It's fairly typical of the type of Californian wine readily available in the UK. Following the WineDudes request for some foreign thoughts on Californian wine the Woodbridge is 'research'. Not sure if the Wine Dude is going to utilise my barely coherant scribbles in a post or (update - he has) not but the crux of the article was that, while we can get hold of American wines in the UK most are the large brands (such as Gallo and this Mondavi) and the small quantities of boutique wines that many American wine bloggers rave about are never seen over here.

I hesitate to mention the ubiquitous Gallo in the same paragraph as Mondavi for both the Cabernet and this similar but slightly spicier Shiraz are very drinkable examples which offer more than a modicum of interest, something those massed Gallo brands never will.

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Wine Tasting Note: Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Shiraz, 2006, California
Stockists: Threshers and most supermarkets Price: £7.20 [More on Adegga / Snooth]
Very similar in style to the Cabernet - sweetish full fruit, soft but evident tannins combine to make a highly drinkable fruity style of red. Broad flavours enveloping the blueberry/blackberry spectrum, not complicated but enhanced by some varietal spice. Not sure where Jancis Robinson gets the "very pinched and ungenerous" idea from as the wine appears fleshy, broad, lightly spiced and very drinkable. Alcohol 135%.

Aiming for a modicum of seasonal eating a dish of acorn squash with a tomato and cream minced lamb stuffing was paired with this red, the sweetness of the fruit playing nicely with the inherant sweetness of the squash and the stuffing. The softness held enough in the acidity and tannin stakes to counter the creamy richness.

Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 88/100 [3.5 out of 5]

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Wine Tasting Note: Fariña Val de Reyes, 2005, Castilla y Leon, Spain
[More: Adegga / Snooth]

The Botrytis effected Moscatel is really evident on the aroma with hints of orange, honey, pear and a heady honeysuckle edge. Is it the botrytis that gives that nice weight to the palate in addition to the sweetness? A good long spicy finish is clean and fresh from the citric acidity. Behind that spice is there a dimension not too dissimilar to that of autumn - well-kept apples, damp leaves, wild mushrooms and all? Alcohol 13%.

It is not a rich, sickly dessert wine being more fresh and lively than many. With the Little Windfall Apple Tarts it was rather scrummy with a lemon dimension matching the tarts lemon curd. With desserts you need the wine to be sweeter than the food; this match worked perfectly.

Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 90/100 [3.75 out of 5]

I'm not a great fan, by the way, of port with cheese, especially stilton. Two strong totally strong flavours that clash. Just because it is 'tradition' doesn't make it right! I'm out on my own I think. A quick twitter poll resulted in an almost universal condemnation for my heretical views.

Although the wine mutineer agreed

"Nope, I've tried it, and in my humble opinion, the complexity of the port combats the cheese, I like a desert Riesling or Sauternes instead"

Chocolate is the way to go when matching food with port; especially the Late Bottled Vintage version. I've just enjoyed a rather scrummy Chocolate Bavarois (made 'em myself, he says with a triumphant gloat) with a generous glass of Cockburns LBV - pure bliss. You have to be generous with the drink serving, none of your namby-pamby little glasses, splash a generous measure into a wine glass.

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Wine Tasting Note: Cockburn's Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port , 2003, Portugal
Stockist: Asda and Morrisons 10.69 [More on UKWOL] Price: £9.99 [More on Adegga / Snooth]

Distinct chocolate notes in the wine are mingled with a deep richness and mellow complex fruits. Mulberry is often noted but to me is more sweet raisins with a little plum and sweet strawberry thrown in. A nice sweetness tempered by the tannins and a creamy mouthfeel.

Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 90/100 [3.75 out of 5]


A full recipe and instructions for Chocolate Bavarois is available on SpittoonExtra.

But it has a saving. It was rather excellent with a salmon tart!

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Wine Tasting Note: St Hallet Poacher's Blend, 2007, Barossa Valley, Australia.
Stockist: Waitrose Price: £7.99 [More: Adegga / Snooth]
Fresh, distinctive, disjointed. Joyous though when partnered with food - in this instance a warm Salmon Tart. The wines crispness cutting through the rich pastry, and matching the egg component face to face (eggs being a tricky when matched with wine). The Sauvignon component, of course, went well with the Salmon with the fuller Semillon revelling in the harmony with the herbs and the spinach. Alcohol 11.5%.
Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 86/100 [3.25 out of 5]


The background to the blend is interesting - the wine is bottled just four months after vintage with the Semillon picked at three different ripeness levels. Part adds natural acidity (the Riesling and Sauvignon obviously not sufficient), the mid-pick supplies an 'herbaceous lift' in support of the Sauvignon and the fully ripe portion adds mouth-feel and richer grapefruit flavours. Their website fails to give details of the actual percentage components in the blend - anal I realise but something I find fascinating - which is a shame.

