Monday 30 July 2012

Paul Mas Estate Carignan Vieilles Vignes 2011

Grape:        Carignan
Price:          £9
Store:          Majestic Wines
Country:     France
Region:       Herault, Languedoc
ABV:            13.5%

Sitting on a table for two outside his restaurant, I spotted a new friend of mine enjoying the evening warmth and taking in the lively spirit of Manchester's Northern Quarter.  I went over to say hello and on his table was a bottle of red which, after exchanging pleasantries, he offered me a glass to taste.  I wasn't going to say no.  
What he offered me was a glass of 2007 Carignan which was extremely pleasing to taste, being smooth, refined and with an understated strength.  Thanks to him, I had tried a new grape variety I have not consciously tasted before and so made a mental note to ensure my next review would be about the same grape.  Although I have not been able to get my hands on the very same bottle in time, I still have a great example for you.

Carignan is widely grown in the south of France but originated across the border in Spain, where it was once a common component of Rioja.  Having spread a little through Europe, Carignan embedded itself in France and at one point, became the most widely planted grape.  In the 1980's growers were actually given subsidies to pull up some of their vines as significantly more wine was being produced than drunk: a phenomena called the 'wine lake'.  As a high yielding crop, Carignan was picked on and this period saw a dramatic, although not detrimental, decrease of this grape.  With high natural acidity and tannins, it is a good grape to mix with others such as Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre and Merlot, adding colour and depth.  The qualities that make this wine great to blend however, create difficulties when making a varietal version.  The exception is vines over 50 years of age, which are widely considered to have sufficient maturity to create a grape which is suitable.  The reason I bring this to your attention is because at this point, any of you with sufficient French language knowledge will have noticed the words 'Vieilles Vignes' on the label, which of course stands for 'Old Vines'.

On the nose first is a blend of slightly perfumed spice and gentle wood notes with well combined black currant, blackberry, cherry and maybe fig blended together to give a warm, deep, fruity smell.  
The taste is very enjoyable, delivering what the smell promises.  Immediately smooth and full bodied with the fruit and spice providing a burst of mouthwatering taste and heat, before fine tannins control the aftertaste.  A well balanced and tasty drink throughout.

Learning about the wine lake was very interesting and if the past has just one lesson to teach us, it would be that we should learn from our mistakes.  In today's climate of the enlightened drinker, there is a higher demand on wine which I am sure will pretty much rule out any possibility of the past repeating itself, however, I think erring on the side of caution is sensible and we should all buy more wine straight away and dive right in. 

Monday 16 July 2012

Mirador Shiraz, Argentina 2010

I've been really looking forward to writing this review as I have been able to legitimately use different descriptive words on this wine.  Even though I have only been writing and reviewing for a short period, I have become conscious of using the same old verbs and nouns to articulate what I smell and taste.  All of a sudden, I feel the need to over-describe in order to keep my reviews interesting.  This would, of course, be at the cost of you, my wonderful readers.

There is a finite list of ingredients one can use to communicate qualities of wine and while this reservoir is undoubtedly massive, certain words will always feature more heavily than others, especially in wine at the lower end of the price bracket as these are either too young to have developed more complex flavours or are specifically blended to please the generic taste of the masses.  The job of the affordable wine critic gradually gets harder and harder as they try more inventive ways to stand out of the crowd and catch your attention without sounding over pretentious.  

So, without further ado, I give you my 'down to earth but imaginatively chronicled' view of a Shiraz (Syrah) from the Finca Mirador Seleccion from Mendoza, Argentina.  Bought from the Co-Operative at £5.50 (off promotion, £6.50), this wine is a little gem and I would still buy it at twice the price. 

On the nose is an immediate, deep and strong smell of cracked black pepper and cinnamon.  Raw wood smoke nicely bridges the gap to oaky tannins that all but mask the single identity of well ripened red fruits.  The taste brings equal measures of punchy and robust flavours which remain consistent throughout and into the lengthy aftertaste.  Very full bodied, the cheek pinching tannins flex their muscles from the very beginning but give way when it matters, making it surprisingly smooth and palatable.  Peppery spice is omnipresent with a faint nod towards sweet liquorice.  This surprises me in a wine so relatively young but is most welcome.  For me, the fruit really stays in the background and while other reviews suggest cherries, blackberries and the like, this wine is all about the spice, the smoke and the tannins.  These are huge flavours for such a little price tag and for the first time I am not recommending a bottle, I am recommending a bulk purchase.

