Random Bloomers Enjoy Cotes de Beaune Villages and Gorgonzola Sandwiches

RANDOM BLOOMERS JOIN LESLIE FOR A READING.


We had a great bit of fun in the Vintry yesterday celebrating Bloomsday. This was a first for us but seeing as Joyce was born just down the road in Brighton Sq. we decided join in the fun that is Bloomsday . We did no pre-publicity yet Joyce fans appeared like magic from nowhere and we all  had a great laugh. People often regard Ulysses as high brow  even posh but based on the number of raucous readings that took place outside the shop I can assure you it is anything but. Like the  Burgundy that we  chose to serve, a Louis Latour  Beaune 2007....it is simple,light and above all fun but with several layers which you can choose to merely enjoy or  to over analyse.

 Leslie(Leopold) Williams does a reading.

Someone forgot the  baby!

Blooms Burgundy not logwood

Ulysses, James Joyce's novel is set in Dublin on June 16^th, 1904

 

 

In chapter eight, Leopold Bloom’s lunch, was a Gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of red burgundy at Davy Byrne’s pub in Duke Street

‘Mr Bloom ate his strips of sandwich, fresh clean bread, with relish of disgust, pungent mustard, the feety savour of green cheese. Sips of his wine soothed his palate. Not logwood that. Tastes fuller this weather with the chill off.’

The reference to logwood refers to the colour of the  Burgundy wine and is the equivalent to the modern use of the word plonk.The hard, brownish-red wood of this tropical tree yields a dye  used in dyeing fabrics. In 1904  the alleged use of this dye to colour spurious or adulterated wine was frequent, and so the usage of the term  logwood  to describe dodgy wine came into the vocabulary of that time.

So toast James Joyce tomorrow with something tasty not logwood.
 Evelyn
The Vintry

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Sally Williams from Wither Hills pops in to say Hello!

Sally & I working hard!

After meeting up at the New Zealand tasting, Sally Williams, Wither Hills winemaker popped into the shop to show me  the new Wither Hills  single estate wines that they are launching onto the market this year. The wines are a true expression of the different terroirs  that they have in the different parts of their property and worth the small premium for their wonderful quality.

Wither Hills Single Vineyard Rarangi Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2009

The wine has lovely vibrant herbaceous notes, passion fruit and tropical fruit with great concentration and richness on the palate balanced with seamless acidity, retailing at a Euro more then their basic Sauvignon it is well worth €14.99 Euro. Try this with some goats cheese and digestive biscuits, Heaven!

Wither Hills Single vineyard Taylor River Pinot Noir Marlborough 2007

This part of the property as the name suggests, is full of silt from an old river bed and has a lovely complex character. Bramble fruits, full  pure flavour , a subtle influence of french oak and  a lingering finish and at €23  it is worth seeking out for any Pinot Fans.

Wither Hills Single vineyard Ben Morven Pinot Noir Marlborough 2007

This Pinot Noir comes from clay soil and is  more elegant then Taylor River Pinot Noir, full of delicate cherry,strawberry bramble fruits with great finesse. This Pinot has more perfumed and floral notes which will appeal to those who prefer a lighter style. With a price of €23 it offers true finesse

It was amazing to see how different  these Pinot Noirs were and how they managed to reflect the different  soil types within this one property

Enjoy,
Julie.

JUS DE VINE, PORTMARNOCK



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DFJ. Pinot Noir, Alfrocheiro 2008

Delicate yet aromatic with ethereal  fragrances of violet and wild strawberry and a hint of smoke.
On the  palate it is soft and elegant with lovely balanced ripe fruit coming through and a soft round finish.
A real wine with true personality  for just  €11.95 and far more interesting than many a straight Pinot coming our of some other countries.

This  wine is a Vinho Regional from Lisbon in Portugal. It is a blend of Pinot Noir and Alforcheiro.

