Pressing the Winemaker: Q&A with Chris Hatcher from Wolf Blass

Wolf Blass, the Barossa Valley-based winery, may have won an unprecedented four Jimmy Watson Trophies, but chief winemaker Chris Hatcher is not the sort of man to rest on his laurels. “You’re only as good as your next wine” is his maxim. According to Chris, complacency is the single biggest failing no matter what industry you’re in.

I had a chance to interview this extraordinary man (who despite his disdain for history has a pretty good record of making 39 trophy winning wines) after a tasting of Wolf Blass premium wines held at the Tower Club on the 8th of February. The tasting was moderated by well-known local wine writer Ch’ng Poh Tiong.

How big is the Chinese market for Wolf Blass?
It’s growing. China’s got enormous potential, but it’s not going to be easy. For us we want to make sure that we get out there an understanding of the history of Wolf Blass. The Black and Platinum Label wines are already in China, and we’re going to start doing tastings such as this and show them what we do. Counterfeiting is a problem, but so far not with our wines.
What do you want consumers to think of when they see a Wolf Blass wine?
Quality at all price points. Whether it be a Yellow Label or a Black Label, it’s going to deliver the Wolf Blass house style, and compared to the rest of the market it’s going to be a very good wine. I think that we’ve always had that reputation in all countries; that whatever price point we’re at, it’s more affordable and quality-driven.

How would you characterise your winemaking approach?
My goal is vibrancy of fruit. Obviously the wine changes during the winemaking process, but we aim to have as much reflection of what we had from the vineyard through to the finished wine. Also balance on the palate; I think it’s really important to have that nice textural element and not be too big, heavy or extracted. Wines can be flavoursome without being heavy. If I had to describe Wolf Blass, it’s about power with elegance. It’s powerful in fruit but elegant in the structure of the wine.

The Platinum Label series uses only French oak rather than the more traditional combination of American oak and Australian Shiraz. Is this something that is becoming widespread in the Barossa?
Certainly more widespread than it used to be. If you asked me that same question fifteen years ago, I would have said that Shiraz and American oak are the best combination, today I would say it depends on the fruit. If you’re aiming to get vibrancy of fruit you need other things to support the fruit, not dominate them, and American oak tends to dominate. For us, we’re looking for less and better oak [flavour] in the wine.

Wolf Blass is part of a big winemaking corporation. How much influence do the people at Treasury Wine Estates (the parent company of Wolf Blass) have on the operations at Wolf Blass?
I think one of the great advantages is that I’ve been at Wolf Blass for nearly twenty five years so I see myself as the custodian of the brand and the wine style. David Dearie, the CEO of Treasury Wine Estates, loves brands and he loves the story behind the brands. He reorganised the business so the Wolf Blass brand is run like an individual business. It’s quite a different view of a big company being run as small companies within a big company, but it’s great. 

Does it add pressure to deliver results even in poor vintages like 2011?
We didn’t make some of our wines in 2011, including the Platinum Label, so yes there is some pressure, but then again there are ways of finding solutions other than lowering quality. So for 2011 we said, we’re going to stick to our quality parameters and we won’t compromise that. That’s done and dusted. So the challenge then is how can we make the amount of money that we have to make in each year? We can pull some levers like bringing the 2012 [wines] on earlier, we can run 2010, which was a good vintage, a bit longer, so in any one financial year we can make the right amount of money, but it won’t be from just one vintage. The easiest solution is to stretch the quality, but in the long run that’s the worst solution because you’ll actually lose sales.

Something I found interesting is that Wolf Blass is a sponsor of sports groups such as the UK Rugby Football Union and the Ashes Series cricket. Wine isn’t often associated with sports sponsorship.
Well actually, the people who follow these sports are in our target market. The cricket sponsorship was enormously successful for us. For Aussie rules football, the fans are beer drinkers, so we don’t sponsor that. But we’re looking at golf at the moment, tennis is a big one too.

How do you feel about the future of the Australian wine industry?
We’ve done quite a bit of market research, and the consumer globally still loves Australian wine. Probably because of its success, the story has become a little bit boring and so to generate interest is the most important thing for us now. That’s where David is keen on, the real stories of the background of the brand, the real stories behind a person like Wolf Blass, the real stories about the quality of the wine. I think the challenge for our whole industry is to talk about our quality, talk about our regions. Most people don’t have a clue about Australia and how diverse it is. The climate is very diverse, the wine styles are very diverse, so there are a lot of really good things happening in Australia that the world doesn’t know about.

