Wine Review: Muralhas de Moncao 2008
Posted: 10 September '09 by Niall
White Wine Review
During our holiday in Portugal we came across the Muralhas de Moncao 2008 and “Vinho Verde”, both of which were new to us. We thought you might like a quick review..
The Details
- The Wine: Muralhas de Moncao 2008
- Producer: Adega Cooperative Regional de Monção
- Region: Minho, Portugal
- Grape: Alvarelhao, Pedral and Vinhao
- Alcohol: 11%
- Cost: €4.50
Tasting Notes
The Muralhas is an enjoyable Portuguese white wine full of fruity peach and apricot aromas, it is well balanced with subtle citric notes, and is quite dry. Like all Vinhos Verdes (which translates as “Green Wine”, refers to the wines youth and freshness rather than the colour) the Muralhas is light and fresh, and is lemon- or straw-coloured.
Although it’s not a sparkling wine, there is some effervescence.
Food Pairing
We tasted the Muralhas with shellfish and fish, and complemented both perfectly. Beyond these ingredients however, I think that you’d struggle to find a natural pairing – the wine is so fresh and light that it would be completely overpowered.
Other Information
The Vinho Verde region is characterised by its many small growers – there were over 60,000 of them in 2005. Many of these growers train their vines high off the ground, up trees, fences, and even telephone poles so that they can cultivate vegetable crops below the vines that their families use for food.
Our Verdict
A pleasant, light white wine – perfect for hot summer days, and ideal for serving alongside seafood. And at €4.50, an extremely attractive price!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Categories: White Wine > Wine Reviews
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Wine Review: Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico 2006
Posted: 20 August '09 by Niall
Wine Review: Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico 2006
Needing a mid-week pick-me-up, Kelly and I indulged in a bottle of chianti – here’s the review..
The Details
- Wine: Chianti Classico 2006
- Producer: Rocca delle Macie
- Region: Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy
- Grape: A blend of 90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo and 5% Merlot
- Alcohol: 12.5%
- Cost: £11.99
Tasting Notes
The colour is a bright ruby-red, and the aromas are of deep berry-fruits, spice and oak. The flavour is full-bodied and well-balanced, with firm tannins – with more deep berry and spice to match the bouquet.
The wine does benefit from being left to breathe, and from being slightly warmer than room temperature to release all of those aromas and deepen the flavour.
Food Pairing
Chianti really does go well with most meats (especially beef and chicken) and is a must for any pasta dish.
Other Information
You’ll notice a small rooster on the label on the neck of the bottle – to have this label, and to be called “Chianti”, the wine has to follow rules about the amount of each grape used in the wine, how long it is matured, and the percentage of alcohol. So look out for the rooster when you’re buying chianti in the future!
About Chianti
Chianti is a wine-growing area within Italy that produces some fantastic red wines. Most Chianti is based on the Sangiovese grape, and while some producers used to add white grapes to the blend, this has been prohibited since 2006.
There are seven regions within the Chianti area – Chianti Rufina, Colline Pisane, Montalbano, Classico, Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, and Colli Senesi. There is a great deal of difference in style of Chianti between these regions, and even within a region Chianti can vary greatly with different vineyards producing distinct wines.
The best Chianti wines come from the Chianti Classico region. Chianti Classico is also a “designated area” within the Italian wine-controlling body, the DOCG – which means that in addition to the requirements to be designated as a Chianti, wines from the Chianti Classico region must also have a slightly higher alcohol content and come from vines with a lower yield, giving the wine a fuller, stronger body.
There is a higher grade of Chianti Classico – Chianti Classico Riserva. Riserva wines must be aged more than 27 months, with at least 3 months of this being in the bottle before release, and are often the best of the Chianti variety.
