The Second Annual Broken Hill International Wine Show – Continuing the Revolution

Following the hugely successful inaugural 2012 Broken Hill International Wine show, a new energetic organising committee are set to take the International wine show to a whole new level.

Last night, the Broken Hill Chamber of Wine and Food Commerce, in conjunction once again with the Far West Alternative Wine Growers Collective launched the 2013 Broken Hill International Wine Show.
 
The launch was hosted by new Chairman of the Chamber organising committee, Xin Xin Lee and held in the hall of the recently renovated and renamed Yellowtail-Constellation Chambers of Food and Wine.
Mr Lee replaced the original Chairman of the event, Johan Trambly-Churchill last March when reports came to light suggesting Trambly-Churchill had on-sold thousands of bottles of excess wines submitted to the wine show.  Funds from the on-selling had allegedly paid for a renovation to Trambly-Churchill’s ensuite and underground wine cellar, though these rumours were never substantiated.

Seeking to distance himself from the controversy of 2012, Mr Lee made a series of exciting announcements regarding the upcoming wine show. Highlights included:

-        The number of wines submitted for judging had trebled (to 3545 entries), as had the number of wine classes (100 up from 35).

-        A small team of 5 unknown, but exciting wine judges, wine writers and bloggers would be tasting and judging the entries over a three day ‘wine lockdown’ period.  Mr Lee defended the unknown tasting panel and shortened period for judging the wines (three days down from 5), noting that the team of judges were the emerging ‘crème de la crème’ of the twitterverse and all functioning alcoholics, so would be more than able to handle the intense wine tasting load.

-        A slightly tweaked Galena Tasting Panel Method™’ would be used to make the final call on split decisions and to decide the 135 trophies that will be handed out during the show, though details were not forthcoming on the night.

As the centrepiece of the launch, Mr Lee announced that the Broken Hill wine show will be the first in the world to showcase a virtual tasting of ancient wines that have long since been unavailable to consumers and wine critics alike. The revolutionary wine tasting concept, labelled the ‘Magical Wine Mystery Tour’ was the brainchild of Santa Monica native Dr Trey Garcia.
Dr Garcia, who has a triple degree in viticulture, mysticism and marketing from UCLA has spent almost 10 years studying ancient wines as well as séance and extra-sensory perception strengthening methods.

Given the shock and amazement felt in the press gallery following the announcement, RedtoBrown Wine News was lucky enough to speak to Dr Garcia after the presentation and asked him how he came to develop virtual wine tastings using mystical methods.
"Early on in my journey through mysticism I was able to connect easily with relatives and pets I had as a kid. With this natural power of mysticism and crossing over, I turned my attention to my other love – wine.”
The Ancient Wine séance will include virtual tastings of Athenian wine consumed after the Battle of Marathon, infamous Roman Falernian from the 121BC vintage, a bottle of the first vintage of Champagne made by Dom Perignon in 1670, several pre-phylloxera Burgundy and Bordeaux’s from the 19^th Century as well as a bottle of the first commercially available red wine produced in Australia (an 1819 vintage sourced from grapes grown adjacent to Sydney Cove).

Trey Garcia explained the process of the ‘Magical Wine Tasting Mystery Tour’ to RedtoBrown: ‘It starts with the tasters ‘crossing over’ together to the period in history the wine comes from. Using my powers of extra sensory perception, I will be pouring the wine into the glasses of the tasters and we will join together in a séance, savouring several historic wines from several parallel realities. I am qualified globally in the responsible serving of alcohol so unfortunately the tasting sizes will only be 50ml”.


An artist's impression of the 121Bc Falernian
 to be tasted virtually at the Broken Hill International Wine Show

RedtoBrown News was unable to verify that the virtual tasting was legitimate, despite our repeated attempts to be given a test run. Dr Garcia did note that well-respected Decanter wine writer, Andrew Jefford had experienced two test runs of the ‘Magical Wine Mystery Tour’ last week, and could verify its authenticity.
When RedtoBrown News contacted Mr Jefford via email, he provided glowing praise for Dr Garcia’s work.

“Words do not do that tasting justice” Jefford noted in his email response. “Twice I was transported to taste the finest, most authentic (and largely cork-sealed) wine from ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, medieval and pre-industrial revolution Europe. I even tasted low PH, (but no added acid) –era Australian wine. As predicted well before the tasting, the Australian wine was like rot-gut, but it was authentic, sincere, cork-sealed: an authentic total wine experience.  The Magical Wine Mystery Tour was other worldly and only poetry can truly capture its brilliance. Allow me” (Mr Jefford proceeded to craft a poem for RedtoBrown):

"Earth in my fingers/the love stork chirping/
like silk on my skin/wine from heaven/
In heaven eternally”.

The Broken Hill International Wine Show follows the successful Sydney Wine Show and Rootstock Natural Wine Show, though has intentionally been brought forward to trump the Karratha Asia Pacific Wine Show and the newly announced Ipswich International Burgundy Challenge.
RedtoBrown News will notify readers of the 100 trophy winners in upcoming posts.

Our Interview with Andrew Jefford

Andrew Jefford, the renowned British wine writer, recently wrote an interesting and somewhat controversial piece on screwcaps as a closure for wine. Below is a link to that article

http://www.decanter.com/news/blogs/expert/530537/jefford-on-monday-the-total-experience

Interested and intrigued by Jefford’s views on screwcaps, as well as being keen to talk more broadly about wine with the man, the RedtoBrown team flew over to France to interview him at his abode in Languedoc.

