Which wine are you drinking today?

I am having a wonderful time in Montreal right now.  2 days ago there was not much of a wine by the glass list at dinner so I bought a bottle of Cailloux Quartz, not the CdP but the CdR    $65 off the list.  Really wonderful.  Could have easily been a CdP

LAst night and tonight were a mixed lot by the glass.  A great Gamay at Joe Beef with lobster pasta

Sauras, Patagonian Malbec,  picked up in Buenos Aires earlier this year.

We had a few Pesos left at the airport,  and decided to spend it on a few bottles of wine,  rather than exchange it.

very good it is too.

David

About twenty or so years ago, some friends and i had occasion to visit Buckfast Abbey in Devon, where i took great delight in snapping away with my camera at the internal gothic architecture, the whopping great stained glass window etc…

Anyway, on the way out I couldn’t help but notice a sign on the door which read...

Photographs are not allowed to be taken inside the Abbey

 Oops! 

Just bought a case back from Holland last week...Epulum Gran Reserva  Rioja 2005 14%,Never heard of it before but its got a good kick to it. £3.00  bottle. I should have bought more,my mistake.

Mista h

Hi mista h,

is that like the Rioja that's sold in Aldi's?

(a friend, who i work with, is on the case...)

btw, how's moggs?

Debs

Hello Debs

Its in my opinion more gutsy that whats on offer at Aldi. Probably wont be going back to Holland again before xmas,by which time its probably all gone,but i will see whats on offer when i go again.

Thanks for asking about Mogs. She is fine at the moment and slowly getting back to her fighting weight. She does like a good scrap. If i get time soon i will try and post a few pics on the m/b of her,chances are i will probably mess up but i will have a go.

Mista h

Just uncorked an Ampelo!

Italian - Tarantino 2011

Red - Full & Round

13.5%

Primitivo 50% Merlot 50%

Price around £10.70

Luscious dark fruity taste slightly dry good body [the wine not me] very good aperitif, easy warm room temperature and needs de-canting then left to settle for an hour. Score 7/10

~<>~

Come on you boring old gits, tell us; what wine you are enjoying today?

All the money bags you've got you must be supping something nicer than the humble plonk i afford

Cheers me dears

Debs

I found my wife opened a bottle of 1999 Jean Bouchard Chablis Premier Cru that I didn't know I had. It was a beautiful deep straw colour with a deep rich bouquet  and tasted fantastic. I thought it may have been kept too long but surprisingly and luckily it was delicious.

Steve

Sorry Debs,

I forgot to score the wine. I would give this rich beauty a high 9/10. It went very well with the Snapper fillets we had for dinner.

ATB

Steve

2004 Block 42 is made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from a single vineyard. It is the most expensive wine directly sold from a winery in the world (well, assuming it does sell for $168,000). The glass sculpture was designed and hand-blown by Australian glass artist Nick Mount.

Ok, I'm saving that one for Xmas but my  usual beverage is either a good malt or a bottle of Rosso Conero from the Marche Region- Italy.

http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-rosso+conero

Salute!

KR

Tony

Opened a bottle of Jacob Creek's Cool Harvest Vermentino 2011 to go with some rather sumptuous sea bream with warmed avocado, tomato and roast potatoes. £8 light white wine, 100% vermentino which is a grape we usual have a lot of time for. Slightly fizzy with none of the elegance I'd normally associate with a typical vermentino. Will not buy again, though some may like it.

Favourites:

From CostCo, Canaletto Pinot Grigio at around £5/btl - easy drinking white for every day, nothing wrong with it and very palatable.

From Tesco when they have the specials on, Gallo Family Cabernet Sauvignon. Not good value at full price, but fine value when reduced to half price at £5/btl. This is our red everyday wine.

I'm a fan of rather fruity unctuous wines from Pieroth...

