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Ice, Lava & Vikings

1/2/2013

It's been a little quiet on the wine front at Purple Teeth HQ, mainly because I've been spending time in Iceland, a country that's as far from the wine producing regions as any. I enjoyed a few South American imports at the wonderful Hotel Ranga where I stayed for a couple of nights. Those of note were Morandé Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, from Chile's Rapel Valley which served as a delicious dessert in a glass, two nights in a row, and a Punto Final Malbec from Mendoza which happily accompanied a very rare fillet of beef. Both can be found from online UK suppliers by following the links above. It's a shame they had to go all the way to South America for wine when Iceland is 64 degrees north of the equator, but I guess wine miles know no bounds when it comes to the restaurant trade. Luckily the hotel's cuisine is a lot more locally sourced. The service was excellent, and it's just a shame that the Northern Lights didn't show up to make the trip complete. I'd heartily recommend this hotel if you decide to head north, despite the snowdrifting blizzards on the main ring road from Keflavik airport.
The Malbec was rich, dark, almost as black as it's label and with an almost melted chocolate texture and richness. The sticky wine retained the freshness and acidity of sauvignon blanc, but was sweetly flavoured with marmalade, quince and honey. Both are worth seeking out if you like South American wines and the retail prices seem very reasonable for the quality of the wine, and certainly when compared to Icelandic restaurant prices. It's not just the Arctic winds that made my eyes water over there!

Lava smoked imperial stout 9.4% abv. Is this Iceland's best beer?

Trying to soak up local flavour, I enjoyed a few beers from Iceland while there. I imagine that there's a lot more to offer for the serious beer drinker at that northern latitude. In Reykjavik, we visited MicroBar (which is attached to www.citycenterhotel.is) to enjoy some fine ales. It's location is just off the main square and though small, it's perfectly formed, featuring beers from the growing number of small microbreweries in Iceland with around 8 draught beers from small Icelandic breweries and a wide selection of local and international bottled beers. For the beer fan, you couldn't want for more. Guided by the helpful bartender, Steinn Stefánsson, I selected Lava, on the basis that he called it "undoubtedly Iceland's finest beer". As the bar is always branching out for rarer beers, and at least 25 of the beers it sells cannot be found elsewhere in Iceland, I felt happy to take his advice. It was then mentioned that the beer was 9.4% abv! That's nearly as strong as some wines, so fortunately it's sold in reasonably small glasses. It's a smoked imperial stout with 6 kinds of barley malt and one kind of wheat malt, made in the shadow of the active Hekla Volcano by Olvisholt Brugghus. The label supposedly resembles the sight of the relatively frequent eruptions as seen from the brewery. It's a full bodied beer with hints of chocolate but essentially a smoked malt flavour. If you're a stout fan, you'll love it. If not, I'd recommend something a little lighter.

When it comes to beer, I definitely am a stout fan and I also enjoyed the Viking Stout, which was a lot easier to drink in volume, at 5.8% abv. Viking Íslenskur Úrvals Stout, to give it it's full name, was the first stout produced in Iceland, and is made in the northern town of Arkureyri. It's got a lot less chocolate flavour than the Lava stout, but just as much malty goodness, with hints of espresso.

My friend's beer of choice for the trip was also made by the same brewery as Lava. Skjálfti premium lager (pronounced a bit like Skelty) was more of a golden/amber beer than a lager as we know the term in the UK. Named after an earthquake, this beer had a good balance of flavour between malt and hops with a hint of sweetness. At 5% abv it was a lot more food friendly and with a hint of citrus on the palate, it matched well with the fish dishes we consumed plenty of on the trip.
In Microbar, she enjoyed a Kaldi which Steinn indicated was the closest in style. Kaldi is an Icelandic beer from another microbrewery, brewed to a Czech recipe, under the supervision of a Czech brewmaster. The beer has no added sugar or any preservatives, and is not pasteurized.
Iceland's beer scene is definitely on the up.

I'll be back with plenty of wine stories next week, after a social tasting evening I'm running this weekend. Meanwhile, here are some shots of Icelandic scenery to put you in the mood for a visit to try these beers.

Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik & sunrise at Hotel Ranga (above) Geysir, Gullfoss, SkogaFoss (below) - all photos are mine taken via iphone

Sicily's Finest?

