- Home
- News
Apparently, there are far more ross on the shelves since JOANNA SIMON 'gave a thumbs-up to a batch of French ross last May', she announces modestly. But she is concerned that ros wines too often 'have the bouquet of the bandwagon about them... too many producers are churning out jammy-sweet, alcoholic wines that are anything but the lively, refreshing liquids ross ought to be'. Her recommendations include 2003 Ctes du Rhne Ros, Domaine de la Mordore (6.357.95; A&B Vintners, Lea & Sandeman); 2004 Touraine Ros, Domaine de Chzelles (5.656.99; Roberson, The Food Co, H&H Bancroft Wines); and 2004 Ros de Tourelles (99/case; Bibendum).
Read more...
|
Whisper it, but VICTORIA MOORE may be turning into a Pinotage fan. She tries a bottle of 2004 Diemersfontein (6.99; Waitrose, Asda): 'The first time I tried it, I hated it. I loathed the intrusively powerful smell, and I couldn't stand the way its wild taste marched across your tongue and overwhelmed your senses. The second time I realised I was in for a sip, I felt a little differently mildly intrigued to see if I would react as strongly. By the third meeting, I had a masochistically joyful sense of anticipation and, I have to admit, that warm feeling of familiarity you get when welcoming a noisy and flirtatious acquaintance.'
Read more...
Staying in Italy, ANTHONY ROSE points out that while the mass market is 'still enamoured of international bestsellers such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, wine made from indigenous grapes are increasingly alla moda'. His recommendations include 2004 Angelo Negro Arneis (8.95; Great Western Wines); 2004 Sannio Falanghina (9.49; Berkmann Wine Cellars); and 2003 Colle Morino Montepulciano (6.96; John Armit Wines).
Read more...
When he's not tearing round Grand Prix racetracks, F1 driver Jarno Trulli takes it easy on the 75-acre Podere Castorani wine estate in central Italy, writes ANTHONY PEREGRINE. 'I'm a quiet man and I like simple things,' Trulli says. Peregrine notes that the estate was 'once owned by a law professor who advised not only Mussolini but Emperor Hirohito, too. The connection appears on Trulli's wine website. Some might be a little nervous about using Mussolini to market their wines, but Trulli has no such qualms. It's simply a strong image from the past, he says.'
Read more...
Believe it or not, the mighty Shiraz grape was dubbed'The Sultana of the Barossa'in the mid-1980s, says JANCIS ROBINSON MW. 'This meant that it was fit only for dried fruit and table grapes. The local Shiraz was scorned. Growers could hardly give it away. Winemakers bleached the colour out of it and blended it into cheap whites.' It was only when a group of MWs arrived and told winemakers how they admired Barossa Shiraz, at a time when the locals were obsessed with Cabernet Sauvignon, that Shiraz took off. Robinson's favourite Shirazes include 2002 Heritage (11.49; Australian Wine Club of Datchet); 2002 Glaetzer Shiraz (28.99; Noel Young); and 2002 Rusden Black Guts Shiraz (36.95; Cellar Door of Overton).
Read more...
Chuffed to bits that the case of 1982 Margaux that cost 295 just a year later is now worth three grand, JANCIS ROBINSON MW recommends wines to pass on to children for a special birthday. She says it's still too early to recommend 2005 wines, but for 2004, red Bordeaux is a good bet, and for 2003, vintage Port is the choice. And for special birthdays this year, Robinson recommends the following:
Read more...
Berated by a neighbour for recommending too many expensive wines, JOANNA SIMON selects 2004 Vineyard X Garnacha (3.99; Thresher); and 2004 Picpoul de Pinet, Chteau de Branger (4.29; Booths).
Read more...
A trio of summery wines from RICHARD EHRLICH: 2004 Torresoto Unwooded Rioja (down 1 to 3.99 until end of July; M&S); Zind, Domaine Zind- Humbrecht (13.99; Waitrose); and 2001 Chablis Premier Cru Cte de Lchet producer unspecified (down 1 to 9.99 each when two bottles are bought; Majestic).
Read more...
JANE MacQUITTY picks 2004 Brown Brothers Dry Muscat (3.99); Tesco Finest Manzanilla Sherry (5.06); and 2004 Campaneo Old Vines Garnacha (5.99; Sainsbury's).
Read more...
GILES KIME chooses an Italian selection: 2004 Poliziano Rosso di Montepulciano (8.99; Sainsbury's); 2003 Waitrose Chianti (3.99); and 1999 Asda Extra Special Barolo (10.98).
Read more...
