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Medical Benefits of Wine Questioned.
Another study into the effects of drinking wine although this one looks at the previous analysis of other studies and basically says they could be wrong. So is drinking wine good for us or not?
News-Medical
"experts also say that the positives of moderate alcohol intake, raising HDL, the healthy cholesterol; reducing overactive blood clotting; and helping insulin sensitivity, can be duplicated in a less riskier way with healthy diet and exercise. Many question recommending drinking as a wise lifestyle choice as on the whole alcohol causes more problems than it prevents."
News-Medical
"experts also say that the positives of moderate alcohol intake, raising HDL, the healthy cholesterol; reducing overactive blood clotting; and helping insulin sensitivity, can be duplicated in a less riskier way with healthy diet and exercise. Many question recommending drinking as a wise lifestyle choice as on the whole alcohol causes more problems than it prevents."
Search Tags: wine food & drink
Italian Wine Festival, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
Just found out about this one; so not much time to plan if you would like to attend as it is on April 1st. Saturday 1st April 2006.
Italian Wine Festival at 'The Old Bridge Hotel' 1 High Street, Huntingdon Cambridgeshire. Tickets are £9.50 per person and there is a maximum of 100 people per session. There are 2 sessions - 11am to 1.30am and 2.30pm to 5pm. Merchants attending are
Italian Wine Festival at 'The Old Bridge Hotel' 1 High Street, Huntingdon Cambridgeshire. Tickets are £9.50 per person and there is a maximum of 100 people per session. There are 2 sessions - 11am to 1.30am and 2.30pm to 5pm. Merchants attending are
- Bat and Bottle
- Noel Young Wines
- Amps Fine Wines
- Lay & Wheeler
- Liberty Wines
- Berry Brothers and Rudd
Wine Tasting Notes: Salcheto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, 2002, Tuscany, Italy.
Wine Tasting Note: Salcheto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, 2002, Tuscany, Italy.Unknown Stockists. Price on Italian website is E17.60 (£12.20 approx).
A food wine - marked tannins and forceful acidity that makes for harsh drinking on its own but changes with a food accompniment. A good complexity to the aroma - fruit, herbs and something sunbaked and earthy. Made from Sangiovese although, in this case, a local clone known as Prugnolo Gentile.
As a food match this was recommended with Arista alla Fiorentina (Florentine Roast Pork) which is is a popular Tuscan dish, often served cold, although I had it warm from the oven. The pork is studded with chopped garlic and rosemary, doused with olive oil and, interestingly, has a few cloves stuck in the flanks. Before roasting several hours marinading is recommended. The wine was a superb match with the tannins and marked acidity disappearing and a more rounded whole present. A little pricey if it is £12 a bottle but that's Vino Nobile di Montepulciano for you! Alcohol 13%
Scribblings Rating - 90/100
Wine For Men.
A bit like Brut for Men I guess; an American winery is launching a line specifically for us men. That's real men, those who drive fast cars, ride horses and round up cows....
BBC News
"Hoping to attract more American men away from their icy Budweisers and Millers, Ray's Station is dubbing the bottles "Hearty Red Wines for Men". Producing both a merlot and a cabernet sauvignon, it said the type of person it wished to woo was your average Joe barbecue fan or Nascar racing watcher. The labels on both wines feature a galloping stallion. And their advertisements include manly pursuits such as fishing and hunting.
BBC News
"Hoping to attract more American men away from their icy Budweisers and Millers, Ray's Station is dubbing the bottles "Hearty Red Wines for Men". Producing both a merlot and a cabernet sauvignon, it said the type of person it wished to woo was your average Joe barbecue fan or Nascar racing watcher. The labels on both wines feature a galloping stallion. And their advertisements include manly pursuits such as fishing and hunting.
Alsace under Screwcap
That bastion of tradition, Alsace, is to have its first range of wines bottled under screwcap. Oh, hold on... it is not the first wine under screw cap but the first Grand Cru wines. Less of a story really. This from Wine International which I thought had closed or been rebranded or something.
Wine International
"Blanck, who has been selling lower tier wines under screw cap since 2001, will sell the 2005 vintage of his Riesling Schlossberg Grand Cru without cork closures in the UK, the US, Australia and other markets, ‘though probably not yet in France, because the French are not as open minded about this as they should be,’ he said."
Wine International
"Blanck, who has been selling lower tier wines under screw cap since 2001, will sell the 2005 vintage of his Riesling Schlossberg Grand Cru without cork closures in the UK, the US, Australia and other markets, ‘though probably not yet in France, because the French are not as open minded about this as they should be,’ he said."
A quick slurp...
