Mike John Matthews2013-05-18T05:23:30-04:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=mike-john-matthewsCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Mike John MatthewsGood old fashioned elbow grease.Wine: A Profile of California's King of Zin - Joel Peterson and Ravenswood Winestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.22317362012-12-03T11:21:35-05:002013-02-02T05:12:01-05:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/
California's history dates back as far as the 1700's when missionaries and immigrants alike crossed the ocean and began planting European vines. On top of wine production, California is home to one of the world's foremost wine and agricultural research institutes, University of California: Davis. Also, California is the fourth largest wine producer in the world, behind France, Italy and Spain. Not bad for a single state!
When it comes to grape varieties California is synonymous with one particular style, a grape the winemakers of the region have long claimed as their own, Zinfandel. The story of this grape can be traced back to Croatia, under the tongue twisting titular title of Crljenak Kaštelanski. There was a long time debate over the origins of Zinfandel. DNA profiling showed it to be the same as Primitivo of Italy, which in turn could be tracked back to the same said Croatian grape. Zinfandel wines are fairly robust reds, peppery, full of fruit and flavour, yet juicy and very, very nice.
Take a trip to the West coast of America and you will find one man who has made a living out of producing world class Zinfandel, Joel Peterson, co-founder and winemaker of Ravenswood Wines. Known affectionately as 'The Godfather of Zin,' Peterson inherited his father's passion and enthusiasm for wine as a child. Walter Peterson was somewhat of a local pioneer in wine during the 1950's. In a time where wine was far down the list of beverages of choice, Walter would organize weekly meetings of, what would become, the San Francisco Vintners Club. It was at one of these meetings where a ten year old Joel sat in on his first tasting. Having developed a fine palate and understanding of European wines by his teens, Joel supplemented his way through college by working weekends in the local wineries. After graduating, and whilst working as a medical researcher, Peterson had developed a solid reputation as a consultant and wine writer.
It wasn't until 1972, a year after the death of his influential father, that Joel, having worked his apprenticeship with respected Zinfandel producer Joseph Swan, made the first steps into producing his own wine. In 1976, after four years, Peterson, along with colleague Reed Foster, founded Ravenswood. Their first vintage delivered up 327 cases of Dry Creek Zin, this proved a bit of a triumph; here they picked up 1st place at a prestigious San Francisco tasting.
The first six years of the business had a rather nomadic existence, moving from winery to winery. After twelve years, Ravenswood finally made enough money to buy their own winery, located on the northern edge of the Sonoma Valley, where the visitor centre and tasting room is still situated. Success didn't buy financial independence immediately, fifteen years to be exact! After Joel moved to Sonoma in 1977, he took a job in the clinical lab at the Sonoma Valley Hospital. Peterson maintained this position where every penny earned was ploughed straight into the wine business. It wasn't until 1992 that he could finally resign his role from the alternate day job to focus all efforts on Ravenswood.
I first discovered Ravenswood wines in the late 1990's whilst working for the company I was involved with at the time. These wines were a revelation. When everything American in the UK was being dominated by Gallo, here was a wine that was actually brilliant. I made the conscious effort not to sell it with my other Californian wines, reason? I didn't want to bring it down to Gallo's level, so I sold it with my Australian wines instead. The packaging stood out a mile. A circle of three ravens with interlocking feet, a firm favourite with ardent Zinfandel fans who have taken to tattooing it to their bodies.
Ravenswood is a multi-award winning winery picking up accolades from Decanter World Wine Awards, International Wines & Spirit Challenge, Berlin Wine Awards, International Wine Award and many others.
In a recent lunch-tasting, hosted by Joel Peterson at Vinoteca in London, I had the opportunity to chat with the guy and try an extensive range of his work. A truly remarkable man.
On show we had the Vintners Blend Zinfandel 09, Lodi Zinfandel 09, Napa Zinfandel 10, Sonoma Zinfandel 09, Single Vineyard Teldeschi 09, Single Vineyard Teldeschi 06 and the highlight of the afternoon, Ravenswood Belloni 1995. All the wines were exceptional, which was a bit of a relief. When you have long admired a winery the worry is that you taste a broad range from different areas and alternate years and they don't live up to expectation. No problems here!
The 1995 Belloni showed that good Zinfandel can age very well. There were distinct rich, sweet fresh red fruit and coffee notes on the nose. The palate still picked up those sweet fresh red cherry and raspberry fruit characters yet it was still as young as the day it was bottled.
Price unknown - Retailer Unknown
One that is available in the UK, the one that got me hooked on Ravenswood in the first place, the Lodi Zinfandel. To begin with the nose emitted lovely, easy, soft red cherry fruit with a touch of white pepper. The flavours are a mix of initial Spice, soft red fruit plus some noticeable acidity. As these flavours develop the cherry flavours begin to fill out to a dark black cherry finish. 14% ABV.
RRP - £9.98 individually or currently on offer at £7.48 per bottle when you buy it as part of a 6 bottle case from www.drinksdirect.co.uk
Prices correct at time of publication. Offers subject to availability. Terms and Conditions Apply.
All reviews are my own. I am not paid for any reviews I write. I will always give an honest assessment of the wines I taste and review.
]]>Looking for That Ideal Job - Working to Get That Breaktag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.21148042012-11-11T17:35:45-05:002013-01-11T05:12:01-05:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/
Now, I'm not naive to think because I write an email I'm automatically going to have a job land at my feet, it takes work. I'm aware that some of these publications may already have a writer on staff. For smaller news outlets there is the small factor of costs. I know my own local paper doesn't have a wine writer/columnist; they have shown me the courtesy of ignoring my mails. I'm also aware that newspapers receive hundreds, if not thousands of emails a day with stories and requests. If anything, my emails have also included requests asking for help in setting up some sort of dialogue or assistance in ways to get my name out and about, help to find work as a freelancer or pick up commissioned work. This request wasn't just limited to the media either. Before I resigned from my role at North & South Wines I sent a bucket load of emails to those I considered colleagues within the trade, explaining my reasons for leaving, what my future plans are and help in trying to establish my new career path. Apart from two or three people, again, silence fell upon my inbox.
