A Night Exploring Pinot Noir

The host of our September evening was Martin Marais, one of our club members.

Martin generally prefers full-bodied reds, such as Merlot, Syrah and Malbec. However, at the beginning of the year he decided to broaden his wine horizons and explore Pinot Noir wines. So, for seven months he only bought Pinot Noir wines and ordered it in restaurants. He also read everything he could about the grape and wine, and visited Burgundy (the “birth place” of Pinot Noir) where he visited domains in Rully and Beaune to do some tasting.

The night was an opportunity for Martin to tell us what he had learnt.

The first thing Martin explained was the character of Pinot Noir wine. It is:

• Medium bodied and medium dry
• It has an alcohol content in the range 11 to 13.5%
• It has medium tannins and good acidity, although some vineyards add white wines to increase acidity, which can also increase the laying down period of the wine. Pinot Noir wines age well and can be laid down for up to 10 years.

 Martin explained that Pinot Noir can have pronounced earthy (mushroom/leaf litter) flavours, especially the old-world wines. While an earthiness is present in new world wines, they tend to present more red berry flavours and be more full-bodied.

The “ideal” drinking temperature is at the lower end for red wines at about 14^oC, with Malbec at 16^oC, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carménère and Syrah at 18 ^oC.

Cheese Pairings include Semi-hard cheeses such as Gruyère and Comté or more pungent washed-rind cheeses such as Epoisses and Reblochon.

Martin presented two Pinot Noirs to allow members to experience the differences between old-world and new-world styles; one from France and one from New Zealand.

Pinot Noir has been given the nickname “The Heartbreak Grape”. This is because;

• It is a difficult and finicky grape to grow
• It is thin-skinned, which makes it liable to damage
• Its berries are tightly clustered making it prone to disease
• It is very fussy about the climate in which it grows, demanding a cooler-climate, limestone-rich clay soils, that drain easily and deep soils through which the roots can grow for water
• It generally delivers lower yields than other red grape varieties

Therefore, good quality Pinot Noir wines often have a higher price tag, indeed it produces some of the most highly priced varietal wines in the world; half of the world’s 50 most expensive wines are made with Pinot Noir.

Regardless of all its foibles, Pinot Noir is still a popular grape to grow and is in the top ten (9^th) grapes grown by area in the world. The primary producer of Pinot Noir wine is France, followed by the USA, Germany, Moldova, Italy, New Zealand, Australia and Austria. Some of the Pinot Noir wine areas of greatest reputation are listed below.

Pinot Noir literally means ‘black pine cone’, which is a comment on its shape and colour. It is French in origin, from Burgundy and is one of the oldest grape varieties. It was widely grown by Cistercian monks in Burgundy who used it as a Communion wine. When the monks dispersed to establish new monasteries, they took vines with them and thus helped spread the variety across Europe.

The grape has around 300 synonyms, the German grape Spätburgunder is in fact Pinot Noir. It has also spawned the most clones (nearly 50) amongst the more well-known commercial grape varieties. A clone is a genetic mutation of the parent vine. Clones that have developed from Pinot Noir include Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier and Frühburgunder. The latter is an early fruiting variety which, as a result, is increasingly grown in England and Wales where it is known as Pinot Noir Précoce.

The grape tends not to be used to create red blends, but is famously used in sparkling wine blends, most notably Champagne.

However, it has been cross- fertilised with other grapes, resulting in famous grape varieties such as Chardonnay (Pinot Noir x Gouais Blanc) and Pinotage (Pinot Noir x Hermitage - more commonly known as Cinsault).

August 18th is International Pinot Noir Day.

Pinot Noir is a versatile wine for pairing with food not only as a still red, but also because it is made in most styles of wine:

• still white
• sparkling white
• still Rosé
• sparkling Rosé (a speciality of English vineyards)
• still red
• sparkling red (another speciality of English vineyards)
• dessert wines

Although a red grape, its thin skin makes it capable of producing very clear white wines. The fact it has been around for a very long time also means wine makers have had ample time to experiment with it.

There more wines were presented as examples of the wide range of styles that Pinot Noir can be used to make. 

An English white. It was accompanied by Black Bomber (an English Cheddar) 

French Rosé. It was accompanied by Old Amsterdam (an aged Gouda) 

An Italian Franciacorta. It was accompanied by Cornish Yarg (a nettle wrapped hard English cheese)

Franciacorta is a small wine-producing area in Lombardy in northern Italy and is famous for its high-quality Méthode Traditionnelle sparkling wines, which are widely regarded (especially in Italy) as the country’s finest sparkling wines. It is made with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and limited amounts of Pinot Blanc, whilst Champagne uses Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Franciacorta production is only 1/10 of that of Champagne and only a small proportion is exported due to its popularity in Italy. 

