Oenophilia and Bacchanalia

Auchentoshan Three Wood - First Impression

2011-01-15T15:05:00.000-08:00

Auchentoshan Three Wood is tamed beast, refined, slick and smooth. Having been aged in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks, Bourbon casks and Oloroso casks the firing furnace of malt has been reduced to a rather gentile warmth. In comparison to a young, wild eyed Talisker the Auchentoshan Three Wood comes across as a rather domesticated, well healed and softly spoken figure. Major notes are treacle, toffee, cherries, liqueur chocolates, dates and sherry, these are all intrinsically married to wooded finishes amidst a rum like sumptuousness. This Malt reeks of established luxury and begs for a fine cigar to accompany.

Club Privado Rioja, Limited Curvee from Bodegas Baron de Ley

2010-06-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

Whilst browsing the wine racks at Waitrose I came across this Rioja, just right for my Chorizo and Olive Ragu. In the basket it went before tipping most of it into the Ragu back at home. Whilst cooking I poured myself a glass. Wow. Club Privado Rioja, Limited Curvee from Bodegas Baron de Ley has serious raspberry, banana and strawberry fruitiness components, really yummy rich fruity flavours hit very quickly on first tasting before blossoming into a smoothly antiqued oaken mouthful. Very good. The blurb on the back of the bottle reads ( bemusingly enough in BLOCK CAPITALS ) : "...A FINE EXAMPLE OF MODERN FRUIT DRIVEN RIOJA WITH LOVELY BALANCE AND DEPTH." Er, yeah. Except I found the experience to be essentially oak driven with such a long finish. The modern fruit burst is very nice, strong but fleeting and the oaky notes develop well, however the transition is not particularly smooth. It's certainly a wine of two distinct and pleasurable parts. Fruit then Oak. Very very good fruit then very smooth oak. Understandably it won Silver at the 2009 Decanter Awards. Good bottle.

Chorizo and Olive Ragu

2010-06-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, the chorizo obsession continues, they're just a fantastic, convenient way to add deep rich flavours. This Chorizo and Olive Ragu is pretty hot and spicy, it's not really a summer dish but great for a cold winters night when you need warming up or if you have a nasty cold and need your pores blown open...

Chorizo and Olive Ragu

Firstly, fry a whole chopped chorizo sausage in olive oil until the oils mix and your left with a deep reddish, golden colour. Don't have the sausage doing front crawl in olive oil. It will loose a lot of it's own oil into the pan so a small spot of olive oil is really all you need ( this is the only critical point to make with regards to the ingredient amounts, everything else can be adjusted to taste ). After the chorizo has cooked down and let go of its oils add about three big cloves of chopped garlic, a jar of black olives, some tins of chopped tomatoes and two teaspoons of sugar - let this cook down for a while before liberally pouring half a bottle of Rioja into the pot, also add fresh basil and salt and pepper to taste. Thats pretty much it, except for the hardest part - leaving it well alone with a lid on to simmer for at least an hour. After its simmered down into a great big spicy red Ragu just enjoy a glass of the Rioja whilst the pasta cooks. If you are wearing a white shirt then now is a good time to change into that navy top you never wear.

Ingredients

Chorizo Sausage
Fresh Basil
Black Olives
A good Rioja Wine
Garlic
Chopped Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Pasta

Spanish Sausage

2010-05-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

Now that I have your attention, here's what I cooked up for supper after a long hot day.

Spanish Chorizo Omelette

Now, 20 minutes before you start the preparation you will definitely need a lager, nothing specialist or bottled please, a Stella Artois or something - put it in the freezer for a super-chill. Now start chopping new potatoes, chorizo , onions or shallots and a few cloves of garlic. Try and get the potatoes and chorizo to the same size as dice or something, everything nice and small so it'll cook well and soak up all the oils and flavours. Then bung em all in a hot pan with lots of olive oil. Quantities are completely personal but most pans are too big for just one person so either make a good one for supper and left-overs or cook for a friend. Depending on how appreciative they are ( or how frugal you are ) either add more potatoes or chorizo. While the potatoes, sausage etc are all cooking down break 3 eggs into a bowl, season and add fresh tarragon. If your a fat git, like myself, then add a dash of double cream too.

The sausage and potatoes will take an eternity to cook down but be patient and hang on until they are a lovely oily red mess, then pour the egg stuff into the pan. While this is cooking grate some cheese ( cheddar will be fine ).

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the omelette and put the whole pan under the grill. Now remove the lager from the freezer. After a few minutes the omelette should be done and the top all golden and nice. Scoff unashamedly with the lager.

Ingredients

New Potatoes
Onions or shallots
Chorizo Sausage
Garlic
3 Eggs
Double Cream
Fresh Tarragon

Whisky Map

2010-05-08T15:52:00.000-07:00

Thought i'd include this Single Malt Whisky tasting map I found out in the cyber ether, click it to make it bigger.