Three quick links / across the web in sixty seconds:
- Canadian Ice Cider - produced from frozen apples [details] [more]
- Tobacco-style warnings on wine? It was bound to happen eventually [details]
- Chateau d'Arsac will feature a different guest winemaker each year and wines will be episodes rather than vintages. [details].
- Why isn't the Caveman appearing in the sidebar? [website]
Destination Champagne Book and Download.
Destination Champagne.
Deep in the underground cellars of Veuve Clicquot a multi-course dinner, with each exquisitely prepared course matched with a different wine from their range, is one of the top gourmet extravagances experienced in my limited travels around the champagne region. High on the list of 'must return to' trips is Champagne for which this travel guide sounds like the ideal companion. Available in print or as a PDF download Philippe Boucheron's guide to the Champagne region sounds a steal. You can have the PDF download for just £3.50 (approx. €5.50 or $6.50) which also includes a discount on the printed version. Philippe will also hand write a dedication inside the printed copy if you ask nicely. Destination Champagne
"Philippe Boucheron’s full guide in book form is a superb, full-colour 136-page edition, with masses of pictures. He covers all the top growers and champagne houses in exacting detail, with lots of interesting stories. Addresses, telephone numbers and contact details are there. There are comprehensive maps, and the hotels and restaurants are described in full detail. Plus, the interesting museums and tourist attractions. This 30-year wealth of experience will be invaluable on your trip, adding to the pleasure; and hopefully saving you from expensive mistakes that we all can make in a new vacation territory!
New Zealand Wine Grower.
A tad specialist perhaps but the New Zealand WineGrower is the official journal of the New Zealand Wine Industry; now available as a PDF download from the new website. New Zealand WineGrower
"New Zealand WineGrower’s editorial staff have unparalleled access to the industry leaders and its movers and shakers, giving the magazine exclusive insight into latest developments. Industry people value the magazine for keeping them up to date with what’s happening in local and export markets, the introduction of new techniques and practices in the wineries and vineyards, what’s happeing in oenological and viticultural research; all in all, a comprehensive and up-to-date read about the industry."
Port and Port Styles.
Over the last three weeks an overview of the differing styles of port, penned by me, has appeared on the new Wine Sediments blog. I love a good port...
New World wines key to increasing demand for recycled glass
The emergence of new world wine producers could be the key to the UK increasing domestic outlets for recycled green glass. A major initiative has been launched to increase the recycling of waste glass in the UK by working with the wine industry.
Lets Recycle
"WRAP hopes more wines could be bottled in the UK to increase demand for recycled green glass WRAP has identified two major directions for its work – minimising the weight of glass used to make each wine bottle, and persuading wine producers to have their wines bottled in the UK."
Lets Recycle
"WRAP hopes more wines could be bottled in the UK to increase demand for recycled green glass WRAP has identified two major directions for its work – minimising the weight of glass used to make each wine bottle, and persuading wine producers to have their wines bottled in the UK."
Oddbins Wine Fair
The 30th Oddbins Wine Fair is to be held over the weekend of the 13th and 14th of May this year. As usual for their London outing the venue is the Business Design Centre in Islington. Tickets cost £20 per person per day. I went a year or two back and while it seemed there were more Oddbins staff present than punters it was quite a good way to enjoy the entire Oddbins range. They promise four themed masterclasses which are an extra £5 each. Oddbins have also updated their website - looks like practically every other online drink retailer now... Australian Wine Region Woes.
For 12 years the Australian wine industry has been drawing and redrawing its regional boundaries. It's taken longer than expected, cost millions of dollars in legal wrangling and still has a way to go before it's finished. But is it a marketing issue or one of distinctive terroir?
The Age
"Arguments about geographical indications are dry, and it's hard for wine drinkers to get excited about them. We can only make decisions about what we buy through reading a wine label. And if that label treats an individual area as some part of an amorphous mass, without any uniqueness of wine style, are we the losers? But if the GIC gives the go-ahead to a wine region that doesn't have any great critical mass and whose economic survival may be in doubt, don't we also lose? As the GIC goes about putting the finishing touches to its wine map of Australia, there are a few last stumbling blocks - Gippsland and King Valley in particular - that question the very foundation of its decision-making process. Australian wine producers aren't used to being wrapped in red-tape and legally tied and bound. It's a new experience and an unsettling one - perhaps with good reason.
The Age
"Arguments about geographical indications are dry, and it's hard for wine drinkers to get excited about them. We can only make decisions about what we buy through reading a wine label. And if that label treats an individual area as some part of an amorphous mass, without any uniqueness of wine style, are we the losers? But if the GIC gives the go-ahead to a wine region that doesn't have any great critical mass and whose economic survival may be in doubt, don't we also lose? As the GIC goes about putting the finishing touches to its wine map of Australia, there are a few last stumbling blocks - Gippsland and King Valley in particular - that question the very foundation of its decision-making process. Australian wine producers aren't used to being wrapped in red-tape and legally tied and bound. It's a new experience and an unsettling one - perhaps with good reason.
