A tale of Albarino

I've recently fallen a bit in love with a glass of Albarino and feel the need to spread the word.

Traditionally, this grape is grown in the warm and wet region of Galicia in Spain. With the finest Albarino wines coming from Rias Baixas DOC of Spain.

It is light, crisp, citrusy and perfect as an aperitif or with shellfish. So if you like a White Rioja, why not try a different Spanish Style give this grape a glug?

We went on holiday to Spain recently and I was really hoping to try lots of this style of wine. Maybe we were in the wrong area or perhaps the wrong type of resort, but I didn't see a single Albarino in a supermarket. An absolute travesty! 

So back here in the UK, here's a few I've recently enjoyed.

Definition Albarino 2016

I'm a big fan of the Majestic Definition range. It's their own label wine and most of the range that I've tried has been pretty good quality for the price. 

This Albarino is really light, fresh and has a lovely citrus bite. Pretty pure and not overly complex, this wine is dangerously drinkable and a confident crowd pleaser. At £11.99 a bottle, it's the most expensive I've tried but I would say worth the extra pennies.

Tres Mares Albarino

Available from Waitrose at £9.99, this wine has a bit more depth than the definition one. Slightly more golden in the glass, this Rias Baixas Albarino has an apple bite of acidity. 

Some Albarino wines can be unapproachably aromatic, but this one is definitely lighter and more easy drinking.

Medusa Albarino 2016

Priced at £9.99 from Majestic, this wine has easily the most attractive bottle design out of all the ones I've tried. It is also the most complex with more aromatic and peach notes and definitely more of a honey colour in the glass.

For me, this fresh, fruity wine is best served cold and will probably be your glass of wine if you like something off dry with ripe fruit flavours.

Carlos Rodrigues Albarino

This lip smacking Albarino is available from Naked Wines for £9.99. I first tried this at the Naked Wines Tasting tour in 2016 and I definitely went back to Carlos' table for more than one taste! 

It's crisp, fresh and full of apple and pear flavours. Again, serve ice cold and this clear, light coloured wine will definitely not disappoint. I can practically smell the salty air of the sea as I drink this. Definitely zesty, definitely refreshing and one to try. (apologies for the photo, my phone is broken, normal service will resume shortly).

So, if you haven't given this grape a go, I'd really urge you to. Grab yourself a glass, close your eyes and imagine you're on a breezy terrace in Sunny Spain with a plate of salty squid in front of you. And, if there are any you think I should try, then just let me know and I'll add to my list. Cheers!

Selecting a new rosé wine for Naked Wines

Me tasting the good stuff

As an Archangel for Naked Wines, I was recently lucky enough to be asked to to help them choose a new Provencal Rosé wine for their website.


It was pretty exciting stuff as it was the first time I'd visited the Naked Wines offices and met a lot of the people I've been chatting to online since 2012. Plus, I hadn't drank for 33 days previously. What a way to break dry January with a rosé tasting with Naked Wines?

Outside the Naked Wines
offices with Archangels
Simon and Darren

When I arrived at the offices, I did not feel let down by the Naked experience. The funky reception was dominated by a huge slide that transported staff between floors. Everything was quirky and open plan with meeting rooms named after principle Naked wine makers and wine vending machines for staff to sample latest vintages. What a fab place to work.

Archangel, Phil, 
shooting down the slide

And then the rosé wine arrived. Bottle after bottle after bottle of delicious looking wine. Some more delicate and blushy and some more red and fruity in colour. Turned out there were 37 of the stuff. It was like some sort of fantasy come true!

But when MD (and super fox) Eamon Fitzgerald kicked off the tasting, it became apparent that this was no jolly for Naked Wines. 

Wine Guru, Toby, had literally spent months talking to rosé producers in Provence to secure a selection of wines that would be, not only delicious, but exclusive to Naked. Plus, most of the wine makers were fairly small, artisan producers. And, if they were to secure distribution through Naked Wines, Eamon told us, it could be life changing.

Just a few roses to choose
from then....

On the train to Norwich, Archangels Simon and Darren had told me about a wine they selected at a previous day like this one. And, apparently the wine the Archangels chose was really unpopular with the Naked Angels. It literally "bombed". I did not want to be responsible for choosing a wine that the Angels don't like and I didn't want to let Eamon and the team down! 

