ITALIAN WINE FESTIVAL

This month we are running our 2nd Great Italian wine festival. With over thirty wines on promotion from all over Italy there is sure to be something for everybody. The Italians have always enjoyed great success in their wine making and they offer many of the usual grape varieties but also a vast array of different and indigenous grape varieties. These fantastic grapes coupled with Italy the Mediterranean climate combine to make Italy one of the world’s top producers of wine.

AND TO CELEBRATE THE DIVERSITY AND OF ITALIAN WINE WE ARE OFFERING WINES ON PROMOTION FROM ALL OVER ITALY AT FROM- 2 FOR €20, 2 FOR €25, 2 FOR €30, AND 2 FOR €35!!

AND IF YOU CAN’T FIND SOMETHING IN THERE WE ARE OFFERING 20% OFF SELECT FINE WINES!

South Africa The Melting Pot Of the Wine World

South Africa produces some of the greatest wines in the World today but also many misunderstood wine. This beautiful but troubled nation has been producing wines since the Dutch founded the Cape Colony 350 years ago this year, take that Mr. Guinness your only a teenager. But it wasn't until the arrival of French Huguenots in the 1680s that the local wine industry began to flourish, the dutch having interest in other pursuits even back then! The climate is central to South Africas wine industry as it is in every other wine producing nation. The climate coupled with the wine making traditions brought with the huguenots has ensured that South Africa's wine style has developed into one which seamlessly blends thre restrained elegance elegance of the Old World with the accessable, fruit driven styles that the New Wolrd has to offer. Over the next few weeks we'll take a breif look at the various wine producing regions in South Africa and some of their top wines.

Shiraz Vs Syrah

Alright first thinks first... lets get the elephant out of the room. YES! they are the same grape. And I know what you're thinking... "but they're grown virtually worlds apart.... how can they be the same?". Well while we're on the topic of elephants Syrah and Shiraz are like Indian and African elephants- everyone knows there's supposed to be a difference, but only people who know their stuff can really tell the difference. Well their is a lot of similarities between the two, but I'm going to try and not bore you with those details. Instead I'll try and bore you with some slight differences!!!

Well the first difference- a little obvious but a good place to start nonetheless- is the name. In its country of origin France the grape is generally referred to as Syrah, along with Argentina, Chile, and the United States. However, the Australians opted to call it Shiraz. The name Shiraz is potentially the result of the English language on french- similar to the name of whiskey is the result of the Irish Fuisce Beatha. Bordeaux wines were always popular in England, but in the 18th and 19th century the wines from Bordeaux were lacking in something and needed that little bit of extra bite. Hence the inclusion of Syrah coming into England... so the name most have been interpreted (by some British Gentleman) to have a silent z at the end of it, and now we have Syrah and Shiraz.

The best parallel i have heard when describing the difference between them both is that Shiraz is more emotive, while Syrah is more refined! If Syrah is the smile then Shiraz is the giggle. not encumbered by years of tradition- and to a certain degree stagnation- the Australians took the Syrah and gave it a whole new personality. It flourished in its new home in Australia, and took over regions like Barossa Valley- which produces some of the most powerful full bodied reds in the world. Having said all this though they are now worlds apart, and maybe not in taste but in feel, and the sense you get from them as you drink them- Australian Shiraz for the party or BBQ, and French Syrah for the Dinner party's. To most people they'll always be just two elephants, but part of the fun with wine is finding the subtle differences between wines, and being able to know the difference for yourself!

A Kiwi Syrah Viognier

On Monday I posted a blog on Australia's new found love for Shiraz Viognier, never ones to be out done by their neighbours the Kiwis have also caught the Shiraz Viognier. The Kiwis being slightly more traditionalists insist on calling Shiraz Syrah allot of the time. Bilancia is a fantastic producer from Hawkes Bay on the Northern Island in New Zealand, they specialise in Syrah, Viognier and Pinot Gris, and of course Syrah-Viognier Blends.

Bilancia Syrah-Viognier 2004

The 2004 vintage of Bilancia Syrah is a blend of approximately 98% Syrah some of it from their top vineyard La Collina (Italian for Hill) and 2% Viognier this is all sourced from La Collina.

All the components were hand harvested and crushed to open top fermenters for hand plunging during fermentation. The Viognier component, from the La Collina vineyard, was harvested and co-fermented with a portion of the La Collina Syrah. The pressed wine was run to French oak, 40% new, for malolactic fermentation and the wine was aged in these barrels for 16 months.

The aroma is of ripe red fruits with characteristic black pepper whilst the palate shows floral, plum and raspberry characters with well integrated oak. The wine has great mouth feel and balance. It is extremely approachable now but will certainly benefit from further aging.

