Friday 28 December 2012

Boxing Day Wine

I was given a bottle of wine as a thank you this month, and I thought it would be good to have with the Gammon on Boxing Day. It was a Rioja from Baron De Ley vineyard, in the North Eastern part of Spain. It was from the 2006 vintage. Having been aged in new oak for two years, the colour was a deep rich ruby red.

The nose was full of stewed cherries, plums and cherry wood. The initial taste was rhubarb and worn leather. The stewed plums came back in, along with plenty of oak and spice. The finish was almonds and smooth cherries. Beautifully aged and once open, it seemed to get better and better.

A very nice thank you.

Thursday 27 December 2012

Wine for Christmas

Christmas time is always a time for indulgence. This year we are at home and don't feel the need to conform. So after morning mass, we get home light a fire, put the oven on and pop some bubbly.
The quaffing bubbly favourite at the moment is the cheap, but palatable, Sainsbury's Cava. It comes from Spain, from the Sant Sadurni region above Barcelona. It has similar qualities to an independent Champagne house, with biscuity aromas and apple flavours. Perfect to sip, while watching the children rip the paper from around China's finest plastic.

Friday 7 December 2012

When in Rome.....drink what the Romans drink



I was recently on a  in a pilgrimage to Rome. It was my first time to the city, but I have been to Italy before. We were staying at an old monastery called Villa Palazzola. It is on the shore of Lake Abano, as is Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's Summer House. This information proved useful, when I got left behind at the Catacombs and couldn't remember where I was staying. After a bus and Metro ride, I caught a taxi and did my best to explain to the driver where I was staying, using his stearing wheel as the lake. Laugh, i nearly did.....

Monday 29 October 2012

wine from the supermarket, this week Spar

In an effort to cover all supermarkets and in my quest to search out good wine,  I visited the local Spar. This supermarket is attached to the local petrol garage and I have to say, I have never used it for groceries. The wine section was fairly sizable,compared to the size of the shop. Sadly they seemed to cater for the unsophisticated pallet. There were crates of Blossom Hill and Echo Falls, which I guess were there in case they ran out of Petrol at the pumps. Just these two lines took up over half the stock.

Sunday 28 October 2012

Sancerre

In 2000, while on honeymoon, my wife and I spent a very enjoyable two weeks touring France in a vintage MG.
One of our stops, was in the Loire,in Sancerre. A wine supplier, that I used, organised for us to visit a vineyard and be treated as VIPs. Joseph Mellot was the vineyard and Alexander Mellot was our host.


We had a fantastic tour around and then were taken for lunch in their family run restaurant, in the town square. Since then, I have had great affection and loyalty to the vineyard. I have also bumped into Alexander Mellot at wine tastings around the country.

I felt a real loss, when I heard he had died prematurely, a few years ago.
My favourite wine from their range, is called Les Collinettes, this brings me back to the wine.

Wednesday 24 October 2012

wines from the supermarket, this week the Co-op

Having had to eat my words about the Co-op, after finding out what a rich gold seam it is for wine, we are back. It has to be said that so far, out of all the supermarkets, the Co-op have provided good wine at good prices. I was very impressed last time, maybe I caught them on a good day, because the offers didn't seem as rampant in the wine aisle this time.
The two wines I have chosen this week are both from Portugal, both reduced from £8.99 to £4.49 and both blends.
The white is called "Storks Landing" and comes from the Vinho Regional Lisboa, which is the wine producing region North of Lisbon. The blend is made up of Fernao Pires and Chardonnay grapes.

Saturday 20 October 2012

wines from the Supermarket, this week Waitrose

This week, I had the pleasure of shopping at Waitrose. The products were laid out in a purposeful way.
Nothing looked out of place and everything looked in immaculate condition. When I paid for my goods, I noticed, that not only were they all intact, they could and would remain so on my shelves at home.
Waitrose has always been associated with lucrative months, in our house, so with this bias reporting, I headed down the wine aisle to see what was on offer.

Friday 12 October 2012

Wines from the Supermarket, this week Lidl

Lidl is our shop of the week for wine. I have never understood Lidl's prices and I don't think they do either. Somethings are stupidly cheap and other things like staple grocery items,like milk and bread are priced as if shipped in from the moon.

The only place to buy Onions, car jacks and Bongo drums in the same aisle.

