22 minute read
Sparking and Champagne - Tasting and Review
CHAMPAGNE SPARKLING &
OUR EXPERT PANEL OF TASTERS
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BRIDGET RAFFAL
Beverage Director Where’s Nick MICHAEL MCINTOSH
Fine Wine Brand Ambassador Accolade Wines DAVID MESSUM
Consultant/Winemaker Just the Drop JACK GLOVER
Marketing Director Accolade Wines
DRINKS TRADE, IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR PROFESSIONAL PANEL TEAM OF NINE WINE EXPERTS, RETAILERS, SOMMELIERS AND WINE CONSULTANTS GATHERED AT WHERE’S NICK WINE BAR & SHOP IN MARRICKVILLE, SYDNEY, TO TASTE THEIR WAY THROUGH AN OUTSTANDING LINE UP OF OVER 150 CHAMPAGNE AND SPARKLING WINES. WITH LOCKDOWN LIFTED WE ALL REJOICED AT TASTING ‘IN REAL LIFE’ WITH THE BENEFIT OF DISCUSSING THOUGHTS, OPINIONS AND COMPARING NOTES. INDIVIDUAL SCORES WERE COLLATED AND THE RESULTS OF THE TOP FOURTEEN WINES ARE SHOWCASED HERE WITH SIX WINES DELIVERING IMPRESSIVE SCORES OF 96 AND ABOVE. THE TOP FIVE WINES INCLUDED THREE CHAMPAGNES, A NON-VINTAGE BORDEAUX SPARKLING AND A TASMANIAN BRUT VINTAGE SPARKLING WINE.
JARRETT BUFFINGTON
Dan’s Wine Merchant Double Bay MEGAN BARBER
Brand Ambassador Oceania, Champagne Frerejean Frères COURTNEY TATE
General Manager Wine Envy SOPHIE GITTERLE
Senior Sommelier Quay, Sydney
STAND-OUT SELECTION
Wine of the Tasting
AYALA, BLANC DE BLANC NV CHAMPAGNE RRP: $90 | SCORE: 98 Comment: • Classic brioche, buttery, fine nose.
Good persistent and fine bead, well integrated, great balance through to finish. Like it a lot. DM
• • Tighter, some primary fruit - lemon and apple mixed with brioche nose.
Lively, mouth-watering acidity, complex autolytic characters like brioche and marzipan lingering on finish, balanced nicely with chalky texture. Fruit in balance with secondary characters. A harmonious linear wine. BR • Soft gold, slight green hints. Just a vibrant inviting vintage. It certainly feels youthful. Beautiful clean, almost linear, bright chardonnay, good structure. Good clean acidity. MB • Showcases restraint in all the right ways. Citrus, minerality, fresh oyster shell. Integrated and seamless. Pure and precise. It’s like a warm embrace after a long time apart. MM
Runner up
TSARINE CUVÉE PREMIUM BRUT NV CHAMPAGNE RRP: $60 | SCORE: 97 Comment: • Citrus, calcium UT. Touch of reserve complex. Linear, complex length. JG • Earth, mushroom, honeyed wheat, wet stones, yellow apples. SG • Reduction, vanilla and spice green pear, chalk, drying, great acidity, squeaky, low dosage. I like this.
Needs food. CT • Lemon zest, baked red fruit, balanced, round. JB
Equal Third
HEIDSIECK & CO MONOPOLE GOLD TOP 2010 CHAMPAGNE RRP: $50 | SCORE: 96 Comment: • Honeyed yellow hints, richness, autolytic, brioche and hot butter toast. Apricot, rounded palate, touch too much dosage. Mid-length finish.
DM • Lemon curd and biscuit, flinty, rich but restrained on nose. Good tension between richness of autolysis and chalky texture. A powerful wine with drive and balance. Richness with restraint. BR • Big full. Very obvious flint of aged
Chardonnay. Pinot is apparent upon secondary smell. Completely robust.
Full and generous. Flint, green apple and long finish. MB • Rich and voluminous. Desiccated fruit and toasty notes. Little aged and sherried. Mineral and flintiness.
