Decanterland

Maximin Gruenhaeuser Herrenberg - Riesling 2009

2010-08-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

Back after almost 2 years! Here a review of a Riesling. Having put my order through for the 2009 Bordeaux en primeur, which will only be delivered in 2012, I have recently decided I would research a bit about Rieslings, given, also that I have relocated and now live in close proximity to the world's best Riesling near the Mosel! I bought this bottle, alongside another 2009 Riesling from a good wine shop in Trier, Germany. I first had a wine tasting of 5 Rieslings for Euros 6.50 which I thought was brilliant value for money. I like the Riesling Kabinett Trocken, which is why I selected two. They are dry, crisp, light coloured with a hint of green, smell absolutely gorgeous of apple, citrus and apricots. When drunk on a hot summers day like today (30 degrees) it is absolutely refreshing, delicious, and for me at least, ticking all the boxes for a dry white wine. Get it for just over ten Euros! It also matures well apparently.

Montana Pinot Noir 2007

2008-09-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

An update! A wine review! Finally! For all the thousands of readers, here is a new review! I got this nice little Pinot Noir from Waitrose today. I was looking for two wines from New Zealand. A pinot noir and a sauvignon blanc. I wanted to test them. This is from the big Montana producer and it is the slightly cheaper Pinot Noir (they also had the reserve one) which is yet still quite expensive. Well it travelled around 20,000 miles or so to arrive at my dinner table, no wonder. This wine, as I expected, was quite different to a Burgundy Pinot Noir, or indeed a Californian Pinot Noir, it almost does not taste like pinot noir. On the nose is young fruit, cherry almost but also oak. The taste is much sweeter than the Burgundy pinot noirs. Typical new world, and if I did not know it was pinot noir, I probably would have guessed a different grape variety. It is particularly easy to drink. I think the taste is of cherry, liquorice, wood, grapes, grapes, grapes and grapes. Yeah, great review. Well but I liked the wine!

The Wine Society - Pinotage 2003

2008-03-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

This one is a good one! South African Pinotage is still one of my favourite reds. Although very much on the sweet side, almost jam like, it is absolutely delicious and probably the most easy drinking red around. This is the first slightly older one that I have tried of this grape variety and I have to say it is very good. Next time I'd buy a case of this if I had that wine cellar.... one day!

Cote de Nuits-Village

2008-03-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

Bought this one along with a Mercurey of the same big name producer of the Burgundy region. They were meant to be drunk with friends over a Chinese new years dinner at ours but somehow we ended up drinking 1997 Chianti Reserva instead which was fantastic. The Cote de Nuits-Village was good too though. Very dry and with tannins. Not really an easy drinking wine even though you would think so of a lightly coloured red. The next one in review was much more easy drinking...

Baron de Brane 2005

2008-03-06T15:12:00.000-08:00

Our wedding wine was the 2004. I tried this half bottle out of curiosity, especially since 2005 was supposed to be the great year of the Bordeaux. While it tasted good, this one was definitely too young. It was interesting though to look out for the potential in this wine. Being a second wine of a grand cru, from one of the best vintages ever, it certainly had something special about it. You could taste the ripe deep fruit, even though still very fresh, odd in a way. I would definitely recommend putting this one away for at least 5 years before trying it. That's what we are doing with our left over wedding wines...

Diemersfontein Shiraz 2004

2007-08-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

Anyone would like this one. This is better than the 2006 Pinotage even because it is not too sweet, yet very deep, dark red, fruity yet dry, easy drinking, likeable. Great with any food, especially seafood pasta! Very easy drinking. But I think you only get it at Asda. Have not seen it anywhere else. Would like to visit the winery in South Africa. Check out their website. Great producer!!

good burgundy

2007-08-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

Baron de Brane - 2004

2007-05-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

This is it

Cahors - Pont du Diable

2007-03-30T16:51:00.002-07:00

Picked this one up at Waitrose today for under 5 quid. Just fancied something different. It said dark berries on the label. I knew I was in for a treat. Grabbed some cheeses off the counter as well and once at home had a good tasting. This is a quite strong and a bit rougher tasting wine. Made from the Malbec grape, this is different than the normal wine I drink, but from the strength, acidity and tannins it reminded me of my favourite Rhones, although it did not have the Provence-sandy hills-herby taste to it. However, I can just imagine how great this would taste with a nicely grilled piece of meat on the balcony under a tree in the South of France. I loved this wine. Great with strong cheeses (Camembert) or something meaty. I'll have it again.

