Dry River Wines 2016 release brochure by Dry River Wines

2016

DR Wines Ltd, Martinborough www.dryriver.co.nz

CONTENTS Introduction

Tasting Notes

Reviews

Musings

Dry River Profiles

Cellaring Guide

The effect of cellaring conditions on your wine

Our Location

DR Wines Ltd PO Box 72, Martinborough 5741 New Zealand PHONE 06 306 9388

www.dryriver.co.nz ENQUIRIES: sue@dryriver.co.nz SALES: sarah@dryriver.co.nz WINEMAKING: wilco@dryriver.co.nz CONSULTANT: ant@dryriver.co.nz

PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHARD BRIMER AND JEDD BARTLETT EMBOSSED ILLUSTRATION ON THE COVER: DETAIL FROM FAÇADE OF DUOMO, FLORENCE – THE SPIES RETURN FROM CANAAN CARRYING A LARGE BUNCH OF GRAPES.

INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Dry River expanded brochure. This edition focuses on the wines released over the past year, which include bottlings from the vintages 2013 to 2015. As a group of vintages they are as strong as any trio, and perhaps a return to ‘normality’ for our region. We expect the challenges of a cool climate, in Martinborough this often means a frosty spring, a windy early summer and a very dry autumn. Of course each year has its own character: 2013 was mild and dry, 2014 very early and quite warm and 2015 a vintage of drought and lower volumes. The focus, as always, is on the wines. Enjoying wine has many different levels of appreciation: be it in the context of the situation, the philosophy of the winegrower, as a source of academic interest or as a matter of taste. We all look for slightly different aspects in our wine appreciation, and how we receive and process that pleasure is even more complicated. It is therefore no surprise to us that many of our followers are from the fields of art, medicine and academia. Pleasure. A word with many positive connotations. When asked to describe this feeling no one answer will be the same. It is therefore a highly individual experience, and difficult to quantify. Yet when described in its chemical form, we see more of its scientific interpretation. Our brains release neurotransmitters that play a major role in our rewardmotivated behaviour, and give rise to the sensation of pleasure [1]. One could question is it valid for both the wine industry and its consumers

Enjoy. [1] Source ‘Psychology Today’

to value a subjective assessment of a wine, to determine quality and pleasure. Featured is a thought provoking interview between wine writer Dr. Jamie Goode and Professor Barry Smith on his interest in flavour. They discuss the transformation of objective wine properties into subjective experiences. Similarly Dr. Neil McCallum has penned a musing that many of you will find fascinating regarding the parallels between wine and the new focus of his passion, gemstones. Neil questions whether ratings and descriptors adequately give justice to the individuality of an artisanal product. We profile one of our keen followers Siobhan Leachman, a self-proclaimed Zooniverser, Wikipedian and wine lover. Finally our friends and colleagues at the Robertson family lodges have created a recipe around seafood and Riesling, a dish where freshness and purity are essential – much like a great Riesling!

TASTING NOTES MUCH HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THE CHALLENGES LEADING UP TO THE 2015 VINTAGE; HIGH WINDS AT FLOWERING TIME, LOW CROPS, A DROUGHT THROUGHOUT SUMMER, FOLLOWED AGAIN BY SEVERE WIND DURING VĂ&#x2030;RAISON. DESPITE THIS, OR MORE BECAUSE OF THIS, WE HAVE EAGERLY BEEN ANTICIPATING THE WINES FROM THIS VINTAGE AS THEY SHOW DISTINCTION AND PERSONALITY. THOUGH WE STILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE RED WINES, WE CAN NOW CONCLUDE AND JUDGE ON ALL OF OUR WHITE WINES. Looking at wine from the vineyard perspective, aromatics and phenolics (partly responsible for a textural component) stem from different pathways. The first largely depends on nutrient uptake and availability by the vine, the latter is largely influenced by climatic factors, fundamentally by ambient temperature and exposure to light. However, there is a common denominator that affects both: water and its availability. Nutrient uptake is facilitated by, but not limited to, water. However, a lack of this will favour phenolic

advancement. Therefore, with the absence of water, both are affected in different and opposite ways. I believe this is exactly what we have seen with our wines from 2015. The wines show great density, weight and texture, though express more earth and savoury characters rather than an abundance of familiar aromatics. As our yields were down significantly, many varieties from the 2015 vintage will be in short supply. We therefore expect them to sell out quickly.

2014 Dry River Martinborough Pinot noir

2015 Dry River Martinborough Pinot gris

2015 Dry River ‘Lovat’ Gewürztraminer

For the winemaking team, the interesting aspect of our Pinot noir is the proportion of representation of each of our three blocks. This varies every year due to natural influences on fruit set. For 2014 it is our Craighall vineyard that contains a higher proportion than usual. This translates to slightly darker characters and a firmer personality, mainly due to the tannins.

Where in the last few years this wine showed rich and powerful aromatics, now elegance, refinement and authority are key words. Again, a purity of flavours is overarching a base layer of savoury components. The gentle scent of harakeke in flower, Nashi pear and exotic tropical aromas like papaya and guava are combined with butterscotch and vanilla custard.

A darker straw appearance. It is on the nose where the vintage shows its true colours. With coconut flesh, caramelized orange rind, scented vanilla and Amaretto, the wine delivers an unusual introduction where fruit opulence is in minor. These seductive characters persist with nuances of Grand Marnier, crepes Suzette and flambéed orange juice. This certainly is a wine with many discussion points.

Deep red in colour with a ruby hue. The nose has full dark fruit notes of blackcurrant and blackberry. At this stage the wine shows some aromatic floral notes and sinew, just enough to balance the opulence of the fruit. There are some subtle oak notes in the form of a gentle walnut like nuance. The palate is well structured at this early stage with an abundance of front palate tannins, however most are cloaked by the richness of the fruit and the density of the flavours. Some sweetness peeks through, although only as a foil for the acidity, which combined, adds to the overall palate presence. If drinking as a young wine, we would recommend decanting first and serving slightly warmer than usual. Expect this wine to cellar well.

Like the Gewurztraminer the Pinot gris is less sweet than previous years with 20 g/L residual sugar. Without a doubt this has an impact on the perception of the wine and interaction with the phenolics. With less distraction at the entrance of the palate the focus rapidly turns to the texture and weight of the wine, round and buoyant. There is no clear division of taste, but a complexity that knows no boundaries or demarcations. Of recognisable interest are pistachio nuts, nougat and vanilla liqueur, further heightened with raisin pinwheels. Those familiar with it might recognise the traditional German amalgamation of fruit compote Rumtopf, without the excessive alcohol. The acidity acts as a faithful servant, maintaining freshness and length. We praise this wine for its early approachability, but it will certainly gain further interest over the next five to seven years.

