Ben


Until recently, English wines, especially sparkling, were just known and consumed in Britain. It begins to change! Everyone is speaking about the climate change… The Champagne Climate arriving to the South of England with rumours of Champagne houses buying or looking for vinelands in the Sussex.

English wines (still or sparkling) really improved over the past few years. English sparkling are now competing with Champagne. The most recent blind tasting took place the 10th March 2008 (so few days ago!) organised by Decanter.

The tasters were Stephen Skelton MW, wine expert, Tom Stevenson, Champagne specialist, Oz Clarke, Benoit Gouez, Chef de Caves at Moet & Chandon, Waitrose’s Dee Blackstock MW, Andrew Jefford, award-winning wine writer and Decanter columnist and Steven Spurrier, Decanter’s contributing editor.

Over 60 sparkling wines from England, Wales and the Channel Islands, 3 Champagnes and one sparkling wine from Napa Valley in California were tasted. The Top 3 Sparkling wines were Theale Vineyard Founder’s Reserve 2003. Meopham Valley rose and Plumpton Estate’s The Dean.

The first Champagne, Duval-Leroy, ranked seventh. It was beaten by UK offerings from Camel Valley, Ridgeview, Nytimber, Denbies and Balfour Vineyards.

The tasters agreed on some aspects:

-The elite of English sparkling can face in blind tasting Champagnes without blushing

-Except with exceptional vintage, English sparkling have some problems with acidity even (too present even for the best producers) ‘Acidity was always a problem with English sparkling wines and I don’t see that improving,’ said Skelton. ‘That was the real problem with the good wines.’ Others agreed, citing winemaking faults and a lack of elegance in some wines.

-Traditional grapes of Champagne (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) give better results than autochthones grapes as Seyval Blanc or Huxelrebe, to reserve for still wines. ‘Some from the non-champagne varieties would have been better without the bubbles,’ said Stevenson.

-Pink sparkling category showed ‘certainly some horrors’, despite a rose wine coming second.

‘I was hoping we’d got over this,’ said Jefford. ‘There were some quite good wines,’ he added. ‘We should keep trying. If we had done this 10 years ago, it would have be a lot worse.’

A new phenomenon

UK supermarket chain Waitrose has announced they will plant vines to make their own sparkling wine. They hope to plant 4 or 5 hectares of Champagne grapes, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on their 1,600ha farm in Hampshire in Southern England this year.

We know that chalk hills and clay loam soils are the best to grow Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier as in Champagne or Chablis. That’s on that kind of soil Waitrose will plant their vines.

The Waitrose sparkling will be ready for sell in 2014.

The United Kingdom has currently 300 vineyards and produces around 3.3 million bottles per year, but both planting and production are set to increase in coming years to an exemption from the European Union vine planting ban.

According to a Decanter’s journalist,’Land in southern England, especially Sussex, Dorset and Hampshire, is considered ideal for growing grapes for sparkling wine. French producers including Duval Leroy and Boisset are known to be - or to have been - actively looking for vineland in the region. ‘

Still according to Decanter, ’Other producers as diverse as Chateau Pape Clement proprietor Bernard Magrez, and Randall Grahm, owner of Bonny Doon in Santa Cruz, have expressed varying degrees of interest in southern England, which has the great advantage of costing a fraction of continental vineland.’



Sean

Phillip Wainwright


To keep wine from becoming spoiled winemakers sometimes add preservatives. In fact, if preservatives are not added to wine it will only last six months to a year. Preservatives are added to keep wine from turning to vinegar and several types of preservatives are used in the winemaking process.

Two natural preservatives result from the grapes and the fermenting process – alcohol and tannins. These preservatives are excellent for extending the life of wine and kill off most organisms as very few can live in alcohol.

The most popular added preservative is sulphur dioxide. This is an anti-oxidant and a sterilizing agent that prevents organisms from growing in wine. It also prevents wine from turning into vinegar. This occurs by forming a barrier between oxygen and the wine, not allowing them to interact.

If the Romans Can Do It…

Sulphur has long been used as a preservative. In ancient times the Romans broke sulphur into small pieces and burned it before adding the pieces to wine. It also has a long history as a food preservative since the early 18th century.

White wines normally have more sulphur dioxide because they are sweeter. Sweet wines contain more sugar and ferment at a higher rate, resulting in a need for more sulphites.

Other common preservatives include 220 sodium dioxide, 220 sodium bisulphite, and 223 sodium meta- bisulphite. As with sulphur dioxide, these sulphites are regulated as to the amount that can be added to wine.

