Hungarian beer showdown (pt II)

Hugarian beer part two.

Arany Aszock 4.5%   -  219 huf/ 70p
Very much like wife beater (stella artois) on the nose, and quite like that in the mouth, but heaps more drinkable, not being as fizzy, and having more malt flavour.

Dreher  5.2%  -  179 huf/60p
More hoppy than Arany Aszock on the nose, but really quite flat and dull in the mouth.

Steffl 4.5%  -  215 huf / 70p
A bit of eggy, stella on the nose. not good. Tastes a bit like stella, and a bit eggy. Not a world beater. 

Kobanyai 4.5% - 185 huf / 60p
Smells a bit like carling. tastes a bit like carling.

So, what have we learnt? Well, our lovely tour guide Anna told us today that if in Hungary, you want beer, you go to the Czech rep, or germany, or any other nearby place. Seems they acknolwledge that they don't do it as well as their neighbours.

The wine? We had an ok bottle of dry tokaji in the hotel, and 2 spectacularly bad ones from tescos (admittedly paying no more than around £3 each for them). A red pinot noir, with more residual sugar than you could shake a stick at. The girl couln't even grit her teeth long enough to finish the glass. Secondly a white, that just tasted like shit. Not good in any way either . The winner so far in the wine dept is a bottle of fizz; hungaria extra brut, that could just about stand toe to toe with a uk supermarket's especially bad cava. More work and research required here, clearly.

Happy new year everyone. Cleggton and the YL.

Hungarian beer showdown

We are in Budapest, a quick trip to Tescos provided these treats.   To save you tears in the hotel room, tonight I will be reviewing 4 sub £1 cans of beers. 

Ottakringer spezial - 219 huf / 70p 4.9%   500ml

The Dewsbury lass is a legend when it comes to tasting beers, she thinks this smells like like Kronenberg, the red can (french stuff).  It is a little hoppy on the nose, yet a little sweet, it smells like a brewery.  It carries the sweetness and hoppiness through on the palate, not too fizzy, an eating beer. 

The verdict:  Bad yellow tin/ Good beer

Kozel svelty - 149 huf / 50p  4.0%    500ml

Smells like farts and washing up liquid, completely tasteless with the exception of a little hoppy length.  Think Hungarian Bier des Flandres, maybe purchased from the John F. in Dewsbury.

Verdict:  Good can, nice goat, but nothing to like, nothing to dislike.  Maybe a bit stale tasting?

Schlossmuhle  -  108 huf / 30p   3.0%    500ml

This can of beer cost less than the same volume of Tescos own brand beans.  Result.
It smells of nowt, and tastes of very little.  Breakfast beer if ever there was one.  Not a bad thing, very refreshing.  You can taste the bubbles more than the beer.  A lot like fosters ice, but there I am showing my age.

Verdict:  Not really tasting of beer but pretty refreshing

Borsodi  -  169 huf / 55p   4.6%    500ml

Popular on draft in the Hungarian pubs.  Smells a little sherberty.  Sadly, an overly foamy head, sweet on the palate, a hint of maltyness, no real hoppy length, making it less refreshing.  This is getting towards the budvar space.

Verdict:  Should do better really, on the surface it seems more well bred.  In reality a little uninspiring

Overall winner here? The yorkshire lass likes the Ottakringer, as it reminds her of home. As for me, the Schlossmuhle really has a place in the world. So there you have it, Hungarian beer tasting, done. Will report on the wines if we get round to it.

A Happy accident, Saint Claire Pinot Noir

Sometimes in a mad rush of blood to the head I will go round one of my favourite wine retailers, find something exciting, maybe I had read a recent good review of a maker or a certain wine, and spend a lot more than I usually would on wine.  These bottles usually kick around the wine rack until I can find a "special occasion" to drink them on, by which point I have usually forgotten why I bought them in the first place.

Last night I was fishing for something different to drink out of the rack. I picked out the below, I remembered it was a little more than I would usually spend, but didn't recall it was quite this much more than I would usually spend, especially for weekday drinking.  Never mind, it was lovely and a treat on a week night.

Name                Saint Clair Pioneer Block Pinot Noir
Vintage              2009
Country              New Zealand
Region               Marlborough
Grape                Pinot Noir
Maker                Matt Thomson, Saint Clair
% Alc                13.5%
Price                  £17.50
Source               Majestic


This Pinot is absolutely lovely, really fruity, cherries and redcurrants,, with good herbal (but not farmyardy, like the french) maybe bramble leaves hints.  I am not going to go into detail, as to be honest I wasn't fully paying attention.

