"Gourmet News" Part 4 "Enjoying the Grape Variety of White Wine"
I'm a red wine drinker, so I don't really feel like drinking white wine. When I was a child, the wine that was popular in the world was not still wine (regular wine) such as Akadama Port Wine or Honey Wine, but the proper wines that I finally started drinking after I became an adult were "Madonna", which was heavily advertised on TV, and sweet, inexpensive German white wines such as "Liebfreimilch (Virgin's Milk)" and "Schwarzekatz (Black Cat)". To be honest, I didn't like them. Well, I guess I could drink Portugal's "Mateus Rosé". So I didn't have a good impression of wine = white wine, and I was leaning towards French "cooking". I realized the depth of wine when I was over 30 and just went to Paris. It all started with Mouton in 1984, and since then I've been drinking only French red wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy.
The best thing about red wine is, of course, its astringency. The balance of acidity and astringency. This astringency is extracted from parts such as the skin and stems of the fruit. In contrast, white wine is basically made only from the flesh of the fruit, so it relies on its fruitiness and acidity. This is where the grape variety becomes important. Therefore, it is necessary to capture the aroma unique to the grape variety as well as the flavor. In contrast, many of the cheap German wines of the younger days were blends. In fact, the top Grand Cru wines of Alsace contain four grape varieties, and the most affordable Vins d'Alsace is a blend. In other words, blends of white wines should generally be avoided.
So what should we base our thinking on? First of all, it is Chardonnay from Burgundy. Burgundy is called the "king of wines" because it produces artistic wines, both red and white, using only one grape variety. Moreover, in Burgundy, which stretches from north to south, a wide variety of Chardonnay is produced from the northern exclave of Chablis to the southern tip of Macon, just before Beaujolais. The best of them are probably Montrachet and Meursault in Beaune on the Côte d'Or (Golden Hill). Incidentally, the red wine represented by Romanée-Conti is from Nuits.
Chardonnay, which is considered the heaviest (full-bodied) white wine, can be further divided into the "Chablis" type, which is unoaked and has a strong acidity, and the "Beaune" type, which is oaked to increase its complexity and allow for aging. Furthermore, Chardonnay is the most widely planted grape variety in the world, so the characteristics of each country and land are added to this, and you can enjoy a wide variety of wines at a wide range of prices.
If you want to know red wine, I think it is a good idea to compare Burgundy and Bordeaux and drink them in a dichotomy, but it would be good to drink white wine in the same way. In that case, Alsace wine should be contrasted with Burgundy = Chardonnay. This is because Bordeaux competed with Burgundy, which is made of only Pinot Noir, by blending several varieties, but Alsace, as mentioned above, produces four types of Grand Cru wines: Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Muscat, as well as "many" single-variety wines such as Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner. Riesling is the main variety of German wine, and Pinot Gris (Grigio in Italy) produces high-quality wines in northern Italy. Also, Gewurztraminer, the most aromatic white wine, is almost exclusively found in Alsace, so by learning about Alsace wine, you can learn about the various grape varieties of white wine and their regional distribution and characteristics.
Of course, there are other varieties in France alone, such as Chenin Blanc and Muscadet from the Loire region, Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux, and Semillon, which is essential for noble rot wines, but we will talk about that another time. Here, let's talk about Viognier, which produces wines with the appellation "Condrieu" in the Rhone region. Although it seems to be produced all over the world these days, it is a rare variety of high-class white wine produced in an extremely limited area and is drunk early. It has a unique sweet aroma of peaches and flowers, and is sometimes described as rich and oily because it has a low acidity. Among them, Chateau Grillet is an excellent vineyard that can claim its own appellation, just like Romanée-Conti. It is remembered as "Condrieu", and if you have the chance, please try it at least once.
And lastly, don't forget that Japan also has a world-renowned grape variety called "Koshu". Using the "sur lie" method, the wine is not racked immediately after fermentation, and instead the yeast's richness and flavor are imparted to the wine, resulting in a refreshing wine with "richness and crispness" that suits Japanese tastes. We hope you can confirm once again that Japanese wine is "mainly white".
This month's recommended wine: Enjoy the best of Chardonnay at a reasonable price
"Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Le Charmoy 2014 Domaine Au Pied du Montchauve" 6,300 yen (excluding tax)
In the main text, I wrote that the best white wines are probably Burgundy's "Montrachet" and "Meursault". These wines are grown in the Côte de Beaune, which is a part of the region known as the "Côte d'Or" (Golden Hill) in Burgundy. Although they are sometimes aged in barrels, in addition to the basic characteristics of white wine, such as acidity and fruitiness, they also have unique aromas and flavors such as nuts and honey, and can withstand aging, turning golden in color and allowing you to enjoy a rich and complex flavor. However, you have to be prepared to spend at least 10,000 yen. Therefore, if you want to enjoy the goodness of these Chardonnays more reasonably, it is better to look for wines from villages in the surrounding areas. One of them is "Saint-Auban". Sutcliffe describes it as "one of Burgundy's hidden gems" and writes that good quality wines made by conscientious winemakers are offered at reasonable prices (Burgundy Wine, p. 132). The wine we will introduce this time is from a Premier Cru vineyard, and is made by a domaine established in 2010 by Ms. Francine, the third generation owner of Famille Picard, a négociant based in the village of Chassagne-Montrachet. The winery is highly regarded for its commitment to pursuing high quality through biodynamic farming, hand-picking harvests, 100% destemming, and other time-consuming practices. The 2014 vintage was a good one, and I think it is just about ready to drink for the first time. Please take this opportunity to enjoy a taste of the true essence of Chardonnay.
For inquiries about the wines featured,
To AVICO Co., Ltd.
Biography
Osamu Seki Born in Tokyo in 1961. Currently a part-time lecturer at Meiji University and other institutions.
He specializes in contemporary French thought and cultural theory, and is a director of the Reefer Wine Association.
His books include "An Introduction to Beautiful Men" (Natsume Shobo) and "My Neighbor is Arashi-kun" (Cyzo), and his translations include "How Should We Read Foucault?" by Oksara (Shinsensha) and "Mr. Pydrow, What Use Is a Gastronomic Critic?" by Pydrowski (Shinsensha).
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