Port for Beginners

Port first became popular with us Brits back in the early 18^th Century when wars with France meant we couldn’t drink French wines anymore. Quelle horreur! So we turned to our friends in Portugal and started importing the yummy wines they were producing in the Douro valley, fortifying them with brandy so that they would survive the long journey home. Unlike Sherry (see my previous blog post), Port is fortified before fermentation has finished so that the wine is not only high in alcohol but also in sugar. A deliciously sweet and boozy red that’s synonymous with Christmas (although there’s a bottle open all year round in our house…)

 But do you really know what you’re buying when you’re faced with all those options in your local wine shop? Now that we’re deep into the festive season, I thought I’d guide you through the various different styles of Port so that you can make a more informed decision when you’re doing your grocery shopping on Christmas Eve.

 

photo courtesy of http://www.taylor.pt

Ruby Port

Ruby port is aged for only a short while in very large wooden vats so as to retain their fruit-forward style (think blackberries and cherries). Cheap ruby port is best avoided to be honest, and I would highly recommend you go with the next option…

 

Late Bottled Vintage

Late Bottled Vintage (or LBV) is not the same thing as a Vintage Port (see below) but is an aged Ruby port, produced from a single vintage (which is stated on the label) and bottled 4 to 6 years after harvest. Unlike Vintage Port, it is made to be drunk young, and it is a great all-rounder for a cheese board.

 

Tawny Port

This is my personal favourite. Tawny port is aged longer than a Ruby and in much smaller vats in order to encourage oxidation, so the resultant wine is more tawny-like in colour and the flavours are more mellow, full of nut and toffee flavours. Delicious with hard cheeses, or nutty and toffee-based puddings. Or just sipped on its own.

 

Vintage Port

Made in only the best vintages (the years for which are declared by the Port authorities), it is kept in barrel for only two years before being bottled unfiltered so that it continues to develop and improve in the bottle. That doesn’t mean that you can’t drink vintage port when it’s young, however it is at its best after a decade or two (there’s a reason why it is seen as an excellent Christening present). This is the ultimate port and the perfect match for Stilton.

 

Happy Swigging!

Curry Conundrum

I’m as guilty as the next person of defaulting to a pint of ice cold lager when I have a curry. The major problem with trying to match wine with curry is that there are normally so many different dishes with different spices and heat levels that no one wine is going to work with everything.

 However, if you’re fed up with your usual Cobra, here are my top tips for finding the most successful wine match for your Friday night Indian feast:

 

photo courtesy of http://www.lovefood.com

1. Avoid dry, tannic red wines, eg Bordeaux (Claret), Barolo, Burgundy, etc

Basically, I’d actually say avoid European reds as the vast majority are far too dry and will taste bitter when paired up with spicy food

 

2. Avoid oaky white wines eg Australian Chardonnay, white Burgundy, etc

Chardonnay itself is not the problem here, so feel free to buy a Chablis or another Chardonnay that specifies that it is “unoaked” as they can be wonderfully fruity and refreshing. But oak flavours just don’t seem to compliment spicy food. The one exception could be  with a very mild korma or butter chicken, but otherwise steer clear

 

3. For those of you who like HOT curries, stick to Riesling

The spicier your food gets, the more  a wine struggles. Riesling, and more specifically the German varieties, are a perfect match for spicy curries as they are beautifully aromatic (so can stand up to all the aromatics in the food) and the sugar in them really refreshes your palate. Think of it as the alcoholic substitute for a mango lassi

 

4. FRUITINESS IS KEY!

This kind of cuisine is big on flavour so you need wines which are big on fruit and aromatics. So for white wines, it’s best to go with New World Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier or Pinot Gris as they can all stand up to ginger, coriander, cardamom and other such vibrant spices. Gewurztraminer often gets mentioned as the perfect match for curry but I’m not an enormous fan as I find it a bit too perfumed (and I know I’m not alone in this).  

