Category Archives: biodynamic wine

Tasting note: Petalos 2006, Descendientes de Jose Palacios

By winecase | Published: December 22, 2007
I’d been waiting for months for this wine from Bierzo to reappear on the shelves. I discovered it during a tasting on Spain’s “emerging” wine regions, where this cuvée made from 100% mencia, an almost-forgotten grape variety apparently related to cabernet franc (or maybe Portugal’s jaen – it’s unclear), was a star of the evening. [...]
Also posted in Bierzo, Spain, organic wine, red wine | 5 Comments

When wine turns green

By winecase | Published: November 25, 2007
There’s a lot of talk, these days, about wine and the environment. Conferences about climate change and its effects on winegrowing and winemaking. People who calculate the carbon footprint of a particular wine bottle, and aim for carbon-zero wine production. Decanter’s November issue is largely devoted to a report asking “Is wine bad for the [...]
Also posted in Alain Brumont, Kermit Lynch, New Zealand, biodynamics, climate change, environment, international, organic wine, vineyard, wine, wine trade | 1 Comment

More Pressing Matters at Matassa – and a walk through the vineyards

By winecase | Published: October 4, 2007
Instead of picking a few grapes in the vineyards of Domaine Matassa, I spent more time in the cellar making myself as useful as I could, and truly learning just how physical winemaking can be. Let’s just talk about one of the many tasks I took part in during the end of my stay there : [...]
Also posted in Barolo, Domaine Gauby, Domaine Olivier Pithon, Jean-Philippe Padié, Laureano Serres, Matassa, Nebbiolo, Roussillon, Tom Lubbe, biodynamics, carignan, vineyard, winemaking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

First steps in Matassa

By winecase | Published: September 30, 2007
I’m spending some great time with Tom Lubbe at Domaine Matassa in Calce, at the heart of the mountaineous back country behind Perpignan, in the Roussillon. I was hoping to do full days of harvesting, but the forces of nature decided otherwise. More precisely, boars had started to eat their way through the two mountain [...]
Also posted in Calce, France, Matassa, Roussillon, Tom Lubbe, harvest, pigeage, vineyard | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How much alc./vol. is too much alc./vol.?

By winecase | Published: September 8, 2007
With better viticultural techniques and riper fruit comes, in an almost inescapable logic, wines with higher alcohol content. With big New World syrahs, grenaches and zinfandels reaching towards 16% alcohol by volume, and chardonnays and viogniers going for broke at 15%, a question almost inescapably comes to mind: how much is too much? My definite, absolute [...]
Also posted in California, Cigare Volant, Domaine de la Solitude, France, La Bête, Oregon, alcohol level, châteauneuf-du-pape, pinot noir, syrah, wine | 1 Comment