'The pathway to hell is filled with good intentions'.

Thanks, Mrs. Jackson, King Eddies Rosehill, upper 6th circa 1999. How accurately you saw into my WSET study future.

I'd say the crumbling point was precisely the moment I threw Jancis Robinson's Wine Dictionary out the French windows in a dramatic, hormone filled, nappy encrusted, 'screw you' moment. Instant regret when the two year old (the reason all my study plans had gone down the proverbial) started parroting 'screw you Jancis' for the remainder of the day.

I mean 300 hours of study has got to be some sort of joke, right? I've covered this twice over and never felt ready. Those very same files in my brain have now been filed with new, more important information, like 'always remember to turn the fan off in son's room so he doesn't try and put his willy in it again' or 'exact calculations of wine I can drink X hours before breastfeeding' or 'when the f*** does Mr. B get home so I can go and hide in the garage'.

It all sounds terrible doesn't it? Well it's not, it's actually rather fulfilling. In a under-rested, over-milked sort of way; the way that clings onto every little nestle,every little 'You're quite nice Mummy', every little snotty,snorty giggle when trying to help wipe a bum/get X child dressed.

But here I am, digging out those damn notes. Wondering how I pour all this information back into my brain and find my own path again for when these little sleep invaders bugger off to school.

Any words of encouragement please?

WSET Diploma, YOU ARE MY NEMESIS.

(No wine reviews this week kiddos, Mummy has lost the plot).

It's wine, but not as we know it.

Or rather, not as I remember it.

Two years into my WSET Diploma and studying has grinded to a halt under a massive pile of nappies, baby food and breast pads.  That said, we are pretty much out the other side with the wee lady hitting one. So sometimes, I have my evenings to myself. Sometimes.

Cue screaming infant...

So the benefits of having a baby include (apart from the obvious), having a compulsory (temporary) hiatus in consuming wine (I think there are some health benefits) EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.  Also, it gives me a break from studying as 50% of my brain sodded off to Disneyland, Champagne in hand, never to be seen again, at around 3 weeks after conception.   So I'm working on finding that again soon. Hopefully alongside my palate. All damn wine tastes different now.

So my approach is somewhat more scattered as I approach this blog, despite having a long while to plan it. It's literally what plops in my shopping trolley each week.  Today, its a red and a white from Aldi.

Clare Valley Riesling (Rees-ling), Australia, £6.99

Some people freak when they hear Riesling as they think it's sweet. Not always so. This is bone-dry, incredibly zesty with zippy grapefruit and lime. This needs to be lovely and chilled, in my opinion, to calm the lime down. But if you like a zesty Sauvignon Blanc, I'd say give this a try. Plus, it's only £6.99 for a wine from the beautiful, Clare Valley, which is famous for its sublime wines, thanks to it's cooling breezes and cold nights. Which is good for happy grapes. Definitely needs a few hours in the bottom of the fridge soon first. Nice one, Aldi. I'd have this any day of the week*. 

Stellenbosch Cape Red Blend, South Africa, £5.49

Stellenbosch is another big hitter both in terms of wine regions and wine styles.  This one has a screw top (easy access - tick) and promises a medium to full bodied red made from Grenache (fruity and alcoholic), Shiraz (pepper spice) and Mourvedre (full bodied, rustic), otherwise known as a GSM blend. It advises consumption with rich or cured meats. Yes, maybe. Its not as full bodied or complex as I'd have liked but for the price its a nice red with a little warmth of spice. I wouldn't really have to eat with it either. Maybe one for slightly cooler weather as the 14.5% does warm your cheeks a little.

All-in-all a nice, well priced red to have in stock. 

*Key

Monday wine - It doesn't really matter what it tastes like. 

Tuesday wine - Optimistic, something quite light. 

Wednesday - Mid week party! Lets drink something fine to celebrate!

Thursday - Slightly regret Wednesday, so something light to sip on.

Friday - Surely the best wine? The whole bottle? I have a husband to help me!  

Saturday - Lets sit together and enjoy a good bottle of anything/pretend we are 30 again.

Sunday - Oh crap look its Monday tomorrow. We've drank everyday this week, let's not do that again.    

Forget Abstinence and Drink Cocktails!

January's a bit pants, isn't it?

