I was looking for some wine on the racks the other day when I found a 2012 bottle of Madiran and a 2012 bottle of 2012 Irancy red. Both wines were bought in French supermarkets for very reasonable prices years ago.
Terasses D'Autan Madiran Red 2012 AOC
Madiran is a village in the South West of France in Gascony between the towns of Pau and Auch. The red wine produced here is made primarily from the Tannat grape and it is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The wine is strong in tannin and wine producers allow micro oxygenation of the wine to soften the tannin.This is termed micro-bullage in French. This wine was still going strong after 8 years in the bottle and would probably age for years more. It is a style of wine rich in red and black fruits but dry and with full body.the taste lingered on the palate for a long time. It was concentrated and complex and well balanced and had all the hallmarks of a very good wine that will keep for a long time. This wine had a taste of the regio. It is a wine that was designed to be consumed with good food. We had it with a shoulder of lamb from Devon. Have you never heard of it? You can still find the latter years of it on the web and in a supermarket. I highly recommend it. It is exceptional value for money.
https://www.e-leclerc.com/catalogue/rayons/alimentaire/boissons-avec-alcool/aoc---madiran-terrasses-d-autan,1153404310
Heimbourger Irancy Red 2012 AOC
Irancy is one of my favourite Burgundy wines, it is produced in the Auxerrois area in the Yonne Department in the far north of the Burgundy region. The village or commune is not far from Chablis and the kimmeridgian based soils are highly suited to the production of red wine from the Pinot Noir grape. Winemakers are permitted to use up to 10% of the César black grape which is rich in tannin. I was not expecting this wine to last so long but it aged very well. It still had the cherry flavour typical of wines from the village. But the wine had matured to develop a flavour of plums as well. The wine was dry on the palate with a medium body and it still retained its complexity and concentration and unique taste of the region. We drank it with free range roast chicken but it would also go down well roasted red meats. You can buy this wine in the Leclerc and Carrefour supermarkets. My father-in-law was born not far from the commune of Irancy and this is one of the reasons why we can identify wines from the area without seeing the label. We enjoyed so much of this wine with my late father-in-law and it brought back so many fond memories. This made us forget about Covid-19 for a while. It is difficult to find this wine in the UK, but in France you can buy it for a reasonable price. It is excellent value for money.
https://www.domaine-heimbourger.com/en/vins/irancy.html
https://www.carrefour.fr/p/vin-rouge-irancy-2014-domaine-heimbourger-3531518980043
So, there you have it there are many unexpected pleasures if you keep your wine in a cool dark place. And you do not have to spend a fortune.
Tuesday, 21 April 2020
Monday, 6 April 2020
Alain Mathias - Chablis 2018
The last two weeks we have been "social distancing" like everybody else in the UK even though we believe that we have both had the Covid 19 infection. I felt the infection in late January and it ran on until the first week in February and my wife had a weaker set of symptoms in early February. We cannot prove this but I certainly feel that I had the virus before the furore started. Many other people that I know experienced something similar. At one point my temperature reached 37.9C and I was about to 'phone the doctor but it fell the next day to 37.4 C, and I felt in the clear. At one point I felt as if my lungs were under attack even though I could breathe properly. We will never know whether we caught the virus or not until a test is available; up until then we shall remain vigilant.
I feel a little bit awkward writing a wine blog and still enjoying a good glass of wine with the good food which is still available - but for how long? We are lucky we have plenty of room and a back garden where we can exercise and a nature reserve just up the road where we can run or walk everyday. We don't feel as if we are under house arrest as many people do if they are living in a flat and can't get outside. If they are living in overcrowded conditions with frustrated children. If they are living with an abusive partner. My wife and I get along really well ,and there have been no arguments; we could carry on like this for months if needs be -as long as we can enjoy good food and wine.
The health care and public services people are heroes, they are putting their lives at risk by working without the protection they should have been provided with. So I drink a toast to them and to all those patients who have recovered and also to the unfortunate dead and their family and friends.
The health professionals are always going on about drinking too much. My wife and I do not count the wine bottles we drink, but today I looked into the recycling bin and calculate that we have drunk 6 bottles of wine in just over two weeks. This is below the health advice which we have been ignoring - it is unconscious common sense.
