How do I know my youth is all spent?
Well, my get up and go has got up and went.
But in spite of it all I’m able to grin
when I think of where my get up has been.
Old age is golden so I’ve heard said,
But sometimes I wonder when I get into bed.
With my ear in a drawer
and my teeth in a cup,
my eyes on the table until I wake up.
As sleep dim’s my eyes, I say to myself,
is there anything else I should lay on the shelf?
But I’m happy to say as I close the door,
my friends are the same, perhaps even more.
When I was young my slippers were red,
I could kick my slippers over my head.
When I grew older my slippers were blue,
But I could still dance the whole night through.
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10 Most Popular European Red Wines
10. Barolo
This full-bodied, red wine is made from Nebbiolo grapes in a small area in Piedmont with a unique soil and climate conditions. It has been produced since the 19th century, and soon after its invention, it became a favorite among the Italian and European nobility.
According to Italian DOCG regulations, Barolo needs to matured for at least 36 months, while those aged for five years carry the prestigious Riserva label. It is a robust, but elegant wine, which is very high in tannins that soften with aging.
Because of its distinctive notes of rose petals, dark fruit, tobacco, mocha, tar, and truffles, it pairs well with various dishes. Serve it with beef or game meat, aromatic tomato and truffle sauces, or aged and blue cheese varieties.
09. Primitivo
Primitivo is an Italian grape variety with quite interesting origins. Research conducted in 1994 proved that the grape is identical to Californian Zinfandel, while it was later discovered that both grapes originated from an old and obscure Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski.
Despite the same lineage, these grapes are influenced by their terroir, and they can slightly differ in character. In Italy, Primitivo is mostly cultivated in Apulia, where it is used in the appellation Primitivo di Manduria. Primitivo is a somewhat rustic wine, dark, intense, and rich in tannins that tend to mellow with age.
Young styles usually display fruity aromas of cherries, plums, and blackberries, as well as floral notes of violets. Aged varieties tend to develop nuances of cocoa, tobacco, and spices. Primitivo is best paired with meat dishes and aged cheese. It can also work well with lamb, vegetable dishes, game, and legumes.
08. Sangiovese
Sangiovese is a red grape variety indigenous to Italy that is predominantly grown in Tuscany, but also in other central and southern regions, from Romagna down to Lazio, Campania, and Sicily. It is best known as the main grape used in Chianti or Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and as the only grape in the prestigious Brunello di Montalcino.
Though its flavor profile may be influenced by the terroir, Sangiovese based wines are rich in tannins and high in acidity, while their flavor is savory, and may range from rustic to fruity, with typical notes of cherries, dark stone fruit, spices, tobacco, and dry herbs.
Because of its savory character, it goes well with a wide range dishes, including pasta, pizza, grilled meats, poultry, charcuterie and matured cheese varieties.
07. Tempranillo
Tempranillo is a red grape variety whose origin is associated with the Iberian Peninsula. Although it is planted in other countries, Tempranillo is best known as the primary grape used in the classic Rioja blend. The wines produced from Tempranillo are typically full-bodied and rich in tannins with the flavors that range from ripe red and dark berries, leather, and tobacco, while aging in French or American oak helps them attain typical vanilla and spice notes.
In the Rioja wine, Tempranillo is the principal grape, but it is often blended with Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo. The grape is especially popular in Portugal where it is known as Tinta Roriz, and it has also shown success in the United States, South America, and Australia.
Tempranillo-based wines are incredibly food friendly and can match charcuterie, sausages, lamb, pork, and aged cheese.
06. Ribera del Duero
Ribera del Duero is a Spanish appellation located in several provinces of Castilla and Leon, in north-central Spain. The region is best known for big and bold varietals made with Tempranillo, also known as Tinto Fino or Tinta del Pais.
The blends have to include 75% Tempranillo, while other permitted varieties include Garnacha, white Albillo, and international varieties Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Ribera del Duero wines are built to age. With time, they develop complexity and become more balanced.
Most of the wines are deeply colored, full-bodied, and well-structured with bright acidity and aromas of ripe fruit, vanilla, and spices. Aging requirements are similar to those in Rioja. Crianza is the youngest, aged for two years and 12 months in oak. Reserva labels are aged at least three years with at least 12 months in oak, and the Gran Reservas have to be aged for five years, including two years of oak aging.
