Wine World: Studies and News

TO SPIT OR NOT TO SPIT

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:25:14 GMT

GOOD NEWS

It has been long time since I last wrote.

However, for a good reason: I have got a job! Finally I am working on the wine trade.

I must confess, I am over the moon! Though, I have been madly busy.

The business has a wine shop and a cosy restaurant.

My duties are to do a little of everything. However; as I am not an octopus, neither the day has more than 24 hours; I concentrate my focus on the most important and urgent tasks, each time - not hard to make that decision when you wish to be mentally healthy in two years time.

Among those errands, there is the responsibility to organize events related to wine and also to participate in events organized for other organizations.

It has been a great experience. Mostly good, sometimes not that fun. For that I mean the whole thing, included the cultural aspects involved on it.

fish out of water

It can be confusing to feel like a "fish out of water" in your own country. But, I very often have that feeling and, to adapt yourself to a way of life somewhere can take a while, even if this place is your homeland.

After been way from Brazil for a while, I found amusing some differences from other places I have been so far. But, there is one that represents much more than the action itself: to not spit.

Why should I be concerned about people who don't spit the wine they are tasting?

_ That is their wine. It is their right to like it and to spit nothing of it.

Yes, that is a personal choice. I personally; working with wine and tasting samples very often - sometimes early morning and sometimes loads of them in a short period of time - prefer to spit it and be sober.

It doesn't mean I don't appreciate a glass or two or even more when sharing it for pure pleasure.

What I find really sad is to see people drinking wine because they believe it is not elegant to spit in front of others or because a wine has been presented by its producer.

Would be it chic to became an alcoholic, or to work dizzy for the sake of not breaking someone else’s heart?

I don't even think to empty a glass in wine tasting is graceful, for me it is tasteless.

I believe that the act of not spitting say a lot of us.

It shows how much about "appearance" we are and also, how keen on taking advantage on other’s expense we are - considering that the sample of wines are usually free of charge.

Perhaps I shouldn't be talking about my compatriots. Maybe I should shut up and not to say bad things about poor national habits. However, this is my country, the one that I love the most and which I want to feel part of it.

This is the reason why it matters to me. This is why I am writing these and sharing my feelings.

What a dramatic Latin wine lover I am!

Well, I never forget my roots.

Cheers,

Marcia Amaral

CLIMATE CHANGES

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 18:00:07 GMT

THE HEAT IS ON

It is not hard to see and fell the climate transformation over the last decades.

We have had recently more than enough days with over 30º C in Brazil, and the summer just started!

It is official that the problem is everywhere. I personally have noticed it the world over I have been this year, from the native's relate and concern about the subject to obvious evidences, such as alcohol contend that has been increasing year after year.

The proofs are in the field - grapes crops are maturing earlier than ever.

Some may argue about the reasons for that, others even say that it has nothing to do with human's interference. I am not part of this group.

Any case, my objective here is not to discuss the origins, but, the consequences of the global warming in the wine production.

CLIMATE CHANGES EVERYTHING

Gregory Jones wisely declares that climate is a pervasive factor in nearly all forms of agriculture — from determining the geographical area in which a given crop can be grown, to influencing annual yields and the quality of the crop. With such strong ties to agriculture, climate also influences cultural issues, such as economics, regional identities, and migration and settlement. These connections are never more evident than with the growing of grapes and the production of wine.

There are many impacts on the wine industry to be expected, including:

changes in grapevine maturation timing - as mentioned previously;
interference of balanced composition in grapes and wine due to alterations in ripening patterns - such as reduction of acidity level;
greater pest and disease pressure due to milder winters;
changes in sea level - which could potentially alter the coastal zone influences on viticultural climates;
alterations in varieties grown and regional wine styles;
changes in the geographical distribution of viable grape-growing areas due to changes in temperature and precipitation.

Climate is, and it will always be, a critical factor for wine making.

"While it is clear that advances in both viticulture and viniculture have provided the tools to produce better wines, climate is the wild card that limits the geographical distribution of grape growing and determines yield and quality differences between years and regions."

says Gregory Jones.

As mentioned by Mark Greenspan report, Dr. Hans Schultz of Geisenheim University, Germany, declares that not only are temperatures rising on average, the variability in temperatures has been increasing. That means that while mean temperatures are increasing, there are also more frequent episodes of both cool and hot weather. Grapevine and fruit development is so tightly linked to temperature that it will be impossible to avoid seeing changes in the phenological events (the combination of biological events with climate) of vineyards but also the ripening fruit characteristics.