Why the Aging Process Needs Preserving

Preservatives added to wine depend on several factors. There are many things that can take place at the winery or during harvesting that lessen the amount of preservatives needed. For example, careful harvesting of grapes will keep them from being damaged. That is why some of the best vineyards pick grapes by hand.

It is very important to time the harvest process correctly. The time between the harvesting of the grapes and the time the grapes arrive at the winery is critical. Less of a time interval at this stage means less opportunity for bacteria growth and less need for pesticides.

Cooling processes are necessary. All wineries must have temperature sensitive cooling equipment in order to keep grapes at the proper temperature during the winemaking process. This is especially important when the grapes are being crushed.

Winemakers use a special filter to remove organisms from the wine. This filter acts as a screening device. The filtration system is used before the wine is boiled during the winemaking process.

Cleanliness is Next to…Great Wine!

A clean winery is important for preserving wine. Winemakers strive to keep their facilities as clean as possible in order to keep bacteria to a minimum. This keeps other harmful items from entering the wine at anytime during the winemaking process. Common logic says that the cleaner the winery, the less preservatives needed to keep harmful microbes at bay.

The cleanliness of winemaking facilities has lead to the theory that overall, cheaper wines have a higher sulphur count than higher quality wines. This is due to the clean conditions of high end wineries and the high expectations of their customers.

A preservative free wine does not exist. Many people are confused over terminology and feel that a wine must be preservative free in order to be organic. The preservatives added to wine have nothing to do with its organic status.

An organic wine is produced using harvesting methods that are eco-friendly. In addition, certain of the winemaking processes may also be eco-friendly but the adding of preservatives does not make a wine non-organic.

Do not concern yourself with the safety of sulphites in wine. The preservatives are not harmful and even allergies to sulphites are extremely rare. As mentioned before, no wine is entirely sulphite free. Even if sulphite is not added during the winemaking process the grapes themselves produce a small natural amount.



Thomas

Fiona Muller


There is no better way to get to know a variety of wine than going to a wine tasting. It is a unique opportunity to taste wines, have an expert guide you through the tasting, give them points according to your own tastes, and then, by the end of the evening, have a great idea of the type of wine that is your favourite.

When you are at a wine tasting, you taste the wine with a group of people, sometimes familiar people, sometimes strangers, making it a great opportunity to get ideas from others. Other people will have tried different bottles of wine to you previously and will be happy to share their views on which wine goes with which type of food and how to keep wine at its best once the bottle has been opened.

Wine tastings happen regularly across the country and beyond. They are usually held in interesting locations in city centres, such as art galleries, museums, or other heritage buildings. They often have producers of wine in attendance as well as experts, to guide you through the evening and offer advice if needed.

In addition to wine on offer, canapés or hors d’oevres are often served as well, making for a great night out, discovering new tastes and hopefully finding a new wine to fall in love with.

Not only are wine tastings a great way to get to know a new wine, it is also a fantastic way to meet fellow wine lovers and who knows, by the end evening, you could have made a new friend or two.

Most wine tastings only last for a couple of hours – any longer and you would have forgotten the first wine that you have tried. It is a good idea to make sure you don’t drink too much too quickly, as you will be mixing different types of wine, and you don’t want to end up buying something you didn’t really like, or having a splitting headache in the morning.

Wine tastings are held all over the country, from Bristol to Durham, at Lancaster to Salisbury.

There is bound to be one close to you. In addition to wine tastings, some companies hold wine dinners, where you get to taste wine in conjunction with indulging in a great meal.

Wine tastings come in a couple of different formats. There is a more formal, intimate set-up, which could feature fine wines and more information on a smaller number of wines. There is also the less formal setting where you walk around tasting a larger variety of wines, but this lacks the intimacy and the expertise of the more formal gathering.

If you are interested in wine tastings, why not check out an independent online retailer where you will find more information on this service.



Donald

Stan T. Little


Chardonnay grapes wine can go well with seafood mixed in cream sauce whereas Dry Riesling tastes better with a none cream sauce which has a subtle and light taste. In the same way, you can try a combination of different seafood like shellfish, crabs and lobsters with Chenin Blanc. There are plenty of interesting combination, which you can try in the process of white wine making at home and use them as wine accompaniments.

The process of white wine making differs from preparing a red wine with the kind of grapes that are used, the method of fermentation which influences the quality and taste of the wine. In white wine making, you can use either white grapes or black grapes to get a clear juice. Besides, in that process, the skin is taken out from the juice before it is put in the crusher. Further, you need to add good quality of yeast to the juice to make it ready for fermentation so that you can get good white wine from this process. Then you need to filter it and store them in stainless steel containers for a few months to get a nice flavor from the wine.