The biggest challenge for us is the Aussie dollar. I think against the pound it’s at a 27-year high, it’s an all-time high against the euro, and between 1.05 to 1.07 against the US dollar.  That makes it more difficult to compete with some of the other countries. But there’s always doom and gloom in agriculture, I think actually things are pretty good. Most countries would love to be in Australia’s position.

How much does Wolf Blass (the person) involve himself in the day-to-day winemaking now?
He has an ambassadorial role and does some work overseas for us. About seven years ago, he was offered a board position by one of our competitors, and even though he’s not held to the business (of Wolf Blass), he was insulted. He said, “My name’s on the label, and I’m sticking with that. I’m not taking money from another board position.” If we develop a new label or change a label, we always show him because he has an inherent feel for what works.

Looking forward, where do you want to take Wolf Blass?
As a business, there’s a question of do you play chase the volume card, or do you chase the quality aspects? Our view is that you need a bit of both, but we want to focus, particularly in pushing to China, to build around our history and our credibility in the premium end of the market. We could sell significantly more volume than we do now, but as far as business goes you’re not necessarily making more money by doing that, and also you’re becoming a rogue brand in the long run and doing yourself a disservice. My long term goal is to be seen as the premium iconic brand of Australia.

Many thanks to Sarah Mayo of The Local Nose for arranging this interview. 

Exploring a To-Thai-Ly New Wine Region

Earlier this month, a group of wine lovers (myself included) found ourselves in unfamiliar territory, navigating bumpy roads past motels with dodgy names like Cabbages and Condoms. Our destination was the secluded Asoke Valley located 160 km from the capital of Thailand. Forget about the New vs. Old World debate, we were after New Latitude wines. The term, coined by Thailand-based wine writer Frank Norel refers to wine made in tropical climates outside the 30- 50˚ latitude bands. Thailand, Brazil, Indonesia and Vietnam are just some of the countries now making wine. But are they any good? I must admit to a tingle of trepidation before setting off on this trip. Would we find evidence of massive winemaking manipulation? With the zeal of a U.S. inspector searching for weapons of mass destruction, I ventured forth into terra incognita.

One of the problems with planting grapes in tropical climates is that the vines bear fruit more than once a year, depleting their energy reserves and shortening their lifespan. Winemakers in Thailand deal with this by pruning the vines back, creating a harvest that takes place only once during the cool season from January to March. During the rainy season from April to October, the vines undergo a vegetative cycle, picking up nutrients from the soil for the next crop. Winemaking is aided by use of technology such as refrigeration tanks (to cool the grapes after harvesting), controlled irrigation, and weather sensors that can detect the approach of storms. Trial and research have discovered that the vitis vinifera varietals that grow well in this climate are Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon (for the reds), and Chenin Blanc and Viognier (for the whites).


The Lohitnavy Family (from left to right):
Sakuna, Mimi, Nikki and Visooth Lohitnavy

We lodged at a guest house within GranMonte, a family-owned winery that focuses on producing top-quality wines. Owner Mr. Visooth Lohitnavy traded in his high-octane car racing days for the quiet life of showing visitors around the vineyard. He is assisted by his eldest daughter, 24-yr old Nikki who completed her oenological studies at the University of Adelaide and his wife Sakuna who runs the winery restaurant Vincotto. Nearly half the production is sold through the cellar door while the rest goes to key export markets like Japan, Hong Kong, Germany and the Maldives.

Nikki holds the distinction of being the first female winemaker in Thailand. Her approach to winemaking is adaptable; she uses techniques that allow the grapes to best express their character. She doesn’t like to adjust the wine artificially and as a result the wines are a reflection of the quality of the vintage. Being a pioneer means that she is not shackled by tradition and can experiment with what works best in this climate; on the flip side, it also means that a lot of effort goes into research and development. GranMonte dedicates an area of the vineyard for this purpose, in which around 30 different varietals are planted. Nikki sees potential in making wines from Verdelho, Grenache and Muscat next.

The wines of GranMonte are made for the modern palate, emphasising freshness and primary fruit. The whites were impressive, showing crisp acidity and varietal fruit character. Recently, the labels went through a redesign and the result is a sleeker, more professional look. Ageability is undoubtedly a question for these wines, having no track record, but fortunately the wines are delicious to drink now. Most excitingly, the wines display unique regionality. That is to say, if one were to taste the wine, it may well be possible to identify the varietal, but spotting the place of origin would be a struggle unless one had tasted Thai wines before. They are quite distinct from the technically correct, pure style of New World wines and the complex, austere style of Old World wines (although I am generalising a bit here). 

