What are the elements of luxury wines ?

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luxury wines intended What are the elements of luxury wines ?

The factors contributing to the exceptional quality of luxury wines include:

  • Terroir: Unique and ideal regions with specific soil composition, climate, and natural conditions that impart distinctive flavors, aromas, and textures.
  • Grape Quality: Use of the finest quality grapes, often from older vines, resulting in lower yields but more concentrated fruit.
  • Expert Craftsmanship/Winemaking: Meticulous and passionate management of every stage from vineyard care to fermentation and aging by highly skilled winemakers, leading to unique character and qualities.
  • Balance: Perfect equilibrium among the wine’s components: fruit, acidity, tannins, and alcohol, ensuring no single element overpowers the others.
  • Aromatic Complexity: Multiple layers of aromas (floral, mineral, fruity, earthy, spice) that significantly enhance the tasting experience.
  • Length (Persistent Finish): Flavors and nuances that linger long after consumption, indicating high quality.
  • Aging Potential: The ability to age gracefully over many years, allowing abrasive tannins and acidity to soften and more complex flavors to develop.

Luxury wines are distinguished by a combination of intrinsic qualities and extrinsic factors that contribute to their prestige, desirability, and high price point.1 Here are the key elements:

 

  1. Exceptional Quality (Intrinsic Factors):
  • Terroir: Luxury wines originate from exclusive, ideal terroirs – regions with unique soil composition, climate (sunshine and cool breezes), and natural conditions that are perfect for grapevine growth.2 This “sense of place” is crucial, imparting distinctive flavors, aromas, and textures.3

  • Grape Quality: Only the finest quality grapes are used, often from older vines that produce lower yields but more concentrated, intense fruit.
  • Expert Craftsmanship/Winemaking: Passionate and highly skilled winemakers meticulously manage every stage, from vineyard care to fermentation and aging.4 This hands-on approach, precision, and attention to detail result in a wine with unique character and qualities.

  • Balance: A hallmark of high-quality wine is perfect balance among its components: fruit, acidity, tannins, and alcohol.5 No single element should overpower the others.

  • Aromatic Complexity: Luxury wines offer multiple layers of aromas – floral, mineral, fruity, earthy, spice, etc.6 The interplay of these aromas significantly enhances the tasting experience.

  • Length (Persistent Finish): The flavors and nuances of a luxury wine linger long after it’s been swallowed, often for 20 seconds or more.7 This persistence is a strong indicator of quality.

  • Aging Potential: Many luxury wines are designed to age gracefully over many years, even decades. This maturation allows the abrasive tannins and acidity to soften, developing more complex and nuanced flavors.8

  1. Scarcity and Exclusivity (Extrinsic Factors):
  • Limited Production: Luxury wines are typically produced in small batches or from low-yield vineyards, making them inherently rare.9 This scarcity drives demand and exclusivity.10

  • Allocation/Access: Due to their limited quantities, these wines are often sold through mailing lists, exclusive clubs, auctions, or invitation-only events, making them hard to obtain for the general public.11 This “chase” adds to their appeal.

  • High Price: The elevated price tag is a direct reflection of the quality, rarity, and demand.12 While price alone doesn’t define luxury, it’s a significant indicator.

  • Brand Reputation and Heritage: Luxury wines often come from renowned wineries with a long history, tradition, and consistent track record of producing exceptional wines.13 This heritage adds to their allure and trustworthiness.

  1. Perception and Experience (Consumer-Centric Factors):
  • Status and Privilege: Owning and sharing luxury wine provides a sense of status, privilege, and accomplishment for the consumer. It’s a statement piece.
  • Storytelling: A compelling and authentic story behind the wine – its origin, the winemaker’s philosophy, the unique characteristics of the vintage – enhances its appeal and connects with consumers on an emotional level.14

  • Aesthetics: The packaging, including the bottle design, label, and presentation case, often exudes elegance, opulence, and uniqueness. It contributes to the overall perception of luxury.
  • Immersive Experience: Luxury wine often goes hand-in-hand with curated wine tasting events, access to wine experts (sommeliers), and other experiences that deepen appreciation and understanding.15

  • Collectibility: Many luxury wines are considered collector’s items, sought after by wine lovers and aficionados worldwide.16

In essence, a luxury wine is more than just an expensive bottle; it’s a culmination of superior viticulture and winemaking, rare availability, a rich history, and a captivating narrative that culminates in an unparalleled sensory experience and a powerful symbol of status and enjoyment.

