Noordelijke en zuidelijke Rhône

Rhone Valley Wine Legend Michel Chapoutier Using Bioresonance Therapy For His Vines

When it comes to new leaps in science there are always debates whether the good of such advancements outweigh the bad. One such leap in science is CRISPR, a powerful tool that “can target and cut sections of DNA like a pair of molecular scissors”. Besides helping to improve crops by preventing genetic defects and disease, it has become a subject that is currently being widely debated among the scientific community as a necessary tool to lessen human suffering. But there is a moral conundrum when opening the can of worms of such a tool justified by preventing diseases and disorders as it leaves an opportunity wide open for unethical people in power to promote a misguided ideal in the human race and intentionally wiping out a large swath of the diversity of the world.

[www.forbes.com]

John

Life is always better when I wine.

Koken is meer dan een recept.

Grapes of the Rhone Valley: Vaccarèse

There's not much that's more fun for us here at Tablas Creek than getting to explore new, rare, and little-known grapes. So last year, when we harvested three grapes for the first time ever, was a bonanza for us. Two of these grapes (Bourboulenc and Cinsaut) are fairly well known in France, with Cinsaut even achieving enough success to have been brought to regions as diverse as Spain, South Africa, Australia and California. But much less is known about the last of the three new grapes, Vaccarèse. One of the rarest grapes in Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation at just over 10 acres1, Vaccarèse accounts for just 0.3% of the appellation's acreage. There is little more outside Chateauneuf, with just 28 acres recorded in France as of 2016 and none, until we brought in ours, elsewhere in the world2. We've now picked two vintages of this grape, and while we don't know a ton yet, we're excited enough that I thought it would be fun to take a deep dive into what we have learned.

Dat zal Harry Karis goed doen dat hij weer eens wordt genoemd.

[tablascreek.typepad.com]

John

Life is always better when I wine.

Koken is meer dan een recept.

IDEALWINE UPDATE: WHEN IN RHÔNE

The Gonon brothers farm and ferment in the traditional method, and their meticulousness has led to them becoming a leading light of Saint-Joseph.

[www.thedrinksbusiness.com]

John

Life is always better when I wine.

Koken is meer dan een recept.

Grapes of the Rhone Valley: Bourboulenc

It's been an exciting couple of years for us getting to discover new grapes. Ten days ago, Muscardin became the fourteenth and final grape in the Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape collection to make it into the cellar at Tablas Creek. I wrote about it on the occasion of its grafting into the vineyard last June, and we're hoping to ferment maybe 10 gallons this year. I've written this summer about two red grapes that we harvested for the first time in 2019: Vaccarèse and Cinsaut. These are both sitting quietly in the cellar, awaiting bottling next year. But somehow I haven't yet written about Bourboulenc, which we've already put into bottle and even sent out to the members of our white wine VINsider club this fall. It's particularly egregious that I haven't taken up Bourboulenc given that it was the grape my dad was the most excited about when we decided to import seven obscure Chateauneuf du Pape grapes in 2003. So, let's dive in.

[tablascreek.typepad.com]

John

Life is always better when I wine.

Koken is meer dan een recept.

New Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation granted – Nyons

After more than twenty years, and from a pool of over 90 communes that produce wine under the Côtes du Rhône-Villages AOC, Nyons has been promoted and awarded the 22nd Côtes du Rhône named village

[www.decanter.com]

John

Life is always better when I wine.

Koken is meer dan een recept.

Vineyard irrigation is becoming a priority for the Côtes-du-Rhône

Faced with the “recurring problem of securing income”, solutions involve enhancing the price of the wines and better yields, claimed Denis Guthmuller, the new chairman of the Côtes du Rhône winegrowers’ organisation, on January 27 during a video press conference. To support sales of AOC Côtes-du-Rhône and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, the organisation has its sights clearly set on ensuring 70% of its vineyards are certified organic and/or High Environmental Value/HVE by 2025. To reach production potential, Guthmuller is prioritising access to water.

[www.vitisphere.com]

John

Life is always better when I wine.

Koken is meer dan een recept.

The Rhone’s North and South divide

“As a collector I would be wary about generalising about ‘the Rhône’ – it’s really two distinct regions. The Southern Rhône and the Northern Rhône rarely enjoy the same quality or style in any given vintage and the wines age differently.” – Matt Walls, Liv-ex Interview

[www.liv-ex.com]

John

Life is always better when I wine.

Koken is meer dan een recept.