As a spectator of Jane Moore’s inflammatory and enlightening foray into wine additives and Malcolm Gluck’s recent related revelations, I have been amazed at the response both within and without the wine-world. I have a few points of my own to add as well.
Malcolm first.... Mr Gluck says a few very valid points in his Daily Mail article (27th September) about the prevalence of underhand winemaking practices and widespread smoke screening within the wine industry, but there are a couple of things he rides a little rough shod over...
First of all screw-caps! Let’s get one thing straight: cork IS not the baddy. As Malcolm states wine does vary, the permeability of the cork allows wine to develop at a controlled and necessary rate rather than to be merely preserved as is the case with screw caps. Wine is a natural and living product and what Mal’ neglects to mention is the difficulties for reductive wines being closed with stelvin and the associated bottle stink. The only bad thing about cork is when sub-standard (often unsanitary) cork bark is used, which admittedly is far too often. Consider also that unlike screw caps the production of cork is a CO2 positive process and that it can also be recycled and is biodegradable. His sweeping assertion that cork is dead is absurd and unhelpful; the ease of the screw cap is laudable but that’s about it.
Secondly his dismissal of terroir as a myth is misguided (albeit a little predictable coming from such a disenchanted viewpoint). Whilst dismissing it as myth he unwittingly contradicts himself by mentioning that the AC system in France is a guide to quality (and historically he’s right), but in fact the real ‘origin’ of the AC system and its counterparts in Italy and Spain was to protect the typicity of these individual local styles and in certain regions their terroir, the great ‘Crus’ of Burgundy, Beaujolais and Alsace come to mind. Sadly this is no longer the case; the current AC system in France is near redundant as so many conventional AC growers have to manipulate their wines in order to recreate the terroir that they themselves have muted through years of chemical dependence and didactic oenology. To be fair to them they never meant to do this, they had to cut costs to chase plummeting prices driven by our indiscriminate buying practices. Making wine to order has been the nail in the coffin for quality affordable wine, it is too homogenous a requirement, it destroys a wines identity and who wants vinus coca cola?
The only place you’ll find wines with distinct individuality or terroir is from growers who value this quality. Please note the importance of growers here; at best a winemaker is just a shepherd, a guardian of good healthy fruit taking its natural path towards alcohol. I wonder if Darwin ever slipped a wry smile about the abundance of yeast populations on a grape’s skin! Ask any winemaker worth his salt and he’ll tell you great wine is made in the vineyard. Champagne, which has come in for the biggest bashing both from Malcolm and also Jane Moore’s Dispatches programme (Channel 4, 15th September), has a mainstay culture of mass production where very few of the top houses grow their own fruit, this is where the biggest rip-off’s ‘lie’ as the houses and their marketing machines try to pass off their quantity as quality. The difference here with small high profile growers (Larmandier-Bernier, Anselme Selosse two notable exceptions from a handful) is very much about terroir, the fastidious love of the soil and the health of the vineyard are paramount, is it any wonder that these are the wines that really do the talking?!
It is the journalist’s prerogative to inform the consumer and Jane Moore’s programme was splendid for airing the issue of ingredient labelling on wine. Personally I want to drink wines from vineyards which have never seen a chemical treatment other than sulphur, I want the health and vitality of the vineyard to shine through in the wine. I find this is best achieved through considerate winemakers who allow the fermentations to be conducted by natural /ambient yeast, avoiding manipulation of the wine. The wine will be bottled unfiltered and unfined and have only a smidgen of sulphur added.
What I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole is that which is all too common, the product of an intensively farmed vineyard with poor soil, disease prone vines and a residue of chemical treatments on the unremarkable fruit. These malnourished grapes are never fermented naturally because their flavour will need to be improved using engineered yeast. In most cases the juice will have been sulphured to kill any microorganisms anyway and natural yeast cannot function in such a solution. If there are no other faults then only sugar and yeast would be added at this point, but often enzymes and yeast nutrients may be added to maximise the extraction of flavour. Post fermentation the wine maybe acidified/de-acidified and de-alcoholised. If there are any faults these could be corrected with a plethora of winemaking chemicals some of which include heavy metals. Flavourings normally oak or tannin maybe added at this stage. Then flavour could be tweaked further by clarifying the wine with a variety of proteins (frequently animal) all with an effect on flavour, then the wine will be filtered, and sometimes pasteurised or cold-stabilised before being finally sulphured and bottled.
As Jancis Robinson pointed out in the Dispatches programme we can expect an increase in the polarisation of the two approaches outlined above. This is obviously very sad, but ultimately it is the consumer who decides. Jane’s stance was helpful in the sense that it raised questions, sadly it also set out from the beginning with a clear agenda to shock which for me dug its own grave. For example the sugar added to champagne is no big mystery or threat; the wine would be unpalatable to many without it. The word Brut itself dictates that sugar is present in quantities up to 15g/L! I’m not scared of sugar, I’m scared of pesticide residues! Cut the wheat from the chaff please!