Aging gracefully. MM
BREAM CREEK BRUT VINTAGE 2015 AUSTRALIAN SPARKLING (TASMANIA) RRP: $45 \ Score: 96 Comment: • Savoury, citrus, complexity. Pithy phenolics, little hard. JG • Brioche, baked apples. Love the flavour profile of this wine - more baked apples, warmed brioche, spice - keep going back. SG MAISON FONDÉE HENRI ABELÉ ROSÉ NV FRENCH SPARKLING (BORDEAUX) RRP: $55 \ Score: 96 Comment: • Alert, reds, florals edge, bright, juicy and front-loaded. Fine tension. JG • Cream, weight, red apple skin, texture, minerality, sherbet, wet stones. SG • Tart fruit pomegranate, cranberry, lengthy finish. JB
6. COLMAR ESTATE ROSE NV AUSTRALIAN SPARKLING (ORANGE, NSW) RRP: $30 \ Score: 95 Comment: • Pale onion skin, pretty. Fine acid line, chalky minerality. Good length. DM • Nice richness on mid palate, mouthwatering acidity, good complexity, chalky finish counteracts fruit weight.
BR • Soft peach and salmon colour, slight yeast, touch of zest on the nose. Good for food, a Brut but lacks bit of depth and character. MB
8. DE BORTOLI ESTE BRUT 2008 AUSTRALIAN SPARKLING (YARRA VALLEY, VICTORIA) RRP: $40 | Score: 95 Comment: • Citrus and mealy tones, forward, phenolic hard finish, good length. JG • Green raw tomato on the nose. Toast, brioche, earth, mushroom, richness, drive. SG 7. VRANKEN ‘DIAMANT BLANC’ BLANC DE BLANCS 2007 CHAMPAGNE RRP: $50 \ Score: 95 Comment: • Classic red berry. Richness, roundness from older blending material. Well integrated. Length touch short but overall good. DM • Tertiary fruit - dried lemon, hazelnut nose. Bead a bit faded. Rich from start to finish, good length, marzipan, carries dosage well though. BR • Bright rich gold in colour. All yeast, big and generous, soft floral perfume after smelling it too much. Falling over a little but is big round, full, lovely yeasty vintage Champagne MB • Robust style. Completely driven by winemaker influence. Toast, brioche, yoghurt. Gorgeous! MM
9. JACQUART MOSAIQUE EXTRA BRUT NV CHAMPAGNE RRP: $100 | Score: 95 Comment: • Red berry, white peach, textural, good
MF. JG • Honeyed, peaches, yoghurt, toast, mango. SG • Lazy flowery red apple. pie crust. phenolics, fuzzy white nectarine. red apple crystal. CT 10. POMMERY ‘LOUIS POMMERY’ ENGLAND BRUT NV English Sparkling RRP: $99| Score: 94 Comment: • Fresh nose, some lees and fresh baked bread on nose. Carries sugar well, very tight acidic finish, touch disjointed in structure but good. BR • Fine and light style, fresh but still some developing autolytic characters. Tightly wound acid, balance fine bead. Nice aperitif style. DM
11. RADENTI - R3 BRUT NV AUSTRALIAN SPARKLING (TASMANIA) RRP: $55 | Score: 93 points Comment: • Nice nose, candied peel and florals.
Good mouthfeel, foamy, fine bead, citrus, apple fruit notes, touch autolytic. Long. Very good. DM • Rich, cheesy, lemon and apple nose.
Good acid and drive, nice length, autolytic characters linger on the palate, tight finish offsets richer notes.
BR 12.JACQUART MOSAIQUE, ROSÉ NV BRUT CHAMPAGNE RRP: $110 | Score: 93 Comment: • Red berries, toast, balanced comp.
Linear, juicy reds with focused finish.
BP presence. JG • Honeyed toasted bran, wet stones, loving the acid drive, brioche. SG • Tasty on the palate but simplistic, strawberry. blood orange. redcurrant.
