G-L-O-R-I-A Gloooooooooria

With  a little help for the title from Van Morrison (I'm so cool!) , Day 2 found me at Gloria Ferrer in Carneros. Nestled on top of the hill, the view is spectacular. One thing the Napa Valley has in abundance is great spots where a glass of fizz is just the decent thing to do. If you were really doing it properly then a bottle of something shared and a chauffeur home would be the way to go! For Gloria Ferrer that would mean a bottle of the Blanc de Blancs, 2005 and a plate of serrana ham.

I discovered this combo of dreams when in Cava country a couple of years ago. The salty gorgeousness of the ham balances beautifully with the crisp breadiness of vintage cava or Blanc de blancs sparkling wine. There is no need for anything else apart from sunshine and a special someone who doesn't mind that you're eating ham with your fingers. Just for the record Prosecco does also work with parma ham, the sweetness works much the same way as with melon, only far more chic!

The lovely Cindy took some time to show me around and take me through the range which now includes a curious little sparkler that has 89% Pinot Noir, 8% Chardonnay and 3% Muscat called Va de Vi. It's a little treat as the Muscat gives a really rich, ripe fruitiness and the acidity is refreshing and zippy which lifts all that ripeness and stops it being cloying.

One thing that I would love to see become commonplace in the UK is to see English sparkling wines served at Royal occasions. Gloria Ferrer is one of many wineries I visited that had their wines used for White House dinners. If this does already happen in England then hurrah but I have a feeling it isn't a common occurrence. Pictures adorn the walls of the occasion and the menu with which the sparklers were served. I tried the Royal Cuvee which was first tasted by the King and Queen of Spain when it was released. the 2002 vintage wsa incredibly complex with concentrated flavours of citrus peel, apricot, mandarin, caramelised ginger and cinammon. Crisp apple and lemon flavours and refreshing acidity lighten those intense flavours to create an interesting and well put together wine.

If you get the chance to visit Gloria, make sure you look in the fridge and buy some cheese. I love America but the cheese generally sucks in its weird slightly over processed shiny way. They have real manchego and proper goats cheese amongst the shelves of joy and also very importantly you can buy actual Spanish Serrana ham there not some kind of bizarre interpretation of it. Genius and very tasty.

Sadly I had to tear myself away from Gloria and have lunch in Carneros before I drove up to Rutherford to visit Mumm. Getting hold of Mumm Napa has been a struggle over the last few years so I went to see them as much to please myself rather than for educational merit. Despite the enormous pumpkin (see below) there was something of the 80's about the tasting room. The shop is relatively modern but the tasting room has a whiff of British Home Stores cafe about it. Luckily the wine made up for it!

I chose the staff favourites as they were winery only exclusives and that is the point of visiting wine producing regions, no? Deveaux Ranch, 2005,  Brut Reserve NV and the Renouveau Anderson Valley 2001 were thankfully far superior to their surroundings. The first two are Pinot Noir driven  and the Renouveau has Chardonnay take the lead and fruit is sourced from all over the Napa Valley taking in grapes sourved south of Yountvile, Anderson Valley and Carneros. Well made and classy wines with no mistake but I would recommend if you visit to grab a glass of something and head out of the tasting room to the Photo gallery opposite.

When I visited there was a striking exhibition of black and white photographs showing families in the same positions years and sometimes decades apart which in itself was very moving and beautifully presented. The surroundings are sleek, the images beautiful and the light flattering a far better place to enjoy a cool, crisp and complex glass of fizz. The whole experience is set off by the windows showing the bottles in their warehousing capacity so the winery influence subtley peeks its head out every now and then.

Sparkly enjoyed, pictures studied and enormous pumpkin marvelled at I headed back through rush hour traffic to Napa for a freshen up before dinner at Oenotri as recommended to me by the folks at V Wine in Yountville. I'll be doing a foodie blog of the places I've enjoyed later down the line. I've had some tasty treats during my stay and they require a little attention all of their own.

California Dreaming-Day 1

There are two ways to get to Australia from the UK and I picked the long way. It was a genius idea, if I wasn't headed to Tasmania then I would have to be forcibly removed from the Napa Valley.

I started as I meant to go on with a visit to Domaine Chandon in Yountville. Now these guys have the perfect balance between great wine, stylish surroundings and great hospitality. I visited Domaine Chandon in the Yarra Valley a few years ago and its American counterpart didn't disappoint. There are a good selection of sparkles to try, discounts for Club Chandon members and the tasting team are helpful but not pushy sales folks. I tried the EtoileBrut, Rose and Tete de Cuvee 2000 whilst I was there. The range is Chardonnay dominant and very good.

