Had been in London for just over a week for the third session of the Bordeaux Ecole du Management Wine MBA when the opportunity to sample a sublime selection of Beaujolais came about.  London is a wonderful city to be in for the study of the business of wine, but an even more engaging location for sampling wines from around the world.  This place vibrates with vinous venues spreading throughout the city as so many shoots on a vigorous vine.  Occasions to taste and explore are behind nearly every wine shop door and trade events occur on a daily basis.  However, with the course load weighing heavily, I had to limit the number of tastings, choosing those that offer oenological observation opportunities of true exploration, and this is how I found myself attending a Beaujolais Master Class sponsored by Inter Beaujolais and presented by Isabelle Legeron, MW.

Beaujolais is a misunderstood and vastly under-rated wine region, yet it holds a special place in my memory as it was a bottle of Beaujolais Morgon by Marcel Lapierre sipped in 1995 that woke my palate and propelled me along the continuing road of unearthing all I could about wine.  Why Beaujolais and Gamay rather than a more storied appellation, with its superstar grape? Good question and one that I’ve thought about more and more as I sip further and further into this passion as a business path.  Why indeed. More tasting was the need.

Began the evening with a bottle of Sorrenberg Gamay from Beechworth, a cool climate region of Victoria, Australia.  I chose this wine because it is a unique expression of the Gamay grape and wanted to see how different, if at all, it would be from the Beaujolais tasted later that evening. The wine was brambly on the nose, with warm spice and even some cola, hinting at warmth and ripeness. On the palate, it was velvety, and rather voluptuous, yet neither weighty nor sloppy. It was balanced. I had another glass. With the Sorrenberg on my palate and in my mind, I arrived at the tasting ready to travel the Beaujolais vineyards along the Natural Wine way under the guidance of Beaujolais lover and natural wine proponent Isabelle Legeron, MW (www.thatcrazyfrenchwoman.com)

The Master Class commenced with two Beaujolais Blanc, each nice and tight, full of life and light, perfect wines to segue into the night.  The Terres Dorees Jean Paul Brun 2009 had a nose of apple and pear, with dancing acidity on the palate while the Chateau du Chatelard 2009 was lush but not fat, with great minerality, some slight creaminess and a lingering, gratifying finish.  The wines could persuade the Chardonnay haters to give the variety another chance, as these were definitely wines one could sip throughout a meal with great delight.

After such charming whites, Isabelle ever so gently introduced the audience to Beaujolais Rouge with three, lighter, AOC, expressions. I preferred the Chateau Cambon 2010, with its floral, spiced nose and concentrated palate of crunchy red apples, taunting me to have another glass. I would have if I could have, but with the ten Crus yet to sample, had to say no, perhaps another time.   Deftly arranged, the Crus were tasted in the following order: Chiroubles, Brouilly, Regnie, Fleurie, Saint-Amour, Cote de Brouilly, Julienas, Chenas, Morgon, and finishing with Moulin-a-Vent.  All wines were from viticulturalists who practice natural wine making, choosing minimal manipulation in the winery and organic vineyards for fruit.  With the exception of the Moulin-a-Vent, all wines were from the “Outstanding” 2009 and 2010 vintages.  One of the more interesting contrasts were the two wines from Fleurie.  While the “Le Printemps” by Domaine Yvon Metras was all roses, seductively scented and presently palate pleasing, the Julien Sunier 2009 boasted more minerality on the nose, with a tight palate structured for a few years of aging and the further deepening of both nose and palate.  If you can find either, buy some.

Moving along the Crus to more depth, we arrived at Morgon and some 2010 Marcel Lapierre. Sadly, this was the vintage that marked the end of an era as Mr. Lapierre, who in the early 1980′s began following the natural wine teachings of Jules Chauvet, passed away due to melanoma complications.  His son, Mathieu finished this vintage brilliantly, allowing the ripeness to show, yet not overrule the wine.  As I sipped, my memory recalled the wine that in 1995 brought me into to the world of wine as art, something to be revered and savored rather than collected as an investment, like so many stocks on the market.  Anyhow, back to Beaujolais, it was superlative with notes of berries, bramble, game, and mushrooms with a lively palate that, like the Sorrenberg, was velvety and voluptuous, yet it had an underpinning note of nervousness that made it almost ethereal with electric energy, which is something a bit more than the Sorrenberg. Maybe an argument on terroir, but that is for another time. Both were excellent wines, but my palate preferred the Lapierre on that particular evening.  The final wine of the tasting was a 2006 Moulin-a-Vent “Vignes du Tremblay” by Domaine Janin.  This was a boasting Beaujolais, with notes of rusting iron and youthful balsamic on the nose, with drying red fruits, game, and sinewy tannins on the palate.  While a nice wine, felt it was nearing its “dumb phase” and in need of few years slumber to awaken with more depth and finesse.  Great way to end the evening by showing how Crus Beaujolais have the stuffing to cellar.

