Buy Smarter and Drink Better Wines

When I studied British political reform of the 19th and early 20th century, there was a wealth of source material available to me.  These ranged from government documents, through newspapers to publicity material from the political parties, but the one source that helped understand the public’s perception of what was happening in Britain the most, was Punch.

Punch was the 19th century’s Private Eye, a satirical paper that showed the absurdities of political debate, and reflected (or should that be influenced?!) the public’s opinion on the issues of the day.  By depicting the 1820’s landowner, who owned land with an allocated MP for it, despite having no population, as having the government in his pocket, Punch brought to light the undemocratic ways of the old system of government.  It wasn’t the whole story, but it was a valuable source to use in conjunction with others, as it gave an under represented majority’s opinion.

Wine blogs do the same in representing the masses, but unlike Punch, it isn’t just one voice doing the job, it is many, and these voices are often, like Punch, considered to be frivolous and irrelevant by many of the establishment.

But I think that these voices are essential when you are trying to buy good wine and this brings me to the point of this blog post, buying smarter and drinking better. In my day job as a wine retailer, I frequently see sheep buying wine.  Not the woolly variety, but people who hang upon every word a newspaper wine critic says and refuse to be swayed from the advice of the scribe.  And these customers are the most stupid I have.  Not because they shouldn’t listen to the critic, of course they should as they are experienced and have a talent for tasting wine, but these people aren’t buying smarter.  They are being led to a wine and not using the brain that they were given to listen to other people and opinions.

The same applies to some other customers who won’t listen to my staff when they give them educated recommendations, and only want to deal with me and take my advice.  I am only one voice and I know that, from time to time, I might suggest a wine that they wouldn’t like. They too are not being smart, they are just being told what to buy and this isn’t an intelligent way to buy wine in the slightest.

To truly 'buy smart', and therefore drink better, you need to listen to a selection of voices.  You need the government or the wine critics.  You need the party propaganda or the retailer, and you certainly need Punch or the bloggers.  Their information may on occasion be sketchy, their knowledge maybe not to the same level as the newspaper columnists, but they are the voice of the general population whether the critics or retailers like it or not.  They are the people who spend their money on wine and don’t get samples or invitations to tastings, they are the ones who that will say when a wine is terrible when a specialist retailer simply won’t stock the wine and the critic won’t comment for fear of legal issues, their view is just as valid as anyone’s else.  The blogger is a vital source when it comes to selecting a wine to drink, and, like Punch, should never be taken in isolation but always in context with other pieces of information or opinion.  Only when the blogger is factored into the decision making process of wine selection will consumers really be buying smarter and drinking better.

Wine Conversation - Spot the Wine Blog
The Wine Gang Live Blog

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Halfway down the stairs... Domaine Mongeard Mugneret

Halfway down the stairs is a stair where I sit,
There isn’t any other stair, quite like it.
I’m not at the bottom, I’m not at the top,
But this is the stair where I always stop.

These words were sung by Kermit the Frog’s nephew, Robin.  And it reminds me of the entry level pricing of Burgundy.  Every other wine region has entry level wines at an inexpensive price (Chile for example) or at an absurdly high price (Britain!), but Burgundy is just in the middle.  In the staircase of pricing, Burgundy is only halfway down.

And this is the problem with Burgundy.  They are a major wine producing region, not like the UK which is a minor one and can ‘justify’ a high entry price point, and as a big region, they should be producing cheaper wines to get people interested in the region.  But they don’t.  And our first stop on day two of the roadtrip through France’s wine producing regions took us to Burgundian producer Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret. This wonderful producer isn’t halfway down the stairs, it has barely set foot on the staircase and is still suffering from altitude sickness.

