Any wine lover who saw the 2004 film ‘Sideways’ will remember Miles’ outburst: “If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving”. But do they remember what he was drinking? It was almost entirely Pinot Noir. Pinot is to wine what Apple is to computers; it has a dedicated band of fans that are convinced that no other product can hold a candle to it. And, like Apple computers, it tends to be expensive. There is a good reason for this; it’s very particular about climate, soil, and vineyard management. Most wine growing areas of the world won’t even try to grow it. Of those that do, by far the largest is Burgundy, although it’s interesting to note that the USA is second and that US Pinot drinking has increased considerably, while Merlot sales have declined, since ‘Sideways’ was released! Continue reading The Black Art of Pinot Noir
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Special wine supermarket prices
We say thank you and goodbye to Philip Reddaway and hello to Andrew Polmear who is going to write a regular column about his love of wine
Supermarket wine has come a long way since those early days, the 1960s, when Sainsbury’s first introduced Vin de Pays de l’Herault and Minervois to their shelves for the same price that we used to pay for a Liebfraumilch or Bull’s Blood. I remember the excitement then – we felt we were drinking real wine that seemed to taste of the soil of those sun-baked parts of France rather than a factory product. Things have come a long way since then but there is still a dilemma when you are trying to buy a bottle of wine for under £10: do you buy a full-bodied wine from a reliable area that produces a lot of wine for the supermarket buyers, or do you seek out a wine that has something unique? A wine made with the carmenere grape from the central valley of Chile is always going to be full and fruity, but, in the end, unmemorable. A wine made by a single producer that has come from a small well-defined area with its unique blend of rock, soil and sun can stop a meal in its tracks, and transport you to that part of Italy, France or Spain where it was made.
Continue reading Special wine supermarket prices
The Whistler 