Fizz vs Beer & Spirits

  I have been thinking about something Jamie Goode tweeted a couple of days ago while he was at the International Sparkling Wine Symposium. He questioned whether Sparkling Wine was actually not competing in the rather narrow (as he described it) wine category but was up against Beer & Spirits.

He got a very quick reply from Dan Jago, the Head of the BWS category for Tesco UK, saying simply "No it isn't". Which I thought was quite funny and succinct. But is he right?

Well he's certainly the best person to comment on it from the off-trade perspective given that Tesco shifts more alcohol than any other retailer. But I think in the on-trade there's more truth in Jamie's point of view.

I've always thought that guys are so lucky when they go to the pub, they just order a beer and are done with it. Lager or Ale, really that's all they have to decide and usually they have a preference one way or another and stick to it. If they do experiment it's not generally going to be a disaster.

I, on the other hand, love going to pubs but stand with a sinking feeling in front of the bar wondering what I'm going to drink. Wine is often very ordinary and not in the least bit refreshing - not even the invariable Sauvignon or Chenin Blanc enthusiastically described as such on the list, but sickly after more than 1 glass - and cocktails are a bit much for an ordinary mid-week evening drink.  

I end up, more often than not, with a gin & tonic or campari & soda. Not very adventurous but safe, but also much more alcoholic than I really want. 

Sparkling wine is exactly right for the mood I'm talking about. And it's not just Prosecco or Cava anymore - the wealth of English Fizz, Cremants, Franciacortas etc etc give us so many stylish options. 

It's refreshing, fizzy, cold, affordable and looks good. That ticks all the marketing boxes.

And the beauty of it is, if the sparkling wine turns out to be a bit rough (which sometimes, let's face it, can be the case) it just takes a tiny drop of fruit sirop to transform it. 

For me, at least, Sparkling wine in the on-trade is definitely a completely different category to wine and my perfect alternative to beer or spirits. 

Good call Jamie. 

Mundaka to San Sebastien along the coast

The little fishing town of Mundaka is really gorgeous. You approach from the south through a Biosphere Reserve. The Bird Centre is dedicated to research about the migration of the many species which travel the spectacular route over the Cantabrian Estuaries, crossing the Iberian Peninsula to Africa. Extraordinary creatures. Any interested ornotholgists can spend time in their viewing room with its fantastic vista across the wetlands. 

The first sight of the town is across the shallow waters running in to the bay and which, due to the sandbanks below the water, cause some of the best left-hand wave for surfers in Europe apparently. The day we were there though the tide was well and truly out and there was not the slightest breeze to indicate any fun to be had on a surfboard. Though in true surfer style there were some diehards in wetsuits paddling around in vain hope.

However there was plenty of fun to be had wandering around the tiny harbour, with little kids hurling themselves off the end of the pier into what must have been freezing water and old men in wide brimmed hats sitting companiably together on benches looking out to sea.  

We sat at a little cafe under trees overlooking the boats (the first picture above) and had a couple of glasses of manzanilla - wrong end of the country I know - and a few tapas including this thinly sliced octopus threaded onto skewers. Clever presentation of a classic. Tender and delicious too.

After a short stroll around the town we got back into the car and headed along the coast. The roads are fairly narrow and very twisty but through stunning scenery and without children complaining of nausea in the back we made the most of it. And with an ex-racing driver at the wheel it was exhilarating. Though he complained about the lack of speed due to non-stop cornering around this spectacularly twisting, turning route. 

Once we got to San Sebastien, we parked the car and headed across the bridge to the old town.

This is a ravishingly beautiful city which seduces immediately. The light in the late afternoon was generously soft and full and yellow gold, bouncing off the lovely warm stone facades playfully. 

The streets are a warren of tapas bars each with their specialities and mostly with bar counters bowed under the weight of plates and platters of pintxos.

 We spent a happy afternoon strolling around going from one place to another, completely the wrong time of day but no less content for it, and more than willing to try recommended dishes, wines and sidra. The people in the bars were super friendly and I couldn't help wondering if in other places with such a high tourist count the locals would be a little more disdainful and somewhat less than enthusiastic. Here we were made to feel wonderfully welcome and on the elegant promenade with its warm and soft sea breeze, we watched the sun gently set and promised ourselves we would return soon. 

The Lost Kingdom of Navarra

 

I recently went on my first trip to this ancient, rugged land that borders France in the north-east corner of Spain.

Wines have been made here from the Roman days through to the days of Arab rule and became cemented in its history by the monks who set up monasteries along the Santiago de Compostela route, which goes straight through Navarra, and needed succour for their thirsty pilgrims. And no doubt for themselves too.

