The Wine Tipster was in action at the Ideal Home Christmas Show recently presenting the wines of Jackson Estate from Marlborough, New Zealand. He enjoyed taking to the stage again in the Food & Drink theatre.
The Jackson family arrived in New Zealand in 1842 and in 1855 Adam Jackson bought the first blocks of land in the heart of the Marlborough region, along what was to become known as Jacksons Road. John Stichbury is the fifth generation of the Jackson Family to farm the land. In 1987 John and Jo planted the first vines and the first wines were released in 1991 under the Jackson Estate label. Jackson Estate believes in a few very simple principles – the best modern winemaking techniques; a respect for vineyard sites; and unerring pursuit of varietal integrity; and through this a strong, identifiable and much admired style.

Four wines were tasted; Named after owner and Founder John Stichbury, Jackson Estate ‘Stich’ Sauvignon Blanc 2015 is distinctly aromatic and intensely flavoured finishing with refreshingly crisp acidity. It has won many awards and received critical acclaim. This would be a perfect accompaniment to fish and chips. It is also a special wine for The Wine Tipster as it was the first New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc he bought in Waitrose so he will always have a soft spot for it.
RRP £13.29 – available from Waitrose, Majestic, Ocado & Tesco.com. Many seasonal offers available.

The Grey Ghost is the giant gum tree planted in 1867 by John’s great grandmother, Alice and today graces all Jackson Estate wine labels. Jackson Estate ‘Grey Ghost’ Sauvignon Blanc 2013 shows fresh bright notes of elderflower blossom on the nose with white peach and citrus supported by a beautiful underlying rich farmhouse cheese character. This is an outstanding Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, which is wonderful blend of barrel fermented juice and stainless steel juice, with lees ageing to add further texture and complexity. A top wine for pairing with chicken in a creamy sauce or full flavoured fish dishes including mackerel, monkfish and trout.
RRP £18.00 – available from Majestic, TheDrinkShop.com & Tesco.com. Many seasonal offers available.

Don’t forget about Chardonnay! The Jackson Estate ‘Shelter Belt’ Chardonnay 2013 shows fresh citrus and honeysuckle flavours which follow through to the palate and are enriched with hints of warm biscuity lees. An unctuous texture and fine acidity lead to a long lingering finish. ‘Shelter Belt’ has some barrel and stainless steel fermentation, with nine months ageing in oak and is a lovely of intense Chardonnay fruit and subtle oak. This wine would lend itself well to white meat dishes and lovely fish like turbot.
RRP £17.00 – available from Ocado & TheDrinkShop.com. Many seasonal offers available

If you’re looking for a perfect pairing for your Christmas turkey, then Jackson Estate ‘Vintage Widow’ Pinot Noir 2013 would be ideal. It is named in recognition of the partners and families of those who are overlooked during vintage. This wine will benefit from a couple of hours in a Decanter and is a wonderfully versatile wine for food pairing as game, roasted turkey, lamb, mushroom risotto and vegetarian tarts like stilton and celery all work.
RRP £19.49 – available from Majestic Wine & Ocado. Many seasonal offers available

Or you could splash out on their stunning Jackson Estate Gum Emperor Pinot Noir 2011, a single vineyard Pinot Noir named after the Gum Emperor Moth Opodiphthera Eucalypti that makes it home on the edge of the vineyards. Dark brooding aromatics are lifted by higher notes of violets, blackcurrants and spice. Flavours of black plums, licorice and earthy forest floor tones combine to form a truly complex wine. Big full-flavoured dishes like game, beef and a mushroom tart are all fab pairings
RRP £26.99 The Drink Shop.com, Rollings Wine Merchants (Harpenden), Christopher Piper Wines & Cheers Wine Merchants.

The winery continues to combine its advanced winemaking techniques with an old world approach. A new Pinot Noir winery is being built at the moment and is due to open next year. They are rightly proud of their winery, as such, welcome visitors by appointment to their home in Marlborough – Jackson Estate .

It was also a pleasure to catch up with charismatic winemaker, Matt Patterson-Green who has been creating these stunning wines for over a decade and to present them to the enthusiastic audience.

With Christmas round the corner, it’s time to buy your bubbly, wines, sherries, spirits and ports. Here’s my time-saving list of recommendations that will work perfectly with every Christmas occasion.

