I'm not a big fan of wine by the glass in chain restaurants. It's usually overpriced, and below average.  But sometimes, needs must.  So for the benefit of my public, at Strada in Heathrow in T3 before catching my very long flight to Hong Kong, I decided to have a glass of Fiano with my butternut squash risotto. It's a grape I came across just a few weeks ago when going to blind tasting of Italian wines.  I was forced into a corner to buy something from a nearby branch of Oddbins, and picked up a Fiano di Avellino.  Being a blind tasting for 30 odd people, however, I didn't quite get the chance to savour it's complexity.  The Strada version was from Siciliy where the hot sunshine will give ripe and full flavours.  For once, the wine list description was almost an understatement. Ripe peaches were mentioned.  Frankly, this, in a blind testing could have passed for a glass of peach juice.  If you like your wines fruity, then definitely give it a go, and it was good to match the squash risotto.  

My next wine experience was on board the Cathay Pacific flight...  Perusing the options, I opted for a Mosel Riesling Feinherb (off dry).  We often here that drinking alcohol on flights isn't recommended, so going for this lighter alcohol version was probably sensible.  Juicy, ripe, fruity and as refreshingly acidic as Riesling gets, the hint of sweetness was a good counterpoint.  Just a pity I forgot to pack a toothbrush in my hand luggage!

The next bottom's up moment was in Kowloon's Novotel.  A free welcome drink was included on check in  - with Chilean wines being the flavour of the month.  The Chardonnay had rather more oak than i've seen of late and is probably exactly the sort of Chardonnay that's put a lot of people of Chardonnay.  Still, it's free so who am I to complain?

Arriving next day on the Gold Coast it was back to red wine.  And fortunately one that you can try at home.  Wolf Blass President's Selection Shiraz is available in several supermarkets at home and was pleasantly smooth and rich.  I only enjoyed a small glass though, as jet-lag was really beginning to bite. 

Tuesday began healthily enough with a yoga class.  Most unlike me! Sadly, this was where my virtue for the day ended.  With Purple Teeth's best friend being a fellow wine lover, it was unsurprising that our coffee morning invitation should actually be a mulled wine party with a bunch of ex-pat Germans and Argentineans.  As for what the wine was, once it's been mulled, it doesn't really matter, but the mulling spices were from a Shropshire blend and the Germans seemed impressed too, so all good.  It didn't stop there however...  Onto a very cheap and cheerful Chinese cafe for lunch, we asked for a wine list.  Two bottles of red were brought to the table, both fresh from the very chilled fridge!  We opted for the cheaper of the two.  In these conditions, how good could it be?

I'd read about Alentejano (Portuguese) wines as part of my WSET syllabus, but I hadn't had the opportunity to taste any.  Therefore it was my duty on your behalf to understand the varietal and terroir complexities...
Given the challenges (super-chilled red wine and a pairing with Singapore Spicy Noodles), it fared remarkably well and we managed to polish off the bottle.  It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it!  
As per the label, it was remarkably smooth and the fruit character was mainly red plum.  I've no idea what was in the blend - doubtless some Merlot with local varieties.  It tasted somewhat like a softer Carmenere.

Word of Purple Teeth is spreading, and the ex-pat wives are talking of holding a Purple Teeth Tasting Event.  Inspired by this enthusiasm, I had a quick look in the local supermarket for ideas.  It's not every day you see supermarket shelves laden with Krug, Penfold's Grange, Pontet-Canet, Chateau Talbot, and a selection of Canadian and German Ice Wines!  I certainly hope the idea comes to fruition as with the right budget, this could be plenty of fun.  You'll certainly hear about it if it does.

Meanwhile... Cheers!  

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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.

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.

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.

Hilltop Hungarian single vineyard Gewurztraminer (2010), an organic bargain!
While I'm sure I'll always love Alsace Gewurz more than any other, I couldn't resist this when it was recently on offer at Waitrose for £5.99 (regular price £7.99). Paired with Prawn Pad Thai, and other Thai dishes, it faired reasonably well.  There's less rose/lychee than you might expect from a Gewurz but it's nicely aromatic and stands up well to spice. At 11% alcohol, it's closer to "standard unit" strength per glass, so you can feel less guilty about enjoying it. Go ahead and try some with Chinese or Thai food, or a homemade stir fry.  It's organic, and therefore, guilt free.

