When you’re in the dark don’t strike a match

In which I explain my views on some trends and why they may not be important.

Along the way we were given a list of new trends, which was essentially a buzzword bingo lexicon. Cooler sites, early picking, natural acidity, good sulfites, reductive handling, struck match and so on – a range of phrases representing the current trends in relation to new wine styles in Australia.

Slovenian rhapsody

On Tuesday 5th February a tasting of Slovenian wines was hosted in Dublin by Liam and Sinead Cabot, and a very good tasting it was too. This is not the first time that such a tasting has been held here but it is a brave step for a small importer to take and I commend Liam and Sinead for doing this, especially in these tough times. Most of the wines shown would retail around €15 so these are in the top 5% or less of all retail wine sales in Ireland! However, for those adventurous souls willing to experiment there are great rewards ahead.

Could you spot a fake pinot?

There is news today that Gallo and Constellation (now Accolade) have agreed to pay out a lrge sum of money over the fake pinot noir scandal. I am sure many people will say how great this is, that these big companies have been made to eat humble pie but I'm not so sure. I happen to like Gallo, even if some of their actions seem clumsy (see items in relation to the Russian River AVA) and while Constellation seems to have imploded as a result of over-expansion in the boom years these are both companies which have done a lot to further wine internationally.

Love of the sea

I am currently in South africa judging at the Michelangelo CCL international Wine Awards and decided to take the chance to visit Chris Williams, the current head wine maker at Meerlust. With me was one of my fellow judges, Guiseppe Rizzardi of the Guerrieri Rizzardi Estate in Verona. Meerlust means love of the sea, hence the title!

What makes a good pinot noir?

My MW colleague, Gerard Basset, recently said that he is reluctant to recommend pinot noir as he finds it has become a safe drink - easy, not demanding. Following on from yesterday's Central Otago tasting I wonder about the role of pinot noir and how we view it and the wines made from it around the world. We know there are great wines from pinot in Burgundy, and we know (I hope) that there is very good pinot made around the world, but is Burgundy the only place where great pinot is made?

Simple complexity?

At a tasting of Central Otago wines today, the excellent winemaker/presenter Jenn Parr responded to a comment about brett in one of the wines (I didn't note any fwiw) that sometimes this can add complexity. I've heard this comment a lot and I don't agree - to me, what makes a wine complex is not just one more flavour.

Burgundy - the lovliest wine region in the world

Yes, there might be places with more extreme scenery (the Western Cape, for example) but nowhere can really produce wines like you get in Burgundy. They aren't all good but the best are fantastic and really can change the way you think about wine. Linda Jotham MW came over to give this lecture and presented a very good class with a great tasting. As always, stockists/suppliers in parentheses, details at the end.

Today spätburgunder, tomorrow...

On Thursday 10th September 2009, the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) held a German Pinot Noir Masterclass at Vintners Hall in London. There were 20 wines to taste, and an illustrious panel of producers, who had generously given up their time to attend (especially generous as harvest was starting for one of them already!). We had Meike Näkel, one of the daughters of Werner Näkel, of Weingut Meyer Näkel in the Ahr; Dieter Griener of Kloster Eberbach in the Rheingau; Paul Fürst of Weingut Rudolf Fürst Burgstadt in Franken; the lusciusly named Yquem Viehhauser, Cellar Master (or Mistress to be exact) of Weingut Bernhard Huber in Baden; and Joachim Heger, of Weingut Dr Heger, also in Baden.

New Zealand spice

Well, I tried another birthday wine last night - the Mountford Estate Pinot Noir 2004 from Waipara in New Zealand. A lovely light ruby to garnet colour, with quite a ripe fruity nose but with hints f pepper spice, and a smooth palate with supple tannins, ripe dark berry fruit and supple acidity all well-balanced. Some cherry fruits as well and overall a lovely, smooth and elegant wine. Thanks Michael!

A birthday post

Well, a quickie - today I'm 50 and among the fabulous presents I got (having asked for none it's quite astonishing to get loads LOL) were 5 wines. At some stage I'll taste them and post the notes.

The wines are Chasse-Spleen 1985, Veuve Clicquot 1999, Marimar Estate Don Miguel Pinot Noir 2004, Mountford Estate Pinot Noir 2004 and Massaya Classic 2005.