They brought cuttings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Bordeaux and Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Burgundy. As Pilar Garcia-Granero, the head of the Consejo Regulador, was at pains to tell us, when these varieties were re-planted in the 80's and 90's they were merely reviving the viticulture of the 10th and 11th century monks - NOT jumping on an 'international bandwagon'. 

These varieties are particularly suited to specific sites across the region's diverse lanscape but it took time for these sites to be located as local knowledge disappeared with the arrival of phloxera in C19th and the grubbing up of all the old vineyards, as no records were kept. 

But with the new wave of highly motivated winemakers has come the revolution. There are some extraordinary wines being produced with such purity of terroir expression, it would be impossible to label them 'international'. 

Garnacha too has had its low points. Post-phylloxera growers were anxious about re-planting varieties that were tricky to grow and so widely planted the pest resistant and high yielding Garnacha. Quality overall in the region suffered as mass-produced rosé and cheap red plonk became associated with Navarra. Since when many growers wanted to distance themselves from it. However it has found some champions recently.

The first bodega we visited, Domaines Lupier - the name itself betraying the French historical overlap in this border Kingdom - was to turn all concept of a mass-production variety on its head.

This husband and wife team, Enrique Basarte & Elisa Ucar, have painstakingly brought back to life no fewer than 27 tiny plots of old vine garnacha clinging to scrubby mountain sides between 400-750m altitude. These terraced plots

are inaccessible by tractor so all the work is back-breakingly (the vines are tiny gobelet bushes close to the ground) done by hand - including harvesting which involves a 10 minute walk to the top of the foothill with each basket of grapes, where there is a road for the tractor to wait.

This incredible passion and attention to detail - including planting lavender and chamomile among the vines to improve the soil - is brought out in the wines.

An incredible expression of what can be achieved with 100 year old vines and unbridled enthusiasm. Due to luggage restrictions I could only bring back 2 bottles - these were the 2 wines I chose. 

We also visited other small-ish bodegas with fascinating stories and sharing the same passion and desire to produce world class wines - they have real belief in their land and their vines and tasting the finished product you see exactly why.

Tandem was created by Jose Fraile and winemaker Alicia Eyaralar in 2003. The Santiago de Compostela runs right in front of their property and from the glass tasting room you can pilgrim watch. 

The winery itself is a thing of modern beauty. The glass, slate and concrete building is a confident, bold statement. The curve of the hillside has been used to great effect with corridors and skylights created to make the most of the natural light, which floods in to the winery. And it is partially underground which makes it energy efficient. 

They make some fantastic wines. The Inmacula 2010 100% Viognier fermented in 300ltr French oak barrels over lees was a highlight, rewarding, rich and yet fresh and beautifully balanced. Also stars that day were the Ars in Vitro 2007 a Tempranillo / Merlot blend and the Ars Nova 2005 Tempranillo / Cab Sauv / Merlot. The Mars Macula 2005 Cab Sauv / Merlot was spectacular but needs several more years to achieve it's potential. 

Nekeas is a mid-sized bodega set in a beautiful valley which we had to have a drive around to appreciate its full beauty even though we were running SO late.

The winemaker, Concha Vecino, has worked there for over 20 years and her dedication is immediately apparent from the moment she welcomes you at the door to her domaine - the harvest was in full flow and her excitement was palpable.

Her intricate knowledge seemingly of every vine is astonishing and when she told me that she moved into a house on the vineyard so that she can feel on her skin what the vines feel, I wanted to move in with her.

We tasted several of her wines in the apothecary-like tasting room and enjoyed them very much. Sadly only the El Chaparral is available in the UK through Majestic but hopefully this will change soon.

2 much bigger operations also showed that no matter what size you are, the devil is in the detail and if you are a pioneer of detailed research and innovation like Javier Ochoa the brand you have created will stand for quality and terroir no matter how big it gets.

Bodega Inurrieta by contrast is only a decade old but has the size and scope to match its ambition. They were also fantastically hospitable and one of the uncles cooked lunch for our rather large party in the bodega. A family affair as various members joined us. Their wines are available widely in the UK and are well worth seeking out.

And before we left we stopped off at Bodegas Julian Chivite. They have an enviable spot in Navarra and are one of the oldest family-owned wineries here with traditions dating back to the 1600s. 

They have a state of the art winery which they are very proud to say blends completely into the stunning surroundings and never detracts from the natural beauty of the land. They even use wooden bottle crates instead of metal cages.

They have a vast array of wines and I have to say there wasn't a bad one among them, the superlatives around the table just got more extravagant with each round. There are 3 distinct ranges - the Gran Feudo which is a lighter style, very pretty and easy to drink.

