march interna tional 2019 - fine wine · 2019-03-25 · 1 inspirational wine knowledge and the...

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I N S P I R A T I O N A L W I N E K N O W L E D G E A N D T H E P E O P L E B E H I N D T H E D R I N K

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

PAGE 8 SPANISH WINE TRENDS – WHAT WILL WE UNCORK IN 2019? PAGE 15 A SOUTH AFRICAN CULTURAL HISTORY. PAGE 20 BEAUTIFUL ORVIETO AND RADIANT PALAZZONE. PAGE 27 27 MARCHESE ANSELMO GUERRIERI GONZAGA TELLS THE HISTORY BEHIND SAN LEONARDO. PAGE 32 FINE WINE PRODUCER OF THE YEAR PAGE 35 SOMETIMES A LITTLE BIT LESS IS MORE PAGE 40 ANTEPRIME DI TOSCANA. PAGE 44 AT BLAXTA VINGÅRD, QUALITY IS ALWAYS THE FOCUS. PAGE 47 ”ETHICAL FARMING” AT SPIER. PAGE 49 49 AMONG CROATIAN WILD BOAR AND WINE BARRELS PAGE 53 GOOD NEWS FROM DALMORE. WEBAUCTION SPECIAL: PAGE 54 TOP PERFORMERS AT BONHAMS WINE SALE IN LONDON PAGE 56 HART DAVIS HART TO HOST LARGEST SPIRITS-ONLY AUCTION IN U.S. HISTORY PAGE 57 HDH - AN AUCTION OF FINEST 6 RAREST WINES PAGE 58 HDH TO AUCTION ICONIC COLLECTION OF BURGUNDY AND BORDEAUX: THE IMPORTANT CELLAR OF A PHILANTHROPIST PAGE 59 SOTHEBY´S THE DALMORE LÁNIMA AGED 49 YEARS PAGE 62 SOTHEBY´S BRILLIANT BURGUNDY AND MORE THE MAGNIFICENT CELLAR OF MARCUS D. HILES RESULTS 21 NOV. PAGE 64 MADISON FINE WINE AUCTION - HIGHLIGHTS OF SPRING AUCTION

WebAuction special I N T E R N A T I O N A L

SOMETIMES A LITTLE BIT LESS IS MORE PAGE 35

A SOUTH AFRICAN CULTURAL HISTORY PAGE 15

March2019

THE HISTORY BEHIND SAN LEONARDOPAGE 29


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FINE WINE - THE ON-LINE MAGAZINEPlease share you tips and ideas on anything of interest: occasions, meetings, vineyards, producers, investing, etc… [email protected]. We are not responsible for unsolicited material. Feel free to cite Fine Wine, but remember to quote us as the source.

REDAKTION:Ove Canemyr, Editor-in-chief, Fine Wine /Trendsetter Box 24013, 104 50 Stockholm. Layout: Sophie L. Slettengren, byDesign AB, [email protected] English texts; Todd Bünger [email protected]

A NEW YEAR AND NEW POSSIBILITIES

After the attention-grabbing tastings of Swedish wines at the ”Swedish Wine Producer of the Year” competition in November 2018, interest in Swedish winemakers has dramatically increased. In turn, this puts more pressure on the larger events in Sweden that enjoy an international pub-lic – putting good Swedish wine on the same table together with Sweden’s outstanding cuisine. Obvious – yes. But the road here has seen many a winding turn – a long journey from hobby craftsmanship to full-scale professional production.

The exciting trip will continue next November at the 2019 Swedish Wine Producer of the Year.

But now it is time to reveal the winners of 2018’s Fine Wine Producer of the Year, the competition’s ninth year in-a-row. Read more about it in this edition of Fine Wine International.

Ursula tells about Spanish wine trends, what we will uncork in 2019. Read more about what is happening in Spain.

Susanne tells about her trip to beautiful Orvieto and enchanting Palazzone, a fascinating trip worth sharing.

Marchese Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzage tells the story behind San Leonardo. A fantastic timetrip in northern Italy.

And then we have another current, exciting wine profile from Austria, Franz Leth, whose white wines are enjoying acclaim across northern Europe. He tells us about their 2018 vintage.

Ursula experiences a wonderful wine week in Italy, ANTEPRIME DI TOSCANA, and gets down to the bottom of climatic changes that make every vintage unique.

We meet one of South Africa’s most skilled winemakers, who talks about Spier and much more.

And then it is time for a visit to one of Europe’s most northerly wine producers – Blaxsta. A unique and bewildering experience just a few hours’ drive from Stockholm.

We also check in with the Fine Spirits & Collectable Investment world, and then round off as usual with information from the spirits and wine auctions from around the world.

Enjoy this latest installment of Fine Wine.

E D I T O R I A L

Cover photo: Anne-Marie CanemyrMotiv: Brunello di Montacino

OVE CANEMYREditor in Chief

Fine Wine –the on-line Magazine in a glass of its own!

www.FineWine.nu

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.finewine.nu


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N O T I C E

At the end of 2018 San Leonar-od were granted certification as an Organic Farm. A magnif-icent goal achieved after three years of hard work on conver-sion.

”- We are extremely satisfied with this accomplishment and our sincerest gratitude goes to our agronomist Patrizio Gasparinetti of Progetto Natu-ra and all the guys on the team that nurture the San Leonar-do vineyards every day, with great passion, dedication and respect for the earth where our vines and the flavour of our wines are born”,.Marchese Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzaga.

Another important goal for San Leonarod was reached during the closing weeks of last year as it drew to its end: certification by the BWA - Biodiver-sity World Association. San Leonardo was approved by this important asso-ciation as “Biodiversity Friend”, with a really astonishing score! The approval arrived after taking into consideration many different aspects: the sum-to-tal of the extension of our land, its water, the biodiversity present and many other factors, which contribute to the quality of the environment. A particu-lar point in our favour was obtained thanks to the presence of the colony of bees that has always been kept on our estate and the flowering meadow dedicated to nectar-providing plants...without forgetting of course, our 300 hectares of uncontaminated woodlands that surround the estate.

SAN LEONARDO IS NOW CERTIFIED AS ORGANIC

F I N E W I N E o n yo u r R e a d e r Pa dN ow ’s t h e t i m e t o f i l l u p yo u r re a d e r p a d w i t h s o m e

co n t e n t . Yo u c a n d ow n l o a d Fi n e Wi n e a s a Pd f f i l e a n d re a d i t o n t h e re a d e r.

Pe a s e p a s s t h i s o n t o f r i e n d s a n d a cq u a i n t e n ce s.

www.finewine.nu

WINESTATE TROPHY WIN FOR SAINT CLAIR FAMILY ESTATEOutstanding trophy success for Saint Clair has been announced at the Winestate official awards presenta-tion in Queenstown. Saint Clair Family Estate was a finalist for the New Zea-land wine company of the year and the Saint Clair Omaka Reserve Pinot Noir 2016 was awarded the Pinot Noir of the Year Trophy.

Kyle Thompson attended the pres-tigious lunch where the awards were announced. Kyle has been working for Saint Clair for more than 12 years. He is Senior Red Winemaker and an integral part of Saint Clair’s success. Kyle comments; “it was an honour to be at the announcement and receive this fabulous trophy. I’m lucky to work with some very talented people whose focus spans from vineyards, to the wine and out to the consumer”

This trophy combined with other reg-ular trophy success further cements Saint Clair’s reputation as a leading New Zealand wine producer and re-flects commitment to quality across all facets of their business.


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N O T I C E

En äkta Ripasso

Ripasso innebär en andra jäsning på skalen från Guerrieri Rizzardis två amarones som är högt premierade och fl era gånger har utsetts till en av världens bästa Amarones.

Resultatet blir en elegant Ripasso, torr, med kryddig doft och inslag av mörka bär som körsbär, torkade rosor och härlig fatkaraktär.

Art nr: 75810 || Pris: 130 krArt nr: 75810 || Pris: 130 krArt nr: 75810 || Pris: 130 kr

Alkohol kan skada din hälsa.

“...Välgjord Ripasso...”

SVD Vin&Mat 24 maj 2017

“Stark rekommendation, bra kvalitativt vin”

88p i Livets goda våren 2017

”RIESLING MADE BY HAPPY PEOPLE”Adolph Huesgen hosted a tasting in Gam-la Stan in Stockholm, putting on display their modern Rieslings that are created with tradition and a fine sense of the soil where they are grown. ”By working in that way, all of our wines are unique and made to be enjoyed in the moment.”

On the table: Villa Huesgen Riesling Brut Sekt 2017, Villa Huesgen Riesling Made-moiselle 2015, Villa Huesgen By The Glass Riesling 2017, Villa Huesgen Schiefer Ries-ling Trocken 2017, Villa Huesgen Riesling Kabinett Feinherb 2017 and Villa Huesgen Alte Reben Riesling wurzelecht 2016.

All of the wines come from Mosel.

GLENMORANGIE UNVEILS ITS FIRST WHISKY CREATED USING WILD YEAST – Rich and fruity single malt celebrates tenth anniversary of Pri-vate Edition series –

The first whisky created from yeast growing wild on Glenmor-angie’s own barley, marks the tenth anniversary of the Highland Distillery’s pioneering Private Edition series. For a decade, Glen-morangie has invited whisky aficionados to explore its passion for innovation through this acclaimed series of rare and intrigu-ing limited-edition single malts. Now, in the collection’s rich, fruity tenth release Glenmorangie Allta (Scots Gaelic for ‘wild’ and pronounced ‘al-ta’), the Distillery reveals the importance of yeast to Scotch whisky’s myriad flavours.

Nose: Rounded, biscuity/yeasty tones. Gentle floral notes (car-nations & Parma Violets), baking bread, very gentle vanilla, soft rai-sins and sweet mandarin orange.

Taste: A crisp, citrus ‘bite’ to the mouthfeel. Butter candy, creamy vanilla, orange syrup with yeasty background. Gentle mint, the ti-niest hint of sweet chilli and deli-cate, dancing floral notes.

Finish: Long and earthy with hints of bitter sweet orange and peppermint.

http://www.sigva.se


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N O T I C E

A NEW SUPERWINE FROM TOMMASI HAS SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY – DEBURIS

The end of last year saw Tommasi release their new superwine DeBURIS Amarone Riserva 2008, a wine that has quickly established itself on the exclusive market for wine investments. This is a wine for those who can wait a few years for a return on their in-vestment, or even for those who want to enjoy wine from the mountaintop vineyard La Groletta in the middle of the classic Sant Ámbroglio di Valpolicella

district right away. The district is perfectly situated for quality and for Amarone .

