Sparkling Guest At Supervalu French Wine Sale

Sparkling Guest At Supervalu French Wine Sale

Simonnet-Febvre Crémant De Bourgogne (AOC) Brut NV, 12%, €24.59 (29.50) SuperValu

Delighted to see this Crémant featuring as a Guest Wine in the current Supervalu French Wine Sale that runs until September 23rd.

Sometimes, those of us who regularly dabble in wine assume that other people, who may not dabble as much, will recognise all the terms. Take Crémant, for example, and Methode Traditionelle.Delighted to see this Crémant featuring as a Guest Wine in the current Supervalu French Wine Salethan runs until September 23rd.

Crémant is the term used to classify French sparkling wines produced, using the Méthode Traditionelle, outside the boundaries of the Champagne region. The method, also known (within Champagne) as méthode champenoise, involves disgorgement and a second fermentation in the bottle and you can read more here.  

With that out of the way, let us get into this one from Chablis in Burgundy. Not alone is it made in the traditional way but two of the usual Champagne grapes, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, are used here to give quite a lovely sparkling wine.  

Toasty fruity rather intense aromas are followed by a dry (brut) creamy palate - it has spent quite a spell on lees. It is deliciously complex with fruit and biscuity flavours and that long dry finish. Recommended serving temperature is between 6° and 8°C.

Quite good then on its own, as an aperitif (chilled if you prefer) and it may also be used in cocktails. Kir is one famous French drink, the basic one mixing Creme de Cassis with white wine. Move up a step now to the Kir Royale where the blackcurrant liqueur may be added to champagne or to this crémant. 

And I’ve taken it a step higher recently with a French Liqueur called Chambord, named after a very large royal chateau in the Loire Valley. Chambord is a “black raspberry” liqueur and may be used in a variety of cocktails - there’s usually a bunch of recipes tied to the neck of the bottle. But my current favourite is the Kir Chambord where you mix one part of the Loire drink to six parts of sparkling wine and this Crémant certainly fits the bill. Salut!

Of course, Bordeaux and the Loire also have their own sparkling wines but many of the French crémants, there are 9 or 10 in all, come from the eastern half of the country, including this one; others to note here, near the mountains, are Alsace and Jura.

* If you’d prefer champagne, or if you’d like to do a head to head with the crémant, why not pick up a bottle of the Pierre Darcys champagne, also reduced (from 29.50 to 22.62).

Georges Duboeuf Moulin-A-Vent (AOP) 2018, 13%, €11.80 (18.68).

Georges Duboeuf is known for its long-term drive to popularise Beaujolais wines. In the 1970s, Georges Duboeuf himself pushed and publicised the popular November event “Beaujolais Nouveau”. He is, of course, a major producer, not alone of Nouveau but throughout the region. No wonder he has been granted "titles" such as Le Roi du Beaujolais (The King of Beaujolais) and Pape du Beaujolais (Pope of Beaujolais).

This particular Beaujolais has a mid to dark ruby robe. Black berried fruit mainly on the nose, floral (violet) notes too. Beautiful on the palate: juice, fruit, those floral notes again and some spice too and that deliciousness continues right through to the finalé. This is a wine - a terrific food wine - that makes your taste buds sit up and take notice.

“Good Beaujolais is delicious: mineral, focussed, with fruit of raspberries, black pepper, cherries; it's never overstated or blockbusting, but it has character, balanced acidity, lightness and freshness”. Reckon Oz Clarke and Margaret Rand got it more or less correct there. And Supervalu have an excellent example here. At an excellent price too.

According to Wine-Searcher, “Moulin-a-Vent is arguably the most noteworthy of the ten Beaujolais crus, located in the very north of the Beaujolais region. Moulin-a-Vent wines, made from the Gamay grape variety, are known for being some of the most concentrated and tannic made in Beaujolais, a far cry from the light, simple Beaujolais Nouveau wines.” Gamay and granite go well together and there is no shortage of the ancient stone in the area.

