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Midweek Drinking Thread [2nd to 5th August 2021]

Drinks Chat
#21

Share with me, colleagues, the roller coaster of emotions upon returning home after a hard day’s graft at the surgery - even cycling the 12 miles there and back - all the way home imagining the delicious leftover half bottle of Meyer-Naekel’s entry level 2019 pinot to have with my supper, only to find that TOH had snaffled it with a chum at lunch time !

And all my other reds are in the fridge !!

Hang on - I had the TWS mixed Lebanon 6 still in their box and at room temperature.

None of them a remote similarity to the pinot - but needs must. So this Musar’s “Hochar” - I think it’s kind of their everyday wine as opposed to the Musar Grand Vin, was recruited to slake the desperate thirst. A first for me, really interesting wine, lively for sure, not tannic really but probably would calm down if left a couple more years.

Aromas of cherry cola, worcester sauce, kendal mint cake. Taste - cherry cola again, not as sweet though, hint of ripe tomatoes, white pepper, some forest floor, maybe bouquet garni in the distant background . No flavour dominated, but showed in succession rather than all at once; quite long too for a young wine. I like that. Must have some merlot in the mix ? Check the label - Nope wrong again - Cinsault / grenache / cab sauvignon.

2/3 left to try again tonight

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#22

I had a 2015 in 2018 so about the same age as yours and also thought that whilst it was very good for being so young it would be better still with a few more years. So I will be thinking about cracking my 2016 this year or next. Will be interesting to see how it performs with a little more age.

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#23

Thanks for the heads up, it’s now on the wish list. I have a bottle of the 2017 here at home and I’d be interested to compare the two wines. Purley for educational reasons of course :wink:

#24

And what does Tanqueray 0% taste like? Would be very interested to get your views plus tips on where to get it.

#25

I made this recipe by Diana Henry squash smoked cheese and crisp sage with some sea bass fillets. The article recommends a reisling but I didn’t have one in. So inspired by one of the WS virtual tastings I opened the society Greek wine and it went really well. Notes of honeysuckle not sure whether it was proper pairing but delicious…. Salad of roast squash with ricotta, smoked cheese and fried sage | House & Garden

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#26

A glass of Kedros Liatiko Rosé to start the evening:

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I bought it originally for the WS tasting in May, but couldn’t attend - so today seemed a good day to enjoy it with some charcuterie and olives.

Notes of strawberries, watermelon, rosemary and wet pebbles on the nose, and the palate is zesty and lively, with notes of pink grapefruit, cranberry and a touch of bitter orange peel on the finish. Acidity is quite pronounced, but complements the fruit - this is very enjoyable indeed! :grinning:​

Pasta with hot smoked salmon is on the menu a little later and to accompany, this Albariño from Pazo de Villarei (2019) which I know has quite a few fans in the community:

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The wine of this particular bottling had spent 6 months on its lees, which I think gives it a bit of an edge over the usual bottling.

It’s such a lovely wine - very true to the grape, with a pleasant floral nose brimming with freshness of stone fruit, freshly cut grass and citrus. On the palate it positively zings with notes nectarines and grapefruit, but also something a bit more savoury and interesting, and a finish that is all seaweed, or maybe even samphire. A steal at the price!

Happy Wednesday, all! :clinking_glasses:

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#27

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Used to buy this by the case load a long time ago, but haven’t done so in a long time. It’s TWS exhibition NZ SB. Not sure whether to put this in the Do you have a house wine? thread, but it is as good as I remember - all gooseberry, lime, grass etc. A classic example of kiwi SB.

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#28

Picked up a couple of bottles of this yesterday after it was recommended by someone on here I think, though I can’t find it now. Or perhaps someone else. Or maybe I just imagined it. Anyway it’s a typical fresh bright lemony picpoul with a slightly saline background. Excellent value at its current £6.50 and a fine midweek tipple. Would also make enjoyable drinking for a relaxed wedding afternoon, especially with seafood canapés.

