Inspirational knowledge and the people behind the drink

May INTERNATIONAL 2010

Concours Mondial PAGE 24 The Emigrants Part 2 PAGE 27 Domaine Duseigneur PAGE 31

INNEHÅLL > PAGE 4 Fréderic Brochet at Ampelidae PAGE 11 The latest cry from Spain´s world of fashion white wine PAGE 15 Waiting for the Barberas PAGE 19 The Beverage Auction Stockholm 1st June 2010 PAGE 24 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Palermo PAGE 27 The Emigrants part 2 PAGE 31 The Predecessor - Domaine Duseigneur PAGE 34 Sexual frustration at René Barbier´s PAGE 36 Fine Wine Guides: Madrid PAGE 39 Drinking wine out of a Plastic Mug PAGE 41 Verona - a week in the Service of Wine PAGE 43 Ornellaia guarantees its legitimacy with the help of RFID

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Chilean Top Producer Torres Expands its Expands 400% in Twelve Presence in Kina Years The Spanish bodega Miguel Torres was The Chilean Bodegan Concha y Toro amongst the first commence wine cul- is bursting its seams. 12 years ago the tivation in China. However the project company was one of the biggest in cooled off after a series of administrative blunders. After this in Spain they decid- Chile with its 3000 hectares of wine cul- A New Fine Wine ed to invest in exporting the wine to the tivation land. This alone was impressive gigantic market in the East. Player on the enough, but it is during the last 12 years Now follows the next phase of Torres’s Swedish Market that great expansion has occurred in marketing strategy, namely a chain of Vinlusen (The wine louse) is the Chile and in Argentina as well. wine stores, where according to the name of a new player on the During this year they reckon with hav- Spanish press, the staff are trained in Swedish Wine and Spirits market. ing 12000 hectares of in wine’s Fine Wine to be able to give extra service Primarily they will be working own paradise as well In neighboring Ar- to the stream of Chinese customers. “We with Fine and high quality gentina, where at the present time they started with distribution in 1997, which spirits. Amongst the products that own 1200 hectares of cultivation. ran at a loss, but now we’ve been in they represent we find the cognac This makes Conch y Toro to one of the the black for several years”, says Miguel Maxime Rijol and the bio dynami- absolute largest wine producers and Torres the company’s CEO. cally grown products from Trénel During 2009 sales of Torres wines in Chi- Fils from Bourgogne, Laurent Per- acreage owners in the world. The super na increased by 14%, which puts their raud in the Loire, Daniel Crochet, company makes a range of wines under turnover at the present time of approxi- Sancerre. Even the Domaine Gilles various brand labels amongst others mately 10 million Euros. At the moment Chollet, Poilly Fumét and another Casillero del Diablo, everything from Miguel Torres has 6 wine stores dotted ecological wine from the Chateau high to low, as well as some of Chile’s around China as well as sales through de Surande, Quarts de Chaume. iconic wines like Don Melchor and Al- the internet. maviva. For more information on Vinlusen JFC JFC call +46 70 471 19 66

WELCOME TO A NEW EDITION OF FINE WINE Your on-line magazine in a glass of its own

When Europe Rose from the Ashes of Winter like the fabled Spring time this year has been unusual for a number of reasons. Up here in we’ve been caught in the iron grip of winter for four months of relentless snow, ice and sub zero temperatures. Even the southern latitudes of France and even as far down as Barcelona have received a good covering of snow. How is this likely to effect this year’s grape harvest? The producer’s that I’ve been speaking to are all agreed that the snow is a good thing, It all helps to get rid of a number of destructive insects and protects the vines against the cold. Let’s hope that they’re right! In this edition there is a lot of discussion about quality and investment, exciting developments and new endeavors. Naturally we’ll be covering the great beverage auction in Stockholm. Do You? http://www.auktionsverket.se/s.asp?s=online_10/online.asp Now with summer approaching we notice more and more that “good food” tourism is increasing more and more. A hot tip for anyone who’s on the lookout for a special culinary experience and has the wherewithal to pay for it, then Mathias Dahlgren’s Dining Room adjacent to the Grand Hotel. You’ll not be disappointed with either the food, the drink or the service. Allow us to wish you all a really pleasant summer. Welcome to a brand new and exciting number of Fine Wine International Ove Canemyr Chief Editor Fine Wine Magazine It is permitted to forward Fine Wine Magazine to friends and acquaintances interested in Fine Wines and are over the age of 18 years. Please let us know about anything interesting that you get to know about, people, events etc. We cannot be held responsible for any unsolicited material, manuscripts, photos etc. You’re welcome to please quote from Fine Wine Magazine,but always reveal your sources.

Editoral Office: Ove Canamyr: Chief Editor , Fine Wine Magazine/Trendsetter Box 24013, 104 50 Stockholm. Layout : Sophie L Slettengren, By Design AB, International Edition Translations: Roger Brett, Broadcasting Arts. [email protected] Front Cover photography: Anne-Marie Canemyr.

2 notice

For Chateauneuf du Pape Terroir is Everything Daniel Brunier made a guest appearance at Pontus’s one of Stockholm’s fantastic restaurants and he had this to say, “Wine is a 100% terroir! It is its personality. In my opinion we should interfere as little as possible in its development”.

How does climate change affect production? “We are affected by it just like everyone else. Back in 2003 to 2005 we were re- ally frightened, there was an extreme drought but then came 2006-2009 where conditions were perfect. It seems that everything goes in cycles but we´re all affected by climate change.

In which order should we consume the products? “If you’re asking me? Then I suggest you drink la Roquette and let the Vieux Télègraphe continue to age in peace.” For the enthusiasts, if you’re interested?, these wines are available at your nearest

4000 Euros for Wine in Fine Wines from Western Australia the Sauce David Hodgson of the 3 Oceans Wine Company in Australia has a dedicated goal, namely to make wines of European Pity the poor cook, who uses wine in caliber. The cultivations are situated on the Margaret River his cuisine. In Dubai, that sit reports in Western Australia and the Franklin River about 14 miles that owing to many complaints from inland. Here they produce amongst others, Palandri and restaurant guests that they suspect Baldavis. Thanks to the relatively cold winds off of the sea the chefs in their kitchens are using the reasonably low summer temperatures affords them alcohol to enhance their culinary a slowly ripening process not unlike the circumstances in creations. Devout Moslems do not Bordeaux. Apart from that they have access to water, some- consume alcohol, so the authorities thing which is unusual in other parts of Australia. have decided to impose a fine of the In previous years almost all of the prizes in the indigenous com- equivalent of 40 000:- Swedish crowns petitions have gone to producers in the South and East. But now the wine world (approx 4000 Euro) on any cook who has started to raise an eyebrow since products from the western provinces are infringes upon the faith. Incidentally suddenly walking away with prize after prize. Having ambition is one thing, but turning your plans into reality is another. the ban is only on cooking. In between times however, one thing is sure. There are producers here that will enjoy great response at blind tasting events all over the world. Regular bars that have a license to Why don’t you try them yourself? They’re at an off license near you. (SystemBolaget serve alcohol may continue to do so. is the name of Swedish, state owned chain of off-licenses). JFC

Support our operation and inform us about Fine Wines Take this opportunity to give yourselves and your friends Fine Wine throughout the whole of 2010.

A present that will last a long time. Pay Sek: 200:- into the bank giro num- ber BG 721-1980 and add the E-mail address of the lucky recipient of this thoughtful and lovely present. (send to [email protected])

3 fréderic brochet at ampelidae Text Britt Karlsson photo Per Karlsson, bkwine.com I have met few wine producers who are as active as Fréderic Brochet. To own a that isn’t situated in a well known wine district, well hardly a wine district at all, demands a great deal of perseverance and tenacity to gain the attention and recognition that he indeed has received, but not without a struggle.

