Yecla DO. A little Spanish gem.

Spain is such an exciting place for wine because there’s so much to discover, rather like Italy. I rarely buy Spanish wine in London because I’m lucky enough to spend a lot of time in Spain so I tend to keep it for those moments. Also psychologically, it’s just too traumatic having to spend ten quid on wines that cost about 3 over there.

            That should be qualified; I don’t buy Rioja or Ribero Del Duero over here. Also I think it’s more than just money, it’s association. It’s context. So much time and pleasure eating and drinking Spanish food and Spanish wine in authentic southern Spain, has institutionalized me to the tastes and the unique atmosphere. I do feel sorry; in a rather smug, self-satisfied yet also immensely grateful way too, of course, for those saps spending a fortune in London “tapas” bars. You wouldn’t catch me in there. Anyway enough of that self-indulgent reflection. The point is; when I see a rarer Spanish red, for a reasonable price, I’ll sometimes give it a go, as with the wine in question for this article. In the mountains of Murcia, in south-eastern Spain - a place that is probably described in guide books as wild, romantic and unforgiving - is the town of Yecla, which give the wine its name. I’ve known about these wines for a while now though they’re not seen a huge amount. The one I picked was made from a grape that the Spanish call Monastrell. The French call it Mourvèdre. It likes heat and is most often used as a blend. When you see it, I’d suggest going for it. It’s rather unique and one of Spain's little known specialities as its rarely done as a principal grape elsewhere. This fellow was only 8 pounds from M and S or 'S and M' as the 50 shades of Grey generation call it in an attempt to be post-modern. A bargain. Lovely red fruits and some plum flavours too, with spice and plenty of alcohol and acidity for your Sunday roast, yet rather soft and restrained at the same time. Utterly food friendly wine, we had with roast chicken, they suggest curry or Barbeque. Just make sure you eat something with it as it has 14.5 % alcohol.

Madiran - A feisty dark horse...

What’s your favourite wine? Impossible to answer right? Like favourite song, favourite film, favourite place etc. The agony of choice. A modern problem for us privileged ones.

            Anyway, what do you know of Madiran? Not much perhaps, not particularly well known but for those who do know it, make it, drink it etc., there is a great deal of enthusiasm.

            In south-west France about 2 hours inland of Biarritz is the village of Madiran. The small appellation of Madiran is around 70 years old but they’ve been making wine here since Roman times. I’ve never been there but I’m told it’s beautiful.  And the climate seems rather delicious, nice and warm but tempered by the winds and moisture of the Atlantic and so not as uncomfortably warm in mid-summer as, say the Rhone Valley.

            Now, why Madiran? Like a lot of wine preferences, I think it’s one particular experience that creates that love, that loyalty. More of that later.  It’s also of a style that suits my palate. Quite dry and tannic. Plummy with red and black fruits and a bit of spice. The predominant grape is called Tannat which, of course hints at its style. Traditionally, long maturation and ageing was required for the wine to soften sufficiently but modern techniques enable it to be drunk much younger though the best wines still have a bit of age. It’s relatively unique too in its style. I also like an underdog. Wines appellations like Madiran have to work quite hard to survive.

            So, the experience in question. In 2012, working in Nicolas the French wine merchant I began to discover some lesser known wine regions of France. We had two bottles of a Madiran, 2006. No more of that vintage were available, so I bought one and unusually for me I kept it.  Well a friend of mine kept it as I moved house later that year and left a bag at his place. Luckily. The following year, a Sunday afternoon in late winter, myself and another good mate got together at said friend’s place for a boozy lunch. Amongst much wine, was downed a bottle of Jurançon sec i.e. dry, funnily enough from the same part of France with razor clams but the highlight was the Madiran with a venison stew. One of those moments we occasionally enjoy where everything fits into place.  The company, the context, the food and the wine. Those moments are rare, that’s probably why I remember it all so well.

            Since that moment I’ve been a great fan of Madiran. Why write about it 4 years later? Well I found some Madiran recently in M & S. Not the best one you might find, but good value, subtle and worth a go. That’s the thing about wine. It’s all personal. I can’t guarantee you’ll enjoy Madiran as much as me, but I guarantee it’s worth investigating if you like dry, food friendly reds. And you’ll be helping an underdog too.

