In these unusual times, we all need a lift from time to time. As a change to my usual wine reviews I’ve decided to start a fun and irreverent series on matching wine and music. The basic idea is that I give participants:

A piece of music –> they suggest a wine to go with it, with an explanation
A wine –> they suggest a piece of music to go with it

It’s all for fun, so please don’t slag off anybody’s taste music (or wine!) Thanks to Michelle Williams for the inspiration – she has been matching songs to wine for years on her Rockin Red Blog.

Paul Moran is a personal friend and former colleague of mine. When working together I was always happy to let Paul choose the music we listened to as our tastes have a significant overlap; furthermore, as Paul did not have the same eight years of sleep deprivation (aka “kids”) he was always able to introduce me to new things.

The track I chose for Paul is one of my favourite dance music tracks (Rez) from a band (Underworld) who both performed live and released albums (not the norm on the dance music scene). Funnily enough Rez was not originally included on an Underworld album, but was on 1994’s Junior Boy’s Own Collection. One of the criticisms levelled at dance music by people who don’t like it has been that it lacks the emotion of music made by “real” instruments; Rez obliterates this judgement as it’s one of the most emotive pieces of music I’ve ever heard – judge for yourself below!

The wine I chose is also something of a rule breaker. This time it’s my own rule of thumb: if a wine region or grape is known for making something different, e.g. sparkling or fortified wine, or even brandy, then the chances are that the regular wines from the region or grape are pretty ordinary. Suertes del Marqués’s white wines are predominantly made from Listán Blanco which is treasured in Jerez for its neutrality under the synonym Palomino. However, in Tenerife’s Valle de La Orotava it produces wine such as Trenzado, an amazingly complex wine which, while it might not be to everyone’s taste, can be everything to those who like it.

A moment of sensory reflection, the nostalgia of a forgotten tune or half remembered flavour. Whether it’s wine or music, both pursuits seem like they flex the same mental muscles.

The similarities between music and wine have struck me before: having studied music at university and now, a decade later, working in wine, I’ve often considered the parallels. But when actually requested to pair a wine with a piece of music (and vice versa), then explain my rationale, I initially found it a little hard to articulate.

Underworld – Rez

The track Frankie has asked me to pair is the devastatingly simple rave classic Rez by Underworld. Starting with an arpeggiated chord progression, it builds and builds to a series of monstrous climaxes but never loses the iron focus at its core. My first instinct, when seeking a wine to accompany it, was that acid was required — lots of it. Rez needs a wine that’s layered and complex but also fun and thrilling in equal measure, something to make the hair on your arms stand on end and send a shiver down your spine.

My mind immediately went to Jura Savagnin and, in particular, Premice from Les Dolomies. Much like those opening chords in Rez, as the wine hits your palate the mouth-watering acidity shocks your taste buds to attention. That’s followed by layer after layer of citrus peel, crushed rocks, nutty oxidation and struck match reduction. Each is perfectly in balance; as soon as you notice one aroma or taste, it is beautifully eclipsed by something else — only to shift back into focus later on.

Premice Savagnin Jura

Both the track and wine exhibit a certain alchemy, a masterclass in nerve and poise that adds up to more than the sum of its parts. I can’t think of a better wine to drink while imagining reaching for those lasers.

Suertes del Marqués Trenzado

trenzado

The wine I was asked to match to a piece of music is the excellent Trenzado from Suertes del Marqués in Tenerife. It’s a fascinatingly complex wine that I think takes people aback at first; those that it converts tend to become devoted fans. There is a huge amount going on in the glass here and as with the wine above, it’s distinctive in terms of how many layers of complexity there are. This is where the similarities end however; this wine opens up to reveals itself very differently.

The first thing that strikes me on the nose is an intense smokiness, followed by citrus. The palate is then surprisingly broad and I’m immediately struck by the texture rather than any single flavour. There is green apple and butter, a bit like a weird, edgy cousin of white Burgundy. I take my first sip straight from the fridge but over the next hour it opens up to reveal stone fruits, salty seaweed, honey, herbs and a persistent smoky finish.

It took over an hour for this wine to open fully so it felt only appropriate to pick a piece of music that takes time to show its true form. Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians is a rich tapestry of instruments and voices, layered into a constantly shifting and undulating soundscape. When I saw this piece performed live by Reich a few years ago, I was completely awestruck by the experience.