>>> 4 Frederic Brochet began his career as situated is in turn named after the an academic, after studying Biol- river Vienne. ogy and Psychology he doctored in “Of course Vin de Pays Loire is Oenology at the university of Bor- clearly more sellable”, says Fréder- deaux with a thesis entitled “Cog- ic. But never the less, not sellable nitive Aspects of Tasting”. He start- enough for a property with his level ed his vineyard Ampelidea in 1995. of ambition. “I don’t have any well Though he didn’t turn his back on know AOC to lean on, therefore I academia completely, he wanted to have I to see to it that my property find out more about our behavior is awarded its own unique identi- when we drink wine. He carried fy”, he continues. He is a strong be- out many conspicuous experiments liever in séléction massale as a way towards the end of the 90´s. (More of achieving it. on this later) During the years 2005-2008 Fré- “Our old vines give us a fantastic deric spent one month every year consumption. This is the way that quality and with sélécton mas- teaching Oenology at the Slow Frederic started in 1990 by making sale we retain our vineyards origi- Food University at Pollenza in It- a little wine for the family and dis- nality when we plant new ones”. aly. He dropped this assignment in covered just how much fun it could “Everyone´s talking about terroir, 2008 owing to lack of availability be. Now he makes wine from 120 then they go and buy the same as he assumed the responsibility for hectares 75 of which he owns out- plants again at the nursery. Selec- the Wine Dept at Fauchon. With right. The rest of the come tion Massale means that instead of its main store in the Place de la from contracted growers. “Though, going to the nurseries to buy vines Madeleine in Paris and its branches he says, I and my employees take which are already grafted from in Japan, Fauchon is Frances most care of most of the work, even in American vines, he takes cuttings luxurious delicatessen. the vineyards”. The only thing the from good vines on his own prop- growers do is pruning. erty to produce vines and carry out This 38 year old is completely tire- He has 16 employees at Ampelidae the splicing himself on Ampeli- less, others would be on their knees to help him at Ampelidae and all of dae. Of course this is much more for much less. When I met Fréderic his other engagements. The work at laborious than going to the plant at Fauchon to check a few things Fauchon demands his presence in school. He also does his own graft- for this article, he tells me that his Paris a couple of days a week. ing, which is very expensive and young oenologist at Ampelidae time consuming. What it actually has just tendered his resignation Of course it´s not quite true that entails is that he makes use of old because he couldn’t keep up with Ampelidae is completely isolat- vines when he is going to plant a Frederic´s exhausting tempo. ed. It lies in a wine district called new type of grape. For example he Haut-Poitu, which accommodates grafted the rare Sauvignon Rose”- He’s been running Ampelidae now about 800 hectares of wine cultiva- which is cloned from the Sauvignon for about 15 years The name itself tion. So there are other vineyards, Gris- 40 year old Gamay vines. comes from the Greek word Am- though none of them have become The resulting wine was good from pelos meaning vine. For a vineyard as reputable as Ampelidae. the start, very pure, minerals and Ampelidae lies somewhat isolated expressive. exactly between Paris and Bor- The wine from Ampelidae is consid- deaux, not far from the town of ered to be wine even Has his scientific education influ- Poitier. Fréderics grandparents used though it lies a fair way away from enced his way of working?. “Yes, to have a few hectares of wine cul- the river. It was formerly designated absolutely, he says, I have learned tivation here, and his father grew a as Vin de Pays de la Vienne because to always be in doubt…that there half hectare here purely for his own the department were vineyard is is no certainty. I all observe, I ana- >>> 5 lyze the results and then I decide to the sun. He starts early with the fate is 6kg per year and hectare for what is good and what is not good”. eastern border in June, The other the ecological cultivators, however Though on the other hand he feels sides are plucked after the 14th they are discussing whether or not that he also has a creative side and July. to reduce it that down to 4kg. I even that influences his work as The density of the cultivations are ask Frédéric if that is possible. “I well. He makes use of this creativity 5000 plants per hectare. suppose so, but these small doses not least in his work at Fauchon, need a perfectly calibrated spraying where he has produced a series of The whole property has changed tractor, so they’ll have to check over wines from a range of wellknown over to ecological cultivation de- their machinery. One will have to French appelations, which are old noted by their AB (Agriculture Bi- follow the meteorological reports sold with identical Fauchon labels. ologique) classification since 2007. and be ready to act quickly. Theese wines are big in Japan. “The most important thing when “Frédéric calls them “designer wines, you’re working ecologically says Frédéric has maintained for a long completely the opposite to the wines Frédéric is to keep your eyes peeled time that if you´re not allowed to that I produce at Ampelidae, which and act immediately. “You have to use copper sulfate then it is impos- have the property’s own signature. be especially observant on rainy sible to grow grapes ecologically in years, like for example 2007 when these northerly, rainy latitudes. But Personality in wines demands that the bouts of mildew were very dif- now he’s saying that in the future one be scrupulously thorough both the answer for the ecologists lies in the vineyard and down in the not in using copper. cellars. Frédéric says that “sensible He thinks the problem can be solved harvesting is important”. by gene manipulation. “People are He does it manually as part of the frightened with out reason”, he vineyard is situated near the facili- says. “GM means simply that peo- ties. Which actually means that a ple are using their brains, there is third of the harvest can in the fer- absolutely no risk involved.” “Solv- mentation tanks five minutes after ing the copper problem is quite the bunches of grapes have been simply making the picked. equally as resistant to diseases in a natural way as the American vines The bearers empty their baskets are already”. “Grafting the Ameri- straight onto the sorting tables. “It’s can vines after the phylloxera back difficult to imagine anything more in the 1800´s was more of a shock idealistic”, says Frédèric. for the vineyards than this will be.” “In such a northern climate like Of course his declaration is contro- ours, you must never have a big versial, there is compact resistance yield. The red wines must never ficult. It’s easily done that on years to gene manipulation amongst his exceed 45 hectoliter per hectare.” like this one uses too much copper producer colleagues in Europe. He achieves this by hard pruning sulfate”. Mildew is the scourge of in winter and plucking off the su- us all, not least for the ecological The environment in general is perfluous buds (ébourgeonnage) in growers, who can only fight fungi something that lies very close to the spring. He also wants a lot of with the contact activating copper Frédéric´s heart. It is always crop- leafage to catch as much solar en- sulfate based Bordeaux mixture. ping up in conversation. He is ergy as possible. Systematic biocide penetration is not satisfied with just growing his The height of the wines is between more effective but forbidden for the grapes ecologically, he wants to 2.30 and 2.50 meters. Only the ecologists. In the long run though, show his consumers that the wines leaves surrounding the grapes are copper is also dangerous for the do not contain any residue from removed for maximum exposure soil. Today the limit for copper sul- pesticides. In fact he guarantees it >>> 6 Zero Residue. the Community to install 400 how the ecological producers were There are two separate laboratories square meters of solar cells on work in the cellars. that test his wines for traces of 244 Ampelidae. “Now we are self sup- This would mean that at last they different substances in the wines. porting on the electricity front,” could speak of ecological wine. Our vineyards are protected by he declares. Which is almost true “It’s good that it’s to be regulat- forests which is also a factor that with a slight modification. ed”, Frédéric adds, “even though contributes to our Zero Residu, The solar cells do in fact produce I believe that there’s a big risk even though we are producing as much electricity as the vineyard that it will just be a watered down everything ecologically. “The land needs in a year. But during the (no pun intended) compromise. is small isolated island which can- summer there is a surplus, which There´s just too many wills that not be contaminated by the sur- they sell off, unfortunately they have to appeased and have a say in rounding non ecological proper- have to buy in electricity again things. “There are the extremists ties. Customers are not assured in the winter. To store the excess that won’t allow anything at all in of a Zero Residu, purely because electricity would be much too the cellars, they say that wine be they buy an ecological wine”. complicated. The northerly posi- as natural as is heavenly possible”. Cultivators have to follow a set of tion is just enough to capture the “It’s very important that the EU rules to reach a certain goal, how- affectivity of the solar cells. makes up their minds about what ever they are not obliged to reveal is and what isn’t ecological wine, how they did it!”. At the moment we´re not allowed says Frédéric”. to talk about ecological wine, but His dream is to be as selfsupporting rather “wine produced from eco- One thing is certain however that as possible. logically cultivated grapes”. Dur- the permitted amount of sulfur- A part of that dream was fulfilled, ing the spring the EU were sup- contents are to be reduced. Frédéric when he received a donation from posed to present a rulebook about however already has a lower meas- >>> 7 the pike is a great specialty on the Loire, so there’s that association as well. “And not only that, says Frederic, just like the pike I’m very fond of butter and white wine.

Frederic grows many kinds of grapes, but his favorite is Sauvi- gnon Blanc, a grape that he con- siders himself to be something of a specialist in. His distinguishing characteristics are acidity, purity and minerality. “TheS auvignon thrives and flour- ishes here with us, It´s a little more difficult to get the cabernet grapes to mature properly”. All of the Ampelidae wines are stored on oak, however quite discreetly. “Oak is like the salt in cooking: it should not be easily noticed but it is still necessary”, he says. The oak casks are French, American and Russian. He uses screw tops on the white wines because he thinks they give the wine a better fresh- ness. H even uses screw tops for the red wine market in Japan. He ´s a big believer in screw capsules, but he’s noticed that with the red ure of sulfur and chooses nitrogen vided into three categories. Wines wines there’s a certain closed in to protect the wine. from the young vines and the aroma and a certain harshness in “Always have a good hygiene in the less advantageous soil are called the wines. Perhaps these problems cellars, that is vitally important”, Marigny Neuf. His best wines can be solved when the screw tops he says. For the green grapes he bear the name Ampelidae with the are further developed. likes pressurage á la champenoise, first letter of the grape added: Le that it to say crushing without re- S for , Le C for Between 1998-2000 Frédéric carried moving the stalks, which protects , Le K for Cabernet out some interesting experiments them against oxidization. Timely and P.N. 1328 for . The that caught the attention of the bottling also reduces the need for 1328 being the designated number press. Since he took his Doctorate sulfur and he also uses sterile filters of the patch of earth where the he been interested in how we think on many of the wines. “though, grapes were grown. A new series of and function when we are tasting he continues, there are many who wines called Brochet are to show wine and what it is that influences think that sterile filtering is not in up a certain creativity. The label us when we drink it. It was actu- tune with ecological thinking…” is designed to represents the let- ally Ampiledae that made carry ter B drawn to look like the head out the experiments. In the begin- Frédéric makes a lot of different of a Pike, which is what Brochet ning it was a struggle to build up a wines at Ampelidae, mostly di- means in French. Apart from that vineyard in an unknown wine dis- >>> 8 trict and equally as difficult to be Cru bottle as complex, balanced red and it was even described as accepted as a producer of quality and high class, while wine in the jammy, by a taster who described wines. He wanted it down in black plain bottle was depicted in words the same wine in another glass as and white that people judge not like unpretentious, simple and aromatic and acidic. only the wine’s taste but also other light weight. Even though the factors when they are tasting wine. experiment was based upon the Naturally the experiment was in- same wine. teresting for just about everybody., Experiment # 1: but for Frederic it was proof of Frédéric served the same mediocre Experiment # 2: how People taste wine. With heir Bordeaux in two different bottles, The same white wine was served in nose in the glass and their eye on a Grand Cru Classé and a simple in two different glasses. In one of the label. He wasn’t the least bit bottle. The wellmerited the glasses of wine he added a red surprised by the result. As he ex- tasters described, not entirely un- tasteless food dye. All of the tasters pressed himself, “If I owned Laf- expectedly, the wine in the Grand were convinced that the wine was fite-Rothschild I would never have carried out this experiment.

