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November 20, 2018April 22, 2019

Welsh Wine, yes Welsh wine at it’s best – and its delicious!

Continue reading "Welsh Wine, yes Welsh wine at it’s best – and its delicious!"

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Get ready for something different. From the land that brings you #toblerone and @rogerfederer and lots of snow ❄️ Switzerland 🇨🇭 this white grape in 2009 only had 154 hectares planted (380 acres )or 154x @twickenhamstadium this is a high class grape. Expect the grape to be wearing a pin striped suit rather than Pinot Grigio that wears dungarees can be dry,medium dry or sweet In this instance the 2017 Valais petit Arvine from @oddbins was fragrant and fruit. Caught notes of lemon 🍋 peel salted almonds and stone fruit with a hint of ginger. Thought I also picked up grapefruit and limes. If you imagine a fresh breeze that leaves you invigorated then this wine is just for you. Leaves you wanting more. Price is a little high for every day drinking £27 but your not going to drink this every day. Drink till 2024 and pair with 🦞 🦀 🍤 oysters and 🍣 - you get the idea. Gw score 3,3,2,6,3,2 (19/20). Go buy it just not every day. #petitarvine #switzerland🇨🇭 #whitewine #winewithfriends #grapefruit #saltedalmonds #invigoratedwine #limes #freshbreeze #rogerfederer #toblerone🍫 #oysters #lobster #crab @chandrakurt

Chateau Guitignan is in the village of Moulis on the left bank in Bordeaux. Run by Bernard Vidaller and his daughter over 7.5 hectares ( 7 rugby pitches ) planted with a@majority of merlot the wine is typically 60 % merlot 32% cab sav 3% petit Verdot 5% cab franc the 2017 shows signs of red fruit Redcurrants and red cherries 🍒 on the nose and darker flavours on the palate. Typically mocha, jamminess red fruits and toast On produces 42,000 bottles. Ned bodies and nice firm tannins. Last till 2025 pairs well with 🐄 🍖 🥩 🦌 🐗 and game €14 @grandlistrac #merlotdominant #cabernetsauvignon #frenchredwine #nicetannins #cabernetfranc #redwinewithredmeat #bordeauxreds #winewithfriends #winewithlove #winewithfood grapewizard score 2,3,3,5,2,2 (17/20 )

A great choice from the cru bourgeois appellation 2017 vintage 50 % merlot 40% cab sav & 10% Cabernet franc notes of cassis and black berries together with red berries In the mouth a touch of black berry a hint of liquorice and vanilla. Will last up until 2027 #merlot #cabernetsauvignon #cabernetfranc @chateaudumoulinrouge #bordeaux @crus_bourgeois_du_medoc #winewithfriends #relaxingtimewithwine #misenbouteilleauchateau approx £20 (2017 not released just yet but other years available through @davyswinemerchants (UK) @vinerepublic (USA) A nice alternative to the sometimes overpriced over invested bordeaux reds. Good with 🐄 🥩 🍖 GW score 17/20

@pentiredrinks If you close your eyes and open up a bottle of Pentire you’ll know you’ve just been transported to the coastline. A fresh cool breeze will play with your senses and your favourite time walking 🚶‍♀️ on a windswept beach will be awoken. This is a botanical non alcoholic drink ( I know it’s Xmas 🙄) but@for those out there who like/ have to drink 0% then this drink is for you. I never recommend anything I don’t like or I feel obliged to promote. @pentiredrinks beats the rest of the 0% in my eyes. It’s botanicals of rock samphire , sage ,pentire plant blend citrus 🍋 and Cornish sea salt make it fresh and Invigorating . Try these cocktails over the festive period and have no headaches. 1) Pentire 🍸 Pentire Adrift 50ml 3 Nocellara olives in brine 5 ml olive brine 3 black pepper corns 5 ml maple syrup Wedge of grapefruit (squeeze) Garnish: Olive 2) Pentire with light tonic and 🍊 or 🍋 or any other citrus fruit 3 replace your usual Spirit with @pentiredrinks #pentiredrinks #rocksamphire #sage #cornishseasalt #designateddriver #zeroalcohol #alcoholfree #spirits #cocktails #freshandinvigorating For a list of stockists DM me (GW )

