Caillard Wine - Andrew’s dream, Bobby’s reality

Most wine lovers know of Andrew Caillard as a Master of Wine, co-founder of Langton's Fine Wine Auctions, Australian wine expert, wine critic ... and producer of the documentary ‘Red Obsession’, but not too many know that he also has his own wine label. It was exactly because of this curiosity that I attended BBR's recent vertical tasting of his Mataro from Barossa to see what style of wine such a high profile expert had to offer.

The Mataro grape is the same as Mourvèdre from Southern France or Monastrell from Spain. It was introduced to Australia around 1830 and had become an important silent partner in blends of most wines by the mid 1900s. It certainly played a role in early Penfolds blends until Quarry Paddock, a 19th century Mataro vineyard, was lost to urban development. After that, it gradually made way for more fashionable grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, until Aussie’s winemakers realised that they could label Mataro as the trendier   Mourvèdre
and, even better, blend it with Shiraz and Grenache to produce a Southern Rhone style wine now famously called GSM.

At the tasting, what caught my eye (or my palate) was not the wine itself but the labels. Lined up on the table the six wines (five Mataro of different vintages and one Shiraz) all had different paintings as labels but clearly of the same style, with gardens, flowers and birds as the main elements. Bobby, Andrew's wife, told me that indeed the labels were all hand-painted by Andrew himself during their holidays (hence the theme of bushes and nature). When they bottled the 2008 vintage, their first wine, the bottle had no label and the wine had no name. After brainstorming for all possibilities they finally settled for using his paintings and their names as the brand—and they were proud of it. The production was only 120 dozen but, with packaging and name confirmed, the time had come to start selling the wine. Since Andrew had a busy schedule, the marketing responsibilities fell on Bobby. She affectionately jokes that Caillard Wine is pretty much "Andrew’s dream and Bobby’s reality."

Ask Andrew why he chose to produce a single Mataro rather than the more popular GSM and he will explain that he got the inspiration from the Penfolds book, ‘The Rewards of Patience’, of which he has written five editions in the past 20 years. For him, producing his own label is a logical progression in his career. It is an intellectual project—one requiring concentration and thinking—focused on how to adapt to the Australian climate and produce an elegant wine. He further illustrated this with a change in the label painting from gardens and bushes to a bird, a peacock to be exact, for the 2011 vintage because ‘peacock’s tail’ is also a tasting term denoting the length of flavour. His 2012 and 2013 labels were all paintings of long-tailed birds.

Turning to the wines themselves, they are certainly elegant. Mourvèdre is naturally high in acidity and a late ripener so is particularly well suited the hot Barossa climate. Ageing in only 10% of new oak adds complexity without imparting heaviness to the wine. The new 2013 vintage is fruity with a hint of herbal notes typical of Mourvèdre, while the 2009 vintage has intense marmite. Most attendees preferred either the older vintages or the younger ones but, for me, my preference was for the 2010, which has a fine balance between fruitiness and savouriness. Again, there is no absolute right or wrong in wine!

Andrew does not own any vineyards but instead sources fruit from reputable growers. So he can be selective. Caillard Wine has its own winemaker but Andrew is still hands-on in the blending process and tastes every single barrel before making the decisions. After seven years of business the winery still remains pretty much a micro-producer, turning out just 400 dozen Mataro and 200 dozen Shiraz each year. Of the five Mataros we tasted only three are available in the Hong Kong market. With his profile and limited production, I was pleasantly surprised that the wine retails here at just over $350 per bottle.

Watch out for Andrew’s latest wine, the Caillard Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon "Reynell Selection" 2015, which pays homage to his great great grandfather, Carew Reynell, who fought and died in the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey during the First World War and who was a descendant of John Reynell, a pioneer in planting Cabernet Sauvignon in Reynella in South Australia back in 1838 (now the famous Reynell clone). I am looking forward to trying the wine to see how Andrew expresses it to fit Reynell’s legacy.

Caillard Wine is available at Berry Bros & Rudd.

Love for Burgundy

Asked about their favourite wines, 90% of wine lovers, including myself, will name Burgundy—or more specifically, the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from Côte d’Or—as one of the top three. However these wines can be very confusing. So I was glad to have spent two afternoons in quick succession with experts, learning about what makes Burgundy tick.

Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director of Berry Bros & Rudd, and the author of ‘Inside Burgundy’, is well known for his expertise and passion for all things Burgundian. On his recent visit to Asia, we explored the three Ws in Côte d’Or— where, when and who —by tasting three pairs of wines, each pair having two Ws in common and one different. A similar exercise was conducted just a week later at the Altaya Wines annual ‘Passion for Pinot’ seminar, this time with owners from four family-run Burgundy wineries sharing their insights into the three Ws through 12 wines.

Burgundy wine is classified into four levels of quality: Regional appellations make up 52% of the total production, Village appellations 36% and Premier Crus (1er Crus) 10%. The remaining 2% belongs to the Grand Crus. The latter two levels are based on climats, small, precisely delineated plots of land that enjoy specific geological and climatic conditions. Côte d’Or, a long and narrow strip, is the heartland of Burgundy where the greatest wines are made. It is split into Côte de Nuits in the north and Côte de Beaune in the south. Some 30 of the 44 Village appellations and hundreds of climats are found here, as well as 28 of the 33 Grand Crus AOC.

The ‘Where’
The soil in Côte d’Or is predominantly limestone and marl, but each village has a different combination. Pascal and Charles Lachaux, a father and son team from Domaine Arnounx-Lachaux, explained that the different characters of their three reds—all from the same vintage of 2011 and made exactly the same way but from different villages—are due to the soil and location. Chambolle Musigny, further north with white soil, produces lighter and softer wine, while Vosne Romanée’s darker soil gives more structure and power to the wine. The third wine is from Nuits St Georges but it is not in the typical rich style thanks to the very white soil that results in smaller grapes. The wine is concentrated yet elegant.

Another interesting comparison was the two 1er Crus from Domaine Faiveley. Both were from Gevrey Chambertin, vintage 2012 and the same winemaking method. The ‘Clos des Issarts’ has a marked mineral palate with a smooth finish while the ‘Combe aux Moines’ is more tannic and muscular. The two climats are less than two kilometres from each other!

The ‘When’
‘When’ refers to vintage. According to Jasper, Burgundy is a crossroads for weather and is often at the cusp of two weather systems. No wonder every vintage in Burgundy is different. Frost and hail reduce crop yield while rain during ripening season affects quality. A hot summer gives powerful wine but too hot may result in imbalance between acidity and alcohol. A cool year, on the other hand, may produce wine that is too thin although diligent winemakers can still make some very elegant wine. Jasper’s philosophy is that vintages should not be classified as good or bad, but rather, an indication of when to drink the wine.

With Jasper, we compared the 2003 and 2000 reds from Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-Georges 1er Cru ‘Roncieres’. The 2003 was rich and concentrated reflecting the particularly hot year, but it was still youthful with ripe dark fruits at 12 years of age. The 2000, although only three years older than the 2003, was much more advanced with dried fruits and forest floor bouquets. It was a more difficult vintage with too much rainfall close to harvest. Jasper described 2000 as a cheerful vintage for wine lovers—while it is not a long-lived vintage, the price is reasonable and the wine absolutely enjoyable now. The 2003, in contrast, still has at least another five years before its peak.

The ‘Who’
The notion of terroir is the interaction between soil, climate and people, so obviously winemakers play an important role in shaping the style of the wine. This was well demonstrated by BBR’s pair of 2008 Vosne-Romanèe 1er Cru ‘Les Beaux Monts’, Domaine Bruno Clavelier and Domaine Jean Grivot. The grapes of the first wine were picked slightly early and vinified with some stems. The wine displayed vibrant red fruits and floral notes yet with a fairly dense structure. The second wine had no stems used during winemaking but was aged in barrels for 18 months. It showed riper red fruits but with a leaner palate.

We also contrasted three reds at the Passion for Pinot session: Domaine de Montille Volnay 1er Cru ‘Les Mitans’ 2009, Domaine Faiveley Pommard 1er Cru ‘Les Rugiens’ 2012 and Bonneau du Martray Corton 2011. Although they were from different vineyards and vintages, we could still see the fingerprints of the different winemakers in the wine by the way they managed tannin and extraction.

