Wine Ranger

Majestic Recommendations

2012-12-03T10:59:00.001+00:00

I was putting together a list of recommendations for Christmas wines for my parents. They tend to use Majestic, an why not, good service and free delivery. Here are the best offers I could find, nothing earth shatteringly out of the ordinary but all excellent value at under £10

Red Bordeaux all £7.99

Château Bessan Ségur 2008 Cru Bourgeois, Médoc

Château Grivière 2004 Médoc, Cru Bourgeois

Château Méaume 2008 Bordeaux Supérieur (From their anniversary party)

Red Rhone (syrah)

Côtes du Rhône 2010 Vidal-Fleury (£6.99 - excellent value)

Guigal Cote du Rhone (£7.99)

Americas

Great Chilean Chardonnay (£6.99)

Quality Cab Sauv (£7.99)

Californian Cab Sauv (8.99)

New Zealand

The Ned Sauv Blanc (£6.99)

Fairleigh Estate Sauvignon Blanc (£5.99)

Fizz

Processco (£8.99)

Riesling

The Lodge Hill Riesling 2012 Jim Barry, Clare Valley (£9.99)

French White

Burgundy Chardonnay (£6.99)

Brindisa Eatery Review

2012-10-19T19:05:00.001+01:00

An occasional diversion to give you my thoughts on memorable meals. I have been a regular at the Brindisa stall in Borough market, enjoying their chorizo and pepper sandwiches and taking home the occasional ham ( yes, a whole ham). The arrival of some good news met my wife treated me to lunch at the Brindisa tapas restaurant. We started with a selection of iberico, Serrano and iberico de bellota ham, melting, creamy and salty, this was joined by a small plate of Bricks de Morecilla, small slices of black pudding wrapped in filo pastry and fried. The later was a new one for me and a wonderful mouthful of yumminess. I washed this down with a delicious Amontillado seco Napoleon, dry, rich and nutty, slightly chilled and very easy to drink.

Next up my wife opted for a signature dish, and seasonal, wild mushrooms on toast with truffle oil and shaved manchego cheese. Whilst the flavour, toast and cheese were generous, the mushrooms where not. I opted from the deep fried Monte Enebro goats cheese with honey and beetroot chips, it was utterly delicious but better suited to dessert as the honey emphasised the sweet creaminess of the cheese. I loved the balance of the salt cod and orange salad, with boiled egg and onions; salt, acid, sweetness all working harmoniously. The wine list has an extensive selection of wine by the glass (125ml) which mean you can play around with a different combinations, a small glass of a £50-60 bottle is not something you will see in many places. I chose a Pazo Senorans 2011, Alborino/Rias Baixas, full, aromatic and wonderfully balanced with great acidity and minerality.

It is fair to say that the generous portions would have made this a satisfying lunch as it was but the sight of black rice with fried squid and a further dish of pork belly with quince jam was too tempting and justifiable. I washed this down with a wonderful Valenciso Reserva Rioja 2005, soft and round but with strong dark fruit. You can eat quite modestly at Brindisa but go there with a sense of occasion and hungry eyes at your peril

Super Champagne

2012-10-18T12:53:00.002+01:00

We all know that champagne is supposed to be fabulous but we are too often let down by expensive acidic fizz from this eponymous region. What is really letting the side down is the cheap “diffusion” ranges from the Grand Marques, their top stuff is justifiably expensive. Heidsieck Rare is one of life’s real treats but try a certain wine famous of its very dark label and you will feel very disappointed with the bang per buck. You don’t have to spend lots or be disappointed with bulk champagne for the masses. There is a hidden secret in Champagne and that is grower champagne, artisan producers who can control volume and quality. They don’t have marketing and the sponsorship budgets of a small country to keep up the illusion they the bottle you buy because its supposed to be good, is actually good. Grand Marque champagne really can be a Emperor's New Clothes con-trick.

The Champagne Warehouse specialises in grower champagne, it is unlikely that you will have heard of any of their brands, “Quality Behind the Label” this their motto. Founded in 2000 by Tony Stones, they have the distinction of being the first wholly internet retailer to hold an alcohol licence. In a monastic-like atmosphere I tasted a range of wines, none of whichI had tried before but which surprised me with the consistent quality and, now, having seen the prices extraordinary value. They offer a number of Cava and Processcos but having tasted these after excellent champagne they were somewhat over-shadowed. Top producers from the day included Roger Legros from Prouilly north of Riems, Jannison et Fils in Verzenay, Montagine de Riems and Charles Ellner from Epernay

Roger Legros Brut £24.99

Predominately Pinot based, pale with a steely gold colour, balanced nose with a reductive edge, lots of layered fruit, hint of blackcurrant jelly.

