YATS Wine Experience A Look at the Understated Heroes in Wine FIVE STYLES OF WHITE WINE Gavi
15TH July, 2010 (Upper East Restaurant, Salcedo Village, Makati)
Admission is p1,500 but tickets can be purchased in advance for p1,100
For tickets and inquiries, Format of YATS Wine Experience – YWE - Session YATS Wine Cellars regularly hold non-commercial wine tasting to help wine enthusiasts expand their knowledge of wine in a most enjoyable and affordable way. These tastings are different from other commercial tastings. The wines from these tastings are not sponsored by a wine merchant and there are no salesmen. You are in the company of people from all ages and all walks with one common interest – wine. Tickets can be purchased in advance at a discount. Each ticket comes with five tasting stubs. The wines are lined up at a wine service station. Present a ticket at this station to surrender the stubs to redeem a tasting pours (roughly 50-60ml per pour) of five wines on the line-up. Someone will always be available to answer questions or discuss topics pertinent to the theme of the wines in the event. Otherwise the event is a self-paced tasting exercise that is the most structured and economical way to sample interesting wines.
Wines of this YWE session Five Styles of White Wine
From Italy: 2002 Gavi Dezzani In line with old-world customs, Italy’s famous Piedmont wine region labels its wine by place rather than varietal. Gavi is probably the most important white wine of Italy which is more known for its reds. It is made from a grape called Cortese which is also found in Lombardy. Cortese tends to produce white wine with plenty of vigor and crispness on the palate. Naturally high in acidity, it matches well with the regional cuisine. In the past, Cortese-based white wine were lean and mean, low in alcohol, to be quaffed up upon release. Modern-time’s Gavi, also known as Cortese di Gavi, is usually a high-quality white wine, marries well with Insalata, pasta with white sauce and even rich seafood risotto. Although production of whites in Piedmont still trails reds by a ratio of 1:2, Gavi is worth keeping an eye on, as well as a few bottles in the cellar also because Gavi, like white Burgundies, age very well up to 10 years.
From S. Africa: 2008 Chenin Blanc KWV Chenin Blanc is especially successful in South Africa where it occupies over 30% of the vineyards. But Chenin Blanc is not a South African varietal at all. In fact, the benchmark of Chenin Blanc are the white wines from France’s Loire Valley where not only dry white wines are made - Anjou and Vouvray for example - from this grape but also unctuous dessert wine labeled as Coteaux du Layon, Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaumes, and delightful sparkling wine – cremant de Loire. Chenin Blanc exudes a distinctive floral, honeyed personality particularly forward on the nose. The wine can be quite acidic and when there isn’t enough ripe fruit to balance, it can come across as overly thin and dry. Warmer climates of South Africa lend well to avoiding that problem. Chenin Blanc is also very successful in America, so much so that for a brief period of time it gave Chardonnay a run for its money, until Sauvignon Blanc sneaked in from behind and claimed the throne.
From Chile: 2000 Chardonnay Casa Lapastolle Chardonnay is to a wine maker what a blank canvass is to a painter. There is so much that can be done to the grapes brought in from the vineyards that there are probably more styles and renditions of this varietal than for any other red or white grape. For those who are not familiar with Casa Lapastolle, this is one of the premier wine maker in Chile, probably in the class of what Mondavi was to California. Its top-of-the-line red wine Clos Apalta commands a lot of respect and a very high price which many, including myself, feel completely justified. This rendition of Chardonnay shows the skills and deft touch of a serious producer. Chardonnay, when done correctly, can be a well-balanced wine that improves with age. Tertiary qualities of aged white wine are even more intriguing and complex than for the reds. This Chardonnay should be savored with slightly more complex dishes like trout, veal and other white meat or poached poultry.
From Argentina: 2007 Viognier Santa Julia If this noble white grape never received due recognition it is probably because it is really seldom seen and even more rarely encountered. Viognier is not an easy grape like Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc to grow. It is ok with arid climates but is particularly susceptible to powdery mildew of damp weather. Furthermore, growers can’t play it safe and harvest early to avoid problems because this is one of those grapes that demands a full term for its true qualities to manifest themselves. If harvested before full ripeness, the resulting wine will be flat, void of any interesting flavors and totally undistinguished. Viognier produces one of the most full-bodied wine of potent alcohol strength, reaching well over 14% with ease. Many people love it for its tropical fruit flavors and that rich, warm almost creamy palate impression, not unlike Chardonnay made from ripe fruits. Viognier is a bit akin to Pinot Noir. There is a holy land. For Pinot, it is Burgundy, and few dispute that. For Viognier, it is a tiny little appellation in northern Rhone called Condrieu. Condrieu’s rendition is intense, gripping, complex and curiously long-living, but alas, very expensive. Viognier is one the “easy” pairing for Asian cuisine, including spicy dishes, umami-intense stir-fried recipes and even lighter styled Thai and Indian curries. Because if it is so full-bodied and robust, it is one of the few white wines that can pair with heavier dishes.
From France: 2000 Chablis Lamblin Under the hood of a Chablis is Chardonnay but that is not to say that Chablis is Chardonnay. Technically, it is one of the purest renditions of Chardonnay, often produced with bare minimum intervention in the winery. Many traditional Chablis do not see any oak at all and while that practice has changed a bit, Chablis in general, receives less oak infusion. Chablis is particularly keen to highlight the impact of its chalky soil called kimmerdigian soil base which formed during the Jurassic age. It is credited for imparting a peculiar yet attractive mineral undertone to the wine which many describe as flint. (One has to forgive wine critics for the bad habit of using these unintelligible descriptions to conjure up not memory of taste of some vivid imagination of the wine drinkers.) Fans of Chablis love this lean-and-mean style of Chardonnay for its racy vigor and steely demeanor. Chablis seldom tries to please all. But despite its nonchalant posture, Chablis has won the hearts of even the most hard-core of white-wine lovers. If you are staring at some delectable shellfish, particularly lobsters and oysters, think no more. Chablis is your choice. |