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More than half of all the Cognac sold in the world is labelled as VS (Very Special). It is the region’s youngest age classification and refers to Cognacs that must have been matured in oak for a minimum of two years.

These are typically mixable spirits, and it’s worth remembering that much more Cognac is drunk mixed than neat, whether in cocktails or refreshing long drinks with ginger ale, tonic, iced tea, or – to make purists shudder – Coca-Cola.

But don’t be dismissive of VS, because creating a winning blend from multiple young eaux-de-vie is a delicate art. It’s one that the cellar master can’t afford to get wrong, because these are the best-selling products that he or she will ever make.

What’s more, the best examples are perfectly enjoyable to drink neat. They also provide a great way to introduce someone to the world of Cognac, without breaking the bank.

Best VS Cognacs to try

Camus VS Elegance

A serial award winner, this is uncommonly elegant and floral for a VS-grade Cognac, thanks to distillation on the lees and careful maturation in fine-grained oak. It’s versatile, and a great way to get to know the signature Camus style, which has evolved to become even more aromatic in recent years. Alcohol 40%

Château de Montifaud VS

Owned by the Vallet family, Montifaud is a great exponent of Petite Champagne Cognacs, which share many of the characteristics of Grande Champagne, but can be a little less austere and more approachable when young. This is supple and fresh, with leaner orchard fruits and more complexity than is the norm among VS Cognacs. Alc 40%

Courvoisier VS

Perhaps the least famous of the ‘big four’ Cognac houses around the world, Courvoisier more than makes up for this with a consistently harmonious range of Cognacs, starting here: eaux-de-vie from Fins Bois for floral fruitiness and Petite Champagne to provide structure. Well-integrated oak provides a touch of allspice. Alc 40%

Frapin 1270

The youngest member of the Frapin family in every sense – this was only launched in 2018 – 1270 is named after the year the family started growing grapes in the region. It has the classic house characteristic of floral, fruity elegance, in a simple style that’s highly mixable, but perfectly good neat too. Grande Champagne VS can sometimes lack generosity, but distillation on the lees keeps this super-fragrant and charming. Alc 40%

François Voyer VS

Another Grande Champagne VS, from a producer whose Cognacs are found in many top restaurants in France. There’s more richness here, in the shape of beguiling tropical fruits and a creamy, vanilla-spiked texture from maturation in virgin Limousin oak casks. Extremely smooth and well-mannered. Alc 40%

Hennessy VS

This is the world’s best-selling Cognac, and by some distance. It’s everything you’d expect from the Hennessy house style, with robust, spicy, nutty oak providing plenty of structure behind aromas of green grape skin and light citrus. A blend of 40 eaux-de-vie from every Cognac cru, it’s a mixable map of the region. Alc 40%

Pierre Ferrand 1840 Original Formula

Located just a few miles outside the town of Cognac, Ferrand is a forward-looking Cognac house under the loquacious leadership of Alexandre Gabriel. This is a nicely poised VS, with aromas of jasmine blossom, ripe grapes and some fine oak tannin, all held together by a honeyed texture. Alc 45%

Ragnaud Sabourin No 4 VS

If you know someone who thinks all VS Cognac is harsh firewater, give them this. It embodies its Grande Champagne origins, with lifted aromas of honeysuckle and orange blossom. On the palate, a creamy texture and fleshy fruit are undercut by notes of menthol and caramel.
Alc 41%

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Mas de Daumas Gassac: producer profile: – Decanter

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Andrew Jefford

August 31, 2021

Mas de Daumas Gassac has been the most celebrated domaine in Languedoc over the past half-century.

Its genesis can be dated back to a solitary walk around the property taken by Bordeaux geology professor Henri Enjalbert in July 1971. Returning to the mas [farmhouse], he declared to the astonished owners that they might produce ‘a grand cru from this soil – though it may be 200 years before it is accepted as such’.

Those owners were former glovemaker Aimé Guibert and his wife, a university ethnologist called Véronique de la Vaissière; they had bought the property the previous year. Aimé Guibert seized on the words – and greatly accelerated the time frame.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 15 wines from the Mas de Daumas Gassac range

Seven years later, the first vintage (1978) of the Cabernet Sauvignon-based Mas de Daumas Gassac was launched, made with a little sage consultative help from Bordeaux oenology professor Emile Peynaud.

At first, silence.