Viva L'Espanya

       

It never fails to amaze me, the power of a brand. It’s ability to stay in peoples’ heads. Or maybe I’m giving to much credit to the brand, maybe people just don’t make enough of an effort to discover other brands. The brand I’m referring to is Rioja wine. Not technically a brand perhaps but the purposes of my debate I’ll refer to it as that.

            Surely one of the world’s best known wine regions, no wine producing country has such a solely dominant name as Rioja. France has Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Loire etc. Italy has Chianti, Barolo and so on (not regions of course but my point is recognizable ‘brands’.  People don’t necessarily see wine in specific terms, i.e., a region, a sub-region, a denomination, they see it in terms of names.

            Now, Spain makes a lot of wine but how much could the average wine drinker on the street name? Cava? Sherry(at a push)? And possibly for the aficionado, Ribero Del Duero?

            I’m lucky enough to spend a fair amount of time in Spain and when I go I always buy more Ribero than Rioja. Not to say that it’s better, but I have a soft spot for it. Ribero is to a certain degree, the new kid in Town (though the Vega Sicilia DO has been making fine wines that rival Rioja’s greatest for a long, long time).  The Duero river is in fact the same Douro river that runs through Portugal where they make Port and it is similarly rugged and harsh in climate. On a high plateau in northern central Spain near the city of Valladolid (trying saying that a few too many glasses of Tinto), extreme temperatures and altitude give a shorter growing season than Rioja but these extremes, of course, help to shape the character of the wine. The good news for you Rioja fans is that the grapes are the same; well almost, Tempranillo as it’s widely known, the main grape of Rioja, Tinta del Pais in Ribero. It’s a variant that has adapted to the local conditions. Essentially, Ribero wines are perhaps a bit more robust, a bit more muscular, a bit more intense than their cousins from Rioja.

            In other words, there’s a place for both. I love Rioja too, nothing beats the soft, velvety finish of a Gran Reserva. Ultimately like everything it comes down to personal taste. The Spain (Andalucía) I know is closer to Ribero in character. Hot, extreme, intense and yet somehow also romantic. Maybe that’s all it is. Anyway, if Ribero is unknown to you, go out and get some and decide for yourself.

A few words on the Rainbow Warrior, Joost Van Der Westhuizen.

June 1995. Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa. The year Rugby went from black and white to colour. South Africa win the World Cup against the odds, beating the mighty All Blacks in front of Nelson Mandela and in front of the world.  They hadn’t even been allowed to participate in the first two world cups because of Apartheid. The images of Mandela in the South African shirt after victory have gone down in history. Joost Van Der Westhuizen was one of the reasons they did so. The greatest scrum of his generation and possibly of all time. Certainly one of the greatest rugby players of all time. An athletic, skilful warrior with movie star looks, some people are just born luckier than others it seems. He continued to inspire millions (and terrorize opposition fans) as a Rugby player till his retirement in 2003. In 2011, at the age of 38, however, his luck ran out. He was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease, cruel for anyone but for a professional rugby player it must have been almost overwhelming for him to take, as he gradually faded away physically and lost the power of speech. But his notorious bravery as a rugby player served him well. Rather than saying “why me”, he said “why not me” and made it his new purpose to serve the world as an ambassador in the combat against MND. He once said in an interview that time and health are two things we take for granted that we shouldn’t. When he lost those things, he said he lost his ego and arrogance and he was determined to stay around for as long as he could to make a difference. He managed five years; significantly more than doctors expected. Joost Van Der Westhuizen was an inspirational sportsman and arguably even more inspirational in his fight and contribution to increasing awareness of a cruel and humiliating disease. I wish I’d met him.

RIP Bro’ in my best South African accent.

Carling Drinkers, Look Away Now

Dry January anyone? Knowing my limits, I’ll pass.  Also, like any other fad, my particular individualist nature prevents me from joining in. Furthermore, people doing ‘dry January’ tend to remind me of joggers in the rain. The same look of bitterness and resentment. Nevertheless, I admire anyone with the willpower to do it. Hats off. “Chapeau” as they say in France. I need to build myself up slowly to such an undertaking. As for jogging, well perhaps in another life.

            So, despite my inability to make my body a temple, I’m trying to stick to beer at the moment and there’s such a plethora now that beer has become trendy, that it’s rather fun discovering. I can’t pretend to take it all too seriously, beer will never have the same interest or fascination as say wine does for me. I love beer but the technicalities, well I’ll leave that to the hipsters and beer producers.

