Tasting Château Haut Brion – Cabernet Sauvignon the ‘King’ of Grapes

Last summer, I wrote my final WSET Diploma exam, consisting of two parts – a blind tasting of 12 wines, followed by 3 hours of theory. The theory section was particularly daunting, considering you know you could be faced with questions regarding ANY aspect of the global (still) wine industry.  You can bet, that one random topic that you didn’t cover in your weeks of study (ie. indigenous Greek varietals), will be on there. Even scarier, is that within the theory section, there is one mandatory question, worth high marks, the type of question that can make or break you. In my examination this question asked students to discuss the pros and cons of Cabernet Sauvignon in the vineyard, the winery, and the market. Quite a challenging question, but once I started writing, It became clear that there is much more to this grape than most wine drinkers realise.

Since my exam, I haven’t given Cabernet Sauvignon much thought. A Christmas spent in the Bordeaux region entailed consuming large amounts of wines dominated by it, but I haven’t spent much time pondering the role of Cab Sauv in the world of wine.

That is until a recent afternoon, while attending a Château Haut Brion tasting at Bibendum Wine Ltd. Tasting wines of this calibre is a rare and exciting event for someone like myself, despite being lucky enough to work in the wine trade, my place of work focuses more on offering good value than posh wines, so tasting some of the most expensive wines on the planet doesn’t seem to happen that often.

As I listened to 3^rd generation Chateau Haut Brion winemaker Jean-Phillipe talk us through his wines (all from the 2004 vintage), giving each wine’s grape percentage break down, it brought me back to Cabernet Sauvignon.  There may be some negative aspects working against this grape (late ripening, high tannin, demands aging to name a few), but you can’t argue with the fact that it is the foundation of some the best wines on the planet.

The Bordeaux region has been producing wine for centuries, giving them ample amounts of time to develop strategies in the vineyard, which will produce the highest quality of wine. For some consumers it may seem confusing that wines from Bordeaux don’t usually state which grapes are in the bottle, or that you have to memorise which side of the river a vineyard is on to make a stab at which grape may be dominating the blend. I assume one of the main reasons for not listing grape percentages on their labels is because from vintage to vintage their blends are always changing. This is one their strategies for dealing with the sometimes difficult Cabernet Sauvignon. Take the vineyards of Chateau Haut Brion Rouge for example, you will find the three key grapes of the Bordeaux region – Merlot, Cabernet Franc & Cabernet Sauvignon. This is their way of taking out a sort of ‘insurance policy’ on Cabernet Sauvignon. If the weather doesn’t co-operate in a particular vintage, and the Cab Sauv doesn’t quite reach the quality level required, then they will look to Merlot & Cabernet Franc (who will have developed differently in the vineyard), to step in (blending), and help Cab Sauv to perform at it’s very best.

Another downfall of Cabernet Sauvignon that baffles consumers, is that most of them aren’t ready to drink upon release. Despite Jean-Pierre’s wines having 6 years in bottle, they are still considered young, and would benefit from many more years in bottle. Wines like these are in a whole other league, and for me the hardest ‘con’ to swallow are the prices. I sadly, will never have cellar full of Chateau Haut Brion. These precious opportunities to taste them will have to do, which I believe actually make me appreciate them even more than if price was not an issue.

Despite Cabernet Sauvignon being a tough grape to love at times, the ‘pros’ are in the glass, and on the palate. Cabernet Sauvignon can produce some of the most intense, complex & stunning wines that one could ever come across, which I believe firmly crowns it as ‘The King’ of grapes.

Caitlin

Drinking My Way Through Vinoteca’s List – 2004 Rheingau Riesling ‘Erstes Gewachs’, Schloss Vollrads,Rheingau – GERMANY £21.50

Today I met with Rowald Hepps of Schloss Vollrads for a quick tasting of his wines. Schloss Vollrads who will be celebrating their 800 year anniversary of selling wine next year, is dedicated to producing only Riesling, all of their wines are 100 % Riesling, which Rowald explained as their way of offering purity to wine drinkers, allowing them to experience Riesling for what it is. While tasting his wines, purity is definitely a word that comes to mind, they are incredibly clean and pure.

