Faugères

Faugères, celebrating 30 years of appellation status in 2012, is rare in France because it has an homogenous underlying structure – it’s all schist, created some 500 million years ago, though colours vary from shades of yellow, orange, brown, through to blue.

It is this schist that defines the appellation, as it does in other places such as Priorat, and the Douro.  Hélène Rosello, a consultant winemaker in the region, said “Faugeres is special because of the schist, giving wines with minerality, and with fruits and tannins that are soft and sweet in the mouth.”

Schist offers good drainage through its thin layers that were uplifted during the Alpine orogeny (65.5 to 2.6 million years ago), and fine clays between the layers retain water, so even during dry weather, vine roots can drive down for several metres to find water reserves.

Another big feature in Faugères is night-time warmth as bare schist releases to the vines the heat it has built up during the day. Local lore has it that the grapes ripen in the night. Rosello said “summer gets to 35°C regularly during the day. In a cold year the nights would be 25°C, normally they would be 28 to 30°C at night.”

But, she added there is a cool north wind “from the Montagne de Noire which blows regularly during ripening, day and night.  It can lower temperature by 5 to 10°C.”

For Australian Jem Harris, along with his French wife, it was the “schist [that] drew us to this area. The poor soil forces the roots deep into the ground. You get a notion of terroir, it imparts a certain amount of mineral focus, graphite.”

The small appellation just below the Montagne de Noire, with 2,075 hectares in 2011, across seven villages, abuts these southern outcrops of the Cévennes mountains, overlooking lower ground towards Beziers to the south, and Pezenas to the south-east.  Vineyards have a little altitudinal advantage, ranging between 200 and 400m above sea level to take the edge of the Mediterranean summers, and they are surrounded by the typical garrigue, with holm oaks, rockrose, herbs and chestnut trees.

While the vineyards generally face south, Domaine de Cébène has some north-facing vineyards. Owner Brigitte Chevalier said her vines “face north to get the balance between tannin and alcohol.” Chevalier arrived in Faugeres in 2007 having looked “for a place where I’d have all the elements to make wine with elegance and fruit, balanced with silky tannins, and if I have complexity then it’s even better.” She moved from Bordeaux to find these things, though she sold rather than made wine in Bordeaux.

Production is tiny, averaging around 700,000 9-litre cases in total, at a very modest 30hl/ha for the five years to 2010. Production is split approximately in half between the appellation’s two co-operatives and 54 private producers.

Some 85% of production is red, blended from carignan, cinsault, grenache mourvèdre and syrah. From 2005 syrah, grenache (including lladoner pelut, a close, but less rot-susceptible cousin of grenache) and mourvèdre have legally constituted at least 50% of the vineyard planting.

These are warmth-loving varieties which the schist treats differently, said Chevalier, “softening the impetuousness of mourvèdre when it’s young, giving it ripe, spicy notes,” while syrah on schist shows “garrigue and white pepper notes, very precise and different from mourvèdre.” And she said Faugères gives “a freshness in wine, and this is what customers are looking for.”

High alcohol of 14 to 14.5% is pretty much the norm in Faugères, but this combines with that distinct freshness to the fruit on the palate which helps to integrate and enliven the warmth.

Recently white wines are also made, from roussanne, grenache blanc, marsanne and vermentino (rolle).

Tasting in Montpellier, February 2012

A selection of wines that showed well at Vinisud
Abbaye Sylva Plana, 2011, Faugères Blanc
Roussanne, grenache blanc, viognier. Fresh, lively and zesty with sweet, white stone fruit; linear and complex. Vg

Château des Estanilles, L’Impertinent 2010, Faugères Blanc
Roussanne, marsanne, viognier, in stainless steel. Almost mealy nose with white flowers. Richly textured with sweet fresh nut and white fruits. Really tasty. Vg.

Domaine Ollier Taillefer, Allegro 2011, Faugères Blanc
Roussane 90%, rolle 10% with a few hours’ skin contact, tanks only. Fresh and round, white flowers, lemon grass, nice density of fruit volume and breadth.

Abbaye Sylva Plana, La Closeraie 2011, Faugères
50% grenache, 30% carignan, rest syrah and mourvèdre, 14.5%.
Really juicy, lively attach, fresh with super density of black crunchy forest berries. Integrated alcohol and frehsness. Vg.

Domaine la Sarabande, 2010, Faugères
60% grenache, 25% carignan, 15% syrah and mourvèdre. 30% 500-litre oak casks. 14%.
Fresh, crunchy, chalky texture, with enticing black fruits and aromatic spices.

Les Fusionels, Le Rêve 2009, Faugères
Grenache, syrah, carignan. Smoky hints and dark fruits. Soft tannins, supple, with liquorice and sweet tar.  Succulent and spicy.

Château des Estanilles, Inverso Rouge 2010, Faugères
Syrah, grenache, mourvèdre in 20hl and 600-litre foudres.  Smoky and meaty hit on the nose, then smooth texture, and black charred fruits with liquorice. Dark spices, integrated with a finishing warmth.

Domaine de Cébène, Les Bancèls 2010, Faugères
Syrah and grenache on north and east slopes. Gentle dark, soft notes on the nose. Dry-baked red fruits of medium weight on the palate, with aromatic spices and autumnal forest berries. Warm and enticing.

Domaine Ollier Taillefer, Grande Reserve 2009, Faugères
Carignan 15%, syrah 35%, grenache 35%, mourvèdre 15%, tanks only.
Spicy, ripe, red berries, balanced and proportioned.  Fresh with medium weight. Lovely, richly textured, flavoursome and aromatic.

My research visit to Vinisud was sponsored by Sud de France.

Michael Glover

A logistical misadventure meant Michael Glover, the winemaker at Bannockburn Vineyards in Geelong, Victoria had to leave one of his chardonnays on its lees for three years rather than the usual two. It turned out to be an excellent decision.

Since his arrival at Bannockburn seven years ago, Glover has been experimenting to find the vineyards’ best expressions from the 30 hectare estate. For 2006 and 2007, the estate chardonnay had no added acidity, it had no malolactic fermentation. Then, he said “the idea was that malo does good things with texture, so I put texture and richness with time on the lees.  You also get a wonderful natural stability.”

Glover is exploring his theory of where site expression comes into a wine. He said his theory is “that varietal character can dominate soil and site character.  If we pick earlier, we’re turning down varietal character, and giving site a chance to show itself … if we obey the rules of low yield etc.”

But one of the problems of picking too early is varietal character errs to the anorectic. Now, he said “malolactic comes in to flesh out” the wine, as does time on lees.  “Lees does wonderful things” Glover said, “but it’s been ignored because it only happens with time.”  Time is costly, so it is one of the “cost-centres” of winemaking that is readily removed from more price sensitive wines the world over.  But with time on lees everything becomes more stable, so, among other things, it may well negate the need for mechanical clarification.

It takes quite a bit of time.  Glover said “all the exciting things start at about 18 months on the lees. When you start to taste the lees, the goodies are starting to come back 18 months, going on two years.” Such things as weight, dimension, texture, richness and freshness which fill out the mid-palate, plus sweet-pastry notes which are also present on sparkling Blanc de Blancs that have had many years on tirage lees. Overt primary fruit move a bit to the background, with nutty and mealy notes edging forwards.

Chardonnay 'mother' lees

Glover hasn’t thrown out his chardonnay lees for five years. “It’s like a yeast mother” he said.  And because he hasn’t thrown away these lees, he was able to add some back to his chardonnay that then had that extra year of maturing on them.

He warns to take care with the technique.  He said it’s like “bullets in a gun, you don’t want to use up your bullets. With lees stirring, I stir just a couple of times a year. That way the wines don’t look leesy, but they are lees-driven.”

It was the 2008 estate chardonnay that benefited from three years, rather than two years, on lees.  It is due to be released in the middle of 2012.  And, said Glover, “because it worked, SRH will now always be on lees for three years.”  The 2009 estate chardonnay reverts to two years on lees.  SRH is the property’s top chardonnay, named after Stuart Reginald Hooper, who founded Bannockburn in 1972 and comes from a single vineyard on Olive Tree Hill, which Glover said provides the clearest tight and powerful expression of Bannockburn’s marine sediments.

The first SRH vintage with three years’ lees ageing is the 2009.

Tasting notes, in situ, February 2012.

Bannockburn Vineyards, Chardonnay 2008, Geelong, Victoria
Three years on lees. The one-off.
Cream, sweet prickly spice thing. Sweet-lees concentration and texture. Demands being held in the mouth to allow complex flavours emerge.  Has both freshness and weight flowing together, and length of palate and finish is extraordinary.

Bannockburn Vineyards, Chardonnay 2009, Geelong, Victoria
Creamy nose with steely, magnolia notes at the mid-palate.  A gentle lemon toastiness, and rich leesy, cream-cheese texture with a little jig on the tongue. This has power, intensity and concentration. Lovely wine.

Bannockburn Vineyards, Chardonnay 2010, Geelong, Victoria
Bottled a week before the tasting. Golden tints, creamy-lemon-syllabub type thing on nose, followed up by sweet palate attack, rich, textured and sweet-savoury.  Clearly embryonic.

Bannockburn Vineyards, SRH 2008, Geelong, Victoria
In barrique for two years. one-third malo. To be released in June 2012.
The merest reminders of toasty new oak on first nose, and not on the palate at all. Flavours of sweet tropical fruits with crisp lemon freshness. Medium weight with wonderful lift, and a vibrant, lively tingle through the palate. Long finish. This is lovely.

Bannockburn Vineyards, SRH 2009, Geelong, Victoria
Tasted after it had been bottled for just a week.  Not yet released
Sweet and spiced note of long lees ageing. Rich and fresh, warm and rounded mid palate, with a sweet-steel combo of huge concentration. Vg.

My visit to Australia in February 2012 was sponsored by Wine Australia.

Synthetics brand leader

A version of this article was first published in the Drinks Business, February 2012.

After 20 years on the wine scene, are synthetic closures in danger of becoming an evolutionary dead end?  Nomacorc are the second largest closure manufacturer in the world, after cork stopper producer Amorim, selling a projected 2.4 billion units in 2011, but the synthetic category has experienced significant consolidation in the last couple of years, to the extent that Malcolm Thompson, vice president of marketing and innovation at Nomacorc now says “Nomacorc pretty much is the synthetics category.”

Supremecorq folded in early 2011, following on from Australia’s NuKorc in 2010. Neocork was bought out by its primary material supplier Tasz in 2010.  Gualaseal has been bought up by its creators and renamed ArdeaSeal. Consolidation in the sector is a real issue, and not just for synthetics.  Brand leading screwcap Stelvin is now owned by Amcor, and Guala Closures Group, maker of the WAK screwcap, has also been acquisitive. And in Portugal “over the last 10 to 12 years” said Carlos de Jesus, APCOR’s director of international cork campaign, “over 200 cork companies have merged, been acquired or closed.”

Supremecorq had been founded in 1992.  Nomacorc, a relative parvenu, only sold its first stoppers in 1999.  With a co-extruded, rather than injection-moulded, technology, the company quickly rose to leadership in the synthetics sector.

Industry consultant Richard Gibson, who had been working with NuKorc, which at the time had been the world’s second largest synthetic stopper manufacturer, cited external factors for that company’s demise, linking “production in the wrong geographical location – Australia was not the right place – and a shift in Australia’s currency value against the US dollar.”  He added “in Australia synthetics were dead seven years ago, with the only products using them going to the USA.”

Indeed, leading Australian brand Yellowtail from Casella Wines, uses synthetics for the USA market, while the Aussie and UK markets are stoppered with screwcap.  Casella’s chief winemaker, Alan Kennett, said “the acceptance of screwcaps is higher in Australia and the UK than it is in the USA where they still like wine to be bottled under some kind of cork-like closure.”

The USA vies with France as the world’s biggest market for wine, so consumer preferences there have a significant effect on closure market shares.

But no market is static as technological developments create new trends. So while the reserve Yellowtail range is under screwcap for Australia, “about three years ago” Kennett said “to extend the shelf life of the reserve products we changed from a synthetic to a technical cork” for the USA market because “the use of a particular washing process meant that the technical cork no longer posed a risk of cork taint and it also had excellent sealing performance and oxygen ingress prevention.”  Kennett added it had taken Casella “a long time to move to screwcap because of the number of reductive wines, but we now have a very good closure.”

