Notes From a Small Wine Glass

The Black Swan at Oldstead

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 23:52:23 +0000

A week and a half ago my parents decided that the perfect birthday celebration was a wonderful meal with wine at a Michelin starred restaurant, and since both my mother’s and my birthdays were in November, this was the perfect time to do it. After a very speedy google, and drawn to the lack of pretension on the website and welcoming aesthetics, my mother settled on The Black Swan at Oldstead in North Yorkshire, just over an hour from my parent’s house. The Black Swan is a family-owned pub and restaurant with four double rooms should you wish to stay, and we sure did. The 16th-century pub is situated on the edge of the quaint little village of Oldstead in stunning National Park countryside, between the White Horse at Kilburn and Byland Abbey.

The pub itself is a lovely stone building with the rooms situated in a south-facing wing, each room is uniquely beautiful with solid oak floors, antique furniture (the knobs on my bed post were loose to the point that I accidentally knocked one off, you know it’s authentic!) and a welcoming feel - I particularly appreciated the delicious chocolate brownies and Yorkshire tea. We deposited our bags, sank onto sofas with tea and beautified for a few hours before meeting to head to the bar to have our complimentary Champagne.

The bar was ever so cosy, with stone floors, a roaring fire and Mousey Thompson furniture; I have decided that I will have a smaller version of this one day, it was that atmospheric and the candle lighting just made it perfect. While waiting for dinner we supped on a lovely glass of Gardet Brut Reserve NV, Chigny-les-Roses - plenty of light brioche and stone fruits with a hint of angelica.

While musing over the selections for our chosen seven course taster menu and cooing over the wine list, we were treated to an amuse-bouche of beetroot soup with apple, goats cheese and parmesan choux. This tiny offering contained three ingredients that I do not tend to get along with: cheese pastry, beetroot (my father joins me on this one) and goats cheese (none of us are fans!). However, somehow this blend of sweet, smooth beetroot, creamy goats cheese and tart apple just worked, and teamed with the parmesan choux it was just what we needed to get us really looking forward to the meal itself.

We made our way back upstairs to the dining room: a haven of soft, atmospheric candle lighting, oak floors and antique furniture. We were three of only ten diners that night so it was quiet (understandably for a Tuesday night), but not too much so. Our first course was a Japanese-style Tuna Tartare teamed with a glass of Ruinart Rose NV (Reims, Champagne). The whole dish was both stunning to look at, and beautiful to taste; with a wasabi mayonnaise and sesame toast. The wine was very well matched and offset the meaty fish perfectly - a rich salmon pink in colour with clear edges, fresh on the nose with berry fruits and a hint of minerality, a fine, sustained mousse and a lovely sophisticated finish.

Second course was Seabass, Jerusalem Artichoke, Pickled Grapes and Sorrel. This was beautifully cooked and the combination of the flavours was ideal, the pickled grapes were an intriguing touch but we all agreed that they were a perfect match to the rest of the dish.

Third course (keep up!) was Foie Gras, French Onions, Wild Mushroom and Watercress teamed with McCorkindale Riesling 2010 (Waipara Hills, New Zealand). Now, earlier in the evening, upon finding out I was somewhat keen on wine, the Front of House James had asked whether we (I) would be interested in trying an ‘alternative’ wine alongside. This was our first comparison and inspired serious conversation: the Kiwi Riesling was set against a German Riesling Spätlese (Rudesheimer Berg Rottland, Leitz 2009 - Rheingau, Germany). The New Zealand option was full bodied, had a much more rounded mouth feel and medium acidity to balance the sweetness. The German Riesling on the other hand was sweeter on the palate and more restrained on the nose with aromas of sugared rose petals and parma violets, it has a very smooth finish and a hint of minerality. While the German Riesling was beautiful, delicate and aromatic, the New Zealand Riesling packed that little bit more punch, the kerosene and honeyed finish along with the higher acidity cut the richness and slight oiliness of the lightly fried fois gras perfectly; either would have made a good match, but we reckoned the New World choice won this round.