 For red wines, go for Chilean Merlot or Carmenere, or Californian Zinfandel. All are super ripe and will work well with tomato-based, more meat-heavy dishes such as lamb rogan josh.

 

If you really want to try out some interesting wine matches, I would highly recommend you visit Trishna restaurant in Marylebone. Their Michelin-starred Indian cuisine comes accompanied with an epic wine list that has been handpicked by their sommelier to match all the wonderful spices.  

 

Happy Swigging!

High Street Wine Challenge: Taste the Difference Albarino (Sainsburys, £8)

Fish pie for supper tonight, so a fresh & zesty white wine is in order. Albarino is always a brilliant bet with fish. It's made in Galicia in North-western Spain, which is renowned for its delicious seafood so, as ever, the local wine is made to go with the local food.

This is great for anyone who is normally a  Sauvignon Blanc drinker. In fact I find Albarino to be a winning wine as it has the vibrancy of Sauvignon but with a touch more body and ripeness. Fresh, peachy and zesty, it's deliciously refreshing and went brilliantly with my dinner, but would also be great sipped alone. Ideally in slightly sunnier weather...

Happy Swigging! 

High Street Wine Challenge: Fete du Gris Sauvignon Gris (M&S, £9.79)

No, before you ask: Sauvignon Gris is not a mix of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. It's unsure whether it's a mutation of Sauvignon Blanc or an older version of the grape, but either way there are definite similarities.

This example from M&S shows lots of citrus fruit and grassy notes that you'd expect from Sauvignon Blanc, however it is fuller bodied, with notes of rhubarb, sage and with a lovely minerally finish. This is actually the first ever Sauvignon Gris I've tasted so I have nothing to compare it to, however this is a very tasty bottle of French white wine and I'm now going to be hunting out the Chilean and Kiwi versions that are apparently excellent too.

Happy Swigging! 

High Street Wine Challenge: Bijou Cuvée Sophie Valrose, Cabrieres (Waitrose, £7.99)

The label doesn't give much away about this wine but I know from the name Cabrieres (a tiny village in the Languedoc in southern France) that it'll be a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre & Carignan, so similar to Cotes du Rhone, Cotes du Roussillon et al. The fruit is super ripe and brambly (blackberry and blueberry fruit) with some delicious sweet spice (vanilla) and a good level of acidity which would make this great with roast lamb or pork belly because it would help cut through the fat. It was also very tasty with the Manchego we were scoffing this evening! A good juicy red for this beautiful Autumnal weather.

Happy Swigging! 

Sherry is for life, not just for Christmas

A couple of weeks ago, I was very lucky to have lunch at Aiko, a wonderful new Japanese/Italian fusion restaurant on Chancery Lane. While the idea of blending Italian and Japanese flavours were intriguing, what really wowed me was host Stefano’s focus on sherry as the perfect accompaniment to his food. I was dining with a friend who has never drunk sherry before, and on taking her first sip of Tio Pepe Fino she wasn’t hugely impressed. “It’s quite bitter…” she told me, which is a common first impression. Then our sushi selection arrived, and when paired with all those salty, fishy flavours, the bitterness vanished and was replaced by refreshing acidity and light nuttiness. Suddenly my friend understood why I bang on about Sherry all the time. This is the ultimate food wine.

 

So what exactly IS Sherry?

Sherry is a fortified white wine made in Andalucia in southern Spain. During fermentation, barrels are not filled completely which allows a film of yeast called “flor” to develop on top of the wine to protect it from oxidation. The barrels are topped up with fresh wine periodically in order to keep the flor alive and then after one year the cellar master will taste the wines and decide which style each barrel is destined for. He then administers the necessary amount of grape spirit to begin the next process. For Fino and Manzanilla, he aims for 15% ABV; for Oloroso he raises the alcohol to 18% which kills the flor and allows oxidation to begin.

