Amy & Ross have been trying to convince me of the merits of Portuguese Wine and proffered this – sourced from their local wine shop.
Sweet black fruit with a dry silky finish. Nice tannin / structure, well made.
http://www.winemagnum.com/produtos/reg-alentejano-maria-mora-reserva-red-2014_en_57
Another refined number from Alentejano in the South of Portugal.
Very similar to the Maria de Mora, this has a drier finish and slightly more austere fruit. Needs food.
http://www.winemagnum.com/produtos/reg-alentejano-morgadio-de-mora-reserva-2013_en_219
This was a Christmas Corporate Gift selected by Alan Crowley.
His tasting notes:
A Ripasso wine is made using normally harvested grapes. When the wine has finished fermenting, the skins of the dried grapes used to make Amarone are added to the wine and it undergoes another fermentation. This method of “refermenting” the wine gives rise to the Italian term of Ripasso, meaning “repassed over”. The wine then undergoes 12 months maturation in large old oak casks. This results in a delicious balance of the juiciness of fully ripened red grapes but with a depth of complexity and fullness. Bearing in mind the festive season, the classic Christmas dinner which is full of meaty flavours of roast turkey along with the tangy bitterness of sprouts, the sweetness of cranberry sauce and rich gravy is well partnered by the big full juicy spicy style of the Tommasi Ripasso. With the warmth, depth and complexity of fruit, spice, liquorice and rich plum flavours another way to enjoy this wine might be in quiet contemplation at the end of the day, perhaps relaxing in front of the fire.
John, David and I had a first visit for food to Fern & Co post-Golf (congratulations Dave!). The layout is the same as the previous Wild Boar entity with the Decor ‘Mahoganied’ up in the Bar and Restaurant. Fern have recently changed the menu and made the pricing more accessible. Not a bad meal.
Les Mouginels, Picpoul de Pinet, Languedoc 2015
The white: very light, floral
– acceptable but lacking any depth though washed down my tasty Asparagus and Broad Beans, followed by the Sea Bass.
Torre del Falasco Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso, Cantina Valpantena, 2014
Cherries & Chocolate with a spicy sweet finish. A competent yet expensive Ripasso @ €38 from Cantina Valpantena in the Veneto.
For the money, an outstanding value claret that sends some of the famed / named houses to Coventry.
Pantone 209 with good legs in the glass, warm nose, wonderful dry mouthfeel, silky firm tannins, lovely aftertaste. Always a pleasure to imbibe a Chaignes creation.
Dad brought this for his 80th Birthday Lunch and we got to try it later. “Old Steps” from the Island of the Nuraghi (the tower symbol of Sardinia) a solid dry Red from Sardinia.
“Old Vines Cultivated & Harvested with Passion” – Bottled in Bardolino?
A spot of lunch with Robbie in Marios.
img 0550
img 0551
img 0552
Red table wine from Spain a Grenache / Syrah blend.
Appellation of Origin Almansa (http://denominacion-origen-almansa.com/)
img 0553
Another from the wineonline.ie pot luck case, an average Chardonnay from a conglomerate’s tie-up with Chateau Blomac. Creamy edges, pineapple tint.
“How I love ….” Chateau Blomac is a fair pelt from Azille, I wonder where the grapes come from?
http://www.paul-sapin.com/fr/nos-vins/la-signature/blomac
img 0405
Dad brought this tasty blend to his Father’s Day lunch. Soft fruit, slightly spicy, very mellow finish.
Moorish.
Barbanera Winery: barbaneravini.it
McConkey Wine 