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Spring 2009 program

Have you always dreamed of going truffle hunting? Now you have the opportunity. Join us in February on this trip to the south west of France – le Sud-Ouest. We truffle hunt, learn how to make foie gras and, of course, taste a lot of good wines too.
More info on this wine tour!

In Portugal you find tradition and innovation side by side. Many of the wineries are recent and with leading edge technology, but that does not prevent them from sometimes treading the grapes by foot. The traditional style of Portuguese wines has been generally replaced by a decidedly modern winemaking style. The best producers build on tradition, e.g. by using Portuguese grape varieties, and use modern technology to make fruity and very drinkable wines, and certainly some very high quality cuvees. More info on this wine tour!

 □  Producers

Château Prieuré Borde Rouge, Languedoc
Chateau Prieuré Borde Rouge is well on its way to join the big names of the Languedoc. They have already received numerous prizes for their very elegant and fruit-filled wines. The property comprises 23 hectares close to the town of Lagrasse. It’s in an excellent location, protected in what is shaped like an amphitheatre and shielded by the surrounding mountains. Their white Carminal Blanc 2007 is made from Grenache blanc, maccabeu and clairette with four months oak aging. A full-bodied wine with some “fat” (what the French call ‘gras’, a mouth filling and entirely positive characteristic) and a good acidity with exotic fruits and apples. One of their reds that particularly caught my attention was the Rubellis 2006 made primarily from carignan and grenache. Typically Languedocien in style, with herbs (the local “garrigue”) and dark fruit, blackberries and black currants. Good level of acidity and well balanced and elegant completes the picture. But all their wines are good, not to forget the syrah-based prestige cuvee called Ange.
Click here for address and more recommendations.

Champagne Mailly Grand Cru, Champagne
Life is such (or is it business?) that cooperatives often have difficulties aiming for top quality. The small cooperative Champagne Mailly, based in the Grand Cru village Mailly of course, is one that succeeds in its aim to make quality wines. They were founded in 1929 and dominates the production in the village, located just a bit south of Reims in the Montagne de Reims. They make wine from 70 hectares, all classified as Grand Cru grapes (even the chardonnay, which is in a minority here). If you are planning for a New Year’s dinner you could try their vintage Mailly Grand Cru 1998 for the main course (yes, why not?). Pinot noir is the dominant grape, giving a lot of body and a touch of chocolate, but keeping a very fresh acidity. Would go well with a pink breast of duck with a red wine and balsamic vinegar sauce. (Don’t forget to send me an invitation…)
Click here for address and more recommendations.

Montlouis, Loire
There are many, often small, French appellations that are unfortunately far too little known. Sometimes one wonders if the wines wouldn’t be better known (which is important) and easier to sell (even more important) if they used a wider, less precise, but better known appellation. Montlouis is one of those. Have you heard of it? It is a neighbour to Vouvray (a hair’s-breadth better known) in mid-Loire - not big, making only white but ranging from bone-dry to luscious sweet, and including sparkling. All from chenin blanc grapes (one of the most underrated and misunderstood grape varieties) on just 400 ha. The sparkling deserves a special mention due to its originality. Aptly called Pétillant Originel it is made by adding no sugar. That, perhaps, does not sound special, but for sparkling wines it is very unusual: no chaptalisation (sugar added to the must), no liqueur de tirage (sugar added for the second fermentation in bottle), and no liqueur d’expedition (sugar added after dégorgement). Instead they bottle the wine before the fermentation has finished and the bubbles are purely from the natural grapes. Another difference from e.g. champagne is the yield: only 65 hl/ha is permitted (about half of what they do in Champagne). But the most important port of the production are the still whites that, when well done, expresses the wonderful, aromatic, sometimes exotic, sometimes honeyed (even when dry) characters. Providing the grower knows (or dares) to make his wines express the terroir and the grapes. Our favourites are invariably the dry ones. Here are some of the best producers:

Francois Chidaine: Since 10 years he works biodynamically and is one of the leading lights of the appellation. Very fresh and minerally wines, e.g. the Les Choiselle and Le Clos du Breuil (~14€)

Stéphane Cossais: A newcomer to the region, arrived in 2003. (There are several young, new, and ambitious growers here. Land is relatively cheap…) He has only 3 ha. Does some barrel aging of his wines, but that works well with the high acidity. Ha also dares to charge a substantial price for his wines. But they are indeed good. So much better than the others? Try it and decide. E.g Le Volagré or Meuchandelle (both around 20€)

Domaine Levasseur, Alex Mathur: Their dry wine, Les Lumens, is quite full-bodied (barrel fermented and aged for 14 months), more moth filling than most (12€); and excellent sparkling that has a good varietal character (not always the case for sparklers, 12€).

