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Top 2004 clarets now in stock |
Tuesday 29 April, 2008
2004 is a very over-looked vintage, not a block-buster like 2005 or a heat wave such as the extraordinarily hot 2003. However, 2004 has proved to be one of the greatest bargains of the wine world. The best aspect of 2004 is the relative value for money - it's a classic, pure, refined vintage of great finesse. Similar to 1997, 2001 and 2002 these wines demonstrate a great sense of place; not only are they approachable now but they will benefit from 10 years or more cellarage. It really is a vintage for all to indulge in, a vintage of such a unique quality and finesse you can't fail to be charmed by the purity of the fruit. My collection has a healthy selection of left bank clarets and I recommend you all to make the most of limited volumes of a top selection of 2004.
Written by Andrew Shaw, Wine buyer Bordeaux
Click here to see our selection of Bordeaux wines including an excellent selection of 2004 clarets
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Wine, food and football |
Monday, 28 April 2008
With food and wine matching sometimes the strangest combinations are the ones that work the best. I was recently asked to talk about a selection of Waitrose wines at a Charity Dinner hosted by Southampton Football Club. The great thing about the club is that the chef responsible for all the hospitality catering was recently voted the best Chef for any UK football ground. And as suspected, the food was outstanding, the list of wines was one of the best that I have worked with in recent years and the guests of Honour, Lawrie McMenemy and Tommy Docherty, kept us diners amused between the courses!
The first course was seared scallops with chorizo risotto and truffle oil matched with Planeta Cerasuolo di Vittoria 2006 from Italy. It was an interesting choice as the wine was served lightly chilled; however, its richness was perfect with the risotto and the wine’s acidity and freshness complimenting the scallop. The Planeta was also served along side a venison carpaccio dish, proving to be an inspired choice for the gamey flavours and peppery olive oil.
The fish course of hot smoked salmon was matched with Yalumba Organic Viognier– the fresh peachy notes and the full fruit was the perfect foil for fish. This was followed by a palate-cleansing sorbet, which traditionally is not served with any wine.
The main course of ‘corn fed chicken cooked two ways’ was matched with our outstanding wine from Lirac – this was a great way to show what wonderful gems from the less well-known vineyards Waitrose stocks. Lirac is a wine from the southern Rhône made from primarily Grenache and Syrah. It also illustrated that red wine can easily be matched with white meats, and it was a particular favourite of Tommy Docherty!
Finally, we were served a sweet wine from Hungary that is new to our range: Disznóko Aszu 5 Puttonyos 2001. Proving that there are fine sweet wines outside of Sauternes, this Tokaji had a balance of sweetness and acidity preventing it from being cloying. This was matched with an assortment of desserts, including a ‘mini donut’ and a milk shake!
After the food I was able to relax and listen to stories of 1976 and the triumph of Southampton vs. Manchester United in the FA cup – or Tommy vs. Lawrie that is…
Written by Simon Hayward
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International Wine Challenge 2008 |
Thursday, 24 April 2008
The Barbican on a Wednesday morning in late April can mean only one thing: time to judge at the International Wine Challenge 2008. And after a warm greeting from the co-chairmen Charles Metcalfe, Tim Atkin, Sam Harrup and Derek Smedley the blind tasting began.
My panel was made up of some distinguished members of the wine trade including a Portuguese winemaker and a buyer from one of our competitors. The wines were arranged by style in groups of no more than 12 – called flights. Each wine was judged on its own merits rather than compared with the other wines, and if good enough, awarded a medal.
During the day I, and my fellow judges, tasted about 10 flights ranging from sparkling wines to sweet dessert wines and we gave medals in all the areas we tasted, with a few truly great wines being awarded a gold medal. We will have to wait few months for the results but I am confident there will be plenty of award-winning wines for us to indulge in.
Written by Simon Hayward
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Chargeur Libre wrote:
This seems a very challenging task but I suppose somebody must do it. How can I get selected?
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Spanish trends |
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
Just come back from a short break in Madrid where I kept my eyes open for new trends in the spirits world.
