The H-A Wine Review

London Restaurant Reviews

2007-03-27T20:15:00.000Z

In addition to the main London Restaurant Review website that is updated daily with reader restaurant reviews, I now also have a London Restaurant blog which gets updated most days with London restaurant news, press releases, special offers and general eating out information in London.
You can read the London Restaurant Review blog here.

Wine Ratings, Reviews, News and More

2007-03-27T20:13:00.000Z

I have switched wine blogs!
You can now read loads more about my wine research and drinking exploits on my Pocket Vintages website which can be found at http://pocketvintages.typepad.com/

Decanter World Wine Awards

2006-09-16T14:23:00.000Z

Whilst we're on the subject of Austrian wines, they did rather well at the recent Decanter Wine Awards:

Riesling from the Kamptal and Burgenland red wines capture “International Trophies”. At the World Wine Awards in London, the leading international wine magazine, Decanter, has awarded for the second time its trophies to prominent wineries. Austrian winemakers have proven very successful indeed

Austrian Wine - a nice half bottle

2006-09-16T14:16:00.000Z

We had a rather nice Austrian Gruner Veltliner 2005 in Chez Bruce the other night. At £27 for half a bottle (we were dining late and I had school in the morning), it was not cheap but was definitely interesting. Unfortunately in very un-Chez Bruce style, it was not particularly well chilled but once cool enough was ready to be inbibed.
A mixture of peach and lemon intially, with a really long finish, this is a very complex wine, definitely not to everyone's taste but dry enough not to be sticky and oily enough to go with any fish or white meat dish.

Washington Wines

2006-08-19T14:06:00.000Z

I've just got back from another business trip to Seattle. Whenever I go over there, I make an effort to drink the local vino. It's not much of an effort to be honest, since there is such as good selection.
My favourite one this trip was a Snoqualmie Syrah 2004, fruity, spicy, chunky and smooth enough to drink on it's own. I tried it with tuna and with steak and it was a good partner to both, although a bit too heavy for white fish.
My prediction is that Syrah will very soon become the next Pinot Noir.
There are good Pinot's a bit further south, in Oregon, but they do tend to be somewhat overpriced - you'll pay $50 and above for a half decent bottle in a restaurant. My Syrah on the other hand, was always priced at around $35.
Zinfandel also seemed to be a favourite of Seattlites, since there is such a good selection from California, but I am sticking with Syrah for now.

Top Tips on Wine #1

2006-02-25T17:05:00.000Z

Sauvignon Blanc - as a rule, drink youngest available. The longer you leave it, the more likely it is to lose the crispness.

Alamos Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Argentina

2006-02-25T17:01:00.000Z

A recommendation from one of the staff at Majestic (www.majestic.co.uk), this is a very easy drinking Cab Sauv for under a fiver. It looks just like a CS should - deep red and thick and juicy and it smells full of warm sun dried fruit, as you'd expect, since it comes from Mendoza.
Little acid or tannin, this is a wine for drinking now, although it would probably keep for a year or two before it starts a downward spiral.

2004 was an excellent year for Argentinian reds and this is a great example.

8/10

Chateau Tour St Bonnet 2000

2006-02-19T19:33:00.000Z

This is a 2000 Medoc, a Cru Bourgeois, a present from a good friend. I think it is available from Majestic (www.majestic.co.uk).
It has a deep red ruby core, slightly russety towards the rim and smells slighty toasted, oily and of red berries. You can also smell that there is a decent slug of alcohol in here.
I found it to be smooth, with very little acid or tannins - I reckon this wine is spot on to drink now so I'm glad I opened it. That initial toastiness is very apparent in the initial taste, but the fruit overrides the finish.
Overral 7/10 - interesting but not as complex as I was hoping or expecting. Should go very well with the slow roast lamb we're having for dinner tonight though.

Chenin Blanc Noble Late Harvest 2003, Rudera, Stellenbosh

2006-02-08T18:57:00.000Z

I was persuaded to try this by the sommelier at Chez Bruce (www.chezbruce.co.uk) to accompany my Creme Brulee (probably my favourite pudding).
From the comprehensive list of pudding wines, this one from S Africa would have been last on my list to try. But it was a pleasant surprise - not too viscous, not too sweet. You probably wouldn't want to drink more than a glass or two, but it went very well with my dessert and opened my eyes to the potential of late harvest Chenin. £7.50 a glass was the price to pay - and not bad for that.

Vosne-Romanee 1999 Rene Engel, Burgundy

2006-02-08T18:46:00.000Z

I ordered a bottle of this delicious wine whilst dining at Chez Bruce (the review of which you can read on my London Restaurant Review website at www.thelondonrestaurantreview.co.uk)

Initial appearance was of a light, fruity number and the smell confirmed red berry richness but very little alcohol whiff. A good mouthful demonstrated the power of this wine, not heavy like a bit claret, but silky, smooth tannins, little acid and a nice cherry aftertaste. At 13% alcohol, it's strength is well disguised.

