Blog Archives

Georgia on my mind

26/1/2016

Our quest for #armchairadventures picked out a latitude and longitude at random, that landed us deep in the Caucasus region. So we #virtualtravel off to Georgia. Georgia lies on the black sea between Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan and Russia. It has the highest damn in the world, the largest national park in Europe, hot springs, and a fascinating tradition of dance. What it lacks is direct flights from the UK and that's where armchair travel comes in handy.
Known as the birthplace of wine, with over 7000 years of viticultural history, it reputedly also gave us the word wine (from the Georgian word gvino, and the tradition of toasting, which is a key feature of the supra, or Georgian banquet.

Chateau Mukhrani Saperavi £9.50 13.5% abv from M&S along with our attempt to replicate a Georgian banquet for 2

There are no Georgian grocery stores in the Royal Borough, so we had to improvise our own banquet for 2, with stuffed vine leaves, hummus and unleavened breads, cured meats and cheeses, nuts, barbecued kebabs and whatever else looked remotely suitable from our fridge and larder. This made for a very fun Wednesday night, but perhaps laid out a challenge for the wine I'd selected.
Marks and Spencer do have a number of white wines from the region, but you'll find the widest selection at the Georgian Wine Society. I recommend trying a Kindzmarauli if you like a little residual sweetness in your red. This was not the first time we've tried a Saperavi wine from Georgia. Our first attempt was on a somewhat rainy night in, and this time was equally wet.

If you want to learn more about Georgian food and wine culture, you could read this wiki article, or watch this fascinating youtube documentary which was our education for the evening. See if you can keep up with the toasts...

The Chateau Mukhrani Saperavi (£9.50 from Marks and Spencer) has a really spicy nose with black fruits that carries through on the mid to full body.

It's an ancient grape variety, whose name translates as dye, referring to it's deep and dark colouring. Great examples from fine regions can age for up to 50 years. While decent, this is more of a "drink now" style.

Mr Purple Teeth was impressed by how well it matched with a variety of foods. Matching a banquet is not always easy, especially when some dishes have high seasoning. He described how it coated his mouth with a dark fruited tingle, a peppery spice that creates a long finish of sweeter spice. Maybe a slightly waxy texture?

For me, this was a dark, medium bodied, smooth red. The mid palate to finish was where all the interest lay. Medium tannin and good juicy acidity meant it felt really well balanced, almost polished. Blackberry and nutmeg were the key flavours for me. Maybe there was some cumin though this could have been from the hummus. It went down a treat with the wide range of flavours, and for this price, Mr Purple Teeth would have happily swapped it for several Shiraz wines.

Rating: Buy Again

There is a small amount of sediment in the bottle so stand the bottle for a few hours out of the wine rack and pour the last glass carefully or decant, should you buy some.

The trip ago Tbilisi and beyond, from the comfort of our sofa was one of the most enjoyable virtual travel dates so far. Give Georgian wine a try. It might surprise you.

Cheers!

Mother Vine

20/1/2016

This is a guest blog post by Michelle Turner, exploring wine from America's oldest known grapevine

I recently stopped by Duplin Winery in Rose Hill, North Carolina, the oldest and largest winery in the state. They offer tours of their wine production facility and have a lovely bistro serving lunch and dinner. I was most excited to have a look around the shop where they offer wine tastings and sell their many varieties of wines. Duplin wines are widely available in stores throughout North Carolina and surrounding states. I had already tried many of them, but it was the elusive MothervineWine that I was searching for that day. I read about it a few years ago and had been on the lookout for it but was never able to find it in stores. The wine is made with Scuppernong grapes, a variety of Muscadines native to North Carolina. MothervineWine is special because Duplin Winery obtained exclusive clippings for their vineyards taken from the oldest cultivated grape vine in America known as the Mothervine. The Mothervine is located on Roanoke Island, N.C., and was first cultivated by early English settlers 400 years ago. It is still going strong today and producing lovely and fragrant, bronze Scuppernong grapes each year. Of the nearly 5,000 clippings Duplin took from the Mothervine, 104 vines flourished and are now producing grapes in their vineyards to make MothervineWine.

I purchased a bottle of Mothervine Wine and eagerly opened it a few days later. This is probably where I should say I am not a wine expert at all and know little of the proper wine terminology. I enjoy many kinds of wines simply because they are delicious but I’ve never learned all the technical terms wine connoisseurs know. I can only offer my opinion as a native North Carolinian with an affinity for sweet wines made from our native grapes. The Mothervine Wine is 14% alcohol and has a nice golden color. It is very sweet, smooth and fruity, which is typical of wines produced by Duplin Winery using different Muscadine varieties. The sweetness of Mothervine Wine would probably cause most people outside our region to consider it a dessert wine, but here in North Carolina, we love our sweet wines pretty much any time. I can’t say it differs greatly from other varieties of wine made by Duplin Winery which vary in their levels of sweetness. However, I enjoyed sipping a glass of Mothervine Wine after dinner and reflecting on the novelty of drinking wine made from grapes that descended from the oldestcultivated vine in America. The next time I pass through Rose Hill, N.C., I’ll stop by Duplin Winery and buy another bottle.

