Sommelier - Summer 2023

On the 15th of May, hopeful aspirants and top sommeliers gathered. Some to take the admission exam of the Danish Sommelier Association, some to fight for the title of Danish Champion.

The thirsty crowd was satisfied by our sponsors who collectively created a small wine fair for participants and mass alike, introducing new exciting things as well as all-time classics.

IMPRINT:

Sommelier #2 2023 26.Year

Deadline for next issue (#3 2023): 01. August

Editor in chief: Nina Højgaard Jensen / Nhj@sommelier.dk

Layout og art director: Morten Nybæk

Print: Nybæk Grafisk, 26 25 82 50

Issuer: Dansk Sommelier Forening

PRACTICAL INFO

SOMMELIER is published four times annually and sent to members and friends of the Danish Sommelier Association. The magazine is run by volunteer work. All profit goes to education, competitions and professional events. As a private person you can support the association with 700 dkk/year by becoming “Friend of Danish Sommelier Association”. Apart from working to improve the Danish sommeliers, you will then receive a diploma.

For membership contact: Heine René Egelund he@sommelier.dk - all enquiries in realtion to change of address, contingent and invoices are kindly asked addresses to Heine Egelund as well.

Ads and anything in that relation: Bonnie Reinwald Mail: bonnie@ buttandbons.com

We ask kindly that invitations to tastings, travels etc. are directed to Editor in chief Nina Højgaard Jensen på mail Nhj@sommelier.dk

WRITE FOR THE MAGAZINE

You are welcome to contribute to our magazine. For contributions or questions in that regard, contact Nina Højgaard Jensen by email nhj@ sommelier.dk. Please note that photos should be a minimum of 2MB.

BOARD OF DANISH SOMMELIER ASSOCIATION:

PRESIDENT: Christian Aarø ca@sommelier.dk

VICE PRESIDENT: Tim Vollerslev tv@sommelier.dk

TREASURER: Heine Egelund he@sommelier.dk

SPONSER MANAGER: Bonnie Reinwald bonnie@buttandbons.com

RESPONSIBLE FOR TASTINGS:

- Copenhagen - Christian Thorsholt Jacobsen ctj@sommelier.dk

- Fyn - Heine Egelund he@sommelier.dk

- Jylland - Kim Thygesen kt@sommelier.dk

COMPETITIONS & ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS:

Christian Thorsholt Jacobsen & Jess Kildetoft ctj@sommelier.dk & jk@sommelier.dk

TRAVELS:

Christian Thorsholt Jacobsen & Kim Thygesen ctj@sommelier.dk & kt@sommelier.dk

NEW LETTERS & COMMUNICATION: Christian Thorsholt Jacobsen ctj@sommelier.dk

FACEBOOK & WEBMASTER: Kim Thygesen kt@sommelier.dk

SECRETARY:

Christian Høj-Jørgensen chj@sommelier.dk

Front page: Photo - DSF/Heine Egelund

VISION FOR KVALITET OG NYDELSE

Høj kompetence og erfaring siden 1979 ligger bag Adriats spændende sortiment, der omfatter vine fra vingårde i hele Italien. Flere hører til blandt verdens førende producenter, andre er på vej, og nogle er stadig ukendte. Alle er de omhyggeligt udvalgt med samme store kærlighed til vinen.

MONDAVI FAMILIEN I PIEMONTE

Nu har Robert Mondavis barnebarn, Carlo Mondavi, og hans partner, Giovanna Bagnasco, overtaget vinhuset Sorí della Sorba i Piemonte, hvor de producerer vin ud fra principper indenfor permakultur, biodynamik, og økologi.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate gav vinhusets

første årgang 2019, Sorí della Sorba Nebbiolo Langhe 93+ point og en masse ros med på vejen:

De laver kun 2 vine på nuværende tidspunkt:

• Langhe Nebbiolo på 100% Nebbiolo

• Langhe Rosso på 60% Dolcetto, 40% Nebbiolo

MONDAVI FAMILIEN I PIEMONTE

”This biodynamic expression of Nebbiolo captures the most honest and transparent side of this noble Piedmont grape. Production is 3,441 bottles, 40 magnums and three jeroboams. That said, with this inaugural release, you'd be lucky to find one at all.”

Årgang 2020 er nu på lager i Skovlunde, og sælges så længe lager haves.

NYHED

Nu har Robert Mondavis barnebarn, Carlo Mondavi, og hans partner, Giovanna Bagnasco, overtaget vinhuset Sorí della Sorba i Piemonte, hvor de producerer vin ud fra principper indenfor permakultur, biodynamik, og økologi.

De laver kun 2 vine på nuværende tidspunkt:

• Langhe Nebbiolo på 100% Nebbiolo

• Langhe Rosso på 60% Dolcetto, 40% Nebbiolo

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate gav vinhusets første årgang 2019, Sorí della Sorba Nebbiolo Langhe 93+ point og en masse ros med på vejen:

”This biodynamic expression of Nebbiolo captures the most honest and transparent side of this noble Piedmont grape. Production is 3,441 bottles, 40 magnums and three jeroboams. That said, with this inaugural release, you'd be lucky to find one at all.”

Årgang 2020 er nu på lager i Skovlunde, og sælges så længe lager haves.

Ca. 200 flasker på lager · Findes også i magnum 1,5L

Clément og Florian Berthier kombinerer traditionel og moderne praksis for at udføre den mission, som deres far har givet dem: at bevare familiearven med samme flid.

Beliggende mellem Gien og Cosne-sur-Loire har denne vingård på 191 hektar et tempereret klima takket være Loire-floden, med en kontinental indflydelse fra øst. Det er plantet på bjergskråninger af Loire forlængelser af de geologiske formationer af Sancerrois og Pouilly.

Coteaux du Giennois er en lille og nyere appellation, selvom man kan finde arkæologiske beviser for vindyrkning i denne region siden det 2. århundrede. I fuld ekspansion med autentiske vine, der afslører originaliteten af deres terroir.

93PTS93PTS

TERRE DE CAILLOTTE

Med en lysgul farve med grønne nuancer åbner Terre de Caillotte med en meget elegant og raffineret næse. Hvide frugter komplementerer fint noter af hvide blomster som tjørn.

TERRE DE SILEX

Med en gylden gul farve åbner Terre de Silex med en typisk næse, der blander sauvignonens elegante sprødhed med en gunflint-karakter.

Inspirational drinking: The fragile allure…

The universal palette is becoming increasingly educated and we see a greater understanding of the light, elegant red wines. 5 years ago, it was not something most guests were asking for: Today it is the go-to. We are looking for something quaffable, juicy and easygoing with soft tannins and lifted acidity. But not only that. We are also craving elegance, perfume, subtlety. There is something enchanting about the fragile, isn’t there? Something that draws us in, allures us, makes us curious. Fragility leaves space for exploration as an invitation to dive in deeper. We are intrigued to discover what is beneath the immediate first impression. The delicacy commands attention – with the fear of missing something you become focused, and the truly great wines will reward you with the world of elegance that then unfolds. I sometimes wonder if a wine can have an almost aesthetic quality to it in the glass… The senses of smell and taste work so powerfully in creating emotions that you can take the same pleasure in an immaculate -

ly constructed, elegant wine as by observing something deeply pleasing or listening to a perfectly composed piece. While elegance in society usually signals wealth, education, or cultural capital, in wine elegance meets with the rough, rustic nature of farming and has historically been accessible to people of many different backgrounds. In the tension created by the clash of these opposites something wonderous appears – and it is all in the glass. Emotionally it resonates with admiration, inspires awe. We feel a significance in the culture and craftmanship that has gone into creating such a bottle. There is a certain element of simplicity and precision which is beyond what you imagine until it appears before you; nothing but the necessity is there, existing in harmony. Sometimes it can be almost otherworldly, even humor the fantasy and imagination as it offers a certain idealized version of refinement, that draws us in with the promise of an elevated, more harmonious reality, even if it is frail and temporary:

It will last until the glass is empty, yet the memory of it prevails. Such wines have a built-in quest: We feel compelled to understand what this came from and how we can experience this sensation again.

