A little trip to France

We haven't been to France since Our Month in France in 2024 and I have certainly missed going. As part of my birthday week we stayed in Kent (I'll write about that soon) and took an overnight trip to Calais with our son and his girlfriend joining us for the trip.

It's a while since we used Le Shuttle, it was son's girlfriend's first time, and as she said it is a strange concept driving a car onto a train. The cost of the journey even with a short stay offer, petrol, overnight hotel and eating out does not actually make any purchases cheaper especially now there are limits on what you can bring back to the UK .... for me it was all about being in France.

We shopped at Auchan and Citè de Europe buying a few bits for home, most importantly my vanilla sucre for my baking. We also popped to Lidl and Aldi as some of our UK purchaseable wines are much cheaper. Our dining experience was Flunch, it's such a great concept and brings back many memories of Flunch meals with my dad when our kids were young.

All in all it was a good trip, Calais is not as it was and I think our next trip to France will be a long travelling holiday but it was nice to be back. The car did chink home with some of our favourites and a few new finds, our son commented that that was the sound of a holiday in France!

Sparkling wine is one of my favourite French buys, there is sn abundance of choice from low priced easy drinking bubbles to high end champagne. Pol Remy and Paul Henri are good basic priced bubbles which we often enjoy as a Kir cocktail using Chambord. We found a couple of demi-sec mid priced wines along with a Blanc de Blanc on offer, it's always fun to try new wines.

I didn't pick up many whites as our cellar at home is white heavy, I must drink more! However I did include a couple of my cheap go to, I'm not sure if I bought them for taste or memory but we always bought Muscadet with the blue boat label and Pierre Chanau (Auchan's wine label) White Bordeau.

Two bottles of Sauvignon, one of which was from Touraine, a bottle of Chardonnay were easy drinkers for our cellar. Aldi's Cotes de Gascogne is one of my favourite wines, it was less than half the UK price so a good find. We have holidayed many times in the South of France near the Etang de Thau, Picpoul is grown there, and this quirky labelled bottle caught my eye. 

A lovely selection of white wine safely home and ready to be enjoyed. I was a little disappointed to not find Cellier des Dauphins white in full size bottles or a wine box, there was red or rose but no white. I did find small bottles which will be perfect for just me to enjoy.

Our red wine choices were a mix of favourites and bargains. Hubby picked three Bordeaux wines including his favourite Baron de Lestac, he also  selected Costellore an Italian favourite from Aldi. My choices of red were all based on our previous fab times in France, they were a Corbieres, a Ventoux and a wine from Cahors.

We did buy double bottles of our favourite wines; 

Blaye, Cotes de Bordeaux

Primivito, Puglia 

Croix de Ceyssac, Bordeaux

Cellier des Dauphins Cotes du Rhone

I'm very much looking forward to the darker nights now we have some super wines to enjoy, not necessarily expensive choices but I'm sure they will evoke great memories from flavour and aroma.

With Christmas approaching we stocked up too on a few favourite beers. There are more and more places selling French and Belgium beers, craft beer shops are opening all over the UK but as we were in France a few packs were added to our trolley.

Affligem is a family favourite that we're looking forward to sharing over the festivities. Grimbergen makes me think of autumn time and La Goudale always goes down well.

Nothing like enjoying a beer and a big bottle makes the enjoyment last longer. I have had Kasteel beer before, a very strong dark beer, and I like fruit beer so when I spotted Kasteel Rubus it was a no-brainer purchase. 

And so to my favourite beer treats. I do believe beer should be served in the matching brand glass and I do have a Kasteel glass ready for my Rubus beer.

I do have glasses for Triple Karmeliet, Rince Couchon and Kwak which is like a yard of ale glass on a vertical stand but I don't think we have a La Goudale glass .... might need a return trip to solve that one!

Neither of us are great cider drinkers but we do enjoy a glass of French cidre which is mainly produced in Normandy. We selected a bottle of brut which is dry, a doux which is sweet and a bottle of rosé cidre which is described as fruity. I don't think we've had rosé cider before although I guess it will be similar to the fruit ciders now available in UK stores.

Our final buys were at Le Shuttle duty free, Gordon's is my favourite standard gin and was such a great price two jumped into my trolley. Asbach brandy from Germany is delicious, when Hubby was working he was often given a box of chocolates filled with Asbach at Christmas. It's made in Rudesheim and most definitely on our tour visit list but for now we'll happily enjoy Asbach at hone.

