First and foremost, you need to start with a great tasting tipple. Our wine subscription UK services can deliver delicious French wine from a range of regions including Bordeaux, Provence, Languedoc, Alsace, Rhone and etc... Once your wine delivery arrives, there are essentially four areas to focus on for to maximise wine tasting appreciation;
Focus on all four factors to get the most out of your wine appreciation and subscription. Above all take your time and enjoy!
Even when you receive your wine delivery, the presentation of the bottle can impact your tasting experiences. To be honest, the bottle will provide a lot of information such as the grape type and ABV too.
As for studying the look, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a red or a white wine - the focal points will be the colour, opacity, and resistance or opposition of fluid.
The role of smell or a sniff in wine tasting is far more significant than many people imagine. There are hints of grapes and various fruits across the realms of citrus, orchard, tropical, and red fruits. These elements will be responsible for producing the primary aromas that first hit you when taking a smell of your wine.
Secondary aromas are derived from winemaking practices and usually stem from the yeast source. Notes related to ageing, which can include hints of various spices and tobacco, are known as tertiary aromas and are likely to hit you after the initial smells of fruit.
Bring the glass to your nose and let the aromas sink in for a few seconds. It will almost let you know what to expect before you’ve even used your tongue for tasting.
While enjoying great wine is an experience for all the senses, the actual tasting should be the central focus. Whether you’re alone or with friends, the key is to take your time and enjoy the beverage.
You will almost certainly detect sour flavours in every wine you taste as grapes are acidic. However, you may also note sweetness (particularly in white wines) or bitter tastes. Although not very common, you may notice salty hints too. There is also a need to consider the mid-palate and finish in addition to the initial flavour - this three-stage process is known as the length.
Following the tasting session, you should take a few moments to think about the wine. The main question is whether you liked it, but you can also consider issues like its balance, flavour profile, and alcoholic strength. It adds something to the initial tasting experience but, perhaps more importantly, helps you consider future pairing options.
With our wine subscription UK services, you’ll be trying plenty of wonderful wines over the months to come. Keeping a record will come in very useful as you determine the right drink for the right occasion.
The UK produces about 200,000 tonnes of waste in the form of glass every year. A considerable amount of this waste results from used wine bottles even though they can easily be recycled or repurposed, and all of this waste is dumped in landfills. On a similar thread, around 13 billion bottle corks are incorrectly disposed of each year.
With that in mind, here are some simple yet fun ways that you can repurpose your wine corks and bottles!
If you’re looking to redecorate your garden in time for spring, you can’t go wrong with a Wine Bottle Wind Chime. Not only are they easy to make, but they’re also incredibly stylish and a great way to add a little something special to your garden this year.
While you could create a Wine Glass Vase by simply placing flowers in the mouth of your wine glass, you probably would not be able to display very many flowers this way. However, using a similar method as described above, you could create a fun wine glass vase that’s appealing to look at in itself, flowers or not!
Some wine bottles are worth saving because they are distinctive in design or aesthetically pleasing, which can make them very fun and impressive to collect. This also means that they make excellent standalone decor without you having to put any work in whatsoever. However, you can elevate this by turning them into a ‘light’.
Even though it is widely recyclable, Cork products such as Wine Corks are often thrown away after a single use. When sent to landfill sites, they can take upwards of 10 years to decompose thoroughly. To avoid this, you should try to incorporate cork into your craft projects. For example, you could create simple cork magnets to keep your kitchen space more organised!
Cork Coasters and Placemats are another excellent way to repurpose your old cork and will be an excellent point of conversation at your next dinner party. Furthermore, they’re great for those whose design choices are considered ‘rustic’ or vintage.
As you can see, there are various different art projects that you can carry out using wine bottles and corks - many of which we couldn’t fit into this list! For example, you could also turn wine bottles into statement centrepieces or even candle holders, and cork products can be used to create dynamic, textured artwork. You simply need to let your imagination run wild (and away from the landfill) so that you are able to repurpose these products in a fun way.
If you’d like these ‘craft supplies’ delivered directly to your door - why not sign up for our Wine Club? This is a great way to broaden your horizons when it comes to wine, whether you consider yourself to be something of a sommelier or simply want to impress your guests at your next dinner party. Every 12 weeks, you will receive 12 unique bottles of wine (straight from the vineyards) delivered to your home. This means you have 12 chances to find a new favourite drink and 12 changes to try out a new art project!
Get in touch today to find out more!
If you are hosting a party or next time you are having a bottle amongst friends or family try this next time... pour your wine or bubbles into different types of wine glasses. Do a nose, taste and sight comparison.... you will quickly understand the importance for yourself.
Don’t forget to decant your wine before drinking to unlock its full potential. Decanting is the traditional method of allowing wine to breathe so that the full aroma and flavours of the wine can be released. A sceptical friend recently blind tested two glasses of the same red, one which had been decanted, and one which had not. Unsurprisingly to us, he could notice a clear difference between the two and preferred the decanted option despite not being convinced of the reasons for decanting before the test!
