#wijnbouw

[levindubache]

De eerste wijnbouw praktijkles: de voorsnoei. Is die rechtse rij niet prachtig gekortwiekt ? klaar om begin volgend jaar de volle wintersnoei te krijgen. Daarna nog wat nagenieten met een glaasje rosé schuimwijn uit die wijngaard … #wijnbouw #wijngaard #snoeien #nuttigtijdverdrijf #schuimwijn #rosé #levindubâchéinactie #fris (bij T Kasteelhof Vilain XIIII) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl6NEKVNuy1/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[burgio]

Burgio Vino e Gastronomia: Uw Betrouwbare Leverancier Wijn

Als het gaat om het vinden van hoogwaardige wijnen in België, is Burgio Vino e Gastronomia uw betrouwbare leverancier wijn. Gevestigd in Genk, zijn wij gespecialiseerd in het aanbieden van een breed scala aan Italiaanse wijnen en delicatessen, waarbij elk product voldoet aan de hoogste kwaliteits- en authenticiteitsnormen.

Uitgebreide Selectie van Italiaanse Wijnen

Bij Burgio Vino e Gastronomia zijn we trots op onze uitgebreide selectie van Italiaanse wijnen. Onze collectie omvat een verscheidenheid aan rode, witte en mousserende wijnen, elk zorgvuldig geselecteerd om het beste van de Italiaanse wijnbouw te bieden. Onze wijnen worden rechtstreeks geïmporteerd van gerenommeerde wijngaarden in heel Italië, zodat u de authentieke smaak en karakter van elke regio ervaart.

Authentieke Italiaanse Delicatessen

Naast onze indrukwekkende wijnselectie bieden wij een verscheidenheid aan Italiaanse delicatessen die perfect bij onze wijnen passen. Ons productassortiment omvat traditionele pasta, verrukkelijke koekjes en smaakvolle pesto. We leveren ook hoogwaardige balsamicoazijn en olijfolie, essentiële ingrediënten in de Italiaanse keuken. Deze producten worden met dezelfde aandacht voor kwaliteit en authenticiteit geselecteerd als onze wijnen, waardoor een complete Italiaanse culinaire ervaring ontstaat.

Persoonlijke Service en Expertise

Als betrouwbare leverancier wijn geloven we in het bieden van persoonlijke service aan al onze klanten. Ons deskundige personeel is toegewijd aan het helpen van u bij het vinden van de perfecte wijn die past bij uw smaak en voorkeuren. Of u nu een ervaren wijnliefhebber bent of een beginner, wij nemen de tijd om uw behoeften te begrijpen en aanbevelingen te doen die uw verwachtingen overtreffen.

Ideaal voor Elke Gelegenheid

Of u nu een formeel diner, een informele bijeenkomst of een speciale viering organiseert, bij Burgio Vino e Gastronomia hebben we de perfecte wijn voor elke gelegenheid. Onze uitgebreide selectie zorgt ervoor dat u de ideale wijn kunt vinden om uw maaltijd aan te vullen en uw gasten te imponeren. Van zakelijke evenementen tot privévieringen, onze wijnen voegen een vleugje elegantie en verfijning toe aan elk evenement.

Evenementlocaties en Vergaderlocaties

Onze toewijding aan het bieden van uitzonderlijke service strekt zich uit tot onze productaanbiedingen. Wij bieden ook eersteklas eventlocatie en vergaderlocatie diensten. Onze evenementlocaties zijn ontworpen om een verscheidenheid aan evenementen te accommoderen en bieden een verfijnde en functionele setting voor uw bijeenkomsten. Voorzien van moderne voorzieningen, zorgen onze locaties ervoor dat uw evenement zowel succesvol als gedenkwaardig is.

Zakelijke Geschenken en Aangepaste Bestellingen

Op zoek naar een uniek zakelijk geschenk? Wij bieden een scala aan relatiegeschenken die zeker indruk zullen maken. Van elegant verpakte wijnsets tot gastronomische voedselmanden, onze zakelijke geschenken zijn perfect om waardering te tonen aan klanten en collega's. Wij bieden ook aangepaste bestellingen die zijn afgestemd op uw specifieke behoeften en voorkeuren, zodat u het perfecte geschenk voor elke gelegenheid vindt.

Heel België Bedienen

We zijn er trots op klanten in heel België te bedienen en brengen de authentieke smaak van Italië naar huizen en bedrijven in de hele regio. Onze toewijding aan kwaliteit en klanttevredenheid heeft ons een loyale klantenkring opgeleverd, die op ons vertrouwen voor hun Italiaanse wijn- en delicatessenbehoeften. We zijn toegewijd aan het behouden van dit vertrouwen door voortdurend de beste producten en diensten te bieden.

Conclusie

Burgio Vino e Gastronomia is meer dan alleen een leverancier van Italiaanse wijnen en delicatessen; wij zijn een toegangspoort tot de authentieke Italiaanse culinaire ervaring. Onze toewijding aan kwaliteit, uitgebreide productassortiment en uitzonderlijke klantenservice onderscheiden ons. Bezoek ons vandaag en verbeter uw eetervaring met de fijnste Italiaanse wijnen en delicatessen.