Last week I was complaining that Morrisons items can look a little damaged, Lidl items look like they have been glued back together and stuck on the shelf again. These places are an experience. Badges should be given to cubs and brownies, who go there, buy something and understand their bill.
Or who are able to pack, at the same speed as the checkout girl can scan and throw.

Made in Taiwan


A friend of mine asked me to choose some wine, from a wine list, this week. She organises scientific conferences around the world and her current project is taking place in Taiwan. The wine list that I was choosing from was from the restaurant, called "Shinyeh 101". It is in the 101 Building in Taipei, the tallest building in Asia and 3rd tallest in the world.

Unaware of where the list came from, I said that it was full of "Trophy wines" that were there to impress, more than sell.  The Bordeaux section came first and the first growths at the very front of this.

If they could put neon lights around it and play a fan fare, I suspect they would.  The East are very proud of their in-roads into the Bordeaux market, only buying Chateaux with "names".

The list went on, being very comprehensive and global.
There was nothing from China, which I would have expected.


Sunday 7 October 2012

The Butler's guide to wine tasting, taste.

The Butlers got taste
Part one

When drinking wine, some have a taste that disapears in seconds, others stay with you for a lifetime.
Pinot Grigios tend to be over too quickly and for me, tend to fall into the first category.
Chateau Musar is a delight and falls into the second, being both destinct and memorable.

To make things easy, we are going to break the taste into three stages: initial, middle and after.

The initial flavour, normally embodies some, if not all of the elements that came out in the smell.
With Chenin Blanc, the smell and taste both included pear.
Sauvignons have citrus notes, Cabernet has Casis and so it carries on.

Friday 5 October 2012

Wines from the Supermarket, this week is Morrisons

It is a great remit, to visit different Supermarkets and see what wine is on offer.
When you get to the checkout, at some supermarkets, your goods look pristine and new.
At Morrison's, the goods look like they have been opened or thrown around a bit first.
It maybe that the shelf stacker's are required to be clumsy, but it always feels like they have been hosting "Its a knockout" in the aisles.

That all said, the selection and choice of wine is very good. There seems to be a good variety for all budgets and tastes. The offers seemed to be wide spread and useful, which counts for a lot.

Sunday 30 September 2012

Woks it all about ? ( or for the sake of Sake).





I found myself in Wagamamas, this week, trying to understand the menu. It can be frightening "skiing off piste", but i think leaving your comfort zone every now and again is healthy. the Japanese restaurant is very slick and well run. The simple tables, give a sense of communal eating. The lack of space demarcation, can be thrilling....once and again!
 

It feels more Communist China, than westernised Japan. However, this free spirit made me skip over the regular wine list and head for the plum wine and Sake section. I read with interest, how James Bond had got it wrong in "You only live twice".




The dialogue went : Tanaka asks James, "You like Japanese sake, Mr. Bond - or would you like a vodka martini?" James replies, "Oh no, I like sake, especially when it's served at the correct temperature, 98.4F, like this is."        
                                
Wagamama can do your Sake at any temperature. I didn't chose Mr Bond's rice wine selection, which it turns out, is body temperature. Instead, my rice wine came chilled, with an eggcup like shot glass. When drinking it, I kept thinking of cheap vodka,poured into a carton of take-away plain rice. The mix did seem to go very well with the Japanese Beef and noodles,I was having it with.


Little Italy in Ireland

While staying in Dublin, we went to an Italian restaurant, located in the Hotel. It was the lazy option for us, because my wife and I both felt tired. The day had started early, getting out of the house and then getting to the airport.

I always try to encourage my wife to pack small, so we can carry on the plane, all our luggage. It goes back to a time, when I was travelling in America. We used to say "if you can't hack it, don't pack it". I am sure we will come back, with clothes unworn, even now.

So in this very large and fairly empty restaurant, the waitress, Anna, was trying to gauge how much we know about wine and then go in for the sell. I tend to humour them and play dumb. I wanted to see what was popular and what she would want to drink. This narrowed the field to three whites.

Wines from the Supermarket, this week Tesco.

This week, I made a trip to Tesco, in search of some good wine. The shelves were well stocked, with a wide range of wine. The only thing lacking,seemed to be good offers.

