Steel wine blog

Declassified Cornas

2012-02-04T12:09:00.000-08:00

A chance to try a wine from a really famous producer for a reasonable price and its fairly easy to get hold of as it is stocked by the Rhythm and Booze off licences.

The famous Northern Rhone wine producer Jean Luc Colombo makes this
alongside his other more prestigious bottlings. The Cornas appellation
where Jean Luc Colombos wines come from sits in an east facing
amphitheatre and is sheltered from the elements which helps the Syrah
grapes ripen earlier than other regions. Wines grown here are said to
have authority and power!

Jean Luc Colombo
2009 Les Forots Cotes Du Rhone.
100% Syrah
Dark crimson purple in colour and sitting in a heavy bottle with very
deep punt.
On the nose it is very aromatic with cedar wood, smoke and dark brooding fruit!
The palate is mid bodied with a lovely tannin grip and texture in the
mouth. The fruit is fresh and has a nicely balanced acidity. Tastes
like wild hedgerow berry fruits with an aromatic spice finish.
Really excellent wine which got better through the evening. The 2008
vintage was superb in the Rhone Valley.
£12.49 from Rhythm and Booze

Valdepeñas

2012-01-14T14:14:00.001-08:00

It's a lovely evening in front of the fire with this excellent spanish tinto!

Vega del Cega
£5 from Aldi
This wine is made from a Tempranillo Garnacha mix from the realtively
new Valdepeñas Denominación de Origen.
Cherry red in colour and bright in the glass. Vibrant fresh fruit on
the nose with aromatic pear drop tinge.
The palate is dry with blueberry and blackberry fruits. It's
refreshing and has a long lasting finish.

Pedro X

2012-01-05T11:37:00.001-08:00

Pedro Ximenez

Pedro Ximenez Sherry from Jerez Near Seville, Spain.
This delightful sherry is extremely sweet and treacly in colour and texture.
On the palate there are lovely coffee and chocolate raisin tastes going on.
This is the richest form of Sherry and is made by sun drying the grapes before making the wine and then aging in the Solera barrel aging system! Lovely

Posted in Seville, Sherry | Tagged Sherry | Leave a comment

Slovenian wine from Lidl

2011-12-12T11:49:00.000-08:00

An excellent high quality wine from Lidl.
Try finding a better Chardonnay for £6.49! It can't be done!

The vineyard of Collio crosses the border between Italy and Slovenia.
Limestone and sandstone soils provide excellent growing conditions and
the grapes are picked by hand and traditionally fermented. A
proportion is fermented in small oak barrels which give it the lovely
richness.

Chardonnay Collio DOC 2010
Corte del Drago

Aromas of pine and eucalyptus.... Sorry that's the Christmas tree in the room!

It is a vivid straw colour with
aromas of pineapple and a lovely lemongrass fragrance.
The legs stick strongly to the sides and the wine is medium bodied
with a nice fleshy texture.
On the palate you can detect peaches and cream and butter which is
excellent. It finishes with an elegant and super long nutty
aftertaste.
Recommended!

Extremeño: Es Tremendo

2011-12-06T10:41:00.000-08:00

This is my first post in a while, inspired by a trip to the cellar that produced a bottle of Extremaduran red that I'd bought whilst visiting during Easter.

We stayed in Carcabosso, a village not to far from Plasencia, about 3 hours west of Madrid. The village was fairly humble, as you can see from the photo of the neighbours' house above...

There was a great tradition of 'los vinos' there, whereby families would go round all the local bars having a glass or two of wine as they went, enjoying a free tapa into the bargain.

The local produce of the region is listed on this board snapped in Caceres: paprika, strong sloppy cheese, honey, cherry jam, biscuits, wine and liquors.

Here's a wine we bought, then. It's not from a D.O., but don't let that lead you to believe there's anything lacking. Its fruity and well-rounded nose was as vibrant as a young wine, and was an immensely satifying blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet, which brought red fruits and rich texture and lengthy finish to the plate respectively. Great with the strong flavours of the region's products.

Drinking Blood at Halloween

2011-10-31T14:02:00.001-07:00

Blood... Red Wine... Halloween Booze
Errazuriz Estate Merlot 2010
Grown in the Valle de Aconcagua, Chile.
The 2010 vintage was excellent in this region.
The grapes were slowly and evenly ripened, hand picked, fermented and then aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels to round out the wine and add toasty sweetness.

Ruby red and crimson coloured.
On the nose there are aromas of blueberry and blackberry fruit with roasted coffee and Parker fountain pen also being in there.
Smooth on the palate with a medium body, the wine tastes soft and fruity with an initial sweet richness which is nicely balanced by a bit of raspberry acidity and an excellent rounded finish.

£8.99 from Supermarkets, Majestic Wine and other off licences.

Disclaimer.
This wine was provided as a sample for review from the distributors.

Botrytis

2011-10-15T04:15:00.001-07:00

This is an outstanding Sauterne wine from the Semillon grape variety, produced by De Bortoli in Australia 2006

I tasted this wine on the Intermediate WSET Course ( Wine,Spirit & Education Trust) . On this course we use a Systematic approach to the tasting of each wine.

It is deep gold in appearance & produces a pronounced nose of dried fruits and hints of vanilla.I blogged this wine due to its long length of flavour on the Palate, which really stood out for me.

On the palate its well rounded packing a full body of long lengthed honey notes with subtle oak, which would make it a great accomplice to a dessert or cheese, but personally I could drink this as a dessert of its own!

£15.99

Roger

Shawsgate Bacchus

2011-09-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

We attended a superb wine tasting evening at the residence of Gordon
Pocket aka Tom Cullingford.
We tasted several wines including an unusual sparkling red from the
Loire and several English wines.
This Bacchus wine from Shawsgate winery in Suffolk! was the star of the night.

The Bacchus grape is typically grown in England as the climate here
particularly suits the grape. If the conditions were any warmer, the
Bacchus grapes would get too ripe and the wine loses balance.
Rich in texture with dry honey and tropical fruits on the palate.
Balanced acidity and a clean finish show a well poised wine that would
stand up well to an Alsatian wine. I actually researched this grape
variety later and found out that it is a Riesling cross which would
support this comment!
Will

Live Rioja Blog

2011-08-05T12:49:00.001-07:00

Live blog from Grenoside.

Spud
Strong enough to stand up to Pizza supper.
Spud Summery with a good balance of tannins.
Will. Sweet fruit intense aromatic aroma with refreshing red fruit on
the palate.
Spud. Quite a fresh aroma like a fruit basket on a cliff top.

Worst Wine Label

2011-07-12T10:42:00.001-07:00

In a fit of uncharacteristic lateral thinking I reckoned that any wine with a label this bad had to be good to sell! I was right; an eye catching pale ruby into the glass easy drinking Pinot with raspberry and vanilla notes. We enjoyed it with a chunk of halibut with cuban seasoning, new potatoes and asparagus. 6.99 dollars! (less than a fiver), From Safeway in Sedona Arizona. Hopefully not available in the UK!
Neil Wilson

ViJazz: Our Weekend Away In Photos

2011-07-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

We rented out a country house for the weekend just gone, that of ViJazz. We filled it with city slickers who descended on the town of Vilafranca de Penedes for the three days that the festival was on.

The house was lovely, highly recommended for a stay, you can check it out here.

A few photos of how we did:

Blackcurrant Leaf

2011-06-26T12:42:00.001-07:00

I have often seen this used as a tasting description on some red wines. Cabernet Sauvignon in particular is known for this characteristic smell. Today was the blackcurrant harvest at our house. While there I remembered about this wine fact and gave the leaf a smell!
Guess what? It smells of delicious blackcurrants!
Will

Vitiano

2011-06-25T12:15:00.001-07:00

Vitiano Falesco 2009 Umbria
An elegant and gorgeous Italian blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and
Cabernet. This is a balanced blend that really works well. It has the
lean but flavoursome Sangiovese character but given more tannin by the
Cabernet and rounded out with the fleshy Merlot body.
The wine required a bit of airing due to the very closed nose on
opening it and there was also a noticeable amount of sediment present.
Once poured from the decanter, it turned out to be extraordinary!
Perfumed and aromatic on the lovely nose with sweet liquorice and
caramel characteristics. On the palate delicate strawberry fruits with
excellent tannins. The texture is just right and it enhances the wines
flavour. A medium length finish asks for more- the bottle won't last
long!
Will

Classico

2011-06-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

Sangiovese is a favourite of mine from the simple Italian table wines
up to the aged Chiantis it is wine that really appeals to me in a
similar way to Pinot Noir.
This bottle seemed to be very good value from Asda online. Indeed even
just a cursory glance at any major wine retailer will demonstrate that
a Chianti Classico Riserva 2004 is usually worth in excess of £20.
Chianti Classico is a DOCG denominated region and is a sub region of
Chianti and must display the black rooster( Gallo Nero!)The DOCG is
governed by strict principles that the wines must adhere to. This
makes them extremely good quality wines.

Add Chianti Classico Riserva 2004
Aged for 38 months in barrels this is a perfumed and elegant wine with
tarry tobacco savoury notes with an aromatic sandalwood effect.
On the palate it is light, balanced and smooth with cherry fruit
flavours and a long long finish.
Highly recommended
£8.99 from Asda supermarket

Mead

2011-05-23T12:52:00.001-07:00

Homemade honey wine.

Ingredients
3.5lbs of honey
1 tsp brewers yeast
1tsp yeast nutrient
1 gallon of water.

Instructions.
Put ingredients in a Demi John.
Leave in a cool place for several weeks until it has stopped bubbling.
You will see a yeasty froth rise to the surface. Don't stir this as it
gives the fermenting juice extra complex flavour!
After several weeks ( when bubbling has stopped signalling the end of
fermentation) the must is supposed to settle at the bottom and clear.
At this point you can rack the wine off it's lees and bottle it in wine bottles.
Mead is at it's best after 1 years aging in bottle but give it a taste
as you might like to drink it earlier!
Here's to a bit of experimenting!
Will

Infamous Types

2011-05-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

This is my first post in a while, and is dedicated to a little nook we stumbled upon in Madrid whilst looking for things to occupy our time with.

