Top 100 South African Wines Tasting

South Africa is one of those places that stuns with its beauty. Lush greenery, exotic animals and exquisite handicrafts offer unique propositions for a holiday getaway. The successful 2010 Fifa World Cup introduced millions of tourists to the South African culture and provided a major boost to the nation's image. 

Image is important in the world of wines as well, and it is interesting to see what connotations come up when thinking of wine from a particular place. For better or worse, Australia has a reputation for affordable, fruity wines, while to think of Napa is to recall high alcohol, expensive Cabernets. But what comes to mind when thinking of South African wines? 

The South African wine industry has undergone a renaissance since democracy took hold in 1994. Deregulation, access to international markets and the ending of government subsidies provided the impetus for growers to improve quality and explore new viticultural areas. Major export markets are the UK, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. Promotion and marketing is handled by WOSA (Wines of South Africa), while the Wine of Origin system, similar to France's Appellation Contrôlée, is handled by SAWIS (the unwieldly named SA Wine Industry Information and Systems). The former has come up with the tagline "Variety Is In Our Nature" to describe the appeal of South African wines.

I was able to see this theme in action during a recent tasting held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Johannesburg this month. Organised by Top 100 SA Wines, the wines on display were the result of a competition held in mid-April. The panel of judges include well-known names such as Tim Atkin and Jamie Goode, both UK-based wine writers.  

Being an inaugural event, there were bound to be some hiccups. The wines were grouped by type instead of by producer, leading to the awkward situation where winery representatives were pouring wines other than their own. It was slightly frustrating wanting to learn more about a wine but being unable to because the representative was two tables down pouring a different wine from the same winery.

The wines were mostly from the Coastal Region, a large area that makes most of South Africa's fine wines. Particular districts of importance include Paarl, Stellenbosch and Constantia. There was a good mix of varietals including Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux-style blends and Rhone-style blends. Conspiciously underrepresented was Pinotage, of which only four examples could be seen.

I started off by tasting the sparkling wines, made using the Méthode Cap Classique which, like Champagne, creates the bubbles through secondary fermentation in bottle. The wines spend less time on the lees (dead yeast) compared to Champagne though, and correspondingly the wines exhibit more lemon notes than biscuit and toast. For the still wines, I found the whites more interesting than the reds, many of which had a jammy note and high alcohol levels. What doesn't work for the reds does for the fortifieds, and my favourite section of the tasting was probably the South African ports.

Wines from cooler climate regions such as Elim, Walker Bay and Elgin were interesting. They displayed less overt alcohol and more delicate aromas compared to wine from regions such as Stellenbosch and Paarl. Winemaking skill is crucial, as South Africa suffers from myriad adverse growing conditions such as mildew and excessively acidic soils (which inhibits root growth but has no effect on wine acidity). Perhaps the most serious problem is viral infections, including Fanleaf and Leafroll viruses. This reduces yield, and wines made from affected vineyards are lighter in body, colour and flavour. There is even speculation that viruses are responsible for the odd note of burnt rubber in many South African wines, although I have tasted wines from other countries that displayed this aroma.

Selected tasting notes:

Ken Forrester Stellenbosch Reserve Chenin Blanc Reserve 2010 - According to the winery representative, this wine was hand harvested from pesticide-free vineyards. A clean, fresh nose. Medium bodied with notes of ripe melon and honey. Ken Forrester is known for producing good-value, high-quality Chenin Blancs, and this is a typical example.

Paul Cluver Elgin Sauvignon Blanc 2010 - Elgin is a cool, high-altitude region located east of Cape Town. The climate enables Paul Cluver to make wines from varietals that are less common in South Africa such as Riesling and Pinot Noir. The Paul Cluver Sauvignon Blanc displayed notes of ripe passionfruit and lime aromas, backed by nervy acidity. Medium+ length with a peppery finish.

Paul Cluver Elgin Chardonnay 2009 - Quite lush on the palate with toasted hazelnuts and apricot notes. Displays some complexity and richness.

Bouchard Finlayson Overberg Limited Edition Kaaimasgat Chardonnay 2009 - From bottle design to the palate, this wine displays evidence of Burgundian influence. A blend of 60% Chardonnay barrel-fermented in new oak with the remainder being unwooded. Very elegant, with lemon and stony aromas. A deft touch of oak underlines the ripe tropical fruit on the palate. Above average length.