26/1/2013

Let's start by saying, I've never been to Sicily. My knowledge of the place is pretty much limited to what I learned from 1989 multi Oscar winning movie "Cinema Paradiso", and there wasn't much fine wine drunk in that. I know, I've watched it more than 20 times (and cried every time!)
I'd love to go, and I've often said, "This year, we'll go to Sicily". But for one reason and another, I've never made it. Maybe 2013 will be the year.
I'll continue by saying I'm not exactly a regular shopper at Tesco as my nearest one is some 6 miles away and the kind of megastore that means popping in for a loaf of bread takes about 2 hours and coming home with a new flat screen TV and enough provisions for a journey to the Arctic.
Yet, fate conspired to bring two Tesco "Finest" wines from Sicily to my table this week so I thought I'd bring them to you. It's unlikely they're the finest Sicily has to offer but until I go there and sample more, we'll have to take Tesco's word for it.

12.5% abv £6.99 from Tesco

First up was a Vermentino, not a grape I've encountered very frequently, but seems to making a name for itself right now. It's a bone dry wine, fresh, crisp with flavours of grapefruit and white peach. There may be a hint of white pepper in there too, but perhaps the minerality is what struck me the most - a kind of flinty sensation tinged with pine nut. We teamed it with a simple white fish meal, and it worked well, and being very drinkable, we noticed it ran out much faster than we'd have liked. Perhaps this is down to the 12.5% alcohol level making it much easier to slurp than some of the heavyweight 14.5% numbers that have been frequenting Purple Teeth HQ lately.
Vermentino is worth having a bottle of in the fridge as it can work quite well with hard to pair foods such as artichoke, pesto, tomato and herby salads. You might encounter it under it's French name Rolle. Though there are a ton of other aliases this grape goes under, most stores now have a Vermentino in stock. It's true "finest" home is most likely Sardinia, with it's own DOC "Vermentino de Sardegna". Nevertheless, at £6.99, there's much to commend starting with this one and working your way around the numerous Mediterranean examples should you take a shine to it.

13.5% abv £6.99 from Tesco

Next up was Nero D'Avola which is an indigenous grape to Sicily and this Tesco Finest example was my first tasting of the grape several years ago. It's such a bargain that I've come back to it time after time and I've even had success in converting a "white wine only" drinker onto this one. If that doesn't convince you, perhaps it'll be by the way this teams nicely with tomato sauce based pasta dishes which are notoriously difficult to match, even with more famous Italian reds such as Chianti.
The wine is medium to light bodied for a red, despite having a dark colour. It's as fruit forward as an Australian Shiraz with lots of flavour of black cherry and black currant, but a little less mouth filling.
You'll struggle to find a cheaper Nero D'Avola out there that's anywhere near as good as this. Many stores only have examples in the £10+ price range, while this is currently on offer at tescowine.com for £6 a bottle (if you buy 6) and regularly falls into the in-store discounted offers on the Finest range such as 2 for £12. You may also find this grape blended with other indigenous Sicilian grapes like Frappato, but to my taste, this one works well on it's on. I hope you'll enjoy it too!

In other news, readers of my "Hungary for something different" blog post last week will be surprised to hear that this week I found The Half Moon pub in Putney is selling Quercus Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc) from Slovenia. It's not the exact wine I tasted in Hungary but one of the single varietals Quercus now seem to be focussing on. In the interests of research, I sampled a glass while enjoying live music from Ezio, one of my favourite live bands, and I definitely approve. There's the hint of oak which defines the Quercus brand, light acidity, and it's neutral enough to get along with food or to drink on it's own. I've only had Pinot Blanc from Alsace before so it was nice to taste an equally elegant example. The Half Moon's wine list is well selected by a Master of Wine and also includes a very reasonably priced Sicilian Nero D'Avola. I'm left wishing I lived a bit nearer, and that more pubs took such care with their wine lists.
My next travel destination is Iceland. Please don't expect me to report back on undiscovered wine gems from there...
Cheers!

Not so Misérables any more...

22/1/2013

I've just welcomed Mr Purple Teeth back from his skiing holiday which followed directly my trip to Budapest. It's still January, that month when we pretend to be healthy. Our first date back together was seeing Les Misérables. We resisted the popcorn. Some serious cheering up was needed.
The wine rack yielded a gem that's lain gathering dust for a few months: Peter Lehmann's Moppa Shiraz from 2008. It's available from Tesco in store for around £15 a bottle - a little more than we'd usually spend for a Sunday night, but sometimes love knows no bounds.
Australia's Barossa Valley, where this wine is from, is probably the spiritual home of Shiraz, and is home to some of the oldest Shiraz vines around. This patch around 60km north east of Adelaide is home to Australia's most famous (and most expensive?) wine, Penfold's Grange, and produces reds with great aging potential, as well as a number of high quality whites, including Eden Valley Rieslings.
The Moppa is named after a small area in the northwest of the valley where two families have vineyards which produce the fruit for this wine. In fact, 98% of Peter Lehmann's wines are produced from grapes grown by independent family businesses, as he only grows 2% of his own grapes.

