Sancerre et Pouilly-Fumé

Sancerre is my favourite wine, has been for many years. I have tried Sauvignon Blanc wine from other French appellations and from many other countries but it remains my favourite.

September is my birthday month and as I was missing France (it's over a year since our last visit) we decided to visit for 10 days, starting with a few nights in Sancerre for my actual birthday.

After 5 hours of driving through France's expansive countryside using the autoroutes, major and minor roads we had only 2 miles to go (according to Sally Sat Nav) yet we couldn't see a village or any vines, and did wonder if we were heading to the correct place .... and then, round the next bend was a beautiful view of this famous place with rows and rows of vines.

Sancerre!

Standing proud amongst the vines

It would take a long time to taste all the wines produced by the 300 winemakers here but we tried our best. I have had quite a few Sancerre's at various tastings in the UK, some have been superb but others have left me questioning if they really are from this select appellation.

I now know why, the village and surrounding slopes have different terroir. Sancerre soil can be white flint, limestone, clay or a combination ... resulting in subtle but different flavours.

Terroir variations

At a Majestic tasting in Leicester (recent blog post) we tried Jean-Max Roger's Sancerre and although nice for me it had something missing.

As their domaine is in Bué, just outside Sancerre village but still within the appellation, we drove over and met Jean-Max's son. They were busy bottling 2018 vintage in order to make room in the vats for this year's wine with the grapes being harvested in the next week. I find it fascinating to see the articulated lorries at the domaines, turning into a mini bottling plant with the distinctive sound of bottles chinking along the conveyor belts.

Jean-Max Roger

We were warmly welcomed, especially when we said we had tried their wine at Majestic. We tasted four wines from their range of both soil varities and vintages. As soon as I tasted the second wine I knew it was the one we'd had at Majestic Leicester, confirmed by checking my blog post photo!

Our superb tastings

Thank you Jean-Max Roger for a superb degustation, our bottles are packed safely in the car for our onward journey to be enjoyed at home.

We also visited the Cave Co-operative in Sancerre where their grapes come from 15 communes with 3,000 hectares of vines. They have some wines produced on specific vineyards, some made from only the first hand picked crops, some from the second crop which is machine picked and some made from grapes from a mixture of growers.

It was here I tried my first rosé Sancerre. Hubby and I are not keen on red Sancerre, made from Pinot Noir, but this and some other rosés we tasted later in the bars in town were very nice, including one with distinctive orange notes.

Sancerre Rosé 

Our two Co-operative tastings

My favourite Sancerre at home is by Oscar Brilliant, well it isn't really as although under that name in the UK it is made by Joseph Mellot. This well known wine producer has a restaurant in the town (unfortunately closed the days we were there), a large Domaine (which was also closed due to harvest) and La Vigne et le Vin boutique in the centre of the village.

Before leaving for our holiday my friend gave me a bottle of Oscar Brilliant Sancerre that she had hand decorated - it's stunning. The decorations are all the things I love in life, it's a bottle to treasure! Thank you so much Sarah, it's beautiful!

All the bars and restaurants serve a variety of Sancerre wine, so many different names, with most prices being €3.50 for 120ml glass. It's a great way to try wines from producers we have, nor would, never heard of; they were all so good.

Sitting in the market place on a warm afternoon was a superb way to enjoy a glass or two, especially when accompanied by Chavignol goats cheese. Our evenings were spent in La Bouteille Rouge, a small but welcoming bar where Monsieur et Madame served a variety of Sancerre with great knowledge.

Sitting in the market place

Perfect with Chavignol cheese

A superb bar in the centre of the village

Across the Loire from Sancerre is Pouilly-sur-Loire, a small village which has it's own appellation of white wine from Chasselas grapes. It is also the appellation area for Pouilly-Fumé made from Sauvignon Blanc.

We visited La Tour du Pouilly-Fumé to learn more about this region. Our visit began with a video about the history of the wines, set in a small room seated at a wooden bench table it felt as if we were in one of the village domaines. The next room also had a video, this time about the development of the vine over a year. Sitting in rows as at the cinema our visual experience was accompanied with rain, mist, heat and wind, very atmospheric!