I originally put these together for Christmas but it seems a shame not to put them on here as we fast approach the weekend. I imagine a few of us will need a drink by then; those that aren't doing stop-January or dry month (or whatever)...for those that enjoy everything in moderation, here are some titivated cocktails to warm the cockles.

Ginger Beard’s Tottie Twist

Ginger Beard from
Wychwood Brewery

Ginger and whisky is a long standing, tried and tested combination but have you ever tried to add ale into the equation? Add an extra kick with ginger beer, or more specifically, a Ginger Beard!  We used Wychwood Ginger Beard (100ml) as it is ale-based and adds extra depth of flavour, to 25ml of whisky (try different styles to discover your favourite cocktail) and finish with a twist of fresh lime for a warming, spicy drink to knock the wind out of any winter blues.  As an alternative, replace the lime with muddled mint or half an orange zest, juice and slice. 

Red Rum Prickly Punch


Foursquare
Spiced Rum

Hot rum punch – how that rolls around the tongue!  This rum-wine medley is sure to warm the cockles on the darkest, coldest evenings. Plus you can make a vat ready to dish out when neighbours start knocking the door, lusting after the spicy-sweet scent!  Warm a bottle of red wine on a low heat, while adding two tablespoons of granulated sugar, one whole clove, one whole star anise, a cinnamon stick, half a lemon and one orange (both zested, juiced and sliced), just a pinch of nutmeg and finally spiced rum to taste (I use about 100ml); my favourite is Four Square Spiced Rum.  Reduce or increase rum to taste.

Kentucky Mulled Cider

If the hot rum punch was a little too rich for your taste, why not try a Kentucky Mulled Cider? Less spice, with the freshness of apple cider. Mix 25ml of Bourbon (I discovered this recipe from the Maker’s Mark website which works perfectly) with 250ml of hot apple cider, ¼ zested, juiced and sliced lemon and a cinnamon stick. Warm it all up on a low heat for 15 minutes – delicious!

Sbiten Russian Mulled Rum

The Russians must know a thing or two about winter warmers, right? Try Sbiten; or Russian Mulled Rum to you and I. Heat up 150ml of water and 50ml of spiced rum until nearly boiling. Then turn down the heat whilst stirring in two tablespoons of your favourite jam and one tablespoon of honey. Once all stirred in, add a pinch each of ground ginger, ground clove, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg, simmer for five minutes and then it’s ready to go! Add more or less rum depending on how Russian you are feeling.

Now where is my spirits cabinet....

This is my life and this is what I do!

.... to steal a line from a lovely friend of mine.

Wine, wonderful wine....

There are many things I love about wine. Many, many, many things. But one of the most beautiful things of all is seeing the love and passion that goes into making it.

Last year we were lucky enough to tour around some of the top wineries in the world. Bordeaux; extraordinarily magnificent in every way. The perfect marriage of art and science, painted on an opulent backdrop of wealth and tradition.   It can’t help but blow your mind.



A Top-Down View from the Winery.

There is however, something more humbling yet wondrous about seeing an ex-postman go at it alone, on a tiny Greek island; making wines for the local population, who, on a whole are not that bothered about wine. That is passion. Perhaps crazy too, but hellsbells, that always makes it more interesting.   Last week on our jollies, we were lucky enough to visit that very Postman, Giorgos, at Hatzidakis Winery, on the tiny Island of Leros.  For only €12 we were treated with a tour, tasting and meze. What’s not to love.  And let’s be honest. They had me at winery.




 Giorgos, at Hatzidakis Winery

What to expect? Well the Greek’s don’t have the best reputation for wine.  It’s a shame – like Portugal they have an absolute abundance of indigenous grapes. 
Unfortunately, a combination of the language barrier, a history of around 600 years of stagnating vineyards and our innate fear of unfamiliar grapes, Greek wine just isn’t that popular at home. 

But times are a changin’. Dramatic investment from the EU, certainly in the key wine regions such as Naoussa and Rapsani are leading to modern techniques of temperature control, careful use of oak, giving new life to old varieties. An abundance of sunshine hours also means that more recognisable varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon are well planted too.  So it’s not all about Retsina. This is another reason why the Giorgo's winery is impressive. Modern methods are combined with local and also international varieties to produce some fresh and easy drinking wines.



