London Wine Week Part 2

So after a couple of days respite (not from drinking you understand, just from wine week...) I dragged another drinking companion along to a night of tasting mixed flights from around the globe. We started at the Freixenet stall in Devonshire Square. Alongside their Cavas was a new addition to the family - a Prosecco! The bottle is beautiful but I am not much of a fan of Prosecco (bucking the trend with the rest of the UK I know) so I stuck with their Spanish tipple produced in the traditional method.

We then had a quick stop at New Street Wine Shop for the same flight as my first night (but with me having both samples of red and swapping out my rose...)

Then off the English Wine and Spirits Company (which I have been to a fair few times) which confusingly also goes by the name The Wine Pantry. Here we tried 3 English Wines with cheeses. The cheese in particular was excellent, but I still haven't found an English red wine I enjoy. It's simply not hot enough here to give me anything more than a light bodied wine and that's just not what I enjoy in a red. However the whites were enjoyable enough, and I like to support English wine where I can...

 

The 1901 wine bar, part of the Andaz hotel was next up. It's a lovely bar, really elegant and right next to Liverpool Street Station. I tried 3 Rieslings here and they were a revelation. I normally avoid French/German/Austrian Rieslings often not really enjoying the off dry/floral taste. But these were super! From Pfluger in Pfalz, the 2nd largest wine growing region in Germany. If you get the chance to try any of these really reasonably priced delicious Rieslings, I would recommend you do.

We went back down to Devonshire Row, for our final of the evening: The Bull and Hide 

Here we had a flight from Hush Heath a Kentish producer based in Tonbridge. Enjoyable but again the red did nothing for me. I picked up a leaflet about the vineyard though, as it looked suitably lovely enough to visit over the summer...

 2 days of London Wine Week down, 1 to go...

London Wine Week Part 1

So here it is again. London Wine Week! The first night I went out I was with a red wine drinker, so this narrowed the field somewhat. After picking up our London Wine Week wristbands from Devonshire Square (which gave us access to 120 odd bars around town) we went straight to the Portuguese wine stall next door where we had 2 different flights of red. The premium flight was definitely worth £3 more and the best of these was the first wine I had - Julian Reynolds Reserva 2009. Delicious and just what I love from Portuguese reds - full body, high alcohol and sumptuous flavours!

We then went to the New Street Wine Shop, where I had a flight of three (white, rose and red) and my drinking chum had a glass of Argentian Malbec. This is a really nice wine shop and bar that we have visited before and the staff talked us through each of the wines in the flight. 

Then off to Iberica in Farringdon for 3 Tempranillos. The excellent wine waiter from last year was there again and talked us through what we were drinking. This was our favourite wine of the evening and it was made all the better by us ordering delicious tapas to go with it. The pork burgers and croquettas were particularly lovely. We also got a free aperitif of hazelnut liquer. It was like liquid biscotti! Absolutely delicious. 

We finished the evening in Vinoteca in Kings Cross. I really like the various Vinotecas around town, and was pleasantly surprised by the 3 house wines they gave us to try. They were much nicer than the price would suggest...

And home by 11pm! A very pleasant first evening for London Wine Week...

A Plethora of Wine Tastings

One of the great things about living in London is the amount of wine tastings that take place every week. I've been to a number of delicious wine tastings over the past few months. First up was a red wine tasting at Holborn Delicatessen (part of the Rosewood Hotel) led by their sommelier Michael Raebel. He gave us a number of small pots with various aromas in and asked us to guess what they were. This was a really good way of making us focus on smell rather than taste. I got all of them right apart from one. I thought I was getting burnt orange peel and actually it was prunes in armanac - close...! We tried 5 wines from Argentina with some meats and cheeses, as Michael talked us through each of them including some interesting facts about the buying process.

