winefulness

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Wine #1: Bourgueil La Coudraye 2013 an expressive wine with notes that range from sweet, ripe red berried fruits, dried raisin and prune notes to more savoury smoke, char, tar and animal hide character. Fabulously interesting. 

Wine #2: Chateau de Montgueret 2014 vegetal and herbaceous, a metallic twinge, feral wet animal hair notes and ripe strawberry notes make up the majority of the experience. Wet stones, dried leaves, high-ish alcohol rounds it out. 

Wine #3: Montechez Cabenet Franc 2012 Spent 16 months in new French oak and fermented to 14.5% alcohol. Fresh watermelon, strawberry and blueberry fruit character. High fruit character, high alcohol, lots of oak and a high glycerol content. A super high extraction of fruit. Simple, elegant and uncomplicated. 

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Wine #1. Philippe Viret Solstice Nature Terre de Cosmoculture 2013: Sweet spice and tea leaf, roses and red plums, charred wood and black olives. Big alcohol.

Wine #2. Philippe Viret Renaissance Terre De Cosmoculture Viii 2011: Game, leather, charred wood. Mothballs and crushed earth. Bruised black plums and cloves. Chocolate, cocoa and chilli.

Wine #3. Domaine Viret Côtes du Rhône villages "Les Colonnades" 2010: Soapy. Rust, leather and asphalt. Sour plum and hay, black olives and tobacco. Dirty, gritty, savoury.

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The wines: 

1. 2013 Domaine Jean Foillard Morgon Cote du Py, Beaujolais, France

2. 2013 Pierre-Marie Chermette Domaine du Vissoux Moulin-a-Vent Les Trois Roches, Beaujolais, France

3. 2014 Damien Coquelet Chiroubles, Beaujolais, France

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The wines: 

1. 2012 Arnot-Roberts Trousseau, North Coast California

2. 2011 Buronfosse Côtes du Jura L'Hôpital

3. 2011 Philippe Bouvret & Jean-François Ganevat Côtes du Jura Les Compères

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Grower Champagne

Grower champagne, the artisan product from one of the most big brand wine regions. Where the large Champagne houses will source grapes from several growers throughout the region in order to produce a consistent product year-on-year; grower-producers source their grapes from their own vineyards making their wines a reflection of a particular parcel of land, style preferences and weather variations.

These wines enjoyed at a tasting organised by Stephen Wong who runs a series of free and paid tastings in Wellington. Find out more on the Wine Sentience Education Facebook page.

The wines

Clos de la Chapelle Instinct Brut Premier Cru Champagne 60% pinot meunier, 25% pinot noir, 15% chardonnay

Of the five tasted this is the only co-op producer. Originally created in 1948 this small cooperative is run by the third generation of the original five founding vine-grower families.

Hugely aromatic, this florality on the nose speaks to the high level of pinot meunier in the wine. Very light on the bubbles, with aromas of red berries and white violets. The florality rolls through onto the palate along with a touch of earthiness. Soft, undulating and round in the mouth, the La Chapelle has a lingering fruit sweetness on the finish. A very light introduction to the tasting.

R.H. Coutier A Ambonnay Brut Tradition Grand Cru Champagne NV 62% pinot noir, 38% chardonnay

Very small production as Coutier sells 80% of their grapes to the big champagne houses. Based in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay, a village best-known for its pinot noir. Fine bubbles that dance across the palate, very dry with a crisp acidity and lean structure. The delicate nose opens with bready and biscuity notes mingling with a blend of roses and red apples. The palate is far more beefy masculinity with savoury spice and earthy flavours. Sweet nectarine and spice on the long lingering finish.

Bereche & Fils Brut Reserve Champagne NV 33% chardonnay, 33% pinot noir, 33% pinot meunier

The vinification practices at Breche leans to a traditional method where parcels are vinified separately, using natural yeasts and smaller tanks while malolactic fermentation is avoided.

A very flavoursome wine with a huge amount of fruit present. Not having undergone MLF the acidity is rather bracing - there’s a crisp, refreshing red apple quality that is super fresh. Attention grabbing. This is balanced by something oceanic - drying seaweed. All doused in sweet cinnamon and ginger spice. Lively and appealing.

