thirstforwine http://thirstforwine.posterous.com Most recent posts at thirstforwine posterous.com Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:29:00 -0800 Drink my Champagne, said the Hologram http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/drink-my-champagne-said-the-hologram http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/drink-my-champagne-said-the-hologram

Champagne brands really understand that the difference between one wine and another isn't so much about what is in the bottle or glass, as it is about the story that we build around that experience.

 Seeing James Bond drinking Dom Perignon* doesn't mean the wine will taste better, but it does mean that we get a vague sense of doing something daring and decadent when we see the familiar shield-shaped label emerging from the ice bucket.

Dom Perignon Vintage 2003

There was much more than a touch of James Bond about the simultaneous release of Dom Perignon's latest vintage declaration in London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York and Paris (though I suspect James would be disappointed Moscow was not on the list). 

The winery organised identikit launches in galleries in each city, carefully staging each with the same wooden table, large screen, twitter-stream, vast black & white photos of the vineyards, dozens of monitors showing carefully crafted photos and videos of the Abbaye d'Hautvillers, and in one corner a glass pyramid with revolving holographic logos.

Impressive.

But what were we here to experience?

Questions ... and Answers

A small cast of carefully chosen "friends", mostly wine journalists and influencers, were assembled in each city to taste the latest vintage to be released, the 2003.

Oh yes, my dear reader (and, obviously, consumer of Dom Perignon). I said 2003! What a surprise, heh? I bet you knew about the April frosts and thought "they'd never have enough grapes left to declare a vintage in that year", but we were all surprised. Oh yes! Then you might have thought back to the summer heat and thought, "but the over-ripeness, how could they .... ?" but again, with careful picking and crafting in the winery they have been able to make a wine that Richard Geoffroy, Chef de Cave describes thus:

“Intensity is the signature and memory of the 2003 Vintage. The intensity is unique and paradoxical, hovering between austerity and generosity.”

Unlike most of the assembled friends, I did not know anything of the above, did not have a preconceived idea of a "typical Dom Perignon", and will readily admit that this is probably the first time I have ever drunk more than a sip of Dom Perignon of ANY vintage. I know nothing about the vintages, and struggled even to make sense of the tasting notes being presented for this wine.

I wasn't here to learn about vintage differences between Dom Perignon or to compare 2003 with 1976. I was here to be impressed by the brand story. The ancient lineage of the name, traced back to one of the key personalities that "created" Champagne. To witness what a winery can do when it controls fiercely how it communicates its own message.

The most impressive part was the sudden appearance IN the glass pyramid of Richard Geoffroy himself, in holographic form, to tell us his message about the 2003 vintage. I must admit I was almost too entranced by the technology to hear the details of the winemaking, but the effect was mesmerising.

I come to you from a galaxy far, far away

James Bond would probably have managed a clever quip at this stage, I managed to dredge up half a quote from Star Wars instead - "Help me Obe Wan Kenobe, you're my only hope". It would have to do. 

Certainly, the idea that "we are a global brand, we can reach you wherever you may be, we have the technology, the money, the influence, the organisation and the commitment to make it happen" came across loud and clear. Many of Mr Bond's well funded adversaries would have been hard pressed to be more imposing.

Yet, you can't knock them for taking the reigns and making sure that they were telling their own story. Yes, the assembled "friends" are even now typing furiously to spread the news (is it news?) of the release to drinkers around the world, but this is a story carefully crafted before release, like the wine. If more wineries took control of their message, and knew what made them unique, then points and price-points wouldn't be the main drivers for consumers.

Of course, I do not expect a thousand wineries to rush out and buy a holographic projector, but if they could even decide what they would say if they were to project themselves into it, that would be a start.

Thank you to Dom Perignon and everyone who works for them for putting on the event and for inviting me. I look forward to seeing what further innovations you come up with to tell your story. I particularly await the full-size holographic presentation by Dom Pierre Perignon himself at the next event.

