In praise of Gerard Bertrand

You can find one or two Gerard Bertrand wines in Waitrose and Majestic in the UK but we were totally unaware of the length and breadth of his output before coming up against half a dozen of them at Galleries Lafayette in Paris and a couple more at the Aeroport Charles de Gaulle. We thought this quite intriguing having been aware mostly of his excellent and great value Muscat Sec (Waitrose) so were snapping away before our Easyjet flight when a rather officious person belonging to the Duty Free shop told us it was defendu.

We asked why and he said it was because of concurrence before quickly righting himself by saying that it was defendu to take photos of anything at the airport, darkly hinting at a security angle. With hindsight, it was clear at that moment that Sarkozy hadn't made the impact he had promised. Concurrence indeed!

Back to Gerard Bertrand: he is always described as a former top Rugby international but we can overlook that in view of the incredible range of his wines which he has established in a very short time indeed. In the UK there are over 20 different types on sale. Apart from Waitrose, these are not sold in supermarkets in the main. They are to be had from Majestic, Laithwaites and quite a number of merchants. Here's the list according to Winesearcher Pro for the UK as of the date of today's blog;

 Banyuls
Chardonnay (Languedoc/Rousillon)

Chardonnay (Limoux)

Corbieres
Merlot
Montpeyroux (Carignan/Grenache/Mourvedre/Syrah)
Minervois

Muscat Sec (Pays d'Oc)
Picpoul de Pinet
Pic St. Loup
Pinot Noir (Pays d'Oc)
Rivesaltes (Vin doux naturel, red)
Rose (Syrah)
St. Chinian
Sauvignon Blanc (Langedoc Roussillon)
Syrah (Pays d'Oc)
Viognier (Languedoc Roussillon))

and blends including

Chateau l'Hospitalet La Clape blanc (Viognier/Bourboulenc/Rolle/Roussanne)
Chateau l'Hospitalet La Clape rouge (Syrah/Mourvedre/Grenache)

At Galleries Lafayette and the airport we found a Syrah called 'Naturalys' biologique which suggests there are plenty of other lines not available in the UK.

 We don't know these wines but for energy alone, M. Bertrand deserves recognition and if they are anything like as good and as reasonably priced as his Muscat Sec - which somehow we are sure they are - its hats off!

A letter from Pierre Galet

Having looked for Pierre Galet's 'Dictionnaire encyclopedique des cepages' all over we decided to try to ask the author if he could help. We had a couple of leads. The great man (b.1920) lives in Montpellier we discovered. It is said that he has previously been known to self-publish so we were hopeful that he would have some plan to make the work available again. The 'Dictionnaire' was published by Hachette in 2000 but has been out of print for as long as we have been searching.

The book is the bible of Ampelograpy with over 9,600 grape varieties listed. Frequently quoted, it is impossible to find second hand either on the internet or in specialist second-hand bookshops, here or abroad - for any price.

It was surprisingly easy to find an address for one Pierre Galet in Montpellier so we wrote to him there and were amazed and delighted to receive a reply shortly after handwritten by M. Galet himself telling us that Hachette didn't want to re-print the book but he has been working on a second edition with another company and this should see the light of day at the end of this year.

Ruche not OK?

It's a while since we updated the Slotovino Hall of fame but we are continually testing varieties with a view to inclusion or exclusion.

Not wanting to be accused of favouring the obscure because of its obscurity we are quite strict about which varieties we admit and which are left outside the door.

In the case of the Ruche grape of Piemonte, we have experience of only one example so the decision to exclude it could be reversed by the arrival of a better bottle. This may well happen as it has done in the case of Grignolino, also from Piemonte. Victor Hazan puts it extremely well when discussing that grape saying that more than with most others vintage, grape selection and vinification are crucial if the virtues of this variety are to be brought out at all. This has certainly been our experience with a Grignolino of the highly regarded house of Pio Cesare, specifically recommended by Hazan being mysteriously disappointing. "On ne sait jamais avec ces choses" as the ancient and grizzled Maire des Chais of Chateau Lascombes said on announcing that he had made a wine which could be sold as such in the disastrous year of 1963.

So here is an updated Slotovino Hall of Fame list of grapes in our pantheon of those meriting our attention. You will be surprised by the inclusion of Muller-Thurgau, Kerner and the two Incrocio Manzonis, white and red but somehow these lowly crossings seem to have come of age, so many delicious examples we have tasted in Italy especially and England in the case of Kerner (Astley 'Veritas'). Perhaps vine age has something to do with it. That and greater knowledge and experience with the varieties.

There is at least one variety so obscure that it has no name yet. It is a crossing between Melon de Bourgogne and Chardonnay and goes into a wine called Macon-Ige and is available from Hendersons, Edinburgh.

Whites:

Antao Vaz
Auxerrois
Bombino (Trebbiano d'Abruzzo)
Doradilla
Elbling
Encruzado
Goldriesling
Gringet
Incrocio Manzoni
Johanniter
Kerner
Koshu
Loin de l'Oieul
Loueiro
Malvasia Istriana
Mauzac
Muller Thurgau
Ondenc
Ortrugo
Pecorino
Perlé
Pignoletto
Spergola
Torbato
Trajadura/Treixadura
Verduzzo
Vilana
Welschriesling (Riesling Italico)
Xarel-Lo
Zlahtina

Reds:

Albarossa
Ancelotta
Argaman
Baga
Blauer Wildbacher
Canaiolo
Casavecchia
Casetta
Cornalin
Dornfelder
Folle noire
Francisi
Gascon
Graciano
Grignolino
Grolleau
Gropello
Incrocio Manzoni
Maglioppo
Marselan
Mencia
Negrara
Nerello Capuccio
Osoleta
Palagrello Nero
Perricone (aka. Pignatello)
Persan
Piedirosso
Pineau d'Aunis
Plavac Mali
Poulsard
Prieto Picudo
Pugnitello
Raboso
Ramisco
Romé
Rossese
Saperavi
Schioppettino
Sciacarello
Tinto Cão
Tinta Negramoll
Uva di Troia
Vermentino Nero
Vernaccia Nera
Vranec

French diversity

A visit to Le Touquet, nicknamed Paris Plage turned out to be an eyeopener on more than one level.

