Everyday drinkers

Wine of the moment

What do you drink wine wise with your weekday bowl of pasta that won't break the bank and will still be drinkable ? Good question, and one which depending on who you ask will cost you upwards of £7-10 per bottle (outside of special offers). If you want to spend only a fiver what sort of choice do you have ? If you have no wine specialists nearby and you can't or don't want to travel and have only a large supermarket within reach, what then ?

My solution is to scrutinise the labels very carefully for information about where the liquid comes from and who might have made it with which grape varieties, and using the moderate wine knowledge at my disposal, make an educated guess as to what it might taste like. I then take the plunge and buy a bottle (only one) and taste, preparing, more often than not, to be disappointed.

One recent find, which did not disappoint, is a Garnacha made by Bodegas Borsao from Campo de Borja in Spain sold by a local supermarket as Gran Tesoro for the princely sum of £4.49. Now of course if you are a Bordeaux blend or Pinot Noir purist you might not want to be seen dead drinking Garnacha/Grenache. It is however a grape that is at the heart of many excellent wines from Priorat to the Rhône valley and one which I appreciate having drunk my fill, over the years, of Vacqeyras, Gigondas, Signargues etc.

This particular wine shows red fruit on the nose, with sometimes, depending on the batch, a more complex earthy character. There is good acidity and the alcohol content of 13.5% is well integrated. It is wine which is meant to be drunk with food. In this household it is inevitably consumed with pasta and a simple tomato and olive oil sauce (includes garlic and any herbs available in the kitchen) or a homemade pizza with olives and mozzarella. It has become our everyday drinker and until we find something else will do very nicely.

Bodegas Borsao http://www.bodegasborsao.com/en/index.html

Terroir Musings

Left bank Bordeaux- terroir by design ?

I have been reading Jean-Robert Pitte's book Bordeaux Bourgogne - Les passions rivales and have found some interesting ideas on terroir (as the French would have it).

Far from being something eminently mysterious and bound in with geology, geography, climate and a little sorcery by the winemaker thrown in, the author posits that terroir is in fact a fiction, albeit a very plausible one, created over the centuries by the vineyard owners of France, in particular those of Bordeaux and Burgundy. He uses some striking analogies to make his point: would the brilliant virtuoso violinist point to the wood of his Stradivarius to explain his performance, or the sculptor explain his work of art as the product of the pure Carrara marble he is sculpting ? Likewise the sage old owner of a premier grand cru or a classed first growth will point to his vines and argue that outside of this place no great wine can be made. This is the false modesty of the winemaker assuring us that he is responsible for only 10% of the wine's standout qualities.

The predominance of Pinot Noir in Burgundy - down to Philippe le Hardi and his dislike of Gamay (decree of 31 July 1395) happened more or less by chance, yet the bourguignons will swear that great wine can only be made from the former grape, which can be quite temperamental if not cultivated in the right way. This temperamental nature is both a good (in the right hands) and a bad thing : after all a bad Bourgogne rouge can be very bad indeed, overcropped as the vines producing the grapes going into it might be, on a very bad stretch of land. Perhaps Gamay is not so bad after all. If you are familiar with the better winemakers in the Beaujolais and elsewhere you would be tempted to think so. A well made Beaujolais is a fine drink and will keep too. The stars of the show, all other things being equal, are the vine growers and wine makers aided and abetted by a large number of wine professionals and wine connoisseurs who have a vested interest in ensuring that Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne (there are other wine regions of similar standing) continue to be identified with high value, high quality wines.

The notions of terroir and appellation, supposedly guardians of quality (and this is true to some extent - preventing the mixing of wine from Algeria or the southern Rhone with passtoutgrain to produce Burgundy) have been used as a means of of increasing and preserving the value of land on which certain vines stand. Many restrictive practices have contributed to this in the past ensuring for example that the wines of Bordeaux and not Cahors reached the markets of northern Europe. Now appellation rules and prohibition of planting in the EU perpetuate the status quo. Since phylloxera many potentially great wine regions have been lost and unless they are still within appellation boundaries will remain so forever.

Happily English wine now has the opportunity to rival these so called great terroirs 'touched by the Gods'. Our Montrachet or DRC is somewhere to be found and will be made one day by an exceptional winemaker. The lack of restriction on grape plantations is a great freedom currently enjoyed here and should be used to the full. Alas, knowing the EU's propensity for regulation it may be restricted in future, so gather ye rosebuds while ye may. There is a unique opportunity for English growers and winemakers to create a rival to the great wine regions.