For synthetics, a couple of technical issues still concern industry members. Difficulty of extraction and ease of re-sealing were original challenges of synthetic stoppers and they are still cited as a problem, especially at the lower end of the market, said Clem Yates MW, Sainsbury’s winemaker and product technical manager.  She said “we have three preferred suppliers – Amorim for cork, Nomacorc for synthetic and Amcor for Stelvin screwcaps, and we specify a type of closure in agreement with suppliers.”  But, she added “wherever we see synthetics we’d probably want to move to screwcap. From a quality perspective I’ve yet to be convinced that synthetic closures don’t have a problem with oxygen ingress.”

Consultant Gibson also holds this view saying “oxygen transmission issues are so well known, that people are steering clear of synthetics for anything that’s going to stay in the bottle for longer than 12 months.” He said “good winemaking is about getting enough oxygen into the wine, for particular styles, in the cellar. Once the wine’s in the bottle it shouldn’t need oxygen to develop. To rely on oxygen entry through the closure to carry out maturation of the wine is an immensely risky policy. It can’t be controlled because the amount of time wine spends in bottle in the marketplace is something that’s out of everybody’s control.”

On the other hand, as packers have become more familiar with the limitations and requirements of screwcaps, issues relating to reduction have lessened, though by no means gone away.  Screwcaps have also become more competitively priced, adding to their simplicity of use. Sainsbury’s began to review their closure policy about four years ago, and it has resulted in a significant shift. At that time, Yates said the wine range “was roughly 60% synthetic. Now we’re about 60% screwcap and 40% driven. And of the driven, about 75% are cork. This is a factor of quality, and the cost of screwcaps coming down.  Where historically we used synthetic, we can now get screwcap compatible bottles and screwcaps at roughly the same price.”

The Co-operative shares a similar story. Their technical manager for beverages, Ian Rogerson said “we have made a conscious effort to move away from synthetic closures for own-brand wines [though] we remain open to using synthetics providing they perform in a satisfactory manner.”

Producers and brand owners face similar balancing decisions over closure policies. Synthetics were a temporary phenomenon at Diageo for their brands Piat d’Or and Blossom Hill.  Their wine development manager Tim Davies said “we went from cork to synthetic in June 2005, then changed to screwcaps in 2008 for Blossom Hill and 2009 for Piat d’Or.  [Synthetics] are not as consistent or convenient as screwcap [which] is viewed by consumers and customers as beneficial both from a quality and an ease of pour perspective.”

In Chile, said Adolfo Hurtado, the managing director of Cono Sur “we were the first winery in Chile to use synthetic [stoppers] back in 1995.  During those times, natural cork was giving too many problems with cork taint. It was a logical decision for some of our wines – we thought that synthetic offered more quality than natural cork during those times.

“Then in 2001, we were the first Chilean winery to use screwcap in our premium wines. We prefer screwcap on our premium whites to keep them fresher and younger for a longer time, and we keep natural cork only for our premium red wines. But we dropped synthetics about four years ago, because we prefer to use screwcap on all our more competitive varietal wines that are consumed quickly, in the following six to eight months.”

Cono Sur parent company Concha y Toro still uses synthetics, though Marcelo Papa, their head winemaker, said “synthetics are by far the least used. We are going strong with natural cork and screwcap, but in this case it depends a lot on the destination country. There is still little confidence with screwcap in reds in some countries that represent an important percentage of our sales.” He added “there’s a lot of pressure for screwcap from Australia and the UK, [but] the USA, Belgium and South America like natural cork, except in some varieties such as sauvignon blanc.”

Back in the UK, Accolade Wines (ex-Constellation), has Europe’s biggest wine facility near Bristol, packing the company’s own brands including Hardy’s VR and Stamp, Echo Falls, Stowells, Kumala and the core Banrock range which include five of the top 10 UK wine brands, as well as contract packing for third parties.  It embodies the UK’s whole-hearted adoption of screwcaps.  Since the plant went into production in 2009, a spokesperson said, “so far we have been bottling with screwcap only.”

Another UK bottler, Kingsland Wine and Spirits, stopped using synthetics in 2006, due to “leakage and extraction issues”, said their supply chain director, Michael Forde, adding, we “have used several synthetic corks in the past but they all suffer from a lack of elasticity compared to a natural cork. We decided the best route to resolve the issues of [cork] taint and [synthetic] leakage was to move to screwcap. From the start of 2012 all wine filled in glass bottles at KWS will have a screwcap finish as this option has delivered a significant reduction in consumer complaints.”

Despite these stories, Nomacorc’s Thompson politely dismissed the idea that synthetics might be squeezed out of the market, saying the company had experienced double digit growth every year but one since the turn of the millennium. He puts down the company’s growth squarely at foot of the co-extruded technology they use.  He said “mono-extruded and injection moulded closures are exiting the market,” adding that Nomacorc’s “share of the synthetic category is 70% plus, now.” Alone, Thompson estimates Nomacorc accounts for 11-12% share of the global stopper market.

Others make different predictions.  APCOR’s de Jesus said “in 2010 exports of cork were up by over 8%, which is growth larger than the growth of the wine industry, so cork gained market share for the first time in a decade from both synthetics and screwcaps.”

Papa reckons synthetics have peaked, saying “I think synthetics will go down in the next years. Technically synthetic is not better than the others. It tries to look like cork but it isn’t.  I think natural cork, screwcaps and technical corks [micro-agglomerate /glue combos] will capture the market.”

Gibson was more definite, saying “I think the demise of synthetics is inevitable as consumer resistance to screwcaps reduces,” adding “screwcaps with a saranex (not tin) liner are great for commercial wine and more reliable than a synthetic. They give good protection against oxidation and avoid the reduction risk that can occur with higher oxygen barrier caps.”

Tamar river

Tasmania is a relatively small island, some 250km north to south, about the same land mass as Ireland. There is just one single viticultural geographical indication, but the cool, moderate, maritime, climate location of the whole state means that small local variations in weather, soils and topography result in differing outcomes for wine styles.

Rainfall varies considerably. The west coast takes the brunt of the roaring forties trade winds, and annual rainfall on the west can reach 2,400mm. This falls to around 600mm on the east coast, resulting in viticulture than requires irrigation.

The north south divide is not quite as marked.  The south is drier than the north. Hobart has around 600mm, while northern areas around Tamar valley and Pipers river have 800 to 1,000 mm.

Reflecting this regional variation, seven wine growing areas have been recognised:

1. North West                  14ha                      }
2. North East                   251 ha                   }               north
3. Tamar Valley              473 ha                   }
4. East Coast                    265 ha
5. Derwent Valley          84 ha                     }
6. Coal River Valley      237 ha                   }               south
7. Huon/Channel           70 ha                     }

This piece focuses on conditions in the north, with other areas to follow.  It is the north that has larger vineyards than the south.

The two main areas in north Tasmania are the Tamar valley and Pipers river, and they are gaining repute for notably different styles: Tamar mostly still wines; Pipers mostly sparkling.  The Tamar valley is immediately north-west of Launceston, and Pipers river is due north.

The Tamar river is a broad river, up to three kilometres across in some places, contributing a moderating influence in the cool climate.  Proximity to the river helps maximise temperature, and most vineyards are found on the left bank. There are no other similarities to Bordeaux.

There are a few vineyards on the east side of the Tamar, but sunshine is a bit meaner here, and the land is generally a flatter. The west side has a bit more slope to work with, though botrytis is “part of the landscape” especially at Kayena, said Andrew Pirie, consultant to Tasmanian Estates.  Tamar Ridge Kayena Vineyard Botrytis Riesling is a stand-out Tassie wine.

Stoney Rise

Disease pressure is also an ongoing challenge in this valley, and over at Holm Oak, also on the Kayena peninsula, Tim Duffy said “drainage is important, and we leaf-pluck on both sides” to give better ventilation from the mostly westerly winds.

About half way between Launceston and Kayena, Joe Holyman of Stoney Rise, found an “east-facing slope in a bit of a rain shadow.” He said “it’s a warm site, one of the first to pick in Tasmania, and about 2°C warmer than Launceston”, about 25km distant, giving good fruit for the mostly pinot noir production off his 4 hectares. With an altitude of 5 to 30m, he said closeness to “the river offers protection in the early part of the season.  We’ve had only two damaging frosts in 26 years.”

Frost is a much greater risk in Pipers river. It’s further from the sea and the altitude, up to about 270m at Clover Hill, makes it a much higher-risk region, especially for spring frosts. Wind machines are evident in the vineyards, not least because rogue frosts can occur as late as October or early November.

The river itself is a much narrower affair than the Tamar, though of a not dissimilar length. The higher altitude means slope becomes important – north-facing (toward the equator) slopes reduce frost risk. After years of leading the Tasmanian wine industry through various stages of development, four years ago Andrew Pirie planted his own two-hectare vineyard at 200m, just below and in sight of Clover Hill, on a north-facing slope. If he doesn’t know where it’s best to plant in Tasmania, then no-one does.

Pipers river - Bay of Fires, with frost protection

Production at Pirie’s vineyard is going to sparkling wine, and it is for sparkling wine that Piper river is producing top quality results. Producers include Pipers Brook/Kreglinger, Clover Hill, Jansz, Bay of Fires/Arras, and Delamere.  Wines grown locally tend to high acidity, with focused intensity and purity of flavours. The bigger producers also draw fruit from other parts of Tasmania, giving them different fruit and a prolonged harvest season.  Karl Schultz, the assistant winemaker at Bay of Fires said “for sparkling we have a three-to-four week harvest across the state.

Half of that difference is experienced just between Tamar and Pipers. René Bezemer, the chief winemaker at Kreglinger Estates (Ninth Island, Pipers Brook, Kreglinger, Pipers), which has vineyards in both Tamar valley and Pipers river said “the West Tamer is warmer, we pick there nearly two weeks before we pick in Pipers river.”

A third area in the north is developing around Relbia and Whitehills, to the south of Launceston, probably not close enough to either the North or South Esk rivers, between which rivers the area lies, to be labelled as such.  The key players here are Tasmanian Estates with an 83ha vineyard at Whitehills, and Josef Chromy, with 61 ha at Relbia on north-facing slopes.

My research visit to Australia in February 2012 was sponsored by Wine Australia and Wine Tasmania.

Bill Downie in his close-planted vineyard on a damp west Gippsland day

The Gippsland zone is vast, about a quarter of the total area of the state of Victoria. The scale of viticulture is miniscule, with the entirety of Gippsland production being about 1% that of neighbouring Yarra Valley.

Because the scale is so small there are no more specific GIs than the zone, though there are some patches making really interesting wines. In total, there are only about 100 vineyards and 30 family-owned wineries. The biggest vineyard in South Gippsland is Bellvale’s 18 hectares, not far from Leongatha.

The region is right on-trend with its cool climate locale.  Using Pirie’s revised GST index, tracts of Gippsland fall into cool climate territory, especially the south where the influence of the Bass Strait and its onshore winds is notable. But higher rainfall makes this a region of persistent disease pressure.

Minimum divisions might be south, west and east.  East Gippsland is some three and more hours’ drive from Melbourne, rather than the hour and a half to the western end. On the crow-flying scale it’s more than 200km from west to east. The western boundary is more than accessible, bordering the south east boundary of the Yarra Valley. Bill Downie, recently settled in west Gippsland with his own 0.4 hectare vineyard of pinot noir, said it takes him an hour and ten minutes to get to the Yarra, where he also works, and an hour and a half to the airport, on the far side of Melbourne.

Downie pointed out west Gippsland is cooler than the Yarra Valley, and a little warmer than south Gippsland, saying “we’re not as exposed as south Gippsland, the Strzelecki ranges to the west offer some protection.”

Having grown up just half an hour from his property, Downie’s long had his eye on this patch of dirt. He said “the red volcanic soils are quite deep, and well structured, which is very good for root penetration.” And, he added “the rainfall and red soil give more red fruit”.