It might seem like a lot over a single glass of wine. You might find it to be a posh or over-interpretive approach to wine. Or it just might not resonate with you. But maybe, as you read, you conjured a strong memory of a wine that made an impact on you. Maybe, some of these intense emotions that those very best wines can evoke, were put into words. I spent quite some time trying to understand what ‘vin de emotion’ meant and even longer trying to describe it. I guess, it is something you must experience firsthand, and something that you must take notice of. I have been fortunate to experience it on several occasions, and true, I might be extreme in my interpretation, but it is as if everything is more vivid and my outlook of the world in those moments more positive and hopeful. We can easily let the moments pass by if we don’t take the time it requires. In that also lies the difference between tasting something briefly and spending the time sipping it over time; actually, drinking it.

I hope you have your own moments of inspirational drinking out there and enjoy this Summer issue. Cheers!

Nina Jensen Editor in chief

VALTELLINA & MAMETE PREVOSTINI SKRÆKKELIGE BJERGE, VIDUNDERLIGE VINE

I det nordligste Italien, i Lombardiet på grænsen til Schweiz, ligger Valtellina: en smal dal skåret ind i Alperne af floden Adda. Det var Leonardo da Vinci, som efter en opdagelsesrejse gennem Lombardiet kaldte tinderne rundt om Valtellina for terribili e piene sempre di neve: ”skrækkelige og altid fulde af sne”. Han havde dog kun rosende ord om vinen, der allerede dengang var en dominerende del af landskabet i dalen, hvis nordsides stejle, sydvendte skråninger er dækket af ældgamle, møjsommeligt udskårne terrasser tilplantet med Chiavennasca – bedre kendt som nebbiolo. Murene, der holder terrasserne, er bygget af sten brudt lige her på bjergsiderne, og lagde man længden af disse mure sammen, siges der at være 2.500 kilometer – eller to gange Italiens længde.

Det giver sig selv, at maskinel assistance er udelukket i dette labyrintiske netværk af ofte bittesmå terrasser, som er produktet af 2000 års hårdt arbejde og vidner om en imponerende dedikation til det særlige

terroir og mikroklima i dalen – for vinen må virkelig være exceptionel, hvis det skal være besværet værd at dyrke druer her. Som vinavleren Gabriella Bersani konkluderer efter sin 50. høst: ”uden en betingelsesløs kærlighed til vinmarken, er dette arbejde simpelthen ikke muligt”.

Druerne dyrkes i 300-800 meters højde, og regionen er præget af varme somre, men med stor temperaturforskel på nat og dag, samt den kølige brise fra Como-søen. Det er bl.a. det, der giver ”Alpe-karakteren”, som altid fremhæves i den uundgåelige sammenligning med Barolo, som er alle nebbiolo-vines skæbne: Valtellina er friskere, lettere, mere æterisk – og en række andre adjektiver, der lige så godt kunne beskrive Alpernes luft som deres vine. Det nytter dog ikke at skære alle Valtellinas vine over én bjergkam, for regionen rummer både en IGT, en DOC og to DOCG’er, hvoraf den ene har 5 subzoner med hver sin identitet, fx den tørreste, Valgella, og den varmeste, Inferno. Hvem skulle ha’ troet, at et sted med

dét navn er et sandt paradis – for nebbiolo altså.

Gabriella Bersani leverer druer til Mamete Prevostini, som er blandt dalens mest ansete producenter med en imponerende række vine – fra den legesyge Santa Rita, der viser nebbiolo fra sin allermest saftige og læskende side, til komplekse, lagringsværdige vine fra Grumello og Inferno. Prevostini er også en sand mester indenfor Valtellinas sjældne specialitet, sforzato, som laves på tørrede druer, ligesom man kender det fra Amarone, men her på nebbiolo. Til sforzato udvælges kun de bedste og sundeste klaser, som tørres mindst indtil december (men i nogle tilfælde helt til januar). Derefter følger endnu en streng sortering, drue for drue, så kun intakte bær slipper igennem. Resultatet er enestående: potente vine med høj alkohol, som dog ikke mister friskheden eller elegancen. Et unikum i vinverdenen, der ikke kunne blive til noget andet sted end Valtellina.

WA WINE HISTORY & KEY REGIONS

Danish Championship 15-05-2023

BY: NINA JENSEN

On May 15th the annual Danish Championship for Sommeliers was held. This year, a classic competition with a high level and an international final taking place in the majestic frames of Axelborg.

09:45. The candidates are gathered for the theory paper. Nervous glances and hope in the low voices. 15 participants – some with the goals of a final, some of passing the bar.

The theory is a questionnaire of 46 questions rooted in classic, universal knowledge followed by the always challenging written blind tasting: 3 wines in 10 minutes and 3 spirits in 3 minutes. A 50%

minimum is required to pass – about half of the candidates are here with the hopes of becoming a member, the other half with eyes set on the big prize.

EXAMPLE QUESTIONS:

Which Austrian region was most recently granted DAC and what are the main varietals?

Wagram. Grüner, Roter & Riesling.

State the AVAs of Lake County?

Kelsey Bench, High Valley, Clear Lake, Benmore Valley, Big Valley District, Red Hills, Guenoc Valley.

State four measuring units for the sugar content of the must intended for winemaking?

Brix, Beaume, Oechsle & KMW.

What are the age desginations of Tawny Port with an indication of age?

10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, 50 years, 80+ years (VVOP)

After correcting the theory paper, we have 6 strong candidates – 4 of them neck to neck. It will come down to the tasting, who will pass to the final. In the tasting the field becomes more widespread and three clear finalists emerge: Jakub Filipek (Formel B*), Andrea Sala (Geranium***) and Ketil Sauer (Sauer Wine).

BRINGING EXPERIENCE TO STAGE

The final begins with a task at a table with two guests. The guests have ordered a bottle of

champagne as well as a Vesper Martini. The time granted is plentiful: 10 minutes, allowing the sommelier to interact with the guests. Apart from remembering the measurements, the tricky part is the sequence order in this task. The cocktail and the champagne must be served in as close to each other as possible, meaning first, the champagne (Deutz, Brut classic) must be presented, opened and checked, followed by the making of the cocktail and finally the serving of the champagne. All

three candidates asks if there are any preferences to the Vesper Martini. Jakub goes with “the classic” recipe and uses correct ingredients but doesn’t enlighten the audience and jury about the measurements, only Ketil Sauer candidate clearly states the correct measurements and deliver a stellar cocktail preparation, while Andrea elaborates most on the Deutz champagne out of all the three, but fails on prepearing the Vesper Martini with correct ingredients. Next task is serving and decanting

a (fake) bottle Château Margaux 1982. As the candidate assumes the decanting, he is informed that the guests would actually like also to order the white wine of the Château. Here there are many points to obtain by knowing the name (Pavillon Blanc), the grapes and suggest a vintage. Only Andrea can in the high-pressure environment recall the name, while both Ketil and Jakub somewhat struggles. Andreas service was smooth and supremely elegant, but neither him, nor Jakub finishes in the given time of 6 minutes – Ketil just manages. All three maintain the calm and professionalism well. It looks like a close run so far.