Other Wines in the Sale

Aside from the guests listed below there are scores of other French wines on offer in the sale. And there's a mini-focus on the Rhone with three of the crus featured: Chateauneuf du Pape, Vinsobres and Vacqueyras. Chateauneuf is no doubt the more famous but I've enjoyed some excellent reds from the other two. Indeed, I enjoyed a bottle of the Vacqueyras earlier in the year. Colour is ruby red and ripe dark fruits abound in the inviting mix of aromas. There is a great balance between the ripe fruit and spices, plus a hint of liquorice, impressive texture, full bodied and rounded. Pair with lamb and hard cheese. 

Bordeaux of course just has to feature. One that you might note is the Les Hauts De Gros Caillou , Saint Emilion. The wines of Saint Emilion are well known and, like many here, this is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Red fruit aromas and in the mouth, there are fruity notes galore in this typical Saint Emilion, good acidity too, of course, all leading to a well balanced wine.

The Guests

The Special Guest Wines that will be available in SuperValu for a limited time during the French Wine Sale are:

George Duboeuf Moulin-à-Vent €11.80 (18.68);

La Perriere Mégalithe Sancerre €21.64 (€31.48);
Domaine Laffitte Sauvignon Blanc Reserve €7.87 (11.80)
Domaine Laffitte Rosé €7.87 (11.80)
Domaine Laffitte Cabernet-Franc Malbec €7.87 (11.80)
Simonnet-Febvre Cremant de Bourgogne €24.59 (€29.50);
Meursault Blanc Louis Latour €39.95 (€68.85);
Gustave Lorentz Pinot Blanc Reserve €11.80(€18.68);
Hommage du Rhone Vinsobres €11.80 (€15.73);
Alma Cersius Coteaux de Béziers €9.84 (€14.75).

Three Treasures of the Douro with ace winemaker Luís Sottomayor

Three Treasures of the Douro with ace winemaker Luís Sottomayor

On these hills -  the white wines originate

Luís (screenshot)

Offley Vintage Port 2018

Luís Sottomayor (left), head winemaker of Sogrape’s Douro and Port wines, threw down quite a challenge towards the end of Tuesday’s Liberty Wines Masterclass. He’s so convinced of the “great ageing potential’ of the Offley Port 2018 vintage that he asked Liberty to stage another gathering in 2045, inviting all of yesterday’s participants to meet and check up on the 2018!

Quite a few of us won’t be around then but you don't have to wait that long to enjoy this superb Port which is already drinking very well indeed. But what should you enjoy it with? Aside from good company, of course. Well, as Luis suggested, cheese and chocolate are the usual pairings, tried and tested over the decades.

But he came up with another one, a local Portuguese dish called Feijoada: beans, sausage, pork, vegetables (carrots etc), usually served with rice. “Cassoulet like” wrote participant Ligia Marques who texted in the details.

Luis started off by saying that Offley 18 is “a really classic vintage”. “We wanted to have a wine to be simpler, made for those who want to drink and understand what a classic vintage is, that they might go on and try other vintages. It is easy-drinking, tannins are there but are round.” The only difference from other vintages is that a higher quality of Tinto Roriz (perhaps better known to us as Tempranillo) was used. The others are Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca.

The aromas are pleasant, not overly complex: “Black fruit, balsamic, approachable, a wine for young consumers” “It is made from our best grapes and, on the palate, there are tannins and acidity (so many years in bottle ahead!). Very drinkable from now!”

In reponse to a question by wine-writer John Wilson, Luis said it was not easy to say how long it will last. “But is has all the essential components to live many, many years… will live after me!” Closure - why the regular cork? “This kind of cork is best for ageing the wine.”

Vinha Grande from Casa Ferreirinha

The pleasant morning masterclass continued with tastings of two Vinha Grande, one of the oldest brands of Casa Ferreirinha, itself one of the "pioneering" wine companies in the Douro. While the red was first produced in 1960, the white didn't appear until 2005. Then, as Luis explained: “We acquired high altitude vineyards in the Cima Corgo region with lots of white wine varieties.”

