As Ollie is currently busy with various acting and singing ventures, I thought I should step in and do a much needed cocktail of the month. So what better for my first Cocktail of the Month than to make one with Amaro Nonino (my Spirit of the Month). I was playing around with the idea of a variant of a Negroni using Amaro. I made various permutations from the four ingredients: Amaro Nonino, Campari, Vermouth and Gin. My favourite option was actually leaving the Campari out, as the Amaro Nonino gave enough of the bitter edge that I was looking for.
As you can see I have kept the cocktail very simple: lots of ice, 3 ingredients and stir.

Ingredients:
Ice
1½ shots Amaro Nonino
1½ shots Gin
1½ shots red Vermouth (I prefer Chamb�ry, but any good Vermouth will do)
Orange peel (garnish)

Creates One Serving

Equipment
- Shot Measure
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Cocktail Spoon
- Old Fashioned Glass

Fill your Old Fashioned glass with ice. Don�t worry about putting too much ice in.

Add into the glass a shot and a half of Gin, a shot and a half of Amaro Nonino, and a shot and a half of red Vermouth. Stir gently with a spoon for half a minute.

And finally garnish with the orange peel, and enjoy in the sun.

Producer:
Amaro is produced by macerating a combination of herbs, roots, flowers and fruit peels in alcohol. This Italian herbal liqueur is usually served after lunch or dinner to aid digestion. There are many different Amaros, however the best known in the UK are probably Fernet, Averna, and Cynar (with its interesting choice of artichoke as the main ingredient). However, without a doubt my favourite is Amaro Quintessa made by Nonino.

Nonino are based in Friuli and the distillery was founded in 1897 by Orazio Nonino. The company concentrated on making Grappas until 1933 when Antonio Nonino created Amaro Carnia, which was an infusion of herbs from the region of Carnia (in Friuli) in his grappa. Nonino's focus, however, remained firmly on grappa and in 1973 they created the first ever single vineyard, single grape variety, grappa. This was so successful that other producers started following the Nonino's example of single variety grappas.

In 1984, the current owners, Benito and Giannola, created a brand new product a distillate made from the entire grape (juice, skin and the pulp). It is distilled immediately after harvest and is closer to an eau de vie than a traditional grappa. They called this product �E (pronounced OOO-AAY), which is the word for grape in the local Friulian dialect.

It wasn't until 1992 when they revisited Antonio's idea to produce an Amaro. In fact they combine aged �E with herbs and roots based on Antonio's original recipe - creating Amaro Nonino Quintessentia. The exact botanicals used are a family secret but Antonella Nonino admitted to me that they used: Common Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris); Quinine Bark (Chinchona Succirubra) - the bitter ingredient in Tonic Water; Yellow Gentian (Gentiana Lutea) - a local root which can also made into an eau de vie; and Wormood (Artemisia Absinthium) - more known for being the principle ingredient of Absinthe. According to their US importer (Terlato Wines) they also use rhubarb, saffron and bitter orange. Whatever the exact combination of botanicals, Amaro Nonino has a depth and complexity that I haven't encountered in other Amaros.

There are many ways of serving Amaro Nonino, including as a replacement for Vermouth in cocktails, however my favourite way is simply over ice with a slice of orange (as recommended on the back of the bottle).

Tasting Note:
Amaro Nonino has an earthy nose with notes of bitter orange and cinnamon, followed by a hint of burnt caramel coming through at the end. The palate has that "grown-up" bitter-sweet taste; achieved by the addition of sugar, so as to balance the bitterness of the botanicals. The fact that the base is an aged grape-distillate gives the drink added weight and complexity. The finish lasts for several minutes after the last drop has gone and leaves you wanting more.

Apologies for the lack of postings recently. However, Lucy, one of my very good friends and WSET Diploma Student has kindly stepped in. Enjoy her first post below.

Producer:
What a treat to be starting with a deliciously old wine! As a mere mortal, its not often I have the opportunity to sample such a prestigious claret with a touch of fine age about it, but allow me to share a little information surrounding a Saturday evening delight.

Ch�teau Figeac dates back to Gallo-Roman times when it was a much larger estate, coming close to 200 hectares in the late 18th century. Since then, it has been split and sold off until it became the modern day estate of roughly 40 hectares. This is considered the largest estate in St Emilion, situated in the north west area of the appellation. St Emilion is made up of small properties unlike the Medoc and has a distinctive enc�pagement, or selection of grape varieties. Cabernet Franc is given an equal footing with Merlot on the gravelly soils of St Emilion, where it is locally known as Bouchet. The appellation itself missed out on the 1855 Classification of the Wines of the Gironde but has since proved its worth as a reputable contender for the top wines of Bordeaux.

January 1947 was the beginning of Thierry Manoncourt�s reign at Chateau Figeac, during which the estate rose to its prestigious position in St Emilion with encouragement from his background in engineering and science to pioneer new vinification techniques in Bordeaux. Although his son-in-law Comte Eric d�Aramon took charge of the running of the estate in the 1980s, Thierry was actively involved in the running of the estate until his death in 2010 and had completed sixty consecutive vintages in 2007. Thierry was the first of the family line to run and own the estate since 1892, when his great-grandfather Henri de Chevremont bought Ch�teau Figeac.

Robert Parker describes Figeac as having �an extraordinary terroir� and one of the �most elegant� wines of the region and I am certainly inclined to agree. It is known for having a good record in the unfortunate off vintages of Bordeaux, as well as producing stunners in the very best years. The so-called off vintages are due to the region�s temperate climate, where the weather comes in from the west, otherwise known as the Atlantic sea and can be unpredictable. 1980 is not known as an outstanding vintage across the board but luckily this bottle of Chateau Figeac 1980 stood the test of time.

The wine spends 21-25 days fermenting and macerating in temperature-controlled wooden vats. It is then aged in 100% new oak barrels with only fining before bottling.

My sources include Jancis Robertson, Robert Parker and David Peppercorn.

Tasting Note:
At the delicate age of 31, we decided against decanting the wine and poured straight from the bottle. It was a little closed at first, displaying a few aromas of bramble fruit with a touch of tobacco. As it opened up the wine showed its true complexity. An opaque, garnet liquid with just a hint of ruby colour gave off notes of blackberry and juicy blackcurrant � an atypical style of St Emilion, specific to the proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon used in Figeac�s blends. The fruits were met on the palate with a sweetness of blueberry, smokey tobacco and leather. The super soft, velvety tannins and barely-there alcohol was balanced with good acidity and few herbal notes towards the end of the mid-palate. Despite its age Chateau Figeac 1980 had great length and strangely enough, went very well with a touch of charcuterie, houmous and bread.

Producer:
El Dorado is made by Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) who are based just outside Georgetown in Guyana. Guyana is located in the North-East corner of South America, between Venezuela and Suriname. Despite being situated in South America, Guyana has always had closer links to the Caribbean than it�s Hispanic neighbours; not only do they make up part of the West Indies cricket team, but they are also one of the founding members of CARICOM: a body (based in Guyana) whose role is to promote economic integration of its Caribbean members.

Much like the rest of the Caribbean, sugarcane was planted by European settlers. By the 1700s there were over 300 sugar estates and every estate had their own still to produce rum from molasses, a by-product of sugar production. Each of these stills was unique and produced a range of different styles or �marques�. By 1971, after centuries of consolidation, there were only three estates left: Enmore, Uitvlugt and Diamond. Today only the Diamond Distillery remains and it is owned by DDL, who have kept all the old stills and moved them to the Diamond Distillery. This policy of transferring the stills has led to them being in the unique position of having several old stills that are capable of producing many different �marques�.

Their range of stills begins with the more common copper pot still and copper column still. They also possess a Wooden Coffey still, known as the EHP, after the founder of the Enmore Sugar estate � Edward Henry Porter. The piece de resistance comes in the form of the last two original Wooden Pot stills in the world, both of which are over two hundred and fifty years old! One of them is a single wooden pot still (originally from the Versailles sugar estate); and the other is a double wooden pot still that began life on the Port Mourant estate and came to DDL via the Uitvlught estate. Finally, to complete the set they use an original four-column metal French Savalle Still (a column still with adjustable plates) which was also inherited from Uitvlught.

DDL have used their range of �marques� to ship rum for blending by other companies all over the world, but in 1992 they decided to launch El Dorado 15 Year Old, a prestige sipping rum which was one of the first of its kind. The bottle that contains this rum is a nod to the ceramic flasks that were used by Dutch sailors in the 18th Century. The El Dorado 15 year old is made up from a combination of rums that have all been aged for between 15 to 25 years. The blend is mainly drawn from the EHP Coffey still, the Port Mourant double wooden pot still and the Versailles single wooden pot still.

Tasting Note:
The El Dorado 15 Year Old has an intense nose brimming with aromas of dark chocolate, toffee apple, almonds and vanilla. The palate is superbly rich and rounded with a lovely combination of woody and fruity notes. This rum manages to balance sweet with savoury notes; the finish is long, pleasant and drying.

Producer:
Is there a perfect wine for Valentine�s day? Surely that depends on whether it is to be shared over dinner or simply enjoyed on its own. A fore-runner for the top Valentine�s match, regardless of situation or accompaniment, are the wines of Lirac. This region in the Rh�ne Valley in the South of France has been making wine since before the Roman occupation. It had built itself such a good reputation, that in order to deter forgeries, barrels leaving from the port of Roquemaure had to be stamped with CDR (C�tes du Rhone) and the year of harvest.

The Valentine�s connection doesn�t occur until 1866 when phylloxera (a vine louse accidently brought over from the USA) wiped out the majority of Roquemaure�s surrounding vineyards. The local vigneron tried everything to rid themselves of the pest but to no avail. A wealthy landowner decided that the best solution would be to head to Rome and acquire the relics of Saint Valentine from the church in order to save the vines from phylloxera. In 1868 the relics were paraded through the town and left to lie in the church of Roquemaure. Whilst this didn�t cure phylloxera, the town has an annual celebration on the nearest weekend to the 14th February where the relics repeat their parade across town, which is followed by a weekend of dancing and folk music.

The region itself is on the Right-Bank of the river Rh�ne, just opposite the more famous vineyards of Ch�teauneuf du Pape. It has a Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers and mild, cool, wet winters. The Appellation of Lirac is made up of four communes: Lirac, Roquemaure, Saint Geni�s de Comolas and Saint Laurent des Arbres. They make red and ros� wines from Grenache, Syrah, Mourv�dre, Cinsaut and Carignan; and whites from Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Bourboulenc. As part of the regulations all the wines must be made as blends: any single varietal wines would be �downgraded� to C�tes du Rh�ne or Vin de Pays.

The Sabon family have owned vines over the river in Ch�teauneuf du Pape since 1540, but Domaine Roger Sabon was only founded in 1952. Since then, Roger and his three sons (Jean-Jacques, Denis and Gilbert) have expanded the business including acquiring 17 hectares in Roquemaure, where they make their Lirac and their C�tes du Rh�ne wines.

This thriving business is still very much a family enterprise with Denis and his son Julien tending the vines, and until 2004 Jean-Jacques was making the wine. The wine is now made by Didier N�gron, Jean-Jacques son in law: who had previously been in charge of making their white wines. Whilst the domaine has an esteemed reputation for its Ch�teauneuf du Pape, their Lirac is delicious and great value for money.

Their Lirac vines are on the hillsides of Roquemaure where the soil is chalk with galets (small round stones) on top. The vineyards are maintained without any herbicide and a bare minimum of chemicals. The grapes are rigorously selected at harvest time before pressing. The grapes are then destalked and the juice is fermented in tanks for 20 days before being matured in a combination of large and small barrels.

Tasting Note:
The 2009 Chapelle de Maillac Lirac has lifted aromas of dark fruits; mainly prunes and black cherries which are backed up by earthy spicy notes of cinnamon and leather. On the palate this red is full-bodied with pronounced but smooth tannins, and a well integrated if slightly warming alcohol which is kept in check by the fresh acidity. This Lirac is a great example of a powerful yet classy red that will warms both the heart and mind.

My favourite thing about the famous �Bloody Mary� cocktail is the seemingly endless variations on such a simple theme. Who would imagine that two liquids as humble as tomato juice and vodka, when mixed with a few of the right supplements, could end up tasting so good? Alex and I went about trying to determine the perfect Bloody Mary, drawing on various recipes and personal experiences.
The experiments, as always, were clinical and highly scientific; to pick out our favourite combination of flavours we added various juices, alcohols, spices and sauces to individual shot glasses each with an equal amount of tomato juice. Among the Bloody Mary�s that didn�t quite make it to my �perfect� cocktail were some great runners up� you could try yours with perhaps a squirt of HP sauce, a dash of orange juice, or try using Clamato Juice, an American clam-flavoured tomato juice.
Anyway, here it is, after much debate and serious tasting, using a delicious small batch vodka and a few simple ingredients my perfect Bloody Mary! Rich, spicy and nutritious!.

Ingredients:
Ice
1½ shots Vodka
½ shot of Sherry
½ shot of Lemon Juice
4 shots of Tomato Juice
10 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
4 drops of Tabasco Sauce
¼ Teaspoon of Horseradish sauce
1 pinch of Celery Seeds
2 pinches of Pepper
1 pinch of Salt
Cherry Tomatoes (garnish)
Celery Stick (garnish)
Salt Rim (garnish)

Creates One Serving

Equipment
- Boston Shaker
- Hawthorn Strainer
- Shot Measure
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Old Fashioned Glass

Pour four shots of tomato juice and one and a half shots of vodka into the Boston Glass.

Add in half a shot of Sherry, half a shot of Lemon Juice, four shots of Tomato Juice, ten dashes of Worcestershire Sauce, four drops of Tabasco Sauce, a quarter teaspoon of Horseradish sauce, one pinch of Celery Seeds, two pinches of pepper and a pinch of salt. Add ice and shake briefly until cold, be careful not to over shake.

To salt the rim, first smear lemon juice on to the rim of the glass. Add fine salt to a chopping board. Then slowly and carefully roll the rim of the glass in the salt.

Pour the shaken cocktail into the salted glass.

Then place ice in the glass and garnish with a celery stick and a cherry tomato.

Producer:
The general perception of Lambrusco is a sweet, sparkling red wine that was very popular in the 1970s. Lambrusco comes in many shapes and forms. However traditional Lambrusco is not sweet but dry to off dry, and like the other great fad of the seventies and eighties � Beaujolais � I think it�s time to rediscover this great wine. Over the past couple of years Beaujolais has at last started to become fashionable again. The focus for Beaujolais has generally been on single vineyard wines made in tiny amounts from the best crus. Whilst the same thing has not yet occurred in Lambrusco, the Medici Ermete Concerto is a great example of what Lambrusco can be like.