There is a special offer on at Tesco wine online right now and as an indication of how good this wine was, I've just ordered another 6 bottles gaining a 25% discount and bringing it in at equivalent of £12.96 a bottle. In fact, all of Tesco's Australian fine wine has a 25% discount, currently, to help you celebrate Australia day this coming weekend. What better reason for stocking up on some favourites from Penfolds, D'Arenberg or Yalumba if not the Peter Lehmann? They'll deliver next day free on any order over £50.

So what does it taste like? This is a powerful wine. It's 14.5% alcohol, yet it feels incredibly balanced, and velvety smooth. It's full of rich, ripe dark fruits, plums, blackberries and also has some liquorice, the expected spiciness but also some vanilla or mocha tones. This wine can be enjoyed with a good steak but is also perfectly fine to drink stand alone as long as you love full and long flavours. The tannins are well integrated, and it's starting to show some flavours from it's age, which will develop further: smoke, leather, cigar box. It's a fine wine, and it has a screw cap, but the producer anticipates it will age well in bottle for another 5 years. I seriously doubt any of mine will last that long.

If you like your red wines, light, fresh and strawberry, this isn't the wine for you. But if you like them big and bold then grab a bottle and climb right in. You'll feel less like Jean Valjean and more like royalty. The purple teeth rating is 11/10. Even after a double brushing my tongue was still stained blue. Do not drink a glass of this before going out!
It's a wine that makes you selfish, you won't want to share it, and when it's done, you'll want to lick the label to get those last remaining drops that came down the outside of the bottle. Oh? That's just me?

With Australia day on Saturday 26th of January, I can think of no better reason for opening the bottle of Peter Lehmann's Stonewell Shiraz that I've been saving. Watch this space...
Cheers!

Hungary for something different?

21/1/2013

One of the perks of my dancing life has been meeting people from all over Europe. And knowing that I'm a wine fan has meant they've helped me sample their local wares, such as the bottle pictured here, brought by a Hungarian friend to help celebrate the New Year. I'd tell you about it, except, there's not much I remember about that evening (apart from an American dance teacher of Hungarian extraction finishing the wine at 5am straight from the bottle).
Luckily my trip to Budapest was just few days later and I was able to sample a whole selection of delights from Hungary and the Balkans.
Hungarian wine doesn't feature prominently on the shelves of UK licensed premises. I have featured Hilltop Estate's organic Gewurztraminer in one of my first blog posts and I know that a few of my readers drink and enjoy it. Sadly, the rumours in Budapest are that Hilltop has lost it's contract to supply some of the UK multiples, and this is very bad news as they haven't marketed internally to Hungary. I sincerely hope we'll continue to see this on our shelves, but in case not, I'll be stocking up!
Aside from this, our knowledge of Hungary seems limited to dessert wines, with the Tokaji Aszu being around the only certainty from Hungary at most retailers. The Wine Society and Waitrose wine online have a few dry Hungarians on their shelves but really only at the lower price points, while in other retailers, there is virtually nothing aside from the odd Furmint that turns up here and there. I failed to find a mainstream stockist of Bull's Blood - reputedly Hungary's most famous red. The Tokaji is a good place to build a reputation for fine wine and I'll review one later this year, but with so many unique grape varieties, make sure you explore Hungarian wines if you get a chance.

On arrival in Budapest, my hostess was kind enough to open a couple of her local favourites which I can't imagine every getting the chance to try any other way.
Ezerjó is an indigenous Hungarian grape variety which produces light and refreshing wines, as well as being suitable for producing sweet wines.

We moved swiftly onto a white, sparkling based on Zala Gyöngye from the Mátra region which is about 80km north of Budafest and the second biggest wine region in the country. I think its the first time I ever had a sparkling wine from a screw cap bottle, so this clearly is not wine intended for keeping. It was lightly sparkling, less than many mineral waters, and probably had been carbonated after production rather than using any traditional sparkling method. Still, it was refreshing and drinkable with a hint of muscat aromatics. I'd had a glass of Irsai Oliver in a wine bar earlier with a really strong flavour of Elderflower. I'm sure that could be a popular choice on a (rare) British summer's day, and I'll be interested in the feedback of my hosts on the Chapel Down Bacchus I took them to represent England's wine output. I will look out for Irsai Oliver in future as it's something very distinctive.

