Monday, September 30, 2013

What Whiskey will not cure...there is no cure for!

The popular Irish proverb at the title conveys how passionate the Irish are towards their whiskey. In fact the passion towards  respective native distillates extends to other major whiskey producing nations, so much so, that we have different ways to spell it too! While the Americans share the spelling with the Irish, the Scots and most of the remaining world call it  Whisky minus the "e". The intrinsic  nature of the  the liquid though remains the same-  fermented and distilled from malt/ grain with variations in production styles that lend unique characteristics to each whiskey. This was the focus of an evening of Jameson Irish whiskey  at Hotel Le Meridien New Delhi under their "Spirit of Nero" program  for select whisky lovers on an unusually wet September day much to the delight of Delhiites.  

The event was presented by Darragh Ryan, the Brand Ambassador of Jameson in India and started with a multi media presentation amid anecdotes and funny boners. This was followed by a blind sampling of American, Scottish and Irish (read Jameson) whiskies and followed by animated discussions between the whisky fans with copious amounts of whiskey doing the rounds.



About Irish Whiskies

Darragh Ryan- Brand Ambassador, Jameson
The Irish are widely recognised as inventors of whiskey and the product term itself is derived from the Gaelic Uisge Beatha (meaning Water of Life and pronounced Ushka Baaha). The Ushka part gave birth to the modern day term Whiskey that subsequently became popular throughout the world. It is also a known fact that the Irish quest to use unmalted grain along with malt to lower costs of production (owing to high taxes on malted barley) resulted in a whiskey with a lighter palate and has been the genesis of blended whiskies.
Two unique aspects of Irish whiskey highlighted during the evening were:

  • More refined taste due to the practice of triple distillation as compared to double distillation for Scotch and single for American whiskies. For whisky connoisseurs though, more number of distillations may not necessarily mean better whisky as repeated filtering may strip the whiskey of certain desirable phenolic elements that lend the peculiar taste  preferred by some.So it boils down to individual preferences.
  • The Irish pride of not peating their malt( a process of drying malted barley using Peat as fuel) which according to them emphasizes the inherent flavours of the drink rather than getting masked by smoke. But then peat fans have their own place under the Sun and the Irish have been sensible to respect this fact  by having  peated whiskies like Coonemara coming from the Cooley distillery.

The organisers also did well to place samples of malted and unmalted barley, unaged and aged whiskies and pieces of Bourbon and Sherry casks to give a physical feel of the important determinants of the final product.
Different Grains with  chips of Bourbon and Sherry Casks

Malted Barley- fluffy....Unmalted - conservative


Present day Irish Whiskey Industry

The Irish whiskey industry has seen lots of consolidation over the past century and as on date, the country has just three active large capacity distilleries located in the towns of Bushmills, Cooley and Midleton collectively producing around 28 million litres annually. In addition, there are producers not involved in active distillation but have old stocks that are being blended and bottled. Jameson is part of the portfolio of Irish Distillers Group (IDG) which in turn is part of French liquor giant Pernod-Ricard. Though the Jameson portfolio has several variants in terms of length of maturation and composition ratio of respective blends , at the event we were offered their basic label Jameson Irish Whiskey presumably due to the focus not being on  tasting the entire range but that of highlighting the distinct identity of an Irish whiskey vis-à-vis  its American and Scottish peers. I found the whiskey offered  to be light and refreshing on the palate with vanilla and sherry notes followed by a medium finish.This could be the kind of whiskey, of which you could  have a dram or two in the afternoon , without the need to hit the sack before getting back to work!

Darragh also informed us that at a retail price of approx Rs. 1700.00 in New Delhi, Jameson Irish Whiskey is likely to be perceived as good value for money  as compared to its American and Scottish contemporaries (read Johnnie Walker Black Label and Jack Daniels etc) if one is not too staunch on a particular preference. I happened to agree with him with the stated caveat.

A major highlight of the evening was the presence of whisky connoisseurs from different walks of life.There were renowned journalists, designers, brand managers, food and beverage experts and several others. The icing on the cake was the presence of celebrity food critics Rocky and Mayur  of the famous TV food show Highway on My Plate who mingled freely with the guests sharing those extra bytes- and  amicably rendering some sobering advice on not hitting the highway driving, after the indulgent evening.




Thursday, September 12, 2013

Beau-jolais!

With yet another harvest season commencing in the vineyards of Europe it's nostalgia time for me, with memories of the last year's harvest   in the picture perfect vineyards of Beaujolais. The region has such cult status that it needs no introduction to true lovers of wine, however,a brief background would definitely be in order to fill the gaps in knowledge, whatsoever, of this famed wine region.

The rolling slopes of Beaujolais with Mont Brouilly in the distance
The name 'Beaujolais' has its genesis in the word Beau (French) +Jugum(Latin)  meaning “Beautiful 
Hill”.  Located towards south of Burgundy in France, Beaujolais is synonymous with mostly  young wines noted for their unmistakable fruity character and low tannins , making them easy drinking and flavourful . Majority of the wine in Beaujolais is made from the red Gamay grape varietal, though there is a miniscule 1% Beaujolais Blanc made from its famous Burgundian cousin- Chardonnay.

The history of Beaujolais is quite interesting as it represents a success story of a grape that was once looked down upon by the people in power. In the 13th century, the Duke of Burgundy branded Gamay as ‘disloyal and harmful to human beings’  just  to favour  Pinot Noir that was considered the  grape of nobles. This partisan treatment banished Gamay from the Burgundian vineyards until 19th century post French revolution. Beaujolais however remained resilient and developed Gamay to the extent that Beaujolais Nouveau is now an enviable marketing paradigm, with the wine being released for consumption less than three months from harvest!  For quick details on Beaujolais wines, see snapshot at the end of this post.

