Red wines made from Tannat are classically deep-hued and intense with a lush kernel of black fruit, from plums to black cherry and cassis, wrapped in plenty of tannins that can range from bold to fine-grained and supple, with decisions in the vineyard and the cellar resulting in varying styles.

Scroll down to see tasting notes & scores for 15 top Tannat wines

Balance is always the key, and some of the best recent examples of Tannat wines integrate the variety’s tannin content with natural acidity and bright fruit – as the examples below show.

You can also find Tannat being used to make rosé wines.

Madiran

In Madiran, Tannat’s traditional heartland of south-west France, you might find Tannat blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Cabernet Franc.

Producers have been working with ways to manage tannin content in the wines to ensure a harmonious balance with other elements, according to the region’s wine body.

Lauded wine producer Alain Brumont is known for pioneering a new wave of pure Tannat wines in Madiran, launching his Château Montus Prestige in 1985.

Yohan Castaing tasted several vintages at a Montus and La Tyre vertical in 2022, including the 2000.

‘A gorgeously fleshy mouthfeel, brimming with energy, lengthening a finish that consolidates its profound substance but also reveals surprising subtlety and delicacy. This vintage joins the ranks of the great ones,’ Castaing wrote.

It’s possible to make lighter styles of Tannat varietal wines, too. This cooperative-made Madiran is 90% Tannat and shows a ‘lighter touch’ with supple tannins yet opulent fruit, according to Decanter’s Stephen Brook. 

This Plaimont, Château de Crouseilles wine is 100% Tannat. It’s ‘robust, brooding and tannic enough to pair well with full-flavoured meat dishes, but has plenty of ripe dark fruit to balance the power’, said Decanter’s Amy Wislocki. 

Beyond France, this Lake Anna Winery Tannat from Virginia in the US shows ‘dense bittersweet figs and prunes backed by fresher juicy berries and bold tannins’, wrote Jason Tesauro.

Tannat wines in Uruguay: Is this a new ‘Malbec’ story?

However, Uruguay is the country most making a name for itself with fascinating styles of Tannat.

Jane Anson wrote in 2017 that Uruguay was the only country to have taken in Tannat as its national grape, a move that inevitably invites comparisons with how Argentina reimagined Malbec.

‘Estates like Bodega Garzon – located in a coastal village of the same name, close to Punta del Este by coincidence – have produced a more contemporary-styled version that is helping to smooth Tannat’s image of rustic, hard tannins in international markets,’ Anson wrote.

Tim Atkin MW marvelled at Uruguay’s ‘great ascent’ in this article in 2020.

And he cited a ‘world-class’ example of Tannat from Bouza winery in Montevideo in his article on 30 great South American red blends, too.

His tasting note praised the wine’s ‘top notes of violet, sweet spices and cut grass [with a] palate of cassis, plum, strawberry [and] nuanced tannins’.

You’ll also find the grape variety in some other parts of the wine world.

This Shelton Vineyards Tannat from Carolina in the US stood out for its ‘density, expressive black cherry fruit, a touch of oak and herbaceous notes all captivated by chewy tannins and wrapped in a balanced, persistent finish’, noted Stacy Slinkard.

See tasting notes and scores for 15 top Tannat wines

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Madiran: A regional profile and top wines to seek out

Uruguay’s great ascent

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The post What do Tannat wines taste like? appeared first on Decanter.

Five classics for red wine with steak

• • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Malbec
  • Grenache / Shiraz blends
  • Syrah / Shiraz
  • Sangiovese

An evening with a succulent, juicy steak and a delicious bottle of wine is one of life’s great pleasures, at least for meat lovers.

It’s always fun to experiment when it comes to wine and food pairing but here are some go-to styles and things to consider if you’re preparing a special steak dinner.

Red wine with steak

Malbec red wines have become a classic match with steak, largely thanks to the Argentina-led reincarnation of this grape variety on the global wine stage plus also the country’s reputation for high quality beef.

Malbec’s lush dark fruit and natural tannin are considered to match-up well with a good steak in general, but some experts suggest searching for fresher styles.

‘I tend to choose a ‘new wave’ Malbec, one with less oak, fresher fruit and better acidity,’ said South American wine expert and journalist Patricio Tapia, when regional chair for Argentina at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

‘Especially ones coming from places like Altamira and Gualtallary in the Uco Valley, towards the Andes Mountains.’ he added. ‘Always keep in mind that the main task for a glass of wine is to refresh the food.’

Cabernet Sauvignon wines, with their blend of dark fruits, tannin and naturally high acidity, are another classic choice if you’re looking to pour a full-bodied red.

‘A powerful California Cabernet Sauvignon with a grilled steak is pretty hard to beat,’ said wine expert Karen MacNeil in her 10 rules to food and wine pairing.

More options for red wine with steak

‘I’d urge people to look beyond the traditional matches of Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon with steak,’ Peter Richards MW told Decanter.

‘How about a nice lively Cabernet Franc? Or may even a Carignan, Cinsault or cool-climate Syrah? Even a full-bodied but elegant rosé can work well on a warm day,’ said Richards, who is DWWA regional chair for Chile.

He said he enjoyed red wines that have body and texture but that could also refresh the palate during a steak dinner. ‘The risk with steak is to think big meaty flavours equals big wine.’

Does Pinot Noir go with steak? 

Most Pinot Noir wines tend to sit at the light to medium-bodied end of the spectrum, and its profile is often therefore paired-up with lighter meats.

Yet Pinot Noir’s natural acidity and bright, red berry fruit can work with your steak dinner, depending on the style and the cut.

In general, think about trying this with leaner cuts, such as fillet, cooked rare to medium-rare.

‘I don’t normally think of Pinot Noir as a match for steak, but the best pairing by far, when the meat was cooked rare, was a classically silky, seductive Daniel Rion, Vosne-Romanée 2001,’ wrote food and wine expert Fiona Becket after tasting several fine wines with steak for Decanter magazine back in 2007.

How to cut it: Do you want a wine with ribeye steak or fillet?

‘The easiest way to pair wine with beef is to think about matching the flavour intensity of your wine with your beef,’ said Mark Quick, wine director for Hawksmoor steakhouse restaurants, in this in-depth article on pairing wine with beef.

Consider the fat content in your meat, for example. ‘More fat equals more intense beefy flavour,’ said Quick, speaking to Decanter in December 2020.

In her 2007 article on pairing different cuts, Beckett said a ribeye steak with relatively high fat content worked well with a Côte-Rôtie from the Syrah stronghold of the Northern Rhône, and also a SuperTuscan – ‘both generous, ripe and full-bodied.’

She also recommended riper, more fruit-driven styles of red for steak cooked well-done.

Sauce matters

‘Sauces and sides will also be just as important when it comes to the choice of wine,’said Richards. ‘Creamy sauces like béarnaise can go well with an oakier wine. Syrah can work well with peppercorns.’

White wine with steak

Why not ignore the raised eyebrows and forget the long-established mantra that a steak dinner is no place for white wine?

Discovery is, after all, one of the most exciting things about the wine world. In an article from our archive, Matthieu Longuère MS, of Le Cordon Bleu London, talks about possibilities for pairing white wine with steak and other red meat.

Options range from a mature white Rioja to thinking about how to subtly adapt the meal to suit other styles, such as Pinot Grigio, he wrote.

Wine with steak: Recent reviews by our experts

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When it comes to house style and bubbly, few wine lovers give much thought to dosage – after all, the amount of sugar added to the wine after disgorgement and just before bottling is tiny in the scheme of things, less than 12g/L in a Brut Champagne or sparkling wine (see box below).

But the winemakers behind these cuvées understand just how much difference a gram – even half a gram – can make to the taste and overall balance of what’s in the bottle. Some producers, after arriving at a preferred level of dosage, will stick to the same (or as near as) dosage for each vintage, and / or across their range, in a bid to create a house style. Others are more open to varying the dosage according to the style of the vintage, tasting varied permutations every year before deciding on the best recipe for the year.

Vintage variation

At Rathfinny Wine Estate in East Sussex, owner Mark Driver is such a strong believer that vintage should be key to the style of the wines that he has chosen not to include a non-vintage cuvée in the line-up. So it follows that he would be open to varying the dosage to best fit the style of wine that weather conditions have produced in a given year. 

With the 2019 vintage about to be bottled, Decanter was invited to join the winemaking team at the tasting to decide the dosage for the Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs cuvées for that year. Driver explains why Rathfinny takes dosage so seriously: ‘It’s like seasoning,’ he says, ‘and we use it to enhance the existing profile of the wine without adding new flavours and textures. Sugar is a transport mechanism, and it helps to balance all the elements.’

Happy medium

Driver doesn’t want the wines to be jarringly dry – though jokes that the sommelier community would like all their sparkling wines at 0g/L or 1g/L. ‘When they’re bone-dry, wines can have little spikes,’ he says, ‘and even adding just 1g or 2g/L can help bring things to life.’ Also, he points out, sugar is a preservative and so wines with zero dosage don’t develop as well in bottle, in his view. That said, he doesn’t favour a high dosage either. ‘Too sweet, and the dosage will shorten the length and flatten the fruit flavours.’ The vineyard site – on a south-facing slope just 5km from the English Channel, and sheltered by a ridge from severe frosts and the worst southwesterly winds – allows a longer hang-time for the grapes, and this means that a fairly low dosage can generally be used. 