A Bubbly Personality

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Bienvenido, a nuestro blog de vino. Soy Daniel Harringon sumiller en Avinae Wine & Spirits . Con el tiempo, gracias a lectores como tú, éste espacio se ha convertido en uno de los blogs de vino más leídos en ingles. Gracias por estar a ese lado de la pantalla. Te animo a que pases al nuestro colaborando con tus comentarios y preguntando lo que te interese.

Nunca hemos tenido la pretensión de entrar en ránkings de los mejores blogs de vino de España. Ni cosas por el estilo. Desde que empezamos con Avinae Wine & Spirits ,Mallorca Wine Experience y ahora con Vinos de Mallorca siempre hemos querido dotar a nuestra web de contenido de calidad. Nos inspiramos en algunas webs inglesas que nos parecieron interesantes. La idea es que los miembros de nuestro club de vinos tuvieran en este espacio un rincón donde poder encontrar información útil. Vídeos sobre catas de vino, algunos consejos para aprender de vino, curiosidades sobre le mundo del vino, recomendaciones de vinos y de winebars en los que hemos estado (y nos han gustado), ideas para hacer enoturismo,  etc. Hay posts que incluyen vídeos y hay otras entradas con sólo texto.

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A Bubbly Personality!!

The sparkling wine, the cheeky glass of bubbles, the fancy stuff, the drink to toast with…Regarded in many countries as a symbol of elegance, wealth and prestige, Champagne has many, many fans worldwide. As do its sister and cousin wines like Cava, Crèmant, Prosecco, Franciacorta, Cap Classique, Sekt  and a wealth of others.

CHAMPAGNE:

all Great the King!! Quite possibly the single most famous sparkling wine in the world, this beverage has garnered a cultural status far beyond its volatile origins (first examples of Champagne were known as The Devils wine because they would spontaneously explode due to poor quality bottles). Champagne is made from the three noble grapes of Champagne; Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier but they can also include (rarely) small percentages of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris/Fromenteau, Arbane and Petit Meslier. Some producers prefer Chardonnay dominant styles; Léclapart, Guy Charlemagne, Jaques Selosse etc. Others prefer Pinot Noir dominant styles; Bollinger, Paul Bara, Nicolas Maillart etc. But there are also wealth of famous producers who simply keep to balanced blends depending on the year’s crop.

CAVA:

Unlike the old King Champagne, Cava is more the young smoldering Prince, having received its official D.O status in 1972, this sparkling wine see´s two thirds of its aprox 250 million bottles exported from Spain and sold all over the world. Cava is made in the same method as Champagne (called méthode traditionnelle in Europe and méthode champenoise in the region of Champagne) which is a high marker for quality as it is labour intensive and yet Cava tends to be a lot cheaper than Champagne. The difference lies in the grapes used and the environment/climate the grapes are grown in! Cava is made from the Xarel-lo, Macabeu and parellada grape varieties and are the main and most commonly used in Cava. Other grapes that can be used are Chardonnay and Malvasia. Josep Raventos travelled through Europe in the 1860s to promote the still wines of the Codorniu estate and during his travels he passed through Champagne, which inspired him to apply what he learnt there and by 1872, he had made his first sparkling wine!

