Sommelier Winter 2022

No. 4

2022

The Danish Championship for Sommeliers 2022 was held at the magnificent Axelborg on the 29th of August. Later, in October, Danish Sommelier Association was also hosting Nordic Championship for Sommeliers where we introduced a complete rethinking of format.

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I M P R I N T:

B OA R D O F DA N I S H S O M M E L I E R A S S O C I AT I O N:

Sommelier #4 2022 25.Year Deadline for next issue (#1 2023): 15. February 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

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

R E S P O N S I B L E F O R TA S T I N G S: - Copenhagen - Christian Thorsholt Jacobsen ctj@sommelier.dk

P RACT I CA L I N F O

- Fyn - Heine Egelund he@sommelier.dk

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.

- Jylland - Kim Thygesen kt@sommelier.dk

CO M P E T I T I O N S & E N T RA N C E E XA M I N AT I O N S: Christian Thorsholt Jacobsen & Jess Kildetoft ctj@sommelier.dk & jk@sommelier.dk

T RAV E L S:

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.

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

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

Christian Thorsholt Jacobsen ctj@sommelier.dk

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

Kim Thygesen kt@sommelier.dk

N E W L E T T E R S & CO M M U N I CAT I O N: F AC E B O O K & W E B M A S T E R:

W R I T E F O R T H E M AG AZ I N E

S E C R E TA RY:

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.

Christian Høj-Jørgensen chj@sommelier.dk

Front page: The candidates of Nordic Championship 2022 – Photo credit: Thomas Sjørup

www.adriatvinimport.dk

VISION FOR KVALITET OG NYDELSE

Giacomo Conterno Apollonio Luigi Pira Garofoli Bisol Il Cascinone Gianfranco Alessandria Capovilla Elio Altare Albino Rocca Vie di Romans Antonio Caggiano Florio Panizzi La Ciarliana Mauro Veglio Matteo Correggia Ca’ dei Frati Mocali Hofstätter Bove Bartolo Mascarello Roberto Voerzio Leonildo Pieropan Berta La Spinetta Terre Nere Tenuta di Bibbiano Revello Piaggia Morgante San Giusto a Rentennano Villa Simone Ciacci Piccolomini Cantine del Notaio Cascina Fontana Manincor Ermacora Brigaldara Ca’ La Bionda Alpha Zeta Cos

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.

Adriat Vinimport as I TA L I E N S K E K VA L I T E T S V I N E

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no. 2 - 2022

Editorial – Retrospect 2022 ��������������������������������������������� 6 The Danish National Sommelier Championship ������������� 12 Working a harvest in the south of Champagne................ 24 Barolo 2018 and Barbaresco 2019 - from roller coaster confusion to high-end stability........ 32 Best Nordic Sommelier 2022........................................... 38 The wine-year in review ������������������������������������������������ 46 A chat with Elaine Chuka Brown ����������������������������������� 53

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Wines of ALSACE Digital Fair 2nd edition

SAVE THE DATE

27.–28. februar og 1. marts Tilmelding fra d. 24 oktober på www.millesimes-alsace.com

Taste in real, talk in virtual!

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www.taittinger.com

Skal 2012 Comtes de champagne være på dit vinkort? Øst: Kontakt Jesper Søgaard på tlf. 29700015 eller jes@jmk.dk Vest (syd for rute 15): Kontakt Christian Kollerup Rahbek på tlf. 29700017 eller ckr@jmk.dk Vest (nord for rute 15): Kontakt søren borrisholt på tlf. 29700012 eller sb@jmk.dk 5

Editorial – Retrospect 2022 Editorial – Retrospect 2022 Another year is coming to its end. It has been a year of extremes beginning in the tight grip of the pandemic which then came to an abrupt (official) end in February. From then on, the restaurant business has been booming yet facing the paradox of needing to turn away guests and profit due to staffing issues, which could prove to be the largest consequence of the pandemic for the business. There is no easy fix – the challenge is international and across all levels of restaurants.

The staffing issues have stirred up big changes and worthwhile discussions. As the inflation and energy crises are hitting hard, simultaneously with an increased pressure on employers to meet higher salary demands in a competitive environment, every restaurant

in Denmark currently has an internal debate – where is the maximum price? What is the new normal? Can we charge what is necessary to continue our business and keep our employees? The cocktail surely is explosive – add on top that many are still dealing with the economic aftermath of Corona.

One of the first places we will notice it is on wine prices in restaurants. They have already increased and are likely to get another a bump up to aid the situation which is a valid strategy if done on the broader scope – otherwise it risks backfiring. Among the losers in this equation are the sommeliers as it once again becomes increasingly difficult to taste the reference points within the wine world and deepen the general understanding.

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The unsteady waters of 2022 also brought a storm of debates around the work environment in the industry. Finally, we could talk about how we bring the work conditions of (especially fine dining) restaurants up to modern standards in competitive line with other industries. A debate that has been absent in the shadow of the success and international attention the restaurants of the Nordic countries have enjoyed the past decade.

Brought into broad daylight by a huge feature in New York Times, the Nordic restaurants became scapegoats of a global issue. Hopefully we will be able to take the chance to pave the way of change that we can only hope will be as contagious as the Nordic cuisine has shown to be.

While it will take time to prove that the “old school way” is neither accepted anymore nor the only way to success and stars, I have faith in the outcome.

Especially if restaurants can manage to stand together in creating change, learning from each other, sharing their experiences openly rather than judging each other and letting the past forge the future. Things have been put on the edge, we have seen foul accusations and uglier truths surface. Sparked further by the the Metoo movement, we likely haven’t seen the top of it yet, but the necessary debate is long overdue for an industry notoriously known for a hard tone, too little compassion, and a strict hierarchy.

What 2022 perhaps showed us is that things can change, and change can happen fast.

Adaptability has been the code word for restaurants and sommeliers alike - A skill to harness as we look upon an unpredictable 2023. We have had a year with an interesting potential of reflection – perhaps forcing us to us rethink how we can draw people to the industry as well as contemplate why we ourselves are here; possibly even rediscover some forgotten joys of it, as well as how we can create a sustainable work life for the future. And one thing is for sure: People will continue to drink and enjoy wine in 2023 as well!

Cheers and happy reading!

Nina Jensen

”A notice from the Danish Sommelier Association: This issue will mark the end of the printed era for the Associations magazine - and the beginning of a digital one. From 2023 the quarterly issue of ’Sommelier’ will be available it its digital format only, while a yearly collection of the best articles as well as some new contributions will be published in the end of the year in an exclusive coffee-table-magazine quality. We thank all our members, Sponsers, friends and readers for the support the past year and extend our wishes of a Happy New Year”

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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.

