My name on the label. I gotta pinch myself! Jane Eyre. Winemaker in Burgundy and Australia.

My name on the label. I gotta pinch myself!

Jane Eyre. Winemaker in Burgundy and Australia.

Winemaker Jane Eyre, from Australia, operates in Burgundy and in Victoria, and told us all about working in wine in the two countries during Thursday’s Masterclass, the latest in the online series organised by Liberty Wines.

Jane Eyre is originally from Melbourne. In 1998, she had put in ten years working as a hairdresser and was looking for a change.  A conversation with a customer led her to Burgundy. But she revealed she “would have gone have  anywhere in Europe. “Just so happened I ended up in Burgundy. I loved the region, the people and the Pinot Noir. Pinot is great, it takes you somewhere, we’re all suckers for it!” 

Back in Australia, she took a job with the legendary Prince Wine Store and studied winemaking at Charles Sturt University. After working vintages at Cullen in the Margaret River, and Felton Road and Ata Rangi in New Zealand, she returned to Europe in 2003. 

Work for three months with Ernie Loosen in the Mosel led into a job in Burgundy with Domaine des Comtes Lafon in January 2004. She then took over as assistant winemaker at Domaine Newman, and has slowly developed her own négociant business, renting a small winery in Bligny-lès-Beaune with Dominique Lafon.

“I’m lucky to be able to make wine in both places, different areas in Europe and in Australia. Starting off, I was lucky to work in beautiful wineries, to meet amazing people and to get the hands-on experience. I started making my own in 2011, five barrels worth”.  

It’s back to Australia every February (“to get away from the Burgundy fog”) and here too she started making her own, again working with Pinot (check her Mornington and Gippsland). Indeed, she has now made Pinot Noir in four Australian areas, the latest being Tasmania, though that was done by great friends (Jane having had to hot-foot it on the last plane to Europe due to Covid19).

She says there’s greater freedom in the wine industry in Australia (though the ongoing phylloxera is a problem in the Yarra), prices lower when compared to Burgundy and so too is the admin! “If something goes wrong in Australia you tip it out to the pigs, but in Burgundy everything has to be accounted for. You can get tied up with admin in Burgundy, not so much in Australia.”

“I’ve got to pinch myself when I see my name on a label, especially Grand Cru. My name really is Jane Eyre and I hated it. My life wasn’t going to be anything like Jane Eyre’s. Put your own name on the label, I was told. Not very French, I thought, but in the end it went on. It’s me, my story, my wines. I probably do get a few sales because of the original Jane. Biggest market for me are England and Paris, name’s is not problem. I made it, I’m accepted, it’s incredibly satisfying. But I was lucky, only ever had help here the whole way.”

Her latest venture in France is not Pinot Noir but Gamay. And she loves the Beaujolais: “… very easy to drink… with ageing potential”. Again her luck was in when she visited Fleury in 2016, “looking for fruit” and that luck led her to Prion, a little village where a grower has “superior fruit” for sale, in an 18 year bush vine vineyard that, in 2017, somehow survived two severe hail storms (Jane’s luck again). 

“It’s fun to work with another variety and Gamay is beautiful. The growers deserve so much more there. But there are trends and fashions in wine and Beaujolais is suffering, it’s tricky to follow the market. But I love making wine in Fleurie.”

She doesn’t stand still. She’s been a long time looking to make a white in Jura and her Chardonnay, finally in bottle, “came out of the bond yesterday”. 

Liberty may have that Jura on the list in future but for the moment there is plenty from Burgundy and Australia and that lovely Chénas from Beaujolais.

Hard to keep up with Jane. She was asked about getting her own vineyard in the Q&A session. Burgundy seems out of the question, too expensive. Australia’s a “better bet”. Then again it could be Beaujolais. Or Tasmania? Wherever you end up Jane, the wine will be good. Best of luck!

Previous masterclasses in this current series:

Nino Pieropan fondly remembered in son Andrea’s Masterclass

In the Swartland with Charles and Charl. The Spice Route and Fairview.

Chilean Wine Maestro Aurelio Montes

The Day The Vines Died in Alto Piemonte with Luca de Marchi
Matt Thompson's Blank Canvas in Marlborough

Portuguese Grape Varieties with Antonio Braga

A masterclass from Tuscany by wine-maker Paolo De Marchi

Rebooting Armenia's Ancient Winemaking with Zoric Gharabian

Barolo 2016 with Franco Massolino and Giuseppe Vajra

Biodynamic Californian Winemaker Ted Lemon of Littorai

Charles Heidsieck is "freshened up" by Cyril Brun

Cellar Master Émilien Boutillat Details Climate Change Challenges.

