THEY say its good for the soul, so I’ll start today with a public confession - I was a card-carrying member of the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) club.
I became quite sniffy about it - even though the grape is behind the world’s greatest whites from Burgundy.
I was reminded of that embarrassing indiscretion at a wine club tasting this week when many attending were apprehensive when told that at their next tasting chardonnay would take centre stage.
Thankfully I got over my prejudice, resigned from the ABC club and have drank superb burgundies and chardonnays from all over the world recently.
The grape has regained its position as THE greatest white variety. Sauvignon blanc is still fashionable but it just doesn’t have the finesse or elegance of chardonnay - and the fad for Pinot Grigio will pass.
Oak - the over-use of it particularly in Australia and California - lies behind the massive fall-off in chardonnay sales during the late 90s.
So much of it was used - the Aussies nicknamed the over-alcoholic finished product ‘Dolly Parton‘ wines (too much upfront) - there was a real danger of getting splinters in your mouth!
Such wines are rare these days, winemakers across the world have toned down the oak and by sourcing grapes from cooler climes increased the freshness and acidity in their wines.
Wines from Australia’s Adelaide Hills and Yarra Valley are worth seeking out as are those from Chile’s Leyda Valley.
And back in Burgundy it is possible to drink well these days for around €15. Look to Chablis, Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais.
I will return for a detailed look at chardonnays for the summer in the coming weeks. Today’s two recommendations will go down well for Mother’s Day next Sunday.
Domaine du Closel La Jalousie 2007
Savennieres, France
€19.99 from Superquinn
Classic Savennieres Chenin Blanc with great honeyed waxy fruit and good mineral backbone. Lemon gold in colour, with minerals, herbs, peaches and nectarines on the nose. Medium bodied palate, with a creamy texture and lifted nectarine palate. Will age well, as it has great, juicy acidity. A real discovery.
Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Rose
Various Regions, Australia
Widely available at €14.99 but shop around for promotions
This is a real favourite. A bottle fermented sparkling wine made with chardonnay and pinot noir grapes with a lemon citrus aroma from the former, and strawberry and red currant characters from the latter. The wine finishes soft and round, with wonderful lingering fresh berry flavours.
Saturday 29 May 2010
Irish Mail On Sunday Wine Column - Feb 21, 2010
WE are generally a nation of red wine drinkers. We love our big cabernets, jammy merlots and alcoholic syrahs and shiraz.
We have even taken a liking to the hearty malbec grape, especially those from Argentina.
But there are so many more reds out there that seem to sit on the shelf because we remain unadventurous or just afraid to try them.
Take Grenache, a grape with Spanish origins, where it is capable of producing cherry and pepper flavoured wines that can be quite alocholic. It tends to be used in blends but is producing some deep coloured, fruity wines in France’s southern Rhone region
Speaking of the Rhone, Mourvèdre, a velvety purple colour grape with a powerful flavour that hints of licqourice is beginning to emerge as a single varietal wine in its own right.
In Spain’s ultra-hot Jumilla region the same grape – called Monastrell - is feted for the wines it is capable of producing.
Italy’s Sangiovese and Nebbiolo grapes are well worth seeking out.
Sangiovese is grown in Tuscany - especially in the Brunello de Montalcino and Chianti regions. It produces medium to full bodied reds with high acidity and plenty of tannin to give a sour cherry, plum, and dried herbs flavours.
Nebbiolo is the grape variety used in Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont. The wines are full bodied and powerful with a complex bouquet of berries, flowers, herbs and wood.
And we must not forget the Dolcetto grape from Piedmont. It makes wines that are easy to drink with flavours of cherries and red berry fruits.
A real favourite of mine is Portugal’s Touriga National – normally an essential part of Port but increasingly available as a table wine that can be highly tannic yet very concentrated with a smooth velvet finish.
Other red grape varieties to look out for are South Africa’s Pinotage, and California’s Zinfandel.
Heartland Dolcetto and Lagrein 2007
Langhorne Creek, Australia
€14.75 from better independent off licences
The Aussie blend packs a powerful punch at 14.5 per cent alcohol with lovely aromatics and savoury tannins. Purple in colour, it has cherry and coffee aromas and intense earthy flavours of spice cherries with good acidity and nice length. Perfect with pasta.
Velenosi Brecciarolo, Rosso Piceno Superiore 2006
Marche, Italy
€13 from better independent off licences
This wine is made from Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes and is a deep ruby red. A wonderful woody spice and vanilla nose with lovely blackcurrant fruits on the palate and light tannins providing just enough grip. Will go well with full-flavoured Italian meat dishes.
We have even taken a liking to the hearty malbec grape, especially those from Argentina.
But there are so many more reds out there that seem to sit on the shelf because we remain unadventurous or just afraid to try them.
Take Grenache, a grape with Spanish origins, where it is capable of producing cherry and pepper flavoured wines that can be quite alocholic. It tends to be used in blends but is producing some deep coloured, fruity wines in France’s southern Rhone region
Speaking of the Rhone, Mourvèdre, a velvety purple colour grape with a powerful flavour that hints of licqourice is beginning to emerge as a single varietal wine in its own right.
In Spain’s ultra-hot Jumilla region the same grape – called Monastrell - is feted for the wines it is capable of producing.
Italy’s Sangiovese and Nebbiolo grapes are well worth seeking out.
Sangiovese is grown in Tuscany - especially in the Brunello de Montalcino and Chianti regions. It produces medium to full bodied reds with high acidity and plenty of tannin to give a sour cherry, plum, and dried herbs flavours.
Nebbiolo is the grape variety used in Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont. The wines are full bodied and powerful with a complex bouquet of berries, flowers, herbs and wood.