One of the best bottles of wine that we drank was Alain Mathias Chablis 2018. We visited his caves last year in the charming town of Tonnerre in the Yonne department of Bourgogne. We bought half a case so the remaining 5 bottles will be kept. This is superb wine which is typical of the Chablis growing area. We drank this wine with farm reared chicken - roasted. The remaining chicken was made into a "cawl" soup which we ate the following night with the remaining half bottle. Superb wine which must be kept and superb value for money.
http://www.domainealainmathias.com/
Another great wine was a half- bottle of Mathieu Antunes Chablis 2014. This originates from the Yonne and we often drink this wine when we visit restaurants in the area. We were given this wine by our cousin who lives in the Yonne -so three cheers for her. We fear that we won't be seeing her and her family again for a while. This wine went down so well with oysters which taste better for me with chablis rather than vodka.
https://www.vivino.com/antunes-matthieu-chablis/w/1556200?year=U.V.
We are on a semi-mediterranean diet to keep our weight and blood pressure down and it's working, I think. However, we cannot resist laying off the fish and white meat once a week to eat some high quality beef and lamb from our local butcher. What better way to eat good roast beef other than with a bottle 2017 Château Jansenant, Cotes de Bourg Red AOP. This is excellent prize winning wine which shows all of the character of one of my favourite regions.
These wines are well worthy of any accolades that they have been given. I wish everyone good health.
I feel a little bit awkward writing a wine blog and still enjoying a good glass of wine with the good food which is still available - but for how long? We are lucky we have plenty of room and a back garden where we can exercise and a nature reserve just up the road where we can run or walk everyday. We don't feel as if we are under house arrest as many people do if they are living in a flat and can't get outside. If they are living in overcrowded conditions with frustrated children. If they are living with an abusive partner. My wife and I get along really well ,and there have been no arguments; we could carry on like this for months if needs be -as long as we can enjoy good food and wine.
The health care and public services people are heroes, they are putting their lives at risk by working without the protection they should have been provided with. So I drink a toast to them and to all those patients who have recovered and also to the unfortunate dead and their family and friends.
The health professionals are always going on about drinking too much. My wife and I do not count the wine bottles we drink, but today I looked into the recycling bin and calculate that we have drunk 6 bottles of wine in just over two weeks. This is below the health advice which we have been ignoring - it is unconscious common sense.
One of the best bottles of wine that we drank was Alain Mathias Chablis 2018. We visited his caves last year in the charming town of Tonnerre in the Yonne department of Bourgogne. We bought half a case so the remaining 5 bottles will be kept. This is superb wine which is typical of the Chablis growing area. We drank this wine with farm reared chicken - roasted. The remaining chicken was made into a "cawl" soup which we ate the following night with the remaining half bottle. Superb wine which must be kept and superb value for money.
http://www.domainealainmathias.com/
Another great wine was a half- bottle of Mathieu Antunes Chablis 2014. This originates from the Yonne and we often drink this wine when we visit restaurants in the area. We were given this wine by our cousin who lives in the Yonne -so three cheers for her. We fear that we won't be seeing her and her family again for a while. This wine went down so well with oysters which taste better for me with chablis rather than vodka.
https://www.vivino.com/antunes-matthieu-chablis/w/1556200?year=U.V.
We are on a semi-mediterranean diet to keep our weight and blood pressure down and it's working, I think. However, we cannot resist laying off the fish and white meat once a week to eat some high quality beef and lamb from our local butcher. What better way to eat good roast beef other than with a bottle 2017 Château Jansenant, Cotes de Bourg Red AOP. This is excellent prize winning wine which shows all of the character of one of my favourite regions.
These wines are well worthy of any accolades that they have been given. I wish everyone good health.
Thursday, 19 March 2020
Covid-19 and Wine
The Covid -19 outbreak is a health and personal disaster. One can but hope that that no-one else will suffer from the virus but I fear that worse is to come. My condolences are offered to anyone who has suffered. It could easily be me next, my wife or a member of my extended family, in the UK or France. I already know someone who has died of the virus.
For the wine industry this is also a disaster. It is an industry that thrives on personal contact, whether it is in the vineyard, the winery or the wine shop. Drinking a bottle of wine with friends with a good meal is part of conviviality, this is now gone, and we will all be leading lives in separation for perhaps months to come. Soon we will be denied the simple pleasures of visiting a cave or a wine store to discuss and taste the wine and buy it.
The future looks bleak. It is possible that automation and artificial intelligence will be used to achieve economies across the industry to save it.Wine making and delivery and vineyard work will be become de-personalised. At least, I shall be sharing my wine with friends and family. The good times will return one day.
We are all affected by the struggle against the virus, but, even so, most of us are lucky enough not to be involved in a real war which is much worse.
Tonight my wife and I will drink a glass of wine to wish good luck and good health to all those involved in the industry wherever they are.
