| DOWN TO EARTH@PROWEIN PLANNING TO SURPRISE DELEGATES |
Afrikaans volg onder.
Would you brush your teeth just before embarking on a tasting of sparkling wine? That`s a question well-known German writer and sommelier Christina Fischer will be asking delegates attending this month`s (March`s) Down To Earth, the New World show-within-a-show at ProWein, the top-level annual trade show in Düsseldorf.
The three-day event runs from Sunday, March 27, to Tuesday, March 29, and features five New World tasting regions: Argentina, California, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa.
Her contention is that even the most knowledgeable winelovers and members of the international wine industry are sometimes thrown by incompatible food and wine pairings that could just as well produce the same results as a rinsing of toothpaste followed by a glass of even the finest bubbly.
Chairing two food and wine pairing sessions at this year`s Down To Earth, Fischer says both seminars are intended to challenge prejudices, extend boundaries of taste and inform even the most seasoned palates.
On the opening day she and her panel will focus on the extent to which food can change the experience of wine. They will present Chardonnays from each of the participating regions with a selection of what promise to be fascinating food matches. She will appear again the following day with a different panel, running a similar exercise but this time featuring examples of Cabernet Sauvignon from the five regions and exploring their compatibility with a range of dishes.
Also planning to surprise delegates at this year`s Down To Earth is sommelier Alessandro Marchesan, with a seminar entitled Not What You Would Expect, a presentation on new varietal plantings and comparisons between New and Old World winemaking in what he has described as "an eccentric and exciting" line-up.
While intriguing food and wine matching forms an integral part of the three-day initiative, other major focus areas include sustainability and the signature varietals produced by each of the five regions.
Sustainability will be addressed on every one of the three days. Dr Monika Christmann, who heads the department of oenology and wine technology at the Geisenheim Research Institute, will highlight the scientific approach her university is taking to sustainability. Respected German economist and wine writer Jürgen Mathäß will chair a panel represented by the heads of the generic bodies of each of the five participating regions in which they share their codes of good practice and long-term vision. On the third day, Pancho Campo MW, Spanish-based climate specialist, will chair a discussion on sustainability as a corporate social responsibility. His panel will also address issues such as biodynamics, organics and ecology.
There will be two presentations on signature varietals. One will be chaired by Austrian wine writer and wine educator, Luzia Schrampf, who has written several wine books and whose columns are published internationally. The other will be presented by Lynne Sherriff MW, the South African-born head of the Institute of Masters of Wine.
Other highlights will include a tasting of some of the New World`s internationally top-scoring wines, presented blind, in which sommeliers will offer their comments without the constraints of knowledge of label or producer. The seminar will be chaired by Austrian educator Annemarie Foidl, who is president of the Austrian Sommelier Association and also serves on the judging panels of several international sommelier competitions.
Sherriff will also be conducting a special tutored tasting for Masters of Wine students and exploring terroir, in an event exclusively for media that will involve a tasting of single-vineyard wines from the five participating regions.
Back to the Future, chaired by Cees van Casteren, a widely published wine writer and educator working in Europe, will look at the age-worthiness of some of the participating regions` wines of five years and older, examining issues such as winemaking techniques and wine styles.
This year marks the second in succession in which the five normally competing wine regions are collaborating to highlight New World wine achievements and innovations.
Delegates are urged to book well in advance, given that many of last year`s Down To Earth seminars were over-subscribed.
For further information and bookings go to www.down2earth-prowein.com.