We had a lovely time shopping in Calais, we didn't visit any of the big wine stores but as you can see we found plenty to bring home. It was so nice being back in France, I hope it won't be so long before we're there again.

A fun night of wine

Last Saturday was such a great night, another wine tasting with our friends. These nights are always fun but this time I added a bit of quirkiness. 

Learning more about wine is one of my hobbies. I'm always keen to know about where and how the wine was made as much as I enjoy discovering the aromas and flavours of different wines.

Unbelievably it's been 10 years since I first hosted a wine tasting for our friends, our tastes and wine choices have certainly changed.  I think everyone buys different wine now. 

That said some of our wine tasting on Saturday was blind which is always interesting to do so I did select known wines and brands. When you don't know the wine you have no preconceptions and are often surprised by your findings.

Throughout the night we had a raffle ... with a difference. Everyone was given a ticket as there was a prize per person and the last prize was the best one so you didn't really want your number to be drawn.

I have been busy with my crafting and after beginning with a bag of wine gums the next raffle prize was a wine waistcoat, the first bit of quirkiness.

Our first wine was one Hubby and I discovered on our recent holiday in France in Aldi on offer at just 2.99 euro, an absolute gem of a find.

Jules Larose Blanc de Blanc demi-sec sparkling wine is a Southern Rhone wine made from Colombard, Macabeo, Malvasia and Chenin Blanc. It's a very refreshing wine with fine bubbles and plenty of apricot and peach flavours. It is on the sweet side, we also brought home Jules Larose brut which I prefer but the demi-sec is delicious.

Our second tasting was a brand I have seen for a while in various stores but not yet tasted. Voga has such an usual bottle for wine, it's more like a water bottle. It has a cork closure with a screw top so the bottle can be resealed. The range is available in white, red and rosé which was our tasting bottle.

Voga Italia was a very light wine in colour and aroma. It was also light in flavour with notes of strawberries and red currants. This wine seemed to be a prime example of how we first taste wine with our eyes, from the bottle shape and light colour everyone thought it looked like weak squash and it was interesting that everyone struggled to find its flavours. Maybe this would give different results if tasted blind.

So the quirkiness continued with our first three whites ... all blind tasted. To everyone's amusement I had made wine bags from shirt sleeves and used the thin half of ties to make wine ties. I did change the buttons to be coordinated with the ties.

Our first white tasted blind was Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc. It was recognised as a New Zealand wine as its aromas were very prominent, as we're its citrusy flavours. A few in our Group knew it was Villa Maria, it was quite interesting to watch everyone guess, doubt themselves and guess again.

Our second blind tasted wine was Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay. After tasting the first wine most people correctly recognised the grape but the brand was new to many. Full of peaches and tropical fruit with a touch of oak as a Chardonnay should be.

Our third wine was given away slightly by its taller bottle and those who enjoy this grape quickly identified the wine maker. From the Mosel Valley Dr Loosen is a lovely Reisling with plenty of fruity crispness with a mineral edge.

Our special white was Paul Mas Marsanne, a new grape to most of the tasters. A fresh and citrus wine that also has flavours of vanilla, toast and marzipan. Needless to say it was the favourite white wine of the evening.

As well as blind wine tasting I had also prepared a quiz, a question relating to each wine. The biggest surprise when the answers were revealed was that in 2023 the amount of wine imported from France was worth 900 million pounds.

Our red tastings began with three blind bottles, again hidden by my shirt style bottle bags.

A favourite of mine and Hubby's as well as most others our first red was Les Dauphins Cotes du Rhone. We have all enjoyed this wine under its English label and for many years as Cellier des Dauphins. It's always a lovely wine made from Grenache and Syrah full of fruit with a hint of peppery spice, so nice to have a familiar wine to enjoy.

The other two reds were quite tricky tasting blind. Everyone said red wine was quite similar with flavours of dark fruits and spice in most varieties. Red wine number two was McGuigan's Gold Label Shiraz and whilst not everyone was convinced they had the right grape they all enjoyed the wine with comments of it being an easy drinker.