For the wine industry this is also a disaster. It is an industry that thrives on personal contact, whether it is in the vineyard, the winery or the wine shop. Drinking a bottle of wine with friends with a good meal is part of conviviality, this is now gone, and we will all be leading lives in separation for perhaps months to come. Soon we will be denied the simple pleasures of visiting a cave or a wine store to discuss and taste the wine and buy it.
The future looks bleak. It is possible that automation and artificial intelligence will be used to achieve economies across the industry to save it.Wine making and delivery and vineyard work will be become de-personalised. At least, I shall be sharing my wine with friends and family. The good times will return one day.
We are all affected by the struggle against the virus, but, even so, most of us are lucky enough not to be involved in a real war which is much worse.
Tonight my wife and I will drink a glass of wine to wish good luck and good health to all those involved in the industry wherever they are.
Monday, 9 March 2020
Climate change and bottled wine
The wine industry is now having a finger pointed at it over carbon emissions. There is now criticism coming in from many directions about the carbon footprint of transporting wine in bottles and by road. Some winemakers are bottling their wine in lighter bottles to reduce the carbon footprint of transporting wine.
I am all in favour of innovation regarding the production and use of lighter wine bottles. But some environmentalists want the wine industry to go further to transport wine in bulk and "bottle" the wine in boxes and cans.
I already use "bag in the bottle" wine for drinking at home with a meal. I had a glass last night with my wife. But, at the weekend my wife and I enjoyed a bottle of Bersan Irancy Red; bottled in 2012 and left on its side to mature for 8 years. The bottle lasted us two evenings as we don't drink that much. The wine was fantastic and improved in the bottle.The bottle cost us about 8 Eur in a French supermarket. If we suddenly change "bottling" techniques so that all reasonably priced wine is sold in bulk in "bag in the box" containers filled locally, then we will lose the opportunity to buy and store wine for it to improve in the bottle.
The market for "glass bottled" wine will be reserved exclusively for the top priced brands. Wines which are reasonably priced and which have been produced and bottled on the wine estate will probably disappear.
Hopefully, I will be long dead before climate change fundamentalists kill off the majority of estate bottle wines.Only the very rich will be able to enjoy a rib of beef with a bottle of Bordeaux. Climate change must be controlled but wine producers are not the biggest generators of CO2.
Wine lovers, in the main, are fully aware of the problems associated with climate change. Climate change could easily destroy wine production and this is why we approve of innovation to reduce the carbon footprint of wine production and consumption. We are all prepared to make our contribution to reduce carbon emissions from all our activities. However, please do not deprive wine lovers of their estate bottled wine and the wholesome food which goes with it.
https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/25501/Trade_should_stop_bottling_it_on_carbon_emissions.html
I am all in favour of innovation regarding the production and use of lighter wine bottles. But some environmentalists want the wine industry to go further to transport wine in bulk and "bottle" the wine in boxes and cans.
I already use "bag in the bottle" wine for drinking at home with a meal. I had a glass last night with my wife. But, at the weekend my wife and I enjoyed a bottle of Bersan Irancy Red; bottled in 2012 and left on its side to mature for 8 years. The bottle lasted us two evenings as we don't drink that much. The wine was fantastic and improved in the bottle.The bottle cost us about 8 Eur in a French supermarket. If we suddenly change "bottling" techniques so that all reasonably priced wine is sold in bulk in "bag in the box" containers filled locally, then we will lose the opportunity to buy and store wine for it to improve in the bottle.
The market for "glass bottled" wine will be reserved exclusively for the top priced brands. Wines which are reasonably priced and which have been produced and bottled on the wine estate will probably disappear.
Hopefully, I will be long dead before climate change fundamentalists kill off the majority of estate bottle wines.Only the very rich will be able to enjoy a rib of beef with a bottle of Bordeaux. Climate change must be controlled but wine producers are not the biggest generators of CO2.
Wine lovers, in the main, are fully aware of the problems associated with climate change. Climate change could easily destroy wine production and this is why we approve of innovation to reduce the carbon footprint of wine production and consumption. We are all prepared to make our contribution to reduce carbon emissions from all our activities. However, please do not deprive wine lovers of their estate bottled wine and the wholesome food which goes with it.
https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/25501/Trade_should_stop_bottling_it_on_carbon_emissions.html
Tuesday, 21 January 2020
Baronne du Chatelard Beaujolais Blanc AOP 2011
Who has ever heard of Beaujolais Blanc, well I have because I have studied wine? However, up until two weeks ago I had never tasted it. I visit France regularly and we have family in the Champagne region and in Burgundy and no one has ever opened a bottle of Beaujolais Blanc.
