Another evening wine tasting at Forest Wines

So we decided to have an 'All Reds' Wine Tasting Evening at Forest Wine to celebrate us moving into autumn.

Jana and Silas suggested some really interesting reds - from medium bodied red berry to full bodied black berry flavours and aromas.

We started with a Pinot Noir from Baden. As you know I am not normally a massive fan of PN, but this fruity German wine was lovely. My favourite of the evening and should be great with game and poultry. I bought a bottle of this (£16.99).

Then onto a right bank Bordeaux from Chateau Beynet. This was a 'straight up Bordeaux' said one of our party. I am normally more partial to the Cab Sav of the left bank, but I rather quite liked this. However I was in the minority - which was good in a way as it meant I had the rest of the bottle to myself!

Next a bio dynamic and organic wine Garnacha from Monsant. Aged for 12 months in old oak barrels, the sour cherry taste on this was pretty strong for me. However friends who love Spanish wine thought it was delicious.

Wine number four was a Cannonau from Sardiania. This was a new grape for me, and big alcohol at 14.5%.

Then onto another French this time from the Rhone region. Le Cab' Des Acolytes had a rather sulphurous nose which everyone commented on! Biodynamic and organic, it was pleasant enough, but not really for me...

The last wine of the evening was an  Negroamoro from Puglia. I got a  bottle of this mainly because there were lots of fab black berry and cherry flavours. You could taste the warmth of the region in every mouthful!

So another really enjoyable evening at Forest Wine.

If you are in the area (Walthamstow) pop in, and get some top tips for some lovely wines.

WSET Level 3 Results

So I had been waiting patiently for my Level 3 Results all summer and got home last week to see a large envelope waiting for me outside my flat...

My stomach turned flips as I wondered, 'would send me an envelope that large if I had only passed half of the exam?'

I put my bags down and stood at the kitchen counter and gently opened the envelope.

I slid out two pieces of paper and a small pin badge. You could have knocked me down with a feather when I saw I had passed the exam WITH MERIT!!!

Whilst I was pretty sure I had passed the tasting and the multiple choice questions, as you know from my post directly after the exam, I was really worried about the essay questions part of the exam. But obviously it was unfounded.

So I opened a bottle of Cotes Du Rhone (my celebratory Ridgeview not being chilled to the correct temperature) called my parents, text my friends and shared on Facebook - whilst basking in my glory!

Level 3 was tough in places for me - just the sheer amount of things to remember was the toughest part I would say. However I would definitely recommend the course (and all of the WSET courses) if you are a keen/serious amateur.

WSET has taught me so much about wine, and I feel I am making much better choices now in the wine I buy for myself at home and in restaurants and bars. Before I buy or try by looking at where in the world it is from, I now have much more of an idea about what it will taste like and whether I will like it. Even if I don't like it, I can appreciate that it is a good example of it's type (Beaujolais I'm talking about you). I almost always ask to try wine before I get a glass in a bar, and don't mind asking for something else if it isn't for me. I also have the slightly daunting task of being given the wine list by friends wherever we go...

Whilst the Diploma (Level 4) looks amazing, it's not something I want to do to at the moment. At over 18 months (if you do it for an evening a week) and over £3000, it is a serious commitment. Knowing how I struggled to remember all of the regions for Level 3, I do wonder if it would be too tough. Maybe in the future?

For now I am going to keep on enjoying new wines and new regions whilst continuing to expand my knowledge on wines. Oh and I also have to plan trips to Porto and Bordeaux next year...

For more information on WSET Level 3 go to:
https://www.wsetglobal.com/qualifications/wset-level-3-award-in-wines/

Visit to Denbies Winery

I've never tried the wine from Denbies, but had a bottle of their fizz in the wine rack that friends had got me earlier on in the year. So when I saw that the winery was based in Dorking (which isn't that far from London), I thought I would organise a tour for me and a friend around harvest time when the grapes would be looking lovely!

So last week we hopped on a pretty early train from Waterloo for a day in the countryside. Pulling into Dorking station it was lovely to be greeted by vines running along the side of the track. I hadn't been to this part of England before and was really pleasantly surprised about how lovely the North Downs are.

First of all we went on an outdoor tour where we were taken through the vineyards in a lovely little train pulled by a Land Rover. It was a shame the weather wasn't great, but it didn't dampen our spirits as we had a glass of demi-sec up a hill side whilst we learnt about the history of the winery. The tour guide was informative and fun, and it was certainly a pleasant way to spend an hour.

The amount of different varietals they grow there is quite surprising and have some German grapes I hadn't heard of, alongside champagne grapes and others I have seen at English wineries like Bacchus and Pinot Gris.

We then went inside and watched a short film about the vineyard before being taken on a short tour and a tasting of 3 still wines.

The whole operation was very slick and I imagine could be very appealing to tourists. The tours and tour guides were good, but the still wine wasn't really to either of our tastes, and the wine was the main reason for visiting! As is often the case with English white, we found them too acidic, and too austere. The best of the three was their bestseller the Surrey Gold that had some peach tones to it, but again wasn't really for me.

The restaurant on the 3rd floor of the lovely farmhouse style building gave a super view of a lot of the vineyard. Our lunch was pleasant and we enjoyed a glass of fizz before and after the meal.

So if you are in the area I would say pop in, as they have a farm shop as well as lots of wine based goodies and chutney and art exhibitions etc. But I wouldn't hurry back for the wine...

Stick with 'Greenfields' which in my opinion is their best bottle...