Roger Legros Rosé £23.99

Onion skin colour, caramelised apples with strawberry, light brambly fruit with soft acidity

G Tribaut Grand Cuvée Spéciale £29

Chardonnay from 2006 and Pinot Noir from 2008, this wine is clean, dry and fresh with pears, quince and sweet Mirabelle fruit. Great toasty mouthful of boiled sweets and cleansing acidity

Charles Ellner Brut Integral £29

60/40% Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from old wines, 2003 and 04 this is great, fully reductive toasty brioche steely apple acidity, great balance and a long, mouth cleansing finish.

Charles Ellner Cuvée de Réserve £25

Chardonnay dominated wine from 2003/04 wines, this has rich brioche from 6 years on its lees. There is flint and soft fresh leafy fruit. A great wine

Charles Ellner Premier Cru £28

Again this wine is mostly Chardonnay with 9 years on lees, it is mostly the 2002 vintage. It is pale gold, rich reductive almost honeyed, it has nose of delicate honeysuckle, lemons, flint, brioche and Mirabelle plums.

Charles Ellner ‘Seduction’ 1999 c£35

Only 200 bottles of this antique style are produced in exceptional years, the Chardonnay is aged in oak prior to bottling and it spends an incredible 11 years on its lees. It is bright rich straw colour with a reductive/brioche flavour, think tarte tatin, quince and patisserie. Great length and a hint of burnt lemon. Incredible!

Jean-Paul Morel Carte Noir £24

This Pinot Noir led wine is pale straw with a full brioche nose. Rounded apply freshness with gooseberry/greengages, a fruit led fizz, its very classy. Reminded me of sherbet dips with a liquorice stick.

Jannison et Fils Brut Traditional c£24

Pale gold, fizzy pear nose, an explosion of bright fresh fruit; pears, quince and English apples. Perk acidity. Wow!

Janisson et Fils Grand Cru Rosé £33

Pale orange/pink, rich toasty nose boiled strawberry, dry finish with dark fruit shadow. The best wine of the day. Truly excellent

Chocolate and Wine, Easier than you Think

2012-10-08T18:53:00.001+01:00

There can be few better ways to start a Monday morning than tasting chocolates from Britain’s best chocolatier, William Curley matched with exquisite wine from the South of France. However, that was how my week started on a wet and miserable autumn London morning, the warming sweet wine of the South were to warm the palate and chocolate got the dopamine flowing.
Sarah Jane Evans MW under took some exhausting research to show the range and versatility the vin doux naturels of the South of France. Whilst the grapes and style of the wines differed, the production shared one common approach, the fermentation of the grape juice is stopped by the addition of grape spirit; the exact same method used in the production of Port. The addition of the spirit raises the alcohol to a level that kills off the yeast and retains the unfermented sugars in the must. The high alcohols and sugars lead to robust wines that have can be long lived but additionally, show more delicate charms whilst young. We tasted some delicate whites and some wood and bottle aged wine as well as solera aged wine. The later is blend of wines of different ages, like Sherry, the producer will keep a library of wines and will blend these vintages to give fabulous complexity and consistency.

The wines were matched with a range of pastries and chocolate.

Domaine Barroubio Muscat de St Jean de Minervois AOC Languedoc £12.50( Wine Society)

The first food match was a small fruit tart, with crème patisserie on a short pastry base. The wine was pale straw in colour with a hint of green, it was fresh and smelted of lemons and elderflower. The mouth-feel was soft and warm with peaches, apricots and butterscotch. Nice acidy to deal with the crème, serve cool but not too cold. It was suggested that this might suit some Christmas mince pies too! For another excellent Muscat de St Jean try this one from Alizarin Wine

Clos de l’Amandaie, Les Menades 2008 Pay d’Oc IGP c£30

Our pastry was a delicious mini Paris-Brest (named in honour of the cycle race), crisp choux pastry filled with praline cream and red jam. The wine chosen had a pale golden colour with rich, darker edges. The smell was sublime, roasted oranges, apricots and barley sugar, slightly reductive. The flavour was equally wonderful; intense orange peel with apricot jam and brioche.

Domaine Cazes, Ambré 1999, 16% Rivesaltes AOC, Roussillon £15

This biodynamic wine benefits from 7 years of oak aging and brings a complexity not dissimilar to tawny port. A mixture of Grenache blanc and gris grapes, it was matched with a dark chocolate granache with crunchy praline. The wine was dark amber, the colour of old wooden chairs. It had a heady, nutty aroma with rich dried apricots and peach. The flavour was a fresh but dense, dark and citrus. The combination with the chocolate brought out the orange notes in the mouth.

Domaine Coume du Roy, 16.5% 2008 Maury AOC, Roussillon

We are now looking at some of the red sweet wines of the south, the port parallel becomes stronger, but the French wines have a freshness and are lighter in alcohol. The Coume du Roy is a dense, deep purple colour, slightly cloudy at the edge with a dark, brambly jammy nose; lots of new leather, cassis and raspberries. The flavour is simpler; sweet cherries and liquorice. Paired with a cassis and hibiscus granache in a crisp dark chocolate shell the flavours suddenly boom into my mouth, an explosion of cassis that reduces the already soft tannins and tastes altogether less sweet.

