[Top left: Me with Graham Holter, Group Editor William Reed Publishing. Right: Me with Richard Leaver - I think I must have stood on his foot! Bottom left: The rather impressive chrome trophy that now adorns our shop.]
The Doorman at the Dorchester in Park Lane took one look at me as I stepped out of my taxi (driven by a pipe-smoking octogenarian - there's nothing quite like Balkan Sobranie to add that extra whiff to a rented DJ) and said "I should think you must be The Ballroom - round the corner, second on the right!" Not having a clue myself whether he was right, I automatically followed his instructions and went in search of what I imagined to be the Tradesmen's entrance. But, if it was, it was quite glitzy and beyond the door it turned out to be quite plush indeed - full of mirrors and people in elegant dressware, together with a rather exotic sprinkling of interestingly clothed young ladies plying various free drinks. Why?
Because this was the OLN (Off Licence News) Drinks Retailing Awards 2007 ceremony and I was there due to the fact that Cooden Cellars had been selected as a finalist in the Independent Wine Retailer of the Year category. About 250 guests were gathered for the ceremony and were treated to a three course meal and cabaret provided by Barry Cryer (who I had spent some time chatting to in the reception lounge before the ceremony began - a very engaging and witty man and a marvel at 71). After this, at about 10.00 in the evening the award winners were announced.
I was sitting on the category sponsor's table - Santa Rita winery in Chile - with the two other finalists Ruth Yates from Corks Out, Stockton Heath and Ted Sandbach from The Oxford Wine Company. It was a nice surprise when Richard Leaver, Santa Rita Commercial Director for UK and Ireland, got up on the stage and announced that we had won - especially amongst such august and equally deserving company. I don't recall much of me collecting the trophy or the rest of the evening after that - except that I staggered back to my hotel in the small hours! After a very short sleep I was up, breakfasted and back on the train to Eastbourne ready for tonight's Rhone Dinner in the Mirabelle. Such is the Highlife, eh?
Needless to say we are very pleased indeed to get this award, coming as it does from the drinks industry itself. Thanks to all who have helped us achieve what we have - it's a real partnership built around enjoying wine at its best.
Saturday, 17 February 2007
Drinks All Round at The Dorchester
Friday, 26 January 2007
Regionality in Kiwi Pinot?
Lord’s Cricket Ground was the scene for the 2007 NZ Trade Tasting (its 26th year) and on the afternoon of 16th January this year I attended as per usual, trekking all the way from Southwark where I had been at another tasting in the morning. My expectations were high, not only because there are some marvellous wines coming out of NZ – though the mere thought of several hundred Sauvignon Blancs vying for attention was enough to make my palate wince – but because I wanted to be at the Regional Tour of New Zealand Pinot Noir seminar that was also to take place there.
This seminar was a trial run of a larger presentation that is to be given at the Wellington conference to be held at the end of January and featured:
* Warren Adamson from New Zealand Winegrowers, UK
* Nigel Greening from Felton Road (Central Otago)
* Roger Fraser of Murdock James Estate (Martinborough)
* Mike Brown, Waimea Estates (Nelson)
* Ant MacKenzie, Spy Valley Wines (Marlborough).
The main premise of the seminar was twofold: Tim Atkin’s assertion in The Observer in 2004 that NZ is “a world-class producer of Pinot Noir” and James Halliday’s Harpers observation in 2005 that “NZ is almost unique in having different regions producing distinctly different Pinot Noir”. The former view certainly seems to be reflected in the increased plantings of PN in NZ (from 431 hectares in 1996 to 4,063 ha in 2006 – a rise of nearly 850%) and the parallel rise in sales (exports rose from 0.3 million litres in 2000 to 4.1 million litres in 2006, with a 262% growth in sales in the UK alone since 2002). However, there is a perspective which says that some of this wine – particularly that at near Burgundy prices – is still to find its way to the end consumer, with much of it sitting on merchants’ shelves – a triumph of hope over reality.
The second premise is interesting. We tasted through 9 PNs:
* Sherwood Estate 2005 (Marlborough): soft cherry and light vanilla wash
* Pegasus Bay 2004 (Waipara): full dark fruits, earthy notes, but natural feel
* Sileni Cellar Selection 2005 (Hawke’s Bay): dark fruits, evident intensity with a little smoke. Quite rich and long
* Waimea Estate 2005 (Nelson): rich and enveloping, big chewy blackcurrant skin notes
* Quartz Reef 2005 (Central Otago): sweet ripe entry, softening red/forest fruits on palate
* Martinborough Vineyard Te Tera 2005 (Martinborough): acidic entry with chocolate notes and good structure/length
* Spy Valley 2002 (Marlborough): red and dark fruits with liquorice and spice nuances
* Felton Road 2001 (Central Otago): rich and ripe, fruity style
* Murdock James 2000 (Martinborough): soft yet full with noted toffee and herby flavours at the end, with an extended aftertaste of aniseed/liquorice.
