Filed under: tasting

High Spirits at the BFT

Thanks to the eagle-eyes of Justin Roberts (@justinjerez) I was alerted to an exciting new wine trade tasting called “the BFT”. Despite me being unable to say or write this without thinking of Roald Dahl’s BFG, I think the organisers have done a grand job of creating something new which I hope will be repeated.

The BFT is the Big Fortified Tasting (http://www.thebft.com). [For those who don’t know what that means, it covers wines such as Sherry, Port & Madeira (plus a few assorted others). They are all wines made with the addition of spirit, which means the lowest alcohol at the tasting was probably around 15%. Ouch!]

Fortified wines are a bit of a poor relation at the moment. Consumers do not seem to think of these wines as particularly sexy or “happening”. They are immediately associated with grannies, cigars and dusty bar shelves. Of course the truth is completely different (except for the cigars – for some).

It was great to see a very full house at the tasting, including top journalists, MWs, buyers, and restaurant staff. It was also interesting to see that people were asking questions and getting excited about the wines, not just revisiting old friends.

I hope that with events such as this, and a motivated wine trade, these categories can finally be revived. They offer such a wonderful range of flavours and experiences, and a diversity of culture and history with each style and region.

I fear, however, that the impetus is unlikely to come from the current producers and brands as it will require a major re-imagining of what the wines are, when they are consumed and who they are for, for this to happen. Is anyone brave enough for that? Go on!

One of the first steps should be to encourage the organisers to open up the event to consumers and allow them to be able to sample these wines side-by-side too. There are so many styles to choose from it can be difficult to get your head around it, but a little education goes a long way. Let's hope they do!


I used the opportunity to compare lots of different Fino and Manzanilla sherries side by side as I think they offer a style of wine that could attract new drinkers to this kind of category and you almost never get a chance to do this. My favourites included:

  • La Gitana Manzanilla: Crisp, with a light freshness, salty, almond skin finish
  • La Guita Manzanilla: Fuller bodied, almond, dry and salty, but fresh and delicious
  • La Ina Fino Muy Seco: Light, mineral, edge of sweeter citrus especially on finish
  • La Bota No.18 Fino de Machanurdo Alto: Typical dryness, but fuller bodied, with rounded finish not dry mineral. Very nice.

In fact the whole La Bota range from Equipo Navazos (via Rhone to Rioja in UK) was delicious – including the two wonderful La Bota Palo Cortados, No.21 (“rich & nutty but with a high alcohol that contrasted well”) and No.17 (“Caramelly touch on top of hazlenut richness, delicious”)

STA travel Buzz & d'Arenberg wines

Last night’s wine event was lots of fun.

STA Travel (http://www.statravel.co.uk) was bringing together some friends to talk about travel to Australia and Queensland in particular, so they asked me to help with a tasting of wines. Unfortunately Queensland wines are very hard to find outside of Australia (if you know of one, do let me know), so instead I suggested that we involve a great Australian wine producer from elsewhere in the country.

Travel is a lot more than getting from A to B (and back), just as enjoying wine is a lot more than finding the cheapest way to get inebriated. I wanted this event to showcase that Australian wine, and wine culture, was a lot more than the brands that grace the discount bins in the supermarkets most weeks, and includes some amazingly creative and skilled individuals.

One of the most charismatic is Chester Osborn of d’Arenberg (http://darenberg.com.au). Not only are these great wines to taste with this group, but they also have a presence on twitter (@darenberg) and have been creating some interesting content during this year’s vintage:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/dArenberg/137564966465?ref=ts

The folks who came along to the event organised by @statravelbuzz seemed to enjoy the wines and learning to taste and enjoy them. Thanks to Claire Scott (@clairelsscott) for her help in presenting them too. I hope to hear from them again as their new travels around wine take off (leave me a comment here if you were there)


The wines we tasted, for the record were (tasting notes from @clairelsscott):
(for more info on the wines, go here: http://darenberg.com.au/the-wines)

d’Arenberg The Stump Jump Riesling Sauvignon Blanc Roussanne Marsanne 2008
Aussie summer in a glass. A delightfully refreshing and dry white exhibiting citrus and lovely floral notes with a hint of spice.
Available from any All Bar One

d’Arenberg The Olive Grove Chardonnay 2007
Classic fruit driven Australian Chardonnay. Appealing aromas of peach and melon with subtle notes of oak, good length of flavour and lacy acidity.
Available at Oddbins and Sainsbury’s Fine Wine (from May)

d’Arenberg The Money Spider Roussanne 2008
Elegant fine herb tea notes of dandelions, lavender, floral fragrance with a very fine, pointed finish. Just great with seafood, it will reward those who challenge their senses.
Available at Oddbins and The Wine Society

d’Arenberg The Stump Jump Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2008
Sensational value but not simple; rich, savoury, and brimming with ripe, spicy fruit flavour. Endearingly honest and unpretentious, the ideal everyday red.
Available from any All Bar One

d’Arenberg The Love Grass Shiraz 2007
McLaren Vale shiraz with a twist. Bold, dark red and black fruits but with vitality and elegance that sets it apart.
Available from any All Bar One

d’Arenberg The Galvo Garage Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot 2006
Complex, flavoursome, full bodied Cabernet with the addition of classic Bordeaux partners. Concentrated cassis bomb, savoury undertones and ripe tannins makes this the perfect candidate for mid-term cellaring.
(My favourite on the night)
Available at Oddbins, The Wine Society and Majestic (from May)

d’Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier 2007
Exuberant purple hue. Opulently flavoured and perfumed with firm texture and ripe tannins. Viognier lifts the rich, ripe Shiraz fruits and gives them resonance.
Available at Oddbins, Coop, The Wine Society and Majestic (from May)