Hello my friends and Felicitaciones España - Campeón del Mundo 2010!
I'm a lousy gambler. I gambled on Brazil, and lost a bottle of wine on this Mondial. At least my best friend, who gambled on Spain, won six (including mine...), so we're going to drink it anyway, together with the other five!
Bravo España!
Very happy Monday to Spain and to you wherever you are!
Showing posts with label The Man. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Man. Show all posts
Monday, July 12, 2010
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Good afterNoon!
There's nothing new in writing about wineries. It has been done in the past, by amateurs and professional critics as one. Even I have done it before. But it's not about how special I am. It's about a special winery.
Why is it special? You see, making a good wine is not special, unless there IS the best wine in the world, and as far as I'm concerned, there is no such a thing. Well, in this particular case the answer is "marketing". A really unique sort of.
The wine is sold at the cellar door only during November, on weekends. Anyone can come and taste, but the purchase options are very limited. Most of the wine is going to the mailing list members, and in theory the winery can run out of wine for sale at the cellar door already on the first weekend, so only the luckiest (or the quickest) will be able to purchase a case. More than it, the sale is limited to one case per household. This setup turns everything about the winery to a real buzz.
Of course, the buzz is not the only thing about Noon. It is definitely supported by a great wine, as well as the people behind it.
It appears that this event was a must for anyone who lives in South Australia and is into wine. Indeed, when I got there last weekend, I was (not) surprised to meet my fellow Oenology students.
There was a police car parked at the front, and my first thought was: "There's a riot as many people haven't got their wine". The next thing I saw, however, was two officers loading a case of wine in the trunk.
If I were them, I would confiscate it, and wouldn't get out of there with only one case.
The winery is well designed and very elegant though it is set in a modest building, which has nothing to do with today's commonly employed nouveau riche style. From a brief look at the 75 years-old Grenache bushvines, the backbone of the Noon wines, it appeared that no pesti-, herbi- or fungicides are applied in the vineyard, which is always a sign of the owner's good will to maintain natural balance and biodiversity in the vineyard. From a closer look, this biodiversity could easily be observed in form of various invertebrates, which are sometimes a bad thing, but normally produce an added value for the vineyard.
The tasting and the sale took place at the cellar door, while all the rest of the visible winery's area was full with cases labeled with the lucky owners' names. The winemaker, who conducted the tasting by himself, seemed to be quite happy, probably due to the fact that the only wine remaining for sale was the Eclipse.
The winemaker revealed that 2008's yield was especially low due to the drought and the heatwaves (and as far as it seems to be now, with 42 degrees in mid November, the same scenario will take place this year too). The vines grow with no irrigation, and therefore the yield and the fruit quality is entirely dependent on the climate. Generally, the grapegrowing policy here is the minimum-intervention one. The vinegrower employs organic practices, though the vineyard is not certified as organic.
Wines tasted:
'09 High Noon Rosé:
Mainly Grenache, with some Shiraz, about six months in an old barrel. If I couldn't see the colour, I'd think it was a red wine, probably GSM. With medium body (which is quite rare for Rosé), Grenache's presence expressed itself with strawberries and red cherries, followed by a subtle gamey characters. On the palate there was a strawberry lolly, very fresh though.
'08 Twelve Bells:
The winery's "second" blend. Not the flagship, but still much more than just a decent wine. With medium dense ruby colour, it was full if surprises such as mint and cherries and caramel on the nose. On the palate it showed dark berries and earthiness, fresh well structured acidity and long finish.
'08 Eclipse:
Definitely the big hit of the tasting. Due to the low yield (see above) it was decided to add Cabernet Sauvignon and Graciano to the traditional Grenache and Shiraz. The fruit was harvested very ripe, and the result is plenty of ripe fruit aromas, together with light grassiness and some tobacco and chocolate hints. The palate is rich accordingly, keeping the nose's promises, with red fruits, firm but fine tannins and a very long finish.
In the end of the day, it was a great experience. The winery, the wine and the people made me feel like doing it again.
I reckon, I'll stop writing right here, as this is the last weekend of November, and I need to be quick to hit the last tasting this year. And I'm not going to miss it!
l'chaim!
Why is it special? You see, making a good wine is not special, unless there IS the best wine in the world, and as far as I'm concerned, there is no such a thing. Well, in this particular case the answer is "marketing". A really unique sort of.
The wine is sold at the cellar door only during November, on weekends. Anyone can come and taste, but the purchase options are very limited. Most of the wine is going to the mailing list members, and in theory the winery can run out of wine for sale at the cellar door already on the first weekend, so only the luckiest (or the quickest) will be able to purchase a case. More than it, the sale is limited to one case per household. This setup turns everything about the winery to a real buzz.
"Unfortunately the 2009 High Noon Rosé, 2008 Twelve Bells & 2008 Noon Solare have sold out..."
Of course, the buzz is not the only thing about Noon. It is definitely supported by a great wine, as well as the people behind it.
It appears that this event was a must for anyone who lives in South Australia and is into wine. Indeed, when I got there last weekend, I was (not) surprised to meet my fellow Oenology students.
