It was a really gorgeous night. The warm sun was setting after a 91degree day and there was a gentle dry breeze. The patio was set with three wines to taste and some tasty little bites by our host restaurant, Fabi & Rosi. Lovely! Michael Vilim graciously donated the wines. And, I have to say here, I think limiting it to just a handful is so nice. It was so great to spend 20 minutes with each wine, lingering over them, as opposed to these grand tastings where your palate is so stressed but you want to taste on for fear of missing something. You winos know what I mean. 

 

The winemaker arrived and spoke about the wines and winery…

 

She was lovely, and you could tell she lived in a part of the world where the sun colors everything from skin to disposition. As she spoke about her family’s winery we learned that her grandmother was the winemaker and her father too and now she has taken the reigns. In her words the 2007 Pegovino, Vin du Pays is a fruity light wine from a great vintage-perfect for everyday drinking. And, I must agree…this is a staple at my house. The 2005 Cotes du Rhone Village was a bit earthier & spicy, but still good fruit. And, the 2006 Chateauneuf-du-Pape was very rich. It started out in the glass a little full on the alcohol, but I gave it 15 minutes in the glass and it really came alive with earth, spice, blackberry and some brambly raspberry undertones. All in all it was a lovely tasting but not mind blowing. I have to say though, that I am really looking forward to the 2007 Chateauneuf, which I hear has just hit retail shelves ;) It is very limited, so call your favorite Twin Liquors to see if they have any.

 

 

So then the geekiness kicked in for me…

 

I have been drinking Pegau for a while and in the 1998 and 2000 vintage I had “corked” bottles. (I won’t go into the details of corked wine here, just know that it is when the cork has a bacteria in it, that can taint the wine-deeming it “corked”). I broached the topic gently with Ms Feraud. I didn’t want to be rude, so I kept it very discrete in asking if they had a problem with cork taint at the winery. Well, this opened up a fantastic discussion! Turns out that back in 1998-2000 when the wine boom was hitting the globe, the demand for cork went up so fast that certain manufacturers were applying techniques to make the trees grow faster and they were harvesting the bark close to the ground resulting in lots of bacteria. What a shame. As the global demand for cork then went down with the introduction of the Stelvin enclosure (screw cap), the cork producers were forced to create a better product. Turns out Laurence has made many trips to Portugal where they harvest corks for her wine. She insists now on only the top quality and pays over One Euro per cork. She actually finds that the cork can be just as interesting as the wine…they are two living things put together. I loved that she was so into it. Oh, and to answer my question, no, they did not have a problem with bacteria at the winery; it was just some isolated bad corks. Whew!