Domaine de Montille, Domaine Faiveley, Bonneau du Martray

These two tastings confirmed my belief that our choice of wine is personal. Wine is not about price or ratings. We all have different palates and stylistic preferences so it is only logical that we do not all prefer the same wine. As for vintage, well, we just have to buy every year and enjoy them at different times!

2013 vintage

I also had the chance to taste the Louis Jadot 2013 en primeur organised by ASC Fine Wines. Louis Jadot is one of the larger producers in Burgundy with vineyards in nearly every Côte d’Or village. Thibault Gegey, its Deputy General Manager, explained that 2013 was a difficult year. Spring was wet and cold, resulting in poor flowering and thus a smaller crop. Summer finally arrived in June but a hailstorm in July devastated some vineyards between Meursault and Aloxe-Corton. September, the most important month for grape ripening, was excellent and balanced fruit with good potential began to develop, albeit in a much smaller crop. Unfortunately though, the weather turned progressively wetter and colder so those grapes harvested later had more rot than those harvested earlier.

Armed with knowledge of the three Ws, I would certainly not dismiss the 2013 vintage. It doesn’t taste like 2010 and probably doesn’t have the same ageing potential, but so what? I love its elegance and leaner style, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. When we sip a Burgundy, we know we are tasting the dedication of vinegrowers and wienmakers who care about their climats, and try to make the best possible Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs in every weather condition. Enjoy!

Domaine Bruno Clavelier, Domaine Jean Grivot are available from Berry Bros & Rudd.
Domaine Arnounx-Lachaux, Domaine Faiveley, Domaine de Montille, Bonneau du Martray are available from Altaya Wines.
Louis Jadot is available from ASC Fine Wines

Annual portfolio tastings

The last quarter of the year is always busy on the Hong Kong wine scene. In addition to the mega events like Wine & Dine and the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair, both in November, there are James Suckling’s Great Wines of the World and Great Wines of Italy, Wine HK and more. For a fee, wine lovers can taste hundreds of wines, among them many award-winners, some available in Hong Kong, some not, and some poured by the winemakers or owners themselves.

But amid all these high profile events it's easy to lose sight of local importers’ annual portfolio tastings. In October and November alone there were at least six such tastings: Wellspring, Kerry Wines, Armit Wines, Northeast, Altaya and BB&R's Italian portfolio. Usually the afternoon session is reserved for the media and trade while the evening is open to the public. And yes, for a small fee, wine lovers can taste a wide range of wines, some award-winning and some poured by the winemakers or owners themselves, and all the wines tasted are available, or soon to be available, in Hong Kong.

Mega wine events and high profile wine tastings are fun to go to, but portfolio tastings are often more practical for regular drinkers as they let you identify the strengths of each importer and the wines they carry, so you know where to get what wines for which occasion. And don’t think that most importers carry pretty much the same things; you’ll be surprised by the diversity of some and the specialities of others. Plus of course there are both big and boutique importers who stock very different styles and ranges. Some portfolio tastings also have winery representatives present who are happy to answer any questions related to their wines. Even when there are no wineries representatives, the whole team of importer staff is always on hand to assist. Because portfolio tastings are comparatively less crowded, you will also get more attention from the people behind the counter, a plus if you have a lot of questions.


Actually, not all annual portfolio tastings happen in Q4. There are some in other months, such as VinoVeritas in March, Continental Wines in May and Wine High Club in August. I’m sure there are a lot more that I haven’t mentioned here but keep an eye on the Wine Times HK Event page, or various Facebook pages: Hong Kong Wine Lovers, Hong Kong Wine & Food and HK Wine Fans. Of course the most direct way is to get onto the mailing lists of importers.

Happy New Year and Happy tasting!

Here are my impressions of the various annual portfolio tastings I have attended this year (Apologies if I missed anyone out):

• Altaya: Probably the biggest such event with some 70 wineries present. Heavily French biased but not short of famous names. Consumers were queuing outside one hour before it started!

• Armit Wines: A decent collection skewed towards the Old World. There were both big and small names and some from off the beaten track too. 

• BB&R Italian wine tasting: If you are a fan of small Italian wine producers, you'll love this. All wines were carefully selected by David Berry Green, BBR's Italian wine buyer.  

