September: So it begins – the harvest is upon us! Spain is a vast, diverse country with regards to wine production and so unsurprisingly, there are various different stages of harvest. By this point, Cava grapes are already mid-way through harvesting as they tend to be picked slightly earlier to retain the high acidity that is prized for ageing potential in older wines and freshness in younger wines. A lot of white wines aiming to retain bright fruit flavours and high acidity will also be being picked, particularly in hot regions where the grapes can easily over-ripen and produce wines with unbalanced flavours and even some light reds, particularly Tempranillo may well undergo an early harvest. Vignerons and wine-makers alike will keep a wary eye on the sky, as excess rain during harvest can induce rots, fungi and often dilute the flavours they have worked so hard to nurture. Quality-minded producers will be spending a lot of money to hire trained pickers to gently harvest the grapes before transporting them in small, 15kg boxes to avoid crushing the grapes and losing precious flavours and aromas to oxidation. An entire years worth of effort comes down to these next few crucial months, as the saying goes: ‘It’s possible to make very bad wine with good grapes, but it’s impossible to make great wine with bad grapes!”
Hello Wine Lovers and welcome back! September is finally here and after a long, hot summer, I’m about ready to get back to wine tasting, where the cooler weather is best enjoyed with a few glasses of something delicious. I’m aiming to organise 3-4 tastings a month from October onwards, but for September there will only be 2 tastings, to ease ourselves back into things. Starting on the 20th with an International Blind Tasting; perhaps the single best way to discover new, quality wines from around the world. Then on the 29th, we’ll be enjoying a Galician lunch, with 5 different wines, one from each Galician wine region, to complement the delicious food at Kserol restaurant.
Events: Maestrazgo Wine Club:
20th September – International Blind Tasting– 10 spots available – 30 euros p/p
29th September – A Galician Lunch – 10 spots available – 30 euros p/p
Articles: I probably spend too much of my time reading online articles about wine. However, as a result I can find and select a choice few to share – here are my three favourites from last month!
1. ‘How I fell in love with wine‘ by Fintan Kerr. I’m not in the habit of sharing articles I’ve written myself in the newsletters, but this was a special one for me for two reasons. Firstly, it’s an article detailing the first time I really ‘got’ wine, which was a pivotal moment in my life as I suddenly changed direction towards the wine industry where I’ve been ever since. Secondly, it was posted on Jancis Robinson MW’s website, a site I’ve subscribed to from the beginning and used endlessly in my studies over the last few years. It may be a single entry but I’m very proud of it, and I hope you enjoy it.
2. ‘Wine and Money’ by Andrew Jefford. When he’s on form, Andrew Jefford is one of the very best wine writers in the world, and this is the best article he’s written in months. Looking at the influence of wealth in the world of wine, Andrew discusses whether money is the biggest contaminant to a quality wine industry, which unsurprisingly caused a huge amount of discussion around it, with lines drawn in the sand. Beautifully and engagingly written, this is the sort of thing I wish I could write myself! Well worth 5 minutes of your time.
3. ‘A Pruning Masterclass‘ by Jamie Goode. I’ll state right off the bat that this is a very niche sort of article, with a very niche audience. When I was studying viticulture as part of the WSET Diploma, I struggled to get my head around some of the more practical elements of running a vineyard, the sort of thing it’s quite hard to envisage. On a recent trip to Marlborough, New Zealand, Jamie videos Mike Eaton pruning in the Awatere Valley, explaining some of the decisions and why they’re made in the vineyard. I did tell you it was niche, but great viewing for any wine students, particularly those who’ve never seen pruning done before!
Wine of the month: I’m constantly on the look-out for wines of real quality and value; here is my favourite wine of the month:
Domaine Schoffit Sommerberg Grand Cru Riesling 2000: Despite taking a 2 week break from any sort of alcoholic consumption, I still had time to find some delicious wines in the first half of the month, and this aged beauty from Alsace stands out from the crowd. Domaine Schoffit are a small, quality producer near Colmar in Alsace, producing wines that seem to all be underpinned by this wonderful, tangy acidity, but none more so than this Riesling from the Sommerberg Grand Cru, unusually over entirely granitic soils.
This doesn’t look like an 18 year old wine, with a still vibrant, medium-gold colour and it certainly doesn’t smell like an 18 year old wine, either! Kaffir lime, ripe white peach, bay leaves, dried honeysuckle and chalk tumble over one another, changing in intensity as the wine aerates. Off-dry and still no fresh and youthful on the palate; this is wonderful stuff! Soft and complete, yet refreshing at the same time. Hugely understated and I love it. At 21 euros a bottle, everyone who likes good wine in Barcelona should form an orderly queue until it’s all gone. Really – go and buy a bottle.
Purchased from Cuvee 3000 for €21.35
Rants and Musings
Some off-beat topics about anything related to wine.
This is a new part of the newsletter that I wanted to add in, mainly to summarise certain thoughts, feelings and points of view that weren’t worth an article in themselves over the course of the previous month. In August these were, admittedly, few and far between as its the month where I’m the least focused on wine, mainly due to the mood-breaking temperatures that Barcelona is subjected to. However, as I spent a lot of the month of August planning, this seems a good opportunity to let you all know about some changes coming up in the next few months.
From early 2019 onwards, I intend to offer WSET courses to anyone wanting to study wine in the city of Barcelona, in English at first and with Spanish coming later on. It’s a big commitment to teach these courses and not one I’ve made lightly, but I adore teaching and as the WSET courses were such a big part of my own education and growth in the industry, I’m very excited about giving that experience back again, particularly as I embark on the Master of Wine course and have the opportunity to share those learnings in a more condensed format. I can’t yet offer the course, advertise them specifically or take bookings, but I just wanted to let you know the direction I’m headed in. I can and do offer private tuition for anyone who is currently studying, and I’m happy to hear from anyone who wants to learn more about the world of wine in general, as always. Once the courses are finalised, I’ll let you know all formally but keep me in mind should you be considering a move towards a more structured, formal wine education!
Social Media
These newsletters only come out once a month and there is a limit on space for content. If you use Social Media and want to keep up with regular wine updates and occasional rambles, feel free to connect with me on any of the following platforms.
Facebook: Wine Cuentista
Twitter: @Wine_Cuentista
Instagram: wine_cuentista
That’s it for this months newsletter. I hope you enjoyed it and please, if you have any suggestions or things you would like to see get in touch! Either respond to me here or email to fintankerr@winecuentista.com I can’t wait to see you all soon for more wine, food and good company.
Fintan Kerr