Wine World: English

Keeping it up with the prose

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 17:23:23 GMT

NEW AGE

My trip is over, but not my prose.

I decided to keep my blog, because, even not travelling 'round the world' any more, I am still in the 'wine world'.

Back home, in my sunny and warm Brazil, I keep myself busy until I find the position to set my knowledge and passion for wine.

Yet residing in a Portuguese speaking nation, I will keep English as my way to relate my experiences. Why? Mainly because this is a manner to interact and get in touch with a larger number of people than the ones that speak my beautiful mother tongue.

I nowadays live in Southern Brazil, where I was born and my whole family is. In fact, it is the biggest wine producer of the country, however, São Paulo is the city where I want to be.

My movement towards the South-East metropolis is not exactly for its beauty appeal to me, on the contrary, it is not a charming city, nevertheless, it has more opportunities than any other place in the whole country, including for the wine trade.

Even before my 'round the wine world' trip, I was for long time away of the market over here. So, to adapt to the local rules, culture, bureaucracy ... is something that I have been learning to deal with. Any way, here is were I want to start my new career, which I chosen with enthusiasm and will not lose my interest so easily, as I said once: 'this is a long term relationship'.

This is a new stage, that I am not afraid of, although, very impatient. I can't wait to be practical.

Until this happen and very likely after that, I am going to relate what I wish never stop doing: to learn.

Cheers,

Marcia Amaral

Bourgogne (Burgundy) Part II

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:15:05 GMT

CHARMED LITTLE VILLAGE

11th of October, late morning, I arrived to - what will be reveled as - my favorite place in Burgundy: Nuits-St-George.

The "Wines of the World" book mentions to be and anomaly that this famous village has no grands crus, and adds that possibly because its parsimonious growers back in the 1930s were reluctant to pay the higher taxes due from such sites.

There I felt like in the "Champs Èlyssés of Burgundy", as the area is usually cited.

This reference is easy to understand when you learn a little about the region's vineyard.

The Côte de Nuits

The vineyards of Côte de Nuits begin just south of Dijon, rising from the plains and continue in a sweep of vines until a few miles south of Nuits-St-George. There the vineyards continue, but the name changes to Côte de Beaune.

The Côte de Nuits consists of a narrow strip of land 20 km long, but only 2 to 3 hundred meters wide. Altitude varies from 230 to 300 m. Names famous for the quality of their wines are packed into a space of a few kilometers. All of Bourgogne's Grand Cru red wines (except Corton) come from this district. In the geology of it lies the explanation of its special aptitude for red wines. They grow on Middle-Jurassic limestone.

The Côte de Nuits is situated in a northerly position. The influence of a continental-type climate, the perfect adaptation of the grape varieties to local soil, good light and long hours of sunshine explain the presence of this high-quality vineyard.

I would say that it doesn't seem that the village of Nuits-St-George is surrounded by vineyards, it is more likely that the vineyards have a village in the middle.

I didn't waste time. Just after arriving in the village, I left my stuff in a hotel and I went straight to the tourism bureau and then, lost myself into the vineyards, literally.

The day was gorgeous, and the view was amazing. I walked up the slopes that face the little town, overlooking the vines that had the autumn colors showing off.

It was easy to found my way in, however to find it out was tricky or perhaps, I didn't want to do so.

Back in the village centre, after loads of pictures taken and a quick bite for lunch, I completed my day with visits, which I chose considering the tourist information, what can be very touristy, of course, but it is very convenient as well, because the best wineries to visit are the ones that welcome visits, obviously.

In a region that everyone is very hands on job, the visits will take place at the establishments that have structure to do it, as far as it doesn't interrupt what matter the most: wine making.

Firstly, I visited Caves Moillard-Grivot. It was founded by Symphorien Moillard and his wife Marguerite Grivot in 1850. Nowadays, their descendants manage the family property and their huge wine-cellars which cover an underground area of fourteen thousand square meters in the village.

The maison is also known as "The House of Mosaics", as reference to the beauty of the magnificent mosaic created to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the establishment. It is an eye-catching work that surrounds the top of the building.

The visit is all self-guided, however the staff welcome you and make you feel comfortable to explore the place and discover the wines.

All we have to do is to follow the instructions placed on the wall that guides you all the way through the old cave.

Downstairs, I felt like long-ago. The bottles full of dust and the barrels united by spider web gave a historical look to the depot. It was a spooky atmosphere, dark and humid with treasures resting in bottles and waiting the right moment to come alive again.

I don't believe that any sort of creepy method is used to produce wine here; however the maison has some unorthodox procedures for a range of its wines, such as the use of "lunar-organic cultivation", which is based on the idea of "respect for the environment and organic cycles".

This sort of winemaking, called in French "agriculture biologique" is a common practice and not just a fashion. It is taken seriously by many French winemakers and it is part of a whole process and tradition, in result most of the wines produced using this approach don't have any particular information stated in the label regarding organic, nor biodynamic, neither lunar techniques.

