Tag: Biodynamic

RAW Wine Fair

The RAW Wine Fair returned to London earlier this month for a two day event featuring over 160 producers of organic or biodynamic wines. These are minimum intervention wines which are truly authentic and have a real sense of place. Speakers Corner featured a number of talks and tastings led by the producers themselves or industry experts. For a break from the hustle and bustle of the main tasting room I was lucky to attend Understanding Bubbles, a tasting of six sparkling wines led by Patrick Schmitt MW. It was a lovely opportunity to compare such very different wines and the quality was very high indeed.

Ancre Hill. Triomphe. Pet Nat. Ancre Hill is a family owned vineyard in Monmouthshire, South Wales. Vines were first plated here in 2006 and they now have 12 hectares.The estate has been fully biodynamic since 2010 and was given certification in 2014. Triomphe is a variety which is able to ripen even in cool summers so may well be thought to be highly suited to the climate in the UK. A wild ferment and without fining or filtration this wine is ruby red in appearance with a slight haze and an intense nose of red fruits. I have never been a fan of red sparking wines finding them too aggressive on the palate but this is rather pleasant, the lower pressure in the bottles gives a wine which is gently sparkling on the palate and much the better for it.

Cantina Furlani. Surlie. Alpino. Alto Adige. 2017. From vineyards at a height of 700m close to the city of Trento in Northern Italy. Produced with a wild ferment, unfined, unfiltered and with no added sulphites. Lovely aroma of pear and green apple, barely sparking with touch of sweetness. This is a very drinkable wine and I wish I had another glass.

Champagne. Franck Pascal. Fluence. 2012. Made from Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier it has the faintest of pink tinge when held to the light. It’s toasty, lemony and nutty with a great finish. This is really excellent stuff, a standout wine.

Agricola Alessandra Divella. Blanc des Blancs. Franciacorta. 2015. Made from 100% Chardonnay and vinified in old oak this is a very fine, elegant wine. It’s toasty and with nice body and lovely texture. Serious stuff. Excellent.

Meinklang. Foam White. Burgenland. Austria. 2017. An orange pet nat made from Pinot Gris, unfined, unfiltered and with no added sulphites. Orange in appearance and the nose is quite aromatic, there are stone fruits, candied peel and a touch of residual sweetness. For me this is a wine that is probably best enjoyed along with some food.

Swik Wines. The Beav. 2018. A natural pet nat from the Pacific Northwest of the United States. A rather bonkers mix of 50% Cinsault, 40% Gewurtztraminer and 10% Riesling. Macerated on skins for two weeks and a wild ferment in stainless steel without any fining or filtration has produced a wine which is a light orange, salmon colour with a slight haze. A really interesting wine and I mean that in good way. Floral, perfumed and with nice texture, this is a wine that invites you to have another glass because it is just a little bit different and there is nothing wrong with that.

Otros Vinos Tasting

Otros Vinos means “other wines” in Spanish and it perfectly summarises what this small wine importer is all about. You are not going to find wines that are produced in large volumes or are on supermarket shelves. Otros Vinos imports natural wines from Spain. They champion small producers who work either organically or biodynamically, prefer minimum intervention in the winery and produce wines which have a real sense of place. They have been lovingly nurtured and are wines that have a story to tell. Bunch Natural Wine Bar in Liverpool hosted a tasting of a selection of wines from the Otros Vinos portfolio. It was a relaxed and enjoyable evening and what follows are my notes on some of the wines on show.

Blanco de Negra. Viña Enebro. 2017. From a 7 hectare estate in Murcia and made from Focallat. As the name suggests this is white wine made from red grapes. Production by whole bunch pressing, no skin contact, followed by fermentation in stainless steel. Fresh, clean and dry with stone fruits and a nutty almond character.

Mistras. Albarino. La Bodega de Constantina Sotelo. Rias Baixas. 2017. thirty year old vines from the Salnes Valley. Fermented in stainless steel and zero added sulphur. Clean, crisp, medium bodied with lovely saline minerality.

