by Margaret Swaine | May 8, 1999
Most wine books avoid the subject of wine with chocolate. One guide on harmonizing wine with food, states under the category chocolate mousse – match with water. Yet it’s so wonderfully soothing to end a day with a little libation and a melt in the mouth bonbon. Hotels know this. They place a chocolate on the pillow and give a key to the mini-bar to weary travellers.
Women know this too (some use it to tame the dreaded PMS). And while kids don’t necessarily know about beverages, they do understand chocolate. Many mothers will undoubtedly be presented with a box of confections for Mother’s Day. Given with love to evoke love.
Why do we feel this way about chocolate, a product of the cocoa tree? Even in its early usage by the Aztecs, it was considered a gift from their white-bearded god of wisdom and knowledge, suitable only for rulers and soldiers. Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés found a society of chocolate worshippers in Montezuma’s court. When he in turn introduced it to Spain in the 16th century, he started a European chocolate addiction, which continues to this day. Just think of Swiss or Belgian chocolates, Viennese Sacher torte, French chocolate mousse, or that wonderful tradition of taking hot chocolate in the afternoon at the Plaza Athénée in Paris (fluffy pooch in tow with his own bowl).
Chocolate is such a feel good food that scientists have studied its chemistry in their own attempts to explain the phenomenon. They found that it contains phenyl-ethylamine (PEA) which gives us a natural high similar to the feeling of falling in love. However a standard size serving of salami or cheddar cheese contains more. And there’s questions of whether PEA in food reaches the brain. Dr. Michael Liebowitz in his book The Chemistry of Love, cited a study in which researchers ate pounds of chocolate without a measurable rise in PEA. Other scientists say that chocolate as a carbohydrate gives us a serotonin boost (like the mood enhancing drug Paxil). But pasta and potatoes are also carbs. Do we care? Most of us would rather have a forkful of Death by Chocolate than a slice of bologna or boiled spud.
So back to the tricky question of what to sip with it? In search of the answer I headed to Café Brussels in downtown Toronto. Chef-owner Roger Wils, the son of a Belgian chocolate maker makes a wickedly delicious rich, silky, chocolate mousse. He also has an extensive selection of bourbons, cognacs, eau-de-vie and Belgian beers. All of which I felt could match with chocolate.
The beer idea came from Roel Bramer, a dashing Dutchman who owns Amsterdam micro-brewery in the heart of the city. This divorced father, who has custody of his two boys, told me when he entertains at home he serves his Framboise (raspberry) beer in champagne glasses with a chocolate dessert. I showed up at Café Brussels with a bottle of Bramer’s fruity brew tucked under my arm. We waited until the last customer left and then began a private tasting with Wils’ lady love, sommelier Shawn Dore, joining us. We spooned in the mousse with one hand and sipped away at varying beverages with the other. Can’t let those scientists have the monopoly on research.
The unanimous top choice was bourbon. This sweet American corn based Kentucky whiskey married beautifully with chocolate. It’s such a natural that The Book of Bourbon has recipes such as Blasted Brownies, Kentucky Bourbon Balls and Snockered Fudge Sauce which put the two together in desserts with a kick. A selection of bourbons are available in Canada. Maker’s Mark a wheated corn whiskey ($30) is made in small quantities in Loretto. It has lots of sweet, mellow, vanilla and butterscotch flavours. Knob Creek ($48), a first rate small batch, hand-bottled nine year old bourbon has a full, distinctively spiced, charred wood and prune flavour. Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select ($40), from the oldest and smallest working distillery in Kentucky, spends six years in barrel and has a peppery spicy taste with vanilla in the finish. Booker’s Straight Bourbon ($80) is bottled unfiltered at barrel proof at between the ages of six and eight years. The one I tried was 7 years and ten months and 63.5% alcohol had a very powerful sweet vanilla, honeyed character with a punch of oak. Jim Beam Black Label ($25) is an eight year old, with spicy, sweet vanilla tastes and some richness.