The appellation for Lambrusco is situated in the Northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, which is home to good food and great motors. This is the region responsible for some of the highest quality Italian products: Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan), Parma ham, Mortadella, a rafter of different salamis, as well as being famous for their eggs and pasta dishes including lasagne and bolognaise. As for their motor industry it includes the likes of: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Ducati.

Lambrusco is not only the name of the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) but it is also the name of a grape variety from which the wine can be made. One of the intriguing things about the Lambrusco grape is that there is a large range of different Lambrusco varieties such as: Lambrusco Grasparossa, Lambrusco Sorbara, Lambrusco Salamino, Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Maestri and Lambrusco Montericco to name a few.

The Concerto Lambrusco is made by Medici Ermete, which was founded in the nineteenth century by Remigio Medici. It was his son, Ermete, who expanded the business and created the estate�s reputation for quality. The company now owns around sixty hectares of land throughout the region of Emilia-Romagna and is run by the fourth generation of the Medici family.

The Concerto Lambrusco is a single vineyard wine from within the commune of Montecchio Emilia (in the province of Reggio Emilia), it is made with rigorous grape selection and low yields (around a quarter less than the permitted yield for the region). Not only is it a single vineyard wine but it is also made with a single variety: 100% Lambrusco Salamino.

Once the grapes have been sorted and crushed, the juice and pomace are macerated for 5 to 6 days at a low temperature (to help extract the colour from the skins), after which it undergoes fermentation for around 20 days. The wine is then moved to pressurised tanks where it undergoes secondary fermentation (to give it the bubbles). The wine is then bottled with 10 grams of sugar per litre, which means that although it is not completely dry it can legally be described as a Brut (dry) Sparkling wine and thankfully the relatively high acidity (7.5 grams Total Acidity per litre) helps make this wine only slightly off dry.

Tasting Note:
The Concerto Lambrusco has a light pleasant froth in the glass and a bright purple colour. The nose is very fruity with a focus on aromas of red cherries and raspberries. The palate is soft and round with a very attractive mousse and refreshing acidity. The fresh fruit notes are complimented by slight herbal notes, the tannins are soft but present, and the finish is long and drying. This is the perfect wine for meaty dishes, especially a full English breakfast. I found the combination of the acidity and tannins cut through the fat, and the sweetness of the fruit working with the porky sweetness of the bacon and sausages is a real treat. It also helps that at 11% you won�t be knocked out for the rest of the day, as long as you aren�t planning on driving anywhere afterwards, of course!

For most winter visitors, Savoie or more specifically �Les Pays de Savoie�: made up of the departments of �Savoie� and �Haute Savoie�; is a region full of snow capped mountains with well-known ski resorts such as Val d�Is�re and Courchevel. The tourists that visit during the summer enjoy the tranquillity of its lakes and forests. However, in-between the high mountains there are sunny valleys whose rocky slopes are ideal for vines and in fact the region has a long history of viticulture. In the 1930s French Geographer R. Blanchard described it as �a country of cattle and wine� and it is the wines that have long been sought after by those who discover them: from Monarchs to Bishops, authors to poets.

History
For much of its history Savoie was an independent Duchy but in 1860 a �deal� was brokered by politicians in France and the newly formed Italy; Savoie and Nice became part of France, and the Dukes of Savoie subsequently became the Kings of Italy. Even so, the Savoyards are proud of their own cultural identity as part of a country which was historically independent from France. They are also proud of their local products including wine, cheeses: such as Tomme, Reblochon and Beaufort; their cured ham: Jambon de Savoie; and the different varieties of fish from the abundant rivers and lakes. Even the supermarkets have large sections dedicated to local produce, where the shelves brim with items that proudly display the shield of Savoie.

Geography
Savoie has a combined area of 10,416 km� or 6,472.2 sq mi, which is about half the size of Wales. It stands to the east of the River Rh�ne and borders both Switzerland and Italy. Its geographical location means that since Roman times, Savoie has been an important crossroads for people and goods: from Vienne in the South, Lyon in the West, Turin in the East, Dijon in the North-West and Geneva in the North-East.
The vineyards themselves can be split into three main areas: those in the North-East on the Arve River and by Lake Leman (Lake Geneva), those in the North-West near the Rh�ne (the first French vines to glimpse this great river) and around Lake Bourget, and finally those in the South, in the Combe de Savoie and the Cluse de Chamb�ry.

Climate
Without going into too much detail, the climate of Savoie is mainly continental, with a high average rainfall (1,200 mm a year) spread evenly throughout the year. Most vines are planted on steep slopes with good drainage. This means the large amount of rainfall has little effect on the health of the vines, but its regularity can encourage fungal diseases � as well as increase the risk of �coulure� (poor fruit set during flowering, which leads to small grapes that fall off before ripening).

As all of Savoie�s vines are currently planted at an altitude of between 200 and 500 metres, snow is not, as some assume a significant problem as it rarely settles for long below 500m. These same steep slopes also help protect the vines from strong winds and increase their exposure to the sun. Although Savoie has a low average annual temperature of 10�C, this increases during the growing-season (March to October) when the temperature averages 14.6�C. Part of this is thanks to Savoie�s long hot summer months which often last well into September and sometimes even October. This �Indian summer� has led to certain producers exploring the possibilities of �late-harvest� wines, bottled under names such as �D�lices d�Automne� (Autumn Delight) or �Passerill� de Novembre� (raisined grapes of November).

Grape Varieties
Savoie is one of France�s smallest viticultural regions (2,000 hectares under vines according to the latest Onivins statistics). However, Savoie grows twenty-three of France�s two-hundred and fifty grape varieties (or 9% of France�s varieties for 0.5% of its vineyards). Many of these have their origins in Savoie and are not found elsewhere in France, but several have travelled as far afield as Australia, California, and Argentina.

The Locals
The indigenous grapes to Savoie include: the raspberry, red cherry, violet and black pepper aromas of Mondeuse Noire; Altesse with its slight honeyed aromas of lime and hazelnuts; the green-apples and almond flavours of Jacqu�re and Mondeuse Blanche. Another variety is one that had all but disappeared, before recently undergoing a resurgence, is Persan which produces meaty, red berried wines.

Jacqu�re
This is the most planted variety in Savoie, and it makes a light, neutral white wine with relatively high acidity. It is mainly planted around the areas of Abymes and Apremont. The writer Henri Bordeaux (1870-1963) described it as a �wine that leaves your head clear, once it has taken your legs away.�
Synonyms: Cugnette, Martin, Cot Blanc, Plant des Abymes de Myans

Altesse
Altesse is Savoie�s finest white grape variety and was seen to deserve an Appellation Contr�l�e of its own. There are many stories and legends of how the vine came over to Savoie, ranging from: being brought over by a Princess from Cyprus, to arriving via a knight from Hungary. However, as far as I�m aware, no research has found a match planted elsewhere.
The AC Roussette de Savoie has four crus, which produce the best examples of Altesse: Frangy, Monterminod, Monthoux, and Marestel. There is also the AC Roussette de Seyssel, which is also made exclusively from Altesse but from the vineyards of Seyssel on both sides of the Rh�ne.The vines have low yields and produce tightly packed, small-berried grapes. When the grapes ripen they go from green to a pinkish rusty colour.
Synonym: Roussette-Haute.

Mondeuse
This is Savoie�s second most planted red grape (although it is starting to catch up with Gamay), and the most planted of the traditional Savoie red varieties. It is also one of Savoie�s oldest and most distinctive grapes. It is a vigorous and productive vine and this is why it is often trained low. Its vines are planted all over Savoie, but the best Mondeuse crus are in the Combe de Savoie, consisting of St Jean de la Porte, Cr�et, Arbin, and Montm�lian.
The wines are deeply coloured with a peppery, violet nose and known for their longevity. The wines do well in oak, for example the Brova, which I reviewed earlier. Mondeuse has some Italian characteristics � slight bitterness and sour cherry notes; however DNA tests in Alto Adige have shown it is not, as some thought, identical to Fruilli�s Refosco.
Synonyms: Mollette, Morve, Savoieen, Savoiearde, Savoieant, Savoete, Savoieanche, Grand Ch�tuan, Maximieux, Persagne, Persaigne, Pessagne, Tournerin, Maldoux Marginien, Plant Noir

Mondeuse Blanche
Mondeuse Blanche, perhaps surprisingly is not a white mutation of Mondeuse Noire, it also has a claim to fame being one of the parents of Syrah (the other being the Dureza from Ard�che). It is mainly planted around Montm�lian and St Jean de la Porte. There is very little of it still planted, but it is usually found as a single varietal wine and produces a dry and relatively soft wine.
Synonyms: Dongine, Donjin, Jongin and Savouette, which Viala and Vermorel in their book Ampelographie suggest that the last name �indicates that it has always had its origin in Savoie�

Persan
Persan appears to have originated from the vineyards of Princens, in St-Jean de Maurienne. This was one of Savoie�s great varieties, but it nearly disappeared for several reasons: its sensitivity to oidium and mildew, as well as its early budding which exposes it to spring frosts. It has had many fans over time and even had a poem dedicated to it � Nicolas Martin�s Adioz Nobla Cita. According to Doctor Jules Guyot �Persan made at Princens in Maurienne is an exceptional wine, of a rare quality. Rich on the nose it unites a warm flavour and causes a physiological action like those of the best Burgundies.
Whilst another doctor, Dr Paul Ramain (in his book Les Grands Vins de France), explains that �Princens is in my opinion the greatest red wines of Savoie. It is made from [�] Persan de Maurienne [�] and [is an] exceptional wine but unfortunately very difficult to get hold of, which keeps our [France's] gourmets ignorant of it. With a rich bouquet, stimulating, powerful (12�) it keeps for a long time, and is very smooth, and acts like a �peacock�s tail in the throat� with a strong and persistent taste of raspberries (Clos de Rocheray) or violets (Clos de Petites-Ripes et de Bonne-Nouvelle). It spends 5 years in barrel in a very cold cellar and isn�t drunk before it is 15 or 20 years old. This really is a wine that resembles no other fine wine in France and is fit for a princely table and the palate of the best informed gastronomes!� There are only a few parcels of Persan left in the Combe de Savoie, but it is thankfully being replanted by a handful of winemakers, and producing some very promising wines.
Synonyms: Becuetta, Becuette, Becu, Princens (Maurienne).

Gringet
Gringet produces light, floral wines with hints of white peach. Up until very recently it was thought to be the same grape as the Traminer of Northern Italy, and the Savagnin Blanc of the Jura. It has however since been proven (thanks to DNA testing by Jos� Vouillamoz from the University of Neuch�tel), to be a completely distinct variety found only in the Haute-Savoie. Gringet is another local grape that has seen a decline of planting and there are currently only around 20 hectares left. The majority of these being grown on the hills above the Arve Valley and used to make the still and sparkling wines of the Ayze AOC.

The Visitors
Savoie stands at the crossroads of the Alps and has several �foreign� varieties of grape which have made it their home. These varieties range from the obscure to the illustrious.

Malvoisie
Malvoisie is officially called �Velteliner Rouge Precoce� and thought to be the same as Austria�s Fr�hroter Veltliner. Confusingly, some producers also produce Pinot Gris and bottle it under the name Malvoisie; which is a traditional synonym for Pinot Gris in the Loire, Savoie and Switzerland.

Chasselas
Chasselas is France�s most common table grape and also found in Alsace, the Loire valley, as well as Savoie. In Savoie the light, lemon, floral and nutty wines produced by the Chasselas grape grow near the banks of Lake Leman, situated in the Crus of Marin and Ripaille. The vineyards look across the lake to their Swiss counterparts (it is known as Fendant in Switzerland). On the Swiss side of the lake the grapes grow on the steep slopes which plunge into the Lake.

Bergeron (Roussanne)
In the appellation of Chignin, a delicious, rich and honeyed wine with ripe pear and fig aromas is produced from the Bergeron grape; the local name for the Rh�ne�s Roussanne. Unlike the Rhone where Roussanne is usally blended with Marsanne, here it is made as a varietal wine and is aromatic and refined with a roundness and weight that can be unusual in Savoie wines.

Gamay
Chautagne has a reputation for producing fine, light reds, with aromas of strawberry and redcurrant from Gamay � imported from nearby Beaujolais after phylloxera (a vine-louse brought across from America in the 19th Century which nearly destroyed most of Europe�s vineyards) completely exterminated Chautagne�s vines. This offspring of Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc produces some easy drinking, light, fruity reds but it doesn�t have the depths or complexity that can be found in some of the Beaujolais crus.

Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir was also brought over from Burgundy post-phylloxera and it is now planted in small quantities all over Savoie. Here Pinot Noir produces wines with red cherries, raspberries, slight spice and leather characteristics.

Chardonnay
This is probably the world�s best known variety and it has been grown in Savoie for centuries, well before its Burgundian brothers (Gamay and Pinot Noir) came to join it. There are some good examples of Chardonnay in Savoie, but as with Pinot Noir there are better examples made elsewhere in France and the rest of the world. I personally think that growers would be better off focusing on Savoie�s autochthon varieties.

The Appellation
The Appellation d�Origine Control� system is often criticised for being difficult for consumers to understand, and unfortunately I�m not sure that the EU�s new PDO system is any simpler. The system in place for Savoie is one of the better examples of an over-complicated appellation.
It is based around the usual �pyramid of quality� starting with the basic �Vin de Savoie�, which since 2011 can be simply called �Savoie�. This term can be used for any wine from Savoie�s delimited vineyard areas, as long as it is made with any of the permitted varieties.
On the same level, there is also �Roussette de Savoie� which again can come from any Savoie vineyard but must be made from the Altesse (Roussette) variety.
A step up from the entry level are the higher quality Cru: seventeen for �Vin de Savoie�- including one sparkling, and four for �Roussette de Savoie�.
These Crus are historically important wine-villages/towns. Seyssel complicates things further as it has its own appellation with �Vin de Savoie�. This is not due to the wines being seen as higher quality than the other crus, but simply because the town�s wines received Appellation protection before the creation of the Vin de Savoie. Seyssel became protected in 1942, whilst Vin de Savoie was not created until 1973.

Although the AOC system in place for Savoie can be overwhelming at first, onve you have got to grips with it you can simply look at a bottle of Roussette de Savoie Cru Monthoux and know exactly what the grape variety is � Altesse; that the tiny parcel of land is � on the slopes of the Mont du Chat; and that the grapes have a beautiful view into the valley onto the River Rh�ne.

Where to buy
These wines are rarely exported, with around 90% of Savoie wine being consumed within the Rh�ne-Alps region (I imagine most of that is within the borders of Savoie itself). It is possible to find some Savoie wines abroad and if you are keen to try some, there are a few importers in the UK that stock Savoie wines: Yapp Brothers, Les Caves de Pyr�ne, Vine Trail and Dynamic Vines.
Of course the best way to taste and truly enjoy these great wines is go over and visit the region for yourself.

