Despite its long and thin, North-South orientation, probably the most significant compass direction in Alsace is East – West, as going East takes you closer to the plains by the Rhine (not that great for quality wine production), whereas heading West takes you into the foothills of the Vosges mountains (where most of the Grand Cru vineyards are located).

However, latitude does have an appreciable effect, with the richest wines being made around Guebwillwer and Thann in the south, and lighter styles in the northern villages such as Barr (where I stayed for a week a few years ago).

Very close to Barr is the village of Andlau, home to Domaine Rémy Gresser, a small family-owned producer. They have a total of 10.3 hectares under vine, split across plots within the Grand Crus Kastelberg, Wiebelsberg and Moenchberg plus the Lieux-dits (recognised vineyards that do not have Grand Cru status) Brandhof, Brandberg and Kritt. The family’s vinous links to Andlau have been documented as far back as 1520 when Thiébaut Gresser (himself a viticulturalist) was appointed prevost.

Domaine Rémy Gresser Gewurztraminer “Kritt” 2015 (13.5%, £21 from Top Selection)

On opening the bottle there’s no doubt what the grape is, before a glass has even been poured – white flower blossoms and lychees unfurl into the room.

Unusually above I have put photos of both the front and back labels up: two key figures are revealed on the back, being 13.5% alcohol and a sweetness of 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. So, it’s fairly high in alcohol (though not untypical of Gewurz) which gives it some body, but off-dry in sweetness (compare to the medium and medium-sweet pair I reviewed here).

On the palate it is again distinctly Gewurz, but with a lightness and elegance that is remarkably refined. If you find many Gewurz to be too full on – especially for pairing with more delicately spiced food – then this could be the wine you have been looking for!

Disclosure: sample kindly provided for review

Single Bottle Review

Frankie’s Single Bottle Review #9 – Nederburg “The Manor” Sauvignon Blanc 2015

July 11, 2016 admin

Stylistically, Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa is somewhere between New Zealand and the Loire Valley – just as its Shiraz / Syrah is often between Australia and the northern Rhône. Nederburg cite their founding back in 1791 by Philippus Wolvaart, but this is a thoroughly modern Sauvignon.

sa-wine-routes — Credit: Wines Of South Africa (WOSA)

The Manor is is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc grapes from vineyards in Darling (area 3 in the map above), Paarl (area 9) and Philadelphia (within Durbanville, area 4) – fairly close to the coast for the longer growing season required to develop the aromatic compounds in the wine.

After popping the cap, typical Sauvignon aromas burst into the room, with Loire grassiness joined by Kiwi tropical notes. These are reflected in the mouth with plenty of zest and vigour. Perhaps my expectations weren’t that high, but this wine really impressed me – I would definitely order it again.

Make Mine A Double, Opinion

Make Mine a Double #16 – California Dreaming

July 5, 2016 admin

Wine is produced in all 50 of the USA’s states, and many of them are now seeping into the wine drinker’s consciousness – New York State (Finger Lakes), Oregon (Willamette Valley) and Shenandoah Valley (Virginia). Despite this, California still accounts for around 90% of the USA’s total production, and is almost synonymous with American wine from a European point of view.

Central and Northern California — Credit: www.discovercaliforniawines.com

Of all the regions within California, the most well known are Napa and Sonoma in the North Coast (at the top of the map above). The Central Coast also has a lot to offer, including Santa Barbara (the setting for Sideways). Below are a couple of fantastic reds hailing from Santa Maria (area 71 in the map above) and Napa.

Cambria Estate Santa Maria Valley Tepusquet Syrah 2010 (14.5%, €24.95, O’Briens)

2016-05-19 22.02.09

This 100% Syrah is the sister wine to the Cambria Estate Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir which I reviewed recently elsewhere.

Well, not quite the sister, as Julia’s sister Katherine has her own namesake vineyard next door. The Tepusquet Vineyard is in the far south of Cambria Estate as it is the most protected from the elements, and is therefore a little warmer.