Wine and music both represent a journey through the senses. A moving piece or magical bottle takes you to another place psychologically. An otherworldly plain, where the normal world momentarily melts away.

Paul Moran

Paul Moran is Business Development Manager for Findlater & Co in North Dublin.

Having originally studied music, Paul spent ten years working in Project Management before jumping into wine full time last year. Despite feeling out of his depth much of the time he’s not come to regret the decision (yet).

You can follow him on instagram under the moniker @selected_ambient_yeasts [itself a reference to both wine and music].

The Frankly Wines & Friends Wine & Music Series
No.	Guest Name	Music to pair	Wine to pair

14	Lee Isaacs	The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter	Domaine Jones Fitou
13	Sharon L	Souls Of Mischief – 93 ‘Til Infinity	Penfolds RWT
12	Tim Milford	Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man	Nyetimber Classic Cuvée
11	Mags McKee	U2 with BB King – When Love Comes to Town	Pittnauer Zweigelt Heideboden
10	Cara Rutherford	The Cure – Just Like Heaven	Suertes del Marqués ‘7 Fuentes’
9	Melanie May	The Cult – She Sells Sanctuary	Sipp Mack GC Rosacker Riesling
8	James Hubbard	Gary Moore – Parisienne Walkways	Penfolds Bin 707 Cab Sauv
7	Paul Moran	Underworld – Rez	Suertes del Marqués Trenzado
6	Nirina Plunkett	Jamiroquai – Space Cowboy Club Remix	Wolfberger Crémant d’Alsace
5	Penny Sadler	Fleetwood Mac – Dreams	Bollinger Special Cuvée
4	Jim Dunlop	The Beatles – The Long And Winding Road	Man O’ War Valhalla Chardonnay
3	Avril Kirrane McMorrough	Norah Jones – Don’t Know Why	Joseph Cattin Riesling Reserve
2	Tim of Soliciting Flavours	Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings	Viña Tondonia Blanco
1	Sinéad Smyth	Stardust – Music Sounds Better With You	Mullineux Syrah

Tasting Events

To SPIT or not to SPIT (Part 3 – VinosTito)

January 25, 2019 admin

Logo emblema VT

The Spanish team (now with added Polish) at Vinostito have put a firm focus on low intervention winemaking – not for the sake of it, but for the authenticity and excellence of the wines it can produce. Of course they have an extensive selection from Spain, but also other countries such as Portugal, Germany, France and Italy.

Here are five which really piqued my interest at October’s SPIT festival:

Weingut Immich-Batterieberg CAI Mosel Riesling 2016 (11.5%, RRP €21.50 at 64 Wine, Glasthule; Loose Canon, Drury St; Baggot Street Wines, Ballsbridge; Green Man Wines, Terenure; Kelly’s Off-Licence, Clontarf)

immich batterieberg riesling kabinett cai

Immich-Batterieberg is one of the oldest estates in Germany’s Mosel, being noted in the first, second and now third millennium. The Immich family themselves began making wine back in 1425, and were instrumental in the creation of the Batterieberg between 1841 and 1845 using lots of explosives!

The CAI is a Trocken, i.e. dry style of Riesling, with an alcohol of 11.5% which is higher than many sweeter wines, but remains modest. It isn’t bone dry, however, with just a touch of residual sugar which enhances the attractive, zippy fruit. Full of Riesling Goodness!

Weingut Immich-Batterieberg Escheburg Mosel Riesling 2016 (11.0%, RRP €29.00 at 64 Wine, Glasthule)

escheburg

Compared to the CAI, this is somewhat drier, still young and tight – waiting for its wings to unfurl. It’s made from superior grapes which don’t quite make it into the single cuvées. The steep slate vineyard soils really show in the minerality of the wine, even though the minerals themselves are not technically soluble enough to be absorbed by the vines. This is a fairly serious wine which would be at its best with shellfish or after some years to develop and open out.

Casa da Passarella Descoberta Dão Branco 2017 (13.0%, RRP €16.50 at On The Grape Vine, Dalkey; Martin’s Off-Licence, Fairview; Lilac Wines, Fairview; Baggot Street Wines, Ballsbridge; Blackrock Cellar, Blackrock; Matson’s, Cork)

casa passarella

Dão wines aren’t particularly well known in Ireland, though they deserve more attention. The region is situated about a third of the way down the country from the northern border and roughly equidistant from the Atlantic and the eastern border with Spain. It sits on a granite plateau topped by well drained sandy soil – not too bad for quality wine! This is a blend of local speciality Encruzado plus some Malvasia Fina and Verdelho. It’s quite different from the by-the-glass selection in your local pub, with a lovely mouthfeel and richness to it, but not oiliness. A dry, textured finish seals the deal.

