Filed under wine …

Jun 24 2011
6 Comments
Poll, Uncategorized, wine

Vindictive ***hole? No, it’s Volatile Acidity! please vote

Partly due to this article http://huff.to/jKqGDN that rubbed me the wrong way and partly due to a wine I cracked open last night…I would like to know your thoughts on Volatile Acidity….the notorious VA!

his is your brain on Ethyl Acetate

This is your brain on Ethyl Acetate

I am a fan.  This is mostly influenced by the winemaker guy, Gavin Crisfield, I worked  for  in the Languedoc.  Gavin really likes VA and played the winemaker’s equivalent of Russian roulette by intentionally oxidizing his wines, mostly in the form of long barrel aging.

But faithful readers…what are your thoughts?

Would you be so kind as to vote below…merci.

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Apr 23 2010
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Pinot Noir, santa babara, santa rita hills, wine

I seem to write about Pinot a lot, even though it’s not my fav grape

The story of Sanford Winery isn’t a happy one, but a story nonetheless told time and time again through the history of wine.  Sanford was one of the top Pinot Noir producers in Santa Barbara for much of the late 80’s and 90’s.  Richard Sanford set up the organic vineyard and to cut a long story short….the place ended up going to the man.

However, all is not lost – because the vineyards are still in operation and the grapes bought by the very famous winery Au Bon Climat, (aka ABC).

Au Bon Climat (ABC) Pinot Noir

I tried the ABC Sanford & Benedict recently and was quickly reminded of how good the Pinot in Santa Barbara is, especially from the popular Santa Rita Hills…although it still has some time there is lots of cherry, some herbs and a savoury, velvet-like palate. The wine does come at a price though, averaging about £25.  Find it though, and you should be happy.  Here are some agents that sell it online, found them on wine-searcher.com also Berry Bros sells a lot of the ABC range.

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Feb 23 2010
3 Comments
wine

Wine books…always a crap shoot

Wine books that list wines are always going to be a tough read – you have to be interested in wines and not mind sleuthing around chapter after chapter for interesting tipples.

When you are starting out in the wine world they are an amazing resource.  For instance, when I first moved to the UK I had a part-time job at Sainsbury’s, stocking the wine shelves no less.  At all times I kept Hugh Johnson’s little pocket book in my pocket, this of course led to countless old ‘are you happy to see me?’ lines but in all seriousness I was forever referring to it in a bid to not stock the shelves. In short, it was a useful way to relate myself with wines that make up that  great wall of wine available in our supermarkets.

Robert Parker’s Great Value Wines isn’t much different to the other listing wine books, except that no wine is more than £20. Robert Parker, btw, is the best known wine critic in the States and considered one of the most influential people in the wine world.  And it’s unfair to say that Robert Parker himself chose all these wines because of the 22 chapters he only does two, the rest are compiled by his tasting team.

One of the team who I pay particular attention to is David Schildknecht. Firstly, because he covers my favourite region the Languedoc, secondly because his notes are some of the most concise and detailed I have come across and lastly because of passages like below:

Furthermore, Roussillon is arguably the most exciting – perhaps last –
wine-growing frontier of France, now overrun by new-comers from
all over France and abroad, lured by the smell of vinous black gold.

Some may argue that he is a bit too wordy… whatever, I find his writing to be some of the most interesting in the wine world.

As lists books go this is a very complete collection of wines. However, the overwhelming problem with the book is that a very great number of the great value wines are not available in the UK, so we are immediately losing the saving in shipping costs!

I can’t help but think the book was written for the American market and in post-editing all dollar signs were replaced with pound sterling.

One of the highlights of the books is the in depth analysis before each region by the Parker taster who specialises in that region.  However, there are dramatic inconsistencies with each one.  The wordy Schildknecht gives the reader lots to pour over as does Antonio Galloni and Neal Martin (although where Neal Martin actually list sub-regions Schildknecht integrates the sub-regions into the text). Dr. Jay Miller on the other hand and even worse Robert Parker himself are very limited in what they say in their chapters.  Parker reviews Bordeaux and California each only receiving an intro of one page, yet the two regions are some of the bigger chapters in the book…

Despite this, there is a great section in each country’s introduction called drinking curves, a quick synopsis of the ageability, in a very general sense, of the region’s wines… however for some reason not every country has one.