We were instructed to use the spittoons and make the right decision. No pressure then.

I really hope that we made the right decision. Because the task was much more difficult than I'd anticipated!

Gorgeous Eamon laying down
the law. This was serious
business (I promise)

For starters, never before had I tried so many wines in such quick succession. Now, I'm a drinker and I've done a lot of tasting! But, we had to whittle 37 wines down to one which would go on sale on the website that evening! 

Our group initially had 12 wines to taste, then we tasted the 6 shortlisted rosés from all the groups and finally we selected one. I felt like I was literally tasting one wine after another after another! (I know, it's a hard life!)

Look how serious we were
Archangels Darren & Sarah

In addition, we had to keep in mind that we were helping to select a wine that would be popular with Naked Wines Angels. So, we had to consider the cost of the wine as well as whether it would be something that Naked customers would want to buy and would expect from a Provencal Rosé.


However, a few of the wines really stood out. And I was really pleased with the wine we chose. 

The Chateau Saint Hilaire Provence Rosé by Bruno Lapierre was mouth wateringly zingy with fresh strawberry fruit flavours, pale and blushy-pink in the glass and would be dangerously drinkable on a summer's day in the garden. 

My Archangel friend Ray
We finally met for the first
time that day!

In fact, 3,600 bottles went on sale that evening as a marketplace deal and nearly all of them had gone in just a few days, which hopefully showed we made a good choice.

I had such a great day and it was definitely worth the train fare and the total of 8 hours of travel to get there. I've also learned loads more about rosé wine (who'd have thought that a third of the wine drank in France was pink? They definitely have good taste). Thanks Naked Wines for an absolutely amazing afternoon (an AA afternoon).

A wine tour with Virgile Joly (a day spent with the beautiful people)

On a recent trip to the South of France, I thought I would visit a few of the winemakers whose wines I have particularly admired on the Naked Wines website. So, of course, I had to visit the wine legend that is Virgile Joly whose cellar door is in Saint Saturnin de Lucian.

Views from Saint Saturnin

Saint Saturnin couldn't be more French if it strung some onions round its neck and wore a beret. The town consisted of a restaurant, a hotel, Virgile's cave, the church and a few stone houses. Everything was fading slightly at the edges and pretty much the only person in sight was a slim lady brushing up some leaves from the restaurant floor (in a very laid back, unhurried fashion). It was like a scene from a movie (something arty in French that I probably wouldn't understand!)

Camille in the Vines

But then Magdalena, Virgile's partner who I had met at a wine tasting in the summer, arrived followed by our tour guide, Camille Renault. Both were incredibly welcoming, spoke amazing English and were, frankly too attractive!

Camille drove us to a vineyard overlooking Arboras which is where Virgile has his actual winery. In the car, I said to my husband "didn't she have the most beautiful eyes"? 

It was a gloriously sunny day and the view over the vines was completely stunning. The plants looked green and lush and the sun was glinting off the leaves. All the plants looked amazingly uniform, like they had been perfectly tamed to grow in little lines in identical shapes. All around the air was filled with the buzz of little tractors putting around the countryside assisting with the harvest. 

The grapes being sorted

We then proceeded to meet Virgile and see some of the wine production. In the car on the way, I said to my husband, "why don't we live somewhere like here?"

I'd never been lucky enough to visit a winery during harvest and everything was in furious, focused production. Two men were effortlessly scooping up ginormous crates of luscious looking grapes and emptying them onto a conveyor belt that took the grapes for sorting. The whole building and courtyard smelt very sweet and fruity.

Virgile showing us around
the winery (with his
dreamy hair)

Virgile was kind enough to spend quite a lot of time with us. I'm sure he must have been extremely busy with the harvest. But he never seemed as though he was pressed for time and was extremely generous with his attention. 

We tried some of the juice from the grapes that had been picked yesterday. I've never had the privilege of trying day old wine before, but the liquid was clear, crisp and incredibly sweet. I could have drunk it all day. Virgile spoke passionately about his organic methods and how he does his best to respect nature. Producing quality, unique and individual wines of which he was very proud.

