With few exceptions, they’re big, bold wines with the concentration to mop up lashings of American oak.  (Photo credit: Kay Brothers).  Not necessarily my favourite style, but the line up included some great, unmistakably Aussie wines from Kay Brothers, Gibson, Kaesler, Hentley Farm,  Shirvington and Wild Duck Creek.

You’ll find my pick of the bunch on my Australia Regional Report page here.

And it wasn’t just about the richness of port and chocolate.  Spicy, aromatic ginger top notes – fresh, infused ginger according to Exec Chef Derek Quelch – chimed magnificently with the esteva (gum cistus) notes in the port.  Stunning and I do believe that the Warres is one of the many vinous treats on the wine list, so you can check it out for yourself.

My runner up food and wine match prize goes to Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Vaillons Premier Cru 2007 (£20.99 at Waitrose) with marinated smoked haddock with horseradish and herb salad.  On paper, I’d been worried about the horseradish and subtlety of the smoking, but Quelch marinades the very subtly smoked haddock in lemon juice with a wee smidge of fresh horseradish for just a minute.  That being the case, the Chablis’ minerality and freshness shone through, its citrus notes deliciously accentuating the lemon kick of the dish.

Best to adopt the brace position when tasting young Anjou Cabernet, Franc or Sauvignon -   predominantly schist soils make for fearsome tannins.  And I realised, as I broached this pre-Salon tasting at the imposing Château Brissac, that I was still recoiling from the memory of the previous year.  Then, not only was I faced with the more difficult 2006 vintage but, despite a month’s notice, the organisers declined to cater for a lone veggie for the post-tasting dinner.  Having persuaded them that I’d still like to come, the tasting being the main event (at least for me…), I arrived to discover that even the tannin-ballasting bread provided for the tasting was lardon-studded – only in France!

Anyway, moving swiftly on, no-one could be more pleased that the 2008s were a walk in the park, thanks to a mild summer followed by a dry, sunny September.  These were, in the main, aromatic and elegant wines with well-defined red fruits and refined tannins.   You will find full tasting notes of my highlights, notably those from Domaines de Montgilet, de Bablut and de Haute Perche on my Loire Regional Report page here.

Ex-Rustenberg man Adi Badenhorst’s Paardeberg Rhone blends, white and red, were one of my finds of the 2008 Cape Fair (see here).  A A Badenhorst Family Red 2006 received plenty of plaudits when I showed it at my “Cape Rhone blends with a twist tasting” last summer (reported here).  The only grievance?  That it wasn’t available on these shores.  Well good news! South African specialist importers Swig have recently added Adi’s wines to their list.

Even better, at the Specialist Importers’ Trade Tasting last week, I got my mits on a pair of Secateurs, Adi’s entry level white and red (hmm looks like Adi has lost a pair of secateurs in the picture).  As Adi puts it, Secateurs come from the world’s smallest co-op, its sole members comprising Adi and his neighbour.  My March Wines of the Month, Secateurs white and red are quite simply knock out value for money for this level of complexity.

A A Badenhorst Secateurs White 2009 – 90% Chenin Blanc cropped at a measly 2.5t/acre, it shows bright tropical fruit, flowers, honey and aniseed – the latter a characteristic trait of old vine Paardeberg Chenin, as is the underlying minerality and balancing freshness.  Rich and ripe but it’s no cloy boy.  As for the winemaker, he’s no coy boy – I quote from the website here “the property is owned by the dynamic and good looking cousins Hein and Adi Badenhorst….” RRP £8.50, contact Swig

A A Badenhorst Secateurs Red 2007 – a co-fermented blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Merlot, Carignan, Cinsault and Grenache, this is earthy and dark – liquorice not aniseed, with round and fleshy bonfire toffee-edged plum and blackberry fruit.  Should be on every self-respecting sausage and mash serving gastro pub’s wine list.  RRP £9.50, contact Swig

Dirk’s point was to highlight the dangers of rating vintage port without giving it an opportunity to evolve. As Dirk puts “it’s port not whisky, it’s alive!”  The outcome – an overwhelming preference (shared by my peers) for the ports that had been opened two days beforehand.

