Weekend drinking thread 6th - 8th May

[lapin_rouge]

Welcome to the weekend!

And introducing my new favourite wine closure and a new one to me: A glass & clear rubber stopper. Never seen this before, it does rely on the capsule preventing inadvertent opening, but then pulls out fairly easily by hand.

This being ‘a keeper’ for tall (Moselle type) bottles in the fridge, where previously a sticking out cork was too high.

Barbera D’asti 2016 from the excellent Wright Wine Co. in Skipton. A cheeky taster 'cos its Friday afternoon & I’ve finished work for the day. Rich & mature, velvet smooth with notes of mulberry & spice. Prob have this with homemade burgers this evening.

[AnaGramWords]

Looks like the sort you get in some Gin bottles?

[AnaGramWords]

Looking forward to our local Society’s fine wine evening tonight. Five very good Cornas. Details and report back tomorrow. All from BBR evidently!

[Alabaster_cheeks]

Called in there the other day on way back from the Lakes

[robertd]

Looks like a Vinolok. I’ve come across these in bottles from Domaine Hering in Alsace. Indeed, one to keep and reuse.

[MikeFranklin]

As @robertd says it is indeed a vinolok. If you search around you can usually buy them online. I picked up four of them and use them for re-stoppering the half bottles I double decant into. There are actually several diameters available; I think 18.5mm is the most common wine bottle size but occasional bottles are a little smaller.

Glass Bottle Stopper | Wine Stopper | Glass Wine Stopper

[Osprey]

The umathum wines that TWS used to sell are stoppered with those or something very similar. They were lovely.

[lapin_rouge]

Well I’m deeply impressed by the Community Hive Mind !

I shall follow up on @MikeFranklin suggestion and get a few more, the Lady Lapin is likely to snaffle this stopper for her Chablis.

[MikeFranklin]

Bear in mind that I only THINK 18.5mm is the normal bottle neck size! They were too big to go in a recent Warwick Trilogy bottle so some bottles are definitely smaller.

[lapin_rouge]

Not a problem - I have some digital calipers so will do a check! I’m thinking the larger one will be just right for Whisky.

[MikeFranklin]

I also use them for stoppering a couple of nice clear glass wine bottles that I use for table water.

[Robin63]

Finished off a great week in Jersey with an excellent meal at the Le Braye restaurant on the west coast of the Island. Perfectly cooked scallops and a lovely piece of cod accompanied by a Vino Verde Reserva from Quinta de Azvedo.

Pale with green hue. Aromatic nose. Lemon, green apple. Fresh palate. High acidity. Apple, apricot and lemon. Medium finish. Lovely with seafood.

[Andrew1990]

Could not manage Sauvignon blanc day…but
Both these wines cost the same.
The Chartogne Taillet is all suave and silky. Understated. The fruit and yeast autolysis are elegantly integrated. It is all refinement and balance.
The Langham has evolved in the glass but still remains yeast dominated. It has more weight than the Champagne. It is much more forward on the nose but the yeasty aromas dominate. The fruit is a bit of a makeweight.

[suiko]

The glass stopper is pretty common in quality wine in Northern Italy.

[PHarvey]

No SB for me either. In fact I peered into the dark depths of my wine fridge and there was no SB to be found ! So instead I have rewarded myself for a day’s hard work renovating my compost bins with this Swiss Chasselas https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/lavaux-villette-les-murets-blaise-duboux-2019 from Blaise Duboux ( I think @Inbar has mentioned this before as well)

Lovely spring evening quaffing. Subtle flavours of grape, greengage, melon, then a similarly subtle saline and wet stone finish. Mellow and not acidic, in the mouth not far away from a Rosal albarino but less tart.

[Tannatastic]

100% Negrette - the property specialises in quite a few single variety cuvées - inky dark colour, almost viscous in the glass (Negrette always gives Tannat a run for it’s money in the anthocyanin stakes), but the refreshing, drinkability is astonishing (I could finish this off myself in 20 mins ). Being Negrette, it isn’t really ‘fruity’, more sweet violets with a spicy finish, with a vague hint of some berries in the background.

(I may also face being lynched by my attempts at a Cassoulet this evening, it containing peppers and Paprika).

After the ravages of COVID, it’s easy to forget how much of a chunk of all of our lives have been put on hold, but we just realised that it’s been six years since we last visited one of my absolute favourite SW producers (for me the absolute-masters-bar-none, by a distance, of Fronton/Negrette). My other half thinks the patriarch of the family looks like the BFG (to be fair he does!). Within one sip next year’s wine visit is already decided

Happy Friday all!

[CCouzens]

I bought this EP, this is my first taste.

https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/laudun-blanc-ferraton-2019

Quite weighty but maintains freshness, 14.5% abv but you wouldn’t know, £30 ib for 6 - it’s a winner.

[tbennett54]

I opened this up to accompany spaghetti bolognese this evening, and it’s a fabulous match, brimming with rich berry and cherry flavours. Oh, almost forgot, ridiculously good value for money.

[Templeton]

A bit of a treat, this evening, as well as a relative bargain.

Vibrant, spicy, raspberry and strawberry to the fore. A bracing acidity, which I adore and a very lengthy finish. Not your average Bourgogne, for sure.

The bargain? Well, I bought this, last week for under £30, whereas the current market price seems to be at least £200+. At the former, yes, it’s very good value but no way would I pay £200+, however superior a basic Bourgogne it is. My regret is that I didn’t purchase more, at this bargain price. Super wine!

[Brocklehurstj]

Opened this tonight. Absolutely delicious and a total snip at £13.50. Probably just suggestion from the snazzy gold screw-cap, but you can taste the Pieropan.