November’s Bring a bottle club had the theme of Bordeaux. In advance, this seemed manageable and would surely make the task of blind tasting relatively simple? Well, yes and no, as we shall see. Like the stately and elegant Bordeaux chateau architecture itself, would the evening be a model of precision and orderliness? Rather less
Quality wine develops over time. If a wine has sufficient fruit, acidity, structure and tannins, it can develop over the years in the bottle, in exceptional cases over decades. This is well known in relation to the classic wine regions. But what about up and coming ones – in this case, Roussillon? Most wines in
Ageing gracefully in Roussillon Read More »
The Overton BBC (bring a bottle club) has a cheerfully random air about it. This is particularly the case with ‘BBC1’. As the idea is to taste the wines blind, there is no plan about who will bring what. Usually, this works absolutely fine and often some fascinating themes emerge. By chance, three people will
Veuve Clicquot launched their two 2004 vintages wines – white and rosé – with an interesting comparison. What is the effect of bottling these wines in a normal bottle size, a magnum and a jeroboam? Apart from making a very pretty picture, the answer in a wine of this quality is that there is a
We do not normally associate vineyards with high technology. Vine growing is basically specialised agriculture and all the usual factors for farming apply: soil condition, fertility, drainage, seasons, rain fall, hard work. If you walk through a vineyard on a bright sunny day it is difficult not to be affected by romantic feelings combining perfect
Plotting in Saint Mont Read More »
Andover Wine Friends’ September tasting featured a comparison between two very different French wine regions: Sancerre very much in the middle of this large country in the aptly named ‘Central Vineyards’ and Roussillon, 600 kilometres further south and on Spain’s Mediterranean border. The contrasts between the two regions are marked: Sancerre Roussillon historic vineyard with
Sancerre meets Roussillon Read More »
The setting is a very generous dinner invitation, a tour around a ‘cellar’ – that is, a very fine collection of wines, many of them old, in a well-protected garage – and congenial wine-appreciating company. Ten wines were served with four splendid courses, enjoyed by eight people. The highlights included Duval-Leroy’s 2000 vintage champagne and
Ch. Palmer and Monprivato Read More »
The ‘Bring a Bottle Club’ on the theme of Champagne – chosen to honour Janet’s birthday – proved quite a challenge. As the wines are tasted blind, there are only a small number of possible factors to consider: colour – all the wines were all white, not a single rosé! there are a small number
Champagne challenge Read More »
We have been enjoying a number of parties to launch our new garden/tasting room at home. It replaces a plastic conservatory and is proving a real joy – opening up the entire ground floor of the house, giving lovely views into the garden and creating lots of space. And of course, we have an excuse
Twins and triplets Read More »
Occasionally the tastings and events come along so quickly that it is difficult to do justice to them. The August meeting of the Bring a Bottle Club was one of these … and my excuse is that the time available for writing has to go on my recent Tuscan trip. It’s tough, but someone has
Happy and bewildered Read More »
