Beaujolais versus Rioja

My new mission in life, aside from saving the world, is to convert everyone to drinking Beaujolais. One bottle at a time. And perhaps Aim 2 will segue nicely into Aim 1 ...

I began evangelising a few weekends ago, which lead the new apprentice and I to these consumptions:

Louis Latour Beaujolais-Lancie 2005

This wine was a bit fresh for the first two mouthfuls, I should have let it breath for a while, but i was impatient to begin my weekend. A few good swirls and it settled down to the dreamy cherry flavours that i love. It had good acidity and was tight and dry, as well as red and fruity. Possibly a bit young at this point, but I am hopeless at leaving wine to age!


Beaujolais Villages, Domaine des Cotes de la Moliere 2002

Simply delicious. Amazing deep strawberry, so soft you could fall into it and drift away without even noticing. Absolutely beautiful and went so well with all the cheese. MMMMmmmmm.... cheese.

I'm not quite sure who's idea it was to open the third bottle (note to self: stop at the second bottle)

Rioja Crianza 2003 CVNE

I hardly think it fair to review a rioja after two bottles of beaujolais (i had help!) as this baby has a lot more hand than the first two. However, I do recall it being firm, but fair, with lots of yummy vanilla. Or at least that's what the tasting notes tell me :) I do love rioja though, so i'll be sampling this one again soon, no doubt. I might even let it go first next time.

Wine tasting 2006

It's not easy to move to the other side of the world, and I sometimes find myself wondering if i have made the right decision. I mean, sure, the university is ranked in the top ten in the UK, the department is well funded with excellent technical facilities, and I am able to conduct my research using cutting edge technology in a high powered academic environment. But still, at times, I have to confess I have had my doubts. However when I saw the notice advertising The 6th Annual Biology Department Wine Tasting night, I knew that I'd come to the right place :)

What a great concept! There were four wine merchant stalls, two from local independent retailers and two from (respectable) larger chains, each with around a dozen or so wines to taste. Combining work with play has never been be easier, though rest assured, I had shut down the flow cytometer before quaffing.

Here's a list of the wines I liked:

Vinpromo

Anna De Codorniu - D.O.C. Cava, Spain

I've not really tried cava before, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not usually a fan of the chardonnay grape, and while this wine tops in at 85% chardy, and I really like it. It gives the sparkling a lovely dry zing. And of course the bubbles, it's all about the bubbles.

Azumbre Verdejo 2004/05 - D.O. Rueda, Spain

I was trying lots of new things, and this Spanish grape was one of them. If you like the crisp aromatic style of sauvignon blanc, you'll like this. I know I did. Perfect zing for a hot summer's day.

Carta Vieja Carmenere 2003 - Loncomilla

There's a big smiley face and a circle round the words "bouquet of cherries and strawberries". And it's organic. I think I must have liked it. Another eye opening experience, I'm going to seek out more chilean carmenere in the future. Who knows, it might be my next beaujolais.

York Beer and Wine Shop

Albarino do Ferreiro 2004 - D.O. Rias Baixas

It always amazes me how grapes can taste *exactly* like other fruits. Like in this case, it's almost like a glass of pears. Fabulous!

Quinta da Franqueira 2005 Vinho Verde

Continuing on the rainbow of fruit flavours - this one is lemon. Like a yellow fruit tingle on your tongue.

Cuvee a l'Ancienne 2004 A.C. Brouilly

To round off the fruit salad trio it's back to my favourite, deep cherry scented beaujolais! Lush :) I kept going back to the nice man at the stall to just check if I still loved beaujolais the best. Apparently, i do.


Sainsbury's Wines

Gruner Veltiner 2005

Amazing fruity floral grape from Austria. Fresh crisp honey apples with spices on the top. Lovely.

Albaino 2005

I think this was the favourite wine of the night amoungst the gang. However I do wish I had written more notes than "This is the best!!!". I seem to remember peaches, lovely peaches.

Les Chaumes Pouilly Fume 2005

As close to an orchard as wine can get, the apples just leapt out of the glass and kissed me. Truly delicious.