P. Lancelot-Royer Cuvee des Chevalier Blanc de Blancs Champagne NV 100% chardonnay

This Blanc de blancs show honey and fig that’s possibly a bit too sweet. There’s something unserious about this one, something grubby to go along with the white florals and the green leafiness. Having spent 44 months on lees (longer than vintage champagne) you would expect a richness in depth and complexity that doesn't seem to be there. The bubbles fade quickly and overall its lacking that wow factor.

R.H. Coutier A Ambonnay Grand Cru Cuvee Rose Brut Champagne 63% chardonnay, 37% pinot noir

A second wine from Coutier - unusual in that Ambonnay is known for its pinot noir but their rose is based on chardonnay. The rose is made as a blend with 16% from vinified red wine. Another big fruit wine, this time with a healthy dose of autolytic character. Creamy and buttery at one moment, sharp and lean - marked by acidity - in the next. The blending appears to be disjointed with the varietal profiles sitting apart rather than being truly integrated. Red berries sitting alongside mint and crushed rock and a whole bushel of apples.

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I've long thought of myself as a Martinborough girl. I love the little village and the beauty and elegance of the pinot noirs that come from there. Growing up on the north shore of Lake Superior in Northern Ontario I was a Renegades girl - my hometown (ice) hockey team. Rivalry is a big part of the game, so as a Renegades girl to cheer for another team was unthinkable. It seems I've carried some of this rivalrous spirit into my thoughts about wine - for if I'm a Martinborough girl, how can I cheer for Central Otago pinots?  

When first introduced to Central pinots I found the definitive style of the region to be big, bold, concentrated wines with a huge amount of rich, ripe fruit. Fruit bombs, little mini-explosions in every glass. The bombastic personality of the wine was exhilarating - in small doses. These small doses have done me a disservice as I've clearly been missing a trick.

In preparation for the 11th Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration 2015 I've been re-reading snippets from Pinot Noir: the New Zealand Story, reading reviews of the 2014 celebrations (like this excellent one by Raymond Chan), and looking at the region, the sub-regions and the associated soils. By all accounts my bias is outdated and unwarranted and those fruit bombs have been swapped out for a more elegant and refined expression.  

When I've told people of my upcoming trip they've gushed about the last time they were in Central, raving about the hospitality, the scenery and how impressed they were with the wines.

The cost associated with attending the COPNC extends beyond the ticket price of about $1,300 to flights and accommodation as well. Unfortunately due to commitments on my time and finances this means I won’t be able to take as much advantage of my visit as I would like. So I’ll just have to make the most of the time I do have in Queenstown. I am very much looking forward to seeing the wines of Central again.

Check out the full programme for the COPNC, it’s going to be epic!

Central Otago cheat sheet

For those who aren’t as studious as me, may you reap the benefits of my bookish ways. Here’s a quick introduction to the sub-regions of Central. (With this year’s theme set to consider soils, I’ll wait for the main event to be introduced to the soils rather than skip ahead.)  

Gibbston is the coolest and the highest of the subregions. With the vines lining their way along the north-facing hillside plus the cooler temperatures Gibbston gets an extended ripening period that allows for a lighter style but perfect ripeness. All this wraps up nicely in the expression of briary fruits, a savoury profile and classic structure.

The Cromwell Basin boasts the largest concentration of vines in the region. A big shift from Gibbston, it’s warm and promotes early ripening. Ranging from flat to rolling terraces, this area carries its own list of sub-sub regions like Pisa and Lowburn. With the majority of plantings on the valley floors, these wines are provided with a sweetness and subtlety.

Early ripening with a warm, dry portfolio, Bannockburn is known for producing complexity, concentration and weight.  

Bendigo carries with it labels like barren and dramatic. These wines tend to have more textural generosity. This is at the warmer end of the spectrum in the region; with the addition of stony soils that retain the heat, there’s a fullness with plenty of dark fruits and savoury spice.

The smallest, wettest and the most northern of the sub-regions is Wanaka. The region is similar to Gibbston but slightly warmer. Wines from Wanaka are stamped with delicacy and texture.