Our final blind red was a wine one of our tasters drinks quote often with friends, however tasting blind he wasn't quite sure if it was. The wine causing doubt was Casillero del Diablo Merlot. A subtle difference with this merlot was the edge of liquorice making it different to the other two blind reds.

We then enjoyed two reds knowing what they were, and they were both delicious. Piccini Memoro is an Italian wine I discovered many many years ago through Tesco Wine Community and later revisited on my wine forum Cuvée Reserve. Both are no longer live but my forum is open as there are some great wine reviews to read.

Piccini Memoro has great flavours and intensity, it isn't a style of wine we taste very often. This deep red wine full of cherries and figs with a hint of coffee and oak was enjoyed by everyone.

Our final red was the most expensive and the most popular top up although slightly too jammy for a few tasters. 1000 Stories Zinfandel from California has been matured in bourbon barrels which results in a hint of spirit on it finish. Full of flavours which included cranberry, prunes, toffee and herbs we all agreed this wine was a sofa wine to just sit, sip and savour.

I didn't offer food pairings with these wines as blind tasting is tricky without adding extra flavours. I did however make an Orange Drizzle Cake to have with our final tasting. Unfortunately I missed taking my own photo if this sweet Moscatel from Valencia. A full size bottle, unlike a half bottle of dessert wine, this was absolutely delicious. A light sweetness gull of tangerine flavours that matched perfectly with the cake. This wine is very versatile, it would make a good aperitif, perfect with desserts or on it's own very chilled with ftuit garnish. 

We had a super night, I think we'll be adding in a quiz and maybe a fun raffle at future tastings as it added to our night out.

After raffling another bag of wine gums and my quirky bottle bags our final prizes were a bottle of Mulled Wine, Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc, Oxford Landing Caberet Sauvignon and Jules Larose Brut Blanc de Blanc.

A super night with hopefully another before Christmas, it's always difficult to select wines as there are so many in large stores and independent shops. Suggestions are always appreciated, wines or themes, especially new discoveries.

The Wine Society 150 Years

The Wine Society are hosting a number of tastings to celebrate their 150 years, the recent tasting in Birmingham was focussed on their second 50 year period. The wines exhibited were defined into five categories:

Generation series - focusing on 1924 to 1974

Anniversary range - limited collection of fine wine

1936 The first six appellations in France - Cassis, Tavel, Arbois, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Monbazillac and Cognac

1964 Bag-in-Box patented in Australia - highlighting sustainability 

Making moves outside mainland Europe - changes in the wider world of wine

With such a variety of wine it was not really possible to taste in style order which is always a slight issue at large tastings using the same glass however there was plenty of water available. As there was no tasting order and table 1 was at the far end on the room we decided to start at the nearest table and worked our way around the room initially  tasting only the white wines exhibited before retracing our route to enjoy the red wines.

As with all tastings not all wines were to my taste but it was a super opportunity to taste so many varieties. All the wines were detailed in a great tasting booklet, I have reviewed the wines I photographed and a few favourites my camera missed.

Our starting wine was from the 1964 Bag-in-Box category, although this revolutionary technique started in Australia the white wine was from France (the red which we tasted later was Californian), hopefully the Wine Society will soon include a Bag-in-Box selection from the pioneering country. That said the Society's White Burgundy was a lovely wine to begin our tasting, it had a balanced minerality with a clean stone fruit flavour. 

An English sparkling wine began our 'Making moves outside mainland Europe' selection. Produced by Peter Hall who planted his Sussex Downs vineyard in 1974 Cuvée John Agard, Breaky Bottom this sparkling wine was 65% Chardonnay giving a full citrus flavour. 

Van Loggerenberg 'Kamaraderie' Chenin Blanc from Swartland South Africa drew my attention with it's striking label. In fact many of the wines at the tasting had special labels for the Wine Society's celebrations. This Chenin Blanc had lovely soft flavours of green apple and lime but was a pricey wine at £34.

Of the five categories I was most looking forward to 'Generation Series 1924-1974' as it included Domaine Jaume from France. As they are red wine producers our visit to this section of the tasting began with Cava Gran Reserva Brut, a dry sparkling wine with a toasty flavour. 

This category also included three white wines produced by the Hugel family in the Alsace region of France. Gentile was a gentle wine with a hint of minerality. The other two wines, Vin d'Alsace and Gewurztraminer, were both full of flavour and great representations of this region and it's German influences. 

