February 22nd, 2010
Twenty five years ago, the wine world was a very different place. For one thing, almost all the wine sold in Ireland came from Europe. The per capita consumption here was about three litres per year (as opposed to eighteen litres nowadays) and most of that consisted of Liebfraumilch and Sherry!
That same year there were two wine scandals, one Italian and one Austrian, but only one of them rocked the wine world. The one that did was of Austrian origin.
Late in 1985, news broke that some Austrian wine producers were ‘adulterating’ their wines with the chemical diethylene glycol. This was done in order to sweeten the wines artificially. This practice was completely illegal but it’s worth noting that nobody died, and, in fact, I believe that nobody even became sick as a result. The news broke late in 1985, too late to have any effect on export sales of that year but the following year, exports fell by 90%! The Austrian wine industry was given a serious body blow.
Also, in 1985, there was another wine scandal, this time in Italy. This too, involved adulterating the wine but in a much more serious way. Twenty two people died but as the wine involved was not exported, it was only news in Italy. All twenty two were Italians. It was a mere blip for the Italian wine industry which has gone from strength to strength since.
Austria, however, has had to radically restructure the wine industry and, I’m delighted to say, it has really paid off.
Prior to the 1985 scandal, Austria concentrated on producing cheap and cheerful, semi-sweet wine for glugging. Does the name ‘Hirondelle’ ring any bells with anyone? Now, we are seeing some really top class, characterful and complex wines on our shop shelves with the tag of ‘Austria’ on the label.
However, I do have a complaint and that is that there are all too few of the wines available in Ireland. What we have are good but I’d like more of them. For example the wines of Weingut (wine estate) Allram and those of the renowned Willi Brundlmayer are missing. I should say that the latter’s wines were brought in up to a few years ago by Liam Cabot and there may be a few bottles left if you check his website (www.cabotandco.ie).
Also worth noting are the wines of Birgit Eichinger and Schloss Gobelsberg both available through The Wicklow Wine Company which distributes them to various good wine shops in the Dublin area. Both of these estates make a number of excellent dry whites from various grape varieties but it’s the duo of Riesling and Gruner Veltliner (Austria’s own) that will restore your faith in Austrian wine.
Lovely Gruner Veltliner (rich and exotic) is also available in The Corkscrew wine shop on Chatham st, off Grafton st, from the producer Hirsch which is definitely worth checking out.
Another source of lovely Gruners and Rieslings is Searson’s wine shop on Monkstown Cresent who were one of the first to support Austrian wines after the scandal. The shop sells the wines of Domane Wachau. This producer is from the Wachau which is considered to be the best region for dry white wines.
Remember: The wine world has a lot more to offer that overoaked, mass-produced chilean chardonnay. Explore!
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February 14th, 2010
As I sit down here to begin this piece, a faithful companion resides beside me, namely, a glass of well made and not too expensive, red burgundy. More specifically, it’s a glass of St. Aubin Premier Cru from the terrific 2005 vintage, fairly priced at about 20 euros. It has a good depth of fruit, is reasonably complex and is well-balanced in terms of alcohol, acidity and tannin.
But could this wine taste better, I wonder? Perhaps in the company of food? After all, isn’t that the true position of wine, to partner food? Actually, I no longer wonder about this question as I’ve spent enough time with it. The conclusion that I’ve reached is that ‘Good wine doesn’t get better with the ‘Right’ Food’. The ’Right Food’ for good wine is ‘No Food’. Of course, if the wine being consumed is not particularly good, and by this I mean lacking something essential character (or too much of another), then to partner it with food is probably the kindest thing to be done, other than not drinking it at all, that is.
I’ve often had the taste of good food improve due to being had with good wine but, with only one or two exceptions, I feel the reverse is not the case. To do justice to good wine, drink it by itself. Slowly.
For those that think otherwise I ask, what is missing from the wine that is supplied by the food. Having asked this questions of others in the past, the most common answer I receive is that the effect of the tannin element in red wines is lessened by the food. This is true. Chemically, tannin molecules from wine bond with the protein molecules in food and thereby reduce the sensation in the wine. For those who have a problem with sensing tannin in wine, perhaps food matching is the answer. For me, in general, I don’t find a bit of tannin sticking out of the wine to be a negative aspect. The flavours of the wine are what is important.
Having wine with food is like watching television while having sex. Both pastimes suffer from giving neither your full attention. You must ask yourself; “What is missing from one that I must suppliment it by adding the other element?” As far as good wine is concerned, it must be able to stand alone or else it’s not ‘good’ enough!