 

Casa Ferreirinha Vinha Grande Douro (DOC) Douro Branco 2019, 13%

Casa Ferreirinha Vinha Grande Douro (DOC)  Douro Tinto 2017, 14%

Multiple varieties are used in the Branco. The main ones are Viosinho for its aroma and Arinto/Pedema for freshness. Fifty per cent of the wine was matured in new French oak barrels for 6 months and 50% kept in stainless steel tanks before the final blend is assembled and bottled.

Luis: “Very fresh and elegant, white fruit in the aromas, some citrus, a little passionfruit. I don’t like to say minerality - I feel that doesn’t exist but the soil and the stones of the Douro do. You can feel the acidity and freshness on the palate (because of the altitude), a nicer style of Douro white."

"The grapes come from a big property, amazing quantity of different kinds of grapes, helps us every year to compose the best wines!” Must say, I loved it. It's got everything: aromatics, flavour, mouthfeel, finish. Top notch!

The red is also a blend, the fruit taken from across the Douro’s regions. Soil here by the way is all schist. The terroir and the winemaking makes for another gorgeous wine. Luis pointed to its harmony, elegance, acidity, body and aromas. “It is easy to drink but also can go with sophisticated food and lasts well in the bottle.” The grapes used are Touriga Franca (45%), Touriga Nacional (30), Tinta Roriz (20) and Tinta Barroca (5).

It spends 12 months  in French oak “not new”. “We do not want to have the aroma of oak but use it instead as a medium to knit the blend. We always like a good freshness in our wines. And the first job of wine is to pair with food.”

That led to a question: “What is your favourite food with the red?

“I prefer meat usually but Vinha Grande is more elegant and goes well with dried cod - we eat a lot of that in Portugal! And it’s brilliant with octopus.”

For me, this was another beauty, smooth, packed with flavours and fresh on the balanced palate, magnificent depth, rounded tannins and the finish is smooth, dry and long.

#drinkresponsibly

A Quart of Ale± #11 Moving on over to craft. American Style IPA

A Quart of Ale± #11

Moving on over to craft. 

American Style IPA

Part 2

First, there was IPA. In the 18th century, English beer, on its way to India was highly hopped. It became known as India pale ale and went down well with the soldiers and later found favour with drinkers at home. 

Two hundred years later, just like the empire, it was slipping into oblivion, until the Americans revived it by using their more aromatic and flavourful hops and more of them. And so the American IPA was born. And that led to a revival in the UK.

This is Part 2 (we published Part 1 last week) and here we focus on some excellent American style IPA produced here in Ireland by the likes of Kinnegar, Whiplash, Blacks and Yellowbelly.

Blacks “Ace of Haze” DDH Cryo New England IPA, 4.2%, 440ml can, Bradleys Cork

The hard-working Maudeline and Sam Black.

I have to say straight up that that this New Englander is a lovely beer, very drinkable.

But what’s a New England IPA? Blacks say: Characterised by juicy, citrus and floral flavours and a smoother less piney taste than some other IPAs you might be familiar with, New England IPA is a style that became popular in Vermont USA in the 2010s. Hazy in appearance with a soft mouthfeel, NEIPA's are brewed without adding hops to the boil and with the use of specific yeast strains to achieve the desired result. Often described as a more fruit forward IPA with lower perceived bitterness but massively hop forward with flavours and aromas derived from the use of dry hopping techniques.

This NEIPA (hardly an abbreviation!) is a hazy yellow. It weighs in at 4.2% so it certainly a session contender. No shortage of hops in the mix and it’s the fruit, citrus and exotic, that makes its mark rather than any bitterness (which is there, in the background). Very drinkable though and sure to gather up lots of fans. By the way, Blacks have at least one other Haze edition.