Generally speaking, the highest quality wine grapes are grown where temperature fluctuations are minimal. Grapevines and fruit do not respond well to extreme heat waves, as they tend to acclimate to the average conditions.

Coastal influence, or influence from other large bodies of water, generally mitigates fluctuations in temperature, which is a strong reason why vineyards near oceans, seas and large lakes are of higher quality potential. So, in theory those places will be affected less or later than inland regions - with they don't inundate rather than these. Maybe the most suitable for grape cultivation will higher elevations, for more than one reason.

Gregory Jones mention the cultural aspects, saying that "potentially even more important is that climate change, through its direct impact on grape and wine production, has the ability to indirectly bring about cultural change by altering long-held regional identities."

The question may be whether wine lovers should buy a favourite wine from a favourite region to hold onto, just in case, or whether they should appreciate change and simply enjoy the potential range of new regions and new wines borne from a different climate.

That is very likely to happen - new reality, new potential producers.

It is possible that places that once were unsuitable for grape-growing will became great producers.

Certain that already are in the business tend to benefit from the variation, such as England, for instance.

In addition to increasing temperatures, the geology of southern England is favourable to viticulture. "The geology of the British Isles is roughly comparable to the European mainland." says Richard Selley, a geologist at the Imperial College London. "But what everyone is interested in is the chalk, the Cretaceous limestone, because that is what Champagne is grown on." Selley adds that French Champagne growers have recently looked into the possibility of buying up land in southern England that has this chalky soil.

That is already on course

Precipitation is also strongly linked to the matter as temperature variability will create changes in precipitation patterns. That means that distribution of rainfall within a year may change in some regions, and there may be a greater incidence of very wet years and very dry years. For viticulture, that means that regions traditionally relying on "rain fed" vineyards will need to begin to store water and rely on irrigation.

The solutions for many difficulties to come were studied and discussed at Congress on Climate and Viticulture, held in Zaragoza, Spain in April, 2007 as Mark Greenspan reports. The main debate in the event was irrigation. Perhaps, because the congress was hold in Europe and there, irrigation is still a taboo. However, it seems this will be needed in a great extend as a tool to manipulate fruit and wine qualities.

Another aspect mentioned in that meeting was that changes in climate are making some varieties unsuitable for a quantity of regions.

For example, Francis Fabre (Syndicat des Vignerons of Côtes du Rhône) explained in the congress that the growers in that region of southern France have been having difficulty with early sugar "maturation" of the fruit. The growers in the Côtes du Rhône are actually considering changing the varietal mix, which has been largely dominated by Grenache and Syrah, towards other varieties such as Carignane, Mourvedre and possibly even hybrids.

Cornelis van Leeuwen, of University of Bordeaux, cited Sauvignon Blanc as problematic in Bordeaux, as it has been ripening too soon. So, the varietal mix may change even in there.

Reducing fruit exposure to sunlight might be one way to delay premature sugar attainment when it is caused by early dehydration of berries. Carlos Lopez, of Technical University of Lisbon in Portugal, reported in the event, that fruit in sunlight can be 18°F above ambient temperature. Therefore, leaf removal may be a practice that has come and gone, at least in all but the coolest of wine growing regions.

Possibly, this is the reason why some wine-growers still insist on "Parral" or "Pergola" system of training vines. In this way the vines are trained high on pergolas, with bunch of grapes being generally head-high. This gives plenty of leaf cover in hot climates.

This practise commonly seen in Brazil and also some other warm climate countries, is often associated to bulk production, for the high level of crop production. Although, it seems to be one way to deal with excess of sun exposure.

It looks like that the key to solve the heat on vines is a matter of thinking, perhaps rethinking.

In fact, the whole climate changes are a matter to be solved without narrow-mindedness - as it should be any other problem. The only prejudice we should have is against careless-made wine.

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Marcia Amaral

Source of Information:

WEB Sites:

Climate Change - The Congress on Climate and Viticulture provided a glimpse into how climate change is already affecting our industry.

Author: Mark Greenspan

Published: June 2007

http://www.winebusiness.com/ReferenceLibrary/webarticle.cfm?dataId=48583

Making Wine in a Changing Climate

Author: Gregory Jones

Published: August 2004

http://www.geotimes.org/aug04/feature_wineclime.html

Book:

Exploring the World of Wine and Spirits

Christopher Fielden , in association with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, 2005

Maganize:

Geo Decouverte

Hors-Serie, 2007

Groupe Prisma Presse, France.

