On genetic diversity, globalisation and great grape pips
Tuesday, 16 September, 2008
Graham Howe
Cult winemakers swim against the tide of globalisation of wine brands. Graham Howe
tastes aromatic indigenous varieties like "the little red bastardo"
which thrive in hot climates and visits the source of Beyers Truter's
innovative Cape / Douro blend.
If the five Douro Boys can put warm-climate wine on the map, maybe cult Cape winemakers could follow suit with a celebrity club like the Breede Boykies, the Olifants Okes, the Helderberg Homeys or the Princes of Pinotage? I could imagine the Sultans of the Simonsberg - or an all-girl band of Shiraz stars called the Spice Girls. My imagination ran riot staring into my crystal bowl - a ballon rouge - over a fascinating wine and food tasting I did with one of the Douro Boys in Oporto recently.
In "Planet Wine", Stuart Pigott writes about "the return of the natives" (indigenous Portuguese varieties). Of winemaker Dirk van der Niepoort, a superstar of the Douro Boys, "He believes in the power of genetic diversity to craft compelling red wine flavours in Portugal's Douro Valley... The actual vines responsible for this wine are no less ancient than the grape varieties... Niepoort's daring mix of wine archaeology and futuristic vision defy all the contemporary categories and easy descriptors". Oz Clarke comments in "The Wine and Food Lover's Guide to Portugal", "The wine world may swoop and sway in mackerel shoals. Portugal swims in a different tide... ... a fiery beacon of individuality raging against the insidious ooze of globalisation".
Miguel Roquette of Quinta do Crasto is another of the stars of the Douro Boys. Five young producers are spearheading a makeover of the Douro on world markets as the home of cult red wines - and not just port. Crasto, a 17th century family estate, has won the only trophies and the highest scores awarded DOC Douro wines by Decanter, Spectator and Robert Parker. Since launching Crasto wines in 1994, the cellar has won cult status in the UK and USA for its Maria Teresa and Old Vines Reserve made from "a fruit salad" of 30 indigenous varieties virtually unknown outside of Portugal.
There are lessons to be learned when one of the youngest wine producers from the world's oldest wine appellation (the Douro was demarcated in 1756) makes its mark with new-wave wines. Miguel Roquette comments, "Portuguese wine is still not a legitimate category on many restaurant wine lists. The Douro is not only port. We are very serious about Douro wines. Douro wines are made from up to thirty indigenous varieties grown here for three centuries. Consumers looking for new wine styles will find a new sensory experience in the Douro's intense varietal aromas and flavours".
Move over Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz. The Douro favours warm-climate wine varieties like Tinta Barocca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional which go into Crasto's best-selling Vin Rouge export brand. Miguel says Crasto Touriga Nacional (Euro 20) - "a very fashionable variety which copes with the intense heat of the Douro" - made their reputation. The secret, he adds, is his grandfather's advice, "If you filter a wine you take the soul out of it" - and never let the alcohol level of wine get above 13,5%. The Cape might fight global warming by planting hot-climate aromatic varieties like Alvarinho, Alicante Bouschet and Trincadeira.
The firm tannins, vinous texture and full-bodied character of Crasto wines went well with the robust flavours of gazpacho, bacalhau (salted cod), alheira (a traditional sausage stuffed with garlic, bread, venison and poultry) and hunter-style partridge in a port-wine sauce. We didn't have the time to taste over 250 indigenous varieties grown throughout Portugal - not even those with the hilarious moniker of little red bastard, fly droppings and dog strangler (a wild tangle of vines). We slowly learned that the same grape sometimes has several names. Tempranillo is called Aragonez in the south and Tinta Roriz in the north - while Trincadeira is called Tinta Amarela in the Douro.
A taste of Touriga reminded me of De Krans flagship Red Stone Reserve (a powerful Touriga Nacional and Cabernet Sauvignon blend) and Boplaas' Ring of Rocks (a three-way Bordeaux blend with Touriga) and single varietal Touriga Nacional. The Calitzdorp Cats are frequent callers on the Douro Boys - as is Beyers Truter who has been quietly making a bi-national blend of Touriga Nacional from Quinta Nova with Pinotage from the Bottelary under the Legadontes (Legacy) label. A new-wave Cape / Douro blend goes beyond borders and global brands in source and inspiration.