The wine from this range is actually from Côte de Beaune: Pommard-Épenots, 1er Cru, 2005 (a very good year all around France), 30,50€. It was deep in color, had some acidity and was very well balanced. Even thought it was a delight to taste, the wine can be kept for about 3 years more to show all of its potential - if you can wait.

Côte d'Or was well represented among the wines available for tasting, part of them from Côte de Beuane and other part from Côte de Nuits. The price range was between 11€ and 30,50€. The similarity of the best samples of them was the good potential for ageing. How I whish I had no weight limit on my luggage...

My next visit was like treasure hunting. To visit Dufouleur Père & Fils I entered in the yard of the establishment and had to explore on my own the place until I found a bell to ring calling for assistance, which came from the underground. A staff member invited me to join a tasting was being held in the cave, so I did.

A French couple was there, already busy trying the wines that the cellar door assistant poured one after another. I also tasted the 6 wines available and made some enquires, however, when it was clear that I wasn’t the potential buyer in the group, the assistant lost interest on me. Never mind, thus I could taste the samples in my own peace.

Dufouleur Père & Fils has tradition in the wine business. To illustrate it, on the room’s wall there is an old-fashioned advertisement poster from the time that they were the “supplier of exclusively reserved wines for the Emperor Napoléon 1st“.

They have great wines, one of them is Fixin 1er Cru Clos du Chapitre 2000, 22.50€, that had a lovely complexity and good balance.

The Clos du Chapitre is one of the five “premier cru” of the Fixin appellation, located at North of Côte de Nuits.

This is a monopole* and leading wine from Domaine Guy Dufouleur, its owner since 1995, when the domaine started a great deal of time and energy to improve the overall quality.

I would say that they achieved it, the wine is a great value for money and good investment.

* Monopole is term used for a vineyard completed owned by one individual or organization.

Another great value for money, in other range of wine, is from de the Côte Chalonnaise: Rully 2005, 12,50€. It is an 8- month-oak-aged wine, complex, with some minerality and flower notes.

I didn't buy any bottle, as the winery assistant quietly guessed, mainly for practical reasons. Although my wine tour was ending I still had some time of travel. I had to be rational, considering that my luggage was accommodated on my back.

It was a very special day that ended an important part of my trip, which was the greatest in my life, so far. Therefore, I had to celebrate.

To finish it in style, I had a traditional meal in the hotel restaurant, paired with an Aligoté. It was the first time I drank one, nevertheless, I don't think I have been missing much, as the wine is very ordinary. Any case, the food was homely good.

That evening, I went to bed reflecting upon my day, my trip and my future. As the future is uncertain, I decided to concentrate my thought of what was happening at that moment and I had been through recently and then, felt asleep happy.

After I left that pretty town, I still had some time left to explore other places before heading back to Brazil - I chose to visit Dijon and Lyon for many reasons, none of them directly related to wine. Then again, I practiced tasting it there.

Wine is still very important in my life and, it is the reason why I made many choices. To study, learn and understand the fascinating means of it, are my aspiration.

My "round the wine world trip" has finished, but the passion for the subject has no time to end. It is a long term relationship.

I would like to thank everyone that somehow shared this experience and, helped me to have the time of my life.

Cheers,

Marcia Amaral

Bourgogne (Burgundy) Part I

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:11:20 GMT

I ALREADY MISS IT

When I left Avignon, I headed for scariest part of my whole travel: the end of it.

The only thing I knew about the last part of this journey was that I wanted enjoy it, make the most of this unique opportunity. So, I took it easy and let things flow naturally.

Burgundy is another important wine region in France and producer of distinctive wines, I knew how significant this place could be to me and, the feeling of expectation before visiting it was a special thrill in the very end of my "round the wine world" trip.

MATTER OF FACT

Some information about the Burgundy is necessary to understand the dimension of it. The ones that follow were extracted from a "map-and-guide" of the region organized by Bourgognes - Bureau Interprofessionel des Vins de Bourgogne.

The Burgundy wines:

The vineyards lie in the north-eastern France, two hours from Paris and one hour from Lyon along the main route linking northern Europe to the Mediterranean. This is the most northern wine-growing region for the production of quality red wines and its semi-continental climate enables it to produce excellent whites as well.

There are 27000 hectares of vineyards in production, spread across three departments (Yonne, Côte d'Or, Saône-et-Loire) and divided into five wine regions. Bourgogne is only the fourth largest of France's AOC's in terms of area, but it is ranked first based on the number, variety and quality of its appellations.

There are four appellation categories:

Ÿ Regional: 24 appellations - 53% of total production. Wines produced within the area if wine-growing Burgundy.

Ÿ Communal or "village": 44 appellations - 35% of total production. Wines produced within the vineyard-area of individual named villages.

Ÿ Premier Cru: 562 "climat" (named plots) - 10% of total production. Wines produced in precisely delimited and named plots within a given village.

Ÿ Gran Cru: 33 appellations - 2% of total production. Wines produced in the favoured plots of certain villages.

5 wine-growing regions:

Ÿ Chablis;

Ÿ Côte de Nuits;

Ÿ Côte de Beaune;

Ÿ Côte de Chalonnaise;

Ÿ Mâconnais.