PROSECCO:

Prosecco is both a town and the name of one of the world’s most popular selling sparkling wines, due to its accessibility and price. The vineyards in the region it is made date back a couple of thousand years and have prominence due to the history involving the Romans. It wasn’t until the beginning of the 16th century that the wine “Ribolla” was promoted to “Castellum Nobile Vinum Pucinum” after the castle that was near?…..That´s right, you guessed it, the village of Prosecco! In 1593 an Englishman by the name Fynes Moryson, noted that the wine Pucinum was now known as “Prosecho” and regarded it one of the finest wines in all of Italy. The grape used in its production is now called Glera, but was originally known as the Prosecco grape and in order for it to be considered Prosecco it must be a minimum of 85% Glera and 15% other permitted grapes (Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Bianchetta Trevigiana). This sparkling wine however is not made using Methode Traditionnelle, the Italians use the Charmat-Martinotti method in which the secondary fermentation happens in vats and not in bottles, which makes the process faster and cheaper.

So there you have it, a bite-sized guide to the 3 most “important” Sparkling wines in the world.

I should probably write a second one of these as there are still many other bubbly gems to talk about……so see you in the next one dear reader.

A Bubbly personality!!

And we are back with a second part to this breakdown of the world’s beloved bubbly wines. Last time we addressed the most recognized ones, but that doesn’t mean, by any means, that the ones I will talk about here are inferior in any capacity

CRÉMANT

Just because Champagne is Champagne doesn’t mean that the rest of Frances famous wine regions don´t bring their A game to the sparkling wine table!! With Crémant it does get a little complicated though as many wine regions produce it and each with their own guidelines/grape varieties/ quality standards. The Crémant producing regions are as follows;

Loire, Bourgogne, Limoux, Alsace, Bordeaux, Jura and Savoie!

These regions use anything from Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Mauzac, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Grolleau, Orbois to name a few

Crémant from Bourgogne is made from Chardonnay/ Pinot Noir and is comparable to Champagne wines but with a finer mousse and a much lower price point. Crémant from Loire has a wonderful freshness to it due to the predominance of Chenin Blanc, making it perfect for fondue or fish and chips or anything nice and fatty.

FRANCIACORTA

If ever a wine could call itself elite, it would be Franciacorta. Born in the Province of Brescia, in the heart of Lombardia, this wine is made and aged in a similar way to champagne. The grapes used are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc (Pinot Blanc being the stand-in for Pinot Meunier on the French side) and is considered equal to Champagne. Why then, is it not as international or easily found? That’s where the elite part comes in! only 10% of Franciacorta is allowed to be exported, the rest must be kept in Italy by order of a controlling organization called: Consorzio per la Tutela del Franciacorta. They are the same ones that decree that the name “Franciacorta” must never be modified or have anything added to it, when presented on a label. As a style it is comparable to Brut/ Extra Brut as it contains less sugar than your average Champers (around 5 to 7 grams per liter for Franciacorta). It is said the wine was made systematically as of the XIX century and is thanks to the efforts of Guido Berlucchi di Borgonatto whose early experiments gave birth to the concept that would become Franciacorta. In 1967 the first 1500 bottles were produced  and as a result it gained its first DOC, later in 1995 It evolved to DOCG status.

CAP CLASSIQUE

If you are a lover of sparkling wine, then you must add Cap Classique to your list!! Produced in South Africa, this delicious sparkling wine, created by Frans Malan using Méthode Cap Classique (MCC), a technique he developed after visiting Champagne (Essentially Méthode Champenoise). The wines early years reflected Stellenbosch and its character with a focus on the Chenin Blanc grape, as well as Pinot Noir and Pinotage. But nowadays most opt for traditional Champagne grapes in the form of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Blanc. The name Cap Classique comes as homage to the Capes vineyards.

The Roman Vintage!

The year was 200 BC and the Roman legion gets given the best encouragement you can give a man in a leather skirt! That all Legionnaires are to drink 2 – 3 liters of wine a day for better health!

Skip forward a few years (about 80 more or less) and Rome is in full swing with its wine culture, having carved a way through Europe and establishing Vineyards in every viable area and having destroyed Carthage 20 years prior and in the process burning the libraries of Carthage (But not before ransacking any and all books of interest, including all 26 volumes of Magos Agricultural treatise which contained winemaking techniques far more advanced than what the Romans had), the Romans finally started producing wines on par with the vastly superior Greek wines of the time and in the year 121 BC the vintage was so abundant and such high quality that it was named…….”OPIMIUM VINTAGE” named after Consul Lucius Opimius. Some of the wines from this special vintage were sealed inside large amphora’s and drunk over a century later (probably way past its prime).