My next choice with chocolate is aged rum, another classic with which to douse desserts. Say chocolate rum parfait, rum chocolate mousse, rum chocolate fondue, rum cake and chocolate rum fudge or pie, recipes found in the Rum Cookbook by Alex Hawkes. Rum made from sugar cane juice or molasses, was born in the Caribbean, where each island has its own brands and styles. Snifter rums, dark and mellow with barrel age, are experiencing a revival as the ne plus ultra after dinner companion in chic Parisian bars. They’re also the best to sip with chocolate. From Jamaica, Appleton 21 ($50) year old is a smooth, rich blend of powerful vanilla and wood flavoured fullness, and the Extra 12 year old is sweetly smooth, nutty and in dramatic harmony ($30). Bacardi Eight Year Old ($30), originally reserved for the family, is a very pretty rum, refined, delicate, mellow and without bite. . El Dorado Demerara Special Reserve ($47), from Guyana, spends 15 years in oak and is molasses sweet, full flavoured, yet elegant. Ron Matusalem Gran Reserva ($40), is from a company that originated in Cuba but now blends and ages its rum in Florida. It spends much aging time in an extensive Solera system and is sweet and rich like a rummy vanilla candy.
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Eau-de-vie which are crystal clear, dry spirits, from raspberries, cherries, pears and other tree fruits are another tasty match. Black Forest Cake, the scrumptious German confection of chocolate cake, cherries and whipped cream, is properly soaked with kirsch. The Swiss company Fassbind collects mountain grown cherries grown high above the shores of the lakes of four Cantons to make Vieux Kirsch de Righi ($35/350mL). Other flavours such as their Framboise Sauvage (wild raspberry) and Williams du Valais (pear) are equally good. Austria’s Schloss Kirsch (cherry, $20/375mL) is a nice, less expensive alternative.
However our night of chocolate sin at Café Brussels was not all heavy booze. Finally we tried the mousse with the fruit beers. While I found Amsterdam’s crisp light Framboise to be better on its own, the Belgian sweet/tart brews actually went quite well. Liefman’s Frambozenbeer ($5.55/375mL) had deep, complex malt and raspberry tastes with a sweet finish. Liefman’s Kriekbeer, medium full in body, had lovely tangy sweet/tart cherry tastes.
That was enough for one night, but I did pursue the quest later with wines in mind. First recommendation is to have a fruit dessert wine, such as the sweet blackcurrant Canadian Cassis ($15./375mL) from Ontario’s Southbrook Farm or their Framboise. Archibald Orchard’s Spiced Winter Apple ($15.375mL) from Bowmanville is also excellent. In fact, all across Canada, I’ve found great tasting wines made from fruits of our orchards, farms or picked wild from our vast untamed lands.
For a more traditional wine, try a sweet muscat based one. California’s Quady winery makes Essencia from orange muscat and Elysium from black muscat, both recommended with chocolate. Samos Muscat made on a Greek Island and Passito Di Pantelleria made on an Italian Island also work well. France has several appellation muscat dessert wines (vins doux naturel). There’s muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, muscat de St.-Jean-de-Minervois, muscat de Frontignan and muscat de Rivesaltes for example. For a different grape experience try Banyuls, a sweet red wine made from grenache noir blended with other varietals.
Finally, though I’ve tried it not entirely to my satisfaction, red wine with chocolate has something of a cult following. The wine should be a ripe, rich red from hot climate grown cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, syrah or even sparkling shiraz (made in Australia). Look for reds with flavours of dark chocolate, mocha, nuts, vanilla and berry fruits. Fetzer Vineyards in California hosts an annual red wine with chocolate festivity to demonstrate how to do the match-up. They say the more premium grades of chocolate with higher cocoa fat and less sugar need heavier, denser reds. Light red are better with lighter milk chocolate and so forth.
My girl friend has the best idea. She’s told her two teenagers she wants a rosebush for Mother’s Day, but if the man of the house wants to contribute, he can get her Champagne to go with chocolate dipped strawberries. I say in this case make it a big, full toasty bubbly like Bollinger RD or Krug.
by Margaret Swaine | May 1, 1999
Until recently New Zealand to me meant great rack of lamb, fine wool but not quality wines. Then skiing in Whistler last year, I stayed with a friend who’s condo was next to New Zealanders John and Alison Coney. Upon learning that I wrote about wine John insisted on asking us over to sample a few bottles from his Kiwi winery. I was awestruck at both the chardonnay and the pinot noir he opened. Turned out that the winery that Coney, a financier and property developer, bought in 1995 is gold medal winning Morton Estate. Their Morton Estate Black Label Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay, barrel fermented and lees aged in new oak, has been a much celebrated bench mark wine that has inspired many Kiwi wineries to try their hand at this impressive style of winemaking. The pinot certainly was no slouch either.
