Red Wine Masquerading as Rosé

A couple of weeks ago I tweeted about an unusual but delicious rosé I had tried. So lovely and different was it that I thought I should expand it into a blog post.

Bulging Supermarket rosé shelves

Until fairly recently, maybe the last twenty years, rosé wasn't really taken seriously in this country. It was the preserve of people who didn't really drink serious wine. In fact one of the reasons for this was covered in my last blog about Zinfandel. When White Zinfandel became mega popular in the late 1980s and 90s it was seen as a bit 'naff' but quality rosé wines were still out there. And by 2008 Provence rosé in France had become incredibly popular, even rivalling white and reducing sales of red wine, according to the Daily Telegraph. As stated in the article a rosé boom was expected in the UK and so this has proved. In 2013 rosé accounted for 1 in 8 bottles of wine purchased at retail in the UK compared with 1 in 40 in 2000; with sales rising at 10% per annum.

But for me rosé wine was always an afternoon in the sun drink or perhaps with a light lunch. That was until I came across the Shiraz Saignée 2011, made by Margan Wines in the Hunter Valley, Australia.

On the same day I had purchased the Verdelho from the same winemaker for an upcoming tasting event. The rosé was a bit of an afterthought. But what an afterthought. It was sitting in the bin ends shelves next to the till in my favourite wine merchants Tannners in Bridgnorth.

Margan Shiraz Saignée - Wow

Tanners Bridgnorth

It was opened a couple of days later and wow, what an incredible surprise. The colour was a deep, bright red, but not like a red wine. This is going to be interesting I thought. And it was. I have since read various reviews of the wine but I'm not sure any do it justice. To me it tasted full and earthy with some gentle spice, like a red wine, but without the presence of any significant tannins. I know, for many, tannin in red wine is part of the appeal but for me this is the holy grail. I absolutely loved it and could drink it every day. Most reviews recommend drinking it with the usual rosé staples of asian foods, curry, salads, etc. But I think it could stand up to almost anything you wanted including beef, duck and lamb dishes. No, seriously.

Saignée Method - Controversial but lucrative?

So far, I have not mentioned Saignée which is the method used to produce the wine. Saignée is actually french for bleed and it is considered, in some quarters, a controversial method of producing rosé wines. It involves 'bleeding' off some of the juice from the must to enable the red wine remaining to obtain a deeper colour and flavour from the skins. For many winemakers this is just a by-product in red wine production that is then slung or used as ullage to top up tanks but as can be seen here it can make some beautiful wines. And with rosé wines becoming ever more popular why not take advantage or every possibility you can.

I revisited Tanners again today hoping to pick up another bottle. Fortunately they had one left. Mind you I needn't of worried. It was only in the bin ends as an end of vintage. The 2013 was sitting proudly on the shelf. I think I may be buying a few more in the coming months. Why not hop over to their website and try it out for yourself.

That is all for now. I will return with another blog soon. If you would like to meet me in person and home is in the UK why not book an event with me. More information can be found at my website www.gloryofwine.com. Maybe you need an excuse for a party involving tasting some lovely wines. Or you could come to one of my events. Do get in touch.

You can also follow me on twitter @GloryofWine


Enjoy your wine. Cheers!
Simon

Viognier, Verdelho and Verdejo

What is it about grape varieties beginning with V. There are loads of them, I suspect because the Italians and Spanish secretly love the letter V. And it's also confusing because many of them are also known by other names. Actually, a little confession here, it confuses me too. Until a week ago in my mind Verdelho and Verdejo were one and the same just different spellings from a different language. You know, the old syrah - shiraz or pinot gris - pinot grigio thing that still confuses my staff sometimes. Only when I tried a bottle of Verdejo did I think, hang on this doesn't taste like those lovely wines from Australia I tried that I realised my mix up. More of which later.

Firstly to Viognier - hard to pronounce, easy to drink. It's been on my list of up and coming varieties for some time now and whilst it's still somewhere in the higher reaches of the Championship rather than the Premiership (little English football analogy there for you) I'm pleased to say you do now see it in most supermarkets as well as the better merchants. And so you should. It's really rather good. In my mind I usually associate a fruit flavour with different varieties. For example say Chianti and I will shout cherries, say New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and I will shout gooseberries. A form of tourettes if you like. Well for Viognier it is apricots. I don't think I have tried one yet where they haven't been present.

Classically Viognier is French, like most of the classic varieties and is grown in the Rhône Valley. It produces, most famously, wines of the AC Condrieu which are 100% Viognier but is also grown in Languedoc and blended with the likes of Roussane and Marsanne in Vin de Pays from that region. Until recent times it was very much out of fashion and declining but successful production in Chile, the United States and Australia has seen it rise again.

But I think Viognier has one great asset, it is a fantastic accompaniment to chicken, virtually any kind of chicken dish you could think of from a whole roast bird to chicken tikka massala. So much so I call it the chicken wine and tell this to my guests in our restaurant. Having roast chicken for lunch this Sunday? Why not give it a try.