Tipos Infames is a wine & book shop full of the least infamous types I have ever laid eyes on, but let that bother you not. What you have there is a comfortable, central & well-stocked wine joint that has good quality words to read all about the place, and wi-fi to do your whatever you needed to do.

We ordered, and were not disappointed by, a couple of house verdejos, whose origin was lost in the ether, but the product is not really the point of this post.

There are all sorts of bottles to take away, and books too; non in English I should add, but you can always pick up a bit of Castillian from the friendly barkeeps.

Be sure to pay them a visit next time you're in the Spanish capital!

White Cotes

2011-05-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Caves Saint-Pierre 2009 white Cotes-du-Rhone produced by the Skalli family.
Tasty bottle of wine! Very smooth with a really long finish, savoury and a tiny bit sweet at the same time like honeydew melon but starts with a bit of a lemony tang. Does that make sense? Really going down well either way!
£7.49 from Tesco.
Spud

Steelwine Live Blog

2011-05-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

First Steelwine team liveblog of the summer.
We are busy in the kitchen with a masterchef syle cookup but we took a break out in the garden to appreciate this lovely bottle of Cotes du Rhone fetched by Spud.

Domaine La Fond Roc Epine
Cotes Du Rhone 2009
We decanted the wine which was a good idea as it really opened up and changed character- mellowing out over time.
A delicate and light wine with initial savoury aromas of mushroom and undergrowth, probably influences from the time the wine spent in barrel. On the palate there was an aromatic fruitiness of red fruits with a perfect balance of tannins and a long delicious finish.
We highly rated the wine and are going to continue our Cotes Du Rhone adventures by exploring other wines from the region.
more news soon!
Will and Spud.

£9.49 from Bargain Booze

Plastic

2011-04-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

When is the last time you shattered a bottle of wine? Well ive done it
quite a few times myself- dropped in supermarkets, drunkenly opening
outside, even smashed a bottle by dropping my bag down an escalator
once! But for most people I think breaking wine bottles is a fairly
rare occurrence! This full sized plastic wine bottle innovation from
Marks and Spencer is a bit of a solution for a problem that doesn't
exist! but still it's very light in weight so you could easily put a
couple in your bag for travelling.

I recommend the French Sauvignon Blanc at £4.99.

Rioja

2011-04-19T14:16:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Dale for this adaptation of a famous wine label that we both
know and love. Respect to him having this as his wedding wine last
year.
Will

Asleep

2011-03-17T15:00:00.001-07:00

I fell asleep tonight in my coat and with my shoes on. Must have been
the product of a lot of hard work this week including a night shift
for an implementation I am working on.
When Anna woke me up and dragged me downstairs for supper she had
opened a bottle of Chenin Blanc from the fridge which was really
lovely and it woke me up!

Vanderburg Chenin Blanc Chardonnay
South Africa. 2009

From Breedekloof on the Western Cape of South Africa this wine has a
nice rich pineapple body but is nicely crisp and has an excellent
appley citrus finish.
Chenin Blanc is the most widely planted grape in South Africa. It is
grown with great success and many different styles of wine are made.
This wine is blended with Chardonnay to give it a rounded body, has
been fermented at 12 degrees (quite low to bring out the aroma) and
has had extended contact with the grape skins and lees which again
brings to bring out the flavour. Chenin Blanc grapes tolerate this
treatment well in the winemaking process.

I highly recommend this wine and it is definitely a steal at the
price. £3.99 from Co-Op.

This tasting sample was provided by Co-Op.

Value Shiraz

2011-03-13T01:59:00.001-08:00

Cheap Shiraz from Morrisons.

At £4.29 this is excellent value everyday drinking.

Although this does not have the full rich ripeness or alcohol level of the typical Australian Shiraz, it is still fruity with blackberry flavours and touch of roasted coffee to give it a bit of body. It is well rounded and faultless for the price!

£4.29 from Morrisons.

This was a sample provided from Morrisons Plc.

Will Wilson

Steelwine

Steelwine Rendezvous in Wales

2011-02-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

We are having a Steelwine meetup.

Good friends, good wines and good times.

Mumbles peninsular is the venue, we have come to visit Joe and Anna.

Today we walked along the cliff path to a surf beach and walked back via a bistro wine bar, The Park pub and Mumbles fine wines shop.

Sophie has gone to bed and we have started hitting the wines.

Urban uco,Cafayete

Torrontes 2009

Salta, Argentina

Mumbles Fine Wines. £7.99

Spanner

Wow its unusual its kind of floral

Joe

Its kind of sweeet and yeah definitely flowers what is that like elderflowers or something?

Will

Aromatic on the nose, fruity and ROses, pineapple and tropical fruit.

Anna

Watermelon

Joe

It has a flavour that doesnt diminish

Will

Yeah its got a very long finish.

Our Argentinian wine guide (Christopher Fielden) states the following about this unusual drop.

"It gives wine with a distinctive flavour marrying Muscat flavours to dryness"

Love it.

Tenuta Pule

Amarone, Lidl

2006

£15

Toasted on the nose and smoky tinge. Black in colour and very full bodied.

Very concentrated flavour but not heavy on the tongue.

Amarone is a special wine made by drying Valpolicella grapes on straw mats!

This is an excellent wine and represents extremely good value for money.

Wine Gang Returns!

2011-02-23T12:29:00.000-08:00

We're organising another wine presentation at a local bar in Barcelona. Here's the flyer and below is the description. I'll let you know how we get on!

A selection of five wines from Tarragona presented in English by David Simms (www.vinocamino.com).

The price is €10 in advance, or €12 on the door.

The wines will be available at wholesale prices during and after the session.

Reservations must be made in advance via markpdix@gmail.com.

20 pax minimum.

Wines:

1 - Las Colinas Del Ebro 100% Grenache - 2009 - Terra Alta

2 - Dardell blanca 70% Grenache 30% Viogner - 2010 - Terr Alta

3 - Sola Fred Tinto 90% Carinena 10% Grenache - 2009 - Montsant

4 - Primicia Tinto 80% Grenache 20% Syrah (aged) - 2007 - Terra Alta

5 - Castell de Pinyeres 40% Carinena 40% Grenache 20% various (aged) - 2007 - Montsant

Betty Ford's, Joaquin Costa 56

1st March, 19-21H.

Faustino VII

2011-02-22T13:24:00.000-08:00

Faustino VII
A great historical Rioja from a large brand and a bloke with a long beard!
This is classic Rioja, aged in French oak barrels for several years.
It has developed a lot of flavour from the wood and has a robust tarry flavour.

Coonawarra Expedition

2011-02-11T10:55:00.000-08:00

An excellent post from Adrian the Australian Adventurer.

Dear Steelwine,

Your indefatigable investigators have been sampling Coonawara wines today.

Coonawara in South Australia had its first vintage in 1895. The cool climate and soil of limestone enriched with clays, provides an ideal location for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. However, Merlot, Shiraz and Chardonnay are also grown together with a small quantity of other grape varieties.

The vignerons of Coonawara have set themselves the task of producing the best red wine in the world! Hubris? Your investigators have been finding out.

Following the recommendations of James Halliday we visited Balnaves and Majella Wines. Both export wine to specialist stockists in UK.

At Majella we tasted their best selling Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz blend, The Musician 08. With an intensity of colour and overwhelming aroma of ripe fruits, the wine, although rich in fruit lacked complexity to the palate and did not linger. But, good drinking wine for 16AUD.

Next the Merlot 08, which failed to impress.

Then Shiraz 08, which lacked the nose of The Musician, hit with 15% alcohol and lingered nicely in the mouth. Good, but no cigar.

Cabernet Sauvignon 08 followed. Intensely coloured, with a fine nose and complexity on the palate, tannins distinctly present, but not too pronounced and lingering fruit flavours. A star turn.

Finally the prestige Malleea 08. Similar intensity of colour and fine nose with a hint of oak and caramel. The high tannin in this young wine tended to obscure its undoubted elegance. What will a few years in bottle reveal?

The 08 Cabernet Sauvignon from Balnaves (14.5%) similarly impressed with its intensity of colour, oaky nose, moderate tannins and complex fruit flavours. Supplied in corked bottles, I suspect it will improve with keeping.

From the field research team.

Night With English Radio, Swedish Cooking & Spanish Wine

2011-02-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

Hiya,

Here's my first tasting notes for a while.

Last night we broadcast a live set on a friend's show, and were treated to a lovely dinner from our Swedish Scot host, who served up mussels as a starter, with a fish/cheese meatball-style main. Mmmmmm.

To accompany, a couple of wines worthy of writing home about:

A traditional Spanish aperitif: crisps and cockles, with a quality white: Mantel Blanco, 2010 verdejo from Rueda. Clean and pale to look at, it was really savoury to smell, more herbal (elderflower) than fruity. The texture was creamy, contrasting with a nicely balanced acidity and citrus flavour. Good one.

With the cheesy fishballs, then, this number from a D.O. I'd never heard of before, Manchuela. This wine is 100% bobal, which would generate a few laughs in South Yorks but is, in fact, quite an interesting red variety native to Spain. It had a caramel nose, quite thin in the mouth but nicely spiced, with a satisfying tannic shadow.

Finally, from the great-value Montsant region, Diaro 2008. A mix of garnaxa, syrah and tempranillo, it was a curious customer alright. Smelling of wet cardboard, it again had quite a light refreshing texture and tasted of boiled game and herbs. Not sure what to make of that.

Bit hungover when the cats came to say good morning.

Until next time wine pals,

Mark D.

