Wine of the week #26: Shiraz (Australia/Red)

Hi all,

If you don't have snow this weekend, you need to get your BBQ season kicked off. To accompany this, what better than a good ol' Aussie Shiraz? I tried 4 wines between £4.29 and £9.99 this week. And the close winner on value is:

It is

A dry red wine made from Shiraz (aka Syrah) from Australia.

You can expect

Appearance: deep ruby colour

Nose: oaky aromas (vanilla), red berries (redcurrants) and hints of dark chocolate

Palate: rich but with a very soft texture, this wine has youthful flavours of fresh red fruits (redcurrants) and spices (hints of black pepper), and is not as heavyweight as Shiraz can often be. Pleasantly low but firm tannins.

Score: 14/20 (taking price into account)

RICH, ROUND & REASONABLY ELEGANT SHIRAZ FULL OF RED BERRIES AND HINTS OF SPICES.

You'll like it with you like: Rioja, redcurrants, spicy wines, powerful reds, Cotes du Rhone wines.

Have it with:

On its own (this one only).

Any red meat or sausages on a BBQ or roast lamb

Find it:

1) Sainsbury's - Redbridge Creek £5.49 - Excellent value for money. Surprisingly good for an own label.

2) Laithwaites - Patronus - £8.99 - Less oak but more body and concentration. Heady, juicy cassis fruit and fine-grained tannins. Serious stuff from the Barossa valley. 12/20

3) Aldi - Kooliburra Reserve - £4.29 - Unpretentious juicy quaff full of eucalyptus & red berries (redcurrant). Excellent value. 11/20

4) Sainsbury's - McGuigan Estate - £4.99 (half price) - Elegant nose but a bit thin texture and a poor finish with very green tannins. A true disappointment. Just about worth the half price!

This week's line up: best to poorest value
(from right to left)

Did you know?

> Shiraz is not from Australia. The grape originates from France and more precisely the Cotes du Rhone where it's called Syrah.

> The Syrah grape is the result of the crossing of Mondeuse Blanche and Dureza.

> Some believe that Syrah was actually imported from the town of Shiraz in Iran, where they produced fine wines in the 9th Century already (although mainly whites). This could explain why the grape was rebaptised Shiraz in Australia.

> Australian Shiraz tend to be slightly sweeter, riper and more chocolatey than the Rhone wines but it's worth giving a try to Cotes du Rhone. Click here for a very elegant example from St Joseph.

> Shiraz is, with no surprise, the most planted grape in Australia with more than 440,000 tonnes produced (a quarter of all grapes produced).

> In 2010, Australian wines were leading the UK sales board with every 5th bottle of wine sold in the UK being from Australian. 

> 4 of the top 10 wine brand in the UK are from Australia: Banrock Station, Hardy's, Jacob's Creek & Lindeman's. Ironically enough, none of these brands is actually managed by Australian companies but French or American.

> Due to the looser appellation system, a wine from 'South Australia' could be made from anywhere in the biggest winemaking area in the world i.e. more than a 1/3 of the Australian wine-making area. Unfortunately, the UK is not usually blessed with the better ones so most wines stating South Australia can be hit or miss. The best areas for Shiraz are the traditional Barossa or Hunter valley.

ENJOY THE BBQs!


:@lex

Wine of the week #25 - Pinot Grigio Rosé (Rosé/Italy)

Hi all,

It's spring time! Sunny weekends, BBQs with friends, ice creams for the little ones and fruity, fresh wines all around!

I've been looking for a Cotes de Provence Rosé ever since I came back from there and was finally taken aback by a very commercial looking Italian Pinot Grigio Rosé!

It is

A dry rosé wine made from Pinot Grigio grape in the Venezie region, north-est of Italy.

You can expect

Appearance: light salmon-pink colour

Nose: subtle hints of strawberry & ripe pear.

Palate: Delicate red fruit flavours (strawberries/raspberries, cherries) nicely balanced by a gentle and relatively medium acidity. The alcohol is very discrete and the wine is, what a surprise, light bodied. The finish is relatively short but soft.