Internationally, the choice of synonym normally denotes the style – spicy and savoury Northern Rhône Syrah or big and bold Aussie Shiraz. In common with many US versions of the grape, this wine is labelled Syrah no matter what the style, but as it happens this is somewhere in between the two – as though Saint Joseph had a very warm year. This spicy, savoury edge to the dark juicy fruit gives it versatility – lovely to drink on its own but would pair well with red meat dishes without overpowering them.

If you like South African Shiraz or Hawke’s Bay Syrah then this is definitely worth putting on your list.

Atalon Napa Valley Merlot 2004 (14.0%, €27.45, O’Briens)

2016-05-19 21.55.49

And so to the wine that dare not speak its name. Merlot often gets a bad press, with the influence of Miles from Sideways still felt…

Jack: If they want to drink Merlot, we’re drinking Merlot.
Miles Raymond: No, if anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!

Napa is rightly famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Chardonnay, but Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc are also planted there. Atalon aim to produce Bordeaux-style wines from the different parts of Napa which exhibit elegance and complexity – words not always associated with Californian wine.

This is almost a varietal Merlot, with just a 3% dash of Cabernet Sauvignon, so this is right-bank in style – think Pomerol or Grand Cru Classé Saint-Emilion. At 12 years of age it is still in its prime, with lots of black fruit, and still a little tannin. I’d imagine it spent well over a year in American oak while maturing, but that oak is well integrated now, leaving just a little vanilla and spice.

This is a Merlot for people who don’t think much of Merlot – it is indeed elegant and complex, with far more going on than any other new world example I’ve tasted.

This is the finest varietal Merlot I’ve tasted in many years!

Of Champagne and Serendipity, part 1

July 2, 2016 admin

Celebrating my third anniversary (“blogaversary”?) today, so here’s a throwback to my first post 3 years ago

Opinion

Frankie’s Single Bottle Review #08 – Jake’s Orchard Kent Cider

June 26, 2016 admin

Jake’s Orchard Kent Cider

Wine is my passion and my favourite drink, but if I fancy a change now and again it’s cider that I took to (beer no longer gets a look in due to my wheat intolerance). Cider actually has quite a lot in common with wine as it’s made from the fermented juice of an annually harvested fruit.

So what better that a cider made by winemakers?

With a nod to Ireland’s Simon Tyrrell, here is one of the finest – and most vinous – ciders I have ever tasted, from the winemaking team at Hush Heath Estate in Kent. The orchard was replanted 20 years ago around the time of the birth of the owners’ son Jake, and so it eventually took on his name.

The cider is made from a blend of Cox (aka Cox’s Orange Pippin), Bramley and Egremont Russet apples, with a little essence of strawberries & blackberries added. Do not think, however, that this is a sickly sweet syrupy concoction like some ciders on the market – it’s elegant and light, and is great option for the dinner table.

Interestingly, secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle – just like traditional method sparkling wine – which makes it naturally sparkling rather than carbonation. Those with keen eyes might notice that it is fairly strong in alcohol for a cider at 7.5%, but it doesn’t taste that strong at all – the sign of a well-balanced ~~wine~~ cider!

Crisp and clean, with a touch of fruit sweetness but fairly dry overall. Delicious! Drink from a large wine glass.

Disclosure: sample kindly provided for review

Book Review

Port and the Douro by Richard Mayson (Third Edition) [Book Review]

June 22, 2016 admin

Book Review – Port and the Douro – 3rd Edition – Richard Mayson

Most of us like Port, but few of us actually drink it – on a regular basis at least. It’s possibly even more niche than the other great fortified style from the Iberian Peninsula, without Sherry’s trendiness in its favour.

Above all, many of us are curious about Port:

What’s the difference between Ruby, Tawny, LBV and other labels?
Why do so many producers have English names?
And for the very curious: What’s the connection between Dog Strangler (1) and the Bishop of Norwich? (2)

Richard Mayson’s excellent and authoritative book answers these questions and much more besides.

The first chapter gives a condensed history of Portugal, Port and the Douro. Politics, religion, agriculture, industrialisation and international treaties all intertwined in the second millennium CE to create the fascinating landscape we have today.

