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Surrounded by mystique, the world of wine can be intimidating for the novice. What’s the difference between bouquet and nose? Is Rioja a wine or a region? What’s an appellation? And are you prepared to ask any of those questions at a dinner party, and risk being thought ignorant by other wine-loving guests?

30-Second Wine demystifies the subject, decanting the knowledge you need in palatable sips. Compiled by wine experts, it’s organized in a sequence of well-thought-out chapters, taking you from terroir to the technicalities of winemaking, introducing you to the important grapes and iconic regions, offering an overview of the business of wine and how it works, and concluding with a section on the enjoyment of wine. And with every entry edited into a neat and effective 300 words, it will leave you plenty of time to put your new-found expertise into practice.

FOREWORD

Annette Alvarez-Peters

My journey to the world of wine began twenty years ago when I was appointed to a beverage alcohol buyer position. Though I was an experienced merchant, I had limited wine knowledge and was facing an enormous learning curve. Determined to learn all that I could, I was astonished at the range, and depth, of the many variables of the wine industry. I not only needed to learn the business overall, but also the important details surrounding soils, viticulture, vinification, grape varieties and the regions they reside and a host of other fascinating disciplines.

In my early days as a buyer, I reached out to as many individuals as possible in an effort to learn the business. The volume of information was overwhelming and I needed to become a sponge to absorb the knowledge available to me. I read numerous wine books and all the relevant trade publications. I attended all sorts of trade tastings, harvest festivals and visited many wineries. More importantly, I asked a million questions – from the most elementary to the most insightful.

Throughout my travels, I’ve had the privilege of meeting producers both big and small. Clearly the common thread among them is to produce the highest quality wine possible given the incredible diversity of their vineyards. As impressive, and educational, that these diverse wine properties can be, it’s the families and individuals that care for the land that are most extraordinary. I am grateful to have toured vineyards and cellars and tasted wines with some of the most notable producers such as Robert Mondavi to Christian Moueix to Marchesi Piero Antinori. I have grown from their generosity in sharing their knowledge and passion for wine.

Some of the best resources in my learning curve have been some of the most accomplished and knowledgeable Masters; Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers. These Masters have spent years studying every facet of the wine business from regions, soils, farming practices, grape varieties to the foundations of retail and restaurant success. The Masters’ abilities to taste and evaluate wines are nearly supernatural. Gérard Basset is only one of four individuals, worldwide, to be a Double Master having earned both Master of Wine and Master Sommelier. Simply put, I was thrilled the day I met Gerard. He is both brilliant and entertaining and exceedingly generous in sharing the wealth of his knowledge of wine.

As a purchaser for a large retailer, I have the utmost appreciation for consumers. A very important part of my wine journey has been observing and learning about consumer behaviour … what influences their wine buying decisions; What do they like to drink? How much are they willing to explore? Today, consumers are rewarded with quality wines in every price range. Furthermore, technology has provided unprecedented access to information about wines from the world over, and wine lovers have never had better tools to enhance their knowledge.

30-Second Wine is a perfect tool to help build knowledge and to discover your passion for wine. Cheers!

INTRODUCTION

Gérard Basset OBE

Wine has a long, rich and truly fascinating history. This remarkable beverage has quenched our thirst, heightened our passions and loosened our tongues ever since people in ancient Mesopotamia – or perhaps even before – first trod grapes and drank this elixir. Wine is the drink of conviviality, of celebrations, of success, of gatherings great and small; wine is sensual and sensorial. But why should the soil in a vineyard plot mean so much to the contents of our glass? What alchemy turns this juice from the humble fruit of the vine into a drink capable of being cellared for decades? While wine generates much interest the myriad grape varieties and wine styles can be bewildering and the language of wine can seem mysterious too.

30-Second Wine decants the subject, revealing the art and the science behind crus and clos, racking and riddling, and providing important insights into Burgundy, Bordeaux, Barossa, Tuscany, Napa and other leading wine regions, since fine wine is now produced in many parts of the world, from Brazil to China. This accessible book also gives a flavour of other intriguing aspects, including the various key factors that contrive to make possible the vastly different styles of wines — dark and tannic, fresh and light, bonedry, nectar-sweet, sparkling or sticky – how the industry recovered from some seriously crippling events during its long history, as well as some unfamiliar details of the business of wine.

Compiled by wine experts steeped in knowledge of their particular field of expertise, this book allows you to master the art and craft of wine in 50 small sips – or rather, a mere 300 words and one picture. Divided into seven sections, the topics cover the essential elements of wine beginning, naturally, with The Vineyard. Section two, The Winery, goes behind the label and explains how wine is made, from the pressing of grapes to the method for sealing the bottle. The most important grapes – the so-called international varieties – along with the finest expressions those grapes are capable of producing form the subject of section three. Then follow the highs and lows of wine’s chequered history. Section five gives a bird’s-eye view of the top regions, from the centuries-old vineyards in Europe to those of the New World that now hold their own on the world stage, and the potential of emerging economies whose wines are attracting increasing attention. The final two sections, the Business of Wine and Enjoying Wine, offer a taste of the ways in which wine is sold and consumed. The beauty of this book is that you can choose to read it from beginning to end or simply select the topics that provide the most interest to you, in the knowledge that any technical or unfamiliar terms are clearly defined in the glossaries. Finally, the people. The wine industry has produced a plethora of highly talented professionals, often entertaining characters. We have selected seven such personalities, all of whom have greatly influenced the course the wine industry has taken and had a major impact on making wine the magnificent beverage we can enjoy today.