His is one of just 14 vineyards in the whole of west Gippsland, which is, so far, better known as lush, gentle dairy country. Equally well known as great dairy country is south Gippsland, along with its even more plentiful annual rainfall of 900 to 1,200mm.

South Gippsland pinot noir

South Gippsland is the most southerly vineyard area on the mainland, pretty much fully exposed to the winds and rains from the Bass Strait. Indeed at Phillip Island winery, they grow their vines inside a permanent windbreak of shade cloth.

The excitement and enthusiasm of working in South Gippsland’s young patch of the industry is almost palpable, and the food / wine connection is high on the agenda of local producers.  Neil Travers, of Waratah Hills, and president of the South Gippsland Wine Group said “South Gippsland is the largest dairy area in Victoria and [the region] has an enormous opportunity to become Australia’s food bowl.  Food is exploding here.”

More importantly for nascent wine production, said Rick Lacey, of Purple Hen winery, is that “the quality of winemaking has caught up with the quality of fruit” which should mean increasingly interesting wines coming through in the immediate term.

It is in such a young region that experimentation is very much the name of the game, planting bits of everything to see what might do well. Grape varieties planted include chardonnay, pinot gris, riesling and semillon on the whites, plus cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir, tempranillo and shiraz on the red front.

But as cool climate flag-bearers, chardonnay and pinot noir are creating the biggest stir. And even in an area still finding its feet, experimentation with the new wave, lean Aussie chardonnay style is gaining traction, with producers such as Lithostylis and Waratah Hills Chardonnays showing such direct purity of fruit.

Experimentation is also order of the day for pinot noir, with styles varying from the bright, perfumed sweet fruit with light-ish tannins as at Djinta Djinta and Purple Hen, through to more big-shouldered, spicy styles, such as at Bellvale and Lucinda Estate.

Not all the stylistic variation is down to the winemakers though. Dean Roberts of Lithostylis Vineyard said “there’s a difference between wines grown on red soils versus those on grey soil. From here [Leongatha] to Caledonia are all on red soils which are deep and free-draining.  It gives a good buffer against temperature and rain events, so the vines are never totally stressed.” Though, he added it’s not good “if it’s been dry and then there’s a rain event, because the vines just take a big drink.”

Phillip Jones in South Gippsland, later that same day

Surely though, the man who introduced South Gippsland, indeed Gippsland, to the modern viticultural map, is Phillip Jones, who established Bass Phillip in the south, in 1979, planting four hectares of Bordeaux varieties in “the proportions of Château Ducru Beaucaillou, plus 3 rows of pinot noir” because he’d been looking for a site that had the same climatic data as Bordeaux.

At the time, he was the only one planting grapes. But Jones said “cabernet sauvignon ripens in May, after the break” in the autumn weather, which meant it rarely ripened properly. Earlier ripening pinot noir was more successful.  All the cabernet sauvignon was ripped up within a few years.

Cool climate it is, then, and the reputation of Jones’ pinot noirs have been written in the stone of the Langton’s classification since its third issue of 2000.  That has to be good aspirational material for the new wave of producers.

My visit to Australia in February 2012 was sponsored by Wine Australia.

Mid row vegetation in New Zealand

A shorter version of this article was first published in Drinks Business magazine, January 2012.

The necessary mantra that sustainability is a journey not a destination is becoming manifest. And to prove that enterprises are taking continuous steps of improvement along this journey requires measurement, reporting, traceability and improvement action plans, often accompanied by independent certification.

In wine, the new world leads the field, and while some schemes are fresh out of the blocks, others have been around the blocks a few times, toning themselves up each time, getting more producers involved and getting them better involved.

Measuring the starting baseline of where producers are at is arguably the hugest undertaking. The Chilean wine industry took three years’ work building up to the January 2011 launch of their certified, voluntary code. Elena Carretero, Santa Rita’s vice president of corporate affairs and sustainability, and director of Wines of Chile’s sustainability programme said “we went through the whole process of wine making: in the vineyard, the winery, the supply chain. We put a minimum score to pass the certification process.” But, she emphasised, only after a baseline has been measured can improvements subsequently be targeted, so it is early days for the Chilean code. It’s been a slow start, said Carretero “and we have 35 to 40 [producers] in the process, and we hope to have the first 10-12 certified by the end of 2011.”

It is a small, but significant, first step, especially for a country considered a ‘viticultural paradise’, where the standard may not be as high as other countries which have more experience and measurement. Nonetheless, said Carretero said “we want to start from the beginning, and to be comprehensive for all our wineries. We need to start from a level that is not so high. Then we can get higher.”

Balancing the carrot against the stick is tricky, even in a country such as South Africa, which has a long and normalised history of measurement and recording, even before the country introduced its certified Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) programme in 1998.

Will SA's lead in wine sustainability become as memorable as this?

The Cape’s voluntary scheme is well adopted, with several evolutions: South Africa leads the industry in biodiversity conservation, with more hectares conserved for biodiversity than are under vine. Given that the Cape Floral Kingdom, a biodiversity hotspot, accounts for 0.5% of the African continent’s area and 20% of its flora, this is an important achievement, via the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI) scheme, which has existed since 2004.  In 2006, BWI guidelines were added into IPW as an extra voluntary step.

More recently, said Su Birch, CEO of Wines of South Africa, is the addition “in 2011 of a carbon footprint calculator. The wineries, via IPW, are being encouraged to calculate their current usage as a base and to compare their progress year on year. IPW will collect all the inputs and work out an industry norm relative to size and area so wineries can evaluate themselves against peers and against best practice.”

In the previous year, the sustainability seal was introduced, and as part of this, said Daniël Schietekat, IPW manager “we’ve developed an electronic database and link with SAWIS [industry data collection, dissemination; administrates Wine of Origin scheme] to speed up and improve traceability.”  The benefits of this are clear as the IPW scheme implements new government policies and legislation, including “the new pesticide management policy, the national climate change and the national waste management strategies.”

As well as incorporating additional elements of sustainability, it’s getting tougher to achieve IPW certification. From 2012, the pass mark will be 65%, having been 60% in 2010, 55% in 2009, and 50% in 2008.  And producers wanting to include BWI in their IPW certification must achieve 70%.

To use the sustainability seal every link in the production chain – farm, cellar, bottler – must register and comply with IPW guidelines, so 100% of fruit in any wine, even if bought and blended from many different growers, must be IPW-accredited to use the sustainability seal. Use of the sustainability seal is running at around 85%.

Australia's Strathbogie Ranges looking pretty

By comparison, the figure for Australia’s more recent scheme, Entwine Australia (environment and wine), currently requires 85%.

The Aussies have been uncharacteristically bashful about their sustainability work. Entwine, explained Jonathan Green, natural resources manager at the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia, is “an accreditation program for sustainable vineyards and wineries. When both are members the winery is permitted to market wine as sustainably produced.“ It’s voluntary, and members must also provide an annual report on resource use optimisation, waste handling, biodiversity achievements and carbon emissions.  Continuous improvement is a mandated part of certification, “each year you need to demonstrate a new efficiency” he added.

The system was launched in 2009, evolving out of the 2004 national sustainability good practice guidelines and checklists into an annual survey and accreditation programme. Green said “we’re at the data collection phase at the moment – how much water, energy, fuel etc., and how that varies between operation and wine region.” Once regional baselines are understood, he said they’ll “be better placed to set performance goals for the year”, saying, without a trace of irony, “if we’d set a water reduction target last vintage we’d definitely have met it that year”, though this may not be helpful every year in true sustainability terms.  “It’s easier to set a quantitative goal” for carbon emissions, he said “which will be significant given that “we are about to see a carbon tax move into law in Australia.”

Among other things, a review of the standard during 2011 resulted in a new criterion requiring growers, where they use them, to consider using chemicals less hazardous to beneficial organisms, and those with a lower environmental impact. Soil protection measures have broadened to include improved organic matter and fertility.  And “by the end of 2011” Green said “we’ll provide members with a performance report, for example on your property you created this amount of carbon emission. The average in your region was x”, to encourage improvement.  But he added “Australian regions are very different, with different environmental challenges.  In setting an Australia sustainability standard, it needs to be very flexible.”

In the meantime, membership so far accounts for less than 20% of Australia vineyards and 40% of production. Green said “some are undertaking the certification process and finding it a walk in park, saying we’ve being doing it for 20 years. Others are finding it difficult, which means we’re getting it about right.” And at the moment it’s a watching brief “and we’ll review the certification standard again early in 2012 to ensure it incorporates best available scientific knowledge on sustainability practices.”

New Zealand's green and pleasant land

It is neighbouring New Zealand, which since 1997, has been on the sustainability journey the longest of any wine-producing nation, with Sustainable Wine Growing New Zealand (SWNZ). Philip Manson, science and innovations manager for New Zealand Winegrowers said “changes have been incremental, and the thing that’s changed the most is people’s engagement, their understanding of the importance of sustainability [despite] some who are still dragging the chain.”

A quite revolutionary impetus came in 2007, with a policy change by Winegrowers.  Manson said “in the early 2000s our involvement sat at 50-55% of the vineyard area, right through the period of vineyard expansion, so our engagement wasn’t growing proportionately.  In 2007 the Winegrowers board decided that by 2012 New Zealand would be ‘100% sustainable’.” They stated that to take part in industry activities, including Winegrowers’ international marketing events, by 2010 producers had to be accredited by an independently audited environmental programme, such as SWNZ, ISO14001 or organic/biodynamic.

With “that orange-coloured, carrot-shaped stick, our membership took off” said Manson. Effectively growers “can’t sell grapes without being accredited to a programme, it’s become a condition of supply.  It’s created some tension, but it’s been a major step forward.”  Between 2007 and 2011, membership by vineyard acreage more than doubled to reach 95% of the total vineyard area, in a time frame when the vineyard area increased by over 130%. Membership by winery number increased fourfold, reaching 95% of production.

Another step change came a year later when the annual scorecards moved to a fully electronic system, and it moved to a ‘good agricultural practice’ approach, with scorecards weighted to ‘major must-dos’, ‘minors’ and ‘recommended’. Members must achieve 100% of the majors, and 80% of the minors.

Reporting both biodiversity enhancement and water use were made ‘must-dos’ in 2009, though, said Manson “we have a lot of water in New Zealand compared with other wine producing areas, but availability is starting to become more of an issue, in terms of what happens to water quality downstream.” And while limits are set with pesticides, including having achieved the elimination of organophosphates over time, water measurements are more about getting users to understand their usage relative to the regional average, with the aim of using water more efficiently.  Indeed, said Manson “one winery’s use was so high, that they subsequently found a water leak.”

In 2012, measuring and reporting energy use will also fall into the ‘must-do’ category.

With their more robust electronic database, Manson said the next step is greater data management, with the intention to invest in some rigorous analysis now that they have two and sometimes three years worth of data on some measurements. Manson said to expect much more noise from New Zealand in the next six to twelve months.

Engagement rather than compliance is the persistent theme for California’s Sustainable Winegrowing Program (SWP). SWP has always been a self-assessment workbook. There are no minimum standards, but plenty of education and best practice toolkits for self-improvement.  Allison Jordan, executive director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance explained “the idea is that you enter where you are, and the workbook provides guidance regarding how to make improvements in all areas, starting from your own baseline.”

And, she added, between 2004 (the baseline reporting) and 2009 (the latest report), “we showed improvement in 60% of the 227 criteria” in the workbook.  After focused education, she said, we “increased grower performance for 35 of the 38 IPM criteria, for seven out of seven energy efficiency vineyard criteria, and seven of ten energy efficiency criteria.” This resulted in enough electricity savings to power a community of 8,500 for a year (55m kwh), and to remove 30,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

Since the programme’s launch in 2002, self assessments have been completed that cover about 70% of California’s vineyard acreage and 65% of the state’s production.

The workbook was given a major overhaul in 2006, with the addition of an air quality chapter, and expanded soil erosion criteria.  It is undergoing another major review and gap analysis of every criterion to address new regulations and new resources. Jordan said “we expect to have the new workbook completed by the middle of 2012.”

