Two lovely fizzy Italian reds

Fizzy red wines. Not mainstream, I know, but I quite liked these two examples from Italy. They’re being sold by a retailer new to the UK, Tannico.

Paltrinieri Lambrusco di Sorbara Frizzante Secco 2015 DOC Radice, Italy
£14.90 Tannico.co.uk
11% alcohol
This is a family run winery located in the heart of Sorbara, Modena. They’ve been making this Lambrusco di Sorbara for three generations, from 15 hectares of vineyards on chalky and sandy soils. The grapes are destemmed, pressed and the juice settled before primary fermentation. After around 70 days the wine is bottled where refermentation occurs with indigenous yeasts for around 90 days. The resulting wine is a slightly cloudy pale pink colour. The savoury, toasty nose shows attractive cherry and citrus fruit, and there’s a bit of pear and red apple richness. Toasty and nutty on the finish, with some fizziness. The yeasty, toasty character is really appealing, with a fine spiciness. Dry and easy to drink, finishing nutty and toasty. 90/100

Piccolo Bacco dei Quaroni Vivace 2015 Bonarda dell’Oltrepò Pavese DOC, Italy
£9.99 Tannico.co.uk
12.5% alcohol
A blend of Croatina (referred to here as Bonarda) 90%, Barbera 10%. Four chums bought a small (2.5 hectare) historical vineyard called Piccolo Bacco dei Quaroni in 2001. Here we are in the Oltrepo Pavese region in the northwest of Italy, bordering Emilia-Romagna. The vines are planted at high density and viticulture is close to organic. Second fermentation here is in pressurised tanks. Wild yeasts only. Deeply coloured and intense, this fizzy red wine is quite delicious. It’s inky and supple with black cherry and blackberry fruit, showing a hint of meaty spiciness and a sleek, ripe fruit character. Dry with some fruit sweetness, this is a lovely wine that’s delicious alone but would work with food. You can serve it chilled or at room temperature, and it’s lovely at both. Unusual, and great value for money. 90/100

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/italy/two-lovely-fizzy-italian-reds

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On pens and writing

I have decided to resurrect my ink pens, which have been a bit neglected of late. Instead, I’ve taken the easy option and used Uni-ball Eye Fine pens, which are pretty good and very easy to write with, but they aren’t ink pens.

There’s something special about writing long hand. It’s massively inefficient. You’d think it would have become extinct in the age of the laptop and iPad.

But it is an aesthetic choice.

As is buying Moleskine or Rhodia notebooks. They’re expensive, at about £15 a pop, for what is essentially blank paper. You could get a notebook that would do the same job for less than a tenth of the price. Couple that with ink pens that are inconvenient and potentially messy, and you are choosing the road less travelled.

But consider music consumption. Vinyl is inconvenient, and should be extinct. It’s just daft to buy vinyl, but vinyl sales are booming. It’s not just for dudes going through mid-life crises.

My point? People like to make aesthetic choices, and this includes writers. In an age where many wine writers are jumping straight to the laptop to bang out as many tasting notes as possible, there’s something to be said for writing long hand, pen on nice paper. It changes the way you write, I reckon.

We live in a media age where we struggle with a tsunami of information, where everyone is a writer. Professional writers are afraid of being lost in the crowd, and the temptation for them is to bank out more output in a bid to stay relevant and corner a larger slice of the market.

But could it be that the answer is to produce less, but better? Could changing the medium from laptop to longhand producer better output?

I use my laptop for tasting notes, sometimes. But tasting notes are just tasting notes. The world probably doesn’t need too many more of them. Competition has resulted in vast numbers of tasting notes being published, and also score creep. Like a drug addict who needs an ever increasing dose to feel the same high, the consumers of scores need ever greater scores. Yet the limit is 100. It will soon be reached, to the point that wines will be judged on a binary score: 99 (fail); 100 (succeed).

Could ink and decent paper be the answer?

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/uncategorized/on-pens-and-writing

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Wines of the year (1) Instagram favourites

How do you decide which your favourite wines were from the year past? Difficult.

One way is to let others decide. I have quite a few instagram followers, and it’s interesting to see which wines that I post are the most popular.

There are lots of confounders here. If I post a nice picture that looks good it might get more likes. Or if I post at certain times of the day it may have an effect.

I have not included bottles that I haven’t drunk (you could take photos of a posh cellar or wine shop shelf). Also, not all wines I tried got posted, and some got posted as compilations. Also, I had more followers at the end of the year than the beginning.

Still, it’s fun compiling a list like this. Some real surprises. Number of likes indicated in brackets, and I’ve included all wines that had 200 likes or more.

1. Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia 1999 (451)
2. Musar 2005 (365)
3. Julien Sunier Fleurie 2015 (345)
4. Lapierre Morgon 2015 (329)
5. Niepoort Turris 2012 (314)
6. Champagne Bollinger Grande Annee 2005 (306)
7. Vieux Chateau Certan Pomerol 1985 (292)
8. Viña Tondonia Rioja Reserva 2004 (289)
9. Foillard Morgon Cote du Py 2014 (286)
10. Maximin Grunhaus Abstberg Kabinett 2014 (279)
11. Savage Follow The Line 2015 (270)
12. Egon Muller Scharzhoberger Auslese 2011 (263)
13. Chateau Suduiraut 2001 Sauternes (262)
14. Blandy’s Bual Madeira 1920 (256)
15. Quinta do Noval Colheita 2000 (254)
16. Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos 2006 (253)
17. JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2001 (253)
18. Roulot Meursault Clos des Bouchières 1er Cru 2012 (249)
19. Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Les Pucelles 2007 (248)
20. Domaine Leflaive Bienvenue Batard Montrachet 2012 (243)
21. Eyrie Vineyards Melon de Bourgogne 2012 (238)
22. Nyetimber Tillington 2010 (237)
23. Raveneau Chablis Butteaux 1er Cru 1999 (236)
24. Vina Tondonia Rioja Reserva 2002 (235)
25. Champagne Jacquesson 739 NV (230)
26. Champagne Savart L’Ouverture Premier Cru NV (230)
27. Dutraive Fleurie ‘Champagne’ Domaine de la Grand Cour 2005 (229)
28. Norman Hardie Niagara Chardonnay 2013 (226)
29. Domaine de Trevallon 1990 (223)
30. Jamet Cote Rotie 1999 (222)
31. Chave Hermitage 1995 (220)
32. Ridge Montebello 1989 (217)
33. Cos d’Estournel Blanc 2012 (216)
34. Keller Riesling 2013 (215)
35. Domaine Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin Clos St Jacques 1998 (215)
36. Domaine Bruno Clair Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru 2007 (215)
37. De Montille Pouilly Fuisse En Vergisson 2013 (212)
38. Valentini Montepulciano d’Abbruzzo 1992 (212)
39. Champagne Pol Roger 2006 (212)
40. Chateau Latour 2001 (209)
41. Chateau Pichon Baron 2012 (209)
42. JJ Prum Riesling Kabinett 2014 (208)
43. Champagne Gimonnet Cuis NV (206)
44. Anton von Klopper The Wildman Pinot 2015 (206)
45. The Wine Society Bonnes Mares, De Vogue, 1969 (204)
46. Pieropan Soave Classico 2014 (204)
47. Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2006 (204)
48. Clos Rougeard Saumur Champigny 2010 (204)
49. Graf Von Kanitz Lorcher Bodental-Steinberg Riesling Auslese 1976 Rheingau (202)
50. Champagne Gimonnet Cuis 1er Cru NV (201)
51. Champagne Gimonnet Oenophile 2005 (201)
52. Champagne Dom Perignon 1998 P2 (201)
53, Burn Cottage Gruner Veltliner 2014 (201)

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/uncategorized/wines-of-the-year-1-instagram-favourites

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Hush Heath Estate Balfour Brut Rosé 2013

I was really impressed by this pink fizz from Hush Heath. It’s really elegant.

Hush Heath Estate Balfour Brut 2013 Kent, England
2013 was a late harvest here: Pinot began on 22 October, and Chardonnay came in on 7 November. The result is a wine with a very pale salmon pink in colour, and showing beautiful balance. There’s a fine citrus fruit core with some red cherry and rosehip notes, as well as a touch of apple. Really fine and expressive with pure fruit and lovely delicacy. The acidity is beautifully integrated and the finish is just so elegant. A really fine, fruit-driven wine. 92/100

Find these wines with wine-searcher.com

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/england/hush-heath-estate-balfour-brut-rose-2013

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Oh, the places you’ll go! 2016 in review

January: the year began in New Zealand, for a South Island Road trip, followed by the Sauvignon Blanc celebration. We started off in Central Otago, where it was unseasonably cold. Rippon is pictured above.

North Canterbury provided some highlights. including Pyramid Valley (above) and Bell Hill (below).

February saw the Professional Wine Writers’ Symposium in Napa, California. Hugh Johnson’s keynote was the highlight. A terribly unfocused discussion on minerality was the lowlight.

In February, I attended Simplesmente Vinho in Porto, Portugal. It’s a lovely, slightly alternative wine fair.

Sashi Moorman

In March I took a lovely trip to California with some great people. We started off in Santa Barbara’s wine country and then headed up north to Napa and Sonoma. It was great to see the Lompoc Wine Ghetto where the likes of Sashi Moorman and Raj Parr make their wines.