* yes, I remember the old days** before he switched to Bollinger
** yes, I'm geeky enough to know these sort of details about James Bond

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/496502/mar10s.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aQQTUCZxJol Robert McIntosh thirstforwine Robert McIntosh
Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:03:00 -0700 Thinking of Franciacorta http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/78143005 http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/78143005

In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away, ... - Antoine de Saint Exupéry

I have been impressed by the sparkling wines of Franciacorta in Italy. SO many of the wines I have tried have been interesting to drink - quite a feat for any wine region.

If there is a flaw in the current nature of Franciacorta, I would argue that it is "over-designed" and producers pay a little too much attention to measuring themselves against others' yardsticks and not clearly on creating a unique wine that will reach wine lovers all over the world.

Franciacorta is a very small region, and it produces barely enough to satisfy the local (northern) Italian thirst for its wines. No wonder the rest of us have not heard about it, or can't get hold of any. However, as their guests at the recent EWBC it made me look carefully at their wines, and what you (the wine-loving readers) might want to know about them.

First, what is "Franciacorta"?

If you've never heard of Franciacorta, you are not alone. This is the name of the region that creates probably Italy's most prestige "Methode Traditionelle" sparkling wine in the style of Champagne, using many of the same varieties and techniques. The main grapes are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, just like Champagne (and other sparkling wine producing areas such as England or South Africa), but also Pinot Blanc. When it comes to Italian sparkling wine, Prosecco may currently be the best known having captured a market for informal, party, aperitif drinking, but Franciacorta is the elegant partner for dinner and more refined events.

a highly unusual level of cooperation

The region of Franciacorta is in Lombardy, in the north of Italy, just outside the City of Brescia (beautiful host of the 2011 European Wine Bloggers Conference), south of the beautiful lake Iseo, at the foot of the Alps, and on the main road between Milan and Verona. This is important. Not only are the climate and soils right for producing sparkling wines of quality, but this is Italy's commercial heartland where many wealthy investors live, and they have been the force behind the area.

The name Franciacorta comes from the latin Franchae Curtes, or Monastery-controlled courts that were, thanks to the power of the Church, exempt from the taxes of nearby Brescia. It is a small coincidence, therefore, that seven centuries later the name focuses attention on the inspiration of the region's wines - the prestige sparkling produce of France.

Sparkling wine production in Champagne is traced to around the 17th Century. In Franciacorta it can be traced back to 1961, which makes 2011 just the 50th anniversary. In that year, Franco Ziliani (not our fellow wine blogger, but his namesake) created 3000 bottles of a sparkling wine for the Guido Berlucchi winery ... and it sold well. So well, that the local entrepreneurs didn't just decide that they liked the wine, they decided to MAKE it, and so the region of Franciacorta was born and the fabulous, well-equipped and architecturally varied wineries we know today sprang up virtually overnight to establish the region.

No need here for too much detail, but because these wineries set up very much around the same time, and because they were backed by commercially savvy owners, it was also easier for them to club together to create a strong association, the Consorzio per la Tutela del Franciacorta. A Consorzio is a voluntary body that sets the rules on what grapes can be planted, how, where, etc. and how the wines should be made, and then promotes the work of the members. 

The Franciacorta body is recognised as one of the most thorough and strict in Italy, which is easier to do when there are only around 110 producers in the whole region, and 104 are members of the association. This, let me tell you, is a highly unusual level of cooperation in Italy!

What about the style of Franciacorta wines?

Very simply: Sparkling

Less simply: Dry, sparkling wines, made in the traditional method, with second fermentation in the bottle

And finally in a bit more detail

There are three main styles of Franciacorta wines:

  • Sparkling (Vintage and Non-Vintage); the rules for these wines vary, but for each style a VERY strict and VERY long-term ageing regime is required. Even regular non-vintage wines need to be aged on lees for 18 months, and then in bottle for further 7 months. For Vintage dated wines, this increases further to 30 months!
  • Rose; rules here are less defined, and there are different styles of rose, from the more challenging and refined 100% pinot noir wines to the chardonnay dominated styles with only a small percentage of pinot noir for colour.
  • Satén; possibly the most approachable and unique style in Franciacorta. This was a style created to prove they could make a 'cremant' style wine with lower pressure (and therefore creamier feeling of bubbles) and only made from Chardonnay grapes, but must still be aged 24 months (almost half as much again as Champagne's requirement)

A game of statistical one-upmanship

Even these complexities are small compared to the detail of the rules applied to these wines, and this is one of the problems.

