Last week a friend and I paid a visit to The Planet of The Grapes in the City of London. They know us well there. The wine bar was doing a wine tasting of Spanish wines. My friend loves Spanish wines and can speak the Spanish language fluently.
We tasted an Albariño Rias Baixas Lagar de Cervera white wine which was absolutely excellent. Albariño, is one of my favourite wines and it goes extremely well with fish and tapas as you would expect. I forgot to write down what year it was but you can drink this wine quite young or leave it to improve with age for 5 years or more. It is more expensive that your average white wine but paying 2 or 3 pounds a bottle more takes you to a different level. Pound for pound it is excellent value for money.
http://www.tanners-wines.co.uk/lagar-de-cervera-albarino-rias-baixas-2013.html
http://www.marksandspencer.com/bodega-castro-martin-albarino-case-of-6/p/p21128009
We followed this with a tasting of a red Rioja - 2004 Viña Ardanza, Reserva, La Rioja Alta. This was another superb wine with the typical taste of of the region but above average in quality. I have got a 2001, which a friend gave to me, and it is maturing on its side to wait for the next time she visits. She is a vegetarian so she won't be able to appreciate the food it goes best with it - Lamb. There is no doubt that my wife will think of something suitable without meat. I can recommend this wine for a special occasion.
http://www.bbr.com/products-17184-2004-vina-ardanza-reserva-la-rioja-alta
Things got a little better when we tasted a bottle of 1998 Gran Reserva 904, La Rioja Alta red; we were going up the quality tree to another branch. This wine had matured perfectly and I agree entirely with the comments on Berry Brothers and Rudd website. You need to keep this wine to appreciate it fully it is rather expensive but it is worth paying £50 or more for a bottle to find out what really good wine tastes like.
http://www.bbr.com/products-10969-1998-gran-reserva-904-la-rioja-alta
You can buy this wine for just over 50 bucks in the USA; mmmmm.
http://www.wine.com/v6/La-Rioja-Alta-Gran-Reserva-904-Tinto-1998/wine/117692/Detail.aspx?state=CA
Even though we had not drunk too much the wines put us in a good mood so we decided to buy a couple of glasses of French red Burgundy but when we saw Château Prieuré-Lichine 1995 being sold by the glass we decided to switch choice to the Margaux red. Château Prieuré-Lichinehas been been improving since Alexis Lichine bought the property in 1951. He also bought plots of vines from the likes of Châteaux Palmer and Giscours and this shows up in the quality of the wine.
Château Prieuré-Lichine is classified as a 4th growth but I believe it to be better than this on the evidence of the 1995 vintage. As far as my friend and I were concerned the Margaux was of much better quality than the Riojas that we tasted. It was more complex and concentrated and the fruit flavours were bursting out and, of course, it was silky smooth with a medium to full body. We had gone up the quality tree again and were now at the top. You will not find many more wines that will taste better than this. Some may keep longer but you will have to pay a lot more to find them.
http://www.prieure-lichine.fr/
Château Prieuré-Lichine features in James Turnbull's book "Bordeaux: The 90 Greatest Wines" and I agree with him that this wine is top quality. It is worth buying this book if you are interested in Bordeaux wine.
Now let's look at scoring systems:
Various commentators have scored these wines and the 1998 Gran Reserva 904, La Rioja Alta has been given a score of 96/100 by one and 93/100 by another. One commentator scores the Margaux a lot less but I completely disagree; to my taste buds the Margaux is a lot better. How am I supposed to score it 110/100?
Scoring systems are rubbish, so I prefer bad, average, good and excellent or outstanding. The 1995 Château Prieuré-Lichine tasted so good that I had to buy a bottle there and then even though I could find it cheaper elsewhere. In my opinion it is outstanding wine.
My taste buds are no better than most other people and even though I have been on lots of wine courses and I have learnt to assess wine, from formal point of view, my opinion is no more invalid or valid than anyone else's. I have, however, learnt how to spot a wine that has the quality to age for a long time in the bottle but anyone can do this if they are prepared to study the subject. There is nothing magical about scoring systems or the people who devise them.
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/prieur+lichine+margaux+medoc+bordeaux+france/1995
Friday 24 October 2014
Monday 13 October 2014
Weekend Wines in France
My wife and I went to Troyes last weekend to visit our family. We drank some superb wines which were not very expensive. If you are in England and live near the channel ports or the channel tunnel then it is always worth making a trip to France to buy wine even though the pound sterling has gone down from the heady days of 1.9 EUR to the Pound to 1.27.
France is really feeling the effects of economic chills and wine prices are going down there especially for Champagne. The Intermarche supermarket is now selling two varieties of Champagne for EUR 9.95 a bottle and this is cheaper than Aldi and Lidl can manage in the UK.
