Valentine's Day Wine Tasting

Last month Hubby and I hosted another wine tasting evening for our friends, there was no definite theme although we did include a few nods to it being Valentine's Day.

The room always looks good when everything is set up; glasses, quiz sheet and importantly the wine list with tasting notes.

It had been requested that we try new wines which is a little tricky as we have been hosting these evenings for over 12 years, probably 3 times a year ... that's a lot of wines already tasted. 

However with new wines in our supermarkets appearing and our recent trip to The Wine Society we did serve 12 new wines.

Our evening started with Asda's Wine Atlas Garda made from Garganega grapes using the charmant method when the second fermentation is in large stainless steel tanks. This was a lovely sparkling wine enjoyed by everyone with flavours of red apple and lemon sherbet.

Our rose and white wines all had something interesting on their labels and were from France, Austria, Sicily and Portugal 

As we were trying new wines our French wines were my favourites with a difference. I have enjoyed Duo de Deux Mers from the Wine Society many times but it was a first to try Duo des Plages, a rose made from Cinsault and Grenache. From Rousillon in Southern France this rose had plenty of fresh fruit with a smooth finishing giving a subtle grapefruit flavour.

I really enjoy Sauvignon Blanc from the Tourraine region in the Loire Valley and this white caught my eye with its unusual spelling, Le Cheteau. It was very much enjoyed by those who like Sauvignon Blanc.

Carricante from Sicily is a new tasting for our group. Wine making is an important part of Siclian heritage with this grape variety being grown in Eastern Sicily for at least 1000 years. Carricante wa a light wine with floral notes and peaches flavours with a subtle mineral edge to its finish.

Our other two wines were from The Wine Society, one was in their Enomatic Wine tasting machines, the other had an unusual label depicting a bell. 

Gemischter Satz from Familie Mantler was a delicious Austrian wine made from two grapes we had tried before and a new variety. This unoaked white was 80% Gruner Veltiner, 15% Muller-thurgau and 5% Muskateller. It was a really good wine that we would not have discovered if it hadn't been an offered tasting at The Wine Society.

The bell on the label of Casa Ermeinda Freitas Sino Grande pays homage to the daily rhythm of the Vineyard that was established in 1920. From one of Portugal's largest producers this wine made using Fernao Pires, Antao Vaz and Verdelgho was full of apple flavours with citrus high notes.

All our red wines had striking black and red labels,  nod to Valentine's Day.

Our first wine was Asda's Extra Special Sicilian Reserve. A Nero d'Avola wine full of dark fruits with a superb note of chocolate on its finish. Produced in a warm Mediterranean climae with cooling coastal breezes it is aged in French oak barrels before a further 12 months maturation in the bottle.

Staying with an Italian wine our next tasting was Masso Antico Primivito from Puglia. It's name is taken from Masseria, an old farmhouse on their first vineyard that was covered in old gnarled vines, hence the detail on the label.

Four Portuguese varieties were used to make this delicious deep red wine; Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Cao. Beefsteak The Beast is matured in port barrels and as its name suggests pairs well with steak.

From The Wine Society and full of dark fruits flavour Baccolo Appasimento Rosso Veneo was enjoyed by everyone. A tribute to the ancient wine divinity Baccus, Barcelona had intense flavours from the Merlot and Corvina being partly dried before pressing.

Our final red was from one of my favourite French wine producers, Cellier des Dauphins. The Reserve Intense is a blend of Cotes du Rhone grapes Grenache and Syrah with the addition of Mourvèdre giving a complex flavour of blackberries, blueberries, plums, spice and vanilla.

All the reds were very well received, each having subtle differences that highlighted the right pairing and occasion for each to be enjoyed.

Our final tipple of the evening was Asda's Espresso Martini Cream Liqueur. I did think of pouring everyone a Baby Guinness but as this had very similar flavours I thought it worth a try as an easier pour. It was delicious, a great easy drink but not quite a Baby Guinness shot or Espresso Martini. 

Another super tasting with a few extras for Valentine's, I wonder what wines will be next!