I applaud Jane and Malcolm’s bravery in speaking out against the complacency and deceitful self protection of the wine trade. After the food revolution of the last 10 years or so, wine seems to me to be a bit of dark horse. Wine may be a natural product but not all wines are created equal in that regard. Let’s have some transparency. Through education and awareness we can demystify, the consumer can then be informed enough to make a choice and reverse this sad polarisation of wine production. Let the debate continue and improve!
Monday, 6 October 2008
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Anything but....
There are many a wine slurper who when asked what they would care to be served, retort, "A-B-C darling ..anything but chardonnay!"" Its an all too common phenomenom which makes me fell a little sorry for the much maligned Chardonnay. Because its not really Chardonnay they hate, ok they may hate some of the obtuse and ordinary oaked varieties, but its the repition of a theme, they're just screaming - 'give me a change....save me from mundanity!'
It seems we live an age of ignorant consumption, and that wines are chosen more by brand than by their real merit. A boon for the marketeer; if Chardonnay is the wine of the moment, then why not push, push, push the chardonnay. In the end it becomes so ubiquitous that no one can stand the sight of the stuff. Pinot Grigio will be next and then after that who knows maybe Chenin or Viognier, sooner or later we'll be back where we started because the average (ok very average) consumer will never seek to know more and will always follow the forgetful heard.
It seems so tragic as it is the bulk wines which determine the markets ultimate direction, these wines so often are the most bland and one dimensional. All the special, heart warming, sincere ones (and ok hands up the more expensive) are left on the shelf. It was only a few days ago I was supping the new super cuvee of Domaine Begude's finest chardonnay, 'L'Etoile de Begude' that I remembered just what JoBlogs is missing.
If you could forget for just one minute the awful, flacid, chewy chardonnay's of boomtime western Oz and the hotter parts of California and wipe the slate clean then what a place to start. The 2006 'Etoile' is lightly scented with piercingly clean fruit, lime and mineral steeliness, the smidgen of fine Oak is warming and inviting with a hint of clove and vanilla. The palate is delish, the balance is remarkable, understated and with real finesse, the hint of green acidity says more of youth than any wrong. The length is huge and lasts just about as long as your silly cat smile!
If only everyone could try it, anything but all those bloody awful chardonnays....
It seems we live an age of ignorant consumption, and that wines are chosen more by brand than by their real merit. A boon for the marketeer; if Chardonnay is the wine of the moment, then why not push, push, push the chardonnay. In the end it becomes so ubiquitous that no one can stand the sight of the stuff. Pinot Grigio will be next and then after that who knows maybe Chenin or Viognier, sooner or later we'll be back where we started because the average (ok very average) consumer will never seek to know more and will always follow the forgetful heard.
It seems so tragic as it is the bulk wines which determine the markets ultimate direction, these wines so often are the most bland and one dimensional. All the special, heart warming, sincere ones (and ok hands up the more expensive) are left on the shelf. It was only a few days ago I was supping the new super cuvee of Domaine Begude's finest chardonnay, 'L'Etoile de Begude' that I remembered just what JoBlogs is missing.
If you could forget for just one minute the awful, flacid, chewy chardonnay's of boomtime western Oz and the hotter parts of California and wipe the slate clean then what a place to start. The 2006 'Etoile' is lightly scented with piercingly clean fruit, lime and mineral steeliness, the smidgen of fine Oak is warming and inviting with a hint of clove and vanilla. The palate is delish, the balance is remarkable, understated and with real finesse, the hint of green acidity says more of youth than any wrong. The length is huge and lasts just about as long as your silly cat smile!
If only everyone could try it, anything but all those bloody awful chardonnays....
Friday, 11 January 2008
January - Get inspired
After a regrettably gluttonous holiday the wife and I decided to follow the path of obligatory ‘detox’, although it’s not really a detox: more of a lonely road of zero alcohol travail. As if January wasn’t destined to be a mother of a drag anyway, we decide to highlight our guilt further by the suffering and self torture of booze deprivation. The long and short of it is I’ve been feeling a little glum. That was of course until today -how minor the little incidents appear to be in the rejuvenation of spirit! - perhaps it was the brilliant blue of the sky this morning or maybe the passing sight of someone a little more depressed than I, whatever the weather in my ascending spirits I happened across what it is that has driven me on these last three ‘Festival’ years, it was a quote from the enigmatic Michel Chapoutier:
‘the future of biodynamics will be limited only by the ability of the consumer to appreciate complex, sophisticated wine.’
Michel has a very good point and a spectacular belief in what he is doing. Michel has now converted his entire 250 hectare estate to Biodynamics, making him the single largest ‘BD’ producer in Europe. Like many other growers before him, it started with a trial and the results were convincing enough to convert the rest of the estate. Chapoutier, if you didn’t know already is one of the largest producers of quality wine in France’s Rhone valley. From supermarket wines at £5 to some of the best Ermitage at £150 he represents a good cross section of the market. His utilitarian approach to biodynamics has reaped as much as it has sown, but what is it exactly he’s doing differently?