CONTACTINFORMATIE

Burgio Vino e Gastronomia

Adres: Koolmeesstraat 17, Limburg, Houthalen-Helchteren 3530, Belgium

Bel ons: 089215078

Stuur ons een e-mail: info@burgio.be

Website: https://burgio.be/

Bedrijfsuren: Maandag - Donderdag: 10:00 AM – 17:00 PM, Vrijdag: 10:00 AM – 15:00 PM

Externe links

Facebook.com

Instagram.com

Viki.com

Kickstarter.com

Zazzle.com

[preachingdrummer]

Kappen

Opnieuw een voorbeeld van Jezus uit de agrarische sector , de wijnbouw nu: ‘De ranken aan Mij die geen vrucht dragen, kapt Hij weg. De ranken die wel vrucht dragen, snoeit Hij om er nog meer vruchten aan te laten komen.’‭‭Johannes‬ ‭15‬:‭2‬ ‭HTB‬‬ En een voorbeeld dat best pijnlijk is. Wijnranken werden niet voor de mooiigheid gehouden, maar voor de productie, want hoe meer druiven, des te meer…

[mijndagboekblog]

Ik ben de ware wijnstok en Mijn Vader is de wijnbouwer. Iedere rank aan Mij die geen vrucht draagt snijdt Hij weg, en iedere rank die wel vrucht draagt snoeit Hij bij, opdat hij meer vruchten draagt. Jullie zijn al rein door alles wat Ik tegen jullie gezegd heb. Blijf in Mij, dan blijf Ik in jullie. Een rank die niet aan de wijnstok blijft, kan uit zichzelf geen vrucht dragen. Zo kunnen jullie geen vrucht dragen als jullie niet in Mij blijven. Ik ben de wijnstok en jullie zijn de ranken. Als iemand in Mij blijft en Ik in hem, zal hij veel vrucht dragen. Maar zonder Mij kun je niets doen. Wie niet in Mij blijft wordt weggegooid als een wijnrank en verdort; hij wordt met andere ranken verzameld, in het vuur gegooid en verbrand. Als jullie in Mij blijven en Mijn woorden in jullie, kun je vragen wat je wilt en het zal gebeuren. De grootheid van Mijn Vader zal zichtbaar worden wanneer jullie veel vrucht dragen en Mijn leerlingen zijn.’

Johannes 15

[peterpijls1965]

Een verdronken boek

Twee keer in mijn leven bezocht ik een signeersessie van een auteur. Die van Donna Tartt in boekhandel Athenaeum in Amsterdam staat me bij omdat de frêle goth-schrijfster uit Mississippi met een verrukkelijk knauwend zuidelijk Amerikaans accent sprak. Haar taalgebruik was uitermate beschaafd, dat wel. Het was 1992 of 1993.

Tartts debuutroman The Secret History was omgeven met mystificaties, net als de schrijfster zelf. Haar boek verkocht alleen al in Nederland tegen de 800.000 exemplaren. De hype was een feit, en toen vond ik dat terecht.

De Verborgen Geschiedenis gaat over een paar studenten die aan het experimenteren slaan met oude Griekse riten. Er vallen doden. Nu pas lees ik terug dat het boek ook de vrouwelijke volgelingen van Dionysus behandelt. Dionysus is de mythische god van de wijnbouw en allerlei liederlijkheden.

Niet alleen in Roermond wordt hij Bacchus genoemd. In de bisschopsstad verdrinken ze Bacchus na carnaval in de Roer.

De tweede signeersessie van een echte schrijver die ik bijwoonde was er een van Douglas Coupland in Brussel. Na een dramatisch slecht openbaar interview zette ik me over mijn weerzin heen en vroeg de schrijver om een handtekening in Life After God.

De Canadese auteur keek me aandachtig aan, en tekende een cirkel met een handje erin op de voorste lege pagina. Daaronder schreef hij: Doug.

[heiligenvandaag]

22 januari: H. Vincentius van Zaragoza (overleden 304), Spaanse diaken en Heilige Dienaar wiens stola in Parijs terecht kwam; patroonheilige van wevers, wijnbouwers 🍷, rietdekkers en pottenbakkers.

[de-meerpeen]

Wijnbouw in Schagen: 'Van wild plan naar witte wijn'

SCHAGEN – Het was een wild plan van vijf vrienden uit Schagen: een eigen wijngaard beginnen. Op zoek naar een goede plek kwamen ze uit op een stuk land bij de Terp Avendorp, net buiten de stad. Via crowdfunding kwam het geld bij elkaar en nu staan er 1700 ranken tevreden te groeien in het zonnetje. Kijk hieronder naar de reportage van Matthijs Gemmink van NH Nieuws.

Nick Zonneveld en Koen Zwaan…

[simscupoftea]

5x de lekkerste Italiaanse druivensoorten

5x de lekkerste Italiaanse druivensoorten

Italië is een wijnland bij uitstek. Groot, gevarieerd, maar tegelijkertijd ook onbekend. Doordat het land eeuwenlang bestond uit onafhankelijke regio’s met elk hun eigen identiteit, taal, keuken en wijnbouw zijn er ontzettend veel verschillende wijnstijlen te vinden in Italië. Ook zijn er meer dan honderden druivenrassen te vinden. Bekende druiven als Sauvignon Blanc en Cabernet Sauvignon kennen…

[delfinamaggiousa]

Chenin Blanc Winemakers Are Breathing New Life Into South Africa’s Forgotten Vines

One day last February, in South Africa’s Franschhoek Valley, Gary Baumgarten, managing director of Anthonij Rupert Wyne, joined a group in his tasting room who were visiting on behalf of Wines of South Africa. It was the height of South Africa’s 2019 harvest, and temperatures were 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat had followed three years of drought.

“Welcome to climate change, guys,” Baumgarten said.

If there’s a wine likely to survive these conditions, it’s this. A David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc, it came from dry-farmed vineyards planted over half a century ago. Those tough, old Chenin bush vines have longevity on their side.

“Old vines do pretty well in adverse conditions, especially drought, particularly due to their well-established root systems,” Andre Morganthal, project manager for South Africa’s Old Vine Project (OVP), and our host for the tasting, said. OVP member wineries use grapes from vines at least 35 years old, a status indicated on bottles with the OVP’s Certified Heritage Vineyards seal.

The Project is the brainchild of viticultural consultant Rosa Kruger, who’s been hunting down South Africa’s forgotten vines since 2002. The diversity of her discoveries is impressive. Though they make up just 3 to 4 percent of all South African plantings, OVP-registered vines comprise 48 varieties. Approximately half of these are Chenin Blanc.

That’s largely because there’s so much Chenin in South Africa altogether. Once known by its old Dutch name, Steen, it was brought here in the 1650s. Under the Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Suid-Afrika (KWV), which dominated production in the 20th century until apartheid’s end in the 1990s, Chenin was widely planted for South Africa’s popular brandy. It’s still the nation’s most cultivated variety.