Beaujolais is of course in Burgundy but to all intents and purposes, and from a wine point of view, it is a separate wine region which produces enormous quantities of wine, 98% of which is red wine from the Gamay grape. Beaujolais Blanc is produced mainly from the Chardonnay grape with small quantities of Aligoté.
Beaujolais Blanc is produced from grapes grown in a mixture of limestone, schist and granite soils in contrast to Bourgogne (Burgundy) Blanc which produced from entirely limestone based soil. The climate is warmer in Beaujolais so this affects the growth of the grapes. The terroir in Beaujolais is different and you can taste this difference.
Many people recommend that you should drink Beaujolais within 3 to 4 years of its production. Our wine was 9 years old and it was still going strong. The wine won a gold medal at the 2012 "Concours des Grands Vins" in Macon. The Baronne du Chatelard produce their wine from limestone which has chalky white stones embedded in the soil. Soil, which is perfect for growing Chardonnay grapes, nothing it seems is simple in the wine growing world. We drank our wine with a roast chicken dish and it is wine to be savoured rather than slugging back.
Our bottle of wine was superb and had all the qualities of excellent dry white wine, it was finely balanced for acidity and fruitiness. I fancied that it was of fuller body than its Burgundian cousins from further north and especially when compared to Chablis. It was full of fruit flavour but it was not jammy. For me, it had a flavour of bananas, but my wife thought I was imagining it. I can still taste the wine in that imagination.
The next time I am in France I shall be searching out Beaujolais Blanc; I have never seen it on the shelves in the UK. You can buy Baronne du Chatelard Beaujolais Blanc AOP on the internet for about £19 a bottle. A little expensive perhaps but I bet it is worth every penny.
https://www.chateauduchatelard.com/en/bar
https://www.99wines.co.uk/wines/Baronne_du_Chatelard__Pouilly-fuiss_.html#SID=200
Beaujolais is of course in Burgundy but to all intents and purposes, and from a wine point of view, it is a separate wine region which produces enormous quantities of wine, 98% of which is red wine from the Gamay grape. Beaujolais Blanc is produced mainly from the Chardonnay grape with small quantities of Aligoté.
Beaujolais Blanc is produced from grapes grown in a mixture of limestone, schist and granite soils in contrast to Bourgogne (Burgundy) Blanc which produced from entirely limestone based soil. The climate is warmer in Beaujolais so this affects the growth of the grapes. The terroir in Beaujolais is different and you can taste this difference.
Many people recommend that you should drink Beaujolais within 3 to 4 years of its production. Our wine was 9 years old and it was still going strong. The wine won a gold medal at the 2012 "Concours des Grands Vins" in Macon. The Baronne du Chatelard produce their wine from limestone which has chalky white stones embedded in the soil. Soil, which is perfect for growing Chardonnay grapes, nothing it seems is simple in the wine growing world. We drank our wine with a roast chicken dish and it is wine to be savoured rather than slugging back.
Our bottle of wine was superb and had all the qualities of excellent dry white wine, it was finely balanced for acidity and fruitiness. I fancied that it was of fuller body than its Burgundian cousins from further north and especially when compared to Chablis. It was full of fruit flavour but it was not jammy. For me, it had a flavour of bananas, but my wife thought I was imagining it. I can still taste the wine in that imagination.
The next time I am in France I shall be searching out Beaujolais Blanc; I have never seen it on the shelves in the UK. You can buy Baronne du Chatelard Beaujolais Blanc AOP on the internet for about £19 a bottle. A little expensive perhaps but I bet it is worth every penny.
https://www.chateauduchatelard.com/en/bar
https://www.99wines.co.uk/wines/Baronne_du_Chatelard__Pouilly-fuiss_.html#SID=200
Monday, 6 January 2020
Dry January
Trend-setters are trying to convince wine drinkers not to drink alcohol for the whole of January. I shall not be doing this.
No alcohol passed my lips on New Year's eve or New Year's day.This was not out of any desire "to go on the wagon". I simply did not feel like drinking even though my wife had prepared some excellent food. Usually, I enjoy a glass of wine with good food and I shall continue to do so.
If ever I felt the need to give up alcohol for a month because I was drinking too much then I would give up permanently. I like a glass of wine with my food so much that I shall ensure that alcohol will never damage my health. This means that for 2 or 3 days a week I drink no alcohol at all and for the remaining 4 days I moderate my drinking. Yesterday, at a birthday party I went a bit over the top for a change but I woke up with a clear head and conscience and no feelings of guilt as I was not drunk.
I shall ignore trend-setters and well being experts and the blandishments of the National Health Service. I shall make may own decisions about how much I drink.
I do not need multi-juices to clear my system; a couple of glasses of water will do the trick and it's much cheaper.
