Globally, we are going to drink less and less wine, but better and often more expensive wines. The alcohol in wine is holding us back. What is strange is that many countries encourage viticulture financially but in addition agitate against alcohol. The wines from Alsace in France are gaining more ground among young people between the ages of 20-30. Is that crazy? No, they are often fantastic wines that are reasonably priced and go from simple to "Grand Cru" (highest quality in wine). This year, at Wine Paris Feb. 9 to 11, I got to taste several of them again at the Japanese restaurant of the Alsace Wine Farmers Pavilion. Japanese rice dishes, meat, fish, or vegetable dishes are excellent with Alsace wines. They had again made an excellent choice.
Generation Z ("zoomers" amalgamation of Generation Z and the "boomers"), born between 1997 and 2012, is also increasingly interested in wine and especially the better quality and less in cocktails (Info sourced from Pitch Communications & PR). It is a generation that has grown up completely with social media, smartphones and constant digital connectivity. In addition, I heard that there is still a world to win for wines in India.
Despite everything, Wine Paris is getting bigger every year. From Hall 2 to Hall 7 there is wine, spirits and non-alcoholic to taste. In addition, Hall 2 has two floors and Hall 7 even three. There are also several regional restaurants in some of the halls. You often want to taste something special during this wine fair. But what is that one wine or other alcoholic beverage? You should not be blinded by names of well-known wineries that almost everyone in the business knows.
Rosé is mostly drunk with us in the summer. But you can feel free to drink rosé more often. 'Les Marquets' in the town of Plan de la Tour (near Sainte Maxime), Côtes de Provence, is a small cooperative founded in 1962 by local winegrowers. It includes 55 winemakers with 183ha. They produce excellent rosés there, three of which I was able to taste: Esquisse..., Épure, and Grand Oeuvre des Marquets. All three were surprisingly good!
There was also Ott, which consists of three wineries (often called the Rolls Royce among rosés). Château de Selle (99 hectares) was acquired by Marcel Ott in 1912. Clos Mireille (53 hectares) was a Benedictine monastery from the XVII century and was acquired by Marcel Ott in 1936. Both wineries fall under the appellation "Côtes de Provence. And finally, Château de Romassan (83 hectares), from the XVII century, was acquired by the Ott family in 1956. This falls under appellation Bandol. Depending on the type of wine (white, rosé or red), it can be produced from Sémillon, Rolle, Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah or Mourvèdre. Recently, they created the rosé "Etoile. It is a création of the best grapes from the three wineries together. By producing this "cuvée," the wine falls under the basic classification/appellation "Vin de France. I was allowed to taste all of the rosés. They are certainly powerful and distinctive wines. Which can also be stored for years which is unique for this type of wine.
Besides, I always have to taste champagne. Champagne is the most exceptionally sparkling wine I know. Champagne house COLLARD-PICARD I knew since 2017 from Epernay. It is located on the luxurious "Avenue de Champagne. Their rosé de 'saignée' uses the juice of the Pinot Noir (to obtain the color) that has been briefly in contact with the skins. Only the authorized grape varieties Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier contain skins that can impart a red color to the juice. In addition, another 20% of the grape variety Chardonnay has been added. They are very excellent champagnes. Their flagship is a limited edition of 500 luxury boxes containing a 2006 champagne and one from 2007. When you open the box, a video is played about the company. An adapter is included to recharge the box. Of course, these champagnes were not available for tasting because of their exclusivity. In the evening during dinner at "Le Bistro du Sommelier" of our friend Philippe Faure-Brac (best sommelier in the world in 1992), I unexpectedly received a glass of COLLARD-PICARD champagne with the amuse bouche. Philippe, like me, is a fan of Eurocave in France.
They also produce very good 'Grand Cru' champagnes at the Mailly champagne house (cooperative), but they are less known in the Netherlands. It is the oldest cooperative in the region with 70 hectares of vineyards belonging to 24 families together. They produce 11 'cuvées' there, all of which may be called 'Grand Cru' (highest quality) due to the fact that the village has been given that status. A 'cuvée' is a blend of different grape varieties or wines from different vintages. They work exclusively with the grape varieties Pinot Noir (75%) and Chardonnay (25%). Mailly's passport booklet lists the champagnes. But there was still so much beauty to taste. That's for next time.
This guest blog was written by Jiri William Penders
About Jiri William Penders
J.W. Penders Wine Import is a small wine company. They sell wines from France and Austria. All wines are tasted twice; at the winery itself and at home. Furthermore, Jiri William Penders is
- Honorary citizen of the village of Pouzols-Minervois
- Ambassador of the wine guild Minervois
- Knight of the Mesnie (wine guild) du Fitou
- Member of the journalists' organization FIJEV (The International Federation of Wine and Spirits Journalists and Writers).
