- In memoriam: Brian MacDonald, Frank Supernak and Victor Manola
- Mouton Rothschild forsakes paint for enamel
- Top Brunello producer declassifies 2002
vintage
- New French wine category
planned
- Etna eruption threatens
DOC vineyards
- Author unwelcome
in Napa after 'trashing' wineries
- Graham’s 2002 Vintage Report
In memoriam: Brian MacDonald, Frank Supernak and Victor Manola It has been a cruel November for the British Columbia wine industry,
with the deaths of three of the industry's figures. Brian MacDonald, 49, the co-founder of Edgemont Village Wines, died on
November 4 after a year-long battle with a malignant brain tumour. He will be missed by all VQA wine producers. Four years ago, he and
Bruce Curry opened their VQA wine store in North Vancouver's Edgemont
Village. It has become the second busiest VQA store in the province. A
year ago, just as his cancer was diagnosed, he and Curry opened a second
store in Vancouver's Dunbar area, which also is flourishing. MacDonald's full-bore approach to everything he did recalls that
athletic cliché about giving 110%. Previously, he had been a journalist
and a hotel chain manager. When he got into the wine industry, he armed
himself by taking courses which, if pursued fully, would have qualified
him as a Master of Wine. He and his partner also made regular trips to
visit wineries, lining up a continuous parade of winery representatives
to host tastings in their stores. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Brian was his fair treatment of
all the wineries represented in his store. He supported them all without
denigrating those wineries that still were at the lower end of the
learning curve. He was a true friend of British Columbia wine. Victor Manola and Frank Supernak died on November 10 in an accident at
Manola's Silver Sage winery south of Oliver. According to newspaper
reports, Manola fell into a tank of wine, likely having been overcome by
the carbon dioxide given off by fermenting wine. Supernak, who was
helping in the winery, perished while trying to rescue Manola. Manola grew up in Romania. In 1975, when he was 20, he managed to escape
what then was one of Communism's uglier regimes. After the collapse of
Communism, he helped bring his relatives to Canada, including Anna, his
wife and the co-founder in 1999 of Silver Sage. A former builder, Victor
Manola just completed building quite a fine winery this summer in the
Okanagan. Supernak, who was born in Nanaimo in 1961, has worked in the Okanagan
since 1984, soon after graduating from the University of Western
Ontario. During his first 12 years in the valley, he was employed at
what now is the Vincor winery north of Oliver. In 1996, he was one of the group that took over the Divino Estate
Winery, renaming it Hester Creek. During the past five years, Supernak
totally redeveloped the Hester Creek vineyard and unlocked the
vineyard's potential for good wines. In the summer of 2002, he was named the winemaker at the Blasted Church
Vineyard just north of Okanagan Falls, a relatively new winery which had
operated for a few years as Prpich Hills. Here again, Supernak had begun
some significant redevelopment in the vineyard, preparing to make quite
impressive wines. Frank was generous with his talents, consulting to various other
wineries and winemakers' including any amateur that asked for help. He
was also widely admired for the boundless enthusiasm of his winery tours
and tastings. His great passion for wine will be missed. Mouton
Rothschild forsakes paint for enamel Each year
since 1945, bottles of the Bordeaux first growth have carried the original
work of a celebrated painter on their labels – and become collector's
items. But for the newly-released 2000 vintage, château owner Baroness
Philippine de Rothschild wanted to make the entire bottle a highly prized
object (above). An enamelled illustration
of the gold-encrusted Augsburg Ram from the château's own Museum
of Wine in Art was chosen to replace the traditional label. The ram-shaped
silver-gilt drinking vessel dates from the 16th century and is the Mouton
emblem. It was applied in relief by glassmakers BSN using a technique
specially developed for the purpose. The bottle
itself is made from heavy black glass, with screen-printed gold letting.
This includes the trademark signature of Baroness Rothschild. A golden
ring around the black foil reproduces the design engraved on the ram's
collar, and Château Mouton Rothschild is engraved in the base to
guarantee authenticity. Top
Brunello producer declassifies 2002 vintage
'The poor
weather conditions of 2002 have forced us to rule out making a Brunello
from Tenuta Il Greppo,' Jacopo Biondi Santi said. 'We will instead make
a traditional Rosso di Montalcino. According to Biondi Santi, the north-east
and south-east facing vines of Il Greppo did not reach the degree of ripeness
necessary to make a quality Brunello for ageing. 'It was not an easy decision,
especially in financial terms,' Biondi Santi said. 'The total production
of 60,000 Brunello and 15,000 Riserva wines equates to a €6 million
loss.' Biondi Santi's
second estate, Poggio Salvi, where vines have a more west-facing aspect,
will however go ahead with an average production of 70,000 bottles of
Brunello. Poggio Salvi Brunello is lower in acidity and tannin than the
Il Greppo, and needs less ageing. It is ready to drink at an earlier age.
