Wine Pilgrimage

Crossing european regions in search of symbiosis between man and nature in grape

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The story makes a region unique

French were first to grasp the idea. They came with the word terroir to bewilder the world. After they understood the value of their country, they decided to put it on the pedestal and praise it with the most lavish terms in order to gain the position of the winemaking power. Up to these days the word terroir keeps on to be used without translation in most of the European languages. If one aims to describe it, he should pour himself a large glass. It is very likely that the French wine wouldn’t even exist without this specific expression.

Originally the word derives from “terre” that could be translated as “soil”. This would, however, lead us to think that we are only talking about the substance on the surface of the earth. It is not proven yet that vines would have the ability to absorb any substance from rocks; anyway we still tend to point to these characteristics. Mosel Rieslings are told to have a taste of slate or Chardonnay from Chablis is typically flinty. Even though we would not find any specific “rocky” substance in the wine, the soil type of the vineyard has a significant impact on the final product. But that is just only a part of the story.

The word soil is here for the whole country. It is the geographical location, the altitude of a hill, the variety of rivers and mountains, windiness, lightness, the whole of the microclimate. Vine is a sensitive herb that reacts to any impulse. The work of a human has to be added to that. Be it a family wine business, a large enterprise or a small group of enthusiasts. Every one of them approaches the art of winemaking with a different motivation. Either you take vineyard as a financial source or a source of joy from sharing the fruits of nature.

It is remarkable how apt were French to distinguish their terroir. They never ceased to modify it, they do not forget to reinterpret it to fit to modern days and it seems they manage to keep track. When an advert for Burgundy is claiming that their terroir is irreproducible because there are no similar conditions anywhere else, it is difficult to doubt about it. 

Certainly, every place has specific conditions and a typical approach. So the question is why we all don’t tell more about our stories. The narrative of a country needs to be expressed, defined and, for example, in case of Slovakia newly invented. In a globalized world, when we are bombarded by the same, chemically clean wines, a character rises in value. The meaning of a place gifted by natural potential is underlined at the moment when it is discovered and continuously cultivated by the winemaker.

An inclination to terroir might be a demonstration of the interest for local typicité as a contrast to the unified world. There are loads of examples, let’s take just one from central Europe. Above the Balaton Lake in Hungary, there are hills with red soils rich in iron that give rise to a vineyard that is looking down south on the lake that provides humidity in dry summers. The village is called Csopak and the winemakers have already realized long time ago that their Welsh Riesling is so different that they named it Csopaki Riesling. This is a way how to create a narrative about the typicité of a place, time and human endeavour. 

The personal story of Slovakia begins to plant its roots too. Newly created Slovak varieties such as Hron, Vah, Dunaj, Rudava were just now honoured with the Great Gold Medal from Concours Mondial 2014. Hopefully this is just the first swallow that will have its followers. The wind is fair to hoist the sail for the potential of Blau Frankish, Gruner Veltliner or Welsh Riesling that have always had deep roots in central Europe. 

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Wine exhibition as a form of an art gallery

I found myself in a gallery which has never had displayed paintings. The souvenirs of touches of frost in January, of blossom of flowers in April, of hailstorm in May, of dry sunny summer and of unpredictably humid autumn were exhibiting in front of my eyes. They were talking about their struggles with nature and about the long nights in the cellar when thinking about the ways to express the narrative of the year´s vintage. Immersed by its tones, by its imperfections, the winemakers were attempting to understand it and to soften the rough material into a delicate feeling on the palate. I was dreaming of wine exhibitions, about those galleries where we define which work of art will be just the "table" one and which the genuine art. 

A painter should have an esthetical sense, master the technique and carefully chose his material. There were times when these men were considered authorities however, today, they are treated with lack of respect. The reason for this is apparent: there are too many activities to enjoy a kind of an “artistic” excitement. But even though the reputation of painting is declining, it can be useful to drawn an analogy to the art of winemaking.

In the same way as the painter, a winemaker builds up his artefact from the material given by nature. At this point the winemaker is obliged to respect the factual conditions which grapes suffer from. As the quality of the final material is unpredictable, this brings in a need for faith. One has to have confidence that the vineyard will not be devastated by a storm, that birds will not feed themselves from the grapes or that mildew would not spread around the vines before the raisins would have enough sugar.

