Food Miles

I have been angry about attempts to paint New Zealand wine in the UK as environmentally unfriendly because of the distance that the wine has to travel to get there. Frieght is such a small part of the picture, these arguments are grossly distorted. I have worked in Burgundy and Alsace and know that French wine is certainly no less carbon intensive than New Zealand, and I slao know that most of the sales to the UK travel by truck. I am sure using sea freight from New Zealand produces a lower carbon footprint than using a truck from Burgundy or further afield.

But are we doing enough to counter these silly arguments?

I was pleased to read a press release from Alpha Domus issued at lunchtime on this issue. I agree with every word. I particularly like the ending..

"Fortunately, it seems, overseas consumers are choosing quality wine over those with lower food miles too. Figures show the latest New Zealand wine exports to the UK have increased by 23 percent on the previous year. "

It is good that the UK consumer is smart enough to see through this narrow anti-trade argumentation from a few activists. My guess is that there are some producers in France and UK importers who a fanning the flames on this issue.

A Tasting Of Some Lesser Known Central Otago Pinot Noir

These are my tasting notes of 13 Pinot Noir wines from the 2006 vintage. They were tasted on 25 January. My recommendations are the wines from Anthem, Block 124, Grasshopper Rock, Judge Rock, Mount Michael, Sleeping Dogs and van Asch. Mount Michael probably came out on top, with the Anthem wine perhaps showing the most long term promise. Given that Mount Michael is made from older vines and is 100% from the Cromwell basin (ie the hottest location) this result is perhaps not surprising. These are my personal comments. Everyone's palate is different. I tend to be on the critical side, for which apologies in advance. 15/20 is a good score.

Anthem 2006

Fruit dominates the nose. It is a dark red cherry. Very elegant wine which will age well. There is some obvious acid that needs time to soften. Perhaps a little too alcoholic at a bit of 14, but the extra sugar was probably necessary to balance the acid. This is 80% Gibbston fruit, and this tells with great silky mouthfeel. Oak is prominent but well handled. I want to drink this wine in 2011. 16/20

Block 124 Vineyard

A reductive character to the nose which is apparent to the taste also, but more restrained in the mouth. Quite elegant. An interesting mint/spearminty character. Acid is quite high but the alcohol at 13.7% is not as dominant. Good mouthfeel. 15/20

Domain Road Vineyard

I was expecting more given the Bannockburn location. Must be the young vines. Very closed, hard to penetrate. Elegant wine, but flavours as closed as the nose. There is red fruit there but not as apparent as it should be. Also masked by higher acids. Perhaps this crop was not that ripe, or perhaps it was over cropped? 12/20

Domaine Jaquiery

Out of interest I tried two wines the 2003 and the 2006. This is one of the coldest and most wind exposed sites in Central Otago. These notes were written before reading the Wanaka Sun article below...

2003 Slight Brett and slight reduction apparent on nose. Very barnyard and forest floor, and again some real reductive character in the mouth. Very pale colour and lack of concentration to fruit. Acid too high as was the alcohol. Fifth amendment

2006 Much better colour than 2003. And much cleaner nose. A bit of vanilla (is this all French oak?). Cherry flavours with some good mouth feel, but the flavours die fast. There is a bit of acid, which is a bit to dominant. 13/20

Grasshopper Rock

Great spice on nose, dark red fruit flavours. This is nice sweet fruit on the front palate. A real violet character also. Only complaint is the acid. Good potential shown by this wine which is a first vintage. 16/20

Hawkshead Vineyard

An elegant nose with a hint of reduction. Dark red fruit. The fruit might have been a little unripe. There is a real hole in the middle palate, which is a shame because the front and side are fine. There is a slightly quirky wet wool aftertaste. Not sure if this is a reduction issue or was there a funky barrel? 14/20

Judge Rock

Nice elegant fruit on nose. Good mouthfeel and good balance. The fruit is pleasant and there is a slight herbal character also. Was this a little over cropped? This isn't all new vine so some more intensity would have been expected. Interesting flavours though. 15/20

