Next tasting: A Fortifying Foray into the World of Sweet Wine

Date/time: 22 January, Monday, 7.45pm

A Fortifying Foray into the World of Sweet Wine To many, sweet wine has always been either a mystery or an unpleasant afterthought, a niche product for those who considered brandy “just a bit too poshe” who would then flee back to their semi-detached Barrett home in Eastbourne for a secret hit of Blue Nun. Well, if you are of that many, to you I bring good tidings of Grape Joy! The world of sweet wine is as complex and varied as any other style of wine, with as many (if not more) different methods of production. There are at least 11 main grape varieties used – and you will have heard of them – and any number of smaller varieties and blends, producing wines as light and effervescent as Asti or a golden, deep and elaborate as d’Yquem. But one thing is true of all quality sweet wines – they are hellishly difficult to do well, and production is invariably limited. So, predictably, they are expensive… but they are wonderful too. With significant annual variation, along with the enormous number of styles and grapes, it would be impossible to even begin to summarise the world of sweet wine in one session. But by looking closely at the older European sweet wine producers, it is hoped that we will gain true appreciation of the multifarious forms sweet wine can take, and the extent to which weather and terroir can affect production and the produce. Sauternes up and give them a try…

Cost: £10 per person

RSVP: glass (dot) half (dot) fulham (at) googlemail (dot) com by 14 February, Sunday. Numbers are limited to 15 and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

Blind tasting of Blockbuster Reds

In celebration of our first anniversary in January GHF held a double blind tasting of Blockbuster Reds. For those of you who don’t know, a double blind tasting is one where neither the wines nor the order are known to the tasters. In theory the best wines should win through, without tasters being swayed by names or prices. The question is, is it true?

First up was an Argentinean Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2006 Gouguenheim Cabernet Sauvignon, Valle Escondido, Mendoza (The Sampler, £9.70). The deep colour combined with the rich raspberry, cherry and blackcurrant aromas plus the fairly sizable legs led almost all of the group to correctly identify it as South American wine. The strong tannins and acidity caused many to believe that it was younger than the 2006 we later discovered it to be, but the oaked menthol tobacco flavours underlying the alcoholic heat were readily associated with Cabernet Sauvignon. The strong acidity and tannins somewhat spoiled what could have been a very delicious wine, but if accompanying a strong flavoured meat dish they could provide a delicious counterpoint. (JK: This is a high-altitude wine, which explains the high acidity.)

Wine B was far more opaque and brown with the rubbery, meaty and candied fruit on the nose, indicative of classic old world red. The vanilla notes hinting at the use of oak barriques in the ageing process. The flavour was well balanced, creamy and with hints of peppermint, described by one taster as having “the potential to be classy”. Little surprise then when it was revealed to be the 2004 Domaine de Chevalier, Grand Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac-Léognan (Berry Bros. & Rudd, £31.00). Although a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, it was the Cabernet Sauvignon that was identified by the majority to be the grape variety.

Third on the tasting card turned out to be the 2005 Château Villa Bel-Air, Graves (Berry Bros. & Rudd, £12.25 – reduced from list price of £16.50). The sweet aroma of strawberry jam and sweets along with almonds, cherry and blackcurrant was rather too sweet for some, but the thin, acidic, tannic flavour with a slightly sweet aftertaste deterred almost everyone else. As a result it was voted one of the least favourites of the evening.

Conversely, the most successful wine of the evening was the fourth offering to the group, the 2007 Glaetzer Wallace Shiraz Grenache, Barossa Valley (The Sampler, £14.30). The pleasant aroma of old elastic bands, lavender honey and menthol cigarettes overlaying the warmth of a strongly alcoholic wine (14.5%). Upon tasting it revealed itself to be a very clean and well-balanced wine with notes of acacia honey and pepper with a pleasant alcoholic warmth. It was unanimously recognised as a new world wine, harking from either South Africa or Australia, and many correctly identified it a different variety to previously: 75% Shiraz, 25% Grenache.