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#29

For reasons that I’m not even entirely sure of, I find myself drinking from a random bottle of Monbazillac that I found when reshuffling the cellar earlier*. It’s a Haut-Rauly 2013, which should be dead-as-a-dodo, but is actually quite pleasant. Classic botrytised semillon nose, a nice balance of sweet-and-acid rather than anything cloying, which might hint at a sizeable dollop of sauvignon in the mix, lashings of pineapple flavour, a twist of lime. No discernible oak. All in all, not a typical midweek tipple, but not bad either.

*it’s a side effect of ordering too much wine. You have to move everything round to make space, in a way that makes it look like you have bought only a few bottles rather than the true number, to hide the true extent of compulsive over-purchasing. Today’s mission was to pass off 24 bottles arriving at 9AM as “some prosecco and some other stuff”

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#30

Drinking a botle of Heymann-Lowenstein Röttgen Riesling. Very dry, I suspect reductive winemaking but it makes a huge statement. Medium gold. Peach and mineral aromas. A hard food match. Forget prawns and smoked salmon. Forget fatty cheeses. Blue cheese is a best combination. But even then it is tough.
The wine has great depth. It is NOT a quaffing wine. It is a wine that makes you linger.
My photo of it is on top of Steiner’s book on biodyamics so at @Oldandintheway I wish you well and admire your intellect, but try a bottle of Heyman-Lowenstein.He is not about biodynamics but loves old rocks.

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#31

I’ve had their wines a few times in the past, though none in stock currently. Lovely wines! I think that’s the new edition of the book though.

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#32

Heymann Lowenstein wines are hard to get. There are some great interviews with him on youtube. He speaks his mind.

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#33

Well, for a start you’ll need a triple to really get any “gin” flavour and then it’s pretty subtle so dont expect a juniper explosion . I’ve heard there are other MUCH better ones about which I’m up for trying . My friend picked it up for me in either Tescos or Sainsbury’s, it’s also available on Amazon but it’s more expensive.

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#34

Welcome to the Community, @drsbwilliams, I love Diana Henry’s books and her recipes, although I haven’t tried that one. The Society’s Greek White is new to me too, although it has good reviews - plenty of Greek wine lovers in this community! Hope you find lots to interest you in the myriad posts.

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#35

Nor me, but I did have a bottle of Schlumberger’s Kitterle pinot gris (the 1990) at nearly 25 years old and it was exceptional - they seem to last forever. If you have any more, hold onto it, if you can!

Jim

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#36

A good friend of the Lady L is from Alsace & a Pinot Gris is always the finest bottle they open of an evening (no idea why not any of the other noble grapes). I guess it’s simply such a versatile wine.

This producer is worth looking out for:

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#37

I’ve very much enjoyed wines from Beyer in the past and the dry style in which they all seem to be made (at least in my experience). Unfortunately the one you mentioned is probably now beyond some necessary, recently enforced, budget limitations here !

Unfortunately I only bought a singe bottle. Hats off to TWS too for listing it at £20. I can’t think of any other retailer who would do the same for an aged GC wine from a reputable producer.

As for aging, although it had the structure to age further I was more than happy to drink it now as I’m not overly keen on wines where tertiary flavours develop and dominate at the expense of fruit. Which, I suspect, might be the case in five years time. Of course, I do realise others might not feel the same on such matters !

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#38

Majestic have this younger version at a very good price. I love this wine.

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#39

As I’m now a resident of Portugal, I (obviously!) hardly ever drink anything that isn’t Portuguese when I’m there.

I tend to agree about many of the warm-climate (Alentejo, Douro and Algarve) Portuguese reds, though there is plenty of interest in the north and in Dao (and the vinhos de talha of the Alentejo).

Portugal Vineyards almost always sell the wines very young. Apart from the cheapies, they normally need to be aged at least a couple of years and often much more.

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#40

Like Pétalos too. Not so keen on the warm vintages, though - 2017 was a slight disappointment.

For me, though, the classic Mencía would definitely be from the Ribeira Sacra. Probably Algueira or maybe one of Raúl Pérez’s.

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