Monday, 19 November 2018
Château Jansenant Côtes de Bourg AOC 2015
Château Jansenant Côtes de Bourg AOC 2015 is a perfect example of a really good quality red wine which can be bought for a reasonable price. This wine won a gold medal at the Concours International De Lyon in 2017. It thoroughly deserves its prize. It is an uncompromising wine from the Bordeaux region and has all the attributes of an easily recognisable Bordelais.
It is exceptionally well balanced for tannin, and acidity. It is fruity but with a strong taste of vanilla; it almost reminded me of marzipan. It is a full bodied wine which rests long on the palate.
We drank a half bottle of wine with sirloin steak last night: it goes perfectly with beef and refreshes the palate. After finishing the meal I was slow to drink the remaining half glass. It is not wine for slugging back at a party, you must enjoy this wine with good food.
The wine is another winner from Bordeaux that proves that you do not need to pay a stratospheric price for a really good wine. I recommend that you try this wine which can be left longer to mature further - in a cellar. We bought ours at a supermarket in France but it is quite easy to find outside of the homeland.
https://www.concourslyon.com/fiche-vin-23650-chateau-jansenant.html
Thursday, 27 September 2018
Tinned Wine - no thanks
The US trend of drinking canned wine has taken off in the UK. What was very "2016" in the US is now very "2018" in the UK. It is almost needless to say that I won't be joining in this trend. Tinning food and beverages is good for baked beans, tomatoes , soup and weak tasting lager. But, I must say that a tin of confit de canard can taste superb; as did a tin of choucroute which we ate the other night but without a canned wine.
Of course no self respecting wine blogger should reject new developments out of hand, so I bought a can of wine from a supermarket the other day to give it a try. I sampled a tin of organic Syrah from the south of France. The wine and the supermarket shall remain unnamed. The wine cost £3.50 for 25cl. That's £10.50 for a bottle.
I poured out 2 small glasses to go with an organic roast chicken. I tasted the wine in the usual way but was not impressed but was giving it the benefit of the doubt. My wife had no doubt: the wine was rubbish and it deserved to be poured away which I did.
We had paid a lot of money for a rather poor Vin de Pays which tasted acidic and rustic. At the supermarket you can buy a much better wine from Australia, the US or France for the same money: a good quality wine, in a glass bottle, which will go down well with good food.
Canned wine is a convenience and it is trendy but quite frankly you are being ripped off. A lot of the time the wine is cheap so the profit margins are greater. Canning wine is also cheaper than bottling it so it improves the profit margins further. Using the term organic is a marketing ploy and claiming that it is environmentally friendly is also another marketing ploy. How often have you seen empty tins of lager littering your local park? Organic wine will not taste better if the wine is poorly produced.
There is no doubt that that you could be tempted to drink wine straight from the can at a party, a picnic or on a train or bus - just like beer. You would be missing out as wine is best consumed from a glass so that you can appreciate the aroma better. The same can be said for craft beers. The can will hide the taste of the wine, but what difference does it make if the wine is rubbish. If you can't be bothered to take a cork screw with you when you go on a picnic then a good alternative would be use bottled wines with screw tops.
If ,you have got plenty of money and do not mind paying through the nose for inferior wine just for the convenience, then good on you. As far as I am concerned, I'll use a corkscrew or just undo a screw top.
https://www.chatelaine.com/food/drinks/food-trend-wines-in-a-can/
Of course no self respecting wine blogger should reject new developments out of hand, so I bought a can of wine from a supermarket the other day to give it a try. I sampled a tin of organic Syrah from the south of France. The wine and the supermarket shall remain unnamed. The wine cost £3.50 for 25cl. That's £10.50 for a bottle.
I poured out 2 small glasses to go with an organic roast chicken. I tasted the wine in the usual way but was not impressed but was giving it the benefit of the doubt. My wife had no doubt: the wine was rubbish and it deserved to be poured away which I did.
We had paid a lot of money for a rather poor Vin de Pays which tasted acidic and rustic. At the supermarket you can buy a much better wine from Australia, the US or France for the same money: a good quality wine, in a glass bottle, which will go down well with good food.