Pouilly Fume - Appellation maison

2007-03-30T16:51:00.001-07:00

Then mid week I had this no-name unknown-vintage home made Pouilly Fume. A friend gave this to us as a present. While he is from Burgundy, this wine is actually from the Loire. At first it tasted slightly home-made, smelled great, but just had a hint of self-production about it. It tasted good though. I liked it even more on the second day. Don't know anything else about it.

Sarget de Gruaud Larose - 2001

2007-03-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

From the St. Julien region in the Medoc of Bordeaux on the left bank of the Gironde, this is from a well known chateau as it was classified as 2eme Cru Classe in the 1855 ranking. This particular one (Sarget) is the second wine of the chateau. This just means that it is from the vines that are sub-prime from the rest. They are still from the same vineyards and made in the same way, they are just the lesser quality grapes. Probably the ones that get more shade for some reason or the ones near the busy road or something. But I honestly think a lot of second wines are just the same as the first, and just a means of the chateau to reach a wider consumer base. Like Tesco's own brand Chateauneuf du Pape made at the St Pierre vinery is most likely exactly the same as St. Pierre's own branded wine that is sold for 3 pounds extra, also at Tesco. Or Waitroses own branded pasta. Do you really think Waitrose have their own pasta factory? No, they pay Buttoni or some other Pasta producer to produce for them, for their own brand. Both win. Wider audience. Anyway, back to the Sarget. It's now most definitely my favourite Bordeaux. I will get it for my wedding if I can get hold of 4 cases. It is classic Bordeaux. Ripe leather, old library book, museum, ripe fruit pudding kind of taste. We shared it with my brother over Sun's nicely baked ham&cheese Quiche. It was great. Special wine, not for every day, but worth getting.

Pouilly Vinzelles - Maison Louis Latour 2004

2007-03-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

A very delicate wine with a soft floral smell. The taste is light but aromatic. We had a light salad with chicken tonight and it completely transformed the taste of the wine. I'd recommend to drink this on its own only. With food it loses most of its aroma and can taste like water. But without a mouthful of food, it is really good. Three fruits came to mind immediately: Pineapple, apricot, and mirabelle. I don't want to hand myself a trophy, but I was happy to read Louis Latour's own tasting notes as: "You will be charmed by its ripe yellow flesh fruit aromas of mirabelle plum."

Montsant - Garnacha

2007-03-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

This is a very good Spanish wine is 85% Garnacha and 15% Cabernet. It has a great cherry smell that is very similar to that of a Rioja, the colour is ruby red, and the taste is just completely outstanding with strong fruit and oak. The spicy food (lamb stew & chilli sauce) we are having tonight is the only one that could really overpower it. It is very smooth, though, and alltogether really enjoyable. It is a great alternative to the Rhone and Bordeaux wine I have recently concentrated on, but it is much better than the often too sweet New World wines, so it's definitely worth looking at other regions of the old world too. Great wine.

Pouilly Fuisse

2007-03-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

Tonight I have tried a white wine that I might consider using on the big day. It's a Pouilly Fuisse, white Burgundy of course, not to be confused with the white Loire wine called Pouilly Fume. Yeah, this Pouilly Fuisse is from Domaine Thibert Pere et Fils and is a 2005, so pretty recent. The colour is a nice golden yellow, the smell of floral sugary syrup, and the taste quite fruity and nice and easy to drink. I think this would go well with the light starter dishes that you usually get at weddings, but would also be well do drink on its own. It's very easy to drink actually, much better than the rather dry Vouvray I had the other day. This is all nice and great, just typically for a Pouilly Fuisse also on the expensive side. This bottle I got last weekend from my favourite small independent wine merchant Philglas & Swiggot. It was priced at around 18 quid! To be honest, I am sure I can get a more reasonably priced one back at home, but the style is at least the right one!

