It Must Be Wine O'clock

Wine of the Month – in anticipation of Welsh Wine Week, an award-winning Welsh wine …

Wythnos Gwin Cymru 4-12 Mehefin 2022

Welsh Wine Week 4-12 June 2022

White Castle Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve 2019

In anticipation of the start of Welsh Wine Week on 4^th June, this very impressive wine from White Castle Vineyard, in Monmouthshire is the perfect introduction to Welsh wines.

Recently awarded Silver in the International Wine Challenge (IWC) 2022, the Pinot Noir Reserve 2019 is a fine example of the top-quality wines produced by White Castle.

A combination of the Black Mountains, the three local rivers, the relatively low levels of rainfall, the clay and loamy soil, and the gently sloping, south-facing aspect of the vineyard all converge to create a unique micro-climate. This, together with the hard work and commitment to quality of the owners, has resulted in this truly delightful wine.

Made from Pinot Noir Précoce grapes, the Reserve 2019 is a light, well-balanced wine. With aromas of red berries and vanilla, with a hint of oak and smokiness on the nose, and ripe red fruit flavours of raspberry and strawberry on the palate, it’s the perfect match for Welsh lamb or a cheese platter.

Iechyd da! Cheers!

Available from Grape Britannia (£32)

A crisp, refreshing wine from Southwest France

The huge diversity of grape varieties and wine styles in Southwest France makes it an interesting wine region to explore. Tucked away between the Pyrénées and the Massif Central, with Bordeaux to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, it enjoys a warm, sunny climate with short, mild winters.

Here, you will find, for example, the ‘black wines’ of Cahors, the Gaillac blends of local grape varieties, the deep-coloured reds of Madiran, and the sweet and dry wines of Jurançon. You will also find the Côtes de Gascogne IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) wines. The IGP designation provides growers with a geographical indication for their wines but with less-rigid winemaking requirements than those required for the Appellation d’origine controllé designation.

These are predominantly white wines, produced from local grape varieties such as Gros Manseng, Colombard and Arrufiac, and often blended with Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The Plaimont Côtes de Gascogne Colombard Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a very good example.

A crisp, refreshing wine with pleasantly perfumed aromas, this is a classic Gascony blend of Colombard and Sauvignon Blanc. Pale lemon in colour, it has apple, honeysuckle and pineapple on the nose, and lemon, lime, melon and peach on the palate. With medium acidity and a lengthy finish, it is a well-balanced wine offering very good value for money.

You can enjoy this as an aperitif, or pair it with fish, or goat’s cheese.

Available from Sainsbury’s (£8)

If you like a Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc, why not try a Menetou-Salon wine?

Domaine Olivier Foucher Menetou-Salon 2019/20, Loire

Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc has been a firm favourite of mine since I first tried it sur place as a student many years ago. The refreshing acidity, the aromas of gooseberry, citrus and grass, and the flavours of apple and citrus fruits, with a hint of minerality, tick all the boxes for me.

Just a short distance away to the south-west of Sancerre is the small appellation of Menetou-Salon. Though not as well-known as its neighbour, Menetou-Salon is rapidly establishing a reputation for crisp, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc wines that offer very good value for money.

This wine from Domaine Olivier Foucher, a small 12-hectare estate in Morogues, is a very good example of a quality Menetou-Salon wine. Light in colour, the wine has aromas of blossom with apple and lime on the nose, and flavours of peach and pear on the palate. The grapes are harvested at night to retain freshness, resulting in a lively acidity. This is a well-balanced, multi-layered wine with a lingering, flinty finish.

A perfect wine for a seafood dish – we had it with pan-fried salmon. Or try it with goat’s cheese.

Available from Majestic £16.99 (Mix Six £12.99)

Château de Pizay, Morgon 2020 – a fruity and robust wine, with a pleasant, lingering finish

Beaujolais, home of the Gamay grape, lies between Mâcon and Lyon. There are 10 Beaujolais crus, each with its own distinct personality based on climate, soil, altitude and aspect.

The four key crus are Brouilly, Fleurie, Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent. The first two produce lighter, more perfumed wines, and the last two produce more structured wines that generally age well.

This Château de Pizay, Morgon 2020 is a smooth, dry wine, with medium acidity and medium tannins. It has a perfumed nose of blossom, plum and blackcurrant, leading to flavours of plum, black cherry, and vanilla, with a hint of cloves and smokiness, on the palate. A fruity and robust wine, with a pleasant, lingering finish, this is a perfect match for duck.

Available from Majestic £12.99 (Mix Six £10.99)

An orange Grüner Veltliner – an unusual wine that’s definitely worth trying!

Winzer Krems, Orange Grüner Veltliner, Kremstal, Austria 2020

Grüner Veltliner is the most widely-planted native grape variety grown in Austria, particularly in Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) and Burgenland. It is believed to be a crossing between Traminer and St Georgen, an unidentified grape variety discovered in St Georgen in 2000.