This chance meeting was my clear indicator of how good New Zealand wine has become. And it’s boom time for wines there. The country which almost tanked back in 1984 when their debt hit crisis levels, has now a blossoming new farm economy. Part of getting out of hock meant selling off government run industries (Air New Zealand to the Aussie’s, the telephone company to Atlantic Bell), ending farm subsidies, and making most everything pay for itself. CTV’s W5 excellent one hour special in ’93 on Kiwi land rebirth, talked of the demise of many sheep farms, once proudly protected. Well guess what’s been taking their place? It was time to do some investigating down under.
Fast forward to the Fall of ’98, after my Whistler encounter, where I’m in LA catching a flight to New Zealand, chatting with a Kiwi doctor. Taking my notebook in hand, he scribbled out his prescription on the wineries I must visit. In Otago see Chard Farm for its Bragato Reserve Pinot Noir and Judge and Jury champagne method bubbly, and Gibbston Valley for pinot noir. In Christchurch visit Pegasus Bay and Geisen Brothers and in Napier Te Mata Estate. That he could select some exemplary wineries out of the hundreds, and knew their winemaker’s names, didn’t surprise me after I got understand the country. It’s like a step back in time to small town living.
The inward focus has some great merits. Total annual production is not more than the output of a single Gallo vineyard (according to the Wine Institute of New Zealand that’s 60,000 to 80,000 tonnes). However gung-ho belief in themselves has projected their wines onto the world stage, especially for their most popular varietals, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. Riding on an image of clean, green land, success has propelled them to plant, plant, plant. Bye, bye sheep, hello vineyards.
It’s quite a sight to see the kilometres of newly planted vines carpeting valleys throughout the land. Since 1990, New Zealand has jumped from 107 wineries to a projected 350 by June of this year. But this is only part of the story, as 75% of the wine production is controlled by the top four – Villa Maria, Nobilio, Montana and Corbans. Much of the new plantings are by these giants. They have the money to experiment with locations and varietals on special plots where greatness is attempted. But they also have a thirsty market to feed. Then there’s the small guys with stars in their eyes. Lawyers, journalists, pilots, builders, psychologists, wine critics even, have succumbed to the lure of owning a winery. I worry a bit about lakes of lousy wine that’s watery (from overcropping, too much irrigation, roots reaching underground rivers etc) and grassy green bell pepper tasting (from not enough heat, sunshine hours or growing season). Luckily there are a great many excellent wines being made to counter the occasional terrible plonk.
My search for good drink started on Waiheke Island, a beautiful spot that serves as both a weekend retreat, and a 40 minute away by ferry, commuter community for Aucklanders. Famed writer and Oz vineyard owner, James Halliday had told me not to miss Stonyridge, Goldwater and Peninsula Estate. He too was right of course. Goldwater’s Esslin Merlot 1997 was one of my favourites of the trip. Rounded, elegant, with a ripe fleshy richness and cedary notes, it was similar to a top Pomerol. Stonyridge with cabernet sauvignon vineyards facing magnetic north, surrounded by lavender, bay, eucalyptus and other aromatic plants, produces intense reds that can be ravishing when aged.
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The vast majority, over 93%, of New Zealand wine is however from the regions of Hawkes Bay and Gisborne on North Island and Marlborough on South. Plantings and gold medals show clearly which varietals do best in these areas. For Gisborne it’s chardonnay. Awards are an important part of how a country fairly new to wine sorts out the winners among wannabes. The Air New Zealand Wine Awards are the most important with 1,133 wines from 165 wineries entered in 1998. Among the big trophy winners, Kim Crawford Gisborne Chardonnay ’98 was particularly deserving. However Gisbourne itself, a fairly plain small town, with thankfully one good asset, the gorgeous historic Acton House (a memorable place to eat and overnight) has an image of quantity not quality to overcome. Montana and Corbans pump out some of their simple entry level labels from here. Fortunately now they have an increasing array of better ones to show as well. And then there’s a few wineries that are gems. The Millton Vineyard in Poverty Bay impressed me with their dedication to organic, biodynamic farming, tied into the horoscope of the plants. Their Chenin Blanc 1997 was made in a steely, tart quince style, like a fine vouvray.
