Also in the news, Decanter reports that hip-hop artist
Is wine the new rock 'n' roll (again)?
Christmas catalogues are upon us again, and
in browsing through the ones for clothing, I notice that the color they used
to call “Burgundy” is now known as
“Malbec”—no kidding. Congratulations, Argentina, you’re arrived. Sort of.
Also in the news, Decanter reports that hip-hop artistJay
Z has bought a substantial stake in Armand de
Brignac Champagne (price per bottle: £210 in the UK
or $299 in the US, though of course that could change now). The performer has
referred to the wine in his music in the past. Other rappers are referencing
other Champagnes in their music, and are reportedly interested in also buying
in. Bling alert?
Also in the news, Decanter reports that hip-hop artist
English wine: More good news
Good news about English wine keeps coming
in, beginning with optimistic reports from several vineyards about the high
quality of the harvest. . .
This
summer I visited Steven
Spurrier and his wife Bella in Dorset , coincidentally on the day Steven
was going over to Furleigh Estate to taste the final blend of his and Bella’s
Bride Valley sparkling wine, which had been resting there in bottle for more than a
year, while undergoing secondary fermentation. I was happy to go along. (Here they are afterward, contented.)
I’d never been to the
winery, which has a tasting room that would rival anything in the Napa Valley,
as well as lovely wines. I can say the same for Steven
and Bella’s—freshness and elegance were the words that came immediately to
mind. Afterward, we walked through the Bride Valley vineyard with Bella, quite
relaxed now in her role as vigneronne
after a couple of good harvests in a row; the view of their village below, and
their house, was postcard-perfect. The wine will be released soon.
Another
notable sparkler is from Davenport, a winery in East Sussex, which I
encountered on the wine list at Fera, in Claridge’s—bracing and delicious. It’s
also made from organically farmed grapes. Will Davenport took the organic
plunge just over 10 years ago, and it’s paid off. For example, his Horsmonden
Dry White (named for the vineyard in Kent
where the grapes are grown) just won the well-established (28 years!) and
prestigious Soil Association Organic Award.
Finally,
London Cru, a winery based in London that makes wine from grapes purchased in
various countries (but which isn’t allowed by the Food Standards Agency to say
which countries or even which grape varieties on their labels), has made their
first buy of English grapes, 3,000 kilograms of Bacchus from Sandhurst
Vineyards in Kent . “This is the year
to do it,” said winemaker Gavin
Monery . As the grapes are local,
the wine should be allowed to be labeled with locality and variety.
Just sayin' . . .
“Aromas of peach, oatmeal, subtle notes of
charred peat, seasoned by complex lees derived characters, with flashes of
matchstick, zesty orange rind and ginger deftly laced with complex seasoned
oak. . . “ That’s an actual tasting note
for a wine, though it’s edited down from the original, which was even longer
(and sillier). Somehow, back in the 1980s, wine writers decided that
stripped-down descriptions of wines wouldn’t do any more, maybe because they
were looking to make their work more distinctive. So, what winemaker John Parducci
once called “fruit-salad tasting notes” began appearing. They continue, despite much deserved derision, in some
places. Now, supermarket chain Tesco has announced they will start
using descriptions from consumers who have attended a special tasting of their new
range; I was thinking it could be a good idea until I got to the end of the
announcement, which noted that wine bloggers would also be included in the
trials. Oh well. . .
English wine harvest 2014 looking good
Furleigh
Estate, in West Dorset, is expecting its best-ever harvest this autumn,
anticipated to be twice as large as the previous record yield, in 2010, as a
result of two consecutive years of great summer weather, which enabled vines to
thrive. Rebecca
Hansford , owner of Furleigh
Estate, said: “We are so excited about this year’s bumper harvest. A dry
Glastonbury Festival and a warm Wimbledon are usually reliable indicators that
the grape harvest is going to be good, so we’ve had high hopes. We are so
fortunate that the English climate has been kind to the vines this
season!” I called around, and several
other English winemakers said the same thing, so this could be the break-out
year. (By the way, Furleigh Estate is where Steven Spurrier ’s
new sparkling wine, Bride Valley, was made. I visited the estate this summer
and tasted the wine, which was quite impressive; more on that very soon.
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copyright 2010-2018 by Brian St. Pierre