Sherry in Jerez

September 2011

Sherry has always represented somewhat of an enigma for me. The typical sherry drinking stereotype (in my own humble experience) has been the eccentric old woman, smelling faintly of cats, generously swigging from a bottle of fino. As such, I though that on my recent visit to Spain I would attempt to demystify this somewhat skewed image.

For readers who wish to have quick background; Sherry is a fortified wine made in and around the Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera. The actual word sherry is an Anglicisation of “Jerez”, and whilst for the rest of the world “sherry” has become common vernacular, the wine in Spain is still called “vino de Jerez”. The grapes used are almost exclusively Palomino (from the light fino to the darker oloroso), but Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel grapes are also used in sweeter dessert wines.

It was an interesting trip. Having been very kindly dropped off at the Gonzalez-Byass bodega in Jerez, we signed up for the tour of the premises. Gonzalez-Byass is one of the largest sherry producers in the world, with brands such as Tio Pepe and Croft, their wines have and continue to reach the far corners of the globe

The first thing that one notices when going into the bodega is, in fact, just how big the producer is. The image to the left shows one of the many warehouses of the bodega, with this particular one having the flags of every country that the bodega exports to – with nations ranging from South Korea to Venezuela (as well as everything in between) it is not surprising to note that Gonzalez-Byass has had a very successful history.

The tour itself was executed very well. There were a number of nationalities present, with guides in a number of languages. Aside from the rather cringeworthy DVD shown at the beginning (with an orange skinned, morning dress clad representation of Tio Pepe himself narrating), it was an interesting insight into how sherry is made. What I personally found most informative was the process of how fino style sherry is made, and the use of flor yeast floating at the top of the barrel, giving fino style sherry its distinctive dry flavour.

What must be said though is that, whilst Gonzalez-Byass may be one of the larger producers of Sherry, it by no means is the best. The Sherry tasting offered at the end of the tour made this especially evident. Everyone was given a number of different sherries to sample (depending on how much was paid in the entrance fee) ranging from driest (fino) to sweetest (croft pale cream). Having sampled sherry made by the bodega Lustau in London a few days earlier, Gonzalez-Byass could not hold a candle. Most disappointing was the oloroso which lacked both depth and colour, and was perhaps the most unbalanced wine I have tasted in a while. Conversely though, the manchego cheese and iberico ham provided to complement the wine, was delicious….

Tango and the Art of Wine Pairing

Appreciating good food alone is like trying to dance with one left foot and…. no partner.

To get the most out of the multifaceted gorgeous food we now eat, one needs the right wine – think  dance – be it the slinky, exhilarating tango; sexy, slithering samba or just plain ol’ twisting in a ’60’s dance hall,  a partner is needed – paid or unpaid!

Think balance.

A wine needs to balance the flavours of a dish so, with a spicy dish, pick a spicy number like a Taurasi from Campania, Syrah from France or Shiraz from antipodean Australia. A zingy lemon, crab and chilli linguine would require a more complexed mouth puckering citrusy Italian Gavi, a wine with delicate balance of acidity and fruit, produced in the restricted province of Alessandria in Piemonte. Chomping into a thick hunk of juicy Chorizo de Bife (ribeye steak), full of flavour, needs a full bodied wine – think Argentinian Malbec and dream of riding into the pampas, poncho clad with gaucho knife stuck round your waist.

There are hundreds of wines available in this country and at least one WILL fit the bill, be the dish oily, fatty, salty or particularly rich.

Think complement.

Lemon is squeezed over crispy deep fried calamari rings to cut the oil. Grilled Mackerel with gooseberry sauce. Roast lamb with a vinegary mint sauce. Think wine. Citrusy, green apple Sauvignon Blanc with fish. Lamb with a morello cherry nosed Pinot Noir from Burgundy. It all works.

Never fear, there are wines to pair with foods from around the world. Chenin Blanc is fabulous with Thai Green Chicken curry. The aromatic lychee scent of a great Alsatian Gewurztraminer to pair with Cantonese YumCha. Even a glass of sparkling Omar Khayyam with the humble Onion Bhaji would work.

Right down to puddings where the range of fabulously sweet, sticky, luscious dessert wines are now so readily available. Sauternes, Vin Santo, Vino Passito, Tokaji Aszu, Port, Pedro Ximenez, the list goes on.