The 2005 Story Ridge Vineyards Panamera Cuvée Napa, Napa Valley (The Sampler, £23.50), or Wine E as it was known, was a personal favourite. The aroma of caramelised brown sugar, liquorice, blackcurrants and tobacco dominated this big Cabernet. The flavour is clean, well balanced and very pleasant. A tad pricey at £23.50, but compared to a left bank Bordeaux of similar quality, one could argue that it is a fair price.

The cheapest bottle of the night snuck somewhat under the radar as the sixth sample. Noted for its smooth aroma of cedarwood, eucalyptus and blackberry yoghurt, many hypothesised it was an Australian Cabernet Sauvignon before even tasting. The flavour was warm and smooth, with liquorice and raisin notes. The easy drinking nature was obvious to all, but nobody quite managed to put their finger on the precise origin of the bottle. Australian and easy quaffing, what else could it be but the 2007 Jacob’s Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, South Eastern Australia (Waitrose, £6.99).

Our penultimate wine was considerably older than the others, as immediately observed in its brown colour, a telltale sign of classic claret. The smells of cheese rind and smoking tyres were coupled with the strong musty aroma, another sign of its age. The flavours of strawberry jam and tea leaves (JK: pencil shavings?) accompany a slightly metallic tinge, indicative of old left bank Cabernet Sauvignon. As was correctly guessed, the bottle was a 1996 Château Tour Saint-Bonnet, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc (The Sampler, £22.50).

Our final sample was another South Australian Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2006 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra (Oddbins, £18.99). The aroma of mint, dark chocolate and pepper were representative of “an After Eight journey”. Yet the flavours were likened to “10 year old benelyn,” or more appealingly blackcurrant and pepper, indicative of southern hemisphere cab sav.

The final rankings were as follows:

1. 2007 Glaetzer Wallace Shiraz Grenache, Barossa Valley (The Sampler, £14.30)
2. 2006 Gouguenheim Cabernet Sauvignon, Valle Escondido, Mendoza (The Sampler, £9.70)
3. 2004 Domaine de Chevalier, Grand Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac-Léognan (Berry Bros. & Rudd, £31.00)
4. 2005 Story Ridge Vineyards Panamera Cuvée Napa, Napa Valley (The Sampler, £23.50)
5. 2007 Jacob’s Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, South Eastern Australia (Waitrose, £6.99)
6. 2006 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra (Oddbins, £18.99)
7. 1996 Château Tour Saint-Bonnet, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc (The Sampler, £22.50)
8. 2005 Château Villa Bel-Air, Graves (Berry Bros. & Rudd, £12.25 – reduced from list price of £16.50)

(report by LP)

1st Anniversary Tasting – Blockbuster Reds!

Date/time: 18 January, Monday, 7.45pm

Our First Anniversary Tasting – Blockbuster Reds!! I always think that in winter, red wines rule the roost. As the nights get colder, there is simply nothing better that a glass of seriously warming red. In our first anniversary tasting, we will be sampling big reds from classic and not-so-classic regions. The catch? You won’t know the order of the wines. In fact, you won’t even know what wines they are (until the end of the evening, of course). Don’t worry though, this is not a test – rather it is only by blind tasting can a true assessment of a wine’s quality be made. It will be a lot of fun, with loads of hints to guide us. Anyway, Jancis Robinson says that “beginners often make the best blind tasters; experience can confuse”…

Cost: £10 per person

RSVP: glass (dot) half (dot) fulham (at) googlemail (dot) com by 13 January, Wednesday. Numbers are limited to 15 and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

GHF Christmas Party

(full report pending)

We’ve just had a very fun (and amusing…) Christmas party in which we had:

NV Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Extra Dry (Majestic, £7.99 – reduced from £11.99)