A particular region:

Burgundy's southernmost wine region, the huge Beaujolais area, is devoted to the red grape Gamay. The region is often regarded as distinct form Burgundy in wine in terms as its soil and grape variety, and therefore its wines, are different from those found elsewhere in the region.

Millions of bottles:

Soils and growing conditions in Burgundy vary hugely from place to place. There are, as a consequence, no fewer that 101 distinct appellations. The "control" takes the form of very strict criteria which the wines must meet in order to qualify for their appellation.

This exceptional diversity is one of Burgundy's greatest treasures and the basis for its ongoing to uniqueness.

Burgundy's annual production amounts to 1.5 million hectoliters, or 200 million bottles.

2 main grape varieties:

Ÿ Chardonnay: white wines, 45% of total plantings;

Ÿ Pinot Noir: red wines, 35%;

Ÿ Aligoté: white wines, 5%;

Ÿ Gamay: red wines, 11%;

Ÿ Others: 4%.

Some other important factors

Geologically, all parts of Burgundy derive from what was once a Jurassic sea-bed. But since then, faults, upheavals and erosion have created a very different landscape. As a result, the vineyards of Burgundy are divided and sub-divided to reflect variations in the nature of the soil, which can change significantly in a matter of yards. Some wine-growing plots, accordingly, are very small.

Bourgogne special skill lies in respect for the grape varieties which most fully express the richness and diversity of her soils. From the matching of soil to grape, the white wines derive their minerality and their notes of white or yellow fruits, and the reds spicy qualities with a hint of the earth. So here, unlike other wine-growing French regions, wines are made without blending or mixing of different grapes.

WINE CAPITAL

Beforehand I booked train ticket and accommodation in Beaune, which is known as the "wine's capital" in Burgundy.

As I was in the end of the voyage, I decided to treat myself to luxury and comfort, such as taking taxi (occasionally), staying in hotels (when hostels were not available) and eating in restaurants (when the local cuisine where a matter of study).

My only concern was to respect my limited budged what I managed to do using my skills as a former accountant - I knew my university degree was not in vain!

I arrived in town late morning of a cloudy day and accommodated myself in a low-cost hotel, not bad - I must say, and after leaving my luggage - that has being mysteriously increasing the weight while traveling; I went to my usual source of information: local tourism office.

I took long time to decided and choose among possibilities available what to do. The next day was of the one chosen to do all that I wanted. On my arrival day, I walked around and explored the town, not difficult to do so for the size of the place.

Beaune is a charming walled town, crammed with churches, wine shops, restaurants and tranquil squares. It is flanked to the west by slopes studded with substantial vineyards, many of premier cru status. They are little known since there are few independent producers and most of the wine is sold by the town's merchant houses.

I waked up early morning next day, a cold 10th of October, had breakfast and started what promised to be a very busy day.

My first pop in was Hospices de Beaune and Hôtel-Dieu, a must-to-visit place in the region. The place holds the famous annual charity wine auction, as part of a 3-day festival.

The former hospital played and important role when it was founded in 1443 as charitable sanatorium to look after the sick population that was dying of famine and disease.

It was developed to be a pleasant and beautiful place, where people where treated in the best way possible. Its building was an inspiration for the unique design with colorful toile roof, which was copied all around Burgundy and it is the style that the region is recognized for.

The hospice's charitable activities are financed by the profits from the 58ha of vineyards with which it has been endowed over centuries. Long time ago, aiming to rise founds, the hospice started the wine auction and began a tradition.

It stopped its hospital activities a little longer than 30 years ago, however it is even now a reference as aid organization, architecture and, the wine auction is still happening, year after year, always in November.

As I didn't have time enough to wait for the auction, neither funds, I left the place to my next visit.

Reine Pédauque* was the place I started to learn a little more about local wines. It was founded in 1681 and has the activities defined as négociant-éleveur**.

It buys the grapes and works "hand in hand" with growers. Their cellar master is alongside with the growers responsible for inspecting all of the vineyards, monitoring the cultivation of the vines, making technical decisions. Together they agree on the ideal date to harvests the parcels and pick the grapes at their ripest.

* The second buyer in volume and in value at the auction of the Hospices de Beaune is REINE PEDAUQUE.

**This sort of business selects and buys wines in bulk, care for them during the aging process (known as élevage), and when they are ready, bottles them and offers them for sale. Burgundy's négociants can offer a wide selection of wines from the many appellations Burgundy produces. Many also have vineyards of their own.

The Reine Pédauque label covers more than 100 appellations, 80% of those are in Burgundy, from Grand Crus to regional appellations, from Chablis to Beaujolais.

It is located in the heart of Beaune, in the ancient cellar, proclaimed by the company as the 'oldest public cellar in the world', which welcomes visitors since 1949.

In their cellar, where the tour is hold, some ancient bottles are stored, such as the Clos de Vougeot 1934 that is available for sale at the price of 1000. For wines antique as this, I learnt that the cork is replaced every 15 years, when it usually has its lifetime deceased. However, the majority of wines sold there is younger and has prices more modest:

AOC Regionales 9€ (white and red);

AOC Villages 12,50€ - 26€ (whites) and 13,50€ - 39€ (reds);

AOC 1er Cru 16€ - 42€ (whites) and 22€ - 46€ (reds);

AOC Gran Cru 55€ - 99€ (whites) and 79€ - 280€ (reds).

Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to taste wines older than me: all tastes were from 2005 vintage. Among the wines sampled I had some red:

Clos des Guetottes, Savigny-les-Beaune;

Clos du Roi 1er Cru;

Les Paulands, Aloxe-Corton;

and white ones:

Montagny 1er Cru;

Les Pellans, Mersault.

The last mentioned was my favorite. It was a rich, delightful white, that doesn't have the grade of 1er nor gran cru, but is a great wine.

It comes from the large village of Mersault that is renowned by its sumptuous white wines. There is no gran cru there, but Mersault does have some exceptional premier crus.

Close to midday I left the establishment planning to have a traditional lunch. So I did.

I traced a restaurant in a tourist guide, aiming for a reasonable priced "set menu".

The food was deliciously simple and, it was matched with a red Burgundy - of course. The service was good as well but, very slow and, in consequence, I was late to my next appointment.

The event scheduled was a 3-hours-wine-tating at Vin Sensation the day before.

Late 15 minutes, I joined an American couple and the French wine expert in a large "tasting table".

We were briefly introduced to Burgundian classification that dates back to 1935 and the region particularities.

It was best explained at my "wine bible" Wines of the World:

"The vineyards of Burgundy lie mostly in a narrow strip running south from Chablis to the Suburbs of Lyon. Over the years they have been placed in a hierarchy, beginning with those that produce simple Bourgogne wines from the most basic soils, ascending to village sites whose wines bear the names of the many villages or communes, and continuing to the premiers and grand crus that invariably deliver Burgundy's finest, most long-lived wines.

It is not always easy to see why one vineyard should be designed grand cru while its neighbor may be a mere village, but these distinctions have stood the test of time. It comes down to terroir, a somewhat baffling combination of soil type, microclimate, exposure, susceptibility to frost, and countless other factors, each of which affects the performance of any given patch of earth. ... Burgundian estates tend to be small (just 5 to 15ha) and fragmented. Most producers vinify and sell wines from a dozen or more appellations. Some of the largest vineyard holdings are in the hands of négociants."

In these details viticulture in Burgundy is complicated. Furthermore, its wine's label rules are a brainteaser. For example:

· a 1er Cru is identified by its village followed by the plot's name (climat), as in Beaune Les Cras;

· on a Grand Cru label there is no mention of the village where the field is located. This is because the plot itself, no matter how small, is said to have its own, unique terroir. The village characteristics are no longer important - the grand cru field has its own personality, as in Charmes-Chambertin.

So, to decode the label you have to know a little of the AOCs geography.

The explanation was followed by an interesting way to taste the 12 wines presented: we first tasted, analyzed, commented, guessed their identity and after all had the wines revealed:

White

Poully-Fuissé, Clos Reissier, 2005

Marsannay, Jean-claude Basset, 2005

Chateau du Val de Mercy, 1er Cru, 2003

Santenay, Beaurepaire, 1er Cru, 2004

Mersault, Monthelie- Douhairet Porcheret, 2004

Puligny-Montrachet, Louis Jadot, 2002 (a very good year for Burgundians)

Red

Bourgogne, Nicolas Potel, 2005

Volnay, Nicolas Potel, 2004

Monthelie 1er Cru, Douhairet Porcheret 2004

Domaine Chanzy Mercurey, Clos du Roy, 1er Cru, 2004

Pernand-Vergelesses, Louis Jadot, 1999

Nuits-St-Georges, Forey Père et Fils, 2001.

The American couple was very keen on wine and showed good knowledge, what in addition to my enthusiasm made the French wine connoisseur put her nose a little down.

White wines represent 63% of Burgundy production (the great majority from Macon and Chablis), and among the merely 6 samples we tasted, my favorite white was, once again, a wine from Mersault. This version had some nut and truffle aromas and toasty bread on the palate; it had good acidity and was well balanced.

For red wines, the one that impressed me the most was the Nuits-St-George, which was spicy, earthy and had a trace of acidity, well balanced tannin and good structure. The finding made me happy, because I was exactly heading to there the next day.

Well, the day after was still far away and, subsequent to the guided wine tasting I went to the local wine museum, that displays many bits and pieces, tells facts related to the native wine trade and is located in a gorgeous building.

My day was not finished yet, after that and I took advantage of having a ticket discount to an Art Gallery and visited it and appreciated some paintings created by Beaune born artists and others.

That Wednesday's end was far away, however the sun was going down and, for safety measure, I decided to go back to the hotel. Because, as far as a solo backpacker is concerned, one has to be awake even in small towns, especially when one's hotel is out of the town centre and it is necessary to walk alone through a desert street.

Though, on my way to my accommodation, I stop at the local supermarket to buy my provisions for diner and next morning breakfast, since a traveler in my style is allowed to one "restaurant meal" a day.