”How long is forever? Sometimes just like the length of a sip…,” said Pierangelo Tommasi during a presentation in Stockholm. And anyone who has tasted the wine can only agree.

For investors and enthusiasts alike, DeBURIS is available through Systembolaget in Sweden: Item # 75393, Price 2099 SEK, 750 ml.




www.finewine.nu

EXCITING WINES FROM SLOVENIADanilo Snajder, winemaker at VERUS Vineyards in Ormoz, Slovenia, visited Stock-holm to tell us about their wines, but more importantly to describe Slovenia as a wine country. He also described their winemaking history, districts and guiding documents, among other things.

As an example, geographical finds show that wine has been grown in Slovenia as early as 400 BC, and that it is mostly due to their special microclimate that, together with the progressive local legislation, provides many possibilities for making wine.

Anyone interested in tasting wine from this classic region can turn to Systembola-get, Item # 2720 VERUS Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2017. Price 119:- SEK.


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N O T I C E

FIRST MICHELIN STAR FOR RISTORANTE ORNELLAIA IN ZURICH

Just ten months after its official opening, Ornellaia’s new restaurant in Zurich has received one of the world’s most prestig-ious awards, it first star from the Michelin Guide.

“These ten months have been intense ones for us,” remarked Ristorante Ornel-laia Chef Giuseppe D’Errico, “The Ornel-laia estate has supported us 100%, and I personally have poured into our creation all my Italianità and the professional ex-pertise I gained at Alma and in France. Great credit goes my team here, who have exhibited immense passion and commitment to the work we all love”.

Ristorante Ornellaia opened its doors on 9 April 2018 at Sankt Annagasse 2, near Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse, one of the world’s most luxurious and exclusive streets.

The world-famed Bolgheri wine produc-er, founded in 1981, instantly gained cult status for the quality of its wines with its first vintage, in 1985. It decided to take this important step in the restaurant world thanks to its collaboration with Bindella, which, in addition to being Or-nellaia’s importer and brand ambassa-

dor in Switzerland from the very beginning, is widely respected for its expertise in gastronomy.

A WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR A BOTTLE OF WHISKY AT CHRISTIE´SThe Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old Malt In A Unique Bottle Painted By Michael Dillon.

Achieves £ 1,200,000 / $1,528,800 / €1,352,400

A World Auction Record For A Bottle Of Whisky Christie’s Finest & Rarest Wines & Spirits Auction In London

http://www.vinbanken.se


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En äkta Ripasso

Ripasso innebär en andra jäsning på skalen från Guerrieri Rizzardis två amarones som är högt premierade och flera gånger har utsetts till en av världens bästa Amarones.

Resultatet blir en elegant Ripasso, torr, med kryddig doft och inslag av mörka bär som körsbär, torkade rosor och härlig fatkaraktär.

Hälften av alla som drunknar har alkohol i blodet.

Art nr: 76191

Aftonbladet, dec 18

sigva.se

Alk

ohol

halt

12,5

%, 7

50m

l

279 krPris:

Champagne de Castelnau Brut Reserve

GOLD

MUNDUS vini®

21st G

RAND IN

TERNATIONAL WINE AWARD

MEININGER 2017

http://www.sigva.se


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More whites, more bubbly, and more focus on national grapes, both known and lesser known, as well as more ecological wines. Short and simple, a few words that describe what is trending in Spain.

SPANISH WINE TRENDS - WHAT WILL WE UNCORK IN 2019?

TEXT: URSULA HELLBERG BILDER: ICEX OCH CONCELLO D.O. VALDEORRAS

VINEYARDS IN VALDEORRAS ARE VERY DIFFERENT TO THAN COASTAL RIAS BAIXAS


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SPAIN’S WINES CHANGE COLORS

Galicia and Rueda have long been known for their white wines. The thick-skinned Albariño grape from the humid Atlantic climate has al-most become synonymous with Gali-cian wines. Seasoned by the ocean and granite, this fresh grape has creat-ed one of Spain’s most popular white

wines. But there is another Galician grape that is becoming ever so pop-ular outside of Spain. Remember the name: Godello from Valdeorras.

In Valdeorras, the climate is more in-land, not as humid as in Rias Baixas where Albariño dominates. The grape is very aromatic, but still doesn’t feel too heavy. Lemon, green apples,

fruits and white flowers are just some of its characteristics. Godello wines are aromatic and dominated by fruits, and these days they are count-ed among some of Spain’s best white wines. When it comes to Godello, the wines aren’t usually barrel-aged and they have obvious traces of the shale soil where they were grown. But small quantities of Crianza are also produced. Their style is reminiscent of an elegant Bourgogne. It is pleas-ing that more and more quality wine producers in Valdeorras are showing more interest for Godello, especially considering the fact that this grape almost disappeared completely when the area was nearly devasted about 100 years ago by Grape Phylloxera.

Verdejo is the dominant grape in Rueda. This fresh grape works well both on its own or together with Sau-vignon Blanc. By harvesting at night and steel tank aging, the grapes’ typ-ical characteristics are preserved. Sev-eral producers have, however, found other ways to express these qualities through allowing the grapes age in barrels. In Spain, Verdejo from Rue-da is a clear favorite when it comes to white wines, both as an aperitif and with food. Rueda’s white wines also have a large international reputation. Their Sauvignon Blanc wines have been named as the best in the world several times over.

Even classic red wine areas like Ribera del Duero are now associated with more white wines. The green Albillo grape, previously used to add flavor to the big reds, now enjoys inde-pendence as a stand-alone grape. This

GODELLO GRAPES ARE SOME THING TO REMEMBER.


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grape is also appreciated in the Vinos de Madrid area.

A WHITER RIOJA AND A LIGHTER SHERRY

The increased interest for Spanish white wine, reflected by Systembola-get’s smaller new orders where many new terroirs and grapes have become included and many new releases are planned. But don’t forget about the classic Spanish white wines that are also enjoying increased popularity. Rioja has also become filled with more white wines, at the same time as a Renaissance is underway for classic red Riojas, where many historic pro-ducers are seeing increased popularity.

White Rioja isn’t a new thing, but pro-

ducers are using more Viura instead of blending Macabeo and Malvasia like they used to. The result is a more fruit-filled, refreshing wine. It is also interesting that producers are using less of the famous Tempranillo blan-co grape, which is currently allowed for use in the white Rioja wines. Ac-cording to DOC regulations, in order for growers to plant new Tempranil-lo blanco vineyards, they must first destroy previous plantings of other grape types. The vineyards can use Tempranillo Blanco in blends or as a stand-alone grape type.

Jerez has produced affordable, high quality fortified wines for genera-tions, and the broad Sherry assort-ment speaks to consumers. There are wine styles for all tastes, and now the

assortment has grown even more – maybe the beginning of something big. Relatively recently, several pro-ducers have turned started making non-fortified wines, though these wines have a similar process. The wines are still aged in barrels, but no grape alcohol is added. This gives the wines a nice compelling taste. Since the alcohol content is relatively low-er, they are more versatile as classic Sherry wines. The grapes are the same ones used in fortified wines, mainly Palomino and PX.

In Catalonia’s Terra Alta region, Gar-nacha Blanca is ahead of the pact when it comes to white wines. Previ-ously, the wines from this area were pretty heavy and oxidized, but the

WE’LL SOON SEE EVEN MORE ST YLES FROM THE SHERRY DISTRIC T.


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style these days is more fruit-filled. However, the development of cava wines in this area of Spain have drawn the most attention in recent years.

NEW CAVA IS A WORLD-CLASS BUBBLY

You can’t name Catalonia without mentioning cava, and that area is really bubbling. After many years of having a secure position among the world’s sparkling wines, cava has sud-denly gained a large advantage over Italy’s prosecco wines. When the first surprise came, they escalated produc-

tion. Like icing on the cake, Cava de Paraje Calificado (CPC) was released in fall 2017. It is a vineyard classified cava that plans on landing among the small group of the world’s best dry sparkling wines. The wine has personality and complexity, as well as a recognizable taste from its terroir. Currently the area has 13 qualified vineyards/producers.

Being permitted to use the Paraje la-bel, isn’t all that simple. Ite requires that the wine comes from specific vineyards with stocks older tha ten years, with limited harvests that are

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DEMAND FOR CAVA HAS GREATLY INCREASED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.

hand-picked. Furthermore, the wine must be produced on-site, including a minimum of 36 months in lees. Onlyu vintage designated cavas are allowed, and every individual bot-tle must be traceable to individual producers. We haven’t heard much about this process in Sweden, pos-sibly because the prices in certain cases are in the same class as prestige Champagne, which is actually logi-cal because the production processes are similar and on the same level. In regards to other cavas, the trend has changed, and the Spanish sparkling


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wines seem yet again to be reaching new heights. Sweden’s Systembolaget has seen cava sales double over the last four years.

NEAR-TO-NATURE WINES

But Catalonia isn’t just about cava, the area has been associated with or-ganic production, notably Albet in Noya, since the 1980s. The interest

for organically produced wine contin-ues to grow, and of the Spanish wines sold through Systembolaget, 40% are ecologically grown, a 300% growth over the last six years. Argentina is the only country with a larger amount of ecologically produced wines available through Systembolaget. In general, Spanish agronomy is more focused on ecologic products than their ex-port recipient countries. So, there are

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many export markets, like Sweden, that could be more reciprocal. Some wine growers are taking it a step fur-ther and making natural wine. In Spain, orange wine and white wines with longer grape skin contact have become more popular.

BACK TO THEIR ROOTS

Spain has natural resources for or-ganic growing because the warmer climate reduces the risk for spread-ing disease, and contextually similar is connected to increased use of na-tive grapes that in some cases have been more or less forgotten. Native grapes are often more well-suited to fight disease, which means less de-pendency on chemicals. The clones developed 20 years ago do not have the natural ability. Spain is an Old-World wine country and many areas have long-abandoned vineyards. One can literally talk about getting back to one’s roots. Spain has 375 different grape types. When you realize that 80 % of Spanish wine production uses a mere 9 of those grape types, it isn’t hard to understand that there are a lot of things left to discover. Many of the oldest vineyards are located in the mountains, and the difficulties relat-ed to location have resulted in vine-yards closing instead of relocating to lower altitudes where the results are more negative than positive. Higher altitudes tend to ensure those grapes’ quality. One example is the blue grape Bobal.

BOBAL, THE UGLY DUCKLING

So far, we’ve mostly discussed the green grapes. But the blue grapes still dominate and even are leading many interesting developments.