NEW WORLD WINES

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:33:25 GMT

FINDING AN WAY

A path of choice

When I decided that to hold two WSET's diplomas wasn't enough to introduce myself to the wine field, I planed my "round the wine world" trip, which had as main purpose to learn 'in loco' about wine from the most representative countries of the "New World" - as mostly any country out of Europe is called.

Today wine is said come from the Old World or New. The Old World is the heartland of winegrowing, where viticulture has evolved since 7000 BC. The classic regions of France, Italy, and Spain are the core, and sum up all that is traditional about making wine the time-honoured way. The New World comprises the pioneering vineyards of the southern hemisphere and North America, which were established by explorers and missionaries from the 14th century onwards. (Wines of World, Eyewitness Companions)

Why have I chosen them in spite of the "old" ones, from whom we have so much to learn?

Yes, that is a fact. This is why I gladly finished my trip in France.

On the other hand, I strongly believed we had a lot to learn from this new approach to wine business. I still do. This is one of the reasons why my route included Brazil, USA, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa.

Other reason for choosing this path was that my mother land has more in common to the "New World" nations, obviously.

The answer, as always, lay in the bottle

I constantly say that "just fools believe they know everything" We can associate that to a company's life. Old employees usually give to business valuable contribution with the expertise gained over years of experience and, new workforce brings a fresh air to the industry, commonly with competitiveness, courage and a new approach to deal with the trade's matters. Both contributions are extremely important and one can learn from another.

This applies to wine as well.

When other parts of the world out of Europe, such as Australia and California, introduced their wines in the market, they were a joke for the conservative part of the business. But consumers showed they were receptive to changes.

The "Old World" still thought that the "New World" wine was just a fashion with no strength to continue, but then the new version showed in the bottle their potential and beat the "Old World" in wine competitions.

At that stage newcomer countries were the ones smiling.

The new conquering the world

So, is the "New World" style the best? I would say: it depends.

It depends on many factors and more importantly of all: what you are looking for. I believe there is space in the market for diverse styles.

In fact, "new" and "old" styles come from any part of the wine world. Today, this difference is no longer as marked as it once was. The flavour boundaries between Old and New World wines are becoming increasingly vague.

The two sides have been realizing that they have a lot to learn from each other.

Improved grape-growing and winemaking techniques mean that an Old World wine can taste as luscious and ripe as a New World version. The reverse is also true and "new" winemaking is learning much from the "old" techniques such as barrel-fermenting, use of wild yeasts, and lees-stirring are all being adopted to generate more complexity in the wine.

Alan Boehmer described that: "Much has been written on the differences between European and New World wines. Just a few decades ago these differences in style were unmistakable. Today they are less so, but New World winemakers seem to be increasingly inclined to try to emulate the old ways."

These facts I observed on my trip. Either New or Old Worlds countries are paying attention to old and new skills to produce the best wine for the market they aim.

European way was reference in many wines bottled in other parts of the world. Besides, the New World style was not ignored in France, as far as wine is concerned.

Jancis Robison mentioned that approximation of both ways: "There is now such a thorough blending of ideas and techniques that it is no wonder that New and Old World stereotypes are on the wane."

While in France I could observe, in some bright people, the awareness of "New World" wine contribution.

It was made clear in visits to wineries that had recently changed the whole structure to quality-conscious one. I also observed some marketing techniques inspired by foreigner trend, such as the label appearance and the grape variety's information on it. Another example would be when New Zealand was mentioned as the world reference for Sauvignon Blanc, by a French chateau owner.

Newcomers to the trade

There are novice producers that slowly try to find their way to do things and market to aim.

Among them some countries that we probably never though would be able to produce high quality wine. In fact, most of them will possibly never produce an outstanding wine.

I am not being pessimist, I am just realist.

In fact, I am a believer that careful selection of material; right technology and methods; skilled, committed and passionate staff; investment and a good administration can do a great deal to any business. However, to make good wine, more than those factors are necessary.

French like to call that terroir. We could say that it is a combination of soil, microclimate e geographical location.

On the Geo Magazine, which I bought in France last October, the main subject was "La folie des Vins du Monde" where unusual wine producer countries were in the limelight.

Thailand, India, China, Japan presented the difficulties and perspectives of producing wine. One of biggest problems seems to be climate condition and, considering the perspective of changes on that factor, the prospect for most of them is not good neither.

The magazine also relates that, at this moment, they don't reach the level of others "New World" producers. Another trouble for the newcomers to solve is to convince the market to give their wine a chance, not only the external market, but even the internal one.

