From the beginning of January, ignoring the much claimed and customary resolution for the month, every Wednesday through ‘lockdown’ I’ll present a wine I am tasting, including a little information about the region, the producer, and, of course, the wine. It goes without saying that only delicious wines will make it onto the page!
I will include wines already on our wine list, bottles that I’m sampling to decide whether they should be included on the list, as well as the odd bottle from my own personal collection. You can expect a wide range of styles, regions and methods! I’m trying a number of varying wines each week – only the most thought-provoking of these will make it onto the page.
For these 2 wines there are common threads – lower volume production to ensure highest quality – desire to represent the terroir and grape without major intervention from the winemaker – the intangible understanding of the refinement of the underlying judgement behind them that shows in the bottle.
Week 1
Rioja Crianza ‘A Veredas’, Nestares Eguizábal, Spain 2016 13.5%abv
Probably the best known wine producing region in Spain, Rioja produces wines of a great many styles, particularly now that a number of more modern and diverse approaches are gaining ground with its up and coming winemakers.
Divided into three sub-sections (Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental [formerly Baja]), wines from each area vary in style, influenced directly by their different growing conditions – climate, soil and topography.
Rioja Oriental, the source of the wine tasted today, differs the most, with a hotter Mediterranean climate and very dry summers. The predominant grape for red wines in Rioja is tempranillo, with Garnacha tinta (Grenache), Mazuelo (Cariñena), Graciano and, more recently, Maturana tinta all also permitted in the blend.
The four classifications of red are Rioja, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, all with varying guidelines to their production methods, as well as permissible grape varieties. Crianza wines must age for a minimum of 12 months in oak barrels followed by a minimum of 6 months in bottle before release.
The vineyards for Nestares Eguizábal wines were planted in 1983 on an isolated plateau between Valle de Ocón and Valle de Jubera. 15 years later they began making their own wines with the grapes – tempranillo, the sole grape chosen for all the red wines. The ‘A Veredas’ range of wines are made with minimal winemaker intervention – no clarification, no filtration, no additional sulphites.
A mere 2000 bottles of this red were produced. The 12 months of oak ageing were spent in mixed use barrels – the more uses each barrel has the more delicate the effect it has on the wine meaning that, in this case, the effect of oak was not meant to be a major influence.
To the eye, this wine is a garnet colour, medium in body. The nose is full of red and black fruits (stewed strawberry, raspberry and black cherry), with delicate floral notes and a red apple skin freshness. The palate adds damson, hints of liquorice and white pepper, as well as an underlayer of vanilla. It has refreshing acidity.
I came back to the wine the next day and found delicious savoury notes were more pronounced – meaty bacon, some bitter coffee and a more pronounced violet lift.
A delicious wine (with a beautiful label, not always to be relied upon) – drink on its own, or pair with cured meats, tomato pasta sauces with meat or prawns, or roasted meats with a decent fat content – a simple, nicely caramelised, pork chop with rosemary and garlic, in particular comes to mind.
Week 2
Vouvray ‘Clos Tenau’, Damien Pinon, Loire, France 2015 15%abv
Chenin Blanc is the main permitted grape in the appellation of Vouvray – 5% of Menu Pineau is allowed, but rarely used. Winemaking goes back centuries. Soils are limestone and clay on top of the local Tuffeau – used to build many of the region’s castles and houses; the caves left in the cliff become the most beautiful wine cellars. I’ve visited the stunning caves at Marc Bredif Vouvray.
The area offers difficult conditions for grape ripening – it is the latest harvest in the whole of France (November). Two out of three bottles produced are made as traditional method sparkling wine – there’s high acidity in the grapes even with a late harvest.
Pinon has been operating for 3 generations in Vernou-sur-Brenne, producing still and sparkling Vouvrays. After obtaining the Level 3 High Environmental Value certification, he’s now working on the organic certification process. Average vine age is 30 years. The clay and limestone soils help produce rich, balanced and fruity wines. ‘Clos Tenau’ is made with free run juice – the highest quality juice as it has the least contact with bitter elements in the pips, skins and stems. It is left on the lees for months, intensifying richness and body.
Decant this wine, and don’t serve too cold. Many more interesting characteristics presented themselves as the wine breathed. Acidity and opulence – luxurious lemon-gold colour, rich body and intense nose and palate. On the nose, citrus, pear drop and chamomile, complex on the palate with apple, fresh and stewed, honey and butterscotch. Wonderful flavours that suggest a wine of sweetness, but a beautiful dry finish.