White:

From the Te Ariki label in New Zealand - all around £15 - £16

Sauvignon Blanc - Unctuous, slightly jammy, fruity white ... beautiful

Pino Gris - wonderful elegant wine with hints of everything you expect in Pino Gris

Chardonnay - I'm not a fan of Chardonnay but this is gorgeous

Seems I'm a Te Ariki fan!

Golden Grape Estate:

Wooded Chardonnay around £11 - really rather nice, fairly well wooded 100% chardonnay with a good long finish.

Semillon Chardonnay around £11 - for those who want a bit more going on than the straightforward taste of a chardonnay. The semillon brings a touch of lemon zest without overpowering the chardonnay's natural buttery flavour.

Red:

Kangaroo Point Cabernet Merlot around £14 - deep red,demi-sec I'd say, beautifully elegant and jammy (yes I'm a sweet tooth but this isn't quite sweet).

Also of note - Parliament of Owls is a Merlot Cabernet blend, a slightly different take on the Kangaroo Point. Also, Mob Of Emus (I love the names these guys choose) which is sweeter than KP but still elegant and enjoyable.

Mount Leonard, around £12 - £13 - spicy Cabernet Shiraz, elegant and smooth. Nicely dry without making your mouth feel like a prune.

Murfatlar from Romania, around £13 - sweet red wine to be served chilled with light fish such as smoked trout, sea bream. This is a genuinely sweet wine and yet a full bodied red. Fabulous. Never lasts more than an evening. Once opened the wine just seems to refill your glass......

Travicello from Italy, around £11/btl. Very light ruby red, almost sweet but not quite. I usually like to drink this with lighter meats or vegetarian fare. I'm told it can be chilled but I haven't tried this.

I suspect this is an unusual set of wines eh?

Regards,

Frank.

All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

Hi Frank,

That Canaletto Pinot Grigio from Costco is very good value. We also buy it there and would have been what my wife would have opened if we had any left. The Campo Viejo Reserva Rioja is also good value at Costco.

I'm no wine buff and only have a glass or two at the weekend. As a doctor though I am often given some very good wine, usually from colleagues and friends who come to me for treatment. I have one friend from the Golf Club who insists on giving me a case of champagne every time I inject his ankle. I always tell him not to but it helps at Xmas when the family come.

ATB

Steve

Well, for anybody who likes Chateau Musar but finds it getting a bit pricey these days, here's an alternative for you;  Priorat Noster Nobilis 2007.  A wine buff friend bought some bottles down for the weekend.  An interesting wine, and the best bit is the price - £6.28 a bottle!!  He tells me it's being sold by Asda.  I now just need to find one somewhere...

Great tip Richard, thank you.

Chris

A single glass of Manna from Franz Haas, a nice white wine cuvée from Südtirol.

Thanks for the advice Steve! (And Richard of course...)

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

Frank,

My wife just bought a half case of the Campo Viejo Reserva at Costo where they have it on offer £5 less. Works out about £6 per bottle which is very good value for this wine.

My favourite Rioja at the moment is the 2005 Muga Selection Especial but this is a bit more pricey.

ATB

Steve 

P.S. Frank the Canaletto is also reduced this week.

Decent S African Chardonnay. Cross between an Aussie and Burgundy...

A 2012 Vina Maipo a Merlot from Chile, (Sainsburys) very nice.

Picked up a half case of various from Majestic today, includes a couple of '94 Riojas, a couple of Cabernet Franc from Chile and 2 whites, a Parcel series Reisling and a Rheinberg Auslese.

One of my favourite Riojas Tony. Selection Especial?

Steve

Amanti del Vino Primitivo [2010]

Salento, Italy

Red medium-bodied

13%

£6.40

"Wine from Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot. Full of sun drenched damson fruit, it is soft easy drinking with great character"

Interesting kick in the back-taste, but not unpleasant.

Score 5/10

Cooking up a Spaghetti Bolognese with garlic bread whilst slurping : )

Debs