Again a drier palate in terms of residual sugar at 20 g/L with a moderate alcohol level of 13.5%, this makes for a complex and textural Gewurztraminer. The varietal expression shyly comes through on the palate with concentrated and condensed tannins. Ginger, Amaretto and caramelized cane sugar are the predominant characteristics. More intricate are the higher aromatics like lychee and zest of orange & mandarin. Fenugreek and cardamom spice make for a firm and complex finish, with the acidity ever so minimal in order to retain the focus on the aromatic profile. Looking back in our cellar, Gewurztraminer is not to be underestimated in its capacity to evolve for three to seven years, possibly longer in a good cellar.

2015 Dry River ‘Craighall’ Riesling

2014 Dry River Martinborough Chardonnay

2015 Dry River ‘Craighall’ Selection Riesling

The colour is pale straw with an apple flesh clarity. What stands out on the nose is a ripe fruit intensity, with aromas that clearly define this wine. Lemon flowers and lime sherbet are combined with less expected peach and nectarine notes. The extended lees aging in tank shows a light creamy or biscuit character, tying together the aromatics and bringing uniformity.

We like to give our Chardonnay a good rest in the bottle before releasing it to the market. Having spent the best part of a year in oak barrels it only seems appropriate to allow the wine to recover and regroup post bottling. As a wine that many expect to be delivering softness and richness on release, we feel we are able to partially accommodate this expectation without compromising our philosophy of making wines to age. That being said, our expression of Chardonnay will always show tighter structure and purer fruit than most.

To make a selection in the vineyard we must first notice a difference in the look or flavour of the fruit. Throughout our Riesling harvest we are constantly assessing our two Craighall blocks, taking small picks and holding the juices separate for further assessment. Only when everything is harvested can we allocate juices to wines with any real authority. We aim to optimise two styles of Riesling using this approach, a wine based on an absolute clarity of flavour and structure, and a selection based on extra fruit weight and complexity. This year we have released our ‘Selection’ Riesling in Spring which has allowed extra tank and bottle time for our dry style prior to release.

Some of you may have noticed we delayed the release of this wine. We believe the extended maturation has resulted in a wine that is more approachable and enjoyable upon release, without compromising on cellar potential. The texture extends well beyond the front palate, showing more flesh and body where a glossy cushion brings focus to the centre. We believe this is where the wine shines, purity throughout. Because the acidity brings length and order, the rich content is clearly visible, systematic and perpetual, true to its nature. A soft and gentle wine with a strong backbone that gives pleasure as a young wine, but we anticipate it will also reward further cellaring for another seven to ten years.

Straw coloured with green hues. This wine sits so comfortably within its framework that descriptors other than ‘pure Chardonnay’ almost seem trivial and inadequate. This wine is a stunning example of this variety and a wine we have put a lot of thought into. Fruit characters such as white nectarine and citrus mingle with the subtle nuttiness of toasted and crushed almonds. Notes of brioche almost span the components of the wine-does this come from barrels, the aging on lees, or both? The palate is extremely rich, which belies the fact that the alcohol is very low. This is definitely one of the most complex Chardonnays we have produced but still carrying the definitive Dry River DNA. Expect this wine to age very well in the cellar.

Pale coloured with flecks of green which suggest purity of fruit and brightness of flavour. The nose is tightly wound with concentrated citrus, pithy grapefruit and aromatic Tahitian lime characters. There is also a noticeable touch of pineapple and honey aroma. Befitting this style of wine, we also see a minerality in the form of a struck rock or flint nuance. Whilst the aromatic profile is where some of the interest lies, we feel it is the palate where most of the action is. With a small percentage of Botrytis infected berries, advanced ripeness and a residual sugar of 75g/l,

THE WINES SHOW GREAT DENSITY, WEIGHT AND TEXTURE, THOUGH EXPRESS MORE EARTH AND SAVOURY CHARACTERS RATHER THAN AN ABUNDANCE OF FAMILIAR AROMATICS. texture and weight are exploited in order to find a fitting equilibrium with the retained acidity. This release of Riesling ‘Selection’ really does take us on an exploration of the essence of this noble variety. Enjoy now or lay down for medium to long term cellaring.

2015 Dry River ‘Estate’ Viognier Our interest in Viognier has come about as much through the curiosity of making another aromatic wine, as its suitability to produce something exciting given the local performance of its Northern Rhone stablemate, Syrah. On both counts we have not been disappointed. Aromatically, it is different enough to have earnt its place alongside the Alsatian varieties but the biggest difference is its oily palate structure. Its viticultural challenges are not so much achieving ripeness, rather achieving a crop level and managing that ripeness.

Deep straw with green hues which suggests well ripened and exposed fruit. The nose is aromatic in the honey suckle and apricot spectrum with lifted floral nuances of Daphne or Christmas Lilly. A ground almond flour note is also present spanning both the aroma and taste ranges. Everything about Viognier is amplified which makes it difficult to categorise-whilst we consider it an aromatic wine, it also has a chalky palate when dry which often confuses tasters. We have been producing Viognier since 2006, and older bottles remain in good condition, however we recommend you enjoy this wine in its youth – three to five years.

2013 Dry River ‘Lovat’ Syrah ‘Amaranth’ As an early adopter of Syrah (1996, Arapoff Syrah) we have seen the variety gain prominence over the years. Martinborough is no longer the southerly extreme of Syrah cultivation in New Zealandyet we think it is plenty cool enough to retain wonderful aromatics and a finely tuned palate. Visitors from overseas

often leave raving about our Syrah, perhaps viewing our wine within the context of what pure Syrah actually tastes like. Vintage differences at Dry River usually relate to palate weight and the shape of the phenolics. Aromatically the vintages are quite similar, revolving around the themes suggestive of spice, tar and various berry fruits. Blood red with a vibrant purple hue that suggests brooding intensity and tightly bound flavours. Aromatically this Syrah is cool climate with its perfume of violets, black pepper and cinnamon spice. Adding to these flavours is a strong mineral streak, best described as summer rain on a gravel road, which we see as a mark of interest and complexity. Plusher notes of milk chocolate give the wine a degree of openness and comfort. The palate is mid-weight but with an extra degree of concentration from the quality of the harvest. The extra time in bottle before release has softened the tannins slightly but don’t be fooled by the underlying power of them, and therefore cellaring potential, of this wine. We have designated this wine ‘Amaranth’ because we expect it to develop wonderful interest in the cellar.

