BRAMBLES: Chasing Greatness...

Beginnings of greatness on Sonoma Mountain AVA

Flowering grapevines now blanket the North Coast vineyard landscape, a fresh start with the annual anticipation of a great harvest bathed in warmer degree days later in the volatile growing season. Comparatively, it is not unlike the national pass time, where groomed conditions awaken in the early spring, in preparation for the long developing run into, hopefully, the post season and a chance for ever-elusive renown. Greatness should, after-all, be elusive, served only to the most resilient, the strongest, and the very best.

Prized Riesling vineyards of Johannisberg, Rheingau

For most wine consumers greatness is ever elusive, as the overwhelming majority of consumers sponge low price point wines consistently produced by large industrial complexes where accountants or shareholders may carry more influence than contracted growers or accomplished winemakers. Those that casually quaff the best of global wines, also find greatness as rare as fine vintages or perfect growing conditions for the most esteemed estates.  Additionally, something as personal as wine has always had the handicap of being subjective: what's good to me may be swill to you.

Part of what makes wine so socially enjoyable is the constant quest to discover a lasting memory that can be shared. Imagine a wine that you can have a conversation with, a goblet that for that instant becomes so much more than just a social beverage. When we find a wine that speaks to us, that opens its soul so that we have a relationship with it, that can be a moment to remember.  There are certainly wines that have all the bells and whistles, all the shining varietal characteristics delivered in balance across almost all price points.  But, a wine that can transport you to a place, to a surprising memory, or for a brief moment to display a story of its unique path is a very special wine that may be on the cusp of greatness.  It can be authentic, an honest expression.

Terraced Syrah vineyards of Cote Rotie

Authenticity is not common to all wines, in spite of what may give us the appearance of vintage consistency. A harmony of the nurtured vine, its true fruit expression in concert with its place and environment, where its 'whole' is more that the total of its parts is then so much closer to authentic. Even as it may appear to most as too esoteric, when found in the glass authentic wines tend to stand out.  For many wine lovers' it becomes their 'ah-ha' moment.  These then are 'honest' wines, a liquid story of a time and a place and careful nurturing that allows them to approach greatness.  Routinely, this is more difficult with the dilution of multiple vineyard sources, where the singular focus becomes prismatic.  Talented winemakers then can then take numerous instruments to compose very unique, yet still authentic, liquid compositions.

It is those rare, innate attributes that are the reasons wine lovers continue to search for greatness.  In that moment when the bottle is pulled from the shelf or ordered off a well-tailored wine list can be filled with the weight of mystery, but buoyed with the yearning to find greatness.  Historically there are prized vineyards or estates that routinely get to the post season for wine lovers because they define, because they know who they are. How fortunate are then are those chasing greatness when its expression can be surprisingly found in the unexpected.  It's even richer when it is a consumer value.

Salute!

BRAMBLES: April AllReady in Central Europe!

IT is spring and perhaps more than ever my personal vision of the world of wine seems a little out of focus. Maybe it is just the time invested or the true nature of cycles, or even the lack of personal critical success, but it does give one pause to reflect. By the way, above is a photo of the old vineyards in Hungary's Soproni Borvidek. It sits in the border foothills of the Alps in the southeastern region of neighboring Austria.  As early as the XIV century, this former Roman colony was classified as the most important wine region in Hungary. Talk about wine history!  Its old soils have seen the shift in empires, numerous wars and an Eastern Block trade restriction, yet today there is the new promise of a wine renaissance here as investment and more international markets expand opportunity. In 2004 Hungary was admitted to the European Union and its spectrum of wine-lovin' customers. Current results here display hundreds of these unique vineyards increasingly planted to 'international varieties'. And to perhaps anchor its history, Hungary also produces the botrytized amber nectar, Tokaji.

Mechanical harvesting in lower region Hungary

Perhaps our vision of the wine world becomes clearer if we continue to step back, away from the consuming game that is the contemporary wine business. On those northern shores of misty Lake Neusiedler in neighboring Austria, the vine has also been cultivated for thousands of years, and survived across many a regional cataclysm. Today, the principal grape variety is Grüner Veltliner, which finds itself in classification systems defined by its regions, not nationality. Following the creation of the important Austrian Wine Marketing Board in 1986 and its admission into the EU in 1995, the Austrian wine industry has continued to produce some of the greatest wines in its long viticultural history.  Its evolving regulatory system assures consumers of high standards in quality(red/white bandolier capsule) and regional typicity for each varietal, and this former home of reform philosopher Rudolf Steiner continues to be among international leaders in vineyard sustainability, organic and bio-dynamic practices.  From disaster to contemporary eco-poster child, Austria has created a model of what is possible in the contemporary international wine marketplace.

