In this month’s tasting, Supermarket Sweep, we will taste a range of own‐label wines alongside their ‘branded’ counterparts. Inevitably every year just before Christmas, the Which? magazine blind tasting will be trotted out as an example of how supermarket own‐label wines are as good as leading brands, or even top champagne houses. From one point of view, it makes sense: it is easier for supermarkets to shop around for the best deal. But the suspect promotions policy muddies the water…so the only way will be to judge it for ourselves!

Send an email to glass.half.fulham@googlemail.com by Monday 16th May. Numbers are limited to 15 and will be allocated on a first‐come‐first‐served basis.

Cost: £10 per person

RSVP: glass (dot) half (dot) fulham (at) googlemail (dot) com by Friday 25th March. Numbers are limited to 15 and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

Can terroir have an effect on a wine? To borrow from JK’s tasting notes: terroir includes climate (temperature and rainfall), insolation (sunlight), relief (altitude, slope, aspect), geology (soil characteristics) and hydrology (soil-water relations). Such factors differ markedly between wine regions, and are the principal reason that wines from some DOC regions are more sought-after than others. Taken together, it is obvious that the combined effect of all of these factors will have a substantial effect on the character and quality of the grapes produced. But the rub here is that producers who talk about terroir are often talking about grapes taken from different parts of the same wine estate, which narrows the range of variation on all of the factors above. The real question is not ‘Can terroir affect a wine’s characteristics?’, but ‘In practice, is terroir really distinguishable from variations in vinification methods?’.

It is notoriously difficult to pick apart the effects of terroir in a tasting. I have been told by an enthusiastic wine producer that the wine we were tasting had flinty characteristics because the vines were growing in a flinty soil. But I subsequently found myself wondering whether the vines were also being watered with peach juice, and whether someone had been diligently hammering pencils into the ground around the roots. I didn’t ask.

There is no way to be completely sure that you are comparing terroir when you are tasting two different wines, short of actually growing the grapes and making the wine yourself. However, this Monday evening JK put together for us the next best thing: eight wines, four from the same New World producer and four from the same Old World producer, each set produced from the same single grape variety from the same estate.

The first producer was Laurenz V., an Austrian producer with vines in Niederösterreich, Kamptal and Kremstal, in the North of the country. Laurenz V. focuses on the Grüner Veltliner grape variety, which is used to produce white wines with a characteristic peppery zing and a dry mineral character that have recently become very popular imports in the US.

Our first wine of the night was the 2008 Laurenz V. Friendly Grüner Veltliner (approx. £10, Slurp.co.uk) (with ‘Friendly’ signalling that this is the producer’s entry-level offering, with a relatively low price tag). This very pale, slightly green-tinged wine was delightfully refreshing, with a nose reminiscent of a Riesling: tart, with green apples and honeysuckle. It smelled fresh and green, but not unripe. In the mouth, a slight prickle on the tip of the tongue signalled the presence of dissolved carbon dioxide remaining from fermentation, a typical characteristic of Grüner Veltliner which emphasises the peppery characteristics of the wine.

A slight bitterness was present, along with the expected sharpness and continuing appley notes. By general agreement, this was a nice, refreshing, but unexciting wine. A good table wine for sitting around in a café with.

We then moved on to the 2008 Laurenz V. Charming Grüner Veltliner (£19.50, Slurp.co.uk), which was the favourite GV of the night. In keeping with all the GVs, the colour was very pale and slightly green, perhaps marginally darker than the ‘Friendly’. The aroma was tighter and less fruity than the previous wine, with bready notes and a mineral impression, like wet stone. On tasting, the same light fizz produced a much more definite impression of white pepper than in the previous wine, true to style, and a definite mineral character. One or two of us detected a hint of a ricotta-like cheesiness but without any impression of milk or lactate that you might find in a red wine; this was more apparent when returning to the wine after others.

Next up was the 2007 Laurenz V. Singing Grüner Veltliner (approx. £10, various). The colour of this wine was marginally greener than the last two. Aromas of bitter marmalade (zesty, rather than fruity), along with definite rubber notes (these diminished with time, and I noted it had disappeared entirely by the next day). In the mouth, a lower level of residual CO2 was evident, as well as pears, cherries and more orange. A nice long sourdough-like aftertaste followed. On returning, spiciness and sherbert were evident in the aroma. This was my personal favourite GV.