{“content”:”<p>In 1981, though, the wine was declared to be ‘a grand cru of the Languedoc’ by Figaro journalist Michel Piot – and subsequently, by French restaurant guide <em>Gault et Millau</em> as ‘Château Lafite du Languedoc’.</p>
<p>Further praise (from Hubrecht Duijker, Hugh Johnson, Robert Parker and Clive Coates MW, among others) secured the wine’s fame.</p>
<p>Aimé Guibert continued to produce the wine from the vineyards lauded by Enjalbert, and on the lines laid down by Peynaud, until his death in 2016. Four of his five sons – Samuel, Gaël, Roman and Basile – manage the estate today.</p>
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<p>Samuel Guibert makes the wine on behalf of the family. ‘When I took over between 2000 and 2010, my biggest challenge,’ he says, ‘was to make sure that no one said, “Wow, what a change!”.’</p>
<p>Much work has gone into the estate, but it’s designed to ensure that consistency and quality are maximised, while staying within existing style parameters. Cabernet, notably, is still king. ‘We’ve had a chance to compare Cabernet with all the other varieties we grow here,’ says Guibert. ‘In 20 out of the last 21 vintages, Cabernet was the best variety – by far.’</p>
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<p>The Cabernet (70%-78%) is still blended with the fruit of up to 24 other varieties, including <strong><a href="https://www.decanter.com/wine/grape-varieties/pinot-noir/">Pinot Noir</a></strong>, Tannat, <strong><a href="https://www.decanter.com/wine/grape-varieties/tempranillo-tinto-fino/">Tempranillo</a></strong>, Baga, <strong><a href="https://www.decanter.com/wine/grape-varieties/nebbiolo/">Nebbiolo</a></strong> and Saperavi.</p>
<p>These are picked in a state of mixed ripeness prior to the Cabernet. At the Daumas Gassac vineyard altitudes (250m-550m), this means fresh acidities and never more than 14% alcohol. The wine is steel-fermented and lightly oak-aged: 12-14 months and at most 15% new oak, with three or four Bordeaux-style rackings prior to bottling. It is never a hedonistic, lavishly fleshed, beefcake Cab; indeed, its classical reserve when young can surprise. But it ages effortlessly for two decades or more, and is invariably poised and digestible.</p>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Mas de Daumas Gassac: at a glance</strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Founded</strong> Land purchased 1971; first red vintage 1978, first white vintage 1986.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Owned by</strong> The Guibert brothers: Samuel, Gaël, Roman, Basile and Amelien.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Production</strong> 86,000 bottles (red 44,000; white 35,000).</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Key wines</strong> Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge; Cuvée Emile Peynaud (pure, single-vineyard Cabernet, in the best years only, including 2015, 2020); Blanc; Vin de Laurence (sweet wine based on early-picked Sercial refermented with late-picked Muscat à Petits Grains Blancs, best years only); Rosé Frizant sparkling.</p>
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<h3><strong>Great debate</strong></h3>
<p>But is it a ‘great Languedoc wine’? That’s an interesting question. Mas de Daumas Gassac is a pure and now time-honoured expression of propitious Languedoc soils, much enjoyed by its drinkers and sold en primeur and on allocation in a way in which few – if any – other Languedoc wines are. So yes, it is one of very few market-tested, auction-traded ‘great Languedoc reds’. Yet it is atypical of the present-day Languedoc in varietal and stylistic terms.</p>
<p>You could not, for example, find a starker contrast to Gérard Bertrand’s notion of grand Languedoc wines (as exemplified either by his IGP Aude Hauterive Cigalus or his AP Minervois La Livinière Clos d’Ora). Were it not an IGP (St-Guilhem-le-Désert Cité d’Aniane), Mas de Daumas Gassac would potentially qualify as AP Terrasses du Larzac – yet it also contrasts with Terrasses du Larzac references such as Mas Jullien, Mas Cal Demoura or neighbouring Château Capion.</p>
<p>Before jumping to conclusions, though, remember that Languedoc varietal choices aren’t written in stone; styles never cease to evolve. In 50 years, we may come to find the Mas de Daumas Gassac 2020 more typical of its region than the Clos d’Ora 2020. Or we may not. Only time – and you, the drinkers – will tell.</p>
<p>There are also developments taking place at the estate itself. ‘The biggest change,’ says Guibert, ‘is the renovation of the vineyard: my father never had to do that. But esca [a grapevine trunk disease] is a big problem here, so every year we try to replace 3ha. We wait three years; we replant (with our own massal selections); we wait again.</p>
<p>‘My top achievement for sure has been completing 18km of fencing to keep out the wild boar. We used to lose 10% of the crop to boar every year, so that fence saves us about €200,000 a year. We also don’t have tractors in the vineyards any more – just quad bikes, with horse ploughing and sheep grazing. We’ve gone from five people to 12 in the vineyards.’</p>
<p>And the winery? ‘We work by gravity now in the winery, and that has really helped in terms of elegance and finesse. It has also cut the use of SO2 by 75%. Every time you pump you bring in oxygen, so you reduce oxygen 10 times by not pumping. The next project is to increase storage space, and in the long term we&#8217;re also planning a new winery. We hope to make a Terrasses du Larzac, perhaps from new vineyards or partnerships – but we’ll have to see; that’s at least two years away.’</p>
<div id="attachment_463044" style="width: 1310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-463044" class="lazyload blur-up size-full wp-image-463044" src="https://www.decanter.com/wp-content/themes/simba-theme/assets/images/placeholder.png" data-src="https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2021/08/Mas-de-Daumas-Gassac.jpg" alt="Mas de Daumas Gassac" width="1300" height="860" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2021/08/Mas-de-Daumas-Gassac.jpg 1300w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2021/08/Mas-de-Daumas-Gassac-300x198.jpg 300w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2021/08/Mas-de-Daumas-Gassac-630x417.jpg 630w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2021/08/Mas-de-Daumas-Gassac-135x89.jpg 135w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2021/08/Mas-de-Daumas-Gassac-320x212.jpg 320w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2021/08/Mas-de-Daumas-Gassac-620x410.jpg 620w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2021/08/Mas-de-Daumas-Gassac-920x609.jpg 920w, https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2021/08/Mas-de-Daumas-Gassac-1220x807.jpg 1220w" sizes="(max-width: 1300px) 100vw, 1300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-463044" class="wp-caption-text">The Mas de Daumas Gassac winery buildings near Aniane in the Hérault department. Credit: Vincent Bartoli</p></div>
<h3><strong>Creative thinking</strong></h3>
<p>I ask Guibert about the relationship between Mas de Daumas Gassac and the Moulin de Gassac wine range. ‘My dad,’ he explains, ‘was an entrepreneur. He loved to create things. He saw there was a glut of fruit in the Languedoc in the 1980s, with incentives to uproot. Everyone around us was in the Aniane co-op – so he offered to set up a joint venture to select the best terroirs and vinify those ourselves. Aniane said no; they still regarded us as outsiders. But the co-op at Villeveyrac said yes, and Moulin de Gassac was a fabulous success.’</p>
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<p>It still is: 1m-3m bottles every year, coming from 300ha of Villeveyrac vines but made and blended under Mas de Daumas Gassac supervision. Some of the wines are varietals, but the most interesting are blends, sold under brand names that Aimé Guibert rescued from his old leather business (Eraus and Faune whites, Elise and Albaran reds): ‘Selections of a few parcels based on old vines and lower yields, handpicked up on the plateau where the tractors can’t go.’</p>
<p>The co-op at Aniane, meanwhile, has closed.</p>
<p>
”}