Bubbly and sparkling wines play an important role in any festivities. If you want to create a stylish way to share and enjoy bubbly at your party, then opt for a magnum. They also make great presents! For a really special occasion, buy a vintage champagne. The 10 out of 10 vintage is 2002 and I’d definitely recommend Pommery Cuvée Louise 2002, from Ocado (£109.99). Look out for their Pommery Grand Cru Vintage 2004 too, which is stunning, Ocado (£51.99),  Another lovely vintage to enjoy now is the 2006 Jacquart Blanc de Blancs which is excellent and available at Tesco (£40) . For a signature celebration champagne, go for Laurent-Perrier Brut NV, available on offer at Waitrose (£24.99) and also at Sainsbury’s. Serve with a dash of sloe gin.

Alternatively, a magnum of Prosecco, will also add a fun, celebratory feel to any yuletide party. Try the fresh, creamy style of premium Prosecco Magnum NV Masottina  from M&S (£19.99). This is also one to carry through and continue to serve with a smoked salmon starter on Christmas Day. Alternatively open a bottle of dry sherry such as Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Fino (£9.99) available in all major retailers. Serve this delicious, refreshing sherry chilled. Once opened, you’ll need to drink this within a couple of days. Otherwise, a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire, such as a good Sancerre, will also work well here like Sancerre Blanc 2013 Domaine Vacheron, at Majestic (£17.99).

Around 68% of us will be eating turkey on Christmas Day, according to a 2014 Gallup survey in Prospect magazine. So what’s the best wine to serve with it? Many opt for a Bordeaux to complement all the rich flavours of the accompanying dishes. If you’re looking for good value, choose a Bordeaux with a Cru Bourgeois label – a mark of quality. Bordeaux wines from 2009 are considered the ‘once in a lifetime’ vintage for Bordeauxs, but the 2010 Bordeaux are also considered exceptional. Bordeaux wines do need to breathe properly, so decant 2-3 hours before serving. Within this style of wine, some of the best value Cru Bourgeois wines are available at Berry Brothers & Rudd, Fine & Rare, Lea & Sandeman and The Wine Society.

Alternatively, a Rioja works well with turkey and game, including venison. Try Campo de Viejo Gran Reserva 2007 at Sainsbury’s (£15.99) or a Louis Jadot CÔte du Beaune-Villages 2012 (£16.99 – buy 2 save 15%) at Majestic, the Jackson Estate Vintage Widow Pinot Noir 2012 at Ocado (£19.49 to £16.49).

On Boxing Day, serve cold turkey with a fabulous Beaujolais such as the ripe and fruity, Château des Labourons Fleurie 2011, produced by Henry Fessy, and available through winedirect.com (£16.99). Or, equally good, the Brouilly Henry Fessy 2012 at Waitrose (£11.99) would also be very good here.

Now the cheeseboard. Pair a classic stilton or Alex James’ Blue Monday with Sandeman Late Bottled Vintage Port 2009 at Waitrose (£15.99 to £12.99) or Sandeman 20-year-old Tawny Port, also from Waitrose, (£32.49). Other wines that will complement cheese include a red such as such a Bordeaux with a good cheddar, while Roquefort is a good match for Sauternes.

 

Tawny port is also a good accompaniment to mince pies, Christmas pud and as an aperitif, served chilled. Other rich, fruity wines that complement intense fruit flavours include; the Gonzalez Byass Matusalem Oloroso Dulce Muy Viejo VORS – a rich, dark Oloroso sherry, available at Waitrose (£19.99 half bottle), or try Blandys 15-year old Malmsey Madeira from The Oxford Wine Company (£26.99). Alternatively, opt for the rich, luscious flavours of the perfect Christmas tipple, Californian Elysium Rutherglen Black Muscat 2012, (£11.99) available at The Oxford Wine Company.

Good all-round easy drinkers I’m very happy to offer anytime over the festive break include South Africa’s Zalze Sangiovese 2013 (£6.99), available at Co-Op. Peter Yealands’ Sauvignon Blanc 2013 from Co-op (£9.99) and Sainsbury’s (on offer £7.50) and  Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference, Macon Villages 2013 (£8.99). For a Rose, try Les Dauphins Rosé 2013 at Asda, (£6.99).