Another Davy's tasting event at Vitners' Hall - and it was a very busy affair. We had originally booked on the afternoon session, but were moved onto the evening session. It was incredibly crowded - the most busy I have seen a Davy's event. Rather full tummies from afternoon tea at The Savoy and the battles to get to each tasting table meant we didn't stay as long as perhaps we would have normally done. Still I managed to put in an order of 12 bottles of wine...

We had an interesting evening at Bedales in Borough Market. A lovely wine bar, we were seated upstairs with big platters of cheese and meat and the very knowledgeable staff member talked us through 6 bio-dynamic and organic wines. A really enjoyable evening but none of the wines particularly floated my boat, with the exception of the last one (a blended red) which at £40 a bottle was lovely but I have had nicer wines for cheaper...

Dessert and Fortified Wine at home

So a friend came over for dinner but we decided to skip starter, have a small main of carbonara and focus on two desserts and cheese. 

This was so we could enjoy a couple of dessert wines and a couple of Ports.

We had a Szent Tamas, Tokaji with a pecan pie and ice cream. It was lovely, but I think I probably could have kept it much longer (it was 2011). Honeyed sweet deliciousness.

With the apple crumble (and more ice cream!) we had a Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley, Domaine des Forges. It was a lovely, not dissimilar to the Tokaji and apparently can age for between 15-20 years.  

Stilton, brie, Austrian smoked and some aged red Leicester drunk with a 20 year old Tawny Port (from Marthas) and then a Reserve Ruby Port from Quinta de la Rosa

Both were pleasant and worked well with the cheese although I think I have to finish the Tawny and may have had it open a bit too long. 

Definitely want to pop into Quinta de la Rosa when I visit the Douro in a couple of months...

A bottle of Italian Merlot and the end of a bottle of Corbiere made for a very nice evening's drinking...and eating

Portuguese Wine Tasting

Having gone to Portugal in May 2016 and been forced to drink much of the local wine due to the wettest May for 50 years, I was excited to go to a Portuguese Wine Tasting at Harry's bar in the city to get my hands on some more Touriga Nacional. The event actually took place before Christmas and I wrote this post at the time, but just never put it up!

I persuaded a fellow big red lover to join me, and we walked into the bar just a little bit more excited than we should be for a Tuesday evening (we might have had a couple of small beverages en route). The event was run by husband and wife team (Steven and Michelle) who own the Portuguese Vinhos website. We were introduced to a couple of light ports mixed with soda and some fruit as an aperitif. The red was definitely more to my taste than the white, but I could see how they were trying to get port to appeal to a younger audience. It's probably a nice drink in the heat of the summer sun in Portugal...

The evening started off by Steven telling us a little bit about the main growing regions of the country, which was a great reminder of what I learnt when I was out there. They then introduced a lady from the Martha Port company, who took us through what ports her family had been making for the past 4 generations.

Then we moved onto the best bit, the tasting. My partner in crime for the evening is not a massive fan of white or pink, so the Vinho Verde was off the menu for us. This wasn’t really an issue for me, as I think green wine is best enjoyed sitting in the sun in Portugal (or any other hot climate for that matter). So we started with some lesser bodied reds (makes them sound like a bird) before moving onto the main event for me – various blends of Touriga.

We really enjoyed a number of the fuller bodied reds (particularly those from the Douro), and the Rocha Rosa (2011 and 2012) was very quaffable and a good price at £12 a bottle. Between us we made up an order for a case of reds for the Christmas season (and I have managed to hold a couple back for these long winter months!)

We saved the best for last with the Port tasting. We know what we like so didn't waste any time on young Ruby Port, and instead went straight for a 20 year old and a 40 year old tawny port. I’ve never had a 40 year old anything before, so the taste and aroma really was something special. But at £55 for a bottle it was a  bit steep for my tastes. Instead the pair of us purchased a bottle of the 20 year old Tawny – a treat for Christmas.

If you haven't tried Portuguese wine, I really recommend you do. I have enjoyed everything I have tasted with Touriga Nacional in its blend. 

Visit: Portuguese Vinhos

The Wine Show

Belated Happy New Year!

