Ann and Noel's Wine Review

Ann and Noel’s Wine Review

Zenato Lugana 2010 RRP 14.95
A white wine from the north east of italy, origina controllata "San Benedetto"
bottled by Zenato in the same area. A terrific wine, one we always go back to.
Smell the apricot aromas! A medium dry, fruity wine that is smooth on the palate, with no sharp aftertaste. Excellent as an aperitif or with cheese and crackers. Recommended as a worthy accompaniment to tasty chicken or fish dishes. Very easy to drink on it’s own when you want to relax. Best to buy 2 bottles, as one is never enough!

(We asked our customers to come on board our WineBlog to review some of their favourite wines. This is the first instalment. Many Thanks to Ann and Noel!)

Cheese and Wine Tasting

Thanks to everyone who attended our Cheese & Wine Tasting last Friday.
We'd a great turnout and there was hardly any cheese or wine left over
for myself and Harry to snaffle!(I took that as a good sign that the various
combinations had gone down well!)

Our line-up was as follows:

“Honoré de Berticot” Cotes de Duras Sauvignon Blanc 2010
and Sainte Maure Goats Cheese (French)

Nespolino Trebbiano/Chardonnay 2010 and Manchego Sheeps Cheese.(Spanish)

Parrell Montsant 2006 and Comté cheese (French)

Delicato Old Vine Zinfandel 2008 and Cashel Blue Cheese. (Irish)


A “mystery cheese” turned up aswell. It arrived fresh off the plane from Galicia.
Many Thanks to Paula and Viv for bringing this little beauty along!
We found out that its called “San Simon” It looked amazing and tasted wonderful!

Here are some more details..

San Simon is a popular smoked Spanish cheese. It is made from cow's milk in the region of Galicia in the northwest of the country. The curd is transferred into pear-shaped molds, after a day, the forms are immersed in hot whey. After two weeks, the cheeses are smoked. The gourmet San Simon cheese has a delicious, creamy buttery texture. The cheese has a thin chestnut-orange rind, a soft inside and is mild but full of flavor. This versatile cheese is great on its own, and sublime when paired with fresh fruit or served as a dessert cheese.

Italy..by the Liffey!

Here are some more details about the exciting "Italy Unwrapped" wine tasting event,which will take place at the rather lovely venue No. 10 Ormond Quay on Thursday 8th September.

You can check out the venue on their website here:
http://www.no10dublin.com/

“Italy Unwrapped” Event”
Thursday 8th September (7.30 – 10pm)
Venue : No. 10 Ormond Quay, Dublin 1
Ticket Price 20euro / Tickets now available to buy in the shop.
(Limited number of places available so please register your interest as early as possible)

We hope you can join us and one of our favourite Italian Wine Importers for a celebration of Italian Wines, their diverse regions and the fabulous breath of grape varieties and wines styles that are such a feature of the country.
The Showcase will include 7 different wineries covering 8 regions from the Veneto in the North to Sicily in the South. The wines and wineries on show have won a host of awards from the likes of from Decanter World Wine Awards, Mondus Vini, Vinitaly and include many 2 and 3 glasses Gambero Rosso wines. Some of the wineries include Masciarelli, Valori, Montalto and Poderi dal Nespoli. There will also be nibbles and antipasti to sample along with the wines!

An opportunity to taste thirty fantastic Italian wines and meet some of the “faces behind the label” this is a once-off wine event not to be missed!

If you're interested in attending just give me a call at 01 2944067 or send me an email: john@nectarwines.com

Muscat + Valrhona “Tanariva” 33% Milk Chocolate

“Domaine de Fontavin” Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2005 (Sweet White)
Valrhona “Tanariva” 33% Milk Chocolate

I found this “milk chocolate” to be quite fascinating in that there’s a distinct caramel flavour going on. This is apparently down to the character of the cocoa bean varieties and plantations in Madagascar that Valrhona select in making this chocolate. Just as with coffee beans, different cocoa beans produce various flavours and aromas in the final chocolate. The sweet and “grapey” Muscat worked well in creating a luscious, honeyed and creamy sensation together with the chocolate.

Overall..a “choctastic” wine tasting!

Ribera del Duero + Valrhona “Guanaja” 70% Dark Chocolate

“Hoya de Los Lobos” Ribera del Duero Crianza 2005(Oak-Aged Red)
Valrhona “Guanaja” 70% Dark Chocolate

We paired up the dark, oaky Ribera red with the darkest of the dark chocolate options, the 70% Guanaja (named after the Caribbean island where Christopher Columbus landed in 1502)
The chocolate and wine both possess a smoky, spicy allure and this match worked very well also. I was picking up a coffee/mocha impression from this pairing, which was very nice indeed!
I’m told “Los Lobos” means “the wolves” in Spanish..I thought they were an 80’s band famous for the worldwide smash La Bamba..Oh well you live and learn.

Cotes du Rhone + Valrhona “Manjari” 64% Dark Chocolate

“Chateau Marjolet” Cotes du Rhone 2009 (Fruity Red)
Valrhona “Manjari” 64% Dark Chocolate

Cotes du Rhone is generally considered to be in the “fruity” spectrum of wine styles so we paired up the Chateau Marjolet 2009 (a great vintage by the way!) with the Manjari 64%. Something about the fruity, fresh and tangy character of the Manjari worked really well with this wine. My favourite combo, this was definitely one of our more successful matches!

Bastille Day

…Bastille Day…the 14th of July..

I for one (and one for all..) did my best to get into the spirit of Liberté, Egalité et Fraternité, and to toast the idea of general revolution I enjoyed a lovely bottle of French white wine.

“Les Fumées Blanches” Sauvignon Blanc 2009 RRP 11.95

“Les Fumées Blanches” takes its name from the light morning mists, which drift like white smoke over the foothill vineyards. In these relatively cool microclimates, Sauvignon Blanc develops the smoky, slightly pungent aromas, which are part of the unique personality of this grape.

Or if you fancy practicing your French..

“Les Fumées Blanches” tire son nom des brumes matinales qui s’étendent sur les vignobles en coteaux. Le Sauvignon Blanc développe dans ces microclimats relativement frais le fumé légerement vif, qui fait la personalité unique de ce cépage.

The wine is simply labelled “Vin de France” a new designation which has come along to help the French Wine Industry compete with New World Wines. The general idea is to loosen up the Appellation Controlée laws in the south of France, to allow more freedoms to winemakers in making fruit-forward, easy-going, commercial wines. For example they can put the grape name on the label of these wines to help the consumer identify the wine style. This particular wine won a gold medal in the "Concours Mondial du Sauvignon 2010"

Strangely enough when I put my nose in this wine my first thought was “New Zealand” as the nose is really quite pungent and “Marlborough” in style. On the palate we’re straight back in France with a smoky, mineral, crisp and subtle flavour profile.Its a very tasty wine, which would be lovely with Goats Cheese and a good foil for slightly spicy Thai or Chinese chicken dishes. Excellent as an “Aperitif” wine also!

Santé!!