In addition, a dessert wine from Oregon was presented but not tasted (it was too expensive).

Martin’s conclusions of his exploration of Pinot Noir were;

• Exploring Pinot Noir wines is an adventure
• Each bottle is a different drinking experience
• One needs to explore them to find those that one likes
• Price does matter – one needs to spend a bit more to get the quality
• New world styles are fuller bodied
• Hungarian and Romanian are fuller bodied than Western European styles

Of the thirty or so Pinot Noirs Martin tasted, he recommended two:

• a Californian (Bread and Butter)
• a Romanian (Călușari)

Martin's overall conclusion was that he would be sticking with fuller-bodied red wines … although he would continue drinking the Pinot Noir/Hermitage cross called Pinotage, a South African speciality. It was accompanied by Morbier, a French semi-soft cows' milk cheese, and it was an excellent finish to the evening!

 

 

The New, the Near, the Old, the Far

The July event was an evening of two halves - wines from a new winery not far from Freeland and wines from far-away Georgia, where wine production started thousands of years ago.

Our first host was Gavin Carver. 

Gavin is the founder and owner of Freedom of the Press Winery, which is based at Ringwood Farm near Minster Lovell (OX29 0ND).

He presented some delicious English whites, which were examples of the excellent improvement in the quality that English wines have undergone in the last 5 or so years. 

For more details, visit the Freedom of the Press website.

Gavin also hosted two "experimental" wines from the Vindemiate winery, which was established by Tamasine Herriott. 

More details about Tamasine's wines can be found on the Vindemiate website.

Our Second host was Kaha Guliashvili who hails from Georgia. 

His company, GeoNaturals, promotes, imports and sells Georgian wines and he presented some excellent wines made in the traditional way using huge, handmade, clay vessels called qvevri which are buried in the ground while the wine ferments.

For more details on the wines sold by GeoNaturals, visit their website. 

A short video about the history of Georgian wines can be seen by following this link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN5ziogyxP0.

A Night of Mystery

Our May event was a night of mystery. But before we get onto that, we were delighted to welcome some Ukrainian guests to the Wine Club this month and our host, Mark Stuart-Thompson, offered a special Ukrainian welcome.

It was commented upon by several members that numbers were a little down compared to usual. This may have been because May’s event was held a week earlier than normal. I hope some members didn’t turn up on the usual night, only to find the village hall in darkness. For those of us who did attend the theme was The Commonwealth Games, with a twist.

The Commonwealth Games are being held in Birmingham this year and the wines for the night were from Commonwealth countries, of which there are 54. Interestingly, although, the Commonwealth is associated with its link to the British Empire, any country can apply to be a member regardless of its connection with Britain's colonial past. Of course, we did not taste wine from all 54 countries (now there’s a challenge); we had a representative selection of wines from 6 countries.

The twist was that we were offered the wines blind and had to guest their countries of origin. Each table had a selection of a dozen, or so, small cards with an image of a national flag on each. After tasting the wine, we had to hold aloft the flag of the country from which we believed the wine came. Mark was testing our wine tasting expertise; gained from years of attending the wine club.

The first wine, the welcome sparkling wine, was a disaster, at least as far as guessing the country was concerned. It was a fruity, sparkling white which most people assumed was from England. It was in fact from South Africa, a Chardonnay/Pinot Noir blend.

The second did not fare much better. Most thought it was from New Zealand, when this one was, in fact, an English Pinot Blanc. Maybe there was a clue in the cheese - a mature English cheddar.

The next one was a Xynisteri from Cyprus. Since none of us had heard of the grape, it was just as well that guessing the grape was not part of the challenge. There were some interesting thought processes in respect to arriving at its country of origin. One person concluded that the wine would be one that they would like to drink while on holiday beside the Mediterranean. Given we had some clues about countries in the selection of flags on the table, this narrowed the choices to either Malta or Cyprus. Malta was selected. Of course, it turned out to be Cyprus, but the deduction process was sound. On this occasion the cheese was of no use, it being a French garlic and herb Goats' Cheese. 

And so, we moved onto the reds. Most of the members are red wine fans. So, things should have improved. And indeed, they did.

