Professor creates ‘non-stop wine machine’ – Decanter
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An American professor has developed a miniature machine capable of continuously producing wine.
Professor Daniel Attinger is now working with a team of scientists at Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne in Switzerland to develop the non-stop wine machine.
His ‘micro winery on a chip’ is capable of continuously producing wine at a rate of one millilitre per hour, according to the university.
But, Attinger’s miniature device isn’t intended for home use.
It is being developed to help winemakers control fermentation in the cellar.
‘Let’s say a winemaker in the Lavaux region of Switzerland finds that a certain type of yeast or a certain fermentation temperature leads to an overly bitter wine,’ said Attinger. ‘We could quickly test alternatives.’
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Climate change and wine
Inspiration for the device came from concerns about how winemakers will deal with climate change, said Attinger, who is a wine-loving professor at Iowa State University in the US and a specialist in multi-phase micro-fluidics.
‘Climate change is having an impact on the quality of grape crops around the world,’ he said.
‘Due to the heat, some crops ripen too quickly, the harvest takes place sooner and the wines end up with a higher alcohol content or a different taste. We need to find ways to analyse and adapt how the wine is made.’
How does the non-stop wine machine work?
Attinger’s device works on compartments. Grape juice runs down a main tube, with yeast feeding into it through a thin film.
When the grape juice reaches the yeasts, they absorb the sugar and give off alcohol and CO2 through the membrane. According to Attinger, this happens quickly because of the small space, which makes rapid testing possible.
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Here is a clever way to use the foil on the top of a wine bottle as a cork holder. We learned this cork trick in a wine bar in Verona.
The Veronese Wine Cork Trick
Cut the foil almost, but not completely, all the way around the top lip of the bottle…
Next, cut nearly a full circle around the top of the bottle foil, tracing the cork…
flip the top foil up first…
Carefully flip the ring up over the bottle top..
Remove the cork (with a waiter’s friend)
Put the cork in the loop of the foil
Pour wine, drink it and be merry
Wine Drinking in Verona
I first saw this method at a wine bar in Verona, and not just any old wine bar, it was at Attica Bottega del Vino (literally “old wine bar”). This place is a hidden gem just off the main walking path through the city. It’s one of those places that if you love Italian wine and enjoy traveling, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll end up there at some point in your life (especially if you go to Vinitaly).
Bottega del Vino in all its glory. Photo courtesy of google maps, see the whole inside here google maps
Etna Fumes and Spews, but the Winemaking Goes On – The New York Times
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It’s hard to visit without encountering evidence of past eruptions. Turn a corner and you may see an entire field of brown lava rock, bare except for yellow genestra flowers, or broom, the first plants to grow back. Genestra indicates a relatively recent eruption.
With time, pine trees will begin to take hold. It’s all part of the process that, over many years, breaks down hard rock into the soils in which so much life thrives.
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Chiara Vigo works with her mother, Rosanna Romeo, to produce wines under the Romeo del Castello label. Credit
Alfonso M. Cevola for The New York Times
The destruction of the ’81 eruption forced Ms. Vigo’s family to sell off half the estate. Like most agricultural families on Etna, her ancestors had made wine and sold it in bulk to merchants. After her father died in 1987, her mother simply sold the grapes. Ms. Vigo left Sicily and eventually got her Ph.D. in mass communications.
In 2007, she returned to the family’s estate near Randazzo on the northern face of Etna. With the encouragement of Salvo Foti, the region’s leading agronomist and oenologist, she decided to make her own wine.
Working with her mother, Rosanna Romeo, they produce delicate wines under the Romeo del Castello label that are lovely counterparts to the generally more burly reds of the region.
Etna today is booming, a symbol of Sicily’s resurgence as an exciting wine region. Newcomers have flocked to the north face of the mountain, drawn by land that was relatively affordable.
They include people like Marco de Grazia, an American wine importer who established Tenuta delle Terre Nere in Randazzo in 2002; Frank Cornelissen, a wine lover from Belgium who’s been making idiosyncratic natural wines on Etna since 2003; and Andrea Franchetti, a Tuscan winemaker who was drawn to Etna in 2002.