- første autoriserede vingård i Danmark 8

www.dansk-vin.dk

L’ECOLE N°41 VISIONÆREN I WALLA WALLA VALLEY Mon ikke mange vinskribenter fik merlot’en galt i halsen, da Decanter Wine Awards i 2014 bekendtgjorde, at Verdens Bedste Bordeaux-blend ikke kom fra Bordeaux, men fra Walla Walla Valley i Washington?

Da L’Ecole N°41 ”Ferguson Vineyard” snuppede titlen foran både konkurrenter fra Napa og hjemmebanefavoritterne i Frankrig, var det bare endnu et stød af medvind til en allerede fremadstormende vinregion, som i dag er blandt USA's mest feterede.

Walla Walla Valley ligger i den sydøstlige del af Washington State og flyder faktisk over grænsen til Oregon. Cirka 60% af stokkene står på Washington-siden, mens resten er i Oregon. Og selvom AVA’er jo ikke er politisk, men geografisk bestemte, er Walla Walla Valley en af kun ganske få der krydser en statsgrænse. Den ligger på den 46. nordlige breddekreds, svarende til lige midt mellem Bordeaux og Bourgogne.

Vækstsæsonen er tør med varme dage og kølige nætter, jordbunden er løss over basalt, og Cascade-bjergene mod vest kaster deres regnskygge over dalen,

hvilket betyder, at der kun falder ganske lidt nedbør især i den vestlige del. Derfor er præcis (og bæredygtig) drypvanding en af nøglerne til succes i Washington.

Og hvad er det så, stedet gør så godt?

En populær måde at udtrykke det er, at Walla Walla har frugten fra den nye verden ovenpå den gamle verdens struktur og kompleksitet – som en blanding af Napa Valley og Bordeaux. Et af de bedste eksempler på dette er førnævnte L’Ecole N° 41, som bestemt ikke har hvilet på laurbærrene siden succesen hos Decanter, men tværtimod fortsat den konstante udvikling som vinhuset har været i siden det blev grundlagt i 1983 – før Walla Walla Valley overhovedet blev en AVA. Som i resten af appellationen er rødvine det største fokus hos L’Ecole: Cabernet Sauvignon og Franc, Merlot og Syrah – men også Semillon udviser verdensklasse her.

Så meget endda, at Jancis Robinson flere gange har fremhævet den, fx i The World Atlas of Wine, som et af de skarpeste eksempler på druen overhovedet: ” Semillons

Juul’s Engros er sponsor af Dansk Sommelier Forening.

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such as L’Ecole N° 41’s show that the grape can really shine when given the chance…”.

Men er det overhovedet forsvarligt at drikke vine fra et område, hvor der kun falder mellem 8 og 20 tommer regn om året?

Heldigvis er svaret ja. Både Pepper Bridge, Seven Hills og det ”nye” flagskib, Ferguson Vineyard, er Certified Sustainable og Salmon Safe. Man måler vandindhold i jorden, og direkte på rankerne monitorer varmecensorer ”sap flow”, hvilket giver information om hvornår det er bedst at vande. Det har reduceret vandforbruget med mere end 50% siden 2017.

L’Ecole N° 41 var det 3. vinhus i AVA’en og betragtes stadig som en af Walla Walla Valleys mest visionære producenter og en bannerfører – ikke kun på kvalitet, men også på bæredygtighed.

Repræsentant fra Juuls Engros: Anders Regout // +45 25 94 06 14 // Andersr@juulsengros.dk

JUUL S E NGROS

K Ø BE N H A V N ETAB. 1926

Vinproduktion i Italien er et klassisk mandeerhverv, men hos Masciarelli er kvinderne i overtal.

Vinøst familieforetagende med store ambitioner

Bag enhver vin står en kvinde - eller to....

Marina Cvetić driver vingården Masciarelli Tenute Agricole i tæt parløb med datteren Miriam Lee Masciarelli, som har ansvaret for vinmarkerne og kælderarbejdet.

Mor og datter-holdet lægger vægt på at fremme kvinders trivsel og muligheder i vinbranchen. Ud af vinhusets 80 medarbejdere er det mere end 54 procent af medarbejderne, som tiltales signora eller signorina. Med en innovativ tilgang tilsat stor respekt for traditioner og terroir er Masciarelli blevet et symbol på den kvalitetsmæssige revolution i Abruzzo.

www.masciarelli.it

Masciarelli har på få årtier manifesteret sig som en af Abruzzos vigtigste vinproducenter, hvad angår størrelse såvel som renommé. Da Gianni Masciarelli i 1979 etablerede sin vingård, var drømmen at bevise, at Abruzzo kunne producere vine af samme høje kvalitet som i de mere anerkendte regioner Piemonte og Toscana. Efter hans død overtog hustruen, Marina Cvetic, driften af vinhuset. Under hendes kyndige instrukser er Masciarelli vokset til en essentiel del af den italienske vinscene og er blevet cementeret som et af de absolutte tophuse i Abruzzo.

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC Riserva Marina Cvetic, en af Masciarelli’s bestsellere, satte en ny ikonisk standard for Montepulciano og blev hædret som én af verdens Top 100 Wines af magasinet Wine Spectator.

Masciarelli fører syv vin-serier: Masciarelli Classic, Villa Gemma, Marina Cvetić, Castello di Semivicoli, Gianni Masciarelli, Linea og ISKRA. Den samlede produktion når mere end 2,5 millioner flasker årligt. Masciarelli’s danske importør er Strandgaarden Wine & Spirits A/S.

Masciarelli Tenute Agricole , San Martino sulla Marrucina Chieti 10

@masciarelli_winery

Henriques & Henriques - Madeira af højeste kvalitet Historien om Henriques & Henriques går tilbage til 1850, hvor vinhuset blev grundlagt. Henriques-familien har gennem de forskellige generationer spillet en vigtig rolle i produktionen af Madeira-vin, idet de er kendt som en producent af fremragende kvalitetsvine.

Udover at være producent og eksportør er Henriques & Henriques karakteriseret ved at være den eneste producent, der ejer egne vinmarker i regionen, hvilket tillader produktion af druer af ekstrem høj kvalitet.

Det drejer sig blandt andet om Verdelho og Sercial, og også Terrantez, som skiller sig ud ved at være en meget følsom og ikke særlig produktiv drue, men en sand gudedrik, når den forvandles til vin.

Henriques & Henriques bruger de nyeste teknologiske metoder, men fastholder samtidig familiens næsten 200-års tradition for produktion af de bedste Madeira-vine af enestående kvalitet.

Se mere på bestselection.dk eller kontakt vores Horeca-konsulenter

Rico Jørgensen Tlf. 40 50 41 14

Thomas Kyhl Hansen Tlf. 61 44 25 54

Per Christiansen Tlf. 40 50 41 25 11

Martin Kodahl Tlf. 40 50 41 66

The Danish National

Sommelier Championship B Y: K E T I L S A U E R

On the date of August 29th the Danish National Championship was held. This year, once again, we had the pleasure to do the preliminary competition in the lovely location of Restaurant Trio. Here we had the view of the whole of Copenhagen and with a nice sunny day it was a great scenery.