Wine Tasting Note:Woodlands Cabernet-Merlot, 2004, Western Australia.
TravellingGrapes.com is offering an opening special with a generous 10% off all orders plus free delivery. This would include this rather classy Cab-Merlot and the 'also worth buying' Shepherd's Hut Shiraz sampled a few days ago that retails for a rather good £11.
Wine Tasting Note: Woodlands Cabernet Merlot, 2004, Margaret River, Western Australia.
Travelling Grapes £13.
Silverside of beef cooked in a red wine gravy and topped with golden shortcrust pastry - a posh way of saying a meat pie. But it's a decent meat pie; requiring little bar a decent red for a glorious meal. Stroll on in Woodlands with their medley of lush blackberries and redcurrant acidity. Woodlands is a small 10 hectare property in Western Australia. Family run the estate produces small quantities of wine that only reach the UK via the endeavours of such importers such as Travelling Grapes. Fine powdery tannins finish the brambly whole with a flourish of juicy, red currant and rosehip acidity.
Scribblings Rating - 92/100
A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 14% Malbec. Would be nice if they had these details on the label...
Wine Tasting Note: Woodlands Cabernet Merlot, 2004, Margaret River, Western Australia.Travelling Grapes £13.
Silverside of beef cooked in a red wine gravy and topped with golden shortcrust pastry - a posh way of saying a meat pie. But it's a decent meat pie; requiring little bar a decent red for a glorious meal. Stroll on in Woodlands with their medley of lush blackberries and redcurrant acidity. Woodlands is a small 10 hectare property in Western Australia. Family run the estate produces small quantities of wine that only reach the UK via the endeavours of such importers such as Travelling Grapes. Fine powdery tannins finish the brambly whole with a flourish of juicy, red currant and rosehip acidity.
Scribblings Rating - 92/100
A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 14% Malbec. Would be nice if they had these details on the label...
A mention in Olive.
I am sure no one else has even noticed; certainly no one is going to be inclined to blog about it. So I will. Spittoon has received a mention in the latest issue of Olive magazine. This is a foodie magazine under the banner of the BBC and has a reasonable wine content. Print only...
Olive Magazine
"He boozes; he blogs. Wine writer Andrew Barrow´s website, spittoon.biz, is the current hot tip on the drink-related blog scene. Log on for straight-talking, informed wine recommendations and more"
Pinot Noir Genetic Code Cracked.
Italian scientists have uncovered the 'life code' of the pinot noir grape plant, a breakthrough destined to change the future of wine-making; assuming growers, producers and the authorities actually allow GM modified grapes of course.
Wine International
"On Monday experts from the San Michele all'Adige Agrarian Institute presented the results of six years of research, in which they decoded the plant's genome - the complex molecular chains that constitute each organism's unique genetic heritage. The institute says the development will make it possible to create new, more resistant grape plants that can produce superior wines."
Wine International
"On Monday experts from the San Michele all'Adige Agrarian Institute presented the results of six years of research, in which they decoded the plant's genome - the complex molecular chains that constitute each organism's unique genetic heritage. The institute says the development will make it possible to create new, more resistant grape plants that can produce superior wines."
Wine Tasting Note: Chapel Down Bacchus Reserve, 2003, England.
With a dozen plump and juicy king prawns bedding down amongst the slices of green beans the paella is almost done; deeply coloured rice retaining a subtle bite with the saffron adding a whiff of exoticness to the aroma. To accompany a white was required - a bottle suitable for matching with seafood, one with a little greenness to compliment the green beans. A Sauvignon Blanc would have been an ideal match but instead this English wine was pulled from the rack...
Wine Tasting Note: Chapel Down Bacchus Reserve, 2003, England.
Available from English Wines Group for £9.99.
That's passion fruit that is! ep on the palate mingling with a distinctly Sauvignon Blanc style the flavours are overwhelmingly of Passion Fruit. There is a little spritz and maybe a touch of sweetness, medium in body and a touch of white blossom and gooseberry; but over-all it is passion fruit flavours that dominate. All in all rather nice.
Scribblings Rating - 90/100
This particular bottling is a selected tank of high quality fruit, as such it is not produced every year. Even in early 2006 this vintage is still fresh and vibrant.
Wine Tasting Note: Chapel Down Bacchus Reserve, 2003, England.Available from English Wines Group for £9.99.