I didn't realise it had been so long since I last posted. I do have a number of wine tales from the past few months and I will get them up on here as soon as my workload allows...

But I wanted to quickly share that The Wine Show is being repeated on ITV at the moment. I didn't catch it last year when it was first aired, but it is a very enjoyable magazine style show with actors Matthew Rhys and Matthew Goode, and wine expert Joe Fattorini.

Based in a lovely villa in Italy, Joe helps the actors understand more about wine and many of the gadgets that are on sale. They also go various field trips around the world trying wines in some fabulous locations.

Light hearted and informative. Check it out: The Wine Show

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...

Rathfinny Tasting Room in Alfriston

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

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:

• 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...

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

A visit to Ridgeview Wine Estate

I'm lucky enough to have access to a lovely family owned static caravan on the South Coast, which gives me access to the plethora of wineries across Sussex. However I haven't been to any of them yet, so I thought I better start!

After a lovely day with friends at Brighton Pride, I thought a great way to spend the Sunday would be at Ridgeview Wine Estate, just on the edge of Ditchling village. The sea mist that was hanging round the coast stayed on top of the South Downs, as I drove inland to pick up a friend at Burgess Hill station.

The car park gives no indication of the lovely view that will be yours when you go round to the entrance...(see above).

Our guide took us through the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fields that were on site, but of course they have vines all over the county (and also in West Sussex). He explained a lot about the vines and what happens in the growing cycle. Having done my sparkling wine lesson only around 6 weeks ago, it was all still fresh in my mind, so nothing new for me, but it was still well explained and interesting.

We then went inside the building to see how the wine is made, and he explained the 2nd fermentation well. It actually seemed pretty small in there compared to some of the wineries I have been to. But they have plans to be producing half a million bottles per annum, over the next 5 years.
They are already doing bubbles for M and S and The Wine Society but under slightly different names, so read the label, and you may be buying Ridgeview.

Then onto the best bit - the tasting...

The tasting room itself is lovely - with stunning views over the vines and the South Downs. You would never tire of looking out the window if you worked there!

The wines were enjoyable. I haven't tasted Ridgeview before, but the blends were silky smooth with that lovely blend of fruit and bready flavours that comes with autolysis. Gordon Ramsay stocks their bubbles in his restaurants and they recently supplied wine for a couple of banquets for the Queen!

I was less keen on their Blanc de Blanc, and their other Chardonnay dominant wine. But the Pinot Noir really excelled. We tried a 2010 Rose de Noir which was lovely. Really lovely. So lovely I managed to snag the last one they had in the shop. The difference between that and the 2013 was marked, and if I could keep it well for another couple of years, I think it would get even better. At £40 not cheap, but well worth it.

But the likelihood of me keeping it longer than this summer is very slim, and I am looking to drink it when my WSET result comes in - I will either be celebrating or commiserating, but either way it seems a fitting drop to have.

If you are in the area, you can go tasting most days, but tours have to be booked in advance. The guide who took us round had recently finished a wine and business degree at Plumpton College nearby and was really knowledgeable.

A great way to spend a couple of hours, so go! You won't be disappointed: http://www.ridgeview.co.uk/

An evening wine tasting at Forest Wine

Last week I organised a lovely tasting evening for friends at local shop, Forest Wine.

I had been in touch with the owner Jana, and between us (and her staff) we came up with 3 whites and 3 reds that I thought my friends would enjoy. I also hoped it would challenge them a little in terms of what they normally drink and like (rather like I have been doing over the past year).

We arrived at 7.30pm to be greeted by a large table in the shop with a plethora of cheeses, meats, bread, grapes, olives and radishes (the least popular of the snacks!)

The wine specialises in organic and bio-dynamic wines from around the world, and we got stuck in with a Chardonnay from Fruili in Italy. Lots of stone fruit with some tropical tones and some minerality and great with mountain cheeses apparently.