There was a great opportunity in this book to take over where the now no longer printed Wine Report left off. Although I would never imagine this book to be as in depth as the Wine Report it could have had a very good stab at giving the reader a detailed look at what’s happening in each region.

Lastly, anytime I see a listing wine book I instinctively search for the winery I spent most of my time working at, that is Domaine La Sauvageonne, in the Terasses du Larzac, deep within the Coteaux du Languedoc. And I can happily say that it is not only listed but two wines are included – you can find Les Ruffes and Pica Broca both at everywine.com

Great Value Wines is good idea and areas of the book are interesting but with the lack of UK suppliers and the inconsistencies chapter to chapter, overall this wine list book sadly seems incomplete.

The folks at DK kindly sent me the book to review.

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Jan 27 2010
3 Comments
Cheap wine, Colombard, food and wine matching, Quick Wine Recommendation, South West France, wine

January blues wine of the month

No pay check till Feb? No problem!

You can still get a bottle of decent white wine from the South West of France at the shrapnel price of £3.99.

Made from Producteurs Plaimont it is called Vieille Fontaine and available at Tesco Extra.  It’s made in the Gers region of SW France (They are famous in the States for the Colombelle wine).

This guy is a crispy bomb! A completely refreshing tipple. Lots of citrus loveliness mixed in with granny smith apples. The grapes are of the local sort – Colombard and Ugni blanc.

As for my food pairing. Well eggs are a notorious wine killer – usually they only go with bubbly stuff, but Vieille Fontaine went perfectly with the omelette – it’s all about the acidity in the wine cutting through the egginess of the, uhm, well, eggs.
A great pairing at a super budget price.

My bottle of Vielle Fontaine was kindly sent to me by the folks at Westbury (thanks Sandra) but if you would like your own, and I highly suggest you try it out,  they’re at Tesco Extra.

Vielle Fontaine 2008 £3.99 available at Tesco Extra (and online for even cheaper)

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Jan 07 2010
3 Comments
australia, sweet wine, wine, Wine vids

not a winter warmer…but as fresh as they come

Here’s a quick video on the Innocent Bystander’s – slightly bubbly Pink Moscato 2009

It was full of aromas and had lots and lots of berry fruit just jumping out of the glass.
And by no means sickly, with bubbles and balanced acidity it just cleansed the palate.

Available at various online retailers – check wine-searcher and Harvey-Nics for about £5.99 – that’s a half-bottle, by the way.

innocent bystander pink moscato 2009

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Jan 06 2010
5 Comments
australia, cabernet sauvignon, food and wine matching, restaurants, riesling, semillon, wine

Find your perfect match without online dating

Perfecting the fine art of food and wine matching takes nothing more than practice. And what better way to hone your expertise than diving in to the sinful world of gluttony.
There are times it just goes all wrong but those are out weighed massively for the times it goes all right!
Just before Christmas I was invited by Scott Burton (@scottburton) of Cube Communications to what seemed to be a very interesting food and wine tasting: ‘we’ll see if top end Aussie wine can stand up to Michelin starred French cuisine’.

Hmmmm…Besides steak I didn’t know Oz had anything ‘top end’,  and the restaurant was Roussillon so I at least knew one variable in the equation would work out!

Each dish matched individually to a McGuigan wine – and must say overall Roussillon’s food is superb.

Here are descriptions of my three favourite food and wine matchings (out of  the 5)

Perfect Partner

Milk Fed Lamb & Thyme – Shortlist Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Lamb and Bordeaux is a classic food and wine match and the Aussie substitute didn’t by any means back down from this challenge.
There was loads of blackcurrant with this Cabernet but also a mistletoe/mint leaf flavour that slotted in like a puzzle piece with the thyme rubbed lamb.

McGuigan Shortlist Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (thanks to Mathilde Cuisine for photo)

Match Made

Lobster & Purple Basil – Light Lobster Bisque infused with Purple Basil, Scallops & Confit Tomatoes Tortellini Mcguigan’s Earth’s Portrait Riesling 2004

Lobster & Purple Basil

Matching a wine here would be especially difficult as it would need to fit snugly between the buttery exploding richness of the lobster bisque and the delicate scallop flavour and texture.
Riesling is perfect for the job!  And Earth’s Portrait is an amazing example of what Australia can do with grape.  The distinct Riesling nose of kerosin/diesel backed by raw peach and stone fruits filled the acidity gaps in the dish. The wine is very fresh too and almost cleans the palate with every sip, that is despite it being 6 years old.
Riesling is a go to wine for many of London’s sommeliers, the Aus stuff  is especially good for matching with a variety of winged and finned foods.