The first of their is cheap champagnes J.Contet Père & Fils/Brut . J Contet is a négociant: we did not buy his Champagne but I have no reason to believe it is anything but good value for money. All négociants buy Champagne from all over the region and blend them into a house style. J.Contet is probably just as good as anyone else in identifying good quailty wines which also taste good.
The Second cheap Champagne on offer was Champagne - Marine Clément Cuvée Emotion NV also now at EUR 9.95 a bottle. I have reviewed this before and all of our friends in England enjoyed it. My wife and I think this is superb value for money. We weren't tempted to buy this Champagne either.
My brother-in-law opened a beautiful bottle of Champagne from a grower producer of Buxeuil in the Aube which is to the south of Troyes:Champagne Albans D'Aulbe Brut Élégance NV. This fine wine is one or two steps up from the Marine Clément Cuvée Emotion and it literally tasted elegant. You can buy this wine from the producer by contacting jean-michel.diligent@laposte.net. The Brut Élégance NV is in short supply but the Brut Tradition is readily available at EUR 12.25 per bottle and it is exceptional value for money. This Champagne easily rivals the top houses from Epernay and Reims.
My brother-in law also produced some excellent Bourgogne Rouge the first was: Ladoix 2010 Domaine Désertaux-Ferrand. I have not drunk Ladoix for ages and I had forgotten how good it can be. Domaine Désertaux-Ferrand is situated not far from Beaune and they farm about 12 Ha. They are prize winning producers and this shows up in their wine. The Ladoix was full of red fruit flavour with soft tannins and had the distinctive style of the region: the 2010 is ready to drink now. It is difficult to obtain outside of France. I have seen the 2011 on Wine Searcher for £11.45 a bottle and the wine is most certainly worth it but you could probably buy it cheaper at the producer.
http://www.vins-bourgogne.fr/nos-vignerons-nos-savoir-faire/des-signatures-de-renom/desertaux-ferrand-corgoloin-21700,2397,9211.html?&args=Y29tcF9pZD0xNDA2JmFjdGlvbj12aWV3RmljaGUmaWQ9VklOQk9VMDAwMDIwMDM0NyZ8
We also savoured a bottle of Domaine Mouton Givry 1er Cru Bourgogne Rouge, from the Côte Chalonnaise, and this wine was perhaps half a step up from the Ladoix as it had more fruit flavour. My wife preferred the Ladoix. The Givry was also full of fruit flavour with soft tannin and to me it was more complex and concentrated than the Ladoix. Of course it had all the style and distinctiveness of red Burgundy which is unique to the region and cannot be copied by the New World or even elsewhere in France. This was superb tasting wine. UK buyers can buy the wine here.
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/dom+mouton+givry+premier+cru/2011
We had some excellent home cooked food to go with these wines. Roast pork, coq au vin and roast duck. The wines went down perfectly with this food and they also went down well with some English and French cheeses.
We also drank a lovely aperitif wine; Expert Club Gewurztraminer Réserve Fleurie. This wine was full of the flavour of fruits and flowers. Alsace wines are always excellent value for money and there is a plentiful supply in French and British supermarkets but do not let the unapproachable names put you off for you are in for a treat.
The wine and food always make our journeys to France special - a gastronomic delight.
France is really feeling the effects of economic chills and wine prices are going down there especially for Champagne. The Intermarche supermarket is now selling two varieties of Champagne for EUR 9.95 a bottle and this is cheaper than Aldi and Lidl can manage in the UK.
The first of their is cheap champagnes J.Contet Père & Fils/Brut . J Contet is a négociant: we did not buy his Champagne but I have no reason to believe it is anything but good value for money. All négociants buy Champagne from all over the region and blend them into a house style. J.Contet is probably just as good as anyone else in identifying good quailty wines which also taste good.
The Second cheap Champagne on offer was Champagne - Marine Clément Cuvée Emotion NV also now at EUR 9.95 a bottle. I have reviewed this before and all of our friends in England enjoyed it. My wife and I think this is superb value for money. We weren't tempted to buy this Champagne either.
My brother-in-law opened a beautiful bottle of Champagne from a grower producer of Buxeuil in the Aube which is to the south of Troyes:Champagne Albans D'Aulbe Brut Élégance NV. This fine wine is one or two steps up from the Marine Clément Cuvée Emotion and it literally tasted elegant. You can buy this wine from the producer by contacting jean-michel.diligent@laposte.net. The Brut Élégance NV is in short supply but the Brut Tradition is readily available at EUR 12.25 per bottle and it is exceptional value for money. This Champagne easily rivals the top houses from Epernay and Reims.