I came back to the wine the next day and it had opened up further – orange zest and waxy notes on the nose, even more caramelised apple on the palate.
Serve this delicious wine with canapés of vegetable crudités and smoked mayonnaise, then a rich lobster bisque starter, followed by Kenneth’s marzipan roast chicken as a main course.
Week 3
Nyetimber ‘1086’ Brut Prestige Cuvée, West Sussex, 2010 12%abv
Sussex produces more wine than any other county in the UK. Soils are dominated by greensand rock and limestone chalk, as found in Champagne – free draining and heat retaining. South-facing slopes give the best exposure to the English sun.
Traditional method sparkling wines are made with still wine, bottled with a small amount of additional yeast and sugar, initiating a second fermentation which gives off CO2 – bubbles! The wine ages in the bottle with the remaining dead yeast (the lees), which increases the deeper flavours in the wine (bread, biscuit, sweet nuttiness, as well as aromatics). The bottle is then disgorged, removing the lees. A dosage of wine and sugar is added and the wine is aged further before release.
Nyetimber’s 568 acres of vineyards are spread across Sussex, Hampshire and Kent. The estate was first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, referred to as Nitimbreha. 900 years later the first vines were planted. The traditional blend of champagne grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
‘1086’ is the flagship wine of the house – all the grapes for the 2010 vintage selected from the best West Sussex vineyards – 45% Chardonnay, 44% Pinot Noir and 11% Pinot Meunier. The wine is aged for at least 5 years on the lees – time spent to balance the traditional English characteristics of acidity, greenness and freshness with depth, texture and nuttiness.
It’s a real treat to taste such a wine. Small production, premium price, I’m expecting something to savour and remember.
A pale lemon colour, the first aromas are of yellow apple, pear and lime, giving way to the most delicate of red fruit notes, dried apricot and pebbles on the finish. Amidst these scents are some richer subtleties – vanilla cream, almond and sweet hazelnut.
On the palate a light mousse and flavours that last and develop endlessly in the mouth – a more zippy Granny Smith apple, crisp nectarine, tangerine, lime and a note of Maraschino, with a zesty grapefruit marmalade bitterness to the finish. Balanced with a subtle nutty undertone, but with fresh fruit flavours undoubtedly the star of the show at the moment.
A wine of balance, texture and length, I’d love the chance to taste it again in 10 years when some more tertiary development has occurred. Doubtlessly, this wine can age and develop for years with such a fountain of acidity running through it.
The wine is a delight. Served as an aperitif it is perfect with Kenneth’s Parmesan shortbread, Seville orange. At the table, it’s calling for a crab salad, grapefruit, rocket and toasted almonds.
The most famous wine producing region in #Hungary, and undoubtedly one of my absolute favourite winelands, #Tokaj is in the north-east, in the foothills of the #Carpathian Mountains. A region known largely for its sweet wines, during the 18th century the wines were drunk in the French court of Louis XIV and became internationally famed as ‘the wine of kings and king of wines’. Cool climate (9-10 degrees C annual average), many vineyards with a south east aspect to make the very most of the ripening summer sun, and, crucially, high levels of humidity that promote the famous #botrytis noble rot.
The small sub-region that today’s wine is from is called Mézes-Mály (‘honey pot’), named due to the characteristics of the wine it tends to produce, and one of only two vineyards classified as the equivalent of 1st growth in the Rakoczi classification of 1700. Wines of Mézes-Mály were said to be ‘the first choice at the Royal table’, ‘destined for the caves of the Emperor.’ The soils of this vineyard are high in volcanic minerals, made up of heat retaining loess, sand and quartz, and south facing.
Predominent grapes of the region are Furmint and Hárslevelü, with Sárga Muskotály and Zéta also planted in small quantities. Zéta is the grape of today’s wine, a cross between Furmint and Bouvier, often characterised by apple and pear orchard fruit flavours.
Styles of the region range from high acidity dry whites (often with a honeyed nose), through Szamorodni (‘as it comes’) which is made with bunches containing both ripe and rotten grapes, to Eszencia which is made with free run juice from hand picked botrytized aszu grapes and vinified up to 800g/l of residual sugar or more. Today’s wine is a late harvest, with grapes picked late in the season to give time for maximum ripening.