Nature is probably less predictable than oil, brush and canvas. But in painter's world you also have to count with things that will definitely go wrong. Similarly in the realm of a winemaker, the craftsmanship comes to speak when grapes enter the cellar. It is the question of his ability to turn raisin into an artistic drink. He has to catch the right moment when to air the bubbling must, when to cool it down, when to move it to a barrel, a large one or a small barrique.

This play with technology is winemaker’s instinct based upon his knowledge and experience. If he aims at a final product that would be an elegant drink awaking senses, he also must have this sense of esthetical evaluation. His nose and tongue serve as the painter’s sight which reveals the harmony of the created work of art.

Afterwards, the scene belongs to the consumer who decides. The tasting is a metaphorical promenade in a gallery which you’d leave with a passionate soul. When you enter the exhibition of art, you try to get the context of the age the paintings arose in and about the human knowledge of those times. Moreover you could conceive the aspects of time, place and human being. Conformably to a painting, a wine would have its standard expression and a corresponding internal consistence. That shall be reproducible even when the last drop of a vintage has vanished. Considering these facts, we should try to prevent the ignorance of the originality of a given wine as a work of art that is so frequent in our relation to the art of painting.

It should be pointed out that painting is art up to the moment when we are able to perceive it with sight. A painting will never have an esthetical sense for a blind man. Analogically, a man who has lost the sense of smell would not take wine for anything more than water. The sensibility of our perception, the ability to use our senses, should be practiced if one wants to improve it.

In addition, there is a saying by Orwell: “every art is propaganda”. I can only agree. The promotion of wine as a work of art is the propaganda for a life full of joy. 

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Emerging pearl of Danube - Slovakia

On the 26th of June 2014, central European countries demonstrated their rising wine industry in Brussels. Slovakia, Hungary and Czech Republic brought to the European capital a broad portfolio of their wines. At this occasion, I had the opportunity to deliver a speech about Slovakia:

"First of all let me welcome you at this unique event which would not take place without the generous contribution of all the participating representations. I am honored that central European regions and cities were able to find a common goal and prove that through cooperation everyone can profit.

I would like to present the wines of Slovakia. I will not speak about each wine concretely or about its tasting notes. Rather my aim is to show that we can already speak of a Slovakian wine. To give you a bite of our small country.

Today, we are offering you to taste the western part of Slovakia, at the point where it touches Czech Republic to the west and Hungary to the south. Geographically this is the part encompassed by Carpathian mountains and Danube river. We generally enjoy continental climate with late spring, short but hot summers, mild sunny autumns and relatively cold winters. It rains sparingly and in the southern part, the summers can be very dry. The latitude spreads around the 48th and 49th parallel, that is similar to Burgenland or Alsace. The climate and soil types vary from north to south. Broadly speaking, as you get from the hills with light and stony soils through to Danubian plain with heavy and clay soils the character of the wine changes from crispy to mineral.

The vines were cultivated in this area already by the Celts some 2600 years ago. The oldest winemaking area spreads along the Lesser Carpathians, northeast of Bratislava. It has been a natural consequence of the proximity of Danube allowing to reach the main central European cities by river that enhanced the commercial expansion. Moreover, Bratislava used to play a key role in the Habsburg Empire.

Significant changes occurred as the Communist party seized power in 1948, when state confiscated all land estates that were larger than one tenth of a hectare per person, and turned them into collective production units. The families were allowed to keep only small parcels for their own use. At this period, the vineyard acreage doubled and the production switched to maximum quantities of simple blends.

Fortunately, after the Iron curtain was dismantled in 1989, family producers or their heirs received the confiscated vineyards back. For several reasons, the area for cultivation was largely diminished and nowadays we can count around 14 thousand hectares of vineyards (however only 10 thousand are actively used). On the other hand, the quality has been constantly rising as the yields are being kept low and the producers have already access to modern technologies. The recent success at a variety of international wine competitions (such as gold medals from AWC Vienna or Concours Mondial de Brussels) shows that Slovakian winemakers are beginning to find their place in the international wine market.

The capital of Slovakian winemaking is Pezinok, situated in Lesser Carpathians, just some 20 minutes by train north of Bratislava. This is the largest vineyard area with the highest number of active farmers. The climate is regarded as cooler but it is still warmer than comparable European districts (in Alsace or Mosel). The area of Lesser Carpathians is best suited for fresh white wines and lighter reds that are gaining popularity. The area is regularly promoted by Days of Open Cellars, festivities taking place on the same day in several smaller cities.