But I did love drinking this wine, it was so moreish, we could have drunk another bottle or two, which is saying something, usually one bottle of any wine is enough, and I am ready for something different.  This wine lingered tantalisingly after the, sadly, last mouthful seemingly to tease me that there was no more left.

Beautiful wine, will go on my "wine for special occasions list".  Writing about it has made me thirsty for more.

The Squids fist

Julian at Winos dug this one out for us at the shop, I didn't know what to expect, not having drunk much Sangiovese in my time.

Name                The squids fist
Vintage              2009
Country              Australia
Region               South Australia
Grape                Sangiovese 70% Shiraz 30%
Maker                Some Young Punks
% Alc                14%
Price                  £??
Source               Winos


Just a quick note to remind me how good this was.   The wine was rich, almost sweet, almost port like.  This also had a really complex herbal note (presumably brought by the shiraz), almost Rhoney, but a sub-note.  Very interesting.  I will need to add more sangiovese to my shopping list. 

The Laughing Magpie

We've been ill for a week.  Normal service has now resumed, what better to blow away the cobwebs than a nice, old Aussie.

Name                The Laughing Magpie
Vintage              2002
Country              Australia
Region               Mclaren Vale
Grape                Shiraz Viognier
Maker                D'Arenberg
% Alc                 14.5%
Price                  £?About 15?
Source               Winos

This old boy, threw a whole load of crud at the bottom of the bottle, usually a good sign of a light touch in the winery.  The wine is still quite purple for it's age, whilst showing a little of the bricky red of age.

MMMMMM.  This is lovely.  This wine is so rich, brambly and autumnal fruit compote.  With some eucalyptus, licorice and leathery bite,  It has mouth filling fruit and spice with a real length (with a bit of a boozy tail).

A really profound experience, no chance of this one passing you by; it's intense, delicious, and we reckon around about £15 so well spent. Makes the £10 - 12 that you pay for a box-fresh d'Arenberg so convincing, that we really ought to commit some real time and currency to this maker.

Saturday bubbles

Friday didn't feel like Friday this week, as the Yorkshire Lass worked from home, and The Man didn't work at all, owing to not being able to cross the Pennines. So we lost our groove, and didn't chill any fizz down, opting for wintry CdR instead.

Which means that Saturday came and the fizz went in the fridge, this time a bargain-ous vintage champagne, bagged last weekend at Majestic. We tasted it in the store, and the sales person's job was done. We took 2 home.

Name                Heidsieck & Co Monopole Gold Top
Vintage              2004
Country              France
Region               Champagne
Grape                Champagne blend
Maker                Heidsieck & Co
% Alc                12%
Price                  £15
Source               Majestic


The nose is 'typique', bready, yeasty, and deliciously Champagne-y. A bready apple crumble; Eve's pudding no less. It's not a massively rich drink for a vintage, but is certainly tasty, and the glass beside me is emptying well! It's light and fragrant, but with a good late depth, and solid length. There is greatness here though, in its balance. No jagged edges, no acid that catches, no sweetness that lingers. A delicious drop.

At 6 years old, (from vintage, no idea when disgorgement was) it's still very much alive in the glass. We really enjoyed a bargain Blue top in pre-blog days, and Heidseick is becoming synonymous with great value, reliably champagne-y champagne in this household. There's sure to be a blue top on a great deal in a supermarket near you this festive season, and I warmly suggest that you give it a whirl.

Vent du Nord

Majestic, Domaine Ste Rose, Vin de Pays d'Oc £6.99 with £2 off when you buy 2 bottles.

Having had a (gigantic) Rousanne by this producer, I was interested to see what their Chardonnay / Rousanne blend was like. It seemed like a winter friendly blend, all set to be tasty and interesting, but turned out to be a wierd let down. There's another bottle in the rack, and maybe given chance with a meal, it'll do better, but for now, it's a 'don't buy again'.

It was pretty winey, the sort of thing if handed to me in a pub wouldn't register as anything other than a slightly above average house white. I couldn't tell you where it was from, no sense of place, despite being as French a thing as you care to dream up. The aftertaste was just so bitter, we drank it with a grimace. The man was distinctly unimpressed with this choice of mine. Oops.