Sampling Maturing Wine
from French Barriques

On arrival at the end of September, the vines had already been harvested. Often vines in countries that experience such heat are left in bush wines around one stake, but here the time had been taken to trellis the vines, which helps with disease management.  As the vines ripen, branches and leaves are 'tucked in', protecting the fruit from the searing heat. Sunburn can ruin a crop. Across the vineyard, two red international varietals were planted, the very same used in Bordeaux blends; Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Plus two indigenous white vines, Malagouzia (full bodied, aromatic wines whose aromas can survive even in hot climates) and Assyrtiko (again, great in hot climates as it can retain acidity, fruity, full bodied and fresh). Bushes of fresh herbs cropped out of every corner, which adds to the terroir. It certainly looked and smelt pretty.

In the winery, temperature controlled tanks and barriques (225 litre French oak barrels) of various ages sat alongside more traditional items such as a basket press. The winery's very first batch of rosé was fermenting in stainless steel which we were lucky enough to try, as well as a Bordeaux blend in the French oak, which was deliciously fruity, although the tannins hadn’t had full maturation time to become supple enough for the final wine.

Iokallis White

Following our friends Jo and Sam, who are always more than eager to sample (!) we sat outside in the sunshine to enjoy some meze, either grown by our host, or sourced nearby.  So the big moment – were these wines actually any good? Here are my thoughts...



Wine 1: Iokallis; A blend of Malagouzia (60%) and Assyrtiko (40%)

Look: Lovely bright straw colour.
Nose: Clean and bright on the nose with lemon, melon and just a slight herbal note. 
Palate: A good reflection of the nose with refreshing medium acidity, a balance of citrus and floral notes. Not as herby on the palate.  Medium intensity of flavours and a medium finish.
Conclusion: On a warm, sunny day on the Aegean, how could this not go down well.  A real summer drinking wine that would be popular in the UK, if we could all get past the name of the grapes. 


The red got a thumbs up from Sam!

 

Wine 2: Iokallis; A 50/50 Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot




...and the red.

Look: Deep ruby with just a hint of purple.  Lovely intense colour.
Nose: A medium aroma intensity that mingles a light spicy oakiness, ripe red fruit with the tell-tale blackberry notes of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Palate: A balanced level of acids and spice from the oak. Supple tannins with blackcurrant, redcurrant and a hint of cranberry. A medium length. 
Conclusion: A lovely Bordeaux style red that is a little less complex, with softer tannins and easier drinking. I wouldn’t need to eat with this but some said they would. Sam liked it a lot.


Wonderful trip, thank you :)

So what does it mean? I think we should try giving the Greek's a chance. It may be a while before we see the interesting varietals hitting our shelves. Recognisable grapes help a winemaker sell the wines, but I hope they do as the Portuguese did, and grab their local varieties by the kahunas and really get the best out of them.  In the long term, this is going to give the wines real stand out.



Living out of a box.

Not a wine box. Yet.

Moving house isn’t going entirely to plan so while Dear Husband and I find somewhere to play homeless, my obvious decision would be to quit the wine for a month.  Well, we’ll see how long that lasts. To quote my 6th form tutor ‘the road to hell, Ms. Whillock is positively PAVED with good intentions.’

So before I go and move into someone’s shed for a week, here are the wines that supported me through packing my worldly belongings into small boxes.

Little J Zweigelt – Austria £11-£12

Little J is the name of the wine and Zweigelt is the name of the grape. I preferred this on the palate to the nose, but it was refreshing, red cherry fruits and very moreish; it had elements of a new world Pinot Noir without any earthiness.  Excellent value for money. 

Undurraga Rosé NV - Chile £10

Bubbles! I ran a fizz tasting for a friend’s hen party a few weeks ago and took an array of Champagnes and sparkling wines for a blind tasting. One of the favourites was this lovely soft and fruity pink sparkler; Undurraga Rosé NV, from Chile. An absolute bargain for the price; everyone loved the fruitiness and depth from Pinot Noir, giving fresh strawberry and cherry on the palate.

Thiénot Champagne

Thank you to the lovely Weavers of Nottingham for cracking open a bottle of this. A wonderful Champagne I hadn’t tried before, you can’t get it everywhere so you have to go to some of the small independents who are pioneering to provide alternatives to the large brands.  Available at Weavers very soon, this Champagne is fresh, fruity with that wonderful well balanced biscuity-ness and depth that we all expect from such a good sparkler. It’s also the Champers of the Oscars, darlings!

