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~ "studied carelessness"

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Monthly Archives: October 2013

“Oh for a beaker full of the warm South”

21 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by juleslewis in Wine

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Alan Moorehead, Australia, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Keats, Oak (wine), Ripeness in viticulture, Robert Hughes, Shiraz, Wine

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I know its Keats again, but I am indebted to the late Robert Hughes for the reminder from “Things I didn’t know”. Necessity being the mother of invention, I needed a title to introduce this piece on Australian wine. Now I haven’t written anything remotely creative lately (apologies to my loyal, but miniscule, band of followers) as I have been building a website, the creation of which has been – in the words of another great Aussie, Alan Moorehead – akin to “straining s..t through a sock”. I am not a natural when it comes to web design and the stultifying ennui coupled with the wet and dreary climate finds me, like Keats, “in need of song and sunburnt mirth”.

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Its always a pleasure to drink big robust Aussie reds on a cold Autumn day and I may have killed two of them off a little early but hey, I needed cheering up. The Armagh Shiraz, Jim Barry, 2005, was intense on the nose, with cassis and blackberry fruit enveloped in rich, chocolate and liquorice with a lick of classy, new, French oak. I detected a touch of mintyness as well, but this was soon overpowered by a deep, toasty, overtone which followed through to the palate. Hugely concentrated with  intense, damson fruit, well integrated and surprisingly ripe tannins – despite all the new oak – and a finish that went on as long as the final hobbit hugging scene in Return of the King.

The Garlands Saros, 2003 was a complete counterpoint, and I should have tried it first as it was almost overpowered by the finish of the Armagh. Elegant in style with a nose of fresh, red berries and summer fruits together with a touch of earthy, green pepper, it was an absolute pleasure to drink. Lushly fruited – mainly Cabernet Franc with a judicious dash of Cabernet Sauvignon – with fine grained tannins and high quality, French oak adding to the warmly interesting and stylishly medium-bodied finish.

Henschke’s Hill of Grace is an absolute classic, and The 2004 was scrumptious. Personally I would rather kill wines off early than keep them until they are tired, but this could go on for another decade. Totally fabulous on the nose, a big, unashamed whiff of overripe, plums with traces of violets and herbal scrubland. Weighty, yet elegant, on the mid-palate with blackberry jam, spicy, white pepper and sage to the fore. Oak integration was very stylish and the combination of tightly grained French, with a little sweet American, rounded out and helped finish the wine beautifully. The alcohol level of 14% abv was almost imperceptible (unlike the Armagh) and the overall impression was one of concentration, intensity and class.

Some of you will notice that I began with a shot of one of Dave Powell’s wines, but the call of the website is too strong, and the family must be kept from the workhouse.

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“Into the sea – you and me”

09 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by juleslewis in Art

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Art, Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, English folk songs, Kathleen Ferrier, Music

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“Yes aa’v seen yor bonny lad,

Twas on the sea aa spied him.

His grave it is green but not wi’ grass

And thou’lt never lie aside him”

 “Ma Bonny Lad”, Kathleen Ferrier. 

“There is a rapture on the lonely shore,   There is society where none intrudes, By the deep Sea, and music in its roar…….

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean–roll!   Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain; Man marks the earth with ruin–his control Stops with the shore; upon the watery plain ……..

He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan, Without a grave, unknelled, uncoffined, and unknown “.  

Byron, “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”.

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“When I take my sugar to tea”

07 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by juleslewis in Wine

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Cleto Chiarli, Lambrusco, Michele Chiarlo, Niepoort, Tempranillo, Thelema, Tinta Amarela, Touriga Nacional, Wine

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“All the boys are jealous of me,

So I never take her where the gang goes

When I take my sugar to tea”

I’m a reluctant socialite. Like most men I hate arranging things, and if it were left up to me the VOR and I would probably seldom hobnob. My better half loves to plan however, most mornings are met with the words “Right Then” and I know there is a convivial campaign in the offing.

I always greet impending get togethers with a deep foreboding, particularly if they involve more than two other people. The irony is that I always have a great time – much to the VOR’s chagrin.

But socialising presents a perennial dilemma – particularly if I am not the host – and it is one which I am sure you are familiar.