We are presenting three winemakers from this region, I would mention one of them. Pavelka and Son is a family owned producer with a history of five generations of winemakers. They cultivate around 50 hectares of vineyards amongst which you will find varieties such as Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc or Pinot Noir. I would like to point your attention to their cuvée "Trojka" which is composed of varieties Alibernet, Dornfelder and Blau Fränkish. All of them are blue varieties typically grown in our country, even though not all of them come from the central Europe. Alibernet is a grape crossing which was created in 1950 in Odesa institute for viticulture. It was meant to be a variety giving dark tones to contribute to colour. However, as its parents were Alicante Bouschet and Cabernet Sauvignon, the winemakers found out that the variety is giving full bodied, dark inky and extractive wines even on its own. The aromas are reminiscent of Cabernet Sauvignon but the expression is wilder. It is said to be a real beast to deal with in the cellar as it is a challenge for the winemaker to control it. But Alibernet can reward the winemaker’s effort with a harmonious, fruit-oriented and robust character.

When coming to the south, we will reach two intertwined regions: Nitra and South Slovakia. They are dominated by the city of Nitra that has a landscape crisscrossed by rivers and small mountain ranges that provide a multitude of local climates. Nitra is known for its roses of Cabernet Sauvignon and Blau Fränkish which they celebrate by their festival of rosé wines. South Slovakian region spreads around the fertile lowlands towards Danube. It is the warmest area that provides highly matured grapes. The winemaking is dispersed in small villages around Strekov.

Amongst the three winemakers we are offering I would highlight two small producers from Trnovec and Strekov. They are both cultivating around 15 hectares with strong focus on the treatment of the vineyard.

The winemaker Strekov 1075 is inspired by the region Friuli in the north east Italy where orange wines are being produced. He is oriented on indigenous varieties such as Welshriesling, Grüner Veltliner, or Blau Fränkish. He farms organically, with old fashioned low pruning, all fermentations occur spontaneously in open vats without temperature control or additives.

Producer Trnovec is also a small family owned company. Their pride is the Pinot blanc variety which has been noted for its semi-sweet and sweet style. As it was mentioned, the west of Slovakia enjoys hot summers, but can suffer cold winters. This is an opportunity for a winemaker to prove his patience. If the vintage is generous and the winemaker lucky, he can leave the grapes in the vineyard until January. Then he has to wait for the temperature to fall bellow -7 degrees when he can pick the grapes. At this condition the water is frozen in the grapes, and the only liquid pressed out is the concentrated sweetness of the essence of grapes. This is how the ice wine is created.

Slovakia has always been a place where influences from different parts of Europe have been mingling. It is the furthest region where Romans have gone. Maybe they stopped here because the vines didn´t grow well more to the north.  Anyway it seems that Slovakian winemakers are starting to be realise the known fact that a wine is created by human experience, terroir of the vineyard and the used technology. I believe there is a large potential in Slovakia and that projects aiming at sharing knowledge will bring their fruit. We are living in times when each winemaker can start building his own identity."

  The text is based on: Torsten Rundqvist. Slovak Wine Country, Third Level Essay, Munskänkarna Tasting Society, 2014.

A video report of the event available here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGe3RrkO_4

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„Vine seeks liberty“, the thinker Suto

The modern society desires intense experiences. Fast, easily digestible, impulsive and ecstatic. Sometimes it seems as if we were competing who will use a more distinguished drug and who will undergo a higher state of pleasure, the evasive blissfulness of the moment. In Strekov, Slovakia, they already understood that this is a philosophical clash of these days which can be found in wine too. Their way is to plunge into the wine, search for it, live with it in eternity and escape the vanishing perfumes which hide its true nature.

Mr. Zsolt Sütő, one of the owners of Strekov 1075 winery, managed to describe two colliding tendencies in the contemporary wine world (video in Slovak available here). In general the difference is made by the way modern technologies are used. Either the winery tries to implement the most advanced devices in the field or follows the way of imitation of traditionally applied methods used for generations. The former leads to clean and aromatic wines dressed in a colorful seducing costume. However, the later, by the winemaker Sütő called authentic wine, will prefer to be hidden. It will be subtle and demanding. A relationship to such a wine must be developed deliberately. One shall fight for it as for a woman knowing her value.