Finally to the southernmost region of Alexandra. Here you’ll find temperature extremes from the very cold come winter to some of the hottest summer days in the country. The scorching heat is moderated by a wide diurnal range (meaning the temperature drops come nightfall helping to cool things down). This mix of hot and cold helps to preserve and accentuate gorgeous aromatics and defined structure in the wines.

Read more at www.wineylittlebitch.com.

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Wine, design and the World of Wearable Arts The 2014 World of Wearable Arts Award Show hits Wellington from 25 September to 12 October. In celebration of this years show Brancott Estate is releasing four limited edition bottles featuring designs inspired by the 2013 show:

Turangawaewae by Anne von Hartitzsch from Napier adorns the 2014 Sauvignon Blanc

25th Jubilee Guest by Margarete Palz from Germany on the 2014 Pinot Gris

Bobby Dazzler by Dinah and Mark Walker from Auckland on the 2013 Chardonnay

Labyrinth by Anna Maria Gori from Napier on the 2012 Pinot Noir

Brancott Estate has supported WOW since 1998 and have annually released limited edition bottles since 2012. This years designs will be made available nationwide from early September 2014 with an RRP of $17.29. I got to sample the Brancott Estate 2014 Sauvignon Blanc. The wine A clean, clear pale lemon coloured wine with plenty of ripe tropical fruit characters along with the very classic aromas of capsicum, gooseberry, fresh cut grass and herbaceousness. The wine shows a high acid, but the acidity is kept in check so as to be crisp but not overwhelming. The rather pleasant acidity results in a fresh and refreshing wine. The palate has a clear grassy and vibrant lemon intensity layered with ripe, exotic passion fruit character. There’s a good amount of body with a healthy citrus spritz on the finish. Lovers of New Zealand Sauv will not be disappointed, as all the hallmarks of the popular style shine through.

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The different names of Sherry

Another word for Sherry should be diversity as the variety carries with it an array of colours, textures, aromas and tastes. Many of these differences are directly related to how the wines evolve in the wooden casks, or butts, in which they're aged. The butts are filled five-sixths full and the wine within the butts will be influenced by one of two basic approaches to ageing: biological or oxidative.

Biological ageing is a term used to describe when the wine is covered in a thin layer of yeast that ultimately protects the wine from direct contact with air. This yeast, or flor, not only protects the wine from the impacts of ageing it also imparts a unique tangy character to the wine. Examples of wines that are defined by biological ageing are Fino sherry and Manzanilla, both of these are pale and bone dry with much of its character coming from the doughy, yeasty aromas and flavours of the flor along with an array of delicate aromatics and a lovely almond or marzipan quality. Flor only grows in wines that are about 15% alc/vol.

When flor doesn't take properly, or when the winemaker actively decides to refortify a wine that has already undergone some biological ageing, the wine takes on an oxidative character. Without flor to protect the wine, it will take on progressively darker tones and a more complex and intense profile, these wines will be refortified to 17.5% alc/vol. These oxidative examples include Oloroso and Amontillado.

Amontillado is unique in that it undergoes biological ageing and then is refortified and undergoes oxidative ageing.

Phew - that's a lot and what I'm not even going into is the complications of the solera system or the classifications of sweet-style wines.

These wines can be seen as a natural progression: a fino sherry, the lightest in colour showing almond, the darker amontillado with hazelnut and oloroso darker still showing walnut and caramel character. Sherry wines across the board can all show saline, cedar and honey to one degree or another.

When tasting sherry there may be an immediate recoil as the aromas and flavours are so unfamiliar, however, they're also rather interesting.

Valdespino Tio Diego Single Vineyard Amontillado NV at Ancestral

Pale, amber colour with a clear biological and doughy character. There is a crisp aromatic quality to the wine as well with notes of crushed savoury herbs, red apple skins that are mealy with age but not yet old and a stinging thread of citrus. The oxidative ageing becomes more apparent on palate, a quality that's almost sour. A well textured and smooth wine with a body akin to skim milk. Because of the strong flavours the finish lingers on and on with a saline spritz. Across the wines there is a definite nuttiness and the fresh crispness of peckham pears. The nuts are not sweet enough to be almonds but not knarley enough to be walnuts, making it a good approximation of hazelnuts. It's as though the wines has been dripped through honey. It's not saturated but it's present.

