It Must Be Wine O'clock

There’s so much more to Australian wines than Shiraz and Chardonnay – here are a couple of little gems to try.

The days of associating Australian wine with cheap plonk are long gone and while there are some excellent examples of Australian Shiraz and Chardonnay available today, the country has a lot more to offer the discerning wine drinker. And with Australian wine growers at the forefront of innovation and experimentation, this diversity will continue to grow as new regions, and different grape varieties and wine styles are explored and developed.

Son of a Bull Riesling 2019

Take Tasmanian Riesling for example. Although we rightly associate Riesling with Germany, Tasmania has ideal conditions for growing the grape. It has a cool maritime climate, aided by the westerly winds off the Southern Ocean, but at the same time it gets plenty of sunshine. This results in a long, reasonably cool growing season and enables the grapes to retain their acidity as they ripen.

This Son of a Bull Riesling (2019) from Pipers River is a dry wine and has aromas of blossom, apple, lime and grapefruit on the nose, and flavours of lime, apple, grapefruit and spice, with a hint of residual sugar, on the palate. A lively, fresh, well-balanced and medium-bodied wine with medium (+) acidity and a long finish with a pleasant minerality. A very good example of a Tasmanian Riesling, this is a delicate and refreshing wine, a perfect match for seafood or a Thai dish.

Available from Majestic £13.99 (£11.99 Mix Six)

Rutherglen Topaque

Although it’s fair to say the modern Australian wine scene is vibrant and exciting, wine production in the country has been going on for generations. The first vines arrived in 1788 but most of the early plantings proved unsuccessful. However, by the 1840s wine production had begun to rise in many parts of southern Australia and wine exports to the UK began in the 1850s. The country hasn’t looked back since and one successful wine producer, now in its fifth generation, has been producing rich sweet wines for over 150 years.

The Campbells have been producing wine in Rutherglen, N E Victoria since 1840 and if you have tried their Rutherglen Muscat, you will know how successful they have been. The Rutherglen Topaque is outstanding and won Gold in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020.

This is a lusciously sweet wine made from Muscadelle grapes. With aromas of toffee, honey and tea leaf, and flavours of treacle, caramel, nuttiness and honey on the palate, this is pure bottled indulgence. A smooth, complex wine, well-balanced with a clean finish, the Topaque is a perfect match for treacle tart, fruit-based desserts and blue cheese; indeed, it is also perfect by itself as a chilled aperitif or after-dinner digestif.

Available from The Bottle Club (£12.90 half bottle)

Why not start March off with a glass of Argentinian sunshine?

Argentina’s wine regions are defined by altitude, with many of the best vineyards located at a height of over 1000 metres above sea level. In Salta, in the north of the country, some lie more than 3000 metres above sea level and it is altitude which enables Argentina to produce such good quality wine so close to the equator. The country’s two best known grape varieties are Malbec and Torrontés, though Bonarda and Chardonnay are also widely planted.

Torrontés grapes flourish in the high-altitude, cool, dry climate of the Salta region of northern Argentina, situated on the edge of the Andes Mountains, producing highly aromatic dry white wines with a crisp, refreshing flavour and a lingering finish. The wines are an excellent match for chicken and fish dishes and their light aromatic style and relatively high acidity also pair well with spicy Indian and Thai dishes.

Mendoza Province in the south of Argentina dominates wine production in the country and within Mendoza, the Uco Valley with its high-altitude vineyards is known for its high quality Malbec. There is plenty of sun to ripen the grapes, and the cool nights help retain acidity and fresh fruit flavours in the grapes, producing expressive, flavourful wines. A natural pairing for these Malbec wines is of course steak, but they will go well with most meat dishes.

Here are two wines to try to give a flavour of what Argentina has to offer:

Alamos Uco Valley Malbec 2019, Mendoza

This dry, medium (+) bodied wine with high acidity is bursting with fruit. Aromas of blackberry, red cherry, plum and raspberry on the nose, and intense flavours of blackberry, plum, cherry and chocolate, with a hint of spice, on the palate, it is a well-balanced wine with medium (+) tannins and a medium (+) finish. A natural pairing is steak but we enjoyed it with a grilled lamb dish. Available from Majestic £9.99 (£8.99 Mix Six)

If you enjoyed this Malbec and would like to compare it with a Malbec from its ancestral home in SW France, why not give this Cahors Malbec a try?