Suertes del Marqués Trenzado 2016 (13.0%, RRP €25.00 at SIYPS, Baggot Street Wines, Ballsbridge; Blackrock Cellar, Blackrock; The Corkscrew, Chatham St; Clontarf Wines, Clontarf; Lilliput Stores, Stoneybatter)

trenzado

I’ve reviewed this wine at least once before, but no apologies for repetition will be forthcoming as it’s so damn good – and so damn interesting – that it never disappoints. Suertes del Marqués are a relatively new outfit but they have access to plenty of older vines – the ones for this blend range between 10 and 150 years old, all in the Valle de La Orotava of Tenerife. I say “blend” as the majority of the wine is Listán Blanco (aka Palamino of Sherry fame) but there are also dashes of Pedro Ximenez, Albillo Criollo, Gual, Marmajuelo and Malvasia. As pictured on the front label, the vines are (mainly) trained with the traditional trellis system of cordón trenzado after which the wine is named.

For anyone studying wine this is a great example to do a model tasting note for as it shows so many different types of aroma and flavour: various citrus fruits, nuts and sea-washed pebbles on the nose, with the same on the palate but also a slightly waxy character. It’s a fairly different wine but it’s one that’s easy to like and to love.

Luís Seabra Vinhos Xisto iLimitado Tinto 2016 (12.0%, RRP €22.00 at Sweeney’s, Glasnevin; 64 Wine, Glasthule; On The Grape Vine, Dalkey; Martin’s Off-Licence, Fairview; Lilac Wines, Fairview; Baggot Street Wines, Ballsbridge; Green Man Wines, Terenure; Matson’s, Cork)

luis seabra vinhos xisto ilimitado

Luís Seabra makes a fantastic range of wines in Portugal’s north, the Douro Valley and Vinho Verde regions. His Douro wines are very different from the normal big reds found there, with lots of fruit, oak, tannin and alcohol. His wines are lighter and judiciously oaked, but don’t lack in flavour or length. As “Xisto” is the Portugese for “schist”, it’s not too hard to guess what type of soil the vines are planted in!

This 2016 is a blend of several grapes, some of which are coplanted in old and almost forgotten plots: 30% Touriga Franca, 20% Tinta Amarela, 20% Tinta Roriz, 10% Rufete, 10% Tinta Barroca, 5% Malvasia Preta and 5% Donzelinho Tinto. Luís’s approach to grape variety selection and winemaking both lead to his wines being very interesting and very fresh.

I was browsing some new additions to the shelves of Baggot Street Wines in early 2018 and noticed several wines from Luis Seabra in Portugal. What really caught my eye was the “REPROVADO / DISAPPROVED” warning notice on the back label of the 2015 Tinto – the first time I had ever seen anything like that on a wine label.

Speaking to the man himself a few weeks later at the Vinostito portfolio tasting, he recounted that when the wine was not allowed the Douro classification due to being “untypical” of the region, he sought permission to put a warning label on. The wine authorities had never received such a request previously, but they allowed it.

For the 2016 vintage (above) the Tinto was immediately given the Douro badge – I think the wine authorities learned their lesson!

The SPIT series:

Opinion

Frankly Wines Top 10 Whites of 2016

January 15, 2017 admin

Now it’s the turn for white wines to shine – here are ten of the best still dry whites which shone in 2016:

10. Feudo Luparello Sicilia Grillo – Viognier 2015

feudo_grilloviogner-cropped

A novel blend of indigenous Sicilian and international grapes, this wine is more than the sum of its parts. Local Grillo is fresh and textured, more dry than fruity, whereas Viognier adds a voluptuous touch. This is how blended wines should work!

See here for the full review (and the Nero d’Avola – Syrah blend!)