We started off with a 2007 Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits ‘La Croix’.  Retailling at around £19, it is a bit expensive.  There is some wild raspberries and some nice wild berries with mint and herbs on the nose, with a palate of simple, fresh blackberries and strawberries.  It is a little Beaujolais-esque, but with some darker elements thrown in – reminds me a bit of Brouilly!  It is a nice wine, don’t for one moment think it’s not, but it should be under £15.  7.5/10

The 2007 Fixin Village was wonderful.  Polished wood aromas, a touch of pinot noir stink and some pomegranite.  The palate has a lovely up front sweetness, a full wine with plum skin flavours and a long, finish.  There is tannin gripping softly, and altogether an outstanding wine.  8.5/10

Next up was a 2006 Savigny les Beaune and it was all about wild raspberries, some sweet cherry and some meaty elements on the nose.  The palate had a lovely texture, soft which then let through grippy tannins, with lovely wild raspberries, but then you get a lull just before the finish and this scores it down.  7.5/10.  This then lead on to the 2006 Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru ‘Les Narbantons’ which had aromas of plum, strawberry, raspberry and faint cassis.   It was a real delight to stick your nose into.  The palate then had dark chocolate, dusted in cocoa and then lots of dusty berries which kept on going and going and going.  I really like this wine.  9/10

I love Nuits St Georges and their 2006 ‘Les Plateaux’ was not a disappointment, but didn’t blow me away like I’d hoped it woud.   Wild raspberries, some cocoa on the nose and then a tasty, leafy fruit palate was all good, but it had a significant wobble in the transition to the finish which really marked it down.  I’d started writing 9.5/10 when it hit, and then scribbled it out and put 8/10.  It was that damaging to the wine.

Moving on to Vosne Romanee (it really is a hard life!), we had the 2006 Vosne Romanee ‘Les Maizieres Hautes’.  A lot of perfumy polish, some aniseed and clove mixed with cherry skin.  The palate had a bit of booze, some nice dark leather and stalky raspberries.  It needs a bit of age, that is for certain, bit it has a lovely long finish that tastes of grape seeds!  8/10

Two vintages of the Vosne Romanee 1er Cru ‘Les Orveaux’ came next.  The 2004 vintage was all veggies – some dirty new potato skin, boiled and with fresh mint was what I got from the aroma.  The palate was super, nice structure, good fresh mint and a very elegent wine with a veggie and plum flavour.  Dried figs were all over the finish, and I scored it 8.5/10.  My question mark over this wine was more to do with it’s £50 price tag, but it is worth it.  Just.

The 2006 Vintage was a bit bigger, with rich, sweet cherry and dark liquorice coming right out of the glass and not showing the lighter fresher characters of the 2004.  The palate was rich with nice sweet cherry and liquorice, with these flavours just dissipating very slowly.  Crunchy apple acid mixed with raspberries and some cassis skin round of this big wine.  8.5/10

The last two wines were the 2004 Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru and the 2006 Echezeaux Grand Cru.  The Grands-Echezeaux again had the potato skin element of the Vosne Romanee, but had some horse poop and pomegranate seeds.  Sweet and savoury flavours mingle in your mouth, with some nice spice (mild chilli or paprika, I’m not certain which) and lots of cranberries, plum and cloves.  A very long, gentle, yet punchy wine.  9/10.

Finally, the Echezeaux, which had boot polish, sweet fig and cranberry on the nose, leading to a wonderfully textured, dried cranberry and leather flavour.  Dry with soft tannin and some spice adding depth, this is a lovely wine but hideously young.  8.5/10.

All the wines were lovely, very well made and with some outstanding wines, and if the claims that 2009 is going to be the best year since 1959 are true, I’ll be stocking up on ’09 Mongeard-Mugneret.  I don’t care if the cheapest wines they stock are further up the staircase than Kermit’s nephew Robin.

With thanks to Domaine Mongeard Mugneret and Liberty Wines

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Old World Champagne - Champagne Devaux

The one thing I missed when I visited Champagne in May was a proper old French town.  That trip centred around Epernay and Reims and, fantastic as it was, the nearest we got to Olde World France was at Mesnil when the roads were a bit dusty and the streets very thin, but it really didn't cut the mustard.

Today though, a bit further south, I am in Troyes, an old town with wonderful slanted buildings with exposed beams.  I'm getting my proper French experience now!  This is a town from a bygone age, and it is thanks to Germany that it still exists.  Why?  Because they didn’t blow the crap out of it during the Second World War.