 

Flor layer on top of the fermenting sherry (pic courtesy of http://eng.sograpevinhos.com)

So from super dry to super sweet, here’s my guide to the wide range of sherry styles and how to best enjoy them…

 

Fino & Manzanilla: These are bone dry wines, high in acidity and both very similar in flavour profile: crunchy green apples, almonds, lemons. Manzanilla is different from Fino in that it has to be aged in the seaside town of Sanlucar de Barrameda where the humidity encourages a thicker flor layer and the resulting wine is a touch saltier. In truth, I’m not sure I can taste the difference! Both are best served cold from the fridge as you would a Sauvignon Blanc, and taste best with foods that are high in salt, fat and vinegar. In Andalucia everyone drinks this with olives, salted nuts, and the delicious local jamon, but (as I discovered the other day) it is also fantastic with sushi and sashimi. I would highly recommend either Tio Pepe Fino or La Gitana Manzanilla, both widely available in supermarkets and wine shops for around £10.

 

Jamon Iberico, perfect with sherry

Amontillado: this is where the flor has failed so the wine is lightly oxidised, resulting in flavours of toast and hazelnut. This is quite a good starting point for any sherry novice as it’s softer than a Fino, and it comes into its own when served with cured meats and cheeses. Best served lightly chilled.

 

Palo Cortado: this is my absolute favourite, a sherry that is apparently accidental in its making. It starts off its life developing into an Amontillado but the flor inexplicably disappears so it then starts ageing as an Oloroso. The resulting wine is dry and tastes of hazelnuts and dried figs, and is best served lightly chilled. Waitrose do a fabulous own-label Palo Cortado for £9.99 which is a permanent feature in our fridge.

 

Oloroso: a fully-oxidised Sherry so expect intense nuttiness (walnuts), dried fruit and toffee. My favourite Oloroso’s are the dry ones, where the toffee flavour acts almost like a haunting sweetness – bizarre I know but you’ll understand if you try it. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference 12 yr old Oloroso is an off-dry version which is excellent quality for the £8 price tag, rich with prune and walnut notes which would be divine with blue cheese or even a dark chocolate pudding.

 

Pedro Ximenez: Pedro Ximenez is actually one of the grape varieties that is used to sweeten sherry, and this wine is made by drying PX grapes in the sunshine before making them into a lusciously sweet wine which is reminiscent of Christmas Pudding! Delicious with chocolate desserts or just poured over ice cream.

 

NB: Both Amontillado and Oloroso come in dry or sweet styles, the latter made by adding luscious PX wine before bottling. “Cream Sherry” is another name for PX-sweetened Oloroso which you may have seen in your Granny’s drinks cabinet.

 

Happy Swigging!

High Street Wine Review: M&S Piemonte Barbera

It's been a busy few weeks. The colder weather and my general exhaustion have meant takeaways are key at the moment. 

So with exciting plans for pizza this evening, I popped to our local M&S for a bottle of something Italian (because, in my world, it's wrong to drink anything other than Italian wine with pizza). This bottle of Barbera seemed like the best option. Piemonte is in the north of Italy (translated as "foot of the mountain" as it stands at the foot of the Italian Alps) and is best known for its super expensive and long-lived Nebbiolos, but the locals are more likely to drink Barbera or Dolcetto wines on a day-to-day basis. Barbera, as demonstrated by this M&S example, is soft and fruity, full of sour cherry, strawberries and sweet spice. A great glugging wine which works perfectly with pizza, spaghetti bolognese or aubergine parmigiana. And good value at £7.69.

Happy Swigging!

Sumptuous Stickies

Dessert wines, like Sauternes and Tokaji, are some of the most delicious and most sought after wines in the World. I actually resent using the word “dessert” to describe them as they can also be served with cheese, foie gras, or just enjoyed on their own. The best examples can age for many years but can also be very expensive and very difficult to get your hands on. So here I will explain why they are so expensive and suggest some affordable alternatives for you to try.