My brother-in law also produced some excellent Bourgogne Rouge the first was: Ladoix 2010 Domaine Désertaux-Ferrand. I have not drunk Ladoix for ages and I had forgotten how good it can be. Domaine Désertaux-Ferrand is situated not far from Beaune and they farm about 12 Ha. They are prize winning producers and this shows up in their wine. The Ladoix was full of red fruit flavour with soft tannins and had the distinctive style of the region: the 2010 is ready to drink now. It is difficult to obtain outside of France. I have seen the 2011 on Wine Searcher for £11.45 a bottle and the wine is most certainly worth it but you could probably buy it cheaper at the producer.
http://www.vins-bourgogne.fr/nos-vignerons-nos-savoir-faire/des-signatures-de-renom/desertaux-ferrand-corgoloin-21700,2397,9211.html?&args=Y29tcF9pZD0xNDA2JmFjdGlvbj12aWV3RmljaGUmaWQ9VklOQk9VMDAwMDIwMDM0NyZ8
We also savoured a bottle of Domaine Mouton Givry 1er Cru Bourgogne Rouge, from the Côte Chalonnaise, and this wine was perhaps half a step up from the Ladoix as it had more fruit flavour. My wife preferred the Ladoix. The Givry was also full of fruit flavour with soft tannin and to me it was more complex and concentrated than the Ladoix. Of course it had all the style and distinctiveness of red Burgundy which is unique to the region and cannot be copied by the New World or even elsewhere in France. This was superb tasting wine. UK buyers can buy the wine here.
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/dom+mouton+givry+premier+cru/2011
We had some excellent home cooked food to go with these wines. Roast pork, coq au vin and roast duck. The wines went down perfectly with this food and they also went down well with some English and French cheeses.
We also drank a lovely aperitif wine; Expert Club Gewurztraminer Réserve Fleurie. This wine was full of the flavour of fruits and flowers. Alsace wines are always excellent value for money and there is a plentiful supply in French and British supermarkets but do not let the unapproachable names put you off for you are in for a treat.
The wine and food always make our journeys to France special - a gastronomic delight.
Thursday 9 October 2014
Nalmefene
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence or NICE will soon be recommending the drug Nalmefene to be prescribed to people who they deem to be drinking too much. Any man who consumes more than 7.5 units per day will be offered this drug which will help to reduce the desire to drink. The limits for women are lower being 5 units per day.
This is all very well but it is still possible to drink too much whilst taking Nalmefene which can have strong side effects. Nalmefene is an opiate substitute and should only be prescribed for six months. Heavy drinkers could face the possibility of having to cope with two drugs to help curb their desire for drinking: Alcohol and Nalmefene.
If you have a drink problem perhaps it might be better to find a gentler method of reducing your alcohol consumption by avoiding stress and putting yourself into the social position where you are not encouraged to drink more than is good for your health. Why not try having two consecutive days per week when you do not drink at all to give your liver a rest.
Our society stresses people at their work by asking them to work too long hours or expecting them to travel continuously. We need a different approach to our working and social lives to solve the problems of excessive drinking and alcoholism - taking a pill seems to be the easy solution.
My wife and I regularly drink but we have at least two or three days where we do not drink at all. Sometimes we have one glass too many but we don't get a bad conscience about it.
The last bottle of wine we drank took us four evenings to consume. This meant that we drank one small glass each for four evenings with our food. We vacuum sealed the wine to stop it going off; there is no need to polish off the bottle if you take this approach.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2778367/Mild-alcoholics-want-one-glass-wine-night-given-3-pill-reduce-dependence.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalmefene
Some people may be tempted not to drink at all but still obtain the benefits of mild alcohol consumption: why not try the wine pill?
http://www.resveratrolbenefits.com/red-wine-pill.html
The evidence to support the claims for resveratrol are tenuous to say the least but taking a pill always seems to be an easy solution.
There are possible health benefits to drinking one or two glasses of wine per day; it makes food taste that much better and anything which improves conviviality cannot be such a bad thing. Be happy but please be safe
This is all very well but it is still possible to drink too much whilst taking Nalmefene which can have strong side effects. Nalmefene is an opiate substitute and should only be prescribed for six months. Heavy drinkers could face the possibility of having to cope with two drugs to help curb their desire for drinking: Alcohol and Nalmefene.
If you have a drink problem perhaps it might be better to find a gentler method of reducing your alcohol consumption by avoiding stress and putting yourself into the social position where you are not encouraged to drink more than is good for your health. Why not try having two consecutive days per week when you do not drink at all to give your liver a rest.
Our society stresses people at their work by asking them to work too long hours or expecting them to travel continuously. We need a different approach to our working and social lives to solve the problems of excessive drinking and alcoholism - taking a pill seems to be the easy solution.