Can you imagine if China, for instance, gets it right to domestic market? Would they bother to export it? They probably would. However, a market as big as theirs is not to be ignored.

Where is Brazil in the Wine World Map?

Even been geographically close to Chile and Argentina, the wine business in Brazil has more similarities to countries from distant continents.

Brazil is not far from the situation of other newcomers.

We share with China, India and others, alike difficulties. Although, we also have some good perspectives in common.

Andrew Downie wrote that wine is becoming more popular in countries like Brazil, China and India because of a growing middle class and publicity about its health benefits.

He also mentioned that producers in all three countries are betting those markets will grow, and there are figures to back that up. The "International Wine and Spirit Record", a London-based research company estimates that by 2011, wine consumption will rise by 12 percent in Brazil, 39 percent in China and 82 percent in India.

In order to produce a wine to attend this growing demand and to aim the external market, many parts have to be worked on.

Brazil is doing some work on it.

A hand came from investment of foreigner companies as related also by Andrew Downie, who mentioned that Pernod Ricard owns brands in Brazil; Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has invested heavily in Chandon, Brazil’s award-winning sparkling wine and Dão Sul that

four years ago had purchased land with some grape vines in Brazil’s semi-arid desert just south of the Equator - Thanks to hard work, better technology and hundreds of miles of irrigation pipes snaking in from the nearby São Francisco River, Dão Sul has produced one of the most successful tropical wines yet.

The decision to invest in Brazil was based on several factors, including cheap land and labour and advanced refrigeration techniques. One important advantage it shares with many new latitude producing nations is year-round sun. Another cause was a gamble based on Brazil’s long experience in grape production and winemaking. Immigrants from Portugal in the 16th century and then later from Italy, France and Germany set up vineyards in the south of the country.

However, the great majority of producers were brought up in Brazil. Few of them have made large investment recently, restructured the whole organization and counts with knowledgeable human source.

Many initiatives to modernize the industry have been taking. One of them is the work in "Vale dos Vinhedos" to organize the local producers and create conditions to reach a level of quality and identity in order to have its "Identification of Origin" recognized.

Another good scheme was to create an organization that represents Brazilian wine abroad: The Brazilian Wine Institute, a national association of vineyards, and Apex, Brazil's export agency. The project markets all of Brazil's main vintages under the banner Wines from Brazil at international wine shows.

Some producers aim mainly to export and others, specially foreigner companies, the first thing they do is to establish a foothold in Brazil so they can sell to the domestic market. Then they can think about exporting afterwards - as mention Joe W. Ciatti; the founder of Joseph W. Ciatti Company, the world’s largest wine broker; to Andrew Downie in his report.

I personally believe the first market to be cared of is the internal one, specially in the wine business. It is easy to see that the most successful producers of wine are big consumers of it as well. Wine is more than an alcohol beverage it is part of a culture, an attitude and, if it is not appreciated in the internal market, it will be even harder the external one to believe that is worth trying.

How could one persuade the internal market to consume the native wine and even be able to have its product appreciated abroad?

Well, I wish I had that solution. What I do have are some thoughts about the wine business in my country.

Brazil has many natural restrictions, such as latitude and climate, which must be dealt with. To help to find solutions to those particularities many sources have being made, it must be said. However, more investment, particularly in technology, is necessary.

It requires organization and union from producers to look forward to same direction and put forces together - but not only for marketing purpose.

A good example could be the meeting I participated in Waipara (New Zealand) where the locals producers got together to analyse the Rielsing's quality on the 2007's vintage and to help each other with suggestions for improvement.

An identity is also important. Brazil needs to find its own away.

It has been learning a lot from others, but it also has to look into its roots, culture and distinctiveness.

Many places are recognized by the uniqueness of an element, for example: New Zealand's Sauvignon Blanc; Chile's Carmenère; Argentina's Malbec. We still don't have a variety that is the emblem of Brazil.

It is not just me how thinks like that, Hugo Casanova - head of Vina Hugo Casanova, fourth-generation Chilean vineyard, says in Carlos Adese's report: "It's necessary to differentiate oneself, to see how a grape can be emblematic and become what the market is looking for. It's a search for newness".

In this New World wines study, that I focused partially on my homeland, I could just point out how many good Brazilian still and sparkling wines I have been tasting since I came back home. I did indeed.

I could only mention how impressed I am with the hard work and commitment of many people in the trade. They make me feel patriotic.

But I choose to look at some worries, to reflect on them and share it here.

Why?

Because, I does matter to me.

Shortly I will be writing about another subject that I do care about: Climate Changes.