Andrew Jefford’s highlights from the Mas de Daumas Gassac range

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Summer is the season when long drinks rule: thirst-quenchers that are simple to prepare and easy to mix up in pitchers or jugs to share with friends. Below you will find some great summer drink ideas, from cocktails and spirits to no-alcohol alternatives.

The current trend for quality ready-to-drink cocktails makes life even easier: simply fill your glass with plenty of ice, pour and enjoy.

There are plenty of classic summer cocktail recipes: from salt-rimmed Margaritas to rum-laced Tiki drinks like the Mai Tai. But if you enjoy experimenting with flavours and preparing mixes that your friends and family might not have tried before, drinks writer Laura Foster suggests simple summer twists on classics.

Meanwhile spritzes continue to be a popular, lower alcohol choice, with Waitrose recently reporting an increase in Aperol sales, up 148% year-on-year. If you fancy a change from an Aperol Spritz try pairing Barcelona vermouth El Bandarra Al Fresco (see below) with tonic instead.

Many distillers put summer ingredients to good use in seasonal editions of their spirits – from flavoured vodkas to summer gins. Botanicals including strawberries and rose petals, plus seaside plants such as rock samphire and sea purslane help to conjure up summer days in a glass – and who doesn’t love a crisp G&T on a hot summer’s day?

If you want to avoid alcohol altogether, the range of low- and no-alcohol drinks continues to grow at a rapid pace. From convincing gin alternatives such as Seedlip and Sea Arch Coastal Juniper to bottled and canned mocktails and hard seltzers: there has never been more choice for drinkers choosing to go alcohol free. But whatever your preference – and whatever the occasion – the selection below should give you plenty of drinking inspiration…

Summer drinks to try

Aluna Coconut Rum

For a totally tropical taste try Aluna: a blend of five rums from Guatemala and the Caribbean, made with toasted coconut and sustainably sourced coconut water. Slightly lower in sugar and alcohol, there are lots of fresh creamy coconut aromas with nice spiciness on the palate, plus toasted coconut notes and vanilla – like sipping rum out of a coconut shell. Rum fans can enjoy it neat over ice; pair it with cola and lime for a coconutty Cuba Libra or pimp their Piña Colada. Alcohol 37.5%

Amplify

This no-alcohol spirit is an ideal option for fans of citrus gins. Fresh, sweet orange citrus aromas on the nose, with mandarin and hints of orange barley. The palate is a zesty mix of citrus and spice. Lemon, orange and lemongrass feature alongside a green chilli kick and a dry earthiness on the finish, which is crisp and slightly bitter. Pair it with Fentiman’s Pink Grapefruit Tonic Water for a refreshingly zingy take on a G&T. Alc 0% 

