GALVIN LA CHAPELLE TEAM WINS UK FINAL OF ROUSSILLON DESSERT TROPHY

Head sommelier, Andrea Briccarello and pastry chef, Daniel Fancett of Galvin La Chapelle have won the UK Final of the Roussillon Dessert Trophy. They created a lemon bavarois and citrus fruit salad which they paired with Muscat de Rivesaltes, Domaine Pouderoux 2009. The Final was held at L'Atelier des Chefs in London. The pair will now go head-to-head with the other European Finalists at the European Final which will be held in Perpignan in January.

WINES OF RIOJA DINNER IN EDINBURGH

Rioja is known the world over for its wines, but do you know the difference between a Gran Reserva and a Crianza? This wine tasting evening with Stella wine correspondent Susy Atkins was a great opportunity to learn more about this exciting wine region.

Susy teamed up with Wines from Rioja to present a wine tasting evening at one of Edinburgh's top restaurants, Atrium, in October. The evening included a three-course menu designed to match the wines being shown (six carefully selected white, red and rosé Riojas) with comments and guidance from wine expert Susy on each of the wines.

FINALISTS FOR ROUSSILLON DESSERT TROPHY

The best sommelier and pastry chef partnerships have now been chosen for the UK Final of the Roussillon Dessert Trophy. (See earlier post for more information on the competition). They are from 1 Lombard Street, London EC3, Galvin La Chapelle, London E1, Green's Restaurant and Oyster Bar, London SW1 and Summer Lodge Hotel, Dorset. Each team had to come up with a citrus dessert to partner a Vin Doux Naturel from Roussillon. The teams will now have to create their pairings at L'Atelier des Chefs, Wigmore Street, London W1 on Monday 25th October. The winner will then go to Perpignan for the Grand Final.

BEAUJOLAIS UPS ITS GAME

In the second half of the 1970s, when I joined the wine trade and was studying for my WSET wine exams, Beaujolais was one of the first wines I was able to pin-point fairly confidently when I tasted it blind. It was some years later that Beaujolais Nouveau began to dominate Beaujolais sales, much to the delight of the producers, who saw the return on their vintage costs before they could blink. As the years went by, I became more and more disillusioned by the quality of Beaujolais. The wines just did not reflect the appealing, juicy, raspberry fruit of the Gamay grape and, that aside, did not even represent good value for money. The reason: overcropping.

Despite some good, recent vintages, I have not really changed my opinion, so it is with relief that I hear that the yields for the 2010 vintage are being drastically reduced to between 32 and 25 hectolitres per hectare. This is a progress indeed, considering that the average authorised yield in the region has approached 52hl/ha. The reasons behind the decision lie in the fact that the French have at last realised that the bottom has dropped out of the Beaujolais Nouveau market (last year the en primeur production was 360,000hl, but only 275,000hl shifted).

Thank goodness some action is at last being taken, which will hopefully mean that Beaujolais will once more taste as if it is actually made from the Gamay grape.

L'Art du Vin, Edinburgh

This is the first of a series of reviews of independent wine merchants, with an emphasis on those based in Edinburgh. Firstly, I must come clean; I have what could be deemed a vested interest in L'Art du Vin: my niece, Mary Rose Sidgwick, has been working there on and off since last year. She has also helped with the website and started a blog on her travels (she was a cellarhand for the 2010 vintage at Lowe Winery in Mudgee). However, she - and, of course, you my esteemed readers - would want me to be objective, so I shall be.

L'Art du Vin is appropriately based in Leith, where, in times gone by, wine for Edinburgh's elite would arrive by sea, usually in bulk. (The excellent Vintners Rooms restaurant is in a former Leith wine merchant's wine vaults and auction room). L'Art du Vin offers - unsurprisingly - a good range of French wines, some from unusual appellations such as the Cote Roannaise (in the Upper Loire) and the Cotes du Frontonnais (in the South-West) and a very good selection of organic and bio-dynamic wines, such as those from Domaines Schlumberger and Josmeyer in Alsace, although the section dedicated to these could do with more cross-referencing, as origins/appellations are often omitted in the wine descriptions. The company obviously cares about provenance and even has an 'Environmental Policy' - not something one sees very often, even in these eco-conscious times.

Of the three offerings from Roussillon, two are Vins Doux Naturels (from Chateau de Jau and Mas Amiel) - it would be good to see more non-fortified offerings. Those from Spain are good, however, but there is only one such wine from Portugal, Ramos Pinto, Duas Quintas, 2006 (£11) - a good choice, nonetheless. In the New World listings, I was pleased to spot the wines of Vina Leyda (from Chile), Mud House and - coming soon - Clos Henri (from New Zealand), Ken Forrester (from South Africa) and Newton (from Napa).

As a general comment, it would be good to see more recent vintages on some of the whites and roses but, otherwise, the list is eclectic and interesting. On the whole, the website is clear and fairly easy to navigate and it is broken up with plenty of photos and good links. However, despite the presence of my lovely niece, the home page could do with fewer words to make it more instantly eye-catching.

L'Art du Vin, 25 Arthur Street, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 5DA, tel: 0131 555 6009, email: sales@aduv.co.uk, website: www.aduv.co.uk

Hail hits vineyards in Roussillon's Fenouilledes

Last Wednesday, 16th June, violent hailstorms hit the areas of Saint-Paul de Fenouillet, Sournia, Caudiès et Lesquerde in Roussillon's Fenouilledes region, not once but several times, between 1.30 and 4.00pm. The hailstones were as large as eggs and have done extensive damage in the vineyards. In Lesquerde, vignerons are estimating that 80% of this year's grape harvest has been lost. The extent of the hail was such that snow plows had to be used to clear the roads. The locales affected are part of the area that is producing some of the region's most exciting wines and this cruel act of nature will have a enormous repercussions.

Roussillon Dessert Trophy 2010

Calling all budding UK-based pastry chefs and sommeliers - as well as those who know of them. Entries are now being invited for the fourth UK Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy. Last year the theme was was chocolate, this year it is citrus fruit and the idea is to come up with the perfect pairing of a Roussillon Vin Doux Naturel (VDN) with a citrus dessert creation. Sommeliers must select a Roussillon VDN - ie from Banyuls, Banyuls Grand Cru, Maury, Muscat de Rivesaltes and Rivesaltes – to match with their pastry chef’s chosen citrus dessert.

Devised by the generic body for Wines of Roussillon (CIVR), this competition is one that I have supported since its inception. I have been a judge in the last two UK competitions and was lucky to be present at the 2009 European Final in Perpignan which was won by the UK team of sommelier Thibaut Panas and chef Anne Coquelin from Le Manoir aux Quat' Saison near Oxford. They chose to pair Rivesaltes, Domaine Gérard Gauby, Caricia 2005 with Manjari Chocolate ‘Sable Breton’ with Black Provençal Fig, which was a wonderful and inventive combination.

If you would like to enter or know of a possible team and can encourage them to do so, competition entry forms are available from Georgie Hope at Focus PR on tel: 020 7845 6624 or email: civr-focuspr@focuspr.co.uk. The deadline for entries is 12th midday on Wednesday 1st September 2010.

The Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy 2010 will be presented to the winning team at an exclusive reception, to be held at l'Atelier des Chefs, Wigmore Street, London on Monday 25th October 2010. The European Final will be held in Perpignan on 24th January 2011.

The winning chef will win a 4-day course with world champion pastry chef, Olivier Bajard, at the renowned École Internationale de Pâtisserie in Perpignan, whilst the winning sommelier will spend the four days in a guided tour to visit producers of Roussillon’s finest wines.