Wine and Hamburgers - 29 May 2006

The Wine Diet - 29 November 2006

What's New In Cookbooks - 13 June 2008

Wine Varietals: Sangiovese - 26 July 2008

My first time at this restaurant in Sydney.

I thought the food was of a high standard with good use of fresh ingredients and I felt like it was good value for the money (ended up around $75 a head for food, corkage and tip). We needed to take care with some of the dishes and the spice clashing with the wines (the Hokkien noodles especially!) but it was manageable. We had the table for 6-8 people that you can book, any more than 6 people and I think it would have been too squished.

The food was as follows:

Steamed Prawn Wontons with Organic Brown Rice Vinegar Dressing
Steamed Scallop Wontons with Sichuan Chilli Oil
Homestyle Fried Biodynamic Eggs with Organic Soy & Homemade XO
Sung Choi Bao of Free-Range ‘Kurobuta’ Pork, Ginger & Mushrooms

Organic Steamed and Fried Rice

The wines were;

1995 Jacquesson Signature Grand Vin:
The nose is bready, with lemons and green apples coming through. Youthful and taut on the palate with lemony acid at the fore. Very good, and it should get better as it unwinds over the next 7-10+ years.
90/100

2002 Marcel Deiss Altenberg de Bergheim GC Alsace:
Nutty, orange peel, peach, smoke and floral notes. Richly fruited with opulent weight. Balanced palate, with the acidity holding up to the residual sugar and fruit sweetness. Finishes long and clean. Was a superb match with the slightly spicy Asian food being consumed.
94/100

1996 Zind Humbrecht Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St Urbain:
Light citrus, minerals and a touch of candy on the nose. The palate is incredibly austere. The length is good, but with the acid dominating the palate, it was not very enjoyable.
85/100

2000 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne:
Cashew nuts, smoke, graphite and chalky aromas comprise the nose. Lovely richness to the fruit on the palate. Balanced, long and very, very tasty. This is a beautiful wine that will only get better as it develops over the next 8-10 years.
93/100

2000 Fourrier Clos St Jacques:
Earth and game meat aromas on the nose. Nicely balanced and textured on the palate. Seems to be in a pretty approachable place at the moment, although it is lacking some depth.
90/100

2004 Dugat-Py Charmes Chambertin:
Forward, interesting nose of green beans, tobacco leaf, spice, blackcurrant and cherry aromas. The palate shows some green, slightly under ripe tannins. Good length, but the green elements distract from the experience.
88/100

2006 Hillcrest Reserve Pinot Noir:
Cherry, floral, earth and spice aromas on the nose. Excellent layers and balance to the palate. Sweet fruit provides good weight and the tannins and acid provide great structure. A wine of obviously high quality and I think it will develop well in the bottle over the next 5-10 years.
92/100

1986 Chateau L’Eglise Clinet:
Savoury aromas of game, smoke and tobacco - with some time the aromas became more bretty and animal like and a bit overpowering. Palate was smooth, medium bodied and well resolved. Best on pouring, the brett coming forward was a shame but it was still quite nice overall.
89/100

1997 Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva:
Complex nose of floral notes with tar, liquorice, blackcurrant and cherry. Well structured and balanced palate, with the bold, deep set fruit balanced well with the medium intensity tannins and well integrated acidity. Delicious.
92/100

NV Campbells Merchant Prince Rare Muscat:
Maple syrup, caramel, coconut, brown sugar and raisin aromas on the complex, layered nose. Palate is superb - balanced, complex, delicious and brilliantly long. Technically and tactically world class.
97/100

I couldn't resist dropping a line about McCormick & Kuleto's 15th Annual Shuck & Swallow Challenge, going down tomorrow eve in SF, because it's just so deliciously fun to say out loud. Those in the mood for shucking and swallowing are welcome to watch and score some oysters and wine in the process ($30 for food & wine). The 411: The competition between a dozen teams from Bay Area restaurants goes down at 5pm and showcases teams competing to shuck and eat as many oysters as possible in 10 minutes. (The current record is just under 200.) The shucking & swallowing is free to watch...