For more information about the history of the Mothervine on Roanoke Island and Duplin Winery’s Mothervine Wine:

http://www.themothervine.com/

http://www.ourstate.com/mother-vine/

https://www.duplinwinery.com/product/1103007/mothervine-wine/

Thanks very much to Michelle for sharing her experience of a wine we may never get to try, from historic North Carolina.

If you'd like to write a guest post about a winery visits or unusual wine you've tried, do get in touch.
Cheers!

Liaoning lychee

17/1/2016

Lychee fruits from Lidl!

Purple Teeth HQ recently instigated "virtual travel dates". At random, we select map coordinates and see where on the globe we will end up.

As a way of keeping exploring new regions, it's great, though of course, there is a large proportion of the world NOT under vine. This makes it a little challenging for the wine blogger...

Tonight, we ended up in Liaoning province in north eastern China - part of what was once known as Manchuria. Heavily industrialised now, with 43 million inhabitants, I didn't see much in the vlogs & you tube clips we used to transport us to make me wish we'd visited during our trip Beijing last summer.
I've been very preoccupied of late and travels have distracted me from any serious "virtual" travel plans, so it was salmon, stir fried vegetables and chow mein for dinner. I doubt the authenticity of the dish, given the proximity to North Korea.

Soju - way more expensive in London than Seoul, though you can get this in large branches of Tesco

However, we did drink soju and eat Korean barbecue las night, so I think we are doing okay.

Korean Bulgogi Beef BBQ

Without an obvious wine choice, I opted for a lychee martini as tonight's virtual travel tipple - using Russian vodka in a nod to the zone's other neighbours.
It's a wonderful, if boozy cocktail that will delight fans of Gewurtztraminer wines. My recipe is below.

Method

In a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice add 3 parts of the best Russian Vodka you can find. I used a silver birch vodka I had brought back from Russia. When this is finished, I'll probably switch to Mamont.
Add 1.5 parts of Chambord black raspberry liqueur for colour.
Next add 6 parts of the best lychee liqueur you can find (one made with real fruit, such as Briottet), and a couple of peeled lychee fruits and their juice.

Shake well and serve with a fresh lychee garnish. Serves 2-4 depending on the size of your martini glass and whether you're planning to drink anything else that night. Pour a large glass of sparkling water on the side.
It's perhaps got little to do with Liaoning, but it was a lovely excuse!

Cheers!

Save a lidl

15/1/2016

Bad wine, served badly

Tonight, I was accused of being a snob. By my own husband.
Seriously though, in our local bar, substandard wine was offered in substandard glassware, served without a smile, and in fact, without any clue about how to serve a customer.

When asked which was the "least bad wine" I was offered Pinot Grgio! Or the pink PG.
Most would at least have asked red or white, surely?
After half a Guinness, I felt brave enough to try the Pinot Noir Vin de France. Wine like this is why I stopped going out.
So, Friday night and all, we came home.

Altos de Tamaron Reserva £6.99 Lidl

To prove my non-snob status, I poured us a glass of wine from Lidl. £6.99 is a steal for this Ribera Del Duero Reserva.
Before Tesco slashed their list, the entry level Altos de Tamaron was available for the same price. I believe that the current Finest Ribera del Duero (£7) is made by the same winemaker.

As a Reserva, this has had 24 months in French and American oak, and a further year of bottle ageing (minimum, as we're now drinking the 2010). The result is a vanilla scented, smooth and darkly fruited wine which seriously impressed Mr Purple Teeth.

If you enjoy medium to full bodied reds with plenty of acidity and smooth tannin, you'll find it hard to get anything at this price point which delivers the same complexity.
I'll definitely buy it again, as the only way I can get this type of wine at this price otherwise is to go to Spain.
Snob, me? No. Discerning yes.
Get thee to Lidl and bag a bargain. You won't be disappointed. (Unless they've sold out!)

Picpoul de M&S

7/1/2016

12.5% alcohol means I may be able to rouse myself when the Monday alarm goes off

I wouldn't normally drink Picpoul de Pinet in January, but this hasn't been an average January. The highs of 14c and the glorious sunshine of yesterday had me checking we weren't about to enter April rather than February.

And we are having Paella Valencia (courtesy of M&S) so I thought I'd pair with something other than a Spanish wine for a change.
Often recommended with seafood, especially oysters, this Languedoc indigenous grape Piquepoul, which grows best in Pinet, produces classic aperitif wines that are zesty, almost saline and crisp with still some decent body. The grape name translates as "lip stinger". Citrus notes are not Mr Purple Teeth's favourite description so let's hope I get away with this one...

£8.50 from Marks & Spencer

Best drunk young and fresh, this Cuvée Ressac 2014 is starting to show a little age. Still, it's got everything i expect from a PdP and at £8.50, it's still clean, crisp and full of the sea breeze notes that make it an affordable alternative to a good Albariño.

The judges agree. Mr Purple Teeth agreed, describing it as "nice with gentle citrus, bone dry, good body and a hint of pineapple." It's allowed a place on the "but again" list! I would say it's very good, but not quite great. A bronze medal winner at the International Wine Challenge. Good for the price, representative, but buy by the bottle rather than the case, and await the 2015 vintage in the months ahead.
Meanwhile, it worked with the Paella and finishing it tonight will not be a challenge!
Cheers

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.