One offer did catch my eye, that was for a half price Wairau Cove, Sauvignon Blanc. Down from £11.99 to £5.99.  It comes from Marlborough, on the Southern Island of New Zealand. The wines lives up to expectations of New Zealand Sauvignons. There is cut grass and lime on the nose. I also found this wine had an enjoyable gooseberry and passion-fruit blended burst on the tongue.

Monday 24 September 2012

Adult breaks in Ireland

Today finds me sitting at a desk, in a beautiful suite, in a Hotel in Dublin. I have a free day to do what I want and when. Just for four clear days, there are no kids, chores or DIY, just relaxing.

I should explain that every year, we are lucky enough to go on an "adult break". It is only made possible by my fantastic Parents-in-law, who look after the children. I think in the sitcom, "The Good Life", called it their Pagan Rite . A time to get dressed up, a time for posh frocks and pushing the boat out a little.

Saturday 22 September 2012

Starlight Express

These wines caught my eye, because of the stylish label and the choice of red grape.
Petit Verdot is usually used in small quantities, with Left Bank Bordeaux's. It tends to be added to give depth and colour, so I was interested to see how it would taste on its own.

I then remembered that I had ridden on the train, pictured on the label. I was travelling around America at the time and had just had a bad nights sleep in Seattle. As the train pulled out, the conductor announced  that there were first class cabins, available at reduced rates.

Jumping at the chance, I had one of the most luxurious train rides of my life. When we reached California, the conductor (who was state proud) kept up a running commentary of all the produce, being grown in the fields we were passing.

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Fifty shades of red (and white)

In the first part of how it looks,  we dealt with the legs. Now we are going to tilt our glass 45ish degrees and look at the wine against a white background. The two areas we are focusing on are the general colour and the edge of the wine.

Firstly, the general colour, its not just red, white and pink. The are fifty shades of red, from brick red, cherry red, garnet etc. You have to imagine you are writing the Farrow and Ball chart and come up with your own.

Sunday 16 September 2012

Fairground Attraction

This weekend, the fair is in town. A yearly event, which the kids look forward to and the parents have to save up for! The kids and I now have an understanding that they don't "win" any fish.

Toy guns are another problem in our house, as all too often these are won and broken, before they get home.

Thursday 13 September 2012

Wines from the Supermarket, this week the Co-op

The Co-op is not my shop of choice, there I have said it, it is out there. To pan for gold you have to wade through dirt and every now and again you find nuggets in the most unlikely places.

This week's nuggets are both on offer. The first from Spain, is half price and I have to say I went back and have bought a case, after tasting. It is called Espelt and comes from the Costa Brava Carinena, in the North Eastern part of the country. It is made from Garnacha grapes grown on 55 year old vines.


The wine is matured in French New Oak barrels and  comes from the 2008 vintage, personally I feel this wine will continue to age in the bottle and will  benefit from all the years you allow it to mature.

Tuesday 11 September 2012

The Book Group cometh.

"The Book Group are drinking, I mean meeting, here tonight" my wife informed me this morning.
A monthly "do", that a band of Mothers take it in turns to host. The object is to read a book between group meetings and then turn up and gossip for two hours.

The talk is fuelled by tasty bites and choice cuts from my cellar. This time, I am prepared, I took steps to buy wine in and taste beforehand. I put forward three wines, one of which was the rosé, which  I wrote about this week.
The other two were picked out, because they looked interesting on the shelf.

Monday 10 September 2012

The Butler's guide to wine tasting, part one of "sight"


How a wine looks can tell you a lot. The colour of the wine can narrow down grapes, the "legs" indicate full bodied wines and hint at alcohol content and the rim of the glass can tell you the age of the wine and if it is mature enough to drink.  So important is the sight of a wine, that I have seen Sommeliers get colour wrong, in a blindfolded tasting.

I once spent some time with one of France's top Sommeliers, who took part in competitions that used black goblets. His encyclopedic knowledge, helped me to catalogue a Cellar I was running at the time. He told me that being denied this bodily sense, really made him earn the prize money.

Sunday 9 September 2012

A flurry of Fleurie from Louis Jadot


This week I was searching  my cellar, for a light red Burgundy, to accompany a Duck dish we were having. Louis Jadot is a very consistent producer in this region and I have been stocking their wines,since 1997.                       Over the years, I have built up a good relationship with Hatch Mansfield, the agent for Louis Jadot in this country. They have put me on to some very good offers over the years. One such offer meant that I had a case of Fleurie 2007, which really needs drinking.

