February 2008

Dear friends of Monolithos

This month we continue our discussion on the subject of wine storing. There are two stages of storing wine: in bulk in a stainless steel, a wooden cask (barrel) or other container, and in the bottle. The first is entirely the job of the winemaker, and the second may also be partly under the winemaker's control. But bottle storing, particularly after leaving the winery, is more the job of the merchant or, increasingly, the final purchaser of the wine.

Wine really is alive because it changes and adapts in response to its environment. How it is treated will determine how fast or slow it will age and how it will turn out in the end. The useful life of wine depends on the grape varieties used in the wine, where it was made, the maturity of the wine (how much time has passed since vintage date), whether or not it's a premium wine (i.e. designed to age) and wine storage conditions. The fundamental goal of wine storage is to preserve it. With proper storage, many wines improve with time. On the other hand, improper storage can ruin a good wine in a few days.

There are many factors that can affect how wine ages and we cannot explore all of them in a short article. The information presented here is aiming at providing general guidance for anyone wishing to enhance his knowledge on the subject. There are a few simple principles that need to be understood in order to select proper wine storage conditions. Wine is a living thing, so temperature, humidity, light and vibration among other environmental factors strongly affect the wine’s life cycle, quality and character. The challenge is to control the variables that affect wine storage and avoid harmful changes. The variables needing to be controlled are temperature, humidity, light, air, position, vibration, cleanliness and ventilation.

Temperature is the most important factor. The optimum temperature is 50-55°F (10-12°C). However, any constant temperature within 40-65°F (5-18°C) will do. More important than the actual temperature is the degree and rapidity of fluctuation the wine is subjected to. A slow change of temperature of up to ten or so degrees between winter and summer is not a big problem. But this kind of fluctuation on a daily or weekly basis will cause damage to the wines and age them prematurely.

Ageing wine is a series of different chemical reactions between various compounds and the minute quantities of oxygen allowed into the bottle through the cork. These reactions are easily affected by temperature changes taking place in the environment. Wine hardly ages at all if stored below about 10ºC (50ºF). Place it at 25°C (78ºF), and an age-worthy wine that would normally require 10 years of careful ageing, may be past its prime in just a few months. This is not to say the colder the better. Bottles stored in too cold a temperature can develop deposits or other suspensions in the wine. Anything over about 70°F (21°C) will slowly give a "cooked" flavour to a wine, and really warm conditions of over 77°F (25°C) means that the wines are in grave danger of rapid deterioration. It could cause the wine to expand to a volume larger than the bottle it is stored in, and either the cork will push out or the wine will leak right past the cork. Consequently, temperature stability is the critical factor of wine storage. For wine to age in a proper manner, temperature fluctuations must be minimized in both magnitude and frequency. Finally, keep in mind that white wines are affected far more by temperature problems than red wines.

Humidity is also an important factor. Low humidity can dry the cork to the point that oxygen can seep in and come into contact with the wine. In other words, a dry cork will shrink, crack, lose its elasticity and thereby allow air to get into the bottle. The problem is made worse if low humidity is accompanied by temperature fluctuations. A dry atmosphere is an enemy of the natural cork seal. Low humidity combined with a defective cork results in the wine moving out of the bottle and air naturally moving into the bottle. Moderate humidity is important so as to keep the corks in good resilient condition, thereby preventing them from shrinking. The ideal humidity for any type of cellar or storage room is 70%, however anywhere between 50% and 80% is acceptable. High humidity levels retain moisture inside the bottle, thus preventing evaporation through the cork. However, humidity levels that are too high can cause the labels to go mouldy and allow micro-organisms to grow which can age the wine prematurely or even spoil it. Screw-capped bottles are not sensitive to humidity.

Humidity and temperature are the most important factors when it comes to wine storage, but also great care and attention must be given regarding light, air, bottle position, environmental off smells and excessive vibration.

Light, especially natural sunlight and fluorescent, can affect the wine’s ageing process. Ultraviolet light will damage wine by causing the degradation of the otherwise stable organic compounds, especially the tannins found in wine. These organic compounds contribute to the aroma, flavour and structure of the wine. Without them the wine would appear flat and thin. It is important to keep wines out of direct sunlight, which is one reason many wines, especially reds, are distributed in tinted bottles. Naturally, clear bottles are most susceptible to this problem. However, the typical green-glass wine-bottle, while offering some protection, is not sufficient to block all the offending radiation. This is why it is necessary to limit wine's exposure to sunlight and fluorescent light, or simply keep your wine storage area dark. It should be noted too, that incandescent or sodium vapour lights are better for a cellar that fluorescent lighting. White wines are usually the most susceptible to sunlight.

Wine stored in bottles has a certain amount of air space (ullage). To ensure proper ageing, all wine bottles have some air in them to begin with. What’s important is to ensure the cork remains moist so no additional air in allowed to enter the bottle. That’s why it is advisable to store your wine horizontally to keep the cork from cracking or shrinking, thus admitting unwanted air. Some leakage will not spoil the wine, but excessive leakage will create additional air space in the bottle. Over time, this will contribute to the browning of the wine. Nothing spoils good wine faster than too much air. This not only causes it to lose freshness but, more importantly, it causes the wine to oxidize which results in premature ageing and before long and the wine eventually turns to vinegar. Fortunately, glass is impermeable to air and a good cork will keep air exchange to a minimum for years.

