At the Edinburgh Science Festival in April 2011 the University of Hertfordshire invited 578 members of the public to a “Blind Tasting”. What a great idea and I wish I had been there. Each taster was given a range of red and white wines and was asked to judge which were the more expensive. The results were no better than chance. Fifty percent of the participants were unable to distinguish the cheap wines, costing less than £5 a bottle, from more expensive wines costing between £10 and £30 per bottle.
Psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman, from the University of Hertfordshire, who led the research, said: "These are remarkable results. People were unable to tell expensive from inexpensive wines, and so in these times of financial hardship the message is clear – the inexpensive wines we tested tasted the same as their expensive counterparts."
These results do not surprise me one bit. “Cheap” does not necessarily mean poor quality and “Expensive” does not necessarily mean better quality. The general public have also not been trained to identify higher quality wines. By higher quality, I mean wines that taste better, show regional character, complexity and the ability to age. Some wines which are produced to be long lasting may not fully reveal their fruit flavour and complexity until they have aged for a long time. The structure of the wine often masks the fruit flavours which only reveal themselves when the tannins have softened. This is true whether the wine is from a classical region such as Bordeaux or from a New World location such as South Australia. A premier cru Bordeaux wine will take a long time to reveal its qualities and a high quality South Australia wine such as Grange also needs to take a long time in the bottle to show its real class. This is why we pay a premium for such wines. Some expensive wines can also be faulty or of poor quality but I would have thought that the scientists conducting the tests would have weeded out the faulty wines. The general public cannot be expected to know all this but even so they are entitled to higher quality wines when they are paying a much higher price and this is not always the case.
I find “blind tastings” very interesting from the point of view of both suggestibility and to test an expert’s ability to really identify wine and select “quality” wines from inferior ones. We can also use a “blind tasting” to reflect upon what is a high quality wine, what is an inferior one and what is good value for money.
You can try this test yourself. Put the wine in a decanter and serve it "blind". Sometimes, but not often I judge, that a wine should be decanted to prevent sediment getting into the glasses or to allow it to breathe. Usually, I do this with the more expensive wines that I dish up when we have friends around for dinner. Sometimes, I serve one of Professor Wiseman’s cheaper wines in a decanter and ask my guests to gauge the quality of the wine – the decanter suggests quality and quite often my friends are fooled by this ploy. This test can also be tried on people who consider themselves wine experts and you will get interesting results.
When I was doing my wine exams some of my fellow students got themselves into a panic and at one “blind tasting” test one of my colleagues confused Rutherglen Muscat dessert wine with Port; this would simply not have happened to him when he was “blind tasting” in a more relaxed atmosphere. Being put on the spot had made him lose his senses and judgement, albeit temporarily. We should all be careful, then, when making judgements even at a science fair.
We once went to a wine tasting at Denbies vineyard in Dorking Surrey, I volunteered to drive so I spat out the wines. My wife swallowed all hers and I thought that her wine tasting judgement would be impaired. But at one “blind tasting” she was able to pick out the English “Champagne”, ok sparkling wine, against five other real Champagnes. She did this without consideration or hesitation she simply recognised her favourite tipple and having been being born in Champagne it helped. I confused the English Sparkler with one of the lighter champagnes but only after much consideration and hesitation; there is no shame in that. Perhaps, it is better to not think too much when wine tasting and just let your brain free to recognise the correct solution.
I think that Professor Wiseman’s experiment also exposes our expectations about value for money. Should a very expensive wine be expected to be substantially better in taste and quality and should this expectation be linked to price ratios. Thus should a wine costing three times more than a cheaper one be expected to taste three times better?
There is a certain minimum price at which a bottle of wine can be sold,when you consider fixed costs for production, duty, transport and retailing costs etc. This is around £3.50 a bottle. This price is the same for all table wines. Therefore, if you buy a £4 bottle of wine you are getting “50 pence worth of wine”. If you buy a £10 bottle you are getting “£6.50 worth of wine”. Will the £10 bottle taste 6 six better and will it be six times better quality – of course not and you are only fooling yourself if you think it does. You are hitting the law of diminishing returns. I am a wine lover and I am reluctant to pay more than £10 pounds a bottle. Any wine costing this much really should be something special but unfortunately they are often disappointing.