It would be a mistake to assume that GranMonte represents the bulk of Thai wine. The effort that the Lohitnavy family puts into their product is commendable, reflecting their ethos of producing the best wine possible, but many other Thai wineries either do not have the will or the equipment necessary to raise their quality. At another winery we visited, we found out that they had taken shortcuts with the winemaking, adding oak chips, tannin and tartaric acid. As a result, the wine had harsh, biting acidity and grainy tannins that were not well-integrated.  High government taxes on imported wine and an undemanding local market provide little impetus to improve.

Recognising the image problem of Thai wines in general, Mr. Lohitnavy co-founded the Thai Wine Association (TWA) in 2004 to set quality standards in the production of Thai wines. Membership is approved only after a winery has passed laboratory tests on its wine and undergone site inspections. There are currently six wineries in the association, namely Siam Winery, PB Valley, Silverlake, GranMonte, Village Farm Winery and Alcidini. In face of government inertia to address issues facing the wine industry, the TWA has their work cut out for them.

Tasting notes:

GranMonte Spring Chenin Blanc 2009 – Pale lemon with fruity aromas of packham pear, apple and starfruit. A light body with medium+ acidity and average length.

GranMonte Sole Chenin Blanc  Viognier 2010 – Made from grapes angled towards the sun to achieve higher ripeness. Pretty intense on the nose with smoky, pear, peach and stone fruit notes. Slightly lacking in acidity with a watery finish.

GranMonte Sole Chenin Blanc Viognier 2011 – Medium+ intensity nose with notes of apricot, pear and an attractive floral note. Well-integrated flavours and supported by fresh acidity. Fruit carries through the long finish.
GranMonte Viognier 2011 – Only 1000 bottles made. Notes of tropical fruit, pear, papaya and a hint of smoke. Palate displays fresh citrusy notes with a lush texture.

GranMonte Sakuna Rose Syrah 2011 – Named after the winemaker’s mother and bottled in 50cl formats. A brilliant pink hue. Rose, red fruits, and raspberry on the nose. The palate shows high acidity, barely noticeable tannins, good fruit concentration and medium+ length. This wine was very popular with our group and a good match with Thai food.
GranMonte Heritage Syrah Viognier 2010 – Black cherry, spice, and a soft, round texture were the hallmarks of this wine. A well-made wine for drinking young.

GranMonte Asoke Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah 2009 – Capsicum and leafy aromas with blackcurrant beneath. A firm structure with a touch of heat. A framework of acidity supports the fruit. Long finish.

GranMonte Asoke Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah 2010 – A serious wine with ripe, concentrated fruit. The proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon was increased compared to the 2009 vintage, as a result this wine has more structure and intensity.  

Something's Weighing on my Mind...

While chatting with a friend online recently he commented that I had put on some weight from my wine tasting sessions. Thoughtfully, I put down the brownie I had been munching on as I digested this comment. We've often heard of the phrase "beer belly" being tossed around, but was it possible that wine could be full-bodied in more ways than one? Would today's wine lover become tomorrow's corpulent wino?

As it turns out, the calories in alcoholic beverages are the worst kind, high in energy while being low in nutritional value. If that wasn't bad enough, alcohol is also a poison, so the body naturally wants to get rid of it as fast as possible. This means putting aside other processes such as absorbing nutrients and burning fat.

It's a common misconception that beer contains more calories than wine, when in fact a bottle of wine (750ml) contains around 500 calories, nearly a third more than an equivalent amount of beer. However, the way beer and wine is consumed plays a part. Wine tends to be drunk slowly, and a glass may last the entire meal, while beer is drunk rapidly, and in social occasions which encourages binge drinking. Perversely, the higher alcohol content in wine restricts us from gulping it down like beer and so wine drinkers will end up putting on less weight than beer drinkers.

Exactly how much weight? Well, The Telegraph estimates that the average wine drinker consumes an extra 2000 calories a month, or put another way, the equivalent of eating 184 bags of potato chips a year. A person drinking five pints of beer a week would consume 44200 calories in alcohol a year, or 5 1/2 kilos of fat. Note that these aren't figures for excessive drinking, but well within recommended daily consumption guidelines. It's as innocuous as that glass of wine with dinner, or that jug of Tiger beer when watching football with your mates.