The reasons for the vines’ longevity, though, remain the subject of OVP research. Many suffer viruses, but with the help of vine nursery Vititec, the OVP has been cleaning up neglected vines and propagating disease-free materials from them for “new” heritage vineyards at Anthonij Rupert. By doing this, the OVP is creating a living archive — and one that is adapted to South African conditions.

“I believe the oldest vineyards in South Africa have mutated to plants that reflect the landscape, the sun and the wind and the rain typical to that site and typical to the South African climate,” says Morganthal, who also believes “old-vine South African Chenin represents some of the best white wine in the world, different from, for example, Loire Chenin, solely because of the abundance of sunshine, unique ancient soils, and clonal materials, weathered over centuries.”

Bosman Family Winery’s Optenhorst Chenin Blanc, made from bush vines dating to 1952, with its banana-like notes and abundant minerality; Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin’s big, rich texture and bitter-herb finish evocative of South Africa’s fynbos, or scrublands; Mullineux’s Leliefontein Quartz Chenin’s opulent mouthfeel and snappy, pineapple acidity, indicative of its quartz-laden soils — these wines are not only delicious, they are uniquely South African.

Unlike the wetter, cooler, limestone Loire, where a touch of RS (residual sugar) is left in the wines to balance out their acid, South Africa’s Chenins are mainly vinified bone-dry, but they’re characterized by a natural, velvety mouthfeel that’s amplified as the vines age. “Yields come down and the bunches and berries are smaller,” says winemaker Christopher Mullineux of Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines. “You get more natural extract from these small berries, and that is where the natural textures come from.”

Indeed, sensory researchers at Stellenbosch University found that old-vine Chenins exhibit complex aromas and concentrated, balanced, lengthy mouthfeel. “Grapes on older vines ripen later, have a lower pH, higher acidity, and lower sugar,” Morganthal says. “It’s an ideal analysis for a wine.”

That is, if the vines are treated right. Kruger learned the hard way. “During the first years I tried to cut life back into the old vines with pruning shears. I made a terrible mistake,” she says. Heavy pruning weakens old vines. “Now, with our new pruning techniques, shaping the vine from the best wood on the plant, we have increased quality and volume,” she says.

The same goes for fertilizing, which Kruger does sparingly and organically. “We have the best results when we treat these lovely old plants with dignity,” she advises vineyards. “Listen to them as if you are talking to your grandmother.”

A light touch in the vineyard allows for more of the same in the winery. Says Mullineux, “If you have healthy old vines, it tends to be easier to make low-intervention wines, as the fruit is in a better natural balance.”

In its membership agreement, the Old Vine Project encourages minimalist techniques, eschewing added acid, sulphur, new oak, and commercial yeast. Many old-vine Chenins are the result of spontaneous fermentation with extended lees contact in old wood and, sometimes, concrete or amphora. Luscious wines with exuberant, tropical flavors, they are made to express their terroir.

Of course, we can’t separate terroir from history. A 35-year-old vine planted under apartheid has racialist exploitation embedded in its wood. And today, though South African organizations like the Wine and Agriculture Ethical Trade Association promote ethics in labor relations, a 2011 Human Rights Watch report found widespread labor abuses in the South African wine industry. These included substandard and insecure housing on winery lands, harsh working conditions and overly long hours, safety hazards such as pesticide exposure, lack of access to drinking water, opposition to unionizing, and more.

Says biodynamic viticulturist Johan Reyneke, who worked in vineyards in the 1990s before launching his own Reyneke Wines: “My colleagues were poor; they were working as kids. It just sucked. One cold day in the vineyard, I put my surfing wetsuit on under my clothes, but my colleagues, they shoved newspaper in their shoes to stay warm. I said, ‘If I stay in this industry, things must change.’”

As Human Rights Watch found, however, not all wineries have poor labor practices. Reyneke launched his Cornerstone wine series to dedicate its proceeds to education, housing, and retirement annuities for his workers and their families. Similarly, at Bosman Family Wines, a Fairtrade brand, workers own 26 percent of the business and 430 hectares of Bosman land.

“We are very cognizant of our legacy, specifically the current working and living conditions of our workers,” Morganthal says. The Project trains workers, he says, “to elevate their skills to master pruner level,” and has developed a trading platform for old-vine grapes “to benefit grape growers, brand owners, and, ultimately, vineyard workers.”

The idea is that old-vine skills, grapes, and wines can garner higher prices, so there’s more cash in the system to raise the living standards for everyone.

As Mullineux argues, “If we cannot sell our wine for a fair price, then everybody in the Swartland struggles, and we cannot break the cycles of the past.”

10 Old-Vine Chenin Blanc Wines to Try

Not every old-vine winery is a member of the Old Vine Project, but each wine below meets the OVP’s 35-year-old threshold and is available in the States:

Beaumont Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc 2018 Left 10 months on the lees in 15 percent new wood, this wine from vines planted in 1974 and 1978 on the Cape South Coast balances beautifully between oak-driven oomph and a pineapple-citrus acidity. Price $37.99.

Botanica Mary Delany Series Chenin Blanc 2017 From dry-farmed bush vines dating to 1957, this wine shows juicy Asian pear notes and a touch of spiciness with a flinty finish. Price $26.94.

David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc 2017 This apple-bright wine comes from low bush vines planted in decomposed granite, shale mix, and iron-rich clay soils between 1963 and 1982. Price $79.94.

Hogan Chenin Blanc 2016 Full malolactic fermentation gives this creamy wine from 40-year-old Swartland vines an exuberant, nearly gewürztraminer bouquet and big papaya-like flavor, balanced by a bright, bitter finish. Price $41.99.

Ken Forrester The FMC 2018 A boom-boom vanilla richness and intense, snappy apricot fruit battle it out in this Stellenbosch bottle vinified from 46-year-old bush vines and aged a year in barrel. Price $56.99.