New glasses

2011-02-04T06:05:00.001-08:00

Ray Bans

Dr House Wine Tastes

2011-01-25T11:27:00.001-08:00

Mosel

2011-01-08T02:56:00.001-08:00

Lovely off dry Riesling from the German Mosel Valley.
Unusually for Riesling this was allowed to undergo Malo lactic
fermentation which adds a nice bit of body to the off dry sweet and
sour and refreshing style. Excellent balance on the palate and lovely
length. Quite a wine to savour.

Schieferterrassen 2007
Heymann Lowenstein

18 pounds from Green and Blue, Dulwich

Ancient Wine Falanghina

2011-01-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

Mystery Wine!

This was a complete mystery of a wine produced as a trick by Trevor! We had no idea where it came from, what grape variety it was made from or anything!
Turned out to be very pleasant although I am still none the wiser as to its origins. Could not find it in the wine atlas although some of my research has found that Falanghina is an ancient grape variety prized by the Greeks and the Etruscans!

Quite pale in colour, surprisingly there was a bit of fizz with bubbles rising from the glass. Often tart wines can taste spritzy due to the high acidity but this really was sparkling. Quite full bodied with an initial zesty lemon flavour balanced with a touch of more rich melony fruit. Very pleasant wine which I would be pleased to have again if I ever see it again which is probably unlikely due to the rareness!
Will Wilson

Festive blog

2010-12-30T10:26:00.001-08:00

Irish Stout

Bag of cava!

I feel very lucky, this Christmas has been full of Wines! Wine, Champagne, Wine,Cava,Wine,Port,Sherry and more Wine(Red,White and sweet)

Tomorrow is Hogmanay and we will be celebrating with something different, a favourite cocktail of mine called Black Velvet.
This consists of Cava and Guinness.

Lovely Black Velvet

Les Becs Fins

2010-12-20T15:34:00.001-08:00

I generally appreciate the CdR wines for consistency and value for money (though this bottle was a gift). This small appellation has provided a smooth uncomplicated delicious accompaniment to our winter beef stew this evening. Lovely deep plum/cherry colour but not a great deal on the nose. However, terrific cherry and hint of blackcurrant maybe blackberry and a very senior liqourice on the palate. Would buy this in preference to bigged up C du P's which are metaphorically just around the corner.
Neil Wilson

Revealing

2010-12-06T10:44:00.001-08:00

Gorgeous Barossa Shiraz from Majestic.
£7.49
Really enjoyed this amazing Shiraz.
Delicious ripe fruit and touch of spicy warmth with a long finish.
Simple, terrific and tasty.

Learnt a little about the Barossa whilst drinking this wine. The area
is naturally suited to growing Shiraz due to the warm temp of south
Australia. The Barossa is near Adelaide and hosts disease resistant
and 100 year old growths!
I'm going to try lots more Sz this winter!

Seasick Steve: Thunderbird

2010-12-05T11:29:00.000-08:00

Here's a song by Seasick Steve about one of his tipples of choice, Thunderbird.

It seems that this is a brand of 'low-end fortified wine', in other words the US equivalent of Buckfast. It was once marketed as such, in a radio jingle:

"What's the word?

Thunderbird

How's it sold?

Good and cold

What's the jive?

Bird's alive

What's the price?

Thirty twice."

Montage of Sherry and Spanish Shiraz

2010-11-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

Seville

2010-11-12T14:45:00.000-08:00

classic Fino

Seville is famous for Oranges and Sherry as well as flamenco and horses (or women if youre Lord Byron)

Ive tried every variety of Sherry under the sun. Literally as its great weather here..

1)Fino - This has a salty,smoky, oxidised mineral character to it which is very distinct. Made from a special sherry grape called Palomino, this is aged for many years under a layer of fermenting yeast called Flor which gives it the unique flavour. Its the freshest type of sherry and is fairly close to white wine in a way. Very pale in colour and you have to drink the whole bottle once its been opened. preferably with some nice olives.

2) Manzanilla -This is a different variety of Fino which comes from Cadiz rather than Jerez. As its nearer the sea, these sherries are fresher and more acidic due to the maritime climate being a little cooler.

Sherry casks aging

3)Olorosso - The Olorossos are a lot sweeter and darker. the colour and nutty flavour is imparted by the oak barrels and contact with the air when the yeasty layer on the Fino wine dies off due to a higher level of alcohol. Olorossos are quite a bit sweeter, nutty, caramelised but can be nice and refreshing.

4)Pedrio Ximenez

Treacly,nutty, chocolate caramel,ch0colate raisins and dime bar flavours come through in the fantastic Pedro Ximenez wines. Have tried a few different PX this holiday. Some are incredibly sticky, luscious and rich and others are a little lighter and with an almost fresh finish. Depends which you like but I like the fresher version. Waitrose do a great PX. I will check out and report back when I get home.

Will

Below is a typical sherry bar with casks piled high on the counter

Pedro Ximenez

2010-11-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

Look at the colour of that! Drank this Pedro sherry on the stroke of
22:00 at a very touristy restaurant bar near the cathedral In Seville.
The lights were dimmed, horses trotting, blokes playing flamenco and
the bats flying! Very Andalucian atmosphere.
Pure tarry tobacco brown in colour.
Unique in character, this sherry has very strong caramel, chocolate
raisin sweetness. This one had a fresh finish, others are sweeter!

Marlborough Springs

2010-10-28T08:15:00.001-07:00

Marlborough Springs Sauvignon Blanc

I bought this lovely bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from Sainsbury's at the weekend. It was reduced from £8.99 to £5.99, so it seemed like a good bargain. Also I know you can always count on a kiwi sauvignon! In fact, I have to admit that this is the only type of wine that I would confidently take along to a dinner party, because for me, with many other varieties it's often trial and error and I never quite know what's good. However, thanks to this blog and the excellent reviews that people have posted up, I am definitely going to start being a bit more adventurous now! Watch this space!

This Marlborough Springs wine is deliciously crisp and refreshing. It's a beautiful pale straw colour too. You can smell and taste the delicate gooseberries and citrus flavours. It's simply delicious and perfect with fish. Give it a go!

Thanks Alice!

Maybe il get gout

2010-10-24T14:08:00.001-07:00

Warmth

2010-10-22T12:34:00.001-07:00

Hi wine drinkers!
Hope you are all enjoying lots of wine this Autumn?
Im having a difficult time getting my red wines up to a decent
temperature before I drink! The house is so cold!

Reds are ideal at about 20-30 degrees. They shouldn't be really cold
to the touch when you pick up the bottle, just normal. If necessary
to warm up before you drink then uncork and put near the stove to
gently heat up whilst you prepare a meal!
A warm wine will have a greater flavour and aroma on the nose.
Sometimes they have a subtle perfume which is only really detectable
when warm. Use the central heating and enjoy your red wines at the
right temp!

Bail out

2010-10-19T13:37:00.001-07:00

A new kiwi Chardonnay from Oddbins.
Delicious toasted toast and nutty influence on the nose with fresh pineapple fruit. Excellent buttery texture on the palate with an amazing creamy texture and refreshing long lasting finish.
Powerful Chardonnay from the fantastic Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand. The vineyard is located in the Gimblett gravels region behind Taradale. It provides the ideal vineyard location on an old riverbed and is not too far from the sea so it is cooled by ocean breezes yet heat is also retained in the gravel which helps ripen grapes at night.
A gorgeous golden wine that made me fall asleep on the sofa!
£7.99 from Oddbins.

My dear Madeira

2010-10-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

A heady rich drink for the winters night.
Thick, sweet and rich. Dried fruit and prunes on the palate with a
chocolatey caramel woody influence!

There are several different types of Madeira. This is the richest
after dinner type which is made like them all on the Portugese island
of Madeira in vast wooden barrels exposed to the summer heat which
gives it the gently oxidised characteristics!
Try any bottle from the supermarket or the excellent Duke of Clarence
£10.97 from Asda.
It will keep for ages even after it's been opened!

Storks Tower

2010-09-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

Here is the first review from Roger. A Spanish wine from Tesco.
Sounds excellent!
Rich and def full bodied quite heavy ? Got shiraz as that red on the
weekend was that i got , had to warm up was cold on the shelf its a
little spicy if that makes sense but id say its a good buy for tesco
and worth its price . Cork bottle also influenced me . Hope that helps
. .

Wanna Go

2010-09-29T03:58:00.000-07:00

Tempting article in the Guardian today about this restaurant run by the best sommelier in the world. In 2004.

Catalan Wine Fest: The Video!

2010-09-28T07:26:00.001-07:00

30th Annual Catalan Wine Show from Mark Dixxx on Vimeo.

Burgundies

2010-09-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

2005 Domaine Herestzyn Gevrey Chambertin
2000 Domaine Rene Engel Clos du Vougeot Vosne Romanee

Two amazing Burgundies tonight at home with my dad.
Both wines were seductively smooth with the older 2000 having a
fantastic farmyard aroma on rhe nise and a light cherry fruit
refreshing palate. Amazing for 10years old. Both good quality corks!
Check it out!

Carmenere

2010-09-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Anna is a great fan of Carmenere and I've joined her tonight with a
beauty from Morrisons.
The Best Carmenere Reserva 2009
Colchagua Valley, Chile
Excellent sweet nose of fruit and brambles, liquorice and coffee with
a soft fruity palate and smooth fruity finish and chocolatey texture.
A lovely bottle of Chilean wine from Morrisons
£5.99

Will

Up North Trip

2010-09-13T06:02:00.000-07:00

Not that far up north though. I've wittered about Alella before a couple of times, but for all it's charm, we had never seen the town in full swing. This weekend was the traditional town festes, including a posh car-park piss up with all the local producers vying for your tickets (€5 for three glasses and a glass to take home [broken en route]).

We got off the bus sometime around noon and it was already ram up and baking. The gigants were patrolling the streets with bands of medievally-dressed Catalans, and there were a bunch of stalls lining the main street, whose cheeses and pastes we sampled and liked but forgot to buy. To brunch we approached a stall with plump and fresh looking pastries, and I went for a patates braves filled bun, including the mayonaise. It was the nearest thing to a chip barm i've ever had abroad and made me feel quite queezy.