• Kerry Wines: Another big event featuring about 50 wineries mostly from the Old World (France, Italy and Spain). 

• Northeast: The most lively and cosy event with wines mainly from the New World and a range of craft beer and cider. 

• Red Mill: Mainly Lebanese wine, shown alongside Northeast’s. If you want something different, this is it. Definitely worth trying.

• VinoVeritas: Italian wine specialist. This tasting was memorable because it was held at Colour Living, a lifestyle store featuring stylish kitchen and bathroom furnishings. 

• Wellspring: A French dominated portfolio, but don’t be put off as its Bordeaux and Burgundy ranges are really good value. Look our for their Italian and German producers.

• Wine High Club: A fine wine merchant with a focus on France. Their sparklings and champagnes are definitely worth a try.  

Sadie’s Swartland Old Vines Series

"Make wine like tea, not like coffee"; ‘Putting wine in barrel is putting barrel inside wine’". These sayings sum up the winemaking philosophy of Eben Sadie, one of the most passionate South African winemakers I have been lucky enough to meet. He said he used to make big, pitch dark, oaky wines but now prefers to see finesse and elegance in a wine, without too much extraction (hence making wine like tea, not coffee). Of course he uses oak, but only old big, old barrels.

Eben has actually spent a fair amount of time outside South Africa, including ten years in Priorat, Spain. Maybe this explains why he appreciates old vines and makes Grenache and Cinsault. He is one of the pioneers in the Swartland region, with its Mediterranean climate and, even better, lots of neglected old vine parcels. He keeps looking out for such plots and, once he finds one he likes, he nurtures it back to health using natural composts, never man-made chemicals. His goal is to make wine that reflects the history and terroir of the plot, so he doesn’t blend wines. A couple of plots may be planted with different varieties and he will just ferment them together—a technique known as field blending.

The dry weather in Swartland means mildew is not an issue in the vineyard, but sunburnt grapes are. In the winery the grapes are sorted meticulously to make sure all sunburnt grapes are discarded as Eben doesn’t like the overripe, caramel taste they impart. He uses no chemicals, no filtration and no fining except for the 60ppm of sulphur dioxide that is necessary to ensure stability during a voyage over the equator.

Eben’s new range of wine, Ouwingerdreeks (meaning 'Old Vines Series' in Afrikaans), is made from some of those forgotten old vine parcels. He was in Hong Kong recently to present the 2012 vintage. All the wines have a purity of fruit, an elegant structure and not-overpowering aromas that make them perfect for food pairing.
 
The Ouwingerdreeks Range has a simple classic label design that conveys the down-to-earth character of the wines. But we noticed that each wine has a different colour wax seal, and it turns out there is a story behind that:

Pofadder: 100% Cinsault from 50 year old vines. Eben reckons Cinsault can only be made into good quality red wine when the vines are old. Young Cinsault should only be used for rosé. The wine has a black seal because the name means puff adder, a venomous black snake found in Africa.

Soldaat: 100% Grenache from 48 year old vines at 700m altitude. It is the altitude that gives the wine its freshness. Soldaat means soldier and the highest military honour is purple colour hence the purple wax seal.

Treinspoor: 100% Tinta Barocca (Tinta Barroca) of Portuguese origin. Eben describes the wine as a blend of Cote Rotie and Piedmont—the spicy, blue berries of Syrah combined with the tannin of Nebbiolo. The silver wax seal is derived from the name Treinspoor, meaning railway.

Skerpioen: A field blend of Chenin Blanc and Palomino from 66 year old vines. Eben swears that the saline taste (from the Palomino perhaps?) is heaven when paired with oyster cooked with lime peel and almond, one of his home-made dishes. The white wax seal recalls the chalk soil where the grapes are grown.

Skurfberg: 100% Chenin Blanc from an 88 year old vineyard 300 km from the winery. This one has 14% alcohol but is well balanced and supported by a fresh acidity and elegant fruit and perfume. It has a red wax seal because the plot is on red soil.

T Voetpad: A field blend of Semillon, Semillon Gris, Palomino, Chenin Blanc and Muscat d’Alexandria grown in one of the oldest vineyards in South Africa: the plot was planted between 1887 and 1928! A wine full of concentration that can certainly age gracefully. The yellow wax seal reflects the vineyard’s yellow footpath (Voetpad in Afrikaans).