This year
really shows up the extraordinary diversity of Montalcino's 360° microcimate,'
says Stefano Cinelli Colombini of Fattoria dei Barbi, whose estate has
a south-facing aspect. 'We will be making
130,000 to 150,000 bottles of Brunello, which is 50% our normal production.
Our single-vineyard Riserva grapes will go into making a top-notch Brunello.
We lowered our yields to 39 hectolitres per hectare this year, and have
been adopting a cold pre-maceration technique. We have had to compensate
for the lack of tannins by vinifying 25% of the grapes in new wood.' Another leading
Brunello producer, Castello Banfi, has also decided to limit production
this year. Banfi will not be making any Brunello Riserva Poggio All'Oro,
produced only in selected vintages. 'We have had to make a rigorous selection
of the best grapes, which will go into making our Brunello Poggio Alle
Mura and Brunello Banfi,' Banfi's managing director Enrico Viglierchio
said. New
French wine category planned Region or
commune – for example Margaux or Chablis, expressing France's precious
'terroir' – would not appear on the label. The
idea was put forward two months ago, and was reiterated last night by
Jean-Marie Chadronnier, president of major negociant CVBG Dourthe-Kressman,
at the French Wine Awards in London. Drastic measures to
relax the AC laws are urgently needed to help French producers compete
with the New World, Chadronnier said. 'French wine must
be made simple. We will keep our terroir wines, but the varietal wines
are the style that the consumer is comfortable with. We must give the
consumer what they want. 'It is very
simple: we are currently not playing by the same rules as the New World.
It is as though we are playing them at rugby but we have opted to use
one hand against their two. France is constraining itself under rules
that are of no interest to many consumers.' This plan, drawn up
by Cap 2010, a group of seven industry leaders headed by oenologist Jacques
Berthomeau, and including Chardronnier, Languedoc producer Robert Skalli,
supermarket moguls Pierre Mirc and Jean Louis Vallet-Carrefour, and producers
Pierre Aguilas of Anjou and Jean Louis Pithon of Luberon, was submitted
to the Minister of Agriculture two months ago. Cap 2010
was set up by Berthoemeau last year as a steering committee to advise
on implementation of measures needed to improve the French wine industry
and halt its loss of market share to New World wines. But Chadronnier admitted
he wasn't certain of success: 'While most of the industry is aware of
the urgency, some people can be very traditional. It is a difficult fight
as some people won't accept a solution until they are in a very bad situation.
It is not going to solve everything but at least it will put France back
in the international game at this level.' On the bright
side, Chadronnier pointed out that France with its complexity and terroir
is still very good at making fine wine, and holds on to 43% of the UK
on-trade market in that category. Etna
eruption threatens DOC vineyards The volcano, which
lies on the eastern half of the island, began erupting on Sunday morning,
27 October (pictured). The flames were followed by earth tremors which
reached over 4 on the Richter scale. Producer Barone Scamacca del Murgo
took the full brunt of an earthquake, suffering damage to estate housing,
winery roofing, and roads leading to and through the property. 'We've grown
used to eruptions, but we never expected an earthquake,' Michele Scamacca
said. The up-and-coming winery, which makes the impressive IGT San Michele
Cabernet Sauvignon, has yet to count the full cost of the damage. There have been two
main eruption sites, the first on southern slopes 2200 metres above Nicolosi.
A second eruption occurred on the volcano's northeastern side, above the
organically farmed vineyards of Valle Galfina's 20-hectare holding. Tongues
of fire reaching 100 or more metres into the air were reported. Below Galfina,
sand ash 10cm thick covers the rooftops of the ski town Linguaglossa,
and hundreds of families have already been evacuated from damaged homes
in the area. Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi yesterday declared
a state of emergency in the region. Author
unwelcome in Napa after 'trashing' wineries In the book Conaway
says that while Napa is protected by some of the most far-sighted environmental
legislation in the country, the 'idyllic character' of the valley has
disappeared. The burgeoning wine industry is blamed for at least part
of the problem. Earlier this month
Conaway was scheduled to talk at a pre-publication event at Copia, the
Mondavi-inspired American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts in Napa City,
but the event was cancelled. The talk
was moved to St. Helena's Cameo movie theatre, but that date was scrapped
as well, when theatre owner Charlotte Wagner cancelled the author's appearance,
saying Conaway had 'trashed' some of her friends. 'I wouldn't have wanted
to support him,' she said. Finally it was held
at the St Helena Grammar School, where less than 100 people showed up.
Conaway said the Cameo
theatre date may have fallen through because the owner was a friend of
the wife of vineyard manager Dave Abreu, who has played key roles at some
of Napa's major wineries. He is mentioned in the book. But Conaway denies
he has 'trashed' anybody. 'I wrote about what happened in the valley.
