Archive for December, 2011:
Negroamaro
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Negroamaro is one of the top three grape varieties grown in Puglia and a strong component of several DOCs. It’s found mainly in the southern, Salento, region of Puglia.
Château Thivin
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Château Thivin is the oldest estate on the slopes of Mount Brouilly, in Beaujolais. It is now run by Claude Geoffray, father and son: Claude-Vincent the father, and Claude-Edouard, the son and sixth generation.
Frappato
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A two hour – Italian-style driving – journey south and slightly west of Mount Etna lies Sicily’s only DOCG, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, in Ragusa province, made from frappato blended with nero d’avola.
Nero di troia
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The origins of the increasingly impressive nero di troia remain uncertain, though an abiding story is that it is named after a village near Foggia in the north of Puglia.
Quarts de Chaume dissected
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Due south, across the river, of new Loire appellations Roches aux Moines and Coulée de Serrant in Savennières, lies Quarts de Chaume, recently elevated to grand cru status. Claude Papin of Château Pierre Bize explained its origins.
Chablis: present, past, future
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In November 2011, the Institute of Masters of Wine held a Chablis seminar, moderated by Chablis expert and Master of Wine, Rosemary George, with Chablis protagonists Fabien Moreau of Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils, and Guillaume Gicqueau-Michel of Domaine Louis Michel et Fils.
Savennières Roche aux Moines – identity crisis or evolution?
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A visit in August to Savennières Roche aux Moines, which is to become an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée/Protegée in its own right from the 2011 vintage, revealed what might be interpreted as something of an identity crisis, with some quite dramatic shifts in philosophy.