So how do you get the break you are looking for when those around you aren't willing to render aid?
Am I the victim of choosing to write about something that still has the stigma of elitism about it? After all, the first rule to writing is to write about what you know. John Grisham writes law based thrillers because he is a Lawyer. I know about wine, thus I write about it. FYI, I'm not comparing myself to Grisham.
Here's a brief breakdown of my wine career to date. I began in a local wine store back in 1995 as a part time sales assistant. During my career with FQR, I worked my way up to store manager, running branches around West London. I achieved my WSET qualifications, became a wine tutor and a respected manager for the business. After FQR went into administration, and subsequent closure, I helped establish North & South Wines where I initially created the wine range for the store. I began writing about wine, via my blog, in April 2011. At the start of this year I started to write articles and blog feeds for Harpers as well as a wine blog for Huffington Post UK. I have now built personal connections with wine PR companies around London and have a good working relationship with the editor of Harpers. According to these colleagues I write well, which is nice but alas, being told you write well doesn't pay the bills at the moment! I resigned from front line retail at the end of September this year. As a diabetic, the day to day running of a wine store was beginning to have an extreme effect to my health. I needed to do something which I enjoyed and I could work at my own pace.
So back to my first question, how to get the break? I don't know. It's hard. I try to find a new avenue everyday. I'm not a MW (Master of Wine), I'm not an Oxbridge graduate or did I study journalism at college. What I have is a lot of practical experience behind me. For writers like me, we have to find a niche, find a voice that sets us apart and makes us stand out. I like to write with a certain whim, in a style that suits everyday drinkers. I write to make wine simple, not to over complicate things. I believe certain publications see wine as subject that readers just don't get. I understand that. TV personalities in the past haven't made it easy either. In a recent article via a trade journal, it was claimed that customers were scared to enter wine shops through fear of lack of knowledge and embarrassment. I can testify to that fact. Over the years I have had people apologise to me because they knew nothing about wine. I had to reassure my customers by telling them not to worry, they are in the majority.
In my endeavours, I am persistent. For every piece I write for Harpers, Huffington Post or my blog, I email a copy to everybody in my contacts file who works in wine media or PR. I like to think sooner or later someone will throw me a bone. I have to maintain some kind of optimism in chasing my dream.
My new tact that I mentioned above is to cast my net further afield. I'm in an age where, communicably speaking, the world is shrinking. It's a world of passionate bloggers, passing on ideas, sharing knowledge. I live in London but my own blog gets read all around the world. Outside of the UK I get a large readership in North America. I'm not connected to trying to convey my message here in the UK. I would be best served opening myself up to opportunities abroad. Wine is global and yet I don't have to leave my desk to talk about it. In the meantime, if you are looking for a freelance wine writer, you know where to find me.]]>Wine - Spier Winery: A Coalition Between Art and Winetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.20930352012-11-08T12:26:41-05:002013-01-08T05:12:01-05:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/
How would you describe a wine tasting, what goes on? If you've never been to a tasting, what do you think happens? I suppose you could say that it's simple! After all, it's in the title 'Wine Tasting!'
For those of us in the trade there are two main types of tastings. First you have the big shows hosted by a particular body. Producers, suppliers alike all turn up to talk to people in the trade from buyers, press and such about their new vintages. A load of technical stuff gets thrown about that is interesting, but really doesn't have a place when selling to the general public. These can be hard work, especially when all you want to do is taste the wine, write your notes and get out without being accosted by an overzealous delegate. I adopt a black ops approach to these. I don my fatigues, sneak between people, pour a splash into my glass and retreat quickly to the backbeat of 'Mission: Impossible.'
The second is the self-pour tasting, more noted for PR companies and suppliers to showcase their portfolios. These are generally more relaxed and sedate afternoons. Here you can catch up with colleagues you haven't seen since the last tasting, yesterday, and discuss the ways of the vinous world, most tend to be like this. A bit of a love in, nice! This is my preferred style. You walk in, grab your complimentary tasting book and glass, work your way round the tables and sip away hassle free.
If you do this too many times, it can get boring, unless you find that rare tasting. What do I mean? A tasting where virtually every wine you sampled is new to you, a revelation even or the event organisers have gone a wee bit left field to make it interesting. These don't happen to often but when they do, they are a lot of fun. Recently I attended one at Devonshire House, London. The event was presented by Spier Cellar Master and winemaker, Frans Smit.
Spier wines are from Stellenbosch, South Africa, about a 20 minute drive from Cape Town International Airport. The winery sits within the backdrop of the Jonkershoek mountains and has a history dating back to the late 17th century, making it one of South Africa's oldest wine farms. Spier currently produces 28 different labels, adopting all key grape varieties to their range, which are widely available in the UK.
During a whistle stop to the UK, Smit hosted a lunch-tasting for a small band of UK wine professionals but, with a twist.
Three wines were lined up for tasting followed by a vertical of Spier's Creative Block range from five previous vintages (vertical is a term where you try the same wine but from different vintages). I'll get to some of the wines tried in a moment. Upon completion of the tasting we were given the opportunity to partner up with another guest, blend our own wine using the three grape varieties of the Creative Block; Shiraz, Mourvedre and Viognier. Frans would judge the best combination, and a winner would be announced. Horn tooting time, me and my partner won with a delightful wine we called 'The Tempest.' If you thought the fun was over, think again, we were then given the task of creating a piece of art using wine as paint. Felt like being back at primary school but with adult juice. All our completed pieces were taken back to South Africa where they will be framed and returned to us at a later date.
