Author: Colin

ET TU, BRUT?

 

Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, in case you were wondering. However, it’s the Brut part of the quote to which I refer in this, the Costa News Wine Column, Cork Talk which, in September, will have chalked up its 20^th year!

 

However, at the time of writing, I’m a considerable distance from the Costas of Spain. It’s not quite raining, though it’s been forecast for later, and we’ve certainly seen enough of the wet stuff since our arrival in the UK two weeks ago! Whilst we’ve been wet often, indeed drenched twice, it hasn’t dampened our spirits, nor those of the friends and family whom we’ve visited thus far – the wine, often sparkling, has been flowing!

 

Knowing my antipathy towards the P-word (Prosecco, that imposter and would-be usurper!), we’ve not yet been served any of the ubiquitous, almost invariably too-sweet Italian fizz! Instead, we’ve been served a variety of Sparkling Wines, Cava, of course, French (though not yet Champagne) and, very interestingly, English Sparkling Wine. I’ve enjoyed them all, but I have noticed that, to a bubble, they’ve all been catering for what producers seem to believe is the Great British predilection for sweeter styles – a sweeter shade of Brut, to paraphrase Procol Harem!

 

Frankly, it’s not for me – there’s Brut and there’s Brut, but it seems that not many stockists are aware that there is also Extra Brut, and Brut Nature.

 

In order for a sparkling wine to be eligible for the dry Brut Category it has to contain between 4 – 12 grams of sugar per litre. When one considers that for a Brut Nature, the far drier style, these figures are reduced to between 0 – 4 grans per sugar, it’s clear that there is a large margin for Brut sparklers. They can have 4 grams of sugar, and they can have three times as much sugar, and still be called Brut.

 

Usually these figures are not mentioned on the label – it will state simply ‘Brut’ and it’s you palate which, with training, determines the actual level of sweetness. Mine told me that all, so far, of the sparklers we’ve tasted had to have been on the higher end of the scale. A little further investigation (that’s what I do!) revealed that that most were over 10 grams of sugar per litre. For me, it’s way too much, and I suspect that there are many fizz drinkers who are unaware that they can enjoy their sparkling wines, without so much sweetness.

 

In fact in the UK, there was a short-lived spike in sales of the drier Extra Brut and Brut Nature (my favourite) styles fairly recently. Risibly (for me, anyway) this was because such sparklers were marketed as ‘Skinny Fizz’, targeting those who calorie count as part of their diets. A glass of But Nature will have about 60 calories whereas a Brut will have 100+. However, also surely for most of us, I don’t ever consider how many calories I’m taking in when I’m toasting a celebration! Perhaps this is the reason for that spike to have waned.

 

Reading around the subject in preparation for this article I discovered some interviews with Champagne producers who were, erroneously in my view, explaining that there is far less Brut Nature than Brut because the wine-making is more difficult and more precise, which puts off most producers. It’s a fallacy.

 

It’s also incorrect, in my view, to suggest that should these wine-makers be not quite up to the mark, the result will be searingly sharp and acidic, almost undrinkable fizz, with one commentator using the description paint-stripper! This is another fallacy, and one I’d like to quash straight away.

 

It’s simple, though perhaps ironic. Pick the fruit when it is riper than that which is picked, destined for the sweeter of the Brut styles. This will ensure that there is sufficient fruit-sweetness in the wine following its second fermentation when the zero dosage (or very small dosage) is added before the, now sparkling, wine is bottled and ready to rest before being sold. This will be the driest style of sparkling wine, but it will be perfectly palatable!

 

I believe that the admittedly huge success of Prosecco in the UK is partly due to the fact that over a long time the British palate has been subjected to Brut styles that have continuously been just on, or only fractionally under, the maximum 12 grams of sugar per litre. Prosecco, almost always of a sweet style, had an ideal opening – plus, it’s cheaper

THE TIP-OFF!

MUSEUM WINES & No.8 WINE SHOP, DORSET

 

In those halcyon days of yesteryear, whilst working as a professional football scout for Liverpool FC (did I mention that before?!), I remember receiving a tip-off: “There’s a young lad doing rather well in North Wales. Half the season gone, and he’s already beaten Ian Rush’s goal scoring record for the same team of a few years before. You might like to have a look at him?”.

 

The ‘young lad’ was Michael Owen. We signed him – you know the rest of the story!

 

So, when I received a tip-off, this time wine related, just prior to our recent UK sojourn, taking in, amongst several other counties, a week in Dorset, I somehow knew it portended well. Nicky ‘done good’ to put it in football parlance, when she recommended that whilst staying in Blandford Forum, ‘we might like to’ visit the No.8 Wine Shop (www.no8wine.com), just down the road.

 

It’s an impressive edifice, converted farm buildings, I think, with grounds also playing host to at least one other business. I wouldn’t have thought that the two or three tiny villages dotted here and there in the beautiful rolling hills and richly wooded Dorset landscape would have provided sufficient clients to ensure viability. However, when one scans the stock, and that’s just that which is available in the shop, it’s clear that this must be a successful business – the investment in wines alone is considerable.

