Tasting Events

Marks and Sparklers

Retailer Marks and Spencer have an excellent wine range, and in line with their aspirational target consumers they aren’t afraid to go up market now and again.  Here are six of Marks and Sparks’ super sparklers:

M&S Cava Prestige Brut NV (12.0%, 9.0 g/L, €16.30)

cava

This is a blend of two out of the three traditional white Cava grapes, being 75% Macabeo and 25% Parellada (no love for Xarel-lo this time!)  For those not aware, Cava is made in the same way as Champagne (the “traditional method”) from a delimited area of Spain, most of which is in Catalonia near Barcelona.  This is a step above the bargain basement Cava which does the label no good – it’s nice and toasty but balanced.

M&S Cava Prestige Rosado NV (11.5%, 9.0 g/L, €16.30)

rosado

It’s not like me to recommend a rosé so be assured this is a lovely drop!  Produced by Segura Viudas, this is made from 100% Trepat, a local black grape which can give Cava lots of character.  It has lots of red fruit and herbal notes which give it a savoury edge.  Would be perfect with lots of starter dishes.

Ridgeview Marksman Brut Blanc de Blancs 2011 (12.0%,  9.6 g/L, €35.50)

ridgeview

English sparkling wine producers are very good at the Blanc de Blancs style (in my humble opinion), mainly because they allow the English trademark acidity to come through, but with the edges smoothed off with substantial lees ageing.  This effort from Sussex producer Ridgeview is quite fresh and linear but has the toasty lees characters which I love.

Louis Vertay Brut NV (12.0%, 10.5 g/L, €48.00)

louis-vertay

I’ve never met Monsieur Vertay but his Champagne is a cracker.  It’s a blend of equal parts of the three main Champagne grapes – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier – from the 2013 harvest with some older reserve wines added.  The two Pinots make themselves known through lovely red fruit on the attack and mid palate with citrus notes from the Chardonnay finishing it off.  Give it to me now!

Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV (12.0%, 10.0 g/L, €60.00)

louis-roederer-brut-premier-nv

Although most well known for their Prestige Cuvée Cristal, Louis Roederer also make some fine Champagne at lower price points.  At €60 retail this is five times the price of Cavas above but less than a third that of Cristal, and for this Champagne lover it is worth buying as a treat.  The blend is 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier, with 10% of the total coming from reserve wines.  It’s a sumptuous, textured, gorgeous wine.

Oudinot Cuvée Tradition Magnum NV (12.0%, 10.0 g/L, €75.00)

oudinot

Although this has a higher price than the Louis Roederer there’s an important word in the description – MAGNUM!  There’s something quite decadent about drinking from a magnum of Champagne, and I’m not ashamed to say I’m a fan.  I don’t know if it has the status officially, but I think of Oudinot as M&S’s house Champagne – and that’s no bad thing.  The blend is 50% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier – the extra Chardonnay comes through as extra citrus and freshness, so it would be great as an aperitif.

Opinion

Neither fish nor fowl – what’s the point of rosé?

Either a glass of rosé or a dull-billed platypus
Either a glass of rosé or a duck-billed platypus

For a long time I was almost purely a red wine drinker.  Then, due for inconvenient minor health reasons I had to give up red wine, so I became solely a white wine drinker.  That led me to putting some serious “research” into white wine, so now although I drink red again, over 70% of my cellar is white.

But what about rosé?  It’s neither fish nor fowl, neither red nor white – why does it even exist?

It’s the duck-billed platypus of wine!

It doesn’t have the freshness of white or the pleasing body of red – it falls between two stools and does neither thing well.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that it’s the fastest growing wine category in France, so if you venture into a French supermarket you will see more pink than white – what gives?

This isn’t a rant about pink things for the sake of it – I’m quite metrosexual in my dress sense and will happily wear pink shirts and / or ties.

And then the solution finally dawned on me.  If it’s any good, treat a rosé like a light red and chill it very slightly, but drink it out of proper red wine glasses.  That’s what I did with this delicious Masi rosato.

Rose del Masi
Rosa del Masi

I do keep harping on about the temperature of wine, but it’s so important for acidity, sweetness, aromas and flavours.

It turns out I’ve been drinking rosé wrong all this time!