One of the greatest experiences that a wine lover can encounter is a wine that stops them in their tracks. I'll admit that I'm excitable in general, but there's nothing that gets me quite so giddy as a schoolboy as when I stumble across a wine that truly bowls me over. Such wines are the closest I get anymore to the emotions of that first passionate kiss in a new relationship -- they electrify me. While the world slows down to a crawl around me, all I want to do is stick my nose in the glass and inhale slowly.

This is one of those wines. I was minding my own business, tasting away through a public wine tasting in San Francisco. As a matter of course, I marched up to the Guigal table, and tasted through what they had to offer, like I have done before at other tastings. I enjoy Guigal wines a great deal, especially their more exclusive bottlings.

But while I've had Guigal wines that have been great, even exceptional, I've never had one knock me on my ass in quite the same way as this wine did when I put it in my mouth.

Etienne Guigal founded his winery in the tiny Northern Rhone village of Ampuis in 1946. The vineyards he purchased to begin producing wine had been growing grapes for as long as anyone can remember. So long that some of the stone walls in the fields dated back more than 2400 years to Roman times.

The enterprising 32-year-old Guigal was no stranger to the wine business when he bought his first vineyard, having worked as a winemaker for several years before striking out on his own. By the time his blindness forced him to turn operations over to his son in the Sixties, he had personally worked more than 67 vintages.

The estate is now beginning its third generation of family ownership, and is widely recognized as one of the top wine producers in both the region, and the world. From its humble beginnings, the estate has grown to sizable proportions, or what amounts to sizable proportions in the relatively small appellations of the region. The estate now owns vineyards in Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, and Saint-Joseph, and buys a significant amount of fruit from producers all over the region.

I'm not entirely sure of the estate's current production levels but they are somewhere north of 340,000 cases, with the bulk of that being wines made from purchased grapes. The wines are currently made by Philippe Guigal and his father Marcel.

This particular wine is 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier, culled from some of the oldest blocks among 6 of Guigal's vineyards:

Le Clos "Côte Blonde",
La Garde "Côte Blonde",
La Grande Plantée "Côte Blonde",
La Pommière "Côte Brune",
Le Pavillon Rouge "Côte Brune",
Le Moulin "Côte Brune"

Some of these vineyards were planted in the early 16th century. Of course, they have been replanted over the ages, and the average age of the vines now is around 50 years. While the vineyards are not certified, they are essentially farmed organically.

The grapes for the wine are hand harvested, meticulously sorted, destemmed, and then undergo a cold soak for sometimes more than a month before fermentation is allowed to begin in steel tanks. After fermentation, the juice is transferred to the estate's own barrels (since 2003 the estate has run its own cooperage on the property) where it ages for at least 38 months before bottling.

Tasting Notes:
Medium garnet in color, this wine leaps out of the glass, grabs you by the scruff of the neck and drags your ass into a field in the middle of southern France and then stands back laughing as you stumble blissfully among sage, lavender, rosemary, and a small lake of fresh cassis. In the mouth the wine is equally explosive with an incredibly juicy core of cassis that is riddled with crystalline, granitic minerality. Perfectly balanced, with the texture of satin, and tannins that don't grip so much as they caress. And just when you think it can't get any better, the floral notes from the Viognier sweep in like valkyries to carry you away into the finish. Please, sir, may I have another? This is definitely the best current vintage of Côte-Rôtie I have ever tasted.

Food Pairing:
I'd love to drink this with a slow roasted leg of lamb with rosemary.

Overall Score: between 9.5 and 10.

How Much?: $130

This wine is available for purchase on the Internet.

At a recent tasting of South African Great Whites I was really excited by the wines I tried.

In the past I have sometimes been disappointed that in general the wines could seem out of balance, either too acidic or flabby, the fruit almost a cariacature of itself and even in the worst cases just dirty.

These wines however showed exuberant fruit, great balance of refreshing acidity with richness and depth and really distinctive character. I thought they showed very well and certainly will lead me to the South African shelves when I want good value white.

My favourites from each section as follows, full tasting notes seem to a bit of a dream at the moment but one day I hope to get them all up!