Villa Maria Marlborough Dry Riesling (2010), spiced up Sunday!
I'll admit, my cooking isn't the best, and you'll notice a theme - I like spice.  We paired this with Moroccan chicken - a Nigel Slater recipe adapted over time with pine nuts, lemon/lime, a ton of garlic and chili as well as sultanas, cinnamon and served with sweet potatoes.  I overdid the spice even by my standards and somehow this wine punched it's weight.  A nice slightly oily texture cut through with tropical flavours.  This has been in the fridge for a while so I can't recall where I bought it, or how much it cost.  Sorry!
Marlborough is one of New Zealand's premium regions for Sauvignon Blanc but for me, this Riesling was far more food friendly.  If you've not tried Riesling for a while, try it, you just might be surprised.

Tierra y Hombre Chilean Pinot Noir (2010) £7.99 from selected Marks & Spencers branches
I once made the mistake of recommending this on Twitter and it immediately sold out.  You have been warned.  It's a cool climate pinot noir that packs a strawberry punch.  While Mr Purple Teeth is not usually a fan of Pinot Noir, or light bodied reds, somehow, this managed to meet with his approval.  It's not jammy like a Californian nor as delicate as a young Burgundy. And being cheaper than both, it hits a great happy medium.  We enjoyed it with Chili - funnily enough!  It's 13.5% which is relatively low for New World reds these days, moderated by the cool Casablanca valley climate.  Again, a premium region for this grape and a definite bargain - IF you can get hold of it.

Those days were simpler...  It was the late 80s and early 90s.  The choice of wines in the supermarket was nowhere near as rich and varied as it is today.  My buying decision largely consisted of "what's the alcohol percentage to price ratio?" 
While this was good at substituting for understanding whether the wine was dry or not, it perhaps led me to sample only the simplest and most commercial of wines.  Remember Black Tower?  No? Lucky you!  I recall Orvieto (Italian white) from Safeway being a favourite. Safeway is no more and I can't recall the last time I bought an Orvieto... All in all, it was white or pink, simple and commercial. In a sophisticated wine bar in Edinburgh, I felt so mature as I ordered a glass of Hock.  Would my tastes have evolved in the same way had I not be lucky enough to move to Switzerland in the summer of 1993?
By the shores of Lake Neuchatel, I found the local cheap(er) Chasselas rather acidic, and quickly turned my attention to the Pinot Noir grape which found a delicate expression in a Blanc de Noir (light rose) called "Oeil de Perdrix". From there it was a simple jump into Pinot Noir itself, and a developing love for red wine...  While in Switzerland, I met a Spanish opera singer from Burgos who introduced me to his local wine "Ribera del Duero".  This region signaled a move towards deeper reds, and with Spanish reds being known as Tinto (the very word meaning stained or dyed), this eventually culminated in the arrival of the perhaps, not too welcome, Purple Teeth phenomenon...  

For me, the love of deep red wines is worth the need to scrub a little harder with the toothbrush.  Wine as a passion has brought me so much joy, through travelling to some of the most beautiful wine regions of the world, tasting and enjoying hundreds of different wines, sharing wines with friends and learning ever more about the subject.  

This site is not about encouraging you to spend £200 on a bottle of wine.  If that's your wine budget, quite possibly, you already know more than you'll learn here.
What I'd like to do is entertain, expand your knowledge of different wines, help you choose the best wine for your budget, demystify the wine list and, most of all, to help you have more fun with wine.  My personal philosophy is that I'd rather have one £15 bottle than two £7.50 bottles - but only if the £15 is twice as nice. So, while the premium wines may get a mention from time to time, you'll find most of the wines I talk about in your local supermarket.
I'm pleased to say I've enjoyed some of the world's most iconic wines like Penfold's Grange (Aussie shiraz), Opus One (Californian Cabernet), and Vega Sicilia (Ribera del Duero Tempranillo) along with many other premium wines.  I've visited Bordeaux, Burgundy, Mendoza, Stellenbosch, Sonoma, Napa as well as wine estates in Switzerland, Spain and the UK.  It's fair to say, I've tested the market.  <It's a tough job but someone's got to do it>.  The special wines are great. But they're just that - special.  For most, they're to be enjoyed once in a lifetime, if we get lucky.  Purple Teeth is more about wine you'll feel fine about opening on a Tuesday night with a friend.  I hope to help you find more enjoyable wines for your weekends and special occasions, and perhaps even make wine into your special occasion!

As well as reviewing wines I've drunk <not those I've just "tasted">, I hope to tell tales from my travels, and share my wider thoughts about wine.  I'm also planning to develop this site to include much more background information.  But that's for another day.  In the meantime: CHEERS!