Why do some people pay more? I am a wine enthusiast and sometimes will pay much more than £10 a bottle to compare the qualities of expensive and cheaper wines. Tasting more expensive wines only confirms my opinion that the law of diminishing returns applies to wine quality much more than it does to the quality of other beverages and food. The best beers rarely cost much more than the worst ones. Perhaps beer drinkers are more down to earth and canny than wine drinkers; and perhaps they are not as easily fooled. The same applies to foods, such as cheese, where the price difference between a high quality cheddar and an every day eating one is not that great.
Another reason why there is such a difference in price between high quality wines and more “inferior” ones is the investment potential. Some of this investment potential stems from the fact that wines can improve in the bottle with age. But most of it comes from the brand name and the renown of a wine and of course its rarity value. Some of the wine producers of Bordeaux and Burgundy have conducted the best marketing campaigns ever to get their wines to fetch astronomical prices in the investment markets. They have kept up a relentless market and public relations effort over decades. Marketing and sales expertise is not the exclusive preserve of the Americans and Australians.
Consider this: I attended a lecture some five or six years ago by an economists turned wine maker who specialised in Burgundy wines. He drank the wines he tasted rather than spat them out but of course he was not an alcoholic. At that time he made the point that no wine costs more than about £6 a bottle to make. So what are you paying for if you buy a bottle of the most highly renowned Bordeaux or Burgundy? You are paying for the brand name and you are paying for the cost of buying the cost of the vineyard or how much the brand name owner or vineyard owner would lose if they sold their assets.
Further, consider this: fifteen years or so ago I found a bottle of 1983 Penfolds Grange in a wine merchant for £25. At that time few people had even heard of Grange so I snapped it up. I kept that bottle until 2009. During the intervening period Grange became a famous name and by the late nineties the price a bottle had risen considerably. By the time I opened the bottle it was worth over two hundred pounds a bottle. It is a great wine but was it worth eight times more than when I paid for it? Bottles of Grange from recent vintages are sold at very high prices. Grange has now become an investment wine so the price is being pushed up to a level where the ordinary wine lover cannot afford to buy it and appreciate it. Are investment wines worth that more when it comes to the actual taste and quality of the wine? Ask yourself the question what are you really paying for?
In the marketing of wine the power of suggestion is very strong and a brand name of an expensive wine may suggest a quality and taste which is not appreciably better than lesser known wines.
A similar principle applies to the marketing of other products such as audio equipment and cosmetics. I once had a work colleague who got himself into serious debt by spending tens of thousands of pounds on HIFI equipment. He was an “audiophile” who spent huge amounts of time studying the subject and even designed his living room around the listening experience. He was convinced that a record deck produced a far higher quality of sound than a CD player. My wife and I spent one evening listening to his music and of course the equipment produced a superior sound. But I was not convinced that his £30,000 set up was 30 times better than my set up which cost under £1,000 pounds, in fact it was not even twice as good. He could not convince my wife and I and his wife that the record player was better than the CD. It seemed to me that the record deck gave a perfect rendition of both the music and the snap crackle and pop that goes along with vinyl discs. The static ruined the music for me. He could not convince his wife that he was getting true value for money by buying more expensive equipment. We agreed with his wife that he was falling for marketing hyperbole. The same principle applies to cosmetics the more you pay the better the product must be.
So where does this leave us with the wine? For me it is horses for courses. If you are going to a party or barbecue a cheaper wine may be just as enjoyable as a much more expensive one and if you buy it from a supermarket it will be of perfect quality and it will fit its purpose exactly. At home, I usually drink everyday quality French wine with my meal. I drink this because I visit France so often that I can find bargains there. Some times I try wines from all over the world which I buy from my local wine merchants and supermarket. Usually I pay around six or seven pounds a bottle. For special occasions or once a week with a special meal at home alone with my wife or with friends I like to drink a higher quality wine which has regional character. This wine is usually from France but I like to try wines from all over the world as well. I do not expect to have to pay more than ten pounds to find a really good bottle. On the odd occasion I will splash out and buy a really good bottle of exceptional wine such as Qupe from California or Chateau Larose Perganson from Bordeaux. These wines are expensive but not excessively so and they are superb with good food. You can buy the latter for about 18 pounds a bottle and it tastes just as good as much more expensive wines from the region and it also has the potential to age well. The Qupe is more expensive still but it has rarity value in England; it is full of spicy Syrah flavour.
