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Fine Fiano

31/8/2016

I've been on the lookout for a decent Fiano for a while now. Still not that widely known, there are a few let downs among those on the supermarket shelves.
As a low yielding grape, it's not that profitable, and the Di Avellino DOCG (higher quality) wines aren't widely available.

Enter The Wine Society. I'd long enjoyed A.Mano, a Fiano and Greco blend that they no longer stock. I tried this single varietal on the basis that it was made by Janaré, who'd furnished a decent Aglianico red, and came from Campania, the classical home of this historic grape variety.
Jancis Robinson indicates that historians speculate Fiano may have been the grape behind the Roman wine Apianum that was produced in the hills above Avellino. A historic provenance indeed, though a recent tasting of Orange Wine has me in no hurry to experience the ancient version.

At £7.25 I wasn't expecting much, but there were hints of complexity, some floral and nutty notes along with what Mr Purple Teeth described as a pleasing red grapefruit note.
The Purple Teeth verdict is buy again.
If you enjoy a crisp and dry white with some minerality, give it a try. Look out for peach and fruit flavours, and some hazelnut if you're lucky. If you're not a Wine Society member, you could try this Fiano I wrote about a while back from Majestic. I wouldn't recommend the one from M&S I wrote about here.
Cheers!

Laughter is the best Remedy

21/8/2016

I don't often write about wine bars. In fact, I don't often go into wine bars.
Wine in bars is far too often bland, uninteresting and overpriced. As such, we've been drinking wine at home, and going out for cocktails, where artisanal spirits can be found more easily.

But, I'm a wine lover first and foremost, so around my birthday in August, I really wanted to find a place for a few friends to experience a selection of wines, but where we didn't have to keep getting up to enomatic machines every few minutes. That really does tend to break the flow of a group, even if I do enjoy the chance to experiment, and encouraging everyone to try something new.

An opening tipple - fino for me and amontillado for Mr PT

Enter The Remedy. Close to Great Portland Street Tube Station, it was accessible. It had a good selection of nibbles, and the wine list included more than one sherry, I was sold. And it didn't hurt that Decanter magazine had rated it in the top 10 of London wine bars. And so, 7 of us found ourselves here on a Friday night, just in advance of my birthday, with the express purpose of celebrating #awesomeAugust prior to my foot surgery at the end of the month.

And what a night we had. Starting off with a glass of Fino was perhaps not the wisest when beginning the night at 6.30 but it had been a tough day at the office. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Mr Purple Teeth loved his Amontillado and my tipple was perfect.

When the guests arrived, a hastily poured bottle of Cava got everyone into the party spirit, and the it was onto one of the best Gruner Veltliners I've ever had. As the wine list changes frequently, there's hardly any point in me waxing lyrical about a wine they no longer stock, but suffice to say that the assorted group of Scotland, England, Korea, America, Australia and Russia approved. And as most of them preferred red wines, the fact that this was so good allowed me to pretty much take my pick of the wine list for the rest of the night. Perhaps I should have quit while I was ahead...

Where it all started to go wrong...

Learn more about orange wine here. While it's an acquired taste, it's also exciting to think we can try wines made in much the same way Georgians invented wine over 7000 years ago.

A little Languedoc

I blame the Orange wine. With almost 20 orange wines on the list and 5 out of 7 orange wine virgins, I thought it would be a good chance to try something very different. Billed as "whites emulating reds" (while the 6 roses are "reds cavorting as whites"), there are more orange wines here than I've ever seen before. Sticking to the lower price bracket, we chose one from Alicante. It's fair to say it wasn't popular. Even as I suggested they think of it as being like cider, I knew I was onto a loser. I much preferred the handcrafted, unfixed and unfiltered GruVe, but felt duty bound to sup up most of the orange wine rejects. Luckily it was a mere 11% abv, as only one other drinker could be convinced.

Most of the party preferred progress to tradition, but if you're willing to experiment, there's a £9 orange wine from Georgia in a Marks and Spencers near you...

Quench, Whet, Entice or Feed. I offered the choice of red wine list sections to my companions, who chose entice. This Languedoc wine was selected. Again, it didn't set our world on fire, but we were on safer ground. I decided to opt for a safer bet next: a Monastrell from Jumilla, which proved popular, but didn't feel particularly experimental.

The next wine we selected had sold out. Another challenge with a frequently changing wine list. I asked for something from the Feed list, and our waiter brought us the cheapest wine on the list, a Primitivo from Salient. It's nice not to feel that the staff are pushing only the expensive bottles. Perhaps that's another reason The Remedy is such a hit with those in the wine trade...

The Primitivo was an instant hit with all 7 of us. Foolishly, we ordered a second bottle. At around this point, we found ourselves laughing hysterically. And yes, loudly. We were actually asked to keep the noise down! By Americans! Seriously.