First, the Consorzio rules are very prescriptive. In the presentation to wine bloggers, the eloquent Ricci Curbastro (himself a fine Franciacorta producer) proudly showed off how in this region yields were smaller, quality higher, ageing longer and production smaller than its major competitors. In one case, yields in the winery were 1% tighter (64% instead of 65%) than Champagne in an apparent game of statistical one-upmanship.

Then there are the ranges. I have visited very few wineries in the region, but let me take one example I have. Majolini creates some lovely wines across the board. The family behind it are very friendly, welcoming and committed. However, they are a medium sized winery that owns 22 hectares of vineyard in this appellation, yet they make around 11 different Franciacorta wines (never mind all the other products they offer). On the surface this offers wine consumers lots of choice and uniqueness, but in practice it means that no wine is ever made in the quantities, and at the economies of scale, that will make it more affordable and available to more people around the world.

IF you've never tried the entry level wines of an area, are  you ever going to take a risk on the expensive, high end and low volume wines?

Where's the market?

Finally there is the dilemma of pricing. If you ask any Franciacorta producer what their market it (internationally), the response is generally along the lines of:

"to produce high quality wines for 'wine lovers' that are looking for something new, and to price these ABOVE Prosecco and BELOW Champagne."

As someone with commercial marketing background, this makes me wonder. How can they look to achieve success by OVER delivering on the style of the wine, being MORE strict in the vineyard, ageing it longer, making it in smaller quantities AND selling it for a lower price?

They can't, at least not for ever.

Franciacorta is a quality wine region still grappling with its identity, like the "teenager" it is in terms of development. It is not really clear what the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) should be, and more importantly, what moment, or occasion, for drinking that this region can claim for itself. It would be worth bearing in mind the advice of Antoine de Saint-Exupery above - cutting back, simplifying and deciding what is truly key to the region is much more important ultimately than adding ever greater details to the picture.

If I had to suggest a place to start, it would almost certainly be with the Saten style of wine, but others such as Simon Woolf have made another excellent suggestion to seek out wines that include Pinot Bianco in the blend.

However, what should not be doubted is the quality of the wines being produced, and the potential of the owners to deliver this in time.

I hope that these issues are resolved soon, and they find a way to get more of these bubbles into the glasses of wine lovers across the world so we may all raise our glasses and remember this 50th anniversary year as the one where Franciacorta truly took off around the world.

 

 

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Sun, 14 Nov 2010 08:35:00 -0800 Elyssia's looking good http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/elyssias-looking-good http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/elyssias-looking-good

Last night's wine was a sample (yes, I get them from time to time despite my warnings, and sometimes they're worth reviewing).

Elyssia Gran Cuvee Brut, Cava, 11.5%

A very decent sparkling wine, which happens to hail from Cava-land and one of the big boys in that game, Freixenet.

This particular cuvee brings together the world of cava (Macabeo & Parellada grapes) and Champagne (Chardonnay & Pinot Noir).

I'm not sure I could have pinned this down as Cava in a blind tasting - which is a good and bad thing. A lot of Cava available in the UK is not that exciting, but good Cava can be LOVELY, and hard to find.

This one has a good lemon and tropical fruit core and a nicely delicate mousse (a way of saying that you feel the smooth texture of bubbles but they're not so aggressive that you feel each individual explosion in your mouth, like popping candy, as you might experience with some carbonated waters and cheaper sparkling wines).

What I liked more was the hint of fruit sweetness to balance the wine, some light nuttiness and maybe also a hint of ginger (I got a whiff of ginger ale on the finish), which together make it a lot more interesting than many alternatives, though still quite youthful.

It was good on it's own but also managed well with a pork and green pepper sauce dish.

Available from Waitrose at £14.99 it isn't your everyday wine price, but compared to alternatives, a very decent wine to consider for Christmas celebrations - or any other celebrations you can manage to arrange before and after.

(I can't believe I've started Xmas recommendations already)

Photo

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/496502/mar10s.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aQQTUCZxJol Robert McIntosh thirstforwine Robert McIntosh