chicken Archives - Page 2 of 3 - It Must Be Wine O'clock

A little winter sunshine from Crete …

Lyrarakis Assyrtiko 2021 (Crete)

If you’re looking for a little winter sunshine to brighten up these grey January days, this Assyrtiko white wine from Crete is just the ticket.

This is a dry wine with a crisp, refreshing acidity. It has pronounced aromas of honey, together with apple and peach, on the nose, and flavours of apple, pear and peach on the palate.

It is a well-balanced, medium-bodied wine with a long finish that can be enjoyed as an apéritif, and is also an excellent match for a seafood or chicken dish.

Available from Majestic (£11.99, Mix Six £9.99)

An older English vintage which still has lots to offer

Hazel End Vineyard Bacchus Dry 2014 (Hertfordshire)

It’s unusual to find an English white wine that has aged a few years but this 2014 Bacchus Dry from Hazel End Vineyard in Hertfordshire is a real delight. 2014 was generally a good year for English wine. Eleven out of twelve months were warmer than average and there was also a reasonable amount of rain. The result was a bumper 2014 harvest with plenty of healthy, high-quality grapes. And several years on, this wine still has lots to offer.

With aromas of grapefruit, elderflower, lime and a touch of petrol on the nose, leading to a burst of lime and peach on the palate, this older Bacchus has a hint of Riesling about it. It is a smooth, refined wine with good acidity and a long finish, which can be enjoyed by itself, or with a seafood or chicken dish. Great value for a 2014 wine!

Available from Grape Britannia (£14.99)

Wine of the Month: an outstanding Siegerrebe from White Castle Vineyard in Wales

White Castle Vineyard Siegerrebe 2021 (Monmouthshire)

My Wine of the Month is this outstanding Siegerrebe from White Castle Vineyard in Monmouthshire, Wales. Though not a particularly common grape variety, Siegerrebe grows well in cooler climates and so is very much at home in the UK, and Robb and Nicola Merchant at White Castle have produced another fine wine with this 2021 vintage. Indeed, the wine was awarded Silver in the recent WineGB Awards 2022.

A dry wine with refreshing acidity, this has pronounced aromas of honey, blossom and muscat on the nose, leading to flavours of peach, lychee and nectarine on the palate. Smooth and elegant, it’s a fresh, well-balanced wine with a touch of spice on the finish, and can be enjoyed by itself, or with a fish or chicken dish. It will also go well with light, slightly spicy Asian dishes. We enjoyed it with a smoked salmon starter.

Though the wine is now out of stock at the vineyard, it is still available from several stockists including Grape Britannia, Cashells, Blas ar Fwyd, and Noble Grape. (£20-£22). Grab a bottle (or two) while stocks last!

A deliciously fresh organic Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand

Villa Maria EarthGarden Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (Marlborough)

Founded in 1962, Villa Maria is now New Zealand’s most-awarded winery. It has always been at the forefront of innovation and has been a pioneer of organic vineyard management for over 20 years. The EarthGarden range is Villa Maria’s first range of wines that are 100% organically grown and this Sauvignon Blanc from the winery’s Marlborough vineyards is deliciously fresh.

Full of life, with aromas of apple, lime and pear, and flavours of lemon, peach and passionfruit, this is a well-balanced wine with refreshing acidity and a lengthy finish.

Perfect by itself on a warm summer’s day, this will also pair very well with seafood, chicken or plant-based dishes, and is a wine that offers very good value for money.

Available from Tesco (£10.50)

Wine of the Month – In anticipation of English Wine Week, an outstanding wine from Cambridge (with grapes grown in Oxfordshire)

Gutter & Stars ‘The Good Mixer’, Blonde on Blonde Blend 2021

In anticipation of the start of English Wine Week on 18^th June, this very impressive wine from Gutter & Stars in Cambridge, made from grapes grown in Oxfordshire, is a perfect demonstration of just how remarkable English wine can be.

Following Gutter & Stars’ highly acclaimed first releases of their Bacchus, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines last year, I was eagerly awaiting the release of ‘The Good Mixer’, Blonde on Blonde Blend 2021, which is just out.

And it is simply outstanding.

Made from a blend of Ortega and Bacchus grapes grown at Yew Tree Vineyard, this is a smooth, well-balanced wine with a creamy mouthfeel, an inviting acidity and a lovely finish. Pale lemon in colour, with aromas of jasmine, apple and peach, and flavours of strawberry and cream, honey, lemon sherbet and nectarine, it is an absolute delight. Pure genius, a top-quality wine.