Producer:
When it comes to cocktails I have very fickle tastes. I always love trying new concoctions, however there are a few classics which I come back to time and time again. Out of my top six �go to cocktails� half of them use Bourbon as a base: Mint Julep, Manhattan and Old Fashioned. Whilst there is a large range of mixing Bourbons which are great to use in cocktails, Noah�s Mill is firmly in the sipping category (unless of course you are feeling particularly flush). Noah�s Mill is a brand rather than a distillery and is made by the Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. They have a reputation for producing high quality small batch whiskies which include: Johnny Drum, Old Bardstown, Willett Family Estate, Noah�s Mill and Rowan�s Creek.

The Kentucky Bourbon Distillers started life as the Willett Distilling Company back in 1935 when Thompson Willett founded a distillery on his father�s farm. The Willett family history is steeped in whiskey, with members being involved in making the spirit from the 1870s, and I�m sure if it weren�t for prohibition (which only ended in 1933) the Willett Distillery would have been established much earlier. The first 30 barrels were made in March 1936 and transferred to age in purpose-built warehouses located on some of the highest land in the county. The location of the warehouses was no coincidence as they were designed to allow cool breezes through the warehouses. This is in order to help keep the maturation of the whiskey slow and even.

In the late 70s and early 80s the Willett Distilling Company suffered several setbacks and in 1984 it was purchased by Even Kulsveen: Thompson Willett�s son in law, who renamed it the Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. The company has gone from strength to strength since and is now run by Even, his wife Martha (Thompson�s daughter) and their two children Drew and Britt.

Noah�s Mill whiskey is made up from small batches that consist of no more than 12 barrels. Each batch is hand-bottled at 57.15% (114.3 proof) from whiskey that has been aged between 5 to 15 years in new oak barrels. The batch number of my bottle is QBC No 11-75, which with a little bit of research and logic would suggest to me to that it came from the 75th batch made in 2011. However, this is my own extrapolation and may not be correct.

Tasting Note:
The nose of Noah�s Mill is a powerful blend of tobacco, wood and figs. The palate is full-bodied and rich, with lovely warm notes of leather, toffee and a drying tannic finish. This is a whiskey with the fiery kick that I look for in Bourbon. I find the punch from the higher alcohol one of the joys of Bourbon and have yet to enjoy a 40% Bourbon. The Noah�s Mill has a lovely woody finish which is long and warming: perfect for those cold evenings.

Producer:
Bordeaux can produce some of the finest wines in the world. However, they also make some pretty boring entry-level wines, which may be inexpensive but offer no value for money. Thankfully there is a level of quality wines in between the ridiculously expensive and the cheap dross. The wonderfully named Chasse-Spleen is not an inexpensive wine but it does deliver good value, especially if you are looking for a bottle to splash out on.

The Ch�teau is located in Moulis en M�doc, between the prestigious appellations of Saint Julien in the North and Margaux in the South. The earliest records for the property indicate that there were already vines planted on the estate in 1560. However, Chasse-Spleen itself does not come into existence until the 1860s, unfortunately missing out on the 1855 classification*.

The name itself has two popular theories associated with it: the first is that Byron was travelling to Seville from London and after tasting the wine, he remarked that it was a �remedy for chasing away the spleen�. The other is that the name came from Charles Baudelaire�s poem �Spleen�. He had visited the estate whilst staying with Odilon Redon, a friend and illustrator of �Spleen et id�al�. This poetic theme has recently been carried over to the labels, with a different quote from a different poem appearing above the label each vintage: the 2000 is a quote from Baudelaire�s aforementioned poem �J�ai plus de souvenirs que si j�avais mille ans�, I have more memories than if I was 1,000 years old.

The estate is run by Jean-Pierre Foubet and his wife C�line Villars-Foubet, and it is part of the powerful Taillan group, headed up by Jacques Merlaut, C�line�s grandfather (the group owns several Bordeaux estates and wineries throughout France).

The vineyards are close the village of Grand Poujeaux and the soils are a mix of gravel and chalky clay. The vines themselves are predominately Cabernet Sauvignon (73%), followed by Merlot (20%) and Petit Verdot (7%). The grapes are hand-harvested and vinified in a combination of stainless steel and cement vats, the wine is aged in French oak barrels (40% new) for between 12 to 14 months.

The 2000 Chasse-Spleen would have been one of Jean Pierre and C�line�s first vintages, as they only took over the Chateau in 1999. It was a great start for them, as 2000 was one of Bordeaux�s best vintages and the start of a run of excellent vintages throughout that decade.

*A classification made by the local merchants (�negociants� and �courtiers�) at the behest of Napoleon III for the Exposition Universelle being held in Paris that year. They ranked the Left Bank of Bordeaux into five �Crus� or �Growths� based on the trading price at the time.

Tasting Note:
The 2000 Chasse-Spleen is still very tight and needs a couple of hours decanting beforehand. However, once it has opened up the nose is very intense with aromas of rich blackcurrant, tobacco leaf, cedar and evidence of some secondary development. The palate is medium-bodied with a lovely dense texture (quite weighty). The tannins are still pronounced, but beginning to soften and the acidity provides an attractive freshness to the wine with a hint of green pepper on the finish. This is a wine that is starting to show beautifully but will continue to improve in bottle for at least another eight years. It is a perfect match for Beef Wellington, or other hearty red-meat dishes.

A couple of weeks ago Alex and I had a couple of old friends over from Spain and Italy and at the end of a long night we found ourselves at the Hospital Club in Covent Garden. Having tasted through most of the list one cocktail stood out above the others, the Sloe Buffalo. It is made from Sloe Gin, Buffalo Trace bourbon and Passion Fruit. We decided to try to recreate this cocktail at home, and after a few different recipes and a lot of tasting we have come up with our own take on it. The result, we think, is a delicate balance between the sweet, sticky, berry flavours of the Sloe Gin and the warming fruity flow of bourbon and passion fruit.

Ingredients:
Ice
1½ shots Bourbon
1½ shots of Sloe Gin
½ a Passion Fruit
½ shot of Passion Fruit juice
Passion Fruit (garnish optional)

Creates One Serving

Equipment
- Boston Shaker
- Hawthorn Strainer
- Shot Measure
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Old Fashioned Glass

Cut a passion fruit in half and scoop the inside into the glass half of a Boston Shaker, add one shot of passion fruit juice.

Add in a shot and a half of Bourbon, and a shot and a half of Sloe Gin. Add ice and shake.

For the glass crush some ice, either using an ice crusher or by hitting ice wrapped in a kitchen towel. Place the ice in an old fashioned glass and pour the cocktail over the ice.

Serve with straws, and an optional garnish of passion fruit.

Producer:
Ataraxia is the Greek word for tranquillity, and more specifically the type of tranquillity that is achieved by a complete freedom from worry or any other preoccupation. I think if you asked any winemaker �ataraxia� is not a state they are too familiar with, especially those whose prime concern is making the highest quality wines possible. Ataraxia was founded in 2004 by Kevin and Hanli Grant. Kevin has worked at several of South Africa�s top wineries, most recently at nearby Hamilton Russell.

Their vineyards are based in the Walker Bay district on the southern tip of Africa. This area has a relatively cool climate thanks to the proximity of the cold South Atlantic Ocean. This cool climate is amplified by the fact that their vineyards are on the highest section of the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge ward, a sub-division of the Walker Bay district. The estate produces three wines: a Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc and a blended red wine called Serenity; they will shortly be adding a Pinot Noir to complete the range.

Having started this website over 8 months ago, it has been remiss of me not to have covered one of my favourite grapes, the oft maligned Chardonnay. The Ataraxia Chardonnay is a perfect place to start, this Burgundian style of Chardonnay is fermented in French oak barriques (225 litres). They use a mix of new and second fill barrels (34% new oak and 66% old � in case you wanted to know). The wine is matured in barrels for 10 months and undergoes lees* stirring every two weeks, before being bottled. The wine then rests for a further 35 days in bottle, prior to its release for sale.

*Lees are the sediment produced during winemaking and it includes dead yeast cells and pips. By stirring the lees or b�tonnage as the French call it you can enhance the flavour and complexity of the wine, as well as protecting it from oxidation.

Tasting Note:
The Ataraxia Chardonnay has a rich nose that is brimming with aromas of orange blossom, lime and hints of vanilla. The palate is full-bodied with tangy acidity and a lovely creamy texture. The oak has an evident influence but is well-integrated and balanced by the fruit flavours. The finish is long and elegant. This Chardonnay is drinking beautifully but has enough structure and fruit to have real potential for ageing.

Producer:
You may have noticed I love rum. Almost half the spirits reviewed here are rums and I have an ever expanding collection, currently over 30. It is a spirit with a history and versatility like no other. Since I plan on covering rum as a topic in my tips page soon, today I�ll focus on the rum in my glass: the Atlantico Private Cask. This Dominican rum is the brainchild of Aleco Azqueta and Brandon Lieb, who combined their experience in marketing with their passion for rum.

The Atlantico Private Cask is not your average blend. It is a hand-crafted rum created through the marriage of sugarcane juice distillate with rum made from molasses which, as far as I am aware, is unique to Atlantico. To put this in context, French style �Rhum Agricole� and Brazilian Cacha�a, are made by distilling pressed sugarcane juice, which creates a light floral rum with vegetal notes. Rum made from molasses is more common, as molasses are a by-product of the sugar industry. These rums are usually heavier and richer than the French style.

When Atlantico make their Private Cask, the molasses and sugarcane rums are aged separately for 2 to 3 years. Most rums in the Dominican Republic are made using a Column Still, which produces a lighter style of rum. However, Atlantico have a small percentage of their molasses rum made in pot stills and this intensifies the heavier, rich style of rum. The fresh cane and molasses rums are then blended together and aged in ex-bourbon casks for a further 2 years. After 4 to 5 years of ageing the rum is added to a Solera System (see Sherry article for more details) and this particular Solera has an average age of 15 years. As if that wasn�t complicated enough, before being bottled the Solera (bottom level) is partially drawn off and freshened with aged Aguardiente (�Firewater� Agua � water; Ardiente �fiery). Aguardiente has many definitions in Hispanic countries ranging from being grape brandy used to fortify Port in Portugal to an anise flavoured spirit in Colombia; in this instance Aguardiente is a sugarcane juice rum that is distilled at a lower level of alcohol and retains more of the fresher vegetal aromas.

After this unusual series of ageing procedures the rum is bottled and the label is stuck on by hand and numbered individually. Everything about the Private Cask exudes quality: the rum is painstakingly hand blended by the Maestros Roneros (Master Rum Blenders), the square bottles are designed and made in Italy (they resemble posh olive oil bottles) and not forgetting the most important element, the palate.

Tasting Note:
The Atlantico Private Cask has a lovely golden colour with glints of orange in direct light. The nose has intense aromas of caramel, vanilla and hints of earthy/vegetal notes. The palate is full of gorgeous intensity, there is definite sweetness without being cloying. It is brimming with flavours of milk chocolate, toffee, and hints of red fruit. The finish is long, and thanks to the tannins from the oak, slightly drying which in my opinion makes it the perfect complement to a cigar.

Producer:
While studying Economics at the University of Adelaide, David Powell was introduced to wine by an uncle and soon spent an increasing amount of his free time in the Barossa Valley. His desire to travel allowed him to use the quiet winter period to visit the renowned and more obscure regions of Europe, including a spell in Scotland working as a lumberjack. It was after these travels that he founded Torbreck in 1994. It is his time spent in Scotland near Inverness (Google Streetview Location of Torbreck, Scotland) that has influenced the names of his wines, with the majority of his labels having Scottish names: for example The Laird, The Pict, The Steading, and The Gask.

The focus at Torbreck is on Rhone varieties and they have built a reputation for making some of Australia�s best reds. However, they also make some delicious whites from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Torbreck only use grapes from the Barossa Valley and in fact, all of the grapes come from 26 individual vineyard plots.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dave on his most recent UK visit and found him to be someone who isn�t afraid of expressing his opinions and who has some great anecdotes � including a visit to Denmark a few years ago which ended in him being branded by a hot iron with the logo of a Danish restaurant. But back on to the wines, we tasted a selection of his range including the Laird, which up until Penfolds released their latest vintage of Bin 620 was Australia�s most expensive wine. As delicious as the Laird was, my wine of the week is the much more affordable Juveniles.

Juveniles was named in honour of one of Dave�s friends, Tim Johnston, who owns the Parisian wine bar of the same name. The 2009 is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Shiraz (Syrah) and 20% Mataro (Mourv�dre). The grapes are sourced from six sub regions of the Barossa Valley (Gomersal, Seppeltsfield, Marananga, Moppa, Koonunga Hill & Ebenezer) and the average vine age is around ninety years old. It is his ability to secure grapes from old vines that has led to stellar reputation. The label was designed by Tim�s daughter Carolyn, whose paintings hang in the wine bar.

Tasting Note:
The Torbreck Juveniles has an attractive aroma of sweet fruit on the nose, the glass is overflowing with notes of redcurrant, cooked raspberries and plums with a slight hint of tar. The palate is rich with red fruits, violets and a touch of black pepper. It has a lovely texture (almost velvety) and a very long finish.

The Limey Hedgerow was created one Sunday afternoon, after a large roast lunch Alex and I were playing around with various spirits and liqueurs trying to create a tasty cocktail. The idea originally came from an old recipe for a lime and blackberry pie. If the flavours worked well in a pastry then they could work in a cocktail glass. The lime being the only incongruence in an otherwise very English drink. The idea behind the name was the combination of lime with traditional Autumn berries foraged from English Hedgerows, hence a Limey Hedgerow. This recipe does call for two liqueurs, Crème de Mûre (Blackberry) and Crème de Cassis (Blackcurrant), however they are both quite easy to find and can be used in a range of cocktails including a Bramble and a Kir Royale. For a complete English Autumnal experience add a couple of shots of apple juice.

Ingredients:
Ice
2½ shots Vodka
½ shot of Crème de Mûre
¼ shot of Crème de Cassis
1 shot of lime juice
¼ shot of Sugar Syrup (Sirop de Gomme)
Blackberries (garnish)
2 shots of Apple Juice (optional)
Creates One Serving

Equipment
- Boston Shaker
- Hawthorn Strainer
- Shot Measure
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Old Fashioned Glass

Cut a lime, and squeeze a shot into the glass half of your shaker. Pour in the Vodka, Crème de Mûre, Crème de Cassis, Sugar Syrup and shake with ice.

Crush some ice, either using an ice crusher or by bashing ice wrapped in a kitchen towel. Place the ice in an old fashioned glass and pour in the cocktail.

Add blackberries to garnish. If you prefer a slightly longer drink, you can add a further autumnal twist to the Limey Hedgerow by adding two shots of cloudy apple juice. The combination of the berries and apple works brilliantly.

Rather than just providing a whole list of pairings that work, I thought I would supply some basic guidelines. These are guidelines, not rules! So feel free to mix and match and experiment for yourself, food and wine pairing should be fun not something to be worried about.

