It Must Be Wine O'clock

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)

Engawa – fine Japanese dining in the heart of London

Tucked away in a charming little courtyard just a stone’s throw from Piccadilly Circus is Engawa, one of London’s finest Japanese restaurants.

As you step into the restaurant to the traditional welcome greeting of ‘Irasshaimase!’, you already feel in the zone, anticipating the tasty delights to come.

Engawa is a small, intimate restaurant offering a range of Japanese dishes including Kobe beef, sushi and sashimi, which are all served to please the eye as well as the taste buds.

We went for lunch and chose the two-tiered hakozen bento box for which Engawa is renowned. The assorted selection of fourteen appetisers and seasonal dishes were all carefully prepared and beautifully presented, and were quite simply delicious. These included edamame topped with sea salt and lemon, tuna, salmon and toro sashimi, wagyu and tempura, as well as vegetable dishes, and it also came with miso soup.

It was also a great opportunity to have a Japanese koshu wine to accompany our lunch. The Château Mercian Iwasaki 2019 Koshu wine from Yamanashi Prefecture was the perfect pairing. This is a dry white wine with refreshing acidity, with aromas of vanilla and yuzu, and flavours of citrus fruit and nuts.

With attentive service, a cosy atmosphere and excellent, reasonably-priced food, Engawa offers a real taste of home for Japanese diners and a brilliant demonstration of the wonderful range of Japanese food for non-Japanese.

Engawa Restaurant

A fresh, zippy Albariño to brighten up your day!

Paco & Lola, Albariño 2020 (Spain)

Though Spain is best known for its red wines, it is quietly making a name for itself as a key white wine producer, with lots of interesting indigenous whites to discover. One of the best known is Albariño from the Rías Baixas region of Galicia in north-west Spain. Albariño is one of my favourite wines and this Paco & Lola 2020 is a fine example of what this grape variety is capable of.

With its Atlantic climate, moderate year-round temperatures, ocean mists and above-average rainfall, the Rías Baixas region is more reminiscent of Ireland than the sun-drenched beaches of holiday-destination Spain. But despite the dampness, the area is also blessed with many hours of warm sunshine, enabling the Albariño grapes to ripen and produce wines that are naturally high in acidity, with floral aromas, and citrus and stone-fruit flavours.

This wine from Paco & Lola is a fresh, lively wine, with zippy acidity and a lovely long finish. It has aromas of apricot and peach on the nose, and flavours of lime, lemon, peach and a hint of minerality on the palate. It’s a well-balanced wine which makes for an ideal aperitif but is also a perfect partner for seafood.

Available from Tesco and Sainsbury’s (£12-£14)

Wine of the Month

This month’s Wine of the Month is a Georgian qvevri wine.

Tbilvino Qvevris Rkatsiteli 2020 (Georgia)

Although wine cultivation is believed to have started in the Caucasus region as early as 6000 BC, Georgian wine is perhaps not as well-known as it ought to be. The traditional method of vinification using ‘qvevri’ – clay pots – whereby the juice, skin and seeds of the crushed grapes are placed in handmade clay pots, then sealed and buried underground for fermentation to take place, is still used today.

The qvevri maintain a constant temperature and allow the wines to breathe and evolve in relatively stable conditions. For white wines fermented this way, the prolonged skin contact gives them their distinctive amber colour and subtle tannic grip.

This Georgian wine from Tbilvino Winery is produced from Rkatsiteli grapes, the most widely planted white grape variety in Georgia. The grape is also popular in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania and Moldova, and in recent years it has found a home in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, where the climate is similar to that of Georgia’s main winegrowing regions.

With peach, pear, apricot and blossom on the nose, and honey, peach and orange peel on the palate, this is a robust wine with a creamy mouthfeel. A dry wine, it is well-balanced with a lively acidity, and has a slight nuttiness in the finish. A very good match for a lamb dish, roast chicken, or salmon in a creamy sauce.

This is not a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay or a Pinot Grigio but it is an appealing wine with a character very much of its own. It’s a fine example of a qvevri wine and well worth trying.

