GOT LEGS

I was scrolling through Twitter this morning when I came across a conversation between Meg Herring, Peter Pharos and Randall Grahm.

It started from a relatively innocent tweet:

I typically hate Gewürz 😬 but when I had this Lamoreaux Landing 2017 Gewürztraminer Ice Wine in the Finger Lakes, I immediately exclaimed that we needed it for Thanksgiving. Sweet and spicy, it was perfect with pumpkin tiramisu, pumpkin roll, and apple pie! pic.twitter.com/5AT9nibaSi

— Meg Herring (@megandmerlot) November 27, 2020

The discussion continued, tamely enough, between various people talking about grape varieties that can yield overly-fragrant, perfumed wines… until we reach this point:

I’m guardedly hopeful that Ruché in California will have more “substance” or at least texture. Having said that, I’m very intrigued by the phenomenon of palatal “open space,” found in Rossese, Pinot, Grenache and other grapes. It’s not always absence but rather potentiality.

— Randall Grahm (@RandallGrahm) November 27, 2020

MIND BLOWN.

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I spent a good hour this afternoon doing some repetitive maintenance work in the vineyards so I had time to mull this concept over further.

When I talk about wine, I tend to follow the standard formula of talking about what there *is* – i.e. the aromas, flavours, finish. If I mention what there *isn’t*, it is normally a thinly-veilled criticism – i.e. “X was lacking in acidity.” The notion that some wines have “open space” turns everything on its head.

The reason this concept had such an effet on me is because it was exactly my experience of drinking Laura Aschero’s Rossese 2018 almost a year ago. “Fruity, fragrant… so light bodied it’s over half way to becoming a rosé… it works perfectly on this warm, sunny day.” (You can read the full post here.)

When assessing a wine, I am often guilty of falling into the trap of focussing on the vinification. I ask myself: is this Merlot an important wine which was fully ripe and did 3 weeks on the skins before a year or two in barrel… or is this a grappes entières carbo bomb?

If I’m hungry, my stomach overrides my brain and I tend to think about the potential food pairings: i.e. would I pair this Merlot with a cote de boeuf or with a mixed charcuterie plate? Is this wine the main course or is it just the aperitif?

What I don’t do enough – and it’s where Randall has opened my eyes – is to think more philosophically about wine. A simple, light-bodied wine could be just that, and often they are… but occasionally I come across wines which are light but exquisitely crafted. (There are a couple of Tai Rosso wines from the Colli Berici that spring to mind, for example.) It is during these moments that I will endeavour to look more holistically, in the way that Randall described, for the “palatal open space.”

“It’s not always absence but rather potentiality.”