The next wine, the 2008 Laurenz V. Silver Bullet Grüner Veltliner (£11, various), came in a smaller, 50cl bottle. JK informed us that this was because it is marketed to restaurants as an ideal aperitif, which we agreed was a good use for this wine. Slightly darker and greener than the rest (though still pale by normal standards), the darker mood and thicker mouthfeel of this wine almost made it seem like it had been reduced and concentrated. The aroma was described by KMI as ‘serious and depressing’. Though there were certainly aromatic citrus notes, the darker aromas of mushrooms and new leather distinguished this wine from the rest. The flavour revealed tart fruits – pineapples – giving a juicy
impression. ‘Flabby’ was agreed with (perhaps uncharitably, given that this wine was generally well- liked).

For our next set we moved on to the New World, where we were treated to four wines from St. Hallett in the Barossa Valley of South Australia. The different vinification methods used for these four wines certainly came through in the experience of each wine – perhaps the low importance of terroir for this New World producer is a self-fulfilling prophecy. I must now admit that I lied a little in the introduction to this blog post: our first wine, the 2009 St Hallett Gamekeeper’s Reserve (£8.54, Waitrose) was in fact a blend of 56% Shiraz, 35% Grenache and 9% Touriga Nacional, not a 100% Shiraz, as the other three were. As such, it was not directly comparable. Which, as it turned out, was a very good thing, as this was a pretty ghastly wine. At £8.99 a bottle, this ‘entry-level’ wine compares unfavourably with other supermarket cheapies, like Jacob’s Creek, Oxford Landing and Lindeman’s. The colour was a deep, purple-tinged red. Classic meaty, spicy and hot aromas were over-done, overlaid with a pervasive sweetness; some rose hints from the Touriga Nacional might have made an appearance. The flavour was unsubtle, sweet and strong, with the impression of beef, and lactate/yoghurt. Be warned that the ‘Gamekeeper’s Reserve’ part of the title is often removed in restaurant versions, so people don’t realise that they are paying £20 for a pretty basic wine.

The next wine, the 2007 St Hallett Blackwell Shiraz (£18.60, Slurp.co.uk), was a relief. This inky-black wine (in common with all three shiraz wines) was opaque, even when held to a light; deep purple at the edge. The nose showed the benefits of its 20-month ageing in oak, with clearer and less confused aromas of black pepper, truffles and vanilla (as well as pencils. How dare anyone suggest I have a pencil fixation?!). In the mouth, the tannins were smooth, but much better developed and everything was classier. A classic shiraz smoky spiciness was evident, with a touch of yoghurt and the return of the pencils. This was a much nicer wine, but not a notably special one.

Our next shiraz was the 2007 St Hallett Faith Shiraz (£10.45, Slurp.co.uk), which was still extremely dark, but with more red and brown and less purple colour. Aromas of meaty mushrooms (shiitake, I though) competed with some fruitiness (though opinion was divided on whether this wine was fruitier than the last). In the mouth, the relative dryness of this wine was interesting. The strength (14.5%) was more apparent than in the last wine, leading to a spicier impression. The tannins were again better- developed, and a pleasing dusty effect was present, like old cupboards. Again, the 12-16 months in oak barrels probably had a much greater effect on this wine than any differences in terroir. On returning to this wine, I was reminded of the smell of a small motorboat engine (maybe engine oil?).

Our last wine, the 2006 St Hallett Old Block Shiraz (£28.30, Waitrose), was an interesting one, and was a good reminder that Shiraz grapes are not always destined for big, spicy, blockbuster Australian wines. This wine was probably best suited to KMI’s accolade, ‘eclipse wine’ – inky black, with faint tinges of purple. The aromas of anchovies, truffle, fungus and leather marked this wine out as a special Shiraz. The flavours were perhaps a little disappointing after the introduction via the nose. The best way of describing this wine’s flavour is to compare it to a tawny port: relatively thin tannins, with notes of oxidation and a residual sweetness. Some vanilla notes were also present. This was an interesting wine, but it felt like it needed a bit more of a bold structure in the mouth. I was expecting a bigger wine from old vines, at 14.5% abv.