Laphroaig 10

2010-05-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

Well well well. After a jolly two hours spent spent floating along the M40 at eighty odd miles in order to return to my home town to vote I finally got the chance to try some Laphroaig 10 courtesy of my father. As the exit polls were ummed and arred over by Robinson, Paxman and friends I took my first sip of this famous Islay Malt. My initial impressions were rather indifferent i'm afraid; i've often read of the medicinal nature of Laphroaig and knowing this to be one the less developed offerings ( in comparison with the 15 year old and 18 year old whiskies offered by the brand ) I wasn't expecting endless nuances of aromatic depth..... I was right, although not necessarily disappointed. Pepper, Cardamom, Celery, Apple, Leather and Cedar notes explode with a youthful abandon albeit little finesse. The shallow sensations are pleasant but not interesting and feel reluctant to develop. The chemical nature of Laphroaig 10's composition is almost odd but it is this odd, quirky character that brings a little more gravity to malts appeal despite the experience being frustrating, fleeting and light. As an aftertaste emerges a distinct antiseptic note engulfs the previous facets -perhaps the most striking aspect of Laphroaig. It's certainly an experience but more of a queer freakshow than a comforting and luxurious indulgence. Laphroaig 10 lends itself well to contemplation and comparison but not necessarily to sheer drinking pleasure. Unfortunately the latter is why I drink single malts, I may well try Laphroaig 10 again and would certainly be intrigued to try their older offerings but due to a quizzical academic curiosity rather than love.

Olive, Tomato & Chianti sauce with Chilli and Herb Beef Meatballs

2010-05-03T06:39:00.000-07:00

This is what I ate today. The pictures are not fantastic, but I'm afraid that photographic composition is the last thing on my mind when I'm ravenous! Its a really rich sauce, very satisfying and deep - more of a winter dish perhaps but tasty none-the-less. Don't like olives? Pick em out.

Its Gone Quiet

2010-05-02T01:34:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know, it's been a little quiet recently. Sorry. I was tempted to give a Chianti review, I thought it would pair favourably with a Chianti, olive and tomato sauce with spicy beef meatballs but alas, I ended up not opening the bottle, so that one will have to wait for another day.

I have been reading up on Whisky an awful lot, so perhaps ill buy a few good bottle's and post some review here. I've been itching to get another Talisker 18 year old ever since I first had the good fortune to experience it's aromas at a good friends house a few years ago. It will also give me an excuse to invest in some gorgeous tumblers! The image on the left shows a Schott Zwiesel Pure Whisky Glass. I love the tilted edges that will no doubt enhance aroma ( like a REAL whisky tasting glass - not a tumbler ). Im not sure why but the geometrics of this tumbler remind me of Battlestar Galactica, I think it could be the cut off corners that all BSG props had, never the less, I can really picture Captain Bill Adama drinking from this whilst stewing over another political conundrum.

Le Beast Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Vin De Pays D'oc, Languedoc

2010-01-14T12:15:00.000-08:00

"A lightly-oaked Merlot Cabernet fusion, handmade by Le Beast, his team and the super-talented winemaker Xavier-Luc LingLin. Magnificently-balanced, packed with blackcurrant, plum and blackberry flavours and the ideal thing to devour a hearty steak with. This homage to Bordeaux is done so well that it will put the Bordelais to shame." - Virgin Wines Blurb

Mmmm, this actually feels kinda light, maybe its the Cabernet Sauvignon ( I have been indulging in Sangiovese and big Merlot's a lot recently ). The aroma and aftertaste do maintain a pretty good oakiness, especially good for the price, but it is light. The tannins are not particularly long and don't develop any complexities whatsoever apart from two major components. I have two quick, fleeting but pleasantly dominant sensations from this wine. Firstly the fruitiness an odd thing to connect to the tannins perhaps but its true. Fruit skins, the smell of a bowl of fruit, the banana, the apple, the pear skins all mingling and holding that fresh, springy, smooth smell. This freshness is very effervescent and lingers throughout the short stay of the Merlot's and Cabernet's tannins. The other aspect that dominates the experience is bonfire smells- a woody, leafy smell of burnt leaves, wet grass, damp bark and gurgling streams. This is not a complex or interesting wine, but it is quite unusual in that two quite ubiquitous qualities of good red Languedoc are showcased almost in isolation. Personally I would like a little more complexity but perhaps that would be an unfair expectation of a Vin de Pays. This is a very good, very strong basic and excels only where it counts leaving little else.

New Case!

2010-01-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

A new case arrived today containing a few very interesting wines. I am really looking forward to trying the 89 Parker Point rated Musella Valpolicella Superiore 2005 and I haven't had the chance to try a Barolo so the Flori Barolo 2005 will be an experiment! Im also really excited by the Chateau Tour de Bardes Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2000.