Jan Daneel Chenin Blanc 2005 Napier: Very simple but stylish label would have great shelf presence. Pretty, sunny apricot nose. The broad oak at the front palate is a touch too heavy but underneath is gorgeous fruit. Well-rounded, almost heavy, weight in the middle with enough crisp acidity to take you back for another sip. The fruit pushes right through to the end and lingers for ages. Lovely. 17  Stockist -Jeroboams £15

Tokara Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Stellenbosch: Fresh, flower petals delicacy on nose followed by vibrant, exciting fruit on the palate. Well-handled oak comes pouring through on its tail but is integrated and adds complexity. Balanced and fine with a crisp, juicy finish. 18 Stockist - Wimbledon Wine Cellars £17.99

Other very good Sauvignon Blancs - Quoin Rock 2005 Stellenbosch £9.49 Andrew Chapman Wines; Cape Point Vineyards 2005 Cape Point £14 Jeroboams; Neil Ellis Groenekloof 2005 Stellenbosch £9.99 Christopher Piper Wines,  Villeneuve Wines, SA Wines Online

Jordan Nine Yards Chardonnay 2005 Stellenbosch: Up front fruit balanced with a sure and light touch. Fine and nutty with integrated oak tannins backing it up. Silky mouth feel kept frech with tangy acidity. 17 Stockist Laytons; SA Wines Online £17.25

Other recommended chardonnays - Glen Carlou Quartz Stone Chardonnay 2005 Paarl £11.99-12.49 Oddbins, Christopher Piper, SA Wines Online, Genesis Wines; Quoin Rock Chardonnay 2002 sent by mistake but very high scoring, see previous info for stockist leads.

Fairview Viognier 2006 Paarl :Very aromatic nose but avoids parody. Crystallised fruit, nice levels of acidity. Not just floral but lively and fresh. 17 Stockists Harrods; Noel Young Wines; Valvona & Crolla £9.95

Also very good was the Bellingham Maverick Viognier 2005 Wellington £8.49 Majestic, SA Wines Online.

I recommend the Villiera Inspiration 2006 Stellenbosch £9.99 Tesco This desert wine has an unctuous, lovely texture, a nose of marmalade ice cream, very fresh and fine. Rich and great value.

A few weeks ago, a friend of ours gave us the skinny on a new wine shop in Barcelona called, Neyras Vins. Located on Calle Laietana, a short jaunt from the famous Barcelona Cathedral, it is a cozy and comfortable space that welcomes both tourists and residents alike.

It’s owner, Antonio Gomez Neyra, is also the owner of Restaurante Neyras, founded back in 1989. Albeit not an ancient restaurant by European standards, it has gained a solid reputation as a high-end seafood and wine establishment. Consequently, the creation of a wine shop two doors down from his restaurant seemed like an easy investment when your customers continually inquire about your fine Spanish wines. Unfortunately, as of yet, one cannot meander over to the Neyras Vins and pick out a bottle of wine to pair with your meal, but we’re hopeful this policy will change in the future.

What makes Neyras Vins unique is that its manager, Juan Manuel Gonzalvo, prides himself on actively seeking out a personal relationship with their producers, over 90% of which are Spanish. Many of these producers can also be read about on his blog Y Vinos, a point of pride and joy for Juan Manuel, as its creation came well before that of the store. However, there is not relationship between the blog and the store. Neyras Vins, sadly, does not have a website as of yet, but we’re hoping this will also change in the near future, and if we’re all lucky it will be blog based.

Neyras Vins is well organized, designed, and most importantly, affordable. Constructed primarily of wood, with bottles organized by regions, and plenty of wide open space to peruse while sipping on wines open and available to the customer, its a great little shop worthy of checking out. And if for whatever strange reason, you’re in the mood for a Japanese scotch (fun Japanese whiskey site!) or an exotic Tequila, while in Spain, you don’t have to look any further, as their glass case is stocked with a variety of liquors from around the world.

During our visit, we also had the opportunity to learn about a new producer, Heretat Montrubi located in the Alt Penedes. We tried two of their wines, one of which was an incredible sweet wine made with 73% Xarel.lo and 23% Parellada. The 2006 Advent is claimed to be the first ever sweet wine made with Xarel.lo. What’s more is that this wine is made in a very similar way Pedro Ximenez, where the bunches are individually hung from metal wires to naturally dehydrate over the course of 75 days. The grapes are then pressed, fermented at a low temperature with a specific yeast, and finally, placed in two 225 oak barrels where they finish off their fermentation for 11 months on lees. This process results in a delicate and radiant golden color with a lovely and bizarre range of aromas including: cereal, honeycomb, orange zest and a touch of white, mature fruit. In the mouth, the wine shows incredible acidity, medium body and a nice, lingering finish full of honey, lemon custard and raw nuts. And as if this sweet wine wasn’t interesting enough, we also experienced the 2004 Gaintus, an incredibly unique wine made exclusively from Sumoll! This is a rarity, and one clearly highlighted by the winery as, “the first single variety wine from the Sumoll grape”.