This could not take the shine off our evening. We'd had great charcuterie, cheeses, monkfish, chorizo, frittata and all kinds of other things. And we were having a great time. I cannot share any pictures of my companions for fear of incrimination. Suffice to say it was a great evening. And perhaps, we ought to have ended it there.

But no... When you've been presented with a wine list this extensive, going home after the reds feels like failure.

And so, despite no-one being in the least bit hungry, and no-one particularly feeling like they needed another glass, we ordered chocolate pots with sea salt (OH EM GEE!) and a Coteaux du Layon dessert wine. Sun dried Chenin Blanc grapes that have basically dried on the vine are used to produce this nectar. It was delicious. Perhaps not the best match for chocolate, but by this time, there was no pretence of tasting, pairing and noting. In fact, opinion is divided as to whether or not we ordered a further red dessert wine. No documentary evidence exists, but there is a vague recollection of debating it. There is also the anecdotal evidence of the fact that one of our party managed to leave their phone behind, and I have no recollection of the journey between Paddington and home, apart from being woken to get into a taxi at the station... I'm not proud. And while I've been drinking wine for almost 30 years now, this is the first time I can ever actually remember forgetting, if you get my drift... The Remedy for a tough day at the office it certainly was. And the Remedy for finding decent wine while out and about, definitely. I would heartily recommend The Remedy to you, but advise you to book ahead, as it is very small.

Ah yes, I really needed that glass of Madeira to end the evening...

Just as the sherry selection was better than most, there was also the option of several Madeira wines by the glass, including some from seriously old vintages. If memory serves, and it may not (see above), I chose a 1986 Verdehlo for my final tipple of the evening.
In retrospect, that probably wasn't wise, but from what I can recall, it was a fairly magical experience.
You may not want to trust my judgement at that point, however!

#AwesomeAugust was official. My birthday celebrations off to a fine start. The hangover, miraculously minor (no I have no idea how either!). Friendships made, fun had, and a new favourite bar added to my list.

The Remedy has cured my dependence on cocktail bars for Friday night entertainment.

Cheers!

Those Summer Whites

11/8/2016

This summer hasn't exactly been a scorcher, but I've found myself less and less drawn to the Purple Teeth signature reds during July and August.
Lighter foods and fresher, white wines have suited my mood.

I sampled 3 from Waitrose recently, all discounted, but I'd only really call one of them a bargain.

Continuing to explore Italy, first up is the premium Gavi de Gavi.
Made from the Cortese grape, the Gavi DOCG is the benchmark are for excellent wines of this style. Recently increasing in popularity, there have been some hints of shortages in recent years.

Gavi Di Gavi DOCG Broglia
With a 30% discount in the fine wine section taking it down to under a tenner from £14.99 I decided to try this Broglia. I rarely drink Gavi at home, though have enjoyed it in the past.

Mr Purple Teeth was tasting blind - his initial flavour shout-out was cool, Galia melon with a tangy citrus behind it. He does have a way with words!

I found it zesty, mineral and refreshing with a tinge of red grapefruit - it almost tingled as if it had a spritz. Warming alcohol, with some candied citrus peel, fruit notes as well as something vaguely nutty. Brazil? How would it pair with food?

Not many wines improve with salad dressing, but this one stood up to the assault of a brown & white crab meat salad dressed with balsamic. The sweetness played well with the bitter green leaves.

For the same money, I would choose the Greco Di Tufo, below, that's currently down to £8.24.
Though I can see how this Gavi would appeal to those who prefer sweeter flavours, and Mr Purple Teeth seemed to love it, for me, the alcohol was a little off balance.

When is a bargain not a bargain?
Grant Burge South Australia Chardonnay £6.99

I had high hopes for this Grant Burge Chardonnay. No South East Australia appellation and a winemaker with a great reputation among some of my wine colleagues, albeit for much pricier wines than this one. It was worth trying at the introductory offer price of £6.99

Based on the fact that I couldn't bring myself to make any notes about it, and took 4 nights to finish off the bottle, it's safe to say I won't be buying it again when it is back at full price.

Weighty, with a simple fruit flavour, that admittedly had a hint of butterscotch by day 3, this is the kind of Chardonnay that makes me long for a good Meursault. What might have been....

Finally, I wrote about this Greco a couple of weeks ago and have sampled it again since l, along with wine buddies. If you like zingy whites with some body, a hint of floral and some tropical fruits, snap this up during the special offer.

If you've any great whites for summer, do let me know. And remember, when we say that you should drink red wine "at room temperature", we don't mean 25c. Drinking lighter reds, slightly chilled, such as Pinot Noir, Cinsault, or Valpollicella might be more rewarding if you cannot bring yourself to drink white wine. Rose is a hit at this time of year too.
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.

Fine Fiano

Laughter is the best Remedy

Those Summer Whites

Purple Teeth

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