Priorities

The picture above shows most of the wine I have drunk and NOT blogged!
The past couple of months have been extremely busy; finding and moving into a new flat, finding and buying a new car, a very emotional holiday, an exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers (In Salzburg) and questioning why I am in this profession made updating the blog a low priority. Christmas is coming so I would really like to squeeze in a few favourites before THAT day! In terms of analysing the wine, the method I use will be changing. Sadly I did not pass the Sommelier exam this time, but it has made me more determined to focus my efforts and I am more then happy to practice!

I have mentioned previously that I have a soft spot for Slovenian wines. This is what really turned me onto the subject. The country has a long history of wine making and holds the World's oldest working vine; Conveniently in the town I regularly visit. I will have to visit again in order to write a more detailed report on that! I had hoped I could have done a comparison of two Renski Rizlings. However, I only managed to make notes on the Verus Renski Rizling 2008. I much preferred this to the Marof Rizling.
The wine follows the typical characteristics of Slovenian white wine; Intense lemon yellow colour with a few think tears. Always there are intense developing aromas; this time of Orange flower, peach, honeydew melon.
Typical flavours include lime, oranges and peach. I found that the body and alcohol were well balanced with a medium level, along with the acidity.
This particular wine was off dry and slightly oily like the Semillon variety. The great thing about Slovenian wine is that they are always great to drink young, although I am sure there is potential for them to age, and they are not expensive. This wine did not cost me more then €12 from Europark. I wish I had stocked up more, I am down to my last bottle...

Procrastinating...

Okay, so no new posts for a while, I have been busy organising my life! I have been going though a very busy period at work, looking for a new flat, preparing for my upcoming holiday and revising for a Sommelier course. But  I still found the time to give a few tastings! A Pomerol, for example... Unfortunately, it was too delicious and I drank it before I could analyse it for the blog. I just remember a deep, rich purple, with gorgeous blackcurrents and hints of green peppers. Jam on toast! Rest assured, I have 3 wines lined up to taste in the next few days. I am also going to give a few notes on a few coffees and teas that I have been meaning to write about for ages.
I will finish tonight with a cheap French Muscat from the supermarket. Muscat de St Jean de Minervois, intense lemon yellow in colour, aromas of apricots and honey. Medium + acidity with flavours of oranges, nectar and a bit of lime. Pleasant enough, I just needed something sweet to distract myself from the theory of wine!

Water Tasting #1

I always thought water tasting a little pretentious but if I am tasting drinks, why not water....right? ;-) I know at least one Fine Restaurant that has a menu entirely dedicated to bottled water(!), and with so many  'designer bottles' I am slightly curious to see if there is a difference between them all...
I will start with Fiji as I have read that this is the most refreshing, and it was! It comes in a clear square bottle with an attractive image depicting it's tropical origins. Certainly eye catching, but what about the taste? Very smooth with no 'oilyness' like Evian, and no metallic edge. Could I detect volcanic springs? Not really, but it did taste different to tap water! Conclusion: Very nice, but expensive. Someone else can buy it next time...

Norge!

Holidays! Norway has been an important place for me since forever and I always come back so refreshed and energised, ready for a new start. But I still had time to enjoy a drink or two! I love the fact that coffee is so easily available everywhere, boats, busses, markets and kiosks in the middle of nowhere. I love the sound of cola being poured over a glass of ice. And I love that Solo, Norway's version of Fanta, is still available. Pretty much the same, only 'dryer'. Sadly I did not drink some of the new products produced locally, including a beer produced in Flåm. The problem is that alcohol is so expensive in Norway. I came across a bottle of Slovenian wine that so much wanted to try (more on that in a later post). I just could not afford the 800 Kroner it cost. However, the Manager of this particular restaurant was kind enough to show me the cellar, and the incredible wine list. I wish I could have stayed longer in Bergen. Ålesund did not disappoint either, with plenty of gorgeous cafes, complete with huge cakes and sandwiches. It was almost a shame to leave that place, but it is not long until the next trip. This time I will be drinking with the World's Oldest Vine...
But for now, back to work. :-)

AOC Chateauneuf du Pape

This blog was set up with the purpose of developing my wine knowledge, but I have not yet written a post about wine, so it is time I did!