Lavinia - Paris

2006-12-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

I got told off when I took pictures in this massive wine shop in Paris. I don't know why. What were they afraid of? Could I reveal something dodgy? Could I make money from it? Well, who knows and who cares. It's a great shop and it's been a great wine week for me. It started with the last day at work before my Xmas break. Went to Waitrose to buy my lunch and just by coincidence saw a poster announcing that the big wine writer Oz Clarke was about to arrive to do a little wine tasting and to sign some of his books. Funnily I was about to order one of his books on Amazon the night before, but then decided not to, because we were about to go away to Paris for three days and I thought it would be rubbish if the book was lying in the hallway until our return. So I bought it off Oz Clarke himself instead. And what fun it was. So there to internet shopping. You wouldn't get this online. Had a nice brief chat with him about his recent programme with James from Top Gear as well as Rhone wines vs. Bordeaux (I was buying his new book on Bordeaux). Anyway, Monday we went to Paris. I went straight to Lavinia, the largest wine shop probably in Paris. Great choice. I was not so interested in the Rhones this time, but more in the Bordeaux. Bought two second wines of fourth growth St Juliens. If you know what I mean. First, the 2003 Connetable de Talbot of Chateau Talbot. The name reminds me of that old Renault, with the same name, or was it a Peugeot? The second one was the Amiral de Beychevelle 2000. Can't wait to try them. Good price at 25-26 Euros each. They compliment the 1997 Sagret de Gruaud-Larose (second wine of second growth St Julien) that I bought last Friday in London, also for around the same price. Haven't opened any of them, but hope to do so soon. Hope that the oncoming Christmas days will give me an opportunity to share one of these with my other half's parents who are coming over tonight!! Let the festive season begin!!!!

Chateau Guiot - Costieres de Nimes

2006-12-22T07:32:00.000-08:00

Fantastically refreshing rose from Nimes. Reminds me of the heat of the summer. Something you drink on a balcony or a terrace. But also great as an aperitif in the midst of winter. Why not. Fruity palate, but quite dry. Good rose.

Diemersfontein - Pinotage 2006

2006-12-22T07:16:00.000-08:00

This was my favourite of last season. It was in fact one of the wines that got me really interested in this whole wine business. It sold out fast last year and therefore I have been waiting for a long time for the 2006 to hit the shelves. The 2006 still has the fantastic mocha & chocolate flavours, but this time around I found it slightly too fruity and sweet. Maybe this is because I have been drinking mostly Rhone wines rather than new worlds? Maybe. Nevertheless, I still like it a lot and recommend it. It's available at Waitrose and Asda for 7.99.

Pouilly-Fumé

2006-11-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

Tonight I made a mushroom risotto. Given that it is rather rich, creamy with lots of parmesan cheese, we needed something dry and white. First I wanted to go for a Chardonnay, any old one, but I found this Pouilly-Fumé on special offer and went for it. I have only had Pouilly-Fumé once or twice before and am not such an expert on white wine, but this one was really outstanding. It is very very dry and fresh. It's exactly right as either an aperitif or with a vegetarian meal like risotto.
This 100% sauvignon wine is perfect. Really crisp, sharp, and with no flowery or ripe sweet fruit taste, but rather a minty, grassy and young flavour, this is really good. The colour of this one was particularly light, almost like water, with a very thin consistency given the high level of acidity and given its young age (2005). It's one of the white wines that is good to keep for a couple of years. But it does not hurt having one now. Go for it. On special offer at Waitrose. Producer: Domaine J.M. Masson-Blondelet.

Alcohol-free Chardonnay

2006-11-30T14:30:00.000-08:00

I was very surprised to find this wine at Tesco's the other day. I have heard of low alcohol Lambrini, alcohol free beer, but I have never seen alcohol free wine before. This Chardonnay has 0.05% alcohol and therefore passes as alcohol-free. The taste is rather rubbish. It's pretty awful actually. The wine which is supposed to have its alcohol "carefully removed" has instead received a number of other additives including fructose and flavouring, which makes this a relatively dreadful drink. I'd recommend the alcohol-free Becks instead!

d'Arenberg Viognier Marsanne

2006-11-18T08:10:00.000-08:00

Beautiful fresh wine with a green tint and lemony tangy taste. This wine comes from the big Australian producer d'Arenberg. Highly recommended.

Beaujolais Nouveaux 2006

2006-11-18T05:15:00.000-08:00

After checking out Oddbins, Nicholas and Waitrose on the offical release date this past Thursday, without any luck, I found this one at Waitrose today. Just thinking that it has been only a number of weeks since the grapes of this wine were still on the vines makes this a very interesting tasting. The colour is very pinkish red with a tint of violet. The smell is of fresh summer fruit like grenadine and cassis. I think I can also taste a bit of licorice in there, but I beg anyone to challenge me on that. Overall I have to say it is a very nice Beaujolais. And that's coming from someone who is usually not very keen on this wine. I'd recommend it. And the price of under a fiver is tempting me of maybe getting a second bottle at my next Waitrose visit!