Domaine de la Rectorie, Cuveé Parcés Frère 2010, Banyuls AOC, Roussillon £17.60

A sliver of crystallised grapefruit peel encases in crisp dark chocolate and coated in nibs of cocoa bean, delicious in itself but the wine provided a contrasting experience that made each more exciting. The wine was a dense ruby colour with a hint of purple at the edges. The fruit was almost medicinal but varied; prunes, damsons, cherries and raspberries. Balanced with soft tannins and big alcohol, a smooth finish. It matched the cassis and hibiscus granache too, melding into the flavours of each.

Domaine Vial Magnères, Al Tragou 1986, Banyuls Rancio AOC, Roussillon £35

While ‘Rancio’ may not sound appealing to English ears, there is a real treat in store for those to venture into this bottle. The winemaker does everything he can to spoil this wine, oxygen, extremes of heat and bright sunlight all conspire to produce a dark amber wine with rich, burned apricot and walnut flavours. The is a tawny-like mix of oxidised citrus, and furniture polish, its all very complex on the nose, not dis-similar to good Armagnac. Yet, the taste is light, fresh toffees and orange/citrus acidity. The young fortified wine is transferred to large, basket-wrapped glass containers known as bonbonnes, they are only 3/4 filled to allow air contact and left out-side in the sunshine for a year. The heat extremes and oxygen madeiraize the wine. This extraordinary wine was drunk with a gourmet Jaffa-cake from William Curley and was a super match, bringing out the big, burned orange peel flavour in the wine.

les Vignerons de Maury, Solera 1928, Maury AOC, Roussillon £19

Rich, dark brown, burned caramel colour (a shade we might call Gavin Henson), an orange rim. A dense dry finish, toasted hazelnuts with orange peel and roses, great crisp acidity and soft tannins. This went very well with the chocolate praline granache, it highlighted the nutty flavours in both items. I am happy to say I have a bottle of this in my wine cupboard!

Argentina

2012-10-04T11:09:00.001+01:00

Few countries have such as firmly established food and drink stereotype as the red wine/red meat image that Argentina offers. I had to settle for a homemade burger at the end of this week’s tasting but there were plenty of excellent reds and even a couple of great whites on offer. Argentina is the fifth largest wine producer and has a stronger domestic wine culture than its South American neighbour, Chile with 70% of production being drunk domestically. This has seen an interesting positioning of Argentina on the British wine-shop shelf. Whilst Chile clearly produces some excellent top end wines, we are very familiar with it in the value section of the supermarket. Entry level Argentine wines are consumed at home, leaving the export market for mid and premium range wines and the £10+ range sees plenty of excellent and distinctive offerings.

The country seems to have established Malbec as its flagship red and manages to produce world class offerings, bigger, fruitier and bolder than those found in Cahors in SW France. However, the most widely planted red is Bonarda, an Italian variety, this has largely been used in blends but is increasing becoming a featured grape as the price of Malbec grapes rises. Bonarda is a lighter wine than Malbec, with softer red fruits making it easier drinking and better suited to a wider range of foods or even on its own. As investment in and experiments with its production grows, look out for more premium examples of this distinctive wine. As for white wine, Argentina has a poster girl in the Torrontés grape, I have often found this overwhelming aromatic and flabby or acidic but my mind has been changed; when it is good, it is very good. Peach, pineapples, grapefruit, almonds all combine to give a aromatic experience that is familiar to all Alsatian wine lovers and give an extra option in matching Asian food to wine. The industry view is that it either peoples most favourite or least favourite grape, the wine world’s Marmite!

There is a lot of virgin territory yet to be opened up in Argentina, land is cheap and plentiful in the foot hills of the Andes. Rainfall is low but there is abundant irrigation from the mountains. It was interesting to speak to a number of French producers who had established themselves in the Mendoza region, they see the potential and recognise the low cost of land compared to their home land makes compelling business sense.

Some Wines I Enjoyed on the Day

Torrontés 2011 Trapiche £11.99 Cambridge Wine Merchants

The Torrentes that turned me, peachy, aromatic with lovely balanced acidity

Atamisque Assemblage 2007 £26.99 Tupungato, Uco Valley, Hennings Wine Merchants

A heady mix of the the ‘Argentine Blend’, 50% Malbec and 25/25% Cab Sauvignon and Merlot. Highly perfumed with rich blackcurrant and mint leaves, Liquorice and cassis, dense but soft black fruits in the mouth big but gentle

La Chamiza “Martin Alsina” 2008 Mendoza c£20

Fantastic concentration from the this 100% Malbec, great minerality with minty leafy notes and liquorice, quite medicinal, super staying power

Blend de Seleccion, RJ Vinedos 2007

The 60/40% blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is wonderful, a classic Bordeaux nose, rich blackcurrant fruit, cedar, leather. Great firm tannins and balanced acidity, a very good now or to keep.