We then went for a dry German Riesling from the Rheingau. A lovely drop, that some of my friends purchased because they enjoyed it so much. Again stone fruit, citrus and minerality but with a longer finish than the Chardonnay.

Then we tried a French Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley. This was my favourite of the whites and I bought a bottle. High acidity with strong citrus notes. A great drop for the summer.

For the reds, our first was from the Dao region, Dao Tinto. Smooth and juicy with ripe red and some black fruits, and with a wallop from the Touriga Nacional (one of my fave new grapes as you know). This is apparently good with smoked meats (I don't eat them).

We then tried Le Pech Abuse. The nose! My friend likened it to silage, but the taste was fab! A blend of Merlot, Cab Franc and Cab Sauv a real keeper to have with a stew when the nights draw in again. I got a bottle of  this too.

The last wine of the evening was a Cotes du Rhone. Again very drinkable, mainly Grenache with some Syrah and a dark ruby colour with hints of olive on the nose and palate.

It was a lovely evening and the staff were really knowledgeable. It was great to try out some different wines in a friendly fun environment.

It was so much fun, I'm planning on organising another evening in October.

For more information on the shop (who deliver in E17) go to: https://www.forestwines.com/

The Rhone Touch - an interactive wine exhibition by students from London College of Communication, UAL

So I read in 'Good Things' Magazine, that Rhone Wines had partnered up with students from London College of Communication to create an interactive wine exhibition at the Platform Theatre at Central Saint Martins.

I immediately thought that was something I had to visit, so I went a couple of times last week with fellow wine lovers and it was an enjoyable time, with some really interesting exhibits created by the students.

My favourite was the grape stomping installation, where we got to stomp silicon grapes. The feel of them was amazing on the balls of your feet, like mini massage balls. The colour of the 'grapes' got darker as you stomped on them, then as the 'juice' was pressed, they went back to being clear:

An exhibit called 'Degorgement' was a wine bottle sound installation that played the sound of a cork opening when you covered the bottles with your hand. This wasn't working on my first visit, but I was really pleased it was working on my return. Have a look here:

There was another exhibit in the bar area called 'The Author's Friend' where you could hit a key on the keyboard of a traditional typewriter (where the letters had been replaced by symbols) and a word would appear on the screen. If you were patient you would then get a quote, lyric, or poem about that part of the wine sensation.

It was really clever, but the delay from initial word to quote meant we hit about 16 keys before we realised we were missing the quotes! Patience is needed in wine making, (and visiting an exhibition about wine it would seem...)

E-Bouquet - an electronic sommelier

Red - an abstract decanting experience

The pop up bar also had some lovely reds from the AC's of Cote Rotie and Crozes Hermitage. A fabulous red on the Tuesday was alas missing on the Saturday, but reaffirmed my love of the Northern Rhone.

Syrah you absolutely rock as a grape and I salute you!!!

You can read more about the exhibition here: Wined and Designed - Press Release from UAL

New wine tastings - Caixas Albarino and Gavi

I picked up 6 new whites at Majestic last week, because let's be honest there is nothing nicer than drinking a crisp white wine in the warmth of the summer sun (and there has been at least a little over the past week!)

The Caixas Albarino (2014) from Martin Codax, Rias Baixas was a very pleasant Spanish white for a summer evening. Light and young, with refreshingly high acidity for the price of £7.99, good value.

Some of the reviews on the Majestic website have suggested it is potentially too astringent, which I personally didn't find, and thought the lemon married well with stone fruit and some pear flavours.

It would be great with fish or a chicken salad on the hot days we have been enjoying in the south over the past couple of weeks.

https://www.majestic.co.uk/Caixas-Albarino-zid14008

I actually preferred the Gavi (2014) from La Toledana. Mimicking the steely minerality of the white Burgundians of Chablis, with crisp acidity and more peach and pear aromas and tastes, than the citrus and crisp green apple of Chablis.

