Author: A Layman's Wine Musings

Info Seminar or Infomercial?

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An American wine club operator from Napa Valley, California had arranged for a group of his members to take part on our recent river cruise aboard the Scenic Sapphire, through the Burgundy and Rhône wine regions. The group excursion included the CEO of Cuvaison Estate Wines of Napa, California, Dan Zepponi.

While sailing down the Rhône River between ports, Zepponi treated the passengers to two seminars; the first was an exploration of Chardonnay wine. The presentation included tastings of two different Chardonnays from Cuvaison which were compared to two French Chardonnays that are regularly served as part of dinner service on the ship.

The tastings were conducted as a head-to-head comparison. First, his unoaked Methibiton Chardonnay, was compared to an unnamed, unoaked French wine. The second comparison was between two oaked Chardonnays, Coeurtina from his winery against a second unidentified French.

In each comparison I found the flavours of the Napa wines to be extremely close to the French, though to me the French was slightly more mellow and smoother. The Cuvaison wines are priced at $70 US each and are only available directly from the winery.  In comparison, the ships wines would have an equivalent price of approximately $15 – $20 US per bottle.

During the second seminar Zepponi discussed micro-lots as they pertain to the wine industry. When a winery wants to produce a type of wine but does not have enough of the varietal in their own vineyard they may purchase the varietal from another grape grower.   The purchased grapes are then used to make a specific wine exclusively from that purchased micro-lot. This allows the winemaker to better control the grapes being used and the wine produced, in a similar manner that would be done if the vintner was using their own estate grown grapes.

Two taste comparisons were conducted, the first was with Cuvaison’s 2022 En Cigar Chardonnay Blanc and the ship’s undisclosed Sauvignon Blanc house wine. The second comparison was conducted using their 2022 Fiddlestix Pinot Noir and an undescribed French Pinot Noir. I favoured the French Sauvignon Blanc over the Cuvaison but did find Cuvaison’s Pinot to be smoother and less fresh that the French Pinot. Once again though, the price between the American and French wines was significantly different – $70 US for both Cuvaison’s versus under $20 US for the French wines.

Unfortunately, the two seminars lacked substance and honesty as they were actually marketing presentations for Cuvaison wines. Zepponi would have had more credibility in my eyes if he had presented his talks as being an introduction to Cuvaison wines. There was no value in conducting taste comparisons with wines that are not even identified by name, let alone any information about where or how the wines were produced. He should have simply talked about how his wines are produced.

Based on information presented about the various Cuvaison wines, they are producing decent wines at a reasonable price point. However, the feeble attempt at conducting product comparisons was an insult to the intelligence of the ship’s passengers.

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The Châteauneuf-du-Pape District of France

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While on a river cruise that was part of my recent trip to France, I overheard someone say that Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a famous French winery. Well, that is not exactly true. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a French Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) located around the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône wine region in southeastern France. It is one of the most renowned appellations of the southern part in the Rhône Valley, and its vineyards are located around Châteauneuf-du-Pape and in the neighboring villages of Bédarrides, Courthézon and Sorgues, between Avignon and Orange. The region covers more than 3,200 hectares or 32 square kilometres and produces over 110,000 hectolitres of wine each year.

The primary grape grown in the district is Grenache, but Cinsault, Counoise, Mourvèdre, Muscadine, Syrah, Terret noir, Vaccarèse, Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette blanche, Picardan, Roussanne, and Picpoul are also cultivated.

The terroir consists of white limestone. The stones absorb the heat of the sun and transfers it to the roots of the vines. The stones also help with allowing rain to penetrate the roots. This is critical since temperatures rise to about 45 degrees Celsius in the summer and irrigation is not permitted.

The harvest takes place from late August to early September. There are 323 vineyards in the district, all of which are family operated companies. Given the conditions, production yields are low and this is reflected in the price at your local wine store. However, the higher cost does not deter buyers as some wineries are selling their wines two years in advance.