We passed by the three wine shops that I know around the centre, where merriment was had in attempting to neck table wine from porrons.

We then swung round to the main event which was heaving, and queues for forming at each stand. We all went for different options to kick off, me a 2006 garnatxa blanc from Joaquim Batlle, a couple of autoctonous pansa blanca joints from Alella Vinícola, sec and semi sec, were sampled; and a cava from Perxet rounded off the round.

It was agreed that the local grape was a winner for starters, floral and light with enough character to justify the €5 you'd spend on a bottle.

Round two before lunch and we switched up again. I went for a chilled Syrah from Alta Alella (mistake), our two debutants sneaked a Rioja and a Ribera del Duero from somewhere, and Natalia, still on the cava, was seduced by the minimal elegance of a chardonnay 2006 from Alta Alella; clearly the most appropriate and ultimately rewarding choice.

We found a lunch spot, the always excellent Companyia d'Alella, and were looking forward to one of the local speciality dessert wines only to find that everything had shut, in true siesta style, until eight in the evening. We found some of the staff from Alella Vinícola off-duty, who hooked us up with half a bottle of their garnatxa negre/ syrah rosé, which was finished in a wendy-house as we waited for our chariot home.

Another good day out in the Maresme. As we'd been left wanting more, I'm tempted to attend some of the setmana del vi at the end of the month.

'Til then, Sitges hosts it's wine festival next weekend, which I may very well report back upon.

Word out.

Mark D.

Carmen

2010-09-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Lovely rich red from Chile.
Chilean wines are very full flavoured and rich which I found goes well
with cheese.

Misiones Carmenere 2008
Valle Central, Chile
Deep violet in colour with a rich fruity nose and a toasted aroma. On
the palate lovely plum flavour with a medium body, touch of tannin and
a coffee like spicy oak element.

An excellent intense wine. A wine for a colder evening or evening in
which is just right for the end of the summer. Check it out

£6.49 down to £4.99 from Morrisons

Two

2010-08-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

Villa Maria Private Bin
2010 Vintage Sauvignon Blanc

I was very excited to try the first of the 2010 vintage NZ Sauvignons.
SB is the type of wine that is best when drunk fresh and young. This
will have only been in the bottle a couple few months by the time I
opened it.
Vintage 2010 was well balanced with varying levels of heat and
ripeness of the grapes. It was a cooler than average summer with a
warm dry autumn.

Intense on the nose with pineapple, lemon and black currant fruit
nose. On the palate it was actually quite smooth with a touch of ripe
melon on the body.
£8.99 from Tesco and Sainsbury

We also tasted the Asda extra special Cote du Rhone Villages
Which was smooth and fruity with a bit of vanilla oak influence and
nice warmth.
5.99 from Asda

Summer Rose

2010-08-07T03:28:00.000-07:00

Lovely summer lunch on the patio with a gorgeous glass of Rose.
Look at the brilliant colour shining through the bottle. Value Rose like this from Morrisons is an excellent summer lunchtime or afternoon drink to quench your thirst and make the most of the weather!

Good French Shiraz Rose
Pleasant ripe raspberry and fig fruit nose with an off dry palate that seems quite sweet at first but is really refreshing and drinkable.
Excellent, marvellous value.

£3.99 Morrisons

Classic Chablis

2010-08-02T04:12:00.000-07:00

Chablis is a classic wine that you should get to know.
Made from Chardonnay grapes this wine has a distinct clean minerality due to the limestone rich soils where it is grown on the old seabed floor in the vineyards of Chablis!

Co-Operative Chablis 2008
AOC Prehy, Chablis

Sharp refreshing lemon and lime with a crisp palate balanced nicely by a touch of body from the minimal use of Oak barriques.
A smooth and distinctive wine that will age well. Must drink more Chablis.

Cab

2010-07-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

Bargain Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile
Excellent! Enough said!
Morrisons
£3.99

Get fresh with Sangio

2010-07-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

If you have forgotten what wine tastes like then this is a good one to start with!
Something about Sangiovese always draws me to them. They seem to taste so raw to me -light and refreshing like this or the more mature and challenging Chiantis. I love it!

Bacaro Rubicone Sangiovese 2008
Pale pink ruby in colour this light coloured wine has a pleasant fruity aromatic nose. Very refreshing on the palate with a light texture and fresh raspberry flavour. An excellent approachable wine with quite a bit of tannin grip in the mouth and a sharp finish but lots of aromatics as well.
£5.99 from Majestic.

Drinks cabinet - government spends £17,500 on wine

2010-06-19T16:23:00.001-07:00

More than £17,500 has been spent topping up the government's £850,000 wine cellar, it has emerged.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/politics/10357852.stm

Mendoza!

2010-06-11T02:55:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking - it's something like this: "Hmmmm, Mendoza? Where do I know that name from?" and you're imagining it being shouted by someone with a gun. I reckon you're probably thinking it's got something to do with 80s TV series, like the A-Team or something. Close. It's the name of The Simpsons' TV hardman McBain's nemesis, Senator Mendoza. You watch too much TV anyway.

It's also the greatest wine region in Argentina. Again, you might be lapsing into some 80s anachronistic thinking - Argentinian wines got a reputation for being awful about 15 years ago. But they ain't.

Here's the angle: the UK is coming into summer, there's football around and a bit of sunshine, and this brings out an awful lot of barbecues and picnics, blokes drinking lager and supermarkets pushing rosé like it had just been invented. But what of the reds? It's a tough one - you certainly don't want something with a body that's too heavy; picnics tend to start as afternoon activities, and with a spot of sun on your head and a slightly chunky shiraz you'll pass straight through being talkative, to garrulousness and red-faced war talk. Cool it.

Similarly, you don't want anything too light. I'm a sucker for a summery Beaujolais, thin, fun, splashy-splashy. But they can get lost among the cabaret of British al-fresco eating - we're a nation that relishes condiments and marinades, strong and spicy flavours dominate barbecues. Beaujolais' Gamay grape can struggle to get a grip.

So here's what I'm talking about: "Get Mendoza".

Where's this coming from? I'm a massive fan of Manuel Vazquez Montalban's Pepé Carvalho series of books. Carvalho is an intense character - a private detective of the classic type (brooding, troubled, ambiguous past, happy to use questionable techniques to get results), with an interesting angle. He's not just a drinker (so many classic detectives are boozers, for my money Inspector Morse takes the cup since his fondness for it took him to diabetes and an early grave). He's a gourmet, a connoisseur, a chef and a gourmand - as was Montalban. Pepé's deepest insights into his cases come when he breaks off engagements with his prosititute-girlfriend, retreats to his house in Vallvidrera (on the hills overlooking Barcelona), lights a roaring fire by burning volumes of his extensive political and philosophical library, and sets about creating an exquisite menu. Montalban describes the recipes in detail - the books encourage the reader to indulge themselves in more ways than one.

In the penultimate book of the series (or, as it may be, ante-penultimate, if Millennium Carvalho ever sees posthumous release), The Beuno-Aires Quintet, our hero ventures to Argentina - a country which means very little to him. What do you know about Argentina? "Tango, Maradona, the Disappeared". In the book he discovers several other important features (and comes to understand two of these three a little better): meat and Mendoza. There are lengthy descriptions of family asados (which appear to be a cross between the British traditional Sunday Roast Ritual and a huge barbecue). Mendoza wines are a continual counterpoint to the beef. Hence this post.

The Mendoza region's first appellation went to Lujan De Cuyo in the early 90s, and its best known variety is their Malbec, which flourishes in their relatively dry climate. While the Malbecs get the most hype, and are probably the most confident among the Mendoza single varietal wines, I think the most unique contribution from the region is its (little known) Bonarda grapes. As I understand it, Argentinian producers are putting their weight behind the Malbec since they think the Bonarda isn't going to hit the mainstream well enough - but I'm all about the underground. It's an interesting grape, that bit lighter than the Malbec (which compares with the medium body of a Pinot Noir, but with the blackberry edge of a Zinfandel), and the Bonarda has more of a cherry flavour. The best Mendozas I've tried have been blends of varieties involving Bonarda - it goes very well with their Shiraz/Syrah grapes.

So what do you get? The classic Mendoza character is slightly on the heavier side of a medium weight, with handsome warm fragrances - cherry, blackcurrant, blackberry, slightly oaky. The density lets it carry two flavours clearly: the top notes are cherry blossoms, vanilla and sweet peppers, and the long, soft finish has a rich plum-and-wood smoothness. It's quaffable without being heady, so you can put it away quite easily and very enjoyably. It seems to have very little acidity compared with similar weighted wines, but this doesn't mean it disappears among stronger flavours. The sweetness and mellowness doesn't cloy - it's lively enough to keep you interested from cork to empty. That's why it's a recommendation for these picnics you're going on. Don't shy away from the blends - the Shiraz, Pinot Noirs and Cabernets are all good, but remember the grapes of note are the Malbec (confident enough to stand alone) and the Bonarda. (Here are two good current tips:

Casa Bonita Bonarda Malbec, 2005

- a blend of two uniquely Mendozan grapes, lighter than many from the region. A great chance to try the Bonarda at work. Red fruit flavours, touch of spice. Incredibly cheap from Morrison's right now (something to do with exchange rates) - priced at £2.99 or £3.99 depending on where you live (postcode lottery?). Get Mendoza!

Sainsbury's Taste The Difference: Argentinian Mendoza Malbec, 2008

- straight up 100% varietal wine, does everything you want a Mendoza to do, and currently on offer (I think this was around £6, down from around £9). It's from the Lujan De Cuyo area although it doesn't carry the DOC. They say: "Lush, violet-scented wine... velvety tannins and long finish". I think lush is good word for things that are green, it doesn't work for me here, but violet-scented is right on the money, and also captures the way the light bounces through it in the glass. Get Mendoza!

