Gustave Lorenz Cremant d'Alsace Rose Brut NV

Now I'm not the kind of girl to spend my time hanging around the back streets of a town but sometimes needs must when there's good wine to be found at the end.

Down a sneaky alley next to the Bank of New Zealand is where I found Edward Street and the very lovely Vivo. Vivo was recommended to me because they have a very good selection of sparkling wines by the glass and an indulgent international wine list. 

It is definitely indulgent for me as they've gone past the local bubbles, cava, prosecco to include a Cremant d'Alsace and they have Charles Heidsieck by the glass which is a result in my book!

I have tasted a few Cremant d'Alsaces on my journies and I'm pretty impressed by them. The Gustave Lorenz Cremant d'Alsace Rose is 100% Pinot Noir but it isn't trying to be a champagne. A family owned company they have been producing wines since 1836 and the grapes for this wine come from two sites they have in Kanzlerberg and Altenberg de Bergheim which are both Grand Cru sites.

 Deep pink in colour with small fast moving bubbles and some fine beading on the rim the nose has characteristics of raspberries, strawberries, cherries, vanilla and redcurrants with a little light spice and cherry blossom.

On the palate it isn't a fruit bomb, crisp and dry the fruit flavours do carry through but there is a savoury and almost farmyardy note to it that brings a level of depth and complexity. Combined with a creamy mousse this wine is a real treat to drink, its simplicity is its success. Crisp, dry, lots of fruit a little of something more and really well put together I would recommend this for a nice aperitif or for a glass of something cheeky on its own at any time.

Open That Bottle Night: Augusti Torello Mata Reserva Cava Brut 2006

Open that bottle night is a great idea to drink those bottles of wine that you look at and occasionally stroke, hoping that the right occasion will just present itself. It is also probably a better idea if all my wine wasn't on the other side of the world. Nay bother, where there's a will there's a way and my way was to try the vintage cava I had  previously been eyeing up on The Matterhorn wine list.

Augusti Torello Mata has created a real gem that shows his passion and precision in producing sparkling wine. Located in the heart of Cava-land, Sant Sadurni d'Anoia, Penedes, Mata was the first of his family to get into the wine business back in the 1950's. The Xarel-lo, Parellada and Macabeo old vines are maintained with a nod to sustainability, hand harvested with each vineyard vinified separately and then aged for  three years before release.

Augusti hasn't been wasting his time, this was superb! Before I tucked into it, the wine was a sight to behold, columns of tiny bubbles formed fine beading on the rim and the nose was a pronounced mix of almonds, crisp green apples, crackers (edible not party) and yeasty fresh bread proving.

On the palate it was far softer and riper than I was expecting, those big flavours from the nose had mellowed to sit very comfortably together bound by a very creamy mousse. Not the longest finish I've had from a glass of sparkling wine but last night it performed beautifully. An absolute gem that would change people's minds about cava being just a party plonk.