Reflecting on 2019

Sat around the table from Rathfinny were Driver, Tony (his winery manager), Miguel (the winemaker), Alex (who takes over logistics post-bottling), Andy, the sales manager, and Richard (brand ambassador). The wines had been disgorged in November, so the samples had spent a few months under cork, giving the sugar a chance to integrate with the wine. 

Asked to summarise how the 2019 vintage played out, Driver explained that the summer was long, dry and hot, just as 2018 had been the year before. Then it started raining towards harvest time, and didn’t seem to want to stop. Several weeks of rain on and off led to worries about dilution, but although some berries did swell, the primary effect of the rain was to bring down the acidity. The long ripening season meant that the flavours were still there, and sugar levels were still high because of the hot weather. Quantity wise it was quite a small vintage, especially for the Pinots.

Winery manager Tony managed the tasting, which commenced with the Blanc de Blanc, then moved on to the Blanc de Noirs. For each wine, we started with 0g/L and 6g/L (typically the upper end for Rathfinny) and worked our way in, tasting pairs of samples, 1g/L and 5g/L, 2g/L and 4g/L and then 3g/L. Samples with half-gram variations could be called on as needed. 

A fine balance

Once we’d all tasted from 0g/L to 6g/L, Driver asked everyone in turn for their preference, and the reason behind it. In general there was consensus:  Miguel, Tony and Mark all went for 3g/L, Richard and Andy said 2g/L to 3g/L, and Alex 3g/L to 4g/L. We then all re-tasted 3g/L, comparing it with 3.5g/L and then 2.5g/L. The team settled on 3g/L. The same process carried out with the Blanc de Noirs (a blend of 81% Pinot Noir and 19% Pinot Meunier) arrived at a dosage of 3.5g/L.

It was an illuminating process, the biggest revelation being the clear differences that just 0.5g/L either way made to the overall balance of the wine. The descriptors ‘complete’, ‘complex’, ‘rounded’, ‘harmonious’ and ‘elegant’ cropped up often, with the less favoured samples generating observations such as: ‘fruit slightly dulled’, ‘sugar too noticeable’, and ‘finishes too sweet’. As Driver says, it’s the equivalent of seasoning and, successfully done, should enhance the flavours and textures that are already there. For an often overlooked element of the final wine, dosage really does play a significant role. 

The 2019 vintage Rathfinny wines will go on general release later this summer.

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Dumplings and wine pairing – at a glance

• Champagne works particularly well with fried dumplings, or when serving with vinegar
• Think of ripe Chardonnays, or fruity rosés to go with your dumpling fillings
• The stronger the filling flavour, the harder to pair with a wine
• Avoid heavy, tannic reds

The history of ‘Jiaozi’

The history of the Chinese dumplings (or Jiaozi 饺子 in Chinese) can be traced back to the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 AD) when legendary physician, the ‘Saint of Medicine’ Zhang Zhongjing treated his patients with lamb and warming herbs wrapped in a thin layer of dough, shaped like human ears.

Archaeologists even found some seriously old dumplings dated back to the Tang Dynasty over a thousand years ago in the Turpan Basin of Xinjiang, northwest China. They look almost exactly like the dumplings we enjoy today.

It’s a well-kept tradition, especially in Northern China, for families to gather and make dumplings on the eve of the Chinese New Year. The whole family, young or old, will work together while chatting, getting their hands dirty rolling out dough wrappers, mixing their home recipe of stuffings and carefully squeezing those little packages of flavours into the fat-bellied ear shape.

The classic flavours of dumplings

When speaking of dumplings (or in Chinese ‘Jiaozi’), it always encompasses a variety of fillings and flavours.

The possibility is literally endless; although the classic stuffings, which you tend to find in the frozen corner of Chinese supermarkets, usually involves meat (most commonly pork) or seafood with a range of vegetables, such as chives, fennel, Chinese cabbage or green onion.

For vegetarian choices, egg and chives are at the top of my list. The smart combinations of carrots, different mushrooms, leaf vegetables and tofu are also colourful and tasty.

Away from its home, there are also more localised, innovative dumplings that involve Miso, Kimchi, Hoisin duck, BBQ Beef or indeed, cheese in the filling – but why not?

Pairing dumplings with wine

‘If you want to pair your dumplings with wine, it’s better to choose light-flavoured fillings,’ said Jennifer Doherty MW, head of buying and education at Summergate Fine Wines & Spirits.

See also: Chinese food and wine pairing

See also: Peking duck and wine pairing – ask Decanter

‘The classic garlic, chive and pork dumplings, for example, are difficult to pair with wines due to their overpowering flavours,’ said the MW, who grew up in a traditional Chinese household in Canada. Other strong-taste dumplings may include beef and tomato or lamb and carrot.

Those with obvious spiciness or sweetness, meanwhile, can also be tricky to pair with wine, as they may enhance the alcohol burn or acidity.

‘Pork and cabbage, Sanxian (pork, prawn and eggs) and mushroom dumplings, on the other hand, are more delicate.’

The mild-flavoured chicken and mushroom dumplings or savoury vegetarian stuffings are also safe choices for wine.

‘I would pick a light and delicate white wine to go with something like pork and cabbage – I don’t think you want a red wine. Try a wine that’s got a little oak on it with good acidity – I’d go for a nice Bourgogne Chardonnay, maybe a Mâcon.’

‘Personally, I love Rieslings, so I’d try a Kabinett—with refreshing acidity and a little bit of residual sugar, to pair with it.’

What about the sauce?

Classic sauces to serve with dumplings can include a mixture of soy sauce, Jiaozi vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and spice.

‘This is the benefit of making your own sauce,’ said Doherty. ‘You can adjust the levels of salt, sourness, and give it a little bit of roundness to achieve a nice balance.

‘It shouldn’t be too difficult for you to find a pairing wine if you prefer a more savoury sauce.

‘But if you prefer only vinegar as the sauce, finding a wine match will be more difficult, so try something with high acidity; Champagne could be a good option here.’

How are your dumplings cooked?

You may be asked whether you’d like your dumpling fried or boiled in a Chinese restaurant (although you are more likely to find fried dumplings in Japanese restaurants). You can also have your dumplings steamed in a dim-sum style.

If your dumplings are steamed or boiled, the skin turns soft while retaining the clean, doughy mouthfeel. Flavours of the filling tend to drop a little if dumplings are boiled in water, so good wines to choose could be a creamy aged Champagne, a ripe New World Chardonnay or a fruit-forward Grenache or Zinfandel-based rosé , especially when the dish is served warm.

Fiona Beckett also recommends Blanc de Blancs Champagne or a fino Sherry with dim sum, in her guide to wine and Chinese food pairing. 

Avoid big, heavy red wines as they would most certainly overpower the flavours, and tannins don’t tend to work well with the soft and sticky doughy skin.

A touch of residual sugar in the wine, however, can work well, especially with a meaty filling and seasoned with savoury, umami-rich soy sauce and Shaoxing wine.

Fried dumplings tend to pair better with wine, as the skin gets crisper; a bit of burn on the bottom adds even more to the texture. If done properly, the filling should remain soft inside.

As fried dumplings absorb some oil in the cooking, a chilled bottle of NV Champagne or dry English sparkling make a good match with fried dumplings, served cold or hot.

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Frequently overlooked by consumers, this rare style of wine is as confusing as it comes. From its ‘yellow’ name to its squat-sized bottle to its unique, nutty flavour profile, it’s easy to understand why Vin Jaune doesn’t always get the love it deserves. Those in the know are aware that these special wines offer some of the most enjoyable, thought-provoking drinking experiences on the planet, however. Still don’t fully understand the style? We’re breaking down everything you need to know about it here.

The commune of Arbois in the Jura. Credit: Vicki Denig

What is Vin Jaune?

Produced in the Jura region of eastern France, Vin Jaune is a dry style of white wine crafted from the Savagnin grape. Additionally – and most importantly – the wine ages for 6+ years under a thin layer of yeast (called sous voile ageing in France) prior to bottling, which helps the wine achieve its distinguishable flavour characteristics. ‘Vin Jaune is similar in style and flavour to Fino Sherry, except for the fact that it’s non-fortified,’ said Lauren McPhate, Director of Sales at Tribeca Wines. ‘This sous voile ageing imparts distinctly aldehydic flavours of brine, curry and nuts,’ she commented.

Courtney Wieland, Director of Private Clients at Thatcher’s Wine Consulting, added that Savagnin destined for Vin Jaune is harvested later, so as to achieve higher potential alcohol after fermentation. ‘Fermentation occurs slowly and the wine is not topped up, which allows for the voile to grow,’ she said, adding that in addition to playing a huge role in the final wine’s flavour profile, the voile also protects the wine from oxidation.

Why should I drink it?

Wieland revealed that outside of Sherry, there are few wines like Vin Jaune on the market – and the two styles aren’t exactly interchangeable. ‘When you take a closer look, or taste, it is far different from Sherry and quite unique,’ she said, highlighting that in addition to being produced from different grape varieties in different soils, Vin Jaune does not undergo fortification in the way that Sherry wines do. ‘The natural environment in the Jura cellars supports the creation of the yeasts. This defines Vin Jaune and separates it from other wines made in a similar way, creating a singular wine that can age indefinitely,’ she said.