Vidall not Sassoon

2010-06-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

On holiday in Cornwall.
We had superb weather for it all week!
The main activities were surfing, sailing, swimming, cycling, fishing, crabbing, canoeing and that was only half of it!
When not pubbing it in the evening we enjoyed a lovely glass of wine or two.

Vidal Syrah 2007
Fresh cherry on the nose with a bit of spice.
sweet palate of cherry and fresh fruit. Rich body with intense flavour smooth texture and long finish. Excellent rich and fruity Syrah with a touch of freshness.
Something completely different to an Australian Shiraz. Give it a go.
£9.99 from Waitrose

Mobile Future Blog Of Tomorrow

2010-05-16T13:25:00.001-07:00

This is the future! TODAY. Me and fellow Steel Wine Blog King Will simultaniously write and up a wine that he has cracked open to celebrate my extended stay in the UK thanks to the ash from the volcano Jadefhjnfsgjkhfdfcxxhoigdssgh.

So, a blast from the past: Marques De Grinyon's Emeritus, a 1998 recommendation from Penistone Wine Court. Will has decanted it and the glass sits in front of me in wait of my discerning judgement.

An attractive rusty hue borders the liquid, which retains its intense deep cherry colour.

(Decants more to sit on rug by fire.)

A reserved nose that may well be opening up with time and temperature, upon agitation an impression of tabacco. To taste at first, young tasting and subtle, light body and a hint of tannin from its time in the barrel. It is the taste of raisins, is long and seems to get sweeter for some time after each swig.

Cheers Will! And Spanner on the alcohol free merlot (pictured).
Mark P Dix

Its been a hectic weekend of heavy tunes, heavy drinking and daft dancing, We are blogging from a post party wine review in the living room.
Caramelized orange in colour with fringes fading gradually to the core.
Aromatic fruit, brulee in flavour. Licqourice and tobacco flavours with sweet oak.
Lovely balance of texture from the tannins and a long lasting finish.
Top top.
Will W

Oaky Chardonnay evening.

2010-05-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a big bold wine to be enjoyed and savoured. One for an evening in or perfect on Sunday eve. Rich, buttery and complex with a refreshing but long finish. I could drink a lot of this right now!
I love the rich, creamy, oaked Chardonnays from the new world. Australia, New Zealand and South Africa all have great examples of this. Chardonnay is easy to manipulate in the winery. Vignerons love the variety as they can influence the wine by tweaking the production process to get an individual wine of their making. Malolactic fermentation imparts a buttery toastiness which is sometimes amplified by siphoning the wine into brand new oak barrels to mature.

2008 Journeys End, Haystack Chardonnay
Big and rich in style with heavy use of Oak giving it a nutty toasted aroma. On the palate it is smooth and full bodied with bread, butter and toffee apple fruit but it is dry and comes with a very long finish. Excellent indeed.
£9.99 From Bibendum Wine.

what a pino

2010-04-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

I loved this bottle of Pinot Grigio from Marks and Spencers.
Only £4.49 for this light bodied treat!

Light straw yellow colour with an aromatic melon and apple nose. Mid weight texture, lemon and pineapple tropical fruit on the fresh palate with a tiny hint of spice and a crisp finish.
Highly recommended vibrant wine.

Will

Land of the long white cloud

2010-04-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

Wine of New Zealand.
I'm very very fond of all NZ Wines full stop. This is a supermarket gem which is easily available, though will set you back 9 squidders.
Its worth it for this sip
The South Island Pinot Noirs are superb due to ideal cold climate terroir growing conditions for the small Pinot Noir grapes.
This Asda own brand is produced by Wither Hills in the Wither Hills area of Marlborough. Subtle difference from the Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough region. It is savoury and fresh with delicious raspberry and redcurrant freshness along with slight farmy savoury note on the nose. Very smooth and well balanced on the palate with a nice bit of texture and tannins.
£9.00 Asda

Will

Fw: Monte la sarda 2008 garnacha

2010-04-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

Monte la sarda 2008 garnacha
Garnacha/garnache (same, right?) Is a grape that appeals to me but I don't know why. It seems to speak of a tasty and bold sensation.

This wine is from bajo aragon in spain. The label says 'vinas viejas' and the maker says all the vines used are between 45-100 years old and are from a local strain. Someone more learned would know the implications of this.

As for the drinking? A strong but gentle smell, and an initial sweet/mellow hit on the tongue, followed by a smooth and fulsome principle taste. this doesn't outstay its welcome and a little nip in the tale keeps the memory of each sip fresh in the drinkers mind.

Megs rating- 8/10

The Snail

2010-04-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

This is primarily a wine blog but here is a restaurant review for a bit of a change!

L'Escargot, London

Soho institution and probably the closest restaurant i have seen yet to the one they go to in Ferris Buellers Day Off. Very traditional french in style with tasteful decor and cool contemporary art such as a 3D giant gold dinosaur head.

Snails in garlic with a Bordeaux sauce. Served inside their shells on a spot of potato puree. It was ideal to fish out the meat with the snail holding device and then eat it with a mouth of potato and the lovely sauce. Gorgeous. This we had with a bottle of Sancerre which was laden with Terroir driven character. Steely mineral sauvignon blanc from the Loire valley of France. Refreshing and delicious accompaniment.

Main course of duck leg with ratte potatoes, pak choi and red chard was rich and superb with a lovely Cotes Du Rhone Villages. Ripe, fruity and smooth with touch of spice.

We spent many hours round the table chatting and laughing before finally getting coffee and petit fours.

Queens wine

2010-03-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

Not really.
Buckingham Estate
Reserve Shiraz 2006 14%
Western Australia

There is a cool climate for wine in Western Australia. The main area is Margaret river sitting on a peninsular down from Perth.
The result of the cool climate is that this Shiraz is fresh and lean more like a french wine than a typical juicy Australian Shiraz.

Dark purple black in the glass. A nose of lovely perfumed ripe fruit with touch of spicy oak and licuorice. On the palatte fresh fruit, medium bodied with a light fresh texture.
Morrisons £6.00

Wines with the family

2010-03-15T12:36:00.001-07:00

A selection of wines recently enjoyed with family and friends.

To start the evening we had some biscuity champagne which was delicious. Never turn down a glass or two of pop!
We discussed the bisuity versus toasty topic. Anna said she likes the really buttery toasty champagne. I think this is the style of Laurent Perrier which is a favourite of ours. I can also highly recommend Tesco Finest champagne which is top notch class as well as Waitrose own Cava which is always brilliant!

In the restaurant I tasted the wines for our table. A fresh and fruity Merlot from Italy and a complex oaked Chardonnay, big in style- also Italian. I had quite a few glasses of both the wines during the meal and why not! To go with dessert there was a delicious muscat sweet dessert wine.

Valencian

2010-03-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

Im digging the label of this Spanish bottle reviewed by Ambrose and friends.
Check it out from Oddbins!

Rafael cambra- 'dos' valencia collita 2007

A blend of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.

Tom: full, robust, tannin-rich, gives you a sore throat just to smell it. Adult flavour, oaky, burnt coffee ground. Almost scalded.
Megan: lovely
Ambrose: taste- like a baileys! Creamy, chocolatey, caramel. Faint burnt tinge. Nose- reminiscent...but of what?

Oddbins, reduced to 10 pound, or thereabouts.

Ambrose

Respect At Last

2010-03-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

Zerotes are like opinions, everyone's got one. Which I suppose makes me and my wine gang qualified enough to judge in the 2nd Annual Vinya Cellar Masia Catalan Wine Contest. And the fact that we were willing to part with €60 for the privilege.

The structure of the contest is thus: the products of 50 wine producers are judged by 100 anonymous and probably totally amateur judges via the internet. The first round sees each judge consider six wines and cavas, my selection is pictured above. The ones with the best scores are then sent out again to the judges, so each judge evaluates three of the wines that scored best in the previous round.

I decided that it would be fun to agree on the marks with a few friends, which we often didn't, so we ended up taking the average opinion from the six participants.

The wines had to be graded from 'insufficient' to 'excellent' on a number of points, namely:

appearance (cleanliness)
appearance (attractiveness)
nose (impact)
nose (intensity)
nose (quality)
taste (impact)
taste (intensity)
taste (persistence)
harmony
presentation

After each wine, our opinions were entered into the world wide web, through a screen like this:

followed by a screen like this:

whose design resembles that of a sixth-form website project.

Of the two cavas, one rosé, one white and two reds that we were dealt, only the first red, a 2007 Costers del Segre coupage of Ull de Llebre, Garnatxa Negra, Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot named 'Saó Abrivat' recieved unamimous praise from the panel.

It was a good experience to value wines in this new way, and to feel a part of the official opinion formers, albeit a tiny one; and we look forward to rating the finalists and passing on these hot tips on to you, dear reader.

Mark D.

De France Avec Amour (Je Crois)

2010-02-19T13:17:00.000-08:00

Some French men came to our house and when they left, there was a bottle of plonk left ont' dining room table. I hope it was intended for us because we've just opened it and will attempt a dangerous LIVE blog about its nature for you gentle reader.

Ederra Crianza 2006
Bodegas Bilbainas
Rioja D.O.C.

Colour: deep granite/earthy burgundy. Clearly marked restings when swilled around non-matching glasses. Hint of browning around rim tee ho!

Primary aromas: Musty and sweet like as if at bodega itself.

Secondary aromas: Very dense forest forest fruits and rubber.

Attack: Pleasant and balanced.

Taste Time: Really intense tempranillo, balsamic with a leather fondo. Enough tannins to know they're tannins.

Going down: Nicely but Natalia needs to go cut some strong cheese because this vino is too strong to enjoy alone.

Score: 7/10

Mark D. & Natalia P.S.

Training it

2010-02-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

Its becoming standard for me now to drink and review a wine on a train journey. Picking up a mini from the station shop and consuming it on my journey. This time travelling Oxford to Sheffield with Lord Byron, Life and Legend and a nik naks nice and spicy.