It looks as though even practicing moderation in drinking won't be enough to save us from those extra kilos. The hard truth is that those who consume alcohol regularly will need to balance the increased calorie intake with other activities, whether it be running or some other sport. Perhaps I should take up Wing Chun? Yes, it's certainly time to work in a regular exercise into my weekly schedule.

Just as soon as I finish my brownie.

The Year that Was

It's been a watershed year for wine in many ways. On this final day of 2011, I'll run through some of the major events that have happened in the wine world over the past 52 weeks.

Another vintage of the century for Bordeaux

After convincing everyone that 2009 was THE vintage to buy, Bordeaux winemakers had an uphill task when 2010 turned out to be just as good, if not better. Wine critics and journalists went to great lengths to explain the difference between the two vintages, citing higher acidity levels in 2010 and greater potential for longevity. It was the most drawn-out en primeur campaigns in recent years, and the longer it dragged on the more bad press it received and the less interest there was. In the end though, wine merchants hailed it as a success (Farr Vintners said it was their second biggest en primeur campaign ever next to 2009) but it left consumers with a bad taste in the mouth and growing skepticism toward the en primeur process. More damagingly, it cemented the perception in many people's minds that Bordeaux is a wine you buy for investment, not for drinking.

The Rise and Rise of Asia

Since Hong Kong abolished taxes on wine it has become the world's largest market for fine wine auctions. According to The Financial Times, the top four auction houses (Sotheby's, Acker Merrall & Condit, Zachys and Christie’s) derive 60-71% of their revenue from the city. As yet untouched by the economic plague ravaging Europe and the rest of the developed world, Asia is enjoying its fame like a newly discovered Hollywood star. For the moment, China has its eyes fixed on Bordeaux and Burgundy, buying not only wine but vineyards as well. French newspaper Sud-Ouest estimates that around 15 Bordeaux wineries are now owned by the Chinese, with the most recent purchase by Chinese actress Zhao Wei who acquired Château Monlot in St-Emillon. Perhaps the Chinese have found a way to circumvent the en primeur process? Why go through middlemen when you can control the source?

Wine as Nature intended?

If there was one event that ignited the current buzz around natural wines, it would have been the Natural Wine Fair held in London's Borough Market in May this year. Although there are no strict guidelines, natural wines are made with as little human intervention as possible. That means no insecticides, fertilisers, weedkillers, and as little sulphur as possible. This makes them more prone to bacterial spoilage, and less stable than normal wines. I've talked with some winemakers that argue that with proper sanitation and care in the winery, these are issues that can be overcome. The (admittedly few) natural wines I have tasted were rustic and wild, a far cry from the clean, polished notes of regular wine. Somewhat like an opera singer with a sore throat. With further experimentation and refinement, this philosophy may catch fire, and 2011 will be remembered as the year the spark was first lit.

Happy New Year to you all, and wishing you many exciting wine discoveries in 2012!

Wine Dinner with Rippon Vineyard and Pyramid Valley Vineyards

From left to right: Curtis Marsh, Mike Weersing and Nick Mills

I’ve talked briefly about the benefits of biodynamic winemaking before, and was thus delighted when Curtis Marsh from The Wandering Palate organised a dinner with two of New Zealand’s best-known and eloquent biodynamic winemakers, Nick Mills (Rippon Vineyard) and Mike Weersing (Pyramid Valley Vineyards). Among those present were some of Singapore’s most fanatical wine lovers, including Lisa Perotti-Brown MW (Wine Critic, Wine Advocate), Henry Hariyono (General Manager, Artisan Cellars), Mohamad Fazil (Operations Manager, Vintry), Ryan Gan (Sommelier, Resorts World) and Zachary Tay (Chef Sommelier, Les Amis).

Coincidentally, earlier this month there was a debate on the merits of biodynamics, with renowned viticulturist Richard Smart calling it “emotional black magic” while proponent Monty Waldin praised the model for being “uniquely self-sustaining”. The arguments for and against biodynamics are particular vocal because of its unusual sounding practices (such as the role of cosmic energy and lunar gravity in viticulture) and also because the father of biodynamics, Rudolf Steiner, was a bit of a quack who also believed that the human race is descended from Atlanteans.

Biodynamics is often confused with organic production, and for good reason. Both methods stress the importance of conservation and eschew the use of synthetic chemical fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides. A key difference is the use of special “preparations” in biodynamics, made from cow manure or various plants such as nettle, camomile and yarrow. The regulations for biodynamics are not set in stone and there is a fair bit of diversity in how winemakers apply their preparations in the vineyard. In the Rippon vineyards for example, seaweed is used as compost to supplement nutrients to the schist-based soils.