Mrs Kirsten: 100% Chenin Blanc from the oldest vineyard in Stellenbosch, planted in 1905. According to Eben the pleasant oxidative character is a characteristic of the vineyard. Only 480 bottles are made each year. Why the orange wax seal? Simply because the owner of the plot, Mrs Kirsten, likes orange.

All these wines, of which only a few hundred cases are made per wine, retail here at just HK$200-240 per bottle, with the exception of the Mrs Kirsten ($740/bottle). These are some of the very best value wines I have ever had and, for once, I found myself begging a producer to increase his prices to be in line with consumer expectations (I suggested $280-$350/bottle)! Eben responded that wine is a living thing and he sees his work as agriculture—not agri-business. He just wants to make wine that brings pleasure to consumers. He would much prefer us to drink two bottles per night at a lower price than just one at a higher price ... but then Eben, you don’t make enough wine to satisfy the market!

Anyway, I’m stocking up now. If you want to do the same, Eben’s Ouwingerdreeks Range from The Sadie Family is available from Berry Bros & Rudd.

It’s a Revolution!

Swartland Independent? Most would assume it must be a bunch of arty people, radicals, rebels against big corporations. It turns out to be so much more.

Swartland Independent is a bunch of wine producers from the Swartland in South Africa, just over one hour’s drive north of Cape Town, but not just any old bunch. It is a group of like-minded winegrowers who believe in the true expression of the region’s terroir and in wines having their own identities.

The Swartland, like Stellenbosch, is a wine district in South Africa. Any wine made with grapes grown there can be labelled ‘Wine of Origin Swartland’. But to use the ‘Swartland Independent’ logo, producers must adhere to a set of viticultural guidelines with priority given to the conservation of old vines. The wine must be produced with minimal manipulation, with no use of commercial yeasts or enzymes, no added tannin or acid, and must not be chemically fined. Moreover, Swartland Independent believes that heavy oaking ‘masks’ the essence of grapes, so no more than 25% of a wine may be aged in new wood, and the wood must be of European origin. There are also guidelines on grape varieties. For whites, 90% must be Chenin Blanc, Marsanne, Roussane, Viognier, and specified others, while for reds, 90% must be Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Cinsault, and more. Commercially popular varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are not permitted. The producers believe planting grapes on unsuitable terroir only results in wine with inherent limitations.

The result? Rhone blend wines from this Mediterranean climate in the Southern hemisphere. The wine is all about natural balance, freshness and purity.

The Swartland has some of the oldest bush vines in South Africa but viticulture was long in the back seat as this is traditionally a grain-producing area. Wines were robust and mostly fortified until a new generation of winemakers who believe in making wine that is a true expression of its origin went there to hunt for parcels of old vines.

Eben Sadie, one of the leaders of the movement, firmly believes in the diverse soils that the Swartland offers: decomposed granite in the Paardeberg Mountain, clay soils with iron similar to those in the Barossa, slate and schist, calcareous soils, sandstones from Table Mountain and alluvial soils like those found in Graves. It is a canvas upon which grapes can express their true sense of place. Eben praises bush vines with their 360º orientation towards the sun that helps avoid the excessive sun or shading of bunches that can occur on trained vines. And he expends the same effort in the winery. For years, he experimented with fermentation in amphorae underground, a Georgian winemaking tradition, with varying degrees of disaster until he finally mastered the skill. He is now extending the winery to accommodate a few amphorae. I am looking forward to trying those wines in a few years.

Swartland Independent has just over 20 members, all family businesses. Some of them, like Adi Badenhorst, ex-winemaker at Rustenberg, gave up their jobs in prestige wineries, while others, like Donovan Rall, still work for established producers but also make some wines of their own. Mullineux is an international team led by Chris Mullineux from South Africa and his wife Andrea from San Francisco. All of them, hands on in both vineyard and winery, gather in the Swartland to live their dreams of making passionate wine. Naturally, none of them has a big production. David Sadie (no relation to Eben) has just one barrel of 400 bottles for his Grenache Noir.