Moving onto red, I was treated to a bottle of AMERLOT produced by Hungarian wine maker Szőke Mátyás also from the Mátra region for the first time in 2009. I was unsurprised to find it was made of merlot but I was less prepared to be impressed by it. It's a long time since I drunk Merlot on a regular basis and I longer time since I tasted one as good as this. Smooth, full-bodied, ripe and velvety, but with a lot more oomph than many merlots. It's harvested quite late giving full ripe flavours, 14% alcohol, and was juicy enough for a self-confessed non wine drinker to take a second glass. Didn't they know that it was meant for me?

My host has some connections in the wine trade and was lucky enough to secure us some tickets to a tasting event on my second day in Budapest. Hungarian wines featured, and we also sampled the wares of other neighbouring countries. I have to confess here, that my plan to take a photo of each bottle went slightly awry as I progressed through the tasting. My memory isn't what it used to be. So here's a snap of the line up of 6 bottles we got through. The tasting was organised by a group called Borjour (Bor being Hungarian for wine) and held in a cute wine bar called Vinorium Borhaz. Borjour is worth checking if you're going to be in Budapest since they organise tastings like this one every week for up to 40 people as well as occasional larger events. I didn't hear much English being spoken, but the web-site is in English so I'm sure you'd be well looked after, and at a cost of around 3000Ft (approx 10€) you'll certainly get your money's worth.

The first wine was Quercus Cuvée Beli (2008) from Slovenia. I didn't even know Slovenia produced wine! We also sampled their Quercus Cuvée Rdeči 2009 later in the evening. Apparently, Quercus means 'oak', with at least a small percentage of all of their wines going into wooden barrels.. Sadly, neither of the wines sampled appears on the website of the producer: the Wine Cellar Goriška Brda. The red and white were both decent enough, but it would seem production has been superseded by pure varietal wines.
Moving onto the Hungarian wines sampled, first up was Dobosi Kéknyelű (an indigenous and rather rare grape) from Balaton-felvidek or Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Hungary. This was a simple, crisp and organic white which retails for under $8 a bottle and is a little hard to describe. Rather more unusual was the Pastor Siller 2012 from Szeksard. I've never come across the concept of Siller before, but it's kind of somewhere between rosé and red. Kadarka, Kékfrankos, Zweigelt grapes are crushed and skins left in contact for around 48 hours, giving a deeper colour than a for a rosé, and a nice deep flavour, but without any of the tannin. I'd imagine this would be pleasant on a summer's evening, or for people who're not convinced they'll like red wines. At around 6€ a bottle, it's certainly easy drinking.

The presenters surely made some mistake in the order of presentation of the two final wines. Telish Merlot & Mavrud from Bulgaria came last. It was probably a decent wine, and certainly better than any of my previous tastings of Bulgarian wine. Sadly, it paled into insignificance because it followed the DiBonis DiShiraz Cuvée.
Wow! This wine was from Serbia. Who knew they even made wine in Serbia? I certainly had no idea, nor could I have known that this wine would be such a winner. The 5 other people at my table were unanimous. We wanted more of this rich, deep, plum, oaked beauty. Full bodied and full flavoured, we were sadly left wanting more as the wine bar actually ran out, such was the demand! It was probably just as well, as my dance festival started that evening and shiraz and spinning are not best friends. I did feel a longing that I ought to have bought a bottle or two, and even more so now that I've found this wine is not available in the UK. The winery was founded in 2008 and features a range of international varietal wines from Riesling and Chardonnay to Cabernet Franc and Merlot. They also make an Icewine and a range of fruit based spirits which have won awards. I hope we'll be hearing more from them soon. And if you're ever in Serbia, they are open for tourism with a tast

Only in Hungary would a wine tasting finish with a shot of vodka! Still that wasn't quite as surreal as what happened next...

Nothing could have prepared me for being serenaded to the strains of Robert Burns' Auld Lang Syne in a Hungarian wine bar, while drinking Serbian Shiraz.

Life can be strange and wonderful...

Hungary for a change? Probably the best selection of Hungarian wines in the UK including a Siller, comes from the Hungarian Wine House.

A Wine Drinker's (V)odyssey...

19/1/2013

This photo appeared in my news feed the other day and inspired me to write this article. Yes, this may be predominantly a wine blog, but the picture combines two recent experiences: Vodka and Dancing!
Aside from wine, my main passion in life is West Coast Swing Dancing. If you don't know what that is, then take a look at the clip below. I hope that at least one reader will give it a try as my new year's resolution is to get a non-dancer to take up partner dancing.