The effect of vibrations on wine is controversial. Some purists insist that vibrations affect flavour and bouquet. They are of the opinion that shock or agitation to ageing wine bottles can disturb the sediment and affect the ageing process. They claim that constant vibration from machinery or a nearby road disturbs a red wine's sediment and can be harmful to all wine. But there is no clear evidence that suggests that vibration is an important issue for wines, even for those that do develop sediment. In any case, noise and vibration is not commonly a problem in the average home. Once a wine is laid down, it should stay there until it is opened. Letting the wine sit in a quiet area for a few weeks before serving will allow the sediment to settle.

One additional factor to avoid is storing other items with very strong odours near the wine. There have been many reports of wines picking up the aromas of items stored nearby. The storage space should be free from smells and debris. Since some air will always get back into the wine through the cork, the molecules that make up that odour can, and will, get into the wine over time. Highly volatile chemical compounds are particularly harmful. Some odours to look out for include solvents (i.e. fresh paint, chlorine and cleaning solutions), or various aromatic food products like onions, garlic, etc. Consequently, wine needs to be kept in an odour-free environment. Proper ventilation will help with this problem and keep the storage area from giving the wine a musty taste.

Wine Storage Tips:

. Avoid purchasing wines bottles that have been standing for several months

. Do not choose bottles in which the level of the liquid is lower than normal (2 cm from the bottle neck).

. Avoid buying bottles that have been exposed to the sun or to an artificial light bulb for a long time.

. Never leave wine in the trunk of your car when parked in the sun.

. Stack wines on shelves made of wood, tile or cement because they resist temperature changes better than metal.

. Store fortified wines standing, but stack all other wines horizontally with their labels facing upward.

. Remember that when wine bottles are stored next to one another, their temperatures remain stable.

. Store wines at a constant temperature between 40ºF and 65ºF (5-18ºC);

. Try to store your wine in areas away from heat – not on top of the refrigerator or in the cabinet above the range.

. Wine that is too cold can develop deposits, sediments or suspensions.

. White wines are more affected by temperature problems than red wines.

. Store sparkling wines and dry whites and rosés near the floor where the temperature is cooler.

. A relative humidity of 50% to 80% is acceptable, but 70% is preferred.

Do not allow direct sunlight in the cellar and keep the lighting dim so the wine does not prematurely age.

. Ultraviolet light can give wine unpleasant odours and ruin the taste, so incandescent or sodium vapour lights are better than fluorescent and UV lighting.

. Sparkling and white wines are the most sensitive to light.

. Keep the cellar free from smells because they can enter the bottle through the cork and contaminate the wine.

. Store wines in a location where you do not have to move them around to reach a specific bottle. Once a wine is laid down, it should stay there until it is opened.

. Whenever you carry wine in your car during warm weather months, it is best to keep the bottles in an upright position and keep them with you in the front of the car, not in the trunk. Also, do not leave them in a closed car which is parked in the sun. With excessive temperature, the wine and air inside the bottle will expand and possibly cause leakage of the wine past the cork.

. Wines meant for consumption within a few weeks should be kept cool and out of direct sunlight.

. A larger bottle has a smaller ratio of air to wine so when you can, purchase or use a larger bottle. Once the bottle has been opened and if you don’t expect to consume the remainder in a few days, it’s suggested that you transfer the leftover wine to a smaller bottle.

. Ideal places to store your wine if you do not have a cellar: Under the stairs; in a dark cupboard; under the bed; in the garage if heat and odours are not strong.

Wine News and Information

Based on various scientific surveys, we know that temperatures will continue to become warmer on average between now and 2100, and that will have a direct impact on the growing of grapes that the various established wine regions can produce. It could also change the typical characteristics that we associate with various wine-growing regions.

The topic of global warming was on the lips of everyone at the Adelaide technical conference, in part because Australia’s wine industry has already seen the impact of global warming. High temperatures during the 2007 harvest caused a drastic drop in production. Many experts predict that drought conditions could well affect many of the more prestigious wine-growing regions of the world. Because of rapid warming in the past 30 years, the earth is approaching and will soon surpass the warmest temperatures in the past 12,000 years – since the end of the last ice age.

News stories about global warming indicated that the Napa Valley is destined to collapse as a fine wine region. Stories implied that the area would soon be a desert that would make only simple, hot-climate wines. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has said that unless wine makers intervene with plant-protection systems, the total area suitable for wine growing in the USA could shrink by up to 80% by the end of the century. Even so, most studies on climate change have not been very specific about how a projected 1 to 3ºC increase in the average temperature by the end of the century will affect grape growing. The assumption is that increased solar radiation and the possible reduction in available water could be disastrous.

One possible effect of increased daytime temperatures, when that occurs, could well be accelerated sugar accumulation in berries, which could call for harvesting grapes at higher and higher potential alcohol levels with consequently a greater need for alcohol-removal techniques. And still it may be that certain grapes will be harvested that have a green, vegetative character. No one is quite sure what to make of the global climate change at this point, but almost all agree that it’s a huge challenge to wine makers around the world. And it appears as if it will become even more challenging.

According to the French wine company WineSight, over the past year or so, brands for women have focused on making wine lower in calories, lower in alcohol and lower in flavour, despite the fact that more and more women have become interested in trading up to a higher quality glass of wine as a well-deserved indulgence. British women like to treat themselves to a delicious glass or two, and are impressed by taste, rather than wine snobbery.

