Screw Cap and Cork. A masterclass from Tuscany by wine-maker Paolo De Marchi

Screw Cap and Cork. A masterclass from Tuscany by wine-maker Paolo De Marchi

Paolo De Marchi

Tuscan wine-maker Paolo De Marchi saw “the other side of the moon” in the early years of this century. He told us how that came about during yesterday's online masterclass.

Paolo, the owner of the superbly tended Isole e Olena vineyards in Tuscany, has a tendency to see what’s hidden - once he dug holes “everywhere” with a back-hoe to see what the roots of his vines were doing down there. So it was no surprise that when Liberty’s David Gleave MW asked him to start using screw cap on some of his wines that Paolo went into the subject in deep detail.

His initial answer though was negative. “I said not ever!”  But, he decided to try. “The DOCG though does not allow screw cap, it was not easy decision. I have to go deeper, to the moon, to imagine the other side. There may be other answers, so I try.”

It worked out well though. From 2005, the Liberty allocation of Cepparello, with screw cap but without the DOCG of course, went off to the UK and then, not over surprisingly, Australia wanted 100% screw cap. And New Zealand followed.

Clare Valley’s Tim Adams attended a 2010 event in Cork’s Blackrock Castle and his bottles that night were all screw cap. Tim and his neighbouring winemakers went for this method of closure in the late 1990s and are very happy with it. “But we are still learning...the process of evaluation is long term... could go on for 20 years”. They are well into that now!

As indeed is Paolo. And Paolo is better placed to speak on the merits of screw cap versus cork as he also bottles the Cepparello under cork for Italy, for Italian restaurants abroad, for long established importers in the UK and also for the USA. “Screw cap is more popular on white wines… every year increasing.”

“Twelve vintages now we have screw cap. Very hard to choose.” But he did indicate that the best wine you’ll ever drink will be from cork, indicated also that screw cap wines are excellent and more consistently so.

“Cork is always a mystery. Screw cap is less of a mystery - just check for physical damage to the closure, maybe a little shock on the cap. But I still prefer the wine from the cork,” and then he smiles, “from a good cork”.

As they age, he maintains both will be beautiful if different. “But that’s a minor problem. When you have a beautiful wine, enjoy it.”

David Gleave agreed. “You’re right, either way there’s diversity (diversity even within cork). Besides, corks are getting better but my personal preference is for screw cap. The tannins evolve a little more slowly. It is more consistent and Cepparello is well suited” Paolo, by the way, also does a superb Chardonnay under screw cap.

The Portuguese cork makers did up their act after the turn of the century shock from down under.  Back in 2013 in L’Atitude 51, Philip Grant of Chateau Bellevue la Foret, Fronton AOC, said he had noted a major improvement in the traditional closure since 2001 “when the Portuguese cork industry reacted to the enormous pressure they was coming under from the emergence of the screw cap as the favourite closure of Australia and other wine producing countries”.

Philip insisted that consistency is guaranteed under screw cap. He had very little to say in favour of the synthetic cork, beyond indicating that it may be useful for wines that are intended for a very limited shelf life and he meant months!

Paolo of course had an opinion. ”I don’t like DIAM - a wannabe cork!” The synthetic Noma though is “more interesting” and he might take a look at that.

Just to finish with a note or two on the Cepparello (first released in 1980). This is a Chianti Classico - it will be on the label if you buy the cork version, won’t be there if you buy screw cap. The grapes are grown on the estate which is right in the heart of Chianti Classico between Florence and Siena. It is a blend of Sangiovese 80%, Canaiolo 15% and Syrah 5%.

Why Syrah? That was a popular question during the Question and Answer session that followed Paolo’s talk. No hesitation from Paolo. “Syrah, because it ripens well, adds colour and spice, and blends very well with Sangiovese.”

Lots of other questions too for Paolo before he could take a break but I didn’t get the tail-end as my connection began to act up. Looking forward to the next masterclass from Liberty Wines and their team!

