Epicurean
Newsletter about Wine, Art, and Food!
May
09 | Volume 25
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| Elegance
defines the fine quality of a wine which is graceful/harmonious,
and attractive. And this is the adjective which automatically
came up to my mind when I tasted the fine Syrahs from Trinity
Hill (Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand) in a very "Rhône"
style. Yes, there are other great wines made in New Zealand apart
from fine Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc. So I was quite keen to
speak with John Hancock, our interviewee this month, who is the
chief winemaker there.
But elegance is
also how I would describe the finest Rieslings, our reviewed grape
variety this month. And the great news is that apart from some
rare examples, fine Rieslings are quite cheap!
Finally, we answer some of your questions
about the wine education we provide at our events. It is all about
flexibility!
Have
a very good month!
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Part
1 - Grape Variety of the Month - Riesling
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Name
and Synopsis –
Riesling makes some of the finest white wines in the world
in different styles, depending on where and how it is produced.
Yet, it had had pretty average reputation for long, and even
though it is now fashionable or more and more becoming so,
prices have still remained very friendly for the quality provided.
There are of course some average Rieslings, but in the right
hands, they can be some of the most complex, long aging, and
elegant whites.
Origin
– This varietal is believed to have been cultivated
first in Germany under the Roman occupation several centuries
BC… In Alsace the first plantations date back to the
IXth Century.
 Best
Climate – Riesling
likes the long Autumnal ripening season, especially in the
cool climates of Germany, Alsace or Austria where the high
acidity is maintained, but at the same time, grapes gain in
body and elegant and intense aromatics to produce exceptional
dry to sweet wines. Great results are also found in Clare
or Eden valley in South Australia in the dry style.
Flavours
and Tastes – Wines made from Riesling range
from dry to sweet styles. They produce intense aromatics which
stand on their own. This is why Rieslings do not see oak maturation.
The other interesting consequence of this is that the wine
will be more likely to represent a specific micro-climate
as not tainted with any oak flavours. In their dry formats,
the wines usually exhibit aromas of lime, green apple, white
fruits (peaches) and even a steely character. Older, they
develop the classic petroleum aroma. When sweet, the wines
have fantastic aromas of honey, exotic fruits, and flowers.
Both dry and sweet styles represent some of the greatest white
wines in the world especially because they can age for such
a long time. The key element here is the high acidity which
acts as a preservative in this varietal, and therefore helps
the slow development of a great bouquet. The high acidity
is also paramount in producing a balanced wine when late harvested
productions display a high degree of sugar. But this is also
true of the dry styles which have medium to full body and
intense aromatics. Balance is everything and the best Rieslings
have depth, aromatics, elegance and structure!
Best
regions in the World – Mosel, Nahe, Rheingau
(Germany) / Alsace (France) / Clare and Eden Valley (Australia)
Next
month - Pinot Noir
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Part
2 - Interview - John
Hancock - Trinity Hill
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The
story of John Hancock is fascinating: He is a born
winemaker with a passion for fermentation. Proof of
this was that he was making cider in his dormitory
at boarding school!
After many years experience spent in his home country
Australia, but also France and New Zealand, he decided
to set up Trinity
Hill with a bunch of associates, making some of
the finest Syrah wines in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.
John
told us about his background, his philosophy as a
winemaker and also gave us a great insight on the
wines of New Zealand, and you will learn that there
are many other great wines apart from Pinot Noir or
Sauvignon Blanc!
Read
the intervew here.
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Part 3 - About
our Wine Education - How we "tailor" it to you.
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Many of you ask us the following
two questions: 1) Do we need to have some kind of wine knowledge
beforehand to attend your events? 2) How is the wine education
provided?
 1)
You do not need to have any kind of wine knowledge beforehand
to attend! And if you do, this is fine with us too! Our concept
is to make the taste of the best wines from around the world
approachable to you whichever your level is. That means:
-> Our wine experts adapt
to you and your requirements on the night: whether you want
to know more about a specific grape variety, want to understand
a specific taste, or are interested about the relationship between
the soil and the wine produced, our team of wine experts all
coming from the best established or Michelin-Starred restaurants
is able to respond to any question.
2) We never forget that your primary
aim when organising corporate events is to leverage your clients’
relationships, or reinforce the bounds between your staff. Our
entertainment is therefore finely tuned to allow for your networking
and socialising to take place with the wine tasting and wine
education provided in the background. Each guest is then free
to dig a bit deeper if needed and ask specific questions to
our expert staff, here to help you!
->Example:
let’s say you have a group of 30 people to entertain and
6 different wines to taste. We would present the wines on different
stations at the venue and have one of our wine experts to present
each wine (or in pairs), one after another. The introduction
(3 to 5 minutes) will provide the basic fundamental information
on the wines. After each introduction, a dish will be served
to compliment the related wines. During that time, guests will
enjoy the wine and food and chat with each other (20 to 30 minutes)
until the next wine or pair is presented again. Then our team
of wine experts is available on site to answer any of your questions
should you wish to extend your knowledge further. Guests can
also use our "sensory tools" to understand the wines
as well.
Request
further information for your next event here.
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