When buying wine we should also take into consideration the circumstances of its consumption. Is it at a party, is it in a pub or wine bar, or is it at dinner party or grand occasion? Some wines might taste better on their own whilst others taste better with food and this will affect our judgement about the taste and quality of the wine selected. Wine retailers could do more to inform the public about value for money and quality versus price considerations.
The secret of wine tasting is to allow you to find wines which are of superb quality and reflect value for money in their price range; wines which suit their purpose and which live up to their brand name. I urge all wine lovers to find out more about the wines they are buying and where possible to taste before buying.
Friday, 13 May 2011
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Sicilian Wines
We recently made a trip to Sicily and tasted some excellent wines and food to go with it. The wines were so good and I tucked into the wine and food so enthusiastically that I forgot to take notes; so now I am operating from memory.
But why are Sicilian wines so good? It is the usual story - soil, sunshine, rain at the right times and agricultural and techniques. Culture, history and tradition should also be added into the equation. All of this is reflected in the wine.
Wine making was brought to the island over 2,000 years ago with the Greeks the culture of wine making progressed with the Romans up until modern times. This combined with the Sicilians love of good has lead to a tradition for making wines which matches the local cuisine. The wines therefore show regional and local character. One of Sicily's most famous dessert wines, Marsala, is one of the ingredients of my favourite desserts - Zabaglione. I did not get round to tasting the wine directly on this trip but never mind.
We stayed in Ortigia a small island off the mainland at Syracuse and from our apartment window we could see the the bay where Archimedes was supposed to have helped with the defeat of the Atheian navy. Ortigia and Syracuse are famous for their Greek and Roman ruins and both towns exude history.
Upon our arrival what better place to go with our Australian friends than Solaria or the "Anarchists" wine bar right in the centre of Ortigia. This wine bar has a huge range of Italian and Sicilian wines for sale including some of the top names at top prices - Tenuta San Guido - Sassicaia, Antinori etc. But who needs to drink the top names for the local red wine was great for starters with "tapas" or "cichetti"? I could have stayed all night in this bar and spent a lot of money - they even had some of my favourite burgundies but why go to Italy to drink french wine , I get enough of that at home. Next down to a seafood restaurant and some great seafood pasta and a carafe of the local white, this was quite an introduction to the local food and wine.
No Easter Sunday can be complete without going out for lunch which our friends arranged at the at Hotel des Etrangers et Miramare which overlooks the marina: we sat on the roof garden. The Hotel offered a great menu of food complete with specially selected wines from the locality and at Eur 50 per head all included was excellent value for money:
Raw Artichokes with baked ricotta, cream and thyme en croûte.
Mezze maniche pasta with cauliflower and pancetta on a Piacentino
Ennese cheese fondue.
Loin of Lamb encrusted in pistachio past with cherry tomato jam.
Easter Cassata.
Piacentino Ennese is ewes milk cheese infused with saffron and black peppercorns but it is not spicy tasting but it is excellent. This was a finely designed menu and suited the occasion admirably and what better than to sample the local wines with it. For starters we drank Fania Isolia Fiano dry white wine which had floral overtones and it was excellent with the first two courses. With the main course we drank Fanus Syrah –Nero D’Avola red wine which had a concentrated flavour of red fruits and plums and had the tannin structure to go well with the rich flavoured lamb course. For dessert we drank we drank Jaraya Il Passito a honeyed flavoured rich sweet wine which complimented the dessert perfectly and which was my favourite wine. All of these wines were produced locally by Cantine Gulino. The soil in the region is based on both limestone and volcanic rocks and I feel that it produce wines which are less rich than the more fertile soils of the Etna region. These wines were an excellent introduction to Sicilian wine tasting and they are available in the rest of Europe at reasonable prices. The Nero d’Avola grape may be better known to drinkers of Corvo wine.
