Remembering Pegasus Bay

There are a few things that make a sommelier great, of course you need a great palate that goes without saying. You must read a lot and be up with the ‘trends’ in the wine world. You must also have an opinion and voice your opinion whenever someone will listen and you must have a great memory.

Now I possess most of those traits. I think my palate is pretty good, I certainly read a lot and will bail anyone up in a corner and make them listen to why I think a wine is wonderful or not.

The thing I do not possess is a good memory and it drives me nuts! I do try to remember the difference between this vintage and that vintage.  I certainly try to remember why I don’t like this wine or that wine or why I think this region is better than that region but when it comes to the end of the day if  I don’t write it all down, most of the time I don’t remember. Damn it!

This case was proven on a recent junket to Pegasus Bay in the Waipara Valley in New Zealand.

Before I start rambling about my lack of memory, I would like to say that Pegasus Bay IS an incredible winery. Their wine on the whole is pretty special and the people who make Pegasus Bay what it is are pretty special also. Pegasus Bay is a family owned and operated business, which gets serious respect in my book. It was started in the 70’s by Ivan and Christine Donaldson and these days all the wine is made by their eldest son, Matt and his wife Lynette. The marketing is done by another son, Ed whose wife run’s the highly awarded restaurant and Paul (another son)  is General Manager of the whole operation.

We spent an incredible three days at the winery tasting all the new releases, having lunch and tasting the entire vintage set of their Pinot Noirs, then dinner, then getting up in the morning and tasting the entire vintage set of their Riesling and so on and so on….. I came back to Sydney a mere shell of the human being I was, before I left. Which gets me onto my gripe with my memory.

I am so damn annoyed that I can’t remember the remarkable differences between the wine vintages. I know that the 06 Pinot was bloody outstanding (I have a magnum under my bed to prove it) and I know that I loved pretty much all of the Prima Donna Pinot Range, which was not hard to love.Their Rieslings were slick and sexy with all the components in check and at the risk of sounding like a complete lush, everything was good enough to drink with a hangover.

But to write down, here right now, the differences in climatic conditions between the 07 and the 08 pinotWell I just can’t. So all I can say is, If you ever find yourself with the opportunity to buy and drink an 06 Pegasus Bay Pinot you must do it, it’s mind-blowing. Now here are some pretty pictures of Pegasus Bay; got to love the iPhone – it’s my all time memory saviour.

MOV xx

The Glorious Restaurant

Christine Donaldson’s Garden is worth a visit, even if you are not into wine. Absolutely beautiful and her Conifer collection will blow your mind.

This is the stuff dreams are made of.

One day little MOV,

And before I forget I give the 2006 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 5 xx Kisses from the Mistress.

Till  Next time MOV xx

All Content © 2011 Mistress of the Vine

Natural Anarchy

As a Sommelier I very rarely get a Saturday evening off, generally I am swanning around a restaurant – getting you all drunk on a Saturday night, however this week it was the Mistresses time to shine and I spent it in wine heaven!

There is something quite exciting happening on the Sydney wine scene at the moment something very left of centre, something truly different. The something goes by the name of Natural Selection Theory and it is all about natural wine.

Made up of four men – Sam Hughes, Anton Von Klopper, James Erskine and Tom Shobbrook, a mix of ex Sommeliers and wine makers who are really shaking up the wine industry. I truly love this.

They are changing the way we view wine, everything is natural. Natural beautiful grapes that turn into natural beautiful wine.  They are letting the grapes speak for themselves and in turn are changing the way we see wine,in a literal sense.

The labels are handmade  or sometimes there is no label, just a black marker writing the name of the wine on the bottle. The bottles are not perfect, in fact sometimes there is no bottle just a demi- john (or massive flagon) made for pouring into a carafe or there is a ceramic egg shaped object…

They are showing us that the packaging does not make the wine, the juice inside the packaging is what really matters and for that I applaud them.

But back to my Saturday night. I was invited to a tasting of the natural selection boys’ recent releases at a warehouse in Rozelle- We sat at a makeshift table with mismatched plastic chairs drinking some crazy wonderful wine.