Sophenia Synthesis The Blend 2008, Tupungato, Mendoza £30

A 70% Malbec blended with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this is a special wine, dense dark fruits, with leather and chocolate, the tannins are soft but this is a yummy wine.

Sophenia Roberto L, 2008, Tupungato, Mendoza

A 5* wine, the ‘Argentine Blend’ of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Whilst the year is stated as 2008, this is blend of vintages, mostly ‘08 but with wines back to 2002, it gives it incredible depth and complexity. Spice, pepper, intense black fruit and leather arm chairs.

Urban Uco Tempranillo 2011 O. Fournier, £9.50 El Cepillo, Mendoza

Fournier should know how to make great Tempranillo and is fantastic value, this clean fruited Tempranillo is a crisp glass of red lushness. Enjoy now and in quantity

Alfa Crux Malbec 2008, O. Fournier £29.50 Uco Valley mendoza

A big dense black fruited wine, a little spirity and almost Port-like at 15% alc, but delicious all the same. Lots of exotic spice and dark plumy fruit, approachable now or will keep a couple of years.

O. Forunier 2006, Uco Valley Mendoza

Another 5* wine, this is astonishing, 50/50% Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, aged for 20 months and popping an incredible 15.5% alc. Great complexity and deep, deep black fruits and spicy leathery flavours. All this and great balance too.

Pascual Toso Alta Reserve Syrah 2009, Barrancas Maipu, Mendoza

A IWC silver medal winning wine and its easy to see why, imagine a big Barrossa Valley Shiraz but with bags of finesse; spicy, jammy big and tangy

Great Southern French White

2012-08-01T10:46:00.001+01:00

Bordière Nord Marsanne voigner 2011 PGI Pays d'Oc £6.49 at Majestic Wine

Another bargain from Majestic that shows the raising quality of southern France, the label boasts of a marriage of new and old world styles and I can see what they mean. This white wine is greenish gold in colour with a heady aroma of peaches and almonds with a nutty note from the Marsanne grape. There is plenty of sweet citrus flavours, particularly tangerine with tropical pineapple too. The flavour is full, opulent and aromatic; imagine peaches and cream eaten with a wooden spoon. Its very good, fresh, crisp and rich.

Bargain of the Week

2012-07-31T12:53:00.001+01:00

La Vieille Capitelle 2009 Côteaux du Languedoc, £5.99 for two at Majestic Wine.
The dependable ex-rugby player Gerard Bertrand is responsible for this excellent wine, drunk with some gusto at an afternoon BBQ, it was firm and fruity. A surprising amount of complexity for its price, very approachable. Buy some now before it goes or the price goes back up.

Super Syrah

2012-07-31T12:41:00.001+01:00

A couple of great Syrah/Shiraz that I’ve enjoyed lately, they both show the elegance that this versatile grape is capable of.

G6 Bethany 2006 Barossa Shiraz £14.50 Lancelot Wines, East Molesey

I bought this expecting the the big block-buster shiraz one might expect from the Barossa, it was to go with some spicy BBQ food, however it was better than that! Certainly the nose lived up to expectation; intense red fruit with plenty of red and brambly fruit, spicy cinnamon, pepper and vanilla with a hint of cocoa. The colour is more subtle, paler than many of it neighbours and the favour is gentle and elegant, smooth, deep with pronounced red cherries with a touch of pepper.

Paul Jaboulet Aine, St Joseph “Le Grand Pompee” 2007 (half), £9.25 for the 2009 Wine Society

I was luckily enough to win this bottle and thought it would be wonderful with some grilled lamb, I wasn’t wrong. The colour was mid plum, with a hint of brick at the edges indicating some bottle age. The wine smelled divine, sweet red and bramble fruit with liquorice and old leather chairs, soft but restrained. It tasted wonderful, smooth but with balanced, firm tannins, a delicate mouthful of bitter strawberries, dry but with luscious fruit, a very classy wine.

Imbibe Live–Part 1

2012-07-05T13:08:00.001+01:00

The were some excellent wines on show at the Bar and Restaurant show this week, the Portuguese and French stands had a broad range and impressive quality, whilst the New Zealand stand tried to show that there is more to the country than sauvignon blanc. There were some attractive wines from Lebanon.

France

Alsace Grand Cru Kirchberg Ribeauville, Riesling Domaine Henry Fuchs 2007 (£17)

Rich and honeyed this is steely and dry with a marvellous flinty finish. Still plenty structure and will develop in the next couple of years but a refreshing drink right now.

Alsace, Pinot Gris Grand Cru Kitterle, Domaines Schlumberger 2007 (£25)

Big honeyed nose with and off-dry finish, toffee apples, lemon and pineapple this wine is rich and crisp. Truly fantastic.

Chablis Premier Cru, Montee de Tonnerre, Damien et Romain Bouchard 2010 (£30)

A very modern, new world style from the sons of one of Chablis’ best families. It has a rich toasty nose with concentrate fruit, lemon and orange rind, with chalky minerality. Very classy

Chablis Grand Cru, Blanchot, Domaine Vocoret et Fils 2009 (£46)

Full and rich, a massive wine with the noble character you would expect from this tradition style Chablis – chardonnay at it best. Plenty of clean citrus fruit and crisp, well balanced acidity.