Crozes Hermitage again

2006-11-14T13:59:00.000-08:00

... like the Crozes Hermitage, our second wine of the evening. A very good wine with cheese as it was stronger, rougher, not so refined, and gave a good balance to a strong taste of cheese. Even on the second night (tonight) it goes very well on it's own, tastes a bit of olives actually, and goes perfect with chocolate as a dessert.
Get it! (Majestic)

Rasteau again

2006-11-14T13:54:00.000-08:00

First wine of the night. Very refined. Smooth, easy to drink. Nice Shiraz taste, but not really that much strength. You could miss the roughness of the typical Rhone wine. This is a bit more modern. Fruity, oaky, good body. It was a bit light for the strong cheese though. We had mature cheddar, Irish washed cheese, and Irish St. Gall.
Next time have a stronger wine with the cheese...

The fine company of a shepherds pie

2006-11-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

This was the Chateauneuf du Pape we bought in Chateauneuf du Pape in April at the Caves de Brotte. At 1996 it is the oldest one I have in stock. Since my parents were over, it was time to open it. It went well with the Shepherds Pie. Very typical for Chateauneuf. Good spicy flavour, ripe fruit, plums. The colour was also slightly brown from the aging, and I was actually quite surpised about the quality as I thought the warm temperature in our flat would have spoilt it. At about 20 Euros the bottle it's about the same as you'd pay in a London wine shop, although where do you find a 1996 Chateauneuf?

Aperitif

2006-11-14T13:46:00.000-08:00

This was the aperitif of Friday night. From M&S at a special offer of 9.99 this was actually quite nice. A bit oaky, but very nice. Recommended!

Rustenberg, Brampton Shiraz, South Africa 2004

2006-10-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Very fresh red colour, no brown edge, rather pink. Smell is of strong alcohol, brambles, cherries and pepper. On the palate there is oak, berries, hints of cedarwood, vanilla, plums, and a smooth finish. Yeah, that's it. It is brilliant. Very smooth, full of fresh fruit and enough depth to keep you entertained all night. This bottle was given to me as a gift, and what better could I have asked for than an International Trophy Winner from South Africa (Decanter awards). Perfect choice. Highly recommended and not even on the expensive side (under 10 quid).

Cape Mentelle - Cabernet Merlot 2004

2006-10-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

Rasberry. Dark red cherry colour. Very nice overall complexity. This is a great Australian red that is a bit more on the pricey side. But did I spend the money? No! Went to a Decanter/Waitrose winetasting the other day and managed to sneak this little fella out at the end of it (it was already open after all). Great, I don't blame it for getting a bronze medal at the Decanter world wine awards.

Guigal - Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2004

2006-09-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

Fresh, dry, apricot-scented Cotes du Rhone white that has 50% Viognier as well as a blend of 5 other grape varieties in it. Viognier is a fine grape that has its home in the Rhone region but is today also grown in the new world. The taste of this grape always reminds me of the taste of icing sugar. I could not be bothered to take a picture today so i took it off the guigal website. I would recommend this wine with fish or white meats, or with something like home-made Quiche, which is what we are having tonight!

Vouvray - 2004

2006-08-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

Nice Vouvray wine from the Loire valley. Nice label too.

La Ciboise - Coteaux du Tricastin

2006-08-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

Ok you might think I am narrow-minding myself down to only Cotes du Rhone wine, but actually I just focus on this region before I move on to other countries and areas. I call Rhone wine my home wine. You need a benchmark anyway, and I know that most people use Bordeaux aus their benchmark. So far I also like south African Pinotage and West Australian Shirah. Would I know the difference between west- and east-Australian Shirah? No, probably not. Most are just west Australian. Also I like a lot of good white wines. Especially the ones from Luxembourg (Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Elbling, etc) and some German Riesling. Well, I also like Chiliean Cabernet Sauvignon and Californian Shirah. Anyway, back to the old good Rhone wine. This one is again by my favourite producer Chapoutier, and it's the cheapest one at under a fiver from Asda. Great value, lots of cherry flavours and great with a chunk of cheese. Of course not the finesse of a Cotes du Rhone Villages or Vacqueras/Gigondas/Chateauneuf... but good nonetheless. So there!

