Do you buy wine online? I'm guessing you might at least be interested as you are visiting this blog now!
In which case, how would you feel about helping us improve our services by taking part in an online survey? Acting as a sounding board for some possible new ideas in the future, and generally being one of the first people to hear about our plans, new wines and producers that we are working with?
We're thinking of calling this new brains trust our 'Inner Cellar'.(Ideas for a better title also welcome!)
The plan is that we will eventually transform this group into a full on wine club with lots of interesting offers, tastings (mostly in the Oxfordshire/Hampshire/Berkshire area of UK to begin with - but possibly further afield if demand is there) and even some money-off coupons. Well, everyone loves a good deal!
As an added incentive, once you complete the survey we'll send you a voucher code for 10% off any purchase you might like to make via Surf4Wine this month (March 2010. Discount on wine only, not cost of delivery).
So, to take the survey and sign-up for the 'Inner Cellar' please follow the link for the Surf4Winebuy wine online survey.
Unfortunately the tasting budget didn't run to a bottle of Bachelet Monnot Puligny Montrachet, which I've had my eye on even before the team left for Burgundy (note:for the value concious amongst us, or those just looking for a very good every day white, Bachelet Monnot Bourgogne Blanc is, to all intents and purposes, a baby Puligny)
So my sights swung north to Chablis (OK, I suppose not 'technically Burgundy, it being a region on its own in fact. But most people group it in with Burgundy - so we will too, for the purposes of this blog)
Six generations of the Moreau family have made wine at this domain - so plenty of history and experience! 47 year old vines and a near perfect aspect combine with that experience to provide the building blocks for extraordinary Chablis. All have a wonderful minerality - almost as if the kimmeridgien calcareous clay that the vines are gown on has somehow imbued the wine with some of their character. Terroirand soil composition are something that many talk about in terms of their contribution towards how a wine tastes; Jamie Goode talks a lot of sense about terroir in this article on his web site.
Anyway, for tonight's supper I was making chicken stir-fry, so wasn't sure how well wine and food would match each other. Normally I think of Chablis is one of the most food-friendly wines possible. In the end I decided to open the wine while cooking and catching up on the days news with Alison.
Chablis, Christian Moreau 2007:From the first sip I was won over. Smells sea-fresh; like a bracing walk along the shore-line mid-winter as the salty fresh air asails your nostrils! Sappy and tart and fresh - like ripe green fruit - with an almost saline quality to the taste. Precise, chiselled almost energetic in its nervous energy. The mineral quality really comes through, inter-woven with white fruits and even a spice element. A wine that really builds in the glass - and drinks all too quickly!
Given how much I loved this wine, and that we are currently enjoying something of a Burgundy-centric week, the Moreau Chablis seems like the perfect choice for this weeks Wine of the Week...
Order 12 bottles or more of this weeks WoW and get 10% off!
Today is the start of the European Wine Bloggers Conference in Lisbon - even if you are not a wine blogger and just enjoy finding out more about the wines you drink, it is definitely worth taking a look at the various live feeds, tweets and videos (look under EWBC). These guys are looking at the very latest ways to get information from wineries and retailers out to you the wine drinking public with blogs, videos, Twitter and all sorts of other exciting and innovative communications forums.
One of the most important points in this kind of PR is authenticity - be true to yourself and your 'brand'.
Which made for a very special kind of irony when I was sent this link earlier today. Two types of communications on the same day. Couldn't be more different. One a win, one a fail. I leave you to decide which works best...
Much excitement here at Surf4Wine today as the latest release from New Zealand cult winery Astrolabe arrived - and we coudn't wait to open some bottles and share them with you here!
Astrolabe is named after the famous ship which visited the Marlborough region in the 1800's and sank in the Marlborough Sound - something we don't think will happen to this wine! It is the vision of Simon Waghorn, a hands-on winemaker, relishing his role and nurturing Astrolabe as his own brand and baby and turning out stylish and expressive wines. Simon is one of New Zealand's foremost award-winning winemakers and the wines have developed something of a cult following.
First up, Astrolabe Awatere Sauvignon Blanc 2008. The Awatere Valley is situated at the southern end of Marlborough, which is itself located on the north eastern edge of South Island. The wine's slightly tropical with aromas of passionfruit and lime zest combining with lifted gooseberry. The passionfruit and gooseberry continues on the palate, with a tight, mineral core that supports the ripe fruit well.
Astrolabe Kekerengu Sauvignon Blanc 2008 comes from a single vineyard in the Kekerengu region. A big wine in every sense, not least reputation! Gooseberry, lime peel and currant leaf on the nose, following through to zesty palate with flavours of lime, gooseberry, white currant and green pepper. Dry and flinty finish with bags of ripe fruit. A top drop!
Definitely two wines to please the New Zealand Sauvignon lover... and we've more Sauvignons to add over the coming weeks too. Watch this space...
I'm currently thinking of ways we can use our blog, and Surf4Wine in general, to bring more information to those interested in finding out a little more about what they drink and where it comes from - in a friendly, fun and easy to to digest way.
Not everyone has the same level of wine knowledge, so maybe these kind of how/why/where factoids might be of interest - what do you think?
Meanwhile, if you're looking for bite-sized info on what's going on in Surf4Wine-land (we've lots planned that we'd like to share with you) then follow us on Twitter... www.twitter.com/surf4wine
Her colleague Julia Harding MW is cleary as enraptured with the wine as we all were on tasting it this morning.
And it also reminded me that I forgot to mention earlier the Malaga sweet wine from the same producer as the Botani.
The No. 1 Special from Jorge Ordonez is 100% Muscat; rich, unctuous, grapey - but lovely purity and balance. They are working with Kracher of Austria now, and this clearly shows in the sweet wine. Excellent value sticky (very true description!0 and I think good value at £15-16 a half.
Clearly there are some good things happening in Spain. But as another tasting later in the day of some over-priced Ribera wines showed, it is definitely a case of looking carefully and sorting the wheat from the chaff - something you can be sure we do very diligently at Surf4Wine!
Summer came to Surf4Wine this afternoon in the shape of our tasty new Cipriano Prosecco - part of a revamped Italian selection we will be unveiling over the next few weeks.
Tasting this lightly sparkling Frizzante chilled white on a warm Spring afternoon in the Overton outpost of Caviste it made me want to reach for my sun-glasses and head off to find some shade and finish the bottle - alas there was work to be done - and more wines to be tasted to prepare for the launch of our new list.
Barely had Rick and Roz (long-standing Caviste acolytes soon to feature on these pages) finished filling the shelves than bottles were whizzing off them again into the hands of locals ready to be enjoyed over the coming long Bank Holiday.
As for me, well I'm about to turn off my PC, hit the A34 back to Oxfordshire and prepare for a Saturday morning of tasting English wines (jn preparation for English wine week) with an intrepid group of food and wine bloggers that Andrew Barrow over at Spittoon has assembled. There is a trip around Brightwell Vineyard, and then lunch and more English wines to look forward to.
Then home and prepare for eldest Booker-Chapman to celebrate her 18th birthday. First up, a Bar-B-Q for her friends where Mrs C and I are required to leave the house and leave them to party (I think it will be night at the Cinema with Tom Hanks playing the hero in Angels and Demons for us - with a worried Andrew wondering how soon we can come back and check they haven't drunk my malt whisky...), followed by a family lunch on Sunday for which I still have to decided on menu and wine - and keep fingers crossed for fine weather so we can eat outside!
Last week David Thomas from Caviste and I met up with a few regular customers to taste Cathy Marshall's latest releases from South Africa.
We've been fans of Cathy's wines here on Surf4Wine for a few years now - she is a super-talented winemaker and her wines always offer outstanding value. We first came across Cathy's winemaking talents via the wines of Ridgeback, and then discovered she ws making her own wines, then under the Barefoot Wine Cellar label.
That then became BWC, and finally, in recent years, Cathy has decided to just use her own name, Catherine Marshall, as her label - very sensible when you have such great wines to shout about!
Then onto the Pinot Noir 2007 - savoury, cherry flavours and red berry fruits. Restrained oak and nice minerality. Fruit is from a selection of cool climate vineyards and the elegance really shines through.
Some excellent venison partnered the Syrah Mourvedre 2005 - spice and black pepper combine with ripe plums. Not an 'in-your-face' New World wine; much more restrained and elegant. very food friendly - especially with Venison!
Then, onto two vintages of the Catherine Marshall Syrah. The 2002 was brought along by a Caviste customer to compare to the current 2004 offering - and an intriguing comparison it provided. The wines clearly age very well, and anyone tucking away a few bottles of the current vintage will be very well rewarded. More savoury minerality - which seems to be a hallmark of Cathy's red wines plus a smoky, cedary component too.
In an increasingly value-conscious world these wines really are very well made, and incredible value - and only available via independent retailers like Caviste, and online via Surf4Wine.
Last but by no means least is Cathy's unique dessert wine, Myriad. A fortified Pinot Noir, with a just a little Merlot, it combines richness with elegance without being overly sweet. Perfect partner for creamy cheese or good dark chocolate.
Having supper with Cathy, and sharing her wines, is like sitting down with an old friend - everyone immediately feels very at ease and conversation and wine flow very happily.
