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for August, 2009.
By mthomas
An old friend who spends time in Canada visited yesterday. He came laden with gifts including a good Riesling for the grown ups, and maple syrup and jelly beans for the kids. The sweetest present of all though was the bottle of Niagaran Ice Wine he was keen to taste with me, an Estate Bottled Riesling from the Bosc family of Chateau des Charmes.
Chateau des Charmes was established by Paul Bosc, a graduate of the University of Burgundy and the latest in a long line of Alsatian winemakers. He moved to Canada from France in the 1960’s and, after studying the Niagara Peninsula for 15 years concluded that the soil and climate of the area were ideal for fine wine production. Château des Charmes’ vineyards are positioned south of Lake Ontario and north of the Niagara Escarpment at 44 degrees latitude.
As Hugh Johnson has observed “Canada was discovered, in fine wine terms, in the 1970’s when old fears and prejudices about which vines could survive were tossed aside. The formidable know-how that had been accumulating in new wine districts around the world provided answers to problems that had seemed insuperable. Paul Bosc became the first to plant a wholly vinifera vineyard. Award winning VQA estate wines include Icewine, late harvest riesling, an impressive range of both white and red varietals as well as méthode traditionnelle sparkling wines.”
Paul is joined by his wife Andrée, his son, Paul-André and his wife Michèle who represent the sixth generation of winegrowing expertise (pictured).
The wikipedia content for Ice wine is actually well worth a look (here) and places this bottle in its historical and geographical context.
As for the wine itself, it was a glorious and vibrant gold that, somewhat ironically, radiated warmth. We were struck by the good acidity that counterbalanced the sweetness and prevents sweet wines from being cloying. On the nose it was intense and redolent of honeysuckle and tropical fruits. This was confirmed on tasting with layer after layer of mandarin, papaya and mango. There was a slight spiciness like a good olive oil and this was enhanced by the viscosity of the wine, sumptuous but not unctuous. A real treat.
By mthomas
My recent break in France allowed me to improve my knowledge of wines from the Loire and to catch up on reading. The piles of articles, journals and books on my three different desks (home, work one and university - work two) seem to grow much taller each year despite my efforts. Books are also moved from one stack to another in an attempt to stave off my anxieties.
It doesn’t help that I often buy second-hand wine books and have duplicate copies of many. I recently picked up a copy of Jancis Robinson’s Wine Tasting Workbook for the bargain price of 99 pence (reflecting charity shop pricing rather than the quality of the book). Reading through it, as families raked the beach at Noirmoutier for palourdes, the local clams, was hugely relaxing. It was also useful as it refreshed my memory of some of the basics (the structure and purpose of tasting, grape varieties etc.) but perhaps more importantly it helped me to reflect on what makes good wine writing.
As an Educational Psychologist I am mindful of what is, and is not, effective communication. The Wine Tasting Workbook is clear evidence that Jancis Robinson excels as a communicator and does so with a humility and humour underpinned by a superb knowledge base. Wine is a complex subject and to introduce readers to it in a systematic and accessible manner, as she does in this book, takes great skill. This approach is different from the wonderful prose of a writer such as Andrew Jefford and the complete opposite of some of the more pompous, and in some cases ego driven, writing in the wine world.
The ‘work’ in ‘workbook ‘ is central to the way in which content is supported by practical activities such as comparing Rieslings from different countries with guidance on possible learning outcomes. The 6 chapters move from ‘Learning to taste’ to ‘Wine food and fun’ providing an incentive for completion. In between these chapters a huge amount of information is condensed into a reasonably sized volume. The information is punctuated, and eased along, by opinions that I was generally in tune with. One exception being the notion that “The most important aspect of any wine is that you enjoy it” - the debate between the merits of Eudaimonic and Hedonic valence needs another blog, or maybe a book. This is a terribly small gripe and the greatest strength of the book is its inclusiveness. This generous attitude seems to be rooted in her love of wine and I would recommend the book wholeheartedly to any ‘novice’ wanting to broaden their knowledge base. All the ‘experts’ out there might also benefit from revisiting the basics in the company of a superb writer.
ISBN-10: 1840911395
ISBN-13: 978-1840911398
By mthomas
Illustration by Tim Bulmer
A recent paper by Michael Siegrist and Marie-Eve Cousin from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology suggests that information about a product may shape consumers’ taste experience.
In a wine tasting experiment, participants received (positive or negative) information about the wine prior to or after the tasting. When the information was given prior to the tasting, negative information about the wine resulted in lower ratings compared to the group that received positive information. No such effect was observed when participants received the information after the tasting but before they evaluated the wine. Results suggest that the information about the wine affected the experience itself and not only participants’ overall assessment of the wine after the tasting.
What this appears to show (quelle surprise!) is that a taster’s experience is influenced by what they’ve been told about a wine. What is more interesting is the way in which negative information given after the tasting does not seem to influence ratings in the same way as that given before. Thus, when you have ‘bad news’ about a wine it is probably best to wait until someone has tasted it before you mention it.
Siegrist M and Cousin M-E (2009) Expectations influence sensory experience in a wine tasting Appetite, Volume 52, Issue 3, Pages 762-765.
The illustration above by Tim Bulmer and is kindly used with his permission. This and other wine prints by Tim are available from the Art of Illustration.
By mthomas
It may seem strange to review a work of fiction but this book combines the two areas at the heart of this site; wine and psychology. It is also very readable and asks some interesting questions about ‘human nature’.
The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce, written by Paul Torday (probably best known for ‘Salmon Fishing in the Yemen’), tells the story of a man, the epononymous Wilberforce, seduced by a collection of ‘fine wine’. Robert Parker is given an acknowledgement for some of the wine descriptions, many of which are First Growths from significant vintages.
The story is essentially a tragedy in that a decent, if emotionally distant, man is ‘brought low’. Torday uses a reverse chronology for the narrative so that the story starts with Wilberforce’s downfall and gradually reveals events leading up to it. This device is successful, to a degree, and does not offer up an oversimplistic aetiology of Wilberforce’s woes although his slightly ‘autistic’ personality clearly undermines him having insight into his emotional difficulties.
I would not want to give away the plot but areas covered include adoption, love, class, work-life balance and addiction. There is also lots about his relationship with wine including a great section early on in the book where he has a Pétrus moment. He is a complex and contradictory character to spend time with and the novel is a very readable protrait of a life.
The Irrestible Inheritance of Wiberforce by Paul Torday
ISBN-13: 978-0297851592
By mthomas
My favourite wine label of the year from Inkwell for their 2007 Shiraz. Given the current debates about the validity of the Rorschach ink blots, and other projective tests, this is perhaps one of the less contentious uses. Other interesting labels can be found here. I guess this is further evidence of the importance of labelling in a saturated and complex market. I was recently contacted by a company interesting in developing a mobile phone app to scan wine barcodes and download tasting notes. How long before wine labels really start speaking to us?
An old friend who spends time in Canada visited yesterday. He came laden with gifts including a good Riesling for the grown ups, and maple syrup and jelly beans for the kids. The sweetest present of all though was the bottle of Niagaran Ice Wine he was keen to taste with me, an Estate Bottled Riesling from the Bosc family of Chateau des Charmes.
