BrummieWineGirl

The Vinous and Spirituous  

Tremendous pressure of blog one, eased marginally by the large Talisker I have sneaked from Mr. B’s whisky cabinet, alongside the fact absolutely no one is reading this.  Both aspects seem to warm the finger joints and make putting one letter in front of the other, in a reasonable order, a simpler task than I first anticipated.

This is my second month of studying the WSET diploma. If you want to learn a bit about wine, drink a lot and generally not really remember what you got up to for six weeks, the WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) beginners course is absolutely for you. You learn a bit, a nice thing to do after work.  The intermediate level, you need to read a book. A small book, usually after drinking. You will almost definitely pass despite the drinking.  The advanced, you definitely need to read the book. You have to drink a lot more, but it’s all fairly do-able without feeling you have sacrificed any real time studying (drinking time is of course excluded from this).  The diploma wipes out every little bit of your spare time. 10 hours a week WSET? I think not. But I bloody love it. I will recommend it to anyone that is missing a few brain cells and is as obsessed with all things wine.

So with my WSET Diploma I have learnt one thing for sure. The more I learn about wine, the more I realise I don’t know. It is so vast and changes so quickly. This is why snobs are a great source of irritation to me. Without extensive reading on the various classifications, gazillions of grapes, vini and vitification techniques, or at least a few decades in the industry, you just ain’t gonna know. So a kinder attitude by those who should know better would give us all a break.

I have also learnt that folk don’t mind a bit of guidance when they choose wine. So here are my recommendations for this month. Snobbery not included.

Who says it has to be white wine with white meat? Don’t ditch your usual tipple just because it’s turkey time. Try a red with softer tannins that’s a little lighter in the body. Go for fresh fruit flavours to match the turkey sauce rather than heavily oaked wines.  Try a bright, younger wine and it will set your Christmas dinner alight (not literally, maybe save that for the pudding!). Try this Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel (Waitrose £7.49) – a new world wonder that oozes ripe cherry and blackberry with just a hint of soft oak and spice.  This is my new stock-wine. Go and clear the shelves, if there are any left!

 

Fancy a change to the usual Port pairing? Make a wedge of Stilton very happy with a bottle of Royal Tokaji (Royal Tokaji, 5 Puttonyos), a Hungarian sweet wine that is a heavenly match for salty cheese.  A lusciously sweet tipple that fills your mouth and nose with figs, orange peel and honey, with just a touch of cinnamon. A true Christmas taste sensation, with a swift serving of palate–balancing acidity.  (Waitrose Direct, £12.29 for 25cl).

Tip: When serving wine with a pudding, always make sure your wine is sweeter, else it may taste thin and uninteresting.  The ‘Puttonyos’ in Tokaji refers to the sweetness level and you won’t get more luscious than this!

Next blog, less whisky.