            Craft beers are all the rage of course. IPA’s, American Pale Ales, White ones, Dark ones etc. but I’ve noticed some more Pilsners are appearing again too on the high street, perhaps in a need to remind us how good, good Pilsner is. I’ve written about Furstenberg in the past, the Bavarian Black Forest Pilsner. Another is Paulaner, also Bavarian, from Munich. Münchner Hell, they call it. I have no idea what that means, but the unfortunate misnomer shouldn’t put you off. This beer is a close to heaven as you can get. Clearly the principle of good ingredients, passion, knowledge and skill make all the difference. You can taste the “craft”.  Pure, clean and flavoursome to a degree, couldn’t tell you what flavours, I don’t really care, my guess would be citrusy but utterly divine and good value from Majestic too. Drink this and you may never be able to drink a can or bottle of mass produced lager again.

Pilsner is about refreshment, palate cleansing, thirst quenching and/or as an aperitif. The ales are more complex, more intense, more hoppy and more flavoursome. Therefore, more suited to food, if you’re bothered or trying to avoid wine. I still drink them on their own but they’ll complement curries; Indian, Thai, Malaysian etc., Mexican, Tapas, Burgers, lots of various things. But this isn’t a food blog. Good beer doesn’t really need an accompaniment I don’t think.

Two others I discovered are Tribute Cornish Pale Ale and St. Peters Golden Ale from Suffolk. Both superb and both easy to find. Cornwall produces a few decent beers these days. Tribute like many is family owned with the history, the tradition and of course the excellent and local natural ingredients. Get all those in place and you’ve got a superb beer. Plenty of flavour but not too intense or hoppy as some pale ales can be. Highly recommended. Not too alcoholic either only 4.2 % so a more modern style. The high alcohol element of pale ales was traditionally a necessity to keep them fresh on the long sea journey but that’s no longer an issue.

St. Peter’s is more old school in style and in terms of the bottle, a delightful old fashioned type of design and without the hoppyness of the pale ales. A rich amber colour, relatively strong flavour but fresh too on the palate. For me, all beer, needs to have the element of refreshment, otherwise what’s the point, even in Britain in winter. The delicate freshness counterbalances the richness of the flavour. The water is drawn from deep wells in deepest Suffolk and the purity as with the Pilsner comes through. They’ve been doing it for 700 years so they obviously know their onions. A nice traditional feel but with a lightness that suits our modern sensitive palates. Nicely done.

So, if you’re avoiding dry January, check these lads out, you won’t regret it.

Austria-A christmas dark horse.

Got your Christmas wines yet? It may depend on your Christmas lunch but regardless it’s time to think about Austria if you some want some interesting food friendly reds that are just a little different. This article was inspired by one particular red I enjoyed recently but there are plenty of gems to be had. Austria is perhaps better known, certainly among Sommeliers and other dedicated followers for its white wines and for good reason. Riesling and particularly the native Grüner Veltliner- both of which are highly recommended -. Grüner’s inspiration or barometer would seem to be Burgundy but that may be an insult to Austrians. As a comparative region I do think it works in any case; going from more mineral driven whites to richer oakier styles. One general characteristic tends to be a white pepper quality adding to its suitability with food but there are plenty with the freshness to be a good aperitif as well.

         But I’m here to talk about reds as 'tis the season for red wine. Austria shares obvious similarities to Germany but reds in particular tend to be fuller and more intense and in my opinion more interesting than German wines, not to take anything away from them. The wine I tasted recently made from the Blaufrankisch grape was tremendous; a spicy nose with black fruits, a deep intense colour with good tannins, good acidity and smooth on the palate. Perfect with game, or any dark meat really. And most importantly not like anything else you might try. That’s the real fun.  Austria is worth discovering for that reason. Like Portugal it tends to use its own grapes, particularly with reds. They do good Pinot Noir, Spätburgunder as they call it, but the natives should keep you busy. St. Laurent, Zweigelt and Blaufrankisch are a good start. As a general rule, St. Laurent tend to be pretty full bodied, Zweigelt a little more towards the finesse but discover for yourself, if you can, you won’t be disappointed.

