Easter wine tasting

 Easter Saturday was our latest wine tasting with our friends at our scout group. We have recently secured grants for new windows and new flooring thanks to our local council and The King's Trust repainted our hall over the February half term so the building is starting to look amazing. We still have work to do, in particular we are needing to refurbish our toilets so we can include accessible facilities, so we are looking at grant funding for this.

Anyhow the room looked lovely all set up for our wine tasting, with a mini quiz and an Easter treat for all.

We began our evening trying something new, last tasting we tried vermouth this time La Gitana sherry was our new tasting. It isn't something I like and I didn't know if the others would but as Tesco had it on clearance at under £3.00 it seemed too good an option to miss. Unfortunately it wasn't well liked but I guess it probably tastes amazing out in Spain on a very hot day served very cold. 

Our tastings were in twos as not everyone likes white and not everyone likes red so tasting in pairs gives everyone a choice of wine when we pause mid tasting for our buffet.  Our first wines were The Traitor from Majestic, yes it was the label that caught my eye. 

The Traitor white was 100% Sauvignon Blanc and the red 40% Carmenere 40% Syrah and 20% Malbec. Both wines were from the Central Valley in Chile and were produced by Vina Casa Solis one of the big Spanish wine producers who also make the Guv'nor wine. The company invested 45 million euro in buying new sites in Chile and sourcing vines from the various Chilean regions. The name Traitor is from the legend of a young woman named Ananuca. She died from a broken heart after being betrayed by a miner and his quest for treasure. The day after her burial the valley was covered in vibrant red flowers and so were given her name and feature on the label of these lovely wines.

As soon as I looked into researching these wines I knew we had visited them in Chateauneuf du Pape. Leon Perdigal was the first wine maker of Ogier, one of France's top producers of Cote du Rhone wine. 

At previous tasting we have enjoyed this red and the white but we have not tasted the rosé until now. Both wines are made with  Syrah and Grenache grapes but the rosé also has Cinsault and the red Mourvedre. As expected these wines were very well received, we do all seem to enjoy this style of French wine. 

After our buffet we moved on to two wines from Aldi, both in the Unearthed range, a selection of wine Aldi have sourced from little known vineyards. Unearthed Beira Interior is a white wine mage from Roupeiro, Fontae Cal, Malvasia and Arinto grapes in Portugal in the Beira region at high altitude. Again it wasn't until I was researching the wine that I discovered it had featured on Saturday Kitchen recommended by Olly Smith. 

Our Unearthed red was from a region of Southern France I know very well as we have holidayed there many times including last year in the area of this appellation Minervois. Montagnes du Paradis is a blend of Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault and is made for Aldi by Chassaux et Fils. It was probably my favourite of the evening as it certainly brought back memories of warm sunny days last June in France.

We stayed in France for our final pair, Beau-Rivage Bordeaux Blanc and Bordeaux Rouge. Their name means beautiful shore and these wines are produced near the banks of the Gironde river on a terroir of gravel and silt. Produced by a family owned winemaker since 1870 these wines are produced exclusively for Majestic.

Bordeaux Blanc was predominately Sauvignon Blanc with the addition of Semillon giving it a rounded flavour with floral highlights. Bordeaux Rouge has an abundance of red fruits coming from its two grapes, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our final wine did not have a pair, we wanted to enjoy it on its own. Fabula de Panzia Carinena is a Spanish wine from Lidl made from Carignan. It is made by a 60 year old Bodega with over 3000 hectares of vines in the village of Carinena. This wine maker has six different labels all of which have their own fable. The fable on our bottle was 'And for being so honest and sincere, she received the name of her land'.

We had a super evening as always, discovering new wines and flavours and perhaps understanding more about which wines we prefer and where they are from. It is always fun, if hardwork, to host these events and I'm already thinking about which wines to try next. 

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!

Farewell - Friday will be a sad day

Sadly on Friday 28th August 2015 Tesco Wine Community,
a great forum for wine enthusiasts, will be closing after four years. 

I've been a member since 4th November 2012, after visiting a Tesco Wine Fair in London. There will certainly
 be a large hole in my 'bookmarks', although Tesco Wine by the Case still rests there ready. 

TWC was a place for wine enthusiasts to share their thoughts and findings - supported superbly by the Tesco Team of advisors including Laura Jewell (Master of Wine), James Griswood, Nick Juby, Gemma Duncan, Charlotte Stebbings to name but a few.