Upon arrival we were warmly greeted by Jefford, and the conversation soon flowed over a glass of local wine and across many a wine subject, including his views on the evolution of terroir driven wines in Australia. Having talked for half an hour, we came to one of our key questions -

R2B: And Andrew now to question that everyone wants to know, what was the main point you wanted to make comparing screwcaps and corks and framing it in terms of the “total wine experience”?

Jefford: Well, first and foremost I wanted to argue against the view of many, particularly in your country Australia, that screwcaps are the superior closure and that is the end of the story. I think it’s more complicated than that, and indeed I think that cork, both in terms of what it says about a winemaker, as well as the variation that corks brings to the way a wine tastes, provides a greater and more engaged wine experience

R2B: But . . .

Jefford: Take this bottle of white burgundy here . . . a Corton Charlemagne from Bonneau du Matray. Look at that distinct yellow closure . . . so much more appealing than the uniformity of bottles under screwcap. And then! The excitement now as we open this grand cru burgundy . . . would you like a glass?

R2B: Very kind of you (thinking to ourselves hell yeah!)

                            (Look at me. I'm so much sexier than a screwcap)

Jefford: What’s this wine going to taste like? Every wine is always different, and with each day a wine evolves, but with cork the possibilities and variation are even more endless.

(Jefford then pops the cork)

And that beautiful sound of pulling the cork . . . aghhh . . . I’ve got a semi already

R2B: What?

Jefford: Nothing, nothing. Here you go. What do you think?

We collectively stick our noses into our glasses of Corton Charlemagne and our hearts sink . . . it appears to be corked. The palate only confirms the nose. Looking beyond this, the quality of the wine is undoubted, but ultimately it’s not something that can be enjoyed with that level of taint.

We politely broach the possibility with Jefford that the wine is corked . . .

Jefford: yes, sadly it is. But that’s ok. This wine has had a unique life, and we must celebrate what it has become. Like all god’s children.

R2B: But what’s to celebrate when a $150 wine is not drinkable?

Jefford: The total wine experience

R2B: The total wine experience?

Jefford: Why yes! From beginning to end. There’s the excitement when I received the sample. The mulling over when I should drink it, and whether I should taste it in amongst the other Corton Charlemagne samples I had received, or perhaps in a line up of Grand Cru samples I had received across all appellations. And then just now, the surprise and excitement I gave both myself and you when I decided to spontaneously open it!

R2B: Ok . . . and is that it? Does the total wine experience end when you pour your corked grand cru burgundy down the sink?

Jefford: No no no! There’s so much more!

R2B: Really? How so?

At this point Jefford jumped out of his seat and started doing a vinous interpretive dance . . . think bud burst as interpreted by Peter Garrett. This confusing performance continued for a little while before we were taken aback when he suddenly took off his shirt and started pouring the Corton Charlemagne over himself

Jefford: Come join me boys! The total wine experience. Oh yeah!

We started backing out of the room. We weren’t sure where this total wine experience was going, and the crazed look in Jefford’s eyes didn’t encourage us to stay around to find out

Jefford: Don’t you see! Don’t you see! Watch where the cork goes . . .

R2B: Let’s bail

Jefford: You Australian screwcap zealots! You’ll never know the total wine expeeeeeeeeriennnnce!!!!!!

Our last sight of Jefford as we hightailed it out of there was of him on his knees before a map of the vineyards of burgundy pouring the last of the Bonneau du Matray over himself . . .

Natural Wine Vs Industrial Wine

New Red to Brown feature: 'Fact or Fiction' Topic 1 - 'Savaging Sweetness’?

Below is the first of a semi-regular series of posts to encourage further debate or discussion about a particular wine topic. In a way, it reflects the banter that goes on between Red and myself at a tasting, dinner or any related function where wine is being discussed or consumed . All thoughts and opinions are welcome.

‘Savaging Sweetness’?
Looking over our tasting notes, and the notes of many other published and amateur wine writers / bloggers, it appears that sweetness in wine is seen as a negative characteristic, and not only when it is in the overt ‘syrupy’, ‘cloying’ range (note: I am thinking more of dry table wines, rather than those intended to be made in a semi-sweet / off-dry/amarone style). Given that many of the highest selling wines tend to be sweeter than they are savoury, it brings me to the first RedtoBrown Fact or Fiction Question:


Fact or Fiction: Is the existence of sweetness in table wine treated by wine critics and bloggers in a similar way to the existence of bacteria in the water we drink – tolerable, though only at minute levels?

Is this true or false? Is sweetness derided so strongly by many/some? Is there a common tendancy to tolerate sweetness to a point, but go to town if it is obvious / put a caveat on any good wine that is sweet? This observation throws up some related questions/hypothetical questions, such as:


• Does a red wine have to be savoury, or at least have a spine of savouriness running through it to be considered top quality?;
• If the ‘savaging of sweetness’ does exist in wine writing, is it driven by snobbery/elitistism?
• Is a red table wine with overt sweetness considered flawed from a viticultural and wine making perspective in every instance?
• Is the number of sweeter wines being sold a result of the region the grapes are grown (eg high crops, irrigated vines, dry, warm climate) or is it a result of consumer demand for this style of wine?
• Will the tastes of consumers in the premium bracket change to once again seek out sweeter table wines?
• Has Robert Parker Jr had a positive/negative impact on the appreciation of sweeter wines (or any other critic, including those who praise super-savoury wines)?


While the questions will not keep Andrew Jefford or Jancis Robinson awake at night (and have no doubt been posed 1000 times before), I hope they generate some thoughts for some. Interested to hear your view!