Question: Why am I hearing so much about wine coming from high altitude vineyards?

Answer: Good point. Probably because of global warming and climate change. Many vineyards are just hotter than in previous years resulting in earlier picking times with raised alcohol levels. Generally vineyards at higher elevations (compared to the lower valley floor) enjoy a cooler growing season. The night temperatures usually are colder which helps retain acidity and there is a greater range between day and night. This all results in a longer growing season with more valuable hang time for the grapes to slowly ripen. Soils tend to be less fertile and are poorer more rocky in character with better drainage leading to more complex flavours in the wine. However, the working conditions in the steep vineyards at high elevation can be quite difficult but the winds are usually stronger drying and protecting the grapes from diseases. Altitude or elevation of the vineyards is an important factor in the quality of the resulting wine.

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Vancouver continues as the most Asian city not actually situated in Asia. Accordingly the influence of Asian-orientated restaurants remains strong with such a diversity of creative culinary dishes. Chinese dining has led the way celebrated again in 2017 by the 9th annual Chinese Restaurant Awards (chineserestaurantawards.com) honouring Critics’ Choice 10 Signature Dishes, 21 Diners’ Choice Awards and 5 Social Media Choices. Restaurant of the Year went to Dynasty Seafood Restaurant. Check them out.

A banquet on April 12, 2017 at the historic Pink Pearl Chinese Restaurant presented a culinary journey of Chinese Cuisine over the last 4 decades. Dishes represented the eighties through to the present decade that provoked a lot of ingredient discussion with fond nostalgic memories. Also reinforced the idea of how well Chinese food can be matched with Sparkling wines, Rose, as well as both white and red table wines of lower alcohol with some residual sugar. This 10 course menu will be available for service at Pink Pearl from May 1 to August 31 for 10 people together at one table to benefit the Greater Vancouver Food Bank & Vancouver Sowers Society of Education learning programs for children. Worth experiencing!

Which Chinese food dish do you like best?

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By Joseph Temple

The numbers are in!

This week the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) released its annual report on the state of the industry for 2016. While not as bad as some experts had predicted last year, the information did confirm that annual global output is definitely on the decline. Dropping 3.2% from 2015, the countries hit the hardest were France, Chile, Argentina, and South Africa, who all felt the impact of bad weather conditions. According to the OIV, the top ten wine producing nations contributing to a worldwide output of 267 million hectolitres (mhl) in 2016 were:

1. Italy (50.9 mhl – up 2% from 2015)
2. France (43.5 mhl – down 7%)
3. Spain (39.3 mhl – up 4%)
4. United States (23.9 mhl – up 10%)
5. Australia (13.0 mhl – up 9%)
6. China (11.4 mhl – down 1%)
7. South Africa (10.5 mhl – down 6%)
8. Chile (10.1 mhl – down 21%)
9. Argentina (9.4 mhl – down 29%)
10. Germany (9.0 mhl – up 1%)

Over a sixteen year period, global output has varied, reaching highs in 2004 and 2013 with 298 mhl and 290 mhl respectively while dropping to 258mhl in 2012. But when looking at country-by-country, we see that as most of Europe and South America are either stagnant or in decline, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand have seen the most impressive gains over this past decade.

Moving from supply to demand, the numbers for 2016 show that worldwide consumption reached 242 mhl, slightly up from the past two years. Still recovering from the global financial crisis of 2008 when demand hit a record high of 250 mhl, the OIV report confirms that the market has been relatively stable since the recession began. When it comes to who is drinking all this wine, the top ten countries are:

1. United States (31.8 mhl – up 2.5% from 2015)
2. France (27.0 mhl – down 0.7%)
3. Italy (22.5 mhl – up 5.3%)
4. Germany (20.2 mhl – down 1.8%)
5. China (17.3 mhl – up 6.9%)
6. United Kingdom (12.9 mhl – up 1.4%)
7. Spain (9.9 mhl – down 0.4%)
8. Argentina (9.4 mhl – down 8.3%)
9. Russia (9.3 mhl – up 0.3%)
10. Australia (5.4 mhl – up 2.4%)

Interestingly, while the United States reigns supreme for the sixth year in a row for total consumption, when looking at it on a per capita basis, Portugal receives top honors at approximately 54 liters per person annually. In comparison, the average American over 21 years of age consumed just 11.9 liters, nowhere near the top ten and well below countries like Sweden, Switzerland, and Romania.

Trade-wise, Spain, France, and Italy represented roughly 55% of all wine exports in 2016. However, in terms of dollars and cents, the French Republic owned 28% of the market, earning over 8 billion euros last year. The greatest increase in imports comes from the Chinese, which has shot up a remarkable 45% from 2015, placing them in the top five countries alongside America, the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada.