The Brut has seen 5 years ageing sur lees and is intense, concentrated with hints of spice and candied peel, the acidity keeps it fresh and clean and stops some of the big flavours being cloying. The Rose was a real foodie fizz, delicate salmon pink with a real savoury mushroom hit. It's sophisticated and elegant but not for those who want bags of red fruits from their rose. The star of the show (sorry...) is the Etoile Tete de Cuvee 2000 which is seriously impressive as it ought to be at $100. Rich and golden with a truffle and mushroom nose, creamy mouth feel and a long length this deserves its position at the top of the tree.

Sadly I had to tear myself away from Chandon to go and have a look at the town of Yountville. Which if you're not American is some kind of picture postcard town, it's a little bit like walking around a movie set. Timing wise I think I picked a pretty good time of year to go. Not as crazy busy as high summer but it was warm enough not to need a jacket and the blazing autumnal colours made it a joy to visit.

Being the nerd that I am I found myself in a wine merchants, V Wine Cellar http://www.vwinecellar.com/,
 other women buy shoes don't they? If you're ever in town, tear yourself aways from the restaurants and head down to this wine shop. They have chairs and tables outside and a great selection of wines to taste. I tried the Littauer 2008, Beckstoffer Chardonnay. which was delicious. A well balanced oaked Chardonnay with bags of fruit and a well balanced acidity. This was served with cheese breadsticks. Not a match you'll find in the great wine books of our time but with the great conversation from the guys who work there and a slightly dubious soundtrack it worked a treat.

My next stop was a death trap of a drive away in Sebastopol. Now when I Google mapped it the route took me across instead of down and round. DO NOT TAKE THIS ROUTE. Particularly if you are of nervous disposition. It takes an age and is an endless around and around of winding roads and  steep hills but it was well worth the journey to finally get to Iron Horse Vineyards.

Situated on the top of a hill the view is spectacular but it's really all about the wine. As it was a little late I only had time to try the 2002 Brut Late Disgorged which was a seriously impressive and classy fizz. Looking out as the sun went down with a sample of great sparkling wine was the perfect way to end my first day of tasting.

Full pictures from day 1 are on the Flute and Vine Facebook page...
http://tinyurl.com/2c2eta8   Ironhorse Chandon, Yountville album

800 miles later....

So safely settled into my "home" for the next 5 days in the Napa Valley what do I know after my jaunt around the south of England....?

Other than it takes pigging ages to get to most of the lovely places I visited, only a sadistic fool would recommend someone drive from Kent to Cornwall via Dorset on the same day, the main thing I discovered is that England has the capacity to make great fizz from a range of grape varieties. 

On my last couple of days I drove through fog and endless drizzle to see the folks at Camel Valley. Camel Valley is another award winning establishment which produces both still and sparkling wine to great effect. Despite it being the beginning of November a lorry load of grapes arrived whilst I was there to be processed ensuring no rest for Sam and the team just yet. 

As the winery folks were busy Jack took me through their range in the lovely tasting room which I can imagine if you're not driving and the sun is out is one of the best things to do on an afternoon in Cornwall. 

If Cornwall is a drive too far for you timewise then just outside of London is Denbies Estate. It's all geared up for visits, the whole team are incredibly chirpy, the wine is very good, particularly the award winning Greenfields Cuvee 2006. 100% Pinot Noir and utterly scrumptious, bags of fruit, including some crunchy redcurrant flavours, hints of candied peel, refreshing acidity and a fine creamy mousse. They have a train, restaurant, gift shop and you can even get involved during harvest with some picking followed by a trip to the winery to see the grapes being processed and then a tasting and lunch.  All in all well worth a look see if  you want to know a bit more about English wine but you haven't much time.

I love visiting wineries and vineyards as I don't think anything else can give you the same sense of place as actually being there. There are rules however for visiting vineyards/wineries, under no circumstances must you repeat the following to anyone before, during or after a trip to wine land. They will just assume you are a cretin and are just trying to show off.

1. "You know we went to (insert winery name here) and this only cost a couple of  Euros/Dollars/Groats and it's what all the locals drink. It's so overpriced when you buy it here isn't it?"  

Oh just f*$% off, either buy it where you've just been and have it shipped over or just keep your mouth shut. End of, nobody cares.