I have had better Gavi, but again for the price - £10.49 I found it an enjoyable wine to drink with roast chicken, new potatoes and salad.

https://www.majestic.co.uk/Gavi-zid13033

WSET Level 3 Exam

So I had my WSET Level 3 exam this week - Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!

I had done a fair amount of prep for the exam, but am so out of practice for exams, (having left university 20 years ago now) that I found it quite hard going.

As I've mentioned before the Level 3 course is quite a step up from the Level 2 in terms of intensity and how much you have to remember. With only one set of mock essay questions and mock multiple choice questions in our study material, it was hard to get into the zone. I really would have appreciated more mock questions, and probably a mock essay exam in the classroom under examination conditions to help me prep. There were a few videos in the online classroom, but again it would have been useful to have a video to watch at least for every week of the course.

How anyone does this course and passes in 5 days I don't know. I would definitely recommend the 16 week, one night a week option as the best way to go (particularly if you aren't in the industry and you have a full time job as there is a lot to remember).

I genuinely don't know if I passed, although of course I hope I did. I think the tasting went ok, as did the multiple choice paper, but I found some of the essay questions difficult. Some of them because I couldn't remember facts (bloody Italy is my nemesis), but mainly I struggled to articulate all the salient facts into very small answer boxes.

I guess I'm just out of practice of writing exams...Anyway only 8 weeks till I find out the result, which I will share on here whether it's good news, or if I have to retake...

Keep your fingers crossed for me. In  the mean time, it frees me up to try more wines and go to different wine bars in the city now summer has arrived.

https://www.wsetglobal.com/qualifications/wset-level-3-award-in-wines-and-spirits/

New wine tasting - Rickshaw Chardonnay 2014

I picked up this cheeky little Chardonnay after a wine tasting at my local Majestic. There is so little Californian wine available around this price point in this country, that I snap it up whenever I see something I think I may fancy.

The grapes for this come from Santa Barbara (where I've stayed a few times), Mendocino County and Sonoma (both up the coast and north of San Francisco).

This was an enjoyable enough drop, buttery (presumably from Lees), toasty and vanilla from oak (but importantly not too much), married with lemon, apple and a hint of tropical reminding me of the warmth of the state.

Alcohol was high for a white at 14%, which meant for a full body which as the tasting notes point out meant for a 'balance of richness and freshness'.

I would probably get this again on a mixed six offer where it is £11.99 a bottle, as it was enjoyable and quoffable, though not a huge amount going on in terms of depth or length of finish.

https://www.majestic.co.uk/Rickshaw-Chardonnay-zid18078

London Wine Week - The City

So after a successful foray into London Wine Week on Thursday, I was back for more on Saturday.

We went back to the LWW hub in Devonshire Square and enjoyed some of the delights of Nyetimber. If you don't know Nyetimber, it's probably the most famous English sparkling wine and is based in West Sussex. We started with their 2010 vintage and what a lovely way to start the day! High acidity and citrus and apple notes with brioche undertones. However at £35 per bottle a pricey way to start the day too. We then moved onto their NV Rose. Again a lovely drop with red berries pushing their way through the crispness, but balanced and delicious. The surprise of the tasting was the demi-sec which I thought would be far too sweet for me, but was actually lovely, with just a hint of sweetness on the palate. A real eye opener!

The service was really good, with the servers taking time to explain each of the wines and then following up afterwards to see how we enjoyed them. The wines themselves were served up in beautiful glass holders that looked like elegant cup cake holders:

So keeping things light we moved onto Provence. No interaction here on the wines at all from the two ladies who seemed a little stressed and were too busy moving things around in the pop up hut to speak to us. It was left up to us to choose from the flights. We chose a Mistral Mix and La Vie en Rose - having never really tasted Rose wines from Provence I didn't really know what we were choosing.

