Grape: ‘Pinot Grigio’, ‘Pinot Gris’
[Pronounced: 'Pi'noh Gri'Jo' and 'Pi'noh Gwree', respectively]

To answer the question, yes, in fact, I can… well, that is that there is no difference… well, there is, but there isn’t… well, the grape is the same but technically… well, look:

Originally a French grape, in that it was first discovered as a French varietal, hailing from the Burgundy family and of a grey to pink tinge, this grape is actually quite diverse.

‘Go on…..’ – Okay.

Why the two different names if it is the same grape you ask? Well, ‘Pinot Gris’ is the French pronunciation, and, well, the French-style Pinot GRIS was typically cultivated in the Alsace region of France. Whilst Pinot GRIGIO was the Italian’s take on the varietal and therefore the Italian Pronunciation, carrying with it a different style, and can somewhat be thanked for the worldwide success of this nifty little spark.

Observation: Typical with Alsatian [Vin d'Alsace] wines, the Pinot Gris from France is of a more aromatic derivation.

Whilst a lot of the Pinot Gris we see on Australian shelves is, in fact, Australian Pinot Gris, we’ll instead focus on that; The Australian Pinot Gris NOWADAYS is pretty darn close to its Grandpappy; rounder in the mouth, a little rich even, but still carrying the term ‘off- dry’, meaning: not too sweet, but still carrying a nice minerality or an elegant finish. Serve a little off-chilled, this will develop a greater spectrum of texture.

From what I can see, Pinot Gris is more popular on Australian shelves than Pinot Grigio; that’s just me, so please bug me if you disagree.

That being said, when we do see Pinot Grigio, it is generally more an imported style. This is great, in my opinion, considering we are seeing a lot of cheaper imports hitting our shores as of late, especially from Europe.

If made true to style, Pinot Grigio is of a lighter persuasion than Pinot Gris. It carries more minerality as a base-note and brings with it a crisp and fresh appeal and generally serves as a light alternative – style-wise – if you’re lucky.

Opinion: Let’s keep this brief. This summer will see the hostile takeover of [dare I say; NZ] Sauvignon Blanc on Australian shelves. Let’s face it, we have seen too much too soon and, to be fair, it has been too long. I know you are all scratching your heads at the fridge… thinking… opening the door… then closing it again… and then moving straight over to the ‘Savvie’ door,  just going with the easy pick. STOP! 

Drink different, drink local; with Australian wine makers becoming professionals at mimicking old-world styles and putting an Aussie stamp on it, try a Pinot Gris from Orange, a Riesling from the Clare Valley or even an Eden Valley, Gewurtztraminer.

OR, for fuck sake, at least try an Australian Sauvignon Blanc. [Orange, Adelaide Hills and even Margaret River in WA - all perfectly acceptable alternatives]

Be sure to ask your bottle shop attendant for advice, that’s what they are paid for. If they have none, chat with another customer, you may be standing next to a sommelier or, at the very least… well, someone who can recommend something anyway…

Note: This is a basic breakdown of the grape, not an in-depth tasting note… Don’t take wine too seriously, it is to be enjoyed.

Although France produces, in its most common form, well over 60 different varietals, plants grapes in the second biggest wine producing region in the world and bottles in excess of 7 Billion bottles a year, the most common choice of French red wine in the [Australian] bottle shop is Bordeaux and Cotes Du Rhone.

Not that I am adverse to a voluptuous Rhone or a dry old Bordeaux [red], however, it is becoming increasingly popular in Australia to import cheaper styles making French Red [and White] more accessible; due to Australia’s obsession with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Western Australian Semillon Sauvignon Blancs, French whites aren’t as popular, yet, as the reds are now – it’s also winter as I write this.

I have decided to write a bit of typical information in regards to these two popular varietals as a general approach to choosing an ideal style to match an already imbedded taste preference to an unfamiliar shopper.

Cotes Du Rhone [red]:

One of my favourite French red styles,  this fantastic region is situated either side of the extensive flow of the Rhone river, originating in Switzerland travelling through the region and disembarking into the mediterranean sea.
Cotes Du Rhone is made up of a large number of micro climates and sub-regions, too many to individually assess and explain, and therefore the basic breakdown will include generally the North and South Styles.

Some common words and jargon associated with Cotes Du Rhone, one may hear or read, are:

Cotes Rotie: Situated in the Northern part of Cotes Du Rhone, Cotes Rotie produces, generally, Shiraz/Viognier blended styles. This would suit people who prefer a soft or vanillan style Shiraz, however, be aware of fruitier styles; hold a bottle up to the light to see the colour of the wine, generally a thick, dark Purple or ‘Black’ wine will be richer in fruit. Blends are as much as 80% – 20% respectively, sometimes less Viognier, sometimes NONE.