A major step in January 2010 saw the introduction of optional third party certification, for which 58 criteria, and improvement of others, must be met. In its first 22 months, some 11% of California’s vineyard acreage has been certified to Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing standards. Jordan reported “the certification programme has led to significant improvements in the wineries and vineyards that are certified.” And, she added “these pre-requisite criteria will be revisited over time, and may become more stringent, or include more pre-requisites over time.”

Next on the agenda for the California wine industry, said Jordan is the recent commencement of “a full life cycle analysis that includes electricity, fossil fuel use, and packaging and distribution.”

As the three goalposts of environmental, economic and social equity sustainability necessarily keep moving, such evolving overarching sustainability programmes are gradually incorporating some of the ‘single-issue’ initiatives, such as LCA GHG emissions, organic/biodynamic, carbon neutral and water footprints. Increasingly robust data will ensure the trek can be tracked transparently.

New from Marks and Sparks is this wonderfully refreshing Eclipse Riesling 2011, made by Cono Sur. A green apple grassiness accentuates tongue-tapping, punchy, juicy citrus flavours of lime and grapefruit. This is a wine that sings of summer refreshment.

A big chunk of the fruit for this wine comes from way down south towards the Antarctic, in Chile’s Bio Bio valley. The coolness here lets the fruit retain its floral aromas and purity of fruit.  Another chunk of fruit is sourced from Ucuquer in the warmer Rapel valley further north, but the vineyard is on the Pacific side of the coastal ranges, just 13 kilometres from the coast. Combining fruit from these two locations adds the freshness from the south to the tropical fruits of the Pacific. Tasty wine anyway.

Coombend Vineyard

The island state of Tasmania has just 1,400 hectares of vineyard producing some 0.5% of Australia’s total crush.  But its repute as the country’s leading producer of cool climate, high quality still and sparkling wines far exceeds its volumetric contribution. Indeed average prices for a tonne of prime Tassie fruit are more than six times that of mainland fruit.

All the vineyards are in the eastern half of the island. The west coast is the first land sighted by the prevailing westerly winds across the Southern Ocean, which means rainfall on the west coast is up to 2.4 metres, making it one of the wettest places in the world. Indeed Tasmania has nearly 14% of Australia’s total water resource, but even within the state it is unevenly distributed. By the time the prevailing winds reach the east coast, around 250 km distant, most of the moisture has been dumped, with average rainfall reaching just 600mm.

Hobart in the south east has about 600mm, making it Australia’s second-driest state capital city, getting about half as much rain as Sydney. As this is on the low side, viticulture has benefited from irrigation projects, such as the Craigbourne Dam on the Coal River Valley which was constructed in 1986.  Prior to this the Coal River was ephemeral, especially during the summer months, so evening out the supply of water has been essential for agricultural development.

Of the climatic measurements commonly used, most of Tasmania’s vineyards have MJTs (mean January temperatures) of 16°C. Growing degree days (GDD) vary a little, from 800 in the Huon Valley, to 1180 in the Coal River Valley. This compares with Champagne’s GDD of 1000, and Marlborough, which is on the same latitude as northern Tasmania, 1150.

Dr. Andrew Pirie’s revised GST (growing season temperature) measurements put parts of southern Tasmania in ‘very cool’ (13-14°C), and northern Tasmania in ‘cool’ (14-16°C) zones. Champagne is ‘cool’, while East Sussex in the UK, another burgeoning (on a micro-scale) sparkling wine zone, is ‘very cool’.

It is no surprise then, that cool climate cultivars dominate the Tasmanian vineyard landscape.

Pinot noir and chardonnay account for two-thirds of the vineyard area, pinot noir with 42% and chardonnay with 24%. Then comes sauvignon blanc, riesling and pinot gris, with just a sprinkling of Bordeaux varieties, very specifically sited on the warmest spots.

Source:  Wine Tasmania

With a true cool climate, and a preponderance of pinot noir and chardonnay, it is also little surprise that sparkling wine is king in Tasmania. Some 40% of the total crush goes into sparkling wine.  Even so, Tasmanian sparkling wine to Australia is even more niche than Champagne is to France. Tasmania has less than 1% of Australia’s total vineyard area, whereas the Champagne region accounts for more than 4% of France’s total vineyard area.

Jansz

Yet such is the interest in Tasmania’s cool climate, the island has, since 2008, an outpost of the AWRI, which was hitherto ensconced solely in South Australia. Research focuses on Tassie specialties pinot noir and sparkling wine.

Tasmania is a single geographical indication, though a number of different growing regions have been identified.  See an article on regionality in Tasmania to be posted here later. The more than 200 vineyards scattered across the regions means, on average, viticulture is small-scale. Sheralee Davies, the chief executive officer of Wine Tasmania said of the “160 labels in Tasmania, 120 of them are fewer than 10 tonnes [750 9-litre cases]”.

This partly explains why the Tasmanian industry has grown up on both selling fruit to the mainland for still and sparkling wines, and contract winemaking. Domaine Chandon have a Tasmanian Cuvée.  Fruit that goes into both Hardy’s Eileen Chardonnay, and Penfold’s Yattarna is sourced from Tasmania.

Over the last quarter of a century Andrew Hood of Hood Wines, which was bought by Frogmore Creek in 2003, and Julian Alcorso of Winemaking Tasmania have nurtured growers through the growing pains of small scale viticulture. When the Pooley family set up Pooley Vineyards in 1985, they measured the size of their vineyard in rows, not hectares or acres – ‘ten rows of riesling and seven rows of pinot noir’. John Pooley said they were Andrew Hood’s first client, and Pooley’s son Matthew worked with Hood for 17 years.

More recently, some growers are beginning to wean themselves off the services of professional winemaking companies, and taking the plunge themselves. Producers such as Fran Austin and her husband Shane Holloway of Delamere Vineyards, and Bec and Tim Duffy of Holm Oak Vineyard have recently put in their own wineries.

Added to this, said Jeremy Dineen, the winemaker at Josef Chromy, “the biggest difference in Tasmanian grape growing over the last ten years has been a big increase in professional viticultural advice.” Coupled to which, “many of the vineyards are only just coming into maturity.”

Small scale notwithstanding, a degree of polarisation in the industry means the top five producers account for around 85 to 90% of Tasmania’s total production:

1. Tasmanian Estates, renamed such when bought by Brown Brothers in latter part of 2010, includes Tamar Ridge, Devil’s Corner, Coombend, Pirie (sparkling only); Pirie South (still)).  Have 30% (405ha) of Tassie vineyard area.
2. Pipers Brook: Sparkling brands Ninth Island, Pipers, Kreglinger.  Still brands Pipers Brook, Pipers Vineyard, Ninth Island.
3. Jansz: sparkling only
4. Frogmore Creek: includes Roslyn Estate, Meadowbank.
5. Josef Chromy (61ha)

Next on the agenda for Tasmania is to bottle the “curiosity that’s blossomed in Tasmania, from consumers, and from sommeliers” among others, said Austin. Intriguingly, she added “I think pinot noir will overtake sparkling because it’s the domain of the small family producer.  There’ll be a more powerful connection with people than sparkling wines, which are the domain of larger wine companies. It’s great for celebrations, but the fascination that attracts people will be pinot noir.”

My research visit to Australia in February 2012 was sponsored by Wine Australia and Wine Tasmania.

House of Arras

House of Arras represents the pinnacle of Accolade Wines’ sparkling wine programme, a totally Tasmanian bubbly brand created and nurtured by Aussie sparkling wine maestro, Ed Carr, the group sparkling winemaker for Accolade Wines.

The House of Arras only makes sparkling wines, and only from Tasmanian chardonnay and pinot noir. It grew out of a decision by Carr in 1995 to make a Tasmanian prestige cuvee. Tasmania is cool climate, and has thus rapidly become the place to source fruit of sufficient (erring to minimal) ripeness and fresh natural acidity for traditional method sparklers of high quality.

It is a chardonnay-preference house, apart from the more forward Brut Elite which has more pinot noir for a fleshier wine, and with just six years on tirage, is made for younger drinking. There are not many Champagne houses that give their ‘entry level’ non-vintage bubbly this length of maturation on lees, where the legal minimum requirement is just 15 months.

Brut Elite is the only non-vintage made by Arras.  Grand Vintage usually has at least six years on tirage lees, and Late Disgorged, is in the same style as Grand Vintage, with another three years on lees.

The tasting was conducted by assistant winemaker Karl Schultz, who revealed that Ed Carr (among others) had had an eventful flight to the mainland the previous night, the airplane being struck by lightning.  “No perceivable damage to the ‘plane”, Carr reported.

Particular house style is generally no oak for the first fermentation (but see tasting notes below for the EJ Carr, Late Disgorged).

But it is the dosage liqueur that’s pretty special.  It is aged in oak barrels “for a bit of tannin structure” said Schultz, and includes brandy spirit, aged wine and the dosage sugar. Schultz said “the spirit gives all that aged character in a concentrated package.” And it’s a tiny package at that, the dosage liqueur is maybe 10ml, Schultz added.

After dosage, Arras wines are left on cork for six months before being dressed and shipped.

Tasting notes, in situ at Bay of Fires, February 2012

House of Arras, Brut Elite, Pinot noir, Chardonnay NV AU$55
Pinot noir 58%, chardonnay 42%. 12.5%, 3.06pH, 6.8 g/l TA, 11g/l RS. Malolactic on primary fermentation lees. Six years on tirage. NV, but is 98% the 2004 vintage.
Aromatic lemon citrus nose, pure fruit. Gentle fine mousse on palate attack creating fine texture. Soft, creamy, implosive froth, bright lemon, citrus fruit. All very clean and focused with minimal savoury and toastiness, just a fine brioche. Nice fresh balance.

House of Arras, Grand Vintage, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir 2003, AU$75
Chardonnay 61%, pinot noir 39%; 12.5%, 3.1pH, 7.8 g/l TA, 12.2 g/l RS.  Seven years on tirage.
Clear lemon colour, some notable autolysis here – brioche, hint of almond on nose, gentle, then round and generous. Toasted lemon curdy things going on, implosive frothy mousse, creamy, with a nice tingle of freshness amid rich primary fruit core amid attractive, well balanced complexity. Vg

House of Arras, Grand Vintage, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir 2004, AU$75
The current release. Chardonnay 66%, Pinot Noir 34%; 12.5%, 3.18pH, 6.6 g/l TA, 9.3 g/l RS. Six years on tirage. Cooler than average growing season.
Honey citrus nose, quite full body (relatively) here. Fine mousse, all good. Good fruit concentration. Leaner and fresher than 2003, tastes fresher with despite lower acidity numbers, lower dosage may aid the perception. More linearity and precision here (I prefer it over the 2003). Upright, with some tautness and with fine concentration of flavour and long finish. Vg.

House of Arras, Blanc de Blanc 2001.
Released in May 2012. Disgorged November 2011. Nine years on tirage.
Rich, savoury, attack, very fresh, and youthful, lemon, big mouthful. Fine mousse, persistent in mouth. Yet to meld together after disgorgement I suspect. Savoury note could well be barrel-aged liqueur and only two months post disgorgement bottle-age.

House of Arras, EJ Carr, Late Disgorged 2000, AU$190
Chardonnay 58%; pinot noir 42%; 12.5%, 2.95pH, 8.1 g/l TA, 11.3 g/l RS. Ten years on tirage.
Vintage 2000 is the third release of this wine. Full malo. A small proportion of base wine is fermented in new French oak.
Lemon/pale gold colour. Hugely leesy, autolytic character – dry toast, brioche, sweet pastries. Lovely perfumed nose, then juicy lemon citrus fruit on the attack. Full and rich body, with rich fruit core, and those toasty characters that carry through. Huge wine in rich, plush, velvety style with big fruit and big toastiness.  Vg.

House of Arras, EJ Carr, Late Disgorged 1999, AU$190
Chardonnay 57%, pinot noir 43%; 12.5%, 3pH, 7.3 g/l TA, 12.3 g/l RS. Ten years on tirage. The second vintage of this wine, and the first shift to fruit from Tasmania’s southern regions. Full malo. A bit of French oak fermentation of base wine.
Clean, fresh citrus nose, restrained honey almond, nougat palate attack. Fine mousse, less plush lines, less ebullient than the 2000, more restrained, upright, steely. Significantly different style more restrained and good for that. Vg.

