The grapes of climate’s wrath

TWO years ago the Spanish winemaker Miguel Torres told me he had abandoned plans to make wine in China as the country had no terroir suitable for viticulture. His analysis appeared to be supported by the fact that Chinese billionaires were then buying up Bordeaux estates. But climate researchers say rising temperatures will transform the viticultural landscape as we know it by 2050 and that Torres may have spoken too soon. Potential future wine regions include mountainous central China where giant pandas live. Torres’ vineyards in Catalonia will soon be inhospitable to viticulture. Winemaking is, however, accustomed to climate change.

Full article first published in The Connexion (June, 2013)

No need to fear competition by Chinese reds

FOLLOWING the victory of Chinese red wines over French ones at a taste-off in Beijing, The Connexion asked: “Should French wine growers be nervous?” My answer is "no". The competition pitted China’s best against some ho-hum Bordeaux wines. And, as Spanish winemaker Miguel Torres told me, “China doesn’t have any good terroir.” Even so, the French now make Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux imitations in Ningxia province - an obliging hussy of a terroir just south of the Gobi Desert. Enjoy the spectacle of Chinese wine officials trying to establish China's wine credentials, like a U.S. presidential candidate trying to establish his Irish roots.

Full article first published in The Connexion (February, 2012)

Champagne lovers need to look for a taste of terroir

YEARS of marketing Champagne as a luxury accessory have transformed the way we think about bubbly. Hardly anyone thinks about Champagne as they do about other wines. It’s associated with brands, not chateaux or grapes, and yet it seems to come from no place in particular. A Bordeaux comes from the Médoc, Pauillac, Margaux, St-Emilion, Pomerol, and so on. But can you name a single Champagne terroir? The distinctions of terroir make artisanal Champagnes more idiosyncratic than those from the big houses. As one grower-producer puts it, “Champagne used to be singular, now it’s plural, with many winemakers, villages and styles.”

Full article first published in The Connexion (December, 2011)