We’ve all heard the statistics pointing to women buying and consuming more wine than men in many countries around the world. Studies have also proven that many women prefer smooth, supple and subtle wines offering a delicate combination of flavours, while men, especially before reaching “expert” levels, tend to prefer full-bodied wines.

For women, the scent of the wine is crucial, while men focus on the palate. Women tend to seek the full wine experience: who we’re with, what we’re eating, and how we feel. Yet, the market continues to be dominated by brands aimed at men, alongside a handful of wines for women, many of which fall short of the mark when it comes to style, taste and finesse.

Since the company’s arrival in Great Britain in November 2007, WineSight has developed relationships with some of the leading bars and restaurants in London, which are keen to capitalise on women’s increasing interest in higher quality wines on their night out.

WineSight plans to be involved in a series of events more specifically dedicated to women, from fashion shows to networking lunches and business conferences.

Monolithos Monthly News

In the vineyard, pruning started early in January. Pruning, which is quite simply the cutting back of dead wood and superfluous plant growth, is the single most important step in vineyard management. Prior to coming into its winter dormancy, each vine sets its buds for the upcoming year. The number of buds set is governed by the growing patterns of the past season, and it is up to the farmer to prune accordingly so that the vine is not stressed and produces a healthy harvest. Vines start to stir in February and, by necessity, winter is the best time to sculpt or shape the vines in preparation for the upcoming growing season (buds break in mid May) and establish the vineyard’s crop potential. Pruning saves a cultivated vine from self-destruction. Left alone, it would simply reproduce until it killed itself. The seemingly aggressive act of pruning allows the vine to maintain a healthy vigour and achieve its best crop potential.

In the life cycle of a vineyard, vines reach their prime in their tenth year. They are now in their most vigorous and productive phase. Pruning consistently follows the patterns established in previous years. At year fifteen, a vine has reached full maturity; growth is regular and the plant is mellowed and balanced. It’s at this point we can push a little more, cut back more severely to force the crop down and produce a top-tier wine. A vineyard is not unlike a garden. Spectacular results require patience, attention and careful nurturing.

All eight Monolithos premium wines are available for tasting or purchasing, so if at any time you are passing near the village of Pachna and wish to visit the winery, Martin Wood will be pleased to meet and assist you at his “Fig Tree Villa” in Pachna, so do not hesitate to phone him at 25-816212 or 99-165995.

Regards from all of us here at Monolithos and always remember the words of Samuel Butler (17th century):

“All love at first, like generous wine – ferments and frets until ‘tis fine”

January 2008

A brand new year is here, another year filled with resolutions and expectations. Our sincerest wish is that 2008 will bring you and your loved ones happiness, health and prosperity filled with good times and all good things – including wine. This year, we look forward to welcoming all of you to the Winery.

With the advent of the New Year, we shall take an introductory look into the huge subject of ageing and storing wine. This topic comes up again and again among winemakers, wine merchants, retailers and consumers. We have therefore gathered some information and compiled this newsletter with the aim of offering practical understanding of the main issues regarding storing, maturing and ageing wine. Like most aspects of the complex world of wine, this information is provided only as guidance and not as a gospel. There are so many factors related to the subject, that we cannot investigate all of them here.

The words “maturing”, “storing” and “ageing” are often used interchangeably, but they don’t mean precisely the same thing. Maturation is widely considered to be the process by which a wine reaches a point of readiness for bottling, although maturation can continue in the bottle before leaving the winery. Storing time refers to the period during which a wine maintains a pleasant and relatively harmonious aroma and taste. It is directly related to the storage method, container, and environment, whether this is in the winery, the supermarket or our home. Ageing is a phenomenon that occurs according to a cycle. For a certain time, the taste of the wine becomes more refined, reaching the peak of its taste and then slowly losing quality until the very end of the ageing cycle.

Furthermore, the term maturation is often used for the changes which take place during bulk storage and ageing is used for the changes during bottle storage. This key difference in their definition stems from the fact that during bulk storage, a wine is likely to be exposed to air, whereas when bottled, it is stored in essentially anaerobic conditions. The processes of maturation and ageing involve, among other factors, time, type of storage container, and the conditions of storage e.g. temperature and humidity.

In a modern winery, wine undergoes maturation and subsequently ageing in at least two phases: in bulk storage in a container, and in the bottle. The first is entirely the job of the winemaker, but bottle ageing continues after leaving the winery and becomes the responsibility of the merchant or, increasingly, the final purchaser of the wine.

Wine is created through two naturally occurring living processes – the growth of grapes on the vine, and the conversion of the sugar in those grapes to alcohol by yeast. Wine is a complex liquid with a fragile balance of amino acids, phenols, carbohydrates and other components that could be easily affected by physical conditions or chemical changes. Many types of material have been used for wine storage, such as pottery, stainless steel, concrete, plastic and wood. The size and the material used for the container could have a profound effect on wine character and development during maturation.

For centuries, wine has been laid down to mature in cool, damp cellars. The use of oak barrels to age red and some white wines is also well established. Back in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, wood was pretty much the main material used for building containers. Wine was vinified in small or in very large oak barrels. These days, we can find many kinds of containers in common usage all over the world. Materials such as stainless steel, wood, cement and fibreglass vats are commonly in use. In the early 20^th century, poured concrete made its appearance, and winemakers started using it to build their tanks.