30-Second Wine might simply enable you to join the discussion the next time you and your friends are sharing a bottle of wine, or it might fuel a new passion for this sublime beverage. In any case, we hope you will enjoy this book as much as the contributors have enjoyed writing it.

THE VINEYARD

GLOSSARY

AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) see appellation

appellation a system of labelling quality wine to reflect a legally defined geographic area of production. It is intended to offer a guarantee of origin and quality, based on such factors as permitted grape varieties, style and minimum alcoholic strength.

In France, where the modern-day appellation system was developed, AOC stands for Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée. At its heart is the notion of terroir. An AOC may be all-encompassing, such as ‘Bordeaux’, or more specific, such as ‘Pauillac’, which is a commune of Bordeaux. In Burgundy, AOCs even exist for individual Grand Cru vineyards such as Le Montrachet.

Other countries have their own systems, though none as intricate as the French. The equivalent in Italy is DOC Denominazione di Origine Controllata), Spain uses DO (Denominaciones de Origen) and Portugal Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC). In the New World, the USA uses a system known as AVA (American Viticultural Area) while Australia has adopted GI (Geographical Indication).

Botrytis cinerea a benevolent fungus, also known as noble rot. It causes ripe grapes to shrivel and lose water content, thereby concentrating their sugars and other elements. Botrytized grapes are used to make sweet wines such as Sauternes or Beerenauslese.

clone a copy of a grape vine traditionally propagated from a cutting of the original. Clones today are more likely to be produced in a laboratory and grown for attributes such as their yield or for resistance to disease, pests, frost or drought.

IPM (Integrated Pest Management) an environmentally friendly approach to the control of pests, diseases and weeds. While it eschews use of agrochemicals, it is not as stringent as organic viticulture, but brings economic, environmental and safety benefits to the grape growers.

green harvesting the removal from the vine of a proportion of unripe bunches of grapes in order to concentrate the plant’s energy on fewer grapes. Proponents claim the benefits include higher concentrations of sugars, tannins and flavour in the remaining grapes. Sceptics note that many of Bordeaux’s greatest vintages predate the green-harvest fashion and were naturally high yielding.

late harvesting picking grapes long after they reach optimum ripeness to achieve even higher sugar levels. The risk is that the crop may be spoilt by adverse autumn weather. Wines labelled Late Harvest are usually sweet wines. The equivalent term in France is Vendange tardive and in Germany Spätlese.

lunar calendar in biodynamic viticulture the lunar calendar is used to time critical aspects of vineyard management including planting, weeding, harvesting and the application of treatments, and even cellar management up to and including bottling. The vine’s four components – root, leaf, flower and fruit – are linked to the four elements of earth, water, air and fire. Each component is said to be favoured during particular points of the moon’s cycle.

noble rot see Botrytis cinerea

Premier Cru, Grand Cru the quality classifications enshrined in the French Appellation (AOC) systems, but whose significance varies from region to region. Cru translates as ‘growth’ and can refer to a single vineyard or group of vineyards. On Bordeaux’s ‘Left Bank’, only the five top wines are Premiers Crus Classés (First Growths). In St-Emilion, on the Right Bank, the top 13 wines are known as Premiers Grands Crus Classés with some 64 Grands Crus Classés estates ranked below them (see page 100). In Burgundy and Champagne, Grand Cru (‘Great Growth’) is the top quality classification, followed by Premier Cru. Alsace has no Premier Cru classification but around 13 per cent of its vineyards are classified Grands Crus.

rootstock the root of the vine on to which canes are grafted to produce fruit-bearing plants. Most rootstocks used today come from phylloxera-resistant, native American vine species or hybrids. Vitis vinifera is particularly susceptible to attack from the phylloxera louse. The most resistant American vine species are V. riparia, V. rupestris and V.berlandieri.

varietal a wine made entirely (or almost entirely, depending on local wine laws) from a single grape variety.

vigneron/viticulturalist one who grows grapes and attends to all aspects of vineyard management. An oenologist studies or makes wine. Since grape quality is key in winemaking, oenologists, especially consultants, are expected to have expertise in vineyard management.

vintage the grape harvest of a single year or the wine made from it.

Vitis vinifera the species of vine that is the source of most of the world’s wine. There are many thousands of vinifera vines, all originally native to Europe and Central Asia.

