Could you drink this glass of wine? I didn't. How I Failed the Chinon test.

Could you drink this glass of wine? I didn't.
Didn't do the Chinon test*.
Domaine de Beauséjour Chinon (AOC) 2012, 13% 

Rabelais presides over the threshing in Chinon

I didn’t quite make the cut for membership when I visited the Caves Painctes of Chinon, the headquarters of the Confrerie de Bons Entonneurs Rabelaisiens, situated in a network of subterranean tunnels running beneath the chateau. You have to drink a glass of wine. What’s the problem? You may well ask. The problem is the glass takes a whole bottle and you must finish it without a pause! 

Quote from Rabelais

The town of Chinon, in the Loire Valley, is a terrific visit, especially if you go late August/ early September. We visited a few years back and the highlight was a day-long vintage fair with an old fashioned threshing. Thirsty work and, for a short spell, we withdrew from the streets to Caves Painctes.

The Chinon appellation lies, mostly, in the “vee” where the Vienne River (on whose bank Chinon stands) joins the Loire on its way west. Cabernet Franc is very much the red grape here, no rivals. The grape is also well known for its key part in Bordeaux blends.

Though Chinon Cabernet Franc can last longer, the general advice to to drink it at five years. Perhaps its best days are behind this one? That was the doubt in my mind as I started with this bottle (bought in Karwig's before the closedown) while simultaneously starting to view a film called The Help, the story of three “extraordinary” women, one white, who together question the “values” of 1960 Mississippi society in a dangerous time.

I found the “high society" accents, combined with the white attitudes (black maids, the help, couldn’t even use the same toilets as the family), hard to take. It wasn’t all racial, the rich pampered women were just as nasty towards a “white trash” woman who was hoping for acceptance into their snobby circle. At that early stage, the wine was on the quiet side for me. Happily, both the film, as the main characters began to shine (and my ear got used to the accents), and the wine improved as the evening wore on.

Chinon. Chateau is top left

Colour of this 2012 100% Cab Franc is a mid ruby. Aromas hint of harmony between fruity and floral, red fruits such as strawberry and raspberry and violet. Well rounded now, nothing too deep or intense, just a harmonious wine making its pleasant way, with a touch of tannins on the lips, to a harmonious finish. Nice bit of acidity too so should be fine with lightweight food. Not too sure about southern fried chicken though!

Unusual shoulder label on the bottle, a quote from local hero Rabelais: Very crazy who never gets drunk… That’s the Google translation. I think he means you should get drunk at least once in your life. And, since he was a native of these parts, he probably means on a bottle of Chinon. Or a glass!

Another Rabelais quote on the label here.

*  More than likely, you'd need to be invited to become a member.

AUSTRIA'S WACHAU NOW A DAC REGION

press release 08.05.2020 WACHAU NOW A DAC REGION AUSTRIA'S FAMILY OF PROTECTED AND DESIGNATED ORIGINS HAS GROWN A change long in development has now become official: the Wachau is Austria’s newest (and fifteenth) DAC winegrowing region. On the three levels Gebietswein (regional wine), Ortswein (“villages” wine) and Riedenwein (single-vineyard wine), regionally typical wines will now bear the protected designation of origin “Wachau DAC”. The Vinea Wachau’s categories Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd will remain in use.