That's passion fruit that is! ep on the palate mingling with a distinctly Sauvignon Blanc style the flavours are overwhelmingly of Passion Fruit. There is a little spritz and maybe a touch of sweetness, medium in body and a touch of white blossom and gooseberry; but over-all it is passion fruit flavours that dominate. All in all rather nice.
Scribblings Rating - 90/100
This particular bottling is a selected tank of high quality fruit, as such it is not produced every year. Even in early 2006 this vintage is still fresh and vibrant.
UK Wine Market
An over-view of the UK wine market - the brands, what we consume, and in what quantities.
Brand Republic
"Although there has been a rise in the number of brands appearing as companies build their portfolios, the global wine market is highly fragmented with the five leading producers accounting for just 8% of volume sales. Branded wines dominate both on- and off-trade sales because they provide consumers with a reliable product within the low- to mid-price band. These wines tend to appeal to drinkers who lack knowledge or experience of grapes and regions.
Despite their popularity, branded wines were dealt a blow earlier this month when consumer watchdog Which? published a report concluding that branded wines are poor value. Its panel of professional wine-tasters and critics tasted 41 wines, including the best-sellers from the top 11 brands, and none scored more than 13 out of 20.
Brand Republic
"Although there has been a rise in the number of brands appearing as companies build their portfolios, the global wine market is highly fragmented with the five leading producers accounting for just 8% of volume sales. Branded wines dominate both on- and off-trade sales because they provide consumers with a reliable product within the low- to mid-price band. These wines tend to appeal to drinkers who lack knowledge or experience of grapes and regions.
Despite their popularity, branded wines were dealt a blow earlier this month when consumer watchdog Which? published a report concluding that branded wines are poor value. Its panel of professional wine-tasters and critics tasted 41 wines, including the best-sellers from the top 11 brands, and none scored more than 13 out of 20.
UK Champagne Sales Surge.
Partly fuelled by supermarket discounting, the growth in UK Champagne sales is outstripping the market, up just over 4pc in 2005 to top 36m bottles. Britons' taste for this singular French fizz accounts for almost a third of global market growth in the past decade, with consumers quaffing 51m more bottles last year than in 1996.
Telegraph
"We Brits are also the driving force behind the boom in pricier and - for the producers - more profitable rosé styles of Champagne. Sales of pink fizz in the UK have stormed ahead by over 20pc year on year since 2000. The pink stuff may cost more to make - suitable red wine to blend in for the colour is expensive and increasingly hard to come by in Champagne - but consumers don't mind paying up for it."
Telegraph
"We Brits are also the driving force behind the boom in pricier and - for the producers - more profitable rosé styles of Champagne. Sales of pink fizz in the UK have stormed ahead by over 20pc year on year since 2000. The pink stuff may cost more to make - suitable red wine to blend in for the colour is expensive and increasingly hard to come by in Champagne - but consumers don't mind paying up for it."
Limited Edition Whisky Sells for £17,000.
Bottle One of Royal Salute 50 year old whiskey has just been sold in New Zealand for a little over £17,000/US$30,000. Only 255 were produced in 2003 to celebrate the anniversary of the Queens coronation. It also marked the 50th birthday of the Royal Salute whisky brand. Making this even more special though is that the bottle was initially presented to Sir Edmund Hillary on the 50th anniversary of his joint ascent of Mt Everest with Tenzing Norgay. It was brought back by its producers - Chivas Brothers - with the proceeds going to the Himalayan Trust for development work in Nepal.
The special batch of 50-year-old Royal Salute whiskies were distilled before 1953 and laid down in warehouses to mature, until they were married in a single cask in 1993 and bottled 10 years later. There is a tasting note at whisky mag.com.
Search Tags: whisky food & drink
Wine Tasting Note: Shepherd's Hut Shiraz, 2003, Western Australia.
Wine Tasting Note: Shepherd's Hut Porongurup Shiraz, 2003, Western Australia.Available from Travelling Grapes, price TBC.
With a mass of blackberry fruit and plenty of soft tannins this medium-bodied wine from Western Australia is a delight. Pepper and spice notes enliven the palate and finish with a plummy, light oaked flourish. Alcohol 14%. Fusion food is recommended here - try a traditional Shepherd's Pie with the mince spiked with a selection of Indian spices; the match was lovely.
Scribblings Rating - 90/100
The vineyard, sited in the eastern foothills of the Porongurup Ranges in the Great Southern region of Western Australia was established in 1996 . Back in the 1850's there were four stone huts that were used by shepherds who were tending their flocks in the regions lush pastures. One of these old, now dilapidated, huts was on estate property. It was rebuilt overlooking the vines and is used by the family when working in the vineyard. It is apparently built from the original a honey-coloured Mt Barker stone and has sweeping views to the Porongurup and Stirling Ranges.