Spier has long been a supporter to the arts; here the winery has a fully functioning art gallery on site. The Creative Block came about as an idea to help support the South African art community. Artists are invited to create pieces of work on wooden blocks. Later the best are selected, bought by Spier and sold to collectors worldwide. More information is available at www.creativeblock.co.za.
The three sampled were from the Creative Block Range. The number in the wines title indicates how many grape varieties are used.
First up was the Creative Block 2, 2011, Sauvignon Blanc - Semillon. The influence of the Sauvignon Blanc was easy to pick up on the nose, with soft, green herbaceous aromas followed by oily tropical fruits. The palate had a nice youthful, lively spritz feel about it, concluded by some white pepper and good, fresh acidity.
Next up we had the Creative Block 3, 2008, Shiraz - Mourvedre - Viognier. In the trade we refer to this as a 'Rhone blend'. All three varieties are key ingredients to the classic wines of France. Soft black fruit, cassis and savoury leather aromas on the nose. These will fill out if left to breathe. The palate is a mix of black fruit again with noticeable amounts of black pepper and juicy forest fruit. For a four year old wine this wine is good to drink now but can't help thinking that there is more to come.
Finally we finished with the Creative Block 5, 2008, Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot - Cabernet Franc - Petit Verdot - Malbec. Black fruit, liquorice and tobacco are what dominate for me here, a sign of good oak interaction. Huge levels of spice initially govern the palate, ceding to blackcurrant and fresh juicy acidity before you are left with a long pepper finish. This is a wine that need some time for those spicy notes to calm down. This is another four years old bottle. All the signs are there for me to suggest we haven't seen this one at its peak yet. Give it another 2-3 plus and this should turn into a very good, rich and full red wine.
Wine should always be about fun, taking the pretence out and allowing everyone to enjoy it. Spier uses this format whilst running tastings back home in South Africa. It's a great, imaginative way to engage consumers and members of the trade, regardless of experience. So get your easel, canvas, brushes out and get painting. How often do you get to consume your tools after you've finished?
For more information on the wines at Spier visit www.spier.co.za
Prices correct at time of publication. Subject to availability.
All reviews are my own. I am not paid for any reviews I write. I will always give an honest assessment of the wines I taste and review. ]]>Halfwine.com. An alternative in Online Wine Shoppingtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.20224812012-10-26T08:58:07-04:002012-12-26T05:12:01-05:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/'the idea'. You need to find something that no one else has thought of, perhaps rework an existing model. It's not easy! So when do you achieve that Archimedes moment when you stand up and scream 'eureka, I've got it?' Last year Kevin Dilton-Hill had his epiphany, the light bulb switched on and he created halfwine.com, an online wine retail site specialising in selling premium 37.5cl bottles of wine.
It's simple. Take a wander in to your nearest wine store, or supermarket, and have a wee peak at the range of quality half bottles on their shelves. Not too many eh! In my time as a retailer I have lost count the amount of times where someone asked me for a half bottle of wine. Not everybody wants to spend money on a full bottle, especially if they only fancy a tipple once a week.To some it is seen as a waste.
Starting at £4.95 a bottle, halfwine.com has put together a collection of nearly forty different wines from all around the world. Along with this you will find the odd guest producer, gift and tasting packs plus a monthly selection sent to wine club members. The service is currently only available in the UK.
I took a look at three wines from Dilton-Hill's range, Guy Charbaut Champagne, Craggy Range Pinot Noir and Domaine Masson Sancerre.
Guy Charbaut NV - Cuvée de Réserve Brut, 1er Cru is a grower Champagne from the small commune of Mareuil-sur-Ay, Marne, Champagne. Grower is a term for a single estate vineyard where the Champagne is produced from the same estate where the grapes come from, you may not know the names but they tend to be, for me, wines of top quality and finesse. The owners take more care and pride over their product. Not to dismiss Grandes Marque brands; big brands where the grapes come from around the region, but they do offer something different. This particular wine, pop it open and breathe it in. Rich stewed apples, brown sugar, cinnamon spice aromas. The palate initially delivers what you get on the nose but subsides to give a light freshness down the middle of the tongue. Dry with fresh soft bubbles and nice acid levels that carry with the fruit.
RRP - £13.20
Mike's rating, 8-10
New Zealand's Central Otago has a very good recent history with their Pinot Noir's. Sitting in the cooler regions of the South Island, Pinot Noir has the ability to express itself here. Craggy Range Zebra Vineyard 2007 Pinot definitely knows how to express itself. Dark, brooding black cherry, mint and vegetal notes, imagine walking through some woodland after the rain has fallen. Where to begin with the flavours? Black cherry, blackcurrant, white pepper, spice, huge juicy acidity, soft green tannins with some minerals and slight bitter notes at the end. This wine is a cross between an old and new world style Pinot. When left to breathe for a while those fruits begin to thicken up and concentrate. This wine is already five years old. I can't wait to see how this wine will be in another five years, it's superb!
RRP - £11.60
Mike's rating, 9-10
Finishing with a more classic French wine is the Domaine Masson-Blondelet, Thauvenay 2010 Sancerre. As with all Sancerre, it is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. The nose emits very soft, delicate peach aromas. Peaches can be picked up on the palate too along with some bitter lemon, grapefruit and minerals. The acidity levels are crisp and a wee bit green but it does have a lovely steely finish, due to stainless steel fermentation. This wine has the potential to age; the youthful acidity levels tell me that. They will begin to smooth out over time allowing the fruit to come more to the fore. All in all, a pleasant wine!
RRP - £7.95
Mike's rating, 7.5-10
There is no doubt that what these guys are doing at halfwine.com is innovative. Coming up with fresh ideas can be difficult. This is simple in its approach. Sometimes that's all it takes. Picking the simplest idea and running with it. Maybe that's the key!
