Just sayin' . . .

“Aromas of peach, oatmeal, subtle notes of charred peat, seasoned by complex lees derived characters, with flashes of matchstick, zesty orange rind and ginger deftly laced with complex seasoned oak. . . “  That’s an actual tasting note for a wine, though it’s edited down from the original, which was even longer (and sillier). Somehow, back in the 1980s, wine writers decided that stripped-down descriptions of wines wouldn’t do any more, maybe because they were looking to make their work more distinctive. So, what winemaker John Parducci once called “fruit-salad tasting notes” began appearing. They continue, despite much deserved derision, in some places. Now, supermarket chain Tesco has announced they will start using descriptions from consumers who have attended a special tasting of their new range; I was thinking it could be a good idea until I got to the end of the announcement, which noted that wine bloggers would also be included in the trials. Oh well. . .

English wine harvest 2014 looking good


Furleigh Estate, in West Dorset, is expecting its best-ever harvest this autumn, anticipated to be twice as large as the previous record yield, in 2010, as a result of two consecutive years of great summer weather, which enabled vines to thrive. Rebecca Hansford, owner of Furleigh Estate, said: “We are so excited about this year’s bumper harvest. A dry Glastonbury Festival and a warm Wimbledon are usually reliable indicators that the grape harvest is going to be good, so we’ve had high hopes. We are so fortunate that the English climate has been kind to the vines this season!”  I called around, and several other English winemakers said the same thing, so this could be the break-out year. (By the way, Furleigh Estate is where Steven Spurrier’s new sparkling wine, Bride Valley, was made. I visited the estate this summer and tasted the wine, which was quite impressive; more on that very soon.
copyright 2010-2018 by Brian St. Pierre