Selections at Maison Bouachon

I visited Maison Bouachon winery, which has been in operation since 1898. The vines on the estate generally range from 80 to 100 years in age. Wine production is completed following the methods and rules established by the AOC.

While there I sampled three of their wines, 2023 Côtes du Rhône white, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2021 and the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Special Edition. My personal favourite was the Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2021, which is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre grapes. I purchased a bottle which was later enjoyed by my wife and me. Unfortunately, like so many of the French wineries, Maison Bouachon wines are not available outside of France. Such a pity.

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The Beaujolais Wine District

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My wife and I recently returned from an excursion to France, which included exploration of several wine regions including the Beaujolais district of Burgundy. Beaujolais is a French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) wine, generally made from Gamay grapes.  The grapes are thin skinned and are low in tannins.

The soil (terroir) consists of granite, schist, clay and sandstone. The vines are pruned using the goblet method, which is mainly practiced in the Mediterranean regions because having a foot close to the ground shelters the vine from the wind and the falling vegetation protects the grapes from the sun. This method of pruning only allows 3 to 5 branches to be kept on the vine. The branches end with a spur of 3 or 4 buds.

Goblet pruning is a drought-resistant and berry-protected method but prohibits the use of mechanized harvesting methods. Economically, the reduction in yields can be significant. The cost of production can be high due to an increased need for labour and the drop in production.

Climate change has been presenting a variety of challenges during recent years. Netting has had to be installed to protect the grapes from summertime hailstorms that have been regularly occurring since 2007. Very wet spring seasons, like this year, are threatening to delay the start of the growing season, thus reducing the yield potential and increasing the risk of mold on the vines.

The wines produced in the Beaujolais district include Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages, cru Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau. The region also produces a small amount of Chardonnay (about 4%) but none of that wine is sold outside of France.

Isabelle Brossard

We visited Château de Pravins, a 12th century winery. The current owners acquired the winery in 1941. The purchaser was Joseph Mathieu, whose descendant, Isabelle Brossard, operates the winery today. It is a biodynamic winery (uses organic processes) that expands across 26 hectares. The grapes are still crushed by feet, but pipes and pumps are also now used. One kilo of grapes is required to produce a single bottle of wine.  The AOC limits the Beaujolais wineries from producing any more than 6,000 litres of wine per hectare and allows only cement vats to be used in the production process.

While there we sampled three red wines, l’argile ardente No 2, les moraines, and l’argile ardente. I found all tree wines to be as equally as nice.

Based on the slow soggy start to the 2024 growing season, don’t be surprised if the 2024 vintage of Beaujolais wine is limited and thus more expensive than some previous years.

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Regenerative Agriculture

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Regenerative agriculture is not just a trendy environmental buzzword intended to tug on your emotional “save the planet” heartstrings; it is an ancient form of agriculture that is making its way back into mainstream farming.  It’s successful, not only in producing and sustaining quality wine grapes, but it’s also successful in combating climate change, the effects of drought and creating a healthy environment.

Photo credit: daily.sevenfifty.com

Regenerative wine farming means farming grapes in a way that regenerates soil health. It is a set of organic, ecologically driven farming practices that improve the ecosystem by working in harmony with nature. Farming this way increases biodiversity, restores soil and plant microbiome and eliminates the need to introduce toxic pesticides, herbicides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the soil, waters and grapevines.

Equally important are the broader environmental benefits. Regenerative agriculture has the potential to help reverse climate change by capturing carbon in the soil and removing it from the atmosphere.

Decades of extractive farming methods have taken their toll on the land. While sustainability efforts aim to maintain living systems to prevent further degradation, regenerative viticulture will revitalise the terroir, the wines and our bodies. By prioritizing soil health and biodiversity, regenerative viticulture holds the potential to transform the industry and bring it into alignment with a more complete and sustainable vision for the future.