Bye Bye Garnacha. Vinya Ferrer. 2017. Seven day carbonic maceration in stainless steel. Zero sulphur. Production is tiny at only 800 bottles. Cherry and raspberry with earthy spices and a long finish. As it opens it there are dried fruits and an almost tawny port like character. At 15.2% alcohol one wonders if its not a touch too high?

Two wines from Marenas which farm six hectares of vines around Montilla in Cordoba. Cerro Encinas 2017. 100% Monastrell from a vineyard planted in 1998. A little closed on the nose but the palate shows some nice red fruits and spice. La Vélo 2017 is made from 100% Tempranillo from a high altitude vineyard of 3000 vines. Dark and brooding with some very pleasant black fruits and savoury spice, there are some tannins here but overall very nice.

Costador Terroirs  produce wine close to the city of Tarragona in north eastern Spain. La Fassina. Trepat. 2017. 100 year old Trepat vines grown at an altitude of 800m. Fermnted in amphora and then aged in a mix of old French oak barrels and amphora. This was probably my favourite wine on show. Well structured with spicey, peppery red berry fruits. Excellent. Metamorphika is from 50 year old bush vines grown at 500m above sea level. Fermented and aged in amphora. Nice red berry fruit with a touch of savoury spice. tannins are a little grippy but very nice.

Bodega Cauzon. Mozuelo. Made by Ramon Saavedra, a former chef, in Andalucia from Garnacha vines planted in 1999. Following a short period of maceration grapes are pressed and vinified naturally in stainless steel. The wines is unfiltered and unfined. Red fruits, spice and a touch of dried herbs make this a very easy drinking wine.

Diego Losada is the driving force behind Bodega La Senda, located in Bierzo in Castilla y Leon in the north west of Spain. El Aqueronte 2017 is made from 100% Mencia from a single vineyard of 60-90 year old vines at 555m elevation. Production is small at around 700 bottles. Fermentation is with wild yeasts and ageing is in chestnut barrels. The wine has lovely cherry fruit with a savoury, smokey backbone. Vindemiatrix 2017 is 80% Mencia, 10% Palomino and 10% Dona Blanca from seven different parcels of vines. A charming and very drinkable wine, juicy red fruit with a touch of spice.

Rippon Vineyards

If there were an award for most beautiful vineyard location in the world Rippon would be right up there with the contenders. Situated on the shores of Lake Wanaka, the views from the tasting room over the lake are simply stunning.

The land has been in the hands of the Mills family for over one hundred years but serious grape growing only began in 1982 with wines first sold commercially in 1989. There has always been a strong commitment to organic farming practices and Rippon has been operationally biodynamic since 2002 and received certification in 2016.

THE WINES

Rippon Osteiner 2017. A cross between Riesling and Sylvaner, Osteiner is a wine that comes in at a relatively low, by todays standards, 10.8% alcohol. This makes it an ideal wine for quaffing on a sunny afternoon. Crisp and dry with aromas of apricot and a nice texture. A very drinkable wine. The only wine sold under screwscrewcapcap.

Rippon Sauvignon Blanc 2016. Aromas of lime and gooseberry, this wine has a flinty minerality. The use of neutral oak for fermentation of 40% of the grapes has produced a Sauvignon with good texture. Well balanced with a nice limey finish.

Rippon “Rippon” Mature Vine Pinot Noir 2013. This wine has spent two years in barrel and one in bottle before release. Nose is dark cherry, raspberry, strawberry and a hint of coffee. Palate is lovely cherry fruit with a nice savoury finish.

Rippon “Rippon” Mature Vine Riesling 2016. Fermented with stainless steel tank on its side to give greater contact and has spent 100 days on lees. Lemon and lime citrus, slightly floral. Nice weight, well balance and really nice finish.

Rippon Gewurztraminer 2017. Nose is floral, citrus, pear. This is a well made wine that is food friendly and has a long finish of pears with a small touch of honey. Well balanced

Sadly there were no Emma’s Block or Tinker’s Field Pinot Noirs available for tasting

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