Fourth came the Turbot, Leeks, Gnocchi and Salsify matched with a Chassagne-Montrachet 1st Cru Les Vergers, Guy Amiot 2006 (Burgundy, France); the alternative given was a Viognier-Marsanne-Roussanne blend, Torbreck 2008 (Barossa, Australia). The turbot was beautifully cooked and we decided that the gnocchi was unlike any other manifestation of it we had come across, this was light and tender and went so well with the leeks and salsify. The wine proved slightly controversial in that my mother is an ABC (anything but Chardonnay), she actively hates Chardonnay in any form. This particular one was intensely buttery, undercut by that wonderful French mineral quality and followed by a hint of star anise and green apple; buttery toast on the palate with a crisp finish and pronounced acidity. The Torbreck blend was also buttery but had a sharper quality with aromas of white peach, celery and angelica, and a hint of bees wax; it was slightly oily on the palate with smoky flavours and a sharp acidity. We had a bit of a divide on this one and agreed with James that it was a ‘Marmite’ wine: my father and I found it intriguing while my mother deemed it positively undrinkable.

Last of the savoury courses was Partridge, Bread Sauce, Pommes Anna, Black Pudding, Chestnut and Brussels Sprouts teamed with Gevrey-Chambertin, Christian Serafin 2007 (Burgundy, France); the alternative was a Ma Maison Pinot Noir, Leung Estate 2010 (Martinborough, New Zealand). Another beautiful dish and another surprise, I usually cannot stand bread sauce but this was actually incredibly palatable, my parents were naturally comparing it to their own (they prefer theirs slightly courser, I rather liked the smoothness); the partridge was tender and succulent and the combination of flavours perfectly matched and balanced. The red Burgundy was elegant and smooth with smoky cedar and woodsmoke aromas and plenty of juicy red fruits; slightly spicy on the palate with refined tannins, a hint of minerality and well-integrated acidity. In contrast the Kiwi Pinot was richer and less smoky - redcurrant, black cherry and raspberries with a hint of spicy vanilla oak; rounded mouth feel with medium acidity (less well integrated than the Burgundy) and slightly too much of a kick from the higher alcohol. We decided that the Burgundy was a much better match as the intense smokiness paired beautifully with the partridge, the Kiwi Pinot just didn’t have enough oaky oomph. At this stage it became apparent that I have far more stamina than my parents as they couldn’t even finish their Burgundy, I aided them somewhat in this venture.

The penultimate and final courses on the menu were both sweets, and unfortunately were so delicious that I ended up forgetting about taking a picture until the plates were completely scraped clean! First was a Lemon Custard, Tonka Bean and Blackberry. The Lemon Custard was glorious but the real highlight was the Tonka Bean ice cream, it had an entirely unique flavour: utterly intriguing and reminiscent of vanilla but darker and spicier; we were informed that it was illegal in the USA and a quick google confirms this, apparently since 1954. Suffice it to say this was one of the most interesting inclusions of the meal and is something I wish to investigate further at a later date.

Our second dessert was Dark Chocolate, Mascarpone and Amaretto, along with a Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos, Crown Estates 1999 (Hungary) and Campbells Grand Rutherglen Muscat (Victoria, Australia) as the alternative. This dessert was the one course where we had a slight criticism: my father and I decided that the coffee flavours from the hint of espresso on the side were slightly too overpowering, the flavours persisted even after finishing the wine. Despite this mild nitpick (my mother disagreed with us) the dish was still delicious and served as an ideal end to the meal, we even turned down the option of a cheeseboard. The two dessert wines were a complete contrast to one another: the Tokaji was all rich raisins with a hint of spice, honey and poached or dried apricot, light and honeyed on the palate with more of the sweet raisins. It was a bright, cheerful wine - if it were a colour it would be bright golden - we (mostly I) deemed it the vivacious, exciting blonde of the two. The Muscat on the other hand was dark and intriguing with a bit of an edge, the sweetness was denser with aromas and flavours of dark muscovado sugar, dried prunes and figs and an underlying aroma of old leather - this was the mysterious, intellectual brunette of the pair. The Tokaji most certainly matched the dessert better, it’s brightness contrasting beautifully with the bitterness, but I really want another bash at that Muscat, it was delicious.

Lastly, as they had discovered it was my birthday that week, the kitchen had prepared a stunning slate with dark chocolate and raspberry ganache, wonderful jammy dodgers (light-as-love vanilla biscuits with a vanilla-créme filling and a dollop of pure, concentrated raspberry - glorious!), and an elegantly written ‘Happy Birthday’, complete with balloon-blobs of various purées (we’re still not sure what the clear one was, but it was delicious!)

