The Wine Detective Archives: February 2010
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27 February 2010
For the Love of Port 2007 Vintage Port Forecast – the heads up
In my September Douro Boys’ report here, I wrote about a unique “Time is on my side” tasting of 2007 ports organised by Dirk Niepoort. A tasting gauntlet, it challenged us to taste 60 hours’ worth of 2007 vintage port in 2 hours. To explain, we tasted 15 different ports from the recently released 2007 [...]
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26 February 2010
Sauvignon Blanc de Loire Project – 2009 vintage “ambassadors” announced
For the second year running, I was asked to participate on the Sauvignon Blanc de Loire Project Ambassadors judging panel and the results have just been announced (see the Sopexa press release below).
You can read more about the project here in a piece I wrote for Jancis Robinson’s website last year, but you’ll see it’s [...]
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26 February 2010
St Hallet Old Block Shiraz 2006 – snap up the no. 1 wine – Wine 100 magazine
A quick post so you’re not pipped at the post! I’m part way though writing up my notes of the Australia Trade Tasting of which St Hallet Old Block Shiraz 2006 is a highlight – I’ve extracted my tasting note with alacrity below so you can make a pre-emptive strike.
Reason is I just had an [...]
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25 February 2010
Madeira relief fund
The Specialist Importers Trade Tasting usually provides me with a chance to catch up with Ricardo Diogo V. Freitas, third generation winemaker at Barbeito. He’s a human dynamo and my visit in 2007 (reported here) swiftly dispelled any the notion that Madeira is all pipe and slippers.
Well, you may have guessed that Ricardo didn’t make [...]
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24 February 2010
Won-Dão-ful – Quinta da Falorca, Dão reds
Just posted a regional report (here) with notes from a great tasting, trotting through a range of Quinta da Falorca Dão reds, including some mini-verticals. I’ve not visited them, but their wines were a stand out at a generic Dão tasting I attended last year in July on my 50 Great Portuguese Wines’ quest (reported [...]
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22 February 2010
South African wine sales overtake France
Watching the BAFTAs last night, I’d quite forgotten about District 9 – a gripping, sometimes visceral, South African sci-fi film shot documentary style about aliens stranded in Johannesburg. For some, South Africa overtaking France in wine sales might be as likely as an alien invasion, but it’s true! Here’s an extract from a press release [...]
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20 February 2010
Wine Behind the Label book launch and discounts!
I’m working on a couple of book contributions for the end of the month and have just started contributing to Wine Behind the Label (pictured), to which The Wine Detective readers are entitled to an exclusive 10% discount, also on “Bacchanalian membership,” which brings with it extra privileges, including free cellar software and up [...]
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20 February 2010
Jazzing it up in Jasnières & Coteaux du Loir, Loire Salon 2010 focus
Today I’ve posted my first Loire Regional report (click here) on this year’s Salon (the annual Loire trade fair in Angers), covering the wines of Domaine de Bellivière, Domaine le Briseau, Jean-Pierre Robinot and Domaine les Maison Rouges.
Not heard of them? They all hail from Jasnières & Coteaux du Loir, two once obscure, northerly [...]
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19 February 2010
Fortnums 25% off a case of Fonseca Quinta do Panascal 1998
Just picked up an email from Fortnum & Mason advertising 25% off the case price of, among others, (and this is my star pick), Fonseca Quinta do Panascal 1998.
Here’s my tasting note from a vertical of Fonseca port presented by winemaker David Guimaraens: “robust but ripe tannins beneath its red and black fruits with pronounced [...]
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17 February 2010
Domaine de Pallus – pretty as that picture
Tom Ford’s movie, A Single Man, provoked charges of style over substance from some quarters, prompting me to wonder if they’d prejudged the movie. Sure, directed by the ex-Gucci man it’s a stylishly realised movie, but with a tremendous emotional charge. So what’s this to do with wine? Well this week I tasted two rather [...]