Zuccardi Valles Torrontés, Salta 2019

This is a very good example of a Salta Torrontés wine. With intense floral aromas of elderflower, orange blossom and honeysuckle, as well as peach and apricot on the nose, and flavours of lemon, apricot and peach with a hint of spice on the palate, this is a dry wine with medium (+) acidity. It is a medium (+) bodied wine with a medium (+) finish and high alcohol. A very good, well-balanced wine.

Available from Cambridge Wine Merchants £13.99

Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) wine courses

Take your knowledge of wine to the next level

Whether you are new to wine, a wine enthusiast or working in hospitality, WSET has the course for you and Cambridge Wine Academy offers classes for WSET Levels 1-3. The courses are currently taught online and cover the same content as classroom-based courses in normal times.

I recently completed my WSET Level 3 wine course at Cambridge Wine Academy and passed with Distinction, as did several others in the group. Steve is a first-rate teacher and was highly supportive throughout the course.

If you are looking to develop your knowledge and enjoyment of wine, either as a hobby or for career reasons, see here for more details.

Wine Courses

A wine date for your diary – a virtual wine tasting: Wednesday 7 April 2021, 7pm

Into the Wild – the Wines of the High Languedoc:

Minervois, Faugères, Saint-Chinian

Transport yourselves to the beautiful, sun-baked and rugged landscape of the High Languedoc in the South of France for this fantastic virtual tasting with Cambridge Wine Academy as we taste along together six classic wines from these three premium regions.

Steve is a very knowledgeable and entertaining presenter and this promises to be an interesting, informative and very enjoyable evening.

Wine samples and tasting notes will be delivered to your home and a Zoom link to join will be provided.

For further details, see here

There’s a lot more to Spanish wine than Rioja. Think ‘polka dot’ – a scintillating Albariño for example …

Paco & Lola, Albariño, Rías Baixas, 2019

Albariño, from the Rías Baixas region of Galicia in the north-west of Spain, is one of my favourite wines. With its Atlantic climate, moderate year-round temperatures, ocean mists and above-average rainfall, this coastal 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, sometimes perhaps even a hint of salinity.

Given its maritime context, Albariño is a perfect partner for seafood. It goes hand in hand with grilled octopus and I recall enjoying it with razor clams in Santiago a few years ago, but it goes well with most seafood dishes, as well as chicken, and manchego cheese.

Albariño is an increasingly popular wine. Sales in the UK and the US have been growing in leaps and bounds in the last couple of years, and retail forecasts are suggesting another bumper year ahead for Albariño in 2021. And that is hardly surprising. Albariño wines are very versatile: light, fresh, lower alcohol wines that can be drunk by themselves or with food.

As far as this particular Albariño is concerned, I was intrigued when I read the report of the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 (Decanter, March 2021 issue) which described it as ‘scintillating’. It went on to say ‘Stone-fresh, crunchy, vivid and pungent: everything you want on the palate, and more.’

But it was the ‘scintillating’ that caught my eye. I wasn’t really sure what it meant in this context and so I simply had to give it a try to find out. And I’m sure glad I did!

A fresh, lively wine, high in acidity, with aromas of lychees, apricot and peach on the nose, and flavours of lime, lemon, peach on the palate. There’s also a touch of salinity. This is a perfectly balanced wine with a lovely long finish. We had it with sea bass and it was just the ticket. If I were to describe it in one word: scintillating. Now I get it!

If you’re looking for something to brighten up your weekend, this will do nicely. It was a great start to ours!

Currently on offer at Sainsbury’s £11.99 (save £3)

Close encounter on the road to Jasper, Canada

Driving back towards Jasper, Canada, my wife and I were pretty buoyed up by the beauty of Lake Maligne’s clear blue water and the towering peaks surrounding it. But the icing on the cake was yet to come. Suddenly there was movement by the side of the road. I slowed down to get a better view and there it was. A black bear cub was minding its own business as it munched on shrubs. Then, as if on cue, Mother Bear came storming out of the trees and began to rub her back on a nearby tree. What a sight – scary yet elemental at the same time. We had seen elk, moose, chipmunks, birds of prey and even a lone coyote during our trip through the Rockies but this was the closest we would likely ever get to a bear and her cub, and it was magnificent.