The character of viticulture was rearranged from the ground in Strekov 1075. They started in the vineyard, reflected on how the vine itself would like to “live”. How it would like to be taken care of. Therefore the winery returned to a regionally historical method of planting the stems – “on the head”. This means that every stem is rooted much deeper into the soil than usual so that the shoots have a closer access to nutrients. The tendrils are then twining around a single wooden stake without any wire trellis. In order to lower the need of any alien chemicals, the vineyards are kept in an ecological balance. The soil is not fertilized and the way vines are treated fosters deep rooting. As you can imagine, the desire to get closer to their grandfathers requires a lot of physical effort. You have to kneel down in front of a vine, almost walk on your knees by it. So the human is inevitable for all the “intimate” work which has to be done in such a vineyard.  

It is not that important what this kind of wine is like, which associations does it reminds us of. Rather everyone should try to discover it himself with regard to his own past reminiscences. Immerse into the wine, make some effort, at least as much as the winemaker who has put all his trust at stake. The message of such wine will not be as straightforward as that of a New Zealand's Sauvignon which would be stunning with its aromas of sheep running through green meadows by ocean. Neither will it lure as three levels of chestnut purée with baked fawn back and fried onion rings. It will demand our engagement and trust and maybe we´ll have to go to the third sip to understand it.

This reminds me of a parallel to politics: sometimes we are so blinded by the hors d'oeuvre that we don't realize it is just tempting our senses. But in the end the main dish will never come and our expectations are left unsatisfied. Better wait for a while, to see what is hidden behind that first impression. 

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The Sensuality of Wine

The drinks we fancy are supposed to be the question of our subjective opinion. Everyone is in some way special; we have our own experiences which we tend to advocate. Wine, beer or spirits – those might be our almost “political” preferences. However it seems that even while sharing wine we might disagree and incline to different fractions. If a wine is exposed to dislike, it´s objector will try to find all reasons why it shall be dethroned from the idealized Olympus of its defender. For all that, our dispute is so blurred by our senses. As they are not just responsible for our knowing the wine, but also for our delusion. Though discussion doesn´t have to end at the moment when we start feeling different types of fruit, wood, or spices.

Historically is wine one of the most mythicized drinks. Human kind has been cultivating vineyards for thousands of years. All that effort for the pleasure of a delicacy, that is causing, from a neurological point of view, only a lunacy of senses. This has to be mentioned because I wouldn´t like to deceive you or hide any facts from you, my dear reader. I believe we should not cease talking about wine as it is constantly with us. Sometimes it even seems to be more social than the human himself. 

The sensuality of wine does not only consist of its ability to intoxicate. Besides the fact that we use senses to recognize the drink, the wine itself leads us to knowing our senses. If we are attentive enough, it will reveal itself as the essence of nature, which we used to be also a part of before the technological age. At that time we were aware that we have a body, nowadays it´s the rule of reason. As far as the understanding of corporality leads through senses, which of them might be discovered in wine?

Our first touch with wine is mediated by eyes. They show us who we have just encountered, they uncover it´s exterior appearance, whether it is white, rose, red, or somehow different. As sensual creatures we tend to depend on the look which might attract or drive us away. While it is clean, sparkling and lively, it gains our sympathy more than a wine dim and dull. After being attracted, one will not hesitate to investigate the details, because the wine pallet provides a spectrum of vividness from greenish, amber, strawy to ruby, purple or brick red.

Afterwards comes the time for nose. Not everybody has the same ability to discern aromas clearly and we are often influenced by the surrounding conditions. That’s the reason why we might have different judgments about flavors. However, what will never be missing in a wine are the essences of alcohol, acidity and sugar. These three elements are also key factors for understanding the taste. Insofar as grapes are a type of fruit, the wine will remind us of different kinds of fruits. After a longtime experience we might be even able to distinguish the variety according to the tones of aromas it plays with. An attentive taster might feel the aromas of green apple, mango, freshly cut grass, blueberries, tobacco or a horse saddle.

And when we finally get to the point of this long procedure, there comes the most famous of all senses – the taste. At this moment the wine has completely seduced us. It is disguised in a complex veil of tastes which are enchanting because of their strong connections. But in order to be ready to describe our sensations we should follow the line of alcohol, acidity, residual sugar and minerality. Just then we can act like the poets talking about the impressions of different fruits, nuts, wood, forest fruits, or chocolate variations. What we should be always aware of is the richness of these flavors, the diversity of their tones and the balance of their connection. Because a wine lacking harmony will never dance so smoothly as a ballet-dancer on the scene.

In a certain way even the touch and hearing aren´t negligible. We touch the wine with our lips. As Béla Hamvas has beautifully put it, a wine can give us “a juicy kiss”. To listen to a wine means to be sensitive to its tones and nuances. Since the differences in the wine world are usually made just by a simple accord.