They have been joined more recently by others like Alberto Aiello Graci, whose family ran a construction business in Catania, the nearest big city, and by Anna Martens of Australia and Eric Narioo of France, a couple who created Vino di Anna on Etna in 2010. Along with the small producers, big companies like Planeta and Cusumano are also buying land on Etna.
“Eighteen years ago, maybe five producers bottled wine here,” Mr. Foti said. “Now there are more than 100.”
Still, Etna makes far less wine today than it did at the end of the 19th century. Back then, France, which had been devastated by phylloxera, an aphid that preys on grape roots, began buying wine from Etna. An estimated 120,000 acres were planted to vines then.
But phylloxera arrived in Sicily in the 1930s, and war shortly after. Today, only around 2,500 acres are planted.
For anybody making wine on Etna, the promise of the volcano far outweighs the threat. The complex soils, composed of countless lava flows and ash, combined with indigenous grapes like the red nerello mascalese and the white carricante, have the potential to produce distinctive wines at the least. At best, nobody is really sure yet how good they can be.
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The roots of a few vines somehow survived the lava from the eruption in 1981 and began to grow again, reappearing in 2014. Credit
Alfonso M. Cevola for The New York Times
As for the volcano itself, Mr. Graci, for one, barely gives it a second thought.
“Lava? We are fatalists,” he said. “We don’t care. It’s normal for us.”
Such sang-froid can be explained, perhaps, by a close examination of the volcano. Rather than building up pressure for years before erupting violently, like Vesuvius, which buried Pompeii 2,000 years ago, or, more recently, Mount St. Helens in Washington, Etna tends to emit gases continually, which relieves the pressure. Its more frequent eruptions are classified by volcanologists as effusive rather than explosive, which is a little like saying it’s safer to be hit repeatedly by a left jab than once by a haymaker.
Mr. Graci calls Etna “an electrical place, an emotional place, a place to make elegant, classical wines.” Walking through one of his vineyards, about five acres of nerello mascalese planted around 100 years ago in the Contrada Barbabecchi above the town of Solicchiata, it’s easy to feel the electricity.
The vineyard is 1,000 meters high, or about 3,300 feet, the upward limit at which nerello can ripen. Interspersed are olive and apple trees and birds, bees and bugs that fill the air with industrious chirps and hums.
“This is a place where it’s possible to have a balance between elegance and rusticity,” Mr. Graci said. “This sensation is hard to find anywhere else.”
Photo
The winemaker Alberto Aiello Graci barely gives the volcano itself a second thought: “Lava? We are fatalists. We don’t care. It’s normal for us.” Credit
Alfonso M. Cevola for The New York Times
Such a duality is typical of many Italian wines, which can be simultaneously sweet and bitter, generous yet austere. Elegance and rusticity may be a singular characteristic of Etna. Yet I find Mr. Graci’s wines leaning more to the side of finesse and elegance than to rusticity.
Much ink has been spilled comparing Etna’s reds to Burgundy’s for their elegance and ability to transmit small differences in terroir. It’s not a comparison that works for me.
I see more similarities between nerello mascalese and aglianico, the best red grape of Campania and Basilicata, which likewise thrives on volcanic soils. Aglianico may be a bit sturdier and firmer, but nerello can be surprisingly tannic as well. Aglianico has a proven track record at aging; Nerello still has something to prove.
In the best wines, the power of the Etna terroir is clear. You can taste its savory, minerally character in wines as disparate as the elegant Romeo del Castello and Graci wines and in Mr. Foti’s Vinudilice from his Bosco vineyard, the highest vineyard in Sicily at 1,300 meters, or almost 4,300 feet, too high for nerello mascalese. Instead, this tiny vineyard, more than 100 years old and enclosed by stone walls, holds grenache, alicante bouschet, minella bianca and other grapes not yet identified.
No matter, Vinudilice, which is vinified as a pale pink rosé, is savory, succulent and delicious.