Do wine and chocolate go together well? You bet!

Wine and chocolate can be a great combination, and if you are planning to have a chocolate dessert or share a nice box of chocolates with that special someone this Valentine’s Day, here are three great options to consider:

Château Jolys Cuvée Jean, Jurançon (2017)

This Jurançon from southwest France is a delightful wine made from Petit Manseng grapes. Not overly sweet, the wine has intense aromas of peach, apricot and nectarine on the nose, and flavours of peach and pineapple on the palate. It is a fresh and lively wine with a long finish and is a great introduction to a less well-known grape variety. Available from Waitrose £12.79 (50 cl)

Disznókö Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2017 (Hungary)

This sweet wine from the Tokaj region of Hungary is made from a blend of Furmint and Hárslevelü grapes. It has pronounced aromas of honey, marmalade and dried apricot from the get-go, leading to intense flavours of peach, dried apricot, honey and orange peel on the palate. A full-bodied wine, with medium acidity and a long finish, this is a well-balanced, very good wine. Available from Waitrose £19.99 (37.5 cl)

Campbell’s Rutherglen Muscat

This Rutherglen Muscat is a lusciously sweet wine from Victoria, Australia. Amber in colour, it is a rich wine made from a blend of vintages of Muscat à petit grains rouges (Rutherglen Brown Muscat) grapes. With aromas of raisins and caramel on the nose, and flavours of fruitcake, dates and nuts on the palate, this is smooth, wonderfully balanced wine. The sweetest of the three wines reviewed here, it is pure indulgence and wickedly moreish!

Available from Waitrose £12.99 (37.5 cl)

A neat little book – the A-Z of supermarket wines

Ned Halley – The Best Wines in the Supermarkets 2021

This is a neat little book. Consider it the A-Z (well A-W anyway, Aldi to Waitrose) of supermarket wines. Now in its seventeenth consecutive edition, The Best Wines in the Supermarkets 2021 guide is a veritable mine of useful information: details of grape varieties, tips on drinking or keeping, serving and pairing and a useful wine vocabulary. And of course the all-important best buys across the supermarket range – red, white, pink, sparkling, even the odd fortified, and including the 27 wines rated a perfect 10 (five of which are under £6 a bottle).

Lots of suggestions to help you discover new wines and find something to suit your taste and budget, whether it’s a Gaillac Blanc from Sainsbury’s, a Michel Chapoutier Côtes du Rhône Villages from Tesco, a Cava Brut from Waitrose or anything else in between.

Waterstones £8.99

If you’d quite like a change from Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, how about a Picpoul de Pinet?

Picpoul de Pinet, Duc de Morny 2019

It’s the weekend and you’re looking for something to go with your fish dish. Or perhaps it’s a Wednesday and you just fancy something refreshing to drink on its own. Either way, you’d quite like a change from Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, so how about a Picpoul de Pinet?

Picpoul de Pinet is produced in the Languedoc region of southern France, close to Montpellier, where the Picpoul (Piquepoul Blanc) grapes that are used to make the wine can enjoy the area’s wonderful sunshine and the cooling maritime influences of the nearby Bassin de Thau (Thau Lagoon) and the Mediterranean Sea. The very name Picpoul de Pinet conjures up summer holidays, seafood restaurants right by the sea, and pure indulgence. Just the ticket for a cold and grey February night. Well, any night in fact!

Lemon-green in colour, the Picpoul de Pinet Duc de Morny is a dry wine, with high acidity. Crisp apple, pear and grapefruit aromas on the nose with pleasant hints of acacia and blossom, and flavours of crunchy apples, grapefruit and melon, with a touch of tangy, saline minerality on the palate. This is a well-balanced wine with medium alcohol, medium (+) body, and a long finish.

The Thau Lagoon is the most important site for shellfish cultivation along the Mediterranean coast and so not surprisingly, Picpoul de Pinet from the neighbouring vineyards is a perfect match for oysters. But not being in the South of France, we settled for grilled mackerel and it paired very well. The fresh, lively acidity cut through the oily richness of the mackerel, and the wine and the fish were a textbook accompaniment for each other. It is also perfectly fine by itself.

Sandhams Wine Merchants £9.49