That's it - short and sweet.

Love is blind

I love pinot noir and Tom Carson decided to test us by putting on an excellent blind tasting of 14 pinots. As a result of the 2001 MW trip I, and many of my colleagues, was convinced that outside of Tasania there was no decent pint noir in Australia. The wines we tasted were generally big, extracted and quite oaky. But this tasting was a real eye-opener and, probably, achieved brilliantly what Landmark is all about - it informed us of the change in styles and the breadth of quality pinot noir available here.

We had 2 flights of seven wines - the first the "Young Guns", the second the "Old Masters". As someone who is approaching 50 I regret to say that the young guns took the day, although there were some fabulous wines in the Old Masters.

A deliciously fruity and soft Holyman 2007 from Tasmania led off, swiftly followed by two equally fruity and smooth wines, the Bindi Growers Block 5 2007 from Macedon and a gorgeous Yabby Lake 2007 from Mornington. These "flighty" styles were soon followed up by the bigger hitters, Stefano Lubiano 2006 from Tasmania becoming firmer in styles, a Kooyong Ferrous 2006 from Mornington showing some muscle but well-balanced, then a superb Tarra Warra MDB 2006 from Yarra, followed by some Kiwi interloper from someplace called Felton Road. Admittedly, a bit like the hard-working P J Charteris, it was super.

Then, we had the Old Masters, a few of which were showing their age. I found the Ashton Hills 2003 from Adelaide Hills to be drying out and would, perhaps, have been better a year or three ago. The Paringa Reserve 2003 was very big and muscular and, for me, should have been tested for performance enhancing drugs. A valid style, I guess, but too big for pinot. The shocker was the 2002 Domaine de la Romane Conti St Vivant which was very old looking. But Tom had saved the best for last - a 1999 Mt Mary from the Yarra was perfectly a point and really good. The Bass Phillip Premium 1997 from Gippsland was lovely and ageing well. Then the two eye-openers: Bannockburn Serre 1997 from Geelong was remarkable. Although almost sherry-like on the nose it had a gorgeous palate and was a beautiful drink. The Coldstream Hills Reserve 1992 was just fantastic - drinking well now but suggesting at leats another 3 to 5 years ahead of it.

I put my hand up and admitted that I was wrong and that Australia really does have great pinot nor. I hope this will help with my parole board meeting later today LOL

We're off to see the wizards...

Those wonderful wizards of Oz - the only question, then, is who is the lion, the scarecrow, the tin man and who is Dorothy? Well, this morning saw us leaving out hotel bright and early for a quick visit to the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) where we did a mini-mini Advanced Wine Assessment Course (AWAC). Normally, an AWAC is a four day tasting calibration session but we did just two short flights of riesling and then shiraz. I had done a one-day version of this earlier this year in Dublin.Today, my red scores were pretty good although the whites were a little variable. Oh well, early morning, perhaps?
Then on to the Barossa where we have been lodged in the sumptuous Louise - check out www.thelouise.com.au to see what sort of place we have been incarcerated in! Cruel and inhuman, I'm sure you'll agree LOL. Our afternoon session was a quick review of Australian regions with an excellent tasting to go with it - Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2008, Clare Valley; Pewsey Vale The Contours Riesling 2002, Eden Valley; Tyrell's Vat 1 Semillon 1998, Hunter Valley; Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2005, Margaret River; Petaluma Piccadilly Chardonnay 2006, Adelaide Hills; By Farr Sangreal Pinot Noir 2006, Geelong; Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot 2001, Margaret River; Wynn's John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Coonawarra; Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz 1998, Hunter Valley; Mt Langhi Ghiran Langhi 2004, Grampians; Henschke Mt Edelstone Shiraz 2006, Eden Valley; Penfold's RWT Shiraz 2004, Barossa; Glaetzer Anaperenna Shiraz Cabernet 2006, Barossa; and De Bortoli Noble one Botrytis Semillon 2006.
After such a line up what next? Well, shortly it's off to dinner to not only meet some of Australia's finest but also to taste some mini-verticals including Steingarten rieslings and even some pretty old wines - more on these tomorrow!