Wine Bar Review: The Remedy

I got very excited when I found out that The Remedy had opened in Fitzrovia (www.theremedylondon.com). The three friends who set it up – David, Renato and Dany – used to work together at Terroirs, another London wine bar that I like but which is tied to buying wines from their parent company, the wine merchant Les Caves de Pyrene. So the thought of these guys opening a wine bar that was unrestricted in what it could offer wine-wise, but with a similar ethos (the wine is top priority, the food just a delicious accompaniment) all sounded pretty much perfect.

We went there for lunch and were met by the very charming David, who is the epitome of a fun (not snobby/judgemental) wine fanatic, and he helped suggest what wines we should try. I said we wanted to be wowed by something we hadn’t tasted before, and boy were we in for a treat. It being a beautiful sunny day (only last week, sob!) we stuck to the white and orange wines (more on that shortly) and we quickly picked up on the true theme of this wine list – every single glass we tried was deliciously unique, evidently hand crafted by very small wineries, some a little off-the-wall but all were sublime.

From the white wines we tried, our favourite was by far the Salvaje Blanco from Granada, a Sauvignon Blanc planted on Spain’s highest vineyards which tasted of bitter orange and almonds. Another deliciously different Sauvignon Blanc we tried was the Quartz, Les Cailloux du Paradis from the Loire Valley which was NOTHING like other Loire Sauvignons I have tried and all the better for it – I mistook it for a dry Riesling when we tried it blind! Wonderful stuff.

image taken from http://www.theremedylondon.com/

 

I mentioned Orange wines earlier, and no doubt a few of you are thinking, “What the hell is she on about?!” Orange wines are hugely fashionable in London at the moment, so named because of their colour rather than their contents. Basically they are white wines made using the same methods as red wine: the skins are left for a prolonged period, producing tannins and leaving the wine spicier, herbier and drier than most. Once you get past the surprising appearance, these wines are an absolute wonder and are delicious with food. At The Remedy, we tried Don Chisciotte Fiano from Campania in Southern Italy which I thought was gorgeous, full of spicy citrus and herb flavours (we actually got to compare the 2013 and the 2010, I personally preferred the younger wine with its hint of spritz on the finish). Then David let us taste Alec Klinec’s Rebula (aka Ribolla grape) from Slovenia which was wonderfully full-bodied and spicy with a lovely hint of honey. Amazing.

If you’ve never tried orange wines or natural wines before, this is the place to go. They have one of those brilliant toys, the Coravin, which means they can open lots of different bottles for you to try, and they also change their wine list weekly. You may have read some bad press about natural  wines in the past, but I can assure you that none of the ones we tried tasted faulty because these guys understand the importance of leaving their customers wanting to try more. This is an area of wine that I am still learning about myself and I’m enjoying every sip.

Happy Swigging!

Italy’s True Sparkling Star

Prosecco has just surpassed Champagne in terms of sales by value in the UK, which is quite a big statement – are we bathing in the stuff?? Unlike Champagne, Prosecco is just a cheap & cheerful sparkling wine (maybe that is why we like it?) yet Italy produces another sparkling wine of vastly superior quality which I bet you’ve never heard of, let alone tasted…

 

Franciacorta is produced in northern Italy, in the Lombardy region (next door to Prosecco’s Veneto region). This is Italy’s Lake District, and the temperature is moderated by the lakes Iseo, Como and Garda which dominate this region. There are many similarities between Champagne and Franciacorta: the grape varieties allowed (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc); the method of creating its bubbles (secondary fermentation in bottle rather than in tank); and the ageing (minimum 18 months versus 15 in Champagne). The result is a wine which is deliciously rich, elegant and complex, and which can stand up to Champagne in any tasting.

 

So how come we’ve never heard of this fantastic fizz? Unlike the Champagne region which is 80,000 acres in size, Franciacorta is only 5,400 acres, and the vast majority of its wine is drunk in Italy - only 11% is exported, compared to about 60% in other important Italian wine regions. So you start to understand why Franciacorta isn’t readily available in your local wine shop. Yet.