House of Arras, EJ Carr Late Disgored 1998
Chardonnay 62%, pinot noir 38%; 12.5%, 3.08pH, 7.4 g/l TA, 9 g/l RS. First vintage of this wine, disgorged about a month previously specifically for this tasting. Must make it about 13 years on lees.
Back to rich, fresh brioche, honeyed toastiness, round and fleshy, with good freshness. Simply lovely.

My visit to Australia was sponsored by Wine Australia.

Is the term minerality being used as a proxy for terroir association? Or as a direct expression of terroir? Or something distinct from terroir expression?

Feel free to read previous Quote, Unquotes, one and two.

Joachim Heger, Weingut Dr. Heger, August 2011
Of his main vineyard site on the Winklerberg: “there are more stones on the Winklerberg [compared to the stones and ash of Achkarrer Schlossberg], with limestone in the lava, which is almost unique.  It’s more spicy, with salty minerality.”  Weissburgunder Grosses Gewaches troken, Gras im Ofen from the Winklerberg expresses minerality for Heger.

Arne Bercher, Weingut Bercher, August 2011
Minerality is a “salty quality on side of tongue”

Bernd Kern of Rheinhessenweine, August 2011
“Minerality dries out your tongue at the end; like a white tannin.”

White degraded schist, and grey schist

Philippe Delesvaux of Domaine Philippe Delesvaux, August 2011
“I’ve noticed an increase in acidity and minerality with organic (certified) viticulture.”

Vincent Ogereau, of Domaine Ogereau, August 2011
“There’s a mineral dimension in Savennières that Anjou doesn’t possess.”  He makes wine in both appellations, and the soils for all are schist. Even just within Anjou he has deep, white, degraded schists, and non-degraded solid, grey, schist.

Frédéric Julia, of Château de la Génaiserie, August 2011
Julia related levels of acidity in chenin blanc with minerality and the schist and slate soils on which it’s grown.  He said Chaume “is full of schist, it’s a one stop for minerality.”

Claude Papin, Château Pierre-Bise, on Quarts des Chaume, August 2011
Quarts de Chaume is all on schist with patches of volcanic rock thrown in. A typical Quarts de Chaume, he said “has aromatic finesse marked by botrytis, with a balance between the mineral quality and the botrytis.”

In some detail he then explained: “Follow the grape as it ripens. After physiological ripeness wait for phenolic ripeness which is when the skin is the thinnest it can be, and still be healthy. Acidity at sugar ripeness is pure and direct and immediate but lacks elegance.  Once you get to phenolic ripeness, acidity has taken on finesse, purity, it’s long, precise, complex. In relief, sugar ripeness is mono, phenolic ripeness is stereo. In stereo, you can identify where the individual instruments are in the orchestra.  In phenolic ripeness of grapes, you should identify all the key factors that make up the flavour profile of the wine.  Sugar ripeness acidity is sharpness.  At phenolic ripeness acidity becomes minerality.”

Jacky Blot, Domaine de la Taille aux Loups, August 2011
Minerality is “something that expresses pebbles. It exists because the vines are worked on. Very often people express high acidity as minerality, and it’s not minerality. Minerality is vibrant for me, acidity is aggressive.”

“I want very dry wines, with very, very augmented minerality. If minerality is on its own, this makes a wine hard to drink. The slowness of fermentation gives fat and roundness to wine.” Blot’s fermentations take 4-5 months, often nine months in his cold cellar.  He does no malo, and uses about 10% new oak in 100% oak fermentations/maturations (would such influence the presence or expression of minerality?)

Is there a link between ‘white tannins’ of Bernd Kern above (speaking of weisserburgunder and grauburgunder), and chenin blanc’s minerality?

Charles Sydney, Loire broker, October 211
picked up Papin’s point about ripeness: “All good chenin blanc producers in the Loire pick by hand in selective tris. A harvest with no rot is very unlikely to be ripe. Given chenin’s tendency to be acidic, it is essential to wait till the grape reaches full phenolic maturity before harvesting, bringing sugar and acid into balance but, as important, also bringing the tannins to ripeness, reducing the astringency.”

Floriane Eznack, winemaker at Champagne Jacquart, April 2012
“Minerality is a salty, smokiness in the mouth. Like you are walking along a cliff, breathing iodine salty breathe. As it develops, it’s smoky like ashes, and flint.”  Or she said minerality is “like licking a stick of [blackboard] chalk as a kid.”

Frogmore Creek

First stop on a tour of Tasmania was a pinot noir component tasting of Frogmore Creek’s Evermore pinot noir, where, according to the notes “every vintage we orchestrate several unconventional winemaking techniques for our micro-batches of handpicked grapes, which each develop their own flavours, aromas and textures as they ferment and mature in barrel” and which are blended into a final cuvée.

The 30 hectare Frogmore Creek vineyard from which fruit comes for this wine is at Penna, about half an hour north of Hobart.

One of the Tasmanian wine industry’s founding fathers, Andrew Hood, consults here, having sold his own business to Frogmore Creek owner Tony Scherer in 2003. The winemakers are Alain Rousseau, and Nick Glaetzer, brother of Ben Glaetzer who runs the family winery Glaetzer Wines in the Barossa Valley.  Nick also makes wine at Frogmore for his own Glaetzer-Dixon Family Winemakers label, and in 2011, won the 2011 Jimmy Watson trophy for his Mon Père Shiraz 2010 – from south Tasmania.

Glaetzer said “a lot of people think terroir is the whole thing. At Frogmore we think winemaking can play a role in making a wine a bit more exciting”, adding “we’re not dismissing terroir, we’re saying winemaking and viticultural choices can be manipulated to make something better than if you do nothing.”

This is quite a stance in the face of so much ‘natural’ wine fever.  Glaetzer said “we looked at what makes a great pinot noir – fruit, acid, tannin and length. So we’re looking to maximise that with good backbone and some flesh. We’re trying to get as many layers of fruit and savoury characters as possible [to have a wine that’s] rich and elegant and delicate.”

The Frogmore team evaluate plenty of trials in pursuit of “increasing complexity, layering and length” said Hood, adding “I can’t see us going back to the original control.” Glaetzer chipped in “because our vines so young, we weren’t getting complexity so we needed to do something to enhance that. This is something we can show to show we’re looking at pinot noir in a different way.“ Rousseau added “in Burgundy they have nothing to prove, here we have everything to prove.”

The tasting and explanations from Glaetzer were both eye and palate opening.

Component tasting of Frogmore Creek Evermore Pinot Noir, 2007 and 2011, in situ, February 2012.

First up a flight of 2007 vintage components

Control: destemmed and crushed. Enzymes added, inoculated with Burgundy yeast
Medium pale colour. Red cherry nose, fruit forward, sweet focused, toasted, straightforward and safe.

Whole berry (fruit destemmed), yeast added
Less aromatic than the first, thicker wine on palate, with more savoury texture. Bit more layering on the palate and concentrated flavours. Good substance.

Whole berry wild fermentation
Hint aromatic smokiness, light-medium weight, more elegant structure, lifted mid palate. Less overtly fruity, more savoury, wholesome, smooth texture, attractively balanced, bit of intellect in this one too.
Glaetzer: “with wild fermentation you get a more savoury mid palate length. It’s a good blending component, but it’s not getting enough fruit lift.”
Glaetzer: “the benefit of wild fermentation is an extended pre-fermentation maceration – it kicks off on day 5-6. It’s just a soak, not a cold soak, which reduces the overall tannin content.”

Crushed berries, wild fermentation
Nose a bit muted. Palate fragranced and floral, good depth of flavour, intensity and freshness.

Carbonic maceration
Bright red cherries, tunes, light tannin, flroal. Straight.
Glaetzer: “it has about 100 litres of fermenting juice at the bottom, with whole bunches on top.  We open lid after a week to check the VA, then destem to finish fermentation on skins.”
Glaetzer: “this is probably the most influential component. We use 2-3% in final blend, and this is probably enough.”

Control with +3% chardonnay
Is that a hint of peachiness, or is it all association? Not on the palate, which has sweet cherry tunes; texture is smooth/slippery in a good way. Sweet fruit core, but lacks a bit of grip
Glaetzer: “we co-ferment. White varieties lift, and give velvety structure. Pinot gris gives the best velvet tannin structure, while chardonnay more elegant.”

Amarone-style control
Sweet spicy nose, with sweet black pepper notes.  Not very pinot noir like.
Glaetzer: “We cut the cordons. It adds ~1 Baumé increase in sugar levels.

Amarone plus 15% stalks
Spicy red berries, fuller body, black pepper, hints of grip and becomes ‘red wine’, not pinot noir.
Glaetzer: “we added about 15% of stalks from not cut cordon fruit.”

Evermore final blend
The commercial release has 25-30% ‘amarone-style’, with 3% carbonic maceration, plus 5-8% of all the other components. Anything not used goes to the standard Frogmore label.
Tarry aromatic note, smooth and spicy warmth to palate attack and sour cherry mid palate. Not sure it has true pinot noir varietal character by my definition.

A similar tasting followed, across components from 2011

Control – taken out of barrel the previous week
Bright, crunchy black cherries. Ripe fruit, crunchy, straight, sappy, good fruit concentration.  Straight.,

Bob’s Saignée
Scientists at AWRI in Hobart. Drained most of the juice away, and kept in a cool room. Once skins had fermented to 2 Baumé, he added the juice back.
Dark berry fruits, quite grippy component to tannin, fine grain, full-bodied. Chunky, slightly four-square.

Bayanus 1375.
A yeast strain purified by AWRI, which accentuates savouriness, losing fruit brightness.
Spice, black peppercorns on nose, sweet bass rumtopf (without all the alcohol) stewed fruit a bit on the palate. Bit loose and amoeboid.

Cold Soak
Destem. Put in fridge at 5°C for 10 days, let warm up by self and fermentation with natural yeast.
Cold red berries, bright and sawdust notes. Round and glycerol-like sweetness mid palate. Lots of flavour at front, less at back. Crunchy balance.

Cold Soak with delayed MLF
Kept outside to delay malo ‘til spring, when weather warms up naturally (the natural course of events in Burgundy). Idea is it spends longer time on lees.
No great nose, sweet attack, rich, full texture (malo lees?), attractive. Lush with good varietal definition. Very nice on its own, for me. Has some power with elegance and succulence. But maybe lacks a bit of tartness to the acidity, somewhat full and fat.

Plus 3% fresh pinot gris berries
Lifted parma violets, sweet attack, bit slimy and dominant. Pinot noir varietal definition lost.

Plus 3% gewurztraminer frozen for a month, which shatters the skin walls.
Aromatic again, floral. Pinot noir varietal definition lost, gives perception of sweetness, and broadness.

Plus 3% skins of chardonnay and gewurztraminer
These are fermented skins (marc) added to must of pinot noir. Would have been 3% if they were whole bunches
Floral, rose petal perfume, quite gewurz-like.  Not very pinot noir like. Slippery tannins, and loose backbone. Lots of floral intensity.

Amarone-style with 15% stalks
Spicy, black pepper and warmth, stewed fruits. Not much pinot noir varietal definition. Full and spicy with tannic backbone and warmth.

Carbonic maceration
Juicy red cherries on nose, light and crunchy with good intensity. Straight down the line. I like the straightforward honesty of this.

Evermore, final 2011 blend
25-30% amarone, same level of other
Toasty, sandy nose, juicy lifted cherry fruits, crunchy, medium weight, young and crunchy, well balanced, fragrant mid palate. Good.

So whilst not finding much fragrant, lifted, tart cherry and cranberry pinot noir character in the amarone-style component, the 2011 final blend for me is more successful (more pinot noir-like), than the 2007, which has a similar amount of this component. Will the 2011 lose varietal definition with age, or have other components in the 2011 moderated the influence of ‘amarone-style’? Or maybe it’s vintage variation.  It’s great to experience this level of experimentation and searching for style.

My visit to Australia in February 2012 was sponsored by Wine Australia.