E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone

It's cold outside, what better to warm the cockles than a good CdR.

Majestics have a buy 2 get  20% off deal on the Rhone at the moment, so I picked a couple up to try.  CdR can be of mixed quality even within the quality tree of the Rhone.  For those that don't know what I am talking about I will try to explain.  The Rhone as an area is split into named ACs, the French's way of categorising wine, each AC has a bunch of rules to ensure some consistency.  Which AC you fall into depends on where your vineyard is and how you process them.  In ascending quality (usually) it goes like this:

Cotes Du Rhone
Cotes Du Rhone Villages
Cotes Du Rhone Villages (named village) eg. Cairanne
Named AC (or Cru) - e.g Gigondas, Cotes-Rotie

A good description and map can be found here

Today I have a modest Cotes Du Rhone, by the venerable maker (mostly from the Northern Rhone) E. Guigal.

Name                 Cotes Du Rhone
Vintage              2006
Country              France
Region               Rhone
Grape                Rhone Blend
Maker                E. Guigal
% Alc                14%
Price                  £6.79
Source               Majestic


I enjoyed this thoroughly, there were lovely hedgerow fruit notes with boot polish and leather, probably showing because there a was a little bottle age to allow it to develop some complexity. There was lots to enjoy here, with some cedar / pencil case notes too.
I have had younger Guigal CdRs and they have been a little austere; this on the other hand has handsomely benefited from it's 4 year relaxation period, is rich and generous, and a serious wine at a low price.  I will go and stash a case at this bargain price.

Bored Oh!

Tonight I thought we would have a look a wine society Bordeaux that came as a part of a mixed case.  Historically have avoided anything with any Cabernet Sauvignon, including most Bordeaux, as it has always seemed too tannic for me.  This seemed to have passed, so I thought I would try and understand Bordeaux a little better.


Name                 The Societies Exhibition Paulliac
Vintage              2004
Country              France
Region               Bordeaux
Grape                Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc
Maker                Les domaines Barons de Rothchilds
% Alc                12.5%
Price                  £16
Source               The Wine Society


I was expecting to be wowed by this Bordeaux, by a great maker and not a cheap price.  All this presented by my trusted society.  All I can say was it was dull.  The nose was pretty nice, but that was really it.


There is a good chance that I don't drink this stuff purely because it isn't that exciting, and doesn't represent good value for money.  If I had £16 to spend in Burgundy or the Rhone, I could get a really exciting drop.


I will probably venture back at some point, but I'm not sure that it's for me.  If someone can persuade me, please do.

Argentinian Pinot Noir

Name                Chalten Pinot Noir
Vintage              2007
Country              Argentina
Region              
Grape                PInot Noir
Maker              
% Alc                14%
Price                  ??
Source               Winos


Nose is splendid, yet simple, with cherries, berries and straw. No trace of the dampness of French Pinot showing up here.
It's really pleasing; it was a little cold when it came out of the booze-man's cupboard, and in some ways, that suited it. Tasty, quaffable, good quality, light and with ribena, it hides its 14% really well.

The yorkshire girl was so taken with drinking it cool (I had put my glass by the radiator to ripen after one slurp) that she dug out the wine temperature-ometer, to see how close she was to the 10-12 C suggested on the bottle (having no sense of scale in these matters.)

Beaujolais Nouveau

It is the third Thursday of November, Beaujolais Nouveau day !!

Unfortunately, the wine shop I went to to get some after work had none :(

I guess I will will get some tomorrow and pretend that it is Thursday.

Never mind, I have other things in the rack.

an aging ausie

One tonight from either Phil's legendary bin end box, or Australia's bottom shelf (where Merlot goes to die!).  This could be awesome or rubbish, I love the randomness and living appeal of wine.  Grant Burge is a good maker, even though this is one of the entry level offerings.  Still not cheap, by most peoples money.  Lets see how it performs !

Name                 Grant Burge Barossa Vines Shiraz 2003
Vintage              2003
Country              Australia
Region               Barossa
Grape                Shiraz
Maker                Grant Burge
% Alc                14.5%
Price                  ??
Source               Winos

I decanted this one, to let it get some air and so I don't end up drinking what was a decent amount of, what can only be described as, crap from the bottom of this bottle.

The wine is still very purple, but starting to show some of the brick colour typical of a wine with some age.  It still tastes good too, quite savoury with a touch of boot polish.

