Short history of Dôle…

29 March 2022 admin Leave a comment

Geneva was the first canton to implement an AOC label. Here pictured the largest winemaking municipality of Switzerland, Satigny

The Dôle is a Valais AOC -certified red wine made from pure Pinot Noir, which was harvested, weighed, probed and vinified in the Swiss canton of Valais, or from a mixture of red grape varieties also permitted and cultivated in Valais, this mixture must consist of at least 85% Pinot noir and Gamay grape varieties . The Pinot Noir must predominate in this 85%. Any addition is forbidden. The Pinot noir and the Gamay are traditional red grape varieties in Valais, to which the designation Grand Cru is reserved. All grape varieties of the Dôle Grand Cru must meet the requirements of the Valais red wines of the Grand Cru category.

Origin and name customer

In 1820 the Geneva botanist and natural scientist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle named the red wine grape variety Gamay from the French city of Dole with the name “Dôle”. The first vines in this regard came to Valais in 1850. The name “Dôle”, originally associated with the Gamay grape variety, later referred to Pinot noir, before the name finally referred to a Valais mixture of both types. Pinot noir from Burgundy was also introduced in Valais by the Council of State in the middle of the 19th century.

The name “Dôle” has been protected since 1959. This means that from this year on, the name “Dôle” will only be used for related wines that explicitly come from the canton of Valais.

*Red grape varieties growing in Graubünden.*

Walliser Pinot Noir

The Valais Act requires the Dole or Pinot noir appellation d’origine contrôlée or AOC du Valais a minimum Oechsle degree of 83 ° Oe and current boundaries per unit area of 1.2 kg per m ² , or 0.96 l per m ² (must), for the Dôle or Pinot noir Grand Cru or GC du Valais of 91.9 ° Oe and 0.8 kg per m ² or 0.64 l per m ² (must).

Walliser Cuvée

The Dôle is the most famous red wine -Cuvée (red Cuvée or assemblage wine) from Switzerland. It consists of at least 85% Pinot noir and Gamay, and a maximum of 15% other varieties such as Syrah, Humagne and Cornalin, all of which must also be approved in Valais. Syrah and Humagne rouge are also traditional red grape varieties in Valais, and Cornalin is an indigenous red grape variety that is also designated as Grand Cru. The proportion of Pinot Noir must be at least 51%. The minimum must weight is 83 degrees Oechsle required. For the classification as Dôle, maximum yield limits apply for the individual varieties, which are set by the canton.

The Pinot noir gives the Valais Cuvée its strong structure, while the Gamay gives it intense aromatic components as well as a fresh and supple character.

Valais rosé

The Weisse Dôle (French La Dôle blanche ) is a white Valais AOC – Rosé made from the same grape varieties as the Dôle, which is considered a summer wine. It can also be blended up to 10% with Valais AOC white wines. The red grapes are pressed without their skin. Very pale in color, it has a fruity and full-bodied character with a slightly sweet finish. It goes well with an aperitif and tapas as well as upscale dishes (also spicy) and Asian cuisine.

Valais country wine

If the required minimum must weight is not reached, the Dôle can be marketed under the name Goron , whereby these grapes were also harvested, weighed, probed and vinified exclusively in Valais. The name “Goron” has been protected since 1998. The Goron is primarily consumed locally in Switzerland itself. The white pressed Rosé de Goron also comes exclusively from grapes that have been harvested, weighed, probed and vinified in Valais. These are Valais country winesThe traditional names “Goron” and “Rosé de Goron” are not accompanied by a geographical reference. If the wine in question comes solely from the Pinot noir or Gamay grape variety, it can also be used as a grape variety name combined with a geographical designation such as Swiss Pinot noir , Swiss Gamay , Swiss Rosé de Pinot noir , Swiss Rosé de Gamay etc. and the note “Landwein” (“LW”, Frech Vin de pays ) are brought into the trade.

The red Valais country wine Goron should not be confused with the Valais grape variety Goron Bovenier.

The main wine regions of Switzerland marked in brown.

Source: Wiki

- Short history of Merlot

Short history of Merlot…

3 March 2022 admin Leave a comment

We can trace Merlot back to the 1st Century in France but Merlot as a noble Bordeaux varietal standing on its own doesn’t appear till the 1800s. Merlot, Malbec and a few others owe their existence to the ‘biturica’ variety from which it has evolved.

Other names for Merlot around the world include: Petit Merle, Vitraille, Crabutet Noir and Bigney. In a further twist of mistaken identity, DNA profiles reveal that some wines from Chile labelled as Merlot come from a vine called Carmenère or Grand Vidure. This story on its own is fascinating so see the note at the end of this article.

Merlot is an early ripening variety. This is wonderful as it will ripen before the winter rains set in. Also this is terrible as it is vulnerable to spring frosts. It tolerates and even thrives in soils too poor or too moist or too cold for top class Cabernet Sauvignon. The colder climates produce wonderfully complex Merlots with lots of soft fruit flavours not found in the warmer climate fruit. Its sensitive during flowering and wind or vine diseases will decimate the crop. A sound strategy with Merlots is to leave excessive bunches during flowing and thin them out later. This allows us to adjust the yield after the critical flowering time has passed. The berries are thin skinned and physically large. They wont tolerate bird damage or sunburn or splitting, as they’ll rot as soon as any moisture finds the damaged berries.