 

Add to this, owner (I think?), Dan’s trips to attend various buyers’ tastings in several different countries as well as continents, including visits to the ‘en primeur’ jamboree (the annual Bordeaux tastings, where last year’s wines are just starting their long ageing before release in, well, 10 yrs, 20, 30+; and when buyers such as Dan rub shoulders with MWs whose job it is to declare when these wines will be at their best, long before they are actually approachable.), and it’s clear that Museum Wines No.8 Wine Shop is getting along very nicely, thanks very much!

 

And as if to confirm it, when visiting a local pub which is building a fine reputation for its restaurant, I noticed that several of their wines were ones which we had tasted with Dan a few days before. No.8 Wine Shop also has an enviable corporate list, supplying to discerning restaurants. Plus, on Friday nights only (thus far) the shop remains open into the evening when the car park quickly becomes full and many rather well-shod wine types spend their evening tasting a large variety of fine wines whilst chatting and eating pizza!

 

On such nights clients can order from an impressive blackboard list of wines by the glass, sensibly priced – it’s an ideal opportunity to try several different wines without having to buy a whole bottle. However, those who know what they want, bottle-wise, or those who, see a bottle of something they’d love to taste, that isn’t on the list, are also catered for – full bottles of any of the wines in the shop can be bought to drink in, with just an extra corkage fee to pay. It’s busy!

 

Dan kindly let us taste four different wines, without obligation – three from South Africa, a rosé, an oaked Chardonnay and a Sancerre-esque Sauvignon Blanc, plus a Puligny Montrachet. All impressive.

 

After some time deciding we actually bought four wines.

 

The white Languedoc 2015 we tried is made with Piquepoul Blanc and Rousanne, both of which are varieties rarely found in Spain. There is a white peach aroma to this wine, complemented on the palate by citrus notes and just a touch of honeydew melon. Fruit filled yes, but with dept and character too.

 

Castle Street is the name of the No.8 Wine Shop wines made specifically for them. The Australian Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz blend is more subtle than many of the Aus blockbusters, yet has spicy black and red berry fruit flavour enough. It lingers after swallowing and really makes you reach again for the glass. Easy drinking, and some!

 

Il Folle has a drawing of a Court Jester on the label, an Italian jester as this wine is from Sicily (I’m gonna make you a wine you can’t refuse!). It’s an IGP wine, not a Denominazione di Origine Controllata, and as such is another indication that there are fine wines being made outside of the DOs of both Italy and Spain. Quite rich on the first hit and yet some elegance too.

 

Finally one of the famous names of Italy, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, for sure a DO wine and happy to represent the whole DO concept. Frentano has a pleasing blend of soft red and black fruits with a whiff of mountain herb. We didn’t, but, try this wine with pasta, lasagna particularly!

 

Contact Colin: colin@colinharknessonwine.com  Twitter @colinonwine  Facebook Colin Harkness

 

A SOMM ENCHANTED EVENING?

 

I took it as a compliment, rather than a threat, when I was recently asked to consult on a wine matter for inclusion in an author’s second novel! Woodrow McKane is a well respected 6^th Dan Martial Arts Instructor in the UK, and he’d just made me an offer I couldn’t refuse! As you can imagine, for both reasons, I accepted with alacrity!

 

In one of the chapters of the new, as yet unnamed, sequel to, ‘Slayers of the Dark Web’ (available on Amazon, I’ve bought a copy for my Kindle!), some of McKane’s characters find themselves in a, presumably, rather upmarket restaurant. I’ll not give anything away, of course, but there is a sommelier involved and his part in proceedings on which I was asked to comment (sorry ladies, I believe the Somm in this case, coincidentally, is a man, though I know that these days there are many of the fairer sex undertaking this line of work with a certain feminine and elegantly, successful aplomb!) .

 

It made me think about the role of the Sommelier – historically a rather staid, sometimes arrogant, integral part of a ‘posh’ restaurant; but nowadays something of a female (better balance now, ladies?) or male superstar on the lines of celebrity chefs. It’s an interesting metamorphosis.

 

Wikipedia tells us that a Sommelier, ‘is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing.’ In the past, that’s at the turn of the 19^th/20^th Century, and  before too, sommeliers were found almost exclusively in French restaurants, mostly in France.

 

In the early 1900s this expanded, firstly to those restaurants which were French owned, but in different countries, and then to restaurants abroad that were at least in the French style, regardless of ownership. The idea caught on and up to the 80s sommeliers could be found lurking in the cellars of many top quality restaurants, no matter the, country, style or ownership.

 

Their badge of honour (now relegated to that alone) was the ‘tastevin’, a small silver, or at least silver-plated, vessel hung about their person and used, occasionally to the chagrin of the uninitiated, to taste the almost invariably expensive wine that has just been ordered, on the Somm’s advice, of course!

 

Having pulled and inspected the cork, as well as smelling it, the Sommelier will have already decided if the wine has a fault, or not. The tasting of the wine from the ‘tastevin’ was simply to confirm his opinion, a final part of the quality control, and  not to see if he himself actually liked it!