Have a wonderful Christmas and make sure you watch the William Hill King George VI on Boxing Day at Kempton. Also, don’t miss the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on Saturday 27th December.

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

Coopers Creek was founded by Andrew and Cynthia Hendry in 1980, which was certainly in the early days of New Zealand wine production and development – the first commercial vintage of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was released by Brancott Estate in 1979. Of course Coopers Creek make very good Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, however what is of interest to The Wine Tipster is their production of quality wines from white varieties like Albariño, Arneis, Viognier, Gruner Veltliner (Yealands Estate also make a very good Gruner) and the red variety Montepulciano (look out for Framingham’s excellent Montepulciano too) because these varieties will continue to grow in popularity in New Zealand.

Albariño produced in north west Spain and can sometimes be an overpriced disappointment, however there is no doubt that “Bell Ringer” Gisborne Albariño 2012, abv 12%, Coopers Creek,  £13.99, is right on the money, with  floral, pear, quince and appley notes on the nose; this dry wine has lovely, creamy mouthfeel and texture on the palate.  Contact the UK agent Berkmann Wine Cellars @BerkmannWine  for stockists.

 

Thank you to all the lovely people who attended the Tickler Cheese and Wine Masterclasses at Taste of Christmas. Richard Newell, cheese maker from Tickler and The Wine Tipster had a great time over the three days presenting 21 Masterclasses with fabulous cheeses and wines. Richard Newell has over 20 years’ experience in the cheese industry and he is a man who knows his cheese. Each day, we presented two cheddar masterclasses including Tickler Cheddar, from their award winning Taw Valley creamery in Devon. Tickler is matured for up to 18 months, and is tangy, sweet, full of flavour and available from all major retailers.

For the other sessions, we were joined by an array of guests. On Saturday, The Wine Tipster presented with the lovely Alex James (pictured right), whose Goddess, Little Wallop and Farleigh Wallop are all rightly proving to be very popular cheeses. In other masterclasses, we were joined by Philip Stansfield, who presented his award winning Cornish Blue and moreish pate, whilst Cathal Murphy continued the blue theme with the delicious Cashel Blue and Crozier Blue. From Dorset, George Streatfeilds from Denhay Farm, waxed lyrically about their Dorset Drum. The Wine Tipster should also extend a big thank you to George for my daily breakfast, which consisted of a Denhay unsmoked streaky bacon sandwich. Yum!

With such an exciting range of cheeses we needed the ports and wines to match and a big thanks to Lorenzo Bakewell – Stone from Taylor’s Port, who included their First Estate Reserve, Late Bottled Vintage 2007, 10 Year Old Tawny (always great when you are getting people to taste Tawny Port for the first time) and the high class Quinta de Vargellas 2001.

Our wine travels took us to India, with the exciting Vallone Vineyards Anokhee Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from Namaste Wines, then we were on to Croatia and Franc Arman’s really meaty, full bodied Merlot 2008 and the creamy, classy white Kabola Malvazija Istarska 2011 Vrhunsko, which are both available from Croatian Fine Wines. From southern Italy, the Filadoro Fiano di Avellino 2010 is a creamy, peachy white from Campania and the red Taurasi 2008 made from Aglianico is full bodied and smooth, with both of these wines available from Ager Taurasinus. Staying in Europe, Château Vrai Gaillou 2009 Bordeaux Superieur from Bordeaux Undiscovered is another reason why punters should buy reds from this outstanding vintage at all levels. If you are looking for consistent good value at £6 a bottle then the Chat-en-Oeuf  (pictured left) selection from southern France, featuring a white, rosé and red will certainly impress your guests. Away from Europe. the southern hemisphere was on top form with the Two Rivers Convergence Sauvignon Blanc 2012 – a great Sauvignon Blanc vintage – and the Limited Edition Reserve Pinot Noir, Louis Vavasour 2008, Awatere, Marlborough, New Zealand, which is a wonderful example of how classy and refined quality Pinot Noir from Marlborough can be given the chance to have some bottle age. These two wines are available from the smart Antipodean Sommelier.

Look forward to seeing you at Taste of Christmas 2013. Cheers!

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