Hildago 'Faraon' Olorosso at Vivo

The Oloroso is much darker colour in colour with a clear walnut character. The wine carries a woodsy quality that's not quite cedar, possibly more pine in nature. A rich wine with a medium plus body. The Hildago is oxidative on the finish, lending a caramel quality on the nose and the walnut aromas and flavours persist. With this comes a beguiling flavour of raw honey, a tart and tangy sweetness and a quality of caramel that continues to get bigger as the wine sits in the glass. It's all so interesting.

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August is for fortified wines

Throughout the month of August I'll be drinking as many different fortified wines as possible to build my understanding and appreciation of this very traditional wine style. All wines will be sampled at bars and restaurants throughout Wellington.

Manzanilla at Matterhorn

Quick facts on Manzanilla

Manzanilla is a fino style sherry made near Sanlucar de Barrameda, where the climate is cooler than El Puerto de Santa Maria.This cooler climate results in a thicker layer of flor for a fresher, more acidic and delicate flavour. Fino and Manzanilla are the lightest, palest and driest styles of Sherry. They're drunk comparatively young, aged from 2-10 years and intended to be consumed on bottling.

NV Emilio Lustau 'Solera Reserva' Light Manzanilla Papirusa Sherry

Lovely light colour and bone dry. The lightness of white florals and peach aromas mingle with the tangy, nutty yeasty characters of the flor and the freshness and salinity of a day by the seaside. A huge, refreshing acid and a long, clean finish round out the wine.

PX at Crumpet

Quick facts on PX

PX is a rich, extremely sweet wine with a distinctly raisin and molasses character and a refreshing acidity made from the white Spanish Pedro Ximenez grape. There are few if any PX vines in the sherry region itself, instead the Montilla-Moriles region 2-3 hours drive north east of Jerez is the grapes native home. The higher altitude and extreme climate here produces richer wines, that are concentrated further by drying grapes in the sun for several days so the sugar levels are elevated before pressing. Producers in Jerez often purchase PX wines from the Montilla-Moriles region to blend into their sweet sherries.

2008 Alvear Montilla-Moriles Pedro Ximenez de Anada

Raisins and currants and cinnamon, oh my. Syrupy sweet but without being cloying as it's countered by a bracing acidity. Raisins and more raisins at every stage of the tasting process Thick, full bodied and unctuous the wine coats the tongue with touches of toffee.

In general

As a bit of an aside, when I was reading about sherry I got terribly confused about all the different ways the areas where sherry comes from was referred to. Unless you're well versed in Spanish geography, as a quick run down, it goes: Andalucia, is the autonomous community or region covering the south of Spain. This is broken down into eight provinces, including Cadiz. Within the province of Cadiz you will find Jerez de la Frontera, the largest city and the most commonly cited home of sherry. At the heart of the Bay of Cadiz you'll find El Puerto de Santa Maria, follow the River Guadalete inland from here and arrive in Jerez in some 15kms. Slightly north you'll find Sanlucar de Barrameda, where Manzanilla comes from.

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The menu

Tempura prawns, tempura oysters and deep fried takoyaki

Cucumber and tamarillo salad with toasted almond

Baked monkfish with yoghurt and a Persian herb and walnut crust

The food was ridiculously yum. Yum being a technical term for you wish you could have tried this. The key pairing considerations were the sourness of the yoghurt and the acidity in the cucumber and tamarillo salad. Both rather sharp taste aspects and tricky to pair well.

The menu was designed and prepared by Masterchef 2014 contestants, and my friends, James Culleton and Jordan Shearer. I love it when James gets the urge to cook a meal at home.

The wines

2010 Domaine William Fevre Chablis

Lean and steely, crisp and clean with good fruit, good acid and a prominent mineral quality, everything a good Chablis should be. The wine had a good palate weight with quite a smooth and silky mouthfeel with classic green apple and lemon notes.

012 Schubert Tribianco

A blended white with three grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Muller-Thurgau. Sharp and tart with little in the way of fruit on the offset. The wine is full-bodied with a high acidity, with a mineral-ness, sweet spice and a savoury nuttiness. The sweeter, softer qualities show through as the wine warms in the glass, showing melon, peach and mandarins.