Floriane Eznack

Floriane Eznack, winemaker at Champagne Jacquart smuggled out (not literally, but by the sound of the administration involved, it might have been the easier option) some still base wines from the 2011 Champagne vintage. The aim was to give a small insight into the rigours of blending these highly-acidic, still (i.e. not bubbly) base wines, which are then given a little dose of yeast and sugar, and bottled for the three year plus journey that is the secondary fermentation and maturation on lees.

The base wines for Jacquart come from 60 different ‘crus’, or villages, and are “made as neutrally as possible, with no special yeast, only made in stainless steel vats, to make sure each grape from each cru reveals its own temperament” said Eznack.  Given that each cru and each grape variety is vinified separately, that means the team vinify around 350 wines.  To this end, vat sizes vary from 25 to 400 hl.

These wines are tasted from January to April to make the selections for the final blends for each of the cuvées. The main blend, Brut Mosaïque, “is the most challenging for us” Eznack said “the non-vintage is produced every year, it should be the same, almost, every time you open a bottle, wherever you are in the world.” It’s usually a blend of more than 120 different individual wines.

There are four in the blending team, Eznack plus the winemakers from each of the three wineries in the group. She said “we do the chardonnay base, then the pinot noir base, then pinot meunier.  And then we make trials to create the final blends. We concentrate more on the [contribution from the] grape varieties than we do the different crus”

Tasting vins clairs is a particular art, and not for the faint-hearted. Not only are these liquids heart-stoppingly acidic, tasters must project ahead three or more years to imagine the contributions being made for a time when the blend has gone through another mini-fermentation and been influenced by time on lees.  It’s very tiring, and the professionals taste only about 30 samples in a session.

Part of the Jacquart style is to do 100% malolactic fermentation on everything. The idea, said Eznack, “is to play more on the texture of the wine. We want to maintain the freshness, but we get something gentle with malolactic.” And, she added “with ageing – the minimum three years [ageing] for Brut Mosaïque makes it milder and gives the wine more volume.”

A huge clue Eznack gave when tasting these base wines is to evaluate ‘stickiness’ in the wine, how “one wine explodes then disappears, while another has more flesh, more body”. My interpretation was of how the wine’s flavour and texture cling to the palate, the length and shape of that clinging, or stickiness.

Achieving consistency with the house style is an important purpose of the blending. Eznack said “chardonnay is the soul of the Jacquart house.  Even if we’re using 60% black skinned grapes, it is only to highlight the chardonnay, to enhance the delicacy and finesse of chardonnay.”

Chardonnay isn’t just chardonnay. Eznack said “chardonnay is different on the north and the south of the Côte de Blancs. In the north, Chouilly and Avize are very powerful chardonnays, straight in the mouth with the same wine all the through the palate.  Mesnil and Oger are creamier and more unctuous, you feel the dry chalk at first, then the wine re-opens”.

Brut Mosaïque is usually 35 to 40% chardonnay, 30 to 35% pinot noir and 25 to 30% pinot meunier.

Included in this is 20% to 30% of reserve wine – wines from vintages older than the one immediately past. This is quite a high proportion of reserve wine, but said Eznack “they’re not old reserve wines. In general reserve wines are 2, 3, 4 years old maximum”.  With the Jacquart house style of freshness, reserve wines several years older than the ‘base vintage’ might have developed too much.  And, she added “we prefer to age wines longer on lees to give complexity to the wine. We prefer a velvety feeling at the end rather than a toasty evolved note at the end.” The freshness of reserve wines is maintained by keeping them in stainless steel.

Blending base wines is indubitably complex.

Champagne Jacquart is a union of co-operatives. The group’s 1,800 growers have some 2,400 hectares across the champagne region, and there are three wineries, Château Thierry in the Marne Valley, Cogevi in the Côte des Blancs and l’Union Auboise in the Côte des Bars.  Fruit from around 350 hectares goes into the Jacquart brand, with its five different wines.

Sales in 2011 were 3 million bottles.

Tasting of vins clairs, London, April 2012

Pinot meunier 2011, Aisne
Marne Valley, pH 3.27. TA 7.5
Light, tart, pink strawberry, definitely less structure, and more roundness than the next one.

Pinot meunier 2011, Villedommange
Northern part of Montagne de Reims, pH 3.23, TA 7.8, A premier cru village
Quite fragranced, strawberry, and tart, with hints of phenolic backbone alongside the zest and density. Heart shocked to miss a beat.

Pinot noir 2011, Neuville
Côte des Bar. pH 3.15, TA 7.2
Floral, vinous, intense with immediate fruity flavours.
Eznack: “this is one of our favourite crus for Brut Mosaïque, it gives light structure and refined fruity aromas.”

Pinot noir 2011, Mailly 2011
Northern part of Montagne de Reims; pH 3.14, TA 8.2. A grand cru village
More integrated than previous samples, more wholesome individually; could almost envisage this being a still wine. Structure and intensity, steely, long, deep intensity. Big flavours and lots of them. Heart possibly acclimatised to the acidity by now.
Eznack: “More tension, more minerality, more structure and volume. Sticks all around your mouth, gums, teeth.”

Chardonnay 2011, Villers-Marmery
Montagne de Reims; pH 3.13, TA 8.9
Citrus, lime, white flowers, and my new tasting word, ‘sticky’
Eznack “this is very sticky because of the minerality, and tightness.”

Chardonnay 2011, Avize-Oger
Côte de Blanc; pH 3.19, TA 7.9
Opens in mouth, slow start then opens. Elegant and elongated palate,
Eznack “length is longer, more pwerful, stiky and occupying all the mouth, volume with chardonnay. Doesn’t mean you don’t have structure because don’t have tannins.”

Reserve wines

Chardonnay 1, 2010, Chouilly
Union Auboise; pH 3.19, TA 6.8
Feel some light butteriness on the front palate, round, in a relative way.

Chardonnay 2, 2010, Chouilly
Cogevi; pH 3.19; TA 7.6
Hint of smokiness, fresher than above, more linear, citrus, focused.

Pinot meunier 2010, Aisne
Marne Valley, pH 3.19, TA 7.6
Buttery, non-agitated nose, and palate, with flat strawberry. Quite round and savoury. Not so much fruit or lift here.

Pinot meunier reserve 2008, Aisne
Quite a dominant flavour here – bready, toasty, savoury, round. I wouldn’t want much of this in a fresh style.

This is a collection of essays, snapshots of Asher’s wine writing from the 80s and 90s, almost all in Europe. These short stories, languid tales of wine and history and culture, have remarkable relevance, even insight, for today. For anyone who’s joined the industry since the 90s, this book offers some effortless learning of a baker’s dozen of regions tortured or gilded history.  His writing is fluid, holistic, and seems somehow gentler, though no less critical, than much of that of the current era.

His tale on Champagne may have reflected the setback of the 1991 economic crisis, but it reflects too readily that of 2008/9, from which the Champenois are still emerging. Economic troubles notwithstanding, Asher also gives life to the joy of Champagne with a wonderful phrase saying “one glass of Champagne will raise the morale and two will fuse the most ill-assorted group into a dinner party.”

Each story is updated with a new introduction, and these often remind us that there’s not so much new in the wine trade: the northern Rhône is coming into fashion again yet Asher’s new introduction to his 1993 article cites the excitement of discovery, yet this he quotes from a writing in 1824. In addition, we’re reminded the new/old oak schools of thought in Côte-Rôtie were already open in that late 80s. And whilst we may now know some of the science behind just a few percent of viognier being added to Côte-Rôtie, experiential learning by the 90s was not to use more than five per cent, for fat, finesse and grace.

At the end of travelogue, factual updates bring the reader up to date on vineyard sizes and prices, and business ownerships, among other things. Thus we learn that Beaujolais nouveau sales were more than six million cases in 1995, when the essay was originally written, and have dropped to 2 million cases in 2010.

Did Asher portend the natural wine movement with his tale of Beaujolais, and its nouveau being “a mouthful of wine that was grapes just weeks before, and earth, rain and sunshine only weeks before that…” As an aside, perhaps here’s a definition to be conjured with?

There’s a delightful, other-worldly quality to Asher’s writing. It seduces the reader, with what feels like a slightly meandering stroll, in the way of a lovely, lazy summer sun in the mote-laden air of the meadow, but his writing is packed with information, pithily expressed amidst absorbing story-telling.

New Zealand

As the need to take better care of the planet increases, sustainability issues have moved onto the agenda. Production/environment-led systems, such as organics and biodynamics, don’t necessary consider the broader remit of sustainability which involves the triple bottom line of environment, plus people (social equity) and economic sustainability. It’s often referred to as the three Es.

What’s clear is demand is on the up. Vintage Roots director Neil Palmer has seen demand increasing over the last two to three years. And importers Hallgarten Druitt are upgrading their website to include “vegetarian, organic and biodynamic [certified status] for 1,200 wines” said Beverly Tabbron MW, their purchasing director.

Even the Wine Society has a list of their organic and biodynamic wines. Ewan Murray said “our customers are increasingly interested. If members enquire we can answer them, but we don’t do it formally.”

Certification “was to prove we are actually doing it.” Drouhin

As sustainability moves higher up the agenda traceability becomes increasingly relevant, and certification of practices is a logical route, so both trade and consumers can verify sustainable claims. Palmer said “certification shows commitment and without it there is no clarity or proof for consumers.” And Burgundy’s Joseph Drouhin certified organic in 2006, after many years of practice.  Philippe Drouhin said “it changed nothing but the paperwork and the expense. It was to be able to prove we are actually doing it.”

Frédéric Grappe, of Dynamic Vines, agreed, saying “some producers are still reluctant to put certification on the label.  A lot of our producers work organically or biodynamically to produce better quality wine. They don’t do so to advertise themselves as part of a trend.”

In France lutte raisonée is often used synonymously with agriculture raisonnée, or viticulture raisonnée (VR), but this can be meaningless as an effective environmental tool as there’s no official definition, charter of practices or certification requirement.  However, VR is an officially recognised system.  Confusingly it can be partially adopted, or it can be certified to minimum standards, so the right questions need to be asked.

Certified VR practitioners adhere to a 90-point reference, including product control, health and safety and cellar hygiene, so it considers more than one ‘E’ of the triple bottom line. Domaine Coste-Caumartin certified VR in 2009. Owner Jérôme Sordet said “Before I certified, on average I made 12 sprays, now it’s about 8 sprays.”

By encouraging farmers to think about their practices and record them VR is a good foundation on which to build greater sustainability, and some growers do much more than the minimum requirement.

“We’re doing our bit of environmental stewardship.” New Zealand Winegrowers

VR is also potentially a nationwide system in participating European nations, but the new world is gaining clear ground with countrywide initiatives. New Zealand has been driving the ‘clean, green land’ message for 15 years.  David Cox, director – Europe for New Zealand Winegrowers said “consumers are questioning products. Retailers and gatekeepers tell us people are interested. People are more concerned about what’s in products, and we need to show consumers we’re doing our bit of environmental stewardship. And even if consumers aren’t interested, we’re doing it because that’s the way we are, and because it’s got to be done.”

Beehives in Burgundy

Chile is the latest country, this year, to initiate a potentially nationwide scheme. Michael Cox, Europe director for Wines of Chile, said “the code encompasses practices that cover sustainable farming, social responsibility, energy efficiency, water conservation, and economic viability.  This holistic approach will benefit Chilean wine lovers the world over, but more importantly will protect Chile and its people.”

With all such schemes, comparison is tricky. Elena Carretero, Santa Rita’s vice president of corporate affairs and sustainability, and a director of the Wines of Chile sustainability program, said “we have the same concept as [other countries], agreeing a common standard, but the viticultural practices in Chile are not the same as in Australia for example.  Our oenologist practices are not the same as in California. The code has to be specific for our specific needs.” South Africa’s IPW system for example, has a strong biodiversity element, which is no surprise given the Cape floral kingdom, in which the winelands are located, is a biodiversity hotspot, accounting for 20% of the African continent’s flora in just 0.5% of the continent’s area.

Another challenge of getting to grips with sustainability issues is that the standards must not remain fixed. It’s not enough to say that a code, or a certification, exists. If it doesn’t change – the pass mark get tougher, the tolerances tighter – over time, these codes become fatuous.