Typically a Grüner Veltliner wine has naturally high acidity, with citrus and stone fruit flavours, and hints of white pepper and sometimes vegetal notes.

This Orange Grüner Veltliner wine is a little unusual in that it spent some time on the grape skins during the fermentation process, giving it a rich golden colour tinged with an orange hue, a creamy mouthfeel and a slightly tannic edge.

It has aromas of apple, orange peel and lemon, and flavours of honey, peach and nectarine, with a hint of spiciness. It is a fresh, lively wine with a lengthy finish.

A wine to enjoy by itself but which also pairs well with slightly spicy Asian dishes.

Available from Majestic £10.99, (Mix Six £8.99)

Crossword clue: Deliverers of fine sprays and wines … Answer : Roses

As the weather improves and the days become longer, do you find yourself hankering after something lighter and more refreshing to drink? If so, then why not try a rosé wine?

Although we might automatically think of France when we think of rosé, there are plenty of regions in both the old and the new wine worlds producing some fine examples. Including this Ancre Hill Estates Rosé 2018 from Wales.

The Ancre Hill vineyards in Monmouthshire are located on the south facing slopes close to the Wye Valley. The estate uses traditional biodynamic and organic viticultural practices, with no external intervention or manipulation in the winemaking process.

The result is a unique style of wine, well-balanced, with lots of flavour and a lively acidity. Pale pink with a tinge of yellow in colour, the Rosé 2018 has aromas of strawberry, bramble, apple and grapefruit on the nose, and flavours of strawberry, rhubarb, cream soda and grapefruit on the palate.

This is a crisp, fresh wine with low alcohol which is perfect by itself and goes well with canapés or fish, particularly oily fish.

Available from Grape Britannia (£15.99)

A little gem from Suffolk

For something from a vineyard a little closer to home, this St Edmundsbury Pinot Noir 2020 is from Giffords Hall near Long Melford in Suffolk. The vineyard was planted on the site of an ancient glacial riverbed about 30 years ago and several grape varieties, including Madeleine Angevine, Bacchus, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc flourish in the sandy, clay soil here. This Pinot Noir 2020 is a little gem.

With aromas of bramble and blackberry on the nose, and flavours of plum, strawberry and rhubarb on the palate, this is a smooth, well-balanced wine with medium tannins and a lengthy finish.

An attractive and appealing wine that pairs well with duck or a Sunday roast.

Available from Grape Britannia (£15.99)

Wine of the Month – Koshu wine: the perfect accompaniment for Japanese food

When I first visited Japan thirty years ago, Japanese wine was nothing to write home about and most of the wine people drank back then was French. How different the Japanese wine landscape is nowadays – there are over 300 wineries across the country, the majority in Yamanashi, Hokkaido, Nagano and Yamagata prefectures.

And in recent years, the quality of Japanese wine has improved enormously – at the 2021 Decanter World Wine Awards, Japanese wines were awarded a total of 71 medals, an increase of 61% over 2020, and including two Platinum and four Gold medals.

The most common grape variety used for white wine in Japan is Koshu. Indigenous to Japan, the grape is a hybrid of the European Vitis vinifera and the Asian Vitis davidii, and its thick skin makes it well-suited to the country’s hot, humid summers. Most of the Koshu wines are produced in Yamanashi, just to the west of Tokyo and the home of Mt Fuji. The wines are subtle and delicate, with citrus aromas and fresh, fruity flavours.

This Château Mercian, Koshu, Iwasaki 2019 wine is produced by Japan’s longest established winery, which can trace its roots back to 1870. It is a smooth, medium-bodied wine with refreshing acidity, a creamy mouthfeel and a lengthy finish. With floral notes and aromas of lemon, yuzu and vanilla on the nose, and flavours of citrus fruit, peach and almonds on the palate, it is an elegant wine that expresses the unique characteristics of the Koshu grape very well.

It’s a perfect match for sushi and sashimi, and other light Japanese dishes.

Available from Frazier’s Wine Merchants (£21.99)

A mountain wine from Savoie

North, south, east or west, wherever you are in France, you are never too far from a wine-producing area. Even in the Alpine region of Savoie (Savoy), where the fresh, light, aromatic white wines made from the Jacquère grape are well-worth seeking out.

Vineyards in the region are often planted on mountain slopes between 250m and 550m, where they benefit from a warm microclimate and the moderating effects of nearby rivers and lakes. Although the Savoie region produces a mere 0.5% of French wines, it certainly punches above its size.

The Domaine Jean Perrier and Fils ‘Altus’ 2020, Savoie has aromas of blossom, apple and pear on the nose, and flavours of pear, apricot and honey on the palate. This is a crisp, refreshing wine with high acidity and a hint of minerality in the finish, and you can feel the freshness of the mountain air as you taste the wine.

A perfect match for fondue, goat’s cheese or a seafood dish.

Available from Majestic £13.99 (Mix Six £10.99)