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Dry Muscat
Muscat is usually associated with sweet wines, producing such light dessert wines as Moscato d'Asti, with low alcohol levels.However, it has mainly been used to produce fortified wines like the liqueur muscats from Australia,South Africa and Spain for example. The heavier dessert wines, such as Rivesaltes and Banyuls from France, are blended with Grenache to increase alcohol and weight. Dry Muscat wines, like this one, have a grapey, floral nose and are light and fresh on the palate, with greengages and limes. Using a fairly low acid grape like Muscat means the crispness on the palate must come from modern, cool fermentation techniques. Aromatic wines like Muscat make lovely aperitifs, but accompany Chinese or Thai dishes very well. On my recent visit to Jerez I tasted my first sherry made from the Moscatel grape, it was absolutely delicious and had a beautiful perfumed nose. Coleraine Times rating - 8/10 |
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Grenache Prestige
The Tesco wine sale, for both French and Australian wines, still continues, so this, like last week's wine, is an even better bargain than its very reasonable £4.49.The Grenache is a major grape in the south of France, in both its white and red forms. I reviewed the French Connection white version a few weeks ago. What both grapes have in common is the high alcohol (13%), and the smoothness they add to a wine. Lots of blackberry and damson fruit on the nose and a deeper purple colour than one normally expects from Grenache. If the label states Grenache, it must contain 85% of that grape, but the deeper colour may come from some Mourvedre or Carignan.On the palate more fruit including a hint of pomegranate, but also a lot of spice and vanilla from contact with oak. The acidity is balanced and it has a reasonable length.There is no vintage on this bottle and so it is probably a blend . Pasta, pizzas, even late summer barbecues are the ideal partners for this wine. Coleraine Times rating - 7/10 |
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Palo Cortado
As I mentioned last week, I have just been to Jerez and so I thought a sherry would be an appropriate choice for the column. Sherry became a rather unfashionable drink. It suffers from being confused with British sherry, of which the least said the better, but on the other hand makes the genuine article good value for money. A recent advertising campaign has tried to persuade us to drink fino ( pale, very dry) sherry, as the aperitif which will not spoil our appetite for the meal to follow. In Spain, fino would be drunk chilled with the tapas before and often with several courses of the meal.Sherry develops when the fermented wine from the Palomino grape is fortified with grape alcohol to stop fermentation at around 15% for fino, or 18% for oloroso sherry. The finos develop a yeasty covering called flor, which keeps the sherry pale.Where the flor dies, the sherry oxidises and darkens to amber, producing amontillados. Olorosos are too high in alcohol to develop flor, and deepen in colour with oxidation in the casks of the solera system. Amontillado and oloroso sherries are dry to begin with. They may be sweetened after they are aged in a solera with Pedro Ximenez (the best) or other grape juice.I chose this Palo Cortado, which is a style of sherry usually described as an accident of nature because the flor dies naturally. It is deep amber in colour and smells rich and full but is bone dry and nutty. This makes it an excellent match for tapas of the ham or cheese variety. Fino or Manzanilla is better with fish.Tesco obtain this Palo Cortado like their own brand Fino from good sherry houses . Coleraine Times rating - 8/10 |
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Danie de Wet My most recent wine trip was to Germany, whose most prestigious grape is the Riesling (pronounced Reesling ).This, I think, is the first Riesling I have tried from South Africa, and like the Dry Muscat I reviewed a couple of weeks ago it is from the new 2003 vintage.Rieslings are usually associated with cool climates, and the vines can withstand very cold winter temperatures. With strict vineyard control and modern cool fermentation, plus their natural high acidity, Rieslings are now increasingly being made in New World countries. Australian Rieslings, especially from the Clare Valley, are becoming popular. Riesling tends to be a low alcohol grape in Germany, but New World examples especially Australian wines have higher levels. This lovely fresh example has 12% with citrus and pineapple fruit on the nose with the addition of spice on its dry,crisp palate. It is made by Danie de Wet, the South African Chardonnay expert. and will accompany fish and chicken dishes. It is also a lovely aperitif, as Jancis Robinson MW would recommend. What she might predict about its development is debatable. This seems like a wine for drinking young rather than a German version, which could mature for ten or moreyears - so drink up. Coleraine Times rating - 8/10 |
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