Available on Amazon

Buck and Birch

I love the unusual foraged flavours that Tom Chisholm and Rupert Waites create at their East Lothian Distillery. As well as their Aelder Elixir wild elderberry liqueur and Amarosa rum and rosehip liqueur, the duo also produce a range of ‘wild bottled cocktails’, each in a 150ml bottle that serves two. My pick for summer is The Thornstar Martini, a blend of Amarosa, woodruff vodka, hawthorn blossom syrup and sea buckthorn. It’s tangy and bitter-sweet, with the distinctive spicy dried orange peel and dried mango notes of the sea buckthorn coming through nicely, plus a crisp, lip-smacking finish. Alc 16%

buckandbirch.com

Carluccio’s Amalfi Pompelo Margarita

Italian restaurant and deli brand Carluccio’s launched its own range of bottled cocktails in May. Made with blanco tequila and Pampelle Italian ruby red grapefruit liqueur, the Amalfi Pompelo Margarita has a spicy lime and pink grapefruit palate with a tang of Maldon sea salt. The range also includes sweeter takes on a Strawberry & Balsamic Sour and a Honeyed Fig Daiquiri, all in 135ml aluminium bottles. There’s also a 700ml sharing bottle Negroni, made with Portobello Road Gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, that’s perfect for aperitivo hour. Alc 14%

carluccios.com

El Bandarra Al Fresco

Step aside Aperol Spritz, there’s a new summer tipple in town… Made in Barcelona, El Bandarra Al Fresco is a bitter-sweet vermouth that you can pair with tonic for a vibrant aperitif. With lower alcohol than a G&T, vermouth and tonic is a lighter, more refreshing take on a sparkling summer cocktail. Mix 50ml El Bandarra Al Fresco with 100ml tonic in a highball glass filled with ice and garnish with an orange slice. The eye-catching graphic bottle – inspired by tapas menus – looks great too. Alc 14.5%

Jukes Cordialities

Wine writer Matthew Jukes is the palate behind this range of alcohol-free drinks designed to appeal to wine lovers. Each numbered blend combines natural fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices and flowers with organic apple cider vinegar. Each 30ml bottle can be mixed with still or sparkling water to create two 125ml glasses. My pick for summer, Jukes 8 is inspired by Provence rosé, with notes of rhubarb, melon, pomegranate and apple. Alc 0%

jukescordialities.com

Manly Spirits Marine Botanical Vodka

A vodka for gin lovers, this Australian spirit is distilled in Sydney using foraged marine botanicals including sea parsley and kelp. Salty, savoury aromas with underlying spiciness make your mouth water. The slightly sweet palate is creamy and savoury with some seaweed umami depth, balanced by lovely breezy ozone freshness and a clean mineral edge. Just like a day out at the seaside… A great alternative to gin with tonic or try it neat with oysters. Alc 41.6%

Mocktails

The bottled Mocktails range will suit anyone who doesn’t want to drink alcoholic cocktails, but doesn’t want to have sweet syrupy fruit juice drinks either. Low in sugar and vegan friendly, these are well-balanced alternatives to popular cocktails that you can enjoy instead of or in between alcoholic drinks. My summer picks are The Vida Loca Mockarita, packed with fresh lime notes, and the ginger-spiced Scottish Lemonade Mockscow Mule. The range also includes the Karma Sucra Mockapolitan and Sevilla Red Sansgria, all in 200ml serves. Alc 0%

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Muri Passing Clouds

Danish brand Muri arrived in the UK in May after making waves on Copenhagen’s restaurant scene. A food-friendly low-alcohol wine alternative, it’s made using a layered fermentation technique, producing nuanced flavours and aromas that will open up with time in the glass. Red wine drinkers will enjoy Nuala, but my summer selection is Passing Clouds, made from white currants fermented with Pichia kluyveri yeast and blended with quince kefir and jasmine tea. The aromatic floral nose is a delight – with notes of jasmine, orange blossom and beeswax, plus an undertone of russet apple – and the fresh, palate-cleansing acidity. Alc <0.5%

muri-drinks.com

Porters Tropical Old Tom Gin

Created by bartenders in a micro-distillery in Aberdeen, this gin is made in an Old Tom style: a traditional 18th century recipe that’s slightly sweeter than London Dry. I love the fresh and faintly tropical aromas, with sappy leafiness, pineapple and floral touches. On the palate the Old Tom sweetness is balanced by fresh tropical fruit – pineapple, mango – edged in florals but also with earthy base notes, like walking through a humid rainforest. Makes the perfect summer G&T. Alc 40%

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Should you store Madeira on its side or upright?

Madeira is one of the easiest wines to store. Having been exposed to heat and oxygen during the winemaking process, Madeira is nowhere near as demanding as other wines. There is no need to lay down a bottle of Madeira in a cool cellar.

