Last week The Wine Tipster was at The Bath Priory Hotel for a Perrier- Jouët Dinner.

I had visited this lovely, relaxing hotel with beautiful gardens to celebrate my Mum’s 70^th and it was great to be back. For some guests at a champagne dinner it is their first experience of tasting champagnes paired throughout the meal and there were some original and impressive matches including Perrier- Jouët Blason Rosé with Tartar of Wiltshire rose veal, Quail egg and whole grain mustard (my dish of the night, pictured) and Perrier- Jouët Belle Epoque Blanc 2004 with Roast breast of Salisbury partridge, Choux farci, foie gras and Gewürztraminer sauce.  The was a real team effort and it was a pleasure working with their Head Sommelier Alex Hristov and the rest of his team.  

I always enjoy any excuse to visit Bath and I can’t recommend this hotel enough as a high quality, stylish break with staff who really do make you relax.

 

The Wine Tipster started his career in the wine trade with Moreno Wines, a specialist in Spanish wines, who are still successfully trading today.
Moreno Wines introduced me to wines from Ribera del Duero, Galacia, Priorat and many other exciting regions of Spain. However what I remember most were the tastings of older vintages of Reservas and Gran Reservas from Rioja, with vertical tastings of Berberana stretching back to the 1964 and 1952 vintages or enjoying aged wines produced by CVNE, López de Heredia and La Rioja Alta.
At the Majestic Wines press tasting this week they included four Riojas Viña Pomal Reserva, Beronia Reserva, Marqués de Murrieta Reserva and Urbina Gran Reserva from a special parcel they had purchased of the 1994 vintage: It seemed very nostalgic to be tasting these reds with some decent bottle age, with my favourite Viña Pomal Reserva 1994, £9.99, obviously showing age in appearance, yet still lively with classic subtle, spicy oak combining with delicate tangy fruit, which I find with older vintages of Rioja. Not a wine to be overpowered by steak, just simply pull the cork and share with others.

The Wine Tipster had a stunning tasting at Hakkasan the other day in Hanway Street, W1 ahead of a food, wine and water matching sommelier tasting for S.Pellegrino the following week. The service, dishes and wines were of the highest standard, as one would expect from this highly respected group – there is the Mayfair Hakkasan, with other sites in the USA, Middle East and India.  The staff were helpful, courteous and great at explaining all the dishes from the Dim Sum and a la carte menus. I was looking to start with milder, less intense dishes and the Dim Sum Har gau Prawn Dumplings (pictured right) by the Dim Sum Scallop shumai with tobiko caviar were a great way to kick off. I was keen to have a vegetarian dish, with the recommended Dim Sum Three Style Mushroom cheung fun (pictured below) hitting the spot, followed by a delicate Fried home made pumpkin tofu from the a la carte menu. The popular Pippa Duck and the Stir-fry black pepper rib-eye beef with Merlot dishes from the al a carte menu were faultless and beautifully presented like all the courses. For dessert, I couldn’t make up my mind, so I went for the delicate Honey Roast Peach with almond financier, toasted almonds and vanilla ice cream beautifully matched with port and the recommended Hazelnut Jivara Bomb with dark chocolate sauce, which was nicely balanced and a real treat with Gonzalez Byass’ excellent Pedro Ximenez Noe Sherry.

Book yourself into Hakkasan for lunch or dinner and have an experience to remember.

Hakkasan, Hanway Street, W1, Tel: 0207 – 927 – 7000 or Hakkasan, Bruton Street, Mayfair, W1 Tel: 0207 – 907 -1888.   www. hakkasan.com

Just enjoying the Waitrose Ripasso di Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Fratelli Recchia, Veneto, Italy, 2008, £10.99.  Ripasso as a style is less full on than Amarone and this wine is mellow enough to just pull the cork and get on with it. An impressive medium – full bodied drinkable red with warmth, spice, appealing soft cherry fruit flavours, soft tannins, with crisp acidity on the finish. Ideal for pasta dishes like  Tonno al Forno con Salmoriglio, lasagne or great with a rustic stew. Cheers!