What does it taste like?

According to McPhate, the unique cellar conditions and production methods used to create Vin Jaune define the ‘extreme style’ of the wine. ‘It’s bone dry, has a full and unctuous body, and intensely complex flavours – there are no other still wines like it,’ she said. McPhate described the wine’s partial cask ageing – which imparts gentle oxidation – plus the sous voile ageing (which keeps oxygen at bay) as creating a ‘supremely unique wine of paradoxes that is crisp yet heady, and complex yet nuanced’. Flavours often associated with Vin Jaune include toasted nuts, dried apricots, curry, mushroom, toast and brine.

Why the Clavelin?

Simply put, tons of evaporation. McPhate explained that due to the vinification and ageing process of six plus years, a good deal of wine is lost in the process. ‘Because of the length of the winemaking, a significant portion of the wine evaporates over time (called the angel’s share), and so it is bottled in a special Clavelin of just 62cl,’ she said.

Who would most enjoy Vin Jaune?

‘Vin Jaune is a premium wine for a highly engaged consumer,’ McPhate said, noting that the intense flavours and bone dry style will likely appeal to Sherry drinkers, or ‘adventurous winos looking for something way outside the everyday box’. She also mentioned that given the wine’s pungency and long, layered finish, the style could also greatly appeal to whisky drinkers.

Wieland stated that although she often reaches for Vin Jaune at the end of a meal, this versatile style of wine can be enjoyed at any point in the experience. ‘Some people think that you can only drink Sherry, Champagne or other styles of wine – Vin Jaune included – to start or end a meal, and that’s simply not true,’ she said, stating that the wine pairs beautifully with a variety of generous sauces and heartier dishes (and is equally enjoyable on its own without food).

On that note – don’t forget the food pairings

Credit: Hemis / Alamy Stock Photo

Wieland noted that if you haven’t been exposed to Vin Jaune or Sherry before, tasting it for the first time can be quite a shock. Her suggestion? Pair it alongside food to see what the wine can do, then venture further. ‘Comté cheese is an awesome pairing – it is a classic for a reason,’ she revealed. ‘If you enjoy Sherry or more esoteric wines, it is definitely something you will enjoy.’

Additionally, McPhate noted that signature autumn flavours of savoury mushrooms and pungent curries are also excellent pairings, though when in doubt, Comté reigns king. ‘To convince even the most sceptical of this rather unexpected style, one simply needs to have a piece of 24-month Comté cheese with a taste. There are few more profound pairings!’

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The post Vin Jaune explained appeared first on Decanter.

Traditional-method sparkling – made via a second fermentation in bottle – is made in regions around the wine world, and yet Champagne continues to enjoy the widest recognition, thanks to its esteemed history, the power of its brands and its range of styles.

Sweetness

This is determined by the amount of residual sugar in the dosage – a mixture of sugar and wine added to the Champagne before the final bottling. Brut, by some distance, is the most popular. The most rasping category is brut nature, which also goes by the name zero dosage and, as the wording suggests, contains no added sugar. The next rung on the ladder is extra brut (0-6 grams of sugar per litre) before we hit the ubiquitous brut (less than 12g/L). The confusingly titled extra dry category contains between 12g and 17g/L, followed by the increasingly sweet sec, demi-sec and doux bottlings.

Grapes

The art of blending different grapes is vital in maintaining ‘house style’, and ironing out vintage variation. While there are seven permitted varieties, the dominant triumvirate is Chardonnay (which gives citrus, acidity and finesse), Pinot Noir (red fruits and body) and Pinot Meunier (bright, youthful fruit).

Blanc de noirs on a label means it has been made only from dark-skinned grapes such as Pinot Noir and/or Meunier. The former trumps Meunier for popularity, with sought-after examples including Krug’s Clos d’Ambonnay and Billecart-Salmon’s Le Clos St-Hilaire. Blanc de blancs is crafted from pale-skinned grapes and almost certainly means it’s pure Chardonnay.

Vintages

While the term ‘vintage Champagne’ is largely self-explanatory (all grapes coming from one year), non-vintage (NV) Champagne requires a bit more unpacking and is where a Champagne house’s chef de cave (cellar master) earns their corn. The arguably unachievable goal of NV is to create a house style which remains consistent, year after year.

While NV is a marriage of grapes, crus (vineyard sites) and vintages, the blend will still be dominated by a foundation wine that comes from a single, recent harvest. This is seasoned with reserve wines from older vintages which bring more evolved flavours and richness.

The ambition of NV may be to remain true to a signature style, yet in reality vintage variation – not to mention the manner in which NV is incrementally released to market – means that this is probably a pipe dream. In recognition of this, many producers (including Bruno Paillard, Jacquesson and, more recently, Krug) mark the labels of their NVs – in varying degrees of prominence and clarity – with the base wine’s vintage.

Colour

Rosé Champagne can be made using a couple of different methods such as direct pressing and short maceration. The latter involves leaving red grapes to macerate for 24-72 hours before pressing, thereby extracting colour from the dark skins. Although some Champagne is made this way, most is created by simply adding about 15% of still red wine (usually Pinot Noir) to the blend of base wines. Top houses own vineyards dedicated solely to the growing of premium red grapes.

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A Decanter reader in the UK said their Swisscave wine cooler was turned off for nine days during a heatwave, with temperatures hitting 30 degrees Celsius at certain times.

They said the fridge is in a first-floor flat but not in direct sunlight. What might be the long-term effects on the wines, which are part of a growing collection intended for extended ageing?

What happens if your wine cooler is unplugged in a heatwave?

Swisscave’s MD and founder, Hanspeter Jaeger, and expert David Way, of the UK-based Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), highlighted several things to consider but were generally optimistic about the wines’ prospects – particularly given the short period of potential exposure to higher temperatures.

A wine cooler or fridge aims to replicate gold standard storage conditions. This is not only to avoid heat spikes, but also to prevent regular fluctuations in temperature.

‘The conventional wisdom is that wine intended for long-term ageing should be kept in conditions similar to an underground cellar with a temperature in the range of 10–15°C, in the dark and with no vibration,’ said David Way, wine qualifications developer at the WSET.

‘If a wine fridge is unplugged and the air temperature rises to 30°C, then the rising temperature will affect the speed at which the wine develops and, in extreme cases, age [the wines] prematurely and irreversibly,’ said Way.

However, there are several variables.

These range from the temperature of the fridge before its was switched off to the length of time wines are exposed to higher temperatures and the number of bottles in the fridge.

‘The air temperature is not necessarily the same as the temperature of the wine in the bottle,’ said Way.

Even with the cooler unplugged, he also said ‘the wine will have had some protection from both the insulation in the fridge and, further, from the thermal mass of the number of bottles stored together that had originally been refrigerated’.

The more bottles, the bigger the insulation effect. ‘A large fridge that contains 180 bottles will give more protection and for longer than a small fridge with 12 bottles.’

Where wine is exposed to excess heat, some studies have shown that this can reduce levels of SO2, causing a ‘browning of the colour’. This is particularly visible in white wines, he said.

‘However, the good news is that wines intended for long-term ageing typically are to a degree more resilient to the ageing process.’

He added, ‘In comparison to simple wines made for early consumption, they have greater fruit concentration, sometimes higher acidity and, in the case of red wines, colour molecules and tannins which give greater protection to the wine.’

Highly tannic reds should withstand heat better than lighter styles, such as Pinot Noir.

A note of caution would be that some studies have shown that white wines can lose fruity aromas if stored for seven days at 26.6°C (80°F), versus a control sample at 18°C, Way added.

‘When wine was stored at 30°C for a year, it developed faulty characteristics, while wine stored at 40°C showed changes in colour and flavours after only a few days.’

In summary, however, Way said, ‘If the fridge was big enough and cool enough originally, and the exposure to heat was only a matter of a few days, it is likely that the wine will not have been damaged, even if it will for that short period have aged a little more rapidly.’

Humidity and temperature

Swisscave’s MD and founder, Hanspeter Jaeger, said that he wouldn’t expect ‘anything noticeable’ to happen to the wine if exposed to ambient temperatures over a short period of time, such as weeks or even months.

He said it was ‘certainly a different story’ if bottles are exposed to frequently changing temperatures or even 30°C heat with very dry humidity for a longer time, such as years rather than months.

‘Many wine lovers have this scenario in mind and get nervous when their wine bottles are at ambient temperatures for days or weeks. They should not,’ said Jaeger.

‘Low levels of humidity will, over time, damage your wine,’ said Sebastian Riley-Smith, founder and MD of Smith & Taylor, in the latest issue of Decanter magazine.

‘Fine wine should be stored at 65-70%, allowing the best corks to permit only 1mg of oxygen to enter the bottle per year. This moderates the process of wine developing complexity, softening tannins, and keeps the identity and vital statistics secured to your bottles.’

One potential issue in the shorter-term was that higher temperatures can cause the wine bottle to expand slightly, he said.