Nino Pieropan fondly remembered in son Andrea’s Masterclass

Nino Pieropan fondly remembered in son Andrea’s Masterclass

 

Pieropan family, in Soave since 1880

In the 1960s, Soave wine came from the Classico region. But the economic boom of the 70s, saw Soave (like Chianti) expand beyond the original area. And it proved a disaster. 

During Tuesday’s Liberty Wines organised online masterclass, Andrea Pieropan explained: “The DO expanded into the flat area where the yields were higher, the season shorter and there was less personality in the wines.” He explained that no area in Italy has such a difference between the classico and the surrounds.

So, quantity reined. Soave was everywhere, being sold abroad (primarily in North America) in 2-litre bottles. Soave became something of a dirty word. Many avoided the wine but, according to Vino Italiano, that meant “missing out on the elegant floral whites of Leonildo Pieropan whose Soaves show off the plump mouth-filling character of ripe Garganega.”  “..taste Pieropan’s single-vineyard wines (..Calvarino … and La Rocca) and suddenly Soave is no longer a dirty word”.

Grown on dark volcanic soil

Such was the impact of Leonildo (popularly known as Nino) who took over from his father in 1970 and was the first producer to make a single-vineyard Soave, 'Calvarino', in 1971.  This vineyard, owned by the Pieropan family since 1901, is on the classic volcanic basalt of Soave Classico. The other single vineyard 'La Rocca' was released for the first time in 1978, this vineyard is situated on the castle (“Rocca” in Italian) of Soave, on the only limestone outcrop in the zone.

Garganega (2019 vintage)

“My father was thinking single vineyard when no one else was,” said Andrea. And he was up against popular opinion as many thought you had to use the international grapes (Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc) to make a top class white. Liberty MD David Gleave confirmed that Nino had great courage and foresight in doing so and admires “the bravery of doing something like that in the 1970s, he trusted his own powers of deduction. He was a modest man but when you visit (as I have many times), you know you’re in a great vineyard.”

“He did not care about trendy,” said Andrea. ‘We have to show what we have and what we have you cannot find in many wines. We have a test: put bottle on table, bottle finished, good sign!”

April bud - Covid19 notwithstanding

“Urged by the great Luigi Veronelli to take the high road of quality, Nino started to prove, with that wine, that the best wines of Soave could age beautifully and could, in the right hands, be considered among Italy’s finest white wines,’ said Gleave. 

The Pieropan family has been producing wines in Soave since the 1890s. Indeed, they were the first producer to bottle a wine with the name Soave on the label in the early 1930s. Calvarino (little calvary) has been owned by the Pieropan family since 1901, is on the classic volcanic basalt of Soave Classico. The other single vineyard 'La Rocca' was released for the first time in 1978, this vineyard is situated on the castle (“Rocca” in Italian) of Soave, on the only limestone outcrop in the zone.

Andrea recalled his father saying that Calvarino was the greatest expression of what Soave should be and important too is the use of cement tanks for aging. “The wine does much better in concrete… we use it always for Calvarino, even in the new winery.”

La Rocca, grown on limestone

They started with cement also at La Rocca but here the soil is “completely different” and they switched to large barrels/tonneau and the wine spends 12 months on oak before bottling and blending. Also, it is not released for another 12 months. All in all, it shows that Garganega “could make a great white wine to compare with International whites wines.”

In the interesting Q&A at the end, Andrea was asked about the use of amphorae. He acknowledged that amphorae were “beautifully shaped and trendy” but didn’t see “much difference”. “You can have cement in same shape. In terms of material, I don’t see a big difference, both are inert.”

Attention to detail, year after year, seems to be a family trait. The Modern History of Italian Wine lists Nino as one of the most important winemakers of the 70s. “With him, viticulture and the Soave grape changed their look. He was the first to adopt green pruning methods… the first to plant espaliered vineyards (1969)…. and, subsequently, to reduce the buds from 50 to 10 in the pergolas of Garganega.  .. the first to use the horizontal Vaslin press..the first to restore the value of Recioto as a wine.. In 1970, with the blind tastings, his wines came to be considered extraordinary.” And the decade just got better with Calvarino and La Rocca

Brothers in wine: Dario (left) and Andrea

When Nino died two years ago, Andrea and brother Dario stepped up to the plate. Each is a winemaker. At present, Andrea oversees the vineyard while Dario takes care of the vivification.