The ridiculously
stunning view from the winery

He told us that he was worried about how some of his wines were fermenting. And he wasn't sure whether to add more oxygen or to change the temperature. Evidently, he is serious about his art and wants to make the best wines possible. I get the impression that he worries a lot.

Finally, we went back to Saint Saturnin to try some wines. In the car on the way back, my husband said "now there is an attractive man, I am very jealous of his hair."

The range of wines we tried

We went into another building (how many buildings does Virgile have?) to try the wines. Camille with the beautiful eyes explained to us that all of Virgile's wines are very distinguished and have a "feeling" of the man that runs through them all.

Camille spent a great deal of time "helping" us to smell and taste the wines. Sadly, despite us enjoying wine and spending a lot of time talking about it, we are clearly complete heathens when it comes to describing the subtleties of the wine. But she was very patient and kind and the whole experience was really enjoyable and the wines were delicious.

Tasting the wines

My personal favourites were, despite me not being a massive pink wine fan, his Saturne 2015 rose which was fresh, light and perfectly dry. I also enjoyed his Carthagene Rose Liqueur wine which had a wonderful pinky-orange colour and tasted of lychee and rose. One of the nicest sweet wines I've tried in a long time.

Lunch at Le Pressoir

Part of our tasting package was to have lunch at Le Pressoir restaurant over the road. I think we were the only English people in there and lots of the people around us looked as though they had just stepped in from the harvest to enjoy a glass of pastis. The food was delicious, but mostly I have no idea what I ate. I couldn't even read the hand written menu board, let alone translate it into French. Poor waitress had to resort to "moo" and "baa". We washed it all down, whatever it was, with a bottle of Virgile's Saturne Rose. A great experience.

We had the most wonderful time and I would encourage anyone to visit Virgile and try his wines. However, be prepared to feel slightly unattractive, slightly unworthy and very, very English. And also, just a tiny bit in love with Virgile Joly....

You can buy Virgile's wines in the UK on the Naked Wines website. And, he is such a complete legend that there is also a book about him which is available on Amazon. But be warned, you may be more in love with him and Magda after reading it!

A day trip to Hambledon Vineyard

I first met Ian Kellet from Hambledon Vineyard at a Naked Wines tasting event. My husband and I enjoyed several glasses with him and bent his ear about English Sparkling wine. So this summer we thought we'd pay the vineyard a visit since it is only down the road from where we live.

Beautiful vineyard in rolling
Hampshire countryside

We contacted them via their website and discovered they had a range of wine and food events as well as a vineyard tour which is what we opted for. 

Despite it being a fairly dark and dank day when we visited the vineyard, the Hambledon estate is absolutely stunning. Long rows of vines stretching seemingly endlessly down across virtually unspoiled countryside views. Who knew we had such beautiful wine country here in England?

Bottles fermenting

Arriving late (as usual) we missed the start of the tour. But I guess there was about 15 people on the tour. My husband laughed when he saw everyone and said "Typical English people, getting dressed up to the nines to walk round what is essentially a farm in the rain". Too true.

Felix conducting the tour

Winemaker, Felix, conducted the tour. He clearly had a passion for winemaking and the production methods at Hambledon. Interestingly, despite this being an English vineyard, nearly all the machinery and many of the wine makers are French. It seems that, English wine production is still relatively speaking in its infancy. 

But it's led by Ian who is a Yorkshire man and all of the marketing team we met were English. So I guess there's a balance. 

Tasting some of the
good stuff

I'd never been on a Sparkling wine vineyard tour, so most of the production method was new to me. Especially as nearly everything they do at Hambledon is by hand. To make a sparkling wine, apparently there is a second fermentation in the bottle, with every single one of the bottles being stored at an angle and turned by hand every day (riddling). Labour intensive stuff and evidence of the care and love they put into the production.

They planned to start harvesting the grapes the second week in October which is apparently a month after France. But with the warmer weather in England this is a really exciting time for English wine production. And all the team seem really excited about what the future holds. 

Finally, we got to try some of the good stuff. Sadly, we only got to try one glass and none of the Hambledon wines. But I guess English Sparkling wines is pricey stuff and there were quite a few of us on the tour that day. Ian has subsequently told me that it's not really viable to open too many bottles. And perhaps doing wine flights and charging slightly more will be something they will consider in the future. 