If all fails, think Michael Jackson, Michael Flatley and the Whirling Dervish – you will not be alone…. Advice is everywhere and one doesn’t necessarily need to employ a highly trained sommelier… go online. Lots of the big supermarkets like Marks & Spencer will have in-store experts, eager to help.

A big THANK YOU to Marks & Spencer for their kind support.

http://www.marksandspencer.com/

 

 

Mendoza

Adios Buenos Aires… Hola Mendoza.

An experience. Left the Hilton bright and early, so early there was a surcharge on the taxi. The new Ezeiza airport was in a mess. Domestic flights were disrupted due to repairs being made on the runway. Jorge Newbury, the domestic airport was closed for month. No one knew what was happening but hey it’s LatAm and its pretty normal. The boarding pass stated to report to security at 6.40am – and they meant it. SHE (security guard) stood sternly at the entrance, checking all boarding passes with an eagle eye. Coffee with Medialuna – Spanish for Croissant, right next to the gate area while we wait. Talk about the right place at the right time while it lasts.. the cafe was heaving with people but the coffee was good.

At precisely 06.40, she started letting people through to security. Water bottles were OK. Wow, in LatAm, wine is allowed to be carried on board, too. We then understood the reason for the timing. All domestic flights were through ONE gate and after security – no shops, no cafes, no nothing, just ONE gate.

Boarding was by rows. Irritated that my rolling cabin bag was confiscated at the gate. I had my passport and all my money in the bag! Then again the plane was a small one. It left on time and we arrived early. Baggage collection was immediate and Chrissie was waiting for us with the driver.

One of the most beautiful regions in the world with friendly, nice people everywhere. There are 21 wine regions in Argentina with over 1000 wineries in Mendoza alone. Argentinians drink approximately 30 litres of wine per person per year. This figure has certainly dropped with beer and spirits now competing in the market. 1980s saw the overproduction of wine in Argentina leading to many wineries biting the dust.

Tasting notes in separate blogs.

First stop – Mendel a small family run winery headed by Roberto de la Mota, now in his 50s, son of a wine maker, grew up in the vineyard. He worked at LVMH and 2004 was his first vintage at Mendel. Sadly, Roberto was in a very bad car accident but is still involved in the winery. One of the first vineyards in Argentina to export, Mendel is located in the Lujan de Cuyo region. This adobe style winery has four main handpicked grape wines in the making and has steel tanks left in the open! A mobile bottling unit is brought in to do the task.

Next we head to Acheval Ferrer a unique winery with 5 owners, 4 Argentinians and an Italian. Absolutely amazingly modern with all modcons. A bunch of crazy vinophiles, trying all sorts of techniques to produce interesting wines. Fermentation tanks included concrete with external fans to cool the fermenting juice, stainless steel vats and temperature controlled oak barriques. One big space station and the astronauts to go with it! Fabulous wines and two home produced olive oils, too. Professional set up with very knowlegeable guides. Patricia, thank you for that amazing bottle of Dulce which I so enjoyed.

Ruca Malen for lunch. NO physical tour of the vineyard but an amazing palate tour matched food and wine to the almost impossible.

The last stop of the day was to Catena Zapata, brainchild of Laura Catena, 4th generation wine maker of the Zapata fame. The winery probably complete with solar calculations was built on the Mayan inspired culture of science and technology faces the Andes dividing Argentina and Chile. The private drive leading to this winery is just amazing. Breath taking scenery all around. Inside the architecture is just as unique with lighting that matched the feel. Wines were beautifully made.

Dinner was at Siete Cocinas, serving regional Argentinian food. The Pacu was indeed deliciously creamy. A highly prized ugly looking fish from the northern region of Argentina, known to give a good fight to any decent fisherman. On the 1st day of the season speed boats can be seen racing off to the best spots to hunt this moist, almost oily, meaty fish. Washed down with a great bottle of Ruttini’s Torrontes.

Day two took us down to Tupungato and the Uco Valley. First stop was to Andeluna, owned by the America’s Frito Lay (potato chips). Here the irrigation technique is optimal to combat the harsh desert like climate. Michel Rolland is consultant to this winery hence the high quality of wines.