It's May already, and 2009 is slipping by so fast, it feels as though someone's pushed the 'fast forward' button. Who knew just a few months ago that Barack Obama would make history in the White House? That we'd put the words 'swine' and 'flu' together in the same sentence? That the biggest hits on YouTube would be an unassuming woman from Scotland? And that one of the biggest flops on YouTube would be a grinning Scotsman?!
Change is happening all around us. And it's happening right here at Surf4Wine too. If you've been thinking that we've been a bit quiet recently, it's because we've been working hard behind the scenes. To make change that's worth waiting for.
Surf4Wine is now working with Hampshire-based independent wine merchant Caviste.
For those of you not familiar with Caviste, this award-winning independent wine merchant now has three retail outlets throughout Hampshire (in Overton, Stockbridge and at Newlyns Farm Shop near Odiham), showcasing the best that the small production wineries of the world have to offer, from everyday drinking choices to fine wines. Founded in 2003 by Roseworthy-trained winemaker, David Thomas, Caviste not only specialises in the artisan wines of the Barossa Valley, (including Spinifex, Massena, Rusden, Diggers Bluff,Hobbs and Schwarz Wine Company), but also some of the finest single-domain Burgundy and top-notch Claret. And it doesn't stop there as there is also an intriguing and tempting selection from Italy, Spain, Portugal and some of the best small wineries of South Africa. Plus fabulous sherries, rich and lucious pudding wines, vintage Armagnac and local beers.
Objectives and wines that fit very well with Surf4Wine's mission to bring winemaker and wine drinker closer together to explore the world's best wines!
Just picked up this news story via a Decanter magazine exclusive. The International Wine and Spirit Competition previously partnered with Harpers trade magazine in the UK, but that media partnership was over when Harpers was sold to William Reed Publishing. See full story at Decanter via links below. Good news though, IWSC has new backing and so looks safe.
IWSC goes to Drinks Business The International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) has just announced a partnership with trade publication the Drinks Business. [More...]
The UK has become the world's biggest importer of wine. 'Britain has overtaken Germany to become the world’s biggest importer of wine, shipping a total of more than 1.6 billion bottles from wine-producing nations such as Italy, France, Spain, America and Australia, according to figures out earlier this month...' (quote from The Times, 14th January 2009).
But, the wine industry in the UK hasn't escaped the effects of the recession: wine sales in the UK dropped by more than 3.5% in 2008 and the drop is predicted to continue as the recession takes hold.
So, are there still ways to get decent wine in these credit-crunched times? I would say absolutely! But don't take my word for it - courtesy of the BBC, wine journalist and all round wine boff Olly Smith, takes us through some options for good value in the recession in this video (click the image or the link to play).
Up early today to take No.1 child's French Exchange student to train station to go home - and glad I did get up extra early as 15cm of Snow overnight!
A quick scout round my favourite sites with the first cup of tea of the day, while waking up and waiting for teenagers to move semi-consciously through the bathroom (at least they are washing, so I should be grateful I suppose!)
Anyway, a few stories I missed yesterday as I was at Wine+ in London all day talking to Viniportugal and others about social networking for wine, courtesy of Decanter magazine's news section...
First up, something unusual for Bordeaux-lovers and collectors...
For sale: Latour, Margaux and Mouton hidden from Nazis UK auctioneer Bonhams is selling 1920s bottles of Latour, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild and Ausone that were hidden in a bricked-up cellar in Guernsey during the Second World War.
And more evidence of the recession hitting the wine trade...
Kendall Jackson cuts jobs Large-scale job cuts have been made at Jackson Family Wines in California – with unconfirmed reports that 170 employees have been made redundant.
If it was April 1st I might be tempted to dismiss this next story. Whatever next from ultra-conservative Bordeaux...
Bordeaux to test Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc Chardonnay, Syrah, Zinfandel and Chenin Blanc could be grown and produced in Bordeaux if the French appellations body approves trials of the grapes later this month.
In the tradition of a well-known UK news anchor; and finally...
Oh, and in view of the exceptionally Wintry weather in UK in last few days, we might all be glad of some hearty and warming comfort food. So this article from today's Times is very apt...
10 comfort food recipes It's time to dump the diet and make some uncomplicated comfort food for cold nights — Times' cooks show you how
OK, that's the wine (and food!) news for now folks... catch you later!
PS, old beer news which didn't get blogged last week... I'm not sure if it isn't all just one grand PR exercise, but Marco does have something of a point re. the price paid for quality, craft-brewed beer vs. cheap and nasty bog-standard wine (although the world has gone truly mad when beer is £5 a pint!)...
Celebrity chef Marco Pierre-White defies economic hard times by introducing Britain's first pub pint for a fiver. (At his Yew Tree pub near Newbury - local to me so look out for a fuller report in due course!)
Twitter is great for keeping people posted with what you are doing (business and friends), and seeing what else is going on in the world in area's you are interested in. Check out wine people who Twitter. If you haven't caught the Twitter bug yet, check out this video on Twitter.
I love technology and gadgets, and really enjoying interacting with my friends and contacts on Twitter... so many innovative new products coming on stream from developers for great ways to use Twitter.
The new négociants of Burgundy, Jancis Robinson 'One of the things I found most exciting about my extensive tastings of 2007 burgundies was how many of the best ranges of wines were made by new or recently revamped producers...'[More]
Bargain wines: get more for less, Jane MacQuitty With fine wine merchants feeling the pinch alongside everyone else, I had expected there to be loads of mouthwatering, cut-price grand cru burgundy and cru classé claret on offer this sales season... [More]
Reacquiring a taste for whisky, Samantha Lyster The last time Samantha Lyster drank whisky she swore never to touch it again, that is until she tasted a £290 dram... [More]
The Telegraph
Top 10 Loire wines, Jonathan Ray The value and variety of lesser-known labels can be surprising... [More]
The Guardian
The Trouble with White Bordeaux, Victoria Moore Sancerre drinkers have it easy. Devotees of Marlborough sauvignon blanc, too, have a straightforward time when it comes to finding a wine that will make their shoulders slacken with satisfaction. Though there are good and poor wines, and distinctions in style between producers, there is a commonality that almost always makes it possible to satisfy a particular thirst.
But this isn't quite the case with white bordeaux... [More]
A pretty lazy Sunday - well, lazy in that I wasn't rushing around out and about. Teenagers were both at work (Ha, now that has to be funny in itself!) and wife was snoozing in front of the TV having just presented the breaky programme for the radio station where she works.
Anyway, I was pretty active in terms of an afternoon spent catching up with stuff online, including all those interesting things Google Reader picked up for me during last few days that I haven't had a chance to read until now. If you don't already follow them, two (other!) wine blogs worth reading and book-marking are Ryan and Gabriela Opaz'sCatavino and Joe Robert's 1winedude - but there are heaps of great wine blogs being written by passionate people - why not have a look next time you have a few minutes online? There is a good list of great wine blogs here: 100 Top Wine Blogs. Aim for 2009 - to get S4W's blog into that list!
A house to myself; and no need to feel guilty about work as it's Sunday. Spent some fun time catching up with people I follow on Twitter - follow me there if you like http://twitter.com/AndrewChapman. In fact, Twitter has been getting some great press of late. Robert McIntosh over at The Wine Conversation, another very good and highly recommended wine blogger, was featured on the BBC's Working Lunch (@declancurry and @workinglunch in Twitter-speak), and Jonathan Ross, a new Twitter convert (@wossy) interviewed Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) about his Twittering's on his first show back after his ban. Plus a piece in The Guardian recently.
... and before I knew it it was time to put the roast chicken in and get a move on with supper. Which gave me time to try a couple of Sherry's while messing about in the kitchen
First up, a chilled Fino... Fino Marismeno from Bodegas Sanchez Romate. Chilled Fino is sooo under-rated. This one is zingy, dry, salty, tangy - such good value for quality compared to wine. Its dryness and almondy, citrus-like/salty edge make it a great aperitif. Fino needs to be drunk fresh, and preferably, if you have enough people in the house to consume it, in one go - just like you would a table wine
Next up was Oloroso del Puerto from Gutierrez Colosia. I've been a big fan of this producer since visiting them afew years back. The Bodega is on the banks of Guadalete rive, next to the Atlantic - I'm sure you can detect a distinct salty tang on in all their Sherry's, even the Oloroso and Amontillado. War, rich, nutty but with a good zip of acidity/saltyness this works as an aperitif, but also is quite foodie too - a really versatile wine. Dry, but with a wonderful lingering after-taste.
A splash went into toe Chicken roasting pan to deglaze it and we had THE best chicken gravy in ages - as voted by teen2, the gravy and roast potato connoisseur of our house!
Monday evening, first day back in the office after the holiday's for me, first day back on the radio at JackFM for Alison... kids back to school, decorations to come down, emails galore to answer. Last night saw more freezing temperatures and even a sprinkling of snow when we woke up. No doubt about it, red wine is needed.
Supper is sausage's and mash (with -5C forecast tonight we need big, tasty food to keep us warm!), and I really must catch up with wines on the tasting bench... so to put 2 ands2 together here tonight we are having what I hope will be a big-ish red from Bordeaux: Chateau Tour de Biot 2006.