See you on the other side.

Ree-okk-a.

Rioja.

Pick how you'd prefer to pronounce it (http://www.forvo.com/word/la_rioja/).
But I'm going with Ree-okk-a, bab.

As the weather turns a little cooler/a lot wetter, I’ve put aside my usual bottle of summertime fizz, packed away my bikini and silently breathed a sign of relief as the heat subsides and I can put on jeans and a jumper without breaking into sweats. The first thing I’ll reach for is a Rioja. Call it predictable but I bloody love a nice Rioja.

Rioja brings a smile to most of our faces. Rioja is the name of the northern wine region in Basque Country, Spain, so named after the Río Oja, a tributary of the river Ebro. Rioja is split into three key areas (Alta, Alavesa and Baja) however it is difficult to generalise about the climatic effects affecting the vines as the region stretches 75 miles; it is protected from the rainy, windy Atlantic, and is more landlocked or has a ‘continental’ climate as we call in vino-speak. In the central places in Spain, this effect can be very strong leading to extremes between the winter and summer, making it more difficult to cultivate commercial vines. Rioja however has moderating influences; altitudes offer cooling effects from the heat, between ranging 300-800m high. Rainfall also varies from around 300-500mm across the region.

Image courtesy of Wiki.

So what about the grapes? They are grown on either clay, limestone or silt, depending on where they are. Most Riojas are a blend of up to seven different grapes; you’ll recognise the most popular, Tempranillo, which produces some wonderfully fruity and juicy wines, although alone can be a little thin. Grenache, or Garnacha as it is called in Spain, adds a good dose of alcohol to the wines who are frequently 14-14.5% ABV and is another popular grape for blends.

The important bit stage of the winemaking which characterises the soft, fruity, round style of Rioja is the barrel ageing.  You’ll recognise the following labelling terms;

-          Joven – Young, unaged red
-          Crianza - These spend a minimum of 12 months in oak and a year in tank or bottle.
-          Reserva These spend a minimum of 12 months in oak with two years in tank or bottle.
-          Grand reserve – These spend a minimum of 24 months in oak and at least three years in bottle.

It can also be white or rosé. Traditional white Riojas tend to be oak aged, however nowadays they are mostly fresh and unoaked.

I hope that clears up some of your Q's. If not, its certainly helped with my revision.

Have a good weekend! x

Back to the Germans :)

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged for so long. Where the bloody hell has the time gone!

Well, mostly studying. Amongst what feels like a million other things.

China assignment for the WSET is almost 50% done and I feel like a bloomin’ Chinese economist now (albeit a rubbish one), although I’m not sure how much this will help me in my quest to have my own vineyard….

I have been helping out a little down at Eglantine Vineyard and Tony and Veronica as per usual have been patient and generous in letting me bumble around after them in the winery attempting to learn bits and pieces. They also paid me in mead which personally, was a highlight of my working career.

Great fun.

Anyway. As it is sweltering outside I have covered some beautifully delicious German wines, perfect for alfresco dining or to guzzle alone as you slowly fry yourselves silly.   The Germans appear to be as good at winemaking as they are at football. ALL of the wines I’ve recommended are dry, delicious and quaffable; just remember to open with friends as you WILL manage to sip away a bottle without meaning to.  

Spatburgunder – aka Pinot Noir. I took an example of this around to a mates for dinner a few weeks ago.  It was an absolute smash. I love this just as much as the Robert Oatley Pinot Noir from Australia I am always tweeting about – both come from cooler areas (even the Oz wine is at altitude so nice and cool) and are fruity, complex and elegant (translation: yummy).

Dry Riesling - Dr Loosen is a superstar when it comes to wine making and there is nothing of his that I have tried that I haven’t coveted afterwards.  Many of us shy away from the residual sugar in SOME (note: not all) German wines, but this is dry, floral, juicy and with heavenly minerality that is so typical of this grape, in this setting.

Villa Wolf Pinot Gris – I have been at a few tastings with this and it is always a resounding favourite. Refreshing, light but with lovely notes of stone fruits, melon, citrus…. mouthwatering. Perfect for sitting in the garden!

 

Enjoy!