Tesco, through the Wine Community, offered many taste panels - a chance to try new wines and write reviews to share with other members. Through the taste panels I discovered so much more about wine, these in particular:

Invilla Prosecco

Freixenet Cordon Negro

Piggybank Tempranillo

Trivento Reserve Malbec

Finest Gavi

Finest Cotes de Gascogne

A L'Envers Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc

Cono Sur Merlot

I was honoured to be chosen as Member of the Month, receiving their Fine Dining Dozen Mixed Case to taste and review.
There is a separate page at the top of my blog about the wines and our findings.

TWC have also offered great wine and dinner opportunities as members' competitions. Being located in the Midlands restricted us in entering some as most were London based, however earlier this year we were delighted to win tickets to Butcher, Baker and Winemaker dinner at Joseph Benjamin in Chester to enjoy a superb dinner accompanied by Yalumba wine, presented by their esteemed winemaker Louisa Rose. An amazing evening I'll remember for a long, long time.

As well as wine tasting opportunities the Tesco Wine Community has been instrumental in us meeting many new friends, all wine enthusiasts, and with whom we now enjoy sharing wine knowledge, tips and new ideas. A small group of members met in person in April 2014 at Oxford, where we enjoyed a weekend of wine tasting - our own choices and a very much appreciated visit from Trivento with a selection of their wines.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this farewell post Tesco have hosted many Wine Fairs. We have visited quite a few over the years: London, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham. It will be with an edge of sadness that on Sunday 1st November we will again be enjoying a Tesco Wine Fair in London - the sadness being that this could be the final Wine Fair Tesco host.

A chance to say farewell in person on November

but this Friday a glass will be raised to thank Tesco Wine Community for

 ........ everything

Butcher, Baker and Winemaker with Yalumba

There are times when thank you does not quite say what you mean and this is one of those occasions; huge gratitude and 'thanks' to Yalumba, Negociants, Joseph Benjamin and Tesco Wines for an amazing evening.

As a member of Tesco Wine Community  I have tasted and reviewed many wines and our recent challenge was to review two Yalumba wines; Y Series Shiraz Voignier and Old Bush Vine Grenache. Both lovely red wines, you can read my reviews on my previous blog King Richard III and Yalumba.

From my review we were invited to a pop up dinner 'Butcher, Baker, and Winemaker' at Joseph Benjamin in Chester with Yalumba Wines' winemaker Louisa Rose. Chester is about 100 miles away so we took the opportunity to stay over but more about that at the end of my blog. 

Joseph Benjamin is a restaurant run by brothers Ben & Joe. Front of house is expertly managed by Ben with a warm welcome and knowledgeable wine conversation, whilst Joe's kitchen produces amazing locally sourced seasonable food. 

The restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere which still provides an intimate feel, even when full of 35 enthusiasts all sharing wine tips and recommendations. The acoustics and decoration provide just the right level of noise so although sitting in a 'hum' you can easily chat to your table companions. 

We were greeted by Ben and a chilled glass of Yalumba Y Series Riesling 2014. Its lovely light bouquet matched the light golden yellow of this non oily Riesling. A fresh palate of pears and slight citrus with a smooth finish made this a beautiful wine to sip whilst meeting fellow TWC members  and other guests.

The very efficient, polite and professional waitresses mingled amongst us offering delicious canapes from Joe's kitchen: homemade pitta breads with feta & pistachio and hummus, just perfect with the chilled Riesling. 

Our window table for two was great, with other diners close by without invading our space. The pop up dinner highlighted Yalumba wines with the experienced and much acclaimed Chief Winemaker Louisa Rose being in the UK to share her knowledge of their wines. It was a pleasure to meet Louisa and chat about wine, Australia and her visit to England. Throughout our meal she shared much information about the individual wines; Yalumba as a company and its vision; all of which left me with an even stronger desire to visit Barossa Valley. 

Our first course was Jamon Iberico and cured beef Cecina with celeriac remoulade, guindilla chilli and nasturtium flower; superb food which was superbly matched with two wines, Yalumba Eden Valley Rousanne and Yalumba Barossa Old Bush Vine Grenache. 

Eden Valley Rousanne is a young wine made from vines originating in the Rhone Valley, France. It has a slightly oily nose with vanilla highlights. It is a syrupy wine without being sweet and has a palate full of fresh fruit with just a hint of vanilla. 

Old Bush Vine Grenache was already one of my favourite Yalumba wines being one of the wines reviewed. These vines are some of the oldest in Australia and it certainly has mature characteristics. A medium red wine full of fruit with cherries being the highlight both in nose and palate. Its light tannins and complex flavours leave a warming finish and a deep appreciative sigh. 