So, the question, “why Beaujolais and Gamay”. Maybe it is just a mythic memory created with time, but I believe it is the utter unpretentious of the wines, their countryside manners, earthy, easily approachable and fun, yet with great complexity and minerality from the perfect marriage of grape, soil, and weather that in the capable hands of respectful vignerons, produces wines capable of profound pleasure, which, after all, is what wine should be.

Being the lush I am for pristine wines that sing with singularity, I hovered around his booth sipping and hoping that an importer would “please bring these wines to Bangkok”, to help give some sophistication to a market soaked in sameness.  While most tasters found the wines gorgeous, the reoccurring refrain, “Austrian wines are a hard sell for the Thai market”, was all I heard. Haven’t been here long, but from the events I’ve attended, people met, and “hand carry” wines sipped, I do believe Thai wine drinkers are thirsting for new vinous adventures, but suppliers, partly due to prohibitive taxes, are afraid to go off piste, preferring to remain on course, their portfolios brimming with well known regions, producers, and varietals.  True, regions like Mittelburgenland, Neusiedlersee, and Thermenregion; producers like Jurtschitch, Tschida, JR Reinisch; grapes like Blaufränkisch, Rogipfler, and Zweigelt are difficult to pronounce, but with an educated sales team, a problem like pronunciation should be easy enough to solve, right? Guess, like Eric Asimov suggests, it’s the “umlaut” that throws folks off the path of vinous enlightenment, yet from the traffic I observed at the tasting booth, pronunciation problems were trumped by palate preferences.  As a guy who writes wines lists, I would love to offer a fine selection of Austrian wines, and not just Grüner Veltliner, to a public thirsting for fresh sips and am hoping an importer with foresight will introduce the wines offered by Austria’s Fine Brands to a Bangkok that is ready for them.

A few favorites:

Tement Sauvignon Blanc Grasssnitzber 2009  (Steiermark)

A wonderfully brilliant, crisp, bright wine not at all weighed down by “bimboesque” fruitiness. Sublime, sexy sipping for adults.  www.tement.at

JR Reinisch Rotgipfler Reserve 2008 (Thermenregion)

A rich, complex wine with barrel time, yet not at all pumped to the point of puffiness. Tantalizing terrific Thermenregion goodness.

www.j-r.at

JR Reinisch Gumpoldskirchen Tradition 2009 (Thermenregion)

Love this wine made from Zierfandler and Rotgipfler grapes. Served it by the glass at my wine bar in Hakuba, Japan were customers found the delicate, playful palate, with its zingy tongue tickling presence a wonderful way to begin the end of a day.

www.j-r.at

Weninger Blaufränkisch Alte Reben 2007 (Mittelburgenland)

Succulent, with savory spice to balance its elegant floral and fruit lift. This wine stands as a testament to how good Austrian red wine from the Blaufränkisch grape can be.  Not at all a clumsy, cloying, cumbersome brute, but rather a deft, balanced, and graceful palate pleaser. www.weninger.com

If in Asia, contact Michael Thurner at  www.austriasfinebrands.com to find where to discover these and more.

This is not a history lesson on the wine industry of South Africa. Rather, it is a history of vintages from the previous decade of one of the Cape’s most distinctive wine estates, Morgenster, meaning morning star, which celebrates its 300^th anniversary this year. The namesake vineyard is located a mere five kilometers from the Atlantic, creating a cooling effect that is preferred for their steady style and the classic Bordeaux cultivars favored by the winemaking team, which includes the consulting talents of Chateau Cheval Blanc’s Pierre Lurton.  For the tasting, sponsored by Best Cellars of Bangkok, Ms. Huibre Hoff of Morgenster flew in to talk about the estate, its history, the vineyards, and of course, the wines to be tasted.

The estate offers two Bordeaux blends: the flagship, Morgenster and its sibling, Lourens River Valley.  The difference being that only the best of the best grapes are chosen for the Morgenster blend.  While striving for a recognizable style, each wine clearly reflects the vagaries of vintages and their distinct weather patterns, thus the blends are different vintage to vintage and are quite easily detected while tasting, making for interesting wines that truly represent their terroir.