My mother has deemed this the ‘best meal we have ever had’ and I’m not going to disagree with her; locally sourced, wonderfully fresh ingredients beautifully cooked and presented, with incredibly friendly and knowledgeable service and stunning surroundings - this was definitely a meal to remember. I now feel I must apologise for the sheer length and exuberance of this post, there was so much to talk about - seven courses, nine wines and a wealth of other good things. In brief, the real essence of this post is to tell you that The Black Swan is well worth a visit if you can possibly manage it, I hope to return there… as often as I can!

http://blackswanoldstead.co.uk/

Lasagne, Graduation and English Sparkling Wine

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 23:44:31 +0100

This post has been a long time coming due to various reasons, one of which being a recent bereavement in my close circle of family which has taken up a fair amount of time and energy, unfortunately leaving less for wine and writing. However, I now feel it is time I re-revived this page and got things going again: I have a notebook positively bulging with notes on interesting wines and plenty of time in which to write about them.

Back in June I graduated from Edinburgh University and my parents came up specially; this is possibly the first time I have ever had to cook for them both in MY flat (despite living in Edinburgh for three years already) so I went a bit overkill with a feast of Lasagne a la Siena made from scratch, individual garlic ciabattas, green salad and a bottle of Recchia Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso (2009) from Waitrose, followed by strawberries and an offer of cakes from the local patisserie (politely refused with groans of ‘no more!’). The Valpolicella turned out to be very approachable and enjoyable wine with plenty of deep cherry aromas, a hint of raisin sweetness and some vanilla from the oak ageing. It was a perfect match to the lasagne and the medium body and richness complimented the meaty sauce wonderfully. It seems that my flat, my cooking and my choice of wine all pass muster with the parents, even if my catering appears to take after my mother’s in sheer quantity and enthusiasm.

My Graduation day was definitely an experience, perhaps one I don’t want to repeat based on the drama of preparations, but the events following the ceremony more than made up for the stress of humidity-destroyed-hair and timing issues. Nonetheless, I am now Eleanor Eyre MA Hons which gives me a certain sense of pride and a decisive feeling of accomplishment. Following the ceremony my parents and I headed to Hotel du Vin for a brief afternoon tea comprised of more cakes and other sundries than we could manage plus tea almost intravenously, a very welcome respite. It was the evening, however, that was the true highlight; beginning with a bottle of Gusbourne Brut Reserve Sparkling Wine (2007) from Kent, England (Méthode Anglaise). Made from classic Champagne clones of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, it appears bright golden in the glass with aromas of crisp green apple and lemon-fresh citrus followed by a hint of honey (acacia honey in particular - blame my mother for the pedantry). The apple continues on the palate with a lovely light, smooth mousse and a honeyed finish. This is the first English sparkling I have tasted and it encourages me to sample more, I would definitely recommend Gusbourne as worth a try if you ever get the chance; it was absolutely lovely and appreciated by all three of us, I will certainly be investigating wines from this estate in the future with relish. <http://www.gusbourne.com/our_wines>

Following this brief introduction to English wine we had dinner at Hotel du Vin and feasted on crab, steak tartare, sole meunière and rack of lamb respectively. This was teamed with a wonderful Loire Cabernet Franc from Chinon (2004), all fresh green bell peppers and red fruits: cherry and raspberry, with medium to light body and a lovely smooth finish - a wonderful match to my lamb and really rather lovely; although I ended taking the last 1/3 bottle back home with me as we were somewhat overfaced.

All in all wine and food-wise this turned out to be an absolutely stellar occasion, full of both new experiences (English sparkling) and old favourites (Loire Cabernet Franc), definitely a day to remember with wines to match.

Comfort Wines

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:07:39 +0100

Okay, I am a serious slacker, it’s been too long since my last post and I have at least five drafts sitting around waiting to be finished but I felt it was about time I dug one of them out and finished it, so here it is.