SIGNATURE MENU THE CANDIDATES WERE TO MATCH WINE WITH

Oysters “Perle Blanche” with pickled Cucumber, horseradish & caviar

Black Danish lobster cooked a la nage

Line caught cod fish, white asparagus & sauce hollandaise with pickled white truffles

Braised whole celeriac, roasted bone marrow, Swedish löjrom, thyme & sauce made on oxidized Puligny-Montrachet.

Turbot cooked over fire, Danish peas with home smoked bacon & a rich fish fumé

Glaced local beef, confit porcini mushrooms & foie gras mousseline

Crepes Suzette, ice-cream with bourbon vanilla & sauce cent cinquantenaire

The next task is one of my favorite: Pairing food and wine. Here the sommelier can really get to show some personality and most closely resemble what he/she does in on a daily basis. Here the method is first to analyze what the main traits of each dish are, explain what you then need from w beverage and finally suggest a specific wine – something infinitely harder than it sounds when the spotlight is on you.

The menu is long with mainly white wine friendly foods. Not much trickery but the ingredients are luxurious, and the candidate is told that the

guests are out celebrating on a business dinner. That calls for a lavish pairing with emphasis on the great classics. The only thing the candidate cannot do is use the same vintage, country or grape twice. If they do, it is punished hard – something Jakub suffers from as he lines up a beautiful night with excellent suggestions but breaks the requirement multiple times. Ketil chooses a powerful Cantena Zapata 2016 red to a dish with bonemarrow but also lumpfishroe and then returns to a lighter white afterwards, which somewhat breaks the flow of the menu, while Andrea brings a sol -

id performance only lacking some in the prestige in certain of the chosen wines.

The last task they are doing individually is blind tasting. Jakub hits the white wine almost spot on only missing the vintage of the 2010 Moelleux Vouvray, Andrea also goes Vouvray but Sec while Ketil lands in Germany with a 2008 Riesling Spätlese. The red is trickier: A 2021 Vajra Barbera. While the guesses span from Pinot Noir to Southern Rhône to Mencia the three descriptions have many similarities. Jakub and Andrea demonstrate great flow and

vocabulary during the tasting with precise timing, Andrea scoring only slightly more points in it that Jakub, while Ketil, after delivering the strongest tasting in the quarterfinals, is now lacking substantially behind the two in the grid.

After a short break, the last part of the final commerce: The classic picture-recognition game followed by pouring of a magnum into 20 equal glasses. During the picture game 3 points is awarded per correct answer. It can change things if the run is tight. Jakub emerges the clear winner of that task scoring 27 points while Ketil scores 18 and Andrea 15, tightening the race. In pouring the magnum, the candidate must still treat the bottle respectfully and with elegance. Pouring the 20 glasses equally having nothing left in the bottle is not an easy feat. The candidates are almost even in this task with 5-7 glasses not approved from each candidate.

AND THE WINNER IS…

In the jury room the points are being counted. It has been years since the level has been this high in the final. The three candidates have all been more than worthy of the spotlight on the stage – clearly none of them are novices: Jakub won the Polish Championship in 2022, Ketil the Danish in 2022 and Andrea got reached the final last time he participated in the Danish Championship in 2021. Following the pattern from the quarterfinals each of

the candidates hold the places they had going into the final, despite the points being reset: After counting together all of the disciplines, there is 10-20 points separating each of the candidates and a jury in unison.

Andrea Sala emerges as the winner, Ketil Sauer takes the silver while Jakub gets the bronze.

Congratulations to all three and to our new members of the Danish Association. A warm thanks to all the Sponsors as well as the Board of the Danish Association enabling the inspiring day.

”VINE MED PRÆCISION OG MINIMAL INDGRIBEN”

”AROMATISK, KOMPLEKS OG HARMONISK ROSÉVIN”

DOMAINE DE BELLENE

Bourgogne’s bæredygtige elegantier - velegnet til at køre på glas.

Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon and the challenge of a generation

BY: JENS - PETER NEBSBJERG PHOTOS BY: NICOLAI HØJLUND OG PR

Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Chef de Cave at Louis Roederer, embarked on a mission two decades ago to revolutionize the house. His approach challenged the status quo by emphasizing the importance of crafting wines right from the vineyards, rather than just in the cellars.Acknowledging that the key to producing exceptional wines lay in changing viticulture and creating more terroir-driven wines, the quest led Lécaillon to adopt organic and biodynamic methods. Despite facing skepticism, Lécaillon remains steadfast in his commitment to quality and artisanal production - pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the world of Champagne.

“I said “okay”, but I want the full job.” answered Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, when he was asked to become the Chef de Cave at Louis Roederer back in 1999. He wanted to be in charge of the vineyards also, not just the cellars. A radical new idea in the conservative Champagne industry, but a constellation necessary to bring his vision to life. “I want to craft it right from the vineyards, because that's

where I will mostly print my wines. And I was thinking that the challenge of my generation was to change the viticulture, was to get more terroir-driven wines.” Lécaillon sees the extension to the vineyards as the natural next step to improve Champagne overall. Generally, the champanoise winemakers have achieved much in the cellars; the vineyards are what’s left in the pursuit

of higher quality. “The generation before me has done a lot of work in winemaking: To make good quality wines from, sometimes, average quality grapes. The challenge of my generation was to keep that winemaking knowledge but really build the ingredient side, to make the most beautiful grapes. Because if you make beautiful grapes - the winemaking would be easy.”

DREAMS AND REALITY

“My dream would be in permaculture but I know I can not be. It's not possible.”

“34 years ago I spent time with the father of permaculture, Bill Morrison, which for me is the best school. Because it's the story of a balanced ecosystem. In fact, here it is not possible. It’s possible if you own all the land around you. You create your ecosystem. Like we do in Napa Valley at Diamond Creek. We create a river, the cascades, the water-

flow, the flowers, the atmosphere, the bees, everything is created. We create it, and we live in it.”

“Here, in Champagne, we have one plot next to the other and another guy on top - I cannot control the ecosystem here. I cannot put sheep, cows or whatever. It's not possible. So, I had to find another way. A way to inject energy from outside of the ecosystem to create the direction I wanted. In a biodynamic system you inject biodynamic compost 500 - Maria Thun compost

- all your preparations inject some bacteria, some mushrooms, some life - so you regenerate. “

An regeneration is exactly what Lécaillon sees as the main task with still just 2% of Champagne being organic, and a longstanding use of herbicides and pesticides. “So, the key here in Champagne is not to create an ecosystem, it is to regenerate the ecosystem. Which have been farmed in monoculture with a lot of pesticides.

You need to regenerate everything here to recreate the diversity. Biodiversity. And among the tools you havebiodynamics is the strongest tool.”

At Louis Roederer they work organic, biodynamic and conventional in their large vineyard holdings. Being organic and biodynamic is still seen as

an obscure choice in Champagne and Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon even has to argue his choices among his own workers. Yet he sticks relentlessly with it.