This isn't a bobby dazzler but it is good drinking.  There is something about old wine, maybe like leaving a curry overnight, that just allows all the flavours to get accustomed with each other and soften out.  This shows that, it is lovely and rounded, with no spiky edges and seems to show much more interest now all the blousey fruit of youth has disappeared.

On this showing, I am really looking forward to some of the other Aussie shirazes, that Phil and Jules dug out of the cellar (St Hallett old block, Wynns Coonawarra estate, D'Arrenburg Laughing magpie and a Plantagenet Mount Barker) all with a bit of age; maybe not by design, but available in the shop if you look for them.

Gosset Champagne

Weekend bubbles are the norm in our house, the Yorkshire lass dictates!

Last weekend we had a raid at Wino's in Oldham, the owners are our friends and we always come out with something a bit different.  I can trust Phil to understand what we are looking for and have something tucked away in his dusty, chaotic cellar (St Hallett Old block 2000 will be drunk later in the year)

 We were after a different champagne to anything we have had recently, Gosset it is then.

Name                  Gosset Champagne Brut excellence
Vintage               NV
Country              France
Region               Champagne
Grape                 Champagne Blend
Maker                Gosset
% Alc                12%
Price
Source               Winos

We love champagne in all its guises (I am sure we may find one we actively dislike, rather than slightly underwhelms, but it hasn't happened yet!), and they are all a unique thing. This one is all about the delicious green acidity - apples and limes, which makes it highly drinkable and morish.  This is all balanced with a quite sweet middle, suggesting a pretty heavy hand with the dosage. but judiciously so.

It's not a champagne particularly in the toasty mould, but there is some fennel-y length here, florality, and lots to interest the mouth. Really good bubbles too, not of a Bollinger fineness, but small, persistent, and satisfying. A proper apero, I would say.  I could probably even drink this with cake 

Thanks to Jules and Phil at Winos, for helping to perpetuate our thorough exploration of this favourite treat's many forms. 

Asda ES Shiraz (Syrah)

This is a south of France number from near Carcasonne,

My overall description is going to be similar to that of the Chardonnay, not exiting but good quality.  There isn't much pizazz here but decent finesse.  We thought that maybe this was a little less baked than we might have expected from here.

I was contemplating about this, what does a supermarket's own brand extra special/taste the difference/finest need to do?  I think that it needs to play safe, be typical, a good example, but nothing too special......go figure, maybe I am wrong.

>I would buy this Syrah again without thinking twice, good weekday wine and a good example of the above characteristics.

Asda ES French Chardonnay

Got chance to try the Asda EX south of france Chardonnay with dinner last night.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I am generally a white Burgundy fan and lean towards the richer, honeyed, nutty styles.  This wasn't really that, but what it was was a reasonably generous yet composed and refined dry chardonnay.  It showed no overly oaky flavours, no overly nothing really other than a well balanced chardonnay.  A little fruit, a little minerality, a little structure.

I should really go and get a case at this prices (~£4.50) as it has all the hallmarks of a generalist all-rounder, good to drink on it's own or with a wide variety of foods.

Asda EX Gavi

Not really going to waste my breath here, this wine isn't bad and would match nicely against a lot of different foods.

Headline is that this is pretty dull.

Asda ES Australian Reisling

Tonight I am on the the Asda ES Australian Riesling. I am waiting for a curry, and have been waiting long.  A good maker here, Knapstein.  I have drunk their wines before and enjoyed them.

This is dry and a bit oily on the nose as is expected from this style of Riesling.  Nothing much to write home about here if you know what to expect of a Riesling, nor nothing to complain about either, it is a lovely balanced Riesling, plenty of lime acidity with good structure and a little flinty minerality.  Petrol,. diesel, and general floralness.

The headline is the price, I paid less than a fiver for this good bottle, which is a solid Riesling.  If I went to Marks and Sparks, who sell something really similar, I would be paying nearer to a tenner.  Well done Asda.

Independent bubbles

Name           J.M. Gremillet Champagne Brut 

Vintage         NV

Country        France

Region         Champagne

Grape           Champagne Blend

Maker          J.M. Gremillet

% Alc          12%

Price           £20

Source        Hoults

Our Friday tipple, and bubbles as usual. Rob yawned when I reached for the Veuve, and so following him along the shelf, we reached this (passing the Lallier we had a short while ago), which doesn't break the bank, and according to him, the IWC top non-vintage champagne, for the past two years running no less. Well, it didn't win for flair, panache, wildness or unpredictability, that's for sure. But what we do have, is a light, and pretty unrefined champagne, which is non-threatening, your nan would like, and would go down well at a wedding.

