Brother, can you spare a bottle for Haiti?

Damon Winter/The New York Times

The good folks at Brother, can you spare a bottle and Palate Press have joined forces with a number of generous winemakers and other wine trade contacts to create numerous auctions, the proceeds of which will go to the American Red Cross to help support the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Please follow the link to Palate Press (or the advertisement at top right) to donate wine or participate in the auctions, or follow the link directly to the American Red Cross if you would prefer to make a direct donation.

In the UK you may prefer to go directly tothe Disasters Emergency Committee.

We all know how awful the situation is in Haiti - a nation already struggling with extreme poverty now faced with a natural disaster the like of which it has never faced. Please give whatever you can.

Vinturi red wine aerator - great little gadget

I read up about this clever item before adding it to my wishlist at Amazon.co.uk this Christmas. Fortunately my parents dutifully bought it for me as a gift and I had the chance to test it out over the holidays. It really does make a difference to a red wine, although I think the effect is more obvious with heavier, or more tannic wines that are robust enough for aging.

It opens up the aroma and softens any rough tannins from younger wines just enough, thereby avoiding  any need to decant. I suppose it could be used to open up a whole bottle as you decant it, but so far I've only used it to pour by the glass.

On opening the wine, just pour it into the glass through the Vinturi aerator and it will bubble and gurgle amusingly, all the while introducing just the right amount of air to the wine via a clever capillary action, which takes advantage of the Venturi effect and Bernoulli's Principle, something I recall learning all about at university when I studied fluid dynamics!

At £35.40 from Amazon.co.uk (current price as at 6th January 2010) this is an ideal gift for a loved one who enjoys red wine - it really saves having to wait for a good quality wine to aerate!

I am sure there are detractors who will consider this sort of device is an improper way to treat good wine - my message to them: don't knock it until you've tried it!

Virginia Wines for sale in the UK

At last there is a store in the UK (London) selling a good range of Virginia wines, thanks (I believe) to their great quality and the dedication of Chris Parker of New Horizon Wines, you can now buy a selected range of Virginia wines from Whole Foods Market in Kensington, London.

I plan to pick some up next week when I'm in town, they will go down a treat for Christmas dinner this year!

Pinot Heaven - 2008 Plunkett Wines Pinot Noir Blackwood Ridge

This is, quite simply an astounding example of its type. Beautiful, delicate ruby red colour (strawberry pink at the rim).

Aroma of ripe fruit, Parma Violets, rich Christmas pud. Initially sweet, delicately spicy, intensely warming and incredibly long flavour that defines top notch New World Pinot Noir. A smoky finish with light tannins.

At 16% abv you have to be careful not to overdo it on this one. Perfect for a summer drinking red, but I would enjoy it equally well sitting by a warm fire in the winter. This would be a perfect accompaniment for summer parties, or for Christmas dinner.

*****

nomnomnom cooking competition

I'm delighted that I was offered the chance (and naturally I volunteered) to help one of the teams competing in the annual nomnomnom cookery competition, entered by pairs of food writers and photographers.

The team that I'm supporting comprises Kai Turner (@kaigani) and Willem van der Horst (@HippoWill), who have an exciting 3-course menu to prepare for 4 people with a budget of £40.

Based on their selected menu I have a few ideas about what to recommend, but will wait until I've agreed it with them (and confirmed some details with the wine suppliers). Watch this space!

The grand final takes place on Sunday 12th July in London. Sadly I won't be able to attend but I have every confidence in "my" team to win!

Virginia Wines in the news

Great piece from CNN about the Virginia (and other US) wines at the London International Wine Fair last month. Very good interview with Chris Parker (New Horizon Wines), a great evangelist for the wines of Virginia:

CNN

Family Tasting - Sunday 7th June 2009

Today I decided to arrange an impromptu family tasting of 3 wines sent to me by Naked Wines to try in my capacity as an Archangel. There were 7 tasters, although my father-in-law only tasted the white as he's not really a wine drinker. The goal was to score each wine on a 1-5 scale, and to estimate the price.

Georg Müller Hattenheimer Schützenhaus 2007 (Riesling Spätlese Trocken, Rheingau, Germany)

A very pleasant wine, tasted lightly chilled. It showed a wonderful fruity aroma, with characteristic Riesling flowery notes. The taste was also surprisingly fruity, one taster mentioned cider, another elderflower. Dry and refreshing, this makes perfect summer drinking, and would fare well with spicy seafood or coronation chicken. It also drinks well on its own. Light in alcohol, although perhaps stronger than expected at 12.5% a/v. Tasting again later I noticed a pleasant petillance to this wine which topped it off very nicely.

This was preferred of the three overall, despite some of the tasters only usually drinking reds. The average score was 3.1/5 (ranging from 2-4) and the desired price just over £6 (ranging from £4-8).


"The Dark Side" Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz 2005 (Cloof Vineyards, Darling, South Africa)

This was loved and hated in equal measure by the group - depending upon individual tastes. Its nose was variously described as 'cabbage' and 'Christmas pudding', but certainly the aroma was welcoming to me. The flavour was intensely oaky, having been aged in French wood. It would benefit from decanting or aeration prior to drinking. I plan to taste again tomorrow evening to see how it has mellowed.

A strong wine at 14% a/v, and it tastes it too. Despite the oak, the wine was easy, smooth drinking, and very pleasant. The Shiraz character successfully bludgeoned any Cab. Sauvignon character out of the way, although with aging I am sure this imbalance would even out.

This scored an average of 2.75/5 (ranging from 1-4!) with a desired price of £6.25 (range from £5 to £8).


Chateau La Lauzette Declercq 2006 (AC Listrac-Médoc, Médoc, France)

Again there were two distinct camps on this wine (opposite to the South African wine). As expected for a 2006 this was highly tannic and most tasters said it was acidic, although that was a positive point in a couple of cases! Would definitely benefit from decanting and should stay in the bottle for another year or three in this taster's opinion.

A pleasant aroma, notes of cinnamon and caramel. One taster described it as thin in the mouth and having a flavour of boiled eggs. For me it was too raw, and I will taste again tomorrow to see if it improves with some air.

Average score was 2.4/5 (ranging from 1 to 3.5), with a desired price-point of £5.50 (£3 to £6).