2008 Knappstein Hand Picked Riesling, Clare Valley (Majestic, £6.99 – reduced from £8.99)

2008 Marquis de Pennautier Viognier, Vin de Pays d’Oc (Majestic, £4.99 – reduced from £6.99)

2006 Concha y Toro Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Maule Valley (Majestic, £4.79 – reduced from £5.99, 375ml)

Piemonte e Toscana – Nobili Vini d’Italia

After narrowly avoiding a meeting with Brown Owl and the Brownies downstairs I gladly made my way up to a room full of the welcoming faces of Glass Half Fulham wine club members. Crowding into the small office around a long table laden with Parmesan and crackers sat a selection of Fulham’s finest wine lovers. On only my third time of attending Glass Half Fulham, I was again impressed by the amount of work that goes into preparing for these tastings. TH excelled himself with a fantastic selection of Italian red wines and plenty of back ground knowledge on the lot.

TH kicked things off with a wine from Veneto. The 2006 Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference, Amarone della Valpolicella (Sainsbury’s, £14.69) is a wine of unusual origins. Once picked, the grapes are left out to dry, concentrating the sugar and flavours. All the sugar is then fermented into alcohol, resulting in a big dry red wine. At 14.5% alcohol, we all noticed the legs on this wine and it proved an interesting one. With raspberry, cherry and kiwi on the nose and tea, vanilla, raisins and herbal notes on the palate; the general consensus was that it was pleasant but possibly not worth the price.

We then moved onto Tuscany and the town of Montepulciano, where we sampled the 2004 Massimo Romeo, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Berry Bros. & Rudd, £15.70). There were mutterings of this wine being corked but we all felt that underneath it probably was rather good. Chocolate, cold tea, marzipan and a fruity strawberry sweetness were all flavours that came through. Rabbit, for the second time this evening, was a strong suggestion for a compatible dish (it was suggested for the Amarone too).

Chianti is one of the most famous and important wine regions in Italy and Querciabella is known to be one of the region’s best producers. Happily this is where we ventured next. The 2006 Querciabella, Chianti Classico (Waitrose, £16.99) is a blend of 95% Sangiovese with a small 5% addition of Cabernet Sauvignon. The intense dark fruit, rosemary, lavender and stony mineral aromas somewhat contradicted the ginger and tobacco flavours that we found along with more dark fruit on the palate. With plenty of tannin and a good structure, this wine was enjoyed by all and recommended by one to accompany a juicy roast lamb.

The wine which followed was voted a big hit. The 2004 Argiano, Brunello di Montalcino (Negozio Classica, £38.99), like all Brunellos, is made up entirely of the Sangiovese grape variety. This is a brilliant example with suggestions of salty seaweed, vanilla, cloves and Christmas spices named as a few of the flavours presented by this wine. From a great vintage, with good length, aging potential and well-balanced acidity and tannins this wine was voted the evening’s favourite.

Supertuscans, as they used to be called, were wines which did not follow the strict regulations of the DOC and DOCG so had to be registered as table wines despite their excellent quality. These wines are now labelled IGT and recognised in their own classification system, where experimentation is encouraged not penalised. The rather pricey 2004 Rocca di Montegrossi ‘Geremia’, Toscana IGT (Handford Wines, £31.95) was sadly not rated as a favourite by the group. It did however, have interesting plum, prune, fig and liquorice aromas to compliment the high acidity and herbal, especially mint, flavours on the palate.

Moving onto Piedmont in the far north west of the country, we reached the home of Nebbiolo – the grape grower’s nightmare and the drinkers delight. Nebbiolo is a grape variety that does not seem to want to grow anywhere outside of the region or in anything other than the flawless conditions which Piedmont possesses. The 2006 Cantina del Pino, Barbaresco (Waitrose, £24.99) was noted by nearly everyone for its rather unusual but not entirely unpleasant hints of cherry yogurt! Along with that we spotted aromas of rose, grass, peach melba (continuing the yogurt theme) and cola bottle sweets… Perhaps it was because the evening was drawing to an end but the wine still seemed to go down extremely well with the group.