Cheers,

Marcia Amaral

Source of Information:

WEB Sites:

Napa Valley? Bordeaux? No, but Still Wine Country

Author: ANDREW DOWNIE

Published: May 15, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/15/business/15wine.html

Old World v New World - a thing of the past?

Author: Jancis Robinson

Published: May 6, 2006

http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/winenews060506

Old vs New World White Wine Styles

Author: Alan Boehmer

Published: Mar 29, 2006

http://newworldwine.suite101.com/article.cfm/whitewinestyles

Grape expectations: Brazilian vineyards, small in number, market themselves to global palates

Author: Carlos Adese

Published: November, 2005

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BEK/is_11_13/ai_n15865744

Marketing Wine to the WorldAuthor: Manda Salls

Interview with: Michael Roberto

Published: February 16, 2004

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3910.html

Books:

Wines of the World, Eyewitness Companions

Published by Dorling Kindersley, 2004

The World Encyclopaedia of Wine, Stuart Walton

Produced by Anness Publishing Limited, 2002

Maganize:

Geo Decouverte

Hors-Serie, 2007

Groupe Prisma Presse, France.

IT DOES MATTER TO ME

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:18:10 GMT

Last week I went to visit Embrapa (Brazilian governmental institution responsible for research in the agriculture field), located in the "Vale dos Vinhedos", which literally means 'Vineyard's Valley'.

My return to the region had the purpose to meet one of the organization's leaders, Jorge Tonietto.

I first meet Mr. Tonietto at the seminary that I attended recently, where he presented the case of "Vale dos Vinhedos" as a reference for indication of origin in the Brazilian territory.

The visit didn't have any specific reason, apart from a "chat" about what Tonietto knows very well and I myself very little: Brazilian grape growing and researches related. However, that topic wasn't the only one discussed during my visit; we talked about many other subjects, as it usually happens in any good conversation. It was, in fact, a very agreeable get-together.

Inspired by that exchange, I decided to study a little more about some of the topics mentioned on our chat.

The issues I chose to report are closely related to wine production in my country; therefore, they are the focus of my attention nowadays. Furthermore, they are in many others mind or, they should be:

New World Wines and

Climate Changes.

I sought for some information on my books, magazines and on the Internet and, combined to the experiences gained from my "round the wine world" trip I express some ideas on those subjects in following texts.

Matter of Fact

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 19:59:52 GMT

Brazilian Information

As I mentioned previously, I am still a beginner concerning Brazilian wines. In order to not ashame myself with that, I need to study and also taste them – nice combination.

Taking advantage of the data I found at the Embrapa WEB site (www.cnpuv.embrapa.br) I used my skills as an accountant to analyze the numbers – it is my sin – and I relate some interesting facts below:

217,244,864 is the total of wine production (included sparking);

14.81% of the grapes planted are vitis vinifera;

19.98% is the reduction of the production, comparing to 2005;

98.35% of the Brazilian wine is consumed in the internal market;

3.24% is the reduction for the wine exportation, comparing to 2005;

1,947,106 is the volume of wine exported to Paraguai;

57.01% is what the wine exported to Paraguai in the total volume;

44.06% is the grow for the sparkling wine exportation, comparing to 2005;

160,493 is the total of sparkling wine exported;

42.66% is the proportion of sparkling wine made with traditional method;

115,900 is the volume of sparkling wine exported to Chile;

34.12% of the sparkling wine sold to Chile was made by traditional method.

The information is based on 2006 production of the main region producer (Rio Grande do Sul) and the quantity is presented in litres.

According to APEX (www.apexbrasil.com.br), Brazil has consolidated as the fifth largest producer of wines in the southern hemisphere and worldwide. Brazil is only beaten by Argentina (14.864 million hectoliters), Australia (10.3 million), South Africa (8.9 million) and Chile (8.4 million).

Considering the numbers, I would say that Brazilians drink very little wine: an average of 1.18 litre/year; however, they drink it all: less than 2% is sold abroad.

Another fact is that table wine is what is commonly found on Brazilian tables, considering the proportion of vitis vinifera planted.

It is easy to see that the market is receiving well Brazilian sparkling wine, with a big rise in sales.

It is not hard to see how big Brazilian market is or can be in a very near future.

It is still early to say it all, since I still have a lot to learn about it.

As I believe the best way to learn about something is get really into it. For that I don’t mean “in the bottle”, but getting involved with the subject, reading, observing, talking and experimenting – That is my goal and, as soon as I find more relevant information I swear to share.

Cheers,

Marcia Amaral