It's a straight AC Bordeaux made by Gilles Gremen coming in at a very un-Bordeaux 13.5% alcohol. Quite smooth with nice juicy/ripe fruit. 'Dusty' blackcurrants and a hint of tobacco. Green-edged, but not unripe (more like leafy) fruit on the palate. Easy-going and pretty good. I'm not a huge fan of Bordeaux at this level as I'd prefer something from Spain or the New World at this price point, but this wine manages to do a good job in its class.
Why not write your own review/tasting note for this wine, or others you taste, via Snooth? We have!
More a photo post than a blog post to be honest! Golden sunset reflected in golden Cape Muscat (Rhona Muscadel 2003 from Graham Beck for those interested)
After three days of Christmas indulgence and excess Mrs C and I decided to get some sea air, so toddled off to the South Coast for the afternoon.
You'd never know this was taken on Bournemouth sea front - it looks more like sunset on the Med. Well, it doesn't look like Bournemouth anyway.
And to cap it all, the pic was taken with an iPhone. Not bad when you consider what a terrible camera it is supposed to be, and how it gets rubbished for its photo quality in reviews!
If you are ever in Bournemouth make sure you check out WestBeach - a really good seafood restaurant where we ate the poshest Fish Finger sarnies while watching the sun go down.
WestBeach was voted South East Seafood restaurant of the year 2008, I think, and runner up for Best South East restaurant too. But don't just take my word for it A. A. Gill was smitten too!
Part two of the BBC Oxford wine tasting challenge. Andrew is aiming to teach BBC Oxford mid-morning presenters Danny Cox and Louisa Hannan everything about wine in just three days - a lost cause some would say, especially as, until now, Danny doesn't drink!
The general idea, aprt form to have a bit of fun, is to see if some rapid fire wine tasting can teach Danny Lou the basics of wine, and then test which has become the better wine taster.
Today is red wines, and like yesterday, it is set-up in two parts.
Up with the lark today as I wanted to speak to Kelvin our web-designer who lives in the USA. Opened up Thunderbird (free and excellent email browser in case you are wondering! Highly recommend it - but I digress...) and the first thing I saw was the weekly email from Wine Spectator.
It features what sounds like a very tasty pasta dish using bacon, pine nuts, raisins and two cheeses, designed by Shea Gallante, the chef at New York's Cru restaurant and partnered with a Colombia Crest 'Grand Cru' Chardonnay.
Beautifully poised, elegant and rich, this buttery/toasty Chardonnay would, I think, do as good a job with this pasta dish as the Columbia Crest that The Spectator are featuring. Plenty of lip-smacking fruit and well-judged oak to work with the richness of the dish, but enough acidity not to make the whole combination too over-powering.
In fact, if I had been tasting the Vergelegen blind I would possibly have put it into Burgundy, perhaps from Meursault. And in that context not only is is a lovely wine, but a bit of a bargain too!
This is the first part of our wine tasting challenge for BBC Oxford mid-morning presenters Danny Cox and Louisa Hannan. Today we are focusing on how to taste wine , and putting that into practice with white wines.
BBC Oxford wine challenge, white wines. Part 1
Each of segments is split into two pieces of audio (yes, Andrew just can't stop talking about wine!) The audio here went live straight after broadcast - thanks Danny for a very easy way to grab the audio. It then got uploaded straight away to our new podcast system here on surf4wine, where it will have a permanent home!
BBC Oxford wine challenge, white wines. Part 2
If you would like to see a list of the wines tasted in today's session, please go here.
We will blog/podacst each of the three days wine tasting training here, and then the taste off on Friday 30th May to see who is the best wine taster - good luck Danny and Lou!
It's a Bank Holiday in the UK, so having a slightly leisurely morning; although thinking I ought to be up and out as I've some errands to run, and even an emergency delivery to make. It's an awful day weather-wise, so not much chance on geting the Bar-B later out either.
Alison is doing a shift at JackFM, so just me and the kids until she gets home - maybe it's the perfect weather for a trip to the cinema? Or just some films on the TV...
With some extra time to hand I've been catching up on some of my favourite wine blogs. In fact, I just saw the Vouvray Sec 1995, Gaston Huet that we have on our list mentioned by Jamie Goode over at The Wine Anorak. Vouvray, made from that chameleon grape variety Chenin Blanc, is a lovely wine - produced, as Jamie points out in his blog post, in a variety of styles from bone-dry to lusciously sweet and everything in between. Vouvray can be, perhaps, a bit tricky for the novice wine drinker. Vouvray can be fiercely acidic in it's youth, and the sweeter styles often have their higher sugar content masked by their acidity or alcohol/ripeness, so can be difficult to asses when young. Vouvray's, both dry and swet styles, can age brilliantly with this natural acidity helping to keep hem fresh and lively - for decades in the right year. I have been lucky enough to try some pretty old vintages in a former life while Butler at The Queen's College in Oxford (now that was a job I enjoyed - almost as much as being a wine merchant!), and I have always been a bit of a Vouvray fan ever since (check out Surf4Wine's current Vouvray selection) - so it was nice to see them mentioned on Jamie's Blog.
Actually, having a bit of extra time to take look and delve deeper and think about wine blogging (normally it is a quick zoom through headlines/latest posts while having my first cup of coffee!), it struck me how lucky we are in the UK with the variety of wine blogs we have, blogging on everything from Best Buys to latest tasting notes and news. In fact, it's set me to thinking about an idea mentioned to me recently by Spanish wine blogger Ryan Opaz over at Catavino; a feature on the Best of British Wine Blogs. I think that could be an interesting idea to explore further on our blog here in coming weeks ... so, do you have any favourite UK wine blogs?
Posted by Alison Chapman on May 22nd 2008 6:35pm. Leave a comment
And so to the last of Andrew's interviews with winemakers at the London International Wine Fair. He's someone who's no stranger to Surf4Wine, as we've held a couple of tastings of his stunning wines in Oxford. He got a very warm reception too! He's who makes wines for Jean-Claude Boisset, which is a smaller part of the huge Boisset empire. He's one Frenchman who's wholeheartedly embraced the Stelvin closure, and while Andrew was doing the interview with him at the Boisset stand, he noticed that the firm's branching out into wine in tetrapaks and plastic bottles. Every winemaker Andrew spoke to endorses screw caps (although the great British public is rather less keen), but wines not in glass bottles?? Watch this space, because Boisset's convinced that it's the future for wines.
Click here to listen to Andrew talking to Gregory Patriat.
Posted by Alison Chapman on May 22nd 2008 6:04pm. 1 comment
Andrew's still buzzing about the London International Wine Fair. And one of the most interesting winemakers there was Mark Shannon, who makes A Mano wines in Puglia.
He's a Californian who visited Puglia in Italy and fell in love with their wine, and way of life. He moved over there a few years ago, and now makes A Mano wines ("A Mano" meaning "handmade") with passion and old-fashioned know-how.
We've always loved A Mano here at Surf4Wine, and if you've ever tasted any of Mark's wines you'll know why. Click below to hear Andrew talking to him about everything from cleanliness to George Clooney!
Andrew's back hotfoot from the London International Wine Fair with more interviews from some of the world's finest winemakers. He caught up with Matt Thomson, an incredible man who not only manages to produce some just stunning wines for Delta Vineyards, St Clair, Alpha Zeta and Ca del Matt - as well as being involved witb the increasingly pipular Tinpot Hut wines, among others, but is also a keen kayaker, (ironic for a flying winemaker!), and was New Zealand's K2 marathon kayaking champion. Phew!
Andrew managed to get him to stand still for just a couple of minutes! Click below to hear their chat.
Having arrived at the fair much later then planned on day one, I really only had time for two 'meet-the-winemaker' interviews for our Blog (hear my chat with Charlie Melton), and get the latest gossip from the Liberty stand.
But, I did manage to taste a few wines - more to do today - and I couldn't resist blogging about this one in particular as it is both from an old favourite in terms of producers from our list, and made from a grape variety I hadn't herd of until yesterday.
A. Mano Aleatico Passito 2007 is a red sweet wine made form the Aleatico grape variety. Lovely dark chocolate notes, ripe plums and hints of dark berry fruits. Really interesting bitter-sweet finish that, I think would make this wine a great partner to that most difficult of food-stuff, chocolate.
Nice to taste something new, and a very good reminder of one of the reasons that Italy is so interesting as a wine producing country. Namely, it has a whole host of native grape varieties to tempt and intrigue us with. More like this please...
Apologies for photo quality. I didn't want to be bothered lugging a camera to London as well as an MP3 recorder and laptop, so this is taken with my iPhone. I love my iPhone, and I was happy to see it could handle the odd photo situation too.
Now I'm off on a train again for the hard slog back to London Excel and day two of the fair. It's a pretty torturous experience getting to the fair - Wantage to London is the easy bit with Paddington only a 45 minute train ride away. It's the bit from Paddington to Tower Gateway, and especially the DLR train ride to London Excel that is the real killer. At least I have 'Spooks' on the iPod part of the phone to keep me company - oh, and a few more blogs to get up too!
It's a busy couple of days for Mr Chapman (and I don't just mean the list of jobs I have waiting for him at home) as he's at the London International Wine Trade Fair.