I know it’s a rainy day and it’s almost the end of the @isherryweek #internationalsherryweek and you’re probably thinking why would I want to drink my granny’s favourite tipple. It’s just not fashionable. But to appreciate is to explore. Varietals are great to explore but try sherry - not only to make@your granny happy 😊 but to experience the #palaminograpes Notes of yellow apples 🍋 and dried 💐 with a touch of iodine and a gentle sea breeze. In the mouth the yellow apple is still evident but a slight saltiness comes to the fore ( location of the barrel storage ) with a noticible liquorice and salted almonds. Prices range from £7 -£12 for this very interesting sherry serve this at 11 degrees C and pairs well with 🍤 white meats and 🥗- and remember that smile on your grannies face when you’ve drunk all the sherry and she gets a brand new bottle as a result of your new found interest. Grape wizard score 17/20. Looses it in the sexy label. 😍@Gitana @mentzendorff_co @annawoodbridgeuk #sexysherry #manzanilla #jerez #palaminograpes #tapas #seafood #granniessmile

**********GW BREAKING NEWS ******* 6.23am GMT Non paid advert but has to be the favourite champagne house for me. Thought by being @thegrapewizard I’d bring you the news first. Any info please contact me. Champagne Billecart-Salmon releases limited edition magnums of their unique Brut Sous Bois cuvée For the first time, Champagne Billecart-Salmon presents its cuvée Brut Sous Bois in magnum. A limited edition of just 500 bottles will be available, beautifully presented in a wooden gift box. This unique cuvée, vinified in 15-year-old oak barrels, masters the art of blending and is made using the ancestral savoir-faire of the original champagnes. There is a rich nose with notes of dried fruits, fresh citrus and white flesh fruits, coupled with finely buttered seductive notes. The palate offers a burst of flavours with notes of grilled brioche and toffee and a distinguished power and maturity, which is a mark of any great Champagne. Within the gift box are two exclusive recipes to pair with the Brut Sous Bois. The first from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, one of the world’s most famous chefs and responsible for the operation and success of several three and four Michelin-star restaurants worldwide, pairs the Brut Sous Bois with roast Turbot in a fragrant coconut-lime infusion served with herbs and fennel. The second recipe is from Pierre Hermé, famous in France, Japan and the United States, and the man that Vogue called "the Picasso of Pastry". Hermé pairs this Champagne with a specially created dessert called ‘Dryade’, a complex dessert including shortbread, mascarpone and chocolate, as well as a selection of juices and gelées made from various herbs. The Brut Sous Bois, in magnums and bottles, are now presented with a new label made from cherry wood. Sourced from environmentally responsible forests, each label is unique, making Enjoy GW. Currently £180 across merchants #champagne @mrbillecart #sousbois #bubbles #champagneday #champagneworldwide @spritzmarketing @billecart_estate #champagnewithaview

Every once and a while you get to try a wine that is just sublime. I know your going to say that a light red wine, like a Pinot noir should not be drunk in the tail end of autumn 🍂 ...but if the wine industry was all regimented and predictable. what a dull place it would be. Flint vineyard is one of those fabulous producers that not only does a fabulous charmat rosé but a great clutch of whites and reds. This Pinot Noir Précoce is a close relative of Pinot Noir that ripens very early and is particularly suited to England’s climate. The grapes were hand-picked at perfect ripeness encouraging small, concentrated berries. Although the wine maker @flintvineyard has given a nod to Burgundian PN it is unmistakably 🇬🇧. Notes of violet cherry 🍒 blossom , raspberry and sour cherry 🍒 together with star anise and white pepper make this a delightful red. Even if this is the wrong time of year this is still a wine to learn from , to experience and to enjoy. On the new grapewizard scoring system this wine got an impressive 19/20. (Not many do) This guy certainly deserves it. Goes well with. Most Cheeses 🧀 and cured meats Drink till. 2023. Order early to avoid disappointment. As this has sold out in recent years. #flintvineyard #ukwine #ukpinotnoir #redfruit #redcherry #essexwine #summerwinesinautumn #picnicwines @berrybrosrudd approx £20.