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Wine Tasting Note: Caldora Colle dei Venti Pecorino, 2007, Terre di Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy..
Stockist: Planet of the Grapes Bon Coeur Fine Wines Price: around £10 [More: Adegga / Snooth]
Lemons, nectarines, minerals, lime rind, orange pith, fresh, clean and quite full. Summery. Long lasting, dry, interesting, complex. Delicious. Alcohol 13%

A superb match with the Ricotta-stuffed Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (recipe below).

Sadly the notes neglect to mention who supplied this bottle - it was neither of the stockists listed. It might even have been Waitrose.

Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 92/100 [4 out of 5]


Pecorino, the grape variety, is so named due to the resemblance of the grape bunches to a head of a sheep and has nothing to do with the cheese. Colle dei Venti translates as the Hill of Breeze.

Avesso is a Vinho Verde grape; so one would expect a high level of acidity. The region this comes from, Minho, is also where Vinho Verde originates.

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Wine Tasting Note: Quinta de Covela Escolha, 2005, Minho, Portugal.
Stockist: Waitrose Price: £9.99 [More: Adegga / Snooth]
An upfront crispness, a weighty Chardonnay-led, mid-palate and a minerally 'wet stones' finish. Add the complex flavours of unripened pears, a touch of greenness, a little lemon, a hint of sandpaper and plenty of tropical fruit medley and the result is the delicious Covela. Dry and full. Alcohol 13.5%.

Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 94/100 [4.25 out of 5]

The other joy of this wine malarkey is matching these interesting and tasty wines with food. Here I suggest Breast of Chicken with Pancetta and Creamed Leeks - where the wines acidity counters the creamy richness. Chardonnay is very chicken-friendly; just ensure they are free-range and they will get along brilliantly!

In addition to a great many tasting notes, many destined to be written up on Spittoon, there were two full articles planned for the Guardian, the notes and thoughts on the Montes Alpha range (the 'gimmick' being to serve the wines with specific music) and several very interesting wine and food matching experiments. Greatly saddened it has vanished.

My memory recall is not great; wracking my brains for a descriptive of a wine tasted last week is bad enough, let alone something slurped back in May! But my pictures folder has many shots destined to accompany those notes; one being the Montes Alpha Syrah used here.

This amply flavoured, high alcohol (14.5%) wine was an absolute joy with a little Grana Padano cheese even with Pavarotti belting out Nessun Dorma in the background. Love the wine, not a fan of the music. Did it change my perception of the wine... impossible to say with or without my notes. All I do know is that the four wines supplied were deliciously excellent.

"When a particular style of music is heard it stimulates or 'primes' specific areas in the brain. Subsequently when wine is tasted these areas of the brain are already active and prime us to taste the wine in a corresponding way"

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Wine Tasting Note: Montes Alpha Syrah, 2006, Colchagua Valley, Chile
Stockist: Waitrose, Tesco Price: £10.99 [More on Adegga/Snooth]
Great with Cheese - Grana Padano especially. Alcohol 14.5%.
Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 92/100 [4 out of 5]

Of course the meat cooked fully; seldom does a recipe in Delicious magazine let me down. The filling, a mound of beef topping a teaspoon of superb (English Provender Co) Spicy Onion Marmalade, had spilled and slid around the baking tray. The sticky residue from the marmalade just beginning to catch at the edge and the mozzarella doing its stuff by crisping against the hot pan edge. Gonna be a devil to clean. The smell though was gorgeous. The dish, simplified from the Delicious recipe, is Beef, Onion, Rosemary and Pine Nut Parcels, the full recipe being on SpittoonExtra.

In selecting the wine there were several considerations - the fresh rosemary should match the herby top-notes found in the Argentine Malbec while the sweet edge of the marmalade should be balanced by the inherent sweetness in the Aussie blend (of Cabernet and Shiraz). Red wine of course being a natural partner with beef. Finally the mozzarella - being relatively mild in taste practically any wine should accompany.

On balance the Australian, (Alpine Valleys Cab Mac Cabernet Sauvignon 2006), with its sweeter fruit and softer structure, was the more successful match. The Argentinean red, (Bodegas Esmeralda Tilia Malbec, 2007), with a more full-bodied palate, heartier tannins and drier structure struggled and clashed with the buttery pastry and the Marmalade.