Even wines as eccentric as Massimiliano Calabretta’s bear a telltale sign of place. Mr. Calabretta has longtime roots on Etna through his father’s family. His mother came from Lombardy, and Mr. Calabretta, who was trained as an electrical engineer, spends much of his time in Genoa, where he teaches. But when he’s at his small winery in Randazzo, he is relentlessly experimental. He is currently trying to earthquake-proof the winery while still working in it.
“I’m a bit of a geek,” he says, pronouncing the word with a soft Italian “g.”
Depending on the vintage, Mr. Calabretta ages his wines for years before releasing them. His 2006 is just about to enter stores in New York. It is fruity yet lean, with the energy and minerality that Etna seems to confer on the best examples.
Etna is not just a mountain with a fuming crater at the summit. It has at least five different craters that spew ash and lava in myriad directions, and countless smaller vents. At Romeo del Castello, Ms. Vigo pointed out the twisted remains of a railroad track that had been engulfed in 1981 and now dangles in the lava wall like a piece of modern art.
Though the lava scorched and destroyed vines on the edge of the vineyard, Ms. Vigo pointed out a few vines that were now emerging from under the rock. The roots of a few vines had somehow survived the lava and began to grow again.
Ever resilient, like the Sicilians of Etna, they reappeared in 2014, more than 30 years later.
If you enjoy red wine or drink more affordable wine on a regular basis, then using a decanter is a great idea. Decanting may not look like much, but the increased oxygen exposure to wine greatly improves the taste by softening astringent tannins and letting fruit and floral aromas come out. If you’re searching for a decanter to buy, here are some pragmatic considerations to help you decide which decanter to get.
Choosing the Right Decanter
You’ll notice that some wines will take longer to decant than others. For example, full-bodied red wines with high tannin (the astringent, mouth-drying sensation) need longer to decant, and thus, a decanter with a wide base will increase the amount of oxygen and decant the wine faster.
Full-bodied Red Wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Tannat, Monastrell, Tempranillo, etc): Use a decanter with a wide base.
Medium-bodied Red Wines (Merlot, Sangiovese, Barbera, Dolcetto, etc): medium-sized decanter
Light-bodied Red Wines (Pinot Noir, Beaujolais): serve in a small to medium-sized decanter that’s been chilled.
White and Rosé Wines: decanting isn’t necessary, although you can use a small chilled decanter.
When it comes down to choosing, get a decanter you love. With that said, seek one that’s easy to fill, pour, and clean. As obvious as this seems, you’d be surprised at how many beautiful decanters are a pain to use!
How to Use a Decanter
Pour wine into the decanter so that it hits the sides of the glass. You want to do this so that there is more oxygen exposure to the surface of the wine. It’s also quite fine to swirl the decanter by the neck for the same purpose.
How long to decant wine? Decanting takes anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours and the average time is about 40 minutes. Here are a few examples:
Full-bodied wines: These wines take the longest, expect about 1–2 hours
Cheap wines: Cheap wines often need rigorous oxygen to cause oxygen to improve the aromas. You can do this by pouring a small amount into the decanter, and then re-corking the bottle and shaking it before you pour the rest into the decanter. Wait about 20 minutes.
Old red wines: Depending on the style, most will take about 2 hours
Using Light to Decant Unfiltered Red Wines
Some fine red wines contain sediment (common in older red wines). It’s possible to decant the wine so that it removes the sediment. One way is to place a stainless steel filter (such as a tea strainer ) at the top of the decanter to catch the sediment. Another method that is popular in restaurants is to use a candle placed under the neck of the bottle that indicates when the wine has sediment. At this point you simply stop pouring.
Cleaning Your Decanter
No matter how much water you flush through a decanter, it will still collect visible deposits over time. Never put vinegar in your decanter to clean these deposits, especially if it’s crystal. Also, we’d highly advise using fragrance-free soap.
Free method: Push a non-metallic scrubby sponge down the neck and push it around the bottom with a wooden spoon.
