RAW - the priceless treasure of obscure grape varieties

Dr José Vouillamoz presenting at the RAW Wine Fair

Attended a fascinating tasting at the RAW Wine Fair given by Dr José Vouillamoz. Dr Vouillamoz is a vine geneticist who has an unbridled passion for rare grape varieties. He presented 10 wines (6 white, 4 red) made from very rare varieties.

Durella, Nosiola, Spergola, Friulano, Rkatsiteli, Enantio, Caberlot, Nerello Mascalese, Kadarka... I had never tasted any of these varieties either. The only familiar grape was an ungrafted Chardonnay from Guillot-Broux from the Mâconnais (alas the vineyard recently succumbed to phylloxera and is no more). Only the wine remains.

Several whites had been made with extended skin contact; one, the Friulano, was even given cap punching (pigeage).  They were all interesting, in the way exotic unknown fruits can be, with surprising taste and aroma combinations.

The Friulano for example was slightly oxidised, had tannins and yet had an undertone of apricots and marmalade rather like a botrytised white.

The Rkatsitseli also surprised with its licorice and tar on the nose, spicy taste with added quince and tropical fruits.

Of course, a lot of the taste was down to the winemaking techniques - skin contact for the whites, qvevri for the Rkatsitseli, fermentation in amphora for the Nosiola etc. Nevertheless tasting these wines gave me the desire to taste more, and reinforced my own love of obscure varieties, or novel, often very traditional winemaking.

We should do all we can to treasure these old varieties and taste them whenever we can. Loss of genetic material can be forever, and we never know when it might be needed.

It was after all only less than 150 years ago that phylloxera was first seen in European vineyards. It nearly wiped out wine production for good. A recent discovery of vine genetics is the missing link in the makeup of Merlot which happens to be an almost extinct (only about 10 vines still remain) variety from Brittany and the Charentes. I certainly hope that this Magdeleine noire des Charentes is preserved.

Look out for José's forthcoming book 'Wine Grapes', (co-authored with Jancis Robinson and Julia Harding, due out in October through Allen Lane, Penguin Press).

Details http://www.rawfair.com/talks-monday