After our videos we went underground into an old cave where 9 large glass vessels stood in a circle. The 7 clear vessels each contained a selection of aromas that can be found in wine. It was very interested to smell each and determine the various fragrances. The final two vessels were black, a test for our noses to see if we could identify what was in each. There was never any doubt, we both passed with flying colours.

The glass vessels in the cave

Honey and spices

Dried fruit and nuts

Red berries

Citrus

Tropical

Pear and white fruit

Floral

Our visit finished with a degustation of Pouilly-sur-Loire and Pouilly-Fumé. Although a lovely wine we found the Pouilly-sur-Loire a little light but really enjoyed the Pouilly-Fumé. Although made from Sauvignon Blanc the same as Sancerre and only being a few kilometres apart there is an added smokiness to Pouilly-Fumé.

The flint in Sancerre is white, whereas the flint this side of the river is brown and when rubbed together releases a smoky fragrance, hence the name Pouilly-Fumé.

We've had a super time in Sancerre and Pouilly-sur-Loire, it was a great way to celebrate my birthday. Thank you to everyone who made our visit so special.

My London treat

We have discovered Premier Inn London City Aldgate, a clean, comfy hotel not far from two underground stations and the number 15 bus, perfect for our two day short break. Our first treat day was at the Waldorf Hotel, details and photos are in my previous post

The second day of my 'treat' visit began with a great breakfast......at Wetherspoons. Goodman's Field is a short walk from our hotel, just round the corner from the Tower of London. There is a certainty we love about Wetherspoons breakfast, wherever you are they serve good food, good coffee at a great price.

Our second day was a day of wandering and began with a visit to the Bank of England Museum. There is no charge to enter although you do have to go through airport style security.

Bank of England

It was a great building to look around with drawings and history of how the Bank began, grew and changed over years. Started in 1694 it was intetesting to see how money has changed including various techniques to prevent forgery.

A page from the first bank ledger
(behind secure glass)

'Old money' - I can only just remember this in use

Think big bank, think gold bullion! There were many displays of gold including a gold bar in a secure box that you could put your hand in and try to lift. No mean feat as each bar weighs 13kg and on the day of our visit one gold bar was worth nearly £500,000.

It's heavier than you think

It was such a great museum, having worked in finance I found it very interesting to see how our money system and coinage has changed.

After a stroll down Pall Mall our next stop was Berry Bros. and Rudd, a must visit when in London for any wine lover. We called into their new London store which is just round the corner from their Georgian shop in St James's Street.

Inside the store was a vast collection of wine and spirits including The King's Ginger, a ginger and brandy based liqueur that was specially commissioned for King Edward VII.

I loved this so of course a bottle has been added
to our home bar.

Berry Bros. and Rudd have three enomatic wine machines in their store serving wine samples. It's a superb way to try wines before buying with each 25ml serving costing from £1 to £25. We had a super time discovering a great Sancerre, Moscato d'Asti and Bordeaux.

Our enomatic card ready for our next visit

Our stroll to Leicester Square took us past many of London's high end stores including Fortnum and Mason. London is always a bustling place but we managed to find a table in All Bar One for dinner, accompanied by a complimentary, if elaborate, Birdcage Cocktail for my upcoming birthday.

Birdcage Cocktail 

And so to the highlight of the day and our main reason for our London stay ..... Les Mis Concert.

Queen's Theatre has now closed for a refurb and will reopen as the Sondheim Theatre. Les Miserables has therefore also closed, in fact the stage version from 1985 will be no more as when it reopens in the new theatre it will be as a revised production!

In the meantime Les Mis is in Concert at the adjoining Geilgud Theatre with stars Alfie Boe, Michael Ball, Matt Lucas, Katy Secombe and Carrie Hope Fletcher....

..... need I say any more ..... for me a must see!

Absolutely Amazing!

Front row in the Grand Circle I was lost in the world of Jean Val Jean. From the opening note in the jail to the final reprise of 'Do you hear the people sing' I was an emotional wreck, the music, the voices, the story, the characters, it completely overwhelms me.

