour in advance and serve at around 15 degrees. Food pairings: Provencal lamb (if you don’t have Herbes de Provence, try thyme, sage and rosemary), roast grilled beef with olives, quail in truffle sauce. Enjoy.


Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Watch for these excellent wines in O'Brien's November - December Sale!


Two excellent wines from South America feature in O'Brien's current promotion.

Dozens and dozens of wines are reduced in the current O'Brien's promotion that runs up to the end of the year. I've picked a few and have a couple of South American beauties below for you. Some of the others are pretty good too and I'll come to those in the next week or so. In the meantime, check out this magnificent Malbec from over 1,300 meters in the Andes foothills - that's higher than Carrauntoohill. The other, a Cinsault, a very pleasant light red, comes from the highly regard Di Martino winery in Chile.

Once upon a time, we bought red and white and maybe rosé. But now you'll see organic, biological, natural, even orange on labels. Can be confusing, I know. O'Brien's have put a handy leaflet together to explain the terms and I'll reproduce parts here from time to time. The first two are below - hope they help!

Casa de Uco El Salvaje Malbec Los Chacayes (IG) 2016, 13.5%, €16.95 (19.95)

Purple is the colour of this organic wine from a high altitude vineyard in the Mendoza region of Argentina. The rich aromas of ripe dark fruit rise to meet you. And on the palate the big flavours (plum, dark cherry and blackberry) are matched by an excellent acidity, a harmony relayed to the decent finish (not overly long). An immediately engaging wine and Very Highly Recommended. Just 2,500 bottles are produced and the wine has been fermented in large concrete eggs.

Los Chacayes is one of four wine areas in Tunuyan in the Uco valley. The vineyard Casa de Uco is located in the valley, tucked against the foothills of the Andes Mountains, and close to Mendoza. El Salvaje (wild) also figures prominently on the label and is the overall name given to a series of organic wines that also includes, among others, a Pinot Noir and a white blend.

This wine is 100% Malbec from certified organic vineyards located at 1300 metres above sea level. This elevation maintains the fresh acidity in the grapes. Unoaked, this is a pure expression of the Uco Valley terroir. 

Enjoy with beef, lamb or char-grilled vegetables. In Argentina, I’m told they pair it with juicy Sirloin of pork, Braised lamb shoulder with roasted parsnips, or Fillet steak with chimichurri. Wine Folly says the perfect Malbec Food Pairing is Black pepper buffalo burgers with blue cheese mushrooms and rosemary infused garlic kale chips. Sounds great to me.

Alberto Antonini, Winemaker Casa de Uco, is enthusiastic: "After 16 years of experience in the Uco Valley, I can affirm that this is the exact area where the best wines of Mendoza are produced. The proximity to the Andes Mountains, the ideal day to night temperature ranges, and the fertile soil with excellent drainage, make this land exceptional to produce high end wines and develop the viticulture and enology in the most natural way possible"

De Martino “Gallardia” Cinsault Itata (DO) 2017, 13%, 14.95 (19.95)

This delightful 100% Cinsault is a light ruby, quite like Pinot Noir. Aromas are rather intense: red fruit (including raspberry) mainly, plus floral elements. Mouthfeel is soft. Smooth and fresh on the palate, the raspberry prominent again, good acidity too, and a pleasing finish as well. Highly Recommended. Maybe Very Highly Recommended if you love these light dry reds as many people do nowadays.

De Martino say this, from their Guarilihue vineyard (22km from the sea), “is a tribute to the coastal vineyards located by the southern region of Chile; it is the cradle of the country’s viticulture, with vines dating back to 1551…. A sustainable agriculture, including dry farming and ploughing with horses are practiced in our vineyards.”

Wines of South America has a very high regard for De Martino and have included some of their wines in Top Ten varietal lists. De Martino winemaker Marcelo Retamal is one of the country’s most accomplished and is known as el doctor.  “He uses no new oak, preferring larger older casks, nd promotes the use of the old ceramic tinjaras, clay amphorae, for fermentation. There are no cultivated yeasts, no filtration, and no intervention.”

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Going Natural – New Trends in Wine


Going Natural – New Trends
A talk and tasting with Mary Dowey and Pascal Rossignol
Topics include Natural Wines, Old Vines, Sulphur and Biodynamic Wine

Philippe Chaume. The Vinsobres estate organic since 1997 and certified biodynamic since 2009.
Picture courtesy of  
http://www.provencefoodandwine.com
The Carrigaun Room (in the Grainstore) was full as Mary Dowey and Pascal Rossignol began their talk and tasting with a look at Biodynamic wines as part of last weekend’s marvellous Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine.

Mary thought the move to organic and biodynamic was one of “the most positive sides to the wine world” over the past two decades or so. She described biodynamics as “organics with knobs on" and "some very big names have adopted it”.

Our first wine, to illustrate biodynamic, was the Monte Dall-Ora Valpolicella Classico Saseti (Veneto). Pascal told us this came from a 7-9 hectare vineyard, a recent venture, bought as an almost organic vineyard and then they went bio. “It is all care and attention, hand harvested, all small scale so as not to damage the fruit. Almost a labour of love!” 

Pascal Rossignol
The next topic was natural wines. This is “a new level again”...”kind of controversial”...”up in the air”. But it means as naturally as possible. Practitioners try and recreate the natural balance in and around the vineyards. The timing of the harvest is vital as no additives will be used. “These wines have a vibrancy and a natural balance.”


There are no written rules, no classification, but there are some must follow steps and guidelines:
-          Manual harvest
-          Minimum use of sulphites
-          Quick to winery
-          Sulphites reduced as healthy fruit more able to fight oxidization
-          Babysit the process
Mary Dowey
-          Natural yeasts only to be used.

Pascal: “These wines are alive, really agree with you, more magic in the wine and are noted for their digestibility as much as for their drinkability.”

And certainly that seemed to be the case with our second wine, the Breton Vouvray La Dilettante (Loire 2011). Really liked this Chenin Blanc. Breton are very influential in the natural wine making world and I look forward to tasting more of it on its home ground later in the summer.

Now we were on to sulphites*. These occur naturally in wine but it is the use of them during the process at different stages (including the bottling) that add up and give a problem for some people who may be allergic to them. In the world of organic and natural wines, the purists don’t use sulphites but some others might use just a fraction of what is allowed (by the appellation). 

Our chemical free wine was the Alfredo Maestro Tejoro,Vina Almate Tempranillo (2012). It weighed in with a 14.5% abv “but that was the year that was in it”. The producers felt they had enough rules and regulations to follow in making the wine without also complying with the Ribera del Duero classification system so the words Ribera del Duero do not appear on the bottle.

Old Vines. What's the deal?
“The subject of old vines has been gathering momentum in recent years. But what’s the deal?” asked Mary as we reached that subject. What is old? She reckoned it had to be forty years at least and cautioned that not all varieties benefit from older vines. It doesn’t do anything for Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot but Grenache is well suited.

The main benefit is an “intensity of flavour, really concentrated”. And she had the perfect example, the Chaume-Arnaud Vinsobres (Rhone 2010). Vinsobres is a higher level on the Rhone ladder in any event but this wine, biodynamic and from old vines, is a gem, well balanced, with lovely acidity, harmony and soft tannins. Gorgeous.

Pascal’s wine shop in  Kilkenny specialises in these types of wine and you may check it out here

Mary spends much of her time in Provence and, as I know from first hand experience, has a terrific website on the area with great tips on restaurants and food producers. Click here.

* Wine is not the only thing that sulphites turn up in. In the US, the FDA has published this list.