Alfrocheiro is quite obscure and being very productive yield wise as well as a relatively early ripener it requires careful  vineyard management.
It is an intriguing grape of misty origins. At one time thought to be a relative of Pinot Noir, today the birthplace of Alfrocheiro is assumed to be Portugal, but the jury is still out.
Wines from this grape are noted for their velvety texture, intense spiciness and approachability when young. They also display inky depths of colour and flavors of mint, flowers, black currants and fresh strawberry.




This particular wine is aged in French of Allier oak barrels of 225 Lt from Seguin Moreau for 5 months followed by ageing in bottle  for a minimum 5 months after bottling before release.
Produced from the Quinta de Porto Franco Single Estate it is a favourite blend of the winemaker Jose Neiva Correia. Those who know and work with this talented man make regular mention of his creativity and the enthusiasm that goes into each of his many and sharply differing wines with their blend of improbable grape varieties and surprising results.

Saude!

Evelyn
THE VINTRY,RATHGAR

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Champagne Taittinger N/V

 




Champagne Taittinger is one of the few Champagne Houses to remain owned(see buy out / buy back below) and actively managed by the family.

They are based in Reims in the Champagne district and their bottles are stored in  ancient  Roman chalk pits  that were created when stone was quarried out to build houses in the region .  They also own substantial  vineyards throughout the region.

  

   Today, Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger heads up this famous house whose origins date back to 1734.
I met him at a dinner while at the Champagne  Academy and heard him telling the men at his end of the table that he never eats cheese when he is going to be with a lady.I got a flash back to the lads in Ireland…can you imagine a Paddy thinking let alone actually  saying “I never drink pints of Guinness or eat Kebabs when I am going to be with a lady! I don`t think so..

Each champagne house has a typical style that is adhered to from vintage to vintage and for Taittinger the word that best describes their approach is elegance. Some others can be quite creamy or nutty or overwhelmingly intense, but at Taittinger it is about the fruit being  allowed to shine.

The blend is 40% Chardonnay 40 % Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meurnier and is aged for three to four years before release

Colour: brillient gold straw colour with fine persistent bubbles and a delicate mousse

Nose: bready/brioche and fruity…peach white flowers and vanilla pod

Palate: lively ,balanced  and elegant  with delicate flavours of  fresh fruits and honey with a lovely long concentrated finish.

PIERRE-EMMANUEL TAITTINGER: TALKS ABOUT CHAMPAGNE FOOD& LOVE 
For 3OO years, Champagne has been known as the wine to drink at grand occasions, such as year-end holidays and weddings and graduations. But more and more, Champagne is becoming known as a wine to enjoy at lunch and dinner. Why? Because Champagne matches well all types of gastronomy: French, Asian, Greek, fusion, Chinese, Japanese, Indian. It's very good with spices because it does refresh your palate. Magnum bottles are just the right size for two gentlemen.  Personally I recommend the half-bottle for a lunch for two, say, me and my wife, so you don't waste a full bottle. I adore that.
If you are with a nice partner, you are not tired after Champagne; you are active, in good form, perhaps slightly excited. The only problem is that you might want to make love, and that is not a serious problem. That is why there is a new attitude towards Champagne all over the planet.

PIERRE-EMMANUEL TAITTINGER: TALKS ABOUT THE BUY OUT.
My family is a large one, with seven branches. The family wanted to sell the entire Corporation for tax purposes and simply to get their money. (Seagrams did likewise some years ago.) We put it up for auction and an American group, Starwood, bought it all - Champagne Taittinger, Domaine Carneros, the Loire valley winery, Baccarat Crystal, Hotel du Crillon, Societe du Louvre - everything. That was the will of 9O% of my family. Me, I was in the 1O% who wanted to keep the business. But - I am a democrat - and I had to accept the majority decision. And we do all get along well. My son and I were a little sad, but we had no choice. But then, Starwood stated, "We are a real estate group, we are not specialized in wines." So they decided to sell off Taittinger and Carneros to specialists. Then our branch of the family - my father, brother and children - decided to become candidates to repurchase at least our winery. So they put it on sale, and here were at least ten candidates, from India, America, Britain. So we banded with Credit Agricole, a powerful bank in Champagne, and fought a hard fight for a year with bigger giants. We finally won, partly because we proposed a large check - after debt absorption, about 59OM Euro - but also because we were a family-run affair, like Starwood itself. In the package was the Loire winery and Carneros. We sold the Loire for technical reasons; we liked the very well run winery and the chairman, a very nice man. It was done in a genial manner. But we're keeping Carneros. And we're still on good terms with our family, who can always get the preferred discount on Champagne!