”Key to biodynamics is considering the farm in its entirety as a living system. To this end, biodynamic farms are supposed to be closed, self-sustaining systems. Biodynamics also sees the farm in the context of the wider pattern of lunar and cosmic rhythms. In this holistic view, the soil is seen not simply as a substrate for plant growth, but as an organism in its own right. The idea of using synthetic fertilizers or pesticides is thus an anathema to biodynamic practitioners. Instead, they use a series of special preparations to enhance the life of the soil, which are applied at appropriate times in keeping with the rhythms of nature. And disease is seen not as a problem to be tackled head-on, but rather as a symptom of a deeper malaise within the farm ‘organism’: correct the problem in the system and the disease will right itself. Biodynamics is in effect a supercharged system of organic farming. Where biodynamics differs significantly in practice from organics is in the use of these special preparations and the timing of their application—in other ways the techniques employed are quite similar.” (From Jamie Goode’s fabulous article:http://www.wineanorak.com/biodynamic1.htm)
It has been seen through -albeit limited- scientific research that Biodynamic farms outperform both Organic and conventional farms in ecological terms and are level pegging on the fiscal front (see references), where the biggest differences have been noted have been in the arena of wine production. Unlike conventional agricultural crops, the vine is a complex perennial, its powerful root system and disproportionately small ‘top half’ predispose it to astral influences. Being so root heavy it is the latest flowering fruit tree, it’s flowering corresponding to the summer solstice when the sun is literally touching the earth. The lunar dimension is particularly powerful in the vine, the rise and fall of sap being heavily affected by lunar position, the quality of fruit and disease susceptibility are notable outcomes.
If the vine is tended and treated in recognition of these influences it will clearly be a happier, healthier plant and from a more complete system. The chain of thought goes: healthier system: healthier vine: healthier grapes: healthier wine. If all is well throughout the wine will inevitably be better, it seems though as Michel hints at, that not all of us are able to appreciate it.
As the recent campaigns of UK celebrity chefs have shown we can all understand and more or less agree on the environmental and nutritional benefits of more expansive / less intensive systems. The sad truth is that as wonderful as al lof this seems it remains financially out of reach for many, the history of food provision in the UK has arrived at a point where food produced in the best possible way i.e. locally and naturally is vastly more expensive than foods from foreign lands and/or frightening production methods.
Much the same can be said of wine, although some of us will pay the difference and treat ourselves to wines that herald the most excellent manner of conception and offer an entirely superior experience, most will keep returning to the same old place for the same old plonk. The sort of wines that taste the same wherever they come from: be it the ubiquitous varietal wines of the £5 bracket, or the one-dimensional big names at £10. It doesn’t have to be this way.
This sounds like a depressing conclusion, but it’s not, as Michel said the only real limitation to the future of these wonderful ways of producing our food is our willingness to appreciate and consume their fruits. The major force of change lies with the consumer, it’s an empowering and liberating thought, inspirational even!
Reference: Reganold, John P.; Alan S. Palmer, James C. Lockhart, and A. Neil Macgregor (1993). "Soil quality and financial performance of biodynamic and conventional farms in New Zealand". Science 260 (5106)
‘the future of biodynamics will be limited only by the ability of the consumer to appreciate complex, sophisticated wine.’
Michel has a very good point and a spectacular belief in what he is doing. Michel has now converted his entire 250 hectare estate to Biodynamics, making him the single largest ‘BD’ producer in Europe. Like many other growers before him, it started with a trial and the results were convincing enough to convert the rest of the estate. Chapoutier, if you didn’t know already is one of the largest producers of quality wine in France’s Rhone valley. From supermarket wines at £5 to some of the best Ermitage at £150 he represents a good cross section of the market. His utilitarian approach to biodynamics has reaped as much as it has sown, but what is it exactly he’s doing differently?
”Key to biodynamics is considering the farm in its entirety as a living system. To this end, biodynamic farms are supposed to be closed, self-sustaining systems. Biodynamics also sees the farm in the context of the wider pattern of lunar and cosmic rhythms. In this holistic view, the soil is seen not simply as a substrate for plant growth, but as an organism in its own right. The idea of using synthetic fertilizers or pesticides is thus an anathema to biodynamic practitioners. Instead, they use a series of special preparations to enhance the life of the soil, which are applied at appropriate times in keeping with the rhythms of nature. And disease is seen not as a problem to be tackled head-on, but rather as a symptom of a deeper malaise within the farm ‘organism’: correct the problem in the system and the disease will right itself. Biodynamics is in effect a supercharged system of organic farming. Where biodynamics differs significantly in practice from organics is in the use of these special preparations and the timing of their application—in other ways the techniques employed are quite similar.” (From Jamie Goode’s fabulous article:http://www.wineanorak.com/biodynamic1.htm)
It has been seen through -albeit limited- scientific research that Biodynamic farms outperform both Organic and conventional farms in ecological terms and are level pegging on the fiscal front (see references), where the biggest differences have been noted have been in the arena of wine production. Unlike conventional agricultural crops, the vine is a complex perennial, its powerful root system and disproportionately small ‘top half’ predispose it to astral influences. Being so root heavy it is the latest flowering fruit tree, it’s flowering corresponding to the summer solstice when the sun is literally touching the earth. The lunar dimension is particularly powerful in the vine, the rise and fall of sap being heavily affected by lunar position, the quality of fruit and disease susceptibility are notable outcomes.