No accounting for taste
Food and wine matching is a grey area as a lot of matches are down to personal taste. If someone enjoys a particular combination of flavours, then they are not right or wrong it�s their preference. It is the same with long held traditions: red wine and cheese; and in France, finishing off the champagne with dessert (especially if it is a type of sponge cake) � neither of which work particularly well. In fact when it comes down to actually matching cheese with wines, many cheeses actually go better with whites. There are two main ways in which food matching can be approached: either by complementing or by contrasting.

Opposites Attract (Contrast)
It is a clich�, but as with people, some of the best matches are when food contrast with the wine.
A great illustration of this is when sweet wine is matched against salty food. As the sweetness of the wine is balanced out by the saltiness of the food. The most classic example of this are blue cheeses and sweet wines; for example:
� Port with Stilton
� Sauternes with Roquefort
Another match is a tannic wine with fatty food. The fat smoothes the tannins making them less obvious. The tannins in return help cut through the fat making it easier to eat. Examples here would be:
� A marbled piece of beef with a young Cabernet Sauvignon
� A hard cheese with a red Rh�ne blend such as a Gigondas or Ch�teauneuf du Pape
In a similar vein to above, another match for fatty foods are wines with acidity. The acidity in the wine helps reduce the feel of the fattiness on the palate. For example:
� Pork belly matched with an Alsace Riesling

No Shouting At The Table (Complement)
The more traditional route in food and wine pairing is for the wine and food to be similar. The basic idea is that it should be like a conversation, not a shouting match. Enabling both the wine and the food to be tasted with neither struggling to overpower the other. The important factors to consider for each pairing are: weight, sweetness and acidity.
The pair should be of a similar weight and intensity, if the food is richer or more intense than the wine then the flavours of the wine will not come through. The opposite is also true; if you have a rich wine with delicate food, the wine will overpower the dish. The focus of the pairing should be on the dominant flavour in the dish. For example, if a white fish is poached it will need to be paired with a delicate wine. If on the other hand it is served in a rich, creamy sauce, then the wine will also need to be richer.
The pairings should also be of similar sweetness; for example, if a crisp dry white is served with a rich creamy cake, the wine will taste acidic whilst the cake will have slightly off flavours. If a light strawberry tart is paired with a fortified wine such as a sweet Sherry, or Vin Doux Natural, the wine will feel cloying and overpower the tart. A good example of a pairing with similar sweetness is sponge cake with a light, slightly sweet wine such as Moscato d�Asti. A rich chocolate dessert will need something sweet and heavy such as tawny port.
Acidity is also an important factor as wines with high acidity can overwhelm milder foods. If, on the other hand, a wine with high acidity is served with food with a similarly acidity, they cancel each other out, making the wine seem fruitier. For example, Alsace Riesling with a traditional Alsatian Sauerkraut.

If it grows together, it goes together
As a general rule it is best to choose a wine from the same region as the dish you are trying to pair it with. Food goes well with wines from the same region. This is no coincidence, as historically food and wine would have been sourced locally. This would have influenced the winemakers to make wine in a style that will complement local dishes. The joy of this, is that it makes choosing wine to go with your food in a winemaking region easy, as the choice is pretty much made for you.

Here are a few examples:
Muscadet and oysters
Bordeaux and salt-marsh lamb
Barolo and game
Chianti and beef
Red Burgundy with boeuf Bourguignon
Alsace Riesling and choucroute garnie (Alsatian Sauerkraut)
Provence ros� with bouillabaisse
Vin de Savoie with diots au vin blanc
Australian Shiraz and barbecued meats
Californian Zinfandel and hamburger
Fino with olives and Manchego � Fino is a surprisingly good match with most food
People can be too precious about trying to find the best match for each individual dish. Food pairing is particularly hard in a restaurant, especially if everyone has ordered something different. The best match is the one that you get the most pleasure out of, even if it is not a �perfect� pairing.
If this article has piqued your interest then have a go for yourself, and let me know what you think � especially if you find a combination that I haven�t mentioned. Just remember you can�t go wrong with Sherry and food, well that�s what I think anyway.

Producer:
Arnaud de Villeneuve, or to give him the name he is known in English, Arnaldus de Villa Nova was a fourteenth century alchemist, astrologer and physician. He is credited with the discovery of pure alcohol and the creation of fortified wines, as well as writing a wine book called the ‘Liber de Vinis’. This book was less of a guide and written more from a medical viewpoint. Having been credited with the creation of fortified wines, Arnaud no doubt seemed an appropriate figure to use as the figurehead for the �premium� range by Les Vignobles du Rivesaltais (the Rivesaltes local co-operative). Les Vignobles du Rivesaltais is made up of three wineries all based at the foot of the Pyrenees on the edge of the Mediterranean coast.

The co-op makes wine from over twenty traditional varieties including Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Merlot, Macabeu, Chardonnay, and Muscat. Their growers all follow �agriculture raisonnée� a sort of semi-organic practice where the growers all try to be as natural as possible and use as little chemicals as possible without being fully organic.

There are more than six different types of Rivesaltes: Grenat, Ambré, Tuilé, Hors d‘Age (both Tuilé & Ambré) and Rancio. They are all fortified during the fermentation, leaving them with a natural sweetness. This wine is an Hors d‘Age Ambré which translates as an �amber over aged� wine, the wine can be aged in oak barrels and �bonbonnes� (large glass vessels) or a combination of the two. Hors d�Age generally means that not only has the wine been aged for more than five years, but at least some of the wine will have been aged oxidatively giving it that �rancio� style that you find in Sherry or Madeira.

Tasting Note:
This Hors d‘Age Rivesaltes is crammed with intense aromas of dried fruits, nuts and honey. The palate is sweet but there is still lots of gorgeous fresh acidity to balance the sweetness. The texture is velvety and reveals notes of dried figs, raisins and walnuts. This sweet wine is a great aperitif, but also makes a perfect pairing for chocolate.

Producer:
To most people when you mention whisky their first thought is of the cool, damp, mountains of Scotland, or even the green plains of Ireland and after a little thought they might remember the vanilla kick of American Whiskeys. For true whisky lovers the sultry Japanese whiskies probably won�t be too far behind, but a high-quality single malt from the Indian subcontinent is probably not on the top of anyone�s list, and yet maybe it should be. Clearly I�m not the first, by a long way, to discover the joys of Indian whisky as leading whisky expert, Jim Murray in his 2010 edition of The Whisky Bible named the Amrut Fusion the �World�s Third Best Whisky�.

The history of the Amrut distillery itself is surprisingly long; it was formed in 1948 (a year after India�s independence) by J.N. Radhakrishna it originally produced rums and brandy and in fact it was not until the 1980s that Amrut started producing single malt whiskies. The name Amrut is taken from an Indian legend about a golden pot created by the gods that aptly enough contained the Elixir of Life.

The Amrut Fusion is so called because it is a blend of two malted barleys; an unpeated Indian barley and, Scottish peated barley that is shipped over to Bangalore. These barleys are turned into mash and distilled at the Amrut distillery. They are matured separately and once they have reached their peak, they are blended together into bourbon casks and left to marry. The whisky is then bottled at 50% alcohol by volume without chill filtration.

Tasting Note:
The Amrut Fusion is rich and malty on the nose with aromas of raisins, honey and a hint of smoke. The palate is intense but, for a whisky bottled at 50%, the alcohol is surprisingly well integrated and is balanced by the flavours of vanilla, dark chocolate, and a lovely tangy orange note. The finish is very long and amazingly smoky with the peated barley really shining through.

Producer:
The Balkans have a long history of making wine, as well as an extensive list of indigenous (often hard to pronounce) grape varieties. Walking around the Wines of Croatia tasting back in September, I was thrilled not only to see so many wineries focusing on the local grape varieties, but also the passion and inventiveness of the producers. There was a myriad of different styles of wine; some were made in amphorae, there were whites made with extra skin contact, as well as wines made in more usual methods.

The Roxanich Antica made in large wooden vats from the local Malvazija grape. Roxanich was created by Mladen Ro�anic, who after years searching for the best areas in Istria for vineyards, planted 23 hectares of vines near Vi�njan, four miles from the Istrian coast.

Roxanich have a range of interesting wines including: a Ros�, a Chardonnay, a Cabernet-Sauvignon, a Super-Istrian (their version of a Super Tuscan) made from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Borgonja (Gamay), as well as the Antica. Whilst all of the wines that I have tasted are made superbly well, the one that really caught my interest was the Antica Malvazija.

This fascinating white spends eighty days in amphora on its skins, causing a dark orange colour rather than the more typical yellow hue. After this slow, oxiditave fermentation the wine is then aged in two different sizes of large wooden vats (70 hectolitre, and 35 hectolitre) for an amazing 30 months, before being bottled without filtration.

Tasting Note:
The colour as I mentioned above is a rich golden orange colour. The nose has hints of oxidation, but is still surprisingly fresh and fruity. The palate is rich and intense with an amazing taste of zingy clementines, preserved lemons, and lovely tangy nutty notes. The mouth-feel of this wine is velvety with light soft tannins adding to the texture and weight. The Antica is brilliant on its own, but great with food, and has the body and intensity to match even quite heavy dishes that would usually be paired with reds.

Producer:
Zagreus takes its name from the ancient Greek legends, Zagreus is associated with the god Dionysus, the offspring of Zeus and Persephone. He was later torn to pieces and eaten by the Titans. The use of his name for the winery is a nod to a recent discovery of an ancient tile in a nearby cave, thought to be from an ancient Thracian temple to the Dionysus cult.

The vineyards are in the Thracian Valley close to Plovdiv and Asenovgrad and were planted in 1998 by the Kostadinov family. They planted four grape varieties: Mavrud, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. The local area has a transcontinental climate with warm winters and hot summers, and has a long history of producing high quality Mavrud (a grape variety indigenous to Bulgaria). All of their wines are made from grapes that come from their own vineyards, which in 2010 were all certified organic. Whilst the vineyard may be their prime focus, they have not ignored the winemaking side and in 2004 built a thoroughly modern winery.

Zagreus have several ranges, but the Vinica is their top cuv�e and is made wholly from Mavrud. So as to concentrate the sugar and acidity, the grapes have been dried for 3 months on straw mats before fermentation. Once the grapes have shrivelled, they press them and then make the wine conventionally before being aged for 7 months in new Bulgarian oak barriques (225 litre barrels).

Tasting Note:
As this wine is made with partially raisined grapes, you would expect this to be a powerful, maybe even overblown wine with high alcohol levels. There is no denying that it is full bodied, and whilst 14.5% may not be high in Californian terms, it is pretty high in alcohol. However, the alcohol is very well integrated (hidden) by the fruit, and the crisp acidity keeps it fresh and balanced. The colour is a very deep, almost opaque, purple colour. The nose is intense, with lots of aromas of plums, dark chocolate and peppery spice. The palate is rich with lovely ripe fruit and soft but prominent tannins. As I mentioned above, the relatively high acidity keeps the fruit and alcohol in balance, and helps lead this wine to a lovely velvety finish.

As someone who has spent a lot of time in Savoie, I actually find that this wine is somewhat reminiscent of a Mondeuse that has spent time in new oak, though obviously with a lot more body.

Producer:
Val delle Rose was established in 1996, in the Maremma (Tuscany) by the Cecchi family. The family has a long history in Tuscany and have in fact been making wine in nearby Chianti Classico since 1893. During the early 1990s they decided to scour Tuscany for the location of a new project. After several years of research they purchased the Val delle Rose estate and have invested a significant amount of time and money into replanting vines and modernising the winery.

The Maremma is the strip of land on the Tuscan coastline, which includes the areas of Bolgheri (famous for several Super Tuscans) and Morellino di Scansano. The latter is the Maremma�s classic area for Sangiovese; Morellino being the local name for Sangiovese and Scansano being one of the town�s within the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) area. Val delle Rose�s vineyards are on the hillside at around 150 metres altitude, providing perfect exposure to the sun, which is in turn moderated by the cooling sea breezes.

For the Val de Rose�s 2007 vintage the Sangiovese was picked in the second half of October and was vinified in stainless steel with a 26 day fermentation with skin contact. The Riserva is then aged for 12 months in oak barriques (225 litre barrels) before being bottled, and aged for a further 10 months in bottle before being shipped.

Tasting Note:
The Morellino di Scansano Riserva has lovely layered aromas of black cherries and raspberries, which are followed by a hint of smokiness. The palate has a real bite to it with slightly dusty tannins. These tannins are balanced by a refreshing acidity, and the intense flavours of ripe red fruit and cacao. The finish is long and focused.

For me the key to making a great tasting English Garden is good quality apple juice. Taking a long walk in the countryside, kicking fallen leaves around and finding somewhere to settle down for a picnic with a home-made pork pie and an English Garden cocktail just seems right. Try pre-mixing the gin, juice and elderflower at home, storing it in a flask and when ready to drink, just add the soda to bring it all back to life. Whilst usually a summer drink, it also makes a great early autumn drink, the apple juice making it particularly seasonal. Best drunk enjoying the last of the September sun.

Ingredients:
Ice
2 shots Gin
2 shot of apple juice (cloudy)
1� shots of Saint Germain (Elderflower Liqueur)
1 shot of lime juice
Top up with Soda Water
Lemon Slice (garnish)
Creates One Serving

Equipment
- Boston Shaker
- Hawthorn Strainer
- Shot Measure
- Highball Glass

Cut a lime, and squeeze a shot into the glass half of your shaker. Pour in the Saint Germain (Elderflower liqueur), gin, and apple juice and shake with ice.

Add ice to the highball, and strain the shaker into the glass.

Top the glass up with soda water, and give the glass a good stir. Garnish with a slice of lemon, and enjoy.

Producer:
Birichino (Italian for impish or mischievous) specialises in making wines from the more unusual grape varieties planted in California. They currently make three wines: a straight Grenache, a Vin Gris (Provence style ros�) from Cinsault and Rolle, and one of the best Malvasias I�ve tasted. Winemakers Alex Krause and John Locke chose Santa Cruz as the location of their winery in 2008. They have made wine in France, Italy and California, in addition to previously working at Domaine Ostertag in Alsace and Bonny Doon in Santa Cruz.

Malvasia is a fascinating grape with over 12 different varieties grown throughout Italy, Croatia, Portugal, and Spain. That is without including what the French call Malvoisie, which can be a synonym for Pinot Gris, Bourboulenc and Clairette, depending on which region of France the wine is made. Suprisingly Malvasia Bianca has a relatively large planting of over 700 hectares in California. The variety they use is Malvasia Bianca, which was imported to the USA in the 20th century from Calabria, in the South of Italy.