McGuigan Earth’s Portrait Riesling 2004

STAR PAIRING

Wild Sea Bass & Razor Clams with Sechuan Pepper matched perfectly with the Bin 9000 Semillon 2003

Wild Sea Bass & Razor Clams (thanks to Mathilde Cuisine for photo)

Australian Semillon is some of the best in the world and, as you can see, this wine came littered with awards. This little guy threw out pear skin and apple pulp from the glass and was especially crisp.

Bin 9000 went perfect with the fish/clam duo – the sea aromas from the plate stacked up well with the chalky/mineral/saline sparkling water flavours in the wine. But even better, the wine did not shy away from the light touch of spiciness in the dish.
When things get spicy in food it’s usually time to call up some off-dry and even semi-sweet wine, but no, this dry bastard was having none of it!
Above all the combined freshness of the wine and food really stood out.

Bin 9000 Semillon 2003 with Mcguigan's white wine maker Peter Hall

Sadly, you won’t find any of these premium wines in the UK, however, I’ve heard reliable rumours that Tesco.com will be doing a VERY limited premium mix case soonish and it might have some of this stuff in it…..stay tuned I will let you know when it’s out.

Any chef who openly winds up their sommelier on Twitter deserves a mention on this blog! In fact any chef who twitters from the kitchen deserves recognition. Follow Alexis here @roussillon_sw1

Alexis Gauthier is the man behind Roussillon

Finally,  had to add a picture of this guy.  Neil McGuigan is chief winemaker and heir to McGuigan wines.  He is hilarious, and really knows how to have a good time. Despite being completely jet-lagged and on a very regimented wine tour, he was by far the most energetic in the room.
It’s when you meet personalities like Neil that you realise all is not pompous in the wine trade.

Neil McGuigan - keeping the wine trade in check

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Dec 15 2009
5 Comments
Rhone, wine

Rhone Gang – making wines you can’t refuse

Have you heard of the Rhône Gang? No? It’s probably because they are still underground, peddling their wares to mob bosses across the land.  Or most-likely because they are just recently being launched in the UK.
I ran into them two years ago at Vinisud.  Then, they were talented, Rhône winemakers trying to promote themselves en force, only at the begining of their underworld rulings.

The Rhone Gang - during their more innocent times

Now, things have changed. Individually, the wines are still excellent and have been recognised by some very influential wine writers on both sides of the pond.  But even better, and what sets them apart from other winery alliances (the Douro Boys for instance) is the Rhône Gang are making wine under their own Rhône Gang label, and it’s good.  Recently, Jason Haynes of Flint Wines (the Gang’s UK affiliation), made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, to come and try the wines, reviews are below.

During their un-steady younger years. Sadly, Pencil-head Eddie (on the far left) died tragically in a hose-pipe incident

I’ve also heard on good authority, that  Wanted 2006 is one of the most popular wines at the newly opened Galvin La Chapelle and that no strong arm tactics were used to get it a listing.

With this combination of good wine, creative labels and quirky website, the Rhône Gang is destined to be a hit in the next decade.

The Gangsters are comprised of the wineries – Avitus, Ch de Montfaucon, Ch Pesquié and Ch de St Cosme

Hold Up 2007

The Rhône Gang £9.95  Pinot Noir/Grenache Flint Wines -  0207 582 2500 www.flintwines.com

WTF. A Pinot/Grenache (70/30) blend from the Rhône?!?! Something we might see from Australia but France…JAMAIS!!

This wine throws away all those ‘France can’t compete with new world innovation’ accusations out with the spit-bucket. Pinot is sourced from Burgundy and Grenache from S.Rhône, as most of you might know, two completely separate areas on the French wine map. Sure we see Shiraz-Cabernet blends from Australia and there are Pinot blends from Chile.  In France, it’s sacrilege to openly blend wine with that from other regions (I say openly, because lots of wineries do it illegaly).