The D. O was established in 1982 when the region had merely nine wineries. Now, there are more than 300. Because of their fruit character and good acidity, Ribera del Duero are food-friendly wines that can agree with different types of food, from sausages, appetizers, and pasta dishes to roast meat (pork, beef, lamb), BBQ dishes, casseroles, game, and aged cheese.
05. Beaujolais
Beaujolais is a light-bodied red wine, with relatively high amounts of acidity. It is made in the historical wine producing region Province of Beaujolais, mostly from thin-skinned Gamay grape, which makes it very low in tannins, and therefore it is often treated like a white wine and served slightly chilled.
Although it rarely needs decanting, after being open for a while, it will gain some aromatic complexity, with a fresh cherry and blackberry fruit nose and spicy, earthy notes in the background. It is classified in three categories: Beaujolais AOC, Beaujolais Villages AOC, and Cru Beaujolais.
According to the body, Beaujolais can be paired with a wide range of dishes. Beaujolais Nouveau, the lightest and mass-produced style of this wine is typically used as an aperitif with salads; the lighter Cru Beaujolais, such as Brouilly, Régnié and Chiroubles, pairs well with poultry, while the heavier and richer, fullest bodied of Cru Beaujolais, like Morgon, Régnié, and Juliénas, pair better with red meats and stews.
04. Syrah
Although Syrah is an internationally known grape that is planted worldwide, it attains distinctive character in northern Rhône—which is often dubbed as Mecca for Syrah. There are several theories about the origin of the grape, but it has been widely accepted that Syrah is native to France and that it probably originated somewhere in the Rhône valley.
Syrah-based wines from northern Rhône often differ in style, but they are powerful, full-bodied reds that can age exceptionally well. They usually display aromas of dark fruit that evolve into peppery, earthy, and herbaceous nuances. Northern Rhône is also home to the premier Syrah-based appellations such as Côte Rôtie, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, and Cornas.
In the southern Rhône, Syrah is mostly used as an addition to the dominant Grenache. Syrah-based wines generally pair well with grilled or braised meat, stews, and game. Traditionally, French appellations do not include the name of the grape on the label.
03. Rioja
Rioja was the first Spanish appellation that received protected status. This renowned Spanish region is located in the north of the country, on both sides of the river Ebro. It is best known for its red varietals and blends, and while Tempranillo is the dominant grape, blending varieties include Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo, and Maturana varieties.
Some amount of rosés and whites are also produced. The region is vast, and it is divided into three subregions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa, and Rioja Oriental. Aging guidelines categorize it under the generic label with no aging requirements (also known as Joven), Crianza (aged for two years), Reserva (at least three years of age), and Gran Reserva (five years of age and a minimum of two years in a barrel).
The entire area is impacted by two different climates—Atlantic and Mediterranean—but specific microclimates and different types of soil, together with different winemaking techniques and maturation, generate various styles and greatly influence the final character of Rioja wines.
They can range from light, fruity, and approachable styles to more complex expressions that often showcase rich notes of dark fruit and spices. Most styles will have firm tannins that are balanced with bright acidity. Pairing suggestions mostly depend on the style and the age, but most examples work well with pork, lamb, and spicy dishes.
Aged varieties may also be a good match with game. The new classification system that allows the use of village and municipality on the label tends to encourage producers not to rely exclusively on oak-aging as the sign of quality.
02. Burgundy
Bourgogne or Burgundy is a wine region in France which produces some of the most prized wines in the world. Located in east-central part of France, the region is dominated by Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, though some other red and white grapes such as Aligoté, Pinot Gris, or Gamay are also used, but on a much lower scale.
Burgundy boasts with more than 100 approved wine growing areas that are regulated by a complex classification system, which according to quality divides the region into grand cru, premier cru, village wines, and regional appellations.
The wines are greatly influenced by age as well as terroir, and they show great diversity in flavors and aromas. Most Burgundy reds display complex and layered aromas of fresh fruit, spices, as well as earthy notes of leather, truffle, or mushrooms, while matured varieties tend to develop more juicy expressions of cooked fruit or jam.
