Catherine Gachet at Wine Diva’s Charity Tasting Event
Woman winemaker Catherine Gachet in Hong Kong last night to present her wine.
At the Wine Diva Charity Tasting organized by Cottage Vineyards yesterday held at Lawry’s in Causeway Bay, wine lovers were introduced to wines from 7 top female winemakers from all over the world. (See below for the list of wines.) Proceeds of ticket sales for the night and a percentage of sales went to RainLily, an organization set up to provide crisis management and support to women who have experienced sexual violence*.
Winemaker extraordinaire Catherine Gachet was there to introduce her wines: Clos Les Remparts Graes Rouge Tete de Cuve 2006 and the dessert wine, Clos Dady Sauternes 2006. Curious about how women winemakers make different wines to that of their counterparts, we asked Certified Sommelier Damon Yuen, as well as other fellow wine lovers at the event, what they thought of the wines, and Catherine to shed some light on her wine-making techniques.
The consensus was that the wines were more elegant and smooth, with feminine qualities that reflect women winemakers’ palette and characteristics. Catherine’s red wine, although full bodied and complex, was still elegant and well balanced with tanins that are much softer and smoother. Her Sauternes was considered to be less sweet than other Sauternes, with a lovely perfumed nose of pink grapefruit and honey.
Winebuzz: What do you do differently from other winemakers?
Catherine: We handcraft our wine, literally from the beginning to the end. We devote painstaking attention to the harvest, observe and taste grapes and only pick botrytised grapes (right alcohol and sugar level) that are ready to be picked, one by one. We only employ women to harvest the grapes as we find they have more patience in picking the grapes that are ready to be picked. I personally inspect every bag that the harvesters bring in.
We aim for freshness in our Sauternes, so we maintain a lower alcohol level than others.
We also use only natural indigenous yeast and barrel fermentation to make our wines more elegant. Barrel fermentation needs more attention than stainless steel tanks as there you need to measure on a regular basis temperature, density and sugar levels.
Wine available to buy at Cottage Vineyards:
- Clos Les Remparts Graves Rouge Tete de Cuvee 2006 (70% Merlot/30% Cab Sauvignon), Bordeaux, France
- Clos Dady Sauternes 2006 (90% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon and Muscadelle), Bordeaux, France
- Pares Balta Blanc de Pacs 2008 (25% Macabeau/ 33% Xare-lo/40% Parellada), Penedes, Spain
- Chateau Roubine Provence Cru Classe Cuvee Classique Blanc 2007 (Ugni-blanc/Semillon/Rolle/Clairette) Provence, France
- Arbor Crest “Bacchus Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Washington, USA
- Chateau Le Devoy Martine Lirac Rose 2007 (Grenache/Cinsault/Syrah/ Mourvedre), Rhone Valley, France
- Domaine Rabasse Charavin Rasteau Rouge 2004 (60% Grenache/40% Mourvedre) Rhone Valley, France
- Pares Balta Gratavinum Priorat 2006 (45% Garnacha/25%Carinena/15% Cab Sauvignon/15% Syrah), Priorat, Spain
Contact Details:
- Tel: 2395 1293
- email: tastings@cottagevineyards.com
About Clos Dady and Clos Les Remparts:
Clos Dady and Clos Les Remparts is a 6-hectare winery located in Preignanc, France, famous for producing Sauternes appellation. Named after Catherine’s mother’s surname, Dady, Clos Dady is a family-run vineyard by Catherine and husband Christophe. Clos Dady produces two Sauternes and two Graves Roughes, and sells around 2,000 bottles annually to top restaurants in Paris and around the world.
About RainLily:
*RainLily is an organization founded by Linda Wong to assist women who have experienced sexual violence by providing crisis management, 24 hour hotline counseling and support to restore their lives. RainLily actively work to raise awareness on sexual violence and promote correct attitudes of the public towards the issue.
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