The theme of this tasting is based on the places we should have visited in 2020, but were prevented in doing so by COVID. Starting with the whites, and finishing with the reds, which are all 14%. Some of the wines come from our cupboard under the stairs.
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Three Choirs Payford Bridge Gloucestershire 2019 – We had to pass through Gloucestershire on the way to Wales for a week in a lodge with a hot tub, sadly not this year. (Welsh wine is not good)
An attractive English bone dry white with vibrant aromas of nettle and lime, and a palate which is alive with fresh ripe gooseberry from the bacchus grape. Situated in the English countryside where the three counties of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire converge, Three Choirs has become one of England’s most significant producers. As well as being the second largest wine estate in the country with around 100 acres under vine, Three Choirs is also one of the oldest, having pioneered the English wine movement in the 1970s when the industry was still in its infancy. Award-winning winemaker Martin Fowke has closely studied the techniques of New World producers such as those
in New Zealand, working in cooler climate areas and has successfully tailored the winemaking processes to the prevailing English climate. The gentle undulating south-facing slopes here lie within a special microclimate, sheltered by the Malverns and the Brecon Beacons. The conditions are ideal for ripening the grapes, which are kept cool and clean by the breezes coming up the valley from the River Severn. A variety of well-suited grape varieties including pinot noir is planted and each year, red, white and rosé styles are produced along with sparkling whites.
Price £9.50 Alcohol 11.5% vol Supplier, Wine Society
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Albourne Estate Selection, Sussex 2018 – Planned a week in Sussex near Portland Bill
An intriguing and delicious blend of pinot blanc for crisp white fruits, pinot gris for weight and spice, and ortega and bacchus for aromatics, combining to give a textured dry English white brimming with crushed red apples and a savoury yeasty character.
The vineyard is farmed sustainably, using 100% green energy generated by more than 140 solar panels at the winery, and everything is hand-harvested before whole bunches reach the presses and the juice reaches the computerised temperature-controlled fermentation tanks. Cultivated yeasts specially chosen for the characteristics of the fruit set the fermentation on its way. Still wines are bottled at a local winery and the sparkling wines are bottled by a mobile bottling plant that crosses the Channel from Champagne every year. Sharing the estate is the Bedlam brewery, run as a co-operative by Nick which has been a success in its own right and now supplies thirty pubs including its own brewery tap in Ditchling.
Price £14.49 Alcohol 12% vol Supplier, Wine Society
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Terre Di Chiete Pecorino 2019. COVID put paid to our train journey to the Italian Lakes
From Casal Thaulero vineyard in the region Terre di Chieti region of Abruzzo is a white wine from the 2019 vintage. and has an alcoholic content of 13%. The Pecorino grapes are harvested by hand, then macerated in stainless steel tanks and pressed gently. Finally, they are fermented in in the tanks under controlled temperatures for a few months. The colour is bright straw yellow leading to an aroma abundant with floral, exotic fruit and balsamic hints. It is fresh, mineral and well balanced.
Ideal to accompany seafood, appetizers, fish dishes, sushi, white meats and cheeses fresh and soft. Recommended serving temperature is 10-12 ° C
Price £10.49 Alcohol 13% vol Supplier, Drinks and Co., Averys,
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Nero d’Avola, Terre Siciliane 2015. Italy – did we mention we failed to get to Italy!
Davide di Prima uses the gnarled old vines on the high hills above Lago Arancio to produce this full-bodied red. It delivers mouthfuls of intense ripe plum and black cherry alongside dark chocolate and a generous lick of sweet spice.
Davide di Prima produces small volumes of premium reds from vines planted decades ago by his grandfather, Gaspare, high up on the steep hillsides overlooking Lago Arancio. In Di Prima Nero d'Avola, Davide uses select Nero d’Avola grapes (the most important red grape in Sicily) for their rich fragrant style. Then oak-ages the wine for six months using a mix of French and East European[1] oak. The result is a sumptuous red, with intense ripe plum and black cherry flavour, dark chocolate notes, soft sweet spices and a luxuriously smooth mouthfeel. With a firm structure typical of the best Sicilian wines, it is best enjoyed with roasted meats and rich dishes.
Price £7.49 Alcohol 14% vol. Supplier-Averys in Bristol, Sunday Times Wine Club
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Chateau Bauduc Les Trois Hectares 2015 – France, had three holidays booked in 2020 and failed on all attempts.
A new release of our special cuvée Bordeaux red, this is drinking well already. A small production, flavoursome and fairly full-bodied red that was aged in French oak barrels. It can be opened and consumed with pleasure now, with or without food. The back label: ’A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon from a single vineyard, this medium to full-bodied red was aged in French oak barrels. Lovely to drink young or keep it for a few years. Best decanted but not essential.'”
This is a match for much more prestigious and expensive wines in this vintage. Les Trois Hectares 2013 red is listed at Rick Stein's - it's surprisingly good for a tricky year in Bordeaux - but this is better. Honest.
Price £14.75 Alcohol 14% vol. Supplier-direct from the chateau
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Stones and Bones 2018. – Portugal, we were planning a trip to Porto to sample the ports.
Stones & Bones is a fabulous new wave red combining native varieties with international star Syrah. Velvety, mouthfilling and long, it is a perfect example of how modern Portuguese reds offer some of the most original, tasty and best value in Europe. It has an intense, velvety, blackberry and plum with rich spice, smooth tannins and a dark berry, ripe bramble, vanilla and spice.
A frequent Gold medal winner, Stones & Bones is so-called because it’s grown in a landscape littered with ancient boulders and dinosaur fossils. In the modern Portuguese tradition, the wine is a blend of local and international grapes. Touriga Nacional, the backbone of vintage port, joins forces with Syrah, Tinta Roriz and Alicante to produce truly mammoth, rich fruit flavours. Equally impressive is the winemaker, Diogo Sepúlveda, who relaxes after work by cycling or playing football, or, more unusually, bull wrestling! Having worked in Pomerol, then in the Barossa with heirloom Shiraz vines, his credentials for making this rich, old vine Portuguese red are second to none. For maximum enjoyment, decant and serve with a rich beef casserole or shared with friends and nibbles.
Price £10.49 Alcohol 14% vol Supplier, Averys, Sunday Times, Laithwaites
[1]ex-Yugoslavia (part of Hungary before the first world war) are of very high quality. Bosnia and Croatia equally split the majority, with the rest divided between Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro
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