Tasting Archives | The Buyer

Buying decisions from trend setting trade and The Buyer tastings

By Peter Dean on August 20, 2019

The Kitchin still manages to dazzle with brave food and wine pairing

In the news this week for all the wrong reasons, one Michelin-Star The Kitchin in Leith was the restaurant chosen by our drinks editor Peter Dean to test out the skills of the sommelier and see what he came up with in matching a complex mystery tasting menu. One of the delights of spending a week at the Edinburgh Fringe each year is not only the unrivalled fun and madness of the Fringe but an excuse to sample Scotland’s finest cuisine, writes Dean. With his pocket money dutifully saved, he was knocked out by the bravura of what was happening in the kitchen but also some very unusual choices by the head somm.

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Posted In: chablis, Edinburgh, Peter Dean, scotland, slider, The Kitchin, wine-pairing

By David Kermode on August 16, 2019

David Kermode picks his 10 best wines from Washington State

Wines from Washington State – the US’s second largest wine producer – can be hard to come by which is a shame, argues David Kermode aka Mr Vinosaurus. The climate, unique mix of soils and 70 different grape varieties, not forgetting the skill of the 1,000-odd winemakers, makes for an Aladdin’s cave for the wine aficionado. Fresh from a trip to the Evergreen State, Kermode selects the 10 best Washington wines that should be on your buying radar and, most importantly, where you can find them.

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Posted In: American wine, David Kermode, Washington

By Harry Crowther on August 14, 2019

6 of the best from Swartland visionaries David & Nadia Sadie

South Africa’s Swartland used to be the region responsible for producing unremarkable ‘Cape blends’ and always in the shadow of Stellenbosch. That is until a bunch of visionary winemakers decided to make this ‘hot as hell’ region into one of the ‘coolest’ viticultural places on the planet. It was fitting that, on the hottest day ever recorded in Britain, Harry Crowther met up with David and Nadia Sadie to taste through their 2018 single vineyard range of Chenins and a seven year vertical of red blend Elzpidios. Crowther picks out three of each colour that he thinks deserves a place on your list.

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Posted In: chenin blanc, David & Nadia Sadie, Elipidios, harry crowther, south africa, swartland

By Anne Krebiehl MW on August 14, 2019

Grands Terroirs

Palmer’s new Grands Terroirs 2003 faces a pairing challenge

We are so used to drinking a different wine with each course in a restaurant – and rarely buy one bottle that will work with a starter just as well as the dessert. So it was a fascinating decision for Champagne Palmer to launch its new cuvée Grands Terroirs 2003 at London’s La Dame de Pic – pairing just the one wine with a succession of elaborate and contrasting dishes, all in different shaped glasses – to bring out the different facets of this extraordinary wine. Anne Krebiehl MW reports.

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Posted In: Anne Krebiehl MW, Anne-Sophie Pic, champagne, Champagne Palmer, Grands Terroirs 2003, La Dame de Pic, Rémi Vervier, wine-pairing

By Roger Jones on August 10, 2019

Roger Jones on pairing Jim Barry wines with top Japanese food

With the first Ashes test defeat still such a fresh wound, our contributing editor and chef extraordinaire Roger Jones kept conversation away from the Welsh and English team’s performance when sat next to Australian cricket legend Mark Taylor. Very much on the menu, however, was the full range of the wines of Jim Barry that were paired with premium Japanese food, including the best crab dish that Jones reckons he has ever tried.

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Posted In: australia, Clare Valley, Japanese, Jim Barry, Mark Taylor, roger jones

By Anne Krebiehl MW on August 8, 2019

Krug Grande Cuvée 167th Edition

Anne Krebiehl MW on the new Krug Grande Cuvée 167th Edition

Most Champagne houses release a Non-Vintage Champagne alongside their various cuvées but not Krug. Then again Krug is not like ‘most’ Champagne houses. Krug releases numbered editions and this year sees the release of the Krug Grande Cuvée 167th Edition – a blend of 191 wines from 13 vintages dating from 1995 to 2011. Anne Krebiehl MW tastes the new wine with Krug’s Jérome Jacoillot, alongside the 166th Edition and the Krug Rosé 23rd Edition.

