Swirls: Royal wedding wine, climate change & vineyard shifts, giving up in Australia

SWIRL: Decanter appears to have broken the news about the sparkling wine to be served at next Friday’s wedding of Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton. And the winner is … Pol Roger  Brut NV. No surprise that Champagne is the beverage of choice given the nature of the event, or that Pol Roger was selected given its long association with British aristocracy. Read the full story here. But wouldn’t it have been nice if they had included one of Britain’s sparkling wines, which have been getting a good deal of critical praise? The two could have been served together, which would have been a nice gesture for the home team. What do you think?

SWIRL: The issue of climate change and wine, which I have written about here before, is discussed in a fascinating article on the impact in South Africa. A wine executive describes how some companies are planning to move their vineyards to cooler areas within the Cape region (to another side of a mountain, for example). He notes in Independent Online that the 2011 vintage “marks the third consecutive year characterized by higher temperatures outside the regular parameters, unseasonal rains, dry spells and excessively strong winds.”

SWIRL: The woes of the wine business in South Australia, from catastrophic weather to currency issues, are forcing some producers to give it all up and sell out – if they can – after many years in business. For others, salvation might be found in the  ever-expanding Chinese market. Read more here.

Technorati Tags: Royal wedding,Prince William,Kate Middleton,Pol Roger,British sparkling wine,South Africa,Climate change and wine,South Australia,Decanter,Independent Online,Edward Deitch

The Daily Sip: From Austrlia, Peter Lehmann’s excellent dry riesling

After attending the Riesling Rendezvous event in Washington state in July, my appreciation of riesling as a highly versatile everyday wine only increased. With that in mind, I continue to taste excellent dry rieslings, and one of the latest is from South Australia, Peter Lehmann's 2009 Eden Valley Dry Riesling.

This is a straightforward and focused wine that's easy to drink and simply delicious. Aromas of wet stone and citrus are followed by tastes of lime and yellow peach with crisp acidity coming through on a long finish. Alcohol is a modest 11 percent.

Dry rieslings (and even off-dry examples) deserve much more attention as "go to" white wines because they match well with so many foods, including fish and shellfish, simple chicken dishes, Asian cuisine and salads. In this regard, I think they are actually more useful than sauvignon blancs. Peter Lehmann's $17 Dry Riesling is also perfect on its own as a refreshing warm-up wine before dinner. Imported by The Hess Collection New World Wines, Napa, California. Received as a press sample.

Technorati Tags: Peter Lehmann wines,Peter Lehmann Dry Riesling,Peter Lehmann,South Austrlia wines,Riesling,Dry riesling,Edward Deitch,Australian riesling

The Daily Sip: enjoying a first-rate sauivgnon blanc from South Australia

I’m sitting around on a wonderfully pleasant autumn afternoon, charcoal grill firing up, kids occupied, new puppy calm. I’m having a taste of a mouth tingling sauvignon blanc that I know will match well with the cut-up chicken (from a local farm) that I’m about to grill after marinating it in lemon, white wine, olive oil and herbes de Provence. The wine is from South Australia,  Wakefield Wines’ 2009 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc. It’s nicely balanced with notes of green apple, lime, passion fruit, gooseberry and a touch of vanilla framed by a “vibrant acidity,” to borrow a phrase from the bottle’s back label.

This one, while on the fresh and racy side, is slightly de-tuned from many New Zealand sauvignons, which should make it broadly appealing to devotees of the grape. It also reinforces what I have known for some time, that Australia is making some first-rate sauvignons that remain largely overshadowed by regions that are better known for the variety. Beyond citrus-marinated chicken, enjoy this $17 wine with simple fish and shellfish dishes and sushi. Alcohol is 13 percent. Imported by American Wine Distributors, South San Francisco, California. Received as a press sample.

del.icio.us Tags: Wakefield Wines,Wakefield Sauvignon Blanc,Adelaide Hills,Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc,South Australia,Australian Sauvignon blanc,American Wine Distributors,Edward Deitch

Sips: with its ‘Layers,’ Australia’s Peter Lehmann produces a distinctive white blend

In the late-summer heat wave we’re having in the Northeast, any white wine that has a relatively low 11.5 percent alcohol is going to be at least be worth a try, which is why I pulled Peter Lehmann’s 2009 “Layers” White out of the wine rack here at our place in the  country. Beyond the heat, I’ll admit that I’ve been distracted in the last couple of days, which is why this is the first post of the week . (The chief distraction is an eight-week old puppy, a  cute little Lab/Pointer mix we adopted over the  weekend from a rescue program.)