ALBE T IN NOYA IS A PIONEER IN ECOLOGICAL WINE GROWING.


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Bobal is Spain’s third most-grown type, behind Airén and Tempranil-lo. But in broader consumption the grape is relatively unknown. Previ-ously having been associated with bulk wine, Bobal is taking a new di-rection and is recreating its identity. This ”old” grape mainly grows in the Utiel-Requena appellation, where it accounts for 90 % of the vines. These grapes even dominate in nearby are-as like Manchuela, where vineyards at 1100 m show new sides of Bob-al. The wines are fresher, with tones of pepper, violets, plumb and cherry that are more palpable. Another pos-itive quality is that Bobal has a low pH level.

High pH-levels are related to climate change and is one of the three biggest challenges facing wine producers all over the world. Bobal has pH-lev-els between 3.35 and 3.50, and also manages drought and Odium (fun-gal disease) pretty well. Despite its acidity, Bobal is hardened against drought, which is also an effect of climate change. The downside is that larger, more compact bunches age at different rates. Through enobling, producers are attempting to give the bunches more space, but Bobal’s qualities proved to be advantageous in the early days.

WINES TO KEEP AN EYE ON

We stop where we began; i Galicia. Ribeira Sacra are the only red wine specialists in the region’s districts. The main grape is Mencia, which is taste-wise reminiscent of both Pinot Noir and Syrah. The Mencia grape is one to store in your memory. The regu-lar assortment in June will include a Mencia wine from Bierzo. If you are interested of other, less well-known Spanish grapes and regions, I can recommend following Systembola-get’s temporary, special sortiment.

During 2019, we will be able to find wines from areas like Vinos de Ma-drid, Salamanca, Mentrida, Teneriffa, Bierzo, Valdeorras, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra, Alella, Montsant, Terra Alta and Manchuela. We will also have a chance to try a red wine from Mal-lorca and a white wine Garnacha Blanca from Aragon. Even a pure Garnacha grape from Rioja and a Graciano from Navarra are planned for release in Systembolaget’s regular assortment.


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T R E N D S E T T E R

G L O B A L

C O M M U N I C A T I O N C O M M U N I C A T I O N

+46 707 94 09 [email protected]



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A SOUTH AFRICAN CULTURAL HISTORY

South African wine producers Spier’s history stretches all the way back to 1692. They are one of the first pioneering growers in the world.While rooted in this heritage, Spier has a vibrant and conscious energy. Besides being one of SA’s most award-winning wineries, this producer also owns one of the largest collections of contemporary South African art.

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Spier has been widely recognized by number external organizations for its commitment to sustainabili-ty and ethical business. Their wine farm is organically certified and was awarded Conservation Cham-pion status by WWF-SA. Their ho-tel was one of the first in the coun-try to receive Fair Trade in Tourism (FTTSA) accreditation; it also won gold at the African Responsible Tourism Awards 2016 in the cat-egory of Best for Accommodation for Responsible Employment. A member of the Wine Industry Eth-ical Trade Association (WIETA), our winery is ISO 22000 certified and Fair Trade accredited and fol-lows the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) criteria.

Even though Spier’s acknowledge-

ments and certifications are some of the best around, their activism continues, far beyond that of the large external actors’ authorization.

QUOTE FROM ANDREW MILNE, SPIER’S CEO:

“Not only do you need to grow as a business, you need to create shared value for your staff and communi-ties and make sure you make a pos-itive impact on your environment. Yes, we grow grapes, but we also grow with people and create agents of change.”

Despite the fact that Spier’s actions for sustainability and ethical prac-tices can be traced back many years, Spier doesn’t boast about or market themselves very much based on those principles. Those aspects are simply ingrained in their company culture and work.

But to help inspire others and show how their various ethical and sustainability projects work, they

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JOHAN JORDAAN


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recently launched ”Growing for Good,” a project, actually more like a tool, to highlight social and envi-ronmentally-friendly projects.

Growing for Good is made up of several parts, including ”Tree-Pre-neurs”. Tree-preneurs is a project that gives more than 100 people from some of the Cape’s poorest communities the opportunity to change their lives. Tree-preneurs are taught how to care for indige-nous trees and plants. They are giv-en seedlings to nurture; once these have reached 15cm, they can be exchanged for vouchers for food, clothing, agricultural goods, tools, bicycles and educational support. As of today, more than one million plants have been put in the ground.

Additionally, it should be noted that 98 % of all the water used at Spier is recycled/re-used!!!

Spier also supports a local ele-mentary school in the Lynedoch ECO-village by sponsoring an in-terdisciplinary team that helps psy-chological and social service teams that ensure local children are pro-vided optimal opportunities for lo-cal kids to fully reach their individ-ual potential.

Through the ”Sisonke Social Cir-cus” project, children from widely differing backgrounds are given the chance to artistically learn unity, teamwork, balance and coordina-tion skills.

Spier recruits new entry-level em-ployees via a project called ”Ha-

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rambee,” an initiative that assists unfairly treated and unemployed youths in finding their first job.

Via ”Spier Arts Academy,” artists are accepted into a three-year program for developing knowledge and skill in ceramics and mosaics. Their art has been sold around the world.

Spier also supports ”Eagle Encoun-ters,” by donating land, electrici-ty and water to the organization’s

visitor facilities. Eagle Encounters rehabilitates injured birds, and also participates in numerous educa-tional projects aimed at informing the general public about these fan-tastic animals and the important role they play in nature’s ecosystem.

Spier employees are also offered ac-cess to various projects on a contin-uous basis where they are given the chance to become involved in envi-

OUR WINES OUR WINES

ronmental and local societal issues while on the clock.

In Sweden, the ”Fair Trade” or ”Fair for Life” certifications receive the most focus. Spier is a certified pro-ducer closely associated with these, but continue to show that produc-ers can do so much more than just being members.


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Alkohol är beroendeframkallande

P R I S 2 9 9 K R

guld i international wine challenge 2017

•

N YHET ! S T O R F A S T L A N S E R I N G 1 D E C CHAMPAGNE L O M B A R D

P R E M I E R C R U•art. nr 7921, 750 ml, alk. 12,5 % •

http://www.vinia.se


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A TRAIN RIDE FROM LAZIO’S ROMA TERMINI NORTH TOWARDS UMBRIAThe annual January visit in the Eternal City Rome was this time complemented with a trip to Umbria, home of the DOC/DOP appellation.

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BEAUTIFUL ORVIETO AND RADIANT

PALAZZONETEXT OCH PHOTO: SUSANNE BERGLUND KRANTZ/PUNKVIN


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The trip from the station in Rome to Orvieto takes about an hour, and includes beautiful landscapes and a lot of tunnels through the Apennines. If you want to visit Or-vieto, which is situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff, funiculars are available if you don’t take a car. But the town has to wait as we take a taxi to Tenu-ta Palazzone, located about 30 minutes from the station by car. The sun is shining from an almost clear-blue sky, but the thermom-eter tells us it is only about 5 de-grees Celsius. The landscape here

is enchantingly beautiful with its rolling, vineyard-covered hills and the volcanic mountains popping up here and there. The picturesque location is framed by ancient, mag-nificent oak and chestnut forests. We arrive in radiant Palazzone, built in the 1200s as a stop for pil-grims on their way to Rome to cel-ebrate the Pope. When the current owner-family bought the property in 1968, the palace was in ruins. Everything was renovated and even expanded to include a boutique hotel and a restaurant. We were greeted by the family’s son, Pietro

Dubini, who gave us a tour of the property and then hosted a private tasting of their wines.

ORVIETO DOC/DOP

The old, comprehensive and well-known appellation rests on vol-canic tuff, and received its DOC classification in 1971. It is Um-bria’s largest appellation, including the Trebbiano Toscano, Verdello, Drupeggio, Grechetto, and Mal-vasia grapes. This disperse district also includes parts of Lazio, but the best wines are produced in Umbria

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close to Orvieto, where the Orvi-eto Classico zone is located. Here, the landscape is filled with rolling hills that are home to high-altitude vineyards and that give cooler night temperatures during the hot growth season. The chestnut forests protect the vineyards from the northerly, hard winds during the cold win-ters, while also providing shade in the warmer months. Traditionally, Orvieto wines are produced in var-ying styles, including secco (dry),

abboccato (slightly sweet), amabile (half-sweet), and dolce (sweet). In the past, the sweetness factor was something that occurred natural-ly, which is probably not the case today in these wines. But the dri-er varieties currently dominate. This district is host for some large producers, including Bigi (which produces many million liters), a cooperative, and many small-scale producers. A well-made Orvieto Classico wine is fresh, refreshing,

>>>

PIE TRO DUBINI

fruity, mineral-rich and develops aged in the bottle. Besides the pre-viously mentioned wines, Rosso Orvietan, a red wine, and Muffa Nobile, a noble rot wine, should be mentioned.

PALAZZONE

This property is situated among surrounding vineyards, and has a current total of 25 hectare in the Orvieto Classico zone. In other words, the original area in the ap-pellation, in Rocca Ripesena, close to the Medieval, magnificent city Orvieto. The Classico area is situ-ated around Orvieto, home to the best climate and soil conditions, best suited for producing DOC Orvieto. The soil consists of sand and clay on top of volcanic tuff. Grapes grown here include Treb-biano toscano (procanico), Grec-chetto, Verdello, Drupeggio and Malvasia,all of which can be used in Orvieto. Other grape types they grow include Pinot gris/Pinot gri-gio, Viognier, Sangiovese and Ca-bernet sauvignon. Sauvignon blanc is also grown for the noble rot wine. The vineyards are situated between 210-340 m above sea level. Annu-al production is 130,000 bottles of wine, and olive oil from 3 hectare. Pietro explains that this area was inhabited by Etruscans 3000 years ago, whose cellars dug out from the tuff remain to this day on the prop-erty. They vinify and age the inter-esting and complex Musco wine here, following old traditions.

Pietro, son of Giovanni Dubini whose father bought the property in the 1960s, is a relatively newly educated oenologist, who plans to travel to New Zealand later this week and harvest grapes and make them into wine.


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Palazzone is considered by both Gambero Rosso and Doctor Wine as one of DOC Orvieto’s crown jewels.

TASTING2017 TIXE/EXIT PINOT GRISIGT/IGP UMBRIAWine from Pinot gris/Pinot grigio skin macerated for six hours and fer-mented in steel tank. Gives a beauti-ful, copper-orange appearance with deep, sub-vegetative aroma filled with leaves, mushrooms and lime-stone minerality. Taste of salty herbs with high and lasting acidity, forest tones and minerality. Gorgeous! A fantastic wine with food.

