Tuesday 7 May 2013

Bollinger

I opened a bottle of Bolly, on Saturday night. It was a combination of celebrating one of my kids going up a book group and me becoming a "Clean, Lean Warrior".

Having lost half a stone, I thought if I am going to drink anything, I need to drink the best. Bolly is definitely that. When I was working at a famous hotel on Hyde Park Corner, the house Champagne was, and still is Bollinger. The hotel had their name on it, I was told the first time ever, for this Champagne house.


Even better, on my very first day, in my very first hour, while working in the bar, a check came on for a bottle of the stuff. The bar has glass covered tables and cut crystal glasses, it was my first day and I was nervous. I was made even more so, when told to pour the bottle in one hand, with my thumb steadying it, inside the dimple at the bottom.

Sunday 5 May 2013

Stone the Crozes

Nearly a decade ago, I was asked to start and stock a wine cellar, in a private house.
Since then, the house has been lovingly refurbished. During this time, the wine was shipped out of the cellar and randomly stored in an out-building.

I was asked to put the wine cellar back together and give it a little TLC. As I was re-assembling the cellar, I saw that some of bins were going over. There are a few whites, that would have died, two of the reds, I was unsure of and so brought home as sample.

One of these is a Crozes Hermitage, 2004, from Domaine du Colombien. It is from the North of Rhône and is made from the Syrah grape.
The nose reminded me of a house, I used to visit as a boy. The man used to smoke a pipe and the women used to bake  for the local W.I. There was always a wood fire burning. Throw in the smell of homemade chutneys, lavender and coal tar soap and you have it.

It is pinkie to the edge, showing a little room for age? The taste is slightly metallic on first sip, there is the piped tobacco, berries and cherry compote melded together.

A beautiful wine, that still has some life.

Sunday 28 April 2013

Supermarket wines, this week Aldi

Un-deterred, my wife had chosen the "Supermarket wine of the week" and again it comes from the very glamorous Aldi.
She chose a "pink" from Australia, with a pretty lizard on the front, say no more!

Kooliburra Australian RoséThe wine was actually a very nice rose, which we enjoyed on Friday, one of the warm evenings we had this weekend.
The wine is made from a blend of dark grapes.

The skins have extra contact, during maceration, giving a darker rosé. The colour is

Sunday 21 April 2013

The Man in the Iron Mask

A friend of ours had a significant birthday this weekend. She organised a masked ball, for this weekend, in the local Town Hall. It said on the invite, that masks were obligatory, so a babysitter was booked and we got dressed up.

The sun was out and it was a warm evening, as we  processed to the Town Hall. We were met by a crowd of bystanders, probably wondering who all these masked "Chippy Set" people were. There was a fire eater, who kindly offered to switch places with me, I think he was enflamed, when I refused.

Saturday 13 April 2013

Supermarket wines,this week Budgens

So, I had the kids yesterday, while my wife worked. I wanted them to help me wash the car, or rather I wanted to wash the car and needed them supervised.
Easter holidays are great fun, but once the chocolate has gone and the bickering starts, you find yourself on a slippery slope.

I thought it would be a change from the naughty step, if I took them into a Cotswold town.
I could run some errands and they could stop firing cap-guns at each other, it sounded a plan?
Also, I owed them an Easter egg each, which I had failed to buy in time.

This was my real reason for ending up in Budgens. Easter eggs securely in the basket, I had a wonder into the wine section, which looked full and varied.
I picked out a Chenin Blanc from South Africa, it was reduced by £3.00 and it looked good.

Sunday 7 April 2013

Cellar of the Devil

On Saturday, we were invited to freshen up the local cricket club. Paint was applied, things were built and the wicket was rolled; the club started to look ready for the new season.  As a thank you I was given a bottle of wine, along with a bacon sarnie.

The bottle that I was given, was a Chilean red, made from Carmanere grapes. The wine is called Casillero del Diablo or Cellar of the Devil.

The story goes,100 years ago Don Melchor de Concha reserved for himself, the best bottles of a batch of wine, he had made. The Don was worried that these bottles would get taken.
To protect his investment, he spread the rumour that the devil lived in his cellar. It is a good job, that the Devil didn't have a penchant for good Chilean wines either?

The wine is dark red, almost blackcurrant. The nose is one of bitter quality chocolate, blended with coffee beans and blackcurrant jam.
The jammyness comes out in the initial taste, along with a bramble greenery and a toasty oak flavour.