REVIEWS RAYMOND CHAN

“Raymond Chan has been in the wine industry all his life, beginning at his parent’s restaurant in Dunedin and currently in Wellington. Many wine lovers remember Raymond’s time at Regional Wines and Spirits fondly. I can thank Raymond for organising my first shop tasting, as a nervous young winemaker at Framingham, and the gentle, non-critical, advice that followed has served me well since. Raymond’s relationship with Dry River and particularly Neil McCallum goes back even further. As a Wellington wine retailer Raymond occasioned to follow the emerging industry in Martinborough. Raymond has regaled many stories of the pioneers ‘doing it tough’ in their pursuit of world class wine. Whilst the wine industry is still tough, thankfully we have moved on from those days. More recently Raymond’s business ‘Raymond Chan Wine Reviews’ provides valuable insight and independent reviews for both consumers and the wider trade. It is within this context we have asked Raymond to preview our March releases and add to his earlier notes of the September releases so as to present a summary of our year in wine.“ ANT MACKENZIE Dry River Martinborough Pinot Noir 2014 18.5+/20 Very dark, deep, black-hued ruby-red colour with slight purple hues on the edge. The nose is finely concentrated and tightly bound with aromas of black cherry and black-berried fruits entwined with black minerals and subtle dark herbs, and delicately complexing whole cluster stalk and stem perfumes. Black and dark red florals and a suggestion of toasty oak emerge with aeration. Medium-full bodied and elegantly presented, sweet and luscious fruit flavours of blackberries and black cherries are the feature and are melded with dark herbs and complexing stalk and stem

whole cluster nuances, along with black minerals. The fruit sweetness is enhanced by fresh, lacy acidity, and the mouthfeel supported by refined tannin extraction. The palate is refreshing with the fruit sweetness balanced and driven by acid cut, and the wine carries to a long and sustained, supple-textured finish. This is an elegant and gently sweet Pinot Noir with subtle layers of complexity and fine tannin and acid freshness. Match with wild duck and pork over the next 5–6+ years.

Dry River Martinborough Pinot Gris 2015 19.0+/20 Full, bright, light golden-hued yellow colour with some depth, lighter edged. This has a firmly concentrated nose with rich, deep, ripe yellow stonefruit aromas softly integrated with exotic yellow florals, honeysuckle and wild honey. Very delicate talc botrytis, apricot kernel, and nutty nuances emerge, providing complexing detail, supporting the beautiful, ripe fruit clarity. Medium in sweetness and medium-full bodied, the palate is rich with layers of ripe yellow stonefruits, tropical fruits, honeysuckle and honey, along with soft marmalade botrytis elements. The fruit is rich and along with the sweetness forms an unctuous core underlined by very fine phenolic textures. Soft acidity enhances the richness and near opulence. The palate carries to a rich amalgam of ripe fruit and subtle botrytis flavours that are long and lingering. This is a rich, ripe, unctuous mediumsweet Pinot Gris with stonefruit and honied flavours. A classical Dry River expression that will match Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine over the next 5–6 years.

Dry River ‘Lovat’ Martinborough Gewurztraminer 2015 18.5+/20 Full, bright, light golden-yellow colour with some depth, lighter on the rim. The nose is broad with softly voluminous and gently packed, layered aromas of rose-petal florals, exotic tropical fruits, root

ginger, creaming soda and spices, harmoniously integrated with waves of marmalade, honey and musk. Medium in sweetness and medium-full bodied, the palate features a rich and deep core with fruit flavours of exotic florals, tropical fruits and root ginger, along with marmalade, honey, talc and musk from botrytis. The flavours are integrated and interwoven, and flow along a fine-textured phenolicbased palate, the fruit restrained in sweetness and succulence. The structure carries the wine easily, with soft acidity and some alcohol power enhancing the weight and vinosity. The wine leads to a moderately dry, long, lingering, textured finish with exotic florals and honied nuances. This is a rich, exotic and wellconcentrated, botrytis-influenced Gewurztraminer with fine, dry, phenolic textures. Match with Middle Eastern fare and semi-hard cheeses over the next 4–5+ years.

Dry River ‘Craighall’ Martinborough Riesling 2015 19.0-/20 Bright straw-yellow colour with pale golden hues, lighter on rim. The nose is soft, refined and elegantly proportioned with aromas of white florals and limes, unveiling subtle acacia and jasmine florals, honeysuckle and mouth-watering mineral detail. The aromatics are beautifully integrated, with a pure and refined heart. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate features a tight, refined and firm core of thirst-quenching flavours of limes, lemonade, white florals, honeysuckle and minerals. The fruit flows along a fine, dry, textural line and grows in intensity, concentration and phenolic structure. Refined, lively, lacy acidity lends energy and drive and enhances the mouth-watering palate. The textural line carries the flavours to a firmly bound, long and sustained finish of limes, minerals and honeysuckle. This is a firm, concentrated, finely structured dry

Riesling with lime, floral and mineral flavours. Serve as an aperitif and with seafood over the next 6–7 years.

Dry River Martinborough Chardonnay 2014 18.5+/20 Bright, very pale straw-yellow colour, near colourless on the rim. This has a very elegant nose of white stonefruits with nutty notes and subtle savoury elements of funky smoke from the indigenous yeast. Elegant too on palate, tightly bound stonefruit flavours feature with citrus and floral undertones. Nutty oak and mineral nuances emerge and blossom. This has a firm and concentrated line with fine textures, good acid tension, and some underlying power that carries the palate to a dry, lingering finish. The increased solids and wild yeast take the Chardonnay away from the ‘fruit pure’ style, and into the genuine white burgundy mode. It would be interesting to see this pushed even further!

Dry River ‘Craighall’ ‘Selection’ Martinborough Riesling 2015 19.0-/20 Bright, very pale straw, near colourless. The nose is very elegant and fine in expression, tightly bound, but simultaneously rich and opulent with lime fruit, white florals, honeysuckle apples and mouthwatering minerals. This grows in volume with aeration. Medium in sweetness, the palate is one of poise and tension, the fruit softly luscious and decadent, with a firm core and line. Bright, lively piquant acidity, and the finest textural thread lends cut, energy and precision. The flavours of lime fruit, lifted florals, honey and minerals flow with great drive and linearity, carrying through to a thirstquenching, long and sustained lime and floral finish. The lusciousness and piquant richness is another step up from the beautiful 2014 ‘Selection’ Riesling. This will keep well, developing over 7–9 years.

Dry River ‘Dry River’ Martinborough Viognier 2015 18.5+/20 Brilliant, very pale colour, near colourless. The bouquet is beautifully fine and fragrant with intense and pure aromas of exotic florals and apricots. The concentration, depth and intensity are startling, and the aromatics exude a sense of power. This is fresh and youthful, with a cool herbal nuance which enhances the purity. Off-dry, the sweetness appears quite properly balanced and adds a degree of richness and opulence to the fruit. Exotic lifted florals and apricot fruit follow a finely textured line. The mouthfeel is rounded and smooth, but fine phenolic grip balances the sweetness and provides line and structure, carrying through to a lush, but thirst-quenching finish. This has captured the essence of Viognier, with great varietal purity and definition. It could be drier, but this has all the necessary balance. The best Dry River Viognier in several years for me.