Then the Colleccion 125 which are beautifully well-made, the Chardonnay being in a Meursault style with peaches, salty pecans, blue cheese, crushed hazlenuts, wow! And the red - mainly Tempranillo - lifted, perfumed and great delicacy overlaying the power.  

And then the Arinzano blockbusters which need plenty of time. The 2001 was well-structured and complex - blueberries, sausages, spice, dried shrimp, black olives. Will be amazing but still way too young. And the 2004 was more generous and friendly - more Spanish but still too young and slightly tight. Every reason to believe it will reward patience.

I was entranced by Navarra, a region of so many landscapes and terroirs as well as its fascinating history with France, not just Bordeaux but relationships stretching as far as Champagne. Not too mention the vegetable garden from which we feasted richly - artichokes, white asparagus, tiny peas and sweet lettuces. More on the food, the coastal road trip and the Sidreria in another post. 

For now I can only encourage you to check out modern Navarra - there's more to it than the San Fermin of Pamplona!

Bordeaux 2010 behind the prices

The campaign has come to a shuddering close, a couple of emails still slither their way into my inbox offering suspicious first tranche prices on certain allocations that are hanging around like bad smells, from negociants desperately trying to recoup some of the capital they are forced to part with in order to secure their allocations for the next year.

How long will this go on? The negociants are held to ransom - made to buy wines they know they will struggle to sell in order to also get the creme of first growths and other strong market performers, and in turn hold merchants around the world to ransom. They in turn then dump certain properties onto the market at crazily low prices completely devaluing them as happened in particular this year with poor old (fantastic) Rieussec which was bundled together with Lafite - coming from the same stable.

In the past the negociants were prepared to swallow this for the lucrative benefits of supporting the chateaux during the long months of elevage the wines went through when there was no cash flow. Which is to say the massive resale value the wines held once they were physically released (at least 2 years later).

As an acknowledgement of the act of trust the negociants placed in the chateaux by buying wines so embryonic that only a hazardous guess could be made as to its eventual quality, the wines were released at bargain prices. Everyone was happy; the chateaux got some cash into their coffers and the negociants consolidated their position of power as gatekeepers to the worlds most precious wines.

It has all started to unravel recently. Last year saw a successful campaign mainly on the basis that the previous 3 vintages were pretty ordinary and there was nothing to get excited about. So the 'vintage of the decade' was a welcome relief and provided a much needed injection of adrenaline into the system.

But with 2010 proving to be another 'vintage of the decade' some fatigue was already setting in. Added to that was the curious drip feeding on to the market of the releases in April and May before the floodgates opened in June by which time a lot of people were over it. Some notable losers included Cos d'Estournel who very sensibly lowered their price from last year but had their thunder stolen by Ducru Beaucaillou who released later in the day with an even bigger drop in price. Guess which one sold?

We have also seen calls from senior members of the wine press calling for the en primeur tastings to be held much later when the wines have at least finished their malo-lactic fermentations or even a year later - given that the release prices now don't allow for any real investment benefits in the first year. And despite a campaign by Jancis Robinson to delay the release of scores until after the prices were released, there was not enough support paricularly among American writers to carry the motion. 

Added to that was the Far Eastern thirst for fine wine, which has developed at an amazing rate and which has everyone around the wine transaction world presenting their business cards with both hands and a small bow, as I first noticed at Vinexpo in Bordeaux in June.

But the Chinese are switched on despite being widely mocked when they first joined the wine buying world for their reputation of mixing Lafite with coke. And traditional palates shuddered at the thought of their beloved first growths being sold to markets which clearly didn't deserve them. It was a triumph of new money over taste.   

Their preference for physical stock to the en primeur system must also surely have chateaux owners thinking they're missing a real trick here by releasing wines now and missing out on that market completely.

But now, first it has been reported in Decanter that a major retailer in China has turned its back on the left bank in order to concentrate on the right where prices are generally less stratospheric (let's not bring up Cheval Blanc for now) and on own labels - how sensible. They might not have a historical trade relationship with Bordeaux but they know when they're being patronised, perhaps?

And secondly there are increasing demands for wines with a far greater perceived value in terms of being able to drink. The top 35 wines no longer have the same monopoly on the imagination, and an understanding of appellations as well as requests for wines outside the 'box' are significantly higher from year to year.

As with any new market, knowledge develops quickly. We must appreciate that new markets will take less time to develop into mature ones than our market in the UK has taken - which is centuries in fact. And perhaps some resent this but it is a fact. And rather than paying lip service respect we need to appreciate the level of sophistication that other markets have despite the fact that as a commercial proposition they may still be very young. And for the sake of everyone trading there it is important not to underestimate the unknown. Value for money is something every market can relate to.