Frédéric Brochet´s wines. Marigny-Neuf Pinot Noir 2008 Ampelidae Le C 2008 VIN DE PAYS DU VAL DE LOIRE/AMPELIDAE VIN DE PAYS DU VAL DE LOIRE/AMPELIDAE A nice, slightly smoky and rather elegant fragrance and The C naturally stands for Chardonnay. The fragrance taste. drifts towards pears and oak, a taste of almonds and flowers. There’s a hint of vanilla in there as well. A full and Marigny-Neuf Rosé 2008 richly tasting wine. VIN DE PAYS DU VAL DE LOIRE/AMPELIDAE A Pinot Noir Rosé which is pleasant, easily drunk. Ampelidae Le S 2008 Good berry taste with an aroma of rosehip and other red VIN DE PAYS DU VAL DE LOIRE/AMPELIDAE currents. 84 LGP a very aromatic sauvignon blanc. But rather com- plex with lots of layers of fragrances. A little smoky, little Marigny-Neuf Sauvignon Blanc 2008 truffle, citrus, elderberry and apples. VIN DE PAYS DU VAL DE LOIRE/AMPELIDAE The essence has skin contact for one night beneath a Aromatic and tasty with a clear grape character.. blanket of nitrogen to avoid oxidization. The pressing is very careful. I kilogram grapes gives up ….. essence. Marigny-Neuf Chardonnay 2008 Frédéric recommends this wine to asparagus, scallops VIN DE PAYS DU VAL DE LOIRE/AMPELIDAE or as an aperitif on its own. A round wine with a good and ripe fruitiness. Ampelidae Le K 2007 Brochet Sauvignon Rose Powerful but elegant Cabernet Sauvignon, with dark ber- Fié Gris ries, a little coffee, spices. Frédéric thinks it needs a large, VIN DE PAYS DU VAL DE LOIRE/AMPELIDAE first-rate entrecóte, or perhaps roast lamb. High acidity,Minerals, good citrus fruit, aromatic, clean and dry. Ampelidae PN 1328 - 2007 A harsh little Pinot Noir with a smoked aroma and good Brochet Sauvignon Blanc fruitiness.Very good. Stored in one year old casks. Mon blanc Cries out for pheasant in a pot or even a tournedos with VIN DE PAYS DU VAL DE LOIRE/AMPELIDAE chanterelles will do. Frédéric´s grandfather called his white wine Mon Blanc, to this is in his honor. A very evident Sauvignon Blanc, with a Ampelidae, Frédéric Brochet, Manoir de Lavauguyot, lot of gooseberries and green apples and high acidity. 86380 Marigny-Brizay, www.ampelidae.com

Brochet III Pointe de doux Swedish importers Moestu Grape Selections in Stock- VIN DE PAYS DU VAL DE LOIRE/AMPELIDAE holm 3 grams of residual sugar gives a little roundness and gentleness. Otherwise typical grape and minerality. 9 BLACK GRANITE SHIRAZ 2009 black granite SHIRAZ ARTIKELNR: 22059 ALKOHOLHALT: 14% PRIS: 219:- I väntan på sommaren ... Upplev Sydafrika redan nu – fruktigt, kryddigt och eldigt

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10 the latest cry from spain’s world of fashion white wine Text & bild Johan Franco Cereceda

The new trendy wine from Spain is spelled b-l-a-n-c-o, in other words white! Just a mo- ment forget the mineral beauties from Priorat, that ultra modern and the subtleties from Bierzo. Cast your eyes instead to Albarifo, Godello, Verdejo, Malvasia,Merseguera, PX because it’s here that things are happening , faster than the speed of sound.

When Pablo Alvarez himself, head time within the space of a year. of Spain’s pride and joy Vega Sicilia, H was being more than secretive is insinuating that perhaps the bo- , but he revealed that in any caser dega will be releasing a white wine they were cultivating the Rhone in the near future, a shiver runs grapes; Roussanne, Marssanne through the indus- and Viognier. Experimental cul- try. Because it is exactly this kind tivation he added. Still no white of utterance that is needed to make wine has been released, maybe an impression on the international there never will, if the Bodega wine press, a little gossip that Spain does produce one it would have to actually does make white wine. be of the absolutely highest class, as unique as a white wine from the It happened about 8 years ago Ribero del Duero wine district. when I was there For the third But of course that told us a whole >>> 11 smoothly. Not least thanks to the new consumers who are prepared to pay 12 Euros for a wine that is acidic, with tones of green apples, has a very appealing, fresh fruitiness. Anyone who has been to Galicia and eaten seafood for breakfast will understand where this wine is headed in the culinary world. Al- barino has worked well as an eye opener for the international pub- lic, who now admit that That one of world’s best countries for mak- ing red wines can also make really good white wines.

The interesting thing is that white wine Spain doesn’t start and end with a statement made by a top producer or a type of wine. Be- cause there’s more to come. Just like in Galicia we come across another type of grape, namely the Gödel, which has a little more rounded character with good trop- ical overtones, wax, mango and a really good acidity. This grape is lot about Spain the wine country. stone dead, even though the wines so powerful that it manages to A chance remark, is a sensation. in themselves were very high class lay on the wood, without the oak While at the same time they have and offer a challenge to just about dominating the taste, which is dif- been working very hard in Spain any Chablis in the same price ferent from the Albarino grape. At to raise the quality of the white class. Fifteen years later the whole the same time it has a low yield wines, but that it hasn’t been easy thing is looking much brighter. that pushes up the price. But for to make an impact, because there There are now several wines made those who like good things then are still many that consider Spain from the little green grape and the just overdo it. The wines are of the to be an Island in a red wine sea, SystemBolaget off-licenses have highest class. Usually when you’re where also a little bull dangles managed to get the price down from the every bottleneck. Almost without forfeiting too much in 15 years ago the SystemBolaget quality. “Well Done!” (Sweden´s state owned off-license chain) tried to introduce the Al- The reason that they cost so much berino grape onto the Swedish has to do with the growing con- market. The monopoly offered its ditions. They are small vineyards customer not one but three wines and the producers are so small made from this phenomenal grape that they are almost invisible. from Gaul. But however was a Today though the Albarino, the “but”, these wines cost about 12 Rias Baixas district and the whole Euros a bottle. The market wines of Galicia have achieved almost in that price range from Spain was cult status and is now running >>> 12 traveling around Spain with your original type. thoughts on food and drink, cau- tiously working your way through A wine must contain a majority the local offerings, one is often of the three previously allowed pleasantly surprised. In Alicante grape sorts, if they want to cre- on the Mediterranean coast which ate something new, now that they is not directly well known for its have proven that they’ve managed vineyards, you might be served to adapt their classical red wine white wine made from the local production to an ultra modern Merseguera grape-and be com- mindset for wine which will re- pletely astonished. It’s light, al- from the Verdejo, Viura and Sauvi- sult in many ultra modern wines most frivolous, fine fruitiness with gnon grapes. as a consequence. Finally we find a slight biting acidity coupled to a some very interesting wines in final tartness. It goes perfectly with The wines have a high acidity con- Spain’s north eastern corner. grilled saltwater crayfish partaken tent thanks to the grape´s own The fact that Peter Sisseck the on a beach, while your toes play in individuality but also due to the great Dane behind Dominio de the sand. “Don’t forget that there high altitude cultivation. There are Pingus ,Spain´s perhaps best wine are certain areas around Alicante few wines that can compete with a is acting as consultant winemaker that have a surprisingly chilly cli- really good verdejo in the 6 Euro for Bodega Clos´d´Agon in Am- mate”, says José Mendoza Gar- class and with its distinct taste of purdan, works with Roussanne, cia oenologist with the Eduardo gooseberries, black berries and el- Marsanne and Viogner which Mendoza. Of course the climate derberry. But that’s not so strange naturally arouses our awakes in- is a deciding factor and perhaps it really now that the Rioja giant has terest, like the cava-industry has is this that makes things difficult awakened to the reality of modern its headquarters here as well. But for the international consumers. white wines in this area. But the even when it’s all about white Spain is a warm country, it is here emphasis is still upon ripeness, wine you can’t Discount Priorat, that we come for the long beaches, casks, classic typically wine origi- who in record time have managed to bask in the sun and take a dip nal instead of modern white wine. to profile themselves as one of the in the Mediterranean. What we But now high time for revolution world´s most prominent wine dis- tend to forget is that a large part of in the super district. trict, red wine district. How ever a the hinterland lies high up on the little change of course is underway Mesas, that I to say the high plains Time for the world’s most famous and the focus is upon Garnacha measuring up to 800 meters above wine district after Bordeaux show Blanca, a grape that has always sea level. Anybody who’s ever been that they can also produce wines in had a good reputation. But in this in Madrid during the winter knows absolute world class. As a first step area it has turned out that this that it can get really cold thanks they have been allowed to grow a grape has the capability of absorb- to the severe inland climate. On brand new grapes for this area, the ing the characteristics of the soil certain summer days when the Chardonny, Sauvignon Blanc and called nicorella a kind of red slate old quicksilver makes its way up Verdejo alongside the old local which gives the wines an extremely to the 50 mark, it can get really grapes like Turruntés, Maturana interesting tone of minerals. Many chilly at night in parts of the Cas- Blanca and the newly discovered producers are still investing in Red tilian La Mancha region. It might cloneTempranillo Blanco. Togeth- Wines, but there are a handful that drop right down 5-10 degrees. For er with the previously sanctioned are paving the way, and Chining the white wines with good acidity Viura, Garnacha Blanca and Mal- Blanc are being planted. Interest is then this climate is very good, the vasia Rioja, their intention is to growing, not least internationally. wines have a high fruit level and compete with the greats, which Greatness in waiting I wrote about wellbalanced freshness. This is appar- of course remains to be seen. But this area more than 10 years ago. ent in, not least, the Rueda district of course hope are high but at the Maybe it’s time again to dust off which concentrated on white wines same time aware of preserving the the old cliché. 13 Elegant och prisvinnande sydafrikan.

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Alkoholkonsumtion under graviditeten kan skada barnet.