1200 exhibitors, 180,000 bottles from every wine-producing corner of the globe, 14,000 visitors - and one man wandering around with a microphone. Andrew's doing interviews with as many winemakers as possible to bring you a flavour of the wine trade's biggest show in the UK. Watch this space for more interviews, but for now sit back and enjoy his chat with the legendary Charles Melton.
I had to fill up a supplier order last week with a few cases of something and I've always wanted to try this wine since we started stocking its stable-mate Juan Gil Monastrell Monastrell over the last couple of vintages. So I took a gamble...
I had snatched a bottle out of the first crate in the consignment earlier today when I was in the warehouse, ostensibly to bring home to photograph (trying to get to grips with my new camera: Canon EOS 400D Digital SLR).
Alison made a great fish pie ( even topped the one I made for her family when they came for Easter. Damn, I have a kitchen battle on my hands as well as trying to sell wine now!), so we finished off a bottle of the new 2007 vintage of Malvasia 'Marques de la Villa'. Lovely and fresh, with plenty of zesty, modern fruit. Perfect Monday to Thursday wine.
Actually, I hadn't really intended to go past finishing the white off. But got all excited by the new podcast system coming online, nice chat online with a friend or two... what the heck. It looked so good in the photo, I wanted to try a glass!
Juan Gil Petit Verdot 2006: Intense cherry red colour. Looks deep and brooding. Ripe, juicy berry fruits on nose. Touch of spice (cinnamon?). Some licorice even. Ripe, full-bodied palate. Nicely balanced fruit and tannins - ripe tannins, but a fair squish of acidity too. Plummy, deep, rich. All in all, a big wine in every sense of the word, but not over-done and even worked with cheese.... and I'm not a big red wine and cheese fan. But that's another blog post!
OK, enough blogging for today... time to find that bottle again before Alison gets to it....
NB I'll be updating Juan Gil's Producer Profile in next few days. Find out more about this producer there soon.
Our techy team, AKA Kelvin our in-house resident web genius, has been busily putting the finishing touches to our new podcasting system over the last couple of weeks.
I'm pleased to say that this has now gone live - please do take a look - we think it's pretty neat!
It is place where we can take you to let you see and listen to all our audio and video, whether they are me on the radio or interviews with winemakers, or virtual wine tastings by video.
You can play them right there, or down load them in whatever is your preferred format - even into iTunes and onto your favourite mobile device or iPod.
Look out for more videos and audio to come very soon...
Posted by Andrew Chapman on April 8th 2008 10:23am. Leave a comment
A wine school? That sounds like going back to school, but with wine!
Well, school was never like this - at least not mine! The idea of our very own wine course has been one that we have had for a while now; finally we have got it off the drawing board and ready to fly. We hope you like the idea, and can join us over six weeks to taste some great wines, learn some interesting stuff about the wines and the people who make them... and above all, have fun.
The idea is that, each week we will taste at least six wines, and as we taste them we will talk about the wines, how they are made, who makes them and where they come from. The people behind the labels.
The whole idea is to do this in a relaxed and friendly way so that everyone learns a bit more about what goes into their favourite wines - whether they are a white wine fan or a red wine lover, this course will give you an insight into what makes wine taste the way it does, and hopefully to explore new wines and tastes.
If you don't like New World Chardonnay but do like Chablis, find out why. If red wine is not your thing, well, maybe you haven't tried the right ones. This course will give you chance to taste a whole barrel- load of different reds. If the mere thought of Sherry at Christmas makes you think of Great Aunt Maude asleep in the chair, then you are missing a trick - Sherry CAN be fun and taste great!
How much does Our wine course cost?
£135 per person, or £210 for two - this can be a couple, or just two friends or work colleagues.
What do I get for my money?
At least six wines every week, so a total of 36 wines. Plus 2 hours of talk and information from Surf4Wine's very own Mr. Wine, Andrew Chapman. Course fees include tasting sheets for each session and a copy of 'Wine four Dummies', an excellent introduction to wine and where it comes from and how it is made (pls. not, book title may change as we are still finalising) book. All other equipment/things necessary for a good wine tasting will be provided by us: glasses, spittoons, water etc.
Where is it being held?
very generously our friends at Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons have agreed that we can hold our wine school at their superb high-rise offices on the edge of oxford. Great views over the City! Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons Seacourt Tower Botley Oxford OX2 0JJ Click here for where to find opur venue, including a map.
What day and time does it take place?
Course starts on Thursday 1st May at 7.30pm until 9.30pm, and every Thursday at same times for six weeks in total
What will be covered each week?
Week one: Sauvignon Blanc - there is more to this than meets the eye Taste Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, Australia and France -plus other aromatic grape varieties like Riesling, Viognier and Gewürztraminer
Week two: Chardonnay - So, you think you know your Chardonnay? Like Chablis, but don't like Australian Chardonnay? Find out why! Taste Chardonnay's from around the world, plus a bit of Semillon and Chenin Blanc too.
Week three: Cabernet Sauvignon - All by itself, plus with friends Taste Cabernet Sauvignon, plus see how it changes when blended with it's old friend Merlot. Includes Bordeaux, and New world Bordeaux-inspired blends.
Week four: Pinot Noir, Syrah and a little bit of spice... Pinot Noir, the Holy Grail of winemaking, plus Shiraz and Syrah - one and the same? Perhaps a bit of Rioja too...
Week five: Port, Sherry and Madeira - not just for Christmas! What's the difference between Ruby Port and Tawny - why is vintage Port so much more expensive? Sherry can be a great food wine and not just for trifle. Maderia has hidden depths.
Week six: Champagne and sparkling wine How do you like your bubbles? The perfect way to end our wine course with a bang!
If you would like more information about our wine school, please do not hesiate to contact Andrew on 01235 821539, or by email: andrew (at) surf4wine (dot) co (dot) uk.
Feeling horrible today with a particularly nasty cold. But I'm told they are famous germs from one of Alison's radio friends, so that has got to make it OK then, right?!
Talking of radio, cold or not, I'm getting all excited as I'm back on Louisa Hannan's Sunday morning show on BBC Radio Oxford this week (30.03.08). We did a great show back in February (hoping to get a recording of that to go onto Surf4Wine when I go in on Sunday), so I've been itching to go back (it's usually bi-monthly)
Louisa used to work with Alison when Alison was a producer and presenter at BBC Oxford, so I know her and it's not too daunting, in fact it is pretty relaxed and we have a lot of fun. Oli Richings, from local country house hotel Fallowfields is joining us this week, so it will be very much wine AND food.
So, if you are near a radio on Sunday (it's on 95.2FM), or can get BBC Radio Oxford via the internet (it goes out live online, see link to BBC iPlayer on this this page), then tune in and give us a listen.
Now, thinking cap on Andrew... wines to go with Duck egg omelet (eggs, oh great, nice clash there. Red wine hates eggs usually. Anyone got any good ideas?)
Livio Felluga emigrated
from Istria in Croatia, and established his property in Brazzano in the 1950s. Convinced of
the winemaking potential inherent in Collio and the Colli Orientali of Friuli,
he bucked the trend of the times and started buying vineyards. He now has an
amazing property, covering 160 hectares in Rosazzo of which 135 are under vine.
Recently revitalised by Livio’s four children (Andrea, Maurizio, Elda and
Filippo), the estate is now well on the way to reclaiming its rightful place
among the great producers in Italy. The energy injected into the estate by the
younger generation has been harnessed by consultant viticulturalist/winemaker
Stefano Chioccioli. As a result of their combined work, the whites have
acquired more intense and focussed flavours, while the reds have a ripeness and
suppleness that is seldom achieved in Friuli.
Livio
Felluga 'Shàrjs' 2006 is made from 70% Chardonnay
30% barrel-fermented Ribolla Gialla. White peaches on the nose lead onto flavours of stone fruits with a distinct mineral edge. Lovely 'bite' of acidity adds freshness to the rich yet elegant palate.
Enjoyed this wine tonight with a stir-fry. The white peaches/mineral-style worked well with the vegetable, and the had enough flavour to cope with the Ginger, Chile and garlic. However, good as this was my perfect food for this wine is oven-roast sea-bass - very tasty and great match.
Posted by Andrew Chapman on December 4th 2007 9:28pm. Leave a comment
It's a tough life being a wine merchant.
Today I had an excellent fun lunch with some business colleagues from Oxford at the Crazy Bear at Stadhampton (please give it a go - and go for the Thai menu - one of our table had just got back from Thailand and pronounced the food better than he ate out there - and he was at a Thai wedding, so not just eating 'western' Thai food). Anyway, that in itself should have been more than enough fun for one day.
But, being the glutton for punishment that I am, I decided to complete the overindulgence by tasting two sparkling wines that feature on our list (there was method in my madness/overindulgence as I have to choose a sparkling wine as the aperitif for a corporate function I'm running tomorrow evening - I had an idea which, but wanted to confirm my choice).
Both were delicious in their own way. One stormed ahead in the value stakes. Check out the tasting results below
Chamonix Brut 2000: Citrus notes, fresh, crisp - a very refreshing sparkler from South Africa. Great value for celebrations this Christmas.
Allan Scott Methode Traditionelle NV: An altogether different beast to the Chamonix. Yeasty, fresh-baked-bread aroma lead to a deliciously toasty, nutty taste, with a lovely burst of fresh acidity to keep it all lively. Finish is classy - and very Champagne-like.