There was clear regional variation, the unique limestone/clay soils of Waipara helping to bring forward the darker notes, spice and earth qualities in the Pegasus Bay sample, for example. The slightly greater diurnal range of Martinborough in southern Wairarapa and its stony alluvial soild helping to bring out the meaty and chocolate part of the spectrum and the sweet but firm tannins. Nelson’s gravels and the fact that it is NZ’s warmest region lends a ripeness to the Waimea wine. Marlborough’s maritime climate and silt and clay soils allows the red fruit focus and linear structure to show through, perhaps with fuller bodied wines from the south. Central Otago, of course, is the most southerly vineyard are in the world and benefits from very long days and loess soils that emphasise the brambly fruit components and some herbal characters in the warmest areas.
Altogether, I felt the case was made for the regional hypothesis and it remains to be seen whether the differences highlighted sharpen over coming years. As to whether NZ’s regionality is as unique as James Halliday suggests is to my mind not wholly proven. Perhaps the real test would be to pursue this aspect through PNs from California, Oregon and Washingtion and from Burgundy, Alsace and the Loire to nail this one. I suspect that while there is a wide geographical spread in NZ which may be a key contributor to variation, we may find that the other components in the mix – soils and winemaking philosophy – may produce as much if not more potential differences. Which country, may we ask, is likely to show the greatest diversity in these aspects which express themselves in the range of wines available?
Friday, 12 January 2007
150% at first wine tasting course
[left: uncorking a wine; right: inspecting the colour of a wine and the variation between core and rim]
It was a full turn-out at our first wine tasting course on Wednesday (10th Jan) evening at the stunning Culinary Arts Studio (CAS - see above photos) at Brighton University's Darley Road, Eastbourne campus. This was the first module in our 4-module The Basics course and also the single module Introductory course. It was great to see so many people there. The ambitious outline for the course certainly proved to be so - my mouth got the better of me and we over-ran by some 50%! But I hope that after 3 hours and 4 wines tasted it was a good outcome - certainly everyone who attended said they had enjoyed it and learned something. I look forward to the rest of the modules - and with better time-keeping on my part they may even finish nearer the scheduled time of 9pm rather than 10pm!!
The four wines tasted in Module 1 were:
- Sancerre 2005, Crochet (Loire, France)
- Macon-Fuisse 2004, Jaffelin (Burgundy, France)
- Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2004 (and 2005) (Burgundy, France)
- Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Les Jamelles (Languedoc, France)
Thursday, 19 October 2006
It's all rigged at OXO
Well, it was Rigged alright: the launch of Brokenwood's 2004 Graveyard Shiraz at the Restaurant on the top floor of the OXO Tower in London on Wednesday 18th October, led by winemaker Iain Riggs. And I was lucky enough to be one of the guests.
It was a 'vertizontal' tasting: a combination of vertical Graveyards from 1998, 2000, 2002 and the 2004, compared with 8 other Shirazes, two from each year - a mini horizontal for each year.
Overlooking the spectacular river frontage near St Paul's we listened to Iain give a brief overview of the 23 years the Graveyard has been produced, rmarking that over that period the average alcohol by volume was 13% - something to note in today's almost universal 14+% wines - a typical feature of the more elegant Hunter Valley style.
I decided to start with a vertical pass through the Graveyards.
- The '98 was soft with perfumed leather, violets and aniseed notes and hints of vanilla and blackcurrant skins.
- The 2000 was darker with redder fruits to the fore and notes of coffee and jam denoting a cooked vintage, whereas the '02 was noticeably savoury and vegetal, the farmyardy notes being indicative of a very wet harvest.
- The '04 was dark ruby with raspberry and lavender aromas and a big, sweet palate suggesting oodles of potential.
The star of the 2000's was undoubtedly the Guigal Brune et Blonde: full of baises roses and liquorice, chocolate and blackcurrant. Its long and tingly, dry finish suggested years of development still to come. The Seville Estate Reserve was very sweet, full of supple polish with a beautiful texture - Iain later informed us that he had actually made this wine!. The '98 was definitely the Graveyard's finest: the Jaboulet La Chapelle unfortunately was shot and on its last legs and the Wirra Wirra RSW was toffee'd and coconut-sweet but not a patch on the Graveyard.
