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.
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
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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