To be continued…

RHÔNE VALLEY

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:49:00 GMT

SECOND REGION VISITED IN FRANCE

After leaving Bordeaux by train in a journey that took 7 hours, with a connection in Montpellier; many cereal bars; some fruits; a lot of coffee and a McDonalds stuff (no, no, I still the same healthy conscious person: I bought there an yoghurt), I reached my next destination: Rhône Valley.

My base in the region was Avignon, a delightful town that has a wall all around in its most ancient part and, is fascinating everywhere. It is known as "City of Popes" since it used to be the residence of Popes who migrated from Rome when the safety of the Church and own their lives were under threat.

That charm is also in the very only backpacker accommodation available in town where you find the best view of it. The hostel is not exactly in the centre of the town, you have to walk for about 20 minutes towards Ile de Barthelesse - a small green island that divides the river in two. To be fair, I can't complain, because the bed was cheap, the people working were ok, the food was the best value in the France (considering the part of the country this traveler has being so far), the backpackers were very friendly, and the view... wow!

THE RHÔNE VALLEY

First things first, let me introduce you to the Rhône Valley, from a wine-lover perspective. To do it, I relate words that are not exclusively mine, but, I also use some narrative from the book "Wines of the World - Eyewitness Companions".

This is a region of extreme contrasts. If the north is cool, discreet, noble, and expressed in different shades of just one red grape, the south is the exact opposite: warm, exuberant, heartily earthy, with numerous grape varieties. The unifying factors are the Rhône River and the enduring appeal of all its wines.

As the Rhône River flows downriver from Lyon, it courses through a northern landscape of high, rocky hills which plunge to the water's edge: a mass of granite, schist and gneiss, with vineyards hanging to the sides.

The south is a picture of largesse. Here, the Rhône Valley opens out into a broad panorama of river plain, oak and olive trees and bush-grown vines offset by mountains. Over 90% of the Rhône's 80000 ha are cultivated here. Estates are larger than in the north, and instead of Syrah (the main grape grown in the north Rhône Valley), the south grows a range of grapes, including Grenache and Mourvèdre.

REGIONS VISITED

It was not difficult to choose the AOC's to visit in the Valley, as my choice was made for convenience. As in many of the visits I made, I chose to join a group, not only for being this the easiest way, but also for the fun.

From the tourism office I learned about the possibilities in the surrounding area and visits to wineries.

As I am a confessed fan of wines that come from one of the nearby regions: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, I included this appellation in two of the visits booked.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with its warm, generous, mostly red wines, is the largest and most famous cru. Gigondas and Vacqueyras are its red wine cousins.

Gigondas, like Vacqueyras, lies in the shadow of the Dentelles de Montmirail hills. The two AOC's have similar soils, but Gicondas has most of its vineyards on limestone-and-clay slopes, which rise as high as 400m. These soils and the slightly cooler temperatures give additional intensity and volume, and a tighter structure, to the Grenache-based blends, making them firmer and longer ageing. A decade presents no problem to these powerful wines, and although the price has risen in recent years, Gigondas still offers excellent value.

Côte du Rhône, a name sometimes used to refer to the the Rhône Valley, is also the label given to a broad base of generic wines. Côte du Rhône Villages, is a distinct step up from Côte du Rhône, implying limestone -and-clay or stony soils, stricter rules of production, and wines of greater depth. The village appellation covers 96 Southern Rhône communes, of which are allowed to print their village names on the labels. Beaumes de Venise; the village I visited; makes a sweet, fortified vin doux naturel* from Muscat.

* It is not naturally sweet, as the name implies, but a fortified wine made by the process of mutage, which involves adding neutral grape brandy (at 96% of alcohol) to partly fermented grapes. This stops fermentation, leaving a percentage of residual sugar and resulting in wines that are sweet and powerful in style.

Wind that travels through the river path

In the two tours that I took part, a character that plays an important role in the local viticulture: Mistral, was mentioned as a huge natural influence in the region, which has the River Rhône cutting it throughout and letting Mistral to run freely in its course.

The cold, northerly mistral wind whistles down the Rhône Valley from the Alps and is a climatic feature of the region. In winter its influence can leave the valley colder than central and northern Europe.

In 1956, it blew for three weeks and temperatures dropped to -15°C, destroying the olive trees but not the vines. Its ferocity can cause disaster to vine trellising, particularly in spring, hence the tradition of bush-trained vines. On the positive side its dry, cool effect helps keep fungal diseases, and concentrates the grapes prior to harvesting.

Terroir Contemplation

The first visit combined the historic Orange and, the not less important historically: Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC.

The Rhône most celebrated wine takes its name from the location of a summer residence for the pope, built in the 14th century when the papal seat was temporarily moved to Avignon - nowadays just you find just the remains of this Château.

By far the largest cru in the Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a sizeable appellation of 3200ha producing over 100000hl of wine yearly.

Many of the vineyards here are covered with galets roulés, large, smooth pebbles that retain heat, ensuring full ripeness and flavor. The wine itself is mostly red.

The fact that 13 different grape varieties are allowed in the appellation and winemaking techniques vary, as do soils and exposures, means that style and quality vary considerably.