Thank you Delfont Mackintosh Theatres for a superb concert. Thank you to all the performers who were outstanding. Thank you to the superb orchestra, especially the harpist.

Our city break to London was certainly a special trip and has certainly helped put the last two years behind me.

Huge thanks as always to my lovely Hubby ..... my treat was perfect, his thank you treat is still to come!

Afternoon Tea at the Waldorf

A real treat - the last two years have been difficult to say the least, and having said thank you to my family and friends for all their help and support they said I should treat myself .... and so we're having a few days in London and my first treat was ....

Afternoon Tea at The Waldorf Hotel 

Amazing, just amazing - the decor of this iconic hotel is so beautiful. Art Deco at it's best, in my mind's eye I could see everyone enjoying Tea Dances in the great ballroom, something you can still do!

The dining room was stunning, beautiful pillars with gold ribbon designs on the ceiling, mirrored doorways and a gold harp. It's been a dream of mine since being very young to play the harp, maybe one day.

Our Champagne Afternoon Tea was certainly a treat, starting with a glass of Monopole Heidsieck Silver Top which was refilled continuously throughout our Tea.

Everything was delicious, a superb variety of sandwiches of which we were offered a second serving. The scones, plain and fruit, were slightly warm, perfect with our jams, apricot and strawberry, with clotted cream.

A lovely selection of cakes, profiteroles, mini victoria sponge which just melted in our mouths, chocolate granache, lemon mousse and a mini macaron decorated with a perfect chocolate W.

It certainly was a treat, a very special afternoon. The Champagne Afternoon Tea is priced at £55 per person which is great value for the hotel, the service, the champagne, the sandwiches, scones and cakes.

However our visit was with Groupon, £69 for two; there was with no difference in service, champagne refills or food.

This was by far the best Afternoon Tea we have had and will be high on our re-visit list when in London ..... maybe one day we'll stay at the hotel too :-)

Thank you to The Waldorf Hotel for a very special afternoon.

Majestic .... times two !

Our town is geographically in the centre of four Majestic wine stores, each being just under 20 miles away.

We have limited trains from our town but as there is a good service to Leicester for many years it's been our go to Majestic.

We've had many many tastings with the fab Leicester wine team; showcases, focused wine, fine wine, beer and private group tastings - all superb and at which I have discovered many new things.

We (myself, Hubby and two friends) recently went to their latest Showcase - not the best night for travelling anywhere..... the photo isn't blurred it's rain!

Such dedication hee hee

Ignoring the wet cold weather, once inside our tasting began with a Lambrusco..... a red Lambrusco made from Grasparossa grapes. 

Nivola Lambrusco had a super purple froth, plenty of bubbles with a fruity nose. It was surprisingly a dry wine, plenty of blackcurrants with an edge of leafiness.  The dryness lessened when paired with the delicious Maderia cake the team served. 

Nivola Lambrusco - Italy - £9.99

Moving further in store to the next tasting station we discovered three very different white wines, and an extremely pale rose. The first white was Pecorino Terre Di Chieti, a 13% wine from Italy. Quite a light wine with floral notes and a hint of lemon peel. Certainly a summer wine, for me it needed a longer finish. 

Bellingham Series Viognier was our second white, I've tried quite a few wines from this South African Estate. A darker colour in the glass this was a creamier texture with a flavour of peach and hint of oak. A great depth in this with a longer finish which had a slight mineral after taste. 

Our third white had me searching, I love Sancerre wine but had I been given this blind I would not have said it was from this appellation. Feeling the need to cleanse/change my palate I nibbled on the selection of cheeses offered ..... and yes it worked. Still a light Sancerre the flavours of gooseberries and citrus appeared. A good amount of acidity with now more length on its finish. 

Pecorino Terre Di Chieti - Italy - £7.99
Bellingham Viognier - South Africa - £8.99
Jean Max Roger Sancerre - France - £17.99

The rose wine was so clear it was almost a white, the clear stylish bottle matches it perfectly. It was a light wine, fruity with a zesty high note. It had a lovely finish and this wine would be my choice for a summer's picnic.