Rasteau

2006-08-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

Another great Cotes du Rhone Villages Rasteau wine. This time from the well known Perrin & fils estate. This again is a very warming red that is really good to drink with anything, but probably best with grilled meats.

Crozes Hermitage - 2003

2006-08-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

This is my first Crozes Hermitage. After opening this bottle I poured myself a small sample and swirled it around and then put my nose in the glass. The smell of this wine was fantastic. Reminded me immediately of the Provence, of wines like the Vacqueyras. It has the same woody smell, and also what comes to my mind is that I can really just smell the warm southern french climate in this wine. Sandy dry land with lavender bushes and rosemary. No, you can't smell exactly those notes, but it just smells as if you'd open the bottle in the Provence in a cafe outside on a terrace. I enjoyed the smell of this wine so much, I was not even is such a great rush to taste it. The colour is rather light, which you could already make out before you opened the bottle. The taste was then, compared to the other Cotes du Rhone, rather weak, but none the less fruity and aromatic. You can't really compare it to the traditional Cotes du Rhones, this is much more light and refined and easy drinking, if you like. It is medium bodied rather than full, and can be enjoyed on its own or with some light cheeses or crackers. I am eating Lancashire cheese with it, and while the cheese is relatively mild, it is already almost overpowering the wine. I think strong cheeses would kill it. Bottom line, I love this wine, and I sniff before every gulp.

Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2004 - Sainsbury's Classic Selection

2006-07-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

Well a day or two ago a friend came round and brought this with them. She is a self-acknowledged wine neophyte and tends to ensure tasty drinking by spending a little more than might be necessary on a Tuesday night in.

Though New Zealand wines are not always noted for their value for money (compared to perhaps Australians), this Sauvignon Blanc was not too expensive at around £6. It is Sainsbury’s own Marlborough from their ‘Classic Selection’, which I think is a step up from their straight own-brand. The Marlborough area (northeast of the south island) is renowned for producing some of the finest sauvignon blancs on the planet. Clearly a modern wine, designed to be drunken asap and sold with a screw top. It was a nice sauvignon blanc, and from the fridge into the glass the high expectations that I had (I have had good experiences of NZ wine in the past and tend to look out for it down at the offie’) were confirmed with an attractive pale gold colour and a distinctive, zesty nose.

The flavours were crisp and a strong hint of gooseberries came through quite clearly. I don’t think that we gave the wine a truly fair chance as we were eating pasta with an arrabiata sauce, but despite the spicy food, this sauvignon blanc provided a refreshing accompaniment that managed to hold its own in terms of flavour. If pushed to give it a score I would say around 7 out of 10. Certainly one of the better white wines I have had in the past few weeks. Hoorah, and thanks to Vanessa for buying it.

La Chapelle 2005 Rose - Cotes du Rhone

2006-07-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

This is a very nice and dry Cotes du Rhone rose that goes well with food. On it's own other sweeter rose would probably be better, but tonight we had seafood pasta and in the sweltering heat of this week the rose is just the right kind of wine to enjoy on your balcony. This is a relatively value-for-money rose at around 5 pounds. The better Cotes de Provence rose (Bandol, Cassis, etc) is more pricey. This is nice enough though, and much better than the overly sweet Californian Zinfandel I had the other week.

Beaujolais 2005 - Georges Duboef

2006-07-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

Time for yet another exciting wine review! Everybody raise your glasses and extend our your little finger and have a sip of this little tasty number.
No, seriously, tonight I shared this bottle of Beaujolais with a good old friend of mine who came over for dinner. Sun made us her fantastic green thai curry, and with asian food you should always drink something refreshing. Beaujolais is refreshing. I kept it in the fridge, and took it out about an hour before dinner, so it was about right I think. Personally, I am not a huge fan of beaujolais. Maybe not yet, but maybe soon it will grow on me. This one, however, is definitely a good one. It has a fairly purple colour for a beaujolais and has I think less tannins than other red wine, and more acidity. It has also a nice wood-oaky taste to it. On the nose it is dominated by a bunch of fresh summer berries. Yes that's righ!