The two sons could have rested on the their father’s laurels for decades. But, like Nino, neither is for standing still and there’s a string of projects on the go, a new one involving Valpolicella, and they recently completed a wonderful winery (underground in a mountain) in Soave itself; organic now, they are becoming more environmentally friendly; they are planting a vineyard on the winery roof to investigate the effects of copper and sulphur in the soil; and, for another label, have planted a vineyard at 500 metres. “We continue in the same line as father,” Andrea said. I reckon Nino would have been quietly pleased!

The new winery during construction

Previous masterclasses in this current series:

In the Swartland with Charles and Charl. The Spice Route and Fairview.

Chilean Wine Maestro Aurelio Montes

The Day The Vines Died in Alto Piemonte with Luca de Marchi
Matt Thompson's Blank Canvas in Marlborough

Portuguese Grape Varieties with Antonio Braga

A masterclass from Tuscany by wine-maker Paolo De Marchi

Rebooting Armenia's Ancient Winemaking with Zoric Gharabian

Barolo 2016 with Franco Massolino and Giuseppe Vajra

Biodynamic Californian Winemaker Ted Lemon of Littorai

Charles Heidsieck is "freshened up" by Cyril Brun

Cellar Master Émilien Boutillat Details Climate Change Challenges.

Wine Duo Charles and Charl tell us about their Qvevris in the Swartland! And much more about this hot dry wine region of South Africa.

Wine Duo Charles and Charl tell us about their Qvevris in the Swartland! 

And much more about this hot dry wine region of South Africa.

Wine from the Qvevris

The Swartland is 65kms north of Cape Town. The climate is hot and dry. Viticulture here it is not straightforward, according to Fairview and Spice Route owner Charles Back. “You have to be very careful to select good moisture retaining soil in the first place, soil that can trap the moisture and slowly release it later when needed.”

“We monitor winter rainfall very carefully and if the rain isn’t enough, the yield must be cut. We use bush vines and the canopy has to be managed.”

Charl du Plessis, the winemaker: “Your grape variety selection is also very important. I’d love to do Pinot Noir but no way here. Must look for new varieties, also with climate change in mind.”

Hot and dry

Dry conditions significantly reduce the risk of fungal diseases and make it easier to go organic. Charles: “We had been asking ourselves how to add value when the yield is down and organic is the answer. We have the attributes that lend themselves to organic.” 

Charl: “This is our third year of conversion, also a learning curve for us and hopefully we’ll see the benefits. I reckon that in 10 to 15 years time, most producers in South Africa and worldwide will be growing organically.”

"Without [Charles Back]…the Swartland would still be regarded as a rural backwater" wrote Tim Atkin, who awarded the winery 'Cru Bourgeois' status in his South Africa Classification in 2019. And Liberty MD David Gleave endorsed that opinion as he introduced the “double act” from the Spice Route and Fairview vineyards in a ‘backwater’ that has been transformed to a globally recognised hot spot for premium South African wine.

Amoskuil, their farm in the Swartland where the cellar is and the majority of the vineyards are, is in its final year of organic conversion. If all goes to plan, most of the Spice Route wines from the 2021 vintage and beyond will be certified organic.

Winemaker Charl told us about another “surprise” development here, their importation of 20 qvevris from Georgia. But first Charles: “Again, as part of our drive to add value, we are always on the lookout and when I got a chance to go to Georgia, I said ‘let me go!’. I was blown away, over 500 indigenous varieties and a biblical style of wine-making.” 

Qvevris

So blown away was he that he ordered the first batch of ten qvevris. “I hadn’t tasted wines like this before. I was thinking if I could apply very precise modern methods to the process, I could do well."

Charl went there in 2018 and did a vintage. “It was a big challenge for me and I learned a lot. No chemicals added, all done naturally, white wines on skins for six months, red for three years!”

A qvevri is huge earthenware amphora (800 to 1200 lts) sunk into the ground and used for wine fermentation and storage. The hand-made terracotta pots have been fired and coated inside with beeswax.

Underground

Back in Swartland, the qvevris have been installed underground and the duo seem determined not to have the extended maturation of the Georgians. “Probably a bridge too far for the average winemaker, somewhere in between. There’ll be a focus on cellar hygiene the whole time, that’s vital.”