CT • Toasty cherry wood spice, dry JB
13. POMMERY BRUT ROYAL, NV CHAMPAGNE RRP: $72 | Score: 93 Comment: • Scented, layered, classic profile. Moderate concentration, energy fades. JG • Quite grippy, honey wheat, apple skin, wet stones. SG • Reduction-tension, phenolic-like yellow crisp peach skin. Gives way into crunchy green pear flesh. Some green plum/greengage on the nose.
Jasmine and orchid. Great lift, more power on the palate than expected. Vinous. long length, slight ginger spiced green and red apple flesh.
Lemon pith, lemongrass. CT • Fuji apple, lemon rind, sourdough, highly interesting. JB 14.AZAHARA NV BRUT AUSTRALIAN SPARKLING (MURRAY DARLING) RRP: $30 | Score: 91 Comment: • Fresh yet honeyed style, foamy bead, but nice texture. Lighter florals, good acid line and length. DM • Nice fine bead, some complexity in citrus fruit, and oyster shell minerality, mouth-watering acidity drives the wine.
BR
LOOKING INSIDE NINE PIN CIDER WORKS
THERE’S NO DENYING THAT COVID-19 DERAILED 2020, FORCING THE CLOSURE OF MANY BELOVED BUSINESSES AMIDST MONTHS-LONG LOCKDOWNS. THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY WAS AMONG THE HARDEST HIT WITHOUT CUSTOMERS TO SERVE IN PERSON. GLOBALLY, MUCH IS THE SAME, IF NOT WORSE, WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION: WITH THE END OF THE PANDEMIC SEEMINGLY NEAR, HOW DOES A BUSINESS RECOVER AND COME BACK BETTER THAN EVER? HERE, WE LOOK TO AMERICA AT NINE PIN CIDER WORKS AS A CASE STUDY. ESTABLISHED IN 2014 AS NEW YORK’S FIRST FARM CIDERY, NINE PIN CIDER IS A PROMINENT NEW YORK BRAND THAT EXEMPLIFIES A STURDY AMERICAN SPIRIT THAT DID MORE THAN SURVIVE THE PANDEMIC: IT THRIVED DURING IT. Amanda Blakeman reports from Albany, New York state.
Nine Pin Cider Works prides itself on being authentically and uniquely New York. Located in the state capital of Albany, north of New York City, Nine Pin boasts an impressive and ever-popular array of ciders. Available at their tasting room and across the state is small batches, seasonal releases, light ciders, and a Signature Nine Pin Cider.
Josh Whelan, Marketing Manager at Nine Pin Cider and a member of the family that runs the brand, says their Nine Pin Signature Cider is a staple in the Capital Region around Albany.
“I notice that if you go and try to get a beer, you order the specific style of a brewery; you want the IPA, you want the Porter, you want the Pilsner. When people go out and order Nine Pin, they say, ‘oh, I’d like a Nine Pin’. They don’t even specify Nine Pin Signature because they don’t even have to distinguish it because that’s what people think of. It’s our most popular and, I think, our favourite. Of course, we have other ciders that we’ve come out with people like, but at the end of the day, our Nine Pin Signature is what people remember”.
Nine Pin Cider has undoubtedly made a name for itself in New York by embracing its New York roots to the fullest, potentially tapping into exactly what makes any brand beloved and – more importantly – longlasting.
Even its name represents New York, as Whelan claims, “we get our name from the story of Rip Van Winkle, which is a Hudson Valley legend written by the famous New York author Washington Irving. In the story, Rip Van Winkle is this old guy living in the Hudson Valley who goes for a hike, there’s thunder in the distance, and he follows it with his dog until he stumbles upon a group of Harry Hudson’s sailors [after whom the famous Hudson River is named]. They are drinking what they call a ‘strange liquor’ and playing a game of Nine Pins, which is the Dutch form of bowling. “Rip Van Winkle and the sailors were probably drinking a particularly strong hard cider
from the abundance of apples available in New York state.
“We support New York agriculture by producing amazing hard cider sourced from apples and fruit from New York state apples and farms. We like to be as New York as possible, so to have our name tied to a New York legend, and with a New York author, is perfect”.