Merlots most famous home is in the Bordeaux. Even the Medoc region, famous for its Cabernets has about 40% area under Merlot. Merlot comes in third behind Carignan and Grenache as the most planted red grape variety in France. It thrives in northeast Italy, is spreading through Eastern Europe and the new world regions can’t produce enough. The Winemakers Federation of Australian, 2002 vintage report tells us that: ‘Merlot intake increased dramatically, up by 31% to 105,000 tonnes, representing 6% of the total wine grape intake.’ Merlot is a doubly versatile grape. It is widely blended with many other grapes providing a soft, luscious, velvety fruit characteristic softening the harsher varieties. This makes for extremely drinkable young wines. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is our best-known blend with tannins and structure from the Cabernet Sauvignon and a fruity rich middle palate from the Merlot.

The most famous producer of French merlot wines is Chateau Petrus, whose 1990 bottling earned a perfect 100 score from Wine Spectator (it sells for about USD$1,700 a bottle). Ouch! Merlot on its own is not great for long bottle aging. It’s become ridiculously popular in the last few years as a stand-alone varietal. More so among people wanting a ‘drink now’ wine rather than a long term cellaring wine. Ripe Merlot gives you lots of fruit flavours; plums, cherry, raspberry, mint and subtle spice. However unripe Merlot, goes towards herbaceous green flavours. It’s great with rich dishes, pasta, meats and even chocolate. For the same season with the same conditions from the same vineyard, the Merlot will end up higher in alcohol and less tannin than the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Some of the characteristics you’ll pick up in various Merlots include:
Fruits – plum, cherry, blackcurrant
Lightly oaked – vanilla, coconut
Heavily oaked – smoke, tar, oak
Floral – violet and rose
Spices – mint, caramel, cloves, bay leaves
Bottle age – mushroom, earth, coffee, leather, cigar

This is one of those fascinating stories we often uncover when researching articles for this newsletter. It’s somewhat related to Merlot, but still interesting reading. Carmenere is almost exclusive to Chile and virtually extinct in its French homeland. Carmenere was very important in the Bordeaux vineyards from the 1700’s onwards but is now virtually unknown. When wineries started to become trendy in Chile around the 1850’s, the natural source for vine material was France. The valleys around Santiago were planted with vine material from Bordeaux including a lot of Carmenere. Naturally the winemaking skills mirrored the French and when phylloxera struck in Europe, the wines from Chile helped quench the thirst for fine wines back in France.

The massive replanting of vineyards in France after phylloxera hit, left Carmenere out of the mix. A condition called ‘coulure’ hits vines in certain climates. It prevents flowering when the spring is cold and wet and Carmenere is particularly susceptible. Carmenere ripens several weeks after Merlot and often produces yields lower than Merlot. The French vineyards had this golden opportunity to replant their stocks and many chose the more robust Cabernet Sauvignon or stuck with traditional Merlot. The thick-skinned Cabernet Sauvignon berries better resisted the rain and resulting rot than the thin-skinned Carmenere. And, here was an ideal opportunity to replant onto phylloxera resistant rootstocks.

Chile has very little rain during the growing season and was spared the destruction of phylloxera. There was no systematic replanting of vineyards and Carmenere remained safely growing amidst the Merlot vineyards. And, since Carmenere and Merlot look alike, over the centuries Carmenere lost its identity and both varieties assumed the Merlot tag. Meanwhile back in France, Merlot thrived. Chile was relatively isolated from international wine markets and Carmenere to the rest of the world was an old forgotten and/or extinct wine grape. Wine sales have boomed around the world in the last 20 years. As more Chilean ‘Merlot’ found its way onto the world markets, someone noticed the ‘Merlot’ had stronger and spicier and more sumptuous flavours than Merlot from anywhere else in the world. Finally in 1994 Professor Jean- Michel Boursiquit of Montpellier’s renowned school of Oenology identified the Chilean ‘Merlot’. Using DNA mapping he showed the world the Chilean ‘Merlot’ was really Carmenere and was identical to Carmenere vines found in France.

Source: Uncork Australia website

- Short history of Riesling

Short history of Riesling…

2 March 2022 admin Leave a comment

The history of the Riesling vine can be traced back to Germany and the year 1435. The first documented evidence comes from the cellar log of Count Katzenelnbogen at Ruesselsheim on 13th March 1435, when Klaus Kleinfish purchased six Riesling vines for the sum of 22 solidi. There are other supposed ‘first plantings’ but without the documented evidence: Wachau in Austria in 1232, Westhofen in Rheinhessen in 1402 and Alsace in 1348. An undocumented tale of Riesling from the 14th century has the Cistercian Monks at Eberbach disappointed in their light Rheingau reds compared to the French reds. Their instruction to their growers to remove all plantings other than the white vines ensured the spread of the Riesling vine. In 1464 the St Jacob Hospice in Trier purchased 1,200 ‘Ruesseling’ vines. 1490 sees another reference to ‘Ruessling hinder Kirssgarten’ (Riesling behind the cherry orchard) and a ‘Rissling wingart’ at Pfeddersheim in 1511 shows that Riesling was starting to spread.