Currently, we are listing Schloss Vollrads magnificent 2004 ‘Erstes Gewachs’ (meaning ‘Grand Cru’, also signified by the little church window looking symbols on the bottom of the label). Schloss Vollrads ‘Grand Cru’ is a complex wine, with so many impressive aspects. From intense honeyed aromatics on the nose, to deep apple & citrus fruit flavours on the palate, complemented by minerality, texture, and an enjoyable creaminess. Rowald described his wines as ’swinging wines’, I love this description, and I know exactly what he means, these are bold  and exciting wines, while remaining balanced, and perfectly elegant. I can’t recommend these wines enough!

Caitlin

The €500 Chicken

The €500 Chicken Cooked in Hay

A recent visit to a restaurant in Paris has got me thinking about value, and how it effects our perception of a particular dining experience.

I’ve been quite lucky in my 29 years to have enjoyed meals at three different 3 Michelin starred restaurants. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I can actually afford it! This just seems to be what happens when you’re obsessed with food, and willing to put yourself into situations where the the final bill could actually give you a heart attack. Is it worth it? Some people would say NO, absolutely not! I imagine these are the sensible people with savings accounts.

Last Monday afternoon, I was lucky enough to have lunch at l’Arpege home to top chef Alain Passard. We had a lovely time, the food was stunning and surprisingly simply done. The focus was on the quality of the ingredients, each one being allowed to shine through with great intensity & purity. The meal was incredible, and very memorable, but I can’t help but wonder is €136 for a serving of roast chicken with black truffles (from the a la carte menu) too much, even when prepared by one of the world’s best chefs?

A friend of mine mentioned yesterday that she has recently been enjoying eating out cheaply more frequently, I agree, there is so much pleasure to be had from finding good value. When the bill is low there is always less room for disappointment.

For me, splurging on expensive meals is worth it from time to time. I see them as educational experiences, and because they are rare and special for me, I can appreciate them so much more than the rich people they are designed for, who surly must develop some level of indifference towards them, when price is not an issue.

What do you think, how does price influence our taste buds? For some a high price would decide that no matter how it tastes it’s not worth it, and that it is just roast chicken with mushrooms, while for others the price itself would guarantee that the food is amazing…

Let me know your thoughts,

Caitlin

Drinking my way through Vinoteca’s wine list – 2008 Valpolicella Classico DOC from Le Salette, £10.75

It’s the last Friday night before Christmas, things are starting to wind down at Vinoteca. We have all worked incredibly hard over the past few weeks, and it seems that these are the times that enjoying a nice glass of wine is the perfect way to relax. I’m one of the lucky ones with a Friday night off, and I’ve decided to celebrate by revisiting one of the wines that stood out to me at our portfolio tasting last month. Northern Italian wines are proving to be some of my favourites. I love their style -  fruity, unoaked, high acidity, with bags of fruit, making them incredibly refreshing. They can be enjoyed on their own, or as a perfect match with pizza or pasta.

Le Salette Valpolicella Classico is a blend of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Sangiovese and Molinara, I’m not sure of the percentages of each grape, but I assume that Corvina is dominating the blend. This wine has bright red cherry aromas, which also come through and dominate the palate. Corvina is often said to give ’sour cherry’ flavours, which you can definitely find here. There is some added complexity brought in by some interesting earthy notes. The juicy red cherry flavours are in balance with the mouth puckering acidity. Overall, I really like this wine. It’s not terribly complex, but it is of good quality, and I’m a big fan of this style. I can however imagine that some people may find the acidity too high, which could easily be helped by enjoying this wine with food.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! I would love to know what you will be drinking with your Christmas dinner?

Caitlin

Drinking Californian Wine – From Bonterra to Bonny Doon

Last week, I attended a wine blogger event organised by ‘Wines of California’, which has got me thinking about Californian wines in the UK market.

Currently, we have 285 wines on our list, Californian wines representing  only 1.75% of our range.  I’ve asked Brett & Charlie why this is, they responded that – 1. they have an overall focus on Italy & France because this is where their expertise lies, and 2.  Vinoteca works to offer a wide range of good value wines, many Californian wines being too expensive to find a place on their list.

Wines of California have obviously heard these concerns before, their event seemed to be crafted to  defy this claim that “Californian wines are too expensive”. They presented a range of affordable wines, many of them well-known brands, such as Fetzer, Bonterra and Mondavi. It was an excellent chance to taste these wines that I come across often via advertisements or at the super market, but never actually buy. Sure, many people turn their noses up at these wines (myself included), but they are just as important as any other wine in the market, they are actually more important than most, because they are what consumers actually drink (my wine geek colleagues and I are far from the average wine consumers).  My favourite wine of the night was the Viognier from Bonterra, which is a perfectly good wine, reasonably priced at around £7 a bottle.