Wine Tasting Note: Chapel Down English Rose, 2004, England.
Another wine from a little box of goodies sent by Chapel Down; actually quite a big box with beers and several wines included. This has quite a spritz to it - all in the name of freshness - so much though that it is just a step away from fizz. Now I wonder what that would be like?
Wine Tasting Note: Chapel Down English Rose, 2004, England.
£6.99 from English Wines Group.
With a name like English Rose this could only by a rosé; and what a colour - a delicate hue of early summer roses maybe. The aroma is light, but the palate with its spritzy feel is delectably full. Flavours of redcurrants dominate followed by creamy strawberries and a hint of rosehips. Dry on the finish with a suggestion of tannin from its red grape origins. A little expensive perhaps but it's unique and home grown so what is not to like? Serve as an aperitif to take us from Spring through to the simpering heat of late summer; or so we hope. The grapes are Dornfelder and Seyval Blanc. Alcohol 11%.
Scribblings Rating - 86/100
Wine Tasting Note: Chapel Down English Rose, 2004, England.£6.99 from English Wines Group.
With a name like English Rose this could only by a rosé; and what a colour - a delicate hue of early summer roses maybe. The aroma is light, but the palate with its spritzy feel is delectably full. Flavours of redcurrants dominate followed by creamy strawberries and a hint of rosehips. Dry on the finish with a suggestion of tannin from its red grape origins. A little expensive perhaps but it's unique and home grown so what is not to like? Serve as an aperitif to take us from Spring through to the simpering heat of late summer; or so we hope. The grapes are Dornfelder and Seyval Blanc. Alcohol 11%.
Scribblings Rating - 86/100
Wine Tasting Note: Chapel Down Pinot Reserve, 2001, England.
Hell, why not? A bottle of bubbly on a Monday - decadent, crazy even, but certainly fun. Excessive maybe at just under twenty quid a bottle; cracking it open mid-afternoon might just be considered as such too!
Wine Tasting Note: Chapel Down Pinot Reserve Sparkling, 2001, England.
Direct from the English Wine Group for £11.99 per bottle.
The colour of later autumn straw and an aroma of biscuits. From soils rich in chalk, like those in Champagne, it's a traditional method wine verging on the complexity found in decent Champagne. Made from a mix of Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc; it is fresh and crisp with flavours of baked apple crumble, just without the sweetness, and slips down a treat. Alcohol 12%. For food trying pairing with a seafood platter or as we had a creamy prawn risotto.
Scribblings Rating - 90/100
Wine Tasting Note: Chapel Down Pinot Reserve Sparkling, 2001, England.Direct from the English Wine Group for £11.99 per bottle.
The colour of later autumn straw and an aroma of biscuits. From soils rich in chalk, like those in Champagne, it's a traditional method wine verging on the complexity found in decent Champagne. Made from a mix of Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc; it is fresh and crisp with flavours of baked apple crumble, just without the sweetness, and slips down a treat. Alcohol 12%. For food trying pairing with a seafood platter or as we had a creamy prawn risotto.
Scribblings Rating - 90/100
South Africa Wine Production Problems.
South African wine producers fear that weeks of power cuts in the Western Cape, South Africa's wine-making region, may have spoiled production of its white wines. The Western Cape has been hit by blackouts since December when an electricity generating nuclear plant in Koeberg outside Cape Town broke down.
MG.co.za
""We will probably not make as good a wine as we could have," said manager Andre Freeborough from Distell cellar in Stellenbosch. "These power cuts disrupted the fermentation process and temperatures went too high," he told Agence France-Presse. "The power cuts are complicating our work in the cellars, grapes have to wait in the sun for long hours because our cooling system is not functioning and at the end of the day that affects quality," said Freeborough."
MG.co.za
""We will probably not make as good a wine as we could have," said manager Andre Freeborough from Distell cellar in Stellenbosch. "These power cuts disrupted the fermentation process and temperatures went too high," he told Agence France-Presse. "The power cuts are complicating our work in the cellars, grapes have to wait in the sun for long hours because our cooling system is not functioning and at the end of the day that affects quality," said Freeborough."
ISake Premium
Thoughts of soapy water, of biting alcohol and of paraffin should be laid to one side. For here, in this lightly frosted bottle, is a liquid at once delicate but also full of subtle, tantalising flavours. Sake occupies a complicated niche in the ranks of alcoholic drinks and not one I profess to know much about. There are the various types rice (here it is Gohyakumangoku) and differing levels of milling. Then each Saki is graded from Futsushu through to ultra-premium Junmai. The more the rice is milled, the cleaner and lighter with a corresponding delicacy of flavour the final drink is likely to be. Isake Premium has been milled to 65% which means that 35% of each rice grain has been milled away. Brewed like beer but served like wine.