Joostenberg Die Agteros Chenin Blanc 2018 Vinified from 38-year-old Stellenbosch vines in a mix of new oak and concrete eggs, this bargain organic wine has the weighty texture to linger over but the gingery acid to make it terrifically refreshing. Price $15.94.

Memento 2015 Abetted by 9 percent Verdelho, this Chenin Blanc blended from 35-year-old Swartland vines and ones just a tad younger in Bot River smells of ripe mango and guava with a lush, savory mid-palate that resolves to a green-apple bite. Price $32.99.

Mullineux Granite Chenin Blanc 2017 One of three single-terroir expressions by the winery, this fresh-faced Chenin from 40-year-old vines dry farmed in Paardeberg’s decomposed granite soils has a tart nose but a velvety mouthfeel and a bittersweet finish reminiscent of roasted endive. Price $69.97.

Mullineux Straw Wine 2017 From a mix of old vines at least 37 years old grown in granite and schist soils, this luscious, passito-style dessert wine balances nectary sweetness with dried-apricot brightness. Price $49.96 for 375 ml.

Reyneke Chenin Blanc Natural Wine 2016 Cold-fermented and matured in clay amphora, this unique Chenin Blanc from a biodynamic Stellenbosch producer working with vines over 40 years old has a nutty, umami character with a hint of sweet smoke, like that of roasted almonds or butter-braised enoki mushrooms. Price $68.99

The article Chenin Blanc Winemakers Are Breathing New Life Into South Africa’s Forgotten Vines appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/old-vine-project-chenin-blanc/

source https://vinology1.wordpress.com/2020/02/28/chenin-blanc-winemakers-are-breathing-new-life-into-south-africas-forgotten-vines/

[mijndagboekblog]

Ik ben de ware wijnstok en Mijn Vader is de wijnbouwer. Iedere rank aan Mij die geen vrucht draagt snijdt Hij weg, en iedere rank die wel vrucht draagt snoeit Hij bij, opdat hij meer vruchten draagt. 

Johannes 15:1-2 (Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling)

[fieroponsbier]

6 redenen om bier bij het kerstmenu te serveren

Schuimwijn, witte wijn, rode wijn en misschien nog een afzakkertje. Een feesttafel hangt doorgaans aaneen van de clichés. Daarom presenteren we vier redenen om Belgisch bier bij het kerstmenu te serveren. Een originele en superlekkere variant op het traditionele kerstdiner. Schol!

1. Deze kwaliteit is niet vanzelfsprekend

Goed bier is zo normaal dat we soms vergeten hoe uitzonderlijk de Belgische kwaliteit is. Ook op gastronomisch vlak. Heel de wereld kijkt jaloers toe naar wat de Belgische brouwers allemaal kunnen. En wij… wij kijken naar de Franse wijnbouwers. Nergens voor nodig: onze bieren kunnen de concurrentie makkelijk aan.    

2. Meer smaken, beter combineren

In vergelijking met bier heeft wijn maar een beperkt smaakregister. Bier gaat van zuur naar zoet naar bitter. En vergeet de kruiding niet die elk bier uniek maakt. Er zijn daardoor veel combinaties mogelijk die zowel het bier als het gerecht naar een hoger niveau tillen.

3. Van licht tot lekker zwaar

Het aanbod Belgische bieren is groot. Voor elke gelegenheid, voor elke persoon en voor elk gerecht is er een bier, van vederlicht (3%) tot topzwaar (13%). Iedereen kan zijn eigen biertje kiezen en dan maar proeven van elkaar om de zien wie de beste combinatie gescoord heeft.

4. Schenk in een elegant glas

Elk bier, zijn glas, dat hoort zo, maar aan tafel is dat een ander verhaal. Dan heb je geen 33cl nodig, maar net genoeg om de smaak tot z’n volle recht te laten komen. Schenk het bier in een groot wijnglas, tot de helft gevuld. Dat is ideaal voor het aroma en heeft genoeg volume om de maaltijd te begeleiden. Met een fles van 75cl vul je vier glazen.

5. Geen exacte wetenschap

Durf je niet goed combineren? Je hoeft geen schrik te hebben om de mist in te gaan. Dit is geen exacte wetenschap. Volg je buikgevoel en gezond verstand. Bierproeven zit ons ten slotte in het bloed nietwaar. En geef toe, als de ober wijn laat voorproeven, weet je dan altijd waar je op moet letten? Met bier weet je perfect wat de bedoeling is, dat is immers een echte thuismatch.

6. Bier is een dorstlesser

Dat we die open deur zouden intrappen had je niet verwacht, hè. Nochtans is het een treffende reden om te kiezen voor bier aan tafel. Van eten krijg je nu eenmaal dorst en dan is een biertje erg welkom.  

Check ook onze smaakwijzer.

[wineanddinosaur]

A Field Guide to South Africa’s Best Sparkling Wines

When you take your first wine-focused trip to South Africa, some things are expected. Lots of Chenin Blanc? Of course. Balanced Cabernet Sauvignons that present strong quality-to-price-ratios? Check. An industry that puts in a lot of work to move forward, but remains inseparable from the country’s decades of apartheid-defined racism? Yes, a complicated situation, with many hopeful stories.

How about impressive, well-priced, traditional-method sparklers? Surprisingly, yes! These wines are among the South African wine industry’s best, least-promoted bottles.

Among South African sparkling wines, the ones you want to look for are labeled Methode Cap Classique (MCC). A note of caution: The majority of sparkling wine made in the country is cheap tank-fermented or carbon dioxide-injected. These wines are rarely worth seeking out. MCCs, on the other hand, are made in the traditional method — in-bottle secondary fermentation — with many of the best examples focusing on traditional Champagne varieties.

Regulations require whole-cluster fermentation and nine months of fermentation on the lees, which is expected to increase to 12 months in 2020. MCCs follow the standard OIV labeling scheme for residual sugar, with bruts maxing out at 15 grams per liter (g/l) of residual sugar, extra brut at 5 g/l, and brut nature at 3 g/l.