All pictures above are screenshots from the masterclass.

Zorah Making Its Mark. Rebooting Armenia's Ancient Winemaking

Zorah Making Its Mark
Rebooting Armenia's Ancient Winemaking

“Now is the restart of the Armenian wine legend,“ declared Zorik Gharibian, owner of the Zorah Vineyards.

Zorik was speaking at the start of his online masterclass, organised by Liberty Wines, last Wednesday. “We lost the link with our history of winemaking.” He referred to the genocide (between 1914 and 1923) and, more recently, Soviet rule which declared that Armenia would be their brandy supplier, a long period when wine played second fiddle. Indeed, the current World Wine Atlas says that “at least 80% of the grapes.. are still distilled into the national drink”.

Zoric

Armenia may well be perceived as “new” on the wine scene around the world. Perhaps so. But Zorik is optimistic: "We have all the tools needed to be a winemaking country, 100s of native varieties, our high altitude vineyards. Armenia has it all.”

Back in the mist of time Noah, no less, would have had much the same feelings. His Ark landed on Mount Ararat, the country’s holy mountain, and the first job was to plant a vineyard and the wine was used to celebrate.

The Zorah vineyard is in the light green section

And the long history in wine that Zorik is rightly proud of is well illustrated in two of the country’s ancient places, one just “in front of Zorah”, discovered in 2007, after he had already set up his vineyard in the Vayots Dzor region. Right here, in a cave (Areni 1), ancient amphorae were discovered and were dated at 6,100 years ago. “They had used the same techniques as us and the grapes were similar too.

Another site from Armenia’s Golden Age, this close to the capital Yerevan, emphasises the wine connection. Here, no less than 480 large amphorae were found. They were in use some 3,000 years ago, “wine-making on an industrial scale”. Zorik’s slide even showed Sumeric script on the neck, detailing the year of harvest and capacity.

Unruly! Zorah's bush vines

They were buried in the ground, up to three quarter level, with a quarter above, a method unique to Armenia. “I was the first in modern Armenia to believe in the amphora”. And he tried various placements, from the whole vessel below ground to the whole unit above but in the end found that the ancient method produced the best results. The Armenian amphora (known locally as karasi) is longer than others, “the most sexiest amphoras I’ve seen around”.

Another important date in the country’s history is 301AD when Armenia “became the first nation to accept Christianity”. Soon there were monks and vineyards everywhere and even now there are monasteries all over the place, always monks and grapes. “Wine has always “been inside our culture”.

Amphorae

So back to Zorik's start, or re-start, in Vayots Dzor, the smallest and least populated region with the highest altitude. He established the Zorah winery on a plateau at 1,400 metres. “Here, there is a great diversity… grapes and other fruits… no pollution... no industry at all.”

There is “a drastic difference" between day and night temperatures here. "The soil is sandy, with great drainage, and we harvest at the end of October. There are no roads after my vineyard, just the mountain.”

No roads after Zorah

Areni Noir is “king of the red grape varieties here … and has no international relations, unrelated to any other variety". At 200m higher, he came across ancient bush vines (200 years old or so), apples and walnut trees too. Here he makes his Yeraz wine, his best wine of which he is so very proud. But he and his team have to fight hard for the fruit. While the old bushes are very large the yield is very limited. So far, he produces just three wines as “they must be more than perfect before release”. Progress is slow.

Progress may be slow but Zoric is always thinking ahead. One aim now in hand and getting there “little by little” is the Heritage Project. The aim here is to create a collection of wines from native Armenian varieties, not necessarily from Zorah (who would be curators, I suppose). “I think it will be worthwhile for wine lovers around the world.”

And another project is geared at reviving the ancient craft of making the amphora. At present there is a scarcity. “I go village to village, knock on doors.” In one house, and he had the photo to prove it, the old lady had a huge amphora and didn't want it anymore as nobody in the family was making wine. 