For instance, how do you enjoy a mature, quality red bordeaux wine when it’s in the process of being assaulted by a mouthful of prime fillet in your mouth? The taste of the beef may well be improved by the wine but how could the complex wine flavours be improved?
However, there are certain classic food matches for wine such as: Goat’s cheese (especially Crottin de Chavignon) with Sancerre, pork with Fleurie, Roquefort cheese with Sauternes or even Foie Gras (wonderfully politically incorrect) with Sauternes.
Perhaps most suitably, Doner Kebab (with all the sauces available) with inexpensive Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon where the strong garlic sauce and melted fat from the kebab neutralise the equally powerful, shoe polish esters of the wine. I have to admit right now, that I have never tried this combination and as there is a limit to the extent that I am prepared to suffer, I shall have to remain satisfied that the theory works here.
The reason that these combinations (with the exception of the latter example) work so well is because a range of ‘new’ flavours have been created by the ‘marriage’. The wine isn’t tasted on its own, nor is the food. What has happened is that a hybrid range of flavours has been created (which I rarely think of as an improvement) and so, diners think of this as an improvement. It is simple: if I want a glass of wine then I’m predisposed to the taste of (good) wine not food, if I’m hungry then I looking for food.Life isn’t possible without wine. At least, not for me.
I think that the idea of having food with wine has really developed out the necessity of having some sort of drink with a meal. Water being too insubstantial, beer being too unsophisticated what’s left is only wine seems to fit the bill. More often than not, as far as good wine concerned, justice isn’t done. My advice is to choose your wine carefully and drink it before your meal and afterwards. During the meal, try drinking water at room temperature.
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November 10th, 2009
I like the traditional style of Rioja. It’s quite difficult to find nowadays because Rioja, like so many other wines, has succumed to the ‘international’ style of winemaking. What do I mean by ‘international’ in style? Well, concisely put, it means wines with a heavy use of new oak and high alcohol. For me, this means too much oak and too much alcohol. The first time that I noticed a Rioja with more than 12.5% alcohol was back in 1996. Up until then, all Rioja that crossed my path didn’t stray upward of that figure. Now, I would be hard put to find even one that was less than 13%.
Since then, it’s become apparent to me that there is a very definite and conscious move by wine producers to increase the alcohol in wine right up to whatever it can (and sometimes can’t) take. No longer is alcohol just one element or characteristic supporting and balancing a wine but it seems to be the driver directing the wine down the wine drinker’s throat with the foot on the accelerator.
For me, and I mean from a personal point of view, many wines have too much alcohol. By this I mean that the amount of alcohol in these wines is such as to detract from my enjoyment of the wine. I recognise this by the alcohol burn at the back of my throat and if it’s too much, it spoils the enjoyment of a wine for me. If the alcohol dominates the wine, then it’s too much. Simple.
I don’t have a particular alcohol abv (alcohol by volume) that’s acceptable because for me, it’s not about the particular strength but how well the alcohol is balanced in the wine. For example, many Barolos have an abv of 14% and, in general, balance the wine very well whereas many wines made from the Barbera grape variety from the same region of Piedmont in Italy seem to have up to 14.5% but don’t have the substance in the wine to have adequate balance at all. These wines would be better served with 13%.
So why are wines being produced with this level of alcohol? Well, the reason seems to be very simple: wine producers are giving the consumers what they want. According to wine producers that I’ve spoken to on the subject, this is what consumers are demanding.
The rise in alcohol levels has been particularly marked in wines from the New World, and from what I’ve noticed myself, the country in the forefront in this is Australia. More than any other country, Australia is in tune with the ‘likes and wants’ of the wine drinker or, at least, the ‘likes of wants’ of a particular brand of wine drinker.
Now, don’t think that I have it in for Australia. It is simply that it is usually the first to react to consumer demands and it does seem to be maximising the alcohol in many of its wines, particularly the mainstay, Shiraz, which represents almost 30% of Australian vineyards. It’s not unusual to see wine from this grape labelled with 15% abv. This alcohol level in a standard bottle equates to eleven and a quarter units of alcohol. (This latter fact is just for those of you who are concerned about your liver.)
Much of the rest of the world has followed suit. It is particularly noticeable in those regions whose wines had, in the not too distant past, balanced alcohol levels such as, Tuscany in Italy, Rioja in Spain and the Languedoc in Southern France. Also, much to my disappointment, among some of the less refined wine producers in Burgundy where the former standards of ‘elegance and terroir’ have been replaced by the bywords of ‘power and oak’. The ‘international’ style raises it head again.