All grapes are permitted, though many of the best producers focus on the traditional Champagne varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and a smaller number also work with Pinot Meunier. At a recent five-flight, two-dozen-plus bottle tasting at Colmant, a premier MCC-only producer, Chenin Blanc showed up in a few generally enjoyable bottles, but the vast majority of the wines stuck to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In fact, many of the top bottles were blanc de blancs, notably those from Cederberg (2013), Colmant (NV) and Graham Beck (2009).

The consensus history is that Frans Malan’s Simonsig Wine Estate produced the first South African sparkler in the traditional method in 1971. Simonsig’s early wines used Pinot Noir as well as major South African varieties Pinotage and Chenin Blanc. By the end of the decade there was solid momentum, and more producers joined the fray. Jump forward to 1992, when the Cap Classique Producers Association (CCPA) launched in the wake of the end of Apartheid, marking the decline of the 1918 Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika Bpkt (KWV), the national industry-dominating cooperative.

Today the CCPA boasts over 80 members. Another 150 or so wineries also produce MCCs. Production continues to grow, doubling roughly every five years. Some 20 percent of the estimated 8 million bottles of South Africa’s annual MCC production is exported to foreign markets. MCCs can be tough to find in the United States, particularly on the West Coast; the U.S. receives only around 320,000 bottlers per year, giving you one more excuse to plan a trip to South Africa.

Standout producers include Graham Beck, Colmant, Le Lude, and Charles Fox. Simonsig, the winery that started it all in South Africa, also makes a number of quality MCCs. The blanc de blancs are some of the best examples of what MCC can achieve, particularly the Cederberg Blanc de Blancs Brut (2013), produced from vines planted at 3,100 meters (nearly 2 miles). Although you’ll have to head to South Africa to enjoy it, you’ll pay less than $20 U.S. for a bottle, a phenomenal value.

Although there are nearly 250 MCC producers, the industry is quite concentrated. Seven of the largest producers dominate around the $10 price point, accounting for over 80 percent of total volume. As you move up the price ladder to $20, just a handful of boutique wineries see production in the tens of thousands of bottles annually.

It’s impossible to separate the caliber of these wines from their prices. At less than $30, and often under $20 (or the U.S. dollar equivalent), you’re getting Champagne style at Prosecco prices. The quality-to-price ratios of the best of these wines are undeniable, even more so than that of their Stellenbosch Cabernet compatriots. While you might see single-site bottlings, particularly in prestige cuvees, most MCCs rely on grapes sourced throughout the broad Western Cape wine region.

Graham Beck, an MCC-focused producer whose wines are by far the easiest to locate in the United States, made a small splash back in 2007. On the night Barack Obama announced his run for the presidency, he and his wife Michelle toasted the campaign’s launch with a bottle of Graham Beck Brut NV. The wine, also served at Nelson Mandela’s inauguration in 1994, had been recommended by the restaurant’s sommelier. Impressed by the wine, freshly minted President-elect Obama popped six bottles of the Graham Beck on the night of his first election victory. It wasn’t a surprise, exactly, but it certainly upset the status quo.

MCCs To Try

In the U.S. Market

Colmant Brut Chardonnay NV

Colmant Cap Classique Brut Reserve NV

Graham Beck Brut Rosé

Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Methode Cap Classique Brut

When In South Africa

Claudia Brut 2012

Cederberg Brut Blanc de Blanc 2013

Charles Fox Cipher 2012

See all of our reviews of MCCs here!

The article A Field Guide to South Africa’s Best Sparkling Wines appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/methode-cap-classique-mcc-wine-guide/

[fijn-proeverij-agenda]

September 2019

Wijnstudiereis Franken.

Het Duiste wijn ‘achterland’ van de mooie Silvaners afgevuld in traditionele Bocksbeutel flessen, en niet te vergeten de zeer goede Spätburgunders die hier ook gemaakt worden. De wijngaarden gelegen sprookjesachtig langs de rivier de Main, ja ik heb er nu al zin in.

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Proeverij speciaal bieren met kazen & cacao

Bier heeft een immens podium gekregen in Nederland maar ook in de rest van de wereld, en dit is volledig terecht gezien de klasse, de diversiteit, en de innovatieve bierstijlen die er geproduceerd worden.

We zijn nogal gewend om bij kaas wijn te drinken (vaak te zoet helaas) bij chocola ook zoete wijnen, maar wist je dat bier een hele bijzondere en goede begeleider is om te drinken bij kaas en/of chocolade? De mening van Fijn-Proeverij is dat dit vaak zelfs mooier kan zijn als je de goede combinaties bij elkaar weet te vinden. Tijdens deze proeverij zullen 10 van deze combinaties aan jullie laten proeven.

Vrijdag    27 september van 19:30 t/m ± 22:30 uur

Zaterdag 28 september van 19:30 t/m ± 22:30 uur

Zondag   29 september van 14:00 t/m ± 17:00 uur

Handig om te weten:

Maximaal 36 personen (individueel en/of kleinere gezelschappen ook mogelijk)

Leuk om cadeau te geven met de Fijn-Proeverij Cadeaubon

€ 37,50,- p.p.

TIP kom met OV of op de fiets i.v.m. alcohol en moeilijkheid parkeren

Locatie: De Zes Vaatjes Mgr. van de Weteringstraat 32, Utrecht (ingang: Appelstraat 2)

Reserveren kan via:

06 - 113 668 76

info@fijn-proeverij.nl

Zou u nou zelf eens een proeverij verzorgd willen hebben thuis, op het werk, in Proeflokaal De Zes Vaatjes, tijdens een feestelijk event of waar dan ook op locatie buiten deze datums om, neem dan ook gerust contact met ons op, wij verzorgen dit met veel plezier.

