Hush Heath Skye’s English Chardonnay 2010, Kent, England (£20 hushheath.com) Clean, bright style wine some Chablisque flinty notes, piercing citrus and apple fruit, a touch of nuttiness and a salty mineral tang. B(+) Ocean Eight Verve Chardonnay 2010, Mornington Peninsula, Australia (~£25 Hallowed Ground) Pure precise style, lightly cooked apple […]
Wine Education
Beronia Dos Maderas Rioja Crianza 2008 (£10.99 Ocado) Has freshness and bounce, and reasonable spicy berry flesh, let down by slightly sawdusty oak – not sure whether it wants to be ancient or modern. B- Torres Rioja Crianza ‘Ibéricos’ 2008 (£9.99 Waitrose, www.vintagemarque.com, Oriel Wines, Eagles Wines, Magnum Wine Company, […]
Wine Tasting Video: Rioja Crianza & Reserva
Tomorrow, June 10th, is Portugal’s national day (and my dad’s birthday…). How about celebrating it with some va va Vinho Verde? Quinta de Azevedo Vinho Verde 2011, Portugal (£6.75-£7.50 Waitrose, Oddbins, Majestic, Booths, The Wine Society) Bracing mineral-laden youngster, with sprightly citrus and apple fruit, a yeasty bite and a […]
Wine Tasting Video: Vinho Verde for Portugal’s National Day
Septima Malbec 2010, Mendoza, Argentina (£7.65 Wine Rack) Reasonable but a bit obvious, with sweet toasty oak, plummy berry and (honest) chirimoya to the fore, honey and liquorice in the background. Finish is jammy too with slightly bitter tannins. C+ Viñalba Patagonia Malbec Syrah 2009, Rio Negro, Argentina (£8.98 Asda) […]
Wine Tasting Video: Malbec, Carmenere, Cabernet & more from Chile, ...
Yali Wetland Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Lolol, Colchagua, Chile (£7.49 Majestic) Very ‘green’ aromas – grass, nettles, herbs – plus abundant lime and gooseberry flavours tinged with green pepper, quite rounded and generous then some citrus bite on finish. B(+) Casa Silva Cool Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Paredones, Colchagua, Chile (£15 […]
Wine Tasting Video: Sauvignon Blanc from Chile & New Zealand
Bock Portugieser 2008, Villany, Hungary (contact Hungarian Wine Society) Reasonable plum and baked berry fruit, with notes of tar and tomato, but it’s just too rustic for it’s own good, with too much of the barnyardy edge of brettanomyces. C Vinkara Kalecik Karasi 2009, Turkey (£8.50 The Wine Society) Smells […]