Samos Co-op Vin Doux 2007 (£4.99 per half Cooden Cellars, Theatre of Wine, Adnams) Light lemon/orange scented, grapey delight, with the classic edge of barley sugar, rich but gentle, with a sprightly finish, and just the right amount of spirity bite. B+
Samos Co-op Anthemis 2003 (£11.50 The Wine Society – Waitrose also has halves in presentation boxes @ £9.99) Some of the mahogany-edged raisinny character of tawny port, nutty and figgy, also some treacle toffee, but still with a lively citrus edge to the finish. S(-)
Hatzidakis Vinsanto 2000, Santorini (£16.75 Cooden Cellars) Smells fresher than the Anthemis, but the flavour is just a bit too sweet and rich, nice nutty raisin edge, but jusy a bit glloopy, would benefit from a touch of fortification in this style. B
Really enjoyed this quartet of very different whites
Felsner Moosburgerin Grüner Veltliner 2008, Kremstal, Austria (£9.49 Waitrose) Clean, tangy peppery style, nice mix of lime and grapefruit tang with an earthier weightier core, also some pebbly/minerally character, fresh vibrant finish. S(-)
Duca di Castelmonte Gibele Zibibbo Secco 2008, Sicily, Italy (£11.49 Hallgarten Druitt, www.wineman.co.uk, www.everywine.co.uk, Winos) Fleshy grape and orange flavours tinged with rose petal and jasmine, quite full bodied, with an almost oily walnut edge. Perhaps too big for an aperitif, but good with fuller fish dishes. S-
The Society’s Exhibition Chenin Blanc 2008, Piekenierskloof, South Africa (£9.50 The Wine Society) Cooked apple and honey, quite powerful, rich but bracing, thanks to zesty acidity, very tasty now, but will become even more honeyed with another couple of years in bottle. S(-)
La Tunella La Linda Colli Orientali di Friuli 2008, Italy (N/A in UK) Richness and peachy flesh backed up by some creamy/bready lees character and a clay-like minerality, touch of pomegranate, and an edge of spice, one of those wines that creeps up on you. S-
So the Bordeaux cru bourgeois classification is going to be suspended (see here). Golly, this WILL have the rest of the winemaking world quaking in its boots. Why, oh why do the French spend so much time on things that the rest of the world doesn’t give a stuff about?
I have in front of me a brochure from the 2nd Rencontres Méditerranéennes du Muscat – Mediterranean Muscat conference in other words. It was held in Roussillon, and judging by the invitees, the definition of ‘Mediterranean’ takes in just southern France and the co-op of Samos in Greece (which just so happens to provide France’s best-selling Muscat…).
Anyway, back to the brochure… It starts off with comments from the President of the CIVR, then from the President of the Association for the Defence of the Rivesaltes Muscat Wine, then from the President of the National Confederation of Vins Doux Naturels, then from the President of the Languedoc Roussillon Region, then from the President of the Conseil General, then from the Senator Mayor of Perpignan (who also happens to be President of the Communauté d’Agglomération de Perpignan Méditerranée), then from the President of the Crédit Agricole Sub Méditerranée, and finally from the President of the local Chamber of Commerce. In other words, from lots of bureaucrats in suits making speeches that only other bureaucrats want to hear. Only then do you get to anything useful about the exhibition.
Now I love French wine, I probably drink as much of it as from all other countries combined, and I could very happily and easily confine my wine writing exploits solely to the land of the baguette. But until France sacks all the pompous men (they’re usually men) in suits and concentrates on making lovely, lovely wine (as opposed to the swill that the idiots of CRAV seem to want to defend), other countries will continue to prosper.