2017 TERRE VINEATE DOC/DOP ORVIETO CLASSICO SUPERIORESelected grapes from all of the vineyards with 50% Trebbiano, 30% Grecchetto and 20% Verdel-lo, Drupeggio and Malvasia. Deep, fruit-filled bouquet with minerali-ty. Palette is fatty but elegant due to the mineral salts that lift the entire-ty. Amazingly well-done, Orvieto!

2016 CAMPO DI GUARDIANODOC/DOP ORVIETO CLASSICO SUPERIOREOrvieto from individual vineyards. Similar blend as the previous wine. The wine ages in lees until June the year after the harvest, followed by 18 months in bottles in the Etrus-can cellar before being released on markets. Its golden appearance is followed by the nose which is slight-ly yeasty, but the yellow fruit tones come in strong waves. Fruit tastes from yellow apples and plums, and is long, mineral-bitter complex and rich. Dry and taut with a long af-tertaste. A brilliant and exception-ally fine wine with food.

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2015 MUSCONO APPELLATION/WHITE WINEThe grapes used in this wine are planted together in a small vine-yard. The grapes used include Procanico, Verdello and Malva-sia, which are all harvested at the same time and are vinified togeth-er. Maceration with both skins and stalks takes place for about four days until spontaneous fermen-tation begins. The wine is then allowed to ferment without the skins and stalks. This is the origi-nal method used for winemaking. After fermentation, the wine is first aged one year in chestnut barrels, followed by 8 months in carboys. Vinification and aging takes place in the ancient Etruscan cellar.

The wine is brilliant ruby yellow with golden reflections, and has a deep smell of apricot, limestone, sub-vegetation and yellow apples. The taste is dry with sublime tones

of honey and yellow fruit. The nose’s characteristics are framed by refreshing acidity and nice struc-ture, which makes the wine stable and distinct. A fantastic wine filled with tradition!

2016 PIVIERE SANGIOVESEIGT/IGP UMBRIASangiovese is also a traditional grape in this area, and for this wine has been carefully selected for sitting in lees about 12 days before aging 12 months in barrels, followed by 6 months in bottles before being released on the market. A beautiful ruby-red appearance followed by a cherry aroma. Dry and refresh-ing palette with clean cherry fruits and the perfect amount of tannins, which lend structure to its entire-ty. An uncomplicated, clean, direct and good wine made in a transpar-ent style.

PIE TRO I DEN E TRUSKISKA KÄLLAREN

FLASKOR I E TRUSKISKA KÄLLAREN

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EPILOGUE

The same taxi driver drove us back to Orvieto after our welcomed and interesting visit. It was an entirely new side of Orvieto – wine I will someday see on the Swedish mar-ket, currently a watered-down mar-ket in terms of this appellation. We take Pietro’s advice about the res-taurant Trattoria Tipica La Pergola located in one of the tight alleys in this charming Medieval town. Pas-ta with white truffles accompany Palazzones Campo di Guardiano wonderfully. The coffee and grappa after the meal pull off the perfect meal, while taking in the magnifi-cent, dramatic dome. A bus to the funicular, followed by the train back to Rome await.

DEN GAMLA E TRUSKISKA KÄLLAREN JÄSNING PÅGÅR

TRYFFEL MED PASTA BRA AVSLUTNING

KASTANJEFAT

TIPS Travel to Orvieto by train from Roma Termini or a rental car. Umbria of-fers many alluring appellations, like DOCG/DOP Sagrantino di Monte-falco, the powerful red wine from Montefalco, and DOCG/DOP Tor-giano Rosso Riserva. Don’t miss Assi-si, the city with a fantastic cathedral and an amazing history. The Umbria region produces 600,00 hectoliters wine annually, 40% of which is DOC classified. Search online for produc-ers you want to visit, and mail them in advance to make arrangements.


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http://www.vinia.se


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>>>

MARCHESE ANSELMO GUERRIERI GONZAGA TELLS THE HISTORY BEHIND

SANLEONARDO

Marquis Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzaga told us the following story while hosting a recent Stockholm tasting of San Leonardo’s fines wines:”Let me start at the beginning. The foundation of our fields was laid back in the year 589 when our two families, the Theodelinda’s and the Authari’s, were united through a marriage, also reuniting the churches. A small chapel was built during the 1000s, San Leonardo. It was constructed by priso-ners released by the French during the Crusades.

It might seem strange, but since we are near the border we have al-ways been drawn into wars over the course of the centuries. The chapel grew and eventually became a large monastery.

When the church had big finan-cial problems in 1724, our family got involved and helped out with the farming, which they continued developing until 1770, when our family could buy the fields out-right. But it wasn’t until the mid-1800s that my great-grandfather’s great-grandfather’s father became

interested in growing wine as a complement to all of the other lo-cally produced crops that they had lived off of throughout the years.

Initially, he bought grapes from all over Europe around the 1850s. That was a time filled with big changes – grapes like Carmenére and Pi-not noir from Bourgogne could be shipped on the Rhone directly to them. My grandfather was a very skilled winemaker, but the wines that were produced were very ”lo-cal” and nothing was sold outside of the region. Then my father got

involved. He hadn’t done so well in school, so my grandfather, who had fought in World War I, was angry with him and took him out of boarding school. He asked my father, ”Why don’t you study oe-nology?” At the time that was unu-sual because children of aristocrats studied law or professions like that. But growing wine was new and my father did a great job. Grandfather thought my father would return to the property, but had another surprise for him. He hired a win-emaker a week before my father’s


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>>>

planned return from studies, and that man was one month younger than my father. So, he could say that he was experienced from the start.

My father didn’t let that get him down, and instead moved to Tus-cany where the family owned oth-er vineyards. He became friends with Antinori and Frescobaldi, and many other wine producers in his age group and started working as a consultant at their wineries that were making horrible wines at the time. It was easily apparent that

new fermentation processes, yeasts, etc. were needed. He had a lot of successes and then he started work-ing with San Guido. He actually built their cellar and brought in the first French barrels. Thanks to his education, he was very successful. In combination his intelligence and knowledge about Cabernet Sauvignon and other French vari-etals, lots of innovations took place during that period. We’re talking about the 1960s. But my father did not create Sassacaia. That’s a myth that I hereby lay to rest. Bu the did

make great wines and his marriage became his oenological godfather, so to say. He possessed knowledge and passion for making fantas-tic Bordeaux wines already at that time. Unfortunately, nobody back then understood in which contexts those wines should be enjoyed.

When my grandfather died in 1972, my father got involved in the company again and renovated the buildings the buildings that were more-or-less destroyed dur-ing WWII. We had a lot to reno-vate, but unfortunately not enough


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money. So, my father decided to sell half of our properties in order to be able to pay for renovations and taxes, and he was wise enough to concentrate on what remained of his Carmenére grapes, who every-one at that time called Cabernet Franc because the green tastes were similar, and in 1978, was presented as Cabernet Sauvignon. Then, the 1992 vintage was a huge success and he decided to make a Bordeaux blend. Quite a challenge back then. He bought 15 French oak barrels, which was all he could afford at the time, and then sold the wine in Switzerland and some other coun-tries that appreciated the style of the wine. Because he was a close

friend of Antinori’s winemaker, he asked them if he could hire for him. But Antinori answered that it would be better to ”borrow” the winemaker as needed because it would be better for the region to have several successful wines from the area. So, my father then had ex-pert help from 1984 and forward, and the rest is history, as you all know.

My father is still involved and works every day. He is 81 years-old. I would like to point out that he helped in the creation of our white wines, wines we personally believe are among the absolute best from Italy today.”

WINES WE TASTED:REDS:San Leonardo 2006San Leonardo 2008San Leonardo 2013 (available through Systembolaget’s temporary assortment)San Leonardo Carmenére 2010Terre di San Leonardo 2014

WHITES:San Leonardo Riesling 2015Vette di San Leonardo 2017


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Innehållsförteckningar finns på naturvin.se under fliken Våra viner. Innehåll 750 ml. Beställ ”ExpertWine Biodynamiska” på Systembolaget som Privatimport. Pris/låda 1692 kr.

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G L O B A L






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FINE WINE PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

>>>

For the eighth year in a row, it is once again time to place the four wine classes, sparkling, white, red, and sweet, on the table for some of the branch’s most experienced wine jour-nalists and sommeliers to taste blind and award points using the Parker scale. An exciting, exacting assignment.

So, here are the results for the four classes:

SPARKLING WINES:For the first time, two Champagne producers received the same score. So this year, we have two winners, shown in al-phabetical order.

CHAMPAGNE CASTELNAU réserve, Reims FrankrikeItem nr 7619101/6Volume 750 mlPrice 279 SEKImporter: SIGVA AB

MUMM GRAND CORDON, Reims FrankrikeItem nr 7543Volume 750 mlPrice 379 SEKImporter: Pernod Ricard Sweden


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WHITE WINES:This year’s winner traveled the globe to come to Sweden.

GREYWACKE CHARDONNAY 2014, Marlborough, Nya ZeelandItem nr 93383Volume 750 mlPrice 229 SEKImporter: Handpicked Wines Sweden

RED WINES:Be surprised! This has never happened before in all of our eight years. The same producer won in both the white and red classes.

GREYWACKE PINOT NOIR, Marlborough, Nya ZeelandItem nr 78341Volume 750 mlPrice 269 SEKImporter: Handpicked Wines Sweden

SWEET WINES:A repeat winner in this class.

CASTELNAU DE SUDUIRAUT 2012, AOP Sauternes, FrankrikeItem nr 369002/12Volume 375 mlPrice 169 SEKImporter: SIGVA AB


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Glaset förstärker upplevelsen av färg, smak och arom. Det har en osymmetrisk form baserat på sensoriska analyser, hydrodynamiska principer; optimerat med datorsimuleringar. Designskydd 82636.

Glasen är handblåsta vid Bergdala Glasbruk. Perfekt gåva till jubilerande vinälskare!

Ett unikt, funktionellt vinglas speciellt designat för vinprovning.

OptiArom©

Läs mer om glaset på naturvin.se

Format: 148x124 mm




www.finewine.nu

http://www.naturvin.se


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Franz Leth’s vineyards are situated in the soft hills with southern exposure near the banks of the Danube in Wagram, Austria. Franz is the second generation who, together with his brother Weigut Leth, has run the family business since their father started the operation. Franz’ son, Franz Jr. Keeping with tradition, Franz’ son, Franz Jr., is also set to take over after his father. A natural succession.Franz Leth (Sr.) was recently in Stockholm to present their 2018 vintage wines. Below is a list of comments and statements from Franz during the tasting at Operakällaren.