We had briefly touched on Provence at last week's WSET, so I knew what to expect, and they truly were some of the lightest Rose wines I have ever seen. Neither of us liked our first wines (Les Vins Breban and La Mascaronne) and left most of them. The best wine of the 6 was the Domaine du Grand Cros 2015. It had the most going on in terms of nose and flavour, but overall I don't think the Provence pinks are for me. I had rose wines that were far more to my taste in the Languedoc region last year. These were just too light in body, nose and taste. However I can see how they could be lovely when sitting in the Cote d'Azur!

We briefly went to the Portugal pop up (where I had gone the other night) and tried a few different reds. Again not as good as anything I had in Portugal on holiday, but pleasant enough. 

Then off to the English Wine and Spirits Company. I have been here a few times and blogged about it, so it was nice to see so many people in there. The still and still and sparkling flights were very similar, with just one glass difference. With the exception of the Pinot Noir, my friend wasn't keen on any of them, and I am still of the opinion that we do sparkling well in England now, but we have a way to go on some of the still wine. I just find them rather too acidic and not balanced enough. They just feel like the grapes need some more warmth and sun to help them on their way...

We had an Ortega from Kent (Biddenden) a blend from Three Choirs Coleridge Hill from Gloucestershire, Furleigh Estate Classic Cuvee from Dorset (My favourite) and Sixteen Ridges Pinot Noir from Herefordshire. With one of the flights being £7 that was the most expensive flight we had all week, but certainly not the nicest or best in my opinion.

We nipped into a taste of Franciacorta, but it was very busy and when we found out the wines were all white we quickly moved on to Crab Tavern in Broadgate Circus. 

My friend was excited to try 3 Italian reds but excitement turned to disappointment when we were told that they weren't taking part after all (despite being on the website and in the printed book). However the waitress kindly gave us three samples of Italian wines (white, red and rose) for free.

Alas we didn't really like any of them and even left the rose, but it was well intentioned. We stayed there and ate, but a number of items were off the menu, including my choice (which I wasn't told about till way after my order had been taken). However I wasn't charged for my main so I guess that made up for it. Service was smiley but not massively competent. I won't be rushing back.

The biggest surprise was Gerard Betrand's Picpoul de Pinet being sold for £8 per glass (175ml). I didn't want to pay it as I thought it was extortionate, but was worn down by my friend. As the RRP for a bottle is £10 and the restaurant probably gets it for around £5 or £6, I thought the mark up at £32 per bottle for 4 medium individual glasses was outrageous!

We moved on to our final bar of the day, which was also probably my favourite. 

Bedales in Spitalfields injected a bit of humour into their flight, calling it Corks Camera and Action and took their inspiration from some Hollywood movies. Here we tried:

• Chenin Blanc from Champalou, Vouvray in the Loire Valley (inspired by Elwood drinking vintage champagne from a red wine glass in the Blues Brothers)
• Chianti Classico Reserva  (inspired by Hannibal Lecter's famous quote from Silence of the Lambs about eating someone's liver with fava beans.
• and Merlot Cab Franc blend from Chateau Tour Saint Christophe, Saint Emilion Grand Cru (inspired by Miles' rant about Merlot in the wine film Sideways).

The Grand Cru was my favourite wine of the day I think. Balanced and delicious.

So another lovely afternoon in London Wine Week. It was a great way to try wines I wouldn't normally think of, and to go to bars and restaurants I may not have visited before in areas I might not normally go to! I will definitely be attending more bars, and probably some more events next year. 

I am surprised more people don't know about London Wine Week, and I wonder if their marketing needs to improve? I have a number of wine drinking friends who knew nothing about it, which really surprised me. It wasn't mentioned at our WSET classes either. I would have thought that anything to do with wine and making people more aware of it, and diversifying their tastes, would only be a good thing, and it would have been mentioned to us?

Anyway - roll on London Wine Week - 2017!

London Wine Week - Holborn and Farringdon

So with great excitement I picked up my half price London Wine Week wristbands (thank you Time Out) from Devonshire Square, a 2 minute walk from Liverpool Street Station and home of Cinnamon Kitchen.

