Filed under: naked wines

Choosing Chenin Blanc for some variety

Imag0629

"If you could only pick one grape to drink the rest of your life, what would you choose?" 

Not a fair question, but it was a thought inspired by a game I overheard on the radio when I was daydreaming. I assumed I knew the answer to that ... but the more I thought about it, the more I was not sure. In the end, I cheated and decided it would have to be one for white and one for red, but even so I was stuck.

I have to admit I am a cosmopolitan drinker (not the cocktails!). I like variety and believe that there is no "one best style" in most cases. There are simply too many issues to consider. 

So it finally dawned on me that the answer (at least for the white) had to be ... Chenin Blanc.

It was an odd choice. In truth, I drink very little of it, but when I do I am often blown away. It makes everything from great sparkling wine, wines that are INCREDIBLY dry, through delicious, almost dry but rich to full on luscious and sweet wines. One grape. So many wines.

What does the grape "Chenin Blanc" evoke for you? 

For many, unfortunately, it is a fairly simple, often dull, white wine usually from South Africa.

It certainly should not have to be that way. Chenin Blanc was (and might still be) the most planted variety there, so it was grown more for volume than quality, but there are great South African versions - I'm fond of the wines of Ken Forrester, A A Badenhorst and De Trafford.

However, for Chenin Blanc lovers, the variety and complexity of the wines of the Loire Valley (it isn't all about Sauvignon Blanc thank goodness!) have to be ranked amongst the world's very best. This blog is not the place for in-depth looks at Loire wines - for that I point you in the direction of the indefatigable Jim Budd and his Jim's Loire blog.

So, when I saw an offer for some Chenin Blanc with a little age (though not yet nearly enough) on a special price, I jumped at the chance.

I bid/bought a case of bottles of Villebois Chenin Blanc 2007 from the Naked Wines Marketplace (in its first iteration). I have had a slightly mixed experience with the wines from this producer (who sells wines mainly thanks, it seems, to Naked Wines) but thought it worth a punt. According to their site, they focus almost entirely on Sauvignon Blanc but I'm rapidly getting bored with this grape (if I'm honest), so I am not sure what the story is to this wine, although the label implies it comes from their main vineyards.

This particular wine reminds me of baked green apples and hay on the nose. It smells bright yellow. It is a big, round wine in the mouth, showing the ripeness of the grapes, but maybe also a hint of some botrytis in there too. It has the sharpness of the filling of a bramble & apple pie, and also finishes with crispness and notes of honeyed, cinnamon spice. 

I paid £45.96 for 6 bottles, including delivery - making this wine £7.66 a bottle. A proper steal. 

However, it is now no longer available, but you might want to keep an eye on the site as it seems to have been quite popular, so you never know when they might find something from 2008 ;)

So, what would your one (white) grape be?

The EWBC in action ... in my glass

One of my favourite memories of the EWBC this year was when we put our collective palates on the line to learn about Austrian wines, taste a range of different bottles, then select a favourite (albeit slightly unscientifically).

The best bit was that this selection had an IMMEDIATE, practical effect, because the winning wine not only got our vote and our thanks, but also gained a retail listing in the UK with Naked Wines.

This was the knowledge and influence of bloggers IN ACTION. It delivered an actual bottle of wine to my table - the most tangible way of giving value to consumers, retailers and producers that there is.

So, who won, and how was it?

The winning wine was the Gemischter Satz Nussberg Classic 2009 by Gerhard Lobner from Weingut Mayer am Pfarrplatz as chosen by the 200 wine bloggers assembled in the Schonbrunn Castle in Vienna.

When I got back home I immediately bought my 'Advance Purchase' pack of this wine to be delivered before Christmas, which, I am happy to say, they achieved with 4 days to spare.

My thoughts, as shared on the site, were:

Gemischter Satz Nussberg Classic 2009
produced by Gerhard Lobner in Vienna, Austria
Note: Glad we chose this wine at the EWBC in Vienna in October. It is something a little different from the usual.

It has a very pleasant, easy drinking tropical fruit style that still doesn't stray too far from the kind of elegant, complex, slightly spicy style of white wine that one associates with the single varietal wines of Austria such as Gruner Veltliner.

The ripe fruit finishes brightly with a lovely mineral freshness. A field blend (Gemischter Satz) offers something distinctive in this variety-obsessed wine market, and to achieve this sort of quality for this price, from a vineyard within the city-limits of a European capital, is something truly unique and definitely worth exploring.
Rating: 4 (in 5)
(Tasted on December 21, 2010)

Tasting: The Joshua, 2008 - from @TeusnerWine

The Joshua 2008
produced by Teusner Wines in Barossa Valley, Australia,
Note: Amazingly rich, jammy, raspberry and strawberry nose with a tickling of black pepper, which then blossoms in the mouth, like supping on a deliciously smooth, slightly tart, raspberry coulis seasoned with crushed black pepper. Delicious, moreish and full bodied. This wine is very young and I look forward to see how it develops over the years - if I can hold on to my remaining bottles.
(Tasted on September 3, 2010)

Kudos to @nakedwines for their customer service

I just wanted to thanks Naked Wines for some very good customer service.

I ordered an "Advance Purchase" case of wines from my friend @mroconnell's O'Vineyards thanks to their new association with Naked Wines

Or at least, I thought I had ordered one. I'm POSITIVE I did this as I went to the site as soon as I heard they were available and then immediately mentioned my purchase to Ryan, ... and even encouraged others to join me.

Unfortunately, after the cases were sold out (well done everyone!) I couldn't locate my order number and I realised it had not registered on their system for whatever reason. Darn!

Well, the friendly folks at Naked (especially Marie) sorted it by making up a special case for me and sending it to me at the price I SHOULD have paid, and it arrived this morning.

That is great customer service, and one of the reasons I think that Naked Wines has a great future.

I now have a very interesting range of wines from O'Vineyards, La Gramiere and Teusner, all friends in the personal as well as social media sense, in my wine rack ready to taste and enjoy (with more on the way).

I hope you do too!