Wine Folly graphics(nice!)

Heading northwest to focus on the current commerce engine of the EU with its diverse economy, neighboring Germany shares a lot of the same central European culture. This is white wine country, increasingly dominated by the noble Riesling grape, a native varietal which has hardily adapted to its northern climactic extreme vineyards.  Just as in the time of the Romans, here it is about a vineyards proximity to the river. A historically challenging landscape, the river valleys are dominated by many small hand-working growers. The vine has followed the rivers moderating influences along the mighty Rhine, and the Mosel, above the Elbe, the Saale and the Unstrut in the southeast. Its sweet fruit is harvested late in the grape season, sometimes a berry at a time;  the vines make it thru brutal winters and awaken annually with bud break again in the spring.

Hardly anything says spring quite like acid-driven Riesling, which is found in each of these three countries. Its greatest heights surely are found in Germany, but most of what is produced is from the broad category labeled Landwein, or ubiquitous table wines.  The best of the varietal most often come from a specific place.  Upper tiers of the German Wine Law offer first pick, mostly dry Kabinett; fuller, off-dry Spatlese; and textured, sweeter Auslese. Even with their confusing labels and language, the industry has advanced to simpler, user-friendly label declarations(trocken=dry) and friendly consumer symbols displayed. It is just another example of Old World producers staying true to their nature, yet acknowledging growing consumer trends, such as food & wine pairings.

Replanted vineyards above the Mosel in Zell

Again we ask ourselves why would a wine educator continue to spend time & resources to do this month after month.  There is little independent financial gain in its present form and I am not motivated to be the family 'wine expert'. Revived, it remains these new stories like those coming out of central Europe, seeped in history and turmoil. Step back, and you can see that wine history is our shared history.  It is the continued exploration and non-stop development of an agrarian life, the search for a unique expression of site, and stories that in ways define what it is to be human.  Wine Educators often times then become the oracle of this truth found in the cultivation of the vine.  Each of these countries with their common wine roots and independent cultures has grown, evolved with the ever-expanding international marketplace. And, even in a world filled with turbulence and strife, wine itself can be for many of us a return of focus.  It is all ready happening, for in wine there will always be truth.

In Vino Veritas & Cheers!

Vine renewal

Wine Links:
http://www.austrianwine.com/
http://www.winesofgermany.co.uk/
http://www.abouthungarianwine.com/

BRAMBLES: What to Drink Next?

As the tasting glass was returned to the bar, he sheepishly looked up and offered that he really likes wine, but was unable to talk about it. "I am not a poet", he declared.  We should not be required to be lyrical in order to enjoy a glass of wine, yet, the marketing focus increasingly seems to be that wine consumers should to be able to confidently offer some quippy 'wine-speak' to demonstrate their prowess as knowledgeable wine lovers. Has wine loving reached the point in its luxury consumerism that we only pronounce enjoyment in our glass of syrah that 'offers 'mulled juniper berries and damp forest floor'?

Throughout its long history wine has been a social beverage, a libation to be shared and enjoyed responsibly.  As a luxury commodity however, premium wine has earned(paid for) its long and increasingly marketed history, evolved from booze for the privileged to a fine gentleman's refreshment, to a liquid symbol that segregates the proletariat.  On one hand it is evelage(rising or development) for such a pleasure as wine, something that was felt as strongly as poetry in a bottle  to be described in a lexicon of poignantly beautiful terms.  But at its core, wine is about the delicious, individual discovery to be found in a every glass.

Austria's Heuriger wine tavern

Brilliant color, perhaps found no where else in nature, combined with the symphony of aromas that lift from the glass only begin to introduce wines' charms.  That tactile dance in your mouth, the complexity of its delicious liquid personality, and lingering aftertaste warmed on the palate to enhance its unique memory combine to make our individual relationship with wine something quite special.  Genetic variations in individual taste perceptions mixed with our unique food histories result in no two of us having the very same taste perceptions, meaning that the wine party in your mouth and brain are yours alone!  All the more reason to share the pleasure of the experience, and raise a glass(or two).
  