London Wine Week is an annual event where over 100 wine bars, restaurants and bars across the city give special offers to anyone wearing a London Wine Week wrist band. The offers range from £5 for a flight of 3 wines, to dining specials with wine pairings and 'sip and snacks' - wine with nibbles.

Whilst picking up my wrist band it seemed churlish not to have a quick tipple, so I went over to the Wines from Portugal pop up and had a flight of 3 red wines. The server was very friendly and happy to talk about the wines, and had just done his WSET Level 3.

I started with the Terra D'Alter Reserva Tinto 2013, followed by the Smart Dog Tinto 2015 and finished up with the Casa Ferreirinha Esteva Tinto 2015. The wines were pleasant and well balanced, but didn't pack enough punch for me, particularly with the fantastic wines I had been sampling in Portugal just a couple of weeks ago.

.
Anyway that was the prelude to the real event which was a couple of nights later.

We started at Davy's in High Holborn as it is close to where I work. You'll know from my other posts that I am a fan of Davy's and they didn't disappoint on the service. The server was knowledgeable and friendly and left the bottles with us so we could take a closer look. Alas it being a Spanish flight, the majority of the labels were in Spanish and whilst I might be able to muddle through in French, it was all Greek/Spanish to me.

The wines were from Aragon (which I can never look at without thinking 'Son of Arathorn'), Navarra and Rioja, with the Rioja being my favourite of the three. Although we actually got a drop of white burgundy from Macon as a freebie, and that was probably my favourite of the lot!

We then took a gentle stroll down to Farringdon and started off at Hix Oyster Bar, where we tried wines from the Loire and Rhone - Muscadet, Coteaux du Layon and Vacqueryos (white, red and sweet). The server talked us through them in a bit of detail, but these weren't really to my taste - I have had much better Rhone wines in the past 2 weeks of my WSET.  Still the bar was nice and bright, and not too busy, and one of the servers was very friendly and offered to take our photo. 

Next we went off to Vinoteca where we had wines matched with snacks. Our first white was a Gruner Veltliner from Malborough. I got the peach from the tasting notes, but not so much the mandarin, and even less the white pepper. However it went very well with the smoked mackerel pate on toast. Our second glass was a Pinotage from the Western Cape. Rather like Pinot Noir, I find it hard to love a Pinotage...but the food of roasted veg on toasted bread hit the spot. Service was good, but we were given a menu to read about the wines, rather than having them explained to us, so a bit less personal. However this was the busiest of the places we had been so far so I'll forgive them for that...

Mackerel pate nearly finished...

Off to Iberica, apparently a small chain of tapas bars, that I am ashamed to say I have never heard of! Delightful staff, and a great buzzy dining room makes me think I will be back here to try out their tapas. After a short wait we managed to grab a couple of seats at the bar.

Out friendly server (photographed below) took us through our flight of Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero, Valencia and Cigales. As ever, the fuller bodied last red I had to try was my favourite. The server seemed the most passionate about the wines of anyone who served us during the evening.

We then went to Zetter where we were expecting to enjoy the Brexit flight of European wines, but we were made to feel so unwelcome by the staff who were completely disinterested in seating us/speaking to us, that we immediately left. It was a shame as all the other bars had been so welcoming. If this place is on the list next year, I will definitely be giving it a swerve!

Granger and Co restored our faith in the London Wine Week, by being very welcoming and giving us a lovely flight from Woodstock, Mclaren Vale. These were probably my favourite wines of the evening, and only afterwards did I realise we were only supposed to have them if we were dining! So thank you to the staff there for giving them to us anyway along with some meats and olives. They said we were the first people to ask for the flight, which I found strange as this was the 4th night of London Wine Week.

So with the exception of Zetter, it was a great evening, with everyone welcoming us and our wrist bands and generally really wanted to talk about their wines. The wines themselves weren't always to my liking, but it was good practice to see what I could sniff  and taste, and I helped give my friend a few tips along the way (and got her drinking red wine nearly all night - a triumph!)