With the focus on living soil, regenerative viticulture builds more robust ecosystems that are less susceptible to climate change and biodiversity loss. Adopting management practices for living soil can increase soil organic matter and reduce carbon from the air, a crucial component of the United Nations Climate Change Conference’s plan to reduce global carbon emissions.

Regenerative viticulture also promotes water percolation and retention and it also better ensures water supply for communities. The overall goal is to guarantee food security, nutrition and community health and well-being, making it a vital component of a sustainable future.

Regenerative farming practices foster a robust ecosystem for the grape vines to prosper naturally, in turn producing fruit that is truly expressive of its surroundings, and wines with enhanced minerality and other nuances that come from healthy, site-specific soil without chemical manipulation. The taste of the wines is distinctly delicious with terroir-driven flavours.

There are a number of components to regenerative viticulture.  The first is to plant a variety of cover crops. In traditional agriculture the soil is tilled. This allows for the most economical farming, but it is not good for the soil as it destroys the soil’s natural structure and causes soil erosion, water runoff and poor water infiltration. By introducing a variety of cover crops to the vineyard, bees and other pollinators will have a welcoming habitat. These plants will smother out undesirable weeds and increase water retention in the soil while reducing erosion and reducing the need for pesticides. Cover crops will improve the level of soil nutrients and provide the biodiversity essential for a healthy ecosystem.

The introduction of sheep, chickens, geese and ducks to roam the vineyards will reduce pests and weeds, as well as provide nutrient-rich manure to the soil. This results in improved soil health and further eliminates the need for pesticides.

Viticulture is at a critical juncture. Through its commitment to ecosystem services and human health, viticulture is embracing a systemic approach to support farmers in delivering regenerative agriculture. However, in order to maximize its potential, there must be a paradigm shift that will contribute to solving the biodiversity and climate crises.

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World’s Oldest Scotch Distillery

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The Glenturret is Scotland’s oldest working distillery, being officially established in 1763. The distillery is located in The Hosh, Crieff, Perthshire. This Highland distillery is one of the smallest in Scotland.

Photo credit: theglenturret.com

Over the decades Glenturret has been visited by writers and poets (including Robert Burns), Prime Ministers and Princes, including the present Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Glenturret brings together the hard-won wisdom of generations of distillers.

In 2019, the French-based crystal house, Lalique, purchased a controlling interest in The Glenturret. Since then Lalique has taken a lead in the product design.

In February 2022, Glenturret became the world’s first Michelin Star whisky distillery. That same year it also announced the release of its oldest single malt to date; a 50-year-old expression packaged in a specially designed Lalique crystal decanter. Only 150 bottles of the sherry cask-matured whisky were available for sale at a price of £40,000 each.

The restaurant was launched in 2021 with the support of their French owners and crystal house, Lalique. Their Executive Sommelier provides an extensive international wine list to complement the restaurant’s menus, comprising over 400 bins. The Glenturret staff are passionate about taste and flavour profiles of both their whiskies and in their food.

Lalique’s portfolio also includes two Michelin-starred restaurants, Villa René Lalique in Alsace, and Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, in the region of Bordeaux.

Glenturret produces a series of both peated and unpeated whiskies. Unfortunately, none of which are available through the LCBO. However, there are a couple of Canadian websites where a limited variety of Glenturret products may be obtained.

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Countries with The Worst Wine Trade Deficits

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According to the most recent statistics, the following countries have the highest negative net exports for wine. Net exports are defined as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s wine import purchases and its wine exports (in U.S. dollars).

Photo credit: bkwine.com
  1. United States: -$6.2 billion
  2. United Kingdom: -$4.4 billion
  3. Canada: -$2.2 billion
  4. Japan: -$1.9 billion
  5. Germany: -$1.8 billion
  6. China: -$1.4 billion
  7. Switzerland: -$1.2 billion
  8. Netherlands: -$1 billion
  9. Russia: -$882.3 million
  10. Sweden: -$793.9 million
  11. Belgium: -$750.2 million
  12. Hong Kong: -$727.8 million
  13. South Korea: -$581.1 million
  14. Denmark: -$580.1 million
  15. Norway: -$499.4 million

The combined North American deficit of $8.4 billion in international wine trade has a strong demand for both Old World and New World brands. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights North America’s strong competitive disadvantage for wine sales but also indicates opportunities for other wine-supplying countries to contribute toward satisfying North America’s consumer thirst and wide-ranging tastes for different types of wines.