>>>

”SOMETIMES A LITTLE BIT LESS IS MORE”TEXT: OVE CANEMYR PHOTO: LETH


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”2018 was, as you all know, a warm and dry year throughout many parts of Europe, but not that dis-similar to 2017. But thanks to a few local rainstorms in May and June, everything worked out well, and the harvest conditions were good, except for the rains that came at the end of the summer. But due to the high quality the grapes pos-sessed, we did pretty good. And the 2018 harvest was unusually early. It began on August 20, much ear-lier than usual. The earliest harvest that both father and I can remem-ber. The harvest concluded towards the end of September, almost a month earlier than ususal. The big-

gest challenge was harvesting at the right time and place. We chose to harvest in the mornings when the temperature was cooler in the vine-yards and when the grapes’ fresh-ness and fruits are best preserved. I am very pleased with the 2018 vintage. It is even better than I had hoped for.”

”We started producing a ries-ling-grüner veltlinerblend a few years ago after a request from Sys-tembolaget. Initially, we were a little reserved… no one had ever made one before and we didn’t know how it would be received back home in Austria or abroad. But today, Du-

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ett, as we call it, has become a huge success, both at home in northern Europe, and everywhere else people love light wines, especially during the summer months.”

”Our grapes are high quality and the stocks get water through the loose soil’s ability to retain water so that the stocks get just as much wa-

ter as they need or want. The com-bination of sand, soil, and a mix-ture of fossils and shells ensures that this process occurs. We can irrigate our vineyards if we want to, there aren’t any restrictions, but we let Nature take care of irrigation. But even in a year like 2018, which was extremely warm and dry, we pro-duced high-quality grapes, which

in turn resulted in more refreshing and slightly aromatic wines filled with white pepper, pear and grape-fruit tones. Fantastic wines to en-joy during the Easter holidays with salmon and other lighter dishes. 2018 was a really dry year, so we were forced to water some of our vineyards. Otherwise, the stocks wouldn’t have survived the sum-


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mer. Desperate times call for des-perate measures, but as mentioned, it was an unusual situation.”

”We have started changing our vineyards to more sustainable pro-duction over the past years. We have actually been producing or-ganic the past 25 years, not using pesticides. But for the past four or five years we’ve moved over to green harvests.

”What do I think the climate situ-ation will look like in ten years? In ten years, it will either be too warm or too cold. The extreme weather fluctuations will definitely contin-ue. It won’t make that much of a difference for us, we’ll manage both extremes.”

Austrian wines today are on their way to becoming more relaxed wines. Lighter and more relaxed.

INFO Weingut Leth 2018 is available through Systembolaget.

Leth Duett 2018Price 89 SEK

Leth Grüner Veltliner Klassik 2018Price 89 SEK

Leth Grüner Veltliner Terrassen 2018Price 55 SEK

Leth Grüner Veltliner Familien Re-serve 2018Price 119 SEK

Simply put, ”Pleasant drinking.”

”Sometimes, a little bit less is more,” is a good way to describe our wines. It is all about explain-ing to the market what you do best and showing how and why you can manage it,” says Franz Leth with a smile.


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http://www.vinia.se


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ANTEPRIME DI TOSCANA entails a week filled with wines. During the tastings in Florence, San Gimignano, Montepulciano, and Montalcino, I’ve had the privilege of scanning relevant vinta-ges and gaining more insight into what is currently trending.

>>>

After the catastrophic 2017 (when many growers lost almost half of their harvest), it feels good to relate that 2018 was a more ”normal” year. Both Montepulciano and Montalcino have received four of five possible stars. The 2018 harvest was, however, smaller than usual. Not because of the weather, more because many vines were damaged

ANTEPRIME DI TOSCANA

TEXT & PHOTO: URSULA HELLBERG

ANDREA LONARDI,BERTANI’S DIREC TOR OF OPERATIONS, EXPLAINED THEIR ON-GO-ING PROJEC T TO DEFINE THE SANGIOVESE GRAPE’S DIFFERENT QUALITIES FROM VARIOUS GROWING SITES. BY COMPARING SOIL T YPES FROM BERTANI’S PROPERTIES IN CHIANTI CLASSICO (SAN LEONINO), MONTEPULCIANO (TRE ROSE), AND MONTAL-CINO (VAL DI SUGA), HE STATES THAT SANGIOVESE IS A SOIL T YPE DRIVEN GRAPE, WHICH HAS BEEN CONFIRMED.

or died in the 2017 spring frost, which was followed by drought.

Climate change related problems make growers, meteorologists and agronomists more engaged in find-ing solutions. No two vintages are identical, but in general, we can agree that we now find ourselves in a drier period, even though precip-

itation levels are the same. Through continual observations and data collection we are able to meet the challenges that are caused by this ”heat stress.” Soil type, irrigation techniques and airier vines are just some of the preventative measure being discussed. The most impor-tant thing to remember is to always be one step ahead…


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>>>

DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI HAS BEEN RUNNING BOTH OF HER PROPERTIES, CASATO PRIME DONNE IN BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO AND FAT TORIA DEL COLLE IN ORCIA DOC, FOR AROUND 20 YEARS. THE LAT TER GROWS, AMONG OTHER GRAPES, THE CLASSIC FOGLIA TONDA GRAPE WHICH IS USED IN HER CENERENTOLA (CIN-DERELLA). THE NAME ALLUDES TO BOTH THE ORCIA APPELLATION’S PREVIOUSLY UNAMBIGUOUS PRESENCE AND TO AN ENTIRELY NEW WINE THAT RISES TO NEW, UNEXPEC TED HEIGHTS.

DURING THE VERY EXTENSIVE TASTINGS AT CASATO PRIME DONNE, WE TESTED WINES FROM THE 1999-2016 VINTAGES. NATURALLY, THE FLAGSHIP IOSONO DONATELLA WAS ALSO ON THE TABLE.

CASATO PRIME DONNE IS A FE-MALE-DOMINATED WORKPLACE IN A MALE-DOMINATED BRANCH. VIOLANTE GARDINI IS DONATELLA’S DAUGHTER AND THE ONE WHO WILL IN TIME TAKE OVER THE OPERATION.

LORENZO FICINI FROM POGGIO BONELLI EXPLAINS HOW MANY GROWERS IN CLASSICO BERARDENGA HAVE JOINED UNDER THE SAME I CRU DI TERRA VOCATA. BEGINNING WITH THE 2018 HAR-VEST, THEY HAVE BEGUN PRODUCING A VERY LIMITED-EDITION BARREL-AGED WINE FROM SPECIALLY SELEC TED VINEYARDS. LOCATIONS WHERE THE GRAPE WERE GROWN ARE LISTED ON THE MAP ON THE LABEL.


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ENJOYED A TASTING IN SAN GIMIGNANO’S BEAUTIFUL CIT Y HALL, WHERE THE VERNACCIA AND ANSONICA GRAPES WERE COMPARED ANSONICA IS A GRAPE THAT THRIVES NEAR THE COAST, L IKE IN CALIBRIA, GIGLIO, THE ELBE AND ON SICILY (WHERE IT IS CALLED INSOLIA). DESPITE THE VARIATIONS IN GROW TH SITES, BOTH GRAPES SHOW SIMILARITIES. THEY ARE BOTH EQUALLY SINGLE-MINDED AND PROUD. THEIR FULL BODIES, TASTE, AND AGING POTENTIAL ARE ALL IMPRESSIVE.

SOMMELIERS OPENED MORE THAN 9500 BOT TLES OF WINE DURING THE CHIANTI CLASSICO TASTINGS IN FLORENCE.

SANGIOVESE GRAPES DOMINATED THIS YEAR’S ARCHET YPICAL CHIANTI CLASSICO ROOSTER.

ACCORDING TO ME TODO CLASSICO, THIS YEAR’S SPARKLING WINES HAVE BEEN RELEASED BY A FEW PRODUCERS IN THE GREVE AREA. ONE SUCH IS THE SWED-ISH-OWNED TERRENO, WHICH IS SE T TO RELEASE THEIR FIRST VINTAGE (2012). “YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO DEVELOP THE AREA AND CHALLENGE YOURSELF,” SAID SOFIA RUHNE.


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Klassisk Rioja med sju år på nacken- rika svartvinbärstoner med körsbär,choklad och vanilj. Bäst till hemgrilladehamburgare.Mikael Mölstad - SVD 12.07.2015

En kraftfull klassiskrioja närden ärsom bäst

Artikelnr: 12601Namn: Conde de Valdemar

WWW.SIGVA.SE

PRIS 139kr

Att börja dricka i tidig ålderökar risken för alkoholproblem.

Klassisk Rioja med sju år på nacken- rika svartvinbärstoner med körsbär,choklad och vanilj. Bäst till hemgrilladehamburgare.Mikael Mölstad - SVD 12.07.2015

En kraftfull klassiskrioja närden ärsom bäst

Artikelnr: 12601Namn: Conde de Valdemar

WWW.SIGVA.SE

PRIS 149 kr

Att börja dricka i tidig ålderökar risken för alkoholproblem.

http://www.sigva.se


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AT BLAXTA VINGÅRD, QUALITY

IS ALWAYS THE FOCUS

TEXT: OVE CANEMYR FOTO ANNE-MARIE CANEMYR

The snow still covers Blaxsta vingård like a blanket, as well as and the nearby southerly hills that roll down towards Lake Långhalsen and Flen. This wintery tapestry is located just a few short hours’ drive southwest of Stockholm.

>>>GÖRAN AMNEGÅRD


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The area has a unique limestone and mineral-rich soil type that plays an important role in the development of the ecologically-grown grapes Vidal Blanc, Chardonnay and Mer-lot with their own characteristic qualities.

Without a doubt, Blaxsta vingård’s most known wine is Vidal Icewine, which has been awarded gold med-als in numerous international com-petitions.

The first Vidal Blanc grapevines were planted here in 2000, the same year that Göran and Ulrika Amnegård moved back home to Sweden after having lived in Can-

ada for several years while Göran was a member of Canada’s Culi-nary Team. He is still a purveyor to the Queen at the Canadian Embas-sy in Sweden.

The choice of grapes soon proved to be perfect as they are well-suit-ed to the microclimate in Blaxsta, which actually has 25 more day-light hours during the growth sea-son than southern Europe.

The bunches vary in quality de-pending on where the plants are situated. The first bunches closest to the ground have more taste, aro-ma and sugar than the others.