I recently had a particularly grim day and a friend - who had also had a bad day - came round with a bottle of wine to cheer us both up. This got me to thinking: sometimes if you’ve had an awful time of things, or it’s been chucking it down outside and you’re cold and miserable, or perhaps you just feel like a night in with a takeaway and something silly to watch, these are the times when you reach for something comforting to drink. What you reach for is often a very personal choice: the person who longs for a glass of good whisky is very different from the one who yearns for something sweet and homely, or the one who instinctively reaches for for a large glass of something robust and red. Having asked a few different people what their comfort drink is I have come to the conclusion that most head for a classic Gin (of varying kinds) and Tonic, a Port, or good quality sweet Sherry. I, on the other hand, reach for wine: which wine is entirely dependant on the situation but it is almost exclusively (if occasionally fortified) wine.

First on my list would be the one I reach for if it’s a cold, wet and windy day - the kind Edinburgh does particularly well. After a day like that the only thing that will do is a large glass of something warming, usually red and fruity with smooth, cosy tannins, a bit of oak and some oomph to it; something that I can cradle and sip slowly while I warm up wrapped in a blanket. Often this means something Portuguese - there’s just something about the heady blends they offer. I recently posted on one such, the 2008 Aliança Dão Reserva which is absolutely ideal for a bitterly cold, blustery day. Another example (also from Great Grog) is Esporão Monte Velho Tinto: a blend of Aragonês, Trincadeira, Castelão and Tinta Caiada: produced in Alentejo this is a seriously rich wine with ripe berry fruits, black cherry and plum with a touch of fig; ripe, smooth tannins and a warm, fruity palate (got through a fair few of these over the winter months!). Finally Quinta do Vallado Douro Tinto 2009 (Spirited Wines) which has all the dark, port-like, rich aspects you would want from a comfort wine.

After Portugal I head to Italy, again focussing on the reds with another particularly comforting wine - Valpolicella: especially Valpolicella della Amarone (see earlier post), good examples of which you can get from Woodwinters or Majestic: all rich coffee, chocolate and stewed fruits. Unfortunately Amarones tend to be on the expensive side of things for daily consumption so for a cheaper alternative I head for the Ripassos. Ripasso literally means ‘revision’ and is a relatively new technique, having only gained its own DOC in 2009: after the first fermentation the wine is then passed over the grape skins left from the Amarone harvest resulting in a second fermentation and resulting in a wine the lightness of the standard Valpolicella and some of the complexity and body of the Amarone - cherry, spice, vanilla, damsons and berry fruits. Recently bought one from Waitrose in partnership with Fratelli Recchia (£10.44) that I look forward to trying but again Woodwinters and Majestic sell good versions, as does Spirited Wines (£10.70). An even lighter option, suitable for the more season-appropriate weather we’re beginning to have would be a Valpolicella Classico: there are many low-quality Classicos strewn across the market but I find Allegrini to be a particularly reliable producer. Most recently purchased the 2011 from Villeneuve which turned out to be full of ripe, juicy cherries (spot a theme here?), damsons and a hint of cedar, with smooth, medium tannins and a fruity cherry-driven palate; incredibly quaffable and really quite lovely - perfect for celebrating getting my degree classification!

Now the weather is changing (yet again) to something lighter and more palatable, I shall turn to another kind of comfort wine: the one you drink after a bad day. This is perhaps one of the most personal of wines and there is a thin line between this kind of comfort wine and your favourite wine. After one of ‘those’ days all I want is something easy to drink without too much going on, I don’t want a wine that makes me work: I want something that will just slow the world down a few knots and let me relax. Unfortunately I can’t tell you what my definitive ‘bad day’ wine would be, it changes on a daily basis and ranges from a distinctive Vouvray (demi-sec or sec) to a light Chablis or fruity Spanish Albariño. If I’m in the mood for a red it could be anything from a Beaujolais or Pinot Noir from Burgundy to a Rhône blend or South African Bordeaux imitation. My general point here is go with your gut feeling, whatever you enjoy drinking when your mood is low is your comfort wine and likely to be very different from mine; either that or dig out the gin, splash in some tonic and sit back listening to whatever makes you feel good.

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee, Pizza and Portugal.

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 23:44:42 +0100

As everyone well knows, this long weekend is Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee and I, like many others, have been discretely celebrating. I haven’t made Jubilee-themed cupcakes or strewn the building with Union Flags, but I have found myself turning on the live streams while I’ve gone about my usual business, subtly singing along to ‘God Save the Queen’, and opening a bottle of modest but quite lovely Prosecco.

