One of the things I love about my job is helping people discover their new favourite wine. When someone tells me I've opened their mind to a wine, a region, a blend, or a varietal that they'd never considered before, it brings me a lot of joy. I love it too, when people realise that spending just a couple of pounds more on a bottle can bring infinitely more pleasurable wines.
Exploring what you like to drink now, and what you like to eat, and doing some side-by-side blind tasting is a great way for me to help you figure out the wines that are really going to rock your world.
Mr Purple Teeth, though, is an open and shut case. Since the day I met him, he's been Cabernet Sauvignon's number 1 fan. I've tried many things to make him see that there are other incredible varietals out there. To be fair to him, he has changed his tastes a lot. He's even been known to sip the odd Pinot Noir (but, shhhh, don't tell anyone!).
At heart, he'll always be true and loyal to Cab. As one of the most famous and highly regarded vinifera, he's not alone. From top class Bordeaux Blends, to Napa Valley single varietals, and cheap supermarket plonk, Cabernet is a huge hit with red wine fans. The son of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, it adds depth, structure and discipline to blends. It's strong blackcurrant notes and age-worthiness mean it's widely planted across the world's wine regions, wherever conditions are right for it to ripen. (There aren't likely to be English Cab Sauv's for some time, unless global warming comes faster than feared.)
Exploring what you like to drink now, and what you like to eat, and doing some side-by-side blind tasting is a great way for me to help you figure out the wines that are really going to rock your world.
Mr Purple Teeth, though, is an open and shut case. Since the day I met him, he's been Cabernet Sauvignon's number 1 fan. I've tried many things to make him see that there are other incredible varietals out there. To be fair to him, he has changed his tastes a lot. He's even been known to sip the odd Pinot Noir (but, shhhh, don't tell anyone!).
At heart, he'll always be true and loyal to Cab. As one of the most famous and highly regarded vinifera, he's not alone. From top class Bordeaux Blends, to Napa Valley single varietals, and cheap supermarket plonk, Cabernet is a huge hit with red wine fans. The son of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, it adds depth, structure and discipline to blends. It's strong blackcurrant notes and age-worthiness mean it's widely planted across the world's wine regions, wherever conditions are right for it to ripen. (There aren't likely to be English Cab Sauv's for some time, unless global warming comes faster than feared.)
During the summer, Mr Purple Teeth was lucky enough to visit Canada. I was not. My inner green-eyed monster came out even more when he revealed he'd be visiting Kelowna, a food and wine mecca in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. He was instructed to bring back wine. Or Else!
We'd enjoyed Okanagan Chardonnays on a trip to Vancouver some years ago, so I expected a white wine, or, perhaps an ice wine. (He did bring an ice-wine from Syrah and more of that when we get round to tasting it). I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was when he came back armed with a bottle of Mission Hill Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (around $24 Canadian dollars at the winery). I guess I hadn't thought that this grape would do well in Canada. I was, at the very least, intrigued, if not excited about the prospect.
Four months after his return, Mr Purple Teeth was ready to taste it, so I agreed to get a nice piece of beef and make Friday night, Cabernet night.
I had another plan in mind. Test his taste memory, and get him to open his mind to a different region. In the spirit of past Chateau Purple Teeth Chardonnay battles, the North versus South Battle of Cabernet Sauvignon was on.
We'd enjoyed Okanagan Chardonnays on a trip to Vancouver some years ago, so I expected a white wine, or, perhaps an ice wine. (He did bring an ice-wine from Syrah and more of that when we get round to tasting it). I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was when he came back armed with a bottle of Mission Hill Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (around $24 Canadian dollars at the winery). I guess I hadn't thought that this grape would do well in Canada. I was, at the very least, intrigued, if not excited about the prospect.
Four months after his return, Mr Purple Teeth was ready to taste it, so I agreed to get a nice piece of beef and make Friday night, Cabernet night.
I had another plan in mind. Test his taste memory, and get him to open his mind to a different region. In the spirit of past Chateau Purple Teeth Chardonnay battles, the North versus South Battle of Cabernet Sauvignon was on.
£10.99 at Waitrose till 3/11/15 (14% abv) The competitor: Journey's End "Sir Lowry" Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, from Stellenbosch, South Africa. Normally £14.99, it was reduced to £10.99, and there was a 10% further discount for card holders at Waitrose. It certainly met my requirement: never pay full price for supermarket wine. And, it put it at a similar price level to the Canadian bottle. Being the 2013 vintage, it was just 6 months younger than the Mission Hill. Importantly, though, I'd tried this already at the recent Rugby World Cup Tasting I wrote about recently. I thought it would meet with Mr Purple Teeth's approval, and overcome his prejudices against South African wine.
