The large annual Burgundy tasting, organised by its growers and merchants’ association (BIVB) presents a feast of plenty. Where do you start with 90 stands and over 500 wines? This year I arrived with a vague notion of trying to pick off as many different village appellations as possible. Most wine lovers will have heard
Burgundy highways and byways Read More »
For much of human history, wine was sweet. Winemakers didn’t have the knowledge to get wines to ferment out completely and so inevitably the result was sweet. And anyway, people like sweet things and, it could be said, some sweetness can cover up a number of faults. In the last twenty years, fashion has dictated
Corney & Barrow’s en primeur tasting of their selection of 2009 Burgundies shows what a treat Burgundy lovers are in for with this new vintage. The weather was excellent and warm in that year on the Côtes d’Or. Even in more northerly Chablis, despite rain in August, a splendid September ripened the grapes and made
Burgundy 2009 – Meursault masters Read More »
Some wine occasions really stand out. Obviously you need top quality wines or, at least, wines of exceptional interest. Hopefully, there is really good food to go with it. And you certainly want congenial, knowledgeable and appreciative company. Saturday night’s dinner more than met all these criteria. People had clearly searched their cellars for precious
The rather uneven vintage of 2004 in Burgundy nonetheless has some good associations for me. The very first fine wine supper that Janet and I hosted for Andover Wine Friends in July 2009 was a blind tasting of red Burgundy at ‘village’ level, comparing six wines from that vintage. ‘Village’ sounds a bit prosaic but
2004 Red Burgundy again Read More »
Through the generosity of friends on New Year’s Eve, we got to taste a rather grander Claret, Clos du Marquis. Those of us who live in North Hampshire will immediately feel positively disposed to this wine as its name graces the very good French restaurant in the former pub on the Stockbridge road which all
and a third Claret Read More »
Relaxed Christmas drinking presented a chance to compare two red wines from Bordeaux from the same year (the very hot year of 2003), at the same sort of price level, but from different sides of the Gironde river. I opened these two to see how marked the difference was between a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend as
Tale of two clarets Read More »
One table at Grape Expectations Christmas Wine fair really stood out for me. This wasn’t just because it was Italian but because it featured wines mainly from one region, Puglia, usually known as the heel of Italy. It’s always a bonus to be able to compare local styles side by side and to taste less
Puglia comes to Hampshire Read More »
Grape Expectations’ Christmas Fair had to be rescheduled because of very wintery conditions back on 2nd December but the line up duly appeared at The Lights Theatre, Andover, on Monday 13th. It became the event for what would have been Andover Wine Friends’ regular monthly tasting – the new date was a happy accident and
Grape Expectations: 10 wines to try this Christmas Read More »
The organic movement is well-established in France with strong connections to the markets of Northern Europe. German, Dutch or Danish consumers may well know their organic from their biodynamic but it’s more of a struggle in England. The term ‘organic’ does mean something in the supermarket or on the wine list – if for most
Organic Sud de France Read More »