 

Majestic Mould

Some of the World’s most expensive dessert wines are made courtesy of a fungus called botrytis. This fungus (also known as "noble rot") affects vineyards near large rivers or lakes as it relies on the initial moisture of a misty morning followed by the dry heat of the sun to be able to take hold on the grapes and dehydrate them, leaving them shrivelled and raisin-like. These are very specific requirements: in some years there is no botrytis at all, in others there is too much moisture and you get grey or black rot which destroys the whole crop. So it's an unpredictable and risky business!

 

Botrytised Riesling grapes basking in the afternoon sun

The botrytis-affected grapes are picked by hand, pressed and then fermented into wine. The high sugar levels mean that fermentation quickly produces a wine of high alcohol and as a result the fermentation process stops naturally leaving plenty of remaining sugar in the resultant wine. Probably the most famous example of this is Sauternes, which is made in Bordeaux from a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle grapes. The best Sauternes have a beautiful freshness and minerality which balances the high sugar levels, and goes beautifully with foie gras. If you can't afford Sauternes then look out for Monbazillac which is made using the same method but is considerably cheaper.

 

Other wines that are made using the same method are…

·         Tokaji: made in Hungary from the grape Furmint, the best are labelled “Aszu” and the sweetness level is graded in “puttonyos” from 3 to 7. I recommend you start with the lower and more affordable grades first (number 7, aka “Aszu Essencia” is very much a wine-to-try-before-you-die…)

·         Beerenauslese & Trockenbeerenauslese Rieslings: made in Germany (often abbreviated to BA or TBA on the label), the latter is made solely from raisins and requires around 100kg to make just one litre of this heavenly nectar. Hence their rarity and expense! You can find affordable BA wines but, for a cheaper alternative, look out for “late-harvest” Rieslings from New Zealand.

 

Ice Ice Baby

You may well have heard of Ice Wine, aka Eiswein. To make these wines, the grapes must be picked when they are frozen (often super early in the morning) and rushed back to the winery to be pressed before they thaw out. Another labour-intensive and unpredictable method of production then! The frozen water can then be removed from the grape must, resulting in very high sugar levels. These wines are most famously from Germany and Canada and I’m afraid that, because of how difficult it is to produce, there really aren’t any cheaper alternatives so it may be best to just save this one for a special occasion.  

 

harvesting ice wine grapes, photo courtesy of http://www.indystar.com

Pass a Straw

This final, labour-intensive method is where the grapes are picked and then laid out on straw mats to raisinate before being pressed into wine. Italy widely uses this method, and the wines can be spotted by the names Passito or Recioto. One of my favourites is Recioto della Valpolicella which is a sweet red wine made by drying out the grapes used for Valpolicella. Down in Tuscany, Vin Santo is made using Trebbiano & Malvasia grapes, and often served with Cantucci biscuits to dunk. Heaven.

 

Passito grapes drying out

Outside Italy, you will find “Straw Wines” (also often labelled as “Vin de Paille”) in such far flung places as Croatia, South Africa and California. They are made using the same methods and well worth looking out for, although in general these styles are a touch cheaper than their icey or mouldy counterparts.

 

FOOD MATCHING TIP:  always make sure the sticky wine you serve is sweeter than the dessert itself.  None of the above dessert wines are actually high enough in sugar or alcohol to stand up to a chocolate pudding, they are much better with apple tarts (Sauternes), bread & butter pudding (Tokaji) or Sticky Toffee Pudding (Straw Wine). And if all else fails, just scoff the pudding and enjoy the sticky wine after.

There are plenty of other sweet wines out there which are made by fortifying the wine to stop fermentation early & retain a high level of residual sugar. Some of these can work brilliantly with chocolate but that is something for another blog post.

 

Happy Swigging!

High Street Wine Challenge: La Patrie Cahors, Sainsburys

On Saturday night I cooked a roast beef joint and I popped to Sainsburys to find a suitably beef-friendly bottle of vino. Normally I'd veer towards Argentinian Malbec, but this slightly different bottle caught my eye.