This old town is near to the headquarters of  Champagne Devaux, set in the Aube region of Champagne, where Pinot Noir is the dominant variety grown.  Despite a long history, this co-operative, whilst making some good, classical wines, also appears to be a little experimental, and I immediately thought of the port house Niepoort, who combine the traditional with the experimental.  I like Niepoort for this wierd approach on wine making, so Devaux immediatley endeared itself to me.  The company is also the largest grower in the region with over 1400 hectares under vine in Aube and the Cote des Blancs, and sells it’s juice to companies including Moet & Chandon and Krug, so we are not talking small producer, just one that isn't marketed to the level of the big boys.

The first thing you notice about the company is it’s location, and that it is unlike the big champagne houses which are in Epernay or Reims.  Set in the countryside, and by a river, all of Devaux's ‘cellars’ are above ground!  This is due to the soil being too moist, so underground storage wouldn’t be possible, but these industrial units, with the constant hum and refrigerator crackle, are a little off putting and spoil an otherwise excellent set up.  Still, I’m not here to comment on their stores, it was time for a drink!

First up was the Devaux Grande Reserve NV.  Quite a bit of fresh citrus, crisp apple acidity and some pithy element too.  The palate was slightly under ripe yellow plum, and with peach and a sweet lemon flavour.  There was a zing on the finish as well, and, overall, it was quite a nice champagne. The only downside was the texture of the fizz, it was just a bit too light and frothy for my liking, but this is a minor issue, and a personal one!  7.5/10 and £26.

Next up the Devaux Blanc de Noirs NV, from the Cote des Bars.  An extra year bottle maturation (4 years instead of the normal 3 for the NV), and this is a big, rich wine.  Lots of raspberries, a faint hint of Irn Bru – God only knows where that came from – and then summer pudding, lots of red berries and a doughy, bread element.  The finish is quite long, with a nice dry element.  It’s good.  7.5/10 and £29 per bottle.

The Collection D range is interesting.  Two wines, the La Cuvee and the L’Ultra which were exactly the same, except they had different dosage. (9 grams and 2 grams respectively.  The D de Devaux La Cuvee was all about crunchy apples smeared with a light floral honey and new potato skin on the nose.  The palate was quite savoury, some brioche and a very pithy element.  Lemon, some lime too and a bit of mango skin completed the palate, with a spice hint on the back end.  A very interesting, and tasty, wine worth the £35 you would be paying.  8.5/10

The D de Devaux L’Ultra was excellent!  A lot of oyster shell – salty with a lemon squeezed onto it, came off the nose.  The palate was very dry, zinging citrus and so well balanced.  There was grapefruit galore , and despite being very dry, the fact that this has had five years in bottle has softened it down and makes it a very good champagne.  8.5/10 and £40.

The 2002 Millesime was next and this 100% Chardonnay wine is a deliberate move away from the Pinot Noir dominant house style.  A very interesting and intriguing nose, clean at first and then some smoke, but a nice, rich, butter and melon aroma.  The palate is full, but still fresh, with grapefruit pith and a bit of a chewy, chalky element – it is almost like a chewable indigestion tablet!!!  I like it, but it needs a lot of age.  8/10 and not available in the UK yet.

The 2000 Vintage, a 50-50 split of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, was very rich, quite meaty, with digestive biscuits on the palate, mixed with stir fried green peppers.  Sweet red fruit, great mouth feel and a bit of fruit pie, sprinkled with lemon juice and dirty lime skin.  I like this.  8.5/10 and £35.

Finally, a trio of Rose.  The D de Devaux le Rose was first.  This £48 wine had cranberry and a little liquorice on the nose.  The palate was nice, simple and fresh with some slightly confected strawberry flavours.  These then transform into a strawberry milkshake flavour before they are stopped by a lovely sweet aniseed element.  This saves the day, and makes me quite like it.  8/10

Next up was the Cuvee Rose, two thirds Pinot Noir and one third Chardonnay.  There was immediate fresh strawberries, some glace cherries too on the nose.  The palate had some up front sweetness, which softens to give a nice, deeper palate.  It is a simple rose, and whilst nice, isn’t something I’d buy.  It is just a bit too samey.  7/10, £32.

Finally was the Rose Intense from the Cote des Bars.  Described as Steffi Graf (has a big nose), this wine was all about cherries, maraschino everywhere with some aniseed on the nose, and then so many more cherries on the palate.  A wine that goes exceptionally well with food, and one that just rocks and is so funky on it’s own.  8.5/10 and £35.

