seafood Archives - Page 5 of 5 - It Must Be Wine O'clock

Three recent discoveries to tempt your palate as we start the new year …

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year and looking forward to sharing new discoveries with you in 2022!

Why not kick the year off with something a little different? Here are three interesting wines to tempt your palate …

Eight Thousand Lakes 2019 Riesling (USA)

Although we might automatically think of Germany when we think of Riesling, the grape is very adaptable and is grown in many different parts of the world. The common denominator is its preference for cooler, more temperate environments, where the longer growing times enable the grapes to retain their characteristic acidity as they ripen. The Ancient Lakes region of Columbia Valley in Washington State is one such environment.

Here, the higher elevation, relatively low rainfall, cooler climate and wider diurnal temperatures help preserve acidity in the grapes, and this high acidity is a signature characteristic of wines from this region.

The Eight Thousand Lakes 2019 Riesling is a very good example of a fresh, vibrant, aromatic Riesling. It’s an off-dry wine with refreshing acidity and has aromas of apple, pear and honey on the nose, and lemon and peach flavours with a touch of minerality on the palate. A smooth wine with a long finish, it can be drunk by itself or paired with seafood or a slightly spicy Asian dish. We had it with salmon with a Japanese twist and it went down a treat.

Majestic (£12.99, Mix Six £9.99)

Somborne Estate Reserve Red 2014 (England)

One of the things I enjoy most about exploring English and Welsh wines is the opportunity to try unusual grape varieties. And if you’re looking for a little treat to help you get into gear as we start 2022, this delightful Rondo wine from Somborne Valley Vineyard in Hampshire, ticks all the boxes.

Rondo is a hybrid grape variety, created in 1964 when Zarya Severa, a grape variety of Russian origin, was crossed with St Laurent from Austria. Given its hardiness and high resistance to winter frost, it generally fares well in Northern Europe and is widely cultivated in the UK. It typically produces rich, deeply-coloured wines with good fruit flavours. This one is no exception.

Deep ruby in colour, this is a rich, smooth, medium-bodied wine. It has blackberry, plum and black cherry aromas, with notes of cinnamon and vanilla, on the nose, and rich black fruit flavours with savoury notes on the palate. It is a wine with depth and complexity, and very well-balanced.

This is a wine to sit and relax with, or to enjoy with lamb chops, beef casserole or your favourite cheese.

Available from Grape Britannia (£15.99)

Domaine la Hitaire ‘Les Tours’ 2019 (France)

Quite apart from the obvious choices, France is a wine region that never fails to surprise and delight. And Gascony in southwest France is a quiet corner of the country that punches above its size. Here you can find a real abundance of interesting and unusual grape varieties, and this blend of Ugni Blanc, Colombard and Gros Manseng is a little gem.

The three grape varieties complement each other very well. Ugni Blanc is a relatively bland grape variety on its own but in a blend, can contribute its natural acidity and floral notes. Colombard brings with it flavours of peach and nectarine and Gros Manseng is an aromatic grape variety bringing crisp, faintly spicy flavours to a blend.

This is a dry wine with relatively low alcohol and a crisp, refreshing acidity. It has aromas of lemon, grapefruit and apple, with floral and herbaceous notes on the nose, and flavours of peach, nectarine and lychee, with a hint of spice on the palate. Well-balanced with a long finish, this is a perfect apéritif wine, and will go well with goat’s cheese, seafood, or a slightly spicy dish.

Available from Majestic (£8.99, Mix Six £6.99)

A fresh, vibrant New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to brighten up your day …

Mud House Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough (2020)

Given the fact that nowadays Sauvignon Blanc is New Zealand’s flagship grape variety, it is difficult to imagine that it wasn’t until the 1970s that the wine was commercially produced in the country. Now, New Zealand is synonymous with this punchy, zesty, aromatic white wine and its flavours of elderflower, gooseberry, and passionfruit.

Marlborough on New Zealand’s South Island is the country’s main centre for grape growing, with Sauvignon Blanc accounting for most of the grape planting in this region. Most of Marlborough’s vineyards are located in the Wairu and Awatere valleys.

Although the two valleys are adjacent, the climate in the Wairu Valley is known for its long sunny days, whereas Awatere Valley is drier, cooler and windier. Typically a Sauvignon Blanc from the latter has higher acidity and a more pronounced herbaceous character than a wine from Wairu. It will also generally lack the tropical fruit flavours often associated with a Sauvignon Blanc from the Wairu Valley.

The Mud House Sauvignon Blanc 2020 gives the best of both worlds: a careful blend of grapes grown in the upper Wairau Valley along with grapes from well-established growers in the Awatere Valley. The result: a dry, light-bodied wine of medium (+) acidity with aromas of apple, peach and grass on the nose, leading to melon, grapefruit and passionfruit flavours on the palate.

A great match for seafood or something slightly spicy, it can also be enjoyed by itself.

Widely available (£9/£10)

Though the name Smederevka may not exactly roll off the tongue, this is definitely worth a try …

Though the name Smederevka may not exactly roll off the tongue, the flavours of this North Macedonian grape variety are a real treat for the palate.

