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for January, 2010.
By mthomas
An article on Collioure in the Observer Magazine by Tim Atkin this week reminded me of how good wines from this town are. It also made me reflect (no pun intended) on the quality of light on the Côte Vermeille and how this increases enjoyment by enhancing the colour of wine. The Fauvists (literally ‘wild beasts’) set up shop here because of the quality of the light and made works, such as Les Toits de Collioure by Matisse (pictured below right), that captured this.
This part of Languedoc Roussillon is quite literally the vermillion coast and, as the locals point out, is neither French nor Spanish but resolutely Catalan. It is also one of my favourite places because it is so beautiful and culture rich. More specifically because of the happy memories I have of holidays there and of great affordable wine.
In this region the wines pick up the light and become radiant when sipped by the beach with the wonderful local food. Rosés are really respected and often made in a sophisticated food friendly style. However, the light does not travel with the wines and they can lose their sparkle outside the region. We know that colour is a learned quality indicator and that a rosé drunk on a relaxed holiday with the salty sea air on your lips is likely to taste good because of contextual ‘value added’.
Makers such as Coume del Mas, Domaine de la Rectorie and Préceptoire de Centernach turn out consistently good red, whites and rosés from a range of permitted grapes including Mourvèdre, Syrah and Grenache noir (often at very low yields) for the reds and rosés . Les Caves du Roussillon are a brilliant independent outfit that represent the (politicized and passionate) makers of the region and they have outlets in Collioure and nearby Port Vendres with its working harbour providing a healthy and authentic contrast to its more touristy neighbour. If you are in this region make sure you visit both and try some of the wines at the Caves. One of my fondest wine memories was an improvised afternoon flight of old Banyuls put on for me by one of the owners, Olivier, who used to set up visits for me to local makers.
In the UK the Wine Society have a good selection from the Languedoc Roussillon and their 2008 opening offer includes Collioure Blanc l’Argile, Domaine de la Rectorie, a grenache gris which will increase in complexity as it ages over the next 5 years (a bargain for this kind depth and complexity at £95 per case in bond). It should develop wonderful petrolly characteristics as it matures but will be excellent in the interim with the grilled fish and seafood of the area. Try some of the local clams (pallourdes) and oysters (bouziges) in a cafe in Collioure, or even better make the trek to the harbour at Port Vendres and sniff out the fantastic fishmonger and small oyster bar run by fishermen and wash down six bouziges with a glass of Picpoul de Pinet for a few euros.
By mthomas
This ‘Cru Bourgeois’ from Cotes De Blaye shows how good 2005 claret is at every level. Made from 45 year old vines (80%Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon) in an ‘early drinking’ style, it is in fine form now.
A dark and intense ruby with a slightly pink (rhubarb) rim. On opening it was cellar cool but already very drinkable with lots of sweet red fruit and a hint of blackcurrant leaves. The tannins were well- integrated and it is always nice to have oak used sympathetically rather than wrung out for all its worth. After 10 minutes it was even softer and had opened up on the nose and had some cigar box and spicy notes on the finish. A pretty versatile and robust red to have with food including roasted red meats, game or a lump of hard cheese.
I think its was around £8 from The Wine Society and it has been sitting happily in my cellar for the last couple of years. It is really good to have some 05s to open now as most that I bought en primeur need a decade more to hit their stride. The 2006 retails at £9.50 and I should order a bottle to try but is unlikely to be as good as this.
By mthomas
The New Scientist magazine recently published an interesting article by Peter Aldhous on pharmacological approaches to the treatment of alcoholism. It also introduced me to a new demographic ‘Cyber-Millenials’ and I am slightly concerned that I may be one. They (we?) are often ‘binge-drinkers’ with expendable income living in trendy urban fringe areas. I am probably a bit old to be a proper one and having a demanding job plus 2 kids (dad’s taxi duty ferrying them to and from various activities) really limits opportunities for binge drinking.
On a more serious note, in the past medication such as disulfiram was not designed to reduce cravings for alcohol but to induce nausea as an aversive if the person did drink. The new wave of SSRIs (Prozac was an earlier one) such as Naltrexone are ‘designed’ to reduce cravings and the compulsive urge to drink. This type of drug will be familiar to many because of branded versions being used in a variety of domains; Champix (to stop smoking) and Cipramil (to reduce panic attacks and in some cases compulsive shopping!) They are also subject to concerns regarding negative side effects and debates over cost-benefits.
There are other wider social issues related to how we may be pathologising and medicating groups as well as accusations of aggressive marketing by the pharmaceutical industry or ‘Big Pharma’ as it is sometimes known. Excessive drinking is linked to a range of social and medical issues but is the answer to replace it with a ‘magic pill’?
The full article can be read (here).
