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