Wine Fictions

 At the recent wine fair of the Vignerons Independants at the scenic Altona Cruise Center I have came across a new kind of wine that I have never heard of before: Ratafia . .  Produced in the Champagne region by adding neutral tasting brandy to not fermented must it is a different approach on the creation of sweet wines, differing from the classic Port or the late harvest methods. This one, produced by Michel Gonet in 1996, is made exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes following an extraordinary year.    What has impressed me the most in this wine was how the dominant raisin flavours revealed themselves tremendously fresh and vigorous, with pristine acidity that grants it a long and parfumed ending. I always find it interesting to see which wines stand out after a long and more than interesting wine fair, filled with great wine projects from all over France.  Even though I was positively impressed with the Champagnes from the Gonet family and with the cativating pe...

 A couple of months ago I have gone through a rather emotional moment as a shelf I have just started putting my wines in the basement has suddenly fallen apart.  I can not really find the appropriate words to describe the shock it has taken over me as I have seen an almost literal river of wine gurgling out of the broken bottles invading the basement of my neighbours as well.   After having cleaned a mess of broken glasses that were swimming in a dark and almost viscous liquid that has left an intense smell all over the garage attracting a huge number of neighbours that have came to witness my misery, I have decided not to have a look at what I have lost.  I know there were a couple of bottles that I have bought for a special moment but, instead of looking to what I have lost, I have decided to celebrate the ones that have survived.  One of them was this Bastardo from Casa da Passarella. And I couldn't be more happy about it.  This has been a wine that...

 How much is a wine worth? The other day a customer has asked me for a special bottle for a birthday. Knowing that the birthday girl is a huge fan of voluminous Chardonnays, I have decided to get a rather exclusive bottle of Cervaro della Sala as I was asked to get something more unique than what you can normally get. Made by one of the most prestigious wine-making Italian families it is a 90% Chardonnay with 10% Grechetto, where the dominant Chardonnay is matured in oak barrels, granting it a Burgundian stylistic. I thought this would be a perfect choice, but in the day of opening the bottle, the birthday girl has shown no big enthusiasm about it leaving a generous amount for me to drink later on with some friends. It's good but not worth the price, she said.  Even though this has arisen in me considerable uncertainties about my choice they were not as extreme as when trying the wine later on with a friend of mine who has a very sensitive and accurate palate. He said the bitt...

 With the Evid-Action program entering a new and more ambitious round this October, it is no big surprise to see a higher demand for alcohol free alternatives.  This is something that is also noticeable at the shop where I work. More and more people come around expressing their concerns about the consumption of alcohol and asking for alternatives to be present at their table.  Even though my first comment tends to be for the customers to drink less but better, I do recognize and understand this general worry.   Having a toddler home, I also look a bit around what the market has to offer in this particular segment that has been growing in quite a fascinating and fast way. And that's how I came across this alcohol free Lambrusco. Recommended by a friend who works in a wine shop close to where I live, I have recently bought a bottle.  Even though it has 8 grams of residual sugar, which is not really atypical for a Lambrusco, it reveals itself as pleasantly f...