Either would make a great addition to the Christmas table, but in very different ways. Two to choose from... and more suggestions for Christmas to come from Surf4Wine.
Posted by Andrew Chapman on November 25th 2007 8:22am. Leave a comment
Check out
Radio Oxford (95.2FM) between 11am and 12 noon - I'll be popping into the
studios of BBC
Radio Oxford for another fun-filled hour of food and wine on
Louisa
Hannan's Sunday morning programme.
So, tune into see what works, and what doesn't, with
an array of local Oxfordshire Cheeses brought in by Juliet, and a bootful of
wine currently trying to stay warm in the back of my car!
In fact, we're rather excited at Surf4Wine's hollowed out Volcano HQ. We've just put the finishing touches to our calendar for 2008*. Find out more at our 2008 Calendar web page.
We hired the formidable talents of Andrew Barrow (who writes a great wine blog at www.spittoon.biz) to photograph different wines from our Portfolio for every month of the year.
Producing our new Calendar got us thinking....just when is it acceptable to start using the 'C' word? My local supermarket started stocking (if you'll pardon the pun) Christmas gifts in early September. Any parent of small children certainly knows that's far, far too early to start their offspring thinking about what to pester Santa for!
But as we marked the Surf4Wine calendar with the familiar milestones of the year we started thinking about when the Christmas season officially starts. Well, we've decided it's in your hands... It's whenever you start thinking about what to write in those festive cards. Whether it's your turn to invite your maiden aunt for Christmas day - again. Whether the kids will be fobbed off with something that won't involve remortgaging the house....
Here at Surf4Wine we reckon we've got Christmas wrapped... Fancy something to stock up the wine rack? We've got hundreds of wines - take your pick! (And Mr Chapman never says no to negotiating a deal on a few cases. Give him a call on 01235 821539.)
We also specialise in Christmas wine gifts - whether it's the single bottle to your boss, a case to your favourite neighbours or a few hundred bottles with your firm's own personalised labels on 'em. We can help with it all! Roll on 25th December - drop by Surf4Wine today and let us take the strain!
* Fancy one of our stunning new 2008 Calendars? Simply place an order once the calendar has been delivered to us (we'll Blog here to say it has arrived - expected in next two weeks), and the first 100 orders after that date will get one - completely FREE!
Posted by Andrew Barrow in News and Comments - November 6th 2007 1:12pm. Leave a comment While Mr Parker doesn't quite have the influence on this side of the pond as he does in his home country (his proclamations of Bordeaux clarets aside) his reviews certainly give an independent review of wines from, what is after-all, one of the most respected palates in the world.
Penny's Hill Fortified Vintage Shiraz 2005 (91 points) "Purple/black in colour, it has aromas of coffee, mocha, fig and blackberry liqueur that leap from the glass. At 18% alcohol the wine is full-bodied, sweet and rich. How it will age is anyone's guess but it can be enjoyed over the next 10-15 years with cashews, walnuts and a Cuban stogie." £27.50
Mitolo Jester Cabernet Sauvignon (92 points) "Includes 20% dried grapes in the style of Amarone. Purple-coloured, it has a fragrant bouquet of black fruits, tar and violets. This leads to a smooth-textured, layered, dense wine with enough structure to evolve for 4-6 years. It has a long, pure finish and can be enjoyed over the next 15-20 years. It is a superb value." £9.99
Mount Horrocks 'Cordon Cut' Riesling 2006 (90 points) "Is sweet but has no botrytis. Gold-coloured. It has a lovely floral and tropical fruit perfume, mango and kiwi flavours and vibrant acidity. Drink it with fruit tarts and cheese cake." £14.75
Everyday I take phone calls form people trying to sell us something - building insurance, telephone systems, health plans, company vans, even the occasional palate of wine. Just now I took a call from Easyjet - a woman trying to sell advertising on their website. Now I am quite used to my initial 'no we are not interested thank you' being ignored. Usually the - 'no we are a small company with no budget at the moment for advertising; we prefer to invest in quality products' ends the conversation.
For this call the word pushy doesn't cover it. My second 'no we don't have a budget' gets talked over, a raise in the voice to nearly a shrill squawk, and the implied hatred was really quite extreme. At least I had the decency to be quiet when the other person was talking rather than the attempt to shout out the script. The details I forget but 5 million ABC1 page views for £5000 or something.
The third "no we don't... " reply resulted in a a rude rant with the 'marvellous offer' being withdrawn and the phone was slammed down.
She's obviously not making her targets!
As I cool down and resist the temptation to waste even more time in lodging a complaint against her, an image from one of the newly created Christmas packs - this is The Case For An American Christmas a mix of beer and wine (£80).
Deep breath... relax... and dream of the luscious texture of that Saintsbury Chardonnay...
Posted by Andrew Barrow in Food and Wine - November 1st 2007 1:15pm. Leave a comment Pumpkins are like, so yesterday; and, if you pop down your local Waitrose*, they are bound to be dirt cheap.
Now is the time to indulge in grown-up seasonal fare (who actually eats the chiselled out flesh from the face making exploits?) with a cheap glut of squash. American wine magazine The Spectator has published an interesting sounding Pumpkin Risotto with Curried Pumpkin Seeds and Goat Cheese Croutons recipe. Perhaps slightly over-the-top on the pumpkin front but still...
I'm not really up on pumpkin varieties but they recommend using a small pumpkin, like Sugar Treat or New England Pie but I guess any old English pumpkin would work just as well.
For a wine match the suggestion is for a Greco di Tufo - which makes perfect sense really. The dish is basically a risotto so an Italian wine should be the first choice. Add vegetables and goats cheese and a crisp, white is a must.
Our Greco di Tufo is from Vesevo, a small, quality producer, just inland from Naples. Greco is a local white variety that, in the right hands (here those hands belong to famed wine maker Mario Ercolino) it can produce scented, white-stone-fruit flavoured wines with great structure.
Posted by Andrew Barrow in Food and Wine - October 30th 2007 10:10am. Leave a comment Our Wine of the Week this week is another Autumnal classic - a Pinot Noir but French this time. The Boisset Pinot Noir, now down £1 to just £8.99 (for one week only), is fruity but firm with a tannic backbone that really cries out for food.
Autumnal fare is the obvious choice - the seasons mushrooms are in full flow for example so a dish that pulls out the flavour of these would be a great match.
You are not going to serve a Pinot with a damson, plum or greengage crumble but pears baked with loin of pork - a dish I'm planning for next weekend - adds a sweet note that the lighter styles of Pinot should accompany beautifully. If you prefer a sweeter note in your wines one of our New World Pinot's might suit better - the Escarpment Pinot Noir or the version from Tuatara Bay for example.
Slow Cooked Pork Belly With Spiced Roast Apple served with Mashed Pumpkin would be great too with the Boisset Pinot. Although I would be tempted to go with a New World Pinot Gris (the Escarpment for example) - one of my favourite food wines - where the apple will have its flavour replicated in the wine and a touch of spice in the pumpkin (a grating of nutmeg perhaps) would emphasis the subtle spiciness in the Pinot Gris.
Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2003
"Allegrini continues to produce some of Italy's most stylish red wines. This concentrated, modern blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara is dense and chewy; it's heavy with flavours and smells of plums, cherries, liquorice, chocolate and Christmas Cake."
Posted by Andrew Barrow in News and Comments - October 22nd 2007 1:00pm. Leave a comment I don't think these will be wines we stock anytime soon - and I can't really see the point of them apart from stoking controversy and thus publicity.
Back in September Italian police confiscated 20,000 bottles of wine from the 'Der Fuhrer' range made by Vini Lunardelli, on the basis that they represented 'a glorification of the perpetrators of crimes against humanity'.
The labels certainly look like they glorify Nazism to me but Lunardelli also has labels depicting Napoleon, Franz Joseph, Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt in addition to Hitler and Mussolini.
I could understand the attraction if the bottles were historically interesting, actual bottles of the time, but why would you produce them now? According to Decanter Andrea Lunardelli was able to convince the judges that he had no political agenda so the wines are released and available for sale.
Posted by Andrew Barrow in News and Comments - October 18th 2007 10:46am. Leave a comment The major wine, or rather alcohol, related news story over the last few days has been concerned with the high alcohol consumption of the wealthy middle classes.
The BBC covers the story well highlighting affluent places such as Harrogate, Woking and Guildford as 'hazardous drinking hot-spots', which sounds more like a motorway tanker spillage than a drinking issue.
We sell alcohol. Such news stories are not in our interest, but are the likes of the BBC and the Daily Mail really going to have everyone reaching for the fruit juice? While we are not disputing that excessive alcohol intake is damaging our rule is 'a little of what you fancy'.
Coincidentally Mr C proffered a glass of something cool and white earlier - an Australian wine with just 8.5% alcohol.
Trentham Estate Two Thirds 2007 is a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc; a wine that they claim has "only two thirds the alcoholic strength of a normal white wine". A level that many German wines are still set at. But this is Australian where big alcohol is pretty much the norm. The Trentham website also proclaims the wine has "40% less carbs and jouls".
Not sure if this is dealcoholised or just fermented to a low level. But it is generally dry, light, typically Semillon/Sauvignon on the nose and palate and does taste like a 'normal' wine. Until you get to the finish. Here the flavours dissipate quickly and, where you expect the alcoholic weight to be, there is little more than a disappointing damp-squib.