A very good wine, made with Chile's very own grape, Carmanere. I just think a stronger cellar would have been in order, rather than a scary rumour, that must have been the kiss of death for the marketing department at the winery?
 

Oyster Bay, Sauvignon Blanc, 2012

Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 75clOyster Bay, has been dubbed the poor man's "Cloudy Bay". I think this a little unfair. Pound for pound, Oyster Bay offers better value for the price.

I once had an interview, for a job in a hotel, in the New Forest. The Sommelier was overjoyed to show me a palette full of cases of Cloudy Bay, in the hotel cellar. I think he was saddened by my lack of enthusiasm.
I had heard stories of signs announcing the new vintage, out in New Zealand, with just the words " its here". This is followed by the disappointing sign of "its gone".

Does a wine merit this adoration? There are wines and vintages that I get excited about. Cloudy Bay is just not on this list. The vintages just don't have the diversity and variation that Bordeaux reds can offer.

Step in Oyster Bay, a humble Sauvignon from Marlborough, New Zealand. It can always be found and normally costs less than £10.

Turner Road; an interesting blend?

I found a stray bottle, that I was given as a "gift for the host". It comes from California and it was the blend that caught my eye.
When  there is more than one grape, the dominant grape is listed first on the label. If there are more than two grapes, then the next dominant comes next.

This is hugely important to know because, personally I adore Cabernet / Shiraz, but find Shiraz / Cab a little too much.

The blend in Turner Road is Cabernet / Zinfandel, an unusual pairing that seemed to work rather well.

The wine is plum red in colour and it goes right to the edge of the glass.

Sunday 31 March 2013

A master class,from a master.

I am in touch with few people from my Secondary School days. Just three really and two of those were Masters at the College.
Both were my Head of Year, for two years apiece and both taught me History, for all of my time at Secondary.
We normally meet two or three times a year, for lunch and a catch-up. At these meetings, I can't help but argue about some historic event. Imagine, with the men who taught me the stuff, how stupid is that?

However, this month, one of the Masters, lets call him Sir, came up from the big smoke.
Sir came to give me a master class on spin-bowling and other cricket coaching tips.

We found an empty village green and spent the morning practising leg-breaks.

A Paschal Meal, with great wine

I remember going to a house in our road, when I was seven, with my parents and brother. I remember playing croquet, with my brother, in the garden before the meal and I remember us being the only children there.
I remember the symbolic dishes on the table and I remember a priest being there and breaking bread.

This was my first Paschal meal, a Christian bastardisation of the Jewish Passover. A meal to remember the last meal that Jesus ate, with his disciples. The evening, all those years ago, made a huge impact, because over thirty years later, I am still celebrating it.

Saturday 23 March 2013

Louis Jadot, a Beaune of contention?

Friday night rolls up and it seems another week has flown by. It saw me reaching for a bottle of Louis Jadot and to reward myself, I made it a Premier Cru. Let me explain...

Friday evening starts with "tidy Friday", which can scan, if you try really hard.  This is when the children argue about doing chores, while the adults use the time spent bickering by the children, to run around like mad things and the house gets clean.

The dog is moved strategically, from room to room, so that he is not afforded the opportunity to bite the hoover or chase the mop. Worse of all, is that he's let out into the garden and comes back in with muddy paws and a crazy wish to visit every room as fast as he can.

Tidy Friday is followed by "Homework Hour", where the older kids try to break the back of what ever work they have been set.

Sunday 17 March 2013

Puligny-Montrachet,Chanson 2007

Puligny- Montrachet, is a queen of wines. It comes from a small a small parcel of land, south of Beaune, in the region of Burgundy, France. This wine is produced by the house of Chanson, who have been vinifying in the region since 1750.

 I came across this producer, at an En Primeur tasting , back in 2008. Impressed with their skill, I bought a number of cases of whites for the Cellar at work. They were bought from Charles Taylor MW (master of wine), a leading authority on wines from Burgundy. What Charles doesn't know about the region, could be written on a grape.

We had my sister and brother-in law to stay, with their gorgeous son. I thought it would be a great occasion, once all the kids were in bed, to bring out a stunning wine.

Saturday 16 March 2013

Wine from the supermarket, this week Sainsbury's

A blog follower pointed out this wine to me, in his local Sainsbury's. So in my quest for the perfect glass, I made a bee-line to the aisle with wine.

