Wine
The wines we are drinking!
Wine and Chocolate …. Take 3
The concept initially sounds good. Love chocolate, love wine, put them together = Love both surely? Not always the case. The truth is, the two can’t just be thrown together. Both chocolate and (red) wine contain a fair amount of tannin, that drying sensation you get when you drink a big red that makes your cheeks feel like they’re being sucked in to the back of your mouth, or something along those lines. Get the wrong match, and you end up with a wine that has lost a lot of its fruit and a chocolate tasting nowhere near as good as it did before it met its wine match. It is in fact a pretty tricky match, and for me, with this being my third tasting, it is...
Read MoreCabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon, the king of all grapes, and grown the world over from China to Chile, was in the hot seat for last night’s tasting. With six different wines from around the world, and a couple of blends thrown in there as well, we explored how very different a wine can taste depending upon where the grapes are grown and how the wine is made. First up was Chateau Tour Bel-Air from the Haut Medoc of Bordeaux, a 50/50 blend of Cab Sav and Merlot at £16.90. With notes of cedar, pencil shavings, and a background of blackcurrants, this is a classic Bordeaux style, and is a also a great benchmark to refer other Cab Sav styles to. Next, another blend, this time from Italy...
Read MoreWine match with….
….Crab Linguine! Crab Linguine: Not the most wintery of dishes, but heaps of pasta with a dressing of crab, lime, chilli and garlic really hit the spot on a recent dark, blustery evening. But then the question was – what wine do we match with this? With a little less chilli, a Vouvray would have been perfect. Or how about adding a touch of cream and matching it with a luscious, aromatic Viognier. It became a choice between Spinyback Sauvignon Blanc (£12.00) from New Zealand – the aromatic and limey notes would have worked brilliantly – or Allegory Riesling (£13.70) from Australia. I am never one to resist a Riesling, and it turned out to a...
Read MoreChristmas Opening Hours
Christmas Eve: 10-6pm Christmas Day: Closed Boxing Day: Closed Friday 27th: Closed Saturday 28th: 10-10pm Sunday 29th: 2-8pm Monday 30th: 12-10pm Tuesday 31st: 12-10pm Wednesday 1st- Thursday 9th: Closed Friday 10th: Open again as normal.
Read MoreChristmas Cases – The Luxury Six
The Luxury Six £150 Maurice Philippart Carte D’Or, Champagne Kick start your festive celebrations with this lovely Champagne, with notes of brioche and fruit, with a creamy palate Domaine Dutarte Pouilly-Fume, Loire Flinty, crisp Sauvignon Blanc, with notes of elderflower, lime and freshly cut grass. Domaine Maratray-Dubreuil Pernand-Vergelesses, Burgundy. Buttery, delicately oaked Chardonnay, with notes of peaches, nuts, and roast chicken. A great wine pairing for turkey. Domaine Caillot, Beaune-les-Avaux, Burgundy. Velvety Pinot Noir, with red fruit and leather notes. This light red will also work well with turkey. Chateau Lavillotte, St Estephe,...
Read More