No decision yet made on whether the Trentham Two Thirds will be listed. We currently list several wines from the Trentham Estate
Posted by Andrew Barrow in News and Comments - October 16th 2007 1:59pm. Leave a comment An email has just arrived. It's an announcement that one of our champagne's - the Gremillet Brut Selection NV - has just been awarded the Wine and Spirit Competition 2007 Trophy for Best None Vintage Champagne!
"Whilst we cannot mention their names, I'm sure that the competition was tough with all the big Champagne houses entering their examples of Non-Vintage champagnes. The IWSC seems to attract the prestigious houses and is judged to be one of the most rigorously-judged competitions"
It is a total coincidence that we put up the Gremillet Brut Selection as our Wine of the Week yesterday. But it is on offer with a £2 a bottle discount taking it to just £16.99!
Posted by Andrew Barrow in Wine Tasting Notes - October 11th 2007 2:46pm. Leave a comment Hope we are not too late for this round of Wine Blogging Wednesday! The theme this month, as selected by Catavino, is Portuguese Table Wines.
We have only just begun to list this wine, the first stocks arrived this morning (hence our late entry), following a fine showing at a wine tasting a week or two back.
Made by the the Infantado port house this, rather than being a port, is a 'normal' red table wine. It's a blend of 30% Touriga Nacional, 30% Tinta France and 30% Tinta Roriz with 10% 'other' Douro varieties. It's a serious wine with excellent depth and a supple texture. Compared to the rather lacklustre vintages of the past its a marvel. The grapes are sourced from two separate vineyards and trodden by foot in the traditional lagar for a week before the wine was racked to tank where it completed its fermentation.
If you enjoy a richer, fuller style of wine then the Quinta do Infantado, 2004, is certainly worth a try.
I signed up for Twitter today, so I can Twitter about wine, life and the Universe (i.e. Blog) when not in office, or in front of my laptop. (This style of updates has been described as "micro-blogging").
Anyway, this idea gets its first proper outing Monday 8th October when I'm off to the Wines of South Africa Mega-tasting in London. Monday and Tuesday are for the Trade, (i.e. us!), then the general public next two days.
But as most of you who know me will testify, I never stop Twittering about wine, one way of another, so you're sure to get lots of WineTwitters here!
Posted by Andrew Chapman on October 2nd 2007 10:47pm. Leave a comment
Well, our
Mammoth South African wine sale has
been in full swing for a day or so now - some very happy people have some great
wines in their cellar’s/wine racks/tummy's, all with huge savings - so I
thought it was time to reveal one of my favourite South African wines on our
list:
Quoin Rock Syrah
Having spent last Saturday in the warehouse counting bottles, checking things for the sale to go live on Monday morning, I figured we deserved something tasty to go with the local roast pork we were having for supper.
I
spied the box of
Quoin Rock Syrah with a few bottles left (now even
fewer bottles!) and remembered how much I had enjoyed previous wines from this
estate. Plus, it is the annual Wines of
South Africa Mega-tasting in London next week and I think the people from
Quoin Rock might be there. A good chance to taste an older vintage before we
get to the latest releases next week.
A really nice balance of restrained/elegant old world
(Rhône-like) charm and flavours - part leather, part gamey, part brambly,
mixed with ripe, juiciness of New World. And it worked beautifully with the
Pork too!
We only have few bottles of this, and the
Quoin Rock Merlot. Both are drinking very well,
and will continue to do so for a few years yet. Quoin Rock also make a lovely European styled Sauvignon Blanc, and a very interesting sweet wine:
Quoin
Rock 'Vine Dried' Sauvignon Blanc . All four wines are in the sale, making
now a great time to get to know these fabulous Cape wines. Before I decide to
drink them all!
'What the Wine Merchant is drinking tonight' Foot-note No 'fine wine' tonight; last night and tonight we were drinking our way through a few bottles that got returned to warehouse as part of a broken case from our carrier. Very spoilt labels, so not easy to sell, but gave me a chance to test one of our best selling South African wines: Paarl Heights Cinsault Shiraz. Sometimes it is easy to over-look such wines, and this is a good reason why price is not always best clue to how good a wine is or isn't. Paarl Heights is just £4.99 a bottle, but boy does it pack some flavour - and stylish done too. Ripe, peppery berry fruit, lovely juicy fruit. Not too extracted. Works great with quite a spicy stir-fry.
Now I will admit that I am yet to try the Maury so have no idea how it will stand up to the competition. Not even sure who the competition is to be truthful!
UPDATE: Looks like we were slightly mis-informed. The competition was for a pairing of Roussillon dessert wine with a dish prepared by a restaurant chef. Our wine was there for tasting but wasn't used in a pairing. It did give me the opportunity to have a quick slurp - and an amazing wine it is too, stunning in fact. An amazing wine that could be sipped on its own, with a selection of nuts or chocolate, a quality piece of blue cheese or a treacle tart.
Posted by Andrew Barrow in Food and Wine - September 27th 2007 1:02pm. 3 comments Mr C returns from a wine tasting in Portsmouth. After an enthusiastic bottle-by-bottle run down of what he enjoyed, what he hated, what we are going to list etc etc a polystyrene box was ceremoniously deposited on my desk.
Under the cover something moved.
"Crayfish, my son" beamed Mr C "fresh from a fish market opposite the wine tasting. Worst bloody fish and chips I've ever tasted but a fine array of fish though... and these little beauts!"
The plan for the that evenings meal then was to cook them simply - dropped into boiling water and served with little more than some fresh artisan bread and local butter. A day long on/off discussion resulted, debating which wine would be the most suitable match with the crayfish. Their flavour is subtle, gentle, fresh (obviously) and delicately sweet requiring a wine that needs to match the bread and butter as much as the shellfish.
A Chardonnay with its inherent butteriness would be the order of the day and I eventually plumped for the Shàrjs , Livio Felluga 2005 - a blend of Chardonnay and Ribolla Gialla. Ribolla, especially the superior Gialla strain, adds a nutty, apple, and citrus complexity to a wine, in this case a weighty, rounded Chardonnay. The wine is a stylish, refined wonder. Simply delicious and suitable for a whole array of foods.
Posted by Andrew Barrow in Special Offers - September 25th 2007 1:54pm. Leave a comment The family name Tamblyn is in recognition of the family's ancestors who migrated to Australia from Cornwall. The estate has expanded much since 2004 with increased acerage, and, dare we suggest, better quality wines.
For the Tamblyn four red grape varieties - Cabernet, Shiraz, Malbec and Merlot - all grown in Langhorne Creek have been blended to provide a generous and well balanced wine showing lifted violet and ripe cherry aromas, rich mouth filling cassis fruit, complementing soft well integrated tannins and a flavoursome savoury lingering finish.
The concept behind the “Tamblyn” blend was developed when they decided to create a wine that people were able to appreciate that night or cellar for a few years. This wine is drinking superbly now but another year or so in the cellar - or under the stairs in my case - will certainly not hurt it.
For the remainder of September and through to the end of October we are offering the Tamblyn at the reduced price of £7.99 saving £1 per bottle.
Posted by Andrew Barrow in Notes From The Tasting Hut - September 24th 2007 10:30am. Leave a comment We have had a case of wine sitting in the corner of the Tasting Hut for several days. A case of Italian reds that raised some interest when it first arrived but soon became ‘part of the furniture’ and the daily office tasks took our attention.
With the arrival of the European Sales Manager though, the delightfully Italian (think dark, expressive, stylish) Elena – for it was her who had sent the samples – these wines had their moment of being centre stage.
While not actively looking to expand our Italian range, Mr C (who takes pride in having a nicely honed list) is equally open to new estates – especially those with little representation in the UK.
The estate, Tuenta Rocca, occupies an impressive hilltop position in the heart of Piemonte. A small, family run estate that offers a range of wines in small quantities, each deliciously described by Elena who patiently highlighted each bottles individual characteristics while answering our barrage of questions.
As with any range of wines some we were instantly impressed by, others myself and Mr C disagreed on, (too dry a finish or deliciously food friendly?), while one, we both concluded, was not for us (at once a difficult sell, expensive, and offering flavours we didn’t take too).
Are we going to list any of the wines? I hope so as they fit right in with my view of Surf4Wine – a small estate with little exposure in the UK and excellent quality. Not too expensive either. But ultimately the decision rests with the one who writes the cheques. Mr C did seem impressed, the eyes a-twinkle when suitably impressed with lingering flavours in the mouth and the tap-taping on the calculator returned results that were equally as favourable. Perhaps in the new year?
This isn't just any old sale - this is an opportunity to pick up a bargain, that's for sure. But more than that, it's an opportunity to try something old and something new.....old vintages at new prices. We've had to clear some of our wines to make way for new vintages. Some are top wines that you may otherwise not have got around to trying. Other wines in the sale have, quite literally, just arrived - so we have included them as the perfect way for you to try them AND save money into the bargain.
So, take a good look through the list on the following pages - there's lots to see. And remember, it's only there until 9am Monday - so seize the chance for a bargain while you can!
If you need any help or advice, don't hesitate to email me. I've drawn the short straw and am on 'Sunday Sale' standby, armed with laptop, and ready to answer questions - well, it beats doing the garden!
