Flying to Sydney for a blind tasting, JANCIS ROBINSON MW assesses Cabernets from Coonawarra and Margaret River in Australia and Hawkes Bay in New Zealand: 'The only two wines which seemed to me to have dangerously low levels of acidity came from New Zealand. And I would reproach quite a number of the Australian examples for having obtrusive levels of acidity which were, furthermore, not integrated into the wine very much an add-on.' She says that the Coonawarra Cabs tended to 'jump out of the glass', while other wines displayed 'unappetisingly overripe notes and a lack of freshness'. Generally, however, she was pleased by the overall quality, although she noted the tendency of Australian winemakers to opt for 'rasping' tannins in favour of 'gentler, riper' ones.
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JOANNA SIMON profiles all the major Champagne houses. She informs us that Canard-Duchne makes a good present for 'Pinot Grigio drinkers, and anyone who won't serve it the next time you call round'; Heidsieck Monopole should be drunk only 'with your hand over the label'; Lanson fans should opt for the Gold Label Vintage or Nobel Cuve 'if you're not a footballer's wife'; and the days are now gone, apparently, 'when Mumm Cordon Rouge was one of the cheapest non-vintages; so, too, is the era when it tasted of boiled cabbage and sour cream'.
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ANTHONY ROSE wonders why Australian wine has conquered the high street, but has so far failed to 'storm the last bastion of French wine, the restaurant'. He is unsure whether it's because French wine works better with food, or whether it's 'part of a conspiracy by the sommelier to retain for the restaurant a part of the market that is forever France'. Rose speaks to Grard Basset MW, a co-founder of the Hotel du Vin chain, who tells him that 'For me, there's no difference between Giaconda and a top white Burgundy. New World wines even go better with some dishes.'
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PETER GROGAN heads for the Napa Valley 'the Monaco of the wine world'. Grogan learns that the average bottle price at the Groezinger wine merchant in Yountville is 39, and enjoys a 140-a-head meal at The French Laundry. He says: 'The best of the big names Ridge Montebello, Dominus and Shafer Hillside Select are made in the image of modern claret. Even at today's exchange rate, however, Bordeaux offers better value.' Recommendations include 2003 De Loach Pinot Noir (6.95; The Wine Society); 2003 Avila Pinot Noir (9.99; Oddbins); and 2002 Wente Chardonnay (5.59; Waitrose).
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RICHARD EHRLICH believes that South Africa is well placed to make it big in the 515 market, and is confident that its wines, in the higher price ranges at least, 'will pose a serious threat to Europe'. He says: 'Spending 10 here will often get you more than 10 in Europe and often much more than in Chile, the US and especially Australia.'
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In a new column, (Food Monthly) LYNN BARBER recalls the not-so-golden era of boozing Britain: 'In the early Sixties... the only reason for buying wine was to make the bottles into table lamps.' She remembers that her parents never had wine at home, 'apart from one bottle of British VP wine, which was for medicinal purposes only (it tasted like Vegemite)'. And while at Oxford, the choice amounted to 'Pimm's, Champagne, punch, and of course the dreaded Sherry, which was always served at tutorials'. Fast forward to the late Seventies, 'the big breakthrough period when we started developing a proper, unselfconscious attitude to wine this was no thanks to English wine writers, who still banged on about chteaux and cellarage and the arcane art of decanting.' Nowadays, Barber is 'wary' of Australian wines, and sticks to France, Chile and South Africa.
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Preparing herself for the 'almost certain prospect of humiliation', JANCIS ROBINSON MW endures a late-night drive across England to get to the Granada television studios for the filming of University Challenge. 'The surreality only deepened when we eventually got to Manchester and the studios. Yes, Dale Winton is orange. And very tall.' Robinson got a further fright when she saw the opposition: the presenters of Radio Four's Today programme. On the plus side, the MW team took heart from the sight of four stressed newshounds and their 'desperate leafing through the Sunday papers for last-minute tips and Who's the prime minister of Canada again?'
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ANTHONY ROSE admits that he has been guilty of giving red wines 'Old-MacDonald-and-his-farm-like compliments' when in fact, he was experiencing the whiff of brett. At a recent seminar led by oenologist Pascal Chatonnet on 'malodorous wines', Rose found that as well as brett, the little-known, environment-taint-led TBA is also responsible for whiffy wines, and is caused by contamination from other materials in the winery, such as oak barrels and wooden roofs.
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Wines that accompany seafood are chosen by GILES KIME. He opts for 2004 Dashwood Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (7.59; Oddbins); 2004 Naked Grape Riesling (5.99; Waitrose); and 2002 Chablis Premier Cru Jean-Marc Brocard (10.99; Sainsbury's).
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As an experiment, JONATHAN RAY takes two 3.99 red wines, decants one, leaves the other in the bottle and invites six friends to compare them. 'There is an unseemly jostle for the decanter, which is drained in no time,' he says, 'while the bottle is virtually ignored. All six declare the decanted wine far superior to its counterpart.' Rob Chase of Adnams tells Ray that decanting 'adds 50% to a wine's value in minutes. Even Chardonnay, of any age, from anywhere, improves dramatically after decanting.'