If you are in Barcelona, stop by and say hello from Catavino, and please share your impressions of the Neyras Vins here on our site.

Additionally, I’d be interested to know your thoughts as to whether retail stores need an online presence, and if so, how? How do you find a wine shop when you’re traveling to a new country, and what is the criteria that helps you decide if you want to swing by and check out a wine shop?

Saludos,

Gabriella Opaz

Neyrus Vins
Via Laietana 41 (Esq. Joaquim Pou. 2)
08003 Barcelona
Phone: +34 93 301 30 35
Map

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• Vila Viniteca
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• Japanese Food - Spanish Wine a Food pairing made at Freixenet?
• 2005 Sumoll Rosat, Pardas, Catalunya

Image by Renegade98 via Flickr

I’m sure there has been plenty said about the impending Obama presidency but I’m going to say my $.02.

Its really hard to describe what this means to me, to many many people for that matter.  Its not the end all be all, but its a milestone that seemed impossible two years ago.  Barack Obama, a black American, taking the head of the most powerful office in the free world.  Its not coincidence that the world looked at this as an instantaneous moral and morale boost - we just, as a collective nation - looked past everything and did what the majority of citizens (majority by popular vote) thought would be best for this country and that happen to mean putting a minority into the oval office.

A country that can do that should be able to speak rationally with other cultures and religious states, shouldn’t it?  Should be able to be open to listening to all sides of a debate and making a good decision shouldn’t it?  Clearly should be able to give the minority voice of other nations the ear they want when all they want is an ear to listen to them to restore their dignity, shouldn’t it?

Thats called hope.  Instantaneous, street credentialed hope.  For that I’m incredibly pumped for this country.  I don’t feel like cringing when I think about my president going and speaking to other nations.  I don’t have that feeling that I have a loud, obnoxious friend with me in a fancy restaurant who I love dearly but I just know he/she’s doesn’t belong in an environment that people want to be civilized and not sloppy drunk.  That is all gone today.

For me personally, I guess even expecting him to win I wasn’t expecting alot of feelings I had to bubble to the surface.  My father is my hero and he taught me basically if you’re at a disadvantage, well then too bad, you just have to work harder than the others.  Energy you waste complaining could be energy that could be putting you ahead.  Something I took to heart never complaining about the disadvantages of being black in America because I’m pretty confident in my abilities.  But even so, there is a bit of an unspoken limit to what could be accomplished.  Or at least there was one.  That hit me yesterday.  How can there be a limit?  Even with people trying to hold you back or not giving you the same chance, Obama is the president, anything can happen.  Truly.

Thinking about the people who died just on the faith that this day would come if they marched, took beatings in non-violent protest, and even lost their lives so that I could see this day and my kids would be in a different world.  Lost their LIVES on faith in this country’s ability to adjust and the hope that their efforts would make this time possible…that hit me yesterday.

My kids…I hugged my daughter (she’s been sick).  And I did cry a little.  She doesn’t have to know that limit.  She’ll never know that limit.  I’ve always thought racism was so ignorant that it was comical; something just ripe for satire.  I truly appreciated things like The Chappelle Show and Wayans Brothers productions (like Hollywood Shuffle) because they used comedy to highlight the absurdity of racism.  I love that.  But the racism takes on a whole new level of rediculousness when the leader of the most powerful nation in the world is a black man.  My daughter is 3 years old.  I have a sincere hope that could come true now - that she really won’t understand how people could be seriously racist.  That hit me yesterday too.

I think thats how I look at it.  The people that I struggle with now will be long dead and buried by the time my girls are my age.  And while it feels good for me now to see all this worldwide credibility restored and faith in our own democracy’s ability to adjust restored, its really when I think about the things my daughters will never know is when I can find the energy and enthusiasm for life.  I often think about how technology will change things, in fact I think about it constantly.  Think about how my daughters will never wake up at 6am on a Saturday to watch their favorite Saturday Morning cartoon because they can just pull it up.  In fact, my 3 year old has a hard time understanding why if “Dora” can play in her room, why can’t she continue watching it downstairs on the TV (yeah, DirecTV DVR, why the f*** not?).