Cahors wine is made in South West France and is 100% Malbec. This is where the grape originated from, here and in Bordeaux where it is sometimes blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot et al. The style of wines from Cahors is somewhat different to its Argentinian cousins: more savoury, meaty and spicy. My first impression on tasting this Sainsburys example was one of a meaty aroma, almost Bovril-like (in a good way, I promise)! Then the taste was pleasantly rich, lots of blackberry fruit and peppery spice. Very smooth too (more than I was expecting) which meant it was ridiculously easy to drink (and that my head's still sore while I write this at 9pm on Sunday night)! Definitely worthy of its £7.50 price tag.

Happy Swigging!

Are You Game?

Grouse season is here, which marks the beginning of Game Season in the UK and the steady emergence of some of my favourite foods on restaurant menus and in my butcher's window. Vegetarians look away now, because here follows my quick guide to the wines you should be drinking to ensure these beautiful animals didn't die for nothing!
 

The key with game is that these animals are all pretty low in fat so work best with wines that are low in tannin. Avoid Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux reds unless they are really mature. Syrah/Shiraz/Rhone reds and Pinot Noir/Red Burgundies are all safe bets but there is more you can try...

Photo courtesy of www.countryandtownhouse.co.uk

 

Grouse

This is a very strongly flavoured bird so it needs a big powerful red wine. Try Cornas or Crozes Hermitage, both 100% Syrah from the Rhone Valley.

Pigeon
Goes deliciously with Oregon Pinot Noir, Barossa Shiraz or Rioja

Partridge & Pheasant
If you'd like a white wine, you can't go wrong with a white burgundy, especially something like a Puligny Montrachet. Or try a dry Pinot Gris from Alsace. For reds, try Chianti Classico or mature Rioja.

Venison
My dream match for venison is Nebbiolo: look out for Barolo & Barbaresco which are both made from 100% Nebbiolo in the north of Italy. Or if you want something a bit sweeter, try a Californian Zinfandel. 

Hare
You can't beat a good bottle of silky smooth, rich Amarone here. Or even an Argentinian Malbec. 

Wild Boar
Look out for top cru Beaujolais such as Fleurie, Brouilly or Morgon. 

Happy Swigging! 

Wine Review: Marananga Dam Old Vines GSM, M&S

A few weeks ago, I wrote about top quality Australian wines and I discovered that one of my favourite wineries, Torbreck in the Barossa Valley, makes one of M&S's own-label wines: the Marananga Dam Old Vines Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre at just £15.

Torbreck have built their reputation making top quality Rhone-style red wines with Australian warmth, and they are one of the country's most iconic wineries. I am delighted to report that this wine totally lives up to its epic credentials: full of deliciously ripe autumnal fruits, sweet spice and a lovely freshness that doesn't make it too heavy. With every sip, the flavours are more and more complex.

This wine is well worth hunting down, I realise it is above my usual £10 budget but this massively overdelivers for its £15 price point. One to buy for your next romantic steak supper or special Sunday roast.

Happy Swigging! 

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!

Forget the Cricket...

So I hear that we haven't had the greatest first day at the Ashes today which is upsetting. But, typically of me, it prompted me to start thinking about how I quite fancy a glass of something Australian right now. My hubby will not be best pleased...

 

Aussie wines have come on leaps & bounds in the last few decades and, whilst I'll never totally forgive them for all that crappy Chardonnay they sent us back in the 1990’s, I will always be a fan of their real wines: the ones made by the smaller wineries, the ones that sing of the real Australia.

 

So you understand what I’m wittering on about, you need to understand that Australian wine falls into two categories:

 

·         Entry-level wines labelled "South Eastern Australia": these can be made from grapes picked anywhere within the entire South Eastern area of Australia (NSW, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia) and normally retail for around £5. These are unexciting fruit bombs for glugging. Think quantity rather than quality as they produce A LOT.