Not complex but an elegant&easy-to-drink-grab&go-to-your-picnic type of wine. Not sure what the Italians would call it but the French call this a Vin de soif ('thirst wine') and this is a perfect example.

LIGHT, UNEXPECTEDLY ELEGANT, EASY-GOING & EASY-DRINKING ROSÉ FOR YOUR NEXT MEAL IN THE SUN.

Score: 8/10 based on elegant balance fruit vs. acidity.

You'll like it if you like: light wines, Cotes de Provence, an easy tipple in the sun, staying away from Zinfandel rosé.

Have it:

Chilled on its own.

At a picnic (no corkscrew required!) with light food: carrots & houmous, fresh tomatoes, light creamy Bries, pear & grapes. Get the picture?

With most things light: salad, white fish

Find it:

1) Laithwaites - Il Pino £7.99. As above.

2) Tesco - Cotes de Provence £6 (on offer). Light and easy to drink but sadly more of a watered down version of Cotes de Provence then the real thing. Will not survive more than a night out of the fridge.

Special - My Provence Rosés
(unfortunately unavailable in the UK)

If you get the chance to go to Provence this Summer, try these beautiful Rosés and bring me some back!!

1) Le Galantin Bandol - Cinsault-Mourvedr-Syrah partially made from Saignée. More around €12-15

2) Les Caves du Commandeur - superb 7€ coopérative Grenache-Cinsault rosé (Cuvée Dédicace). Recommended by Hachette Guide.

3) Chateau Fontcreuse - Ever-rising star from Cassis. Superb light summer drink. Unfortunately too much in demand and price went up to €12-15. Gorgeous whites & big smooth reds too.

4) Domaine Jean-Pierre Gaussen. Historical figure of the Bandol area. Beautiful acclaimed rosé and great, personable  daughters running the show. Again, slightly higher prices but you're in for a real treat.

Did you know?

> Rosé can be made in three different ways:

1. Saignée. Literally 'a bleeding' in French; dark skinned grapes are macerated for a short time before fermentation with the skins to extract some colour and then fermented as a white wine.

2. Direct pressing of red/black grapes with limited skin contact for pale wines.

3. Blending red and white wines. This is strictly forbidden in the EU but might be done for cheap New World Rosés. Only EU exception: Champagne rosé as main flavours in Champagne coming from the 2nd fermentation not the first.

> For more info, click for the Pinot Grigio Did you know

Whatever you have, enjoy your tipple!

:@lex

Wine of the week #24: Chenin Blanc Vouvray (White/France)

Hi all,

I'm coming back to the pre-origins of this blog this week but with an historic favourite of mine: the Vouvray demi-sec! 

No specific recommendation this week, except to grab one of this very underestimated wine and try it!

It is:

A medium-dry white wine made from Chenin Blanc and from the area around the town of Vouvray in Loire (France).

You can expect:

Appearance: deep & bright lemon

Nose: green apple, citrus and honey

Palate: slightly but extremely refreshing with fresh ripe green apple and citrus flavours. 

It's basically like biting in a Granny Smith green apple: sweet, fruity and with an intense refreshing acidity!

You'll like it if you like: Granny Smith apples, Muscat, Moscato d'Asti; slightly sweet German Rieslings.

Have it:

On its own chilled.

With an Italian salad with feta, celeri and with a sprinkle of lemon in your dressing.

With your main meal e.g. a garlic-lemon-chilli chicken dish. 

Find it:

1) Sainsburys - La Couronne des Plantagenets - £6.99.

2) Majestic - La Grille - £6.99 (on offer) - If it's the same level as the La Grille's Sauvignon Blanc, this is bound to be excellent! 

3) Waitrose - Vieux Vauvert £8.50 - Award-winning wine.

4) Laithwaites - Réserve Champalou £11.99 - Champalou is known to be one of the best producer of Vouvray so you can't go wrong.