 

Thankfully this is starting to change. Sales of Franciacorta in the UK doubled last year (granted the numbers were pretty small to begin with, but it’s a start). M&S now sells a delicious I Due Lari Franciacorta at £19, a 100% Chardonnay fizz which won a bronze medal at the International Wine Challenge in 2014. No doubt Waitrose and the other supermarkets will follow suit soon, so keep your eyes peeled. One wine merchant that really knows about Franciacorta is Vini Italiani based in South Kensington who, at last count, lists 5 different examples of this wine which you can buy online or you can visit their bar for a cheeky glass after work. Here is their excellent website for you to explore further: http://italianwines.com

 

Happy Swigging!

Kudos to the Kiwis

New Zealand is perfect for vine growing because no vineyard is more than 80 miles from the sea, and they all enjoy many hours of sunshine during the day and cool sea breezes at night. Wine has been produced in New Zealand since the early 19^th Century, although back then it was mainly liqueur wines that were being made. It was only in the 1960’s that light wines started appearing, with the German grape Muller Thurgau dominating the vineyards. Since then much has changed, and of course Sauvignon Blanc is now the winning variety that any money-making winery will plant. However I truly believe the real stars can be found in the more interesting grape varieties of this country, so here follows a very brief guide to where to find them.

Map courtesy of http://www.nzwine.com

Gisborne

The most easterly tip of the North Island, Gisborne claims to be the Chardonnay capital of the country. But recently it’s making a name for itself with aromatic white varietals, from the more famous Viogniers and Gewurztraminers, to the more obscure Arneis and Albariño. Probably the most famous winery from this region is Lindauer, whose sparkling wines I’ve always thought to be great value for money. However if you want something really special watch out for the wines from Millton winery.

Hawkes Bay

Hawke’s Bay is New Zealand’s second largest region and is best known for its Bordeaux-blend reds and Chardonnay, although aromatic whites are consistently good and Syrah is increasingly impressive. Within Hawke’s Bay you will find the subregion of Gimblett Gravels, where some of New Zealand’s greatest full-bodied red wines are produced courtesy of the gravelly soils reminiscent of those in Bordeaux. Look out for the wines of Craggy Range, Trinity Hill and Bilancia.

Wairarapa/Martinborough

Martinborough is a sub-region of Wairarapa, on the southern tip of the North Island. Here you will find lots of boutique wineries, making just 1% of the country’s total wine production but also some of the country’s most iconic, sought after wines. Predominantly planted with Pinot Noir, you will find the aromatic white wines again, of which I believe the best are made at Dry River estate – their Rieslings and Syrahs are some of my favourite wines of all time.

Marlborough

New Zealand’s flagship wine region, which has brought the country great fame with its distinctive Sauvignon Blancs. While obviously Sauvignon makes up the vast majority of plantings, Pinot Gris and Riesling are also doing very well here, and more recently Grüner Veltliner is looking quite exciting. There is a huge number of wineries here but my personal favourites are Seresin, Greywacke, Clos Henri and Foxes Island. Cloudy Bay is of course the most famous but you are paying extra for its popularity so unless you want to buy their Te Koko (a delicious oaked Sauvignon Blanc) I’d steer clear.

Central Otago

In the heart of the Southern Alps, the area is a desert but with unlimited water for irrigation (thanks to the snowcapped mountains) and a big temperature range between night and day, the resulting grapes show a huge concentration of fruit flavours. Pinot Noir is the star here, rich and ripe and silky smooth. Look out for Felton Road and Mount Difficulty.

If you want to explore this country’s spectacular wines further, I highly recommend you go straight from here to The New Zealand Wine Cellar’s brilliant online shop: http://thenewzealandcellar.co.uk . Set up by patriotic Kiwi and London resident Melanie Brown, this is THE place to find all of New Zealand’s greatest wines (or at least all those the country exports).

Happy Swigging!

High Street Wine Challenge: Fragoso Merlot from Argentina (M&S)

Having spent the last few weeks enjoying delicious white wines and rosés in the French sunshine, we have come back to earth with a bump thanks to the torrential rain of the last few days. So it's Friday and I'm exhausted and only a bottle of red will do!

Tonight's wine is the Argentinian Fragoso Merlot, currently on offer at M&S for £6. Purchased by my husband, I'm pretty sure it's the label that sold it to him as an ex polo player. Thankfully though the wine itself is very yummy and great value for money. Bags of ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit, lovely fresh acidity which meant it went really well with our meatballs in tomato sauce, and a touch of sweet spice on the finish. Super smooth and comforting, the perfect red for a miserably wet Friday night.

Happy Swigging!