The feather in Japan’s hat
Posted by Ray O'Connor | Filed under Grape varieties, Out and about
The Yamanishi wine region is only a 1.5 hour drive from the mayhem of Tokyo but its scenery is a world apart. In a country that is over 70% mountainous, altitude and aspect are not a problem. Excess rainfall, on the other hand, is. This is where the native grape variety Koshu comes in. A thick, pinkish skinned variety that has little to no issues with botrytis. It produces light, crisp white wines, not dissimilar to a (Touraine) Sauvignon Blanc or even Albarino, though with far less acidity than either. This is the most popular variety in the region. Yuki Hirayama, Chief winemaker at Katsunuma Winery is a true believer in the grape’s diversity and produces the full spectrum of styles of wines from sparkling, unoaked, oaked and sweet. The greatest challenge he witnesses in the vineyard is oidium, due to the high humidity and rainfall in the region. When he told me on the drive there they use ‘umbrellas’ to protect the grapes, not sprays, I was baffled. Perhaps another way to describe them are waxed pieces of paper which they place over each bunch and the subsequently rain just rolls off. It’s quite a scene in the vineyard.
Inside the winery is like a visit to Willy Wonka’s Choclate factory for a wine student. They had every bit of kit, for every kind of purpose. Rotary fermentors, bottling lines, refrigeration rooms for cyro extraction and a feast of new and old oak barrels from a who’s who of French coopers. Yuki san studied oenolgy in Dijon and is not shy of trailling new methods to achieve the style he wants. He has been adding the fining agent bentonite before fermentation to remove the phenolic character that he sometimes sees in the wines. Although he does not caim to be a ‘natural’ wine producer he does his upmost to minimize the use of SO2 throughout production.
As mentioned above, the results are very impressive, especially from the single vineyard wines, which won a Silver medal at the International Wine Challenge in 2010. Indeed, Bernard Magrez, of Pape Clement fame, has teamed up with the winery to produce a joint cuvee, Magrez Aruga Koshu, for the European market. As is the case in many of the ‘up and coming’ wine regions, the skill of the winemaker is imperative in nurturing the grape along to stardom. Koshu most certainly has a future in the wine world.
2011 Wines of Argentina Tasting, London
Posted by Ray O'Connor | Filed under Trade Tasting
Every wine producing country in the world manages, in some form or another, to offer a distinctive characteristic to their wines that helps to form a personal identity to their style. In certain areas this may be the charms of minerality found in the soils while in others it may be the challenges of noticeably high alcohol. Following the 2011 Wines of Argentina tasting in London it is apparent that freshness is the nation’s forte. This may sound obvious to the well- read wine lover who is familiar with the county’s high altitude vineyards but as winemaking styles continue to evolve to match consumer demands for heavily extracted wines this will not always be a dead cert. When one considers the extra hang time which has been given to red varieties to achieve physiological ripeness you would be forgiven for expecting a subsequent extra ripe character to the wines. Of course this is true in certain cases but what is commendable in this part of the world is the winemaker’s ability to maintain the crunchy acidity and overall pureness of fruit which, as a whole, results in a freshness that has great charm and appeal.
Peter McCombie MW (the IWC’s 2012 addition to the Co-Chair line-up) presented a masterclass on Argentinean red blends which covered the length of the country. His introduction gave an insight into the history of the nation’s winemaking culture which was summarised by quoting a native winemaker who said to comprehend Argentinean winemakers you have to understand that they are “in essence, Italians who speak Spanish and who think they are English.”
Peter McCombie MW
From Patagonia in the far south we tasted the ‘medal-happy’ producer Vinalba, who won the Argentinean Red Trophy and International Malbec Trophy at last year’s IWC for the Gran Reserva Malbec 2008. The southerly winds down there help keep the grapes clean and dries them out for better balance and acidity. Slightly further north in Ninquen Familia Schroeder have produced a Pinot Noir (54%) Malbec (46%) blend which is an ‘acquired taste’. The 20 degrees Celsius difference between day and night temperature helps to maintain aroma while ensuring ripeness in this region.
Further north again in Mendoza’s sub region, Tupungato, Achaval Ferrer are producing outstanding wines that portray the potential of this wine producing country. The bodegas’ Quimera wine is a wonderful blend of 40% Malbec, 22% Merlot, 20% Cab. Sav. 14% Cab Fr. and 4% Petit Verdot. This, and the rest of the range, are not sold on the high street, but are well worth seeking out in the on-trade.
Another wine worth noting from the Peter’s masterclass is the Masi Corbec 2008 from Tupungato, Mendoza.‘Corbec’ is the name Masi have given to this Corvina and Malbec blend that is made in the ‘arele’ style of drying grapes on wooden racks. Similar to the Amarone method of production, this leads to a loss of 20% of the grapes weight and causes an intracellular action which also leads to the common characteristic of volatile acidity, common in the Northern Italian region’s style. The wine is then transported to Italy in flexitank under nitrogen and aged in stainless steel until bottling. Although it remains unclear what the purpose of this initiative is, McCombie suggested it may be down to a specific bottling technique of volatile wines that the company uses back in Italy.
