Gap in the knowledge

Over the past year I have attempted to cultivate a sense of gratitude for all that I have and the good things that come into my life. Along with this positive energy one is to be grateful for things that do not go ones way, for it is an opportunity to learn something and be set back on the right path. Clearly the latter is more difficult to do, however, it was something I have been taught, and as a dutiful student I have attempted to embody this way of thinking. You may wonder why on earth I am talking about Buddhist practices when this blog is dedicated to wine, but this very thought is from where I bring you my blog this week.

As the story would go, last Wednesday evening I was invited to meet a well-known wine industry personality Stuart Gregor founder and CEO of an alcohol and lifestyle PR firm Liquid Ideas. As you can imagine with my passion for wine, I was giddy with excitement. Liquid Ideas manages the PR for wine industry monster Treasury Wine Estate and such brands as Taylors and Wolf Blass. 

Obviously I was keen to impress with all the research that I have been doing. Including regions and varieties, climate as a determinate for the grape selection and the winemakers impact on the wine. No doubt he was going to discuss tricky topics like the main varieties grown in Alsace France and the noble white varieties, so I polished up on my homework and made my way to Liquid Ideas.

Stuart was friendly and jovial when he invited me in for a chat and to ask why I was interested in the wine industry. I gushed about my passion for the industry and how Australia was particularly ahead of the game in its ability to blend traditional varieties to make new and interesting wines that are impressing the world over. 

"Oh really" he said, "very good, tell me five wineries that are doing interesting things", 

"Ahhh..." gulp! My eyes widened as I frantically searched for anything I had read in gosh, what's that wine magazines name... Gourmet wine? No...

"Ahhh..." sudden flash of brilliance, "off the top of my head I can't recall as I have been doing a lot of reading. Actually the trend in the market is actually toward boutiques and aspirational wine which is what I have really been focusing my attention to", big teethy smile, Phew!

"Great" says Stuart, clearly not totally impressed, but not dismissive either "so, give me the names of five of your favourite Australian boutique wineries"

Crap, crap, crap! I hold the teethy grin, which becomes somewhat strained as I completely rack my brain to try and think of something, ANYTHING! But nothing comes...

"Ahhh... Off the top of my head..." There is no need to finish the sentence as the opportunity to shine has passed. Where had my brilliance disappeared to in the time of need?

"Well, your are clearly enthusiastic, which is great." He smiles whilst rubbing his head thinking, 

"Steep learning curve though I am thinking!"

The conversation continued and luckily my charm and luck didn't see me booted out the door immediately. I did however leave with a feeling of gratitude. You don't know what you don't know until somebody points it out. I set off on my merry way with a whole new list of topics to learn.

The first place that I thought I would go to find out who were the leading Australian wine producers was Google. When searching for premium wines I came across Investment grade wines. There is an index called the Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine Index (LCAWI). This index tracks 28 of the leading Australian wine producers over time in five exceptional vintages. I thought this would be a good place to start learning about Australian wine.

You can check out the index at http://www.langtons.com.au/tools/wineindex.aspx

Some of the top producers listed include:

Penfolds, Bass, Cullen, Henschke, Leeuwin Estate, Moss Wood, Mount Mary and Rockford.

Hmmm... I can see this might take awhile. Until next time, have a glass for me. Alex Mac.


www.liquidideas.com.au

The Business of Booze

As a commodity wine and alcoholic beverages are as interesting in their market behaviour as they are to consume. In July 2011 the Australian beverage category declined for the first time in five years. While markets whirled and shook the world over throughout 2008, total beverage retail sales increased. Not until three years after the world’s greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression did the domestic retail sales decline.

It is possible to conceive that during times of hardship people may turn to alcohol to help them through. The idea being that they simply continue to drink but substitute from one price point into another lower level brand. This may be one reason the sales have remained buoyant, however there are few other key elements at play, which have dictated the movement of Australian produced alcohol and wine in particular. Despite the seemingly continued growth in the market through pure sales figures, the Australian wine market is in crisis.

From the 1980’s to the early 2000’s Australian produced wine was the Golden child of the global industry. It assisted in the development of a consumer market worldwide and particularly in the UK, the USA and Canada. Australia built itself up to be the 6^th largest wine producer in the world after (France, Italy, Spain, the USA and Argentina).

The great advantage Australia has in its capacity to produce wine is the vast differences in the climate range. Grape varieties from all over the world have been brought to Australia and grown successfully in conditions not that far off their original old world climate counterparts. In Australia’s ability to produce quality wine and sell it on the international market at a lower price than competitors throughout the 80’s and 90’s, it did.