Nine Pin’s unique status as New York’s first Farm Cidery is due to a 2014 law from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo benefitting cider makers. Known as the Farm Cidery Law, it allowed Nine Pin to open a cider tasting room and sell directly to consumers who are fans of their brand. 95% of Nine Pin’s apples come from the same area of New York in which they are located, and Whelan cites the concept of terroir as the key to their great-tasting New York cider.
As it did globally, COVID-19, of course, threw a wrench into the plans of this favoured, but still young, brand, facing them with the loyal customer base that they had worked hard to build for many years prior.
“When the pandemic hit, we had to shut down our tasting room, and all the restaurants and bars closed down, which was bad for them, but worse because it meant that we couldn’t sell the kegs or anything. I think that people clung to us tightly and tried to support us as much as possible. It brought tears to our eyes at some points because it was like, my God, our fans are getting us through this; it’s amazing. Those effects are carrying over now as was sort of move out of the worst of it”.
They also had the extra benefit of their location in New York state; despite being known for their restrictive COVID lockdown rules, as per the state’s status as a former COVID hotspot, New York passed legislation to help struggling businesses.
“Former Governor Cuomo’s executive orders allowed us to ship direct to consumers and start doing delivery. I think it broadened our customer base because we were starting to be able to sell online, which was an avenue we weren’t able to do before COVID. That allowed us to reach more customers in the capital region and reach customers across the state.”
Whelan is very hopeful at the long-term benefits these new rules could have for cider makers, having opened up their online world.
However, Nine Pin’s approach to surviving and thriving during COVID was
more than simply relying on hopes and prayers for customers and government intervention. They adapted their tasting room and how they serve customers to accommodate social distancing rules.
One happy accident came from the shutdown of bars and restaurants. “In the beginning, what we were doing was canning the small, small, small-batch ciders that we had on tap at the tasting room. Every time we would release one of those, our online store would get flooded, and it created this frenzy that we’re hoping to continue. We created the Secret Stash series, where we release one Secret Stash cider a month. It was so successful and got us through some really tough times.”
Other choices were more intentional. Nine Pins set up private campfires over wintertime on our outdoor patio where people could come in for two hours with 6-8 people and socially distance. “We provided a space for people to do that safely and stay warm.”
To endure a New York winter and a pandemic like the 2020s was no small feat, but Nine Pin embraced change and continue to do so. It might forever alter the hospitality industry, but that does not have to be negative. “The third thing that we did is open the Nine Pin mobile bar. We figured that many people will be hosting a lot of belated events, because they haven’t seen their friends in forever. We took an old horse trailer, bought it towards the end of the winter, and refurbished it. Lot of ups and downs there, but we’ve come out on the other side. It’s now this beautiful trailer that people can book and have a private Nine Pin mobile bar at their private event”.
It appears that Nine Pin is more than prepared to handle the transition into the post-COVID world, with a multitude of creative ideas to keep thirsty customers coming back again and again. While it has not been entirely smooth sailing for the brand, it could be worth the while to adapt as they have.
GROWING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR PROVENCE WINES
PROVENCE CREATES WORLD-CLASS ROSÉS, WHITES AND REDS AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO THROUGH ITS ATTENTION TO SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE IN THE VINEYARD AND THE WINERY.
The Provençal wine producer believes the notion of terroir covers man’s ability to adapt to his vineyard to facilitate symbiosis between the vine, Soil, Climate, and the fruit that produces the wine. That is why producers in Provence work with nature as much as possible to produce clean and characterful grapes that are the expression of pure terroir. A harmonious and balanced vineyard delivers wines of distinction, quality and finesse.
Provence is blessed with naturally favourable conditions such as 2800 hours of sun per year and the strong wind of the Mistral that blows after the rain and dries the vines, preventing mildew and rot and keeping pests away. Still, it is the work done in the vineyards by the viticulturists that make all the difference.
Sustainable viticulture is essential to the premium quality and the pure expression of the wines of Provence and extremely important to the winemakers of the region. The 550 producers (490 private wineries + 60 cooperative wineries) that make up the membership of the Provence Wine Council (CIVP) will be sustainably certified by 2030. Today 215 are AB certified and 86 HVE certified.