Method Initiatives

Organic

Many producers infer organic principles, but certified standards and rules of production exist, though these differ by certifying body and country of origin. May relate only to grapes grown organically (in the EU), or may relate also to organically made wine e.g. in the USA.  Does not necessarily consider all elements of the triple bottom line of sustainability.

Biodynamic

Many producers infer biodynamic practices, but certified standards and practices exist. Since June 2009 both grapes and wine may be certified by Demeter.

Does not necessarily consider all elements of the triple bottom line of sustainability.

Integrated Farm Management (IFM)

Voluntary schemes in some European states: agriculture raisonnée in France, LEAF (linking environment and farm) in the UK. Not necessarily certified, but can be.

In France Terra Vitis is effectively certified viticulture raisonée with extra regulations, and a longer history, with a protocol since 1998. All Terravitis growers apply the Terra Vitis and the VR specification. In 2009 new commitments were integrated, dealing with biodiversity, energy use and water quality. Third party certified.

Biodiversity

Not certified. Incorporates a wide diversity of flora and fauna present in an ecosystem. Functional biodiversity harnesses viticulturally-useful species such as natural predator parasitic wasps to reduce pest populations, rather than using chemicals. Planting hedgerows and refuges encourages biodiversity, and pests such as grape berry moth and green leaf hopper are reduced in such non-monocultures.

Does not necessarily consider all elements of sustainability.

‘Natural’ wines

Uncertified, largely undefined, even by practitioners who cite minimal intervention to express place.  Does not necessarily consider all elements of sustainability.

Country Initiatives

Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ)

Vineyard module since 1997, followed in 2002 with a winery module.  Voluntary, though from the 2010 vintage any producer wanting to take part in NZwine activities must be certified, and in NZ it is currently compulsory that every producer be a member of NZWine.

Sustainable Wine South Africa (SWSA)

Certified, voluntary. Integrated production of wine (IPW) standards since 1998. Now also includes greenhouse gas emissions, health and safety of workers, biodiversity, waste water elements. From the 2010 vintage, a new sustainability seal is awarded to wines made by certified IPW producers. Use of the new sustainability seal is “currently at 84% usage for the period January to July 2011” showing a high uptake, said Su Birch, CEO of Wines of South Africa.

Sustainable Winegrowing Program California (SWP)

Voluntary system of self-assessment since 2002.  The 2006 second edition of the self-assessment workbook contains 14 chapters and 227 criteria, including social, economic and environmental aspects with inbuilt steps to improvement. Includes greenhouse gas calculator, sustainable water guide and biodiversity resource.  In January 2010, voluntary third party certification launched.

Entwine Australia

Certified, voluntary system, linking environment and wine, since 2009. Focused around environmental leg of sustainability including energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. Also reports chemicals use, storage and disposal, water usage and area of land in reserve for biodiversity.

Wines of Chile Sustainability Code

Certified, voluntary system. New code starting at the beginning of 2011 after three years of planning. Certified producers will be recognised by use of a seal on the label. Just starting to get going.

UKVA

Working on protocol since 2009.  Benchmarking study of current practice across all areas is due at the end of 2011, and will form the basis of an online self-assessment tool of sustainable practices.

Other Initiatives

Fairtrade

Set of certified standards to improve the lot of disadvantaged producers, usually with a minimum price payable to producers to guarantee a sustainable living.

Can apply to wines from South Africa, Chile, Argentina and Lebanon plus, Georgia, northern Africa and other South American countries. Social aspects are at the forefront.

ISO 14001

A standard for an environmental management system, which also provides a framework for continual improvement. Can be applied to a wide range of businesses, so not mainly producer-led. Annual audits. In the UK wine importer Bibendum, for example, is ISO 14001 accredited, having “improved its policies and activity with regards to general waste, paper use, supply chain waste, energy consumption, business travel, and glass use” said Michael Saunders, Bibendum’s managing director.

Water stewardship and footprints

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been working with stakeholders to manage water availability and determine fair-usage through river basin management. In South Africa work is being done to remove water-dependent alien vegetation to allow fynbos to redevelop and natural wetlands to refill.

The Water Footprint Network (WFN) helped develop the global water footprint standard. In Chile Concha y Toro and Errazuriz linked up with WFN to measure their water footprint, which measures all water used at all points in the production chain, and which are therefore not available for use further down the river system.

Water footprints are one aspect of wider sustainability.

Carbon footprints

Various methodologies exist for calculating carbon footprints, which measure total greenhouse gas emissions of a person, company, product etc.  Need to know exactly what’s included and excluded, for example, the footprint of the bottles into which wine is put, or the emissions of winery workers’ travel en route and during work, etc.

Carbon footprints are one aspect of wider sustainability.

A version of this first appeared in Hampshire View, October 2011.

The far north-west corner of Spain, the bit above Portugal, with its lush, verdant colours of the Costa Verde, due in part to its high rainfall coming off the Atlantic, is a mecca for fresh, vibrant, perfumed white wines.  The region contains the final stopping place – Santiago de Compostela – of the Catholic Camino de Santiago pilgrim route with paths leading to it from all over Europe.

The city is Galicia’s capital, and it is in this province where the appellation of Rias Baixas – pronounced ‘re-ass by-shuss’ – is home to albariño, which is much easier to say. This region comprises the estuarine river inlets and coves right on the Atlantic coast. The grape variety needs its thick skins to fend off the humidity and the wines it subsequently produces are as fresh as the smell of a meadow after summer rain. Peachy aromatic fruit, racy round, steely acidity. But the small scale of viticulture means these wines will never be of the cheapest order.

A little further inland from Rias Baixas is Valdeorras, still in Galicia, which lies at the south western corner of Spain’s Cantabrian mountains. Summers are hotter and drier than at the coast, and this suits the godello grape, the variety we’ve been waiting for, which grows at altitudes up to around 500m above sea level on slate slopes. High quality, high acidity, more structured than albariño, also perfumed and with peach and melon fruits, with arguably an extra degree of sheer juiciness and richness in the mouth. There are just 1,000 ha of godello planted in the whole of Spain.

The other white wine appellation in this trinity of Spanish whites that is making a serious name for itself is Rueda, in Castile-León, about 100 miles south east of Valdeorras, where verdejo is king, growing on bush vines, at altitude on the Spanish meseta,  in sandy soils where the foliage provides shade and protection from continental heat and keeps overnight humidity in the canopy for a bit of moisture.

Verdejo is crisp, with green-appley flavours. It’s especially good when it’s alone in a wine – usually with Rueda Superior on the label. It loses something of its pristine and perky individuality when blended with other white grapes, such as viura, and even sauvignon blanc.

All three of these wine styles are as far away as it is possible to be from traditionally aged and oaked white Riojas.  This trio is about purity, crispness and tingling freshness, and with such wines, Spain is trumping pristine aromatic wines such as sauvignon blanc, riesling and pinot grigio from more northerly countries.

Try these for size, all are showing available online, with offers as at March 24, 2012:
Majestic: Albariño Martin Codax 2010 Rias Baixas, £11.99/btl. And 20% off when you buy 2 bottles (£9.59 / btl)
M&S Wine Direct (online):  Mozares Verdejo, Rueda 2010 Offer price £45.96 / 6-pack (£7.66/btl)
Sainsbury’s: Taste the Difference Albariño 2010, Rias Baixas, £7.99
Waitrose : Valdesil Godello 2009, Valdeorras, £15.99

Ladybird taint is thought to be on the rise and cool climate regions are particularly vulnerable as climate warming allows these species to migrate into previously unpalatable regions.

While ladybirds (Coccinellidae) are a common natural predator for aphids and mealybugs, with some insects being introduced from Asia at the beginning of the 1900s for this purpose, when they accidentally get in with the grapes at harvest they produce IPMP (2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine), a powerful compound that taints the resulting wine.

“A good beetle with bad habits”

Presenting on day two of the 8th International Cool Climate Symposium in Hobart, Tasmania, Kevin Ker, of Brock University in Canada called it “a good beetle with bad habits”, adding “in 2001 in Ontario the insect caused the dumping of 1 million litres of wine.”

With a detection threshold around 1ppt, Ker said the taint has flavours of “peanuts, asparagus, bell pepper, earth. It’s herbaceous and bitter. And once the wine is made cleaning it up is virtually impossible.”

Researching a sustainable management solution has been carried out over the last decade, and remains an ongoing research area. The bugs migrate to vineyards in the autumn, and they’re attracted by healthy, undamaged fruit, of which vineyards are generally full at this time of year.

Traditional insecticide treatments work, but their application so close to harvest time causes concerns about pesticide residues and wine quality. Trials of more sustainable solutions to date have found that spraying potassium metabisulphite in the vineyard works as an effective repellent to the ladybirds “reducing the number of lady beetles on vines below sensory threshold levels”, Ker said. Additionally, potassium metabisulphite does not affect the fermentation process.

These beetles are “an increasing threat to the global wine industry” said Ker, they’re “a hitchhiker that we really don’t like.” It’s not an issue restricted to north America, some European vineyards are also known to be affected.

Old primitivo, Itria valley

In Italy’s deep south lies the country’s second biggest wine-producing region (after Veneto). Puglia has 85,125 hectares of vineyard, producing more than 6 million hectolitres of wine each year (the 2007 to 2011 five year average is 6,328,876 hl). This is some 14% of total Italian production.

In all of this, there are no fewer than 32 DOC/Gs including four DOCGs (Castel del Monte Bombino Nero, Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva, Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva, and Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale), which focus on two grapes the region does very well – nero di troia and primitivo – plus the lesser known bombino nero.

Much has been changing in last decade or two.  The inevitable consolidation exists, as it does across the whole of Europe. Puglia’s vineyard area has contracted some 20% from 103,000 ha in 2006 to its present size.

The creation of those four DOCGs, all in 2011, show the push towards quality is evolving. And in the last five years, combined production of DOC and DOCG increased from 12 to 15% of the region’s total production. Additionally production of IGT wines has nearly doubled to 30% share of production in the same time frame. IGT Puglia and IGT Salento would be the best-known, certainly in the UK.

Surprisingly for a warm, southerly, Mediterranean region, more than 40% of production is now accounted for by white wines. Luigi Rubino, of his eponymous estate, and president of the Puglia Best Wine Consortium said “the tradition of our region was red wines. But in the last 5-10 years we’ve changed the idea also of white wine in Puglia. We have a lot of fiano, vermentino, malvasia bianca, and bombino bianco.” Vermentino, made so well in Sardinia, is well adapted to Mediterranean warmth, retaining its acid freshness.

Fiano already has a growing, if still niche, reputation, especially on export markets. Though in Puglia theirs is called fiano minutolo, and will soon (at some point) be called just ‘minuotolo’.  It is said to have little, if anything, to do with the fiano of Avellino, in nearby Campania. Those tasted were big on floral, peachy, lime blossom aromas, with fresh, green apply acidity and a light to medium body.

Tenute Rubino's Jaddico single vineyard

Another trend is the production of some single vineyard wines, where Puglia historically was known for producing bulk wine for blending, focused on quantity rather than quality. Rubino said “there is a tight bond between the wine and single vineyards. I was the first in Puglia to name wines after single vineyards.”

Such a strategy “brought risks” he added.  “The aim as a producer is to bring out the best from each single vineyard. [The need for] meticulous selection of grapes for each single vineyard meant that some vintages are not released because they fall below the standard the winery set.”

Along with the trend for a growing band of producers to focus on quality, grape varieties that do particularly well are being highlighted. Primitivo tops the list here, though nero di troia, grown in the north of Puglia, is producing some really interesting wines, after viticultural research identified ways to get better results from the fruit.

Primitivo is grown all over the region and produces different results when grown in the centre and north, at higher altitudes, up to 400 metres in the Itria valley, compared to the rich, heady, and sometimes slightly sweet styles made in nearer sea level in the Salento peninsula.

Martinborough

Notwithstanding that most pinot noir vines in New Zealand are less than ten years old, the idea of differing regional expressions of the variety has already been gaining ground for at least half of that time.