Due to the success of the export industry investment continued to flow into the industry and vines continued to be planted in our vast land. All the success came to a screeching halt however when all of a sudden the Australian dollar increased in value and we no longer became competitive. The local industry was stuck with an immense oversupply of grapes and unsellable wine.

Farmers began to go broke, unable to sell their fruit; wine makers couldn’t sell their wine and were forced to sell at a basement price in unlabelled ‘clean skin’ bottles; and distributers could not export as the other new world wine countries had become more competitive as the value of the Aussie dollar remained sky high.

This is the reality that the industry remains in today. While the wine glut may have subsided somewhat from it’s highest point, there still remains an oversupply. The Australian wine industry is completely dependent on export as in reality there simply are not enough people in Australia to consume the product, even if every man, woman, child and pet drank a bottle a week.

The problem that the industry faces over the next few years remains to be a simple economic concept of demand and supply. While there is low discretionary spending throughout the rest of the world, low consumer sentiment and a high Australian dollar it is not possible to recreate balance within the demand and supply relationship.

However, as always there is another player that comes into the picture when we talk about Australia. Asia is our neighbour, kind of like our big brother who keeps just out of trouble just enough so mum and dad don’t find out. If somehow Australia can speed up the process of Asian consumers coming around to the taste and custom of drinking wine, then maybe a bright future is closer than we thought.

Just something to ponder over your next glass of wine. Alex Mac.

And then there was Champagne!

There is a stereotype about the French that they are incredibly sophisticated and sometimes look down at other nationalities as inferior. I have heard many people say that the French are a little rude and when we travel in their country that they aren't friendly and refuse to speak anything other than french.

Whether this stereotype is true or false is irrelevant to the topic. I was recently having this very conversation with a friend who said to me "throughout history the French have brought the most refined, exquisite and sophisticated luxuries to the world including the invention of Photography and Film, created movements of art that changed the world, Haute Couture, Michelin stars, mouth watering pastries and wine. If you had created all these things, would you not turn your nose up a little too?"

Quite clearly I am a Francophile through and through. The word luxury rings like bells in a church tower and there is nothing that says luxury like Champagne! It is the drink of kings and has been hailed as the ultimate in sophistication since the 1600's. Unlike many other wines Champagne is as a symbol of upward mobility in society. This time for wine club we decided to splurge and have Champagne club instead. In preparation for our phenomenal little event I did a little research on my favourite drink on the planet and found out a few little gems that might come in handy at your next dinner party.

The reason Champagne is perceived to be so exclusive is simply a supply and demand equation. True Champagne only comes from the Champagne region in Northern France. This area is made up of a few towns including Epernay and Reims that reside on the most fertile and exquisite land that produces the highest quality grapes. As there is such a small area in the world that can legally produce this style of wine and call it Champagne, a premium price can be charged for the product. However there are other parts of the world that make wine in the same style with the same grapes and effervescence, they simply cannot be called by the same name therefore reducing the prestige. 

There are three types of grapes that are used to make Champagne Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Out of the three grapes Chardonnay is the only white grape, and in fact it is the only white grape grown in the Champagne region. The three grapes are generally blended together over a number of years to maintain consistency in the flavour of the Champagne house. When the vintage is particularly good the winemaker might create a wine made from only that year. A wine like this will have a different characteristic to it depending on the growing conditions of the year it was produced. Vintage wines will generally be more expensive as they are the best grapes.

Types of Champagne include

Prestige Cuvee

This is the wine that is generally considered to be at the top of the producers range. The most famous of this would be Cristal, which is produced by Louis Roderer or Dom Perignon, which is produced by Moet & Chandon.

Blanc de Noirs

Quite literally means 'white of blacks' - white wine produced of black grapes. The grapes in this Champagne would be Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. This is a rare type of wine.

Blanc de Blanc

This is Champagne produced with only Chardonnay grapes. This is also an expensive variety of Champagne that is great for celebrations.

Brut

This is the most common of the Champagne varieties and is produced by mixing the three grapes together. It can be non vintage or vintage.

Next wine club we will try a Bollinger Vintage Brut, Veuve Clicquot Non-Vintage Brut and an Australian version of the wine. It is going to be a good night! 

Until then, have a glass for me. Alex Mac

As Plain as the Nose on Your Face

Unfortunately when it comes to wine, the nose or the aromas that are described on a poetically crafted label are not as plain as the nose on ones face. In fact quite often they are completely elusive and leave the wine taster feeling underwhelmed and a little shaken for confidence.

Well then my friends, the news that I learnt recently will be music to your ears. The aromas that are mentioned in wine labels actually speak to the molecular construction of the wine. Simply put this means that the same molecules that make up a scent, e.g. lemon are also present in the molecules that make up the wine. Therefore the exact same particles that make up the smell a lemon has are present in the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that you probably drank over Christmas. 