9. Nugan Estate Riverina Dreamer’s Chardonnay

nugan-personality-dreamers-chardonnay-label-small

A “supermarket wine” made from “unfashionable” Chardonnay in a region known for its bulk wines, on paper this wine should be pap – but it works, in fact it works a treat! In Ireland (at least) the main parameter for wine consumers in supermarkets in price, especially if a promotional offer is involved. Given the high rates of duty and tax squeezing the cost side of the equation it’s not easy to find everyday wines that are actually enjoyable (though plenty are drinkable).

Nugan Estate’s “Personality” Single Vineyard series ticks all the boxes for me, and this was narrowly my favourite of the lot. See here for my review of the full range.

8. Angel Sequeiros Rías Baixas Albariño “Evoé” 2013

Although the label might look like an impressionist’s take on Health & Efficiency, the wine inside is fantastic – great with seafood, but gentle and fruity enough to be enjoyed on its own. If only all Albariños were this good!

See here for the full review.

7. Goisot Bourgogne Aligoté 2014

aligote

The “other” white grape of Burgundy (ignoring the small amounts of Pinots Blanc and Gris) which is definitely a second class citizen, and is so poor on its own that the Kir cocktail was invented to find a palatable use for it – or so the received wisdom goes.

There’s some element of truth in this, but Aligoté is usually grown on less-favoured sites and with a focus on yields rather than flavour, so it takes a brave producer to break out of this cycle and give the grape the attention it deserves. The Goisot family are such a producer, based in the Sauvignon Blanc outpost of Saint-Bris. This Aligoté is unlike any other I have tasted – it actually has colour unlike most which are like pale water, and an intensity of white flower and spicy pear flavours which reveal the age of the vines.

6. Gaia Wild Ferment Santorini Assyrtiko 2013

When I put together a “wild” wine tasting for DNS Wine Club last year, there were a few obvious candidates that couldn’t possibly be missed from the line-up – this being one of them. I had recommended it several times in the past so I was hoping it would live up to its reputation – especially tasted blind – and it certainly did! Overall this was the favourite wine of the tasting, showing the funky flavours of wild yeast fermentation but still plenty of lovely citrus fruit and crisp acidity.

5. Tinpot Hut Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016

tph

A common complaint levelled at New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc – and Marlborough in particular – is that “they all taste the same”. There is some truth in this – the aromatics are generally recognisable before the first glass has even been poured and they are never short of acidity – but if you taste different examples side by side then there are clear differences. The alternative styles of SB are another thing, of course, with wild yeast barrel fermentation and oak ageing used to make a different type of wine (see this article for more information).

4. Suertes del Marqués Trenzado

2016-05-27-19-11-42

This isn’t a wine for everybody, but it’s a wine everybody should try at least once. Based mainly on Listan Blanco grapes from ten plots in Tenerife’s Valle de La Orotava, it’s so different that at first it’s hard to describe using everyday wine terms – it’s not fruity or buttery – perhaps nutty and waxy? Sounds strange, but it’s an interesting and very enjoyable wine.

3. Domaine Zinck Grand Cru Eichberg Riesling 2014

2016-10-13-22-04-20

Domaine Zinck’s Portrait Series wines are fine examples of regular AOC Alsace wines and show the town of Eguisheim in a good light. Take the step up to the Grand Cru Eichberg Riesling, however, and you move into different territory; not just in terms of the elevation of the vines, but a much more intense catalogue of aromas and flavours. Even a young example such as this 2014 is delightful, but with the capacity to age for a decade or two and continue developing.

2. Sipp Mack Grand Cru Rosacker Riesling 2011

2016-08-30-15-23-19

Narrowly pipping its countryman, Sipp-Mack’s Grand Cru Riesling is from another exalted site: the Rosacker vineyard near Hunawihr, in between Ribeauvillé (where Trimbach is based) and Riquewihr (home to Hugel). It has both primary fruit and mineral notes, and performs fantastically at the table.

For such a stunning wine it is relatively inexpensive at around €30 retail. See here for the full review.

1. Shaw + Smith M3 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2014

When I have favourite wines that I taste regularly over the years, I try not to repeat myself too much in my Top 10 review articles. Given that I am lucky enough to taste several thousand wines over the course of an average year, it’s not such a difficult line to take…apart from M3!! The 2014 is still very young, but it’s a delight to drink now. Adelaide Hills is now possibly second to Tasmania for trendy cooler climate Aussie wines, but for me it’s still number one.

Tag: Listan Blanco

The Frankly Wines & Friends Wine & Music Series #7 – Paul Moran