Storing Wine

Four main things to think about here:

Temperature

The key thing is to to have as even temperature as possible - no huge swings. So a kitchen is not a great place to store wine. If you have wine you want to lay down to age then cool is better than warm, since this will encourage proper ageing in a gentle way. Below 5C is not good as this will slow things to a standstill, and above 20C will accelerate things too much.

Light

Light has an adverse effect on wine in storage, hence the reason for a lot of bottles being in dark glass. Red and sparkling wines are worst affected, but it's always best to keep light to a minimum. Wine's a living organism, and everything sleeps better in the dark... Plus too much light may have an effect on temperature.

Humidity

Too dry and over a period of time you may get excess "ullage" - the space between cork and wine in the bottle. So a little humidity is good. Too much may cause mould, but this is the lesser evil. Good ventilation will help preserve a balance.

Angle

All light wine benefits from being stored horizontally. This ensures continued contact with the cork, keeping it moist, and inhibiting penetration of oxygen. With screwcaps this obviously not such an issue, but it's always handy to have a wine lying label up both for identification, and to allow any sediment to settle on the clear side. Keeping the label in good nick also helps if you intend to sell the wine later.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a cellar, but places like understairs cupboards, spare rooms, garages (though insulated is best), unused fireplaces, pantries, or basements can all work well. You can of course invest in a temperature controlled cabinet (there are various sizes from about 16 bottles to 1,000), and for rather more money you can have a specially designed spiral cellar dug in almost any part of your house to store anything from 600 - 1500 bottles.

Alternatives to Sauternes?

There are many. If you love your dessert wine, know your Sauternes, but want to try some options - well here are a few suggestions.

Not a million miles away you'll find Monbazillac, in Bergerac along the Dordogne valley. Similar in style, often outstandingly delicious, and outstandingly good value. And next door to this is Saussignac - increasingly interesting, and also made in the same style with Botrytis (or Noble Rot) and the same grapes - Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle. But look a little further afield in France and you'll find gorgeous Coteaux du Layon in the Loire (Chenin Blanc), honeyed and aromatic Beaumes-de-Venises in Vaucluse (Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains), and Jurancon in the South West (Petit Manseng) for example. And these are just some of the white ones. For red you could perhaps try a Maury, Banyuls, or Muscat de Rivesaltes.

Slip across to Italy, and things start to get even more exciting. Some Recioto di Soave in Veneto, or a great Passito from Umbria or Sicily maybe, and a high quality aged Vin Santo can be a real delight. And don't get Moscato d'Asti confused with the inferior Asti Spumante. The real stuff is foamingly aromatic and refreshing, and top notch with various desserts, particularly in summer. Plus lets not forget the sweeter end of riesling wine in Germany, as in Auslese, Beerenauselese, and even Trockenbeerenauslese.

Countries around the globe are producing lovely examples of sweet wines - late harvest Sauvignon from Chile, Muscat from Rutherglen in Australia, and Tokay from Hungary to mention but a very few. There are even good stabs at it in England with grapes such as Siegerrebe, Ortega, and Bacchus. The list could go on, without touching on styles of sherry, port, madeira and so on - encompassing both fortified and unfortified wines.

Throughout all these the key to a great dessert wine is that it must also have a clean and striking vein of acidity. Just sweet and luscious can be overwhelming and unsatisfying - although unctuous stickies like PX sherry have their place poured over vanilla ice cream, say. What you really want is all the richness and sweetness, followed by some mouth-cleansing acidity which will make you salivate, and refresh at the same time. And then you want more. And more....

A Cure For The Morning After?

