Thursday 16 July 2009

In the Land of the Blind the One-Eyed Man is King.

Or "Wine Types and Styles, and what they taste of".
Since a resounding 90% of you wanted to know more about wine, and several friends have expressed an interest in knowing more, I thought it was high-time to give a quick rundown on the current best wine styles and types on the current market.

The easiest way to get to grips with wine is by remembering the grape type. This is the main reason why New-World wine took off in such a big way in this country (around about the 1990s). Instead of Vouvray and Bergerac, we now had Ozzy Chardonnay with a cute frog on the picture and, Chilean Merlot with some odd devil insignia, which as an aide de memorie is significantly better than some unintelligible Chateau name (not that I have anything against such things but for introductory purposes they really aren't the easiest).
So, without further ado:

Chardonnay: Quite literally the Queen of the White Wine World. I read once that Chardonnay has no flavour of its own and responds to whatever the winemaker does to it, whilst this is true in a sense its not particularly helpful and in a nutshell chardonnay comes in two styles (gross generalisation I know). Firstly the dry crisp granny-smith, lemon and honey of Chablis, Montrachet and any New-World Chardonnay that says its "Unoaked". Secondly, there's the rich full bodied style of Meursault, Corton and any New-World Chardonnay that's likely to have some oak influence, in France these tend to taste of lemon, butter, nut and golden-syrup, whilst in Chile/Oz/Argentina, they'll be jam packed with rich tropical fruit flavours specifically mango, melon, passion fruit. I'll leave the ABC crowd to a later missive.

Sauvignon Blanc: The current most popular white grape variety, made famous originally by Sancerre and Pouilly Fume, but more recently by the Nouveau Sauvignon sensation from New Zealand and more specifically Marlborough. Quintessentially Sauvignon tastes of limes to Chardonnay's lemons; Lime, grapefruit, gooseberry, catspee (yes I'm sceptical too, also refered to as a Geranium-esque taste) freshly-cut grass and herbs. Generally the crispiest, driest style of white on the market, but it can (and does) respond well to oak, as the American Market likes it.

Pinot Grigio: Like many, many Italian whites this one ticks all the boxes, when cheap, of being gluggable, flavourless and insipid. Possibly an over-harsh criticism as you can get many a fine Pinot Grigio but as we all know from trying it, Pinot Grigio tastes of two things: Pears and Almonds (if you're lucky). If done as the Alsatian's like it as a Pinot Gris you can get a rich, honeyed, heady, blossom and apricot scented aromatic wine, which the Kiwis are rather taking a shine to, as they try desperately to get away from the one trick pony that is Sauv Blanc.

Cabernet Sauvignon: This cunning cross between Sauvignon Blanc and Cab-Savs lesser known (and more stalky) brother Cabernet Franc is the King of Red Grapes, creating some of the finest (and most expensive) wines known to man, capable of hundreds of years of aging. By saying it's the King, it is quite the consort to Chardonnay's Queen in the sense that it responds very well to wherever its being grown and to the respective winemaker. Primarily though Cabernet Sauvignon tastes of Ribena (in the new-world) or Cassis (in the old). Joking aside it can also taste of blackcurrants, blueberries, pencil-shavings and cigar-boxes (in the old-world), blueberries, eucalyptus, and vanilla (in the new). Cab-Sav is one of the two primary grapes in Bordeaux (also affectionately known as Claret) the other being the grape below, and thankfully the two compliment each other very well as this style is mimicked all over the world.

Merlot: Possibly the easiest red to drink as its often lighter bodied than many reds and rich, warm and plummy in style; lighter as it is not as tannic as Cab-Sav and certainly not as obviously cassisy, with notes of currant and fruitcake (in the old-world) and chocolate and coffee (in the new). Chilean Merlot really helped bring this soft juicy grape to the forefront of the consumer's mind in the late eighties, ironically however it wasn't Merlot that was being bottled but its lesser known brother Carménère, which has everything one wants from Merlot and more; more chocolate, molasses, mocha, caramel and vanilla.

Syrah/Shiraz: A grape that mostly gained its fame thanks to the Australians, who really put it through its paces far more so than the French in its original home, where its often blended (and blended well no less) Australian Shiraz has to be one of the most iconic wine-styles available. Whilst the line is less clear than it is with Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris, I'd certainly, at least for clarity's sake, have producers who want the more elegant, nuanced style to be call it Syrah. Here the flavours are blackberry, black-pepper, smoke, nutmeg and often savoury gamey notes; a style that some Chilean and new-world producers are trying to emulate. In its spiritual home as Shiraz, the clever Australians can create massive overpowering wines that taste of (some of the above but also) blueberry, prune, and a general rich heady inky blackness.

Pinot Noir: One of the oldest grape varieties around and the progenitor of quite a few of the modern grapes we have on the market (Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc, Gamay, Auxerrois, Pinotage, Aligote), Pinot Noir is a venerable variety and certainly one of the hardest grapes to grow well, and as such the most elegant and subtle of grapes. In its original home in Burgundy Pinot Noir is finesse personified, tasting of cherries, raspberries, strawberries, game, leather, mushrooms (the last three when aged), whilst in the new world and specifically where its more successful (namely California, Chile and New Zealand) it can take on flavours of green-peppers, jam, glacie-cherry and candied berrys. My one piece of advice for this fantastic grape is it can't be grown well cheaply. Never spend less than £10 in France or £7 in the new-world if you want to avoid disappointment. When cheap it will taste thin, tart and rubbish.

Whilst there are many other nobles grapes worth mentioning and giving further discussion to, the best place to start is of course by going and drinking them!

"Dust into Dust, and under dust, to lie, Sans wine - sans Song."
The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam st.23

Suggested wine-style to try this week: Oaky New World Chardonnay.


(P.S. I realise that the above hasn't got to the question of oak influence and its effects upon wine-flavour, but I'll leave that for another post).
(P.P.S. If people would like more wine info please come and visit me for an informal chat+Free tasting, its ever so quiet in Battersea)