The second chapter is a detailed exposition of the geography, climate and principal grapes of the Douro. This includes a map of the top 80 or so Quintas (farms or estates) with a review and contact details of each. In conjunction with chapter 8 “Directions in the Douro” this makes a mini travel guide. Would be visitors now have a valuable resource to help plan their trip.

The evolution of Port production methods is treated in chapter 3. Whereas fine “light” wines can enjoy a long fermentation and maceration to extract flavour, colour and tannin from grape skins, Port has no such luxury. With a maximum of 48 hours of skin contact before fermentation has to be arrested, firm and rapid extraction is key – and the tried and tested best method for this is foot treading in a lagare (a big, square, open-topped stone tank).

Throughout this third edition, the main text is interspersed with panels painting light-hearted pen pictures of the “Men (and women) who shaped the Douro”. In fact, these small pieces on their own give the reader some entertaining insights into the whole Port story.

As a patriotic Yorkshireman, I particularly enjoyed hearing of a bluff, straight-talking fellow Tyke (3) who devoted himself to exploring and documenting the vineyards of the Douro itself, rather than focusing on the blending, maturation and shipping from Villa Gaia de Nova. Joseph James Forrester produced some excellent maps of the region, and was also a vocal proponent of light (unfortified) Douro wines. Unfortunately, he was 150 years too early for consumer taste and shipping conditions, so these views were widely derided by the Port establishment.

A lack of available labour in the 1960s necessitated the introduction of mechanised alternative to the human foot, with varying degrees of success. Much of the Douro was without a reliable (or any) electricity supply at that time. Autovinification was an ingenious answer, as it used the pressure created by the natural production of carbon dioxide during fermentation to pump the must over the cap (of floating grape skins). More modern technology has since seen the use of robotic devices which attempt to reproduce the firm-but-not-too-firm extraction techniques of the foot.

Who invented Port? Although “light” wine had been made in the Douro for millennia, it was English Shippers who added spirit to large barrels of wine to stop them spoiling on the sea voyage to England. But that wasn’t the invention of Port! Port production depends on the addition of spirit before fermentation has finished, thereby retaining some of the grapes’ natural sugars as the spirit kills off the fermenting yeast. And that practice was first documented by a couple of wine merchants who found the Abbot of Lamego carrying it out on 1676.

The fourth chapter explains the different types of Port, from the well-established to the new. The following table summarises the main styles:

The best of the best – Vintage Port – gets chapter 5 all to itself. Each year from 1960 to 2015 (in the new paperback edition) is given a mark from nil to five stars as an overall guide, plus a narrative explaining how the vintage unfolded – essentially the weather throughout the year – and the author’s pick of the best bottles. Selected other years going back to 1844 (!) are also included in the vintage guide. Whether this is a useful buying guide depends on the distance of your drinking horizon and/or the depths of your pockets.

Adulation and Adulteration. Without reference to quality, (young) Port’s defining characteristics are that it is sweet, strong in alcohol and dark in colour. Unscrupulous shippers based in Portugal and (especially) wine merchants in England would therefore bulk out real Port wine – or even wine from other regions – with sugar, raisin wine, cheap alcohol and elderberry juice.

Port Producers and Shippers are addressed in chapter 6, some now defunct and many now conjoined into large groups:

Joseph James Forester’s beloved light (everything is relative) Douro wines finally make an appearance in chapter 7. They are made using essentially the same grapes as Port itself, but fermented to dryness, and skipping the addition of spirit. Douro wines only gained their own DOC in 1979. Usually big and bold, when well made they can perform well at the table with many courses, rather than just Port’s traditional role at the end.

As already mentioned, chapter 8 has travel information on hotels, restaurants and local dishes.

Chapter 9 is a short postscript on the future for Port and the Douro. It would be an interesting exercise to look at the predictions in earlier editions!

Overall, this is an essential book for Port and Douro fans, and great reading for anyone with an interest in wine!

Click on the pic to buy directly from Amazon:

**********************************************************************

Footnotes
(1) The literal translation of the name “Esgana Cão”, the extremely acidic Port grape which also appears as Sercial in Madeira.
(2) Asking a person at the dinner table if they know the Bishop of Norwich is apparently a polite prod to keep the Port moving round the table!
(3) Peter Mayson is a resident of the other (dark) side of the Pennines, so was duty bound to use this description.