Go on Give It A Go Part 7: Shiraz Viognier

Shiraz Viognier is an increasingly popular wine in among Australian winemakers at the minute. Over the last few years the Australians have been blending their world class Shiraz with Viognier, a white wine variety which has emerged from obscurity in the Northern Rhone region of France (See previous post on Viognier). This blend has been made in Rhone for years but it is only now due to the New World winemakers tendency to name the blend on the bottle that people have become aware of it.

Blended Wines

Most wine lovers know that wines can be made from just one variety (varietal) or they can be made from two more varieties (blended wines). The wine variety making up the majority of the blend is named first in this case the wine tends to be 95% plus shiraz, anymore than 5% viognier and the wine may develop a sickly floral note for a red.

Usually blended wines are made by blending two or more batches of wine, each made from a single variety. The winemaker strives to balance the weakness of one variety with the strength of the other to achieve a more rounded result. Shiraz Viognier is named as if it is a blend, but in fact it is produced by a slightly different method.

Co-fermentation

By contrast, Shiraz Viognier is produced by the method of co-fermentation. Here the red Shiraz grapes are mixed with the white Viognier grapes before the wine is made. The addition of white grapes at this stage is thought to preserve the brightness of the red pigments during fermentation, as well as altering the development of some of the flavour compounds.

The fermentation process of making wine involves a large number of concurrent chemical reactions which change the nature of the phenolics in the wine. Phenolics are a group of chemical compounds found mainly in the skin of the grapes and they are the main contributors to the colour, taste, firmness and odour of the wine.

O'Leary Walker Shiraz Viognier 2004

A very limited parcel of wine made from 100% Clare Valley fruit. The viognier gives this wine a floral perfume which is joined by spice from the shiraz the aromas are all consuming. The palate is silky rich with a long alluring velvety finish.

Yalumba Barrossa Shiraz Viognier 2005

The nose explodes with aromas of cloves, cedar, plums and raspberries. On the palate it has huge rich blackfruit flavours with spices and anise and clove notes.

Whats In A Points Score??

A recent study published in the journal Appetite set about analysing how we react to being told how the critics rate the wines we are about to drink. They divided the test group of 163 into 3 and gave them all a taste of the 2006 Clos de los Siete wine which was scored 92 points in Robert Parkers Wine Advocate. They told one set of subjects the correct points score, another set that the wine scored a lowly 72 and did not inform the third set either way. The reuslts then showed that those who were told the correct score rated the wine highly while those who were informed of the incorrect score felt the wine was poor quality. Now all this study proves is that we are lead by what we read and hear about wines, we could have told them that with out the need for 163 to be tested. Many of us are influenced greatly by the label on a bottle, despite being constantly reminded not judge a book by its cover, of course what we read and hear about a particular bottle of wine will affect our judgement, how many people would by a bottle with the label reading PLONCK?.

However how else are we to decide on if we like a wine if we are to ignore the recommendations of critics and friends and anyone else who advises us on what wine to try?

Portuguese wines

Portugal has a long tradition in wine making; in fact the history producing wine in this country comes from much earlier than the foundation of its Nationality. Portuguese wine comes from vineyards that are planted from the northern to the southern Portuguese regions. Although Portugal is a small country has a great variety of soils and climate as well as Portuguese wine varietals allowing a great diversity of Portuguese wines. In addition, there are several methods of wine making which have obvious reflex in the wine produced. Famous Portuguese wines include Port and Madeira, but lately it is their regular table wine that has been drawing attention.

Two of the most important wine producing areas in Portugal are Duoro in the north, the majority of grapes for port are grown in this area and in the south the large expansive region of Alentejo. Both regions produce fabulous wine for drinking and the following two staff favourites among the selection we have in the shop.

Quinta Dos Aciprestes Reserva, Duoro

This wine has an intensely aromatic nose with notes of sweet herb, inviting smooth milk chocolate and floral tropical fruit. The palate is rounded supple and vibrant, reminiscent of a Rioja Crianza. The tannins are silky smooth and the wine has a long lasting finish of luscious ripe red fruit flavours.

Pequeno Pintor, Alentejo

This is a fabulous to have by the glass, drinking beautifully by itself. It has a deep garnet colour and fine aromas, with a touch of dried coffee grounds. It is persistent and complex with ripe red berry flavours. The flavours are solid and reveal a touch of youth and fruitiness.

Give it a go part 5- Viognier!

So before we go any further about this grape which people know very little about (at the risk of sounding like my primary teacher... no offence to any teachers reading this blog...) we first of all need to work on the pronunciation... its not vogue-nay, its not vog-neer its Vee-on-yay! Second of all this grape has not always been every ones cup of tea! Back in 1965 only 8 hectares of the grape existed in its Northern Rhone homeland of Condrieu so i suppose people can be forgiven for not knowing the pronunciation. Since then the grape has gradually made its way back into the hearts of wine lovers all over the world, but yet we still don't get enough people into the store asking for it as we should. As a general rule of thumb its a great grape- especially if you're fond of red wine and want to make the transition over to white wine! But the thing about it is, people will always be surprised by it!!!