Spanish Wine Tasting

Last week we visited our friends who live near London, they love Spanish wine and food with both their families originating from Spain. Dave loves wine, which is how we met many years ago, and on Friday hosted a wine tasting evening for a few friends. Agnes provided a lovely variety of foods to accompany our tasting, it was a lovely evening and nice to meet everyone. 

Our evening began with a Cava Gran Reserva 2021 from The Wine Society. From their Exhibition range this wine had an abundance of bubbles with a yeasty, biscuity flavour along with a lovely citrus finish. Having spent 30 months on its lees gives this bottle of bubbly a delicious complexity which was enjoyed by all. 

The three whites we tasted were all from The Wine Society but they were from different regions of Spain: Terra Alta Barcelona, Galicia and Rioja. Our first white was a Garnacha wine, Far del Sud Garnatxa Blanca 2024. This was my favourite white, not surprising as it's Grenache Blanc if grown in France. It had plenty of apply flavours and not being oaked was delicious for me. 

The history about Far del Sud on the back of the bottle was fascinating, I love learning about how wines get their names - ' The old Boda Lighthouse, located in the heart of the Elbro Delta where we find the island that gives it its name, was built in 1864 and presented at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867. Known as the Eiffel Tower in the Delta, was practically destroyed during the Civil War and toppled by a storm on 24 December 1961. The new lighthouse, built in 1983, watches over the old one buried under the sea "surrounded by the opulence of the Buddha landscape where the water is smooth and the rice is green" 

Pazo do Mar Blanco Ribeiro 2024, our second white, was a blend of four grapes: Treixadura, Torrontes, Albarino and Godello. I have tasted Ribeiro wine before and really enjoy their crispness which comes from being a region on the Atlantic coast. Giving floral aromas and crisp fruity flavours that had a depth of complexity this white would be a great pairing with seafood, my thoughts were instantly of pairing this with a hot steaming bowl of mussels. 

Our final white was liked by many but not for me, I do struggle with wines both white and red from Rioja. Navajas Bianco 2021 is a Crianza, young, wine made predominantly from Viura that are harvested towards the end of September and fermented in stainless steel tanks. It spends six months in new American or French oak barrels giving a vanilla edge to its flavour. It was quite a bright wine with strong fruity flavours that produced a long finish. 

Our first red was also from the Rioja region, Cune Rioja Crianza, purchased from Sainsbury's. CVNE, Compania Vinicola del Norte de Espana, is a wine brand we have tasted at a few wine events with Heather Dougherty DipWSET. I have enjoyed their sparkling wines but still struggle with the Rioja reds. 

Cune brand came about simply due to a typo in the late 1800s, the acronym C.V.N.E. being mis-read and the V change to make the word Cune, a name the Bodegas have stayed with ever since. This young red wine made from Tempranillo, Granacha and Mazuelo grapes is matured in American and French oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months. It is Spain's top seller with plenty of flavours of dark berries, a touch of liquorice and vanilla notes leading to a hint of spice on its finish. I will always take a sip of a wine, even if I think it's not for me: this wine had great flavours but still not my style of red. 

The Wine Society's Parcelas Ecologico Monestrall 2023 was next in our red tasting, I really enjoyed this wine made from the Monastrell grape known as Mourvedre in France. This wine was produced in the warmer climate of Southern Spain, inland and at a higher altitude to benefit from the Mediterranean warm breezes. A rich dark red in colour with aromas of dark fruit this wine had plenty of texture with its berry flavour and peppery notes, a really delicious red that paired really well with the Red Fox cheese provided by Agnes. 

Our final red was one Hubby and I have enjoyed many times, Papa Luna 2022 from The Wine Society. From Calatayud Zaragoza region, inland from Barcelona, this Garancha, Syrah, Mazuelo wine is made from old vines and was the full-bodied wine of the evening with many layers of dark fruits giving a mouth full of deep flavours. It is a wine that calls out for a cosy winter night, a roaring fire and comfy sofa, although I have previously enjoyed it in the summer with the rich flavours of a bbq. 

After three great whites and three super red wines our evening finished with two sherry tastings: Palo Cortado produced exclusively for Waitrose and a small bottle of Very Rare Oloroso.