Devaux produce good wines at good prices.  The packaging is stylish, the wine is good and, whilst they have an on trade appeal, should be seen more in off licenses as they offer something different from the Moet and Taittingers that you see everywhere.

Tomorrow - Burgundy

With thanks to Champagne Devaux and Liberty Wines

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The Douro Valley & Vintage Port... oh crap, wrong tasting... Australian Cabernet Sauvignon from Wakefield Wines

You catch me at 10.52 in the evening, having been to a tasting of vintage port, which you may or may not know is my uber wine passion, and now I have to write an article about Australian Cabernet Sauvignon.  And it is hard as all my mind can do is go back to the tasting today.

The predicament I am in is like trying to rub your stomach with one hand and pat your head with the other, you know it is possible, but at any minute you are going to find yourself getting confused and doing the wrong thing.  So should I start waffling on about port in this article, please forgive me.

After trying a selection of Rieslings from the Wakefield range, it was time to move on to the Cabernets.  I am, unashamedly, a Cabernet Sauvignon fan, and I am getting very enthusiastic about them from Australia.  Wakefield’s wines are perfect examples of this grape and how well it grows in Oz.

The 2006 Wakefield Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is FAR too good for it’s price point.  That should be made clear right off the bat, as it is a wine that has the potential to age, yet is very good in it’s youth.  There were a lot of green pepper aromas mixed in with some menthol, cherry and damson jam, and it led on to a gutsy, pepper and cassis palate that was just so well balanced.  At £8.99, this has to be one of the steals of the wine world.  8.5/10

The 2005 Wakefield Jaraman Cabernet Sauvignon is a better wine, no doubt about that, but like the Jaraman Riesling, I have issues with it.  With the Jaraman Riesling, it’s competition comes from it’s big brother, the St Andrews Riesling, as for a few pounds more, the latter wine offers better value for money.  With the Cabernets, I think that the competition for the Jaraman Cab Sauv comes from it’s baby brother.  Despite liking the Jaraman, with it’s perfumy, yet vegetal, aromas of mint, cherry compote and olives followed by a palate of blackcurrant, chocolate and a little cracked black pepper, I think that the Estate wine is so close, it is not worth paying the extra £6 to buy the Jaraman (8/10).

Finally, priced at £28, was the 2004 Wakefield St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is a serious wine, and, I think, being drunk too young.  It was very balanced on the nose, with soft, juicy fruit and hints of cigars.  There was not a lot of veggie elements coming from the wine, though mint did creep in.  The palate had a little spike of alcohol, followed by grippy tannin, lots of leather, chocolate, bramble and tar.  It needs time, but when those tannins sort themselves out, this is going to be lovely.  8.5/10.

I beg of you, if you hate Australian wines, give some Cabernet Sauvignon a go.  These wines from Wakefield are very attractive, and show the grape variety very well, for quite a reasonable price.  I assure you, you will be pleasantly surprised at the grape, and be able to say that you were one of the first to get onboard the Aussie Cab Sauv train.

Talking of trains, there is an excellent train that goes up the Douro….

Part One - The Rieslings

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A quick slurp... Keith Floyd 1943 - 2009

If ever there was a person who embraced the concept of wine and food being consumed together, it was Keith Floyd, who sadly passed away yesterday.  His enthusiasm for food, and more importantly, wine brought both to a mainstream audience in a style different from the lecturing studio based food shows of the past. 

Taking his programme out on the road, with classic shows including Floyd on Fish and Far Flung Floyd, he acted as chef, tour guide, historian and drinking buddy to millions of viewers, and whilst ill health has kept him off our screens in recent years, his last appearance, in a programme about his own life, was broadcast on the day he died. 

Keith Floyd will be remembered for his wine slurping persona, but his legacy will be the fact that he opened up the door for chefs to appear on television, and also was the first to show the culture behind food and not just recepies.  We will never see his like again.

See Keith Floyd's last interview (UK only)
Keith Floyd Online

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How can you say that this is a spectator sport? Wakefield Wines

Never understood cricket, and I refuse to believe that a game where the players stop for tea half way through could be considered a spectator’s sport.  I can remember whacking a cricket ball when I was a kid, and I remember enjoying it, so I’m not suggesting for one minute that cricket is not a proper sport, all I am saying is that it is a bit dull to watch, especially when it

Neil Hadley MW, who is the Export Manager for Wakefield (or Taylors in Australia) Wines was told that, to integrate into Australian society, he would only stop being English when he started supporting the Aussies in the Ashes, and this year, well over a decade and a half since he emigrated down under, he started supporting the Australians… and they lost!