A Bubbly Personality

The most coveted of the wines to come out of this period and more specifically, out of this magical vintage, was Falernian wine. Falernian wine, grown near present day Napoli on the slopes of Monte Massico was a white wine aged for years in large clay amphorae. In some instances it was aged for decades and there is record of a 160 year old Falernian wine being served to the Roman Emperor in fine crystal goblets, the colour, rich golden amber. Varro once wrote that Falernian wine increases in value with age. So highly regarded was this wine that it became one of the first wines exported to Britain (whilst still under Roman rule).

Excuse me Garçon!!!

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Bienvenido, a nuestro blog de vino. Soy Daniel Harringon sumiller en Avinae Wine & Spirits . Con el tiempo, gracias a lectores como tú, éste espacio se ha convertido en uno de los blogs de vino más leídos en ingles. Gracias por estar a ese lado de la pantalla. Te animo a que pases al nuestro colaborando con tus comentarios y preguntando lo que te interese.

Nunca hemos tenido la pretensión de entrar en ránkings de los mejores blogs de vino de España. Ni cosas por el estilo. Desde que empezamos con Avinae Wine & Spirits ,Mallorca Wine Experience y ahora con Vinos de Mallorca siempre hemos querido dotar a nuestra web de contenido de calidad. Nos inspiramos en algunas webs inglesas que nos parecieron interesantes. La idea es que los miembros de nuestro club de vinos tuvieran en este espacio un rincón donde poder encontrar información útil. Vídeos sobre catas de vino, algunos consejos para aprender de vino, curiosidades sobre le mundo del vino, recomendaciones de vinos y de winebars en los que hemos estado (y nos han gustado), ideas para hacer enoturismo,  etc. Hay posts que incluyen vídeos y hay otras entradas con sólo texto.

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Wine For Thought:  Excuse me Garçon!!!

For a lot of people ordering wine in a bar or restaurant can be almost a nerve-wracking experience, and by default we end up ordering either the safe choice …..The NZ Sauvignon or the Argentinean Malbec , or we try and look savvy and order the second cheapest wine on the list, hoping to not look cheap.    Wine For Thought:  Excuse me Garçon!!!

Let’s see if we can’t make the situation more approachable and relaxing shall we?

First things first, don’t expect diamonds from walnuts, as my imaginary great grandfather never said. Be realistic with your chosen drinking venue; don’t ask for Puligny-Montrachet in your local pub and don’t look for Blossom Hill White Zinfandel in the fancy French Bistro. And always be aware of your budget in both scenarios.        Wine For Thought:  Excuse me Garçon!!!

When at a Pub or Bar it is apt to drink the wine you most enjoy at a certain price point because it is not often a question of pairing with a fine meal or impressing anyone (To be honest it should never be about impressing someone), and more so about enjoying a few glasses for whatever reason took you there, without putting emphasis on the “What” is being drunk. This being said, unless you recognize what wines they are… avoid a dive bars house wine, that’s just a big no.

When dining in a place of well earned repute, budget for the occasion. Don’t let 20 or 30 £/ € more for the perfect bottle of wine, stop you from truly enjoying the whole experience and unlike in the more casual domain of the Pub/Bar, try and avoid going for the comfort wine. Instead try asking for a recommendation to the wait staff, or better yet, to the Sommelier if there is one on hand. Explain to them your budget, you likes and dislikes and have them explain to you why they chose the wine they did. Anyone who has studied wine, loves the opportunity to put said studies in to practices and to share their passion with the customer.                              Wine For Thought:  Excuse me Garçon!!!

Remember that you go to a nice restaurant rarely (at least the majority of us mortals do), so make sure you are in a place in your month, week or even your day to just enjoy the experience.