The big thing, I was surprised to discover, in the bars was the number of people who drink spirits as a long drink - very tall glasses with a good measure of whisky, vodka or rum and then a larger than normal bottle of mixer, which people keep topping up their drink with, making the spirit a savoured drink that is enjoyed over a long period of time.
The mojito is clearly the drink of the moment with bars having 30-40 glasses prepped with mint, lime and sugar (a bit like half pints of Guinness poured at a rugby match) waiting for the demand. Each bar seems to have their own little twist to make their mojito different, but the best I tasted was the one that added a few drops of Angostura Bitters right at the end – it gave a softer start to the lime and mint explosion and worked well with the sweetness of the rum.
Written by Micheal Simpson-Jones, Spirits buyer
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Château Haut-Brion 2007 |
Monday, 21 April 2008
After battling for an hour through Bordeaux traffic, I found myself at Château Haut-Brion, which has now been engulfed by the growing city.
Characteristically massive in structure and virtually impossible to taste at this early stage, the 2007 vintage has deep, dark, wild berry fruits and an earthy, mineral quality allied with gravelly tannins. Not quite as stunning as 06 or 05 of course.
La Mission has deceptively soft fruit and a deliciously sweet, ripe nose. The best wine of the tasting was in fact the Haut-Brion white - amazing mineral grapefruit character!
The dry and sweet white wines have been very successful in 2007. Château Margaux's Pavillon Blanc at 15.5% alcohol is out of this world and Pape Clement white was great enough to vie with the best white burgundies.
I shall be tasting a range of Sauternes - I'll keep you posted.
Written by Susan McCraith MW, Wine buyer En Primeur
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In the press… |
Friday, 18 April 2008
That size really do matter probably comes as no revelation to some, however, that renowned wine writer Jane MacQuitty would pick up on our expanded range of 50cl wine bottles was a nice surprise, “Slim, stylish and containing 4 decent-sized glasses of wine, 50cl bottles are a practical choice. So bravo to Waitrose for introducing 8 different screw-capped 50cl options, of which my favourite were the lively, leafy, waxy 2006 Ampelidae Chardonnay and the fat, raspberry, herby fruit of the 2006 Ampelidae Gamay, both £4.49 Haut Poitou offerings from the Loire” (The Times, 12 April 2008).
So don’t be shy – have a look at our delicious range of 50cl bottles made by renowned French wine producers – this time quality and flavour is NOT compromised by smaller size.
Written by Linda Bexell
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Euro 2008 |
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
‘Euro’ and ‘2008’ will soon be plastered over our TVs and newspapers as the big football tournament gets underway (without England) in less than two months. However, ‘Euro’ and ‘2008’ may become even more important than football (if that’s possible) – 2008 is so far proving to be a year of unwanted records when it comes to the Euro exchange rate. Aside from my French holiday becoming costlier, European wine from all retailers is likely to be more expensive as the Pound hits new lows against the Euro. Fortunately, the Pound/Dollar is a much better picture, so now is a good time to start acquiring a taste for Chilean Cab Sauv, Argentinian Malbec and Californian Chardonnay.
Written by Dave Thornton
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French Wine Showcase |
Monday, 14 April 2008
There is something about France and its diverse offering of wines that makes me go back there again and again. Is there another country that can offer my palate the same array of flavours? Well, I guess that’s one up for discussion, perhaps to be solved after a glass or two, meanwhile I’m in heaven tasting through all of my French Wine Showcase wines. I mixed my own case of 12 online and I think I managed to pop in all of Andrew Shaw’s, our wine buyer, new clarets. Forty wines altogether are in this year’s showcase with 17 new and limited parcel wines and 14 days to go before it finishes. Oh, and if you want to go completely mad visit one of our branches – they have a French Cheese Showcase on – how’s that for indulgence?