Provençal wine growers work with sustainable practices for maximum impact, such as harnessing bio-diversity to keep the vineyard naturally balanced and reduce the need for pest control. Planting complementary crops, and cover crops between rows to add nitrogen back into the soil also increase natural fauna and reduce compaction of the soil, naturally aerating the soil and allowing it to breathe. Other Organic and Bio Dynamic practices are seen across the vineyards all aimed at returning the soil and environment to a balanced equilibrium, boosting long term vineyard health whilst also ensuring superior fruit quality.
The most popular style of Provençal wine, Rosé is probably the most challenging wine to make. It is a delicate wine, famous for its freshness of flavour and natural acid. Preserving these critical attributes of rosé is imperative. Vignerons choose harvest day carefully; ensuring the perfect balance between acidity, sugar, polyphenols and fruit character.
Freshness is central to the signature style of Provençal wine therefore avoiding oxidation is paramount. Grapes are harvested in the cool of the night and vinified in a controlled environment to protect primary aromas and flavours including the use of thermo-regulated transportation from vineyard to cellar, thermoregulated equipment, less triturationmanipulation and oxygen-free inert medium equipment.
Climate change is also of great concern to the growers of Provence. They are adapting by developing new varieties and adopting foreign, heat-hardy grape varietals that will flourish in the future. In the winery semi-underground cellars, the use of gravity as opposed to electric pumps and green rooves all help winemakers significantly reduce energy consumption during the winemaking process.
The 2020 vintage was outstanding, producing wines of clean fruit expression and aromas balanced with generosity and freshness. The yet to be released 2021 vintage which has recently finished fermenting and will soon be ready to bottle, is looking just as promising and will start to land in Australia from March 2022.
Rosé accounts for more than 98% of Provençal wines consumed in Australia, and with the regions producers sharing similar lifestyle values and drinking occasions with Australian consumers, the popularity of Provence Rosé looks assured.
The future is bright for Vins de Provence in the Australian market.
DUXTON VINEYARDS
SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CARE AT THE CORE
DUXTON VINEYARDS IS A LEADER IN THE SUSTAINABILITY SPACE AND WORK TO FORM HARMONIOUS AND SUSTAINABLE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE LAND THEY OPERATE ON THROUGH SEEKING ENVIRONMENTALLY-FOCUSED PARTNERSHIPS WITH TRADITIONAL OWNERS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, AND THE BROADER COMMUNITY.
Drinks Trade spoke to Environment Manager for Duxton Vineyards, Dylan Klingbiel, to gain insights into the extraordinary lengths the business is taking to realise its end goal of a zero-carbon footprint and how they champion the way for the industry as a whole.
Can you speak more on your certified membership of Sustainable Wine Australia covering the vineyards and winery, and your ISO 14001 Environmental Certification?
The ISO 14001 Environmental Certification was a mark of confidence that the winery had back in its previous ownership structure with Accolade Wines and was something we wanted to reinstate. It involves some excellent systems that not only protect the environment but also drive the continuous improvement of Duxton Vineyard operations. The systems and the ways of working are very much what we wanted as part of the Duxton Vineyard business -such as making sure we have people trained in certain areas to manage risk , have a crisis action process in place and drive positive environmental outcomes.
Our certified membership with Sustainable Wine Australia covers both the nuts and bolts of operating and overarching managing system but we have found value in certain operational target areas. It looks at the winery and vineyards setting, such as managing your chemicals effectively and where you store them, making sure they don’t get released into the environment uncontrolled. It also looks at how to improve your soil health and encourage organic techniques such as composting and reducing synthetic fertilisers such as the high carbon emissions-intense fertilisers.
Can you explain your water saving initiatives?
So that’s another part of our certified membership with Sustainable Wine Australia. It pushes you to continuously monitor your water use and drive you into initiatives to save water. Over the last 12 months, our focus has been investing in automation, such as seeing maximum utilisation of our wastewater stream within two of our vineyard setting. All of our filters clean themselves. It’s some pretty intelligent automation technology, automatically pumping that back into the system so it doesn’t go to waste and doesn’t evaporate. It’s pretty significant for us, and we have forecasted that it will potentially save us 150 million litres of water per year.
