On Crunchy Red wines.
Harvest hit us fast and hard this past Saturday with some gorgeous organic fruit; Chardonnay and Pinot Noir both destined for new certified organic wines. The Chardonnay portion will go into my first official foray into the ‘Pet Nat’ space. I made my first Pet Nat style wine in 2012, well before it became en vogue. But now it’s a seasonal favourite around the world. At some stage I will write more about Pétillant naturel wines aka ‘Pet Nat’. But for now let’s put a pin in it and note that it is an ever-growing and evolving wine market out there with styles, varietals and techniques constantly evolving or being rejuvenated. This brings us back to the other fruit I picked on Saturday; Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir.
Last year I went on a hunt to make what I called ‘the prototype’ for the Giunta Crunchy Red. I had some carbonic maceration Syrah that was punchy, spicy and bright along with a bit of extra Malbec Nouveau. But the final piece of the Crunchy Red puzzle was tough to find. I tried lots of Merlots and other Bordeaux varieties. None of these seemed to fit. I kept thinking these are too dark, too lush, almost too serious or too fleshy for this wine. We needed something fruity and fun for the front palate – something to provide the “crunch”. After much deliberation, it became clear that Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir would be the perfect fit. Luckily I had access to a bit last year and now much more in 2022. So here we go! Now that I’ve found a source for certified organic Pinot Noir I will continue to make this the dominant component of the Crunchy Red blend. Of course I’ll keep some Malbec in the mix and there’s always a sprinkling of Syrah to be found around the Bay.
I bet some of you are reading this and thinking, ‘what the hell is he talking about?’ or ‘What in the world is a crunchy red?’. The journey to make this wine started many years ago and speaks to an array of influences. I found myself naturally gravitating towards lighter, fresher reds when I was out for dinner and traveling around the world selling my wines. When I look back at my favourite wines over the past 25 years, I started realising that I never asked for a glass of Napa Cab, a rich Aussie Shiraz or a bullish Bordeaux. Even here in Hawke’s Bay, while I appreciate the high quality big reds and the ability to produce them in most seasons, I just don’t gravitate to those wines. And while I do love a lot of the Hawke’s Bay Syrahs out there, I prefer the ones that show a bit more spice and freshness, rather than the over extracted, heavily oaked Syrahs. I like wines with lots of character. It’s probably why I was drawn towards Malbec as soon as I arrived in Hawke’s Bay.
It is a fresh and mouth watering variety disguised as a big red; particularly the styles I make in the Giunta and Decibel range. So I prefer things like Syrah, Pinot Noir, and Gamay. These are wines that not only stand on their own as aromatic reds of distinction and character, but also can be blended to make a wine that gives the consumer a truly unique experience. All too often we as winemakers are overly precious with our Syrah and Pinot Noir and forget that they too can be used in a blend. We must remember to keep the consumer in mind and not take ourselves too seriously. The world is tough out there right now. Just give the people what they want!
And it appears folks DO want to drink crunchy reds. I have had countless conversations with our importer in the USA about the demand for these wines. The more Somms and wine buyers I speak to, the more they want. While there will always be a market for your Grandfather’s claret and allocation of big reds ageing in the cellar awaiting a roast beef or grilled steak at the quarterly board meeting (Testify Red anyone?) However, the larger trend appears to be towards these everyday, fun, enjoyable wines. More than ever, restaurants and even home kitchens are firing up a much wider range of dishes made with an increasingly eclectic mix of ingredients. This calls for a bottle of wine that can do well with anything from grilled fish, spicy veggie burritos or a simple burger on a Wednesday night. These young release reds are perfect for this modern lifestyle. They’re affordable, fun, lower in alcohol but still made with passion and the knowledge laid out for us by generations past. After all, the Italians and French have been making and enjoying these crunchy young wines for generations. We are only now maturing into these styles and showing the confidence to make them.
Cheers,
dB