Hawkes Bay, the centre of the earliest commercial winemaking, has a charmed reputation. It’s cabernet and merlot are especially revered. It also has magnificent dwellings like the Mangapapa Lodge (get the booklet on these exclusive retreats and sporting lodges if you plan to do some touring yourself). A standout winery in the area is Trinity Hill, a pretty property, known for their chardonnay, but making great reds on their Gimblett Road property. Merlot ’97 had none of the nasty green vegetal tastes prevalent in many underripe Kiwi reds. Gimblett Road Cabernet Sauvignon ’97 was big, deep, tannic but with lots of fruit back in the palate. While none of the Corbans family are still with the winery they created, they haven’t left the wine scene. Alwyn Corban is winemaker and part owner at Ngatarawa winery, based in a converted stables in Hawkes Bay area. His wines are reserved and gentle, reflective of his own personality. Their quality and depth don’t clobber, they seduce. At Esk Valley, part of Villa Maria group, the “Terraces” are one of only about five vineyards in the country planted on steep slopes. Getting little tonnage per acre, gives lots of extract to their wines. Reserve merlot/malbec/cabernet sauvignon ’95 is peppery, deep, young with good fruit and balance.
South Island’s Marlborough is the country’s most heavily planted region and considered by many to be the top spot for sauvignon blanc, followed by riesling. Corban’s, a two million case a year company with properties all over the island, has revived its quality after a lengthy period of no investment, during which it was milked by its mother conglomerate, I politely won’t name. Twenty million New Zealand dollars have been pumped into it recently and winemakers for the prestige brand Cottage Block in Marlborough have unlimited means to do what they must to make the best. Vavasour, Cloudy Bay, Montana Renwick Estate and others are also here. However I was completely seduced by Seresin Winery. Too bad the owner, the gorgeous international cinematographer Michael Seresin (Midnight Express, Sleeping Dogs, Mercury Rising), wasn’t around when I was visiting. The wines however drew their own applause. Sauvignon Blanc ’98 has lovely integrated fruit, Chardonnay Reserve ’97 is nutty, oaky but elegant, Chardonnay Reserve ’96 is layers of oak, vanilla and fruit, well structured and mellow. Also in the region, Saint Clair hired Kim Crawford to make sure their wines shine. The sauvignon blancs are bright and pretty, while the Merlot ’98 is plummy with fruit and the ’97 silky, cedary and nicely earthy.
Pinot noir, my favourite varietal gets the most acclaim in the smaller regions. Tucked in the southeast corner of North Island, through the mountains southwest of Wellington is Wairarapa region and the tiny town of Martinborough (and another oh so pretty lodge called Aylstone with the best collection of international wines in the country). This fifth region in size, has been making waves with its pinot. On my visit to Martinborough vineyard, winemaker Larry McKenna poured a vertical of pinot noirs going back to ’88. The earthy, barnyard aspects which I love, came out nicely in the ’89, ’96 Reserve and ’97. Hopping across the water to South Island’s Nelson region landed me in the pretty blue-green Upper Moutere hills. While this area accounts for only 1.6% of the country’s wine production, some of the wineries are most impressive. Neudorf makes standout concentrated, intense chardonnay and riesling from their Moutere district vineyards and a Pinot Noir Reserve ’97 with great blackberry fruit and good savoury intensity.
Near the centre of South Island, is Canterbury, the country’s fourth largest region, also known for pinot noir, as well as chardonnay. Pegasus Bay and Torlesse make fine wines in the Waipara district of this region, as does Geisen from Christchurch area.
The cool, craggy Central Otago near the south end, however is cited by pundits as the greatest red pinot hope. So I end the trip in the stunning capital of adventure sport, Queenstown. Hang gliders and paraflyers leap off mountains here. Jet boaters shoot over the rapids in canyon rivers and luge riders hurtle down winding tracks high above the town. Sampling the wines of Chard Farm, Gibbston, Judge and Jury brings me full circle to my airport meeting with the doctor. I’m inspired to take the final plunge into Kiwi culture when I site the Kawarau River from Chard Farm’s vineyard location. I sign up with Hackett’s, celebrating their 10th anniversary of jumping, and leap from the world’s first bungy bridge.
by Margaret Swaine | Feb 1, 1999
by Margaret Swaine
The DR, located on the eastern part of Hispaniola Island shared with Haiti, is the oldest European settlement in America. While tourists have known it as a cheap spot to vacation in the sun, lately it has achieved a more lofty reputation. With nine championship golf courses, several more under construction and others in planning, the Dominican Republic is set on establishing itself as a premier golfing vacation destination, as well as host for major tournaments in the Caribbean.