Le Rocher des Violette: Xavier Weisskopf started making Montlousi in 2005 but already makes an excellent, fresh, appely, andminerally wine called La Négrette (13€).

Domaine Frantz Saumon: His Le Clos du Chêne is quite full-bodied, with a ripe-fruit style (ripe, yellow apples) and good finish (23€)

La Taille aux Loups: Jacky Blot is one of the most famous producers in Montlouis. He makes an very good sparkling, called Triple Zéro (0 chaptalisation, 0 liqueur de tirage, 0 liqueur d’expedition – 12€), and a dry Rémus where he harvest in two passes to make sure the grapes have optimal ripeness, giving added concentration. He adds aging on a third new oak barrels giving a substantial wine (12€).

Closerie de Chanteloup: Vincent Guichard’s dry L’Essentiel is well-made (and good value), good structure, minerality, quite light but elegant. (7.50€)

Laurent Chatenay: His Les Maisonnettes has a very good acidity and fruit, very clean flavours with only a minute touch of barrels (9€); Les Hauts de Cangé is much more full-bodied, new oak gives it added body (but actually no oak character) and a touch of residual sugar (11g/l) rounds off the high acidity without making it sweet. Interesting.
Click here for address and more recommendations.

Read about more recommended producers on the site: Favourite Producers

 □  Wine Bars and Restaurants

Montpellier, Languedoc:

Divine & Sens, Montpellier
Divine & Sense opened in October 2008. It’s well place in central Montpellier with a design that seems to be inspired by Philippe Starck with the contrast between old and new and unexpected details – a chandelier where you don’t expect it, chic furniture… Food, to come to the essential, is ambitious and more traditional than what one expects. Nice wine list with a focus, appropriately, on some excellent Languedoc producers.
Click here for address and more recommendations.

Paris:

L’Auberge Etchegorry, Paris 13
The name is genuinely Basque (a region that covers bits of south-western France as well as northern Spain) but the restaurant proposes gastronomic specialities from all of the French Sud-Ouest (south west). Let yourself be tempted by a traditional (and delicious) confit de canard – a succulent duck’s leg cooked very tender, or a paella or a piperade, which is a juicy tomato-based dish from the Basque countries. And much, much more. Friendly and attentive service and very French atmosphere makes for an enjoyable evening.
Click here for address and more recommendations.

Social media for wineries
First arrived the fax. And then came email. Now it’s social media and social networks that are hot. CataVino is a small consultancy based in Spain that helps wineries to understand how better to work with the internet, social networks included: http://catavinomarketing.com/. Catavino was founded by two Americans who have settled in Spain. They also write a blog on Spanish and Portuguese wines: http://www.catavino.net. And if you really do want to get to grips with social networks (you should!) then you can read their introduction to it: http://catavinomarketing.com/plugging-into-social-media-for-wineries/

The World’s best sparkling wines
The World’s Best Sparkling Wines (Effervescents du Monde) is the name of a competition that each year (just in time for New Year) gives prizes to the best (you guessed) sparkling wines. this year there were 43 wines in the top category, Gold Medal. Everything from Argentina to the United States was on the list, well worth looking at if you’re looking for an alternative source for your bubbly. The most original Gold Medal? - Salveto Muscatnoe Semi-sweet from Mauler & Cie in Moldova (http://www.acorex.net). Here’s the full list of winners: http://www.effervescents-du-monde.com/

New wine videos from BKWine
Since the last Brief we’ve been quite busy updating the BKWine TV (beta) channel (www.youtube.com/bkwine). Ten new videos for your enjoyment (and edification). Click on the pictures below. and if you want to know a bit more about this project of ours you can read a brief background on BKWine TV (beta) here: www.bkwine.com/vininformation/bkwinetv-wine-videos.htm

On Greece:

[E] Gerovassiliou, [E] Mount Athos/Tsantali

On Bordeaux:


[F] Ch Fonreaud, [F] Ch Fourcas-Dupre, [F] Ch Fourcas-Hosten, Ch Bellefont-Belcier, [F] Ch Lestage

On the Roussillon

[E] Dom Boucabeille, [E] Dom Matassa, [E] Dom Piquemal, [F] Dom Olivier Pithon

Don't forget that you can subscribe to the videos (on YouTube) to get notified of our updates directly.

