WHINE # 46
WHAT MAKES A GREAT
WINE AREA? There are many factors that determine wine
quality. These include “terroir”,
sunshine, and rainfall, to say nothing about the vintner’s efforts and
expertise. The French talk endlessly
about “terroir” or soil type, perhaps with considerable justification. Soils can be alluvial (clay, silt and
gravel), calcareous (high in chalk and limestone), jory ( volcanic soil of
mostly basalt), etc. Knowingly little
about geology I shall not continue, other than to note that those who know more
than me argue that the best wine-growing soils in the world are in Burgundy
(lots of limestone), Bordeaux (lots of gravel), Napa (mineral deposits on top
of limestone), Tuscany (volcanic soil with sandstone and clay), Priorat, Spain
(unique in the world with dark slate and quartzite), Coonawarra, Australia
(iron deposits over limestone) and, of course Mendoza (mainly alluvial).
Perhaps easier to understand is sunshine. Long growing varietals such as Cabernet
Sauvignon need a long warm (but not too hot) growing season with lots of
sunshine and little rain as the grapes ripen.
Of the major wine areas Mendoza has it best with at least 320 days of
sunshine per year (2871 hours).
Argentina is followed by Rioja in Spain (300 days of sunshine), Napa
(260), New South Wales in Australia (240 days), Tuscany (220). Bordeaux has only 192 days of sun and
Burgundy only 1649 hours of sunshine.
Thus, Burgundy specializes in cool weather varietals such as Pinot Noir.
With the exception of the Okanagan Valley, Canada’s wine
areas have too few sunny growing days to produce varietals such as Cabernet,
Shiraz or Malbec. While Ontario, and to
a lesser extent Nova Scotia, has the potential to make very good white wines,
consumers seem to be rapidly moving toward reds, giving cold weather growers a
very large headache.
In addition to good soils and warm days with lots of
sunshine, water is an essential ingredient.
Here Argentina has a huge advantage.
The area around Mendoza is essentially a desert with constant
sunshine. However, the melting snows
from the Andes are carefully directed through a series of canals to the
vineyards, providing all the necessary moisture without the harmful rainfall. People from Mendoza say that the most
important person in Argentina in not the President but the head of the water
authority.
THE EFFECT OF
CLIMATE CHANGE: We hear so
often about pending climate change that it is tempting to shut our ears and
ignore what’s coming. While at my
advanced age there may be little threat to my personal welfare, I can’t help
but fear for my grandsons’ futures.
Since it takes 20-25 years for grapevines to produce good
wine, vintners are already looking at where to plant. For example, producers in Champagne are
already buying up properties in Sussex, England on the expectation that by
mid-century many of the traditional top wine producing areas will either be too
hot or too dry. On the other hand, as
temperatures rise some marginal wine-growing areas may be ideally suited to
producing top grapes. Who knows, Canada
may even be able to produce top reds by 2050.
It is expected that high altitude areas will be least
negatively affected by climate change, while lower areas, and those areas not
close to the sea, will be the biggest losers.
Areas that are predicted to benefit from climate change will
be the northwestern United States (Washington and Oregon), the Rhine Valley in
Germany, the Mendoza Province of Argentina and all of New Zealand.
On the other hand the biggest loser may be Bordeaux which is
expected to have a compressed growing season.
South Africa and Australia will probably produce few wines because of
drought.
So, if you are thinking of investing in a vineyard pay
attention to not just the present, but to life in the future.
RED WINE AND
HEALTH: It has long been argued
that red wine drunk in moderation is good for you. Research, however, is still in its infancy
and most of the scientific evidence comes from research on mice. No, they don’t have mice sipping from crystal
glasses filled with aged Malbecs. Rather
the researchers gives daily doses of resveratrol to their squeaky subjects, in
amounts equivalent to two glasses per day for humans. Mice fed this amount of resveratrol have a
50% lower chance of developing cancerous tumors.
Resveratrol is polyphenol found in red wines. This antioxidant compound is also found in
dark-skinned berries such as blueberries. In addition to the above benefits of reduced
tumor growth, other studies indicate that moderate amounts of all types of
alcohol raise high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and prevent damage caused by
the bad type (low-density) of cholesterol.
So, the argument is that red wine has benefits in prevention
of both cancer and heart disease. How
much benefit is an open question, and some have argued that to get the positive
effects described above one would have to consume so much red wine that one’s
liver would give out long before one’s heart.
Perhaps over the next few years, researchers will be able to
tell precisely the benefits of red wine consumption, or perhaps like the mice
we’ll just take resveratrol supplements along with our corn flakes (of course,
it is a well-known fact that corn flakes are bad for one’s health due to high
levels of sodium).
Now, if you are rationalizing your red wine consumption as a
health benefit you might consider which wines are the best choices. High levels of resveratrol are found in wines
from the South of France, in Malbecs from Argentina, in Tannats from
California. Low levels are found in
Australian reds.
The highest levels, by far, are found in Pinot Noirs from
colder climates such as New York State and the Province of Ontario. There, I have finally found a reason to drink
Ontario reds. Didn’t think it was possible.
WINES OF THE RHONE
VALLEY: Despite the fact that
France is still the world’s largest wine exporter, consumption of French wine
is in decline in North America (but on the increase in China). I think there are two reasons for the fact
that I can’t remember the last time that I was at someone’s house and was
offered a glass of French wine. First,
French wines, particularly those from the famous areas of Bordeaux and
Burgundy, are grossly overpriced.
Second, French wines seem “thin” to those of us used to the more robust
wines of California and South America.
On the other hand, there are affordable French wines that
are both interesting and with body. In a
future Whine I shall do a more complete survey of the wines of Southern France,
but in the meantime my recommendation is that you do not overlook the wines of
the Rhone Valley. These wines are good
for both sipping and with food. Wines
from the Rhone Valley are blends of many varieties but the primary grape is
Grenache Noir.
There are four grades of Rhone wines: At the bottom level is Cotes du Rhone
offering a variety of possibilities from a huge area. Next is Cotes du Rhone Villages, followed by
the wines from single villages such as Signargues or Cairanne. At the top level are the 16 Crus. These include such famous names as
Chateauneuf-de-Pape and Gigondas.
For those of you from Ontario my son recommends the 2010
Terres D’Avignon Reserve des Armoiries as good value. It is currently listed at $ 15.95. Although I am unfamiliar with this particular
Cotes du Rhone I suspect it might be considered as a “poor man’s Chateauneuf”.
OFFERING # 220: I do not find this offering very exciting,
perhaps because I am not a huge fan of South African wines, and I have yet to
find a New Zealand red that impresses.
However, here are a couple of recommendations for those who are
desperate to spend some money. 7302
Foundstone is a very interesting blend of Chardonnay and Viognier. I expect it will match very well with
scallops or lobster. 7327 GMH Meritage
is a blend that is complex, but one that will not overpower like so many
Australian reds. A good value for
everyday drinking.