Get a decanter cleaner: A decanter cleaning brush is basically a giant pipe cleaner with a handle. If you have an elaborate decanter that’s impossible to reach with a tool, consider getting some decanter cleaning beads which do a moderately good job in tight spaces. Also, remember to towel down all your fine glassware with cotton four sacks (a reliable pragmatic/affordable solution).
Drying your decanter: You can either line a large mixing bowl with a drying towel and rest the decanter upside in the bowl or you can buy a decanter dryer.
Standard Glass vs. Crystal Glass Decanters
Perhaps you’ve noticed that there are different types of glass used to make decanters. Crystal is more durable and thus, it’s often used to create large artistic decanters, whereas glass decanters tend to be made with thicker walls and simpler shapes. Both are a fine choice. Of course, you should be wary of a standard glass decanter with thin walls and a fancy shape (unless it happens to be made of borosilicate glass). Another important consideration of the two styles is: if you plan to put your decanter in the dishwasher, then standard glass is probably a better idea.
Will lead-based crystal give me lead poisoning? Elevated levels of lead have been known to leech from the leaded crystal glass into alcohol. However, the amount of lead that transfers into wine from a decanter is incredibly low given the short time period the wine comes in contact with it. Lead-based crystal only becomes a problem when you store fluid in it for longer periods of time (i.e. a week or more). Additionally, you can find lead-free crystal.
What do we use? At the Wine Folly office, we have standard glass decanters. We like them because they’re easy to use and clean. At home, we have a growing collection (decanter hoarder!) of crystal and borosilicate glass decanters (both leaded and lead free, vintage and new).
Last Word: Do You Even Need a Decanter?
No. There are many ways to decant wine that don’t necessarily involve a large glass vessel. For one, the act of pouring wine into a wine glass initiates oxygen exposure to the contents inside the bottle (and if you wait long enough, it will decant). Additionally, there are wine aerators which introduce a superabundance of oxygen to wine causing it to become decanted by the time it hits your glass. Finally, we’ve even tried several off-the-wall methods including shaking wine bottles or putting wine into a blender… and they work!
That said, if you fit any of the 4 ideologies below, a decanter is still a good choice for you:
You still buy real books.
You like the craft element of winemaking and wine growing.
Useful art is cool.
Meditation is good.
Full of Wine Smarts
A visual guide to wine with 230+ pages of infographics, data visualization and wine maps that simplifies the world of wine. Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine is the perfect companion for exploring and becoming confident with wine.
Gaja goes back to Barbaresco with single vineyard wines
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Italian wine giant Gaja is re-embracing the Barbaresco appellation in Piedmont with three single vineyard wines that left the DOCG club more than a decade ago.
Gaia Gaja, daughter of renowned winemaker Angelo Gaja, said she and her siblings, Rossana and Giovanni, have chosen to take the three red wines back under the Barbaresco appellation umbrella.
The wines, Costa Russi, Sorì Tildin and Sorì San Lorenzo, will be labelled as appellation Barbaresco DOP – equivalent to DOCG under new EU rules – from the 2013 vintage release.
It means that all must be made with 100% Nebbiolo grapes.
Since the 1996 vintage, the wines have used the ‘Langhe’ denomination, after Angelo Gaja decided that they would benefit from up to 15% of Barbera grapes in the final blend.
‘Every generation has its own path to follow and has the right to do things in its own way,’ Gaia Gaja told Decanter.com.
‘Above all [with this decision], we want to pursue the pure expression of the Nebbiolo variety,’ she said.
It was not a decision taken against her father’s will, she added. ‘It’s a decision we long thought about and to which we’ve come thanks also to the support of our father [Angelo Gaja].’
Gaia Gaja said her father originally detached the wines from the Barbaresco appellation in order to produce them as they were before 1966, when the Barbaresco DOC appellation was born and included the 100% Nebbiolo rule.
Barbaresco did not get DOCG status – the highest level of Italy’s appellation system – until 1980.
New places offer fun options for casual dining in hip contrada (district) Santo Spirito. At CiBi, local food is affordable and fresh, with pastas at lunchtime, from €8.
