{"id":217,"date":"2011-07-12T19:21:08","date_gmt":"2011-07-12T18:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.northeastwine.org.uk\/Blog\/?p=217"},"modified":"2012-06-09T19:32:09","modified_gmt":"2012-06-09T18:32:09","slug":"gcjune2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northeastwine.org.uk\/Blog\/gcjune2011\/","title":{"rendered":"Greybeard’s Corner – June 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2011 harvest in both hemispheres dominates the recent wine news while Germany fills up a large part of my own wine experiences in this month\u2019s Corner post.<\/p>\n

Wine News: <\/strong>Let\u2019s get the bad news out of the way first. When I first heard of the shocking vandalism at the Terroir Al Limit winery in Priorat it was hard to believe, with tanks opened to let wine drain away and bleach added to others. CataVino were one of the first to publicise the news<\/a> from the Blogoshpere on the 19th<\/sup> June (the deed was carried out on the 13th<\/sup>) but other than the expected round of condemnation from the wine world (and speculation on the wine forums) it looks as though there is no idea who did this or why. For me and many wine lovers this is akin to book burning and I hope that justice will eventually catch up with the perpetrators.<\/p>\n

New Zealand released figures<\/a> showing the 2011 harvest was 23% up on 2010 coupled with a healthy increase in global sales over the last year. The potential quality of 2011 is high, adding to the positive spin given by the New Zealand media<\/a> with South Island and Sauvignon Blanc contributing most to the growth \u2013 Marlborough itself saw a 34% rise in the harvest.<\/p>\n

Harpers also reported <\/a>on Australia\u2019s bumper (sic) harvest – a rise of 1% on 2010. While not as dramatic as New Zealand\u2019s figures it is accepted that Australia has an oversupply problem which won\u2019t be helped by the news.<\/p>\n

While the 2 New World neighbours share harvest increases the two original old world neighbours, France & Italy, traded places in 2010 with the Italians now the world\u2019s largest wine producer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although French production may be falling the 2011 grapes are doing their best to get here faster than normal with Decanter reporting<\/a> on Bordeaux and Burgundy producers preparing for harvesting to begin at the end of August, while in Champagne there is even talk of mid-August <\/a>if the clement weather continues.
\n\"\"<\/a>The same seems to be true of England and Germany as well, the latter I can personally testify after my mid-month visit to the Mosel where one \u00dcrzig winemaker confirmed the grapes were 4-5 weeks ahead of their normal development and an August harvest is on the cards.<\/p>\n

The Mosel also got a mention in the media with Wine Spectator running a piece on the controversial Hochmosel\u00fcbergang<\/a>. The Spectator has joined the debate late in the day and as the dust is starting to settle – Decanter have been running the story since January 2010 and, sadly, the green light for construction has been given \u2013 but at least that means they can cover the all pertinent facts of the story.<\/p>\n

Finally in France the Saint Emilion debacle looks to have been resolved with the French government finally approving <\/a>the revised\u00a0 classification system 6 months after the INAO (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine) initially announced the new regulations and a full 5 years after the disastrous 2006 classification which saw bitter infighting between Saint Emilion producers and compromised the whole system.<\/p>\n

The new classification will be managed by an independent panel (i.e. not from Bordeaux) and includes evaluation of Chateaux reputation, terroir and production methods but will be heavily based on blind tasting of recent vintages. Nick Stephens review on his Bordeaux Undiscovered blog <\/a>provides plenty of additional information.<\/p>\n

June for me meant Germany\u2026. to be precise the small town of Wetzlar, near Giessen. I was encamped there for 2 weeks on business and managed to expand on my German wine education in the process. Central to this was a weekend in the Mosel, driving from Koblenz on the Rhine along the river road stopping at Cochem, \u00dcrzig and Bernkastel-Keus.<\/p>\n

This is an intensely beautiful part of the world with ancient riverside towns watched over by Medieval castles, insanely steep vineyards and a relatively relaxed take on life. Riesling was at the heart of the wine experience, the region favours this noble variety with 50% of total Mosel production, but far higher for the Quality wines and almost 100% for many producers with prime vineyards. The Spring frosts that decimated many German wine regions didn’t affect the steep vineyards, so quantity is good along with the early growth already mentioned \u2013 by late June some of the Riesling bunches were beginning to hang, the weight of the grapes too much to resist the pull of gravity.<\/p>\n

