Training tomorrow’s Italian wine ambassadors

Stevie Kim, Managing Director and the face of Vinitaly International has big ambitions, one of which is to identify wine professionals around the world to spread the gospel of Italian wine. In 2014, Stevie took a step towards realising that dream. Together with Dr Ian D’Agata, a renowned Italian wine expert, she founded Vinitaly International Academy (VIA). After one year of promotion and recruitment, the first VIA Certificate Course was conducted in March 2015, just before Vinitaly 2015. By the beginning of the year, about 50 candidates had already signed up.

The objective of the course, according to VIA website, is to enable those who love Italian wine to speak of it in a unified and organised manner with truly in-depth knowledge. It is a 5-day residential programme after which students have to sit a multiple choice examination. Those who pass are awarded the title 'Italian Wine Ambassador' (IWA). Those who achieve a 90/100 score are invited to take a separate written examination to become an 'Italian Wine Expert' (IWE).

I was honoured to be invited to take part in the inaugural course. With the invitation only coming at the end of February, the course was less than three weeks away but I managed to get the must-read book, Ian D’Agata’s 600-page ‘Native Wine Grapes of Italy’, from Amazon with express shipping. My first chance to read the book was on the plane to Verona where the course was being held. Hardly ideal preparation, and my first reaction on opening it was, ‘Oh my God, I shouldn’t have accepted the invitation!’

Was the course difficult? Yes and no, but the syllabus certainly caught a lot of students out. Most of us expected topics on wine styles, regions, climate and so on, on which we might claim to have some prior knowledge, but in fact it was about the native grape varieties in Italy, focusing on classification and identification (ampelology), grape groups and families—unfamiliar territory for most of us. Take Malvasia as an example. We needed to know that there are 17 Malvasias in Italy. Most thought they are all from the same family (as they are often called Malvasia something) but in fact most of them are genetically distinct. Malvasia Bianca is mainly from the south (Puglia, Campania, Sicily) while Malvasia Bianca Lunga is from the centre (Tuscany, Umbria). And Malvasia is an easier one already! Those who read the book and prepared properly for the course probably passed but not those who didn’t take it seriously.

Was the syllabus relevant? This was discussed among the students over and over during the course...and even more so after the examination when we cleared the bar's entire stock of Prosecco because by then we all needed a comfort drink desperately! Most of us felt the information, while interesting, was too technical and niche to be part of a broad-scope Italian wine course whose aim is to turn out ambassadors who can charm general consumers into enjoying Italian wine without expecting them to differentiate Trebbiano Abruzzesse from Trebbiano Romagnolo. I was definitely on this side of the argument (after all I was the one who ordered the first bottle, and subsequently, all the Proseccos). And most in the wine trade back in Hong Kong whom I talked to agreed.

Yet, three months on and having had some time to reflect on the course's syllabus, its objectives and Stevie’s intent, I have now had second thoughts. Italy has over 500 documented varieties and probably a lot more in reality.  It is these indigenous grape varieties that makes Italian wine unique and what it is. Unfortunately a lot of native varieties have been uprooted because of low yield, disease, or, in the 70s, a perceived need to replant with more fashionable varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah) because of export market demand. A typical example is Timorasso, once a highly prized variety in Piedmont. Most vineyards ware replaced by the more productive Cortese after phylloxera killed many of the Timorasso vines. It was only recently that Timorasso was rediscovered, and plantings have expanded from only 6 ha to now some 20 ha in the region. Thanks to enthusiastic winemakers many of Italy's 'forgotten' native grapes are making a comeback.

Yes, it is true that general consumers do not need to know about ampelology and grape families. But to become a true Italian Wine Ambassador/Expert, one must understand the nuances and the details and what makes Italian wine different and unique. The point is that one should not just blindly pass the information along word for word to the audience—in fact this will be a disaster as it only demonstrates that the person does not know how to communicate. The power comes from having a great depth of knowledge and being able to draw upon it with ease when the situation demands it. I believe a true ambassador of any kind must have these attributes: to have the depth of knowledge to answer almost any question, and to be comfortable, confident and competent enough to impart knowledge and arouse interest in anyone at any level without intimidating them, in other words to talk to them at their comfort level of knowledge.

My point is that I now understand and appreciate what Stevie is trying to achieve and I think it is a sensible way forward for Italian wine—to train a small team of true Italian Ambassadors/Experts to advocate Italian wine. However, given that only 26 out of 55 professionals from around the world achieved the Italian Wine Ambassadors status and none at all the Expert status this time around, VIA may want to consider an intermediate course to bridge the gap between aspiring and ready ambassadors.

I was one of the lucky 26 who passed, but I still don’t think I have enough knowledge yet. I love indigenous grapes in all countries, and in Italy's case I am especially impressed by those from Piedmont and Mt Etna. ‘Native Wine Grapes of Italy’ will be my summer read and my thanks go to Stevie and Ian for giving me the opportunity.

