Sauternes producers were not always forthcoming about the real nature of their wines. The thinking was that people would not want to drink wine that they knew came from rotten grapes. That actually seems like a pretty reasonable assumption, nonetheless, no one in Sauternes these days is hiding their rotten grapes. At least not any which have been infected with the beneficial fungus, Botrytis Cinerea, otherwise known as noble rot. This particular little mold loves moist environments and attaches itself to the skin of the grape, then proceeds to remove the water from each grape. Thankfully the fungus leaves behind the sugars and acids in the grape, so, when the grapes are harvested and pressed, the resulting juice is very sweet and acidic.

Located in the Bordeaux area, the Sauternes AOC is about 25 miles from the city of Bordeaux, on the Garrone. The Sauternes region got a relatively late start in the sweet making game. There aren’t any recordings of anyone making sweet wine from botrytis affected grapes (otherwise known as botrytised grapes) until the 17^th century, well after the rest of Bordeaux had become an established wine area. Within the Sauternes AOC there are five sub regions, or communes: Barsac, Sauternes, Bommes, Fargues and Preignac, of which only Barsac is a separate AOC.

The magic happens where the Garrone meets a small tributary river called the Ciron. The little river Ciron happens to be cooler than the Garrone and the temperature difference creates a consistent mist in the autumn months. This mist promotes the growth of botrytis. Unfortunately, the conditions are not met every year, and in bad years Sauternes wine is not produced. Currently, about six out of every ten years give conditions that are favorable to botrytis and Sauternes production.

The fungus does very well on the thin skin of the Semillon grape. This grape is planted all over Bordeaux for dry white wine production, however it generally takes a back seat to Sauvignon Blanc in dry Bordeaux wines. The situation is reversed in Sauternes where the blend usually consists of about 80% Semillon, with the remainder filled out by Sauvignon Blanc and dash of Muscadelle occasionally thrown in for aroma. The wines of Sauternes are marked by many unique characteristics, one of which is the high viscosity caused by the fungus’ tendency to create glycerol in the finished wine. The aroma of Sauternes are generally described as peaches, apricots and honey; the wines have a full load of acid, which is necessary to balance the intense sweetness found in the wines. Sauternes can be an incredibly long-lived wine, with bottles showing the potential to age well for 100 years or more.

Bordeaux, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine Dessert Wine, France, sauternes, Sweet Wine

How many countries mention wine in their national anthem? Well, Hungary does. That’s how important Tokaji is to this nation. Pronounced “toe-kigh,” this wine has been produced in the same area of Hungary since at least the 1500’s. The wine is distinctive and is produced from grapes affected by botrytis or “noble rot.” Botrytis is a beneficial mold that grows on the skins of grapes and causes the water to evaporate, leaving behind the sugar and acids. Grapes affected by botrytis are extremely sweet.

Tokaji is a sweet wine, it’s produced from Furmint and Hárslevelű grapes primarily, with a few more added in small amounts. The wine can be produced several styles. The first style is called Szamorodni, this is made from botrytised grapes and undergoes a normal vinification process, depending on the amount of grapes affected by botrytis it can end up very sweet or less sweet. The sweetness level is measured in units called puttonyos.

The second style is Aszú. This is the most famous and distinctive Tokaji. The process begins with grapes affected by botrytis. These grapes are smashed and mixed into the juice of other grapes and this mixture is stirred and stored for several days. This liquid is now very sweet and the juice is strained out and stored in casks where it ferments and ages for several years. The resulting is unique for its distinct color and flavors and its high alcohol content compared to other sweet botrytised wines. The amount of botrytised grapes that go into the mix determines the count of puttonyos that the final wine is granted

The final style is called Eszencia. This is the sweetest wine in the world and is made from the juice that the botrytis affected grapes drip out with they are being stored before the production of Aszú. This wine can be 50-60% sugar by weight and only reaches 4-5% alcohol. Eszencia is extremely expensive and rare, it was once reserved only for the kings of Hungary.

Tokaji is wonderfully delicious, sweet, powerful and complex. It’s one of the great wines of the world. It’s only produced in small quantities by a few wineries and is high demand all over the world. If you find some, buy it up, and if you’re able to resist drinking it all, it will age for decades.