All-in-all, a very interesting tasting. Did we prove incontrovertibly that terroir is more than a bare-faced marketing strategy? Probably not. But we did experience the great range of variation wine-makers can create between wines produced from the same variety of grapes in the same vineyard. When it comes down to it, terroir dictates what you start with when making a wine, and is just one of the tools wine-makers use to elevate some of their wines into great ones. Would I pay more for a producer’s favourite wine? Yes! Even if he’s convinced that it’s all down to the pencilly soil.

Many thanks to JK!
(Report by GH)

Terroir: Fact or Fiction?
In 1098, the Cistercians founded Cîteaux Abbey, south of Dijon. On Christmas Day of the year of their foundation, the Duke of Burgundy gave them their first vineyard. More land was soon received, in Corton, Beaune, Chambolle, Volnay, Vosne Nuits… They soon notived that different vineyard plots gave consistently different wines, giving birth to the idea of “terroir”. It is this idea which supposedly underpins the “Appellation d’Origine Controlee” system – critics like Malcolm Gluck will disagree! In this tasting we will explore this idea of terroir ourselves by comparing wines made from the same variety and crafted by the same producer. The producers themselves do think there is a difference – hence the price differential. But is this justified? Judge for yourselves.

Cost: £10 per person

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

Once TH had explained the incredibly complicated classification system for sherry we started with a fino style, which is the lightest and driest of the range. The Valdespino Inocente Fino (£7.99, Handford Wines) was very pale in colour, it looked a little like sauvignon blanc, and had a delicate aroma of pears. There were also hints of elderflower, damp wood and sherbet on the nose. On the first taste one instantly noticed the high acidity but also the somewhat sour character of the wine. The floral notes rounded the wine off to an extent but it was decided that it wasn’t particularly well balanced. Perhaps salted nuts would be a good accompaniment.

Up next was the Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla (£8.65, Waitrose). Also a fino in style but instead of being a fino from Jerez as before, this sherry is from the nearby Sanúcar de Barrameda region so is known as a Manzanilla. Manzanillas are often slightly lighter than a Jerez Finos but we actually found this one a bit richer and fuller in style. On the nose; lemons, bread, nuts, apples, marzipan and even soya sauce were picked up and most of these flavours carried through on the palate, especially the nuts and also vanilla notes.

The third sherry was quite different to the first two, much darker in colour, described as burnt caramel by one, and substantially sweeter to the taste. González Byass Del Duque Amontillado Viejo (£19.50, Fortnum & Mason) is an unusual sherry – an aged Fino. It smelt deliciously of maple syrup, honeysuckle, cooked apples and also slightly salty. On the palate you couldn’t miss the alcoholic punch (21.5%) but it then melted into lovely toffee apple, prune, cinnamon and papaya flavours with a good dry almondy length.

The next two sherries were Olorosos – these are dark, sweet and creamy and more like digestifs than the previous aperitif style of sherries that we tried before. Olorosos are also fortified to a higher degree. This kills the flor yeast and starts oxidation sooner to impart more of the characteristics described above, which define the style.

The Juan Garcia Jarana Pata de Gallina 1/38 Oloroso (£12.20, Berry Bros. & Rudd) was described as a golden chestnut colour, darker than any of the previous Sherries. This wine was quite closed on the nose but there were hints of eucalyptus, mint and orange picked up by the group. We all agreed that on the palate it was much better – spicy chocolate, coffee, sweet marzipan and with a good creamy length. It was much enjoyed by all.

Made for the British commercial market, rich cream style Sherries are sweet and relatively inexpensive to buy. The Waitrose In Partnership with Lustau Rich Cream (£8.39, Waitrose) was a dark, burnt amber colour and had some wonderful aromas – dried apricots, coffee, raisons, caramel and Jamaican ginger cake. On the palate there were flavours of raisons, toffee apples and candied ginger but it was just over-whelming sweet!

The next wine turned out to be almost everyone’s favourite sherry of the day. A Palo Cortado is a sherry that was originally intended to be a Fino or Amontillado but for some reason during aging the flor yeast is lost. The result is a delicate sherry (fino) being oxidised as if an oloroso to create an unusual and very desirable mixture of styles. The Fernando de Castilla Antique Palo Cortado (£28.95, Handford Wines) is an amber gold colour and smelt of raisons, toffee, buttery nuts, praline and herbaceous leaves. On the palate there were exotic fruits, butterscotch, macadamia nuts and cinnamon biscuits – a delicious, well structured and well balanced wine.