Tokara Director's Stellenbosch Reserve White 2009 - A blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon. Lemon and gooseberry aromas. The Semillon provides some attractive fleshiness to the body. Refined, quite similar in style to a white Bordeaux.

Quoin Rock Winery Simonsberg Oculus 2007 - One of the more unusual wines at the tasting. 85% Sauvignon Blanc blended with 15% Viognier. Barrel fermented and aged on lees for 12 months. Vanilla and cream with some citrus notes. Lacking in identity. Seems like a rather experimental wine that exemplifies the South African motto of embracing variety.

Groot Constantia Shiraz 2008 - Have consistently been impressed by this wine. White pepper and gamey notes on the nose, followed with black cherry and sour plums on the palate. Nice chewy tannins. Dense and layered.

AA Badenhorst Rhone Blend 2007 - 80% Shiraz, 10% Mourvedre, 7% Cinsault and 3% Grenache. Black pepper and garrigue aromas. Medium+ tannins and medium+ alcohol. A powerful wine, but fresh and balanced. Red fruits and black pepper on the palate.

Creation Wines Walker Bay Syrah Grenache 2009 - A relatively new winery that started operations in 2002 in the cool coastal region of Walker Bay. A structured wine with notes of ripe red cherries and pepper.

De Grendel Rubaiyat 2007 - A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot from the Cape of Good Hope. The winemaker, Charles Hopkins, uses satellite imagery to detect which plots are ripe enough to be picked. The label contains a poem by Persian poet Omar Khayyam which changes with each vintage. Blackcurrant leaf and dark chocolate on the nose with hints of tree bark. Ripe rich blackcurrant fruit on the palate, with medium body and ripe tannins. Medium length.

De Krans Cape Tawny Port NV - Made from traditional Port varietals. Raisins, caramel and nutty flavours. A little sherry-like. Very drinkable.

De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2008 - Dried game and spice on the nose. Full bodied with notes of candied lemon, raisin and fruitcake. Medium+ length.

Overgaauw Cape Vintage Port 1998 - Sour plum aromas. Warm and opulent texture. Complex layers of fruitcake and tea leaf. Still able to keep for several more years.

An Interview with David Powell of Torbreck

When a winemaker slams Lafite as "not being as good as half the second growths", you know that you are talking with someone who speaks his mind. That someone is David Powell, winemaker and owner of Torbreck. Mr Powell is no stranger to controversial opinions. Last September he released Australia's most expensive wine, the Torbreck 2005 The Laird at AUD700 a bottle. By comparison, Penfolds Grange, a wine with a rich heritage and proven track record sells for AUD600 a bottle. The pricing is a bold effort to raise the image of Australian wines, which over the years has cultivated a "cheap and good" image. All 400 cases of The Laird have already sold out, proving that money is not a consideration for those looking to get Laird.

I had the opportunity to speak to David while he was in Singapore last week. An energetic and forthright man, he gives a clear direction for where he wants Torbreck to be positioned in the hierarchy of Australian wines, which is at the very top. His winemaking approach is highly focused on what happens in the vineyard and he says that "During harvest, I don't spend much time in the winery. I spend more time in the vineyards, tasting fruit, talking to growers, stuff like that... I don't want to have to start manipulating things to make up for deficiencies in the vineyard". David is adamant about making the growers part of the winemaking process. To this end, Torbreck holds an annual Growers' Night six months after the vintage (but before the blending process) where all the wines from individual vineyards are laid out and labelled with the grower's name. Each grower is also provided with a dozen bottles of wine made from single varietals from his vineyard. This allows the grower to judge the quality of their fruit and to compare it with other growers.

Torbreck produces 60000 cases of wines yearly, about half of which is the Woodcutter Shiraz. The higher end range is comprised of the Runrig, Descendant, and Factor labels made from ancient, dry-grown (non-irrigated) Shiraz vines. The wines tend to be big and rich, coming as they do from from the Barossa which has a warm, Mediterranean climate. In several aspects though, David's winemaking differs from what is traditionally practiced in the Barossa. For example, he uses French oak instead of American oak, because "French oak pulls the wine back a little and gives it more finesse". He also uses open-top fermenters, which help dissipate the volatile alcohols during fermentation. In essence, this means that he can pick the fruit when it is riper and not end up with excessive alcohol levels.