Birichino harvests all of their Malvasia from the San Bernabe vineyard in Monterey. They find that the large difference in temperature between the day and night helps to preserve the acidity and freshness of the grape. After the grapes are picked they go through several soft and slow press cycles. This is to extract as much of the flavour as possible from the grape without taking any bitterness. Once pressed and fermented, the wine has extended lees contact to add a soft and creamy texture.

Tasting Note:
The Birichino Malvasia has a fragrant, honeyed nose with intense floral aromas. The palate is dry with a full-bodied creamy texture, backed up by crisp flavours of lime and elderflower. This wine is incredibly well balanced, with complex mineral notes and a long fresh finish.

Producer:
In 1847 Samuel Smith migrated with his family from England to Australia, eventually settling in a small town called Angaston in the Barossa Valley. During the day he worked as a gardener for George Fife Angas, after whom the town was named and at night he would plant vines with his son in the 30 acres he bought. He named the site �Yalumba�, an Aboriginal word meaning �all the land around�. More than 160 years later Yalumba is currently run by Robert Hill-Smith, a fifth generation descendant. Yalumba has expanded and is now the largest family-owned winery in Australia; they own vineyards and source grapes from all over South Australia including those for today�s wine which come from Coonawarra.

The Menzies was created in 1987, named in honour of Sir Robert Menzies, a politician and red wine enthusiast. The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for this wine are estate grown in Coonawarra on its legendary Terra Rossa soil*. This relatively cool area, similar in climate to Bordeaux, is famous for producing some of the best and most refined Cabernet Sauvignon in the world.

The wine is made by harvesting the Cabernet grapes in small parcels. These parcels are vinified separately, with certain lots given extended skin contact before pressing. The wine is then matured in French oak; after 16 months the different batches are tasted, and the bottling blend is made. This final blend is given another 6 months in oak before being bottled.

* Terra Rossa, red soil in Italian, is a type of red clay. It occurs where heavy rainfall dissolves carbon from calcium carbonate and the rock leaches silicates leaving deposits that are rich in iron oxide (rust).

Tasting Note:
The nose is intense and brimming with ripe blackcurrants and black cherry; these initial fruit notes are followed by aromas of cedar, and spice. The palate is full-bodied with great fruit and hints of oak, the texture is silky with soft tannins adding to the structure. The Menzies 2005 has a very long finish, and whilst drinking beautifully now will easily improve for another 5 years.

Producer:
La Porta di Vertine was established in 2006 by Dan Lugosch, an American real estate developer, and his wife Ellen. They purchased an amphitheatre-shaped vineyard in the tiny hamlet of Vertine, just outside of the town of Gaiole in Chianti. The vineyards are at the top of a hill at around 550m � this is high altitude for Chianti and is close to the ripening limit for the Sangiovese grape. The soil itself is a combination of Albarese (a local variant of sandstone) and Galestro (a type of marl.

The estate is run by oenologist Giacomo Mastretta, who is helped by agronomist Dr Ruggero Mazzili. His philosophy is an approach of �less is more� in the vineyard and winery, with virtually all the vineyard converted to organic viticulture.

Their Chianti Classico is made using the traditional local varieties, rather than any French �intruders�: Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Colorino and Pugnitello. The grapes are all hand-picked and the whole bunches are placed in concrete tanks, where fermentation is allowed to occur naturally. The maceration is very long, between two to three weeks. The wine is then racked into a combination of barriques and double-barriques, and left on its lees for 10 months before being transferred to 25hl tonneaux for another 10 months. The wine is bottled and allowed to rest in the bottle for a year before being shipped.

Interestingly this wine is one of the first from a small producer that I have seen using QR codes on their bottles. A �Quick Response� code is a type of barcode that is designed to be read by smartphones. This one, once scanned, takes you to this page on their website.

Tasting Note:
The Porta di Vertine has wonderful deep aromas of dark cherry and damson, which is followed by a savoury almost meaty aroma. The palate is rich with intense but elegant fruit and carries a slightly spicy note. The texture is smooth and velvety. There are lots of tannins but they are ripe and round, and really add to the structure of this wine. The intense fruit is backed up by crisp acidity that leaves your mouth-watering and demands food. The extraordinarily long finish leaves your mouth dried out and refreshed like only a great Italian wine can.

Producer:
It was in 1977 that Giuseppe Rivetti started producing Moscato d�Asti in his winery at Castagnole Lanze. He named it La Spinetta �the top of the hill� and released two single-vineyard Moscatos the same year: Biancospino (hawthorn) and Bricco Quaglia (quail). However it was their reds that thrust them onto the international stage. The first wine was their Barbera C� di Pian in 1985, followed by a host of reds including several Barbarescos and their Nebbiolo and Barbera blend �Pin�.

La Spinetta is a family run company that is constantly looking to grow. Headed up by the second generation of the Rivetti family, the brothers: Bruno, Carlo and Giorgio; they also have some of the third generation already working. As well as the original site at Castagnole Lanze, they have expanded and now also make a Barolo at Camp�, Tuscan wines at Casanova and have just purchased Contratto (Italy�s oldest sparkling wine producer).

However, as much as the Rivettis are looking to the future, my focus is on their �original� wine. It is, in my opinion, the best Moscato d�Asti around. The grapes are harvested in September from single vineyards, but are released at different times of the year. The Biancospino is released in the November after harvest, and the Bricco Quaglia is released two months later in January.

Moscato d�Asti is a remarkable wine that needs to be drunk as young and fresh as possible, which explains why they stagger the release dates. The 20 hectare Biancospino vineyard has a southern exposure and sits on calcareous and sandy soils, the vines are on average 30-35 years. Once harvested the grapes are fermented in an autoclave (a stainless steel pressure controlled tank) for a month at 15 Celsius.

Tasting Note:
The La Spinetta Moscato d�Asti Biancospino is pale yellow with a constant stream of small bubbles topping up the delicate mousse. The nose is fresh and overflowing with aromas of lemon, mandarins and honeysuckle. The palate is sweet but with a remarkable acidity, making it refreshing and not cloying. The finish is long and leaves you with lovely floral notes, and hints of white peach.

This Moscato d�Asti is not only brilliant with desserts such as cakes and brioche. It is also great as an aperitif or with brunch � dare I suggest breakfast? I wouldn�t be the first to!

Producer:
The Sipsmith Distillery was created in 2009, and is the first copper-pot distillery in London for 189 years. It is also one of the few distilleries located within London�s city limits. The founders are Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall who have been joined by Chris Garden. Chris is responsible for looking after all the distillation. The distillery is based in a small building in Hammersmith, which was once home to a whisky expert, and is now home to their still �Prudence�.

The still was specially designed by Christian Carl, one of Germany�s oldest distillery producers. Prudence is a clever little still, which has the ability to behave either as a traditional pot still, or with the addition of a fractional distillation column. This makes it very versatile as it can create both a high alcohol relatively neutral spirit, or a more complex pot still spirit by bypassing the column.

Due to the size of the operation and the size of their still, the spirits are made in small batches. A sticker on the label will tell you the batch number. Armed with this information you can then go to their website and find out when it was created and how many bottles of it were made. This particular bottle was from batch LDG 122 which was distilled on the 12th April 2011 and it is one of 333 bottles.

Their gin is made by macerating ten botanicals in their Barley vodka. This mix is then distilled (without the column still so as to retain the complex flavours), and then blended with water from the one of the River Thames� sources � the Lydwell Spring in the Cotswolds. The botanicals are: Macedonian juniper berries, Bulgarian coriander seed, French angelica root, Spanish liquorice root, Italian orris root, Spanish ground almond, Chinese cassia bark, Madagascan cinnamon, Seville orange peel and Spanish lemon peel.

Tasting Note:
The Sipsmith Gin has a lovely intense nose which is overflowing with notes of citrus, coriander, and cinnamon. The palate is smooth, almost creamy, with a pleasant but intense juniper flavour and a lovely fresh spicy finish.

Producer:
Louis Magnin runs his small estate of eight hectares from the village of Arbin, which is close to the town of Montm�lian in the Combe de Savoie. He currently farms organically, but is converting to operating a biodynamic system. Arbin itself is famous for producing some of the best Mondeuse in the region, and in fact if a bottle has Arbin on the label it has to be made from 100% Mondeuse. Mondeuse is the local red grape variety that is mainly found in Savoie. It also grows in neighbouring Bugey and has been planted as far afield as California, and Australia.

This family domaine produces four different white wines, five different red wines and depending on the vintage, they also produce two sweet wines. This week�s wine of the week, is La Brova, which is in fact not a street version of brother but instead means "la belle" (the beautiful) in the local Savoie dialect.

The Mondeuse vines for this wine were planted thirty-five years ago, on the well-drained limestone slopes of the Bauges mountains. In order to ensure full maturity these are some of the last grapes to be picked. They are de-stemmed and left to macerate for 30 days, before being matured for 12 months in (mainly new) oak barriques.

Tasting Note:
The Magnin La Brova has aromas of red cherry, plums and a hint of spice: particularly cinnamon and white pepper. These aromas are carried through to the elegant palate which contains notes of red cherries, raspberries and black pepper. The oak is noticeable but well integrated and the tannins are soft but present. Although the wine has been matured in oak barrels, it is not a big "show-stopping" wine. This is a wine with grace, complexity and refreshing acidity.

Producer:
Casa Ermelinda Freitas is a family-owned estate, passed down through the generations since 1920. It is now in the hands of Leonor Freitas, who is the fourth generation of the family�s wine producers. The winery is based in the Palmela region of Spain within the Set�bal peninsula. Whilst the estate has been making wine for a long time, it wasn�t until 1997 that they started bottling wine for their own label. It is named in honour of Leonor�s mother � Ermelinda. The modern winery is well equipped; displaying a great example of the combination of modern winemaking with traditional methods.

Their Moscatel de Setubal NV is made from Muscat grown on sandy stone soils. As this is a fortified wine like Sherry and Port, it has an addition of alcohol. Fermentation starts in temperature controlled stainless steel vats and roughly half way through the fermentation, grappa (at 77% alcohol by volume) is added to the vat. This stops the fermentation by killing off the yeast. The wine is left in the vat for an extended period of maceration on its skins, until March the following year. The wine is then racked off into French oak barrels, where it is aged for a further 24 months before being bottled.

Tasting Note:
The Ermelinda Moscatel is orangey brown in colour, with a slight haziness. With aromas of orange blossom and pistachios it smells like dessert in a glass. The palate has flavours of candied fruit, complemented by honeyed notes. It is a sweet wine but really well balanced, with a crisp acidity that leaves the palate fresh, not cloying. There is a tiny bit of tannin, which gives the wine some grip and adds weight to the body. This Moscatel makes a great dessert wine and provides a perfect pairing for lemon polenta cake.

Producer:
Quinta de la Rosa is owned and run by the father and daughter team, Sophie and Tim Bergqvist. Tim�s mother (Claire Feurheerd) was given the estate in 1906 as a christening present. Her family had been making port since 1815 and ran Feuerheerd, a successful port shipper, until the 1930s when they sold it to Hutcheson Port. Claire however, kept hold of Quinta de la Rosa and sold the grapes each vintage to Sandeman. It wasn�t until 1988 that Tim and Sophie resumed the family business and started making their own Port at the Quinta. A few years later they decided to try their hand at making table wines, and became one of the Douro valley�s pioneers of high quality wine production. Since 2002 they have been ably assisted by talented winemaker Jorge Moreira, who has helped further enhance the quality and reputation of their wines.

The estate itself is on the south-east facing banks of the river Douro, in the region of the Cima Corgo. As with most Portuguese wines, the Quinta de la Rosa is made from a blend of a large amount of different grape varieties. These include Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Roriz (the local name for Spain�s Tempranillo grape). The grapes for the La Rosa 2008 are mainly from the Lamelas vineyard within the La Rosa estate, whose vines were planted over 20 years ago. The wine itself is fermented in stainless steel, and then matured in French oak casks (from the Allier region to be specific) for 12 months before being bottled.

Tasting Note:
The Quinta de la Rosa is brimming with aromas of black cherries and plums. The palate is intense but balanced by a refreshing acidity. The texture is smooth and velvety with an amazing array of flavours, from black fruit to an almost herbal note. The lingering finish fills your mouth with notes of leather and peppery spice.

This spicy twist on a Margarita is great if you like a drink that tingles your tongue. The Margarita Calor makes for a great Summer drink, especially when paired with spicy or grilled food. This is one drink that won�t be overpowered by food, it is refreshing and zingy at the same time.

Ingredients:
Ice
2½ Tequila Reposado
1 shot of Cointreau
1 shot of lime juice
4/8 slices of red (birds eye) chilli (spice to taste)
Creates One Serving

Equipment
- Boston Shaker
- Hawthorn Strainer
- Shot Measure
- Martini Glass
- Tea Strainer
- Chopping Board
- Knife

Lay out all of the ingredients. Chill down the Martini glass with ice and water. Chop the red chilli (from the tip) into four to eight small segments, depending on how much you enjoy spice.

Add all of the ingredients into the glass half of the Boston Shaker and shake. Empty your now cold Martini glass, and give it a quick shake to get rid of any leftover water. Rub the wet rim of the Martini glass in salt, using the lime wedge as an adhesive.

Separate the shaker, and strain using the Hawthorn strainer into the Boston glass. Then pour into the Martini glass through the tea strainer, to catch the chilli.

Enjoy your Margarita Calor! This cocktail is perfect with chilli chicken, fajitas or burritos.

Producer:
Alsace is at the forefront of the Biodynamic movement and it seemed that every producer we visited was either fully Biodynamic or heading towards conversion. Josmeyer is one of those that is fully Biodynamic. They are certified Organic by Ecocert, and Biodynamic by both Demeter (the Biodynamic body for all products) and Biodyvin (which only deals with certifying Biodynamic wines). Before converting to Biodynamics, the Josmeyer estate used to buy in grapes from other growers, but to ensure the grapes are biodynamic they offered their growers a 30 year rental agreement on their land, rather than their harvest. This meant that they could also convert this land, making all of their wines entirely Biodynamic.

The company itself was started in 1854 by Aloyse Meyer who was succeeded by his son Joseph Meyer in 1933. It was in 1963 that Hubert Meyer (Joseph�s son) decided to add the first three letters of his father�s name to the company and therefore creating the name JosMeyer. The company is now run by the fifth generation of Meyers, with Jean Meyer staying on as Chairman of the Board. The fifth generation are Jean�s daughters C�line (Managing Director) and Isabelle (Winemaker), who are ably assisted by Christophe Ehrhart who is not only the winegrower and a champion of Biodynamics, but also looks after their International Relations.

I was lucky enough to taste the majority of their very large range when visiting the estate, and found it very difficult to choose between their two top cuv�es. Having bought a couple of their Grand Crus at the Domaine, I had the luxury to taste them again at home, and on the day I found that the Grand Cru Brand (fire) just edged it over the Hengst (stallion). The Grand Cru Brand is in the village of Turkheim, the vineyard has a south to south-eastern exposure and sits on deep granite soils with layers of black mica and gneiss.