Wine For Thought:  Excuse me Garçon!!!

Cheers M´Dears

Find more on our Wine Tasting  or sing up 

A strange pair!!

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Wine Highest Bidder!

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Bienvenido, a nuestro blog de vino. Soy Daniel Harringon sumiller en Avinae Wine & Spirits . Con el tiempo, gracias a lectores como tú, éste espacio se ha convertido en uno de los blogs de vino más leídos en ingles. Gracias por estar a ese lado de la pantalla. Te animo a que pases al nuestro colaborando con tus comentarios y preguntando lo que te interese.

Nunca hemos tenido la pretensión de entrar en ránkings de los mejores blogs de vino de España. Ni cosas por el estilo. Desde que empezamos con Avinae Wine & Spirits ,Mallorca Wine Experience y ahora con Vinos de Mallorca siempre hemos querido dotar a nuestra web de contenido de calidad. Nos inspiramos en algunas webs inglesas que nos parecieron interesantes. La idea es que los miembros de nuestro club de vinos tuvieran en este espacio un rincón donde poder encontrar información útil. Vídeos sobre catas de vino, algunos consejos para aprender de vino, curiosidades sobre le mundo del vino, recomendaciones de vinos y de winebars en los que hemos estado (y nos han gustado), ideas para hacer enoturismo,  etc. Hay posts que incluyen vídeos y hay otras entradas con sólo texto.

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Wine For Thought: Wine Highest Bidder!

Auctions can seem like a scary concept to many. The way that they are portrayed in films and in books make them feel like an activity for the wealthy and fortunate few…. And whilst it is true that they tend to attract those with a more “disposable” income, they are still very approachable and fun as both a one off experience and a repeatable hunt for rare wines and good bargains.                                                                                                                              Wine Highest Bidder!

The key to enjoying an auction is knowing what to look for and so I offer these simple steps to hopefully inspire you to at least try!

Step 1: Investigation

Auction houses tend to be very rigorous in their presentation of events/auctions and so normally there is a good deal of information, either through a website or by request (e-mail etc). Through investigation you can determine whether or not it will be the right auction for you; does it have the kind of wines you like? Do they offer vintages you have been looking for? Is there a minimum bid? These kind of questions are the ones to be asking when considering attending an auction.

Step 2: Help  Wine Highest Bidder!

Never avoid asking for assistance at an auction, they normally have advisors that can offer all sorts of advice and guidance on the how`s/what`s/whys of the selecting and buying of the wines available. Just like Jean-Paul Sartre said “It is better to ask for help at an auction than to spend 50k on a rubber bottle of Beaujolais”. Also, talking to someone who truly understands the ins and outs of an auction is a great way to learn and to gain confidence for your next one. Make sure to ask about the previous auction, so as to get a feel for what kind of wines sold best and average spend per bottle.

Step 3: Time                                                                                            Wine Highest Bidder!

Make sure to dedicate a good portion of your day to the event. Auctions are sometimes more a game of patience than anything else and the more time you have to scope out the offers and the pieces of interest, observe the other buyers and simply get a feel for the surroundings, the more comfortable and prepared you will feel.

Step 4: The Extras

At auctions there are often extra services at ones disposal, for instance pre-auction tastings or talks to offer as much info as possible on the items that will be sold, give you an advantage and time to investigate thoroughly. Guides and catalogues are also very useful, but be warned, most of the time extras come with a price tag.

Step 5: To be or Not to be……..there!

As I mentioned earlier, Auctions deserve time and so if you are set on going, make a day of it! Give yourself the opportunity to get to know the ins and outs of the experience and take notes so that you get familiar with it. If you can’t make it  but did the research, remember you can often bid from a distance via phone/email/apps depending on the organizers of the auction and their in-house rules and systems.

So there you have it! If you decide to venture in to the world of bidding then I hope I helped you enjoy the process a little more.

Good hunting

The key wingredient!!