The government and the Dominican Republic Golf Association are working together to promote and expand a golfing tradition that began at Casa de Campo in 1972 and at the Amateur Golf Championship held there in 1974. Last year the country was host for the 42nd annual Caribbean Golf Championship.
World renown golf course designers have created challenging and naturally beautiful course layouts. Pete Dye was the designer of the famous 6,900-yard “Teeth of the Dog” course which Golf Magazine rated among the finest courses on the globe. Dye says he actually laid out only 11 holes of Dientes del Perro (its Spanish name) because God created the other seven on the Caribbean Sea. Dye was also the consultant for The Links, a championship course within the resort community of Casa de Campo.
Vacationers at Allegro Resorts’ Caribbean Village Playa Grande in Rio San Juan can step up to the tee on an 18 hole championship/PGA-tour quality golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones. Golf here is part of the all inclusive vacation package, sold by Signature Vacations in Canada. Built alongside seaside cliffs, bays and beaches of the country’s Atlantic Coast on the east, 13 holes overlook the water. Three of these can be reached by driving over the sea to the fairway. Many say it’s evocative of Pebble Beach, at least visually.
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Robert Trent Jones also created the championship course of Playa Dorada, which is surrounded by a complex of 13 hotels near Puerto Plata in the north. Golfers play alongside resorts’ pools, beaches and buildings. Even a misdirected nine iron will put the ball among the cabins of the Jack Tar Village on some of the holes.
Gary Player designed the Gran Diablo Links, under construction about 30 minutes east of Santo Domingo in the Juan Dolio area on the south coast. An on site golf academy is planned for the future. Other championship courses include golf de Bavaro on the eastern tip of the country near Punta Cana and Los Marlins, Cayacoa and Santo Domingo in the south. The Punta Cana Group, headed by Frank Rainieri is building 36-holes of championship golf designed by the firm of Robert Trent Jones in the Punta Cana-Bavaro area. Dominican born clothing designer Oscar de la Renta and singer Julio Iglesias, close friends of Rainieri, are partners in the project which includes their own private mansions and a small hotel.
The combo of year round summer weather and varied terrain, bring droves of golfers to the palm lined links by the ocean, so vacationers should be told to book tee times in advance. At most courses, caddies are mandatory, and often very helpful (cost $14 Cnd plus tip), but carts are optional.
by Margaret Swaine | Jun 17, 1998
For several decades now, in any given month I am likely to be sampling hundreds of wines sometimes as part of glamorous multi-course dinners, other times as grueling early morning marathons of a hundred or more bottles. The setting can be as rudimentary as a bare bones lab in Toronto or as beautiful as a European castle set among the vineyards. It’s my chosen profession and for it I must travel the world and taste.
I got my start in my early twenties, when I proved in one fell blind tasting competition that age and gender have nothing to do with ability to discern wines. I captured first prize in that Toronto event and with it the woman’s prize. The event I entered as a lark, as a fresh faced journalism grad from Carleton U, launched my career. Up until that point all I knew about wine came from a student year spent in Aix-en-Provence drinking from liter size plastic containers which sold by the franc rather than by the brand. My training for the contest came from books, not bottles. Today thousands of wines and wineries later, I can truly say I’ve learned “on the job”.
As I sit at my computer writing this, I am sipping a big-bodied red, opulent in the mouth and lingering in the finish. I love this style of wine but if you are new to wine terms, you probably think I’m being a wine snob by using such descriptors. I’m not. Despite the unrelated images this kind of wine parlance can conjure up, it is correct and specific. Let me help you learn it so you can speak your mind to sommeliers, winemakers and others in the biz.
There are at least 2,000 estimated chemical compounds in wine of which about 1,200 have been isolated and identified. The fruit and vegetable flavours we find in the wine actually come from the same molecular formula as is found in those products. We all have individual thesholds for aroma recognition which are further affected by our exposure to them. Scientific experiments have thus proven women can identify more smells than men, but it’s not known if this may be through cooking, perfume use and the like rather than innate skill (men beat out the gals in identifying motor oil for example).
