Blog – Page 23 – Wine Garage – Wine Importers Based in Thailand

Interview Michael Brajkovich, Kumeu River Wines

Name: Michael Brajkovich

Winery: Kumeu River Wines

Town/Country: Kumeu, New Zealand

Which spot in your vineyard is the most special and why?

At the top of the Hunting Hill vineyard there is a very good view of Mate’s Vineyard, and out to the West, the Waitakere Ranges. It’s beautiful and it’s a reminder of what we are and where we are.

Kumeu's top cru — Mate’s Vineyard, Kumeu’s top cru

If you link the dots in your life, which experience was the most crucial relating to how you make your wine today?

In the first instance, travelling to South Australia in 1979 to study Oenology at Roseworthy College was pivotal in my career, followed by a stint in France for the 1983 Harvest. I was very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time over very many years, and had the benefit of many great mentors such as Mate Brajkovich (my father), Tom McDonald, Bob Baker, Bryce Rankine, Richard Smart, Peter Dry, Jack Schultz, Christian Moueix, Jean-Claude Berrouet, Sarah Morphew, Hugh Phillips and Kit Stevens.

What kind of music do you enjoy listening to when making wine in your cellar?

I really prefer silence in the cellar so I can listen and hear what’s going on, particularly during barrel fermentation and MLF. The sounds of the winery will also tell you if something is going wrong. And I prefer talking to my colleagues rather than shouting.

Otherwise my taste in music is fairly broad, but centred on Rock and Roll and venturing into Country, Blues, Soul and Jazz, with a smattering of Classical and Opera. My all-time favourite band is the Beatles, and I am currently listening to old John Fogerty, Rockpile, Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe recordings.

4. Name a regional dish from your area, which matches best with one of your wines.

Fresh Crayfish from the West coast is extremely hard to get these days, but when we can we cook it quickly and serve with a simple dressing of olive oil and vinegar. It is the best accompaniment I can think of for our Chardonnay wines.

Name a restaurant from your recent travels around the world, which changed the way you thought about food and why?

Le Bernadin in New York. I ate a menu of exquisite seafood from start to finish, and it was a superb expression of the chef’s art as well as being from wonderful ingredients. It also meant that I could drink white wine right through the courses, and why not? I would like to present such a degustation menu with only our white wines (chardonnay, pinot gris and gewürztraminer) to accompany it.

If your wine would die, who or what would it come back as (person/animal)?

Grace Kelly.

Packshot Kumeu Chardonnay Mates 2011 — Regularly clocking in the mid-90s range in ratings by wine experts

Interview Philippe Bramaz, Atlan & Artisan

Name: Philippe Bramaz

Winery: Atlan & Artisan

Town/Country: Yecla/Spain

Date: May 2014

Which spot in your vineyard is the most special and why?

There is a Church of an old hermit on top of the vineyard, which has an underground cellar from 1780. In this cellar, there are amphora, which the owner of Barahonda still uses to ferment some wines. Being there and sensing how wine was made in the past is a unique experience, something which cannot be replicated.

If you link the dots in your life, which experience was the most crucial relating to how you make your wine today?

Meeting and listening to the grand Monsieur Henri Bonneau in Chateauneuf, who showed me how complex, but simple, life can be. A humble mentor, who understands the virtues of balance and patience.

What kind of music do you enjoy listening to when making wine in your cellar?

At 2am in the morning the best sound is that of fermenting grape juice. Silence is golden.

Name a regional dish from your area, which matches best with one of your wines.

The amazing paella with free range rabbit and snails!

Name a restaurant from your recent travels around the world, which changed the way you thought about food and why?

Restaurant Coure in Barcelona – owned and operated by a chef who opened it 10 years ago and seems to evolve every year. His magic makes you leave after an 8-course meal, not tired of sitting, nor stuffed from the food, but trying to remembering each and every dish. http://www.restaurantcoure.es/

If your wine would die, who or what would it come back as (person/animal)?

It becomes everything in nature!

Achaval Ferrer Malbec Altavista 2008

graceful Andes' classic — graceful Andes’ classic

Argentinians have long enjoyed their well made wines in the domestic market, and the full-flavored Malbec from Mendoza entered the world stage only about 15 years ago. The bottles tried in the past have been of the juicy and brambly type or the dense and alcoholic, so I am happy to read the good news from Luis Gutierrez’ Argentina 3.0 (Robert Parker).

In it he mentions two important trends for Argentinean wines. The first “there is a global trend towards more freshness and drink-ability in wines, toward more balance, elegance, and differentiation, towards less excess and more harmony, and Argentina and Chile are no exceptions” which speaks of the Achaval Ferrer Finca Altamira I enjoyed from the 2008 vintage. He continues “I think Argentina is on the way, and beside the classical regions regions in Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo, Maipú, Cruz de Piedra, Perdriel or Agrelo, other specific and much newer sites are added to that list, mostly in the Uco Valley”, and this is where consumers, not only in Thailand, but around the world, should start experimenting with and try wines above the entry level from the various appellations Argentina offers.

Of course, you have to like the style the country offers – a dark color, intense flavors and well textured wines full of extract. But look beyond that and you find great wines with nuance and structure, and a good price.