Friday 7 September 2012

Wines from the supermarket, this week Sainsbuy's

A few weeks ago, I touched on wines from the supermarket, extolling their virtues.
I thought it might be an idea to try this out on a weekly basis.
This weeks offerings have been chosen from Sainsbury's and are selected on quality and value for money basis.

With the sun suddenly appearing, now the kids are back to school, I have chosen two whites and a blush.
The first is from South Africa and is a Sauvignon Blanc, from Batttlefield Wines. It is down to £5.00 from £5.99 and has been £9.99, but does all the things you want a Sauvignon to do. It also raises money for the Royal British Legion.

Monday 3 September 2012

Notes on tasting wine with the Butler, "the smell"


The Smell of it!

Twenty two years ago I was a passenger in a car,driving back from the coast to London, with my Uncle. My Uncle was a Financial Adviser at the time and I innocently asked how he remembered all his clients names.

He said to me that the trick was word association, he told me that he latched on to items of clothing that his clients always wore and repeated them with their name.

For example Tim....bow ties, Tina......pearls and Steve.....cord jackets. It felt at the time like a conjurer's trick explained or that I had been privy to some industrial secrets.

Friday 31 August 2012

Summer holiday blues............& reds

For over a week now, my wife and I have been counting the "sleeps"  until the kids go back to school.
They are driving us to distraction. Winding up each other, the Puppy, each other, us and each other.

They seem to trash the house on an hourly basis, feel the need to wear all their clothes and insist on drawing on the table with permanent marker.

My wife and I have taken to "passing the baton" of custody, so the other one can have some sane down time.

As to where is this leading?  Well, we try, as a rule, not to drink on a weekday. The kids however, have driven us to break our fast.

Friday 24 August 2012

Wild Thyme

To celebrate my wife's birthday, we discussed going out for a meal as a family.
Fortunately,I managed to change this plan into a family BBQ at lunch, in our garden.
The kids helped me make the salads, plural, during the morning. The whole thing was made very palatable with a bottle of Tattinger.

My wife did have to take over the cooking of the burgers, as I had to go and help an old lady get her electricity back on. When I came back, she was wearing a stupid chef cap and enjoying the bubbly.

However we digress, the point is that I managed to book a babysitter at short notice and we found ourselves in town, with no kids and no reservation.

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Vintage Stuff, Chateau Cos 1985




A decade ago, I was given a bottle of Chateau Cos d'Estournel 1985. It comes from the Saint Estephe appellation, which is on the left bank of the Gironde river, running into Bordeaux.
I knew 1985 to be a good vintage and it spurred me on to find out more. I had just subscribed to Robert Parker's website and was keen to use the knowledge of, what I thought at the time to be, the best wine palette in the world. Chateau Cos is a 2nd Cru Classe, a classification awarded in 1855,that it still deserves today.
My research at the time told me that it was expensive, Uvinum website has it now at £189.00 a bottle.

Saturday 18 August 2012

Supermarket Wine


While away,for a few days in Yorkshire, we decided to have a takeaway Chinese meal. The order was duly placed, so I dashed out to the local supermarket for some wine. The local shop turned out to be ASDA, which was the size of a Cathedral and packed with parishioners, paying homage at the tills.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Scottish Seafood at it's best.

Last week I was on holiday in Kintyre, famed in the Paul McCartney ballad. We stay just outside a little village, called Skipness. Skipness is on the coast and has beautiful views overlooking the Isle of Arran. It is on a single track road that stops abruptly just past Skipness castle.

If they could find the horse, it would be a one horse town. The post office shop is for "local people", but they are happy to sell you the most bizarre things.
I asked for an exercise book, for my children to use as a holiday diary. I was first given a tiny notebook with a glittering fairy on it, then I was given a lecture on how holiday meant holiday for all.
I am not painting a good picture, but its remoteness is it's charm.
The one glittering jewel of the village, is the only restaurant. It is situated in the shadows of the castle and has great views of the Loch and Arran beyond.

Thursday 2 August 2012

English Fizz

At the end of July, just as we were getting packed up to go on holiday to Scotland for a fortnight, I inappropriately threw a dinner party. I had already invited two couples, before I plucked up the courage to tell my wife. Heated words and a few cold shoulders later, we found ourselves hosting six friends, the majority of whom came from America.