Berberè bakes the trendiest Bologna style pizzas (pictured top), using the best dough base you’ll ever taste, dressed with top-rate artisan ingredients.
Up on the hill above the Piazzale Michelangelo public square, with its fine views of Florence and the Arno valley, is an old favourite, Trattoria Omero. Enter under a flight of hanging hams, and dine on classic Tuscan specialities: bean and spelt soups, pappardelle pasta and grilled meats. Unbeatable; from €40.
For modern fine dining, try Ora d’Aria, where chef Marco Stabile cooks contemporary Tuscan in convincing fashion; his creative, hand-made pastas are exquisite at €25; tasting menu available from €70.
Ora d’Aria, Via dei Georgofili 11R, 50122 Florence. +39 055 200 16 99
Lunch: Tues – Sat 12:30 – 14:30 Dinner: Mon – Sat 19:30 – 22:00
For one, blow-out meal in Florence, Enoteca Pinchiorri is a three Michelin starred restaurant (with tasting menus starting from €175) laying claim to Italy’s greatest wine cellar. The lists of Italian, French and other wines are contained in huge books, but the excellent wine service will help you navigate and enjoy them.
July 4th Flashback: How the U.S. & Canada Almost Destroyed Wine
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It is Independence Day here in the United States and that is all the excuse I need for this special Flashback column, which takes us back to 2015 to tell the story of how, in very different ways, the U.S. and Canadian governments almost destroyed their respective wine industries.
My friends always tell me to have a fifth for the Fourth, and I assume they are recommending a bottle of American wine with the required holiday menu of hot dogs, hamburgers and salads. Cheers and Happy Independence Day.
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At one point in Kym Anderson’s new book about the Australian wine industry he reflects on what can be done to shorten that country’s current wine slump and to get things sailing again on an even keel. One of his suggestions caught my eye:
“Governments need to keep out of grape and wine markets and confine their activities to generating public goods and overcoming market failures such as the free rider problem of collecting levies for generic promotion and R&D.”
This is more than the simple Adam Smith “laissez-faire” idea. Anderson’s book clearly demonstrates the law of unintended consequences — how well-meaning government policies sometimes have had unexpectedly negative side-effects. No wonder he recommends a cautious approach to wine and grape policy.
I was reminded of this when I was researching the history of the Canadian wine industry for a recent speaking engagement in Ontario. I was struck by Canada’s experience with Prohibition in the 20th century, how it differed from the U.S. experiment, and how both ended up crippling their wine industries but in very different ways. Here’s what I learned.
How U.S. Prohibition Crippled the Wine Industry
The great experiment in Prohibition in the United States started in 1920 and lasted until 1933. The 18th Amendment outlawed the manufacture, sale or transport of intoxicating beverages, including wine. Most people assume that the wine industry collapsed as legal wine sales and consumption fell and this is partly true but not the complete story. Commercial wine production almost disappeared, but wine consumption actually boomed.
How is this possible? There were three loopholes in the wine regulations outlined in the Volstead Act. Wine could still be produced and sold for medical purposes (prescription wine?) and also for use in religious services (sacramental wine). This kept a few wineries in business but does not account for the consumption boom, which is due to the third loophole: households were allowed to make up to 200 gallons of wine per year for “non-intoxicating” family consumption.
Demand for wine grapes exploded as home winemaking increased (but not always for strictly non-intoxicating purposes). Total U.S. vineyard area just about doubled between 1919 and 1926! But the new plantings were not delicate varieties that commercial producers might have chosen but rather grapes chosen for their high yields, strong alcohol potential and ability to survive shipping to eastern markets.
Thus did Prohibition increase wine consumption in the U.S. but it also corrupted the product by turning over wine-making from trained professionals to enthusiastic amateurs working in often unsanitary conditions. The home-produced wine sometimes had little in common with pre-Prohibition commercial products except its alcoholic content.