McArthur Ridge

Well perfumed nose. Violet and rose petal for me. Restrained fruit in mouth but a wine that shows too much acid and too much alcohol. Could have been Gibbston in a cold year, but this is Alex fruit. Maybe this is just a problem with this being a first crop. 13/20

Mount Michael

Very elegant nose showing violets and ripe fruit. Good mouthfeel. Ripe fruit, dark red plum. Also good to see a wine that has the alcohol in balance. Very well made. Good handling of oak also. 17/20

Pisa Moorings

A slightly dirty nose, without strong concentration. This shows in the mouth. There is fruit there but it is too restrained. Maybe there is some bottle variation here, as I am disappointed.
12/20

Sleeping Dogs

Spicy perfumed nose with violet also. Elegant fruit and spice, complex. Oak well handled. This has some tannins also. Some stems/ whole bunch from Gibbston? Brave. 15/20

Surveyor Thomson

Good spicy nose. Complex, dark red fruit flavours. Acid and alcohol were a bit too high. 14/20

I tried their 2005 also. The flavours were not as intense, but it seemed a wine in more balance and more elegant. I liked it more. 16/20

van Asch

Very floral, violet nose. Floral character in mouth also. The oak and tannins a bit more noticeable than many wines I have tried today. A bit acid also. 15/20

My conclusions : Interesting tasting. Age of the vine matters. Single vineyard seems to help also. 2006 was a heavy cropping year, for some of these wines it might have been too heavy. Acid and alcohol remain challenges. I would happily buy over half these wines. Many of these vineyards are showing strong potential.

Almost Organic Apart From The Paperwork?

Now I am really angry!

I made a big mistake. Before heading off for Hanmer I had to drop some equipment off to a winery near Wanaka. I called into town for a coffee and picked up an old copy of the Wanaka Sun. Inside was a rather colourful (you should see his shirt!) interview, with photo, of the owner of Domaine Jaquiery - Mark Jaquiery.

Most of the article was fine apart from the following:

"The dryness also contains fungal diseases and reduces the amount of spraying. Jaquiery only sprays with sulphur and a sea weed by-product, both of which are 'natural' products.

I am not organic because the paper work is a nightmare, but I do see myself as environmentally sound."

OK, this was written for the Wanaka Sun and maybe this is not entirely accurate, but I beg your pardon Mr Jaquiery. Now I am not organic idol. My employer has zero interest in extra cost. We are not organic. But I doubt very much that we are less organic than Mr Jaquiery. What do you do for weed control Mark??????? Where is your Clemens or Braun?????

Goodness knows what the real organic producers, or those in expensive transition such as Mt. Edward and Felton Road think about this. There is no such thing as almost organic. SHAME Mr Jaquiery!

Jasper Morris Could Do Well To Read As Well As Write

In the same issue of Decanter in which Morris complains about the lack of "consistency in Central Otago" there is a short interview with Aubert de Villaine from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (the fellow who was sold such good corks for use in the 2004 Romanée Saint-Vivant). Also the maker of the best wines in Burgundy and probably the world.

I quote Aubert:

"I have tasted very good Pinots from outside Burgundy. There are exceptions, but the ones I found the best were not real Burgundian, but had the qualities of terroir. You know immediately when you are dealing with a varietal wine of a terroir wine. There is a sort of soul, something that brings together everything in the wine around it, a kind of personality."

Aubert has another few words of wisdom that Morris should reflect on:

"Pinot Noir doesn't really have a taste. On its own, it has no interest. It is only interesting if married to terroir. It's the purity that makes it so great." and

"You have to see Pinot Noir as a variety not a wine. I do not make Pinot Noir. I make Burgundy. Pinot Noir is an element of my production."

In Central Otago we are trying to achieve a similar vision. We are trying to make Central Otago, and more precisely, we are trying to make Anthem, Felton Road, Chard Farm etc. How does square with uniformity of expression?