They say: This banging beer was brewed with passion and an absurd amount of cryogenically frozen Mosaic, Citra and Simcoe hops not forgetting a touch of inspiration from some rock classics that are commonly heard on the brewery floor on brew days. The malt bill of Barley, Oats and Wheat gives plenty of body and character but we have kept the ABV on the lower end for IPA's so you can enjoy more than 1 or 2 in a sitting.

Kinnegar “Crossroads” American Style IPA 6.2%, 440ml can Bradley’s of Cork

Colour is close to amber, plenty of bubbles rising (naturally carbonated), white head hangs around for a while. Good hoppy backbone carrying tropical fruit flavours across the palate and into the very satisfying finish. Qualifies as American style because it is rich in citrus and tropical fruit flavours with a touch of pine thrown in. One of the best cans of IPA you’re likely to come across and you can taste why this is one of their core range. 

Kinnegar’s craft beers are brewed in a new brewery in Letterkenny.  “Our roots are deeply embedded in the hilly fields and farms of northeast Donegal. This is the perfect environment for the way we make beer. We don’t filter or pasteurise, and we let our industrious little friends, the yeast, carbonate the beer naturally during fermentation.” We visited the brewery last autumn and you may read all about it here.

Originally named “Roadtrip” when brewed as a 20th birthday celebration of McHugh’s legendary Dublin off-licences, Crossroads is the Donegal brewery’s tribute to the men and women of the county’s diaspora who, like the McHughs, have made their mark on the wider world.

Whiplash Rollover Session IPA 3.8%, 330ml can, Bradley’s

Pale yellow colour with a  short-lived white head over a hazy body. Citrus fronts the aromatics. And the quartet of hops dominate the palate. Amazing that this has so much hops and still weighs in at less than 4.00% abv. Quite a concentration of hops then, before a lip-smacking finalé. “Now, that’s a beer,” my tasting companion declared (having “suffered” earlier through a Radler and a sour). 

They say: Same hop rate as our DIPA’s, less than half the alcohol. A very heavily hopped Session IPA: this comes at you with buckets of Simcoe, Ekuanot, Citra and Mosaic hops with a light touch of malts and an easy crushable body. Unfiltered, hazy, hoppy and juicy – Rollover is a New England inspired IPA without the heavy alcohol in tow.

Yellowbelly “Citra Pale Ale” American Pale Ale, 4.8%, 440ml can, Bradleys Cork

Hazy yellow is the colour here, a white head (size and length depends a lot on how you pour, probably best if on draught). You’ll probably de-juice that Citra Hops are used here. Head Brewer Declan Nixon has also employed German and Belgian malts. I think he’s judged this to a “T” and has come up with a really well-balanced beer.

A hint of pine in the aromas and this smooth drinking beer has citrus flavours, is very pleasant on the palate and, with all that, plus the help of a modest enough alcohol count of 4.8%, has that second glass appeal for sure.

Let us hear what the Wexford crew have to say for themselves: Our Citra Pale Ale is brewed with the finest German & Belgian malts, fermented with a super clean American ale yeast and dry hopped to the gills with Citra. The resulting beer should be enjoyed as fresh as possible to appreciate the grapefruit and pine aroma and super clean finish.

They regard it as a flagship beer. Citra Pale Ale can be enjoyed year-round on draught or in can from your favourite bars, restaurants and off-licences. It was voted Best Beer in Ireland 2019 – Beoir Awards. A very good one indeed.

Wicklow Wolf Mammoth IPA, 6.2%, 440ml can, Bradley’s of Cork

Colour of this West Coast IPA is amber with a nice fluffy head that sinks fairly slowly. It gets its name because a mammoth amount of Simcoe, Chinook, Cascade and Eureka! have been used to pump up the fruit. And the hops take the lead in the aromas (floral, fruit, pine) as well. 

Very much floral and citrus in the palate as you’d expect but no shortage of malt either (Pale, Cara Ruby the varieties used). Rather a muscular beer (compared, say, to Trouble Brewing’s Ambush) but the muscle’s not out of control and the Mammoth will find a welcome in any good beer circle. Hops used are Simcoe, Cascade, Chinook, Eureka! And, take heed, the IBU is a stiff 60. Serve at 8 degrees.