St Joseph, Guigal Blanc 2009, (£15)

Full, rich and elegant with plenty of peachy fruit and lemony acidity from the marsanne grape, excellent value at this price.

Cote Rotie, Guigal 2005, (£32)

Full with jammy brambly sweet fruit, delicate with subtle tannins, drinking very well now, a very classy and a very fine example of Cote Rotie, Syrah at its supbulent best.

Non-Bargain of the Week

2012-07-03T10:31:00.001+01:00

If I see a bottle price of £21 and a by the case price of £12, I am thinking it's the bottle price ripping me off not the case price is attractive

Chilean Bargain of the Week

2012-07-03T09:23:00.001+01:00

Luis Felipe Edwards Mountain View Chardonnay 2011 (from £4.99 Majestic)

You are not going getting 1er Cru Chablis for £4.99 but you are getting a crisp, buttery chardonny with bags of flavour and good balance. The price is for a limited time but even at full price it is worth having

Definitive Italian Tasting

2012-06-26T12:00:00.001+01:00

I went along to the trading tasting last week, there was a staggering selection of Italian wine on offer and understandably super-market Pinot Grigio, Lambrusco and Chianti was is short supply. Italy is a country that always surprises me with its quality and variety, it is such a shame that most of what we drink is mediocre or plain bad. Imagine a country where Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet (CSBC) are rare rather than ubiquitous? So often when trying Italian wines I find myself enjoying them in their own right rather than trying to figure how they compare to the (perhaps excellent) identikit producers in the 30km radius.

The challenge for Italy in the modern era is attracting customers who have become wine drinkers in a world of clear labelling and consistent quality in a price band, particularly in the sub-£10 arena. The supermarkets lead the consumer here and this is where I fear the global march to CSBC is turning Italian producers away from their greatest strength, their indigenous grape varieties. The good news is the quality that is appearing in names that have reputations for bland or uninteresting wine, Soave and even Lambrusco. There were a large number of producers who clearly had embraced modern techniques and enhanced the quality of wine on offer.

Here are some of the highlights;

Bianco Maggiore Grillo 2011, Cantina Rallo, IGP Sicilia (£15)

Lovely and concentrate from low yielding grillo grapes, a dry Masala finish but with fresh zesty fruit

Roero Arneis 2010, Bruno Giacosa, Peidmont (£21)

Top quality white wine from Barolo, intense and aromatic with a clean citrus finish

Amarone Della Valpolicella 2006 , Romano Dal Forno (£240)

The Dal Forno winery nestles in the foothills of Monti Lessini and production is tiny. It takes an astonishing six vines to produce one bottle of Valpolicella, and an eye watering nine for a bottle of Amarone. The concentration in the wine is incredible, thick black fruits, great complexity and superb balance. This wine is superb and will develop over the next 20+ years.

DOC Valle Isarco Gewürztraminer Aristos 2011, Cantina Valle Iscarco

Alto Adige is Italy’s most northern province, up in the Southern Alps it makes wines in a cooler style, with a strong Germanic influence. This wine comes from one of the colder areas in the region and is typically planted on the south facing slopes rather than the valley floor. It has all the tropical spice you might expect from Gewürztraminer but it does not overwhelm you. A great clean finish and super balance.

Jema Corvina Veronese IGT 2007, Genardo Cesari, Veneto (~£15-20)

Corvino is one of the principle grapes used in making Valpolicella but can only be labelled such when blended with rondinella and molinara, hence the IGT designation for this wine. Aged in wood for two years, this has plenty of dry leather and sweet cherry flavours. It is more modern, new world style than better known wine from this venerable producer.

Amarone delle Valpolicella Classico DOC 2007, Genardo Cesari, Veneto (£25)

A more typical style, with great intensity and complexity, soft and rounded on the palette, it has plenty of sweet cherry and leather. Lingering finish.

Amarone Delle Valpolicella ‘ Il Bosco’ Single Vineyard 2005, Genardo Cesari Veneto (£38)

More sweet cherries and leather, this time with great depth and spice and chocolate notes, very smooth with plenty of body.

Soave Classico DOC ‘Foscarino’ 2010 Azienda Agricola Inama, Veneto (£20)

Made from 100% garganega grapes from 40 year old vines, this wine is barrel fermented. It has great flavours of toasted almonds, with a hint of spice and oddly, peat. A wonderful, clean and herbaceous wine.

Morellino Scansano 2009, Roccapesta Toscana (£18)

This area of Tuscany is close to the sea and give this wine a cooler feel. There is lots is sweet brambly fruit and vanilla, with a back note of rosemary.

Calestaia Morellino Scansano Riserva 2007 Roccapesta Toscana (£30)

Made from old vines and 100% sangiovese, this is a wonderfully concentrated wine, with lots of black cherry fruit and leather. It is still coming together but plenty of potential.