Brown Brothers Tarrango 2005

I've been a fan of the Tarrango since I first had a bottle, slightly chilled, back in the last millennium. I know wine tasting is about trying new things, but this is a reliably drinkable soft spicy red from home that I couldn't walk past without at least saying hi.

Oddbins

Lacrima di moro d'alba 2004 - Italy

I first sampled this wine BwB (Before wine Blog) and was incredibly impressed. It is beautifully aromatic, a perfume that just pulls you into the glass and hugs you tight. It's got good structure, with a soft balance of berries and tannins. Firm but fair, and endlessly lovely.

Overall, a good night was had by all. I am sure there were plenty of other wines out there, and these are probably the worst tasting notes of all time, but it was a SOCIAL occasion, so I didn't want to be too much of a wine geek with my pencil out, holding the glass up to the light in a "look at me i'm posing for a wine tasting brochure".

Well, not much anyway :)

Chénas 2005, Cave du Château de Chénas

As it is written in the lyrics of The Alan Parsons Project song : "Beaujolais and I go crazy"

Finally that mysterious French word has meaning and the meaning is ALLLL good. It's just the kind of wine I adore, no matter how unfashionable it may be right now. Call me retero, but this style of wine floats my boat. Beaujolais red is 100% Gamay, a grape that isn't well known in Australia, but could be the "next big thing". At the moment Pinot Noir is enjoying much fame amoungst alternative quaffers, and I think that those enamored by the more subtle, seductive reds could be turned onto this stuff.. Meanwhile, I have France on my doorstep and I intend to indulge.

As for tonights bottle, it was selected ad hoc from the wacky wine warehouse (the other www) as part of a buy two bottles of Beaujolais get 20% off deal. Sweet.

On the nose: It smells like strawberries and cream lollies! A delicious invitation, caramel, vanilla, sugar, berries.

In the mouth: Soft deep dark cherries, well balanced acidity, well structured soft tannins, wet (as in not dry) and lingering loveliness...


Overall: I'm keen to try more and more from the Beaujolais region. And this one is a keeper :)

Manta Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 - Chile

I'm not usually a fan of Cabernet Sauvignon, but this one was a crowd pleaser.

Tasting notes: Good.* For a Cab Sav I guess...



*Disclaimer: This was the second (and third) bottle of wine of the evening

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2004

Otherwise entitled: How to make me homesick

I know this isn't the most amazing bottle of wine Penfolds produces, but back at home this was my reliable-easy-to-find-grab-it-off-the-shelf-on-the-way-out-to-dinner everyone-likes-it favourite bottle of red.

Here, I usually refuse to pay for it in pounds (+taxes and transport), but it was on special at the local supermarket which brought the price down to near what I'd pay for it at home. Also, I was having dinner at a friend's place and like to be a good ambassador for the Aussie wine industry.

The wine: Smooth, far too easy to drink, soft-to-medium tannins, sweet red berries, with hints of chocolate spice.


And all the Brits liked it too !

Cono Sur Pinot Noir 2006 - Central Valley Chile

After seeing the movie Sideways I wondered what all the fuss was about Pinot Noir. I then went to NZ and found out. A divine grape that can produce the most exquisite velvety mysterious wine I've ever tasted. Can being the operative word. I heard on the grapevine (ho ho ho!) that chilean pinot was worth a shot, so I set aside a reasonable looking bottle for a bit of Friday night quaffing.

I opened it up and from the moment it hit the glass I thought "Big. Mistake." The colour was thin, like rasberry cordial, and I could almost see through it - the glass I had it in was a goldfish bowl in a former life. In this way I was reminded of all the reasons why you should NEVER EVER under ANY circumstances by a bottle of wine that contains a play on words in the name. EVER.

The nose didn't give much, perhaps a slight mushroom smokiness. There was a nice plum spice to the taste, but there wasn't much in this baby. It's light and drinkable, possibly best kept for a summer picnic. Perhaps this is the best that chilean pinot can offer in this price range..

