Notes on terroir - Graves

The grandfather of the wine regions of Bordeaux is Graves, on the left bank of the Garonne as it heads north west to join the Dordogne. The land is characterised by intensely gravelly soil - glacial deposits - and though this engenders fine drainage properties, all those stones must be a nightmare for farmers and their machinery. However, if it's grapes you're growing this otherwise troublesome terrain is a positive blessing for, it is said, not only is the land free draining, but the pale pebbles reflect light and heat up under the fruit, aiding ripening.

I'll take this on trust. Sante!

Notes on terroir - Sauternes

Rising from a spring in the Gascony forest, the Ciron flows north east to join the Garonne a kilometer up river from Barsac in the Sauternais region of Graves. And though it reaches little more than a stream in size its impact upon wine making is great. In stark contrast to this small, fast flowing, cold body of water, the Garrone is a lumbering, sluggish and relatively warm beast that has travelled from the Spanish Pyrenees. Where the two meet, mist is common through the night, the warm late summer sun burning it off in the morning. The humid conditions are conducive to the formation and proliferation of fungal rot whilst the hot and dry daytime provides excellent grape ripening. The result is a slow raisening of the fruit, reducing the water content and thus concentrating the sugars whilst retaining acidity important for flavour balance.

The sweet dessert wines of the Sauternes are true classics and I recommend a suspension of prejudice whilst you sample them, late at night, with a bit of bread and some (Quorn) Fois Gras.

Don't worry, I'm only here for a week. We'll be back on the beer by Hallowe'en.

Busman's holiday

Situated in south west France's Aquitaine region, the port city of Bordeaux is built on a bend in the Garonne river. It's a city famous for its wine trade and the 37 or so wine producing sub-regions surrounding it. One of these regions, Graves, is the only one famed for all three main Bordeaux wines: red (claret), white and dessert, and also includes the Premiere Cru Chateau Haut-Brion. The area is rich in terroir, from the eponymous gravel that reflects heat to the underside of the fruit, to the noble rot inducing mists of the Sauternes banks of the Garonne. And so it's to there that I'm headed this weekend to visit vineyards and talk pigeon French/English to the dedicated and enthusiastic artisanal producers. I'll be taking beer, our own handcrafted offering, in the certain knowledge it will be gratefully received, thoughtfully tasted and thoroughly enjoyed by my viticultural brothers. I'm looking forward to meeting old friends, making new ones and sharing in the fruits of our collective labours. And I won't be back for a week.

That all sounds lovely but have you ever driven to Bordeaux? It's a bloody long way.

Dark Conspiracy

We're brewing the first gyle (a brewer's term meaning 'batch') of this year's 'Dark Conspiracy' today. It's a wonderfully deep brown, US-style porter, loaded with dark, aromatic, and tasty pale malts and finished with a combination of the blackcurranty Willamette and pineappley Cascade hops. If that sounds like a bit of a car crash of flavours think fruit, chocolate, coffee, toast and candy balanced by a gentle, dry bitterness and served in a pint glass, topped with a creamy beige head. Yup, it's a car crash. But it'll work.

We should be in for a pleasant winter, whatever the weather.

Look out for Dark Conspiracy in East Kent free-houses from ealy November, until further notice. The recipe, such as it is, was conceved and first brewed here in collaboration with the Saint and the Sinner last year.

The Best of Kent

It's that time of year again: summers over, the cricket has finished and the only bright light on the horizon is the Taste of Kent Awards.

You'll remember of course that Gadds' Number 3 Kent Pale Ale, brewed right here, is the reigning Champion of the 'Best Kentish Beer' category. Well, this year the organisers have defined this classification of Kent loveliness as:

"Beer made from hops predominantly grown in Kent at a brewery based in Kent".

Gadds' Number 3 Kent Pale Ale is brewed with hops grown not only 'predominantly' in Kent but exclusively in East Kent, which I believe will leave it with a rather unfair advantage. We'll see: the competition is fierce, my oponents skilled in the ways of the tuns and as keen as never before to topple the top. Bring it on.

Vote here.

NEWS FLASH - BBC airs pro-beer programme!

The Food Programme on R4 is a personal favourite of mine and yesterday, lo and behold, the entire 25 minutes were devoted to hops and beer. And beautifully done it was too. Listen out for Tony Redsell, the grandfather of the industry and grower of half the hops we use here.

Now, can you imagine ITV or Sky commissioning a programme like that?