Nick and Mike stress that the reason they practice biodynamics stems from a respect for the earth and the life within. Says Nick, “If consumers buy the wine [because of the biodynamic label], then it’s a happy bonus, but the whole idea is that it enhances my land in a way that my family and I can look after it. So to have a badge on the back of the label, I don’t need that.” It’s an illuminating statement because most people in the wine trade have focused on what biodynamics can do for the wines rather than for the vineyard. Biodynamic wines are promoted as having more expression of origin (due to less intervention at the winery) and being healthier for consumption (as less agrochemicals are used). “It’s a new world now,” says Mike. “When we began, being biodynamic wasn’t a marketing advantage; it was a qualitative advantage you could say. It’s really changed, and the way that it’s changed is that it has more credibility now.”

About Rippon Vineyard
Located in Wanaka, Central Otago, the first vines were planted in 1974 by Lois and Rolfe Mills. The total area under vines is 15 ha with the majority planted with Pinot Noir and Riesling. As a pioneer winery of the region, Rippon has had a deep influence on other winemakers, particularly in its contribution to the understanding of Pinot Noir. It is also famous for its spectacular views of the Southern Alps. The wines are distributed in Singapore by Wine Exquisites.

About Pyramid Valley Vineyards
Pyramid Valley is located in Waikari, North Canterbury, roughly 85 km north of Christchurch. Winemakers Mike and Claudia Weersing purchased the property in 2000. It’s divided into four vineyards, named after the predominant weed species in each block. The wines are distributed in Singapore by Artisan Cellars.

Wine Education in Singapore

"It’s like the desert winds flowing through Egyptian ruins on a mid-summer’s night with a beautiful princess waiting open armed for me. My mind fills with poetry tasting the wine from barrel." With tasting notes such as these (and from a reputable critic, no less), it's no wonder that the wine drinking fraternity has attracted an unsavoury reputation for high-handedness and arrogance. There's even a term for it, "wine snob", a person who believes that his or her knowledge is superior to everyone else's because they drink far more expensive wine.

Counterintuitively, the more a person knows, the more modest the person becomes. Not because education improves character, but realising the scope of a subject is often a humbling experience. This is particularly so in the incredibly diverse field of wine studies. A knowledge of chemistry, plant biology, geology, microbiology, engineering, and sensory assessment is necessary in wine production, while economics, marketing and public policy studies assist in the understanding of wine as a consumer product. And of course, no study of wine would be complete without thorough coverage of its history and geography.

Source: www.thedrinksbusiness.com

Interest in wine education in Asia has seen a manifold increase, perhaps unsurprisingly seeing how seriously education is regarded in this region. The Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) saw a 200% jump in its Hong Kong and China business over the past year, with enrolment numbers matching those in the UK. Closer to home, the top three examination bodies are the WSET, the Society of Wine Educators and the Court of Master Sommeliers. The WSET courses provide a solid introduction to wine, and become progressively more complex at the higher levels where a deep understanding of the wine trade is required, as well as a keen tasting aptitude. The Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) course offered by the Society of Wine Educators provides a global coverage of wine styles with additional focus on US winemaking regions. Lastly the Certified Sommelier course from the Court of Master Sommeliers focuses on the sales and service of wine.

I recently visited Verre Wine Bar, a new hangout at Robertson Quay specialising in Bordeaux and Burgundy wines. The owner, Melvin Tan, is an opera singer as well as a wine lover (if you're lucky, you'll be able to catch him singing at the restaurant on weekends). When I was there for dinner on a slow weekday night, one of his staff was poring over a stack of wine books in preparation for a wine exam the next day. It's a situation mirrored in many restaurants in Singapore as managers realise the need for the specialised skills of a sommelier.

There are numerous local wine appreciation classes as well as some courses developed by WSQ. I have not included them here as they are not internationally recognised. I hear rumours that WSET may be opening up an office in Asia within the next two years, and of the Diploma course being offered locally, but at this point nothing is confirmed. It would be difficult to find people with the requisite academic credentials to tutor the Diploma classes. In the meantime, the following two institutes are your best bet if you are interested in taking up a wine course.  

Shatec Institutes
Website: http://www.shatec-cet.sg/cet-courses/lifestyle-workshops.html
Offers WSET Intermediate and Advanced courses

Winecraft Marketing & Services
Website: http://www.winecraftmktg.com/
Contact: hweepeng@winecraftmktg.com
Offers the Certified Specialist of Wine course

Party Wines

Scientists at CERN, the world’s largest physics lab, have clocked particles apparently travelling faster than the speed of light. If verified, this discovery would fundamentally change our knowledge of the way the universe works, even opening up the possibility of time travel.