Fiano Pietrariccia 2010, Masseria Surani, Puglia

Fiano grapes from down at the heel of Italy. A wonderful clean white wine, a surprising big body with aromatic flavours, sage and apple with plenty of crisp citrus flavours

Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC – Vigna Cristo 2011 Cavicchioli Emilia Romagna

Even a wine style as derided as Lambrusco (the grape variety too) can have great examples. This wine is candy pink with fine white bubbles, its is crisp and as a dry as a bone. Despite the dryness, the favour can described as strawberries and sherbet. A very pleasant surprise.

Santannella 2010, Mandrarossa, Sicilia (£17)

A mix of Italian (fiano) and French (voigner & chenin blanc) this is a great example of how modern styles are transforming Italian wine. It has fabulous peachy and almonds flavours with honey & quince from rich chenin fruit too. This is balanced with good minerality and acidity from the volcanic soil on which the vines grow.

Great Big Brand Aussie

2012-06-22T12:32:00.001+01:00

It was trophy day at the International Wine Challenge this week and also a chance for the trade and consumers to try 130 of the 400+ gold medal winning wines. I was pouring some top grade Aussie wines from Wolf Blass. The brand is very familiar for its reliable, large chain red and yellow generic Aussie classics but offers some premium blends that are worth seeking out. Up from the red and yellow label, the firm offers a silver, gold, grey, black and its top platinum labels. No doubt someone at brand development was recruited from Mastercard!

Here are my thoughts on the IWC winning wines;

Wolf Blass Gold Label Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills 2008 (£15)

Adelaide Hills is one of the cooler Australian wine regions and the grapes are sourced from across the area. Pale straw in colour with a rich, clean nose, no mistaking this as an Aussie chardonnay. The flavour is led with a strong citrus flavour with a little pineapple behind. A very refreshing flavour and a well balanced wine.

Wolf Blass Gold Label Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills 2010 (£15)

A better vintage from, the 2010 was still coming together, but was clearly richer on the nose and palate. The citrus notes where still abundant with a rounder, buttery back bone. Not finished and will be a much nicer wine in two years time than the 2008 is right now.

Wolf Blass Gold Label Riesling, Eden Valley and Clare Valley 2010 (£15)

Great value from Australia’s top Reisling growing areas, at 400m+ both these regions are cool and this give this wine is crisp, limey acidity. With Clare known for its minerality and Eden for a more floral style, this wine brings both together, there is a hint of the petrol notes that will develop over time. A beautifully clean and refreshing wine that I would match with grilled sardines.

Wolf Blass Platinum Label Shiraz, Barossa 2006 (£75)

A block-busting Shiraz from the best area in Australia, this is as close as Wolf Blass does to a single estate, 80% from one lot, which can vary each year. The wine is still very young, dense and deep purple in colour it boasts and intense nose of leather, dark fruits, ground coffee and liquorish. The flavour is intense and still closed, if you are going to drink it now decant hours before drinking. Despite its youth, its is still yielding oral pressure and will develop for another 10-15 years at least.

Alizarin Wine Tasting

2012-05-11T11:58:00.000+01:00

Unexpected Spanish wine

A good friend of mine has started a new wine business and held his inaugural client tasting this week. The aim is to highlight some of the lesser know regions bordering the Mediterranean. His first batch are from Utiel-Requena near Valencia as well as couple of Greek wines. Here are my thoughts on some of the highlights

El Cava Reserva Brut Nature (2008) £18
This was truly excellent and a long way from the cheap fizz you might expect to have Cava on the label. Made from chardonnay and macebeo grapes with some of the wine being oak aged before secondary fermentation, this gives it a marvellous level of complexity and a slight reductive character more usually found in top Champagne. Yet is clear and fresh with a wonderful herbaceous edge, wonderfully refreshing now, I am certain there is more to come from this wine with a little bottle age.

Las Dos Ces - Blanco (2011) £9.95
"The two grapes" this is pretty much the house white, 89% sauvignon blanc and some macebeo, you don't get much of the character usually appreciated with SB instead its closer to viognier in style; crisp, peachy and herbaceous.

Mylonas Savatiano from Keratea, Attica Greece £11.95
The best of the white wines on show, the savatiano grapes is at its best on Santorini where it gives lovely crisp and flinty wine. Here the wine is more rounded, full and grassy with apple acidity. It was screaming out for a plate of fresh calamari.

The reds on show where generally typical old world food wines, lighter in style than you may be used to from the new world but packed with character

Casa Don Angel Malbec 2007-08 £16.90
The odd date in the name is due to this being a blend of two vintages though it is 100% malbec and has been aged from 6-24 months in American and French oak. This is certainly not the intense black malbec that we would expect from the Argentina or even Cahors, it is surprisingly light but with bags of flavour, cherries on the tongue and cedar and leather on the nose. It has great balance and complexity, again made to accompany food.

