Pocket Vintages - wine guide, wine recommendations, wine reviews

Marquis de Fonseguille - Vacqueyras 2004

If you have never heard of Vacqueras, it has its own AOC in Southern Rhone and is well worth looking out for. It is just not that easy to find on UK supermarket shelves.

According to Wiki, Vacqueyras received the A.O.C. Côtes du Rhône (CdR) Decree appellation in 1937. It could add its village name to the CdR Village status in 1990 and received its own appellation - A.O.C. Vacqueyras in 1995. Vineyards are located in Vacqueyras proper and the neighbouring village of Sarrians. About 1300 hectares are under cultivation with a yearly production of roughly 40,000 hl.

Red and rosé wines are made from Grenache Noir, Syrah, Cinsaut and Mourvèdre grapes, white wines from Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Bourboulenc.

This one I found in a Calais supermarket for 6 euros a bottle and it is excellent. Really smooth but enough chunkiness and bite to go with any red meat dish.  Mainly Grenache (60%) and Syrah (30%), it will go down well at any dinner party and at this price is cheap enough to take to BBQs, although I would advise that you keep it to yourself and drink with pleasure, knowing full well that this could pass quite happily for a £16 bottle of wine.

Italy cracks down on wine fraud

Did you know...

That Italy has now taken over from France as the world's biggest exporter of wine.  But this brings problems.  Fraudsters are adding sugar to low grade wine to increase alcohol content as we as substituting cheaper grapes during the wine making process.

The goverment's response is to send 150 officers on a 18 month tasting course to enable them to distinguish the fraudulent wines!

Planet of the Grapes Bin End Sale

Planet of the Grapes, the young and fun wine merchant in Holborn, has a bin-end rose sale - pick up a case of 12 bottles for just £72 that would normally cost £90. There are only 10 cases available so get in quick to avoid disappointment!

They also have also just added a number of tastings to the site - Champagne, Bordeaux & Winter Warmers as well as the Paul Cluver wine evening on the 11th October. just follow the link below for more info...

http://www.planetofthegrapes.co.uk/shop.php?cPath=34

Chateau Cissac 2000

I took a friend to Christopher's Restaurant in Central London a couple of nights ago.  Christopher's is one of those long lasting London restaurants that somehow has stood the test of time, despite having problems.  It is an Amercian restaurant (technically), specialising in steaks and seafood, and it has a Martini cocktail bar downstairs.  I have always thought it the place to go for lunch, to impress a potential client or toast a successful deal.  The prices are not cheap but the food is OK.  You can read the full review on The London Restaurant Review.

Anyway, point is that when I came to choose the wine, my friend told the sommelier that I too was a sommelier (wrong) so she immediately backed off and said that if I wanted help choosing then she was there but I probably wouldn't need it.  No pressure then!

Fortunately I spied a wine that I have tried before and knew to be good - Chateau Cissac.  I subtly referred to my copy of Pocket Vintages and confirmed that indeed, 2000 was an excellent year for Medoc.  At £48 it was about half way up the Christopher's price list.

Upon ordering, the sommelier agreed that this was an excellent choice so I breathed a sigh of relief and from then on we were the best of friends.

She decanted the wine although there was not a trace of sediment and after about 20 mins to breathe, we got stuck in.  It went perfectly with our filet steaks and was delightfully smooth with a rounded finish that left you wanting more more more.

I noticed that Surrey Fine Wines are currently selling the 2000 vintage for about £14 a bottle and since it is drinking well, I would suggest stocking up with a case now to see you through the autumn and winter nights.

Majestic Autumn Offers

Majestic has just announced its range of Autumn offers.  Initial glance indicates nothing magical.  20% off wines from Spain, France, Argentina, Portugal and South Africa with up to 50% off selected Champagnes.

Check out all the offers here.

Dirler Cade Alsace Riesling

I was down in Brockenhurst last week, a beautiful village in the middle of the New Forest.

Within the village you will find a lovely restaurant called Simply Poussin.  You can read the review of the restaurant here.

The manager recommended a 2001 Riesling to go with my starter and I was blown away.  It was complex and mature yet retained a lovely fresh zesty crispness that I don't normally associate with Rieslings this old.  It had a touch of the classic petrol but this was not over-powering and you were left with a well rounded mouthful of pure class.

I could not find any 2001 Dirler Cade's online, although Berry Bros has a couple of the 2004 and 2005 vintages which would lay down very well although you could pop one open now and enjoy.  At around £13 a bottle it is not cheap, but should prove a worthwhile investment.