The group was very friendly, fun and small: our guide and driver - a young French lady that spoke very good English; a lovely Australian couple - that spoke very good English too; a Chilean couple - that spoke very little English, very little French and very well Spanish and, me - who was the translator to the Chilean couple.

We started with Orange and in the end of the afternoon we were at the wine AOC that for so long I dreamed to visit.

I must confess that when I saw the vineyards with big rounded stones on their foot, it was like bringing alive the books I have being reading. The words and pictures became a sensation, that one feel when is part of something. For a moment I was an element of the place: seeing the light, observing the colors, feeling the warm, smelling the earth...

Well, that is enough of contemplation.

FIRST VISIT

My first visit in Châteauneuf-du-Pape was in Maison Bouachon, that was founded in 1898.

It was a little disappointing as it was partially self-guided visit, what - I believe - is a lazy way to show around your business. When the winery spokesperson; who is from the founder family; joined us and took us for a tour around, he had some problem to understand our questions in English and we lost the opportunity to learn.

When he showed the work of the business in the glass, it didn't match the expectations I had of this appellation. We tasted white and red samples, being the first my pioneer try to this kind of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Understandably, because all white wine production in the region is mostly drank within it.

No one bought any wine from the winery. Perhaps they didn't weren't appealing to the others neither.

We headed to Avignon when the sun was getting ready to set and the journey back was very enjoyable, with everyone trying to remember old French songs. Edith Piaf was a must, and then the chorus cried out: "Chanson d'Amouuuuur, trataratara..." - As I mentioned, it was fun!

SECOND TOUR

The second tour - organized by a different company and with others "visit-mates" - was entirely related to wine. We visited three appellations and tasted various wines, some of them outstanding.

Our fist stop was at Vignerons de Beaumes de Venise, in the village with the same name. The organization has diverse business, they buy grapes and made all the rest necessary to produce the sweet wine that is the appellation's best known; they sell other appellation wines and they even store wine for those who had bought them, but don't have the place with the right conditions to keep them.

Diverse were also the samples of Muscat de Beaumes de Venise we had; all made from Muscat à Petits Grains grapes; were:

Muscat Tradition - probably the best seller, the vin doux naturel that has a unique bottle style that is not exactly rounded but "cornered". It was also, the cheapest sample: 8,75€;
Muscat Carte Or - for this, there is a selection of grapes and the price is also slightly upgraded: 9,30€;
Muscat Rosexclusif - as the name suggest it is a rosé version, a different style of sweet wine, sold for 9,95€;
Muscat Bois Doré - a briefly oaked type, that shows an interesting and more complex sweet wine, priced 12,50€;
Muscat Ambré - that is the most matured one, the fortified wine is 48 months oak aged, has a complex bouquet, raisins and figs aromas. It is recommended as partner of black chocolate dessert or as a digestif, what in French means to drink it after meal. The "digestion helper" is sold for 22€.

After leaving the sweet things behind, we went towards to Gigondas, a small, pretty and still asleep town built on the village of Cairanne.

We first had a little of walk around and then went to visit Domaine Brusset.

There I had the same impression when visited the previous establishment, our guide gave all the explanation and was the one interested in helping us, and on the other hand the person who worked for the place didn't show much interest on the group. It seems to me that marketing and sales are part of the business that the locals don't give much attention.

Any case, the wines were relatively good and among them there was 'Gicondas, Domaine Brusset, Tradition La Grand Montmirail 2006'; 'Les Hauts de Montmirail 2004' and '2005', which was a good chance to experiment a vertical taste.

Once again, no one bought any wine at this winery, perhaps a marketing problem or the expectations, which were big, with our next destination: Châteauneuf-du-Pape - in my case, the second occasion.

I was hoping to find something more exciting at this time. For my happiness, it reserved the best visit of the day. I would say: it saved the day.

One more time, I was in this unique spot in Provence, right at the feet of the old Pope's Castle.

The place visited was Cave du Verger des Papes, located few meters down the hill of the old castle itself.

The enterprise is a Tasting Cellar with several tasting rooms and a one-room-museum where ancient Roman remains related to wine where found not long ago.

The Cave seems to be very popular for visits. No wonder, as it was by far the most professional and friendly I visited in the region.

The taste was set in a room that was absolutely full, because our group joined another one that had arrived previously. However, the wine expert that guided us through the tasting was able to deal with the situation, give useful explanation and help everyone that required.

We had a selection of domaines and châteaux, which included white and red samples and a wine made from grapes of the oldest vines I ever tried.

The white type was a 'Saint-Henri 2006', made 100% from Grenache and aged in oak barrels that had been used previously by the Château d'Yquem - famous premier cru in Sauternes, what gave an interesting flavor to this wine that has a small production of 700 bottles/year.

The red version from the same producer was one of the other sampled: 'Saint Henri 2004'. The wine doesn't have the traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape's insignia on its bottle, because it was not bottled at the propriety but at the Cave du Verger des Papes, respecting the AOC rule.

The last taste was left to the one made from grapes of 120-years-old vines: 'Le Calice de Saint Pierre, Heritage, 2004'. The beautiful wine made me visualize having it with a gorgeous duck based plate. That is what good wine does to us: dream!