Its nose isn't really champagne-y, and could be mistaken for a cremant de loire or cremant d'alsace, having some real floral notes in there. 

It has been suggested that (and maybe this isn't a characteristic champagnes aim for?) as it rests in the glass, mouthfuls move from structured, to a more mellow roundness, but I cannot vouch for this, as mine infrequently sticks around that long!

It's fine - it's nice, but the Lallier kicks its ass for me, as do a couple of cavas, Bob's camel valley gear and cremants. All together now: to the bride and groom!

Asda ES Alsace Gewurtztraminer

Asda ES Alsace Gewurtztraminer, 2008. 13% alc

Made by Cave Du Roi, a really well perfumed, flowery, Gewurtz, typical of Alsace.  Off dry and lovely.

Not overly refined, bought for under a fiver.  Excellent value, and a great introduction to this style.

I had this with Curry, a really good match.

Full price of £6.50 ish still looks reasonable.  Well done Pippa !

Asda Extra Special range

I popped into ASDA yesterday (to buy groceries) and found that they had their Extra Special wine range on 25% off until the end of October.  I didn't want to buy, but I made the sacrifice of walking out with 6 bottles so I could try them for this blog,

I was also a little curious as to how Philippa Carr (MW) was getting on in what is probably one of the hardest jobs in wine.  

Since she took the job at Asda there have been major changes to the wine aisle, and there are now things that I would happily buy on their shelves, keenly priced as you might expect from Asda.

For those who may stumble over this blog from overseas, Asda is known in the UK as the cheapest mainstream supermarket and typically hasn't excited by its wine range. 

If you look closely at the extra special range you will see some well known makers hidden underneath the Asda moniker.  For example their is southern France offerings from Paul Mas, Clare Valley Riesling from Knappstein, Rhone bottlings including Crozes Hermitage from Caves de Tain.  

Looks like Philipa is working some magic here allowing this range to show some benchmark examples that may cost a little more than the sub £5 mark that Asda has typically hit at, only time will tell.

With this offer on get down and bag a bargain, maybe?  Certainly the Crozes for under £6 seemed like good value.

Short reviews to come, as I get through the bottles.

Cornwall Pinot Noir Brut

It's Friday, treat time.  This time it is a bottle of Camel Valley Fizz we picked up when visiting Bob at the Vineyard earlier this year.

Name              Camel Valley Pinot Noir Brut (Cornwall)
Vintage            2008

Country           UK

Region            Cornwall, 

Grape             Pinot Noir
Maker             Bob and Sam Lindo

% Alc             12%

Price               £20ish

Source            Camel Valley

This is a truly salmon coloured wine, as opposed to a rose, or blush, or a pink. It's a joy, and amazing to think that this isn't from France or a top class Australian. 

The nose is attractive, but it really all starts on the palate where there is a sweet and fruity, welcoming, autumnal beginning, with redcurrant, briar, bramble and apples, giving way to a  zippy acid, and a tremendous lingering finish, rounded and moreish. Needless to say I needed another glass to complete this write up!

 

The impression I am left with by this wine is one of a lovingly prepared strawberry shortcake with cream. 

There is no place in this blog for saying that this is a remarkable English wine, because today, this is showing as a remarkable wine full stop.  And to be honest the top UK fizz is up there with the best of them.

Weekday Italian

Italy for me is confusing, complex, often underwhelming and incomprehensible (I will give examples why in my next post).  I am trying to understand, but I don't think mere mortals can handle it in the same way that France, the New world and maybe (he takes a deep breath) Spain or Germany are accessible.


As such, I don't know what I like, never know what is good and usually steer clear.  I am NOT saying Italy is bad, I just don't have the road map, and it would take a lifetime to learn by trial and error.  It took me five minutes and some research just to understand what the bottle was telling me,

Name              Suagna
Vintage            2004

Country           Italy

Region            Langhe, Bricco Rosso

Grape             Dolcetto and Nebbiolo
Maker             Manfredi

% Alc             13.5%

Price               £6.50

Source            The Wine Society

Straight into the glass, this had a nice nose, reminiscent of a chianti maybe. Cherries maybe, but pretty much an Italian red, some discernible oak, and nothing amazing. Could we say straight off it was an eye-tie? Yeah, pretty much.