I could have told them that time travel already exists. How else to explain why it is already near the end of the year, when it seems just yesterday that the wine world was abuzz discussing the launch of the en primeur campaign in Bordeaux? Somewhere in between the months of July and October, I must have inadvertently travelled into the future, and am now staring at a plethora of things to do before 2012 kicks his older brother into the dustbin of history.

One of those things on my list is to attend as many end-of-the-year parties as possible. I don’t mean those raucous, thump-thumping mass events where you drink too much cheap alcohol and wake up with a splitting headache, but rather smaller gatherings with friends and family. Granted, they still tend to be noisy, and I will once again wake up with a splitting headache, but there will be at least a guarantee of some really good drinks and heart-warming home cooked food.

Occasionally, people ask me what wines would be good to serve at a party. There are certain guidelines that will ensure that the wines go down well with the majority of the guests. Unless the crowd is open to experimentation, I would steer away from heavily perfumed varietals such as Gewurtztraminer or those that have niche appeal (such as Riesling). Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are popular choices for whites, while Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz are readily recognisable names for reds.

Young, fruity wines stand up better to a mix of dishes, and it is important to have an assortment of wines as some people will only drink red wines while others will only drink white. I am always delighted when the organiser has the foresight to use wine charms to identify the glasses, as it is only too easy to lose track of your glass when mingling around.

A sparkling wine is the best way to welcome your guests and whet their appetites. Try the Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut ($34.80, Carrefour), a bubbly from Penedès that is made using the traditional méthode champenoise. It comes in a classy and distinctively packaged black bottle. The nose expresses apple and pear notes, while the palate is fresh and rounded with a fine, creamy mousse. Alternatively, you could try the Two Hands Brilliant Disguise Barossa Valley Moscato 2010 ($36.00, The Straits Wine Company) which is off dry and has a slight spritz. The nose is reminiscent of fresh green grapes with floral accents. Sweetness on the palate is balanced by lively acidity, with notes of Granny Smith apples and Turkish Delight. At a mere 8% alcohol, your guests won’t find themselves tipsy before the food arrives.

During the party, the TerraVin Sauvignon Blanc 2008 ($35.00, Goddess Wines) from Marlborough works wonders with oily appetisers such as crispy spring rolls and deep fried prawn balls. Gooseberry and citrus notes dominate, with some mid palate weight due to a portion of the wine being aged in seasoned French oak. Displays zesty acidity and upfront fruit character. Red wine lovers can enjoy the St Hallett Gamekeeper’s Shiraz Grenache 2008 ($37.50, Culina), a big, bold wine from the Barossa region. The Shiraz contributes spicy aromas and body, while the Grenache gives savoury red berry fruit. There is a teasing, floral hint on the nose due to a small proportion of Touriga Nacional in the blend. A concentrated wine, with ripe tannins that can pair well with beef hor fun, chorizo or barbequed meats.

After the party is over, leaving you with a stack of dirty dishes and empty bottles, reward those who have stayed back to clean up with a bottle of Smith Woodhouse 10 Year Old Tawny Port ($78.00, Booze Wine Shop). Made from traditional Port varietals, this sweet, full-bodied fortified wine has notes of caramel, nuts and dried fruits that linger on the finish. An ideal wine for reminiscing with friends about the events of the past year.

The above article was first published in Appetite magazine in November 2011. 

Canada, More than Just Icewine

“Well integrated oak and expressive fruit”, commented my dining companion. “I could have mistaken this for a Burgundy.” In fact, it was a Canadian table wine brought in by Randy Dufour for a dinner featuring Inniskillin wines. Randy is the Export Director of Vincor, the parent company that owns Inniskillin, and the dinner was held at Santi on the 10^th of November. The event offered two rare tasting opportunities; icewines made from different grape varietals, and table wines from Canada.

Inniskillin is undoubtedly the winery that put “icewine” on everyone’s lips, both figuratively and literally. The grapes are picked in the cold winter months of December and January when the temperature drops to -8˚C and freezes the fruit. Leaving the grapes so long on the vine increases the risk of them being eaten by birds, infected by disease, or pelted by sudden hailstorms. When the winemaker decides that the weather is optimal for picking (generally around 2 or 3 am in the morning), the workers will receive a call and rush to don their waterproof gloves, rubber boots and every bit of clothing they have. Leaving the comfort of their warm beds for the chill and dampness of the vineyards is “not a lot of fun”, says Randy.