For a less comedy version of the dance, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLzfg6r3xUw
While I've been taking time out from my corporate career to study and write about wine, I've taken full advantage of every chance to dance possible, and this has led me to travel to France, Warsaw and Budapest, and to make friends from as far afield as Massachusetts, Montpellier, Moscow, and Minsk. As a wine drinker, I've noticed that I'm in the minority at the international dance events and Vodka wins hands down every time. So I thought I'd share some of my recent experiences with you, just in case you fancy a change from the grape in favour of the grain...

The origin of the species "Purple Teeth: vodka drinker" was the Mad Dog. I have no idea who invented it, whether it's a recognised cocktail, or if the name is a direct translation from Polish. What I do know is that I love it! Sure, you're not going to drink these all night, but the first taste was just the right thing at the right time. Coming off the floor from a competition, stressed, sore throat and thirsty I was handed the Mad Dog. And suddenly the world was saved. A fruity and warming shot removed all worries about placements, points and judges. Regular readers will remember my chili obsession and this drink plays right into it. To make:

Take one shot glass: fill 1/3 with raspberry cordial/syrup (if not available, I'm sure Ribena would be an adequate substitute)
Next top up with premium Polish vodka - an unflavoured variety. My providers use Zubrowka Biala, which sits nicely on top of the fruity element.
Finally add several drops of good old Tabasco. This should sink down to the bottom.

The drinking technique was a sip then a down in one. There is the lovely sweetness from the fruit cordial and finally the warming sensation of alcohol and chili. And then the feeling that all is right with the world...
Na zdrowie!

Photo courtesy of Piotr Lenart

Next on the hit list was Zubrowka, the Bison Grass vodka. I discovered it in Warsaw, where I was doing my best to avoid complete annihilation by sticking to (not very nice) wine. Everyone else was intent on going down in flames and this was the drink of choice. It's got a slightly green tinge and is now widely available in the UK. In Warsaw this was served as a shot, straight from the deep freeze where it had become an almost opaque colour and looked a bit like a slushy. Alternatively,it's served as a long drink with apple juice, which complements the cinammon flavours of the bison grass. This vodka is made from rye, using water from one of Poland's deepest wells, and the Bison Grass flavour is infused in a process similar to cold extraction for extra virgin olive oil. For the full details, you can visit their web site http://www.zubrowka.com, where hopefully the elevator music won't be too off putting. Or, you could just try drinking it. Bottles are under £20 in most supermarkets.

At my most recent event, in Budapest, I suffered a couple of incidents which left me screaming for a drink. I'm not proud of this, but when your knee smashes into the floor 5 minutes before a semi final, and a Finnish chap is dropped on your head by a Ukrainian, I feel there is some justification in reaching for the bottle. Good fortune is my friend, as is Mr Smile, who is never seen without a Polish lady on his arm, or a Polish bottle in his dance shoe bag. I tried two delights courtesy of him which I'd have had no chance of sampling otherwise. They're not what you'd call readily available, but they are worth seeking out, and there is always http://www.thepolishvodkacompany.co.uk where these and many more varieties can be purchased online.
It's fair to say that our memories are a little hazy at this point after 4 nights with almost no sleep, so there's a bit of debate on what these vodka gems really were. Best guesses, however, point to the first one being Wodka Zoladkowa Gorzka (Miodowka) which is a herb infused vodka with a little honey, giving it a caramel/toffee overtone. The colour is reminiscent of maple syrup and I'm fairly certain that's what I had, even though my companions tell me it was hazelnut flavoured Soplica: Orzech Laskowy.
Stories differ on the second also. Miss Poland advised me that I was drinking raspberry flavour, making it the Soplica Malinowa. Mr Smile, however is adamant that it was his favourite cherry version (wisniowa). In any case, it was fruity, sweet, red in colour, and soothing to the soul when drunk neat. Why not give them both a try? Soplica has been around for 120 years and is still adding new flavours to the portfolio, with Quince (pigwowa) being the latest addition.

We've been awake 24 hours, and dragging suitcases a mile or so to nearest bus stop - we could look better!

Leaving Budapest was a challenge, and not just because of the wonderful dancing we had there. The hotel was run by staff who'd clearly trained at Basil Fawlty's school of hospitality. At 8.30am Monday morning, leaving the dance floor (yes, we really had been up for 24 hours), they advised us that no taxis or other means of transport would come to the hotel and so for those of us with flights to catch the recommendation was to walk to the nearest... At this point, I was glad I had had a few tipples to take the edge off! It is reassuring to know it's not just UK plc that shuts down at the first flurry of snow... When we got to the bus stop, there was no bus, but by ignoring all of my mother's advice I accepted a lift from a group of strange men in a pick up truck!
Still, we hadn't had enough of dancing and by the time we got to Liszt Ferenc Airport, we ended up dancing in the check in hall till the police came to move us along. And this without the aid of any more alcohol...