Anyway tasting wine stays to be a kind of a subjective experience playing with our senses. This is also being proved by several experiments targeting the abilities of wine experts. In one of them, a groupe of sommeliers was served a white wine in two glasses. However once it was colored red with a substance of no taste or smell. Even though the two wines were the same, these experts tended to describe the red wine with terminology of reds and the white wine with words of whites. They had to rely only on their senses and knowledge. But their sight overwhelmed their judgment so much, that the other senses were already conditioned by its power.

In the second experiment the presented wine was a mediocre red. This time the influence of packing was tested. Once was the wine served in a bottle of a noble wine and secondly in a bottle of an underrated quality. As you might guess, in most of the cases the judgment of experts followed the quality indicated by the bottle. If the wine was served from a luxurious bottle, the sommeliers tended to describe it as complex, elegant and harmonic. But after being poured from a cheap bottle, the wine became dull.

That´s simply the way wine is: when we assume that we understood its secret, it starts to fade away. I suppose that the mentioned experiment doesn´t reflect only the character of our senses, but also the way we are persuaded by our knowledge about our own infallibility. Therefore we should keep on talking about wine. I believe it´s objectivity is hidden in its story. Where it comes from, what variety is it made of, which slope is it from and what is the person, who produced it, like. As in each work of art we can search for a human, the character of a wine mirrors its creator.

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Chez Gaillard (#2)

It's been already quite a long time. Just some months ago and the memories seem to be fading away, it's nothing but a lost situation. Really only a vain event hidden deep down in the wrinkles of the unconscious. One must hunt it without any pressure. 

We've been through the whites and made acquaitance of Viognier, the beautiful lady of bold perfumes. Full of flower beds and honey and etheric oils. We'll come down from those clouds now, at least to the level of balloons to see clearly both the sky and the ground and appreciate the captivating depth of the fall to Syrah.

What is this king of dark peppery and fruity reds like? It is said that he likes "the view". Certainly this is not the only variety that is doing well in higher sites of steep hills looking upon a valley cut through by a majestic river. But to Syrah sunbathing on terraces fits very well. The area along the Nothern Rhône, particularly the so-called Côte-Rôtie ("burnt hill"), is one of the most valuable examples. Syrah is here full of expressive and diverse aromas. His grapes are rich in tannins, the substance which can be found in the skins and is responsible for the robustness and longevity of a wine. 

Talking about Syrah is necessary if you come to the Nothern Rhône because no winemaker would value other variety more. This was well visible at the Gaillard's house. 

The table started to be flooded with thirty heavy weights, wines, which were supposed to dissolve our doubts about the region and colour our teeth. There were three rounds of ten. Wines from each appelation where this domaine is powerful and amongst them some traps. We were driven through St. Joseph, Cornas and Côte-Rôtie. The only missing appelation was Hermitage but that would need it's own pedestal. 

I must admit that my ability to take notes was not ready for such a hard attack. And so unfortunately the memories are rather incomplete and the identity of most of those delicious wines will remain in secret as many of the fascinating pieces of art that have struck my instant sensations in art museums.

I imagine that the aim of this generous wine-tasting was to introduce the french Syrahs. However, unexpectedly the memory retained mainly the pieces that were beside the "normal". All of the Rhône wines were elegant, robust, often with animal tones and a good portion of ripe fruits. But suddenly amongst all of that nobleness appeared a moravian wine from Habanske sklepy, their Blauer Portugieser 2011. Quite a surprising example which cannot fight with the heavy Syrah but at least pulled me out of the daydreaming about french reds. Because then there came my personal favourite of the evening. The Japaneese wine-perfectionist Kusuda who is cultivating vines on New Zeland. He is said to be so punctilious that he asks his winepickers to cut off the "legs" of Syrah grapes, the side sprouts of the fruit which are usually considered natural. Even though his employees might find this weird, the Syrah 2010 from Martinborough proves that this tactics pays off. The wine was delicious and perfectly balanced. 

When the tasting was comming to an end I finally came to a conclusion: although the wines might be pretty similar, the difference is made by a single tone. 

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Chez Gaillard (#1)

The invitation for a classical wine-tasting, bon vivant style, came all of a sudden. Without really knowing where were we heading, we found ourselfs in the house of Pierre Gaillard, one of the renowned winemakers in the northern Rhone, a region spread between Lyon and Valence. Our big gratitude pays to Guillaume Clusel, who drove us to this romantic medieval village called Malleval, and gave us the opportunity to meet the Gaillard family.