There was a police car parked at the front, and my first thought was: "There's a riot as many people haven't got their wine". The next thing I saw, however, was two officers loading a case of wine in the trunk.
If I were them, I would confiscate it, and wouldn't get out of there with only one case.
The winery is well designed and very elegant though it is set in a modest building, which has nothing to do with today's commonly employed nouveau riche style. From a brief look at the 75 years-old Grenache bushvines, the backbone of the Noon wines, it appeared that no pesti-, herbi- or fungicides are applied in the vineyard, which is always a sign of the owner's good will to maintain natural balance and biodiversity in the vineyard. From a closer look, this biodiversity could easily be observed in form of various invertebrates, which are sometimes a bad thing, but normally produce an added value for the vineyard.
The tasting and the sale took place at the cellar door, while all the rest of the visible winery's area was full with cases labeled with the lucky owners' names. The winemaker, who conducted the tasting by himself, seemed to be quite happy, probably due to the fact that the only wine remaining for sale was the Eclipse.
Message for the next generation on an old barrel:
"It's called wine", said O'Brien with a faint smile. "You will have read about it in books, no doubt"
The winemaker revealed that 2008's yield was especially low due to the drought and the heatwaves (and as far as it seems to be now, with 42 degrees in mid November, the same scenario will take place this year too). The vines grow with no irrigation, and therefore the yield and the fruit quality is entirely dependent on the climate. Generally, the grapegrowing policy here is the minimum-intervention one. The vinegrower employs organic practices, though the vineyard is not certified as organic.
Wines tasted:
'09 High Noon Rosé:
Mainly Grenache, with some Shiraz, about six months in an old barrel. If I couldn't see the colour, I'd think it was a red wine, probably GSM. With medium body (which is quite rare for Rosé), Grenache's presence expressed itself with strawberries and red cherries, followed by a subtle gamey characters. On the palate there was a strawberry lolly, very fresh though.
'08 Twelve Bells:
The winery's "second" blend. Not the flagship, but still much more than just a decent wine. With medium dense ruby colour, it was full if surprises such as mint and cherries and caramel on the nose. On the palate it showed dark berries and earthiness, fresh well structured acidity and long finish.
'08 Eclipse:
Definitely the big hit of the tasting. Due to the low yield (see above) it was decided to add Cabernet Sauvignon and Graciano to the traditional Grenache and Shiraz. The fruit was harvested very ripe, and the result is plenty of ripe fruit aromas, together with light grassiness and some tobacco and chocolate hints. The palate is rich accordingly, keeping the nose's promises, with red fruits, firm but fine tannins and a very long finish.
In the end of the day, it was a great experience. The winery, the wine and the people made me feel like doing it again.
I reckon, I'll stop writing right here, as this is the last weekend of November, and I need to be quick to hit the last tasting this year. And I'm not going to miss it!
l'chaim!
Myself with my fellow students: Leigh Ritchie and Shiri Rosental
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wine Soaked Moustachios
Hey bro's!
I know you are all quite busy, so I'm here to propose you some time-effective solution. Stop shaving!
I am growing a moustache for Movember this year and am looking for recruits to join my team Wine Soaked Moustachios !
You are supposed to know about Movember already but if you missed the last posts - Movember is about raising much needed funds and awareness for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer and depression in men. You know it is important when you learn that close to 3,000 men die of prostate cancer each year in Australia and one in eight men will experience depression in his lifetime - many of whom don’t seek help.
The more people I can get onboard, the more awareness and money will be raised and so I am asking you to join my team and either grow a moustache as a Mo Bro, or sign on as a Mo Sista and help out with raising funds.
To join my Movember team click here and follow steps. Once registered you’ll be sent all the information you need to get donations and get growing as part of my Movember team.
We're going to have some cool stuff for our team members (including, well, you can probably guess, soak our mo's with wine..! (-: )
Hope to welcome you to my Movember team shortly! (drop me a line once you're aboard will ya?)
Cheers,
Alex
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wine and Global Warming
When you hear the words "Global Warming", what are the first thoughts that pop in your head? According to The Wall Street Journal's blog - Environmental Capital, if you're an Aussie, it will probably be "No Worries!", others will mention: Higher Sea Level, more floods, hurricanes and fires,
you might also think about how quickly Greenland is Melting, about starvation and maybe you even notice the connection between global warming and disease warning. It is all true and there are many other effects you are already familiar with.
But today, I want to talk with you about something else; The connection between Wine and Global Warming.
Imagine a world in which Surrey, Southern England name has changed to New-Bordeaux (Bordeaux-Nouveau for French), world-class Riesling produced in Finland, and Eiswein most famous region is Greenland, because there still is some ice.
This may sound like a joke, and not a funny one, if you ask the winegrowers. Alas, it is not a joke, as if things keep on going the way they are, it will turn into reality soon enough so most of us will live to see that.
