Vidigal Vinho Verde 2010

Vinho Verde is a Portugese specialty, meaning “green wine”.

Rather than the colour, the “green” refers to when the wine should be enjoyed – very young, within a year of bottling, when the flavours and aromas are still fresh and crisp.

This particular vinho verde, from Vidigal Wines, comes from the vineyards between the Douro and Minho rivers in Northern Portugal, and has been named “Shocking Green” by the owner and chief wine-maker, António Mendes Lopes.

Kelly and I first came across this style of wine on holiday in the Algarve, and for us it’s synonymous with sun, holidays, and late, laidback suppers on the beach.

The Details

• The Wine: Vidigal Vinho Verde 2010
• Producer: Caves Vidigal
• Region: Minho, Portugal
• Grape: White blend (50% Loureiro, 40% Trajadura, 10% Arinto)
• Alcohol: 9%
• Cost: £7.99
• We bought it in: Direct Wine Shipments (and is available online)

Tasting Notes

Vidigal’s vinho verde has a pale straw colour with a slight green hue, by coincidence, but the most noticeable features are the bright and lively body, and the effervesence which characterises this style of wine – not quite enough to be called semi-sparkling, but with a definite pétillance (that’s fizz, dontchaknow).

While the nose isn’t very complex, which is what you’d expect from such a young wine, it does have subtle citrus notes emerging.

The finish is short, with some delicious flavours in there: green apples, lime and melon are the most obvious.

Our verdict

The Vidigal Vinho Verde was extremely easy to drink, and very enjoyable too.

The alcohol content isn’t sky-high, the finish is quite short, and the flavours are refreshing and crisp – which makes it ideal for Summer, BBQs and for care-free glugging.

While you could certainly pair this wine with more delicately flavoured dishes, especially simply-cooked shellfish or white fish, to me the Vinho Verde is at it’s best when enjoyed by itself.

Where can you buy it?

You can find the Vidigal Vinho Verde 2010 at:

Direct Wine Shipments
5-7 Corporation Square,
Belfast
BT1 3AJ
T: 028 9050 8000
E: shop@directwine.co.uk
W: www.directwine.co.uk
You can also find DWS on Google Maps.

You can also buy the Vidigal Vinho Verde 2010 online.

Domaine Sainte Eugénie Corbières Rosé 2009

With the sun splitting the skies and the temperature at a sultry 23° we settled back in our garden and opened a well-chilled bottle of Domaine Sainte-Eugénie Corbières Rosé 2009.

We’re not usually ones for Rosé – I’ve found that tasting the majority of cheaper wines was like drinking nail polish remover or they were so sweet they were like alco-pops – preferring to spend our hard-earned money on more tried-and-trusted whites.

Susan from DWS was adamant that we should give the Corbieres Rosé a chance – and how glad were we that we followed her advice and took a walk on the wine-tasting wild-side!

The Details

• The Wine: Domaine Sainte-Eugénie Corbières Rosé 2009
• Producer: Domaine Sainte-Eugénie
• Region: Languedoc-Roussillon, France
• Grape: Cinsault 80%, Grenache Noir 10%, Syrah 10%
• Alcohol: 13%
• Cost: £8.99
• We bought it in: Direct Wine Shipments (and is available online)

Tasting Notes

Thanks to the blend of grape varieties, the Corbieres Rosé just looks like a real thirst-quencher, having an appealing pale hot-pink colour with a bright lustre.

The nose is extremely fresh with a ripe peach, melon, and strawberry bouquet.

There are some strawberry notes on the palate, along with a hint of minerality and dried rosemary, which are common to the wines from Languedoc-Rousillon. There is nice acidity and a pleasing, dry finish.

Our Verdict

A real Summer-in-a-glass type of wine here, just perfect for a refreshing tipple on a hot day.

Whether you’re a Rosé lover or not you should give the Domaine Sainte-Eugénie Corbières Rosé 2009 a try – your taste-buds will love you for it!

Our rating: 3 out of 5.