Beyers might earn honorary membership of the Douro Boys. A prophet of Pinotage with a passion for indigenous varieties, he's been quietly dropping in to the Douro at harvest-time. He's assisting Quinta Nova with extraction techniques in the lagares (small open fermenters), using punch-downs to accelerate the fermentation process - and extract less tannin and more ripe fruit flavours. He comments, "Making port and red wine is a different kettle of fish. They can make classic wines - working with indigenous varieties, you can build flavours as a recipe for a great Douro blend".
Beyers plans to release an exclusive Cape / Douro 2006 blend of Touriga Nacional from the Douro and Pinotage, Cabernet and Merlot from the Cape by Christmas. Once his three 300 litre barrels of Touriga arrive from the Douro, he can strike up the blend. He says his first Cape / Douro 2005 blend showed the violet fruits of Touriga combine well with the blackberry of Pinotage in a complex wine with good balance and a long finish. In future, he plans to make global blends from indigenous varieties elsewhere.
We found the source of Beyers' legendary Touriga at Quinta Nova in the heart of the Douro valley. Pinhao is the epicentre of some of the Douro's A-list of quintas (wine estates). A breathtaking road led us to our lodgings in the manor-house at Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo perched on a hillside among orchards and vineyards on stonewall terraces high above the river. Guests who visit during the harvest are invited to join in the harvest and tread grapes underfoot the old way.
Founded in 1756, the historic port estate is named after a stone chapel built to honour Our Lady of Carmel, the patron of river sailors. That night we dined on cabrito (goat casserole - I kid you not), a specialty prepared by local cook Donna Maria - along with alheira sausage with port jus and olive oil from the estate. Owned by the Amorim family, the winery on the north bank is renowned for its ports and DOC Douro wines.
The vintage port is made from thirty indigenous varieties in vineyards up to thirty years old - whereas a range of four wines is blended from traditional port varieties.
If I'd been overwhelmed by the thought of thirty indigenous varieties planted in a single vineyard - try a wine label which carries the name of the humble grape pip in 17 different languages. Over dinner we sampled the white and red versions of Quinta Nova's Grainha - meaning pip, pepita, pit, druestein, kern, vinogradnaia, vinacciolo etc, etc. I learned about the magical properties of the pip over a glass of the rich red Grainha - an oak-matured blend of Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Amarela
Hands up if you knew the pip (or grape seed) is the rich source of anti-oxidants, proteins, tannins, aromatic components, linoleic acids and ethanol which shape the aroma, body and maturation potential of wine? According to Grainha, the pip represents 3% of the total weight of the grape - and is made up of 30 - 40% water, 34 - 36% carbohydrates, 10 - 12% fat, 5 - 8% tannin, 2% nitrogen and 1% fruit acid. What's more, the antioxidant properties of the pip make it an ideal ingredient in cosmetics, health potions and aroma therapy treatments. Come to think of it, I was once given a rough Shiraz seed scrub at a vinotherapy spa during an exfoliation treatment. You're never too old to learn a new trick about wine - what you might call nog 'n pip.
See Ministry of Agriculture website (www.ivv.min-agricultura.pt), www.amorimcork.com, the port wine route (www.imediata.pt), Quinta do Crasto (www.quintadocrasto.pt), Niepoort Vinhos (www.niepoort-vinhos.com) and Quinta Nova (www.quintanova.com).
Graham Howe is a well-known gourmet travel writer based in Cape Town. One of South Africa's most experienced lifestyle journalists, he has contributed hundreds of food, wine and travel features to South African and British publications over the last 25 years.
He is a wine and food contributor for wine.co.za, which is likely the longest continuous wine column in the world, having published over 500 articles on this extensive South African wine portal. Graham also writes a popular monthly print column for WineLand called Howe-zat.
When not exploring the Cape Winelands, this adventurous globetrotter reports on exotic destinations around the world as a travel correspondent for a wide variety of print media, online, and radio.
Over the last decade, he has visited over seventy countries on travel assignments from the Aran Islands and the Arctic to Borneo and Tristan da Cunha - and entertained readers with his adventures through the winelands of the world from the Mosel to the Yarra.