Next to Salentein, a Dutch owned winery with 2000 hectares of vines spread on different altitudes at the base of the Andes. With separate wineries built in the region, the flagship holds an Art collection. Surrounded by rose and jarilla bushes, the wines of Salentein are delicately nosed. The tasting room was highly impressive with fixed spitoons that drained directly into the plumbing. Beautiful stone tables supported the bottles and glasses.

Lunch was at O Fournier, the “piece des resistance” of Mendoza. The out of a James Bond movie winery with it’s flying saucer glass walls looking out into the wilderness was just unbelievable.

 

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Down Under … Tahbilk, Tahbilk … so good they had to say it twice!

Air Qatar gets my vote of approval. New planes, great pilots and phenomenal service. Even the stopover in Doha was painless with it’s fast-track queue for rapid transit passengers. Almost 24 hours later we arrive in Melbourne. Not quite a journey I recommend but flying over the most amazing fishing area of Exmouth Flats, 1000 miles north of Perth made the journey all the more worth it. Nothing to see as it was dark as we flew past but we vowed we will make a homage later this year for a REAL fishing extravaganza. Watch this space.

Chadstone and Glen Waverley were much the same. Boxhill and even a WestFields shopping centre exists down under. Visited the huge Dan Murphy’s inspecting all the bottles at close range. What a fabulous choice of wines the Aussies have! Had a great time practising Hokkien at Melbourne’s celebrity status “Penang chai tiem ma” – grocery shop. An Aladdin’s cave of all things Penang with the ambience, too!

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The subject is Tahbilk. A member of Australia’s First Families of Wine (‘AFFW’) and celebrating its 150th year in existence, I was determined to visit this producer. Persuading hubby to drive over 2 hours upstate without air-conditioning in the 35ºc heat was a feat in itself but so so worth it. OK R, I owe you big time (within reason). Beautiful scenery and the vineyard was spectactular. tahbilk-2.jpg

Matt Pubrick – you are great – the great grandson of the man who made Tahbilk what it is today. Knowledgeable, well travelled and handsome. The poor chap had to endure my presence for over an hour. Thank you Matt for your patience and allowing me to taste all those bottles… including opening a 2nd bottle. I did so enjoy your company (even if you didn’t feel reciprocal in the matter at the time). You probably gathered what my favourites were and both bottles are now in my cellar awaiting for an appropriate evening. You are going to do great things in your life!

www.tahbilk.com.au

“The AFFW is a group of 12 highly dedicated, enthusiastic, family owned wineries. The group represents 16 Australian regions across four states in Australia with more than 1200 years of winemaking experience. The wineries are Brown Brothers, Campbells, D’Arenberg, De Bortoli, Henschke, Howard Park, Jim Barry, McWilliams, Tahbilk, Taylors, Tyrells and Yalumba.” – Hayley Purbrick.

La Regola Tasting Notes

Notes from Tasting in Milano Italy, 2nd December 2009

Steccaia 2008

85% Vermentino, 15%Sauvignon Blanc. Clean-ish cork… if anything… very very slightly musky. Fab lemon yellow wine with fragrant white flowers – jasmine, lemon blossom on nose. The wine itself was fresh. Lots of tropical fruits ending with a great zing of bitter lemons. Good crisp acidity and a great length for a Vermentino. Would be lovely served with seafood, it’s natural partner. Overall, great wine for the price. Voted by tasters as the best white wine of the evening.

Rosegola 2008

Sangiovese Syrah and Merlot mix. Clean cork. Clear clear clean exuberant crimson wine. One of the freshest rosés I have ever tasted. Redcurrants, strawberries, nectarines. Complexity was fabulous with the delicate, fruity start, a middle of intermingled three grape varieties all in one mouthful, ending with a fabulous spicy, tingling finish. The length was just a little short but the freshness of the wine made up for this. This wine is perfect to drink on a summer’s afternoon with some chicken salad or grilled meat, sausages or just with some salumi. Interesting to note that after 3 hours, this wine was re tasted and was just tired and had lost all it’s fabulous properties. As per all rosé wines, the tasters were mixed about this bottle but I suspect that if I had served this on a warm summer’s evening, in an ice bucket with some grilled chicken overlooking the Tuscan hills, the verdict would be very very different

Lauro 2008

dsc01088-3-2.jpg 50% Chradonnay 50% Viognier. First impression… rather unprofessional with the label overwritten… 2008 from the original label that read 2006 in black pen! The cork was clean. A slight pinkish tinge to the straw coloured wine. It almost seemed a little oxidised and a little tired. Floral notes were more accented in this wine, with more viognier characteristics coming through over the chardonnay and oak. The matrimony of the chardonnay and viogier were not quite balanced. The finish was disappointing. Both bottles were opened and both displayed same characteristics. I would like to re-taste this wine as I do believe this wine could be better!