‘If the cork is not perfect (and many corks are not), then it may happen that a little wine presses through the cork to the outside. Now there is a liquid bridge between inside and outside, which over time (several months or longer) can bring oxygen to the inside. If this happens the wine may go bad.’

He said that in a situation ‘where the wine was at a very high temperature for weeks, I would advise [people] to check the corks’ – although this can be difficult depending on the bottle. If wine spots are visible on the cork, then it may be better to drink the contents of the bottle sooner.

Callum Dooley, director and UK sales manager of Elite Wine Refrigeration – official UK partner to Swisscave – also said that the thermal mass of the wines inside the fridge should mean that ‘it will only be a few days where the wine may have been slightly warm’.

Published in August 2020 and updated in June 2021. 

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Cloaked in a network of terraced vineyards that stretch out from both banks of the river which gave the region its name, it is not hyperbole to call the Douro valley jaw-dropping in beauty and tranquil in mood.

A notable feature of this breathtaking region are the whitewashed buildings emblazoned with the name of the estate (quinta) which owns the surrounding land. Many of these belong to major Port houses and have become avidly followed brands in their own right – think Quinta dos Malvedos (Graham’s), Quinta de Vargellas (Taylor’s), Quinta do Bomfim (Dow’s), Quinta da Cavadinha (Warre’s) and Quinta da Roêda (Croft).

In the great years which are declared as a vintage, the grapes from these vineyards will go into the blend for the top wine: the classic vintage Port of the house.

However, huge improvements in winemaking from the 1980s onwards means the production of a good vintage Port is much less of a hit-and-miss affair, so, even in undeclared years, wines of potential vintage quality can be made and are bottled by the major shippers as ‘single quinta’ Ports.

However, the category is not merely the domain of Port’s heavyweights. There are a plethora of dynamic, independent single quintas whose vintage wine is released most, if not every, year whether or not a general declaration is made. These estates run the gamut in terms of size, ranging from properties which appear to be little more than small-scale start-ups to sprawling estates such as the 326ha Quinta do Vesuvio.

Other quintas to look out for include Vale Meão, de la Rosa, Passadouro, Roriz and Noval, which is owned by AXA Millésimes, proprietors of Château Pichon Baron in Pauillac.

As for vinification, single quinta is made in a manner which echoes that of vintage Port: matured in barrel for two to three years, before being bottled unfined and unfiltered (a decanter is still needed). The only other distinctions are that the wines are less expensive and can be ready to drink earlier – after 10, rather than 20 years, say.

As well as demanding less of both your patience and wallet, a further boon for the wine lover who likes to go granular is that, when following a quinta year after year, you are given an evolving snapshot of prime Douro terroir.

Single quinta vintage Ports: In the glass

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What makes a wine vegan? Ask Decanter

Given that wine is the product of grapes and yeast, some may assume that all wines would be appropriate for vegans – those who do not consume any kind of animal product – but this isn’t always the case.

Wine bars and retailers have started to market some wines as vegan friendly in response to the growth of veganism in several countries, including the UK and US. According to The Vegan Society, 600,000 people in the UK were vegan in 2019, compared to 150,000 in 2014. Furthermore, according to Ipsos in 2022, almost half of Brits aged 16-75 are now considering reducing their future intake of animal products.

‘Veganuary’ is increasingly part of the New Year calendar, slotting into the post-festive detox trend. For January 2022, over 629,000 people signed up to take part worldwide, according to The Vegan Society – almost 50,000 more than in the previous year.

The increasing move to veganism may be founded through people’s concern for animal welfare, their own health or climate impact. Whatever the reasons behind it, many consumers are now looking to have the same levels of clarity in terms of what is in their glass, as exist for what is on their plate.

Vegan wine

It is often traditional fining agents that can make a wine unsuitable for vegans.

Egg whites or casein (a protein found in milk) can be used to remove tiny particles of sediment in a wine that cannot be removed by filtration.

However, other ways of doing this are becoming more popular.

‘Traditional fining products that were egg/fish/milk derived have probably – we think – moved on to a lot of vegetable-based products,’ said Kristin Syltevik, of the Oxney Organic Estate in East Sussex, England, speaking in 2018.

‘Vegan wines are made without animal products, so winemakers either leave the particles to sink naturally to the bottom of the wine, or use non-animal fining products usually bentonite, a form of clay or pea protein,’ said former Waitrose & Partners wine expert, Matt Johnson.

Other animal products used in wine production may include beeswax (used to seal bottles) and agglomerated corks (which use milk-based glues).

In reality, many wines are vegan friendly. However, it can be difficult to tell. Regulations in the EU and US do not currently require wineries to list fining agents on labels.

More wine retailers and producers have started to help consumers make a choice by highlighting which of their wines are vegan friendly.

Majestic Wine previously told Decanter.com that it defined vegan wine as those that ‘will not have been fined, filtered or come into contact with anything derived from an animal or dairy source’. It currently stocks over 270 wines listed as vegan, compared to just 39 in 2018.

Waitrose Cellar has over 500 wines listed as vegan on its website.

Decanter’s Weekday Wines also shows which wines are labelled vegan and vegetarian, as well as those that are organic and biodynamic.

Ten vegan-labelled wines to try:

The following wines were recommended by Decanter experts, and are also vegan. 

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The US still comes top on the list of which countries drink the most wine overall, according to to preliminary figures released this week by the International Organisation of Vine & Wine (OIV). 

Wine consumption in the US crept up by 0.7% in 2021, to 33.1 million hectolitres (3.31 billion litres), the OIV said in a report on the state of the industry.

World wine consumption grew by the same margin, to hit 236 million hectolitres (mhl), or 23.6bn litres, although trends varied by nation.

That’s the first global increase in four years, and it partly reflects the reopening of restaurants and rise in social gatherings following Covid-19 lockdowns, the OIV said.

More wine was exported in 2021 than in any year since records began, with shipments totalling 111.6mhl, it added.

Yet it warned that ongoing supply chain disruption and the wider economic repercussions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could exacerbate pre-existing challenges for the wine trade around inflation and higher costs.

‘The war in Ukraine is clearly affecting energy prices and this affects inflation,’ said OIV director general Pau Roca during a live-streamed press conference.

He also spoke about supply bottlenecks. ‘The prices of containers have multiplied by 20, the prices for the palettes have increased by seven [or] eight times,’ he said.

Top 10 countries that drink the most wine

Here is an updated list of the 10 countries that drink the most wine, according to OIV’s preliminary figures for 2021.

• US: 33.1mhl, up 0.7% versus 2020
• France: 25.2mhl, up 8.6%
• Italy: 24.2mhl, flat versus 2020
• Germany: 19.8mhl, flat versus 2020
• UK: 13.4mhl, flat versus 2020
• Spain: 10.5mhl, up nearly 10%
• China: 10.5mhl, down 15.4%
• Russia: 10.5mhl, up 2%
• Argentina: 8.4mhl, down 11%
• Australia: 5.9mhl, flat versus 2020.

Source: OIV

Which country drinks the most wine per person?

On a per capita basis, the leaderboard would look quite different.  

According to the OIV, the top 10 countries in terms of per capita wine consumption are:

• Portugal: 51.9 litres per capita
• France: 46.9 litres
• Italy: 46 litres
• Switzerland: 35.3 litres
• Austria: 30.6 litres
• Australia: 28.7 litres
• Germany: 27.5 litres
• Spain: 26.2 litres
• Netherlands: 26.1 litres
• Belgium: 26 litres

Things have changed a lot in the last few decades, too.

A chart shared by the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) on Twitter last year showed how wine consumption in four big European producer nations has fallen.

In France, wine consumption has roughly halved on a per capita basis in the last 50 years, having already been declining before 1970.

That chart is from the recently updated ‘annual database of global wine markets, 1835-2018’, made freely available by the University of Adelaide’s Wine Economics Research Centre.

Italy, too, has seen consumption drop from around 100 litres per person in 1970, show the figures compiled by emeritus professor Kym Anderson and economic history professor Vicente Pinilla (with the assistance of A.J. Holmes), of the University of Adelaide and University of Zaragoza respectively.

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Coming in various forms, barrels can play a crucial role in a wine’s conditioning, adding not only texture and body but also the widely cherished seasoning characters of vanilla, cedar and tobacco. They have been in use since at least the third millennium BC in ancient Egypt, where tubs with wooden staves were used during harvest. There is also evidence of barrels being used for storing wine in ancient Babylon, Iron Age Britain, Gaul and ancient Rome.

A barrel is constructed from several components: the head (the round ends which form the top and bottom of the barrel), staves (the shaped lengths of wood that form the sides of the barrel), and hoops (the metal parts that hold the staves together).

Not all barrels are created equal, however, with the origin of the oak trees that provide the wood being one of the key factors in determining the style of the finished wine. Other significant elements include the barrel’s dimensions, age and level of toast (see below).

The most common wooden vessel used in modern-day winemaking is the traditional oak barrel, usually made from either European or American oak. European oak is tighter-grained, resulting in firm but ‘polished’ tannins and more restrained flavours. They are considered to result in a finer outcome compared to their American counterparts, which are cheaper to produce and contain more vanillin compounds, therefore delivering more overt, sweeter characters such as coconut.