I’ll feel lucky if I can clearly and constantly pick up 100 in my life time. Some are easy. Bell pepper (2-methoxyl-3 isobutyl pyrizine) is present in many reds, especially cool climate cabernets. It’s a snap to pick out as a mere thimble full would turn an Olympic size pool of water into pure pepper juice. The smell of strawberry which whiffs from a glass of young pinot noir, indeed, comes from the same domineering molecules which give the berry its characteristic aroma. The ground breaking “aroma wheel” which was devised at the Davis Campus of California University divides such smells into fruity, vegetal, floral and so forth and then further defines them. Fruity could be tree fruits such as peaches or pears or alternatively berries such as raspberry or blackcurrant and floral could be violet, rose or orange blossom for example.
Along with aromas derivative of the grape, are odours of aging which appear as nutty, earthy or leathery. Then there is the effect of fermenting and aging in wood barrels which gives its own phenolic qualities. The taste of vanilla comes from vanillin in the staves. Charring the inside of a barrel can lend toasty, butterscotch flavours. Butteriness is often the result of malolactic fermentation (turns sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid) which takes place in the barrels.
Chemical faults and bacterial spoilage come out as real stinkers. Too much sulphides and odors of garlic, rotten eggs or onion appear. Mousey, vinegar and sauerkraut smells come from microbiological problems. Much can go wrong in a winery. Even if all is perfect, a contaminated cork can quickly give a musty, moldy smell to a wine. If you detect an off-putting aroma, dump the bottle or return it if you can.
The colour of a wine can also tell a tale. Whites might start out pale, deepening to gold with age or if high in sugar or extract. Reds often begin with a purple blush of youth, fading to mahogany then brown as they disintegrate. The deeper the colour at the start, the more the extract from the juice and skins, which even in the most opaque of wines, will eventually precipitate out.
The feel of the wine in the mouth is of similar importance. It’s often a match between body and texture such that a thin wine is also watery or a thick full bodied wine is chewy. Let the wine roll about on your tongue sensing if it is soft or harsh, creamy or rough. Then try to summarize overall impressions such fragile or assertive, bold or bland. Wines that are built for aging have a structure to them and a sensation of tasting through layers of flavours. A dry puckering feeling (like sipping a tea which has seeped too long) comes from tannins, a natural substance in grape pits and skins which give the wine longevity. Bitter astringent tannins are obviously less desirable than the smoother versions.
If you have food with wine, the taste is changed. For instance, lemon juice will make a tart wine taste sweeter and cheese or rare meat will soften and round the edges of any hard red. So if you want to assess a wine, do so with a clean palate. If you want to enjoy wine, have it with a meal. I spit out most of what I taste. This brings tears to my eyes when it’s dozens of great burgundies such as I had at Clos Vougeot this Spring. However swallowing is not a virtue among wine judges.
To do your own judging, tip the glass to admire the colour first. Sniff to assess the bouquet and then take the wine in your mouth and roll it about (sucking in air if you dare, to release more of the aromas to the back of the throat – the tongue only perceives sweet, sour, salty and bitter). Lastly, do swallow. Taste how the wine finishes (sweet, bitter, tangy) and if it lingers. Then find the words to let people know what you think.
Wine Terms (some of the most commonly used)
aromatic: a fragrant bouquet which may be spicy, fruity or floral but always very perceptible
balanced: when the natural elements found in a wine – sugars, acids, tannins and alcohol – are in harmony
barnyard: earthy, manure like smell actually highly regarded in small doses in burgundies and old bordeaux
body: the weight of the wine in the mouth, ranging from light to full
clean: no off odours or faults in flavour
closed: not showing much of anything, probably because of youth
complex: many aromas, tastes and textures in a wine
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corked: a musty smelling wine spoiled by a tainted cork
crisp: perceptible but agreeable acidity
elegant: stylish, refined style of wine
extract: the solids in a wine including phenolics, sugars, minerals, glycerole
finish: the sensation left after the wine has been swallowed
flabby: too low in acidity
fleshy: low in acidity but full in body
lean: low in fruit but not in acid
grip: a firm, physical effect in the mouth
harsh: excessive, biting tannin
opulent: rich, high alcohol and concentrated with tannins that feel velvety on the tongue
refreshing: lightish body and pleasant acidity, hence thirst quenching
ripe: mature with tastes of sweetness and richness
robust: full bodied and obvious in the mouth, yet with rounded, not harsh tannins
subtle: low key complexity
supple: easy-on-the-palate tannins
tannic: aggressively puckering
tart: very acid
by Margaret Swaine | Feb 1, 1997
Austria – Holiday Break Away
by Margaret Swaine
Stepping out of my hotel in Salzburg I see the Alps. I wonder whether they are ones which inspired Mozart who was born here, or hold the path which Julie Andrews sang along in the Sound of Music. In any case, I’m heading for the train station for a close up look as I plan on glacier skiing on the Kitzsteinhorn near Kaprun, a scenic two hour ride away. I might just as easy chose to play golf, hear a concert, sample special wines or visit an historical edifice such as Hohensalzburg, Europe’s largest fortified castle, for Austria is rich in sports and culture.