A ten-wine ‘road-trip’ in London, led by Dr. John Forrest of Forrest Wines, explored this theme, inconclusively to my palate, though different expressions in the wines were clear to see.

Not all pinot noir vines in New Zealand are infants. There are plenty that are a quarter of a century and more. But that plantings of pinot noir have increased by more than 80% since 2003 illustrates the burgeoning interest in Kiwi pinot noir, arguably the second-best place in the world that makes it. And Forrest is excited for the future coming from maturing vines, saying “tannins are yet to be defined. We’re talking of 30 year old vines, at the oldest.  Tannin structure is where, over the next 15 years, New Zealand pinot noir will flourish – structure and texture.”

In the meantime, any emergence of regional styles is akin to evolution in practice.

The regions considered at this tasting were: Wairarapa/Martinborough, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury and Central Otago, with newest region Waitaki, on the east coast also making an appearance.

Forrest explained differences in soil types, where older, stonier soils, within the NZ context, are preferred because they have a deeper top layer with a proportion of clay that helps regulate water supply. He said “terroirs are variable, which is great. You get a variety of wines. Soils are dominated by river gravels, and the best pinot noir sites combine some geological age with secondary characters, such as clay and limestone, mixed in with the gravel.”

He added “the simplest pinot noirs in New Zealand come off straight stones – fruity tutti straight pinot noir. You need older soils for complexity and tertiary flavours. The south part of Marlborough has half million year old soils.”

Climatically all the favoured pinot noir regions are below latitude 41, and as you go further south, Forrest said “you get cooler nights and a shorter growing season. And flavour development is determined by the diurnal temperature variation” where the cool nights help develop flavour in the fruit. He added “it’s this cool climate touch to the fruit that New Zealand does so well. A fresh, bright, acid structure is a feature of New Zealand wine.”

Nelson

It is the cooler South Island that is the mainstay of Kiwi pinot noir, with just the original, Wairarapa, including Martinborough, region, being at the bottom of North Island.  There are some 500 miles between Martinborough and the most southerly region, Central Otago, so one might expect some regional variation. Compare Burgundy’s Côte d’Or  which is around 30 miles from top to bottom.

It would be logical to expect fuller, slightly warmer, suppler stylistic expression towards the north and crisper, crunchier things going on further south.

A special Central Otagan terroiristic expression, said Forrest “is an element of wild thyme. The vineyards are surrounded by it, and it gives a wild thyme terroir character.”

Winemaking influences still play an important role in style, and a general theme, said Forrest is that “over the last 20 years we’ve gone through a phase of getting it riper and riper and riper. Now the pinot noir pendulum is moving back from the 14 – 15% alcohol fruit bomb. We’re just swinging back to 13.5%, with more delicacy and ‘pinosity’.”

The use of a lot of stems in the ferment is not common though. Forrest said “it is not the norm to put a lot of stems in a New Zealand pinot noir ferment. We have greener stems that are still physiologically ripening.”  The tannin structure is harsher in stems, so, he added “you must stand and chew it on the day it arrives and decide then whether to use it.”

I did conclude that New Zealand makes some really lovely pinot noirs (I’d concluded that long before). Regional expressions are sure to emerge given a bit of history.  Viticulture has never really done the ‘I want it now’ zeitgeist. How many centuries did it take for Burgundian differences to be widely recognisable?

Tasting notes, London, January 2012, north to south

Gladstone Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2009, Wairarapa
Alluvial gravelly soils of mixed geological age. Medium pale ruby colour, sweet plum and redcurrant fruit, aromatic. Sweet, soft, supple, silky texture, with smooth definition and integrity. The warmth of alcohol is noticeable, otherwise it’s focused, defined and succulent. Good.

Palliser Estate, Pinot Noir 2009, Martinborough
Alluvial soils. Medium ruby colour.  Smells a hint ’stalky’, certainly herbal, with dark plum fruit and aromatic tar, almost bramble. Lush sweet fruit alongside, with a bit of grip and angular backbone.

Neudorf Vineyards, Moutere Pinot Noir 2009, Nelson
Clay vineyard. Medium ruby colour. Graphite and soft plum on nose, bright lift to palate attack and sweet, ripe fruit, with the restraint of taut graphite – a firming backbone amid real complexity and class. Vg.

Nautilus Estate, Pinot Noir 2009, Marlborough
Blend of river gravels and older clay sites. Nose not hugely forward, then sweet red cherry fruit in straightforward, juicy style without real gravitas. Has silky fresh, texture, with all brightness and enthusiasm of a teenager. Long finish counters earlier comment about gravitas.  Nice wine.

Fromm Winery, Clayvin Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009, Marlborough
Geologically old, crushed gravels with high clay content. Medium ruby, muted gravelly, graphite nose. Backbone, graft and structure here amid ripe fruit, dark plum, dark cherries, all very serious and quite sophisticated. Savoury and stylish.

Pegasus Bay, Pinot Noir 2009, Waipara
Bright red cherry, with tarry aromatics and savoury, almost dry earthy core. Warm alcohol, as a positive attribute, with silky smooth, fine-grained tannin texture, and savoury finish.

Muddy Water, Slowhand Pinot Noir 2009, Waipara
Quite deep ruby colour. Nose is not very expressive, and the palate is full bodied, with sweet-ripe fruit, fresh red cherries in a dry-succulent sort of way.  This is a BIG wine, with some heat of alcohol at the end (over 14%). For me the least varietally-defined wine of the tasting.

John Forrest, Collection Pinot Noir 2009, Waitaki
Limestone-infused terraces. Perfumed red cherry and wild raspberry fruits. Seductive attack, sweet and with some chalky freshness of backbone, succulent, and showing good refinement. Long finish. Very nice.

Akarua, Pinot Noir 2010, Central Otago
Deep ruby colour. Bright sweet plum and redcurrant fruits. Fresh, young (shame it’s a different vintage), crunchy and brightly balanced. Hints of oak still integrating well. Crunchily balanced with big concentration. And good length.

Peregrine, Pinot Noir 2009, Central otago
Aromatic smoky, graphite notes on the nose. Silky, bright palate attack. Linear, smooth and fresh balance to the backbone. Integrity and substance in a medium-bodied wine that has lovely concentration and depth. Vg.

Château des Jacques

The cellar dates from the end of the 16^th century, and the castle buildings added in the mid 19th century, as a time when the Beaujolais region was much richer. Most genial and charming of understated hosts, Guillaume de Castelnau explained “during previous centuries, many rich people from Lyon and Paris came and built castles, with 150 or 200 hectares of vineyard.”

This dictated the pattern of grape-growing in the region, he said, as these rich landowners installed many small farmers in the vineyards, who were paid for the wine they produced. But Beaujolais declined in the 20^th century, de Castelnau explained, because such owners “had not been putting enough investment in their vineyards.” Over-exploitation of Beaujolais Nouveau in the late 20^th century can’t have helped, but the region is experiencing something of a comeback, after re-investment in the 21^st century.

De Castelnau talks of the re-awakening at Château des Jacques in allegorical terms. Though not certified, certain biodynamic practices have been adopted as de Castelnau manages the “the levels of life – soil, vegetation, animals and humans – from which wine comes.  My job as winemaker is to try to put each level at its best to make the most positive work possible.” So he uses some organic and biodynamic techniques, and sometimes he uses chemicals, “if the danger is real.”

Interestingly, he’s found biodynamic principles easier to adopt on young vineyards, saying “old vineyards, which have had 30 to 40 years of herbicide, pesticide and tractor use, and which have a flat [near surface] root system, are more delicate. If you compact the soil you kill the soil and if you put fertiliser on the surface, roots stay near the surface.”

Without such a history and incentive to keep roots at the surface, young vines send their roots downwards to find nutrients. Thus, said de Castelnau “some 10-12 year old vineyards, under organics and biodynamics, can give a more complex, though not more concentrated, wine than very old vineyard.” And with deeper roots comes complexity, he added.

Vinification at Château des Jacques is not by carbonic or semi-carbonic maceration. The previous owners didn’t use it, and Jadot have continued the same way.  Harvest is of whole bunches, and these are destemmed.  Whole berries are used, but not whole bunches.

De Castelnau said “morning fruit comes in at 16 to 18°C, afternoon fruit at 20 to 22°C, so we equalise the temperature to 18°C for one day’s harvest.  Slowly the alcohol fermentation starts with natural yeast.  We leave the berries for 3-4 weeks’ maceration, with a pump-over once or twice a day.”  With this method, the press juice represents no more than 10% of the total, he said.

Wine is put to barrel or tank, and “a high proportion of new oak barrels” are used, “because if I destem all my fruit, I don’t have enough tannin, so I compensate with new oak tannins” de Castelnau said.

A greater amount of new oak is used on the property’s Moulin à Vent parcels, with 100% new oak being used on the single vineyard wines, and 50% new oak on the blend.  Half these amounts of oak are used on the Morgon cuvées, so 50% new oak on the single vineyards, and 25% new oak on the blend.

Tasting, in situ, December 2011

(in a cold cellar which probably masked much of the aromas)
Château des Jacques, Moulin à Vent, 2009
About 50% new oak, 30% one year old, 20% tank
Black cherry and medium bodied freshness, some fine grain oak tannin gripe, nicely balanced. Good concentration of fresh fruit, with hints of vanilla structure.

Château des Jacques, Morgon 2009
25% new oak
Quite closed on the nose. More purple fruit, dark berries, chalky grain to tannins. Fresh, and a bit lighter bodied.

Château des Jacques, Moulin à Vent, Grand Carquelin 2006
100% new oak, which is overt on the nose and palate, can’t really smell fruit. Dark berries on the palate, with liquorice, dried fruits, figs and prunes (bottle age?). Quite chewy overall, a big wine.

Château des Jacques, Morgon, Cote du Py 2006
Muted nose, difficult to get hold of any aromas here. Again chewy oak tannins yet to integrate, and which mask the fruit.

My research trip to Beaujolais in December 2011 was sponsored by Inter Beaujolais.

Cobaw Ridge

Alan and Nelly Cooper, of Cobaw Ridge, are doing really tasty things high up in the Macedon Ranges. Despite some challenging growing conditions, they’ve been minimising inputs for a while and have just (February 2012) joined (been vetted and approved by) the Return to Terroir / Renaissance des Appellations group of producers.

This group of producers is not necessarily certified organic or biodynamic, but they work to a three tier ‘charter of quality’ aimed at avoiding additions and manipulations in both vineyard and winery, with the express purpose of more clearly reflecting the vineyard location (which one might equally call the terroir or the appellation).

Following my visit in 2010, Alan sent me samples of his 2010 chardonnay and pinot noir recently, listing all of the inputs, which were
(1) certified organic grapes,
(2) minimal sulphur dioxide (more on the chardonnay than the pinot noir),
(3) bentonite on the chardonnay (a processing agent rather than an additive, as it doesn’t remain in the wine, just fines out some proteins), and, rather quaintly but wholly inclusively,
(4) French oak flavour, with a question mark, from the barrels in which he made the wines. Just 15% of them were new, and all of that was on the chardonnay.

So really very few additions.

Here’s what the wines tasted like:

Cobaw Ridge, Chardonnay 2010
14%. Melon and allspice-poached peach. Silky palate attack of sweet fresh-creamy peaches with ginger note, full-fat alcohol sweetness comes through on the back palate. Lovely, elegant and pure fruits at the front, but I felt the alcohol knocked the flavours sideways just a bit on the back palate, without dominating the whole. Perhaps it was still settling into itself? When I tasted the 2008 in late 2010 it was seamless.

Cobaw Ridge, Pinot noir 2010
14%. Medium pale cherry colour; bright, lively fresh strawberry, raspberry and redcurrant fruits on the nose, fresh and perfumed. Pinot noir should always have a lovely fragrant nose, I reckon, and this one does. Crunchy fruit on the palate with a fine, chalk-dust tannin texture which is refreshing and supportive of those succulent and aromatic red berried fruits. The alcohol percentage is the same as the chardonnay, but it’s entirely seamless in the pinot noir. This is a lovely drink-me wine (what else should a wine be?). Bright, crunchy, lively, young, with fine tannin texture to support a few years in bottle, though why you’d want to I don’t know.