The final wine we sampled was from the renowned Barolo region. Barolo is a slightly cooler area than Barbaresco and the slower ripening of the grapes helps give the wine its massive potential to age well. The 2005 Paolo Conterno, Barolo (Negozio Classica, £39.99) showed flavours of freshly cut grass, mint, camomile, basil and ripe red fruit and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. We all agreed however, that this wine would be much better in 5 – 10 years time after it had undergone further aging in the bottle to bring out these delightful flavours further.

A big well done and huge thanks to TH for organising the tasting and for hosting it so well. All that is left to say now is – bring on the Christmas party!

(report by SE)

Next tasting – Piemonte e Toscana: Nobili Vini d’Italia

Date/time: 23 November, Monday, 7.45pm

Piemonte e Toscana – Nobili Vini d’Italia Leonardo da Vinci once wrote that “the discovery of a good wine is increasingly better for mankind than the discovery of a new star”. Hailing from Tuscany, he would surely know a thing or two about good wine. If Burgundy is one of the historic centres of white wine production, then Italy surely has a strong claim to being the home of old-world red wine. Indeed, wines from Tuscany and Piedmont in particular are some of the most sought-after in the world, matching even the historic châteaux of Bordeaux in quality (and of course, price). In November, we will be focusing exclusively on these two regions and learning why they are so globally popular. A hint: it has a lot to do with Nebbiolo and Sangiovese.

Cost: £10 per person

RSVP: glass (dot) half (dot) fulham (at) googlemail (dot) com by 13 November, Friday. Numbers are limited to 15 and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

A thoroughly enjoyable dinner, with some wine

A few evenings ago, JG and SD invited me over for dinner, where I enjoyed their fine cooking. In return, I brought the wine. Some complemented the food better than others (I must add that it is my fault as SD had already told me what was for dinner!). For starters, SD had prepared Grilled Asparagus wrapped in Parma Ham with an Orange Balsamic Glaze. This I paired with an NV Mionetto Il Prosecco, Prosecco del Veneto IGT (The Sampler, approx £7, 375ml). Pale gold, with a fruity lemony bouquet. On the palate, it reminded me of apples and was lovely and light. The citrusy zest cut through the glaze, and was a great match. It would also be lovely for a picnic (perhaps not in the winter…).

JG then pulled out all the stops with Pan-fried Duck Breast in an Orange and Soya Sauce Jus, with Stir-fried Vegetables and Noodles (this bit was done by SD). We savoured this with a 2005 Chateau Brulesecaille, Côtes de Bourg (Harvey Nichols, £8.50, 375ml). Dark purple, with tobacco, cassis and pencil shavings. Perhaps a little tar and smoke. I was not convinced that it was the best choice, I would have preferred to have brought a Chianti, or a Grenache-based wine. Nonetheless, it did complement the dish, as it was able to stand up to the saltiness of the soya sauce, giving it a smokey edginess.

To finish what was already a massive meal, we enjoyed a selection of cheeses including Montgomery Cheddar, Shropshire Blue, Bavarian Basil with Chilli (SD’s favourite!) and Colston Bassett Stilton. With this we had the 2005 Tesco Finest Riverina Botrytis Semillon, South Eastern Australia (Tesco, approx £6, 375ml). This is one of my favourite buys from Tesco: golden, with marmalade, honey and raisin. Despite being a sweet wine, its aroma had a certain freshness to it, like the smell of a new car or bike (JG was the first to note this, and actually I do agree!).

Whilst walking through Hackney after consuming all this wine may not have been the best of ideas, it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. JG, SD, do invite me round again sometime!