White wines are characterized by floral, fruity, and buttery aromas which are often complemented by citrus or honey notes. Because of their diversity, both white and red Burgundy wines can match a wide variety of dishes, including appetizers, charcuterie, meat or fish based main courses, as well as desserts and regional cheese.
01. Bordeaux
Bordeaux region is the largest wine growing area in France that comprises of more than fifty different appellations. Bordeaux wines can range from massively produced everyday table wines to prestigious and expensive vintages. The predominant style is red, but the region also produces sweet and dry whites, rosés and sparkling wines.
Red Bordeaux wines are mostly produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Malbec, or occasionally Carménère. They are soft, elegant and silky, with aromas of dark fruit, truffles, spices, smoke, tar, and leather.
Because they are typically medium to full-bodied, they perfectly pair with patés and terrines, grilled meat, roast beef, game pies, and goat and sheep cheese. Older vintages of the wine pair well with dishes that include mushrooms, truffles, hard cheese, or game.
White Bordeaux styles are mostly produced from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle. They are predominantly light, with floral, fruit, and citrus aromas, and pair well with seafood, vegetables, pasta, and risottos.
Source: TasteAtlas.com
Like waterfalls
Like waterfalls, unceasing
Like rivers swollen after heavy rain
Like the endless flow of the ocean
Words pour through my brain-
And I stand dumb and tears fall
Unchecked while I search in vain
For just a handful of
Those words. They are not there.
No words to tell how deep
At our parting
Is my pain.
D.L. Hardy-Jesshope (1974)
Ten years old
Ten years old – well that’s no age
Time ahead and plenty.
School takes time and suddenly
You find that you are twenty.
Well twenty’s fine, you work
You live it up, have fun-
Then turn around and wonder where the last ten years have gone
You’re thirty. Fine, still young and trim
You’ve made your choice and married
And birthday forty comes along
You get the feeling harried.
Time passes now on mean swift wings
The years, they fly like hours
Then suddenly you’re ten again
-Only more wrinkled.
D.L. Hardy-Jesshope (1974)
It seems to me
It seems to me that long ago
There were fewer people at the table
And not all the doors were locked.
It seems to me I was able
To come and go-to smell the grass,
To touch the bark of a tree.
Now all the time there is a window, a wall
I wonder what happened to me?
Take that window-it’s very strange
For all that I struggle so hard
It just won’t open wide enough and they
Laugh and say I’m a card.
Well, laughing was never bad
So I just smile along with them-but still
There’s a chill in their laughter
That makes me feel hot
A heat that turns my heart chill.
The visitors come from two till three.
I wonder whatever happened to me? . . .
D.L. Hardy-Jesshope (1974)
This planet
This planet, this earth is our mother
And, in our time at least, we will not have another
On which we shall find such a wealth of good things,
Yet we sleep undisturbed while the alarm bells rings.
This planet, this earth out mother, will die
Unless we help her recover.
The air is so foul she can’t breathe anymore
And the oceans deposit black oil on the shores
Where once, long ago, we gathered at leisure
Clean salt-scented shells.
Now for good measure they are covered in sludge
And you are lucky if you can get them to budge
From the place where they’re laying
So stuck to the ground.
And many a murdered seagull is found
Our rivers dry up that once gave us cress
Birds die on sprayed acres-their songs we hear less.
There are parks full of litter, there are bombs being made
And children are dying where once children played.
Dying, right from the day of their birth
Because they are starved on this bounteous earth.
Moon landings were made and oh! How we gaped-
But we turn a blind eye while our planet is raped.
This planet, dear people, this earth is our mother,
IF WE DON’T HELP HER SOON? WE WON’T NEED ANOTHER.
