Whilst the cats away....

With our secretary and head honcho Sue being away on a girlie weekend (Is it me or does that sound like two people being away ??) the evening was rather raucous with Geoff leading the way on the naughtiness stakes...more of this later.  (Is he saying its not raucous when I’m there ??)

The hosts requested we each brought along our favourite summer wine. This included a rather delicious Vouvray (Brut) fizz which came a close second as the favourite wine of the evening , brought back by Jacqui and Nick from their recent stay in the Loire. True to form Mark brought along another typical wine of the Loire region (Not) a fabulous Bordeaux (well he would say that wouldn’t he) , Barron Lestac.

For the non red wine drinkers amongst us the French white went down well, light and crisp. As did the Pino Grigio (Blush)The other two reds included a Shiraz from Chile and Cabernet Sauvignon (Yellow label) Wolf Blass®.

Surprise surprise, the Wolf Blass® won hands down as the best wine of the evening in the blind tasting – supplied by Terry and Karen, some of us felt that this was a bit of a cheat…with Wolf Blass® being a trusted favourite amongst most of us… it was bound to win.

Finally, Geoff took the opportunity to let his hair down and attract some alternative female attention as Sue was away. Kisses all-round as you can see from the photo below, well as they say…while the cats away.

Time to put a cork in it….before I get anyone else in trouble

Mark

(Ahh but I hear you did get in trouble with Miss W.. told off twice..apparently !!)

 

Thank you for stepping in a Blogging the evenings events and for the pictures, especially of the one of my husband ‘caught in the act’.  You could have a side line with Jacqui, your pictures catching partners ‘being naughty’ as you put it then Jacqui can go in for the kill with the divorce settlement !

…So I am sure you DO want to hear about my girlie weekend away, no, you DO..

Well I am only going to tell you about the wine, as the Three Tarts (as we became know from the first lunch… no I am not going to explain just HOW that came about ) it was decided from very early on, that what happens in Battle stays in Battle.

So you are not going to hear about the journey & the Irishman, the M25 (joking, that's joking about the M25 not the Irishman)) you are not going to hear about the less than salubrious B & B.  You are not going to hear about the walk with the cows (that’s not us before anyone thinks that) you are not going to hear about the walk in the woods & the ‘fit’ woodcutter (well the other two thought so, bit of rough & all that...but then, these girls have diaries with events like Ploughing matches & sheep selling, mine are more...Bannatynes & Sainsbury.)

You are not going to hear about the Knights & battlefield (However, we would sound intellectual, although bore you stupid) You are not going to hear about The Red Bull (nothing to do with the cows above) or the f*****g Samsung, as Annie frequently muttered. You are not going to hear about the weird Masonic style tomb, or the photos by road signs and you are not going to hear about Karens change in eating habits or the stop at McDonalds…and you are certainly not going to hear about the shopping (that, of course, we didn't do)

I can tell you about the wine... but all I can say is there was wine and there was champagne!

We had hoped for limoncello too but the Italian restaurant had run out, I ask you, what kind of Italian restaurant is that ! 

So time to stick a cork in it.

Next month at ours.

Bye S x

 Ps Battle is very nice, its Yuppie land, just been down Margate High Street..its not !

It was a strange evening at The Stones (strange!)

Our hosts were Karen & Mick who welcomed the smaller gathering of eight this month, tasting wines from Argentina, inspired I assume by our visit to the Marlowe Theatre the evening before to see Midnight Tango..brilliant.. Geoff & Micks suggestion was that Karen & I should give up the gym membership & take up dancing so we would have bodies like the dancers...what are they saying ?!?