”It can only improve quality because you get wine with less pesticides. Wine is fun. Wine is beautiful, but it should not be polluting anything…the footprint of wine should be zero except the glass.”

Reflecting on the human role in nature Lécaillon believes we have a choice: “It is your position as a human in the ecosystem. Do you want to be dominant, or do you want to be part of it? You don't stop

following the ecosystem because nature is sometimes not nice. This is organic farming. Or are you above, saying you are mankind, and I can control the ecosystem? Biodynamics is a school of humility more than a school of dominance.”

THE FIRST BIODYNAMIC FRUIT

Two parallel chains of events helped Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon convert a large part of the Louis Roederer estate. The first involves a renowned biodynamic consultant, while the second centers on Pascal Leclerc, the former proprietor of Leclerc Briant, whose

Cumiéres vineyards now can be tasted in the Brut Nature Starck collaboration.

“When I started in biodynamics in 2000, Pascal Leclerc was already biodynamic. And he came to me and said: “I want to sell some fruit, you are doing trials, do you want to buy my fruit?” I went to his plot in Cumiéres and he had seven hectares there.”

“And so, since 2000, I was making wine from this estate of Cumiéres. Pascal unfortunately died in 2011. And when he died his sister started to sell a little bit, we bought two hectares and then the daughter took over Leclerc Briant and two years later, she stopped. So, we bought Leclerc Briant and we sold the brand to the American couple, you know, Denise Dupré and Mark Nunelly and we kept the land. So, in fact, I have been making wine from the Cumiérers plot since 2000.”

TRIAL

“I have three trials in the vineyards. I have three plots and I cut them half and half 20 years ago. One half is biodynamic, one half is organic. One is in Aÿ, one in Avize and one in Verzenay. But the oldest one is in Avize because when I started to do the biodynamic conversion in 2002, I used a consultant whose name was Pierre Mason. He was a consultant for Dominic Lafon and Anne Claude Leflaive in Burgundy. He came to me and asked; ‘where is the plot where you have the most problems?’ and I said it's here, in Avize.”

“When you walk in the vineyards and you go in the middle with the organic on the left and the biodynamic on the right. They were planted the same day. They have the same history - only the preparations are different.”

“In Avize the difference is obvious because we are virus infected [yellow fan leaf] in this place. So, the organic are very small growth and all the biodynamic are full growth. They have the virus but it looks like they have an extra energy that makes them live with the virus. You compare the yield of both solutions; we have 20 to 30% more crop in the biodynamic than we have in the organic.”

“They are big plots: two hectares are organic, two hectares are biodynamic in three places. And every year, I ferment the wine separately and I bottle them separately and we look at the long term.

We were five tasters. [Tasting triangles: 2 equal and one apart] Five found the difference.

Two preferred the organic and three preferred the biodynamic. This is a proof in the glass. If you are five to be able to recognize it the glass, there is a difference.”

& ERROR

Implementing organic and biodynamic viticulture on such a broad scale is bound to create challenges along the way. Lécaillon recalls the biggest loss they have suffered throughout the conversions: “In 2012 we lost 10 hectares. We started the conversion in 2002 and it went well. We went full speed and jumped from 40 to 65 hectares, meaning we had 25 hectares in full conversion mainly in Côte des Blancs. The three first years from conventional to organic your wines are very weak because they have been protected by the chemicals for so long. They still have lots of fertilizers in the soil, so they keep growing in the old way, but they don't have the protection of the old way, they are sensitive. After three or four years they reduce their speed of growth - the vigor is less. They become more balanced and more resistant thanks to less vigor.” With great sympathy and admiration for the plant he states: “I always compare it to a heavy smoker. Rare are people who have such a strong character that they say, okay? I will stop smoking tomorrow. How many people do that?”

Lécaillon recall a conversation, which was almost as a point of no return: After the winter in 2012 it was time so assess the past year. The loss constituted a strong argument to give up the uncompromising approach. “When I sat with the family [the owners of Louis Roederer] they asked me: ’what are you going to do?’ And I told them: ‘We are at 65 hectares. Now, I go to 85 hectares.’ They looked at me and said, ‘what are you doing?’ And I said ‘I think we got the point’ and now we are at 125 hectares!”

THE CHALLENGE FROM THE VINEYARD

The new reality in the vineyards have required Léciallon to adapt in the cellar as well – the one thing he thought he, and the region overall, had a hold of after so many years. “What's interesting is that I didn’t expect the next challenge. There was the challenge to go into the vineyard and grow your fruit to the taste you wanted. But then I didn’t expect that 20 years later I would have to relearn winemaking because you don't do the same fermentation of biodynamic and conventional fruit.”

In the next magazine, the interview with Jean-Baptiste Lécaillons continues. We discussed his changed cellar practice as well as the increasing influence of global warming.

Danmarks eneste kvalitetsvin er den mousserende vin DONS (BOB)

Danmarks første Beskyttede Oprindelses Betegnelse: DONS (BOB) fra vinområde Dons - EU’s nordligste appellation. BOB svarer til AOC eller DOC.

Skærsøgaard’s mousserende vin DONS har været kendt gennem 20 år og har opnået mere end 100 præmieringer.

Den nærproducerede vin forespørges af kunder til det Nordiske Køkken –senest ved 10 Nordiske Michelin restauranters festmiddag, Stars du Nord, i Stockholm.

Rekvirer engrosliste for direkte levering på salg@dansk-vin.dk Giv kunderne mulighed for at opleve den danske certificerede kvalitetsvin.

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Snapshot of Californian Pinot Noir

BY: NINA JENSEN

A tasting of a broad spectrum of Californian Pinot Noirs gave rise to this article sponsored by Wines of California.

In the vast tapestry of California viticultural landscape, one grape varietal stands out as a true enigma: Pinot Noir. Sensitive to the winemaker’s touch and with a high degree of terroir-transparency, California’s diverse microclimates and varied geography provide an ideal canvas for the frickle Pinot Noir to express its full potential. Cultivated along the entire coastline from the growing Mendocino to the complex Sonoma, across the overlooked Monterrey and all the way to the extremes of Santa Rita Hills and beyond. Pinot Noir has enchanted the world and taken a stronghold in California, both when it comes to domestic consumption as well as fine wine export. This article gives a small glimpse into the diversity of Californian Pinot Noir through 12 examples tasted.

CLONE WARS

With the rise of Pinot in California came the rise- and talk of clones. The illicitly imported Pinot Noir grapevine cuttings were field selections but eventually became the so-called “heritage clones” including Martini, Wente, Mount Eden, Swan, Calera, and Hanzell and noncertified “clones” known in the vernacular as David Bruce, Chalone and Pisoni in California. The smugglers were reluctant to admit their transgressions so the lineage of these selections in most cases remains a mystery. By the mid-1990s, the French threatened legal action against any Americans that used grapevine cuttings from their famous vineyards

especially if their source was expressively promoted. Nonetheless several wineries today provide precise information on what clones they use, some even on the bottle. Dijon clones have for the longest time been all the craze, but many are curious to see if that continues as California faces increasing challenges with drought (as well as forest fires).

SONOMA: FROM COAST TO VALLEY

The first county that usually comes to mind whenever we think of Cali Pinot is the great Sonoma.