Some diners, the ones who ordered the wine in the first place, having witnessed the performance, will certainly have been intimidated, and would really not want to taste the wine themselves, thank you very much, when the Somm, pours a small amount in her(!)/his glass! Do we question the Doctor when he pronounces his diagnosis? He’s the expert, leave it to him!

 

Others, of course, may delight in simply being bloody-minded, go along with the tasting and then have the temerity to dramatically send it back! But some, may have genuinely detected a faint fault that had eluded the sommelier – we can all have off days/nights!

 

Well, that was then and these days every top restaurant worth its salt (and its fine wine vault) has a Sommelier, whose role has expanded dramatically. She/or he will very often be the wine buyer, often championing boutique producers and lesser known areas; it’s almost certain that they’ll have, not just the experience, the educated nose and palate, but also the educated brain as well.

 

There are Sommelier exams to sit, degrees to earn and guilds/associations of which to become a member. The sommelier will be on an equal footing with the Chef de Cuisine,  and the owners at menu planning meetings. Food and wine pairings won’t just be discussed, they’ll be trialed too!

 

These days they’ll often have a far better ‘table-side manner’ and, thanks to social media, sommeliers are now followed by tens of thousands, making them seriously impressive influencers. There have been books written by sommeliers, of course, but also, nowadays, films, videos, documentaries and even at least one TV series.

 

But tell me, when she/he comes over, do you see the move as brightening or darkening the restaurant table. Any stories of your experiences with sommeliers, good and, well, not so good, will be gratefully received! colin@colinharknessonwine.com

 

PAGO LOS BALANCINES WINES COME TO JAVEA!

 

I first tasted the portfolio of Pago Los Balancines wines when attending Fenavin, Spain’s largest and best wine fair (in my view, and that of other commentators, it has surpassed Alimentaria, where I used to be a regular). I’m glad I went and I went away thinking, ‘must look out for these wines again’.

 

So, when I stopped for a cooling glass of white wine at La Trastienda, Javea Pueblo’s excellent wine bar recently, I jumped at the chance to showcase the Balancines wines, paired with my friend Juan’s super-tasty dishes at a public tasting.

 

Set at altitude in the not so famous DO Ribera del Guadiana in the Extremadura region of western Spain, which borders Portugal, Pago Los Balancines produces wine which, from entry level to flagship offer very good quality and good value too.

 

We started our tasting with their Blanco Sobre Lías 2016. What might have been considered something of an unholy alliance in the France of yesteryear, is here, today in Spain, nothing of the sort. Chardonnay (of Burgundy, of course) and Sauvignon Blanc (of Bordeaux – sacre bleu!) blend together very nicely. The acidity of the Sauvignon gives refreshing juiciness to the body and slightly exotic fruit of the Chardonnay. Served with a Moroccan influenced couscous salad, it worked nicely!

 

The next wine, Huno Blanco, is made from the former of the above, Chardonnay. The 2015 vintage has had a few months in oak and partnered a carpaccio of cod. There’s a slight nutty edge to the fruit, hazelnut to me, complimenting the pine nuts served with the fish. The fresh young pineapple, and the zest coming from its peel, as in the wine above, has morphed into a very ripe let’s-eat-it-now pineapple, and it has that vanilla and coconut flakes aroma from the French oak.

 

ALUNADO 2014, another white, might be a bit of Marmite wine – you’ll love it, or hey, well, not like it so much! There aren’t many of the natural Sauvignon characteristics coming out of this wine. No sharp gooseberry, no cats pee aromas, no asparagus and no slightly under-ripe kiwi. Why? Well this wine has been fermented and aged with its lees for 13 mnths in French oak, and the oak does predominate. I wouldn’t drink it exclusively, but I’d certainly drink it with full flavoured fish, shell fish, like the sweet langostinos here, chicken for sure, some Asian SE Asian dishes, and well, I think it would be great with Turkey, too!

 

The fourth wine, Huno Blend, a red wine, is made with five varieties, the principal one of which is Garnacha Tintorera, and the also Spanish Graciano and Tempranillo, with very useful back up from Cab Sauv and Syrah. Enjoyed with pork, it is, like all blended wines should be (though some aren’t) the sum of its parts, harmonious, with no one variety standing out, and of course some extra character and complexity joining the party from the French oak in which it has rested for 12 months.

Haragán, is made with 50% Garnacha Tintorera and 50% Tinta Roriz. Now, if you look at the list of permitted varieties for this DO, Ribera del Guadiana, you won’t find Tinta Roriz! However, you will find Tempranillo – yes, Tinta Roriz (commonly seen labels in nearby Portugal) is another of the aliases of Spain’s most famous grape variety.

Wild dark berry fruits from old vines harvested at night by hand. Juicy, but not immature and vivacious; elegant, but powerful too – 15%, with15 months in French oak. There’s some black pepper mixed in with the brambly fruit and some undergrowth, some mushroom compost, but always the fruit to the fore. Long finish – great with grilled meats, also big enough for casseroles and game.