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Wine Tasting Note: Alphine Valleys CabMac Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz, 2006, King Valley, Australia
Stockist: Threshers Price: £9.99 [More on Adegga/Snooth]
Interestingly the name, CabMac, is Aussie-speak for Carbonic Maceration, a wine making process. Alcohol 12.5%.
Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 86/100 [3.25 out of 5]



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Wine Tasting Note: Bodegas Esmeralda Tilia Malbec, 2007, Mendoza, Argentina
Stockist: Threshers Price: £7.99 [More on Adegga/Snooth]
Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 84/100 [3 out of 5]

With each course to be as simple as possible a couple of matches were easy: with the Gewürztraminer a foie gras (with toast and a little fig chutney) and with the Pinot Blanc an Alsace speciality (or the closest we could locate) an onion tart. I read somewhere that coconut macaroons were a sensational match to sweet Gewürztraminers, so that was the final dish sorted which left a course for the mixed grape blend and another for a top-notch Riesling. The host, Rob, insisted on a pork dish and I came up with Pork Medallions with Mustard Mash with Apple and a Cider Reduction. A triumphant match as it transpired. Scallops from Borough Market formed the opening course; which I was unexpectedly asked to cook!

A few shavings of fresh ginger, a little garlic, slithers of a mild, fresh red chilli and a sprinkling of dried coriander were added to the pan before the scallops turned rubbery. A splosh of white wine and a pinch of pepper, a quick shake of the pan and a squeeze of lemon and then out to the expectant guests. To be honest I thought I had overdone the spice but nods all round seemed to indicate a success!

At least in today's Oddbins, still far from its award-winning hay-day, there is usually something of interest; in Nicolas there isn't. Even their wine list was boring and staid, just a list - no descriptions, tasting notes, food matches, not even a bottle photo to enliven the list and provide a soupcon of that Gallic flair so missing from the wine range.

But the grand ol' daddy of the high street, Threshers, managed to entice a few squibblies from my pocket. Twice. Not often does a wine, let alone a wine on a deal, find itself purchased more than once. Or four times; as this Spanish Rosé is on offer at two for £8 (or £5.99 each).

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Wine Tasting Note: Agronavarra Perdido Rosé, 2007, Navarra, Spain.
£5.99 each or 2 for £8 Threshers [More on Adegga / Snooth]
Cherry coloured, enticingly so, with a bright, fresh, medium-bodied palate. Gently fruity flavours, cherry again, offering a firm whole and a refreshing tingle on the finish. It's not overly complicated, but refreshing, food friendly and - making use of the offer - good value. Alcohol 12.5%.

While holding enough interest for drinking on its own, the subtle level of tannin and freshness of acidity the Perdido makes for a fine picnic wine. Something none to serious is required when lolling by the side of a river or perched on a daisy strewn hillside. As a change from crust-less cucumber sandwiches hows about Chicken Wraps with Apple, Bacon and Pine Nuts as a picnic dish.

Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 88/100 [3.5 out of 5]

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Wine Tasting Note: La Monacesca Verdicchio di Matelica, 2006, Marche, Italy.
Stockist: Waitrose Price: £7.99 [More: Adegga / Snooth]
Wonderful deep golden colour, none of your wishy-washy, thin, bland Italian whites here thank you very much. Not much to the floral aroma but a weighty palate that matches wonderfully with the food. Flavours are laced with a touch of honey, a minerally texture, and plenty of stony fruit that power right through to the herby finish. Refreshingly crisp acidity on the finish. Elegant.
Alcohol 13.5%.

Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 92/100 [4 out of 5]

100% hand-picked Verdicchio grapes from a great estate in the upper Esino Valley. The difference between Verdicchio grown just a stones roll from Umbria and that grown down near the coast (Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi) is substantial. In the highlands the climate is cooler, the growing season longer and slower. Down by the coast the Adriatic plays a part with harvesting often 10 days earlier than those nearer the Apennines.

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Wine Tasting Note: Fattoira le Sorgenti Scirus, 2003, Tuscany, Italy
Stockist: Cadman Fine Wines [More on UKWOL] Price: £24.99 [More: Adegga / Snooth]

Textured and smooth, wonderful richness but balanced. A flow of savoury edged fruit - hints of tomatoes laced with chocolate, raspberries, cherries and other fleshy fruits. Very 'Bordeaux' on the nose - hailing from the blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (mixed in a 60%/40% blend) thrown in a little oak.

All rather scrummy, full and rich. Perhaps a tad young and missing a little development and complexity and also a tad short on the finish but highly drinkable. Accompanied that delicious lamb dish beautifully. Alcohol 14.5%.

Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 92/100 [4 out of 5]

Normally only 8000 bottles are produced annually, however the hot summer of 2003 reduced this to a meagre 6000 bottles, where deft handling, skilled winemaking and the benefit of vineyards at 400 metres have ensured that another outstanding wine has been crafted by Paolo Caciorgna and Le Sorgenti.

This months Wine Blogging Wednesday has, as its theme, 'The Letter S'. Sorgenti Scirus I guess qualifies!

The Spinach and Feta Pies with Toasted Pine Nuts, with the recipe in yesterdays Sunday Times, were selected specifically to accompany this interesting wine I picked up in Waitrose. A Pinot Blanc from Luxembourg of all places.