Typically Wachau: the Danube, stone terracces and now also Wachau DAC. © AWMB/Robert Herbst After thorough deliberation and consensus-building within the region, the Wachau submitted the draft of a DAC regulation to the Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism, which has now been signed into law by federal minister Elisabeth Köstinger. The protected designation of origin “Wachau DAC” is now the fifteenth of its kind in Austria. “With the Wachau, we can now welcome another important member to Austria’s DAC family”, says Chris Yorke, Managing Director of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (AWMB). “In doing this, Austria’s wine industry has taken a further step on the path of origin-based marketing. This has proven itself effective for seventeen years now, and has also become recognised internationally”. A KEEN FOKUS ON ORIGINS Wachau DAC wines are classified on three levels: Gebietswein, Ortswein and Riedenwein. One particular feature: the winegrowers have committed themselves to hand harvesting on all three levels. In the Gebietswein category, the traditional array of grape varieties is preserved, where seventeen white and red varieties ranging from Grüner Veltliner and Riesling to Muskateller and Sauvignon Blanc to Pinot Noir and Sankt Laurent are permitted. Gemischter Satz and cuvées are also allowed. These wines will bear the name of the region coupled with “DAC” on the label. The grapes can come from anywhere in the entire winegrowing region Wachau. Ortswein is becoming increasingly important in Austria’s landscape of origins, and the Wachau also provides for twenty-two designated municipalities, protected in its DAC regulation. The number of approved grape varieties is concentrated here to nine: Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Weissburgunder, Grauburgunder, Chardonnay, Neuburger, Muskateller, Sauvignon Blanc and Traminer. These must be vinified as monovarietal wines. The top level on the pyramid of origins is Riedenwein. The most famous Wachau grape varieties Grüner Veltliner and Riesling are permitted here, harvested from 157 precisely defined vineyard sites (Rieden). Wachau DAC wines bearing the indication of a Ried on the label must not be enriched or chaptalised in any way and – like Ortswein – must exhibit hardly any noticeable cask tone, or none at all. Thanks to this seamless concept of origins, consumers will benefit from the greater transparency and specificity of provenance. Anton Bodenstein, chairman of the Wachau Regional Wine Committee comments: “This brings origins to the forefront. Wachau DAC provides geographical protection of origin down to the most detailed entity: the individual vineyard.”

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.

SuperValu's Wine of the Month Talks Back. 19 Crimes. Meet the Characters!

Press release 

Criminally Good Value at SuperValu

19 Crimes is the Wine of the Month for Only €10

One of the 19 Crimes is imprinted on each cork

Named the World’s Most Admired Wine Brand 2020 by Drinks International, 19 Crimes is SuperValu’s wine of the month for May. A wine, which shares the history of the infamous people who founded the land where its grapes are now grown, 19 Crimes highlights the plight of 165,000 convicts who made the long voyage by sea to Australia between 1788 and 1868, as punishment for committing one of nineteen crimes. 19 Crimes is now available at the special price of €10, reduced from €14, at SuperValu stores nationwide until stocks last.

To add some fun and intrigue to our tasting experience, 19 Crimes has developed an interactive app which animates three of the 19 Crimes convicts' infamous true stories. By downloading the app and then hovering your phone over one of these bottles, the character on the label comes to life to share their story. 

The crimson Red Blend 2018 and light as straw Sauvignon Block 2019 – guilty of being two of the most popular from the brand - are available at the special offer price of only €10 - so when you’re fully submerged in the tales of convicts, we recommend sitting down with a glass of 19 Crimes and enjoying some of the best true crime entertainment. With an abundance of true crime at our fingertips, SuperValu have selected some of the top true crime podcasts, books, movies and documentaries to pair with this wine of the month.

Podcasts

• My Favourite Murder
• Casefile
• West Cork
• Generation Why
• Serial

Books

• “I’ll be gone in the Dark” by Michelle McNamara
• “The Innocent Man” by John Grisham
• “Lost Girls – An Unsolved American Mystery” by Robert Kolker
• “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote
• “Columbine” by Dave Cullen

Movies

·       Monster

·       Foxcatcher

·       Snowtown

·       Psycho

·       Zodiac

Documentaries

·       The Staircase

·       The Keepers

·       Abducted in Plain Sight

·       Confessions with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes

·       Don't F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer

Red Blend 2018 13.5% abv

With a bright red to crimson hue, 19 Crimes Red Blend has an intense lifted vanilla aroma on the nose, balanced with ripe red to dark berry fruits. Full and round on the palate with a distinct sweetness giving a rich and round mouth feel, complimented by subtle flavours of chocolate and a cedary spice. The palate finishes soft and fruity with a pleasant lingering freshness.

Sauvignon Block 2019 12% abv

Light as straw in colour, 19 Crimes Sauvignon Block has lifted aromas of passionfruit, grapefruit, gooseberry, and guava on the nose. A light bodied palate, with a with a fresh, crisp finish its best paired with seafood and poultry. Like the red, this is produced in South Eastern Australia.  

19 Crimes value deal will be available in all SuperValu stores nationwide and online at www.SuperValu.ie

You may like to know what the crimes were:

Grand Larceny, theft above the value of one shilling

Petty Larceny, theft under one shilling.