·         Premium Aussie wines: this is where my heart lies, for this is where the excitement is. As you know, Australia is BIG, with vast swathes of land that are too hot & dry to make good wine. So you will notice that all the best wine regions are located in the coolest areas of the country, mainly in the South and near the coast.  

 

Here are some of my favourite wine regions and some recommendations so that you can better navigate the Australian wine shelves of your local wine shop or supermarket.

 

Barossa Valley

Northeast of Adelaide, the Barossa is most famous for its huge, spicy and chocolatey reds made from the Shiraz grape (aka Syrah, but the Australians decided to rename it). Other grapes are grown here, including Chardonnay, Semillon and Cabernet Sauvignon. Torbreck is my favourite Barossa winery, which makes delicious Rhone-style reds from Rhone varietals. Their wines are quite exclusive, normally only available from such retailers as Berry Bros, but I recently discovered they make an own-label red wine for M&S called Marananga Dam Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvédre for £15. Time to go shopping I think!

 

Clare Valley & Eden Valley

Both Clare Valley and Eden Valley (north and east of the Barossa Valley respectively) are famous for their deliciously mineral, floral and lime-flavoured Rieslings which are delicious with Thai food. Look out for Pewsey Vale and Petaluma.

 

McLaren Vale

McLaren Vale is just south of Adelaide and produces a wide range of grape varieties. Look out for the wines of D’Arenberg, with their wacky prominent labels, which are made from lots of different grape varieties including very old vine Grenache and Shiraz.

 

Coonawarra

This region has a very distinctive crumbly red soil called “Terra Rossa” and cool climate which makes it perfect for making some of Australia’s most superb Cabernet Sauvignons – intense blackcurrant with a hint of eucalyptus. Totally divine with a good steak.

 

Mornington Peninsula

This region juts out into the sea and provides some of the most beautiful Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays outside of Burgundy. Watch out for the wines from Stonier.

 

Margaret River

Many miles away in Western Australia lies Margaret River, a region with a strong maritime climate which means it is perfect for producing excellent Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Noir. This is where Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blends have become hugely popular, and one of my favourite examples of this blend is from Vasse Felix winery.

 

A lot of the wines I’ve mentioned are available through Waitrose at www.waitrosecellar.com as they have an amazing Australian wine selection, but I urge you to explore other stores to see what they offer from these wine regions. Remember that own-label wines can be a great value option (as M&S are demonstrating)

 

Happy Swigging!

Sauvignon Blanc Fatigue

"Cat's Pee": a typical aroma of Sauvignon Blanc

Have you, like me, become fed up of Sauvignon Blanc? Or are you perhaps curious to try something different that might offer you similar satisfaction? 

If the answer is yes, here follows a list of off-piste wines that should tickle your tastebuds. We’re talking zippy, citrusy, refreshing whites – just the thing we want to drink on sunny afternoons…

Gruner Veltliner 

Austria’s second most planted grape variety (behind Riesling, of course) is one of my favourite white wines. For a long time this grape was unknown in the UK, partly because the Austrians drank most of it themselves. But thanks to its success in the US (the Americans have nicknamed it “Gru-V”), export numbers are up. Its increasing popularity has led to plantings now appearing in New Zealand (yes, even the Kiwi winemakers are getting bored of Sauvignon Blanc)! Style-wise, young Gruner Veltliner is spritzy in style, full of citrus fruit, lettuce leaves, green peas and white pepper. It’s particularly delicious when served alongside Wiener Schnitzel (an excellent hangover cure I discovered on a trip to Vienna). 

Albarino/Alvarinho/Vinho Verde

Apologies for the catch-all heading, but the Albarino grape is grown in north-western Spain and also just over the border in Portugal where it is often used in blends in the increasingly popular Vinho Verde. The former can be quite pricey whereas the latter is still incredible value (so stock up while you can). If you’ve been on holiday to Portugal, you’ve no doubt experienced this wonderful wine and you’ll be delighted to know it seems to be creeping onto our supermarket shelves back home. This is a fresh, vibrant white wine that you can imagine drinking at sunset with the local Portuguese barbecued fish. 