Lourens River Valley 2003 and 2005 were tasted side-by-side, illustrating just how dissimilar the vintages and blends were for those two years.  The 2003 had an elegant nose with some lovely herbaceous notes of crushed tomato leaf and whiffs of green pepper, even suggestions of tobacco, cedar and spice. Such a refreshing change from the onslaught of “fig jam” found in so many New World examples of Bordeaux blends. The palate was precise while slightly precocious, with nimble tannins and a lengthy finish.  All this hinted at a cooler vintage, and when compared to the 2005, with its bodacious, warm weather charms, it was. While I prefer my wines to whisper rather than shout, the playful and flirty 05 was a wonderful example of a warmer vintage Merlot dominated blend. The nose was assertive, yet not brash, with nice chocolate truffle dust and coffee while the palate was rich, with smooth tannins and slightly truncation finish. Both wines were well made, but I preferred the less exuberant style of the 2003 Lourens River Valley, which offered, in my opinion, a more complete experience. As good friend of mine in Japan is fond of saying, “it was three glasses good” because I wanted another and another to revisit and see what was revealed.

The Morgenster offerings were from the 2008, 2003 and 2001 vintages. Again, the wines were poured side-by-side allowing for parallel comparisons that showcased the craft of creating blended wines, with each one expressing the personality of its vintage. We began with the 2008 Morgenster, which, at just three years, was the baby of the bunch. The nose was immediately expressive of the dominant varietal, Merlot, with plum pudding, chocolate and coffee, however; the two Cabernets’ more earthy and herbaceous characters, reined in the Merlot’s forwardness, creating a wine that pleased both my hedonist and academic desires. The palate was youthful, with heaps of oak spice, yet not harshly prevalent, with a good tannin structure and decent finish.  This wine has all the components to age well and needs more time to evolve from flashy youth to smooth maturity, which is what I tasted in the next two examples from the Morgenster line. The 2001 was the crowd-pleaser of the night, and for a ten year old wine, it was super fresh, exhibiting bold mocha notes on the nose and a lush, soft palate, both indicative of its warm vintage.  For my particular tastes, I found it a bit too eager to please, but nonetheless, a lusty reminder of just how well the Morgenster ages. My favorite wine of the evening, the 2003, a discreet, graceful and dignified drop that, like its little sister of the same vintage, unhurriedly displayed it seductiveness, like a beguiling adagio. This was cerebral and sublime, a wine that danced with my visceral fancies while not forgetting to woo my mind. The nose was haunting, with whispers of dried cassis and touches of tobacco leading to a palate that gradually unfurled, revealing minerality draped in fine tannins, shepherding to a fluid, patient finish. Another bottle, please.

The wines from the Morgenster estate show how New World fruit can, with minimal manipulation, reveal Old World charms, allowing one to savor without becoming fatigued from overly opulent fruit and oak driven examples of excess. Hope to see more of this style from other New World producers.

Opinions and tastes differ, thus giving the world its kaleidoscope of cool combinations and sensations. Like most accidental connoisseurs, I’d heard from folks who approve and those who disapprove of pairing Thai cuisine with wine but figured if I were eating at Nahm, David Thompson’s paragon of traditional Thai cookery, then fine wine would be more fitting than beer.  It was.

Nahm has an ace selection of Rieslings from the world’s premier producers and regions, ranging from the citrus and petrol-scented dry wines of Australia’s Eden Valley, to the mineral and spice subtleties, tethered with sweetness and acidity from Germany’s Mosel.  My dinner companions and I went with German Rieslings.

Our first wine of the evening was a 2006 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett.  It was surprisingly golden for such a youthful wine, and even more so considering it came from a screw cap closure.  The nose was perfumed with peach blossoms, river stones and a tailing trace of petrol. The palate was rich, rather ripe for a kabinett, with an excellent mouth feel that draped across the tongue with shy sweetness and balancing acidity.  My dinner partners noted this ripeness as well, but we weren’t complaining, as this opulence, if one can say a wine of such low alcohol is opulent, was an excellent foil to the heat of Nahm’s food, especially the decidedly delicious oyster and grilled prawn relish with young ginger, kaffir lime juice, sweet pork, deep fried fish, vegetables and a heart healthy dose of chili. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr not only stood tall next to dishes like smoked fish nestled in peanut and tapioca dumplings; coconut cup cakes filled with a red curry of crab; and dabs of minced chicken, prawn, pork and peanuts simmered in palm sugar with deep-fried shallots and garlic atop triangular segments of fresh pineapple, it embraced them in a dance that delighted the senses and defied naysayer beliefs that Thai cuisine is not suited to fine wine.