With the exception of colheita and frasqueira (vintage) Madeira, most wines are bottled with stopper corks and should be left standing upright. Vintage Madeiras are often bottled with short driven corks, which provide a fairly poor barrier between the wine and the outside world.

Should a cork ever be replaced on a very old bottle of Madeira?

Any wine being stored for any length of time should be stored upright and recorked from time to time. Blandy’s, for example, has a policy of checking on its vintage stock every 20 years and recorking if necessary.

A representative of IVBAM (the Instituto do Vinho, Bordado e Artesanato da Madeira) must be present when any bottles are recorked by a shipper on the island to ensure authenticity. The wines will be resealed with an IVBAM selo de origem seal. There is no such assurance when a bottle has been recorked by a private collector and consequently no way of ensuring provenance.

A conscientious collector will label the bottle with the date when it was recorked.

See also:

Understanding the different Madeira styles

What is a sommelier?

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Many French recipe books exist, but outside France few are imbued with the whole cultural context around living and eating, and even fewer are authored by local people. My family have been fruit farmers in Provence for hundreds of years, but as times change, I could sense an intangible, precious part of Provençal culture slipping away, as the older generation passed.

My book Provence: The Cookbook was a way of providing a snapshot of how farming families truly live and eat in Provence: moving with the rhythms of the seasons, preserving surplus (coulis de tomates, compotes, vin de noix) and celebrating single ingredients when they come into season.

Tomates Provençales is one of my favourite recipes in the book. It turns something inexpensive – even the most uninspiring-looking tomatoes in the dead of winter – into something magical.

In Provence, you would often have this dish as part of a main meal, but I think the tomatoes work beautifully for an aperitif, too. In fact, I’ll often serve them as a party nibble: as a topping on small slices of toasted sourdough spread with soft goat’s cheese. This is my favourite way to eat them. Any leftovers the next day can also be blitzed and used as a pasta sauce. Delicious.

Oven temperatures vary, so you’ll really want to cook these tomatoes until they are oozing, dark in places, skin wrinkled, but acting like a vessel for the delicious sauce they spontaneously make. They should be lovely and bursting with juices, but on their way to looking like sundried tomatoes.

Tomates Provençales recipe

These are delicious warm or at room temperature. Cooking Tomates Provençales is straightforward, but as with all tomato dishes, salt is the most important ingredient: it should be added liberally as it unlocks the flavour of the tomatoes.

Serves 4

Preparation time 10 minutes

Cooking time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 10 medium tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 big pinches of sea salt flakes
• 2 pinches of freshly ground black pepper 20 basil leaves
• 1-2 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7 and slice the tomatoes in half along their equator.

2. Place the halves, cut-side up, on a baking tray. Distribute the crushed garlic between the tomatoes, tucking it in so it doesn’t sit on the surface.

3. Sprinkle over plenty of salt and black pepper, followed by the basil leaves and breadcrumbs.

4. Finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil, then bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the tomatoes are oozing and beautiful.

The wines to match Tomates Provençales

Provence rosé

It would seem perverse not to drink a Provençal rosé with this classic dish, but as the tomatoes are cooked I’d make it a more weighty example such as a Bandol rosé, rather than one of the lighter, more gluggable ‘swimming pool’ styles. A Provençal white such as Cassis would be delicious too.

Domaine Bunan, Mas de la Rouvière, Bandol, France 2020

Lighter red Rhône

If you prefer a red, the neighbouring Rhône region offers unbeatable value, though full-bodied reds such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape or Gigondas might well overwhelm what is likely to be an entrée. A young Côtes du Rhône Villages or Costières de Nîmes would suit this time of year better.

M Chapoutier, Côtes du Rhône Villages, France 2019

Tomatoes & wine

Tomatoes are held to be tricky with wine, but they appear in so many guises we’d be depriving ourselves if we didn’t drink with them. The key thing to bear in mind is whether they’re raw or cooked. If they’re raw – and likely to be dressed as in a salad or a salsa – it’s the acidity you need to contend with, and I personally find that a fresh dry white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc or pale crisp southern French or Provençal rosé work best.

If tomatoes are cooked, as in many Italian dishes, it can bring out a note of sweetness and also savouriness if they’re combined with more robust ingredients such as aubergines or cheese, and this generally inclines me towards a red. Italian reds, of course, work particularly well, especially those from southern Italy – Nero d’Avola or Negroamaro – but classic southern Rhône and Languedoc blends of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre also rub along well. Fiona Beckett

Provence: The Cookbook by Caroline Rimbert Craig is published by Kyle Books (£23.25), and was 2020 UK winner in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards (Mediterranean category)

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Meeting Becky Wasserman-Hone, one could be forgiven a brief surprise that this woman with such an elfin, twinkling appearance could be a giant of the world of Burgundy—until she began to speak.