2005 Pyramid Valley Lebecca Vineyard Riesling

Sweet honeysuckle with delicate white florals and ripe apple, apricot and grapefruit. There's a nice acidity to the wine as well as an ash-like smokiness. Very complex and beguiling.

The pairings

The sweetness of the riesling and the acidity of the meal were at odds with each other, the soft aromatics of the tribianco and the sharpness of the food rubbed each other up the wrong way. Everyone very clearly preferred the dry, steely quality of the Chablis with the meal. The two worked wonderfully together. The wine made smoother and richer, the acidity in both the wine and the food softened. This was a winning combination.

Thankfully, we had a small cheese platter for dessert comprised of a Colston Bassett Stilton and a Roquefort Vieux Berger, from Le Marche Francais in Wellington.

The spicy butteriness and slight acidity of the stilton matched with the equal acidity and aromatics of the tribianco were a dream pairing with more of the delicate Pinot Gris qualities shining through. The pairing revealed a much sweeter, silky and richly textured experience.

The richly earthy and very sharp roquefort and the riesling couldn't have gone better together, with the cheese bringing out the acidity and the sharpness of the wine pulling it into firmer balance with the sweetness. Although we were all full from the meal, the cheese and wines went so well together that they disappeared in minutes. All in all, the night and the pairings were a huge success.

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Ortega Fish Shack. Why oh why have I not been here before. Probably the best service I've seen in New Zealand. The food was exciting and imaginative. It was an epic evening. I'm not a food blogger though and my interest lies in the wines that make the meal an unforgettable experience.

So on to the vino. The theme for the night was an exploration of reds from around the world. Here are a few scribbled notes for posterity's sake.

Bridge Pa 'Drama Queen' Syrah Rose 2012 - Hawke's Bay, New Zealand:

A big, bold, dry rose with plenty of white pepper, red fruits and a strawberry shortcake nose. Rich, creamy texture and well structured the Drama Queen also sports high alcohol and a more-ish finish. Thank Christ the weather was there to match.

Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel 2011 - Lodi County, California:

Baked and jammy with characteristically high alcohol the wine also shows silky, smooth tannin and acidity. Off-dry with sweetness coming through as dried fruits, Christmas pudding and stewed plum paired with obvious oak treatment in the form of vanilla and coconut.

Baltasar 'Old Vine' Grenache 2009 - Calatayud, Spain:

Boof, this one really needs food. Sharp and oaky, without any overt fruity or floral character. Huge with high alcohol and tannin, medium acidity with a heavy, syrupy smooth palate. The wine is thick, dark and heavy with a bitter finish.

Taylors 10 Year Old Tawny Port - Villa Nova de Gaia, Portugal:

I do love this one. Approachable, velvety and just so yum. A sweet, raisin-y quality with a complex mix of saffron, walnut, dried apricot and milk chocolate for both the nose and the palate.

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Riesling. The highly versatile grape. Always on the ascendancy according to the wine lover, never quite making it to the top for the masses.

Greatly impacted by the soil and climate where it’s made, even more so by the winemaker’s influence.

The tasting was organised by the team at Wineseeker for the New Zealand Summer of Riesling. A chance to look at the grape as it moves through its various stages from bone dry to lusciously sweet.

The tasting was introduced by Jancis Robinson through Michael Hutton of Wineseeker. Riesling exhibits unbeatable quality, indisputably aristocratic and is ludicrously unfashionable.

I find it such a fascinating grape.

Flight one: dry

Forrest Estate 'The Valleys' Dry Riesling 2004

Super dry with a prominent smoky and rubbery character on the nose. Not much in the way of fruit or florality. High acid with a savoury palate that's slightly oily. Rather lean and steely. Wine morphs beautifully when paired with a bit of sauerkraut becoming far more creamy and soft.

Just a tip - keep this one well-chilled. The kerosene character is amped up to the point of rendering the wine unpalatable as the wine warms up to room temperature.

Gustave Lorentz Reserve Riesling 2012

Light and delicate with some obvious white, floral aromatics, mingling with refreshing citrus and a stony, minerality. High acid and rather austere on the palate. Again the acidity is tamed by a nice food-match, this wine was made to go with food. The Gustave Lorentz has a weightier palate, it’s far more dense and textural than the Forrest Estate. Most thought this was the new world example as it was so fresh and fruit-forward.