What do you think of all these facts and figures? Does anything stand out? Comment below.

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Question: Why and how does the Riesling varietal produce so much TDN (Trimethyl Dihydronapthalene), especially in comparison with other varietals, which, apparently, also produce TDN, but not on the scale of Riesling? What is it about the genetic heritage/chemical reactions of Riesling that give rise to the “petrol” notes in the wine?

Answer: Here are some wise technical insights on this difficult petrol question that have been provided to me by a learned attendee at the Alsace tasting-dinner with top Rieslings I blogged about earlier this week. So today’s answer is really all Ask Mary:

1. TDN is created during the aging process from carotenoid precursors by acid hydrolysis. The initial concentration of precursors in the wine determines the wine’s potential to develop TDN and petrol notes.

2. Factors that increase the potential for TDN include ripe grapes and low yield at harvest, high sun exposure, water stress, ie. no irrigation and hot, dry years, and high acid content.

3. If the “petrol” notes are too pungent/aggressive, the fault is not in the presence of TDN, but due to the fact that the wine is probably out of balance.

4. TDN belongs to the chemical class Benzenoids, and subclass Napthalenes – (think mothballs) –napthalene is made from crude oil or coal tar, and occurs in cigarette smoke, car exhaust, smoke from forest fires…

Olivier Humbrecht (the “god from Alsace” according to the Wine Advocate) says that “off aromas” like petrol can be caused by harvesting under-ripe grapes, machine harvesting, and “reduction” – ie. a reduction in fruit aromas which leaves something that is mistaken as petrol, caused by the winemaking process (airtight environments, stainless steel or old oak, poor use of sulfur, leaving wine on the lees). He says a good winemaker can avoid all that, and that a young Riesling should never smell like petrol. He further states that there is a desirable form of petrol in mature Riesling but the term is ill chosen. Instead, the terms should be “wet stone, minerals, sea air, iodine”. However I would like to note that several of the wines at our Alsace dinner and especially the 2011 Riesling Clos Windsbuhl Zind Humbrecht really did smell and taste of petrol!

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The International Wine & Food Society has been forwardly thinking allowing joint memberships which encourage couples to join and attend together at their wine & food events. However some branches around the world are still mainly composed of men. Other associations including Commanderie de Bordeaux, Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin and others for a variety of reasons have been less successful in bringing in women. The result in Vancouver has been the recent formation of two flourishing wine tasting groups aptly named “Steal a Bottle” and “Women and Wine”. Most members are already very wine knowledgeable but always interested in learning more as they and their spouses are keen wine collectors. Their events are usually scheduled to coincide with evenings when those guys are scheduled to be out at another fancy tasting-dinner to which they have not been invited. The latest one last week was hosted at home by my wife Joan (without me) with the usual BYOB and contributing food course based on an Alsace theme. Another tour-de-force tasting of top wines matched with appropriate foods supplied by the attendees. In fact the current buzz is that these informal female events are as good as or even better than the main event for males held at a downtown restaurant. There is a social aspect to these gatherings but also preparation research resulting in intense discussion for nearly four hours on the merits of the wines served, the order of them, and the success of the food pairings. Someone should be writing these special events up!

Here is a brief second-hand overview of the Alsace dinner. 10 wines half of them Riesling and the other half Gewurztraminer nearly all Grand Cru with vintages ranging from 2015 to 2002. I am told the Albert Mann vieille vignes 2012 gewurz furstentum matched so well with crispy flatbread with gorgonzola & pears. The Faller family Domaine Weinbach at Kayserberg used to advantage their old large oak casks for the fresh 2015 Riesling Schlossberg Clos de Capucins paired with another classy Riesling the Clos Windsbuhl 2011 of Zind Humbrecht. Both of those wines were apparently delicious with the traditional tarte flambee with micro greens salad. Main course was the Alsace classic Supreme de Volaille au Riesling et Legumes (chicken braised in Riesling with fresh vegetables) with a magical pair of aged Riesling from the fuller Zind Humbrecht 2003 Herrenweg de Turckheim to the drier Trimbach 2002 Frederic Emile (actually a blend of 2 Grand Cru vineyards Geisberg & Osterberg). For the cheese course the mature spicy flavours of two Zind Humbrecht Gewurztraminers 2009 & 2002 was supposed to have been amazing. The apple and berry tart dessert with vanilla ice cream tamed the young sweetish 2014 Domaine Weinbach Cuvee Laurence.

Congrats on this fantastic wine and food menu that seems to deliver the best of Alsace in Vancouver. Really like your concept. Please keep it going and hope someone who actually attends will report these memorable tasting dinners on another blog site.  Do you have a similar unique wine and food tasting group in your city?  Let us know!

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