3. German Twitter Wine Awards – German Pinot Noir Below Euro 20

Pictures: Dirk Wuertz and the TWA Jury

3. Twitter Wine Awards in Germany

The 3. German Twitter Wine Awards (TWA) took place at the Restaurant Rebstock in Oberbergen in the Kaiserstuhl area in Germany on November 27, 2010. The Rebstock is the second restaurant of Fritz Keller - star winemaker, famous wine retailer and owner of the well-known Schwarzer Adler, just across the road of the Rebstock. The participants of the event had to select the best wine of the almost 100 submitted Pinot Noir wines - in the below Euro 20 (= US$ 28) price range.

For the first time, the contest was held under the auspices of the German Wine Institute (DWI). The idea for the TWA grew out of the German Twitter Wine Tastings that take place once a month, initiated by Dirk Wuertz. Dirk Wuertz is a well known German winemaker, who exports most of his production to the US and the Nordic countries; recently, his back-in-box Riesling (bone dry) has become available at Whole Foods in the US. He is also a web 2.0 guru. See here. Co-organizer was Partick Johner, Weingut Johner and Johner Estate. Patrick, with his father Karl-Heinz, owns and runs two wine estates, one in the Kaiserstuhl area and one in New Zealand. Patrick is another leader in the German wine web scene. See here.

German Red Wine Boom

German red wines are increasingly appearing in the international wine market. Of course, given its location, they tend to be not like the fruity red wines we know from warmer countries, but lean and more elegant, with a lot of finesse. 30 years ago, in the international scene, people would not talk about German red wine. But this has changed. Germany now produces red wines that can compete with the best of the world. The share of red wines in terms of production has increased from 10 percent in the 1980s to about 35 percent now in Germany.

Pinot Noir

In Germany, the Pinot Noir is called Spätburgunder. It is to red wine what the Riesling is to white wine: the cream of the crop. In the US, Pinot Noir shows great promise in Oregon and California. The reputation that gets Pinot Noir so much attention, however, is owed to the wines of the Bourgogne in France, where it has probably been cultivated since at least the 4th century (first documented, however, in the 14th century).

Pictures: The TWA Tasting - Dirk Wuertz, Frank R. Schultz (DWI), Christian G.E. and Annette Schiller in the picture below.

Regardless of where it’s grown, Pinot Noir is not typically a value wine. That is so because Pinot Noir is such a delicate grape that it is difficult and expensive to grow and make into the spectacular wine it can be. It is sensitive to climate and soil, Pinot Noir needs warmth (but not intense heat) to thrive and does well in chalky soils. As the German name implies, it ripens late (spät).

The Submitted Wines

Weingut Karl H. Johner, 2007 Spätburgunder vom Kaiserstuhl
Weingut Götz GbR, 2009 Spätburgunder trocken
Weingut Götz GbR, 2007 h3 Spätburgunder trocken
Weingut Klaus Runkel, 2008 Bechtheimer Spätburgunder
Weingut Jürgen von der Mark, Pinot Noir von der Mark - Village
Weingut Jakob & Jonas Kiefer, Blauer Spätburgunder Rotwein trocken
Weingut Jakob & Jonas Kiefer, Blauer Spätburgunder Rotwein feinherb
Weingut Braunewell, 2008 Spätburgunder KALKMERGEL trocken
Weingut Braunewell, 2008 TEUFELSPFAD Spätburgunder
Weingut Feitig-Richter, 2008 Spätburgunder Rotwein Qualitätswein trocken
Weingut Feitig-Richter, 2009 Spätburgunder Rotwein Spätlese trocken
Weingut Heinrich Vollmer, 2009 Ellerstadter Kirchenstück Spätburgunder Rotwein Auslese
Fischborn-Schenk, Biebelsheimer Kieselberg Spätburgunder
Nals Margreid, Pinot Nero “Mazzon” D.O.C.
Domaine Frédéric Mochel, Pinot Noir Frederic Mochel
Weingut Rainer Schlumberger, Pinot Noir "Eich"
Weingut Försterhof, Ahrweiler Rosenthal Spätburgunder Qualitätswein
Weingut Försterhof, Ahrweiler Rosenthal Spätburgunder Auslese trocken
Friedrich Kiefer KG Privatkellerei - Weingut, 2008 Eichstetter Herrenbuck Spätburgunder Rotwein QbA trocken
Friedrich Kiefer KG Privatkellerei - Weingut, 2009 Eichstetter Herrenbuck Spätburgunder Rotwein AUSLESE PRACHTSTÜCK

Picture: Patrick Johner and Dirk Wuertz

Friedrich Kiefer KG Privatkellerei - Weingut, 2007 Eichstetter Herrenbuck Spätburgunder Rotwein*** Gutsabfüllung QbA trocken
Zalwander, Spätburgunder
Weingut Villa Heynburg GmbH, Spätburgunder Rotwein Qualitätswein trocken
Weingut Villa Heynburg GmbH, Spätburgunder Rotwein "Réserve" Qualitätswein trocken
Winzerkeller Hex vom Dasenstein eG, Spätburgunder Rotwein Qualitätswein trocken -Barrique-Ausbau
Winzerkeller Hex vom Dasenstein eG, Spätburgunder Rotwein Qualitätswein trocken - Selection ALTE REBE
Winzerkeller Hex vom Dasenstein eG, Rotwein Qualitätswein -Selection ALTE REBE
Weingut Feitig-Richter, 2009 Spätburgunder Rotwein Kabinett trocken
Weingärtner Brackenheim eG, Spätburgunder QbA trocken
Shelter Winery, 2008 Spätburgunder
Shelter Winery, 2008 Pinot Noir seven-seven-seven
Weingut Steinmühle, Fam. May-Weissheimer, 2009 Spätburgunder trocken
Weingärtnergenossenschaft Dürrenzimmern-Stockheim eG, "Divinus" Spätburgunder QbA trocken -im Barrique gereift
Weingut Klaus Runkel, 2007 Spätburgunder
Weingut Wolfgang Kühn, 07er Klingenberger Schloßberg Spätburgunder Spätlese trocken
Weingut Wolfgang Kühn, 08er Klingenberger Schloßberg Spätburgunder "U" trocken Spätlese
Weingut Dr. Helmut Scholl, Pinot Noir 2008
Lauffener Weingärtner eG, Lauffener Katzenbeißer Spätburgunder Spätlese trocken Poet
Weingut Michael Wiesler, Spätburgunder
Weingut Michael Wiesler, Spätburgunder "Edition Wiesler"
Weingut Josef Walter, 2007 Spätburgunder "J" Centgrafenberg
Weingärtnergenossenschaft Mundelsheim eG, Rozenberg Spätburgunder QbA trocken im Eichenfass gereift

The Winners

1. Platz – 1. Place:

M Runkel, Weingut Jakob und Klaus Runkel, Bechtheimer Spätburgunder Trocken, 2008, Rheinhessen.