And we must not forget the Dolcetto grape from Piedmont. It makes wines that are easy to drink with flavours of cherries and red berry fruits.
A real favourite of mine is Portugal’s Touriga National – normally an essential part of Port but increasingly available as a table wine that can be highly tannic yet very concentrated with a smooth velvet finish.
Other red grape varieties to look out for are South Africa’s Pinotage, and California’s Zinfandel.
Heartland Dolcetto and Lagrein 2007
Langhorne Creek, Australia
€14.75 from better independent off licences
The Aussie blend packs a powerful punch at 14.5 per cent alcohol with lovely aromatics and savoury tannins. Purple in colour, it has cherry and coffee aromas and intense earthy flavours of spice cherries with good acidity and nice length. Perfect with pasta.
Velenosi Brecciarolo, Rosso Piceno Superiore 2006
Marche, Italy
€13 from better independent off licences
This wine is made from Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes and is a deep ruby red. A wonderful woody spice and vanilla nose with lovely blackcurrant fruits on the palate and light tannins providing just enough grip. Will go well with full-flavoured Italian meat dishes.
Irish Mail On Sunday Wine Column - Feb 14, 2010
THERE is an unquenchable thirst for wine knowledge out there. Wine courses sell out quickly - no matter what the price - and many have large waiting lists.
Yet despite all this unbridled enthusiasm to learn about all things vinous, we remain, for the most part, very unadventurous when it comes to trying something different.
We are creatures of habit so when looking for a bottle for the weekend we invariably end up choosing a shiraz, merlot, cabernet, chardonnay or sauvignon blanc. These five grapes account for almost 80p per cent of all still wine sales.
Nothing wrong with that. There are truly some great wines out there made from these noble grapes. But there is so much more to be tasted - around 5,000 varieties!
In Spain alone there are over 600, among them is one of my favourite whites, the beautifully refreshing albarino from Galicia which works perfectly with shellfish.
Across the country in the Rioja region viura is the most important white grape, where it makes a lighter-bodied, lower-alcohol wine which is great to drink during in hot weather to quench the thirst.
In Portugal the citrusy and refreshing arinto is causing something of a stir these days and now the encruzado grape from the Dão region in the north of the country is getting the attention it deserves.
This is a beautifully fragrant white which can have aromas and flavours of apricots and nectarines and great acidity.
And we must not forget those beautifully scented white varieties from France’s Rhone region - marsanne, viognier and roussanne.
Further afield Argentina can boast torrontes with its enormous fragrance ranging from peaches to orange peel. The wines tend to have good, fresh acidity which makes them an ideal food wine.
These are just a few white varieties - along with my two recommendations below - which you may not have tried yet. So why not try something different this week? We will look at unusual reds next time.
Bethany Semillon 2005
Barossa Valley, Australia
€11.95 at O’Briens Wines
This outstanding example of an Aussie Semillon is a bright, gold colour with aromas of lemon and honey. The wine is soft on the palate with an oily character with complex nutty honeysuckle and lemon flavours. Barrel fermented, the wine also has a subtle hint of oak. A goof partner for prawns or with steamed mussels and crusty bread.
Trimbach Pinot Blanc 2007
Alsace, France
€13.95 Widely available
One of Alsace’s signature whites from one of the great producers, this Pinot Blanc is perfect as an aperitif. It is a light wine that has clean citrus and green apple fruit flavours, good structure and bright acidity. Good alongside fish and chicken dishes.
Yet despite all this unbridled enthusiasm to learn about all things vinous, we remain, for the most part, very unadventurous when it comes to trying something different.
We are creatures of habit so when looking for a bottle for the weekend we invariably end up choosing a shiraz, merlot, cabernet, chardonnay or sauvignon blanc. These five grapes account for almost 80p per cent of all still wine sales.
Nothing wrong with that. There are truly some great wines out there made from these noble grapes. But there is so much more to be tasted - around 5,000 varieties!
In Spain alone there are over 600, among them is one of my favourite whites, the beautifully refreshing albarino from Galicia which works perfectly with shellfish.
Across the country in the Rioja region viura is the most important white grape, where it makes a lighter-bodied, lower-alcohol wine which is great to drink during in hot weather to quench the thirst.
In Portugal the citrusy and refreshing arinto is causing something of a stir these days and now the encruzado grape from the Dão region in the north of the country is getting the attention it deserves.
This is a beautifully fragrant white which can have aromas and flavours of apricots and nectarines and great acidity.
And we must not forget those beautifully scented white varieties from France’s Rhone region - marsanne, viognier and roussanne.
Further afield Argentina can boast torrontes with its enormous fragrance ranging from peaches to orange peel. The wines tend to have good, fresh acidity which makes them an ideal food wine.
These are just a few white varieties - along with my two recommendations below - which you may not have tried yet. So why not try something different this week? We will look at unusual reds next time.
Bethany Semillon 2005
Barossa Valley, Australia
€11.95 at O’Briens Wines
This outstanding example of an Aussie Semillon is a bright, gold colour with aromas of lemon and honey. The wine is soft on the palate with an oily character with complex nutty honeysuckle and lemon flavours. Barrel fermented, the wine also has a subtle hint of oak. A goof partner for prawns or with steamed mussels and crusty bread.
Trimbach Pinot Blanc 2007
Alsace, France
€13.95 Widely available
One of Alsace’s signature whites from one of the great producers, this Pinot Blanc is perfect as an aperitif. It is a light wine that has clean citrus and green apple fruit flavours, good structure and bright acidity. Good alongside fish and chicken dishes.
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