Prices correct at time of publication. Subject to availability.
All reviews are my own. I am not paid for any reviews I write. I will always give an honest assessment of the wines I taste and review.
]]>Wine - New Zealand's Marisco Vineyards and 'The King's Series'tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.19898402012-10-20T11:48:54-04:002012-12-20T05:12:01-05:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/
Treachery, murder, piracy! Sounds like a great plot for a Hollywood blockbuster. For the de Marisco family, this was all in a days work. It wasn't always that boring. At one time or another the family actually held high roles within the English court. Geoffrey de Marisco was Justiciar of Ireland (Chief Governor) for around eight years, before getting caught with his fingers in the church coffers. The King didn't take to kindly to this and he summarily sent Geoffrey on his merry way, whilst suffering the embarrassment of excommunication.
The de Marisco clan are the direct ancestors to Marisco Vineyards owner and winemaker, Brent Marris. This personal history influenced Marris to create a range of wines, paying homage to his notable, notorious, noble heritage with The King's Series. After all, how many new world winemakers can trace their lineage back to 12th-13th century England?
Back to the history. Geoffrey's son, William, was implicated in the murder of Henry Clement, court messenger for Henry III. Three years later a man claiming to be an agent of William de Marisco attempted to kill the King. This caused William to flee to the island of Lundy, a small isle sitting in the Bristol Channel. From here de Marisco turned to piracy, sailing the waters of the Irish Sea. In 1242 William was captured by the Kings troops, returned to London where he was tried, dragged from Westminster to be hung, drawn and quartered. An entertaining bunch wouldn't you say!
There are five wines in the series; The King's Bastard - Chardonnay, The King's Thorn - Pinot Gris, The King's Favour - Sauvignon Blanc, The King's Wrath - Pinot Noir and their sweet wine, A Sticky End - Noble Sauvignon Blanc 37.5cl.
All the fruit for these wines comes from the same vineyards as Marris' other brand, The Ned, a 268 hectare site on the banks of the Waihopai River, Marlborough. The packaging for me is very appealing to the eye. As an ex-retailer I judge bottles by how they would look on a shelf. The labels stand out clearly with a classic medieval font, based on the period and designed specifically by New Zealand calligrapher, Peter Gilderdale.
I recently tasted three wines from The King's Series range.
The King's Favour - Sauvignon Blanc has very noticeable grapefruit, lemon and soft tropical fruit aromas. A large mix of flavours range from fresh grass, traditional herbaceous characters, white pepper, citrus fruit, even some residual sugary sweetness on the tip of the tongue. The acidity levels are fresh and sit very well with the fruit.
RRP - £12.99
Mike's rating, 8.5-10
Available from http://www.majestic.co.uk/
A Sticky End, 2012 DWWA Gold Medal Winner, is a wine made in the style of the classic sweet Bordeaux, Sauternes. Optimum conditions have allowed for Botryitis to take effect; a fungus that attacks healthy white grapes, shrivelling them to leave a raisin sized sugary pulp. The nose exhibits very soft honey and orange marmalade aromas. The palate delivers clean, light orange cinnamon spice. Goes well with a couple of slices of toast.
RRP - £15.99. 37.5cl bt.
Mike's rating, 8-10
Available from http://www.majestic.co.uk/
The King's Bastard - Chardonnay is a biggy. Initially wood dominates the nose with some savoury, meaty aromas. When left to breath these characters begin to disappear showing more Burgundian aromas, blue cheese in particular with a touch of pear. Taste, good sharp acidity cuts through the soft citrus, spiced apple, white pepper flavours. This wine is a developer. Good to drink now but give it a few years and it should be a wee bit special.
RRP - £14.99
Mike's rating, 8-10
Available from http://www.kwmwine.com/
Who said wine was pretentious and boring, really, it's an education.
Prices correct at time of publication. Subject to availability.
All reviews are my own. I am not paid for any reviews I write. I will always give an honest assessment of the wines I taste and review.
]]>Wine - When Wine and Music Collidetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.19635312012-10-13T10:32:25-04:002012-12-13T05:12:01-05:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/
Maybe you went to the gig of your life, started the evening with a great bottle, this now becomes embedded in your memory. These are emotive responses though, not correlated to taste.
Last year Professor Adrian North, Herriot-Watt University - Edinburgh, published a report in the British Journal of Psychology stating that 'People who drink wine while listening to music perceive the wine to have the same taste characteristics of the particular artist.'
250 students, split evenly male to female, were put into five groups. Four sampled a red and white wine, listened to a particular style of music ranging from pop, classical, dance and mellow, after five minutes they were asked to rank how the wine tasted based on the musical description. The fifth group just tasted the wine. The result of the exercise showed the wines tasted to the music had an effect on how the students tasted.
Upon conclusion two examples given were 'for the best earthy and full-bodied Merlot taste experience, drinkers should try listening to Tom Jones. Or to add a little zing to a glass of Pinot Grigio pull out the latest Lady Gaga album.' I've got nothing against these two artists but they don't exactly feature in my playlist. My experiment would probably be more AC-DC wine to their music and Motorhead to theirs. Yes these two bands produce their own wines. Nevertheless, you get the point.
Classic FM (100-102fm), in conjunction with Lathwaite's, are going out to prove this theory with a series of programmes called 'Tasting Notes' starting Sunday 14th October. From 3pm, actor and writer, Simon Callow will host a two hour show selecting two wines from around the world to be accompanied by his choice of classical tunes.
Below, listed, wines for the first six shows -
14/10/2012 -
France - White, ESPRIT DES PARETTES BOURGOGNE BLANC 09.