(by JK)

Pinot Noir from Burgundy

Current theory states that a reasonable 1er cru should be left well alone for five plus years, but I’m afraid a decent steak supper and a rather tough day forced me into a little impatience. Opening the foil of the 2004 Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot Volnay Les Santenots, Volnay 1er Cru (Fortnum & Mason, approx £18, 375ml), I was a little worried, a good fungal growth completely covering the cork, and as I eased the corkscrew in, all was a little too soft for my liking. However, things quickly firmed up, and as I checked the inside, everything looked and smelled perfect. First off, the colour. Lately I’ve been drinking a lot of South American Malbec and Carmenère, and so I was struck by the paleness, almost pink hue to the wine. The legs were robust, but nothing compared to the stickiness of an Argentinean powerhouse. Yet, if I was unawed by the colour, the nose was incredible. The silken smell of soft, perfectly ripe, strawberries and redcurrants covering the subtle aroma of an obviously oaked wine. In the mouth it was soft and silky, while structured and tingling, just enough, all the right parts. The strawberries, redcurrants and cherries again obvious, with hints of vanilla leaving a long and very pleasant aftertaste.

Now I’m not suggesting that wines at this price should be a regular tipple, and that additional patience on my behalf would probably have been rewarded, but the every once in a while set your pulse racing with a genuine reminder of how good Pinot Noir really can be!

(by LP)

Les Blancs de Bourgogne

As the days become windier and wetter and the nights draw in, my mind is drawn back to last winter when we convened for the first time on a cold January evening. I say this because the October Glass Half Fulham meeting was our first, albeit small, milestone; our tenth tasting. Over the last year, we’ve tasted a diverse variety of different wines and explored the viniculture of many different regions. But to mark this occasion, we were to return to one of the most important and historical centers of wine production, Burgundy – source of some of the world’s greatest wines and to the king of white grapes, Chardonnay.

As a way of introduction, LP (our guide for the evening) presented the four major regions of Burgundy – Côte d’Or, Côte Châlonnaise, Mâconnais and Chablis – and described their geography, climate and often confusing classification systems. Burgundy, perhaps more than anywhere else in the world, typifies the concept of terroir, and its influence in wine production is one of the major reasons for the region being able to produce consistently high quality wines throughout history.

We explored the region working roughly north to south, beginning with Chablis in the north-west. Our first wine, the 2007 Domaine Séguinot-Bordet, Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons (Berry Bros. & Rudd, £16.55) was a fine example of a traditional dry Chardonnay, typifying a style which has been reproduced around the world. This wine had hints of vanilla and toast (the similarity to Champagne was noted) on the nose, with butterscotch coming through once left to breath for a few minutes. The taste, however, was not creamy, but unexpectedly acidic. LP explained that given the cooler climate and shorter summers, producers in Chablis use techniques such as malolactic fermentation. The malic acid certainly came through in the apple and mineral flavours which were interesting, if not unpleasant. In contrast, the 2007 Domaine Ghislaine & Jean-Hugues Goisot, St-Bris (Theatre of Wine, £11.20) had none of the crispness or sharpness of taste that was expected. The earthly, mouldy aromas gave way to a sour, but full body that challenged the taste-buds. Many tasters commented that the St-Bris would be an excellent companion to a strong goats cheese.

Leaving Chablis, we moved to Burgundy-proper and took a slight diversion away from Chardonnay to experience the regions ‘other’ white grape variety, Aligoté. One of the components in the blackcurrant liqueur Kir, Aligoté has traditionally had a bad reputation as a wine in its own right, but has had a revival in recent years. The 2008 Blason de Bourgogne, Bourgogne Aligoté (Waitrose, £8.99) had a fabulous golden colour and a bouquet that included sherbert, soft fruits, wood and mild incense. It was the fruit notes that came through most intensely on the palate, producing a curious gone-off strawberries sensation. This wine was perhaps not one of the finest examples of a Burgundy white, but represented good value for money and certainly a talking point. The 2006 Nicolas Potel, Montagny 1er Cru (Berry Bros. & Rudd, £14.50), nearby geographically to the Aligoté but a complete contrast in terms of taste, returned us to the Chardonnay grape. The creamy and fruity flavours, with prominent notes of bananas and pear in particular, proved the variety of taste experiences that the same grape can produce. Many members were reminded of the St-Aubin that we tasted back in January. Whilst we were warned not place full trust in the ‘Premier Cru’ label, this was certainly a high quality wine and the most popular of the evening so far.