After a refreshment break on the terrace with a glass of Brokenwood Hunter Valley Semillon we were treated to a 4-course lunch as follows:
- Piedmont Bresaola, tete de moine, truffle honey dressing/ Graveyard 2004
- Venison loin au poivre, sweet potato, tamarillo, grand veneur sauce/ Graveyard 2002
- Squab pigeon wrapped in spinach and potato, stuffed with wild mushrooms/ Graveyard 2000
- Selection of cheeses/Graveyard 1998
In typical aussie fashion Iain rounded off the meal with an ice-cold bottle of Coopers Pale Ale each, taken on the verandah, with the golden sunlight peeking through the clouds and washing over the impressive river front. So I took my leave and walked slowly along the South Bank before getting the train home, reflecting on the amazing Hunter wines - altogether a more profound seasoning for my palate than the tower's eponymous namesake.
Tuesday, 17 October 2006
Sherry Wows Westham
I give below our recent Press Release, which shows that a good time was had by all. Both the meal and the sherries were exemplary:
A delighted gathering of Sunday-lunchers welcomed Eduardo Ojeda, winemaker with sherry bodega Valdespino, to Eastbourne last Sunday (14th October) at Horeau's Seafood Restaurant in Westham. He had flown in from Spain especially to give a Sherry Masterclass there, organised by independent wine merchant, Cooden Cellars, as part of the Feastbourne festival of events.
During the masterclass the audience was taken through a short presentation on the different styles of sherry and how they are made. This was followed by a tutored tasting of some of the sherries. Amongst them were super-dry Manzanillas and Finos as well as nutty and caramel Amontillados, through to the more traditional sweet creams. But the star was undoubtedly the ultra-luscious, dark brown sweet El Candado made from the Pedro Ximenes grape which came in a bottle with a padlocked top (El Candado means padlock in Spanish) allegedly first put on the bottle in 1822 to prevent the husband of its original customer from drinking it all! It was just like drinking liquid Christmas pudding, said one customer. Fantastic poured over vanilla ice cream, said another. The tasting was rounded off by a precious bottle of over 30-year old Palo Cortado, worth 170 pounds.
A short break on the sun-kissed patio of the Restaurant allowed a gentle breather before the guests were treated to a wonderful four-course lunch consisting of tartare of salmon, dill and creme fraiche starter, cream of garlic and almond soup, roast loin of pork with prune stuffing and summer vegetables and creme brulee, each course being matched with a different sherry.
Ian Jarman of Cooden Cellars remarked: It's been really wonderful to see the many different sorts of sherries available, and to discover how well they go with different foods. There's a sherry that is perfectly suited to almost any occasion and it's been great to see the positive reactions of people to them. It's been a real eye-opener and a tremendous show case for the not-so-staid image of sherry.
Cooden Cellars continue their promotion of worthy but often maligned wines with their Masters of Riesling tasting at Eastbourne College on Thursday 19th October.
Monday, 12 June 2006
Germany trip, Saturday 10 June 2006
Saturday
After the revels of the night before, Saturday dawned unbelievably bright and it was definitely a sight for sore eyes that I was able to look out from my riverside guest house verandah in Wehlen on to the sloping edifice of the Sonnennuhr (sun-dial) on the opposite bank, raked with fine shadows as the morning sun rose over the Mosel. Ernst Loosen arrived in his Porsche Cayenne at 8.30 and whisked us to join our vehicle which was to take us on to Leitz's estate in the Rheingau.
To get to Rudesheim we had to travel on the ferry across the Rhine as the only bridges are at either Koblenz or Mainz , both many miles away. This was quite a short hop but it gave time to sense the hot and stuffy caldron that is the micro-climate exhibited by the schlossberg cliff face above Rudesheim where the air gets trapped.
At the Leitz winery we first met Paul Furst who had come over from Franken to conduct a tasting of his wines from around Burgstadt. We went through 14 of his wines in all. The notable points were his '97 Riesling Spatlese Centgrafenberg Dry which demonstrated pears and soft apples on the nose followed by blackcurrant on the tip of the tongue with honey, caramel and fudge notes on the palate, grading into an extraordinary cream and strawberries finish. As a change and because of the climate in Franken, Paul makes excellent Spatburgunders (Pinot Noirs). In particular, his '04 Spatburgunder "R" (R = "reserve") which had plum and baises roses notes and full red fruits knitted nicely together, but finishing dry.
Lunch was prepared by Johannes Leitz, the young and talented star of the Rheingau firmament. He made a king prawns in a lemongrass reduction for startes with which we had his '05 Dragonstone Riesling. The lightly rounded wine went well with the orange/lemon soup and shellfish. This was followed by white asparagus and strawberries (a combination invented by Johannes himself, based on the two products which are in high season in Rudesheim at this time of year) with lamb's lettuce and freshly sliced Speck. He learnt to cook at an early age, following his father's death when he was 14 months old and had to muck in to help his mother.