Vidal Icewine Select Harvest 2016 is an ice wine from Blaxsta. 2016 was an exceptional year with a warm and sunny spring and summer, fol-lowed by a mild, dry fall. After a light snowfall and at -8 degrees C, the exclusive lower bunches were handpicked on December 7th. The careful pressing gave around 100 high quality liters. After six months fermentation in a Cham-pagne, and a further twelve months aging in steel tanks, 400 numbered bottles of Swedish craftsmanship were produced. They were all creat-ed completely naturally and do not contain sulfites or additives. The

>>>


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wine was created in cooperation with Carl-Jan Granqvist and won a Bronze at The Swedish Wine Pro-ducer of the Year competition last November.

Congratulations to those who were lucky enough to get hold of these bottles as their value is sure to more than double at future auctions.

Blaxta Vidal Icewine 2010 is yet another interesting vintage that has also seen success and won Gold in international competitions.

Those who make the trip to Blaxsta and visit the restaurant might just be lucky enough to taste this ice-wine with one of Göran’s famous dishes: Moose milk creme brulé and passion fruit symphony. Yum.

Self-sufficiency is another of BLAXSTA’s solutions for their combination of food and wine. BLAXSTA Merlot prestige grand reserve 2016 is served with sage-grilled Blaxsta duck, red cabbage, apple, and Vidal raisins, hazelnuts, grapefruit and chardonnay-cooked daisy roots. Read more in the 1/19 edition of Fine Dining&DESIGN www.finedining.se

As you might have noticed from the previous text, Blaxsta makes a very good Chardonnay, more pre-cisely their Chardonnay 2013 Bar-rique Premium Reserve which won Silver at last fall’s Swedish Wine Producer of the Year.

Anyone interested in following developments in the EU’s most northern wine-producing country would benefit from visiting BLAX-STA Vingård. Learn more about them at www.blaxstawine.se

A DESSERT BASED ON MOOSEMILK

WINESTONES AS A PROOF OF PRESTIGE WINE

ULRIKA SHOWS A FILTER FOR SEPARA-TION OF PIPS

AN ECOLOGICAL BIKE?

http://www.finedining.se

http://www.blaxstawine.se


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G L O B A L





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Alkohol ärberoendeframkallande

HERBERT HALL BRUT 2015Artikel nummer 75960Pris 449:-

HERBERT HALL BRUT ROSÉ 2015Artikel nummer 81239 Pris 509:-

Alkoholhalt: 12.5 %

Vinerna finns i beställningssortimentet

NYA EKOLOGISKA MOUSSERANDE VINER FRÅN ENGDALENS VIN


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AMONG CROATIAN WILD BOAR AND WINE BARRELS

TEXT & PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER JARNVALL

Some of Europe’s finest boar and deer hunting grounds are located in Croatia’s northeastern corner, close to the Donau and neighbors Serbia and Hungary. For the most part it has been the Habsburg rulers who have looked after these hunting areas. Yugoslavia’s dictator Tito hunted here. And the game herds are superior. And the stags are Hungarian-class and there are plenty of boar in the forests.

>>>


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We enjoyed a boar hunt here during a weekend in November. The first day seemed a little meager in terms of felled game, but the second day was a lot better. For the hunters, not the boar. But it’s actually quite nice just sitting outside in the chilly weather with the bleak November sun on your back just enjoying the moment. You might see a buck or a roe deer passing by. If it’s a boar hunt, that’s how it goes.

Sure, it isn’t plausible when we hunters say that we are looking for a ”Nature” experience. Pretty sel-dom for hunters. Honestly, we are interested in the hunt. But the ex-perience of Nature can often com-pensate for a slow day of hunting. And if the sun is a little too intense, you might doze off during your watch. Congrats to the boar! But that means less food on the table…

But there are also drinks needed with the food. The area is rich in vineyards and is sometimes called “Little Bordeaux.” The country’s vineyards have a noble past, dating back to the classic Greek times and even further back in time. Croatia usually places among the world’s 20 best wine producing countries, producing about 700 different wines. After their entrance into the EU, Croatian wines have seen a marked improvement in quality. >>>


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But only a small portion of Croa-tian wines are exported.

Back in 1996, a Croatian institute was created to keep an eye on wine and fruit growing, as well as wine production. Their current wine reg-ulations are completed adapted for the rest of Europe. They have both terroir and quality protections.

Croatian wines can usually be di-vided into three categories:’stolno vino’ (table wine), ’kvalitetno vino’ (quality wine) and ’vrhunsko vino’ (high quality wine).

Lots of grapes are grown near the Mediterranean coast, but in the eastern areas – Podunavlje and Slavonia – colder winters and hot summers also produce large amounts. Mainly white wines, but even quality reds. The grapes used are often Cabernet franc.

Just north of Osijek, the city most of us remember for the violent bat-tles between the Serbs and Croats in the1990s, is where we landed af-ter the first hunting day. We visited a beautiful, old wine cellar with his-tory from the 16th and 17th centu-ries, the time when the Turks oc-cupied the country, marched north towards Hungary and Austria, be-fore eventually being run off, gone from most parts of the Balkans.

Wine production developed im-mensely here in eastern Croatia in the late 1600s. Vina Belje, from 1697, is currently a huge, success-ful producer with superior, qual-ity wines. If you are prepared to pay a few, three hundred Swedish crowns. Worth tasting and worth opening to enjoy with a good boar steak. A great tip for a future trip to Central Europe. And we will almost certainly hear more about Croatian wines.


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DECEMBER 2018

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Fi n e Sp i r i t S – Co l l e C ta b l e in v e S t m e n t S

As you read these lines, there is a new Dal-more available at Systembolaget. Dalmo-re Port Wood Reserve. ”The Nose” Richard Paterson has created a new, exciting single malt whisky, and this one is something that we have all been waiting for.

SPIRITSC O L L E C T A B L E I N V E S T M E N T S

SPIRITSC O L L E C T A B L E I N V E S T M E N T S

GOOD NEWS FROM DALMORE

This unique whisky is only available in Sweden and a few other countries, something that makes it an extra special re-lease from Dalmore.

Dalmore Port Wood Reserve is initially aged in American white oak casks previously used for bourbon production and then transferred to specially-chosen Tawny Port pipes from Graham’s to get its final touch. Alcohol content 46.5 %.

In other words, a really good investment.

Or, using Master Distiller Richard Paterson’s own words, ”Ut-terly individualistic, this noble spirit displays a multitude of exotic flavours – a complete revelation!”

A tasting of Dalmore Port Wood Reserve resulted in the fol-lowing comments:

Plummy fruits, Seville oranges and sweet red berry aromas on the bouquet alongside hints of sticky toffee pudding. The palate then reveals nectarines, creamy caramel, toasted chestnuts and coffee from Java. A rich finish of ripe plums, sultanas, blood oranges and macerated cherries.

Once again, a complete symphony that is well worth the in-vestment.

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W e b A u c t i o n spec ialI N T E R N A T I O N A L

AUCTION ICONIC COLLECTION OF BURGUNDY AND BORDEAUX: THE IMPORTANT CELLAR OF A PHILANTHROPIST

HART DAVIS HART TO HOST LARGEST SPIRITS-ONLY AUCTION IN U.S. HISTORY

HART DAVIS HART WINE CO. - AN AUCTION OF FINEST & RAREST WINES FRIDAY, APRIL 12 & SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2019

SOTHEBY’S WINE - THE DALMORE AND MASSIMO BOTTURA PRESENT THE DALMORE L’ANIMA AGED 49 YEARS

SOTHEBY’S WINE - BRILLIANT BURGUNDY & MORE FROM THE MAGNIFICENT CELLAR OF MARCUS D. HILES

MADISON FINE WINE AUCTION - HIGHLIGHTS OF SPRING AUCTION

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We bAu c t i o n spec ial

HART DAVIS HART TO HOST LARGEST SPIRITS-ONLY AUCTION IN U.S. HISTORY FEATURING PORT ELLEN, HIBIKI 17 YEAR JAPANESE WHISKY, FIRST BOTTLING OF 30 YEAR LAPHROAIG AND MORE,

Hart Davis Hart Wine Co. is excited to announce its first ever Mobile-Only Auction of Finest & Rarest Spirits. This two-day sale will be the largest spirits-only auction in U.S. history. It will take place on March 14th & 15th and will feature an incredible array of unique and one-off bottles. The auction will feature over 1,650 lots estimated to realize $1.06-1.6 million. Bidders can utilize HDH’s industry-leading bidding platform, available via our mobile app or online at auction.hdhwine.com.

The March auction features fine and rare spirits dating back to 1893 and includes the chance to purchase 1 bottle of NV Laphroaig 30 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery Bottled (lot 714, est. $850-1,300) which is the first bottling of the 30 Year from the distillery or NV Hibiki 17 Year Old Blended Japanese Whisky Distillery Bottled (lots 250, 1590-1592, est. $300-450) which has been discontinued and is becoming difficult to find.

HDH is thrilled to offer such a unique sale. Don’t miss the opportunity to bid on the wonderful selection of spirits included in the March 14th & 15th Mobile-Only Auction of Finest & Rarest Spirits. Bidders should register via HDH’s mo-bile app or online at auction.hdhwine.com to place absen-tee and live bids.

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As always, Hart Davis Hart is committed to offering well-stored, carefully inspected bottles. Bidders should feel free to contact their bidding department at [email protected] or 312.445.0100 if they have any questions about the bid-ding process or specific lots.

Collection Information:All property purchased in sale 1903: Mobile-Only Auction of Finest & Rarest Spiritsmust be collected by the Buyer or the Buyer’s Agent at HDH’s warehouse and is subject to all Illinois state and local taxes (10.25%).