Tasting Note:
Whilst Brand means fire this wine is not flashy or fiery, it is elegant and well balanced. Balance is key in any great wine, but it seems particularly important with Biodynamic wines*. The nose is brimming with notes of freshly zested limes, flint and a slight hint of peach. The palate is dry with bundles of fresh acidity, at this stage the fruit is all fresh green fruits: apples and limes; with no secondary flavours. This Riesling has an incredibly long finish with a lovely pure minerality lingering on the palate.

*The proponents of Biodynamic viticulture all mention how the focus in the vineyards is for the vines to achieve equilibrium. A note on Biodynamic Viticulture will be posted in the future which will be found in the tips section.

Producer:
At the end of the picturesque, almost chocolate box village of Ribeauvill� you come face to face with the immediately recognisable and impossible to miss towers of the Trimbach winery. Unless of course, like us, you are coming the other way � from Bergheim rather than from Riquewihr � in which case you are very likely to drive past it! Once we had found the winery, we had a quick tour of the impressive facilities, before heading to the tasting room. The wines were all very well made and except the Selection de Grains Nobles* and the Vendages Tardive*, were all dry in style.

The Trimbach Estate is family owned and is currently run by the 12th and 13th generations; as a family they have been making wine in Alsace for almost 400 years. Their range is split into different labels.The yellow labels designate either their entry level �classic� range, or their �r�serve range�. The main difference between these two levels is the age of the vines, with the grapes from the youngest vines going into the �classic� and the grapes from their older vines going into the �r�serve� wines. Their next level up is represented by the �gold label�; these are all from vineyards owned by the family and are mostly from Grand Cru level grapes. They have a top Riesling the �Clos Sainte Hune� which is from a single vineyard within the Grand Cru of Rosacker. As with the majority of Alsace producers they also make a range of sweet wines : the Selection de Grains Nobles and the Vendages Tardive. These, as for all producers, are only made in exceptional years.

My Coup de Coeur from their selection was the Gold Label �Pinot Gris 2005 �R�serve Personnelle��. This Pinot Gris is from the Osterberg Grand Cru, one of Ribeauvill�s three Grand Cru vineyards(the other two being Kirchberg, Geisberg). The vines here are on relativity steep slopes with a southern to south-eastern exposure and are grown on predominately Marl soils.

*The Alsatians are very proud, and rightly so, of their sweet wines. Both the Vendage Tardive (Late Harvest) and the Selection de Grains Nobles (Selection of Noble Grapes [literally grains]) have to follow a host of rules before they can be labelled as such; these rules include minimum potential alcohol, a declaration of intent to produce them prior to picking them, and a blind tasting test by the local governing body. This is just a selection of the rules the full details can be found here (in French) � http://www.inao.gouv.fr/public/produits/showTexte.php?comiteNat=1&id_txt=1020

Tasting Note:
The Pinot Gris 2005 �R�serve Personnelle� is rich and very ripe, with an intense nose of smoke, quince and pears. Whilst there is a little bit of residual sugar, the crisp acidity more than compensates, making this wine dry. This 2005 is starting to present some development in bottle, showing secondary characters such as dried fruits and an almost truffle note on the palate. The velvety texture and long finish make this a great example of Alsace Pinot Gris.

Producer:
This drink combines my two passions: Rum and Sherry, thankfully not literally, as I�m pretty sure that would not work! This is an intriguing blend of rums from Barbados and Guyana, that are aged together in Bourbon barrels (like most rums) for 5 years. The blend is then shipped over to Spain, or to be more precise, to the Bodegas of Williams and Humbert in Jerez.

Here the rum is aged for a further 3 years in ex-Oloroso barrels (for the Sherry geeks it�s the Dos Cortados Oloroso), the majority of the rum is then bottled and sold as the Dos Maderas 5+3 (the amount of years aged in barrel).The rest is aged for a further 2 years in Pedro Ximenez (ex-Don Guido PX barrels). This is what would no doubt be called a �finish� in Scotch terminology (see the Ben Riach), so technically it should be called the 5+3+2 but, to be honest, 5+5 is probably complicated enough.

Being able to compare the two side by side is good fun, and a great way to see what two years in a different barrel does to a spirit. However, whilst I think the 5+3 is a well made rum, it is the 5+5 PX that I adore. Not only is it sweeter and richer, it has a lot more complexity and length � this is a rum that really punches well above its price.

Tasting Note:
The nose of this rum is overflowing with rich aromas of caramel, dark chocolate, dried fruits and sweet spices. The palate is sweet and filled with unctuous notes of raisins, figs and vanilla. The alcohol is well integrated and rounded. The finish is immensely long � in part due to the sweetness � and it becomes reminiscent of the finish of a PX Sherry.

Producer:
Growing vines in the Thracian region of Bulgaria, near Turkey and the Black Sea, may seem like a strange place to make wine. However, after visiting the region Edoardo Miroglio, formerly an Italian textile producer, decided to set up a winery. His dream was accomplished in 2002 when he established the eponymously named Edoardo Miroglio Wine Cellar. The winery is based near the village of Elenovo, where they grow a range of varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Mavrud and Pinot Noir.

This week�s wine is his Pinot Noir. It is aged for 12 to 15 months in barrel, and has a further 6 months ageing in bottle before being released. An interesting twist of the 2007 vintage is the addition of the �Nova Zagora� PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) to the label. This PDO came into existence on January 26th 2007 and appears to only have one restriction � the grapes must be grown in the nominated region.

I first tasted this wine in 2004 and have enjoyed several vintages since. I re-tasted it recently in Pollen Street Social with Ollie (my flatmate). He was very taken aback by the fact I had ordered a Bulgarian wine. However, upon tasting it his initial fears were allayed and we were able to enjoy a great wine with some superb food. In fact, he enjoyed the wine so much that he bought a case, and it is one of those bottles (thanks Ollie) that I�m using to write this review.

Tasting Note:
The Edoardo Miroglio Pinot Noir has lovely aromas of red cherries, raspberries, and an almost meaty note. The palate is firm yet juicy, with the ripe fruit being complemented perfectly by gorgeous spicy flavours, particularly cloves. The racy acidity keeps the fruit balanced, the tannins are soft and almost silky, the finish is long and elegant. As with last week�s wine (Lapalu Brouilly) don�t be afraid to serve this wine slightly chilled, especially in warm weather.

Producer:
Whilst Jean-Claude Lapalu could be seen to be following in the family’s footsteps by becoming the 3rd generation of winemakers, he has taken a very different approach. He founded the Domaine in 1996 and ceased selling to the local co-operative in order to concentrate on making wine the way he wanted to. Lapalu has a total of 12 hectares of old vines, ranging from 60 to 80 years old. He uses no chemicals in the vineyards, the grapes are grown according to organic principles, and he is currently in the process of converting to Biodynamics. All of the grapes are hand-picked, and no Sulphur Dioxide is used in the winemaking (this can be risky, as the sulphur helps to prevent the juice spoiling, and the wine can be ruined if the grapes and vinification are not both handled very carefully).

This is Jean-Claude’s top cuvee “La Croix des Rameaux”, the vines grow on steep slopes near his winery in Saint-Etienne-la-Varenne. The wine is not made with “carbonic maceration” (one of the more common wine-making techniques in Beaujolais) but with a traditional fermentation. The wine is then aged in 3 to 5 year old barrels for around 9 months.

Tasting Note:
The first time I had this wine was at Terroirs Wine Bar (Charing Cross, London) and I enjoyed it so much that I went straight out and bought another bottle. This, as you may have gathered, is not your standard Beaujolais. It has all of the fun and fruit of a good Beaujolais, but with real depth and complexity.

The nose has exquisite aromas of rich blackcurrants, black cherries, violets. All of this is complemented by undertones of freshly cut hay. The palate is juicy, and elegant, with an attractive backbone; thanks to the ripe tannins, and firm acidity. The mouth-feel is velvety and amazingly textured; it lingers on the palate for minutes leaving you with a fresh mineral taste.

Producer:
St Hallett was originally established by the Lindner family in 1944. As with most wineries in South Australia at the time, it was initially focused on making fortified wines. It wasn’t until the 1970s that they started to make table wines. The St Hallett winery is based in the Barossa, South Australia, and they source all of their fruit from the region.

Whilst the top of the range St Hallett is the Old Block, it is the Blackwell Shiraz which has long been a favourite of mine. It is named in honour of their chief winemaker, Stuart Blackwell, who has been in charge since 1973. The grapes for Blackwell Shiraz come from two particular vineyards in the Western and Northern regions of Barossa. The first is Seppeltsfield where the Shiraz (Syrah) grows on an undulating terrain that was first planted around 1850. The second is the Ebenezer vineyard which was also first established in the 1850s; the vines are between 10 to 20 years old and are planted on brown earth.

Tasting Note:
The wine is matured in a combination of one and two year old American oak barrels for 20 months before it is coarse filtered, thus avoiding stripping away too many flavours. This wine is a complete contrast to last week’s wine,Wind Gap Syrah,as this is a much bigger, richer and warmer style of wine.

The nose is crammed full with aromas of black fruits, particularly black cherries. There are also notes of sweet spice, predominantly cinnamon and vanilla. The palate is rich and juicy, with a full-body, supple tannins and a velvety texture. The fruit characters are intense and echo the nose with additional notes of dark chocolate and liquorice. This wine has a remarkably long finish, lingering for up to a minute on the palate.

This is a softer, some might say more feminine, take on a Mint Julep. It makes an ideal pre-dinner cocktail, but is also great on a rainy afternoon – the combination of the warmth from the bourbon, and the sweet sunny flavours of the peach act as a reminder of those warm summer days. As Crème de Pêche (Peach Liqueur) is an additional ingredient to the ‘basic drinks cabinet’ it could also be used to make a great Peach Bellini. Any other uses drop us a message.

Ingredients:
Ice
2½ shots Bourbon
1 shot of Crème de Pêche
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
12 Mint Leaves
Sprig of Mint (to garnish)
Creates One Serving

Equipment
- Boston Shaker
- Strainer
- Shot Measure
- Muddler
- Bar Spoon
- Old Fashioned Glass
- Optional: Ice Crusher

Lay out all of the ingredients. Muddle 12 mint leaves into the Boston glass. Then add the bourbon, crème de pêchee and Angostura bitters.

Crush the ice, if you have one use an ice crusher, as pictured. Or wrap the ice up in a tea-towel and bash with a rolling pin – not too hard, we don't want you to break the kitchen table!

Add crushed ice to the old fashioned glass, make sure the glass is completely topped up with ice. Add non-crushed ice to the shaker, close it and shake. Pour through a strainer into the ice-filled glass.

Stir the drink with a bar spoon and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Producer:
AA Badenhorst Family Wines are made on the Kalmoesfontein farm in the Paardeberg area of the Swartland district. Kalmoesfontein is translated as Calamus Fountain. Calamus is a type of tall perennial wetland reed with scented leaves, common to the area. The farm was bought by cousins Hein and Adi Badenhorst who were both originally from Constantia. The two have completely restored the farm which was built in the 1800s, including the neglected cellar that was last used in the 1930s. They currently make five wines: a red and a white under the Secateurs label, and three under the AA Badendhorst Family wines label. A red, a white and an unusual solera aged white wine – which is simply bottled as ‘wine’.

It is the latter that I have chosen as my wine of the week, whilst I recommend trying all of the wines, the NV Solera is the most interesting. It is primarily a blend of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier (accounting for around 80% of the wine) with the rest being made up of a blend of eight other varieties! They wine is kept under a Solera system which has been running since 2007. The wine, like a Vin Jaune or a Sherry, develops Flor in the barrels, and they fill around 500 bottles per year. For more information on Solera or Flor have a look at my Sherry page.

Even more unusual developments are underway at Badenhorst with a “sherry” project using Palomino, Verdelho and Chenin Blanc.

Tasting Note:
The ‘Wine’ from Badenhorst has a lovely aroma of tropical fruit, particularly showing off gorgeous notes of passion-fruit and kiwi, these are backed up by almonds and sweet spice. The palate is intense with an elegant body and lovely firm acidity, the complex assortment of flavours include hay, spice, nuts and peach. The finish is long, silky and very creamy.

Producer:
Wind Gap is the latest project from Pam and Pax Mahle. It is all about making authentic and compelling wines from specific windy sites, particularly sites that are influenced by a ‘wind gap’. Wind Gaps are geological breaks in the coastal hills, which have the effect of funnelling the wind inland and boosting the growing and ripening of the grapes. Pam and Pax were previously involved in the Sonoma based winery Pax Wines, and quickly gained a reputation for making outstanding single-vineyard Syrahs. After a disagreement with their business partner they went their separate ways. Joe Donelan retained Pax Wines, and Pam and Pax starting Wind Gap.

Wind Gap’s vineyards are on the Sonoma Coast, which has recently become popular in California, with winemakers searching for the coolest plots of land. This is done either by choosing to plant vines at altitude, or by planting them close to the sea – Sonoma coast combines both altitude and proximity to the sea.

At Wind Gap they aren’t just proud of their wines, they also like to make a point of mentioning their green initiatives in the winery. This includes sourcing all packaging locally, and as you can see from the photo, no longer using a capsule – this is in order to reduce their carbon footprint. However, it has the added advantage of letting the customers see the condition of the cork sealing the bottle.

Tasting Note: This is the third vintage of Wind Gap Syrah and was the coolest of the three. The fruit is 100% Syrah and comes from two distinct Sonoma Coast vineyards: 35% Clary Ranch, Chileno Valley and 45% Nellessen Vineyard, Green Valley.

The nose of the Wind Gap Syrah is intense with rich, almost jammy black fruit notes, and hints of spice. The palate is incredible: brimming with cherry notes, black pepper, and tart blackberries. Unlike the nose initially suggests, this wine has a lovely elegance and a gorgeous stony minerality. The alcohol is completely integrated and the tannins are soft and round, with the intense fruit flavours being refreshed by the crisp acidity. This Syrah has an amazingly long and complex finish, it tastes more like a wine from the Northern Rhone than a typical Californian Syrah.

Producer:
The BenRiach Distillery is located in the ‘Heart of Speyside’, between the village of Rothes and the town of Elgin, in the North-East of Scotland. The BenRiach Distillery was built in 1898 by John Duff. It was mothballed (closed) after just two years and remained closed until 1965, when Glenlivet Distillers completely refurbished and reopened it. Throughout the eighties capacity was increased, but it was not until 1994 that the BenRiach was released as a single malt brand in its own right. The distillery was acquired in 2001 by Pernod Ricard and mothballed (for the second time) in 2002. In 2004 an independent consortium of Scotch whisky lovers, led by industry veteran Billy Walker, acquired the distillery and formed The BenRiach Distillery Company.