Where can you buy it?

You can find the Domaine Sainte-Eugénie Corbières Rosé 2009 at:

Direct Wine Shipments
5-7 Corporation Square,
Belfast
BT1 3AJ
T: 028 9050 8000
E: shop@directwine.co.uk
W: www.directwine.co.uk
You can also find DWS on Google Maps.

You can also buy the Domaine Sainte-Eugénie Corbières Rosé 2009 online.

Other information

A few people have asked whether Rosé is made from blending red and white wine. This is a bit of an urban myth.

The majority of Rosés begin life just like red wines – the red grapes are crushed and placed in a fermenter. Rather than spending two or three weeks with the grapes skins in contact with the juice, the skins are removed after a short time (this could be from a few hours to a couple days depending on the type of grape and the style of wine that the winemaker wants). This brief skin contact allows enough colour leach into the wine and turn the colour pink.

Another technique is to drain off some of the juice from a red wine early in the fermentation and then place it into own fermenter to finish the process. The process is called “Saignée” (French: “to bleed”).

Heritage Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

After a brief foray into white wine territory (see our review of the Picpoul de Pinet 2007) we’re back with a classy red from the New World, a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon from South Australia: the Heritage Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2006.

The Heritage Wines winery is a small family-owned business located in the Barossa Valley and run by Steve Hoff and his wife, Christine. They produce a small range of varietal wines, typically made from their own 20 acre vineyard or from grapes purchased from selected, low-yield vineyards in the area.

This particular wine was produced from grapes grown by their neighbours, Peter and Anita Frazer.

The Details

• The Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006
• Producer: Heritage Wines
• Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
• Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
• Alcohol: 15%
• Cost: £15.99
• We bought it in: Direct Wine Shipments (and is available online)

Tasting Notes

Wines produced in hotter climes typically are more full-bodied given that the grapes are more ripe than in Europe. You certainly find that with the Heritage Cab Sauv.

A deep, dark red in colour, it has a wonderfully intense aroma with lots of black fruits, sweet roast vegetables, and cassis on the nose.. with not a little spice in there too.

The taste doesn’t disappoint either – a full-blooded red with powerful blackberry and licquorice flavours, with more subtle herb and chilli notes.

Good, firm tannins and acidity with a velvety texture which, together with the long and pleasant finish gives the wine an opulent character.

Our Verdict

A very classy red from Australia with good structure, lots of juicy dark fruit, and well-balanced.

Extremely drink-able.

Our rating: 4 out of 5.

Where can you buy it?

You can find the Cabernet Sauvignon from Heritage Wines at:

Direct Wine Shipments
5-7 Corporation Square,
Belfast
BT1 3AJ
T: 028 9050 8000
E: shop@directwine.co.uk
W: www.directwine.co.uk
You can also find DWS on Google Maps.

You can also buy the Heritage Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 online.

Other information

You can click here to visit the Heritage Wines website.

Picpoul-de-pinet 2007

Just before our long weekend in Paris, Kelly and I thought that we should immerse ourselves in a little French culture and try the Picpoul de Pinet 2007.

The Picpoul de Pinet 2007 is a lively young white wine from the Languedoc-Rousillon region of South-West France. Although not renowned for it’s outstanding wines in the past, the area has reduced the amount of wine it produces in favour of concentrating more upon quality in recent years. While there is still a lot of variation, Languedoc produces good, reliable wines at a pocket-pleasing price (by and large).

The Details

• The Wine: Picpoul de Pinet 2007
• Producer: Domaine des Lauriers
• Region: Languedoc-Roussillon, France
• Appellation: Coteaux du Languedoc
• Grape: Picpoul Blanc
• Colour: White
• Alcohol: 12.5%
• Cost: £7.99
• We bought it in: Direct Wine Shipments (and is available online)

Tasting Notes

The Picpoul de Pinet has a pale-straw colour and a slightly honeyed aroma with some grass and citrus thrown in for good measure.

