A lifetime spent in deep water? Out of my depth, perhaps?
No, just this: As part of the Association of Wine Educators team, I have enrolled in SWIMATHON, 'the world’s biggest fundraising swim', to raise money for charity. On Friday 16th April, at Acton Swimming Baths, I will swim 5000m for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Anyone wanting to sponsor me can do so by searching for my name in the 'Sponsor a Swimmer' section on the Swimathon website: www.swimathon.org, or by going direct to my page there: http://my.artezglobal.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=305017&langPref=en-CA.
Better still, if you fancy the idea of an lungful of chlorine for an evening in April, enroll yourself, and do your own bit for charitee!
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Olivier Dauga, my first ever blog
Another day, another blogger... Welcome to Gilbert's first ever blog! I fear (or hope, I'm not sure which) that this will eventually descend to the level of childish humour for which I am known. Until then, however, I have decided to post an article I wrote a while ago after attending a really interesting tasting presented for our Association of Wine Educators by Olivier Dauga, Bordeaux’s Modern and Maverick Wine Consultant.
Olivier Dauga, 2009 Winemaker of the year in the Gault Millau guide, presented an entertaining and jovial seminar, showing a selection of wines whose production he had consulted on. Olivier calls his consultancy ‘Le Faiseur de Vin’, literally ‘the wine maker’ in English but with a slightly more mystical connotation in French. He has a reputation as a ‘Maverick Wine Consultant’, working with nature, following a philosophy best summarized by his use of the word ‘biotope’, described in Wikipedia as ‘a touchstone word in the preservation of the environment’. Unlike some other consultants, he advocates using a different approach at each estate, to let the wine express its identity.
Shortage of space will not allow a full list, with notes, of all 16 wines tasted (phew, you’ll say!), but the wines did show very different characters, and certainly no ‘Dauga style’ imposed. Highlights for me included a Morroccan estate at Meknes, in the foothills of the Atlas, making a very fresh 2008 Chardonnay called Epicuria, and a Cabernet Sauvignon/ Syrah/ Grenache blend (remind anyone of Lebanon?) called Volubilia 2008, showing great balance and even restraint; a delicate and floral Provence rosé, Château Grand Boise 2008, which uses bee hives as indicators of the chemical balance of the wines. The bees are sensitive to chemicals, and will not flourish and produce honey in chemically treated environments. The presence of the hives in the vines is to reassure the clientelle, visitors, and public, that the vineyard is healthy and chemical-free. And, among several red Bordeaux showing great mineral definition and balance, a remarkable Medoc Cru Bourgeois, Château Lousteauneuf 2006, which was described as being made in a total absence of oxygen (despite being oak-aged), full of crunchy dark berry fruit. But (there’s always a but!), several wines for me seemed to show signs of discord, perhaps between the owner’s and Dauga’s intentions: in particular a Cotes de Luberon, Cuvée Louis Turcan2006, made from 100% Syrah, which I found overpowered by tannin and alcohol (Dauga says he is changing this, though). The question of whether the market was ready for £19 a bottle Cotes de Luberon was also asked!
Overall Olivier gave a good show, and came across as a sincere ‘new age’ winemaker, committed to preserving the environment, but in a practical, ‘Lutte Raisonnée’ sort of way, rather than being tied to a restrictive Biodynamic, or Organic regime. The wines, with diverse characters, amply demonstrated his respect for the identity of each of his clients’ estates. He is, in his own words ‘trying to drag winemaking into the 21st century’. On the whole (but not always), he seems to be succeeding.
Olivier Dauga, 2009 Winemaker of the year in the Gault Millau guide, presented an entertaining and jovial seminar, showing a selection of wines whose production he had consulted on. Olivier calls his consultancy ‘Le Faiseur de Vin’, literally ‘the wine maker’ in English but with a slightly more mystical connotation in French. He has a reputation as a ‘Maverick Wine Consultant’, working with nature, following a philosophy best summarized by his use of the word ‘biotope’, described in Wikipedia as ‘a touchstone word in the preservation of the environment’. Unlike some other consultants, he advocates using a different approach at each estate, to let the wine express its identity.
Shortage of space will not allow a full list, with notes, of all 16 wines tasted (phew, you’ll say!), but the wines did show very different characters, and certainly no ‘Dauga style’ imposed. Highlights for me included a Morroccan estate at Meknes, in the foothills of the Atlas, making a very fresh 2008 Chardonnay called Epicuria, and a Cabernet Sauvignon/ Syrah/ Grenache blend (remind anyone of Lebanon?) called Volubilia 2008, showing great balance and even restraint; a delicate and floral Provence rosé, Château Grand Boise 2008, which uses bee hives as indicators of the chemical balance of the wines. The bees are sensitive to chemicals, and will not flourish and produce honey in chemically treated environments. The presence of the hives in the vines is to reassure the clientelle, visitors, and public, that the vineyard is healthy and chemical-free. And, among several red Bordeaux showing great mineral definition and balance, a remarkable Medoc Cru Bourgeois, Château Lousteauneuf 2006, which was described as being made in a total absence of oxygen (despite being oak-aged), full of crunchy dark berry fruit. But (there’s always a but!), several wines for me seemed to show signs of discord, perhaps between the owner’s and Dauga’s intentions: in particular a Cotes de Luberon, Cuvée Louis Turcan2006, made from 100% Syrah, which I found overpowered by tannin and alcohol (Dauga says he is changing this, though). The question of whether the market was ready for £19 a bottle Cotes de Luberon was also asked!
Overall Olivier gave a good show, and came across as a sincere ‘new age’ winemaker, committed to preserving the environment, but in a practical, ‘Lutte Raisonnée’ sort of way, rather than being tied to a restrictive Biodynamic, or Organic regime. The wines, with diverse characters, amply demonstrated his respect for the identity of each of his clients’ estates. He is, in his own words ‘trying to drag winemaking into the 21st century’. On the whole (but not always), he seems to be succeeding.
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