The wines of California
February’s Bring a Bottle Club was off into unchartered territories … again. It was, however, the last time when we had some clues. The custom has been for each person to bring their bottle or bottles suitably shrouded but for all to know who has contributed each wine. This inevitably leads to inferences being made
Inferences true and false Read More »
Saturday’s Andover Wine Friends’ fine wine supper was based on a six-bottle case sold by the Wine Society as ‘World Class Pinot Noir’. The marketing worked perfectly – I duly bought the case and we enjoyed the wines. It was very good value at just under £140. But ‘world class’? I don’t think so. In
Pinot Noir – home and away Read More »
Andover Wine Friends’ November tasting had a mainly Californian theme. It was supposed to be an entirely Californian evening but, like a proper road trip, there was a bit of a diversion, of which more shortly. The aims were simply: to illustrate the main styles of this state which accounts for 90% of the wine
California road trip Read More »
November’s Bring a Bottle Club was a somewhat random affair – two French classics (Sancerre and a Loire Cabernet Franc), some good regionally important wines (Friulano from Friuli, Grenache from Roussillon, Treixadura from Ribeiro, a Xarel-lo/ Riesling blend from Penedes) and a brace of New World wines (Californian Merlot, White Bordeaux blend from the Cape).
Classic, regional, new world? Read More »
Saturday evening saw an opportunity to taste the wines of one of California’s most famous names: Jim Clenenden of Au Bon Climat, Santa Barbara. ‘Wild boy Jim’ – this is California after all – has been making wine for nearly 25 years, concentrating on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These two grape varieties tell you that
In his introduction to a tasting for Andover Wine Friends, Martin Hudson, Master of Wine, summarises the key points about Cabernet Sauvignon with masterly (of course) clarity: Cabernet Sauvignon only became significant in Bordeaux at the end of the eighteen century, i.e., despite its worldwide fame it is a very young variety it is the
Around the world in eight Cabernets 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
Hyde de Villaine is a joint venture between Californian grape growers Hyde with vineyards in Carneros and Aubert de Villaine. What’s all the fuss about? Well, de Villaine is a co-owner of Burgundy’s (and one of the world’s) most famous wineries, Domaine de la Romanée Conti, though it has to be said that this a
When you are in a wine zone it makes sense to concentrate on the wines of the region itself. But of course, there are interesting wines to be tasted or drunk from adjacent zones or indeed from completely different parts of the world. Here are a few from our stay in Massa Marittima, Southern Tuscany.
From Napa to Massa Read More »
A generation ago ordinary wine drinkers did not know the names of the grapes from which their wines were made. Now a days, that’s probably the main thing that they do know. Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Merlot and Cabernet all have their mass of followers, they have become brands in their own right. And of these,
The world’s Chardonnay Read More »