Jasper Morris Less Than Friendly to Central Otago

Writing in the February issue of Decanter Jasper Morris MW (he buys Burgundy for Berry Bros & Rudd so he has a bit of a vested interest) compares New World Pinot to Burgundy. He concludes his comments on Central Otago (which are not really that positive) by saying: "the region is still inconsistent and it remains to be seen whether the exceptional quality from one or two iconic wineries has not started a stampede of plantings which the region cannot quite sustain."

This is really going to piss many people off. But there is some truth to what he says. There is still some inconsistency, but is that a negative? Would Burgundy be as good, or as interesting, if every bottle and every vineyard tasted the same. Don't we celebrate the individuality of different vineyards or blocks within vineyards in Burgundy? Why don't we do the same in Central Otago? In Central Otago we have multiple climate zones - Lake Hayes, Gibbston, Bannockburn (there are actually two or three within Bannockburn), Lowburn, Pisa Flats (3 km either side of Kawarau Estate), the Pisa Terraces (eg Rockburn) Wanaka Road North of Smiths Way, Wanaka (two or three zones really Domaine Jaquiery is much colder than Rippon), and then there is Bendigo and the plantings on the east shores of Lake Dunstan, and finally Alexandra with probably three zones as well. Of course our wines will be inconsistent! Sit down with a Kawarau Estate, a Pisa Range Estate, a Rockburn, an Amisfield, a Mount Edward, and a Aurum (not their reserve which comes from Lowburn 5 km down the road). These wines are all pretty much neighbours. Yet they are so different. Each has a different winemaker. Each uses different barrel mixes. There are different clones used. The vines are of different ages. And the soils are different - they even change within each vineyard. They also use different management practices in the vineyard. With the exception of Rockburn which is up on a terrace they are in a near identical climate zone.

Now I am getting pissed off......................................................

Cork Versus Screw Cap

I am just reading an extraordinary advertisement in the latest Decanter. It is a pro-cork ad. suggesting that "leading wineries choose cork". Clearly the Portuguese and some cork merchants have gotten into bed with the World Wildlife Fund. Apparently by not using corks as your closure you will "force entire communities to leave [their current homes], resulting in more forest fires, desertification and the permanent loss of 2.7 million hectares of forest."

That is the last time I give a penny to the WWF!

Why don't I use cork? They remain far too unreliable and you european suppliers still allocate the worst corks to the new world.

I will end this post with a story that should make everyone cry.

At yesterday's fantastic tasting of that most seductive of wines - Romanée Saint-Vivant (yes I know I have yet to write up my notes, but I am about to bottle then I have to go to the Pinot workshop in Hamner) - there were 18 bottles from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's holdings - worth around NZ$400 a bottle - 4 bottles were corked. That is $1,600 down the drain. This is a rare enough wine as it is. Thanks to cork closures it is even rarer than it should be.

What is a real shame is that this wine was the best of the five Romanée Saint-Vivants that we tasted.

My write up of the tasting will come, I promise.

What A Load Of Pretentious Rubbish

I can take wine enthusiasts and writers pontificating about something they know but a little, but not when it is a complete waste of time. This morning at the 2008 Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration I witnessed just this. Singapore wine writer Ch'Ng Poh Tiong did just this. He wasted everyone's time with a mildly humorous but totally superficial speech on terroir. To make it worse, in speaking to a room that was 50% female, the speech was far too sexist, in a really immature way (that sometimes Singaporeans are guilty of). What a shame. The rest of the proceedings, particularly the tasting this morning of five wines from Romanée-Saint-Vivant 2004 vintage has been excellent. I do hope the organisers Central Otago Pinot Noir did not have to pay airfares or a participation fee for this guy to attend. To make matters worse, he failed to attend the lunch today he was supposed to participate in - "he had other work to do".

What a contrast with the Burghound Allen Meadows. I know he charged $5,000 plus travel and accommodation, but he is a real expert.

More on the celebration when time allows.