Last night The Wine Tipster was at The Alderley Edge Hotel for The Champagne Academy Northern Dinner. As The Champagne Ambassador for G.H. Mumm I was there to present the G.H. Mumm Vintage 2004, with the Wild Mushroom and Chicken Bon Bon, Foie Gras Purée and Girolles starter (pictured left). This was one of the best matches I have tasted with the G.H. Mumm Vintage 2004, with this blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay having the right intensity and depth to work perfectly with this delicious starter, whilst expressing all the character of this excellent wine.
Later in the evening, the Aerated “Cheese Fondue”, Beetroot Textures, Sour Dough Tuille was beautifully balanced and the light Yoghurt “Panna Cotta” with Marinated Blackberries, Hibiscus and Crumble Biscuit and Hazelnut Powder was delicate and delicious. (pictured below)
The Alderley Edge Hotel did a brilliant job last night and I’m looking forward to being back there for The Alderley Edge Hotel/Cheshire Life Champagne Oscars Award Dinner on December 6th.

Liz and Alan Burroughs, who are close friends of The Wine Tipster, were yesterday celebrating Alan’s 80th by having lunch at the wonderful Le Manoir aux ‘Quat Saisons. Le Manoir knows how to make guests relax and they will have enjoyed the Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut on arrival. The Burroughs are real food and wine enthusiasts and they have just returned from Croatia raving about the quality of wines both white and red. Alan was asking where he could buy Croatian wines and of course there are excellent wines available from the lovely Judith Burns and Trevor Long at Pacta Connect and also Croatian Fine Wines Ltd. The Wine Tipster showcased two of the wines from the latter’s portfolio at The Taste of Christmas Press Launch at The Cube on the top of The Royal Festival Hall (great place for a press launch). The white Kabola Malvazija Istarska 2011, £14.59, Croatian Fine Wines Ltd is dry, like a good Vinho Verde, with a refined intensity and a creamy, limey and leafy character, which was a fine match with Alex James’ Goats Cheese.Croatian Fine Wines’ Franc Arman Merlot 2008, £22.66 (pictured above), was a real winner with the guests. This high quality full bodied red, is well structured, with plenty of dark fruit and brambley character and will make a fine match with the Christmas roast. Cheers!

Looking forward to my Discover a World of Difference Wines of Portugal Tasting Session at S.H. Jones tonight in Banbury. Punters will have the opportunity to take a wonderful journey through several regions of Portugal, taking in a diverse range of varieties from producers like Terra d’Alter, Bacalhoa, Quinta da Lagoalva, Luis Pato’s Quinto do Pôpa and Boas Vinhos. A great way to spend a Friday night and The Wine Tipster looks forward to seeing you there.

Just back from a rockin’ weekend of presenting workshops in Bristol at The Tesco Wine Fair. Tesco Wine by the Case  have some fantastic offers on until midnight 25^th September. All the prices quoted below are promotional prices and are per case 6 x 75cl.

The Wine Tipster’s workshops started with Jacob’s Creek Cool Harvest Range (the grapes are harvested at night time) and their Moscato wines, with Jacob’s Creek Cool Harvest Vermentino 2011, £25.62 a case,  and the Moscato Rosé, £33.66 per case popular choices. Next up were Brindisa’s Gordal Olives, Almonds and Manchego to get people in the mood for Journey to Rioja with Campo Viejo and as ever their Tempranillo 2010, £22.50 per case, Reserva 2007, £31.44 per case and Gran Reserva 2004, £60.00 per case were all vote winners.  From Spain we then travelled to Marlborough to taste Brancott Estate’s high quality Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs. The Brancott Estate “B” Sauvignon Blanc 2010 is high class, well priced at £12.99 for premium  Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc and is on offer at £44.94 per case, whilst Brancott Estate’s Pinot Noir “T” 2010 £69.66 per case, is enjoyable now, however will  continue to develop for 5-7 years.