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[isaiahrippinus]

Chenin Blanc Winemakers Are Breathing New Life Into South Africa’s Forgotten Vines

One day last February, in South Africa’s Franschhoek Valley, Gary Baumgarten, managing director of Anthonij Rupert Wyne, joined a group in his tasting room who were visiting on behalf of Wines of South Africa. It was the height of South Africa’s 2019 harvest, and temperatures were 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat had followed three years of drought.

“Welcome to climate change, guys,” Baumgarten said.

If there’s a wine likely to survive these conditions, it’s this. A David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc, it came from dry-farmed vineyards planted over half a century ago. Those tough, old Chenin bush vines have longevity on their side.

“Old vines do pretty well in adverse conditions, especially drought, particularly due to their well-established root systems,” Andre Morganthal, project manager for South Africa’s Old Vine Project (OVP), and our host for the tasting, said. OVP member wineries use grapes from vines at least 35 years old, a status indicated on bottles with the OVP’s Certified Heritage Vineyards seal.

The Project is the brainchild of viticultural consultant Rosa Kruger, who’s been hunting down South Africa’s forgotten vines since 2002. The diversity of her discoveries is impressive. Though they make up just 3 to 4 percent of all South African plantings, OVP-registered vines comprise 48 varieties. Approximately half of these are Chenin Blanc.

That’s largely because there’s so much Chenin in South Africa altogether. Once known by its old Dutch name, Steen, it was brought here in the 1650s. Under the Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Suid-Afrika (KWV), which dominated production in the 20th century until apartheid’s end in the 1990s, Chenin was widely planted for South Africa’s popular brandy. It’s still the nation’s most cultivated variety.

The reasons for the vines’ longevity, though, remain the subject of OVP research. Many suffer viruses, but with the help of vine nursery Vititec, the OVP has been cleaning up neglected vines and propagating disease-free materials from them for “new” heritage vineyards at Anthonij Rupert. By doing this, the OVP is creating a living archive — and one that is adapted to South African conditions.

“I believe the oldest vineyards in South Africa have mutated to plants that reflect the landscape, the sun and the wind and the rain typical to that site and typical to the South African climate,” says Morganthal, who also believes “old-vine South African Chenin represents some of the best white wine in the world, different from, for example, Loire Chenin, solely because of the abundance of sunshine, unique ancient soils, and clonal materials, weathered over centuries.”

Bosman Family Winery’s Optenhorst Chenin Blanc, made from bush vines dating to 1952, with its banana-like notes and abundant minerality; Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin’s big, rich texture and bitter-herb finish evocative of South Africa’s fynbos, or scrublands; Mullineux’s Leliefontein Quartz Chenin’s opulent mouthfeel and snappy, pineapple acidity, indicative of its quartz-laden soils — these wines are not only delicious, they are uniquely South African.

Unlike the wetter, cooler, limestone Loire, where a touch of RS (residual sugar) is left in the wines to balance out their acid, South Africa’s Chenins are mainly vinified bone-dry, but they’re characterized by a natural, velvety mouthfeel that’s amplified as the vines age. “Yields come down and the bunches and berries are smaller,” says winemaker Christopher Mullineux of Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines. “You get more natural extract from these small berries, and that is where the natural textures come from.”

Indeed, sensory researchers at Stellenbosch University found that old-vine Chenins exhibit complex aromas and concentrated, balanced, lengthy mouthfeel. “Grapes on older vines ripen later, have a lower pH, higher acidity, and lower sugar,” Morganthal says. “It’s an ideal analysis for a wine.”

That is, if the vines are treated right. Kruger learned the hard way. “During the first years I tried to cut life back into the old vines with pruning shears. I made a terrible mistake,” she says. Heavy pruning weakens old vines. “Now, with our new pruning techniques, shaping the vine from the best wood on the plant, we have increased quality and volume,” she says.

The same goes for fertilizing, which Kruger does sparingly and organically. “We have the best results when we treat these lovely old plants with dignity,” she advises vineyards. “Listen to them as if you are talking to your grandmother.”

A light touch in the vineyard allows for more of the same in the winery. Says Mullineux, “If you have healthy old vines, it tends to be easier to make low-intervention wines, as the fruit is in a better natural balance.”

In its membership agreement, the Old Vine Project encourages minimalist techniques, eschewing added acid, sulphur, new oak, and commercial yeast. Many old-vine Chenins are the result of spontaneous fermentation with extended lees contact in old wood and, sometimes, concrete or amphora. Luscious wines with exuberant, tropical flavors, they are made to express their terroir.

Of course, we can’t separate terroir from history. A 35-year-old vine planted under apartheid has racialist exploitation embedded in its wood. And today, though South African organizations like the Wine and Agriculture Ethical Trade Association promote ethics in labor relations, a 2011 Human Rights Watch report found widespread labor abuses in the South African wine industry. These included substandard and insecure housing on winery lands, harsh working conditions and overly long hours, safety hazards such as pesticide exposure, lack of access to drinking water, opposition to unionizing, and more.

Says biodynamic viticulturist Johan Reyneke, who worked in vineyards in the 1990s before launching his own Reyneke Wines: “My colleagues were poor; they were working as kids. It just sucked. One cold day in the vineyard, I put my surfing wetsuit on under my clothes, but my colleagues, they shoved newspaper in their shoes to stay warm. I said, ‘If I stay in this industry, things must change.’”

As Human Rights Watch found, however, not all wineries have poor labor practices. Reyneke launched his Cornerstone wine series to dedicate its proceeds to education, housing, and retirement annuities for his workers and their families. Similarly, at Bosman Family Wines, a Fairtrade brand, workers own 26 percent of the business and 430 hectares of Bosman land.

“We are very cognizant of our legacy, specifically the current working and living conditions of our workers,” Morganthal says. The Project trains workers, he says, “to elevate their skills to master pruner level,” and has developed a trading platform for old-vine grapes “to benefit grape growers, brand owners, and, ultimately, vineyard workers.”

The idea is that old-vine skills, grapes, and wines can garner higher prices, so there’s more cash in the system to raise the living standards for everyone.

As Mullineux argues, “If we cannot sell our wine for a fair price, then everybody in the Swartland struggles, and we cannot break the cycles of the past.”