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Johan, Candidate No. 1

Ketil, Candidate No. 2 13

Candidate No 3

P R E L I M I N A RY RO U N D The preliminary started at 10.00 where everyone was accounted for and positioned at single tables.

The first part was the mandatory written theory test and blind tasting of both wines and spirits. The wines were 3 dry ones, 2 of them white: 2019 Sauvignon Blanc, Ried Steinriegl, Wohlmuth, 2017 Chateau Montelena, Chardonnay, 2011 La Rioja Alta, Rioja Gran Reserva 904. Followed by 3 spirits, where we had to name base, type and country of the spirits. These were: Tequila, Olmeca Altos, reposado, 100% Agave, Cognac, Chateau Mantifaud, X.O and Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Redemption. The beverages showed themselves

in a classic style that represented the areas where they origin from. The written test had some interesting questions as well as some classics, since this also was an entrance exam.

The location changed and until 15.00 there was a showcase of wines from all the different sponsors that have chosen to support the Danish sommelier Association.

THE FINALE AND THE FEELINGS At 15.00 DSF announced the finalist and an impressive 5 new members of DSF! It has been a long time since such a large uptake in a single go – well done!

One person was especially 14

happy since he not only join DSF, he was also one of the 3 finalist! Christian Madsen, from Restaurant Lyst was one of 3 candidates along with Johan Henrik Kirketerp-Møller from Restaurant Palægade and Ketil Sauer from Sauer wine – Johan and I with previous experience from stage and Christian as a debutant.

The competition this time around was in 2 parts. Firstly a single performance and with all 3 competitors together on stage. Some of the task were: Decantation of a recommended French prestige red wine from vintage 1991, sparkling wine service, menu presentation, serving 2 bottles of wine from a magnum decanter into 20 glasses, recognize wine ar-

eas and people from photos.

Numbers were drawn and Johan was the first on stage, I was second and the last one to appear was Christian.

After numbers are drawn, nervousness is the next thing – you never know what will happen, when called to the stage.

I prefer to have some time to settle and enjoyed being the second contestant as I could set my mind in gear and enjoy being in the final. In my opinion, the last one to compete

have a bit too much time on hand and can build up a lot of nervousness. Christian being the last one, as well as this being his first competition, I can imagine he had a hard time sitting alone and waiting for his time to shine.

When the show starts you have use the accumulated knowledge from books, service, training, videos, seminars, masterclasses and visits at wineries. It’s not always that easy. I know I forgot great many things and didn’t 15

use the time to properly listen to what was asked, when I think back to the European Championship in Cyprus and Andreas Larsson said to the candidates that the best advice he could give was ”Listen, listen, listen and listen!”.

Well, I guess I didn’t listen...

At least not when I recommended Penfold’s Grange instead of a French red.

It’s hard to do everything perfect, but when everything is said and done, the only person that you compete against

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Judging the Theory paper

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The Winners is yourself. It’s not really like a boxing match where the winner is determined by who knocks out the opponent or a football match where you must score the most goals to win. The winner of a sommelier competition is the one who gets the most points – so at the end of the day, you compete against yourself and when competing you have to upgrade your knowledge, the skills of practical service and be on top of the game. I think competitions gives great motivation as a sommelier to advance and strive to be better every time.

I really enjoy the group tasks, because we do them together.

We might not have the answer or the pictures might be difficult to recognize (even for

someone who has been there or met the person). The serving of large amounts of wine in an unknow decanter – these are fun and games.

The suspense from the moment last task is done until the finalist are called upon once again to announce the winner, is the worst part of the day.

Being the second contestant, I had no clue how where I would be. How many points did Johan gather, during his time on stage? I had the option to see Christian, where I could see how he did some things better than me and knowing that I could have done things better myself. You really start to doubt in those moments.

ANNOUNCEMENT When we are finally called 19

upon, the first one to be announced was the 3rd place, Christian Madsen from Restaurant Lyst. He showed a wonderful performance, young and just that day became a part of DSF. In the end there can only be 1 winner and this time around I had gotten the most points in the various tasks that Christian Thorsholt and Jess Kildetoft had set up. Johan Henrik Kirketerp-Møller recieved a recognition, applause after the winner was named, for his great performance as the 2nd best sommelier of 2022. I look forward to the next time where hopefully we will be even more competitors for the Danish National Sommelier Championship.

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 See more producers and tastings on www.esprit-du-vin.com L’Esprit du Vin · Snaregade 6 · Copenhagen · T +45 70 20 10 60 · email@esprit-du-vin.com 20

FØRES EKSKLUSIVT AF

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

Royal Tokaji was founded in 1990 with the aim of bringing the wines of Tokaj back to international fame. We are at the forefront of Tokaji’s renaissance.

The old winemaking traditions, the beneficial climate and the diversity of wine styles make Tokaj a great wine producing region. While inspired by the incomparable history of this unique region we are committed to a continual quest for improvement.

We are proud that our wines from the tiny village of Mád have gained so much international recognition.

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Working a harvest in the south of Champagne B Y: R A S M U S T H U D E D A LG A A R D

I finally had the opportunity to join a biodynamic winery for harvest! Here I share with you some impressions and experiences from 3 different domaines run by members of the Piollot family.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS I turned off the road from Bar sur Seine, a dried-out corn field on one side and a roasted sunflower field on the other – at the end of the curvy road laid the sleepy little village of Polisot, in Côte des Bar. My destination was Champagne Piollot.

Within the next few days, the village would come to life with the sound of tractors and a workforce from abroad joining for the harvest: I was about to work my first. This meant spending the next two weeks with a group of people I had never met, nor seen as much as a picture of… To my delight I was greeted with a great smile by my contact, Jeanne, and instantly I felt welcome. Throughout the day, the team grew bigger, as people from all over the world arrived. Many of the other participants were also novice harvesters making me feel more at ease. In the we were all introduced to Jeanne´s family constituted by her mother Dominique Moreau,

who manages Champagne Marie Courtin, as well as her father Rolland, who runs their family estate; Champagne Piollot. Jeanne herself makes wine at her own domaine in Burgundy under the name Domaine Dame Jeanne.

T H E WO R K DAY AS A PICKER The day as a picker starts early. After a light breakfast, Jeanne turned on the radio of her van - a significantly newer model than the ones sported by her parents. She would tune into a station with some lively music and let everyone know: Now is the time to go.

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Those who were not ready quickly changed their pace.

Bandanas, sun caps, sunscreen and kneepads were flying through the courtyard and by 8:00 we were off. Most of the vineyards were located just a few minutes away. The ride itself was always interesting, as each plot proved difficult to even arrive at. The combination of a dusty gravel road with an incline of 40 degrees, together with the severity of the holes caused by erosion over the years made for a bumpy ride even if you’d try to hold on tight.

