Friends of mine will know that Hedonist Shiraz (the 2010 is currently £12.99 Waitrose) is one of my favourite Australian Shiraz's for making the occasion out of the wine... At 14% abv it packs a punch, but though there is a warming alcohol feel, it's definitely a balanced wine. There's good acidity, well integrated tannins, and a big parcel of super ripe black fruit. Balanced by new American oak, which adds a creamy texture and hints of vanilla and liquorice, we paired this with a tomato based prawn pasta. There was a fair amount of chilli heat & also some sweetness from the peas and prawns, not to mention the tomato umami. Perhaps a little unfair to any wine, it did somewhat flatten the fruit and add to the alcohol burn, but nevertheless, we enjoyed the rest of the bottle after dinner.
In case you are thinking I'm drinking a bit too much these days, I'm studying for a tasting exam with WSET and as well as the theory, In just 1 week, I'll have to write detailed tasting notes and correctly identify wine, region and price tag. These wines can come from anywhere and given I didn't correctly identify a Shiraz on the first blind tasting, it's fair to say I'm in need of the practice. Blind tasting is fun, but even the experts can get it horribly wrong sometimes, and for all kinds of reasons. And the more you taste, the better your chances.
In addition, I went home to Scotland for the weekend so sent a delivery from The Wine Society. I apologise that these wines aren't available at your local supermarket, but most of them are outstanding examples so I did want to include them. It also meant we shared more bottles and you might see some input from my family.
In addition, I went home to Scotland for the weekend so sent a delivery from The Wine Society. I apologise that these wines aren't available at your local supermarket, but most of them are outstanding examples so I did want to include them. It also meant we shared more bottles and you might see some input from my family.
The Wine Society's Exhibition Riesling £11.95 (2011) from Alsace packs a punch for a white at 12.5% abv turned out to be a surprise hit for Mamma Purple Teeth. As someone who did not have a high opinion of Riesling based on dodgy cheap German versions in the 1980s, she looked unconvinced when I suggested uncorking this with our fish dinner. We drunk this mostly after dinner, which was ideal. It washed away all hints of oiliness with such a refreshing high acidity. It was literally mouth-wateringly juicy. Mamma hinted at flavours of pear while I found red apple and grapefruit. This was truly delicious and will be on the shopping list again. Riesling is fast becoming Purple Teeth's white favourite. Why don't you give it a try if you feel like something refreshing and juicy.
This 2009 Ravenswood Old Vines Zinfandel is 14.5% from Lodi which is California's prime location for this grape. I simply cannot believe that this is £8.95. It was a total hit with the Purple Grape Scottish division and is one I've bought many times before and will definitely buy again. Sadly, it does sell out. There is a decent Vintners' Blend version for sale at £9.95 in Waitrose, though I haven't bought it recently so cannot vouch for it's similarity.
This one was voted number 1 by Mamma, based on it's full and elegant body, chocolaty and nutmeg long finish and velvety smooth tannin structure. Ironically it was the cheapest wine of the week. It's got lots of lovely black fruit flavours - and it worked as a perfect pairing to a delicious and traditional Scottish Steak Pie meal.
This one was voted number 1 by Mamma, based on it's full and elegant body, chocolaty and nutmeg long finish and velvety smooth tannin structure. Ironically it was the cheapest wine of the week. It's got lots of lovely black fruit flavours - and it worked as a perfect pairing to a delicious and traditional Scottish Steak Pie meal.
The Society's Exhibition Rioja Reserva (2006) £12.50 at 13.5% abv is an elegant version that's spent at least a year in oak. The website suggested decanting, but I'd managed to overlook this fact. This meant the first tastes showed the need for air - so lots of swirling went on and the wine opened up to reveal a medium bodied gem, with ripe red fruit and vanilla oak flavours. I think this one will improve a lot in the bottle if stored correctly, but nevertheless, it's elegance showed clearly as soon as we opened my Uncle's bottle of Faustino VII to follow. While the Faustino is a lovely fruity wine, and we'd really have enjoyed it had it been our first tipple, it showed as a much less complex wine, mainly focussed on red fruit. Two bottles of Rioja between 4 on a Sunday afternoon was my kind of family fun. And that was before dinner. I don't condone binge drinking, but honestly speaking, that's what we did this weekend. It was a holiday, I suppose!
The Society's Exhibition Gewurztaminer (Alsace 2009) £13.50 at 14% abv is a fairly hefty white wine. Alsace is the home of this grape, and nowhere else does it express as fully the joy of lychee, rose, and passion fruit - a floral, aromatic and fruity paradise. It's exotic and a dry version (it can be off-dry or even sweet) and has fairly low acidity. It may be a cliche, but I really enjoyed it with Chinese food, as did Mamma Purple Teeth. I don't think she was as blown away by it as by the Riesling, but following on from those 2 bottles of Rioja, it wasn't perhaps given the fairest tasting. Oops! What an end to the week.
So, as wine weeks go, I think the preparation for my WSET Advanced exam on 22nd November is about as well advanced as it could be - at least at the practical level. Still a LOT of studying to do on the theory, though. I do hope you'll try some or all of these wines. There's such a lot of styles here, I'm sure you'll find something you enjoy.
So, as wine weeks go, I think the preparation for my WSET Advanced exam on 22nd November is about as well advanced as it could be - at least at the practical level. Still a LOT of studying to do on the theory, though. I do hope you'll try some or all of these wines. There's such a lot of styles here, I'm sure you'll find something you enjoy.
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