First Drop Wines Bella Coppia Arneis 2009, Adelaide Hills, Australia (currently N/A in the UK) Clean, fresh and zesty, combining fleshy pear fruit with crisp citrussy acidity and a slightly briny/savoury finish. B+
Zalze Bush Vine Chenin Blanc 2009, Western Cape, South Africa (£6.49 Waitrose) Starts off slightly jelly-like, but then improves to show voluptuous, peach, pear, and tropical fruit flavours with a creamy, nutty edge and a juicy tender finish. B(-)
Tesco Finest* Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc 2008, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£7.11 Tesco) Not as ripe & tropical as the Zalze, with sappy flavours of apple, pear, nectarine, guava and plum, set against richer yeasty/mealy notes. Very tasty. S-
Clay Station Viognier 2009, Lodi, California (£8.95 The Wine Society) Has some of the classic peach kernel and cream flavours, along with a a slightly confected sherbet/dolly mixture character. Quite voluptuous but lacks freshness. B-
McHenry Hohnen Cabernet/Merlot 2008, Margaret River (£9.99 Majestic) Surprisingly forward, rounded wine, showing just the right amount of leafy mint and eucalyptus character alongside juicy plummy fruit, hints of leather and tobacco and smooth ripe tannins. B+
Averys Pioneer Barossa Shiraz 2007 – made by Yalumba (£8.99 Averys) A lovely bear-hug of a wine, ripe and confident, but never jammy, with meaty leathery plum, liquorice and chocolate flavour tinged with cloves. S-
Mount Langi Ghiran Langi Shiraz 2005, Grampians (£29.99 Harper Wells, Harrods) Rich, exotic style with exuberant blueberry and blackcurrant flesh, notes of pepper, clove and oriental spices, and an earthy ferrous note to the finish. My only reservation is I’d like to have seen it picked slightly earlier – it’s 15% alcohol, and there’s just a touch of jamminess as the wine open up. S
Botham Merrill Willis 25th Anniversary Shiraz 2005, McLaren Vale (£14.99 Christopher Piper – £2.50 from each bottle goes Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research) Less fragrant and more stolid than the Langi, has a warm chocolate and orange liqueur edge to its dark fruitcake flavours, but it’s let down by a volatile, port-like character. B(-)
Part 2 of my look at a selection of wines from Naked Wines – Part 1 is here.
(any topic you’d like to see me covering in forthcoming videos? Do leave a comment below)
Monowai Pinot Noir 2006, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (£10.99 www.nakedwines.com) The berry fruit’s a little stewed, but overall this is plush, velvety and relaxed wine with a hint of coffee – Pinot for Shiraz lovers. B+
Manley Pinotage 2006, Tulbagh, South Africa (£11.99 www.nakedwines.com) Has some of the berry flesh of Pinot Noir, along with a sandy, savoury edge, warming and quite full but not overripe, but let down by a slightly muddy finish. B-
Vicien Syrah Reserve 2006, Catamarca, Argentina (£10.99 www.nakedwines.com) The jammy dodger fruit is OK, but this is let down by rather crude smoky bacon/toasty oak, which dominates and dries out the finish. C+
Moerbei Sable 2008, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£9.99 www.nakedwines.com) There’s toasty oak here too, but it’s in balance with the pippy plum and blackberry flavours, young and a touch alcoholic, but good. B