I suppose I should jump right in here and explain the 'strange', Karen told us about Micks (latest) annoying habit which is to repeat a word from every question or sentence she said  examples " would you like a cup of tea" his reply, tea ! ... "shall we go in the garden".. he would say garden ! .. "would you like a clip round the ear"... he'd reply.. ear !... you get the drift... now the problem with Karen mentioning this to seven people who have had a few to drink is, of course,  it sounds really funny, needless to say in no time at all, it was picked up around the table for the rest of the evening, most of us chuckling away as we did it.... Karen had to smile in the end too (smile! )  So as you read the words in () read in Micks voice :)

Mick was on form (form!) quite early on Mick wanted to know if Jacqui was interested in seeing his plums (plums!), naturally a few chuckles here, he added that could take her down the garden, behind the shed (shed!) and show her (I bet he could), more chuckles here..but Jacqui wasn't interested she wanted to see his nuts (nuts!).... Mick said he couldn't oblige but Steve had some and could show her his !  This really set the tone for the rest of the evening.  I think it must be something to do with wines from Argentina & Chile, we always seem to have evenings bursting with laughter (with smutty undertones) when we drink these wines. (wines!)

Now onto the wines, I actually have four impressive set of notes this month (notes!), not bad four from eight, lets pretend they worked as teams making tasting notes, but those of you that read this regularly will know of course, that only four could be bothered (bothered!)

Some background to wines from Argentina (that you think the host would have supplied..I know they can 'google'..just), although not email, as the wine club invitation came via Neil their son !

Argentina enjoys the same ideal temperatures and climate for making wine as its neighbour Chile. But where Chileans are laid back, Argentinians tend to have a bit more passion and spark which I think rubbed off on us.

The Mendoza Province is one of Argentina's most important wine regions, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the country's entire wine production. Located in the eastern foothills of the Andes, in the shadow of Mount Aconcagua, vineyards are planted at the some of the highest altitudes in the world with the average site located 1,970–3,610 feet (600–1,100 meters) above sea level.
The first wine was the overall winner for the evening ~ rush out & buy it !

Number One   Besos de Cata Chardonnay Chenin Blanc  £4.99 Morrisons

We thought it was a great summer wine. Light & refreshing, Jacqui said a great way to start a summer evening (summer evening) Although Cliftonville struggled all day under low cloud (low cloud)and fine drizzle not a sunbeam to be seen. Back to the wine  which had honeyed fruit and floral scents. (floral scents) With zesty citrus tang and vibrant juicy apple and white peach, this is a spirit-lifting aperitif and a cheeseboard belter. (cheeseboard belter) actually I am starting to agree with Karen that this could be annoying ....

(For some strange reason when this is on the Blog the text is different sizes, if you don't see that it must be my computer)

The experts say (experts!):
 

This wines shows what under-rated Chenin Blanc can do when matched with the showpiece Chardonnay grape. The skillful Besos de Cata winemakers have developed both grapes to bring out their... huge raisiny fruit with big dashes of guava, peach and citrus zests in this surprisingly complex, but wholly delicious, wine. The floral blasts will almost knock you off your feet too. This white works terrifically well with notoriously tricky-to-match Mexican food.

Chenin Blanc A bit of info for you:

This white grape comes from the middle Loire region, where it makes all sorts of delicious wines across a wide range of sweetness, from the honeyed dry wines of Vouvray to the apple-flavoured Anjou and sparkling Saumur and Vouvray wines. It is also widely planted in South Africa and California, where it makes great dry whites.

Number Two   Artesano De Argento Pinot Grigio 2012 13%    £7.99

This wine was light lemon in colour, delicate floral aromas and tropical fruit notes. White stone fruit flavours of apricot and peach are complemented by mineral and slate elements leading into a zesty finish. Crisp and refreshing to drink. A slight harshness to it but may have just seemed that way after Number One.

What the experts thought:

Made with typical Argentina passion, Artesano de Argento is sourced from high altitude vineyards with a variety of soil profiles and microclimates. This allows them to produce elegant, vibrant wines of exceptional complexity, balance, and fruit purity.

