Decanter magazine blind tastes wine from Ribero del Duero.

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A Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux from Chateau Barreyre (Château Barreyre 33550 LANGOIRAN Phone : 05 56 67 02 03 Fax : 05 56 67 59 07).
Deep rich velvet red colour greets you in the glass. There is a oaky black cherry nose that’s warming. Woody and earthy on the palate to start with tones of cinnamon and tart black plums that jon with the soft tannins to mellow out in the middle and finish.
Cost 5.50€a bottle, making this outstanding value for money.

Winner of a gold medal at the Concours de Bordeaux Vin’s D’Aquitaine 2003

General Info:
Type of Wine : Premières Côtes de Bordeaux Rouge
Oenologist : Yves Glories
General Presentation : Area 24 ha. Matured in barrels. These wines combine the suppleness of merlot grapes with the fine structure of old cabernets. With distinctive sustained tannins, they offer excellent potential for ageing. Known as a wine-producing estate since the eighteenth century. See the barrels in the cellars and the wooden vats; manual harvesting.
Visits : Visits: individuals, groups, coaches, by arrangement. English, German and Spanish spoken.

© Richard Randall

Wine around the web:

• http://manoavino.typepad.com/
• http://winecase.wordpress.com/
• http://wwpress.blogspot.com/
• http://blog.inertiabev.com/
• http://bordoverview.blogspot.com/
• http://corkdork.typepad.com/
• http://sharonwine.blogspot.com/

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This week we review a great red that comes from a vineyard run by one of the best known wine reviewers in Australia. As well we check out a classic example of a shiraz from the Heathcote region and a riesling that comes from one of the world’s great red producers.

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Product Description

An entertaining and witty guide to ordering, buying, and collecting wine — from a trailblazing, mystique-busting, straight-talking wine expert.

Wine is Judy Beardsall’s passion. She believes that wine is a life-enhancing gift from the gods. And she believes that wine is meant to be savored, not sipped, at any meal except breakfast, whether on a special night or with hamburgers.

For twenty years in the wine business, from her first job at New York’s elegant Sherry-Lehmann wine shop — where she later became the first woman manager — to the creation of her very own wine at a vineyard in Tuscany, Judy Beardsall has followed her bliss and united her work in the wine trade with her love of wine. Now, in Sniffing the Cork, Judy Beardsall shares her passion with readers in a wise, witty, and wonderful guide to wine that will delight both connoisseurs and those daunted by wine shops and wine lists.

Sniffing the Cork is an iconoclastic wine book. It seeks to demystify and de-”mythify” much of the pretension that surrounds the world of wine and intimidates the casual drinker. Banishing the confusion of “winespeak” — describing wine with phrases like “candied fruit,” “gooseberries in autumn,” or “flinty” — Judy Beardsall urges reader to develop their own wine language, using words and phrases that describe the feeling the wine gives them.

She takes the reader on a tour of the world of wine, stopping off in the foremost wine-making countries — where she reveals which reveals which red or white wines are the best of each region and which ones are surefire winners to try at home. Judy guides the reader through the typical wine shop where they learn, confidently, what to ask for and how much to spend. And for readers who have always wanted to master the restaurant wine list, Judy Beardsall has the answers to every question: what to look for, how many bottles to order, how much to spend, how to communicate with the sommelier or waiter, who should get the wine list — and why it needn’t always be the man! And of course the explanation of why you should never, ever sniff the cork!

Judy’s expert wine suggestions appear throughout the book, along with lists of recommended wines in the ten-to-fifteen-dollar range (as well as the greater, pricier selections). There is information on glassware, care, storage, collecting wines, pairing wine with specific foods, and wines for special occasions. One chapter explores the nutritional and therapeutic benefits of red and white wines and how wine can be good for the body as well as the soul.

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Woman Drinking with Sleeping Soldier, early 1660s, oil on canvas transferred from panel, private collection.

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Southwestern France is known for value wines, but their distinctive grapes are less well-known. Join Wine Spectator managing editor Kim Marcus as he tastes a trio of wines that offer great value as well as the pure flavors of their grapes.