Australian Shiraz Cabernet.
Wine of Australia
Rich, fruity, smooth and spicy with nice structure from some oak.
Just the ticket
£2.75 for a mini.
Marks and Spencer

Pogo

2010-02-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

From the poggiotondo region of tuscany, this chiant (I'm not that familiar with chianti) has a strong, smooth and fresh faced but gentle smell. Its taste reflects this, a confident but kindly experience...an imperceptible sweet edge lifts it at the end. Verdict - very drinkable. Wine tends to be drinkable tho I guess!

Pictured - a cheap steak, leek bake for dinner and a bottle of the poggiotondo chianti

Gros Manseng

2010-01-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

Innovative blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Gros Manseng grapes.
Aromatic, very fruity and fresh with a slight hint of nuttiness and apricot spice to it. This I guess comes from the Gros Manseng in the mix which also gives it a bit of body.
Really enjoyed this new blend from South of France. Check it out!

£5.49 CoOp

Wreck The Hoose Juice

2010-01-24T06:11:00.000-08:00

Browsing a news report about wine consumption in Scotland, one brand stood out. It's name is Buckfast, a fortified wine made in Devon but consumed with more vigour north of the border.

Unfortunately, it is not available in Spain, but there is a short video of a tasting of the wine by a somillier at Harvey Nichols, Edinburgh, which you can watch by clicking the link to the news report in the last paragraph.

Mark D.

Le Dog

2010-01-14T15:50:00.000-08:00

Excellent bottle of everyday drinking wine with funky branding!
Really liked this cold from the fridge this eve.

Le Dog Charlotte
Chardonnay 2008. Vin de Pays

Pale straw coloured with vibrant nose of pineapple and tropical fruit.
Medium bodied on the palate. Lovely and fruity with a fresh crisp touch. £5.49 Morrisons

Playing in the snow

2010-01-11T14:13:00.000-08:00

Ive heard people descibe Pinotage as the smell of a sweet rubbish tip. How rude!

This Pinotage was really excellent and something I enjoyed with friends after playing in the snow!

Tukulu 2007 Pinotage
Lovely dark purple in colour with a sweet fruity nose.
On the palate this is intense, full bodied, spicy and meaty with lovely fresh red fruit and toasty oak.
Lovely bottle of Pinotage.
£8.99 from Oddbins
Will W

Georgian

2010-01-11T14:11:00.000-08:00

A wine from the country of Georgia. This seems unlikely at first thought, and it doesnt appear in my wine atlas which i thought was fully comprehensive!
Archaeology has uncovered that we have been producing wine in Georgia for thousands of years!
Saperavi is a native Georgian grape variety which produces fabulous wines full of deep colour, tannin and structure which will obviously mellow elegantly with Age.

Satrapezo Saperavi
Dark blackish red in colour. Dark berry fruit nose with hint of sweetness. Intense, refreshing fruit and a very full bodied palate with great texture, coffee hints and a long finish.
From the Georgian Wine Society website.

Will W

Saint Desirat

2010-01-02T12:09:00.001-08:00

Lovely meaty red wine last night
2007 Saint Desirat from the Saint Joseph appellation in the Ardeche region of Northen Rhone.
Light purple colour with fruity nose and spicy meaty texture. Excellent.

What's For Afters?

2010-01-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve in Spain, people tend to eat one of their most opulent meals of the year, as did we this year. We copped a lobster which we ate with asparagus and potatoes, after starters of clams, salmon tartare and the obligatory pa amb tomaquet.

With about a quarter of an hour to go to midnight, we hadn't had pudding, which I had planned to be a dessert wine that I have had for a while. It had been airing for a while, as is the protocol for this type of vino, but we had to wolf it down in order to make it to our rendez-vous.

With an hour to kill this afternoon, I have decided to revisit the bottle, which can be kept corked for a while afterwards, due to the sugar content.

The grape is known locally as Matarò, internationally as Mourvèdre, or Monastrell, and is autoctonous to D.O. Alella, which as I have mentioned before, is the closest wine-producing region to Barcelona. It is made with over-ripe grapes, which are harvested just before they start to turn into raisins. No sugar, therefore is needed to make this sweet wine. They macerate for six months in steel casks which gives the juice its deep red-brown colour. Finally, it is matured in barrels of French oak.

This particular drop is a potent and sweet but not sickly one, delicious in small quantities, with matices of game and red berries.

It is really nice and satisfying to be drunk alone, without a dessert to accompany, but if you do go for a pudding, it is said that it should not be sweeter than the wine.

Mark D.

Crimbo drops

2009-12-26T07:19:00.001-08:00

Over the last few days we have really pushed the boat out and have gone mad with the booze related Antics. This all started with some delicious mulled wine and mulled cider at Toms brilliant Christmas do a few nights ago.
Here's a list from my memory.

Champagne Louis de Sacy,
Trimbach Riesling
2004 Chateau Belgrave St Julien 5th Growth. Co Op £12.99
1989 Clos du Marquis, St Julien. A super second, second wine of Leoville cases. A treat and a half, lot of age on this bottle from an outstanding vintage! Aged beautifully, elegant and absolutely singing.
2007 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir.
Light and fruity smooth and silky. Superb 100% Pinot Noir

Will W

Bon Nadal!

2009-12-25T03:10:00.000-08:00

Happy X-Listless-Ness Day to All SubGenii! Here's a present from my special lady friend that I will have to wait about three years to uncork!

I can use the gadgets ya though.

Mark D.

Tim Atkin's Christmas Wine Quiz

2009-12-20T03:09:00.000-08:00

Tim Atkin, above, scoffs mockingly at our lack of wine expertise. In order to demonstrate how pathetic our knowledge is, he offers the quiz below in today's Observer. You have to send in answers on a postcard! Really! To: Observer Magazine Wine Quiz, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU by 6 January 2010. The first prize is 300 clams worth of wine from Waitrose. 6 Runners up get a bottle of Bollinger each.

I wonder if it's considered cheating to do your research on the internet? In any case, I haven't got the patience so I'll mostly be choosing at random.

1 How much wine would you find in an Impériale?

a) Four litres

b) Six litres

c) Eight litres

2 What does Xynomavro mean in Greek?

a) Great with meze

b) Soft and fruity

c) Acidic and black

3 Which is the largest of these three Burgundian Grands Crus?

a) Clos de Vougeot

b) Le Montrachet

c) Le Musigny

4 Why would a winemaker use a spinning cone?

a) To get fit

b) To kill nematodes

c) To reduce the alcohol content in his wine

5 Spot the odd one out

a) Barbaresco

b) La Morra

c) Serralunga d'Alba

6 Which of these Australian regions

is famous for its

Shiraz?

a) Margaret River

b) The Yarra Valley

c) The Barossa Valley

7 What is the name of the crossing invented in 1948 by Dr HP Olmo?

a) Ruby ruby

b) Ruby Cabernet

c) Olmo's revenge

8 Which South American country specialises in

Tannat?

a) Bolivia

b) Brazil

c) Uruguay

9 Supreme, Noma and Diam are all types of what?

a) Corks

b) Grape varieties

c) Barrels

10 What is PX short for?

a) Pancho Ximénez

b) Pedro Ximénez

c) Palomino Ximénez

11 What is the official Californian term for a Bordeaux blend?

a) Heritage

b) French Paradox

c) Meritage

12 To which grape variety is Crljenak related?

a) Zibibbo

b) Zinfandel

c) Zweigelt

13 The Billionaire's Vinegar is about a cache of wine that allegedly belonged to which US president?

a) Jimmy Carter

b) Abraham Lincoln

c) Thomas Jefferson

14 If you use yarrow, camomile, cow's horns and a stag's bladder in your vineyards, are you…

a) Recovering from a very heavy night out

b) A follower of biodynamism

c) An organic wine grower

15 What is Brunello

di Montalcino

made from?

a) Sangiovese

b) Montalcino

c) Montepulciano

16 What is the name of the white soil of the

Sherry region?

a) Flor

b) Almacenista

c) Albariza

17 What is Sam Neill's New Zealand wine called?

a) Dead Calm

b) Two Paddocks

c) Perfect Strangers

18 Which is normally the most acidic?

a) Barbera d'Alba

b) McLaren Vale Shiraz

c) Rioja Reserva

19 In which country would you find Clos des Agaises, Genoels-Elderen and Domaine du Chenoy?

a) Luxembourg

b) France

c) Belgium

20 Which is the most northerly of these three Médoc châteaux?

a) Pontet-Canet

b) Beychevelle

c) Margaux

21 How many hectares of vineyards are there in Virginia?

a) 100

b) 1,000

c) 10,000

22 Where does The Chocolate Block come from?

a) South Africa

b) Switzerland

c) Austria

23 Which is Chile's largest winery?

a) Santa Rita

b) De Martino

c) Concha y Toro

24 How much wine does a pièce hold?

a) 225 litres

b) 228 litres

c) 500 litres

25 What does Grosses Gewächs mean?

a) Large vineyard

b) First growth

c) High in alcohol

26 Mendoza accounts for what percentage of Argentina's wine production?

a) 30%

b) 50%

c) 70%

27 Which of the following Kiwi wineries is not French-owned?

a) Cloudy Bay

b) Peregrine

c) Montana

28 What are 115, 667 and 777?

a) Code names for British secret agents

b) Three motorways in Burgundy

c) Clones of Pinot Noir

29 Which is normally the most alcoholic form of Valpolicella?

a) Amarone

b) Ripasso

c) Recioto

30 Who said: "I am only a beer teetotaller, not a Champagne teetotaller"?

a) George Bernard Shaw

b) Oscar Wilde

c) Morrissey

Mark D.

Vw kombi 1979 wine tour

2009-12-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

From cape town to paarl region- paarl town named after rocky outcrop perfectly rounded that glistens in morning dew.