Our fish course was scallop, baba ghanoush, mango salsa, pickled cockles and agretti. So many elements new to me, I was amazed at the complexity of flavours on my plate all of which complimented each other perfectly. Yalumba Eden Valley Voignier was the match for this dish and Louisa's favourite wine being the grape she has focused on over her 20 years with Yalumba.  

Again these vines originate in France with Viognier being little used a sole variety. In fact until a few years ago my only knowledge of this grape was from a vineyard in La Clape, France, where a vintner had added it to his 1996 chardonnay to lift the wine. 

Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier was full of ginger, peaches, apricots with a light biscuity finish, a great wine with our scallop.

Two red wines accompanied our main course of lamb rump, crushed Cheshire new potatoes, peas and asparagrus a la Francaise, bacon, chargrilled gem lettuce and pea shoot. Yalumba Patchwork Shiraz was a deep crimson red fruity wine with a spiced, woody nose. A sharp zesty palate full of fruit finished with spice but without tannin. This Barossa Shiraz had a subtle hint of chocolate which enhanced its cherriness  and was beautiful with the lamb. 

The second red, Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, was also a dark crimson in the glass. The Signature is a significant wine full of rich fruit, woody notes and full tannins. A special 2010 wine that I would like to try again in a few years once the flavours have intensified even more. 

Louisa spoke about the harmony between the land, the vines and the wine. Yalumba work towards a natural balance between the birds, pastures, animals; the balance of nature is a very important aspect of this Australian winemaker. Joe and Ben also believe in the balance of nature which is shown in their excellent dishes, the vegetables for which were supplied by The Natural Veg Men. Matt, a co-founder, spoke about the importance of growing and eating seasonal vegetables, how what we eat matters and how we need to work in harmony with the land: the same ethos as Yalumba, Joseph Benjamin and John Bourne, cheesemaker. 

Cheese making has been in John's family for over 90 years with the pastures on his land being undisturbed. His cows graze in pastures, again in harmony with the land and his cheese is traditionally made using methods passed down through generations. John reiterated the evening's overall message ' butcher, baker and winemaker', all working hand in hand with the land, be it in the northern or southern hemisphere. 

Before trying John's cheese came dessert; lemon, polenta, pistachio and olive oil cake with strawberry sorbet. This unusual sounding cake was delicious, so moist with a lemon, nutty flavour, perfectly accompanied by the sorbet and our final Yalumba wine: FSW8b Botrytis Viognier. This sweet wine, produced by allowing Noble Rot, has all the characteristics of the voignier but with a clean syrupy finish, full of honey flavours.

Honey featured in our final dish, Bourne's blue Cheshire cheese with caramelised walnuts and Joe and Ben's own honey. A perfect end to an amazing night - well almost, just as we were leaving Alex from Negociants surprised me with a beautiful Yalumba apron. The waitresses had worn them all evening, much to my admiration and I had questioned if they were available via Twitter - sucj a surprise and seriously appreciated. 

The entire evening was amazing; Joe and Ben's restaurant, Yalumba's wine with Louisa's expert knowledge, Matt's vegetables and John's cheese -

as I said before 'thank you' does not say enough. 

Staying over in Chester was also a joy, we booked in at The Pied Bull a few doors away from Joseph Benjamin. A pub that dates from 1155 with a staircase that was quite a challenge with it's uneven treads and depth, but not surprisingly so as it dates back to 1533. Our standard room was lovely, with an amazing en-suite shower room. The pub also has a four-poster room, deluxe rooms and a penthouse. Our light lunch and breakfast we delicious, as was their beer - the Pied Bull is also a microbrewery. 

A place we will be staying at again as Chester is a beautiful city, the accommodation lovely and we intend to visit Joseph Benjamin to enjoy Ben's hospitality and Joe's amazing food. .  

Joseph Benjamin through Chester's Northgate

The Pied Bull

Saints Bar & London

Saints Bar is open :) our son Michael has been working hard with his colleagues to refurbish the bar and get Saints Bar open - and now it is :) We were invited to a VIP friends and family night to sample the new wood fired pizzas, food and drinks range. The pizza oven is unbelievable - you can smell the wood, so comforting. The new food menu is amazing, freshly prepared and cooked to order - the courgette linguine was delicious.

As it was my birthday Michael made me a special cocktail - Jack Daniel's and Amaretto - oh so lovely.


