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View of Exhibitor stalls and the Seminar room at the Arab Gardens |
The Fifth Edition of Vinoble, the biennial international exhibition of fortified, dessert and naturally sweet wines, came to an end at Jerez, the Andalucian city that's famous for its centuries-old association with sherry in the south of Spain on May 31. Popularly known as the 'Stickies Show' in wine circles around the world, it has gained enormous importance not only for Sherry producers, but also for fortified wine and natural sweet wine producers of over 20 nations, notably France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Canada, Chile, Argentina, South Africa and Hungary.
The show, which attracted over 11,000 visitors, was held at the magnificent Arab Palace and in the picturesque Arab Gardens. Professionals and wine journalists also got opportunities to visit various bodegas, thereby gaining rare insights into the centuries-old solera method of making sherry.
Daily seminars organised to showcase the products of a number of regions were the highlights, but the show stopper was the vertical tasting of the four extraordinary vintages of Chateau d'Yquem, including the legendary 2001. Presenting the wines, Sandrine Garbay, d'Yquem's cellar master, declared, "We are lucky to have a unique terroir, a mosaic of different soils that gives complexity to our wines. There is never any frost and the temperatures are higher than the rest of the area, enabling us to ripen the grapes more. We produce just 10 hectolitres per hectare because we believe in quality, not quantity." Similar sentiments had been expressed by the Canadian Ambassador in Spain at the inauguration ceremony, who implored all the participating producers to stress on quality, not quantity, because this was the trend worldwide.
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Cesar Saldana, GM of the DO Authority and Carlos Delgado, at the seminar, 'Sherry beyond Aging'
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Sweet wines from Tokaji, Canada, Austria, South Africa and Argentina also merited seminars, which were informative, though I wish they didn't always begin late because of the extraordinary interest created by them. Invariably, the seminar venues used to be packed to capacity, which was a measure of their success.
Grenache and Monastrell came out smelling of roses as the red varietals for excellent and complex dessert wines. Moscato, Chenin and Riesling, as was expected from them, were able to attract much interest from visitors. French natural sweet wines were a big hit as was SAPROS, the association of their producers.
The association's president, Patrick Baudouin from Coteaux du Layon, was delighted over the response. "It gave us an opportunity to showcase our members' wines made by managing botrytis only and not adding sugar or acid," he said.
The exhibition also gave the visitors and exhibitors an opportunity to savour the gastronomical experience of matching the local food with sherry at the 20 quality restaurants that participated in the programme, each offering a fixed five-course menu matched with sherry at an affordable price. The city council has been an important and integral part of the activities and a big supporter of the show, with the Mayor, Pilar Sanchez, continuing to carry the torch lit b y her predecessors.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, she said: "It is a very young show, but it has already consolidated itself as one of the grandest on the international stage. Indeed, our Andalucian city of Jerez is the cradle of wine that was immortalized by Shakespeare in his most celebrated literary works. It's an ideal place to showcase sherry and other fortified wines."
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Flamenco Dancers at the Ceremony
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The Hungarian Ambassador, Gabor Toth, who had flown in especially from Madrid to take part in the Tokaji Seminar, added: "Our Tokaji have been known for centuries as wines for the kings, generals and czars. But after the Renaissance that has taken place in the post-communist period, such shows are extremely important for us to help us market the wines." Vinoble Commissioner, Carlos Salgado, made an important point for Asian wine lovers on the concluding day of the show. "Some of these wines are appreciated but not drunk in Asia," he said, " and we hope countries from this region will also start enjoying these wines and add to the repertoire of wines they consume."
Sadly, there were no other Indian to share Salgado's sentiments. I thought I saw Rahul Bal of Brindco briefly, but I didn't see him later. It show the lack of interest in fortified and dessert wines in India. But I believe we're missing out on a great thing. Maybe at the next Vinoble, the Indian presence will be of the level we get to see at shows like Vinexpo and Vinitaly. |