10 Old-Vine Chenin Blanc Wines to Try

Not every old-vine winery is a member of the Old Vine Project, but each wine below meets the OVP’s 35-year-old threshold and is available in the States:

Beaumont Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc 2018 Left 10 months on the lees in 15 percent new wood, this wine from vines planted in 1974 and 1978 on the Cape South Coast balances beautifully between oak-driven oomph and a pineapple-citrus acidity. Price $37.99.

Botanica Mary Delany Series Chenin Blanc 2017 From dry-farmed bush vines dating to 1957, this wine shows juicy Asian pear notes and a touch of spiciness with a flinty finish. Price $26.94.

David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc 2017 This apple-bright wine comes from low bush vines planted in decomposed granite, shale mix, and iron-rich clay soils between 1963 and 1982. Price $79.94.

Hogan Chenin Blanc 2016 Full malolactic fermentation gives this creamy wine from 40-year-old Swartland vines an exuberant, nearly gewürztraminer bouquet and big papaya-like flavor, balanced by a bright, bitter finish. Price $41.99.

Ken Forrester The FMC 2018 A boom-boom vanilla richness and intense, snappy apricot fruit battle it out in this Stellenbosch bottle vinified from 46-year-old bush vines and aged a year in barrel. Price $56.99.

Joostenberg Die Agteros Chenin Blanc 2018 Vinified from 38-year-old Stellenbosch vines in a mix of new oak and concrete eggs, this bargain organic wine has the weighty texture to linger over but the gingery acid to make it terrifically refreshing. Price $15.94.

Memento 2015 Abetted by 9 percent Verdelho, this Chenin Blanc blended from 35-year-old Swartland vines and ones just a tad younger in Bot River smells of ripe mango and guava with a lush, savory mid-palate that resolves to a green-apple bite. Price $32.99.

Mullineux Granite Chenin Blanc 2017 One of three single-terroir expressions by the winery, this fresh-faced Chenin from 40-year-old vines dry farmed in Paardeberg’s decomposed granite soils has a tart nose but a velvety mouthfeel and a bittersweet finish reminiscent of roasted endive. Price $69.97.

Mullineux Straw Wine 2017 From a mix of old vines at least 37 years old grown in granite and schist soils, this luscious, passito-style dessert wine balances nectary sweetness with dried-apricot brightness. Price $49.96 for 375 ml.

Reyneke Chenin Blanc Natural Wine 2016 Cold-fermented and matured in clay amphora, this unique Chenin Blanc from a biodynamic Stellenbosch producer working with vines over 40 years old has a nutty, umami character with a hint of sweet smoke, like that of roasted almonds or butter-braised enoki mushrooms. Price $68.99

The article Chenin Blanc Winemakers Are Breathing New Life Into South Africa’s Forgotten Vines appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/old-vine-project-chenin-blanc/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/611216380739584000

[johnboothus]

Chenin Blanc Winemakers Are Breathing New Life Into South Africas Forgotten Vines

One day last February, in South Africa’s Franschhoek Valley, Gary Baumgarten, managing director of Anthonij Rupert Wyne, joined a group in his tasting room who were visiting on behalf of Wines of South Africa. It was the height of South Africa’s 2019 harvest, and temperatures were 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat had followed three years of drought.

“Welcome to climate change, guys,” Baumgarten said.

If there’s a wine likely to survive these conditions, it’s this. A David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc, it came from dry-farmed vineyards planted over half a century ago. Those tough, old Chenin bush vines have longevity on their side.

“Old vines do pretty well in adverse conditions, especially drought, particularly due to their well-established root systems,” Andre Morganthal, project manager for South Africa’s Old Vine Project (OVP), and our host for the tasting, said. OVP member wineries use grapes from vines at least 35 years old, a status indicated on bottles with the OVP’s Certified Heritage Vineyards seal.

The Project is the brainchild of viticultural consultant Rosa Kruger, who’s been hunting down South Africa’s forgotten vines since 2002. The diversity of her discoveries is impressive. Though they make up just 3 to 4 percent of all South African plantings, OVP-registered vines comprise 48 varieties. Approximately half of these are Chenin Blanc.

That’s largely because there’s so much Chenin in South Africa altogether. Once known by its old Dutch name, Steen, it was brought here in the 1650s. Under the Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Suid-Afrika (KWV), which dominated production in the 20th century until apartheid’s end in the 1990s, Chenin was widely planted for South Africa’s popular brandy. It’s still the nation’s most cultivated variety.

The reasons for the vines’ longevity, though, remain the subject of OVP research. Many suffer viruses, but with the help of vine nursery Vititec, the OVP has been cleaning up neglected vines and propagating disease-free materials from them for “new” heritage vineyards at Anthonij Rupert. By doing this, the OVP is creating a living archive — and one that is adapted to South African conditions.

“I believe the oldest vineyards in South Africa have mutated to plants that reflect the landscape, the sun and the wind and the rain typical to that site and typical to the South African climate,” says Morganthal, who also believes “old-vine South African Chenin represents some of the best white wine in the world, different from, for example, Loire Chenin, solely because of the abundance of sunshine, unique ancient soils, and clonal materials, weathered over centuries.”

Bosman Family Winery’s Optenhorst Chenin Blanc, made from bush vines dating to 1952, with its banana-like notes and abundant minerality; Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin’s big, rich texture and bitter-herb finish evocative of South Africa’s fynbos, or scrublands; Mullineux’s Leliefontein Quartz Chenin’s opulent mouthfeel and snappy, pineapple acidity, indicative of its quartz-laden soils — these wines are not only delicious, they are uniquely South African.

Unlike the wetter, cooler, limestone Loire, where a touch of RS (residual sugar) is left in the wines to balance out their acid, South Africa’s Chenins are mainly vinified bone-dry, but they’re characterized by a natural, velvety mouthfeel that���s amplified as the vines age. “Yields come down and the bunches and berries are smaller,” says winemaker Christopher Mullineux of Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines. “You get more natural extract from these small berries, and that is where the natural textures come from.”