Once we arrived at the vineyards, each worker grabbed a ‘’Pagne’’ and a ‘’Vendange chet’’. Otherwise known as a bucket and a scissor. From there we split a row between two people, working it from each side, from the bottom to the top. Here we worked with all varieties of the region, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

The clusters especially of the red varieties were extremely tight and compact, although

everything was completely healthy, as it hadn’t rained for more than two months.

A row was anything between just a few metres to several hundred of metres. While some were pretty flat, most had an inclination of over 30%. The soil type was mostly marl with large calcareous rocks making up the majority of the topsoil. The only thing that grew in the rows between the vines was thistles and catchweed.

The work itself was quite simple. Snip off the clusters from the vine, in this process, bring as many clusters as you can, before tossing them in the bucket. Work fast and precisely. As we were to harvest the higher quality vineyards Piollot wanted us to be very thorough. Therefore, we were paid hourly, whereas most seasonal workers are paid by the kilo.

The mood prior to lunch was energetic. Here we had energy for singing and cultural exchanges. Many topics were discussed in the dusty vineyards: Differences in our societies, cultures, inflation and languages. What a learning process it has been in so many ways.

Still, we aimed for 4-500 kilos per worker in a day. The first couple of days, a few fingers got in between the scissors and the clusters, but with a little time and practice you learn to be careful when snipping.

The bunches were collected in small buckets and emptied into cases of 40-50 kilos. The cases had been placed in the vineyard, by every fourth row of vines, to be collected again by the tractor and driven to the press.

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When we finished the work in the morning, we headed back, for a three-course vegetarian lunch and most importantly: Siesta!!

For a full 45 minutes not a word was spoken. The heat would peak, and everything was silent, as if a unanimous decision had been made: Now it was time for a rest. I would typically be sleeping on the ground; next to the chickens, under the butterfly bush was the best.

Back in the vineyard the sun had now taken the singing from our tongues. Its heat demanded all our energy and

focus. As temperatures would reach 25-34 degrees C. While everyone found a routine to adapt to the weather, I must admit we picked up some tricks from the experienced pickers: They soaked T-shirts, caps and bandanas with cold water before heading out to aid the heat. The vines were trellised low only reached our hips surely making the work harder. One really got to experience feeling of using the back muscles for a whole day…

T H E S O C I A L F ACTO R In the dusty hot vineyards, where thistles sting and you get sunburned and dirty, one must keep the spirit up. This was done mostly by singing.

We sang a lot of old English, but also Italian, Spanish and even some Polish and Czech songs. Especially one Czech children’s song gained certain popularity due to its catchy chorus. When we sang together, it took our mind of everything, each time we laughed it felt easier. Always something to take home. Any job is great with good colleagues.

After each workday we were greeted at home with an Aperitivo, always with something freshly baked, beer on tap and of course house made Champagne. After the little refreshment, we would typically go to the river Seine for a quick (very cold) dip. This was an amazing way to reset your body. From then we had two hours until dinner. The time here we spent unwinding, with guitar solos, chit chat and singalongs. These events would continue after dinner only with even more intensity on the singalongs. It was a great way to reset and forget the soreness of your body, the headache caused by the sun and recharge you for another day. One evening the Argentinians and the Polish guys´ enthusiasm for dancing hit a sweet spot. We had an introduction for both Samba, Salsa, Tango and Polish folk dancing. This wasn’t innocent unwinding, it was serious business and pride, nonetheless great fun.

A N U N E X P E CT E D P RO M OT I O N A turning point for the entire 26

experience there, was when offered a “promotion” to go work on the tractor and in the press. From there on I spent my final three days quite differently. We started 1-2 hours earlier than the pickers by loading the presses with the grapes collected the prior day.

The two- and three-tonne presses were pneumatic but had to be loaded by hand. This was done by tilting these 50kg cases into a funnel that led to the press opening. Therefore, we would be soaked in sweat before sunrise. A rather intense start to the day.

We would then put out cases for the two teams, in different vineyards. As well as picking up said cases when full, bringing them onto a larger tractor and taking them back for the press. The “pulling” of the cases, was to me quite extraordinary. We worked on a special vineyard tractor and a hydraulic arm on the right side of the tractor lifted up the 50kg boxes, for us to stack on the back in layers of three.

C E L L A R TO U R W I T H DOMINIQUE At one point I went into the cellar with Dominique, we were to sample what was going on 11 days into the harvest. The first sample we had was fresh juice of Pinot Meunier. It really had a sweet fruitiness at first, but rather quickly it showed its high level of acidity. The juice was extremely mouth-watering and tart.

We also sampled some Chardonnay, which was fermenting in two different vats, one in steel and the other in amphora. They already showed a noticeable difference prior to reaching 5% ABV. Dominque told us, that the Amphora fermented slower, and it seemed to show more minerality in my opinion. In the cellar I also witnessed a “Pied de Cuve” - the yeast starter which had been made with berries from the vineyard. A very simple contraption consisting of nothing more than a bucket of crushed grapes. The grapes are selected in same vineyards as the juice is originating from to make a healthy yeast starter, sort of like a sour dough. It can be tested with more selections to see which performs best, but most winemakers just smell for healthy fermentation. The purpose is to obtain better control of the spontaneous fermentation, as Dominique prefers this over cultivated clean yeasts.

with me from my “vendange primeur” – I especially felt that wine is something these people are incredibly proud of. They do a lot to avoid ruining it with chemicals, additions, or unnecessary processes. Rather they prefer a cleaner product and more work for themselves.

Still grape growing is agriculture, done often by the younger generation, as it is mostly worked by hand. Something you can do whilst you add personality and fun to it, to make this repetitive work more bearable.

I think what impressed me the most was how tough this work really is. Every day as I came home, I felt I had taken a beating. Every day it hurt somewhere new and these people just showed that they

CO N C L U S I O N To sum up I take a lot home 27

were made of something else.

There were no complaints, they were still smiling and had energy for enjoying their evening, whereas the rest of us sat more like a sack of potatoes. I owe the most of respect to people who dedicate their lives to produce the best of products, which we depend on for our livelihood.

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Recreating the perfect year

Barolo 2018 and Barbaresco 2019 - from roller coaster confusion to high-end stability T E X T A N D P H OTO: T H O M A S I L K J Æ R

Except for a few long ageing wines, most of the 2018 Barolos and 2019 Barbarescos are now on the market after the release in January. These are two very different vintages, showing that despite global warming and more options in both vineyard and cellar to adjust both style and quality, a look at the year still provides useful information.

The fog - la nebbia – an autumn morning in Barolo.