Concrete had several advantages over oak. First, it can be formed into convenient shapes, and so most winemakers made them square so that a row of vats could be created, sharing common walls and taking up less space than round oak vats. Concrete was much less expensive than oak and easy to work with, as opposed to oak barrels which required many hours of highly specialized labour to build. Concrete is a neutral substance, and doesn’t impart any particular taste to the wine. Finally, it is much easier to clean and maintain than oak, which requires sterilization with sulphur and special treatments before use each year. Concrete, therefore, became the material of choice, particularly in bulk wine-producing areas where winemakers needed to minimize expenses.

In the 60’s, the importance of good hygiene in the winery, including the need to keep fermentation tanks spotlessly clean, established the use of stainless steel as the main container for wine fermentation and storage. Its most important attributes are ease of maintenance, hygiene and built-in temperature-control.

Stainless steel vats come in all shapes and sizes, from 100 litres to larger than 50.000 litres. It is preferable to use as big a vat as possible, provided there is adequate wine to fill it to the top in order to minimize the effect of oxygen. The control of the latter is perhaps the most important parameter during maturation and ageing of wine. In order to ensure the minimum effect of oxygen, the winemaker should store bulk wine in a stainless steel tank which is kept entirely full, thus preventing its presence. The winemaker must check the wine level every three to four weeks to ensure that everything is developing as planned according to the desired taste, and top up the tank when required.

Wine spends much of its life sitting in a tank or a barrel or a bottle, waiting for things to happen. During each of these periods, something different occurs to the container it is in. Wine produced a few weeks after fermentation is not ready for consumption because it is cloudy from unwanted substances and yeast cells. However, beneath the cloudiness, a winemaker can easily sense the character and potentials of the new wine. All that is required is a step-by-step removal of all unwanted substances that mask the true nature of the wine. Furthermore, the watchful contribution of the winemaker can expedite the uncovering of the pleasurable flavours of the wine during maturation.

For some wines, maturation takes place in wood barrels, and others – especially those intended to be consumed young – mature in stainless steel tanks. Maturation allows wine to develop complexity of aromas and flavours. It also helps to clarify the wine by allowing deposits to settle at the bottom of the barrel or tank for removal. While this is happening, the aromas of the grape are replaced by the bouquet of the maturing wine.

It is only within the last century that we have begun to understand what transpires in the barrel and the bottle during the maturation and ageing processes. The factors that prolong the ageing cycle of wine are quite complex, but here are a couple of rules of thumb: The wine must have a fairly high level of tannin to age at all. However, all the tannin in the world is no good if the wine has no acidity to keep it fresh tasting. Acidity and tannin are all well and good, but it is fruit that makes wine taste good, and if there is not enough fruit in the wine, then when it ages, it will lack character and taste. Consequently, the fuller a wine in all three of the abovementioned components, the longer and better it will age.

Tannins come from the skins and seeds of the grapes or (especially in the case of white) from being aged in oak wood. Grape tannins are more subtle, but often as strong, and rarely as astringent (mouth drying) as oak tannins. Grape tannins are better than oak when it comes to ageing. Grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon tend to have better ageing potential because of their thicker skins. The acidity primarily comes from the grape itself. Acidity can be balanced during the winemaking process, but the best vintages have a perfect balance of tannin, fruit and acidity during harvesting.

As already stated, wine matures in bulk during the period from the end of the fermentation until bottling. The duration of this period is dependent on a number of factors such as the variety of grape, vineyard location, type, colour, and quality of wine. The conditions under which wine is stored and processed, and the container used during this period, have a significant impact on its maturing, development and life cycle ageing.

Furthermore, wines differ according to the strains of yeast used, the temperature at which they are vinified, the proportion of new oak barrel used for their ageing and the length of time they are kept in barrels. Blending different wines also determines the style of the wine. One purpose of blending is to render wines ready for drinking earlier than they might otherwise be. A blended wine is usually ready earlier than a wine made from a single grape variety. In fact, using a mixture of varieties gives a complex flavour much more rapidly.

Sometimes stainless steel and oak are combined. Initially fermented in a neutral stainless steel vat to keep the fruit aromas pure and fresh, the wine is then placed for several months in an oak barrel for conditioning. Barrel maturation has been intensively researched in the past, but it remains a complex and unpredictable process which is mostly dependent on the relationship between wood, wine and environmental components. The French call this “the kiss of oak”. Here, the toasty, vanilla flavours of the oak are absorbed directly into the wine, without losing its fruitiness or radically altering the texture. Shortly after bottling, the vanilla and toast aromas dominate the wine’s bouquet, but within a few years, they settle in with the fruit and sing a different kind of harmony.

There really is no right or wrong choice of tank type. As a painter chooses to work with oils, watercolours or pastels, the winemaker chooses the type of vat that best suits his way of winemaking process and the type of grapes his vineyard produces. It’s just one of the several decisions in the winegrowing and winemaking field that determine the quality and personality of the wine a winemaker wishes to establish.

Bottle ageing is the final stage of maturation and is characterised by the fact that the wine does not come into direct contact with oxygen. During this period of anaerobic maturation, the wine needs to rest under constant conditions. Sudden environmental changes, such as temperature and light, have a negative influence on the slow development and chemical inter-actions that take place inside the bottle, resulting in rapid decomposition of the wine’s structural components. It is important to remember that smaller bottles will mature more quickly than standard bottles or magnums, as the proportion of air in the bottle neck space to the volume of wine is relatively higher.