The name Riesling seems a bit harder to clarify. ‘Russ’ means dark wood and this along with the grooved bark gives the resultant root word ‘rissig’. Another likely reference relates to Rieslings poor flowering in cold weather which is described by the German words ‘verrieseln’ or ‘durchrieseln’. Hieronymus Bock refers to Riesling in 1552 and also in a later version of his book on herbs in 1577 he mentions Riesling growing in ‘the Mosel, the Rhein and the environs or Worms’. In 1716 the Prince-Abbey of Fulda purchased the rundown Benedictine Abbey in Johannisberg in the Rheingau. 294,000 Riesling vines from Ruedesheim, Eberbach, and Floersheim were planted during 1720 to 1721 to replace the neglected plantings. Clemens Wenzeslaus, Elector of Trier, on 8th May 1787 proclaimed at all inferior vines be dug up and replanted with noble (Riesling) varieties.

By the end of the 19th century Riesling was the dominant variety in the Rheingau and was significant in the rest of Germany. The early 20th century saw Riesling declining in Germany with only 57% of the Rheingau planted to Riesling in 1930. This trend was reversed during the rest of the century and now Riesling is treated as a national treasure. The push is now to think of Riesling in Germany as you do Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Burgundy or Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux. The first reference to Riesling in Australia is in 1820. William Macarthur planted 20 acres of vineyards at Camden Park near Penrith in NSW. The commercial plantings included: Pineau Gris, Frontignac, Gouais, Verdelho, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Grenache and Mataro. October 1837 sees Johann Stein and 5 other ‘vinedressers’ arrive in Australia from Germany under a 5-year contract with William Macarthur and successfully introduce Rhine Riesling into Australia. Penfolds Wines purchases ‘Minchinbury’ in 1912 and expands the vineyards to over 400 acres of old and new varieties including: Verdelho, Riesling, Cabernet Riesling, Pinot Noir, Hermitage, Traminer and Pinot Blanc. Then we come to the 1970’s where the combination of the new invention called the wine cask and sweet fruity styles such as Gewürztraminer, Gewürztraminer Riesling, and Rhine Riesling ensured the Riesling boom in Australia. Incidentally, Angoves first introduced the wine cask in 1965.

The legend of sweet Riesling is generally accredited to Schloss Johannisberg in the Rheingau who ‘accidentally’ created their first ‘Spatlese’ or late harvest in 1775. The legend goes that the messenger bringing the official order to start picking was robbed on the way. By the time he arrived the grapes had rotted, been infected with Botrytis and were given to the peasants. The peasants brewed their own wonderful wines and the rest is history. It’s the Riesling grapes ability to develop high sugar levels while maintaining acidity that produces white wines that age very well. Riesling is produced from dry to very sweet. The sweet, botrytis affected wines are rated in ascending order of sweetness as: Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.

Riesling means different things to different people. In Australia the word Riesling has traditionally referred to any sweet wine variety. Stricter labelling laws now ensure that when you see Riesling on the label you do get Riesling. Riesling has suffered the unfortunate association with sweet, white cask wine. Only the last ten years or so has seen Riesling coming back into fashion as a crisp, clean white winedrink. The lime and citrus flavours in the cooler climate Rieslings make a wonderful summer drink.

A true Riesling in California is referred to as a Johannisberg Riesling. Gray Riesling and Emerald Rieslings are different varieties and Sylvaner is commonly called Sylvaner Riesling, Franken Riesling, Monterey Riesling and even Sonoma Riesling. Parts of Europe have a Welschriesling or Italian Riesling but this is a different variety. South Africans have Cape Riesling, Clare Riesling, Paarl Riesling and South African Riesling which are all really Cruchen Blanc. Weisser Riesling is what you have to look for to find a true Riesling. Even in Rieslings homeland Germany, Schwarzriesling is in reality the variety Müllerrebe (Meunier) and the variety Rulander is called Grauer Riesling. And to confuse matters even more, there are several Riesling hybrids of which the most famous is a cross between Riesling and Sylvaner called Müller-Thurgau. Other names that Riesling answers to in Germany include: Johannisberger, Klingelberger, Riesling Renano, and White Riesling.

And it’s not just the vines that have different names. The wine itself has many names in different countries including: Italy (Riesling Italico); Austria (Welschriesling); Hungary (Olasz Rizling); Rumania (Riesling de Italic); Bulgaria (Italiansky Rizling); Yugoslavia (Laski Rizling); Czechoslovakia (Rizling Vlassky) and Russia (Risling Italianski).
Notes

Recent DNA fingerprinting has in fact determined that the grape was created by crossing Riesling with Madeleine Royale, not Silvaner (Ed)
Reproduced with permission from Peter Svans at The Gurdies Winery