To attract the attention of wine lovers and to revive the image of the region, Swartland Independent organises an annual weekend event called The Swartland Revolution, comprised of tutored tastings, an auction and a braai (South African barbecue) evening that ends with a street-party open tasting. Tickets for last November's event sold out in 52 hours.

I am excited by the development of the Swartland and the enthusiasm of these producers. In the wine world, there are mass produced standardised wines that are clean and consistent but lack soul, and there are the premium wines with matching price tags that can only be a treat once in a while for many. To me, wines like those made by the Swartland Independent producers are wines for the true wine lover. We appreciate the fact that grapes are products of nature, and we embrace the different styles, even the not-so-mainstream funky ones. Above all, we respect winemakers who have the commitment, the passion and conviction to make wine that truly reflects the place.

Luckily, there is no shortage of like-minded producers in South Africa, and in fact in all wine producing countries. We should be bold enough to step out of our comfort zone and try wines from different regions and producers, including smaller and lesser known ones like these. Only then can we truly enjoy this wonderful drink that mother nature makes possible.

The Sadie Family wines is available from Berry Bros & Rudd.
Mullineux is available from Berry Bros & Rudd and Vincisive Wines.

A hike around Barolo villages

We had been waiting for this trip for 15 years, after that first bottle of Barolo at our anniversary when we were wine dunces and had no idea what to expect. I won’t say that bottle of Barolo changed my life but it certainly opened my eyes to the world of wine.

Our recent holiday in Barolo was an indulgent five days of wine, food and all things good about Italy. The best thing was that this was not a business trip. It was a holiday with my husband only, so no visiting wineries every hour. For me, it was the ideal way to appreciate Barolo and its wine, much better than being shown from winery to winery. We stayed in a small B&B, La Giolitta, in the village of Barolo which only has an 800+ population. The hostess was knowledgeable and arranged for us to visit three great wineries—without anyone knowing that I am from the trade. They were Mascarello Bartolo (fantastic wine, available from BBR in Hong Kong; I had met the owner, Maria Teresa, before, so it was like meeting an old friend), Giuseppe Rinaldi (family owned traditional Barolo, not easy to get hold of), and Gianni Gagliardo (decent wine with a good restaurant, but I would have loved a chat with the winemaker himself). We also dropped by to see Chiara Boschis (Azienda Agricola E. Pira e Figli), a modern Barolo winemaker with vision (wine available from Heritage Wines).

And we made a last minute visit to Marchesi di Gresy in Barbaresco, thanks to arrangements kindly made by its distributor, Roddy from Wellspring Wines. The chief winemaker is Kiwi Jeffrey Chilcott. We had an intensive tasting and lively discussion for over two hours—and it could easily have been a lot longer if not for the football match that he had to watch!

On our first day, we hiked a loop from Barolo to Novello then Monchiero, Monforte and back to Barolo—18km in total, walking through both cru and lesser vineyard areas, as well as the hazelnut plantations and small remaining patches of indigenous woodland. The soil is so different from plot to plot, and by observing the conditions of the vines I could see why one was a cru vineyard and another not (or at least not suitable for Nebbiolo). The sophisticated thing about this hike was that we didn’t need any packed lunch or energy bars. We could take a break at every village for a snack, gelati and ... of course... vino, and we even saw a parade of old motor bikes on their Sunday outing at Montforte. Better still, we felt guilt-free after the long walk and tucked into an absolutely delicious dinner of brasato al Barolo (beef braised in Barolo) with a bottle of ... uuh ... Barolo and more... for dinner that night.

We were there at the end of June, just before the summer crowds, so it was remarkably quiet and everyone was very relaxed. The light at that time of the year is fantastic. We drove around the hilltop villages in the late afternoon from 4:30 to 7pm, capturing the best lighting for photography.

Now, back in Hong Kong with all those fond memories of Barolo and two dozen of its wines not available in Hong Kong. It may be a selfish thought but I do hope these Piemonte villages will not become swamped by ‘wine tourists’. We would love to go back to its tranquility.

More photos here.

Appreciating Riesling

Riesling is a difficult grape to understand and appreciate. It has many faces, from sparkling (Sekt from Germany), and dry to sweet made from botrytis noble rot grapes or grapes frozen at -8ºC, and with all kinds of sweetness in between. The common characteristics of all Rieslings are high acidity and relatively low alcohol.