There was a Prosecco made my Sam Hughes under the label Dandy in the clos – that really pushed the boundaries. Firstly it was not a sparkling wine but a still wine. It showed none of the pear characters so obvious in sparkling Prosecco but showed dominate mineral characteristics. Think of licking a wet rock whilst swimming in a flowing stream and you have this wine. Crazy but brilliant and I loved it so much it will be on my wine list next week. There were beautiful floral Grenache’s and really funky ciders.

We tasted these wines whilst trying some lovely morsels from the Feather and Bone suppliers, that all in all made for an incredible experience.

Little did I know that the best was yet to come.

After the tasting we were blindfolded and lead into a room full of egg-shaped barrels full of fermenting Semillon and to the sounds of beating drums we proceeded to shout words that included “love” at the wine. I found this part to be incredibly confronting but thoroughly enjoyable and I added it to my list of “never done before”.

I then headed into the ‘Summer of Riesling ‘ laneway party. If you have not heard of the summer of Riesling then I suggest you check out the site (there are loads of events and free tastings happening around town).  Started by a few industry professionals and all round Riesling lovers their aim is to re-invigorate the noble grape that is Riesling.

Riesling has had a hard time of late, with the general public seeming only to remember the sickly sweet variety that was on the market many moons ago. The love of Sauvignon Blanc particularly Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand has truly taken over what many  drink when it comes to white wine. People, there is so much more out there and Riesling is certainly a variety that deserves more recognition. I am a lover of Riesling and to me and many sommeliers out there Riesling is king. I even found a sign that backed up my statement.

So I challenge you all to buy a bottle of Riesling tonight. Try it and love it. Join the Riesling anarchy but even better yet – live, love and enjoy the Summer of Riesling.

MOV xx

All Content © 2011 Mistress of the Vine

Bringing Biodynamic To Bloodwood

The wine list. Such an important part of any truly good dining experience. As a sommelier myself I could quite happily spend hours  immersed in  a good list, which can be rather unsociable at times, but to me the wine list  is slightly more important than the menu.

So much thought and time goes into a good wine list and so many factors make it either good or bad. Is it easy to read? Is there good selection? Does it suit the cuisine that it is supporting? Is there varietal expression? Does it cover all price brackets? I could go on and on!

I have just taken over the wine list at Bloodwood Restaurant and Bar and I am completely changing the definition –  showcasing only organic, bio-dynamic and certified sustainable wines. Bloodwood itself is very sustainable in its practices. The chefs use and support local small business and  up and coming designer  Matt Woods has a Masters in sustainable design, which is obvious throughout the venue with his use of recycled materials.

Rather that pushing the list towards a particular region or country by focusing on organic and biodynamic wines, we can drink and enjoy some great  wines from all parts of the world and do our little tiny bit for the environment.

So watch this space there are going to some very kissable wine reviews over the next few weeks.

Come down and see Mistress of the Vine in action at Bloodwood Restaurant and Bar ( 416 King Street Newtown, Sydney).

Come watch the transformation of the wine list!

Kisses

MOV xx

All Content © 2010 Mistress of the Vine

World Wide Women of Wine

Women and wine. The two just seem to go together, don’t they?

We love to drink wine, we talk about wine and cook with wine, but how many of us actually work with wine? There are some amazing female wine makers out there who are true visionaries in the industry. Look at the work of Diana Cullen who whilst looking after 6 children, a vineyard and a family farm moved into winemaking in the early 1980’s and  is leading  the  biodynamic movement in Australia. Look at the brilliant Jansis Robinson who is the  authority when it comes to writing about wine and to top it off there is the innovator in Champagne production Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin who wit,h the help of  her cellar hand in the early 19^th century invented the riddling rack which made the mass production of champagne possible.

So if woman are leading the world in the ‘world of wine’ why is still seen as a male dominated industry? Why when we are out for dinner does the Sommelier instantly hand the wine list to the male on the table ( I have myself been guilty of this on many occasions.)  Why do restaurant guests not refer to the female wine waiters  as Sommeliers but as the “wine girl” invoking images of a Lara Croft like character with a booze bra on and corkscrews attached to her side?

This is a question for the ages I suppose, however I am trying to change this. I am a woman. I work with wine – it’s what I love. Now hand me that wine list.