2. "That's hardly a taste, how am i supposed to find out if I like it from that tiny amount"

Tasting, not a free bar. If you want more buy it from these nice people who just gave you a sample to taste and let you look around their winery.

3. "It just tastes like wine, all that other stuff is just power of suggestion, you're only saying you can taste blackcurrants because someone else said it. They all taste the same to me"

 Why did you go to visit a winery? Go home immediately after apologising to the person at the cellar door who has been looking after you.

More pics from the UK leg can be found on the Facebook page for Flute and Vine http://tinyurl.com/27f7rl6

 

Yes England makes wine and yes it is good....

So day 2 of the UK road trip and what do I know apart from the fact I've spent a huge amount of time in the car? Well I can pat myself on the back for the accurate assumption that we can make cracking fizz here in England. 

First stop was a repeat visit to Chapel Down in Tenterden, one of the bigger producers of sparkling wine in the UK and a jolly lovely place to visit. Having become familiar with Chapel Down at Majestic, I made a flying visit earlier in the year and as I was in the area to visit Andrew at Gusbourne I felt it would be rude not to pop in again. They have a very well set out offering with a fancy pants restaurant, Richard Phillipe, upstairs and a tasting area/fancy pants deli shop below. I took a meander around the vineyard as it was an uncharacteristically warm day with golden sunshine blazing through the yellows, reds and oranges of an English autumn.

Fizz wise the range of six is a mix of the traditional and the what exactly is that of Reichensteiner and Rivaner. Prices range from £16.99 to £24.99 which is pretty typical of English sparklers and well priced when considering the quality produced.

A few miles away is Gusbourne Vineyards, a huge property that is partially planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The capacity for growth at Gusbourne is huge as there is lots of good land that just hasn't been planted yet. It's a good job there is capacity for growth as this stuff is fantastic! I've tried a few English sparklers made from traditional varietals and they have all been most impressive.

Nyetimber (got to include them even if the meanies won't let me visit!) Camel Valley and Ridgeview have won scores of awards and accolades between them over the years and a visit to Gusbourne says to me that this isn't a fluke. The ability to produce serious, high quality exciting and dynamic sparkling wine is what English wine is all about. There are some very good still wines around, the Gusbourne Pinot Noir 2007 will keep the French on their toes but it is sparkling that we excel at. I tried the 2006 Brut and the 2006 Blanc de Blancs which blew me away. There is a rose in the pipeline which I look forward to trying at a later date. 

I had a long an interesting chat with Nick from Herbert Hal in Mardenl, wines to be released 2012, about the future of the English sparkling wine industry. Nick not only has a real passion for fizz but also a very sharp business mind and I look forward to trying his wines once they are ready.

After speaking to him I still very much feel that we are on the edge of something very exciting in England with regards to sparkling wine. I would recommend anyone who has not tried an English fizz or has maybe only tried one to start scouring them out now because in 25 years time it will be like saying you saw The Beatles at Skegness Town Hall before they were big. Depending on your age feel free to substitute The Beatles for Take That at a Rollers skating rink in Milton Keynes or Dizzee Rascal at Butlins but you get the idea...hunt them out before they go global!

http://www.ukvines.co.uk/vineyards/gusbourne.htm 

http://www.englishwinesgroup.com/ 

http://www.herberthall.com/

http://www.ridgeview.co.uk/

Viennese whirl

Oooooh Vienna, whether it is the original or the impressive Seal version, it's pretty tricky to walk around Vienna without the song playing in my mind. Maybe I'm just of a certain age...

One of the joys of wine is it has taken me to places I may not have found myself in normally. Like Tunbridge Wells. But that is another blog... Austria however wouldn't have featured in the sparkling world trip if I had not stumbled across the Szigeti stand at the London International Wine Fair this year. Two of my colleagues found me and told me I had to go and see the man who made sparkling Gruner Veltliner. Being me I was primed to  mock. Being me I was curious enough to try first. I went, I tasted, I had no opportunity to mock.

The folks at Szigeti can make anything sparkle. I was met by Peter Szigeti at the Sekt Comptoir on Judengasse http://www.szigeti.at/sektoutlet.htm one of the city's two dedicated sparkling wine bars. We drove the hour or so through the traffic to Gols in Burgenland where I tried nearly all 25 sparklers available. Welschriesling, Blaufrankisch, Zwiegelt, Tokaji, Neuberger, Riesling, Gruner Veltliner and Weissburgunder all made an appearance at some point. I can't remember having spent a better afternoon drinking fizz in a while! It was an absolute pleasure to spend the day with someone who has so much passion in making things sparkle. Although they are not trying to ape champagne in any way, skills and equipment come from the Champagne region, I got to watch my first disgorgement in action as well...