Conversation with Becky was a continual inspiration. She had a truly profound knowledge of Burgundy. On the occasion of her induction into the Decanter Hall of Fame in 2019, Aubert de Villaine remarked ‘She is someone who has a deep understanding of the “climats de la Bourgogne” and can explain them. She has witnessed the evolution of Burgundy during 50 years. She is still there, a kind of touchstone, and has understood it all.’

Explain she has – Wasserman-Hone has mentored generations of sommeliers, importers and journalists. Daniel Johnnes is known as the impresario behind La Paulée de New York, but also worked for decades as a sommelier at America’s top restaurants and as an importer. He remarked, ‘Becky Wasserman was without a doubt the grande dame of Burgundy. Born American, she was almost more Burgundian than some Burgundians.

‘Her home was always open to friends, family, students of wine and anyone who had a passion to learn. The table was always set and the welcome was always warm and generous. My passion for Burgundy was nourished during my first visit to her home in Bouilland in 1986. I have since made Burgundy the focus of my career, yet losing Becky feels a bit like losing the ballast on a ship.’

Fellow American sommelier (and winemaker) Raj Parr added that, ‘Becky was one of the most loved people I know. She changed the landscape for Burgundy worldwide. Her efforts have paid off and now Burgundy is on top of the wine world. But more than wine, Becky was a beacon of light to young growers, sommeliers and cavistes who treated everyone kindly and graciously.’

Wasserman-Hone was born in 1937 in New York City. She attended the prestigious Hunter College High School and Bryn Mawr College before moving to France with her first husband and their young sons Peter and Paul.

The couple settled in the Burgundy village of St-Romain in 1968. Following her divorce, she found work selling barrels for local cooper François Frères and later for Taransaud, both among the most highly-esteemed coopers in France.

Her personal taste, however, did not run to heavily-oaked wines, and she made a career shift in the 1970s. Beginning with the 1976 vintage, she set up as a courtier, matching up-and-coming producers with American wine importers. Today, her firm exports the work of 60 Burgundy producers.

Some, such as Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé, Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier and Domaine Michel Lafarge are household names. Many others, however, were unknown when she discovered them.

Linden Wilkie, managing director at Hong Kong retailer The Fine Wine Experience relates, ‘Becky had a tireless enthusiasm for Burgundy and for discovering new talent for whom she was a great supporter. She would remind us that some of the more famous domaines she was associated with had to start somewhere and were once not easy to sell. She encouraged us to explore, keep an open mind, and support the new talent emerging today.’

Wasserman-Hone was endowed with a surfeit of charisma and charm, but she never relied solely upon that to sell wine. Sales were accomplished by hard work.

Winemaker and sommelier Larry Stone MS relates, ‘She was a brilliant and charismatic person who exuded a love of vineyards, vignerons and wine but was also a tireless promoter of those wines she loved. She welcomed all who demonstrated an understanding of wine and who were eager to learn more and, in that capacity, helped train and mold generations of sommeliers, retailers and journalists.’

Among those who fell under her sway were New York fine wine veteran John Truax, who commented, ‘Becky and Russell travelled annually to the USA promoting small Burgundy producers. They put in more miles than rock bands, into their seventies!’

Wasserman-Hone combined her charm and dedication with innovative techniques. Her son Peter Wasserman relates one of the secrets to her success: ‘Mom always told me one important achievement is that she got together with the head of the Beaune office at [freight forwarder] Hillebrand and figured out how to consolidate a container from multiple sources. This was the single action that had the most impact on small production wine exports the world round. That was literally the magic key.’

The growers that she worked with also cherish her memory. Frédéric Mugnier remarked, ‘Becky was without a doubt my most important companion in my life as a winegrower. When I approached this profession in 1985 without knowing anything about wine, she introduced me to the people, winegrowers and clients alike, who had a fair and sincere approach to this profession.

‘It is these meetings that forged my vision of wine. Becky will be sorely missed. Burgundy is changing. I fear Becky’s demise marks the end of an era that I loved deeply.’

Dominique Lafon was a close friend and associate; he lamented, ‘The news is terrible! Burgundy has just lost its finest ambassador, although Becky was even more than that.’ Lafon’s wife, Cristina added, ‘Becky was like a mother to me and with her leaving I feel like an orphan. I have lost a mother, a confidante and a dear friend.’

Becky Wasserman-Hone is survived by her husband Russell Hone, her sons Peter and Paul Wasserman, by three step-children and five step-grandchildren.

Becky Wasserman-Hone at a glance

Born 18 January 1937, Manhattan, New York City
Parents Father, stockbroker; mother, Romanian former prima ballerina and dancer
Education Rudolf Steiner School, Hunter College High School, New York; Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania
Family Husband Russell Hone; sons, Peter and Paul Wasserman; three step-children; five step-grandchildren
Interests Cooking, reading, music

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Berry Bros & Rudd has launched a Nordic Casks whisky range which will showcase a number of pioneering Nordic whisky distilleries.

The famous London-based wine and spirits merchant says that this is the first time an independent bottler has focused on this exciting whisky region.