István Balassa established his own winery in 2005 and now farms 14 hectares over 11 territories, producing 20-25k bottles per year. Each parcel of wine is vinified and bottled as a single vineyard wine, aiming to reflect the characteristics of that specific plot and the fruit it bears. Any winemaker influence plays second fiddle, second fill oak is the newest used. A forward thinker, in 2018 István planted some Riesling vines, becoming the first producer in the region to experiment with this varietal.
What a treat it is to drink a wine produced in such small amounts – bottle 237 of 701 produced – literally one or two barrels. The expression on the Zéta grape from Mézes-Mály vineyards in 2011! Precise, simple, pure. To me this is just the most inspiring approach to winemaking, and indeed wine drinking.
A deep amber colour, on the nose the wine is bursting with crystalline honey, raisin, dried apricot, cinnamon and apple pie, along with a more delicate waxy note. On the palate, more apple, now muscovado baked, honey, ginger and dried mango, balanced with a depth of vanilla, almond and just a hint of smoke. Lusciously sweet, (188g/l of sugar is an amount to match some of the sweetest aszu wines of the region, so I’m guessing that there are some fully botrytized grapes in here as well as late harvest), but with a crisp acidity balancing the sugar all the way.
It’s amazing, and I’m so very glad a have another case in the cellar! Food pairing? @kennethculhane prepares a dessert of spiced roasted pineapple with chilli salt and coconut sorbet – it would be perfect!
Week 5
Quinta da Leda DOC, Casa Ferreirinha, Douro, Portugal 2016 13.5% abv
The Douro region is associated primarily with Port production, but actually produces just as much table wine as it does fortified wine. The region is sheltered by surrounding mountain ranges, and has a continental climate – very hot summers and very cold winters. White wines of the region tend to be light, crisp, and high in acidity and minerality, and reds, tending to be made with the Port varietals, are usually full bodied with drying tannins, acidity and ability to age. Douro Superior, where today’s wine is from, is the hottest and driest of the subregions, stretching all the way to the Spanish border, and is the source of some of the best wines.
Founded in 1952, Casa Ferreirinha was the first producer in the region dedicated entirely to producing wine, rather than port. The house style is to restrain the Douro’s natural exuberance to produce wines that have freshness, texture and depth.
The 2016 Quinta da Leda is a blend of 50% Touriga Franca, 25% Touriga Nacional and 15% Tinto Cão and 10% Tinta Roriz, aged for 18 months in new and used French oak – 5,250 cases produced.
Quinta da Leda is located in the far eastern part of the Douro Superior, 12 kilometres from the Spanish border.
Wine
Purple rimmed, on the nose this wine has raspberry, blackcurrant and blueberry fruit at the front end, backed with Herbes de Provence, lavender and dried flower perfume along with a stony minerality. On the palate, black cherry is added to the fruit bowl, and as the tannins and acidity grip hold this makes way for vanilla, wood and delicate eucalyptus on the long finish. The balance between the flavours is perfect even at this young age, and the wine will become more complex and layered as time goes on. By no means an extravert, this wine shines due to its elegance and subtlety.
With its marked acidity and tannin I would pair this wine with lamb – a chop, with the fat caramelised, with rosemary, thyme, oregano and garlic would be ideal – grilled fennel and rosemary lamb jus.
Saúde
Week 6
Madeleine, Stanlake Park Wine Estate, Twyford, Berkshire 2019 11.5%abv
Berkshire may be one of the lesser known regions for wine production in the UK, but there are, in fact, more than 10 commercial vineyards in the county.
Stanlake Park is an ancient estate near Twyford. In 1979 a trial plot of 500 vines was planted on the estate – this has now increased to 10,000 vines over more than 15 acres.
A large number of grape varieties are grown – including Bacchus, Schönburger, Madeleine Angevine, Seyval blanc, Triomphe d’Alsace, Gewürztraminer, Ortega, #Dornfelder, and the classic Champagne varieties Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and #Chardonnay.
Soils are made up of nutrient retaining clay, loam and free draining sand – grapes are hand harvested from the beginning of October. The winemaker (Nico Centonze) focuses on producing wines that display freshness, drinkability, and England’s trademark – acidity.
Labels are painted by Benedict Butterworth
Stanlake Park kindly sent over a selection of their wines to try – we enjoyed the reds on a cold evening just before Christmas, and today I have tried ‘Madeleine’, made from the Madeleine Angevine varietal – a grape I have often enjoyed and found to be delightfully atypical of the usual style of English wines which are often high acidity, green-fruit focussed. Elegantly pale, intense pear drop is the first aroma, with elderflower, fresh herbs such as tarragon and dill, a hint of lychee and wet stone minerality. On the palate there is most definitely some fresh acidity – Granny Smith apple, more pear drop, and zesty red grapefruit at the wonderfully long finish. These crisp flavours are balanced with a flowery and delicately herbaceous quality.