My wife and I regularly drink but we have at least two or three days where we do not drink at all. Sometimes we have one glass too many but we don't get a bad conscience about it.
The last bottle of wine we drank took us four evenings to consume. This meant that we drank one small glass each for four evenings with our food. We vacuum sealed the wine to stop it going off; there is no need to polish off the bottle if you take this approach.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2778367/Mild-alcoholics-want-one-glass-wine-night-given-3-pill-reduce-dependence.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalmefene
Some people may be tempted not to drink at all but still obtain the benefits of mild alcohol consumption: why not try the wine pill?
http://www.resveratrolbenefits.com/red-wine-pill.html
The evidence to support the claims for resveratrol are tenuous to say the least but taking a pill always seems to be an easy solution.
There are possible health benefits to drinking one or two glasses of wine per day; it makes food taste that much better and anything which improves conviviality cannot be such a bad thing. Be happy but please be safe
Thursday 2 October 2014
Château De Treviac Arnaud Sié 2011 - Corbières Red wine
Last Friday we visited the Côte restaurant in Covent Garden which is part of a chain. We had a pastry chef with us and he felt that the food was more than acceptable and the rest of us agreed.
http://www.cote-restaurants.co.uk/
We ordered a bottle of Château De Treviac 2011 - Corbières red AOP from the Languedoc and were impressed by the wine. It was smooth and silky and, dare I say, it was quite elegant. The wine is made from Syrah and Grenache grapes and of course it was fruity with a hint of spice. The tannin had softened nicely and the wine had a complex and concentrated taste: it went down well with the food - especially the duck.
The hot summer sun in the Languedoc produces wine which is quite strong in alcohol and at 14.5% this wine could have tasted "hot" but the alcohol was well integrated into the body of the wine. All in all it was a good quality wine but at £20 + for a bottle it was well marked up as you can buy it on wine-searcher for £6 a bottle retail. I did not feel, however, that we had been cheated and I have happily drunk wine of a much lesser quality for more money in other restaurants.
It is not often that my friends remark on the different qualities of wine without being prompted by me but before going to the restaurant we had visited a wine bar and had drunk a bottle of Sicilian wine made from the Nero D'Avola grapes. This wine had a much fuller body and was more concentrated but had a slightly rustic quality. I thought it was delicious.
I was just about to comment that the Château De Treviac was lighter and smoother when one of our friends beat me to it and her son, the chef, agreed but he still stuck to drinking beer. My friend is awarded a Winejaw star for being so observant.
Some people are prepared to pay 17 US dollars for this wine and they probably will not be disappointed at the elevated price. In the Languedoc this good quality wine would, however, be much cheaper.
http://www.nataliemaclean.com/wine-reviews/chateau-de-treviac-arnaud-sie-2011/207306
The wine on the above website gets a score of 91/100 and this is fair as far as I can taste but would a 92/100 wine taste that much better?
I prefer my rating: Château De Treviac is good quality wine but not exceptional or outstanding but it is worth trying a second bottle.
http://www.cote-restaurants.co.uk/
We ordered a bottle of Château De Treviac 2011 - Corbières red AOP from the Languedoc and were impressed by the wine. It was smooth and silky and, dare I say, it was quite elegant. The wine is made from Syrah and Grenache grapes and of course it was fruity with a hint of spice. The tannin had softened nicely and the wine had a complex and concentrated taste: it went down well with the food - especially the duck.
The hot summer sun in the Languedoc produces wine which is quite strong in alcohol and at 14.5% this wine could have tasted "hot" but the alcohol was well integrated into the body of the wine. All in all it was a good quality wine but at £20 + for a bottle it was well marked up as you can buy it on wine-searcher for £6 a bottle retail. I did not feel, however, that we had been cheated and I have happily drunk wine of a much lesser quality for more money in other restaurants.
It is not often that my friends remark on the different qualities of wine without being prompted by me but before going to the restaurant we had visited a wine bar and had drunk a bottle of Sicilian wine made from the Nero D'Avola grapes. This wine had a much fuller body and was more concentrated but had a slightly rustic quality. I thought it was delicious.
I was just about to comment that the Château De Treviac was lighter and smoother when one of our friends beat me to it and her son, the chef, agreed but he still stuck to drinking beer. My friend is awarded a Winejaw star for being so observant.
Some people are prepared to pay 17 US dollars for this wine and they probably will not be disappointed at the elevated price. In the Languedoc this good quality wine would, however, be much cheaper.
http://www.nataliemaclean.com/wine-reviews/chateau-de-treviac-arnaud-sie-2011/207306
The wine on the above website gets a score of 91/100 and this is fair as far as I can taste but would a 92/100 wine taste that much better?
I prefer my rating: Château De Treviac is good quality wine but not exceptional or outstanding but it is worth trying a second bottle.
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