Some wines I enjoyed in September
From £100 game changers to £10 bargains
All the plants in my house are dead or dying. The bedroom looks like a landfill. I’ve been eating a LOT of toast. And I’ve neglected my food and wine blogs a little.
Why? Because I’ve been launching my business, Manchester Wine Tours, while also trying to pay my bills with other work: writing, public speaking, and hosting wine events. It’s been a LOT.
But I can see I have tons of new subscribers so I don’t want to let October wisp out the back door without publishing the thing I have been working on all month, late as it may be. It’s long. So to read it all, you’ll have to click out of the email.
If you’re new, hi! I know some of you have signed up to keep an eye on Wine Tours news and I will send that out occasionally but I mainly use this blog to go on about wine. Hope you find it interesting or inspiring, or at least mildly amusing - I have a lot of content ideas that I hope to get rolling soon - and I hope to see you on a wine tour in the coming months.
In September, I went to a ridiculous amount of wine tastings, so my round-up of good wine from that month is unusually long. October’s round-up will be back to normal with mostly more accessible wine that I have enjoyed at home and in restaurants.
Here is some of the wine I enjoyed in September:
Wine I tasted in Greater Manchester that is easy-ish to get your hands on.
Txakoli Grape To Grain (£18 a bottle)
One of my favourite food holidays was Bilbao and San Sebastián in 2019, just before the pandemic knocked everything into a ditch. We ate at the three-star Azurmendi and were introduced to the local wine Txakoli. Like my 90s crush Brendan Fraser, this isn’t a complex dude but it’s sexy and fun to be around. Me and Giz celebrated our anniversary with a nostalgic glass of this where it all began for us (Prestwich) at the brilliant Grape To Grain.
Fritz Willi The Beeswing
In September, I took my trashy snack and wine matching to the people with a tasting at The Beeswing at KAMPUS. We matched six wines with daft things like Peperami, Bombay BadBoy Pot Noodles, and Soreen Malt Loaf. It was a hoot and you should look out for my Xmas special to be announced soon. With the Bombay Bad Boy, I matched one of my faves - Fritz Willi Riesling. Like alcoholic apple juice this goes down way too easily with anything spicy.
Les Pivoines Beaujolais, Blossom Street Social
My first practise wine tour culminated at Blossom Street Social in Ancoats with two contrasting wines, one of which is an old fave of mine, this beautiful Beaujolais. It’s a pick ‘n mix in a glass, all strawberry laces, cherry lips and yes, foam bananas. Try it if you don’t believe me. A revelation if you’ve not had this kind of wine before.
Muñana Tres Cepas, Granada
The cepas (grapes) in question in this inky wine are Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Syrah brings its plummy spiciness, Cab Sav intense blackcurrant and minty leaf, and Petit Verdot savouriness and violet notes. I tasted this at a Granada wine tasting from Jason Sheldon at Northern Wine School matched with food from Abeja Tapas (who also source the wine from their home region). If you want to try Granadan wine, you can buy a Xmas ‘board in a box’ with a bottle from Abeja’s website - or look out for upcoming tastings.
Notes from various wine tastings:
Yorkshire Wine School’s Vins De Bourgogne course in Leeds
Maison Simonnet Febvre Paradis Irancy AOC Grand Auxerrois, Borgougne
One perk to being a wine teacher is you get invited to amazing tastings sometimes. I had been teaching all day in Leeds and had several hours to kill before a Megabus home so I got to join Laura Kent’s taster session for her upcoming Vins De Bourgogne course. It was a pleasure to taste all nine of the wines (an us d some very nice cheese) but this Pinot Noir from Irancy was a standout. ‘Like a red chablis’ according to my notes. I think that’s because alongside all the berries and violet, there is a very distinct stoniness.
SITT Manchester
Oldenburg Cabernet Franc 2019 Stellenbosch South Africa £36.50
I find Cabernet Franc always full of mysterious ruby red fruit but also notes of dusty old hymn books. There’s always cumin too, which winemaker Nick Fernando says is more paprika to his nose. That’s the beauty of tasting, everyone has different references. This CF is made from grapes grown on granite soil and has a whiff of vanilla from its time in oak barrels too.