If the vine is tended and treated in recognition of these influences it will clearly be a happier, healthier plant and from a more complete system. The chain of thought goes: healthier system: healthier vine: healthier grapes: healthier wine. If all is well throughout the wine will inevitably be better, it seems though as Michel hints at, that not all of us are able to appreciate it.
As the recent campaigns of UK celebrity chefs have shown we can all understand and more or less agree on the environmental and nutritional benefits of more expansive / less intensive systems. The sad truth is that as wonderful as al lof this seems it remains financially out of reach for many, the history of food provision in the UK has arrived at a point where food produced in the best possible way i.e. locally and naturally is vastly more expensive than foods from foreign lands and/or frightening production methods.
Much the same can be said of wine, although some of us will pay the difference and treat ourselves to wines that herald the most excellent manner of conception and offer an entirely superior experience, most will keep returning to the same old place for the same old plonk. The sort of wines that taste the same wherever they come from: be it the ubiquitous varietal wines of the £5 bracket, or the one-dimensional big names at £10. It doesn’t have to be this way.
This sounds like a depressing conclusion, but it’s not, as Michel said the only real limitation to the future of these wonderful ways of producing our food is our willingness to appreciate and consume their fruits. The major force of change lies with the consumer, it’s an empowering and liberating thought, inspirational even!
Reference: Reganold, John P.; Alan S. Palmer, James C. Lockhart, and A. Neil Macgregor (1993). "Soil quality and financial performance of biodynamic and conventional farms in New Zealand". Science 260 (5106)
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
November - The cold rush
Winter seems to be well and truly upon us now, I donned four layers and a scarf this morning! Even now, seated in my chilly cellar, I wish I’d bought my bobble hat and maybe some mitts. Whilst enjoying the warmth of my cup’a soup, I read in the paper about yet another silly syndrome: seasonal affective disorder. SAD but true, apparently the awful weather this year and the loss of light moving into the winter has gotten on top of many of us, a little pathetic if you ask me! I thought we were stalwarts, braving the elements for barbeques and such, but it turns out we’re all a bit wet. Spare a thought if you will though for the wine makers, 2007 has pretty universally been a bit of a wash out. For many of them though it is not as disastrous is it once would have been, nowadays we have the viticultural understanding and also the chemicals to cope with these conditions. Also the invention of winemaking techniques that compensate for shortcomings in the raw materials (grapes) have made the bad years not nearly as bad as they used to be. Some are thankful for this ‘progress’ others long for a time when wine had more of a personality without the sort of processed consistency it has today.
In the era of brands and globalisation, wine has become a new form of alcoholised coca cola. If you want a £3.99 merlot, be it Chilean, Australian or Bulgarian it will be what you expect from a merlot and offer no surprises. This is the future and it is a very sorry state of affairs: where before there were variations between vintages and a sense of place and individuality to a wine now you have a formula, easily reproduced.
The artisan and more traditional winemakers – and by the way I hate these phrases: they sound backward looking and cranky when in fact there are almost always progressive – are attempting to convey the true essence of their wines. I was talking to a Sicilian winemaker last week who has stopped using oak barrels instead reverting to the traditional and more inert vessel of the amphora, all in an effort to allow the wine to communicate its true self. As you can imagine this ‘true self’ is all about the annual differences in climate; what’s happening in the soil and ultimately what happens to the grapes from picking to squishing and everything thereafter. I know to many it all sounds a bit poetic and smacks of marketing packs, but honestly the potential for variation is staggering and earnest. Why anyone would want to smother these nuances is difficult to understand and frustrating especially for the enthusiast who encounters an ever-increasing plethora of homogenised vino-pops.
What we will see with 2007 is a uniform decrease in production levels, for many producers however there will be little difference in the taste of the wines, it will be business as usual although prices may have to increase a little. For the rest, if they did their job properly, the drop in vintage will be accompanied by a wines distinctly different form ’06 perhaps with a welcome lightness and elegance. The whole myth about good years and bad years has never really added up anyway, there used to be years when the weather was so bad and we were so badly prepared that next to no wine was produced. There were two of these years in the last century! The truth is that vintage normally just meant drink young or drink old, it was never case of don’t drink at all. It seems that in the modern age the relevance of vintage in confined to speculation on premium Bordeaux wines and the wild inflation of their prices.
Now more than ever it is time to follow your nose and sniff out something different, that is of course unless you are completely SAD!
In the era of brands and globalisation, wine has become a new form of alcoholised coca cola. If you want a £3.99 merlot, be it Chilean, Australian or Bulgarian it will be what you expect from a merlot and offer no surprises. This is the future and it is a very sorry state of affairs: where before there were variations between vintages and a sense of place and individuality to a wine now you have a formula, easily reproduced.
The artisan and more traditional winemakers – and by the way I hate these phrases: they sound backward looking and cranky when in fact there are almost always progressive – are attempting to convey the true essence of their wines. I was talking to a Sicilian winemaker last week who has stopped using oak barrels instead reverting to the traditional and more inert vessel of the amphora, all in an effort to allow the wine to communicate its true self. As you can imagine this ‘true self’ is all about the annual differences in climate; what’s happening in the soil and ultimately what happens to the grapes from picking to squishing and everything thereafter. I know to many it all sounds a bit poetic and smacks of marketing packs, but honestly the potential for variation is staggering and earnest. Why anyone would want to smother these nuances is difficult to understand and frustrating especially for the enthusiast who encounters an ever-increasing plethora of homogenised vino-pops.