I know very little about sherry, a trip to Jerez is on our to visit list. A light orange colour the Palo Cortado sherry had plenty of flavours of orange with a nutty background whereas the Oloroso was much darker in colour and had more of a spirit finish probably due to it being blended with brandy. 

It was a really good evening hosted by Dave and Agnes, great to meet new wine appreciative friends and try a variety of wines from Spain - thanks to everyone for a great night. 

White Castle Winery

Our first visit to White Castle Vineyard was a few years ago when our daughter and (now) son-in-law adopted a vine for us following our discovery of this superb wine by winning a couple of bottles in a raffle. We were delighted as you can see in my blog post in 2021

We have revisited Robb and Nicola a few times since, in particular to purchase Welsh Sparkling Wine to celebrate our daughter's engagement to her Welsh love and for a super tour & tasting with our wine friends. 

The White Castle dream was to have a winery at the Vineyard making their wine pure Welsh from ground to bottle. 

The dream came true in 2024 with the opening of Y Gwindy, a superb purpose build winery with a row of impressive stainless steel vats and all the necessary wine making equipment including a bottling machine. 

White Castle wine is now grown, nurtured, harvested and produced on site making every drop 100% Welsh.

It's been a great growing year for the vines producing an abundance of grapes with riping happening earlier than previous years. When we visited Siegerrebe and Pinot Noir Précoce had already been harvested, pressed and were happily fermenting in the vats. 

We tasted both and although cloudy and still developing they were delicious, especially the Pinot Noir Précoce with a deep red colour and evidence of complex flavours maturing.

Robb and Nicola's hard work is evident all around the winery, as is their passion for what they are producing. Everything is in place and ready for the next harvesting which was happening just a few days after our visit. 

Y Gwindy had a wine smell that just made me smile, a smell I have appreciated in many wineries across Europe. One fragrance in particular means wine; that for me is wood, in particular oak, and filled the air from the White Castle branded barrels sitting ready for their next fill.

There are still a few finishing touches to happen in the winery, mostly finding the easiest working place for equipment, this is a discovery that will happen over the next few months as Y Gwindy is in full swing with this year's bumper crops.

One item to find its permanent place is the lovely board Robb and Nicola have had made to thank those who helped crowd fund their dream.

White Castle now produce a sparkling Cabernet Franc Rosé, a great addition to their range and one that came home with us along with Regent, our Christmas Day red. 

A sparkling Cabernet Franc is a new discovery for me that I'm keen to taste but I'll be opening it for something special with time to savour, as yet who know why or when that will be but hopefully soon.

Thank you Robb & Nicola for such a warm welcome, it was a real pleasure to visit Y Gwindy, your pride and enthusiasm is a delight to see. We'll certainly be calling by again on one of our travels to Wales, diolch.

Homemade Apple Wine

You'll may have read in my Homemade Plum Wine that I was given some apples by my second cousin and that I had started off some apple wine.

The pulped apples were left in water in a sealed bucket whilst I enjoyed my birthday celebrations and a trip to Ireland. I wasn't sure what would have happened as I haven't made apple wine before.

Opening the bucket it all looked great, just a few spots of mould so I definitely caught it in time. Under the top dried layer the apples showed signs of starting to ferment.

After sterilising a second bucket, jug and sieve the straining task began. It takes a while to strain 7 pounds of mulched apples in 3 gallon of water but the liquid was very clean, unlike the sludgy liquid when making the plum wine. 

After the explosive yeast in the plum wine I decided to be a little more patient this time. I added two and a half bags of sugar and stirred until it had dissolved, then came the patience. 

Sealing the bucket I left the wine 24 hours to see if it would start fermenting on it's own. I was delighted to see evidence of tiny bubbles so syphoned the wine into three sterile demi johns.

There was a very slow air bubble in each which I hoped would increase. It did, by the next morning the wine was bubbling away nicely.

And so the waiting game begins, the plum wine is still bubbling but looking clearer every day and once I'm happy that the apple wine will not over flow I'll move it to join the plum in our Snug. 

I have no idea how long the wine will take, the next stage for both is once the bubbling completely stops I need to syphon it into clean demi johns avoiding any sediment. The waiting will continue then as the wine clears. I will not be adding any chemicals to help clearing, I'm just letting nature do its thing.