Casa Relvas Vinha De Monte do Poço Rabo de Ovelha 2022 IG Alentejano Portugal £12
Casa Relvas is a family business launched by Alexander Relvas who saw landscape similar to his African roots at Herdade De São Miguel in São Miguel de Machete. Rabo de Ovelha is a white grape and its name means lamb’s tail, cute! Also sometimes used in white port, this simple, elegant grape variety makes light wine full of lawnmower cuttings and lemon curd. It would be great paired with tuna sashimi.
Casa Relvas Vinha a Mina Aragonez 2021 IG Alentejano Portugal £12
The Spanish grape Tempranillo has more AKAs than MF Doom and Aragonez is one of its multiple Portuguese aliases. This wine reminded me of the time I fell down a ditch as a child while picking blackberries and was lifted out clutching a fistful of squished purple fruit.
Varonne Johannisberg de Chamson Goutte D’Or, Valais Switzerland £30
My first time tasting wine from Switzerland where the highest vineyards in Europe are. This is made from the Johannisberg grape AKA Riesling and a touch of Sylvaner. So it’s my kind of wine. Delicate and lemon zesty with an unusual yellow plum fleshiness and a whiff of biscotti.
Le Petit Négoce Pet Nat No. 3, Alsace £25
London wine shop Top Cuvee has a natty wine bro rep which is fun to have a giggle about but in all seriousness, the two wines I tasted from them at SITT were belters. This orange pet nat from Alsace is right up my ruelle, a blend of grapes including Muscat and Auxerrois giving it a big floral fruity personality with a gentle spritz.
Tenuta Capanne Lambrusco Secco IGT NV Emilia Romagna, Italy £14
I’ve mentioned before how Lambrusco is back in fashion and I’m here for it. As bubbly as a new contestant in the Big Brother house but as dry as my at sofa commentary. The wine seller who showed me this described it as ‘grown up Ribena’ and a perfect Xmas morning wine at 11.5%.
Wines of Greece tasting at Blossom Street Social
Ecosystem Xinomavro Reserve ‘Barba Yiannis’ 2019, Alpha Estate, Amynedo Macedonia £32
Boozy, light but so complex too, reminiscent of an aged pinot noir with loads of cooked strawberry but also whispers (or Wispas?) or chocolate and a bit of porcini mushroom. Like when a chef makes a dust from dried mushrooms to sprinkle on a chocolate dessert.
Salto 2022, Domaine Skouras Peloponnese Greece £20
I tasted this with my fellow wine tutor Jack and we both loved it. Super aromatic with a barrow of fresh flowers but loads of zippy acidity too.
Assyrtiko by Gaia, Wild Ferment 2022, Gaia Wines, Santorini, Greece £38
Santorini has a huge part to play in the history of wine. Its wines were legendary in the ancient world so it’s a shame we don’t taste many of them here in the UK. This wine, made from the grape Assyrtiko, would suit people who like an oaky chardonnay with smoky notes and buttery ripeness.
Nemea Reserve 2016, Parapoussis Winery, Peloponnese £35
Sometimes wine people describe a meaty aroma or flavour in their tasting notes and this exemplifies that for me. That meatiness is complemented by an oaked Cherry Cola flavour so it’s kind of like Nigella’s ham in coca cola. A fruity/savoury axis redolent of Barolo. Delicious.
Assyrtiko 2021, Rouvalis Winery, Peloponnese, Greece £18
This has that ‘freshly unboxed Barbie dolls’ vibe that I always talk about with Riesling. It’s an aroma I love in both white and red wine. If you like a Clare valley riesling, you’ll probably like this.
Kydonitsa, Monemvasia Winery, Pelponnese £17
A Petit Filous of a wine, all peach nectarine, passionfruit and a bit of yoghurt.
Carte Blanche tasting at Climat
Radical Cassoulet £14
I’m not including this because it’s got the best name. OK maybe a bit. But this Radical Cassoulet reminded me of my mum picking hedgerow berries to make into jam and distribute it to everyone she loves. Chocolatey, tannic, would be stupendous with cassoulet, radical or otherwise.
