Miolo no The Times

Este texto, em inglês, é especial para o crítico de vinhos Olyr Corrêa, que gosta de exercitar seu inglês em matérias sobre vinho. São os ingleses comentando um bom vinho da serra gaúcha;

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June 10, 2010
Winning wines for a World Cup knockout
The competition is being held in a producing country, and includes
most of the important winemaking nations
Tim Atkin
For those of you who can’t wait for the last whistle, might I offer an
alternative? My World Cup Wine Knockout is guaranteed to enliven
even the dullest game. The concept is simple. Just open a bottle
from the two competing countries and declare a winner,
irrespective of the match result. Imagine how much more
interesting the group game between, say, Chile and Switzerland
will be if you have a carménère and petite arvine to hand.
Not all of the nations competing make wine, but a surprising
number do ( try www.wine-searcher.com for stockists). For wine
lovers, this is the best World Cup ever. Not only is the competition
being held in a producing country, but it includes the majority of
the important winemaking nations.
Previous form suggests that the winner will come from the shortlist
of countries that have triumphed before. If I were writing a form
guide to their wines, which country would be my champion?
Uruguay is the easiest to eliminate, dependent as it is on a single
red grape variety (tannat) for its reputation. Neighbouring Brazil
would be next to go, despite its size (it makes more wine than
Portugal), most of its grapes are low-grade vitis labrusca.
England would scrape the semi-final line-up. Our sparkling wines
are great, but production is small and our other wines are overpriced
and short of real class. Sound familiar?
Argentina has a star player in its red grape (malbec), and a strong
squad too, featuring syrah, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and
the near-native torrontés. Lack of subtlety — high alcohol and
clumsy oak handling are persistent failings — would ultimately
undermine its challenge.
Even without penalties or a spectacular head-butt, my France-Italy
final would be difficult to call. Both teams have quality in depth.
Where France would win, at least for me, is with its white and
sparkling wines. There’s nothing as good as a top pulignymontrachet,
alsace riesling, sancerre, sauternes or champagne in
Italy. All of which is ironic when you consider that they didn’t
deserve to qualify for the tournament. If Ireland had eliminated
them, as they so nearly did, we’d be drinking Guinness instead.
World cup winners
Uruguay: 2009 De Lucca Tannat (£8, 12.3 per cent,
www.winesofuruguay.co.uk) A bright introduction to Uruguay’s
signature grape, with juicy plum and black cherry.
Italy: 2007 Asda Extra Special Primitivo Puglia (£6.98, 13.5 per
cent) Primitivo is the same grape as Zinfandel, planted in
California, but this has an Italian twist: savoury, spicy and ripe
Germany: 2008 Dr Bassermann Jordan Riesling, Pfalz (£8.99, 10
per cent, Waitrose) Rieslings from the Pfalz region tend to be
almost tropical. This is peachy, pineappley and rich.
Brazil: 2006 Miolo Millésime Brut Vale dos Vinhedos (£11.40,
12.5 per cent, Coe Vintners) This is the best sparkler I’ve had from
South America: fine bubbles and toasty character.
England: 2007 Ridgeview Cavendish (£19.99, or £15.99 by the
case, 12 per cent, Oddbins) Inexpensive for an English fizz, this
pinot meunier-dominated blend is crisp and refreshing.
Argentina: 2008 Tesco Finest Malbec Mendoza (£6.98, 13.5 per
cent) Sourced from the excellent Catena winery, this violetscented
malbec from Mendoza is smoky and brambly
France: 2007 Côtes du Rhône Clos de Mont-Olivet (£7.49 each for
two, 14 per cent, Majestic) 2007 was such a great vintage in the
Rhône: juicey and unoaked with.