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Bienvenido, a nuestro blog de vino. Soy Daniel Harringon sumiller en Avinae Wine & Spirits . Con el tiempo, gracias a lectores como tú, éste espacio se ha convertido en uno de los blogs de vino más leídos en ingles. Gracias por estar a ese lado de la pantalla. Te animo a que pases al nuestro colaborando con tus comentarios y preguntando lo que te interese.

Nunca hemos tenido la pretensión de entrar en ránkings de los mejores blogs de vino de España. Ni cosas por el estilo. Desde que empezamos con Avinae Wine & Spirits ,Mallorca Wine Experience y ahora con Vinos de Mallorca siempre hemos querido dotar a nuestra web de contenido de calidad. Nos inspiramos en algunas webs inglesas que nos parecieron interesantes. La idea es que los miembros de nuestro club de vinos tuvieran en este espacio un rincón donde poder encontrar información útil. Vídeos sobre catas de vino, algunos consejos para aprender de vino, curiosidades sobre le mundo del vino, recomendaciones de vinos y de winebars en los que hemos estado (y nos han gustado), ideas para hacer enoturismo,  etc. Hay posts que incluyen vídeos y hay otras entradas con sólo texto.

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Wine for thought: The key Wingredient!!

The key Wingredient!!

The key to succesfully understanding what part of your meal your wine should pair with, is a combination of
chemistry and preference. I know that we all find comfort in the simplified concept white wine = Fish and red wine goes with meat, but this way of thinking can often hinder your experience rather than help it, which in turn leads to either blaming the wine or the food.

Lets take a look at food by basic categories and try to inspire alternatives and help with some of the confusion.

Fish and Seafood – So both of these do tend to go with white wine, true, but it is also true that what kind of white is important and also that not only whites are perfectly suited, as light to medium reds, even fortifieds can provide just as much of a harmonius paring. lets take a look;

Whitebait, squid and non spiced octopus go very well with the traditional Galician whites, like Albariño and Ribeiro, but a lovely and cold manzanilla or fino can pair just as well. For something very different, try Granache based Rose or even a well chilled beaujolais.

White Fish w/ Veg ( no sauces ) is perfectly accompanied with light, fruity or dry and herbaceous whites, but think of this dish also as a chance to give provence rose a reason to be at the dinner table

Salmon, Tuna in a cooked or in a sushi format give you the opportunity to break out soft and fruity reds like Pinot Noir,Gammay or Mencia that still keep enough acidity to cut through the fattyness of the fish

Poultry and Game birds – There is a lot of fun to be had trying different kinds of wine with different kinds of bird. Everything from intensely oaked whites that you might normally turn away from, to earthy and tannic reds and the rainbow that exists between. Lets start with the basics:

Chicken and Turkey are the most commonly eaten of the flying foods and both suffer from the rigid belief that as white meat, white wine is the only way to go and to add salt to the wound, it often ends up being the wrong white wine ( Im looking at you Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and unoaked Chablis ). Considering the moist and soft nature of these birds and can imagine how well some fruit, spice and body could work in it favour. Try a warm climate Pinot Noir or Granache if you want to try something different, and if you just want white, then its time to get acquainted with the oakier side of Chardonnay or a nice warm climate Viognier.

Grouse and Pheasant are more interesting in how to approach them as both can dry out pretty fast and the right tipple can keep them delicious. Take Pheasant for instance, if you want to go old tradtional, a nice dry kentish cider can be the match made in heaven, but as this is a wine blog, try a rounded Spanish white Garnacha or a white wine from the southern Rhône with its richness and herbal notes. Grouse on the other hand is a bird that yearns to be caressed by an interesting red!! Try this game bird with a delicious Blaufränkisch from Austria, a young red burgundy or a savoury toned Pinot Noir from the Yarra Valley.

Goose needs good acidity to cut through the fat but can also stand up to strong flavours, try dry Riesling, Australian Pinot Grigio or even a youthfull Crozes-Hermitage

and Finally Duck is excellent with a fruity Pinot Noir if you are looking to add flavour, a sharper Burgundy Pinot Noir if you want to cut through the fat. Try also South African Chardonnays or Mallorcan Viogniers

Check Part 2 for the red meats

Wine´s Down Under !!