France - Red, GRANDE RESERVE DE GASSAC ROUGE IGP 2010
21/10/2012 -
France - Red, GRAND CHAI CASTILLON COTES DE BORDEAUX AOC 10.
Italy - Red, PILLASTRO SELEZIONE D'ORO PUGLIA IGT 09
28/10/2012 -
Italy - White, VISIONARIO IGT VENEZIE 11.
Italy - Red, SASERELLO ROSSO DI SICILIA IGP 2009
04/11/2012 -
Austria - White, DANARIS GRUNER VELTLINER 11.
Germany - White, MAX FERD RICHTER MULHEIMER SONNENLAY 11
11/11/2012 -
Spain - White, BARON DE BARBON WHITE RIOJA 2011.
Spain - Red, EL BOMBERO 2011
To interact with the show go to Twitter and use one of the following links @laithwaites, @classicfm finally #tastingnotes.
During the course of the series I'll be giving my reaction and thoughts on the show whilst casting my eye over the wines. Should be interesting!
All wines available from www.laithwaites.co.uk]]>Wine - New Zealand's Marisco Vineyards and 'The Ned'tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.19528832012-10-09T19:08:17-04:002012-12-09T05:12:02-05:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/
It has been quite a successful year for Brent Marris and his team down at New Zealand's Marisco Vineyards. Following on from picking up last year's International Wine & Spirit Competition award for New Zealand winery of the year, both his labels, The Ned and King Series, have been reaping the accolades too.
A few weeks ago The Ned Sauvignon Blanc scooped the international trophy at the prestigious DWWA for best Sauvignon Blanc under £10. More recently Brent's wines have picked up a further nine medals at the 2012 China Wine Awards, including a double gold for The Ned - Noble Sauvignon Blanc 2011 and The Ned - Pinot Grigio 2012 plus a double gold for the King's Series, The Kings Favour 2011.
Marris discovered the land for his site back in 2003, a 268 hectare plot situated on the banks of the Waihopai River, Marlborough.
Brent comments "I knew immediately it had enormous potential. The property flows over three distinct terraces of clay and ancient river shingles providing the fruit variation and complexity a winemaker can only dream of."
In 2007 The Ned found its way from vineyard to bottle for the first time.
After the medal winning success of The Ned, I had the opportunity to try the Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio (Gris) and Pinot Noir. I will keep my comments short on the Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, not because I didn't like them, far from it, but because the Pinot Grigio deserves my full attention.
The Sauvignon Blanc offers what I like about New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Good fresh acidity, well balanced levels of tropical, citrus fruit flavours without being over powering. It is a good Sauvignon and sits well at an RRP of £9.99. The same said for the Pinot Noir! It can be very hard to find decent Kiwi Pinot Noir under £15, reason for this is volume. More white wines are produced in New Zealand then red, in particularly Marlborough. The Ned Pinot Noir 2011 is very easy on the palate. Soft red cherry fruit, some minerals, low in tannins, relatively light, RRP £12.99.
Now the Pinot Grigio is a different animal all together. On the whole the unfortunate thing about this grape variety is the amount of bland Pinot Grigio we see on UK shelves. How this grape is perceived by most; light and flavourless. Usually not my cup of tea. I tend to find this style has about as much class, style and charisma as a middle aged drag queen. Luckily for all The Ned Pinot Grigio is superb! Firstly the wine has an obvious light pink tinge, something you don't often see. The nose delivers delicate notes of peach and grapefruit, with similar levels of grapefruit and soft citrus fruit on the palate. I've not had a new world Grigio like this for a long time. This is a wine that sticks in the memory for a long time. What's more, the price! Like its Sauvignon buddy, RRP - £9.99. A fine example of what good Pinot Grigio is all about. If only others could follow Marris' lead.
All these wines are available from Majestic. I suggest you go and check them out!
Next time I'll be taking a peak at the Kings Series.
Prices correct at time of publication. Subject to availability.
All reviews are my own. I am not paid for any reviews I write. I will always give an honest assessment of the wines I taste and review.
]]>Wine Reviews: The Grinder Pinotage, Groenendal Merlottag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.17687622012-08-20T20:20:37-04:002012-10-20T05:12:04-04:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/
The Grinder Pinotage 2011
The Grinder comes from the Western Cape. Straight away the nose delivers some real meaty aromas, dried beef strips. Delve deeper and hidden on the back of the nose are hints of chocolate and coffee, not quite Revels but you get the picture! Take a sip and straight away, for the dark chocolate lovers, bitter cocoa flavours with raspberry, spice and pepper. The acidity levels carry long after the fruit has disappeared. This wine is a dark brooding beast. A real serious bad boy wine! The pepper notes dominate from start to finish and the heat is significant. At 14% alcohol it's easy to see why.
This wine has a lot going on, one of the reasons why it stood out. At £10.99 it's a keeper. This wine will develop for around 5-10 years. The packaging is particularly entertaining too. The imagery defines what this wine is about, a hand held coffee grinder indicating the aromas you could pick up. Great wine!
Not a wine necessarily to be drunk on its own. Drink with rich red meat dishes, stews.
Mike's rating 8-10
Groenendal Vineyards Merlot 2011
A complete contrast now, South African Merlot! Like Pinotage, Merlot is often shunned, misunderstood. I don't know why after all it does produce some of the world's greatest Bordeaux's. Groenendal Vineyards Merlot is from Wellington, South Africa. The diversity of aromas is apparent, forever changing. Ranging from fruits of the forest, strawberries, cream, freshly cut wood, moist vegetation. The fruit on the palate is young, fresh with blackberry, redcurrant, some spice and minerals. Tannins are a touch green but given time to breath they do begin to smooth out.
There is no doubt that this wine is very young. It could benefit with some age, another year or two, but at £8.49 it proves incredible value for money. There aren't too many sub ten pound wines that offer the depth of layers and complexity that this wine does. I like being pleasantly suprised!
