Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1036886
october 2018 / the tasting panel / 63 As millions of ardent fans already know, "More wine!" is a command routinely uttered by Lord Tyrion Lannister in the hit HBO series Game of Thrones. But despite his brilliantly scheming mind and penchant for gulping goblets with nary a breath, Tyrion would be no match for the army of talented industry profes- sionals assembled at the Society of Wine Educators annual conference in New York's Finger Lakes region. With their noses and palates sharpened, these warriors of wine gathered at the August event to face off in the Game of Wines, a competitive tasting sponsored by The Tasting Panel and its sister publica- tion The SOMM Journal. The mission? To blind-taste six wines in 15 minutes and jostle with challenging nuances of aroma, flavor, texture, and aftertaste. Victory— and, of course, spoils in the form of cash prizes—would be claimed by the three contestants who most correctly identified the grape varieties from which the wines were produced, as well as wines' respec- tive places of origin. The selected bottlings were an eclectic mix of libations from locations near and far: some familiar, some more obscure. "A couple of those wines weren't curveballs, they were knuckleballs," one participant observed with a chuckle. Despite the fierce competition, the event presented a coveted opportunity for the contestants to test their blind-tasting methodologies, think outside the box, and discover a few wines they may have otherwise missed or overlooked. With that, here is a rundown of the Game of Wines challengers. Let the games begin—and may the best palate win! WINE #1: CLAI 2015 SV. JAKOV MALVASIA, ISTRIA, CROATIA ($34) Presented by Cliff Rames, Contributing Editor for The Tasting Panel/The SOMM Journal and founder of Wines of Croatia When Giorgio Clai greets guests at his eponymous winery, the twinkle in his eye seems to indicate he's on the verge of revealing a long-held secret. Once he leads visitors to his 8 hectares of estate vineyards in the Istria region of Croatia, however, the twinkle becomes a sparkle. His hands dance as he expounds—in Italian-accented Croatian—the nuances of Istrian soil types, the philosophies of Biodynamic farming, and the history and merits of native grape varieties like Malvasia Istriana and Refosco. All of these elements enable him to showcase the Istrian terroir in his wines, many of which enjoy cult status in Croatia. Within minutes of meeting Clai, you understand why fans and fellow winemakers refer to him as the "Godfather of Istria," as he expresses these winemaking principles with an affection and sense of wonder some peers reserve solely for grandchildren, sports cars, or yachts. "Wine is made in the vineyard, not in the cellar," Clai is fond of saying. Indeed, he and his estate manager, Dimitri Brec˘ evic´, abide by a minimal-intervention approach at all stages: dry-farmed and organi- cally grown grapes; spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts; long skin macerations in ancient wooden vats; and minimal sulfur. Despite this, Clai would be the first to scoff at any reference to "natural wine" in descriptions of his style, preferring the term "traditional wine." Either way, Clai wines are not designed as mere quaffers; instead, they're meditative, conducive to fanciful musing and philosophical pondering. The fact that no one at the Game of Wines event correctly identified the Clai 2015 Sv. Jakov Malvasia was unsurprising. Featuring 100 percent Malvazija Istarska (Malvasia Istriana), the wine was produced from a 42-year-old single vineyard of white limestone and marine fossil soils located 700 feet above sea level on the northern Istrian peninsula, just 6 miles from the sparkling Adriatic Sea. Harvested on September 15, the grapes were destemmed, crushed, and gravity-fed with their skins into large wooden vats, where macera- tion lasted nearly three months. After both primary and malolactic fermentation were completed, the wine was gently pressed off the skins and matured in old 1,000- to 2,500-liter oak botte vessels. The result was a golden, almost-orange wine that exudes Cognac-like notes of orange marmalade, dried peach and mango, acacia flower, Mediterranean herbs, and a hint of hazelnut. Broad-shouldered yet nimble, the mouthfeel was oily and balanced with zippy acidity and fine-grained tannins. A flourish of flavors (bran- died peach, dried fig, hay, and crushed sea salt) concluded the experience with flourish and grace. Imported by Zev Rovine Selections. The Game of Wines attendees had 15 minutes to blind-taste and correctly identify the participating wines by their grape varieties and their places of origin.