Blackwood Ridge Shiraz 2008, Central Victoria, Australia (£9.99 www.nakedwines.com) Bold and fleshy wine with buxom bramble and blackcurrant flavours, touches of licorice and oatmeal, and a warm finish: just a bit too hot & jammy for real class. B(+)
Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz 2007, Strathbogie Ranges, Australia (£15.99 www.nakedwines.com) Big but quite subtle, showing plush blackcurrant, blackberry and plummy fruit, some licorice and leather and also minerally complexity, good now but built to last. S(-)
CVNE Rioja Crianza 2006, Spain (£7.99 Majestic, Booths, www.everywine.co.uk, Wimbledon Wine Cellar) Bouncy pippy berry and bramble – raspberries, loganberries – with a spicy edge, a touch of vanilla rather than a huge dollop, fresh, sappy, tangy finish. Nice wine, tastes of modern Rioja, but also a good refreshing summer red. B+
François Lurton Barco Negro Douro Tinto 2007, Portugal (~£10) Heady, rich warm dark fruit, blackcurrants and blackberry, with earthy overtones, yet despite its brawn, remains fresh, and has a gentle floral/spicy edge. S-
Leaping Lizard Cabernet Merlot 2007, Western Australia (£7.99-£8.50 Seckford Agencies) Vibrant, crunchy blackcurrant nose, then slightly pippy blackberry flavours, with a tar-like streak, easy fleshy wine, quite powerful and ripe but finishes dry. B
Ferngrove ‘Symbols’ Cabernet Merlot 2008, Frankland River, Australia (£8.99-£9.50 Seckford Agencies) Fresher and tangier than the Leaping Lizard, with fine cassis, black cherry and leafy Cabernet edges joined by an oily richness, intense, but never aggressive. S-
Yalumba The Scribbler Cabernet/Shiraz 2007, Barossa, Australia (£9.99 Oddbins, Noel Young) Jovial forward style, ripe and rounded, with the sweet edge of plump Shiraz and the vanilla sheen of (American?) oak coming through. Good meaty finish, tasty and honest, but not hugely complex. B+
Casillero del Diablo Reserva Privada Cabernet/Syrah 2007, Maipo Valley, Chile (£8.99 Asda) Classic Chilean dusty blackcurrant pastille, intense but quite angular – needs sexing up. B(-)
Brown Brothers Patricia Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Victoria, Australia (£22.99 Christopher Piper, www.everywine.co.uk) Corked! Bugger.
(an experiment with a different video camera that didn’t work as well as I’d have liked – normal service wil be resumed etc)
Casillero del Diablo Pinot Grigio 2009, Limarí, Chile (£7.49 Majestic – £5.99 until end of Jan 2010) Young, fresh and appealing, tangy but not much beyond youthful citrussy crispness, CFDN, although it does have a bit of weight. C+
Simonnet Febvre St Bris Sauvignon 2007, Burgundy, France (£8.49-£8.99 Majestic, Waitrose) The creamy, nutty edge of Burgundy combines with the grassy citrus pungency of Sauvignon Blanc to give an unusual but attractive, fish-friendly white. B+
Tahbilk Marsanne 2007, Central Victoria, Australia (£8.75 Sainsbury’s, The Wine Society, Philglas & Swiggot) Tangy young wine combining pithy greengage, fig and citrus flavours with a richer honey and honeysuckle edge. Lovely clean fresh finish, lots of potential for future devlopment. S-
Circumstance Viognier 2008, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£9.99 Boutinot) Quite pronounced toasty oak, some peachy Viognier pungency behind, but also a rather odd smoky/charred edge, as if there’d been a bush fire nearby. A curate’s egg of a wine. ???