]]>
Essential Tips on Wine - How to have a little fun Decanting & Aerating Your Wines
We'd like to tell you about the best way to get the most out of your wine, and how to truly enjoy your wine-drinking! One of the best ways to enhance the flavour of your wines is to decant them beforehand - and to prove it, I'd like you to undertake a simple experiment, for which you will require three bottles of the same wine.
1. Take the first bottle and pour the wine into a decanter around two to three hours before you plan to drink it.
2. Take the second bottle and remove the cork between two and three hours before you plan to drink it, but do not decant it.
3. Open the third bottle when you're ready to start the experiment.
4. Pour a little (or a lot if you prefer!) wine from each container into three separate glasses. Put on a blindfold and ask a friend to hand you each of the glasses in turn. Ask your friend to remember the order and the source of the wine in each glass and then simply say which you preferred - number one, two or three. Let your friend reveal the source of your first, second and third preferences - and chances are highly likely that your first choice will be number one, above, followed by number 2 and number three - in that order!
You can then decide how you will serve your wine in future.
There you have it - a scientific result confirmed by your taste-buds! By the way, this experiment applies just as much for White Wines, although the results are sometimes less obvious than with Red Wines.
As ever, we are here to answer any questions and look forward to hearing the results of your test!
]]>Firstly, the ideal temperature for enjoying white wines is personal to your taste - though contrary to many opinions, most white wines should NOT be drunk below 10ºC - i.e. not from an ice bucket or straight from your fridge - that's because the colder you drink a white wine, the more you hinder the bouquet and the flavours of your wine.
Please note:
Alsace is a wine region which is split into only three appellations - Alsace AOC, Alsace Grand Cru AOC and Crémant d'Alsace. This is rare, as most wine regions are split into more Appellations, for example, Languedoc-Roussillon has over 30. This area gained official recognition for Alsace AOC for white, rose and red wines, which now covers approximately 80% of wine from this region.
Wine growing is a top priority here, and the region produces fine aromatic white wines. Alsace is also one of France's northernmost wine producing areas, and it stretches over 140 kilometres from the north to the south. Many of its slopes face east, benefiting from plenty of sunlight, as well as a very special variety of ‘Terroir' made from granite, limestone, clay, loam and volcanic soils. Alsace shares the river Rhine with Germany as a common border. Its summers are hot and sunny - and it is the driest region in France after the Roussillon in the south.
Alsace is located in the north east of France, bordering Germany on the Rhine River. The main city in Alsace is Strasbourg, however this is not part of the Alsace AOC.
Jean Claude Gueth is one of our Alsace suppliers, which is located in Gueberschwihr. Jean-Claude, his wife Bernadette and daughter Muriel have been working hand in hand towards their goal since 1996, driven by a common passion for the wine making profession, respecting the environment, their terroir, and their wine.
Situated in Voegtlinshoffen near Colmar, the Domaine Joseph Cattin has been making its own wines for nearly 300 years. This is a family-run estate, managed by brothers Jacques and Jean-Marie, with the help of Jacques’ son (Jacques Jnr). The family’s watchwords are elegance and authenticity, and they use traditional methods for winemaking alongside new equipment for best results.
]]>On the palate, its intense and deep purple robe presents a mix of powerful red and stewed fruit aromas. The concentrated and sophisticated lingering flavour is a great balance between acidity, intensity and tannin. Only 13,000 bottles are produced within the year by the vineyard, making it a true 'limited edition' production! When serving, we recommend at least an hours breathing for this wine, decanting if possible. With food, we advise pairing it with red meats to complement, or even strong cheeses.
The Marselan grape itself is a relatively new discovery in the field of french wine, first grown in the early 1960s near the town of Marseillan (where the grape takes its name from), on the south coasts of France. The grape is best described as a cross between Grenache and Cabernet-Sauvignon, with the quality of the former and capability of the latter combining to produce a wine of medium body and fine tannin. It is often used alongside more straightforward grapes from the Languedoc and the Rhone to produce blends, and can only very rarely be found by itself as an individual production.
]]>
Predominantly grown in the northern Rhone Valley, to produce the famous Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage wine, the Marsanne wine grape is more widely used than you would initially think.
Commonly used in blends with its more arguably popular partner Roussanne, Marsanne rarely gets the opportunity to showcase itself as a single-varietal due to the required precision in its growth. If it is too cool, it fails to ripen fully, and too hot, it can over ripen. This can make Marsanne seem more for utility, not allowing it's unique character to be dominant in wine making. In recent years this balance has been achieved in the Languedoc region, where our featured wines are from.
Marsanne may, however, be considered as unique because of some of its rare features. This grape produces powerful wines with medium acidity and great ageing ability. Lacking depth of flavours, Marsanne leaves the debate as to whether it is merely utility or whether its features are wholly unique.
Our 100% Marsanne grape wine is produced by Domaine Villepeyroux Forest, a vineyard located in the very heart of the Minervois region in the Languedoc. The estate boasts 40 hectares of vines planted on half slopes of clay-limestone soil, with Marselan being one of a dozen grape varieties grown on the land. Initially the Marsanne gives you a greeting yellow colour with light golden hues, clear and bright. The intense nose speaks with aromas of citrus and candied fruit that mingle with finely spicy notes. The palate is full and wide, perfectly balanced by the remarkable acidity of the Marsanne grape.
