Moscato gets a skinny makeover

Kanye West has helped Moscato sales soar in the US

Moscato madness continues to grip this US. This week, Wine and the City learnt that Skinnygirl, the low-calorie wine and pre-mix cocktail brand founded by Twiglet-thin reality TV star Bethenny Frankel of The Real Housewives of New York City, has added a Moscato to its line-up.

The brand, bought by spirits giant Beam for $8m in March 2011, has added the low alcohol, lightly sparkling sweet wine to its range in a bid to capitalise on the growing thirst for the variety in the US. Skinnygirl Moscato is said to boast notes of “pear, peach and mango,” along with aromas of “tropical fruit and honey.”

Skinnygirl Moscato 2012

The wines in the Skinnygirl range have only 100 calories per 5oz glass compared to an average of 123 calories found in non-diet wines. Skinnygirl wastes no time in making mention of its low-calorie status, with the Moscato 2012 flagging it up the front label. Along with the Moscato, three new cocktails have been added to Skinnygirl premix range: a mojito, grapefruit margarita and a white cherry vodka, priced at $14.99/bottle for the mojito and margarita and $21.99 for the vodka.

Skinnygirl is one of the fastest-growing drinks brands on the market. Sales at the company were up 19% last year as the trend for low-calorie wines gathered momentum in the US. Last March, the brand expanded from pre-mix cocktails into wine, adding three low-calorie California wines – a Syrah blend, a Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio blend and a Grenache/Syrah rosé blend to its portfolio.

Last year, Moscato sales in the US hit a record high, up 33% in volume on 2011 with the variety now accounting for 6% of wines bought in US retailers, where it is now more popular than Sauvignon Blanc and only slightly behind Pinot Grigio. Moscato’s profile has been boosted by name checks from RnB and hip-hop stars such as Kanye West, Ne-Yo, Lil’ Kim, Ab-Soul and Drake.

Marlborough – the next big Pinot region?

Marlborough is emerging as one of the most exciting regions to watch for New Zealand Pinot Noir, according to a number of the country’s top producers. As reported on thedrinksbusiness.com, Steve Smith MW, founder of Craggy Range, believes the international thirst for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has lead to an interest in the region’s fledgling Pinots.

“Not many producers will admit this, but the success of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has opened the door for Marlborough Pinot Noir. Our challenge will be to ensure that the wines are not devalued by producers pushing a high volume, low margin approach,” he said. Boasting 42% of the country’s Pinot plantings, ahead of Central Otago’s 28%, Marlborough is fast becoming a serious Pinot player.

Displaying a bright, red-fruited style, the quality of Marlborough Pinot has increased dramatically in the past few years, bolstered by the strength of “brand” Marlborough. “Marlborough is coming of age. There’s huge potential for Pinot there, especially in the hillside areas,” wine writer and founder of The Great New Zealand Pinot Noir Classification Matthew Jukes said.

Meanwhile, Tamra Washington, chief winemaker of Marlborough-based Yealands Estate (pictured above), believes the region has a fantastic opportunity to make quality Pinot Noir that will over deliver at every price point. “Due to Marlborough’s size, there is huge potential to make many styles of Pinot – from powerful wines full of dark fruit and spice, to feminine, red-fruited wines,” she said.

Despite its escalating profile, David Cox, director – Europe of New Zealand Winegrowers, is confident that Marlborough winemakers won’t make the same mistakes with Pinot as they did with Sauvignon Blanc in 2008 and 2009. “Plantings and production will be closely aligned with worldwide demand so a balance is retained and prices are kept at the correct level,” he insisted.

Pinot Noir has been instrumental in highlighting New Zealand’s diversity, and is carving out a niche for itself as a solid second to Sauvignon Blanc, despite only accounting for 10% of the country’s plantings compared to Sauvignon Blanc’s 69% monopoly. In the UK, exports are up 24% on a year ago, with a growing depth of distribution in both the on-trade and off-trade. While most Pinot Noir vines in New Zealand are under 10 years old, as the vines mature, the wines will develop a greater ability to age.

“I’m confident that the best New Zealand Pinots are at least a 10-15 year proposition. I can testify that they age well,” Smith said, adding, “I firmly believe that Central Otago, Martinborough and Waipara will be producing the world’s best Pinot Noir, alongside Burgundy, in the next two decades.” Matthew Jukes agrees: “One or two New Zealand Pinots are already at Premier Cru level. We’ve yet to see a Grand Cru wine emerge, but it will come,” he said.

Tamra Washington, Yealands Estate

Wine and the City talks to Tamra Washington, chief winemaker of Yealands Estate in the Awatere Valley in Marlborough, New Zealand, at The Modern Pantry, about the trend for single vineyard wines in NZ, single block Pinot Noirs, the Gruner Veltliner buzz in Marlborough, and why now is an exciting time for New Zealand wine.