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'Devastated' by rumours that JOANNA SIMON is 'anti-Chardonnay', she goes out of her way to prove that this is most certainly not the case. She recommends 2003 Scotchmans Hill Geelong (9.99; Oddbins); 2003 Domaine de Massia (5.99, reduced to 5.49 each when two bottles are bought; Majestic); and 2003 Bouchard Finlayson Crocodile's Lair (9.99; Waitrose)
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JANE MacQUITTY's Top 100 Summer Wines rundown continues, and her Star White this week is 2002 Sduction de la Beaugravire, Juranon (8.49; Oddbins): 'Concentrate on the luscious tropical fruit flavours that stem from the floral, intensely aromatic Petit Manseng, the dominant grape in this blend.' Her recommended ros is 2004 Lawson's Dry Hills Marlborough Pinot Ros (8.499.99; Lay & Wheeler, Majestic), which has a 'delicious, peppery fruit finish', while her Star Red is 2003 Fleurie, Domaine Andr Colonge et Fils (9.95; Berry Bros & Rudd), which 'delivers the sort of gorgeous, scented, textbook, floral damson plum finesse that set this Beaujolais appellation's standard'
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A new book on food and wine matching is reviewed by RICHARD EHRLICH. Matching Food and Wine (20; Weidenfeld & Nicolson) by Michel Roux Jr 'is organised as a cookbook, with recipes both for fancy cooking and for humble home or bistro dishes'. Ehrlich delights in Roux's 'latitudinarian approach', and a potentially tricky match for smoked eel with beetroot and horseradish cream is conquered with Savennires and Aquavit. For cheese-and-ham fritters, Roux suggests pink Champagne, a Rhine Riesling Sptlese, or white lager. For cheese, Roux says: 'Some matches are made in heaven, while others leave your mouth feeling like you have bitten into a piece of willow bark with a spoonful of washing-up liquid for good measure!
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The powerful and perfumed charms of the Viognier grape are exulted by TIM ATKIN MW. Frustrated by the high prices of Condrieu wines of the northern Rhne ('a licence to print euros'), Atkin looks to California, Australia and the Languedoc as cheaper alternatives. He also believes that Viognier 'belongs in the same exalted company' as Chardonnay, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc'.
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JONATHAN BRACEY-GIBBON selects wines to go with vegetarian dishes. His choices include: 2004 Heartland Stickleback Semillon/Chardonnay/Verdelho (5.95; Great Western Wine), 'a great party wine with relatively low alcohol'; and 2002 Montana Reserve Riesling (7.99; Oddbins), which displays a 'mildly perfumed aroma with subtle petrol hints, lychees and citrus fruit and a floral finish with firm acidity'. His final choice, a good match with mushroom dishes, is 2003 Home Ranch Pinot Noir (7.99; Marks & Spencer): 'Strawberry and raspberry fruit aromas prevail here, but the wine is predominantly smooth and chocolatey on the palate and finish.'
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JOANNA SIMON was also at the masterclass, and recommends three screwcapped wines, on the basis that 'I have never had a corked screwcap wine'. They are: 2003 Tim Smith GMS Grenache/Mataro/Shiraz (14.99; Oz Wines); 2003 Arrogant Frog Ribet White (5.99; Unwins); and 2003 Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc (6.99; widely available).
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To mark English Wine Week, ANTHONY ROSE takes his Argentinian friend Marcelo to Kent for his first-ever taste of English wine. Arriving at The Swan at The Vineyard in Lamberhurst, Rose admits he was anticipating 'wine glasses clinking to the sound of Greensleeves', and was duly surprised to see 'Sunday lunches being washed down with pints of beer and the odd bottle of Rioja'. Moving on to the nearby Vineyard Bistro, Rose was greeted with a full selection of the Curious Grape range from the English Wines Group on the list, at least: 'Marcelo was keen to tackle the wine tasting. But when he asked if the wines had been opened today, he was told: Some are and some aren't; we can't just open a new bottle every day.'
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The growing popularity of ros may be good news for producers in the south of France, but this trend, VICTORIA MOORE explains, 'has completely discombobulated those upper-middle-class types who still rely on there being a difference between a sofa and a settee to buttress their egos'. So much so, evidently, that an anxiously penned letter was sent to the Spectator, demanding to know the rules and regulations on how to drink ros. 'Out of doors and in company' was the reply, to which Moore's retort is 'stuff and nonsense'. 'I have been swigging back ros in earnest for seven years, ever since hooking up with the man to whom I am now married,' she says. She also recommends 2004 Chteau Guiot Ros Costires de Nmes (5.29, or 4.50 each if two bottles are bought; Majestic) and 2004 Turkey Flat Ros (7.999.99; Tanners, Noel Young, Bottle & Basket, Nidderdale Fine Wines).
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RICHARD EHRLICH recommends three current 'bargains' from Marks & Spencer: 2004 Saint Mont (3.99); 2003 Minervois Grard Bertrand (3.99 from 5.49); and 2004 El Dueno Chardonnay (3.99).
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JOANNA SIMON launches a campaign this week, imploring everyone to drink French wine: 'Perhaps you don't drink French wine because you prefer the easy, fruity taste of New World wines or Italian Pinot Grigio, and you like the way these wines are always on promotion. One day, though, you may want a change from yet another Identikit Chardonnay, Shiraz or Merlot. You may want something more individual and authentic, something that goes better with food - and it may be too late.' She recommends 2003 Ctes du Rhne Blanc Les Gendrines (15.35; Jeroboams); 2003 Arrogant Frog Cabernet/Merlot (5.99; Unwins); and 2002 Chablis Les Serres, Oudin (9.75; Stone, Vine & Sun).
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