The menu was perfectly designed to go with the wines but my wife claimed that more vegetables were needed whilst averring that in France vegetables were always served with lamb. Our French waiter diplomatically declined to ask the kitchen to prepare us some vegetables to supplement the perfect menu. This is one solecism that a “Brit” abroad would never commit; imagine the embarrassment of asking for meat and two vegetables.
The market in Ortigia is a delight even if it would be shut down in London on hygiene grounds –whatever next the merchants were smoking over their stalls. There was a fantastic range of live snails and shell fish. The Sicilian cheeses were marvellous and the fish and poultry were fresh. What better way to have a light lunch than to eat some local ham and cheese supplemented by a tomato salad and fresh bread with an olive oil and lemon juice seasoning all washed down with a bottle of 2008 Etna Rosso red wine from Firriato. This wine was Eur 10 from a local shop and was one step up in quality from the local wines it is made from Nerello Mascalese-Nerello Cappuccio grapes. This wine tasted of red fruits with a hint of spice this wine has a well integrated and tannic structure which indicates that it will keep well for a long time and improve in the bottle. At this price it was exceptional value for money but I don’t doubt that you will have to pay much more outside of Italy. It held its own well with tomato salad and the strong cheeses.
This is “what we did on our holidays “ eating and drinking paradise.
Wherever we ate and drank in Ortigia and Syracuse we got excellent value for money even the local cafes far away from tourists served excellent food and local wine.
No trip can be made to Sicily without going up Mount Etna so we hired a car with our Australian friends. The island of Sicily is quite poor and the buildings are mostly run down and shabby and some parts of Syracuse are filthy this unfortunately gives it a third world feeling and I approached driving with a little trepidation. The driving standards on the island are appalling. There seem to be no rules obeyed at roundabouts, you have to look both ways when passing a green light at cross roads and absolute vigilance is required when overtaking on the Autostrada as many motorists are cruising at tens of kpm above the 130 speed limit and no-one seems to slow down for road works. They are probably rushing to get to the restaurant or home for some really good food and wine. After a while you get used to it and as Sicily is such a crowded isle and all of its 5 million citizens are concentrated on the coastal strip the roads are exceptionally crowded so the traffic is going very slow just like in Bombay and the chaos does seem to be quite as dangerous in town as on the dual carriageway.
After a bracing walk on Mount Etna we made our way down to Catania via Albergo Del Bosco on the lower slopes of Etna and there we found the Hotel Emmaus who willingly served us lunch at 2 30 pm just as they were about to shut the restaurant. We had a four course meal with wine for Eur 20 washed down with some house wine from the locality. The local red went exceptionally with the best pasta with wild mushroom sauce that I have ever tasted. The Hotel is a religious retreat but that did not get in the way of them serving excellent food and wine.
We spent our last night in the Ortigia in Solari where we drank the best wine of our trip Etna Rosso 2008 Murgo Semper, this wine is a star similar in style to the Firriato and is produced from the same grapes. It is , however, of much higher quality and complexity and it has the structure to last a very long time.
This was the best way to end a delightful gastromnomic and wine tasting holiday. Sicily, I can thoroughly recommend it; great wine great food and above all lovely people.
But why are Sicilian wines so good? It is the usual story - soil, sunshine, rain at the right times and agricultural and techniques. Culture, history and tradition should also be added into the equation. All of this is reflected in the wine.
Wine making was brought to the island over 2,000 years ago with the Greeks the culture of wine making progressed with the Romans up until modern times. This combined with the Sicilians love of good has lead to a tradition for making wines which matches the local cuisine. The wines therefore show regional and local character. One of Sicily's most famous dessert wines, Marsala, is one of the ingredients of my favourite desserts - Zabaglione. I did not get round to tasting the wine directly on this trip but never mind.
We stayed in Ortigia a small island off the mainland at Syracuse and from our apartment window we could see the the bay where Archimedes was supposed to have helped with the defeat of the Atheian navy. Ortigia and Syracuse are famous for their Greek and Roman ruins and both towns exude history.