 

A Pinot Noir, from the renounced Pinot Noir region of Central Otago was the first red. The very earthy nose should have given the grape away. And some people did deduce correctly that New Zealand was the country of origin - well done them! A reserve Swiss Gruyere accompanied this wine.

The full-bodied Shiraz was much more in our line of knowledge and many got Australia as the country of Origin. A nutty Jarlsberg came with this wine. 

Many also got the next red (a Merlot) as coming from South Africa; accompanied by a vintage Gouda.

The last wine was a treat and virtually everyone guessed the country of origin correctly. It was a delicious dessert wine, or more correctly, ice wine from Canada. A Mature British Stilton accompanied the wine.

All-in-all another delightful evening at the Freeland Wine Club, in which there was probably more discussion about the wines than usual!

And finally, before I close, it is time to say a sad good-bye to Louise Kelly, our stalwart Treasurer and Membership Committee Member. Louise has given her invaluable time and expertise to the club for many years, including before it had a formal committee. So, thank you, Louise, from all of us for your dedication and support for the club and your friendly smile. You will be missed. As they say, “Don’t be a Stranger”. We hope you will pop in and join us for a drink (I mean a taste) of wine whenever you are in the area. 

The Italian Job

The theme of the evening, given by the title above, gives more than a small hint about the nature of the wines presented to the Freeland Wine Club during our March meeting.

The evening was hosted by wine club member David Lloyd who introduced Matthew Pratt, a wine expert from Moreton Wine Merchants in Moreton-in-Marsh.

Matthew Pratt (right) and David Lloyd

Matt developed an interest in wine after volunteering to help with a wine tasting in a supermarket at which he was working while a student. He was able to sample some of the wine during the tasting and had one of those life changing moments. If wine could taste this good, he needed to know more about them. The rest, as they say, is history.

Matt’s interest and passion for the subject was obvious as he took us on an exploration of the length and breadth of Italy, from Veneto in the north to Sicily in the south. We were able to savour the oenological delights the country has to offer as we joined him on the journey.

The welcome wine was a sparkling white of the Durello grape grown on volcanic hillsides of the Veneto wine region near Verona. The name of the grape refers to the small, firm, late-maturing berries. The Durello grape's natural high acidity and the cool, hillside vineyards produce complex, long lived wines to rival Italy's finest sparklers. Production of Durello Spumante is mostly in the hands of a few small growers, producing traditionally bottle fermented wine with up to 6 years on lees.

The wine offers citrus and gent floral aromas and a fresh palate with crisp green apple and lightly honeyed characters. Serve with antipasti of cold meats, mature cheese and Veneto-style risotto.

The first wine was Gavi Tenuta Santa Seraffa accompanied by a plain French goats cheese roulade.

The Santa Seraffa estate is situated in the Gavi del Comune di Gavi zone which surrounds the town of Gavi. The vines are, on average, 45yrs old and are planted on south-facing slopes of chalky-clay soils with excellent drainage. The name of the estate comes from the hermitage of Santa Seraffa - a destination for pilgrims in the thirteenth century, who were also attracted by the wines produced by the Cistercian monks.

The wine has aromas of flora, citrus and green apple combined with hints of frangipane. The palate has apple and lemon characters and an appealing weight and minerality. The finish is textural and long. Serve with seafood and shellfish.

Wine two was a Caruso and Minini Organic Grillo accompanied by Reblochon

Caruso & Minini are a part of new revival in Sicilian wine. Small wineries have sprung up in the past decade with a strong interest in the potential of the native grapes from Sicily. The estate’s grapes are grown in vineyards in a hilly area east of Marsala at an altitude of 400 meters above sea level.

Pale straw in colour with golden tinges and aromas of lemon, gooseberry, nectarine peel and sage. Bright and crisp on the palate then rounder and more mellow, with a persistent hint of lime and white flowers.

Terrazze della Luna Pinot Grigio Rosato was the third wine and was accompanied by Mozzarella.

The wine is a traditional ramato style of Pinot Grigio rosé that is subjected to a short exposure to the press extract to release the natural dusky bronze colour of ripe Pinot Grigio grapes, giving a pale, coral wine and an elegant and dry rosé. The grapes are sourced from the Vallagarina Valley in Trentino, a zone noted for its fine, crisp Pinot Grigio.

The first red was a Fattoria Le Pupille Morellino di Scansano 2020 accompanied by Grana Pandano, a hard, mature Italian cheese.

