Sauternes and Barsac

I helped out at a trade event devoted to Sauternes and Barsac earlier this week. Entitled “Sweeties with Savouries” it set out to show how both Sauternes and Barsac can be drunk not only with the usual foie gras and desserts but also with all the courses of a complete meal.

Tasting through the 16 wines was an education in itself. Considering they were all the recently bottled 2005 vintage, there was a range of aromas from honey, peach, minerals and smoke to flavours on the palate of marmalade, peach, citrus and honey. There were also subtle and significant differences in the weight and texture on the palate. I loved it!

As always these events are great for my Diploma education as they bring to life what is in the books and in the glass, and there is usually an opportunity to talk to the real people who produce the wine.

I'll be writing a more detailed post over at Wine Sediments shortly as part of my two submissions per month.

Oddbins and Off Licence News - again

There are two articles about Oddbins in the latest edition of Off Licence News. The first on the front page, entitled “signs of change at Oddbins” talks about the splitting of the estate into three kinds of shop according to size and location. Speaking to my local branch where I do the occasional bit of work, my colleagues thought this was all for for the good. Being a high street location they will get the opportunity to do single bottle promotions and bin end type sales.

The other article was less fact and more opinion and was written by Graham Holter, OLN's consulting editor. His opinions are best summed up in his description of Oddbins sliding from “the maverick to the mundane”. Certainly they have been having their share of bad press recently with everything from their regular annual financial losses, through a possible merger with Threshers to the departure of senior staff who really understood what makes Oddbins tick.

I hope things get better and the negative publicity goes away. We need Oddbins like it used to be – slightly quirky, enthusiastic staff, with an interesting and unique range of wines. The high street would be a worse place without it.

Plumpton College intensive day

The WSET in conjunction with Plumpton College is running a one day course next month entitled Wine Production Intensive Workshop. Although I may know some bits of it from from Unit 2 studies there are 2 practical sessions and it's these I'm really looking forward to.

In the morning there is theory on the vinegrowing year and the major quality factors in the vineyard. This is followed by a practical session in the vineyard with anything from cane removal and planting vines through to putting up trellis wires. Those who attend the second running of this course in June will get different things to do such as leaf stripping.

The afternoon theory is about the winemaking process and flavour modification in the winery. The practical session in Plumpton's winery will be dependent upon where they are with the 2007 vintage.

I live less than 1 hour's drive from Plumpton so it will be a good opportunity for me to see first hand what the facilities are like. Maybe I'll be tempted to go back and do a winemaking course?

New Zealand wines

Today I was supposed to be at the trade tasting of New Zealand wines in London. Several things have conspired against this however - a medical appointment, lunch with my daughter on her birthday and awful weather that means I don't really want to be trudging the streets of London.

It's a shame. I really enjoyed the Clocktower pinot noir I had last week and I have been enthused by listening to the latest podcast from the UK Wine Show featuring Bald Hills to try other Kiwi pinots as they have such a good reputation. Their sauvignons are in a class of their own and they also have a growing reputation for great pinot gris. And as I'm currently studying for my sparkling wines exam for the Diploma, it would have been a good opportunity to try some from NZ.

The next trade event I am scheduled to attend is the French Professional Wine tasting at Vinopolis next week followed after that by a Sauternes/Barsac event I am helping out at.

M&S Clocktower pinot noir 2006

Attracted by the shelf edge promotion saying "as recommended by Anthony Rose in The Independent" I bought a bottle of this from my local M&S.

Darker in colour than burgundies, it nevertheless had the usual aromas of something vegetative or undergrowth I associate with pinot noir although this was less noticeable on the second day. In the mouth there was nice weight and texture with ripe red fruit and a developing pepperiness. It had quite a decent finish to it where I could begin to notice the vanilla from the oak. All in all, very enjoyable either with food or even on its own.

It is made and produced by Wither Hills. On my occasional days working for Oddbins, the Wither Hills pinot noir was a wine we used to recommend as we all rated it. It would be interesting to know what the differences are between this pinot and the one with the Wither Hills label. M&S make a point of saying you can't buy any of their wine anywhere else in the UK. Does this mean it is actually different - different fruit/age - or do they simply mean you can't buy the actual bottle?

Wine Blogging Wednesday

I'm about to take part in my first ever Wine Blogging Wednesday. As a regular contributor to Wine Sediments I'm often asked to contribute to WBW which is an organised way to get bloggers from all around the world to post on one particular wine.

This month it is all about wines from the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region of Italy. Apart from Le Fredis, a pinot grigio from the region available from Oddbins it's pretty hard to easily find a wine from this region which is a real pity. Having visited the area on business several times, they make wonderful whites, just perfect for a summer's evening drinking. I'm going to feature a wine from the excellent Le Vigne di Zamo.

Publication day is 16th January.

Trockenbeerenauslese - what a mouthful

In common with many others over the recent holiday season I had a few "sweeties" and I don't just mean the chocolate kind.

The most recent was from South Africa, a late harvest muscat and chenin blanc from Cape Promise. It was very pleasant alongside some wickedly indulgent home made ice cream. Previously Christmas Day had seen us polish off some PX with chocolate brownies. It was from Bodegas Toro Albala and was their Gran Reserva Pedro Ximenez from 1979 all rich figs and treacle and enjoyed by all.

The highlight however over the holidays was a 2005 trockenbeerenauslese samling from Hans Tschida in Austria. This was all apricot, honey and peach on the nose and a gorgeous, viscous and oily feel in the mouth, all fruits and marmalade. It was the Champion Organic medal winner from the 2007 International Wine Challenge.