Their Georgian Qvevri are built into the cellar at Klein Amoskuil in Malmesbury! 

Tasting time

Charl: ”They are filled with blends, one white, one red, and all the grapes are organic, all sustainable. It’s the total opposite of normal, especially for the white. We ferment on the skins, extract a lot of tannins which yield more anti-oxidants and that helps prevent spoilage and the colour is amber or orange. The way to go!” 

“It is an acquired taste but has a big following around the world, with the younger age group engaging and more into it.  Great food wine.” Charl sees a big future for these wines and is very positive about them. Look out for them under their Obscura label.

Quite a few questions in Q&A towards the end about different varieties, varieties that might do well in the Swartland.
Charles: “There are some Greek varieties that might do well eg Assyrtiko but though it is well suited, there is no big commercial appeal to it.”

Q: Viognier in South Africa?

A: The high cropping level is a problem, need to manage the canopy. Treat it as a red grape early on, the aim always to get the correct balance between the alcohol and the tannins.”

Q: Pinotage? Like it or don’t like it?

A: Charles says he sees a big future for it but not the old style wine that some of us outside of South Africa are familiar with. “If you really apply yourself to Pinotage, you can make a very good wine from it, more fresh, juicy, flavoursome. And it is ideally suited for Mediterranean style rosés.” And he went on to say that there is still a lot to discover from Chenin Blanc, that there is the possibility of getting a broader range of wines from it.

Q: How do you clean the qvevris?

A: “I’m skinny,” said Charl.

Charles (left) and Charl

Charles and Charl are quite a duo but how did they end up together. Charles was on the lookout for good terroir in the Swartland and was tasting Chardonnay in the local cooperative, an influential one. It was “amazing” and he followed up by going to the grower and buying the farm at Klein Amoskuil. 

His first wine-maker left to open his own business a few years later. Charles had already noted the prowess of Charl. “He was always winning competitions and so I said if I cannot beat him, I’d better get him to join me.” And so they ended up working together at the end of the 2001 in time for the fourth vintage at Spice Route and have been making wine, and jokes, together since then.

Previous masterclasses in this current series:

Chilean Wine Maestro Aurelio Montes

The Day The Vines Died in Alto Piemonte with Luca de Marchi
Matt Thompson's Blank Canvas in Marlborough

Portuguese Grape Varieties with Antonio Braga

A masterclass from Tuscany by wine-maker Paolo De Marchi

Rebooting Armenia's Ancient Winemaking with Zoric Gharabian

Barolo 2016 with Franco Massolino and Giuseppe Vajra

Biodynamic Californian Winemaker Ted Lemon of Littorai

Charles Heidsieck is "freshened up" by Cyril Brun

Cellar Master Émilien Boutillat Details Climate Change Challenges.

Pinotage in the open top "kuipe" for fermentation

The Day The Vines Died in Alto Piemonte. And, 95 Years Later, The Resurrection.

The Day The Vines Died in Alto Piemonte.

 And, 95 Years Later, The Resurrection.

The soil in Lessona, mainly a prehistoric sea sand

The 11th August 1905 was the day the vines died in Alto Piemonte. A massive hail storm wiped out the crop and the vines and 90% of viticulture in the area was abandoned. No wine was bottled that year and so 1904 was the last harvest and the farmers sought new employment and many found it in the expanding industry of Northern Italy.  

Fast forward to the year 2000 and the father and son team of Paulo and Luca de Marchi set up (recovered may be a better word) the vineyard at Proprietà Sperino in Lessona, the land previously owned by their relation Felice Sperino, a professor in Turin where young Luca was studying history. Paulo, of course, already had his vineyards in Isole e Olena (see below), and so Luca got involved here and is loving it, both the whole wine experience along with the history behind it!

Luca in action!

One winemaker had struggled on through the 20th century and, by 2004, there were three in total in Lessona, 8 by 2009, 14 now and a few more to come. During the Question and Answer session, Luca was asked if, due to the increasing popularity of the Nebbiolo grape, that even more growers would enter the area.

“Perhaps, the popularity is coming too quickly, I’m a bit worried. We shouldn’t forget that 90% of the vineyards are incredibly young. The place is amazing but we need to slow down and learn more, stay away from the spotlight. We can be much better than we are now.”