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Posted In: Anne Krebiehl MW, champagne, Jérome Jacoillot, Krug, Krug Grande Cuvée 166thEdition, Krug Grande Cuvée 167thEdition, Krug Rosé23rd Edition

By Bart Feys on August 6, 2019

The 2016 and 2017 Saint-Joseph you need on your list

Fresh from a visit to Saint-Joseph in the Northern Rhône and having attended the trade show Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône in April, Rhône expert Bart Feys reviews the Saint-Joseph wines you need to be thinking of buying from the most recent, excellent vintages of 2016 and 2017. Since its extension in 1969 the Saint-Joseph appellation now covers 1200 hectares from Cornas in the South to Condrieu in the North. As a result, styles can vary but overall Saint-Joseph provides top quality reds and whites that can be drunk earlier than Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie but can also benefit from cellaring.

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Posted In: Bart Feys, Coursodon, Gonon, Gripa, Mauves, Rhone, Saint-Joseph

By Peter Dean on August 1, 2019

10 Best Pays d’Oc wines that need to be on your buying radar

Every year the Pays D’Oc IGP wine body releases a Collection of wines that displays the very best wines from the region as judged by an international panel of sommeliers, journalists and consultants. Peter Dean travels to Pays d’Oc country and tastes through the 19-strong 2018 range, whittling them down to 10 wines that best show off the quality, creativity and diversity in a region that allows a mind-boggling 58 grape varieties.

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Posted In: Langedoc, Pays D'Oc, Peter Dean, South France

By Peter Dean on July 28, 2019

Buyer Rewind: why Sunday is a day for cycling and drinking Krug

With the Tour de France concluded today and millions of cycling fans going into withdrawal, we re-post this tale of cycling to a very special wine tasting. Our drinks editor and cycling bore Peter Dean recounts an eventful day when the only way to get to a top notch tasting was by getting on his bike for four hours…. luckily a breakfast of champions greeted him at a South African wine tasting event held at The Harrow at Little Bedwyn. What follows is a tasting report that contains no tasting notes, and a South African event that has more to do with the Welsh than it does the South Africans.

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Posted In: champagne, cycling, England, south africa, sparkling wine, wine tasting, winemakers

By Justin Keay on July 25, 2019

How to tap into the Greek wine renaissance. Part 1: white wines

Improvements in Greek viticulture over the past 20 years and the UK’s thirst for the unusual and the authentic has led to a bona fide renaissance of the Greek wine scene. In the first of a two-part special Justin Keay shows how this Greek revival has started with white wines, selects six that are the most interesting wines available in the UK, and sheds some light onto the ‘new’ old varieties that we should be tuning into; most buyers will be familiar with Assyrtiko by now but how about Moscofilero, Vidiano, or a Robola from Kefalonia?

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Posted In: Assyrtiko, Greece, Greek wine, Justin Keay, Moscofilero, Robola, Vidiano

By Roger Jones on July 18, 2019

Chile takes on Australia at 12th Tri Nations Wine Challenge

Wines of Chile took on Wines of Australia at a thrilling contest in the twelfth Tri Nations Wine Challenge. The challenge sees six wines from each country compete with one another, paired with food cooked by our contributing editor and chef at large Roger Jones of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn. Chile has been making giant strides recently in proving that its premium wines can sit comfortably on a fine wine list, but are they good enough to be judged better than Australia’s across six varietal categories – Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz?

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Posted In: Chile v Australia, roger jones, Tri Nations Wine Challenge

By Chris Wilson on July 14, 2019

10 Best wines from Chile: Chris Wilson’s tips for the on-trade

Chile is now one of the two most innovative winemaking countries in the world, reckons Alistair Cooper MW, who delivered a perceptive, focussed masterclass at a recent Wines of Chile tasting – backed up by a tasting of 45 wines that Cooper picked to reflect Chile’s movement towards sommelier-driven styles. It is innovation, risk-taking, old vines and the resurgence of traditional varieties (made with a modern twist) that are working so well and Chris Wilson was there for The Buyer to further whittle these down to 10 that every sommelier should have on their radar.