Each label in the Torbreck range tells a story. Many of them, like The Pict, The Laird and The Struie have Celtic origins that can be traced back to the period where David worked as a lumberjack in Scotland. Of particular interest is the Grenache-based Les Amis, made in collaboration with Ignatius Chan as a house wine for the Singapore restaurant of the same name. Dave says, "Everywhere else in the world the wine sells like hot cakes, but in Singapore no other restaurant will carry it because it bears the name of a competitor!" A lot of consideration has gone into the design of the bottle, right down to the type of closure used. David prefers screwcaps, because "Every cork is different. They're like fingerprints, and so every bottle of wine is going to age slightly differently." He notes though, that market perception (particularly in Asia) is that screwcaps mean cheap wine and so a proportion of the higher end wines will still be bottled under cork. The iconic logo, comprising of three trees set against a forest backdrop, was designed in-house by his mother.

In 2009, David embarked on the Natural Wine project, making a wine from organically farmed vineyards and refraining from adding yeast, acids or sulphur during winemaking. Representing a new trend in winemaking, proponents of natural wines argue that they taste better, contain less harmful chemicals and reflect the vineyard properties more closely. But because the wine does not contain any preservatives, it tends to be less stable. David doesn't even sell the wine at the cellar door, only at restaurants because he doesn't want people storing it for years (the wine actually has a use-by date printed on the label) and then complaining that the wine doesn't taste good. "In Australia, it's still a bit of an education process with people." He draws a distinction between natural wines and simply bad winemaking. "It's become such a trend, that there is a lot of natural wine made around the world that is absolutely crap."

We also talk a little about the challenges facing Australian wine. David believes that the Australian dollar is going to remain high for some time, hurting exports of Australian wine. He also takes a strong stand against the involvement of public companies in the Australian wine industry, as they are all about "10% growth,10% profit". He says that their financial models do not take into account agricultural risk, and that "There is no guarantee that you are going to get a certain amount of fruit every year off your vineyard." David took a bold step this year when decided to declassify his entire range of higher-end wines due to a rainy 2011 vintage. "If I was answering to a public company, there is no way they would let me do that," says David.

This focus on quality has cemented Torbreck's reputation as a producer of outstanding wines. Langton's 2010 Classification of Australian Wine included the Runrig Shiraz under the top Exceptional category, calling it "gorgeously opulent, perfumed and densely concentrated." Even the Woodcutter Shiraz and GSM wines display a delicious drinkability that serves as an introduction to the rest of the Torbreck range. 

Many thanks to Geslyn Ngiam of Culina and Sarah Mayo of The Local Nose for setting up the meeting with David. Culina is the local distributor for Torbreck wines.

Wine Tasting: Poderi Aldo Conterno

In an issue of the popular Japanese manga about wine, Kami no Shizuku, the protaganist is seen comparing French and Italian wine. "French wine", he declares, "is superior over Italian wines because of the wide variety of flavours and aromas they have". This is due to the wide variety of French cuisine, which requires pairing with different styles of wine. Imagine a dense red Bordeaux, packed with blackcurrant and cedar notes, paired with delicious grass-fed lamb, or a layered, creamy Grand Cru Burgundy with sweet, delicate river crab. Is your mouth watering yet?

Likewise, the range of Italian food (think tomatoes, pork, pasta and pizza) is well suited with Italian wines. While the variety present in French cuisine may be lacking, the pairing of Italian food and wine is simple due to their great affinity for one another. Try tasting an Italian wine by itself, and notice how tart, light bodied and tannic it seems, then try it with some Italian food and notice how the acidity and tannin now complement the olive oil and tomatoes in the dish.

Beam Global Asia organised a wine tasting with famed Italian producer Poderi Aldo Conterno recently, represented by Andrea Carelli. With 20 wine regions and numerous indigenous varietals I was grateful for the opportunity to learn more about Italian wines, especially from a producer that has five generations of winemaking tradition. Aldo Conterno is currently run by three members of the Conterno family; Franco, Giacomo and Stefano. Respectively, they handle the marketing, viticultural and vinification aspects of the business.

The vineyards comprise 25 hectares of land situated in Bussia in the village of Monforte d'Alba within Piedmont in the north west corner of Italy. The land is hilly with layers of sand alternating with calcerous marl. The most prized sites, named Cicala, Colonello and Romarisco are used in the production of long lived and intense Barolos. Aldo Conterno is known for their draconian approach to fruit selection, sometimes discarding as much as 50% of the grapes. This has led to their production gradually declining from as much as 200,000 bottles in 2000 to around 80,000 bottles a year currently. In recent years, they have also introduced the use of rotofermenters and temperature controlled fermentation to produce wines that are more approachable and less tannic. Interestingly, Andrea mentioned that the rotofermenter is an innovation of chocolate maker Ferrero SpA which makes Ferrero Rocher.