Weingut Runkel is a family-run winery in Bechtheim, Rheinhessen, with 10 hectares of vineyard land. The award winning wine is one of their top-of-the-line wines, the M Runkel series, all made by Runkel-junior, Matthias Runkel.

Weingut Jakob und Klaus Runkel
Petersgäßchen 2
67595 Bechtheim

Tel. 0 62 42 - 21 10
Fax 0 62 42 - 55 54
E-Mail: info@weingut-runkel.de
Internet: www.weingut-runkel.de

2. Platz – 2. Place:

Weingut Weishaar, Eichstetter Herrebuck, 2007, Baden and
Weingut Kiefer, Eichstetter Herrenbuck, 2007, Baden.

The special Twitter Wine Awards for best low price, good quality wines went to:

Lauffener Katzenbeisser POET, Lauffener Weingärtner (6,50 Euro) and
Klosterpfad, Weingut Stefan Meyer (6,30 Euro).

Citizen Jury, Tweet-Ups and Twitter Wine Tastings

Twitter wine tastings are becoming increasingly popular. Basically, your taste the wines at home, anywhere in the world (with decent internet) and communicate with fellow tasters by Twitter. The critical thing is to agree on a wine, a time and a #hashtag in advance, so that everyone can buy the wine in advance and then taste it at the agreed time, while tweeting and following the tweets of others. If the winemaker himself or somebody else more competent than the average consumer is among the participants, this adds value to the Twitter wine tasting. One step further is the same thing but with live streams in the net. Patrick Johner, for example, did this recently, with a Skype connection to his father in the vineyard in New Zealand and streamed live in the net.

Picture: Patrick Johner and Christian G.E. Schiller

Another thing are so-called wine Wine Tweet-Ups. This are Twitter wine tastings, where the participants meet in the same room for a walk-around tasting and communicate via Twitter. Typically, the tweets are shown on a large board in the meeting room. So you taste, tweet and read the tweets of others on the large Twitter wall or your own device. The Four Seasons Hotel Austin just organized a Twitter wine tasting cum Tweet-Up, in which I participated. You could join the crowd either at 6 pm Central Standard Time at a device near you with the hashtag #FSWine via Twitter, or directly attend the Tweet-Up at the Four Seasons Hotel. The featured wines were Dr. L Riesling, Paraiso Syrah and Chappellet Mountain Cuvee. Loosen Bros. VP Kirk Wille joined in the Twitterverse and you had a chance to fire questions at him.

The 3.German Twitter Wine Awards event was neither a Tweet-Up nor a Twitter wine tasting in the conventional sense. It was a Twitter event in the sense that most of the people there know each other via Twitter. As for me, for example, I knew almost all participants, but almost all of them through the virtual Twitter and Facebook world. Thus, the TWA event was part of the transformation process that is going on from the old system of wine criticism (the ivory tower critics) to the new system of wine citizen bloggers. The young generations like to share opinions and tasting notes with their peers on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. The award winning wine of Weingut Runkel at the TWA was chosen by a citizen jury, composed of wine consumers, bloggers and wine makers present at the event. Anybody was invited to attend and participate. I had never heard of Weingut Runkel before the TWA. Now I know that they make outstanding wines.

The Participants

Here are some of the participants.

twitter.com/Ultes
twitter.com/Yuki_Keylin
Matthias Metze (twitter.com/MatthiasM)
Jochen Uebel (twitter.com/Weingut_Uebel)
Philipp Breiten¬feld (twitter.com/GazzettadelVino)
The Ritsch (twitter.com/ritsch
Patrick Johner (twitter.com/johner)
Andreas Kaul, DWI (twitter.com/kaul_mz)
Frank R Schulz, DWI (twitter.com/deutscheweine)
Stefan Schwytz (twitter.com/StefanSchwytz)
Richard Kerber
(me) Christian Schiller (twitter.com/Schillerwein)
Annette Schiller
Martin Schmidt
Gabi Wuertz
Dirk Würtz (twitter.com/Wuertz)

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Guerilla Wine Tasting with Gottfried Lamprecht from Herrenhof in Vienna, Austria

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller with Gottfried Lambert and Peter Vechiatto and Melanie Stumpf.

I tasted two wines of Gottfried Lamprecht from Weingut Herrenhof in Styria in Austria with a group of fellow bloggers attending the 2010 European Wine Bloggers Conference in Vienna. This tasting has become known as guerilla wine tasting as it was not part of the official program, but took place in a little corner of Schloss Schoenbrunn, away from the official event.

Steiermark

Steiermark is one of Austria’s 4 wine regions. It is the most southern one, an amalgam of Sued, Ost and West Steiermark. I know the Sued Steiermark well. I is lovely and many call it the Tuscany of Austria. When I used to live in Croatia, I would always stop in the Sued Steiermark and have a couple of glasses of wine, before crossing the Slovenian border. The Sued Steiermark is best known for aromatic, savory white wines from Weissburgunder, Morillon (Chardonnay) and Sauvignon Blanc.

Gottfried Lamprecht’s vineyards are in the Ost Steiermark, in the east of Graz, in the direction to the southern Burgenland. Gottfried says “the Ost Steiermark is in a way an extension of southern Burgenland. Climate and terroir are similar.”

Gottfried Lamprecht from Weingut Herrenhof

The Herrenhof Estate has a long winemaking history. When the Vorau Abbey owned the estate several centuries ago, the slopes of the estat were used for winegrowing. But by the end of the 19th century winemaking was abandoned. It is on a few years back that Gottfried and his parents, the current owners of the Herrenhof Estate, decided to resume winemaking and replanted the traditional vineyard slopes.

Picture: Herrenhof

Weingut Herrenhof is still a small operation, but the vineyards already look different from conventional vineyards as Gottfried believes in organic vine growing. As with all organic vineyards, the Herrenhof vineyards are colorful and full of different herbs and insects. Milliards of small animals make the vineyard to a multifaceted ecosystem. Gottfried says “the vineyard is the soul of the wine and that is why I believe in organic winemaking.” The Gault Millau WeinGuide 2011 Austria awarded Weingut Herrenhof the first grape. Congratulations!