Being late is not very appropriate, but in France quite a usual fact. We entered a tasting room with an oval table with around fifteen people already seated, table covered with wine glasses, baskets with fresh baguettes, spit buckets and a bunch of bottles wrapped in a dark cloak with colored question mark. Spitters-beginners can make a detour to this introductory video of Winefolly.

We didn't really know what was about to happen. Honestly, we were expecting a bacchanalian party in an internationnal company with a variety of drinks and loud music. But this is never the case in a winemakers house.

There was a spiritually respectful, almost a pious silence. We were welcome at the door by our host and his wife, we were offered a chair in addition, our glasses were filled in and the ritual could continue. But we still didn't get the scenario. 

Then we understood what are the papers and pens for. The notes should be taken as all of the others had been doing with a concentrated look. Nobody of us would even try to guess the specific producers, varieties or vintage. However our verbal descriptions, comparisions, the used adjectives or interjections were more and more figurative - limy, elderberry like, woody, bread-full, honneyful, or yummy. When we found out that all we had to do was to follow our senses and not to disturb our more knowledgeable colleagues, there was a short break.

At that moment the meaning of the tasting was revealed to us. Up until now were just having our glasses poured with unknown bottles. Now we were asked by our hosts to express our impressions and point out some prefered wines. Afterwards the identity of the first eight white wines was uncovered.

Amongst the wines from Condrieu region made out of the aromatic variety Viognier, there were also some exceptions. All were surpassed by the chinesse Chardonnay, simply because it was so different. I am not sure if anybody at the table would agree with me, but I really appreciated this unusual bouquet which reminded me of a corny tortilla. I was explained that this Chardonnay is made with very similar procedures as in Europe. In that case, it seems to me that for professionals the chinesse terroir will be a hard nut to crack.

Comming back to Viognier I would say that it is a playful type. When it is young, it is well perfumed, full of roses or other flowers. But if you let it lay in a barrique for a while, it would ripen too. This was proved by a bottle of La Grande Vallon by Francois Villard, 2005. Maybe it was already on its peak but was always having a lively amber like tint, the fragrance of honeycomb and a full oily structure. With its pleasant balance this grande vallon was teasing me to take a glass more. 

Nevertheless, we were in a region where the robust red wine rules. So for the next phase we had to keep the concentration high, therefore I resisted the Viognier. Because there were still thirty fullbodied Syrah type wines waiting for us...

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The 12 commandements for a moral #Winepilgrim propagating the theology of wine: 1. Thou shall not add any artificial flavours to wine, this is not even thinkable. 2. Thou shall drink your bottles regularly as they do not age with time, keep only those you love. 3. Discriminating white wine is shortsighted, it shall age well too. 4. Thou shall not blame screw-cap for being a modern seal. 5. Thy headache is not caused be sulfites, they are in all bottles. 6. Thou shall serve your wine at the right temperature, keep it cool. 7. Thy prejudices about buttery and oaky Chardonnay shall vanish. 8. Thou shall not trust the bottle lables, the alcohol level is misleading. 9. Rivulets running down the glass after a swirl shall not be your guide of quality. 10. Thou shall not forget the origin of the redness in the red, it's the skins. 11. Thou shall follow no rules, only guidelines and thy senses. 12. Thou shall let the wine breathe.

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Portrait: Magali Rème, Une Sommelière à la Maison One of the most common comments I have received from reader has been: “OK, you like this wine but how would I know if I would like it?”

I am very lucky to have met Magali, a wonderful women that has just put together her own wine website here in Lyon in September 2013. Wine for women, by women: http://www.unesommelierealamaison.com/

Sommeliere, being the feminine version of Sommelier in French. When you get to the website you can go through a quiz indicating what kinds of wine you like, aromas and price range. Magali will then show you her selection of wines (not readily available wines on the internet) that fit your taste with a heart system. 4 hearts being a wine that fits perfectly with your taste.  “You don’t need to be a connoisseur to enjoy wine.” She says. What an awesome concept. For an industry that is predominantly male dominated, I love to see other women getting right in there and getting their hands dirty. Especially a passionate, funny and audacious French women like Magali. Check her out and show your support for women in wine.