The series launches with four single casks from Myken in Norway, High Coast in Sweden, Kyrö in Finland and Fary Lochan in Denmark.

For whisky fans this will be the first opportunity to buy an independent bottling from several of these unique distilleries, says Berry Bros & Rudd.

Berry Bros & Rudd’s reserve spirits manager Jonny McMillan is responsible for the collection, which he says showcases different raw materials, production methods and innovation.

‘The Nordics is one such region that has intrigued me and, although young it is already developing its own identity and character,’ says McMillan.

‘The people of this rugged and majestic landscape, not dissimilar to Scotland, have long been known for their love of great whiskies. Of all the emerging global whisky regions, the Nordics has so far perhaps had the least acclaim, but with distillers of such quality and passion it’s unlikely to remain that way for long.’

To support the launch, Berry Bros & Rudd have partnered with the Nordic distilleries to host a virtual tasting to be streamed live on its Facebook and Youtube pages on 2 September at 7pm (BST). For the event, limited-edition tasting packs will offer the chance to taste the whiskies before purchasing a bottle.

The event will be co-hosted by Jonny McMillan, Thomas Øhrbom from Whisky Saga and Emma Anderson from Allt om Whisky Magazine Sweden. Tasting packs are available from bbr.com and Royal Mile Whiskies, priced at £35.

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Appellations (and their various European equivalents) have a problem. Not existential: they’re a brilliant idea, since they help small producers go to market with a meaningful name. They’re also necessary: value in the wine world is principally based on origin, and appellations guarantee origin.

The problem is the same as you have with your car or your house: appellations need maintenance to work well. And they’re not getting it.

Many French appellations were created in the 1930s. It was a decade of execrable weather, economic depression and political foreboding: life couldn’t have been tougher for growers. Another flurry of appellations arrived in the 1950s: a happier time, but economically difficult.

There were more in the 1980s, as former VDQS (Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure) wines won promotion to appellation status – but by then the best sites were mostly long-acclaimed, and hopeful new arrivals often found the going hard.

In the past 40 years, everything has changed. Economic conditions are benign; fine-wine regions have prospered beyond the wildest dreams of previous generations. For modest wines, global competition is now fierce. Consumption patterns have changed, and the weather, meanwhile, has become warmer for everyone.

Many European regions are benefiting from climate change but there are evident threats, from heatwaves, drought, hail and (paradoxically) spring frost. Everything about most appellations now needs revision, notably varieties and blends, and internal and external boundary lines.

The problem is that change creates losers as well as winners. Losers mean lawyers and legal challenges. It’s all too difficult. So it doesn’t happen. Change tends to power on anyway, leaving legislation looking inadequate.

In Anjou in July 2020, for example, I discovered that a schist-soiled region famed for sweet white wines and semi-sweet rosé is fast mutating into a vanguard region for dry, Chenin-based terroir whites and Cabernet-based reds. Quarts de Chaume may be the Loire’s only official grand cru – but the suite of chic Anjou Blanc parcellaires produced within its boundaries are just as interesting and find a readier market, even though the zone cannot yet speak its name as a dry-wine cru.

Then in Châteauneuf-du-Pape in May 2021, I found a renaissance of the older, ‘forgotten’ varieties such as Vaccarèse, Counoise, Muscardin and Picardan. No more blow-out showstoppers based on centenarian Grenache aged in oak, but instead wines which feature every permitted variety (white and red alike), whole-bunch fermentation for freshness, and some use of concrete or earthenware jars in place of new oak.

Domaine de Beaurenard’s Gran Partita, Domaine de la Solitude’s Vin de la Solitude and Clos du Mont-Olivet’s Compagnons Inconnus all draw on these techniques and ideas. Grenache, meanwhile, is being regarded more circumspectly since its full flavour ripeness implies massive alcohol. Individual vineyard rankings are changing.

There is, though, a key difference between these two regions. Châteauneuf was France’s pioneer appellation – the process got underway in 1894; first drafted in 1923, the rules are wonderfully flexible. Later appellations, including those of the Loire, were less so: the French mania for over-legislating now leaves them hamstrung.

Appellations all across the south of France, for example, desperately need Châteauneuf’s freedom of action to make blended wine or varietal wine as they wish, to call on a wide range of varieties and to modify or change plantings within workably large zones. They haven’t got this freedom; they’re stuck.

Meanwhile, fine-wine zones such as Burgundy could produce much more desirable and saleable wine with cautious boundary modifications that reflect the realities of today’s climate. Some also believe that complantation of, say, Aligoté with Chardonnay would produce fresher and more complex white wines as the climate warms. But Burgundy’s stuck, too. Without maintenance, nothing lasts forever. Time to call in the plumbers.