            In fact, you could match your entire Christmas dinner with Austrian wines as they also do fantastic sweet wines in Austria. Look for ones from Burgenland, excellent sticky and golden, very much in the mould of a Sauterne but with their own character, just like the whites and reds. In these days of generic blandness that’s no bad thing.

“Fröhliche Weinachten” as they say in Vienna!

Some Christmas beer suggestions...

Beer, I wonder who invented beer?

          I’ve always liked beer but when younger I think I always liked the idea of a beer as much if not more than the reality. Particularly American beer. They always made it look more glamourous; well to me at least in the late 80’s. This was before the days of hipsters and craft beers. The craft beer movement in Britain is young, having been started off by brewers in the USA in the 1970’s who I guess were a bit fed up of the mass production and blandification of beer,  it eventually found its way over here. The US like Britain has a strong brewing culture and thankfully someone decided to re-ignite that culture. The consequence is that in Britain the options and quality and excitement of beer have been completely revolutionized in the last ten years.

            Twenty years ago, it was American/New world bottled beers that dominated, well for people like me anyway; maybe not for farmers in Cumbria. This was not craft beer of course; this was still mass produced but bottled beer was all the rage. Bland beer in cool bottles. Michelob, Rolling Rock, Bud etc. The epitome of bland but they worked for non-discerning posers like me. Real Ale drinkers were different. Hairy gits who took it all far too seriously and looked down at people who drank lager. Now that the new hairy gits, the hipsters have taken over, I’m not sure what became of the Real Ale crowd. I suspect they all live in deepest Suffolk now or Herefordshire, hoping to avoid the wave of trendiness that is sweeping the country.

            I think it’s great, actually, but I’m not that fussed about it all, I just like a quality beer that pleases my palate, fresh and balanced; not bland, not insipid not too intense a flavour of ‘triple hop’s' etc. Anyway…

            Traditionally i.e. since I discovered it in 2000, my favourite beer or lager was German Pilsner and probably still is in many ways. Of the four beers I’m going to mention, the first is called Furstenberg, from Bavaria. German beer laws were and are very strict, unlike in Britain, ensuring a universal quality wherever one goes but over here most people associate German beer with Becks which doesn’t say much for our taste. On a recent trip to Glasgow I went past a shop that had a sign for Furstenberg. I’d never tried it but I remember my uncle extolling its virtues when I was a kid. So I got some. It’s old school and it's a thing of wonder; lovely, clean yet complex, fresh, not gassy, just perfect lager in many ways. If you see some, get it. Superlative stuff, like a different planet from Carling and the like.

            No.2, Brew Dog, from Aberdeen I think or up that way are amongst the pioneers of the craft beer movement, certainly amongst the richest. They even have their own pubs. How is clever is that. As always with those who are commercially successful the quality may be questioned, but I can safely say, as a non-expert, their Punk IPA is magnificent. Not intensely hoppy but that unmistakable hoppy flavour that IPA’s have. Clean almost zesty, clearly made with love, like Furstenberg, the only difference is, these guys like to tell you all about it. And why not. With Furstenberg you’d probably have to write them an email in German to get any information. What they share is quality and knowhow, you can tell that from the first sip.

            Italian beers are struggling a bit, I think. Really a bit dull, not keeping up with the improvements of standards etc so it was a pleasant surprise to try one I hadn’t seen before recently that was really rather nice. A premium lager, Angelo Poretti, it sounds like an Italian beer. I had the number 4, the Originale - they have a whole list of styles- from Marks and Spencer’s. This one has quite a rich flavour particularly in comparison to the more generic Italian beers out there.  Delicious and well made. A good winter beer.

            Last but certainly not least. Scarborough Fair, from Wold Top brewery in Yorkshire. A big muscly IPA. IPA or Indian Pale Ale originated in the 18^th century in a style that guaranteed it surviving the 6 months trip to India; namely alcohol and hops.  Scarborough Fair is faithful to that style.  Sometimes they can be a bit too much for me, but this stuff is absolutely sensational. A family business, originally farmers, with an emphasis on quality raw materials and an environmentally friendly approach to farming and biodiversity, this beer is as holistic as it gets. 

      

And that is the theme I’ve realized amongst these beers, it’s quality raw materials, know-how and passion. That’s what makes a great beer, regardless of the style!