thirstforwine http://thirstforwine.posterous.com Most recent posts at thirstforwine posterous.com Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:41:00 -0700 Chasing dinner http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/chasing-dinner http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/chasing-dinner

I'm not one for recipes (I prefer to cook what I know or just "create") but it was my turn to cook tonight ... and I was asked to make something with the Haddock that needed to be used, and some open Parma ham ... and the results were pretty tasty.

But this is not a food blog. 

The point was to say that, as the last day of the holiday, after a great day with the family, after a productive day in the garden painting the kids' playhouse ... the dish of haddock fillets wrapped in parma ham, with asparagus and new potatoes, was a great partner to my Ocado-bought bottle of La Chasse Chardonnay Viognier 

I admit I am not usually fond of this blend of varieties. The Chardonnay is usually flabby and the Viognier used only for aroma, not body. However, this was very good, and in the circumstances, a great tipple.

It isn't about the points or ratings. It's about the context.

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Thu, 15 Jul 2010 05:15:00 -0700 Find Wine? Easy! Hyde Park, by the bandstand, under a tree http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/find-wine-easy-hyde-park-by-the-bandstand-und http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/find-wine-easy-hyde-park-by-the-bandstand-und

Last week, cunningly (or otherwise) scheduled on the same night as the Spain vs Germany World Cup semi-final, I ambled along to the wine bloggers picnic organised by Find Wine.

The idea was to have an informal and unusual get-together to taste some of the wines currently on the Find Wine list. As they only stock limited cases for each available 'slot' (check out my explanation of their unusual and rather clever business model here) they need to generate regular reviews to keep the information out there accurate and fresh.

My favourite wines are mentioned below, but I particularly appreciated the effort they went to (a table, complete with white tablecloth, proper cutlery and plates to enjoy the oysters, smoked salmon, shrimp and cut meats (and more) - all under a tree in a deserted Hyde Park (see, I told you the timing was cunning).

An interesting group of winos and foodies showed up to join the party including @mathildecuisine, Joe Wadsack, @r_mccormack, @htinlondon as well as Tina Gellie and more 

The conversation and blind tasting (see below) went on late into the night, so much so we ended up with an unusual "lock-in" which involved us having to decamp and scale the Hyde Park fences in the dark ... a process resulting in some hilarity for the more vertically challenged amongst us (read the Find Wine blog for details)

I really wish these guys well. They are stocking interesting wines, care and think about the customer, and although new to the game, they are also using social media well. We need more innovators like these and we need to make sure consumers learn about them - they'll benefit greatly.

My favourite wines on the night:

Zuccardi Alma 4 Chardonnay NV (Sparkling from Argentina): A very good sparkler. Lots of bready complexity without losing freshness.

Casa Marin 'Cipreses' Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 (Chile): Stunningly BIG nose - really amazing aromatic wine, and tastes fresh, fun and yet seriously good.

Naiades Verdejo, Naia, 2006 (Rueda, Spain): A complicated wine. This is Verdejo, but not as we know it, Jim. Barrel Fermented to give it greater body and layers of nuttiness, spice and vanilla notes but lots of acidity & white peach fruit from the grape. Interesting for those more adventurous drinkers (and I happen to know that the 2009 vintage is a "Top 100" Spanish wine)

Santa Lucia Sangiovese 2008 (Tuscany, Italy): Not yet listed (they're on the 2007) but the 2008 was tasting very good, with lots of red fruit and that dryish, soft tannin I associate with Tuscan wines. Look out for it

Conan The Barbera 2007 (Barbera d'Asti, Italy): Bucket-loads of dark fruit, tannin and ... pretty much everything you can think of that's big & dark. Seems a delicious wine, if still very young. If you like BIG wines, or have the chance to hold onto this for a bit, it is highly worth it.

And then, the blind tasting wine:

This had us all pretty well stumped. We started off in Italy (probably the south), toyed with Chile, spent a while in South Africa, and took a tour around Australia. It was a red wine, lots of "heat" (ripe fruit, soft tannins) but a spicy, leafy and green pepper style character that we assumed was Cabernet Sauvignon. It obviously had age, with balsam & cedar notes, but was still reasonably dense and alive. I can't remember what I guessed, never mind what the others did - though Rachel McCormack is happy to remind me she did suggest Australia ... amongst the other dozen countries she mentioned ;)

However, I will admit we were all pleasantly surprised to find out it was :

2002 Summerfield Shiraz (Pyrenees, Australia) at £19.99

Well worth trying if you like wines with a bit of age and character, and you've never tried what New World wines like this can turn into.