We actually tried a glass of Meonhill Grande Reserve which was absolutely delicious. 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay, with tiny bubbles and a really crisp, fresh and sherberty. This wine was grown on an estate that Ian and the team recently purchased and apparently is the English Sparkling wine that Virgin Airways has chosen to serve in upper class.

They have a number of wine events between now and Christmas. Including the chance to make your own Sparkling wine for Christmas. 

A lovely vineyard to visit and the wine we tried was absolutely exquisite. Very much looking forward to trying the wines we bought on the day!

Wine Tasting at Majestic's Summer Spectacular

The other day, I finally got invited to one of the Majestic Wine tasting evenings. I'd been wanting to go after someone mentioned it on one of the wine forums I sometimes chat on. So was delighted when Liam, a Wine Guru from my local Salisbury Majestic invited me along to their Summer Spectacular. At last, I thought, I've made it in the guest list!

The store was set up with four different tasting stations, each manned (and womaned) by a Wine Guru or a Wine Guru in training. There were also various nibbles to try with some of the wines (although all the Manchego had already gone on our evening!). 

We started with a glass of Champagne which was very civilised. Then moved onto white, red, some higher price point wines and then finished off with some whiskey, gin and rum. In all, there were 16 wines, plus the spirits. Frankly, I was pretty sozzled by the end of it!

Some of the highlights from the tastings for me were (from what I can remember!):

• Ned Rose 2015 from Marlborough in New Zealand. I'm not a massive rose fan as it can often either be bland or sweet. However, this quite colourful drop of pink is a mix of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir which means it has more flavour and creaminess without being super sweet.
• Incanta Pinot Noir 2015 from Romania. Yes, a red wine from Romania. Fairly light but with all the fruity flavours you would expect and pretty reasonably priced at £5.99 a bottle. I'd recommend it if you want to try something new and different.
• "Angels Share" Shiraz 2014 from Two Hands. I love all the wines Two Hands make. This Australian brand is not cheap, but all their wines whether from Barossa or McLaren Vale are all delicious. This Shiraz is very rich but, although it's pretty strong, its not overpowering but rather deliciously
  
  smooth.
• Au Bon Climat Chardonnay 2014 from Santa Barbara in California. Again, not cheap at just under £20 a bottle, but worth every penny. Rich, buttery and complex and worth the extra spend if you want something special.
• Penderyn Myth Single Malt Welsh Whisky. I've never tried a Welsh whisky before, but being half Taff, I was fascinated to try it. Apparently it won a gold award at the Whiskies of the World Masters 2015 and I can see why. It's matured in Bourbon casks and it does have a slight sweet taste to it. Not too fiery, but full of flavour and dangerously drinkable.

However, the actual highlight from the night, was someone coming up to me and asking if I was Pinotnoirgirl from Twitter. I'm actually famous, it's finally happened!

In all seriousness, the whole evening was really nice. Not overly busy and no pushing and shoving to get to the wines. We chatted to some really friendly people and learned lots more about Majestic. For example, a Wine Guru called Lauren told us that all of the staff at Majestic have to take their WSET Level 3. Which means, if they give you advice on wine, they know what they are talking about.

There was no hard sell either (although we did, of course, buy a whole load of wines!). It was just a really interesting and informative evening. And wines at lots of different price points from £5.99 a bottle up to just under £20.

I think you can sign up to be invited to these sort of events on the Majestic website. But don't you all sign up, I want to be invited next time!

What I drank this weekend: Pinot Noir (of course)

I was once told that the best Pinot Noir comes from either Burgundy in France or Marlborough in New Zealand. This is due to the climate and soil as Pinot Noir tends to like cool climates.

And since then, I've been a bit of a snob about it and tend to only buy my beloved red from those regions. The same with Sauvignon Blanc.

However, recently I have started to stray into trying different regions. Don't get me wrong, I love the light and earthy taste of a Marlborough Pinot Noir, but lately I've been trying some from South East Australia and Oregon.

Oregon is cooler than most Pinot sites in California and so tends to produce a lighter wine more similar to the Burgundy and less fruity and punchy than those from Sonoma. I have particularly enjoyed drinking the Underwood Pinot Noir from Marks and Spencer. At £13 a bottle it isn't cheap, but I think worth every penny. It doesn't have the smoky, mushroomy taste of some Pinots but its fruity and full of ripe cherries and raspberries and of course violets.