Indeed, sensory researchers at Stellenbosch University found that old-vine Chenins exhibit complex aromas and concentrated, balanced, lengthy mouthfeel. “Grapes on older vines ripen later, have a lower pH, higher acidity, and lower sugar,” Morganthal says. “It’s an ideal analysis for a wine.”

That is, if the vines are treated right. Kruger learned the hard way. “During the first years I tried to cut life back into the old vines with pruning shears. I made a terrible mistake,” she says. Heavy pruning weakens old vines. “Now, with our new pruning techniques, shaping the vine from the best wood on the plant, we have increased quality and volume,” she says.

The same goes for fertilizing, which Kruger does sparingly and organically. “We have the best results when we treat these lovely old plants with dignity,” she advises vineyards. “Listen to them as if you are talking to your grandmother.”

A light touch in the vineyard allows for more of the same in the winery. Says Mullineux, “If you have healthy old vines, it tends to be easier to make low-intervention wines, as the fruit is in a better natural balance.”

In its membership agreement, the Old Vine Project encourages minimalist techniques, eschewing added acid, sulphur, new oak, and commercial yeast. Many old-vine Chenins are the result of spontaneous fermentation with extended lees contact in old wood and, sometimes, concrete or amphora. Luscious wines with exuberant, tropical flavors, they are made to express their terroir.

Of course, we can’t separate terroir from history. A 35-year-old vine planted under apartheid has racialist exploitation embedded in its wood. And today, though South African organizations like the Wine and Agriculture Ethical Trade Association promote ethics in labor relations, a 2011 Human Rights Watch report found widespread labor abuses in the South African wine industry. These included substandard and insecure housing on winery lands, harsh working conditions and overly long hours, safety hazards such as pesticide exposure, lack of access to drinking water, opposition to unionizing, and more.

Says biodynamic viticulturist Johan Reyneke, who worked in vineyards in the 1990s before launching his own Reyneke Wines: “My colleagues were poor; they were working as kids. It just sucked. One cold day in the vineyard, I put my surfing wetsuit on under my clothes, but my colleagues, they shoved newspaper in their shoes to stay warm. I said, ‘If I stay in this industry, things must change.’”

As Human Rights Watch found, however, not all wineries have poor labor practices. Reyneke launched his Cornerstone wine series to dedicate its proceeds to education, housing, and retirement annuities for his workers and their families. Similarly, at Bosman Family Wines, a Fairtrade brand, workers own 26 percent of the business and 430 hectares of Bosman land.

“We are very cognizant of our legacy, specifically the current working and living conditions of our workers,” Morganthal says. The Project trains workers, he says, “to elevate their skills to master pruner level,” and has developed a trading platform for old-vine grapes “to benefit grape growers, brand owners, and, ultimately, vineyard workers.”

The idea is that old-vine skills, grapes, and wines can garner higher prices, so there’s more cash in the system to raise the living standards for everyone.

As Mullineux argues, “If we cannot sell our wine for a fair price, then everybody in the Swartland struggles, and we cannot break the cycles of the past.”

10 Old-Vine Chenin Blanc Wines to Try

Not every old-vine winery is a member of the Old Vine Project, but each wine below meets the OVP’s 35-year-old threshold and is available in the States:

Beaumont Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc 2018 Left 10 months on the lees in 15 percent new wood, this wine from vines planted in 1974 and 1978 on the Cape South Coast balances beautifully between oak-driven oomph and a pineapple-citrus acidity. Price $37.99.

Botanica Mary Delany Series Chenin Blanc 2017 From dry-farmed bush vines dating to 1957, this wine shows juicy Asian pear notes and a touch of spiciness with a flinty finish. Price $26.94.

David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc 2017 This apple-bright wine comes from low bush vines planted in decomposed granite, shale mix, and iron-rich clay soils between 1963 and 1982. Price $79.94.

Hogan Chenin Blanc 2016 Full malolactic fermentation gives this creamy wine from 40-year-old Swartland vines an exuberant, nearly gewürztraminer bouquet and big papaya-like flavor, balanced by a bright, bitter finish. Price $41.99.

Ken Forrester The FMC 2018 A boom-boom vanilla richness and intense, snappy apricot fruit battle it out in this Stellenbosch bottle vinified from 46-year-old bush vines and aged a year in barrel. Price $56.99.

Joostenberg Die Agteros Chenin Blanc 2018 Vinified from 38-year-old Stellenbosch vines in a mix of new oak and concrete eggs, this bargain organic wine has the weighty texture to linger over but the gingery acid to make it terrifically refreshing. Price $15.94.

Memento 2015 Abetted by 9 percent Verdelho, this Chenin Blanc blended from 35-year-old Swartland vines and ones just a tad younger in Bot River smells of ripe mango and guava with a lush, savory mid-palate that resolves to a green-apple bite. Price $32.99.

Mullineux Granite Chenin Blanc 2017 One of three single-terroir expressions by the winery, this fresh-faced Chenin from 40-year-old vines dry farmed in Paardeberg’s decomposed granite soils has a tart nose but a velvety mouthfeel and a bittersweet finish reminiscent of roasted endive. Price $69.97.

Mullineux Straw Wine 2017 From a mix of old vines at least 37 years old grown in granite and schist soils, this luscious, passito-style dessert wine balances nectary sweetness with dried-apricot brightness. Price $49.96 for 375 ml.

Reyneke Chenin Blanc Natural Wine 2016 Cold-fermented and matured in clay amphora, this unique Chenin Blanc from a biodynamic Stellenbosch producer working with vines over 40 years old has a nutty, umami character with a hint of sweet smoke, like that of roasted almonds or butter-braised enoki mushrooms. Price $68.99

The article Chenin Blanc Winemakers Are Breathing New Life Into South Africa’s Forgotten Vines appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/old-vine-project-chenin-blanc/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/chenin-blanc-winemakers-are-breathing-new-life-into-south-africas-forgotten-vines