In my discussions with Mosel winemakers, including Reinhard Löwenstein, the 13th generation of Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein, and biodynamic winemaker Clemens Busch, they all stressed the influence of slate on German Rieslings. Blue slate lies deeper underground and vines have to work hard to get the trace minerals, resulting in wine with more minerality—the typical elegant Mosel style. Red slate has a more rounded mouthfeel with gooseberry and red fruits, while grey slate gives more yellow and tropical fruits. At the Riesling Journey masterclass conducted by Carsten Klane from German Fine Wine in Hong Kong last month, we tasted several German Rieslings alongside Rieslings from Alsace and Australia, and the differences were obvious. German Riesling has a tighter and leaner structure, especially the Mosels which can be steely, while Alsatian Riesling is bolder. Australian Riesling is generous but lacks the subtlety of those from the Old World when compared side by side.

Apart from the sweet noble rot and ice wine Rieslings, where consumers know that the wines are, well, sweet, many people are confused and put off by the off dry/medium style Rieslings from Germany. I have to confess this is the reason I didn’t go near Riesling when I first explored wine. The trick, instead of focusing on the sweetness, is to think about the balance between sweetness, acidity, alcohol and fruit. A well-made medium dry Riesling is not cloying like syrup, but concentrated and fruity with a nicely balanced sweetness set against the acidity. It can go well with a variety of savoury dishes from steamed dumplings (蒸餃子) to Kung Pao chicken (宮保雞丁) and sweet and sour prawns (咕嚕蝦球).

A couple of useful tips on sweetness when you buy German Riesling: Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese are categorised according to the sugar level at the time of harvest. They can all be either dry or medium. You need to interpret this with reference to the alcohol level. For example, a Kabinett with 11% alcohol will be dry while one with 8% alcohol will by semi-dry. Similarly, a dry Spätlese has about 12-13% alcohol and  a dry Auslese about 13-13.5%.

Here are a few useful German - English translations to help you read the labels:

• Trocken: Dry. Any wine with this word will have less than 9g/l residual sugar.
• Grosses Gewächs (GG)/Erste Gewächs: Equivalent to Grand Cru. Dry wine from Erste Lage (first growth vineyards) under the VDP classification. Alcohol level usually 12-13.5%.
• Halbtrocken: Off-dry, usually 9-18g/l residual sugar.
• Feinherb: Half-dry, an unregulated designation, usually sweeter than halbtocken, in the range of 12-40g/l residual sugar.
• VPA: the Association of German Quality Wine Estates.

Clemens-Busch is available from German Fine Wine, and Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein is available from Berry Bros & Rudd.

Burgundy en Primeur 2010

What a joy to start 2012 with the tasting of some fabulous Burgundy 2010, most of it straight from the barrel and flown direct to Hong Kong, courtesy of Berry Bros & Rudd. Even better was a chat about the 2010 vintage with renowned Burgundy expert, Jasper Morris MW.

Burgundian producers did not expect 2010 to be a good vintage. The first strike was the plummet in temperature in a short space of time from -3ºC to a record low of -19ºC on 19th December 2009. Since the sap hadn’t gone back down yet, quite a number of vines were killed by the cold air, severely reducing the crop level. The second hit was bad flowering weather in May, which was cool, wet and windy, leading to small and uneven bunches, further reducing the yield. In hindsight, the small crop actually saved the vintage, because summer was not particularly great. A big crop would not have been properly ripe. Furthermore, the smaller berries increased the skin to juice ratio, leading to more concentrated wines as a result. Mother nature struck again on 12th September 2010 in the form of a massive thunder and hail storm, damaging some Chardonnay which was about to be harvested. Luckily a north wind came soon afterwards to dry the grapes, preventing the spread of rot. The harvest in mid September was carried out in sunny weather.

The end result? A classic vintage with elegance and finesse. The Pinot Noir show a perfect balance between acidity, tannin and fruit; while the whites display a density of fruit that is well-integrated with the fresh acidity. According to Jasper (and after tasting the wine I agree), the 2010 vintage is much more 'Burgundian'. 2009 may be more pleasing, but it is more 'international' than true Burgundy.