Vallino (della conche) 2005

Montescudaio DOC Cabernet Sauvignon. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon 10% Sangiovese 5% Syrah. Clean cork. A luscious ruby red. Black berries and black cherries on the nose. A nice fat juicy number. Beautifully balanced with lots and lots of luscious ripe plums, leather, rounded tannins and a hint of chocolate. A little farmyard like but this is typical of sangiovese which this wine has 10%. It is NOT a negative but shows true Italian style. The spice notes at the end were delicious. Black pepper galore. Ever so slightly disappointing on the finish with a rather short length but the wine itself made up for this well priced Super Tuscan. Drinks very well and is an ‘easy to please’ wine. Would match roast beef or lamb, pasta with a rich, hearty ragu and possibly some good mature cheeses. This wine from “the hollows” or “the valley” was well enjoyed by the tasters, however with big brothers Beloro and La Regola there was better to come.

Beloro 2005

Montescudaio DOC Sangiovese. Solo Sangiovese (100%). The cork was fragrant, having absorbed the nuances of this bottle of wine. Legs. Torpente coloured wine with a nose that was powerfully enticing over the little farmyard-ness that is so typical of the sangiovese grape. An extremely complex and balanced wine with all the characteristics you would be expecting! Mulberries, blackberries, prunes, spice, tobacco and a little leather. Ripe fruit and nice big tannins with a numbing szechuan peppercorn and minty finish. Good long length. A lot more years to go on this wine. Fab bottle and was the best of the lot! A big Wagyu steak and some really smelly ripe cheeses would go well with this wine. Tasted even better over the evening, concluding that this wine needs to breathe and should be opened for at least an hour or more before drinking. The tasters voted Beloro as the best red wine of the evening.

La Regola 2005

Montescudaio DOC Cabernet Franc. 85% Cabernet Franc 10% Merlot 5% Petit Verdot. Again a great nose on the cork. Cherries, plums, some blackberries but subdued. Green peppers and then some smoky cigars and leather coming through. An interesting wine with great tannins. Balanced rounded wine with peppery spicy finish. The feeling was that this big wine still needs time. In a few years, it would be interesting to see it’s evolvement.

La Regola Extra Virgin Olive oil 2009

dsc01021.jpg Leccino, Moraiolo, Frantoio Olives. A lovely fresh greeny yellow transparent colour. Dense, viscous and intensely nutty but fragrant nose with a hints of artichoke. La Regola’s rich thick texture is dominant, carrying lengthy under ripe fruit and extremely spicy but short finish. Perfectly matched with simple foods such as fresh green salad, over grilled meats or just to spice up some mozarella. Lots of bitter polypenols filled with antioxidants. Probably low Oleic acid content.

Acknowledgements

I would like to sincerely thank La Regola for generously providing the wines and olive oil for the tasting.

Podere La Regola Soc. Agricola Semplice

Owners : Luca and Flavio Nuti

Head office: Via A.Gramsci, 1 56046 Riparbella (PI) ITALY

tel. +39 0586 698145 fax + 39 0586 696833

Email: info@laregola.com

 

Month of Wine-ing

Wines, wines, wines… work, no song and definitely – NO women “of that sort” -anyway. It’s been a interesting few weeks.

The tastings started with an exquisite surprise. Akemi lovingly brought a bottle of prize winning handmade Gewuztraminer all the way back from Hokkaido.

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The little treasure was pulled out of her bag of magic as she geisha-ed into the restaurant. This delicate japanese number proved it’s weight in gold. Lychees, mangoes and all thoughts “Gewuzie” were in this powerful Traminer yet so subtle and balanced. Delicious.

Wines of Argentina tasting. A day scouring through bottles of sparkling, white, red and a couple of interesting puddings. Torrontes and Malbec galore and then…. an “Amarone styled” made by a fine maker with certainly creative flair. The coffee man stationed in the foyer is still one of London’s best, serving REAL cappucinos and lattes with beautifully poured designer froth. The Empanades at this event are legendary.