D.L. Hardy-Jesshope (1974)
What is Tinnitus
Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present. Nearly everyone will experience a faint “normal tinnitus” in a completely quiet room but it is only of concern if it is bothersome or interferes with normal hearing or correlated with other problems. While often described as a ringing, it may also sound like a clicking, buzzing, hiss, or roaring. The sound may be soft or loud, low or high pitched, and often appears to be coming from one or both ears or from the head itself. In some people, the sound may interfere with concentration and in some cases it is associated with anxiety and depression. Tinnitus is usually associated with a degree of hearing loss and with decreased comprehension of speech in noisy environments. It is common, affecting about 10–15% of people. Most, however, tolerate it well, and it is a significant problem in only 1–2% of all people. The word tinnitus comes from the Latin tinnire which means “to ring”.
Rather than a disease, tinnitus is a symptom that may result from various underlying causes and may be generated at any level of the auditory system and structures beyond that system. The most common causes are hearing damage, noise-induced hearing loss or age-related hearing loss, known as presbycusis. Other causes include ear infections, disease of the heart or blood vessels, Ménière’s disease, brain tumors, acoustic neuromas (tumors on the auditory nerves of the ear), migraines, temporomandibular joint disorders, exposure to certain medications, a previous head injury, earwax; and tinnitus can suddenly emerge during a period of emotional stress. It is more common in those with depression.
The diagnosis of tinnitus is usually based on the person’s description. It is commonly supported by an audiogram, an otolaryngological and a neurological examination. The degree of interference with a person’s life may be quantified with questionnaires. If certain problems are found, medical imaging, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), may be performed. Other tests are suitable when tinnitus occurs with the same rhythm as the heartbeat. Rarely, the sound may be heard by someone else using a stethoscope, in which case it is known as objective tinnitus. Occasionally, spontaneous otoacoustic emissions, sounds produced normally by the inner ear, may result in tinnitus.
Prevention involves avoiding exposure to loud noise for longer periods or chronically. If there is an underlying cause, treating it may lead to improvements. Otherwise, typically, management involves psychoeducation or counselling, such as talk therapy. Sound generators or hearing aids may help. No medication directly targets tinnitus.
Signs and symptoms
Tinnitus may be perceived in various locations, more commonly in one or both ears or more central in the head. The noise can be described in many different ways but is reported as a noise inside a person’s head or ear(s) in the absence of auditory stimulation. It often is described as a ringing noise, but in some people, it takes the form of a high-pitched whining, electric buzzing, hissing, humming, tinging, whistling, ticking, clicking, roaring, beeping, sizzling, a pure steady tone such as that heard during a hearing test, or sounds that slightly resemble human voices, tunes, songs, or animal sounds such as “crickets”, “tree frogs”, or “locusts (cicadas)”. Tinnitus may be intermittent or continuous: in the latter case, it may be the cause of great distress. In some individuals, the intensity may be changed by shoulder, neck, head, tongue, jaw, or eye movements, also tinnitus loudness can vary between patients.
The sound perceived may range from a quiet background noise to one that even is heard over loud external sounds. The specific type of tinnitus called objective tinnitus is characterized by hearing the sounds of one’s own muscle contractions or pulse, which is typically a result of sounds that have been created by the movement of muscles near to one’s ear, or sounds related to blood flow in the neck or face.
Course
Due to variations in study designs, data on the course of tinnitus showed few consistent results. Generally, the prevalence increased with age in adults, whereas the ratings of annoyance decreased with duration.
Psychological effects
Besides being an annoying condition to which most people adapt, persistent tinnitus may cause anxiety and depression in some people. Tinnitus annoyance is more strongly associated with the psychological condition of the person than the loudness or frequency range. Psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and concentration difficulties are common in those with strongly annoying tinnitus. 45% of people with tinnitus have an anxiety disorder at some time in their life.
Psychological research has focussed on the tinnitus distress reaction (TDR) to account for differences in tinnitus severity. These findings suggest that among those people, conditioning at the initial perception of tinnitus, linked tinnitus with negative emotions, such as fear and anxiety from unpleasant stimuli at the time. This enhances activity in the limbic system and autonomic nervous system, thus increasing tinnitus awareness and annoyance.