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AUCTIONAmerican Whiskey, BourbonLot 353 (est. $5,000-7,500):NV Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23yr Straight Bour-bon Whiskey (2017 Bottling), Bottled by Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery (Buffalo Trace) (3 bs)

Lot 894 (est. $2,800-4,200):1974 A.H. Hirsch Finest Reserve 20 Year Old Straight Bour-bon Whiskey, Bottled by Hirsch Distillers (1 b)

Lot 913 (est. $1,200-1,800):1996 Parker’s Heritage Collection #1, Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Cask Strength (63.7%), Heaven Hill Distilleries (1 b)

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AMERICAN WHISKEY, RYELot 780 (est. $400-600):NV WhistlePig 14yr Straight Rye Whiskey, Boss Hog IV, The Black Prince, Barrel #1, Bottled by WhistlePig (1 b)

Lot 1554 (est. $100-150):NV Willett 4 Year Old Straight Rye Whiskey, Rare Release, Cask #62A, Bottled by The Willett Distillery (1 b)

ARMAGNACLots 393, 405, 416 (est. $850-1,300):1946 Armagnac Ténarèze, Château du Busca (1 b)

Lot 531 (est. $750-1,100):1945 Armagnac, Château de Lassérade Darroze (1 b)

Lots 613-614 (est. $800-1,200):1900 Armagnac, Castarède (1 b)

COGNACLot 121 (est. $10,000-15,000):NV Remy Martin Louis XIII Grande Champagne Cognac, Rare Cask 43.8 (1 b)

Lot 829 (est. $8,000-12,000):NV Remy Martin Fine Champagne Cognac, Louis XIII Black Pearl (1 b)

Lot 921 (est. $3,500-5,500):NV Hardy Perfection, Flamme (Fire) (1 b)

JAPANESE WHISKYLots 250, 1589-1592 (est. $300-450):NV Hibiki 17 Year Old Blended Japanese Whisky, Distillery Bottled (1 700ml b)

Lot 918 (est. $3,500-5,500):1977 Karuizawa 32 Year Old Single Malt Japanese Noh Whisky, Cask #4592 (2010), Distillery Bottled (1 700ml b)

Lots 1603-1604 (est. $1,500-2,200):NV Yamazaki 18 Year Old Single Malt Japanese Whisky, Mizunara Cask (2017), Distillery Bottled (1 b)

RUM Lot 825 (est. $200-300):1970 J. Bally Vieux Rhum J. Bally - Plantations Lajus du Car-bet (1 700ml b)

Lot 1639 (est. $220-320):1990 Samaroli Demerara Rum, Single Cask #14 (2017), Bot-tled by Samaroli (1 700ml b)

Lot 1653 (est. $220-320):1990 Uitvlugt 26 Year Old Demerara Rum, Rum is Nature, Bottled by Silver Seal Whisky Company (1 700ml b)

SCOTCH Lot 120 (est. $40,000-60,000):NV Macallan 50 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Anni-versary Malt, Distillery Bottled (1 b)

Lot 420 (est. $420-650):1968 Bunnahabhain 39 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Cask #7020 (2007), Bottled by Duncan Taylor (1 b)

Lots 735-738 (est. $1,600-2,400):1979 Port Ellen 30 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, (9th Release), Distillery Bottled (1 b)

Lot 931 (est. $32,000-48,000):1946 Macallan 56 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Fine & Rare (2002), Distillery Bottled (1 700ml b)

Lot 1133 (est. $800-1,200):1975 Bunnahabhain 43 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 30th Anniversary (2018), Bottled by Signatory (1 b)

Lots 1249-1252 (est. $750-1,100):NV Lagavulin 25 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 200th Anniversary (2016) Distillery Bottled (1 700ml b)

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AN AUCTION OF FINEST & RAREST WINESFRIDAY, APRIL 12 & SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2019

CHICAGO

Hart Davis Hart is excited to announce its April Auction of Finest & Rarest Wines, taking place April 12 & 13 in Chicago. The centerpiece of the auction will be an amazing cellar that was amassed over a period of decades by a longtime collec-tor and friend. This stellar cache is one of the most exquisite cellars ever offered by HDH. Iconic Burgundy is the core of the group, with stunning selections from DRC, Dujac, Jay-er, and Rousseau. The wines have exceptional provenance,

with many strapped original wood cases, and were stored under ideal conditions. Details and highlights will be an-nounced on Thursday, April 25, 2019 via HDH’s website and newsletter.

For any questions regarding upcoming Hart Davis Hart auc-tions, please contact [email protected].

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AUCTION ICONIC COLLECTION OF BURGUNDY AND BORDEAUX: THE IMPORTANT CELLAR OF A PHILANTHROPISTALSO OFFERED IS AN ASTOUNDING SELECTION OF BORDEAUX, CALIFORNIA,

AND RHÔNE CHICAGO

Hart Davis Hart Wine Co. will hold an exceptional Auction of Finest & Rarest Wines on April 12 and April 13 featuring The Important Cellar of a Philanthropist. The sale will be held at Spiaggia in Chicago and will begin at 9:30am both Friday and Saturday. It is valued at an estimated $6.03-9.02 million and features 1629 lots of incredible diversity and prove-nance. Bidders can participate by joining HDH in the auction room, or by utilizing their mobile appor auction website.

HDH’s April auction is studded with an incredible group of consignments. The auction house is honored to represent an outstanding group of mature wines from a cellar that maintains exceptional conditions (lots 330-460). The collec-tor of this group is a long-time friend of HDH and pillar of the wine community. The collection offers mature Bordeaux and Burgundy from top vintages and producers. Highlights from the group include 1 bottle of 1947 La Tâche, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (lot 373, est. $6,000-9,000); 3 bottles of 1999 Romanée-Conti, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (lot 391, est. $45,000-65,000); a full case of 1982 Château Pétrus (lot 348, est. $35,000-55,000); and a jeroboam (3L) of 1947 Pommery, Brut (lot 456, est. $6,000-9,000).

Additionally, the company will auction a selection of mature Port and Madeira. Highlights include 3 bottles of 1836 Bastardo Madeira, Lomelino (lot 270, est. $4,800-7,500); two single-bot-tle lots of 1850 Verdelho Madeira, Companhia Vinicola da Ma-

deira (lots 277-278, est. $1,400-2,000); and 1 bottle of 1912 Fonseca Vintage Port (lot 254, est. $1,600-2,400). California lov-ers should make note of 6 bottles of 1974 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon, Martha’s Vineyard (lot 110, est. $7,500-11,000); 3 bottles of 1994 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon (lot 537, est. $6,000-9,000); and 3 bottles of 1997 Screaming Eagle Cab-ernet Sauvignon (lot 540, est. $9,500-14,000).

The centerpiece of HDH’s April auction is The Important Cel-lar of a Philanthropist (lots 953-1626) which will be offered on Saturday. This collection represents a special opportunity for collectors and is one of the most exquisite collections of-fered by HDH. The cellar was amassed over a period of more than four decades by the consignor and the wines have ideal provenance and were all stored and sourced carefully. Iconic Burgundy is at the core of the group with a stagger-ing selection of DRC along with an abundance of other es-teemed producers such as Dujac, Jayer, Rousseau and more. Highlights include 12 bottles of 1993 Chambertin, Clos de Bèze, Armand Rousseau (lot 1462, est. $40,000-60,000); three 6-bottle lots of 1996 Romanée-Conti, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (lots 1053-1055, est. $75,000-110,000); a full case of 1996 Vosne-Romanée, Cros Parantoux, Réserve Henri Jayer, Henri Jayer (lot 1329, est. $60,000-90,000); and 10 bottles of 2005 Musigny, Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier (lot 1398, est. $20,000-30,000).

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In addition to the astounding selection of Burgundy offered in The Important Cellar of a Philanthropist, a wonderful se-lection of Bordeaux is available for bidders. Highlights in-clude 9 bottles of 1978 Château Pétrus (lot 959, est. $8,000-12,000); 1 bottle of 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild (lot 961, est. $2,000-3,000); and a thirty-vintage selection of Château d’Yquem in multiple formats (jump to lot 977). HDH is ex-tremely excited to share this collection with bidders; don’t miss the opportunity to bid!

As always, Hart Davis Hart is committed to offering well-stored, carefully inspected wines. Don’t miss the opportu-nity to join the auction house for this spectacular two-day sale. HDH happily invites connoisseurs, collectors, and in-vestors to join them in the auction room to bid on these phenomenal wines. If you are unable to attend the sale in person, they encourage you to submit absentee bids or par-ticipate in real time by using the HDH mobile app or auction website, auction.hdhwine.com.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AUCTIONLot 110: 1974 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon, Martha’s Vineyard (6 bs) (est. $7,500-11,000)

Lot 183: 2008 Meursault, Les Perrières, Coche-Dury (6 bs) (est. $11,000-17,000)

Lot 254: 1912 Fonseca Vintage Port (1 b) (est. $1,600-2,400)

Lot 270: 1836 Bastardo Madeira, Lomelino (3 bs) (est. $4,800-7,500)

Lots 277-278: 1850 Verdelho Madeira, Companhia Vinicola da Madeira (1 b) (est. $1,400-2,000)

Lot 348: 1982 Château Pétrus (12 bs) (est. $35,000-55,000)

Lot 373: 1947 La Tâche, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (1 b) (est. $6,000-9,000)

Lot 391: 1999 Romanée-Conti, Domaine de la Ro-manée-Conti (3 bs) (est. $45,000-65,000)

Lot 456: 1947 Pommery, Brut (1 jeroboam (3L)) (est. $6,000-9,000)

Lot 472: 1998 Ermitage, Cuvée Cathelin, J. L. Chave (6 bs) (est. $17,000-26,000)

Lot 537: 1994 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon (3 bs) (est. $6,000-9,000)

Lot 540: 1997 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon (3 bs) (est. $9,500-14,000)

Lot 959: 1978 Château Pétrus (9 bs) (est. $8,000-1,2000)

Lot 961: 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild (1 b) (est. $2,000-3,000)

Lot 979: 1942 Château d’Yquem (1 b) (est. $1,400-2,000)

Lot 993: 1983 Château d’Yquem (1 jeroboam (5L)) (est. $1,400-2,000)

Lot 1002: 1990 Château d’Yquem (1 imp (6L)) (est. $1,800-2,800)

Lot 1035: 1985 Romanée-Conti, Domaine de la Ro-manée-Conti (2 bs) (est. $22,000-32,000)

Lots 1053-1055: 1996 Romanée-Conti, Domaine de la Ro-manée-Conti (6 bs) (est. $75,000-110,000)

Lot 1148: 1999 Echézeaux, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (12 bs) (est. $16,000-24,000)

Lot 1241: 1993 Musigny, Joseph Drouhin (6 bs) (est. $3,500-5,500)

Lot 1260: 2005 Bonnes-Mares, Domaine Dujac (6 bs) (est. $6,000-9,000)

Lot 1329: 1996 Vosne-Romanée, Cros Parantoux, Réserve Henri Jayer, Henri Jayer (12 bs) (est. $60,000-90,000)

Lot 1366: 2001 Chambertin, Domaine Leroy (1 b) (est. $3,200-4,800)

Lot 1384: 1990 Vosne-Romanée, Cros Parantoux, Méo-Camuzet (2 bs) (est. $3,500-5,500)

