The conditions this year for the growth of the vines have been appalling with late frosts in spring and heavy rain in early summer. On a recent trip to the Champagne region we were attacked everywhere we went by mosquitoes. Conditions for insect "pests" were ideal as the heavy downpours were frequently followed by hot temperatures. Neighbouring Burgundy suffered the same problems.
I expect the yields for Champagne to be much lower this year so prices will inevitably go up. All this is not so great for British wine lovers who will have to face a price rise of around 9% owing to the fall in the value of the pound.
If you keep to the new government recommended limits of only 14 units per week then your pocket won't be stretched so much. I suspect that UK wine lovers will find a way of paying a little bit more for their wine and that they will continue to ignore the blandishments of the government not to drink at all.
As far as I am concerned I would rather sit down and drink a glass of wine for entertainment in the company of good friends than indulge in the mind numbing experience of watching reality television or song and dancing contests.
There is now talk that we should all be drinking our Champagne out of tulip shaped glasses rather than flutes and one glass manufacturer is committed to making the flute obsolete. I have been to several tastings where the flute has bitten the dust. I agree that you can taste the wine better from a tulip shaped glass rather than a flute. When you do wine courses you are encouraged to use a standarised glass. I admit that it is easier to taste the difference between different house styles when using a tulip shaped glass which allows more flavour to be produced from the surface of the wine.
For every day drinking with friends at a special occasion I prefer the flute. The bubbles last longer and it is the bubbles which add to the special quality of an occasion. It is not just about taste and we can't all be wine experts. And, who wants to write wine notes when they are at a party? The same applies to Cava and other sparkling wines.
I am a little bit sceptical about using special glasses for Bordeaux, Burgundy or Chianti etc. If you a are drinking a still table wine it just has to be sufficiently big to allow you do poke your nose in the glass and have a sniff. You can do this discretely without upsetting your host or or friends. I have tried out some very expensive glasses and found that Bordeaux tastes the same whether I use a speciality Bordeaux glass or a Burgundy one. The "experts" should prove that they can tell the difference by using peer reviewed double blind tests. This will demonstrate that they are not fooling themselves or the public.
I have also found that a decent sized glass which is not made of crystal can be used to appreciate wine just as well. You do not have to be rich to either drink or appreciate good wine.
http://www.decanter.com/learn/farewell-to-champagne-flutes-in-2016-286743/
If you are throwing a party and expect to be drinking Champagne or Cava then flutes are much more practical as you can pack more of them into a limited space - so this is one up for the flute.
Monday, 25 July 2016
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Chinese Rosé Wine
On a recent visit to France, I went to eat out at a Chinese Restaurant. When I eat Chinese food I normally drink a Tsingtao or abTiger beer which I find goes down marvellously with the sweet and sour flavours.
The French members of our company selected a Chinese rosé wine, 2014, recommended by a merchant from Burgundy. Most French people are not very adventurous about selecting wine from anywhere but France. I gave the wine a go and tried to be positive but after a couple of sips I decided that it was best to stick to the Tsingtao: the Chinese rosé was one adventurous step too far.
The wine will remain nameless.
The French members of our company selected a Chinese rosé wine, 2014, recommended by a merchant from Burgundy. Most French people are not very adventurous about selecting wine from anywhere but France. I gave the wine a go and tried to be positive but after a couple of sips I decided that it was best to stick to the Tsingtao: the Chinese rosé was one adventurous step too far.
The wine will remain nameless.
Friday, 20 May 2016
Oxygenating your wine before serving
You can now buy machines which you can use to oxygenate your wine before serving. They use medical grade pure oxygen. They cost a lot of money - USD 1,000.00 + and it is probably not worth buying them for domestic use. Restaurants , however, are using them.
Traditionally, we use decanting to aerate a wine. Usually I decant a wine only if it is a very good one requires ageing for 5 years or so before being served. Most wine is now designed to be drunk young and you simply open the bottle and serve it.