Vera de Estenas Crianza 2007 £12.60
One of my favourites from the evening, a mixture of 45% Bobal with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranillo. An excellent nose, lots of red jammy fruit with leathery notes, a mature flavour with clean fruit and a refreshing twist of rosemary, making a excellent choice with barbecue lamb.

el Cabernet F Chozas Carrascal (2009) £26
The top wine from Chozas Carrascal, a limited edition release with a signed label. Made from 100% cabernet franc and aged from 9 months in French oak, the flavour is deep and dark with a roasted chocolate, cedar and leather balanced with black fruits. A great finish.

Las Ocho (2008) £17
As wonderful as the Cabernet F was, the star of the night was Las Ocho, "The Eight", a blend of bobal, monastrell, granacha, tempranillo, cabernet sauvigion, carbernet franc, syrah and merlot grapes all aged from upto 14 months in French oak. The wine maker has managed to bring a great deal of complexity into the blend with a wonderful level of intensity of colour, smell and flavour. The wine is still young and closed but the mouth is clean and black, with mint and leather backed up with good acidity and firm tannins. Rewarding now but I expect some wonderful layers still waiting to appear.

Lamb & Rhone

2011-12-16T20:25:00.000+00:00

Is there a better match in foodie heaven? The wife hates lamb but is away at the office Christmas party, that means lamb for me, lollipops of English marsh lamb, paired with Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2007 (Waitrose £9.99). Inky purple, heady rosemary and cedar with dark aromatic fruit. The mouth has punch from the 14% alcohol but that is cosseted by the jammy black fruit, still young but very approachable and eager to wrap itself around those lamb chops.
*I think my pub will one day be named the Lamb & Rhone

Best wine deals - Telegraph

2011-07-02T11:41:00.002+01:00

Victoria Moore

Chateau La Rose Gadis 2006 Bordeaux Rouge, France (13%, £5.99 down from £7.99 when you buy two, Majestic)
Majestic seems to be on a winning streak with good-value Bordeaux. This one is made entirely from merlot on the south bank of the Dordogne and while some cheap claret smells mean and green, or just generically fruity, as if made in the Languedoc, this has true Bordeaux character and the gentle scent of decay that comes from a nicely timed bit of bottle-age.
Monteforte Passo Avanti Soave 2009 Italy (13%, £5.99 down from £7.99 until July 19, Waitrose)
A rounded, succulent and very modern soave that would have qualified as a soave classico if the winemaker hadn’t decided to bottle it under screw cap. Think juicy pears, lemon juice, ground almonds and sunshine. It’s good with cold poached salmon and hollandaise, or roast chicken with lemon gravy.
Desert Heart Pinot Noir 2007 Central Otago, New Zealand (13.5%, £19.99, The Real Wine Company, therealwineco.co.uk)
From the wild mountainous part of NZ’s South Island where they filmed The Lord of the Rings. Everything about this pinot noir shouts “Central Otago”. It’s black-red in colour, the smell blazes out of the glass, faintly floral like a rose or a peony, the fruit is bright and the oak gives a gentle smokiness. Drink with pink-cooked duck and cherries, or lamb in pomegranate molasses.

Best wine deals - Telegraph

English Wine Bar

2011-06-30T15:32:00.001+01:00

I know all of them in London are English wine bars, but this one only sells English wine. The Wine Pantry is a recent addition to Stoney St in Borough Market and has a range of about two dozen wines to taste or take by the glass. The is a much larger selection to take home in bottle.

The Wine Ranger was in a rush but did try the Dry and Medium 2009 from Sandhurst Vineyards in Kent. Both were made from Bucchus grapes and I was stunned by the quality of the Dry. Crisp acidity and juicy tropical fruits, apricot with a hint of biscuity brioche, not dissimilar to a top NZ Sauvignon or some fruit Italian whites, which goes some way to justifying the the £11.99 price tag. The medium lacked the balance of the dry but still impressed and would make and excellent bed-fellows with some aged pecorino or parmesan.

As English Wine gains credibility then this little shop is an excellent show case.

Wines of the week- The Independent

2011-06-28T15:07:00.004+01:00

Wines of the week: The Independent
Terry Kirby
Catena Malbec 2008

A big, juicy, plummy, black-fruit-flavoured example of Argentina's finest grape, produced by one of its best exponents from high-altitude vineyards in the Mendoza region. A lovely, smooth mouthful, with touches of spice and leather and a lengthy finish that makes it ideal with roast or confit duck or a prime, rare, fillet steak. £11.99, Waitrose, ocado.com, majestic.co.uk (where it is also available for £9.99 per bottle when buying two bottles as part of a case of six bottles)

Midweek meal
Reserve de La Saurine Rose 2010

Not all southern French rosé has to come from Provence and taste of strawberries. This has a sharper, spicier taste, although still sufficiently fruity. Made in the neighbouring Gard region from Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan and Syrah grapes, this needs to be drunk ice-cold on a summer's evening, perhaps with a robust fish soup, accompanied by rouille croutons. £6.49 Marks & Spencer