As you’d expect from a region that has a lot of limestone in the soil the taste has a mineral edge, and has delicate lemon and pear tones. The wine is light-bodied with a little acidity which makes it feel clean and crisp on the palate.

The finish is a pleasing medium-length one – just enough to leave you with a fond memory of the wine rather than a cloying aftertaste.

Our Verdict

On tasting the wine we both thought that this would be a perfect buy for the summer – it’s refreshingly light and crisp with subtle green-fruit flavours.

Although the wine is very pleasant to sip on it’s own, the Picpoul would go extremely well with fish, shellfish or chicken.

Ideally serve chilled but not too cold, otherwise you’ll mask the finer points of the wine.

Similar to a good Muscadet or even a Sancerre, but without the price-tag.

Summer BBQ, anyone?

Our rating: 3 out of 5.

Where can you buy it?

You can find the Picpoul at:

Direct Wine Shipments
5-7 Corporation Square,
Belfast
BT1 3AJ
T: 028 9050 8000
E: shop@directwine.co.uk
W: www.directwine.co.uk
You can also find DWS on Google Maps.

You can also buy the Picpoul de Pinet 2007 online.

Other information

This particular wine won the Silver Medal at the International Exhibition of Agriculture, which aims to select and reward the best traditional French products.

The French can talk at length about “terroir” – the environmental factors that influence the quality and complexity of a wine. Although this wine is from Languedoc-Rousillon, an area with a wide variety of micro-climates and landscapes, the appellation for this wine is the sought-after “Coteaux du Languedoc”. A “coteaux” is a hill covered in vines.

Mouton Cadet 2005

Kelly and I picked up this Mouton-Cadet 2005 from our local Sainsburys off-licence a few weeks ago – although we’d never tried this particular red before we thought we were on safe ground: a Bordeaux red; a young wine from the famous Baron Philippe de Rothschild; and it was also on offer, one of the frequent Sainsburys discounts being reduced to £5.00.

The Details

• The Wine: Mouton-Cadet 2005
• Producer: Château Cadet, Baron Philippe de Rothschild
• Region: Bordeaux, France
• Grape: 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc
• Alcohol: 13.3%
• Cost: £5.00 (on offer – normally £5.99)
• We bought it in: Sainsburys

Tasting Notes

The first thing that you’ll notice when pouring the Mouton-Cadet is the colour – an appealingly intense burgundy or dark cherry which promises great things to come. As you’d expect this colour carries to the rim of the wine, suggesting a young wine.

The bouquet matches the appearance with dark cherry and blackcurrant aromas, with some spice and a little vanilla in there for good measure.

Perhaps a little lighter-bodied than more expensive wines from the region, it is still full of ripe dark fruits and powerful tannins. The Cab Sauv and Cab Franc give the wine more complexity than might be suggested by the price tag. Although slightly tart, the Mouton-Cadet 2005 is fairly smooth and well-balanced, lingering pleasantly on the palate.

Our Verdict:

A pleasant wine that is suitable for everyday drinking, one that you’d be happy to enjoy alone or to serve to friends with a meal – not necessarily one for impressing, mind you.

At the price, particularly when discounted, you’d be hard pressed to find a much better alternative. Buy it when you can – Sainsburys typically stock a wine for a while and once gone it’s never seen again.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Other Information:

The Mouton-Cadet 2005 really benefits from being decanted and left to breathe for an hour or so – the bouquet and taste will only develop and reveal the complexity of the wine.

Mouton Cadet is the biggest-selling Bordeaux in the world and is the staple offering from the Baron Philippe de Rothschild house. It is not sophisticated or refined enough to be called a “Chateau Mouton Rothschild” – instead, it is classed as a “Mouton Cadet” (cadet meaning younger son in French)

Wine Review: Sangre de Toro 2006

On a horrible wind-swept and rainy evening, Kelly and I thought we’d cheer ourselves up with a cheeky bottle (or two!) of wine. Amazing how wine can do that.