One of the guests has been a friend of mine for the last eighteen years, it seems that neither one can shake the other. He has a penchant for Chicken dishes, which my wife indulges.

Saturday 14 July 2012

Sauvignon Blanc

This weekend, our good friends from Hong Kong came back to the UK for a short stay.
They arrived in the playground at the end of school on Friday and changed the mood for the better.
We miss them throughout the year and it is always great to see them.

They planned to see us for lunch on Saturday and ended up staying for dinner.
In preparation for them coming, I paid a visit to Majestic Wines to stock up on some wine and beer.


The Giesen is a Sauvignon Blanc, from Marlborough in New Zealand. The other comes from Chile and is made by Luis Felipe Edwards, again a Sauvignon Blanc. Our guests also brought along two Sauvignon Blancs, this time from the Co-op.


The Zondernaam comes from South Africa and the Oyster Bay is another wine from New Zealand.
The Sauvignon Blanc tour around the new world, started with the Zondernaam.
The wine's aroma was full of limes and tinned peaches in syrup, the colour was very pale green.
The taste is one of freshly squeezed lime, the obligatory cut grass, apricots, sour mangoes and hints of young pineapple.

Next to be open was the Giesen from Marlborough in New Zealand.It has a very pale green golden tinge. The aroma is very sugary lime, cut grass and tropical fruit. The taste is full on tangy lime melded with Kiwi.

The Luis Felipe Edwards was next against the wall and comes from the middle of Chile.
The aroma is lemon and lime blended together, the is a huge trodden nettle leaf feel too.
It is almost clear, with just a hint of a hint of green. The taste is fruity lime with little of that citrus edge. There is also tropical fruit, mangoes and kiwis coming through.

The Oyster bay will have to keep for another day, our  taste buds were done with dry wine by this point and our friends had to leave.

Sunday 1 July 2012

Church to Churchill



Congrats to my cousin, who joined the ranks of the hen pecked, this weekend? It was nice to see that Phil and Nessa didn't stop smiling for the whole day. The sun shone and the Cava flowed at Dean's Place, just outside Alfriston, East Sussex. The reception was held in an enclosed garden, with panoramic views of the South Downs. The Wedding Breakfast was delicious, with the speeches being some of the best I have heard, so heart felt! I hope they had a great day.

When rooms were being turned around and photos of the family were being taken, we slipped away with four exhausted children to see some good friends in Westerham.
After the children had been put to bed and the dogs tired out, we were treated to a great meal.The wine noticeably slipped up a gear or two from lunch; starting with the bloodiest Bloody Mary I've had in a while! We had Rose champagne  with nibbles and a couple of bottles of the lovely Chateaux Tracy with the main, the whole thing was very relaxing and enjoyable.


In the morning, our hosts Dan and Robs, invited us to their market stall in Westerham, for breakfast. The stall is run for Charity and provides sustenance for stall holder and shopper alike. We took our bacon butties around the market, ostentatiously making yummy noises and flattering comments.
No trip to Westerham would be complete without a mention of the great man himself. Besides his dabblings into car insurance, he remains the greatest Statesman ever to have lived. I think we will end it there.














Cheeky Alsace Wines

For nearly a decade, I have thought that Charles Schleret was one of the finest wine producers in Alsace. His range of white wines are gentle and crafted. In the days when I bought lots of wine, I bought cases of these wines from Yapp Brothers. There were times that I felt bad rejecting every other wine on their vast list and ignoring the Reps. sales pitches. After a few years, we settled down into an understanding and they waited for my call but otherwise left me alone.
This wine is made from the Sylvaner grape which originated in Austria. The grape was grown widly in Germany and Alsace, before falling out of favour and being replaced with more aromatic grapes.

Charles Schleret still keeps it alive with this fine example. The grape gets bad press for not being exciting enough, true, it has very subtle honey flavours and little aroma. Surely this is an endearing quality, when other wines try so hard to satisfy our taste buds.

If nothing else, keep a look out for Mr Schleret, who will be sure to wow.

Friday 15 June 2012

Champagne Days

Last weekend was a busy one, my eldest son was receiving his First Communion and we had a full house. There are times when you walk into your Cellar and say hang the expense,only the best will do. On the Saturday evening, I finished up the last of my Chateau Mademoiselle de Tracy.
This is a classic Pouilly Fume from the Loire, full of Gooseberries and Pineapple Cube Sweets on the nose. The taste is full of crunchy green apples and lemon zest, perfect for this warm evening.