Did you know?

> The Chenin Blanc grape originates from the Loire Valley but it is also the most planted grape variety in South Africa (twice as many ha in South Africa vs. France). Chenin Blanc can be blended  with Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

> The Chenin Blanc grape is so versatile and thrives so well in the Loire terroir that you can find Vouvray wines in dry ('sec'), medium-dry ('demi-sec'), sweet ('moelleux') or even sparkling.

> Chenin Blanc has cultivated in the Loire Valley since the 9th Century with monks playing a key role in the development of the vineyards, especially in the middle ages.

> Vouvray is usually 100% Chenin Blanc. The quality is highly dependent on the weather as the grape buds early (when spring frost could still be an issue) and ripens late (needs long and warm growing season i.e. a nice autumn).

Go out, get a bottle & enjoy!

:@lex

Wine #23: Rutherglen Muscat (Sweet/Australia)

Hi all,

Busy week with Unit 1 (Business of wine) and Unit 6 (Fortified wines) exams yesterday. Thought it'd be nice to (hopefully) close this last two exams of revisions on a sweet note. 

My 2012 fortified wine 'coup de coeur'. I love it so much my heart aches (although my teeth will probably drop first): the Campbell's Rutherglen Muscat.

It's:

A sweet fortified wine made from brown Muscat in Rutherglen area in South-East Australia.

Expect:

Appearance: light brown with orange and red tinges and long thick legs 

Nose: complex with notes of fruit cake, caramel, toffee, raisins

Palate: round,lusciously sweet, complex flavours of raisins, dried figs. High alcohol 

A LUSCIOUSLY COMPLEX SWEET WINE WELL WORTH IT.

Score: 8-9/10

You'll like it if you like: Muscat; sweet, sweet caramelised desserts e.g. Sticky toffee pudding.

Have it:

On its own on one of the nice, warm Spring/Summer days we are bound to have a few of soon.

With a nice Tarte Tatin or a apple, pear or peach-based cake or pastry, Sticky toffee pudding or chocolate

On ice cream e.g. butterscotch and vanilla.

Find it:

1) In your local shop e.g. Oxford Wine Company - £11.99

2) Chris Piper Wines / Slurp / Other online shops - £10-12

3) Tesco - Croix Milhas Rivesaltes Ambré - £8.49 - Same colour, not as complex but still very pleasant. 6-7/10

Did you know?

> Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains is indeed a grape with little berries and pips but isn't only white. It can be any colour from white, pink or brown like the Muscat from Rutherglen.

> The wine's creation is unique: the grapes are left to dry in the hot, dry South-Australian until they become semi-raisin. In this process, the water evaporates, the grape shrivels and the sugar and flavours concentrate. 

The grapes are then harvested, pressed and fermentation can start. But contrary to normal dry wines, the winemaker does not let the wine ferments all the sugar and stops the fermentation by adding a spirit that will kill all the fermenting yeasts left.

The wine created is then matured in old wood in hot and dry conditions but also regularly blended to create the best combination and more complexity. The Rutherglen Muscat is essentially baked and blended. This is what creates the delicious baked caramel, spicy notes you can find in the wine.

The more time the wine spends maturing in cask, the more complex and richer the wine: 

• Rutherglens spend less than 5 years ageing
• Classic Rutherglens spend 5 years in oak
• Grand Rutherglens spend 10 years in oak
• Rare Rutherglens spend 15 years in oak.

> The whole wine-making system does command higher prices but the wine is a relish. Who's up for a rare Rutherglen at $120/bottle?

> Campbell's is a family-owned wine-making company established in 1870 and is part of Australia's First Families of Wine, a group of family-run wine estates meant to represent the Australian terroir.

> This Rutherglen won the Decanter & International Wine Challenge Gold Medal in 2007. Robert Parker, a modest wine critic and occasional trend-maker from the States also scored this wine 95/100.

Here's to all the sweet tooth! Enjoy!