Bodegas Naia ‘Naiades’ 2006, Rueda, Spain (£19.99 Boutinot) Smoky, soft, nutty, white Bordeaux meets white Burgundy, guava, pinepapple, tinned pear, fresh but with a creamy undertone, very subtle, beautifully balanced, very classy wine. G-
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Something on the other two Naia wines I mention in the video. K-Naia 2008 (£8.99 Noel Young, Woodwinters, Reserve, Corks of Cotham) is wonderfully zingy, zippy wine, brimming with confident rhubarb and guava flavours reined in by and citrus acidity. Silver. Naia 2008 (£10.99 Woodwinters, Bacchanalia) is partially oak-aged and spends longer on the lees. For me, it doesn’t work as well – the wine is weightier, but while it has some of the same pungent flavours, it’s lost its vibrancy. Bronze(+)
Domaine du Tariquet Les Premières Grives Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne 2008, South West France (£9.40 slurp.co.uk) Off-dry, fresh and zippy white, packed with fruit – peach, pear, apple – with a herby edge and a clean fresh finish. Lovely summer day wine, good with fruit salad. B+
Domaine du Tariquet Les Dernières Grives Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne 2008, South West France (~£13 MW2 Wines, Wine Service, Caviste) A dead ringer for a good Jurançon that this manages to combine opulent weight with spine-tingling acidity, then adds in hints of honey, apple, orange and fennel. Lovely wine, delicious now, but will keep. S
Concha y Toro Reserva Privada Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Maule Valley, Chile (£5.99 per half Oddbins, Majestic, Booths, Harrods) The Sauvignon gives this gooseberry and citrus flavours, but while the lime marmalade-y edge is pleasant, it lacks pithy bite. B-
Torres Floralis Moscatel Oro NV, Spain (£7.99 per 50 cl Waitrose, Grapevine, Eagles Wines, Romulus Wine, Partridges) Redolent of barley sugar, like many sweet Muscats, with a nice grapey tang as well, but once again, lack the tang of acidity. B
Campbells Rutherglen Muscat, Australia (£9.50 per half Oddbins, Waitrose, Berry Bros & Rudd) This is better, ripe and rich, with treacle toffee flavours to the fore, and citrus and rose petal in the background. Spirit add comforting warmth rather than oppressive heat. Grown up wine, like liquid rum & raisin ice cream. S
Blason de Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune 2007, Burgundy, France (£9.99 Sainsburys) There’s some light cherry and raspberry fruit here, but it’s swamped by a weird dusty/stale chocolate edge. Hope this is a bad bottle… 0
Louis Latour Givry 2007, Burgundy, France (~£12.99 Ann et Vin, T Wright, Forth Wines, Hailsham Cellars, Willoughby’s Wine Warehouse, Peake Wine Associates, Satchells of Burnham Market, Weavers of Nottingham, Whole Foods Kensington, Windermere Wine Stores) Light red fruit aromas, cherries and strawberries, pretty wine, a touch simple, not as concentrated and earthy as typical Givry, and tails off a little on the finish. B
Villa Maria Reserve Pinot Noir 2007, Marlborough, New Zealand (£16.99, Tesco, www.nzhouseofwine.co.uk) The richest and fullest of the four wines, this is deep in colour and packed with lush warm berry and plum flavours. Very alluring, with touches of smoky vanilla, if there’s a problem, it’s that it’s lacks intrigue. But tasty wine. S(-)
De Bortoli Pinot Noir 2007, Yarra Valley, Australia (£15.99 Oddbins, Planet of the Grapes) This is the one that slinks up to you in its svelte feline way, fragrant and seductive with touches of violet and coffee (almost like Corton), lithe strawberry and plum fruit, and some nervy notes from acidity and tannin. Improves on each sniff, nicely polished complex style. S(+)
Just had this photo through from the folk at Villa Maria, along with a copy of their 2009 Harvest Report (it’s here), showing the damage that working a vintage can wreak on your mitts. I’ve never actually worked in a winery but I did end up with similar coloured hands several years ago following three weeks of grape picking in the Yarra Valley. No amount of scrubbing seems to eradicate the stains entirely, but there is something that does. After a particularly long and hot day, I was flopped in a chair (probably with a stubby of VB) when I felt this weird sensation on my hand, which was dangling close to the floor. Vladimir, our neurotic but beautiful black cat, was giving my digits a good lick and in the process removing all traces of matters grapey. Maybe there’s a niche for marketing cat’s-tongue hand-wipes to wineries around the world…
Just been reading a recent post on Colin Smith’s blog, all about the Monsoon Valley wines from Thailand – anyone else tried them? For me, they fall into the ‘er, interesting’ bracket, as the following piece I did a few years ago for the now-defunct North West Enquirer will testify…
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Anyway, I’m in this Bangladeshi restaurant in Blackburn where they’ve just had to take down a 15 ft high illuminated orange palm tree from Dubai after complaints from local residents. On one side of me is an Australian winemaker talking of how he’s just served a wine he made in 1979 from grapes of Portuguese origin to his Hungarian assistant. On the other side is a wine merchant telling me of his former life touring Communist era Eastern Europe as a trombonist with 1980s jazz ensemble Loose Tubes. And just when you thought it couldn’t get more cosmopolitan, opposite me is a Frenchman who lives in Clapham, has a vineyard in Beaujolais and now makes wine in Thailand.