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Making general evaluations of vintages for wine regions and appellations is always a delicate matter. Unless the area in question is extremely small and homogeneous, there are so many exceptions and reservations that a broad assessment sometimes seems almost meaningless. Not often has this been than for the 2018 vintage in Barolo. Tasting the 182 wines presented at the annual Nebbiolo Prima event in Alba in January left me with a somewhat confused mind. Some wines were fresh and lean with classic nebbiolo tannins and a rather red-fruited character, some were quite developed, showing beginning tertiary aromas and somewhat overripe fruit while others were simple and almost a little diluted in style, more reminiscent of a Nebbiolo Langhe. And there were no real patterns linked to communes, subzones, or winemaking styles. I have tasted the newly released Barolos every year since the 2000 vintage, and I cannot recall a more inhomogeneous experience. Of course, there are always some quality variations among the wines, but more often than not, finding a satisfying stylistic descriptor and drawing a general picture of vintage character and ageing potential has been possible.

This is definitely more difficult with 2018 vintage.

RA I N, D RY N E S S, A N D RA I N AG A I N But let me try. Starting with the weather, the winter was

generally wet and long, restoring the water reserves after an unusually dry and warm 2017-season. Temperatures in January-March were lower than the average of the previous decade and budbreak occurred without any of the frost problems of some of the previous years. What was especially notable in 2018 was the much higher quantity of rain during the spring.

The numbers in the first five months were way above average and from the 1st of May until mid-June more than half of the days saw rainfall. It stopped in time for a satisfying, if not perfect flowering in June, but created a lot of challenges in the vineyards.

Spraying for downy mildew was a necessity, but the wet soils meant that this could mostly only be done manually. Not all producers had the manpower to do this enough times and had to focus on certain varieties and vineyards.

The weather then completely turned around for the summer with precipitation below average and temperatures higher than normal. The warm weather continued in September with less diurnal temperature variations, which is quite essential for nebbiolo. The rain came back around harvest time and especially at the beginning of October pushing the harvest towards the somewhat later side compared with the last decade.

2017 CA U S E D P RO B L E M S Average sugar levels were good for nebbiolo but over-

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all the yields were lower than usual. This was mainly due to the spring frost, the drought, and the extreme temperatures in 2017, causing stressed plants and affecting the vegetation in 2018 negatively.

As always hailstorms caused some local problems in the area, but 2018 was not a particularly problematic year in that respect. With the described challenges connected to the weather in both 2017 and 2018, it goes without saying that 2018 had no chance of becoming a great year for Barolo. Thanks to the warm, dry summer and late harvest most producers felt it turned out better than expected – but this cannot hide the downsides. A winegrower who was lucky to have experienced fewer problems in 2017, having primarily well-drained vineyards and sufficient manpower, might have been able to make some pretty good wines in 2018. But far from all producers could of course tic all those boxes – hence the very variable style and quality of the wines.

A M I X E D B AG It is difficult to find a good counterpart for 2018 among previous vintages. It has some of the more approachable fruit of 2009 and 2012 but lacks the density and depth of these vintages, and the wines are overall more red-fruited.

It has some of the more easygoing, light character of 2014 but generally, the wines show more tannins and less elegant aromas in 2018 – and the top

wines are better. So, what to do? Buying selectively and with caution would be my advice – unless, of course, you have the chance to taste first.

Keep an eye out for producers who did not make their top wines (or at least not all of them) in 2018 and used the fruit for their basic Barolo.

Monfortino from Giacomo Conterno and the single-vineyard wines from Massolino are just two notable examples. The “basic” wines from such producers could be of particular interest also because they are often less elaborated in the winery with less extraction and oak ageing.

Don’t be mistaken, there are of course some great 2018 Barolo out there, but with the inevitable risk of simplifying things, I would say that it is neither a vintage for the long run nor consistently a vintage with easy-drinking fruit-driven wines. The wines too often lack real depth and more layers, but the tannins are overall balanced. To put it shortly, it’s a mixed bag and a vintage where great wine growers did best.

B A R B A R E S CO 2019 Compared with Barolo 2018 the wines from Barbaresco in 2019 are a whole different

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ball game with better balance, more precision and complexity, and above all more homogeneity in the 71 wines that I blind tasted. The winter season was dry, but April and May saw more rain than average, although not as much as in 2018. The rest of the season was generally characterized by balanced conditions. Temperatures were a little higher than average from June and onwards but except for a short heat wave at the end of June/beginning of July it was never really excessive and with marked diurnal ranges at the end of September and beginning of Octo-

ber. Deciding the picking time was crucial in 2019 because some rainstorms occurred in the first part of October and some waiting proved valuable by getting a few extra days of maturation.

Overall, the Barbarescos show freshness with a linear, elegant character and good density.

They are more on the “classic” side but with less struc-

Appellation DOCG Barolo 2018 DOCG Barbaresco 2019

ture and more generous fruit than in 2010 and 2016. Perhaps 2008 is the best comparison with general balance as the key word, these are wines that are difficult to keep your hands off now, but have the potential to age and develop for a decade or more for the most structured ones. Although not all wines were up to par, the average level was very good and 2019 could

Surface (hectares) 2.149 775

Production (hl) 107.832 36.868

Photo: “The fog - la nebbia – an autumn morning in Barolo.

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very well be a vintage to try new producers and buy with less focus on super-established names since the chance that the producer did well is more than good. Although vintages in Barolo and Barbaresco are never quite the same, the 2019 Barbarescos surely set the expectations for their neighbors from southwest high.

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Best Nordic Sommelier 2022 T E X T B Y: K E T I L S A U E R P H OTO C R E D I T: T H O M A S S J Ø R U P The host for the Best Nordic Sommelier 2022, this time around was Denmark with Christian Aarø as the man in front of this great event and Christian Thorsholdt and Jess Kildetoft as the masterminds behind the tasks laid out for the candidates.

Home to many world class restaurants and sommeliers the 5 Nordic countries have gained a world wide reputation for the excellence within hospitality. Sweden and Norway have born Europe and Worlds Champions through the time proving you don’t have to be from a wine growing country to reach the top. Each year, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark each send 2 candidates to compete for the title Best Nordic Sommelier. As the candidates have already proven themselves in the respective countries qualification rounds the level of the competition is bound to be sky high.

H A R D CO R E S E L E CT I O N Restaurant Trio was used as a base for the semi-finals as well as dinner on the day of arrival.

As per usual the day began with Theory test. A fair but very hard version with questions, such as: ”In what countries do you find the following wine growing regions? Tekel, Sopron, Maribor, Vlaamse?” and ”What wine growing region do you link the following grapes to?

Blauer Wildbacher, Ribolla Gialla, Brancellao, Listan Negro, Chardonnel, Jacquere, ” or ”The Famous L´Enclos vineyard produces pristine fruit for this Bordeaux Property?” Were some of the questions.

The theory was followed by the classic discipline: Blindtasting. A real hit-or-miss as you can easily risk going down a track you won’t have time to change if you don’t pay careful attention and stick to what it actually in the glass. About half the candidates proved to be led astray the two whites in particular which were 2019 Grüner Veltliner from Alzinger and a 2018 Sur Lie Muscadet with a creamy character. Most candidates managed place the red in Italy but went with either Sangiovese or Nebbiolo 38

rather than the 2017 Barbera which was the wine.