Like a nerd I loved it! It was such a great way to kick off the sparkling tour with someone who has a passion for quality and also a curiosity to make the unusual sparkle. After a lovely afternoon I took the train back to Vienna (cheap, clean and efficient-why aren't they like this in the UK????) and had a nosey around for more Austrian sparkling wine.


Dedicated aren't I? Favourite other than Szigeti was a Brundelmayer, Kamptal Sekt. Pinot Noir 85%, Gruner Veltliner 15%, a very classy offering, excellent structure, lots of fruit, crisp acidity a real gem of a sparkling wine. Least favourite was the big brand leader for Austrian wine the Schlumberger which had something of the pub carpet about it, a bit claggy and mass produced. Very glad I didn't try this one first.


If I've learnt one thing about my Viennese whirl it is not to lose my curiosity. I had not expected that I would enjoy a sparkling Welschriesling and that it would be very well made but I am very glad that I have stumbled across it. I'm looking forward to trying many new things that surprise and impress me on my journey.

I did also go to Mozart's Requiem, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, the Picasso and Michaelangelo exhibition, the natural history museum and a go on the Big Wheel with time to buy an amusing giant pencil for my nephew. It's all about balance....

Hammersmith Gin Palace

Occasionally I stray away from the bubbly comfort of the sparkling world back into the spirit world. Not like Derek Acorah, you'll not find me lurking outside a run-down farmhouse trying to feel the spirit of Elsie the maid who got "into trouble" with the lord of the manor. I like to revist my past as a spirits maven. Back in the day when I was a whizz with my shaker it was distillation that got my spidey-sense tingling.

Having a few hours to spare, I wasted most of them trying to drag across town from Kings Cross in the midst of the tube strike, I thought I should take the opportunity to visit the fine chaps at Sipsmith. Their tiny distillery and the modest and beautiful Prudence may not seem the most glamorous but it has real history and intrigue. Once a micro-brewery for a pub in the next street and then the legendery late, great Michael Jackson (the whiskey one not the spangly gloved one) used it as his office before the Spismith chaps took it over.

On 11th May 2009 the first vodka flowed through Prudence, swiftly followed on the 14th by baby Emily Hall and the first batch of gin. Just 10 globally sourced botanicals are used by Sipsmiths to create an indivdual product that changes with each small batch as the natural ingredients have a unique diversity. As the nights start to draw in, I would highly recommend searching out a bottle of their rich and pungent Sloe Gin.

Stood in the little distillery with Prudence warming an already warm building and shelves of botanicals and numbered bottles I felt very, very privileged to spend a little time with the Sipsmith guys. They passionately believe in what they're doing and have created a cracking set of spirits to their own agenda rather than demands of a bigger company looking to fill a gap in the market. If you want to experience quality over quantity, hunt out a bottle and pour yourself a sublime G and T. 
 Peruse the Sipsmith site at your leisure..http://www.sipsmith.com/

Rocking robin. Diddleey diddleey dee....

Despite the balminess of today, nothing says summer is over like the appearance of a robin in the garden. The staple of Christmas cards and early Michael Jackson hopped along the garden as I was making tea this morning, which got me to thinking what do I want to acheive before the year is out.

I've done a lot of major stuff this year already and there's more of that sort to come so I figure the rest should be fun wine stuff! Here's my top 3...

1. Drink my 1977 bottle of port

Wine from the birth year is a classic and sadly 1977 was a hideous year for champagne but luckily port has come through and saved the day. Hopefully it will be cold enough before I depart to allow for sipping it in front of a real fire. 

2. Drink things  I can't find easily in Oz

Like Cava.  Tangy, fruity and luscious German whites. English fizz. The entire Dom. Paul Mas range. Planeta Cometa. Delicious fruity and interesting red and rose Navarra wines. Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere. Boutique gin. Yorkshire tea...

3. Fizz, fish, chip..

A proper chippy, nothing oven made or a modern twist of. I want it battered, fried and ideally with mushy peas, red sauce and lashings of salt and vinegar. Served in paper alongside a chilled bottle of Bollinger.