Finally, Gottfried Lamprecht is one of those winemakers who actively use the web to promote their wines and connect with customers. He is very active on Facebook and has a bi-lingual wine blog www.herrenhof.net although he does not yet export. But this will come, I am sure.

Gottfried Lamprecht’s Winemaking Philosophy

Gottfried has developed his own winemaking Charter, which comprises 9 items.

(1) Guarantee of origin for all wines.
(2) Certified organic wine production.
(3) Maximum yield of 45hl/ha (allowed: 67hl).
(4) The characteristics of the site and of the vintage must be reflected in the wine.
(5) Fermentation with natural yeasts only and the bottling of the wine not before April of the following year.
(6) No use of flavors and additives, sulfite is added in small quantities, no use of concentration machines or spinning cone columns.
(7) Use of traditional winemaking methods, such as long yeast contact and (if possible) unfiltered bottling.
(8) Sustainability of soil fertility, soil life and diversity in the vineyard (animals and plants) is a must..
(9) 100% free of genetic technics.

Gottfried had brought 2 Wines, a White and a Red Wine, to Vienna

Here are the 2 wines of the guerilla wine tasting at the EWBC 2010 in Vienna.

Buchertberg White 2009

Gottfried’s notes: Wines from Herrenhof are traditional and complex. I do not use any modern technology which I think changes or masks the expression of my origin. That‘s the only way wine stays an original drink of cultural value. In former days monks used the estate as a winery. Today we started to replant this traditional vineyard slope with vines. Burgundy grape varieties and the „old school“ field blend is what fits best to this slope.I believe in that soil is the soul of wine growing. That‘s why I farm the vineyards sustainable and organic. To give wine time in cellar to mature is self-evident for me. Authenticity is what I am working for. At Herrenhof Estate there are 3 wines bottled: Pinot blanc in spring (release may 1st), and the single vineyard field blend wines Buchtertberg White and Red (release October 1st). Just let the wine breath a little bit before drinking – all flavors can be enjoyed much better.

Technical data: Vintage: 2009, Varieties: Field blend field blend of Sauvignon, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Riesling, Vineyard: Buchertberg, Age of vines: 2-4 years, Closure: screwcap, Soil: versatile tertiary sediments - sand, limy sandstone, silt, „opok“, Fermentation: only native yeasts, Aging: small oak barrels, Analysis: 13,1 vol% alc.; 4,7 g/l TA; Residual sugar: 1,9 g/l
Last for: 2010-2015, Drink at: 12-14°C.

My tasting notes: light-yellow in the glass, hints of toasted almonds, mango and ripe apple on the nose, good structure and acidity, a earthy, salty and also fruit on the palate, long finish.

Blaufraenkisch vom Eisenberg 2009

Gottfried’s comments: Wines from Herrenhof are traditional and complex. I do not use any modern technology which I think changes or masks the expression of my origin. That‘s the only way wine stays an original drink of cultural value. This wine from the site Eisenberger Hummergraben (variety: Blaufränkisch) is the result of a cooperation. I really like the high quality site, so it was just a question of time to vinify a wine from there. My aim is to produce a very elegant wine full of finesse (that‘s what it is) in opposite to the common fat and full bodied Blaufränkisch style here in Austria. The vineyard should be in the bottle not winemaking technics. A perfect wine to match with food.

Technical data: Vintage: 2009, Variety: Blaufränkisch, Vineyard: Eisenberger Hummergraben, Age of vines: 25-30 years, Closure: screwcaps, Soil: deep loam over shist, Fermentation: only native yeasts, Aging: small oak barrels, Analysis: 12,6 vol% alc.; 4,9 g/l TA; residual sugar: 0,7 g/l, Last for: 2010-2015, Drink at: 14-16°C.

My notes: Gottfried bought the fruit from neighboring wine growers and vinified the grapes in his cellar, ligh, red in the glass, transparent, attack of cassis and blackberry, coupled with some wet stone and pain grille on the nose, lean and well structure, elegant and feminine on the palate, good finish.

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The Wines of Madagascar - Good and Interesting Table Wines (2010)

Picture: Selection of Malagasy Wines in a Malagasy Supermarket

See here for an updated version of this article: The Wines of Madagascar

Food and Wine in Madagascar

Off the eastern coast of Africa, Madagascar in the Indian Ocean is the 4th largest island in the world. Long known for vanilla beans and peppers, you can dine in its capital Antananarivo like in France, but at much, much lower prices and you can drink imported wines, mainly from France and South Africa, as well as – and this comes as surprise to most visitors - good table wine produced locally.

Picture: Antananarivo, the Capital of Madagascar

Before becoming a sovereign country again in 1960, Madagascar was a French colony for over 60 years. The food in Madagascar is thus French-Malagasy. French food in Madagascar ranges from basic bistro food to high-end restaurant food. The traditional Malagasy food is rice three times a day, for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner, with a bit of meat or fish and bok choy type greens. The Malagasy eat this with a spoon and a folk - no knife.

Not well known in the rest of the world, Madagascar produces wine. Malagasy wine tends to be of good table wine quality, not more. I always try to have a bottle of Malagasy wine, when I dine in Madagascar.

For imported wines, practically nothing was available in the 1980s, when I first set foot on the red island. That changed in the following years and French wine started to show up in supermarkets and restaurants. The most recent development is the influx of South African wine, which began perhaps a decade ago, reflecting both the opening up of the Malagasy economy and the export drive of the South African wine industry following the collapse of apartheid.

I have lived in Antananarivo from 1989 to 1992 and have visited Antananarivo since then on average every other year; my last visit was in 2010.

Wine Making in Madagascar

Winemaking in Madagascar started with French colonization. But it really took off only in the 1970s in the framework of Swiss development aid. When the Swiss withdrew a few years ago, however, the wine industry suffered, and it is struggling now to regain its previous strength.

Picture: Grand Cru d'Antsirabe NV

Madagascar’s vineyards are in the highlands, in the area where the Betsileo people live, around the city of Fianarantsoa. The vineyard area now totals 800 hectares. Typically, the vineyards are on steep-terraced slopes and interplanted with pineapples and bananas, alongside with rice paddies and sugar-cane fields.

The winemaking calendar is the one of the southern Hemisphere. Harvest thus takes place in February during the rainy season, which often sees severe tropical cyclones in Madagascar.

