Bollinger

I opened a bottle of Bolly, on Saturday night. It was a combination of celebrating one of my kids going up a book group and me becoming a "Clean, Lean Warrior".

Having lost half a stone, I thought if I am going to drink anything, I need to drink the best. Bolly is definitely that. When I was working at a famous hotel on Hyde Park Corner, the house Champagne was, and still is Bollinger. The hotel had their name on it, I was told the first time ever, for this Champagne house.


Even better, on my very first day, in my very first hour, while working in the bar, a check came on for a bottle of the stuff. The bar has glass covered tables and cut crystal glasses, it was my first day and I was nervous. I was made even more so, when told to pour the bottle in one hand, with my thumb steadying it, inside the dimple at the bottom.

Stone the Crozes

Nearly a decade ago, I was asked to start and stock a wine cellar, in a private house.
Since then, the house has been lovingly refurbished. During this time, the wine was shipped out of the cellar and randomly stored in an out-building.

I was asked to put the wine cellar back together and give it a little TLC. As I was re-assembling the cellar, I saw that some of bins were going over. There are a few whites, that would have died, two of the reds, I was unsure of and so brought home as sample.

One of these is a Crozes Hermitage, 2004, from Domaine du Colombien. It is from the North of Rhône and is made from the Syrah grape.
The nose reminded me of a house, I used to visit as a boy. The man used to smoke a pipe and the women used to bake  for the local W.I. There was always a wood fire burning. Throw in the smell of homemade chutneys, lavender and coal tar soap and you have it.

It is pinkie to the edge, showing a little room for age? The taste is slightly metallic on first sip, there is the piped tobacco, berries and cherry compote melded together.

A beautiful wine, that still has some life.

Supermarket wines, this week Aldi

Un-deterred, my wife had chosen the "Supermarket wine of the week" and again it comes from the very glamorous Aldi.
She chose a "pink" from Australia, with a pretty lizard on the front, say no more!

The wine was actually a very nice rose, which we enjoyed on Friday, one of the warm evenings we had this weekend.
The wine is made from a blend of dark grapes.

The skins have extra contact, during maceration, giving a darker rosé. The colour is

The Man in the Iron Mask

A friend of ours had a significant birthday this weekend. She organised a masked ball, for this weekend, in the local Town Hall. It said on the invite, that masks were obligatory, so a babysitter was booked and we got dressed up.

The sun was out and it was a warm evening, as we  processed to the Town Hall. We were met by a crowd of bystanders, probably wondering who all these masked "Chippy Set" people were. There was a fire eater, who kindly offered to switch places with me, I think he was enflamed, when I refused.

Supermarket wines,this week Budgens

So, I had the kids yesterday, while my wife worked. I wanted them to help me wash the car, or rather I wanted to wash the car and needed them supervised.
Easter holidays are great fun, but once the chocolate has gone and the bickering starts, you find yourself on a slippery slope.

I thought it would be a change from the naughty step, if I took them into a Cotswold town.
I could run some errands and they could stop firing cap-guns at each other, it sounded a plan?
Also, I owed them an Easter egg each, which I had failed to buy in time.

This was my real reason for ending up in Budgens. Easter eggs securely in the basket, I had a wonder into the wine section, which looked full and varied.
I picked out a Chenin Blanc from South Africa, it was reduced by £3.00 and it looked good.

Cellar of the Devil

On Saturday, we were invited to freshen up the local cricket club. Paint was applied, things were built and the wicket was rolled; the club started to look ready for the new season.  As a thank you I was given a bottle of wine, along with a bacon sarnie.

The bottle that I was given, was a Chilean red, made from Carmanere grapes. The wine is called Casillero del Diablo or Cellar of the Devil.

The story goes,100 years ago Don Melchor de Concha reserved for himself, the best bottles of a batch of wine, he had made. The Don was worried that these bottles would get taken.
To protect his investment, he spread the rumour that the devil lived in his cellar. It is a good job, that the Devil didn't have a penchant for good Chilean wines either?

The wine is dark red, almost blackcurrant. The nose is one of bitter quality chocolate, blended with coffee beans and blackcurrant jam.
The jammyness comes out in the initial taste, along with a bramble greenery and a toasty oak flavour.

A very good wine, made with Chile's very own grape, Carmanere. I just think a stronger cellar would have been in order, rather than a scary rumour, that must have been the kiss of death for the marketing department at the winery?
 

Oyster Bay, Sauvignon Blanc, 2012

Oyster Bay, has been dubbed the poor man's "Cloudy Bay". I think this a little unfair. Pound for pound, Oyster Bay offers better value for the price.

I once had an interview, for a job in a hotel, in the New Forest. The Sommelier was overjoyed to show me a palette full of cases of Cloudy Bay, in the hotel cellar. I think he was saddened by my lack of enthusiasm.
I had heard stories of signs announcing the new vintage, out in New Zealand, with just the words " its here". This is followed by the disappointing sign of "its gone".

Does a wine merit this adoration? There are wines and vintages that I get excited about. Cloudy Bay is just not on this list. The vintages just don't have the diversity and variation that Bordeaux reds can offer.

Step in Oyster Bay, a humble Sauvignon from Marlborough, New Zealand. It can always be found and normally costs less than £10.