Unbelievably we have just been to a second wedding in two weeks, having not been to one for about four years!
This week we did not need to travel, well we did need to get the bus into Central Leicester to get to the Guild Hall where the ceremony was held. It is a 14th Century building, and a lovely historic place. All beams and painted walls, with old bits of stained glass and a lovely courtyard.
After the happy couple had legally tied the knot the whole party crossed the yard into a side room (the Mayor's Pantry) for a glass of something fizzy. We had Ruggeri Quartese Prosseco. A lovely Prosseco from Valdobbiadene DOC, made I would guess in the traditional method (like Champagne) it was quite full flavoured, with much pear, green apple and pineapple flavours, with a nice undercurrent of minerality on the good length.
When a few photos had been taken, the whole party trundled a mile up the New Walk (a Georgian pedestrian way) to the Belmont, a good hotel, where the reception was to be held.
The food at the reception was good, stuffed peppers followed by roast breast of duck with an oriental sauce - think more Thai/Chinese than Indian, but not hot - and a melange of sorbets to finish. These were accompanied by a Rosé wine (Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup Rosé 2008) and a Syrah/Grenache based red (Mas d'Agalis, "Yo no puedo mas ... d'Agalis VI") which the happy couple had kindly asked me to provide. The toasts were accompanied again by the Ruggeri Prosseco.
It hadn't been difficult to choose the two wines, merely a matter of me thinking about the food and what would match it, followed by the Bride and I tasting three rosés and two reds. It is worth noting for any people planning a large event in a hotel or restaurant that often the corkage charged plus the cost of a better wine from Languedoc will easily be cheaper than the house wine. In these Credit Crunch days it is a way we can all drink better for less and still support the restaurants in our area.
The rest of my wine week has been pretty routine; I have been working my way through the last few bottles on my list that needed a revised tasting note. The highlight was probably the white Mas de Valbrune Cuvée Prælude 2007, a 100% Clairette that is dry, rich and complex with lovely floral and white stone fruit flavours, with a lovely touch of spice and good length. When I visited the domain in October I was impressed by the care they were taking to make the wine, which is clearly reflected in the glass. For all their wines, the yields are small, selection strict, and vinification carefully controlled. I suspect I have uncovered a real gem, and I now really rate it.
The other domain that surprised me a bit was Domaine de Rieussec whose wines are made from grapes grown next door to and on the same soils as Daumas Gassac. The entry level red, "Jardin Anglais" is a Syrah Cabernet blend (80/20) that is full of bright fruit and some nice spice. It is one of those wines where the New World meets the Old World, it would be easy in a blind tasting to think it was from South Australia, but then the nuance and complexity isn’t quite right. They have only been making wine at Rieussec since 2005, definitely a domain to keep an eye on!
Finally a rant. I read old copies of the Saturday Daily Telegraph, saved for me by my parents, and in a mid-May issue Jonathon Ray wrote his usual wine article. It was about rosé wines, and part of it talked about the consultation by the EU on proposals to allow winemakers to make a rosé by mixing red and white wines. This is currently against the rules as rosé must be made from red (black) grapes pressed on arrival (pressurage direct) or by bleeding partly fermented must from a red wine tank (sangiée). I personnaly have no objection in principal to the proposed changes, as long as it is explicitly stated on the label, and as long as it is only allowed to be a vin de table.
What does really wind me up is Jonathon Ray talking about the blending of red and white grapes that already goes on. He talked about pink Champagne, which he rightly said was a blend of red and white wine. He then talked about Hermitage, the great wine of the Rhone and said it was a blend of Syrah and Viognier – no it is not! It is a wine made from Syrah that may contain a small proportion of white Marsanne or Roussanne grapes, as long as all the grapes are fermented together. The situation is similar in one or two other AOC areas in the Northern Rhone, the reason they are allowed is historic, as in olden days (the 19th Century and before) peasants would plant their vineyard with a mix of grape varieties all mixed up together, and then make their wine rom any grapes that they could get their hands on!
He also talked about Chianti being a blend of white and red grapes, No, the law changed a while ago and for the vast majority of Chianti you can buy in the shops it legally must be made from a specific range of black grapes with Sangiovese dominating the blend. I can put up with Jonathon Ray’s opinions, even if I don’t agree, but it is appalling that he is so factually incorrect.
Anyway, Happy Drinking – remember moderation and quality! More soon.