Picture: Madagascar

Everything – grape growing, pressing, fermentation and aging – is very basic and unsophisticated in Madagascar, with manual work dominating the whole process. When to harvest the grapes is not decided by using a refractometor and other tools, but just by eating and tasting the grapes. Fermentation takes place in large concrete vats. The grapes are pressed in a mechanical press; the juice is then put into the concrete vats, along with sugar and some chemical, but no yeast, for six months; red wine gets some of the skins left in; no oak-aging here, just concrete vats; hand bottling, hand labeling and hand corking; old bottles are typically reused and you see at the wineries women delabeling and cleaning old wine bottles.

I have not yet found any of the international grapes in Madagascar, like Chardonnay or Merlot. The main grape varities are the Petit Bouchet, Villardin, Chambourcin and Varousset for vins rouge and the Couderc Blanc for vins blanc.

Most winemakers produce one or several brands and these brands typically come as vin rouge, vin gris, vin rose and vin blanc. In addition, you find vin blanc moelleux, a white wine with noticable remaining sweetness. Finally, vins d'aperitif (parfume au coco, l'orange, l'ananas) and eau de vie de vin are produced.

The Main Winemakers of Madagascar

There are currently seven main wine producers in Madagascar. The prices are in Ariary at a retail shop. The current exchange rates are US$ 1 = Ariary 2000 and Euro 1 = Ariary 2500.

S.A. Chan Foui et Fils, Ambalavao

This is a first-wave Chinese. There is currently a large inflow of Chinese into Madagascar. But these second-wave Chinese have to be distinguished from the first-wave Chinese, who came to the country at the end of the 19th and during the 20th century, mostly as forced workers during French colonization and from Mauritius after the collapse of the sugar industry there, are now well integrated into the Malagasy society; they are Malagaches with Chinese roots. S.A. Chan Foui et Fils belongs to this group. He offers 5 lines of brands:

NV Coteaux d’Ambalavao, Cuvee Speciale, vin rouge, 11.5% alc., Ariary 7400
NV Coteau d’Ambalavao, vins rouge and rose, 11.5% alc., Ariary 5400
NV Cote de Fianar, Vin naturel de Ambalavao, it comes as vin rouge, vin rose, vin gris, and vin blanc, Ariary 5800
NV Beauvallon, Vatoavo – Ambalavao, it comes as vin rouge, vin rose, and vin blanc, Ariary 5800
NV Blanc Doux de Maroparasy, Elabore au Vignoble a Ambalavao, a sweet white wine, 13%
alc.

Chan Fao Tong, Antsirabe

Viticulteur Encaveur, B.P. 68 Antsirabe, Tel. 48 488 61. Another first-wave Chinese winemaker, who currently produces Madagascar’s best wine, the NV Grand Cru d’Antsirabe:

NV Grand Cru d’Antsirabe, Rouge Alicante, Ariary 11800
NV Grand Cru d’Antsirabe, Rouge Seyve Villard, Ariary 11.800,
NV Grand Cru d’Antsirabe, Rose Viala, Ariary 10300,
NV Grand Cru d’Antsirabe, Gris de Gris, Ariary 10300,
NV Grand Cru d’ Antsirabe, Blanc Couderc, Ariary 10300

Lazan ‘I Betsilio S.A., Fianarantsoa

This is a large wine co-operative, created in 1971, which, with the support of Swiss development aide, used to make the best wine of the country. But, since the termination of the Swiss project, the quality has suffered, the co-operative has encountered financial problems (and had to suspend its activities from 2000 to 2006) and is now trying hard and successfully to get back on track.

The wine co-operative Lazan’I Betsileo currently has 625 members. Their vineyard area accounts for about 40% of Madagascar’s total. They produce about 500.000 liters of wine annually. Lazan means pride in Malagasy.

Lazan ‘I Bestsilio offers one line of products:

NV Lazan ‘I Betsili, Haute Matsiatra, Du raisin au vin par l’amour des paysans du Betsileo, eleve et mis en boutaille par Lazan ‘I Betsileo S.A., Fianarantsoa Madagascar.

It comes as Rouge for Ariary 6300, Rouge Primeur for Ariary 7400, Gris for 6300, Blanc for Ariary 6300 and Blanc Moelleux for Ariary 8600.

Societe Mac et Freres, Ambohimalaza

This winery in Ambohimalaza, about 30 km away from Fianarantsoa, offers one line of products:

NV Clos Malaza

It comes as Rouge, Rose, Gris, Blanc sec, and Blanc doux, for Ariary 7400.
Society Mac et Freres runs a decent web site, with useful background information about their wine portfolio (in French):

Vin blanc sec: Vin blanc tranquille, issu d'un mono cépage, le " Couderc blanc", il est élaboré à basse température. Son caractère frais et tropicale accompagne bien coquillages, crustacés et poissons exotiques. Servir frais à 6 - 7°C.

Vin gris: Robe pelure d'oignon, légère et gouleyant. Idéal en début de repas. A servir entre 8-10°C.

Vin rosé: Style: léger, simple, fruité. Avec une petite note de caractère des cépages rouge dont il est issu, sa robe vire à l'œil de perdrix.

Vin rouge: Style rouge souple, fruité, à consommation rapide. Idéal pour les plats de poulet, viande de bœuf et fromage malgache. Aérer avant de servir.

Vin blanc doux: Style: léger; l'équilibre sucre résiduel - acidité confère au vin son doux caractère "conviviale"et sa première protection. spécialement conseillé pour le foie gras et le roquefort. .

Son vignoble et ses cépages

Le vignoble se situe dans une cuvette à 1400 m d'altitude avec un sol acide, latéritique, sablonneux et argileux. Abrité par la fin des contreforts de l'Isandra, un ensoleillement et un micro-climat bénéfique exigés des grands vins, permettent une récolte stable, saine et l'élaboration d'un vin de qualité supérieure, souple et robuste. Ceci explique également la typicité de nos eaux de vies. Nos vins rouge, rosé, et gris proviennent de raisins sélectionnés et élaborés selon de méthodes de vinifications spécifiques et perfectionnées. Ils ont pour origine des cépages hybrides ayant fait leurs preuves: "Villard noir" proche de "Pinot noir", "Chambourcin", "petit Bouchet", "Villardin" et "Varousset". Tandis que le vin blanc est issu d'un seul cépage : le "Couderc blanc"

www.http://takelaka.dts.mg/clos_malaza/

Verger – Thonon – Canone Viticulteurs, Domaine de Manamisoa

This winery in Soavita, south of Fianarantsoa, offers 2 lines of products:

NV Château Verger, Grand vins d’Ambalavao, Soavita, Rouge , Ariary 5000 ; the only Malagasy wine that carries « Château » on its label.
NV Rose, Gris, Rouge, Blanc de Manamisoa, 11,5%, Ariary 5000

Malaza Sarl

Malaza Sarl is the only winemaker in Madagascar that currently produces vintage wines. They are all called Cru de Malaza and have 12% alcohol.
2009 Cru Malaza, 12% alc.