I now find myself joining in with the best of them and writing a (primarily) Jubilee-themed post with the final notes of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ ringing in my ears after the Jubilee Concert and drinking yet more Prosecco. This Prosecco in particular is from Woodwinters; a vino frizzante (semi-sparkling) so plenty of the character shines through the bubbles. Light and very peachy with floral aspects and plenty of citrus fruit on the palate: extremely drinkable and a perfect accompaniment to a bit of Jools Holland and Tom Jones.

Next on the list for the weekend was a slightly more obscure grape (more on those in a later post), a 2011 Frappato Nero from Sicily (where it’s most commonly found and often blended with other red grapes): believed to be a cross between Sangiovese and another grape variety. Also bought from Woodwinters, this was perfect pizza wine bought to complement my home made pizza with parma ham, peppers, red onion, mushrooms and fresh rocket; a very quaffable wine with a lot of charm, light and fruity with soft, approachable tannins.

The third and final wine was actually one I opened a week ago to celebrate the handing in of my Dissertation (the final action in a four year degree): a Portuguese red from the Dão region to warm up the then colder evenings, a blend of Tinta-Roriz (Tempranillo), Jaen (second most planted grape in the region) and Touriga-Nacionel (often considered Portugal’s star grape). Bought from Great Grog, the Aliança Dão Reserva 2008 is a fabulous wine: very juicy and robust with aromas of berry fruits and warming spices, the palate is rich and full-bodied with supple black fruits, a hint of vanilla and silky smooth tannins. I’m a huge fan of Portuguese wines and this one is definitely a wine to enjoy by a roaring fire, possibly with your feet up on a footstool and a Springer Spaniel or black Labrador by your feet.

It has been a good weekend with much British pride and camaraderie, some good music and plenty of good wine; and there’s yet one more day of it to enjoy before the real world catches up again. During all this I’ve managed to stock up on a few more interesting wines from Woodwinters which I look forward to trying, and have availed myself of the 25% off full cases of wine on Waitrosewine.com (up until midnight 6th June) which should be interesting, managed to end up with all but one of the wines I have chosen being French with half hailing from the Loire Valley, you can look forward to an extensive post on Loire wines in the future!

'Le Fou' Languedoc Pinot Noir (2010)

Thu, 31 May 2012 23:29:42 +0100

I was out on a bit of a mission earlier this week for a fairly reasonably priced Pinot Noir or a Gamay, I just fancied something light, fruity and red for some easy drinking; ended up coming across an interesting looking Pinot in Great Grog - its most interesting factor being that it was from the Languedoc, definitely worth a try, especially at under £8.

Now, Pinot Noir supposedly prefers slightly cooler climates, so the Aude Valley in the Languedoc doesn’t come across as possessing particularly ideal growing conditions (although there have been some more than half decent Pinots coming from hotter climates such as California too). The bottle itself backs this up with a nice little description on the back;

‘French for “The Madman” - appropriately named, as it has long been thought, only a madman would try to produce the perfect Pinot Noir in the Languedoc. Perfection achieved. Myth Dispelled.’

First impressions of ‘Le Fou’ were of a relatively classic Pinot: fairly fruit-forward with intense aromas of cherries, redcurrants and ripe raspberries followed by a savoury hint of dried herbs. This continues on the palate with fruity flavours and a hint of French austerity backed up by smooth, soft and very unobtrusive tannins and the alcohol is not particularly overt (12.5%). It’s slightly more substantial than a lot of Burgundy Pinots but very pleasant and quaffable, definitely an easy-drinking wine and exactly what I’d been looking for. I definitely agree with the legend on the back of the bottle, you don’t need to be a madman to try and produce good quality Pinot Noirs in the Languedoc and I’ll definitely be drinking more in the future.

Massaya Classic Rouge

Tue, 29 May 2012 20:34:27 +0100

Well it’s been a while and much wine has been drunk over the past however many months, despite being ill with Glandular Fever for the last six. Since I am about to graduate and enter the ‘Real World’ I thought it best to revive this blog, maybe pretty it up a bit, edit and publish a few of the drafts I have lying around and start paying a bit more attention to the wine I have been drinking!

