And the question was “solved” by the EU: it had recently rejected a proposal to create an organic wine category. Sad? Maybe not. Those last few weeks, I traveled a lot and I  met many wine makers in France who are already working their vineyards and making their wines organically without advertising it or seeking some kind of certification. What’s the point, would some ask? According tothe producers, there are several points:

- working organically is an ethical decision: it is the promise of a better product with less chemicals for their customers. More and more people are suffering from allergies and knowing that the wine they buy have less sulfites and the grapes were treated with mineral products instead of chemicals is reassuring.

- working organically is also good for the environment: agriculture (and viticulture as well) were very often accused of polluting the water or destroying the natural environment of a place. It is a way to protect our planet from further destruction.

- working organically is a personal choice, based on convictions and values.

Why not share those values with the consumers? The various wine producers I talked to said they mention their choice to their customers and to visitors. They also explain to them why they made that choice and how they hope to increase the quality of their wines but also leave a better soil to  the next generations who will work their vineyard.

Does the Europe of wine really need an other intrusion of the EU?  Mmmm…  Consumers should trust the wine producers: they know their work, they love to make great wines and they care about their property.  Let’s raise our glass of organic wine to a better world!

I must confess I have a soft spot for strong but fine wines. That’s why I enjoy wines from Cahors, Languedoc, or Spain, for example. Cahors and Languedoc are still fighting some prejudices as for their qualities. After a few years of campaigning Languedoc is now better off but Cahors is still carrying a wrong image. I even read lately on blogs or in the press some untrue comments onhow they are”tannic” or “rustic” or “difficult to drink”. Since I just came back from Cahors and had the privilege to taste some of their wines, I’d like to answer some of those articles.

Malbec from Cahors is the original Malbec – the Malbec that went to Argentina at the end of the 19th century and thrived in this new land. It gave birth to a new kind of Malbec due to the climate. While Argentinians were working with this new grape variety, Cahors was being true to almost 800 years of history of wine making: their strong and powerful wine was a huge success in Europe until the 1956 frost almost wiped out the vineyard. The producers replanted with even better quality vines and since then have been producing nice and powerful wines. Of course, there were low end wines like in every appellation but most producers tried to create high quality wines.

The result of this policy is now obvious when you drink Cahors wines: they lost a lot of the “tannic” edge that was difficult for the average wine drinker. They are now more velvety, smooth while still powerful – the real expression of their sunny and dry terroir. This new generation of Cahors wines express deeply the land they come from: they’re food-friendly and enjoyable. Cahors people enjoy life, good food, friends, sports. They carry in their wines their life values. You can enjoy their rounder wines as a pre-dinner drink with some roasted vegetables or a cheese plate. Their wines also have a very good ageing potential, allowing the wine drinker to savour older wines. I tasted a Château Lamartine 1978 full of life and smooth as a baby skin!

Of course, when you travel to Cahors, you will experience their wines with black truffles (even in an oyster or in cheese), duck or lamb. But I also had some of their wines with fish cooked in Mediterranean vegetables and with soup. Don’t be shy! next time you see a Cahors wine on the shelf of your favorite wine store, grab it: you’re in for a nice surprise!

Photo Pont Valentré in Cahors by PhillipC

To a lot of wine drinkers around the world, there is the Old World of wine – mainly Europe – and the New World of wines – mainly the US, Australia or South America. Andy Beckstaffer, one of the most prominent grape growers in Napa Valley, initiated a research to map the old vineyards of Napa Valley, in the hope of proving wrong the idea of California as part of the new world of wine. Theproject spearheaded when he saw some maps dated 1890.

When the Europe of wine is moving away from its roots and trying to match the New World wine industry in creating brands and refering to grape varietals instead of terroirs, the new world of wine is tracing back its roots. More and more Californian wines are refering to local places or specific plots of land. Very soon some Californian producers will even be able to date their vineyards and write the complete history of their land. Which is the proof that both strategies are valid: it is possible to link a place to a varietal as well as find your roots in history and geography.

When attending in Geneva the conference about women as wine consumers in Europe, I was surprised by a finding common to all women in every country: the first criteria to buy a wine was the varietal, even before the price or the origin. This is a very “un-European” attitude as the European wine traditions are based on origins more than on varietals.

I do remember a funny incident happening in a Paris wine store owned by a typical middle-aged man. I walked in and asked him a bottle of viognier. The man looked at me puzzled for a few seconds and answered: “You mean, a bottle of Condrieu?” My turn to be puzzled: “Viognier is grown in other parts of the world besides Condrieu. I drank a very good viognier in California.” I’ll spare you the long discussion on the merits of viognier from other origins besides Condrieu!

What could be the explanation? Without being really “new” consumers, women are newer in wine buying than men. They might have a different wine culture acquired through word of mouth and tasting: women are known for their practical mind and fine tasting buds! But certainly closer to reality is the fact that varietals are easier to understand and master than origins. After all Cabernet is available in many places worldwide but will be so different from one place to an other. That’s what makes international drinking so fascinating: I love to buy 3 or 4 bottles of wine from different origins but of the same grape to taste and compare the differences. It’s like drinking the culture of an other country and traveling in your living room!

Does it mean varietal wines are a new international trend? It could be. I saw a few days ago in a French supermarket a “collection” of varietal wines in half bottles – as if the wine maker wasn’t quite sure of his wine “saleability”. Price was reasonable and quality acceptable. Did he understand the future of the wine industry or is he surfing on a new trend? Europeans are always slow to catch up in the new trends: for 20 years, the “New World” sold varietal wines but is now working on analyzing the “terroir” of their wines. In California, Gallo created his line of Sonoma wines at a much higher price than his mass market brands, explaining to consumers that the Sonoma wines are crafted in the respect of their origins. Europeans are now jumping in the “varietal wagon” that is so loose in the New World and rejecting what was their signature for centuries, the origin of the wine. Who is right? Who is wrong? Future will tell us!