Notes & queries
Each month our experts answer readers’ wine queries and share their knowledge
How low can you go?
A bottle of Château Haut-Brion 1966 has caught my attention, firstly because of its age, but also its ullage – the level appears to be at about midshoulder. The seller claims to have found the bottle on the floor of a basement during an estate sale. Would this be a good buy, or would I be wasting my money?
Dirceu Vianna Junior MW replies: Ullage, also referred to as fill level, is the space between the bottom of the cork and the wine. Producers aim for fill levels of 3-10mm at the time of bottling. Over time, some wine will be lost through cork absorption and evaporation.
It is acceptable for the ullage level to be about 1.5cm, at the top of the shoulder, for wines that are up to 15 years old. For wines around 20 years old, this could drop to the upper shoulder, approximately 2.5cm.
Bottle age aside, ullage lower than midshoulder level, about 3.5cm, poses a much higher risk of spoilage. Abnormally low fill levels indicate poor storage conditions, namely high temperature or low humidity. Long-term storage requires a temperature of around 13°-15°C, a humidity level of 70% or so, and an absence of light and vibration.
The best advice for buyers is always to try to establish the provenance of the bottle, in order to minimise risks. To get an indication of a wine’s condition without pulling the cork, you can try the following: shine a strong light at the punt to get clues about the level of sediment and abnormal loss of colour; cut the capsule to inspect the condition of the cork and check for signs of seepage; or gently touch the cork to ensure it does not move.
Origins of Albariño
In Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW’s interesting article on Alvarinho and Albariño (March 2020 issue), he writes that there is no written evidence of either until the 19th century. But on the back label of the Albariño IGP Aude made by Laurent Miquel, who is based in St-Chinian, Languedoc, it states that Albariño was first brought to Spain’s Galicia region by French monks from Cluny centuries ago. Can you explain this discrepancy?
Wim Schoordijk, The Netherlands
Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW replies: The amazing number of producers claiming that grapes were brought by monks from Cluny might suggest that those monks were the Amazon Prime of the Middle Ages! Such producers want to get historical legitimacy by linking their wines to a noble past.
However, in this case, it has been demonstrated that there is no parentage between Albariño/Alvarinho and Burgundy grape varieties – Cluny is close to the Mâcon region. For a long time, it was thought that Albariño was related to Savagnin from Jura, but DNA analysis proved this also incorrect.
In viticultural terms, there is no similarity between Albariño and the Burgundy grapes. One of Albariño’s most pertinent features is its capacity to grow in a very humid climate, being well adapted to pergola trellising systems – unlike the characteristics of Chardonnay. Albariño also produces relatively high malic acid, while continental varieties don’t.
The first written reference to Alvarinho dates from 1843, but it is very likely an ancient variety. In Wine Grapes (Robinson, Harding & Vouillamoz), it is mentioned that a parcel with 200- to 300-year-old Albariño vines has been observed. The only relevant monastery in the region is in Ribeiro, where field blends including Treixadura, Loureiro and some others are amazingly unique, and well documented in historic terms. Ribadavia, the name by which Ribeiro wines were known in the 16th century, was indeed a most appreciated style in England at that time.