Our Verdict
I prefer full-bodied reds, so this ticked the box for me – a tasty chianti, full of flavour.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Categories: Red Wine > Wine Reviews
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Wine Review: Torres San Valentin Garnacha 2007
Posted: 17 August '09 by Niall
Red wine review
Last weekend we tried a new Spanish Red (well, new to us) – San Valentin from the Torres vineyards in Catalunya, Spain. It will stand out on the shelf from the rest of the Torres range – it comes complete with a little cherub hanging from the foil!
The Details
- Wine: Torres San Valentin Garnacha 2007
- Producer: Torres
- Region: Catalunya, Spain
- Grape: Garnacha Tinta
- Alcohol: 13.5%
- Cost: £5.49
Tasting Notes
Despite being a young wine, the colour was a deep, dark cherry, and what aroma there is has a toasty-oak and pleasant jammy fruity-ness to it.
The wine was smooth on the palate and quite full-flavoured, with definite sweet kirsch and blackberry/blackcurrant fruit – the very soft tannins produce a pleasant finish. A delicious wine that I think would suit almost anyone that enjoys red wine.
Food Pairing
This is a full-bodied, young wine which, if taken with food, deserves a robust flavour to compliment – BBQs, grilled or roasted meat, or red sauces. It should be said that the wine is just as good by itself.
Our Verdict
Not a complex wine, but definitely pleasant and enjoyable – a crowd pleaser, and one we’d buy again.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Categories: Red Wine > Wine Reviews
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£25 Discount Voucher from Naked Wines
Posted: 29 July '09 by Kelly
The good people at Naked Wines have been kind enough to give our readers a £25 discount voucher – and who were we to argue!
We’ve been members of Naked Wines since the site started. They’re almost like a virtual co-operative – they stock wines from smaller producers, typically ones that you just wouldn’t see in the larger wine stores or off-licences, and generally have very reasonable pricing. So when they offered our readers a discount we jumped at the chance.
The discount voucher really is great value – especially when we combined it with the “Naked Angel” deal which allowed us to get 6 bottles of wine on which we only paid the postage, and then used the voucher to get £25 off the total cost of our order after adding another 6 bottles to our basket. Twelve bottles of wine duly arrived at our door (including a bottle of the excellent Moutard champagne) and cost us just over £50.
Naked Wines definitely gets a big “thumbs up” from both Niall and myself.
To use the voucher, just follow the link: http://www.nakedwines.com/chillichocolate.
The terms and conditions are:
- Valid against any 12 bottle order of £64.99 or more
- Excluding delivery £4.99 – Next working day
- Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer
- Customers must be over 18 to buy alcohol
- Customers can bespoke their own order or buy premixed cases
- The voucher can also be used towards the Naked Angels introductory offer
- Full details available on the Naked Wines website
We hope you all enjoy the voucher – and remember to keep us posted about the wine you buy!
Categories: Promotions > Wine Reviews
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C’mon, lets get Naked!
Posted: 23 July '09 by Niall
Visit Naked Wines at www.nakedwines.co.uk
I thought that would grab your attention!
I’ve been a member of a few wine clubs, but the most recent is the best – www.nakedwines.com.
The whole premise of the site is that it’s there to help small producers sell to buyers in the UK – wines that you would normally never see on the shelves of your local off-licence, a good thing in itself.
While you can buy cases or half-cases with no further interaction with the producers, you can become a “naked angel” for a particular winemaker, or an “archangel” for the website.
Becoming a “naked angel” (yes, they are stretching the whole “naked” motif here!) means that you agree to pay £5 per month to the producer, thereby guaranteeing sales and helping the producer keep the costs of production down – in return for which you get 6 bottles of their wine for the postage alone!
An archangel agrees to pay £20 or more to the site every month which can be stored and redeemed at any stage, for which you’ll receive a discount on any case you buy.
Added to this there are all the usual social networking features: chat to the producers and other customers, organise wine-tastings, rate wines, and apply to become a wine taster (I’m fairly sure that everyone tries to do this – but it’s worth a go).
Why not try Naked Wines at www.nakedwines.com today – and look out for the Bacchanalian Belfast group!
Categories: Wine Reviews
