Wines of the times

Wine trends come and go. The 2004 movie Sideways drove consumers away from Merlot, as Paul Giamatti’s character Miles eschewed the juice. Meanwhile, in the last few years, Malbec from Argentina and Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand started accounting for significant market share as these selections became trendy.

Eric Asimov’s June 1 column in The Pour, “Is There Still Hope for Syrah,” discusses the unpopularity of that grape in the U.S. It’s little wonder, given the increasing quality of wines that are emerging from Oregon and Washington State.

Oregon Pinot has been popular for several years now, but Washington, which boasts more than 30 varietals, is making a mark. Though the international grapes – Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot – comprise the majority of growth in hectares within the state, the region’s quality production, and affordable price tag, is attracting wine drinkers.

It’s also worth noting the change in global wine consumption. The Bergen Record’s May 26 article, “Facing a Shift in the Flow of Wine Drinking,” notes that Italians are drinking less wine while China is consuming more. As a result, some winemakers are producing styles that are easy to drink and will appeal to many different palates. These wines are often made from common varietals and are sold at discounts to expensive cult wines and age-worthy selections.

Yes, first-growth Bordeaux and Grand Cru Burgundy will always be coveted, but these wines are cost-prohibitive. Perhaps that’s why South American wines are becoming so fashionable. Chilean Carmenere is a great value, often retailing for under $20, and in many cases even less. Such wallet-friendly wines are gaining favor, for now. The next big trend is anyone’s guess.

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Italy takes on Argentina

At a post-work tasting tonight I discovered the breadth of an Italian winemaker. Piero Incisa della Rocchetta of the Italian winemaking family that owns Tuscany’s Tenuta San Guido (Sassicaia), is growing pinot noir in the Patagonia region in the Rio Negro Valley of Argentina. della Rocchetta purchased the land in 2004 and I believe the 2006 was the debut vintage.

Tonight we tasted the 2008 vintage of both the Bodega Chacra Cincuenta y Cinco and the Bodega Chacra Barda. The Chacra vineyard of pinot noir vines is planted on their own rootstocks, is head trained and produces tiny bunches of small, concentrated berries. There is a fourth vineyard that was planted and is the basis for the Barda wine, together with deselected grapes and wines from single vineyard plots.

The gravels and coarse alluvial pebbles, which have significant limestone content in the soils, and the fresh, dry climate, allow for minimum treatment in the vineyard and biodynamic practices. Together with green harvest, the production yields are kept very low.

The Chacra exhibits deep red fruits of strawberry with some spice and clove, and has a medium body. It retails for around $80. It can definitely benefit from a few years in the bottle.

The Barda is light to medium bodied, lighter in color than the Cincuenta y Cinco and sells for around $25. It is a fantastic everyday drinking pinot.

Often when we think of Argentina today thoughts of malbec are conjured up. However, the country has been producing wine since the 1500s, and traces origins to Spain, France and even Italy.

Italian immigration is second only to Spanish in Argentine culture, and the flavors of Italy show up strongly in the nation’s wine, food and cultural tradition. Historically, Argentina wine has been kept for local consumption. Only recently has more of the wine been exported, with Malbec leading the drive.

Perhaps della Rocchetta through Bodega Chacra can show the depth of Argentina’s wine production and its capabilities to produce some notable New World pinot.

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Better on merit?

Circumstances surrounding an experience are capable of enhancing one’s perception of it. That bottle of wine consumed honeymooning on the Amalfi Coast may not taste the same when it is being consumed under normal, everyday conditions at home.

I am struggling to believe that I have fallen victim to a similar skewed perception over the past 10 days spent in London. It seems that, even from take off, the Spanish red served on the flight was far better than it needed to be.  And the Primitivo I had on my first night out with colleagues and banking sources was enjoyable and well balanced, even though the glass it came in was spotty and I was over-tired, having arrived on the red-eye earlier that morning.

A glass of Pouilly Fume ordered on a Friday evening, again under work circumstances, was one of my most favorite whites that I’ve ordered by the glass in recent memory. It remained crisp and maintained its body, even if it had been opened for hours or days. I often find whites by the glass fall flat fast and are rarely as delightful. Moreover, I don’t often find Pouilly Fume by the glass in NY, which is another issue entirely, perhaps.

Generally, I am not a drinker of New World wines, and often prefer a classic Bordeaux to a Malbec (which does grow in France), but one evening I selected a glass of the Argentinean varietal and was completely satisfied. I often find Malbecs heavy and hot, too alcoholic and cooked, but this one was the complete opposite and had nice fruit on it, medium body and complemented the lamb I was eating quite nicely.

It was wonderful to be back in London, where I’d lived for two years. Yet, especially in January, London is a gray, misty city and the purpose of my trip was business, so how could my enjoyment of the wines I consumed there be anything other than a direct result of their quality or careful selection? After all, the Grey Goose martinis and beers I drank did not taste any better than if I were drinking them in New York.

Maybe I romanticize London, the city where I truly developed my appreciation for wine and studied at the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). I learned in London that people are passionate about wine because they enjoy the accompaniment to their meals and a glass or two over conversations with friends. We do that in New York as well to some extent, but it feels and tastes different.

Maybe it’s just an inexplicable phenomenon. Maybe I will just need to go back to conduct further research…

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