Tasting notes:
Aldo Conterno Chardonnay Bussiador Langhe D.O.C. 2006 - Aged in 100% new oak. A fresh, almost modern style of Chardonnay with notes of lemon peel, citrus fruits and fresh vanilla seeds. Slightly creamy. A long finish.

Aldo Conterno Masante Langhe Dolcetto D.O.C. 2009 - The workhorse wine, designed for everday drinking. Deep purple robe. Primary fruit characters of blueberries, red cherries and vanilla. Slightly warm on the finish.

Aldo Conterno Conca tre Pile Barbera d’Alba D.O.C. 2006 - Aged in 100% new oak. Rather closed on the nose, with notes of licorice and wood. Juicy acidity. Palate has notes of sour cherry and dark chocolate. Medium+ length.

Aldo Conterno Bussia Barolo 2004 - 100% Nebbiolo. No tar here,  but an exotic, floral nose with minty notes. Quite enticing. Body has good structure, firm acidity and fine tannins.

Aldo Conterno Romirasco Barolo D.O.C.G. 2004 - 100% Nebbiolo. Opinions around the room were divided. I found the wine slightly closed with tart acidity. Sweet red cherry on the palate.

Aldo Conterno Granbussia Barolo Riserva D.O.C.G. 2001 - 100% Nebbiolo. The flagship wine, consisting of 70% fruit from Romarisco, 15% Cicala and 15% Colonello. The Romarisco fruit provides body and character, while the Cicala and Colonello fruit contribute spice and elegance in that order. The wine was aged Medium ruby appearance with fine sediment. A mélange of scents including roses, black cherry and soy sauce. The tannins have integrated well. Medium length.

One thing I noted about these wines were that even though they were 14% alcohol or higher, they did not taste overtly warm.

Aldo Conterno is distributed in Singapore by Beam Global Asia Pte Ltd.

The Many Faces of Riesling

Riesling is a bit like classical music. Complex, technically precise, and rich in history. And like classical music, it appeals to only a niche group. Jancis Robinsons says of it, "The most underappreciated white grape in the world, but in my opinion the finest." The presence of monoterpenes in Riesling, responsible for the delicate floral aromas of violets and rose petals, can come as a shock to wine drinkers more familiar with the citrus and oak character of Chardonnay. Add in a distinct, bracing acidity, and a lean body, and it is easy to see why Riesling accounts for only 12% of white wine sales in Singapore.

It wasn't always this way. In the 19th century, German Riesling sold for higher than even the grand crus of Bordeaux. Riesling was considered the finest varietal of the Rhine winemaking regions since the early 18th century, prompting various church authorities to encourage Riesling plantings over lesser varietals. But just as Germany was responsible for the rise and influence of Riesling, it also played a hand in its downfall. The 1971 German wine law, which associated quality with sugar and ripeness rather than terroir, unleashed a flood of sweet wine into the market just as consumer preferences were evolving towards drier styles. A plethora of similar sounding varietals, amongst them Welschriesling and Cape Riesling, which possessed some of the aromatic qualities but none of the finesse and longevity of true Riesling, put another nail in the coffin.

A recent tasting of Rieslings with The Local Nose, paired with a selection of tapas from Vintry reminded me how much this grape has to offer. More than any other varietal, Riesling expresses the soil and climate of the vineyard, while still managing to maintain an individual charm. It is like having Picasso, Dali and Monet painting the same vase of flowers. My tasting notes are reproduced below:

2009 Württemberg Lauffener Riesling - A good showing of German-style Riesling, with typical lime and kerosene aromas. Light bodied with an above average length.

2009 Tamar Ridge Kayena Vineyard Riesling - From Tasmania, a cool climate region. Very subtle aromas of kerosene and citrus. The body was rather thick for a dry Riesling, perhaps due to the alcohol. A very different style from Clare and Eden Valley Rieslings, which have more pronounced fruit character.

2007 Haart to Haart Riesling - From the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region, this wine had an unusual rubber-like aroma. Delicious minerality on the palate, reminiscent of small river pebbles. A long, persistent finish.