It’s a lovely wine – a wine to drink young, to be enjoyed at lunchtime on a warm spring day. Hopefully that time will be here soon – the first signs on display in these photos. I’d serve it with Waldorf salad – apple, celery and walnut with a rich and zesty mayonnaise dressing.
Cheers!
Week 7
Aglianico del Vulture ‘Vignali’, Cantina di Venosa, Basilicata, Italy 2018 14%abv
In southern Italy, with its eastern partner being Puglia and to the north west Campania, the wine producing region of Basilicata is one of the country’s best kept secrets, with prices to match.
Vines grow on the slopes of the extinct volcano Monte Vulture, absorbing precious volcanic minerals for exceptional vine health as well as adding fine complexity to the finished wines.
Aglianico is a late ripening grape, similar to Grenache/Garnacha. Moderate to warm climate conditions are vital for the grapes to achieve perfect ripeness and sugar-acid balance.
Cantina di Venosa is a collective, founded in 1957 by 27 members. Nowadays the association has 350 members with about 900 hectares of vineyards, most of which are in the Venosa Commune.
The wine is medium ruby in colour. The nose speaks volumes on all fronts with pronounced cranberry, red cherry, liquorice, star anise, a touch of vanilla, raw potato skin (associated with soil/minerality) and sweet spices. On the palate, medium body and fine integration of tannins. Red fruits dominate with pungent spice leading all the way to a long finish. Low acidity makes for easy sociable drinking – the wine is a perfect companion for charcuterie/antipasti, light red meat dishes or a signature Italian pasta. Drink now or within the next 2-4 years. Priced less than £15 – a wine for all to enjoy!
Winemaking in Croatia is centred mainly in the coastal area, with 130 indigenous varieties flourishing on the mainland and on the many small coastal islands. Today’s wine is from the island of Hvar, off the coast towards the south of Croatia, just north of Dubrovnik. The island has a proud history of wine making, dating back to the ancient Greeks when they first planted their vines in 384 BC. The island is famous for its fabulous climate and unforgettable lavender fields.
Jo Ahearne has been making wine on Hvar since 2014. She saw huge potential in Hvar’s top vineyard sites and moved there full-time in 2016. Hvar itself has a number of varieties which only grow on the island. Jo shines a light on Hvar’s potential by using these local grape varieties and employing low-intervention winemaking.
The use of skin contact in winemaking is a practice often used in Croatia, particularly in the northern region of Istria with the indigenous grape Malvazija Istarska. Skin contact (or orange) wines are made without removing the skins of white grapes as they normally would be. The skins contain colour pigments, phenols and tannins that may normally be considered undesirable for white wines, and as such have a marked impact on flavour as well as appearance. Each variety in today’s wine was fermented using the wild yeasts found naturally occurring on the vines, with skin contact of between 10 and 340 days. Each parcel underwent natural malolactic fermentation and a small portion was kept on its lees for 21 months to increase richness.
As expected, there is a delicate orange hue to the wine. The nose is like an orchard itself, with ripe, almost fermented, fruits, fennel and confected anise, Mediterranean herbs, and a balancing savoury hint of proving bread and Manzanilla sherry. On the palate there is acidity, more of those soft late season orchard fruits, honey, some buttery notes and just a hint of the salty ocean breeze.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed tasting this wine, and can imagine drinking it as the sun sets where it was made (if only!) with salty olives, cured meats and breads, or at the table with miso roast salmon.
For us, every season has its own magic. Here at The Dysart Petersham, the subtle shifts in sunlight, shadow, and sky arrive quietly, only to mature suddenly. These changes bring …
This is the second in our series on living thoughtfully, responsibly, well — the principles that guide life and work at The Dysart Petersham. They shape how we think, what …
Over the rest of this year and over the Winter months we are planning a series of articles about the importance we attach to our values, summed up as ‘living …
The Dysart Petersham Wednesday Wine Tasting Notes
From the beginning of January, ignoring the much claimed and customary resolution for the month, every Wednesday through ‘lockdown’ I’ll present a wine I am tasting, including a little information about the region, the producer, and, of course, the wine. It goes without saying that only delicious wines will make it onto the page!