Buying or receiving stolen goods, jewels, and plate...

Stealing lead, iron, or copper, or buying or receiving.

Impersonating an Egyptian.

Stealing from furnished lodgings.

Setting fire to underwood.

Stealing letters, advancing the postage, and secreting the money.

Assault with an intent to rob.

Stealing fish from a pond or river.

Stealing roots, trees, or plants, or destroying them.

Bigamy.

Assaulting, cutting, or burning clothes.

Counterfeiting the copper coin...

Clandestine marriage.

Stealing a shroud out of a grave.

Watermen carrying too many passengers on the Thames, if any drowned.

Incorrigible rogues who broke out of Prison and persons reprieved from capital punishment.

Embeuling Naval Stores, in certain cases.

*********

My Bottles

(and corks!)

The Red Blend 2018: As a youth in Ireland, John Boyle O’Reilly was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, or Fenians, for which he was transported to Western Australia. After escaping to the United States, he became a prominent spokesperson for the Irish community and culture, through his editorship of the Boston newspaper The Pilot, his prolific writing, and his lecture tours. 

And this aromatic wine is quite a blend with Shiraz (57.1%), Cabernet Sauvignon (19.3%), Grenache (10%) and Merlot (6.4%) included; that was the mix when I first tasted it in 2016. The Australians can blend a wine as good as any other country and can also tell the tales. Each cork lists a crime from the 19 and this one is: Stealing from furnished lodgings.

The Sauvignon Bloc features Mick Moore (looks like a relation of O'Reilly's). He told me from the talking label that he was a blacksmith "for the cause of Irish freedom", better known to his family in Dublin as the Pike-maker, one of the last to be transported. This Sauvignon, not listed on the website, seems to be new to the series, which includes quite a few varietals at this stage, including Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Chardonnay. 

Sales of these wines are going up and up. No wonder that Forbes International lauded the marketing: "This is a great example of how a brand can harness new technology for an experience that creates a positive buzz."

Bradley’s Box of Vinous Treats. Niepoort Rotulo DAO (DOC).

Bradley’s Box of Vinous Treats

Niepoort Rotulo DAO (DOC) 2016, 13% abv.  

This light (Beaujolais light) and delicious Portuguese red is a blend of mainly Touriga Nacional, Jaen, Alfrocheiro; the local grapes give this wine, and quite a few more, a terrific and satisfying character.

The Niepoort has a beautiful mid to dark ruby colour. Intense aromas too mostly of black fruit but with slight floral hints, even a touch of menthol. Fresh fruit and spice combine elegantly on the palate and with excellent acidity also in the picture, it is harmonious through to the long refreshing finish. Second glass appeal for sure. Maybe second bottle. Very Highly Recommended.

Speaking of recommendations, Niepoort (perhaps better known for their many port wines) suggest serving at a temperature of 16°C to 18ºC and pairing with grilled red meat, and cheese. Also good with tapas, according to the notes that came with the box from Bradley’s. And I’d throw in charcuterie also (not all at the same time though!).

In a collaboration with Wine Mason, there is a series of selections on offer at Bradley's. My Mixed Box #2 consists of the Niepoort along with two other reds, a Horizon de Bichot Pinot Noir and a Walter Massa Barbera and three whites:  Rijckaert Arbois Chardonnay (Jura), a Casas Novas Vinho Verde, and a Venture Riesling. Total cost is €115.00. Sorry, I don’t have individual prices.

Bradley's

North Main Street

Cork

Amazing variety of Portuguese vines detailed in masterclass by ace winemaker Antonio Braga.

Antonio (pic via Sogrape)

Superb masterclass on amazing variety of Portuguese vines by enthusiastic ace winemaker Antonio Braga.

“There’s a vast array of grape varieties in Portugal, a vast array of indigenous grapes that few of us know anything about” said Liberty Wines MD David Gleave as he introduced  Sogrape Vinhos winemaker Antonio Braga, one of the brightest talents on the Portuguese scene, making wine from Vinho Verde to Bairrada and Lisboa, to this week’s online masterclass. “Antonio is a great guy, a great winemaker and great that we’ve got him here today.”