Recently planted English vineyard

Of course terroir in England is all about nosing out a good site, where grapes will ripen consistently without being wiped out by frost or rotted by fungus, not some old bit of field not used for anything else. Naturally if you are into sparkling wine then of course cuttingly acidic grapes are to be praised and sought out, but the fruit must still be good. Is it possible to produce a great wine on a useless site ? Maybe once in a blue moon but not consistently.

My view of terroir is that you must first and foremost find a good winemaker in tune with his land (he knows it like the back of his hand), his vines, the weather, on a good site, and you will have a chance of finding a good if not great wine. The label on the bottle will give you an idea of what to expect but is no guarantee of a great wine experience. There is no substitute for curiosity and meeting the winemaker.

Drinking less and better and the 250ml wine serving

There has been discussion recently over how much alcohol we should consume. A committee of MP's has recommended that we should have at least two 'dry' days each week to allow us to recover from the days when we have been binge drinking to reach our weekly allowance for intake of alcohol - defined in this country by the number of 'units' (the unit being 10ml of pure alcohol) drunk. Men, it is advised, should take in no more than 21 units per week. For women the figure is 14. These figures are believed to be the threshold beyond which damage to health may occur. It is of course ironic that MP's should be advising everyone else on alcohol consumption considering the large number of subsidised watering holes at which they can potentially drink in and around the Houses of Parliament. They do seem to have a point about excessive drinking. A look at volumes drunk in this country over the years shows a steady increase, and there has been a well-documented increase in the number of people - especially young people, treated for illnesses associated with excessive drinking, not to mention the Saturday night carnage in town centres. We should all perhaps be more careful about our alcohol intake and consider drinking a bit less and, as far as wine drinkers are concerned, better or more interesting and out of the way - or even more local (i.e. English Wine - try The Wine Pantry near Borough Market http://www.winepantry.co.uk/home.php).

This reflection led me to consider the way wine is sold in pubs and restaurants and to wonder at the 250ml wineglass, filled almost to the brim, which passes for a 'glass of wine'. To my mind this innocuous 'glass of wine' is an aberration, containing, as it does, one third of a bottle of wine, and if the wine contains 13% alcohol, amounting to 3.25 precious units ! One glass like this and you are very likely over your daily allowance; have two or three and you are waaay over...Not forgetting that the glass itself looks like a goldfish bowl (perhaps the next serving measure for plonk enthusiasts). Even in traditionally wine producing and drinking countries such as France this sort of measure is more often than not shared by two people, or consumed by one over the course of a whole meal. This 'glass of wine' even comes close to the once accepted (perhaps different now in Sarkozia) French daily wine ration of around 300ml for a man. Granted, in those antediluvian times, wines often contained no more than 8-10% alcohol. Still,  we Brits seem to have gone to extremes to catch up with our Gallic neighbours. In my view servings ought to be much smaller than 250ml and not gulped down to make room for the next glass.

Better the glass half full ?

A recent change to legislation allowing the dispensing of 'smaller' measures of less than 125ml ought to help, as do wine dispensers (see www.by-the-glass.co.uk/) which allow wine to keep for two weeks or more after opening. There is now no need to rush to finish an opened bottle, and you can use a large glass only partly filled which will allow you to better taste the wine (give it a good swirl to get air into it !). All in all drinking wine should be an enjoyable experience combining the stimulation of all the senses and the awakening of curiosity about the culture of how and where it was made and the story of those making it. It is also very much the accompaniment of food, unless drunk as an apéritif. So don't forget to order some food with your wine. It will enhance your enjoyment.

Beaujolais naturellement

View from around Vauxrenard

I have not in recent times posted very much on one of the themes of this blog, that is, wine. So to make amends I will be writing briefly from time to time on some producers I know and value, or putting down a few words on wines I have been drinking. Here is the first wine-themed post.

One of my favourite producers is Domaine des Côtes de la Molière, owned by Isabelle and Bruno Perraud who farm 8.5 hectares in and around Vauxrenard, high up in the Beaujolais hills with a marvellous view over the valley of the Saône. Isabelle and Bruno are true pioneers. They were among the first to return to organic viticulture in the area and are truly passionate about this, despite its relentless backbreaking slog.

Their commitment to natural winemaking techniques (sometimes it is difficult to detect much free SO2 in their wines !) is exemplary. They are nothing if not tenacious and full of passion for their profession.Their commitment to their terroir is also bordering on the fanatic even though they have been hard hit by hail these past years and when you first drive up to Vauxrenard (especially in fog) you wonder if this is not the end of the winemaking world.

