Hello again
Well, it has been a busy couple of months since the last edition of All Things Local and I have been reflecting on Word on Wine which I have been writing now for three years. Due to work pressures, I have decided to step down from writing this column.
As I write, the sun is shining through my study window, so I decided to put a bottle of Chablis in the fridge to chill, ready for sitting in the garden at the weekend with friends, enjoying a cool glass of wine.
My thought for this month is… is Chablis overrated?
At a recent Kilburn Wine Circle we had a speaker presenting a variety of Burgundy wines, one of which was Chablis. Now I don’t know about you, but I have always found the French way of labelling wine somewhat challenging, as it rarely tells me on the label what grape is in the bottle. However, they are beginning to recognise that us Brits like to know what we are buying and are increasingly realising they need to let us know so that we can make an informed decision on which wine to buy.
The Chablis we tried was crisp and fresh and from the most northerly tip of the Burgundy region, and as a result the grapes grow in a slightly cooler climate. This gives the Chardonnay grape from that area a fresher, crisper taste; more so than a Chardonnay grown in more southerly areas, where the heat generally makes the grapes more sweet, rather than acidic and the wines taste heavier.
On my earlier question about Chablis, having tasted this wine at Wine Circle, I don’t think this one is overrated…so let’s see what you think!
Brand: Louis Jadot
Type: Chablis
Region: Burgundy
Year: 2008
Grape: Chardonnay
Alcohol Strength: 12.5%
Style: Crisp, dry, elegant white
Flavour: Clean, fresh, light-bodied and rich in flavour
Price: £12.99
Available: www.everywine.co.uk
Ideal with Shellfish, smoked salmon and light meals
Anne Kennedy - Kilburn Wine Circle.
Showing posts with label Kilburn wine circle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kilburn wine circle. Show all posts
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Bodegas Ramon Bilbao - wine review
From the pen of Anne Kennedy - Kilburn Wine Circle
I am currently sitting in my study, looking out on the frozen snow lying on the drive, reflecting back on the festive activities and wondering what the new decade will bring.
December has been an exciting month, seeing a lot of social activity with friends and family. This of course included trying many different wines. At Kilburn Wine Circle we were celebrating the club’s 30th anniversary in December, so decided to have a fine wine evening. When we were discussing the event earlier in the year, the committee had a debate about what makes for a ‘fine’ wine and all agreed that it is the more unusual and frequently more expensive wines. As a result, this was what we tasted at our celebration evening.
We had a very enjoyable meeting, but evenings like this reinforce for me that it is more important to enjoy the wine, than for it to be a well known brand or an expensive wine. It is all about your own personal taste, so by developing your knowledge about wines it helps you to decide what grapes, countries, brands etc you do or don’t like and as a result make better wine choices when shopping.
There are many books available to give you more information about wines and wine merchants will frequently have wine available to try. We had a visit to Red Zebra on Iron Gate in Derby, which is now open as a Wine Bar; this gives you the opportunity to try different wines in more social surroundings. We also had a visit to Majestic Wine Warehouse on Ashbourne Road, Derby, before Christmas and had the opportunity to try the six wines they had on display.
We brought a number of wines from Majestic, one of them being the wine I will tell you about this month, as I particularly enjoyed this one over the festive season.
Brand: Bodegas Ramon Bilbao
Type: Single Vineyard, Rioja
Region: Haro, Spain
Year: 2007
Grape: Tempranillo and Garnacha
Alcohol Strength: 13.5%
Style: Medium bodied red
Bouquet: Intensely fruity bouquet, reminiscent of ripe cherries and strawberries
Flavour: Rich, velvety and complex, well structured with a long and pleasant finish.
Price: £7.99 (£6.49 when buying two bottles), Majestic Wine. (NB. Majestic have a policy of a minimum sale of six bottles. These can be different wines).
This wine is ideal with red meats, stews or cheese.
I am currently sitting in my study, looking out on the frozen snow lying on the drive, reflecting back on the festive activities and wondering what the new decade will bring.
December has been an exciting month, seeing a lot of social activity with friends and family. This of course included trying many different wines. At Kilburn Wine Circle we were celebrating the club’s 30th anniversary in December, so decided to have a fine wine evening. When we were discussing the event earlier in the year, the committee had a debate about what makes for a ‘fine’ wine and all agreed that it is the more unusual and frequently more expensive wines. As a result, this was what we tasted at our celebration evening.
We had a very enjoyable meeting, but evenings like this reinforce for me that it is more important to enjoy the wine, than for it to be a well known brand or an expensive wine. It is all about your own personal taste, so by developing your knowledge about wines it helps you to decide what grapes, countries, brands etc you do or don’t like and as a result make better wine choices when shopping.
There are many books available to give you more information about wines and wine merchants will frequently have wine available to try. We had a visit to Red Zebra on Iron Gate in Derby, which is now open as a Wine Bar; this gives you the opportunity to try different wines in more social surroundings. We also had a visit to Majestic Wine Warehouse on Ashbourne Road, Derby, before Christmas and had the opportunity to try the six wines they had on display.
We brought a number of wines from Majestic, one of them being the wine I will tell you about this month, as I particularly enjoyed this one over the festive season.
Brand: Bodegas Ramon Bilbao
Type: Single Vineyard, Rioja
Region: Haro, Spain
Year: 2007
Grape: Tempranillo and Garnacha
Alcohol Strength: 13.5%
Style: Medium bodied red
Bouquet: Intensely fruity bouquet, reminiscent of ripe cherries and strawberries
Flavour: Rich, velvety and complex, well structured with a long and pleasant finish.
Price: £7.99 (£6.49 when buying two bottles), Majestic Wine. (NB. Majestic have a policy of a minimum sale of six bottles. These can be different wines).
This wine is ideal with red meats, stews or cheese.
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