Olympic-calibre quaffing while world athletes compete

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This article was published 26/07/2024 (460 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ah, the Olympics — when we all tune in and become armchair experts about sports we only watch every four years.

With the spirit of this year’s summer games in Paris getting people fired up about watching the world’s athletes go head to head in the pool, on the track, on the pitch (drone scandals aside) and beyond, I thought it would be fun to hold a little wine olympics of my own.

Wine is often thought of as a marriage of art and science — why not add sport to the mix?

Here, then, are my podium picks for the major wine categories, with wine grapes and styles split out like individual sports. Agree/disagree? What did I get wrong? Who did I miss? Let me know…

Sparkling wine

Gold: France (Champagne, crémant de Loire top of the class)

Silver: Spain (Cava a consistently solid competitor)

Bronze: Italy (Lambrusco, Franciacorta deliver, Prosecco a crowd favourite)

Dark horses: England, Canada (Nova Scotia)

Rosé

Gold: France (lighter Loire Valley to deeper southern examples)

Silver: Spain (great-value food-friendly rosados)

Bronze: Chile (scrappy, consistent competitor)

Dark horse: Italy

Sauvignon Blanc

Gold: New Zealand (the standard bearer for lean, racy whites)

Silver: Chile (nipping at the heels of the Kiwis)

Bronze: U.S.A. (elegance without excess tartness)

Dark horse: South Africa

Pinot Gris/Grigio

Gold: France (Alsace examples rich and refined)

Silver: Canada (lots to like, especially from B.C.)

Bronze: Italy (Italian Pinot Grigio ubiquitous, consistently solid)

Dark horse: New Zealand

Riesling

Gold: Germany (the old master, still in fine form)

Silver: Canada (both B.C. and Ontario delivering)

Bronze: Australia (beautifully bone dry and elegant)

Dark horse: U.S.A. (Washington, New York state), France (Alsace)

Chardonnay

Gold: France (white Burgundy setting the standard)

Silver: Australia (from Tasmania to warmer regions, great consistency)

Bronze: Canada (B.C. and Ontario delivering killer examples)

Dark horse: U.S.A., Chile

White blends

Gold: Portugal (killer value, loads of character)

Silver: France (white Bordeaux and Rhône blends shine)

Bronze: Australia (fresh and flavourful)

Dark horse: Italy

Other white grapes

Gold: South Africa (Chenin Blanc, Viognier on point)

Silver: Austria (Grüner Veltliner)

Bronze: Italy (Carricante, Vermentino, Trebbiano, etc. all dazzle)

Dark horse: Argentina (Torrontés), Australia (Viognier)

Pinot Noir

Gold: France (Burgundy rules the roost)

Silver: U.S.A. (Bigger Californians, elegant Oregonians)

Bronze: Canada (especially cooler-climate Ontario examples)

Dark horse: Australia, Chile

Merlot

Gold: U.S.A. (Washington austere, California big and juicy)

Silver: Canada (B.C. best here at home)

Bronze: France (Bordeaux, southern French bargains)

Dark horse: Italy, Chile

Cabernet Sauvignon

Gold: U.S.A. (top Napa/Sonoma examples trump all others)

Silver: Australia (Coonawarra/McLaren Vale ripe with loads of character)

Bronze: France (solid from entry-level southern examples to top-tier Bordeaux)

Dark horse: South Africa, Chile

Grenache/Garnacha

Gold: Spain (deep, gutsy and delicious inky reds)

Silver: France (powerful and punchy from southern Rhône)

Bronze: Australia (big, bold examples deliver dense fruit)

Dark horse: South Africa

Syrah/Shiraz

Gold: Australia (both ripe and rustic examples top-notch contenders)

Silver: France (northern Rhône valley sets the standard but pricey)

Bronze: South Africa (consistent killer values)

Dark horse: Chile

Red blends

Gold: France (Rhône, Bordeaux blends set the standards)

Silver: Portugal (rustic, gutsy red blends)

Bronze: Italy (Valpolicella, Tuscan reds always fab)

Dark horse: Australia (Shiraz-Cabernet, GSM)

Other red grapes

Gold: Argentina (Malbec … you know it, you love it)

Silver: Chile (Carmenère leading the charge)

Bronze: France (Gamay from Beaujolais, Cabernet Franc from Loire)

Dark horse: Canada (Cabernet Franc), South Africa (Pinotage)

Dessert/fortified

Gold: Canada (icewine… how sweet it is)

Silver: Portugal (any port in a storm)

Bronze: Spain (dry and sweet sherries a treat)

Dark horse: France (Sauternes), Germany (icewine)

uncorked@mts.net

@bensigurdson

Wines of the week

Les Jamelles 2021 Clair de Rose (Pays D’Oc, France — $18.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

A Grenache-Cinsault blend from southern France, this rosé is medium orange-pink in colour, bringing floral, strawberry candy, pear and raspberry notes aromatically. It’s light-plus bodied and mainly dry, with red fruit and pear flavours coming with ripe orange and secondary chalky and herbal notes, modest acidity and a relatively short finish (it’s 12.5 per cent). A fresh, fun and crushable bronze medal-worthy rosé. 3.5/5

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Ruffino 2019 Riserva Ducale (Chianti Classico, Italy — $29.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Pale cherry in colour with brickish edges, this reserve Chianti Classico (a Sangiovese-Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend) offers raspberry, violet, plum, earth and subtle woody, lacquer notes on the nose. It’s dry and medium-plus bodied, delivering cherry, white pepper, raspberry, plum and slightly tarry notes with an underlying woody note, modest acidity and light but grippy tannins before the medium-length finish (it’s 14 per cent alcohol). Drink now with pasta in a red sauce. A solid silver. 4/5

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Satellite by Spy Valley 2022 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand — around $28, private wine stores)

Produced in conjunction with an organization called Forest & Bird, a New Zealand group restoring native wetlands and a sanctuary for birds, trees and other wildlife, this white is pale straw in colour and aromatically offers fresh gooseberry, lime and green apple alongside secondary grassy and bell pepper notes. It’s light-bodied and dry, with vibrant grapefruit, green apple and gooseberry flavours, hints of bell pepper and fresh-cut grass, racy acidity and a medium finish. Crisp, clean, delicious and available at The Winehouse and Calabria Market & Fine Wines. Going for gold. 4.5/5

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