American agriculturalist and writer, Wendell Barry, made a comment that I often call to mind: "If you don't know where you are, you don't know who you are." Location shapes identity.
Likewise, the truest wines are "located". We speak of this identity producing location as terroir (Tair-whar), a French word referencing the complex interplay of soil, weather patterns and growing conditions that impact the final outcome of the wine for that year/vintage. In Saskatchewan we understand how weather patterns affect our normal seeding, growing and harvesting patterns. Too much moisture or too little moisture at critical times, an untimely frost, can all affect crop yields. Winemakers around the world share our attentiveness to weather patterns.
Like any food crop, grape harvests are subject to so many natural factors beyond any control of the people who must depend on its success. One South African winery that I've worked with for years recently had a terrible blow to its oldest Chardonnay vines when unseasonable amounts of rain burst their vineyard dam leaving several rows wiped out. An Australian winery I work with had a multi-year drought that effectively dried up their premium Chardonnay production causing their wine to no longer be available for Saskatchewan consumers.
Drinking wine that comes from one specific region, means that there are annual climate and weather pattern variables that affect the output and style of the grapes and resulting wine for that year/vintage. For this reason it usually means that location specific wines are a bit more unique and valuable and this is reflected in the price. The more specific the location where the grapes are sourced, the higher the price:
Super cheap. There are no specific locations (and often even vintages) for sourcing the grapes used in the wine. They are from around the world to create a certain brand and flavour profile. Many of the wines in the "Canada" section are made this way, "from domestic and imported grapes." In fact, there are very few domestic grapes in these wines as the vast majority are imported. These wines are assembled to produce a strongly branded "locationless" wine.
Mid range. Here you find wines where the grapes are all sourced from one country and usually one wider region within that country (e.g. Okanagan Valley, Mendoza, South Australia). Now you're tasting something that is more geographically located. A point of interest: the designation "VQA" on Canadian wines ensures they are 100 per cent Canadian grapes in the bottle.
Higher end. Most often the grapes in these wines come from one specific vineyard only or a small number of vineyards in one confined area. They are marked by the features of that specific year. What you taste in the bottle is truly expressive of all the terroir influences of a very specific geographical area. This is palate equivalent of viewing the original Group of Seven paintings, not the mass produced calendar copies.
There is a market and palates for all of the above wines. The wines that reflect a specific geographical location are true ambassadors of place and time. As such this location and time reality injects a certain humility into a bottle of good wine - it's not a done deal until the grapes are in and the bottles are filled.
Enjoy.
Doug Reichel
Visit: FineWinesSask.com
Doug's Wine Picks of the Week
Torreon de Paredes Reserve Chardonnay 2009/10 - Chile ($16.26 - ID#6615). Winemaker: Alvaro Paredes. Description: All the Torreon de Paredes wines come from their own estate vineyards, located about 100 kilometres south of the capital, Santiago. One wine writer considers this Chardonnay better than some Chardonnays at twice the price. Torreon de Paredes were among the first Chilean vineyards to become ISO 14001 certified for environmentally-friendly land use. And the results are in the glass. Handpicked grapes from older vines and then six to eight months in French oak barrels. On the nose: notes of vanilla, fresh pineapple and lychee. In the mouth: intense, juicy and soft notes of herb and spicy, toasted finish. Food pairing suggestions: barbecued pork; roasted poultry; lake and seafood and creamed vegetable dishes.
Eikendal Classique 2009/10 - South Africa ($32.00 - ID#2058). Winemaker: Nico Grobler. Description: One classy red grape blend from one vineyard: 52 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 per cent Merlot, 18 per cent Cabernet franc. Nico's meticulous attention to detail in the Eikendal vineyards means each year's production becomes a true work of liquid art that can be enjoyed now and over the next 15 years. Tightness, freshness, length, pure elegant fruit, with beautiful finesse. Perfect oak integration and not your typical wood chewing icon wine. A wine with soft nuances, whispering it's secret in your ear. Food pairing suggestions: Danish blue and Gorgonzola cheeses; beef; bison or venison; Carpaccio with beets; or a rich chocolate and berry tart.
All wines listed are available in Saskatchewan through your local government liquor store or rural liquor franchisee. If they don't have it in stock, request it by ID# - they'll bring it in.
