Eat & Drink
Originally published on Friday, 12th June 2009
Brave New World
ShelfTalk: Act Natural
Resembling Su-Hua, the vineyards’ owner, Newton wines from California are flambuoyant, unabashed and command attention – anything but shy, the Chardonnay and Merlot are certainly wines for those lovers of full throttle ripe-fruited, oak-influenced hedonism. For wine snobs (including myself) who have previously shied away from big Aussie brands like Penfolds … think again. The estate has just released its latest, mostly Shiraz-based range of Luxury and Icon wines (including the outstanding Grange 2004). A little less expensive in these straitened times but offering a marked step up from 3-for-2s are Bin 311 Chardonnay and Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz: the estate’s ‘Baby Grange’, the former uses no new oak and has a leesy, nougat and fruit pastille character; the latter is complex and concentrated, with blackcurrant and soy hints, deceptively drinkable now but could cellar for 20years+.
Newton Red Label Chardonnay ’06 from Daylesford Organic and Harvey Nichols
Red Label Merlot ’05 from Harvey Nichols
Penfolds Bin 311 Chardonnay ’06 and Bin 389 Shiraz ’06 from Waitrose
BoozeBluff
“On the yacht, I’ll always bring my younger, earlier drinking clarets – as one doesn’t need to be concerned there will be the bitter tannins in suspension in an older, heavier vintage thrown during a bit of chop.”
Sailing, like wine, employs its own arcane language of technical terms and peculiar expressions which makes any combination of the two a potential double-header for the bluffer. In this instance – one is obviously making a simple reference to the effect of rougher seas on wines which have more sediment (but there is no need to let your baffled companion in on the fact).
For further illumination check out WineChap’s tasting notes from a recent Wines for Cruising – What to Drink on Your Yacht talk.