In Dirk’s opinion, at the very least, samples should be tasted in the morning then in the afternoon to gain a better insight into the quality and future of a vintage port – “it takes time to express itself and first impressions change.”

The reason for recounting this is that American port specialist Roy Hersh, who publishes the website For the Love of Port,  has just published his 2007 Vintage Port Forecast, see here.  In my September report I mentioned that Hersh wins big respect from the port producers (and me) because he tastes a bottle on a dozen different occasions before rating it – you’ll see that his forecast is based on a marathon  six months of blind tasting and 350+ individual tasting notes.  For the love of port indeed!  It’s a fascinating read with some surprise ratings –  I’d really recommend you check out this work of time.

You can read more about the project here in a piece I wrote for Jancis Robinson’s website last year, but you’ll see it’s aimed exclusively at Touraine and Vins de Pays du Val de Loire wines, not Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé et al.  The brief is to select those wines  – “ambassadors” – that panel members felt were most appropriate for the UK market.

It’s a rigorous process and, in my opinion, one its best features – the provision of detailed, constructive feedback on each wine – goes to the heart of the project.  This is not just another competition, winner takes it all.  It’s about uplifting overall quality by sharing with producer participants those respects (stylistic or quality-oriented) in which their wines do or do not meet the expectations of the UK market.

I’ll be speaking with Sam Harrop MW (project consultant) about the results and will write about them at greater length afterwards.  Meantime, the ardent cross-referencers amongst you will notice that, though the field was bigger this year, there are fewer ambassadors than last year (23 this year, 29 in 2008).  For me, it reflects a tricky vintage, with volumes 39% up on last year and some pretty hot weather which served reds well, but less so aromatic and fresh styles of white wine.  I wasn’t as excited by Sauvignon Blanc at the Salon either.

Press release: “Twenty-three wines were selected on 18 and 19 February as this year’s Sauvignon Blanc de Loire Project Ambassadors. The wines, all from the 2009 vintage, were chosen by a panel of four UK wine professionals, led by Sam Harrop MW. The all-female jury comprised journalists Sarah Jane Evans MW and Sarah Ahmed, and buyers Christine Parkinson from Hakkasan and Cat Lomax from Direct Wines.

The panel chose the wines which best represent the quality and terroir of Sauvignon Blanc de Loire in a range of styles from tropical fruit, through to citrus and herbal, which they considered have the best commercial chances of success in the British market. The tasting is part of the Sauvignon Blanc de Loire Project which is run by InterLoire, is managed by a local oenological technical team and has employed Harrop as its international consultant. The main purpose is to create a better profile for Sauvignon Blanc de Loire, and to raise the region’s image in order to increase the perception and value of the wines on the UK market.

Both the AOC and Vins de Pays ambassadors will be shown at this year’s London International Wine Fair in May. The AOC wines have also been entered into the International Wine Challenge and will be available to taste at France Under One Roof.

Sauvignon Blanc de Loire Project Ambassadors – 2009 Vintage

AOC Touraine Ambassadors

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc Secrets de Chai 2009, Les Vignerons des Coteaux Romanais

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc Tonnerre de Vignes 2009, Les Vignerons des Coteaux Romanais

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc Sélection Château Ante Vinum 2009, Château de Quincay

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Domaine de Fontenay

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Domaine de la Renne

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Domaine Malet

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc Elysis 2009, SICA des Vignerons de la Vallée du Cher

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc – les Grenettes 2009, Domaine Beauséjour

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Domaine Frissant

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc Châteauvieux Cuvée 2009, SAS Pierre Chainier

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc – Famille Bougrier 2009, SA Bougrier

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Domaine du Haut Perron

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Domaine Gibault

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc – Domaine Paul Buisse 2009, Domaine Paul Buisse

AOC Touraine Sauvignon Blanc – Cristal Buisse 2009, Domaine Paul Buisse

Vins de Pays Val de Loire Ambassadors

Vins de Pays Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc, Domaine Saint Roch, Bardon, 2009

Vins de Pays Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc, Domaine du Salvard, 2009

Vins de Pays Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc, Rémy Pannier, S.A. Ackerman, 2009

Vins de Pays Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc, Fauvette, S.A. Ackerman, 2009

Vins de Pays Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc, Domaine de la Houssais, 2009

Vins de Pays Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc, Privilège de Drouet, Drouet Frères/ Les Celliers de la Roche, 2009

Vins de Pays Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc, Désiré François,  Drouet Frères/ Les Celliers de la Roche, 2009

Vins de Pays Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvage de la Brie, Auguste Bonhomme/ Les celliers de la Roche, 2009″

Reason is I just had an email from Oz Wines.  They have a shipment en route for the UK and are taking orders for it now – apparently it’s sold out at over $80 Aussie dollars a bottle Down Under.