Overall, at Vinoteca we don’t sell very much Californian wine. However, I think the higher end bottles on our list such as Cigare Volant from Bonny Doon or Geyserville from Ridge are quite easily sold despite their high price tags. I believe this is down to staff tastings. Once we know how delicious a wine is, paired with an interesting story to tell (ie. Randall Grahm’s brilliant Cigare Volant), we are happy to encourage customers to try something different. California has some very interesting wines, that are definitely worth a try.

Staff tastings are the way forward!

Caitlin

Drinking my way through Vinoteca’s Wine List – 2007 Kerner Alto Adige ‘Praepositus’ from Abbazia di Novacella (alto Adige) £22.50

Last night, due to one of my colleagues not feeling well I was asked to work in the restaurant. I didn’t mind, I had no plans, and I knew it would give me a chance to taste some of the new wines on the list. Brett and Charlie change our list twice a year, which is quite a big job, this time around they dropped/added 90 new wines! During one of their many tasting sessions, I happened to be passing by, and was asked to join in. They were tasting wines from one of our suppliers Astrum, there were lots of interesting wines tasted, but there was one that stood out to me – a Kerner from the Alto Adige. Since that day I’ve been anticipating another taste of that Kerner…

Last night my colleagues and I all pitched in and bought ourselves a bottle of ‘Praepositus’ Kerner (I bent some rubber arms!) to enjoy while finishing up our shift. This wine is quite pricey, at £22.50 shop price/£41 drink in, but we all agreed that it was worth every penny!

Kerner is a cross between Riesling and Trollinger, resulting in wines that are quite aromatic, and said to give aromas and flavours of mandarin. ‘Praepositus’ Kerner is stunning, the nose is lovely and quite intense, but the palate is where you’ll find the magic. It’s full-bodied and rich; rolling around your mouth giving layer after layer of flavour – ripe yellow tree fruits, white peach, mandarin, almond, citrus, complimented by a wonderful minerality that balances out the fruit perfectly. Thanks to the mountaineous terrain this wine calls home, there is a high level of acidity, which keeps it incredibly refreshing. It is one of those wines that blows you away, with such a long finish, you can still taste it on the bus ride home!

Caitlin

Sicilian Wine Dinner In Pictures

At the end of September I had the opportunity to co-host a Sicilian dinner with my friend/ex-colleague Victoria Curatolo. Vicky left Vinoteca to become the brand ambassador for her family’s Sicilian winery – Villa Tonino. Based on the West coast of Sicily in Marsala, they make a range of well-made, affordable red & white wines, all from indigenous Sicilian grape varities. They also specialise in the production of the local specialty – a fortified wine called Marsala, which for the most part is thought of as an undrinkable wine used only for cooking. The Marsala that the Tonino family couldn’t be farther from this assumption, it is very high quality, and much too good for cooking.  Their Marsla is delicious ,different, and a suprisingly great match with cheese or dessert.

The Menu £50 – 5 courses, wine & service included (I apologise for the poor photography, which does not do the delicious food any justice!)

Aperitif: 2008 Inzolia, Villa Tonino

Sheep’s ricotta, almonds, pomegranate, fennel, Sicilian olive oil

2008 Inzolia, Villa Tonino

___________

Char-grilled swordfish, mint, capers, raisins, bottarga

2008 Grillo, Villa Tonino

___________

Slow cooked lamb, tomatoes & olives, sprouting broccoli, melanzane alla parmigiana

2007 Nero d’Avola, Villa Tonino

2006 Nero d’Avola, Baglio Curatolo

___________

Sicilian pecorino, homemade bread, bitter orange marmalade

NV Marsala Superiore, Vito Curatolo Arini

___________

Sicilian almond cake & Biscotti Regina

NV Marsala Superiore, garibaldi (dolce), Vito Curatolo Arini

It was overall an excellent meal, I think for me the winning dish was the swordfish, I loved the flavour combination of fresh mint with the swordfish. Matching mint with fish never would have crossed my mind as something that would work, but apparently it is very common in Sicily. I also LOVED the melanzane alla parmigiana!

Anyone who hasn’t tried Marsala, should definitely give it a chance, it was especially delicious paired with the Sicilian almond cakes  posted to us by Vicky’s Mum specially for this event (thanks Susan)!