The negatives? The yield was down between 30% and 50% across the region. Given the latest enthusiasm for Burgundy, there won’t be enough to satisfy demand. Despite this, most producers have kept their prices the same as 2009’s, unlike their counterparts in Bordeaux.

Many wine lovers find it confusing to navigate the myriad labels of Burgundy. Burgundy classifications are by geographic district rather than producer. Yet, two vineyards of the same Cru status next door to each other may produce wines that seem miles apart. The quality of Burgundy wine has always been hit and miss. Jasper says this is because most Burgundian producers have traditionally been farmers who learned by on-the-job training from their fathers. Today’s young generation of producers have formal oenology training, some even have overseas vintage experience. He is seeing big improvements in quality in all categories of Burgundy wine including the regional appellation.

Jasper selected 34 wines for BBR’s 2010 Burgundy en primeur tasting. There are some real bargains. Patrick Javillier Bourgogne Blanc Cuvée Oligocène is full of life and a steal at £150 per 12 bottle case. My other favourites are the complex Domaine Jean Grivot Clos de Voueot Grand Cru (£570 for 6 bottles), the generous Maison Camille Giroud Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru (£270 for 6) and the elegant Domaine du Comte Armand Pommard Clos des Epeneaux (£345 for 6). Visit BBR’s website for more information.

The Queen’s bubblies

England is known for its ale and bitter, but English wine? Many will probably dismiss it or even scorn it – but not so fast: England may not be the right place for a bold alcoholic Shiraz but its terroir and climate are perfect for sparkling wine. England was part of the continent millions of years ago and the geology of the South Downs limestone ridge is in fact an extension of the Champagne region just 88 miles away. There are at least a dozen wineries in Southern England, mainly in Sussex, making some fabulous sparkling wine.

I studied for my winemaking diploma at Plumpton College, Sussex so I had a chance to witness first hand the growth of the sparkling wine industry. People thought it was a joke at first, until English sparkling wines began to beat champagnes in various blind tastings.

Riesling: The taste of slate

‘Riesling is the medium to express the soil and terroir’ said Reinhard Löwenstein, from the 13th generation of Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein in Mosel (to be exact, Terrassenmosel, Terrace Mosel), Germany, during last week's tasting of eight of his Rieslings. All eight were vinified in the same way but with grapes from a number of vineyards with differing soil and slate compositions. Riesling grown on blue slate has mineral, lemony notes while that grown on red slate has a more rounded mouthfeel. Riesling on darker stone, on the other hand, displays more yellow fruit aroma, mellower acidity and less minerality. I like his philosophy of comparing wine with music: mass market wine is like CD and great wine is opera. Music lovers listening to CD for a while may like to listen to opera, just as wine lovers might trade up and appreciate the quality of hand-crafted wine eventually. My favourites were the 2009 Stolzenberg Grosses Gewachs (Grand Cru) and 2009 Uhlen Grosses Gewachs Laubach.

A Nebbiolo encounter

There are only eleven villages in Piedmont making Barolo but they all have different identities. Some producers respect tradition and make Barolo the way it has been made for generations, resulting in bold and powerful wines with ageing potential. At the same time, there are producers now experimenting with modern techniques such as shorter maceration time and ageing in 100% new French barriques to make Barolo more approachable when released. And there are yet others in between who believe a combination of tradition and modernity is the way forward. Whatever the techniques, they all believe in one thing: it is the soil in which the Nebbiolo vines are grown that gives the backbone character of any Barolo.

Five Piedmont producers were in town recently to present their Barolos and Barbarescos, the king and queen of wines. Their wines represent the different styles from the traditional to the modern, with varying combinations of boldness, power, elegance and finesse, all different but equally perfect in their own right. Regardless of wine style, these winemakers have two things in common: they are passionate about their wines, and they are excited about Hong Kong.

The Barolo style may be more akin to Bordeaux but Davide, one of the winemakers, prefers to compare Barolo with Burgundy – both are from a single varietal, most are from small producers and terroir plays a major role. Barolo, source of the finest, long-lived Italian wine, only has a vineyard area totalling about 1% that of Bordeaux and 15% that of Burgundy. Will its scarcity drive up the price when investors (especially the Chinese) discover them?

Hong Kong distributors: Berry Bros & Rudd