I will include wines already on our wine list, bottles that I’m sampling to decide whether they should be included on the list, as well as the odd bottle from my own personal collection. You can expect a wide range of styles, regions and methods! I’m trying a number of varying wines each week – only the most thought-provoking of these will make it onto the page.
For these 2 wines there are common threads – lower volume production to ensure highest quality – desire to represent the terroir and grape without major intervention from the winemaker – the intangible understanding of the refinement of the underlying judgement behind them that shows in the bottle.
Week 1
Rioja Crianza ‘A Veredas’, Nestares Eguizábal, Spain 2016 13.5%abv
Probably the best known wine producing region in Spain, Rioja produces wines of a great many styles, particularly now that a number of more modern and diverse approaches are gaining ground with its up and coming winemakers.
Divided into three sub-sections (Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental [formerly Baja]), wines from each area vary in style, influenced directly by their different growing conditions – climate, soil and topography.
Rioja Oriental, the source of the wine tasted today, differs the most, with a hotter Mediterranean climate and very dry summers. The predominant grape for red wines in Rioja is tempranillo, with Garnacha tinta (Grenache), Mazuelo (Cariñena), Graciano and, more recently, Maturana tinta all also permitted in the blend.
The four classifications of red are Rioja, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, all with varying guidelines to their production methods, as well as permissible grape varieties. Crianza wines must age for a minimum of 12 months in oak barrels followed by a minimum of 6 months in bottle before release.
The vineyards for Nestares Eguizábal wines were planted in 1983 on an isolated plateau between Valle de Ocón and Valle de Jubera. 15 years later they began making their own wines with the grapes – tempranillo, the sole grape chosen for all the red wines. The ‘A Veredas’ range of wines are made with minimal winemaker intervention – no clarification, no filtration, no additional sulphites.
A mere 2000 bottles of this red were produced. The 12 months of oak ageing were spent in mixed use barrels – the more uses each barrel has the more delicate the effect it has on the wine meaning that, in this case, the effect of oak was not meant to be a major influence.
To the eye, this wine is a garnet colour, medium in body. The nose is full of red and black fruits (stewed strawberry, raspberry and black cherry), with delicate floral notes and a red apple skin freshness. The palate adds damson, hints of liquorice and white pepper, as well as an underlayer of vanilla. It has refreshing acidity.
I came back to the wine the next day and found delicious savoury notes were more pronounced – meaty bacon, some bitter coffee and a more pronounced violet lift.
A delicious wine (with a beautiful label, not always to be relied upon) – drink on its own, or pair with cured meats, tomato pasta sauces with meat or prawns, or roasted meats with a decent fat content – a simple, nicely caramelised, pork chop with rosemary and garlic, in particular comes to mind.
Week 2
Vouvray ‘Clos Tenau’, Damien Pinon, Loire, France 2015 15%abv
Chenin Blanc is the main permitted grape in the appellation of Vouvray – 5% of Menu Pineau is allowed, but rarely used. Winemaking goes back centuries. Soils are limestone and clay on top of the local Tuffeau – used to build many of the region’s castles and houses; the caves left in the cliff become the most beautiful wine cellars. I’ve visited the stunning caves at Marc Bredif Vouvray.
The area offers difficult conditions for grape ripening – it is the latest harvest in the whole of France (November). Two out of three bottles produced are made as traditional method sparkling wine – there’s high acidity in the grapes even with a late harvest.
Pinon has been operating for 3 generations in Vernou-sur-Brenne, producing still and sparkling Vouvrays. After obtaining the Level 3 High Environmental Value certification, he’s now working on the organic certification process. Average vine age is 30 years. The clay and limestone soils help produce rich, balanced and fruity wines. ‘Clos Tenau’ is made with free run juice – the highest quality juice as it has the least contact with bitter elements in the pips, skins and stems. It is left on the lees for months, intensifying richness and body.
Decant this wine, and don’t serve too cold. Many more interesting characteristics presented themselves as the wine breathed. Acidity and opulence – luxurious lemon-gold colour, rich body and intense nose and palate. On the nose, citrus, pear drop and chamomile, complex on the palate with apple, fresh and stewed, honey and butterscotch. Wonderful flavours that suggest a wine of sweetness, but a beautiful dry finish.
I came back to the wine the next day and it had opened up further – orange zest and waxy notes on the nose, even more caramelised apple on the palate.
Serve this delicious wine with canapés of vegetable crudités and smoked mayonnaise, then a rich lobster bisque starter, followed by Kenneth’s marzipan roast chicken as a main course.