14 waiting for the

barberasby Stuart George

On 8–11 March the Barbera Meeting 2010 was held in Asti, a four-day event to show- case Barbera d’Asti, del Monferrato and d’Alba to an international audience of journa- lists, bloggers, sommeliers and buyers. Over 180 wines were tasted blind during the four days of the Meeting. Wood you if you could? or botte. Ageing in bottle can then spend at least six months in “botti Second only to Sangiovese in its follow any of these. di legno” (wooden barrels). Some- total plantings in Italy, Barbera The Barbera d’Asti DOC cre- times laws are as tan- is low in tannin, high in acidity ated in 1966 made provisions for gled as a bowl of spaghetti. and high in anthocyanins, all of Barbera d’Asti Superiore, which The late Giacomo Bologna pio- which supposedly make it suitable was created as a separate DOC in neered the use of barrique with his for barrique ageing. But many of 2000, to be aged for a minimum now famous 1982 Barbera d’Asti the wines tasted at Barbera Meet- of six months in oak or chest- Bricco dell’Uccellone. But as the ing 2010 were as soaked in oak nut botti. This was confirmed in Meeting showed, today nobody as the Piedmont landscape was the 2008 promotion to DOCG, seems capable of pairing Barbera in snow, with tannins as thick as which stipulates no requirement with new barriques effectively. ragù sauce. for the use of wood with Barbera Botte is the “traditional” meth- There are four ways of raising d’Asti but Barbera d’Asti Superi- od and often gives good results, Barbera: In steel tanks; in barrique ore (and Monferrato Superiore though many of these wines lacked (225 litres); in botte (a large bar- DOC) cannot be released before freshness. The tank-only versions, rel of unspecified size); or a mix 12 months from January 1 of the which showcase Barbera’s juicy fruit, of steel and wood, either barrique year after harvesting; it must also can give much pleasure but lack the >>> 15 structure of wines that have been 100%. It is intended to be a richer public relations – and a wasted op- buttressed by wood-ageing. and more structured version of portunity to hear what a knowl- Barbera d’Asti. edgeable segment of its audience Nizza not nice was telling them.” Nizza is a subzone of the larger After a tasting of 28 wines in Niz- Charles Scicolone, a New York- Barbera d’Asti Superiore area, to za Monferrato’s 200-year old Foro based wine consultant, wrote af- the south-east of Asti. Formed in Boario (cattle market) that now terwards, “These producers had November 2002, the Associazione houses the town’s Tourist Infor- invited journalists from all over Produttori del Nizza’s member- mation centre, we were invited to the world. The journalists were ship includes 43 producers in 18 ask questions of the winemakers. telling the producers the same towns and villages surrounding The issue of oak was raised and the thing – the wines are too oaky. Nizza Monferrato, a small town temperature in the room became Bloggers are the wave of the fu- 140 metres above sea level. colder than the snowy landscape ture (they have become more im- The self-imposed rules are more outside. Lodovico Isolabella, own- portant than the print media) and demanding than for the Barbera er of the Isolabella winery, shouted these young people are telling you d’Asti or Superiore DOCG: The back to one questioner, “Do you the same thing – no oaky toasty maximum yield is seven tons, or know anything, anything at all, flavours in your wine.” 49 hectolitres, per hectare (Barolo about wine?” The Piedmont wine regions of is eight tons!) and the wine must For the winemakers it was a vi- the Langhe, Monferrato and Roero be aged for at least 18 months sion as gruesome as the human are candidates for UNESO World from the first day of January after skeletons rising from their Heritage status, a nomination the harvest, of which six months in the Charlemagne fresco at that implies preservation rather must be in “wooden barrels.” The the abbey of Vezzolano. As wine than innovation. But the response DOCG requires only 85% of the writer Tom Maresca described the of visitors to the Barbera Meet- wine to be made from Barbera but defensive play of the winemak- ing 2010 suggests that changes the Produttori del Nizza insist on ers, “Commendable passion and need to be made to how Barbera pride, perhaps, but mighty poor is made in northeast Italy.

TASTING NOTES 2007 Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy Barbera The following wines were tasted at the Barbera d’Asti DOC Meeting 2010 held in Asti 8–11 March 2010. Lighter colour. Similar styling to the Tenuta La Tenaglia All wines were tasted blind. but with less stuffing. Tasty finish. Yum.

Barbera dÁsti 2007 Coppo SRL Pomorosso Barbera d’Asti DOC 2008 Cantina Sociale Barbera dei Sei Castelli Barbera Barriques here but better integrated than many other d’Asti DOCG wines. A sexy, modern style – but not really what Barbera Lush fruit and very moreish. A good example, the fruit is for. showing lots of Barbera tipicità. 2007 Dezzani SRL La Luna e le Stelle Barbera d’Asti Supe- 2008 Fratelli Trinchero La Trincherina Barbera d’Asti riore DOC DOCG No excess oak. Characteristic high acidity and light tan- Crisp acidity and some rustic tannins on the finish. A good nins. example of Barbera in the yeoman style. 2007 Borgo Isolabella S.S. Augusta Barbera d’Asti Superi- 2007 Marchesi Alfieri SRL SA La Tota Barbera d’Asti DOC ore DOC Nizza Fleshy and brightly flavoured. A good example of il dolce A successful version of il dolce stil novo, with some oak stil novo (sweet new style) that shows how oak – second flavours but not dry or harsh on the palate. Nice finish. and third fill in this instance – and Barbera can work to- gether in harmony. 2007 Tenuta La Fiammenga Paion Barbera d’Asti Superi- ore DOC >>> 16 >>>

This is in the rustic style that for me epitomises Barbera 2007 Cascina Ballarin Pilade Barbera d’Alba DOC from Piedmont. It also recalls the Tenuta La Tenaglia. A bit more acidity than the Giuli but otherwise similarly styled. 2007 Tenuta La Tenaglia Giorgio Tenaglia Barbera d’Asti DOC 2007 Bric Cenciurio Naunda Barbera d’Alba DOC One of the best examples yet in this tasting – plentiful Just a bit oak-dry on the finish but otherwise good – rich acidity, dark cherry flavours, some tannin. Italianissimo fruit, plenty of acidity and quite elegant. and probably great with food. Yum. 2007 Parusso Armanda Vecchie vigne in Località Ornati 2006 Cascina Castlet Litina Barbera d’Asti Superiore DOC Barbera d’Alba Superiore DOC Morello fruit and a rustic texture. What Barbera d’Asti is Slightly dusty nose. Palate not all that appealing in the all about! An exception to the rule that Barbera does not middle but finishes bright, sweet and juicy. age well: Even with all that acidity, it usually lacks the fruit and tannin concentration necessary for extended bottle 2007 Vietti Scarrone Barbera d’Alba DOC ageing. Dusty nose but pleasantly supple and juicy palate.

Barbera del Monferrato 2006 Azienda Agricola Scarzello Giorgio Barbera d’Alba 2008 Azienda Agricola Morando Silvio Barbera del Mon- Superiore DOC ferrato DOC A bit oxidised on the nose but a Nebbiolo-like texture on Fruity, relatively simple, juicy and unpretentious. What the palate of silky tannins buttressed by plenty of acid- Barbera – and Italian wine – is all about. ity. This is not a coincidence – the grapes are from Baro- lo. Barbera d’Alba is something of a mixed blessing: It is 2006 Cantina Iuli Barabba Barbera del Monferrato Supe- planted on the most privileged terroir of Piemonte – of riore DOC Italy! – but in the Barolo and Barbaresco villages it will Modern style but very crisp acidity means that this might always be second best to the mighty Nebbiolo. A pity but go well with food. understandably necessary.

2006 VICARA Visconti Cassinis Ravizza Vadmò Barbera del Monferrato Superiore DOC Mature. Drink with lots of protein. Like a Nebbiolo in its structure and aromas!

Barbera d’Alba 2008 Cascina Chicco Granera Alta Barbera d’Alba DOC Rather neutral flavours but really nice texture. Good wine.

2007 Cascina Ballarin Giuli Barbera d’Alba DOC The best one yet – rich fruit, not over-oaked, and a crisp finish.

Fine Wines very own homepage www.finewine.nu www.finewine.nu Here you’ll find the last 4 editions of Fine Wine.

17 Good News for Connoisseurs. It is time for the next Selected Wine Support our and Spirits Auctions. Auctions operation and The small auction, for single bottles, takes place on May 25th, at 3 pm at Stockholms Auktionsverk, Magasin 5, Frihamnen in Stockholm. inform us about The large auction takes place on June 1st, at 12 pm at Stockholms Auktionsverk, Nybrogatan 32, Stockholm. Preview Fine Wines The objects are on view in Frihamnen, Magasin 5, Stockholm on May 24th, between 3 and 7 pm. For a private viewing please contact Stockholms Auktionsverk, telephone +46 8 453 67 91. You will find all objects at www.auktionsverket.se TIONALas well as in the printed catalogue. Take this opportunity to give your- INTERNA Read more about the auction at www.systembolaget.se selves and your friends Fine Wine and www.auktionsverket.se. throughout the whole of 2010.

A present that will last a long time. a b c Pay Sek: 200:- into the bank giro number BG 721-1980 and add the E-mail address of the lucky recipient of this thoughtful and lovely present.

(send to a. Bordeaux Grand Cru, b. Whisky Single Malt, c. , [email protected])

18 peter thustrup the beverage auction stockholm 1st june 2010 ON-line bud : http://www.auktionsverket.se/s.asp?s=online_10/online.asp

4085 slightly nutty taste, complex and sufficiently long! 92 Château d’Yquem 1981 , 1er Cru Supérieur 4093 Stored in private cellar Le Montrachet 1982 6 bts DRC, Côte de Beaune, Grand Cru 12.000 - 15.000 Stored in private cellar EUR 1.200 - 1.500 u. 2 x 2,0cm, 2 x 3,0cm, 1 x 4,0cm, 1 x 4,5cm Yquem, for my taste demands at least 20 years before it is Danish tax labels mature and has a little to show up its class. The ter- 6 bts roir makes its appearance earlier, which means that one can I’ve tried this 3 times, it’s better after 10 hours breathing. enjoy the wine already now, less sugariness and a greater DRC do a very concentrated Montrachet, (as opposed to the complexity. I’ve tasted this 11 times. It’s always a brilliant Maquis de Laguiche which is complete in its finesse), juicy, wine. 95/100 complex and almost like the Yquem almost no sweetness, but with an unbelievable length. 4086 97/100 Château d’Yquem 1988 48.000 - 60.000 Sauternes, 1er Cru Supérieur EUR 5.000 - 6.000 Stored in private cellar 3 bts 4098 7.500 - 9.000 Corton-Charlemagne 1990 EUR 750 – 900 Dubreuil-Fontaine, Côte de Beaune, Grand Cru Stouter, juicier, a fantastic vintage, but needs in my opinion Stored in private cellar at least another 10 years 95 plus. 6 bts A wine that is full of ripe, powerful, golden dependent upon 4092 storage, but optimally can be quite complex, must Le Montrachet 1969 be drunk now. 90/100 Leroy, Côte de Beaune, Grand Cru 3.600 - 4.200 Stored in private cellar EUR 360 - 420 Slip label: Adventures in wine, Daly City 1 bt 4101 An unbeatable vintage for a white Bourgogne, now with Puligny-Montrachet La Garenne 1997 >>>