When I take wines to a soiree, I normally want to drink them – or, having had them before – I want to share the love. Mein hosts however have other plans, they trouser said wines and serve their own! Now this is ok if their wines are any good but what if they are not? I don’t want to seem ungrateful but how does one preclude this from happening – particularly if they don’t run out of the stuff!

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Anyway here are some wines to stay in with, or hide in a garden.

The Vecchia Modena by Cantina Cleto Chiarli, is a premium Lambrusco di Sorbara non vintage. Fizzy, perky and fascinatingly fruity, it is the ideal way to kick off an evening. Don’t be afeared of fizzy reds, they are eccentric and delicious – just watch the pop as you get it out of the shrubbery.

Thelema Mountain Red  is much more interesting than its moniker. A blend of pretty much every red grape that can be found in a vineyard, this is full of spicy, blackcurrant fruit laced with white pepper and a touch of liquorice. Juicy and inviting on the nose and richly rewarding on the palate.

Dirk Niepoort’s Vertente is a blend of Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Touriga Franc, Tinta Amarela, and Touriga Nacional.  This fantastic little red has lush aromas of blackberry and damsons which follows through to the palate. Tannins are ripe and softly approachable. acidity is lively and there is a judicious splash of well integrated oak.

Last, but certainly not least, is the delicious little Moscato Nivole from Michele Chiarlo. I absolutely adore this wine, it comes in a 50cl bottle – just enough to share – and is an ideal pick me up. Lovely, lively, grapey and deeply energising, it’s off dry with a delicate, sherbety spritz. Coming in at a mere 5% alcohol, this could be uncorked to the sound of “Right Then”.

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“In praise of older wines”

01 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by juleslewis in Wine

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Aging of wine, Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone, Stephen Vizinczey, Syrah, Viognier, Wine, Wine color

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”Modern culture—American culture—glorifies the young; on the lost continent of old Europe it was the affair of the young man and his older mistress that had the glamour of perfection.”  Stephen Vizinczey.

Being young is beautiful, cool, invincible, immortal and fabulously exciting. Young red wines range from bright scarlet to deep purple in colour with little or no variation between the rim and core. Colour is derived from the grape skin, not the pulp, grape variety is a decisive factor, as are winemaking practices and PH. It is possible to over extract colour and flavour, but the resultant wine tends to be coarse and undrinkable – showing a marked reluctance to age gracefully. Older reds show a progressive shift from purple to brown and dark to light, their tannins and anthocyanins polymerise to form larger particles which fall out of the wine forming a sediment or deposit. A mature wine is lighter in colour with a distinctly tawny or brick red rim.

Appearance is not the only significant factor in the ageing process (note that I am avoiding a comparison with people here), there are also changes in aroma, taste, structure and body due to oxidation and esterification. There are many reasons why older is not necessarily wiser. Older wines are not easy to appreciate, lacking the zip, pizzazz and vigour of young wines they can seem, in essence, a bit weird. Difficult to understand, complex and reticent, their primary fruit aromas have been replaced by more reductive odours – redolent of the farmyard – brought about by chemical changes, tannins soften, fruit departs, acidity is the one true constant.

So why drink old wines? Don’t waste your money if you are not prepared for them. The ability of a taster to assess a wine as it ages, involves a big back catalogue of variable scenarios together with a damn good eye for detail. It also requires patience and a tendency to dislike instant gratification.

When I started drinking, alcopops and frozen or gelatinised ethanol did not exist. There was beer, cider, wine and whisky and they all took a bit of getting used to. You had to man up, pucker up and read up. You went to meet the product – it didn’t come to meet you! We are spoiled nowadays with clean, user friendly drinks that demand little of us, which is why we struggle to appreciate certain wines leaving them neglected and misunderstood. It is not only a fear of the old, but a fear of the unknown and consequently un-tasted.

The Côte Rôtie was from the excellent 1983 vintage. Fill level was good, cork sound with no seepage, although I was unfamiliar with the producer. Decanting avoided to preserve bouquet, it was poured carefully into the glass. Garnet in colour with a nose of mushrooms and delicate forest fruits, the wine was ethereal in structure, the robustness and fire of the Syrah’s youth well behind it. The delicacy and slight perfume may have come from the permitted addition of Viognier, although the actual cepage remained a mystery. It’s tannins had softened to a whisper, and the slightly nervous acidity was all that remained on the finish. Charming, a little fragile and past its best, but it did manage to tell a tale or two.

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