The BenRiach distiller is able to produce a large variety of styles of Scotch thanks to the combination of their traditional floor maltings with their distinctive pagoda style chimneys as these can produce peated, malted barley, as well as using Speyside’s more traditional unpeated malted barley.

The BenRiach 15 Year Old Pedro Ximinez finish is one of their unpeated styles. It is matured in American ex-bourbon barrels, and then transferred to Pedro Ximinez Sherry butts. The whisky terminology for this process is called a ‘Finish’; the reason for this second period of maturation is to add further characteristics depending on the liquid that was previously held in the barrel. Some of the most common finishes are: Madeira, Rum, Port but there are also more unusual finishes such as Sauternes. As you would imagine, spending a few years in a barrel that previously contained Pedro Ximinez (a sweet, sticky almost toffee like wine), will give the whisky raisined and almost sweet characteristics.

On the bottle they proudly mention that the whisky has its ‘natural colour’ and is ‘non chill filtered’. With larger scale production, there can be batch variations in colour so caramel is a legal addition to whisky which guarantees the same colour in all bottles, no matter where in the world you buy them. Chill filtering is a standard process where whiskies are chilled down to 0 degrees Centigrade and then filtered to remove some of the oily compounds. If these compounds aren’t removed then they can make the whisky go hazy if it is chilled or ice is added to it. Though it is suggested that these compounds add to the depth and complexity of the whisky, so filtering them strips some of the ‘taste’ from the whisky.

Tasting Note:
This BenRiach has striking aromas of honey and dried fruit, particularly raisins, plums, and dates. The rich body has lovely notes of dark chocolate and eucalyptus. The palate is smooth and has a long elegant finish brimming with orange notes.

Producer:
This estate was originally named La Maison Noble du Bayle until 1766 when a Bordeaux merchant, Pierre Guirad, purchased it. Ch�teau Guiraud was classified in 1855 as a Premier Grand Cru de Sauternes. The Ch�teau is now owned by Robert Peugeot (industrialist), Olivier Bernard (owner of Domaine de Chevalier), Stephan Von Neipperg (owner of Ch�teau Canon La Gaffeli�re) and Xavier Planty who have focused on improving biodiversity in the vineyards as well as improving the winemaking facilities at the Ch�teau.

Bordeaux is primarily known for its red wines, but is also celebrated for producing Sauternes – one of the greatest sweet wines in the world. In addition it has a long history of producing dry white wines. The best of these white wines have traditionally come from the Graves area, however more and more top Sauternes producers have been creating dry wines. The G de Ch�teau Guiraud is one such dry wine, and is made with 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% S�millon. The juice is fermented in the barrel and less stirring occurs before undergoing an additional nine months ageing in the barrel, before being bottled.

Tasting Note:
The G de Guiraud has a lovely golden colour and the nose is filled with tropical fruits (particularly mango), honey and rich spicy notes. The palate is crisp with intense flavours of pineapple, gooseberry, and hints of vanilla. This balanced wine is perfect for food – it would be a great match for seafood as well as pork dishes.

Producer:
Emilio Lustau was founded by Don Jos� Ruiz-Berdejo in 1896: the business was originally an almacenista (a “wholesaler” – which means they can’t sell their wines directly, but have to sell them on to “shipping bodegas”) and in fact it remained that way until the seventies. It was in the 1940’s that Don Jos�’s son-in-law, Don Emilio Lustau Ortega, took over the business and moved the bodega to the old quarter of Jerez. It was during the company’s expansion in the 1970s that they became shippers, and created a name for themselves as producers of top-quality sherries.

In 1990 the family run company became part of the Luis Caballero group; this has allowed Lustau the capital needed to expand. This includes the latest acquisition, in 2008, of La Ina and six bodegas that previously belonged to Domecq from Beam Global (the spirits arm of Fortune Brands, and current owner of Harveys Bristol Cream).

The most interesting part of this for me is that they are the only company that produce wines from each of the three Sherry towns: Jerez, El Puerto de Santa Mar�a and Sanl�car de Barrameda. So I thought it would be fun to compare all three side by side. The wines are all made by the same company and from the Palomino Fino grape. The only difference is that the wines have been aged in different towns.

Lustau Fino La Ina
La Ina is an iconic brand with a very long history, the original solera was founded in 1919 and Lustau have inherited 4,000 butts of Domecq’s old Soleras. For more information on the town, and Sherry in general click here. I have had a soft spot for La Ina for a few years now. On my first visit to Jerez my girlfriend and I got a late flight, and by the time we had checked into the hotel it was late. We went for a walk into town to grab some food, we found a restaurant on the Plaza de Plateros where, much to the surprise of my girlfriend, we polished off a whole bottle of La Ina with a ton of tapas.

Tasting Note:
The nose is lovely and buttery, with a rich almost hay-like quality to it, once it has opened up in the glass there are fragrant notes of lemon and honey. The palate is fresh with a mouth-filling roundness, and a superb textured palate, the finish is exquisite with slight hints of smoke.

Producer:
The Chapoutier family have a very long vinous history, they have been making wine in the Rh�ne valley since 1808. However, it is current owner Michel that has made the most radical changes; he has converted the majority of his estate to biodynamic farming, put Braille on all of the labels, and expanded his vineyard holdings within the Rh�ne. He has also bought vineyards in Roussillon, Australia, Portugal, and his most recent acquisition is Schieferkopf in Alsace. He is also, according to Decanter magazine, looking for land in England to plant vines. The most interesting property for me, excluding the rumours of English wine, is the estate in Alsace as it is a complete move away from the traditional Rhone varieties* – the focus of his other properties. However, as these wines are currently unavailable in the UK, this week the Wine of the Week is one of his top Rhone whites.

Chante-Alouette (literally translated Sing-Lark) is one of the oldest plots in the vineyards of Hermitage. The soils are Loess covered by chalky-clay, and the vines have a full southerly exposure. Chante-Alouette is made from 100% Marsanne and the grapes are hand harvested. Fermentation takes place in a mix of new oak barrels and stainless steel vats before being aged in oak for between 10 to 12 months prior to bottling.

* The best known Rh�ne varieties include: Syrah, Grenache, Mourv�dre, Carignan, Cinsault, Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Piquepoul Blanc, Clairette.

Tasting Note:
The Chapoutier Chante-Alouette 2007 has an incredibly intense nose revealing aromas of quince, lemon, and spices followed by a floral (blossom) note. The palate is oily and rich, with a lovely velvety body which is filled with complex notes of peach, honey and almonds. The crisp acidity balances the weight, and enables the wine to have a very long finish.

Producer:
Miguel Merino is based in the historic town of Briones in the Rioja Alta, Spain. Whilst the vineyards surrounding the town have been producing high quality grapes for hundreds of years, the grapes were usually sold to prominent wineries in nearby Haro.

The vines for the Gran Reserva are planted on low yielding calcareous slopes. They use two separate parcels of vines whose average age are 36 and 54 respectively. The grapes are hand-picked, with the Gran Reserva being made with only the best fruit from the best years. The wine is matured for 30 months in new oak* before being bottled and aged for a further 5 years in their cellars.

*For the wood geeks among us, around two thirds of the barrels are French from the Tron�ais Forest (Allier), and the rest is American oak.

Tasting Note:
The Miguel Merino Gran Reserva 2000 has a warm and comforting nose. It shows a lot of spices, particularly vanilla and cloves, but this is followed by notes of redcurrant and raspberries. The palate has lots of freshness, and this acidity is balanced by the intensity of the fruit. This wine has clearly seen a lot of oak, but with nearly nine years ageing in bottle it has integrated beautifully, and after an hour or so in a decanter this wine really shows its full potential. A great Rioja from a small producer which still shows so much life after 11 years. Definitely one to hold onto for at least another 5 years.

Producer:
James and Annie Millton established their vineyard in 1984 after returning from Europe, where they had gained oenological experience at Champagne Bollinger, Maison Sichel in Bordeaux and Weingut Kurstner in the Rheinhessen. Their winery is located on the banks of the Te Arai River, and their vineyards were originally developed in the late 1960's by Annie’s father.

The small Te Arai vineyard (2.82 ha) is five kilometres from the sea and is bounded on three sides by the Te Arai River, which originates in the hills of the Waingake Valley. Traditional viticulture is practised in the vineyard with no insecticide, herbicide, systemic fungicide or soluble fertilisers being used. Millton Vineyard was New Zealand’s first commercial fully-certified organic winegrowers, and have been certified as biodynamic since 2009.

As a side note, it’s interesting and rare to see a New Zealand white under cork. I had a look at their webpage (near the end) and their explanation is that they are “not convinced with the screwcap. The only given is that the screwcap requires little effort or satisfaction to open and they are not prone to cork taint. But it doesn’t end there. We use either natural cork and stelvin depending on the style of the wine[...]we wish to use screw caps (stelvin) with the aromatic and fruity style wines, and natural cork with styles that have been barrel fermented.”

Tasting Note:
A lovely nose crammed full of dried fruits, quince, and cooked apples, followed by a hint of minerality. The palate is rich and full bodied, with quite an oily texture. The wine is almost off-dry, with hints of sweetness, but it is kept in balance by the crisp acidity. This is a great example of what Chenin Blanc can and should taste like.

Producer:
The Appleton Estate has a long history having been established in 1749. It is situated in the Nassau Valley, deep in the heart of Jamaica’s countryside. The amazing thing with Appleton Estate is that all of the sugar cane used in their rums is grown on the estate. The estate also has their own spring and they use the naturally filtered water in the making of their rums. Unlike some rums, the age statements on their bottles are minimum ages. This means, as with Scotch Whisky, that the age on the label must be that of the youngest component.

For the Appleton Estate 30 Year Old, each rum used in the blend was aged individually for a minimum of eight years before being blended and aged in oak barrels for an additional 22 years. This very rare spirit is the oldest commercially available rum, and is completely hand-crafted by Master Blender Joy Spence.

Tasting Note: My notes are from their launch tasting and say that they used American oak barrels, and that the rums used for the blend were 30 to 35 years old.

At first the nose was quite closed, followed by quite oaky notes – not just vanilla and spice, but actually quite woody. It was only after a couple of swirls that fruitier notes were revealed – dried fruit, and orange peel.

The palate was brimming with dark chocolate, cinnamon, and toffee. The alcohol was very well balanced, and the finish was very long with an almost cognac like finish. At the tasting they had paired the rum with caramelised banana, which really brought out the 30 year old’s chocolatey notes.

This is a light and refreshing martini – perfect for a sunny spring or summer’s day. The cucumber is a natural partner to the Hendricks gin; whilst the vodka adds some weight as well as providing an extra little kick.

Ingredients:
Ice
1 shot Hendricks Gin
1 shot Vodka
� shot Sugar Syrup (Sirop de Gomme)
Cucumber (around 5cm)
Creates One Serving

Equipment
- Boston Shaker
- Strainer
- Muddler
- Shot Measure
- Peeler
- Knife
- Chopping Board
- Martini Glass

Once you have laid out all your ingredients, chill the martini glass by adding ice and water it. Peel and cut about 5cm worth of cucumber into batons. Put the batons into the Boston glass (the cocktail shaker).

With your muddler (if you don’t have one use a rolling pin) crush the cucumber.

Once you have finished muddling the cucumber, add in a shot of gin, a shot of vodka, and half a shot of sugar syrup. Empty your now cold martini glass, and give it a quick shake to get rid of any leftover water. Add ice to your boston shaker, close it and shake.

Shake, strain and pour into the empty, chilled martini glass.

Add a twist of cucumber skin, and enjoy your Cucumber Martini!

This refreshing punch, is a great long drink for a summer barbecue. The combination of the spice from the bitters works wonders with the aromas of citrus and mint. Simple to make, and not too alcoholic.

Ingredients:
Ice
1� shots Dark Rum
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 shot Lime Juice
� shot Sugar Syrup (Sirop de Gomme)
1 shot Water
Twist of Orange (to garnish)
Sprig of Mint (to garnish)
Creates One Serving

Equipment
- Boston Shaker
- Strainer
- Shot Measure
- Knife
- Chopping Board
- Old Fashioned Glass

Once you have laid out all your ingredients, chill the old fashioned glass by adding ice and water it. Add the rum, Angostura bitters, sugar syrup, lime juice, and water to the Boston glass.

Empty the chilled old fashioned glass, remembering to shake any water out. Add as much ice as possible to the glass, and then add ice to the shaker, close it and shake. Pour through a strainer into the glass.

Garnish with a sprig of mint and an orange twist.

What equipment do I need to make cocktails?
The most important ingredient for cocktails is ice. Ollie and I may make more cocktails than the average household (I wish that had been a question in the recent census) but we go through around 4 kilos (2 bags) of ice a week. The large amount of ice we go through is not because we drink a massive amount of cocktails, it’s because ice is vital. You will need ice to pre-chill the glass, you will also need some for the shaker, and lastly some cocktails require ice in the finished drink either cubed or crushed!

Ok, ok. Ice is important, but apart from ice. What equipment do I need to make cocktails?
Just below is a list of equipment to make cocktails properly. However, as long as you have the correct ingredients, and a way to measure them (see extra tips), all you really need is ice and something to shake them in. A friend of ours suggests using a jam jar instead of a shaker, and then to pour the cocktail through a tea-strainer!! Necessity is the mother of all invention.

Essentials
Ice
A Shaker - preferably a Boston shaker (see below), but anything that you can seal tightly and shake will do.
Shot Measure - cocktail-making is similar to baking, to get it right you have to be precise. You can always use a measuring jug!
Strainer – the traditional one is a Hawthorn strainer – a spring wrapped around a metal circle with a handle – you can always use a sieve (or tea-strainer).
A Sharp Knife - you can’t cut or peel your garnish without it.
A Chopping Board - I suppose this is technically optional but the idea of worktops and tables being scratched, not to mention the knives being ruined, because I didn’t suggest it was too much to bear!!

Optional
Muddler - I’ve always found the end of a rolling pin does a great job, however anything that will crush the juice out of your preferred fruit or herb will do.
Cocktail Spoon - Used for stirring, and layering cocktails, it also normally has a flat end for muddling. Whilst stirring is essential, I find layering a little too much in a home bar. It’s bad enough that I subject my guests to a 5 minute wait if they request a cocktail, without adding to their pain by delaying the drink because I have to keep the colours separate.

What is and how do I use a Boston shaker?
A Boston shaker looks like a pint glass and a metal container. It is the standard shaker that you will see being used in bars. The reason for this is that it’s easy to clean, can fit more ingredients in, and looks better. The idea is to mix all of the ingredients into the pint glass, add the ice and then add the metal part – preferably at a slight angle (for ease of removal). Give it a good shake (with a hand on each part of the shaker) and once the metal base is almost freezing to touch, stop shaking. At this point make sure the metal container is on the bottom and tap the metal to release the glass. Whatever you do, don’t tap the glass or try to dislodge by yanking it left and right. The metal is flexible and can take a hard hit, the glass will just shatter – ruining the shaker and more importantly your cocktail!!!