Our second wine of the evening was a 2005 Joh. Jos Prüm 2005 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese, which was much more linear and refined in comparison to the Wehlener Sonnenuhr.  While being a lovely wine with ethereal notes of peaches and stones, surpsingly, for a Spätlese, it lacked the richness of palate we had experienced with the Kabinett and was not the sublime partner it’s predecessor had been. This is not to say that the wine was at fault, for it was wonderful, but a more lithe and light dancer whose ideal pairing would have been less assertively forward dishes from the menu, like the coconut and turmeric curry of blue swimmer crab with calamansi limes, which was well matched for the lightening acidity and svelte, swimming sweetness of the Graacher.  We were increasingly bold by ordering heftier fare like spicy beef curry with cumin and long leaf coriander, which was delectable yet more suited the Wehlener Sonnenuhr richness.

Perchance we should have remained within safer limits, choosing more restrained dishes geared to the Graacher’s grace, but what fun is that? Both wines were not only complimentary to the meal, they were an integral aspect to the overall experience. After all, we were exploring Nahm’s delights and wanted to sample its treasures, and combing them with wine is one of life’s true pleasures.

Bangkok, the capitol of the Land of Smiles, is home to temples, lady boys and tantalizing Thai cuisine, but not renown for its burgeoning wine market.  As a week-long resident, I was happy to have received an invitation to the event courtesy of Wine Gallery and the opportunity to sit with several of the city’s key wine professionals for a blind tasting of fourteen Tuscan wines from the 2007 vintage, which is considered by some to be a fresh, forward vintage with good “drinkability”. After tasting the wines, I concur.

The tasting was led by my good friend, Ned Goodwin MW, from Tokyo. I was lucky to be seated next to Fabio Chiarelotto, the history-loving owner and winemaker of Montepeloso, a winery with vineyards located in coastal Tuscany’s Suvereto, who had two wines in the tasting – one of which, Gabbro, made the day’s top four.  He later embarrassingly admitted to not recognizing his wines and mistaking them for those of his neighbor. How a blind tasting does humble even the best of palates.

The wines were divided into three flights and rather than playing a game of identity roulette with the wines, we were asked to rate them on a scale from one to five, with five being the most preferred and one the least. I was told this is the scale used in Bangkok, which is exactly opposite of the one used in Japan. After each flight, we discussed the wines and it was interesting to see that my notions of the wine market here were holding true, with a majority of the wines rated highly among of the group being rather bold and forward, like a Patpong tout.  Yet the final tally of points was somewhat incongruous in that the wines I liked, which I felt were balanced, restrained, even coquettish in an Audrey Hepburn “Sabrina” manner, rounded out the group’s top five illustrating the reserved manner of the tasters – both Thai and foreign. I describe my three favorite wines as shy, but not at all farouche, revealing just enough to lure the drinker, yet not disrobing completely, leaving us keen to come back at a later day.  Maybe another bottle a few years away.

The tasting was followed by a wine dinner, created by Chef Alredo Russo and paired with Fabio’s Montepeloso range, including Gabbro, at Rossini’s in the Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit.  I felt the dishes while nice, were not the best complement to Fabio’s supple Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. One bright light was pairing the polenta with porcini and chanterelle ragout to Fabio’s exquisitely crafted, far from basic, entry level, Eneo, a predominately Sangiovese based wine. The cream sauces of the other dishes were heavy and distracted from the wines’s graceful palates. A good Arneis, Bruno Giacosa’s from the Roero hills or even an Aussie example from the likes of Pizzini in Victoria’s King Valley, would have been a more apt choice to cut through the richness of the sauces. Perhaps the most controversial plate was the the marinated beef with pickled vegetables paired with the Gabbro. After a decade in Japan, I am quite accustomed to vinegary veggies, known as sukemono in Japanese cuisine, but the acidic nature of pickles, while wonderful with the succulent beef, clashed horrendously with the restrained, fresh opulence of the Gabbro’s Cabernet.  A textbook illustration of the importance of taking tactile sensations into consideration when working with the art of food and wine pairing. Both the fabulous food and the wonderful wine suffered. Pity. Should very much like to try Fabio’s distinctive wines with more ideally-suited dishes. Perhaps in Japan, without the pickles and cream?

Top Five Wines of the tasting
#1 Guisto di Notri
#2 Oreno
#3 Orma
#4 Gabbro
#5 Solaia