No alcohol passed my lips on New Year's eve or New Year's day.This was not out of any desire "to go on the wagon". I simply did not feel like drinking even though my wife had prepared some excellent food. Usually, I enjoy a glass of wine with good food and I shall continue to do so.
If ever I felt the need to give up alcohol for a month because I was drinking too much then I would give up permanently. I like a glass of wine with my food so much that I shall ensure that alcohol will never damage my health. This means that for 2 or 3 days a week I drink no alcohol at all and for the remaining 4 days I moderate my drinking. Yesterday, at a birthday party I went a bit over the top for a change but I woke up with a clear head and conscience and no feelings of guilt as I was not drunk.
I shall ignore trend-setters and well being experts and the blandishments of the National Health Service. I shall make may own decisions about how much I drink.
I do not need multi-juices to clear my system; a couple of glasses of water will do the trick and it's much cheaper.
Thursday, 19 December 2019
Jean Louis Bersan 2012 Bourgogne Epineuil Red
We bought half a dozen bottles of 2012 Bersan 2012 Bourgogne Epineuil red in the Leclerc supermarket in Troyes donkey's years ago. It said on the back of the bottle that you could keep it for seven years. We opened the last bottle a couple of weeks ago and drank it with some roast chicken. We weren't disappointed as the wine had matured well on its side and in the cool. The wine was fantastic.
Epineuil is one of my favourite Burgundy wines. It is difficult to find in the UK and we always buy it in France either from the vineyard itself or from a local off licence or supermarket.
I seem to remember that this particular wine was bought for under 10 EUR a bottle. You won't find it at this price anymore.
This wine is typical of the appellation. It is made from Pinot Noir grapes. It tasted of red and black fruits, it was of light to medium body and the tannin had softened. It was well balanced for acidity and sweetness and was dry on the palate and the taste remained for a long time. It had all the hallmarks of a very good wine which was excellent value for money.
The Epineuil appellation is very close to the town of Tonnerre, which is in the far north west of Burgundy and close to the Champagne border. The soil here is kimmeridgian and limestone. The wine has the goût de terroir of the region. It is one of the few red wines that my wife and I can identify easily -"blind", because we have drunk so much of it over the years, and because some of my wife's family come from the area. No other wine in the world has its distinctive taste and character. No one is able to copy it either in France or elsewhere. The climate, soil and vineyard combination cannot be copied
The Kings of France used to drink this wine and no wonder. You need to search this appellation out as it represents exceptional value for money. Tonnerre and it surrounding area is also worth locating and visiting.
https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/our-wines-our-terroir/the-bourgogne-winegrowing-region-and-its-appellations/bourgogne-epineuil,2458,9253.html?&args=Y29tcF9pZD0yMjc4JmFjdGlvbj12aWV3RmljaGUmaWQ9MjQ0Jnw%3D
https://www.google.com/search?q=kimmeridgian+soil+map&oq=kimmeridgian+&aqs=chrome.2.0j69i57j0l6.20781j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Epineuil is one of my favourite Burgundy wines. It is difficult to find in the UK and we always buy it in France either from the vineyard itself or from a local off licence or supermarket.
I seem to remember that this particular wine was bought for under 10 EUR a bottle. You won't find it at this price anymore.
This wine is typical of the appellation. It is made from Pinot Noir grapes. It tasted of red and black fruits, it was of light to medium body and the tannin had softened. It was well balanced for acidity and sweetness and was dry on the palate and the taste remained for a long time. It had all the hallmarks of a very good wine which was excellent value for money.
The Epineuil appellation is very close to the town of Tonnerre, which is in the far north west of Burgundy and close to the Champagne border. The soil here is kimmeridgian and limestone. The wine has the goût de terroir of the region. It is one of the few red wines that my wife and I can identify easily -"blind", because we have drunk so much of it over the years, and because some of my wife's family come from the area. No other wine in the world has its distinctive taste and character. No one is able to copy it either in France or elsewhere. The climate, soil and vineyard combination cannot be copied
The Kings of France used to drink this wine and no wonder. You need to search this appellation out as it represents exceptional value for money. Tonnerre and it surrounding area is also worth locating and visiting.
https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/our-wines-our-terroir/the-bourgogne-winegrowing-region-and-its-appellations/bourgogne-epineuil,2458,9253.html?&args=Y29tcF9pZD0yMjc4JmFjdGlvbj12aWV3RmljaGUmaWQ9MjQ0Jnw%3D
https://www.google.com/search?q=kimmeridgian+soil+map&oq=kimmeridgian+&aqs=chrome.2.0j69i57j0l6.20781j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
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