Going into detail in the scientific element of this is most certainly going to put you to sleep. However, the point of the matter is that one should not feel intimidated or silly if you can’t smell these components in the glass you are drinking. As mentioned by the legend of wine aromas himself Jean Lenoir ‘some of these aroma compounds are mere traces, and are hardly detectable by our powerful analytical tools’. If this is true, then how can we possibly expect our little old untrained nose pick them up? Let’s face it, if you can smell even one or two different things in your favourite wine you are doing well.

Now that we have all had a little ego boost and can face our next glass of wine with greater confidence, the next step is to focus on the scents or aromas that are more obvious. It is likely that the aromas that smell the strongest are in fact just that and there are simply more of that particle in your wine.

Wood in chardonnay comes from the barrels

If you think of your favourite wine or even least favourite wine, you can probably think of some of the aromas or flavours that are associated with it. The interesting thing is that even if you can only think of the flavours, these are in fact the aromas. As you take a sip of the wine, the aromas enter the back of your nose and are transported to your brain sending you the signal that says ‘I love the passionfruit in my Sauvignon Blanc’ or ‘I can’t stand the strong wood in my chardonnay’. See, you are actually better at this than you thought!

Now that we know that specific aromas and flavours that we perceive in our wine are actually to do with the nose, it is possible to pay attention and train our nose. The best way that I have found to do this is focus on your favourite wine first. What do you like about it? Does it smell like anything you particularly like? Does it taste fresh? If it tastes fresh, what other fruits or vegetables do you get the impression of freshness from? It is great to think about these questions when you have your first sips. It will build up your knowledge really quickly.

I am very excited about the little discovery that I have made this week. There is nothing worse than feeling silly in front of people, especially if you think that the others have more knowledge than you. More often than not they don’t know either.

If you have any questions about this or anything else about wine, please write them on my AlexMacWine Facebook page, for some reason I can’t get comments to work here. Also, if you like my tips please share them. It is my goal to make the world a more wine friendly place.

Until next time, have a glass for me. Alex Mac.

The Three White Conquerers

Whilst idling some days away over the Christmas period at my parent’s house I came across a tale of the Three White Conquerors. Some may think that this has racist connotations, however in the land of these conquerors the only varieties of race are white and red. I have heard that there are red conquerors whose empires span across the seas, but that is a tale for another time.

Rhine, Germany

Once upon a time there were three white conquerors named Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Each of these adventurers came from a different town where they and their family grew on the vines everyday. They came from strict families where tradition of style and character were passed down through the family from generation to generation.

Riesling was originally from the Rhine region in Germany. Traditionally the cold climate produced a wine that was pale in colour due to the fewer sunny days that the little grapes were exposed to the sun. Just like Riesling's parents mama and papa Riesling he smelled lovely, like a bouquet of flowers. The ladies just adored him. While he liked the town of Rhine he knew that there was more to see in the world and decided when he grew up that he would like to travel the world and bare fruit in any region that would let him grow.

Loire Valley, France

Sauvignon Blanc was another little guy with an upbringing similar to Riesling. He was born to a traditional family in Bordeaux in France. Just like his father he was a green skinned grape with herbaceous, fresh cut grass and asparagus characteristics. His family was very well to do and all the children were polished and generally acted with finesse. There was one small problem though, everyone in the family had a great time in their youth, but they always died young. Poor little Sauvignon Blanc decided that he would go searching throughout the world to find a place where he and his family could live long happy lives.

Burgundy, France

Now we all know the story of Chardonnay and how he left his family in Burgundy, France to seek fame and fortune in California. His crisp, clean characteristics brought won him many admirers and he thought that he would take his French good looks and straw-coloured hair to an adoring public in Hollywood.

Each of these varieties had their own reasons for leaving their homeland, but the same magical thing happened as they travelled the world in search for their desires. Each spread his seed and became fathers to a multitude of children from nations around the whole world. First it was Riesling who conquered France, Austria, Czech Republic, Northern Italy, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, South Africa and the Ukraine. His thin skin did not appear to be a problem and mother earth’s soil welcomed the charming young German wherever he went.

Sauvignon Blanc never succeeded in finding a home for his family where they would live for a long time. To this day there is something about his family, which they always party too hard in their youth and don't make it beyond a couple of years. He did however also conqueror many lands and discover different places that developed his characteristics and enabled him to see things in himself that he had never known before. He has relatives in France (Loire Valley & Bordeaux), California, Australia, Chile and South Africa. His most famous conquest would be New Zealand.

And the there is Chardonnay. After his glory days of California peaked in the 1990's his imitators couldn't find work anymore in a saturated market place and fled to find their own way throughout the globe. Each of these Chardonnays settled in a different region and produced a wine that was entirely specific to that region including California, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and the list goes on and on.