By mthomas
I have been sorting through the references on the Wine Research pages and am tweaking/updating with some new ones. I am also adding papers I have looked at recently and some books that I finally got around to reading during the xmas break. Santa brought some really good reads as well as a few rarities including a first edition of Waugh on Wine. This is ridiculously hard to get hold of and I have been searching second hand bookshops for years to no avail. I guess it has not been republished because of Auberon Waugh’s views rather than the quality of his writing, Willy Rushton’s cartoons or the demand for it. You have to read it to make up your own mind but the words hysterical (laugh out loud), reactionary and curmudgeon are tags I might come up with…
Waugh, A., (1986) Waugh on Wine Fourth Estate: London
ISBN 0-947795-21-9
Other 80’s gems that brightened xmas include Richard Olney’s wonderful Ten Vineyard Lunches which is not only mouthwatering to read because of his knowledge and love of French regional cookery but also an informed and learned treatise on the wine enjoyment. Olney, perhaps most famous as the ‘biographer of château d’ Yquem’, writes eloquently and elegantly about France. Try to find a copy of this if you love combining wine and food.
Olney, R., (1988) Ten Vineyard Lunches Ebury Press: London
ISBN 0-85223-606-9
Jancis Robinson, like Olney (who was prised out of his bolt-hole in Provence) was present at the Harvey Rodenstock Yquem tasting in September 1986. Her account of this extravagant event in Chapter 10 of Jancis Robinson’s Food and Wine Adventures is fascinating especially in the light of Billionaire’s Vinegar. Also like Olney, she catches the marvellous symbiosis between different foods and wines with rich accounts of the contexts in which she experienced them. Another not very well known but rewarding read (especially for foodies) from a much maligned but increasingly influential decade. Also, from a ‘big’ character whom, like Waugh and Olney, I find psychologically fascinating.
Robinson, J. (1987) Jancis Robinson’s Food and Wine Adventures
ISBN 0-7472-0030-0
It almost makes me want to dig out the first Smiths album or accept an invitation to see Depeche Mode at the O2!
By mthomas
In amongst the xmas email mountain was an invitation to write an article on psychology and wine for Grapestalk. I wasn’t familiar with the magazine but, having now read some of the issues online, I am really impressed by the quality of a publication from what appears to be a relatively small operation (The Association of Small Direct Wine Merchants - ASDW).
In the latest issue (number 10 - pictured) I enjoyed Robert Parker’s review of Harry Karis’ new book on Chateauneuf. The issue also contains lots of articles on wine as well as diverting reads such as ‘Demystifying French’ and ‘Provencal Flatbreads’. How can you not love an online magazine that can pull in Parker to review a book and find room to celebrate a regional bread!
Have a look at all the issues here.
By mthomas
Happy New Year! 2010 looks like being an exciting decade. Hopefully I will find time to finish writing and deliver my book to the publishers before the deadline. 
As usual I am playing catch-up with the blog and website. Having actually taken time off at xmas to make sure I caught up with friends and family I have a mountain of unopened emails, post etc. I also have two sons of an age that means I enjoy their ‘toys’ as much as they do so am spending time on the Wii and building over-sized lego models.
I received some lovely presents including a really handy victorian corkscrew which collapses and folds neatly into a small tube (pictured) to make it easy to carry (thanks James). I had a similar modern one from a motel in the Napa valley, which I was very fond of, but I recently broke it. This one is much nicer and was useful for opening some of the xmas bottles. I am not going to list them all but highlights included;
Champagne from Pierre Vaudon 2002 vintage in Magnum (Haynes, Hanson and Clarke) not cheap (£23 per bottle/£50 in magnum) but good value for champagne of this quality. Oz Clarke found hints of fudge and shortbread in it and I think both are good approximations of key elements of this lovely fizz.
Meursault Blagny (1992) 1er cru sourced by Nicolas Potel and recently bottled for Berry Bros (expensive at £49 but it was an xmas present and I have a bit of a thing about old white burgundy that is reaching the end of its life). There is something amazing about catching some of those tertiary stage flavours and bottles like this are rare and interesting as points of reference. This was in perfect condition golden and vibrant but clearly approaching the end of its life. Language falls down with wines like this and for me it is primarily a non-verbal thrill and associated memory.
The latter bottle has convinced me that I must put down Burgundy and forget about it for at least a decade. In the interim I need to buy older bottles and less en primeur (which I always end up opening too early). In 2010 a main aim is to drink less but to source more interesting wines. I am already getting better at spitting at tastings which is progress. I also haven’t drunk any wine this decade…
An article on Collioure in the Observer Magazine by Tim Atkin this week reminded me of how good wines from this town are. It also made me reflect (no pun intended) on the quality of light on the Côte Vermeille and how this increases enjoyment by enhancing the colour of wine. The Fauvists (literally ‘wild beasts’) set up shop here because of the quality of the light and made works, such as Les Toits de Collioure by Matisse (pictured below right), that captured this.
This part of Languedoc Roussillon is quite literally the vermillion coast and, as the locals point out, is neither French nor Spanish but resolutely Catalan. It is also one of my favourite places because it is so beautiful and culture rich. More specifically because of the happy memories I have of holidays there and of great affordable wine.