Flight two: off-dry

Black Estate Riesling 2012

The nose is far more subtle with a bit of stone fruit. It’s more expressive with plenty of fruit and texture in the mouth. Bit of a misleading wine with a rather sharp, austere nose and a fresh, vibrant array of flavours on the palate.

Arthur Metz 'Cuvee Anne Laure' Riesling 2011

An aromatic Riesling with notes of peach, stone fruit and orchids, you can even go so far as to call the aromas tropical and exotic. It’s an interesting, complex wine with a gorgeous patchouli spice. It’s a bit oily but it’s fresh and fruit and quite appealing.

Flight three: medium-sweet

Carrick 'Josephine' Riesling 2013

Bright nose with plenty of florals. The wine has undergone a natural fermentation using wild yeasts helping to produce inviting, fruity and attractive qualities. It’s young and light bodied, not as textural, however, it’s well balanced against the high acidity.

Kerpen WS Spatlese Riesling 2004 *

A smoky, kerosene nose, lacking in fruit or floral character on the outset. Patience rewards you with some lovely stone fruit character. Delicate yet savoury. The palate starts so show some white jasmine florals. It’s rich and textural with plenty of citrus fruit. A real beauty.

Flight four: sweet

Pegasus Bay 'Aria' Late Picked Riesling 2004

Plenty of orange marmalade from the botrytis. The wine is lusciously sweet with an alluring array of honey, musk, tropical fruit, beeswax and fig. It’s textural and viscous, very sweet but well balanced by the acidity. Stunning.

Kerpen WS Auslese Riesling 2003 **

Light nose with a thinner palate. Far more mellow but still rich and complex with honeyed notes of sweet, candied orange peel and plenty of beeswax. The wine is mellow and oh-so-delicate. Not at all thick or syrupy. It’s bursting with purity and varietal characteristics.

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Apart from the awful racket made in the kitchen, there are definitely some perks to living with not one, but two of the 2014 Masterchef New Zealand contestants. James, of the boys in blue duo Glynn & James, is a lover of all things South-East Asian and I often come home to meals of aromatic herbs and spice, noodles and bits of tender fish and seafood. 

Tonight @Sky_Dog, as he's known on Twitter, cooked up the Malaysian national dish nasi lemak, fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. He served this with chicken kapitan, which is a hot, dry curry with plenty of lemongrass, kaffir lime and shrimp paste, and ikan bilis sambal, a hot relish with an anchovy base. (Fish balls was swapped out for the chicken on my plate as (a) I'm terribly spoilt and (b) I don't eat meat.)

If James was providing the food, I thought the least I could do was grab a couple bottles of wine to match. 

The key considerations for picking a wine to suit this menu is the chilli heat and the vast array of complex flavours in the food that can potentially interact with a chosen wine. Both of these make for a high-risk pairing. To be fair if I was out and about I'd be more likely to grab a lager rather than attempt a potentially disastrous wine pairing. 

When cooking with chilli heat the body, richness, sweetness and fruitiness are all reduced, while the bitterness, astringency, acidity and alcohol burn are all amped up. You're best bet is a low alcohol white or a low tannin red.

Because the dishes all have a high flavour intensity the rule of thumb is typically to have an equally intense wine so that one doesn't overpower the other. However, in my experience with spicy asian food a more successfully pairing is with a simple, unoaked light white wine. 

The wines were picked up at my local Countdown where the range isn't exactly extensive, but I did alright.

Wine one: Brancott Estate Letter Series Marlborough Gewurtztraminer 2012

Wine two: Mudhouse Estate 'The Mound Vineyard' Riesling 2013

The pairings:

With wine one: this was by far the favourite. The low acid and full-bodied nature of the wine was enhanced by the food pairing. The textural elegance of the wine was amplified and the flavours of the meal were retained as the chilli heat of the curry was soothed. This was the ideal pairing. 

With wine two: as I expected having selected an off-dry Riesl rather than a perfectly dry one, the residual sugar and higher acidity negatively impacted the pairing. The acidity was pushed to the point of being unbalanced and the chilli heat was unpleasantly exaggerated. We all agreed that this wine was better on it's own and with dinner done, it definitely did not go to waste. 