:@lex

Wine of the week #22: Corbieres (Red/France)

Hi all,

An eventful this week with the Twitter account hacked, the first Diploma exam (1 gone 5 to go!) and another Thirsty Thursday last night. With all this, a slightly belated TippleTips' wine of the week but worth the wait: a bargain Corbieres at £3.49! And yes, it's very good!

THANKS to Liz & John for trying and suggesting this one!

What it is

A dry red wine made from Carignan, Grenache, Mourvedre & Syrah in the South West of France (by the Pyrénées).

What to expect

Appearance: a deep ruby colours & some thick legs

Nose: it's not complex but full of black fruits and spices (pepper) .  

Palate: full of fresh black fruits (blackberry) and balanced by a refreshing acidity. The alcohol and tannins are definitely on the upper side but soft and very well integrated. The finish is warm, pleasant and longer than expected.

A SOLID, ROUND & FRUITY WINE FULL OF FRESH BLACK FRUIT. A REAL SURPRISE AND A PERFECT TABLE WINE UNDER £4.

Score: 7-8/10

You'll like it if you I like: full-bodied reds; Minervois and Fitou; Australian Shiraz; Aglianico, Negro Amaro and other Southern Italy or Sicilian reds; Malbec; Carmenere; Rioja Crianza.

Have it with:

Lamb like a Country Lamb Casserole or a good ol' Raymond Blanc Cassoulet.

Cheap alternative: Meat Feast pizza or even BBQ.

Where to find it

1) Tesco - Corbieres 'Selected by Tesco' - £3.49. As shown above.

2) Majestic - Aigues Vives - £6.99 (on offer)

3) JS - House Corbieres - £3.99. Recommended by Ned Halley.

Did you know

> The Corbieres appellation is split in two parts: one along the coast and one more in land.

> Carignan is the leading variety in Corbieres but Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache have to represent minimum 50% of the final wine blend.

> Carignan is a late ripening grape with a poor reputation as it is usually high in tannin, alcohol and acidity but relatively low in finesse. On top of it is also very sensitive to downy and powdery mildew (fungi).

Enjoy your wine!

Cheers

:@lex

Wine of the week #21 – Pino Grigio (White/Italy)

Hi all,

March is already here (still on the detox regime?) and we're a few days shy of a beautiful Spring. To pre-celebrate the early arrival of Spring this year, I've gone on a quest for some tipples full of spring!

This week, I tested three Pinot Grigio to come up with this week's wine. A real Pinot Grigio with lovely Spring flavours for £9.99 and worth it!

Special thanks to Liz&John, Jehan, Mathieu and Clare for their precious help!

What it is:

A dry white wine made from Pinot Grigio grapes in Fruili in the North-East of Italy.

What to expect:

Appearance: bright lemon-green.

Nose: elegant & subtle nose of flowers (elderflower) and citrus (grapefruit).

Palate: the wine is fresh and youthful with a crisp acidity, medium body and strong flavours of citrus fruits (mainly grapefruit) with a longer and pleasant light tangy finish. The alcohol is well-integrated and the balance between acidity and fruit is great. 

Contrary to most supermarket Pinot Grigio, it is 1. Delicate & elegant 2. High in acidity and no sugar-coating, syrupy mouthfeel.

AN FRESH, ELEGANT, TANGY PINOT GRIGIO OF MUCH BETTER QUALITY VS. SOME SUPERMARKET PINOT GRIGIO.

Score: 7/10 (wine shown)

You’ll like it if you like: grapefruit (but not necessarily), dry Italian wines e.g.  Soave, Pinot Blanc.

Have it with:

• A Salmon tartare or just a mild smoked salmon, parsley and lemon.
• A grilled white fish (e.g. hake) with mediterranean vegetables
• Some chicken & grapefruit salad or a grapefruit glazed chicken breast. 