Following the blindtasting of the three wines we had 3 spirits: Pimm’s cup – really tricky but one candidate actually nailed it spot on! A white rhum and finally a classic: Rød Aalborg akvavit – something most picked up on.

After the mandatory written test and blind tasting, we were split into 2 groups of 5 each. The location at Trio gave us 3 floors to work different tasks at, meaning we could conduct the various tests simultaneously as there was a great amount of presidents, jury, board members and sommeliers helping out.

That meant we were done already 1 o’clock with lunch and proceed to Axelborg for a photo session of portraits and a group photo. Once again the sponsors of the Danish Sommelier Association showed as great partners – wines were showcased at an open tasting while we waited for the announcement of the finalists.

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A N E W F O R M AT As always all the candidates were invited to the scene to receive an applause. The finalist were revealed: Sander Johnsson, sommelier at ReNaa, Norway, Emma Ziemann sommelier at restaurant Äng, Sweden, and Nikolai Svorte sommelier at Speilsalen, Britannia, Norway. Alright – both Norwegians made it!

Welldone!

This year the final was a complete reformation of how it is usually done. Rather than having strictly timed individual tasks the candidate was invited to take a shift at Christian Thorsholt Jacobsens restaurant lasting for 25 minutes throughout which the candidate would need to solve a variation of service tasks. Beforehand the candidate would have 2 minutes to go over the readied mis en place where only one candidate sharply noticed that a white wine was left out at room temperature and needed to be put on cool before the guests would start to arrive.

The new style of the final was a refreshing touch where the competitors could more freely and authentically show their skills and personalities, in a closer to normal restaurant scenario. The time was sufficient and if something was forgotten it was possible to correct small mistakes as well as interact more with the guests with time for upselling and checking in with the tables.

I N D I V I D U A L I TY O N D I S P L AY The workflow of the 3 finalists were very different to each other. Each solved the tasks in a highly competent and professional manner with different solutions to the guests demands.

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One table was a regular that always would receive a glass of sherry on the house – here the candidates had a bottle of Fino from Bodegas Tradicion available to pour and the option to offer almonds and olives to go with it: A detail Nikolaj and Emma caught and Sander missed. The explanations of the sherry ranged from very short to more extensively describing it between the candidates. Another table desired a bottle of champagne and the host would later on try to teach her guests that champagne was in fact made by adding carbondioxide to wine and seek the approval of the sommelier – a delicate diplomatic task where the communication skills were put to a test. Something all three candidates solved well.

A walk-in table then arrived.

First they wanted a glass of

wine to match with oysters – here there were several great options to choose from ranging from Sherry to Chablis, over Albariño to Arinto from Acores – and afterwards they showed a keen interest in the selection of fine wines on the winelist, asking which of them might pair best with the Beouf Bourgignon they had ordered.

There were 4 fine wines to choose from: 1983 Château Palmer, 1991 Conti, DRC, 1994 Ridge Montebello and finally – the trap – 2011 Hill of Grace which wasn’t made in that particular year.

Nikolaj took the guests well through the different options, but was hesitant to provide a final recommendation, Emma explained each style of wine thoroughly and professionally apologized for the misprint of the 2011, noting it wasn’t made but the 2012 was avail-

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able instead, and in the end that was her recommendation to provide enough power and mirror the bacon intensity of the dish, and Sander gave the perhaps most eloquent explanation of each wine, but didn’t catch the detail of the 2011 Henscke. He ended up recommending the Conti relying on the acidity to contrast and the charm of local specialties with wine from the same area. Finally, the table with the regular, who had earlier received a glass of sherry, ordered a bottle of Pernard-Vergelles. Depending on whether the candidate had put it on ice during their review of the mis en place, he or she would need to act accordingly. Only Sanders had already chilled the wine beforehand and also ended up as the only one decanting it to aerate – an optional choice.

He bravely went for the Riedel Mamba decanter which requires skill to handle, which he elegantly proved to have. Both Emma and Nikolaj hadn’t put it on ice beforehand, but realized prior to pouring, ending up with small initial pours and then chilling the wine after – an acceptable solution. The option to decant the wine over ice to cool it down more immediately was available but neither opted for it. The wine was ordered to match with a monkfish on the menu, and it was hoped that the candidate would elaborate on the choice of wine to match the dish.

laj the most quiet and efficient and it was his first time in an international finale. Emma is a seasoned competitor who appeared comfortable on stage with great connection to the guests as well as the audience and a cheerful, warm and embracing manner, while Sanders worked with great precision and elegance yet still with personality towards the guests.

After the service tasks were finished blind tasting was on the table. A 2012 Léoville-Poyeferre was in the glass – While all three candidates gave compelling and accurate analysis of the wine, Sander hit it almost got spot on.

T H E F I N A L CO U N T D OW N

After the single candidate performance, there were 3 group tasks; recognizing pictures, decanting a magnum and pour-

The overall impression of the three candidates were very different to each other. Niko-

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ing it into 22 even glasses as well as a ”Sudden death” wine tasting (50/50) – answer correctly and you can continue.

It was a very close run between the winner and the runner up. 25% of the points from the semifinale was brought onwards as the more different tasks you go through, the more sure you are to name the right winner in the end. I think no one could say who was the winner until he was announced – all three had simply done a magnificent job!

In the end there can only be 1 winner: Sander Johnsson was the man of the day, winning the Nordic Sommelier championship with Emma Ziemann second and Nikolaj Svorte third. A warm congratulations on a great feat to all three and the rest of the competitors!

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Noter af modne, røde frugter, balsamico og en duft af Middelhavet.

Fløjlsblød med en lang finish.

The wine-year in review B Y: N I N A J E N S E N

As the bureaucracies of the world returned to full function the wine world has seen many legislative changes as well as news. Here you get a brief update on the key changes – time to update the flashcards!

1. S A I N T- E M I L I O N C L A S S I F I CAT I O N: With an increase focus on market positioning an media Angélus joined Château Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone in stepping out of the Saint-Emilion Classification, leaving Château Pavie as the last of the 4 Grand Cru Classé “A”. Château Pavie then got company with Château Figeac which is now also classified as Grand Cru Classé “A”.

2. M O R E O N B O R D E A U X… Château Haut-Bages Libéral in Pauillac launched the first Bordeaux 1855 Cru Classé made entirely without added sulphur. The name of the cuvée is Cérès and it is 100% Merlot sourced from a biodynamic vineyard in Haut-Médoc AOP in vintage 2020.