On returning to Blighty I opened my long sealed spirits archive to find 3 flavours of Absolut vodka (Swedish): vanilla, citron and raspberri . Purely for the purposes of research and entirely for your benefit, dear readers, I sampled these. While certainly drinkable, they lacked the flavour integration and intensity required for drinking neat, which the Polish versions provided. So, I'll be reserving them for use in cocktails - the reason they were originally purchased. Skol!

Now, would it be wrong of me to add a trip to the Russian Open Championships just to continue my research?

When we eventually got to the airport, we just got over the snow trauma and 2 hour flight delays by going for a dance! Featuring dancers from UK, France, Switzerland, Russia and Israel, wouldn't the world be a better place if we all danced?

January Cut-Backs...

17/1/2013

You might be wondering why there's been little getting reviewed here at Purple Teeth in the month of January. Or, like most people in the UK, you might be avoiding all things related to booze and not have taken the slightest note. It's not that I've been cutting down, despite all my good intentions to lose weight (along with 90% of other residents of the Western world), and it's not even that I'm not at wine school any more. In fact, it's more to do with the fact that I've been dancing and traveling a lot. The state of what's offered as wine by the glass in hotels is a topic for another day. Suffice to say, most of it has been drunk out of necessity and it's been enough to drive me to drink... vodka, but more of that later... Californian Chardonnay blended with Pinot Grigio? Hungarian Cabernet Sauvignon? It's not easy being me!
This week, I've drunk some of the soothing and velvety Pinot Noir from Hahn Family Vineyards in California. As I've already reviewed this back in November, there seems little to add except, it's just as smooth and delicious now as it was then with perhaps a bit more obvious strawberry jam.

13.7% Alcohol, and a bargain at £6.99. Be an Angel!

I also opened another bottle from my Naked stash.

F. Stephen Miller Angel's Reserve Viognier. My reason for opening a crisp white on one of the coldest days of the winter was simple, and it's not just the screwcap. After a spicy chinese prawn noodle dish, and on the brink of a head cold, there was no point opening up anything pricey. At £6.99 (Angel price) this was definitely the cheapest bottle in my fridge, making it a prime candidate.
When placing my order with Naked, I was certainly influenced by the fact that this comes from Lodi in California's Central Valley, and perhaps drinking two Californian wines within a few days indicates my desire to go back to Californian wine country for a while?

Readers with good memories will know that I'm a huge fan of Old Vine Zinfandels from Lodi and as I'd never had a white from there, I was intrigued to see what the warm Californian sun would produce. Lodi is self-proclaimed Zinfandel Capital of the World, as well as being the town where pioneering wine producer Robert Mondavi grew up, so there are high expectations, despite this being white.
My ability to write a decent tasting note is definitely being hampered by my current addiction to Vicks' First Defence - which has almost certainly cost me 50% of the white wine blind tasting score on my recent WSET tasting exam. But stuffy noses and reduced senses of smell aside, this is a very pleasant wine, which cuts through all of that, including the noodle aftertaste to pack a bit of a punch.
Ripe, juicy, fruity flavours brim from the glass and this is balanced by a subtle layer of aromatic, florals. I'm imagining sipping this in the back garden with the sun on my face, a good book in hand, and a liberal coating of SPF30 all over. Would I pick it out as Viognier? Unlikely given that my experience of this grape has mostly been limited to French Condrieu. The irony is that my last taste of the grape was a French Chateau Grillet which could have easily passed for an oaked Californian Chardonnay. Wine, eh?!
As it warms in the glass there's a real sensation of biting into a super-ripe pear. The sticky juice that quirts out and runs down your face is exactly what I taste, and if your senses are in full working order, I'm sure you'll get lots more out of this. Although it's got that juicy feeling along with some citrus flavours, it's pretty low in acidity, making it easy to drink, without reaching for the Gaviscon later. Give it a try. Though you might want to save it till there's not a red weather warning for 20cm of snow!
Diet starts tomorrow...

How much is your wine worth?

16/1/2013

With around £2 minimum tax per bottle in the UK, there's no such thing as a $3 bottle. And other costs mean the £4.99 bottle many of us buy contains <£1 worth of wine, ex-vineyard. But can you tell the difference?

Reading this article in the Huffington Post raises serious questions for any wine buff. If the majority of drinkers prefer a $3 bottle to a $65 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, is it really worth spending money on wine?