As to dimensions, the winemaker has at their disposal a smorgasbord of sizes whose capacities are often based on tradition: the Bordeaux barrique holds 225 litres, for example, while in Burgundy you’ll usually find 228L barrels.

Enormous vessels are an important part of Italy’s winemaking heritage, most notably in Piedmont where the Slavonian oak botte – generally holding anything from 1,500L-10,000L of wine – is woven into the region’s history.

In between these two extremes you will find puncheons or demi-muids, which hold 500L and 600L respectively. Even larger than that are French foudres, which compare with Italy’s botti.

Size is crucial as it determines the ratio of surface area in direct contact with the wine: the smaller the barrel, the higher the proportion of oak in contact with the wine, which results in stronger oak-derived aromas and flavours.

It is that surface area, the inside of the barrel, where toast comes into effect, with the level of toasting determining the flavours imparted into the wine. Taking place in the cooperage where the barrel is crafted, the barrel’s interior is charred with flames, which caramelises the sugars within the wood – the longer the exposure to flame, the higher the toast and the richer the flavours.

However, the flavour components released by this process into a wine diminish with time, which brings us to age. By the time the barrel has been used in four or five vintages there is little flavour left to give, though barrels will continue to be used, with winemakers keeping them as an option when in pursuit of a gentler touch of oak.

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In the late 19th century, Eduard Karel Jacob van der Niepoort, the second generation of the Niepoort family of Port winemakers, had the novel idea of buying 4,000 old apothecary demijohns. He wanted to use them for the maturation of the family’s wines.

These distinctive squat, dark-green glass bottles, between eight and 11 litres in volume, proved very effective. So effective that in 1931, his son (also an Eduard) decided they should be used for extended maturation of the best wines of the vintage.

Thus was created Porto Garrafeira. The Niepoort family felt this style would set a new benchmark of quality and refinement for the fortified wines of the Douro Valley.

Porto Garrafeira is a style that combines both oxidative and reductive ageing. Essentially it is a vintage dated tawny with subsequent minimum ageing in glass. First, the wine is aged oxidatively in wood for a minimum period of four to eight years. It is then aged for a minimum of 15 years in demijohns (Niepoort also refers to them as ‘bonbons’).

Official recognition

The Niepoort family may have minted this new style nearly a century ago, but Porto Garrafeira’s special status was only officially recognised as recently as late 2021. This is when the Institut do Vinos Porto y Douro (IVDP) introduced rules to enshrine the style in Port wine law.

For a Porto Garrafeira to receive IVDP approval, the date of storage in demijohns and quantities made must be communicated to the IVDP. Sales of these Ports are then only permitted after the minimum ageing referred to above.

In the glass

So much for the regulation, but how does a rare bottling like Porto Garrafeira taste? Due to the combination of long oxidative and reductive ageing, these wines display an especially seductive mix of mature and fresh fruit character.

The ageing in demijohns, in particular, is thought by some to add a unique cheiro da garrafa (‘smell or savour of the bottle’) for which it’s hard to find a direct parallel in other Port styles.

For its part, the IVDP notes: ‘As we have very high quality and both oxidative and reductive ageing, a great combination of sensations, aromas and flavours can be present. The flavours are taken to a dimension where the wine is at once complex, fine and balanced. The aromas can be as diverse as fresh red fruits, spices and chocolate, combined with notes of dried fruit and cigar box.’

Singular style

Currently Niepoort is the only Port house that produces Porto Garrafeira Port. It is, after all, the only one with a collection of several thousand old apothecary demijohns. The latest Niepoort Garrafeira release is from 1987, though 1983 and 1977 vintages have also been bottled.

A few fortunate souls will also have had the privilege of tasting the oldest Garrafeira Port the family has ever made – from vintage 1863. (In 2018 a Lalique decanter of this particular vintage became the most expensive single bottle of Port ever sold.) In this case, a very rare wine indeed, and one perhaps deserving of its own special category.

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Located in Italy’s Piedmont region at the foothills of the Alps, Carema is home to outstanding Nebbiolo wines, uniquely different from those of the Langhe, Roero, or Alto Piemonte.

Subtle, with complex character and steely mineral backbone, Carema is a dream wine for fans who seek the lithe and racy side of Nebbiolo. But, Carema produces very little. Approximately 18ha of vineyards makes it the smallest growing appellation in Italy.

Small but impressive, Carema matters because of its unique terroir and because Nebbiolo has the fascinating ability to showcase and express it. Consumers are also increasingly embracing the value and character of high-altitude Nebbiolo.

Once famous, then nearly forgotten, Carema is in the midst of a renaissance with new winegrowers reclaiming abandoned vineyards and producing wines of distinction.

Land and Vine

Carema is an exceptional example of ‘heroic viticulture’. Vineyards require terracing to defy gravity. High-elevation and extreme weather raise the stakes for farming. And Carema’s remoteness, defined by small patches of vineyards with minimal infrastructure, makes it a challenging place to make wine.

Cultivation is done by hand and requires hiking on crooked stone staircases that jut out from terraced walls, filled with glacial morainic soil brought up from the Dora Baltea river below. This amphitheater-shaped growing area’s picturesque beauty is further sprinkled with shimmering mica schist rocks, commonly found in the Alps.

The vines are traditionally trained on a network of low wooden pergola (topia) and anchored by truncated cone-shaped stone pillars (pilun). The masses of rock, wrenched from the mountainside, create a natural architectural masterpiece, but they also play important roles: During the day, they store the sun’s heat and then release it in the evening. In addition, the wooden trellis provides support and protection from the winter elements and snow.

The Wine

Carema is a red winemaking zone that showcases Nebbiolo – specifically, the Picotener Nebbiolo biotype – as its leading variety. To be Carema DOC, the vineyards are required to be situated between 300 to 600 metres above sea level. Wine must be made in Carema from fruit grown in Carema. Requirements call for at least 85% Picotener Nebbiolo; the remainder, a maximum of 15% of authorised local Piedmont red grapes, such as Neyrette. Though most, if not all, producers make the wine using 100% Picotener Nebbiolo. Aging requirements are 24 months, of which 12 months must be in wood, while the riserva requires 36 months, including 12 months in barrel (Italian Wine Central).

Like many Piedmontese reds made from Nebbiolo, Carema wine has excellent aging potential due to high acidity. But when compared to Nebbiolo wines from its southern neighbours, the difference is indisputably unique.

Comparison to other Nebbiolo-based wines

While Carema is just as much a Nebbiolo-based wine as Barolo, the two wines couldn’t be more different. In Carema, the Picotener clone populates the vineyards, while the Michet and Lampia biotypes grow in the southerly growing zones of Barolo and Barbaresco.

As for the soil, generally, the Barolo region is composed of blue-gray marl, clay, limestone, and sandstone from two different geologic periods, while Carema’s soil is rocky limestone of moraine origin, or glacial till. In addition, temperatures in Carema are considerably cooler all year-round than any part of the Langhe due to its high elevation.

Not surprisingly, these differences contribute to wines that are lighter in colour, a touch more delicate and weightless but no less complex. Riveting in its perfume, the palate shows bright acidity and sapidity. Where Langhe wines might have the muscles of a ballet dancer, Carema has nerve and energy. Nebbiolo’s remarkable penchant for site specificity lends to wines that elegantly express the terroir. In fact, while the area under vine is minuscule compared to the Barolo region, several crus (Airale, Siey, and Silanc, among others) showcase potentially high-quality Nebbiolo vines with unique exposures, microclimates, and soils.

History

Although the wine is barely known internationally due to its limited production, wine lovers have held it in great esteem for centuries. Carema sat on a strategic point on the military road to old Gaul, and it’s believed the Romans encouraged settlement by terracing vineyards. Winemaking in Carema was famous as early as the 16th century. By the early 1900s, the area under vine was upwards of 120ha. But political and economic woes of the 20th century shifted Carema’s direction.

‘After the Second World War (when “quality wine” was not a priority), and with the industrial boom, the winemakers gradually abandoned the vineyards to devote themselves to more profitable jobs/activities, less tiring and less dependent on climate conditions,’ said Michele Longo, co-editor of Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book for the Italy Section.

Yet in 1967, Carema was one of the first wines from Piedmont to attain Controlled Designation of Controlled Origin status (DOC).

The Producers

Alongside the leading Carema producer Ferrando, whose family winemaking tradition goes back to 1900, and the Cantina di Produttori di Carema, a brand new generation of wine producers has emerged on the scene, giving new life and energy to the Carema appellation.

‘Carema vineyards are simply amazing spectacles that showcase the ingenuity, the skills, and the tenacity of these winemakers and the passion they have for their territory,’ said Longo.

Most of the winegrowers work part-time, except for the Ferrando family, relying on stable jobs to make ends meet. But restoring the vineyards and producing great wines is at the heart of the mission for these young producers – SorPasso, Monte Maletto, Muraje, Chiussuma, Achille Milanesio, and Cellagrande.

While it will take energy to rejuvenate Carema, the character of the wine has not been weakened. As food and wine writer Mario Soldati once said: ‘Carema is as strong and likeable as the sun and the stone.’

Those two things are constant and timeless.