Here’s the word from Oz Wine:

“St Hallett Old Block Shiraz 2006 was named the number 1 wine in Australia (ahead of Penfolds Grange 2004 in second place) on the cover of the prestigious Aussie magazine, Wine 100….

Secure your stocks of Australia’s Number 1 Wine, St Hallett Old Block Shiraz 2006 at £323.88 per dozen NOW for delivery upon arrival in the third week of June 2010 www.ozwines.co.uk We will sell out. Offer limited to 3 cases per household. Just Call OZ WINES 0845 450 1261 to reserve yours or simply reply to this email!”

And my tasting note:

St Hallett Old Block Shiraz 2006 – winemaker Toby Barlow says the old vines that provide the goods for this wine are super fragile because the trunks are riddled with termites.  Old Block is always a blend of Barossa Valley and Eden valley fruit, this year from vines born in 1906, 1913, 1927 and 1950.  Great vines and a great vintage combine to make a cracking wine, which apparently has pipped Grange to the post in a Shiraz-off Down Under.  It’s a beautiful wine, very intense, tight-knit with gorgeous fruity purity and spice lift; not soft but strong and very long.

I ought to flag that I just checked importer Bibendum’s price – they’re retailing it online now for £122.55/6 bottles.  Quite a price difference, though I’ve not checked minimum order/delivery terms etc.  You’ll find fellow blogger Robert Giorgione’s notes of a recent Old Block vertical reported on Bibendum’s website here.

*And you’ll find my tasting note for Grange 2004 here – a report of a vertical tasting presented by Peter Gago last year.

Well, you may have guessed that Ricardo didn’t make it over this year. Fortunately, he and his family survived Madeira’s deadly deluge last Saturday (the death toll has now risen to over 40), though he told his importer that the devastation is unbelievable.  Barbeito’s shop (Diogos) in Funchal has “gone;” I was relieved to hear that the new winery, completed only last year, is unscathed.

The main purpose of this post is to alert you about a way to help relief efforts in Madeira.  Find out more here on the Catavino site, which gives you an idea of the scale of destruction.

On this tasting the 07 Falorca T-Nac still did me proud – a relief because this tasting took place on the eve of my 50 Great being unveiled in London!  My other picks of the bunch included the Burgundian Quinta da Falorca Reserva 2001, finesse-ful and harmonious Quinta da Falorca Touriga Nacional 2005 and Quinta da Falorca Garrafeira Old Vines 2004, a great wine for this vintage.

For full tasting notes of these and the other wines, see my Portugal Regional Report page here.  You will find detailed notes of my 50 Great tasting in London here.  On Monday, I’ll be posting my next Loire Salon Regional Report, focusing on a tasting of 2008 Anjou-Villages Brissac  – beautiful wines, floral, red-fruited and intense with a spine of tannins – like great Dão wines, which is why I mention it here.

Watching the BAFTAs last night, I’d quite forgotten about District 9 – a gripping, sometimes visceral, South African sci-fi film shot documentary style about aliens stranded in Johannesburg.  For some, South Africa overtaking France in wine sales might be as likely as an alien invasion, but it’s true!  Here’s an extract from a press release I’ve just received.  It may provoke a few visceral reactions over the channel and I’m not talking gallic shrugs!

“Latest figures from market analysts AC Nielsen show sales of South African wines have overtaken French for the first time in the UK wine market (volume MAT to 23/01/10). South African wine sales grew 20 percent, by volume, to 12,270,000 9L cases, compared to a decline in French wine sales of 12 percent, to 12,266,000 9L cases; South Africa is now the fourth largest selling country for wine in the UK.”