Archive for November, 2015

By Joseph Temple

Last month, a shocking upset in the world of sparkling wine took place at a blind tasting organized by the London-based magazine Noble Rot. Marking what might end up being a major shift in the bubbly balance of power, prominent champagne houses Veuve Clicquot and Tattinger were outscored by two English upstarts from Sussex and Hampshire. “This is a truly exciting time for English wine,” declared Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss. “Not only are we beating the French with international awards but our vineyards are expanding with more people than ever before enjoying our finest British bubbly.”

But across the pond, many of us are wondering how UK wine—once considered an oxymoron—got to be so big?

While viticulture has existed on English soil since the Roman occupation, it wasn’t until the 1960s that vines were first grown commercially using mostly German methods (80% of England’s wine grapes are white wine grapes). And beyond a few eccentric vintners, Britain has usually been seen as a place to buy wine, not harvest it. That’s because quality aside, it becomes very difficult to grow a sufficient quantity of grapes anywhere north of the 50th parallel in order to stay financially viable. So how could an industry, with so many deterrents expand at such a rapid pace in such a short period of time?

The most obvious answer is the terroir of England’s southern counties, which now produce approximately two million bottles annually. Only eighty miles north of Champagne, the white, chalky limestone soils share numerous similarities with the most prominent makers of bubbly in the entire world. But even more important are the effects of climate change which now make southern England an ideal spot for sparkling wine production, turning historically thin and acidic wines into one’s that have become award winning.

With around four hundred vineyards spanning throughout every county, nearly 40% of all UK vineyards are dedicated to growing sparkling wine’s three main grapes—Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay.  Harvesting these grapes, the hobbyists and amateurs of the 60s have evolved into a group of well-trained winemakers who abide by EU regulations. Author Karen MacNeil writes, “The English of course, have always loved bubbles. The country continues to be, as it has been for decades, the leading export market for Champagne. But sometimes in the 1990s, the English began to think big. Why merely bubbly? Why not try to make it?

And make it they have, with some stellar results! By adding more awards to its trophy case, English sparkling wine is primed to have its very own equivalent of 1976’s Judgment of Paris. Just as California’s wine exports took off after a whirlwind of publicity, expect to see some English bubbly on wine lists from New York to Tokyo.

Sources:

Andrews, Robert. The Rough Guide to England. New York: Penguin, 2011.
Denny, Valerie (2015, Oct. 31). English Sparkling Wine Beats Veuve Clicquot and Tattinger in Blind Taste Test. Forbes. Retrieved from Forbes.com.
Harding, Julia. The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.
Johnson, Hugh. Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2011. London: Mitchell Beazley, 2010.
MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible. New York: Workman Publishing, 2015.
Williams, David. Get Started: Wine Appreciation. New York: Penguin, 2013.

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Question: In a blind tasting can you learn anything from just looking at the appearance of a wine?

Answer: Good question. I rely mainly on my nose but of course also the taste. On score cards they often list lots of marks for colour and appearance but generally they are not as important as other factors.

However a few good tips to remember include:

Age – white wines get darker & red wines get lighter.
Clarity – Bright or dull, clarity, un-fined or unfiltered, throwing a deposit or sediment.
Region – usually younger yellow coloured whites (though there could be oxidation issues) and deep very dark reds are indicative from a warmer climate & a lighter colour from cooler regions (eg. Chablis).
Glycerol – The so called legs or tears are indicative of the amount of glycerol in the wine with more alcohol giving you more legs (though this can vary depending on the glass and the cleanliness of it).

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In full disclosure I have been a big collector of Château Gruaud-Larose (GL) over many vintages since the sixties and know their wines quite well. After all it is a second growth Saint Julien in the 1855 Classification and generally has been very good value for the quality delivered. I liked the fact that it usually delivered a big powerful cabernet sauvignon fruit statement that developed complexity with aging. A major influencing factor for me later on was how well the harder 1870 & especially the riper superb 1865 showed against the very best wines in the world on September 23, 1985 during the historic German-American wine connoisseurs and collectors events held in San Francisco. More recently their connection with the Bordeaux styled Osoyoos Larose in the Okanagan BC was a further inducement to follow it closely. Last week our Commanderie de Bordeaux Chapitre in Vancouver held a vertical of 9 vintages of GL back to 1961 & 1966 (both in those old style shaped bottles). Some impressions:

1961: An outstanding concentrated vintage across the board in Bordeaux and GL usually among the very best if properly stored. Can rival  the stupendous 1945 & 1928. However these bottles were recently purchased at $350 US/bottle and not consistent with only 1 bottle showing that brilliant fabulous cedar cigar-box experience you expect while others were tired and oxidized with only some fading tobacco left.

1962 & 1964: Not in this vertical but recently tasted and both are still excellent.

1966: Always have enjoyed the acidity balance and long distance runner profile of this vintage. Here bottles just purchased for a bargain $100 US and showed again that providence can be everything with old wines. Still dark colour with some black currants but acidity was too high for the drying fruit and needing food to show best. I bought more bottles in January 1978 at $10.55 US and they still show better.

After 1966 GL went through a less successful period until the underrated 1981 arrived as a major surprise that is still a lovely elegant delight.  Also the underrated is 1983 certainly one of the best from the northern Medoc from a vintage that had summer rain/rot issues and favoured the Margaux & Graves regions.

1982: As I anticipated this was the wine of the tasting again this time. Buckets of ripe fruit with cassis, licorice. forest floor, cedar, complexity and no rush to open. Classy & impressive to say the least! Possibly another 1865? Pleased to have bought some in July 1986 for $115/case or $9.58 a bottle. Those were the days for the Bordeaux buyers. Sister property Château Talbot also a winner in 1982.

1985: Lighter and more of a merlot vintage for drinking now with more olives & delicacy for this property. A success.

1986: Very dark deep concentration. Lots of massive strength and potential but still needs more cellar time. Hope for another 1870?

1988: Medium colour but herbal, simpler and a bit greener.

1989: Also in this similar 1988 style of herbs and neither up to the more classic 1990. Same with Talbot.

1990: Darker with better ripe fruit and concentration. Clearly best of the last grouping from 1988 on. Will improve.

1995: Shows much younger more rustic but structured and solid. Maybe a dumb period even though at 20 years of age.

Excellent 2000 but the change in ownerships since 1997 seemed to have produced a somewhat lighter less typical from the old style that had been so successful in the very best older vintages.

My revised update assessment on the terroir of this property (located some distance away from the Gironde) is that it continues today to be a solid and reliable Saint Julien but perhaps slightly gamey with less elegant complexity and finesse so doesn’t always reach the peak of complexity shown by the First Growths or so-called Super Seconds except in the very best riper vintages like 1982 and some others.

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