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.

Gimblett Gravels Unison vintage

I miss vineyards, wineries and getting my hands dirty. Ever since I returned to Hong Kong I have tried to do a vintage somewhere every year, but it’s not easy as harvests in either hemisphere are usually the busiest months in Hong Kong (mid February to early May, and early September to end of October). There are also legalities (work permits, insurance - especially in China wineries), and reservations from wineries (why should they take on a Hong Kong girl who may just want to be babysat and entertained).

Therefore, when Unison Vineyard, the smallest estate in Gimblett Gravels in New Zealand with only 6 ha of vines, agreed to take me, I jumped at the chance even though it meant I would be away for more than two weeks in between two of my major projects: Discover South African Wine and Riesling Weeks. It was tough as it was on average a 9-hour day with no day off at the winery and 6 hour working at night on the Hong Kong projects with a slow internet connection (hey, I was in a rural area). Still I loved every single moment of it. After all, Gimblett Gravels is one of my two favourite wine regions in New Zealand (the other is Martinborough).

I don’t like working in big wineries as it often means repetitive work on one aspect for the whole period. I used to work at a medium sized winery in Portugal and at one point I did only pumping-over for 5 consecutive days. Winery work is physically demanding and big wineries even more so—a pump can easily weighs more than me. In contrast, small wineries are all hands-on and you need to get involved with everything. Plus it gives the chance to talk to owners, family members, winemakers, cellar hands, vineyard workers and sometimes even customers. Not only do I improve my technical knowledge but I also get to understand the philosophy behind the labels better.

Unison’s team is small: only Philip the winemaker/owner, Phil the vineyard manager who also helps at the winery, and Jenny Dobson, the winemaker consultant. Everyone shares work—from picking, rehydrating yeast and punching down to bottling and cleaning (the most important task in every winery). Although not in the right order, because the Merlot had all been picked when I arrived while Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon were only picked a few days afterwards, I managed to work in nearly every task of a winery, from picking to bottling, except blending and putting wine into barrels. There were also a few things new to me: making rosé by the saignee method, machine harvesting, using an ancient basket press, and fermenting Italian grapes in New Zealand—Unison doesn’t grow white varieties but they help make the neighbour’s Fiano. My most favourite jobs were monitoring all the ferments every day (satisfying to see the progress), climbing to the top of the tanks to do pump over (the best view in any winery), tasting the ferments with Jenny every day (great learning opportunity), and clearing water using the floor squeegee (like medication).

The Gimblett Gravels region is small, only some 800 ha under vines compared to over 20,000 ha in Marlborough. It was created when the Ngaruroro River changed course in 1867, leaving greywacke—a mixture of stones, gravels and sand—behind. Because of its unique free draining gravelly soil, temperate climate and long growing season, the region can make elegant red wine with ripe fruits without heaviness. Great examples are the Merlot with vibrant red fruits instead of chocolate and distinctive white peppery Syrah. It is because of this that the wineries got together to found the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association in 2001 to differentiate themselves from the rest of the larger Hawkes Bay region. According to the Association it is probably the first viticultural appellation in the New World whose ultimate boundary is defined by a distinct soil type boundary: no compromises, no politics.

Unison wine is typical of Gimblett Gravels but with an added touch of refinement, probably because of the extra attention paid to the vines by Philip and Phil, as well as the dedication and vision of Jenny (she spent nearly 20 years in France and is one of the few consultants that I have come across who checks the wine every day during vintage). Philip was very kind to give me a different bottle of Unison's wine to try every day after work, even the very first vintage of its Selection 2009, a blend of Cabernet and Merlot. I particularly like the winery's elegant Syrah. The Sancerre-like Sauvignon Blanc made with grapes bought form Hawkes Bay was a nice surprise and very different from the Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs. It was perfect with the Vietnamese dinner I had in Auckland after the vintage.

One more surprise during vintage—the 2006 Te Awa Pinotage from Hawkes Bay made by Jenny. It was more towards Pinot Noir, but with higher tannin, and quite similar to Southern Right Pinotage from Hermanus. Apparently, New Zealand has been making Pinotage for 40 years but it is not as fashionable now as it once was. Even Te Awa is not making it anymore. Wikipedia says there is only 38ha of Pinotage in New Zealand. It's something a bit special. Try one if you get the chance.

Working at Unison was a good experience. I wish everyone there all the best in the coming vintages. Thanks again Terry and Philip, the owners, who gave me the opportunity, Jenny and Charles who hosted me at their place, Phil who shared both the dirty work and the cleaning with me, Paul and Calsey from Unison’s Unwind Cafe who fed me and fixed my caffeine craving, and Nick from Mills Reef who made the initial connection.

Unison Wine is not available in Hong Kong yet but is available in Shanghai from Vino Maestro.

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