If I can get my message across to you without sounding too flowery then there may be hope for me as a writer and this makes me happy.  In the words of Blackadder, "I am anaspeptic, phrasmotic, even compunctious to have caused you such periconbobulations." Or words to that effect.

Monday 9 July 2012

Taste the Difference Gruner Veltliner 2011

After last week's great red and unexpected food pairing (see my Pasico Old Vine review), I decided to stay with Sainsbury's and for £8, delved into their 'Taste The Difference' range. My choice is the Austrian Gruner Veltliner.  

Because the decision making process I go through on a bottle of wine is a pleasurable agony, I generally avoid branding which takes the risk out of this process.  In the case of Sainsbury's, it is the iconic purple band of the 'Taste the Difference' range which is emblazoned on the products that Sainsbury's want you to know they've gone the extra mile on.

I appreciate however, that others do not care to spend the same amount of time agonising over what bottles to buy and would rather be in and out of the shop before the parking attendant has realised there isn't a parking ticket in the car, or the kids have worked out how to release the handbrake.  The purple band therefore becomes a beacon of what should be on the whole, a safe but enjoyable purchase.  Considering the hurried purchaser, I bought this bottle.

Gruner Veltliner is the synonymous grape variety associated with Austria and makes up almost half of their plantings.  Like most varieties, it is also grown in other countries, such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia and some other choice 'New Worlds'.  The past couple of decades have seen a real push in the quality and publicity of this grape with some varietals proving their worth by going head to head with comparable Chardonnays and Chenin Blancs, often coming out on top.   

On the nose, this wine faintly retains the characteristic aroma of white pepper with floral undertones.  Taking my time, I could also detect an earthen quality, possibly clay.  The taste is crisp and immediately acidic, bringing grapefruit to the first attack.  What follows is dry with reminiscences of apple and celery.  The aftertaste is short and leaves an acidic note on the tongue.  

A great alternative to try for those of you that love tangy, crisp dry wines.  And are in a hurry!

Monday 2 July 2012

Pasico Old Vine Monastrell Shiraz 2011

One of the great pleasures of drinking wine is finding the perfect food partner.  It is a staple of the conventional wine consuming populus that white wine pairs with fish, chicken and salad, while red wines goes with steak and smelly cheese.  I won't argue with this as a good starting point but any wine enthusiast will tell you there are numerous exceptions to the rule as well as infinite undiscovered combinations.  Have a curry and tell me whether white or red works better.  

Individual taste is what really matters the most and all experts are really trying to do is give you guidance on a good food and wine combo that enhances and compliments the taste of both wine and food, giving you an enjoyable experience overall. 

It is my turn to do the same with this wine and I believe the pairing itself could be a world first! Read on dear reader, read on.

Firstly, we need the wine.  This week's is a blend of Monastrell (aka Mourvedre) and Shiraz (aka Syrah) from the Jumilla region of southern Spain.  Supplied by Sainsbury's in the region of £6, this wine is young, fruity and blended specifically to be enjoyed almost immediately.
 
The nose delivers a punchy blend of red fruits and old oak.  Concentrating harder, the fruits arrange themselves a little better and come out as dark cherry, followed by ripe bramble, but the almost earthen scent of oak remains a constant in the middle ground.  Taste delivers what the nose promised but in a surprising smooth texture.  Cherry is still very much at the forefront and is given further dimension by the supporting red fruit, but it has to compete with unbalanced tannins which provide the tell tale mouthfeel in the aftertaste. This gives the cherry an almost bitter edge that isn't out of place but the wine would be better without.  

All is not lost though as this wine pairs perfectly with Levi Roots' marvellous Reggae Reggae sauce!  The unbalance of tannins is completely repaired by the warm spice in the sauce, making it almost completely smooth from start to finish.  The spice in the wine is boosted by the sauces own picance, giving it a new warmth.  This food pairing is symbiotic and the wine adds depth and brings the sweetness within the sauce very much to the front.  This, along with the reasonable price, makes it a great wine to take to a barbeque, which is happily also the stomping ground of Reggae Reggae sauce.

Whether you agree or not is down to individual taste and I am happy to be disagreed with, as long as you have given it a try first.  As for me, I know I have something to drink when I open my sunshine kit.