One of the wines from the whole days tasting that exhibited the greatest expression of freshness had to be Bodega Colomé. Founded in 1831, it is one of Argentina’s oldest wineries and perches its regal self at an altitude of between 2,300 and 3,111 metres above sea level. Despite being closer to the equator than Mendoza its elevation gives freshness to the wines while the cooler night time temperatures prolong the ripening period, enhancing aromatics.
The wine trade in attendance seemed just as impressed with the Argentine offerings as I was and the IWC medals on display seemed to vouch for the quality of wines. Argentina seems to have covered all price points and the noble varieties while adding interest and flair to their own signature Malbec and Torrontés.
Sake Communicator Award winner
Posted by Ray O'Connor | Filed under Sake
Congratulations to our short list of entries for the Sake Communicator Award 2011, listed in the previous post below. Our judges were delighted to see such enthusiasm for the character and culture of sake which came across in all of these entries. However, there can be only one winner (sadly).
This years winner is Natsuki Kikuya . Natsuki is the Sake sommelier at Zuma / Roka in London. The judges said ” Natsuki’s shares her passion for sake with her readers in every page of her blog through beautiful photography and emotional yet informative stories. Her commitment to this industry is evident in her detailed profiling of sake on a continuous basis. Her blog is a pleasure to read.”
Natsuki Kikuya
The judges added ” We would also like to acknowledge the talent of this year’s short-list who are an inspiring collection of writers dedicated to furthering the awareness of sake. We implore you to keep up your very good work.”
Natsuki will travel to Japan on Japan Airlines next February and enjoy an all expenses paid tour of some of the sake producing prefectures compliments of the Sake Samurai Association and the International Wine Challenge.
Thanks to all who entered this year. We will host another sake master-class at the IWC judging in April next year for anyone interested in furthering their understanding of this intriguing drink.
Tags: Sake
Sake Communicator Award – Shortlist
Posted by Ray O'Connor | Filed under Sake
This year’s short-list for the Sake Communicator Award is announced below.
The judges have selected four entries which stood out in terms of quality of writing and information about sake. Links to their websites and blog posts are below.
Natsuki Kikuya – Sake sommelier at Zuma / Roka in London
Peter Csizmadia-Honigh – Bor-Világ
Anders Öhman AIWS – Gustibus Wine & Spirit Academy
Christina Pickard – Presenter
The winner will be announced on August 22nd and will travel to Japan courtesy of the Sake Samurai Association and the International Wine Challenge in Spring next year.
Sake Communicator Award
Posted by Ray O'Connor | Filed under Sake, Uncategorized
The Sake Samurai Association, in partnership with the International Wine Challenge, is proud to announce The Sake Communicator Award. This is an opportunity for Bloggers, wine writers and journalists to win an all expenses paid trip to Japan. The winning entrant will visit 5 prefectures and meet 5 Kuramotos (sake producers) for one week between late February and early March 2012. Members of the Sake Samurai Association will host the winner throughout the entire trip.
Each entrant should write a blog post or article on the subject on sake, published between April 1st and July 29th. This could be based on introducing the basics of sake to the wider public or focusing in more detail on a specific style for your readers.
Kenichi Ohashi, Master of Sake, will introduce the basics of sake in his masterclass: ‘Understanding the world of sake: Sake making & Category’, which will take place at the Barbican, Exhibition Hall 2 at 6pm on April 19th. Kenichi’s masterclass will be followed by a talk by US Sake expert Beau Timken on sake trends and their markets. The masterclass will be preceded and followed by an opportunity to taste hundreds of different sakes taking part in the International Wine Challenge Discovery Tasting, for wines looking for UK representation. All entrants are welcome to attend this free materclass, though numbers are limited to 100 people. Please confirm your attendance by emailing iwc@wrbm.com
The successful candidate should write a 1,000 word report of their trip upon their return which will be posted on the International Wine Challenge website.
By no means undermining the scale of the recent tragedy, most of the kuramotos ancestors have been challenged by tsunamis and earthquakes in the past, as well as war and hunger, and have worked together to overcome these issues to create a strong long-lasting sake industry that still thrives today. This generation of kuramotos plan to use the experiences and skills of their forefathers to lift themselves out of this most recent disaster.
As Sake is not only a drink nor a business but an irreplaceable part of Japanese culture, there is no time more suitable than now to encourage the popularity of this rice wine.
A link to your blog post or pdf attachment of the featured piece should be emailed to the following address: ray@internationalwinechallenge.com
Closing date for receipt of entries is July 29th 2011.
The winner will be notified by August 22nd 2011 and will be a guest of the Sake Samurai Association at the International Wine Challenge Awards Dinner, Hilton Park Lane, London on September 6th 2011, where they will receive an on stage award.
Terms and Conditions:
- The winner agrees to travel on the dates agreed with the Sake Samurai Association, which will be announced in due course.
- Return economy flights depart from London Heathrow.
- The winner is requested to compose a 1,000 word report on the events of their trip following upon their return for the International Wine Challenge website.
Tags: Competition, Sake