Jason and Bob Haas

It was great to visit Tablas Creek in Paso Robles (above), and Nathan and Duncan of Arnot Roberts, one of the state’s most exciting producers (below).

Duncan and Nathan, Arnot Roberts

Grower Champagne, ProWein

March continues with Prowein. I tasted a lot of grower Champagne there, as well as doing some seminars for Canada.

March also saw a quick trip to Bordeaux to taste the bottled 2014s with Millesima. Above, the modern winery of Marquis d’Alesme. Below, the lovely city of Bordeaux.

Johan Reyneke

In early April I travelled to South Africa for the first of three visits. This was for judging the Top 100 competition. Pictured above is Johan Reyneke, who I visited on the last morning.

April is also International Wine Challenge month. Two weeks of hard work, and good times with colleagues. It’s like a family.

Anselme Selosse

April finished with a visit to Champagne. So many good visits, including a brilliant one with Anselme Selosse, and a lovely time with Rodolphe Peters of Pierre Peters (below). It was lovely staying in Reims.

One of the highlights of May was a trip to Beaujolais, visiting some really good people. Mee Godard in Morgon was a great visit among many.

Another great visit was with the Thillardon brothers in Chenas (below).

Paul Henri and Charles Thillardon

May also saw a lovely visit to Germany, catching several regions and some great producers, such as Ernie Loosen (above) and Helmut Donnhoff (below).

Me in the Rheinhessen. Germany is on a roll at the moment.

June: Alsace. I love Alsace so much. It’s always great to visit.

Painted Rock

June saw the first of four trips to Canada. Destination Penticton, for the National Wine Awards of Canada. The Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys are really beautiful.

Severine Pinte

Severine Pinte at La Vieux Pin is making some of BC’s best wines: serious Syrah.

Lovely BC fizz from Jay!

Straight from Canada, I headed over to Rioja for a consultants’ meeting with Lallemand. We visited Contino and also Marques de Riscal (above).

Then I was off to South Africa again, at the beginning of July. I explored MCC (South Africa’s sparkling wine), visited the Leeu Collection, and judged the Top 10 Chenin Blanc competition.

This was lovely: Ken Forrester’s new high-end Chenin.

July saw some West Coast USA action. Starting in Vancouver, we hit Oregon (Eyrie pictured above).

Then some Oregon coast action: a quick trip to Cannon Beach.

Beckham was a highlight of Oregon. Andrew makes amphora, and uses them.

Then some time exploring Portland. What a city.

And time in Seattle, attending the Riesling Rendezvous, a great event.

Wes Pearson at work in the sensory lab

July took me to Adelaide, Australia, for the Australian Wine Technical Conference, where I gave a couple of talks, as well as visiting the AWRI (above) and McLaren Vale.

Then August too me to Germany again, where I went on a press trip focusing on organic wines, tasted at the VDP event, and then studied sekt with my Canadian colleague Treve Ring. We made a video. Pictured above is Mathieu Kauffmann, who is now winemaker at Von Buhl in the Pfalz.

August also saw me head over to TexSom in Dallas.

Looking down on the Barca Velha winery from the chapel

September: harvest time in the Douro. A lovely trip taking in the Douro Boys, including Vale Meão (above) and Crasto (below).

We also visited Taylors to see foot treading in action. A video on how Port wine is made was the result, another collaboration with Canadian colleague Treve Ring.

Jean-Benoit Deslauriers

In September I headed back to Canada. Destination (1) was Nova Scotia, where I visited sparkling wine producer Benjamin Bridge. Great wines from Jean-Benoit and his team.

Then destination (2) Was Norman Hardie Wines in Prince Edward County, where I was immersed in vintage for a few days. It was a great experience. Norm is pictured above with Claude.

Iona

Then it was off to Elgin, South Africa’s coolest wine region (above), for the Chardonnay Symposium. It was a lovely few days. I followed it with a night in Bordeaux (below), before heading to Provence.

We had a lovely visit to Provence. Rosé is on a roll.

This was followed by a trip to Bordeaux, investigating the shift to organics, and also seeing the alternative side.

October saw me visiting pioneering Spanish wine company Vintae in Rioja and other northern Spanish regions.

November saw me in BC, Canada, again. I did a gig at Cornucopia in Whistler, then headed over to Victoria (above), to checkout the wine and beer scene here, and to judge in Gold Medal Plates.

Francisco Albuquerque and Chris Blandy

Late November I headed over to Madeira, for my first visit, with Blandy’s, the leading producer.

And the last trip of the year: 10 days in Chile and Argentina. Above, Seña. Below, travelling companions Neil Beckett and David Williams.

Doña Paula’s Alluvia vineyard in Gualtallary

It has been a lot of travelling. A big year. Lots learned. One of the best.

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/uncategorized/oh-the-places-youll-go-2016-in-review

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