I SNEAK PEEK I Northern
I SNEAK PEEK I Northern French wines in all their diversity at Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris All of France's wine regions will be on display at Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris 2023 in an extensive area, with 32% more floor space compared to last year. Among them are seven northern French regions exhibiting in a dedicated hall, including Alsace, Beaujolais, Burgundy, Champagne, Jura, Savoy and the Loire Valley. A diverse range of independent winemakers and major players from each of these regions will be gathered in Hall 3 to showcase their best cuvées. Attending will be some familiar faces, including Albert Bichot, Badet Clément, Maison Louis Latour, Veuve Ambal; and for Champagne, Champagne Mailly Grand Cru, Champagne Palmer & Co, Champagne Charles Mignon and Champagne Mandois. Visitors will also be able to discover a large number of first time exhibitors. This includes Diva Domaine et Distilleries, Château la Nerthe, Syndicat Château Neuf du Pape; along with Champagne Charles & Piper Heidsieck, Champagne Bollinger (Groupe Société Jacque Bollinger), Champagne Lallier and Champagne De Venoge from the Champagne region. France's northern winemakers will be sharing the stage with exhibition highlights, La Nouvelle Vague, LA Wine Tech Perspectives, Let’s Talk Wine! and the free-pour tastings. At La Nouvelle Vague, visitors will be able to meet with 40 young winegrowers who have less than five years in the business and are looking to establish their first distribution networks in France and overseas. La Wine Tech Perspectives, an area focusing on innovation and digitalisation content in partnership with La WineTech, Vinocamp and Vin & Société, will host around 100 startups. Let's talk about wine! will be buzzing with discussions and forward-looking debates presented by leading French and international experts, while the free pour area will give visitors a chance to sample an unprecedented selection of wines Taste it! Colour: raspberry red Nose: fruity, light, strawberry / raspberry red fruits Palate: light and fruity, we find the aromatics from nose to mouth Tannins: light and delicious Finish: saline accompanied by slight notes of spices Pairing: white meat, poultry, guinea fowl or capon Michelin chef creates beautiful wines which take root in imagination Joachim Splichal will present two new wines at Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris 2023 including his red Nicolas cuvée and white Stéphane cuvée. Just like with his rosé wines, Joachim Splichal, the passionate owner of Domaine de Cala, puts his heart and soul into producing exquisite wines. The internationally acclaimed chef cut his teeth at the most prestigious two and three star restaurants along the Côte d’Azur, including Le Chantecler from the Hotel Negresco in Nice, alongside chef Jacques Maximin. Now Mr Splichal's culinary creations are known around the world and have earned an impressive series of awards. He later branched out into 2the world of wine, with the acquisition of Domaine de Cala in 2015. The Domaine de Cala is a gem of nature, covering more than 40 hectares of vineyards in the heart of Provence. Some have been established here for more than half a century, while others were selected by the chef to compose a vineyard of character. Whites, reds, and rosés alike, which surround the property, are the result of Splichal's passion for gastronomy. Surrounded by a team of enthusiasts, and supported by his sons Nicolas and Stéphane, the winemaker restructures the vineyard and promotes its production. His rosé gains in quality, while white and red make a noticeable appearance on the estate. A cellar has also been created while the Bastide has been completely renovated Hall 4 / Stand E-112 12 • THE DAILY • TUESDAY 7 TH FEBRUARY 2023 wineparis-vinexpo.vinexposium-connect.com
I SNEAK PEEK I Sokol Blossom Winery makes sustainability measure of success Hills and Kalita Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. Oregon has grown exponentially and today has over 900 wineries and more than 37,000 acres of planted vineyards. The family owned winery, which was first established by Bill and Susan Sokol Blosser in 1971 in the Dundee Hills of Oregon, has taken a wide range of measures to promote sustainability through its triple bottom line approach - people, planet and profit. These earned the Sokol estate, which is now run by second generation Co-Presidents Alison and Alex Sokol Blosser, a B Corp Certification in 2015 for its commitment to sustainability. Since then, it has continued to grow its 'sustainability score' year on year and today features in the top 5% of B Corp companies. For this impressive achievement, it has been honoured by the Best for the World: Changemakers list in 2017, 2018 and 2019, as well as the Best for the World: Environment list in 2018, 2019 and 2021. As part of its sustainable approach, Sokol Blosser has implemented a 25kW solar panel system and electric vehicle charging stations onsite. It also runs on renewable wind power purchased from PGE and 50% biodiesel for its vineyard tractors and trucks. Any packaging, POS and supplies used during the winemaking process are sourced from local and sustainable products as much as possible. In total, Sokol Blossom farms 128 acres in Oregon including the Dundee Hills Estate, Blossom Ridge in the Eola-Amity "We create wines of world class quality that are produced sustainably, mindful of the environment, that express the distinctive flavours of our hillside vineyards. Sokol Blosser wines reflect who we are – our values and our sense of place. We hope you enjoy them", say Alison and Alex. Hall 5.2 / Stand D-077 Sweet, woody red wine earns exceptional score from James Suckling The Château Milandre, AOC Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2020 will be presented at Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris 2023 after being praised by the American wine critic. Château Milandre, AOC Saint-Emilion Grand Cru consists of a 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon blend with a breeding period of 18 months. The 2020 vintage, by JMVB, was awarded a 91/100 distinction by American wine critic James Suckling. Fellow critic Yves Beck was just as taken by the cuvée, awarding it an exceptional 90/100. The Vin de France has a production of 26,000 bottles with a sensual experience so unique, it is sure to stand out. A creative and daring product, the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru has the unique quality of being a red wine with a sugar level higher than the specifications of the AOC Bordeaux. So let's call it a sweet, woody red wine. The conditions when growing this 2020 vintage tested the vinification of Château Milandre, with extreme weather affecting vine growth as well as the maturation of the grapes. Nevertheless, the product turned out to be a great success and appeared particularly promising at the start of ageing. The Merlot grape is colourful, intensely fruity and tasty. Made from fairly large grapes, it has a good tannic structure without hardiness or dilution. While the Cabernet grapes, generally very small in size, produced colourful and tannic wines with no marked vegetal character Hall 6 / Stand F-128 Fine details of a fine wine Area: 4,80 hectares Soil: Clay-sandy plain in the original Dordogne valley, southern slopes of Saint- Emilion town Grape varieties: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon Planting density: 5,700 vines/ hectare Vine pruning: Bordelaise Cultural practices: End of the practice of chemical weed control and the use of CMR since 2018 Harvest: Mechanical with optical sorting THE DAILY • TUESDAY 7 TH FEBRUARY 2023 • 13