No, that’s not a misprint, Thailand. It’s taken some people several years to get used to wine being made in the New World, now they’re going to have to get used to the idea of wines from what some refer to as the New Latitudes. Traditionally wine has been made in two bands running 30 to 50 degrees north and south of the equator, but today there those pushing these boundaries by growing grapes both closer to the poles – wines from Sweden and Poland already exist – and towards the equator in places like Vietnam, Ethiopia and Indonesia.
And Thailand. The Siam Winery, the brainchild of the man who invented Red Bull, isn’t alone in making wine in Thailand, but it is the only winery producing wine exclusively from home-grown as opposed to imported grapes. Some of the grapes for the Monsoon Valley range are cultivated in conventional vineyards, but others are grown in so-called floating vineyards, where the vines are on narrow islands – enough for just two rows of vines – surrounded by canals and accessible only by boat. They’re situated at a latitude 13 degrees north, close enough to the equator for the grapes not to know what season it is. In conventional vineyards, grapes are picked once a year in autumn – here there two harvests, one in summer, and one in winter. While some of the wines see the two pickings being blended, in others you can see from the words ‘summer harvest’ and ‘winter harvest’ on the labels that they are kept separate.
Closer examination of the labels reveals an additional peculiarity. The Thai calendar measures its vintages from the death of Buddha in 543 BC, so the vintages currently on sale range from 2546 to 2548. And if that’s not enough strangeness, there’s the matter of the grape varieties. Some of the wines are made using mainstream grapes such as Shiraz and Chenin Blanc, but there are also less familiar varieties such as Malaga Blanc and Pok Dum. While these probably aren’t authentically Thai in origin – emissaries from the court of Louis the XIV imported a selection of vines back in the 17th century – they’re certainly rare in the world of wine.
The task of transforming them into wine falls to that Clapham-based Frenchman, Laurent Metge-Toppin. ‘The wines I make here are quite different from those I produce in France. It’s so warm here that you really need to serve all wines chilled, even the reds. So I try to make wines that are very fruity and not too heavy. Yes, they’re not as complex as the great wines of France, but they’re better partners for spicy food.’
Which is why I found myself in Sylhet restaurant in Langho, sampling the tasty Bangla cuisine alongside five Monsoon Valley wines. The 2005 Colombard is refreshingly crisp, with a herbal grassy edge not unlike a Sauvignon Blanc. The melon-scented 2005 Malaga Blanc was less impressive on its own, but its soft, dolly-mixture-like character worked very well with a fragrant Lamb Kharai. Of the two 2004 reds, I preferred the smoky spice of the Shiraz to the rather rustic berry character of the Pok Dum, although as with the Malaga Blanc, the latter showed much better with food. But the star of the quintet was the 2005 Rosé, a fragrant, floral wine with grape and lychee flavours which performed well both by itself and with a variety of dishes.
As for that trombonist-turned-wine merchant, that’s Steve Day of John Stephenson & Sons in Nelson, the company now responsible for distributing the wines in the North West. You’ll find the Monsoon Valley range at their retail outlet the Wine Mill (0845 450 6365) for between £4.99 and £5.99, as well as in many Oriental restaurants, and not just Thai ones. Thirty years ago, Australian wine was something of a rarity, and look where it is now. Will we be saying the same about Thai wine in 2036? Or should that be 2579?
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And the Aussie winemaker was Chris Pfeiffer from Rutherglen, ex-fortified winemaker for Lindemans. Spent a great week there a few years ago as the guest International Judge at the Rutherglen Wine Show, and became known as Skateboarding Simon. I also remember some bottles from the 1970s that Chris pulled out, including a Touriga Nacional ‘port’, which ended up as part of a blend for a Lindemans cask wine – thankfully Chris had rescued a few bottles for personal consumption, and it was quite stunning. Strangely enough, my Melbourne-based sister Stella has come into contact with both Chris and his daughter Jen (now in charge of winemaking) in recent years. A super family (Robyn and Melissa make up the rest of the clan) – hope they haven’t been too affected by the bush fires currently running through several parts of northern Victoria.