Invivo dinner at The Fulham Wine Rooms

Proving that small can indeed be beautiful are Rob Cameron and Tim Lightbourne of Invivo Wines, a boutique New Zealand winery founded by the entrepreneurial pair in 2007. Making wine from both Marlborough and Central Otago, Invivo released its first wine in 2008 and has built up its range to five wines: a Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Rosé and a low alcohol Sauvignon Blanc called Bella, known as "skinny Sav", which is proving incredibly popular with health-conscious women, leading the boys to triple production.

While in town last month, winemaker Rob Cameron (left) showed off his quintet at The Fulham Wine Rooms at a dinner organised by Jimmy Smith of the West London Wine School. Having worked stints in Slovenia, Cyrpus and Moldova, Cameron is happy to be back in his homeland, with business partner Lightbourne – who counts L'Oreal among his previous employers – looking after the marketing.

Conscious of the importance a label can have on a global brand, the pair struck upon a dynamic design; a white eight-point star set against a black background created by New Zealand fashion house Zambesi. But with so many wineries out there, what makes Invivo different? “Hands on marketing, hands on winemaking and a strong belief in the quality of our wine,” enthuses Lightbourne. “We don’t just send a container of product to our export market, we send ourselves as well."

Ensconced in The Fulham Wine Rooms' private dining room, Cameron kicked off with 2011 Bella Sauvignon Blanc, which I was curious to try. The nose displayed all the typical Kiwi Sauvignon aromas you'd expect, from blackcurrant leaf to freshly cut grass, pineapple and passion fruit, while the palate offered mouth-watering acidity and surprising body and punch for a 9% abv wine. Having been charmed by Bella, we moved on to the 2011 Pinot Gris produced in Marlborough. The feminine nose showed exotic aromas of quince, fig, lychee and poached pear, while the unctuous palate offered both texture and clean acidity. To match, we enjoyed an autumnal tartine of aubergine and mushrooms in an earthy, creamy sauce.

For the main event, we moved on to the estate's signature wine, the 2011 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, releasing the inner philosopher in Cameron: "With our Sauvignon Blanc, it's about creating a moment in time in the vineyard." More fragrant than Bella, it had a zingy nose of cut grass, tropical fruit and freshly squeezed lime. Bright and alive, the palate was deceptively powerful, with impressive concentration and lift from the vibrant acidity and herbal notes, which proved a great pairing for the accompanying fillet of cod in a zesty sauce vierge – a virgin sauce made from olive oil, lemon juice and chopped tomato.

Up next was 2010 Sophie's Rosé, named after the founder of Zambesi. A pretty salmon pink, the fresh, summery wine burst with strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants and watermelon. A charming picnic wine, it proved a perfect pair for our pineapple pud. Saving the best till last, Cameron cracked open his 2009 Central Otago Pinot Noir to enjoy with the cheese. By far my favourite wine of the night, its deep ruby colour revealed a meaty nose of forest floor, red berry, smoky bacon and herbal aromas, while the soft, perfumed palate of bright red cherries almost longingly recalled a beautiful Burgundy. Was he aiming for a Burgundian style? "All New World winemakers that make Pinot Noir are aspiring to the heights of great Burgundy," Cameron admits.

Wine aside, both Cameron and Lightbourne take a great interest in art, sponsoring and setting up an Invivo bar at the 2011 Venice Biennale, and nurturing homegrown creative talent, including musicians, fashion designers and their latest discovery; a group of graffiti artists, TMD Crew, at the forefront of the global graffiti scene. Could this mean a daring new label for Invivo's next release? Watch this space...

Kevin Judd, Greywacke

Wine and the City catches up with Kevin Judd, former chief winemaker of Cloudy Bay, at the Liberty tasting at The Oval cricket ground, to talk about his decision to leave Cloudy Bay after 25 years, his Greywacke project, and why New Zealand needs to make less Sauvignon Blanc.

Video: Patrick Materman of Brancott Estate

Wine and the City caught up with Patrick Materman, chief winemaker of Brancott Estate, at the New Zealand Annual Trade Tasting at Lord's cricket ground yesterday to ask him about the estate's recent name change, his Icon wine project and the newly released sparkling Sauvignon Blanc.

Grover wine dinner at Moti Mahal

'It's time Brits drank Indian food with Indian wine, instead of a beer named after a snake', begins Amber Vaidya, brand ambassador for Indian winery Grover Vineyards, in an impassioned speech at gourmet Indian restaurant Moti Mahal in Holborn.

He'd gathered a group of journalists to celebrate Grover's entry to the UK, which was signed and sealed this summer through an exclusive partnership with Bibendum, who've taken on three wines in the Grover range: the Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Shiraz and La Reserve, voted best new world red last year by Steven Spurrier in his Decanter column.

Situated in the Nandi Hills, 40km from Bangalore, Grover Vineyards was founded in 1988 by defense equipment tycoon Kanwal Grover after seven years of research into the best grape growing areas in India. The 410-acre estate is planted with international varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc.

