This thread is for wine lovers who would like to exchange views about the wines they have tried. Hopefully it could develop into a a useful reference point for anyone interested in wine. So I will try to build up a virtual wine cellar, with the help of anyone who is willing to help. NB. This thread has been started by transferring relevant posts from the "Discuss Anything Except.." thread. Hence the rather unusual start.
People forget what a gem summer 1975 was. The reason is that mainly it didn't start until Derby Day. In fact on the Monday of Derby week it snowed. Then this anticyclone came in and it was set to the beginning of September. The KG was run in wonderful weather with good to firm ground. The third and fourth day of Royal Ascot were run on firm going. Nowadays all these namby pamby inbred Native Dancer horses would be withdrawn and you'd have tiny fields for everything. When '76 came along with its brilliant blue skies and no rain (appointment of a Government drought Minister: what was his name?) it felt as if the UK was the place to be even if the economy was rapidly going down the toilet and inflation was 25%. Must have been a good vintage for English Wine Ron, because the 1970s was certainly a lost decade for Bordeaux. 1970 and perhaps 1978 were the only vintages of real interest. Yet the 80s (sans '80, '84 and '87) were all worthy years. I don't think the French (Bordelaise) discovered how to handle a really hot vintage until after 1989.
I was referring to Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein. Although the Eiswein was more like pure nectar. Used to drink a lot of the Auslese and Beerenauslese and 1976 was then regarded as the best year for a long time.
Yes you are right Ron, the German's were suited by that year. Think you had to go to 1989/90 before you got anything of a similar quality.. I'm a great lover of Mosel wine, and even more of the steely Saar and Rumer wines. I never understand why they are not more popular. A touch of sweetness and people go all puritan on you!
Might give them a try Bustino if I see them. I discovered those German wines at a wine tasting session in Amersham Bucks. Went there a dry wine fanatic and got converted (and pissed).
A trend in wine I find unsatisfactory is cheap Sauvignon Blanc served up as fresh and crisp when really it is because they've added unripe grapes. There's a difference between sourness and fresh acidity and too many wines now are sour. Yet you get fresh German wines of the type you mention that have sweetness but it's balanced by that wonderful acidity so the wines are never cloying. As much as I really like Chablis and Sancerre if you made me drink wines from only one white grape it would be Riesling. And they can be bone dry to amazingly sweet as in the TBAs you mention. Yet you mention Riesling to most people and they say 'arrghh don't like sweet wines'. Keeps the prices down I suppose.
Interesting. Although basically a beer drinker, I do enjoy an occasional good-quality Franken wine in the well-known rounded and flattened Bocksbeutel bottle, especially a halbtrocken (demi sec) wine from the Sylvaner (or Silvaner) grape. Really great with fish, chicken, etc.
I quite enjoy a Chablis Premier Cru and Pouilly-Fuissé but I must say I like most Chardonnays. I'm no wine expert but I have been meaning (for decades) to keep wine labels and do a layman's write up (purely for our own benefit) to serve as a reference library". annoyingly, I never did get round to it.
Swan Franken wines are super and the surprise of Germany. I always feel the wines have an earthy quality quite unlike any other wine especially for Germany. I don't normally like any German wine unless it's Riesling but as you say Sylvaner from there is terrific (better than the Alsace) and even Kerner in the halbtrocken style is really good. Wurzburg wines are good but I used to buy wines from a small village near Iphofen. Unlike other German dry wines they are quite big. Of course the old bocks beutel (which the Portuguese stole for Mateus Rose) is supposed to originate from the shape of a deer's genitalia. It would put most people in the UK off because they would associate it with Mateus. I'm expecting Rab C Nesbitt to pop up on this thread any minute now and say ' I'll drink wine but I'm nae a poof'. Ron I buy when I can a Montmains 1er Cru from Denis Race in Chablis. Needs a bit of time but is a lovely wine at a great price. I think you are spot on with the value French chardonnays being in the Macon. Have you ever had a Verget wine from Pouilly Fuisse or Macon?
This could be an excellent source for wine selection and if no-one objects I would like to set up a separate thread called "The Wine Cellar". I for one would be visiting that thread each time I go shopping for wines and I will be looking along the shelves with my list.