If you are looking for a wine to drink during English Wine Week, this has to be it!

Enjoy ‘The Good Mixer’ as an aperitif, or with a seafood or chicken dish. Cheers!

Available from Gutter & Stars (£25)

A crisp, refreshing wine from Cambridgeshire

Chilford Hall Vineyard Legacy 2019 (Cambridgeshire)

Set amongst the rolling chalk hills of the Cambridgeshire downs, Chilford Hall Vineyard in Linton is one of the oldest established vineyards in England. The estate planted its first vines in 1972 and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The Legacy wine is so called to remember the founder of the vineyard, Sam Alper, and the Müller-Thurgau and Schönburger grapes used in the blend were the first grape varieties planted.

An off-dry wine with fresh acidity, the wine has aromas of apple, honeysuckle and peach on the nose, and lime, pineapple and green apple on the palate. A refreshing, well-balanced wine, the Legacy can be drunk by itself or paired with a fish or chicken dish.

Available from Grape Britannia (£9.95)

A celebration of English and Welsh wines

As we celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this month, there are two more great reasons to crack open a bottle or two in June – Welsh Wine Week (4-12 June) and English Wine Week (18-26 June). Here are a few suggestions to tempt your palate. Iechyd da! Cheers!

Winbirri Solaris 2020 (Norfolk)

Winbirri Vineyard near Norwich is well-known for its award-winning wines and produces a range of still and sparkling wines.

The Solaris 2020 is a smooth, refreshing, slightly off-dry wine with medium acidity and a lengthy finish. With elderflower, apple and peach on the nose, and honey and nectarine on the palate, the wine also has its own character which distinguishes it from a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or Bacchus.

If you are looking for an appealing wine with a difference to go with your seafood or chicken dish, this is certainly one to try.

Ancre Hill Estates Rosé 2018 (Monmouthshire)

Although we might automatically think of France when we think of rosé, there are plenty of other wine regions around the world producing some fine examples, including this Ancre Hill Estates Rosé 2018 from Wales.

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

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

Halfpenny Green Penny Red NV (Staffordshire)

This recent discovery is a fine example of a wine produced in the heart of the Black Country in the West Midlands. One of the largest vineyards in the country with almost 30 acres, Halfpenny Green benefits from well-sheltered south-facing slopes and light, sandy free-draining soil to grow a wide variety of grapes.

The off-dry Penny Red is a blend of Pinot Noir, Regent and Rondo grapes. A smooth, velvety, well-balanced wine with soft tannins and a long finish, it has aromas of bramble, cherry and blackcurrant, and flavours of blackberry, damson and plum. A wine to enjoy by itself or with lamb or cheese.

White Castle Vineyard Pinot Noir Précoce 2019 (Monmouthshire)

This is a very impressive wine from White Castle Vineyard, located near Abergavenny in Wales.

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.

Made from Pinot Noir Précoce grapes, this is a light, well-balanced wine. With aromas of red berries and vanilla, and 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, duck or a cheese platter.

All the above wines are available from Grape Britannia

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)

Another excellent white wine from Norfolk

Winbirri Vineyard, Solaris 2019

Winbirri Vineyard in Norfolk is well-known for its award-winning wines and I have written previously about its excellent Bacchus and Signature wines. In recent years, Winbirri has also had huge success with its Solaris varietal wines, winning awards in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Created in Germany in 1975, Solaris is an early ripening variety with good resistance against fungal diseases and frost, and it produces mellow, aromatic, intensely flavoured still wines. And given Solaris’ naturally high sugar levels, it is also well-suited to the production of dessert wines.

Solaris grows well in cool climates with low levels of sunshine and is found mainly in Germany. It is also grown in Scandinavia, Switzerland and Poland, and is at home here in England (and Wales), where it is grown in a number of locations.

This Winbirri Solaris is a smooth, slightly off-dry wine with medium acidity and a lengthy finish. With blossom, apple and peach on the nose, and honey and stone fruit on the palate, the wine also has its own character which distinguishes it from a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or Bacchus.

If you are looking for an appealing wine with a difference to go with your seafood or chicken dish, why not try this?

Available from Grape Britannia (£14.99)