I’m always on the look out for good value wines under a tenner (or under £30 in restaurants) that nobody else is drinking and at the moment I seem to be obsessed with Spanish Tempranillo grape red wines that are not Rioja. Tesco’s wine club do a good range of very drinkable wines that fall into this category with names you cannot pronounce but just look for the grape variety on the label and you will be fine.
I recently had two excellent white wines by the glass in restaurants for less than £9 a glass. I know it’s above my limit but wines by the glass in most restaurants are limited in choice so these are worth a mention. The first was a Viognier/Semillon mix from the Barossa Valley in Australia, a 2006 Grant Burge Zerk. Yes I know the name is horrendous but it was exquisite. A slightly flinty taste on the palette it had a lovely creamy texture without the usual bucket loads of wood shavings you expect from Ozzie wine. It gets better after two or three mouthfuls and then it’s gone (why does wine taste better after the first mouthful???) leaving you with a yearning for another glass then another then another...
The second was from Italy, a Flors Di Uis 2005 Vie Di Romans from the Friuli region. A superb visceral quality wine with honeyed overtones that sits beautifully in the mouth and is the perfect accompaniment to the excellent food at my local French restaurant Le Cafe Anglais in Bayswater. If you get a chance to get over to Whiteley’s just to have a glass of this stuff at the bar it is well worth the trip.
Wednesday 27 August 2008
Friday 8 August 2008
Does Gewurztraminer really go with Curry?
I had a curry last night. Nothing new or exciting about that but I wanted to test a well trodden path that no wine goes with a Curry except a Gewurztraminer from Alsace.
To be fair it is hard to marry up any wine with a curry. Let's be honest curry should be accompanied by a Cobra or Kingfisher lager, not wine. But I've read so often, by so called experts, that the one to try is a nice spicy rich and fruity Gewurz which apparently cuts through the food and delivers in spades.
What absolute TOSH. Now okay my fellow diner and I had been drinking a very indifferent Pino Grigio (yes I know it's crap) before our meal so it was such a massive contrast before we had even eaten our first poppadom. The harsh nettle like PG vs the sweet creamy Gewurz was always going to jar but we battled through.
The food came, from the best indian restaurant in Bristol I might add and it was fantastic. The wine, although fairly priced, just did not make the grade. Too sweet, too fruity, no spice and frankly a complete waste of time.
So to conclude, my advice the next time you are going out for an English, oops sorry, an Indian is to forget the wine.... drink beer and you won't regret it.
To be fair it is hard to marry up any wine with a curry. Let's be honest curry should be accompanied by a Cobra or Kingfisher lager, not wine. But I've read so often, by so called experts, that the one to try is a nice spicy rich and fruity Gewurz which apparently cuts through the food and delivers in spades.
What absolute TOSH. Now okay my fellow diner and I had been drinking a very indifferent Pino Grigio (yes I know it's crap) before our meal so it was such a massive contrast before we had even eaten our first poppadom. The harsh nettle like PG vs the sweet creamy Gewurz was always going to jar but we battled through.
The food came, from the best indian restaurant in Bristol I might add and it was fantastic. The wine, although fairly priced, just did not make the grade. Too sweet, too fruity, no spice and frankly a complete waste of time.
So to conclude, my advice the next time you are going out for an English, oops sorry, an Indian is to forget the wine.... drink beer and you won't regret it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
