Deep-routed parallel cultures of wine and tea
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Isacs is the founder and CEO of EnjoyGourmet, a leading gourmet digital (www.enjoygourmet.com.cn) and print media company in China. He has authored over a dozen wine and food books including the awarded ISACS Guides and other gourmet books and is a wine consultant to governments, wine regions and organizations. He also hosts wine events for leading organizations and companies throughout China. Contact John via jcolumn@enjoygourmet.com.
A few years have passed since I last wrote on the parallel universes of wine and tea, so upon learning that today’s iDEAL features story subject was tea I decided once again to examine their fascinating relationship.
Perhaps only sake can claim to reside in the pantheon of world’s greatest beverages along with wine and tea. Wine and tea boast rich and august histories. Wine historians believe humans first consumed wine from wild vines sometime during the transition from the Mesolithic to Neolithic eras about 11,000 BC. They guess that soon after the advent of pottery, wild grapes stored in the vessels underwent natural fermentation and the resulting wine was enthusiastically consumed without any knowledge of the process. Near East archeological evidence of the first winemaking from grapes dates back more than 8,000 years.
With a history of thousands of years in China, drinking tea already evolved into an art form during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). Today, tea is one of the world’s most loved drinks; but wine and tea share much more than just distinguished histories.
The ingredients, cultivation techniques and methods of making and enjoying tea are different than wine but more than just a few similarities exist. Both are plants that need very specific climatic conditions and environments to thrive. The time of picking is critical to the quality of the final beverages and the best examples are harvested by hand.
Once picked, both grapes and tea need to be processed as quickly as possible in order to retain their natural flavors. Some teas like wine naturally ferment. To increase longevity and add secondary flavors wine is stored in oak barrels while tea is roasted. In both cases, the increased richness from oak aging and roasting come at a cost as freshness, fruitiness and floral qualities are diminished.
The tea ceremonies, as practiced in China and Japan, are even more ritualized than those of wine. Proper skills, utensils and containment vessels enhance the enjoyment of both beverages. The effect of crystal glasses on wine and porcelain cups on tea are similar as they both highlight the natural aromas, flavors and textures.
Sangiovese reds from Tuscany, Umbria and Emilia-Romagna in Italy and Northern Rhone red Syrah wines like Saint Joseph, Hermitage and Cote Rotie often offer sensations of tea. The same may be said of high-altitude Chilean Carmenere red wines. But the grape variety most associated with tea aromas and flavors is Roussanne.
The Roussanne variety has irregular yields, uneven and late ripening and is prone to a host of diseases. Winemakers would long ago have discarded this grape to the dustbins of history except for two attributes, aroma and bracing acidity. One of the special aromas is herbal tea.
Roussanne is a key component in the white and red blends of Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage and St Joseph in the northern Rhone and Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the south. Some whites like Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Roussanne Vieilles Vignes are 100 percent Roussannne. Roussanne takes well to barrel fermentation with the resulting wines able to age and develop for up to 20 years.
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