Available from Majestic (£13.99, £11.99 Mix Six)

An elegant, slightly quirky wine from Portugal

Adega de Pegões Colheita Seleccionada 2020 (Portugal)

Portugal has many indigenous grape varieties which distinguish its wine from other Mediterranean wine-producing countries and make it an interesting area to explore. There are five main Protected Designations of Origin (Denominações de Origem Controladas /DOCs), as well as a number of regional wine designations (Vinho Regional). One of these is the Peninsula de Setúbal, directly to the south of Lisbon.

Best known for its sweet, fortified wines made from Moscatel grapes, Moscatel de Setúbal, the area also produces a range of regional wines, both red and white. And for a wine to be classified as a Vinho Regional Peninsula de Setúbal, it must be produced with particular grape varieties.

For white wine the blend must contain at least 50% of Arinto, Chardonnay, Fernão Pires, Malvasia Fina, Muscat of Alexandria and Roupeiro. The other 50% can be made up with Antão Vaz, Esgana Cão, Sauvignon Blanc, Rabo de Ovelha, Trincadeira das Pratas, Verdejo or Ugni Blanc.

This Adega de Pegões Colheita Seleccionada 2020 is a selected harvest wine. An elegant wine, a little quirky, yet full of character and very good value. A blend of Arinto, Chardonnay, Verdejo and Fernão Pires, it has pronounced aromas of peach and lime, with a touch of oak-derived vanilla, and refreshing flavours of citrus and stone fruits. There is also a noticeable burst of Chardonnay shining through with buttery notes. This is a smooth, deliciously crisp, original white wine which is a perfect match for a seafood dish.

Available from Majestic Wine £9.99 (Mix Six £7.99)

Crossword clue: A red wine in tavern, and cousin began raving (8,9)

(Answer: Cabernet Sauvignon)

Quodammodo 2017, Alexander Valley, Sonoma

The Alexander Valley appellation in north-eastern Sonoma County in California is the county’s largest AVA (American Viticultural Area). Set against the backdrop of the majestic Mayacama Mountains, this is a region with over 15,000 acres of vineyards. The hot, dry summers, early morning fog, and gravelly, well-draining soils are perfect growing conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon, which is the dominant grape variety here. Alexander Valley has a reputation for soft-textured, fruit-driven Cabernet Sauvignon wines with balanced acidity, which are dark in colour and elegant in structure.

This Quodammado 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon has been aged in French oak. It is a smooth, velvety wine with medium acidity, medium tannins and a lengthy finish. With blackcurrant, plum and vanilla on the nose, and cherry, cassis, liquorice and smoky overtones on the palate, this was an excellent match for a lamb casserole. It will also go very well with steak.

It is currently very good value at Majestic with 50% off. (£22.99, Mix Six £11.49)

With the approach of spring, it’s time to try something a little lighter …

Mud House Pinot Noir 2020 (New Zealand)

As the days gets longer and the weather warms up a little, a Pinot Noir is a very good choice to herald the return of spring. Typically, pale to medium in colour, with high acidity and low to medium tannins, it is a wine that has red fruit flavours which may be complemented by subtle oak-derived notes of smoke and cloves. A versatile grape, it pairs well with a variety of dishes – from salmon and tuna to roast chicken, lamb and duck. It also goes well with a tomato-based pasta dish or pizza.

The Mud House Pinot Noir 2020 hails from Central Otago in New Zealand. Located inland in the foothills of the Southern Alps, the climate in this area is continental but is protected from sea breezes and rains by the mountains, resulting in intensely sunny days and cool nights. Ideal conditions for Pinot Noir to flourish.

This wine has red cherry, raspberry and bramble aromas, with a hint of peppery spice, on the nose and fresh fruit flavours of raspberry and redcurrant on the palate. It is a well-balanced medium-bodied wine with medium tannins and a medium finish, which can be drunk by itself or with food – it goes particularly well with lamb or duck.

Available from Majestic Win e £13.99 (Mix Six-£10.99)