Wine: Pre-phylloxera or Post-Phylloxera

[Don Giovanni]

Wine pre phylloxera are = to post only after many years

I was listening to a pod cast and was astounded by this...François Audouze has a very compelling argument...the wines pre phylloxera when aged properly show extreme eloquence...and you will then go through the dark ages in wine from the late 1800's to 1910 and then things start to get exciting again...so I thought why...the obvious is so that it's embracing... the newly planted vines needed to mature with age...so when they started to show well was when the vines were old...over 25 years and better still 50 years old...now this makes perfect sense to me now...so it is impossible to say that the vintages from the dark ages in wine were bad or good...they were just working with very young vines that left the wine lacking...this is by far the best explanation I have come upon to date...no I don't drink wines from this era...full disclosure...that doesn't mean that in the future I will never... oh no I hope so...

[Don Giovanni]

A word about the rootstock...having an open mind could not the new rootstock be even better than what was previously used...one would have to argue that yes this could happen... the other is that on some sites the new rootstock did not work as well...so I have to say that IMHO on some sites they were able to get back into the game in a shorter timeline...than those who chose or for lack of choice had to use a non compatible rootstock...

[melkor]

Isn't this just cut and pasted from the same topic you posted on ebob? It's even stranger to read your reply to yourself without anyone commenting in between.

I haven't got enough experience with pre-phylloxera wines to compare them to current wines and clearly winemaking technique has changed significantly in the past hundred years. I find it hard to believe that growing grapes on the rootstock of swamp grass would produce a better grape than one using grape vine roots, but I have no way to prove that is the case. The zinfandel vineyards around the sierra foothills that survived phylloxera produce a very different wine than the vineyards that have been replanted, but is that because the vines are 120 years old or is it because they're on native rootstock?

[wkl]

"Isn't this just cut and pasted from the same topic you posted on ebob?"

in fairness, this is exactly what one of my favorite posters on egullet does also. that person is florida jim.

i don't see any problem with this practice.

Edited May 23, 2007 by wkl (log)

[JohnL]

anyone frequenting (let alone posting on) more than one wine web site has way too much time on their hands! lol ---(something tells me we won't be seeing quite as much of Giovanni around harvest time!)

this pre phyloxera thing is like debating the existence of God. or pondering:

If a grape bunch falls off the vine in the vineyard and there is no one around......

there's a lot of really good wine around today --old vines! young vines!

I have been too busy drinking the younger stuff while I am waiting for my 1900 Margaux to come around! Those British wine writers keep tellin me it's not quite ready to drink! (I wanna catch at its peak after all)

[Rebel Rose]

I was listening to a pod cast and was astounded by this...

John, which podcast was this? Or at least which podcasting group?

[Don Giovanni]

I was listening to a pod cast and was astounded by this...

John, which podcast was this? Or at least which podcasting group?

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Mary,

For you please use the link...it's long...Click On Me

As for the cross posting it saves time...gets information to many who want to learn...just today (and Mary is a very good multi-tasker too)...I finalized a real estate deal...barked out spraying instructions...consulted for a winery that is starting up...talked to a supplier about his oak...made sure the bush-hog person had his act together...two calls with my attorney...up early and walked one of my other vineyards...barked out more about what to do and what rows to do it to...and still had time to post a few times...and the days not even close to being over...will re-walk the vineyard to make sure what got done was done right...bottling is over as we do it in Feb...barked out some racking instructions...during harvest is when you can't remember your name...sleep deprivation and sleeping next to vats...to tired to go home...

[Rebel Rose]

News is news. Other sites are just as entitled to discuss it as we are and vice versa. I appreciate your participation and particularly your enthusiasm in starting new threads on timely topics.

This podcast is hosted by Ageless at Talkshoe, and features an interview with Francois Audouze, an amazing wine collector and gracious poster on other boards. Mr. Audouze is known for having a cellar of extremely old wines, which he frequently and generously shares, in person and in tasting/impression notes.