The morning after a Saturday night session. Bleary-eyed, two odd socks, and a mouth as dry as a Dukes’ martini, you start to think about brunch. Scrambled eggs…smoked salmon...bacon…croissants? And something to put the sun back into Sunday - but what will do it? Many turn to Bucks Fizz (not the band hopefully, unless it was a very bad night), but there are other possibilities. The good old Bellini makes a refreshing change – just mix some quality organic peach juice with some chiselled Prosecco and you’ve got a hangover-smashing wake-me-up. Or go really whacky with something from the Basque country – Txacoli de Getaria. As light as Atlantic spray, brisk, acidic, and lightly foaming, they pour this over their shoulder in Spain to give it the spritz, and drunk chilled it’ll clean your teeth for you in no time. Great with oysters, or salty smoky things.

And there's always the traditional Prairie Oyster - 1 raw egg (yolk unbroken) in a glass, a teaspoon of Worcester Sauce, salt and pepper, and as much Tabasco as you can bear. Sounds revolting? This is how P.G.Wodehouse describes Bertie Wooster's first experience of Jeeves' version after a hard night:

"I swallowed the stuff. For a moment it felt as if somebody had touched off a bomb inside the old bean and was strolling down my throat with a lighted torch, and then everything seemed suddenly to get all right. The sun shone in through the window; birds twittered in the tree-tops; and, generally speaking, hope dawned once more."*

Exactly.

*(Carry On, Jeeves by P.G.Wodehouse)

Wine tips - temperature

White wine drunk too cold will suppress the flavours. Red wine drunk too cold will accentuate the tannins - unless it's a young fruity number meant to be drunk cool, like a Beaujolais perhaps. For reds, room temperature is generally the done thing - but think about it. Room temperature not so long ago was a lot less than many have it now. So about 8C for white, and about 18C for red. Fizz should always be drunk chilled since it's often pretty acidic - and the bubbles taste better that way... Many sweet wines are best chilled, but not all. A red Vin Doux Naturel might be better around 16C for example, likewise a vintage Port. These have ripe tannins, so see above. But try an aged tawny port chilled as an aperitif. Fantastic.

A Glass A Day Keeps The Doctor Away?

Is wine good for your health? Well, I’m in danger of sticking my neck out here, so lets get a couple of things straight first:

1. Everything in moderation (including moderation, if you’re Oscar Wilde).

2. Over-indulgence is bound to be more harmful than total abstinence.

3. I write as a qualified wine person, not a qualified medical person.

Right, that’s that out of the way – now for the fun part. Even the father of medicine himself, good old Hippocrates, was recommending wine for various ailments hundreds of years BC. More recently phenomena such as the “French Paradox” have encouraged quite extensive research into the medicinal properties of wine. This “Paradox” manifests itself in the way the French, many of whom have diets high in saturated fats, nevertheless show a low incidence of heart disease when compared globally. Well they drink a lot of red wine, and subsequent studies have shown that red wine in particular contains flavanoids including (deep breath) oligomeric procyanidin, resveratrol, and quercetin, which can either help to prevent hardening of the arteries, or have the potential to help protect against heart disease. In properly regulated quantities wine can also help to balance cholesterol, which is thought to be down to how wine slows digestion, thus preventing some fatty content from entering the bloodstream. So linger over that glass, and savour that flavour.

There’s more. The flavanoids found in wine (particularly red wine) are believed to function as anti-oxidants, and the subsequent inhibition of some free radicals these cause have been shown to reduce the occurrence of some cancers in certain cases – notably of the digestive tract. The real miracle compound, resveratrol, is also thought to have the ability to activate certain longevity genes known as sirtuins, thus slowing down ageing processes. What? It makes us live longer too? I like to think so… There are cardiologists (I know of one in Swindon of all places) who prescribe a little red wine every day to heart patients, in the belief that it reduces the chance of a second heart attack by some 50%. Cabernet Sauvignon is the best at all this, and the Cab Sav that’s made from very high altitude grapes (such as in Argentina) the best of all. Thinner air, more UV on the skins, longer ripening process, making thicker skins and more anti-oxidants.