Chateauneuf Du Pape: The famous Southern Rhone sub-region producing beautiful fruity styles, often higher in price point to it’s Northern neighbours and generally blended from Grenache [Noir], Shiraz [Syrah] and Mourvedre. This wine will exhibit excellent cellaring maturation displaying strong tannin when young and rich fruit. Blends vary.

Crozes hermitage: Shiraz, to be consumed early in its life cycle and generally at a lower price point, it is for this reason that this wine it to be enjoyed in excess. Blends are usually reserved for the Crozes Hermitage whites, whilst the reds are straight Shiraz.

Villages: Producing mainly Grenache, this area in the region is a commune of smaller growers and contractors. These little wineries must display their village on the label and adhere to a minimum alcohol content of 12.5% – get your hands on one if you like Grenache, however, be aware Australian Grenache can be HUGE in comparison.

This list could be deeper in information, continue for days and include pages of more region facts and varietal notes, however, I find these the most common terms found of this style today.

In short, Northern styles are more suited to Shiraz/Viognier drinkers and Southern styles to the GSM drinkers – enjoy.

Bordeaux:

A coastal region producing wines dominant in Merlot creating a fruity style that can be, in some cases, quite dry, and is generally enjoyed quite young. Bordeaux can contain blends from a number of different varietals, including: Cabernet Sauvignon [the second most planted varietal in Bordeaux], Cabernet Franc [the third most planted varietal], Petit Verdot and Malbec.

Some common words and jargon associated with Bordeaux one may hear or read are:

Claret: The traditional name for Bordeaux wines, still used in England and commonly used to describe Bordeaux style wines, generally in older generations.

Graves: An area situated upstream in Bordeaux – producing mainly Cabernet Merlot and Sweet whites.

Medoc: Situated at the peninsular of the region of Bordeaux and at the mouth of the Gironde. Similar blend to Graves, however, can generally produce a richer style red.

Suiting people with a strong disposition to consume Australian Cabernet/Merlot blends and carefully blended Cabernet Franc styles, Bordeaux is an elegant and commonly, well reproduced style.

[recently consumed Cotes Du Rhone]

Two distinct regions, two different styles, but sometimes too difficult to make the choice; hopefully I have helped simply define the difference between styles and common sub-regions.

With the flood of cheap imports from these two main regions into Australia at the moment, it is very easy to get your hands on, at least, a cheap version of one of these styles, however, it would be remiss of me not to mention that these cheaper styles can often lack a lot of typical character and sully the traditional reputation these regions have built.

[Note: 'Appelation']

Most French regions enforce a control of production called the ‘Appelation d’origine Controlee’, marked on the label of the wines associated. This is a strict management of production, naming and blend, ensuring that quality and tradition is upheld. The ‘AOC’ can be found on a range of French products, also including cheese and butter, to help keep French products premium.

Speak to your local wine pro to find a brand that suits your palate. I hope this helps?

Cheers,

T.

Footnote:
[Dear, discerning linguist, Please excuse my lack of accent and traditional punctuation, I am not fluent in French keyboard etiquette and have therefore excluded all accents above o's and e's etc. - Classy I know]

['Welcome to the Family']

Welcome, to what may become a new trend on Malt Grain and Grape; “advertising that captured my attention”.

Too often do we see brands wasting money on advertising that is seemingly missing the point and, ultimately, wasting money. This Post, or, new trend of posts, will briefly address only those that I feel are actually effective; I am not in the business of negativity.

Now, can I start by saying, I am inadvertently advertising - yet not endorsing - ’Angove’ as a brand, and merely praising their marketing team. [Not to say they may not be doing a good job at making vino.]

I saw this ad in my current edition of ‘Drinks Trade’ [June/July '11 Issue 23, for those who follow] and instantly thought: “What a great ad”. In fact, I went straight into the office, googled the phrase ‘Welcome to the Family’ and decided on this new idea.

The reason this ad captured my attention with such intensity is the familiarity I was invited to enjoy. I actually didn’t even read the smaller print [at first] which goes on to divulge family history and tradition, also relatable, however, not as important to me. I was merely captured by the invitation and decided to see what wines this family was offering me.

I would like to think of myself as ‘savvy’ to marketers’ advertising and, therefore, indestructible when it comes to ‘brainwashing’ and other ploys adversely effecting my decision-making in the marketplace. However, here I am, sitting on my new iMac, listening to iTunes and tweeting and emailing from my iPhone – Sucker.