But in all this I feel the chateaux have come to the conclusion that as they are now cash rich, they no longer need the services of the negociants to assist them through the cold months of famine until the finished wine reaches the market and cannot fathom why they should release the wines at one price only to have them double or triple or quadruple in a matter of days.

It is no different to Olympic tickets being released on allocation or Glastonbury tickets being issued through official websites and then appearing on ebay in a matter of minutes at vastly inflated prices, which everyone agrees is an outrageous affront to the artist whose work is being exploited. Except of course Olympic and Glastonbury fans are at least given the opportunity to fight it out in cyber space to get a ticket at source, which wine lovers are not. And  the negociants are merely playing their part in what has long been the dance of Bordeaux en primeur.

It just doesn't seem that relevant anymore. And I can't see why the chateaux - not the middlemen - shouldn't be the beneficiaries of the final perceived value of the wine at release - they just need to employ a sales/admin team to deal with having several hundreds of clients as opposed to a handful and away they go. At the moment they are playing two games simultaneously but it seems to me to be just a matter of time before the rules change significantly.

What happens next...? Is en primeur a juggernaut that can't be stopped or a dinosaur at the monster's ball?

Delas Freres - a Rhone Classic

One of the Big 5 producers in the Northern Rhone, this family also boasts sites in the powerful South. But I was invited, with a few other guests, to join Jacques Grange, the winemaker, for a first look at the 2009 vintage of Condrieu, St Joseph white, Cotes du Rhone, Hermitage and Cote Rotie as well as new releases from recent vintages.

We were hosted at Pierre Koffmann's eponymous restaurant (he of the legendary 'La Tante Claire') at the Berkeley Hotel where, although it did not feature at this lunch, his signature pig’s trotter with chicken mousseline, sweetbreads and morels is on the menu and well worth a visit alone.

On this occasion we were treated to a menu choice, unusual for an event where the wine is the focus of attention, from which I had 'Escabeche de Rouget en Salade' - Salad of marinated baby red mullet - followed by 'Queue de Veau Provencal' - Veal tail Provencal - and though I, chastely, tried to turn down pudding my waiter leaned over and whispered 'I have a Honey Soufflé that Madame should try' in a way that was not possible to resist. And I was so glad I didn't.

Champagne Deutz Brut Classic NV
Terrifically leesy and with plenty of cream and layered texture. Lots of green fruit too which lingers pleasantly on the tongue. Also the mousse is just right, wonderful spike without any aggression at all.

Condrieu Clos Boucher 2009
100% Viognier in 1 & 2 yr old oak. This was left in barrel longer than usual because of the rich nature of the vintage, and was bottled 2 months later than usual. The parcel is right next door to Chateau Grillet.
Very intense, deeply savoury as well as that intense apricot fruit. Lush yet brightly lit from within. Very present - demands attention. A viscous texture and powerful finish.

Saint Joseph White Les Chailleys 2009
Wonderfully restrained nose of artichokes, peaches and some flint, even a touch of gun smoke following on its heels. A lovely elegant finish which lingers playfully.

Cotes-du-Rhone Saint Esprit 2009
A blend made predominantly of Syrah.
Very floral, violet nose. Strong sense of place evident in the glass. Stony, elegant, linear, great structure. Just enough, exactly enough. Not hugely long but very satisfying. Not a hearty country wine - far too elegant for that - but with that absolute place in your repertoire.

Crozes-Hermitage Domaine des Grands Chemins 2008
A challenging vintage where they contended with 350mm of rain 1 week before harvest - aaarrrrggghhhh!!! 1-3 year old oak. Only macerated for 10 days which is very short compared to normal practice. This wine comes exclusively from Delas Freres Estates.
On the nose initially a very strong impression of lead and pencil shavings with plenty of mineral and deep bramble, autumnal aromas. Wild strawberries lead the palate with enough acidity to keep it all super fresh in spite of the density.

Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette 2007
This is a blend from 3 plots: 'l'Ermite', 'le Sabot' and the, most famous, 'Les Bressards'.
The wine is rich and complex with layers of black fruit, spiciness and black olives, but did seem to lose it's acidity quite quickly.

Hermitage Les  Bessards 2007
Limited to 500 cases every year.
Wonderfully complex and tight with fresh, elegant tannins and just there acidity. Decent alcohol, but a bit too noticeable? Big sweet spot, though, right in the middle. Fantastic actually, stays refreshing 'til the end.

Hermitage Les Bessards 2009
Fantastically ripe and ready, it's a bit forward but still feels fresh. Racy with a rich structure. The tannins are there but not obvious or intrusive at all. Really well-handled.

Cote-Rotie La Ladonne 2009
This is only made in exceptional years, and never exceeds 200 cases/year.
Deep, sumptuous, elegant, this is very special. And beautiful with the cheese...!