Next region to be related is a daydream place: Bourgogne, known in the English-Speaking market as Burgundy.

That's all for now!

Cheers,

Marcia.

Bordeaux II

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 18:47:22 GMT

BORDEAUX WINE WEEK COURSE

In following week I was much busier. I had the mornings occupied by French classes and the afternoons by the wine course at L'Ecole du Bordeaux. Both of them were really good.

The language course was 3 weeks long and the wine one was only one week, but it was worthy every minute.

The course at L'Ecole du Bordeaux had Maguelone de Blasi as teacher. She is a courtier en vins (broker, who is the intermediary between winegrowers and negociants).

There are 130 brokers in the Bordeaux wine industry and to have Maguelone as an instructor was a privilege. The course was hold in French, with translation to English when the group was lost.

My French is good enough to understand a subject which I am familiar with, that was the case. However, I don't dare to try to speak - my knowledge of the Victor Hugo's idiom is just good sufficient to order a meal. In consequence, I was able to understand the contend and I learnt a lot (it helped a little to improve my French as well).

The course had 3 days of conference, tasting and, two days of visits to vineyards in Médoc and St-Émilion.

The school belongs to the owners of Château Lynch Bages, a "Gran Cru Classé", located in Pauillac, location of their first wine school.

We were a culturally diversified: group Japan, England, Italy, Holland and myself, representing Brazil. Apart from Adelaide; a lovely young lady born in Hong Kong, who was risen in Australia, currently lives in the United Kingdom and had her mother's recommendation the main reason to join the class; we were all above 30 years old of age and had already wine as an important subject in our lives, for different reasons.

During the classes we went through Tasting Techniques; Vinification Methods; Terroirs; Technical Vocabulary; Tasting - of course; and we had the opportunity to blend our own wine, with single varieties wines supplied by Château Lynch Bages - an exciting experience that included the marketing outlook of the business.

We tasted wines from diverse producers and regions:

Michel Lynche, Graves, 2006;

Château Villa Bel-Air, Graves, 2004;

Château de Rayne Vigneon, 1er Cru Classé, Sauternes, 1997;

Château Lynch Bages, Paulliac, 2001;

Château Quinault (L'Enclos), Grand Cru, Saint-Émilion, 2001;

Château Chante Grive, Graves, 1999;

Château La Tour Carnet, Haut-Médoc, 1999 and

Château Batailley, Pauillac, 1998.

On Thursday we went to visit the Médoc region, located at the north-west of Bordeaux city.

The Médoc Region

Médoc means "in the middle of waters", from the Latin: in medio aquae.

It has a very mild climate, with influences of the Atlantic Ocean (Gulf Stream) and the Gironde estuary.

All the vineyards are situated in a thin area of land. The Médoc Appellations benefit from a network of small brooks, and the best vineyards are situated by these rivers.

The region has 3 classifications:

Cru Classés

of 1855: 1/4 of the production;

Crus Bourgeois (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnels, Cru Bourgeois Supérieurs and Cru Bourgeois): 1/2 of the production;

Cru Artisans: 11% of the wines.

There are many levels of Appellations:

North of the Médoc (previous called "Bas-Médoc"): AOC Médoc;

Centre and South: Haut-Médoc;

Inside the Haut-Médoc, six famous appellations, the "communales": Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Listrac, Moulis and Margaux.

The first day of visits, we left Bordeaux city early afternoon and travelled via the Road D1 and then N215 from where you see vineyards along the whole way.

It was a stop-along-drive journey, making the most of the opportunity to contemplate the vineyards, some of them with the harvest taking place.

We also stopped at prestigious Château Margaux for a picture time and wonder around.

It wasn't our final destination, so, we carried on up to Paulliac that is considered the capital of the appellation.

The estate visited at that day was a classified Cru Classé: Château Lynch Bages - surprise, surprise.

We visited vineyard and winery where our guide instructed us about the history of the business and processes involved in the production. There is a museum where they keep ancient objects formerly used to make wine. It was the most fascinating part of the visit.

The transition to modernity in the winery is very recent. They adopted concrete vats in 1973 and replaced them by stainless still in 1988.

Located on the Bages plateau, with the vineyard overlooking the Gironde estuary at the distance. The estate was at one time owned by the Lynch family from Galway in Ireland, but is now in the hands if the Cases family.

For their first wine, the oldest vines (average of 30-35 years old) supply the grapes and, time in oak barrels is longer than applied for the second wine, named Château Haut-Bages Averous.

The taste itself was, in reality, nothing new, because we sampled a wine that was familiar to all of us, as it had been tasted in class a couple of days before (Château Lynch Bages, Paulliac, 2001). It was a bit frustrating as our guide declined our request to sample something different.

Any way, the wine was still good, made of blend that is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (73%) and it has Cabernet Franc (10%) and Petit Verdot (2%) as partners.

The wine showed leather aroma and in the mouth it had smooth tannins, with some acidity and spicy flavours and in my opinion still it had some space to develop, if desired.