In my glass this month:

Riesling aromas develop slowly in Alsace – and the better the vineyard, the more handsomely patience is rewarded. The Sipp Mack, Riesling 2016 from the wonderful Rosacker Grand Cru is just coming into its own in summer 2021: warm and honeyed yet stony and haunting in scent, and a closely woven palate seemingly mingling both fruit and stone essences. A compelling wine from a domaine to watch.

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Data from Tridge, a food and agricultural products sourcing platform and market data provider, shows that the US imports more wine (still, sparkling and fortified, as well as grape must) by value than any other country. Data shows that the country imported wine worth $6.5B in both 2018 and 2019, although this fell to $5.9B in 2020.

The United Kingdom is the next-biggest importer, having brought in $4.4B worth of wine, a value that remained stable in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Germany is the third biggest importer of wine, valued at $2.9B in 2020, a slight decline from $3B the previous year.

China’s wine imports have fallen from a peak in 2017 of $3.3B to just $1.8B in 2020 – partly a result of strict lockdown measures as well as of the intensifying US-China trade war.

So who is benefitting from all of this wine trade? The data shows that France is the world’s largest exporter, having traded $9.1B of wine beyond its borders in 2020 (down from $11B in 2019), followed by Italy ($7.2B; no change from 2019) and Spain ($3.1B; up from $3B in 2019).

French wine exports

The France to US trade route is the world’s most valuable, even though the value dropped from $2.1B in 2019 to $1.8B in 2020, likely a result of the hefty wine tariffs imposed by the Trump administration in 2019.

The third most valuable trade route in the world is from France to the UK – a historic route which has kept the British in drink for hundreds of years. It is France’s second most valuable source of income from wine trade, valued at $1.3B in 2020, although a gradual decline from $1.8B in 2012 suggests English wine is slowly taking market share as the UK industry matures.

The France to Japan wine trade accounted for $854.3m in 2020, up from $648.3 the previous year.

Italy wine exports

Unlike the France to Italy trade route, the Italy to US trade route has held firm at $1.7B since 2018 as the country’s wines escaped the punitive tariffs imposed by the US on French, German Spanish and UK wine imports.

The Italy to Germany trade route is valued at a steady $1.2B, while the country’s exports to the UK have fallen slightly from a peak of $959.1m in 2018 to $817m in 2020.

UK wine exports

UK wine trade rose in value from $698.1m in 2012 to $838.3m in 2019, although the effects of the pandemic reduced the value of exports to $685.1m in 2020. The country’s key export markets are Hong Kong ($194.1m in 2020), Ireland ($78.2m), the Netherlands ($61.3m) and the US ($56.2m).

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Becky Wasserman-Hone passed away last Friday from a respiratory illness. She was a highly respected and knowledgeable champion of Burgundy’s wines.

Burgundy expert Jasper Morris MW echoed the sentiments of many with a post on Instagram; ‘What an amazing and fulfilling life which enriched everybody who knew her, winemakers, wine lovers, critics, importers, normal human beings. She has done so much for all of us, and had plans to do so much more.’

Speaking from personal experience, Decanter’s Burgundy correspondant Charles Curtis MW said: ‘Becky was a formative influence in my own career. As with everyone, she was remarkably generous with her time and insights and very welcoming. Tastings and dinners at her house were immensely informative, but they were also warm and convivial occasions that I will always remember.

‘She was truly adored by all who knew her personally or professionally, and her loss will be mourned across France, the UK, and the United States. In the broader sense, the importance of the firm she founded was paramount to the development of the popularity of Burgundy in the United States’, he continued.

American Becky Wasserman-Hone moved with her husband to a small village near Beaune, Burgundy in 1968. Following a dalliance exporting oak barrels to the US, Wasserman-Hone realised that it was the wine inside that mattered to her.

She set up her company, Le Serbet, in 1979 (today Becky Wasserman & Co) and began selling Burgundy wines in the US with the 1976 vintage.

Wasserman-Hone was a pioneer of consolidated shipping (‘groupage’), working with logistics company JF Hillebrand to enable many low-volume producers to send their goods together in a single container. This gave retailers the option to stock a broad but shallow range of wines, reducing risk while maximising their offering to consumers.

Wasserman-Hone received Decanter’s Hall of Fame award in 2019 in recognition of her tireless work distributing the wines of Burgundy throughout the US, UK, Scandinavia and Russia. It is generally accepted that her work over several decades aided Burgundy’s rise to superpower status in the wine world. Before many of today’s producers in Burgundy were sought-after names, few were able to afford travel in order to promote their wines, and so it fell to people such as Wasserman-Hone to introduce retailers and consumers to their products.

‘No one knows how to talk about Burgundy with so much talent and nobody likes their wines with as much sincerity and deep knowledge as Becky,’ said Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, speaking at the time of the Hall of Fame award.

In 1997, Wasserman-Hone was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole for services to Burgundy, in her promotion of Burgundian wines.

Wasserman is survived by husband Russell Hone and sons Peter and Paul, who will continue the family business from their farmhouse in Bouilland.

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