Sipping a small chilled glassful a comparison with wine is hard to ignore. The flavour is initially delicate with hints of lemon and lychee, but unlike a corresponding white wine, the acidity is much lower. After a swirl over the gums the flavour explodes in a mix of fresh fruits, nuts and cooked rice all with a herbal edge. The finish, with sweet and sour notes, is quite long - tailored to the Western palate perhaps as the Japanese preference is for a short run of flavour. Alcohol 14.5%. Sake should be consumed within a year of purchase and within a few days of opening to retain the freshness and the subtly of flavour.
Yamatogawa Isake Premium from Fukushima Prefecture is available from Isake Store. This 180ml bottle is £9.99.
Sipping a small chilled glassful a comparison with wine is hard to ignore. The flavour is initially delicate with hints of lemon and lychee, but unlike a corresponding white wine, the acidity is much lower. After a swirl over the gums the flavour explodes in a mix of fresh fruits, nuts and cooked rice all with a herbal edge. The finish, with sweet and sour notes, is quite long - tailored to the Western palate perhaps as the Japanese preference is for a short run of flavour. Alcohol 14.5%. Sake should be consumed within a year of purchase and within a few days of opening to retain the freshness and the subtly of flavour.
Yamatogawa Isake Premium from Fukushima Prefecture is available from Isake Store. This 180ml bottle is £9.99.
Red Wine May Stop Teeth Falling Out.
Red wine could hold the key to preventing and treating serious gum disease, research suggests. Components found in the tipple, called polyphenols, were found to target molecules which attack cells causing periodontal disease.
Scotsman
"Scientists in Quebec, Canada, suggest the polyphenols in red wine could be harnessed to tackle this disease. However, people should not rush for the wine bottle just yet. Experts warned that red wine could stain the teeth, while excessive consumption of alcohol is linked with mouth cancer."
Scotsman
"Scientists in Quebec, Canada, suggest the polyphenols in red wine could be harnessed to tackle this disease. However, people should not rush for the wine bottle just yet. Experts warned that red wine could stain the teeth, while excessive consumption of alcohol is linked with mouth cancer."
Wine Tasting Note: Joubert-Tradauw Syrah, 2004, Klein Karoo, South Africa.
I dive into Oddbins as the splatter of rain develops a into a head-stinging hail storm. It is not going to pass quickly. With half a mind on pal Jeanne holidaying in her native South Africa I browse over the stacks of discounted bubbly and head to the SA shelves. Little inspires at the lower levels then, as I dismiss the idea of actually buying, an unprepossessing bottle rattles in a thunder-claps aftermath. A curse from outside as a market trader struggles with a sagging red tarpaulin, still bravely protecting the tat below as it bows under the weight of collected water and ice. I exchange a tenner and hover in the doorway as hail turns to rain and convince myself that another purchase was necessary; the excuse of Wine Blogging Wednesday about the best available. Head bowed against the rain, I crunch through the market homeward, wondering if Nigel Slater has anything in his diaries remotely South African.
Wine Tasting Note: Joubert-Tradauw Syrah, 2004, Klein Karoo, South Africa.
Available from Oddbins for £9.99
The deepest plum colour you can imagine; black almost, with a smidge of cherry around the rim. It's young, deep and powerfully intense. Takes a while to open - something ripe, rich and blackberryish emerges but indicates, again, a youth in sulking reticence. The palate impresses. Ripe, full, rich, offering spice amongst the black fruits and manages to tuck a sprig of rosemary in there too. Fine gravel tannins, mineral mouth-feel and lingering fruit keep the finish interesting. It's good, very good, and has plenty of potential to develop over the next few years. Alcohol 14.5%.
Scribblings Rating - 94/100
Wine Blogging Wednesday reaches its 19th round hosted by Wine Expression. The theme is Rhone grapes either from the region itself or from elsewhere across the globe.
Joubert-Tradauw Syrah.
Wine Tasting Note: Joubert-Tradauw Syrah, 2004, Klein Karoo, South Africa.
Available from Oddbins for £9.99
The deepest plum colour you can imagine; black almost, with a smidge of cherry around the rim. It's young, deep and powerfully intense. Takes a while to open - something ripe, rich and blackberryish emerges but indicates, again, a youth in sulking reticence. The palate impresses. Ripe, full, rich, offering spice amongst the black fruits and manages to tuck a sprig of rosemary in there too. Fine gravel tannins, mineral mouth-feel and lingering fruit keep the finish interesting. It's good, very good, and has plenty of potential to develop over the next few years. Alcohol 14.5%.