Picpoul de Pinet

The name Picpoul translates locally as “lip-stinger”, and it is one of the best value zingy white wines that France can offer at the moment. From the Languedoc region, this wine is full of wonderful lemony freshness - you can imagine cracking this open at the seaside alongside an enormous seafood platter. 

Txakoli (pronounced “cha-ko-lee”)

A bone-dry white wine from the Basque region of Spain, this has a touch of spritz and a deliciously mineral finish so it’s not surprising that London wine lists are picking it up. The main grapes in this wine are the local Hondarribi Zuria and Hondarribi Beltza, but I wouldn’t expect you to remember that, just keep your eyes peeled for it as the perfect accompaniment to fish or vegetarian tapas. 

Assyrtiko

I do feel we should support the Greeks right now, and what better way than by buying their delicious wines. Yes, it’s not all about Retsina (although even THAT is getting better)! Assyrtiko was originally planted in Santorini and produces bone-dry whites with citrus aromas mixed with an earthy, mineral aftertaste due to the local volcanic soil. 

Happy Swigging! 

High Street Wine Challenge: Co-op "Truly Irresistible" Sauvignon Blanc

I have heard very good things about The Co-operative's wine selection so I popped into my local branch today. The choice on offer was pretty limited, especially in the white wine chiller where I was looking. I was faced with the choice between a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand or Chile, both at £6.99, so I decided to go with Chile as you tend to get a lot more "bang for your buck" with Chilean wines.

More specifically this is from Leyda, which is a beautifully cool valley just west of Santiago, producing very good quality wines. On the nose, I got intense passion fruit aromas. This tastes of everything you would expect from Sauvignon Blanc: citrus fruit, green peppers, passion fruit and asparagus. In fact, if I'd tasted this blind, I'd have guessed this to be a good quality New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. I now want to go back and check out their £6.99 kiwi savvy as I'd put money on it being nowhere near as tasty.

Happy Swigging!

Priorat: Spain's greatest wine region

Last week I had the great pleasure of meeting one of Priorat's top winemakers, Sara Perez from Mas Martinet (http://masmartinet.com/). Talking to her and tasting her wines reminded me why I love Priorat, and so I thought I'd write a bit more about it so that maybe you might go try it yourself.

 

What's so amazing about Priorat?

For me, Priorat is all about perfect balance. This region gets a lot of sunshine and very little rain, which can result in wines with very high alcohol content. But instead of being massive fruit bombs, the best Priorats have a beautiful acidity and minerality which lift them to be wines of great depth and complexity. Granted they are still big wines, the dark fruits are still ripe, but the acidity and minerality make them much more pleasurable.

 

How come they're so great?

The key defining characteristic of this region is its soil. Known locally as "llicorella", this dark sparkly slate soil reflects the light, conserves the heat, and also gives the wines their mineral zing. The best vineyards are those on slopes which face northeast in order not to get too much sun but instead to bask fully in the refreshing sea breezes. The main grape used is Garnacha (aka Grenache), often blended with Carinena and a selection of international varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. 

Photo of Priorat vineyard, courtesy of http://myemail.constantcontact.com

 

Will I like them too?

If you're a fan of powerful Rhone Valley reds (such as Cornas or Cote Rotie), Australian Shiraz, South African Pinotage or Argentinian Malbec, chances are you will enjoy exploring what this region has to offer. And if you like these wines but can't stretch to a bottle of Priorat, check out the wines of Montsant which is just next door.

 

It is also worth noting that Priorat is only a very short drive from Barcelona - mini break, anyone?

 

Happy Swigging!

