Carving, divine, edgy, label, snakes
What do you learn from today's wine labels?
Ellen’s World newsletter
The long and the short of it
When wine labels follow food, the first of Ellen’s World long reads, was sent to you Friday 25 October. This new feature will allow me to keep the newsletter shorter while more precisely targeting readers’ interests. If you subscribe to Ellen’s Wine World, you’ll receive occasional long reads as separate articles. I’ll label them wine, hiking, travel, garden, Alpha-gal (allergy to meat and dairy), or miscellany at the top, so you can quickly decide if the content interests you.
The newsletter, which I’m aiming to send every two to three weeks, will generally offer you
a link to a long read
a very short feature
one or two wine picks
Here & there—curated links I think might interest you
Out & about—limited list of upcoming, usually Swiss events
Ellen’s world view—one beautiful photo for the sheer joy of it.
This newsletter and the first two long reads (see links below) are a test. I would love to have your reactions, as well as suggestions. I’ve had some very positive emails about the labeling article (thank you!) ; more are welcome, privately by message or publicly here:
The new wine labels in the EU
OCT 25, 2024, Ellen’s World long read - Wine nutrition labels are the next bend in the road (updated 27 October with a list of sources and further reading links)
The European Union has mandated it and wineries are starting to grapple with it: nutrition labeling for wine became the law in the EU in early 2024, although some delays in implementing it are allowed. The 2024 harvest is the first vintage that is affected. Hold on, you say, we eat to nourish ourselves, but we don’t drink for nutrients, so why does anyone think we need this? …
Just wine, please
OCT 27, 2024, Ellen’s World long read - In case you’re having trouble working out what’s in the bottle because of what’s written on the outside, here’s Ellen’s guide to Swiss wine certificates. To reproduce this, please contact me. Prost Wine, a wine club in the US that sells Swiss wines, carries a version of this on its membership web pages, for example.
Wine pick: Chardonnay, Weingut Hermann
Simply exquisite, a virtuoso of a Chardonnay from Graubünden’s wilder side, from vineyards devoted to biodiversity that I visited before these grapes were harvested. Roman Hermann, who had fairly recently taken over from his parents, gave me a tour of the cellar, excited about new containers, new sizes of them for maturing wines, that he was trying, and new labels. We walked through the vineyards, where he enthusiastically showed me snakes’ nests and natural water sources. His training (Oregon, South Africa, New Zealand, Germany) is impressive, and combined with these beautiful vineyards in Fläsch, the resulting wine is outstanding. Citrus, wild honey, mocha and tobacco notes, with the fruit unfolding in waves, notable acidity but also minimality, followed by a slightly salty finish. Fresh, great structure. 13%. Eleven months in Swiss and French oak barrels, light filtering. The fruit dominates and the oaking is very subtle. You might want it with a Saturday night meal that is more sophisticated than my (very good!) bean and kale and wild rice soup with Taillens bakery bread laced with nuts and pumpkin, but it was the perfect partner for that.
Here & there
Reading -
Books Two new wine books: Jura Ten Years On by French Jura and Alps specialist (wine, food and travel) Wink Lorch. She is a dedicated researcher, very knowledgeable and her writing always offers a good read—this is a must for anyone who wants to explore the region, just over the border from Switzerland and perfect for day or weekend trips. It follows her excellent guide published 10 years ago. Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much, an award-winning book by Natalie MacLean, wine professional and educator, recounts her journey from life imploding to getting it back together while continuing to work in the wine business—dating again after 20 years, mid-life career change, glamour and sexism in wine, and why moms turned to the bottle during Covid. Lively and encouraging.
Various Old but not smelly, the world’s oldest cheese, aged 3,600 years, its DNA sequenced. Hint: think kefir). Even by SBB/CFF Swiss train standards, this is a fun outing, the Churchill Red Arrow train for lunch or dinner. Carving or peeling pumpkins safely—thank you, Migros (Fr)! My brother-in-law once went to the emergency room with a nicked artery he gave himself while carving a Jack-o-lantern for my 10-year-old son, so take heed. If you’re a fan of Yotam Ottolenghi, like me, you’ll be happy to hear that his group will be working at the Mandarin Oriental kitchens in Geneva, reportedly starting in 2025.
You’ll find me on Instagram (re-posted to Ellen Wine on Facebook): stories as mini-photo reels with music. Also on Medium (paywall after three free): longer essays and occasional fiction, poetry.
Out & about
DiVINes, Swiss wine weekend featuring women who make wine: 1-2 November 2024 in Rolle, canton Vaud—this is one of my favourite wine-tasting events, featuring women from around the country. With 45 cellars from six regions, it’s manageable and you have a chance to talk to the producers. This year’s special guest is Mayra Saillen, a Swiss oenologist who with her husband runs Jas de L’Agachet in Provence. She is also bringing her olive oil. Two ateliers, advance registration for these.
The harvests are in, except for patches of late harvest sweet grapes, and that means it’s time for Expovina, a major wine fair 31 October to 14 November on the boats in Zurich, the colourful Fête de St-Martin in Peissy, Geneva 9 November from 10-18:30. Also coming up: an excellent collection of 70 wines in a private (open to public) wine-tasting in Lausanne 28 October, 17-20:00 at the Palace Hotel. It’s organized by Master of Wine Paul Liversedge of Real Wines in Vico Morcote, Ticino. My experience with him is excellent; this is the first time he’s showing his wines in French-speaking Switzerland. For a more intellectual approach to wine, the Valais wine museum is hosting a presentation with top speakers 30 October in Sierre at the Hôtel de Ville, on the future of wine, in French, 18:30. Registration by 28 October required. Five wines to be tasted at the end.
Santé!
Ellen’s world view
