Rioja: American or French oak?

Classic Rioja is aged in American oak to develop the soft and mellow structure with a hint of vanilla. Especially for the reserva and gran reserva, there is the mushroomy, olive bouquet thanks to spending a long time in American oak barrels and in bottle. In the face of competition both from the New World and within Spain (Ribera del Duero, Priorat), some Rioja producers are making more modern style wines with higher fruit concentrations, and ageing them in French wood. The wine is more powerful, more spicy and usually a shade darker.

To find out more about the region's use of barrels, I attended the 1st Grand Tasting of Rioja Wines where some 60 Rioja producers showcased their wines. It was very interesting talking to the producers. The traditional camp insisted that they will never use French barrels because Tempranillo, the major variety in Rioja, expresses itself most fully in American oak, and the wine would lose its flagship identify—sweet red fruits, gentle and easily appreciated characters—in French barrels. One producer even has its own cooperage to import American oak and make its own barrels. In the other camp, however, producers claimed it is about the evolution of Rioja over time. One critic even went further, saying it has historically been mostly a matter of cost saving, since American barrels cost much less than French.

The truth, I concluded, is that it is all about satisfying consumer preferences. Many of today's consumers, accustomed to New World styles, prefer the deeper-flavoured French oak aged Rioja. Sensing the division, some producers offer two lines: one using American oak and the other French. Some even age a single wine in both oaks (either blending them together after ageing or first ageing in French oak and then American, or vice versa). One whom I talked to was from the traditional camp but is nevertheless adjusting his style: he makes a modern style Rioja still using American oak but with alterations to winemaking techniques such as maceration time and fermentation temperature.  

There are many different styles of Rioja. They are classified by their time spent in barrels and ageing period. Joven may spend no or only a few months in barrels; crianza must spend a minimum of 12 months in barrels and 12 months in bottle; reserva a minimum 12 months in barrels and 24 months in bottle and gran reserva 24 months in oak and 36 months in bottle before being released.

So how do you know which style the wine is? The back label will distinguish joven, crianza and reserva but may or may not indicate French or American oak. So look at the overall packaging. American oaked Rioja tends to have traditional labels and packaging such as the gold netting, while the French oaked styles will usually sport a more modern front label.

For me, I found some of the modern styles too ambitious with the French oak; I prefer the more subtle and elegant classic style. But this is a personal choice and can also depend on the occasion. Find out for yourself which you prefer. As always, in the end you can only find out by tasting.

These are the wines I tried:

La Rioja Alta: Classic style, American oak only. China distributor: Aussino
Paternina: American oak only, but Banda Azul is a modern version aged in American oak
Bodegas Izadi: Classic style but aged in a mix of French and American oak barrels
Bodegas Orben: Modern stye using French oak only (same owner, Group Artevino, as Bodegas Izadi)

In remembrance of Barry Burton (1942-2012)

It was sad to have received an email on 7th April from the Hong Kong Wine Society, not about wine tasting but the passing away of Barry Burton, the Chairman and a friend.

There are too many superficial people around but Barry was genuine. He had a larger than life character, always cheery, actually listened to people and showed interest in the discussion. He was never pretentious, even with his standing. Unlike many who take things for granted, Barry said thank you.

I only knew him for about two years. I am fortunate to have known him, even for such a short time, and have tasted together on a dozen occasions. Some people may be replaceable, but not Barry.

So long Barry.

Dim sum and wine pairing

Hong Kong has many wine lovers, but a lot of them do not have wine with their daily Chinese meals, saying it is too difficult to find a single wine that  goes with all the different food flavours on the table, or that it is only a casual meal. The recent Moët Hennessy Flavour Colours Evening challenged these myths.

12 favourite dim sum dishes and 12 Moët Hennessy wines were carefully selected, each allocated to the most appropriate zone of Flavour Colours: Blond, Ivory, Tan or Brown. Guests were encouraged to mix and match different pairings within a zone. The message was that Chinese food and wine pairing was fun and easy, just go with the flavour intensity and the viable pairings are limitless. What if the food flavours on the table cover more than one zone? Well, have two glasses of wine—a blond or ivory, and a tan or brown. Sip the delicate wine with the steamed fish (蒸魚) and the powerful one with the stir fried beef with oyster sauce (蠔油牛肉). After all, we have a pot of tea and one of hot water at dim sum; surely we can have two glasses of wine in front of us.

More importantly, and this is what I firmly believe, Chinese food and wine pairing does not need to be snobbish and restricted to banquet style dinners. Wine can go with everyday food and in the most casual of settings. A glass of Shiraz with your lunch box of roasted barbecued pork rice (叉燒飯), both in the Tan zone, is much more appealing than a can of soft drink! And remember, nobody drinks Margaux or Mouton every day. There is a lot of good quality wine under HK$200 out there, and a glass of wine can be cheaper than a Starbucks latte. What's more, an opened bottle of wine can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days without problem.

We may not have a traditional wine culture, but this should not stop us enjoying wine with our noodles and fried rice. Gourmet coffee was new to us 30 years ago and now there are speciality coffee houses on every street corner. I would love it soon to be just as common to see friends and families having their weekend dim sum brunch with wine.

Photo: courtesy of Anty Fung 

Kumeu River, family pride

Another successful immigrant story. The first generation of the Croatian Brajkovich family, Mick and Kate, bought a small vineyard in Kumeu River northwest of Auckland. Maté, from the second generation, set the foundation by moving away from the old style fortified style wine and planting international varieties. Now, the estate, headed by mother Melba, is run by the third generation: Michael (Master of Wine), Marijana, Milan and Paul.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, wrote in Wine Advocate, "If you can taste history, duty and family pride in a glass, it’s there in the Kumeu River Chardonnays.... now producing some of New Zealand’s greatest Chardonnays, not to mention the world’s." Well, I can’t taste history and duty in the glass, but I certainly can taste the quality and effort the team puts into its wines.

Kumeu River is not the best viticultural site in New Zealand. It has relatively high rainfall and low sunshine hours, and is kept cool by the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea. Some grapes, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and even Merlot, struggle to ripen there. After trial and error, the Brajkoviches found that Chardonnay is their star. Some 60% of the vineyard is planted with Chardonnays. Different clones are used in different soils and on different aspects, resulting in a range of Chardonnays each having its own style and character. Michael, the eldest brother and winemaker, has worked in Bordeaux and Burgundy, so Kumeu River’s Chardonnays are geared towards the classical Burgundy style using indigenous yeasts, barrel fermentation, malo-lactic fermentation and ageing on lees to add texture and complexity. Paul, the youngest brother, responsible for marketing, was proud to tell us that guests at blind tastings often mistake Kumeu River Chardonnays for Burgundy premieur crus. At a fraction of the price of those Burgundies, Kumeu River certainly outperforms on quality.

We tried all their Chardonnays. Each has its own characteristics. My favourite is the single vineyard Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay 2007 which is well defined and elegant, yet concentrated. Paul said it is an excellent match with crayfish (lobster). Kumeu River Mate’s Vineyard Chardonnay, named after their late father, is made from a low yield vineyard, the oldest on the estate. The 2009 vintage has more ripe fruit aromas and complexity on the palate, with a tighter structure.

Paul does not think being medium sized and family owned places them in a less advantageous position compared to the big boys. The secret is to partner with similar-sized and like-minded distributors to spread the family story. Well, Kumeu River certainly has one competent partner here: Northeast, run by an equally passionate mother-and-daughter team.