My favourite white at the tasting was from the 150th Anniversary Series and was the highest priced at £45.  Surprisingly it was not a Sauvignon Blanc but a oak aged, complex, rounded Chardonnay, definitely a step above giving a true definition of fine wine. 

In my enjoyment of the Chardonnay I missed taking g a photograph but I did take one of the other white wine in the Anniversary series, Hunter Valley Semillon. A soft wine with apple and lime flavours with a dry finish. 

Staying with the fine wines we moved on to tasting the reds beginning with The Society's 150th Anniversary Amarone 2018. Fermented in stainless steel vats this blend of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Oselea is then aged in new oak for 18 months. The dominant flavour for me was dried prunes but I found the wine a little too tannic although it did soften in the glass. 

The other red celebrating the Society's 150th Anniversary was Geyserville Zinfandel 2019 from California. A blend full of black fruits especially cherries and a hint of liquorice this wine had plenty of flavour, a little pricy at £39 

Two red wines I was very keen to taste were from Domaine Jaume in Vinsorbes France. We visited here in 2016 during our visit to the Cotes du Rhone region. The Jaume family are featured on the front of The Wine Society's Magazine celebrating the generations of winemakers. 

Vinsorbes Altitude 420 and The Wine Society's Generation Series Vinsorbes are both made from Grenache and Syrah grapes with their raspberry flavours and touch of spice finishes. Having visited Vinsorbes it is certainly on steep slope enjoying the south sun and breezes from the mountains. I enjoyed both of these wines which brought back great memories of our visit, one we hope to repeat one day. 

My favourite red was also from the Generation Series, Chateau Le Boscq, Saint-Estephe 2016. This northern Medoc wine was very smooth, had plenty of flavour and a long satisfying finish. '

Amongst the array of white and red wines were two that stood alone, firstly Tavel Cuvée Prima Donna Rose from Domaine Maby. I discovered Tavel on recommendation from Heather Dougherty and although it isn't a wine I often drink I really do enjoy it. It's a wine that matches perfectly to light meals especially lunches in the garden on a sunny day.

Thje second wine being a dessert wine which, like the Tavel, was in the 1936 first six appellations in France selection. Monbazillac Chateau Pech La Calvie was full of peaches and honey, a fully flavoured wine that was crying out to be paired with cheese and nuts.

The final tasting was The Society's Cognac, again celebrating France's appellations. Distilled at Chateau d'Orignac this superb Cognac had been oak aged for longer than the appellations requirement of four years. It was filled with rich flavours of dried fruits and nuts with a hint of woodiness that added to its lengthy finish. 

Wine tastings are always an enjoyable event, a chance to try wines I probably wouldn't choose for myself and to learn more from fellow wine drinkers. Our home location does not always make it easy for us to access many of the events so when The Wine Society's 150th Anniversary tastings included Birmingham we were delighted to attend. It was a great evening with some superb wines, thank you. 

January Wine Tasting

Last month was the first wine tasting of 2024, I can't believe we have now been doing these tastings for ten years. I know for certain everyone's' tastes have changed, so has their wine buying. 

I began hosting wine tastings when our scout group celebrated its 100th birthday and during 2014 Hubby and I presented 100 wines for the adults in our Group to enjoy. It has been an amazing success. This is the link to my final post summing up our year of tasting - Grande Finale - you'll find links to all the 100 tastings there too.

Our tasting set up in our Scout HQ

So back to now and our January 2024 tasting which was a mixture of new discoveries and a little bit of comparing. We had two sparkling wines, one to begin and one to finish, with five whites and five reds in between. Our selection was mainly from Morrison's with a couple of wines from Tesco and Aldi.

Our sparkling white wine was Radacini Blanc de Noir  Morrison's £6.00. I certainly haven't tried a Blanc de Noir made from Cabernet Sauvignon before and it was my first sparkling wine from Moldova.

Moldova has a large production of wine which was previously been supplied to the former USSR. With markets changing these wines are now becoming seen in many European countries. Radacini is made using the charmat method, also called cuvé close or the tank method. The grape juice is mixed in stainless steel pressurised tanks with sugar and yeast so the fermentation occurs in a closed system. As the carbon dioxide cannot escape it is dissolved into the wine producing the bubbles.