Only 4,375 bottles are produced within the year by the Villepeyroux Forest vineyard, making it a true 'limited edition' production! When serving, we recommend at least an hours breathing for this wine, decanting if possible. With food, we advise pairing it with white meats to complement.
]]>
]]>
Champagne refers to the sparkling wines from Champagne, whereas Crémant is produced from other French wine regions. Both wines are produced using the same wine producing methods (Traditional) and both hold similar notes of biscuit flavours.
Methode Traditionelle refers to the winemaking process which is used for Champagne and Crémant. This method requires the second fermentation with the lees (sediment from the second fermentation) to be in the bottle. The sediment is normally made up of yeast, which helps to give these wines their natural fizz. This process also requires ageing of at least 12 months before these can be sold, to allow the sediment to ferment properly and create the sparkling ability in these wines.
Champagne is known for its sparkling wines, with high guidelines to produce quality wines. The history of Champagne dates back to the 19th Century, where Champagnes were sweet, instead of dry. Crémants, although their guidelines may be a little more relaxed, can still hold the great quality which Champagne holds. Crémants are almost always cheaper than Champagne and are thought to be just as good.
Domaine Sicard, Minervois, Languedoc
Domaine Boudau, Roussillon
]]>
Many winemakers put artistic value into their wine labels, to show part of the story or show what their winemaking is about. Often drawings of their Chateau are included onto each of the domain's bottles to help differentiate each vineyard and to show the care gone into the winemaking. However, sometimes the bottle labels are kept simple.
Pierre Cros is a great example of a winemaker who experiments and is creative with his wine labels.
His Liberte collection shows more creativity from the writing 'La Liberte N'est Pas De Faire Ce Que L'on Veut Mais De Vouloir Ce Que L'on Fait' meaning 'Freedom is not doing what you want but wanting what you are doing'. Through this, Pierre Cros is adding personalisation to his wine bottles and showing these are not the typical wines from Languedoc. His Nebbiolo wine is a great example, through the Nebbiolo grape rarely being grown outside of northern Italy, shows that Pierre Cros was creative and different about his winemaking in the Liberte collection.
Chateau Guery's popular wine 'L'esprit D' Eloi' illustrates the political stance and opinions of freedom, from the producers, being a treatise of political stance in the 18th Century. Over time 'L'esprit D' Eloi' has also gained connotations from the Roman Catholic Church, as they added this to their list of prohibited books, due to the strong political liberty. Through these concepts, this now shows a need to preserve liberty, including rights to fair trials, actions against slavery and freedom of speech, thought and assembly.
For Chateau Guery, the L'esprit D' Eloi represents freedom in winemaking, through being labeled separately to their appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) wines, in the 'Atypical' category. Though AOC wines have to follow specific winemaking guidelines, such as types of vines grown or even winemaking techniques used, depending on each appellation.
]]>Not to be confused with Moscato, Muscat or Moscatel, all white Mediterranean grapes used to make sweet wine; Muscadet is not a grape but a place, a type of wine and a lifestyle.
What is Muscadet? When we talk about Muscadet, we discuss an appellation of origin or AOP in the Loire Valley, France. In fact, this is the westernmost appellation in the prestigious region, and it overlooks the Atlantic Ocean.
Here the cold, rainy climate prevents grape growers from cultivating most wine grapes; only a few varietals survive the harsh Atlantic conditions. In Muscadet, that grape is Melon de Bourgogne.
Yeast turns the sugar in grape juice into alcohol, turning it into wine. The yeast eventually dies, and it’s regularly separated from the wine by decanting it into a second vessel or by filtration. Still, the spent yeast can change the wine’s flavour, aromatic profile and mouthfeel.
Allowing fermented wine to rest or age over lees or on its lees is to leave it with the dead yeast cells for weeks, months or years. This is typical for Muscadet wines, but it’s also common in Burgundy for Chardonnay and Champagne for the world’s most exclusive sparkling wines. Not all Muscadet experiences extended lees ageing, but the one that does is one of the most extraordinary wines in France.
Melon de Bourgogne is indeed a Burgundian grape, now almost exclusively found in Muscadet, around the town of Nantes. The grape is prized in the region for its ability to withstand the cold and moist climate prevalent in the coastal area.
Melon de Bourgogne is not particularly flavourful but crisp and lean, and it retains high acidity levels. The wines made with it are light-bodied and tart, citrusy and mineral. This led producers to go the extra mile and use unique techniques to give complexity to Muscadet. In other words, Sur Lie ageing.
Four appellations protect and guarantee the quality of this exciting wine style, Muscadet, the umbrella AOP for the entire region, and three smaller sub-regions, where the wine is consistently higher quality: Cotes de Grandlieu, Coteaux de la Loire, and the famous Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine.
All three appellations champion Melon de Bourgogne, the leading grape in the region since the great winter frost of 1709 that eliminated all competition. And although the noble varietal produces stimulating wines with great versatility on the table, the winemaking methods emblematic in the area are a significant part of Muscadet’s success.
Enjoy!
]]>
Pierre Hourlier
]]>