Between The Vines, coming soon

O

Oswaldo Costa

Oswaldo Costa
Forgive the self-serving post, but this summer I translated a book called Entre Les Vignes, a set of interviews with Athénaïs de Béru, Pierre Boillot, Cécile Tremblay, Jean-Yves Bizot, Marie-Christine & Marie-Andrée Mugneret, Oronce de Beler, Claire Naudin, François de Nicolay, Emmanuel Giboulot, Thierry Glantenay, Renaud Boyer, Antoine Jobard, Dominique Derain, Pierre Fenals and Julien Guillot.

The parents are Guillaume Laroche (known to you Instagrammers as wineguyinparis) and Frédéric Henry (who owns the Les Bourgognes wine shop in Beaune).

In the authors' rush to print, they used a not-final draft, so I'm a bit distressed that the English version is coming out with many copy editor suggestions I disagreed with. My only consolation is that I can say, with something close to a straight face, that if you find any defects, they will most likely be attributable to others.

Anyway, it was a lot of work, and generally seemed worthwhile, since many different approaches are defended and there is fertile disagreement.

Not sure how available it will be in the US, but this link may be a way to get a copy.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
Between The Vines, coming soon

In the authors' rush to print, they used a not-final draft, so I'm a bit distressed that the English version is coming out with many copy editor suggestions I disagreed with. My only consolation is that I can say, with something close to a straight face, that if you find any defects, they will most likely be attributable to others.
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That's so weird. As translator I'd think that you would have been given a set of galley proofs to mark up.
 
originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
Between The Vines, coming soon

In the authors' rush to print, they used a not-final draft, so I'm a bit distressed that the English version is coming out with many copy editor suggestions I disagreed with. My only consolation is that I can say, with something close to a straight face, that if you find any defects, they will most likely be attributable to others.
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That's so weird. As translator I'd think that you would have been given a set of galley proofs to mark up.
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Indeed, very miffing. But it wasn't a standard "professional" deal, with any kind of contract. They contacted a friend of mine who didn't have the time, and he suggested I do it. I proposed to exchange the translation for wine, which I was too idiotically noblesse oblige to specify ahead of time.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Trés cool. I adore Claure Naudin's wines.
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Her interview is one of the best. The hubby says he uses 100% new wood, always, on everything, because he doesn't want the hassle of blending barrels with different ages, but she will often use 50% or less, depending on the cuvee. Still too much for me, but the aromatics are very often stunning.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Trés cool. I adore Claure Naudin's wines.
Click to expand...

Her interview is one of the best. The hubby says he uses 100% new wood, always, on everything, because he doesn't want the hassle of blending barrels with different ages, but she will often use 50% or less, depending on the cuvee. Still too much for me, but the aromatics are very often stunning.
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brought back a lovely cremant (pinot dominated) from my last visit - one of the best from the area, I think.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Trés cool. I adore Claure Naudin's wines.
Click to expand...

Her interview is one of the best. The hubby says he uses 100% new wood, always, on everything, because he doesn't want the hassle of blending barrels with different ages, but she will often use 50% or less, depending on the cuvee. Still too much for me, but the aromatics are very often stunning.
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What does she do for the flower labels? I have never tasted any barrel in them.
 
I feel your pain. Though I was the author of my book, it was produced and published by my institute - of course behind schedule - and there were edits made toward the end I didn't agree with and didn't see...

But hey CONGRATS! that is cool. So we have two translators here! (the other being someone who is very missed and on some sort of hiatus).
 
originally posted by BJ:
I feel your pain. Though I was the author of my book, it was produced and published by my institute - of course behind schedule - and there were edits made toward the end I didn't agree with and didn't see...

But hey CONGRATS! that is cool. So we have two translators here! (the other being someone who is very missed and on some sort of hiatus).
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Thanks! Hope the other comes back soon too.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Trés cool. I adore Claure Naudin's wines.
Click to expand...

Her interview is one of the best. The hubby says he uses 100% new wood, always, on everything, because he doesn't want the hassle of blending barrels with different ages, but she will often use 50% or less, depending on the cuvee. Still too much for me, but the aromatics are very often stunning.
Click to expand...
What does she do for the flower labels? I have never tasted any barrel in them.
Click to expand...

In February I tasted three 2014s on consecutive evenings, but they were French-sourced, so didn't have the useful US back label (two recent US-sourced Ladoix's said 50% new wood, and it showed). Looking at my notes, there is no complaint about wood in the Orchis Mascula, and that was my favorite, though it was bitingly acidic at first, without food. There was a toasted note in the Viola Odorata that annoyed me, and may be due to some higher toast in the wood. With the Myosotis Arvensis, wood was clearly present, but seemed like the kind that should disappear in time. Don't think I'd buy the Viola Odorata again, but wouldn't mind revisiting the Myosotis in a few years.
 
I know I sound like a broken record on this one, but that biting acidity may have been CO2. If you give these a shake, the gas pops and then they're magically not shrill like that anymore. As for the wood, I can't say I've ever tasted any wood in the flower labels, which are about as pure as Burgundy gets in my book, but given the lack of SO2 I can see why they might want to use some newer barrels.
 
I usually write it down when I feel a CO2 tingle, and these didn't warrant a mention.

Claire is not as radically sulfur free as Bizot, but why would new wood act as a preservative? CO2, yes, but from new wood, if anything, I'd expect the opposite, even if wood tannins increase the structure.
 
I’m guessing it’s not that new wood acts as a preservative, but that with older used barrels you have a higher risk of introducing off yeasts like brett.
 
originally posted by Marc D:
I’m guessing it’s not that new wood acts as a preservative, but that with older used barrels you have a higher risk of introducing off yeasts like brett.
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Got it, thanks.
 
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:
but from new wood, if anything, I'd expect the opposite, even if wood tannins increase the structure.
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Why?
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New wood micro-oxigenates the wine, so I imagine there would be less likelihood of it being bottled in a reductive state, which would also act as a preservative. Also, the structure is affected when wood tannins copolymerize with grape tannins, though I don't know if that makes the wine hardier or more susceptible to spoilage.
 
Oswaldo, do you know the percentage of new wood Naudin-Ferrand use in their Nuits Les Damodes? I’ve never tried their wines and that one is available from a place I order wine from.
 
Oswaldo,

As a scientist, I’d like to know more about your first statement about micro-ox before I accept it. What’s the evidence or mechanism for this (assuming properly dried and seasoned new oak barrels are used)? What’s the source of oxygen? What’s the unique surface chemistry? How is oxygen trapped in bottle in a way that would increase the rate of the redox chemistry or change the buffer system the wine would otherwise have?

On the second sentence, the structure is affected, but I can’t understand even the possibility, based on the empirical evidence, that aging in new oak increases spoilage by this mechanism. It seems to me there is too much evidence about the structural stability of wines bottled after elevage in new oak barrels to attribute spoilage to new oak. You would have to convince me with a mountain of sound, controlled scientific evidence that is irrefutable within reasonable statistical measures of error.
 
originally posted by Marc D:
Oswaldo, do you know the percentage of new wood Naudin-Ferrand use in their Nuits Les Damodes? I’ve never tried their wines and that one is available from a place I order wine from.
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Sorry, I don't know. FWIW, in June of last year I had a 2010 Damodes from her that was lovely, and elicited no wood complaint.
 
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