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Thank you,

Jean-Guy Bernard P. Girard,
National Commander of Japan
Per Vitem, Ad Vitam!

News for January 2005 - Happy New Year!

JANUARY 2005

Monday January 3rd  - Jean-Guy Bernard P. Girard - In the News in France

We begin the new year with an overview of wine politics in France.  2004 was marked with discussions and negogiations for vast changes to the AOC system in France.  Controversy and political rambling all mixed in this hotbed of the wine politics.  Here is an overview:

-May 2004:  AOC President René Renou proposes massive changes to the system.  Basically the reasons are 1) Increased competition from the U.S. and Australia and 2) EU quality regulations forced Spain and Italy to increase quality - thus, flooding the quality wine market.  The proposed Changes:

  New Superior Category:  AOCE (appellation d'origine controlee d'excellence)

  Using the Varietal on the label like in the New World to make them more buyer friendly.

-July 2004: Growers and Producers of Burgandy (Bourgogne) reject the new AOC system. 

-January 5th:  AOC President René Renou determined to push the AOC reforms through.  Negogiations will continue with wine regions until March 2005.  After that date it is expected that the new AOC system will be finalized.   Mr. Renou spoke out against the Grand Cru producers of Burgandy as well as the Premier Grand Cru Classe Chateaux of Bordeaux "They think they have a devine right to do as they please."  The strongest opposition comes from the great Grand Cru producers.  Mr. Renou also hinted that he may resign in protest if the Grand Cru producers refuse to change their position.
Source: Various including Decanter.

Saturday December 21st, 2004 (Decanter Magazine)

BIGGEST EVER CANADIAN ICEWINE HARVEST BEGINS at HENRY OF PELHAM ESTATE WINERY, NIAGARA, ONTARIO, CANADA!

 (Tony Aspler, Decanter Magazine)

The Canadian Icewine harvest has begun  with temperatures plummeting to minus 35C.

Yesterday at 1pm when pickers went into the vineyards to begin the harvest at Henry of Pelham Estate Winery in Ontario's Niagara Peninsula, the mercury had dropped below minus 8C, the mark which must be reached before harvest can begin. With wind chill, temperatures reach depths of minus 35C and beyond.

Eight degrees Centigrade is the temperature at which grapes left to hang on the vine will freeze as hard as marbles. Donald Ziraldo, co-founder of Niagara's Inniskillin, reported that the temperature in his vineyard adjacent to Niagara Falls was minus 12C at noon and by 6pm it had dropped to minus 14C.

Growers are very upbeat about the quality and size of the harvest. Laurie MacDonald, executive director of Ontario's Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) said, 'By our records this is the largest Icewine harvest in history.'

Paul Speck, president of Henry of Pelham, says it's the biggest Icewine crop of Vidal and Riesling his winery has ever produced.

'After a small harvest in 2003 we're trying to recoup the losses from last year so we left more grapes on the vine. The quality looks fantastic and it is rare to be able to do the harvest during the day,' he said. 'Usually we don't hit these temperatures in Niagara until the evening.'

Harvesting in daylight in polar conditions makes it much easier than under floodlights although the biting wind off Lake Ontario made life uncomfortable for the harvesters.

Canada has the most stringent regulations governing the sugar levels for Icewine. To bear the name of the label the grapes have to have a minimum Brix level of 35 degrees but usually the juice comes in at levels of 42 degrees.

Note:
At the December Wine Tasting in Kitami 2 bottles of Henry of Pelham Estate Winery where auctioned.  The winners were Mr. Kuriyama and Dr. Kawasaki.

Friday Dec 13th, 2004  (Association Canadiennes des Sommeliers Professionels)

Une treille miraculeusement préservée à la Couarde-en-Ré, un village de l'Ile de Ré, a permis de produire quelques bouteilles d'un vin oublié depuis plusieurs siècles. Le cépage a été identifié en 2003 par des experts : il s'agit du «chauché gris» ou «trousseau gris», une variété déjà connue dans le Jura et en Californie (où elle est appelée Gray Riesling), mais qui avait disparu de la région charentaise depuis le XVIIIe siècle. Les premières dégustations ont été jugées positives, mais une exploitation commerciale n'est pas envisagée avant une dizaine d'années, selon le quotidien Sud-Ouest.
Le vignoble de l'Ile de Ré s'étendait au XVIIIe siècle sur 6.000 hectares, contre 650 aujourd'hui.