The only problem was the large vessel was in the middle of the house that had been extended around it, so Zoric has to pay for the knocking and rebuilding of an old wall. Zoric, who ran a fashion business in Italy, has friends in the wine industry there (some help out at Zorah) and expects to get help from Italian master craftsmen to train the Armenians.

Besides, he hopes that this will accelerate progress in the local wine industry. “I am happy and proud to encourage, including members of the diaspora, entering into wine. And a few are now using amphorae. Armenia surely has a future with our traditional ageing, our indigenous varieties and our highlands, this is what we must push.”

And push he does: “I keep repeating my presentation.. great potential coming up. And not just a story with mystic notes.. the liquid is there! We can put ourselves in a position of prestige."

He sees challenges rather than problems. That became clear in the question and answer session. “Our grapes are thick-skinned, very tough, suited to our environment. Frost and hail we get, but they are naturally here. Frost is an enemy? No, a challenge yes.

Now you know where Armenia is!

And then there’s phylloxera. "In Armenia yes, but not in my region. It recently arrived in a nearby valley where investors were allowed bring in international grafted varieties. Luckily nothing arrived here yet. I’m proud of my terroir, a unique place. So I hope it never arrives!”

You’ll have noticed that the letter “Z” kept popping up in the paragraphs above. And here is one more example. The colourful design Զ at the top of his bottles is the Armenian letter “Z” with a map of the country (in white) included.

Check out Liberty Wines for their selection of Zorah wines here 

For more on Zorah itself, see https://www.zorahwines.com/.

Pics above are slides from the online masterclass.

Back in the 1974/75 season, when Armenia was still part of the Soviet Union, Cork Celtic were outplayed by Ararat Yerevan in the second leg of a second round European Cup tie in the Armenian capital.

Biodynamic Californian Winemaker Ted Lemon and “the things that lie behind”

Biodynamic Californian Winemaker Ted Lemon and “the things that lie behind”.

Compost based on cow manure

Biodynamic Californian winemaker Ted Lemon (of Littorai) gives a different kind of masterclass, to say the least. Indeed, his mention of his wines comes in a hurry at the end. But, even some hours before last Wednesday’s online masterclass began (with some 170 attendees), we had been invited to view two videos (links below).

One was about dandelion seeds and how they can travel as much as five miles, propelled by an amazing natural “vortex” system. If the first video was micro then the second was macro, recorded by the international space station and showing a stupendous display of both the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis phenomena  set to Pachelbel's Canon in D Major.

Ted Lemon, screenshot from the masterclass

At the end of Ted’s talk on biodynamics we had some understanding of the forces that act upon our world. And forces such as those in the video, both micro and macro, are at work in biodynamic farming, “the things that lie behind” as Ted said. We have a beautiful world and we need to start looking after it. And also looking more closely, more deeply.

Liberty Wine’s David Gleave introduced Ted saying a wine masterclass was a “strange exercise without wine. “Ted,” he said, “is a great speaker. He makes fabulous wines and his story is good too.” Ted again surprised us by beginning with a 14th century Persian poem called a The Happy Virus:

I caught the happy virus last night

When I was out singing beneath the stars.

It is remarkably contagious – So kiss me.

Ted Lemon learned his craft in Burgundy. He worked at many prestigious estates including Domaine Georges Roumier, Domaine Bruno Clair, Domaine Parent, Domaine De Villaine, Domaine Delorme and Domaine Dujac. 

He was the first American ever selected as winemaker and vineyard manager of a Burgundian estate, Domaine Guy Roulot in Meursault. He has also been consulting winemaker at top wineries in California, Oregon and New Zealand.

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Screenshot from the masterclass. Ted has been hugely influenced by Steiner.

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Despite his success in France, as part of the mainstream wine industry, Ted began to have doubts. He saw the land there was being poorly treated and began to think there had to be another way. 

He found that in biodynamics and, after quite a search up and down the west coast of the USA, found his place at Littorai and set up there in 1993;  he and wife Heidi went on to build their winery in 2008. It is a small, family run winery producing world class single vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the true north coast of California: the coastal mountains of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.