Buffered by the mountains, the vines are protected from monsoon winds and enjoy a long growing season, while the limestone rich soils imbue the wines with a mineral core. Keen to produce terroir-driven wines in the French style, Grover enlisted the help of Bordeaux-based super consultant Michel Rolland, who counts Angélus, Lascomes, Léoville Poyferré, Robert Mondavi and Casa Lapostolle among his high profile clients. Winemaking methods therefore, are distinctly French – La Reserve is hand picked and spends six months in French oak.

But what of the food? Moti Mahal's head chef Anirudh Arora has created a menu inspired by his childhood travels along the Grand Trunk Road, a 2500km stretch built in the 16th century that navigates the breadth of the country, pumping life through it. The five course menu begins with a Punjab dish: masala paneer with tomatoes and bell peppers, followed by succulent monkfish simmered in a tamarind, ripe tomato and ginger sauce – a dish made popular in Lahore, paired with the grassy, fresh, grapefruit-driven 2009 Sauvignon Blanc.

Next up is the culinary highlight of the night: butterflied leg of lamb seasoned with cinnamon and green chillies. The small, juicy morsels of lamb are the softest I've ever eaten - almost like lamb clouds, with an etherial tenderness, matched with the young, fruit forward, spicy 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz. The final main is chicken tossed in basmati rice, crushed fennel and saffron from the food capital of India – Lucknow, paired with the jewel in Grover's crown; La Reserve 2009.

Closed on first sniff, the wine soon opens up to reveal a bouquet of ripe red and black fruits, with hints of spice. On the palate it shows black currant, mocha, chocolate, vanilla and licorice, which fuse together into a long, pleasing finish. The feast is rounded off with an exquisite bread pudding made in reduced saffron milk served with cardamom ice cream. Having had my first sip of Indian wine at the London International Wine Fair this year, I was excited by the wines on show at the dinner. Displaying elegance, character, and a sense of place, they suggest a promising future for Indian wine. The Cobra days are over...

Wine and classical music matching

Much has been made of music and wine matching of late, so I was excited to receive an invite to a wine and classical music matching event hosted by leading New Zealand producer Villa Maria and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Rocking up to Henry Wood Hall, the LPO's rehearsal venue in Borough, my imagination had clearly run away with me – I was expecting the entire orchestra to be in attendance, playing snippets of the classical greats while wine journalists frantically swirled, sniffed and scribbled, trying to decide their perfect matches.

I arrived ten minutes late to find a small group of people sat in church pews around a tape recorder. I quickly took my place next to Philip Tuck MW and Charlotte Read, European market manager of Villa Maria.

There were six wines in front of me: Sauvignon Blanc, Guwürztraminer, Riesling, Rosé, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, all classic New World expressions of their varieties. Our task was to listen to six snippets of classical music performed by the LPO and match them to the six wines. At the end we would be asked to explain the reasoning behind our matches.

It turned out Philip, Charlotte and I were the only 'wine' people participating, the rest being members of the orchestra. I was looking forward to hearing their views from the musical side of the fence. Of the six pieces, I only recognized two: Haydn's The Creation and Wagner's Die Walküre. I matched Haydn with the Riesling and Wagner with the Guwürz for its feminine aggression, but switched to the weightier Cabernet Merlot after hearing all six pieces.

When choosing a wine for each piece, I tried to align their characteristics: bold with bold, delicate with delicate, complex with complex. Some matches were easier than others. On hearing the second snippet, Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances, Op. 45, I knew it could only be matched with the Pinot Noir. Beautiful, delicate and haunting, the music seemed to wonderfully echo the contents of the glass, or at least the highest possible expression of the grape. I later learnt the moving snippet was his last ever piece, written while he was dying. 

Whilst listening to each piece, I looked at the six glasses and tried to imagine the notes coming out of them. This seemed to help in the elimination process. I'd changed a few of my answers by the end, finding the Rosé and the Riesling the hardest to place.

The exercise was fiercely subjective, and often people matched their least favourite piece of music with their least favourite wine. The musicians' knowledge of the composers and the pieces also tended to affect their decisions. 

Some of our matches were almost unanimous – Sauvignon Blanc with the frantic, jazz-like Scherzoid by Mark-Anthony Turnage. The piece is only five years old, and so suited a young wine, its urgent, disjointed, Hitchcock-esque nature pairing well with the racy white grape, while Jennifer Higdon's feminine Percussion Concerto was an obvious match for the floral Gewürz.

Interestingly, I found myself aligning more with the musicians than the wine buffs, my answers being almost identical to one of the double-bassists. Ultimately, music is intellectual and emotional, and while wine can both convey and inspire emotion, its emotional range is far more limited than music. At its heart, wine is meant to be enjoyed, not scrutinized. And while it may cause an emotional response, we shouldn't look to it for catharsis.