Wine of the week: Goosecross Orange Muscat 2010

Our trip to Napa in 2011 was an exciting exploration of Californian wines and it was the wineries experimenting with varieties outside of the staple Cabernet and Chardonnay which gave us the most pleasure. One of the most exploratory of these was the wonderful Goosecross Cellars who, in addition to the typical Napa styles, produce Pinot Gris, Chenin Blanc and even Tempranillo.

They also produce this delicious sweet Orange Muscat, one of eight bottles we managed to smuggle back with us in our suitcase.

It's almost colourless in the glass and as soon as you pour it you can smell the delicious, grapey intensity of the muscat grapes with a delicate floral perfume.

It tastes like fresh peaches and ripe mangos, the sweetness tempered by a brisk acidity and something of a hop like bitterness. The wine leaves your mouth coated with flavour, the tropical fruit salad lingering for an age.

It really is delicious and I heartily agree with the Goosecross recommendation instead of serving this wine with a dessert, drink it as a dessert in its own right. But it would be great with fruit or even blue cheese.

I debated whether or not to post a review of this wine, it's gonna be difficult to get hold of here in the UK, but it reminded us of our wonderful time in Napa so here it is.

Meantime Friesian Pilsener

Meantime started brewing in 2000 making them one of the oldest of the ‘new wave’ of London breweries. Meantime are also the second largest independent London brewery (after Fullers). I remember quite well their appearance on the drinking scene as it roughly coincided with our move to the London Bridge area, and we've always enjoyed their beers. We were pleased to have been invited to the launch of a limited edition Friesian Pilsner with brewer Rod Jones.

Rod is very knowledgeable and passionate about beer, and stressed that the emphasis of Meantime is on the flavour of the beer, and they focus on high quality raw ingredients, maturation, and do not pasteurise their beers. He obviously feels very strongly about the opinion (of some) that Meantime have ‘sold out’ – he pointed out that just because production has increased it doesn't mean that the quality of the beer will decrease, and that the key to keeping the quality of the beer consistent is that it is still the brewers running Meantime (not the accountants). They are fussy about their beer and the brewing process and therefore the quality of the beer hasn’t suffered. I tend to agree, and this event was a refreshing reminder of some of the beers they do best.

Meantime have 9 beers in their standard range and then brew a limited edition seasonal special every two months. They also have a microbrewery where they get to experiment with some of their wackier recipes. It is very interesting to hear that Meantime buy some of their hops three years in advance to ensure they get some of the more popular varieties they need.

So onto the beer. The limited edition Friesian Pilsener is brewed in a North German style – these tending to be lighter in colour, hoppier and more bitter then the Southern German pilsners. It’s been made with 100% pilsner malt, and they use Perle hops at the start (for bitterness) then Tettnang in the boil and at the end, using German brewing techniques. The maturation (or lagering) of this beer is 5 to 6 weeks.

This beer really delivers on flavour, which creeps up on you before you realise. At first it is refreshing, but hoppier than you’d normally expect from a pilsner, with a crisp bitterness and a complex finish. Rod describes it as a session beer, balanced, dry and drinkable – simple, but that’s what makes it such a popular style of beer. The hops grow as you get further down the glass, starting subtle and then get more intense the more you drink. It paired well with most of the food we tasted, and especially well with the cheese which was a surprise. 

It was very interesting to experience this classic style of lager with Rod, who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of brewing and its history. Just don't talk to him about hip hop.

This seasonal brew will be on sale at the Greenwich Union and The Old Brewery for a limited period.

Wine of the week - 2010 P.F, Bodegas Ponce, Manchuela

In Shepherds Bush, opposite the Westfield "Temple of Consumerism", is a delightful secret. A little independent reminder that it's worth fighting for the little guys. The bustling Albertine wine bar has been selling great wine for decades and is a favourite for an after-work glass for the local BBC staff. In fact one drink has been known to turn into many glasses for me and my colleagues. The wine list has so many interesting and quirky wines by the glass and the bottle that it's difficult to leave it at just one.

When the Real Wine Fair was on back in March, Albertine joined in the celebration of natural wine with an inspired selection of wines from the fair. During a evening of sampling these fascinating wines, one of them impressed us so much that we had to take a bottle home with us.

This wine was the 2010 P.F (Pie Franco) from Bodegas Ponce in Manchuela. It's made from a tiny number of very old ungrafted Bobal vines and the intensity of this wine is testament to both the quality of those vines and the skill of the winemaker, Juan Antonio Ponce.
It has a huge nose that takes your breath away with bags of blackcurrant, black pepper and herbs . There are focused and almost overwhelming flavours of black fruits and spice but balanced with a hint of creamy vanilla, while the acidity and medium tannins give it a great structure and long lingering finish.

