Painted Wolf 'The Den' Pinotage 2010

Grape:     Pinotage

Country:  South Africa

Region:   Coastal Region

Price:       £9

Store:      Portland Wine 

ABV:         13.5%

Pinotage belongs very much to South Africa, just as Carmenere belongs to Chile and Tempranillo to Spain.  Sure, other countries do grow these varietals, some with great success, but it is the home country of the individual grape that understands and is prepared to go to the lengths required to produce the desired effect.

Pinotage is a specifically engineered crossbreed between Pinot Noir and Hermitage, (also known as Cinsault).  Cross breeding took place in South Africa in the 1920's with the aim of producing a grape that had the quality of Pinot Noir but with a more reliable yield.  The first wines were produced around 1940 when the vines developed a maturity, generally recognised as suitable to produce high quality grapes.  Pinotage has grown to become synonymous with South Africa however, it does not appeal to all tastes and attracts criticism for its ability to develop an overly chemical-like taste and smell, similar to acetone or pear-drops.  This is not always an unpleasant taste but it does need managing carefully and effective control can be the difference between palate-bewildering, unbalanced flavours and a bloody good wine. 

Very strong on the nose, the aroma in this bottle comes to meet you, rather than the other way round.  Firstly and most powerfully is a vegetal and smoky smell which has a backwash of acetone.  At the same time, there is an undercurrent of overripe fruits; blackberry, cassis and damson.  The taste is full bodied and surprisingly smooth.  The vegetal influence dominates the start but allows fresh, red fruit tastes to come through, although they struggle to compete with the raw earthen feel.  The effect of the mild but grippy tannins are felt most in the aftertaste where they help to provide a long and sustained note.  This wine is far from unpleasant but may take you by surprise.

The full bodied structure makes this a great contender with food and red meats bind the tannin proteins well, allowing the fruits to open up more and give an almost caramel-like smoothness to the texture.  If you are the sort of person to reach for an Argentinian Malbec to go with your steak, give this puppy a try instead.

Portland Wines have several stores in the South Manchester/Cheshire area and can be found at www.portlandwine.co.uk

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. 

Concha Y Toro Carmenere 2010 Chile

During my early years as a budding wine enthusiast, I became captivated by the Carmenere grape because of the wonderful back story it tells.  The story is not a secret and those of you familiar with the grape will probably also be familiar with the tale.  The story of this grape precipitated many purchases and a deep fondness for the wine, which I still retain.  

In order to share this story with you, I needed the right bottle to come along.  My wait is now over.

I chose this particular bottle because it is a fine example of what is great about Carmenere.  Yes, there is higher quality Carmenere to be had however, this bottle provides the perfect opportunity to appreciate the taste for yourself at an affordable price.  This example comes from a great Portland Wine outlet that I recently discovered near me, at the price of £8.

The word Carmenere may sound French and you would be right to think so.  It was originally grown around Bordeaux and enjoyed a long and sustained existence in Europe, having originated in Iberia.  At the time, Carmenere was well seated and was arguably considered as one of the original six red grapes of Bordeaux.  All was well until around 1867 when a plague of Phylloxera swept Europe, devastating many grape varieties but dealing Carmenere a particularly vicious blow.  Despite attempts to revive the vine, growers had little success because it was more difficult to grow than other grape varieties and so attention turned to nurturing higher yielding crops.  For years the grape was considered extinct. 

Shortly before the Phylloxera outbreak, Chilean wine growers had imported vines from France and mistaking them for Merlot grapes, had not only preserved Carmenere but had positively increased its coverage to a size far greater than what it had ever been in France.  It would seem that Carmenere didn't just survive in Chile, it preferred it.  Carmenere was officially recognised as a separate variety to Merlot and the Chileans opened their hearts and embraced it as one of their own.  Carmenere found its true home and in return, gave Chileans a signature grape that is almost entirely exclusive to them.

On the nose, distinctive spices of black pepper and cloves compete for attention alongside a strong but pleasant earthen smell.  Quick to follow are rich red fruits which play off fading wood notes.  The first mouthful comes as quite a shock as it delivers a powerful punch.  Smooth damson and blackberry play second fiddle to high tannins and a rich wooden taste but they combine well to form a solid texture which feels well balanced and smooth.  I expected a small nod towards spice during the aftertaste but couldn't detect any with this particular bottle.

 

For me, Carmenere is a strong world player but because of the new world origin, the price enables it to compete easily with higher priced Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or even Malbec from countries that automatically seem to command a higher price.  I have had previous Carmeneres that play more towards the fruit and spice and are perfectly delicious however, this wine goes one step further and reveals a glimpse of the raw power that makes this Chilean grape so great.