Red wine is left to mature in oak barrels for three months to three years to develop the proper amount of flavour. It is then put into bottles, and these bottles are aged even further, both by the winery and also by the consumer, to bring the wine to the perfect point for consumption. Red wine quality is a balance between the grapes inherent aromas, the ageing bouquet and the oak character (especially the vanilla flavour) acquired during storing in oak barrels. The rate at which the maturation occurs depends upon a number of factors such as: type of wood, size of barrel, age of barrel, duration, temperature and conditions of cellar.

White wine is normally mature for less time than a red wine. It might reach a sufficient level of maturity within a few months after fermentation, and it could be bottled immediately or, for some special varieties after a year, in a barrel to extract the correct amount of flavour. White wines are normally drinkable immediately you purchase the bottle, although some whites that have undergone barrel maturation could benefit from a few years of bottle ageing. There are no old white wines.

Generally speaking, today’s wines are ready to be enjoyed while young and fresh upon release. Most white wines, in particular, are intended for drinking within two to three years after the vintage date. However, with proper storage, certain wines tend to improve with age. Improper storage can ruin a good wine in a very short time. Whites are more durable than reds. They travel well, accept light better, will tolerate cold refrigeration, and do not require breathing; however, like reds, they do not tolerate heat. Also, whites don't age well.

In conclusion, whereas ageing normally refers to the period a wine spends between being bottled and consumed, maturation refers to how the wine is handled between fermentation and bottling. Most red wines and some whites are held in tanks or casks for a few months in order to settle prior to bottling. In this way, maturation allows the wines to mellow out first. Red wines have especially high tannin contents, making most new wines undrinkable. If the wine is allowed to settle, however, the bitterness decreases. The character of the wine is fully influenced during this period. The container used in maturation, the length of the process and the temperature all affect the flavour of the wine. For some reds, such as Beaujolais Nouveau, the maturation process is short and bottling occurs almost immediately after fermentation. Many reds develop strong characters from long maturation times in newly constructed wooden barrels that impart their flavours into the juice. Reds are known to mature for up to three or four years. All fortified wines are aged in large barrels from between two to ten years. Whites spend the least amount of time in this maturation process. With less tannin influence, white wines are not required to mellow as much and can be quickly bottled.

Wine News and Information

Plans to reform the European wine industry have been agreed by EU Agriculture Ministers in December. The compromised agreement includes a voluntary three-year grubbing up scheme covering up to 175,000 hectares of vineyards instead of the 400,000 hectares originally proposed by Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel after the plans came under fire from France and Italy in particular. Also, plans to ban chaptalisation (adding of sugar) were abandoned after running into opposition from Northern European wine-producing countries such as Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic. However, maximum levels of enrichment will be reduced. Furthermore, subsidies for crisis distillation are to be phased out by 2013, with the money saved then allocated at a national level for investment in vineyards, wineries, innovations and marketing – part of a general move towards a devolution of decision-making away from Brussels and onto member nations.

The measures also promise simplified labelling rules, most significantly allowing wines without geographical indication to mention vintage and grape variety on their labels. The EU will also take over responsibility for changes to winemaking practices. Now, Europe will promote more single-grape wines like Syrah or Sauvignon Blanc, much like the New World has done for a generation. And instead of fancy labels designating tiny plots in faraway places and arcane production methods, simplicity is the new order of the day. The reforms, which are budget-neutral, are due to take effect on 1 August 2008.

China and Hong Kong will be the eighth biggest wine consumer in the world by 2012, according to research commissioned by Vinexpo (Asia-Pacific takes place in Hong Kong from 27-29 May 2008)..

Taking an even bigger slice of the US$100 billion world wine industry, China joined the “top ten club” of the biggest wine consumers last year. France is still the biggest supplier of wine to Asia, but Australia, Chile and the US are rapidly increasing their market share.

The latest forecasts, carried out by researchers IWSC commissioned by Vinexpo, has China overtaking Romania and the Russian Federation to reach number eight position in five years. Researchers reckon the market for wine in China will grow by 70% between 2006 and 2011, Vinexpo chief executive Robert Beynat said. At present, France and Italy, with 12.7% and 12.6% of the world market respectively, are the world’s top consumers. They are followed by the US (11.1%), Germany (10.3%), the UK (5.4%), Argentina, Spain, Russia, Romania and China, with 2.2% of the world market. The forecast is that the US will be the biggest consumer by volume by 2012.

Vinexpo has commissioned market research and forecasts for 11 years and has used IWSR to produce them since 2002. Beynat said yesterday that over five years they reckoned on being accurate to within 0.2%. There have been mistakes, he said. “We were wrong about the Chinese market in 2005 when we predicted a 36% growth. We have changed our minds since then and now predict a 70% rise.”

Of the Asian countries, China and Hong Kong command 62.7% of the market. They are followed by Japan (28%), then South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, India and Malaysia. India has 0.8% of the Asian market but is predicted to grow by 200% over the next five years, Beynat said. The top five exporters to Asia are France (with 39.3 % of the market), the US (13.8%), Italy (13.2%), Australia (10.2%) and Chile (7.6%).