In truth, the answer is, "it's up to you". Here at Purple Teeth we tend to feature wines between £8-15 because this is the price point which stretches the average consumer but doesn't take your "at home bottle" to a price above what you'd pay for a bar/restaurant bottle. I believe you can taste the difference, if you know what 're looking for. And the flaw in the Huff Post's article is choosing a wine like Cabernet Sauvignon to demonstrate the point. A great Cabernet will take years to develop and open up, while a simple blend made for drinking now will be much more accessible. But they'll both get you drunk, and if that's what you're after then be my guest!
So what should you be looking for if you want to identify fine wine as opposed to wine that's fine...

Flavour Complexity: Does it taste of "red wine" or "white wine"? Does it have a one dimensional flavour eg apples or strawberries? Or, do you taste many different levels of flavour? Perhaps you taste things that show the wine's been aged (eg leather) or that show oak has been used in the wine making (eg vanilla)?
Balance: Is there a dominant aspect eg high alcohol, harsh tannins, high acidity which overrides the rest of the experience of drinking the wine? Fine wines will tend to be made to show real integration of flavours and structure to create a balanced glass that's a pleasure to drink. Even so, there are easy-drinking, lower cost wines which are pleasantly balanced.
Length of Finish: That's wine snob terminology for how long you can taste the wine for after you've swallowed it. When you drink really fine wines, you can taste the complex flavours for over a minute without taking another sip. That's great if you like the flavour, less so if you don't.

It's personal choice, and there's no right or wrong. If you prefer the £4.99 bottle, then drink it and enjoy, but know that you're spending almost 60% of that on tax. In a £10 bottle, for twice the spend you're getting 4 times the wine value. Why not give it a try? You'll find us limiting our reviews of bottles over £20 because we don't drink them very often, but when we do, we certainly taste the difference!

Sketch: A Purple Teeth Portrait

7/1/2013

It had been over 6 years since I visited Pierre Gagnaire's fanciful Lecture Room at Sketch London. Recently awarded a second Michelin star, we thought it was time to give it another try as a pre-Christmas treat and get-together with friends.
Sketch has a wine list with more accolades than you can shake a stick at, and even for myself with a decent knowledge of wines, it was quite daunting. Perhaps the sheer depth of a list, the weightiness of a tome is designed to make us regular wine drinkers feel inadequate? I'm all for choice, but it would take more time to read the entire list than to eat the 6 course tasting menu, so my recommendation to prospective guests is to start with an idea of your budget and tastes, then let the sommelier guide you. Alternatively, try to get a copy of the wine list emailed to you in advance so you can take your time, enjoy it and make a rough selection to discuss with the sommelier.
Sadly, I bring this recommendation to you at the expense of my own experience. To match with a 6 course tasting menu is a challenge for any wine, or even 2-3 wines. As a party of 4 with somewhat differing tastes in wines, we opted for the wine pairing selection, providing 6 wines to match the 6 main dishes on the menu. At the same price as the food (£95) I'm sure that your party could gain better value by selecting a wise bottle or two. Spending over £400 on wine, we experienced some interesting and indeed inspired pairings, but left feeling neither tipsy nor that we'd had value for money on the wine front. The pours seemed somewhat stingy and not at all in keeping with the opulence of the surroundings or the punchiness of the food. Given we'd all enjoyed a cocktail or G&T or two pre-dinner, leaving the restaurant feeling completely sober was not a good sign!
While the plates look small, the flavours are immense and we felt that a pour which doesn't even reach the widest part of the glass left us without enough wine to savour with each dish. Rarely have I experienced a wine pairing where I've not had enough to sip whilst waiting for the next course, but in every case, we were left drinking water between courses.

It might sound churlish, but at £250 a head, we'd also prefer not to feel rushed. There was something "American" in style about the service as dishes where whisked away while other party members were still eating, and at one point, I was still eating dessert round one when dessert round two was brought and placed beside me. Not really what I expect from a restaurant of this standard, and yet when questioned, it seems to be their way. I must visit Paris again to see if that's how they're doing it there these days...