It comes as Gris, Rouge and Blanc and sells at Ariary 7900 in the supermarket.

Monastere de Maromby, Fiananarantasoa

The Maromby monastery was founded in 1958 by the abbey of Mont des Cats (France, Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance). One of the founders still lives in Maromby. The community is now almost entirely composed of brothers from Madagascar. Maromby (4 km north of Fianarantsoa) is a small, peaceful village in the vicinity of vineyards. The monks produce wine for their own use and sell it also.

Widely available is the NV Clos Malaza, 12%, Rouge and Blanc, Ariary 7600.

Domaine Lovasoa, Cave de Fianarantsoa Soaindrana

A wine that I have not seen in any of the restaurants in Antananarivo, but in the shelves of the Giant Scrore.

NV Vin de Betsileo Gris, 11.5%, Ariary 5800

Domaine Mendrika, Iharanany, Soaindrana, Fianarantasoa

Another wine that I have not seen in any of the restaurants, which sells under the label

NV Domaine Mendrika for Ariary 6650

This wine comes as Gris, Rouge and Rose.




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German Red Wine Award 2010 - Deutscher Rotweinpreis 2010

German Red Wine Award 2010

The annual German Red wine Competition, organized by the international wine magazine Vinum, exists since 1987. At that time, German red wine was a red wine for people who prefer white wine - a red wine for white wine lovers. Red wine accounted for only about 15 percent of German wine output. Today, we are well over 35 percent. And not only the vineyard area planted with red grapes has expanded dramatically, but also the quality has improved considerably. Today, German red wine can compete with any red wine in the world, I believe. As a result, German red wines are increasingly appearing in the international wine market. Of course, given its location, they tend to be not like the fruity red wines we know from warmer countries, but lean and more elegant, with a lot of finesse.

20 Prizes Were Awarded

The 1400 German red wines, which were submitted to the contest, were grouped into 8 different categories. As a general rule, only wines without sweet reserve (Suessreserve, sterilized juice),could participate. 20 prizes were awarded in these 8 categories, with Wuerttemberg alone receiving 9 of them. The 18 winemakers who won prizes were honored in Ludwigsburg on Saturday, November 20.

Wuerttemberg

Wuerttemberg is a wine growing area which is not well known outside of Germany. Wine from Württemberg is mainly red wine. The main production area is along the Neckar river between Stuttgart and Heilbronn and, more wine is consumed here than anywhere else in Germany - actually twice as much as in the rest of Germany. The German poet Friedrich von Schiller wrote already several centuries ago: “A Württemberger without wine--is that a real Württemberger?”

In Württemberg the Trollinger is the most important variety. The Trollinger, with its characteristic bright red color, is grown almost exclusively in Württemberg. It is a typical Vierteleswein (equivalent to a vin ordinaire and so-called because such wines are normally ordered by the quarter liter): fruity, bodied and fresh and goes well with all kinds of dishes. In exceptional years, the fairly ordinary table wine can become a top-quality, but it usually is a good table wine for every-day consumption. There is also Lemberger, which is a better wine.

Wines from Württemberg are hard to find in the US. This is partly explained by the production structure, which is dominated by co-operatives. Much of the wine sector in Württemberg is in the hands of local co-operatives. These co-operatives are known for producing top class wines. But they tend to be less aggressive in terms of penetrating new markets.

The Winners

The list of winners looks a bit unusual. The really big names of the German red wine boom are missing. Rather, one finds young, new winemakers, such as the surprise winner in the category of Pinot Noir, the young Jürgen Krebs from the Pfalz. Two estates from Württemberg , the estate of Prince Hohenlohe-Oehringen and the Staatsweingut Weinsberg won twice. Surprisingly, among the international classics, the winner was neither a Cabernet Sauvignon nor a Merlot or Syrah, but s traditional South Tirol Lagrein, which he has been grown in Germany since 2000.

Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir)

1. Platz: Weingut Krebs, Freinsheim (Pfalz), 2007er Freinsheimer Musikantenbuckel
2. Plätze: Staatsweingut Weinsberg (Württemberg), Weingut Burggarten, Heppingen (Ahr), Weingut Neiss, Kindenheim (Pfalz)

Picture (from right to left): Guenter Baeder, Martin Schwegler, both Staatsweingut Weinsberg, Ute Proellochs, Charim Ungar Contemporary, and Mrs. and Mr. Groebe at the 100th Anniversary of the VDP in Berlin in 2010

Cuvées

1. Platz: Weingut Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Oehringen (Württemberg), 2008er „Ex flammis orior“
2. Platz: Weinmanufaktur Untertürkheim (Württemberg), „Mönch Berthold“
3. Platz: Weingut Rings, Freinsheim (Pfalz), 2008er „Das Kreuz“

Lemberger

1. Platz: Weingut Graf Neipperg, Schwaigern
2. Platz: Weingut Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Oehringen (beide Württemberg)

Deutsche Klassiker (German Classics)

1. Platz: Hedesheimer Hof, Stadecken-Elsheim (Rheinhessen), 2007er St. Laurent
2. Plätze: Weingut Philipp Kuhn, Laumersheim (Pfalz), St. Laurent 2007, Staatsweingut Weinsberg, 2007er Clevner (Frühburgunder)

Internationale Klassiker (International Classics)

1. Platz: Weingut Keller, Worms-Pfiffligheim (Rheinhessen), 2007er Lagrein,
2. Platz: Weingut Stachel, Maikammer (Pfalz), Syrah

Neuzüchtungen (New Grape Varities)

1. Platz: Weingut Karl May, Osthofen (Rheinhessen), 2007er Dornfelder
2. Platz: Weingut Karl Haidle, Kernen-Stetten (Württemberg), 2008er Zweigelt

Unterschätzte Sorten (Underrated Grape Varities)

1. Platz: Weingärtner-Zentralgenossenschaft (WZG) Möglingen (Württemberg), 2009er Portugieser
2. Platz: Weingut Rainer Schnaitmann, Fellbach (Württemberg), 2009er Trollinger