Her website isn’t in English yet but it will come :)

Portrait : Magali Rème, Une Sommelière à la Maison Une des questions les plus fréquentes que mes lecteurs me posent est : ‘D’accord, tu aimes ce vin mais comment je peux savoir si je l’aime aussi?’. Je crois avoir trouvé de quoi répondre à cette question.

J’ai beaucoup de chance d’avoir pu rencontrer Magali, une femme merveilleuse qui vient de monter son site de vin, ici à Lyon, depuis Septembre 2013. Du vin pour les femmes, par une femme : http://www.unesommelierealamaison.com/ Quand vous arrivez sur le site, vous pouvez répondre à un quizz qui va révéler le genre de vin que vous aimez, les arômes et les tranches de prix. Ensuite, Magali va vous indiquer sa sélection de vins (qu’on ne trouve pas facilement sur Internet) qui correspond à vos goûts utilisant un système de coeurs.  Un vin avec 4 coeurs correspond parfaitement avec vos goûts. ‘On n’est pas obligé de connaître pour prendre du plaisir’, Magali nous explique. Quel concept génial. Pour une industrie, principalement dominée par les hommes, j’adore voir des femmes trouver leur place et mettre la main à la pâte. Particulièrement des femmes passionnées, drôles et audacieuses (et néanmoins françaises ;) comme Magali. Allez voir son site et montrez votre soutien pour les femmes dans le monde du vin.

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Thumbs up to all the women involved in the passion of wine!

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The pop of a wine cork... sentimental pleasure or simple snobbery?

Must admit that I'd miss that pop of a wine cork.

Surely, technology has made a big step since the corks were introduced in the 17th century. There are wines which are more suitable for screw-tops as the young fresh ones. I also agree that the wine-maker who is using a screw-top shows how much he cares for the quality of his wine and how modern he is.

However, I hope the wine corks will never vanish. The moment of opening a wine bottle is the key part of the wine drinking ritual. It feels almost like letting the soul out into the air. Moreover, cork is a natural material as the product it shall be protecting.

But, alright, we don't have to feel robbed when openning a screw-top wine. As far as it does not concern Pomerol or Saint-Emilion...

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Is there anything behind the philosophy of wine? Shamanism!

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Now seriously: why bother you with wine?

When I was asked some time ago what is so special about wine, I replied immediately: “there is so much to say about the philosophy of wine!” But as I tried to elaborate this thought I found myself stuck after a while. Even though many have already given their reasons I want to pay my debt with the following explication.

Let’s not hesitate to exaggerate for a while - there is something magical about wine. It has always been a product of divine glorification. Even though it is just a human zeal to ferment grapes every year, there seems to be a large amount of gratitude which seeks its recipient. As if people were willing to thank for the magic they were given for their effort. Whether it is God, divine nature or energy, still who drinks is a man. I believe that through wine we can celebrate the courage and endurance of a human being. Because wine is with us ever since a civilized world appears in historical writings.

Vine has a very close relation to the place where it is cultivated. It creates the aesthetics of the countryside, simply said makes the hills look nicer. However without the creative and caring hand of a human, vine would be just a wild plant. The strong connection which can be built between a man and his wineyard is fascinating.

Furthermore I want to claim that wine-making is an artistic act. It really takes an artist to create great wine. You have to know a lot of details about material you are working with (the grapes), you have to have a refined taste and be a kind of a visionary to see if the final result will be worth it. A painter is atacking your visual sense to provoke emotional and intelectual movement. In the same way a wine-maker is attacking your gustative sense in order to engage the totality of your body. To parafrase Bela Hamvas you might get a wet kiss from wine. And that shall awaken your passion. So through painting you may find out about your intelect and through wine you may discover your body.

But wine doesn't limit your experience to material world. By giving you the opportunity to stop, think and breathe the moment you are in, it can take you beyond the everyday life. To use a bit of religious terminology, you can transcend your ordinary self. I believe that this is one of the reasons why was wine for a long time the artefact of worship. I like the idea that the first really organised wine-makers in Europe where the christian monks.

There are surely many more arguments why to worship wine even nowadays. Maybe for our atheistic and dispersed society there is not much felt. But wine is the element which stick us together in every ocassion. It melts the common barriers given by social consensus, releases the psychological blocks and lets us open our souls to others. Like in the days of shamanism, today we are grouped around a bottle of wine to get into a state of trance. I'd hail for this ritual fortifying our communities!