Here we visited Bovlei estate -'above the lake' - tried gewurztraminer, chenin blanc, pinotage, cab sauv. Found wines a bit flat, maybe wanted more oomph. Poss. Suffered from being first on list and attendant cautiousness. 2008 chardonnay was going for 13R (1 pound) a bottle and was not bad! Bargain.

then over the bains kloof pass built by italian pows. Past beautiful river in the mountaisn, out into tulbagh region.

Over the pass problem with 1979 VW kombi develops-alternator/battery related.

Proceeded to tulbagh for automotive diagnosis-cum-refreshment. Offered baboutie-kind of cape malay spicey shepherds pie, but scorching hot in dry valley heat.

Back on road to bergsig estate. Tried chenin blanc, sauv blanc, chardonnay, touriga nacional, cab sauv, vintage port.
Enjoyed all whites, had notable characters, slight time pressures meant possibility of extended mulling over flavour not possible. Wanted to try touriga nacional (from 'bain's kloof' range) out of curiosity but didn't find it particularly palatable. This range of wines were all produced and sold rather than aged.
Cab sauv was pleasant but was tasted in hurried surroundings, advised that it would keep for up to 5 yrs and would age better.
Port- I have no abilities for distinction of port as yet so my opinion is completely unqualified but it was certainly tasty (the wine farm was recommended for its ports by hans our leader and kombi-driver).

On leaving discovered split in tyre prompting tyre change. My role-to put hub cap back on. Kombi has full toolset incl jack that stows under passenger seat.

All repairs effected, return to cape town.

Recommended:

Bains kloof vista
Biltong king shop (wellington, 'die beste in die weste)
River with beautiful pools + tweede top camping
Tulbagh village
Further exploration of many wine farms in area

Overall, a real adventure and good introduction to SA wines. Particularly want to check out more pinotage. Ambrose

End of the Journey

2009-12-14T09:36:00.000-08:00

Delicious bordeaux blend from Stellenbosch in South Africa.

Some friends have just come back from a trip to Cape Town so look out for their writeup!

92% Cabernet Sauvignon 8 % Merlot.

Excellent rich wine with dark fruit aroma and spicy nose. Full bodied and smooth textured, chocolate and cigars. Very elegant with long finish.

Goin' Loco Down In Morocco

2009-12-12T13:27:00.000-08:00

We cracked this bad boy open last night and I personally was too loaded to appreciate it. Luckily, there was plenty left tonight to savour and procrastinate about.

This is booty from Natalia's trip to Morocco a couple of months ago. Despite the influence of the Prophet Mohammed and his sacred book of teachings and rules, wine has been produced in the country for thousands of years, and I suppose that the French invasion has left its mark on the country's produce.

She may or may not have bought it from the airport on the way home but is smoking out of the window and watching Spanish 'comedy' now so cannot confirm this presumption.

Of the wine I can tell you this: 2005, deeply red mature colourings, the smell of an entire Sunday lunch which is slightly overdone. But delicious.

The French like not to tell you of the content of the wine on the label, and neither do the good folk at Les Cellers de Meknes. I guessed at Cabernet Sauvignon and was a third right, Merlot and Syrah joining the party, but this is a genuinely concentrated yet balenced wine whose monumental tannins make cotton wool of the drinker's speak-hole and would certainly be well combined with something well-cooked and tomato-related.

Mark D.

Locatelli

2009-11-30T13:53:00.000-08:00

In London I was pleased to meet Loris the professional sommelier at the famous Locanda Locatelli Restaurant.

The impressive all Italian wine list spanned hundreds of wines. It came in the form of a large bound book and was stylishly laid out with maps to each region. This made it a good read!

I enjoyed two wines with my supper. Loris kindly noted the details down for me at the end of the meal.

2008 Grechetto Colli Nartani

La Custodia Farchioni

A delicious smooth textured and full bodied white wine with touch of apricot and honey fruit and a nice refreshing finish. Fun to try this unusual wine variety from Umbria.

2004 Sangiovese Di Ronangha Riserva

Branchini

From the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy. Home of the Ferrari.

A Riserva wine, stored in barrels for 24 months before bottling for a year. Pretty dark cherry red in colour. Light in texture with spicy fruit, grippy tannins and a long leathery finish!

complex and lovely.

Oddbins meets Bragazzis downtown

2009-11-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

Italian winetasting - Bragazzis deli, Sheffield

Atmosphere: all ages crowd, some youth, some experience. The feel is of europe, civilisation, a pleasant drink at night just down the road, folk sitting outside and in and us inside watching abbeydale rd life. Format was relaxed, fetching wine in any desired order and comparing notes.
Delicious antipasti served to hungry masses. If only they could have been everlasting.

So, the wines- here are my notes:

Tacchino - Gavi di gavi 08
100% cortese grape. Subtle or bland? This unsophisticate wasn't well placed to distinguish. Nice label tho

Carletti-malvasia 08
Pungent. Quite thick taste with sweet tones.

Falanghina - di majo norante 08
Peanut-ty? Strong...smelling, distinctive. But not grabbed me totally. Starting to be impaired by drunkeness, losing coherency.

Terredora - greco di tufo
Big, bold, beautiful. Opulent and extravagant. £14 tho

Bellenotte - pinot grigio ramato 08
Interesting copper coloured wine, coloured by the pink skins remaining in contact. Complexity of flavour, initially quite tart, a spectrum of taste none of which I can describe or remember

Weingut niklas- sudtiroler lagrien 07
Clean and direct nose (that does mean aroa/smell, right?). Very tasty and simple.

Poggio tempesta - chianti
Milder aroma, harder to read, somewhat coy.

(Trying to speed up now and getting less...able)

Lucciolaio 04- IGT Toscana
Most expensive £22. The real deal, confident nose, not pretentious, 'classic' (not entirely sure what I mean either).

Vini del sole - negroamaro 07
Pugliese. Nose is dark and bitter. Rounded and smooth. Berries and or...fish?!? Great for a glass, extended drinking not so sure. Ends up with rather sweet aftertaste. So smooth!

Donnafugata - sherazade 07
I think I have lost it now. The first inhalation gave me a few different thing, I have no idea what they are now. Which makes me think-sometimes u just gotta say what you first find. Think this suffered from being the last. Not bad by any means but I just have no idea any more. Caught some licquorice at the end but probably drunk/delusional.

AmBrose

Marly 2009

2009-11-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

Sauvignon Blanc wine is made very simply due to the grapes being so delicious on their own. Minimal amount of winemaking is require just squashing and fermenting in large steel tanks and filtering. Due to this, the wine is best drunk as soon after it is made. The freshness in this 2009 vintage is evident and older wines lose interest as they age so drink it up!

Brand new 09 - plate Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.
Marlborough Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Very pale white silvery yellow in colour. Very aromatic fruit on the nose of fresh blackcurrants, gooseberries and nettles. Clean on the palate with fresh passion fruit intensity and a mineral texture. lovely long finish.
reallly enjoyable and really worth the price. look out for the 2009 vintage not the 2008.
4.99 Co-Operative Supermarkets

Donnafugata

2009-11-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

A delicious wine from Sicily made from the indigenous grape varieties Nero D'Avolo blended half and half with Syrah to make a mouth watering wine..

2007 Donnafugata Sherazade
Firstly an amazing name on the bottle! and striking label.

Gorgeous dark black purple in colour. Sweet dark fruits and liquorice nose with well balanced fruit, a rich smooth body, spicy, refreshing fruit and a great long finish.
This is a treat of a wine from the Oddbins top shelf in the Italian section. Just what you need these long nights in.
£10.99 Oddbins

Portugese Tour

2009-11-05T14:03:00.001-08:00

We visited beachside towns, villages high in the hills , rattled round in trams and frequented great wine bars in the evening. We were also not afraid to risk gout by consuming large quantities of PORT ugal.

Garrafeira Alfaia, Bairro Alto, Lisbon
Tiny wine bar with seating outside. Enormous menu of all Portugese wines and spirits.
My favourite was the Ribera del Duero 2006 Duradero.
Rich purple red in colour with delicous sweet fruit,chocolate like richness with toasty oak, integrated tannins and smooth long finish.

Minutes from our pension in B Alto, the Mirador San Pedro de Alcantara housed a miniature wine bar. It is set up at a kiosk on the lower tier if you have trouble finding it! Here we were helped to the
Alentejo 2008 Fiuza Castas
I drank quite a few Alentejos last week and loved this one here.
It was dark and fruity but with a great refreshing finish. Perfect for an evening at a mirador.

Next stop on our wineological tour was PORTO. I loved exploring the steep neighbourhood of Gaia which is where all the wine lodges are located. All the port rafts are moored on the river which is a very pretty sight.

Croft Port
White Port served before the tour
Lovely reddish gleaming gold in colour.
This had warm fruity notes of anised and tropical fruit with wood and spice! nice. not many people are aware of white port.

Croft 2003 Late Bottled Vintage Port.
Vintage quality grapes bottled after a bit of time in oak.
Dark cherry red coloured with sweet fruit, dried fruit in cake and licourice flavours.

Croft Tawny 10 years old Port
Aged for 10 years in oak barrels.
Light brown tawny red orange colour with dark roast coffee and hazelnut flavours. wooded smoky oak and light fig hint.

Croft 2007 Vintage Port

Constructed from superb quality grapes from the excellent summer of 2007. feet pressed and carefully vinified.
Rich dark purple crimson in colour with perfumed sweet nose of pure blackcurrnt, blueberries with a refreshing touch. Elegant and smooth.

Regionally Accented Merlot

2009-10-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

(From Today's Guardian)

"Bewildered by talk of "blackcurrant top notes"? Baffled by "bouquets"? Unsure if "long legs" are a good thing in a glass of wine? Retailer Spar is claiming today that 64% of shoppers are intimidated by the labels on the back of wine bottles.