MOV x

All Content © 2010 Mistress of the Vine

Gripping, Chalky, Smooth, Silky, Lovely!

Yes, you are right I’m talking about Tannins or Tannins in wine to be exact. I am a massive fan of Tannin structure. I do love the feeling of gripping tannins, it feels like invisible fingers have grabbed hold of your palate.  The best way I can think of to describe Tannins, if you are unsure what the hell it is I’m talking about  is to think of biting into a grape seed and the drying affect that it has in your mouth.

While tannins exist in grapes, what I am  actually interested in, are the tannins that are found in wine. There is a difference. Wine tannins come from grape skins, stems and seeds, and their extraction is heavily dependent on the particular winemaking process involved. Red wine that is left to hang out with its skins and seeds and stalky bits for a while and then enjoy the process of pumping over, will have a higher level of ‘Tannin” in the finished product than a wine that is purely crushed and the free run juice goes straight into tank or barrel.

Pumping over is a fun exercise if you ever get the chance to take part, known as remontage in french circles. It is the method of  literally “pumping over” the juice that is sitting in the bottom of the tank in a figure 8ish motion, with a big pogo stick like device known as a plunger. The whole point is to extract as much colour and tannins from the skins and seeds and bits of stalk that are sitting there, forming what is  known as the “cap” ( pumping over is also helpful to the yeasts that are doing their bit whilst hanging out with the skins).

Tannins are also very helpful to the finished product, we all love to drink so much, as it helps with the aging process. A  red wine that has little or no tannins has been made in its youth, whereas a red wine with massive bold gripping Tannins will have a shelf life of many, many years.

So the next time you have a glass of red wine take a second and think about what us wine snobs call the mouth feel. Is there a slightly drying sensation, if so what does it feel like? There are many descriptors of Tannin  sensation – chalky, smooth, velvety, harsh, gripping, fierce, fun.

If it feels like any of these I say turn to whoever is sitting next to you and proudly say as loud as possible

“I don’t much care for the nose, but the Tannins are delightfully chalky”!!

MOV xx

All Content © 2010 Mistress of the Vine

To Drink or to Cellar. That is the Question

I read a fascinating article over the weekend about the  ” Thomas Jefferson Wine Forgery”… At the time this certain bottle was the (and I think still is) the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold, selling for a whopping one hundred and five thousand pounds!! Sold to Christopher Forbes ( son of Malcolm and vice president of Forbes Magazine).

It got me thinking about the art of collecting wine… wine that is destined to spend its life either on a display shelf or locked away in a dark cellar only to be taken out, peered at then placed carefully away until the next time the wealthy owner has the urge to show it off. I am in  two minds about this. One of the services that I offer as Mistress of the Vine is to help establish cellars and manage existing ones but when I formed this side of my business I always thought that  I would help the owner of the cellar with……. ‘when is the correct time to drink or to sell’.  The idea of buying a bottle of wine just to have it as part of a collection, that is similar to a notch on a bed post boggles my mind.

I am inserting a caption of the article I read which came out of the New Yorker Magazine (I’ll also attach a link – it really is a very good read).

“Bill Koch told me that he owns wine that he has no intention of ever drinking. He collects bottles from certain vineyards almost as if they were baseball cards, aiming to complete a set. “I just want a hundred and fifty years of Lafite on the wall,” he said. He would hesitate before consuming the harder-to-come-by vintages, because to do so would render the set incomplete, and also because the rarest old wines often come not from the best vintages but from the worst. Historically, when good vintages were produced, collectors would lay them down to see how they would age, Koch explained. But when renowned vineyards produced mediocre vintages people would drink them soon after they were bottled, making the vintage scarce. When I wondered why he would buy old wines that he never intended to drink, Koch shrugged. “I’m never going to shoot Custer’s rifle,” he said.”

I find this a little sad as I wonder if or when in my life time I will ever have an opportunity to taste wines like this. I would chew my own arm off to taste the great vintages of Lafite, Latour, Mouton and DRC and to think that there are bottles just sitting in cellars, their destiny never to be drunk… well, I can feel the tears welling as I write this! Over the top I know, but its true.

Do check out this article, it’s a long read but well worth it.
070903fa_fact_keefe

All Content © 2010 Mistress of the Vine