Number Three   Tupungato Malbec 2009 13.5%  £10  M & S

Steve informed us we'd had this before & it was a winner last time. It did come out top of the reds this time.  It was very intense and dark, I want to add moody but I don't think a wine can be moody. (moody) sorry need to stop that. It was smooth & velvety, full of blackberry flavours. Nice shaped bottle too.

A real cork, had Mick fumbling for a corkscrew, who'd have thought you'd need one of those at a wine tasting evening ?!?

 

Number Four  Artesano de Argento Malbec 2012 13.5%  from Tesco 

We thought, blackberry, spice & oak with the odd hint of wellie boots.

Experts say:

Artesano de Argento Malbec has a deep violet colour and a lively nose initially showing notes of plums, (hopefully not Micks plums!) before evolving into complex aromas of black cherries and chocolate. Flavours on the palate of blackberry and blackcurrant with hints of spice are soft and elegant with a balanced acidity and medium body. The finish is long and smooth with round tannins.

 

The general opinion was they were all good and worth the money.

There was a spillage, Mick was over excited by something, probably his plums (!) knocked a glass of red that sploshed (it did splosh) out into my water glass (yes, I did have water in my glass & yes I do drink the water not just the wine, before any smartie pants says anything) anyway breaking news "Red wine floats on water",it didn't sink into the water it just floated on top !  Is that normal or was it dodgy 'oily'wine .....

So all in all we had a really good laugh Saturday evening..

Oh yes, just remembered one more thing, The Stones were raving about the about to be bumper crop of cherries in the garden, so Karen sent Mick down to pick some for us to try, (if you know Karen you'd have gone to if she sent you) the ripe red ones were very nice but some he'd picked weren't ready, you must ask yourself though, Mick can't be to blame he is red & green colour blind !

Time to stick a cork in it (cork) now stop it now !

 

Bye S x

 

 

 

English Wine Success

Estate gains major global honours:  Several major international wine awards within the space of a week. Their Brut Reserve & Blanc de Blanc gaining Gold and Silver awards. The Vintage Rosé 2009 a silver plus a string of other awards.

Well done.

Click the link to find out more about Gusbourne Estate

http://www.sparklingenglishwine.com/producers/gusboure-estate/24

 

Summer sizzler (my foot)

Summer sizzler, the only thing sizzling was the delicious chicken on the bbq !

 

Summer wine club, "bring your favourite summer wine" requested Jacqui, visions of sitting in the English landscaped grounds of Jacqui and Nicks home, with the sun still warm from the long summer day, our skin lightly tanned & tingly from being outside, glasses clinking filled with bubbly champagne, laughter in the air, ahh bliss .... ha flippin' ha ..

 

The REALITY - sitting huddled on the patio under shelter as close as we could to the chiminea, with the cold wind whipping behind us, wrapped in jumpers and fleeces, all looking pale, we have forgotten what the sun actually looks like, on the positive side, we did laugh and we did have champagne but you know how it gets warmer as it sits in the glass ours got colder ! However, being British and made of sturdy stuff we managed to remain outside for two hours before we finally gave in and went inside, as our fingers were turning blue or was it as the warm glow of drinking faded.

 

 

Inside we took our seats around the table, with plates of tasty summer salads to compliment the bbq meats and started to tuck in, to the food and the wines.

 

We started with a white from Bordeaux:

 

Château Richemont White 2010  13% Sauvignon Blanc

ABOUT THIS WINE: Château de Sours dates back to the 14th century and the first vines were planted here by the Comtes du Richemont over 300 years ago. The property, which sits on a high limestone plateau overlooking the famous towers of St. Emilion, has recently gained an enviable reputation for the quality of its delicious, modern wines.

SERVING: This fresh and characterful dry white can be served chilled either on its own or with dishes such as roast pork or steamed asparagus with Hollandaise sauce.

We thought ~ very pale, little aroma or flavour but not in an unpleasant way, it was just on the placid side. 