I admit I have not been keeping up with the studying. So, after discussing with the Sommeliers, I am trying to learn about a different region each week. This week is Rhone.

I chose to start easy with an AOC Chateauneuf du Pape. In particular, Domaine de la Charbonnière 2009, costing about £20 from the local wine specialist.
In the glass, the wine is a clear, medium intensity ruby, with a few tears.
The aroma is clean with medium intensity. On the nose I detected raspberries, sour cherries and black pepper.
On the palate? Dry with medium acidity, medium tannins. Alcohol and body are both well balanced on the medium end of the scale. The intensity of the flavour is also medium with a rich, long length.
Ripe raspberries with peppery overnotes and just a hint of chocolate. Maybe some juicy strawberries peeping through!

Overall this wine is ideal to drink now, but there is still some potential for it to age. I enjoyed the fruitiness and the 'berry-like' quality in the wine, and it should go well with game dishes. Suits me fine...

Le Nez du Vin

I first heard about this about a year ago when I started to study with WSET. It was only recently after chatting with the Sommeliers that I was lucky enough to be able to borrow a set. This turned out to be relief as I did not want to spend £200+ on something I was unsure would be practical.

Inside this huge box is a selection of 52 scents designed to match the aromas found in wine, a booklet giving a history and instructions for the pack and cards describing the individual scents.

Upon opening the box, I was overwhelmed by the mixture of all the scents. Individually, however, they can be used to train the nose to recognise certain aromas in wine, e.g. apricot, honey, blackcurrent.

On reflection, this could be a fun game, but I felt that some of the scents had become 'old' and lost their potency. Perhaps it would have been more of a help at WSET level 2 rather then level 4. Right now I think it would be better to train with the real thing!

Glenmorangie tasting

One early morning this week, the restaurant had a whisky training session with Glenmorangie. This coincides with the Golf Open Championship, as they will be sponsoring the event, as well as being our 'house whisky'. Staff members were treated to a presentation explaining the history of the company, it's philosophy and products. And of course a few of the Whiskies themselves! I was glad to have attended the session as I am not a big whisky drinker, but was impressed with the flavours from Glenmorangie. I can see myself drinking more of this!




It is easy to find the history of the company, but I will just mention a few points of interest;

• Glenmorangie is exclusively malted barley and was the first company to start using 'designer casks'. That is; casks that have been used previously for certain products e.g. Bourbon whisky or Sauternes wine. 
• Whisky has seen a big increase in sales from the asian market, particularly Scotch.
• Today, the Glenmorangie distillery has 8 stills that are said to be replicas of the original first still, right down to the dents!
• The stills are as tall as a giraffe's neck: 5.14 m. This makes them the tallest in Scotland!
• There are 6 Steps to Creation; Water, Malting, Gentle Mashing, Fermentation, Distillation and Maturing.
• Casks are used only twice as 60% of the flavour comes from the oak. American oak is used.
• In 2007, the company was rebranded and currently have a range of 6 different whiskies available from specialist shops.

The first whisky we tried was the original signature whisky, aged for 10 years. A pale, lemony-gold colour with citrusy orange notes. It has light floral, vanilla & almond flavours that made it very easy to drink. I found it very rounded and well balanced, lacking that 'roughness' that puts me off whisky.

The second choice was from the 'Extra Mature' range. Nectar d'Or has been aged further in old Sauternes barrels! Therefore, the whisky has taken on amber/ gold colours and developed honey and coconut-y flavours. This became a favourite with the staff! Others in this range include; Lasanta, aged in Oloroso casks, and Quinta Ruben, aged in Ruby Port casks.

The third whisky was 'Signet'. A unique whisky that is only found in whisky specialists. The barley has been extra toasted and so the spirit develops deeper and richer characteristics; a process called 'Chocolate toasting'! The result is a syrupy flavour and silky mouthfeel. There are flavours coffee and caramel with hints of chocolate. A lot of care has gone into making that whisky!

To conclude; a very worthwhile breakfast session that has opened me to the world of Whisky and definitely include a bottle in the cabinet!