With Pudding and Cheese, we opened a bottle of Sauternes, that came from Chateau Bastor-Lamontagne. The wine is predominantly made up of Semillion grape that has been infected with botrytis. This concentrates the flavour.
The straw gold Sauternes had the smell of burnt sugar, pear and vanilla pods. The taste of oranges and cloves initially, are followed by poached pear and Mucavado sugar. A perfect finish to the evening, if the evening had finished there. The homemade Sloa Gin came out and was polished off fairly promptly.

On the following day, our party were packed into a single pew for the service, thank goodness we had all bonded the night before.


 After a beautiful service, we headed home and started the first bottle, of what was to be a case of Champagne. The Champagne was bought from First Class Products and came from Leroux - Mineau.

The Rosé and Vintage Champagne are especially good. Tom Ellis, the Director of the company, quite literally provides a First Class Product. As the Champagne flowed, toasts were made and the weather held, it turned into another perfect day .


Friday 8 June 2012

St Urbans, the patron saint of winemakers

This evening was a trip down memory lane, through wine. We had a bottle of St Urbanshof, Leiwener Laurentinslay, 2007 from the Mosel valley.

I was very lucky to go on a wine tour with a group of London Sommeliers that was organised by the Winebarn . My friend Iris, who is Director of the company, led us on a tour around the South West wine regions of Germany..

One stop was at the St Urbanshof vineyard and winery, where we were entertained by the Weis family.
Nick Weis took us on a tour of just some of the parcels of land that he grows vines on.
They all seemed to have stunning views of the Mosel river, that meanders effortlessly through the scenery.  Back to the winery for a tasting, my highlight of which was the Leiwener Laurentinslay.
It takes it's name from the chapel near the vineyard, dedicated to St Lawrence.
The wine continues to evolve with different flavours coming through. This time, the 2007 had pineapple, flint, apricot and very ripe mango on the nose. The flavour was lime, pineapple juice, honey and dried lemon rind. There was toast and a hint of liquorice on the finish.
A beautiful wine and a fine example of some of the great wine coming out of Germany now.
Give them a go and you may have golden memories like mine.

Sunday 3 June 2012

Argie-Bargi

Jubilee long weekend started in style, with a beautiful bottle of Malbec from the Andes in Argentina.
One of the few things that us Brits and Argentina can agree on these days, is that they can grow Malbec.

The glass has a gorgeous malt whisky aroma, even some feet away. There are exotic spices and sandalwood on the nose too. The wine carries a certain Latin heat, with flavours of plums and honeyed fig coming through. The latter taste turns more to dark cherries, with a hint of tobacco on the finish.

The wine is Colome, 2008 and is made by the Hess Family Estate. It went perfectly with our lamb burgers and was definitely fit for a Queen.

Saturday 26 May 2012

Friday Night is Curry Night



The weekend got off to a great start, coaching the under 9s at Cricket. There was a great feeling of fun and learning on the field and the children responded well. "Lovely neighbour" bought me a pint of Hooky (the local beer) from the club house. I enjoyed sitting out side the club house and watching the cricket with friends on this warm evening.


A cycle through town and I was with more friends, it should be pointed out that I had invited myself round. Wine was opened and the take away was laid out and passed around.


The rosé comes from Bordeaux and is known as a Clairet. It has it's own appellation too.The word Clairet is the French for clear and this is where our word Claret comes from. Two centuries ago all clarets were clairets and they proved very popular with the English.

Clairets are made from blends of the most common grapes used in this region. This wine is made up of 70% merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. The contact with the skin is the main difference. With rosé, it is a matter of hours contact, were as with Clairet It is a couple of days. 
This wine is a bubblegum to cherry pink.  The taste is crisp and juicy too, with wild strawberries, white peach and under ripe raspberries. 


We were also drinking a Chilean Merlot that is on offer at Sainsburys at the moment. It is Called Vina Maipo Reserva and comes from the Aconcagua region in Central Chile.
The wine is full of dark cherries and white pepper, with a dark chocolate edge, well worth the money. It went very well with the hot spices in the curry, particularly the lamb dishes.
At the end of the evening, we planned to either go to the seaside or have a BBQ at home.
I feel like the weekend is turning into a very English version of Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Princes song Summertime .