For March, we took a look at some exceptional wines but the principal
focus was on looking at what has changed throughout the years…and when
it comes to wine, the impact of what we are drinking, where we are
getting it from and how it has been made really has changed over the
years! We discussed a lot but a few examples of what we covered from the
evening are below.
Prosecco, as a really good example, was not a drink we may even have
heard of when the wine club started nearly 20 years ago. Back then, in the
UK approximately 200,000 bottles per year were being purchased.
Prosecco, was the name of the grape, not just the region and it could be
made anywhere in Italy. It took a few “suggestive” adverts staring Paris
Hilton and the ever-increasing popularity of the sparkling wine, for the
Italians to name the actual grape, Glera and make the Prosecco region a
DOCG classification (quality controlled region that defines how the wine is
made and restricts it from general production). Net result, over
120,000,000 bottles are sold in the UK today!
When it comes to specific wine styles, some of us will be old enough to
remember having a “Hock” or a Liebfraumilch with our Sunday lunches
back in the 70’s and 80’s. Hock was the brand we gave in the UK for
German sweet tasking wines, typically from the Rhine region, which
typically were Riesling. Back then, we described wines with their bottle or
region….a Claret, Burgundy, Blue Nun etc….often these were generic
blends but now we are much more specific, using wine varietals to define
what we like….. a Viognier, Malbec, Pinot Noir etc! Blue Nun was marketed
as something you can drink “right through the meal”, making it very
versatile and available to us all! We have all become a bit more educated
on the wine varieties over the years, even if we didn’t realise it! No more
“Hock” but Riesling has gone on to become a very popular grape we often
ask for in restaurants.
The fact we are producing as much wine as we do in Europe, is in no small
part down to the vines in the New World region of North America! How?
Well, it’s down to a small insect called Phylloxera. This small insect loves
grape vines and whilst it was first identified in the US back in the early 19th
century, it soon spread due to keen botanists in Victorian England bringing
samples of plants back as they visited North America. The vines from
these offshore regions became resistant to the bug but in Europe it wiped
out the vast majority of vines in a very short period of time. The bug lives
on and nearly all the wine you will get from Europe will have come from
vines grafted on to North American root stock to prevent the bug from
decimating the grapes and literally stopping production!
The Upton Wine Club loves tasting wine but will look for the stories
behind many of the wines we taste. There is no expectation of prior
knowledge of wine to come along to an evening, just the interest in trying
some different styles! For April, we are inviting back Tim North from
Joie de Vin, who has spent over 20 years travelling across France to bring
back some exceptional wines we typically wouldn’t find in our local
outlets. If you are interested in coming along, you will find out all the
details on our website www.uptonwineclub.co.uk I hope to see you
there!
Ian
UWAC Chairman

Mention wines from North America and you could be forgiven for going
straight to California. After all, over 80% of wines from this continent
come from this area. To be fair, there are some exceptional wines from
California. Ever since the Paris wine tasting (also known as The Judgement
of Paris) happened in 1976, where the “great” wines from some of France’s
finest chateau’s were sampled against those lesser known, “lesser quality”
grape juices from across the pond. The blind tasting by some of the best
wine critics around found Californian wines to be better and the reputation
has stood the test of time!
This evening, we did sample some fine wines from California but also tried
to widen our palates by searching further afield, where we found some
exceptional wines. If you are seeking North American wines, you will most
likely come across American Viticultural Area (AVA’s). This is a little bit
like the Appellation areas we hear about in European wines. They are
areas awarded by the state that define, the area, soil type and some
restrictions on where grapes are grown, so a level of quality control can be
given over the wine produced. Look out for this as it will give you some
level of consistency on the wine you are buying. That said there are 100’s
of AVA’s across America.
We had around 40 members from the village join us this month, which was
great to see. To be fair there were favourite wines from across the
continent but a few worth noting included a great opening wine from North
Washington State, a Chenin Blanc from Kiona winery. With long hot days
ripening the grape, this wine had a lovely sweetness but due to excessive
heat the grapes created an acidy that is unusual in these wines. Seriously
worth trying if you like your hors d’oeuvres or sea food! Equally
favourable was a Pinot Noir from the Skolo Blosser estate in Dundee Hills,
Oregon. Oregon has a reputation for high quality wines, with around 60%
of the region’s wines coming from the Pinot grape. If you like this grape
and want to move away from France or New Zealand, then this is definitely
worth a try.
Last but by no means least, we finished with an ice wine from Pelee island,
Canada. Vidal grapes are left on the vine whilst the temperature drops to
just below -8 degrees C. They are then picked, and gently crushed to
extract a very sweet juice, which is then made into an incredibly rich,
sweet tasting wine. This is an expensive wine but worth every penny. Try
it with some strong blue cheese or any sweet dessert!
For more information on the wines we tried or if you would like to come
along to our next evening (8-10pm on the 20th March), where we will be
trying wines from across the ages, please visit our website:
www.uptonwines.com
Hope to see you there!
Ian (Chairman)