Other wines on the The Wine Tipster’s radar included, from Chile, the Kiwi style grassy, gooseberry Montes Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2012, £47.94 per case and the intense, smooth Montes Selection Cabernet Carmenère 2011, £47.94 per case. From Portugal, Tesco’s Finest Vinho Verde 2011, £22.50 per case, is crisp, fresh and zingy and Tesco’s Finest Touriga Nacional 2010, £35.94 per case, from the beautiful  Alentejo region in southern Portugal is packed with flavours of damsons and plums.
Away from The Tesco Wine Fair, The Wine Tipster recommends the contemporary Hilton Garden Inn for an overnight stay, with good wines by the glass including the Riff Pinot Grigio delle Venezie Terra Alpina 2011.

See you in Brighton next weekend.

The Wine Tipster picture by Jim Winslet, t.+44 7802 448 309 www.jimwinslet.com

 

The Wine Tipster was on yesterday’s BBC Radio Oxford Sunday lunch time show with the lovely Bill Buckley. Bill is a renowned foodie and wine lover and yesterday we went in search of different grapes – not for the wine trade but for us punters. First up was the crowd pleasing dry and fruity white Alma de Blanco Godello 2010, Monterrei, Spain, £7.75, Oddbins, with the very talented Godello on goal scoring form, then followed the delicious, limey, refreshing Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2010, Washington State, USA, £11.70, www.slurp.co.uk, Bibendum made by rockin’ Charles Smith, who used to manage rock bands before becoming a self taught winemaker.

On to the three reds, Tempranillo, the major red variety in Spain is becoming more well know, thanks mainly to playing a major role in the Rioja region and Campo Viejo’s Tempranillo 2010, Rioja, Spain, £8.39, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose is full of strawberry, plummy fruit with subtle spice and soft tannins. This is quality easy drinking and a great way to introduce people to Tempranillo. Touriga Nacional is the most important red grape variety in Portugal,

with some preferring Touriga Nacional blended with other grape varieties, whilst others like Touriga Nacional on its own like Tesco’s Finest Touriga Nacional 2010, Alentejo, Portugal, £7.99, which is packed with appealing flavours of damsons and plums. The final red on the show was the Delheim Pinotage 2011, Stellenbosch, South Africa, £14.49 or £13.77 when purchasing 12 mixed bottles Stockist: The Oxford Wine Company. Pinotage can be very easy drinking or like Delheim’s Pinotage full bodied, complex with nutmeg, raisins, dark fruits and a must with game. Decant this high quality red wine a couple of hours beforehand.

 

The first of The 2012 Tesco Wine Fairs kicked off in Manchester last weekend to a roaring success. The Wine Tipster was once again presenting at the Tesco Workshops and as ever we had full sessions, packing plenty in to our 30 minute themed  tastings. This year in my Campo Viejo Rioja masterclasses, which included their impressive Tempranillo 2010,  we really had everyone thinking they were in Logrono (well , almost)  with manchego, delicious Gordal olives and moreish Salted Marcona Almonds from the wonderful Brindisa in Borough Market – you can buy online, so get ordering.  In the Jacob’s Creek sessions, strawberries were the perfect match to their fruity, light and lower alcohol Cool Harvest range, whilst in the New Zealand workshop Brancott Estate’s quality Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs were bang on form as ever.In this session The Wine Tipster also featured one of the best easy drinking and completely underrated reds around: Brancott Estate Marlborough Pinot Noir 2011, £36.00 per case of 6 x 75cl down from £65.94 per case, Tesco Wine Club which is a steal at this price.

Away from the workshops there was an opportunity for everyone to have a go at a new, fun competition where you could become the guest pundit for the Tesco Wine Community and win a year’s supply of wine. To enter visit the Tesco Wine Community at each of the fairs and also remember whilst you are there to download the new Tesco Discover App.

Thank you Manchester and see you in Bristol 22nd/23rd September , Brighton 29th/30th September, Edinburgh October 20th/21st October or London 27th/28th October.

 

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