Book review: Hugh Johnson’s Wine Companion – The encyclopedia of wines, vineyards, & winemakers
>> Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Hugh Johnson’s Wine Companion – The encyclopedia of wines, vineyards, & winemakers
By: Hugh Johnson, revised and updated by Stephen Brook
Mitchell Beazley
This book is now in its sixth edition. It is a tome that impresses by its scope and ambition. It does contain some introductory chapters on history, winemaking and wine styles in general, but the book is really a catalogue of wineries. Virtually every wine region in the whole world is covered. Each region gets a short introduction, which is then followed by producer profile after producer profile. This is what the book is about – mostly quite short descriptions on producer after producer, the authors’ personal selection of the best producers in each region. Some get a bit more space; Petrus e.g. gets almost half a page, but most are dealt with in a few sentences. It is a book that impresses by its ambition, quality of the insight and the amount of work that must have gone into it. At the same time, one cannot help thinking that it is perhaps past it prime. The first edition arrived in 1983. There was nothing at the time called “internet”. Today, if one looks for short, bite-sized information wineries, would one not rather make a search on the net? (We must also mention that BKWine Photography is proud to have provided several of the images in the new edition!)
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Domaine de Pialentou is a family owned property in the appellation Gaillac in the French South-West, near Toulouse. It is beautifully situated in the small village of Brens by the river Tarn. The Gervais family started to convert it to organic farming in 2007 and this year (2010) they will get their certificate. Now they have grass growing between the vines, making for less compact soil and natural fertiliser. They have planted hedges to attract “good” insects. They have 12.5 ha and make several different cuvees. They use several local and not very well known grape varieties, as is often the case in this region. And they even have a Swedish connection: the mother of Agnès Gervais, who runs it today, is Swedish. A favourite of ours is the white Mauzac Blanc Sec, made from the local grape of the same name. Very good, appely with individuality. Unfortunately only made in small quantities. Some of their reds can be a bit rustic, worth looking for is e.g. the Nuance de Cocagne, a syrah wine with spice, mixed with the local braucol and duras grapes. Or Les Gentilles Pierres where braucol gives a lot of fruit and merlot gives roundness, and cabernet sauvignon gives structure, with some spice added with the syrah. Gaillac is a little known district that is certainly worth discovering.
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