Bargain basement
Southbank Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2010

A good deal on a top-quality Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc from the esteemed Marlborough region. Characteristic flavours of nettles, gooseberries and green apples mingle with passion fruit and other tropical fruits to create a crisply refreshing wine just right for the last asparagus of the season or almost any shellfish. £5.99, majestic.co.uk (when buying two bottles as part of a mixed case of six bottles; – A personal favourite of the Wine Ranger

Serious SA Chenin Blanc

2011-06-28T11:59:00.002+01:00

Looking for something chilled to drink with some roast pork belly on the patio, I reach for to the rack and found DeMorgenzon Reserve Chenin Blanc 2009. I remember picking this up at Majestic a couple of months ago for about £13. Its out of stock but watch out for it. Wild yeast fermented this is a wonderful, complex wine. Bags for tropical fruit and apple crispness that lingers on the palate. Plenty of aging potential.

Lush treat from Laithwaites

2011-06-28T11:38:00.002+01:00

Friday night is steak night and calls for a robust red. It was a rare return for me, Opi Malbec Reserve 2009 from Mendoza, Argentina. £10.99. Argentina is building a deserved reputation for the big juicy reds that are just right for grilled meat and this is a prime example. Big bodied at 14% with plenty of black fruit without being obviously over extracted. The tannins are firm but not over-powering, despite the alcohol this slips down very quickly.

Sunshine Fizz

2011-06-27T13:58:00.001+01:00

Still lugging bottles out of the shops? Then try buying your wine on the web | Mail Online

Olly Smith

"An absolute gem with delicate almondy aromas but packed with power on the palate" Champagne Herbert Beaufort Grand Cru Champagne "Full of flavour and with a lively long-lasting complexity. A wine to make your spirits soar" £27 pb at Marks and Spencer

Ridgeview Grosvenor Blanc de Blance 2007 (England)

Wow! One of the stand-out wines at the recent English Wine Producers trade & Press tasting. SO much zing, so much complexity. I'm thrilled this is grown and made in Sussx. It's stellar fizz with brisk citrus flavours and world-class complexity. £24.95, www.slurp.co.uk

Picpoul de Pinet Prestige 2010 Dom Guillaume Cabrol (France)

Superb, crisp white wine that fells simple, balanced and fresh. If you've every enjoyed Muscadet, get your chops around this southern French Equivalent. Marvellous with shellfish and a superb aperitif(Two bottles at Majestic at £6.99) - a person favourite of the Wine Ranger

What to take to a BYO?

2011-06-27T13:13:00.001+01:00

Wine: What to take to a BYO? | Life and style | The Guardian

Fiona Beckett

Mas Belles Eaux Vin de Pays de Caux Rosé 2010 (£7.95,fromvineyardsdirect.com; 12.5% abv), an elegant blend of syrah and mourvèdre from an estate just north of Pézenas . At that price it is at least £2 less than a comparable Provençal rosé would be.

Neutral, minerally whites such as the flexible Austrian grüner veltliner really useful. Waitrose has a good offer on the Domäne Wachau Terraces Grüner Veltliner 2010(12% abv), which from next Wednesday will be reduced from £8.49 to £6.36 (though you may well find the 2009, which is also fine).

Australian chardonnay with some bottle age, such as the sumptuously creamy Leeuwin Estate Prelude Chardonnay 2008, from Margaret River (14.5% abv), currently £23 from the Wine Society, it's perfect for scallops, salmon, roast chicken or veal, so covers a fair number of menu options.

Reds that you can chill and drink with fish are also handy, for instance a beaujolais, Loire red or a pinot noir. The luscious Errazuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir 2009 from Chile (£9.59 if you buy two or more at Majestic; 14.5% abv) should keep everyone happy. It's really impressive for a big brand.

Honest Aussie Chardonnay

2011-06-24T20:16:00.000+01:00

Snapper Cove SE Australia 2010 £5. Just a quaffing wine the the Mrs bought; acids are limey, tropical fruit, obvious but acceptable oak.
good value

Southern French Loveliness

2011-06-24T18:22:00.001+01:00

Great bin-end at my local Waitrose, Laurent Miquel Vermentino, reduced to £5.99 from £9.99. Lovely juicy tropical fruits from this Pay d'oc white. Very classy, I served it with some plainly grilled plaice, great match. Good acidity and great balance, hoping there is some left tomorrow.
L’Atelier Miquel Vermentino 2010 IGP Pays d’Oc, great value by the case if your local store has no cheap stock

Ch Beychevelle 1988

2011-06-24T09:08:00.000+01:00

Dinner with a friend at the Oxford & Cambridge club and we shared a bottle of Ch Beychevelle 1988. Truely beautiful wine, great balance and drinking very well. Fruit still fresh and tannins subtle, liquid velvet on the tongue.
Exceptional value at £75, but the best retail price seems to be around £100 pb via wine-searcher