WHILE December 21 officially marks the start of Winter, for most of us the ritual of turning back the clock last night signals its arrival.
It has become something of a tradition in our house to use the ‘extra hour’ today to take most of the white wines off the rack until the Spring.
They will be replaced by big, beefy, heart-warming reds. The kind of wines that will sit nicely beside, and work wonderfully well, with casseroles and stews.
The colder months ahead also offers the opportunity to try something new, a chance to get away from those overly fruity, gluggable Summer wines.
Cabernets, Rhone reds, beefy Australian Shiraz and concentrated Pinots from Burgundy are all traditional classic winter warmers.
But there are alternatives out there, grape varieties and bottles that won’t break the bank and see you through the colder days ahead.
I’m thinking Malbecs from Argentina, Grenache from the south of France, and Spain’s Tempranillo. Now is the time to try them.
Malbec produces concentrated wines with lush, fat fruit flavours.
Grenache from the south of France can deliver a bagful of flavours - blackcurrants, cherries, pepper, coffee and spices – while a lush texture and soft fruit palate - blackberries, mulberries and raspberries - characterises Tempranillo.
They are also great wines to have around to have around next Saturday to celebrate Halloween. Perfect to keep out the cold around the bonfire.
Don David Malbec 2007
Mendoza, Argentina
€11.99 in good independent off-licences
Concentrated flavours of dark, spicy fruits, with aromas of raisins and vanilla notes. Well balanced, with an attractive aftertaste due to its round and full ripe tannins. Ideal with spicy foods and roasted, grilled or BBQ red meats.
Domaine Cristia VdeP Grenache 2007
Southern Rhone, France
€11.49 from Superquinn
There is a comforting sweetness to this wine. Nice herb and spice hints underpin a plummy richness. The wine is an ‘easy drinker’ with nicely rounded tannins with enough weight to accompany food or just for enjoying the festive bonfire.
Protocolo Tinto 2008
Catalyud, France
€8.99 from O’Brien’s Wines
Best value red wine for some years now. A 100 per cent Tempranillo with smoky, chocolate aromas and a ripe palate of cherry and spices. Amazing wine, amazing price.
Thursday 27 May 2010
Irish Mail On Sunday WIne Column - Oct 18, 2009
CHOOSING a wine to have with the Sunday dinner used to be so simple. There was one rule: white wine with white meat and red wine with red meat.
Most of us don’t just eat meat and two veg these days. We are more adventurous. The cuisines of India, China, Mexico, Italy and France have become a familiar part of our diets.
The same goes for the wines we drink. In just a decade or so we have consciously moved away from the reds and whites of France.
Now bottles from Australia, California and Chile - the New World - are more likely to be on the table next to the roast, or chow mein.
The choice is vast, as are the grape varieties and wine styles. It can be a little intimidating and brings some food and wine matching problems.
The easiest solution is to note whether each dish is sweet, acidic or bitter and choose your wines accordingly.
The tannins in red wines can make them slightly bitter and they work well with roasts and steak.
Acidic food types? Think lemon juice sprinkled over your fish and you’ll get the idea.
White wines have varying degrees of acidity depending on the grape variety, but most will have the ability to complement the taste of the food.
Desserts are simple. Serve a sweet wine.
Another rule of thumb would be drink the wines that match the cuisine - Italian wines with Italian food, French wines with French food and so on.
And that brings me to Spain and Rachel’s wonderful recipes today for Tapas.
In the south of Spain they tend to drink a glass of Fino or Manzanilla sherry with these tasty treats. An excellent choice.
But up north, in San Sebastian, it is Rioja - red and white - and they are my ideal matches for these dishes.
Campo Viejo Crianza 2005/6,
Rioja, Spain
€10.99, widely available
Medium-bodied red made from Tempranillo, Garnacha and Mazuelo grapes. Intense ruby red colour with aromas of strawberries and vanilla and a fruit forward style with hints of oak. Perfect with Paella, that Sunday roast, casseroles, beef and farmhouse cheeses. Excellent with foods with tomato-based sauces.
Marques de Cacares Blanco 2008
Rioja, Spain
€12.99, widely available
Hints of pears, apples and citrus fruits on the nose from this white made entirely from Viura grapes. Clean and lively on the palate with nice, crisp acidity. Excellent aperitif. Goes well with shellfish, grilled white fish, light rice and pasta dishes.
RIOJA - THE 'REAL' STORY
FOUND this intriguing story through a link on my twitter page (www.twitter.com/winechat). It was written by a Spanish wine enthusiast.
Setting the record straight May 25, 2010
Last Sunday night I organized a dinner with a group of visiting Canadians with María José López de Heredia from R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia. María José, ever the engaging speaker, treated the group to an enlightening lecture about the 133 year history of her company.
Everyone knows that after phylloxera attacked French vineyards towards the end of the 19th century, French winery owners came to Rioja in search of wine. If you read about this period of history in wine books, it was the Bordeaux wine trade that came here. María José, however, claimed that after extensive research into records in her winery and others in Rioja, it was discovered that most of the French wineries were from Alsace because Rioja wineries were producing white, rather than red wine.
Surprised? I certainly was. María José explained that in the 19th century, more white wine than red was made and consumed in Rioja, and consequently white was taxed at a higher rate.
Did you ever wonder why red wine in Spanish is called tinto (tinted) instead of rouge (red) as in French or negre (black) as in Catalán? According to María José, most red wines in Rioja in the 19th century were whites that were ‘tinted’ with red wine to pay lower taxes! While some reds were produced and exported to Bordeaux, according to historical records, most Rioja was white and shipped to Alsace.
In fact, in the 19th century, doctors recommended consumption of white wine for health reasons because the tannins in red were believed to be harmful.
I think it’s fascinating that María José hired an ethnographer to study the winery archives to set the record straight. I’m sure that because of this research, other interesting facts will come to light about the history of Rioja.
Setting the record straight May 25, 2010
Last Sunday night I organized a dinner with a group of visiting Canadians with María José López de Heredia from R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia. María José, ever the engaging speaker, treated the group to an enlightening lecture about the 133 year history of her company.
Everyone knows that after phylloxera attacked French vineyards towards the end of the 19th century, French winery owners came to Rioja in search of wine. If you read about this period of history in wine books, it was the Bordeaux wine trade that came here. María José, however, claimed that after extensive research into records in her winery and others in Rioja, it was discovered that most of the French wineries were from Alsace because Rioja wineries were producing white, rather than red wine.
Surprised? I certainly was. María José explained that in the 19th century, more white wine than red was made and consumed in Rioja, and consequently white was taxed at a higher rate.
Did you ever wonder why red wine in Spanish is called tinto (tinted) instead of rouge (red) as in French or negre (black) as in Catalán? According to María José, most red wines in Rioja in the 19th century were whites that were ‘tinted’ with red wine to pay lower taxes! While some reds were produced and exported to Bordeaux, according to historical records, most Rioja was white and shipped to Alsace.
In fact, in the 19th century, doctors recommended consumption of white wine for health reasons because the tannins in red were believed to be harmful.
I think it’s fascinating that María José hired an ethnographer to study the winery archives to set the record straight. I’m sure that because of this research, other interesting facts will come to light about the history of Rioja.
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