Sonoma is one of the most diversified regions in California: Shaped by the cool of the Pacific, the submersion under water, a ripple of mountain ranges and the valleys between them created by the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate. Among winemakers of Sonoma, it is said that Sonoma has more soil types than entire France. Sonoma soils generally reflect the marine history—a result of the land’s long submersion beneath the Pacific—and volcanic matter, coming from tectonic activity and eruptions. Overall, the land is more granitic to the west of the San Andreas Fault and more diverse to the east. On a Winkler scale the county spans from I in the western part to III in the northeastern AVA of Alexander Valley, anything from Cabernet Sauvignon to Pinot Noir can thrive here. While Sonoma Pinto occupy a much larger space in the mind of a sommelier and

on the wine lists around, it is only very recently it has overtaken Cabernet Sauvignon as the most planted varietal. The range of Pinot is wide, from the cool, light, low ABV kinds from Western Sonoma Coast or around Pataluma gap to the opulent, rich and darker 14-15% from the warm parts of Russian River Valley. You could consider the evolution of Pinot Noir in Sonoma in three stages from the early initiators with Hanzell, Joe Swan and Rochioli in the front to the next wave with the likes of Ted Lemon at Littorai, Williams-Selyem and Hirsch to the current stage led by producers such as Raen, Red Car and Failla catalyzed by the IPOB movement where many follow the second-wave-suit searching for the elegant expression. Each of the five samples sent were on a different part of the spectrum with Sonoma Coast Vineyards and Joseph Swan in the elegant, Burgundian and the Marimar, Larue and Twomey more evidently Californian.

2016 Sonoma Coast

Pinot Noir, Larue: Sweet fruitcondition, baked clay quality, lifted acidity and crushed violets. Cherry and wild strawberry takes the center stage, starting out with tartness in the fruit transforming to a more sweet-toned aftertaste. A little evolution showing earthiness. General straight forward and pleasant style.

2018 Freestone Hills Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast, Sonoma Coast

Vineyards:

Dijon Clones 115, 667, 777. A very Burgundian nose with dried spices, savory undertones, prominent earthiness of freshly tilled earth and a

tart, refined fruit condition. A focused acidity and slightly more grippy tannins that are harmonized by the red fruits.

2018 Mas Cavalls Doña

Margarita Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Marimar Estate: Soft, velvet texture, red- and blue fruit dominant in a shyer aromatic profile. Ripe fruitcondition, a hint of savory tones and mellow acidity. Needs some air to open up after which is reveals more vibrancy and brightness but still with a core of ripe red fruit.

2020 Russian River

Pinot Noir, Twomey: Dominated by sweet oak spiced, voluminous red fruit with a creamy texture and soft tannins. Blueberry-yoghurt, amarena cherry and warm raspberry. The alcohol leaves a warming sensation. A

broad, polished and textbook example of Russian River.

2016 Trenton Estate Vineyard Russian River Valley, Joseph Swan Vineyards: All the different Dijon clones. Supremely fragrant and aromatic. Light, crunchy with an alluring intensity that doesn’t immediately reveal itself. Clear, asphalt minerality, super tart fruit with redcurrant, underripe strawberry, red apple, cranberry, dried orange and grapefruit, sour cherry plus an enchanting, lifted rose-like florality. A juicy finish. Marked tannins in perfect harmony with the fruit intensity that turns slightly riper in the aftertaste. So pure and precise with jus 12,2%. Despite Joes passing in 1989 The icon lives on.

CARNEROS: CROSSROAD BETWEEN NAPA AND SONOMA

Renowned for its cool maritime climate influenced by San Pablo Bay, the foggy mornings, and clayey soils, Carneros is the ideal homeplace for Pinot and Chardonnay both in still and sparkling version, the latter notably made famous by the Taittinger, Freixenet and Cordoníu establishments in the AVA. Falling into the pathway of the Petaluma Gap, the diurnal swings are enhanced, and while warm at noon, the average temperatures are some of the lowest in both Napa and Sonoma County. Carneros Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are typically vinified in a style somewhere in between that of the Russian River Valley and the Sonoma Coast. While 2/3 of the vineyards are in Sonoma,

MONTEREY: DRAMATIC CHANGES

South of the San Francisco Bay is Monterey County. In the wake of Napa’s success, the Monterey AVA, was extensively planted with vines. Monterey AVA largely became source to satisfy the demand for cheap table wines, but it holds a far greater potential for quality wines, boasting one of the longest growing seasons in California. Most of Monterey’s production is centered in- and around Salinas Valley which runs northsouth starting by Monterey Bay in the north. In the southern end, there is a gap in the mountains that runs perpendicular to the coast (west to east) allow-

most of the bench-mark wineries are in Napa Valley. The main soil type of the region is called Haire Coombs and is named from the Coombs soil series that runs throughout most of the AVA: A gravelly bed overlayed by clay. One of the wines tasted realized the potential for cool, fresh wines while the other went in a much riper direction. Relative to its growing size of almost 4200ha, Carneros doesn’t appear too frequently on the labels, partly because the Sonoma section can also be labelled as the more popular Sonoma Valley or Petaluma Gap.

2019 Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir, Carneros Creek: Tart fruit with cherry pips, sour plum, fresh raspberry. Herbal, slightly green tannins, cedarwood, green tobacco,

oolong tea. A lean and focused style.

2018 Estate Pinot Noir, Domaine Carneros:

Sweet oak spices, sweet lacquorice, bakingspices and ripe blueberries. Soft acidity and gentle tannins.

ing warm air at the southwestern end of the valley to pull in the cool ocean air downstream. While the cooling breezes from the north strongly regulate the temperature, they can’t maintain the cool temperature as they blow through the hot valley, meaning there is a dramatic temperature difference between the northern parts of the valley and the south. Apart from the strong winds there are two other factors at play as well: A fog running throughout the northern half of the valley and the altitude that some of the sub AVAs offer.

The two examples tasted were from Arroyo Seco and Santa Lu-

cia Highlands. The Arroyo Seco AVA, which translates to “dry riverbed,” starts in the west a steep, narrow gorge at the foot of the Santa Lucia Mountain range and extends east into a widening topography that eventually opens to the warm, fertile soil of the Salinas Valley. Exposed directly to the winds of the Pacific, the eastern end of Arroyo is significantly cooler than the more sheltered western portion. The loamy soils and varied sheltering from the winds allows for varietals as diversified as Riesling, Zinfandel, Rhône and Bordeaux varietals to be cultivated but Pinot Noir is a rare sight.

the Arroyo Seco River fills up

ARROYO SECO UP CLOSE

(1) The "Gorge" - this narrow ravine is protected from the direct marine-influences of the Pacific Ocean. That said, fog from the Pacific Ocean does penetrate the landscape and further the terrain is hampered by a strong easterly wind. Due to the dramatic rise of the mountains as well as millenniums of erosion, the soil is very shallow with a thin, rocky (shale-based) layer of topsoil. Furthermore, there is only little flat, easily farm-able acreage and thus the steep terrain of the Santa Lucia Mountains constitutes the foundation of the plantings. This portion of the AVA accounts for the area's highest elevations.

(2) The "Ancient Riverbed"following the seasonal creek,

this fanned landscape is bifurcated by benches (which the waterway cut) on either side as it heads towards the northern boundary of the AVA. Further, this section of terrain is directly exposed to the strong maritime influences. This portion experiences dense fogs and howling winds. It is further distinguished by meager soil conditions; river rocks litter the sandy surface-soil while dense, hardpan lens rests just feet below ground and promote root stress.