Americans drank more wine during Prohibition, but it was an inferior product. No wonder they dropped wine like a hot stone when Prohibition ended. That’s when the real wine bust occurred and it took decades to fully recover. Do you see the unintended consequence in this story? But wait, there’s more …
How Canadian Prohibition Crippled Its Wine Industry
Prohibition started earlier (1916) and ended earlier (1927) in Canada and took a different fundamental form. With support from temperance groups, consumption of beer and spirits (Canada’s first choice alcoholic drinks) was banned as part of war policy with the stated intent of preserving grain supplies for vital military uses. Consumption was forbidden, but production of beer and spirits was still allowed for export, which accounts for the boom in bootleg Canadian whiskey in the U.S. in the 1920s.
Neither production nor consumption of wine was included in Canada’s ban on alcohol, although wine sales were limited to the cellar door. What made wine different? Maybe grapes were not as vital to the war effort as grains, although John Schreiner cites the political influence of the United Farmer’s Party in his account of this period in The Wines of Canada. Wine became the legal alcoholic beverage of choice for Canadian consumers and production boomed. By the end of Canadian Prohibition there were 57 licensed wineries in Ontario (up from just 12) to serve the big Toronto market.
Wine sales increased 100-fold, according to Schreiner, but “It would be charitable to describe the quality of the wines being made in Ontario during this period as variable,” he writes. The market wanted alcohol and set a low standard of quality, which many producers pragmatically stooped to satisfy. No wonder wine production collapsed at the end of Prohibition as consumers went back to spirits and beer.
Unintended Consequences
Thus did government policy in both Canada and the United States create wine booms during their respective Prohibition eras, but the worst kind of booms: bad wine booms. Quality suffered as quantity surged. It is no surprise that consumers turned away from wine once other beverages were available. It took decades for these industries to recover.
Both the Canadian and U.S. wine industries are vibrant and growing today, having recovered from the crippling effects of poor quality wine. But they both are still hampered by other policies — especially regarding distribution and sales — that date back to the end of Prohibition. Economic policies can obviously have unintended effects and the shadows they cast can be long indeed.
No wonder Kym Anderson is skeptical about government interference in the Australian industry. Prohibition is an extreme case, to be sure, but such cases clearly show the unintended consequence potential that exists even with other seemingly harmless proposals. A cautious approach makes sense.
Chablis prices to rise as weather hits 2016 vintage
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Wine lovers will be paying more for Chablis in the next couple of years, after bad weather has already cut the 2016 harvest by as much as 50%, according to one expert.
Vineyards in Chablis.
Chablis prices almost certain to rise, says Louis Moreau
2016 vintage to produce just 20 million bottles
There will be a major Chablis shortfall following what will be one of the Chardonnay-producing region’s most reduced harvests in living memory, according to Louis Moreau, owner of the highly regarded eponymous domaine and vice president of the Chablis Commission at the Burgundy wine bureau (BIVB).
Speaking at a ‘Pure Chablis’ lunch at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire on Friday (1 July), Moreau said that the Chablis 2016 vintage will be up to 50% smaller than average.
It is difficult to quantify the subsequent supply deficit, but it seems inevitable that prices will rise, he said.
Chablis 2016: ‘I can’t recall a vintage like it’
‘There’s no question that 2016 has been difficult and challenging so far with frost, rain, hail and mildew. I can’t recall a vintage like it. Certainly, we have seen nothing like it in the last 40-50 years.’
Moreau added, ‘I hope we have a good vintage from now until October. But whatever happens it can’t undo what has already occurred. Last month, in June, we had the equivalent of six months rain.’
This came hard on the heels of a massive hailstorm on 13 May which hit 400 hectares of vineyards in Chablis.
‘Fortunately, 2015 and 2014 provided good quantity and good quality so we have reasonably healthy stock levels.
‘But with just 20m bottles from 2016, things are going to be very, very tough and it will have an inevitable impact on prices.
‘There’s no question that there will be a ‘gestion de crise’ [crisis strategy], which will require us to manage our existing stocks very carefully to spread them out over the next two years.’
Healthy demand for Chablis
But, Moreau said producers couldn’t complain too much; healthy demand for Chablis around the world is a good thing, after all.