Moving further south to Mâcon, we tasted two wines from the central district of Burgundy: 2007 Héritiers du Comte Lafon ‘Les Maranches’, Mâcon-Uchizy (Berry Bros. & Rudd, £17.50) and 2006 Olivier Merlin, St-Véran (Berry Bros. & Rudd, £13.95). The appellations in the Mâconnais region produce large quantities of both red and white wines on their rolling limestone hills, which benefit from larger quantities of sunshine and heat than their northern neighbours; the Chardonnay grapes here are rarely affected by frost. We noted the influence of the geology in the aromas of both wines, particularly flint, which came through in the minerally Mâcon-Uchizy. However, the acidic taste (even more so than the Chablis) was both unexpected and disappointing, which made the St-Véran even more enjoyable. The second example had both an earthy aroma – typical of an oak-aged wine – and a creamy butterscotch flavour. A powerful wine, which would be a fine accompaniment to strongly-flavoured food.

Our penultimate wine of the evening, the 2006 Bret Brothers Cuvée Terres de Fuissé, Pouilly-Fuissé (Berry Bros. & Rudd, £19.50) was from the southern-most point on the limestone plateau on which Burgundy is grown, and an appellation which famously produces wines commanding some of the highest prices in the region. The Bret brothers, highly respected producers, have a reputation for being the mavericks of the Burgundy region and so this tasting was eagerly anticipated. Despite being ever so slightly corked, the quality of the pouilly clearly shone through in the creamy flavours, and was highly praised by all. Many noted that they would seek this out after the tasting to fully experience the wine.

To conclude, we tasted a classic example of Meursault, a large and prosperous appellation in the Côte d’Or. LP noted that although this AC strangely contains no Grand Crus, the Premier Crus are rarely surpassed (and as expensive). The 2004 Yves Boyer-Martenot Meursault Charmes, Meursault 1er Cru (The Sampler, £29.99) had notes of bananas, salami and smoked cheese on the noise, leading to a creamy flavour. This wine would probably improve even more during the next five to eight years.

Many thanks to LP for organising such an enjoyable and insightful tasting. Wines of the evening were as follows:

1) Wine of the evening: 2006 Bret Brothers Cuvée Terres de Fuissé, Pouilly-Fuissé
2) Best value for money: 2006 Olivier Merlin, St-Véran

(report by TH)

[JK's note: Because it was AlM's birthday, we also had the 2003 Domaine Pouderoux Vendange Tardive, Maury (Waitrose, £9.99, 50cl). A vin doux naturel, it is unsurprising that it reminded many of a tawny port, since both are made by fortification. Cherry and mulberry, it nicely complemented AlM's birthday cake. Probably a good accompaniment for chocolate as well!]

Next tasting – Les Blancs de Bourgogne

Date/time: 26 October, Monday, 7.45pm

Les Blancs de Bourgogne Recent years have seen shelves filled with Chardonnay from the New World. However, this month we return to Burgundy, exploring the region which produces some of the world’s most scintillating, not to mention most expensive, white wines. From the bone-dry Chablis of the north to the fat, buttery Meursault of the Côte de Beaune, join us in discovering this enigmatic region and understand why, in some eyes, Chardonnay is still the greatest of white wine grapes.

Cost: £10 per person

RSVP: glass (dot) half (dot) fulham (at) googlemail (dot) com by 16 October, Friday. Numbers are limited to 15 and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.