Birthday cocktail

I'm sure Saints will be a great success - you can like them on facebook Saints Bar or follow them on Twitter @SaintsBarNun
 
On Friday Hubby and I set off for London - the start of our 13 days holiday. We were supposed to meet a friend to collect the key for our French week but the London traffic (and Sally Sat Nav's instructions) drove us crazy so we headed straight for our hotel - Ibis Earl's Court.  

The hotel was bigger than we had expected but a good underground carpark and the rooms were quite spacious. We did not book breakfast as it was a little on the expensive side but on Saturday we did enjoy the 3 course buffet in the restaurant.

Friday night we walked to a pub I had found via Twitter - The Lazy Fox. The beer was very good (Hubby had a couple of pints just to make sure) and the food was amazing, especially the chips. I had a mini mac and cheese with a portion of chips - just lovely  :)



Mac & cheese with chips

On Saturday we took the tube to our friend's shop Room Remedies, and collected the key for our holiday in France. Afterwards we travelled across town to Tower Bridge and The Tower of London to see the poppies. It's an amazing site and quite moving when you think each poppy represents someone who was killed in WW1. My stepfather's granddad is one of those poppies. You can buy one for when the exhibition is finished, we've already ordered ours.

Tower of London

Tower Bridge

Poppies around the Tower

A sea of red

Each poppy represents a life given

Saturday afternoon was the main event for our London stop over before travelling to France for our holiday. The London part of Tesco's Wine Fair was at Earls Court which fitted perfectly with our travel plans. We have visited their wine fairs for the last 7 or 8 years, various venues - Manchester, Birmingham, London, Bristol. It's the first time they have been at Earl's Court and it was much better than other venues - so much more room to move between the stands and chat to the wine exhibitors.

We had tickets for the afternoon session and although I had pre-printed the wine list for which wines were at which stand we soon gave up with the guide and just wandered around at will - it does get tricky trying to balance a wine glass, a pen and wine guide book never mind write details down. The guide book this year was portrait too which was a little awkward to hold and had little space to write - however,  memory is a good tool and has hopefully served us well :)

Ready to go !!

We tried a number of old favourites and some new wines too. We did a workshop with Richard Bampfield learning about Bordeaux wines - mainly the geographical difference, but the Sauternes we tasted was superb.

It was a little disappointing to miss a wine walk as we really wanted to do the one with Helen McGinn but we were told we could have tickets for a workshop or a walk so we chose the workshop. The only other disappointment of the day was the blind tasting stand - our workshop was 5pm (halfway through the afternoon session)  we were hoping to do the blind tasting afterwards - unfortunately it had been cleared away by 5.20 :(

Two small things on an otherwise great afternoon - we had a great time sampling the McGuigan range - we already enjoy their Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - their The Shortlist CS 2010 is just lovely.

It was also good to chat to Yellow Tails - although we missed their Bubbles. They do a Riesling that I actually enjoy as it does not have a petrol nose :) great wines all round.

It was lovely to see a Tesco Community area with photos of fellow members and their wine reviews. I was intrigued with the Chocoholic Pinotage on the Tesco stand. The wine grower himself was there and explained the name was nothing to do with chocolate and not really designed for the UK market. His wine was unusual in that he cuts the stalk and leaves the grapes to dry, so they are still on the vine but not getting any more nutrients.

Another wine growing practice which was new to me was DGS where we discovered DGS Shiraz 2010 and DGS The Second Pass Shiraz 2010. These wines are made from dried grapes but unlike the Chocoholic Pinotage they are picked first and then dried. The Second Pass is as it says - passed over the dried grape skins a second time. Both wines were lovely and smooth but I preferred the Shiraz 2010.

We also had a good chat with Mud House - a new brand of Sauvignon Blanc wine we've discovered just a few weeks ago at Majestic Wines. It's nice to find a New World wine that isn't just full of a gooseberry nose but has depth of taste with melon and kiwis.

There were quite a few bubblies to try - Lanson, Jacquart, Nicolas Feuillatte, Freixenet, Moet Chandon, Codorniu, Piper Heidsieck - as well as our favourites: Cono Sur, Concha Y Toro, Tim Adams & Jacktone Ranch.

Overall a good afternoon learning more and discovering more about our hobby ... and now we're in France enjoying even more !! 



Birmingham - Tesco Wine Fair

We've had a very busy few weeks since coming home from France - I didn't have chance to blog our holiday but I will add a few gem finds in a blog soon. Technology has been on hold for me as my ipad belonged to school and my laptop was very, very old.

