Zoe Bawtree interviews The Wine Tipster ahead of The Cheltenham Food & Drink Festival 14^th – 16^th June 2013.

Q) As you are an expert on Wine, Food, Horse Racing, UK Ambassador for the famous Champagne houses G.H. Mumm and Perriër-Jouet, Master of Ceremonies . . . to name a few is there anything you can’t do?

A) Actually I can’t build a shelf and I can’t do circus acts, especially juggling!!

Q) How did you get interested in Wine?

A) I was a punk rocker living in Gloucestershire, who headed north to Sheffield to see some great bands, whilst doing a degree in Urban Studies and a dissertation on deprivation! Post graduating I went for interviews with record companies before my parents, who were members of a wine society, told me to come along to a wine talk and try some Chardonnays from around the world.

Q) What is it that excites you about wine?

A) There’s a wine for every mood you may have, every occasion. As a taster I am always looking for something new.  At the moment, I am getting excited about wines from Croatia, Brazil and Germany.

Discovering new wines is really exciting, but so is tasting a wine that you already know.  I associate wine with memories. Wine is also very challenging and different every year.  You can never get bored with wine.

Q) As a food and wine matching expert, can you recommend wines to go with the following dishes?

Coq Au Vin, Fish Pie and Beef Wellington

A) Coq Au Vin: Cotes du Rhone 2012, Les Dauphins or Aurora Pinot Noir Reserve 2012 from Brazil
Fish Pie: Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Chenin Blanc 2011, South Africa or Josif Graševina 2011 from Croatia
Beef Wellington: You need a level of intensity with this dish which you could get from a Cabernet Sauvignon from Santa Rita or a lovely Bordeaux from the brilliant 2009 vintage.

Q) Is it still possible to find hidden gems in the supermarket?

A) Yes it is. Knowing regions that are not fashionable is always a good start. Croatia has some fantastic wines from indigenous and classic grape varieties.  Portugal has quality wines at all levels, white or red. Germany is producing some wonderful Rieslings that are great as an aperitif style and match up with fish like mackerel as they can really stand up to dominant flavours.

Q) What are you looking forward to at The Cheltenham Food and Drink Festival in June this year?

A) We are running wine masterclasses on all three days of the show for the first time this year. Our wonderful wine journey will start on Friday at 12.30pm with Podere Sant’ Alberto wines (pictured above) from Tuscany and end on Sunday afternoon by Celebrating with Wines of Brazil!

In between, we will be tasting some exciting wines from Spain, England, Croatia, New Zealand, France, South Africa and Germany.

Also, we have some great beer speakers this year with Tim Hampson, Jane Peyton and Sophie Atherton.  And let’s not forget Phil Huckle who will be talking about Malts and Blended Whiskies.

Look forward to seeing you there. Cheers!

For further details check out the Cheltenham Food & Drink Festival

At Taste of Christmas Franc Arman’s Merlot 2008 from Croatia was a very popular red in the Tickler Cheese and Wine Masterclasses and if you are still undecided as to what to enjoy with your roast turkey then according to The Wine Tipster look no further. The Franc Arman Merlot 2008, Vrhunsko, abv 13.5%, £22.66 per bottle or £21.48 per bottle for a mixed case of 12 bottles is available from Croatian Fine Wines www.croatianfinewines.com . The Merlot vines are grown in Terra Rossa soil at the very top of the south side of the Mirna Valley in Istria, where the warm sea air from the Adriatic keeps the vines free from damp. The 2007 was Franc Arman’s first vintage  of Merlot, which was an impressive start, whilst his 2008 is excellent, with sweet fruits on the nose of plums, blackcurrants, blackberry, followed by spicy, herbaceous character with juicy damson and plum fruit on the palate. This full bodied well structured, yet smooth, silky red is an ideal match for your turkey roast.  Cheers!

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!