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The Left Bank and Right Bank are two Bordeaux winemaking regions separated by the Gironde estuary and two rivers – the Dordogne and the Garonne. The Right Bank is the area to the north of the Dordogne river, and the Left Bank is the area directly south of the Garonne river. The area in between is known as Entre-deux-Mers.

However, it is not just geography that distinguishes Bordeaux’s two famous vineyard regions. Here’s a quick guide.

Appellations

The Left Bank encompasses the Médoc wine region north of Bordeaux city. Its four best- known appellations, north to south, are St-Estèphe, Pauillac, St-Julien and Margaux. South of Bordeaux city centre, the Left Bank includes Pessac-Léognan and Graves, along with Sauternes and Barsac, famed for their sweet wines. The Right Bank’s most famous appellations are St-Emilion and Pomerol.

Grapes

While all the Left Bank wines are usually blends, Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant force here. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec tend to play supporting roles. Right Bank wines are predominantly Merlot-based, with the increasingly used Cabernet Franc as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot used as blending components.

Soil and style

Left Bank terrain is mostly flat with gravel topsoil and limestone underneath. Wines typically have more tannin and a bigger overall structure than their Right Bank counterparts, which generally comprise a limestone surface with less gravel and more clay. Right Bank wines tend to be rich in fruit and softer in mouthfeel with lower levels of tannin and acid.

Classifications

There are several classification systems at play. The most important on the Left Bank is the official 1855 Classification of the Médoc, which was drawn up for Emperor Napoleon III as part of the Exposition Universelle de Paris celebrations that year.

It’s a five-tier hierarchy, led by the five ‘first growth’ estates of Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Margaux, Château Haut-Brion (even though it’s in Graves) and Château Mouton Rothschild (which was promoted to the top tier in 1973). Then there are 14 second-growth estates followed by 14 third, 10 fourth and 18 fifth. Further south, Sauternes and Barsac producers also got their own classification system in 1855.

The Left Bank is also home to a classification for dry red and white Graves wines, which includes 16 cru classé estates, all of which sit inside the Pessac-Léognan appellation; and then there is the wider classification of cru bourgeois estates, now under the auspices of the the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc.

On the Right Bank, you’ll find the St-Emilion Classification, introduced in 1955 and reviewed every 10 years, unlike the 1855 Classifications. The 2012 list comprised 82 estates and was topped by 18 premier grand cru classé properties – themselves separated into four ‘A’ and 14 ‘B’ rankings. Châteaux Angélus and Pavie joined Ausone and Cheval Blanc as premier grand cru classé A estates in 2012. However, Cheval Blanc, Ausone and Angélus have all withdrawn from the next classification, due in 2022.

Bordeaux: In the glass

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We’ve all been there. Excitedly opening a special bottle of wine, often while trying to impress an audience of illustrious guests, only to see the corkscrew unwind with but a bit of the cork. 

The worries are twofold: saving face as one battles with the obvious lack of expertise and, most importantly, preserving the precious wine. Can it actually be drunk after a cork disaster?

We’ve asked an expert for techniques and coping strategies. Alexandre Freguin’s first piece of advice is clear: ‘Do not stress! You will only make it worse…’ Freguin, UK Best Sommelier 2018 and head sommelier at the Michelin-starred L’Oustalet in Gigondas, has had to deal with his share of tricky corks. The primary strategy is, as in the setting of a top restaurant, keeping one’s cool. 

The cork has crumbled. What to do?

The simplest, and most obvious solution, is to filter the wine through a mesh strainer. 

‘Clearing the wine from the floating bits of cork is the main target.’ says Freguin. ‘I find a very thin cloth is particularly useful and efficient. Use a funnel covered with the cloth and pour the wine into another container.’

But it’s important to be aware of the nature of the wine. ‘Be careful. If we are talking about an old or very fragile wine I wouldn’t pour the entire bottle out –  only until the pieces of cork have fallen on the cloth. Then pour the wine back into the bottle.’ The filtration and aeration will speed up the process of oxidation and the loss of the more volatile aromas, therefore having a negative impact on a particularly delicate wine. You might even want to consider, in such cases, filtering directly into the glass. 

If the cork has crumbled does it mean the wine is faulty?

 If a wine has been properly stored, horizontally, with liquid in contact with the cork’s inner surface, and in a space with enough humidity, the cork should remain hydrated and in good condition. A hydrated cork will keep its flexibility and structure. If the bottles are stored vertically for too long in a dry atmosphere, the cork will dry out, become brittle and lose its cohesion. 

‘Corks can be tricky, especially on older bottles, but they are also a great source of information about the state of conservation and storage of the wine. I get suspicious if the cork just falls apart.’ says Freguin. 

It might mean that the wine has had unwanted contact with oxygen, possibly for a long time, and is therefore not in best condition. So taste carefully before serving the wine to guests. But a crumbling cork does not necessarily mean that the wine’s quality has been compromised. 

‘Some of the best bottles of wine I have tasted have had the worst cork condition,’ says Clement Robert MS, head sommelier and wine buyer at 28-50 wine bars. In most cases the wine will still be fine to drink, as it should still have been kept with a protective seal. 

On the other hand, the cork pieces will not make the wine corked. ‘One of the most common misconceptions is that [if a cork crumbles] the residue in contact with the wine will make it corked. But you can be sure that this has nothing to do with it. ‘Cork taint is not a product of cork itself; it happens due to the presence of a chemical compound (TCA), which can occur in any cork, old or new, dry or moist. If it isn’t there to begin with, then it won’t be there when the cork breaks. 

Is there a bulletproof technique?

The quick answer is no. You might have the best corkscrew on the market and you might have done it a million times before. Corks crumble and break even at the hands of the most experienced sommeliers. This is especially true for old bottles which have not been stored correctly, as mentioned above, leaving the cork dry and crumbly. 

Sommeliers recommend having a two-prong opener, also known as butler’s thief, at hand, and use it if the cork looks prone to break or crumble. 

The butler’s thief is essentially a handle with two flat metal prongs attached, sprung so that when you work them (cautiously) down the sides of a cork that looks/feels like it may crumble, they apply some inward pressure to the potentially dodgy cork. 

Once you’ve persuaded the prongs far enough down between the cork and the inner side of the bottleneck – start with the longer of the two, and use a slight lateral motion as you progress, rather than pressing directly down – that pressure enables you then to begin pulling up while rotating the cork out of the bottle neck.

You might even want to consider using the two prong opener and a corkscrew simultaneously, with the latter’s spiral creating more inner pressure against the prongs, allowing the cork to remain more compact while pulled by the prongs. 

I only have a regular corkscrew and the cork has broken… Now what?

If you don’t have an alternative tool and you’re stuck with a broken cork, half of it still blocking the bottle neck (i.e. you can’t even filter the wine) you have two options: either you try again with your corkscrew, inserting it carefully then pulling the cork in one go instead of twisting; you simply concede and push the cork down into the bottle.

If this happens remember to use the handle of a teaspoon to keep the cork down while pouring and prevent wine spurting. Not the most elegant solution but serves the ultimate purpose: drinking the wine!

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Despite being a common enemy in a range of fruit and vegetables, an alignment of stars results in this particular strand of grey rot being responsible for some of the world’s most opulent, expensive and desired dessert wines, such as the sélection de grains nobles of Alsace, Germany’s sweeter styles, Sauternes in Bordeaux, and Tokaji in Hungary, where it is argued botrytised wines were first made.

Right place, right time

Botrytis is a permanent resident in most vineyards throughout the year, which makes it an ongoing threat. Towards the end of the ripening season, however, in the right settings, it transforms from unwelcome visitor to VIP.

The base ingredient for botrytis is the presence of water in the form of lakes or rivers. These create misty, humid mornings that trigger the rot’s bloom. As the botrytis spores cloak the berries they attack the skin and exploit microscopic fissures to cause punctures.

Should damp conditions persist, then the berry would naturally degrade and ruin. However, those regions whose reputations are built on botrytis-crafted wines rely on an ace up their sleeve, namely their warm, sunny and dry afternoons. Not only does this maintain ripening, but it also halts the spread of the rot and causes water in the grapes to evaporate out through the pierced skin, leading to the concentration of sugars, flavours and aromas within the berry.

Botrytis also infuses the grapes with its own set of aromatic compounds, often slightly medicinal – these can include honey, marmalade, ginger and beeswax.

Expertly crafted

Arbitrary in nature, noble rot doesn’t work uniformly but spreads, berry by berry, at varying pace. Therefore, for those producers with the financial means to do so, several rounds of handpicking are required, with these multiple passes through the vineyard capturing only grapes that are perfectly affected by the rot. Unsurprisingly, yields are extremely low, even tiny, not only due to the hand-harvesting of grapes at their optimum, but also to the vastly reduced volume of liquid inside them. In the winery, the grapes are handled with kid gloves, and pressing is carried out slowly and carefully, or – in the case of Tokaji – while being macerated with fermenting juice or a youthful base wine.

Drawn-out fermentations are the norm and require a beady eye in order to stave off a host of threats, not least refermentation, which can be triggered by the high sugar levels at play.

Botrytis: In the glass

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Best sweet wines from around the world: 30 bottles to seek out

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There’s increasing interest in and demand for low- and no-alcohol beverages that might offer a good alternative to wine, beer and spirits in times of moderation. The category still causes confusion though, with consumers puzzled by the terms used and the processes involved in the production of alcohol-free products.