Edelsüße Weine (Noble-Sweet Wines)

1. Platz: Weingut Eckehart Gröhl, Weinolsheim (Rheinhessen), Spätburgunder Blanc de Noirs Eiswein 2009
2. Platz: Winzergenossenschaft Britzingen (Baden), 2009er Trockenbeerenauslese Cabernet Mitos

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Devon Rocks – A Boutique Producer of Pinotage in South Africa

Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with Juergen Heinrich and the Devon Rocks Pinotage Wines

If you like Pinotage – South Africa’s signature grape - and want to avoid the big names, then you should consider Devon Rocks in the Stellenbosch area. Its owner, Juegen Heinrich, told me “If you want to follow the footsteps of Pinotage in South Africa, you will unavoidably encounter big names like Kanonkop, Simonsig, Beyerskloof, Kaapzicht and Diemersfontein. However, there are many small wineries that produce consistently a top quality - even when the Platter sometimes says something else - and that look for a niche in the market. Devon Rocks is one of these niche sellers. Please come and visit us”. I did. And it turned out to be a wise decision. Devon Rocks produces an outstanding Pinotage, Juergen and Britta Heinrich are charming hosts of a very comfortable Bed and Breakfast and Juergen is very knowledgeable in terms of his own and other wines.

Devon Rocks Winery

Devon Rocks is a young winery, located in Devon Vale area just outside Stellenbosch, the wine capital of South Africa. Actually, this is where the vineyards, totaling 4 hectares of quality topsoil with a cool microclimate, are; the wines are made and aged at a different place. Juergen Heinrich is the owner, general manager, marketing chef and manager of the vineyard, while Simon Smith from Louisvale Wine Estate makes the wine.

Devon Rocks has been producing award winning Pinotage since 2003. In 2009, Devon Rocks broadened its wine portfolio and started to make a red and a rose Shiraz with its Shiraz grapes that had been sold before, and a Sauvignon Blanc with grapes bought in from the neighborhood. “Given the low volumes” Heinrich says “ we can only go into niche markets. We export to Germany and Switzerland and market directly in South Africa.” For the future, Heinrich has no intentions to expand, but wants to stabilize production and sales, and keep the quality of the wine at its current high level.

Devon Rocks Bead and Breakfast

Devon Rocks is also a little, charming Bead and Breakfast with two luxurious rooms. You can relax at the poolside and enjoy a sundowner on our large covered terrace with a nice view on the colorful sunset behind Table Mountain or Lion`s Head. The Heinrichs serve a generous breakfast. There are 60 wine estates and farms within a 20 km radius. A golf course is close by; 8 other golf courses are within half an hour drive.

Owner Juergen and Britta Heinrich

When Juergen and Britta Heinrich bought the property in 2000, Juergen was just a wine lover, but had never been professionally involved with winemaking. He had spent his professional career in the computer industry in Germany and moved to South Africa to retire. The loverly property came with almost 4 hectares of vineyard land, mostly planted with Pinotage.

Initially, Juergen was just the owner of Devon Rocks and others took the lead in the vineyard and the wine cellar. “This has changed completely during the past years” says Juegen, “I have moved from a retired status to a semi-retired status and are now working full time again, managing Devon Rocks”.

Winemaker Simon Smith

Right from the beginning, Jueegen hired cellar capacity and a winemaker, Simon Smith. Simon comes from Paarl. He received his Viticulture Diploma and Diploma in Oenology from Elsenburg Agricultural College in 1987 and 1988. In 1997 Simon was offered the position as winemaker and farm manager at Louisvale Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, where until today he signs responsible for the success of the Estate`s top quality Chardonnay as well as of the award winning Devon Rocks Pinotage wines.

Pinotage

Pinotage is the signature grape of South Africa. In 1925, a South African researcher at the University of Stellenbosch crossed the Pinot Noir with the Hermitage (Cinsaut): This was the birth of Pinotage. It now accounts for more than 20 percent of South Africa’s red wine. It is made in a broad range of styles, from easy-drinking quaffing wine and rosé to barrel-aged wine intended for cellaring. It is also used for port-style wine and red sparkling wine. The majority of the world's plantings of Pinotage is found in South Africa, where it makes up just 6.7% of the vineyard area but is considered a symbol of the country's distinctive winemaking traditions.

Devon Rocks Pinotage

We tasted the 2005 to 2008 vintages of Devon Rocks Pinotage. The 2003, 2004 and 2005 vintages have been awarded the GOLD Medal and the 2007 the SILVER Medal at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards. The 2006 vintage is finalist in the renowned ABSA Top 10 Pinotage Competition.

Pinotage 2005

Winemakers comments: Concentrated blackberry, vanilla and chocolate flavours, which are well supported by a velvety soft oak integration, a dark ruby colour and soft tannins; this elegant Pinotage can be enjoyed now, it will reach its optimum in 3-5 years, an ideal accompaniment with beef, venison, pasta and cheese.

Technical data: 100 % Pinotage, Location: Devon Vale Stellenbosch, Soil Type: Decomposed Granite, Planting Date: 1998, Harvest Date: February 28, 2005, Sugar at Harvest: 27 Balling, Harvest Method: Hand Picked, Harvest Volume: 8.9 to, Alcohol by Volume: 15.5 %, Residual Sugar: 3.1 g/l, Total Acid: 5.4 g/l, Volatile Acid: 0.55 g/l, Total Sulphur: 73 mg/l, ph: 3.6, Maturation: 12 Months in French Oak, Bottling Date: April 16, 2006.

Pinotage 2006

Winemaker`s Comments: Intense fruity nose, compact blackberry, vanilla flavours, which are well supported by a soft oak integration, a dark ruby colour and velvety tannins; this elegant wine can be enjoyed now, it will reach its optimum in 3-5 years, to be enjoyed by itself, but also an ideal accompaniment with beef, game, venison, pasta and cheese.

100 % Pinotage, Location: Devon Vale Stellenbosch, Soil Type: Decomposed Granite, Planting Date: 1998, Harvest Date: March 06, 2006, Sugar at Harvest: 26.5 Balling, Harvest Method: Hand Picked, Alcohol: 15.5 % Residual Sugar: 3.1 g/l, Total Acid: 6.0 g/l, Volatile Acid: 0.68 g/l, Total Sulphur: 68 mg/l, ph: 3.40, Maturation: 12 Months in French Oak, Bottling Date: May 03, 2007.