Growth rates for these countries between 2002 and 2006 are radically different, with Australia, Chile, and the US showing the most dramatic acceleration (128.4%, 45.1% and 40.9% respectively), and Italy the only country to lose market share, dropping -3.7%.

Monolithos Monthly News

Winter is the normal dormancy – or sleep – period for vines. Dormancy will end with bud break in the spring. This year’s January started off dry and warm. Pruning commenced in January and will be completed in the middle of February. How we prune our vines has a direct impact on the coming vintage, so we take it very seriously. With precision pruning, we not only affect how many grapes will grow, but also how they will develop on the vine. This is also the time of year for land preparation and weed control. Weeds are commonly controlled either chemically or mechanically. In Cyprus, mechanical mowers are widely used.

January is always the quiet after the storm of the holiday season in the wine business, however at the Winery, everything becomes “vigorous” with activity. The grapes harvested in autumn are now being racked and filtered.

Red wines are being cleaned up, whilst white wines that will be bottled quickly are being stabilized by mixing it with bentonite. The latter removes some of the protein which will form a haze in the wine during warm weather. There are a number of other materials that may be added now to correct any deficiencies in the wine. Generally, at Monolithos, as little as possible is added to wine. Filtering and pumping the wine from tank to tank is also kept to a minimum. Our winemaking policy is to make the best possible product with the least amount of processing.

The wine is cooled to just above freezing in order to remove excess tartrate in a process called “cold stabilization”. Tartaric acid is the main acid in grapes. Some of it is present in the wine in the form of potassium tartrate. This material becomes insoluble and forms crystals when the wine is cooled. By cooling white wine and filtering it in the winery, the wine will not form crystals when the consumer puts the bottle in the refrigerator for a week or two. This is less of a problem in red wines as red wines are not usually chilled before serving.

We thank you for your continued support. Take care and remember:

“Who loves not women, WINE and song, remains a fool his whole life long.”

Martin Luther

If at any time you are passing near the village of Pachna and wish to visit the winery or purchase any of our products, Martin Wood will be pleased to meet and assist you at his “Fig Tree Villa” in Pachna, so do not hesitate to phone him at 25-816212 or 99-165995.

Wishing you a happy New Year from all of us here at Monolithos

November 2007

Dear Friends of Monolithos,

December is the month of year when we devote more of our time to eating and drinking. Parties usually start early in December and go on until the New Year. The chilly winter months and the warm festive season spirit create the concoction of fun, merriment and excitement! It’s time to celebrate this holiday season, and no celebration is complete without good food and excellent wine.

In fact, one of the greatest pleasures of wine is the act of sharing it. Most people love to cook meals for close friends. Then all sit and eat together and discuss various issues. The conversation could be enriched by tasting different bottles of wine and sharing opinions and experiences. At our family feast, we serve a wide variety of wines, red and white, brought by different members of the family. We taste while we cook, we taste while we eat, we taste while we digest and we discuss and debate the merits of what we are drinking. That process has become almost as much fun as the feast itself. There are innumerable varieties of excellent wines to enhance the spirit of your Christmas celebrations.

Drinking wine is supposed to be one of the greatest pleasures in life. Knowing how to pair wine and food is essential to enjoying your meal. If a wine is chosen properly, it will enhance the tastefulness of the food and you will appreciate your dining experience more. Simple rules, such as choosing white wine for white meat, are not that difficult to grasp. However, knowing which white wine to select from that long list you are presented with is an art.

Sparkling wines

Let us start with the sparkling wines. Champaign is considered by most as the world’s greatest sparkling wine. The fact that Champaign and other similar sparkling wines are almost a requirement for special occasions like christenings and weddings also reduces price sensitivity and leads to higher prices. However, there really are some nice sparkling wines at relatively lower prices. These are remarkably flexible wines and can accommodate almost any occasion or palate.

“Champagne” is a term that can only be used with sparkling wines from the Champagne region of France. What one should have in mind is that any sparkling wine has bubbles. These bubbles are from carbon dioxide that is trapped in the wine, a product of the conversion of sugar into alcohol. The quality of the wine depends on the quality of the grapes, the weather in which they were grown and the artistry with which it was made. Price is a function of all those things, plus, of course, the snob appeal of the brand. It is worth mentioning that quality and price in wine are not proportionate, that is, a £50 bottle is not necessarily ten times better than a £5 bottle. In fact, that is seldom true. And sometimes, the more expensive wine is not better at all.

Most white sparkling wines are great cocktail wines, either alone or mixed with fruit juice or liqueurs to make holiday parties even more festive. And they can be wonderful dinner wines, surprisingly food-friendly with dishes from caviar to glazed ham or roast pork to pasta.

Whites

Whites have their place. When people discuss the revolution in wine that has happened over the last 30 years, they must emphasize the astounding leap white wine has taken to reach the highest standards of its red wine counterparts. Today, there are world-class white wines to match any occasion – and they are available at almost any price. There is a move towards wine that states reds work well in autumn and winter, while rose and white wines are a refreshing choice for a spring or summer event. A full-bodied white offers a perfect year-round choice. White wines with 12% or above are called “heavy”. A new white wine with low levels of acidity and characterized by light floral flavours, often surrounded by delicate touches of fruits such as tropical fruits, peaches and pears, is particularly refreshing and a widely popular choice.