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Wine Exporting Companies

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Based on the most recent statistics among continents, European countries sold the highest dollar value of wine exported with shipments worth $30.3 billion U.S. or 76.2% of the world’s total wine exports. Oceania’s international wine sales were led by Australia and New Zealand and came in at 7.4%. Latin America, excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean was at 7%. North America exporters provided 3.9% of worldwide wine exports, while Asia shipped 3.7% and African suppliers provided 1.9% of wine sales.

Below are the world’s largest wine conglomerates. Shown within parentheses is the country where the company is headquartered. These names may not be familiar to you but most of their wine brands will be.

  • Accolade Wines (Australia)
  • Casella Wines (Australia)
  • Concha y Toro (Chile)
  • Constellation Brands (United States)
  • E. & J. Gallo (United States)
  • Pernod Ricard Winemakers (France)
  • The Wine Group (United States)
  • Treasury Wine Estates (Australia)
  • Trinchero Family Estates (United States)

The following list identifies some of the world’s most popular wine brands. You will find most, if not all of these brands in your local wine store. Each brand is owned by the wine-producing conglomerate shown in parentheses.

  • Barefoot (E & J Gallo Winery, United States)
  • Gallo (E & J Gallo Winery, United States)
  • Concha y Toro (Concha y Toro, Chile)
  • Robert Mondavi (Constellation Brands, United States)
  • Sutter Home (Trinchero Family Estates, United States)
  • Yellow Tail (Casella Wines, Australia)
  • Hardy’s (Accolade Wines, Australia)
  • Lindeman’s (Treasury Wine Estates, Australia)
  • Beringer (Treasury Wine Estates, United States)
  • Jacob’s Creek (Pernod Ricard Winemakers, France)

Does this mean that these are the best wines in the world? No. It only signifies that they produce the highest volumes of wine. Big doesn’t make it better, especially in the case of wine. Small production estate wineries generally produce a better, more consistent product at a similar price point.

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Do Big Wine Exporters Import Wine?

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Photo credit: therealreview.com

Enquiring minds want to know whether the top wine producers of the world only export wine or do they import it as well?  And if they do obtain wine from elsewhere, what are their countries of choice?

Let’s begin by identifying who the top 10 wine exporters are. Based on the latest world wine export statistics, the top wine exporters are:

  1. France, which exported the equivalent of $11.9 billion U.S.
  2. Italy, which exported the equivalent of $7.7 billion U.S.
  3. Spain, which exported the equivalent of $2.9 billion U.S.
  4. Chile, which exported the equivalent of $1.9 billion U.S.
  5. New Zealand, which exported the equivalent of $1.3 billion U.S.
  6. Portugal, which exported the equivalent of $780.4 million U.S.
  7. Argentina, which exported the equivalent of $780.2 million U.S.
  8. Australia, which exported the equivalent of $779.1 million U.S.
  9. South Africa, the fastest growing export market in the world, shipped the equivalent of $646 million U.S.
  10. Georgia, which exported the equivalent of $247.8 million U.S.

These same countries also posted the highest positive net exports of wine. Net exports are defined as the value of a country’s total wine exports minus the value of its total wine imports.  

It is interesting to note that the 5 biggest exporters of wine collectively supplied 70.1% of globally exported wine in terms of dollar sales.

So, how much wine do each of these countries import? Beginning with France, in 2022 it imported around 628 million litres of wine at a value of about $600 million U.S. Those imports came from Spain with a share of 23% ($251 million), Italy with a share of 21% ($233 million) and the U.S. with a share of 10.8% ($115 million).

