Wine with Leslie Williams
I don’t do favourites. I have no favourite colour, book, song or wine. However, if I have noticed that in recent years I am drawn to fresher brighter red wines — Mencía from Spain, Blaufrankisch from Austria, Pinot Noirs from almost everywhere, and Nebbiolos from Piedmont.
While Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir have no genetic connection there is something about the fragrance, flavours and textures of the two wines that seems in harmony. Both have red fruits but Nebbiolo’s are dark, inky, smoky and rather brooding while Pinot’s are lighter, almost floral, and have an earthier more ephemeral tone.
David Gleave, MW of Liberty Wines, conducted an excellent tasting recently comparing Pinot Noir with Nebbiolo and it was fascinating to compare Vajra Nebbiolo (see below) with micro-negociant Jane Eyre Gevrey-Chambertin and Massolino Barolo with Crystallum ‘Cuvée Cinema’ Pinot Noir from Walker Bay in South Africa.
The Jane Eyre (€70) was heady, perfumed, and elegant but I actually preferred the robust chewy fruits in the Langhe (€29). The Massolino (€52) was all forest floor and tobacco mixed with black cherries while the Crystallum (€45) was more perfumed with blackberries with toasted aromas and a steely freshness — again I opted for the textured fruity (almost steely) Nebbiolo.
Finally, there was the excellent Tolpuddle Pinot Noir (€60) from Tasmania — taut red fruits with spice and a seductive creamy texture but the poor thing was up against Aldo Conterno Barolo (€87) — cloves, cinnamon and cherries mixed with dehydrated cherries and concentrated layered fruits. So in this match, Nebbiolo won every round for me. The cliché about the steel fist in the velvet glove could have been created to describe Nebbiolo but don’t be afraid of tannins — in a well made wine like those below the tannins carry the fruits adding freshness, texture, and complexity.
Spanish Wine Week is still on and you will find a number of off-licences and some multiples have special offers on Spanish wine. I’m hosting a tasting at 4pm today in The Wine House in Howth and tomorrow I’m hosting a Spanish-themed dinner in the Lodge at Ashford.
BEST VALUE UNDER €15
O’Donovans Cork, Vintry Rathgar, www.wineonline.ie
Dolcetto is a bit of a workhorse grape in Piedmont where it makes light fresh Beaujolais-style wines. In Australia in the hands of Ben Glaetzer you can expect it to taste a lot fuller. Here it is blended with an Alto Adige grape lagrein. Soft ripe blackberry aromas with espresso and liquorice hints, ripe and fruity with a good hit of Italian black cherry freshness.
Wines Direct Mullingar and Arnotts www.winesdirect.ie
Piedmont produces some lovely whites but none under €15 I felt I could mention. I’ve long been a fan of this Marches producer however (Ciu Ciu Bachus is my go-to house-wine in about a dozen restaurants). This is fruity and aromatic (almost lush on the nose) with bright fruits on the palate but with a crisp freshness on the finish.
O’Briens stores nationwide www.wine.ie
On sale in O’Briens this month with a selection of other albarinos this usually sells for €18. Thanks to some investigative research by this paper’s political correspondent Daniel McConnell we also know this wine features strongly in the Department of Foreign Affairs wine cellar. Peachy and weighty with good mineral salty freshness on the finish.
BEST VALUE OVER €15
Wines Direct Arnotts and Mullingar www.winesdirectie
This is reduced by €3 in the WinesDirect sale. From the south of the Doc near Monforte and made from organically grown grapes with lots of cold maceration. Fragrant dark cherry and smoke aromas with a hint of tar, textured and complex with reasonably supple tannins, liquorice and dark fruits shining through with a textured cherry skin finish. Delicious.
Karwigs, Cinnamon Cottage Rochestown, JJ O’Driscolls, Vanilla Grape, Corkscrew, Terroirs, On The Grapevine, Wine Centre
The Barbaresco Co-Op is consistently excellent value. This is a selection of lighter grapes from the DOC and spends 24 days on skins and is aged in large oak barrels. Textbook Nebbiolo — packed with cherry and raspberry aromas mixed with charcoal and liquorice allsorts.
Corkscrew, Martins Fairview, World Wide Wines
Varja is one of the most reliable Piedmont producers with pristine cleanly- made wines from its simple delicious Moscato to its big brooding (but inviting) Barolos. From young vines this fine Nebbiolo has fragrant dark cherry aromas, ink-tinged red fruits, surprisingly supple, forward and fruity on the palate but with a lovely underlying tension from the tannins.
Contact Leslie Williams at wine@examiner.ie