This wine is one I tried a fair while back and the report has been stored in draft form ever since so I thought it best to dust it off and publish it. Now this is a wine I will definitely be buying again (probably fairly soon considering how long it has been since I last tried it); it was bought from Woodwinters on recommendation and I was mildly sceptical having never tried any Lebanese wines before (I have since tasted one from Château Musar that I intend to write up soon). This scepticism was soon dispelled though as this really is a bit of a gem.

Massaya Classic Rouge (2008)

Massaya is a collaboration between Sami and Ramizi Ghosn (the second generation of owners), Dominique Hebrard (Saint Emilion), and Frédéric & Daniel Brunier (Chateauneuf du Pape), and is situated in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. Just a teenie digression here to elaborate on the Bekaa Valley: Lebanon is a very small country on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean bordered on the North and East by Syria and by Israel in the South, and the Bekaa Valley is situated about 19 miles east of the capital, Beirut. Situated at an average altitude of 1000m above sea level, it is very Mediterranean in climate with hot, dry summers and wet, occasionally snowy winters, allowing for good growing conditions.

A blend of 60% Cinsault, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Syrah, this wine appears a deep, luminous ruby red in the glass (not represented very well in the picture); the wine is rich, complex and elegant with aromas of damsons, plums, cassis and black cherry followed by spice and a hint of dried herbs. Somewhat reminiscent of Christmas cake or a mature rum topf: the rich, concentrated fruitiness continues on the palate with flavours of stewed plums, dried fruits and raisins. Very high alcohol (15%) is quite evident but not offensively so and the tannins are smooth and fine. Definitely the kind of wine to be snuggling down with as night draws in, and it shows well the next day too!

For more information on the producers, check out: http://www.massaya.com/

Rimouresq Cru Classé

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:39:15 +0100

Finally getting around to digging out my tasting notes from some of the Summer wines and writing them up, there were a few rather interesting candidates but I’ll get around to those soon enough.

This first one caused a bit of a divide in my family, mum really took a disliking to it whilst dad and I decided that it had it’s place, although perhaps could have done to have been tasted with food to counter the acidity and rather high alcohol, and balance the savoury flavours and aromas.

Rimouresq Cru Classé, 2009, Cotes de Provence (classic rosé land) purchased from Woodwinters, Edinburgh.

Grape Varieties: Mainly Cinsault with some Tribouren and a hint of Mourvedre

Appearance: Peachy salmon pink as seen in the picture below (for once the picture shows the colour really clearly, whoopee!)

Aromas: Austere and very French with some minerality; somewhat floral with hints of rose petals; green/unripe fruit, young (unripe) peach and perhaps some gooseberry and a hint of redcurrant, green curly lettuce. Opens up with a bit more fruit but still not overt. Very odd wine this, aromas were very difficult to place as it was subtle yet complex at the same time, required some discussion to place some of the more obscure aspects.

Flavours: Medium to High acidity, rather dry and austere with a hint of spice on the finish, noticeably high alcohol (13.5%).

Overall opinion: Not wonderful but still rather interesting, maybe good with seafood. Reckon it wants to be kept very well chilled, really wasn’t good once it had warmed up some. Probably not one I will be buying again on personal preference but was ‘educational’ I suppose.

It’s never a good thing when you drain your glass to find...

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:04:46 +0100

It’s never a good thing when you drain your glass to find a small, very drunk fruitfly lying submerged in the last dregs.

I want this doormat!

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:06:38 +0100

I want this doormat!

Recently I’ve been trying to introduce more people to...

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 21:54:44 +0100

Recently I’ve been trying to introduce more people to Flanders and Swann, the songs of which I grew up with, and I feel this particular one is the most fitting for a wine blog!

"Drink wine, and you will sleep well. Sleep, and you will not sin. Avoid sin, and you will be saved...."

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:57:14 +0100

“Drink wine, and you will sleep well. Sleep, and you will not sin. Avoid sin, and you will be saved. Ergo, drink wine and be saved.”

- German proverb (via vivavino)

Photo

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:36:57 +0100

Saint Clair Sauvignon Blanc

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:44:00 +0100

Finally got around to writing this one up and I hope it’s worth the wait; I promised you a Kiwi Sauvignon and here it is. Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand have traditionally been likened to ‘cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush’ but I believe this one to only evoke the gooseberry part of that.