Scribblings Rating - 94/100
Wine Blogging Wednesday reaches its 19th round hosted by Wine Expression. The theme is Rhone grapes either from the region itself or from elsewhere across the globe.
Wine Tasting Note: Chateau de Nages Cuvee Joseph Torres
Wine Tasting Note: Château Nages Cuvée Torrès, 1998, Costières de Nîmes, France.Available from Oddbins for £5.99
At the far eastern edge of the Languedoc, clinging to the last surge of the Rhone lies the Costières de Nîmes. Part of the Languedoc or the Rhone? Influences from both regions intersect here. In general red wines are highly praised so a white, if spotted, is something to try. This is totally Roussanne; a grape prone to oxidation and blessed with a golden colour that can only deepen as it ages. Such as here. A few years in bottle now and both the colour and the mature aroma are typical of the grape. Is it too old and past its best or supposed to be like this? Full-bodied, distinctively orange flavoured on the finish with hints of spice and more elusive flavours. The acidity is quite high, keeping it all fresh.
It needs food - a rustic-styled bean and chicken stew, slowly cooked with herbs and balsamic vinegar as we tried worked superbly. Mash or bread to soak up the delicious juices is all that is required to accompany.
Scribblings Rating - 86/100
Wine Blogging Wednesday reaches its 19th round hosted by Wine Expression. The theme is Rhone grapes either from the region itself, such as here, or from elsewhere across the globe.
Fleur Du Cap Latest Super Chenin.
The South African Chenin Blanc Association has awarded the Fleur Du Cap Chenin Blanc 2004 as a Super Chenin joining the hallowed ranks of the very best Chenin's the country produces. Super Chenins are wines that have earned a total of ten or more stars in three consecutive vintages from tastings hosted by South Africa's Wine Magazine. This year, only twelve Chenin Blancs were capped with Super Chenin status by the Association.
Wine.co.za
""This full-bodied and complex wine shows an abundance of pineapple and peach flavours on the nose, whilst the palate unleashes delicate spices, butterscotch and vanilla with an excellent balance between fruit and wood flavours," is how winemaker Kobus Gerber describes the wine. Fleur du Cap has earned repute for its Chenin blancs and all previous vintages have been recognised as having all the complexities and elegance of a fine Chenin blanc."
More Rioting In France.
Still unhappy it would appear; those French grape growers who seem incapable of peaceful protest or, indeed, accepting they have to adapt and change...
Decanter
"Disenchanted winemakers attacked police vehicles, wine tankers and négociants yesterday in a further attempt to elicit financial help from the government. Over 100 winemakers, masked and armed with crowbars and sledgehammers, began the day by descending on a wine depot in the Mediterranean port of Sète. The group attacked an Italian wine tanker and emptied its contents, several thousand litres of Italian wine, onto the tarmac."
Decanter
"Disenchanted winemakers attacked police vehicles, wine tankers and négociants yesterday in a further attempt to elicit financial help from the government. Over 100 winemakers, masked and armed with crowbars and sledgehammers, began the day by descending on a wine depot in the Mediterranean port of Sète. The group attacked an Italian wine tanker and emptied its contents, several thousand litres of Italian wine, onto the tarmac."
GrapesTalk - PDF Magazine (soon).
The group of independent merchants who have banded together under the Association of Small Direct Winemerchants (ASDW) are to issue a regular newsletter, Grapestalk, in PDF format. The first issue is to be this Spring with recipes, a look at Tuscany, wine and spicy food and details of new wines from the across the group. How do I know this? A mock up of the first two pages are available for preview... Ultimate Wines Tasting Dates.
The passionate Paula of Ultimate Wines has just sent details of the next two Marlow tastings. Always fun, informal and a great opportunity to sample some great wines.
- 25th March New Zealand
- 17th May Terroir Nebbiolo in Barolo, Barberesco and Gattinara
Wine Tasting Note: Versus, 2004, Beira, Portugal.
Wine Tasting Note: Oscar Almeida Versus, 2004, Beira, Portugal.There is a delicious richness coupled with a rusticity in this bottle. Blending Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca this is just so Portuguese with rustic tannins, dark sweet fruit and a superb savoury redcurrant and strawberry finish. Really needs something hearty to accompany food-wise; a nice piece of Parmesan perhaps or something beefy. Heartily individualistic. Full-bodied. Alcohol 14%.
Scribblings Rating - 92/100
Iconic Australia - Australia Day Tasting.
