Not For Sale

Red Burgundies from the top estates are among the most sought-after wines in the world.  Investors will pay stratospheric prices (£1000 and more per bottle is not unknown at wine auctions) for those few special names.  Their aim is, in general, not to drink them but to sell them on to others – sometimes without even seeing the bottle, which will be kept carefully in regulated, secure and temperature-controlled storage. This isn’t for me; I buy wine to drink and enjoy with friends – not for sale.  But the action of these investors does affect me and other consumers like me.  It increases demand for the next-best bottles, driving up their prices and this in turn has a knock-on effect right down to the entry-level wines.  As a result, almost no red Burgundy worth drinking is particularly cheap. 

So, when I saw a bottle from the excellent Cave de Lugny co-operative at £14.99 in Majestic (as part of their ‘mix 6’ deal), it seemed a good buy.  Cave de Lugny is one of the largest and most successful cooperatives in France with over 400 grower members and you’ll find their wines – both red and white – in many supermarkets (often under the supermarket’s own label) as well as in Majestic.  They also export to the USA.

But what about the wine itself?  Not particularly deep-coloured (typical for Pinot Noir) and with quite a restrained nose, it was attractively fresh on the palate with a nice mix of red fruits and a hint of earthy spice.  Rather lighter-bodied than I had expected from vineyards in the warmest, southern-most part of Burgundy and, despite a touch of tannin, it is very much a wine for now, rather than for keeping.  Pair with coq au vin, rather than anything more substantial.

On reflection, if I was looking for a Pinot Noir for around £15, rather than buy a red Burgundy, I’d have done far better choosing something from Chile or New Zealand, perhaps, where the malign influence of those who buy wine simply to sell on has, happily, yet to reach.

Eggs and Wine

It’s often said that the flavour of eggs doesn’t match well with wine – and I agree – but eggs can be involved in the winemaking process; in two ways, as it happens.  The back label of Undurraga’s ‘Terroir Hunter’ Pinot Noir (Wine Society, £15.50) tells me that the wine was “aged for 14 months in egg-shaped concrete tanks”.  I am used to seeing lines of square concrete tanks in wineries (perhaps fewer these days), but what’s so special about the egg-shape?

When wine is fermenting, it creates heat, which in turn creates convection currents that encourage the fermenting wine to move around. The egg shape gives a smooth, continuous surface, allowing the wine to move more freely than it would in a barrel or in a cylindrical- or square-shaped tank. In the view of advocates of this type of vessel, this constant movement allows more complex flavours to develop and produces a more homogeneous product.

So, how did this show itself in our Pinot Noir?  It was beautifully intense and fresh with lots of savoury red fruit flavours and a long clean finish.  We’ve enjoyed these Terroir Hunter wines from Chile before (except that I wish they wouldn’t put them in such mega-heavy bottles – this one was 880gm, almost 2lbs); the Wine Society import a range of them and I’ve almost always found them to be distinctive (in a good way!) and value for money.

But as I said at the start, there are 2 ways in which eggs can have a part to play in the winemaking process.  The second – which involves real eggs, although the whites only – is in the clarification stage.  After fermentation, lots of bits are left in the wine and, by adding egg whites, it helps them amalgamate so that they can be more easily removed.  Vegetarians need not worry – there are no eggy remains in the finished wine and not all producers use this method anyway.  But it does explain why so many wine regions have specialities of delicious egg-yolk based cakes and biscuits!

Drink Smarter

A recent survey showed that, last year, British consumers drank some 2% less wine than in 2021.  That figure doesn’t surprise me; just look at the way prices – particularly of essential items – rocketed in 2022 without incomes going up to compensate.  And however much we enjoy our wine, it is, after all, a luxury and so, if you need to cut back, inevitably, wine is high on the list.  And I’m afraid I can’t bring any good news.  Many of the elements that go to make up the cost of a bottle of wine are still rising and I’m not clear how much the changes in the way wine is taxed in the UK, due to come in on 1 August, will affect prices.  Something tells me they won’t go down!

So, although for some, saving money by drinking less will be the only option, many should be thinking about drinking smarter.  Discount offers are always around or look for wines from lesser-known regions or grape varieties, which are often attractively priced – check my blogs for suggestions!  Or you could talk to your local wine merchant – they will know the good buys and will be happy to advise, hoping that you will come back in better times.  And don’t forget the supermarkets.  Their mass-purchasing powers can often turn up something that is remarkable value for money.

Like the bottle of Grove Mill Pinot Noir from Marlborough in New Zealand that I picked up in our local Co-op recently (£10.50).  It had everything you could want from a good Pinot Noir: a typical savoury nose, flavours of damsons and spice on the palate and a long fresh, clean finish.  Not exactly bargain basement but you could easily pay twice as much for something similar. 

In challenging economic times, it’s all about looking around and drinking smarter.