I could go on – but lets think about moderation for a minute. Because we have to. You may want to keep an eye on your weekly intake, which the UK government has prescribed as 14 units for women, and 21 for men. It’s fairly simple to calculate a unit of alcohol by using the following formula – alcohol content (ABV) x volume (ml) ÷ 1000. By this method we can figure out that a 750ml bottle of wine at 13% alcohol will contain 9.75 units. In other words one large 250ml glass of wine holds more daily units than even men are supposed to have. Oops. To make it plain you’ll find about one unit of alcohol in each of the following: half a 175ml glass of wine; half a pint of 3.5% ABV beer, lager, or cider; 25ml of spirits; 50ml of vermouth. But where wine’s concerned I think the moral of the story is simply to drink less quantity but better quality, which hopefully should even things out on the purse, and enable you to reap all the best of benefits.

A Magnum Of Solace

So you’ve been dumped by the boyfriend. It all looks bleak, everyone else is having much more fun than you, and you’ve resorted to hugging cushions and talking to the cat. Time for a drop of the good stuff – but what are the options? Well, lets see:

1. Stay dark, brooding, and sad

2. As above, but feel better with comforts

3. Throw it aside and look on the bright side

There are wines to suit all the moods, and here are a few suggestions – not necessarily the cheapest, but this is a time for quality, and you need treats.

Dark and brooding

Here we want something that’s rich, full of mystery, spicy – as red as a bleeding heart. A wine you can really lose yourself in, and makes you feel good while feeling bad. So off to South America (one of the more romantic, and sassy continents) for two possibilities – Malbec from Argentina, and Carmenere from Chile. Both of these produce dark, smoky, fruity customers that will wrap themselves round you like a comfort blanket, and warm your jilted cockles. Good Malbec examples are Crios 2008, Catena 2007 and Soluna Organic Premium, and if you can find it Salentein Reserva. For Carmenere perhaps Mont Gras Carmenere Reserva 2009, Palo Alto 2008 with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah added, and Perez Cruz Limited Edition Reserva 2008. Sink down in those cushions with some Manchego cheese to soften the tannins, and make the flavours silky and delicious.

Comforts

Chocolate and ice cream – they usually do the trick. But what to drink with them? I’ve got two great suggestions, and you’ll need to share them with friends (who can also comfort) because they pack quite a punch… Something dark for the best dark chocolate, where the bitterness of the cocoa bites through the sweetness of the wine, and the two hit it off like lovers on a first date (oops, sorry..). Look no further than Mas Amiel Maury Vintage Rouge 2007- it’s a bit pricey, but you won’t need much, and it’s worth it!. Then on to ice cream – this may sound weird but you’ve got to try it. Get the best vanilla (personally I go for Green & Blacks) and pour over it some PX sherry. This stuff is ultra sweet, made from the Pedro Ximenez grape, and full of figs, molasses, Christmas spice, and nutty lusciousness having worked its way for years through an old solera. Noe PX Sherry, or Don PX Dulce Gran Reserva are both great.

The bright side

Is it that bad? Was he really such hot stuff? You’re a free agent again, so celebrate! Get some mates round and start popping a few corks, and lets make it fizzy. A lovely Prosecco to get you going – Azienda Agricola Bellenda - fruity, zingy and ever so slightly exotic (just like you really). Then a vintage champagne for £20! Yes, Heidsieck Gold Top 2004 is a bit of a steal, and ticks all the right boxes for a decent champers – soft, elegant, with subtle undertones (yes, I know, just like you again..). And for the splash-out come home to England. It’s pink, it’s classy, and it’ll make a hole in your purse, but it’s a joyous mouthful. Hush Heath Balfour Brut Rose 2005 is made in the champagne method with champagne grapes, and is bursting with wild strawberries and creaminess. A winner of medals and hearts this should make the sun shine again. Pour out some foaming glasses, and have with smoked salmon blinis, brie, and loads of strawberries. Now, what was his name again…?