Canned wine is a convenience and it is trendy but quite frankly you are being ripped off. A lot of the time the wine is cheap so the profit margins are greater. Canning wine is also cheaper than bottling it so it improves the profit margins further. Using the term organic is a marketing ploy and claiming that it is environmentally friendly is also another marketing ploy. How often have you seen empty tins of lager littering your local park? Organic wine will not taste better if the wine is poorly produced.
There is no doubt that that you could be tempted to drink wine straight from the can at a party, a picnic or on a train or bus - just like beer. You would be missing out as wine is best consumed from a glass so that you can appreciate the aroma better. The same can be said for craft beers. The can will hide the taste of the wine, but what difference does it make if the wine is rubbish. If you can't be bothered to take a cork screw with you when you go on a picnic then a good alternative would be use bottled wines with screw tops.
If ,you have got plenty of money and do not mind paying through the nose for inferior wine just for the convenience, then good on you. As far as I am concerned, I'll use a corkscrew or just undo a screw top.
https://www.chatelaine.com/food/drinks/food-trend-wines-in-a-can/
Thursday, 6 September 2018
Plastic Corks
The other day I opened a bottle of Rioja from a famous retailer. It was of 2015 vintage. The wine had oxidised and was nearly fully on its way to becoming wine vinegar. I suspect that air had leached into the bottle through the seal of the plastic cork. The wine had been laid down. There was no way of telling that the cork was a plastic one and no warning on the bottle.
The idea of plastic corks was to prevent wine spoilage owing to fungal "infected" natural corks which render a musty taste to the wine and ruin it. Natural corks ,however, expand when the wine bottle is laid down to prevent air leaching into the bottles - but you run the risk of a corked wine.
Plastic corks do not guarantee that the wine will be protected from spoilage. If you suspect a wine has a plastic cork it maybe best to cut the top of the foil off the bottle. If it is sealed with a plastic cork , it will probably be best to drink the wine within a few months of purchase. Better quality wines will either be sealed with natural cork or a screw top. I have never had a problem with screw top wines but the seal could get compromised.
As a general rule it might be best to examine all bottles of wine for damage or leakage before buying. However, a wine sealed with a plastic cork will most of the time not reveal itself until you cut the capsule.
The idea of plastic corks was to prevent wine spoilage owing to fungal "infected" natural corks which render a musty taste to the wine and ruin it. Natural corks ,however, expand when the wine bottle is laid down to prevent air leaching into the bottles - but you run the risk of a corked wine.
Plastic corks do not guarantee that the wine will be protected from spoilage. If you suspect a wine has a plastic cork it maybe best to cut the top of the foil off the bottle. If it is sealed with a plastic cork , it will probably be best to drink the wine within a few months of purchase. Better quality wines will either be sealed with natural cork or a screw top. I have never had a problem with screw top wines but the seal could get compromised.
As a general rule it might be best to examine all bottles of wine for damage or leakage before buying. However, a wine sealed with a plastic cork will most of the time not reveal itself until you cut the capsule.
Thursday, 16 August 2018
Don't let the hot weather fool you
The wine harvest in France is predicted to be earlier and better than in 2017. Of course it is important to make hay while the sun shines but climate change could bring many difficulties in the coming years.
Climate change is changing the patterns of the weather. The climate and weather may become too hot or too dry or wet for certain types of grape varieties. Pinot Noir grapes do not lend themselves to excessive heat. The weather might become too hot for growers in Champagne and Burgundy they might have to change to growing grape varieties which are able to sustain themselves in the coming weather conditions. What will that do to appellation rules?
Also rain and thunder storms are becoming stronger and more frequent; excess rain and hail can badly damage crops.
Climate change in the coming decades could ruin wine production.
It is not just France that is affected by climate change. The South UK is becoming warmer in the short term this might render the climate more favourable for wine production but our winters are becoming wetter and this might counter balance any favourable effects.
If we do not start to mitigate the effects of extreme climate change we could lose our favourite accompaniment to good food. Enjoy the 2018 vintage and hope there are plenty of good vintages to come.