2009 Biffar Josephine Riesling Kabinett Feinherb - What a mouthful of a name! Kabinett Feinherb refers to the style of the wine, which is off-dry. The nose had a lovely lychee and candied fruit note, with a slight hint of lentil. Similarly rich on the palate, but with sufficient acidity to ensure that it did not become cloying.

2009 Domain Road Riesling - This Riesling from Central Otago displayed primary lime and mineral fruits with subtle floral notes on the nose. A fruit forward palate of lime and lemon curd, with slatey mineral notes. A very typical New Zealand Riesling, tightly focused with concentrated fruit.

There are many other regions now which make excellent Riesling. Alsace and Finger Lakes (New York) tend to make Rieslings in bone dry styles, while Austrian Riesling is dry with floral notes. Australian Riesling from the Clare and Eden Valleys have a distinctive petrol character, even in younger wines, and citrus characters. Even though Riesling is less popular than, say, Chardonnay, winemakers love to make (and drink) this grape for its finesse and complexity. Unless there is a change in wine drinking trends towards lighter styles of wine though, I do not expect the rest of the world to follow anytime soon.

On a final note, for those who have not tried out Vintry's Caramelised Roast Pork, it is the most tender, succulent, melt-in-your-mouth pork I have tasted in Singapore. A perfect match with dry German Riesling.

That Elusive Asian Spice

pic from www.japanfocus.org

I've noticed the term "Asian spice" cropping up regularly in tasting notes recently. Which is rather like saying, a wine has minerality. It's an imprecise word that can mean a variety of scents and flavours. Szechuan peppercorns, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, basil and lemongrass are all spices used in Asian cooking, but they taste very different from one another. When "Asian spice" is used to describe a wine, does it smell of lemongrass then? Surely an odd scent to find in Cabernet Sauvignon wouldn't you think?

Out of curiosity, I made used of Google's date range function to find out how many web pages had the word "Asian spice" and "tasting notes" in them within a certain time frame. Up to the year 2005, there were 47 hits on these search terms. Extending the date range to the current date resulted in around 12,000 hits. Ok, I thought, maybe more tasting notes have been put online over the past six years. So I put in the terms "blackcurrant" and "tasting notes" and repeated the experiment. This time, there were 11,500 results up to 2005, and 149,000 up to today. So that means that there are now 255 times more tasting notes with the words "Asian spice" compared with an increase of 13 times for "blackcurrant".

Perhaps this growth of wines tasting like "Asian spice" has something to do with what a major player Asia (in particular China) has become in the wine trade. Hong Kong is already the largest market for wine auctions, and Asia is expected to account for a third of en primeur sales this year. With Europe and the United States still in economic doldrums, it is Asia which is setting new records for the price of fine wine. Maybe it follows, that if you are marketing to Asia, you should use terms that are more familiar to Asians? Just like Chateau Lafite adding the Chinese symbol for 8 to their 2008 bottles, is "Asian spice" a marketing gimmick?

I have no qualms about tasting notes featuring more descriptors that are easier to understand in the local context, such as litchi, mango and star fruit. Jeannie Cho Lee MW wrote an excellent article in the July 2009 issue of Decanter which examines the difference between Western and Asian palates. Such descriptors allow locals to identify better with the flavours of the wine, which is an important consideration when buying wines. Yet I can't help feeling that "Asian spice" is a catch-all phrase that doesn't really add value to a tasting note.

First Growth Wines for Less than a Dollar?

Chateau Haut-Brion 1997: £0.25. Chateau Latour 2001: £1.23. No, it's not a dodgy sale by some back street peddler in China, but rather a new auction model by Unique Wine Auctions. Instead of the winner being the one who puts in the highest bid, it is the lowest unique bid that wins the auction. The site makes money by charging for each bid put in. Each bidder has an account with the company in which he buys credits which are used for bidding.

It's a bit like buying a lottery ticket, and I am sure that the owners of the business have worked their sums to see if it is a viable business. Certainly with the prices of fine wine being what they are, it is easy to see why this model would attract a lot of attention. The company even includes free delivery for UK based addresses. 

The site has been in operation since February 2011, and it seems to focus on high quality Bordeaux wines, understandably so since these are the wines that generate the most interest due to their rarity and price. To encourage people to make more bids, every time a bid is placed the system will send a response letting the bidder know if the bid is "unique but not the lowest", "not unique" or currently the "lowest unique bid". The wine currently on auction is a Chateau Gruaud Larose 2000, with a maximum bid of £9.00. That means that there are 900 unique bid prices.