Units Of Alcohol

So what comprises a unit of alcohol? It's a useful thing to know these days, especially with reference to drinking and driving - although in this case it's simply best never to mix the two. You may want to keep an eye on your weekly intake, which the UK government has (some believe fairly randomly) prescribed as 14 units for women, and 21 for men. There is also a link between quantity and calorie intake, which many may be concerned about from a diet point of view.

The fact is that one unit of alcohol is not very much alcohol at all. Some guidelines:

Half a 175ml glass of wine

Half a pint of 3.5% ABV beer, cider or lager

25ml of spirits

25ml of sherry or vermouth

There is a simple formula for working out units of alcohol which is:

Strength (ABV) x volume (ml) ÷ 1,000 = No. of units

So by this method we can calculate that a 75cl bottle of 13% alcohol is 9.75 units. However it's important to realise that all individuals react in different ways to amounts of alcohol, and that keeping your intake within the bounds of certain calculations doesn't mean you aren't intoxicated.

Calories in alcohol have actually little to do with strength, but may be an interesting addendum to this thread. Again some guidelines - a 175ml glass of the below will have pretty much the following calorie content:

Dry white wine - 116

Medium white wine - 130

Red wine - 119

Rosé - 124

Sparkling - 130

While a 50ml glass of port will contain about 78 calories.

Alternative Wines

Looking for some new wines to try out? Lets start with something to replace a Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, which is a standard for many people. You like it crisp and aromatic, but with a kind of restrained elegance, and plenty of fruit. Options might be some Grüner Veltliner from Austria, some Albariño from Galicia in north west Spain, or (goodness me!) some Bacchus from good old Blighty. The first two offer all the crispness and exoticism, and good quality Bacchus has been called the English answer to Sancerre, with plenty of aromatics.

Perhaps you want a white that’s a little rounder and fuller, but you don’t like it heavily oaked. Look towards northern Italy maybe or even Alsace. In Veneto they make gorgeous Soave – but have a care! Soave made from the Trebbiano grape can be thin and inspid, but Soave Classico or Superiore made from the Garganega grape is a different customer altogether. Rich, refreshing, honeyed, and lovely. And in Alsace hunt out some Pinot Blanc that gives hints of smokiness and fills the mouth with nicely rounded fruit and freshness.

A couple of reds: you like something smooth and approachable, again with lots of fruit. It might be worth checking out the Loire valley for some Chinon or some Saumur-Champigny both of which are packed with black fruit, and drink very easily. Or if South America’s your area, then Argentina will offer some rich pickings with Malbecs and Cabernet Sauvignons from high altitude vineyards that are velvety and full. Smokier, bigger, and darker? Then some Mencia from Bierzo in Spain could be your answer, some Carmenere from Chile, or some Teroldego from northern Italy. Or of you’re feeling really adventurous, hunting out some of the “garage” wines from the Languedoc is always fun, and often rewarding.

As far as fizz goes – and it can go far – well it doesn’t have to be champers. So many sparkling wines around the world are made in the champagne method, and with the same grapes, that can knock a few big names for six. Franciacorta from Italy, Cremant de Bourgogne, some South African examples, and lets not forget England again! This is where we really excel, making award-winning fizz that’s very high class - Nyetimber, Ridgeview, Camel Valley, Balfour. And with other methods and/or grapes around the globe there’s Prosecco, Vouvray, Cava and so on, all with something to offer if chosen well.

Actually the possibilities are endless. Just the excuse I need...

You Gets What You Pays For - Usually.

OK, so the average price of a bottle of wine bought in a shop in the UK now is £4.35. Duty is £1.69 and VAT is 65p, making a total of £2.34 to come off. That leaves precisely £2.01 for a lot else - advertising, transport, wages, winemaking, profit margins for resellers, packaging, etc etc. It doesn't take genius to figure out that there's not going to be much left for the winemaker at the end of it all. So what's he/she likely to do - make as much of the stuff as possible as cheaply as possible. And that results in a pretty average bottle.