It went very well with the Rump of Veal and my wife's Roast Cod.

At £52 a bottle it was a bit of a treat.

Berry Bros has this to say about the producer (http://www.bbr.com/GB/db/producer/823)

Philippe Engel, grandson of the eponymous René, took over this 7 hectare domaine on the death of his father in 1981. He was only 26 at the time and he has subsequently made the domaine into one of the best in Vosne-Romanée. Philippe Engel used an ancient wooden basket press (low pressure) and then ferments at relatively high temperatures. He kept the amount of sulphur he uses and filtration and fining to a bare minimum.The percentage of new oak employed has increased over the years, with 50% of the village cuvée matured in oak, whereas the Grand Crus are now aged in 50/50 new and one-year-old barrels. Philippe Engel produced big, succulent, flamboyant and individual wines which age impressively.Tragically Philippe recently died unexpectedly at the age of 49 while on holiday in Tahiti enjoying his favourite pastime of sailing. His brother Frédéric has now taken the reins at this first class domaine.

They are selling it for £32 so that is not a ludicrous mark up from Chez Bruce (www.chezbruce.co.uk) so well done them!

Five Rivers 2004 California (Santa Barbara) Pinot Noir

2006-01-15T19:43:00.000Z

An excellent Pinot Noir from the West Coast of the US. Of course since the movie Sideways, everywhere I go sommeliers and growers alike tell me Pinot sales are up 30% and Merlot sales are down 30%. As a result (in the UK at least), prices for this once out of fashion grape, have shot up.

This 2004 bottle, purchased from Majestic for under a tenner, is excellent.

It's darker than you might expect from a 04, promising an abundance of fruit, confirmed when you whiff the wonderful fruity aroma with no hint of tannins or acid.

Smooth and creamy when you take glug, this is drinking very well now, and probably won't benefit from keeping. And why would you want to lay this down when it's so good now?

This would stand up well on the dinner table or (if you fancy it) as your regular tipple.

8/10

New Laptop

2006-01-12T18:24:00.000Z

Just testing new FTP on laptop

Whisky Musings

2006-01-12T11:39:00.000Z

OK, so not wine related, but still another passion in my life - Whisky.
I don't know enough about it yet to say I am an expert, but I know what I like to drink and am now starting to appreciate the different 'expressions'. What is an expression? It is like the 'vintage' in a wine - a ten year old Laphroig might taste much different to a 20 year old, because of changing techniques in production, diferent levels of peat, all sorts.

Islay whiskys

I am currently working my way through the Islay whiskys. I believe there are 6 distilleries currently producing. Islays tend to be quite smokey, because of the high peat content. They also tend to have a degree of 'seaweediness' since many are produced close to the sea. Bowmore is a favourite of mine, as is Laphroig, considered to be one of the greatest malts, and certainly a malt that takes some getting used to.

On the go at the moment

I have my 'house' blend - Famous Grouse - this is my daily dram and very drinkable
Laphroig - I only try to drink this when I have an excuse. I seem to find excuses to drink it at least twice a week.
Bowmore - smoother than Laphroig, less peaty, but still smokey. Yummy. Not much left
Bruichladdich - another Islay, not so well known, in a lovely bottle. Almost cask strength at 46%. Definitely benefits from a drop or two of water. This bottle was a bargain - picked up in Sainsburys just before Xmas on offer for about a tenner.

1988 Tokaj Aszu

2006-01-10T10:16:00.000Z

I was fortunate enough to be given a bottle of this wonderful Hungarian pudding wine by my wife's Uncle. At 4 Puttonyos and around 12% alcohol, we were not sure what to expect when we opened it up with some friends for New Year's Eve 2005.
It was treacle, viscous with a fair amount of sediment at the bottom.
It tasted non alcoholic, almost like prune juice. Sweet but not cloying. Unique. We finished the bottle between four of us quite happily.
I had the hangover from hell in the morning, and I suspect it was down to the Tokaj, rather than the Spanish red or the fine malts we also sampled throughout the evening.
Rating: 8/10 for uniqueness

Welcome to the H-A Wine Review

2006-01-10T09:46:00.000Z

I have set up this blog to record (for my sake as well as anyone else interested) wines that I have tasted and enjoyed, recording when, where, what. Why? Because my memory is so bad that I never remember what I've drunk.
At some point in the future this blog might accompany my London Restaurant Review site - http://www.thelondonrestaurantreview.co.uk