Viognier is extremely difficult to grow, so its no surprise (that's once...) that it isn't a household name like the chardonnays or the sauvignon blancs. But nevertheless it's generally the really difficult grapes- such as pinot noir, or malbec- that hold the greatest surprises (twice). And surprises (again with the word surprise...) is all this wine holds! Its colour is clear and golden, and the aromas are very floral. Yet while all these indicators point at a very sweet wine, what they actually offer is a surprising (surely a thesaurus would come in handy...) dryness both on the tongue and afterwards. Viognier is best know for its Apricot, Peach, and Spice flavours! which generally makes the almost perfect accompaniment to thai or chinesse dishes! (and i say almost perfect because i don't believe there is a perfect wine accompaniment to chinese or thai dishes!) (but this one certainly is close....).

One Viognier we sell in store is the Australian Yalumba Y-Series Viognier. This wine oozes flavours of ripe apricots, lychee, honey, and peach. It has a Surprising (i know what you're thinking now... "that's just unnecessary!") slight creamy texture with a punchy and powerful long finish. If at this stage your looking for something different then i think viognier will certainly give that to you! As i said at the start of this amazing blog of mine, it makes for the perfect transitory wine for people looking to move from red to white- but this principal also works the other way! All I'll leave ye with now is this! Give it a go! Ye'll be surprised!!!!

Portuguese wines!!!

Maybe its to do with all the talk about this Lisbon treaty recently, but we have decided to do some special offers on some excellent Portuguese Wines. In fact it has nothing to do with the treaty at all, its to do with the fact that Portuguese wines are among the most under-rated wines in our store- and this is an injustice which has to be corrected!!! The simple fact is that Portuguese wines are among some of the best wines we have in store and its a secret we're willing to let everyone in on!

Occupying a narrow strip on the Iberian Peninsula, the dominant factor in grape growing in Portugal is the Atlantic ocean. Along the coast, where it is wet and cool, wines produced here are hard to ripen and are therefore high in acidity- wines like vinho verde are made here. However, in the northeastern quarter of the country the climate is much warmer and sunnier, with less rainfall. This is where Portugal grows its best Reds!

Not only does Portugal have the right conditions for growing Grapes, it also has a whole host of indigenous grapes. One of the most important grapes is the Touriga Nacional, not only the mainstay of Port, but also responsible for some of the best reds from the Dao or Douro region in Northeastern Portugal. Touriga Francesca has then been described as playing Cabernet Franc to Portugal's Cabernet Sauvignon- the Touriga Nacional. It has become increasingly more popular in the Northeastern region of Portugal, and while not quite as full as the Touriga Nacional but still posses a lot of the same elements coupled with a floral complement. Kind of like Robin to Batman. Portugal's other predominant Grape variety is Tinta Roriz also known Tempranillo to the Spanish.

Alvarino is one of Portugal's primary white Grapes, its used in Vinho Verde wine- which if you remember correctly is grown on the coast...- but this Grape has a particular thick skin, which serves to protect it against the unfriendly conditions here. Louriero is another white known grown in Vinho Verde country. It Produces its best quality around Braga, and is usually quite low in alcohol.

Anyways I'm sure we will be sending out and e-mail soon detailing exactly what we will have on offer in store until then, there is absolutely no harm in telling ye a little bit about Portuguese regions and grape varieties. Should ye want to know more then feel free to pop into us at any stage!

7th Birthday Celebrations

20% Off EVERYTHING

THIS WEEKEND

Starts NOW Sept 4^th

Ends Tomorrow 7pm

Olive Oil- not just an anagram for "I Love Oil"

Homer called it "Liquid Gold". In the Mediterranean it served as much more than a food- it was medicinal, magical, and also a source of endless wealth for anyone who could harvest it. Huge vases, known as amphorae, containing 38 litres of olive oil were even given to victors of the panathenaic games in ancient Greece. Today, olive oil is still considered important- even if its magical appeal has been lost somewhat- it still possesses all those elements which made it so appealing.

Of course one of the major appeals of olive oil is its health benefits. The beneficial health effects of olive oil are due to both its high concentration of monsaturated fatty acids and also its high concentration of antioxidative substances. Both of which help control cholesterol. So next time you're layering on the butter onto your toast just remember that it's not only better for you- but also tastes better too. Of course now the question remains with all these benefits and such a long history- which olive oil is the right one for your needs?