Great evening and I look forward to the next one

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Sun, 27 Jun 2010 03:21:59 -0700 Some stunning views on the way to Tapas Fantasticas today #tapasfan http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/some-stunning-views-on-the-way-to-tapas-fanta http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/some-stunning-views-on-the-way-to-tapas-fanta

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Thu, 13 May 2010 07:19:00 -0700 [Insert Rosé Wine Pun Here] http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/insert-rose-wine-pun-here http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/insert-rose-wine-pun-here

OK, it is almost impossible to come up with a Rose/Rosé pun that has not already been tried, so I won’t try.

Earlier this week Bibendum co-hosted a tasting of 17 not-red-and-not-white wines at 101 Pimlico Road (read Willie's post on this event here, and @winewomansong's interpretation here).

First, the wines. I say “not-red-and-not-white” because in truth, there is such a variety to Rosé/Pink wines that it is hard to clarify exactly what the category means. I think a few of the other tasters would agree. Since the explosion of rosé consumption in the UK in 2003, the category has grown from around 3% of wine sold to over 10% (and probably much more). That’s a lot, but what KIND of wines are they?

The truth is that most of the Rosé category is still in the blush style – off-dry, relatively deep coloured and pretty simple stuff. You know what I mean. White Zinfandel/Grenache/Syrah bottlings from California mainly.

However, the good news is that although most of the stuff sold is not that great, it is encouraging other producers, importers and restaurants to look at the category and innovate.

Of the 17 wines (6 Sparkling and 11 still) on offer, I could honestly say I enjoyed almost all of them (I suspect one wine was faulty). The stars were those you might expect; Bruno Paillard Brut Rosé Premiere Cuvee NV (Champagne) and a Lafon Roset 2009 (Bordeaux). However, the interesting results were elsewhere:

  • Balfour Brut Rosé 2006 (England) – a sparkling wine from the UK. Not cheap, but a very nicely balanced, complex wine. I personally think this has improved dramatically in the last couple of vintages (I never used to like it TBH)
  • Bisol Jeio Rosé NV (Italy) – not expensive, but a very enjoyable tipple. The bubbles are very elegant and the taste is just right – just off-dry enough to make you want to drink lots of it
  • Agustinos Syrah Rose 2009 (Chile) - The most red-wine-like of the rosé category on offer. More herbal and full-bodied than most others. A good BBQ wine I think.

Despite enjoying these wines, I am still left wondering how we are supposed to really enjoy rosé wine? On its own, with food, as a cheap & fun wine or one worthy of serious contemplation? I guess it depends on each individual wine. I think someone suggested that next time we actually sit down and drink ONLY rosé wine throughout a whole meal to show its versatility. Count me in!

Now, on to the food.

I won’t say too much, but will share some photos. There were lots of different tasters to try throughout the tasting, unfortunately I did not get a photo of all of them. My favourites were the foie-gras burger (with quail egg on top), the slice of beef (interesting match with the wines) and a tuna dish whose details I did not catch but tasted heavenly.

The quality of the food we tasted was VERY good and I definitely need to head back to 101 Pimlico Road. Keith Goddard and Will Guess who run this were both very engaging company and I’m sure will make a great success of this place. I believe they are even planning a BYO evening where you can bring (and share) your own bottles to match Keith’s cuisine. I think that is a great idea as my own cooking is simply not up to the expectations I have for a few of my bottles.

Thanks Bibendum and 101 Pimlico Road.

Now, where’s my summer gone?

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Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:45:00 -0700 High Spirits at the BFT http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/high-spirits-at-the-bft http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/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”)

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Fri, 09 Apr 2010 07:54:00 -0700 STA travel Buzz & d'Arenberg wines http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/sta-travel-buzz-and-darenberg-wines http://thirstforwine.posterous.com/sta-travel-buzz-and-darenberg-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)

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