Where to find it:

1. Talking Wines (Cirencester or online) - £9.95. Worth investing the few more quids. 7/10
2. Waitrose - £5.99 (reduced from £8.49) - LaVis Storie di Vite Pinot Grigio. Light-bodied, off-dry wine with generic white peach & melon flavours. Very chilled on a warm Spring day. 5/10.
3. Tesco - £4.99 (Half price) - Dino Pinot Grigio. Light bodied wine with generic syrupy white peach flavours. Definitely not worth £9.99; more £3.99. 4/10.

Did you know?

> Pinot Grigio is the Italian name for the French grape Pinot Gris, also found in Alsace, New-Zealand, Germany ('Grauburgunder'), Oregon, Romania and Hungary (Szurkebarat).

> In Italy, most of the Pinot Grigio is produced in three different regions of the North-east of Italy: Veneto, Alto Adige and Friuli. The Veneto is where the bulk of it comes from, Alto Adige produces more aromatic Pinot Grigio while Friuli Grave produces the best and richest. 

> The plantings of Pinot Grigio have more than doubled since 1990 to face the ever-increasing demand.

> The Pinot Gris grape can take greyish blue to brownish colour when it ripens. The grape is susceptible to drying on the vine and noble rot.

> The dilute, neutral & nearly colourless mass-produced Italian Pinot Grigio have done a lot of damage to a variety that can produce some superb quality and complex wines like in Alsace or Germany.

Enjoy your wine this weekend!

:@lex!

Wine of the week – Pinot Noir (France/Pays d'Oc)

Hi all,

After a crisp & lively Sauvignon Blanc last week, another classic with a twist.
An excellent Pinot Noir @£8.40 from....Languedoc!

What it is

A dry red wine made from Pinot Noir in Béziers in the Pays d'Oc (South of France).

What to expect

Appearance: pale ruby.

Nose: Violets & red cherries.

Palate: clean, fresh, fruity with this violet & red cherries.

With relatively low acidity and delicate fruit & floral flavours, this wine does not have the usual 'earthiness' that some Pinot Noirs can have. It is also lighter in alcohol and body vs. New World Pinot Noirs.

A FRESH PINOT NOIR WITH DELICATE FLORAL AND FRUITY FLAVOURS.

Score: 13/20 (wine shown)

You’ll like it if you like: red cherries, lighter reds, violets, lighter Pinot Noir, Gamay, Beaujolais (cru).

Have it with
 Cumberland sausages & sweet potato mash

Where to find it
1) Majestic - Nicolas Potel Vieilles Vignes - £9.99 – Price has gone up but still great value. This is how a Burgundy Pinot Noir should taste like: red berries, little bit of earthy aromas, soft, refreshing and supple tannins. Lovely.

2) Laithwaites – Champ des étoiles - £8.99. One of Laithwaites' best-selling Pinot Noir. Worth a try.

3) Waitrose – £10.99 - Louis Latour Burgundy4) Three Choirs - At the cellar door Pinot Noir - £16 - A very nice English Pinot Noir but it comes in low volumes and relatively high prices vs. others.

Did you know?

> Pinot Noir is one of the oldest cultivated vines in existence. Pinot Noir was already cultivated in Burgundy in the 4th century AD.

> Pinot Noir shares the same DNA with the other Pinots i.e. Gris, Blanc/Bianco and is proven to be the ancestor to Chardonnay, Gamay Noir, Muscadet (Melon de Bourgogne).

> Burgundy is the homeland of Pinot Noir but every wine-growing country cultivates it. Look out on the label on these more famous Pinot Noir regions: Martinborough and Central Otago (NZ), Yarra Valley (AUS), Oregon and Santa Barbara (US) Casablanca, Alsace (FR), Spatburgunder Baden (GER).

> If you're looking for a wine under £10,000, invest in the prestigious Romanée-Conti. A bottle of the 1995 vintage (good but not exceptional vintage) will cost you just that!! I dare you to click here to order!

> Pinot Noir is a key grape in sparkling wines like along Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay in Champagne.


Enjoy your wine this weekend!
:@lex!