A crisp and bone-dry white from Saint Clair Estate in Marlborough (2010) bought from Majestic (£12.49), fairly typical in it’s colour (although the picture isn’t wonderful, it’s a pale straw colour with a teeny hint of green) and aromas; gooseberry, peach and lots of citrus fruit, grapefruit and lemon-lime, slightly grassy with a mild hint of honey. Very fruity on the palate with rather high acidity although this is not too offensive, my one dislike would be that the high alcohol content (13.5%) is a wee bit too obvious.

Aromas are overt from the very beginning with not too much development in the glass; an extremely easy drinking wine if you’re fond of Sauvignons of this kind (which obviously I am to a certain extent) and don’t mind the slight burn of high alcohol.

Still to come are the Lebanese red I mentioned, a rosé from Provence, two Loire Cabernet Francs and an interesting Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot blend.

Am slacking beyond belief on write ups, have a few still sitting...

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:57:22 +0100

Classic attempt at a makeshift holder.

No longer working but still fabulous.

My personal favourite, want it!

Am slacking beyond belief on write ups, have a few still sitting in note form and will be investigating at least one of my stored Loire Cabernet Francs tonight so that will be worth mentioning.

In the mean time I did a little searching and came up with some wonderful pictures involving bicycles and wine!

Amarone Della Valpolicella

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 20:45:37 +0100

I’m really going to have to speed up my blogging, have loads of new wines waiting to be put up including a Kiwi Sauvignon and an interesting Lebanese blend along with so many more to taste and enjoy, such a tragedy: more wine to drink!

This next one was utterly divine, an Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico (2008) from Majestic Wine (£19.99). Amarones are a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grape varieties, first partially dried (increasing sugar concentration) and then fermented and aged in oak barrels. The picture above is a wee bit blurry and shows my father’s ‘generous’ wine pouring techniques but gives a hint at the very deep colour of the wine. Incredibly rich as would be expected from an Amarone, with intense and complex aromas and flavours, every time you come back to it there is something new. Starting off rich and fruity with aromas of stewed plums, raisins and dark chocolate (the 70% kind) and opening up with blackcurrant, bilberries (my mother reckoned ‘North Yorkshire Bilberry Pie’), toasty aromas of cigar box from the oak ageing with a hint of mushroomy earthiness and of course a hint of the strong alcoholic content (15%).

Taste-wise it was again very rich and complex on the palate; full-bodied and substantial with soft, velvety, mouth-coating tannins and flavours of stewed fruits, blackcurrant, black cherry, dark chocolate and raisins. Very fruity and dark with softened, subtle acidity but just enough to balance the richness and a dry, lengthy finish.

The high alcohol content is not so noticeable but creeps up on you by the time you finish the glass so it’s definitely one to savour slowly, even just so you can explore all the aromas and flavours it presents. The website describes this wine as ’brooding, deep and intense’ which sounds more like the description of a chap than a wine but I can see their point. All in all I reckon this one is a bit special and at nearly twenty quid shall definitely remain a very occasional wine.

Such an amazing idea… mixing wine and bicycles, we all...

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:27:38 +0100

Such an amazing idea… mixing wine and bicycles, we all know how that turns out! (See earlier posts)

Champagne continued...

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:37:00 +0100

I thought I ought to elaborate a wee bit on the trip to Champagne since my previous post on the subject only touched on the tour and some of the champagnes tasted.

Here are a couple of pictures from the tour with some explanations:

This tunnel quite literally contains 193,200 bottles of champagne! Pol produces somewhere in the region of 1.5 million bottles of champagne a year.

Bottles in special racks (called ‘pupitres’ apparently) at a 45° angle neck-down to encourage the sediment to consolidate in the neck of the bottle. Men are employed to give the bottle a gentle shake and twist to dislodge particles of sediment from the sides of the bottle so they fall to the neck of the bottle (called riddling) before placing it back in the rack at a slightly increased angle; apparently Pol Roger’s men can riddle between 50 and 60 THOUSAND bottles a day, yes… a day.

The room in which all the disgorging, corking and labelling happens before bottles are boxed up ready for distribution.