What we will see with 2007 is a uniform decrease in production levels, for many producers however there will be little difference in the taste of the wines, it will be business as usual although prices may have to increase a little. For the rest, if they did their job properly, the drop in vintage will be accompanied by a wines distinctly different form ’06 perhaps with a welcome lightness and elegance. The whole myth about good years and bad years has never really added up anyway, there used to be years when the weather was so bad and we were so badly prepared that next to no wine was produced. There were two of these years in the last century! The truth is that vintage normally just meant drink young or drink old, it was never case of don’t drink at all. It seems that in the modern age the relevance of vintage in confined to speculation on premium Bordeaux wines and the wild inflation of their prices.
Now more than ever it is time to follow your nose and sniff out something different, that is of course unless you are completely SAD!
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Ocotber Newsletter - Autumnal wine tips
Autumn is well and truly upon us: chill winds, falling leaves and longer nights create a thirst for sumptuous, warming wines. In the summer months we have a tendency to quaff a great variety of wines with little discrimination. The solace we find in slurping finer wines, demands a more discerning and considerate approach. When spending an evening with one particular wine, curled up on the sofa, there has to be some personality there, an expression of individuality and an intensity of flavours that are a joy to return to again and again.
This is my favourite type of drinking, spending that little bit extra and really spoiling myself. The beauty is that when you are spending that little bit extra, all the value is in the bottle. The difference between and £5 bottle and a £15 should be staggering, the taste and persistence of such wines will make you wonder why you don’t do it more often. So why don’t we? The truth is that on the high street £15 is rarely a guarantee of quality and can often be a costly mistake. The problem is that great quality wines generally come (surprise, surprise) from great quality producers; great quality and great quantity however rarely go hand in hand. When you’re talking about ‘multiples’ (off-licence chains) or supermarkets, finding truly distinctive wines can be extremely difficult. The secret lies with small specialist importers or wine merchants with a keen eye for those carefully crafted boutique / artisan wines.
The beauty of the independent is that they really know their product: rather than the wines being selected by a distant head office, the tasting and selection of every wine has been undertaken by the manager/owner of the store. This level of knowledge combined with more than a pinch of passion doesn’t just guarantee a good bottle it means you have the chance to find out what’s actually in the bottle: where it came from and how it was made. Before you know it you might have learned something! I think this was how my interest in wine began, I loved drinking the stuff, but it was only when I was introduced to winemaking methods and terms like ‘terroir’ that I began to realise how much more there was out there.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing though: as soon as I realised the above shopping for wine on the high street became much less rewarding. To buy wine that has that “expression of individuality and an intensity of flavours” (Me (above!)) rather than the variation on fruit punch which much of it has become, we would do well to gravitate again towards the specialist.
So once there, what do we look for? My answer would be to trust them to look for you, with full whites in mind, ones with well woven oak spices and opulent mineral tones, I’m thinking of the Rhone and Rousillon and perhaps a bold Loire Chenin. On the reds, the rocks and damsons of Madiran have their pull as do lavish Chianti and elegant Bourgogne Pinots. The promise of layers of enfolding flavours is mouth watering alone, the best bit however is knowing that you’ll savour every last drop and sip slowly away. One bottle should be plenty and it will have lasted the entire evening, that’s what I call for value for money.
Ben 17.10.2007
This is my favourite type of drinking, spending that little bit extra and really spoiling myself. The beauty is that when you are spending that little bit extra, all the value is in the bottle. The difference between and £5 bottle and a £15 should be staggering, the taste and persistence of such wines will make you wonder why you don’t do it more often. So why don’t we? The truth is that on the high street £15 is rarely a guarantee of quality and can often be a costly mistake. The problem is that great quality wines generally come (surprise, surprise) from great quality producers; great quality and great quantity however rarely go hand in hand. When you’re talking about ‘multiples’ (off-licence chains) or supermarkets, finding truly distinctive wines can be extremely difficult. The secret lies with small specialist importers or wine merchants with a keen eye for those carefully crafted boutique / artisan wines.
The beauty of the independent is that they really know their product: rather than the wines being selected by a distant head office, the tasting and selection of every wine has been undertaken by the manager/owner of the store. This level of knowledge combined with more than a pinch of passion doesn’t just guarantee a good bottle it means you have the chance to find out what’s actually in the bottle: where it came from and how it was made. Before you know it you might have learned something! I think this was how my interest in wine began, I loved drinking the stuff, but it was only when I was introduced to winemaking methods and terms like ‘terroir’ that I began to realise how much more there was out there.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing though: as soon as I realised the above shopping for wine on the high street became much less rewarding. To buy wine that has that “expression of individuality and an intensity of flavours” (Me (above!)) rather than the variation on fruit punch which much of it has become, we would do well to gravitate again towards the specialist.