Some people are ordering very good and very young wines in restaurants and because the wine has not been allowed to mature, which allows the tannin to soften, they do not taste at their best.
I rarely buy a very good wine in a restaurant for two reasons. I do not know how the wines have been kept and the mark up makes the wine ridiculously expensive.
Some customers insist , however, in ordering a young Penfold's Grange or such like if it is on the menu. The restaurant can then use an oxygenation machine to pump 100% oxygen through the wine for a minute or so to rapidly mature the wine: All very well and good.
If you are determined to buy exceptionally good wine for consumption at a restaurant then I recommend that you get to know the restaurant first and 'phone them up in good time to allow the wine to settle upright before it is decanted an hour or so before you start dining. The restaurant may charge you in advance to do this as they do not want to waste expensive wine in the event that you do not turn up.
If you have got a thousand bucks or so in your back pocket then you might be tempted to buy a wine oxygenation machine. Remember this though: air can be the enemy of wine and too much oxygen can ruin a bottle. An opened bottle of wine can go of overnight even in a fridge. This is why it is best to vacuum seal left over wine for a later date. If you pump too much oxygen for too long into a wine then you could ruin it. The oxygen machines use pure oxygen.
The dry atmosphere is made is made up of about 78% Nitrogen and 21% Oxygen the other 1% is composed of Argon along with some trace gases such as Carbon Dioxide. To all intents an purposes Nitrogen is an inert gas as far as wine is concerned. The atmosphere is far gentler on wine than 100% oxygen could ever be.
Of course the oxygenation machine is wonderful gadget that can impress you wine buff friends but I shan't be asking my wife to buy me one for Christmas. I shall be asking for a case of good wine instead and use decanting and patience to give the wine a bit of zing.
Traditionally, we use decanting to aerate a wine. Usually I decant a wine only if it is a very good one requires ageing for 5 years or so before being served. Most wine is now designed to be drunk young and you simply open the bottle and serve it.
Some people are ordering very good and very young wines in restaurants and because the wine has not been allowed to mature, which allows the tannin to soften, they do not taste at their best.
I rarely buy a very good wine in a restaurant for two reasons. I do not know how the wines have been kept and the mark up makes the wine ridiculously expensive.
Some customers insist , however, in ordering a young Penfold's Grange or such like if it is on the menu. The restaurant can then use an oxygenation machine to pump 100% oxygen through the wine for a minute or so to rapidly mature the wine: All very well and good.
If you are determined to buy exceptionally good wine for consumption at a restaurant then I recommend that you get to know the restaurant first and 'phone them up in good time to allow the wine to settle upright before it is decanted an hour or so before you start dining. The restaurant may charge you in advance to do this as they do not want to waste expensive wine in the event that you do not turn up.
If you have got a thousand bucks or so in your back pocket then you might be tempted to buy a wine oxygenation machine. Remember this though: air can be the enemy of wine and too much oxygen can ruin a bottle. An opened bottle of wine can go of overnight even in a fridge. This is why it is best to vacuum seal left over wine for a later date. If you pump too much oxygen for too long into a wine then you could ruin it. The oxygen machines use pure oxygen.
The dry atmosphere is made is made up of about 78% Nitrogen and 21% Oxygen the other 1% is composed of Argon along with some trace gases such as Carbon Dioxide. To all intents an purposes Nitrogen is an inert gas as far as wine is concerned. The atmosphere is far gentler on wine than 100% oxygen could ever be.
Of course the oxygenation machine is wonderful gadget that can impress you wine buff friends but I shan't be asking my wife to buy me one for Christmas. I shall be asking for a case of good wine instead and use decanting and patience to give the wine a bit of zing.
Friday, 29 April 2016
Wine Scams
Once again the British press is reporting investment wine scams. This is a regular occurrence. Anyone investing in wine or in other commodities or works of art should only do so after they have established the credentials of the company they are dealing with and how they operate.