Upon our arrival what better place to go with our Australian friends than Solaria or the "Anarchists" wine bar right in the centre of Ortigia. This wine bar has a huge range of Italian and Sicilian wines for sale including some of the top names at top prices - Tenuta San Guido - Sassicaia, Antinori etc. But who needs to drink the top names for the local red wine was great for starters with "tapas" or "cichetti"? I could have stayed all night in this bar and spent a lot of money - they even had some of my favourite burgundies but why go to Italy to drink french wine , I get enough of that at home. Next down to a seafood restaurant and some great seafood pasta and a carafe of the local white, this was quite an introduction to the local food and wine.
No Easter Sunday can be complete without going out for lunch which our friends arranged at the at Hotel des Etrangers et Miramare which overlooks the marina: we sat on the roof garden. The Hotel offered a great menu of food complete with specially selected wines from the locality and at Eur 50 per head all included was excellent value for money:
Raw Artichokes with baked ricotta, cream and thyme en croûte.
Mezze maniche pasta with cauliflower and pancetta on a Piacentino
Ennese cheese fondue.
Loin of Lamb encrusted in pistachio past with cherry tomato jam.
Easter Cassata.
Piacentino Ennese is ewes milk cheese infused with saffron and black peppercorns but it is not spicy tasting but it is excellent. This was a finely designed menu and suited the occasion admirably and what better than to sample the local wines with it. For starters we drank Fania Isolia Fiano dry white wine which had floral overtones and it was excellent with the first two courses. With the main course we drank Fanus Syrah –Nero D’Avola red wine which had a concentrated flavour of red fruits and plums and had the tannin structure to go well with the rich flavoured lamb course. For dessert we drank we drank Jaraya Il Passito a honeyed flavoured rich sweet wine which complimented the dessert perfectly and which was my favourite wine. All of these wines were produced locally by Cantine Gulino. The soil in the region is based on both limestone and volcanic rocks and I feel that it produce wines which are less rich than the more fertile soils of the Etna region. These wines were an excellent introduction to Sicilian wine tasting and they are available in the rest of Europe at reasonable prices. The Nero d’Avola grape may be better known to drinkers of Corvo wine.
The menu was perfectly designed to go with the wines but my wife claimed that more vegetables were needed whilst averring that in France vegetables were always served with lamb. Our French waiter diplomatically declined to ask the kitchen to prepare us some vegetables to supplement the perfect menu. This is one solecism that a “Brit” abroad would never commit; imagine the embarrassment of asking for meat and two vegetables.
The market in Ortigia is a delight even if it would be shut down in London on hygiene grounds –whatever next the merchants were smoking over their stalls. There was a fantastic range of live snails and shell fish. The Sicilian cheeses were marvellous and the fish and poultry were fresh. What better way to have a light lunch than to eat some local ham and cheese supplemented by a tomato salad and fresh bread with an olive oil and lemon juice seasoning all washed down with a bottle of 2008 Etna Rosso red wine from Firriato. This wine was Eur 10 from a local shop and was one step up in quality from the local wines it is made from Nerello Mascalese-Nerello Cappuccio grapes. This wine tasted of red fruits with a hint of spice this wine has a well integrated and tannic structure which indicates that it will keep well for a long time and improve in the bottle. At this price it was exceptional value for money but I don’t doubt that you will have to pay much more outside of Italy. It held its own well with tomato salad and the strong cheeses.
This is “what we did on our holidays “ eating and drinking paradise.
Wherever we ate and drank in Ortigia and Syracuse we got excellent value for money even the local cafes far away from tourists served excellent food and local wine.
No trip can be made to Sicily without going up Mount Etna so we hired a car with our Australian friends. The island of Sicily is quite poor and the buildings are mostly run down and shabby and some parts of Syracuse are filthy this unfortunately gives it a third world feeling and I approached driving with a little trepidation. The driving standards on the island are appalling. There seem to be no rules obeyed at roundabouts, you have to look both ways when passing a green light at cross roads and absolute vigilance is required when overtaking on the Autostrada as many motorists are cruising at tens of kpm above the 130 speed limit and no-one seems to slow down for road works. They are probably rushing to get to the restaurant or home for some really good food and wine. After a while you get used to it and as Sicily is such a crowded isle and all of its 5 million citizens are concentrated on the coastal strip the roads are exceptionally crowded so the traffic is going very slow just like in Bombay and the chaos does seem to be quite as dangerous in town as on the dual carriageway.
