I wasn’t super excited about trying this wine. It comes in a decidedly dull bottle. The label looks like it was someone trying real hard to make fancy-schmancy looking wedding invitations in Microsoft Publisher having read the business card design advice in American Psycho and discovered a font that made them feel special on a… Read More »
It’s summer in England, or at least it was on Thursday, today there’s pouring rain and just a little bit of flooding, but that’s not so unusual for a British summer. There’s been plenty of rainbows in the sky, which makes being cold and wet a little more tolerable, they don’t help much with the… Read More »
It’s still August, I can still drink pink wine with pride. I’ll drink pink wine in January, but I’ll be a bit discrete about it. Pink wine is my one weakness. There’s plenty of roses out there, and lots of them are good, just so long as you steer away from things called “blush” or… Read More »
I had a case of wine from Waitrose after seeing their new Cellar offering being ramped up – they clearly see wine delivered to home as a market they should be making more money from. I tried a mixed case of own-brand wines from around the world. I’ve bought plenty of own brand John Lewis… Read More »
I was a bit baffled by the label on this wine, I thought it was trying to tell me it was the Simpsons-in-the-Strand house wine, which seemed unlikely given that it was in the everyday drinking bucket in the kitchen. It wasn’t, the Simpsons are the wine makers. I did give it the “nice wine… Read More »
I’ve been tentatively experimenting with Aldi’s wines. Their Mâcon-Villages was a great deal for the money, so I tried a Limoux. It was a rich lemon colour, with legs. It was dry, with a balanced, medium acidity. It did have just a little tannin from the oak. There was lots of oak. This is a barrel… Read More »
Weirdly, this Languedoc wine calls its Syrah “Shiraz”. I suspect that is to appeal to drinkers more used to buying new world varietals. I also suspect that that is a profitable strategy. People know what Shiraz Viognier is, and that makes it easier to buy than a Languedoc or D’Oc labelled wine. This Domaine Gau… Read More »
I’m tempted to call this one “Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy”, partly because it is all of those things, partly because that’s one of my favourite albums, but mostly because it’s fun to say. Go on, give it a go. This wine has lots of everything. It has a lavender, herby fruity smell, and an… Read More »
Another evening in over Christmas, another wine from Languedoc. This one was a beautifully festive dark red. It smelled of woodland, in a positive way, oak and freshly kicked up leaf mould rather than mushrooms. Although dry, the fruit and spice combined to give it a sweetness, something reminiscent of cinnamon bun with granny’s damson… Read More »
It’s been a while, but I’ve finally found time to catch up on a few favourites from Christmas. The big upside of Christmas is plenty of relaxed time at home (or someone else’s home) to chat and huddle up in the warm and enjoy some wine. Domaine Pierre Cros Minervois Rouge Vielles Vignes 2009 from… Read More »