Forgot to take a 📷 at @coopuk autumn 🍂 tasting. And this by far stands out as the best red in the show ( the pedigree dog 🐶 at Crufts) gave this one a 20/20 on my GWScore ( and I don’t even like spanish reds that much). If you look around - merchants seem to sell it at £23-26. @coopuk sells it at £19.75. So this has to be snapped up Wild@berries and liquorice toffee tobacco and undergrowth On the nose and palate Smooth tannings and a long finish. I couldn’t fault this. As with vertical tastings most of the tasting is done standing up. When I tried this I had to go to “the naughty chair “ and have 10 minutes out from the humans ! Such was the moment. This will just keep on ageing. Outstanding. Don’t be surprised 😮if this sells out for the year. Pair with cured cheese 🧀 and red meat 🥩 #rioja #tempranillo #spain🇪🇸 #winewithredmeat #winewithfriends #beselfishwiththiswine #naughtyboychairwine naughtygirlchairwine #blackfruit #pepperiness #finewine #cunewinery @cvnevino 🇬🇧 @coopuk @coopukpress £19.75 USA 🇺🇸 @wine_com @wineexchange @pjwine

Chateau de la Maltroye Chassagne Montrachet 2016. Now I could tell you all about the infighting about the two villages. And I could go on about prices and geeky stuff (remember at any time (as long as you ask. ) I’ll be only too happy to chat about nerdy stuff)) But .... At a tasting last week @coopuk in Central London I thought I’d give a British 🇬🇧 supermarket a chance. Having tried @boothscountry a week previous (and was seriously impressed) I was wondering if @coopuk would be as well This wine was the stand out wine on my new grape wizard rating score. This white burgundy got a fabulous 19/20. Only dropping one point on typicity top score to date. Notes of toasted hazelnuts , rich citrus 🍋 a smell of a struck match a touch of bacon fat. ( normally resigned to Côte roti) and a creamy feel on the palette Goes perfectly with foie gras , 🦞 🐟 and creamy chicken. I know £40 does not make this an every day wine but trying this last week and trying wines for a living. This is a special. Find your nearest @coopuk and buy this great wine. And tell co-op I recommended it. Hopefully they will send me a case ! 😂 Available @coopuk 🇬🇧 £40 @flatironwines 🇺🇸 $80 And available through searches on @winesearcher #chardonnayday #whitewine #france #chassagnemontrachet #nutty #finewine #80thestrand #winewithfriends #yummywine #buythisnow #winelover #wineanddinewithalobster

2018 will probably go down in UK wine history as the huge harvest that was down as a result of global warming. 17.3 million bottles produced as 2017 only produced just over 5 million @flintvineyard uses the method of putting grapes in small lots and using about 10% of the yield to be placed in oak barrels All of this allows complexity to shine. If you imagine a vibrant Sancerre full of lime wet stones or pebbles and a light spice then this smacks you in the face Not over the top characteristics but a crisp refreshing texture with a pleasant citrus 🍋 finish ( imagine drinking lemon juice and not pulling a face. It’s elegant remember) pair with - 🐖 chops 🐐 🧀 Roast 🦃 🦀 🎂 Drink till 2022 GW score 19/20 £16.49 from the producer. 🤷‍♂️ no brainer!!

Tried this fabulous white from @flintvineyard this week. Silex blanc 2018 is a blend of Pinot noir 60% and Solaris (🇬🇧). As with PN the grape always gives complexity and depth. This wine is no stranger to this. Scents of floral and stone fruit 🍑 (think of a summer’s day by an open window smelling the scents of a nearby orchard I sensed a smoother and rounder wine with good acidity. All good moves towards an elegant and restrained wine. Complexity gives way to some nutty 🥜 notes of soft vanilla and butter. ( to the geeks 🤓 out there - it was down to 50% MLF) can be cellared up to 2023 vegan and gluten (no 🐟 or 🐄 we hurt in the making of the wine. GW score 18/20 🙌🏻 £18.99 from @flintvineyard or available at @berrybrosrudd Go direct !

Having tried this today all I could taste was black cherry 🍒 truffle and a lovely chocolatey 🍫 character smooth tannins and silky smooth feel. This is a grown ups new world pinot Even has a looooooong finish. This is a fabulous Marlborough red. Superb ! Organic and biodynamic vegan 🌱 and vegetarian ✔️ £23 🇬🇧 @boothscountry 🇺🇸 @gotwinesaratoga @wine_com

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