TERROIR

the 30-second wine

The concept of terroir is one that underpins the Old World appellation system and is gradually finding favour in newer winegrowing regions. At its heart is location. Vines, although they may be of the same variety, clone and rootstock, will grow differently in different locations and the wine from those different locations will vary in character. Thus terroir is a shorthand way of explaining why all wines are unique. The vine is a sugar-producing plant and, subject to variety and wine style, the warmer the site the better the wine – within limits, as conversely, too much sunshine and excessive heat can give low-acid, flabby-tasting wines. Therefore, well-sheltered vineyards, at favourable altitudes and facing south in the northern hemisphere or north in the southern hemisphere, produce riper grapes with better flavours and more substance and body than vineyards that are cooler and less well-situated. Add to this equation – which starts with the natural elements that are unchangeable – man-made factors such as tradition, the variety and clone of the vine, planting density, pruning and training techniques and, above all, the yield of the individual plot, and the reasons why one wine differs from another become clearer.

3-SECOND SIP

Terroir encompasses the physical aspects of a vineyard – the location, altitude, aspect, soil – which together with local climate help define a wine from that vineyard.

3-MINUTE TOP-UP

Many explanations of terroir give the impression that soil type is responsible for ‘flavouring’ the wine, i.e. grapes grown on limestone will somehow taste of limestone. This has not been proved; there is no link between soil type and wine style and quality. However, differences in soil type, soil depth, mineral composition, drainage and water-holding capacity affect how the vine grows which in turn affects crop level, how the grapes ripen and thus the wine’s style and quality.

30-SECOND TEXT

Stephen Skelton MW

It is now widely acknowledged that the nature and quality of a wine are – to a significant degree – defined by the place where the grapes are grown.

THE VIGNERON

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Demand for better quality wine has refocused attention on producing premium fruit; no other factor is more important. The vineyard cultivator, or vigneron, manages all aspects of grape-growing, taking into account local climate and soil conditions, and is responsible for every decision that affects fruit quality. This might include site selection, specifying the grape variety, clone and rootstock to be used, vineyard layout (whether up the slope or with the contours) and deciding on row width, distance between the vines, and the type of pruning and trellising systems to be used. The vigneron is also responsible for managing the annual tasks, from pruning in the dormant season, training the vines as they sprout their annual shoots, nurturing the developing crop, to ensuring that vines and fruit are not plagued by pests and diseases before the harvest. Additionally tasks such as deleafing the vines and crop reduction by bunch-thinning might be required. The vigneron will also tend the vineyard soil, cultivating or mowing the land between the rows and controlling weeds beneath the vines, even redistributing any of the precious soil washed down steep slopes by heavy rain.

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Nurturing the growing grapes is the responsibility of the vigneron whose every waking hour will be guided by the quality and yield level desired to produce a particular style of wine.

3-MINUTE TOP-UP

For the vigneron, there are certain times of the year when a single event can ruin the entire crop. Frost in spring, hail during summer, fungus on leaves and grapes during the growing season, a starling attack just as the bunches are ripening, can all spell disaster. Whether it is lighting heaters against the frost, warding off hail by sending rockets into hail-clouds, spraying to prevent fungal diseases or erecting netting against birds, a vigneron must be constantly vigilant.

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Stephen Skelton MW

The success of the annual grape harvest is a reflection of decisions made by the vigneron throughout the year as well as the vagaries of nature.

TRAINING & PRUNING

the 30-second wine

Vines are climbing plants and, left to their own devices, would scramble over any available structure, seeking light and producing numerous tiny bunches of grapes. In order to produce the desired quantity and quality of fruit, commercial vineyards are arranged in rows for ease of access and harvesting, and growers have devised numerous ways of training vines on to trelliswork. Only rarely, in extremely dry regions (the island of Lanzarote, for instance), are vines grown unsupported along the ground. The aim is unchanging – ripe, healthy grapes – but training and pruning methods reflect climate, grape variety, wine style, regional traditions and legal requirements of the appellation system. Pruning takes place a month or two after harvest, when the vines are dormant. Cooler climates favour high-density, cane-pruned vineyards; warmer regions tend towards lower-density, spur-pruned vineyards. Cutting back to a small amount of fruiting wood curtails vine vigour, limiting yield and ensuring that the grapes are as ripe as possible. During the growing season, the vines are trained up trelliswork so that the fruit receives maximum light and air, although in very hot climates some shading is encouraged to prevent the grapes becoming raisins.

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Vines must be managed – trained and pruned – to produce the right yield of grapes for the required wine: minute yields for ultra-premium wines; high yields for wines most people drink and enjoy.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

Annette Alvarez-Peters

INTRODUCTION

Gérard Basset OBE

THE VINEYARD

THE VINEYARD

GLOSSARY

TERROIR

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3-SECOND SIP

3-MINUTE TOP-UP

RELATED TOPICS

30-SECOND TEXT

THE VIGNERON

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3-SECOND SIP

3-MINUTE TOP-UP

RELATED TOPICS

30-SECOND TEXT

TRAINING & PRUNING

the 30-second wine

3-SECOND SIP

3-MINUTE TOP-UP