We honeymooned in South Africa and enjoyed many wine tastings in Franschhoek and around. Somehow, in the time since then, his affections for Cape wines had dwindled... Would this be the one to bring them back to the table? My reputation of knowing what people will like was riding on it...
We honeymooned in South Africa and enjoyed many wine tastings in Franschhoek and around. Somehow, in the time since then, his affections for Cape wines had dwindled... Would this be the one to bring them back to the table? My reputation of knowing what people will like was riding on it...
I prepared the food: a simple beef joint with horseradish and mustard crust, mash and broccoli not forgetting the cabernet sauvignon based sauce... I opened both bottles and instantly feared the worse. The South African cork was much paler. If one thing instantly turns Mr PT off, it's a wine that is light in colour. Luckily, in the glass, both wines looked pretty similar, with just a touch deeper purple at the rim in the Canadian glass. Nothing to worry about.
And what of the taste? The Canadian wine had been tasted and approved of, and hand carried back on 2 flights. Would my choice measure up?
And what of the taste? The Canadian wine had been tasted and approved of, and hand carried back on 2 flights. Would my choice measure up?
Both had a ripe blackcurrant core. Both had hints of stalky green tannin. Both had some smokey notes and sweet spice. Both had a good medium body, and similar levels of acidity. In fact, both were very well balanced examples of a single varietal Cab. The most surprising thing for me was quite how similar they were, given the 10,000 miles that separates their home vineyards...
We tasted them first without food.
For Mr PT, he felt the South African wine (or wine number 1, to him) was slightly more velvety. I felt that wine number 2 (from Canada) was a tad riper and fruitier. It was perhaps a little simpler, but had a more instant appeal. I rarely choose a single varietal Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Journey's End is suitable for vegetarians, if that's of concern to you. Pairing it with beef, as we did, rendered this fact irrelevant.
So how would the wines stand up to the food?
We love enjoying a meal with 2 wines side-by-side and it's great to see how the food changes the flavour of the wine. In fact, the last time I'd enjoyed a Cabernet was with a steak at Gaucho, where I chose one by Susan Balbo to contrast with a Luigi Bosca Malbec that I'd ordered several times before. To my surprise, I'll choose the Cabernet next time.
In honesty, the notes got a little shaky towards the end of the meal. We tried to give attention to the food and wine and enjoy the moment. If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, then South Africa was a clear winner. The bottle was empty at the end of the evening, while there was enough of the Canadian Cab left for Mr PT to enjoy a glass another day.
It's a good result. The winning Cab Sauv is available locally, while the other requires a transatlantic flight to purchase a bottle.
I'd love to hear about your favourite single varietal Cabernet Sauvignons, and whether blind tasting wines side by side has changed your opinions and favourites. Leave a comment here, or on my Facebook page.
Cheers!
We tasted them first without food.
For Mr PT, he felt the South African wine (or wine number 1, to him) was slightly more velvety. I felt that wine number 2 (from Canada) was a tad riper and fruitier. It was perhaps a little simpler, but had a more instant appeal. I rarely choose a single varietal Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Journey's End is suitable for vegetarians, if that's of concern to you. Pairing it with beef, as we did, rendered this fact irrelevant.
So how would the wines stand up to the food?
We love enjoying a meal with 2 wines side-by-side and it's great to see how the food changes the flavour of the wine. In fact, the last time I'd enjoyed a Cabernet was with a steak at Gaucho, where I chose one by Susan Balbo to contrast with a Luigi Bosca Malbec that I'd ordered several times before. To my surprise, I'll choose the Cabernet next time.
In honesty, the notes got a little shaky towards the end of the meal. We tried to give attention to the food and wine and enjoy the moment. If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, then South Africa was a clear winner. The bottle was empty at the end of the evening, while there was enough of the Canadian Cab left for Mr PT to enjoy a glass another day.
It's a good result. The winning Cab Sauv is available locally, while the other requires a transatlantic flight to purchase a bottle.
I'd love to hear about your favourite single varietal Cabernet Sauvignons, and whether blind tasting wines side by side has changed your opinions and favourites. Leave a comment here, or on my Facebook page.
Cheers!
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