Food match, think French, think Lyonnais gastronomy. Meats, venison, beef.
Prices correct at time of publication. Subject to availability.
All reviews are my own. I am not paid for any reviews I write. I will always give an honest assessment of the wines I taste and review.
]]>Tales From a Frustrated Retailertag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.16882172012-07-19T21:19:58-04:002012-09-18T05:12:17-04:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/
After all this time you'd think I should have become immune to the idiocies of society. Developed some kind of nuclear resistant skin. At one point I think I did. It was about ten years ago, around mid afternoon, somewhere between me emerging from the toilet, to putting the kettle on for a nice cup of tea, sooth the aching brain tissue.
The idiocies and frustrations I refer to are very tiny, minor points really. In context to world problems, they wouldn't even register on the Richter scale. If you've never worked in any form of retail then you really have no idea! You can read this and think "what the hell is he complaining about?"
I call this infraction in brain wave patterns as "The Shopping Effect." It's kind of like the butterfly effect except the fluttering wings of an aviatorial based insect only creates natural destruction on the other side of the planet. The shopping effect happens to everybody at all times during any given moment you walk onto a shop. In principal you could have a PHD, MA, BA, pick any acronym you want but as soon as you enter a retail establishment you become as dumb as two mules playing Buckaroo! Apologies to Hasbro for the analogy. I had many a happy childhood moment playing your Ass kicking game.
I give you my points of evidence.
If the guy behind the counter asks if you would like a bag, the correct responses are - yes please or no thank you. Not "If you have one?" The reason behind the question wasn't designed to be a conundrum. It's not asked as a polite request. One day I will say no and wait for their response. Probably be something like "Why did you ask if I wanted a bag then?"
Another notable point is when you first walk into a store. I find it quite helpful if the patron actually looks around the shop instead asking "I can't find your chilled beer?" before the front door has closed behind them. In order to find something.....you first have to look ! You may have missed that point whilst growing up. Moving one cushion doesn't constitute looking for the elephant showering in your bathroom.
Parenting is a joyous moment for a lot of us, when expected. I still have images of me as a kid constantly harassing my mum to point of a nervous breakdown for a packet of sweets. She stayed firm, retained her sanity and said no. Happy days! Nowadays parents treat stores like mini daycare centres. If you're in a hardware store, wine store, Satan's sharp pointy things emporium, it's not a five minute license to allow your children to run havoc and let the sales assistant play babysitter to your children. What's more, when the same said sales assistant tells the child to put the sword down, don't lecture the poor sap in parenting skills. You should be keeping an eye on what your rugrats are doing. The reason why the assistant has chastised your child is because they seem to care more about them than what you do.
Bikes, umbrellas. Mmmmm! Where do I begin? Bikes I guess! If you choose to mobilize your self via the power of your legs, fair play! As a cyclist I am happy to see people not being run down by maniacal motorists and enjoying the fruits of their own transportation endeavours. Still, if you decide to cycle to a shop, lock your bike up outside. Parking your Penny Farthing inside, then asking "Is this OK" when there are visible areas outside to lock your wheels up is ludicrous. How about this? You've driven up to friends house, there's nowhere to park. You drive your car, full throttle, through the front garden hedge and plant it firmly on the rose bed. Then ask "Is this OK?"
Umbrellas. People should have permits to handle an umbrella. Occasionally you get the odd one or two who will leave a brolly at the door. They realise that wandering around an open floor could cause a safety hazard. Hussah! What about the other 99% of customers who think it's acceptable to drip a trail of water around a shop floor.
I could go on. The point is showing respect to the outlet you are shopping in. The attitude I've seen from people over the years leaves me scratching my head.When challenged over rudimentary behaviour the customer tends to become aggressive. Would you act this way in your own homes? Shops are there to allow us to purchase, to enable us to survive. At the same time a shop is someone's property, livelihood. What gives people the right to abuse someone else's property in the name of retail? If I was to act this way in your home would you have me back? Doubt it.]]>Wine Review: Zebra View Pinotage 2011tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.16466652012-07-03T13:02:39-04:002012-09-02T05:12:16-04:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/
The grape comes from South Africa. It was first developed in the 1920's as a cross between two of France's stalwarts, Northern Rhone's Cinsault and Burgundy's Pinot Noir. Commercial plantings began during the 1940's but it wasn't until the early sixties that the first wine from Stellenbosch, labelled as Pinotage, was produced under the Lanzerac brand. Other countries are beginning to dabble with Pinotage but there is no doubt, this grape belongs to South Africa.
Zebra View Pinotage 2011
This wine comes from the Pederberg Winery, South Africa, under the guidance of winemaker Riaan Moller. To those who need a reminder as to how versatile Pinotage can be, you're not going to go too far wrong with this one. Surprisingly easy and fresh, with soft red berry, summer fruits floating around your nose. A very pleasant Medium bodied wine that exhibits soft bramble, raspberry, blackberry fruit. Very simple and uncomplicated!
When the summer finally kicks in and you are looking for that alternative summer red, take a wander on down to your local Marks & Spencer. At £7.49 per bottle it's proving great value for money. Lovely!
Drink on its own or with pork and cranberry dishes.
Mike's rating 7.5 - 10
Prices correct at time of publication. Subject to availability.
All reviews are my own. I am not paid for any reviews I write. I will always give an honest assessment of the wines I taste and review.
]]>Wine Reviews: Beaujolais-Villages Blanc, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Arnaud Aucoeur 2011. Beaujolais Blanc, En Fût, Jean-Paul Brun 2010tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.16292392012-06-26T20:52:29-04:002012-08-26T05:12:05-04:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/
This is understandable really as white Beaujolais represents only 1% of wine production from the region. There is a chance though that you may have already tried some without realising. Supermarket or chain store outlets often have a wine in stock labelled as White Burgundy. The wine would have been produced in the northern part of Burgundy but the grapes, more than likely, have come from Beaujolais.