Overall: To be fair, this wine is not offensive, and I did finish the bottle. However it's not amazing and if I am craving a lush pinot then I guess I better just save my pennies and lash out on a decent central otago bottle.

Chianti Classico

With a trip to Tuscany planned, I was very excited at the chance to experience new and exciting wine on it's home turf. Chianti! Tuscany is famous for it! I'd never had chianti before, or so I thought, until I did a bit of reading and discovered to my delight that Chianti is made mostly from the Sangiovese grape! Ahhh... the chance to catch up with an old favourite in it's original guise, brilliant! From what I can gather, the percentage of sangiovese in chianti varies, usually from 75% to 90% and occasionally is presented as a single varietal. The differences between regions arise with what else makes up the blend, traditionally it's another italian grape, such as canaiolo, but there have been some interesting wine experiments along the way. "Super Tuscans" have cabernet sauvigon to strengthen the wine and give it a bit of a kick, whilst blending with white grapes lends more aromatic sweetness. Anyway, enough wine education from me, on with the labels.

My Bestest Girl and I managed to work our way through four lovely bottles of chianti over the weekend, consumed in equally delightful settings such as overlooking the river Arno in Florence in the late summer sunshine, and in the shade of the Leaning Tower of Pisa as the sunset. In order of comsumption they were:

Petra Ebo Val di Conia 2003
This one's a "super tuscan" blend with cabernet and merlot.

Borgo Scapeto Chianti Classico 2003
I swear this one smelt like chocolate!

Lamole di Lamade Chianto Classico 2003
We picked this one cause K was going to Lamole.

Castelgreve Chianti Classico 2003
This was the driest of the lot, with high percentage (95%) sangiovese. But i just loved how it smelt.

I haven't really got comprehensive tasting notes for each - I know, I'm bad, but hey, I was on holiday! But here are my overall impressions

Lovely ruby coloured wine, with thick glycerine rolling round the edges of the glass. Beautiful aromatics on the nose with hints of vanilla, chocolate, red berries, especially cherry and strawberry at times. I was practically inhaling the wine, as i loved taking huge big sniffs of the lovely aromas! The wine is dry and almost sour in the mouth, in a sour cherry acidic way, tannins are well structured and with what I'd call fine, light to mild oak. I'm not huge oak fan, so this was great for me. There can be hints of leather and herbs in some wines, but not heavy in the cabernet sauvignon sense.

Hints: The wine did best when it was allowed to breath. One restaurant gave us gigantic brandy-snifter glasses and the wine improved with drinking. Or was that just my perception ;) I think I'll be decanting any I buy in the future, even if I then our it back in the bottle to serve it!

Overall: Chianti is definetly a wine style I get a lot out of. I'll have to be careful of the cheap and nasties, and keep my eye out for the bargains, but if a sales person can recommend a nice drop for a good price, then I'll be stocking up on these babies.

Lawson's Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2005

When wine tasting earlier this year at a store in Queenstown, NZ I was asked whether I prefer white wine or red wine. I thought about it and answered that I actually prefer cool climate wines over warm climate wines. I adore Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc and so I was in my version of wine heaven in NZ. I am mad about their wine, particularly the Sauvies (as the locals call them). I bought this one as a special treat (locally here in the UK) to celebrate the arrival of My Kate to British shores. And I tried not to convert pounds to NZ dollars *wry smile*

What can I say: Floral, crisp, zesty.. Definitely tastes of passionfruit and limes. My favourite :)

Interestingly, it has a smidge of Semillion (3%, not that I could tell), and a small portion has spent some time fermenting in oak barrel, which I thought was unusual for a sauvignon blanc, but is apparently not an uncommon trick used to give the wine a little more body. I only learnt about this trend on my trip to NZ earlier in the year.

I have been to the Lawson's winery in Malborough and the staff at the cellar door were just fabulous. If you ever see it, their late Late Harvest Gewürztraminer 2004 is just divine !!

Overall: I love Malborough Sauvignon Blanc and this one is just delicious!!