Ask The Wine Ladies- What was the 1855 Classification in France?

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DEAR WINE LADIES,

My husband and I regularly enjoy a glass or two of wine with our meals with our favourites usually coming from either Australia or California. We never really got into French wines but just recently attended a tasting featuring a couple of wines from Bordeaux and absolutely loved them!
There was one in particular that we both really enjoyed and was within our budget. The name of the wine was Chåteau Larose Trintaudon, Cru Bourgeois.  We purchased a couple of bottles to bring to an up coming dinner party and would like to know a little more about this wine including what Cru Bourgeois means? Perhaps a few words on the region of Bordeaux as well. Thanks Wine Ladies.

– Elizabeth

DEAR ELIZABETH,

Welcome to the world of French wines and to one of the most famous wine regions in the world, considered by many to be the greatest region for producing fine wines. Still till today the wines of Bordeaux are also seen as “benchmark” wines for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines being made around the globe.

Here is a little basic information on the region to start.  Bordeaux is located in the southwest of France and is actually a very large wine growing region, which produces over 900 million bottles annually. The Gironde River basically divides the region, with the chateaux on the left side referred to as the “Left Bank” producing wines predominantly with the grape Cabernet Sauvignon, and those on the right, or Right Bank with a focus on Merlot. The Chåteau Larose Trintaudon you enjoyed comes from the Left Bank.  Bordeaux produces both white and red wines with the majority – 90% being red.

Unlike the new world wine regions that state the grape, whether a Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Cabernet etc…on the label, the wines of Bordeaux do not. Bordeaux wines are typically blends which for the red can include any or all of the following; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, used much less today than in the past. One of the pivotal times in the history of Bordeaux and her wines was the famous 1855 Classification of the wines, a ranking system initiated by Emperor Napoleon the 3rd which still influences today’s market. A total of 58 Chateau were selected, four 1st Growths such as Chåteau Lafite Rothschild and Chåteau Margaux. The list included 12 seconds, 14 thirds, 11 fourths and 17 fifths. It is an interesting story how this all came about, should you decide to delve into it a little further.

Of course there are so many incredible Bordeaux wines to explore and enjoy, wines of suburb quality and at great value including the one you mentioned that we too were very impressed with, Chåteau Larose Trintaudon. The origins of this domain go as far back as 1719 but it was in 1817 that the vineyard was first planted on a gravelly hillside with a terroir that proved to be exceptional for the Bordeaux varietals. Today Chåteau Larose Trintaudon is one of the largest vineyards in the Medoc both in size and production and is recogn ized in the world over as a top quality Cru Bourgeois. The Chåteau was also one of the very first to earn this recognition to be classed as a Cru Bourgeois in 1932 of which the company is very proud. Chåteau Larose Trintaudon also owners of Chåteau Larose Perganson and Arnaud are one of the pioneers in Bordeaux in terms of practicing sustainability and have been credited with the highest evaluation in sustainability and earned the label “Responsible Vineyard” as one of the leaders in France.

Our appreciation and enjoyment of the wines Chåteau Larose Trintaudon and the Perganson has lead us to invite the Winemaker and CEO of the company Franck Bijon, from Bordeaux to join us here and lead a spectacular Winemakers Dinner. We invite you to join us on February 22nd for what will be an incredible four-course dinner created by Chopped Canada winner Executive Chef JohnRoss Woodland of Noble Bistro. Featuring these fabulous wines and a quintessentially French pastry the macaron, both sweet and savoury,this will be an evening to remember. For more details visit www.thewineladies.com

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Ask The Wine Ladies- Can you tell us about the Valpolicella,Veneto?

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DEAR WINE LADIES,

We used to drink Valpolicella from Classico quite a few years back. Recently we came across one you mentioned on one of your shows. The Negrar Ripasso which we very much enjoyed. I’d like to know a little more about this wine and the region. Thank you Wine Ladies!

– Jackie

DEAR JACKIE,

Vino from Veneto…love the wines, love the region!  Valpolicella is a wine that comes from the region of Veneto, located in the north east of Italy, home of the “big gun” Amarone and Romeo and Juliet!

When a Valpolicella is classified as a Classico and done in the ripasso method, the wine reaches new heights in flavour, texture, body and aromatics! The designation of “classico” requires the grapes to come from the original Valpolicella production zone. In 1968 this zone was later adjusted.The great majority of grapes used are the same as for Amarone, the Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella varietals although small percentages of a few others are permitted.

The methodology of “ripasso” is an ancient wine making technique used for centuries in Valpolicella wineries, which gives the wine more structure, body and fuller flavour. How? Ripasso” literally means “re-passed”. Amarone is produced using  grapes that have been dried for several months. These same skins of those dried grapes are then used for the production of Valpolicella Ripasso. These dried grape skins add body, character, complexity and a boost of alcohol strength.

The Negrar Ripasso Valpolicella Classico is dark ruby red in colour, is seductive in the nose with lush blackberry and black licorice notes and a hint of spice Full bodied, velvety smooth, rich and with a good finish.

Negrar is a cooperative winery founded in 1933 and located in th Classico area of Valpolicella. With 210 farmers/partners producing typical grapes for Vapolicella on a surface of 530 hectares, they are one of the major producers of Amarone, Valpolicella and Ripasso wines.

www.thewineladies.com

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Ask The Wine Ladies – Can you recommend a bicycle wine tour to Niagara-on-the-Lake?

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DEAR THE WINE LADIES,

We have guests visiting from London this summer and we were thinking about doing a one-day bicycle wine tour in Niagara-on-the-Lake. We’d love to show off a few of our wineries. Just wondering if you’ve done any of these tours and might have some thoughts to share on your experience.