White wine making in wineries

The method of white wine making in wineries is quite different than the preparation that is made at home. The process of separating the stems and stalks from the grapes is the first step before starting with crushing so that all the tannin is removed for preparing white wine. Sulphur dioxide is added to the grapes to prevent the process of fermentation to help in retaining and preserving the taste of the wine for a long time. The next process is pressing which is done using machines where the skin and the seeds are separated from the grape juice, which is collected in steel tanks, where the sediment gets settled down at the bottom. They may be transferred to wooden barrels or steel tanks, where yeast is added to the grape juice to begin the process of fermentation.

The number of days required for fermentation depends on the type of wine which has been produced. Sometimes, the wine is stored in steel tanks which can bring down the cost of manufacturing wine and the process is always much easier. However, white wine making using oak barrels is also a preferred way used for fermentation of wines. After fermentation takes place, the wine is filtered to remove any kind of particles or residue that may have been left over in the process. Thus, white wine making requires great skill and mastery to get that perfect wine blend.



Regina

Wai Chim


,Wine making and appreciation has been described as an artform. Today, “green” drops are regularly available in most bottle shops and cellars. More and more vineyards are adapting sustainable practices in their wine making, harking back to the traditional wine making principles.

Today, about 94 current Australian wine producers (4.1 per cent of the industry) have so far gone back to wine’s original green roots. To qualify as organic producers, winemakers must make their wines from organically grown grapes while adopting organic principles in the production process.

Some have been seriously organic since the early 1970s, while the majority only started going green in the 1990s.

So what’s the SOB

Sustainable wine - sustainable wine generally means its production minimises the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides. Non-organic chemicals may be used minimally in certain conditions. Sustainable wine can also relate to practices that keep the environment in mind.

Organic wine - organic wine is certified by one of the qualified certifying in Australia, typically the Australian Certified Organic (a division of the Biological Farmers Association) or the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA). To qualify for organic certification, a vineyard verfies that it does not use certain chemicals, including pesticides and herbicids and that vines are handled minimally.

Bio-dynamic wine - adapts organic principles with a focus on the ecosystem and nature. Stemming from the theories of Rudolf Steiner, biodynamic principles are designed to be in tune with the Earth’s natural rhythms with a holistic approach to the preparation and nurturing of the vineyards’ soils. Demeter is the oldest seal in Australia, and is administered by the Bio-Dynamic Research Institute to certify biodynamic wines.

Find great organic wines on the Green Pages.



Taylor

Fiona Muller


There are many wine writers and wine competitions throughout the world, all of them rate wines by scores out of 10, 20 or 100 or by awarding stars or medals. These medals are given by experts of wine who taste the product using a blind tasting method. The results of the tasting determine which wines are judged as being of particularly high quality. The Gold Medal Wines have been declared by the panel to be particularly good examples of wine using the grape and from the area they have been produced in.

One of the foremost of these competitions is the International Wine Challenge, which is an annual competition held in London. No less than 9,300 wines from 35 countries were reviewed in 2007, judged by a panel of 400 experts from 19 countries and the resulting winners are awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. A total of 260 gold medals were awarded in 2007 (representing 2.8% of entries). 1,129 wines won silver medals (12.1 per cent) and bronze medals were awarded to 1,839 wines. Other prestigious competitions are held in Macon, Paris, Brussels and Vienna. If you think you prefer the same tastes and flavour components as the experts, why not use the guide of medal winners to guide your decision.

But where can you get your hands on bottles of Gold Medal winning quality?

One of the best ways of picking up a gold medal wine is to look for it online. Independent online retailers are able to buy directly from smaller wine producers and are therefore able to get their hands on more sought after vintages and fine wines.

But just because it has a Gold Medal does not mean that it has to cost the Earth. Some medal winners come in at about £6 a bottle. A great deal on a wine that comes recommended by impartial experts.

Using an online wine retailer means that you will be able to spot the gold medal wines immediately – there is a section on the pages telling you what awards the wine has won – something to look out for is that some of the wines have won more than once. Surely if a wine can win more than one competition you have to be onto a good thing.

But remember the golden rule of wine, just because it has won copious awards doesn’t mean you will like it, if it is a style of wine that doesn’t suit your tongue. Stick to types of wine you usually like and then look for the ones which have won medals. That way you know you will like it and you never know, it might just blow you away with its fantastic taste and smell – there’s something really special about the unique subtleties of medal winning wines.

Why not take a look at the gold medal wines available from an independent online retailer? For more information on competition winners and Gold Medal wines go to Laithwaites.



Cathy