Onto the positives. The welcome, the reception, the greeting could not be friendlier. David, the Irish host, seem born for this job. All dietary requirements we'd indicated at the time of booking had been noted and taken into account, and the surroundings are nothing short of magnificent. Indeed, when calling to make the reservation, my phone number had clearly been stored in some kind of Customer Relationship Management system and I was greeted by my maiden name. Impressive, if a little spooky given I could hardly be described as a regular.
The food itself is astonishing. Never before have I eaten so many dishes where the flavours were so powerful, and so full of all the flavour groupings. It seemed like each dish was a study in combining sweet, salt, sour, bitter and umami. My impression was that sour is "flavour of the season" as this is the over-riding taste that took precedence in all dishes. My lemon-loving dining companion was delighted. Possibly, this was why we felt the need for more wine - the powerful forces needed to be quelled.
To be completely fair, the food was fantastic. Every dish was a conversation piece and all of the wines were delicious. Is it value for money? That's for you to decide. The food holds it own against other restaurants in it's category. The wines, less so despite the inclusion of some renowned, even cult hits. It's also a feast for the eyes, and the bars downstairs are among the top places to "be seen" in London. So, go. Experience it. But choose your own wine.

For the full run down on what we ate and drank, click "Read More" below.

Further Naked Adventures

6/1/2013

"I'm pleased to report that Naked came good on their promise of excellent customer service. Via Twitter and email they responded to my Tarantino-esque kitchen disaster with a credit on my account to the value of the bottle of i-Latina with the broken cork."

Boxing day. A no-man's land for food and wine. Either you're living on left-overs, or you're wondering what on else to eat. You either can't face wine, or you've got a large selection replenished by Christmas gifts... Here at Purple Teeth HQ, we decided to open the Humilitat Priorat. There was a plan for a cheese fest, and I was also looking for something to keep me amused during a movie. Priorat tends to be a rather overpriced wine region, but does turn out some greats. There are very few at a reasonable price point, and this one is £11.99 for Angels and £16.99 for everyone else. That's at the lower end of the Priorat market, sadly, as there are some fabulous wines turned out in that region. To my mind, this isn't one of them. It's perfectly drinkable, and has a good acid and tannin structure with decent body. It has spice, and dark fruit characters. It really ought to have been a hit in the Purple Teeth household, but Mr Purple Teeth went so far as to declare it was not to his taste and ceased to partake. This is pretty unheard of! We tried adding food, but I won't be buying this one again.
I can't quite work out what the missing link is. For my other half, I sense there may be too much liquorice in the spice, or perhaps the 14.5% alcohol is too obvious on the palate. Maybe it just needs a little longer to develop. It was pretty acceptable the next day, even without vacuum pump and stood up to a multi-cheese board. On the plus side, it has a screw cap!

Into the new year and thinking about diets, but only thinking. In Scotland, my native land, new year's resolutions etc don't really start until the Monday after the new year when everyone is back at work. That meant that today was the last possible day for enjoying a bottle with dinner before I traumatise myself by going back to weekend only drinking... And what a lucky break.
Popping the cork (without a bloodbath, I'm pleased to report) on this Minervois La Liviniere, I didn't know quite what to expect. I was rather spoiled for good Minervois during my time on the continent, and those I've bought in the UK have tended to leave me wanting. Fortunately, this was an extremely rewarding example, voluptuous, velvety, full of ripe black fruit and with the peppery spice we need and want in a syrah based wine. The 2010 is 14% abv and Naked Angels pay £8.99, or you can buy a bottle for £11.99 with no commitment.
After the first few sips, my cheeks gained their familiar florid glow, my cockles were warmed, and it was on my reorder list. This is the kind of wine that welcomes you home after a long walk on a sunny but chilly day. The wine notes on site say it'd match a Rogan Josh curry. I'm not sure I'd make that pairing but it definitely passed the food test and will be appearing again soon.

Purple Teeth

My name's Heather and I've been enjoying wine for over 20 years. I'm the 2013 winner of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust Rhone prize for oustanding students at the advanced level.
My mission is to share my passion for the myriad varieties of fermented grape juice, hopefully inspiring you to try something new, or to host a Purple Teeth wine party in your own home or business.

My blog mainly features wines you should be able to find on your local high street or online, and occasionally, I will review restaurants, travel and other forms of alcohol, since my qualification covers spirits too. I believe it's important to enjoy the calories and the cash we spend on alcohol, and I hope my guidance can help you reduce the risk of making a bad buy.

When I'm not drinking wine, you'll find me on the dance floor where West Coast Swing is my dance of choice. Socialising with the friends I've made there from all over the world has also brought me new adventures in alcohol! And just in case you're interested, I also write a blog called Confidence Within. You'll find it at heatherharrison.weebly.com

Remember to enjoy wine sensibly...
For a woman, 2-3 units per day is the recommended maximum allowance. This equates to around one standard "pub measure" glass of wine:
175ml of 13% alcohol wine is 2.3 units (and a scary 140 calories).
You'll find all the facts you need about safe, moderate drinking at the www.Drinkaware.co.uk site.
Purple Teeth supports safe drinking. Never drive or operate machinery after drinking alcohol.

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