This was followed by PS Pétillant de Syrah 2009  11.5%

Strawberry and summer berries aplenty, this lightly sparkling Provence favourite was a true success, this did actually remind me of a summer evening in St Tropez (beam me up Scottie & drop me there)

You can tell this next part is written by a professional from Laithwaites & not a blogger (me) but I have to agree with the points made.

As critics will tell you, "the quintessential rosé comes from the south of France" (Jancis Robinson MW) and the best is from Provence, the wines of which have "a quality and flavour all of their own". Add a gentle stream of tiny bubbles and it's hard to imagine a more seductive glass of wine.We've worked with the Bréban family for nearly 20 years and this little creation has been the biggest hit of all with our customers. It's ever so easy drinking - fruit rich, off dry, light on alcohol and only gently effervescent. That means it's ideal anywhere, anytime. Serve it Winter or Summer with canapés, seafood, spicy stir fries or a mixed fruit salad, or just on it own. It's irresistible, so even if you're not thirsty, you soon will be.

 

Next up the hosts summer white Macon Villages Chardonnay 12.5%

Crisp, bright, and refreshing fruit, this unoaked Mâcon shows classic apple notes. Dry and easy to drink, this is a fruity wine with a floral scent and a hint of lemon and mineral notes, the Mâcon Villages should be drunk as young as possible, I am assuming that's the wine and not young people !

Next was my wine, obviously not my wine, I don't have vineyard and make my own wine, although that would be nice, if only I had a relative to leave me a little place as in 'A Good Year' with Russell Crowe (if you haven't seen it ..do).. sorry I have wandered from the point, easily done to think of sunshine and vineyards whilst it pours with rain outside and mid-summers day is only two days away, sorry off at a tangent again ~

My wine Spotlight Strathbogie Ranges Pinot Noir 2011 13%

A brave choice I thought on my part bringing this along, you will know from previous tastings the old Pinot doesn't fair well with us. It isn't my favourite summer wine, which is in fact a delicious pink fizz from laithwaites (we drank the last bottle I had, the other week prior to the golf club summer ball..sorry). I wrapped my bottle with a sunny yellow ribbon though, any brownie points for that ??

This is a top end Aussie Pinot Noir (so they say), it was a deep rich scarlet colour, aromas of cherry (so Linda would hate it) strawberry with a slight oaky hint, that's oaky not oki (that means something to us).  For a Pinot Noir it wasn't bad, it wasn't the best of the night either but no surprise there.  It did have a fruity flavour and not the usual 'thin' taste we have found in others. The blurb about this wine says 'amazing, luscious berry fruit' well I wouldn't go that far !

Number five was Carta Roja Gran Reserve Jumilla

Mark & Linda had high hopes for this wine they brought along, sadly it was disappointing.  Someone said it was Horrid Henry, harsh but true. Another comment was it had the aroma of a school assembly hall.

What they do say about this wine is:

This Gran Reserva is full bodied with ripe red fruit aromas and is not as dry as some other Spanish reds. On the palate there are flavours of plum and ripe red cherry, with hints of vanilla (due to being aged in oak barrels) and sweet notes.. we just didn't get this.

Last but not least Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon

What can you say you just can't go wrong with Wolf Blass, well priced and very drinkable..

Top of the reds & whites for the evening ~ It was deep crimson with purple hues. Aromas of dark fruit, hints of plum and slightly minty with a little oak. Gentle tannins and silky finish.

So the final outcome of the evening was we loved the PS sparkling rose and the Wolf Blass.

Evening was ended desserts, tea, coffee chocolates (naturally) and a piano recital (how posh does that sound)

Time to stick a cork in it.

Bye S x

 

 

 

 

Bigger & Better or cheap & cheerful

Bigger & Better, so the Americans always want to tell us, just generalising here, as one tends to... but was it ?