Fleurie ‘Les Cotes’ Laura Lady 2020 £20
The different Beaujolais crus produce varied wines, but one of my favourites is Fleurie. Its name reflects its nature and this Fleurie made by fourth generation Beaujolais winemaker Laura Lardy lifted me like an unexpected bunch of flowers. Imagine the scent that fills your kitchen as you unwrap the bouquet but also the bright green aroma as you snip the stems.
Haut Côt de Fruits Malbec, Cahors £14
I love the (haut cote de nuits) play on words on the name of this wine referencing Malbec’s name ‘côt’ used in this wines home of Cahors, South West France. Sometimes known as the black wine, which pleases my goth heart, this is more heavy metal: deep purple plum skin and soil.
Champagne Jean Marc Charpentier, Terre d’Emotion - Blanc de Noirs extra brut £70
At tastings like this, I am always grateful to taste wines I might not otherwise get my hands on so easily. This stunning champagne was fresher than a whole load of recently showered Will Smiths with loads of almond cake crumbs on the top.
Rioja tasting at The Lowry
Monopole Clasico Seco 2019, Cvne £28.65
Made from 95% Viura (aka Macabeo) and 5% palomino, this unusual wine has been fermented in stainless steel to preserve its youthful character and then unconventionally blended with a small amount of manzanilla sherry made from the palomino grape for a touch of gorgeous oxidative flavour. Kinda like a baby vin jaune. If you like dry sherry and want a way to enjoy it in a longer format, this could be your new favourite wine. I absolutely loved it.
Nivarius Tempranillo Blanco, Rioja 2022 £14
Nivarius is unique in Rioja. In a region famed for its reds, it only produces white wines. We tried all of them, and while a melon baller of a maturana blanca was delightful, this Tempranillo Blanco won my heart. All preserved lemons and saltiness, like if Ottolenghi made margaritas.
Voché Selecciòn Graciano 2017, Rioja £28
The first thing you notice at this table is the unique bottles which are fashioned after a Roman terracotta wine vessel. This super savoury Graciano managed to be both floral (violets) and pleasantly bitter (radicchio) at the same time.
La Rioja Alta Vina Arana, Gran Reserva, Rioja 2015 £50 but I hear it’s £20 at CostCo
I have focused on the more unconventional wines I tasted at the Rioja tasting so far but I can’t overlook some beautiful classic examples. This beauty has all the cola, vanilla, cherry and blackberry you would expect from aged Tempranillo from Rioja but the length goes on and on and on - like me after a few wines.
La Rioja Alta Selección Especial, Gran Reserva 904, Rioja 2015 (£100)
If you’re after something next level, this is a tearjerker of a Rioja. A still life of glossy plums and cherries tumbling out of a bowl but there’s more. Vanilla, blue cheese, nail polish, overripe, fermenting strawberries. I could write a symphony about this. Could that be an excuse to acquire some bottles to enable a bout of much-needed songwriting? If only indie music was a lucrative career…
Indigo tasting at Ad Hoc
Sugrue South Downs, ZODO, Zero Dosage MV, Sussex, UK £70
English fizz has stepped up onto a pedestal thanks to our ole pal climate change. This winery in Sussex is making some really delicious stuff with a more hands-off approach and my favourite from the range was this bone-dry ZODO. Somehow meaty, buttery too, complex, interesting and surely great with food. Big fan.
Wild Air Sauvignon Blanc, Hemel En Aarde, South Africa, 2021 £24
I love Sauvignon Blanc and I don’t care who knows it. This reminded me a little of one of my favourites, Dividing Line from Fincher in Marlborough NZ in that it’s got an unusual (for this grape) creaminess underlying the peach and pear fest. There’s a lovely sea breeze floating over it too.
Hatch Mansfield - London
I felt a little out of my depth at such a huge tasting in the grandest room I’ve probably ever been in. But it was a great opportunity to learn from more seasoned tasters who were more than willing to share their knowledge. Tastings like this allow me to try wines way out of my league. It’s a privilege but also like looking through the window at the laden-table of a dining room in a massive house as you walk back to your poky flat with a microwave meal in your backpack. Nevertheless, I’m glad I got to do it. What a day.