Wow, you guys really know your stuff! Ron, I would strongly recommend "The World Atlas Of Wine" by Hugh Johnson, and since 2003 by Jancis Robinson. It is an "atlas and reference work on the world of wine, published by Mitchell Beazley. It pioneered the use of wine-specific cartography to give wine a sense of place, and has since the first edition published in 1971 sold 4 million copies in 14 languages. It is considered among the most significant wine publications to date, and remains one of the most popular books on wine, with the most recent sixth edition published in October 2007"*. The 3rd edition has a proud place on my bookshelf, and have never felt the need to buy a later edition. The one I have is choc-a-bloc full of information. I only use it as a reference of course, heck, if I read and tried to digest the whole thing through, my head would have burst a long time ago! *(Wikipedia) Bustino, years ago, when I was not working between contracts, we would drive up every year to a little place on the Mosel called Pommern (Mosel), where my wife has wine farmer relatives. We'd spend about five days up there and always came back with a boot full of their best of the year. Her two uncles, who farmed separately on the slopes, were huge men, and the toughest of members on this forum would think twice before saying their product was in any way for poofs only. That's for damn sure, they were both ex. Wehrmacht, and as tough as nails!
I once worked for a German wine company for about 6 months (just a temping job). Sadly staff did not get a great discount
Some of the rielsing Gewurtztraminer blends are stunning. German wine has moved on somewhat since the days of getting a bottle of black tower in an ice bucket! I agree with Bustino as well - there's somne dreadful Sauvignon Blancs aout there but the best ones really are wonderful.
Hugh Jihnson's excellent Swanny. Back in the dim and disatant past i did a couple of courses with the wine and Spirit Education trust. Had I not been doing my degree course at night school at the time i would have been tempted to go for the dilploma!
Great idea for a thread Ron. I used to work for a wine supplier for 5 years before and during university mainly full time. Bought cases of 12 for £15 or £20 depending on what was in side. Sometimes you'd get lucky and have a few gems in a cheap case. It was also where I could buy any bottle in stock for cost price plus 5% which meant I was drinking very good stuff at supermarket prices. Never had it as good since to be honest. I'd recommend anyone who's a interested but intimidated by the complexity of the market to do a WSET course. They start at beginner level and progress to a diploma which is very involved and focuses on specific areas, grapes etc in minute detail. Very interesting. You'll meet complete novices to experts. Some will be up their own arse. Most won't. Highly recommended. I've doe the lot. Shame I don't get to use that in everyday life. I'll also recommend going to a small merchant in Leeds if you are ever in the city called Latitude. The owner, Chris, is the most well read and knowledgable wine man I've ever met and he does regular wine and cheese nights at local bars. Absolutely brilliant evenings. The guys a walking encyclopaedia. http://twitter.com/friendsofham/status/361868736317247488/photo/1 Take a look.
Bloody hell Dan. We have a lot in common. I'm a big fan of German producers. So criminally underrated.
One I'd recommend if you like a New World red is the Pulenta Estate Gran Cabernet Franc 2009. £20 ish depending on where you can find it in stock - often gone the week it rolls in at Latitude. A very good white that's a little different to your normal stuff is the excellent Greywacke Wild Sauvignon. Produced by Kevin Judd who was the original brains behind Cloudy Bay when Cloudy Bay was great wine. He introduced the temperature controlled production methods that set New World apart and that have now been adopted by the rest of the world (apart from some stuffy areas of France of course). Interesting producers. Both small scale. Great value bottles at their price point.
I am not a big drinker these days partly through health reasons and partly by choice. I am certainly not the most knowledgeable connoisseur either. My favourite restaurant is Gaucho's as I love a tasty steak and on my last visit I ordered a bottle of wine recommended by someone who knows a lot more than me. It was a PETIT VERDOT and I have to say that it was probably the most delicious sumptuous wine I had ever tasted in my life. I have a very expensive Chateauneuf Du Pape (they come in all manner of price ranges these days) that has been laying down waiting for me to drink it. I must do that before the Mother In Law gets her mitts on it. Its been there 18 months now but I assume it wont go off!?!