If you add on a couple of quid or so the end margin improves rapidly - for example duty is exactly the same for a £4 bottle or a £40 bottle. So the maker will take a lot more care of and interest in the wine being made - maybe reduced yield (so more goodness in fewer grapes), picking by hand (perhaps at night to reduce risk of harm from a hot sun), better blending and balance, and so on. Simple moral of the story is spend £7 - £10 per bottle and you will get a better wine - more complex, rewarding, and more truly reflecting its origins.

A couple of caveats - it might not be a good idea to get suckered into the supermarket's special offer "was £9.99 now only £4.99...". There may be all sorts of clever shenanigans going on here. I mean what should the original price actually be? Supermarkets are not in the business of losing money. And also prices over £20 a bottle and you starting to get into premium wines where many other elements come into play - such as status, supply and demand, the name, and so on. People often ask me "What's the best wine you've ever had?" Impossible question. Yes I've had some of the so-called finest wines in the world which were lovely, but I've also eaten in little places deep in French or Italian countryside, and drunk the local stuff for peanuts - outstanding and delicious.

Drinking good wine is great, and can be an adventure that adds romance, laughter, and real pleasure to any occasion. Drinking bad wine serves one function really, which generally ends up with a severe headache. There are plenty of other regular things in life that people happily spend similar money on - why not wine? Up to you of course, but I know which way I go.

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What’s Your Poison For Election Night?

Will it be party night for your party? The polls tell us that parliament will end up an interesting blend – hopefully with a taint free aroma, a refreshing flavour, and a finish that doesn’t disappoint. But for the night itself why not for a moment forget all the blarney, sit down to dinner, and let opinion manifest itself in wine. Below are some suggestions, but the choice is yours of course. We’re pushing the boat out a bit here, but then it may be the last time for a while as the cuts take hold….

What to start with? Well some sort of fizz seems right – you might not end up celebrating, but can at least start on a promising note with the spirits high. So for this I suggest Camel Valley “Cornwall” Brut 2007 (£18.99 at www.waitrosewine.com) for the following reasons: 1) It’s British – a good start. 2) It’s made in the traditional, champagne method (and so instills confidence), but is composed of an unusual blend of grapes – Seyval Blanc, Huxelrebe, Reichensteiner – promising change, and a little excitement. 3) It’s delicious – elegant, fresh, fruity, a velvety mousse, and a long round finish. It deservedly finds a place on the wine list of many fine restaurants.

On to the first course, and lets open with the Lib Dems. I’m going a little further afield with this one, but then international co-operation is no doubt crucial. How about some Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc from Terroire d’Aniane 2008 (£22.95 at www.slurp.co.uk). So much has been said about this wine – it’s extraordinary. Primary pearfruit from viognier melts into a buttery mouthfeel, and great expression of dried fruits, with a crisp and lingering finish. But the thing is it’s a wild mix of Viognier, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, and an array of Roussanne, Marsanne, Clairette, Muscat, Chenin and others. In other words some of the time no-one knows quite what’s in it. About right I feel.

The main course, and I’m going to go with Labour. We need something with more substance than popularity – an intense red fellow that initially offers no compromise but yields at the end. A wine that you either develop a lifelong relationship with, or simply can’t abide – and that only works with certain types of food. Chateau du Cedre in Cahors makes sumptuous, inky black wines from the Malbec grape (so different to Argentina), full of dark, brooding fruit, fig, liquorice, and tannic grip. Try the Cuvée Prestige 2006 (£14.25 at www.greatwesternwine.co.uk) which has a dollop of Tannat, and is the most approachable. A purposeful wine that truly reflects it’s origins, but with a character many just can’t tolerate. If you know what I mean.