Pinotage 2007

Winemaker’s comments: An elegant, well structured wine of the typical dark intense Pinotage color with fine nuances of blackberry and vanilla flavors, which are well supported by gentle, oaky tannins; an ideal companion of red meat, pasta and cheese. Enjoy the wine now; it will reach its optimum 3-5 years after vintage.

“I like full bodied wines” says Juergen. “In 2007, we experimented with reverse osmosis and produced a lighter, lower alcohol Pinotage, with 14% alcohol, but have gone back since to a style with a higher alcohol level. I just prefer the fatter, thicker, richer Pinotage style”.

Technical data: 100 % Pinotage, Location: Devon Vale Stellenbosch, Soil Type: Decomposed Granite, Planting Date: 1998, Harvest Date: March 14-15, 2007, Sugar at Harvest: 26.5 Balling, Harvest Method: Hand Picked, Alcohol by Volume: 14.1 %, Residual Sugar: 2.7 g/l, Total Acid: 5.8 g/l, Volatile Acid: 0.54 g/l, Total Sulphur: 53 mg/l, ph: 3.53, Maturation: 12 Months in French Oak, Bottling Date: May 26, 2008

Pinotage 2008

Winemaker’s comments: A full bodied intense and robust wine with a dense ruby color offering dark berries on the nose followed by mouth filling earthy and woody aromas. The lingering fruity aftertaste keeps everything the wine has promised before. It compliments red meat dishes, pasta and spicy Asian food. The wine is made to be enjoyed now. It will, however, be relished most 3-5 years after vintage.

Technical data: 100 % Pinotage, Location: Devon Vale Stellenbosch, Soil Type: Decomposed Granite, Planting Date: 1998, Harvest Date: March 18-19, 2008, Sugar at Harvest: 27.0 Balling, Harvest Method: Hand Picked, Alcohol by Volume: 16.0 %, Residual Sugar: 3.2 g/l, Total Acid: 5.1 g/l, Volatile Acid: 0.63 g/l, Total Sulphur: 71 mg/l, ph: 3.68, Maturation: 13 Months in French Oak, Bottling Date: May 26, 2009.

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Picking and Drinking Gruener Veltliner with Ewald Gruber sen. and jun., Weingut Gruber, Weinviertel, Austria

Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller picking and tasting Gruener Veltliner with Ewald Gruber sen. and Ewald Gruber jun.

As part of the EWBC 2010 in Vienna, I picked Gruener Veltliner in the vineyards of Weingut Ewald Gruber in Roeschitz in the Weinviertel with my EWBC 2010 fellow participants and the Gruber family. The grapes will be used to produce a EWBC 2010 wine. This was my first time out in the vineyard to pick grapes.

Weinviertel

Austria’s vineyard area is divided into 4 main regions, of which Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria) is the most northern. Within Lower Austria, the Weinviertel is by far the largest district. Situated to the south of the Thaya river, between the Manhartsberg mountain to the west and the Marchauen to the east, the Weinviertel extends southwards right to the gates of Vienna. The fertile region with its rolling hills is one of Central Europe’s oldest agricultural site. The region derives its name from viticulture: Weinviertel means winedistrict.

Picture: Austria's Wine Regions

Gruener Veltliner

The Grüner Veltliner is the characteristic wine of the region. It covers 50 % of the vineyards in the Weinviertel and makes up around one third of the vineyards of Austria.

It is a highly versatile variety but is rarely grown in any other wine regions, and as such remains Austria's real point of difference. Cool nights are important for Grüner Veltliner in order to achieve perfect acidity and aromatic expression. The grapes ripen fairly late, and therefore benefit from the warm summer and autumn days that Austria's continental climate offers.

Picture: The Gruener Veltliner Harvested by the EWBC 2010 Participants

Grüner Veltliner is known for its spicy, smoky character with a distinctive white pepper and tobacco bouquet. Fruit character can range from citrussy to rich, peachy flavours, and there is always an excellent dose of balancing acidity.

Weinviertel DAC

Austria’s main wine classification system is based, like the German one, on the amount of sugar in the grapes at harvest, and includes categories like Qualitaetswein, Kabinett and Spaetlese. Recently, there have been efforts to supplement this ripeness-based with a terroir-based classification system. Accordingly, in the Weinviertel, the Weinviertel Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC) was introduced. The new system tries to group wines typical for their region together; DAC wines always have a clear taste profile.

In the Weinviertel, a DAC wine is always a Grüner Veltliner, easily recognizable by its lighter yellow to darker greenish-yellow color and its fine peppery, spicy-fruity taste. It has to be dry, with a maximum residual sugar of 6g/l. It must not display woody or botrytis-like notes and its alcoholic strength should be at least 12 % by vol. The basic control for the Weinviertel DAC is identical to that of any quality wine, because the Weinviertel DAC too has to fulfils all the criteria of a Qualitaetswein. Weinviertel DAC bottles can be recognized by their uniform cap bearing a stylized map of the Weinviertel region.

Picture: The Participating EWBC Wine Bloggers

With the 2009 vintage, the DAC Reserve category has been added to the Weinviertel DAC system. As with the Weinviertel DAC wine, the Weinviertel DAC Reserve wine must demonstrate a clear, region-typical taste profile – it must be a peppery Grüner Veltliner from the Weinviertel. But it also must have other distinguishing features: a dense structure; a long finish and a robust style. Subtle Botrytis and wood tones are acceptable in the DAC Reserve. The alcohol content must be at least 13 %.

The Weinviertel winemakers are very optimistic that the new DAC system will help boost exports. I doubt it and I am with Terry Theise here, one of the leading exporters of Austrian wine into the US, who has been very critical of the DAC system and has not even bothered to explain it to his customers in his catalogue. In my view, it will take a long time to achieve recognition and acceptance of the DAC system.

Ewald Gruber Estate and Wines

The Ewald Gruber Estate is located in Röschitz in the west of the Weinviertel wine-growing region in Lower Austria. It has been owned by the family since 1724. The Estate also includes Weingut Schloss Maissau (7 hectares) and Weingut Stift Altenburg (6 hectares). In total, the Grubers own 80 hectares of vineyard land and purchase fruit equivalent to 50 hectares. All wines are fermented, aged and filled in their main winery in Roeschitz.

The Ewald Gruber Estate has remained a family enterprise despite its size of 70 hectares. This is possible, because 3 of the 6 children of Hermine and Ewald Gruber - Ewald jun., Maria and Johann – are fully involved in the business. Notably Ewald jun. , who completed his oenological studies at the Klosterneuburg college before gaining practical experience in Australia and New Zealand, is responsible for the cellar, while Ewald sen. concentrates on the vineyard work.