Building up the cow manure based compost heap.

The cause for Ted’s search for “another way” emerged in a question and answer session being chaired by Dennis Drazan Sunjic. Here’s a flavour..

“How soon did you see signs of the difference that biodynamics were making?”

Within six months was the answer. "By August/September, I noticed the growth of plants between the rows of vines, plants that I hadn’t seen before. And then the good signs snowballed."

“What is the best size for a biodynamic vineyard?”

Ted didn’t see any problem with size. There are some really big BD properties in Australia for example. You just have to adjust for scale.

“BD seems to work best when it is at the heart of a community and culture. With the mindset we now find ourselves in with lockdowns and climate change etc, what do you think can be done to return farming to a localised level and do you think that this is a good thing?”

Ted said there are some great examples currently of that type, both big and small, even in urban areas. The aim really is quality, not quantity, and the question is would we spend a bit more for it.

Earlier, Ted had taken us through the “Western” agricultural history, from hunter gatherers, to nomadic cultures, to traditional community farms and then to the Agricultural revolution of the 17th century, right up to the family farm. 

Then came the Industrial Revolution, the world wars, the petro-chemical industry, the loss of diversity. “Did you know that in France, at the end of the 19th century, they had 3,600 different apple varieties? By 1950, there were just a few hundred left.”

After the wars, the family farm was increasingly replaced by the industrial farm, more inputs bought in, the produce now geared towards the market. Working for profit became the norm. “More fertilisers.. less and less variety”.

At the same time (from 1920 onwards) though, alternative forms of farming were emerging, slowly.  These included Biodynamics (1924), Organic (1930s and 40s), Permaculture (70s), and Agro-ecology (80s).

Ted cited Rudolf Steiner as one of his main influences and then took us through the use of Preparations, unique to BD farming but with which you may be familiar. Preparation 500 is animal material in an animal sheath while 501 is mineral material in animal sheath (often a cow’s horn). Vegetable material may also be placed in a sheath. And then there’s the use of herbal teas, as tonics, enhancers and stimulants.

Interestingly, cow manure is a key part of BD. The manure contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and more. Cow manure compost provides a much higher yield in humus per acre than simple dung left on the field and humus is the most important carbon sink on the farm. “Cow manure,” said Ted, “is a balanced manure and easy to collect.”

The little things that count big

And then there are some little things. “Take care of the worms,” he said. Give them the conditions to multiply and they’ll reward you. The bees and the pollinators must also find a welcome. Plant those wildflowers and you’ll be rewarded. But don’t just hire in swarms as they do in the almond orchards of California. “A healthy farm is a self-contained, self-sustaining individuality.”

Observation is hugely important. Ted surprised himself when he began to study the gophers on the farm (we don’t have them in Ireland!). “Pure destruction, you think”. But their digging underground “has a beneficial function”.

“Our job as winegrowers is to work in harmony with nature and not in opposition.  Our vineyard work centres around enhancing systemic ecological health so that our vineyards do not succumb to attacks but bend like reeds in the wind and then return to their natural, healthy condition.” 

Towards the end, Ted was asked to talk about their recent vintages. I noted the Pinot Noir comments. The 2010 is hardly recent but he was full of praise for it, “quite exceptional”. The 2014 and 2016 are “more classic, the 14 a little more elegant”. The 2015 “will age”, so perhaps wait for it is the message here.

It is the opposite with the 2017. “Drink them young and enjoy the fruit from a very hot vintage”. “The 2018 seems to have everything… will be a classic, while the 2019 is looking good.” More about Ted's wines here.

Champagne Cyril Freshens Up Charlie. An Online Masterclass.

Bubbles (via Pixabay)

Champagne Cyril Freshens Up Charlie.
An Online Masterclass.

Charles Heidsieck, one of the most admired Champagne houses, was founded in 1851, by the man who would become known as ‘Champagne Charlie’. Their size, and commitment to excellence, has been underpinned by a winemaking team that between them have been named 'Sparkling Winemaker of the Year' at the International Wine Challenge 16 times.