Good or bad to filter wine? – again
Our piece on filtering wine (is it good or bad? – in view of today’s trend of boasting “unfiltered” on the label) a while back sparked a comment from a reader. (Comments are always welcome!) Here’s what our reader had to say (that we publish anonymously): “Regarding the filtered vs. unfiltered debate, yes there have been in California many trials at individual wineries, but not much data in the public realm. When I was at [a winery in California], we did a number of trials with the exact same wine filtered and unfiltered, with tastings after bottling, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years aging in bottle. My conclusions were:
1) Tight filtration causes wine to be more dry and austere when young, but most of the effect wears off as the wine ages.
2) The level of filtration is as critical as filtration vs. non-filtration. In other words, the difference between a loose filtration (to remove sediment) vs. an extremely tight filtration (to remove malolactic bacteria) is as big or bigger than the difference between no filtration and a loose filtration.
3) Red wines are more impacted by filtration than white wines.
4) I would rather have a somewhat lesser wine due to filtration than a wine gone bad that could have been saved by filtration.
5) If you want to make unfiltered wine, you need excellent hygiene, attention to detail and laboratory analysis by the wine maker.
So, like most things in life, when people ask if filtration is “good” or “bad”, the answer is…it depends.”
Thank you for the comment!

A wine poster for your wall? Christmas gift idea #1.
Willi’s Wine Bar in Paris is an excellent spot to go for a glass of wine or a (not so simple) thing to eat. Each years Mark Williamson, the owner, asks an artist to make a poster for the wine bar – now going 25 years back. 23 of the 25 posters are still available if you would like to buy one to adorn your own wall at home (or someone else’s). This year the artist who made the drawing is Jean-Charles Catelbajac, who’s also a neighbour of the bar. You can find the posters here: http://www.williswinebar.com/ (for Europe), or here http://www.williswinebar.us/ (in the US).

How to sell wine?
There are of course many ways, but sometimes you wonder over the imagination of the marketers. On prize winner contender is The Naked Winery (http://www.nakedwinery.com). Can there be any other motivation behind that name than just as a plain attention grabber? And what about some of their wines? Escort Pinot Gris (“a frivolous white perfect for any social occasion”?); Dominatrix Syrah (“feels like a stranglehold on your throat when you swallow”?); Penetration Cabernet (“not the most subtle wine”, no doubt made with plenty of skin contact); Missionary Cabernet (“ordinary, boring, and conventional”?). No doubt they bottle all their wines with screw cap. And with this we have given them all the attention that they were hoping for I imagine… Let us know about any other horrid examples in this category and we’ll publish them too.

Turbo charged red wine?
The Wine Doctor in Australia has launched what they claim is the world’s first wine with a boosted level of resveratrol. Like milk with extra vitamins? Resveratrol is a substance that wine contains naturally, especially red wine. The normal content is around 1-2 mg/l resveratrol. The super-charged Wine doctor wine has been boosted to contain 100 mg/l. All for the modest sum of AU$19.95 per bottle. Is it better? We don’t know. More info http://www.drnorrie.info/ (well, there should be but the site seems to be down)

Port and sherry give Australia million dollar grief
The EU and Australia recently signed a new trade agreement. One part of that agreement says that Australia will no longer use the denominations Port, Sherry and Marsala for its fortified wines. Many Australian wines have been called such things, since these kind of naming restrictions simply are governed by international agreements, and no such limitation had previously been agreed. (Do you remember the Danish feta cheese?) The wine producers in Australia say that this will cost them millions of dollars since they will have to change their naming and establish new brand identities. The agreement also covers e.g. Moselle, Burgundy, Sauterne, and Chablis. In return the Europeans will recognize the Australian wine regions as specific denominations (Coonawarra, South Australia etc) and will allow certain wine making techniques regularly used in Australia but not permitted in Europe to be used for Australian wines imported to Europe (e.g. use of oak chips and copper citrate). Read more: www.abc.net.au and www.theaustralian.news.com.au

The perfect ”champagne glass”? Christmas gift idea #2.
Karl Lagerfeld has designed a champagne glass for Dom Perignon (that no longer is the prestige cuvee of Moët & Chandon but a brand all of its own). The glass takes its shape from the breast of the supermodel Claudia Schiffer, or at least it has been inspired by it. We have unfortunately not tried drinking from the glass, nor have we verified its conformance to the original, since we have not seen the mould. Oh, the price tag? A mere $3,150. Including a bottle of Dom Perignon 1995. We wonder if the glass too comes in two-pack? Read more: www.hauteliving.com