Familiarity is the key to effective advertising. Trust, friendship and loyalty are important, along with personal emotions your consumer/customers will show you. It is important to pre-empt this relationship offering some of your own.

This opens up a whole new debate on Social Media which I wont touch on in this post.

[Generic 'Google' image QR]

In the magazine, this ad offers a QR [Quick Response] code, which, for ‘SmartPhones’, once scanned, offers a whole new string of information, deals, specials and other details by linking the user to a database or website – talk about interaction.
If successful, this interaction has taken you [the brand] from an unrequited, loveless relationship to an “I’ll call you” relationship, which is more important in advertising than ‘eHarmony relationships’ and may lead to a purchase and, ultimately, a trusting, loving relationship.

Remember, Love is more important than Lust when dealing with brands. ‘Lust’ refers to fads, trends and impulses, whereas ‘Love’ refers to long-lasting loyalty, devotees and defensive free will advertisers who will spread word-of-mouth advertising FOR YOU.

I feel that this ad will, at least, interest readers, and, although the intended reader of ‘DrinksTrade’ is retailers, Angove wines will be in the front of their mind and probably be a little more familiar the next time a rep walks in the door. Maybe not… but at least they’re not wasting their money.

Cheers,

T.

“Tom, is there much difference between a bottle of wine locked by screw-cap and one sealed by cork?” 

‘Yes!’ I said, as several people paused to join the conversation. I had a suspicion this person knew the answer to the question, however, it was an affair heavy with wine-associated chatter, and, sitting next to Lisa McGuigan, I had to pull my A-game.

Recently I had been involved in a side-by-side tasting of a ‘Pooles Rock’ 2005 Chardonnay from the Hunter Valley; one under cork, the other under screw-cap. Both great wines, both saw the same amount of French oak and both grown, harvested, crushed, made and bottled at the same time - just sealed differently.

The bottles were upended into decanters.
The six other people in the tasting were quizzed on what they thought the wines were. [I was the pourer]
The answers were split between aged Semillon, Chardonnay and Verdelho. 
The question was asked again after the initial tasting [nose and palate] process.
The answers varied again.

Now, the differences were associated in the ageing of the two wines; distinctly, the oxidisation of the bottle under cork. Most people would associate the word ‘oxidisation’ with the spoiling or, at least, the downward spiral of a wine and it’s life cycle. In this case, I thought the ‘oxidised’ bottle was far more enjoyable, displaying brilliant, lively oak and developed butter and honey. Not to say the screw-cap bottle wasn’t as enjoyable, it potentially had 10 more years of cellaring and displayed some lively acid and fresh stone fruit.

Aside from this observation, there are a few downsides I would suggest for both cork and screw-cap sealed wines.

Firstly, screw-cap: Protecting the wine LARGELY from oxidisation and contributing to a much longer lifecycle inside the bottle, issuing confidence in a wine aficionado’s stairway cellar or linen cupboard acclimatiser.
However, 3-5 years is an easy ageing period for any wine drinker, any longer and it’s in the ‘special’ rack, any shorter and it’s… well, hopefully made to drink. With screw-cap, you may be shocked to see that a longer decanting process or a little more breathing time in the glass – to open the tighter wine - is in order.

You may disagree with me, so what.

Wine under cork, especially aged, bares the old understanding that, 1 in 12 will probably be spoiled and we [trade-folk] would be constantly replacing corked, aged wine.
Letting oxygen in and allowing the wine to breath, prematurely, may be the biggest disadvantage to cork.
‘What about cork taint?’, You ask.
‘Cork taint’ or ‘cork rot’ is the result of TCA* inside the cork combined with a build up of mould, which is also attributed to oxygen intake, combining to spoil the flavour of a wine. As a wine spoils from ‘cork taint’ it begins to taste/smell like wet newspaper or a mouldy house; Corkage.

This is a brief overview of the advantages and disadvantages of cork and screw-cap, I am an advocate of both, despite the aforesaid proclamations.
Wine under cork is more of a show and is regarded by some wine collectors, connoisseurs and people willing to make an impression, as providing a more traditional experience. 
On the other-hand some of these exact same people would prefer to avoid embarrassment and show their expensive collection under screw-cap.

Both would require use of a decanter, for different reasons.

[ I can sense another post... ]

I suggest you make your own opinions and take your own tests in this regard. The learning experience is fun and also creates a lot of topic for discussion, not to mention the amount of wine that need be consumed to make a conclusive decision; I am still trying to make a conclusion myself – Cheers.

T.

*TCA: Trichloroanisole; a chlorinated chemical used in production of corks, essentially a pesticide/preservative.