MATTHEW JUKES's Wine of the Week is 2004 Pinot Grigio Ramato, Visintini (8.50, or 7.50 each when 12 are bought; Lea & Sandeman): 'You are guaranteed to fall head over heels for this wine. It is luscious and silky, with grapefruit, melon and pear fruit, and a prickle of lively acidity.'
Read more...
JONATHAN BRACEY-GIBBON's favourite summer drinks include NV Krug Ros (185; Harvey Nichols); Blason de Bourgogne Crmant (8.99; Tesco); and 2003 Cuve des Oliviers Massamier Ros (4.95; Berry Bros & Rudd).
Read more...
ANTHONY ROSE says that white wine is 'often served too cold', while reds are 'just as often served too warm, in the mistaken belief that room temperature is the temperature of a modern, centrally heated flat rather than a shivery 17th-century English country house'. For a standard Cabernet or Shiraz, 1518˚C is best, but for lighter reds, such as Beaujolais, Loire or Valpolicella, 1012˚C is ideal. Whites should be served between 814˚C, and 'the cheaper and sweeter the white, the cooler' the better.
Read more...
JONATHAN RAY profiles some lesser-known grape varieties, such as Carmenre, Tannat and Sauvignon Gris. He says no one could be bothered to replant Carmenre in Bordeaux post-phylloxera, 'because of its perceived lack of structure and finesse', despite top-class Chilean Carmenre being 'plummy, soft and supple, and excellent with roast meats'. Tannat, which originates from south-west France, 'makes powerful, punchy wines that take an age to mature', but in Uruguay, where it is the country's most widely planted variety, they are 'softer and fruitier, but still pack a punch'. And the rediscovery of Sauvignon Gris, according to Bill Gunn MW, 'is as exciting as the re-emergence from the jungle of one of the Victorian cultivars in the Lost Gardens of Heligan'.
Read more...
VICTORIA MOORE sympathises with Coleen McLoughlin (Wayne Rooney's free-spending other half, in case you were wondering), when the lass declared recently: 'When we go to posh restaurants, I always want to ask, You got any Blossom Hill?' Moore's sympathy appears to run dry, however, when she tastes Blossom Hill (BH) for herself: 'I started experimenting with some blind tastings, throwing in BH with other brands and similar wines at the same price. To my surprise, I identified the BH every time even if I hadn't tried that particular varietal before simply by selecting the dullest, most insipid and, often, sweetest in the line-up. The Sauvignon Blanc was particularly inert.'
Read more...
JONATHAN RAY urges his readers to seek out Australian wines that 'exhibit a true sense of place'. He says that this can be tough, given the 'dominance of Brand Australia, where grapes are sourced from all around the country by enormous conglomerates, resulting in wines with no regional characteristics at all'. He profiles a number of Victoria-based producers, including Brown Brothers, Campbells, and De Bortoli
Read more...
Harpers would like to say a fond farewell to JONATHAN BRACEY-GIBBON. It's tricky to see how his shoes can be filled, but Jamie Goode will undoubtedly give it his best shot. Fitting, then, that Bracey-Gibbon signs off with a vintage piece of food matching: steaks. Firstly, he recommends 2003 Waitrose Chianti (3.99), 'a decent, well-made Chianti in the classic style'; he also opts for 2004 The Maverick Chenin Blanc (7.99; Majestic), 'a terrific wine with all the perfumed subtlety of the Chenin grape plus great tropical fruit'; and 2004 Bouza Merlot (6.49; Great Western Wines) is a 'Pomerol-style classic red, ideal for red meats, but will go down on its own with worrying ease'.
Read more...
JANE MACQUITTY admits that wine and barbecued food is a 'difficult marriage', and says that 'good, all-purpose warm-weather wines' work best, such as 2004 Lawson's Dry Hills Marlborough Pinot Ros (8.49 each when two are bought; Majestic); 2004 Casillero del Diablo Shiraz Ros (4.675.99; widely available).
Read more...
'The best thing about choosing wine for a wedding,' says VICTORIA MOORE, 'is the mammoth and inevitably drunken tasting session that precedes placing any order. I think not spitting on such occasions is justified.' As an alternative to Champagne, she suggests a trio from Oddbins: Jansz NV (10.99), Chandon's Green Point (12.99) or Ferrari Prosecco (14.99).
Read more...
TIM ATKIN MW visits Madeira, a popular Saga holiday destination, to admire the resident oldies. 'Most of the finest old wines I've drunk in my life have been Madeiras,' he reveals. Madeira is 'virtually indestructible' because it's fortified, high in natural acidity and deliberately oxidised.
Read more...