Types
A common tinnitus classification is into “subjective and objective tinnitus”. Tinnitus is usually subjective, meaning that the sounds the person hears are not detectable by means currently available to physicians and hearing technicians. Subjective tinnitus has also been called “tinnitus aurium”, “non-auditory” or “non-vibratory” tinnitus. In rare cases, tinnitus can be heard by someone else using a stethoscope. Even more rarely, in some cases it can be measured as a spontaneous otoacoustic emission (SOAE) in the ear canal. This is classified as objective tinnitus, also called “pseudo-tinnitus” or “vibratory” tinnitus.
Subjective tinnitus
Subjective tinnitus is the most frequent type of tinnitus. It may have many possible causes, but most commonly it results from hearing loss. When the tinnitus is caused by disorders of the inner ear or auditory nerve it can be called otic (from the Greek word for ear). These otological or neurological conditions include those triggered by infections, drugs, or trauma. A frequent cause is traumatic noise exposure that damages hair cells in the inner ear.
When there does not seem to be a connection with a disorder of the inner ear or auditory nerve, the tinnitus can be called non-otic. (i.e. not otic). In some 30% of tinnitus cases, the tinnitus is influenced by the somatosensory system, for instance, people can increase or decrease their tinnitus by moving their face, head, or neck. This type is called somatic or craniocervical tinnitus, since it is only head or neck movements that have an effect.
There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that some tinnitus is a consequence of neuroplastic alterations in the central auditory pathway. These alterations are assumed to result from a disturbed sensory input, caused by hearing loss. Hearing loss could indeed cause a homeostatic response of neurons in the central auditory system, and therefore cause tinnitus.
Hearing loss
The most common cause of tinnitus is hearing loss. Hearing loss may have many different causes, but among those with tinnitus, the major cause is cochlear injury.
Ototoxic drugs also may cause subjective tinnitus, as they may cause hearing loss, or increase the damage done by exposure to loud noise. Those damages may occur even at doses that are not considered ototoxic. More than 260 medications have been reported to cause tinnitus as a side effect. In many cases, however, no underlying cause could be identified.
Tinnitus can also occur due to the discontinuation of therapeutic doses of benzodiazepines. It can sometimes be a protracted symptom of benzodiazepine withdrawal and may persist for many months. Medications such as bupropion may also result in tinnitus. In many cases, however, no underlying cause can be identified.
Source: Wikipedia.org
Sudden Deafness
It was a beautiful sunny day on July 21st 2021; Eva was at work and Lilian at school. I needed some fresh chicken for our evening meal so decided to walk to the market. As mentioned it was a beautiful day and at 10.00 AM it was already pretty warm. When walking back home I noticed that the many cars that past me were so silent, “they can’t all be electric cars can they?”, I thought. After turning my head around to have a look, I suddenly heard the car engines. That was very strange, I couldn’t hear anything trough my left ear. Once I got home there was still not hearing in my left ear and thought if this is still the case tomorrow I’ll need to visit my GP. The following morning I still couldn’t hear so called the GP for an appointment, I was asked to come immediately. After some tests she sent me to the hospital to see the ENT doctor. They too did some tests and came to the conclusion that I suffered from “sudden deafness”.
In short, Sudden deafness is quickly becoming deaf in a short period of time; in 90 to 85% of cases no cause is found. Sound vibrations are no longer properly converted or transmitted from the ear to the brain, causing deafness. About 8 in 10,000 people in the Netherlands suffer from sudden deafness. It mainly develops in people between the ages of 40 and 50, but it can start at any age. Often there are also other complaints such as dizziness, balance problems or ringing in the ears. In 30% of the cases the damage will heal completely, but the rest will always keep damage.
It has taken a while to get used not being able to hear anything through my left ear, it takes time because all sounds enter through the right ear only and sometimes it’s hard to recognise from which direction the sound comes from. Being deaf in one ear itself is ok, I can live with that, the worst of it all is the Tinnitus. Over time I have become used to tinnitus when going to sleep, it doesn’t keep me awake anymore, it’s the loud noise in my head during the daytime that predominates and often it’s louder than other noises around me e.g. the sound of the TV or people talking, it’s really starting to have a very negative effect my mental state of mind. Feeling depressed and wondering how I will be able to cope with this!
To understand more about Tinnitus, please click the following link to read about Tinnitus
Short history of Dôle…
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.
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.
Source: Wiki
Short history of Merlot…
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