For more information contact:
Wines of Argentina:
Andrew Maidment
amaidment@winesofargentina.com.ar
0044 7815647429
California Wine Institute:
Christine Berthold +49 (0) 421-217020
Cell phone +49 (0) 178-2170200
Email: berthold@wineinstitute.de
Wines of Chile:
Juan Somavia (Chile) +56 9776 75086 or Michael Cox (UK) +44 (0) 7785 291503
Email:http://mce_host/admin/jsomavia@winesofchile.org Michael@winesofchile.org.uk
New Zealand Winegrowers:
David Cox +44 (0)20 7973 8079 mobile +44 (0)7974 22898
Email: davidc@nzwine.com
Wines of South Africa:
Su Birch +27 21 825630677 or +27 21 8833860
Email: su@wosa.co.za
Pippa Carter + 27 21 883 3860
Email: pippa@wosa.co.za
DATE ISSUED MARCH 7, 2011
ISSUED BY DKC (DE KOCK COMMUNICATIONS) FOR WOSA
ON BEHALF OF WINES OF SOUTH AFRICA (WOSA)
QUERIES SU BIRCH, WOSA CEO, 021 883 3860
ANDRÉ MORGENTHAL, WOSA COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, 082 658 3883
TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC, 021 422 2690
DOWN TO EARTH@PROWEIN GAAN AFGEVAARDIGDES VERRAS
Sal jy jou tande borsel net voordat jy vonkelwyn gaan proe? Die welbekende Duitse skrywer en sommelier Christina Fischer gaan dié vraag stel aan afgevaardigdes na vandeesmaand se Down To Earth, die uitstalling binne `n uitstalling wat die Nuwe Wêreld by ProWein, die jaarlikse top-bedryfstentoonstelling in Düsseldorf, gaan aanbied.
Die gebeurtenis word oor drie dae van Sondag 27 Maart tot Dinsdag 29 Maart aangebied, en vyf wynstreke uit die Nuwe Wêreld sal daar wees, naamlik Argentinië, Kalifornië, Chili, Nieu-Seeland en Suid-Afrika.
Fischer se betoog is dat selfs die kundigste wynliefhebbers en lede van die internasionale wynbedryf soms onkant betrap word deur wyn en kos wat onversoenbare pare uitmaak, en ewe sleg kan smaak as selfs die heel beste vonkelwyn ná `n mondvol tandepasta.
Fischer gaan tydens twee sessies oor kos- en wyn-pare by vanjaar se Down To Earth die voorsitter wees. Sy sê albei seminare wil vooroordele uitdaag, smaakgrense verskuif en selfs die mees gesoute palette nuwe insigte gee.
Op die eerste dag gaan sy en haar paneel die klem lê op die mate dat kos die ervaring van wyn kan verander. Hulle gaan chardonnay uit elk van die deelnemende streke met `n keur van betowerende kossoorte saamvoeg. Sy gaan die volgende dag weer met `n ander paneel optree en dieselfde doen, maar dié keer met cabernet sauvignon uit die vyf streke, om te kyk hoe goed hulle by verskillende disse pas.
Die sommelier Alessandro Marchesan is ook van plan om afgevaardigdes na vanjaar se Down To Earth met `n seminaar met die titel Not What You Would Expect te verras. Dis `n aanbieding oor nuwe kultivars, met vergelykings tussen wynmakery in die Nuwe en Ou Wêreld, en hy beskryf sy aanbod as "eksentriek en opwindend".
Interessante kos- en wynpare maak `n hegte deel van die driedaagse inisiatief uit, maar die klem val ook veral op volhoubaarheid en die bekendste kultivars wat elke van die vyf streke kenmerk.
Volhoubaarheid word op elk van die drie dae aangespreek. Dr. Monika Christmann, die hoof van die departement van wynkunde en wyntegnologie aan die Geisenheim-navorsingsinstituut, gaan die wetenskaplike benadering wat haar universiteit ten opsigte van volhoubaarheid volg, uitlig. Die gerespekteerde Duitse ekonoom en wynskrywer Jürgen Matthäß gaan die voorsitter wees van `n paneel van die hoofde van die generiese liggame van elk van die vyf streke wat deelneem, waarin hulle hul kodes van goeie praktyk en langtermynvisie gaan deel. Op die derde dag gaan Pancho Campo MW, die klimaatspesialis wat in Spanje gesetel is, die voorsitter tydens `n bespreking oor volhoubaarheid as `n korporatiewe maatskaplike verantwoordelikheid wees. Sy paneel gaan ook aangeleenthede soos biodinamika, organiese wetenskap en ekologie aanspreek.