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Posted In: chile, Chris Wilson, wines of chile

By Stephen Vey on July 11, 2019

Buyer Rewind: Castelnau’s Hors Catégorie Tour de France cuvée

As the great carnival that is the Tour de France continues its trundle around Belgium and France so we turn back the clock to reprise a feature that shows how for the past six years Castelnau has been the official Champagne for the Tour de France, and why it decided to launch a new range of fizz called Hors Catégorie – that celebrates almost impossible mountain climbs that literally makes you reach for the skies. The second of the HC Champagnes is called CCF 2067 after the 2067 metre high Col de la Croix de Fer, so who better to review it and attend the launch than Stephen Vey a member of the Buyer team who has actually cycled the mountain and lived to tell the tale.

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Posted In: Castelnau, champagne, Col de la Croix de Fer, Hors Catégorie, Stephen Vey

By David Kermode on July 9, 2019

Fresh thinking: Paula Fandiño the innovator of Mar de Frades

If you thought that all Albariño is pretty much the same and that nothing much changes in Rias Baixas then you haven’t met Paula Fandiño, chief winemaker at Mar de Frades. Her innovations include the region’s first sparkling Albariño, a successful three vintages of Godello, not forgetting the estate’s blue bottles with temperature-sensitive labels. While tasting through the new range, David Kermode also hears about a granite tank and a new scheme to pay grape growers according to the level of acidity in the grapes – all to keep things nice and fresh.

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Posted In: albarino, David Kermode, Godello, Mar de Frades, Paula Fandiño, Rias Baixas, Spain, spanish wine

By Harry Crowther on July 5, 2019

Matthew Jukes' ferocious attention to detail makes his 100 Best Australian Wines' report one of the most respected in the industry

Harry Crowther: top Aussie Cab-Shiraz with Jukes and Stelzer

Fresh from delivering his ‘100 best Australian Wines’ report, wine critic Matthew Jukes put on another tasting, this time with author Tyson Stelzer called the Great Australian Red. This event, held at London’s 67 Pall Mall, focussed on Aussie Cabernet-Shiraz blends. Harry Crowther was there and picked out his favourite seven wines, some of them the latest releases and others from library stock.

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Posted In: Aussie Cabernet-Shiraz, australia, Cabernet sauvignon, harry crowther, matthew jukes

By Geoffrey Dean on July 5, 2019

David-Gower_2620452b

Buyer Rewind: David Gower on his perfect “over” of wines

As we prepare for the last week of the ICC Cricket World Cup and England’s first semi-final appearance since 1992, we get you in the mood with this trip down our very own cricketing memory lane when legendary English cricketer, turned Sky TV commentator, David Gower, shared his love for wine with The Buyer. With the launch of ‘My Perfect 6’ through Perfect Cellar in 2016 where he looked to put his name to wines that try to break new boundaries.

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Posted In: australia, champagne, David Gower, Perfect Cellar, south africa, wine tasting

By David Kermode on July 4, 2019

Liberty sweeps the board at the Mamba Riedel Decanter Awards

The Mamba Riedel Decanter Awards is a decidedly different wine awards ceremony, writes David Kermode, and one that resembles a friend’s summer nuptials more than it does one of the industry’s many black tie events. Now into its 14th year the awards focussed on Australian Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with newly re-configured importer Liberty Wines winning both categories as well as Best Importer. For a full list of winners and more besides read on….

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Posted In: David Kermode, Liberty, Mamba Riedel Decanter Awards, roger jones

By Peter Dean on July 3, 2019

Kayra’s Daniel O’Donnell on Turkish grapes’ ageability

When he’s not making wines for Sting, flying winemaker Daniel O’Donnell can be found in Turkey at Kayra, the only wine producer in the Diageo portfolio, reintroducing and refining wines made with indigenous Turkish varietals from Anatolia. For O’Donnell grapes such as Narince, Kalecik Karası, Öküzgözü and Boğazkere are nothing short of a national treasure and ‘colours worth nailing to his mast.’ On a rare visit to London he brought a stack of back vintages of his wines ‘with a touch of grey’ to show us how well they could age.