There is no need to worry though : the wines are delicious, low alcohol, fruity, mineral, refreshing. In other words yummy. And you never really know what to expect. Some would view this as a defect. I tend to welcome it. I remember the time I tasted one of their first Chardonnay cuvees and was struck by the fact that it reminded me of Pouilly Fumé (wrong place, definitely wrong grape variety). I was dumbfounded until Bruno admitted there was a small amount of Sauvignon Blanc from years back planted with the Chardonnay. I am sure it helps this Chardonnay to stand out. Their Saint Véran is divine and razor-sharp but with luscious buttery notes. I have also sampled their Beaujolais Nouveau (unadulterated pleasure - this wine cries out to be drunk), Côte de Poquelin (the 2009 I have left is still going strong) and Moulin à Vent (this wine in particular has great depth and will age well if you can keep yourself from drinking it). This is good honest, traditional (i.e. no additions to the wine, no chemicals in the vineyard) wine making. Give it a try. You may not regret it. In fact it may change your life.

Do make the detour and call in if you get the chance. Isabelle has a shop in the village square which you cannot miss. http://cotes-de-la-moliere.com/

Global Warming Busy Bee Scare

Bumblebee on broad beans last June

Forgive the tabloid headline but I did see a bumblebee at work today, which confirms that they are the hardiest of our bees, the bee for all seasons. It was feasting on the flowers of a shrub I have failed to identify - probably non-native - which has suddenly burst into full bloom. Could this be the first premise of Spring, or is this just one of Nature's ruses to get us all out in out t-shirts before pouncing on us (and on unsuspecting insects and other animals) with a bout of snow, ice and cold ? Heaven knows we could do with some real cold weather just now. Plants are due a rest, but they have been continuing their growth recently, albeit more slowly than in full summer. It will be interesting to see whether our vegetation will find its bearings over the next few months. My own garlic is growing away merrily as are the broad beans and onions. I should start taking bets as to when the first flowers will appear on these legumes and when the next first bumblebee of the year will be seen. Perhaps I should write to The Times and start a first bumblebee craze ? Cuckoo enthusiasts sensing an opportunity to get in with a very early bird will probably be disappointed. Cuculus canorus is no doubt still enjoying himself somewhere in Africa.

Natural Wine, China, the Universe and Everything

It is customary to make a list of things one would like to do or which one would like to see in the year ahead (world peace and harmony etc). I will not be doing this, as all this would amount to would be a litany of 'voeux pieux' as the French say - pious wishes which will never come to pass, made only to give oneself a warm feeling and show others how caring one is. I would like to set out some things I might be glad to see or which may have special significance over the next year. Here are a few of them.

With a spot of good fortune the 'debate' on Natural Wine will calm down and surpass the for or against, disgusting or delicious level; proponents of biodynamic or organic production will be looked upon as rational beings who have made an important choice rather than silly romantics or much worse. One day all of this will be the norm, at least among reasonable people. Let us get on with it. After all, what makes wine interesting, both from an organoleptic and philosophical standpoint, is it's diversity and ability to move the human spirit, to sooth the savage breast.

It would be great if instead of subsidising the middle class obsession with 'solar panels' aka photovoltaics our government could spend money on raising the abysmal standard of this country's existing housing stock, allowing the poorest people to benefit from warm, dry, comfortable homes, low energy costs and all the other benefits bestowed by living in a pleasant environment. It is a much more efficient use of resources to invest in energy conservation than spending on producing more and more appliances to produce more and more energy at a very high subsidised cost.

I would like Kevin McCloud to be successful in bringing more of his well insulated luminous homes to market and that George Clark will bring more empty houses into use. George's campaign is especially efficient as the buildings already exist;  only limited resources are required to produce a great living environment unlike the dreaded lookalike new builds.

The (human) world will change utterly. I do not know whether a 'terrible beauty is born' but the 27th December 2011 headline (Le Figaro) that China and Japan will use the Yuan directly without converting to US Dollars seems to me to be particularly significant. It marks the end of European/American domination of the world.  News that the Chinese have established an organisation similar to NASA and plan exploration of the Moon and perhaps Mars, as well as a space station, spell the end of serious manned space exploration by the USA and Russia. In future we will all be passengers of the Chinese or privatised space tourism outfits. This could all be good news for the Earth system, as the Chinese are well aware of the destruction caused to the environment by our species (they have extremely direct experience of this) and intend to do something about it (eventually-after they have achieved crushing economic dominance first, as they seem destined to do).

It will soon be possible to observe the atmospheric signature of small earth-sized planets orbiting neighbouring stars and identify the presence of oxygen, that sign of life only found where precious photosynthesis takes place and where life has formed its world, such as here on Earth. Or perhaps we will never find such signs, no matter how hard we try, and come to realise how precious Gaia is and change our ways. Whatever happens, may we realise that we must protect life wherever we find it and rejoice in it whether on this planet or on some distant body.

There. I think that will do for now. I can think of lots more but will not bore you with them today.