Today we are going to look at two wines from France. One from the South West and one from the South of France that are new to the Irish market. The wines are imported by Peter Boland who runs Cases Wine Warehouse in Galway.
The wines are available nationwide via his website www.cases.ie
2013 Domaine de Vedilhan Viognier Pays d’Oc IGP €10.95
Stockist: Cases Wine Warehouse Riverside Commercial Estate,Tuam Road, Galway and on www.cases.ie
(IGP) formerly VIN DE PAYS
The success of this name can be seen from sales to the export markets. Thirty years ago the winemakers were producing vast quantities of undrinkable white wines which were made from the Uni Blanc grape. Most of this went into the EU wine lake. The French Government encouraged the growers to grow less and better quality which lead to the most exciting development in the production of wine from this region. A new ethos of making wine grew up, this quality wine was produced outside the AOP system and the wines were classified Vin de Pays (meaning quality wine from a specified area) .
Many new world winemakers discovered this region as a place to make wine and experiment and investment in the form of new plantings and wineries have been the story of this category in recent years.
It allows the winemaker to plant good quality grapes that are not indigenous to the region. For example, Chadonnay, native to Burgundy can be grow in Languedoc and will be sold as an IGP wine. Merlot from Bordeaux can be grown in Provence and will be sold as an IGP wine.
Viognier is native to the Northern Rhone and has AOP status in Condrieu. Viognier is capable of producing wines with peachy aromas. It is quite similar to Gewurztraminer though not directly related in that is is one of the slightly spicy, very aromatic white grape varieties. The aroma of Viognier makes it stand out, all that lush aromatic peach fruit make this grape so appealing.
On the palate, there are dry, luscious flavors of ripe stone fruit such as peach and apricot with amazing complexity for those who like the ripe fruit flavours of the Chardonnay this is a good alternative. Viognier is not an acidic grape it is quite feminine in its style with a slightly secondary nutty characteristic and this grape variety is particularly good served with any sort of spicy dishes such as Thai curry.
2012 Nature Secrète Saint Mont AOP €12.95
Stockist: Cases Wine Warehouse Riverside Commercial Estate,Tuam Road, Galway and on www.cases.ie
This wine comes from South West France. The Saint Mont appellation lies in the Pyrenees foothills, halfway between Toulouse and the Atlantic. The area is steeped in history, its hillsides dotted with Romanesque churches. Vineyards existed here as early as the 11th century. The Saint Mont monastery, whose vineyards today produce one of the appellation’s great wines, was orginally founded by Benedictine monks who planted the first vines here in 1050. The old abbey is one of Gascony’s most outstanding remnants of medieval architecture.
For generations, Saint Mont growers have cultivated native grape varieties. Today’s vines are on average 30 to 50 years old, though there are some vines in the region as old as 150 years.
This wine is made from three red grape varieties Tannat, Pinenc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Tannat is a highly tannic grape variety, it is late ripening and high in alcohol. Wines made from Tannat have a raspberry flavor and are often barrel-aged, as they definitely need to age and as much time as possible allowed for the tannin to soften out. However, today’s modern winemaking techniques allows producers to make a more fruity style of wine for earlier drinking.
This wine is a big, bold organic red made from the indigenous grape of the French Southwest – Tannat. It has a deeply intense, powerful black fruit flavour. This is combined with a re-discovered native grape Pinenc, which softens Tannat’s rough edge and adds spiciness. Cabernet Sauvignon is also added t the wine to give it structure.
In contrast to the Viognier which is quite a feminine wine, this is definately a manly red. It will be perfect served with roast or grilled meat and any sort of poultry cooked in a heavy sauce, Coq au Vin springs to mind as a suitable dish. This is a robust powerful wine with surprising complexity.
Wine & Food Events
Ely Big Wine Tasting tonight March 20th, in ely Bar & Brasserie IFSC Dublin 1.#elyBigTasting
The West Waterford Festival of Food returns from Thursday the 9th to Sunday the 12th of April for its 8th successive year, www.waterfordfestivaloffood.com
More information in the Wine Diary www.jeansmullen.com