Now, when it comes to Australia, I'd generally be inclined to buy a Shiraz or a Cabernet. However, the South Eastern region can be cooler and I've recently become a fan of the Telegraph Station Pinot Noir. Made exclusively for Tesco it is half the price of the Marks and Spencer Pinot Noir at £6 a bottle. And it is delicious. Again, not mushroomy like the Burgundies but bright and fresh and full of raspberry and black cherry. In fact, it has recently been awarded a  International Wine & Spirit Competition Quality Award IWSC Bronze award.

So, if you're coming to visit me over my birthday or Christmas, feel free to bring either of these two reds. They are both great, but I think the Marks and Spencer wine is the winner. So, I'd be especially pleased if you brought this.

Slurrp sensibly and that :) 

Tasting wines at Chateau Teyssier with Tom Harrow

I was recently lucky enough to be invited to an 40th birthday party staying at Chateau Rigaud near Saint Emilion in the Bordeaux region of France. 

Me tasting Le Dome 2009 at Chateau Tessier

One of the fabulous excursions that was organised (as well as a helicopter ride over Saint Emilion!!) was a wine tasting trip to a nearby Chateau, Chateau Teyssier. This was hosted by wine expert Tom Harrow from Honest Grapes who had also done a vertical wine tasting for us at our Chateau the previous night.

Although we were in the heart of Bordeaux, we had been drinking Tuscan reds for most of the week, thanks to the birthday boy's love of Italian wines. So it was organised that the wine tasting should be a comparison of a couple Italian 2009 reds vs a couple of the Grand Crus produced in 2009 by JCP Maltus wines.

The Chateau itself is hugely opulent, modern and immaculate. We were fortunate enough to be greeted by Lyn Maltus, one of the owners and a pair of gorgeous Gordon Setter dogs. After a brief tour of the production, we were led through to the tasting area, which was cool despite it being a 30 degree day in France, which overlooked a beautiful swimming pool with relaxed outside eating areas. Overall, it had a very decadent feel.

The wines we tasted at Chateau Teyssier

Now, anyone who reads my blog knows that I love wine. But I really wouldn't class myself as an expert. I suspect like a lot of wine fans, I drink a lot of it and I know what I like, but that is about it. One day, I hope to take my WSET and become more of an expert, but for now I am content being a happy novice. 

So, some of the talk about terroirs and South Bank and Left Bank wines went a bit over my head. But I have to admit, all of the wines we tasted were absolutely delicious and the whole atmosphere was amazing. And it was good to compare wines with similar grape composites from different countries from the same year.

Outside Chateau Teyssier

Having got married in Tuscany in 2013, I obviously absolutely love Italian wines. But probably my favourite wine of the day was Le Dome 2009. Apparently JCP Maltus only produced around 1,000 cases of this so it weighs in at a hefty £131 a bottle. But when you taste it, you can see why it has such a glamorous price tag. It is smooth, fruity and velvety and was given 99 points by Robert Parker who said the Dome was Johnathon Maltus' finest wine to date.

My next favourite was probably Le Macchiole Paleo 2009 from Tuscany. This has a more affordable price point of £45. Made with 100% Cabernet Franc, it smells of plums and cherries and tastes of spice and tobacco.

We also tried the Vieux Chateau Mazerat 2009 vs the Castello di Ama L'apparita 2009. Both of which were great, but the Bordeaux probably had the edge with its Cranberry and white chocolate flavours.

I've done lots of wine tastings around the world. But even in Sonoma in California, I've never been somewhere as elegant as Chateau Teyssier or tried such fine wines. An absolute once in a lifetime experience and thanks to everyone who made it happen.

Wine tasting in Swan Valley, Perth

As I've recently had a baby, wine tasting has been pretty much off the agenda for over a year. But for my birthday, I was lucky enough to be in Perth, Australia and was taken to the Swan Valley region to try some wines. 

So, with a sack of bottles filled with expressed milk, my husband responsible for my son and our friend Paul as the designated driver for our trip, I was pretty excited I can tell you!