Glossy industry magazines flush with premium brand advertising, those lifestyle features promoting a particular glamour label, combined with the omnipresent shelf talkers of retail displays commingle to find us swimming in a remontage(pump-over) of marketplace enhancement that seduces wine consumers without yield. Reach for a bottle off a retail shelf, and collect a wine-speak catch phrase in the bargain.  Even as the overwhelming volume of wine we consumers regularly drink is below the premium categories, our expedition into higher priced bottles finds us within a torrent of testimonials and inherited greater responsibilities to speak of wine knowledgeably. And, for novice premium wine consumers a little sense for wine will reward beyond the pocketbook and into the unique qualities to be found in every glass.


"The joy is in the journey"' certainly applies to wine with its individual and emotional connection to our sense of pleasure. So then it may be most important for wine lovin' consumers just to venture forth, to continue to explore different labels, regions beyond the norm.  In doing so they will begin to absorb wine knowledge in the most pleasurable way, one glass at a time, no matter how they can describe it. Now, what to drink next?

Salute'

Tasting Values:
Piero Mancini 2014 Vermentino Di Gallura 2014; yellow-green hue, citrus and mineral aromas, with moderate acidity leads notes of yellow apple, stone fruit and a kiss of bitter almond; and dances with white fish or light dishes! (could not help myself)

GERMANY to AUSTRIA: Quality, Value & Standardization

Paired with a wonderful meal of squash with prawns soup, and sauteed skate wing with oyster mushrooms, soy and ginger, our bottles of a recent vintage Mosel Riesling added harmony and contrasts to the feast. The dry Kabinett was tart and austere, adding just the right sharp counterpoint to our creamy textured soup. And the off-dry Spatlese had richly textured stone fruit layers lifted by its bracing acidity as a rich foil for the exotic, earthy flavors of the fish dish.  Best of all, both wines were approved by their governments testing panels, had specific details about their content on the tall green bottles, and were less than $17 each from a local wine shop.  As I continue to prepare for an upcoming Wine Educators exam, this seemed like the perfect time to explore what is unique about the terrific, quality wine values from Germany and Austria.

Both countries have strict controls on place of origin, regulating every tier of production.  The majority of these wines fall into the QbA or Qualitatswein designation or the even higher Qmp(Pradikat) demarcation.  These wines are labeled by the weight or content of sugar at harvest, so expect to find wines labeled Kabinett to be dry.  Late harvested grapes or Spatlese, and even those late, hand selected grapes in an Auslese, usually will be off-dry to slightly sweet, but balanced with good acidity to make them clean, textured, and food friendly.

Germany's wine lands make up its southwestern borders along the Rhine, where the wine growing regions of Austria run like a backward 'C', following the Danube across its southeastern territories surrounding Vienna. Riesling is royal in both countries, with the indigenous Gruner Veltliner only becoming regal in Austria. With their wine regions flanking the Alps, sitting below 50 and 47 degrees North latitude, and both nations produce 'stickies' from late harvest and botrytized grapes in their highest noted quality levels, the Pradikatswein. The important moderating effect of waters from these great, winding rivers contribute to successful grape growing in these cool regions.

Wine labels from both white wine giants will contain the name of the producer or bottler, usually in the largest type. In smaller type, the wines vintage date(year of harvest) and its single grape variety will also be noted. Proprietary names, like "Liebfraumilch", are typically blends of one grape from different vineyards.  But higher quality wines will note the village name(usually ending in 'er') as well as a vineyard name in conspicuous type.  In addition to listing its wine growing region, these wines prominently display their quality classification levels and their level of ripeness at harvest.  Wines labeled 'trocken' or 'halbdrocken' will be dry or half-dry, respectively.

 With their regulated QbA and higher QmP small production wines tested for authenticity and quality, it seems remarkable that they can be found a value.  Yet, these terrific wines have in recent years become quite standardized in spite of the cool regions where they are produced, and remain one of the wine worlds wonders. We consumers can find their consistent qualities at a reasonable price at our local wine merchants, if only we speak a little German!

Prost!!