Italy imported $500 million of wine. Those imports came mainly from France ($353 million), Spain ($75.2 million), Germany ($12.5 million), Portugal ($10.1 million) and United Arab Emirates ($7.66 million).

Spain imported $332 million in wine, mainly from France ($196 million), Italy ($61.6 million), Portugal ($21.6 million), Germany ($7.83 million) and the United Kingdom ($7.06 million).

Chile imported $19.8 million of wine, making it the 83rd largest importer of wine in the world. Chile imports wine primarily from: Italy ($6.98 million), Argentina ($3.9 million), United Arab Emirates ($3.36 million), France ($1.92 million) and Spain ($1.81 million).

Domestic wine consumption in New Zealand accounts for an estimated 49.2 million litres of the 90.2 million litres currently sold there each year. The remaining 41 million litres (45.5 per cent) was imported. The total import market was valued at $236 million.

Portugal’s wine imports amounted to over $50 million.

Argentina imported $12.9 million of wine, making it the 103rd largest importer of wine in the world. Wine imports came primarily from: France ($4.47 million), United Arab Emirates ($3.82 million), Chile ($2.17 million), Spain ($728 thousand) and Italy ($568 thousand).

Australia’s total wine imports have increased over the past few years, rising to 106 million litres. This is a compound average annual growth rate of just under 3 per cent.

South Africa imported $53.4 million of wine, making it the 53rd largest wine importer in the world.

Georgia imported $15.3 million of wine, becoming the 94th largest wine importer. Wine was the 179th most imported product in Georgia.

So, what does all this show? Even the great wine producers of the world like to have variety in the wines they drink.

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Scotch – A Doberman?

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I recently read an article where wine and spirits were likened to various breeds of dogs. Cute idea? Well maybe. Wine, Rum and Vodka were all associated with golden retrievers, being referred to as friendly, comfortable and universally liked. Scotch, on the other hand, was compared to a Doberman Pincher, considered as being beautiful and refined but aloof and requiring a great amount of effort to tame. A fair analogy? Not necessarily so. In my opinion not all Scotch is the same. There are several types, some being peated, others being smooth and silky. As a result, all Scotch should not be universally tarred with the same brush.

Photo credit: etsy.com

I have been told that Scotch is an acquired taste and that only a limited percentage of drinkers will in fact learn to like it. This may be true, but in my opinion, the same can be said about any other liquor. A person who appreciates Scotch is often perceived as being a snobby, upper-class intellectual with a certain knowledge and understanding of the dram. However, reality is that no special knowledge or perspective about Scotch is required to appreciate it. You just need to be willing to try it and not let the aura intimidate you.

In fact, if you love wine, you are already a great candidate for appreciating Scotch.  Anyone who enjoys a variety of flavour profiles like those found in wine, should feel comfortable exploring the world of Scotch and its many varieties (although my wife would disagree).

You don’t need to spend a lot of money or purchase an aged Scotch to find a delightful drink. Although older Scotches tend to seem like the highest quality, that is not always the case. Neither older nor expensive necessarily means it is better. The best Scotch for you is simply the one you like the best.

Another common misconception is that it should be drunk straight or ‘neat’ as they say. In fact, drinking it straight is not necessarily best. It has been proven that by adding an ice cube or a splash of water (no more than a teaspoon full), will release all of the true flavours of the whisky, making it even more enjoyable.

It is often recommended to introduce yourself to the world of Scotch by trying a blended variety. These Scotches are created to be very approachable. If you like it, then find out what malt whiskies the blend consists of and use that as a guide to gravitate toward exploring other varieties or single malts.

Regardless of the age of your Scotch, or whether you enjoy it straight, on ice, with a splash of water or even soda water, most importantly enjoy your whisky your way. Don’t put so many rules around it that it prevents you from enjoying your dram.

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