Fragrant, savoury, cherry (Pinot) nose and juicy red berry (Grenache) on the palate, backed by soft tannins. A very nice, every day drinking wine.

Wanted 2006

The Rhône Gang £23.50 Grenache/Syrah.Mourvèdre/Carignan/Cinsault and Cournoise
Flint Wines – 0207 582 2500 www.flintwines.com

Heavy, rich nose that is full of fruit and gushing with blackberries. It tastes just as good as it smells and is actually kind of savoury with rich, concentrated berry flavours…all that and perfectly balanced.

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Nov 19 2009
1 Comment
out and about, restaurants, wine, Zinfandel

Local is the way to go.

I am a closet glutton, please help.

I’ve been walking by Numidie for awhile now and only recently stepped in when I saw rouille (and fish soup) on the window menu.  Well actually it was fish soup with rouille but I didnt really notice the soup bit because  I have a sort of crack-like addiction to rouille.  It could have said rouille and 3 day old pizza or rouille and toast., I wouldn’t have cared.

IMG_0559
This is the place!

Numidie is on Westow Hill in Crystal Palace and serves French/N.African cuisine.  The place looks nice it has three little art-deco chandeliers, little wooden tables and chairs, and a cool retro-French decor. And best yet there’s a little basement bar too!  Well the basement bar is only part of the best bit…the actual best bit is that three courses is only £14 and nothing on the wine list was more than £40?!

So, they have rouille, the menu and wine list are both excellent value and there’s a cool bar in the basement…PLEASE GOD make the food good!  Well to make a long story short — the food wasn’t good.

le menu

The food was SUPERB! In fact I have since found out that this little bistro is quite famous and has a very dedicated and loyal following.

The fish soup and rouille was very nice, I asked for extra rouille to put on the home-made foccacia-like bread.  For mains I had a roast chicken (always a test for restaurants) with Algerian dumplings and a chickpea sauce. It too was very good.
M, my dining partner enjoyed salade Numidie (say it with a French accent) as a starter – salad leaves mixed with an array of brightly coloured roasted red peppers, houmous and probably the best falafel I’ve ever tried.  For her main M had Couscous Royale with merguez, roast chicken and lamb (I secretly wanted her main) – the portion was huge and like everything else we had, excellent.

I opted out of dessert which was a tarte au chocolate but once taking a nibble of M’s decided it was too good to share, and promptly ordered another (this is the glutton bit, btw)

louis with the rouille

All in all a great experience and the bill came to under £50.  I have vowed not to frequent any more famous chef restaurants, offering little more than a bloated cheque after the meal.  To find such a welcoming, great value and excellent little place only 5 minutes from where I live, was a great surprise and pleasure. I will be most definitely going back.

Oh and nearly forgot, they gave us each a glass of pear digestif after our meals – loved it!

Numidie Bistro – 48 Westow Hill – Crystal Palace – SE19 1PX – tel: 020 8766 6166

Wine I recently tried

If you read imbibe magazine you will see I have a story about Zinfandel in the current issue.  Zin is one of my favourite grapes, that is, if it is made correctly.  Too many times it can be over-ripe, too tannic, sweet – in fact, it can be everything I hate about wine.  But when it is good, I can’t get enough of the stuff.
Sadly, like most things wine and American all the good things come with a price.  Plus with the added bonus in the UK very few California wines – and I’m talking around ten – are good and readily available.

That’s where Ravenswood steps in, Joel Peterson – founder and winemaker – is very well-known for his motto of “no wimpy wines” and this stands true to all that he makes.  Admittedly I am not a fan of all the wines in Ravenswood’s range, but one of my favourite is the Vintners Blend 2006 … for an entry-level, zin-introduction (I refuse to use zin puns) this wine is perfect. So,  I was happy to try it out (again) for the people at Constellation.

very good zin

On the nose there’s loads of dark berry fruit, ripe black-cherries, while on the palate it’s a mouthful of dark black berries, bramble, licorice and a nice cranberry tartness on the finish.  It’s costs £7.99 (Waitrose, Tesco & Spar) and for an entry-level Zin (in fact for a wine in general) it is good value.

By the way I had it with some homemade steak nachos, fresh salsa and guacamole, it was perfect.

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