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A quaffable Vin de Pays (Table Wine) from Domaine Saint Benezet (Olivier BOSSE-PLATIERE, SCEA SAINT BENEZET 30800 Saint Gilles Tel/Fax: 04 66 70 05 11 ). This is a very drinkable bargain basement wine from just outside of the city of Nimes. Cost a tad over 2€ a bootle, making it a true bargain wine.

© Richard Randall

Wine around the web:

• http://achacunsabouteille.wordpress.com/
• http://hlalau.skynetblogs.be/
• http://baraou.blogspot.com/
• http://vinsurvin.20minutes-blogs.fr/
• http://condrieu.blog.lemonde.fr/

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This week we look at a New Zealand sauvignon blanc which was a recommendation from one of wine week’s loyal viewers. In the same episode we look at another of the great Coonawarra 04 cabernet sauvignons and a brilliant shiraz from the Hunter Valley.

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A very drinkable wine from Domaine Martin, Vaucluse, Cotes du Rhone (Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur). Winner of a Silver medal at the Vignerons Independent Concours 2006. Very pleasant hints of liquorice, wild berries and North African spice. A well rounded wine and a good value for money.

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Gary Vaynerchuk tries 3 Brunello wines from Italy, The Brunello Di Montalcino wines are some of the most Sought after in the world!

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The makers of Palin Syrah wine must be laughing all the way to the bank. Never has a wine been such a hot topic and getting prime time news slots. Sales may have dropped of in democrat areas of America but you can be sure that it is more than made up by massive increases in sales in republican areas.
Now all we need is someone to market a wine called Obama Braquet, which would be a lifeless pink (Rosé) wine.

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This week we check a contender for Australia’s best riesling that won’t break the bank. We also check out a big Coonawarra red blend that is back in great form after a few disappointing vintages and a very young grenache/shiraz that is extremely drinkable right now.

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A cheapo bargain wine from the Lidl supermarket chain. For a table wine retailing at only 1.69€ a bottle it is not bad. The fact that it is cheaper then a bottle of cola is just amazing. There is not much of a nose on this wine but once on the palate there is some good juices offset with a mild tannin note. There is almost a smokey Scotch (Whisky)  finish note to this wine which I found very nice, especially because the middle is rather flat with only a slight young yellow plum sneaking in.

Bottled by V.E.B., Loc. Colombara, 5 - 37011 Bardolino - 1 - Italy

About Montepulciano D’Abruzzo
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo was designated as a DOC in 1968. It covers most of Abruzzo ranging from Molise in the south, the Marche in the north and inland against the Apennines Mountains. The wines are at least 85% Montepulciano with Sangiovese permitted, but not required, at up to 15%. The Riservas need to be aged a minimum of two years before release, with at least 6 months of that in wood.
The Montepulciano grape is quite prolific. The Montepulciano grape grows easily in Abruzzo. It is plump with high amounts of juice. In an area this poor, this has been a boon to farmers wishing to take advantage of high yields. Unlike most other varietals, this grape makes nice wine even when produced in large quantities. The grape has a deep purple and ruby color to its juice. It has lower acidity (especially for an Italian varietal) and mild sweeter tannins. The resulting wines tend to be softer and more accessible than Chianti or Nebbiolo for example. Accordingly, the young wines are nice pleasurable reds that go as well with food as without it.

© Richard Randall

Wine around the Web:

• http://www.bardoc.it/
• http://www.aristide.biz/
• http://barbabietola.clubpapillon.it/
• http://blogewine.blogspot.com/
• http://l-enoteca.20minutes-blogs.fr/
• http://devinis.blogspot.com/
• http://vinoalvino.org/
• http://vino.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/
• http://www.vinopr.it/

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Finding a non-French wine here in France is rather a chore. About the only store that stocks any is Lidl and then we are talking the cheap end of cheap. Now there is nothing wrong with cheap wine, in fact some cheap wines from Corbieres/Fitou are outstanding value for money and would cost 3 or 4 times the price if they had ‘Bordeaux’ on the label.

© Richard Randall

Today I picked up six bottles of wine (2 South African, 2 Italian, 1 Spanish and 1 Chilean) from Lidl and will be trying them over the coming week and publishing the results here. My expections are very low but then I’m sure to be pleasantly surprised with at least one of the bottles. It will be novel to drink a wine other than French one or a Rioja Gran Reserva from my cellar.

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