I wonder how the system will handle an increasing number of members. More bids mean a decreasing likelihood of unique bids, which can be countered by either limiting the number of new members (which doesn't generate profits for the company) or by increasing the maximum bid price (which means that a bidder would have to put in more bids to try and find the "winning combination"). The worst scenario of course, would be that the company ends up broke and all the unused credits are lost. Then again, it wouldn't be a lottery without an element of risk.

The Joys of Bordeaux

When I first started drinking wine, it was mainly New World wines from Australia and New Zealand. They were approachable, didn't need extensive aging and had identifiable fruit character. And though I am still a big fan of Margaret River Chardonnays (uber rich wines which taste like buttered toast) and New Zealand Pinot Noirs (silky, seductive and yet with loads of fruit), I find myself increasingly drawn towards the holy grail of wine lovers, fine Bordeaux reds. 

I'm not talking about your average AOC Bordeaux, but rather the good stuff, those wines which have attained the exalted ranking of being a classified cru. Of these rankings, the 1855 Medoc classification has the most prestige, quite impressive for a system that is over a hundred and fifty years old! The rankings for the 1855 classification were drawn up based on the price of the wines at that time, and they still command a lofty premium over other Bordeaux wines. 

These classified wines require a great deal of patience (and preferably deep pockets). At a recent wine dinner, it was those wines that had been aged at least eight years that started to show some lovely character. Younger wines, though well made and delicious to drink, tended to taste almost uniform. The highlight was a Chateau Giscours 1990 from Margaux, which had exotic dried herbs and licorice notes. It took twenty years for this wine to reach its peak. In a world where instant gratification is all the buzz, we frequently consume wines before they have the chance to mature into something interesting.

The ability of wine to evolve as it ages is one of its most interesting properties. Milk goes sour, soft drinks lose their fizz and flavour, but wines, like people, age slowly, losing the fresh fruitiness of youth and developing subtle, complex flavours. An exploration of Bordeaux wines is all the more interesting because it tracks the evolution of these wines over the years. 

Nascetta, A Little Known Varietal, and Creative Labelling

No doubt about it, Italy is huge. With 20 administrative regions all making wine, a person could study Italian wine all his life and barely scratch the surface of all there is to know. Which is why I jumped at the chance to attend an Italian wine tasting last Wednesday at the World of Wines branch in Novena.

Among the usual suspects of Chianti and Amarone was a little known Piedmontese wine made from the indigeneous varietal Nascetta. So obscure that it is not even mentioned in The Oxford Companion to Wine, it is grown by only a handful of wineries. This particular wine was produced by Elvio Cogno, located in the Langhe area of Piedmont. Back in 1994, Elvio Cogno was the first winery to bottle this wine, and they had to label it as a vino da tavola (table wine) as it was not an approved varietal for quality wine. It was only in 2000 that Nascetta was elevated to DOC level, and even then it could only be used in the blend but not mentioned on the label. To get around this, winemaker Valter Fissore cleverly named the wine Anas-Cetta. Since brand names are permissible on wine labels whether or not they are registered, Valter was able to use varietal labelling by disguising it as a brand. Bravo! 

The wine has undergone six months aging in stainless steel tanks and a further six months in French oak. Common with most Italian whites, the nose is rather neutral, with notes of peach and apricot. It has a light body with higher than normal alcohol (for Italian whites) at 14%. The palate is slightly herbaceous, with flavours of fuzzy peach skin and stone fruit. A difficult wine to enjoy at first, as it lacks the punchy forward fruit that Riesling, or Chardonnay for example possess. As a wine lover though, I am always overjoyed to find something different.

A final note on the labelling regulations, as of 2010 the varietal is allowed to be mentioned on the label. Wineries such as Rivetto are experimenting with skin maceration to extract greater aromas from the grape. Watch closely, the future of Nascetta as a nobel grape unfolds now.

Regulations on Alcohol Advertising

The beer industry is really clever. Just look at their ads and see how they cater specifically to different groups. For example, wander into any open-air food court in Singapore and chances are good that the pillars will be plastered with advertisements featuring cheongsam clad pouty ladies. At night, groups of middle aged men will be seen converging at tables and flirting with the "Beer Aunties", cheerful, busty women who will regularly top up their drinks.