Daar gaan twee aanbiedings oor kenmerkende kultivars wees. Die Oostenrykse wynskrywer en -opvoeder Luzia Schrampf, wat verskeie wynboeke geskryf het en wie se kolomme orals ter wêreld gepubliseer word, gaan die voorsitter van een daarvan wees. Die ander word aangebied deur Lynne Sherriff MW, die hoof van die Institute of Masters of Wine, wat in Suid-Afrika gebore is.
Ander hoogtepunte is onder meer die geleentheid om sommige van die wyne uit die Nuwe Wêreld wat wêreldwyd hoë punte behaal het, blind te proe. Sommeliers gaan hul kommentaar lewer sonder dat hulle weet watter wyn dit is, of wie dit gemaak het. Die Oostenrykse opvoeder Annemarie Foidl - die president van die Oostenrykse Sommelier-vereniging wat ook in die beoordelaarspanele van verskeie internasionale sommelier-kompetisies dien - gaan die voorsitter wees.
Sherriff gaan ook ʼn toegeligte proe aanbied geleentheid vir studente wat hulle vir die Masters of Wine eksamen voorberei benewens ʼn geslote byeenkoms vir die media oor terroir waartydens enkelwingerdwyne uit die vyf deelnemende streke geproe sal word.
Terug na die Toekoms, met Cees van Casteren (`n wynskrywer en opvoeder wat in Europa werksaam is en heelwat gepubliseer het) as die voorsitter, gaan die beleënheid van sommige van die deelnemer-streke se wyne van vyf jaar of ouer onder die loep neem. Sake soos wynmaaktegnieke en wynstyle gaan bespreek word.
Dis vanjaar die tweede keer ná mekaar dat die vyf streke wat deelneem en gewoonlik met mekaar meeding, eerder saamwerk om die wynprestasies en -vernuwings van die Nuwe Wêreld uit te stal.
Afgevaardigdes word aangeraai om lank voor die tyd te bespreek omdat baie van verlede jaar se seminare tydens Down To Earth meer geesdriftiges gelok het as wat daar plekke was.
Gaan na www.down2earth-prowein.com vir nadere inligting en besprekings.
Skakel die volgende vir nadere inligting:
Wines of Argentina:
Andrew Maidment
amaidment@winesofargentina.com.ar
0044 7815647429
California Wine Institute:
Christine Berthold +49 (0) 421-217020
Sel +49 (0) 178-2170200
E-pos: berthold@wineinstitute.de
Wines of Chile:
Juan Somavia (Chili) +56 9776 75086 of Michael Cox (VK) +44 (0) 7785 291503
E-pos: http://mce_host/admin/jsomavia@winesofchile.org Michael@winesofchile.org.uk
New Zealand Winegrowers:
David Cox +44 (0)20 7973 8079 Sel +44 (0)7974 228986
E-pos: davidc@nzwine.com
Wines of South Africa:
Su Birch +27 21 825630677 of +27 21 8833860
E-pos: su@wosa.co.za
Pippa Carter +27 21 8833860
E-pos: pippa@wosa.co.za
DATUM UITGEREIK: 7 MAART 2011
UITGEREIK DEUR: DKC (DE KOCK KOMMUNIKSASIE) NAMENS WOSA
NAMENS: WINES OF SOUTH AFRICA (WOSA)
NAVRAE: SU BIRCH, UITVOERENDE HOOF VAN WOSA (021) 883-3860
ANDRÉ MORGENTHAL, WOSA SE KOMMUNIKASIEBESTUURDER (082) 658-3883
TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC (021) 422-2690
