LIVE24SEVEN // Wining & Dining
Patricia Terry HAVE A SPARKLING NEW YEAR!
Patricia Terry of Patricia Terry Wine has, according to several industry experts, one of the finest noses in the country, her list of quality clients is absolute proof of this. We are delighted she is writing for Live24-Seven; wonderful comments received regarding her features hint that you appreciate and enjoy Trish’s style…
February is traditionally the month for Cupid to fly around shooting random arrows, some of which may find their mark, whilst many more may not! As such, perhaps we should take matters into our own hands when keeping romance in our lives.
Pleasant though a romantic meal for two may be, there are occasions when something a little more out of the ordinary would be welcome – perhaps a long weekend away. Taking into account the time of year, maybe skiing? But how to combine wine and skis? Never fear, I have the perfect solution – the Savoie region in France, where even if skiing (or as I like to call it, multiple opportunities to break a limb) is not your particular cup of tea, there are other distractions involving wine equal to the attractions of a snowy slope.
There are very few wines that belong on a ski trip more than those from France's Savoie region. Clean and light, these wines are drunk and hugely enjoyed by locals, skiers and visiting hikers.
Savoie vintners are, in the main, small growers making large quantities of generic white wine for tourists and unfortunately this has gained the region a reputation for wines that travel poorly and therefore rarely feature on wine lists of note. It's fair to say that in the past there was more than a grain of truth in this and little attempt was made to produce anything more than 'ski station wines'.
However, times change and regional pride has spurred many winemakers on to improve their wines and although not for the cellar, these wines are charming, delicate, food friendly and relatively inexpensive.
As you might imagine, the Alps influence just about every aspect of local viticulture, including the unusual and less well-known grape varieties, which are rarely, if ever, blended. Until improved road networks were constructed, the mountainous terrain kept the region isolated and the more recognisable grapes that we know and love today simply did not find their way onto the growers’ and farmers’ lands. Instead, the Savoie has a small, niche club of unusual vines that are more than worthy of a fair tasting.
Jacquere is the high-yielding workhorse that dominates and is responsible for much of the white wines in the Savoie's southern region. Chasselas (a good table grape) is grown in the northern half (the Haute-Savoie, near Geneva), filling most of the vineyards that surround villages such as Ripaille and is also grown in the sub-region of Crepy.
The prize for the best white grapes goes to the floral Altesse and the almost peachy Bergeron, which is the local name for Roussanne, the classy white grape of the Rhone. Altesse is bottled as Rousette de Savoie. Bergeron is bottled as Chignin Bergeron after the village of Chignin.
Even if the better-known grape varieties were allowed to be grown in the appellation, they would still have a difficult time of it in the mountain valleys. On the valley floors, where the vineyards are less interesting, growing conditions are difficult, whilst on the slopes it is difficult to imagine how the vines survive at all!
As you might imagine, water drains quickly from the steep slopes, forcing vine roots to stretch deep down through rocky ground to find moisture. This enforced stress on the vine creates very intense flavours in the grapes and thus the wine. Limestone, which twisted and folded into itself when the two continental plates crashed into each other to create the Alps, underlies most of the vineyards.
The blanket of cool air that surrounds the snowy slopes keeps grapes on the very edge of ripeness, resulting in high acid, low sugar fruit leading to wines with minimal alcohol. Few Savoie wines are above 12% alcohol and most hover around 11.5%, which is good news for those wanting to avoid a post après ski session headache when heading out to the slopes the following morning!
Fear not though, 'tis not all frost and icicles, large lakes such as Lac du Dourget, which loops through the region's southern half, serve to temper the chill and create surprisingly warm spots, microclimates where fig and olive trees are planted and thrive well. The grapes planted in vineyards in these places ripen more readily, which in turn adds body to the final wine.
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