Cyril Brun is current Chef de Caves of Charles Heidsieck Champagne, and last Thursday he took close to two hundred of us through an online masterclass. The theme was: Tradition through innovation: Charles’ signature in the future.

If Charles (aficionados use the first name) has been making Champagne since 1851 you may well think that innovation is scarcely needed at this point in time. But nothing stands still. Cyril though puts Charles fans at ease, assuring us that there is nothing drastic afoot, that much will stay as it is, that he is just tweaking things a bit.

Cyril joined Charles Heidsieck in summer 2015 after more than 15 years as deputy cellar master at Veuve Clicquot. Cyril also had experience at Haut Brion and spent few years working for Metro where he was wine buyer. Since he joined, he has been implementing several slight changes to preserve and improve what fans all know as the “Charles style”

Cyril onscreen

 

As you can imagine, over the decades, Charles Heidsieck has built exceptional relationships with the best growers across Champagne. Precise selection of grapes takes place from 60 specific sites. 

Let us start with the three Champagne grapes. Cyril’s opinion is that this trinity of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, will go on and on. One of the participants asked if “new” grapes were being “trialed”. Cyril answered that, though he was open to trialing, he has not been fully convinced of any new grape being allowed into the champagne club. “Maybe in future.”

Blending from two or three grapes might seem a straightforward process. It’s not. It is a critical task for any champagne house. Fairly complex too, with three dimensions:

• wines are blended from different crus;
• wines are blended from different grape varieties;
• wines are blended from different years.

Willem Pinçon, Senior Brand Manager at Liberty Wines, 
linked Cyril and the participants

As it stands, there is competition amongst the various champagne houses for these three grapes. Charles Heidsieck have embarked on a “more selective sourcing of grapes”. They are exploring exciting new villages in Vallée de la Marne and in Côte des Bars yet the selection now comes from about 50 villages instead of 80 in the past. At the same time, they are consolidating their Pinot Noir.

One of Cyril’s primary tasks in recent years has been to enhance the freshness of the Charles champagnes without moving too far from the signature style. Oxygen management through “jetting” is one method. Jetting, kicked off by a high-speed injection of 0.1μl of water and sulphites, ensures consistency of each batch after disgorgement, same amount of oxygen in each and every bottle. The method has been used for decades in brewing.

The house is gradually moving - they started four years back - to using synthetic cork for the entire range. After many trials, Mytik Diam corks were chosen and they find it a perfect tool to make the best of the jetting effect. Other benefits include: no corked taste; no fear of long storage; consistency of every bottle (no distortion due to variations of oxygen), and, many of us will be glad to hear, easier opening!

Facebook pic from Charles

The masterclass was followed by a question and answer session. Here’s a flavour for you…

“How do you decide when to pick?”

Cyril emphasised that balance, not ripeness, is the key element in picking. So he does not rely solely on the technical measurement of sugar content - he tastes, “a lot”. Nowadays, because of climate change, they are picking 2 to 3 weeks earlier than ten years ago. (Editor’s note: Are you listening, Mr Trump?)

“Why do you have so much more information on the label?” 

Cyril was happy to answer: “Transparency is the respect we pay to our customers.”

“What is the best vintage you have tasted?”

Cyril started with the 1981, “still a young one”. But he seems most taken with the 1955. “Very memorable. Time has had no impact on it.”

Irish importers Liberty Wines tell us that the masterpiece from Charles Heidsieck is the Blanc des Millénaires. Made of the best Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs (Cramant, Avize, Oger, Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger and Vertus), this is an elegant and distinctive Blanc de Blancs. Cyril described the 2004, the current release, as "fabulously fresh and already offering the beautiful colour, long finish and silky texture so characteristic of this cuvée, as legendary as the celebrated founder of the House”.

That’s a good tip for you, so I’ll end on that! Santé!!