Climate change is changing the patterns of the weather. The climate and weather may become too hot or too dry or wet for certain types of grape varieties. Pinot Noir grapes do not lend themselves to excessive heat. The weather might become too hot for growers in Champagne and Burgundy they might have to change to growing grape varieties which are able to sustain themselves in the coming weather conditions. What will that do to appellation rules?
Also rain and thunder storms are becoming stronger and more frequent; excess rain and hail can badly damage crops.
Climate change in the coming decades could ruin wine production.
It is not just France that is affected by climate change. The South UK is becoming warmer in the short term this might render the climate more favourable for wine production but our winters are becoming wetter and this might counter balance any favourable effects.
If we do not start to mitigate the effects of extreme climate change we could lose our favourite accompaniment to good food. Enjoy the 2018 vintage and hope there are plenty of good vintages to come.
Saturday, 4 August 2018
Wine and health again
Once again healthy living advocates are making comments about wine and its beneficial effects. Apparently, moderate drinking, which is defined as drinking less than 14 units of alcohol per week reduces your chances of developing Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders. No-one has fully described how this mechanism causes its effect.
So now it is good for you to drink wine and alcohol as long as you do not exceed more than 14 units a week.
As far as I am concerned there is no hard evidence that drinking moderately improves your health. Does one glass a day improve your health more than half a glass? Where is the point at which an individual's health is damaged by drinking wine and alcohol?
If you are an alcoholic it is better that you refrain from drinking completely. You are the best judge of how much wine you should drink. It is clear that if you over indulge in wine, beer or spirits over a long period of time then you will damage your health. It is not clear that one glass of wine a day will improve your health. The health authorities could be making a big mistake by publishing complex "rules" about how much you should drink. Some people could be pointed in the wrong direction and damage their health by drinking small amounts of alcohol, with especial regard to alcoholics and those who are suffering from liver disease
Maybe ,we would all be better off if the healthy living advocates stopped making pronouncements about drinking for a little while.
https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/wine-and-dementia-studies-clash-health-benefits-374264/
So now it is good for you to drink wine and alcohol as long as you do not exceed more than 14 units a week.
As far as I am concerned there is no hard evidence that drinking moderately improves your health. Does one glass a day improve your health more than half a glass? Where is the point at which an individual's health is damaged by drinking wine and alcohol?
If you are an alcoholic it is better that you refrain from drinking completely. You are the best judge of how much wine you should drink. It is clear that if you over indulge in wine, beer or spirits over a long period of time then you will damage your health. It is not clear that one glass of wine a day will improve your health. The health authorities could be making a big mistake by publishing complex "rules" about how much you should drink. Some people could be pointed in the wrong direction and damage their health by drinking small amounts of alcohol, with especial regard to alcoholics and those who are suffering from liver disease
Maybe ,we would all be better off if the healthy living advocates stopped making pronouncements about drinking for a little while.
https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/wine-and-dementia-studies-clash-health-benefits-374264/
Thursday, 28 June 2018
It's that winebot again
New aerial drone technology will soon be used to monitor and survey the vineyard. This will help farmers to identify problems with the crop and which areas of the vineyard are ready for harvesting, or should be left in the sun to ripen longer. Data sent back from the drone will be analysed by computer algorithms that can determine the quality of the grapes and which diseases they might have. The drones could also be used to identify insect and mammalian pests which could harm the crop. The aerial done could be programmed to land and carry out remedial work or spray insecticides or even shoot mammalian pests such as rabbits or wild boars.
Aerial surveys by drones could also be used to identify territory which could be exploited as new vineyards. They could analyse soil topography and condition. And make recommendations about drainage and access.
Automated operations controlled by algorithms will be able direct drones to plough the soil for a new vineyard, create the trellises and plant new vines. A new vineyard could be created and managed completely automatically.
The farmer could be relieved of vineyard work and administration - he would become simply a landowner whose land produces grapes. This is the direction in which we are heading, landowners, farmers and workers will become increasingly detached from the land; so will the consumers.
A time might come when many people do not realise how wine is produced and from what fruit. They will see themselves as just drinking alcoholic fruit juice: as this will probably what their wine will taste like. Welcome to the future world of wine.
http://thegrapevinemagazine.net/article/drones-in-the-vineyard-uses-benefits-concerns-key-players/
Aerial surveys by drones could also be used to identify territory which could be exploited as new vineyards. They could analyse soil topography and condition. And make recommendations about drainage and access.