Hot on heels of our food, and pressed for time, we went straight into tasting 14 of his wines. Undoubted highlights among exemplary Rieslings were the '05 Berg Schlossberg Alte Reben. A perfumed minerally nose led into a herb and grapefruit palate, followed by a beautiful tropical and stone fruit finish. The '04 Berg Roseneck Spatlese showed a malty "caramac" chocolate nose and entry with a rich waxy finish, a clear development from the extra year over the lighter and leaner apricot/peach flavours of the'05.
After the tasting we just had time to visit the vineyards. At the top of Johannes' street I could just see a fine monastic-type building and was quite gob-smacked and delighted when Johannes told me it was the famous Abbey of Hidegaard (of Bingen - the town of Bingen at the head of the Nahe/Rhine confluence was just across the river) as we drove past it. We also went past the chair lift that once served the ski reorty on the top of the hillside and on to the Berg Roseneck vineyard that over looks the old Schloss that acted as toll to the river trade in the early middle ages. It was extremely hot and bore witness to the role that aspect gives to microclimate.
We left Leitz on our way back to Hahn at the end of our visit to Germany, but not before we had chance to get thoroughly bogged down in a Harley Davidson bike rally in the heart of Rudesheim. My memory of the trip will include the vision of one of the oldest vineyards in Germany (the Rosengarten, which incredibly is not officially classified, but is now rented and restored by Leitz and in small production under that name), surrounding the town church, being completely hemmed in by rows of glistening motorbikes and leather-clad party-goers. But, like those bikers I saw with bunches of grapes strapped to their helmets, wine and wine growing is just the backdrop to normal life in such places, but nevertheless is a milieu worth celebrating.
I left Germany determined to drink more of their marvellous Rieslings - many at 7 to 8 per cent alcohol so perfect for the soul - and sure that we would find space to have more on our shelves for you to try.
Germany trip, Thursday 8 June 2006 Germany trip, Thursday 8 June 2006
With no particular interest in the sporting event taking place in Germany I nevertheless graciously accepted a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to join Nigel Blundell's Masters of Riesling tour to more outer-lying areas of the country. So I set off eagerly to Stansted airport and joined the merry throng of fans (and the airport was absolutely heaving with them), some of whom were clearly well into conditioning their livers for the onslaught to come.
Thursday
We left on an early flight on Thursday morning and touched down at Frankfurt-Hahn airport about an hour and ten minutes later. This was much to the bemusement of many of those afore-mentioned fans who hadn't been put wise to the fact that the "Frankfurt" part of the destination name had more to do with the owning authority than with the city of that name. Hahn airport is in fact a former US air force base, now revitalised by RyanAir and some 60 miles from Frankfurt.
**
With impeccable German precision we were whisked of into the deep Rheinhessen countryside by Weingut Gunderloch to their winery in Nackenheim. Greeted by our host Fritz Hasselbach, his wife and Charlotte his winemaking assistant, we tasted through 11 wines ranging from his basic '05 Riesling to his '04 Nackenheim Rothenberg TBA. My favourites were the off-dry, peach and grapefruit, creamy finished '05 "Villa" and the best-selling full and richly perfumed '05 Jean Baptiste. Frau Hasselbach then produced a most delightful lunch of traditional meatloaf hot pot, dauphinoise potatoes and salad. With it we had the well-structured, long and lush, '04 "3-star" Auslese.
Following lunch we moved on westward to the Nahe and the quality Dönnhoff estate where Helmut Dönnhoff and his wife, Gaby, led us through a tasting of 15 wines. All of them were very fine indeed and so rewarding in the heat of the afternoon (though we were of course in their cool tasting room!). I was particularly charmed by the easy estate '05 Riesling - sherbet and pineappley with elegant yet racy acidity. Also catching my eye were the '05 Norheimer Delchen Spatlese (intense honey and floral fruit, plunging depth with beautiful mineral notes and structure) and the '05 Oberhauser Brucke Spatlese (huge, pure and smooth - sweet fruit yet with strident acidity).
In the evening we were taken by our hosts to the Zur Trauber ("The Grape") restaurant in Meddersheim, where the Michelin-starred chef (when he was in Wiesbaden ) Herbert Langendorf has set up in semi-retirement. Our delicious meal was accompanied by three new Dönnhoff wines, the most stunning of them being the '04 Grauburgunder "S" which had spent 9 months in wood and had a heavenly nougat and nutty nose and a stunning palate and length. And this was only Helumut's "play thing". Fantastic!