When it comes to alcohol-free wine the fundamental question is whether it is even wine at all. Ask Decanter answers below.

It all starts as wine

Alcohol-free wine starts its life as a regular wine.

Grapes are harvested, pressed, juice is separated from the skins (if applicable – note that red and orange wines are fermented on the skins), and fermented. During the fermentation process the sugar is transformed into alcohol, aroma and flavour compounds are integrated, and tannins and colour are extracted. The beautiful alchemy of all these elements combined is what we call wine.

An alcohol-free wine is produced through the removal of alcohol from a base wine which results, as described above, from the alcoholic fermentation of grape juice. It should not be confused with other alcohol-free beverages, notably fresh (i.e. unfermented) grape juice, whose production does not actually involve the production of wine at any point.

From a legal point of view ‘alcohol-free wine’ is not defined as a category or product in itself. Confused? You are not alone.

The term “wine” can only be used on products resulting from the alcoholic fermentation of grape juice, with an alcohol content of 8% abv or more (except for specific PDO, Protected Designation of Origin, where the minimum is below 8% abv).

Low and non-alcoholic products may be referred to as a “wine based drink”, used alongside one of the descriptors:

• Alcohol-free – can only be used to label a drink from which alcohol has been extracted and contains no more than 0.05% abv
• De-alcoholised – term used to label a drink from which alcohol has been extracted and contains no more than 0.5% abv
• Low-alcohol – the drink must be 1.2% abv or below and the label needs to indicate clearly the maximum abv.

Note that non-alcoholic cannot be used in conjunction with a name commonly associated with an alcoholic drink, in this case wine. (There is an exception, however, for non-alcoholic ‘wine’ derived from unfermented grape juice used solely for sacramental uses.)

Removing alcohol from the base wine

After the wine has been produced, following all the usual vinification steps – including, in some cases, ageing – alcohol needs to be removed.

There are three main processes through which this is commonly made:

• Vacuum distillation – High temperatures can severely damage flavour and aroma compounds. With vacuum distillation (distillation conducted within a vacuum chamber), the heat needed to remove the alcohol is considerably lower, therefore causing less damage to flavour and aroma. Still, most of the more delicate aroma compounds do volatilise along with the evaporating alcohol. Most alcohol-free wines made through this process notably lack the more subtle, floral aromas.
• Reverse osmosis – This is in fact a combined process of filtration followed by distillation. First, the aroma compounds and phenolics are filtered effectively creating a wine concentrate. The alcohol is then distilled from the liquid. Finally, the water (i.e. the liquid from which alcohol was removed) is added back to the wine concentrate. This is a laborious process and it can take up to four passes for all the alcohol to be removed.
• Spinning cone – the basis of this technology is breaking the wine’s multiple components apart and then reassembling them without the alcohol. Again, quite a complex process that needs to be handled carefully and involves different, consecutive steps. Repeated evaporation and condensation cycles at low temperatures using inverted cones and centrifugal forces separate the constituent elements in iterative steps. They are then blended together again (without the alcohol) in a process very much akin to making a wine’s final blend, to retrieve the balance of sugar, acidity, weight, texture and flavour.

Diagram explaining Reverse Osmosis

For balance to be achieved, some elements are sometimes added after dealcoholisation, in an attempt to compensate for the loss of aroma, flavour and texture. Sugar (usually concentrated grape must), botanicals and tannins (either synthetic or from, for example, tea leaves) are among the most common.

But why is it so expensive?

Alcohol-free wine is not categorised as an alcoholic beverage and therefore not subject to alcohol duty.

On the other hand, the equipment and technology used to remove alcohol from wine are complex and expensive. The economy of scale is not there either, at least yet. While a winemaker might produce thousands of bottles of a given wine, only a small percentage will be used to produce an alcohol-free version, which will then be packaged and marketed separately.

The additional costs of the dealcoholisation process, logistics and dedicated marketing significantly surpass the alcohol duty. So you can easily expect to spend more, rather than less, for a low or no-alcohol wine.

Passing the taste test

One of the main issues raised by consumers has been that alcohol-free wine simply doesn’t pass the taste test.

This is not because it is, necessarily, a lesser quality product. But the fact is the processes through which alcohol is removed also extract aroma, flavour and textural components, thereby affecting the complexity and depth of our final, alcohol-free drink. Even distillation at a very low temperature will cause the subtler, most volatile aromas to be extracted along with alcohol. The initial filtration process in reverse osmosis, on the other hand, removes tannins and other bigger phenolic molecules which are key elements

This is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges for the production and market-placement of dealcoholised wine. Existent technology, albeit much more advanced than a few years ago, still doesn’t allow the production of a drink that is as complex and deep, but simply free of alcohol.

Moreover, alcohol plays a key role in how we experience all the other components in wine. As it evaporates in the glass it acts as a vehicle for aromas. It also adds body and texture, while giving structural support to other textural elements, such as phenolic compounds.

Producing a good alcohol-free ‘wine based drink’ is not an easy task and certainly comes at a cost for both producers and consumers.

You can read the complete legal guidelines on low-alcohol descriptors on the UK Government’s website. 

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What are the key differences between the two well-established sweet wines made with botrytis-infused grapes?

The perfect mesoclimate for botrytis

The smooth onset of botrytis cinerea on white wine grapes requires certain growing conditions. Humidity in the early morning combined with aerated, sunny afternoons in autumn is a must for the fungus to remain benign and develop complex flavours as the berries shrivel to a perfect status.

Needless to say, both Sauternes of south Bordeaux, France and the Tokaj of northeastern Hungary enjoy the ideal terroir for botrytis, allowing the noble fungus to puncture microscopic holes through grape skins and nurture some of the world’s top expressions of these golden, lusciously sweet wines, which are capable of ageing for decades.

In the case of Sauternes, the cooler tributary Ciron feeds into the warmer Garonne, creating misty mornings in its communes and allowing the onset of botrytis in autumn. Meanwhile, the warm, sunny afternoons reduce the moisture and prevent the fungus from going rogue.

Likewise, the Tisza and Bodrog rivers that meet in Tokaj are the reasons behind the foggy autumn mornings that trigger the inception of botrytis, with the sunny and breezy afternoons safeguarding the healthy development of the fungus.

Despite sharing a similar mesoclimate, producers of Sauternes and Tokaji Aszú are using different grape varieties and taking a diverse approach in winemaking to create their own versions of ‘liquid gold’.

Choice of varieties

Sémillon is the primary grape for Sauternes due to its thin skins, which are highly susceptible to botrytis. The grape tends to provide a rich, textured body in addition to beeswax, citrus and honeyed stone fruit flavours to the sweet wine. Sauvignon Blanc is its crucial blending partner, providing fresh acidity and a lift to the palate. Sometimes Muscadelle is also added to provide further aroma complexity.

Furmint, on the other hand, is the diva of the Tokaj wine region. This versatile variety has the ability to go from bone-dry to lusciously sweet, with the high, mineral acidity being its ‘hallmark character’, according to Caroline Gilby MW, wine writer and consultant specialising in Central and Eastern European wines.

Also read: Furmint – A versatile variety to watch

When making Tokaji Aszú, Furmint is ‘typically supported by Hárslevelű and Muscat to add fruitiness and fragrance’, says Gilby.

Production methods

Making naturally botrytized wine can be costly and extremely labour-intensive, as it demands careful, manual selection in the field. The shrivelled berries have to be picked by hand only when they are ready. Also, producers may risk insufficient onset or even no-show of botrytis when the weather condition is less ideal.

The classic production method of Sauternes involves carefully pressing these precious, noble rot-infected berries, before painstakingly going through a slow fermentation process, often in partial or all-new barriques, until the alcohol level reaches around 14%.

Also read: Best Sauternes and Barsac 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Winemakers in Tokaj, however, adopt an ancient, arguably more flexible approach in extracting the botrytis flavours.

In fact, the first written records of the Aszú (the Hungarian word for shrivelled and botrytis-affected berries) method can be traced back to 1571, far before noble rot was recognised as a legitimate method of making sweet wines in France.

‘Sauternes are made from berries that are still juicy and can be pressed and fermented. The Aszú berries, however, are so raisined and dry. If you try to press them, you get a trickle of thick syrup, so sweet it barely ferments at all,’ explains Gilby.

Credit: Wines of Hungary Personally

Therefore, in order to extract sweetness and flavours, Aszú producers have to soak the sweet paste of botrytis-influenced, shrivelled berries in either grape juice, young wine or fermenting must. The wine is then aged in barrels under oxidative conditions for at least two years.

Indeed the word ‘Puttony(os)’ used as a unit to describe the sweetness of Tokaji Aszú refers to the bucket traditionally used to collect Aszú berries. Though today the sweetness of Tokaji is no longer measured by the number of Puttonyos added but based on residual sugar, said Gilby.

Read more: What is Aszú and why is it special?

Tell them apart in blind tastings

If we are to blind taste quality Sauternes and Tokaji Aszú, what should we look for to tell them apart? Stephen Brook, contributing editor to Decanter, provides his thoughts.