Some unscrupulous wine traders will take your money without purchasing the wine and keeping it in an honest manner on your behalf. You risk losing both your money and your wine.
There are many honest wine traders who will sell you a wine contract with the genuine intention of settling the wine contract in the future even if they have not actually purchased the wine. This is all well and good if the wine trading company is solvent and competently managed. However, the trader could mismanage the cash flow of his company and go broke; you therefore lose both your money and the wine.
If you borrow money to buy wine with the expectation of making a capital gain and the deal fails, either because you have traded with a cheat or you have traded with an incompetent broker, then you could be hit by a triple "whammy": losing your wine, losing your capital and having to pay interest on the capital which you have lost.
Buyer beware.
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/14454941.Solicitor_facing_jail_over___200_000_fine_wine_con/?commentSort=newest
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4X2ZXXtVrP9Tl0fcdfbtnND/further-information
Some unscrupulous wine traders will take your money without purchasing the wine and keeping it in an honest manner on your behalf. You risk losing both your money and your wine.
There are many honest wine traders who will sell you a wine contract with the genuine intention of settling the wine contract in the future even if they have not actually purchased the wine. This is all well and good if the wine trading company is solvent and competently managed. However, the trader could mismanage the cash flow of his company and go broke; you therefore lose both your money and the wine.
If you borrow money to buy wine with the expectation of making a capital gain and the deal fails, either because you have traded with a cheat or you have traded with an incompetent broker, then you could be hit by a triple "whammy": losing your wine, losing your capital and having to pay interest on the capital which you have lost.
Buyer beware.
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/14454941.Solicitor_facing_jail_over___200_000_fine_wine_con/?commentSort=newest
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4X2ZXXtVrP9Tl0fcdfbtnND/further-information
Friday, 15 April 2016
Château Arnauton 2011 Bordeaux red versus Château Chasse-Spleen 2010 Bordeaux red
I have been lucky recently to have been able to drink two fine red wines from Bordeaux. The first is from Fronsac - Château Arnauton 2011. This is a fine example of a Libournais wine similar in style to St Emilion. The town of Libourne is situated on the right bank of the Dordogne river.The soil in Fronsac is limestone based and it it well suited to making good wine. Château Arnauton is produced from a Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Côt grapes.
We drank the Château Arnauton 2011 with Bavette steak and the wine is well suited to red meats including beef and lamb. The wine was typical of the region with a very fruity and complex aroma. I could taste vanilla and the typical tobacco box flavour of a Bordeaux red. It was of full body and was well balanced for acidity, tannin and sweetness and of course the wine was dry. The 2011 vintage is now ready for drinking but will keep longer. It is one step up from everyday drinking wine and deserves to be served with a good meal.You can buy this wine for around £10 a bottle in the UK and it is exceptional value for money. If you go to France you will find it a lot cheaper. I recommend it highly.
Château Chasse-Spleen is one of my favourites; it is produced in Moulis-en-Médoc. The wine really is up at another level from the Fronsac. If you want to get an appreciation of what a top Bordeaux wine tastes like without paying an enormous price then try some Château Chasse-Spleen 2010. The wine has all the regional taste of a Bordeaux and more, as it has its own distinctive flavour which marks it out as a special wine in my point of view. It stands out from the Fronsac in being more complex and concentrated with a much longer length on the palate.
The Chasse -Spleen vineyard is situated in the Haut Médoc on the left bank of the Gironde. The soil here is a mixture of limestone marls and clays and gravel. And, of course the soil, weather and climate are perfect for growing the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes which are used to produce this best of wines.
We drank our wine with friends over lunch and we ate lamb. One of our friends is a wine lover who knows his stuff and another of our friends knows nothing about wine but I can always trust him to sniff out something special and he was not disappointed. Both of my friends agreed that this is top wine. My wife agreed too.
The Château Chasse-Spleen 2010 was ready for drinking but it will keep a lot longer. 2010 was a good vintage so it augurs well for the keeping quality of the wine.