We were there for a Beethoven 9th performed by students of the conservatoires of Madrid, Riga and Ljubljana with the London Philharmonic Choir under an Armenian conductor with soloists from the UK, Sweden and Hungary. In other words the only French people were in the audience.

This rather extreme cosmopolitanism extended to the wine shops of Le Touquet where an eclectic selection from all over France and outre-mer was to be found. This is surely down to the fact that we are in an area miles from any wine production. As in the UK, this leads to greater diversity. It may be catching; even the cheese shops have only a modest local selection with the majority from all over the country. Chauvinism is clearly not what it used to be.

Going back to the wine shops for a moment, we made a truly remarkable discovery. On sale to the good burghers of Le Touquet or their Parisian weekend visitors was a bottle of 100% Chenanson from Rousillon. Chenanson comes from a crossing of Grenache and Jurancon Noir. Jurancon Noir is no relation at all of Jurancon Blanc but is in turn a crossing of Folle Noir (or Fuelle Noir) - a grape used to excellent effect in Bellet and Malbec. One can go far in Paris without coming across such a rarity but in Paris Plage it seems everything is possible.

The tasting rooms of Santa Cruz

In conjunction with our memorable visit to Ridge Vineyards we called in on some discreet tasting rooms in Santa Cruz where some interesting "critter producers" as well as Bonny Doon have their wares out for tasting most days.

Bonny Doon is an actual place near Santa Cruz named by Scottish engineers and workers brought in to build the railways in the 19th century. Randall Grahm who has made Bonny Doon vineyard a household name stopped growing wine there quite some time ago and now has his Cellar Door in downtown Santa Cruz having sold the vineyard and re-planted in a 280 acre estate 35 miles from Santa Cruz in San Juan Bautista.

 

Here we came across a characteristically playful and interesting bottle called Vinho Grinho.

Clever name because this wine is the first Loureiro ever grown and bottled in America. Blended with some Albarino for which Bonny Doon is quite well known, it makes a kind of Vinho Verde with appropriate characteristics including low alcohol (12.5%).

Passing by other tasting rooms with more usual offerings we came upon that of Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard which is very much worth a visit. They specialize in Pinot Noir (OK, heard of that one) but also concentrate on Iberian Peninsula varieties under the Quinta Cruz label. These include

Verdelho
Graciano
Tinta Roriz
Tinto Cao
Touriga Franca
Touriga Nacional
Tempranillo

We tasted some of these and can report that they were fine and true representatives of their varieties. Their Pinot Noirs are long-lived ('still alive and well in [their] third decade and their philosophy is 'to make wines with moderate alcohol and oak so that the true characteristics of the grape varieties are expressed in the wine. No over-ripe raisin bombs here!' All very laudable and well executed.

Do visit next time you are in Santa Cruz - they have even planted a couple of vines in the car park to get you in the mood.

Something sparkling for the Jubilee?

All the newsletters have been starting with statements that we in the UK will be wanting something fizzy with which to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. There follow offers of Prosecco, Cava et al and the latest wheeze, Pino Grigio Rose.

We at Slotovino have some other ideas;

From Luis Pato, Touriga Nacional sparkling Rose and Maria Gomez (with 10% Baga he is careful to mention) which is vinified white. The back label dedicates his wines to people of young spirit of any age. Right.

From our latest wine shop discovery in Milano, Ricerca Vini comes a sparkling Ortrugo from Piacenza at under 4 Euros which a particularly polite guest informed us was as good as Roederer Brut!

Next, how about Russian Champanski? No, not the old Soviet fizz which wasn't a bad beverage so long as you didn't think of wine when drinking it, but the revival of Abrau Durso, founded in 1870 and by appointment to the the Tsars, complete with double-headed eagle crest;

This is available from Zelas, Archway, London - now a lovely Deli as well as brilliant wine store. Next, what should have been a winner but sadly was not what we had expected, Lieb Family's sparkling Pinot Blanc, North Fork, Long Island, NY. We adore Lieb Family's straight Pinot Blanc, one of our favourite New York wines. The sparkler is made by a Frenchman, originally a maker of Champagne. It was too acidic for our taste but perhaps it was just our bottle. We would not wish to discourage our American cousins from celebrating with this fizz.

Finally, in case anyone thinks we are as boring as the merchants whose newsletters all start in the same way, here is a marvellous red sparkling wine from Slovenia which is natural to boot. On second thoughts 'to boot' is possibly too literal an expression when talking of natural wines. This one is from Teran, aka Refosco. We at Slotovino consider sparkling wine may be Red just as well as White or Pink.

Get it from Chambers St. Wine of New York. Where else?

Meat and poison department

On drinking the bottle of Pineau D'Aunis, given as a present, a (French) client reports;

You asked our verdict about the wine which we opened yesterday with friends...
Honestly it was just terrible ! (laughs). We couldn't drink it. You should never buy this one again !
But please don't worry : we keep the fondest memories of the wonderful chocolates !