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Bienvenido, a nuestro blog de vino. Soy Daniel Harringon sumiller en Avinae Wine & Spirits . Con el tiempo, gracias a lectores como tú, éste espacio se ha convertido en uno de los blogs de vino más leídos en ingles. Gracias por estar a ese lado de la pantalla. Te animo a que pases al nuestro colaborando con tus comentarios y preguntando lo que te interese.

Nunca hemos tenido la pretensión de entrar en ránkings de los mejores blogs de vino de España. Ni cosas por el estilo. Desde que empezamos con Avinae Wine & Spirits ,Mallorca Wine Experience y ahora con Vinos de Mallorca siempre hemos querido dotar a nuestra web de contenido de calidad. Nos inspiramos en algunas webs inglesas que nos parecieron interesantes. La idea es que los miembros de nuestro club de vinos tuvieran en este espacio un rincón donde poder encontrar información útil. Vídeos sobre catas de vino, algunos consejos para aprender de vino, curiosidades sobre le mundo del vino, recomendaciones de vinos y de winebars en los que hemos estado (y nos han gustado), ideas para hacer enoturismo,  etc. Hay posts que incluyen vídeos y hay otras entradas con sólo texto.

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Wine for Thought:

Wine´s Down Under !!

Australia, The land of wine opportunity!!
So much to explore and to talk about when it comes to this wonderous place of viticultural adventure.
Australias 3 major regions are South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria

South Australia:

In Adelaide we can find the AWRI ( Australian Wine Research Institute ), a truly important institution dedicated to the advancement of Viticulture and Enology as well as having studied and developed better yeast strains, better more effective use of sulphur dioxide and methods to better control pH. Unsurprising that it is found in the largest, most famous wine making region in Australia.
South Australia is home to some of the most recognised sub-regions on the whole continent, some of my personal favourites are;

Barossa Valey: Internationally acclaimed and one of the most famous wine regions, Barossa is located northeast of Adelaide. The area is most known for Shiraz, and doesnt shy away from making some of the richest, darkest and full-bodied examples of this wonderful and historic red.

McLaren Vale: The Mclaren Vale also produces incredible Shiraz, as well as very high quality Grenache and has also dipped its creative toes in to producing interesting Tempranillos and Sangioveses. For me personally, what most excites me from the Vale are the Shiraz-Grenache blends. like intense and simplified homages to CNdP.

Clare Valley: To the north of Adelaide

Wine For Thought:  Chardon-Nay or Chardon-Yay?

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how each sip of each wine interacts with each bite of the food. Make sure that at the start it is made very clear that there is not a right answer

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Wine For Thought: Wine & Dine !!!

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Bienvenido, a nuestro blog de vino. Soy Daniel Harringon sumiller en Avinae Wine & Spirits . Con el tiempo, gracias a lectores como tú, éste espacio se ha convertido en uno de los blogs de vino más leídos en ingles. Gracias por estar a ese lado de la pantalla. Te animo a que pases al nuestro colaborando con tus comentarios y preguntando lo que te interese.

Nunca hemos tenido la pretensión de entrar en ránkings de los mejores blogs de vino de España. Ni cosas por el estilo. Desde que empezamos con Avinae Wine & Spirits ,Mallorca Wine Experience y ahora con Vinos de Mallorca siempre hemos querido dotar a nuestra web de contenido de calidad. Nos inspiramos en algunas webs inglesas que nos parecieron interesantes. La idea es que los miembros de nuestro club de vinos tuvieran en este espacio un rincón donde poder encontrar información útil. Vídeos sobre catas de vino, algunos consejos para aprender de vino, curiosidades sobre le mundo del vino, recomendaciones de vinos y de winebars en los que hemos estado (y nos han gustado), ideas para hacer enoturismo,  etc. Hay posts que incluyen vídeos y hay otras entradas con sólo texto.