19 Etienne Sauzet, Côte de Beaune, Premier Cru u. vts Stored in private cellar 1 bt 8 bts EUR 800 - 1.000 5.600 - 6.400 EUR 560 – 640 4142 One of Sauzet´s stoutest, but the least complex Puligny. A Château Latour 1929 mediocre vintage but definitely still drinkable. 87/100 Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé Stored in private cellar 4127 u. us Château Calon-Ségur 1949 Soiled label St-Estèphe, 3ème Cru Classé 1 bt Stored in private cellar 10.000 - 12.000 Slip label: Kressman & Co, Bordeaux EUR 1.000 - 1.200 1 mag It´s difficult to say what this bottle is like. 5.000 - 6.000 It was a fantastic vintage, though at this stage it varies quite EUR 500 – 600 a lot from bottle to bottle. The condition of the bottles One of the great Calon Segur. Which has an earthiness com- doesn’t offer much indication. Of course it’s an experience parable to the first Cru, complex, refined (unlike the St Es- to drink an old wine like this, which effect isn’t much more tephe) with a good length with fine fruits that end like a experience than a good good Latour. 95/100 10 year old vintage. 92/100

4132 4143 Château Cos d’Estournel 1982 One of my greatest experiences, that was about 15 years St-Estèphe, 2ème Cru Classé ago. It might sound unbelievable but prepare yourself for a Stored in private cellar wine that can go over the top. 9 bts (owc for 12 bottles) Naturally not the fruitiness that you’d expect from a 18.000 - 22.000 1982 er. 92/100 EUR 1.800 - 2.200 Château Latour 1937 A fantastic Cos, round, soft now, a little harsh but a lot with Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé a rounded tannin that fills the mouth. 92/100 Stored in private cellar 4133 u. us Château Cos d’Estournel 1988 Bin soiled label St-Estèphe, 2ème Cru Classé 1 bt Stored in private cellar 3.000 - 4.000 12 bts (owc) EUR 300 - 400 16.800 - 19.200 EUR 1.700 - 1.950 4159 A little more complex than -82, a little harder, but good Château Mouton Rothschild 1970 89/100 Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé Stored in private cellar 4141 u. hs Château Mouton Rothschild 1928 Glue stained label Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé Slip label: Trebon Wine & Spirits Corp., New York Stored in private cellar 1 bt >>>

20 1.600 - 1.800 8.000 - 9.000 EUR 160 – 180 EUR 800 – 900 A wine that is definitely on the way down. It has never been A hard vintage, that will stand storing, classy and good, but one of Mouton’s most successful. It’s shame short, bad corks lacks complexity, but with the price and the name I might that haven’t helped retain the fruitiness and complexity. be something to serve on a slightly larger occasion, where 89/100 guests might well look at the label without necessarily ana- lyzing the wine in detail. 4172 88/100 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1982 Pauillac, 2ème Cru Classé 4196 Stored in private cellar Château Lafite Rothschild 1990 1 dmag Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé 10.000 - 12.000 Stored in private cellar EUR 1.000 - 1.200 4 bts A superb wine it doesn’t have Latour´s complexity, but for 12.000 - 15.000 this price and a double magnum, is a sure thing EUR 1.200 - 1.500 93/100 Unfortunately a disappointment (often with Mouton) 4174 For the vintage, which at the time was considered to be the Château Lynch-Bages 1985 vintage of the century. (before 2000, 2005 and 2009 came Pauillac, 5ème Cru Classé along) which took turns in being hailed as the best that had Stored in private cellar ever been produced) 3 bts A bit thin, should be drunk now. 4.800 - 5.400 4210 EUR 480 – 540 Château Pontet-Canet 2004 One of the best 1985 er, in its time. A wine that usually Pauillac, 5ème Cru Classé reaches its top after 10-15 years. It´s difficult to know what Stored at Vinkällaren Grappe, Stockholm it will taste like today. The last time I tried it was 10 years 12 bts (owc) ago. 92/100 6.000 - 7.200 4180 EUR 600 – 720 Château Mouton Rothschild 1986 One of the new “fruit tree” wines, a little bit exaggerated, Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé but commercial and easy to get to like Stored in private cellar 5 bts (owc for 12 bts, lid missing) 4241 20.000 - 25.000 Château Palmer 1973 EUR 2.000 - 2.500 Margaux, 3ème Cru Classé Good, A typical 1986, with its crackling, dry tannins. Stored in private cellar A little bit straight lined, not particularly exciting but well Danish tax labels balanced. 92/100 Broken wax capsule 1 dmag 4186 3.000 - 4.000 Château Mouton Rothschild 1988 EUR 300 – 400 Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé Fun to try a double magnum, by now should be pleasant, Stored in private cellar Well balanced, not especially the experience of a lifetime, Danish tax labels but well worth taking a chance at this price. 5 bts 85/100 >>>

21 4248 u. 1 x 2,5cm, 2 x 3,0cm, 1 x 3,5cm, 1 x 4,0cm, 1 x 5,0cm Château Margaux 1983 6 bts Margaux, 1er Cru Classé 10.800 - 12.000 Stored in private cellar EUR 1.100 - 1.200 4 bts I’ve tried this several times in recent years, a hard vintage 10.000 - 12.000 (like the 1988) it has kept remarkably well, a brilliant wine EUR 1.000 - 1.200 and a good price which appears that few people know I tried this one recently and was a little disappointed. It was about! 95/100 supposed the “wine of the vintage” but it was a little muted. Maybe it needed more breathing than I gave it (1 hour de- 4276 canted) nevertheless a Chateau Margaux under the new Château Haut-Brion 1973 auspices of Paul Pontallier, So perhaps it’s worth waiting a Pessac-Léognan (Graves), 1er Cru Classé little more, about 10 years or so. 88-92/100 Stored in private cellar u. 2 x 3,5cm, 1 x 4,0cm, 1 x 5,0cm 4267 Slip labels: Schröder & Schÿler, Bordeaux Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1947 4 bts Pessac-Léognan (Graves), Cru Classé 3.200 - 3.600 Stored in private cellar EUR 320 – 360 u. bn Good but bit thin 85/100 1 bt 6.000 - 7.000 4292 EUR 600 – 700 Château Cheval Blanc 1947 The Mission from this epoch is pure magic, especially 1945, St-Emilion, 1er Grand Cru Classé (A) 1947 and 1949. If you like the smoky, leathery serious taste. Stored in private cellar More power and personality than the Haut Bryon, La Mis- u. us sion is always a 1:a Cru class (as opposed to the Mouton Damp affected label Rothschild) 95/100 Slip label: A. de Luze & Fils, Bordeaux 1 bt 4274 15.000 - 20.000 Château La Tour Haut-Brion 1961 EUR 1.500 - 2.000 Pessac-Léognan (Graves), Cru Classé One of the best wines ever made, tried it in a magnum 3 Bottled by V&S years ago, it doesn’t get any better than this. Stored in private cellar Which has a lot to do with the storing. 100/100 2 bts 4.000 - 5.000 4299 EUR 400 – 500 Château Cheval Blanc 1982 I tried this bottling from the Swedish Wine & Spirits Com- St-Emilion, 1er Grand Cru Classé (A) pany which is very good. Worth tasting, might become Stored in private cellar memorable 95/100 3 bts 15.000 - 18.000 4275 EUR 1.500 - 1.800 Château Haut-Brion 1966 Lovely, fine as well as concentrated with unbelievable class. Pessac-Léognan (Graves), 1er Cru Classé It’s still on its way up, still hasn’t fulfilled its potential in com- Stored in private cellar plexity as yet. Should reach its top in 10-20 years. 100/100 >>>

22 4300 4355 Château l’Arrosée 1982 Musigny Vieilles Vignes 1985 St-Emilion, Grand Cru Classé Comte Georges de Vogüé, Côte de Nuits, Grand Cru Stored in private cellar Stored at Magnusson Fine Wine, Stockholm since 2008, be- 12 bts (owc) fore that at Vinkällaren Grappe, Stockholm 6.000 - 7.200 6 bts EUR 600 – 720 18.000 - 24.000 Made during the Alain Vauthier epoch, who was forced to EUR 1.800 - 2.400 negotiate with Mme Dubois-Challon about which day was Made during a gloomy period at de Vogue, nothing special, the best to harvest. Not a good period, and one can feel it in unfortunately. the wine, which is good but nowhere near as good as what they’re doing today. 89/100 4360 La Tâche 1989 4301 DRC, Côte de Nuits, Grand Cru Château Cheval Blanc 1983 Stored at Vinkällaren Grappe, Stockholm St-Emilion, 1er Grand Cru Classé (A) u. 2 x 0,5cm, 1 x 1,0cm, 3 x 1,5cm Stored in private cellar 6 bts 3 bts 48.000 - 54.000 4.800 - 5.400 EUR 5.000 - 5.500 EUR 480 – 540 La Tache in its element. 95/100 Superb Cheval Blanc at a brilliant price! 95/100 4367 4308 Gevrey-Chambertin Le Fonteny 1990 Château Troplong Mondot 1995 Sérafin, Côte de Nuits, Premier Cru St-Emilion, 1er Grand Cru Classé (B) Stored in private cellar Stored at same professional facility since release 12 bts (oc) 6 bts (owc) 6.000 - 7.200 4.200 - 4.800 EUR 600 – 720 EUR 420 – 480 A hidden reserve, one of my favorites, It beat a DRC In my view a little bit over rated, over concentrated wine Echezeaux 1981 recently at a blind tasting that I held for a made for the American market. few friends. 92/100

4320 4377 Château Pétrus 1978 Romanée-Conti 1996 Pomerol DRC, Côte de Nuits, Grand Cru Stored in private cellar Stored in private cellar u. 2ts, 1hs 1 bt 3 bts 25.000 - 30.000 10.500 - 12.000 EUR 2.500 - 3.000 EUR 1.050 - 1.200 Already radiant, Romanee Contis´s class and unbeatable fi- Here Petrus shows us his class, a 20-30 year old ripe Merlot ness and complexity. 98/100 from the best Merlot soil in the world. Refined, well balanced, but with fine rounded fruitiness and length. Wonderful 96/100

23 concours mondial de bruxelles in palermo Text Britt Karlsson photo Per Karlsson, bkwine.com on the 23-25 april in Palermo, Italy , the annual Fine Wine World Championships, (Concours Mondial de Bruxelles) will be held for the 17th time. For the last few years the competition has left its homeland in Belgian to wander around Europe. This year it was Palermo in Sicily’s turn to play host for the championships.