Posted by Andrew Barrow in News and Comments - September 19th 2007 1:46pm. Leave a comment You have probably heard it all before but red wine is good for you.
Not a startling revelation to those who follow the news but a new book The Red Wine Diet by scientist Roger Corder, states that drinking red wine regularly is good for just about everything from heart disease and diabetes through to dementia.
"The book is an outgrowth of a 2006 article in Nature magazine by Corder, 51, a cardiovascular expert and professor of therapeutics at London's William Harvey Research Institute, in which he identified procyanidin, a ``vasoactive polyphenol,'' as the chemical in wine grapes that helps reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and overall mortality."
It was resveratrol that earlier studies stated was responsible for the 'French Paradox', (by which the French can consume large amounts of fat and wine yet have lower rates of heart disease and live longer than Americans).
This new book insists there is so little resveratrol in wine that only by consuming 100's of litres a day would any benefits be gained, when of course the alcohol ingested would counter any benefits. He now suggests that a "nice half-bottle a day gives you all the procyanidins you need for the same effect".
Which is about three glasses!
And which wines are the best for these procyanidins? According to the book it is Italian reds (specifically from Sicily) and wines made from the Tannat and Malbec grapes that are most beneficial.
Posted by Andrew Barrow on September 18th 2007 3:45pm. Leave a comment An intimate dinner for 12 in the private dinning room of Chez Bruce in London, saw me being entertained by Paul Jaboulet last week.
It has been an age since I sampled the Jaboulet range, longer than I care to remember actually! The photograph was taken several years ago on the Hermitage Hill in the Rhone during a road trip with my old pal Matt though the Languedoc and up the Rhone back in… god knows.. years ago. But that was about the last time I had exposure to the range.
I can’t say I really took to the Aperitif. The 2006 Le Petit Jaboulet Viognier is the first year at Vin de Pays status (previously Vin de Table) and while everyone at the dinner was bemoaning the oiliness of Viognier in general and the rampant peachy-honeysuckle aromas, that is actually what I find so delicious in the grape. These qualities were lacking in the Jaboulet version, it being very minerally. The grapes were sourced from the Ventoux region.
The Condrieu was ‘divine’ to coin a phrase of a very good friend of mine and a wonderful match to the dish. The Crozes Hermitage has had quite a bit of oak influence – fermentation in oak, a little batonage and a rest on the lees for 6-9 months. A fine wine in its own right (there has been a surge in demand for quality white Rhone and Crozes Hermitage specifically recently) but I found the oak clashed a little with the flavours of the food.
No such worries for the delicious Condrieu though! Perfectly balanced and exhibiting the freshness that the estate is aiming for, according to my host.
The Les Jalets, by the number of refills around the table, was a triumph; a textbook Crozes Hermitage. An absolute steal in my book with balance, weight and cool climate Syrah fruit in perfect food-friendly stance. The Les Jalets vineyard covers just 6 hectares with 25-25 year old vines.
The Thalabert vineyard has been in the Jaboulet family since 1834 and is the oldest vineyard in the Crozes appellation. Large in comparison to Les Jalets with 40 hecatres and older vines too at 40-60 years old. It is still a little young, and certainly worth stashing a few bottles away for a while. It is concentrated, full-bodied with a lovely perfume and ripe palate that has, according to Paul Jaboulet, has opened out beautifully over the last few months.
The cheese course saw the table in raptures over the La Petite Chapelle Hermitage 2004. “Gorgeous” and “Dangerously seductive” were just two quotes I over-heard from around the table. Grown on the famous Hermitage hill the vines are distinct from the La Chapelle blend. Concentration, lovely structure and ripe bramble fruits. About as good as you can get, apart from the full La Chapelle Hermitage 2004 of course, but then it is under half its siblings price!
Sadly the cry of the last train home meant I had to miss the Orange and Saffron Panna Cotta with Bitter Orange Compote but not before a quick slurp of the Jaboulet Muscat des Beaumes-de-Venise 2005 passed my lips. Whether I had just had my fill of red wines this beautiful stickie offered a layer of complexity that made me jolt. I’m not a great fan of Panna Cotta anyway but at least I had the remnants of the Muscat’s flavour in my mouth as I dashed around Clapham Station.
Posted by Andrew Barrow on September 13th 2007 1:49pm. Leave a comment Our Capezzana Vin Santo, specifically the 2000 vintage, has just been awarded the Champion Sweet Trophy at the International Wine Awards. Praise indeed.
Unware that the wine had been so highly praised I managed to snaffle a sample - OK, a rather large glass - at the end of a tasting in London yesterday. It really is a delicious wine and much needed after a long red wine tasting session.
It is complex on both the nose and palate. Sweet of course, but with a cleansing acidity that keeps it from being cloying. A delicious nutty edge melds with flavours of apricots and stewed oranges.
Such delicious liquids do not come cheap, sadly. This wonderful wine, guaranteed to develop and improve for many years retails for £24.99.
Posted by Andrew Barrow on September 11th 2007 2:57pm. Leave a comment September is going to be a fantastic month, weather-wise. Or so claims Mr C! If it continues like today he may just be right.
So for late summer drinking what do we have? How about the Mitolo Jester Rosé?
I have a little glass in my hand as I type - a clever trick indeed! The wine is dry, crisply so on the finish. Some may say this makes it incredibly food friendly, and they wouldn't be wrong, but it is a delight to sip on its own. Interestingly it is made from Sangiovese, a grape of Italian origin, that doesn't have huge plantings in Australia but on the strength of this (and others) it is proving its worth.
Cherry fruit, raspberries, quite deep and 'manly', even a lick of tannin perhaps just to get those gums a-quivering. For £9.99 I have to say it is superb.
Posted by Andrew Barrow on September 10th 2007 2:38pm. 1 comment Radical! Not one, not even two but THREE wines on offer this week. Our popular Wines of the Week special sees a range of wines from South Australia highlighted for your delight and delectation.
The Redfin Chardonnay 2005 now £4.99
A fresh clean young wine, with just a touch of oak for a rounded, biscuity texture.
The Redfin Sangiovese-Merlot Rose 2006 now £4.99. Don't the Aussies do rosé well! This, a great little blend of Sangiovese and Merlot has a lovely, summery, floral edge with a liveliness and rounded berry fruit. It is fruity, dry and perfumed and utterly delicious.
The Redfin Shiraz-Grenache 2004 now £4.99. A juicy and fruit-driven wine where the attractive, spicy blackberry characteristics typical of a good young Shiraz are complemented by the subtle use of oak.
Each of the above is discounted this week by a £1. But if you buy the mixed-six Redfin Taster Case you save a further £1 on top (being a massive £8 discount in total!).
It's gotta be done - three great wines offering more than a little character at just £4.99 a bottle.
Posted by Andrew Barrow on September 6th 2007 1:36pm. Leave a comment
The sound of popping corks... guaranteed to get Mr C's interest!
And after sipping on the offerings yesterday too, I can see why. A range from Penny's Hill, accompanied by Sophie Hislop (who sports the title of Group Brand & Relationship Manager) popped into the tasting hut to 'show us what they've got'.
Interestingly they all come with cork closures. A facet that Sophie explained was all part of the 'traditional brand' image Penny's Hill was creating. Pressures from Australia may mean, she continued, that the whole range is placed under screw-cap from the 2007 vintage. No final decision has been made though.
Six wines, plenty of discussion and the inevitable end-of-session photo shoot. (Pictured - Sophie and Andrew Chapman).
The Penny's Hill Chardonnay (£11 approx) stood out for me; not just because the estate concentrates on red wines and I was interested in seeing how they handled a white variety, but simply because of the stunning 'nose' - a complex, lightly honeyed, sophisticated aroma that was not swamped by oak. Taste-wise it wasn't half bad either! Their flagship wine, the Penny's Hill Shiraz (approx £14.50), came across as deep, dark and positively sinful with layers of peppery chocolate wrapped in a creamy blanket but the Penny's Hill Footprint Shiraz (around £28) was certainly the star.
This is a single vineyard, choice selection wine made only in the very best years. Its richness from aroma through to the palate was remarkable but tempered by a gloriously refined edge that simply screamed class and deliciousness. You get what you pay for I guess!
While we negotiate which of the wines to list you may be interested in the Penny's Hill Grenache that is already available. A mouth-filling wine of balance and deliciousness (try it lightly chilled on a warm day) for only £13.99.
Posted by Andrew Barrow in News and Comments - August 27th 2007 12:56pm. Leave a comment It's Bank Holiday and, to be truthful, I don't really want to be here; but Mr C bribed me with two days off if I 'popped in'. Good thing I did really as the phone hasn't stopped ringing since I got here.
Orders, stock inquiries, a nice chat with a gent about Ice Wine and just a few moments ago a nice chat with a lovely sounding lady.
She was after a few bottles of Cullen Semillon-Sauvignon and a top-up of TMV White. All of which were in stock. Her name rang a bell - Sarah Ahmed.
"Having practised as a solicitor for 12 years, I started off my wine career with multi-award winning wine merchants Oddbins in 2000. I’ve since literally steeped myself in wine knowledge and struck out on my own in 2005 as The Wine Detective to present tastings and write about wine. I regularly write for specialist wine magazines including The World of Fine Wine, Harpers (the Wine and Spirit Weekly) and Wine & Spirit and have contributed to the wine publications The World Atlas of Wine, Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book and Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Book.