What are the basic spirits I need for a bar?
Gin, white rum, dark rum, bourbon, brandy, vodka, bitters (there are lots out there, but Angostura bitters are a great all rounder).

What other ingredients do I need?
Sugar syrup (Sirop de Gomme) is vital. It is cheap to buy and easy to make (external link to recipes). You can even make flavoured ones, by putting your chosen flavouring inside the bottle and leaving it to macerate for a day. It is also worth always having limes and mint around.

What glassware do I need?
Ideally, you need at least a few martini glasses, some old fashioned and highball glasses. However, as long as you can fit the whole drink in the glass – including ice if needed – the taste is more important than the look. Though being able to serve the correct drink in the right glass is always nice – that’s why the best bars get away with �11 a cocktail – if it looks good, it’ll probably taste good.

Any extra tips?
The most important thing with cocktails, and the main reason Ollie’s cocktails taste better, is to measure accurately. If you follow a recipe to the millimetre it should taste good.

Pre-chill the glass that you are going to serve your cocktail in. Another important component is to have your garnish prepared before you start making your cocktail. If you start making your garnish after or during the cocktail making you risk diluting the drink. Straws can add a nice touch and help get through any ice.

One way to make not only a good impression, but to add to the overall taste of your cocktail is to flame your citrus twist. Once you have made your citrus twist (by carefully removing the peel, and making sure that there is no white skin left on the peel, it’s wrong to take the pith) light your match (or lighter) and squeeze the peel over the drink through the flame. It takes a bit of practise but once you get it right, it not only improves your drink with a caramelised citrus flavour, but also looks cool. Always make sure that you don’t have any zest on your hand as it will also be set alight, also don’t put the lighter over the drink as it will make the cocktail taste burnt.

What is decanting?
Decanting is the act of transferring wine from a bottle into a decanter, carafe, or jug. This dates back to a time before glass bottles were common when wines would have been drawn straight from casks and served in jugs. Once bottling had become more common, it would usually have been at the wine merchant or importer, rather than at the winery. This means that the filtering and fining* that now occurs would rarely have taken place; leading to wines with deposit after a few years in bottle. Once you opened the wine, the simplest way to avoid deposit in your glass was to decant the wine into another vessel, and stop pouring before the sediment hit the glass.

So why are decanters still used?
Young wines can benefit from decanting, as this aerates the wine. Not only does the act of pouring the wine into a decanter (or jug) increase the contact of the wine with air, once in the decanter a greater surface area is exposed to air. This aeration alters the wine; it softens it and can encourage more complex aromas that would normally have developed with age.

How long do I decant?
Unfortunately there is no exact answer. If it is a relatively young wine (2-4 years old) then a two or three couple of hours should be fine. However, if you have friends coming round for dinner, and you forget don’t worry too much. It’s always an interesting experiment to see how much the wine changes (hopefully improving) as the dinner goes on.

Should I always decant?
Decanting can do wonders to a young wine, but can also help bring out the character of an older wine. Old wines (this term is relative, but in this instance I mean wines that are over 20 years old) should only be decanted if they are throwing sediment, and this should be done just before serving. This is because an old wine is more fragile and will oxidise rapidly, increasing the risk of stripping the aromas from a delicate wine.

*Fining is the adding of a substance to a wine in order to remove organic compounds. This is usually to help improve clarity. This process is used in both brewing and fermentation, traditionally this was done with a variety of substances such as egg whites, blood, milk, and carrageen moss. Nowadays, these substances have been mainly replaced by isinglass and bentonite (a type of clay).

Why glass?
There are many different shapes and materials used for drinking; from metal tankards, to pottery goblet; all the way to the wooden masu traditionally used for sake. However, when it comes to tasting, and more importantly the assesment of the quality of wine, glass is the best material. Simply put, glass does not impart a taste on the wine, clear glass makes it easy to judge all the nuances in the colour of the wine, a stem makes it easy to swirl the glass – therefore releasing the wine’s aromas.

How many glasses do I need?
Whilst there are now different glasses for nearly every type of wine or variety of grape, it is not necessary to have a large range of glasses. It is very easy to get away with just a good quality set of flutes and two sets of wine glasses, one with a larger bowl than the other.

Which type of glass should I get?
The best style of wine glass is one that tapers from the bowl towards the rim. The logic behind this, is that the bowl allows a large amount of the surface area of the wine to be in contact with oxygen, releasing its aromas. As the aromas rise they are concentrated by the narrowing of the glass, bringing all those aromas straight to your nose.

How much wine should I put in the glass?
One of the most important things when tasting wine is not to put too much in the glass. The reasons for this are twofold. If the glass is overfilled there is a high likelihood of wine being spilled when it is swirled, more importantly the wine will not have enough room to breath in the glass.

What about sparkling wine?
The general consensus in the last couple of decades is that the thin flutes are better than the large bowled coupes. The reason for this is that flutes limit the space for carbon dioxide to escape from, which means that the bubbles will last longer. The large drawback is that this does not allow as much of the aroma to come through on the nose. The current trend is for wide-bowled flutes, this allows the wine to breath without the bubbles dissipating to rapidly.

How do I clean my glasses?
Unfortunately, detergents and therefore dishwashers are best avoided. This is because detergent can build up in the glass, which not only affects the smell and taste, but can also prevent bubbles being released in sparkling wines. The best way to clean glasses is with hot water, and then leaving them upside down to drip dry. Once they are dry they can be polished with kitchen paper, or a glass cloth that has not been washed with detergent. Once the glasses are clean, they should be stored upright as otherwise there is the risk of stale smells being trapped in the bowl.

That seems like a lot of trouble, is there a quicker way?
In a word, no. Personally, I have a set of ISO tasting glasses (imagine a sherry copita) which I use for everyday wines, which go in the dishwasher. I then have two sets of Riedel glasses which I use when I’m writing a tasting note, and for special wines, these are only washed by hand!

As you may have seen on the home page, there is a little symbol next to each of the tasting notes. These symbols relate to how that day has been “classified”, based on the moon moving through the twelve constellations of the zodiac in turn. The constellations are each connected to one of the four elements: Earth is root; water is leaf; air is flower; fire is fruit. This calendar was first published in the 1950s by Maria Thun, and is used as a guide to know when to sow, plant, harvest, and so on. It has also led to certain days being judged as better or worse to taste wines.

When tasting many things will influence us, including: atmospheric pressure, your mood, the people around you, and even how dry your nasal passages are. If you are in a good mood, the sun is shining, you feel relaxed and are with friends; the wines are likely to taste better. It’s similar to the wines that people enjoy on holiday, if they bring a bottle back home they find that they don’t enjoy it as much. Personally I don’t take it too seriously, but find it quite interesting to keep track of. Have a go at home, and come to your own conclusions.

Sherry is a fortified wine, which is a wine made with the addition of a spirit (usually grape brandy), like Port, Madeira or Vin Doux Naturel. It is made from white grapes, usually Palomino Fino (a local variety) but it can also be made from Moscatel (Muscat of Alexandria), or Pedro Xim�nez. Sherry has the long winded Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) of “Jerez-X�r�s-Sherry y Manzanilla de Sanl�car de Barrameda.”. This must be on each bottle, the solution is a neat logo (to the right). This has to be one of the rare PDOs with its name in three languages (Spanish, French, and English).

Where is it from?
Sherry comes from the region of Andaluc�a on the tip of Spain; more specifically it comes from within the Sherry triangle, which is formed by the cities of Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa Mar�a and Sanl�car de Barrameda.

Whilst the ageing of the wines (explained in more detail below) in these three cities is similar, the difference in micro-climate changes the flavour of the wines completely. The main reason for this is that the Flor yeast that covers the surface of the wine in the barrels, favours a cool, humid climate.

Jerez
This is the largest city in the area and is where the majority of the regions wines are produced. It is located upon one of many hills which dominate a wide open landscape of albariza soil (a type of white marl). Being the furthest of the three towns from the sea, the temperature is higher and the wines generally have more body than the wines of El Puerto and Sanl�car.

El Puerto de Santa Mar�a
This town is built on the bank of the River Guadalete where it flows into the Bay of Cadiz. This historic town, famous for its fishing port as well as its wine, has diversified into a tourist resort. This is the smallest of the three towns, storing just 5% of all Sherry. The climate here is cooled by the Atlantic winds, and in summer is on average ten degrees centigrade less than the town of Jerez. This helps to preserve the Flor, and create lighter, more elegant wines.

Sanl�car de Barrameda
Sanl�car is further north and is on the opposite bank to the Do�ana National Park (a protected wetland). The wines here are lighter still, and are often described as having a salty tang. Around 15% of Sherry is stored here and they have their own PDO Manzanilla.

How is it made?
There are two basic styles of Sherry; those that have been aged under Flor such as Fino, Amontillado and Palo Cortado; and those that have been aged oxidatively like Oloroso. The other difference is the amount of grape brandy added if the wines are aged under Flor they are only fortified up to 15%, as opposed to 17% for Oloroso.

What is Flor?
Flor is a film of naturally occurring local yeasts, they float on top of the wine and feed off a combination of the remaining sugars, dissolved oxygen, alcohol. This skin of yeast protects the wine from oxidation as well as adding another dimension of flavour to the wine. To survive, the Flor needs a relatively cool temperature, as well as a humid atmosphere. This is why the wines of the more humid coastal towns (Sanluc�r and El Puerto) have a thicker layer of Flor. The thinner the layer of Flor, the less protection there is from oxidation. This explains the richer style of wine from the warmer town of Jerez. The Flor would die out naturally, but is kept alive by the continual replenishment of the butts with younger wines (replacing the vital nutrients). Flor is a rare phenomenon but not limited to Jerez, as well as the nearby Montilla, and Huelva; Vin Jaune in the Jura (France) and Tojaki (Hungary) also have similar naturally occurring film-forming yeast.

What types of Sherry are there?
Those in green have been aged under Flor, whilst those in red are aged in contact with oxygen.

Fino/Manzanilla
Fino is the lightest and driest style of sherry. This wine is aged in barrels that aren’t completely full to allow the Flor to develop. It is made in all three sherry towns and can be sold as simply Fino, or with a reference to the town it was produced in: Fino de Jerez (around 80% of production); Fino del Puerto – from El Puerto de San Mar�a; and Manzanilla from Sanl�car de Barrameda. As the wines age and the Flor starts to die off they develop more body and can be sold as Fino Amontillado, or the equivalent from Sanl�car, a Manzanilla Pasada.

Amontillado
An Amontillado sherry is a Fino which has been left to age once all the Flor yeast has died. This means that the wine has aged biologically (under Flor) and then oxidatively. It is this second stage that turns the wine a light brown or amber colour and gives it a more nutty flavour.

Oloroso
Oloroso is a wine that either did not develop Flor or had alcohol added to it in order to stop Flor developing. This wine has been aged in the Solera system, like the Finos and Amontillados, but it hasn’t been protected from the oxygen by a veil of yeast. This style of sherry is richer, nuttier and darker. It is naturally dry however, many are sweetened by the addition of Pedro Xim�nez �or Moscatel wines. Olorosos are higher in alcohol generally around 18 to 20%.

Palo Cortado
Palo Cortado is the rarest, and my favourite of the different styles of Sherry. It is a half-way house between an Amontillado and an Oloroso. These wines will initially have been fortified to 15% to allow Flor to develop (as with a Fino), however after a few months ageing the wines were found to be more similar in style to an Oloroso. The cask will then be marked with a horizontal line over the original slash mark, and the wine will be fortified to 17% and aged oxidatively. Jancis Robinson describes Palo Cortados as having “the elegance of the Amontillado with the power and body of the Oloroso.”

Pedro Xim�nez
Pedro Xim�nez or PX for short is made by first leaving the grapes to raisin (and therefore concentrate) in the sun. The grapes will then be pressed, and the juice taken off the skins and fermented. The fermentation is then stopped artificially by adding grape brandy so as to keep a high level of sugar in the wine. Before being aged in a Solera system. PX can either be sold as a single varietal wine, or used to sweeten other styles of Sherry.

Moscatel
Moscatel de Alejandr�a (Muscat of Alexandria) will be made in exactly the same way as PX. These wines will again either be bottled as Moscatel or used to sweeten other styles of Sherry.

Cream Sherries
This is a blend of traditional style Sherry with sweet wine (either PX and/or Moscatel), this was specifically created for the British market and the most famous brand Harveys Bristol Cream is still the best selling sherry in the UK. There are three styles of Cream Sherry:

What exactly is the Solera method?
A Solera is a system of fractional blending, the name comes from the barrels closest to the floor (suelo). This system has several advantages: it maintains the quality and style, as well as refreshing the nutrients for the Flor yeast. The way it works is that a fraction of wine is removed from the oldest scale of the solera and bottled. The bottom or solera barrels are then topped up with the younger wines from the next scale known as the first criadera. These are in turn topped up by the scale that is two years younger the second criadera. This goes on until the youngest scale is being replenished with new wine. Amontillado and Oloroso are richer wines and will need fewer scales than Fino/Manzanilla as they vary less from year to year. This process of transferring from one barrel to another is known as running the scales.

The Bodegas
The sherry bodegas vary in style (ranging from modern concrete warehouses to very old traditional buildings), and in size (from three storey complexes to small halls). They do however, have a few things in common. They usually have very high ceilings, this keeps the cellars cool as the hot air rises away from the barrels. The bodegas will also have been built to face the Poniente (westerly wind blowing in from the Mediterranean). When this cooling breeze blows, the large doors of the bodegas are opened to help increase the circulation of the air. The bodegas put Albero sand (absorbent yellow sand that is also used in bullrings) on the floor, which they irrigate to maintain humidity. Finally the walls of the bodega are usually very thick (around 60cm) which provides good insulation. These walls are whitewashed, which deflects the sun’s rays and further helps to keep the bodegas cool. All of these measures are to try to keep cool and stable conditions within the bodega.

What are sherries of certified age?
There are two designations for very old sherries: V.O.S and V.O.R.S. Sherries judged to be over 20 years old can use V.O.S (Vinum Optimum Signatum) on the label, handily for English speakers V.O.S can also be expressed as Very Old Sherry. Sherries judged to be over 30 years old can use V.O.R.S (Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum) on the label with English speakers using Very Old Rare Sherry in its place. These wines will have gone through the Solera system, and are therefore blends of different vintages, so the producers have to submit samples for chemical analysis and to a Tasting Panel before they are allowed to use the label.

More information
If you would like to find out more about the fascinating subject that is Sherry, there are two brilliant books the first is sadly out of print but available second hand – Sherry by Julian Jeffs

The second is a book that focuses solely on Sanl�car de Barrameda and of course Manzanilla in particular – Manzanilla by Christopher Fielden and Javier Hidalgo