After a bracing walk on Mount Etna we made our way down to Catania via Albergo Del Bosco on the lower slopes of Etna and there we found the Hotel Emmaus who willingly served us lunch at 2 30 pm just as they were about to shut the restaurant. We had a four course meal with wine for Eur 20 washed down with some house wine from the locality. The local red went exceptionally with the best pasta with wild mushroom sauce that I have ever tasted. The Hotel is a religious retreat but that did not get in the way of them serving excellent food and wine.
We spent our last night in the Ortigia in Solari where we drank the best wine of our trip Etna Rosso 2008 Murgo Semper, this wine is a star similar in style to the Firriato and is produced from the same grapes. It is , however, of much higher quality and complexity and it has the structure to last a very long time.
This was the best way to end a delightful gastromnomic and wine tasting holiday. Sicily, I can thoroughly recommend it; great wine great food and above all lovely people.
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Château Grivière 2001 Cru Bourgeois Medoc
I have just tried a bottle of Château Grivière which was bought from Majestic at a discounted price of about 11 pounds a bottle. It is such good value for money that I felt compelled to make a comment on their web-site.
This wine is still maturing and I think it could be racked for another five years.
It has all the hallmarks of a fine wine:
There is a fine balance between the the acidity, sweetness(dry in this case), tannins and body (medium plus). The tannins are starting to soften.
The wine is capable of being kept for a long time and improves in the bottle.
The wine is complex and concentrated with the typical flavours of a Bordeaux - blackcurrants, plums and spices. Its regional character is easily recognisable. It has long length thus the flavours linger for a long time on the palate.
It is designed to go with good food.
The wine tasters at Majestic have done a fine job in selecting this wine.
For me this wine is much more preferable to a generic varietal labelled wine from the New World or France for that matter. I cannot agree that wines which only offer full fruit flavours are of better quality. But there is no accounting for taste.
We drank this wine with a beef stew and it held its own with strong tasting cheeses later.
Whilst talking of regional character , I recently made a trip to Sicily but more of that later.
This wine is still maturing and I think it could be racked for another five years.
It has all the hallmarks of a fine wine:
There is a fine balance between the the acidity, sweetness(dry in this case), tannins and body (medium plus). The tannins are starting to soften.
The wine is capable of being kept for a long time and improves in the bottle.
The wine is complex and concentrated with the typical flavours of a Bordeaux - blackcurrants, plums and spices. Its regional character is easily recognisable. It has long length thus the flavours linger for a long time on the palate.
It is designed to go with good food.
The wine tasters at Majestic have done a fine job in selecting this wine.
For me this wine is much more preferable to a generic varietal labelled wine from the New World or France for that matter. I cannot agree that wines which only offer full fruit flavours are of better quality. But there is no accounting for taste.
We drank this wine with a beef stew and it held its own with strong tasting cheeses later.
Whilst talking of regional character , I recently made a trip to Sicily but more of that later.
Monday, 18 April 2011
Château Pesquié - Côtes du Ventoux 1997
This wine was such a surprise. I gave it to a friend of me who racked it for many years and the week before last it came back to me. This wine has matured well over twelve or so years. The wine has turned a garnet colour and has a pronounced aroma of dried fruits. The tannins in the wine are softening and the wine threw a sediment in the bottle. Many years ago I remember the tastes of red fruits but this taste has matured to a taste of prunes and dried fruits there was also a hint of spice. The taste was concentrated and complex and it had long length. The wine has benefitted from the ageing process. This is high quality wine with a distinctive taste at a reasonable price. It was a very pleasant surprise. The wine is produced from old vines in Provence and in a micro-climate on the Côtes du Ventoux from limestone based gravel soils. The vineyards of course are planted with grape varities suited to the Rhone valley and dominated by Grenache and Syrah. This is why the wine has a distinctive flavour.
Once again this demonstrates being patient; you do not need to drink wine immediately after bottling. Although Château Pesquié - Côtes du Ventoux can be enjoyed young, like all good wines it can be enjoyed after keeping for ten years or more. It is the balance between the quality of the tannins and the levels of acidity and alcohol which confer longevity. This wine is highly recommended.