Week 3
Nyetimber ‘1086’ Brut Prestige Cuvée, West Sussex, 2010 12%abv
Sussex produces more wine than any other county in the UK. Soils are dominated by greensand rock and limestone chalk, as found in Champagne – free draining and heat retaining. South-facing slopes give the best exposure to the English sun.
Traditional method sparkling wines are made with still wine, bottled with a small amount of additional yeast and sugar, initiating a second fermentation which gives off CO2 – bubbles! The wine ages in the bottle with the remaining dead yeast (the lees), which increases the deeper flavours in the wine (bread, biscuit, sweet nuttiness, as well as aromatics). The bottle is then disgorged, removing the lees. A dosage of wine and sugar is added and the wine is aged further before release.
Nyetimber’s 568 acres of vineyards are spread across Sussex, Hampshire and Kent. The estate was first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, referred to as Nitimbreha. 900 years later the first vines were planted. The traditional blend of champagne grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
‘1086’ is the flagship wine of the house – all the grapes for the 2010 vintage selected from the best West Sussex vineyards – 45% Chardonnay, 44% Pinot Noir and 11% Pinot Meunier. The wine is aged for at least 5 years on the lees – time spent to balance the traditional English characteristics of acidity, greenness and freshness with depth, texture and nuttiness.
It’s a real treat to taste such a wine. Small production, premium price, I’m expecting something to savour and remember.
A pale lemon colour, the first aromas are of yellow apple, pear and lime, giving way to the most delicate of red fruit notes, dried apricot and pebbles on the finish. Amidst these scents are some richer subtleties – vanilla cream, almond and sweet hazelnut.
On the palate a light mousse and flavours that last and develop endlessly in the mouth – a more zippy Granny Smith apple, crisp nectarine, tangerine, lime and a note of Maraschino, with a zesty grapefruit marmalade bitterness to the finish. Balanced with a subtle nutty undertone, but with fresh fruit flavours undoubtedly the star of the show at the moment.
A wine of balance, texture and length, I’d love the chance to taste it again in 10 years when some more tertiary development has occurred. Doubtlessly, this wine can age and develop for years with such a fountain of acidity running through it.
The wine is a delight. Served as an aperitif it is perfect with Kenneth’s Parmesan shortbread, Seville orange. At the table, it’s calling for a crab salad, grapefruit, rocket and toasted almonds.
Week 4
Zéta, Balassa, Mézes-Mály, Tokaj, Hungary 2011 9.5%abv
Bottle 237 of 701
The most famous wine producing region in #Hungary, and undoubtedly one of my absolute favourite winelands, #Tokaj is in the north-east, in the foothills of the #Carpathian Mountains. A region known largely for its sweet wines, during the 18th century the wines were drunk in the French court of Louis XIV and became internationally famed as ‘the wine of kings and king of wines’. Cool climate (9-10 degrees C annual average), many vineyards with a south east aspect to make the very most of the ripening summer sun, and, crucially, high levels of humidity that promote the famous #botrytis noble rot.
The small sub-region that today’s wine is from is called Mézes-Mály (‘honey pot’), named due to the characteristics of the wine it tends to produce, and one of only two vineyards classified as the equivalent of 1st growth in the Rakoczi classification of 1700. Wines of Mézes-Mály were said to be ‘the first choice at the Royal table’, ‘destined for the caves of the Emperor.’ The soils of this vineyard are high in volcanic minerals, made up of heat retaining loess, sand and quartz, and south facing.
Predominent grapes of the region are Furmint and Hárslevelü, with Sárga Muskotály and Zéta also planted in small quantities. Zéta is the grape of today’s wine, a cross between Furmint and Bouvier, often characterised by apple and pear orchard fruit flavours.
Styles of the region range from high acidity dry whites (often with a honeyed nose), through Szamorodni (‘as it comes’) which is made with bunches containing both ripe and rotten grapes, to Eszencia which is made with free run juice from hand picked botrytized aszu grapes and vinified up to 800g/l of residual sugar or more. Today’s wine is a late harvest, with grapes picked late in the season to give time for maximum ripening.
István Balassa established his own winery in 2005 and now farms 14 hectares over 11 territories, producing 20-25k bottles per year. Each parcel of wine is vinified and bottled as a single vineyard wine, aiming to reflect the characteristics of that specific plot and the fruit it bears. Any winemaker influence plays second fiddle, second fill oak is the newest used. A forward thinker, in 2018 István planted some Riesling vines, becoming the first producer in the region to experiment with this varietal.
