Master of Wine & Chef de Cuisine
Master of Wine & Chef de Cuisine
Cabernet Franc, not quite „in purezza“ but jolly nearly so. Italy has more Cabernet Franc that you could possibly imagine (7000 ha). Normally you would be in the Loire or Bordeaux. In middle Italy, in this case in the country’s green heart, Umbria, this variety can produce very seductive yet structured wines. Always with that …
Yum! Possibly not the most professional of tasting notes but this single vineyard Oregon Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley was gorgeous. Totally „a point“ (2017 vintage) and showing that wonderful rotty, undergrowth, sous-bois style that I love. To look at the wine, many would dismiss it: too light, too much browning, obviously not holding up …
On this occasion I had to use the trick with the copper coin in a decanter (somehow this aerates reductive red wine and removes the bound sulphur / bad eggs character) but after this, we were happy bunnies. Roland Velich is an extraordinary winemaker from Burgenland by the Neusiedlersee in Austria with its warm Pannonian …
A true love story. Australian girl (not quite from the outback) learns how to make wine in Australia, then comes over to Europe, works for a large Italian wine company, falls in love with her client and moves lock, stock and barrel to the outback of Puglia. Two children, one dog and a small wine …
The Nahe Valley is one of the smallest of Germany’s thirteen wine-growing regions. Listen to Alison telling us about some of the Rieslings and other wines grown there from top grower, Martin Korrell of Weingut Korrell Johanneshof in Bad Kreuznach. The wines tasted are: Kirschheck Riesling, Paradies Riesling and Steinmauer (Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder & Chardonnay).
It’s a hard life being a Master of Wine but somebody’s got to do it. And when a vertical tasting comes your way, you don’t decline the invitation. It is nigh on impossible to put together a tasting from one property spanning several decades of wine without a) being the property owner with a library …
Sauvignon Blanc Laurenzikapelle Lieblingsei 2017 from Jürgen Hofmann in Appenheim, Germany compared and contrasted with Alvarinho Limited Edition from Vale dos Ares in Vinho Verde, Portugal.
I don’t need much of a reason to celebrate. The end of the week will do. In fact, that’s a jolly good reason. Who needs a new job, a house move or a round birthday? We should celebrate the everyday, the old hackneyed „carpe diem“ rules here. And if one is going to celebrate, then …
Apparently red wine protects you against Covid: according to UK Biobank research, red wine drinkers have 10-17% more protection against the virus than non-drinkers. Allegedly it has to do with all those antioxidants (found in anthocynanins – that’s the colour and tannins in red wine). This is a theory worth trying out. We decided to …