Fattoria Le Pupille Morellino di Scansano is a young, soft and fruity red wine dominated by Sangiovese (85%) with Alicante (10%) and Ciliegiolo (5%). It is red with ruby reflections. The aromas have scents of red fruit, blueberries and cherry. On the palate the wine is fresh with a light aromatic persistence and balanced tannins.

Neprica Primitivo was the second red. It is a blend based on Primitivo with Negroamaro and was served
with Pecorino Romana, another hard Italian cheese.

The producer, Tormaresca, consists of two estates in different areas of Puglia, in the heel of Italy.

The wine presents red fruits, black cherry and blackcurrant on the nose. On the palate, the spice of the Negroamaro is complemented by the plum jam flavours of Primitivo, resulting in a soft and well-balanced wine.

The final wine was a Castelforte Amarone della Valpolicella that was served with Gorgonzola.

Castelforte Amarone is made from dried Corvina and Rondinella grapes. A long, slow fermentation and minimum 18 month aging in large oak give this dry, full-bodied red wine a deep garnet red colour, a complex bouquet of cinnamon, cherry jam and walnut and a palate of ripe black cherry fruit with notes of vanilla and coffee on the finish.

A Bright New Start

As the Freeland Wine Club welcomes a new year of wine experiences it also welcomes its new committee and our first event of the year was an excellent opportunity for the committee to introduce themselves to the members and tell us about some of their favourite wines. 

The new Freeland Wine Club Committee are;

Before the committee introduced their wines, members were welcomed with a delicious Pignoletto Brut; a sparkling white from Italy, which some claim is a superior drink to Prosecco, but it is probably a matter of taste. Nevertheless, if you would like an alternative to Prosecco, you couldn’t do worse than a Pignoletto.

Mark Stuart-Thompson kicked the evening off by introducing a Greek Assyyrtko. He had bought the wine two years ago as he had, at the time, planned to host an evening of wines on an Olympic theme, as he had hoped to visit Japan that year. Of course, the Japanese Games were postponed and although they did eventually go ahead, the very restricted conditions under which they proceeded meant that Mark never did make it to them. Therefore, he took the opportunity at the January event to present this Greek white from the Thymiopoulos vineyard in the Naoussa region of northern Greece. The accompanying cheese was a Greek goats’ cheese, Manouri from Waitrose.

Terry Glossop introduced an English white from the Three Choirs vineyard in Gloucestershire. Terry is on a campaign to convert wine drinkers to drinking British (English and Welsh) wines. There are now over 500 vineyards in the UK and the main grape grown is Pinot Noir; an improvement on Bacchus, which used to be the most popular grape grown in the UK. Going by the wine we tasted on the night the conversion process should not be too difficult; it was generally agreed that the wine presented on the night, called Stone Brook, was excellent. The accompanying cheese was an English Wenseydale from Lidl.

Louise Kelly introduced the first red of the night. Louise has an affinity for antipodean wines, not least because her nephew, Lee Winston, is a wine maker in New Zealand. However, on the night, Louise presented an Italian blend (Merlot, Corvina) from the Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine vineyard in the Venetio region of north-east Italy. The accompanying cheese was a French Comte from Asda.

Bill Pinkerton has a very catholic taste in wine and has travelled widely visiting vineyards an experience which has left him with many memorable anecdotes. He introduced a Bordeaux blend (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec) from the Chateau Monconseil Gazin vineyard. The accompanying cheese was an English Davidstow mature cheddar, available from most supermarkets.

The only New World wine of the night was presented by Sue Campbell. Sue had an early introduction to wines as her father was a keen wine drinker. But it was when she married that she really got into wines, as her husband is a real wine enthusiast, to the point of knowing the exact weight limit of wines that their car could safely be loaded with when they ventured into France. The wine sue presented was from the Australian Black Stump vineyard. It was a shiraz with a twist, in that it was blended with Durif. The accompanying cheese was a Dutch Vintage Gouda from Lidl.

The chairman, Bob Bradley, explained that he and his wife have many divergent hobbies and interests, but visiting wine cellars around Europe was an interest that they definitely shared. He finished the evening off with a Spanish varietal red (Garnacha) from the Bodegas Borsao vineyard in the Campo de Borgja region in Aragon, in northern Spain. The accompanying cheese was a French goats' cheese from Lidl.

It has to be said that we had another excellent evening, with not only some very fine wines on offer, but with the added delight of hearing different stories of the committee member’s personal adventures with wine and the passion and pleasure they get from experiencing a good wine.

A list of the wines presented on the night can be seen by following this LINK.