Rioja seems to crop up, more than it's fair share, on these pages. I have to say I was not a fan two years ago, but had a road to Damascus experience, when I tried several reassuringly expensive and well crafted bottles.

Since then, I have been pleasantly surprised with the wines from this region. Today's offering is no different and at half it's regular price, looks like a bargain.

Sunday 10 March 2013

Quiz night, my compere's prize.

On Friday night, I had the honour of being master of ceremonies and quiz master at the local school's quiz evening. The audience was made up of both parents and children, with the hope that the latter would go off and watch a DVD after round three. The hope didn't come to fruition, so the compare couldn't tell any jokes from the blue book.

A fun evening was had by all. During my thank yous, the PTA surprised me by presenting me with a bottle of wine......and so to the blog.

The wine is called Marques de Carano, Gran Reserva, 2005, not surprisingly from Spain. It comes from the Carinena region, which is in the middle between Madrid and Barcelona. It is made up of a blend of Tempranillo, Granacha and Carinena grapes, typical of the area.

Saturday 9 March 2013

Wines from the supermarket, this week Aldi.

In my quest for the perfect glass of wine, I have had to dress down and dress up. This week my wife saved me the trouble and in her chirpy voice, informed me she was heading to Aldi.
My memories of Aldi, as few as they may be, are of the speedy checkout staff. They scan so quickly, that it is impossible to pack at the same speed and so much of what you buy, turns to puree before your eyes.
However, I had integrations to integrate, so I waved her off and made sure none of the bags had holes ( to catch all the puree, you understand?).

When my wife got home, she informed me, she had the perfect wine for my blog. "it must be good, the bottle has a wire cage around it" she said. After hitting my head against the desk, we decided to open said bottle, having wiped all the puree off. It was still early and so the wine was open and undrunk for nearly a full hour.

Waitrose's new own label range of wine.

Waitrose have a starter range of wines, I spied them the last time I was there. They are a very generic range, meant to typify a whole country in a bottle. This is like saying that you can do all regional accents in Great Britain, just because you can do a Cotswold lilt.

I choose their Italian Red, which at £5.00, seemed pretty good. It promised a wine that was both "Rich and Intense". Not to be confused with Arab Sheiks, some of whom are also rich and in tents.

The ruby red coloured wine, exhibits slow legs, the colour does not quite go to the rim, showing ability to age. I doubt anyone will be laying this down? It is a very "drink it now" bottle.


Monday 11 February 2013

Chateau Patache d'Aux, 1997

You know when you loose track of a friend? Living a distance apart, having kids, a job, their wife, their kids.
These are just some of the reasons, why people slip out of your address book. However, there are some people who slip right back in.

There are some people, who were very good friends, but second time round, you don't quite know what to expect. Chateau Patache d'Aux, 1997 is one such friend.

I had one round for dinner the other night, we had fun and reminisced, but things were getting tired and soon we both knew we would be parting for good.

Sunday 3 February 2013

Villa Maria, Sauvignon Blanc at Sainsbury's

Villa Maria is a great winery from New Zealand. They are in the Hatch Mansfield stables, the cream of wine agents. Villa Maria grow a number of grape varieties, producing wonderful single grape variety wines. Therefore it came as a lovely surprise to see that Sainsbury's had an offer at the end of one of their aisles, promoting 1/3 off Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, 2012.

Sauvignon Blanc is a grape variety, that New Zealand do well. I will go further and say that Villa Maria do it very well and consistently. Their winery is in the Northern part of the South Island.

The Marlborough based winery is still family run, fifty years on. They see themselves as an icon, within the country, but then so do the sheep!

Saturday 26 January 2013

Burn's Night, whisky, claret and all.

In true Sasanach style, we decided last week to take Burn's Night and Anglicize it.
It turned into a great opportunity to break bread with good friend's.

I used the occasion, to open a few bottles of wine that I had bought En Primer, in 2007. We started the evening with a couple of glasses of Sloe Gin and Fizz, that went down far to well.

The creamy fish, cullen skink soup starter, was served with a magnum of Talmard, a white Burgundy from the Macon-Village appellation. The straw colour went right to the rim and the legs were medium fast.
One diner correctly guessed it was 13% volume, beating me!