High Street Wine Challenge: Cotes du Rhone Rosé, Sainsburys

Following on from my last blog post, I thought this week's high street pick should be a bottle of the pink stuff. So on today's Sainsburys shop I ventured to the Rosé aisle and (unsurprisingly) was pretty disappointed by the selection on offer. I nearly picked their Taste The Difference Provence Rosé which is currently on offer at £7 instead of the usual £8, but decided to venture a little off-piste and picked this little number from the Rhône at £6.

The reason for my choice is that the Rhône valley is just north of Provence (where my favourite rosé comes from) and the grape varieties used are similar - Grenache, Cinsault, & Syrah. On the nose, I get aromas of pink grapefruit and peach. On drinking, the wine is dry but balanced by lots of ripe fruit flavours such as watermelon, raspberries and cranberries. Very easy drinking, it was perfect with our chicken & chorizo traybake but would also be just as delicious sipped on its own in the sunshine.

Happy Swigging!

Think Pink

The sun is shining which can only mean one thing: it’s Rosé o’clock!

Rosé (aka “Lady Petrol” amongst some of my classy friends) is a really evocative wine. One sip will transport even the most serious wine critic to the Cote d’Azur. A lot of this is to do with the fact that we only really drink rosé in the Summer, so us sun-deprived Brits associate it with happier, sunnier times. No surprise then that its popularity is going up, up, up!
 

Most rosé wines are made from black grapes, and the usual method of production is by crushing the grapes and leaving the juice in contact with the skins for just enough time to extract the desired colour. Then the wine is fermented, like a white wine, off the skins (whereas red wine is fermented on the skins to extract full colour).

 

Obviously there are a lot of different styles of rosé, from the palest salmon to the deepest fuschia pink, from bone dry to sickly sweet. So how do you know which one to pick?? Generally speaking the darker the hue, the closer to red wine in structure and taste it will be. Old World versions tend to be dry, but for New World styles make sure you ask the sales assistant just to be sure. A good indicator of sweetness is the alcohol level: lower than 12% ABV is likely to be off-dry.

Everyone’s palate is different, personally I’m a fan of the lighter, drier styles. So if you have similar taste here are the wines that I regularly buy for BBQs at home.

 

Provence Rosé

Recently made even more popular by “Brangelina” who now own Chateau Miraval estate (available at multiple retailers including M&S for around £18). The classic Provence style is a lovely pale pink colour (think onion skin through to poached salmon), dry and refreshing, full of redcurrant and wild strawberry flavours with a hint of citrus. Perfect with salads and grilled veggies, tuna steak, or simply on its own.

 

If you’re looking for a bargain, the rosés of the Languedoc region just next door are normally very similar in style but considerably cheaper as they don’t have to abide by the rules and regulations of the Cotes de Provence appellation.

Sancerre Rosé

We all know white Sancerre, that deliciously crisp and mineral white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc. The same appellation can also produce reds and rosés from Pinot Noir and Gamay grapes. The reds I will talk about another time (yes, another personal favourite) but the rosés are definitely worth searching for as they are similarly pale and dry but with more minerality and a silky smooth finish. The perfect, sophisticated picnic accompaniment.

If you like this style it’s also worth searching for rosé from Burgundy, a little harder to come by but they’re made from the same grapes, still dry and a touch fruitier in style.

 

Rioja Rosado

Yes, Rioja comes in rosé and white forms too. Their rosés are predominantly Tempranillo and Garnacha blends, dry in style and fabulously fruity. Absolutely perfect served with paella (funny that) and BBQ-ed meat.

 

Rosé Champagne

Ok, ok, I’m an expensive date – I absolutely adore pink Champagne. Unlike still rosé, the Champagne version is made by blending red and white wines together before secondary fermentation (when the bubbles are made). The UK’s most popular brand of this is Laurent Perrier Rosé but I personally think it’s massively overrated (too much style, not enough substance). Instead look out for Ruinart Rosé, Billecart-Salmon Rosé, or even the great value Oeil de Perdrix Rosé which Majestic is currently selling at £19.99 per bottle (normally £30!)

Happy Swigging!