Certain echelons of society in Napa aren't used to any sort of objective
analysis.' 'I was flabbergasted
by the cancellations,' Conaway added. 'I felt that people had genuine
questions about the book and they should have a chance to ask them.' Sara Cakebread, who
is related to the owners of premium Napa winery Cakebread Cellars, said,
'There's no gray area (in the book). He says the vintners are bad and
the environmentalists are good. But this Valley is what it is because
of the vintners. 'I took a
little offence. He doesn't live here. I truly believe some of the things
he said are not true. There are a few bad apples, who have made some mistakes.
But we wouldn't have the quality of life if it weren't for the vintners.'
The winter of 2001/2002 was very dry in the Douro –
just 68mm of rain fell between November and January at Malvedos compared
with a 7 year average of 318 mm. Minimum temperatures of 0 to 3 degrees
were recorded at the property during January to April. These lows contrasted
with sunny daytime temperatures. The large fluctuations of temperature
continued through most of the winter and spring and brought about a later
than usual bud burst in mid March. In early April, frost effected some of the high lying
areas, which caused some damage and reduced crop size. April is typically
a wet month in the Douro, but the dry conditions continued and very little
rain fell – just 19mm at Malvedos. Flowering took place in mid May
under dry but cloudy conditions, leading to reasonable fruit set. The
early frost in the high lying areas, the good fruit set and the relatively
low rainfall suggested that an average sized year was probable. The summer was mild, which was fortunate because low levels
of rainfall continued throughout this period. The vines resisted the dry
conditions surprisingly well, partly due to sporadic showers and the exceptional
amount of rain that fell during the winter of 2000/2001 replenishing the
water table to normal levels. Temperatures at Malvedos remained reasonably
moderate for the month of August, reaching 40 degrees on one day only.
A couple of days of rain on 24th and 25th August set the scene for a very
encouraging harvest. These heavy showers in August are often regarded
as “heaven-sent” as they help the grapes to swell, the sugar
readings to rise and the skins to soften. Everything therefore indicated
that we were building up to what might be a classic year: low yields,
a little hydric stress, grapes in near perfect condition and mild weather
conditions for balanced ripening. Following our regular maturation studies conducted in
the vineyards, picking began at Malvedos on the 16th September with the
last batch of grapes being received on the 3rd October. The harvest started
with grapes in excellent condition despite a little rain falling on the
7th and 8th of September. Conditions remained dry until the 15th when
the weather broke and we endured heavy showers through to the 22nd September.
The weather then improved for a week or so and it was during this period
that good picking conditions resumed and that we were able to vinify the
Touriga Nacional and part of the Touriga Franca (Francesa) with very encouraging
results. It is too early to assess the wines at this stage, but
there are undoubtedly some very good wines made during the 1st phase of
the harvest, after which matters became more difficult, particularly with
wines produced from higher lying areas. The vintage turned out to be average
to small in size. Graham’s Port
11 November 2002
by Liz Hughes
30 October 2002
Château Mouton Rothschild has broken with tradition. For the first
time in over 50 years, the château has not asked a famous painter
to create a label for its newest released vintage.
by Michèle Shah in Italy
29 October 2002
Tuscan producer Biondi Santi has declared there will be no 2002 vintage
of Brunello di Montalcino from the family's historic Tenuta Il Greppo
estate.
The estate in southern Tuscany was the first to clone Brunello di Montalcino
– in the mid 1800s from Tuscany's famous Sangiovese grape - and
its failure to deliver the prestigious wine this year will lose owners
Biondi Santi millions of euros.
by Catharine Lowe
18 October 2002
Revolutionary plans that would allow producers to step outside the strict
Appellation Controllée laws have been submitted to the French government
by senior wine professionals.
The plan is for a new French wine category called 'Cepage de France' (varieties
of France), under which producers would be able to produce varietal wines
with around 80% of a chosen grape variety (100% is currently required),
and use oak chips (currently banned).
by Michèle Shah in Italy
31 October 2002
Lava from Europe's most active volcano is within strolling distance of
some of Sicily's top vineyards. The weekend's eruption of Mount Etna has
also left winery roads and property in tatters.
'The whole of Catania province has come to a standstill,' says Giovanni
Scilio, owner of Tenuta Scilio di Valle Galfina in the heart of the Etna
DOC appellation. 'We are very worried that the eruptions will continue.
Right now, the lava is just 3km from our vines and winery.'
by Alan Goldfarb and Adam Lechmere
23 October 2002
An author accused of 'trashing' influential figures in the Napa wine world
was barred from speaking at two major venues in St Helena.
James Conaway's The Far Side of Eden, a follow-up to 1992's Napa: The
Story of an American Eden, was published within the last week in America
– and it has ruffled a few feathers in Napa.
Graham’s
2002 Vintage Report
Portugal
November 2002