Leaving just dessert for the Tories. We need something unctuous and sticky to finish with, so back to Middle England for this with some Nectar 2007 from Chapel Down in Kent (£13.23 for 50cl at www.formanandfield.com). Siegerrebe, Bacchus, and Huxelrebe grapes blended to give a luscious and aromatic mouthful, streaked with a vein of acidity that cuts through and refreshes. But being low in alcohol (8.5%) it’s a lightweight, and it also has a great affinity with cheese. Draw your own conclusions.

Which is what we must all do on May 6^th. Which party am I for – why, the drinks party of course. Bottoms up!

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Raise A Glass Of English

The English wine industry goes back a long way. Cuttings of grapevines were first brought over by the Romans some 2000 years ago, and the winemaking business thrived into the Middle Ages. But strangely enough England was a degree or two warmer then, and it was as ambient temperatures fell over a century or so (remember those pictures of the Thames frozen solid?) that the vines suffered. At the start of the 20^th century there was no wine industry at all, and it wasn’t until the 1950s that a few pioneers began growing vines again. Now there are around 400 vineyards throughout England, and while it’s fair to say that not all of them are producing good stuff (OK, some of it’s pretty bad), there are shining examples that compete in their own right against well-established names from abroad.

You might not recognise some of the grapes, and you won’t see many examples of noble varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc – there’s just not the climate for them to do well (yet). But the likes of Bacchus, Seyval Blanc, Huxelrebe, Rondo, Reichensteiner, Dornfelder, Ortega, and many others are finding a good home here. There are limited plantings of some well-known names though – notably Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, the key champagne varietals, and it’s in sparkling wine that England is excelling. Nyetimber from Sussex has won countless awards, and recently their 2003 Classic Cuvée won “Champion of Worldwide Sparkling Wines” at the Bollicini del Mondo competition in Verona – defeating the likes of Pommery, Bollinger, and Roederer to name but a few. Not so unlikely when you think about it, since the geology and climate in southern parts of England are both similar to those of Champagne. And certainly at some of our wine tastings we put in an English sparkling blind, which people often pick as the best.

Really satisfying reds are still quite hard to find, with one or two decent exceptions, but several whites and rosés are showing nicely, and are great for a summer tipple – gone are the days of the puckered wince at the first taste of any English wine. Here are a few to look at:

Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 2003 – champagne method, champagne grapes, dry, intense, but soft, with apple acidity, toastiness and great complexity. Chiselled and sophisticated - possibly England’s best.

Ridgeview Cuvée Merret Bloomsbury 2006 – aromatic, crisp lemon acidity, richly textured mousse, and a hint of toast and biscuit on the finish. Again champagne method and grapes – very classy.

Camel Valley Cornwall Brut 2006 – Chardonnay and Pinot Noir don’t have to have it all their own way. Seyval Blanc, Huxelrebe, and Reichensteiner in the champagne method to give a wine that’s creamy, fresh, elegant, and with delightful fruit. Goes down very nicely, thank you.

Chapel Down English Rose sparkling – one for the summer frolics. Reichensteiner, Rivaner, and Pinot Noir blended to create a pleasure in pink. Hints of blackcurrant, rosehip, and strawberry, composed with delicacy and finesse. Frivolous drinkability.

Camel Valley Bacchus 2009 – Young, aromatic, fresh and zesty - some say England’s answer to Sancerre. A bright accompaniment to seafood, full of zip and fruit. They like it in The House Of Commons…..

Sharpham Barrel Fermented 2007 – made from 100% Madeleine Angevine and one of the few English wines to be barrel fermented. Complex, balanced, and a great companion to the spicy and oriental.

Chapel Down Bacchus 2009 – Aromatics that smack of a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, and a zing that sings. A bit young yet, but full of summer promise.

Biddenden Ortega 2007 – a medium full fruity number that works well as chilled aperitif. Elderflower, good acidity, and an entertaining palate.

Chapel Down English Rose 2008 – the still version. Strawberries and cream in a glass, even with some shortbread on the side. Ever so slightly off-dry, refreshing acidity, and a no-brainer for picnics and the tennis.

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