Homemade Plum Wine

It's been many years since I made any wine, my wine has always been 100% natural without using concentrate.

In the past I have made dandelion, tea, rhubarb, parsnip, and Hubby made grape wine a couple of years ago.

This year my brother-in-law had an abundance of plums so Hubby popped by to pick a few. He made some lovely plum jam but we still hs loads of plums left...

... so I started off some wine.

I have my maternal grandfather's wine book, it's falling apart but I love it especially as it has his writing in. He made lots of wine but never left it to clear fully, the book says wine is ready to drink in a few months but to be fully clear it can take much longer.

All the equipment needed a good clean and sterilising. I cut the plums but still left the stones in. Step by step the wine was started and then left in the sealed bucket in garage for two weeks.

The next stage was very sticky and a bit messy. I strained the liquid into my sterilised demijohns through coffee filters which took a long time. I think I must have thrown my muslin cloth out, although it would have clogged up very quickly as the plums had disintegrated into mush. 

The recipe said to add 4 pounds of sugar but I only added one and a half as it wasn't dissolving and the demijohn was full.

I don't usually add yeast as the wine bubbles straight away from natural yeast in the fruit but nothing happened so I added half the amount in the recipe to each demijohn ... with bubbling effect.

It was a good job I had left the demijohns on the kitchen windowsill as it flooded over.

I syphoned a third from each into a third demijohn and put them on a spill catching tray in the conservatory where they bubbled away vigorously but without bubbling over.

After a couple of weeks the fermenting had slowed to a gentle pop and all the sugar had been dissolved. 

With huge thanks to my second cousin I now have four more demijohns, our son and girlfriend also found one for me, so I syphoned the plum wine into two cleaned demijohns and they are happily popping away.

My bucket has been cleaned and sterilised and is back in the garage...

... filled with 3 gallon of water and 7 pounds of apples from my second cousin's tree. Fully sealed in the bucket the apples are brewing for about two weeks before the filtering and bubbling process starts, I might see if this wine bubbles on its own before adding yeast.

I've quite enjoyed making wine again, the little bit of plum wine I tasted was very good so fingers crossed it will be lovely when finished.

We still have some apples left, and another bucket, so we're thinking of making scrumpy as I found a recipe in another brewing book. 

Thanks to my brother-in-law and my second cousin for the super plums and apples ... Chateau Hearnden is back! 

Tenerife - La Laguna

Due to choppy seas our recent cruise had a change of itinerary with us then having an overnight onboard stay in Tenerife. That's one joy of a cruise, your hotel room is with you wherever you travel. 

As we were not scheduled to dock in Tenerife we were our at far dock, nearly 2km walk just to get out of port! We have only embarked and disembarked at Santa Cruz so an additional day to explore was a bonus if a long walk.

Thanks to the cruise experience sharing on the Marella Explorer Facebook page we decided to take the tram to La Laguna. The Line 1 tram to La Trinidad had a stop not too far from the port and the ticket machine thankfully had an English option, to our amazement the cost was just €1.35 each way.

The journey was about 45 minutes, twisting and turning along the streets, climbing higher and higher, the views were amazing.

San Crisobel de La Laguna is 1781ft above sea level and was once the capital of Tenerife. The old buildings were superb, it was so interesting to see how the buildings used to look as opposed to the modern block buildings. It was so obvious to see where the Spanish America style originated from, it had quite a 'cowboy out west' vibe.

It was quite a busy place, very popular with students as the University is nearby. There were many high street brand shops fitted into the old buildings, the oldest we saw dated back to the 16th century.

Our lunch, in a coffee and cake shop, was delicious: sandwiches, cake and coffee for under €10 for the two of us. Spain and the Spanish islands are certainly quite cheap for eating out but clothes and shoes seem to be more expensive than here at home.

Finding a lovely wine bar it would have been very remiss not to enjoy a glass of Tenerifian wine. An off dry white for me and a merlot based red for Hubby, both were delicious and the bar very inviting.

We had a super day out seeing a bit of Tenerife we didn't even know existed. The tram was a great way to get around, I still can't believe how high up we travelled. It was definitely a bonus day and for once I was pleased the sea was choppy!