70% of the area is planted with the white varieties Grüner Veltliner (main variety with 50%), Riesling, Welschriesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc, the remaining 30% is planted with the red varieties Zweigelt, Blauburger, Pinot Noir, Blauer Portugieser and St. Laurent. Gruber’s philosophy is sustained integrated vineyard practices, including natural fertilizing, careful soil treatment, no use of herbicides, and encouraging naturally useful insects, by planting appropriate plants and trees on the borders of the vineyards. The top wines are marketed in the “Selektion der Einzellagen” and “Alte Reben” categories. The wine portfolio also includes the Frizzante „Punkt Genau” (perlé wine).

Picture: The Gruber Team

Today, Ewald Gruber is one of the leading Weinviertel Estates and one of the driving force in terms of the Weinviertel’s marketing efforts. In this vein, Ewald Gruber sen. established the “Weinquartier” in Retz, a stylish restaurant cum wine store, where you find 300 wines from all over the Weinviertel.

Picking and Tasting Gruener Veltliner in the Im Hinterholz

It was a lot of fun to harvest the Gruener Veltliner in the Im Hinterholz vineyard. First, the whole group was carried on a truck from the winery to the vineyard, through the narrow streets of Roeschnitz. Then we were provided with scissors and bugs. The instruction was to cut out all the botrytized grapes and only put healthy, green grapes in the bucket. In fact, this was quite a tedious work as many grapes did not meet the quality criteria, at least not my quality criteria. In an hour we harvested enough grapes to produce about 500 liters of wine. This is gonna be the 2010 EWBC wine.

At the end, we tasted two Gruener Veltliner in the im Hinterholz vineyard.


2009 Gruener Veltliner, Weinviertel DAC: Nutty aromas with hints of smoke and peachy notes, good structure, lovely stone-fruit and mango flavors on the palate.

2009 Gruener Veltliner, Weinviertel DAC Reserve: Picked one month later that the DAC, very low yield, 15% in new oak, ripe apricots, smoky on the nose, creamy texture, caramelly notes on the finish.

Postscriptum: The 2010 EWBC Gruener Veltliner

Ewald Gruber keeps us in the loop in terms of what is happening with the EWBC 2010 Gruener Veltliner. Here is a picture from the pressing of the grapes, a couple of days after we had visited the Ewald Gruber Estate.

Picture: Pressing the EWBC 2010 Gruener Veltliner Grapes

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Drinking Zinfandel on Global Zinfandel Day

Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller drinking Zinfadel with (from top to bottom) Dan Duckhorn, Pete Seghesio Jr. and Harry Wetzel, all at Pearson's in Washington DC

Global Zinfandel Day

Today is Global Zinfandel Day. “It’ is a 24-hour event for wine lovers to explore Zinfandel, the uniquely American varietal that pairs well with a wide array of foods,” explains organizer Chris Oggenfuss. “For our premiere Zinfandel Day we envision people around the world tasting Zinfandels and sharing their recommendations, whether with friends at home or in the virtual global community via #Zinfandel on social media sites,” he adds.

Zinfandel is a red grape variety planted in over 10 percent of California vineyards. It was long considered to be the “American Grape”. But new research revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in the "heel" of Italy, where it was introduced in the 1700s. The grape found its way to the United States in the mid-19th century.

The arrival of Zinfandel in the US may have been via the Imperial Nursery in Vienna, Austria, which likely obtained the vines during the Habsburg Monarchy's rule over Croatia. After World War II, medium sweet White Zinfandel became immensely popular in the US. At the end of the end of the 20th century, red Zinfandel wines came back into fashion.

Zinfandel Day is a great way for wine lovers world-wide to share food pairing recommendations, plans for the holidays, or travel tips for visiting Zinfandel wineries in California. Participants can register at http://zinfandel.eventbrite.com or http://www.meetup.com/zinfandel/ Travelers who would like to visit participating Zinfandel Day wineries in person today, find a list of participating wineries on these sites as well. For the foodie interested in sharing food pairing ideas with friends, log on to http://www.zinfandelic.com/zinfandel-wine-food-pairing.html.

The organizers of Zinfandel Day encourage people to share these links and set up tastings with friends, wherever they may be. People can follow along on Twitter by using Twitter management software such as HootSuite or Tweetdeck and set up a search column for #zinfandel, the hashtag to use to keep up with fellow Zinfandel fans from around the globe. People can also participate via Facebook, Ustream or other networks.

My Favorite Zinfandels

Here are my three favorite Zinfandels.

Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma 2008

Pete Seghesio: Our family roots are firmly planted in Zinfandel, as our great-grandfather, Eduardo Seghesio, first planted this intriguing varietal on our Alexander Valley Home Ranch in 1895. Today, we share his passion and, reverently, farm over 250 acres of estate Zinfandel in Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys. This wine combines sites that have produced Zinfandel for over a century with newer sites that utilize proprietary clones and the most advanced viticultural practices. Climatic-induced spicy undertones mark the 2008 vintage. Vibrant display of acidity enhances the briary raspberry and blackberry varietal expression. Lush, velvety mouth feel interwoven with fine, integrated tannins creates a smooth richness. Full-bodied, juicy mid-palate with Seghesio "balance."

Alexander Valley Sin Zinfandel 2007

Harry Wetzel: Sin Zin is arguably our best known wine. Most folks are initially drawn in by the label, but once they taste what's inside the bottle, they quickly realize that this is no novelty wine. That may be why Sin Zin remains one of the most popular Zins in America and why, according to Wine & Spirits magazine, it's the Zin of choice in many of the nation's restaurants. The 2007 is a classic Alexander Valley Zinfandel. In the glass, you'll find generous aromas of black cherries, blueberries, vanilla and spice. The big fruit notes are apparent right at the front end. The hefty flavors of cherries and plums carry this wine right through the mid-palate, paving the way for a lengthy finish, where a touch of spicy oak rears its head.

Duckhorn Decoy Zinfandel 2008

Winery Notes: Our winemaking team has been crafting a world-class red blend using Napa Valley Zinfandel since 1994. Decoy Zinfandel allows us to explore this robust and appealing grape as a stand-alone wine. It offers the concentration and complexity that has made the Napa Valley famous, while highlighting classic Zinfandel elements of raspberry, strawberry jam, white pepper, cedar and spice.

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