P.F might still be available from Albertine but is also available from Wine Direct, Roberson wine and is imported by Indigo Wine.

Beer of the Week - Chimay Gold

A mysterious invitation to the launch of an unknown beer, a collaboration from two internationally renowned breweries, in the crypt of a church down a hidden street in old London town. Well it would pique the interest of any beer lover. Down in the belly of the church we could have been hidden in a secret bar under the Grand Place in Brussels, sipping on Chimay Red and snacking on cheeky deep fried mussels and aged Chimay cheese being offered up on the trays of Belgian waiters.

The main announcement came, the reason we were here, the launch of Chimay Gold, a 4.8% pale ale. The monks' own beer is a light and refreshing ale, spiced with coriander and orange. It falls somewhere between a pale ale and a Belgian Wit but with the unmistakable Chimay yeast character giving it fruity flavours of tangerine and apple. It is both creamy yet zesty and spicy which makes it perfect with rich cheese or even with a barbecue as I'm enjoying this bottle today.

Fullers are now importing all the Chimay beers including Gold and it is available on draft from a number of Fuller's London pubs and in bottle around the country.

The list of London pubs is here.

Wine of the week - Manz Cheleiros, Dona Fatima, Jampal (2011)

We've been fans of Portuguese wines for a while now, grasping the opportunity to taste them when available. This bottle of Manz Cheleiros Dona Fatima was bought completely on a whim and the recommendation of the salesman in Oddbins when given the brief of 'something interesting' by Sam. He wasn't wrong, this is a really interesting bottle.

Jampal is a rare Portuguese grape variety, which Jancis Robinson described as a "southern Portuguese grape with possibly unrealised potential" in her 'Guide to wine grapes' back in 1996. I think she's right, and according to the Manz website this is the only example of a single varietal Jampal in the world.

The wine is pale lemon in colour and has lush fruit aromas of green apple and citrus, with hints of stone fruit and an oily minerality. To taste it's dry with a medium body and acidity, and a long finish. There are hints of nuttiness, the citrus on the nose delivers through the taste with a grapefruit pithiness,  lemon, and then some stone fruit follows afterwards. The flavours are bright and it's a really interesting wine with some very complex flavours.

RRP £15, Currently available from Oddbins.

Beer of the Week: Partizan Brewing's Grisette Saison

Slightly cloudy on the pour with very little head, golden in colour.

On the nose you get wheaty yeasty notes and sherbet, and to taste it's very similar. It's very refreshing, slightly earthy and biscuity, with wheat, a slight grassiness and the predominant sherbet taste. It reminds us slightly of a Belgian Wit but with less of a funky off flavour than you'd normally get with these.  Overall we both loved this one and look forward to tasting more from Partizan Brewing.

4.8% ABV, available from various London locations - see their website for details.

Beer of the week - Brewdog Torpedo Los!

For my birthday, we visited the fantastic Lichtenstein retrospective at the Tate Modern last week. If you get the chance make sure you get there before it finishes in a few weeks time. I remarked as we walked around that Lichtenstein's bold use of primary colours and comic book aesthetics make for a visually satisfying experience. My favourite section of the exhibition is the section of Lichtenstein's homages to masterpieces by the likes of Picasso,Van Gogh and Mondrian.

In celebration of this exhibition at the Tate Modern, Brewdog have produced a pale ale named after a Lichtenstein classic, Torpedo Los! On the label Brewdog modestly liken themselves to the artist claiming to be revolutionaries creating abstract beers. I was going to make some less complimentary comparisons by talking about copying classics using a primary palette and broad brush strokes but then thought it might come across like a piece of GCSE art history homework. Instead I'll talk about the beer.

It's a very good beer in the US pale ale style with a little bit of red rye to give it some colour and composition. The US hops are fresh with piney greens and bright yellow lemon zest. Good structure comes from a solid malt canvas. In fact the broad strokes used in the creation of this beer are impressive for one designed to be sold in an art gallery. This beer isn't a masterpiece but it's far more than just a pretty label, so well played to Brewdog, more like this please. 

The Lichtenstein exhibition is on until the 29th May so hurry to see it before it closes. It's well worth the trip.
The Beer is available in bottle at the Tate Modern and on tap in the Brewdog bars.