Rosé Tariquet 2007

Maybe not the most famous wine from the Domaine du Tariquet but as usual produced by Yves Grassa the Rose is a wine that certainly for the good value for money and with only £5.49 it is very pleasing to the palate and purse.

The wine is made from 40% Merlot, 40% Syrah and 20% Tannat. A maybe daring combination from Domaine du Tariquet but with a fantastic result. Tariquet’s A beautiful shade of pomegranate red, with an exquisite bouquet, both subtle and intense. Mild spicy notes lead to a delightful duo of wild raspberry and flower petals. Rich, full bodied and fresh on the palate. The fruit is a treat. It leaves a trace of rich flavours and salty spiciness on the finish. A rosé made from red grapes, using the same vinification process as for white wine.

Like Provence wines this Rosé has enough character and balance to accompany hearty entrees, such as tapa and main courses like lamb. Serve it nicely chilled and it also could become your favourite for spicy dishes.

We carry the whole range of Tariquet wines. Click here.

Marleen and Axel
info@advintage-wines.co.uk

A Mano Rosato - for the Indian Summer and more...

Introducing to you the A Mano Rosato 2007, made from Malvasia Nera, which is a dry and refreshing Rose from Puglia in the boot of Italy. The wine is made from Malvasia Nera, usually the basis grape for Marsala.

The A Mano range of wines is made by Mark Shannon and Elvezia Sbalchiero. Elvezia is a Northern Italian winemarketing expert and Mark is a Californian winemaker, who were both attracted to prove that you can make fantastic “stand alone” wines in Puglia.Until recently this region was only known for producing wines for blending. This is a trend which really start to produce excellent wines and together with Sicily and Basilicata all regions in the Southern part of Italy is something to watch.

A Mano means “by hand” and that is the care this duo puts into wine making. Initially Mark travelled from California as a Zinfandel expert (known as Primitivo in Italy) and it is therefore also not surprising that the Primitivo from A Mano is outstanding, both the entry level and the Prima Mano.

The Rosato 2007 because of its grape has a gently fruity nose, lovely bright, very pale pink in colour with a sun-kissed fruity palate. Comes with a bit of 'grip', a bit of action and, some flavour. Cherry led fruit with a little bitter twist on the finish. Nice presentation too for a £7.49 bottle.

Marleen and Axel
info@advintage-wines.co.uk

Nebbiolo at its best! - Gattinara Riserva 2000

The Gattinara from Travaglini Piedmont is hugely recommended wine reaching the Decanter top 100 and awarded by the Italian sommelier association. This is a family-run company and the experience and passion for quality has been passed on from Arturo Travaglini, who was already producing Gattinara way back in 1958, to his son Giancarlo. Nowadays the company is run by Giancarlo’s wife Liliana, his daughters Cristina and Cinzia and his son-in-law Massimo. There is a marriage of modern technology and the tradition of wood when it comes to maturing the Gattinara wine produced in this way: the Slovenia oak barrels closely guard and mature this “nectar”, which will then become Gattinara DOCG. Richness and fruitiness from Piedmont.

Why try this Wine?
For some the wine is better known as the wine in the “Odd Shaped” bottle, by our knowledge Travaglini uses the only non symmetrical wine bottle. Made from 100% Nebbiolo and it is a wine which delevop greatly over the next 5 to 10 years if not longer, however we tried the 2000 recently and if given some time to breath it has a very attractive palate right now. It matures for 3 years in oak and 8 months in the bottle before release. The shape of the bottle was introduced in 1959 to make sure that when serving the wine the natural deposit stays in the bottle rather than ending up in the glass. The palate is exquisite light and elegant; a wine ideal for the Christmas season as an extraordinary gift. The 2000 and 2001 vintage are now available. Last week we opened as well a 1964 and we were amazed by the fruitiness and freshness of the wine even after 4 decades. For £23 a great wine (2000 or 2001 are available) to explore.

Marleen
http://www.advintage-wines.co.uk/

Is there Room for the "Black Wine" in the UK again?

Before answering the question I need to explain what we mean with the black wine and where it comes from. Throughout the sixties, seventies and even eighties a huge amount of cheap, dark coloured wine was shipped from the Cahors region situated around the River Lot (South-West France) to the UK, which was made of 100% Auxerrois (also known as Malbec or Cot locally). Not much thought, effort and good vinicultural processes were applied to the winemaking producing a very tannic and sharp on the palate wine creating the nick name. Not surprisingly they lost their appeal big time as well as their market share. Another factor to take into account were the upcoming New World countries such as Argentina who started to make excellent Malbec’s, which were less tannic producing a beautiful nose and smooth aftertaste, which ironically was achieved with lot's of French expertise. No wonder that the Cahors region where the Malbec originates from were to keen re-establish the popular "black wine" of the 13th century.

In order to find out how they are doing this we visited several Châteaux in the Cahors region such as Château de Mercuès and Château de Caïx. We tasted wines from these wineries as well as Château de Haute-Serre, Château Leret Monpezat and many more wines produced by or liased with George Vigouroux. This merchant family in the Cahors region with over 100 years tradition has either purchased wineries and is producing their own wines or lending their expertise to the above mentioned Châteaux, all with viewpoint to improve the quality of the wines. For example they were instrumental in replanting vineyards after the severe frosts of 1956 destroyed most of the Cahors vineyards. Key to success is the immediate drinkability, achieved by softening the tannins through blending the Malbec with a maximum of 10% Merlot and Tannat. The Malbec gives the wine colour and intense fruitiness which can age, the Merlot softens the bouquet and the Tannat (main grape from the neighbouring Madiran region) enhances the Malbec. Overall the combined effort and investment has been successful, though still not recognised on a global scale.

So the answer to our question if there is room for the black wine is yes. The region has gone through such a huge transformation in the last 15 years that it does not deserve to be called black anymore with its negative connotation. They produce excellent value for money wines with lots of body. As everywhere in France it takes a bit knowledge to "locate" the excellent wines from the ones who have not yet made the journey of improvements, but I truly believe if you cannot afford the heavy priced Bordeaux wines these are fantastic alternatives to go with red meats, stews and hearty cheeses.

I would like to dedicate the article to Nick Elliott, UK Agent who introduced us to the Cahors wines, who unfortunately a year after we met in 2005 passed away in a car accident in Condom, leaving a wife and 2 young children.


If you want to read more on the Cahors Wines:
http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy-cahors-wine/
http://www.vindecahors.fr/
http://www.atrium-online.fr/
http://www.frenchduck.co.uk/cahors.html


Marleen Stumpel
http://www.advintage-wines.co.uk/