The scrum around the Iconic Australia tasting table was not the most conducive to serious sampling and note writing; being interrupted by some ol' fart comparing this bottle with last years vintage, that bottle with what so-and-so made four years ago and such-like didn't help either. God, I hate that sort of conversation. I don't bloody remember if I even sampled half the wines last year let alone have the memory capacity of a Cray in comparing them. I leave such malarkey to the Bordeaux and Burgundy specialists; for the finest of wines not for sub-tenner bottles.Not that there was much laid out in this corner for under fifteen pounds mind, for these are the upper echelons of Australia - their icon wines.
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The Lane 'Gathering' Sauvignon Blanc, 2005, Adelaide Hills, South Australia.
Price £13.99.
Superb lifted pear and guava aroma. Stylish palate. Apricots, guava, fresh, clean citrus acidity Wonderful balance. -
Yalumba Virgilius Viognier, 2004, Eden Valley, South Australia.
Price £19.99.
Gorgeously smooth and soft, pineapple, grapefruit, pear and exotic spice flavors. Honeysuckle finish. Super. -
Fermoy Estate Reserve Semillon, 2002, Margaret River, Western Australia.
Price £13.99.
Pea-shoot aroma, attractive herbaceous. Lovely fresh and complex grapefruit and subtle vegetal notes. -
Tamar Ridge Batman Selection Pinot Noir, 2002, Tasmania.
Price £19.50.
Full and rich, lightly spicy, ripe fruit, excellent length. -
Scotchmans Hill Norfolk Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2002, Geelon, Victoria.
Price £24.95.
Full with great structure. Deep plum flavours with an earthy-spice touch. -
Penley Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002, Coonawarra, South Australia.
Price £25.
Stunning aroma. Depth, complexity, with rich, sweet berry flavours on the palate. Medium to full bodied. -
Godolphin Shiraz, 2004, Barossa Valley, South Australia.
Price £29.99.
Gorgeous label - the Ancient Egyptian Ankh symbol symbolising sunrise, regeneration, regrowth and renewal. Wonderful bramble fruit with a deep and full feel. Rich fruit enlivened with a touch of spice and chocolate. -
Leconfield Centurion Shiraz, 2002, McLaren Vale, South Australia.
Price £26.99.
Big and bold but richly textured and damn tasty. Flavours of spice, coffee and chocolate add complexity to the ripe fruit.
Penfolds Grange 2001.
Applauded as the greatest vintage yet, the 2001 Penfolds Grange is to be released on the 1st May with a £255 (AUS$600/US$448) price tag.
The Advertiser
"The 50th commercial vintage of the wine is also expected to be one of the most sought after Granges.... It is also likely to be the most expensive Grange with a price tag of up to $600 a bottle in some stores. "
The Advertiser
"The 50th commercial vintage of the wine is also expected to be one of the most sought after Granges.... It is also likely to be the most expensive Grange with a price tag of up to $600 a bottle in some stores. "
Vote for Your Top Retailer.
Decanter, as part of their Wine Awards 2006 system asks for votes for your favourite UK wine retailer. Who would you vote for in the mail order/online category? Decanter Wines perhaps or Nick Dobson Wines? How about Ultimate Wines, Pic Wines or those recommended by French Duck...
Decanter
"Readers will be able to nominate their choices, and the stores receiving the most votes will go forward to be judged by an expert panel of Decanter contributors, led by consultant editor Steven Spurrier. The award, which is limited to wine retailers in the UK, will be split into four categories: supermarkets, high street stores, independent merchants, and mail order/online merchants."
Decanter
"Readers will be able to nominate their choices, and the stores receiving the most votes will go forward to be judged by an expert panel of Decanter contributors, led by consultant editor Steven Spurrier. The award, which is limited to wine retailers in the UK, will be split into four categories: supermarkets, high street stores, independent merchants, and mail order/online merchants."
White Cabernet - Cabernet Cygne Blanc.
Costing around £12 a bottle a new variety - Cabernet Cygne Blanc - is to be offered from a South African producer. The variety is a naturally occurring version of the Cabernet vine and produces an aromatic wine with a peachy character reminiscent of a white Rhône..
Wine International
"The vines with white berries produced their first fruit in 1991. “I was mystified, excited and decided to keep the matter secret,” said Mann, who produced the first five vintages in secret. In 1999 it was registered as a new variety, Cabernet Cygne Blanc. In 2000, Mann granted Port Robe Estate on the Limestone Coast an exclusive licence to produce the variety."
Wine International
"The vines with white berries produced their first fruit in 1991. “I was mystified, excited and decided to keep the matter secret,” said Mann, who produced the first five vintages in secret. In 1999 it was registered as a new variety, Cabernet Cygne Blanc. In 2000, Mann granted Port Robe Estate on the Limestone Coast an exclusive licence to produce the variety."