Everyone enjoyed this wine with its cherry and apple aromas which were also in its flavour along with melon and a hint of white pepper. With slight acidity this was a very enjoyable glass of bubbly. 

Our white selection began with a Sauvignon Blanc following through to comparing two Chardonnay wines. There was quite a mixed opinion on a few of the selections. 

McGuigan Gold Label Sauvignon Blanc - Morrison's £7.50 

Having previously included McGuigan red wines I thought it would be good to try a white, especially a Sauvignon Blanc which is my favourite grape. With over 100 years, and three generations, of winemaking this Hunter Valley wine promised gooseberries and citrus but I couldn't find any. In fact myself and a few other tasters thought that in a blind tasting this could be thought to be a Chardonnay. 

Alzar (Concha y Toro) Sauvignon Blanc, Pedro Jimenez - Morrison's £7.00

This wine is from South America from one of the biggest wine producers which includes Cono Sur, Trivento and Casillero del Diablo. It was a new for all of us having only previously had Pedro Jimenez sherry from Spain, which is where this grape originates. It is used in Chile to make a clear spirit called pisco - something to look out for as I have not heard or seen this before. I really enjoyed this wine, it had the soft characteristics of Sauvignon Blanc with a slight sweetness on the finish, I think this would match a cheese platter very well especially if Manchengo cheese was included. 

Verdeca - Morrison's Best £6.50

A white grape with greenness which you could see in the glass this wine also included some Sauvignon Blanc and Malvasia Bianco (a grape found in the Canary Islands, Maderia and Balearic Islands). From Puglia, the heel of Italy, this Verdeca had been oaked for three months which gave is a light vanilla flavour along with figs and lemon citrus. It was a new wine to most and the general thoughts were although nice it was more of a summer white enjoyed in warmer weather, which matches exactly to its origin.

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Grand Conseiller Bouchard Aine et Fils Chardoinnay - Tesco £8.50

The first of our comparison Chardonnay wines was from Burgundy in France, a Beaune appellation that was granted in 2009. The wine house itself was started in the mid 1800s , already 5th generation winemakers they went on to found a winemaking school. Et Fils in the name refers to the continuing generations (sons) of winemakers. I'm unsure as to whether this was oaked as there was a very slight vanilla flavour but it was predominantly full of honey, candies fruits with floral notes. 

Trapiche Reserve Chardonnay - Tesco £7.25

Our second comparison, and final white wine, was from Argentina and had been aged in French and American oak. Grown at high altitude on the foot hills of the Andes mountains this wine had plenty of rich flavours. Full of brioche, pear and lemon it was a delicious Chardonnay and my preferred one of the two although they were very similar despite being grown and produce in very different climates. 

Our red selection also included a comparison which we began with, two Merlot wines. 

Apothic Merlot - Tesco £8.50

A few of our tasters really enjoy Californian wines especially Merlot so this was a perfect wine to include, they loved it. Merlot grape is a midnight blue in colour which the winemakers mirrored in their labelling. The name Apothic derives from Apothica, a 13th century European winemakers sanctuary for blending wines. This New World Merlot was full of  dark fruits, especially blackberries and vanilla. A new label to all our tasters but one I know they will be seeking out. 

Luis Felipe Edwards Merlot - Tesco £8.50

Our second Merlot was still New World in the Americas but more southerly. This winemaking family began in 1976 and with over 1850 hectares of estates produces Chilean wine for the world market that had a boost in 1990. This red was quite similar to the first Merlot but had added flavours of plums and cherries, enhanced by plenty of vanilla on its lengthy finish. It's hard to say which Merlot was preferred as both were very much enjoyed by everyone. 

Pata Negra Rioja Tempranillo - Morrison's £7.50

Not a wine for me but loved by my Hubby this Tempranillo Rioja was packed with dark red fruits, cloves and vanilla. Rioja, in Spain, has three main areas; alta, alavesa and oriental, influenced by the climates of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Oriental (inland) respectively. This wine was produced on the alavesa area benefiting very hot and extreme cold climate. It had been oaked for 18 months in French and American barrels. 