Once in the mouth,light sweet fuit gave way rapidly to the harsh oakiness (still hanging around was pretty surprising after a good 6 years sat in its bottle (maybe 4, after ageing at the winery?)) Other than that, a pretty thin experience, and not much of note. Generally fitting with experieince of Italian reds. Classic nanna's pissy underpants ( I think that reference deserves an explanatory post all of its own.) Meh.

Maybe we need some education in the matter, but no evidence found that there is so much better out there. Maybe it's just not to our taste.

It was a different story, however, once sat next to home-made meatballs in tomato sauce, with good quality Italian pasta. This food took the harsh oaky edge away, brought the acid into play.
Classic case of the wine and the food doing so much for each other - the wine made you want to eat, the food made you want to drink (not that the Yorkshire lass's meatballs are that bad.)

Although piedmont is not really the natural home of this Bologna style meal (being a little further north, and conjouring ideas of preserved meats, sausages and mountain cheeses) they really really complemented each other. No chalk and cheese here; more like Morcombe and Wise in my eyes. Good stuff for a mid-week venture to the peninsula.

Chablis Premier Cru

You see the theme, at some point in the week, we get a treat.  This is probably it for the week.

Tonight we have a Chablis Premier Cru from the wine society's Exhibition Range.  The brief for this range is to "be flagship examples of their regions and styles".  So far I haven't been dissapointed.

Name        Chablis 1er Cru, Mont de Milieu

Vintage      2006

Country     France

Region      Mont de Millieu Vinyard, Chablis, Burgundy

Grape       Chardonnay
Maker       Jean-Marc Brocard 

% Alc        13% Vol

Price         £16.50

Source      Wine Society 

On the nose this wine is quite reserved showing hints of honey, white fruit and herbs.

It is in the mouth that it really comes to life.   On entry, so to speak, a full round mouthfilling richness, dry as a bone, but with a really lively acid length with a good slob of minerality that Chablis is known for,  that keeps you wanting more.  This is't exciting,in wine rock and roll way, but is just lovely.

Being my first "posh" Chablis this has been a bit of an eye opener in comparison to the sometimes watery and steely, cheap supermarket and wine bar chablis, not that these do not have a place.

A bit pricey for an everyday, even weekend wine, but i would buy again at the drop of the hat. 

A top Chilean

Carrying on with the cheering properties of wine, we have a top wine from Chilean maker Miguel Torres.  Miguel Torres produces wines at all entry points, always good value for money and, in my experience, not a lemon in the bunch.

Name         Miguel Torres Cordilera

Vintage       2008

Country      Chile

Region       Curico Valley

Grape        Chardonnay (85%), Viognier (15%)

% Alc        13.5%

Price         £11.99

Source       Hoults 

This wine is one of my favourites it is a good Chardonnay blend (with a small (15%) hit of Viognier) in the the style of a good Burgundy (obviously without the Viognier) at this age it is still probably a little young, can't wait to cellar some; bring on my birthday in 2015.) 

Smooth oak on the nose, roundness, aniseed, lychee and a little honey. Maybe there is even banana. Once it's in your mouth (and the nose makes you want to get it there), you get lime, richness, zing and all the complexity that a cooler climate can deliver above and beyond those flashy over cooked Aussie ones. 

It's the acid and strong herbality (new word) and structure on the 'swallow' that gives it away as a banker for cellaring, but currently excellent with food.  Be assured; that will melt away, and balance out with a ripening of the fruit contained here.  There is a case coming my way, and it will be a long hard wait.

Chile is often the 'go to' for our VFM, which is often connected with a weekday, sub £7 price point. But thinking of VFM in the round, as true 'bang for your buck', and you'll see that this wine is as good as old world examples of at least twice the price.  Have a go, it's excellent value for money. It's very good now at the money, and will likely be awesome. Get all Delia, and plan Xmas (3 years) ahead. 

Saturday night Champers

It's Saturday night and we are both in need of a pick me up, we nipped into Bob's to pick up a new corkscrew because somehow we have no decent ones in the house.  

What better to pick us up than a bottle of Fizz.  We are trying to try new fizz apart from the old favourites of Pol Roger and Louis Roederer.  Tonight on Rob's recommendation we are on Lallier.