Dry River ‘Amaranth’ ‘Lovat’ Martinborough Syrah 2013 19.5-/20 Dark, deep, purple-hued ruby-red colour. The nose is very full and voluminous with aromas of ripe black and red berry fruit at the core, with black pepper, spice notes and a beautiful array of floral aromatics that blossoms in the glass. On palate very concentrated with succulently sweet and ripe black fruits, lifted by a floral bloom. This has an exoticism, with spicy nuances integrated with the fruit. The fruit opulence is checked by considerable tannin extraction, all fine-grained and flowery in texture. The balance is impeccable and varietal precision is present. The wine is indeed a textural one rather than a fruit bomb. A superb expression of Syrah that will live a decade plus.

MUSINGS DR NEIL McCALLUM NEIL NEEDS VERY LITTLE INTRODUCTION. AS ONE OF NEW ZEALAND’S BRIGHTEST YOUNG SCIENTISTS HE GAVE AWAY ONE PROMISING CAREER FOR ANOTHER – WINE. FOUNDING AND BUILDING DRY RIVER – ALONG WITH WIFE DAWN – TO BECOMING A WORLD CLASS WINE PRODUCER IN JUST 30 YEARS IS NOTHING SHORT OF ASTONISHING. NAMED AS A FAVOURITE OF JANCIS ROBINSON MW, DRY RIVER HAS DONE MUCH TO HELP CEMENT NEW ZEALAND’S REPUTATION AS A COUNTRY PRODUCING SERIOUS WINES. AFTER SELLING DRY RIVER IN 2002 AND INTENDING

TO RETIRE, NEIL INSTEAD CONTINUED TO PUSH THE WINE QUALITY TO NEW HEIGHTS. FINALLY RETIRING FROM THE WINE INDUSTRY IN 2011, ONLY TO TAKE UP ANOTHER PASSION, SOURCING AND CUTTING PRECIOUS STONES. THIS NEW PURSUIT INDULGES NEIL’S SKILL SET IN A SIMILAR WAY TO THE WINE INDUSTRY. UTILISING SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE, CAREFULLY MANAGING RISK, ALL MATCHED WITH THE DETAILED EYE OF A CRAFTSMAN – UNDERTAKEN WITH THE EASE AND CHARM OF A SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR! We hope you enjoy Neil’s musing on some of the parallels between wine and gems.

BEAUTY:

… OF WINES AND GEMS In 2011 I retired from the wine industry and joined the cutting and trading industry for coloured gems. Valuations are critical to this and I found myself in yet another occupation where understanding its aesthetics is key to being a competitive operator. When I was into wine it had dawned on me that the concept of matching aesthetics with numbers was a little fraught and that the basis of using numbers for the scoring of wines by writers and judges was, at the best, subjective. As you know, wines are commonly judged out of 20 or 100 with points awarded to the smell, colour and flavour–total these up and some wine commentators and judges seem to assume that this can give an accurate assessment of how “good” the wine really is. On the other hand, Hugh Johnson, a very great commentator on wine and other subjects wrote in apparent contradiction “wine tastes best in the village that it is made”: in other words, there is a subjective slant to all this. This is not silly. Psychologists tell us that it is mostly before the age of 4 that we learn about the nuances of smells, tastes and colour of all those things around us. We absorb our mother’s value judgements and to a lesser extent those of our peers and yes, there are other smells, flavours and colours that we miss out on, maybe because they are not around and about us. This makes us less able

to learn and appreciate them – if at all – as we grow older. So the winemaker of the village is best tuned to what the inhabitants of the village like and in this vein, visiting his village may at least help sensitise us to the aesthetic experience he wishes to impart. Should we be surprised then at the Chinese bias towards the soft green colours of fine jade which leads them to pursue green gems such as emerald, chrome tourmaline and green garnet? Likewise for the popularity of the simple designs of rose-cut diamonds in India. India was the only source of diamonds till 1729 (which is when they were discovered in Brazil) and their Maharajas (of what was then the Mughal Empire) wanted their diamonds to impress with size, hence this style of cutting diamonds which was optimising size rather than clarity or brilliance. In 2003 the Gem and Jewellery Institute of Thailand decided that, as the largest exporter of rubies in the world, they should establish a ruby colour grading system. They had an international mix of 400 people choose their preferences between Thai, Monghsu and Mogok (Burma/ Myanmar) and Madagascar rubies all of which displayed subtle differences in the colour red. They found Americans prefer Mogok, Europeans prefer Thai, Japanese like both Monghsu and Mogok. Am I surprised? Overall we Kiwis have preferences for blue and green stones, although this is only a rough average – if you want to

choose a stone for a friend or beloved, it is better to ask what their favourite colour in clothes is. Moving on to the value of a hypothetical stone that you are buying for yourself or a loved one … Caucasian traders and valuers work from published prices of international surveys of sales. They work with wholesale prices which may be a half to a third of retail prices. These prices differentiate the different grades of the stones which are commercial, good, fine, extra fine and divisions within these. And lo and behold they use a system for determining these which is rather analogous to what is done for wine. They score a stone on its colour, cut and clarity but with up to 80% of the value awarded to the colour. They add up the scores and bingo they can tell you how much the wine, whoops, gem is worth. Richard Hughes, a high profile industry commentator laments: “we have surrendered our senses to science, we sell gems based on scientific analysis and reports, not on the beauty that we see.” And that is not all … the surveys of prices giving rise to how the stones are valued are largely based on American purchase statistics with the implicit assumption that this is representative of what happens around the world. Alas there is even less discussion of aesthetics in gems than with wine and this where I had and still have to put effort to trade in gems that people actually want as opposed to just investing in. It is no good having “valuable” stones if no one wants them. Colour is the easy bit. New Zealanders have preferences

for blues and greens and the other colours less so – I try to steer my stock in this direction. There is also the preference for the historically important precious stones which are rubies, sapphires and emeralds in spite of the recent discoveries of sometimes more attractive alternatives such as the green chrome tourmaline and green garnet and in the particularly amusing case of red spinel. It was only at the beginning of the 20th century that people distinguished between red spinel and ruby and the famous rubies of the world such as the Black Prince Ruby in the crown of England and the Timur Ruby are actually spinels but were named before the distinction was made. So “ruby” became famous at least partly for inaccurate historical reasons whereas red spinels are at least as beautiful but are only 10% of the price because they lack the perceived historical provenance and awareness amongst the general public. This brings to mind the huge price difference awarded to first growth Bordeaux and a few of the most famous Burgundies.