With its diverse range of varieties and flavours, quality wine can complement the spirit of any celebration, whether guests are gathering for a wedding, a graduation, Christmas and New Year or any other important milestone. Dessert wine is best served, as its name suggests, with puddings but dry or medium white can be served as an aperitif or with any type of food – it is really a matter of personal preference.

Roses

Roses are generally made from red grapes and have a little more body. They also have a lovely festive colour that matches special occasions well. Rose wines are becoming increasingly popular. Most roses start off being produced like a red wine and are in contact with the grape skins for a certain length of time. This period determines the depth of colour of the wine.

Roses are fresh and fruity and can be dry or medium. They are good served well chilled as a refreshing drink, or to accompany Chinese, Japanese and Thai food, especially seafood. There are also sparkling rose wines.

Reds

Red meat usually demands a dry red wine. A good beef or lamb dish, provided that it is not highly seasoned, justifies a bottle or two of the best red wine available. If the meat itself is highly flavoured, such as liver, kidneys or sausages, a full-bodied, medium quality red wine is usually most suitable. The finesse of a great wine would be difficult to appreciate with dishes of this kind.

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes do, indeed, serve as the primary ingredient in some of the world’s greatest wines. They are a lovely deep red in colour and often exhibit cedar, violet and dark berry aromas. The flavours are rich and deeply fruity but restrained. You will find hundreds of different “Cabs” in a big store, including wines from countries you didn’t even know existed. An astonishing number of these bottles sell for more than £20. Except at the very high end of the market where the wines are consistently outstanding, even if ridiculously expensive, there is shockingly little correlation between price and quality. It is quite possible today to find £10 Cabernets that are better than £50 Cabernets.

One suggestion: Most full-bodied red wines will improve with an hour or two of “breathing.” Either pour into a decanter, or into glasses and let them sit for a while.

Sweet Rich Wines

Sweet dishes are best accompanied by sweet, rich wine, the contrast of such food with dry wine being rather unpleasant. Heavy, sweet, fortified wines are suitable companions for the sweetest dishes.

Monolithos Wines for the Festive Season

To pick the perfect wines for your next event, offer a range of options to suit guests’ tastes. On average, approximately 30% to 50% of guests will drink white wine, 30% to 50% will drink red wine and 10% to 20% will drink blush wine. In addition, women tend to be white wine drinkers, while men more often prefer red wine. When hosting a dinner party, consider what entree you are serving and select wines that will enhance the food. Most wines of the world are best when consumed young, and that is true of most Monolithos Wines as well.

Monolithos produces and bottles two semi-sparkling wines under the Santa Monica label.

Santa Monica White has a lovely light yellow green colour with a delicate, light floral nose and medium-sized bubbles. You can sense flavours of pineapple, tropical fruit and apple and is in perfect balance with the bit of sweetness. This is a lovely wine to mix for cocktails, to accompany a dessert or simply as a welcoming drink for newly arriving guests.

Santa Monica Rose has a strong pink colour with a light touch of fresh berries on the nose and raspberry flavours. If you like a touch of sweetness in your sparkling wine, this could be the one for you. Santa Monica sparkling white wine or rose make good aperitifs.

Both are not wines to put in a cellar and age for years and the labels won’t impress your snobby neighbour. But for drinking with people you love, these wines will delight you.

If soup is included in the menu, a dry white wine with chicken or fish soup and a fortified wine is satisfactory with most meat soups. In most cases, the wine to be served with the main course can be confidently served with the soup too.

Monolithos Wines with Main Courses

Monolithos White Dry and Ayios Stephanos White wine can be enjoyed with white meats such as chicken, pork or veal. If white wine is served, it should be dry or medium-dry, and full-flavoured. A light red wine (Monolithos Red or Ayios Stephanos Red) is particularly suited to the more strongly flavoured white meat dishes.

Fish, including shellfish, almost always tastes best with dry white wine. White wine with a slightly sharp, acid flavour can be used to offset the oiliness that is characteristic of some fish dishes. Fish with an extremely delicate flavour needs to be accompanied by a very light white wine (Monolithos White or Santa Monica White). A fuller bodied white wine (Ayios Stephanos) can be served with the more flavourful fish dishes. If lemon or a strong sauce is provided with the fish, a cheaper variety of wine can be served. Ayios Stephanos is a versatile white wine that pairs well with poultry dishes, but also goes well with pork, veal, seafood and recipes featuring a cream base.

The Christmas turkey presents a dilemma in the food and wine matching stakes. If your meal is a simple turkey dish, a young red or white will make a great match. However, if you have stuffing and sauces such as cranberry sauce etc. then a more complex red would be a better option. Thus either Monolithos Red or Ayios Stephanos Red will make great matches. Monolithos Red wines complement beef dishes or pastas with red sauces. They look and smell delicious, and they are. They are fresh, soft and gentle wines with rich flavours of strawberries and dry fruits with a touch of cinnamon. These are all nice wines, hard to dislike.

Monolithos wines with cheese

The relatively strong flavour of most cheeses demands a full- bodied red table wine such as Monolithos Cabernet Sauvignon or Ayios Stephanos Red. The latter is a blend of Cabernet, Shiraz and Mavro grapes and has a spectacular dark pink colour and a rich nose.

White wine (Monolithos White Dry and Ayios Stephanos White) complements milder cheeses.