Here's a complete list of what's inside.

Musella Valpolicella Superiore 2005
Flori Barolo 2005
Chateau Tour de Bardes Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2000
Chateau de Belcier Reserve Cotes de Castillon 2001
Le Beast Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Marks & Spencers, Valpolicella Ripasso DOC, Vendemmia 2007

2009-12-31T13:41:00.000-08:00

No not a double post! Im just being a bit of a Valpolicella fiend at the moment. After the solid wine reviewed in the last post I felt drawn to try a Valpolicella Ripasso. The difference being that the Ripasso method uses the left over grape skins from the Recioto and Amarone wines that are added to the batch of Valpolicella before a period of extended maceration. However some producers use slightly dried grapes instead of adding the Recioto and Amarones left overs ( or perhaps even a combinations of both, the latter leads to slightly less tannic wines ). I thought I'd try a Ripasso because i've found a lot of italian wine to be so reliant on food for appreciation to be worthwhile. Some Chiantis are only worth opening opposite a strong meaty dish. I hoped the Ripasso could be slightly sweeter or rounded and capable of expressing itself independently. This particular bottle certainly is. It's interesting but quaffable, bold but rounded. Strong damson notes penetrate instantly whilst aromas of redcurrants, strawberries, prunes, chocolate, mint, thyme and walnuts develop on the nose. Through tasting the damson, prune and raisiny aspects diminish quite rapidly, the taste is still sweetish - but the full body and strong tannic facets of cedar, oak, walnut, and mint dominate. It's not exactly quite a desert wine ( despite being sweeter than a regular Valpolicella ), but certainly nothing like a big bordeaux ( yet certainly one of the more tannic Valpolicella's ), - however this corvina is certainly not as food critical as so many strong merlot wines. As much as the sweet and fruity element is present it does become overshadowed against the stronger savoury notes. Very very interesting. My only criticism is that the finish is abrupt in comparison with other super-smooth silk kings amongst the Valpolicella's. None the less, this is a great wine for the price and very flexible, a joy to drink despite the nuances presented being interesting but fleeting.

Valpolicella Classico 2008 Domini Veneti, Cantina Di Negrar

2009-12-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

I procured this particular Valpolicella Classico from Majestic a while ago and thought I would give it a whirl to celebrate a kilo of Manchego cheese and a considerable amount of Membrillo arriving from Spain! On the nose its a mostly berrycentric affair, strong loganberry notes, blackberry themes and earthy components mingle amongst themselves happily enough, however, complex and intriguing it is not. The aroma tends to fall flat and seems reluctant to develop many complexities. The few nuances that are present are very pleasing, so although not particularly evasive, mysterious or tantalising it's certainly an honest, simple and very satisfying wine. Definitely a quaffable smile catalyst! Through tasting the loganberry notes are enhanced along with typical Valpolicella cherry and sour cherry facets - this is one of the most adorable characteristics of Valpolicella, the strong cherried mouthfuls of silk can be heavenly. The blackberry notes are continued too but are quickly overshadowed by cranberry sensations. Throughout the delivery of these flavours ( even with the predominant cherries ) a savoury atmosphere is present, more so in this Valpolicella than others I feel. Tarragon, oranges, mace and raspberries join the mix but fade quickly before leaving a typically silken finish. I good sturdy Valpolicella, delivering everything a Valpolicella Classico should, not in a particularly amazing or mysterious manner but none the less enjoyable or luscious for doing things the simple way. A gorgeous wine for quaffing and enjoying but not deep analysis.

Chateau du Gazin, 2006, Canon-Fronsac, Bordeaux

2009-12-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

After Jane MacQuitty recommended this particular claret in The Times wine guide this year I thought id try it next time I got the chance, at the moment its on special offer at Waitrose stores....Hence the review! Canon-Fronsac is a satellite appellation of the more renowned Fronsac appellation however both have been rightly growing in reputation over the years, especially the former concerned here. This particular wine from Chateaux du Gazin is a typical right bank bordeaux mix of predominantly Merlot however Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc with a dash of Malbec also complement the mix - some of which herald from 40 year old, low yield vines. Initially a strong, heady plumy aroma greets the nose, figgy and oaky components complement this but the fruitiness aspect is veiled in typical brooding claret darkness. Upon first swig its a strong, tannic ordeal but with an increasingly smooth and fruity - albeit dry and antiqued in finish. Cedar, oak, sour cherries, hints of strawberries, oregano, thyme and maybe sage all mix effervescent to pretty heady affects. This is a wine that feels much finer than its price tag. Its a good, strong, dark red for the price and would go well with classic Merlot accompaniments but also dishes that yearn for a slightly sweeter wine than a straight forward full blooded Bordeaux... Sweet aromas, oaky but smooth taste and haunting finish, not particularly complex but refined and sleek. The 2006 vintage is good, and this wine is so smooth and haunting, so refined in its delivery of the various components it would be interesting to lay it down for a few years and see how it would perform in 2016. On offer its a great buy, I would be tempted to stock up on a few just to lay down, its such a good claret, nothing amazing, but nothing is awkward or ill fitting and on the nose certain aspects shine like bottles three times the price.

