Wine of the week #31: Douro (Red/Portugal)

Hi all,




Another short week (yeahh!) and a Friday coming sooner than usual!
This week, I wanted to check out a Decanter 4-star rated Douro from Sainsbury's and under £10. And yes, it just about made it ;-p !

It is
A dry red wine made from Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca & Touriga Nacional from Douro in Portugal.


Expect
Appearance: medium ruby with purple tinges.
Nose: a lot of light floral aromas (violets), a bit spice and indistinct berry fruits. Very fragrant.
Palate: a very supple and smooth texture, fresh black & red berry fruits (blueberries) and hints of sweet spices. The wine first feels almost thin but aromas and the alcohol build and gently warm up in the palate to create a round but firm and structured wine. The finish is a little bit dry and more on the spice but with a good acidity and not unpleasant at all.


Score: 16.5/20 (taking into account price)


An elegant, smooth and fairly complex red wine with floral (violet), berry (blueberries) and sweet spice flavours for the price. Definitely a great buy!


You'll like it if you like: blueberries, sweet spices, a change from half sweet Aussie Shiraz.


Have it with: 
Herby lamb, grilled chicken or even a creamy red pesto pasta.


Find it:
Sainsburys - Taste the Difference Douro - £8.99 - See above.


Did you know?
> Douro is named after the river 'Duero' that goes from Spain into the Atlantic on the Portuguese side at Porto.


> Douro is also the region where Port is made. In fact, all the grapes is in this particular wine are the main grapes that make usually make up Port. Only half of the region's plantings is used for Port.
> Douro is one of the first and hence oldest wine region in the region to have an official delimitation. The Douro demarcation dates back from 1756. 


> There are about 100 different varieties allowed for the making of the Douro DO still wine.

The beautiful scenery with the Douro river
and the steep vineyard terraces along it.

> In Portugal, the DO (Denominacao de Origem) and the DOC (Denominacao de Origem Controlada) are the highest quality levels for wine and are very similar to the French AC and AOC appellations.


Enjoy your wine!!


:@lex 

Wine of the week #30: Crémant du Jura (Sparkling Chardonnay/France)

Hi all,

Unfortunately, no time for a full blind tasting this week but a superb value sparkling wine anyway from a very unusual wine seller (Aldi) and a much better value alternative to entry low quality Champagnes!

Special thanks to Sarah for this tippletip!!

It is

A dry sparkling wine made only from Chardonnay in the region of Jura, in the North-East of France.

Expect

Appearance: pale lemon, relatively thin and numerous bubble strings in the glass.

Nose: apple crumble & some citrus hints

Palate: tonic bubbles that soften up on your tongue to leave delicate pleasant green apple & citrus flavours. Good balance between the crisp acidity and the fruit flavours. Hints of biscuits/crumble give a little bit more complexity and pleasant finish.

IF YOU LIKE A CRISP FRUIT-DRIVEN FIZZ, FORGET DISAPPOINTING CHAMPAGNES ON OFFER @ £15, THIS IS MUCH BETTER AND ONLY £6.99.

Score: 15/20 (taking into account price)

You'll like it if you like: very dry ciders, sparkling wines (not frizzante), a bloody good deal, partying with friends, underdogs, dry Prosecco, Champagne more on the more than the biscuits autolytic flavours, an 'apéro' with the salted peanuts & amuse bouches; cava.

Have it with:

Not sure it's best drunk on its own. Might be a bit too dry.

Would recommend either with salted nibbles before dinner or with creamy fish or even homemade fish & chips. The idea to get something creamy or a little bit oily but not too heavy.

Find it:

1) Aldi - £6.99 - Philippe Michel - Crémant du Jura. 15/20. Also recommended by Jancis Robinson & Sarah.

2) Laithwaites - £9.99 - Roche Lacour - Crémant de Bourgogne. Not tried.

Did you know?

> Jura is not very well known in the wine world. It is tucked between very famous Burgundy and the underdog Switzerland and was once a very big wine region with 20,000ha of wines cultivated in the 19th Century (now down to less than 10% of this).