PIERRE-EMMANUEL TAITTINGER: TALKS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING.

 Global warming is the major issue for the planet. It's the Third World War, and we are in it right now. For the last ten years, the wine world has been positively affected by global warming - good harvest, regular harvest - but it's not going to continue. In the long term, it's going to change our way of life dramatically, and for the worst. I am very pessimistic about this. We're recycling, using vehicles less, driving cars with ethanol, and planning our business activities to conserve. We're avoiding unnecessary business travel, shipping wines by train instead of truck. We're extremely conscientious. At home, we don't take baths anymore, only brief showers; I think of water now as more precious that Champagne.

Taittenger Trivia

Taittinger was a favourite of the literary James Bond.Taittinger was actually Ian Fleming’s favourite Champagne,’ said Justin Llewellyn, brand ambassador for Taittinger and son of gadget master Desmond Llewellyn. We have a letter from  Fleming thanking M. Taittinger for a dozen bottles, and Taittinger was mentioned in Casino Royale, Moonraker, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Goldfinger.

The last time Taittinger made a screen appearance in the 007 series dates back to 1963’s From Russia with Love.

They approached Claude Taittinger for the next film, but he didn’t want
                                     to  be involved, and we never have been since,’ said Llewellyn.

Secret Agent Jones over and out.
THE VINTRY RATHGAR

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WAIPARA SPRINGS PREMO PINOT NOIR 2008

 Yes I know, another Pinot Noir but when we decided to do New Zealand this week I couldn't resist. Pinot Noir is the no. 1 red grape variety in New Zealand but it is also such a difficult grape  to master that one of  Californian's most influential winemakers, André Tchelistcheff was noted to have said " God made Cabernet Sauvignon  whereas the devil made Pinot Noir" so it is pretty impressive that in just 30 years of growing this grape that they are able to produce wines that can rival many burgundian wines.


From a place called Waipara Valley, a tiny region with just 30 vineyards just north of Christchurch on the South Island. This vineyard is tucked into the middle of this valley which has it's own microclimate making it quite similar to Burgundy and we all know about the Pinots from Burgundy.

  It's a partnership between two farming families, the Moores and the Grants, who back in the early 1980s saw the potential of their land and despite their neighbours believing they had lost their minds, they were the first to plant vines in this region.  Waipara springs actually started out life as an asparagus farm and part of the farm still continues with this tradition.  The food at Waipara Springs Cafe(pictured right) is out of this world and people travel for miles to taste new vintages of asparagus.


The winemaker is a guy called Frank Manifold who was chief winemaker at Cloudy Bay vineyards. He gave up this big brand life for in comparison a small boutique winery. However, here he gets to make a wine he adores by putting his heart and soul into it by shaping each vintage to get the best from the year and this is what his Premo Pinot Noir is all about. Handpicked and handsorted grapes coming from different picks in the vineyard to give just the right amount of ripeness, spiciness and flavour .

With Pinot don't expect wines that are inky deep and dense in colour and this one is no exception. They say if you can't see a ring on your finger through the back of the glass that it isn't Pinot. The nose has plenty of brambly red fruit aromas especially cranberries but there is some earthiness to it also. On the palate it is more savoury with firm tannins. Serve this with roast salmon or mushroom risotto is gorgeous with the earthiness of the Pinot. Priced at €23.99, not for the everyday drinker amongst us but maybe Sunday best...