Ayios Stephanos White with a pale yellow colour leads to soft tropical fruit flavours on the nose. It’s lightly floral with tastes of melon and a squeeze of citrus. It’s more gentle than aggressive, but has a little bite at the back of the throat to let you know you are alive. It is perfect with light-flavoured chicken, veal or simple seafood dishes.

Festive Season Tips

Holidays bring with them parties and gatherings, along with more opportunities than usual to drink alcohol with family and friends. Here are some tips to see you through the festive season.

. Drink some water or a diet soft drink before drinking any alcohol, so that you are not thirsty when you start.

. Sip your alcoholic drink slowly and drink something non-alcoholic (water or a soft drink) between each alcoholic drink.

. Avoid salty foods, as this will only make you thirsty.

. When it comes to choosing the right wine, most of the age-old rules still apply. Drink white wine with starters, pale meat and fish, and red wine with red meat and game.

. White wine is generally best served lightly chilled – put it in the fridge for at least half an hour before serving to allow it to cool sufficiently.

. Red wines will get much better if left in the glass or properly decanted for at least an hour.

. Try to eat a substantial meal to increase your tolerance if you are planning on drinking. Avoid eating salty party and snack foods which will encourage you to drink more quickly.

. Listen to your body – stop eating when you feel full.

. Have a positive attitude and try not to worry about things that are beyond your control.

. If you want a drink, stop and think. How will you get home – bus, taxi, lift? Plan your journey in advance and get home safely.

. Look after your friends. If you think someone has had too much to drink, arrange a lift home for them with someone who hasn’t been drinking, call them a cab, or let them stay for the night. Remember, it is the season of goodwill!

. Only spend what you know you can afford. If your finances are shaky, thoughtful and handmade gifts often offer more pleasure.

. Don’t try to lose weight over Christmas. With parties, families and all the special foods that go with Christmas, it’s going to be just about impossible! Your main aim should be to maintain your weight.

. Holidays are the perfect time to start off the exercise routine. Get out into the fresh air and find an exercise that you enjoy: as long as you are getting the heart rate up and starting to perspire, that’s all you need to work off the extra calories.

. Remember – Everything in moderation.

Wine News and Information

A new report from Oregon State University maintains that the kind of closure used in a wine bottle – whether natural cork, synthetic cork, or a screw cap – makes no difference in the taste of wine. Whether you are drinking a $5 or a $200 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, the type of closure probably won’t affect the taste.

In fact, while the study doesn’t go this far, the fact is that a screw top actually is less likely to cause any problem in the taste of wine. Just a tiny bit of bacteria in natural cork can actually cause a wine to taste a little “off”. However, another report from the same researchers suggests that, given a choice between a corked wine and a wine with a screw top, consumers almost always preferred the former and identified the latter as being lower in quality and therefore less expensive. Clearly, the wine industry has a lot of work to convince us (consumers) that a screw top on a bottle of wine isn’t a sign of lesser quality.

The supermarkets already have their Christmas decorations out in the hopes of putting the idea of early holiday shopping in the minds of those so inclined. And with that in mind, some of the best gifts are surely those that people can use! What can be put to better use during the holiday season than wine? No matter where you go, wine is always a welcome gift. When you go wine gift shopping, keep an open mind. Decide on a price point.

There are gift baskets which, apart from the wine, contain crackers, nuts, biscuits, chocolates, or anything else that strikes your fancy. Many of these gift baskets include local or foreign wines. Some of them are good, and some of them are terrible. Before you grab a basket and run, make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. A lot of items are thrown in that people eventually throw out. If wine is what you are interested in most, we strongly recommend Monolithos special gift boxes of one or two bottles of your choice.

Sparkling Wine Cocktail

Ingredients
6 ounces Sparkling Wine or Champagne
1 cube sugar

Angostura bitters
Directions

Soak a sugar cube with Angostura bitters. Place the cube in the bottom of a chilled Champagne flute. Fill with Sparkling Wine or Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Italian Kiss Cocktail

Ingredients

5 oz sparkling wine

1 ounce orange juice

1 oz Amaretto

Orange slices
Directions

Pour Amaretto and orange juice into a tulip shaped glass.
Pour sparkling wine into the glass.
Garnish with half an orange slice.

English Christmas Punch

This recipe makes 27-30 individual drinks when served in white wine glasses, making it a perfect holiday party punch:

Ingredients:

750 ml bottle dark rum
750 ml bottle dry red wine
3 cups strong tea
1 lb superfine sugar
Juice of 1 large orange
Juice of 1 lemon

Preparation
Heat, but do not boil, the wine, tea, lemon and orange juice in a saucepan.
Pour the heated mix into a heat-proof punch bowl.
Place as much sugar as possible into a large ladle and any excess sugar into the punch bowl.
Saturate the sugar in the ladle with rum.
Ignite the rum and sugar in the ladle and pour it – carefully – while still aflame into the punch.

Stir well and extinguish the flames.

We thank you for your continued support. If at any time you are passing near the village of Pachna and wish to visit the winery or purchase any of our products, Martin Wood will be pleased to meet and assist you at his “Fig Tree Villa” in Pachna, so do not hesitate to phone him at 25-816212 or 99-165995.

Here’s a toast to the future, a toast to the past, and a toast to our friends, far and near.

May the future be pleasant; the past a bright dream; May our friends remain faithful and dear.

Anonymous

Take care, and always remember:

”New Year’s Day is every man’s birthday.”

Charles Lamb