(3) The "Western Bench" - This portion is visually defined by a 40-foot palisade that rises vertically from the "Ancient Riverbed" section on the western, mountainside of the AVA. Adjacent to the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA and overlooking the

riverbed, the bench experiences the extreme maritime influences. Fog saturates the landscape during the summer throughout the ripening months and galeforce winds rack vineyard sites. Additionally, the western bench feature hillside like conditions whereby roots struggle to find water and thus further limit tonnage yields.

(4) The "Southern Benchland" - the bench and terrain located on the southern side of the riverbed which extends out south and east to the boarder of the appellation. This landscape features somewhat more fertile soil, yet it is counteracted by strong, easternly winds from the Gorge combining with the Pacific winds. Shale and Granite can be found in the topsoil here.

SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS: CENTER FOR PINOT

The Santa Lucia Highlands AVA is rather large with 1900ha of vines planted high up on southeast-facing terraces of the Santa Lucia Mountain range overlooking the Salinas River Valley with altitudes kissing 400m above sealevel.

Within Monterey, that is otherwise planted to 40% Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands is the most prominent place for cultivation of Pinot Noir. As one of the northernmost AVAs of Monterey, the conditions are almost a crossover between Burgundy and Rhône Valley with temperatures comparable to Burgundy but a constant afternoon wind so strong, that it influences the physiology of the grapes generating thicker skins which they need the abundant sunshine to

fully mature.

The elevated position exposes vines to morning sunshine and afternoon maritime winds moderating the photosynthesis. Ultimately, this climate results

in a long growing season, typically starting with budbreak in February or March but finishing the slow maturation with a harvest in September or October, enabling a strong varietal expression. The Altura vineyard featured here in the tasting is one of the highest vineyards of the region, located in the southern part of Santa Lucia Highlands. The color density surely carried the witness of the thick skins, but this example is also strikingly much a winemaking style, perhaps not giving the clearest representation of the region.

SANTA MARIA VALLEY & SANTA RITA HILLS

The last of the lineup both originated from Santa Barbara County. A county initiating the cultivation of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay early earn with the likes of Richard Sanford, Adam Tolmach, Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat) seeking out the elegance and potential of a place were long sunlight hours met with the cool influences of the Pacific. It is the longest transverse valley (East to West) found on the western Pacific coastn– from Alaska to South America. Much like the other regions covered here, Santa Barbara wine county is under the influence of the Pacific winds and the cool of the California Current. The soil here is complex with patchworks of limestone, sand, clay and loam and

altitudes vary between 60meters up to 1000 meters with the lower areas being most windblown, offering a range of possibilities for the winemakers. With ‘Sideways’ the attention to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay was ignited on a commercial scale and since then both the broader AVA and its subs have blossomed. The samples provided were from Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills. The climate is very dry throughout Santa Barbara and strongly influenced by cool Pacific Winds as the California Current passes right by. Both regions arguably have the longest growing season of entire California lasting for up to 160 days for dry wines. The long growing season starts with a mild, early spring followed by sunny, but cool summers with a few heat spikes mended by

cool nights and morning fog. With 600 sunlight hours more throughout the growing season than Burgundy, it is remarkable to notice how vibrant, crisp and fresh the wines can be, thanks to the dynamics between the sun, wind, fog and steep hillsides.

As the first AVA-recipient in Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley is the senior of the two AVAs and the first region to plant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The most revered vineyards of the region are Bien Nacido and Sanford & Benedict, where rows on each of them are leased to multiple different producers.

In recent years, Santa Maria Valley has managed to establish itself as the new hotspot for wine tourism, giving the luxurious Napa Valley a run for its money with a friendly more

casual vibe, boutique wineries and great variation in wines.

Sta. Rita Hills AVA was approved as recently as 2001 and constitutes a strip of land about 10 miles long. The weather is dry thanks to a serious rain shadow effect from the Purisima Hills (the northern boundary of the AVA) and the Sta. Rita Hills (on the south border. It is so dry that irrigation must be implemented to farm anything at all. The altitude span of Sta. Rita Hills is less wide than in Santa Barbara valley and seldomly higher 250m and with the lion’s share of the vineyards located around 100m above sea level. Throughout the AVA the temperature changes dramatically rapid becoming warmer as you move inland.

Enjoying a strong momentum throughout the past 5 years or so, the region, led by Rajat Parr and Sashi Morman, has gained presence globally on the top restaurants of the world, manifesting itself as an AVA of quality – impressive with an acreage of just 1092 hectares divided into 59 large vineyard sites. Looking at the consumer understanding of the wines, it surely is one of the places in California, where single vineyard wines have their strongest presence and is used on a broader scale: There is sort of a Burgundian mindset there in that respect, and for years there has been easily accessible resources of detailed outlays of the AVA and its vineyards. The tension, minerality and drive found in both Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from Santa Rita Hills is often worth seeking out.

2019 Dierberg Vineyard Pinot

Noir Santa Maria Valley, Dierberg: It has that striking sweetand-sour balance. Almost like a sour candy where you have the tartness wrapping in a sweeter core. Lifted, angular acidity, ripe cranberry, wild strawberry, crushed violets, star anis, hint of earthiness and clove which brings some sophistication. A subtle hint of briny saltiness. Just-ripe tannins.

2019 Points West Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills & Santa Maria Valley, Piro Wine Company: From grapes grown at Presqu’ile & Sanford & Benedict Vineyard. Less tension than the Dierberg Vineyard. Soft tannins, fairly fresh acidity, but the fruit dominates the palette. A classic fresh raspberry-blueberry-strawberry combo. Wellproduced textbook wine.

RUFFINO, PRINCE OF CHIANTI CLASSICO.

Ruffino wines have always been considered the leaders in Chianti Classico - as early as 1877, the products made a name for themselves beyond the borders of Italy.

Nestled in the picturesque Tuscan hills of Chianti, the exclusive estates Ruffino combine identity and modernity with unspoilt nature and valuable knowledge about wine. Modern techniques are just as much a priority as carefully tended vineyards and the necessary attention to sustainability.

When the winery was founded in 1877, the visionary cousins Ilario and Leopoldo Ruffino already agreed that the secret of top Tuscan wines lies in the respectful dialogue between people and nature.

Building upon a strong presence in the top winemaking regions of Tuscany, like Chianti Classico, Montalcino and Bolgheri and leveraging over 140 years of winemaking mastery, today Ruffino ambitious is to be established as the ultimate Tuscan fine wine house.

Riserva Ducale Oro is the iconic Ruffino Chianti Classico Gran Selezione.

It all started in 1947, a spectacular vintage in Tuscany for Sangiovese grapes.

Riserva Ducale Oro is crafted to age gracefully and its vintages are still sought after by collectors today.

A CONCRETE COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY.

The company, that since 2018 had already introduced sustainable practices in the management of its estates certified by SNQPI and Biodiversity Friend certification, decided to take a step further in this direction with the organic conversion of its estates that will be completed by the 2024 harvest.

In addition Ruffino’s goals for 2025 call for making its supply chain 100% sustainable, while also acting as a driving force for smaller companies, by cutting emissions by 15% (50% by 2030).

Beira InteriorThe mountain region of Portugal

BY: KETIL SAUER

A TRIO OF SUBREGIONS

Beira Interior is located south of the Douro Valley and north of Alentejo, in the north- eastern part of Portugal.

The land holds 13.100 hectares of vines, producing a total of 20 million liters annually. It has 1 DOC, Beira Interior and 3 sub regions that can appear on the label: Pinhel and Castel Rodrigo in the north and Cova da Beira in the south. An area in the middle of the DOC is without Sub as well as some areas in the southern part.