According to many sources, the European wine regions' average temperature changes by one degree centigrade every ten years, faster rate than the rest of the world, mainly due to greenhouse gas emission. This figure may sound negligible to a novice, but most of us are already aware of its meaning: that's a lot.
It simply means that climatic regions shift 180 kilometers off the equator, towards the nearest pole. In addition, the average temperature change is expected to grow. Now do the math.
And it is not only about the future. The changes are already here. For example, some French regions that traditionally used to rely on precipitation to provide the needed moisture for growing grapes have introduced irrigation systems to their vineyards, in order to save their industry.
The bottom line, the implications of higher temperature among others are earlier ripening, lower acidity, more irrigation, and if we proceed further, sunburn. But even before getting sunburnt, the vineyards will cease to exist. An important thing in grape growing (and life in general) is balance, and it is going to be lost with climatic changes.
Speaking of sunburn: in addition to global warming, greenhouse gas emission also destroys the ozone layer. This issue has been forgotten after some publications claimed that the situation has significantly improved. However, this doesn't mean that the ozone layer is complete again. Surprisingly, some say that excess UV radiation due to ozone layer thinning can contribute to grapes quality, in terms of anthocyanins level. The thing is, that similarly to people who get some suntan in order to protect the skin from sunburn, grapes produce antioxidants (anthocyanins) as a response to increased UV levels. Then the grapes are harvested, turned into wine and consumed by humans, who enjoy the antioxidants' benefits.
The only problem is, that humans will probably need to drink a lot of wine in order to compensate the high UV radiation levels... I'd rather stick to the current levels of both antioxidants in wine and UV radiation.
To summarize: so far wine drinking has shown certain benefits in facing the global warming and correlated issues, but I think we people would rather stop right here.
Cheers and may god bless the global cooling!
In other words: drink responsibly and in an aware way :)
Further reading:
A Warning on Climate Change by Eric Asimoc ( The New York Times)
Wine: A barometer of global warming by Molly Moore (The Arizona Republic)
French wine about global warming (Cosmos)
Climate Change - Miguel Torres can taste the difference By Piper Crowell - The UN Works
Pinot impossible in Burgundy over next 50 years by Kathleen Buckley and Adam Lechmere (decanter)
This post is part of Blog Action Day 2009
you might also think about how quickly Greenland is Melting, about starvation and maybe you even notice the connection between global warming and disease warning. It is all true and there are many other effects you are already familiar with.
But today, I want to talk with you about something else; The connection between Wine and Global Warming.
Imagine a world in which Surrey, Southern England name has changed to New-Bordeaux (Bordeaux-Nouveau for French), world-class Riesling produced in Finland, and Eiswein most famous region is Greenland, because there still is some ice.
This may sound like a joke, and not a funny one, if you ask the winegrowers. Alas, it is not a joke, as if things keep on going the way they are, it will turn into reality soon enough so most of us will live to see that.
According to many sources, the European wine regions' average temperature changes by one degree centigrade every ten years, faster rate than the rest of the world, mainly due to greenhouse gas emission. This figure may sound negligible to a novice, but most of us are already aware of its meaning: that's a lot.
It simply means that climatic regions shift 180 kilometers off the equator, towards the nearest pole. In addition, the average temperature change is expected to grow. Now do the math.
And it is not only about the future. The changes are already here. For example, some French regions that traditionally used to rely on precipitation to provide the needed moisture for growing grapes have introduced irrigation systems to their vineyards, in order to save their industry.
The bottom line, the implications of higher temperature among others are earlier ripening, lower acidity, more irrigation, and if we proceed further, sunburn. But even before getting sunburnt, the vineyards will cease to exist. An important thing in grape growing (and life in general) is balance, and it is going to be lost with climatic changes.
Speaking of sunburn: in addition to global warming, greenhouse gas emission also destroys the ozone layer. This issue has been forgotten after some publications claimed that the situation has significantly improved. However, this doesn't mean that the ozone layer is complete again. Surprisingly, some say that excess UV radiation due to ozone layer thinning can contribute to grapes quality, in terms of anthocyanins level. The thing is, that similarly to people who get some suntan in order to protect the skin from sunburn, grapes produce antioxidants (anthocyanins) as a response to increased UV levels. Then the grapes are harvested, turned into wine and consumed by humans, who enjoy the antioxidants' benefits.
The only problem is, that humans will probably need to drink a lot of wine in order to compensate the high UV radiation levels... I'd rather stick to the current levels of both antioxidants in wine and UV radiation.
To summarize: so far wine drinking has shown certain benefits in facing the global warming and correlated issues, but I think we people would rather stop right here.
Cheers and may god bless the global cooling!
In other words: drink responsibly and in an aware way :)
Further reading:
A Warning on Climate Change by Eric Asimoc ( The New York Times)
Wine: A barometer of global warming by Molly Moore (The Arizona Republic)
French wine about global warming (Cosmos)
Climate Change - Miguel Torres can taste the difference By Piper Crowell - The UN Works
Pinot impossible in Burgundy over next 50 years by Kathleen Buckley and Adam Lechmere (decanter)
This post is part of Blog Action Day 2009
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