The Altamira by the way i rate 4.0 stars (out of 5).

Skirts, rumps & deep reds

Inside track with the Accidental butcher

There is certainly a wide range of beef around for carnivores to embellish, and one of them must be the free-range Cape Grim from Tasmania.

Steve Craig, owner of Accidental Butcher, explained the uniqueness of the forgotten cuts and how to prepare them, while Blair Mathieson, chef at Quince – Eatery & Bar grillled them lightly and served with either anchovy butter, tarragon aioli or red pepper jam.

Cape Grim cuts

A Wine Garage event would not be complete without sound wine, and guests were lucky to meet and taste the organic wines from Alain Chabanon, the local hero in in Montperoux. All his wines have great varietal expression while successfully marrying mediterranean warmth with elegance.

My personal favorite was a special cut called Picanha, which is part of rump cap.

Paradigm Hill Pinot Noir 2002

Oh yeah! I hope no wine snob will ever dismiss Australian wines again!

Of course the million bottle brand will not do it for you, but cooler Yarra and Mornington Peninsula in Victoria certainly bring forth stylish Pinots and Syrah (yes not Shiraz!). Made in minute quantities by a scientist, George Mihaly, this perfectly mature Paradigm Hill Pinot Noir 2002 could not have been better to celebrate a combo birthday dinner of friends.

George gave this magnum to a good friend, who opened the bottle a few hours before the dinner. After a first whiff, I thought this is a premier cru Burgundy from the mid 1990s, yet the wine gained more weight and fruitiness than Burgundy would allow during dinner

A lovely and enjoyable wine to drink.

Well deserved 4 stars (out of 5).

Thomas Henry, new age sodas

Thomas Henry, as you all know, was the chap who invented soda water in England in 1773! But it took some quality-minded Germans to come up with this name for new age, or better, adult sodas in 2010.

These are intensely flavored mixers for great long drinks, made from choice herbs and other ingredients.

Got these samples put into my bag at Prowein 2014. Perhaps there will be an importer interested to carry them in Thailand, since the Fevertree, the other alternative is constantly sold out.

4.5 stars for Tonic and Ginger Ale, 3.5 stars for Bitter Lemon (out of 5) and the rest of the line up I did not yet taste.

Philippe Alliet Chinon Coteau de Noiré 2005

Wines from the Loire, I wished there is more around in this part of the world!

Have always been eagerly awaiting years to pass by before opening a bottle of Bourgeuil or Chinon from producers like Charles Joguet, Couly Dutheuil, Pierre Jacques Druet, Yannick Amirault, and of course Clos Rougeard in Saumur.

And this one from star Chinon winery did not disappoint, despite seeing 100% new oak. Polished and refined, a lovely wine at a fair price, enveloping your nose and tastebuds in inviting earthy and floral aromas. Can easily go another 5+ years.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Dönnhoff Riesling Hermannshöhle 2007

Majestic Hermannhoehle (Crush Wine NY) — Majestic Hermannshöhle (Crush Wine NY)

This is one of the best, the grandest, of all dry Riesling made in Germany. A wine touched by the light hands of Helmut Dönnhoff, and now Cornelius his son, whom I just met at Prowein in Düsseldorf.

Unfortunately I waited too long to open this vintage, and the acidity wasn’t around any longer to hold the power and richness of fruit together, making an overall average experience of this Grosses Gewächs.

These powerhouses can be enjoyed for their youthful fruit during year 2 after the vintage, but should strut their best between years 5 and 10 depending the vintage.

If you invest in premium wines, get to know the ins and outs of that particular vintage too in order to determine peak drinking period!

Ruggeri Prosecco Vecchie Viti 2011

Vecchie Viti from over 100 year old vines

The sparkling wine category has grown rapidly in Thailand over the past 3 or 4 years, and the big winner has been Prosecco. To keep prices reasonable, many lower grade Spumanti made their way into the country, leaving experienced wine drinkers now waiving off their hands to the sound of Prosecco.

The truth is this is still the best alternative to Champagne (unless you can locate a good Crémant) and one with a better QPR. So pick a special bottle, which you know has been stored well, such as the old vines from Ruggeri.

This Prosecco has more body, flavor, and bouquet, and is made from a rigid selection of top quality grapes grown on centenarian vines. The winery is one of the best in the region, but doesn’t own all of these old vineyards, and works closely with farmers in the esteemed Valdobbiadene DOCG to source a sizeable amount for their top cuvée.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Veyder Malberg Gruner Veltliner Hochrain

I have always been a fan of Austrian wines, in particular the lighter-styled Gruner Veltliners and Rieslings from the Wachau in Lower Austria.

Over the years, the pricier and highly rated wines designated “Smaragd”, have become fuller, clocking in above 13.5% ABV and making it quite difficult to finish a bottle, at least for me.

For this reason I am delighted to find producers like Veyder Malberg, who can capture the purity and intensity of flavors into a bottle at 12.5%. The Hochrain 2011 was phenomenal on the nose, palette and finish, and wine that dances in your mouth.

4.5 ouf of 5 stars