The short visit was crowned with a superb tasting at \u00dcrzig producer Rebenhof<\/a>, where winemaker Johannes Schmitz poured and talked through a dozen of his different offerings from the \u00dcrziger W\u00fcrzgarten vineyard, including a sublime 4-star 2009 Beerenauslese. I\u2019m preparing a separate post<\/a> on that tasting.<\/p>\n

Back in Wetzlar and local restaurant Malcomess<\/a> provided a broad range of German wines to accompany a delicious tasting menu (especially the trio of Kid). The restaurant is run by husband and wife team Kai & Manuela Malcomess and it was Kai who gave a brief description of each wine served, including a creamy 2009 Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) by Weinhaus Jochim<\/a> and a young, but structured, 2008 Sp\u00e4tburgunder by Markus Schneider<\/a>. \"\"<\/a>What was also intriguing was that all the wines were served in The Gabriel Glas<\/em><\/a>, the first time I\u2019ve seen this \u201cone for all\u201d wine glass (made by the Austrian glass manufacturer Quatron) which is meant to enhance the aromas and flavours regardless of wine style or colour. Kai brought out one of the previous glasses they used to use in the restaurant (a Schott Zweisel) for a quick comparison test and I have to admit the Gabriel Glas(s) did give a fuller nose, bringing out the fruit more.<\/p>\n

An enjoyable bookend to the trip were the lounge wines on offer at Amsterdam Schiphol airport during my transfers between Newcastle and Frankfurt. On the way out the Villa Maria 2009 Pinot Noir was light and fruity with just a touch of smoky vegetation, a more autumnal colour than I\u2019d have expected for an \u201909 with light forest fruit flavours, but true to the variety.
\nComing back and it was across the Tasman sea to Australia with Ben Glaetzer\u2019s 2008 Heartland Cabernet Sauvignon; a dense, syrupy wine with immense fruit (predominantly cassis) and a touch of mint. This was almost too much for me, a big wine with a slightly confected feel to all that dark fruit, only a basic tannin structure and a 14.5% abv which gave a warm finish \u2013 pleasant enough, but only for a small glass or two and it would struggle with food.<\/p>\n

North East Wine: <\/strong>Unfortunately while I was away I missed the monthly NEWTS meeting – a Spanish tasting given by venerable member Harry Rose, whose previous tasting on the red wines of the Western Languedoc<\/a> was my first ever meeting. Luckily local retailer PortoVino had their summer tasting<\/a> at the end of the month where I could catch up with fellow North East oenophiles over a glass or three of Portuguese vinho \u2013 the 2006 Falcoaria by Quinta do Casal Branco<\/a> was my favourite red of the evening.<\/p>\n

A weekend in the Mosel meant that my purchases were always going to be dominated by Riesling and I returned home with 5 bottles in my luggage; a selection of \u00dcrziger W\u00fcrzgarten all from Rebenhof, including their 2008 Auslese which was harvested to Eiswein standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There were only 4 other incoming wines bought in the UK over June; Dow\u2019s 1999 Quinta do Bomfim Port, California\u2019s Seghesio 2009 Arneis & Bogle Vineyards 2008 Petite Sirah, and yet another Riesling with the Cono Sur 2008 Riesling Reserva from Chile.<\/p>\n

Drinking at home was also reduced, the most notable being a La Motte 2005 Shiraz from the Franschhoek Valley in South Africa, a wine which blossomed after being opened for 24 hours with spicy tar, fine tannins and juicy acidity. Also worth mentioning was the Cave de Turckheim 2008 Pinot Gris Reserve from Alsace, with classically rich, not-quite-sweet grapefruit aspects and a great waxy texture.<\/p>\n

Cellar Trivia: <\/strong>The arrival of the batch of Riesling got me looking at the breakdown of my home collection (currently standing at just over 150 bottles) compared to a couple of years ago. White is now up from 21% to 26%, while reds are down from 63% to 53%, confirming my thoughts that I\u2019m not buying as much red as I used to. Biggest change is the doubling of fortified and sweet wines from just under 7% 2 years ago to just over 13% now, with a similar increase in Sparkling and Ros\u00e9 (but they only make up 3% of my current stash). I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s a typical phase, but I\u2019m definitely enjoying more non-red wines than ever before.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll bring this month\u2019s post to a close with the usual look forward to key wine events coming up, which are pretty much U.S. dominated;<\/p>\n