I prefer to avoid the “big three” (sapphire, ruby and emerald) and concentrate on beauty, rarity and durability in the less known varieties which can be much better value for money – even spectacular value. For example I recently acquired a 3.5 carat blue kyanite stone for $150US. A stunningly beautiful stone which a well known jeweller thought was a Sri Lankan sapphire which would be worth about $7,000US. The kyanite was so cheap because stones of that particular quality are extremely unusual and not widely known about, so as yet there is no international indicative price for them. As well as colour, we have an additional cultural preference, which so far has not been as emphasised, and this is geographical provenance. Just as for wine, many of us are interested in where a gem comes from and that it is a natural expression of what comes out of the ground. This is not utilised enough by some jewellers but although I find it difficult to sell an ordinary garnet, I do find selling a grape garnet (purple) from

the Umba Valley in Tanzania is a different proposition. Gems from Mogok (northern Burma) also carry heavy premiums. In this instance it is not only because it is a province name but also because it has a very strong historical provenance which is associated with very high quality. Where does all this leave us? We have to concede that traditional parameters of beauty and quality in wine or gems are variable according to culture, environmental influences on us when young, and historical provenance. Overall, if the wine or gem is only assessed by numbers (as it is with gems) the result can be highly misleading. If they are described and talked or written about (in the case of gems – even photographed) or if the taste or preferences of the writer are wellknown and understood, it then becomes possible for others to have a much better idea whether the item will be enjoyed. Is there anyone amongst you brave enough to score a Miro or Picasso painting?

MUSINGS JAMIE GOODE INTERVIEWS BARRY SMITH ON:

WHAT IS THE NATURE OF WINE PERCEPTION, AND IS WINE FLAVOUR OBJECTIVE? How can a proponent of natural wine publish a book on the technical aspects of making Sauvignon blanc? Being able to reconcile these differences is something Jamie Goode does with consummate ease. Earning a PhD in plant biology followed by a stint as a scientific editor would have undoubtedly prepared him for writing about the technical aspects of wine. Jamie’s path to becoming a wine journalist for broadsheet newspapers and publishing books is unusual. Founding the wildly successful wine blog wineanorak.com, he has quite literally blogged himself into the mainstream printed format. Writing about taste is Jamie’s currency, how we perceive it and where it comes from is his main concern. We have been lucky enough to be granted permission to re-publish a fascinating interview between Dr Jamie Goode and Professor Barry Smith on aspects of flavour, as published in October 2015 on the wineanorak.com

Professor Barry Smith is an academic philosopher with a particular interest in flavour. He was founder of and is codirector of CenSes – Center for the Study of the Senses. Hosted by the Institute of Philosophy (University of London), this is an exciting multidisciplinary forum for philosophical and neuroscientific research on the nature of our sensory systems and perception. I began by asking Barry about his own background as a philosopher. How is it that philosophy can help neuroscience? Or would he no longer describe himself as simply a philosopher in the classical sense? JG: What can your discipline, philosophy, give to neuroscience that can help here? Or would you consider that perhaps your discipline has changed a bit? BS: Our discipline has changed a bit. We have always been interested in the nature of experience and the nature of perception. If you ask philosophers what their core business is, it is objectivity and subjectivity. This is

one of the reasons I have got into this area. All the great wine critics go on and on telling you things, and then they say, of course, taste is subjective and it is all a matter of individual opinions. And then they tell you which vintage is better than another, and which domain is better. And I think, hold on, I thought it was all subjective and a matter of opinion. So is this just autobiography? If so, why should I care about you? They don’t really believe that it is entirely subjective.

People must feel obliged to say, it is subjective – like what you like. But then they behave entirely as if it was objective. Entirely as though it was objective. I noticed this clash between what they say – the official line – and what they actually do in practice, which is to rate and give very normative pronouncements about which Domaines are better, which Chateaux are producing better wine, and which vintage is better. So they do have very clear judgments about this. In their favour you might say that they are confusing the perception of the flavour of a wine with evaluating it purely hedonically (I like, I don’t like). I am very hung up about this. A lot of ordinary tasters think the whole point of tasting is to come up with a verdict: thumbs up, thumbs down. If you give someone a wine and ask what do you think of that, they say, I quite like it, or I don’t like it. You think: I wasn’t asking that: I was asking what do you think of

it? Not, how is it for you? But, can you tell me more about it? What do you notice? What is going on? I think when critics say it is all subjective, they are saying your preferences are subjective. But there must be difference between preferences and perception. For example, I don’t see why critics couldn’t be very good at saying this is a very fine example of a Gruner Veltliner, or this is one of the best examples of a medium dry Riesling, but it is not for me. Why can’t they distinguish judgments of quality from judgments of individual liking? It seems to me you could. You know what is expected of this wine and what it is trying to do: is it achieving it? Yes, but it’s not to your taste. The general public don’t always separate hedonics from flavour perception. They don’t always separate liking from how something tastes. It is usually due to a bad argument. The bad argument is that you taste the wine and I taste the same wine; you like it and I don’t like it, so you say to me it can’t taste the same way to you as it does to me. If it tasted the same way, you would see it was lovely and you’d like it. But why is that the case? It might taste exactly the same but you like that flavour and I don’t.

So there’s a step that’s missing, which is a separation of hedonics from perception. Yes. We can do that in principle. Philosophers might be interested in whether liking was an intrinsic part of tasting. Is it that whenever you taste something, you can’t separate how it tastes from whether you like it. That is, if you like it, it would taste different from if you didn’t like it. As a philosopher I am interested in that separation. If you can’t separate them, how can you acquire a taste for something?

That is very interesting. Obviously our tastes aren’t static. Hedonics is interesting, but it’s not the most interesting thing. Whether you like something or not can change with time. It is not stable over time. But is perception stable over time? This is the Heraclitus scenario.

remember it tasting, I thought: I want to try that again. Now thinking of it with those descriptions and with that way of articulating and expecting it to be like that, I loved it. Now it is one of my favourites.

Suppose I didn’t like something. The first time you taste alcohol or beer you don’t like it. Then there’s a time when you really like it. Does it taste the same to you now as it did then? Some people say, no, I didn’t like it then and if I like it now it must taste different. Or, if it tastes exactly the same way before and after, what explains the change in my liking? Is it nothing to do with how it tastes? Is it just that I sort of flip? This needs to be explained. It is little bit of a paradox.

I think it goes further than that: it directed my attention. It was like the blast of a whole symphony. Here’s this single thing: did I like it? No. Then my attention is directed to those apricot flavours, to the slight bitterness – to the voluptuousness of it and the oiliness of it. Now that I recognize those, I am kind of understanding what the parts are and why they behave together as they do, and it completely transformed my experience of it. Does it taste the same as it did? Yes. But the way I experienced that taste is different because someone has directed my attention to it a different way.

I suspect it tastes pretty much the same. I think it tastes very much the same. I have had experience of this. When I was a novice taster, I tasted lots of great white Burgundies and thought this was the epitome of white wine. I remember reading about Condrieu as one of the world’s great white wines. So I rush out, buy this expensive Condrieu, put it in the fridge, get ready – I’m very excited. And I open it up and I don’t really like it. I was surprised. I thought: why do people like this? I was disappointed in me as much as in anything else. Then I was talking to someone a little more experienced in wine. They said: don’t you love that bitter apricot kernel flavour? Don’t you like the oiliness of it? I suddenly went back in my mind and thought that is exactly what it tasted of. It was oily and fatty and had this bitter apricot character. I thought: that’s right. They said: it is really good with salty seafood. I suddenly could put all those things together in my mind. Without changing how I

So this is like the way changing the name of the dish changes the liking of the dish.

