Dinner at Home

Category: Drink

Wine, drinks and other beverages

  • Which Sparkling Wine?

    With prices often at around £20 a bottle, and with top grande marque Champagnes like Krug or Bollinger costing a great deal more, there’s no denying that the world’s most famous sparkling wine is an expensive option. So, if you’re on a budget, what are the best sparkling alternatives to drink on a self indulgent night at home?

    If you have the money, then you might still be considering Champagne. And why not? Part of the reason it’s expensive is because quality is usually very high, and it’s often aged for over a year to help develop all those lovely bready and brioche flavours it typically has.

    But there are many other parts of France, such as the Loire Valley, which produce sparkling wine using the same Traditional or Champagne Method, and which can be bought for around half the price. They might not have been aged for as long as Champagne (and won’t always have quite the same complexity of flavour) but are usually very drinkable. Look for the words Méthode Traditionelle on the label.

    In addition to France, the two largest European producers of sparkling wine are Spain and Italy. If Spanish sparkling wine has been labelled as Cava (which most is) then by law it must be made by the Traditional Method, and at the top end it’s extremely good. Cava can also be picked up for bargain basement prices, but beware – quality can be variable here. Prosecco is the best known Italian sparkling wine. It’s light, easy drinking, has lots of citrussy fruit, and there is plenty of good stuff available for around a tenner a bottle.

    Many good sparkling wines produced in Australia, New Zealand or California are also less expensive than Champagne, although the top end wines are every bit as expensive. Again, look for the words Traditional Method on the bottle. New Zealand is a favourite of mine, as its relatively cool climate makes it an ideal place for the production of sparkling wine.

    Last, but not least, consider England! Many UK vineyards have been are planted on the South Downs (which share the same geology as the Champagne region) and produce very high quality sparkling wine – but with the price tag to match.

    Courtesy of Tom Lockhart at the The Brompton Wine Company, London, SW14.

    tom@bromptonwine.com 07808 765 243:

     

  • The Bluffer’s Guide to Bordeaux!

    1. It’s all about the Gironde Estuary. One of the historical reasons the region has done so well is because of its proximity to water. Barrels could be loaded onto ships which caught the tide into the Bay of Biscay, from where it was an easy onwards and upwards into the Great Blue Yonder.
    2. Bordeaux is at the latitudinal margins of red winemaking, which in English means some years aren’t quite warm and dry enough to make good wine. Hence the heightened obsession with vintage in Bordeaux compared to warmer regions.
    3. Bordeaux red wine is a blend of different grapes. Having a choice of grape varieties offers a good hedge against the vicissitudes of the weather (see above).
    4. The west side of the Estuary is known as Left Bank and its wines often favour Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend; the east side is known as the Right Bank and its wines usually tend to have more Merlot.
    5. Perhaps Bordeaux’s most famous son is Decimus Magnus Ausonius (310 – 395AD) the Latin poet and rhetorician on whose former estates the current Chateau Ausone supposedly sits. He was famous for saying “Nemo bonus Brito est” – no good man is a Briton.

    Courtesy of Tom Lockhart at the Brompton Wine Company

    tom@bromptonwine.com   07808 765 243

  • The Viognier Grape

    Back in 1965 the Viognier grape almost became extinct with it’s vines covering only eight hectares in France. Twenty years ago this grape variety was still relatively unknown. However, in the last ten years there has been a huge surge in popularity with bottles regularly appearing on supermarket shelves at a reasonable price.

    The wine originates in the northern Rhone valley but has since been grown in the Languedoc-Roussillon as well as Provence. The majority of wines available are white but the grape is also used in red wines but tends to be blended with another grape (e.g. shiraz / viognier).

    The wine is full bodied and powerful yet soft, dry and smooth. It has tastes of a whole variety of things including lychees, mango, apricot and vanilla as well as springtime, honeysuckle and lime. This wine is great with fresh fish, lobster and roast chicken as well as just enjoying chilled on a lovely summer’s day!

    Australia, Chile and South Africa are all now growing this grape and producing wines. This is not for the faint hearted but still remains one of the most fashionable of the moment.

    Most wine sellers offer a good selection on Viognier with the average price around £8 – £10. Both Majestic and Tesco offer a good choice.

  • Majestic Wine France

    Just had to put a quick note here to say what a great find! Our friends Mark and Sarah took their children over to Eurodisney for the day last weekend and came back on Sunday via Majestic Wine in Calais. Luckily for us they have a big car so were able to bring stuff back for us as well as themselves. What a bargain – way cheaper than the UK – the Lindauer pink fizz that we like is at least £6 in the UK (on special offer) but was only £4.99 in Calais. We even invested in a Marlborough Sauvignon blanc at £2.99 which is damn decent even if I say so myself! (more…)