Champagne drops 20%
According to he CIVC, the champagne producers’ organisation, champagne shippings fell by 20% in October. Exports to Europe fell by 24%. For the full year they expect sales to be down with at least 10%, reaching only 300 million bottles. Interesting, in view of the overheated market for champagne in recent times. Read more: decanter.com

Natural cork is the most environmentally friendly closure
A study done by the consultancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers has shown that natural cork closures on bottles are the most environmentally friendly closure: synthetic (plastic) corks were deemed nine times more damaging to the environment and screw caps twenty two times more. The study was commissioned by Amorim, the world’s largest cork manufacturer, but is said to have adhered to strict scientific principles, including peer review and involvement of representatives from manufacturers of alternative closures. Read more: decanter.com

One less Côte
The appellation Côtes des Ventoux changes name and becomes AOC Ventoux, a wine region in the western part of Provence. There are some 150 winemakers making primarily red wine (75%), almost a quarter rosé and a little white. There are many “côte” appellations in France – Côte de Bourg, Côte Chalonnaise etc. Perhaps more would benefit from simplifying their names? Read more : vitisphere.com

South African wine exports boom
The ten biggest export markets for wins from South Africa (source: WOSA, million litres over Jan to Jul 2008, change relative to 2007):
1. UK, 61 Ml, +26 %
2. Germany, 37 Ml, +9 %
3. Netherlands, 18 Ml, 0 %
4. Sweden, 16 Ml, 0 %
5. Africa, 15 Ml, +177%
6. Eastern Europe, 12 Ml, +269 %
7. Australasia, 10 Ml, +462%
8. Denmark, 10 Ml, +21 %
9. USA, 9 Ml, +55 %
10. Canada, 9 Ml, +35 %

Total exports reached 225 million litres over the seven months with a growth of +31%. It appears that the Swedes are quaffing by far more SA wines than anyone else. Wonder why?

South African grapes
The most grown grape varieties in south Africa (source: WOSA):
1. Chenin blanc, 19 %
2. Cabernet sauvignon, 13 %
3. Colombard, 12 %
4. Shiraz, 10 %
5. Chardonnay, 9%
6. Sauvignon blanc, 8 %
7. Merlot, 7 %
8. Pinotage, 6 %
9. Cinsault, 2 %
10. Ruby cabernet, 2 %

The Big Wine Lake drying out
According to the latest statistics from the OIV (Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin) the surplus of wine produced in the world seems to be diminishing. World consumption has grown with 2 million litres. It’s not that we drink more. It’s rather that there are more people drinking: “new” wine consuming countries are increasing the number of consumers, China, Thailand, Russia, Singapore, Korea… On the other side, production has gone down a bit since the peak in 2004 and 2005. Many “old” producer countries make less wine today whereas there is an increase in many “new” wine countries, e.g. in the European New World of wine (Eastern and Central Europe). So we are approaching equilibrium between production and consumption. On a global level, of course…

The Damocles Sword? Will there be any Bordeaux Primeurs 2008?
Not sure about the English equivalent, but in Swedish you say that one should not swear in church. Perhaps the alternative is, one does not use screw cap in Portugal? That’s similar to what Jean-François Moueix (chateau Pétrus, négociant Duclot) has done, according to a blog post on The New Bordeaux written by the usually well informed Jane Anson. Moueix recently said in an interview with the French magazine Nouvel Observateur that (brace yourself) maybe there wont’ be a primeur campaign, or only a half one, for the 2008s… “The chateaux believe they are victims of the financial crisis, but they have orchestrated the problem (of overly high pricing)... If négociant houses can’t buy or obtain lines of credit for their allocations, the wine will remain at the chateaux. And if there are not enough takers of allocations, there won’t be any en primeur sales.” It will be interesting to see what happens next spring. At the same time we cant really feel much pity for the chateaux who worry (they’ve sold well, at very high prices, in recent times; and perhaps it’s time for an overhaul of the whole somewhat antiquated way of going to market in Bordeaux?), nor for the buyers who complain that Bordeaux wine is too expensive. If the price is not right there are plenty of other just as excellent wines out there looking for buyers. Perhaps time to decamp and discover alternatives if the price is not right?

- - France:

- - Sweden:

- - UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Denmark,...:

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