Old vines can still provide some good grapes.
So, you're looking over at the fence at the back of your section, to that gnarly old grapevine that's been there since WAY before you bought the house and it occurs to you (again), "I wonder whether we could make wine from the grapes on that?"
Well, here's the thing, Chandler Bing. (Friends fans will get that). You absolutely could, but whether it'd be any good would be questionable. Most kiwi backyard grapevines are table grape varieties like Autumn Muscat, Albany Surprise, Buffalo, Candice, Cardinal, Flame, Niagara, Thompson Seedless or Himrod (oo-er) - they're a tad sweet and watery to win much in the way of medals, but hey, by all means grab a winemaking book from the library and give it a nudge.
Spare a thought, however, for Olivier Bernard, owner of Domaine de Chevalier and Domaine de la Solitude in France's Pessac-Leognan region of Bordeaux. He and a group of volunteers harvested the region's oldest grapevine on September 23 in order to turn it into wine. It's old, at least 200 years, in fact, and it grows in a canopy across a pergola in the Place de la Victoire, smack in the middle of the city of Bordeaux.
Until the 1970s, there were six vines in the Place de la Victoire; this is the last. The grape variety, Txakoli Noir (also known as Tchacouli), is highly unusual and thought to have originated in the Basque country.
"The challenge of making wine with this historic grape variety was impossible to resist," Bernard told decanter.com. "And the possibility of taking cuttings and planting them in other parts of downtown Bordeaux is wonderful. I love the idea of helping the city reclaim this piece of its history."
The wine will be called La Vigne Bicentenaire. "We will vinify in a single barrel, and make perhaps 40 bottles that will belong to Bordeaux. On first taste of the grapes, the skin is fairly fragile, with good sugar levels and a touch of rusticity. But that's allowed after 200 years ..."
Foreign fizzy wines to try
We're fast approaching festivities that will involve you acquiring fizz for the fridge. These think-pink bubbles from foreign climes will fit the bill beautifully ...
Codorniu Cuvee Barcelona 1872 Rosé NV, $31
This is made from a selection of different red grapes and is fermented in oak casks. The result is a super-pretty, coppery-pink fizz with aromas of baked strawberries, raspberries and melon. The palate, however, is bone dry and bursting with biscuity, flinty, sea breeze flavours.
Jansz Tasmania Premium Rosé Brut NV, $28
Tasmania is known around the world as a producer of superfine, delicate sparkling wines and Jansz has been at the top of the tree since 1986. This rosé is ultra pale, ballet shoe pink with tiny, pinprick bubbles and aromas of craisins, melon and soft cherry. In the mouth it's deliciously crisp and cleansing, with pink grapefruit and creamy, nutty characters. Food matching? It's crying out for a platter of sizzling prawns straight off the hotplate.
J.de Villaret Cremant de Loire Brut NV, $19.99
The Loire Valley is France's largest producer of sparkling wine outside of the Champagne region. This super affordable example has a very pretty salmon and rose gold colour, aromas of jam-filled pastry and soft berry notes. In the mouth it's creamy and beautifully balanced, full, generous and fruity.