Caitlin

Drinking my way through Vinoteca’s Wine List – 2004 Riesling from Rolly Gassman, Alsace France £13.50

I was recently going through my bank statment, and it became clear as to where a lot of my money goes. One word WINE.

I love wine, the reason I left Canada was to come and work in the UK wine industry, London is a haven for wine lovers. Where else in the world can you get your hands on such a wide range of wines? The UK has been a main importer of wine since Roman times!

Most of the wine I drink is from Vinoteca’s wine list, this is due obviously to convenience, plus my handy staff discount, but mostly because it is packed full of excellent good value wines.  I’ve decided to start sharing my thoughts on the wines I drink, and the meals I enjoy them with.

On Friday afternoon I had purchased some veal escalope from the Smithfield Buthcers, planning on schnitzel for Sunday dinner. With this in mind I grabbed a bottle fo 2004 Rolly Gassman Riesling, which I figured would go well with a German inspired meal. I still hadn’t decided on a side dish, and in the end I veered away from Germany and went for a Sicilian side dish Caponata. My Sicilian friend Vicky had mentioned that Veal escalope was a dish they eat quite often in Sicily, so I figured they would go well together. Then it dawned on me, will Caponata go with Alsatian Riesling!?

We sat down to dinner, and I must say it was one of my best meals to date. The caponata was very good, not too oily or vinegary, and with just enough sweetness, which worked really well with the schnitzel. We also had a side of brussel sprouts, a bit of an odd addition, but they are just coming into season, I couldn’t leave them out! What was so astonishing about this meal, was how well the Riesling worked with each element of the dish, even the brussel sprouts! This style of Riesling is a classic one with some residual sugar, but not too much, which was balanced out by the sweetness in the caponata, as well as the the brussel sprouts. The ‘04 Rolly Gassman has a little bit of age, which brought in some complexity, texture, and great depth of flavour, along with fresh acidity, which cut through the fattiness of the fried schnitzel. I was very impressed how well this wine stood up to such a flavourful dish!

Caitlin

What I’ve learned from the European Wine Bloggers Conference without even attending!

This weekend is the European Wine Blogger’s Conference in Lisbon. I would love to be there, and am very jealous watching all the tweets go by. However, I know that even though I couldn’t make it to Lisbon, that I’ll learn things from all the  bloggers upon their return. I have already taken some useful advice from well know wine blogger Jamie Goode, who himself couldn’t attend the conference. He offered some great advice about blogging in is his most recent blog post “Bloggers Conference: what I’d say if I was there!“, I have already taken him up on some of his advice by just writing this blog post. One of my blog weaknesses has been not blogging enough, so I am going to do my best change that!

Thanks Jamie, and well done to all those who have organised, and attended the Europena Wine Bloggers Conference, hope to make it next year!

Caitlin

Good coffee & good bread – the sign of a good restaurant?

Vinoteca bread

I rencently read an interview with Michael Caine, he said that the key to having a successful restaurant is to provide good bread, and good coffee. His logic was that the bread is a diner’s first impression and coffee the last. I think there is definitely some truth to what he is saying.

I’ve been thinking back through my many restaurant meals…it’s quite amazing the range of bread experiences I’ve had, some of them were even traumatic enough to result in my own personal boycott . I once visited a very famous gastro pub here in London, where our server topped up our empty bread basket by carrying a handful of bread across the restaurant to our table, this just after I saw him popping olives (from the bowl destined for customers I might add) into his mouth, and fishing the stones out with the very same fingers that delivered our bread. On the other hand there are places like St.John where you look forward to the promise of their delicious sourdough bread, and posh butter you can enjoy while reading through the menu. And funnily enough, you wouldn’t believe how many Vinoteca customers have expressed to me that they “love the bread”.

As for coffee again, I think Michael is right, there is nothing worse than a bad coffee to finish off a meal. I usually avoid coffees for this very reason, if only all coffee could be as perfectly crafted as the ones I am lucky enough do drink each day from Dose Espresso.

Thanks to @zoedisco for the picture this is me enjoying a 'good' coffee at the bull & last, along with a delicious mini-brownie.

I was however recently impressed by a restaurant coffee, which I enjoyed after an ENORMOUS and delicious sunday lunch at the Bull & Last, it was a perfect end to the meal. It was a tasty coffee, but for me it was the service, the food, the wine, the atmosphere, and the affordability of the meal that left me impressed. Michael Caine makes an interesting point, but I don’t think that either the bread or the coffee alone can win me over.

Any thoughts?

Caitlin