I'd never heard of the Swan Valley as Margaret River is probably the most famous wine region in Western Australia. But as it is only 25 minutes drive from the Central Business District of Perth, and 10 minutes drive from the airport it's perfect for a day trip. I literally did no research beforehand as, well it was my birthday, and our friends Paul and Leanne had been before and promised to be our local guides. 

The day didn't start that well because we got lost on the way there and then the first Cellar Door we went to had closed down! I figured they had probably drank too much wine the last time they went...

 

Sandalford Estate

Tasting experience at Sandalford

So, we headed to probably the most well known Cellar Door in the region which is also based in Margaret River, the Sandalford Estate. Here we were offered to taste the Estate Reserve Range.

Being such a large winery, it was quite a slick, clinical operation. The kind of place that charges you for a tasting and then gives you a carefully measured thimbleful. With lots of hard sell and offers of "I can do this deal for you today." However, if you wanted to buy wine paraphernalia or stylish gifts, there was lots to choose from.

There were a few nice wines though. The tastiest wine we tried was probably a Chardonnay (which was actually part of another tasting experience) called Prendiville Reserve 2011 at €60 a bottle. A slightly Oaked Chardonnay with hints of citrus and gooseberry. 

Beautiful setting at Lancaster Wines.

And, a bush fire in the distance.

 

Lancaster Wines

We then went to a much smaller, boutique winery which had more of a personal touch and typical of the sort of tasting rooms you'll find in the region. Called Lancaster Wines, it was more of a shed in the middle of a vineyard but it was really pretty. Plus, the company is actually based in the Swan Valley. The staff were really nice and although there was a smaller selection of wines available, their fortified wines were good as was their 9 Rows Cabernet at $39 a bottle. They also had some interesting cheeses to try.

There was a bush fire going on in the background which created a bit of drama to the experience. But we were reassured that it was a long way away!

 

Feral Brewing Company

My son and I at lunch,

Feral Brewing Co

We then stopped for lunch at a brewery and not a vineyard!! We went to the Feral Brewing Company which had a lovely outside eating area, where we were saved from the baking heat by gusts of cold steam. 

Being a brewery, they had a huge selection of beers and only a few wines, but having only had tasters all morning, I was gasping for a full glass so we opted for the Verdelho. I had a really tasty plate of squid which was only slightly tainted by a huge swarm of flies that came in when the squid went down. It turns out flies like squid and I guess you get this in Western Australia sometimes. Overall, a really yummy lunch. 

 

Talijancich Winery

We then stopped off at our penultimate vineyard. Frankly, I wish we hadn't

The grumpy server at Talijancich

bothered. The sommelier at Sandleford had recommended we go but goodness knows why. Called the Talijancich Winery, the lady that served us was very snooty and clearly did not want to be there. She offered us no tasting notes for any of our wines, barely spoke to us and then charged us for the privilege. It was the only winery we visited all day where we spent no money, which speaks volumes. 

 

Windy Creek Estate

Our final tasting rooms were probably the most rustic of all the ones we visited. But the staff were really friendly and, although they were packing up for the day, made time to chat to us and to talk to us about the wines. They also had a selection of cheeses and biscuits for us to try alongside the wines. The liqueur Shiraz was probably the best, nice, sweet, sticky and plummy.

The wine I bought from Windy Creek Estate.

A really nice Liqueur Shiraz.

We drove round the vineyards. But the area is pretty flat and it looks as though you can do an historic wine route by bicycle from nearby Guildford too. As well as the wineries and the breweries, there are also a number of art galleries and eateries as well as roadside stalls selling local produce.


Paul and Leanne, our tour guides for the day.

And my son, asleep in his buggy!

Overall, this is a really pretty region and a great day trip from Perth. Most of the companies are boutique wine producers, meaning that unless you go to one of the bigger suppliers like Sandalford with a bolt hold in the region, you're unlikely to get a huge range. But if you like liqueur wines and Shiraz then it's definitely worth a visit. My only criticism? No Pinot Noir! But given it's one of the warmest wine regions in Australia, this is hardly surprising.

And, how did my little baby boy cope with the experience? Well, he slept through nearly the whole day. Thanks Paul and Leanne for showing us the sights. Margaret River next time?