Campo Viejo Rioja Garnacha - Morrison's £7.50

It isn't Rioja wine I can't take to it is the Tempanillo grape so finding this Rioja made from Granacha was perfect for me. Made by Spain's leading producer and part of the Pernod Richard group this wine is available everywhere, it's very vibrant labelling certainly stands out in the wine aisles. I much preferred this wine, plenty of strawberries, raspberries and cherries with a soft violet floral high note. If only all Rioja were made of this grape ... for me anyway. 

Colpasso Appassimento Nero d'Avola - Morrison's £8.00

Our final red was from Italy, with a beautiful tiled label tributed to Greek mythology, specifically Dionysus the God of winemaking, grape harvest and dance. The best grapes for this wine are picked mid September and dried for 3-4 weeks, after which they are fermented. The remaining grapes are left on the vines until well ripened when they are picked and also fermented. The two fermented wines are then blended together to make this Colpasso Appassimento. Of all the reds we tasted this had the most spice and pepperiness, it wasn't overpowering and added depth to the rich cherry flavours. 

Our final red was a Sparkling Shiraz, saved until last as a totally new wine to everyone, including myself and Hubby. We discovered this wine in Aldi £6.99 .... and to be brutally honest it can stay there. It isn't often I am lost to find something positive in a glass of wine but this left me shaking my head and was so disappointing. 

It was difficult to discover any details about this wine which, in hindsight, should have been a warning. Although black cherries, redcurrants and liqueur chocolate was mentioned as flavours all that came through was such a chemical flavour, no-one liked it at all. 

We certainly had another fun evening discovering more about wine and our preferred tastes. I know there will be some wines purchased and some left on the shelf but that's the fun of our tastings ... roll on the next one when I have a few surprises in mind!

Lastest Wine Night Hosting

Early September saw another superb night hosting a wine tasting for our friends. We are all members of the Scout Association but it does sounds dubious if I say a wine tasting at scouts! 

To celebrate the wedding of our daughter at the end of August our evening began with a very special champagne. Andrieux-Lefort is a small champagne house in Champillon just outside Epernay. We have visited Thierry and Sylvie a few times and have been known to make sure our holiday in France includes a visit to buy their superb champagne.

We opened a bottle of Premier Cru Brut Rose, a non-vintage champagne that filled the glass with fine bubbles. An almost equal percentage of Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir with a small addition of Chardonnay this Rosé is beautifully balanced with a freshness of fruit and a light dry edge to its finish, delicious as always.

With all the joy and celebration of the wedding only a few days previous I almost forgot to take photos of the wines. As you can see it was late in the evening before I did when the wines had already been enjoyed and I don't think they are in tasting order. 

Unfortunately the fridge at the headquarters had been turned up very high so our whites initially had little flavour due to being over chilled ... they did develop as the evening progressed and they warmed slightly with us all enjoying a re-taste!

Our first white was Torre de Lapela Vinho Verde. Although most people think this is a green wine, verde being Portuguese for green, it actually means a young wine as in a green stick being young growth. This is because the wine is produced very quickly, taking not much longer than three months resulting in a light refreshing wine especially suited to hot sunny days.

Staying with the green theme our second wine was Dei Castelli di Jesu Classico Verdicchio.  Green because of it's delicious green fruit flavours, this Italian wine in its distinctive bottle certainly had a fuller flavour when not so chilled.

Our third wine was also from Italy, a small DOC on the southern edge of Lake Garda. Lugana is made from Turbiana grapes, previously known as Trebbiano di Lugana. A perfect follow on from the previous whites with its green hues in the glass and full citrusy flavour with mineral highlights.

I was very much looking forward to our fourth white, I am very proud for sharing as I could have kept the bottle for myself. I discover Fish Hoek Sauvignon Blanc over a decade ago and then it disappeared but is now back on the shelves. From the Western Cape of South Africa this wine is full of figs, gooseberries, limes ... more greenness! It has all the weight of a New World Sauvignon Blanc without being overpowering, my fellow tasters agreed it was delicious and one to look out for.

Our final white left all the green behind with its pale straw colour and peachy nose. Little Giant Chardonnay from Australia was certainly different, not only because of its unusual bottle but its tropical flavours blended with vanilla coming from it's time in oak. The most expensive white of the night and a firm favourite with many.

Our next wine was a new experience and maybe not one to be repeated as this was the only wine left unfinished. Recently orange wine has started to be available in stores, and yes it does have an orangey look in the glass which comes from the wine being left in contact with white grapes skins for a short time. 