The CMB has grown from a modest The results of the world Champion- the forenoon. The tasting is done beginning in 1994 to become one ships will be published during the blind, the only thing we in the jury of the world’s most biggest wine month of May. Check it out on are told is the vintage. This means competitions. In 1994 there were www.concoursmondial.com that the wines are tested complete- 861 wines competing, this year The jury consists mostly of wine ly impartially. Which of course is there were 6964 wines and spirits journalists (65%) Though also of the only way to be fair way to the from 58 different countries, tasted sommeliers, oenologists and buyers. wines. So to make things a little by 300 experienced tasters from 40 During the three days this jury (di- bit easier for the tasters, the wines countries. (Of these Britt and Per vided into groups of 5+7 people) are tasted in series of 10-18. They Karlsson, BKWine, were the only evaluate about 150 different wines are wines that have a certain com- representatives from Sweden. each. That’s roughly 50 wines a day. mon association (country, district, The tasting are done exclusively in grape) which in and of itself doesn’t >>> 24 necessarily mean that they have an- ything in common. The wine’s ap- pearance, fragrance, taste and over- all impression is judged. The wine taster’s personal taste should not steer the verdict, even though one cannot completely discount one’s own personal taste. However one should not penalize an oak stored wine just because you don’t like those kinds of wines. Regardless of your own preferences you have to be able to differentiate between a well balanced wine and an over “soaked” and heavy wine.

What does a silver or gold medal from wine competition actually mean to the producer? In a world where the supply of wine is ever- increasing, where the majority of purchases are in self service stores, it becomes more and more impor- tant to be visible and well-known. A medal on the bottle means that the consumer feels secure in his/her pur- chase. A consumer that has no real idea what they have picked off of the shelves knows that the medal guar- antees a certain standard of quality in the wines. Or he or she dares to try something new, just because the wine has been awarded a medal.

Being a member of the international jury is unbelievably interesting and enlightening to be able to taste and judge a wine in this manner. Natu- rally one tries to guess the origin of the wine. Sometimes your right but we often get it wrong. We all know how influenced you can become by a label, so the fact that we have no idea where the wine comes from, means that sometimes even coun- tries that we don’t associate with quality wines. That might be that Mexico, Turkey, Georgia or Serbia all have a chance of winning a medal. 25 “Det här är Stockholms motsvarighet till Osteria Verona på Piazza Erbe fast listan på Primewinebar är bättre.” www.amaroneguiden.se

Primewinebar Östermalmstorg 5, Stockholm wwww.primewinebar.se

26 the emigrantspart 2 A continuation of an interview with Katarina Bonde and Bengt Åkerlind´s emigra- tion to the USA and how the dream of producing their own wine came true.

How did it feel the first time that tain a weak but unmistakable grapes to other vineyards around you realized that had your own wine? trace of black currents and plums, the Sonoma district. “- It was in October 2004 at one slightly spicy, saucy, regular char- Some of our customer’s made of our regular wine tasting out of acter. What Joy!” awardwinning wines from our the cask, that we began to under- Cabernet grapes. Grapes that sold When did you start to produce for up to 80 dollars a bottle. So we stand that something fantastic was your own wines? sat down and started to consider happening. After a years fermen- “-That was about two years earlier, what was needed to produce our tation, the wine had assumed that the beginning of 2003, that we de- own wines under our own brand young, rugged taste that is so typi- cided to take the step and become label. Our ambitions were high, cal of the early stages. full scale wine producers. We had to produce something that was Now 10 months later and 10 been cultivating grapes already for mediocre wasn’t an option. We months before the wine is to be 5 years. Both Chardonnay and were aware that northern Cali- bottled, we began to feel the char- Cabernet Sauvignon. We made fornia produced some of the best acter that we had striven for-and wine on a little scale, mostly for high class wines in the world. So dreamed about. We could ascer- our own family use. We sold our the pre-conditions were there >>> 27 to make something really, really When you finally made the deci- namely one of the highest elevated sion - what happened then? good. At the same time we real- pieces of land on a western slope. ized that margin of error was very “A plan began to grow. It felt like The 2003 season turned out to be limited. If we were to be success- natural to start off with a wine both up and down. The harvest ful it would have to be right from made from Cabernet Sauvignon. was less than usual, but the grapes the beginning, a “hole in one”. We were influenced by the fact had a high taste intensity. As the We calculated what we would need that some of the world’s great- harvest time approached, the for own production, We pondered est and wonderful Cabernet’s are weather became unsettled. As luck over a trademark and label, how produced In Northern California. would have it the Cabernet Sauvi- we would go about the market- Few of these wines find their way gnon is quite impervious to moist ing. We spoke to other growers to Europe. Partly because of the weather conditions. The grapes who had taken the same path. A very limited production, which in are thick skinned and sit sparsely big winery that used to regularly turn leads to prices of sometimes on the bunch, which allows them buy grapes from us promised to Hundreds of dollars a bottle. So we to dry off more quickly after the lend a hand. We could hire out thought if they can do it, so can rain. In the middle of October the a corner of his facility, we could we, but without the skyhigh prices. weather changed again and Son- co-purchase certain items that The other reason for the Cabernet oma had a real Indian summer, were need in the production, like: Sauvignon was because we had Eu- which is the ideal condition for casks, glass, corks seals etc. ropean ambitions, the Cabernet harvesting in. Our vineyard was Sauvignon is highly appreciated on a hive of activity. We measured Most importantly we found an both sides of the Atlantic”. sugar contents on a daily basis, as experienced wine maker with 25 Tell us about you first production. well as the pH and TA values now years in the business, who became “As spring rolled around, it was and again. Every day the meas- our consultant in the production. extra exciting to follow the devel- urement crept nearer and nearer The whole thing was clearly a great opments in the vineyard. We de- the ideal readings, while all the big challenge. But it felt incredibly cided quite early which part of the time the grapes taste continued exciting. vineyard would have “our” grapes, to develop. Taste is judged quite subjectively. This is where the 25 >>> 28 years experience comes into play. riod which allowed the wine in unbelievable sensation to see the We started to harvest early on the the casks to slowly let the wine in first bottles come off the conveyor morning of the 21st October, be- the cask with the help of the oak’s belt. Even though we’d been ad- fore the sun was up. A few hours character, the little amount of vised to let the wine rest for an- later our grapes were transported acidity, to be rounded off with the other year in the bottles before we to the vineyard, the grapes were tannins, let the flavors emerge that started selling. But we couldn’t crushed and the essence together compliment the grapes own natu- help but compare it to some of with the skins were pumped over ral tastes. Most of it is patience California’s super cabernets”, as to a tank. and waiting. The wine’s character much as the 2003 were is already in place, now it’s time to available. We continued compar- How do you see the whole produc- let it go forward. ing and we weren’t disappointed, tion process? on the contrary! We commenced “It’s exactly here when the culti- What did you do during this period sales in 2007. We engaged distrib- vation is over and the Wine pro- do you hibernate? utors on the American west coast duction begins. Now it’s down “During this period we were most- and our customers in the USA can to choosing which kind of yeast, ly working with marketing deci- order our wine over the internet. temperature, fermentation, choice sions. We had to decide on our We exported a lesser number to of casks and storage period all of brand name. Design the labels, Sweden and the restaurant market which influence the wine. The choose corks. The biggest decision went very well. first fermentation in the tank went was the Brand name. We had lots without a hitch. When the fermen- of candidates. We wanted a short Now after the fact, are you pleased tation was finished the skins were name, which easy to remember, with the result? separated and the young wines but at the same time described our “The wine has been well received, was transferred to oak casks. The wine and our operation. In the nowadays we store them longer in choice of oak influences the wine’s end we chose the name “WEST”. the bottles before we release a vin- style and character more than you Short and to the point, easy to re- tage. We have complimented with can imagine. call. Our vineyards are amongst Chardonnay and Vainer. The next We had a long time previously the most westerly in Sonoma step is our own production facility tested our way to a mixture of which the most westerly wine dis- and a place for wine tasting. casks, most of them were made trict on the west coast of Califor- from French oak, while about nia in the western hemisphere. One last question, how come the Swedish astronaut Christer Fu- 20% were of American, though We succeeded in registering the gelsang has a photograph of you they came from the French coop- name. www.westwines.colm all together? ers. Once in the casks begins the But most of all WEST with Ameri- “Yeah, Christer and his wife Lisa second phase of the fermentation. can patents and registration office. are both old friends from student The so called malolactic fermenta- days. We’ve lived in many places When did the first WEST vintage tion, (where malic acid is changed hit the shops? around the world, but we’ve always into lactic acid) that continued “Towards the end of July 2005, kept in contact. The Fuglsang vis- through to Christmas. Then be- nearly two years after the wine ited us a couple of weeks ago and gan the long process storage pe- was ready for bottling. It was an Christer took the picture. 29 Genuin engelsk Ale från Fuller´s

30 the predecessor –domain duseigneur Today, everyone’s talking about biodynamically cultivated wine. A trend that´s increasing in time with all of the natural catastrophes that befall us in dif- ferent parts of the world. Waves 6 meters high in the harbor at Cannes recently, and who doesn’t remember Chile’s problems this winter.