Make Mine A Double

Make Mine A Double #15 – Unusual Alsace

June 12, 2016 admin

raisins — Grapes at Domaine Christian Dock, Heiligenstein

There are a few types of Alsace wine that most wine lovers are very familiar with – Riesling and Gewurztraminer for example – and aficionados will also know about the Crémants and Vendanges Tardives wines. However, here are a couple that are really off the beaten track – but no less delicious for it!

Christian Dock Klevener de Heiligenstein 2011 (13.5%, bought from producer)

2016-04-21 19.28.03

When Gewurz is great it can be really great – such as this pair. However, even when it’s as good as that it’s not necessarily a supping wine – it can be so rich that one glass is fab, but enough. This related grape is less expressive, usually drier, and much more quaffable. So what the heck is it?

We begin with the Traminer grape which is thought to have originated in the town of Tramin an der Weinstraße, previously in the Austria-Hungary County of Tyrol and now in South Tyrol / Alte Adige in northern Italy (the town didn’t move but the border did). Traminer made its way north to the Jura mountains where it became known as Savagnin Blanc (not to be confused with Sauvignon Blanc), though it differs very slightly from its antecedent. Here it is still produced for Savagnin table wine, Vin de Paille and Vin Jaune.

A pink-skinned mutation (of either Traminer or Savagnin Blanc) called Savagnin Rose then developed, and was allegedly taken north from Chiavenna in Italy (Cleven or Kleven in German). An aromatic mutation of this then became Gewürztraminer (literally Spicy Traminer) in Germany and Alsace.

However, in the village of Heiligenstein (near Barr) and its surrounds in northern Alsace there are still some plantings of Savagnin Rose – known as Klevener de Heiligenstein – which is what we have here. Further confusion is caused by Klevner (only 2 ‘e’s) which is either a synonym for Pinot Blanc or a blend which can contain Pinots Blanc, Gris and Noir plus Auxerrois.

Unfortunately production is fairly small so it’s a rarity, but if you ever come across a bottle then you must try it – still off-dry, soft and round but more subtle than most Gewurztraminers. Like its offspring I think it would be great with Asian food.

Christian Dock is a small family producer in the village that I happened to stop at in passing. Like most producers they make the full range of Alsace wines and I recommend you try any you can get your hands on.

Domaine Zind Humbrecht “Zind” Vin de France 2013 (13.0%, RRP €23.95, jnwine.com)

So first of all you may notice that this isn’t an Appellation Alsace Controllée wine, or any Appellation at all come to that, despite being made by one of the region’s most celebrated producers, Zind-Humbrecht. This is because it doesn’t satisfy the AOC rules for Alsace and there is no junior Vin de Pays or IGP designation for the area so it has to fall all the way down to Vin de France. And where does it fall short of the rules? Chardonnay! *gasp*

This is a 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Auxerrois. You never see the former on an Alsace label as it’s not considered to be a local grape, but it is permitted in Crémant d’Alsace (as in many other crémants around France). Occasionally a small percentage might find its way into a Pinot blend, but that’s strictly on the QT.

Auxerrois (this version of it, at least – it’s also the synonym for grapes such as Malbec and Valdiguié) is a full sibling of Chardonnay, as they both have Gouais Blanc and Pinot as parents (due to the Pinot family’s genetic instability it’s not always possible to tell the colour of a particular parent). Although this is considered a local grape, it too nearly always ends up in blends.

Despite not being an AOC wine this was special. It showed lots of citrus and white fruit, but also minerality and some pleasant reductive characteristics. My friend Mags said it reminded her of a good white Burgundy – though at a much lower price!