Once again this demonstrates being patient; you do not need to drink wine immediately after bottling. Although Château Pesquié - Côtes du Ventoux can be enjoyed young, like all good wines it can be enjoyed after keeping for ten years or more. It is the balance between the quality of the tannins and the levels of acidity and alcohol which confer longevity. This wine is highly recommended.
Istravino Teran 2004 - Croatian Wine
My wife and I were given a bottle of 2004 Istravino Teran. This is superb red wine. I have always liked the wines from this region whether they are Slovenian, Italian (from the Trieste region) or Croatian. As they are such good wines I can forgive them for varietal labelling - the Grape variety indicates the style of wine. To me Teran is good strong sturdy red wine which almost feels like good medicine when it goes down with good food. I urge everyone to try wines from this region if they can find them. Better still pay a visit to Istria for fine wine made to go with fine food. We drank this bottle with pasta combined with a strong tasting bolognaise source to which my wife had added black olives and truffles. The food did not overwhelm the wine.
Wine:Istravino Teran 2004
Date Tasted: 16 April 2011
Appearance:Clear and Bright,Red turning a Garnet colour
Nose: Clean. Pronounced smell of red fruits spice and vanilla.Starting to mature
Palate: High tannins which are now starting to soften. Medium alcohol. Full body. Medium+ acidity. Concentrated red fruits, Plums, Spice, Slightly empyreumatic. Medium+ length.
Other observations:
Good quality I guess it is reasonably priced. Compares favourably with Slovenian and Italian “Terans”.
Wine:Istravino Teran 2004
Date Tasted: 16 April 2011
Appearance:Clear and Bright,Red turning a Garnet colour
Nose: Clean. Pronounced smell of red fruits spice and vanilla.Starting to mature
Palate: High tannins which are now starting to soften. Medium alcohol. Full body. Medium+ acidity. Concentrated red fruits, Plums, Spice, Slightly empyreumatic. Medium+ length.
Other observations:
Good quality I guess it is reasonably priced. Compares favourably with Slovenian and Italian “Terans”.
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Matra Mountain 2009 "Pinot Grigio"
Benjamin Bardos has produced a modern style white wine with concentrated fruit flavours. We drank this wine with mixed fish and it even held its own swilling it down some smoked mackerel. It went down even better with the shell fish and crab. We drank it on an exceptionally warm April day and we were tempted to eat in the garden, however it was starting to get cold at seven thirty pm. This wine would be ideal however on a warm summer evening. It is very refreshing.
The quality of central European wines is steadily improving which can only be good for the the wine industry and the consumer. Hungary is of course famous for its heavier style Bull's Blood which was very popular in the 80's and early 90's but now the styles of both the reds and whites are lighter.
The most renowned of Hungarian wines, however, is Tokaji dessert wine. This wine is luscious and competes favourably with similar styled wines from France and Australia I really recommend that you try it. Slovakia also produces a Tokaji wine which is similar and is also really worth trying if you can obtain it - but of course I am digressing.
Once again varietal labelling is used for this wine. What is wrong with calling it Matra Mountain 2009 white wine? The wine drinker can find out more information from the back of the bottle or even buy a book and read about it. I have tasted many white wines which have a green fruit flavour: it is not unique to Pinot Grigio. Now I am ranting again.
Matra Mountain White from Benjamin Bardos is very good wine and worth every penny;I suppose this is what really matters.
Wine:2009 Matra Mountain – “Pinot Grigio”
Hungary- Benjamin Bardos
Date: 9th April 2011
Appearance: Bright and Clear. A very pale yellow almost watery
Nose:Clean smelling. Youthful. Intense aroma of green fruits
Palate:
Dry, medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, low tannin, light body. Concentrated tastes of apples, spices and green fruit. Apple tart flavour. Medium plus length.
Other observations:Not a complex wine but concentrated green fruit aromas and tastes. Refreshing wine which should be drunk young. Good quality and value for money.
Price: About six pounds a bottle
The quality of central European wines is steadily improving which can only be good for the the wine industry and the consumer. Hungary is of course famous for its heavier style Bull's Blood which was very popular in the 80's and early 90's but now the styles of both the reds and whites are lighter.