So what is it doing to help confused consumers get the perfect wine to complement Sunday's roast dinner? Relabelling the bottles with plain English versions? Offering definitions of common terms to buyers? Umm, no. It is slapping on labels written in "local dialects" – and yes they are as bad as they sound.

Fortunately, just one of its wines – a £4.99 Merlot – is getting the treatment. The descriptions have been "translated" into eight different local dialects, including geordie, Brummie and scouse.

Link to Geordie Audio

So instead of a straightforward plain English description of what you might find when you pour yourself a glass, if you are in Somerset you get this: "Alright my luvver, eers one helluva Merlot. Be stinkin hummin a sivvies thar be bleddy ansome wi yaw croust or oggy. Purfect ta share wi yaw pardy as i' aiin ta eavy. Mygar be a purdy wine! Churs!"

While in Liverpool you are promised: "A totally boss bottle of Merlot which smells o' blackberry, choccie, a brew and toffees. Juicy and complex like, this bevey is top wi most scran 'specially me ma's scouse. Tellin ye, this is deffo a bevey that will leave youz and youz mates made up over yez Sayers pastie."

As well as being borderline unintelligible, the descriptions also include what might be considered baffling wine-speak, albeit with a regional accent. In Newcastle consumers are told the wine has "legs leik a thoroughbred", while in Scotland the label describes "a youngane's colour wi cherries an black fruit on the nose" – if you can't understand that in English, is it really any clearer now?

A spokeswoman for Spar denies the labels are patronising. "Local shopkeepers and suppliers came up with the dialect – it's not come from central office or from a computer," she insists. "We know that people don't really talk like this – we just wanted to make wine buying accessible and fun." She says the wine is genuinely on sale at 50 stores and could be rolled out if the reaction is favourable.

Spar's wine controller, Laura Jewell, adds: "Ultimately our wines will speak for themselves, but in the meantime it's time to speak people's language." Let's hope they don't have too many bottles in the cellar.

This is not the first time a company has tried to harness local accents to attract attention – earlier this year, ATM provider Bank Machine launched cockney cash machines. Fingers crossed it's the last."

Can anyone please get me a bottle of this hilarious vino?

Mark D.

Chateau Bas/Chateau Dodder

2009-10-27T02:23:00.000-07:00

Needs must! With no money for new fancy bottles of vino we staged a smash-and-grab ram-raid on our own well-protected wine cellar that was almost looking respectable for a minute there. With no money for fancy meats and fishes and the like we were prepared a vegetarian feast by Tom 'Dodder' Dodd, who is very modest about his cooking skills but whose slowly roasted veg tray got crazy love from a panel of particular palettes.

Tom's professional cheffery is now on the backburner, but his military-style organisation and finickety attention to detail can be viewed in the guise of an artist management agency herrre.

After the course of rabbit munch came the wine and cheese double act. A wine I'd copped in Lavinia, Château Bas Saint Césaire 2008, from d´Aix-en-Provence. I'd bought it thinking I was in for another type of juice, I think the Lavinia folk weren't too specific, they rarely are if you're paying less than €20 for a bottle and only getting one once a month.

The web told me that it was grenache blanc (which I love) and sauvignon blanc (which I don't get). We poured that out and saw the golden colour of a well-tended young French white. Not too expressive at first, but warm and inviting to smell, we tried that and were getting caramel, honeysuckle, and sour apples; one taster washeard to remark that it tasted exactly like Murray mints, without the mint, which I thought was bang-on. The texture was fine, the taste not too long, especially with stronger cheese, and a late citrix inclusion sealed the deal.

This wine didn't bring the house down but went well with lighter cheese, pears and the like, and reminded us of the difference a few miles can make in the production of wine. Catalan garnatxa can leap out of the glass, but with the French, it seems, you've to really get in there and explore.

Mark D.

The New Wine

2009-10-22T02:35:00.000-07:00

This is a tenuous link, but I stumbled upon this great indie/disco band from Norway by the name of The New Wine.

I know not how they make such joyful music in the land of such darkness!

Their Myspace.

Mark D.

Pansa Blanca

2009-10-22T02:01:00.000-07:00

I don't know quite why the photo won't rotate.

Pansa Blanca is the Alella name for Xarel-lo, one of the three grapes that commonly make up Cava. Alella is the nearest D.O. to Barcelona, It's about half an hour up the coast. I copped this bottle the last time I visited and we popped it last night. It's from the Marfil line produced by Alella Vinícola from 2008.

It is palid in colour, quite floral to whiff, and opens up significantly upon agitation. It has a smooth attack, a slight touch of pleasant acidity, and an over-riding grapefruit boost which doesn't hang around for a particularly long time.

As we say adieu to the summer, we'll be onto the wooded german whites, but for one of the last warm evenings of the year, it was top.

Mark D.

Old school reds

2009-10-18T03:54:00.000-07:00

Two memorable reds recently opened and enjoyed at home.

Burgundy is made from 100% Pinot Noir in the french region of the same name. The wines are light and silky in texture which is very addictive and it has lovely aromatic qualities as well.

I decanted both of these wines which looked great and helped the wine breath which is very important with Burgundy.

2001 Tesco Finest Cotes de Nuits Villages
Quite a bit of age on this wine from my cellar.
Rich brilliant ruby red in colour with orangey fringes.
Light and crisp raspberry and cherry fruit with leather and savoury hint.
£12 Tesco

2006 Morrisons Cote de Beaune Villages

Super super wine!
Red burgundy in colour. Very aromatic lavender and rose nose with refreshing lively cherry fruit and savoury barn flavours.
£9 Morrisons

My First Ever Grape Harvest

2009-10-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

This Summer, for the first time, I was given the opportunity to get my hands dirty and take part in a harvest near Porto. This was thanks to my friend Joey Lima (above, middle right), whose father and uncles own and take care of the vinyard.

The place was fairly small, and by the standards of modern industrial-scale facilities, haphazard and modest in its composition, but as charming a place as I could have found to begin my harvesting career.

Once a year, grapes for producing vinho verde are gathered. The work is completed in a day, and 1000 litres of wine is the result. It is not registered with an appellation, but is given to family members or sold to friends.

Very much a family occasion, we got there at around 10.30 and were immediately surrounded by mini-cousins, who all seemed to be girls. I, as a male, was separated from Joey and my lady friend Natalia (above right), who went to help with the cooking, and before I knew it I was up a ladder with a pair of shears.

I am in no way pretending that I did anything near a day's work. I probably filled 2-3 20kg buckets, and was constantly called back down my ladder for another drop of last year's juice.

Nor can I say that I was much use as a roving reporter. I have no idea what type of grapes were picking, nor had the majority of people with whom I was 'working'. I still am not totally sure how they make vinho verde a little bit fizzy, either.

At around 14.00 we were called to lunch. We all hopped onto the back of a truck and sat around an elongated table in the garden of the farmhouse. We were stuffed with great cheese, salad, vegetables and the highlight for me, a cod and potato mash with breadcrumbs.

Mark D.

Value Viognier

2009-10-13T09:28:00.001-07:00

Review of another delicious Viognier! There are some excellent Viogniers in the supermarkets at the moment.
Always worth giving one a try!

Delicious full fruity flavour, citrusy grapefruit, almost flowery, also a definite powerful aniseed kick wallop!
Under a fiver from tesco!
Chris Hewitt

Cava Tast '09

2009-10-10T03:46:00.000-07:00

From http://www.cavatast.cat/....

Here comes the new CAVATAST edition, the cava and gastronomy fair of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia.

The dates for this years event are 10-12 October 2009 and the fair will contain many interesting activities for all those fond of cava who want to enjoy quality sparkling wine and good traditional local food over the event’s three days.

Consumers will be welcomed to take part in this cava tasting occasion, having the opportunity to sample hundreds of wines from the Penedès region and other wine-growing areas while learning about Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, the Penedès area and the people that produce cava.

More information at:
Tel. 0034 93 891 31 88
Fax 0034 93 891 43 67
E-mail info@cavatast.cat

Italian Blossom

2009-09-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

This is actually taken THROUGH a glass of it!!

Normally associated with California, this mega brand has recently branched out into International wines.
This new Montepulciano Abruzzo is fantastic, brilliant. I just keep going back for more yes yes yes. oh ..now its gone!
only cheap as well.

2007 Blossom Hill Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Italy

Montepulciano is the grape variety here.
Excellent fragrant sweet fruit, toast and a bit of spice on the nose.
Medium bodied on the palate with well balanced texture. smooth but the tannins have a nice bit of grip.

Aromatic fruit and delicious cigar like savoury hints.
Superb example of ripe, tasty and mature Italian wine.

£4.49 Morrisons

Vinho Verde...

2009-09-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

...is a special young type of wine from a controlled region of Portugal, you can peep the norms here, and what follows is an account of one bottle I came across.

This particular number is 100% Alvarinho, an affordable cousin of the German/French Riesling and with characteristics similar to Gewurztraminer

Deu La Deu is pale to see with your eyes, not as pale as some which appear near clear in their bottles. Tiny bubbles hug the glass, and there is nearly no density or body to speak of, but this is not what we're after when we pull that bottle out of the fridge (or even better, the freezer).

The juice smells floral, herbal even, opening up somewhat with agitation; some pour the wine from some height to aid this process.

The attack is nothing like a cava or champagne might be, you only really notice the carbon in the background, and after you have gulped some down.

There is still plenty of plant to taste after a wee dram, but more fruit to be found, that can go long if you invest a couple more bucks than the average Vinho Verde may set you back. I paid 4.70 for homeslice.

This joint would be perfect with any type of seafood you care to mention, provided you don't mess with it too much; salads, freshish cheese, and the like.

Mark D.

Gevrey

2009-09-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

Enjoying a bottle of Burgundy with my Dad.

2005 Horesztyn Gevrey Chambertin
Beautiful ruby pink in colour. Light elegant velvet texture with raspberry fruit, gamey savoury edge and a perfumed nose.
Fantastic.