Unaware that Luxembourg actually produced wine in exportable quantities it is quite a find; hearty back-slaps and raucous cheering for the Waitrose team who tracked it down.

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Wine Tasting Note: Clos des Rochers Pinot Blanc, 2006, Moselle, Luxembourg
Stockist: Waitrose Price: £8.99 [More Adegga / Snooth]
A spritz to the creamy, full-ish, palate. While weighty there is also a delicacy to the fruit and texture. A touch of lime, a smear of pear, a little apple and, on the finish, a subtle nuttiness and a creamy texture. Just a hint of sweetness I think.

In style a cross between Alsace and German; picking the best bits from each! Must be the first wine from Luxembourg I have tried. Very enjoyable it was too - both on its own and with the Spinach and Feta Pies with Toasted Pine Nuts.

Alcohol 12%.

Scribblings Rating - 92/100 [4 out of 5]

Many of Marks and Spencer's ready meals are on double offer - buy one get 1 half price plus a 1/3 discount and includes the Gastropub King Prawn, Cod, Salmon and Smoked Haddock Pie and Chunky Chips. Throw in a bottle of wine and a meal for two worked out at just over a fiver-a-head. Which also includes 5p for a carrier bag.

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Wine Tasting Note: M&S Australian Chardonnay, 2007, South Australia
Stockist: Marks & Spencer Price: £5.99 [More: Adegga / Snooth]

Generously flavoured - all guava and pears with a nice dash of apple and crisp, stone fruits. A small part has seen some oak for 'a subtle dab of extra richness'. Full, firm but balanced with good acidity.
Produced and bottled by the Yalumba Wine Company, states the small print, for this, like all M&S wines is an 'own-label'. On-line a case of 12 is listed at the equivalent of £4.49 a bottle - great value (add 2 value points to the rating). Alcohol 14%.


Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 88/100 [3.5 out of 5]

Maybe just a touch too flavoursome for the fish pie but the creamy elements in both wine and food really complimented each other. The wines acidity at the same time cutting through the richness. Hell, its mid-week, who cares! Buy and enjoy.

For a wine match a rosé seemed the obvious choice.

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Wine Tasting Note: Torre Beratxa Garnacha Rosado, 2006, Navarra, Spain.
Stockist: Threshers Price: £5.49 [More on Adegga]

A touch of paint on the nose but little else. Deep red fruits, a smidgen of licorice and a tannic splash on the finish. A touch of sour cherry, a little blackcurrant all mixed with a soupçon of raspberry. Fresh, crisp and lively.
100% Garnacha/Grenache. Alcohol 13.5%.

Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 86/100 [3.25 out of 5]

Well, that's how I recall that particular episode! The wine should have been a chilled bottle of Picpoul de Pinet, the local wine from this sea hugging edge of the Languedoc. Its a classic with sea food; just a perfect match.

But, despite having a tub of fresh seafood in the fridge, a 'really near its use by date' chicken won out and became the food accompaniment for the evening. A free-ranger stuffed with a mix of Goan Red and Wild rice mixed with chopped, fried, liver and onions. A stridently flavoured stuffing.

The wine/food combination was not a bad match by any stretch, the high acidity taking the liver and wild rice stuffing in its stride. The lemony, floral edge was fine with the chicken.

But you just have to ask... what would the partnership with the mixed seafood have been like?

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Wine Tasting Note: Domaine Félines Picpoul de Pinet, 2007, Languedoc, France.
Waitrose £4.99. [More on Adegga]
Fresh, crisp and lively. Lemony, a touch of herb and a mineral edge give this a distinctive flavour. Dry. Alcohol 13%. Medium to full-bodied.

Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 90/100 [3.75 out of 5]

For me that supermarket is Waitrose. The wine is a bottle of £4.99 South African white while the eye is drawn to a tortilla from the new Delicatezze range. Specifically Edamame Bean, Artichoke and Lemon Pesto Tortilla made from free range eggs, which appeared better value than other dishes in the same range; and more substantial too. Add a salad and a meal is made.

Taking little more than 15 minutes in the oven you might need to make use of the quick-chill machine to get the white to non-shelf, drinkable temperature.

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Wine Tasting Note: Nederburg Chardonnay-Viognier, 2007, Western Cape, South Africa.
Available from Waitrose for £4.99. [More on Adegga]
Crisp and refreshing - a touch acidic perhaps but nicely rounded with peach, melon and floral notes. The Chardonnay has seen some barrel ageing, but the whole is lifted by the lemon floweriness of the Viognier. It's fine and fine summer-garden drinking. Alcohol 13.5%. Fine with the salad-tortilla combination; you don't afterall, want anything you have to think too much about.

Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 84/100 [3 out of 5]