The Butterscotch and Cantaloupe Melon nose,with maybe just a hint of nettle, gave way to yet more Melons on the initial taste. This developed further into dessert pears,with a touch of oak. The party agreed that it was velvety smooth and very nice.

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Chablis Premier Cru, the ultimate sacrifice.

If I am honest, it was a panic selection. My wife had cooked a nice meal and when I posed the question, "shall I get us some water?" the reply left me in no doubt.
Off I went, to the wine cellar, with little time on my side. I had to select a bottle befitting the nice meal. When I came across this Chablis, I looked at the vintage and thought it should be used sooner rather than later.

Back at the dinner table, with the cork out and glasses poured, I then had a chance to see that this really was a good bottle. Crafted even, with it's golden lemon colour that stretches all the way to the rim. The intoxicating perfume of pear and lemon zest melded with struck flint.

Saturday 19 January 2013

Planeta, Sicilian wine at it's best.

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to have a private tasting with one of the Planeta cousins.
Francesca Planeta came to the College , looking very chic, with cases of bottles from the family estates.

He had also brought some of the finest olive oil from Sicily. I brought out some fresh bread from the kitchen for dipping, while bottles were uncorked and introductions were made.

Francesca explained that two of his cousins and himself, had a dream to make the family estate in Sambuca, produce great wine. The estate had been in the Planeta family for some four hundred years.
Their mission was to match the perfect soil, with the perfect grape variety, creating perfection along the way.

I brought out a Planeta Syrah, 2001 from the Cellar and was gratified to see Francesca practically genuflect in awe. He went on to say that up until now, this bottle was his family's greatest triumph.

The family have won award after award, they have gone on to buy more and more land around Sicily, adding more grape varieties. It sounded like they were making offers no-one could refuse.

Friday 18 January 2013

wine from the supermarket, this week Sainsburys

 This week, whilst wandering down the Sainsbury's wine aisle, my eye was caught by a nice little offer. Two Cote du Rhône, for the price of £12.00. The wine is stupidly young to drink, but for those with a wine rack under the stairs (or bigger) it is a good idea to buy a few.

The wine comes from the South of the Rhône region and is made with a quartet of grapes. The percentages of differing grapes varies from year to year, but the quality and taste they endeavour to keep the same. 2011 was a good year for the Rhône region, so this is worth buying in to.

Saturday 12 January 2013

Muscadet and fish-pie.

After a busy week, we planned a nice family meal on Saturday evening. I was on kiddy duty,out walking the dog, when it started to snow.

Cutting the walk short,we headed home, I asked the kids what they fancied for lunch and dinner.
Home made pizza was the call for lunch and "fish for tea" came out-of-the-bag. I managed to mauver this to a fish pie. So while the kids did their homework, I cooked Pizza and Fish.

Dare I say it, but both went down very well.

The natural accompliant to the fish pie,was a Muscadet Servre et Maine, I bought a few years ago, from Haywood Bros, London.

Friday 11 January 2013

wine from the supermarket, this week Co-op

Thursday night, on a whim, we elected to have a Chinese take-away. It had been a bitty day, with loads going on. I had a chilled bottle of Vouvray in the fridge, from the Co-op and that clinched it.

The bottle in the fridge, was from the Domaine des Perruches, which is located in Vernou, near Vouvray, in the Loire. It is made with the Chenin Grape, which some years is joined by a smidgen of  the Arbois grape.

The colour is a clear pale yellow,with a little youth showing around the rim. The nose is gentle, clean and slightly chalky. I got hints of Chamomile and soft lemon too.

Friday 4 January 2013

Jesus comes with good news.

I employed a Spanish guy for a few years, called Jesus. The J is pronounced as a H, and before I lose my audience of wine buffs, there is a wine connection.
He was the best person I have ever employed, hard working, loyal and he laughed at my jokes too.
What more could you ask?  He now lives in Norway and recently got back in touch asking to meet up.
I was in Oxford, at one of the Colleges, on a particular Saturday before Christmas. We had arranged to meet there and when the taxi pulled up and decanted Jesus and his girlfriend, they

wine from the supermarket, this week Waitrose

Feeling the need to stock-up on quality groceries, we took a picturesque drive through part of the Cotswold's, to Waitrose. I have expressed my bias before, so I won't justify my preference. 

The wine I have chosen this week, is a Beaujolais. It comes from an area in France, south of Burgundy and north of Rhone, where the wines are made with Gamay grapes.