This is an issue I find interesting. If we have a vocabulary for wine, this gives us hooks on which to hang perception. Without those hooks we wouldn’t give certain facets of the flavour attention. Sometimes the language we have for flavours in wine can make us approach the wine slightly differently. You experience the wine the same, the taste is the same, but you go into the taste in a different way. You go into the taste in a different way – the way you experience that very same taste. People say: it had a different taste. I say, no, it is only if you are identifying its taste with your experience of it that you think it is the same. It is the same taste but a different experience of the taste. So

I have to believe in objective flavours for me to say there is a different way I experience that flavour.

This brings us on to the issue of objectivity. In the past I have argued – perhaps erroneously – that the taste is not a property of a wine because it only exists as a taste when it is tasted by a taster. Your position, if I am correct, is that you have the molecules – the various components of the wine – and they construct flavour, which is separate from the perception of the wine. Then how we experience that flavour is subjective. Yes, that is subjective, and it is variable. Not only across individuals, but it is variable in an individual across time, and across different conditions. The way I like to do this is to say, here’s the chemistry (the volatile and nonvolatile elements). And people often go from talking about the chemistry to talking about how amazingly varied our perceptions of wine are. They ask: how could we ever get laws that go from the chemistry to all this variation in perception? It must mean that there is no such thing as objective taste. What I say is, you need an intermediate level. We need a level in between the chemistry and the variable perceptions, and this is flavour. Flavours are emergent properties: they depend on, but are not reducible to the chemistry. Then these flavours are things which our varying and variable perceptions try to latch onto. Each flavour perception is a snapshot of that flavour. We don’t even want to think of it as static: we want to think of a flavour profile: something which itself evolves and changes over time. As a professional taster you are taking snapshots in each of your tastings and trying to figure out what the flavour properties of that wine are that will continue to endure and alter as the

wine ages. How would it taste if it was a degree or two colder or warmer? You make predictions and then you can go back and sample it later and say, I was right: I figured that it needed another hour in the glass and needed to be one degree warmer and it would change like this. The thing about which you are making the predictions is flavour. This is what depends on, but is not reducible to chemistry. Now you have two tough jobs instead of one, with this intermediate level. One task is to say, what is the relationship between the chemistry and the flavours that emerge? The second task is what is the relationship between individual flavour perceptions and flavours? These two jobs need to be done independently, but they have to reach the same terminus. Having this intermediate level gives you the job of saying how does my individual experience as a taster lock on to flavour, and how does the chemistry give rise to flavour. Don’t try going from the chemistry to perception, you need that middle level.

And how would you get to the flavour? You do it by prediction. I think it is very interesting that winemakers are making a wine, tasting it, which at a very early stage of its life is

understood by them to be a wine that will need this amount of time and development. It might need to stay a little longer in barrel, or it might need to be bottled after 12 months, or 18 months, or whatever. They are making predictions from the early experience of what it will be like, on the basis of having made many wines before, and tasted them early and late. They are building up predictions about that underlying flavour profile. Then, like Heraclitus, you are dipping into the water at different times. But when you make a prediction and you confirm it, this gives me a sense there is something you are getting objectively right.

So there is a temporal dimension to flavour? That is right. This is why I think it is not just a flavour as a moment; it is a flavour profile in a wine. You, as a taster when you taste the wine in barrel or when it has been bottled, and you taste it after four years, five years, ten years: you have expectations. You know some of its trajectory. That thing has gone on having that evolving flavour independent of your moments of tasting, but you are making predictions about it.

DRY RIVER NOTES FROM GROUP EXECUTIVE CHEF AT KAURI CLIFFS DALE GARTLAND Dale Gartland has been with Kauri Cliffs since his arrival in New Zealand in 2003, and worked his way up to become the Group Executive Chef of the three Robertson family lodges. We asked Dale together with Tom Riedl, Sommelier at Cape Kidnappers, to share with us a recipe of their favourite dish to match with our 2015 Riesling.

Seared Kingfish with Avocado, Grapefruit, Ginger & Radish The Dry River Riesling has a lovely earthy, citrusy nose. The wine clears the palate and the high acidity cuts through the kingfish, like a natural grapefruit. The perfect balance between a dry style with chalky minerality, it pairs perfectly with the avocado and ginger. The finish is long and rich. Ingredients for four people • Approx 320g piece kingfish • 12 segments grapefruit • 12 slices breakfast radishes

• Coriander for garnish

Method

• 2 avocadoes blended with juice of 2 limes, 5 shakes of Kaitaia Fire & pinch of salt, then place in piping bag

To start, make the marinade by combining all ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.

Marinade & Dressing

Next make the avocado mix and have it ready in the piping bag. Prepare remaining ingredients.

• 100 ml grapeseed oil • Juice of 1 mandarin • Juice of 1 lime • 1 clove garlic, minced • ½ teaspoon chopped chilli • 1 teaspoon chopped coriander • 1 teaspoon chopped Italian parsley • 1 teaspoon fish sauce • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar • Good pinch of sea salt

Preheat a frying pan over a high heat with 1 tablespoon of nonscented oil, season the king fish with salt and sear quickly on all sides. Take from the pan and place into the marinade, making sure the fish is well covered, then leave to stand for 10 minutes. Slice the fish into your preferred size, we like to slice just under 1cm, then place back in marinade for a further 10 minutes. Arrange all the ingredients on a plate, pipe on the avocado, spoon the dressing over the top and around. It’s that easy!

• 4 teaspoons sliced pickled ginger • 4 good pinches micro salad

PROFILES COLLECTOR’S ITEM One method of being close to our followers is participating in conversation via Twitter. This forum can be of great interest for sharing wine experiences, and as another platform where we can keep up to date with goings on in the world which are of interest to Dry River. One of our Twitter followers is Siobhan Leachman. She is also one of our Mail Order members, and according to her profile, is an avid wine collector, Zooniverser and Wikipedean. What follows is her story of falling in love with wine and discovering Dry River. I know the very moment I fell in love with wine. It was in December 1994 when I was lucky enough to attend a cellar and winery tour at Stonyridge Winery. My then boyfriend, now husband, took me with him when the company he worked for visited Waiheke Island as part of their office Christmas function. I found the whole visit fascinating, listening to the techniques of grape growing and wine making, as espoused by the winemaker. But my “fall in love” moment was when I tasted the barrel sample offered at the end of the tour. After this experience I wanted to learn as much as possible about wine. That summer we visited several wine regions starting with Marlborough and Canterbury, and then moving on to wineries in the Wairarapa. I can remember being excited planning a visit to Dry River. I’d quickly developed into a Riesling fanatic and Dry River Riesling was a favorite from the beginning. I had attended a tasting held at Regional Wines and Spirits in Wellington where a bottle of Dry River Riesling had impressed. It was after one of those tastings that I joined the exclusive Dry River mailing list. I must have been fortunate in my timing as I can’t remember there being a waitlist when I joined! By

the time we decided to go overseas for our OE, my husband and I had managed to acquire a small cellar of about 10 cases of wine, half of which was Dry River. We stored them under my mother-in-law’s house thinking to ourselves we’d only be away 2–3 years. While in the UK I became even more interested in wine. I had the opportunity to travel to many of the great wine regions in Europe and was getting more enjoyment out of learning about (and drinking) wine than being a lawyer. So I put my legal career on hold and went to work for Oddbins, a wine retailer. I obtained first my Certificate and then my Diploma in Wine from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and carried on my journey of visiting and enjoying European wine regions. One of the many benefits of being in the wine industry was the ability to purchase bottles on staff discount. These were added to our quickly expanded collection obtained during our travels. We also continued to purchase Dry River thus adding to our hoard underneath my mother-in-law’s house. We returned to New Zealand after over 5 years away, shipping back our enjoyably acquired European cellar to add to the wine in New Zealand.