Wine production in the Tikveš region of North Macedonia has a history going back some 4,000 years and the country is known for its high-quality wines from a range of indigenous grape varieties. The two main varieties for white wines are Žilavka and Smederevka, with Vranec, Stanušina and Kratosija the best-known varieties for red wines. I reviewed a red wine from the Kratosija grape from this region earlier in the year and recently tried the Smederevka wine from the same winery, the award-winning Tikveš winery. Here are my thoughts.

Tikveš Smederevka Belo 2019

This is a crisp, floral wine with aromas of jasmine and elderflower on the nose, and flavours of apple, lemon, stone fruit and honey on the palate. Well-balanced with medium acidity and a lingering finish, it’s a smooth, refreshing wine that is a perfect match for seafood, or can be drunk by itself as an aperitif. If you are looking for something a little different, why not give this a try?

Available from Slurp (£8.95)

A refreshing wine for a summer’s evening …

Azumbre Verdejo 2019, Rueda (Spain)

As we have seen in recent posts, Spain offers a rich hunting ground for interesting and refreshing white wines, such as Albariño, Garnacha Blanca, Txakoli and Godello, with each of them bringing features of their distinct regionality to the table.

The Rueda Region, located in Castilla y León, just west of Ribera del Duero and about 100 miles to the northwest of Madrid, is one of the foremost white wine producing areas in Spain, and is particularly known for Verdejo. The region’s continental climate, where the cool summer nights temper the heat of the day, creates ideal growing conditions for the grapes, which are mainly located in the flat highlands, 600-800m above sea level.

Typically, Verdejo wines are fresh and zesty, with flavours of lime and lemon together with pear and peach. A great alternative to a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and a perfect match for seafood.

The Azumbre Verdejo 2019 is a very good example of what the region has to offer. A dry, medium-bodied wine with medium (+) acidity and a long finish, it has aromas of lemon, apple and peach on the nose, and flavours of lemon and pineapple on the palate. This is a refreshing, zingy wine, perfect for these warm summer evenings.

Available from Jascots (£9.24)

Spain’s new wave of white wines: Godello

Vionta Godello Monterrei 2018

Spain offers a rich hunting ground for interesting and refreshing white wines. Albariño is probably the best known but Verdejo, Garnacha Blanca and Godello are others well worth trying. Each of them brings features of their regionality to the table; factors such as climate, terroir, aspect and viticulture all have a role to play.

This Godello wine is a fine example of what the grape is capable of. Grown predominantly in Galicia, it is less well-known than that other Galician delight, Albariño, and has different characteristics. With less acidity than Albariño, typically a Godello is a richer and fuller wine, with more texture.

The Vionta Godello 2018 is from the Monterrei region, just on the border with Portugal. Here the climate is warm and dry, ideal for ripening the grapes, but still under the influence of the Atlantic to ensure sufficient acidity. Vionta takes its name from a small island just off Spain’s Atlantic coast and the island’s silhouette appears on the label.

A dry, medium-bodied wine with medium acidity and a long finish, it has aromas of blossom, apple and pear on the nose, and grapefruit and peach flavours on the palate. It is a ripe, well-balanced, silky wine which is fine by itself or as a perfect match for seafood.

Available from Slurp (£13.95)

Two Sauvignon Blanc wines from the Loire Valley

The vineyards of the Loire Valley produce a diverse range of white, red and rosé wines from the Central Vineyards in the east, through Touraine and Anjou-Saumur, to the Nantais sub-region by the Atlantic coast in the west. Each of the four sub-regions is subject to different climactic conditions better suited to certain 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.

Notwithstanding the excellent Chenin Blanc wines from Vouvray or the refreshing Muscadet sur Lie wines from Sèvre-et-Maine, for me the Loire Valley is synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc and since becoming first acquainted with Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé wines as a student many years ago, I find myself coming back to these wines time and again.

The Hauts de Perrière Pouilly-Fumé (2019) from Waitrose is a very good example of what a fine Pouilly-Fumé should be. This is a crisp dry wine with high acidity, medium alcohol and medium (+) body. With aromas of apple, pear, lemon and honeysuckle on the nose, and flavours of apple, gooseberry and pear on the palate, with a smoky flintiness on the finish, the wine is well-balanced and has a smooth, velvety texture. It’s ideal as an aperitif or with a seafood dish.

Available from Waitrose. £16.79

Touraine Sauvignon Blanc Le Vin des Copains 2019

And if you like the Hauts de Perrière Pouilly-Fumé, you are sure to like this – Le Vin des Copains. This is another fine Sauvignon Blanc, this time from Touraine, just to the west of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, and is a refreshing, fruity wine to enjoy by itself or with food. A dry wine with high acidity and medium (+) body, it has aromas of blossom, apple, pear and lime on the nose, and apple, pear, grapefruit and peach on the palate. A well balanced wine with a long finish, it went down a treat with grilled mackerel.

Available from Waitrose. £8.99