I have been extremely spoilt by Hubby as I now have a Nexus tablet and a new Dell laptop - so watch out cyber space !! Retirement has certainly not been slow or boring - in fact I cannot believe tomorrow is the start of my 4th week.

We have been so busy with birthday treats, Bicester Shopping Village, Houses of Parliament, Birmingham's new library, Caro Emerald, Cardiff and Tesco Wine Fair. don't worry this blog will not be about them all - it would be a book if it was, but I have linked the places so please go and investigate online.

So the Wine Fair yesterday - it was another great opportunity to try over 200 wines. This was the first year the fair has been in Birmingham, but our 7th visit. As Birmingham is only 20 miles away we went by train for the fair whereas previously we've stayed away for the weekend in London, Bristol or Manchester. I think I prefer staying away - the train journey was a bit of a chore. The fair is at the NEC which is a massive exhibition centre on the outskirts of Birmingham so for us it was a train into the city and out again. It was quite a long walk from the station to the actual hall and it didn't evoke quite the same atmosphere as the Brunell Centre in Bristol or Horticultural Halls in London.

However once inside the Fair it was tasting and chatting as always - with slightly less stands but each one with 6 wines wines and great experts ready to help with all the questions.

My booklet has notes on many, many wines, tasted and enjoyed; here are some of my favourites of the day (photos are from Tesco Wine) :

Tesco Finest Saint Mont - South West France

This was a first for us - a white from the Atlantic coast of France, right down south. It's a very fresh wine, lots of apples and apricots but not too dry.

Yalumba Viognier 2012 - Eden Valley Australia

Another crisp fruity wine with apricots but with the addition of some light floral notes

Apothic Red - California USA

A real smooth red which I could easily sit and sip all evening - it's a blend of  Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Wirra Wirra Church Block - McLaren Valley Australia

A deep red filled with ripe berry fruit, the soft tannins are perfect for it's weight leaving a great finish.

It was great to meet the wine experts - Frances Adams from Tim Adams was lovely; The Fergus was on show but not sadly The Aberfeldy. I also loved Tim Adams Clare Valley Shiraz 2009 with it's full nose, spicy/deep smooth fruit taste with a spice after tone.

I did introduce myself to the Piggy Bank team - and was reminded I hadn't liked their Tempranillo on the Tesco Review - but I did like their Sauvignon Blanc 2012 and their Syrah 2012.

Hardy's had a new brand - Houghton - with a light Sauvignon Blanc Semillion 2012 and Cabernet Shiraz 2012. These grapes are grown on the west coast of Australia which is a different area to Hardy's normal wine grown in the south east. Apparently there is a cooler breeze which prevents the grapes from being over ripened in the strong sun and leads to lighter, smoother wines. Both were superb, different to the expected Hardy's but with quality and flavour. The Hardy's labels have had a make over and look very stylish.

Tesco Wine by the Glass had the dominant stand across the back of the Hall - it was great to meet Laura and see the team. From their stand my favourite was the Yalumba Voignier. Tesco Finest had a Wine Trail in the booklet to follow - a little tricky at times to work out which stand the wines were on. At Bidendum Wine I was given a blind tasting of a fresh, slight fizz white wine. I amazed myself (and I think the wine chap) in recognising Riesling - it was one of the Finest Wine Trail wines:

Tesco Finest Tingleup Riesling 2011 - Western Australia

I'm not a Riesling fan as they are too sweet but this was fairly dry which did have me doubting my knowledge for a moment but the slight under fizz confirmed my thoughts. It's very different from the German Rieslings and not as petrolly as the other Australian ones I've tried.

I could write loads and loads - as I look through my booklet I keep finding another one to share but I think that's enough to wet your palette. If you have never experienced a Tesco Wine Fair then you should as they are an amazing way to learn so much more in the world of wine.

Dinner Party Wine

This week we had some friends over on Friday for a meal - I decided to open the other bottle of Glorioso rioja from the Tesco Dining Dozen (my review case). Hubby and I are not really into Spanish wine and food but I did think I should do something to go with such a great Spanish wine. So our menu was:

Bombay Sapphire Bramble cocktail

Baked Camembert with Lindauer Brut (we were going to have the Codorniu Rose but changed our minds last minute)

Chorizo and chicken with Glorioso Rioja or Mar del Sur Savignon Blanc

Walnut and Lemon Pavlova & Beetroot and Chocolate Cake with Nespresso coffee and Glengoyne malt whisky



Beetroot and Chocolate Cake

It was a lovely meal - everything cooked at the right moment without me spending all evening in the kitchen and the wine was perfect. I wonder what I'll do next time.