The last wine was like none other we’d had before. Thick and syrup like, the colour of molasses and with a deep, rich smell, the Emilio Lustau San Emilio Pedro Ximénez (£10.45, Berry Bros. & Rudd) was pretty special. On the nose there were spicy apples, quince, prunes, figs, dates and treacle and on the palate a similar experience but combined with a sweetness like you’ve never experienced. Different to the cream sherry however, it was slightly more balanced and you could imagine having it with ice cream and it being rather enjoyable. Comments like ‘more like a sauce than a wine’ and ‘oral apocalypse’ show the incredulity of most of the group!

Many thanks to TH for a fantastic tasting and for lending us his house for the evening. Although there were only 8 of us in the end, we all agreed that it just meant all the more for us – and quite merry we were by the end of so many glasses of fortified wine!

Report by SE

Anyone for Sherry?
I don’t know about you but there is something about sherry that always reminds me of Christmas. And yet the very British tradition of a nice crisp glass of fino before sitting down to have your roast dinner is something that just doesn’t seem to sit naturally with knowledge of sherry’s sunny Andalucían origins. There, it is much more likely to be found in trendy Tapas bars being sipped by evening revellers before they hit the town. In fact, with names like Bristol Cream on
our supermarket shelves, you would almost be forgiven for not realising that this fortified wine came from Spain at all! So what are the real origins of sherry, and why such a curious link with British culture? All will be revealed, and more than just exploring the history and getting our heads around the confusing classification system, we’ll taste the complete range of styles out there; you’ll be amazed at the variety offered by this often-overlooked little gem.

Cost: £10 per person

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

Many thanks to SE for a very enjoyable tasting. The wine we tasted were:

2009 Quinta do Casal do Paço ‘Afros’, Vinho Verde (£11.10, Vagabond Wines)
2006 Quinta de la Rosa Aguia, Douro (£14.50, Berry Bros. & Rudd)
2003 Quinta Da Falorca Reserva, Dão (£15.95, Roberson Wine)
2003 Herdade do Mouchão Tinto, Alentejo (£20.95, Berry Bros. & Rudd)
NV Vinhos Barbeito 10 Year Old Sercial, Madeira (£24.95, Berry Bros. & Rudd)
NV Broadbent Selections Reserve 5 Year Old, Madeira (£16.95, Berry Bros. & Rudd)
NV Offley Rose, Port (£9.95, Waitrose)
1996 Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage, Port (£29.95, Roberson Wine)

and nothing to do with Portugal but intimately related to SE…

2009 Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc, Walker Bay (£10.99, Waitrose)

Does Portugal have it all? From Madeira to Port via Wine Portugal produces diverse and unique wines, with a fascinating, rich history to match. Where to begin!? The British taste for Port, Madeira and Portuguese wines goes back for centuries and the Methuen Treaty between Portugal and England in 1703 simply secured the trading link to supply the demand. The Douro Valley was the first wine producing region in the world to be demarcated in 1758, recognising it for the excellent Port it produced. But it’s not just Port that Portugal is famous for. Madeira, a fortified wine made on the islands of Madeira, can be dry or sweet and has a rather strange method of production. Ships sailing to the East Indies and beyond during the 16th century, would often stop at the Madeira Islands to pick up the special wine there. This wine was better able withstand the excessive heat and movement on the ships, over port or straight wine, so popularising it. And then there are what one might call the ‘ordinary’ Portuguese wines but these are by no means ordinary. With hundreds of different indigenous grape varietals as well as the huge variation in soil and climate between the regions, there are plenty to choose from – so does Portugal really have it all?

Cost: £10 per person

RSVP: glass (dot) half (dot) fulham (at) googlemail (dot) com by 24 November, Wednesday. Numbers are limited to 15 and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

We started with three whites. The 2009 Domaine des Herbauges Fief Guérin, Muscadet-Côtes de Grandlieu sur Lie (£6.99, Waitrose) was a bright pale yellow, with a nose of dried apricots, pear drops and hints of oranges and vanilla. Smokey and dusty (like a Pinot Grigio) was also suggested, and even saltiness. The latter carried over to the palate, nicely balanced by a zinginess (grapefruit, sherbet lemon) and minerality. The sur lie process was evident from the slight fizz on the tongue. It is not surprising that the traditional pairing is oysters!

