Decanter May_2016

The 10.2-hectare Castel Cerino vineyard sits at the highest point of the Soave Classico region, at 350m above sea level. The Garganega vines, some of which are 70 years old, thrive on this hillside, which offers them a long exposure to the sun with strong winds to ward off diseases. These ideal conditions enabled the Coffele family, which owns and farms this site, to become, in 2014, the first Soave Classico producer to be certified organic. The mostly white, chalky, water-retaining soils of the DOC are complemented by the volcanic, basaltic soils at the highest point of this vineyard, which add structure and body to Soave Classico’s famous crisp, fresh and elegant white wines.…

The joy of terroir Coffele, Castel Cerino, Soave Classico The 10.2-hectare Castel Cerino vineyard sits at the highest point of the Soave Classico region, at 350m above sea level. The Garganega vines, some of which are 70 years old, thrive on this hillside, which offers them a long exposure to the sun with strong winds to ward off diseases. These ideal conditions enabled the Coffele family, which owns and farms this site, to become, in 2014, the first Soave Classico producer to be certified organic. The mostly white, chalky, water-retaining soils of the DOC are complemented by the volcanic, basaltic soils at the highest point of this vineyard, which add structure and body to Soave Classico’s famous crisp, fresh and elegant white wines.…

John Stimpfig ‘Chile didn’t know how to exploit its natural resources. It does now’ IN CHILE RECENTLY, there were many occasions when I felt I was just one step behind Pedro Parra, the country’s top terroir consultant. Wherever I went, it seemed Parra had just been there – and elusively moved on. This wasn’t my imagination because the evidence of his trademark handiwork was there to see – oblong-shaped pits or trenches roughly four feet across and six feet deep. It was as though Parra had left a trail for me to follow. He began carving them out just over a decade ago. And now these calicatas are everywhere, from Elqui in the north to Bio Bio in the south. There must be thousands of them peppering Chile’s most exciting…

IN CHILE RECENTLY, there were many occasions when I felt I was just one step behind Pedro Parra, the country’s top terroir consultant. Wherever I went, it seemed Parra had just been there – and elusively moved on. This wasn’t my imagination because the evidence of his trademark handiwork was there to see – oblong-shaped pits or trenches roughly four feet across and six feet deep. It was as though Parra had left a trail for me to follow. He began carving them out just over a decade ago. And now these calicatas are everywhere, from Elqui in the north to Bio Bio in the south. There must be thousands of them peppering Chile’s most exciting and prized vineyards. The pits serve several practical purposes. Firstly, they enable Parra and his growing band…

FRANCE The multi-billionaire founder of online retailer Alibaba has become the latest in a series of recent Chinese investors in Bordeaux with the acquisition of Château de Sours in Entre-Deux-Mers. Jack Ma’s buy follows Hong Kong-based Peter Kwok’s acquisition of his seventh wine estate in the region, and the purchase of St-Estèphe cru bourgeois Château Tour St-Fort by Hong Kong business Long Fait International. Sources in Bordeaux have suggested that Ma – China’s second richest man, with an estimated personal fortune of $21.5bn, according to Forbes – is aiming to turn de Sours into ‘a mini Versailles’. The property is reported to be undergoing huge renovations to its façade, courtyard and garden, along with extensive excavations of the limestone cellars behind the estate, which date back to 1785. The cellars, which resemble those…

Chinese Bordeaux acquisitions continue compiled by Richard Woodard FRANCE The multi-billionaire founder of online retailer Alibaba has become the latest in a series of recent Chinese investors in Bordeaux with the acquisition of Château de Sours in Entre-Deux-Mers. Jack Ma’s buy follows Hong Kong-based Peter Kwok’s acquisition of his seventh wine estate in the region, and the purchase of St-Estèphe cru bourgeois Château Tour St-Fort by Hong Kong business Long Fait International. Sources in Bordeaux have suggested that Ma – China’s second richest man, with an estimated personal fortune of $21.5bn, according to Forbes – is aiming to turn de Sours into ‘a mini Versailles’. The property is reported to be undergoing huge renovations to its façade, courtyard and garden, along with extensive excavations of the limestone cellars behind the…