Les Folies de la Marquetterie Champagne, Taittinger, NV £83
Named for the one time residence of French writer Jacques Cazotte, famous for occult romance novel Le Diable Amoureux, this is the bottle that has stayed in my mind from the Taittinger table I tasted through ( I know, pity me). This Champagne made from roughly 50/50 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is an especially peachy one but also has a toasty popcorn note that I loved.
Chateau Des Jaques, Clos De Loyse, Bourgogne, 2022 £26
This is a fantastic value drop of single parcel Chardonnay from winemaker Julie Pitoiset who also makes white Beaujolais. It’s peachy, sure but with delicate fennel and floral notes and the merest knife scraping of butter.
Chateau des Jacques Moulin-à-Vent Clos du Grand Carquelin 2015 £31
As energetic as a young David Lee Roth, this wine is all bright lights, red cherry, liquorice and a whiff of nail polish (something I love in a red wine). Another that’s good bang for your buck.
Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Baudes 2013 £110
I nearly cried when I tasted this. A Pinot Noir with a nose like Pinocchio (Pinocchio Noir?) that develops with age, in this case ten years. There are beautiful layers of ripe red fruit but also that fabled note of freshly dug up mushrooms complete with soil clinging to the stalks.
Ad Hoc Wallflower Riesling 2022 £17
A fantastic value Riesling with all that petrol you want as well as tangfastic fruitiness. I’ve seen this somewhere in Manchester recently and can’t remember where. If you know, give me a shout.
M Chapoutier Alchemy La Combe Pilate Viognier 2021 £20
A wine that tastes like Eliza Doolittle’s basket of flowers, this Viognier is one of the most perfumed I’ve tasted, with a breeze of fresh, cut grass too. Spectacular.
Gaia Dagromis 2018 £93
I’m really getting into Nebbiolo so it was a dream to taste the absolute benchmark at the Gaia table. Obviously everything here was spectacular, and it’s a pinch me moment to taste £400 bottles but this one stood out to me. Tight, light, strong and with plenty of acid still, it can age so much longer than its five years. Classic Nebbiolo with that dreamy combo of autumn leaves, rose petals and white pepper.
Seña 2009 £144
This is the king of Chilean producers and you can see why. A Bordeaux blend with carmeñere, this has a good amount of age on it and it’s singing. It’s all about the prunes and sweet tobacco with that nail polishy, medicinal thing that I adore.
Errazuriz Estate River Malbec Anniversary Magnum 2019 £25
I always think a good Malbec has peach notes along with all the strawberry and blackberry, I imagine the purple juice staining wedges of peach in a fruit salad. This had all that and pencil shavings too. Great value.
Errazuriz Las Pizzaras Chardonnay 2020 £65
Even with a dead palate by the time I got to this among several hundred sips, I wrote effusive tasting notes. A dreamy, creamy wine yet delicate with white flowers and lemon zest giving way to layers of toasted teacake spice. I’m sure this would be even more exciting on a fresh day. Would be lovely for Xmas.
Arboleda Carmenere 2021 £19
Imagine a terracotta dish of roasted red peppers dressed in aged balsamic. That’s what this wine brings to mind for me and I absolutely loved it.
Kleine Zalze Project Z Syrah 2021 £57
I absolutely love this project Z range from renowned Stellenbosch producer Kleine Zalze. Not least because of the gorgeous etched-style black and white labels (I know, so shallow). This was my pick of the range, Syrah fermented in concrete eggs, as violet used as Ms Beauregarde with classic savoury Syrah notes of black olive and pepper.
M Chapoutier Crozes Hermitage Les Meysonniers Rouge 2021 £25
I often overlook Rhone wines because I have had so much mediocre Cote De Rhone from supermarkets. Another reason tastings are helpful. I’m so glad I tried this beautiful Syrah from Northern Rhone with rounded blueberry fruit, a touch of bonfire smoke and a waft of sea breeze.
M Chapoutier Saint Joseph Les Clos 2019 £125
A massive gothic cathedral of a wine, all ceremonial and mysterious. And if ever there was a textbook wine for the tasting note ‘graphite’ this is it. I want to wear this as a Disney villain cloak.