Big thanks to Maree and Mike Tollenaar from Auckland for organising a fantastic visit to New York City. Maree and Mike caught up with Louise and The Wine Tipster in the Cotswolds and then travelled to New York from Southampton on the QE2

We stayed on East 53^rd Street, opposite the cosy and busy Cello Wine Bar,  where we toasted on our first night with Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling, Columbia Valley, Washington State and Deep Sea Chardonnay, Santa Barbara, California, which reminded me that London needs to return to having more of this style of wine bar.

The following evening we headed to the US Open and the Arthur Ashe Stadium where Roger Federer smoothly swept aside Bjorn Phau in straight sets. At the end of the match Federer hit four autographed Wilson balls into the stands and The Wine Tipster donned his cricket whites, calmly taking a double handed catch off the final ball. Before I left, I casually turned down an offer of $100 for this ball.

The next day we headed to Soho and Greenwich Village, which is a great place to hang out in and where if you have a Apple Mac you can look like you are  writing a book even you are aren’t! We’d headed to Soho in search of fashion and in my case deleted CDS. Bleecker Street Records is overloaded with loads of retro vinyl, particularly for punk and new wave collectors , whilst out in the back room were  three deleted CDS by the wonderful Sleater-Kinney: Call the Doctor, Dig Me Out and All Hands on the Bad One.  Sleater-Kinney spilt up a few years back, with two of the three members of the group now in the similar sounding Wild Flag.

After all this shopping it was time to retire to the highly recommended Pegu Club in Soho for high quality cocktails and relaxation  This club with a serious back bar and non touristy feel didn’t disappoint.

More to come from NYC.

The Wine Tipster was introduced to Charles Smith’s Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2011, 11% abv, Washington State, at the stylish Merc Bar in Soho NYC last weekend.  This Riesling from the Evergreen Vineyard in Columbia Valley has to be one of my wines of the year because Smith’s Kung Fu Girl is bursting with ripe, super friendly fruit, balanced by attractive minerality. This is a wine to make you salivate and would be a popular choice for kicking off a party evening. Kung Fu Riesling 2011 is available in the UK from Slurp at  £11.70 or Bibendum Wines.

When you are next in New York, check out Soho’s Merc Bar because this stylish, loungy bar is producing top cocktails, with a broad, quality wine list at sensible prices.

The Wine Tipster was introduced to wines from the Dão region in northern Portugal when the wines were mainly cooperative produced, rustic and heavy handed on the tannins.  Today, is a different story, with many quality producers like Quinta da Bica, Dão Sul, Quinta de Pellada, Quinta de Saes and Quinta da Falorca making some of the best wines in Portugal, with the latter one of my favourite wineries from this region. Last night, after decanting, we had the Quinta da Falorca Reserva Lagar 2009, Quinta Vale da Escadinhas, abv 14%, £18.99,  www.armitwines.co.uk , which on the nose has plums, damsons and herbacious aromas, then intense flavours on the palate of ripe cherries, plums with spice and flint notes. This Touriga  Nacional, Arganoés and underrated Alfrocheiro dominated blend has many years of pleasure ahead. Also, look out for Quinta da Falorca’s Garrafeira 2004, Quinta Vale da Escadinhas abv 14.5%, £42.85, www.armitwines.co.uk which is refined, complex and full of the most delicious fruit flavours.

Away from the Dão region, the incredible 2009 Bordeaux vintage produced delicious wines at all levels, with Cru Bourgeois wines offering quality and value for us all to enjoy. For example Cháteau Arnauld Haut – Médoc 2009, abv 14%,  Cru Bourgeois,  is packed with full flavoured fruit, with tannins soft enough to enjoy this Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend now or certainly keep.

Staying in France, Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Macon Villages 2010, abv 12.5%, £6.99 is strikingly good value as an aperitif wine and another example of much good white Burgundy is available.

Today at Cartmel I’m hoping that the Lucinda Russell trained Cadore in the 4.55 The Cartmel Cup will scoop the prize in a competitive race at 11/2.

Cheers and happy punting!

 

Just collected my reserved cartons of Woodland Farm’s Nothing but Natural Live Yogurt from the very helpful Chadlington Quality Foods. This yogurt is gorgeous, moreish and delicious with our home grown redcurrants and gooseberries. Look out for Woodland Farm’s fruit yogurts too.