>>>

31 At the Domain Duseigneur in the during certain periods and then to say the winds that flay the area southern Cóte-du- Rhóne , the floods again….if it isn’t….right!, with its hot desert sand particles, knowledge about nature and the moon. Storage in oak casks is throughout most of the year. what it can give to us has been avoided, but if it sometimes does It’s a fact that only the grapes are bequeathed. It was just this kind happen, then it’s always second able to retain the moisture and of cultivation that John Dusei- hand oak barrels from Bourgogne water in this area, thanks to the gneur who founded the Domaine that are used. T ex Romanée Conti. stony soil. Lots of sun throughout in 1967 was interested in when the year speeds up the ripening he moved here to France from Al- “But the most important thing is of process and creates a high concen- giers. Today he has transferred his course that soil wherein the grapes tration of alcohol which in turn knowledge to his sons Bernard and grow and what it contains. means a relatively early harvest. Frederic, who became certified as At Duseigneurs it is sedimentary. biodynamic growers in 2004 That is to say red clay and awk- Thee type of grapes they work with ward stones some of them as big here are the Grenache black, Sy- As most people know, at the present as a fist. Nowadays it’s vitally im- rah, Cinsault, Mouvedre, Bour- time bio dynamic cultivation portant for the “Terror” to speak boulenc as well as the Clarriette means keeping the balance be- for itself in the wines”, as they say white. tween the vines and the surround- here at Duseigneurs. Production ing natural vegetation is fully underway in Lirac and If you wish to know more about They adhere strictly to the moon’s Laudun in the southern Cotes du the Domaine Duseigneur, then calendar and only employ natu- Rhóne. visit your local SystemBolaget ral methods. To the skeptic we off-license or www.domainedusei- can only ask what it is that influ- Vineyards that are planted on the gneur.com. ences the sea so much that it the slopes in a north/south direction water level sinks several meters are exposed to the “mistral”, that is

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32 13 % vol Nya årgången 2008 i en butik Pris: 99 kr nära dig! Artnr: 2393

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33 sexual frustration at rené barbier’s There are many ways of getting rid of destructive insects in the vineyard. At René Barbiér´s they are constantly trying out new methods. This year’s method for the little pests goes under the heading of sexual frustration.

By spreading the female hormones they make sure that the hormones tivation area they are destined for. over whole of the area contained are not spread outside of the cul- Apart from that they have tested in little plastic tubes so that the tying up the branches in the shape male insects don’t find any females of a harp, enabling the sun to il- to mate with. Total frustration luminate the grapes more evenly. then becomes the order of the day Because the leaves grow upwards, resulting in no new insect issue to then the sun can reach them at destroy the grapes. According to least 2 times a day. Sebastiá Raventos, who is in charge of the RB , that is to say Really exciting attempts that we’ll all of the René Barbiér vineyards, see the results of already this au-

>>> 34 tumn. Otherwise it’s business as Joseph “Mr. usual at René Barbiér´s in the con- Pe r s o n a l i t y” tinuous pursuit of quality. tells us about how they’re us- Joseph, the man in charge answers ing their own a question directly about whether variety of local the influence of climate change ef- grapes again. Josep Sardà fects production in any shape or The TeX Maca- form. “The noticeable difference, beo for fruiti- which sometimes makes things ness, Xarel-lo for the structure and difficult for us is that when it rains, Parellada for the finish. Even the it really rains!” yeast comes from their own vine- Of course irrigation at the begin- yards originally. ning of a season is good for the “This, Mr. Personality” informs is grapes. But when it pours down at very important for their very own a rate of 50 millimetres an hour, identification.” it means that it washes The 120 hectares that they control away about (30 in St Cugat Sesgarriques and 5 centim- he other 90 in the nearby village eters of soil of Masquefa) are painstakingly along with maintained by Sebastia who shows it every time us a map of where which grapes it happens. thrive the best and even the rea- Sebastià Raventos Of course it sons why. He has a file with him is quite im- containing an exact analysis of the possible to replace the soil, so in soil from every section of the 129 recent times, every year a large hectares he presides over. amount of earth has quite literally For those of you that are interest- been washed away from the plan- ed and Wish to know more about tations. René Barbiér visit www.renebar- Otherwise though there’s a lot hap- bier.es Your Most Welcome. pening right now at René Barbiér´s.

Världspremiär för En Värld av Vin på nätet All världens vinländer, regioner, viner och producenter i en dator nära dig. Registrera dig gratis på www.envarldavvin.se. Välkommen hälsar Mikael Mölstad.

35 Fine Wine Guides: madrid tempts with tapas, wine bars, really nice wine stores and bodegas

I haft to admit that after having lived in Madrid for several periods that I am equally as blameworthy to those who claim that Madrid never sleeps. They are completely right of course though it’s more like the Spanish capital never goes to bed. For those who are inclined, here there’s a party going on around the clock and the choice is surprisingly wide-ranging. The very latest fad is clandestine clubs or secret restaurants where you can only gain entrance by nefariously cultivated contacts. But the experience becomes that much greater when the food is absolutely top class, the wine unparalleled and that one’s companions receive a hundred procent attention is not exactly something we are spoiled with regardless of whether the city is spelled Rome, London or Santiago de Chile.

There are so many bars in Madrid wine and good food. That Madrid late to eat. Lunch around 14.30, many of them you can/should is the promised land for Tapes afi- dinner around 22.00. On the oth- avoid at all costs. However you cionados becomes quite obvious er hand there are some bars that will find here below some good after an evening stroll. Don’t for- don’t open until midnight. tips from Fine Wine the best wines get though that in the City that that have anything to do with good never sleeps, people turn out quite >>> 36 Wine Bars & Tapas it sounds. Try the ham and surprise yourself with a Spanish Entre Vinos white wine from the wood with the necessary pata negra. C/Feraz 36 Tel: + 34 91 548 31 14 La Terraza del Casino www.entrevinos.net C/Alcalá 15 Sober, pretty an almost glassy wine bar with more than 300 Tel: + 34 91 521 87 00 really good references. Add to that about 20 wines served www.casinodemadrid.es by the glass- some that won’t cost you your shirt. There is For those of you that love molecular gastronomy a la of course an abundance of food. Try some different kinds of Ferran Adria, the man behind El Bulli. The site is right in the Tapas with the wine. middle of the action and the terrace is a classic place to take a nice cava on. For the fortified wine lovers this is a veritable El Quinto vino Mecca and one of the best places on the Iberian peninsular C/Hernani, 48 and the world, with more than 100 different references. And Tel: + 34 91 553 66 00 the rest, to use an understatement www.elquintovino.com isn´t all bad either. A wine bar that’s like a restaurant that ´s like a tapes place, a bodega and a wine store. Everything has a place in this Real Café Bernabeu quite plain locality with wine from more or less the whole Avenida Concha Espina, 1 of Spain. Here like most of the places it’s all about trying Tel: + 34 91 458 36 67 the local tapas with a glass of white wine from Merseguera www.realcafebernabeu.es from Alicante.. Yeah, this is a seldom seen type of wine bar, situated within Real Madrid´s enormous football stadium Santiago Berna- Sobrino de Botín beu. This alone is reason enough to go and savor the atmos- Calle de los Cuchilleros 17 phere. Though there is a range of interesting, extremely high Tel: + 34 91 366 4217 quality, some of them by the glass from the most prominent www.botin.es wine districts. Which means that even “Barca” fans can find More of a restaurant than a wine bar, but the wine list is an their way here without being ashamed. impressive 25 pages and actually contains some foreign wines. Very classy, like the Spanish wines from all corners of Wine Stores the country. The place is a veritable classic, well worth going Lavinia out of your way for. José Ortega y Gasset Tel: + 34 91 426 06 04 La Venecia Email: [email protected] C/Echegaray 7 www.lavinia.es Tel: + 34 91 429 73 13 In the snobby Salamanca quarter lies one of the world’s best A stone’s throw from the Puerto del Sol lies this bar wine boutiques. Lavonia that is even to found on the inter- which enjoys a cult status. The wines are served direct from net (and in Paris) But there something rather grand about great big casks that lined up against the wall. To the wine wandering amongst the precious flagons from the Spanish you can order some simple tapes like sausage, olives or Bo- wine industry, wines that otherwise are very difficult to get querón’s. The bill is written by hand directly on the bar with hold of. For visitors to Madrid, it’s fun to visit their homepage chalk and they won’t accept any tips. This one of the genu- and prepare a little shopping list. There guaranteed something ine place that hasn’t been seduced by modernism, design for every one and the prices very reasonable. hysteria or a top modern wine list. Vinarium Aloque Capitán Haya, 22 C/Torrecilla del Leal 20 Tel: + 34 91.417.97.68 Tel: + 34 91528 36 62 Email:: [email protected] This is one of Madrid´s oldest wine bars, it was so long be- www.vinarium.es fore wine became trendy. The food is simple, you can choose Long, narrow wine store that carries most of everything. If between ten or more dishes and you can order a so called you don´t see something on display then ask for it. The serv- tostados, (toast with tapas) which tastes much better than ice and knowledge is very high level without being snob- >>>

37 bish. The idea is that the shop is to become a chain store, Bodega but at the minute they’ve only opened 2 stores. For Madrid Now Madrid doesn’t only have the world’s best places to visitors this place is almost obligatory. eat tapes. The fact is that the Spanish capital is also a wine district in its own right, even if the bodega lies a few miles Bodega Santa Cecilia away from the city center. So for those who can’t keep away Blasco de Garay, 74 from a vineyard, here a few tips on Bodegas (vineyards) Tel: + 34 91 445 52 83 where you can also purchase wines. Email:: [email protected] www.santacecilia.es Bodegas Tagonius Spread over 400 square metters you’ll find 5000 different, Ctra. Tielmes a Carabaña, km 4,4 which on its own is impressive enough. The focus is on 28550 Tielmes Spain and here we can see reasonable prices, even great Tel: +34 918 737 505 international wines are in stock as well those from the new Fax: +34 918 746 161 world. You can even purchase through the Internet. (which Email: [email protected] foreign store doesn’t do that? There are also 4 day course in www.tagonius.com wine tasting, which start every month as well the staff can organize special tasting upon request. Vinos Jeromín San José, 8 28590 Villarejo de Salvanés Viuda de Cuenllas Tel: +34 918 742 030 Ferraz, 3 Fax: +34 918 744 139 Tel: + 34 91 547 31 33 Email:: [email protected] Email:: [email protected] www.vinosjeromin.com www.cuenllas.es The Cuenllas Delicatessen in Madrid’s west side is a little bit of Bodegas Castejón Paradise, still waiting to be discovered. Ronda de Watres, 29 Here they sell really exclusive wines, and the food is 28500 Arganda del Rey somewhat rustic with its feet firmly entrenched in typical Span- Tel: +34 918 710 264 ish tradition . But perhaps that’s what makes a stop-off here so Fax: +34 918 713 343 unexpectedly memorable. Email:: [email protected] www.bodegascastejon.com

Bodega Ecológica Andrés Morate Camino del Horcajuelo, s/n 28390 Belmonte de Taje Tel: +34 918 747 165 Fax: +34 918 747 165 Email:: [email protected] www.andresmorate.com

Bodegas Jesús Díaz Convento, 38 28380 Colmenar de Oreja Tel: +34 918 943 378 Fax: +34 918 944 585 Email:: [email protected] www.bodegasjesusdiaz.com

Fine Wines very own homepage www.finewine.nu www.finewine.nu Here you’ll find the last 4 editions of Fine Wine.