The winning pairing was the Gewurtz by a mile. The food and wine enhanced each other rather than getting in each others way as was seen with the Riesling. 

And just for a bit of extra fun, here's a clip of the boys from the show:

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Well now, that's something I've not done in a while: drank a lovely glass of New Zealand wine. I've been on a diet of Old World wines for months now as I've focussed on education over enjoyment. Earlier this week with a bit of sunshine, a crisp, clean Kiwi white really hit the mark. 

What's in the glass: 2011 Millton ‘te Arai’ Chenin Blanc from Gisborne

A quick peak at Chenin: it's traditional home is the Loire Valley where, depending on the degree of ripeness can be used for everything from sparkling, to dry still wines to sweet, dessert wines. How very versatile. The Milton te Arai is a dry example of Chenin indicating a fuller ripeness of grapes used to make this wine.

Tasting notes: a wine with delicate white florals, exotic aromas of lychees and syrupy-sweet canned peaches. Dry with an oily texture, medium body, a light, refreshing acidity and a slight nuttiness. A lovely alternative when you're wanting a little something different. 

Where I'm at: Boulcott Street Bistro, 99 Boulcott Street, Wellington

With the weather finally improving in Wellytown, I expect we'll be seeing a lot more of the fruity, flavourful New Zealand wines. 

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Brandy and other fruit spirits at Arbitrageur

Goal: imprint WSET Level 3 chapter on brandy and other fruit spirits into my memory bank.

Quick overview:

Brandy is a spirit distilled from wine. Most prestigious brandies are (1) Cognac, found north of Bordeaux, where Fine Champagne is used to indicate blends from the two best areas, Grand and Petit Champagne; and (2) Armagnac, found south of Bordeaux, where Bas-Armagnac is the sub-region that's said to produce the most elegant Armagnacs.

Marc, or pomace, is the residue of skins, pips and pulp, left after grape skins have been pressed. Spirits can be pressed from this by-product. Most famously Italian Grappa.

Cognac vs Armagnac:

Armagnac distillates is collected between 52% to 72% abv (usually towards the lower end of the range) and contains high levels of congeners; Cognac produces a spirit of about 70% abv.

With Cognac the heads and tails are separated from the main spirit, whereas with Armagnac the heads are retained, resulting in unintegrated alcohol in young Armagnacs.

The most important grape variety for Cognac is Ugni Blanc (Trebbiano), with Armagnac it's Ugni Blanc and Baco 22A. Baco helps Armagnac in producing fuller bodied spirits.

How to pull it off: visit Arbitrageur wine room & restaurant in central Wellington. Their wine list has everything I need and the gracious, helpful folks there also permit me to have just have a splash, enough for tasting rather than a full 40mL serve. (Even after only five splashes I did need a nap.)

Tasting notes

The brandies

1. Godet Gastrome Fine Champagne Cognac: a very elegant, lifted, floral expression of Cognac. Amber in colour, with additional aromas of dried fruits, marzipan and vanilla from the time spent in oak. The spirit is comparatively light bodied when seen beside the Grand Champagne and the Bas-Armagnac.

2. Delamain Vesper XO Grand Champagne Cognac: as an XO, the youngest spirit in the blend is 6 years old resulting in far more rancioed aromas and flavours. This is a grand, rich amber coloured spirit with more smoky, toasty and masculine characters. It's far more flavourful than the Godet along the lines of earthy, chocolatey and stewed prunes. The spirit is more masculine overall with only a pinch of fruit flavours on the palate.

3. Tariquet 12-year old cask-strength Bas Armagnac: I questioned whether the alcohol was fully integrated but with a bit of patience this spirit evolved into a far more candied and approachable drop. Definitely full bodied, lighter in amber colouring than either of the Cognacs. Overall it's rather rich and a interesting contrast to the first two spirits. Along with the candied-cherries there's prunes and chocolate and a softly-smooth texture.

The marc and grappa spirits

4. Brotto Grappa Chardonnay Trentino: clear and colourless made from the by-product of 100% Chardonnay grapes. In this line-up, the aromas and flavours are very subtle with only a slight nuttiness and a touch of crisp green apple to go with the heat of the alcohol.