The total area of Beaujolais - Villages Blanc is tiny with only 68 hectares under vine, all of which is Chardonnay. Compare that figure to the rest of Beaujolais which occupies a further 17932 hectares.
Two white Beaujolais that grabbed my attention recently were from Domaine Arnaud Aucouer and Jean-Paul Brun.
The nose delivers instantly recognisable apricot aromas and stoned fruit characteristics whilst the palate delivers elegantly subtle fruit flavours. A fresh feel gives the wine a very clean and easy dry finish. Good value for money wine that doesn't over complicate. One example why the general public need to rediscover Chardonnay, not a lick of oak in sight!
Good summer drinking for summer foods.
Mike's rating 7.5 - 10
£10.95 from Yapp Brothers Wine Merchants
Beaujolais Blanc, En Fût, Jean-Paul Brun 2010
As Homer J Simpson might say "mmmmmmmmmm forbidden doughnut" or in this case forbidden fruit! I love wines that keep the senses working overtime. The bouquet alone is worth paying the money. Big and bold pineapple, orange blossom, light marmalade fragrances. The flavours are more refined but the depth and complexity mirrors the nose. Unlike the previous wine, it's a bit more serious nevertheless, superb!
Drink with good old traditional roast Chicken dishes.
Mike's rating 8.5 - 10
£14.40 from Savage Selection LTD
Prices correct at time of publication. Subject to availability.
All reviews are my own. I'm not being paid for any reviews I write. I will always give an honest assessment of the wines I taste and review.
]]>Wine Review: Tesco Finest Saint Monttag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.16075072012-06-18T20:38:33-04:002012-08-18T05:12:12-04:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/
This little gem from the Tesco Finest range is all about fresh lemon juice, just like you'd squeeze over your pancakes. I'm not saying you should splash this over your crepes, but if you run out of lemons, here's a great alternative.
Tesco Finest Saint Mont Blanc comes from Southwest France, the Gers Department near the Midi Pyrenees. The grapes used may not be too familiar to you, Gros Manseng, Arrufia and Petit Courbu, but like a lot of winemakers from this part of France, they do like to produce from local varieties.
The aromas emit almost rich, sweet sugary notes dominated by pure lemon juice. The palate provides a blast of still lemonade backed up by recognisable lime and grapefruit characters. The acidity levels are kept in check by partial skin maceration, some of the juice has been kept in contact with the grape skins, and by maturing on fine lees, yeast cells, with regular lees stirring. Fermentation in steel tanks helps give the wine a nice, cool, fresh finish. Absolutely ideal for those warm summer evenings!
At £6.99 this wine is incredible value for money. You could happily sip this on its own or with salads, light spice dishes, Coronation Chicken and creamy pasta meals.
Mike's rating 8 out of 10.
Prices correct at time of publication. Subject to availability.
All reviews are my own. I'm not being paid for any reviews I write. I will always give an honest assessment of the wines I taste and review.
]]>Champagne Review: Champagne Jacquart, Brut Mosaїque and Blanc de Blancs Vintagetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.15943112012-06-13T15:43:54-04:002012-08-13T05:12:05-04:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/
Champagne Jacquart was set up in 1962. The philosophy was to offer a brand that was born in the vineyard and not the boardroom. Currently Jacquart occupies 2400 hectares with 1800 winegrowers, this equates to 7% of the Champagne region. No mean feat!
There are five labels under the Jacquart name, Brut Mosaїque, Rosé, Extra Brut, Blanc de Blancs and Brut de Nominée. The whole range was, as you'd expect with top draw Champagne, very good but two went beyond very good. They made me purr, coo if you'd like. Take any analogy of a creature expressing pleasure and that would be me.
Champagne Jacquart - Brut Mosaїque
This is Jacquart's entry level wine, but it doesn't taste like one, there's more to it. A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the bubbles hiding within this bottle are incredibly soft and elegant, my first quality indicator. Toast, yeast, warm morning bread are apparent on the nose, whilst the flavours develop and change on so many different levels, grapefruit, rich, ripe orchard fruit with a touch of minerality to clean up. After swallowing, this Champagne will just sit happily tickling your palate for a good while after.
At £26.50 this wine is an absolute steal. You can find Champagnes twice the price of this one which will match it for quality. But why pay twice the price? Outstanding!
Officially recognised as a vintage Champagne, all grapes coming from premier cru sites, this wine, again, has plenty of layers to it, a familiar theme amongst the range. As a Blanc de Blancs it is 100% Chardonnay but the nose delivers a cleaner, lighter, fresher style to what I'm used to with this variation of Champagne. Great! I love innovative wines. We still have lovely yeast and biscuit notes, but very restrained. The fruit shows more defined apple flavours, very clean with acidity levels that drag the fruit on and on. The sign of true quality with Champagne is the mousse or bubbles. Soft and elegant, pure class!
All reviews are my own. I'm not being paid for any reviews I write. I will always give an honest assessment of the wines I taste and review.
]]>Mythbusting: Wine Style - Part Onetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.15838942012-06-09T20:20:11-04:002012-08-09T05:12:13-04:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/What is it about wine that average Joe public are happy to be ignorant about? I'm sure people don't follow the same philosophy when it comes to buying clothes or cars. In my experience consumers go out of their way to have some understanding of these. Why not wine?
Can you imagine me telling Jeremy Clarkson that a car is just a car?
So you walk into your local wine store, approach the assistant and ask "Do you have a Malbec?"
The assistant replies "Which country?"
After a puzzled look, you stare back and state "Argentina of course!"