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Other “Make Mine A Double” Posts

Make Mine A Double, Tasting Events

Make Mine a Double #14 – Wines With B-Rio

June 7, 2016 admin

With the Rio Olympics looming over the horizon, what better time to sample Brazil’s vinous delights. What? Brazilian wine? Yes indeed, and though as a whole the country isn’t a viticultural paradise there are some tasty wines being made there. Here are a couple from M&S that I tried recently:

Riosecco Sparkling Glera NV (11.5%, €13.29)

Riosecco is a portmanteau of Rio and Prosecco, a not too subtle hint that this is a Brazilian alternative to Italy’s Prosecco. Before 2009 the grape used in DOC Prosecco was often referred to as by the same name, which meant that other areas could use the Prosecco name without being made in the same region (…or even country). When the even stricter DOCG was created in 2009 the old synonym Glera was adopted, and that’s what we have on this Latin American bubbly.

It’s pleasantly fruity but refreshing and dry on the finish. A better effort that many ordinary Proseccos. Give it a try!

Araucria Riesling Pinot Grigio 2015 (12.5%, €13.29)

I tasted this without looking closely at the information provided and was a bit stumped – I just didn’t know what to make of it. “Can I get back to you on this?” I told my notepad. Then, noticing the blend was 70% Riesling and 30% Pinot Grigio, it started to make sense.

It has the refreshing acidity and citrus bite of Riesling plus a bit of the rounder fruit and texture from Pinot Grigio. This could actually pass for an Alsace blend from a cooler year – not quite as round as an average Edelzwicker as it doesn’t have any Pinot Blanc. It’s a well made, modern wine which deserves to be sipped while sitting in the sun.

And just because I can, here is another Rio:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3W6yf6c-FA

Make Mine A Double

Make Mine A Double #13 – Gorgeous Gewurz!

June 1, 2016 admin

As I’ve hinted at many times, Gewurztraminer isn’t always a guaranteed winner with me – sometimes it’s glorious, but sometimes it doesn’t quite sit right – some of the elements out of kilter. When the DNS Wine Club met recently for an all-Alsace tasting, two Gewurz were the value-for-money and money-no-object winners of the night – much to everyone’s surprise!

Sipp Mack Gewurztraminer Vieilles Vignes 2012 (13.5%, €24.00 Mitchell & Son)

Sipp-Mack has been a favourite producer of mine for several years, and one I was able to visit when over in Hunawihr a few years ago. Their Rosacker Grand Cru Riesling is a regular tipple at Ely – the whole range has great depth of flavour. At the time this wine was made the winery was “in conversion” to organic practices, and are now certified.

The helpful label on the back describes the sweetness of this wine as “medium” – and at 51 g/L of residual sugar it would never be mistaken for dry. It’s one of the most remarkably balance Gewurz I’ve ever had – lots of lychee, floral and ginger flavours from the old vines but also acidity to balance that sweetness. This is as good as some of the Grand Cru Gewurz wines I’ve had from other producers – a veritable bargain.

Léon Beyer Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives 1998 (13.5%, €39.90 Léon Beyer)

I happened across the little shop front of Léon Beyer after buying several cases from Domaine Bruno Sorg in the same village of Eguisheim. Leaving my wife in a souvenir shop I dashed through the wines open for tasting. “The house style is dry” said the lady at the counter, “apart from the sweet wines”. Although this might sound like nonsense, of course she was referring to the Vendanges Tardives (late harvest) and Sélection de Grains Nobles (botrytised grapes) dessert wines. The dry wines were indeed dry, and lovely, but this late harvest wine really stood out.

Opening an 18 year old wine does leave you a bit on edge, but I needn’t have worried – it was magnificent. And so fresh! It didn’t taste in the slightest bit tired. The Léon Beyer website give a drinking window of 10 to 20 years from vintage, but this tasted like it had another decade left at least. Some measure of the wine’s rarity can be garnered from the fact that only 4 more vintages have been produced since the 1998.

Although not cheap at around €40 (for 750ml) in France, this wine was jaw-droppingly good. If I’d had another bottle I might have been mugged for it by the rest of the wine club!

Tasting Events

A Lidl Italian Wine

May 26, 2016 admin

Flag_of_Italy

If you cast your mind back all the way to February of this year, you may remember that supermarket group Lidl launched a limited release of new French wines in Ireland (here are my posts on the Reds and Whites).