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Summer has passed away... what rests now for a wine pilgrim are sensual memories. One of the most striking experiences I had this august was with this Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso by the family producer Regolo Sartori di Verona. A vintage from 2010 with 13.5% alc. and a mystical note "ripasso".

This is a specifique wine style for veneto region. Ripasso is a middle way between a classical Valpolicella (a light and smooth red from Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes) and Amarone (a very rich full bodied red from the local grapes). The process of making Amarone consists of using dried grapes which gives the final product its concentrated body. To make a Ripasso you have to pour your Valpolicella over the skins and lees from making Amarone. Literally you "repasse" the ligth red wine through the remainders of the dried quality grapes for another fermentation.

The result is a burst for a nose - black forest fruit, pepper and smoke. However the body stays in the medium tones with a lasting persistence. Chilli chocolade and even animal tones. If you will pass through Verona drop into some local "osteria" and do not hesitate to take a piece of canapé with king prawns in coctail sauce.

But I suppose this wine will be also strongly appreciated with the dawn of autumn...

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Mission Hill Riesling Icewine 2011 New style of picture for the end of summer and back to work! Another Canadian Icewine! I am still a super fan of the way the Icewine is made. I find it natural that Canada has taken over this way of doing thing. How is Icewine made? Have a look at my previous article on Icewine. This icewine was very tasty but very sweet. Very very sweet. Sweet. Do I keep saying sweet? Well it was damn sweet. Dried apricots. One glass for the apero was nice but I couldn’t have done 2. Too sweet for my taste but not everyone at the table shared my opinion!

If anyone knows of some good Canadian wine (other than Icewine), I would love to try some! Opinions please!!!

Mission Hill Riesling Icewine 2011 Voici un nouveau style de photo pour la rentrée ! Voici un autre vin de glace Canadien ! Je suis toujours très attachée à la méthode de fabrication de ce vin. Je trouve tout à fait naturel que le Canada ait entrepris avec cette méthode. Comment est donc fabriqué le vin de glace? Vous retrouverez ces informations dans mon article précédent, déjà à propos du vin de glace. Ce vin de glace en particulier était très gouteux mais sucré. Très sucré. Méga sucré. Vos aurais je déjà dit que c’était sucré? Purée, c’était sucré. J’y ai trouvé des saveurs surprenantes d’abricot sec. Un verre pendant l’apèro m’a suffit. Je n’aurais pas pu en boire un second. Trop sucré à mon goût, mais tout le monde autour de la table n’était pas nécessairement de mon avis!

Si vous connaissez des vins Canadiens (d’autre que du vin de glace), j’aimerais bien en essayer! Vos avis svp!!

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Robyn, you should have a look at slovakian style of desert wines. We do icewine as well, but you can have a look at this review of our indigenous variety Devin -->> http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/07/weird-wine-grapes-slovakia-devin-dessert-wine.html

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You are the vine Georgia

It's been already 7000 years the first wine appeared somewhere in the Caucasus. As far as we know Georgians are reasonably proud to call themselfs the wine creators. So the true wine pilgrim should start his voyage right here.

If you like to drink all the time the same style of wine you have to throw all your prejudices. Georgians are unique and want the world to know about it. The wine you would experience on their traditionnal "supra" will definitely change your ideas about grape.

In Europe when we make wine the pomace (here also called "chacha") is separated from must before fermentation. We do not want the stems, seeds and skins develop rough impressions in the taste. But the georgians have a different point of view and see the pomace as a way to get to the wine more extract quality, specific fruit aromas and a deeper coloring.

So the georgian wine making style is to ferment grapes together with the pomace and for a much longer time than we are used to. During the fermentation georgian wine stays in a special clay pitcher called "qvevri". Since the qvevri is hermetically closed and buried in the soil the process is much slower. The wine will stay undergroud for several months. Afterwards the pomace is separated, wine is cleaned and the creation of the wine may continue again in qvevri. However there are already some winemakers who start to implement modern technologies.

Saperavi, Kibura or Mtsvanuri are just some of the vine species of Georgia. There are almost 500 varieties which have their origin here. This is one of the regions which was forgotten for a long time but is gaining its attention again because of its wide potential. Surely a wine pilgrim should become curious...

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Georgian Monk Winemaker by Luciana Braz - WineTalkGroup on Flickr.

"The vine is the mother of wine, and wine is the sacred liquid that is recognized as the blood of God. In the Orthodox tradition, the Virgin Mary is the mother of our Saviour, and Christ himself is the source of eternal existence for humanity."

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Around Balaton Lake in Hungary