> Jura produces Crémant but also some vin jaune and vin de paille. Vin jaune ('yellow wine') is made by using the same technique as for Sherry. A wine is fermented from late-harvested local Savagnin grapes and then put in casks where a film similar to flor develops on top of the wine ('le voile') and gives the wine a very distinctive oxidised taste.

Vin de paille ('straw wine') is made from Savagnin grapes traditionally dried on straws, then creating a rich sweet white wine.

> Aldi is probably the best discounter when it comes to wine. They also have award-winning Cava (£4.48) and Prosecco  (£6.99) worth considering.

> The appellation 'Crémant du Jura' was created in 2005 and now represents 20% of the Jura wine production. The region is ideal for crisp sparkling Chardonnay with a reasonably wet climate that encourage slightly underripe grapes, best for sparkling wines.

> Crémant is the name for any sparkling made like a Champagne but that is not from the region of Champagne. The method and most often the grapes are the same so you can find, especially in the UK, much better from Crémant vs. Champagne.

> You can find Crémant in Alsace, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Jura, Die, Loire and Luxembourg. Take your pick!

> I tried this Crémant at 4pm this Friday afternoon and now feel very ready for the Bank Holiday weekend!

Cheers!

Whatever wine you're drinking this weekend, ENJOY!

:@lex

Wine #27 - Maury (Red/France)

Hi all,


Hope you had a great Easter! Not hungover on chocolate yet? Well, this wine is the best companion to chocolate and is bound to make you want to have more! Oh, and it's only 84 years old! ;-))

It is 
A fortified red wine made from Grenache (Noir, Gris) and Carignan from around the town of Maury in the Roussillon (France).


You can expect
Appearance: deep ruby/garnet (hazy - if unfiltered like this one)
Nose: plum and chocolate.
Palate: sweet with smooth, chocolatey texture, lots of plum. 
Dried fruits finish (figs).


GORGEOUS SWEET RED WITH MATURE COMPLEX FLAVOURS OF PLUMS, CHOCOLATES AND DRIED FRUITS. WILL EASILY COMPETE WITH 10-20YR TAWNY PORTS. MOORISH.


Score: 16/20 (based on wine shown)


You'll like it if you like: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate bonbons, plums, chocolate eggs, Easter, Port (Ruby/Tawny).


Where to find it:
1) Oxford Wine Company - 1928 Solera - £19.99
2) Laithwaites - 1969 Mas Mouriane - £19.99 - Fruitier style with less dried fruits on the finish. Exceptional.15/20
3) Waitrose - Seriously plummy - £9.99 - Less complexity but excellent value for under £9.99. 13/20. 
4) Selfridges - Mas Amiel 2009 - £24.99. Top recommended name. Not tried.


Did you know?

> Maury is a Vin Doux Naturel and unlike its name translation ('Natural Sweet Wine' in Francais), it is fortified i.e. a grape spirit is to the fermenting must to stop fermentation and reach 15%+ abv.


> The wine is nearly always made from Grenache Noir grown on the windy and sunny shistic grounds of the Roussillon.

Can you spot Maury on the map?

> Maury is located in the Roussillon (a few kilometres from the Pyrénées and Spain). It's produced in greater quantity and is still very much in the shadows of other Vins doux naturels like Banyuls or Rivesaltes. It is however gaining popularity (hel-lo!).

25l Bonbonnes that can be used to age the wine.

> Like Banyuls, the grapes are fermented, the wine fortified and then matured. The maturation can be done in bonbonnes (small 25l glass jars), in barrels or tanks, either indoor or outdoor in the sun. The fortified wine can also be under a solera system like for a Sherry. In a solera system, a fraction of the younger wine is blended after a certain period with an older fraction of wine and the same can happen for a fairly long time until the winemaker decides that the wine is ready for bottling.

The Solera ageing system - The younger wine is introduced at the top
and fractionally blended down to the 'Solera' ('ground') where it's bottled
when ready.

> The Maury is dominated by Les Vignerons de Maury. Famous Maury winemaking houses includes Mas Amiel.






Enjoy your wines!


Cheers!


:@lex