Written by Linda Bexell
What the buyers say…
“We all LOVE France and love discovering new wines, so the showcase provides a great opportunity to sell parcels of a few of our exciting finds.” Justin Howard-Sneyd MW, Wine buyer
“From every corner of France, from high altitude Apremont vineyards in the Savoie to terraces perched on the edge of the Mediterranean with the Bandol - this really does represent a fascinatingly diverse selection of many of France's hidden treasures and all at superb value for money...” Andrew Shaw, Wine buyer
“The Showcase pulls together the exciting diversity of French wines from fizz to claret to dessert wines plus some new lesser-known classics and wines from ‘off the beaten track’ - all at tempting prices!” Dee Blackstock MW, Wine buyer
What you think… Let us know what you thought of this year’s French Wine Showcase
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Right bank Bordeaux |
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
Tasting our way around right bank Bordeaux today. The results so far have been much more encouraging than expected. Canon La Gaffeliere was delicious this morning and Ausone was superb - as it ought to be at the price it sells for!
At Beausejour-Becot we wandered round just a small section of the seven hectares of underground tunnels that lie under the vines. These were made centuries ago when limestone was quarried for building blocks for Libourne and Bordeaux. Now the tunnels make ideal storage for wine bottles as the temperature remains constant all year round.
Written by Susan McCraith MW, Wine buyer En Primeur
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Bordeaux 2007 - Château Latour |
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
The sun has come out this afternoon after a very rainy, miserable morning. Definitely April weather! After a very hurried entree at Barbier's super Le Lion d'Or restaurant, I visited Château Latour.
The 2007 is impenetrable with massive, muscular fruit yet smooth tannins. The most closed of the first growths so far and it will be interesting to compare with Haut Brion on Thursday.
Rather odd however was the large photo of a zebra in the tasting room. Although quite appropriate as this week really is a wine safari!
Written by Susan McCraith MW, Wine buyer En Primeur
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Susan McCraith MW reports on Bordeaux 2007 |
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
The vines are coming into leaf early in Bordeaux sparking concerns about an April frost. This picture was taken at Château Lascombes in Margaux, one of the many châteaux I am visiting this week as I taste my way through the 2007 vintage.
Today (Monday) I was touring Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac and Saint-Julien. The 16 châteaux (we started at 8.30 and finished at 18.30) included two first growths: Lafite and Mouton as well as some super-seconds such as Cos d'Estournel, Montrose, the two Pichons and Leoville Las Cases and Barton.
Check back tomorrow for my initial findings from this ‘challenging’ vintage.
Written by Susan McCraith MW, Wine buyer En Primeur
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A bit of sparkly |
Monday, 7 April 2008
This weekend I was truly put to the test by my closest girlfriends: they staged a champagne and sparkling wine tasting for me – blind! This was, as some of you may suspect, in connection with me tying the knot in about a month. I’ve organised blind champagne tastings at a few hen parties before and it has always been really good fun (particularly the one when we only tasted pink sparklers!) but I didn’t think they’d do it to me – suppose it’s called pay back time… Fortunately, due to some rigorous studying and practice tasting at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, I managed to pass the test with the majority of the answers right and then got to engage in the lovely task of dance lessons with a glass of champagne in my hand. There is nothing like a bit of bubbly to keep a girl happy…
Written by Linda Bexell
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Dee recommends… |
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Jaffelin 2006 Saint-Romain: The traditional house of Jaffelin, located in the historic cellars of the Chapitre de Beaune, specialises in single village burgundies. This lesser-known but up-and-coming village stands at the foot of a high cliff in a side valley south-west of Beaune, on the earliest sites where Celts and Gallo-Romans first made wine. Traditionally aged in oak casks for a year, it is a fine-boned white burgundy with a rich cloak of oak and delicious with fish or chicken.
Written by Dee Blackstock MW, Wine buyer
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Saving the planet with a glass of wine |
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Global warming, carbon neutral, carbon offset – these are the eco-friendly buzz words right now. With this in mind, I’ve managed to track down a superb wine from a carbon neutral winery: Grove Mill Sauvignon Blanc, from Marlborough in New Zealand. When I tasted it with Julian Brind (one of our six Masters of Wine) we both agreed how typical it was of a good Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, our most popular style of wine. The winery is certified as Carbon Neutral and has achieved this through measuring, reducing and offsetting their emissions, all the way from the vineyard to arrival at the docks in England. It’s an online exclusive and delivery is free, so you won’t even have to start the car to go and get some.
Written by Dave Thornton
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