9 White Deer Stag IPA 5.0%, 500ml can, Bradley’s of Cork

Amber is the colour of this Gluten Free IPA from the Gaeltacht - you have to peer in to see the bubbles. The head is white and sticks around. Aromas hint of malts and hops. Big hop flavours on the palate yet the bitterness is not over the top at all, nice balance with the malts. Stag is an American style IPA according to the label. I’m thinking it fits snugly between two continents. Could mid-Atlantic be a style?

They say: A Classic IPA, using vast quantities of new age hops, this gluten free IPA is full of flavour. Hop usage is late in the boil which gives big flavours and aroma without big bitterness. IPAs never serviced the gluten free market but that is now changed, and what a beer to change it with.  A well balanced quaffable IPA bursting with flavour and aroma.

A Red and White Wine Double from Italy's Heel.

A Red and White Wine Double

 from Italy's Heel.

Antica Enotria Bianco Puglia (IGT) 2018, 12.5% 

€14.45 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

This light-straw coloured blend of Falanghina and Fiano comes from the organic vineyards of Raffaele di Tuccio in Puglia in the south east of Italy (the “heel of the boot”). Aromas, floral and pear, are rather delicate. The fruit though is somewhat more assertive on the palate, a crisp and refreshing acidity also features as does a streak of minerality before a reasonably persistent finish. Quite a light and elegant blend, very acceptable as an aperitif and with garden salads and good with fish too. Highly Recommended. Chill it just a little but don’t overdo it.

So what kind of grapes are Falanghina and Fiano, you might well ask. They may not be well-known outside of Italy (mainly in Campania). But, believe it or not, Grapes and Wines say Falanghina “is now one of Italy’s new star white grapes” while Fiano is an “interesting, high-quality and very fashionable southern Italian grape responsible fro Campania’s aromatic Fiano di Avellino…”. Indeed, that particular Fiano is a DOCG wine, the top Italian designation. Sounds like a pair of grapes we need to keep in mind!

By the way, the Roman name for Campania (on the opposite side of Italy to Puglia) was Campania Felix, felix meaning happy. One of the reasons was that much of their favourite Falernian wine was produced here!

Le Caveau tell us that Raffaele di Tuccio bought this run-down farmhouse, dating back to the 1700’s, in 1985 and over the past 30 years has worked tirelessly with his wife, Antonia, and son, Luigi, to bring the property back to life. The vineyards are influenced by the cooling Tramontana wind from the north, and the warming Scirocco wind from the south, giving ideal conditions for their dedication to organic viticulture and lending crispness and depth to the wines.

Natalino del Prete “Il Pioniere” Salentino (IGP) 2017, 15%

 €21.85, 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Negroamaro can be slightly “farmyardy” in flavour, according to Grapes and Wines. But they go on to say that it can be easier to appreciate if blended with a little of the far more scented, succulent Malvasia Nera (15%), as is the case here.

Colour is a solid dark red. The nose opens on clear and deep notes of overripe red and darker fruit. And that fruit is also found in the flavours on the palate, a warm welcoming wine with a persistent finish. A genuine wine of substance, pleasant with excellent drinkability. VHR

Le Caveau tells us Natalino Del Prete, organic since 1994, is a traditional grower of Southern Puglia. They also say: The Pioniere is fantastic: 70-80+ old vines of Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera,… a total bargain for the quality and the story behind. Super structured but super light to drink, full of sweet spices and charm. 

The wine from the warm lands of Salentino is, as you might expect, particularly suitable to accompany typical dishes of the Mediterranean cuisine. Serve at 16/18 ° C with Aged cheeses, White meat main courses, Red meat main courses. The impurities located in the bottom of the bottle, and I did find a few “grains”, merely serve to confirm the genuineness of the product.

#drinkresponsibly