Today I can think about more significant things that I didn’t really think about because I didn’t see this happening and I didn’t know when it would.  Not knowing that limit or perception of limit.  Dealing with racism (as its clearly not gone) but having a very different perspective as the racism shouldn’t be a limit on what she can do anymore than any other corporate political situation.  No more excuses - yes, “the man” might be holding you back but YOU are the only one limiting yourself because being black isn’t even an excuse for not being the f***ing President of the United States anymore!!

No more excuses for not achieving.

To me personally, it inspires me further to understand the wine industry because the lack of minorities (not women obviously) still puzzles me.  I mean, I get the demographic thing and the “snooty” thing but thats changing with social media, folks like Gary V, new generations coming in, etc…yet for some reason this industry is simply monochromatic.

No more excuses…

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After having a look through the supermarket shelves for the first time in ages I was actually pleasantly surprised that there were quite a few decent mid-range wines on offer.

I don't think that makes up the majority of wine sold to their customers and if you regularly go to just one supermarket branch I think you'd get bored quickly.

However the point is that there are some good even great wines being offered. I have been especially impressed with Tescos and Sainsburys premium own brands which have gone to specific regions and made authentically regional wines. Sounds easy but too often I have drunk a winemaking- rather than wine- style.

Over the past three weeks Waitrose put on their annual press tasting showing their 270 wine range. For the first time all the fine wine was shown together  with the everyday drinkers. This was an admirable show of confidence in all of the wines but did lead to a couple of unfairly marked contrasts - a 2005 Fitou after a 2003  Ch Mouton Rothschild 1^er cru Pauillac (delicious, by the way).  However despite this I think it was a brilliant way to show the wines and a thoroughly enjoyable tasting.

It would be too long to list all the wines here so I will add a new section to the site for tasting notes from various merchants etc and publish them all together. As soon as time allows. Highlights though for me, apart from the Mouton Rothschild were Corton-Pougets Grand Cru 2003 from Louis Jadot, Ch Lagrange 2000 St Julien, Ch Rauzan-Ségla 1998 Margaux, Ch Cos d'Estournel 2003 St Estèphe.

Yes ok, not exactly hard to have picked those out, there were also lots of more affordable lovely reds, Ch d'Aiguilhe 2002 Côtes de Castillon - a former neighbour of mine though I didn't hang out with the Count, Cuvée Constance 2004 VdP des Côtes Catalanes + lots more - 2004 Gigondas from Gabriel Meffre, CNdP 2004 from Perrin et Fils and I haven't even left France yet. Ormanni Chianti 2003, Viña del Olivo 2001 from Contino in Rioja, Columella 2004 from South Africa, Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah2004 from New Zealand, Cape Mentelle Cab/Merlot 2004 from Margaret River in Western Australia and the fabulous O'Leary Walker duo with their Claire O'Leary Reserve Shiraz 2002.

The whites, tasted the week before, were of a similarly high standard. There was a consistent level of quality and of typicity across the range. Again some fabulous Burgundy leading ladies but also a Ch Jolys Jurançon Sec 2005, another VdP des Côtes Catalanes Matassa Cuvée Marguerite 2005, CVNE Monopole Rioja Blanco 2005 a super food wine, Cono Sur's dependable Limited Release Gewurztraminer 2006, Villa Maria Single Vineyard Graham Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Torbreck Woodcutter's Semillon 2003 - outstanding, I thought. O'Leary Walker Polish Hill River Riesling 2006, Paul Blanck Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg 2002 from Alsace.

Some of the top wines are only available in a very few stores, even only one store in a couple of cases and clearly there are limited stocks. However Waitrose are taking themselves very seriously as wine merchants and are doing a better job than any of the other supermarkets on current evidence. Their new winelist is as good as anything a very good independent merchant would produce with introductions to countries and regions, tasting notes and lots of helpful information.

It is no surprise that this year they scooped two top awards : the International Wine Challenge Supermarket Wine Retailer of the Year 2006 and Decanter World Wine Awards Best Supermarket 2006.  Congratulations.