I visited Beaujolais when the harvest for the year was about to begin and  the vineyards were flush with berries.  Arriving at Belleville sur Saône which is the nearest railway station 30 minutes by train from the major French city of Lyon I was received by my host  Aurélien Fiardet, Export Manager at Terroirs Originels , a Cooperative with 25 independent estates managed by the winemakers themselves. Without losing time we drove straight to the first of the vineyards situated at Côtes de Brouilly and my harvest experience started pronto! Winemaker after another, the experience went as follows:

Domaine Emmanuel Fellot
Wines : Beaujolais Nouveau, Beaujolais Villages, Beaujolais Blanc and Côtes de Brouilly.

The bonhomie during harvest
This was my first engagement at Côte de Brouilly where I was to participate in the harvest. I was lucky to arrive at the  vineyard when the harvesting team was on a short break with some delectable wines and cured meats including the famous French Saucisson.  Emmanuel introduced me to the team amid the culinary pleasures and thereafter lost no time in handing me over a harvest bucket with a pair of clippers and a seasoned team member  to guide me on picking the right berries. What followed was pure harvest bliss that I had been dreaming -of, in order to qualify myself as having “been there and done that”!
I sampled Emmanuel’s  Vielles Vignes 2006 Beaujolais Villages at the vineyard itself  and found it absolutely delightful with a mouth filling juiciness and flavours of red fruits, flowers and spice.
With Winemaker Emmanuel Fellot

Domaine Robert Perroud
Wines : Brouilly, Côtes de Brouilly and Beaujolais Nouveau
Berries leaving for the winery
One of the founding members of Terroirs Originels who continues to be an active helmsman till date, it was amazing to note how Robert  continued being involved in his estates to the minutest of details and is yet able to fulfil his responsibilities towards the Cooperative to the hilt! I spent the major part of my stay at Beaujolais with Robert- from the harvesting at his Côte de Brouilly estate to accompanying the grape laden trucks to the winery and further-on till the vinification. During the lunch with his team, Robert explained about the varying styles of his wines and how the different terroir across short distances enables him to produce interesting wines with remarkably distinct characteristics. At lunch I sampled all his wines with a delectable yet simple spread . During the lunch, Aurélien’s slip of tongue calling the Tomato Pie as Pizza, was greeted by uproarious laughter by his French mates citing his prolonged American association !


With winemaker Robert Perroud and the harvest team

 
Vignobles Laurent Gauthier
Wines : Morgon, Chirouble, and Beaujolais Villages Rosé
The steep slopes of Côte du Py (Morgon)
Taking a break from Brouilly, my next stop was at the famed Cru of Morgon where Laurent Gauthier lives and deftly manages his estates that date back to 1834. The first on agenda was to visit  his steep vineyards of Côte du Py (Morgon) -  the sheer beauty of which  more than made up for every drop of the harvesting sweat!  We thereafter headed for his tasting room where I could see spools of labels intended for the 2012 harvest. We sampled the 2010 and 2011 vintages, with the flavours ranging from floral and fruity to powerful and racy. His Rosé, described in his words as an “Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove”  courtesy  its sophisticated yet robust character, is  a runaway hit in the US market. Laurent’s love for terroir was clearly reflected in his wines that presented uniquely discernible traits.


Vignobles Lucien Lardy


Wines : Fleurie, Morgon , Moulin-à-Vent and Beaujolais Villages


Wines tasted at vignobles Lucien Lardy
Another founding member of the Terroirs Originels , Lucien Lardy has a diverse portfolio of wines. Monsieur and Madame Lardy accompanied us to their  vineyards at Fleurie and Moulin-à-Vent where I again took charge of a clipping tool and bucket to get up close and personal with the grapes.

The wine portfolio of Lucien Lardy also  includes a Beaujolais Blanc and to my surprise- a Crémant (sparkling) wine made using the Methode Traditionelle (secondary fermentation in bottle). We tasted all of these in his elaborate tasting room and once again, the diversity of wines was well embossed.

This concluded my short but fulfilling experience of harvest and it was time to bid Au Revoir to
My host Aurélien Fiardet
sampling wine at Vignobles Lucien Lardy
Beaujolais. My experience concluded with Aurélien showing me around the massive facility of Georges
Dubœuf- the biggest marketer of Beaujolais wines, and a familiar name of the wine world.  Getting dropped by Aurélien  at my hotel in Lyon further afforded me a great view of the countryside abundant with rolling hills canopied by a pristine azure sky. The Beaujolais charm continues to stay with me 
nonetheless.


And finally- wines of three winemakers  I visited (Emmanuel Fellot, Robert Perroud and Lucien Lardy) have been selected by Jancis Robinson,MW- the demi Goddess of wine world- as the best wines from the region. It thrills me no end to believe that some of the grapes gone into making these may well have passed my hands !






Beaujolais Snapshot

Total Cultivation area : 23000 hectares under two  departments- Rhône-Alps and Saône-et-Loire (Burgundy).
Average Annual Production :  8,25,000 hecto litres (133 million bottles)
Exports : More than 40% exported to around 135 countries
Wine Style : Charecterised by Carbonic Maceration that extracts more fruit flavours and less tannins.


Wine Style
Characteristics
Beaujolais Nouveau
Young and fruity wines best consumed within a year of production
Beaujolais Supérieur
Same as Beaujolais Nouveau but with more alcohol percentage
Beaujolais Villages
Wines produced with grapes produced in better notified areas, closer to the prestigious slopes of Cru Beaujolais.
Cru Beaujolais
10 classified areas that produce complex, variedly styled and and many age worthy wines. These areas are- Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas,
Moulin-à-Vent, Morgon, Regnié and St-Amour.


This article appeared in Spiritz magazine Sep 13 issue