Moving from the Cotswolds to Spain and today I have been providing some food and wine matching tips for some Spanish masterclass sessions that I am presenting in September.Tonight The Wine Tipster will be keeping the Spanish theme going with Gordal olives and salted almonds from Brindisa, matched with Tio Pepe Fino Sherry, £9.49, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose followed by Castillo D Clavijo Blanco 2009, Rioja, Bibendum, which is an old style white, oaky Rioja softened by citrus, fruity freshness. An alternative to Castillo D

Clavijo is Marqués de Cáceres’ classy Antea Barrel Fermented Blanco 2009, £9.99, Majestic or the quintessential white Rioja for me, Marqués de Murrieta Capellanía Blanco 2005, £18.95, Berry Brothers & Rudd, which has intense, oaky influence, balanced by attractive lemony fruit character. If this has put you in the mood to find out more about Spanish Food, Wine and Travel then subscribe to the high quality and in depth quarterly SpainGourmetour, contact Food and Wine from Spain Tel: 0207 – 467 – 2330.

Next week, Frankel will be the star turn at the Yorkshire Ebor Festival 22^nd-24^th August when he appears in the Juddmonte International Stakes at 3.40pm on Wednesday. Surprisingly there are still of plenty of tickets available for the Wednesday, so take a day off work and get along to see this magnificent thoroughbred because there won’t be another like him for a very long time.

As the Champagne Ambassador for G.H.Mumm and Perrier-Jouët 2012 has been a fantastic year for Gourmet Dinners, with the sold out Perrier- Jouët Dinner at Rockliffe Hall on Monday  a testament to this.  Rockliffe Hall’s chef Kenny Atkinson (pictured left), who appeared on The Great British Menu, is doing a brilliant job at and having worked with Kenny before I was looking forward to matching our champagnes with his dishes. From my perspective it is also a really good opportunity to enthuse to a full house about quality champagnes and food matching and how this can work throughout a menu with Monday night proving the point. After Perrier- Jouët Grand Brut NV for the aperitif, the starter of Goosnargh Chicken, a lovely terrine with mushroom ketchup, celeriac and truffle matched with the delicious Belle Epoque Blanc 2004, served at 8 degrees plus bringing the Chardonnay character to the fore. The main course was Whixley Grange Farm Pork Belly originally combined with hand dived scallop, glazed apple and smoked bacon (pictured right) matched with Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut 1998, which brought the right intensity and complexity to match with the dish.The dessert of Michel Cluizel dark chocolate terrine, strawberries, candied rose petals and strawberry ash meringue (pictured below) balanced perfectly the freshness, wild strawberry, raspberry fruit flavours and hints of rose petal with the Perrier- Jouët Blason Rose NV. A fantastic combination in which to finish an evening with an enthusiastic and appreciated audience.

Next time I visit Rockcliffe Hall I will be staying for longer because this is a quality, relaxing hotel in beautiful grounds with really helpful staff, spacious rooms, a golf course and more importantly than holding a  three wood for me a spa!. So very soon Louise and The Wine Tipster will be making their way to Darlington, then taking a short taxi ride to Rockliffe Hall.

Thank you London 2012 for your brilliant organisation at Eton Dorney for the Canoe Sprinting on Wednesday. The morning competition was superb viewing, aided by seats near to the finishing line. However my memory of the Olympics 2012 will be sitting in the grandstand with loads of other punters from so many different countries and everyone standing for the national anthems. A fantastic experience.

In contrast to the smooth running of the Olympics I have been battling with my first petrol mower purchase.  For the first three rounds I failed to qualify and returned with the mower to the very helpful Jim Reeve from J.P. Garden Machinery, who patiently reminded me what I should be doing.

Problem now solved but in the meantime I have fitted in plenty of Olympic viewing whilst enjoying some Sancerre Rosé 2010, £16.50, Pascal Jolivet, Loire, France. Stockist: Soho Wine Supply, Slurp.co.uk. Staying in the Loire, the dry, appley, complex, 12.5% abv Chinon Blanc 2010, £10.99, Domaine de l’ Abbaye, Loire, France is a relatively unknown high quality white from this region known for Pouilly Fume and Muscadet. Stockist: Soho Wine Supply. Later today whilst cheering  Mo Farah during his 5,000 metres gold medal attempt The Wine Tipster will have a glass of delicious, dry sherry from  Bodegas Hidalgo, La Gitane Manzanilla, £8.89,  Sanlúcar de Barrameda , Spain as my baton. Stockist: Waitrose.   Come on Mo!