Antonio has worked in most areas in Portugal, having started with the Douro reds. “Now he is mainly looking at white”. Also with the same aims though: balance, character and terroir, to present the best expression of the terroir in red, rosé and white. With the whites in Portugal there is a strong Atlantic influence, cool in Vinho Verde and around Lisbon. The Douro and Alentejo are warmer and so you get more reds here.

Arinto was the first grape he spoke about, known as Pedernã in Vinho Verde. As Antonio said there may be over 300 indigenous grapes in his country but many more names! He reckons, because here you find it in its greatest DNA variability, that this one was “born in Bucelas”, next to Lisbon. It is a “good variety, travels well, even inside Portugal.. it presents a few challenges though and canopy management is important.”

Next up was another white grape, the Alvarinho (better known as Albarino in  neighbouring Rias Baixas). David Gleave told us and Antonio that he loves the Alvarinho at Azevedo, “a different style” to that across the border. Antonio though hinted that there is more to come from Azevedo. “Still work ongoing to improve it… studies going on… We’ll be able to deliver better in the future.”  And he also said that the Alvarinho blend with Loureiro (another local white) is “more than happy”.

Later, during the Q & A session, Antonio spoke on the different styles of the Alvarinho. “We are always experimenting both in the vineyard and winery. So many different tools to work with.” One of the main ones would seem to be the endless enthusiasm and curiosity of Antonio himself.

He also loves the texture of wines made from the relatively recent Sercialinho grape with its classical aromas, vibrant and crisp acidity. Other Portuguese white grapes that you may have come across: Loureiro, Encruzado, Trajadura, Bical, Rabo de Ovelha, Gouveio, Viosinho and Sercial.

Alfrocheiro was the first red he spoke on, “a new passion for me”. He acknowledged it was hard to pronounce but “worth the effort to get a glass!”. “Now is the time for Alfrocheiro,” he declared.

Though he is now concentrating on white wines, “still in my heart is Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional”. The Franca,  he says, “is very consistent” while the Touriga is “the queen.. amazing… lots of floral aromatics.. great balance… love to use it in blends with the Franca…”

Other red grapes that you may have come across:  Vinhão/Sousão, Alicante Bouschet, Tinta Amarela, Rufete, Bastardo, Tinta Cão, Jaen, Tinta Roriz, Castelão

There’s much work going on at official and other levels in an attempt to classify and preserve the native Portuguese varietals and David Gleave asked Antonio, during the Q & A, if there are any surprises out there. He answered: “So many varieties… a world of secrets to be discovered… an adventure.. As winemakers, we will discover these wine treasures and present them to the market."

One questioner worried about the survival of Field Blends.

Antonio: “I like to blend, I like to test. Back in the 80s there were many blind moves but nowadays it is more cautious, more testing. If we like them, we keep them. We try to keep the field blend alive. It is part of our patrimony, very important.”

He was asked about oak and had he a preference as to where it comes from.

Antonio: “Focus is on the final product. I want to show origin, not cooperage, but a good barrel is wonderful for wine! Must be top quality, no matter from where, don’t like to buy at second level.”

Does he compare international varieties? He had earlier touched on Alvarinho and Albarino.

“I love comparisons, great for learning. I’m inventive, like challenges. The blend of the Tourigas is close to Bordeaux.”

The Touriga Franca as a stand alone varietal?

“I love it but, on its own, tends to be unidirectional. But works very well in blends.”

Organic, sustainability, climate change came up in a few questions.

Antonio: Focus is more and more on sustainability. I would

l like to present more organic and biodynamique but we still haven’t made that move but that’s the trend.”  David Gleave did point out that it is easier to go organic in the warm areas (Douro and Alentejo), but would take longer in Vinho Verde and Antonio agreed.

Dennis of Liberty Wines, our usual doorman, coordinated the Q&A session and had one himself towards the end, asking Antonio his opinion of Encruzado.

Antonio admitted to falling love with it. “It grows in complexity as it ages, is great for oak ageing. It has a wonderful gastronomic ability to cut through fatty foods. It is an autumn wine, a fireplace wine. It may not be in fashion but it is a wonderful variety, wonderful to work with.”

And, on that upbeat note, we left the meeting, as they say on Zoom. 

* All pics are screenshots from the masterclass.