Another thing that Australians appear to be losing is their way when it comes to shiraz.  I’ve written about this before, so when I got the opportunity to have Neil come and do a tasting for my customers, I jumped at the chance to show two grape varieties that, I think, will be the next big thing from Australia – Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling.  That is not to do a disservice to Wakefield’s Shiraz and Chardonnays, but Cabernet and Riesling are overlooked and I wanted to showcase these great wines.

We started off with the Rieslings and the 2008 Wakefield Estate Riesling.  A light, fresh aroma with lots of lime juice, lemon zest and a hint of petrol coming through.  There was some orange, with honeycomb wax on the palate, giving a sweet and sour flavour.  Nice balance, a touch (and I mean just a touch) too much acid on the finish, but this just amplified the zingy citrus flavours.  For £8.99, this is a cracking Riesling that will only benefit from some time in your wine rack.  7.5/10

Then we moved on to the 2007 Wakefield Jaraman Riesling.  I have tried the 2005 vintage of this before, and was impressed, and the 2007 vintage is no exception.  A very lively nose, lots of sweet honey, melon and petrol, but with an interesting chalk element too.  The palate is clean, with citrus marmalade mixing with fresh lemon and then a pithy element on the finish.  Flavours just keep coming and overlapping with one another.  A really nice wine and whilst I think people will maybe not want to spend £15 on an Australian Riesling, I’d give it a go as you’ll be impressed with this wine.  8/10

The 2005 Wakefield St Andrews Riesling was lovely.  Rich lime skin, with heather honey on the nose, but it was a touch cold and so closed.  The palate was nice, petroleum hints mixed with Indian lime pickle, dried honey and grapefruit pith.  This wine was at the beginning of it’s rebirth as a mature Riesling, so was a little confused as to whether it should be an old wine or a young wine, but nevertheless, this was lovely.  8/10 (and will certainly become 9/10+) and at £17 this should be in everyone’s cellar.

I then opened up one of my 2001 Wakefield St Andrews Rieslings, to show how this wine develops.  The nose was very sweet in comparison to the 2005, but also a lot dirtier.  Sweet marmalade, some mango mixed with dried citrus peel, and lots of honey on the end of the nose.  The palate had honey, dried tropical fruit and lots of lime marmalade, with some sherbert element on the finish.  A little disjointed, again, I’d like to see more age on this, but I’m very glad I have a few bottles left!  9/10

There is too often a tendency to go to New Zealand for Riesling as they do it pretty well, but Australia is producing excellent Rieslings for not a lot of cash.  Ignoring the different styles for a moment, the St Andrews wines have the same level of quality as some of the top Alsatian producers, and they command much less money.  Of these, I’d certainly suggest looking at the Wakefield Estate wine for every day drinking and the St Andrews for putting away for a decade or more.  The only problem with the Jaraman is that the St Andrews is a better wine for not a lot more money.  The wine itself is very good, but the St Andrews wine just ticks a few more boxes and it is the one I’d buy.

Part 2 – The Cabernet Sauvignons



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Oh nuts! Gevrey Chambertin from Louis Jadot

I thought that I'd get my love for wine back from a couple of Burgundies, and cracked open a 1997 and 2006 Gevrey Chambertin from Louis Jadot, and immediately wished I'd opened something else! 

The 1997 Gevrey Chambertin was light, with polished wood aromas, some aniseed and hints of dried cherries on the nose.  There is a little menthol and some mint.  Dried orange dominates the palate, then pepper and a little leather.  Most of the fruit is gone or going, but some wild strawberry fights it’s way through.  It would have been good three or four years ago, but it is just getting a bit too old and dried up.  Sadly, I can only score it 6.5/10.