Name        Lallier grand reserve grand cru

Vintage      NV

Country      France

Region       Champagne

Grape         Pinot noir from Ay (65%), Chardonnay from Avize and Cremant (35%)

% Alc        12.5%

Price         £25.00

Source      Hoults

Low dosage yet sweetish, this is a super enjoyable champagne. Of note is it's freshness, reminding me of seaside air in a strange way. Not sharply acidic, but with attractive lemon and apple, and the classic brioche finish. Length is a feature of note. Not super-fine Bollinger (or Krug!) bubbles but persistent, a good foam in the glass. V nice at £25, when the grand marques on offer started at around £27. Should be noted that Rob is super competitive on his champagnes, and is often the winner when a need for fizz arises. Think this would be wicked with oysters. 

Kanonkop Kadette

The South Africans are known for their blends (and some really crazy ones too) and their love of the Pinotage grape.  Tonight I have a bit of both, a Pinotage heavy blend from a good maker.

Name        Kanonkop Kadette

Vintage      2008

Country      South Africa

Region       Stellenbosch

Grape         Pinotage (45%), Cabernet Sauvignon (29%), Merlot (17%), Cabernet Franc (9%)

% Alc        14%   

Price         £7.95

Source       The Wine Society

The nose doesn't do much - plummy fruit, and maybe a bit of a mint twang - you'd say it was a claret I think.

Surprisingly, in the mouth, first impressions are of a southern rhone blend. The texture however, is what is really of note - really silky, not at all chewy as you might expect from this grape mix and locations. The wine ripens in the mouth, not really disclosing its provenance as S.African, except for a small tyre note, if you look for it.  Warmth and spiced fruit (heading into xmas cake territory) make it really drinkable. Enjoyed with our virgin attempt at home made lamb mince Koftas, this was a surprising, and rewarding drink. Good length, and compelling.

VFM? Yes, I would say so. A weekend price, and a weekend performance, with texture the star turn here. Burnley's success, stealing victory from the jaws of defeat this afternoon, serves to sweeten the deal.

A good white Burgundy

I am a big fan of white Burgundy, but unfortunately it can be expensive and sometimes, when bought from a retailer, isn't quite ready.

Tonight we have:

Name         Louis Latour Pouilly-Vinzelles "en Paradis"

Vintage      2006

Country      France

Region       Burgundy, Maconnais

Grape         Chardonnay

% Alc        13%   

Price         £10.99 (probably on a buy 2 deal)

Source       Majestic Wine

Burgundy is a difficult place to understand for the beginner and experienced alike, this AC is in the Macon, just next to the famous Pouilly Fuisse ... Never mind; I might write about this at some point when I understand a little more.

This is a white Burgundy in the "rich" style.  Has apricot-y fruit notes and all those hazlenutty and waxy overtones that come with full white burgundy.  it is rich and mouth filling with a good length. Lets be clear though - it's not an unctuous full on mouth filler, as it retains a lemony acid to make it appealing and fresh, in a thoroughly burgers way; not to be mistaken for Sauvignon zing. this was better with food, home made salmon fishcakes, in this case.

Let me not mince, this is good.  If I was to be over critical, it would take a couple more years in the bottle and be very good.

Enjoyed here.  Next time I might buy couple and cellar some.

Friday Fizz

The Yorkshire lass enjoys fizz very much, as do I.  It seems a perfect way to celebrate the coming of the weekend.

As the budget does not stretch to premium champagne, a Friday fallback is required.  

Name         Undurraga Brut 

Vintage      NV

Country     Chile

Region       Maipo Valley

Grape         Chardonnay / Pinot Noir

% Alc        12.5%   

Price          £9.99 (Buy 2 - £6.99 each) 

Source       Majestic Wine

It's pretty much demi, rather than the Brut it claims to be, and ain't that far from being an Asti. Don't take it wrong though, it makes it ideal breakfast / warm up wine, the bubbles are pleasingly persistent, and it's pretty compelling and drinkable. It's pretty childish, fun, tastes of zesty sweets, with a hit of apple acid balancing out the tutti frutti.

Given, it's not got style, class, elegance, but then it is around a fiver, for Friday fizz. A nice change to a steely cheap mouth stripping Cava, and more straightforward than a Cremant. A place for everything, and everything in its place.