Speed is essential when making ice wine. The grapes must be pressed before they start to thaw. Pressing frozen grapes is akin to squeezing marbles, and the concentrated nectar that oozes out is very high in acidity and grape sugars. Randy notes that “Even though our icewines typically have twice the residual sugar of some of the great Sauternes, it has more than twice the acidity. It is that freshness and that vibrancy that makes icewine unique.” There is also no trace of botrytis (the beneficial fungus that concentrates sugars in the grape) in the production of icewine. Purity of fruit flavour is the essence of icewine.

Inniskillin makes single varietal icewine from three types of grapes. The thick skinned Vidal, practically unknown outside of Canada, is prized here for its winter hardiness and late ripening. Icewines made from this grape have ripe stone/tropical fruit characters (think yellow peaches, mango and apricots), high acidity and a full body. Riesling, a more familiar varietal, has a rich tradition of making sweet wines, especially in its native Germany. Riesling icewines are intensely floral, with notes of citrus fruit and lychee. Both Riesling and Vidal are white grapes, but Cabernet Franc, the final varietal, is a black grape and thus the flavour profile leans towards red berries and candy floss. It has a tangy sweetness unlike the full bodied, honeyed sweetness of the other two icewines.

Having a dinner with only dessert wines could quickly lead to a sugar coma, but fortunately the icewines were interspersed with some fine examples of dry Canadian table wines. Particularly enjoyable was the ‘Le Grand Clos’ Chardonnay 2008 from Le Clos Jordanne, another winery under the Vincor portfolio. Showing judicious use of oak, the cashew and vanilla undertones lifted and enhanced the fruit flavours of the wine. We also tasted a Pinot Noir from the same winery, and while it displayed varietal characteristics of raspberry and cherry, the alcohol was a bit too pronounced. Still, a laudable effort for a varietal that is notoriously difficult to handle. The table wines were specially brought in for this dinner as they are not distributed in Singapore.

Many thanks to Culina Pte Ltd for arranging the dinner at Santi.

German Wine Trip: Ahr and Jean Stodden

In 2009, wine writer Ch’ng Poh Tiong held a talk titled “Pinot Noir Wine Styles: The Traditional and the Generation NEXT” in conjunction with Wine for Asia. The forum showcased Pinot Noir from Old and New World, including examples from Burgundy, New Zealand and Italy among others. The wine that captured my attention was a Pinot Noir from Ahr, Germany. From the first sip, I marvelled at how delicate, perfumed and elegant the wine was.

Fast forward two years later, and I find myself outside Jean Stodden, producer of the wine I tasted at the forum that inspired me to seek out this little known part of Germany. Winemaker Alexander Stodden has become much busier since we last met, juggling between the demands of being a father and travelling to promote his wines. It’s a hectic schedule, but he is unperturbed as he shows us around the winery facilities. 

The vineyards of Jean Stodden cover around 6½ hectares planted mostly with Pinot Noir with some Riesling and Frühburgunder (an earlier ripening mutation of Pinot Noir). Alexandar is careful to select only clean and healthy fruit, employing up to six people to sort the grapes manually. He leaves the juice in contact with the skins for up to 24 days, so any rotten fruit would contaminate the whole batch and result in off-flavours. The must is micro-oxygenated during fermentation. This is a technique that involves running tiny bubbles of oxygen through the tank to encourage yeast activity and soften tannins. “I love working with air”, declares Alexander. “Wine needs oxygen for development”. The top line of wines are neither fined nor filtered. Alexander believes in letting the wines evolve naturally, stating that “everytime you work with a wine you slice away a little bit of the quality.”

Evolution and experimentation are key concepts for Alexander. "Don't let tradition limit you," he says. Since I last tasted them, the wines have added depth, tannin and body. In my opinion, it would be a shame to drink them young, as they are capable of developing much more interesting flavours and aromas with age. Alexander states that his aim is not to make wines that compete with Burgundy, as they are a different style of Pinot Noir, but simply to make the best expression of Pinot Noir in the world. His efforts have paid off; Gault Millau rates Jean Stodden as one of the top three producers of Pinot Noir in Germany. Most of the wine is consumed domestically, with the main export markets being the US and Japan. In Singapore, the wines are available from Magma.