The Torres wines are firm favourites of ours: consistently good flavours, and not too hard on the pocket. And depending on your choice, you also get a toy – a kind of Kinder Egg for adults!

With the plastic bull safely stowed away, we opened our bottle of Sangre de Toro 2006..

The Details

• The Wine: Sangre de Toro 2006
• Producer: Don Miguel Torres
• Region: Castilla y León, Spain
• Grape: 65% Grenache, 35% Carignan
• Alcohol: 13.5%
• Cost: £6.49

Tasting Notes

The wine is a pleasant deep cherry-red in colour, and the spicy cinnamon and berry notes are immediately noticeable on opening the bottle.

In terms of flavours there are the usual forest-fruits in there (and a lot of them), but also something a little sweeter.. strawberries maybe. With all of this going on, it’s a nicely balanced wine – savoury, with a slightly sweet edge.

The tannins aren’t particularly smooth and there is a bit of an alcoholic kick – a solid, rustic, substantial wine.

Food Pairing:

This wine would be well-paired with any meaty foods: red meats and game, and roasts/stews/casseroles in general.

Our Verdict:

The Sangre de Toro 2006 isn’t a particularly complex wine, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s very “gluggable”, has plenty of flavour, goes particularly well with food, and with the £6.49 price-tag, it’s hard to find a better entry in the “everyday” category.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Other Information:

“Sangre de Toro” means “Blood of the bull” – and explains the plastic bull attached to the foil.

You can click here to visit the Torres website.

Wine Review: Cotes du Roussillon 2008

Along with the interesting menu in St John (more of that later) you’ll also find a lengthy and mouth-watering wine-list.

The choices for our main courses, which were offal-y good (sic), cried out for a full-bodied red – and the Cotes du Roussillon 2008 certainly fit the bill.

The Details

• The Wine: Cotes du Roussillon 2008
• Producer: Domaine Boudau Le Clos
• Region: Roussillon, South-West France
• Grape: 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 30% Carignan
• Alcohol: 14%
• Cost: £7.99

Tasting Notes

The wine is juicy and rich, with jammy, spicy notes on the nose with a hint of minerals, while there are definite flavours of herbs, black cherries and damsons on the palate.

The 2008 is a little young, and the texture is slightly rough when compared to the smoother, older vintages of the same wine, where the tannins and acid mature into a smoother combination.

Food Pairing

Meat, meat, and more meat. The wine is very full-bodied and needs strong flavours to stand up to it – beef, boar, and venison will all be complemented by the dark-fruit flavours of the Cotes du Roussillon.

Other Information

These full-bodied reds always benefit from being served at or just above room temperature, and from being allowed to breathe in order to release all of those mature fruit flavours.

Our Verdict

I have to confess to a fondness for French reds, and the Cotes du Roussillon 2008 is a fine example of the price-to-quality wines coming out of the Languedoc-Roussillon regions recently. An extremely enjoyable wine – in aroma, flavour, and in price.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Wine Review: Monte da Peceguina 2008

Another Portuguese wine – but this time it’s a hearty, full-bodied power-house of a red.. Monte da Peceguina, 2008.

The Details

• The Wine: Monte da Peceguina 2008
• Producer: Malhadinha Nova
• Region: Alentejo
• Grape: Aragones, Alicante, Cabernet
• Alcohol: 14%
• Cost: £14.50

Tasting Notes

The Monte da Peceguina is a brooding crimson red in colour, with powerful aromas of dried herbs and jammy, dark fruit.

On the palate the wine has robust flavours of dark chocolate, coffee, winter berries and notes of sweet vanilla oak and cinamon spice. This is complemented by smooth tannins which gives a velvet-y finish, but with a notable alcoholic warmth.

Food Pairing

This is a bit of a heavy-weight, and needs flavoursome dishes to stand up to those strong flavours of dark chocolate and fruit. I think game or beef would go well with the Monte da Peceguina.

Our Verdict

A delicious, robust red. A word of warning though.. that high alcohol content will get you in the end!

Rating: 4 out of 5

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

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