There are quite a few variants of orange wine, this French Vin Orange made from Gros Manseng had quite a blossomy aroma matched in the mouth with hints of orange peel which may have been the off putter. 

There are many in our group that are red wine drinkers and politely sip through the whites, whereas the white wine drinkers are happy to linger, so it is a mixed moment when it's time to open the reds. 

Our first red was a bit of an unknown, it's label giving nothing away and slightly annoying me with it's plain punctuation. From Bulgaria a good year was the surprising star of the evening. It was absolutely delicious, full of rich dark fruits, so smooth, so balanced and a good lengthy finish. A stunning blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Franc which gave a distinctive earthy edge; one to buy again if ever seen.

Costieres de Nimes Cuvee Reserve is one of my favourite Cotes du Rhone wines. Although geographically in the Languedoc this wine region falls in the CdR appellation. A delicious blend resulting in flavours of dark cherries and blackberries with hints of violets. Having been oaked there is a lengthy vanilla finish, definitely a sink into a sofa wine for me.

Changing continents our next red was from South Africa; Original Series Stellenbosch. Another superb red for oak lovers with plenty of vanilla flavours along with rich plums and dark fruits. The Stellenbosch region on the Western Cape is renown for its superb quality of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varieties.

Our penultimate red was again from France, we have previously enjoyed Chateauneuf-du-Pape so this time I included a Saint Emilion, well almost. On the right bank of Bordeaux this Montagne Saint Emilion is a satellite appellation and sits to the north of St. Emilion. A beautifully rich red in the glass with aromas of dark fruits, its flavour was full of plums and raspberries with a smooth slightly tannic finish.

Our final red was the favourite red of the night, a single grape wine from Australia. Jacob's Creek Double Barrel Matured is such named because this Cabernet Sauvignon wine is first matured in wine barrels and then in whisky barrels resulting in deep tobacco and oak flavours. Having enjoyed whiskies finished in wine barrels it was interesting and very enjoyable to try the reverse, a really delicious wine to be savoured although it would hold up well to a Chateaubriand steak with a rich brown butter sauce.

Another superb night discovering more about the world of wine, here's to the next one, I'll have to put my thinking cap on as it will be close to the festive season.

Summer wines

A quick post to highlight a few summer wines enjoyed at Maison Hearnden.

My favourite reds are from the Rhone region of France. This Costieres de Nimes is geographically grown in the Languedoc but is actually a Rhone appellation wine. From the French south it benefits from the Mediterranean sun and sea influences.

It was full of great flavours, plenty of black cherries and blackberries with high notes of violet and a hint of spice on its finish.

Reading the label it's from Tulette so it may be produced by the superb Cellier des Dauphins as this is the location of their co-operative.

I first discovered Fish Hoek wine in 2011 but haven't seen it for a few years. It's a Fair Trade South African wine is made by Kumala

With a hint of green in the glass, tropical aromas and lime & gooseberry flavours this is my style of Sauvignon Blanc ... absolutely delicious 

The Accomplice Chardonnay is made by De Bortoli, I've enjoyed their wines before but not this range which I discovered at Adnams shop in Frinton-by-the-sea. 

It's a super easy drinking white wine that's full of peachiness, touches of pineapple and hints of oak. A great De Bortoli wine, I'm looking forward to the other wines in the Accomplice range.

I am a Sauvignon Blanc girl and this Chilean wine was deliciously crisp and refreshing. Bicicleta Sauvignon Blanc has hint of green in the glass, reflected in its green apple flavours with an edge of white peaches. 

Cono Sur is part of Concha y Toro, Latin America's biggest wine company. The Cono Sur range Bicicleta takes its name from the workers cycling to work on the vineyards.

Served chilled this is perfect anytime but for me its best on a summer's evening as the light begins to fade.

Making the most of the warm summer evenings dinner was a fish supper with this superb English wine from Biddenden purchased during last year's great visit. Biddenden were amongst the first English vineyards to plant this grape in the late 1960s with the first wine produced in 1972. 

Ortega 2021 was full of green flavours including apple and grapefruit with a lovely soft long lasting finish, delicious with a takeaway treat.

The most recent wine opened has been in the wine cellar a while, a Hungarian red from Lidl. 

