Decanter October 2015

The majestic peaks of the Andes dominate this view from the Finca Alluvia vineyard in Argentina’s Uco Valley. It is the soil in the foreground however – sandy, calcium-heavy and rich with alluvial stones – which is the unsung hero of the Malbec that Doña Paula produces from these vines. Its lack of organic matter forces the vines to mature independently, creating in the resulting wine firm tannins, strong mineral notes and the potential for longevity. At 1,350m (almost the highest point of the Uco Valley) the grapes here ripen at very low temperatures, creating structures designed to age. Doña Paula began research into terroirs in 1990, ahead of the mid-’90s boom in Argentinian wines. Finca Alluvia and its sister farm, Finca Los Indios were acquired a decade ago to…

Doña Paula, Finca Alluvia, Gualtallary The majestic peaks of the Andes dominate this view from the Finca Alluvia vineyard in Argentina’s Uco Valley. It is the soil in the foreground however – sandy, calcium-heavy and rich with alluvial stones – which is the unsung hero of the Malbec that Doña Paula produces from these vines. Its lack of organic matter forces the vines to mature independently, creating in the resulting wine firm tannins, strong mineral notes and the potential for longevity. At 1,350m (almost the highest point of the Uco Valley) the grapes here ripen at very low temperatures, creating structures designed to age. Doña Paula began research into terroirs in 1990, ahead of the mid-’90s boom in Argentinian wines. Finca Alluvia and its sister farm, Finca Los Indios were…

I AM HAVING dinner at home on a weekday evening while looking longingly at an empty wine glass next to an opened bottle of Craggy Range’s Kidnapper’s Vineyard Chardonnay 2012. The glass I have just enjoyed alongside my fish pie was upliftingly good; refreshing, deftly balanced with fine, flinty, nectarine fruit and a lengthy, savoury, toasty finish. Its exquisite complexity simply implores another glass. And therein lies my current wine-drinking dilemma. Last year, a doctor acquaintance was mildly horrified to discover that rarely would a day go by without a glass of wine (or three) passing my lips. And so, in my mid-50s, I resolved to try and cut my daily wine consumption. The approach I adopted was to drink better, but less. I’m not sure whether I’m totally in awe or…

John Stimpfig ‘The inherent problem with good wine is that it is far too drinkable’ I AM HAVING dinner at home on a weekday evening while looking longingly at an empty wine glass next to an opened bottle of Craggy Range’s Kidnapper’s Vineyard Chardonnay 2012. The glass I have just enjoyed alongside my fish pie was upliftingly good; refreshing, deftly balanced with fine, flinty, nectarine fruit and a lengthy, savoury, toasty finish. Its exquisite complexity simply implores another glass. And therein lies my current wine-drinking dilemma. Last year, a doctor acquaintance was mildly horrified to discover that rarely would a day go by without a glass of wine (or three) passing my lips. And so, in my mid-50s, I resolved to try and cut my daily wine consumption. The approach…

FRANCE CAMPAIGNERS AGAINST the Evin Law have vowed to fight on after France’s highest legislative body rejected plans to soften its rules governing wine-related publicity. The Constitutional Council rejected an amendment to the Evin Law – or Loi Evin – that had been backed by Parliament and was intended to give educational bodies and wine tourism operators more freedom to market themselves. The blow to anti-Evin campaigners is the latest twist in an increasingly fierce dispute in France over what should be considered wine marketing and how strict rules should be. An amendment to the present rules was proposed as part of the Marcron Law, designed to stimulate the stuttering French economy, but the Constitutional Council ruled that linking the two areas of policy was not appropriate. However, campaigners are determined to take the…

FRANCE BACTERIA KNOWN to cause a vine disease which has blighted California’s vineyards for years has now been discovered in France for the first time. The xylella fastidiosa bacteria was detected on Corsica, about 18 months after its first recorded appearance in Europe, in olive groves in Italy. The find prompted a fierce reaction from Europe’s plant protection organisation (EPPO), which said that ‘eradication measures have been immediately implemented’ Xylella fastidiosa is the source of Pierce’s Disease, a lethal vine condition that has caused serious damage in California’s vineyards, where it costs US$104m (£67m) a year. European Union officials said the bacteria was ‘a major risk to EU territory’. But French government vine expert Jacques Grosman told Vitisphere.com there was ‘a low risk of contamination in France’ In California, xylella fastidiosa is transferred by…