The style of winemaking is enabled by the inequitable system of tax on alcohol here. The excise duty, which is how the government taxes alcohol, on a bottle of wine in Ireland is 2.47 euros. This is regardless of where the wine is produced and it covers all (non-sparkling) wines up to an alcohol level of 15%abv. Any wine that has an alcohol of 7.5% (there’s not many but they do exist) attacts the same tax, even though the wine has only half the alcohol present. If you think that this example is a little extreme because there aren’t many wines with that low level of alcohol about what about wines with 12, 12.5 or 13% ? Do you think that these wines should subsidise the 14, 14.5 or 15% bruisers? If customs and excise duty is about taxing alcohol why isn’t there a fairer system in place for wine. After all, such a system exists for beer. The higher the alcohol present in beer, the more excise duty it attacts. The rate increases with each percentage point the alcohol goes up by, so a beer with 6% abv is liable to more duty than one with only 5%. As it should be.
If the government wants to be more equitable, then it should implement a similar system for wine as it does for beer.
Balanced alcohol wine to try: Rioja Gran Reserva 1994, Bodegas Franco Espanol, 12.5% abv. (Deveney’s Off Licence, Dundrum village, 29.99 Euro). Great wine, great vintage.
Imbalanced alcohol wine to avoid: Tesco’s Finest Chenin Blanc (Ken Forrester), 14% abv. (Tesco’s, 8.99 Euro).
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September 21st, 2009
Ever get the feeling that you’re paying too much when you indulge in a bottle of wine with your meal in a restaurant? I used to but not any more. The reason for the change is that, whenever possible, I bring my own wine along with me. What does it cost? Well, sometimes nothing and sometimes as much as 25 euros per bottle. That seems a lot to some of you, I’m sure but, if you’re going to an upmarket restaurant, 25 euros is about what that restaurant is going to make on a bottle of wine that they sell at 40 euros. And what’s more, I don’t think anybody should begrude them it. They have overheads in the form or wages, lighting and heating, insurance etc and it’s quite right that they should get a return (or ‘corkage’, as it’s called) on wine drunk on the premises. For most restaurants, the sale of alcohol is responsible for about 50% of the profits.
What I don’t like is the arbitary mark up restaurants charge on the wine which is for the most part the same or very close to the mark up on the food they sell. The expensive restaurants may make as much as 25 euros profit on a bottle of 40 euro wine but the same percentage mark up will apply to all the wines on their wine list. In other words, a bottle of house wine may cost 8 euros and be sold for 25 euros and a bottle of Chablis Premier Cru would probably cost the restaurant 23 euros and be sold for 65 euros. 42 euros profit is too much for me to pay, sorry!
There’s a lot more preparation with the food than there is with the wine. The ingredients for the food come in their raw form then go through some type of creative process (hopefully) with the cooks in the kitchen before being plated up and served to the customer. Wine, on the other hand, comes complete needing nothing but to be taken out of the case it was delivered in, placed onto a shelve or placed in a fridge if it’s white wine for a time before being served to the customer. There’s a lot more preparation with the food that with the wine and yet restaurants make as much profit from wine as food. Or, at least, they used to before the recession. Now, it seems, restaurants are selling much less wine than 18 months ago. Maybe it’s time for them to look at their pricing?
Corkage, for me, is the only way to go. Being a wine geek, I like to drink a good wine at an occasion (by the way, dining out is an ‘occasion’ for me!) so I tend to bring pretty good wine which would cost me , on average, say 50 euros (but it could be more). If I was to buy a similar wine from a restaurant wine list, I would expect it to cost approximately 110 euros, perhaps more. Adding the assumed corkage of 25 euros on to the wine cost, the bottle consumed in the restaurant would cost me 75 euros in total. That’s a saving of 35 euros (110 – 75). That works out fine for me and I’ve paid the restaurant a fair price for serving the wine to me.
It’a always worth checking with the restaurant before the reservation is made to see if they’ll allow you to bring your own wine in and, if so, how much is the corkage. Don’t be shy about it, you’ve nothing to lose!
Tags: corkage, restaurants, wine service
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August 31st, 2009
To get the most ‘wine bang’ for your wine buck, it’s worth looking at the amount that the actual producer of the wine gets. This usually is a much better indicator of the true or intrinsic value of the wine rather that the retail price which includes taxes, transport etc.
