Wines with fire in their heart
On tasting today in the shop until 6:30pm
Salty, intense, mineral; savoury, not fruit-driven, often full of umami, sometimes tinged by smoke. Volcanic wines are hot. While volcanic soils may only represent 1% of the soils on the planet, they are overrepresented in the world of fine wine. What's it about?
For one thing, volcanic soils tend not to retain water, and to have relatively low fertility; the stresses these factors provoke in the vines can lead to smaller grape bunches, with more concentrated juice. For another, the typical mineral composition in volcanic soils will be very different from non-volcanic soils, which in turn can bring a different kind of character to a wine. And since phylloxera has always struggled to get a toehold in volcanic soils, many volcanic terroirs in traditional winemaking areas around the world are a treasure trove of indigenous varieties and old vine stock that might not have survived elsewhere.
It's true that volcanic wines are a very diverse bunch. They are largely defined by the other usual factors that go to make up a wine (you know, grape variety, local climate, vintage, the things we bang on about), but they do share some things in common. They tend to be higher in acidity. They can be among the most mineral-laden and distinct wines anywhere. And it turns out that at Uncorked we've got some standout examples from around the world. To help you get to grips with a category we've never before turned the spotlight on, we've put together a 12-bottle mixed case of some of our favourites. We've even knocked money off and thrown in free delivery so no excuses… /NT
THE UNCORKED VOLCANIC TASTING CASES
The whites
2016 Dr Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten GG: the blazing red, volcanic and slate soils of this insanely steep Mosel vineyard produce an astonishingly beautiful, spiced wine
2018 Gaia Wild Ferment Assyrtiko Santorini: the eruption on Santorini in 1600 BC wiped out the Minoan civilisation. Now old Assyrtiko vines flourish here in the very volcanic soils. This is bone dry, mineral, shot through with peach and gunflint.
2018 Terredora Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio: the slopes of Mount Vesuvius are scarred by ancient lava flows and the lower slopes are covered with vineyards. Lacryma Christi is made here from old, local varieties in a style of wine that is the closest thing in the modern world to what the Ancient Romans drank. Luscious, intense, salty.
2018 Inama Vulcaia Sauvignon Blanc:in the western reaches of Soave limestone soils predominate, but in the eastern reaches volcanic soils dominate for an altogether steelier style of wine. Inama's Vulcaia is of course named after the Roman God of fire and the volcano. The wine is rich, oily even, but also firmly rivetted by bright acidity and ripe citrus fruits.
2017 Tenuta di Castellaro Bianco Pomice: pomice means pumice, and this wine is named after the volcanic stones that cover the island of Lipari where it is made. Smoky, salty, mineral, with fabulous intensity.
2017 Bodegas Vinatigo Marmajuelo: produced in the shadow of the Tenerife's Teide, the world's third highest volcano, this wine is made from the Marmajuelo grape variety unique to the Canary Islands. Luscious and electric, absolutely zinging with energy.
Zind Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Clos St-Urbain: there is only one volcanic vineyard in Alsace, Rangen, where the Clos St-Urbain is situated, and the wines Olivier Humbrecht makes here are quite different from anything else in his portfolio. 2016 was an especially successful vintage in Rangen and this is a profound, savoury wine possibly quite unlike anything else, and any Gewurztraminer, you have ever come across.
The reds
2017 Tenuta di Castellaro Corinto possibly the most salty red wine you will ever have come across, and as good a red wine match for fish as you will ever find, although the berry fruit and smoky perfume make it pretty attractive for drinking on its own.
2014 Cristom Pinot Noir Eileen Vineyard: hedonistic but intellectual, spiced and floral, with surprising savoury low notes, this is a brilliant North American Pinot. From the Eola Hills in Oregon's Willamette Valley, where the soils are partly made up of decomposed basalt.
2016 Bodegas Vinatigo Negramoll: peppery fruit mixes with notes of straw, caramel and tobacco leaf in this wild, aromatic Canary Island red.
2016 Paolo Caciorgna Guardoilvento Etna Rosso: Mount Etna is perhaps the viticultural volcano par excellence. The area is underdoing a winemaking renaissance, and beautiful wines are being made here. Paolo Caciorgna's Guardoilvento is full of raspberry, morello cherry and coffee notes.
2016 SRC Etna Rosso: a different take on Etna and the Nerello Mascalese grape, lifted, more aromatic, full of wild berry fruit and volcanic smoke.
Offered subject to remaining unsold