Austria, the birthplace for modern skiing, is still one of the foremost destinations in the world for skiers. The mountains are ideal for downhill runs, with intricate lift networks designed to tie resorts, villages and often whole valleys, together into one large ski region. For those who love to live on boards, the country offers eight year round skiing areas on the glaciers which dot the Alps.
Two years prior, while skiing in October in the Ziller Valley region of the Tyrolean Alps, I bumped into the Canadian ski team practicing on the Tux glacier. When I asked what they were doing in Austria, the answer was a succinct “snow”. Turned out they were even staying in the farming village of Hintertux at the very hotel where I laid my bags. It was a romantic area with all the villages which nestled along the eight-kilometre valley full of character: ancient mills, historic parish churches, farmsteads and the like.
At Zell am See and its twin resort of Kaprun, my destination this year, ski slopes rise from a historic town set on the banks of a glittering lake. About 12 miles away, the glacier is reached by an underground rail way up through the mountain. However by ski is not the only way to enjoy the Alps – in summer hiking and biking are popular pursuits.
Austria has an amazing 50,000 kilometres of marked hiking trails and 10,000 kilometres of signposted cycling trails. Those who like company should contact the North American tour operators who offer village-to-village hikes through green valleys or hut-to-hut hikes along the peaks, as well as cycling trips all through pristine landscape glittering with rivers, alpine flowers and blue skies.
In Tyrol twenty hotels have come together as the “Tiroler Wanderhotels” group offering innovative walking packages and a super walking service with authorized guides. The Tyrols Cycleways Guide provides detailed plans of specially selected routes.
The scenic Tauern bicycle path is a gorgeous, roll through the Alps, which can be largely downhill if you plan it right. Deep in the Hohe Tauern range in the Gastein Valley, the town of Badgastein is a world renown super spa. The waters of its hot springs, endowed with trace elements and radon gas, are piped into all the major hotels and pensions. While touring around, I saw many guests luxuriating in the soothing thermal water pools after a day of perhaps tennis, hiking or golf. Trips to a former gold mine, Böckstein, have a special therapeutic effect from the high humidity, heat and radon gas.
Austria has over 80 spas of classical European variety where hot springs, mud packs, hydrotherapy, massage, and other time-tested treatments are offered. Many of the resort hotels, such as those at Badgastein, offer spa packages, or even spa and sport deals.
My favourite bike paths go through wine regions. To the west of Vienna is Lower Austria, the largest wine-growing region. In the centre is Krems, where a taste of more than 120 Austrian wines can be enjoyed in the cellars of a 17th century former Capuchin monastery, Kloster Und. In the Wachau, between Krems and Melk along the Danube River is a very scenic cycling path, amid narrow terraced vineyards clinging to the steep valley slopes. It passes the famous hilltop castle of Durnstein where Richard the Lion Heart was held prisoner. Durnstein is a well preserved medieval fortified town which overlooking the Danube. A glass of wine here is pure romance.
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In Styria, in the southeast, the hilly grape vine covered land has been called a second Tuscany, though it just may be even more picturesque. You can stop for wine and home grown food at any of the over 200 buschenshanks, which are farms allowed to sell the produce of their labour on premises. Many have picnic tables outside in view of the vineyards. Graz governs Styria and is the second largest city in the country, with all of a quarter million inhabitants. It’s a charming cultural city with a lively bar scene probably due to the three universities. Not to be missed is the largest historical collection of arms in the world at the Zeughaus – more than 30,000 pieces dating back to the 16th century.