Siobhan Leachman

One of the benefits of staying away so long was that we had perfectly aged Dry River wines to return to. These wines confirmed my belief that cellar age can add so much to a finely made bottle of wine, increasing the pleasure gained from it. It is well worth the wait. However I have since discovered it helps to be out of the country and away from temptation to enable a Dry River wine to mature!

All the best, Siobhan

A second dip can occur between 4 & 6 years when the wine can start to look tired then may well emerge looking refreshed and in an interesting new phase for the next few years. It can be worth opening and even decanting them a few hours before serving – particularly the reds. We actively follow the wines for the first 10 years in our cellar. Wine can last longer, depending on individual cellaring conditions. We are always interested to hear your feedback on older vintages that you have tasted from your cellar.

Other

Riesling

Gewurz

Viognier

Syrah

Sauvignon bl.

Riesling (Craig)

Pinot noir

Gewurz (Lovat)

Pinot gris

Late harvest/ Bunch selection

Gewurz (DR or Mart.)

Be aware that our wines can ‘go into a tunnel’ somewhere between six months and two years after release. During this time the wine can be quite unrewarding, but be patient because it can blossom later and confound earlier impressions and predictions.

Chardonnay

CELLARING GUIDE 2016

2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 This table is only a guide for a standard cellar at 12ºC – see Cellaring Notes

KEY not made/to be released hold worth trying but conserve your stocks. drink from now on if from a good cellar; warmer cellars reach this point earlier. there is little to be gained from further cellaring. The effect of differing cellaring conditions will be obvious – wines in warmer cellars should be checked for premature ageing. dead, dying or thinking about it, in our cellaring conditions. Warmer cellars will approach this point sooner.

THE EFFECT OF

CELLARING CONDITIONS ON YOUR WINE The guide on page 16 is for a ‘standard cellar’ at 12°C. Warmer and fluctuating temperatures will age wine more rapidly and may not be as beneficial to the less robust wines and varietals. In our experience the ‘robustness’ of wines is likely to be in the order: Cabernet and blends > Sauvignon blanc > Syrah > Riesling > Pinot gris and Chardonnay > Pinot noir and Gewurztraminer. Wines high in extract will tend to mature rather more slowly than the ‘average’ same varietal on this list. If you have a number of our wines and your cellar conditions are not similar to our ‘standard cellar’, you will no doubt learn how to interpret the chart in relation to your own conditions. However, a more active approach to evaluating your cellar is to note temperatures for the range of the days, between weeks and between seasons, by leaving a thermometer in a large jar of water in your cellar. It is not sufficient to observe that the cellar ‘always feels cool’ – such feelings are relative only to outside conditions. Significant fluctuations

in daily or weekly temperatures tend to add to the speed of ageing commented on below, and may also increase the incidence of leakers and seepers, occasionally give examples of ATA (atypical ageing – see GENERAL NOTES … , Aromas) and disproportionately fast ageing for laccase-containing wines (i.e. those with potential or actual botrytis). Vibration and direct light on the wine are damaging influences which should also be avoided.

General Notes Relating to Cellared Wines Wine maturation is an organic process which is very dependent on the conditions of cellaring. Wines do not inevitably end up at a predictable quality and style, hence André Simone’s famous quote ‘there are no great wines, only great bottles.’ Nevertheless, cellars with the best possible conditions are the most likely to produce the best possible end results.

If your storage has temperature maximums of no more than… Then your storage conditions are…

10–15°C

good, and your wines will be at a similar stage of development to that indicated in the table on page 16. Burgundians say that for proper cellaring Pinot noir must be kept in this temperature range (cf. the book Pinot noir, by A. Barr, p33)

15–18°C

at these temperatures your wine could be maturing 20–25% faster than above. Nevertheless, for quality the conditions are adequate, unless you would like to pamper your wines or your cellar is large and/or valuable. The chart should still be very useful, but bear in mind that your wines will develop faster. The results may be less fine.

18–24°C

this includes quite a few Auckland cellars. It is not ideal; differences in speed of development will be evident even with storage over 2–3 years. Plan for holding less robust wines (discussed above) no more than 3 years. Be aware that a mature wine from this cellar is likely to be not quite as good as one aged at lower temperatures.

25+°C

not very good, but do note that most good wines may still beneﬁt for up to 2 or 3 years in this cellar. Less robust wines probably should not be held beyond 2 years. Cabernet and blends, Sauvignon blanc, Fumé blanc, Riesling could beneﬁt from longer periods, depending on the actual conditions. Avoid cellaring Pinot noir.

Ageing – premature A wine can show maturity beyond its years, but this tends not to be such a cause for concern until the wine is past its peak – as evidenced by loss of fruit, oxidation and possible browning. If a number of wines in your cellar show such symptoms and these are in advance of expectations, a careful evaluation of your cellar conditions is necessary. If you do not wish to or cannot improve these conditions, be aware that all your wines should be drunk somewhat earlier than may be generally recommended. Wines from high-laccase vintages, e.g. ’95 and ’97, will be disproportionately affected. Premature ageing does sacrifice some potential quality. Refer to CELLARING GUIDE or consult us if you have queries. Aromas – unpleasant If you know that a wine had good typical smells when first purchased but it has developed unpleasant (sulphide) smells as it has aged, there can be several possible explanations. These include ATA (atypical ageing) which is brought on by heat – either a short period at high temperatures or warmish cellaring. ATA may affect an occasional bottle within that batch of wine, and the only way of avoiding it is to improve the cellar or storage conditions to less than 14˚C. Leaving a bottle out in bright light can also cause sulphides (“light struck”), and wines stored under screwcaps can also generate this type of smell when stored for a few years.