Hands on experience includes working at wineries in Spain (Bodegas Torres), South Africa (Boekenhoutskloof) and Australia (Cullen) [which explains part of the order!] and an introduction to winemaking course at Plumpton College, Sussex. "
We don't normally give out customers names, (don't worry Mr Peters, your secret love is safe with us), but Sarah is widely acclaimed as a great wine tasting host (the fact she is recommending our wines is another bonus) so I hope she doesn't mind the mention and a little publicity!
Posted by Andrew Barrow in News and Comments - August 27th 2007 12:38pm. Leave a comment While flipping through an old issue of Wine & Spirit Magazine, the April 2007 to be precise I stumbled across this recommendation for Zig Zag Zin.
Now I love a decent Zinfandel, none of your blush-stuff thank you, but a full, flavoursome delicious interpretation of California's native, State grape (although I don't actually think Arnie made it the state grape...)
This Zinfandel slips down a treat. Remember Jammie Dodger biscuits? There's something of them in here, along with spicy bramble helly flavours, earthy herb flavours and a punchy finish. Truly a smokin' wine.
Posted by Andrew Barrow in Notes From The Tasting Hut - August 22nd 2007 4:57pm. 1 comment A splendid reception for the Penny's Hill, McLaren Vale Grenache.
Wishy Washy and thin? Not a chance - it's ripe and full through and through. From the slightly tarry, pepper-drenched blackfruit aroma through to the rich, smooth palate.
"Very Chateauneuf like - Grenache being one of the 13 grapes allowed in the French classic - but of course with a riper palate. Rich, elegant, wapping great alcohol though at 15% but very well balanced. Many reds from Australia come across as just too alcoholic, too rich and extracted, unbalanced in short. But this is as elegant as you could wish for."
Looks like Mr C has already marked this beaut down for our 'soon to launch' in'a cellar.
As we are always looking for quality and value, in addition to style and pure drinkability, a comparison between our Willunga Shiraz-Viognier and another version of this grape-pairing by Penny Hill was in order.
How do they compare?
The Willunga Shiraz-Viognier is a year older (2005 vintage) but about £1 cheaper. The aroma has a meaty-savoury edge - can't really detect any obvious Viognier influence here but the palate is ripe and full, with a lick of tannins on the finish.
The Red Dot from Penny's Hill is rounded, richer and riper. But with a more obvious higher alcohol. The aroma is more fruity and floral - the 5% Viognier in this blend has made a noticeable difference.
But I think the Willunga is more food friendly; the palate is not as rich but has a decent red-berry sharpness to the acidity which will be more welcoming to food.
Posted by Andrew Barrow on June 20th 2007 3:35am. Leave a comment Lunchtime - and I notice Mr Chapman perusing the BBC website. A few minutes later and in the email inbox appears links to two 'very interesting' stories told via video-clip, on, of course, the BBC.
The first details the militant wine group in France who have informed the "to raise the price of wine or 'blood will flow'". Not the most friendly pressure group around I would say. [view video]
We are all aware of the threat generally of 'global warming' and the extreme changes to the weather globally (anyone in Henley-on-Thames last night knows exactly what I mean!). For a specific look at how rising temperatures could threaten grape harvests in Tuscany, forcing producers to move further north is the subject of the BBC's second clip. [view video].
The blogging world offers many unique and informed opinions on wine and the wine industry (in addition to there being plenty taking the totally opposite path!). WineCast.net, under the hand of American Tim Elliot, produces regular podcasts on a variety of wine related subjects; certainly falling into the first group. [download audiocast].
Generally, although entertaining, I find the chats rather America-centric and the wines impossible to find on these shores. A recently written post on his site is of interest though - how the 'über-hyped iPhone' will power, via various applications 'wine 2.0'. [view post].
Wine 2.0? Basically a way of harnessing the power of the internet by for example linking public opinion (ie wine reviews) with retailers, producer information, recipe sites etc etc. The potential is very exciting, but perhaps the vision and reality have some way to go to realise the 'potential'.
Red Earth Multimedia Ltd - Registered office: 264 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 7DY Registered in England. Company no. 6650902.You must be aged 18 or over to order.
+44 (0)7720 587073
Your trolley is empty.
Do you 
Reading the the first 
No sooner had I pressed 'publish' on 
Summer came to 
Up early today to take No.1 child's French Exchange student to train station to go home - and glad I did get up extra early as 15cm of Snow overnight!
Financial Times
A pretty lazy Sunday - well, lazy in that I wasn't rushing around out and about. Teenagers were both at work (Ha, now that has to be funny in itself!) and wife was snoozing in front of the TV having just presented the breaky programme for the radio station where she works.
Monday evening, first day back in the office after the holiday's for me, first day back on the radio at 
More a photo post than a blog post to be honest! Golden sunset reflected in golden Cape Muscat (Rhona Muscadel 2003 from Graham Beck for those interested) 
Up with the lark today as I wanted to speak to Kelvin our web-designer who lives in the USA. Opened up 
It's a Bank Holiday in the UK, so having a slightly leisurely morning; although thinking I ought to be up and out as I've some errands to run, and even an emergency delivery to make. It's an awful day weather-wise, so not much chance on geting the Bar-B later out either.
And so to the last of Andrew's interviews with winemakers at the London International Wine Fair. He's someone who's no stranger to Surf4Wine, as we've held a couple of tastings of his stunning wines in Oxford. He got a very warm reception too! He's who makes wines for 
Andrew's still buzzing about the London International Wine Fair. And one of the most interesting winemakers there was Mark Shannon, who makes A Mano wines in Puglia. 
Having arrived at the fair much later then planned on day one, I really only had time for two 'meet-the-winemaker' interviews for our Blog (
It's a busy couple of days for Mr Chapman (and I don't just mean the list of jobs I have waiting for him at home) as he's at the 
... well, I decided what to drink tonight in the end: 
Our techy team, AKA Kelvin our in-house resident web genius, has been busily putting the finishing touches to our new podcasting system over the last couple of weeks.
A wine school? That sounds like going back to school, but with wine! 
Feeling horrible today with a particularly nasty cold. But I'm told they are famous germs from one of Alison's radio friends, so that has got to make it OK then, right?!
Check out
Radio Oxford (95.2FM) between 11am and 12 noon - I'll be popping into the
studios of 
Check out my latest video: wines to drink this Christmas.
... and all the wine
you could ever want for Christmas are at Surf4Wine!
Here at Surf4Wine we reckon we've got Christmas wrapped... Fancy something to stock up the wine rack? We've got hundreds of wines - take your pick! (And Mr Chapman never says no to negotiating a deal on a few cases. Give him a call on 01235 821539.)
While Mr Parker doesn't quite have the influence on this side of the pond as he does in his home country (his proclamations of Bordeaux clarets aside) his reviews certainly give an independent review of wines from, what is after-all, one of the most respected palates in the world. 
A little rant if you don't mind.
Pumpkins are like, so yesterday; and, if you pop down your local Waitrose*, they are bound to be dirt cheap.
Our 
As recommended in Waitrose Magazine
I don't think these will be wines we stock anytime soon - and I can't really see the point of them apart from stoking controversy and thus publicity.
The major wine, or rather alcohol, related news story over the last few days has been concerned with the high alcohol consumption of the wealthy middle classes.
An email has just arrived. It's an announcement that one of our champagne's - the 
Hope we are not too late for this round of Wine Blogging Wednesday! The theme this month, as selected by 
I signed up for 
Off to London in awhile to attend the 
Mr C returns from a wine tasting in Portsmouth. After an enthusiastic bottle-by-bottle run down of what he enjoyed, what he hated, what we are going to list etc etc a polystyrene box was ceremoniously deposited on my desk.
The family name Tamblyn is in recognition of the family's ancestors who migrated to Australia from Cornwall. The estate has expanded much since 2004 with increased acerage, and, dare we suggest, better quality wines. 
We have had a case of wine sitting in the corner of the Tasting Hut for several days. A case of 
You have probably heard it all before but red wine is good for you.
by scientist Roger Corder, states that drinking red wine regularly is good for just about everything from heart disease and diabetes through to dementia.
An intimate dinner for 12 in the private dinning room of Chez Bruce in London, saw me being entertained by Paul Jaboulet last week.
Our 
September is going to be a fantastic month, weather-wise. Or so claims Mr C! If it continues like today he may just be right. 
Radical! Not one, not even two but THREE wines on offer this week. Our popular Wines of the Week special sees a range of wines from South Australia highlighted for your delight and delectation.
It's Bank Holiday and, to be truthful, I don't really want to be here; but Mr C bribed me with two days off if I 'popped in'. Good thing I did really as the phone hasn't stopped ringing since I got here.
While flipping through an old issue of Wine & Spirit Magazine, the April 2007 to be precise I stumbled across this recommendation for Zig Zag Zin.
A splendid reception for the Penny's Hill, McLaren Vale Grenache.
Lunchtime - and I notice Mr Chapman perusing the BBC website. A few minutes later and in the email inbox appears links to two 'very interesting' stories told via video-clip, on, of course, the BBC. 
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