But back to the wine. “Layers” is made from grapes from the Barossa Valley and Adelaide regions of South Australia and is a blend, which is, one may conclude, what they’re getting at with the name, although you might not know it because the bottle provides no clues except for images of five grapes on the front label. Peter Lehmann’s website reveals a mix of semillon, chardonnay, pinot gris, gewürztraminer and muscat. I had thought there might be some riesling in the mix. Oh, well.

The wine shows lots of component parts for  the suggested price of  $16 – a good deal of lemon-lime plus white peach, apricot, honey and some baking spices. I thought it might pair well with one of my favorite pasta dishes -- broccoli rabe sautéed with sweet and hot Italian sausage – and it did, providing a refreshing wash-down to this not unsubstantial dish, especially on a very warm night. It’s easy to drink with nice complexity – a winning combination for casual drinking and a range of white-wine foods. Imported by The Hess Collection New World Wines, Napa, California. (Received as a press sample.)

del.icio.us Tags: Barossa Valley,Australia white wine,Gewurztraminer,Chardonnay,Pinot Gris,Semillon,Peter Lehmann,Peter Lehmann Layers,Australian white blends,Edwad Deitch,Hess Collection

Swirls: Wine forgeries in China; aging wine; New Zealand’s wine industry hurting

SWIRL: This was probably inevitable, given the growing thirst in China for western wines. Some Australian winemakers are complaining about Chinese counterfeits of their brands, including but certainly not limited to the famed Penfolds’ Grange. One  Australian wine industry executive in China says he’s even seen the “P” in Penfolds changed to a “B,” as in Benfolds. Read more about it in the Sydney Morning Herald.

SIWRL: When is a wine ready to drink, or, for that matter, past its prime? It’s one of the great questions in the wine world, and Paul Gregutt has some interesting thoughts on the matter in the Seattle Times. His emphasis is on wines of the Pacific Northwest, particularly Washington, and he finds the cabernets, merlots and even the sangioveses quite worthy of aging. Alas, reading the piece and a long list of Washington wineries, I am reminded of how few Washington labels one sees on the East Coast. Hopefully that will change.

SWIRL: New Zealand’s wine industry is being hurt by oversupply and other factors. While exports are up, prices are down, which, while bad news for New Zealand’s wineries, might be good for American wine drinkers who enjoy the country’s sauvignon blancs and pinot noirs, among other wines. Dozens of small to medium-sized wineries could soon fall into receivership. Read more details here.

del.icio.us Tags: China wine forgeries,Australian wine,Penfolds,Penfolds Grange,Edward Deitch,Aging wine,Wine aging,New Zealand wine,Sydney Morning Herald,Seattle Times,Paul Gregutt

Swirls: Free case of wine? Which region would you choose?

I know I’m going a bit heavy on the surveys this week, but I was stuck by some of the results in a newly released study on attitudes toward imported wines. It was conducted by Wine  Opinions, an Internet-based research company that focuses on attitudes and preferences of frequent U.S. wine purchasers and consumers  and members of the wine trade. Among the findings:

• Argentina and Chile have seen major gains among consumers buying their red wines over the last couple of years, leading all other countries  in growth.
• Italy, New Zealand and Australia, saw significant increases in white wine and rosé purchases and, along with France and Germany, are the leading countries consumers turn to for these imports.
• Respondents from the wine trade say they’ve been selling a lot more wine under $20 from Argentina, Chile and Spain since the start of the recession in 2008, which is not surprising given the emphasis on value wines from those countries. Also not surprising: roughly a third or more say they are selling less wine in the over-$20 category from just about every country.

So, a lot of growth, it appears, in New World wines over the last couple of years. However, on the intriguing question -- from what country would consumers want to receive a free mixed-case of wine? – the Old World wins hands down. France was the first choice among 30 percent, Italy second at 26 percent, followed by Australia at 13 percent and Spain at 10 percent.

The results were based on responses from 642 consumers and 214 members of the wine trade. I’ll have more from this survey in coming days. For more information about the survey you can contact Wine Opinions at info@WineOpinions.com.

del.icio.us Tags: Wine imports,Wine Opinions,Wine Opinions survey,Under-$20 wines,Edward Deitch,Chile wine,Argentina wine,Spain wine,France wine,Italy wine,Australia wine,New Zealand wine,Wine survey,Imported wine,Germany wine

Sips: rosé season officially starts

Not only was Memorial Day weekend the unofficial start of the summer season, but the official start of rosé season.  As I sampled a number of rosés at various parties, lunches and dinners, I was reminded of the versatility of the wines, which can complement everything from burgers and hot dogs to spicy grilled chicken to roasted whole fish, in this case freshly caught black sea bass from our favorite fish market.