So once there, what do we look for? My answer would be to trust them to look for you, with full whites in mind, ones with well woven oak spices and opulent mineral tones, I’m thinking of the Rhone and Rousillon and perhaps a bold Loire Chenin. On the reds, the rocks and damsons of Madiran have their pull as do lavish Chianti and elegant Bourgogne Pinots. The promise of layers of enfolding flavours is mouth watering alone, the best bit however is knowing that you’ll savour every last drop and sip slowly away. One bottle should be plenty and it will have lasted the entire evening, that’s what I call for value for money.
Ben 17.10.2007
Monday, 17 September 2007
September - An introduction to Biodynamics
The enormity of this task fills me with dread, but also with a sense of responsibility and excitement. The dread lies with the size of the task at hand: Biodynamics isn’t just a way of farming: it’s an holistic system that looks to revitalise and harness the ‘life-force’ inherent in the natural world (and by world I really mean universe!). The scope of Steiner’s ideology from soil to stars requires a polymath to understand it in its entirety, but thankfully that’s not our goal here today; an informative, quick scratch at the surface should suffice. The feelings of responsibility and excitement floating around in the ether (directly orbiting the nebula of Biodynamics!) stem from the belief that this is an exciting and groundbreaking subject: a system of practice that has already made a massive impact in the arena of fine wines and promises to improve the quality of food production as a whole. Hopefully as understanding increases so will the tolerance and respect for this oft misunderstood form of agriculture.
For long Biodynamic has been the reserve of French winemaking aristocracy, Nicolas Joly, Anne-Claude Leflaive (Dom. Leflaive), Lalou Bize-Leroy(Dom. Romane Conti & Dom. D’Auvenay), Lafon, Chapoutier, Selosse, Zind-Humbrect, Ostertag, Huet, to name but a few. More recently a younger generation of exciting winemakers are starting to reveal their Biodynamic credentials; Alvaro Palacios, Benjamin Romeo, Telmo Rodriguez, in Spain alone. It’s not just your archetypal terrior driven ‘old-worlders’ either: Millton in New Zealand and Bonterra in California have long been raising the bar with their fruit driven wines. The world around, quality wines are bearing the fruit of the Biodynamic approach.
It all began in Germany when farmers who were familiar with Rudolf Steiner came to the professor for answers to their questions on the decline of seed viability; diminishing soil fertility and the reduction in the quality of produce in general. In 1924, in answer to these repeated pleas, Steiner gave a series of four lectures titled ‘Agriculture’. These lectures form the basis of the Biodynamic movement, a movement which has been carried on by Steiner’s students and followers, now regulated by the international organisation Demeter, established in Germany in 1928. Not confined to arable and livestock, viticulture (grape-growing) has been an area where the rewards of Biodynamics have been most evident, in particular the resistance of vines to disease, and in wines: pronounced ‘terroir’ flavours and increased resistance to oxidation.
The principles of Biodynamics can be best understood by approaching the system layer by layer. It is the first layer that is the most comprehensible and the one that gave rise to the organic movement. Dealing primarily with the soil and vineyard ecosystem, Biodynamics aims to restore soil health through adding manures to the soil and Biodynamic preparations. Above the ground, the maintenance of vegetation is entirely natural avoiding herbicides and favouring cultivation or mowing/grazing. Pest control is left to other pests which in turn are taken care of by even bigger pests...you get the picture! The health of the vine is promoted though the application of sprays or tisanes made from prescribed wild plants such as comfrey or horsetail. The differences to conventional/industrial viticulture are already startling, the health of the soil and ecosystem provide a more balanced nutrition for the vine and a natural level of protection that when fully established have the potential for grapes with a level of vitality, balance, and phenolic development that are the secret to the greatest wines.
What takes Biodynamics beyond Organics (the next layer) is not a new idea: Steiner was simply reminding his audience of the importance of the moon in the natural world. As the moon rises half an hour later every day so tidal times alter: the gravitational pull of the moon influences bodies that contain water. Vines with their large root and foliar system fall into this category: in the vineyard pruning as much as soil cultivation is an exercise affected by the position of the moon. Similarly in the winery, the movement of wine known as ‘racking’ is best undertaken during a new moon, as sediment is more settled and the ‘racked’ wine of greater limpidity. Not a great stretch of the imagination, moreover a useful peasant wisdom that transcends millennia. The Biodynamic farmer has the help of a Biodynamic calendar which records the movements of the moon, and more importantly the moon’s position in relation to the cosmos! (queue drum roll!)
The 12 star constellations which appear over our horizon -whose alter-egos we commonly refer to in astrology- Steiner associated with four elements: fire, water, air and earth. When the moon passes in front of one of these constellations the influence of the constellation is focused by the moon upon the earth. These elements are associated with various parts of the plant: fire corresponds with the seed and fruit, air the flower, water the leaf and the earth the roots. For instance: when the moon passes in front of the path of the lion (a fire constellation) that is the time to plant fruit bearing crops or to harvest fruit. Another example would be to plant salads when the moon is in front of a water constellation. This layer, the layer of cosmic influence, is the most subtle and perhaps the most difficult to comprehend; its effects however have been well documented. Professor Maria Thun, studied the effect of the Biodynamic calendar on the cultivation of radishes, over a twenty year period the growth of radishes from seed was monitored and recorded, the results support the principles outlined above.