In introducing Luca to the Zoom audience for the latest in the Liberty Wines series of masterclasses, David Gleave said he knew both Paulo and Luca well. He said that Luca was thoughtful, intelligent but maybe not so reflective as his father, always with new ideas and thoughts. Luca’s answer above though showed that he can be reflective as well.

The father and son endured some good natured teasing when their intention of setting up in the abandoned area became known. “You should be planting rice!” Luca: “Slowly I fell in love with the history of the area in the foothills of the Alps, over-shadowed by Monte Rosa, for 400 years the most popular wine area and then abandoned.” And he found an amazing old library of wines “my work today”.

The oval barrels in the underground cellar, where the wine matures, slowly!

He’s been delving into the history of Nebbiolo too, the main (95%) red grape in the area with its very acidic soils and low yields “unusual in Italy”. “Nebbiolo is quite a recent grape but something very similar was described by Pliny (AD23-79) - cold resistant, late ripening, high quality, exported to Rome and called Allobrogica. Then Quinta Sextilia (also 1st cent) offers wine and fabrics as a gift, the same two products that the area excels in today!”

And more history. In the Middle Ages, the Austrian Gattinara played a key role here. Luca explains: “Italy was always a wine country, every region. So a very old wine tradition but a very young bottling country. And it was Gattinara who started the bottling when he began to present the local wines as gifts.”

Monte Rosa, Europe's second highest mountain. Switzerland is at the other side.

Geology is another major factor here and geography of course. “We have the soil of another world, unbelievable. Zero calcium. The soil is from an ancient volcano including granite one million years old. Iron, magnesium, and other metallic elements abound in nearby Bramaterra. It is different in Lessona, prehistoric sea sand is the soil here and so the Lessona and Bramaterra wines have different properties.”

While the Alto vineyards are close to the Alps they are not high altitude “less then 500m in Boca”. But “the vertical wall of Monte Rosa, 3000m high,” gives them a lot of protection; for instance, they get no snow. Hail though is still a hazard due to the cold mountain air meeting the hot air.

And he showed us a picture of the vineyard at harvest time. In most places, there is still much greenery on the vine but here there’s only an autumnal gold. “The harvest is late, the maturity of the grapes and the life cycle of the vine go together, very unique, I think.”

There are two other red varieties that he mentioned. Vespolina is one, “an incredibly interesting variety and great in blending with Nebbiolo.” Croatina is the other one. “I don’t like it too much but thick skin protects it from problems, including hail.”

He then spoke about his “Rosa del Rosa” Rosato. “This is a new thing I started in this part of Piemonte (after a lot of discussion) as I was never a Rosé drinker”. This is a beauty apparently - watch out for the 2019 - with a mineral and savoury character and made from Nebbiolo. 

“I love Cabernet Franc” he declared, to our surprise! “Nebbiolo is the lifestyle grape but Cab Franc is my favourite grape” “We planted a mislay portion of this excellent cold climate variety and the wines show exactly what Piemonte is.” Both the wines (and more) are available from Liberty Ireland.

David Gleave reminded him that his wines do well in France especially in top restaurants, that “there is a Burgundian character to them”.  Luca agreed: ”Yes it is that kind of style, more like what they are used to. It is indeed easier to sell Lessona in France than Isole e Olena.”

Another questioner asked him to compare Lessona and Barolo. Luca: “I love Barolo. Beautiful, mature dark wine. I love it. Lessona has a lighter colour, more floral aromas, more gentle, more length (the one thing you can’t change in the winery).”

We’ll finish up with a few comments on recent vintages in the area. Luca: “Vintages are changing, getting slowly warmer. Hail can be a major problem. Generally, if the vintage is good in southern Piemonte, it is good here and overall vintage variation is probably less than elsewhere.”

Q: What is your favourite vintage?

A: “The next one, as we’ll be better than the last one! So, after twenty years, the 2010 is a classic, all over Piemonte. I love cooler vintages, more fresher. So, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2016."

Previous masterclasses in this series:
Matt Thompson's Blank Canvas in Marlborough

Portuguese Grape Varieties with Antonio Braga

A masterclass from Tuscany by wine-maker Paolo De Marchi

Rebooting Armenia's Ancient Winemaking with Zoric Gharabian

Barolo 2016 with Franco Massolino and Giuseppe Vajra

Biodynamic Californian Winemaker Ted Lemon of Littorai

Charles Heidsieck is "freshened up" by Cyril Brun

Cellar Master Émilien Boutillat Details Climate Change Challenges.