Wander into a sports pub and the image subtly changes. Football matches are heavily sponsored by beer companies. The players wear shirts emblazoned with beer logos. And what could be a better match for spicy chicken wings than a cool draught? Now the advertisements emphasise friendly competition and bonding, targeting the younger crowd that frequent these places.

I am reminded of the early days of smoking advertisements, where it was permissible to market cigarettes as making one "cool" (anyone remember the Marlborough Man?). Although the moderate consumption of alcohol does not pose a significant health risk, alcohol is still lumped into the "sin" category, attracting more regulation and taxes. My Diploma assignment this past week was to research alcohol advertisements, and there are suprisingly quite a few guidelines on what can and cannot be shown. For example, in the European Union, the following rules apply:

• it cannot be aimed specifically at minors, or in particular depicting minors consuming these beverages.
• it shall not link the consumption of alcohol to enhanced physical performance or driving.
• it shall not create the impression that the consumption of alcohol contributes towards social or sexual success.
• it shall not claim that alcohol has therapeutic qualities.
• it shall not encourage immoderate consumption of alcohol.
• it shall not place emphasis on high alcoholic content as being a positive quality of the beverages.

With the exception of the first rule, alcohol advertising does sometime walk a fine line. Tiger Beer caught some flak in 2008 for a UK ad featuring a ladyboy cabaret performer next to a bottle of Tiger Beer and the tagline "The Far East’s Most Desirable Export Since 1932". People linked the ad as saying that beer and sex were two of Asia's best exports, and the Advertising Standards Authority forced Tiger Beer to pull the ad.

Even worse is when someone else makes use of your brand to make an ad. The Guinness Good Times video created a buzz when it came out on Youtube, but it wasn't even an official ad. Diageo (the owner of Guinness) said that "Guinness is in no way associated with this video, and has approached YouTube to have it removed. We are proud of our brands, and our commitment to responsible marketing, and this is not how we want our brand portrayed."

Champagne Veuve Clicquot, Reims

While attending a Veuve Clicquot tasting in London in March, I had no idea that a month later I would be touring its vast underground cellars and having a tasting tutorial conducted by the esteemed winemaker himself, Dominique Demarville. Dominique created waves when he became, in 1998, the youngest ever chef de cave in Champagne at the age of 31. He joined Veuve Clicquot in 2006 as Deputy Cellar Master, and in 2009 was promoted to Cellar Master, responsible for the winemaking and blending of all Veuve Clicquot wines. 

Champagne (the very word is protected under European Union regulations) is a mix of three grape varietals; Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. A still wine is made from each of these varietals, which are then blended together and fermented again to produce the distinctively fine sparkle. To start our tasting, Dominique had prepared samples of still base wine from the 2010 vintage. These are not wines which you would normally find on supermarket shelves. They were distinct for their low alcohol and high acidity (though the Chardonnay was most striking in its sharpness). Through tasting the base wines individually, it was possible to understand why it is said that Chardonnay provides freshness, Pinot Noir contributes body and Pinot Meunier gives fruit and aromatics.

The Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut is the bread and butter house blend. Made from a high proportion of Pinot Noir (50% or more depending on the year) and reserve wines, it displayed toasty aromas and a lovely depth of flavour on the palate. Veuve Clicquot also produces a vintage champagne in the finest years, and I was fortunate to be able to sample the 2002. This bottle should come with a warning label to prepare people for the shock of absolute purity and concentration of flavour that will hit them when tasting this wine. Rich and buttery on the palate, with a lip smacking, lasting finish. It is definitely a wine for a very special occasion. Although it is drinking wonderfully now, I recall tasting a 1953 Vintage Veuve Clicquot in London, and it makes me wonder how long these wines can age. Eternally, I suspect.

I was gratified when Dominique brought out the final wine for tasting, the 1998 La Grande Dame. The top line of Veuve Clicquot champagnes, this wine is bottled in magnificient, jet-black glass that hints at the precious liquid within. Over 13 years old, but still young! It has not yet developed the rich, honeyed notes that come with age. The style is different from the Vintage Veuve Clicquot, I would say that the La Grande Dame is more austere and less approachable in youth.  

The story of Veuve Clicquot is long and fascinating, guided by the strong hand of Mme Barbe-Nicole Clicqout Ponsardin, widow of the man who started the company. Her keen eye for business and innovations in the disgorgement process allowed the winery to outpace its competitors and come back from the brink of ruin several times. "Only one quality, the finest", became her motto, and it is clear that the latest generation of winemakers follow that principle with utmost dedication.