In order to be a successful Biodynamic practitioner, the farmer must work with a level of attentiveness and awareness that can only come from this holistic approach: a symbiotic relationship with the farm and the influences surrounding it. Married with the heights of scientific understanding we have today we are better placed now more than ever to do the right thing and do it well.
One might say that with this level of attention and human effort how could one make anything but the best produce? Commonsense suggests so and it is this commitment to do things as naturally and as proficiently as possible that we should demand of all that we consume. At worse it not only improves quality and nutrition but necessitates a respect for the natural world.
Although we have only scratched the surface, I hope to have introduced the notion inherent in Biodynamics that simply; there is so much more out there. The large quality advances made in the field of wine, will hopefully act as a lesson to food production in general. In a society threatened by nutritional/behavourial deficiencies and agriculturally related pandemics (foot and mouth/ avian flu), Biodynamics might guarantee a better future for us all, and if not better, certainly tastier!
For long Biodynamic has been the reserve of French winemaking aristocracy, Nicolas Joly, Anne-Claude Leflaive (Dom. Leflaive), Lalou Bize-Leroy(Dom. Romane Conti & Dom. D’Auvenay), Lafon, Chapoutier, Selosse, Zind-Humbrect, Ostertag, Huet, to name but a few. More recently a younger generation of exciting winemakers are starting to reveal their Biodynamic credentials; Alvaro Palacios, Benjamin Romeo, Telmo Rodriguez, in Spain alone. It’s not just your archetypal terrior driven ‘old-worlders’ either: Millton in New Zealand and Bonterra in California have long been raising the bar with their fruit driven wines. The world around, quality wines are bearing the fruit of the Biodynamic approach.
It all began in Germany when farmers who were familiar with Rudolf Steiner came to the professor for answers to their questions on the decline of seed viability; diminishing soil fertility and the reduction in the quality of produce in general. In 1924, in answer to these repeated pleas, Steiner gave a series of four lectures titled ‘Agriculture’. These lectures form the basis of the Biodynamic movement, a movement which has been carried on by Steiner’s students and followers, now regulated by the international organisation Demeter, established in Germany in 1928. Not confined to arable and livestock, viticulture (grape-growing) has been an area where the rewards of Biodynamics have been most evident, in particular the resistance of vines to disease, and in wines: pronounced ‘terroir’ flavours and increased resistance to oxidation.
The principles of Biodynamics can be best understood by approaching the system layer by layer. It is the first layer that is the most comprehensible and the one that gave rise to the organic movement. Dealing primarily with the soil and vineyard ecosystem, Biodynamics aims to restore soil health through adding manures to the soil and Biodynamic preparations. Above the ground, the maintenance of vegetation is entirely natural avoiding herbicides and favouring cultivation or mowing/grazing. Pest control is left to other pests which in turn are taken care of by even bigger pests...you get the picture! The health of the vine is promoted though the application of sprays or tisanes made from prescribed wild plants such as comfrey or horsetail. The differences to conventional/industrial viticulture are already startling, the health of the soil and ecosystem provide a more balanced nutrition for the vine and a natural level of protection that when fully established have the potential for grapes with a level of vitality, balance, and phenolic development that are the secret to the greatest wines.
What takes Biodynamics beyond Organics (the next layer) is not a new idea: Steiner was simply reminding his audience of the importance of the moon in the natural world. As the moon rises half an hour later every day so tidal times alter: the gravitational pull of the moon influences bodies that contain water. Vines with their large root and foliar system fall into this category: in the vineyard pruning as much as soil cultivation is an exercise affected by the position of the moon. Similarly in the winery, the movement of wine known as ‘racking’ is best undertaken during a new moon, as sediment is more settled and the ‘racked’ wine of greater limpidity. Not a great stretch of the imagination, moreover a useful peasant wisdom that transcends millennia. The Biodynamic farmer has the help of a Biodynamic calendar which records the movements of the moon, and more importantly the moon’s position in relation to the cosmos! (queue drum roll!)
The 12 star constellations which appear over our horizon -whose alter-egos we commonly refer to in astrology- Steiner associated with four elements: fire, water, air and earth. When the moon passes in front of one of these constellations the influence of the constellation is focused by the moon upon the earth. These elements are associated with various parts of the plant: fire corresponds with the seed and fruit, air the flower, water the leaf and the earth the roots. For instance: when the moon passes in front of the path of the lion (a fire constellation) that is the time to plant fruit bearing crops or to harvest fruit. Another example would be to plant salads when the moon is in front of a water constellation. This layer, the layer of cosmic influence, is the most subtle and perhaps the most difficult to comprehend; its effects however have been well documented. Professor Maria Thun, studied the effect of the Biodynamic calendar on the cultivation of radishes, over a twenty year period the growth of radishes from seed was monitored and recorded, the results support the principles outlined above.
In order to be a successful Biodynamic practitioner, the farmer must work with a level of attentiveness and awareness that can only come from this holistic approach: a symbiotic relationship with the farm and the influences surrounding it. Married with the heights of scientific understanding we have today we are better placed now more than ever to do the right thing and do it well.