This is a very simple example of a conversation I've had hundreds of times over the years. Two problems I see with this dialogue are, firstly, requesting a Malbec as if there is only one type, secondly, the thought that Argentina is the only country that produces Malbec. I'm going to kill two birds with one stone here. Malbec originates from South West France. It was one of the original grapes used in Bordeaux, and is still permitted as part of the blend. Nowadays you will primarily find it as the backbone of wines from Cahor, France. Argentina may have adopted Malbec but, as well as France, it is also produced around the world, Australia and Chile being two notable producers.
So what other pieces of everyday wine thinking stems from ignorant bliss?
The first is an obvious choice, Chardonnay. This variety comes from Burgundy in France. It's also the only grape used in Chablis. No other variety is permitted. Chardonnay does have a long association with oak barrels, something that the UK public doesn't appreciate or get, in particular Australian wines from a decade ago. These styles have been disappearing from our shelves. So don't be put off by Chardonnay. Reconnect yourself to the clean fresh styles coming out of new world countries like Australia, Chile, New Zealand. A quick tip, if you read a wine label that states it's from a cool climate region, buy it. Just take my word for it and buy it. Come back and tell me what you think.
Another grape misconception is that of Pinot Grigio. Pinot Gris, to give you its proper name, doesn't come from Italy. Its origins are from Alsace, France. The grapes grown here, like Gewürztraminer and Riesling, are known as aromatics. They are big on the palate as well as the nose. This minor description doesn't really fit the everyday consumer's notion of Pinot Grigio. The normal thinking is very light, lacking in fruit and body, or as I describe them, Evian with alcohol. This is a generic style that seems to dominate supermarket shelves. These wines are mass produced, totally lacking any real substance or style. So dig around and you can find some great Pinot Grigio. Just avoid the mass produced stuff!
Ever heard the somewhat obvious solution to what makes red wine red? Everyone's immediate answer would be that it comes from red grapes. True but the colour of juice from virtually all grape varieties is clear. A wines colour is determined by the amount of contact that the juice has had with the grape skins. Two examples, In the EU, Rosé wines are produced by leaving the clear juice in contact with the skins for a relatively short period of time. The length could be anything from 8-24 hours, maybe longer. The other example is that of Champagne, the most famous white sparkling wine producing region in the world. Most commercially made Champagnes are produced using up to three grape varieties. Chardonnay, which we know is white, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, both of which are reds. In short, the colour of a wine comes from the skins and not the juice. Take the skins away and you are left with a white wine.
In the US, California to be exact, they like to think that Zinfandel is 'their' grape variety. The theory behind this is more in line with what I scribbled up the top regarding Malbec. Zinfandel has had more commercial value as an American wine but the truth is the origins of this variety come from Croatia. In Europe you will find Zinfandel under its Italian name of Primitivo.
Here's a misrepresentation which I read the other day. Whilst reading a wine review on someone's blog I noticed they had made a reference to wines, high in alcohol, are all full bodied. Utter nonsense! Wines with a huge dollop of alcohol will give heat to the wine but they do not govern a wine's weight, full, medium or light body. The weight of a wine is a mix of depth of fruit flavours, acidity and, in reds, tannins. When drinking most reds, tannins are indicated by the furry feeling you get around the gums. I've drank wines with alcohol levels approaching 15% and they have been relatively easy drinking wines.
One of the problems I've found with consumers is the ability to distinguish the difference between fruity and sweet wines. Because a wine may taste fruity it doesn't make it a sweet. When you taste something sweet, be it food or beverage, the level of sweetness carries thorough from the tip of your tongue to when you swallow. Fruity wines may initially taste sweet on the front of your palate but when you swallow you will find a dry finish. The back of your palate or throat will simply dry up.
Moёt is probably the most recognised Champagne in the world and yet very few people pronounce it correctly. The name is Dutch, marked by the diaeresis (two dots) above the 'e'. This makes the 'T' at the end of Moёt audible. Unlike the common pronunciation of 'Mo-ay' it really should be 'Mo-et'.
If you have any queries or would like some explanations regarding wines then leave your comment below.
Enjoy.
Keep up to date on all things wine at www.magicsnewbiewines.com]]>Wine Review - Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Boudriottes 2008 Fontaine Gagnardtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.15694992012-06-04T20:30:02-04:002012-08-04T05:12:12-04:00Mike John Matthewshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-john-matthews/
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Boudriottes 2008 Fontaine Gagnard
Burgundy - France
Grape Variety - Chardonnay
I haven't written a review for a while but having popped into my local Majestic last Friday (1/6/12) to peruse the beer section, I thought I'd take the opportunity to investigate the tasting table. What I found was this little beauty tempting me as part of Majestic Wines Fine Wine Friday tasting.
What can I say about the nose? Not what I would call your usual Burgundian style. Crisp apple, subtle oak or even smelly cheese's. No, a very distinctive aroma of bacon. Yup, bacon. Not just any old bacon either. One could describe it as smoked bacon, the child in me said 'Frazzles'. Yes, I am comparing the nose of a classical style Burgundy to that of a maize type snack. It was great!
The palate initially exhibited the same meaty taste. Shortly after, the fruit began to shine through. Clean citrus flavours became more dominant, as opposed to green apple, which is what I would have expected. Finally the finish, good, crisp acidity whilst the length, or flavours, linger around on your palate for a decent period of time.
Overall, a great premium wine with a great price. Worth every penny.
Drink on its own or with white meat or creamy pasta dishes.
£30 from Majestic Wines. Currently on offer (2/6/12) buy 2 bottles and save £4.
Offers are subject to availability. The proprietor has the right to withdraw the offer at anytime. Offers available for a limited period of time.
All reviews are my own. I'm not being paid for any reviews I write. I will always give an honest assessment of the wines I taste and review.