Now they’re going to do the same with a batch of Italian wines, set for release on Monday 13th June, and available while stocks last. The wines in this batch don’t reach quite as high as the more expensive French ones did, but they are still worth seeking out.

Gavi di Gavi DOCG 2014 (12.5%, €9.99)

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Gavi is the town in Piedmont (NW Italy) where this wine is made from the Cortese grape (which I always think sounds like a family from The Godfather) – and the wine is sometimes usefully called Cortese di Gavi, in case you forget. Wines from the production area closest to the town are called Gavi di Gavi as we have here.

By the way, if that’s all too confusing, feel free to call it “Gavin”. The wine won’t mind either way.

The wine is clean and unoaked, with pear and stone fruit flavours. It has some texture too, so it could stand up against seafood and lighter chicken dishes. Make sure you give it a chance to warm a little if it’s been in the fridge for a while.

Soave Classico DOC 2015 (12.0%, €9.99)

213281_Soave_Classico

I suspect I’m not the only person who has been put off “Soave” by the cheap swill on the cheapest supermarket or convenience store shelves – but when it’s done right, it can be a very pleasant drink. Trademark Italian acidity is still there but with soft citrus, pear and apple fruit. The perfect drink for sitting in the back garden – especially if someone else is doing the gardening!

Barbera d’Asti DOCG 2015 (12.5%, €7.99)

211240_Barbera DAsti

Barbera is the grape here and Asti is the province in north-west Italy where it’s made – together with Alexandria next door. As part of Piedmont (or Piemonte to the locals) it tends to fall into the shadow of Nebbiolo, especially Barolo and Barbareseco, the “King and Queen” of the area. Barbera can make top class wines, but even the more economical end of the market gives some very drinkable examples such as this. It’s full of soft, juicy red and black fruit, with a slight smokiness. Remarkable for the price.

Teroldego Rotaliano DOP Superiore Riserva 2012 (12.5%, €8.99)

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Teroldego is the grape in this wine. Haven’t heard of it? don’t worry, neither had I! It’s from the Trentino area of northern Italy, Superiore meaning it’s 12.0% minimum and Riserva meaning it has spent at least 24 months maturing before release.

This wine has lots of character – it’s zippier than a gobshite from Rainbow! Super fresh acidity makes it mouthwateringly tasty and really food friendly.

Nero d’Avola Terre Siciliane IGP (13.0%, €13.99 – 1.5L)

213221_Nero_dAvola_Terre

At first glance this might appear a bit more expensive than the other wines – but it’s a double sized bottle! Magnums are great fun at parties, so buy a few for a BBQ and you’re sorted! Nero d’Avola is a popular grape in Sicily, giving spice, dark berries and chocolate. It’s very drinkable, just make sure you don’t get carried away on a school night!

Larger format bottles are nearly all named after Biblical figures such as Methuselah and Salmanazar – the Magnum is the exception as it was named after a Private Investigator*

Salice Salentino DOC Riserva 2013 (13.5%, €9.99)

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Now we’re in the heel of Italy’s boot, in Puglia. Salice Salentino is the staple of Italian restaurants everywhere – for good reason! It’s made from the Negroamaro grape which translates as “black and bitter”, but if there is any bitterness it is pleasant. What it does have is spicy black fruit, and it’s so more-ish! A barbecue wine that you will want to carry on drinking after the food has all disappeared.

Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2011 (13.5%, €9.99)

211313_Chianti_Classico_Riserva

Up to now, all the wines I’ve recommended have been in the easy drinking style. This is a bit different – not for the uninitiated, unless you are prepared to try something new. The heart of Tuscan wine is Chianti, particularly the original central area which is now Chianti Classico.

This is a Riserva – aged in barrel for 24 month then 3 further months in bottle. It has the full on Chianti experience – tobacco, liquorice, cherry and a touch of vanilla. This should keep for another five years at least, and will soften and mellow over that time. Who am I kidding? This is going to be drunk within a week!

*this may not be 100% factually accurate.

Frankly Wines

Frankie’s Single Bottle Review #10 – Domaine Rémy Gresser Gewurz “Kritt” 2015