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Wine For Thought: Wine & Dine !!!

wine & dine

There are  few dinning experiences more nerve – racking than the aproach of the guilded and snooty Sommelier, with the leather-bound wine bible and the shine of golden grapes adorning the lapel . The sensation of ……….., talking to someone who talks to you about wines as if you should be blessed to here the grape gospel from the lips of a Bordeaux Bishop,a Rhone valley Reverend.Thank Bacchus that this particular stereotype is fortunatelly becoming a thing of the past !

Not the existence of  wine professionals  in restaurants ,but more the arrogance that come with that position. wine & dinewine & dine 

The truth is ,for those that enjoy the wine ( Im talking to you dear restaurant goer )  there is gray area that consist of generally accepted missinformation and a lack of  understanding of just how profound  the relationship between wine and food is and more importantly how they can elevate and improve or distort each other.  wine & dinewine & dine

Lets talk about the ” usual ” information ! The most common one being that red=red meat ,white wine = white meat / fish and rose is for picknic and girls ! DEEP BREATH;

Red Wine : OK yes , it is true that the right red wine is the perfect pairing for the right cut of read meat ,be it Ongles steak or a rack of Lamb, the perfect red wine can either enhance the meat or vice-versa make the wine pop. Anything from a  robust Saint Josepf (Syrah,Sira) from the Norten Rhone to a  Palazzo della Torre ( Corvina Veronese ,Rondinella & Sangiovese ) from Verona can play with as an aromatic to enhance the spices and aromas of the elaboration of the meat in case of the former ( Sant Joseph ) or add dimensions and mature fruit to the flavour of the meat like with the latter ( Pallazo de la Torre ) .But what if I told you that you can have red wine with fish and chicken ( I know,I know ,some of you have already been there done that ) or crazier still a cream based curry ?

push the boat further , how about with a dark chocolate dessert ( try with 80% dark chocolate flourless cake or coulant ;))

This is where your Sommelier can be helpfull ,ask him for non – typical pairing ,ask him t0 challenge himself to not only give him a chance to apply the knowelege he has but also to challenge yourself . Very Important Though :Be sure to mention your budget !!! We the wine people tend to forget prices if we asked for something interesting or exeptional.

White Wine :  Look Ma, Im having fish/chicken ,better crack out the whites then .Well sure ……if you happy taking a walk on the mild side , go for it, play it safe !

OR,try this instead :

Smoked Salmon or Salmon en croute? Central Otago Pinot Noir or a dry Cabernet dominant rose .Roast Chicken ? …..well ok cant lie that: a big oaked Chardonay or Viognier isnt amazing with chicken ,but try Cava or Champagne with it and it is also wonderfull ( try them with fish & chips for a surprisingly great combo ) want to throw a red at the roas small game ? will stick to those elegant and fruty Pinot Noir or if you are feeling adventurous ,try a Valpolicella Ripasso to give the wine equivalent of a fruit sauce to the meal . Try and Remember Thought : If you are serving food with an acidic profile ,avoid acidic wines at all cost .Acidity plays really well with salty or fatty or sweet ,but can become your worst enemy when other acid are present in your dish .

When ordering your wine at Le Local Eaterie ,remember that the best information you can give the Sommelier/ Wine waiter is what grape varieties you LIKE so that he/she can best ajust his recommendations,but also avoid closing yourself off to varieties that you do not know very well or that you might think that you do not like because maybe the Sommelier can guide you towards an expression of that grape that you havent tried  and might LOVE .

And more importantly ,that the reason you might not have been so fond of that variety is because you have never tried pared with the correct food . Wine is a journey of a thousand routes and each one changes year after year , but also each route has a way to make the journey more beautifull you just need the right transport

Another great way is to consider asking for wines by the glass ,and the simple reason for it is whilst you might love your Barossa Valley Shiraz ,maybe it isnt the best pairing for your first course Oysters or second course Trout Foam  on a bed of seaweed jelly. In this situation the wine by the glass or by the garafe can be the key , allowing you to a glass of your favorite before and after the meal but being able to pair the subsequent glasses of sommething different to best enjoy the course at hand .