3. CO M I TATO H I S TO R I CA L S U P E R T U S CA N S Founded in December 2021 is an association to honor and draw attention to the history of the Super Tuscans from Chianti Classico. The association has prominent names such as San Felice, Antinori, Castellare, Montevertine, Isole e Olena and Félsina among the current 16 members. To become a member, the producer must have been making super Tuscan from grapes grown within Chianti Classico before 1994, which marked the change in the legislation allowing Chianti wines to be entirely made on red varietals – a big achievement for the members of the Historical Super Tuscan association, who initially fought for a better quality and tighter legislation within Chianti. The association restricts the founding members to wines from the Chianti Classico area as they say: “The concept of SuperTuscan wine was born exactly as a reaction to Chianti’s regulations” but are open to later members coming from outside the zone.

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4. N E W M A N AG I N G D I R E CTO R AT V D P Theresa Olkus now takes the reigns, while Steffan Cristmann remains the president.

5. N E W AVA’S …

The gift that keeps on giving! New AVA’s in 2022 (so far) are: Mount Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon (Oregon), SLO Coast (California), Western Sonoma (California) Rocky Reach (Washington), Upper Lake (California), Gablian Mountains (California), Paulsell Valley (California)

6. S TO P T H E CO N F U S I O N I N A L S AC E It is now mandatory for Alsace producers from the release of the 2021 bottling to indicate sugarlevels for the Alsace AOP wines. Dry can go up to 4g/L, semi dry will be from 5-12 grams/l, lieblich sits at 13-45g/l and sweet is above 45g/l residual sugar.

7. A DA N I S H - I C E L A N D I C A RT I S T O N M O U TO N - ROT H S C H I L D Olafur Eliasson made the artwork for Mouton Rothschild vintage 2019! Per Kirkeby is the only other Danish artist to make the Mouton Rothschild in 1992 label so far.

8. V E G A S I C I L I A O N N E W A DV E N T U R E S With their purchase (in December 2021) of 7 hectares of land in Rias Baixas, Tempos Vega Sicilia plans to build a new winery in Condado do Tea. A clear witness of the popularity of the wines from Rias Baixas.

9. T E M P RA N I L LO O N TO P Tempranillo took over the 1st place as the most planted grape of Spain! Finally Arién must admit defeat.

10. U P G RA D E F O R L A U D U N Laudun was upgraded from a Côtes du Rhône Villages to its very own AOP. It will count from the wines of the 2023 vintage and onwards. Laudun is located on the right bank of the Rhône river north of Tavel and Lirac and across from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The region is known for its white wines which makes up a quarter of the production.

11. LO S S E S O F A M E R I CA N G I A N T S Among Californian winemakers to giants were lost. Jean Thackery – known for his holistic, historic, Greek inspired wine making technique and Josh Jensen, who played a key role in establishing Pinot Noir as an important, great varietal of North America.

12. V I N O D E PAG O R E AC H E S CA S T I L L A Y L É O N Three new Vino di Pago were approved in 2022 raising the number to a total of 23 and at the same time including Castilla y Leon on the list of autonomias home to the prestigious title. Abadia-Retuerta and Pago Peñalba, both in Ribera del Duero, as well as Finca Bolandin in Navarra are the three newcomers.

13. T H E M I G H T G E T M I G H T I E R LVMH purchased the iconic Joseph Phelps and thereby established themselves even further as a prominent presence in North America.

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14. N E W G I I N B U E N O S A I R E S’ Balcarce is the newest GI in Argentina and the fourth in Buenos Aires. Located 37 miles from the coast and surrounded by mountains, Balcarce was until recently known for potato cultivation but the modern history started 9 years ago when Bodega Puerta del Abra planted 12 hectares of Chardonnay, Riesling, Albariño, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.

15. S U S S E X O BTA I N S P D O The PDO protects both still and sparkling wines from Sussex and encompasses the counties of West Sussex and East Sussex. The sparkling styles must be made by the traditional method from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay with Pinot Blan, Petit Meslier, Arbanne and Pinot Noir Précoce as complimentary varietals. While sparkling wines have a minimum alcohol of 11% still wines are at 10% minimum. 24 varietals are permitted for still wines of which several are PiWi. The PDO was received with mixed enthusiasm, most notable Frazer Thompson of Chapel Down called it ‘a bad idea’ expressing his fear it would make the winemakers lasy.

16. C H A M PAG N E D RO P S T H E D E N S I TY To make it easier to do machinery work in the vineyards of Champagne the AOP now permits the planting density to be 6.000plants/hectare rather than the previous mandatory 8.000 plants per hectare.

17. TO O M U C H R E D W I N E S F RO M A U S T RA L I A A N D B O R D E A U X The giant Accolade wines see too few buyers for their Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz wines calculating a surplus of 350 million litres. The sharply increasing shipping cost is likely part of the explanation, but so is a changing drinking trend. Accolade wine now offer their winegrowers a bonus to grub up Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz and plant white varietals instead. Bordeaux Families (cooperative, 5000ha total) also plan on reducing the amount of red wine and focus more on rosé and crémant.

18. TOTA L F R E N C H Y I E L D I N C R E A S E D W I T H 18% - luckily the total yield is up in France by 18% in comparison to 2021. Bourgogne saw a healthy, high quality and large quantity crop this year which hopefully will cover some of the lost volume seen in 2021. Champagne almost doubled the volume, but other regions were hit by severe drought, here counting Bordeaux which went down by 5%, Alsace down by 11% and in the Sud-Ouest down with as much as 21%.

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NYHED NYHED

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 MONDAVI FAMILIEN I PIEMONTE producerer vin ud fra principper indenfor perMONDAVI FAMILIEN I PIEMONTE Nu har Robert Mondavis barnebarn, Carlo Mondamakultur, biodynamik, ogbarnebarn, økologi.

Nu harhans Robert Mondavis Carlo Mondavi, og partner, Giovanna Bagnasco, overtavi, hans partner, Giovanna overtagetog vinhuset Sorí della Sorba i Bagnasco, Piemonte, hvor de get vinhuset Sorí della Sorba i Piemonte, hvor de producerer vin ud fra principper indenfor perproducerer vin ud fraog principper makultur, biodynamik, økologi. indenfor permakultur, biodynamik, og økologi.

De laver kun 2 vine på nuværende tidspunkt: laver kun 2 vine på 100% nuværende tidspunkt: •DeLanghe Nebbiolo Nebbiolotidspunkt: De laver kun 2 vine på på nuværende • Langhe Nebbiolo på 100% Nebbiolo •• Langhe Nebbiolo Langhe Nebbiolo Rosso på på 60%100% Dolcetto, 40% Nebbiolo • Langhe Rosso på 60% Dolcetto, 40% 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 capRobert Parker’s Wine Advocate gav vinhusets tures theParker’s most 2019, honest anddella transparent side of Robert WineSorí Advocate gav vinhusets første årgang Sorba Nebbiolo første årgang 2019, Sorí della Sorba Nebbiolo this noble grape. isvejen: 3,441 Langhe 93+Piedmont point og en masseProduction ros med på Langhe 93+ point og en masse ros med på vejen: bottles, 40 magnums and threeofjeroboams.