Logerill Gris De Garilla Rose
£8.24

There were more nibbles of cheese, spicy sausage and bread sticks at the red tasting station. The Leicester team always provide a good selection of food that compliment all the wines. 

The spicy sausage was particularly good with the Avior Malbec and the Ena Dva Tri Cabernet Sauvignon. Avior Malbec from Argentina was full of blackberries with a kick of spice. It was slightly tannic which I think would soften if left to breathe a while.

Eva Dva Tri Cabernet Sauvignon was my favourite wine of the evening, however as usual with this grape it needed food ... cheese and biscuits to the rescue. At 15% this Slovenian wine was full of bold dark fruits with pepperiness. A great depth and long finish, all I needed was a comfy armchair. 

Vale Do Corgo Douro from Portugal had smoother tannins, still a hit of pepper but with sour cherries. It was a very easy drinking wine that would be great for summer BBQs.

The final red was Cimagoccia Giverno Toscana which is not a wine I have tried before. It had plenty of sour fruit but not a wine for me as I wasn't keen on the burnt amber, herby flavours. 

Avior Malbec - Argentina - £5.99

Vale Do Corgo Douto - Portugal- £7.99
Ena Dva Tri Cabernet Sauvignon - Slovenia - £9.99
Cimagoccia Governo Toscana - Italy - £10.99

Thank you Majestic Leicester, shame about the weather but another great tasting night.

However .....

..... there has been a development on the train situation and we can now travel direct to Leamington Spa, so to test out the journey (why else, wink wink) we also went to Majestic Leamington Spa's Showcase Tasting.

If it was a competition Leamington would win weather wise as it was a dry sunny day, if a little windy.

Ready for our Leamington tasting

Everyone was very welcoming, staff and fellow tasters. We were greeted with a glass of Aperol Spritz made with equal parts Aperol and Prosecco topped up with soda water and finished with orange slices. It's a very refreshing drink that reminded me of our recent European holiday.

La Gioiosa Prosecco  - used in the
Aperol Spritz - £9.99

We tasted two rose and two white wines at their first tasting station. I recognised the first rose, we discovered this at a private tasting at Majestic Weston-Super-Mare in April 2018 as part of our Cuvée Reserve Wine Weekend. You can read about Zingo Malbec Rose in my previous blog post.

Zingo Malbec Rose - France - £7.49

Poste Resante Organic Tempranillo Rose was certainly eye catching, it's blue top and label contrasting with its bright rose colour. Plenty of strawberries, good acidity and a subtle fizz, although its finish could have been a little longer.

Poste Resante Organic Tempranillo
Spain - £7.49

I don't have a photograph of the first white wine we tasted, Domaine St Ferreol Grand Reserve Viognier. This southern French wine was quite pale in colour with a slightly oily texture. Its flavour was full of apricots and honeysuckle, medium bodied with a good finish. Mixed six price £15.99

Being a Sauvignon Blanc fan I was keen to try Last Batch from New Zealand. It had a nose of lemon sherbet which followed into the mouth with gooseberries and passion fruit. This was my favourite wine of the evening.

Last Batch Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand - £6.99

The Leamington team had also supplied a variety of nibbles; salami, pate, crisps and cheese, again matching well with the wines and appreciated by all judging by the empty plates.

The red wines in the tasting included the Avior Malbec and Cimagoccia Governo Toscano which I have mentioned above.

My favourite red of the evening was Down the Lane Shiraz Tempranillo. I'm not a great fan of Tempranillo but this wine was delicious. A big hit of Shiraz with cherries and spice followed by the Tempranillo's fruitiness. It was quite light in tannins making it more suitable to my tastes, with a smooth finish.

Down the Lane Shiraz Tempranillo - £8.99

Thank you Majestic Leamington Spa for a lovely evening. The train journey was easy so we will be visiting again.

Which venue did I prefer ..... neither ..... both evenings were superb! Hubby and I are the winners as we now have two Majestic Wine stores just a train ride away!