38 drinking wine out

of a plasticby Christopher Jarnvall mug We drink water out of them, we drink juice out of them. But you can’t drink a good beer or a fine old whiskey out of them. For me the thought alone is an Abomination. Drinking wine out of plastic mug, I conjure up pictures of being young on a package tour drinking wine from disposable glasses. We drunk wine because it was wine and all of them tasted sour-and plastic mugs ….. Baaaah!, that was before I’d tried “Gavin” (a stem less glass).

The framing of a banquet, pretty ta- able… at the moment. The rim is ble decorations, well prepared food perhaps a little sharp that´s just a and fine drinks are of course the A question of product development. to Z for taste and gratification. Wow,! I just realized that I must And of course the company and the sound like the Govino marketing circumstances. A beautiful wine director. Well, I´m not. I’m just glass accentuate both the wines ap- an old friend of Gabriel Rape who pearance, fragrance and taste seems gave me a 4 pack to test. like an absolute must for a civilized wine drinker. Perhaps though one “You like good wines, well can’t you can actually drink both a round try them and give us an appraisal. Amarone and light Chablis out of At the time of writing Vie actually a Govino. That will do fine. A cold strawberry cordial in one. It works beer as well and the taste of a John- perfectly for that as well. Otherwise ny Walker Black label won´t be ad- I’m going to try the Gavin glasses versely affected either. Let me say on a couple of German wines that though that I still prefer a whole so if I have to choose, then I have to I bought on tour a few months glass made of glass. say that a Gavin has a better stand- ago. I’m namely quite enamored ard than many “real” wine glasses. of German . Nope I’m not What is it that determines that we engaged in selling those grapes ei- should be drinking wine out of The Govino is a drinking glass of ther. May I take this opportunity made of glass and not plastic? thin, transparent plastic which is to wish our readers a pleasant sum- Taste of course. Real drinking glass- equally as good at a party as a dis- mer with good wines. Please try the es are neutral and don’t add any fla- posable or to washed up and used Govino- you can drop them by the vor to a good wine. But there are again. Hand wash of course, ma- side of the pool or on terrace with- differences between glass and glass chine wash would be totally unsuit- out breaking them.

39 Den bästa moderna Riojan! ”Den bästa moderna riojan är 2004 BARON DE LEY RESERVA för 105 kronor. Välstrukturerad med betydande mognadstoner och friskt, långt slut gör den till ett stort spanskt vin i prisklassen.” Anders Röttorp, DI Weekend

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40 verona - a week in the service of wine Text & photo, Ursula Hellberg With measured steps I could hear the sommeliers getting closer. There are 21 of them each of bearing a wine carafe and a single bottle, well concealed in a blue, numbered linen bag. Suddenly they come to a halt, lift up their bottles and begin to decant the con- tents. Then they commence the serving.

When they’re finished they stand up from 27 different countries. During and Bronze medals. This is carried straight waiting for the command. our 40 hours of adjudicating fill out out in silence without any confer- “sommelier grazie”, they then de- more than 22670 forms, containing ring whatsoever. I no nothing more part the area together. I am in a 322600 separate opinions. about the wine that’s been poured great hall, belonging to Verona’s Apart from that we get to see our into my glass other than it’s age, Trade Fair together with a 100 oth- nice white teeth becoming and bluer color. The country, grape and price er jury members. During the com- from all of the wine we are tasting. is known only to a few people with- ing week we pass judgment upon in the competition’s organization. Concurs Enolocigo Internazionale. 5 MINUTES PER WINE Every sommelier serves his particu- Not even the sommelier’s know The competition actually starts a lar wine to 5 jury members. Two of what they are serving. In front of week earlier. Vinitaly is considered them are wine journalists while the me I have a form which I have to be the biggest in this context. other three are oenologists. Now fill in and sign within 5 minutes. This years competition is the 18th it’s up to me and the rest of my jury But it’s not only about being able in a row. During the week we will to accurately choose which wines to count quickly. You also have to be tasting a total of 3634 wines should be awarded the Gold, Silver know words like hue, refinement >>>

41 and persistence signify. The look, THE RESULTS fragrance, taste and overall impres- From this years competition we noticed amongst others: sion is then morphed into num- bers. I notice the 5 minutes have Grand Vinitaly 2010 gone really quickly. The prize that goes to the producer with highest scores. Gianni Zonin Veneto Italy In the lighted hall there are people from the four corners of the world. Best White 2009 A colorful array of flags give their Budai Nyakas Prince ZRT Chardonnay, Hungary homelands away. Brazil, China, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Chilé, Best White 2008 USA, India, Norway, Finland, Ita- Scheurebe Spätlese, Winzer Sommerach, Franken ly, Spain, the list is long. About a third of the delegates are women. Best Red 2008-2009 When I started this about 10 years Carmenere Reserva , 2009, Vinia Luis Felipe Edwards, Colchaugua ago there were only 4 women in Valley Chile attendance. The amount of wine was also considerably less. Another Best Red 2006-2007 major difference is the geographical Sicilia Nero d´Avola Aynat 2006, Cantina.Soc Viticultori Ass. Italy breadth of the wines. TheS ilver Medal in this group was won by a : Cabernet Apart from the wines from the classi- Sauvignon Shiraz Valle de Parrs “Casa Grande” 2006 Vinicola San cal wine countries like Italy, France Lorenza, Mexico. and Spain are judged right along with wines from Mexico, Switzer- Best Red 2004-2005 land, Sam Marino, Venezuela and Amarone della Valpolicella DOC Classico 2004 Soc. Agr Corte San Slovakia. There are lots of Vine- Benedetto, Italy yards in the world. Best Red 2004 and older 58 KILOMETRES A WEEK Tocana IGT Rosso Acciaiolo 2001, Castello d´Albola Soc. Agr., Italy I taste 12-13 wines in a row, then it´s time for a break. While we in Best Rosé the jury get into a huddle for a chat, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC Cerasuolo 2009 Agr. Terra d´Aligi, the sommeliers take off their jack- Italy ets and start relaying jury’s tables. Within 30 minutes 1500 glasses Best Naturally Sweet Wine have to emptied and replaced. Traminac Izborna Berbra Prosusenih Bobica 2006, Croatia In all we’re talking about 26000 glasses that have to be filled, emp- Best White Sparkling Traditional method (fermented in tied and washed during the week. the bottle) This means a lot of walking, it’s been Oltro´Pavese DOCG Pinot Nero Spumante Brut calculated that the sommeliers walk “Oltreno”, Tenuta il Bosco, Italy this placing beat several French the equivalent of 58 kilometers in . all. After the break we retake our seats to the sounds of loudspeaker Best Sweet Sparkling Wine music. When everyone’s been seat- Vidal Sparkling Icewine Niagara Penninsular VQA 2007 ed the music is toned down and we Canada hear again the advance of the som- meliers. 42 0rnellaia guarantees its legitimacy with the help of rfid An interview with Giovalli Mazzoni, Ornellaia

Its been quite a few years since we started working to find a solution to the counter- feiting problem and such like. Everything to protect the genuine quality and authenti- city in our products for the sake of the consumers.

It began with our 2001 vintage, sell them in their own countries. where we chose flagons of Ornel- In this way we hope to combat the laia and Masseto with embossed black/grey market. ornaments, to make it more dif- ficult for the forgers, so that they We believe in attaining an authen- couldn’t use just any old bottle. ticity guarantee for the consumer and an authenticated safeguard Apart from these details, we have for the 70 odd importers that we discovered false Massetto crates work with around the globe. on the market. In 2008 we decid- ed therefore to intensify our fight Otherwise we have no intention against the imposters and imple- of adding information regarding mented an RFID chip which con- shifts in temperature to RFID tained all the pertinent produc- chip, because at the present time tion information. Including the the chip is a little too thick to be invoice number printed on the used successfully, as opposed to gum side of the label. the chip we’re using right now which is which is almost impos- aspect for us. Correct high quality Naturally enough the main thing sible to detect. distribution. is to protect our products from plagiarizers, but it is something However in the near future when The RFID chips are important for more than that. Our wines are the sensor chip has become much keeping track of the products. quite rare, they are difficult to get thinner, we will probably revise Every year we carefully place our hold off, at the same time the de- our standpoint. Everything to as- wines in every country. The aim is mand is great all over the world. sure the quality of our products. to distribute them to the leading This presents another important importers, who in turn intend to

43 “Det här är Stockholms motsvarighet till Osteria Verona på Piazza Erbe fast listan på Primewinebar är bättre.” www.amaroneguiden.se

Primewinebar Östermalmstorg 5, Stockholm wwww.primewinebar.se

44