BE ADVISED - the one drawback to these Pinots is just how easy they are to drink and how deceptively light they feel especially for the lighter drinkers amongst us. Nothing attractive about leaving a dinner party on all fours and with this one coming in at 13.5% ABV and sliding down your throat with serious ease as it seems to do so well  it would not take that many glasses... believe me I've see it !!

Till Next Time
Clare

Veramonte Pinot Noir Reserva 2008

I love Pinot Noir. I think its one of the most interesting grape varieties. I love that it changes considerably depending on country, soil, micro climate and producer. I also always think of it as a female grape variety due to its temperament. This is a grape variety that strives for perfect surroundings and when it finds them, it results in an incredible style of wine that’s so versatile and complex.

It hails from the Casablanca Valley just North of Santiago. This area has its own micro-climate and has close to perfect Chilean conditions for Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.

The Huneeus family are Chilean wine superstars. The father, Agustin Huneeus, was the man behind numerous Chilean wine brands including Concha y Toro and Errazuriz both of which put Chile on the wine map. This winery is their own independent wine venture for father and son – Agustin 1 & 2 and its testament to a combination of their experience and knowledge.

Colour: Crushed strawberry or Grenadine syrup

Nose: A very authentic Pinot nose which is often described as nail varnish, loads of summer berries – Cherries, strawberries and vanilla pod.

Palate: All soft summer berries – Cherries, strawberries and cranberries with savoury flavours and lovely balanced acidity.

Food combinations with this red are endless – Pork and apple sauce, lamb stew, mushroom risotto, soft Irish cheese like Carrickbyrne. Apart from all of these, my ideal Friday combo is a piece of Brie de Meaux, fresh French stick some vine ripened tomatoes and an hour with Jonathan Ross.

Friday night with… Veramonte Pinot Noir. (€12.90), try it!!

O&O

Ruth.

Jeio Desiderio Cuvee Rose ...One for mammies day!

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Our first radio spot coincided with Mothers day, and we decided to focus on Italian wines for that celebration! As rumour has it that the Italian mother is even more dedicated to her sons (and daughters!) than our own doting mammies here in Ireland..!


I chose JEIO DESIDERIO CUVEE ROSE which is a lovely pink sparkling wine, made high in the hills around Valdobbiadene just west of Venice where the best Prosecco is made.

This is a really lovely area with small rolling hillocks of vines angled in every conceivable direction and floating morning mists that burn off as the sun rises.

Julie and I happened to be there during the last Papal conclave and even though I am not religious (at all!) I will always remember standing in the silence of the Bisol vineyards, looking down on to a tiny Italian village, and hearing the bell peel in its little church, to signify that a pope had just been elected. It was around ten to four!

Anyway, back to the actual wine……As this wine is a pink colour it obviously cannot be a Prosecco,as Prosecco is a white grape variety, so it is actually a blend of Pinot Noir and Merlot.

It has a lovely smoked salmon, onion skin colour and a nice sparkle with a persistent bead(bubble).A fresh clean nose of ripe summer fruits…raspberries and fragrant Irish red apple and a lively crisp refreshing crisp finish.

Great for a party or a summer’s day in the garden Try it with fresh salmon or any sweet shell fish or just some ripe  raspberries or strawberries.

This wine is made by the Bisol family who have lived in this area since 1645 but have only been making wine since 1875! Jeio was the nickname Mamma Bisol gave her husband Desiderio,the equivalent of calling a Patrick…Paddy.

Subsequent Bisol mothers have called their children Desiderio  which funnily enough translates as Desire. Can you imagine an Irish mother calling her son in from the green where he is playing soccer..." Desire luv, come in your teas ready”…. talk about a slagging from the mates!

This wine retails at €18.95

 Salute & Arrivederchi,

Evelyn

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