The whole region is 300-750m above sea level, impacting the temperature. The north where Pinhel and Castel Rodrigo are located have a higher altitude and thereby also a lower temperature with approximately 12-14 degrees celcius on an yearly average and it's quite dry with 400-800mm of rain per year. Castel Rodrigo has the highest altitude and lowest amout of rain, bordering

Spain on one side and Pinhel on the other. In the southern part you will find Cova da Beira, the largest of the 3 sub-regions, with the lowest altitude and warmest part of Beira Interior with an average of 14-16 degrees celcius.

The grapes which are present are both indigneous as well as international grapes. Examples of indigenous would be: Siria, Fonte Cal and Ruferte. Siria the most planted grape in Beira Interior, it's a highly aromatic green grape, that gives fresh whites wit green apples, underripe honey melon, apricot and chalky minerality. Fonte-Cal, anther white wine varietal, you rarely, if ever, find planted other places than Beira Interior, the wines made are often texture-driven and with a marked minerality. Ruferte is a blue grape that gives light and velvet wines with herbal, red fruit and great juiciness –really easygoing wines. When looking at the vine -

yards and the vines, the old traditions are still there. The care for the old vines is as it should be: A lot of love and attention. The low yields and gnarly old goblet plantings are an amazing sight. Waking around an old vineyard where the vines are 10 times as thick as when newly planted but without any trellihing, gives me a feeling, that the wines from these vines will be complex and with a great terroir taste.

TRADITIONBOUND

The area has a long-standing history that dates back to when the romans were still in power. The old winemaking of the area used to be done outside in large stone vats called ”Lagar”, where the grapes would be crushed by treading and then ferment in these then, followed by a racking by gravity to another lagar and then bottled.

Similar to the port wines, but without the fortification. Some wineries still practice this winemaking with an open lagar for extraction and fermentation, but it is a rare sight.

The wines from the area are interesting in their own way with the old vines, the new production equipment, the new generation of winemakers, the terroir, and the grapes. This gives wines with a lot of

dark fruit and power in the red wines. Whites with minerality, exotic fruit and light body. The style of Portugal is to have deep colored wines

with an elevated intensity and powerful tast,e and that's also what you will be able to find in this region, at an affordable price.

CHAMPAGNE JACQUES SELOSSE GUILLAUME SELOSSE

DE SOUSA LAUNOIS PHILIPPE LANCELOT MARGUET

FLEURY CHANOINE FRERES RUINART

KRUG DOM PERIGNON CLICQUOT PONSARDIN

EGON MÜLLER SCHARZHOF MAXIMIN GRÜNHAUS

SOFIA THANISCH SCHLOSS JOHANNISBERG

PETER JAKOB KÜHN EYMANN KAI SCHÄTZEL

NICOLAS JOLY LEROY DOMAINE LEROY

DOMAINE D’AUVENAY GUILLAUME VRIGNAUD

DOMAINE PIERRE MOREY DOMAINE J.C. RATEAU

DOMAINE CHANDON DE BRIAILLES LAURENT ROUMIER

DOMAINE DU COUVENT DOMAINE DES VAROILLES

DOMAINE DU TRAGINER MAS PAILLET NENU

CHATEAU CRU PEYRAGUEY CHATEAU GRILLON

CHATEAU MOULIN SANT VINCENT GRAND FERRAND

CHATEAU TOURNEFEUILLE CHATEAU ROCHEYRON

DOMINIO DE PINGUS PETER SISSECK QUINTA SARDONIA

GALIA TERRAS GAUDA CASA LOS FRAILES

GÉRARDDOMAINEMILLET Nyhed i familien

Domaine Gérard Millet ligger i Bué, få kilometer fra Sancerre. Ejendommen har været i familiens eje gennem de sidste fem generationer. Vinmarkerne strækker sig over 24 hektar og går gennem Sancerre og Menetou-Salon. Jorden dyrkes på en måde, så hver enkelt marks karakteristika fremhæves. Domaine Gérard Millets dybdegående kendskab

til terroiret er det, der adskiller dem fra alle andre, og dette kendskab kommer tydeligt til udtryk i deres vine. Druerne udvælges nøje, og hver enkelt vinmark høstes separat, ligesom druerne fra hver enkelt gennemgår separate vinfremstillingsprocedurer. Hvert terroir har forskellige karakteristika, som giver hver sin unikke vin.

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Gérard Millet Sancerre Blanc

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Gérard Millet Menetou-Salon Blanc

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Gérard Millet Sancerre Blanc Le Désert Du Petit Bannon

ENKELT MARK

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Gérard Millet Sancerre Blanc Chêne Marchand

ENKELT MARK

Økologi fra Østrig

Stagård har lavet vin i seks generationer, og da Urban og hans hustru, Dominque, overtog vingården i 2006, besluttede de straks at overgå til økologisk drift.

»Vores idé om økologisk vinproduktion slutter ikke ved kælderdøren.

Bag døren arbejder vi med minimal indgriben og frem for alt, så stoler vi på tiden.«

Resultatet er helt utrolige rene, usminkede og charmerende vine.

Verdens bedste vinglas kommer også fra Østrig – servér i ét af de druespecifikke glas for den optimale nydelse!

Et godt udvalg af økologiske vine fra Stagård på: hjhansen-vin.dk

AI has been the topic of 2023. With the release of ChatGPT a broad audience could suddenly interact with a highly advanced chatbot – and we are intrigued by it. As the world of AI advances its use, possibilities, and debates around it grow.

In the wine industry we encounter AI in the vineyards where it has proved a useful tool in the pursue of sustainability, helping us improve our water- disease- and nutrition management, determine sugar- and phenolic ripeness levels in grapes as well as sunlight registration on each individual vine and generate accurate vineyard- and soil maps. In the cellar it can sort grapes with ultra-high precision and efficiency, is can temperature regulate and monitor the compositions of a must or wine with an unmatched level of precision. As more systems become available one can easily imagine AI being a useful tool in securing wine-authenticity as well as inventory management.

Where its presence seems perhaps more threatening is in the simple journalistic or text-writing areas: To create a back label for your wine, generating tasting notes by checking off a few things

Say hAI

BY: NINA HØJGAARD JENSEN IMAGE BY RAWPIXEL.COM

prior, the text for your website or maybe even full articles such as the case of Jane Ansons article on the impact of ChatGPT ChatGPT and wine: extinction-level event for wine writers and sommeliers? - Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux which also touches on the subject on how the role of a sommelier might change as well. With smartphones the role of a sommelier has already changed: I believe we have all tried recommending a wine to a guest, and them not accepting the recommendation until they have verified its quality on ViVino. Apps and Social-media have catalyzed a rapid rise of unicorn-wines as well as new producers receiving well-deserved recognition earlier on. While strengthening of the cult-following that exists around certain producers ends up limiting the consumers drinking habits, I believe in general, social media, in this context, is used for the better as a source of inspiration and a way to share information and passion. And AI takes the accumulated knowledge from that and combines it with all the other information available on the internet - and projects it back to us as a complex reflection.