The most important thing that these three grapes have in common is that they travelled the world and conquered regions with soil and climates that they had never seen before. Nowadays the gift that they offer wine drinkers all over the world is a range of wines produced from one type of grape in many different regions. They are the three noble white varieties. They are the three white conquerors that all other white varieties look up to.

Until next time, have a glass for me. Potentially Champagne on New Years Eve!

A Place Called Alsace

I am not going to lie; I have been a very naughty Guiggie. There have been a few little hiccups along the road in the last 6 weeks that have wreaked havoc on my ability to record my wine adventures. Mostly I have just been enjoying the silly season frivolity with gusto and putting in a stellar effort in researching the topic of wine to bring you some fascinating pearls of wisdom, which I believe I have. 

Just like ‘the rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain’ my ‘choice of wine this time comes from a place called Alsace’. Somewhere along the line I have learnt that it is much easier to learn things by association or rhyme which has helped me hone my growing wine acumen in the last few weeks. Before one can become an expert in anything it needs to be broken down and then rebuilt to understand how it all works.

The wine from Alsace came onto my radar in a little bar called Bar H in Surry Hills. I asked the sommelier to give me a wine that was similar to a Pinot Gris or a Pinot Grigio. The wine that she gave me was a Pinot Blanc from Alsace and was like a ray of sunshine streaming down my oesophagus. It had a perfumed bouquet nose (as per the description), which meant that it smelled like flowers, and it most certainly did. The floral scent is something that I remembered from that wine and took on board.

Throughout a series of dinners and trips to wine bars around town I continued an exploration of the region. As I have learnt, the climate and conditions for growth of a particular grape determine their character. When I looked into Alsace I realised that there are a number of different varieties that grow well there. I like to think of them as cousins, all from the same background and upbringing but have their own unique personality.

Riesling is the oldest one with the dry sense of humour; Gewürztraminer is the German cousin from across the border who is a little feisty and known for being drunk at a young age; Pinot Blanc is the shyer of the bunch preferring to not over power the others; Pinot Gris is a little bit fatter than the others and Sylvaner is the baby with the fresh face who is always pleasant to have around.

Wines from Alsace often have this shape bottle

On a catch up with my old wine buddy Sarah Nally and new recruit Nicola Dow-Smith we met at the lovely little city based wine bar De-Vine on the corner of Market and York and polished off a bottle of Paul Kubler 2007 Sylvaner ‘K’ from Alsace France. We discovered that it is not only always the grape variety that you like, but also the qualities produced from the region that the wine is from.

Since then rather than search for a particular type of wine, I have been searching for wines from Alsace France. You may think that imported wine would be expensive but this is not necessarily the case. The wine that we were drinking at DeVine was $13 by the glass, and the bottles that I have been buying in my local bottle shop range from $22 - $40. The tip to picking one of these types of wines is the distinctive long thin bottle shape.

In essence the lesson learnt for my most recent research has been that by looking at the regions from the old world wine producers one can get a better understanding of how that variety in its original environment. This is the basic building block. The next challenge will be to understand how the grape variety has taken on new characteristics when grown in the new world environment. 

International Winemaker of the Year

I haven't written in a few weeks as I have been working very hard studying the subject matter at hand and not enough time recording my fabulous findings, however those will have to wait. I wanted to write a short blog to say a huge congratulations to my uncle Neil McGuigan who has won the title of International Winemaker of the Year for the second time in three years.

Neil is the youngest of the baby boomer generation of the McGuigan clan and has done himself, our family, the company and the Australian Wine Industry extremely proud. The win celebrates Australian wine in a time that has been incredibly difficult for the industry with the wine glut and the high Australian dollar, which has seen exports fall dramatically. Local residents should be excited at the fantastic quality of wines that are produced on our soils and our international compatriots might just spend that extra money to buy some of Australia's famous wines.

Uncle Neil

To put into perspective the scale of the achievement Neil told journalists that 'This is the Olympics of wine shows'. And indeed it is, with 82 countries submitting wines and spirits for judging, over 6000 awards were given which speaks to the volume of entries in each category. The wines are judged on a two scaled judging process which included a blind tasting, followed by a detailed technical analysis by a panel of more than 40 Masters of Wine (less than 300 in the world) and industry experts. 

Of the 37 wines that McGuigans submitted for judging, 34 won awards. The best performing drop was the Hunter Semillon, which is not a big surprise, considering that the best Semillon in the world is produced in the Mediterranean climate of the Hunter Valley.

Congratulations again to Neil. I am one very proud McGuigan!

More articles on the awards below:

ABC News

news.com.au

Herald Sun