Tündértánc was predominantly Merlot with Kékfrankos, a new grape discovered and thoroughly enjoyed. It was fruity with a good depth and lengthy finish, one I will be looking out for.

It hasn't been the sunniest of summers or the driest of days but the wine has flowed with many varieties tasted ... I wonder what will be opened next ... without a doubt it will be bubbles to celebrate a very special wedding!

February Wine Tasting - rosé & whites

Our first tasting of 2023 was a general selection from Aldi, Fine Wines Direct,  Morrisons, Majestic Wine and Auchan, a supermarket in France. This post focuses on the rosé and white wine we all enjoyed. 

The scout headquarters looks very different set up for our wine evenings to when it's full our young people enjoying a variety of activities. It's nice for our Leaders to have their own activity. All leaders and committee members in Scouting are volunteers, I'm not sure the general public realise how much time (and own money) is given, people often presume Souters are paid the same as teachers ... when in fact we are a registered charity.

I love seeing all the wines lined up ready to be tasted. As I mentioned this range was from a variety of sources, hopefully I ordered the wines to progress everyone's tastebuds and not have any dramatic changes from one to the next.

Our first wine was from one of my favourite producers, Cellier des Dauphins. It was a wine we bought in France from Auchan as so had the French style bottle and label. Here in the UK the bottle is taller and straighter and labelled 'Les Dauphins'. We have enjoyed both their red and white wine before but not the rosé. 

Cellier des Dauphins Prestige Rosé is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault which is becoming more popular in Cotes du Rhone wines as it adds softness and aromas. A lovely salmon colour this wine gave plenty of floral and fruity aromas with a flavour of soft red berries. Everyone enjoyed this and began chatting about summer days.

Our next wine, a Chardonnay, was a Cotes du Jura made by Chassaux et Fils who are Aldi's French winemaker. This wine had plenty of peach and apricot flavours with a slightly nutty finish. It was appreciated by everyone, a great wine at just £4.99.

At our tasting I offer a food pairing idea with a few of the wines; my first food pairing this time was with our next wine, Marques de Riscal Rueda Verdejo. A winemaker we have enjoyed before but as a red wine, this was our first white and was from Majestic Wine at £7.99

I paired it with homemade salmon pate which was lovely with the crisp citrus notes. The herbiness of fennel, grass and verbena also paired well with the salmon creaminess.

Something new followed; again from Aldi our third white was The Falls, £7.99, a Riesling from Canada. We have tasted Australian Riesling with it's oily characteristic and German Riesling with its crispness but not a wine from North America. This wine was produced in the Niagara Peninsula which is the strip of land that separates where Lake Erie in America meets Canada's Lake Ontario. 

It had the flavours and characteristics of both New and Old World Rieslings, I found the nose a little off putting as it was quite petroly but the flavour was lovely, especially with the Japanese rice snacks as a food pairing.

As I mentioned before this wine tasting was not on any particular theme, it was not comparing grapes or geographically focussed however our last two white wines were compared to each other. 

Sauvignon Blanc is my favourite grape, I love wines from this grape produced from all over the world but my absolute favourite is French Sauvignon Blanc, in particular Sancerre. I had a bottle of Touraine Sauvignon Blanc from Auchan and The Ned was on offer in Morrisons at £7.49 so decided we should see which style everyone preferred.

The Ned, produced by Brent Marris of Marisco Wines, has a super full nose with plenty of citrus. It's flavours of lime zest, gooseberries and fine herbs has your mouth watering for more. A wine enjoyed by everyone and very popular at 'top up' time. 

Pierre Chanau is Auchan's winemaker and they produce many wines for the French supermarket. Thus Touraine, from Central Loire, also has a citrus aroma but was softer. With a mouth full of lemon and lime with a hint of blossom this was also enjoyed by all.

And the choice ... it was actually equal. The overall thoughts were that if you wanted to sit in the garden on a sunny day with nibbles then The Ned would be perfect, however on the equally sunny day if you were enjoying a light lunch, chicken salad or pasta carbonara then the Touraine would go down very well. 

I really enjoy everything about our wine tasting events; choosing the wines, writing the tasting notes and of course sharing the wine with friends. Everyone enjoyed our selection of rosé and white wines, I'll be posting about our red wines soon.