Bonarda Colonia las Liebres, and it's the end of the week - hurrah!

Posted by Andrew Chapman in News and Comments, 8:14am 03/05/2008. Leave a comment

A long, good Friday... It started with breakfast in Oxford at 7am, paper-work and customer stuff at warehouse in middle, called in to see friends Shelley and Richard at The Radnor Arms in Coleshill late afternoon (we are possibly organising a wine supper there with Saint Clair estate coming to visit later this month - watch this space for more info), and was rounded off by a lovely supper at the Eyston Arms in nearby East Hendred.

Eyston Arms's is one of Alison and my favourite places to eat locally. The food is modern, using good ingredients well prepared, with just the right dash of imagination to help things along the way. Unstuffy, friendly service by an all female team that combines cheerfulness and professionalism. Relaxing end to a long day. Didn't drink much, just a glass of the house Languedoc Rosé that was nice and refreshing. We weren't in a wine mood as we had to do Friday night taxi ferrying of teenagers... except that when we got back the one that was going out later had, by then, decided not to, and the one that was out already decided to walk back with friends. Oh well, such is life with kids!

Tonight’s wine...
Anyway, by then we thought we deserved a glass of something, so I opened a bottle of Bonarda, Colonia las Liebres 2006 from Argentina that I'd brought home from warehouse with me. To be honest, I hadn't tasted/drunk this wine in quite a while, so was interested how it was doing. I know I thought it was excellent value when we started listing it again last Summer.

Nice punchy, damsony red fruit flavours. Good acidity/tannin grip (Bonarda can be, I sometimes think, a bit too acidic if not fully ripe. Which is why I like mine from South America, where there's a bit more sunshine, and not its native home of northern Italy) . As is typical for the grape, this red and was happily full-bodied (Alison is not a fan of light wines, and she had done the driving earlier, I figured we'd best stay in safe territory!).

On the back-label it proudly boasts unfiltered and unoaked. I'm delighted about the latter in particular as too many commercial wines use oak to add 'interest' and 'flavour', when all this actually does is mask the fruit flavour of the wine and add too much artificial tasting vanilla and other unattractive aromas and flavours. Happily more and more pubs and restaurants are starting to think more about their wines and put more thought into their lists, especially their house wines. Over-oaked reds are not food food-friendly people!

The lack of oak in this wine really lets the plummy, ripe fruit scream out. Nice weight, good grip. Well put together, interesting wine. Would work well with Pasta and rich sauces as the acidity would balance things and there's masses of good fruit. And, I think, still good value at £6.99.

Incidentally, the Bonarda Colonia las Liebres is made by Altos los Hormigas, and I have brought their Malbec home this week-end to try too. Look out for a note here... It's May Bank Holiday week-end in UK, so, HOPEFULLY, sun will shine and we'll get to drink some nice wines too. Have my sister Debbie and her family coming for Supper, so off shopping now... Wells Stores first stop.

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