‘There are lots of positives for the 300 Chablis domaines and co-ops,’ he said.
‘Our quality and image are high and exports which represent about 65% are very good in all our main markets including the UK and US. And overall demand is much stronger than the annual 40 million bottles which Chablis produces on average.’
Old Westminster Winery gets my vote for the most exciting and dynamic wine producer in Maryland. This Old Line State winery is a family affair that dates back to 2008, when Jay and Virginia Baker (no relation) decided to plant a vineyard in the rocky soils of their Carroll County farm.
Today, they produce a wide range of whites, reds and sparkling wines that will smash any negative stereotypes you may have about wine in Maryland.
The Baker children (all in their 20s) have accomplished an impressive amount in a relatively brief period of time. Lisa crafts the wines, Drew manages the vineyard and Ashli heads up the tasting room and event planning. Together, they’re pushing the limits of Maryland wine’s potential, and turning quite a few heads (including mine) in the process.
Their 2014 Malbec was recently awarded Best in Show at the 2016 Maryland Comptroller’s Cup, and several of their other wines took home awards in this state competition.
I recently tasted a few wines from Old Westminster. These were received as trade samples and tasted sighted.
2015 Old Westminster Winery Albariño Petillant Naturel Home Vineyard – Maryland, Central Piedmont, Linganore Light gold color with that pleasant light spritz. Smells of lemons, limes, pineapples and apricot with floral perfume, musk and a scent of raw almond. On the palate, this is so pleasantly vibrant with subtle bubbles, bright acidity and a light but somewhat waxy texture. I get flavors of green apple, apricot and melon, but there’s a deep floral presence in this wine, like perfume, cut flower stems and cucumber water. Hints of tea and almond. Wine nerd level 11! But the deliciousness factor is right there, too. This is Maryland’s first Pet-Nat from and it’s exciting stuff. (88 points)
N.V. Old Westminster Winery Greenstone Third Edition South Mountain – Maryland, Central Piedmont, Linganore Pale straw color. Needs to warm up show it’s full aromatic display, but the apricot, white peach and lime fruit starts to jump out — I get a moderate amount of richness (honey, sweet flowers) from the Viognier with a hint herbal spice from the Sauvignon Blanc, and the combination of these grapes is quite nice. A bouncy, plump texture on the palate, the mouthfeel is great in the way it balances out with crisp acidity. Apricots and melon mix with bright limes, the fruit is vibrant but juicy without ever being too heavy or honeyed, like some mid-Atlantic Viogniers. Some white tea and honeycomb combine with a sense of river rocks and smashed stones. Quite complex, definitely balanced, totally delicious. 67% Viognier and 43% Sauvignon Blanc fermented in stainless steel. (87 points)
2014 Old Westminster Winery Black – Maryland, Central Piedmont, Linganore Dark, dark purple colored (hence the name?). Smells of saucy plums, black cherry cola, blackberries, there’s also this violet, sweet clove and potting soil element. Medium-plus-bodied, surprising tannic structure but it’s not too tight, pleasantly bright acidity – this wine is harmonious and balanced. The fruit is ripe but tart (plum, black cherry, wild blueberry), and I get notes of spiced coffee, clove and anise. Integrated elements of cherry wood and cedar. This really opens up and gets more and more exciting with air, and it’ll surely develop in the cellar. A blend of 38% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 25% Petit Verdot and 12% Syrah, aged 18 months in French oak. 13.5% alcohol. (88 points)
In March 2016, detectives from the State Crime Command’s Fraud and Cybercrime Squad launched an operation named ‘Strike Force Farrington’ to investigate the missing wine.
Officers raided a warehouse in Newcastle on 31 May and seized documents and electronic devices, police said.
‘As investigations continue, detectives are appealing for assistance from the public to locate the wine collections.’
Police added, ‘In particular, they would like to speak with anyone who may have purchased, or has been approached to purchase, collectable or vintage wines, including Penfolds Grange, varieties of Henschke, Torbreck, and Chris Ringland/Three Rivers.’