In contrast, the 2009 Domaine de la Noblaine, Chinon (£14.40, The Sampler) was more yellow, with a nose of apple crumble, vanilla, caramel, quince, greengage and unripe melon rind. There is was also a phenolic note to it. It should be noted that upon coming back to this later, it had developed into herbal honey-on-toast – very intriguing. The palate was one of toast, apple juice and tinned tropical cocktail. This wine is 100% Chenin Blanc, perhaps the signature grape of the Loire Valley as it tries to move away from the current Sauvignon Blanc craze.

Talking about Sauvignon Blanc, the final white was the 2008 Domaine Seguin, Pouilly Fumé (£14.95, Lea & Sandeman). Light gold with a greenish tinge, it had a very tropical nose of kiwi, melons, pineapple and grapefruit. Peach melba yoghurt was also suggested, and even a certain saltiness (think post-rain). On the palate, it was very tart and regresshing, with mineral, gooseberry and pepper.

Moving on to the reds, we started with the 2008 Thierry Puzelat KO ‘In Côte We Trust’, Touraine (£15.30, The Sampler). The colour reminded many of blackberry juice or Ribena – not dense, with vivid pink round the rim. The smell immediately recalled potpourri, with mulled wine, rose petal, cinnamon, incense, candied orange. A bit like a soap shop. Unfortunately the palate was most disappointing: watered down herbal liquor was the most kind.

This was followed by the 2009 Domaine Vincent Delaporte Rouge, Sancerre (£14.95, Lea & Sandeman). If the former was Ribena, this looked like cranberry juice – very pale and transparent. The nose was immediately one of burnt toast, honey, butter scotch and cherry yoghurt (more cream that fruit or earth). It developed into that of a spent firecracker! On the palate, more yoghurt, but little else. It was thin and lacking in structure. A kind soul suggested acidic mushrooms – at a stretch perhaps…

Next was the 2006 Bernard Baudry Le Clos Guillot, Chinon (£15.00, Lea & Sandeman). Colour-wise between the two previous wines, it had a nose of menthol cigarettes, cheese, tobacco, meat, graphite, cigar-box, compost and green pepper. The palate was a lovely balance of white pepper, cranberry, salt, meatiness and medium tannins. This wine is a great example of Cabernet Franc, a variety often overshadowed by its offspring, Cabernet Sauvignon.

The final wine was a real treat, the 1995 Domaine Huet Clos du Bourg 1er Trie Moelleux, Vouvray (£42.00, The Sampler). Premiere Trie means that this is made from the first-choice, best botrytis-affected Chenin Blanc grapes. Amber, the nose was of acacia and lavender honey, marmalade, grass, petrol, honey suckle, barley sugar and tinned pears. The palate had the necessary balance and acidity and sweetness, with citrus, more honey, caramelised apples, grapefruit and lemon rind. I personally was not wowed by this, but there were many others who would disagree. (Incidentally, Decanter in 2005 cited the 1945 vintage of this wine as the 6th best wine of all time. The only sweet wine to better this was the 1921 d’Yquem.)

It seemed a bit unfair to include the 1995 Vouvray in the “wine of the evening” vote, so excluding this the following two were voted as wines of the evening:
2009 Domaine de la Noblaine, Chinon
2006 Bernard Baudry Le Clos Guillot, Chinon
Looks like Chinon is up-and-coming…

Thank you very much to LP for this educational evening!

(report by JK)

A Loire unto itself The mighty Loire is the longest river in France. Rising in the Ardèche, it flows over 1000km before finally discharging into the Bay of Biscay at St Nazaire. It drains an area comprising roughly a fifth of the area of France including the many vineyards stretching from the Atlantic coast to the borders of Burgundy. The land was first cultivated under vines by the Romans in the 1st Century, and throughout the centuries has produced exciting wines of all colours and varieties from the sharp coastal Muscadets to the rich Cabernet Francs of Chinon and the dry Sauvignon Blancs of Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé.

Cost: £10 per person

RSVP: glass (dot) half (dot) fulham (at) googlemail (dot) com by 20 October, Wednesday. Numbers are limited to 15 and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.