My wife was impressed with my selection of wine and I was impressed with her French style preparation and cooking of the lamb. Two of the other ladies present chose to drink white wine so I served them a 2012 Hugel Gewurztraminer from Alsace so they were not left out in the quality stakes.
A bottle of Château Chasse-Spleen 2010 will set you back around £30 in the UK so it is a lot more expensive than the Fronsac Château Arnauton 2011. The Fronsac manages to hold its own however, even if it cannot reach the heights of the Chasse-Spleen.
I don't usually buy wine that costs more than about £18 a bottle and at that only rarely but sometimes it is worth paying a good bit more to treat yourself and your friends for a special occasion which was a belated birthday celebration for me. For this reason the Chasse-Spleen was worth every penny and especially when it can also give a top Bordeaux costing ten times as much a good run for its money. I highly recommend this wine for a special occasion.
Thursday, 7 April 2016
Exquisite Champagne from the Aube
A few weeks ago I visited the cellars of Michel Furdyna at Celles-sur-Ource in the Aube with some friends and family. We tasted some special Champagne.
Michel is a grower-maker or a "Récoltant Manipulant" as they say in France, so look for RM on the label.
The Furdyna family farm about 8 hectares of vineyards in the rolling hills surrounding Celles-sur -Ource which is situated close to Bar-sur-Seine. In the southern area of the Champagne region, the Aube, the soil and climate are much more similar to the nearby Tonnerre and Chablis areas of northern Burgundy than they are to the north of the region near Reims. In the Aube, the geology is limestone based and Kimmeridgian based soils dominate the topography. You can easily notice the difference between the Champagne of the Aube and the Champagne from the chalk based soils further to the north of the region. This is not to say that Champagne from the the Aube is in anyway inferior. Many Négociants in Reims and Epernay blend Champagne from the Aube into their house brands. So most Champagne lovers will have drunk Champagne from the Aube even if they have never heard of the district.
Michel does not restrict himself to growing the three Champagne noble grapes - Pinor Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay but he also grows Pinot Gris. He has parcels of land dedicated to the local grape varieties Arbane, Petit Meslier and Pinot Droit. These latter grape varieties have all but disappeared in the Champagne region. It is interesting that Petit Meslier grapes are grown in the Eden Valley wine district of South Australia.
The Pinot Gris and local varieties of grapes contribute to the unique style of the Furdyna Champagne. The wines are so good that I can still taste them in my olfactory memory. Quite often you can identify the wines of a specific area within a region such as Chablis, the Medoc,or Epernay. All good wine should have a specific taste. It is not often however, that a wine really has a taste of its own which stands out from its neighbours. Michel Furdyna's wine stands out in a class of its own. This is due in part to the use of the Pinot Gris grape and the local varieties.
Michel's wine is produced with the most modern techniques without forgetting the strengths of tradition. Whilst he uses an auto-riddling machine for most of his wines, his Prestige Cuvée is riddled by hand.
His love of wine is reflected in the quality of his vine growing techniques and his production of the finest Champagne that money can buy.
Visiting his cellars was a memorable experience and I could not leave with buying a couple of cases of some of the best Champagne that I have ever tasted and at a reasonable price: what more could I ask for?
Michel is a grower-maker or a "Récoltant Manipulant" as they say in France, so look for RM on the label.
The Furdyna family farm about 8 hectares of vineyards in the rolling hills surrounding Celles-sur -Ource which is situated close to Bar-sur-Seine. In the southern area of the Champagne region, the Aube, the soil and climate are much more similar to the nearby Tonnerre and Chablis areas of northern Burgundy than they are to the north of the region near Reims. In the Aube, the geology is limestone based and Kimmeridgian based soils dominate the topography. You can easily notice the difference between the Champagne of the Aube and the Champagne from the chalk based soils further to the north of the region. This is not to say that Champagne from the the Aube is in anyway inferior. Many Négociants in Reims and Epernay blend Champagne from the Aube into their house brands. So most Champagne lovers will have drunk Champagne from the Aube even if they have never heard of the district.
