Volume 3 | 147
subscribers | 3 different countries | 3rd May 2007
Welcome to
the 18 new subscribers to our Monthly Newsletter since last
month!
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Dear friend, can you feel it?
I am not talking about
the summer heatwave coming… I am talking about the awakening
of the vines! I love this time in the year: when nature and especially
the vines in the Northern Hemisphere are awakening suddenly with
new leaves, which will lead to flowers, new grapes and then wine!
I find this process completely fascinating for 2 main reasons.
Vineyards
of the Mas de L'Ecriture in Coteaux du Languedoc South of France
showing new leaves - Easter 2007.
The first one is it’s a complete
birth and death cycle for the grapes: it starts
in April or May and ends up in November after the harvest time
in September or October. Sap concentrates back into the roots
by then and there are no fruits or leaves anymore. And I like
every single bit of it: from the contrast between the dark
brown vines still sleeping at the end of March to the
flashy green of the leaves in April, the nearly
fleeting white flowering in June announcing the
fruits coming and harvest time about 100 days later, and the beautiful
deep purple of the dark grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon
or Shiraz fruit hanging in the tidy vines rows of the
Haut Médoc or Hermitage. Can you feel it?
But the second main reason is because
it is never the same year after year! Because
the weather is not the same and changing fast, with more or less
wind, sun exposure, rain, hail sometimes, higher or lower temperature
and then because of men. When are you going to pick your
fruits this year? That is a crucial question which will
impact your wine big time!
This cycle of nature bringing different
types of wine depending on where the wine is made is all about
having the choice of different styles of wine and we give you
choice in this newsletter with the launch of a new Tasting
Theme, the Stars of Pinot. But it is also all about Terroir,
or sense of place and Samuel Guibert from the famous Mas
de Daumas Gassac in Aniane go through this with us in
a fantastic interview. Finally, we give you the option to improve
your wine knowledge. Have a good read!
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Part
1: New Tasting Theme: The Stars of Pinot
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Pinot Noir is a mythical grape
variety: more feminine than Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz with
less tannin and a lighter colour, it has a distinctive “bouquet”
or combination of different aromas which make the best
wines from Pinot shine like stars on a summer night.
Crimson Aroma
is proud to present a gathering which you will never forget:
Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Domaine Méo-Camuzet,
Domaine Leroy, Domaine Ponsot…. amongst other
excellent producers from the unrivalled Côte
d'Or in Burgundy.
Grand Crus only
will be tasted in the best vintages: Romanée
Conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, Echezeaux, Clos de Vougeot,
Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Musigny, Bonnes Mares….amongst
others in great vintages such as 1990, 1995 1997,
1999, 2002, 2003...
This
tasting will be complimented by the most suitable
dishes for Pinot Noir such as Venison, wild mushrooms,
chicken cream and morels, risotto with truffles and “Boeuf
Bourguignon”… amongst other delicious food cooked
on site by our master chefs.
Click
here to request further information
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Part
2: Interview: Samuel Guibert - Mas de Daumas Gassac
.png) Mas
de Daumas Gassac is a famous wine for
many reasons: because it competes with the
Grand Crus Classés in Bordeaux,
because its owner, Aimé Guibert rejected
the French wine regulations to produce
something different in the Herault region with Cabernet
Sauvignon as the main grape variety when
Shiraz Grenache or Carignan were the rule, and of
course because Aimé Guibert is a hero
in the now famous Mondovino movie defending
the quality of his Terroir.
I had the pleasure to meet his son Samuel
Guibert who is the winemaker along with
his two brothers and father at Daumas Gassac. Samuel
had the kindness to welcome me at Mas de Daumas
Gassac in Aniane just before Easter. In this interview
Samuel tells us all about Daumas Gassac as a special
wine because of the quality
of its Terroir, and he gave me his
view on the current wine world.
Read
the interview.
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Part 3: Wine
Tip of the month: Why bothering about wine?
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I know what you are thinking: wine
can seem very complicated with all those names, those
grape varieties, and the different styles! What do they mean
and what are they all about????? I must say, I agree, wine can
seem complicated. And the main reason is because some people
make it very complicated. 
The approach to wine can put
a lot of people off with a decent amount of snobbery provided
by some wine experts and they often forget what wine is all
about. What is the point of drinking wine? The point is PLEASURE.
You need to enjoy yourself with a good wine and drink
what YOU like and not what someone would have told
you to drink because he or she believes it is good. So go
with your own taste!
And the beauty of wine is
its diversity of taste: There are so many different
types of wines that you can never get bored and always discover
new tastes you can enjoy and have more pleasure. But
where to start?
Crimson Aroma has designed a beginners
course off our website (free). We go through all the
basics of wine (grape varieties, main regions,
aging.. etc) so that you can start looking at wine with some
basic knowledge and feel more confident about it.
After 7 weeks only (one course per week by email)
you will be able to explore the world of wine and start enjoying
yourself!
Click
on this link to join in the Free Wine Mini Course.
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