With their almost infinite shades of pink and salmon and copper, rosés have become a red-hot category in recent years, and with good reason. Not only are they great aperitif wines, but they can effectively bridge the gap between whites and reds (they are made from the juice of red grapes with just minimal contact with the color-producing skins). I have often enjoyed rosés with simply grilled meats like lamb and steak, which are typical red-wine foods.

I’ll be pointing out rosés frequently this summer, starting with two that stood out for me this past weekend. From France, Jean-Paul Brun’s 2009 Rosé d’Folie Beaujolais is an unusual example of rosé from that region and from the gamay grape. It’s quite dry with tastes of spicy cherry, some herbs, a touch or orange rind and a distinct minerality that gives it a real sense of originality and place. It’s also made with wild or indigenous yeasts, which the exception rather than the rule in Beaujolais. $15. Imported by Louis/Dressner Selections, New York.

From Australia, I also enjoyed Robert Oatley’s 2009 Rosé of Sangiovese from the Mudgee region of New South Wales. Fruit-forward in style with notes of peach and watermelon, this one practically screams out “summer.” It’s  effortless to drink and is a natural for the picnic table and patio. $15. Imported by Robert Oatley Vineyards, Petaluma, California. (Wines received as press samples.)

del.icio.us Tags: Jean-Paul Brun,Rosé d'Folie Beaujolais,Beajuolais,Beaujolais rosé,Edward Deitch,Robert Oatley,Robert Oatley Rosé of Sangiovese,Mudgee,Australian rosé,French rosé,Summer wines

Sips: some exciting new dry rieslings

I’m catching up on a couple of excellent dry rieslings, a category that deserves much more attention as an alternative to the ubiquitous chardonnays and sauvignon blancs. These two are from Australia and Washington state, which are both making world-class rieslings. From Australia, Wakefield’s 2008 Clare Valley Riesling, $17, is bone dry and refreshing and would be great with broiled fish, which may not be the typical pairing that comes to mind with riesling. I found this wine exquisite, with  notes of Meyer lemon, apricot, a bit of the interesting petrol-like quality that is often found in riesling (don’t worry, it’s not at all offensive), a hint of honey and then lime and minerals on the finish. As you can see, there’s a lot going on here. Imported by American Wine Distributors, San Francisco.

Another winning example, from Washington, is Mercer Estates’ 2009 Yakima Valley Riesling, $14. Mercer, which opened just two years ago, is making some impressive whites, including a pinot gris that I reviewed last fall. The riesling is quite dry and  full-bodied with melon and petrol notes, a creamy mid-palate and citrus, mainly lime, on the finish. Enjoy it with a range of foods, including Asian and other full-flavored dishes, or as an elegant aperitif. (Wines received as press samples.)

del.icio.us Tags: Wakefield,Wakefield Clare Valley,Wakefield Australia,Edward Deitch,Wakefield riesling,Mercer Estates,Mercer riesling,Washington riesling,Yakima Valley,Dry riesling

Swirls: tough times for some in Napa, Chile

I came across an interesting take from Australia on the impact of the recent earthquake in Chile, not only on that country’s wine industry, but on how damage from the quake might affect the fortunes of Australia’s wine business, which is dealing with “chronic oversupply problems.”

Meanwhile, I was struck by a report on the continuing fallout from the recession in the Napa Valley, with land values down and the threat of foreclosures up.

del.icio.us Tags: Chile wine,Chile quake,Australia wine,Napa Valley,Edward Deitch

Lamb and an Australian red

Pan-seared lamb chops seasoned with oregano were the centerpiece of our dinner tonight, which meant that a hearty red was in order. Instead of picking a new release I decided to go for something with a couple of years or so of bottle age.

From Australia’s Barossa Valley, Ross Estate’s 2003 “Lynedoch” did the trick. Ripe but still firmly tannic, this blend of 40 percent cabernet sauvignon, 40 percent cab franc and 20 percent merlot is aging well and is probably not even in its prime. It cut through the lamb like a sharp knife, showing notes of cassis, blackberry, dried cranberry and coffee bean. Afterward, I enjoyed a sip or two with some dark chocolate. It’s a big wine (with 14.5 percent alcohol) but well balanced with enough acid structure. Imported by Southern Starz Inc., Huntington Beach, California. Not sure of availability at this point  or price.