Tell us about the 100% recyclable materials in your vineyard setting and development trellising.
Essentially, we have drawn a line in the sand in terms of traditional trellising and setting up vineyards, so any work moving forward will be done using recyclable materials,
whether that be steel or another alternative. We are currently looking at some different options In that space. There is a few on the market; it’s just a matter of continuing to look. It’s an evolving space, and the industry continues to recognise the standard CCA posts are not a favourable option due to the harmful chemicals that they contain.
Tell us about the long-term use of onsite renewable energy that has thus far avoided over 750 tonnes of CO2e emissions and made a positive impact equivalent to 70,000 trees.
We are always looking for new opportunities in the renewable energy space. We have some excellent sized solar systems already, and we are always looking at solar options. We will be moving towards another solar project within the next 12 months, but we are also looking outside of that box, hoping to form partnerships with companies and look at the bigger picture. That’s what we’ve done with LAVO ( a green energy technology company powered by Hydrogen) through looking at hydrogen storage as an option to allow us to take that next step in terms of really driving towards offsetting all of our electricity and subsequent emissions. We are currently operating 24/7, so solar cannot offset that night-time use. We need to look at storage. Hydrogen is a very exciting space at the moment. The LAVO technology, the Green Hydrogen Battery Energy Storage System, seems to be a very innovative solution that could work for us. We’re now moving towards a feasibility and engineering study. We are looking to do a small-scale pilot rollout of that technology to get a feel for how it works and what it is capable of. We will then look to that industrial-scale solution and focus on our winery site because that’s a significant energy user and an energy-intensive process.
Are you early adopters of hydrogen technology?
Relatively, yes. LAVO has a few partners they have advertised publicly. Hydrogen technology is something that we are keen on getting into, as there are countless benefits it could offer us if we’re able to implement a hydrogen-storing system. It may be 4 or 5 years away from being a feasible commercial solution. Still, the work needs to start now because of technical aspects, regulations and other safety considerations that need to happen in the background. And the prospect of allowing us to go netzero through this technology is well-worth exploring early.
Are you industry leaders in this sustainable space?
That is what I would like us to be. It takes years’ worth of effort, time and understanding. Managing to achieve the certified membership of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia in such a short time over such a large scale shows that we are willing to throw whatever it takes to be a truly sustainable business. Being confirmed as the largest certified company has been a real reward for the Duxton Vineyards team’s effort.
Tell us about the Saving our Species program.
It’s been an ongoing program at our Euston Vineyard for four years now. Some of our first native plantings occurred in 2018. We have a mix
Dylan Klingbiel lof over 20 different native species we have planted, both nursery-grown and direct seed. We have revegetated and protected approximately 70 hectares of land. We are also doing things such as upgrading fences to keep pests at bay and protect all that hard work. We have also had to do a lot of weed control. Just planting the trees and forgetting about them isn’t what we have done. We have gone to the extent of irrigating them and giving them every best chance of success. We have planted flowering species to encourage insects because this is beneficial in increasing the overall biodiversity of the vineyard.
We are also working with the NSW Government on fish screens for irrigation pumps. It’s a significant area of focus within the government and the fishing industry groups because fish and fish eggs get sucked up into the irrigation pipes from the river systems in Australia. We have been working closely with the New South Wales Local Land Services, and they have been offering some funding. We are looking to have two fish screens installed at one of our Wentworth properties which will hopefully be up and running in the first quarter of next year. It will be a really exciting initiative for us, and the benefits are it keeps the juvenile fish in the river systems. Another advantage of the screens is that they can save us a lot of water because they will take the pressure off the filtering process and deliver better quality water further on in the system. You really need to look at every part of the operation and think about what the impact is.
Is the wine industry lagging in this area?
No, I think as an industry, we are probably leading. I am pretty thrilled to be a part of the wine industry at the moment. Other sectors are keen to catch up, so it is a really exciting time to be in the wine industry from a sustainability perspective.
Learn more about Duxton Vineyards and the great work they are doing in the sustainability space by contacting the team on +61 3 5022 1322 and at enquiries@duxtonvineyards.com.au
