This Week I 'ave been mostly drinking...

Russell Wallace – General Manager - This week I ‘ave been mostly drinking... wines to celebrate a belated vegetarian Mothers day.  It is not that I forgot just that my mum was coming over to visit for a weekend so we decided to postpone the festivities rather than my usual long distance effort.  With both my Mother and Step-Father of the vegetarian persuasion and my better half always more keen on the veggie options I really had no choice but to take the dive myself as well.  What does all this mean for wine, I hear you say?  It means white wine and lots of it.  Billaud Simon Petit Chablis was a starting point for a divine canapé drink; crisp and smooth but still noticeable (by that I mean there is still flavour there) and a great option as something different for those of the New Zealand Sauvignon gang (just do not tell them it is 100% Chardonnay!).  I also had my first try of the sparkling rose variety of our Brazilian agency Casa Valduga.  They have a great range of lower level sparklers made in the Charmat method amongst which is a Chardonnay/Pinot Noir rose called Domno (they also have a non-rose version) that just blew my socks off.  Nice hint of sweetness that is not at all sickly and a depth of flavour that I have only encountered from Cabernet or Malbec based rose before.  The pick of the bunch for me though was the Aigner Gruner Veltliner, in this instance the Weinzierlberg.  Aigner is a legend amongst the very, very select few who know about it. Producing 4 hugely different Gruner Veltliner, I would have thought prior to my love affair with Aigner was not only impossible but utterly pointless!  Alas that is an attitude changed forever.  The weinzierlberg is essentially the lower end of the spectrum and one more generally thought of as a wine for aperitif and light sipping, it is thoroughly zingy and bares more to a new world Sauvignon Blanc than you would ever imagine.  On this occasion we were having my legendary Thai Green Curry and I thought that this slightly more acidic wine would stand up better to the heat, and boy did it.  Naturally with any wine the heat changes the wine dramatically but this is as good a heat wine as I have ever found.

As a quick aside but still on the vegetarian theme, it is often difficult to say the least to find some good quality vegetarian fine dining to treat my folks to.  On Friday night though we found it at Restaurant Martin Wishart, while their A la Carte does not offer vegetarian as standard their 6 course vegetarian tasting menu was a huge success. Having such a high proportion of vegetarianism in our family it always astounds me that it can be so difficult to accommodate for unless you are going for an international cuisine.  Sure most restaurants will cobble something together as an afterthought but when you enter the world of fine dining it is normally just if request it especially.  All I can say to that is well done Martin Wishart, and to any none Vegetarians, give their vegetarian tasting a try.  I have been lucky enough to try both recently and personally the vegetarian tasting menu was by far and away my favourite, and from a dedicated carnivore that is saying something!

Kieran German – Shop Manager - This week I 'ave mostly been drinking Camillo de Lellis Biferno Rosso.

I'm not much of a chef, but as a lifelong pizza-lover I have put considerable time and effort into perfecting traditional Neopolitan pizza. At my house it's thin base and stone-baked all the way. Recently two regular customers, Chicagoans, came into the shop and after some conversation we ended up debating the merits of deep-pan pizza versus Italian style. To cut a long story short, I ended up baking a Chicago-style, and it was a revelation. It is a world away from the bready boxed-up phoneys you find in freezer aisles here in the UK. With thanks to Roberta and Michael, you can find the recipe here should you be so inclined.

 

Anyway, rather than pair the pizza with an American bottle (which nevertheless has its appeal) I went back to the old country and picked out Camillo de Lellis Biferno Rosso. This wine has caused quite a stir amongst customers and colleagues (not to mention web reviews) as being especially good value for such a tasty drop. Predominantly montepulciano, it had good body and depth, showing black forest fruits and a slight chocolatey hint. But moreover, it had a good acidity which picked out the tomato flavours of the pizza while complementing the texture of the mozzarella most refreshingly. I have no doubt this wine has great versatility, and at less than £8 a pop it is worth putting a few on the rack for rainy days. After all, we should all have a stash of good, inexpensive wine for those nights when, after a long day, we can't be bothered cooking and instead just call the pizza delivery.

Dianne Barrie – Company Administrator - This week I ‘ave been mostly drinking white port – Taylor’s Chip Dry to be precise. I’ve never considered myself to be a port drinker, but just recently I discovered white port. This is very different to the usual red port most people recognise; it has more sherry-like characteristics and is much lighter than red port. White port is packed full of fresh fruit flavours, yet it is mellow with hints of warmth from oak barrel ageing (which is just as well since the temperatures here have once again plummeted and snow has returned to Scotland!) Nevertheless, this will be a drink that I will look forward to enjoying once the sun does eventually appear!  Give it a try and see for yourself – I know you won’t be disappointed.

Mark Powrie – Orders Team - This week I ‘ave mostly been drinking……. Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato 2012… As the weather starts to turn bad again, I decided that I would try and keep the good weather going, with this cheeky pink sparkling. This is such an easy drinking sparkling, starting with good bubbles, leading to an explosion of fruit in your mouth, and finishing with a slight tart taste at the end. This sparking is one of those that can be enjoyed on its own, plenty of ice to refresh any palate, or with a starter of scallops or cheesy baked in breadcrumbs. Definitely a summer drink or one to help keep your spirits up.  This sparkling is a steal at £6.13.