Lot 1398: 2005 Musigny, Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier (10 bs) (est. $20,000-30,000)

Lot 1435: 1996 Vosne-Romanée, Cros Parantoux, Emmanuel Rouget (12 bs) (est. $14,000-20,000)

Lot 1462: 1993 Chambertin, Clos de Bèze, Armand Rous-seau (12 bs) (est. $40,000-60,000)

Lot 1474: 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin, Clos St-Jacques, Ar-mand Rousseau (6 mags) (est. $12,000-18,000)

Lot 1571: 1992 Montrachet, Domaine Leflaive (1 b) (est. $4,500-6,500)

Lot 1596: 1968 Unico Bodegas, Vega Sicilia (12 bs) (est. $10,000-15,000)

Lot 1608: 1948 Taylor Vintage Port (10 bs) (est. $10,000-15,000)

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THE DALMORE AND MASSIMO BOTTURA PRESENTTHE DALMORE L’ANIMA AGED 49 YEARSA UNIQUE 49 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKYCREATED BY THE CELEBRATED DISTILLERY AND WORLD RENOWNED CHEF

MARKING BOT TURA’S FIRST FORAY INTO SPIRITS

BESPOKE BOTTLE TO BE OFFERED BY SOTHEBY’S FROM 25 APRIL-9 MAY 2019

FULL PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT “FOOD FOR SOUL”,

BOTTURA’S NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

The Dalmore, one of the world’s most revered scotch whisky makers, has collaborated with the World’s Best Chef, Massi-mo Bottura on his first foray into spirits with the creation of an exclusive, one of a kind scotch whisky bottling, The Dal-more L’Anima Aged 49 Years.

Created in partnership with The Dalmore’s Master Distiller Richard Paterson, this expertly crafted single malt whisky is a celebration of the shared respect for tradition and inno-vation that unites the pair. The rare and aged bottling will be auctioned at Sotheby’s in an online sale in Spring 2019, running from 25 April to 9 May, with all proceeds benefit-ing Bottura’s non-profit organization, Food For Soul, which empowers communities to fight food waste through social inclusion.

The Dalmore L’Anima, Aged 49 Years (‘L’Anima meaning “soul” in Italian), is a unique single malt, created from three unique assemblages which were brought together by Mas-ter Distiller, Richard Paterson using some of the distillery’s most exquisite casks. A marriage of rare Dalmore expres-sions which were previously matured in freshly emptied small batch bourbon barrels, Gonzalez Byass casks which previously held 40 year old ’Pedro Ximenez’ sherry and Gra-ham’s Vintage Port Pipes.

A UNIQUE 49 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKYCREATED BY THE CELEBRATED DISTILLERY AND WORLD RENOWNED CHEF MARKING BOT TURA’S FIRST FORAY INTO SPIRITS

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An exclusive one of a kind bottling and manifestation of each maverick’s unique skill set, The Dalmore L’Anima was inspired by Bottura and Paterson’s conversations and shared creativity. Paterson selected whiskies embodying the choc-olate orange profile which The Dalmore is known for, while layering with flavors reminiscent of Bottura’s kitchen and beloved Italian produce. “When Master Distiller Richard Paterson and I met in Mode-na, it was a true meeting of the minds,” Bottura explains. “Our creative processes seamlessly fused together with our passion and deep understanding of flavor complexity and connection to create a very special bottle that brings to-gether some of the most precious scotch whisky barrels in the world.” “Bottura’s approach to deconstructing and reinventing daring food pairings is very similar to the way I approach whisky making,” adds Master Distiller Richard Paterson. “The coming together of our passions allowed me to create a whisky that is bold, different, full of warmth and completely unforgettable – it is a true reflection of the love, blood and balsamic that unites us.” On the nose, the single malt has exotic aromas of sun-kissed raisins, bitter chocolate and old English marmalade; to taste, hints of freshly brewed Java coffee, Demerara sugar, pecan

pie and crème brûlée, while Sanguinello blood oranges lin-ger on the after taste alongside rich treacle and succulent figs. This natural strength whisky (41.5% ABV) will be ele-gantly held in a crystal decanter featuring a sterling silver collar accompanied by a stopper, a silver stag, and sophisti-cated engraving. It will be presented in a luxurious bespoke, handcrafted cabinet made from Italian Olive Wood, Ameri-can Black Walnut and solid Ebony by expert Scottish crafts-man John Galvin. The Dalmore L’Anima is accompanied by a dinner for two at Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana, Modena. This once–in–a-lifetime lot will be offered by Sotheby’s with no reserve. Jamie Ritchie, Worldwide Head of Sotheby’s Wine, com-mented: “We are excited to partner with The Dalmore and Massimo Bottura to offer this unique bottle, that only one person in the world will possess, treasure and enjoy. With the No Reserve format, we anticipate lively bidding from the moment the auction opens on April 25 and look forward to helping raise important funds for Food For Soul, with the announcement of the final price on May 9.” Display bottles will be available for viewing at Sotheby’s in New York and Hong Kong from April 25, to coincide with the original lot being unveiled at Sotheby’s in London.

MASSIMO BOT TURA AND RICHARD PATERSON

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SOTHEBY’S OPENS NEW YORK 2019 WINE AUCTIONS WITH

BRILLIANT BURGUNDY & MORE FROMTHE MAGNIFICENT CELLAR OFMARCUS D. HILES TWO-PART AUCTION SERIES COMPRISING 871 LOTS, ESTIMATED IN EXCESS OF $6 MILLION

Sotheby’s is pleased to open our 2019 wine auctions in New York with a two-part auction series, both live and online, dedicated to exceptional wines and spirits from the mag-nificent cellar of Marcus D. Hiles – the Texas-based property developer and philanthropist. Amassed over the course of several decades, Mr. Hiles’ significant, meticulously stored collection reflects his impeccable tastes, charting the high points of Burgundy, Champagne, Bordeaux, Italy and Cal-ifornia, with an equally impressive selection of spirits and madeiras.

Sotheby’s had the privilege of selling wines from the distin-guished businessman’s cellar in 2010. The sale in Hong Kong marked the largest DRC collection ever offered by Sotheby’s in Asia at that time, and bested its US$4.7 million high esti-mate to achieve US$6.4 million.

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Jamie Ritchie, Worldwide Head of Sotheby’s Wine, com-mented: “Following a record-breaking 2018, we are delight-ed to open our 2019 auctions in New York with an incredible selection of Burgundy and more from the very impressive cellar of Marcus D. Hiles. This is the largest scale cellar we have ever visited, and we are privileged that Marcus has again entrusted us to offer this superb selection to our in-ternational audience. We are also delighted to be offering them in two special single-owner formats, presenting the wines in a live auction on March 9th and the Macallan in Lalique, Pappy Van Winkle and Madeira in an online sale, which closes on March 12th.”

MARCUS D. HILES Marcus Hiles is successful property developer and entrepre-neur, who serves as the Founder and CEO of Western Rim Properties, based in Dallas Fort Worth. Over the course of his career, Mr. Hiles has built an impressive empire that in-cludes a portfolio of over 15,000 luxury apartment rentals and residential homes. His progressive and innovative ap-proach to the real estate business focuses on top metro ar-

eas that have been underserved, as well as the importance of the quality of life within these communities. A testament to his staunch dedication to improving these environments, Mr. Hiles ensures that his developments lead the industry in energy efficiency and conversation. Western Rim Proper-ties has continued to expand with its communities serving the growing need for affordable rental properties that also provide some of the area’s highest quality accommodations.

As a prominent Texas business leader, Mr. Hiles also plays a philanthropic role, advocating for educational equality for all students, independent of their socio-economic back-ground.

Mr. Hiles’ cellar is among the largest ever seen by the So-theby’s Wine team. Its overwhelming scale and quality is matched by exceptional design and technology, maintain-ing optimal storage conditions: champagnes are kept at a constant 45 degrees and wines at 55 degrees, both with 70% humidity. And, in the event of a power outage, a nat-ural gas back-up generator has the capacity to keep several warehouses running.

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WHAT TO EXPECT THIS MARCH:

HIGHLIGHTS OF MFWA’s SPRING AUTIONVALUED AT BETWEEN HK$3,000,000 AND $4,000,000, MFWA’S 207-LOT ONLINE SPRING

Valued at between HK$3,000,000 and $4,000,000, MFWA’s 207-lot online Spring Auction is jam-packed - from showstop-pers to upcoming cult classics.

Burgundy makes up the greatest value at a high estimate of HK2,200,000 spread across 116 lots. Included is the feature lot of the sale - a 1984 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Assort-ment (HK$ 260,000 – HK$320,000). A notably difficult vintage, DRC was one of a handful singled out by Allen Meadows of Burghound to transcend the vintage, showcasing exception-al quality despite the challenges posed. A further 7 lots of

DRC spanning vintages 1998 through 2012 provide bidders a range of options from the Grand Monsieur.

From Georges Roumier, considered to be one of the most gift-ed winemakers Burgundy has ever known, we have 2 bottles of Bonnes Mares 2005. 17 lots from cult producer, Coche-Dury offer a chance to flesh out your collection of younger whites. Robert Parker hailed Jean-Francois Coche-Dury as be one of the greatest winemakers on planet earth and in this auction, we feature wines by his son, Raphael, who has worked closely with his father since 2003.

Other lots not to be missed include 2 bottles of Lalou Bize-Leroy’s Domaine d’Auvenay Mazis-Chambertin 2001 (HK$16,000 – HK$26,000), Domaine Leroy Romanée-Saint-Vi-vant 1991 (1 bottle at HK$32,000 – HK$55,000) and 6 bottles of Domaine Armand Rousseau Pere et Fils’ Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St Jacques from the lauded 1999 vintage (2 lots of 3 bot-tles at HK$23,500 – HK$31,500 each).

Looking beyond Burgundy, 32 lots of Bordeaux First Growths, including an imperial of Lafite Rothschild 1993, appear along-side Ornellaia, Vega Sicilia, Harlan Estate, a small assortment of Scotch whisky and a single lot of 1905 Solero Amontillado from Perez Barquero.

UPCOMING AUCTIONS:19 – 31 MARCH 2019 – SPRING ONLINE AUCTION

Register online now at https://bid.mfwauction.com/ or download the app: iOS / Google Play: MFWAuction

JUNE 2019 – SUMMER LIVE AUCTION

Consign now by email to [email protected] or call +852 3188 6613 for a complimentary, obligation-free estimation of your wine collection.

march interna tional 2019 - fine wine · 2019-03-25 · 1 inspirational wine knowledge and the...

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