Michel does not restrict himself to growing the three Champagne noble grapes - Pinor Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay but he also grows Pinot Gris. He has parcels of land dedicated to the local grape varieties Arbane, Petit Meslier and Pinot Droit. These latter grape varieties have all but disappeared in the Champagne region. It is interesting that Petit Meslier grapes are grown in the Eden Valley wine district of South Australia.
The Pinot Gris and local varieties of grapes contribute to the unique style of the Furdyna Champagne. The wines are so good that I can still taste them in my olfactory memory. Quite often you can identify the wines of a specific area within a region such as Chablis, the Medoc,or Epernay. All good wine should have a specific taste. It is not often however, that a wine really has a taste of its own which stands out from its neighbours. Michel Furdyna's wine stands out in a class of its own. This is due in part to the use of the Pinot Gris grape and the local varieties.
Michel's wine is produced with the most modern techniques without forgetting the strengths of tradition. Whilst he uses an auto-riddling machine for most of his wines, his Prestige Cuvée is riddled by hand.
His love of wine is reflected in the quality of his vine growing techniques and his production of the finest Champagne that money can buy.
Visiting his cellars was a memorable experience and I could not leave with buying a couple of cases of some of the best Champagne that I have ever tasted and at a reasonable price: what more could I ask for?
Wednesday, 9 March 2016
Dourthe Réserve 2012 Bordeaux White Sauvignon Blanc
I am a lover of Dourthe wines. They are made by a good winemaker without pretension and the Réserve 2012 Bordeaux White Sauvignon Blanc is no exception.
This white wine is typical of the region. It is not too fruity and does not have an overwhelming taste of gooseberries and "cat's pee". It has a nutty citrus fruit flavour. It has a medium body with a well balanced acidity and of course it is dry but the wine is slightly richer in flavour. White Bordeaux wines are produced to be drunk with food and of course the region is renowned for its shell fish especially its oysters. Plenty of Atlantic wet fish are also landed in this region including hake, cod and sea bass. This wine goes well with all of them.
The climate and soil are admirably suited to the growth of Sauvignon Blanc grapes. I am afraid to say that the New World rarely makes best use of this variety. So Bordeaux whites rate very highly in my estimation. In comparison, I often find New World varietal "Sauvignon Blanc" too fruity and the wines lack the elegance of good white Bordeaux.
We drank our wine with fish, of course, and I recommend it highly.
Dourthe is a well known name in the Bordeaux region and the company makes the finest of wines. All of their wines are good value for money.
Château Belgrave is a top red wine from the Haut-Médoc and competes well with some of the world's finest wines. If you select Dourthe wines you cannot go wrong but they should always be consumed with a good meal.
This white wine is typical of the region. It is not too fruity and does not have an overwhelming taste of gooseberries and "cat's pee". It has a nutty citrus fruit flavour. It has a medium body with a well balanced acidity and of course it is dry but the wine is slightly richer in flavour. White Bordeaux wines are produced to be drunk with food and of course the region is renowned for its shell fish especially its oysters. Plenty of Atlantic wet fish are also landed in this region including hake, cod and sea bass. This wine goes well with all of them.
The climate and soil are admirably suited to the growth of Sauvignon Blanc grapes. I am afraid to say that the New World rarely makes best use of this variety. So Bordeaux whites rate very highly in my estimation. In comparison, I often find New World varietal "Sauvignon Blanc" too fruity and the wines lack the elegance of good white Bordeaux.
We drank our wine with fish, of course, and I recommend it highly.
Dourthe is a well known name in the Bordeaux region and the company makes the finest of wines. All of their wines are good value for money.
Château Belgrave is a top red wine from the Haut-Médoc and competes well with some of the world's finest wines. If you select Dourthe wines you cannot go wrong but they should always be consumed with a good meal.
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