We were asked to bring along a bottle of wine from the USA, I thought that we'd be spoilt for choice but in fact the choice was quite limited and thank goodness nobody brought a bottle of Blossom Hill, I would of thrown myself on the floor and had a right paddy !

Although some of the wines we tried weren't far off the quality of BH.. I am sure when we first started the wine club wines from the USA were better or was it just because of palette was less sophisticated than it is now (we are experts & sophisticated, you know !) they all seemed to be tinged with sweetness, okay, if you like that cloying jammy type of wine, so 70s.  That makes me think of the Paul Masson wine in the 'odd' shape bottle that some shop somewhere still stocks.. am I getting carried away with my dislike of these wines ??

Give the Americans one thing, they had 'fun' names or you could argue 'strange' names for wines, Cupcake, Barefoot, Dancing Bull & Flipflop.. really !

Karen & Terry our hosts for the evening treated ten of us to tasty American themed food, chicken burgers and chips followed by a delicious choice of desserts including baked cheesecake and key lime pie & the low fat option meringue fruit and greek yoghurt. (Americans & low fat, I don't think so)  Yummy, more than can be said for the wine...sorry don't mean to be so negative.

So wine tasting then, we started with white, well,as I mentioned before we are sophisticated
and experienced...now chuckling to myself, is that a sign of madness ?

...If so it must be brought on by dodgy wine, ha ha laughing to myself again... sorry sorry digressing back to the task in hand)

Cupcake Vineyard - Chardonnay 2011 13.5%  from M & S £9.99

From the California region, Central Coast sub-region. Cupcake Chardonnay was crafted to emphasize the Central Coast's creamy and structured Chardonnay character.

The write up:  It starts off with a touch of apple, a hint of tropical fruits and is complimented by a balance of vanilla and spice. A creamy nose of tropical fruits, especially pineapple, toasted oak, cinnamon and spice are on display early and often in this classic California buttery fruit-forward Chard. Finishes dry and mouth-watering, with a hint of tangerine and lemon.

We thought: Pale, creamy, velvety & floral this came in at second place with 33 points.

Then onto the reds, just once again proving we are experienced in these things..

Echo Falls - Merlot 12.5% 2011 £4.99

Soft and round with hints of ripe plums, black cherries and blueberries.

Juicy and ripe with soft tannins.

We thought: Generally lacking in anything came in with 32 points

 



 

Barefoot - Merlot 13% 2010 on offer £5 (£7)

It's simple and very fruity (the back label says boysenberry, but it's probably closer to a blackberry). But it's also balanced and professionally made (so ‘they’ say) There are no off flavours or obvious flaws. Interestingly, it's both food-friendly and fruity enough to drink on its own, and wouldn't suffer in the least if it was served chilled or with an ice cube or two. Drink it with everything from hamburgers to takeout pizza.

We thought: Cream soda & vanilla flavours, aromas of blackberries & sweet cherries came in joint first with 35 points

 



Dancing Bull - Zinfandel 14% 2010 £10





 

 

No shortage of flavour here. Blackberry, black cherry and raspberry mix with spicy notes of pepper and vanilla. Originally introduced under the Rancho Zabaco label, this Zinfandel remains a firm USA favorite for its bold, award-winning style. Pair this smooth, spicy wine with braised pork ribs and burgers, or try it with pasta in a rich tomato sauce.

 

We thought: Dark berries & burnt wood. More tannin than the other wines.  This was the joint winner with Barefoot, 35 points.

 

Lastly Flipflop, was not even worth the effort but just to keep things fair and square...

 

Flipflop - Cabernet Sauvignon 12% £5.49

 

Plenty of blackberry fruit on the nose and palate, and the finish is mild with smooth, mild tannins and mild acidity.

 

There is absolutely nothing off-putting about Flipflops cabernet sauvignon . Then again, there isn’t anything here to distinguish the wine. You could say theres not a lot happening in the Flipflop cellars, this wine is so ordinary. Just imagine if all wines were like this..

