I'm sorry it's been a little quiet around here on the wine front. We have been drinking some rather nice wine. It's mostly been drunk in rather nice restaurants and rather nice bars around the city of London. We are spending the month of December here in, what feels like, an attempt to beat the world record for hedonism.
Life is good, and blogging has taken a back seat, but there are a few posts in the pipeline.
Last night, for reasons of Mr Purple Teeth's business lunch which included a £130+ bottle of Puligny-Montrachet, but not me, I opened a bottle of wine in our temporary abode on Great Portland Street. At around £16, I was surprised to see this Grand Cru Riesling from my beloved Alsace for sale in the food hall of Oxford Street's John Lewis. Most of the premium wine stores I've been visiting around town have had extremely premium pricing. Where it's possible to compare prices (because the wine or spirits are available elsewhere) the mark ups have been huge. Still, this is London. Luckily John Lewis' "never knowingly undersold" motto seems to extend to the fine wine section, so, boring as it may seem, I've picked up a few bottles there. Many of them will be for sale in larger Waitrose branches, or in the online offering, so I'll probably cover more of these later.
Life is good, and blogging has taken a back seat, but there are a few posts in the pipeline.
Last night, for reasons of Mr Purple Teeth's business lunch which included a £130+ bottle of Puligny-Montrachet, but not me, I opened a bottle of wine in our temporary abode on Great Portland Street. At around £16, I was surprised to see this Grand Cru Riesling from my beloved Alsace for sale in the food hall of Oxford Street's John Lewis. Most of the premium wine stores I've been visiting around town have had extremely premium pricing. Where it's possible to compare prices (because the wine or spirits are available elsewhere) the mark ups have been huge. Still, this is London. Luckily John Lewis' "never knowingly undersold" motto seems to extend to the fine wine section, so, boring as it may seem, I've picked up a few bottles there. Many of them will be for sale in larger Waitrose branches, or in the online offering, so I'll probably cover more of these later.
Philippe Zinck Riesling Eichberg 2009 £15.99 (13.5% abv)
The nose is pronounced, meaning there's a lot of oomph on the nose when you sniff it. I first tasted Philippe Zinck wines (from the lower end of his range) last year in Hong Kong. This Eichberg Grand Cru Riesling is markedly better than his wines at cheaper end of the spectrum. I love the viscous full body, which is more reminiscent of a sweet wine, although this is a dry white. It's got great acidity, as you'd expect from a Riesling, meaning it really makes your cheeks go in, just like sucking a lemon, and the mouth waters intensely. But this is not an unpleasant experience. On the contrary, this makes the wine really refreshing. Many of my friends have been put off Riesling because of cheap, sweeter, German versions and some find the acidity too much. I love this grape variety, though. The mineral, almost petrol-like aromas are not to everyone's taste, but the flavours of lime and also a touch of honey are just so distinctive and satisfying, that I'd happily drink this more regularly than I do. It's unusual to age most white wines, but this one, a 2009, is doing well and could easily age further, developing more complex flavours. Riesling is one of the few whites that really benefits from aging, particularly if it's well made from top quality grapes. At Chateau Purple Teeth, things to tend to hang around long enough to validate the aging potential.
The night was all about cheese. Mr PT had such an extravagant lunch that I opted for an extravagant picnic at home. So we've Epoisses (perhaps my favourite cheese and not just because it's washed in Burgundy Marc), Comté and Brie de Meaux from Borough Market, a bit of Stilton as well as smoked salmon and ham accompanied by some fig and walnut bread. This is a month long experiment in hedonism, after all. Many people think cheese and red wine, but my (extensive) testing reveals that whites are actually better with cheese. I first came across this concept with Neuchâteloise Cheese Fondue in my Switzerland days, and I guess it stuck. But I wanted to taste the wine before tainting it with food. Would there be any left by the time dinner was served? It was delicious. I was onto my second glass before even thinking about eating.
For a Grand Cru, this perhaps lacks some complexity, but that explains it's more affordable price point. If you've been avoiding Alsace wines because that flute shaped bottle implies sweetness to you, think again. Try this and let me know how you get on. For a Grand Cru, it's affordable. It really stood up to the challenge of the pungent flavours on my plate, and ensured the cheese didn't become cloying or sickly. You might want to get a bottle in to refresh your jaded Christmas palate.
Cheers!
For a Grand Cru, this perhaps lacks some complexity, but that explains it's more affordable price point. If you've been avoiding Alsace wines because that flute shaped bottle implies sweetness to you, think again. Try this and let me know how you get on. For a Grand Cru, it's affordable. It really stood up to the challenge of the pungent flavours on my plate, and ensured the cheese didn't become cloying or sickly. You might want to get a bottle in to refresh your jaded Christmas palate.
Cheers!
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