German Wine Trip: Ahr and Meyer-Näkel

Deciding on our last destination for this wine trip took some time. Both Lady J and I were keen on visiting a region known for its red wines, but while she wanted to go to Baden, I was set on Ahr. Baden is by far the more well-known region with around 16,000 ha of vineyards. Its warm and sunny climate due to its location as the southernmost of Germany's vineyards make it ideal for the production of red wine.


The Ahr Valley in its sunny glory

Ahr on the other hand is virtually unknown outside of Germany. It is one of the smallest (around 550 ha of vineyards) and most northerly (50-51 degrees latitude) regions in the country. The majority of wines are red, with Pinot Noir, known locally as Spätburgunder, accounting for nearly two thirds of all plantings. One would think that the grapes would face difficulty in ripening being so far north, but the process is assisted by a combination of steep, south-facing slopes (angled towards the sun) and heat reflecting soils.

In the end, my carefully thought-out arguments and persuasive skills managed to convince Lady J to settle on Ahr (in truth, I just drove there while she was asleep in the car). Our first stop was Weingut Meyer-Näkel, founded in 1870 by the Meyer family. Its modern name was established through the marriage of Paula Meyer and Willibald Näkel in 1950. Current owner Werner Näkel is assisted in the winery by daughters Meike & Dörte Näkel while his wife Claudia helps out in the selling of wine.

I did not know much about Meyer-Näkel before visiting the winery, other than it was one of the famous names of Ahr. The wines of Ahr are notoriously difficult to obtain due to their limited production, which also ensures high prices. Werner tells us that last year his Grosses Gewächs wines were sold out the week that they were released.

We hopped into Werner's truck to take a drive around the vineyards. Imagine driving around on narrow terraces, just inches from the precipice with nothing to prevent the vehicle from tumbling down except rows and rows of vines. Werner has established a reputation as a great winemaker, but it should also be noted that he is a very skilled driver as well! The top sites of Meyer-Näkel are Pfarrwingert in Dernau, Sonnenberg in Neuenahr and Kräuterberg in Walporzheim. As Werner brings us through the vineyards, something nags at the back of my mind. After a few minutes I realise what it is; the fruiting zone, which is the area where the grapes grow, is immaculately clean. There are no leaves that may shade the fruit, preventing ripening and causing the wine to taste "green". This neatness is a distinct contrast to some of the vineyards of other winemakers we drive past, where the vines grow haphazardly and the plant's energy is wasted on foliage rather than producing fruit. Werner treats his vineyards as if he were coaching Olympic athletes, demanding the best performance and monitoring every aspect of their growth.


Meike Näkel shows us how it's done in the winery

This attention to detail carries over into the winery as well. Much of the work is done by hand, for example the process of "punching down" the must to extract colour and flavour. This is an extremely labour intensive operation, and a testament to the dedication and discipline of his team. You can almost taste the love in his wines, which are a dizzying swirl of aromas and lush, extravagant fruit. Ever the pioneer, Werner also produces wine in South Africa and Portugal.

Tasting notes:

Meyer-Näkel Spätburgunder Neuenahrer Sonnenberg Grosses Gewächs 2009 - The Sonnenberg (Sun hill) vineyard is the warmest spot in the Ahr valley. The wine displays varietal characteristics of raspberry and strawberry. A balanced wine with ripe fruit and fresh acidity. Lingering finish.

Meyer-Näkel Spätburgunder Dernauer Pfarrwingert Grosses Gewächs 2009 - The "priest" vineyard, named after the Catholic Church which still owns the land. Savoury red fruit, vibrant cherry character with chocolatey notes. A touch warming on the palate. A delight to drink now but this is a wine for keeping.

Meyer-Näkel Spätburgunder Walporzheimer Kräuterberg Grosses Gewächs 2009 - A floral, almost musky nose, very enticing. I feel as though Werner could bottle this and sell it as perfume. A delicate mélange of red fruits, herbs, forest floor and milk chocolate on the palate. Fine structure, with juicy acids and lush tannins forming a solid backbone.  Lady J commented that the wine was so fine it "brought a tear to her eyes".

Quinta da Carvalhosa Campo Ardosa - A joint venture between three German winemakers (Bernd Philippi, Berhard Breuer and Werner Näkel), this winery is located in the heart of the Douro region in Portugal and produces dry table wines. I forgot to notate down the vintage of this particular bottle. An exotic wine with rich black fruit, nuances of konbu (Japanese kelp) and an undercurrent of herbal notes. Pronounced tannins, but very well-integrated, giving structure and fleshing out the wine.

I did some research later on and found a company in Singapore that distributes Meyer-Näkel wines (hurrah!). They are available from Wein & Vin.