January 2022 - It Must Be Wine O'clock

Wine of the Month

Gutter & Stars, Daylight Upon Magic, Chardonnay 2020

Cambridge is known for many things but who would have thought it was also the home of an urban winery! Journalist and winemaker Chris Wilson established Gutter & Stars in 2020, and last year released his first small batch vintages, each bottle numbered individually.

Having been really impressed by a very appealing, well-balanced Bacchus and a fresh, juicy and well-rounded Pinot Noir, I was really looking forward to the release of the winery’s first Chardonnay last autumn … and I wasn’t disappointed!

This is an outstanding wine, another roaring success for Gutter & Stars. Made from grapes grown in Crouch Valley, Essex, this is a crisp, vibrant and refreshing wine with vanilla, citrus and stone fruit aromas on the nose, and apple, pear, peach and apricot on the palate. With a hint of toastiness from the oak, and a creamy mouthfeel, it is an elegant and well-balanced wine. The wine is a cracking example of just how good an English Chardonnay can be.

I have no hesitation in recommending this excellent Chardonnay as my Wine of the Month.

Available from Grape Britannia (£26.99)

If you like smoky, oaked Chardonnay, then this is for you …

Bread & Butter Chardonnay, 2019, California

Chardonnay may not be everyone’s cup of tea, or rather choice of tipple. Some wine drinkers swear by it and won’t drink anything else; others will drink ‘Anything But Chardonnay’. Nevertheless, Chardonnay is one of the most widely-planted and versatile grapes in the world and comes in a range of styles, depending on its provenance and the winemaker’s approach to wine production. Although wine drinkers may prefer one style or another, or indeed not care for it at all, one of the pleasures of exploring the world of wine is discovering what Chardonnay has to offer.

Cooler climate Chardonnays from regions such as Northern Burgundy, Oregon and Tasmania tend to have more acidity, and more citrussy, minerally flavours. They are generally leaner, with lower levels of alcohol. Warmer climate Chardonnays from more southern areas of Burgundy, and most of California and Australia, tend to be fuller-bodied with higher levels of alcohol and less acidity. These wines have riper, stone-fruit and tropical fruit flavours such as peach, pineapple and banana.

In addition to the primary flavours related to climate, the winemaker’s judicious use of malolactic conversion (MLF) and oak barrel fermentation can introduce dairy flavours of butter and cream, and oak flavours of smoke, vanilla and coconut.

This particular Chardonnay is a rich, bold wine from California. It is a blend of grapes grown in Monterrey and the cooler Los Carneros, and has notes of apple, vanilla, butter and peach, and flavours of butter, honey, toast and tropical fruit. Soft and creamy with a long, smooth finish, it is a well-balanced wine. If you like smoky, oaked Chardonnay with plenty of body, this is a fine example and well worth trying.

It is a wine that will go well with a creamy chicken dish, a rich pasta dish or soft cheese.

Available from Majestic (£15.99, Mix Six £13.99)

Banish those January blues with a touch of Sicilian sunshine …

Planeta L’Amistanza 2020

After all the buzz and busyness of the festive season, mid-January can sometimes feel a little dispiriting. This refreshing, aromatic wine from Sicily can go a long way to help lift your spirits.

The Planeta L’Amistanza 2020 is made from a blend of Fiano and Grecanico grapes. Although neither is indigenous to Sicily – Fiano comes from the Campania region and Grecanico hails from the Veneto region in north-east Italy, where it is known as Garganega – both grow happily in Sicily and complement each other very well. Fiano brings body and texture to a wine while Grecanico contributes citrus freshness and acidity.

With aromas of honeysuckle, apple, pear and stone fruit, and flavours of peach, apple and lime, this is a well-balanced wine with medium acidity and a pleasantly long finish.

A crisp wine which works well as an aperitif and is also a very good match for seafood, pasta or a light, creamy chicken dish.

Available from Tesco (£10)

A fine Bacchus from the East of England

Winbirri Vineyard Bacchus 2020

Having very much enjoyed the Winbirri Signature 2017 red wine last year, I was keen to try their Bacchus wine. As Oz Clarke notes in his book ‘English Wine’, Winbirri’s 2015 Bacchus won a stunning ‘Best Value White Single Varietal’ award against rest of the world in the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2017. Very impressive, especially considering they only started planting in 2007. So I had great expectations … and I wasn’t disappointed!

With aromas of apple and pear and undertones of elderflower and rose petals on the nose, and apricot, pineapple and passion-fruit flavours on the palate, this is a very appealing aromatic and fruity wine. Expressive and well-balanced, it has a lively acidity and a lengthy finish and can be drunk by itself or paired with white meat or seafood. It’s an outstanding example of an English Bacchus.

Available from Grape Britannia (£17.49)

A perfect match for garlic prawns …

The Pebble Sauvignon Blanc, Loire Valley (2020)

The Loire Valley has an abundance of wines to offer, with vineyards growing all along the Loire from Sancerre in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The four sub-regions traversed by the Loire are subject to different climactic conditions, each suited to specific grape varieties – Sauvignon Blanc in the Central Vineyards and Touraine; Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc in Touraine and Anjou-Saumur; and Melon Blanc in Nantais, for example.

You will find plenty to savour amongst the wines of this region but for me, when I think of the Loire Valley, I think of Sauvignon Blanc and am immediately transported to Sancerre where I spent some time as a student, and Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc wines have been a firm favourite ever since.

Produced from grapes grown in soils rich in chalk, gravel, limestone and flint of the Sancerre region, The Pebble Sauvignon Blanc is a smooth, dry wine with a refreshing minerality. With aromas of jasmine, apple and peach on the nose, and flavours of apple, lime and passionfruit on the palate, this is a well-balanced wine with a medium finish.

Try it by itself or with a seafood dish. We enjoyed it with garlic prawns – perfect!

Available from Tesco (£9)