Translation by Jean-Guy Bernard P. Girard:
It was possible to produce a few bottles of wine from a few preserved vines of a once forgotten wine in the village of l'Ile de Ré.  This wine had not been produced for several centuries.  In 2003 Experts identified the wine as Chauché Gris or Trousseau Gris a varietal already known in the Jura and California where it is called Gray Riesling.  It disappeared from the region of Charentaise around the early 1700s.  The tasting of the first production were judged positive.  Commercial production is not expected for another 10 to 30 years.  In the 18th century l'Ile de Ré covered an area of 6,000 hectares versus 650 today. 

Monday Dec 6, 2004  (Jean-Guy Bernard P. Girard, Sommelier / Wine Educator)
2002 - BREAKOUT YEAR FOR CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIT!!!
"It is the year we have been waiting for" say Californian Pinot Noir makers.

For years  American Pinot Noir was synonymous with Oregon Pinot Noir.  Not so anymore.  Move over Oregon- Here comes California.  Most wine makers agree that 2002 marks the year in which Californian Pinot Noir achieved widespread success throughout various AVA.  I agree, in early November I had the opportunity to taste various pinot noir from Lodi to Rutherford - the quality is there.  Many wine professionals questioned whether Pinot Noir could ever achieve the success that Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon enjoyed.  2002 proves that, yes! it is possible.  Wine Spectator awarded a record breaking number of Pinot Noir wines scoring higher than 90 points on their 100 point scale.  According to most professionals, here are the four best AVAs for Pinot Noir so far:
   1)  Monterey 
   2)  Santa Barbara
   3)  Sonoma

Monday Nov 23rd, 2004
Barolo 2000 - A perfect vintage with record number of wines scoring 100pts.
"I have never seen a vintage like 2000," raves Bruno Giacosa, the elder statesman of the region who has personally worked more than 60 harvests in his life and is a living legend in his wine region. His tiny-production Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto was one of my 100-pointers; it shows an incredible richness and structure, yet is polished and refined. It reminds me of tasting the great 1990 Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes from Comte Georges de Vogüé, which also received a perfect score from Wine Spectator. "The wines are extraordinary," Giacosa says. "They have richness and power yet they have wonderful balance and beauty. I have never [before] made a wine like this."

Monday Nov 22nd, 2004 - (Wine Spectator)
The 2002 California Chardonnays are Sensational! 
"The 2002 growing year had destiny written all over it for beautiful Chardonnays," says Margo van Staaveren, winemaker at Chateau St. Jean in Sonoma, one of the state's leading producers. "After 26 harvests of walking both the Belle Terre and Robert Young vineyards, I can honestly say vintages like 2002 remind me why I started this career."   What made 2002 so successful, she says, came down to the basics: ideal weather, precise vineyard work and crop management to limit yields. Chardonnay is one of the first grape varieties picked each year, so if it gets off to a good start in the spring and summer sails by without too many heat spikes, harvest is usually a breeze. Winemakers say that, with a few minor exceptions, that formula accounts for the high quality of the 2002s.

Saturday Nov 21st, 2004 - 
Premier Assemblage of the The Japan Chapter of the Knights
The newly formed Japan chapter of the Knights of the Vine held its premier assemblage today in Kitami, Hokkaido, Japan.  At the ceremony the Provost General of Japan knighted the first Japan officers: Dr. Hisatsuna Shirakawa, Mr. Taro Kuriyama, Mrs. Mio Shirakawa, and Mrs. Etsuko Girard.  The following individual where also knighted and appointed as council for the chapter: Dr. Takashi Miyake and Mr. Yoshitaka Itoh.

OCTOBER 2004
Saturday October 30th, 2004 - 
Knights of the Vine hosts Knighting Ceremony at Mondavi's Woodbridge Winery, California
The New Chartered Lodi Chapter of the Universal Order of the Knights of the Wine celebrated its first official function today inside the wine cellar at the Woodbridge winery.  In attendance where numberous wine vips and celebraties including the Grand Commander of the Knights of the Vine, Mr. Michael Doukas.  The ceremony was also marked unique as it also hosted the official swearing in of the newly formed Japan Chapter headed by Mr. Jean-Guy Bernard P. Girard.