MASTER OF WINE LOUISE REGRETS THE SOMEWHAT BLINKERED APPROACH TO WINE AMONG THE SUPERYACHTIES, WHO HEAD FOR THE CLASSIC REGIONS AND THE WELL KNOWN BRANDS
head for the classic regions and the well known brands, so France and Italy are always going to be the main feature on a wine list. It’s also a question of space on board, she acknowledges, so it is often safer to stick with what you know and the main classic regions.
“Wines that I think would be highly appreciated in yachting that are very underrepresented are regions like Condrieu, Côte Roti and Hermitage in Northern Rhone. Top whites from Austria from Wachau, Kamptal or Kremstal. German wines are practically non-existent in yachting despite the fact that some of the absolutely best whites in the world comes from regions like Mosel, Nahe and Reingau. Most people still think that all German wine is off-dry so this is the main barrier to entry. Spain is also rarely seen and the white wines from Rias Baixas and Rueda are great wines to try if you would like to replace your Pinot Grigio this summer.”
All wine buffs seem to be touched with the brush of uber-enthusiasm and Andrew believes now is a great time to love wines! Wine quality has improved greatly and he is discovering new grapes and exploring regions that previously he overlooked. But still he loves his Burgundy wines. He reckons Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays are pretty much a yachtie’s best friend: Playing around with the serving temperature, you
have two grapes that can satisfy during the days of sweltering heat and cooler summer breezes on the aft deck. He’s found some ‘fascinating’ Spanish wines, such as the lightly oaked Viura wine from Bodegas Palacios Remondo called Herencia Remondo Placet Valtomelloso. “The 2013 vintage that I tried was beautifully balanced. A wine that has character, complexity and minerality. I can easily imagine drinking this wine with shellfish and grilled dishes by the water’s edge.”
Jessica from Onshore Cellars steers us towards the Rhône and Loire for France’s best and ‘newish’ discoveries. Elsewhere she’s seen some amazing developments in Romania, Hungary and Greece, but France, Spain and Italy still offer the most trustworthy places to discover. Unsurprisingly France remains the greatest wine country for classic and ‘blue-chip’ wines that are of especial interest to the yachting industry, and there are compelling arguments for ‘keeping it local’ too. The Rhône and Loire are less well known than Bordeaux and Burgundy, and can offer France’s best new(ish) discoveries.
She tips blockbuster reds from Priorat, Calatayud, Sicily and Campania, and zesty whites from the north of Italy, Rueda and Rias Baixas. Classic New World wines from Australia, California, South Africa and New Zealand have been joined by exciting
investments in Argentina and Chile, also offering currency advantages she points out!
As with the others, even if her finds are not always selected by the often conservative owners and charterers, Helen likes to keep ‘hunting off-piste’ for new finds. With Barcelona, the Balearics and beyond gaining popularity for cruising and starting charters she’s looking closer at Iberia. She recommends, “Gems from the local DO (wine region) in Mallorca: Binissalem and another tip for both crew and guests is Bierzo DO in North West Spain, the ‘gorgeous’ Godello grape for whites with real bite. If you like Albarino, you will love this. Same wine region for brooding reds from Mencia, like a good Cabernet Franc in style and made by some new young gun winemakers – exciting!” (see what I mean about enthusiasm?)
All the experts greet calls for help with jeroboams of enthusiasm and vast crates of knowledge including food pairing advice and tasting notes. They’re encouraged by the increasing interest among crew to learn more. Some, such as Hervé at Cave 1862 are specialised in sourcing wine they may not have in stock, and others like Mike at Berba maintain a stock of over 80,000 bottles in its climate controlled cellars just a few hundred metres from Porto Montenegro. Look out for their new website launching in May.
ONBOARD | SPRING 2017 | 93
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