‘In the past, the various quality levels of Aszú – 3, 4, 5, and 6 Puttonyos – were defined by strict rules requiring minimum levels of residual sugar, acidity, and sugar-free extract. They no longer exist in a rigorous form, so there is now a far greater stylistic variation among Aszú wines. But two trends are discernible,’ says Brook.

‘First, the wines are far sweeter than they used to be. The same is true of Sauternes, but Aszú wines have a much higher acidity, giving them a different character. Moreover, most Aszú wines used to be deliberately oxidative. There was much debate about whether oxidation was intrinsic to Aszú, but today few would argue that case.

‘So Aszú wines are no more likely to be oxidative in style than good Sauternes. In short, it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the two wines apart, although the higher acidity and raciness of Aszú wines remains a major difference.’

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Tax on wine in the UK could change markedly in 2023 if alcohol duty reform plans announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak get the green light.

For now, Sunak used his autumn 2021 Budget speech to again freeze duty tax on wine and other alcohol under the current system, in a move welcomed by trade bodies.

Wine is enjoying the longest tax freeze in 25 years, although campaign group Wine Drinkers UK says duty tax has risen by 39% since 2010. The country is known for having some of the world’s highest alcohol duty rates.

And duty isn’t the only thing that affects prices. The average cost of a bottle of wine has still risen in the past year, said the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) recently.

Duty tax on still wines: Is it better to spend more?

Many in the wine trade have long argued that if you increase your spend on wine – even by a little – then you are in theory getting better value for money in the glass.

Duty tax is equivalent to £2.23 per 75cl bottle on still wines above 5.5% abv and up to 15% abv inclusive, as the Bibendum graphic above shows.

In theory, that means a higher proportion of the cost of a £7.50 or £10 bottle filters back to the winemaking.

Bibendum’s graphic shows more than 50% of the money spent on a £5 bottle of still wine goes straight to the government’s coffers as duty and VAT, but this falls to 39% on a £10 bottle.

It’s not an exact science, because costs like shipping, marketing and retailer profit margins will vary.

Unlike duty, value added tax (VAT) rises in proportion to the wine’s price, so VAT is going to be much higher on that £500 bottle.

UK duty tax on sparkling wine

Sparkling wines, from Sussex to Champagne to the hills of Prosecco country, could enjoy a sizeable duty tax cut under the plans to overhaul the UK’s alcohol duty system. That’s because a lot of sparkling currently carries a premium tax rate.

The current rates, equivalent to 75cl, are:

• £2.16 for wines above 5.5% abv and up to 8.5% abv.
• £2.86 between 8.5% abv and 15% abv.

If the government’s plans are confirmed, the WSTA said a 12% abv bottle of sparking wine should see its duty bill fall by 53p, with a total saving of 64p on current tax rates after VAT.

Duty reform: Some wines could see their tax bill rise

Many trade bodies took a cautious approach to duty reform following the chancellor’s autumn Budget speech, in which he outlined a ‘simplified’ system that will work on the basic concept of ‘the stronger the drink, the higher the rate’.

According to the government’s consultation document, wines between 8.5% and 22% abv ‘will be taxed at a single flat rate per litre of pure alcohol’.

Under this model, the WSTA said duty on a 15% abv still wine would rise by 68p per bottle to £2.91.

A 12% abv still wine would see duty increase by 10p to £2.33.

For Port and Sherry lovers out there, fortified wine duty could also go up. A 17% abv fortified wine currently has a duty bill of £2.98 per 75cl bottle, but this would rise to £3.30 under the government’s plans, the WSTA said.

Sources include: Bibendum / Vinomics (graphic), the WSTA and figures in the government’s consultation paper on alcohol duty reform (October 2021). 

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Syrah and Shiraz – are they the same grape?

Syrah and Shiraz refer to the same grape; Syrah is how the variety’s was originally referred to while Shiraz is how it became known in Australia, with the term then being adopted elsewhere for wines that share Australian Shiraz’s style. So, in short, each term is now associated with different styles of wines made from the same variety.

Syrah, mostly referring to Old World expressions, is lighter in body and alcohol, leaner and with finer tannins. Shiraz, on the other hand, refers to New World, intense wines, which are generally richer, with riper aromas and fuller in both body and alcohol. While the distinct styles first emerged as a natural consequence of the different growing conditions and microclimates (i.e. the grapes in Australia reaching higher potential alcohol and more ‘cooked’ aromas than their European counterparts), producing a wine in either style is also greatly influenced by winemaking decisions. This explains why beyond France and Australia (and even in these countries) producers might choose to call a wine a single varietal Syrah or Shiraz to easily denote its style.

Scroll down for scores and tastings of 12 must-know Syrah/Shiraz wines

Where is Syrah/Shiraz originally from?

The origins of Syrah were once a matter of much debate, with many speculating that it might hail from Syracuse in Sicily, ancient Persia (the city of Shiraz in ancient Persia, modern-day Iran, being the reason for it Australian name) or descend from an ancient Rhône variety known to produce fine wine in Roman times.

In 1998, however, DNA profiling established that the variety’s parents are in fact Mondeuse blanche and Dureza, believed to be local to the Rhône-Alpes region of France. Some studies also show that, with great probability, Pinot Noir is a great-grandparent of Syrah, and both Viognier and Mondeuse Noire seem to be closely related to Syrah, too.

Some winegrowers in the northern Rhône distinguish between a small-berried, more concentrated version of Syrah, which they call Petite Syrah, and the larger-berried Grosse Syrah, but most ampelographers reject the distinction.

Petite Sirah (with an i, not a y), on the other hand, is the name given to what has been shown to be a common California field blend that makes robust, tannic, earthy wines. It is made up of Syrah, Durif and two other varieties related to them.

Syrah/Shiraz can produce wines of great elegance that can age beautifully. Some of its distinct characteristics are intense black fruit aromas lined by a savoury tapenade-like edge, medium to high tannins and black/white pepper spice. (Syrah/Shiraz is one of the varieties shown to contain more of a compound called rotundone, responsible for peppery aromas in wine.)

Unlike other varieties, Syrah demonstrates a strict relationship between how severely it is pruned and how good the eventual wine is. On the other hand. some argue that is not so expressive of terroir, a question Decanter’s Rhône expert Matt Walls explored in a recent tasting.

It can also lose its aroma and acidity quickly if left past optimal ripening stage which explains why some lesser-quality Syrahs can be rather flat and bland.

France – home of Syrah

Syrah is the queen grape of the northern Rhône where it makes the muscular, deep-coloured, age-worthy, savoury and peppery wines of Hermitage. In Côte-Rôtie it makes more perfumed, slightly floral and refined wines, namely when co-fermented with a small percentage of Viognier.

Crozes-Hermitage, St Joseph and Cornas are other appellations worth looking at, offering earlier drinking and great-value examples.

Until the 1970s, French Syrah plantings were mostly concentrated in and around the vineyards of the northern Rhône valley. Since then, however, Syrah has had an extraordinary surge in popularity throughout southern France and it now is the country’s third most planted red wine. It can be found through the southern Rhône, notably in Châteauneuf-du-Pape country, and has been firmly adopted in the Languedoc-Roussillon.

Australia – home of Shiraz

Cuttings of Syrah/ Shiraz, then known as Scyras, were likely taken to Australia from Montepellier by the so-called father of Australian viticulture, James Busby, in the early 1832. It flourished and was quickly adopted by New South Wales and from there to the whole country, eventually becoming Australia’s most planted variety. The country has some of the oldest Syrah/Shiraz’s plantings in the world and some of the very few that survived phylloxera.

The country makes a range of styles, the most recognisable of which might be distinctively rich, ripe styles from both traditional (Barossa Valley), and newer (Heathcote) regions. Barossa Valley is considered by many to be the ‘spiritual home’ of Australian Shiraz, much due to the iconic status of historic producer Penfolds. Its Grange became Australia’s first serious collectable wine and set a benchmark all Australian winemakers aspired to.

Blends of Shiraz and Cabernet have also been an Australian speciality for decades.

There’s however a growing trend towards more subtle, elegant, cool-grown Rhône styles, less concentrated and handled with a lighter touch in the cellar. These are often, aptly labelled as Syrah instead of Shiraz. Adelaide Hills is a region to look at if you want to explore this expression.

Elsewhere – Syrah/Shiraz as an international variety

Syrah/Shiraz is currently the sixth most planted grape in the world, ranking among the roster of international varieties.

It was enthusiastically planted in California in the 1990s by the so-called Rhône Rangers, a group of winemakers determined to demonstrate that it may be even better suited to California than Cabernet Sauvignon. A vibrant community of Californian winemakers are consistently making very vibrant, refined Syrahs.

Washington State also produces fine, bright examples. Chile, South African and New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay are other interesting regions to explore. (Some of those who make the finest South African examples label them Syrah.)

There are some noteworthy Syrahs in Italy, Spain (mostly in Castilla-La Mancha) and Portugal (Alentejo). Another unexpectedly successful site for mature, concentrated Syrah is the Valais in Switzerland, particularly around Chamoson on the upper reaches of the Rhône valley.

12 must-know Syrah/Shiraz producers and wines:

Wines shown by score in descending order.

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