– Alyssa

DEAR ALYSSA,

Yes, we have had the opportunity to enjoy a winery tour on wheels and would highly recommend it. The best way to share our thoughts on this is by recounting our personal tour experience of last summer.

We booked through GRAPE ESCAPE WINE TOURS. They were kind enough to give us a personalized guided “ride”. Grape Escape Wine Tours has been awarded the TRIP ADVISOR’s Certificate of Excellence for 5 years running. It is  family owned and operated and obviously do a fabulous job. They offer a great variety of guided wine tours for single participants, small groups, larger groups, either on foot, in a vehicle or on a bicycle.

HERE IS OUR STORY…

What a glorious day for a bike ride. The sun is shining brilliantly, there is a gentle cool breeze wafting through the trees and my shorts fit! Hallelujah! Niagara wine country here we come for our inaugural, abbreviated bicycle wine tour – we are excited!

It’s been a very hectic summer thus far and we are looking forward to experiencing a little relaxation, sunshine, stunning scenery, some wonderful wines, and just a tad of exercise. We are teaming up with Grape Escape Wine Tours for a private and privileged tour, on which we’ll visit three wineries, to sample a red wine, a white wine and an ice wine. The plan is to have a full facility tour at one of the wineries and enjoy a wine and cheese tasting to close off the afternoon. On this excursion, we will peddle close to 8kms at a leisurely pace, returning to our base camp in just  under 2.5 hours.

For those who might like to consider a bicycle wine tour, the typical Grape Escape Wine Tour “afternoon bicycle tour” is lengthier.  It is closer to 5 hours (12kms) and includes 4 wineries instead of our 3.

Our rendezvous point is Kurtz Orchard Farm & Marketplace where we are to meet our guide, get fitted with our bikes and our helmets. It turns out Kurtz is the perfect place to meet. The grounds are beautiful with an abundance of lush greenery, towering trees, glorious wild flowers, a quaint bridge over looking a small pond… the setting is an inspiration and quite suitable for even Monat or perhaps Sisley! We are feeling relaxed and invigorated already. Jacquie who will be our guide and we love her right from the start. She is full of zest, she suits us up, we test drive the bikes – it is all systems go.

Off along the Niagara Parkway we go full of enthusiasm.

There is a sense of the local beauty and bounty NOTL has to offer, with vineyards in view and fruit orchards dotted along the way, with rows upon rows of pear trees running parallel to our path. After a relaxing and scenic several kilometer ride, we arrive at our first winery. Here is a snapshot of the 3 wineries we enjoyed on our tour. This may or may not be the itinerary for the next group, or individual’s tour, as Grape Escape Wine Tours has a broad roster of wineries that they mix and match accordingly. They also have introduced several new tours this year including their “Ultimate Wine, Beer & Foodie Bicycle Tour”, as well as their “Wine, Beer & Tapas Vehicle Tour”.

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour. Next month we will report on the 3 wineries we visited – Inniskillin Wines Inc., Pondview Estate Winery and FrogPond Farm Organic Winery. Stay Tuned!

thewineladies.com • tourniagarawineries.com

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Ask The Wine Ladies- What is the difference between Organic and Biodynamic wine?

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DEAR THE WINE LADIES,

Probably a little slower than most to jump on the bandwagon as a fan of Australian wine, however, my latest discovery was a delicious Shiraz. It came from a biodynamic winery called Paxton and the wine was Paxton MV Shiraz. Can you tell me a little about this winery and how being biodynamic affects the taste of a wine? I am familiar with organic wines but not with biodynamic.

– JEREMY

DEAR JEREMY,

Absolutely, we’d be happy to. It’s never too late, or better late than never to enjoy and discover new wines. PAXTON, located in McLaren Vale South Australia, is a family owned winery founded in 1979 by David Paxton. Mr. Paxton is recognized as one of Australia’s most highly respected viticulturists, growing grapes of exceptional quality for over thirty years, all biodynamical. The company owns and manages their own vineyards exclusively which are spread across various sites and soil types in the region. Their goal is to showcase the exceptional quality of the fruit, the expression and natural diversity of the grapes, with a particular emphasis on Shiraz, which is well regarded as the region’s top performing variety.

The Paxton MV Shiraz you enjoyed is made with grapes from four of the six biodynamic properties they own and manage. MV ‘McLaren Vale’ or ‘Multiple Vineyard’ “was developed to highlight optimum fruit flavours” says David Paxton. You stand in great company as a fan of this wine, as James Halliday, guru critic of Australian wine rated the 2015 MV Shiraz 92 points.

David Paxton best describes how a wine may be impacted by biodynamic practices.

“Biodynamic is the most advanced form of organic farming. We use natural preparations and composts to bring the soil and vines into balance, resulting in wines that truly showcase our McLaren Vale vineyards.” A few examples of this is the incorporation of bee hives in the vineyards which improves grape pollination, and the use of cow manure as a compost that comes exclusively from Paxton’s own small herd of cows. Why? Because manure tainted with chemical intestinal worm treatments make poor compost and their own cows will ensure the integrity of the compost.

With respect to the added benefits of this type of farming – when the viticulture and the winemaking “work in synchronicity” the result is a naturally elegant wine, that radiates purity, vitality and elegance.

AVAILABLE AT THE LCBO
Paxton MV Shiraz 2015
Shiraz/Syrah
Vintages: 327403

thewineladies.com

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The Wine Ladies Clients

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