A tiny amount if white wine, Blanc de Lynch-Baes, is also made - from Sémillion, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Something of a rarity for the Médoc, it is similar in style to white Graves.

Saint-Émilion and Pomerol

Next day, the very last one of the wine course, we crossed over the River Garonne, passed by Entre-deux-Mers and ended on what is known as the Right Bank, where the main river is Dordogne.

Merlot is the king in this part of Bordeaux. Saint-Émilion and Pomerol are they key appellations.

The limits between the two regions is almost virtual and, if you blink on the journey you loose the limits where one finishes and the other starts.

Pomerol

Winegrowing in Pomerol goes back to the 12th century. Vines were planted by the charitable order of the Knights Hospitallers of Saint-John of Jerusalem (Order of Malta). These vines produced wine for the Church and pilgrims travelling to Santiago de Compostela.

Despite the world-famous reputation, these wines have never been classified.

Located on a gently sloping plateau northeast of the town of Libourne, the richest wines come form the clay and gravel soils of the central plateau. It is here that all the top château, including Pétrus, Lafleur and Le Pin, can be found. On the lower terraces to the west and south, the soils are sandier and the wines lighter and less powerful in style.

This was my second visit to this region, but the first at day-light time. I had been at Pomerol, previously to the meeting at Château Gazin with Olivier Colas, opportunity when I tried a couple of their wines, included a 1988 vintage.

At this time we didn't visit any winery in the appellation, apart from the usual stop to picture a spot. We actually just tasted a wine from Pomerol (Château Vieux Maillet, 2003, 35) that took place in another estate: Château Franc-Mayne, this one, in fact, located in Saint-Émilion.

This appears to be a common practice among the local wineries open for visits, to sell other labels in their premises.

Saint-Émilion

The fortified village of Saint-Émilion was built on a limestone hill. Its origin is related to religion (named after an hermit monk Emilianous, who lived in a cave in the 8th century) and the Middle Ages is still alive through the architecture, the wine producing area and the structure of the wine estates and those are the main reasons why the whole district was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO, in 1999.

The region is known as the "Hill with 1000 Chateaux". It is easy to picture with you take in consideration that more than 50% of the local vineyards have less than 5 ha.

The wines of Saint-Émilion were first classified in 1954. This classification is revised every ten years. It is divided into two appellations:

Saint-Émilion Gran Cru

- only for the best of the region, considering only the quality, and they are graded as Gran Cru Classé or Premier Gran Cru Classé;

Saint-Émilion - for all the other wines produced.

The second most important grape variety is Cabernet Franc that is known locally as Bouchet.

We began the visits in the Château Franc-Mayne, Gran Cru Classé, which I previously mentioned.

Château Franc-Mayne has 7 hectares of vineyards in a single block located on the prestigious Cotê des Francs slope in the heart of Saint-Émilion appellation.

Two hectares of wines grown on top of former quarries, which consists on caves mined to extract limestone for construction when the town was build, in the 12th century. This is not in practice any more; however the quarries are still in use to store some of their barrels, in the naturally chilled environment (12-13° C) and, as a tourist attraction.

However, most of the barrels are kept in a modern storage. This is part of numerous investments that started 5 years ago in order to produce the finest possible quality: the vat room was entirely renovated, a detailed vineyard management programme was instituted (pot by plot), the grapes are hand-picked into small crates and carefully sorted prior to crushing, malolactic fermentation takes place in barrels, the well-known oenologist Michel Rolland provides expert advice on viticulture and winemaking.

We tasted a couple of wines, among them the first wine, labelled as usual under the château name (1999, 49).

Next stop was the closest one to the charming town of Saint-Émilion: Clos La Madeleine.

We arrived in Clos La Madeleine at the same time that the guide was busy with a group of Canadian tourists, so, we decided to join them to save time and started by the tasting.

The cellar door is located in a cave that adds a special charm to the experience. We had three different wines, two from Clos La Madeleine itself (2004, 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, € 38 and, 2005, 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc, € 12) and one from Magnan La Gaffeliere, 2003 (75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, € 19) that was a presented as a typical Saint-Émilion, had a good balance, was ready to drink and a great value for money. The last was in fact, my favourite wine of the day. Perhaps it means that a good wine doesn't have to be necessarily expensive or that I am a low-cost-wine-appreciator.

After I bought a bottle of my favourite wine as a souvenir to a couple of friends, I joined the group in the tour that followed.

The vineyards are in a slop with a beautiful over-view to others local estates.

We went after the guide to the winery and finally to the cave, where the production of the winery is kept. The production is small, so does is the winery. To solve any problems of space, creativity is applied, for example, a door and a fan on the wall can be opened or closed depending on what a room is used for and, in consequence, the temperature required: malolactic fermentation or ageing.

We finished the day leaving the gorgeous region behind and ending the week of the wine course.

It was my best week in Bordeaux, I learnt a lot and also had the good company of a couple of classmates, with whom I used to visit a wine bar after class and carry on the studies there, chat and exchange life experiences.

That is what wine is about to me, sharing.

Next wine region to explore: Rhone - where I had Avignon as base and, feel in love with it.

Cheers,

Marcia Amaral