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Posted In: Bogazkere, Daniel O’Donnell, Grape Unknown, indigenous varieties, Kalecik Karasi, Kayra, Narince, Oküzgözü, Peter Dean, Turkey, Turkish wine

By Joss Fowler on July 2, 2019

Joss Fowler on Bordeaux 2015: what are the real must-haves?

After a string of lesser vintages, 2015 Bordeaux was a vintage that needed to be a success. Three years on Joss Fowler re-visits 2015 Bordeaux and asks how good is this vintage really? What it has over 2014 is fruit but is it a brilliant vintage? Putting all the hype behind him, Fowler ‘blind-tastes’ 260 wines from the vintage and picks out the wines that you should be buying – across a variety of budgets – highlighting one wine that is a clear bargain of the vintage and you should be looking out for.

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Posted In: Bordeaux 2015, Haut-Brion, Joss Fowler, Margaux, Ségla

People: On-Trade People: Producer Tasting: Spirit

By David Kermode on June 27, 2019

Daring to be different: Frapin Cognac takes on ‘afternoon tea’

With a history dating back to 1270, Frapin Cognac might not seem the most obvious candidate for a cutting edge re-invention of the cocktail but, thanks to a pioneering partnership with an importer of fine teas, that’s just what’s taking shape at the world-famous Brown’s Hotel in London’s Mayfair. ‘Aperi-TEAvo’ is a new initiative from Frapin’s importer Louis Latour Agencies with Lalani and Co, supported by an elegant tasting menu. Cognac fan and cocktail lover David Kermode, aka Mr Vinosaurus, took a tea for the team.

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Posted In: cocktail, cocktail bars, cocktail trends, cocktails, cognac, cognac Frapin, Frapin, Louis Latour, Louis Latour Agencies, premium spirits, spirits, spirits brands

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Wow! This is extraordinary- in the true sense of the word. A vin de liquor made from one third Marc (distilled spirit made from Trousseau - and aged in barrel for three years) and two thirds unfermented Chardonnay juice. Fully biodynamic and bottled without filtering or sulfites. Hazy gold and clearly unfiltered; on the nose ripe apricots, rose petals, nutty, oloroso sherry; on the palate a wonderful complex mix of toasted hazelnuts, ripe pear, stone fruit; off-dry with a spirit kick. Served with dessert.
Hugely reliable house produces another terrific Petit Chablis from 30 year-old vines - the care in the vineyards seems to carry across in the quality and precision in the wine. Yellow gold with green highlights; inviting nose of lime leaf, grapefruit, brioche; the palate is minerally, fresh and fruity, the alcohol light; there is nice tension to the wine and vibrancy that makes it go so well with food - seafood, shellfish, chilled soup/ veloute.
Crozes Hermitage Cuvée Ghany 2015 from Domaine Gaylord Machon. Deep purple; ripe black fruit, spices, liquorice on the nose; The palate is fresh, tight and spicy, almost nodding towards Côte-Rôtie with its pepper spice; there is a good balance between fruit and wood, maturity and freshness; a well structured wine but with fine tannins.
There are v winemakers who would admit they make it up as they go along but that’s v much how self taught winemaker @timwildman started out making his #petnat wines in south Australia. He’s now on a mission to bring pet nats to the UK like his great #astrobunnywine that is simply perfect for summer. Light, bright, packed with freshness, a slight fizz but just such a wonderfully easy drinking wine. Read his story today on www.The-Buyer.net #wine #sommeliers #naturalwine #Australia #winemakers #winemaking
Retirement @65 2017 from BLANKbottle - mainly old vine Cinsault but with a % of Grenache and Syrah added. Light red in colour; fresh, perfumed, crunchy, with a nice intensity of fruit, but not too extracted - light on its feet too with just 12% alcohol. How the ‘New World’ has changed!
Narince from Turkey’s Kayra winery - Different and very tasty. The leaves from this grape are used for dolmus (a stuffed vine leaves dish) which exposes too much of the grape bunches so Kayra pays people to only pick the leaves they want picked. Winemaker O’Donnell has been experimenting a great deal with the wine - leaving a bit of greenness on the stalk to add acidity. Tasting notes: Floral nose, fresh herbs; on the palate: green apple, stone fruit, quite light in mouth and then a long, textured finish with a slight greeness like green orange skin.