Hubby and I are getting quite excited about the summer holidays but we have quite a busy time before then - next weekend we are back in Wales at our caravan and hopefully if the weather is kind I'll have some stunning photos to share.

June 14th we are off to Banbury for another wine tasting with SH Jones - it's Loire Valley wines this time which are my favourite - really really excited about this.

The following day we're in Cardiff overnight to then bring our daughter home as she has finished her first year at South Wales University - and what a year she has had - I know a Mum is always proud but she really is going places and has been involved in so much - follow her on Twitter @PhilippaClare

So my next blog looks like being travel based - guess there will be a little wine too. Just before I finish this blog I picked up two 'poorly' plants at Dobbies - an English lavender and a rosemary - just 50p each in the reject bin - now planted in lovely new compost and well watered; growing should start soon :)



Rince Couchon and travel plans

It's a glorious day today - spring at last and my plants certainly know it.We have purchase a few newbie for our local garden centre - you can read about it at Aimetu's Stitching.

Just for a change it's beer that focuses today - Rince Couchon - a fabulous Belgium beer that I discovered in Etaples last year in France.  It's quite light in taste but be warned it's 8% - it has gone down very well this afternoon in the sunny Midlands. I just love the pig on the stem of the glass (it's a girl thing)

Rince Couchon

We are busy planning our future travels - soon we'll be wine tasting again with S H Jones in Banbury. They have many events throughout the year; Loire Valley wine tasting on their list soon had us booking two places. This of course entails an overnight stop so a mini weekend break in June is all booked, the tasks we endure for the sake of our hobby !!

July is looking to be very exciting as I am retiring (early please note). Hubby has booked a super little trip for my last day at school - Eurostar to Brussels - I am so so so excited as we have not travelled by Eurostar before and never been to Brussels. We are staying in a beautiful 4 star hotel so I'm sure it will be a perfect way to start retired life.

August brings on our main holiday to..... France..... where else. We are returning to Etaples where we had a fabulous week last year and felt it was just not long enough. We have booked the same beautiful cottage in the heart of the town and are already planning trips to places we missed last time. Repeat visits will be to Le Vieux Post cafe/bar in the centre of the town where I discovered Rince Couchon; and Planete Ocean where each evening we can sit harbourside enjoying a glass of their very nice white wine.

September is always a brilliant month (birthday time!!) and made veen better this year by Tesco Wine Fair coming to Birmingham - closer to home although that does mean no weekend away. We've already booked our tickets (4; me, Hubby and two very close friends) - really really excited.

So that's our travel plans for this year .... but next year's holiday is already being discussed and researched. I think I love this bit as much as the holiday. It's our 25th wedding anniversary and we have been looking at a variety of holidays from cruises to inclusive hotels. We've chosen (I think) and it's none of those but a trip to ..... France !! We decided as it is a special holiday we should do what we really really enjoy, not what we 'should' do - it will be slightly different to our normal holiday as it includes a return crossing from Spain (new territory) with Brittany Ferries - planning in progress but it's looking good.

That's all from me other than to say if you haven't joined Tesco Wine Community following my 'fame' last blog you are really missing out - go on pop over you'll love it. My glass of chilled Touraine sauvignon blanc is calling so until next time... cheers !!

Member of the Month @Tesco

I was very chuffed to be chosen as Tesco's Member of the Month - their Wine Community is an amazing forum to belong to, as is their Tesco Wine by the Case website.

This month they have published my review of their Fine Dining Dozen Mixed Case - I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and you can read my review here:

Aimetu's Review

Comments are always appreciated, even if you are not a wine drinker.

Life is reasonably quiet on the travel front at the moment - we have some very exciting trips coming up but I'm not giving any spoilers so you'll have to keep popping by. I will however recommend SH Jones events - we did the Matthew Jukes wine tasting with them earlier in the year - they are always very good and there are some good ones on offer.

Yesterday I held a stitching event at The Abbey (Party at the Pub) here in Nuneaton. It was for members of Needlecraft Haven which is a craft forum that I host. We had a great day, pop over to Aimetu's Stitching to find out more.

That's it for this week - all my writing skills were used up writing for Tesco - the only photo that is appropriate for today's blog may be a little self indulgent but as I said before I am very, very chuffed.