 

The label was its high point. Scored a shabby 27 points.

 

 

Perhaps I have been a little unkind the our American wines, they would work as party wines, taste okay, they wouldn't make you choke on the first sip as some wines served at parties do, they are not so bad that your friends would go off in search of the good stuff they just know you have tucked away for the evening.. I mean who would do a thing like that...thats tuck them away not search them out !

 

 

A good evening had by all.

 

Time to stick a cork in it.

 

Bye S x

"Hola"

A Spanish theme this month, possibly inspired by recent holidays by hosts Mark & Linda to Spain. 

The word from the wine experts (not us) is that the Spanish wine scene  is "among the most vibrant, dynamic and creative in the world", so the ten of us we were in for a treat.

Mark had spent a week in the Basque region of Spain so we were treated to delicious Spanish food:

Starting with Pintxo ~ (Not tapas but Pintxo, the Basque people are very particular about this )

'Pintxo' is a 'Basque-ified' take on the Spanish word 'pincho', which itself comes from the verb 'pinchar', which is 'to pierce'. Pinchos are traditionally pierced with a cocktail stick, to attach it to the piece of bread that they invariably came attached to.

 

 

We started with two white wines, both quite light, ideal for summer drinking. I asked where this wine come from, some smartie pants replied Spain (!) what I was actually hoping for was where it was bought .... (Asda eventually came through the laughter).

The first grape was Macabeo, we knew nothing of this grape.. so a little detail for you:

Macabeo
(mack-ah-BAY-oh)

Synonyms: Maccebéo, Macabeu, Maccabeu, Viura

Wine Name: Macabeo, Viura, White Rioja

Background: This grape is widely grown in the Rioja region of Spain as well as the Cava producing areas south of Barcelona. It is a non aromatic, relatively neutral grape often used for blending but also used on its own in many Spanish white wines. It is low acid and goes with many savoury dishes.
 

The second was bought from Majestic, again light and perfect for summer.  Liked the label too..

Deusa Nai means 'mother goddess' & is the name given to a goddess representing the fertility of the earth in Galician folklore.  The Albarino grape is equally ingrained in the local culture, accounting for 90% of wine production in Galicia's Rias Baixas appellation.

Taste & aroma: Intensely floral bouquet, with citrus & stone fruit aromas. Flavours of apricot & lime.

The bottle recommends to have with octopus... so next time if you could rustle that up Mark, that would be good !

We were then treated to a tasty Spanish chicken dish with an abundance of rice..

 

 

 

Then onto the red wines, three Riojas

 

 

Rioja – this is Spain’s most famous red wine, made in the La Rioja region in the northeast part of the country, only about 200 mile south of France’s famous Bordeaux vineyards. Rioja wine is made from a blend of grape varieties, and they can also be white or rosé depending on how the wine is produced. Grapes used in Rioja wine include Tempranillo, Garnacha (Grenache), Tinta and Mazuelo.

 Our wine was number three, very drinkable:

Palacio del Conde Gran Reserva 2005 (Laithwaites £7.99)

Valencia DO

Smooth, complex, elegant Gran Reserva from Valencia, brimming with spicy strawberry and creamy oak.  Winemaker Maria Angeles Camara combines Monastrell with Tempranillo for dark, juicy fruit flavour. Extensive barrel ageing provides a soft edge of vanilla. This fragrant, medium bodied red is in its element with duck or lamb, strong cheese, or tapas such as jamón Serrano.

Sadly I don't have any info about the other two, apart from the fact that one came from Marks & Spencer, which is a shame as they were both very good.

The overall opinion was that we know virtually nothing about Spanish wine, that we rarely think about buying it at the supermarket or wherever we are, we don't think about ordering when we are out for a meal....maybe we should as they appear to be very drinkable and good value for money.

Maybe another Spanish wine evening for us ???

Time to stick a cork in it "Adios"