The most renowned of Hungarian wines, however, is Tokaji dessert wine. This wine is luscious and competes favourably with similar styled wines from France and Australia I really recommend that you try it. Slovakia also produces a Tokaji wine which is similar and is also really worth trying if you can obtain it - but of course I am digressing.
Once again varietal labelling is used for this wine. What is wrong with calling it Matra Mountain 2009 white wine? The wine drinker can find out more information from the back of the bottle or even buy a book and read about it. I have tasted many white wines which have a green fruit flavour: it is not unique to Pinot Grigio. Now I am ranting again.
Matra Mountain White from Benjamin Bardos is very good wine and worth every penny;I suppose this is what really matters.
Wine:2009 Matra Mountain – “Pinot Grigio”
Hungary- Benjamin Bardos
Date: 9th April 2011
Appearance: Bright and Clear. A very pale yellow almost watery
Nose:Clean smelling. Youthful. Intense aroma of green fruits
Palate:
Dry, medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, low tannin, light body. Concentrated tastes of apples, spices and green fruit. Apple tart flavour. Medium plus length.
Other observations:Not a complex wine but concentrated green fruit aromas and tastes. Refreshing wine which should be drunk young. Good quality and value for money.
Price: About six pounds a bottle
Another Rant against varietal labelling
I went to wine bar last night in the City of London and asked the barman what he had for red wine. He recited a list of grape varieties. When I asked him where the wines had come from he had to look at the bottles and when I asked him to recommend something light he did not have a clue. I opted for an Oyster Bay "Pinot Noir " from New Zealand.The barman obviously had no real interest in wine and was only concerend that I bought a large glass rather than a medium.
The wine was perfectly acceptable , it had to be at 6 pounds per glass, and tasted good. However, it tasted nothing like a Burgundy, a " Pinot Noir " from Alsace or a "Pinot Noir" from Washington State. At least the wine was produced in a cool area suited to the growth of the Pinot Noir grape. Some of the "Pinot Noir" wines from hotter areas such as the South of France are abysmal. But , what should "Pinot Noir" taste like? There is no standard, so the label on the wine gives me no real clue about the style and quality of the wine. The same reasoning applies to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio etc. Wine consummers have fallen for a marketing ploy.
When I go to the pub or supermarket to buy beer, I have no idea what type of Barley or Hops are used and I couldn't care less. The barman or supermarket offers me Harvey's or Adnams beer etc. The same system rules in the USA and Australia and even New Zealand; the beer is never identified by its ingredients. Perhaps beer drinkers are not so easily fooled by marketing men.
When you buy stilton or camembert cheese do you really want to know what breed of cows produced the milk? You do want to know, however, that it is made by a first class producer.
Some wine drinkers are now starting to get fed up with the varietal identification of wine. The next time someone asks you for a "white wine; not Chardonnay" offer them some Jean Marc Brocard Chablis - they might be pleasantly surprised.
The wine was perfectly acceptable , it had to be at 6 pounds per glass, and tasted good. However, it tasted nothing like a Burgundy, a " Pinot Noir " from Alsace or a "Pinot Noir" from Washington State. At least the wine was produced in a cool area suited to the growth of the Pinot Noir grape. Some of the "Pinot Noir" wines from hotter areas such as the South of France are abysmal. But , what should "Pinot Noir" taste like? There is no standard, so the label on the wine gives me no real clue about the style and quality of the wine. The same reasoning applies to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio etc. Wine consummers have fallen for a marketing ploy.
When I go to the pub or supermarket to buy beer, I have no idea what type of Barley or Hops are used and I couldn't care less. The barman or supermarket offers me Harvey's or Adnams beer etc. The same system rules in the USA and Australia and even New Zealand; the beer is never identified by its ingredients. Perhaps beer drinkers are not so easily fooled by marketing men.
When you buy stilton or camembert cheese do you really want to know what breed of cows produced the milk? You do want to know, however, that it is made by a first class producer.
Some wine drinkers are now starting to get fed up with the varietal identification of wine. The next time someone asks you for a "white wine; not Chardonnay" offer them some Jean Marc Brocard Chablis - they might be pleasantly surprised.
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