5. Escarpment Marc de Magdalena: a very pronounced nose with a wide array of dried fruits and florals in a very rum-soaked Christmas pudding kinda way. It's vibrant and intriguing. What goes into the marc de Magdalena is a blend that changes from year-to-year.

And as a special treat, those fabulously generous guys at Arbi got me a small splash of the Louis XIII De Remy Martin (at $225 per shot) to act as a reference spirit. To illustrate what a really great Cognac can be. This one was undeniably in a whole different ball game. Smooth as silk, with rich aromas of delicate florals and flavours of cigars and sweet spice. A real beauty. And then I read this on the Louis XIII facebook page and clearly I need a do over: "each bottle is a blend of 1,200 Cognacs, ranging from 40 to 100 years old, across three generations of Cellar Masters". Full on.

[winefulness]

Dinner at Charley Noble. Fabulous food, impeccable service. 

Holidays are ending, my mate recently home from the UK is trying to decide between wonderful Welly and awful Auckland (I'm using a superb Wellington restaurant to sway the decision), the sun is shining. All good reasons for a night out and a tipple or three. 

Wine theme for the night: Spain. 

Thankfully due to an error on the wine list that had the Port coming from Spain rather than it's actual home in Portugal I was able to sneak it into my prescribed theme. 

Sin Palabras Albarino 2012, Rias Baixas, ESP

Crisp and fresh with soft aromatics this wine is bone dry and has a slightly mineral quality. As the wine warms in the glass the subtle flavours and aromas of red apple, pear, citrus and white florals become more pronounced. A beauty with the crudo of market fish (as you might expect with a maritime-influenced climate) as the pairing helps to balance out the acidity and amp up the smooth and creamy texture. 

Bodegas Berona Rioja Crianza 2009, Rioja, ESP

A fruity drop with plenty of red berries and plums, roasted nuts and a nice hit of vanilla from its time spent in oak. Medium tannin and mild acidity with moderate alcohol, wines coming from such a warm climate I would have expected something quite full-on, rather than the bright, cheery and delicately spicy wine. 

Ferrieira LBV Port 2007, Duoro, PRT

Black as night, this fortification influence was dominant with notes of raisin and dried strawberries. A very decadent wine with layers of complexity. A very black cherry palate with a richly textured mouth-feel and noticeable cocoa and vanilla notes. From my memory and, more reliably, from my notes, this wine is gorgeous. 

[winefulness]

Where: Uncorked Wine Bar and Tasting Room. 201 Cuba Street, Wellington. www.cubauncorked.co.nz

What: Wellington's newest wine bar. They've got a small wine list (a grand total of 14 wines to choose from) and a fabulous cheese platter. Feels like a cellar door in the city centre. And unlike most of the others that only come alive at night, it was a great spot to enjoy a wine on a sunny afternoon. 

With wines by the glass and tasting flights of three wines for $18. Other than the Akaroa range and the very popular Carchelo Monastrell all other wines are swapped out every six weeks or so to keep things fresh. Glynn and I shared a flight of red and one of white of all non-NZ wines.  

The Whites: 

Palmadina Grigio 2010: an engaging wine with a delicate fresh and floral nose, a slightly oily texture and a crisp citrus flavours.   

Giacondi Chardonnay Delle Venezie 2011: a rather neutral wine on it's own. Pair it with a bit of bread and cheese and you're rewarded with a nice hit of acidity.  

Bogle Chenin Blanc Northern California 2012: punchy. This wine jumps out of the glass with plenty of green capsicum. Softly textured and silky on the palate with a nice bit of sweetness. Rather inelegant. 

The Reds: 

Kessel Lagrein Santa Giuletta 2010: this wine is dominated by it's tannins with a smokey nature and plenty of dark red fruits. Low acid and medium body, this wine is bone dry and a bit full on. 

Santori Friuli Merlot 2012: savoury green capsicum and black olives on the nose with a more fruity, red plum palate. Light on the body, acid and tannin. 

Fleurie Beaujolais 2011: a refreshing red with low tannin, low acid and simple aromas and flavours of red fruits and berries.