What a treat it is to drink a wine produced in such small amounts – bottle 237 of 701 produced – literally one or two barrels. The expression on the Zéta grape from Mézes-Mály vineyards in 2011! Precise, simple, pure. To me this is just the most inspiring approach to winemaking, and indeed wine drinking.
A deep amber colour, on the nose the wine is bursting with crystalline honey, raisin, dried apricot, cinnamon and apple pie, along with a more delicate waxy note. On the palate, more apple, now muscovado baked, honey, ginger and dried mango, balanced with a depth of vanilla, almond and just a hint of smoke. Lusciously sweet, (188g/l of sugar is an amount to match some of the sweetest aszu wines of the region, so I’m guessing that there are some fully botrytized grapes in here as well as late harvest), but with a crisp acidity balancing the sugar all the way.
It’s amazing, and I’m so very glad a have another case in the cellar! Food pairing? @kennethculhane prepares a dessert of spiced roasted pineapple with chilli salt and coconut sorbet – it would be perfect!
Week 5
Quinta da Leda DOC, Casa Ferreirinha, Douro, Portugal 2016 13.5% abv
The Douro region is associated primarily with Port production, but actually produces just as much table wine as it does fortified wine. The region is sheltered by surrounding mountain ranges, and has a continental climate – very hot summers and very cold winters. White wines of the region tend to be light, crisp, and high in acidity and minerality, and reds, tending to be made with the Port varietals, are usually full bodied with drying tannins, acidity and ability to age. Douro Superior, where today’s wine is from, is the hottest and driest of the subregions, stretching all the way to the Spanish border, and is the source of some of the best wines.
Founded in 1952, Casa Ferreirinha was the first producer in the region dedicated entirely to producing wine, rather than port. The house style is to restrain the Douro’s natural exuberance to produce wines that have freshness, texture and depth.
The 2016 Quinta da Leda is a blend of 50% Touriga Franca, 25% Touriga Nacional and 15% Tinto Cão and 10% Tinta Roriz, aged for 18 months in new and used French oak – 5,250 cases produced.
Quinta da Leda is located in the far eastern part of the Douro Superior, 12 kilometres from the Spanish border.
Wine
Purple rimmed, on the nose this wine has raspberry, blackcurrant and blueberry fruit at the front end, backed with Herbes de Provence, lavender and dried flower perfume along with a stony minerality. On the palate, black cherry is added to the fruit bowl, and as the tannins and acidity grip hold this makes way for vanilla, wood and delicate eucalyptus on the long finish. The balance between the flavours is perfect even at this young age, and the wine will become more complex and layered as time goes on. By no means an extravert, this wine shines due to its elegance and subtlety.
With its marked acidity and tannin I would pair this wine with lamb – a chop, with the fat caramelised, with rosemary, thyme, oregano and garlic would be ideal – grilled fennel and rosemary lamb jus.
Saúde
Week 6
Madeleine, Stanlake Park Wine Estate, Twyford, Berkshire 2019 11.5%abv
Berkshire may be one of the lesser known regions for wine production in the UK, but there are, in fact, more than 10 commercial vineyards in the county.
Stanlake Park is an ancient estate near Twyford. In 1979 a trial plot of 500 vines was planted on the estate – this has now increased to 10,000 vines over more than 15 acres.
A large number of grape varieties are grown – including Bacchus, Schönburger, Madeleine Angevine, Seyval blanc, Triomphe d’Alsace, Gewürztraminer, Ortega, #Dornfelder, and the classic Champagne varieties Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and #Chardonnay.
Soils are made up of nutrient retaining clay, loam and free draining sand – grapes are hand harvested from the beginning of October. The winemaker (Nico Centonze) focuses on producing wines that display freshness, drinkability, and England’s trademark – acidity.
Labels are painted by Benedict Butterworth
Stanlake Park kindly sent over a selection of their wines to try – we enjoyed the reds on a cold evening just before Christmas, and today I have tried ‘Madeleine’, made from the Madeleine Angevine varietal – a grape I have often enjoyed and found to be delightfully atypical of the usual style of English wines which are often high acidity, green-fruit focussed. Elegantly pale, intense pear drop is the first aroma, with elderflower, fresh herbs such as tarragon and dill, a hint of lychee and wet stone minerality. On the palate there is most definitely some fresh acidity – Granny Smith apple, more pear drop, and zesty red grapefruit at the wonderfully long finish. These crisp flavours are balanced with a flowery and delicately herbaceous quality.