Ireland’s tax regime is such that whatever pleasure is available for purchase, the consumer is going to end up paying a sizeable chunk over to the Revenue Commissioners. With wine, we have to be particularly careful because with the cost of transport, profit margins taken by the wholesaler and retailer along with the high Irish customs duty and value added tax, the actual cost of the wine from the producer is a relatively small amount of the retail price.
Let me give you an example to illustrate the point:
Wine One: Standard bottle* retailing at 9.99 euros.
Here is a breakdown of that price:
Value Added Tax (21.5%) 1.77
Customs Duty 2.47
Profit margin (wholesaler) 1.15
Profit margin (Retailer) 2.47
Transport 0.30
Total costs 8.16
Subtract this from the retail price and you can see that the total cost of the actual wine (i.e. paid to the producer) is only 1.83 Euros.
Wine Two: Standard bottle* retailing at 19.99 euros.
Here is the breakdown of that price:
Value added Tax (21.5%) 3.54
Customs duty 2.47
Profit margin (wholesaler) 2.30
Profit margin (retailer) 4.94
Transport 0.30
Total costs 13.55
(*standard bottle of non-sparkling/fortified wine as these styles attract a much higher tax than amount shown)
From this you can see that the price paid to the wine producer is 6.44 (19.99 minus 13.55) euros.
If you compare the two wine costs (that is, the price paid to the producer), the more expensive wine gives much better value than if 2 bottles of the cheaper wine were purchased. In fact, if you buy the wine for 19.99 you get 3.5 times the ‘wine value’ of a 9.99 bottle. So what are you waiting for?
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August 13th, 2009
Of all the well known white grapes, Chardonnay is the grape that is most ubiquitous. It’s pretty much planted in every major and (minor wine) producing country worldwide, from England to China. Of course, this makes it sound like it’s the MacDonald’s of grapes and, for some wine producers, that’s just what it is. But the principal reason for its widespread planting, is its ability to adapt to whichever environment it encounters.
In South America, the wonderful wine producer of Catena Zapata of Mendoza in Argentina produces the continent’s best white wine (Catena Alta Chardonnay) from a vineyard that is almost a mile (1,500m) above sea level.
In Australia, where the climate is much warmer, even hotter that it is in most Chardonnay growing regions in Europe, some lovely Chardonnays are produced in Western Australia (Leewin’s Art Series Chardonnay and Pierro’s Chardonnay, both hail from Margaret River), Adelaide Hills in South Australia (the less pricy Petaluma is worth checking out) and in The Mornington Peninsula in Victoria as well as The Hunter Valley in New South Wales.
Rightly so in California, it is regarded as the top quality white grape bar none and all the best Californian whites are made using it. Sonoma Valley, in particular, has taken it to its womb but there are fine examples of it throughout the northern half of California. This is in spite of many lesser producers ’slam dunking’ it with new oak like it’s going out of fashion. Buyer beware!
Within Europe, both Spain and Italy produce some interesting wines from Chardonnay but the ‘killer wines’ using this grape come from France. Here it can excel in two regions, Champagne and Burgundy.
In Champagne, three grapes are used to make the wonderful fizz but only one is white and it’s Chardonnay. It makes about 30% of all champagne and is the sole grape used to make the very dry, elegant, mineral style of Champagne that is labelled ‘Blanc de Blancs’, meaning ‘white wine from white grapes’.
It is really in Burgundy that Chardonnay reaches it zenith. The most famous wines of the region (Chablis, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet blanc) all show the potential of Chardonnay when married with their limestone soils.
This, ultimately, is what great wine is about: the taste of the individual location (the French call this ‘Terroir’). No other white grape communicates this to the drinker like Chardonnay. And if you want to taste the great soils, it doesn’t come cheap! For the French, a grape is not an end unto itself (as it often is in the New World), it’s about communicating the individuality of the location to the drinker. Great soils give great wines (in the hands of the right producer), ordinary soils give ordinary wines.
Just as the right actor with the right part gives a great performance, so it is with Chardonnay and the right soil.
The Riesling grape has sometimes being considered as the best of the white varieties. It can, and does, in the right hands make strongly characterful, minerally wines. The problem for me is that Riesling is just a bit to full of itself. It’s all about being ‘Riesling’ and any relationship it has with the soil falls into second place. When I taste a wine made from this grape, the first thing I notice is the Riesling character. This isn’t true of the best wines from Chardonnay. The first thing I notice is the mineral character from the soil, which is the way it should be.
In short, Riesling is the ‘Mel Gibson’ of white grapes whereas Chardonnay is the ‘Meryl Streep’.
Tags: Chardonnay
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