I mentioned in my previous Champagne-related post that between us we had got through 27 bottles of champagne in the time we were there; I failed, however, to tell you what they were so prepare yourself for a marathon of champagne:

Pol Roger Brut Réserve Non-Vintage
Pol Roger Rich Non-Vintage
Pol Roger Brut Rosé 2002
Pol Roger Pure
Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs 2000 and 1986
Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2000
Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1999

Essentially the full selection, and quite honestly I can’t fault any of them, I loved them all! My favourites of the champagnes tried would probably be the Brut Rosé (it was really rather special), the Rich Non-Vintage and the Blanc de Blancs 1986 (just spectacular) but they were all delicious.

Would rather like to drink a lot more but only brought back the bottle of Blanc de Blancs 2000 that we were all given, a bottle of the Brut Rosé 2002 and a half bottle of Cuvée de Réserve Brut made by ‘Ellner’ - the label was pretty and I appreciated the name, apparently this year it’s from the 2004 harvest (according to the website) so will be interesting to try that at a later date.

I left the Rosé up in Edinburgh so don’t yet have a picture of that one but I now have a growing collection of champagne, only three full bottles and one half but a worthy addition to my very small wine collection; still have two Loire Cabernet Francs and two very sweet Loire Chenin Blancs to drink one day and I fully intend to expand this collection as and when.

Another relatively brief post.

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:52:00 +0100

Since technically I can’t drink while on codeine (although am cheating a little, give up wine!? perish the thought) am backdating this a little to mention a couple of wines I drank recently before the accident, both about a tenner (with student or wine soc discount) and really rather lovely in my opinion.

The first one was a Pinot Noir (09) from the Kahurangi Estate in New Zealand bought from Great Grogs; apparently ‘Kahurangi’ is a maori word with numerous translations such as ‘treasured possession’ and ‘precious jewel’, so there’s a little nugget of useless information for you. This was recommended to me and is advertised as one of the ‘staff favourites’ and I can see why: I reckoned it was more akin to ripe French Pinots than classic Kiwi in the oaky toastiness and peppery aspects but still had the relatively high alcohol you’d expect from New World (13%) along with some of the richness. I loved this and it was just as good the second day if not better (always a good thing); definitely wanted a little time in the glass before drinking but opened up with plenty of fruity aromas (blackcurrant, red berries and the like) and a dark chocolatey hint. Officially ‘nom’ and something I’ll be getting again I reckon.

The second one was an Italian Vermentino (09) from Maremma in South-West Tuscany (85% Vermentino and 15% Sauvignon Blanc), bought on impulse as I hadn’t been to Woodwinters for a bit (as good an excuse as any to drink nice wine). I absolutely adored this wine, fairly light in colour but beautifully rich and fruity on the nose: slightly nutty, creamy aspects, aromas of nectarines and peaches followed by a hint of citrus. Relatively high alcohol again (13%) but not overtly noticeable, dry but slightly oily on the palate with tropical flavours, a buttery consistency that coats your mouth and a wonderful lingering finish. I thoroughly enjoyed this and it may have nudged Albarino off the top of my ‘repeat buy’ list for summery whites.

The next few posts may not be in chronological order but will hopefully be drinking something a little more interesting soon to put a halt to the backdating.

First post to kick things off...

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:06:00 +0100

Well unfortunately this will only be a short one, am typing one-handed following a mildly dramatic cycling accident during the Edinburgh University Blind Tasting Team’s trip to Champagne (broken two bones in my hand) and so shall keep it relatively short and sweet and update properly at a later date.

Despite the tiny bit of drama the trip was a resounding success, plenty of wonderful food and champagne to die for (or at least to forgo painkillers for as was the decision on Monday evening). Hubert was a fantastic host, taking us on a fascinating tour and allowing us to taste a 2000 Blanc de Blancs, an 86 Blanc de Blancs and some Pol Pure Brut (In reverse order above); as well as trying three still samples from the previous year of the individual grapes that champagne is composed of (Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), all pictured from left to right, the still wines at the front.

The 86 Blanc de Blancs was utterly divine, complex and just… nom (and yes that is a technical term), my least favourite was the Pure but after a small amount of time in the glass it opened up to be a little less austere and was perfectly drinkable.

Shall write more about champagne and food etc. at a later date; suffice it to say that between the 9 of us (the 7 team members, the captain of the St. Andrews team and James our guide from Pol), we got through approximately 27 bottles of champagne between midday on Sunday and afternoon on Tuesday.