The easternmost province, Burgenland, is the flattest, with a large shallow lake, called the Neusiedl. The locals enjoy the water for boating and swimming and the winemakers for its provision of a constant humidity that encourages noble rot in the grapes, a beneficial fungus, responsible for the famous dessert wines of the area. Rust, a town close to the shores of the lake, is home to the Wine Academy, founded in 1989. It acts as a wine information centre, a wine store and a learning centre. It offers the Austrian Wine Experience, a week-long seminar in English, which includes lectures and overnight trips to the major wine regions. Close by is the town of Eisenstadt, the capital of this second largest wine growing region, and home of Joseph Haydn when he was court composer for the Duke Esterhazy. Public concerts of Hayden’s music are played by musicians in 18th century dress in the Esterhazy palace.
In fact at any given moment there is classical music in the air in Austria. This year many of the regular festivals celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of Schubert and the 100th anniversary of Brahms death. For example while Mozart serenades and palace concerts are year round in Salzburg, from mid-September to early October Schubert in Salzburg concerts will be held by the Bach Society in five towns in the province and in November Schubert Days (three lieder cycles from the prince of song) are featured at the Mozarteum.
In Vienna Schubert’s works are scheduled at both the Spring Festival in the Musikverein (April 3 to May 6) and at the Music Festival of the Vienna Festival at the Konzerthaus (May 8 to June 19) featuring international stars such as Riccardo Muti, Nikolaus Hanoncourt and the Vienna Philharmonic. At the KlangBogen concerts of Vienna’s Summer of Music in July and August almost every one of Schubert’s works for piano will be played, along with all 17 Mozart operas. The music film festival held every summer outdoors in front of the City Hall in Vienna will screen Schubert of course, as well as Leonard Bernstein conducting works by Johannes Brahms and opera hits. With free admission and seating, after a day of sightseeing it’s the perfect spot to grab a snack from the specialty food stands, sit back and be transported by this city of music.
In Styria the International Music Festival of Brahms takes place from September 18 to 21 in Mürzzuschlag. The Brahms museum, where the composer wrote his 4th symphony, presents his story and is on the Brahms-Way, a hiking path which follows an authentic route of his, and is close to the Steinbauer tavern which serves the original Brahms-Jause.
The country also has about 80 golf courses and so music is sometimes combined with this sport. Golf enthusiasts from 20 countries go to the traditional seven Salzburg Festival tournaments held in Klessheim in August to enjoy concerts, opera and the links. Gut Altentann Golf and Country Club in Henndorf, near Salzburg, is an 18 hole Jack Nicklaus designed course where the Austrian Open has been held. In ski country near Zell am See, the Schmittenhöhe, a championship course where John Daly has played in an exhibition match, is a solid test of golf
A few miles north of Vienna, Schloß Schönborn is a fine course which meanders through the abandoned hunting ground that surrounds the castle. Near Graz in the village of Frohnleiten, the Murhof Golf Club is a haven set in a tiny river valley encircled by pine covered mountains. At high altitude in Seefeld in Tyrol, the Golf Academy has PGA certified pros and an indoor Master Golf Training Centre. In wine country is Burgenland’s Bad Tatzmanndorf, where Austria’s first golfodrom was built as well as a David Leadbetter Academy. Hotels, such as the Steigenberger group, offer golf packages combined with thermal spas and other luxuries.
The most exciting development in golf in the country, Fontana in Oberwaltersdorf, a half hour drive from Vienna, has Canadian roots. Spearheaded by Magna’s Frank Stronach, designed by Canadian Doug Carrick (Angus Glen and more), with the on location supervision of Barry Britton, builder of Lionshead and others, the course which is due to open this spring has already been called the finest in Europe. Its chateau like clubhouse, set on a large man-made lake is ground fed with aquifer water of Lake Louise hue. The newly contoured rolling hills where flat farmland used to be, complete with challenging water hazards and awesome sod bunkers make this a real destination course. While proficiency in German is not required (English is the official language of golf), you should be proficient in the game – most courses will ask to see your current handicap card.
The Austrian National Tourist Office (ANTO) Web site includes 4,000 pages and 3,000 pictures which give a comprehensive view of the Austrian tourist industry, including dates of musical events, hotels, cultural attractions and video clips. The address is: www.austria-tourism.at
