Wine: are you worth it?

A recent study claimed that we couldn't tell the difference between cheap wine and expensive wine. When asked to decide which was which, only 50% of respondents got it right. Wierd, because in my experience, give someone a £5 bottle and a £10 bottle and most people can differentiate. We might not always prefer the more expensive wine, but can tell the difference between the two. I tested this out on a few friends last week (I promise I am not always this dull) with a £5 bottle of Pinot Grigio and a £10 bottle of Gavi. Both Italian white wines, both delicious: tasted 'blind' the Gavi was easily picked out as the more expensive wine, with better weight and flavour. Go above £10 - not something I do very often, tbh - and it becomes a question of personal taste as much as anything. The average price of a bottle of wine in the UK is still under £5. Spend a few quid more and you'll get much better value for money. Spend over £10 and I'll be asking you round for dinner.

This week's white in the fridge: Araldica, La Monetta Gavi di Gavi 2009, £9.99, Waitrose
This is the very same wine mentioned above. I liked it so much, I bought another bottle at the weekend. Made from the Cortese grape grown in the Gavi region in Piedmont, Italy. It is a really sunny, crisp wine; refreshingly different from Chardonnay and more interesting than the ubiquitous Pinot Grigio. I drank a glass of this whilst deciding how long I could put off packing. As you can see, I chose posting over packing. 


This week's red on the side:  Chateau Montesquieu 2008, £8.55, The Solent Cellar
A frequent dinner guest, this is a brilliant example of how spending a few extra quid gives you much better value for money at this level. This good-looking red is from the Cotes du Roussillon region in the South of France, 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 20% Carignan. Sometimes the sum is greater than the parts: the Grenache has great fleshy fruit, the Syrah adds backbone, depth and tannin and the Carignan brings colour to the party. Aged in French oak for 10 months, this is a little smarty-pants of a wine. Brilliant with Shepherd's Pie. Ketchup essential. 


Chin chin x 

Wedding Belles

I am very excited about Friday for a number of reasons. We'll be in our new house having moved the day before AND we have a Royal Wedding to watch. Best of all, my darling sister is coming over from Brussels for a few days just so she can watch it on TV with me and my mother. A wedding, a day's holiday and an excuse to drink fizz with loved ones? I, for one, can't wait. Here's what we'll be drinking:

Currently chilling in the fridge: Michel Gonet Brut Reserve NV, £18 on offer, Tesco.com
This is a brilliant sparkler made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes (the smart two of the three main grapes allowed) grown in Grand Cru villages (the highest rated vineyards according to the echelle des crus village rating system) across Champagne. It is not a shy style of wine: biscuity, layered and moreish. I've made it sound like the alternative McVities cake being served at Buckingham Palace on Friday but can assure you it is dry as a bone and not quite as fattening. Jancis Robinson loved this wine and wrote in up in the FT not long ago. 


Happy daze x   

Working Girl

This week, I am in town for the International Wine Challenge, tasting about 100 wines a day blind (as in the bottles are covered up, rather than me tasting them with my eyes closed). I'm tasting the wines with a panel of experts to unearth this year's gold, silver and bronze medal wines. Results will be announced in May and I will duly give you the nod on the best ones when the winners are announced.

So, although I am tasting 100s of wines this week, I'm not actually drinking any. The only thing I can face after a full day's tasting is a cup of tea.

Back next week with some recommendations.

KM x

Worrier Princess

I'm a born worrier. I'm the eldest sibling, a Virgo and a mother. Triple whammy. But there is a huge difference in my BC (before childbirth) and AD (after delivery) worries. BC was mostly me: namely money, weight, clothes, job, social & love life. There was a dalliance with existentialism vs. rationalism during the university years, but it didn't last long. AD is mostly about my children. There are a few old items still on the agenda - shallow ones, obviously - but really, it is about the children. Am I a good mother to them? (Hope so). Do I shout too much? (Probably). Will they cope in the big, bad, beautiful world we live in? (No idea). All I can do is love, live and try not to drink bad wine. Life is far too short for that.

Current white in the fridge: Wolfhouse Chardonnay, £4.99 or 2 for £8, Co-op
When I think of Romania - which is not often, it has to be said - I don't immediately think of wine. Rather, I think vampires. Not a good-looking R-Patz-type but a proper Christopher Lee-like Dracula vampire. It's been a while since I've drunk a wine from Romania and this one was a real surprise, in a good way. Crisp, dry, lemon-scented with a slug of peach and pineapple fruit. It has been made using modern new-world winemaking techniques to keep the fruit in and the air out, so the wine is fresh, fruity and bright. Like me on eight hours sleep.

Current red on the side: Tesco Finest Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere 2010, £4.75 on offer, Tesco.com
Oh, I do love Chilean wine. Years ago, it was described as the Volvo of the wine world; not the most exciting wines but always dependable. I think Chile can now reveal its go-faster stripes. Hell, it can wave fluffy dice in the faces of those who say its wines are boring. Chile is a natural fruit bowl, producing wonderfully ripe grapes that have been bathed in sunshine, cooled by sea-breezes and watered by rivers flowing from sources high in the Andes mountains. This one is a chocolate (from the Cab) and minty (from the Carmenere) mix with supple tannins and a good nudge from the oak. Not a shy wine, hence the go faster stripes. 

No worries x