Well generally I'm sure most people are familiar with the terms extra-virgin and virgin. When it comes to olive oil this term refers to the natural acidity found in the olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil allows for a maximum of only 1% acidity in each bottle. While virgin allows for anything up to 3% acidity. A third term you may see regularly on bottles of olive oil is "cold pressed", this term is largely unregulated and has become somewhat obsolete in recent years. Its origins can be traced back to, shall we say, slightly more dishonest olive oil makers who would heat up the olive after the first pressing in order to squeeze more oil out of them. This of course made for extremely disappointing olive oil's. So the term "cold pressed" was introduced in the hope of stopping this.

In store we have several different Olive Oils from some of the best producers in the world. From Italy we have two different olive oils from the Calvi family. The first is olio extravergine di oliva classico. This oil has a warm gold colour, great balance, and a mild taste that goes great with Smoked Salmon. The second from the calvi family is "Pinzinmolio". This oil is ideal for seasoning all fresh vegetables, and goes great as crudites. From Spain we then have a high quality extra virgin olive oil from the betis producer. This excellent olive oil goes well with salads, fish, and pasta.While traditionally the best olive oils come from the Mediterranean, their is certainly one exception to this rule. Mahana Olive Oil from New Zealand. This Olive Oil offers citrus mixes with walnut and Brazil nut, yet still posses a silky smooth texture. It is the perfect accompaniment to pasta dishes, salad, and fish.

Finally, for those of you who are felling slightly adventures, I'll leave you with a recipe from Jamie Oliver. Its simple really all you need is some vanilla ice cream, olive oil, and sea salt. Place the ice cream in a bowl, pour the olive oil over it, and add the sea salt. For anyone who is brave enough to try this then I'd love to hear what you thought of it!

Italy's Classification System Explained

I posted awhile back on DOCs in Argentina and since then we've had a good response in the shop about it. So this time its the turn of Italy. Italy's classification system is a modern one that reflects current realities of wine production in modern Italy. It has four classes of wine, these are divided based on where the wine is produced and what grapes are included in the blend. An example would be a wine produced in the Chianti region in Tuscany using only the Sangiovese grape would be recognised as DOCG Chianti, however it the same wine contained a small amount of Merlot it would have to be reclassified as IGT Tuscany, as Merlot is not permitted in the Chianti DOCG. Being of a specific DOCG does not imply that a wine is of greater quality than that of an IGT merely that it comes from a specific growing area and uses the grapes traditionally grown in that region.

The four classes are:

Vino da Tavola (VDT) - Denotes wine from Italy. NOTE: this is not always synonymous with other countries' legal definitions of 'table wine'. The appellation indicates either an inferior quaffing wine, or one that does not follow current wine law. Some quality wines do carry this appellation but most are found in the following class.

Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) - Denotes wine from a more specific region within Italy. This appellation was created for the "new" wines of Italy, those that had broken the strict, old wine laws but were wines of greater quality than ordinary table wine. Before the IGT was created, quality "Super Tuscan" wines such as Il Poggione's 'San Leopoldo' and very famous, Sassicaia wines were labeled Vino da Tavola. Presently, there are 120 IGT zones.

Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC)

Many of the well known Italian wines fall into this category,include Valpolicella and Saove, at present there are 311 DOCs. These DOC wines require the wine to be produced in the a specific region or area and to only use certain grapes in the production of wine. The amount of grape varieties and the percentage that can be used changes greatly from DOC to DOC.

Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG)

The highest category that an Italian wine can attain it is reserved for a small amount of traditionally recognised wine regions including Brunello di Montalcino, Barolo and Chianti. There are only 32 DOCG in all of Italy and some of Italy's most famous wines don't make the cut Amarone della Valpolicella is only a DOC, like Valpolicella.

Give it a go! Part 4: Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc is one of the major red grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire’s Chinon. In addition to being used in blends and produced as a varietal in the New World. Cabernet Franc tends to be more lightly pigmented and produces wines with the same level of intensity and richness. Cabernet Franc tends to have a more pronounced perfume with notes of raspberries, black currants, violets and graphite. It is often characterized by a green, vegetal strike that can range from leaves to green bell peppers. It has slightly less tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon and tends to produce a wine with a smoother mouthfeel. New World examples of Cabernet Franc tend to emphasis the fruit more and may delay harvesting the grapes to try and minimize the green leafy notes. As Cabernet Franc is lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon, making a bright pale red wine and it contributes finesse and a peppery perfume to blends with more robust grapes. Depending on growing region and style of wine, additional aromas can include tobacco, raspberry, and cassis, sometimes even violets.

Loma Larga Cabernet Franc 2006

Only 570 cases of this wine were produced, this is a fantastic wine. It is a deep inky colour with red purple hues around the edges. The nose is vibrant cassis and red berry flavours with toucjes of liquorice. On the palate it is medium to full-bodied with deep full cassis flavours,spicy wood and chocolate notes. It has well intergrated tannins and a long lasting and lingering finish.