A friend came to visit for a weekend on the South Coast, and after a couple of hours of marveling at the majesty of Seven Sisters, we went to the beautiful quaint little village of Alfriston for lunch.
We had a delicious lunch at Wingrove House (the 4th time I have been to this great hotel restaurant) and then took a wander through the town to try and aid digestion.
I had read up about Rathfinny, and knew that they didn't have any sparkling wine, and wouldn't for a few years (2018 will be their first batch). However I thought it would be worth popping in and seeing the shop and trying their still wine.
The shop is lovely with lots of things you didn't know you needed like chutneys and candles made from old wine bottles. However it was the wine that was the best surprise. I have found the high acidity of English wines (that's perfect for sparkling) can sometimes be a bit austere for a still wine, but not this!
Cradle Valley is a blend of Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc, and was rather lovely. Crisp, with citrus and apple flavours, it was probably the best English still wine I have tried. With only 3000 bottles made in 2015, it was pretty reasonable at £14.95.
Needless to say I grabbed a drop, and I am really excited to try their sparkling wine in a couple of year's time...
You can find out more about Rathfinny here: Rathfinny Estate
Sunday 25 September 2016
Sunday 18 September 2016
Davy's Wine Tasting at Bunghole Cellars
A friend and I spent a couple of hours swirling and slurping at a wine tasting evening at a Davy's bar in Holborn last week.
Taking place in one of their private rooms in the basement, it was a great place to spend a couple of hours with some expert tuition.
We were greeted with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux as we waited for the tasting to start. I had tasted the Sauvignon before (Davy's own) and it's a very quoffable reasonable drop at £9.50
Over two hours, the team of two guys took us through 7 wines from around the globe:
The lead guy (whose name I didn't get - apologies) was particularly good and went into a fair amount of detail about each of the wines, and I learnt a couple of things that we hadn't covered in WSET level 3. Both members of staff knew their stuff and delivered it in an interesting way, blending between fun learning and facts. The only slight issue was the noise from the bar outside making it slightly hard to hear the quieter of the two presenters.
They also gave us a flavour wheel with aromas and flavours grouped together by colour and similarity -a useful reference point for the future.
In terms of the wines, the best of the evening (in my opinion) were the German Riesling and the Australian Chardonnay - both delivering what you would expect from these regions at these price points.
However with a full wine rack at home, I decided not to purchase any on this occasion, but have made a note to get some with my next delivery...
I spoke to a couple of the guys on the table next to me, and they also said how impressed they were with the tasting and that it was better than others they had been to in London, particularly in terms of the price (£30 per ticket and 25% off food if you wanted to eat in the restaurant afterwards). They had also been to a Davy's Tasting at Vintners' Hall back in March, and recognised me from that (you may remember I went with my dad and of course blogged about it...Another Wine Tasting at Vintner's Hall)
I would recommend a night wine tasting with Davy's as an enjoyable, interesting, educational night of trying out wines you may not normally think of...
Taking place in one of their private rooms in the basement, it was a great place to spend a couple of hours with some expert tuition.
We were greeted with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux as we waited for the tasting to start. I had tasted the Sauvignon before (Davy's own) and it's a very quoffable reasonable drop at £9.50
Over two hours, the team of two guys took us through 7 wines from around the globe:
- Solitar Riesling Trocken, Prum, Mosel Germany 2015
- Vierkoppen Sauvignon Blanc, Robertston, S. Africa 2015
- Sidewood Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, Australia 2013
- Saint Sidoine Rose, Cotes de Provence, France 2015
- Mount Brown Pinot Noir, Waipara, New Zealand 2013
- Chateau du Moulin Rouge, Haut Medoc, Bordeaux, France 2012
- Valserrano Reserva DOC, Rioja, Spain 2010
The lead guy (whose name I didn't get - apologies) was particularly good and went into a fair amount of detail about each of the wines, and I learnt a couple of things that we hadn't covered in WSET level 3. Both members of staff knew their stuff and delivered it in an interesting way, blending between fun learning and facts. The only slight issue was the noise from the bar outside making it slightly hard to hear the quieter of the two presenters.
They also gave us a flavour wheel with aromas and flavours grouped together by colour and similarity -a useful reference point for the future.
In terms of the wines, the best of the evening (in my opinion) were the German Riesling and the Australian Chardonnay - both delivering what you would expect from these regions at these price points.
However with a full wine rack at home, I decided not to purchase any on this occasion, but have made a note to get some with my next delivery...
I spoke to a couple of the guys on the table next to me, and they also said how impressed they were with the tasting and that it was better than others they had been to in London, particularly in terms of the price (£30 per ticket and 25% off food if you wanted to eat in the restaurant afterwards). They had also been to a Davy's Tasting at Vintners' Hall back in March, and recognised me from that (you may remember I went with my dad and of course blogged about it...Another Wine Tasting at Vintner's Hall)
I would recommend a night wine tasting with Davy's as an enjoyable, interesting, educational night of trying out wines you may not normally think of...
Friday 16 September 2016
New wine tasting - Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
Our heatwave in London seemed to come to an abrupt end last night with momentous thunder storms at 4am...
So with the temperature dropping around 13 degrees overnight and autumn finally arriving, what better way to enjoy the passing of the summer than with a Cab Sav?
For a Friday night in I opened up a Cab Sav (2013) from Columbia Valley in Washington State. It's the first time I have had a red from this part of the world, and it didn't disappoint.
Full bodied with plenty of blackberry and blackcurrant smells and flavours, this 81% Cab Sav blend is the perfect drink for autumnal nights. I enjoyed it by itself, but the oak and chocolate flavours mixed with the ripe black fruit would be the perfect accompaniment to roast beef, or a stew, I am sure. Probably could do with a couple more years cellaring and the finish wasn't as long as I would have liked.
But at around £10 per bottle in the UK, it was very drinkable and a great introduction for me to this part of the USA...
See more about the Cab Sav from this winery: Columbia Winery
See more about the Cab Sav from this winery: Columbia Winery
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