Gigondas

2006-07-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

Today we shared a bottle of Gigondas 2003 Domaine de Font-Sane. Wow, that was nice. Ok, I decided to this time take somebody else's review, as my comments would not do it justice:
Beautiful, dense, deep garnet-red robe, bright and limpid. The nose develops aromas of small red fruits in brandy, then evolves towards touches of pepper enhanced by a touch of vanilla. Hearty and round mouth, well-structured by noble tannins with a perfect alliance between substance and aromas of fruits of the undergrowth and of red and black berries. "An elegant, cool climate-styled Gigondas, Font-Sane’s 2003 possesses medium body, moderate tannin, and modest quantities of raspberry, cherry and floral-infused fruit …. Attractive, Pinot Noir-styled red." Robert Parker

2006-07-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

Well, this was my latest drink discovery thanks to a Visiting Old Friend (cheers Hollin). Whisky and Green Ginger Wine, otherwise known as the Whisky Mac. Equal measures of both ingredients, served chilled on this occasion for sitting post dinner in the garden – though I understand that it makes a warming winter tipple at room temperature.

Now I don’t think that my Laphroaig was best put to use in this mixture and in fact I first tasted it made with Hollin’s Jameson Irish Whiskey – obviously a far cleaner, more malty flavour – but it is was the only whisky I had in the house so we just had to try it. With the Jameson, the ‘Mac was a good drink. The edge of the ginger working well with the smooth warmth of the whiskey to provide a multi faceted flavour. A real kick, fine balance at first, but probably saved from being over-sweet by the low serving temperature. So this time round (though it is undoubtedly single malt sacrilege), combining the Laphroaig with the Stone’s created a monster of a drink. ...Like whisky for grown up children, a ‘Mac turned up to 11. The distinctive, smoky, peaty tones of the Laphroaig are big and strong enough to fight through the sweetness of the green ginger and take away the sickly aftertaste. All that is left is that single malt fuzziness on the roof of the mouth. Happy, happy drink for happy people.

So this is what will be in my hip flask for the next wild boar hunt or mountain bike race. Just make sure it is someone else’s single malt collection…

2006-07-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

It's time to move on to my favourite wines. The first time I tried a Chapoutier Cotes du Rhone was at Xmas when my parents were over and we had the Cotes du Rhone available from Waitrose. I was amazed how well it went with the Xmas food. Today I am drinking up the rest of the Cotes du Rhone Villages "Rasteau" from the same producer. This is slightly more expensive (8.99 at Oddbins) than the normal Cotes du Rhones, but is absolutely amazing. I got it for around 7 pounds at Taste of London. The first thing that struck me when I poured the wine was the colour. It is indeed a very nice deep red colour. The wine has very nice ripe plummy kind of taste almost like the Chateauneuf du Pape. It is definitely one of my favourite mid-range-priced wines. It smells nice and goes very well with a nice rustic dinner. If you are interested, tonight I made pork chops with new potatoes and string beans and peas. Not the best match maybe as I think a steak or lamb chops would have been better, but anyway. This wine I can only recommend and it is also nice to drink on its own. Rasteau, by the way, is a very up and coming village of the southern Rhone valley. I am sure that in a couple of years it will have reached Vacqueyras/Gigondas status. It is already similarly priced.

2006-07-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

I think one thing I would really enjoy writing about is wine. Not that I know much about wine, but because I am very interested in wine. I might be able to learn as I review more and more wines and put notes down. It will also be a good way of remembering the good wines. Do I show signs of dementia?? Ok, to start things off I will write about the wine I have in front of me. It is a value-for-money Tesco Macon Villages that I got for around 4.99 I think. As is usual for this region, it is a Chardonnay. Just re-read the section on Chardonnay's in Matt Skinner's "Thirsty Work" book where he raves on about this grape and describes it tasting of peaches, pineapple, banana, guava and mango. I myself would classify the wine as being very dry with an almost bitter aftertaste. In terms of fruits it does taste a bit of citrus fruit such as lime or lemon, and I think peach is another note I would identify. Overall I am however not greatly impressed. I think other chardonnays I've tried have been better. But maybe the taste has also been worn out a bit as the bottle has been open for over a week, while being sealed with a vacuum stopper. I this wine would go very well with any kind of cheese as the sour citrus taste would be very well balanced by a mild creamy cheese that would give the wine something to work on. All on it's own I think I'd stop after one glass. So, unfortunately, the first wine I review will not be a recommendation. But you'll see that I will recommend the majority of wines that I taste, as I just don't have a clue and like quite a lot of them.