Crisp, dry Verdelho

Whilst I was in Australia I came across a variety that I did not know too much about. Verdelho is the principal grape variety of Madeira and is grown extensively in Portugal but I discovered it makes a lovely white wine and I tried two whilst in Oz. One from the Hunter Valley and one from Margaret River region. 

 

Rich, creamy Verdejo

Once back in the UK I decided I would blog about Verdelho and set out to find another one to taste. In my confusion in Majestic I purchased a Verdejo instead thinking it was the same grape. Of course it's not and I realised immediately. The Verdelho were herbaceous with bundles of acidity whilst the Verdejo was rich and creamy with notes of pineapple, almost like a Chardonnay. Still great wine though and well worth a try.





Next time: The launch of my new business offering bespoke, fun, informative wine tastings in your home.  Oh, and the importance of wine temperatures.


Enjoy your wine. Cheers!
Simon

Follow my new twitter account @gloryofwine

 

A Visit of Austalia Part 3 - Barton Jones Winery

It's been a few weeks now since we returned from our fantastic trip 'down under' but I did not want to say goodbye to Australia without one further blog about our wine experiences there. Our visit to Barton Jones Wines was without doubt one of the most enjoyable experiences of our holiday and a highlight of our trip to Western Australia's south west and the Margaret River wine region.


The visit came about because owners Adrian Jones and Jackie Barton are good friends, and fellow emigres from the UK, of Richard and Emma (see my previous blog).

Barton Jones Owners Adrian and Jackie with their dog Mitz

We visited early Friday afternoon on our way back to Perth from Busselton, their winery being near the town of Donnybrook a little way from the main wine region. We were met on arrival by their dog Mitz who has featured in the Wine Dogs Australia series. Both myself and Louise, my wife, are quite nervous of dogs but Mitz was on her best behaviour and enjoyed playing with our friends' five year old son Sebastian.

Over the next few hours we were treated to a fantastic BBQ lunch with the most fabulous wines from their estate followed by a tour of the property including the soon to be completed cellar door which they hope to have up and running  by September.



Myself after my first glass of Shilly-Shally

Jackie and Adrian emigrated to Australia over a decade ago, hoping for a better quality of life. Their original careers of IT recruitment (Jackie) and mining engineering (Adrian) gave them that life but they wanted to control their own destiny and so began the hunt for a business venture that would give them self sufficiency. Initial thoughts were of possibly an olive farm until a real estate agent but them on the trail of their current home and business 10 years ago. The business that we see today is a far cry from the run down vineyard they purchased which was originally started in 1978.
During the course of the afternoon we tried a number of the Barton Jones wines. In 2003 the Blackboy Ridge range was begun with an initial production of 50 cases of Semillon. The Blackboy Ridge continues to be produced offering more simple fruit driven wines in a range of grape varieties that can be drunk everyday.



In 2007 the Barton Jones range was introduced with a more premium, wood aged style with potential for cellaring. Each of these wines has it's own 'name' such as 'The Top Drawer' or 'The Bigwig'. Nice touch and it also gives them a personality of their own. I'm not usually a huge fan of Chenin Blanc but I absolutely loved the 'Shilly-Shally'. Lovely zingy freshness but with a creamy finish reminiscent of peach or apricot. It packs a punch at 13% but I could happily sit out on a summers afternoon and drink a fair few glasses.


Adrian and myself examining Semillon vines

The view across the vines towards Donnybrook
 

On the red side I loved the 'The BigWig' Shiraz with its subtle spices and mellow tannins. Again, I'm not always the biggest fan of 100% Shiraz as the spice can be overwhelming for my palate but it says something for Adrian and Jackie that I thoroughly enjoyed two grapes that are not always my favourites. I should also add that Louise, who prefers lighter wines, really loved the Blackboy Ridge wines. After a long, lazy lunch we made our way down the hill to look on progress of their cellar door. The project to open a cellar door has been ongoing since 2009 and all being well will open in September 2013 when Adrian hopes to give up his commute and 4 day working week in Perth to concentrate full time on their wine business. After we were so royally looked after, I'd like to wish them the best of success in their new venture and if you're in the Margaret River region after September take a little detour to Donnybrook to check them out. It will be worth it, I guarantee it!


Next time: Birmingham School of Wine, oh and my father-in-law Rob.

Enjoy your wine. Cheers!

Simon

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A Visit of Australia Part 2

Before we start I have a little confession to make. Before we arrived in Perth, I had little knowledge of one of Australia's great wine making regions and where some of the finest wine in the world is made. That is, of course, the Margaret River wine region of Western Australia, an area we were going to be be spending four days.

I mentioned in my last blog that I had always been rather dismissive about Australian wine and for my WSET certificate knowledge of Australia was rather confined to the Hunter Valley in New South Wales and the areas near Adelaide in South Australia. So to 'discover' Margaret River was a bit of a gem.