Automated operations controlled by algorithms will be able direct drones to plough the soil for a new vineyard, create the trellises and plant new vines. A new vineyard could be created and managed completely automatically.
The farmer could be relieved of vineyard work and administration - he would become simply a landowner whose land produces grapes. This is the direction in which we are heading, landowners, farmers and workers will become increasingly detached from the land; so will the consumers.
A time might come when many people do not realise how wine is produced and from what fruit. They will see themselves as just drinking alcoholic fruit juice: as this will probably what their wine will taste like. Welcome to the future world of wine.
http://thegrapevinemagazine.net/article/drones-in-the-vineyard-uses-benefits-concerns-key-players/
Monday, 18 June 2018
Oyster Bay Merlot 2016 New Zealand red wine
Last week my wife and I shared a bottle of Oyster Bay Merlot 2016 from New Zealand. We drank half a bottle with some pasta with bolognaise sauce on one evening and with some roast chicken the following evening. The wine was very fruity and ready for drinking and was of good quality but quite expensive for £8.50 a bottle. The wine is reasonable value for money but of standard quality. Like most other new world wines it is identified according to the wine variety:"Merlot".
The wine is probably not 100% merlot as it is probably blended with a small proportion of other wine from other red wine grapes. The wine is not identified as coming from a particular estate so grapes from a number of different vineyards from different areas of the region were probably used to produce the wine. None of this detracts from the quality of the wine. However, if I were to taste this wine blind it would be a lucky guess that it was from New Zealand . It could just as well been a "Merlot" wine from Chile or Italy.
On Friday we opened a bottle of Chateau La Fagnouse Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2015 red to drink with roast lamb. This wine was a different kettle of fish. The wine needs to be aged before it will reveal its true fruit character. We shall be keeping the rest of the half -case, that our friend brought us from France, for longer. This wine is not a top quality Bordeaux and it is made from predominantly merlot grapes; but it is one step up from the Oyster Bay wine. For a start it will keep much longer because of its structure and the balance of its tannin and acidity. It tastes and smells as if it comes from Bordeaux. At a blind tasting my wife and I would definitely be able to identify the wine as red Bordeaux even if we were not able to guess that it was a Saint-Emilion wine let alone a grand cru. This wine is slightly more expensive (in France) but I would gladly pay the difference. The wine comes from a genuine estate which picks its own grapes and makes wine from them as an independent producer. The wine has regional character and complements a good meal and the food of the region. It does not need to remind you of the grape variety: it is good quality Bordeaux but calling it "Merlot" would add nothing to its reputation.
The wine is probably not 100% merlot as it is probably blended with a small proportion of other wine from other red wine grapes. The wine is not identified as coming from a particular estate so grapes from a number of different vineyards from different areas of the region were probably used to produce the wine. None of this detracts from the quality of the wine. However, if I were to taste this wine blind it would be a lucky guess that it was from New Zealand . It could just as well been a "Merlot" wine from Chile or Italy.
On Friday we opened a bottle of Chateau La Fagnouse Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2015 red to drink with roast lamb. This wine was a different kettle of fish. The wine needs to be aged before it will reveal its true fruit character. We shall be keeping the rest of the half -case, that our friend brought us from France, for longer. This wine is not a top quality Bordeaux and it is made from predominantly merlot grapes; but it is one step up from the Oyster Bay wine. For a start it will keep much longer because of its structure and the balance of its tannin and acidity. It tastes and smells as if it comes from Bordeaux. At a blind tasting my wife and I would definitely be able to identify the wine as red Bordeaux even if we were not able to guess that it was a Saint-Emilion wine let alone a grand cru. This wine is slightly more expensive (in France) but I would gladly pay the difference. The wine comes from a genuine estate which picks its own grapes and makes wine from them as an independent producer. The wine has regional character and complements a good meal and the food of the region. It does not need to remind you of the grape variety: it is good quality Bordeaux but calling it "Merlot" would add nothing to its reputation.
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