That ”This biodynamic expression Nebbiolo cap”This expression of Nebbioloside captures biodynamic the most honest and transparent of said, with inaugural release, you'd be lucky to tures the this most honest and transparent side of this noble Piedmont grape.

Production is 3,441 this noble Piedmont grape.

Production is 3,441 find one at magnums all.” bottles, 40 and three jeroboams.

That bottles, 40this magnums and three you'd jeroboams.

That said, with inaugural release, be lucky to said, with this inaugural release, you'd be lucky to find one2020 at all.” Årgang er nu på lager i Skovlunde, og sælgfind one at all.” Årgang 2020 lager er nu haves. på lager i Skovlunde, og sælges så længe Årgang 2020 lager er nu haves. på lager i Skovlunde, og sælges så længe es så længe lager haves.

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

Kontakt salgsdirektør Thomas Dam for mere information: E: thomas.dam@laudrupvin.dk Tlf: 2240 4521 Kontakt salgsdirektør Thomas 13 Dam for mere information: E: thomas.dam@laudrupvin.dk Tlf: 2240 4521 Mileparken | 2740 Skovlunde | tlf. 4484 8086 | www.laudrup.dk Mileparken 13 | 2740 Skovlunde49 | tlf. 4484 8086 | www.laudrup.dk

Wine, only appreciated in moderation

EFTER REGN OG BLÆST, EKSTREM VARME OG KULDE

KOMMER BELØNNINGEN

DETTE ER RIBERA DEL DUERO DEM, DER HAR PRØVET DET, VED DET

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Made to Move You

SANCERRE

DOMAINE GÉRARD MILLET Nyhed i familien

ENKELT MARK

ENKELT MARK

1021013

1021015

1021017

1021011

Gérard Millet Sancerre Blanc

Gérard Millet Sancerre Blanc Le Désert Du Petit Bannon

Gérard Millet Sancerre Blanc Chêne Marchand

Gérard Millet Menetou-Salon Blanc

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.

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

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“Winery of the Year – Au Bon Climat. A range of breathtaking wines...

To me they represent the very essence of Santa Barbara.”

- Antonio Galloni, Vinous 2019

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A chat with Elaine Chuka Brown A N I N T E RV I E W B Y: J O N AT H A N G O U V E I A

Contemplating on “modern” winegrowing in the sunny California, I Recently had a brief chat with Elaine Chuka Brown to hear her thoughts on what’s on going on in the Golden state.

It’s no secret that recent years have brought along discussions of global warming and climate change, and more importantly unpredictable and erratic weather conditions in the winegrowing regions of the world. Zooming in on California, it is a state we have long associated with the ripe and muscular Cabernets of Napa Valley, the fruit driven and rich Pinots and Chardonnays from Sonoma and Central Coast, as well as the succulent Zinfandels of the Central Valley. But perhaps it’s time to reconsider our idea of California as a winegrowing state, look beyond familiar terroirs and grape varities to see what else is out there?

CHANGES DEMAND PRECISION First I asked Elaine about the recent vintages in California, and how weather variation is affecting winegrowing conditions, with vintage variation being more extreme on the west coast of the USA;

“Unfortunately we are having wildfires much more frequently, and the wildfire seasons are getting longer”, also noting this years spring frost as being unusually late, with especially Willamette Valley yields being highly reduced among Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Another current issue which we are seeing are more late season heat spikes, with Elaine mentioning 2017 as being a particularly variable year from grapes harvested before or after the heat spike, leaving the wines flabby and without freshness.

Irrigation has always been a sensitive topic in the discussions of terroir, and as so I wanted Elaine takes on irrigation in drought affected vintages; “I actually think it’s a mistake to use more irrigation. As weather temperatures become more extreme, it becomes more important to make your vineyards resilient”. She continues in emphasizing that farmers need to use less input, in order to 53

create a more independent environment in the vineyard, with a current trend of farmers moving more towards dry farming, still however on a small scale.

In her opinion less input is a key factor in consistency of high-quality grapes with vintage variation, and this goes beyond just the element of irrigating. We do however need to consider how irrigation is used, seeing as it is a complex subject where usage is highly indicative of the result.

S P I K E S O F D I F F I C U LTY Moving on to subject of which Elaine was in Copenhagen to talk about: Elevation sites! On this matter I was keen to hear of her experience with seeing new sites emerging as well as grape varieties; “Growing white grapes and making white wine is less complicated [than red wine, ed.], and one of the effects of climate change and these heat spikes is that you end up with a decoupling of flavor development, tannin development,

and acid.” This is an interesting comment from Elaine, seeing as “The New World” has had the benefits of consistent phenolic ripeness, where this has been a trickier matter in the old world. Elevation might help to regain the balance between sugar accumulation and phenolic ripening as the temperature drops with every meter you search up a hill. Another effect of it is an increased focus on white wine varietals: With grapes destined for white- or sparkling wines, producers are not anx-

iously waiting for tannin to ripen hence, with a combination of the desired flavor profile as well as balanced acidity- and sugar levels, you can start your harvest. To statue an example Elaine points to Anderson Valley (Mendocino County), where currently a a big shift towards Chardonnay, from a historically know Pinot Noir region, is taking place.

Another trend to mend this being seeing in terms of grape varieties, are later ripening va-

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rieties because the heat spikes according to Elaine typically happens in early September (when you usually harvest Pinot Noir), where she is very keen on Mourvèdre and Aligoté as later ripening varieties.

THE FUTURE OF P L A N T M AT E R I A L But how about crossings and hybrids? A specifically hot topic in the face of climate change and disease pressure, with Elaine noting more hybrids are emerging, however with just a few producers tak-

ing them seriously, something worth exploring in her opinion; “There are a few people in California, who are starting to grow hybrids, to see how they grow and how to make them, and farming with hybrids are easier, and as a result less expensive”. An important person to mention is retired lab researcher Andy Walker (UC Davis), having developed numerous varieties with north American ancestry to be more disease resistant. – These five varieties have just been released to be planted this

year, and includes grapes like: Camminare Noir, Paseante Noir and Ambulo Blanc. On the same note, keep your eyes and ears out for clones prone towards “shot” berries, also known as “hens and chicks”, an example being the “Shot Wente Clone” of Chardonnay utilized by eg. Kongsgaard in the Napa Valley.

The last thing I asked Elaine about, was weather she expects more demand on Californian wines in European markets, with numerous European wine producers buying

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up land and wineries in the US in recent years. She especially considers Oregon and California as hot subjects of European investment and believes this is a trend we will see more of. She also believes we will see more wines emerging from newer and smaller areas exported beyond the borders of the US, with the increasing demand and thirst for Burgundy, being something that will benefit the wines of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay regions in the US.

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DOMAINE DE BELLENE

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

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