The Old School House, Dunvegan, Skye

2009-11-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

Another post thats not oenocentric but none the less inherently gastronomic! I thought another restaurant on The Isle of Skye deserved a mention, namely The Old School House Restaurant in Dunvegan. The meals i've had the pleasure to enjoy there over the years have always been excellent, the service perfect and atmosphere unique. On this particular trip to Skye I went to The Old School House twice. The first meal started with Langoustines, just four huge and fresh laying across salad. The shellfish was followed by steak of Roe deer in a whisky sauce on an orkney cheese potato mash - this was sublime the venison steak really did melt like butter with a very smooth creamy texture - gorgeous. The Lemon cheesecake for I had for dessert was very nice too, not the best dessert I had on the island but certainly above par with regard to my restaurant cheesecake experience - which can often be underwhelming.

The second night at The Old School house consisted of a similar format. Locally caught scallops were pre-ordered and did not disappoint when presented with a seafood sauce on a bed of tagliatelle - After enjoying some exceptional scallops at Pizza De Piazza in Birmingham I have conviction in stating that the scallops at The Old School house are consistently the best. I often have scallops - if they are on the menu I tend to order them - this cosy corner of Dunvegan has has the freshest most sublimely cooked beauties around. The exceptional starter was followed by sirloin steak, local Aberdeen Angus. Unfortunately fillet steak was not available but again the dish surpassed all expectations - sirloin can be boot leather, and often is. The sirloin at The Old School House was very very tender - medium rare was requested and delivered. For dessert I opted for another 'safe choice' - White Chocolate Panacotta with raspberries and strawberries. Ive ordered lots of Panacottas - I wont forget this one. Every course, and every facet of the evening was perfect. If you ever visit this beautiful island The Old School house will provide a memorable end to any days walking or sightseeing, there may be better publicized or higher profile restaurants but none will provide such an accomplished and memorably pleasant evening of dining.

The Old Inn at Carbost near Glen Brittle Forest

2009-11-01T04:27:00.000-08:00

Another pleasant surprise was found inside The Old Inn near the Glen Brittle forest. For starters I had a pint of squat lobster tails in a garlic and butter sauce this dish was sublime and felt like a real treat despite the area being renowned for excelling in seafood dishes. The lobster tails were followed by a hearty wild boar casserole. The casserole ticked all the right boxes but was nothing in comparison to the revelation of the starter. For dessert I had possibly the best Cranachan I've ever had. This was truly gorgeous - just dreamy. The meal was washed down with a pint of Red Cullin Ale - its a lovely and subtle Ale and complemented the meal very well.

An Italian Merlot - Notes from a trip to The Isle of Skye

2009-11-01T04:12:00.000-08:00

Just came back from The Isle of Skye, I had the opportunity to eat out quite a lot and enjoyed lots of fresh seafood and fine game. Scallops, venison steak, sirloin steak, Sole with avocado butter, a pint of squat lobster tails and moules mariner are just a few of the highlights. The most enjoyable wine I tasted isn't particularly unusual or different but just a great full blooded red in the context of a classic pairing - An Italian Merlot with sirloin steak in black pepper and brandy sauce - just sublime - peppery tannins and a full body really complemented the tender medium rare red meat well.

Gigondas - Caves Saint-Pierre 2006

2009-10-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

A muscular and unforgiving rustic Rhone red from the Gigondas region. An initial whiff of earth, truffles, hedgerow twigs and oaky aromas. Woody, tannic antique flavours dominate the palette and feel reluctant to develop any complexities or nuances. All facets of this uncouth red are simple and unrefined, however, the blend of mostly masculine and savory components would lend itself wonderfully to rich french Camembert or even strong Cheddar. Best served with pheasant casserole.

Valpolicella Classico Superiore

2009-09-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

Valpolicella Classico Superiore -Fortunately I had the pleasure of trying this wine with a sumptuous meal a few nights ago. Such a silky smooth and heady blend of deep deep cherries and plummy, jammy fruit compotes... just gorgeous. Velvet finish. Almost port like, quite strong but infinitely quaff-able and a refined, complex and elegant transformation through to finish.

I had garlic and rosemary marinated lamb in a red wine sauce with this. The deep, fruity, almost sweet character of the wine really complemented the marinated meat well. I imagine it would be splendid with almost any red meat especially when accompanied with sweet jus or sauces. It could be sublime paired with any rich dark chocolate dessert. This is one italian red I will definitely be on the look out for.