One might say that with this level of attention and human effort how could one make anything but the best produce? Commonsense suggests so and it is this commitment to do things as naturally and as proficiently as possible that we should demand of all that we consume. At worse it not only improves quality and nutrition but necessitates a respect for the natural world.
Although we have only scratched the surface, I hope to have introduced the notion inherent in Biodynamics that simply; there is so much more out there. The large quality advances made in the field of wine, will hopefully act as a lesson to food production in general. In a society threatened by nutritional/behavourial deficiencies and agriculturally related pandemics (foot and mouth/ avian flu), Biodynamics might guarantee a better future for us all, and if not better, certainly tastier!
Saturday, 18 August 2007
August
It ’s been a pretty erratic summer to date and as it’s worn on, so we have hung our hope on later and later reprieves: the promise of an Indian summer is desperately sought. To be fair it hasn’t all been drizzle, they say that has been warmer than average, ultimately though it has been irritatingly unpredictable. A thankless task for the weatherman, but whatever the weather: one thing’s for certain, that come rain or shine many among us will be partaking of an outdoor seasonal feast or two, perhaps even a bbq!
Bbq’s are great, they happily reaffirm stereotypes: men turning meat and gleefully donning aprons, ladies tossing salad and laying the table. We can also feel contented by our quintessentially English refusal to bow to the weather’s vagaries: all mucking-in together in waterproofs, under a billowing gazebo, attempting desperately to draw solace from damp charcoal and charred sausages.
Planning and packing for our outdoor fiesta is of the utmost importance: we can often take too much or remember too little of what we really need, for me there are two essential props: the booze and the means to open said booze. Cans of lager obviously offer little obstacle to those lucky enough to possess opposable thumbs, for a classier tipple cork-closed wine bottles require a little more foresight. Screw-cap wines on the other hand offer the easy balance of convenience and sophistication.
End of the story you might say, sadly not; the screwcap debate is the most convoluted and contentious subject in the wine industry. The truth is that with everyday wine and everyday corks you can expect between 4 and 5 bottles in every hundred to be affected by cork failures, if the same was true of pints of milk there would be a national uproar. The manufactured precision of the stelvin closure may save us a few quid in the long run, but just like disposable bbq’s they are not recycled, they also create carbon in their manufacture. The existence of screwcaps may even jeopardise the maintenance of 2.7 million hectares of carbon reducing, European cork forests and the 63,000 jobs they support. Screwcaps better preserve the wine, but a wines ability to age and mellow under cork is very important also. And on it goes….
Honestly, aren’t there too many little things to remember? and so often it is the most important thing that is lost completely; the enjoyment. It is however easy to exercise our conscience at the same time as having fun. Why not have a quality, non disposable Bbq and rather than the meleé of miserable value meat opt for the finer, happier alternatives. Once the banquet is assembled; meat, veggie kebabs, salads and dips, the wine has to be fun, versatile and fruity. Rosé’s are crowd pleasers and always thirst quenching, with fruit a plenty and hopefully a dryness that offsets the food. My wine for the month is the Organic, Camino Los Robles Tempranillo Rosado, a great fun wine, with great structure and a snip at £4.59.
Bbq’s are great, they happily reaffirm stereotypes: men turning meat and gleefully donning aprons, ladies tossing salad and laying the table. We can also feel contented by our quintessentially English refusal to bow to the weather’s vagaries: all mucking-in together in waterproofs, under a billowing gazebo, attempting desperately to draw solace from damp charcoal and charred sausages.
Planning and packing for our outdoor fiesta is of the utmost importance: we can often take too much or remember too little of what we really need, for me there are two essential props: the booze and the means to open said booze. Cans of lager obviously offer little obstacle to those lucky enough to possess opposable thumbs, for a classier tipple cork-closed wine bottles require a little more foresight. Screw-cap wines on the other hand offer the easy balance of convenience and sophistication.
End of the story you might say, sadly not; the screwcap debate is the most convoluted and contentious subject in the wine industry. The truth is that with everyday wine and everyday corks you can expect between 4 and 5 bottles in every hundred to be affected by cork failures, if the same was true of pints of milk there would be a national uproar. The manufactured precision of the stelvin closure may save us a few quid in the long run, but just like disposable bbq’s they are not recycled, they also create carbon in their manufacture. The existence of screwcaps may even jeopardise the maintenance of 2.7 million hectares of carbon reducing, European cork forests and the 63,000 jobs they support. Screwcaps better preserve the wine, but a wines ability to age and mellow under cork is very important also. And on it goes….
Honestly, aren’t there too many little things to remember? and so often it is the most important thing that is lost completely; the enjoyment. It is however easy to exercise our conscience at the same time as having fun. Why not have a quality, non disposable Bbq and rather than the meleé of miserable value meat opt for the finer, happier alternatives. Once the banquet is assembled; meat, veggie kebabs, salads and dips, the wine has to be fun, versatile and fruity. Rosé’s are crowd pleasers and always thirst quenching, with fruit a plenty and hopefully a dryness that offsets the food. My wine for the month is the Organic, Camino Los Robles Tempranillo Rosado, a great fun wine, with great structure and a snip at £4.59.
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