SUNDAY SEDIMENT | ISSUE 77 by Glengarry Wines

Glengarry's Sunday ramblings of all things vinous, grain and glorious. The Sunday Sediment. Issue Seventy-Seven

Welcome to the Seventy-Seventh edition of The Sunday Sediment, a collection of what’s new, what’s on and what’s happening instore at Glengarry and within the world of wine. Sip away.

ITALIANI ROSA PINK SPARKLERS FROM THE LAND OF PASTA & PROSECCO

Ciao. Are you Italian? No? We thought not. In

There are few Italian winemakers who do not

that case you’re probably more than a little

produce a spumante style (spumante being

confused by the proliferation of uniquely-

Italian for sparkling wine). The finest are

monikered sparkling wines that emanate from

crafted in the most northerly regions of

Italy’s shores. Prosecco, Lambrusco, Asti,

Piedmont, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige and

Franciacorta – it’s all a little murky if you don’t

Veneto. The most fashionably successful is

quite know what’s going on. The ancient

Prosecco. Italy produces more sparkling wine

Greeks, who had a word for everything, called

styles than any other country, including an

Italy Oenotria, or Land of Vines. It was true

impressive selection of sparkling roses.

then and it is still so today, because no other country produces such a remarkably diverse

Made the same way as champagne, the

range of wine styles.

thoroughbred Franciacorta is its Italian equivalent and includes some very fine rose expressions. Fashioned for early consumption, the historically sweet Lambrusco is a red variety that is these days used to make an increasingly dry and refreshing sparkling rose.

Want to know what such a thing would taste like? The rather lovely and delicate sparkling rose from Santa Margherita fits that bill. Made from Prosecco’s Glera variety with some red input via a kiss of Malbec, it is elegantly fresh, florally fragrant, delivering that same refreshing, easy-drinking quality that makes Prosecco so popular.

Of interest here is Prosecco. Produced largely in the north, this inherently Italian style is the current high-flier (popularity-wise) of that country’s sparkling wine. When it comes to pink, however, the Prosecco Powers That Be hold fiercely to their traditional white-wine identity; i.e. no red varieties permitted. This is not to say that rose Proseccos don’t exist; they just can’t be labelled as such.

Prosecco aces Mionetto produce a refined and fragrant sparkling extra-dry rose. Aromatic notes of grapefruit, blackcurrent and rose enhance its raspberry and strawberry characters. Just the thing for a little casual sipping in the sun.

WHISTLING SISTERS

If you have been to Ghuznee Street in the last

For the conservative beer drinker there is the

year or two you might have noticed it has

core range XPA or Golden Lager. These are

begun to rival Cuba Street in the Cool stakes.

session-able beers that wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t strip your taste

With a rash of brew pubs, eateries, trendy

buds. The seasonal range consists of beers

clothing stores, and coffee shops this is

purpose-built for events, festivals, or climate;

certainly an area to make a point of visiting.

new and exciting riffs on classic beer styles.

Perched on the corner of Ghuznee St and Taranaki St, in what used to be the Salvation

Whistling Sisters gained notoriety at Beervana

Army Op shop, is Whistling Sisters

2018 with their Sipping Duck: Thai Red Curry

Fermentary. The passion project of hospitality

Ale. This beer earned them a place in the top

heavy weight Russell Scott (Leuven Bar, The

15 Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice Awards. Using a hopback

Featherston City Tavern, Avida Bar) and Bede

(a sealed chamber into which you would

Roe, began when they opened doors in March

usually put whole leaf hops) they imbue the

of this year. Bede and head brewer Dale Gould

flavours of your favourite red duck Thai curry

produce craft beer that cater to all types of

into a beer. Using real roast duck to achieve

beer drinkers.

this, some people might have second thoughts, but with a lot of care this brew walks the tightrope of familiar while also maintaining the exotic.

Continuing on the theme of “Red”, the new

So far all of these beers have sat at sub 5.5%

Red Pils also pushes established boundaries,

ABV. For the more adventurous drinkers there

combining old world and new world hop

are a series of one-off beers. Using only the

varieties to create a refreshing beer that has a

freshest ingredients, these beers push the

decent malt base, yet maintains balanced and

boundaries of that beer can be. Long Live

subtle flavours.

Livia; an Italian Imperial Pilsner, uses single

For the stout drinkers the recent variation is

origin Eraclea, and Slovenian hops with bay

Orange Blossom. Using the hopback system

leaves and chestnuts to create a powerful (8%

once again, 10kg of fresh oranges were

abv) yet well balanced beer. With malty sweet

introduced into the brew to add a subtle citrus

aromas and hints of honey this beer has subtle

twist. This nicely rounds off the toasted aromas

floral notes and a touch of citrus.

and flavours into a smooth finish.

If beer alone isn’t enough to get you down to Whistling Sisters, then maybe the charcuterie treats of award winning chef John Allred (Osteria del Toro) will entice you. Or perhaps you just want to see why the ‘loo’ was featured among the top ten in www.wellingtonnz.nz. Or perhaps you want to do the Brewery tour to find out more. There is certainly more than one good reason to visit Whistling Sisters.

DOMAINE PAUL JABOULET AINE

Long one of the Rhone’s most recognisable brands, replete with well-tended vineyards, careful vinification, and diligent aging practices (right down to employing their own cooper, who makes and maintains their stock of barrels).

There has been much change at Paul Jaboulet Aine in recent times, all of it for the better with the Frey family, of Bordeaux’ Chateau La Lagune and Champagne’s Billecart-Salmon, taking over the reins. The change in ownership has introduced a welcome shot in the arm, one While there is an indelible Jaboulet character

that has enabled a perhaps tiring Jaboulet to

to all of the wines, the key to them - whether

regain significant ground and capture once

you're looking at the rustic Cotes du Ventoux,

again the glories of their past. After all, when

the lusciously rich Beaumes de Venise

you manage some of the most significant

dessert wines, or the brooding, earthy flavours

pieces of wine real estate in the world, you'd

of the other reds - is that they are an accurate

want that to show in the bottle, wouldn’t you?

and authentic reflection of where they're grown.

TASTINGS AND EVENTS

WINEMAKERS DINNER | JERVOIS What better in mid January than a winemakers dinner? Guillermo Beltramín from Emiliana in Casablanca, Chile is coming to NZ and will host a beautiful dinner in our wine lounge. Our Chilean Head Chef Loreto will match these Biodynamic wines with a selection Tapas that she’s creating just for this dinner. The dinner will feature six of the Emiliana wines. WHEN: Wednesday 16th January