One of the differences between old world wines (France, Italy, Spain) and new world wines (Australia, New Zealand, USA) is this notion of region. If you travel to a region in France the bottle of wine is not labelled by the name of the variety of the grape but of the region. This is because the name of the region is synonymous with the types of grapes grown in that region, for example Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most planted grapes in Bordeaux, France. When the consumer picks up a Bordeaux they know immediately that it will have the rich characteristics of a cabernet sauvignon.
Fortunately or unfortunately, whichever way you choose to see it, new world wine producers have mixed things up a little. This has seen all types of varieties being grown in a multitude of regions, some that are not necessarily the right growing conditions for the right variety of grape. While on the one hand this has pushed the traditional boundaries in wine making by creating new blends and wines; on the other hand there are many wines being produced outside the optimal conditions and therefore make it very difficult for the consumer to choose a quality product when faced with an intimidating wall of wine from all around the country.
As a McGuigan people often think that I will inherently understand wine, this however is sadly not true. Like most other Jane Doe's I grew up in the suburbs of Sydney with two working parents. The only time I went to the Hunter Valley was for our annual McGuigan christmas party or the odd family slide show. So it is now with great excitement that I begin this journey to understand wine. Understanding what are the factors that make one bottle of wine feel like rich velvet floating down your throat and another like razor blades? Understanding why a particular grape grows best in a certain region, and what those regions are, so that when faced with a wall of wine at the bottle shop in the future I will be able to identify the best contenders and then possibly still pick from those by the elegance of the label.
I have recruited 5 friends to commence this journey with me and we will be part of the Oui Merci Wine Club. Each month we will pick a certain variety to learn about. Throughout the month each member must try a number of different types of that variety from different regions. At the end of the month we will meet again, with each person bringing the bottle of wine that they thought best encapsulated that variety. We will discuss the wines that we have tried and all sample each other's choice. We will then hold a blind tasting and determine which was the best wine that we believed represented the variety.
This is not a competition about being expensive or pretentious. This blog is about sharing a great journey with my friends and hopefully learning something along the way. Is it about time to get started?
Oui Merci!
