(Updated: A new article in The Telegraph was published on this topic “Zut alors! English fizz trumps champagne in blind wine tasting“). Yesterday, I read the article « Hambledon ‘better than most NV Champagne’ » in Drinks Business and I was really surprised to read this sentence at a time when the comparison between Sparkling wines and Champagne no longer makes any sense and has ceased to be relevant (if there was any relevancy).This is the theme of the new Film ‘The Path of Humility’ (duration: 1H30) that was released last Friday. As the participants in the film say, Champagne must be the ‘gold standard’. Thinking differently would mean Handmade Vintage Sparkling wines would fall into the trap of Napa Valley in the 80s (do you remember the Judgment of Paris?), which was always looking for a comparison to great Châteaux of Bordeaux in order to prove a superiority: the success of focusing on a specific style and identity from Napa Valley over the last 10 years has shown that the previous approach led to a dead-end.
2015 is not the time for comparison. It is the moment for an in depth look at the aromatic and gustative qualities of each individual place that forms part of one and the same appellation. It’s time for a precise analysis of the ultra-complex mosaic of the places that wine comes from. Take Cava for example; what do we know of the terroirs that make these wines? Not a great deal…and yet a visionary man (or a madman, call it what you like) has done it. His name is Pepe Raventos, and he created a new appellation, Conca Del Riu Anoia, in the heart of the historic region which produces Cava, the Spanish sparkling wine that is famous the world over. At Champagne Henri Giraud, Claude Giraud (representing the twelfth generation of the family) understands it very well because he has long been used to this terroir (or cru) approach in Champagne, beginning with the parcels which are closest to his heart in the Grand Cru of Aÿ. This mosaic of terroirs can also be found, of course, in the Côte des Blancs with its fundamental differences with Mesnil, Avize, Cramant and many others.
From France, Spain, England, USA, Tasmania and numerous other regions, the comparison of Sparkling wine with Champagne is not pertinent in 2015. Today, the desire to study the diversity of terroirs that produce “Handmade Vintage Sparkling Wines” – as named in the Film – is motivating each one in their own region. Writing for Robert Parker, Monica Lerner made an announcement recently that puts the emphasis on this new dynamic; she is about to begin a project in Franciacorta, an appellation of around 1,300 hectares, to establish a classification of the different zones linked with their particular influence on the wines. This is what she wrote in the Wine advocate: “My idea this year, is to start working on a definition of what Franciacorta is. This is not an easy task given that the wide world of Italian sparkling wines represents a cross section of style, methods, grapes and diverse territories. My hope is to start a conversation that can be continued over the next few years as the region reaches a better sense of territorial identity. It appears to me that Franciacorta has spent too much effort trying to communicate what it is not. The focus, I believe, should be on what it is.”
Just imagine the mosaic that she will obtain finally! Fascinating! We are at the start of an amazing venture for Handmade Vintage Sparkling wines born from terroir. And the film “The Path of Humility” is a way of better understanding what is happening today in order to contemplate tomorrow’s revolution…
(*Since 2003, Guillaume Jourdan has been advising more than 200 prestigious wine estates for their international marketing & communication strategy incl. Chapoutier, Hugel, Dr Loosen, Famille Perrin, Cos d’Estournel, Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie’s Miraval…Write to info@vitabella.fr)