We were staying in the lovely seaside town of Busselton in the north of the region and travelling in our friends car. They have a young son so getting to a few wineries was going to be difficult but I came across a great idea whilst reading a tourist brochure on our first night in Busselton. A guided tour of the region including 5 wineries, lunch in a brewery and they pick you up and return you to your accommodation. Ace, Louise thought so too so we made the necessary arrangements for two days time.

Gerry and Astuti of Cellar d'Or Winery Tours

Cellar d'Or winery tours is run by Gerry and Astuti Cunningham who we met on the day. They appear to offer the best value tour in the area at AUS$82. I checked them out on Tripadvisor and the feedback was glowing. There are more expensive tours available on which you may see higher profile wineries and perhaps have a more formal lunch but for us they were perfect. I felt relaxed from the second Astuti collected us from our accommodation. We picked up two further couples and made our way to our first winery for our first tasting of the day at around 10.45am!






Yours truly discussing the wines of Mongrel Creek with Shirley

Mongrel Creek is a relatively young winery, having opened in 1996. There slogan is 'No Pretence, No Bullshit'. This marketing angle seemed slightly at odds with the lovely tranquil atmosphere in their beautiful cellar door where we were guided through the wines by Shirley, wife of Larry who own the Vineyard. We started with some fizz, always the best way to start a day, and worked our way through six lovely wines which included a rather delicious sweet red, a style which you hardly ever find in Europe but seems to be something of an Australian speciality. A great start to the day and we came away with a bottle of said sweet red.

Swooping Magpie range of wines

At the next winery we met up with another group meaning that for the rest of the day there would be 13 of us . Swooping Magpie appeared to be a rather larger operation than Mongrel Creek and we were met by owner Neil Tuffield who was clearly very passionate about his wines. With the larger group the atmosphere was busier and there were also some members of the general public in the cellar door. A nice touch was to offer several varieties of cheese and biscuits with the wine and we liked it so much we bought some cheese and biscuits to take home for later along with a rather fine Verdelho, although all the wines were great and I really loved the 'kid on a bike' motif.

Next stop was the Bush Shack Brewery for lunch where we also received a 100ml taster of one of their brews. The lunch consisted of a simple platter of meats, cheeses, pate, bread and salad. Simple, yes but perfect for us and there was more than enough to go round.

Cape Naturaliste, Lovely view shame about the attitude

After lunch we visited the nearby Cape Naturaliste Vineyard in Yallingup and our first poor experience. We were met by Lisa whose presentation style could be most kindly described as 'in yer face'. She started by pouring everyone water and telling us how to taste wine. Now, as someone in the trade this is important, but not so important for tourists out to have a good time. She then told unnecessary stories which included some rather off colour material about lesbianism, I kid you not. Maybe she was just nervous but it did not come across well.

The winery had won quite an auspicious award in London for their Torpedo Rocks Cabernet Sauvignon 2009. Lisa gave us the impression that they were quite nonchalant about entering it, winning it or even collecting the trophy. I noticed they were not quite so nonchalant about charging an eye watering AUS$110 a bottle for said wine with the rest of the wines priced at an also quite pricey AUS$35. A whiff of profiteering filled my nostrils. The general public are a great barometer and when the tasting was over everyone went immediately back to the bus with no one buying anything. This was the only time this happened during the whole day.

Liz and the fabulous House of Cards

Spot on!

The next winery could not have been more different. The House of Cards winery is owned by Travis and Elizabeth Wray and Liz was on hand to guide us through the tasting. The styling of the winery was really beautifully done both with the marketing of their wine and the layout of the Cellar Door. There was lovely cook books, art, jewellery and various ornamental nick nacks to purchase as well as the wine. The wine was also a joy and after trying the full range I purchased a bottle of the 2011 Cabernet Merlot which I have yet to open. It is also the place where I got my favourite photograph of the holiday with me and the Sauvignon Blanc sign. As it's my favourite variety it could not be more appropriate.


The final winery of the day was Fermoy Estate a rather grand winery with considerable pedigree having been opened in 1987 which by Margaret River standards is a long time. I shouldn't say this but I was kind of expecting the same look down your nose attitude that we got at Cape Naturaliste but I'm pleased to say that wasn't the case, indeed the wines we tried were definitely the best of the day. They make quite a big deal about the fact that their wine, the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was chosen to be served at the Danish Royal Wedding when Australian Mary Donaldson married Crown Prince Frederik in May 2004. We tried the same wine in the 2010 vintage and it was absolutely superb, by far the best wine of the day with soft tannins and lovely chocolate and cherry flavours. A purchase was made.

By this stage we were all tiring, as you probably are reading this, and it was time to say our goodbyes and return to our accommodation but not before Gerry organised a prize draw where one person (sadly neither of us) won, yes you guessed it, a bottle of wine. All in all a fantastic day and something I would recommend to anyone able to visit the fabulous region of Margaret River.

Next time: A visit of Australia Part 3. My personal visit and tour of Barton Jones Wines in Donnybrook, oh and Mitz the dog!

Enjoy your wine. Cheers!

Simon