 

The 2009 vintage in Bordeaux has rightly been described as a vintage of a lifetime and yes if you wanted a bottle of Château Lafite Rothchild 2009 today it would set you back £1,047.67 from Grand Cru Store However, away from the first growths like Lafite Rothchild, Latour and Margaux there is plenty on offer at decent value from wines awarded Cru Bourgeois in Bordeaux. Many of the Cru Bourgeois wines are a handicap certainty for current drinking (with a few hours decanting), whilst others will be being able to sustain a top flight performance for many years ahead. For some immediate enjoyment take less than a tenner into Waitrose and buy a bottle of Château Segonzac 2009, Cru Bourgeois, Premières Côtes de Blaye, £9.99, save 20% until 14^th August to £7.59, to taste all the wonderful dark fruit flavours that this beautiful year produced in Bordeaux, coupled with some friendly

tannins and medium to full bodied structure. Moving up the price scale but still offering tremendous value is the Château Petit – Bocq 2009, Cru Bourgeois, Saint-Estephe, £150 case of 12 x 75cl bottles in bond delivered, www.justerinis.co.uk with silky smooth, yummy, refined fruit, subtle oak fine structure, needs decanting and will provide real enjoyment for the next five to seven years. This was a terrific match with quality rib eye on Saturday. One of my consistent favourites is Château Cissac 2009, Cru Bourgeois, Haut Medoc, £17.99, The Sampler, whilst Château La Haye 2009, Cru Bourgeois, Saint-Estephe, £25.00, www.swig.co.uk is a wine that needs to be included in your next Bordeaux case.

There are numerous other Cru Bourgeois wines to look out for from wine merchants like The Wine Society, Haynes Hanson & Clark and Tanners.

Earlier this week The Wine Tipster took part in his mini Olympics by running in The Mota -Vation Summer Race Series at Combe in Oxfordshire.  There are five races in the series, which take place in five different villages and are on average 4 miles in distance. The weather conditions were super hot, which suited me just fine and with nearly 300 runners there was plenty of competition on. The next race is at Chipping Norton 2^nd August and if you would like to enter go to Kidlington Running Club

Tonight, of course, the real Olympics will start, and if you are looking to show your support over the next couple of weeks then kick off with Beefeater London Dry Gin 70cl, £16.80, on offer in Sainsbury’s and Tesco until 14^th August at £14.00 and £14.30 respectively or their superb Beefeater 24 London Dry Gin 70cl, £28.50, Fortnum & Mason.  These wonderful gins are produced in Kennington, SE11.

If you are travelling further afield then English bubbly Nyetimber Classic Cuvee 2007, £29.99, Waitrose, from Sussex  has to be the top of any fizz ranking in England, alongside Gusbourne Estate, Blanc de Blancs 2007, Appledore, Kent, £25.95, Lea & Sandeman and Berry Brothers & Rudd. Turning to pink, Chapel Down English Rosè 2010, £9.99 Waitrose is delicious, soft and fruity, whilst Brightwell Oxford Rosè  2011, £8.70  Brightwell Vineyard is another high quality, dry pink.

For still whites,  the excellent Three Choirs Vineyard in Gloucestershire, Midsummer Hill 2011, £6.50 a bottle, £78.00 for a case of 12 x 75cl, The Wine Society, is a great value aperitif white or for more complexity Ortega 2011, Biddenden Vineyards in Kent, £9.94 a bottle, £113.34 for a case of 12 x 75cl,  is just the job.

Away from the grape, Gem Bath Ales, £1.99, on offer at 4 for £6 in Tesco until 14^th August  or Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, £1.99, on offer any 3 for £5 in Sainsbury’s until 14^th August are a couple of my favourite brews.

Sherry isn’t unfashionable, it is cool as an edgy, trendy metropolitan drink or as a stylish, rural I buy Boden aperitif. Either way, whether you are entertaining trendy mates or want something

to imbibe post mowing get down to Sainsbury’s for their Lustau Taste the Difference 12 -Year- Old Dry Oloroso Sherry , Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, abv 20%, £7.99 on offer down to £6.99 for a 50cl.

This delicious, dry, tangy, salty and complex sherry is best served at around 11-13 degrees and will, once opened, stay fresh for 3-4 weeks. If you are looking for some olives and meats to go with your oloroso then check out Brindisa.

With the continuing low temperatures I have turned to red wines for summer vino pleasure, with a couple here that you ought to try this weekend.

Chiroubles 2010, Georges Duboeuf, abv 12.5%, Beaujolais, France. Stockist: Waitrose £9.49

Beaujolais unfairly remains in a lowly position as the easy drinking red choice for many people, yet there are plenty of good wines made from the Gamay grape in this region like Georges Duboeuf’s Chiroubles, which is soft and fruity, with flavours of cherries and raspberries, a little spice and low tannins. The perfect early evening summer tipple.

Syrah  2009, Oldenburg Vineyards, abv 14.0%, Stellenbosch, South Africa £22.60. Stockist: www.bbr.com

This serious, refined, complex red is ideal for a cooler evening, with powerful spicy varietal character, dark fruits, well managed oak and balanced tannins this was absolutely delicious with sausage casserole.  A wine that benefits from being decanted.

Have a good weekend.

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