The next vintage was the 2006, and I was expecting a lot more from this wine.  Initially things looked promising, with some cherry, strawberry and a little menthol and raspberry shortbread on the nose.  A nice round mouthfeel, in comparison to the stripped, lean 1997, with some bitter elements all the way through which appeared pleasent, but when the partially stewed cranberry flavour kicked in, the bitter elements became unpleasent.  Granted, with a bit of age this may become a bit masked, but at the moment, this wine was a serious disappointment, and actually scores less than the 1997 with only 6/10.  Having said that, if it pulls itself together, it will become a better wine, but not a great one.

So, it was a bit of a bust!  I need to try some better wines, and soon!

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Getting an old love back

 

I appreciate that there is a sense of irony in that I have owned many cars during my 31 years of existence, yet only passed my driving test a few months ago, but since I have been able to drive, and have had a car, I have done a lot of driving.  It calms me down, unwinds me and although I emerge after a long trip with a sore back and an aching knee (old war wounds), I feel so much better for it.  

I am in love with driving.

I drive to work, I drive back from work, I offer people lifts to drive some more.  I will drive simply to enjoy the weight transfer of the car from left to right going round a series of bends on a road I know well and can take at the full (legal) speed where other road users have to slow down.  I know I’m also going to heat the world up by pumping out exhaust fumes for my own recreation, but upon reading today that by 2050 we are going to have cut the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions by 90% to enable the aviation sector to grow, I figure bugger it, I’ll fly less and drive more, I don’t want to give up this freedom.

A side effect of this driving however, is that I don’t drink wine anymore, and have tossed this love into the gutter.  In the past two months, I have had, at most, two bottles of wine.  That’s not two bottles of wine per month, that is two bottles of wine – total.  My tasting has also taken a massive hit, as I figure that opening a bottle of wine that has been sent to me as a sample, and then heaving the rest of the bottle down the drain is a waste, assuming that the wine is decent that is!  So this got me thinking, have I traded one love for another?  Can you ditch something that has been a large part of your life for something new and exciting on a whim, or do those passions have deep deep roots right down to the water source in your heart?

After much thinking, the roots are deep, and as much as the new passion for driving, and the freedom it gives me, isn’t something that I’d want to give up, I miss wine.  I miss the taste of cabernet, I miss the sound of a champagne cork.  I miss the fun wine brings with friends, I miss the companionship it a glass brings when I am alone, I miss the smell of it… I miss everything about it.

What started out as just a fling became an all encompassing adoration.  There is so much to learn and discover about it, and so many new things to try.  There are places to visit, people to meet, words to write, experiences to share and the freedom I now have from being able to drive enables me to explore this relationship with wine so much more easily.

So tomorrow, after too long a break, I am getting my old love back.
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Wine Web Watch... Ode to Joy

 A performance of Ode to Joy from Jamey Turner... on wine glasses!  You just know you are going to be trying this at home and never getting anywhere close.  Though if you do, video it, post it on Viddler or YouTube and send me the link and I'll put it up here.

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What the hell are whisky producers doing?

What the hell are Whisky producers doing?  Or to be more accurate, what are their marketing people doing? There was a recent survey carried out by AC Neilsen for Scottish Licensed Trade News (SLTN) that ranked Scotland’s leading on-trade brands.  It then distilled these brands into categories and the spirits brand chart surprised me the most, as scotch, the tartan nation’s own product, barely charts in the top 20, and this is telling of how little touch with reality the Scottish whisky industry is.

It is unsurprising that The Famous Grouse ranks second in the spirit chart, after Smirnoff, but Whyte & Mackay is only 8th, after American whiskey Jack Daniels (6th) with Scottish Leader (13th) and Bell’s (16th) coming in below Southern Comfort (11th).  We then don’t see another whisky until Black Bottle appears at 24th, lower than products including Sourz Apple, Archer’s Peach Schnappes and Malibu for crying out loud!  The first single malt comes in at 27th with Macallan 10 year old, closely followed by Highland Park 12 year (28th).

This is frankly gross negligence on behalf of the single malt Scotch Whisky industry, as we have a product of world wide acclaim, and we cannot convince the natives of the country in which it is produced to drink the stuff!

Producers need to get potential customers trying the stuff and liking it.  We need a revolutionary idea that will make whisky appeal to the Peach Schnappes and Vodka drinking Scots and it’s apparent that nobody can put together an advertising campaign that attracts new whisky drinkers.

Answers on a postcard…
 
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