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Dessert Wine, International Wine, Sweet Wine Dessert Wine, hungary wine, Sweet Wine, tokaji

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Madeira is one of the most
under-appreciated wines in the world.
It’s expensive—if you can find it—it’s got a vague cooking-wine
reputation, and, it’s sweet…right? Yes,
on all counts. Oh, and it can survive
for hundreds of years.

Madeira is wine and an island. The island is located 600 miles off the
coast of Portugal and 300 miles off the coast of Africa. Otherwise known as the middle of nowhere. Which made it a great place to stop if you
were an ocean-faring ship in the 16^th and 17^th century. The islands warm, moist climate gave rise to
a vine growing and wine making market from early in the history of human
settlement on the island. No
refrigeration existed in the sailing age, so ships that picked up Madeira wine
often found that it spoiled on their long voyages.

The solution that the Madeira wine
merchants came up with for the spoilage problem was to add neutral spirit (rum
initially, brandy later) which boosted the alcohol content to a level that
bacteria could not survive in. Which
was fine for a while. Then one fateful
day a cask of Madeira came back to the island after a long voyage at sea. And it was changed. It was better. The wine makers reasoned that long exposure to heat, movement and
oxygen had happened to the wine on the journey, so all they needed to do was
repeat that process. They called the
process of heating and storing the wines with exposure to oxygen the estufagam.

At one point in time, Madeira wines
were among the most famous in the world, especially in the United States. Today, of course, Madeira’s popularity is
considerably less than in it’s heyday.
Nonetheless, Madeira lives on and the island is still producing
excellent wines. Producers in Madeira
create a range of wines from dry to sweet; each style is associated with a
grape and labeled as such. The driest
is Sercial, next is Verdelho; which is just off dry; Boal wines are noticeably
sweet and lastly Malmsey wines are very sweet.
Rainwater is a style, made almost exclusively for the American market,
which is similar in sweetness to Verdelho but is lighter in body and made from
less quality grapes.

Madeira is a versatile wine when
comes to drinking and pairing. Sercial
wines can be served as a table wine with red meat and pork dishes. Verdelho wines are great as an aperitif,
lightly chilled is preferred. Finally,
Boal and Malmsey wines are excellent as after dinner drinks.

Uncategorized Dessert Wine, Madeira, Sweet Wine

Wine Club Insider here, wishing you a happy Day after Christmas!

I hope everyone had a great and rewarding holiday… we certainly did, as we hosted all four generations of the family for dinner. The economy is, I think, causing everyone to cut back a bit this year, and so, on this “Christmas of Necessity,” as a family, we decided to give gifts with a more personal touch, whether homemade, or of personal value, and, I’ve got to tell you, it was a delightful day, and the leadup to Christmas, was much more relaxed.

For dinner, I created a “meat pie” with ground turkey, mashed potatoes and veggies wrapped and cooked in a pie shell, accompanied by Yukon Gold potatoes, sauteed butter lettuce and asparagus, all served over a nice red wine reduction.

And the wines… ah, some special treats, both from wineries whose wine clubs we have featured here at Wine Club Journal!

For the main course, we had two very nice wines, that accompanied the meal perfectly. The first was a 2003 David Caffaro Terre Melange, which displayed tons of fruit, but was nicely matured.

The main event of the evening was a 1997 St. Supery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and it was extraordinary! Dry, but not austere, tannins well defined… a marvelous wine!

For dessert, we had a Gold Digger Late Harvest Riesling to accompany a creme brulee-stuffed poached pear in a caramel and creme Anglais sauce… decadent! The wine was crisp, tasting of apples.

After dinner, a few of us shared a glass of Twenty year old Cockburn’s tawny port in my new Riedel “O” port glasses. Ah, what a wine! In all, a most excellent repast.

Today is one of more important days in the annual calender… my birthday. Yes, your Wine Club Insider is celebrating the 26th anniversary of his 21st birthday, and enjoying every second of it!

We’ve got about four feet of snow here, and I’m trying to keep on top of the shoveling, so after digging us out, I’ll get in a bit of a run or perhaps a “snow bike,” and enjoy the day with my beautiful wife.

Tomorrow, we’re going to chat a bit about port, and over the next couple of days, let you in on a few other wine clubs that I think you’ll enjoy.

Until then,

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider.

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