Bottle Shock Shortly after a wine is bottled it can appear atypical, lacking fruit, becoming rather hard and angular and even tasting aldehydic. This is from the effects of filtration and possible oxidation at the time of bottling and it should recover in a few months. Breathing wines This is the practice of decorking a wine or even decanting several hours before drinking. It can help very young wines (particularly reds), more mature wines which may have developed less than pleasant smells, or slightly sprizig reds. Buying cellared wines This can be a risky proposition. It is unwise to accept an auctioneer’s assurance that they have been cellared well. Risks can be reduced by buying only the ‘robust varieties’ (see Cellaring Guide) but unless you know that the cellar was temperature controlled, purpose-built or situated within a cool even-temperatured climate, be prepared for surprises. Check the cork and ullage. Capsules Capsules may be made from many materials including plastic, metals or sealing wax. Capsules can protect the cork against cork borer but tend to have little other than a decorative function, unless they are made of wax, which probably slightly slows down the access of oxygen and is therefore an alternative for wines to be cellared for a long time, or for half bottles.

Clarity/brilliance Cloudiness in a white wine can be unattractive but need not affect the ﬂavour. In these instances it can arise from a protein instability or some other causes. Other forms of hazes in both whites and reds can arise from microbiological instability or the effects of trace metals such as iron or copper and may indicate a damaged wine. (See also Sediment/deposits.) Colour/hue This should be appropriate for the type and age of the wine. Excessive brown tints immediately call the condition of the wine to question – oxidation and premature ageing are possible. (See also Oxidation.) Cork borers These are probably similar to wood borer. Cork dust is seen on the outer surface of the cork and small holes will have been eaten into the cork. I suggest spraying a pyrethroid ﬂy spray on the surface of the cork and then sealing it with sealing wax. If a number of bottles are affected, fumigating your cellar may be a good idea. Corked wines This does not refer to wines with fragments of cork in the bottle. The fault arises from trace flavours within the cork which result in wines with mouldy or ‘wet sack flavours’ and a loss of fruit. In borderline cases, a loss of fruit might still be evident, but the extraneous flavours will be too difficult for most to detect. Although the fault arises from the cork manufacture, most winemakers will replace the bottle. It is worth noting that we have strict Quality Assurance checks on all our corks. If it appears that two of our wines in a row show cork taint, check that the problem does not in fact arise from cellaring conditions. Corked Wines – return of If one of our wines is affected, we will provide a credit for the mail order purchase of the same wine from the current vintage. We do like to confirm the cause of the problem so, if at all possible, top up the bottle with boiled and cooled water, stopper it with the original cork in the same orientation as it was originally, and return it to us ASAP (preferably within 24 hours) with a note indicating the date of opening, for forwarding to the cork supplier. Expect no more than around 1 in 50 of recent vintages to be affected. Decanting Essential with all wines which throw a sediment, otherwise the flavours will be impaired. (See also Sediments/ deposits.) Wines made for cellaring (i.e. rich in antioxidants) can look lean and hard when first opened, but access by air softens and improves the texture. Even our older white and red wines (after good cellaring) are likely to benefit from decanting a few hours in

advance and our young reds in particular, can even benefit from being left to cool or in the fridge overnight.

a dramatic difference to the perception of quality – particularly in reds. (See also Wine crystals and Decanting.)

Half bottles These have the same size cork for half the volume of wine. Oxidation and ageing therefore proceed signiﬁcantly faster than with larger bottles. Given the choice, buy the larger bottles for long-term cellaring. Dessert wines of very high must weight can last a long time even in half bottles.

Seeping corks If the top of the cork is damp, the wine should be drunk soon – even if there is no obvious increase in ullage. Seepage is an indication that air has had at least some access to the wine, and although such bottles are unlikely to be spoiled, this low-level oxidation will progressively dull the fruit as time goes on. If you are getting a significant number of these wines, check the temperatures and temperature fluctuations in your cellar – it may need to be improved.

Lead residues Older wine bottles with lead capsules tend to accumulate traces of lead acetate around the mouth, and theoretically these residues may be partly dissolved when pouring the wine. Wipe the top of the bottle clean before pouring such wines. Lead capsules are now phased out worldwide and Dry River has used alternative materials since 1992. Leakers If a new wine is leaking badly, return it. If it is a particularly good wine, it can be recorked. (see also Seeping Corks.) If your older wines have a tendency to leak, check your storage conditions. Loss of, or unusual flavours Had you cleaned your teeth or sucked peppermints within a few hours of tasting the wine? This can markedly alter your perception of flavours. Alternatively the wine may be ‘corked’ (see above), suffering from premature ageing (see below) or oxidation. Storing bottles of wine in sunlight (particularly in clear or lighter coloured glass) can cause flavour loss in a matter of weeks. Oxidation This can cause a drying sensation – more in the front of the mouth – which can be reminiscent of the flavour of sherry, or smell toffee-like, or cause dulled fruit on the palate. It can arise because of excessive ullage, poor cellaring, or because the wine is simply too old. Dull colour or excessive brown tints can be telltales, but don’t be confused by the effect of fluorescent light on reds, particularly lighter coloured ones. (See also Random Oxidation.) Random Oxidation Occasionally one can encounter oxidized wines which are unlike the rest of the batch from which they came. There are several possible explanations for this problem which can be found under all types of closures. If the wine is one of ours, treat it as described in Corked Wines – return of so that we can confirm the problem and replace the bottle. Sediment/deposits Most sediment which settles easily is harmless and the wine should be decanted off it before serving. Allowing the sediment to mix into the wine can make

Temperature of serving Generally red wines are served warmer than whites. However, there are no simple rules, so be prepared to experiment or consult a good wine text. Remember that your perception of many ﬂavours can change considerably with a change of only a few degrees celsius. Travel Shock Vibration during transport can make wine appear atypical – hard or angular and lacking fruit. It can take up to two months to recover – less if stored at low temperatures. Transporting wine at low temperatures (5–10˚C) reduces the problem. Exposure of the bottle to vibration during storage (e.g. under stairs) can have a similar effect. Ullage The ullage is the gap between the cork and the level of the wine when the bottle is vertical. As the wine grows older the ullage will increase depending on the cork and storage conditions. If the cork is actually leaking and has an excessive ullage it should be drunk as soon as possible. Older wines with excessive ullage and sound corks will tend to oxidise or deteriorate more quickly, but robust examples can still be sound with 4.5–7cm ullage. More delicate wines and most whites will show deterioration well before this. Always check the ullage of a wine and the condition of the cork before opening the bottle to determine whether it may be atypical in terms of its ageing. Wine crystals With time, some wines may deposit crystals in the bottle and on the inside of the cork. In a white wine these crystals tend to be white and in a red wine they may be affected by the colour of the wine. This is a natural deposit reﬂecting a lack of processing in the wine. It can be found in the most expensive hand-made wines and should not be considered a fault. It does not necessitate decanting.

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AN D

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Christchurch

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ST RK ST YO W NE T NE OG ES L RG OU SB

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CRAIGHALL GA VINEYARD RD

ST DRY RIVER VINEYARD & WINERY

DR Wines Ltd, Martinborough www.dryriver.co.nz