I’ve booked a trip to near Strasbourg in the Summer. I was wondering what the limits are now. I always like to stock up the cocktail cabinet from the French supermarket.
It’s our last night in Strasbourg tonight and we’ve had some delicious Alsace wines - pinot noir, pinot blanc, pinot gris, Gewürztraminer and a lesser known and rather sweet Klevener de Heiligenstein, which is the only Alsace wine not to be named after the grape I believe. It will be tricky choosing tonight. It’s a beautiful city with loads to see and do. And lots of good wine!
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So what will be the medicine for tonight in Covid isolation. Australia, South Africa or France.Tough decision.
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A bottle of Blank Bottle’s ‘Moment of Silence’ 2018 to have with roast chicken tonight. This one is a blend of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier and is just lovely. I am awaiting delivery of a case of the 2021 which is made with Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc and Viognier and has had great write ups
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Yes. We’ve been to Alsace a few times. A lovely area
Sampled a bottle of D’Arenberg The Footbolt Shiraz this afternoon, rich with red fruits, oak and of course pepper. It was fine, but not as good as their Wild Pixie blend in my opinion.
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It’s funny how the last digit of a claret vintage can lead to expectations.
Eg:
“1” a bit light 1971,1981, 1991
“4” a bit stern and lacking fruit 1974,1984,1994, 2004
“5” not a formally “great” vintage but a real crowd pleaser with great fruit 1985,1995
“6” tannic 1986,1996,2006
“7” light restaurant vintage 1977,1987,1997, 2007
“8” pretty good but not great and a bit austere 1978,1988,2008
“9” voluptuous and great 1989, 1999, 2009
Each vintage above having many exceptions to my rough and ready opinion!
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St Valentine’s dinner
We were listening to John Meyer’s Your body is a wonderland on Spotify when the pic was taken. At which point my partner said, “yeah, but only upstairs, with the lights off.”
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Monte de cacada Alicante Bouschet from Alentejano region Portugal 2016
Lovely dark colour. Nose gives an impression of warmth along with fennel and cassia bark. Palate is full and rich with black fruit, smooth spicy notes and gentle tannins. Enjoyable with bbq steak on a balmy Wellington evening. My first Portuguese table wine and very good.
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Mosbacher is a very good choice in the Pfalz 
When it comes to affordable reds I could recommend Mario Zelt, real good qualities from basis to the top and a neighbour of the Knipsers. 
I think Portugal is a really exciting place for wine at the moment - quality is generally very high now and not silly money
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Yes, I was encouraged to buy it after seeing “The wine show” based in Portugal. It was quite an eye opener about their wines.
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Certainly, you will also find many of the Port houses producing some very good wines like Nierpoort, for example.
We have a selection of about 4 reds that we purchase on a regular basis, one of them the Terra d’Alter Alf that I mentioned earlier in the thread.
Also, Carm 2018, Niepoort Fabelaktig Douro 2020 and the Reserva do Passo 2019.
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That is a consistently lovely wine - never fails to deliver. Like you I have a few of the ‘21 vintage awaiting delivery. Can be drunk young or kept for a year or three.
Case just arrived this evening so will report back soon!
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Managed to get a bottle of their 2018 Piont Noir this morning from Dan the man’s it’ll want to be good it certainly isn’t cheap. Couldn’t find any of their Chardonnays or any of the others that were in Rods article.
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The 2018 was a very good vintage - it will go for say 5-8 years
I’ve consumed it at 5 years and was pretty damn good I must say
Yep Dan kicks up the price a little
Drink it with bottle of champagne to celebrate sale of house
We’re having friends over this afternoon to see what the stylists have done. Definitely cracking a bottle of bubbly then.
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Did they do a good job ?