It’s a lovely wine – a wine to drink young, to be enjoyed at lunchtime on a warm spring day. Hopefully that time will be here soon – the first signs on display in these photos. I’d serve it with Waldorf salad – apple, celery and walnut with a rich and zesty mayonnaise dressing.
Cheers!
Week 7
Aglianico del Vulture ‘Vignali’, Cantina di Venosa, Basilicata, Italy 2018 14%abv
In southern Italy, with its eastern partner being Puglia and to the north west Campania, the wine producing region of Basilicata is one of the country’s best kept secrets, with prices to match.
Vines grow on the slopes of the extinct volcano Monte Vulture, absorbing precious volcanic minerals for exceptional vine health as well as adding fine complexity to the finished wines.
Aglianico is a late ripening grape, similar to Grenache/Garnacha. Moderate to warm climate conditions are vital for the grapes to achieve perfect ripeness and sugar-acid balance.
Cantina di Venosa is a collective, founded in 1957 by 27 members. Nowadays the association has 350 members with about 900 hectares of vineyards, most of which are in the Venosa Commune.
The wine is medium ruby in colour. The nose speaks volumes on all fronts with pronounced cranberry, red cherry, liquorice, star anise, a touch of vanilla, raw potato skin (associated with soil/minerality) and sweet spices.
On the palate, medium body and fine integration of tannins. Red fruits dominate with pungent spice leading all the way to a long finish. Low acidity makes for easy sociable drinking – the wine is a perfect companion for charcuterie/antipasti, light red meat dishes or a signature Italian pasta.
Drink now or within the next 2-4 years.
Priced less than £15 – a wine for all to enjoy!
Cin-Cin!
Week 8
`Wild Skins,` Ahearne Vino, Hvar, Croatia 2017 12%abv
40% Bogdanuša (given by God)
40% Kuc
20% Pošip
Winemaking in Croatia is centred mainly in the coastal area, with 130 indigenous varieties flourishing on the mainland and on the many small coastal islands. Today’s wine is from the island of Hvar, off the coast towards the south of Croatia, just north of Dubrovnik. The island has a proud history of wine making, dating back to the ancient Greeks when they first planted their vines in 384 BC. The island is famous for its fabulous climate and unforgettable lavender fields.
Jo Ahearne has been making wine on Hvar since 2014. She saw huge potential in Hvar’s top vineyard sites and moved there full-time in 2016. Hvar itself has a number of varieties which only grow on the island. Jo shines a light on Hvar’s potential by using these local grape varieties and employing low-intervention winemaking.
The use of skin contact in winemaking is a practice often used in Croatia, particularly in the northern region of Istria with the indigenous grape Malvazija Istarska. Skin contact (or orange) wines are made without removing the skins of white grapes as they normally would be. The skins contain colour pigments, phenols and tannins that may normally be considered undesirable for white wines, and as such have a marked impact on flavour as well as appearance. Each variety in today’s wine was fermented using the wild yeasts found naturally occurring on the vines, with skin contact of between 10 and 340 days. Each parcel underwent natural malolactic fermentation and a small portion was kept on its lees for 21 months to increase richness.
As expected, there is a delicate orange hue to the wine. The nose is like an orchard itself, with ripe, almost fermented, fruits, fennel and confected anise, Mediterranean herbs, and a balancing savoury hint of proving bread and Manzanilla sherry. On the palate there is acidity, more of those soft late season orchard fruits, honey, some buttery notes and just a hint of the salty ocean breeze.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed tasting this wine, and can imagine drinking it as the sun sets where it was made (if only!) with salty olives, cured meats and breads, or at the table with miso roast salmon.
Živjeli
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related articles
Celebrating Autumn: Seasonal Dishes, Garden Harvest & Celtic Culinary Traditions
For us, every season has its own magic. Here at The Dysart Petersham, the subtle shifts in sunlight, shadow, and sky arrive quietly, only to mature suddenly. These changes bring …
From Earth to Plate: Putting Our Principles of Living Thoughtfully, Responsibly, Well into Practice
This is the second in our series on living thoughtfully, responsibly, well — the principles that guide life and work at The Dysart Petersham. They shape how we think, what …
REFLECTIONS ON OUR VALUES OF ‘LIVING THOUGHTFULLY, RESPONSIBLY’, WELL PUTTING THEM INTO PRACTICE
Over the rest of this year and over the Winter months we are planning a series of articles about the importance we attach to our values, summed up as ‘living …