While the pitfalls are many when it comes to the use of

AI, it offers an interesting insight: It is a mirror of universal perceptions. It tells us about ourselves. Holding the power of numbers, it provides a globalized view of our preferences, ideas, and opinions. As an omnipresent witness to our developments, it provides answers to our needs from a ground that enforces the most present and emphasizes the significance of the digital world. It is tempting to explore this united human mind, and after chatting for a while with ChatGPT about how you should sell a Brunello, what the differences between Clos de Béze and Le Chambertin are, what a good sommelier is, asking it to describe a perfect pinot noir and having it make a back-label for a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, I must confess: I am impressed. Sure there are some generalizations and misinformation here and there, but the overall picture is cohesive and a good sparring partner to express and communicate wine.

Timeless themes such as ‘what are we drawn to’, ‘how much does the romantic idea of wine matter’, ‘what role does creativity play in wine’, ‘what is the value of authenticity’ have gained new relevance and dimension by being put in a different light through the recent

development. It is only a matter of time until AI can replicate any wine by recipe, but several winemakers already believe that the small imperfections of the past where the grapes were not as accurately sorted and the harvest not as uniform made better, more interesting wines. The gut feel -

ing leading sometimes seemingly illogical decisions makes a difference and with wine we don’t seek the uniform: We seek the unique, the memorable. Something that sparks curiosity and intrigues us. As with music the grand masterpieces survive the test of time, yet only time will tell if we

will be capable to tell the difference between the manmade and the AI generated wines.

The technological advances have improved both winemaking and communication, begs the question: When does perfection become dull?

CHATGPTS DESCRIPTION OF THE PERFECT PINOT NOIR FROM BOURGOGNE:

A perfect Pinot Noir from Bourgogne (Burgundy) embodies the essence of this renowned wine region, showcasing the unique characteristics that have made it world-famous. Here is a description of a hypothetical perfect Bourgogne Pinot Noir:

Appearance: The wine exhibits a translucent garnet hue, displaying an enchanting depth and clarity in the glass. Its elegant color hints at the complexity to come.

Aroma: On the nose, the wine entices with a captivating bouquet of red fruits, led by ripe cherries and wild strawberries. Delicate floral notes of violets and roses intertwine with subtle hints of forest floor and damp earth, revealing the wine's Burgundian origin. There may also be a touch of spice, such as a whisper of clove or a hint of black pepper, adding an extra layer of intrigue.

Taste: Upon tasting, the wine reveals its impeccable balance and finesse. Medium-bodied, it caresses the palate with a velvety texture, delivering an exquisite combination of red fruit flavors. Ripe cherries and raspberries take center stage, accompanied by nuances of cranberries and blackberries. The wine's elegance is accentuated by refined tannins that provide structure without overpowering, allowing the fruit to shine.

Complexity: This perfect Bourgogne Pinot Noir showcases the intricacies and nuances for which the region is revered. It displays a remarkable integration of flavors and aromas, seamlessly blending the fruit with subtle earthiness and a touch of minerality. Underlying notes of sweet spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg, add depth and complexity, reflecting the wine's time in oak barrels.

Acidity and Finish: Vibrant acidity provides freshness and energy, enlivening the palate and balancing the wine's richness. The finish is long and

satisfying, leaving a lasting impression of red fruit purity, a hint of dried herbs, and a tantalizing mineral streak. It invites contemplation and beckons for another sip.

Food Pairing: This perfect Bourgogne Pinot Noir is a versatile companion to a range of dishes. Its elegance and delicate flavors make it a natural pairing with roasted poultry, grilled salmon, or seared duck breast. It also harmonizes beautifully with earthy dishes like truffle risotto or mushroom-based recipes, complementing their flavors and adding depth to the overall dining experience.

Overall, a perfect Bourgogne Pinot Noir captures the essence of this esteemed wine region. It combines finesse, complexity, and the distinctive terroir characteristics of Burgundy, creating a wine that is both captivating and memorable. It exemplifies the mastery of winemaking, showcasing the unique expression of the Pinot Noir grape in this celebrated corner of the wine world.

Record of General Assembly 2023:

Present: 11 people including 7 members of the Board.

The President welcomed to the General Assembly. Keld Johnsen was appointed as conductor of the meeting for which he thanked and could note the General Assembly was announced in proper time. Keld passed the word to the President and his account:

The year in review and the coming year:

The past year has been very active in the association. The Danish National Championship was held in August with a following Dinner and Ketil emerged the winner. Nordic Championship took place in Copenhagen and Norway took home the victory. A well-organized competition for which Jess and Christian Thorsholt deserves a big applause. Star Wine List was guesting us on both occations. For the ASI Bootcamp in Malaysia Denmark didn’t send anyone due to the steep price. Next time it will be in Ecuador. Furthermore the World’s has just been in Paris, where she placed 2nd. Later on we are organizing the Danish Championship of 2023 in May, as well as the qualification com -

petition of the international competitions after the Summer. Here, the winner will be send as the representative for the Association. Our sponsoers have been very active with several tastings throughout the year with plenty of tastings throughout the year. Also several tastings are planned for this year, among them a masterclass with Champagne as a theme conducted by CIVC. Within the next months a formula will be send out to all members, for them to fill out their data. With that it will be easier for the board to contact members in regards to contingent, information, tastings etc. Also there will be an opportunity to take the ASI Diploma facilitated by DSF in the beginning of June. More examinations will follow on which Tim will elaborate.

The account was approved by the participants.

Cashiers account, Heine Egelund presented the account of the year which was approved by the participants. Election for the Board:

Christian Aarø

Christian Thorsholdt

Julie Færch

Heine Egelund

Peter Pepke: did not recieve re-election and his position will not be filled as all positions within the board are occupied.

Everyone received- and accepted their re-election.

Election of accountant: Søren Hansen modtog genvalg og takkede for det.

PROPOSITION:

Adoption of the revised bylaws: These have been send out together with the notice of the General Assembly. They were reviewed and approved. The bylaws will be constituted with the proposed changes on the Association’s website. The board suggested to raise the contingent to 750 annually beginning from 2023 which was approved by the attendees.

EVT:

Loss of members was discussed. The board is currently getting in touch with all members in order to update all information about our members. The update will be in connection with a payment-link to make it easier to pay, receive information as well as the newsletter.

It was noticed that a sense of association life was missing as well as the support to it. This should improve with the new initiative in regards to Championships so the sense of open rather than a closed community is cultivated. Activities in regards to tastings etc. is missing in Jutland. We are thinking about masterclasses, training in how to make a studyplan, competitioncourse etc. Would it be possible to make a stronger cohesion between those who compete on a high level – we realize not many are in that league but believe it would be beneficial to connect them stronger including those from Jutland. As an example 4 annual sessions could be held where the Association would pay the teacher of the session – these session

could be united with some of the previously mentioned concerns. We could offer the sponsers to cover some of the cost as an additional the their sponsorship.

Tim Vollerslev told about the earlier mentioned ASI Diploma which is an educated build from a theory paper made and corrected by ASI, but that the Association will conduct for them. DSF will hold the first examination in June followed by to assignments at a later date. These as well are made by ASI and will be reviewed by ASI. There will be a payment to take these which covers the ASI expenses as well as renting a location. These tests will fascilitate a test of theoretical skills.

Entrance examn: Q: “Some have dyslexia, is there an opportunity to use equipment and/or extra time to help?” A “Yes – we have had cases before and we need to improve on communicating it an option to use extra tools/more time for the test.”.

The conductor ended the meeting and thanked for a proper order throughout.

FØRES EKSKLUSIVT AF SIGURD MÜLLER VINHANDEL A/S 98 18 50 99 • vin@smv.dk • www.smv.dk

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