Made by the Sea

Hey Everyone,

I was thinking today, that the very basic purpose of water is to maintain us in our pursuit of food.  As evolution has led us to find more elaborate combinations to the point where I can discuss whether or not Cabernet Franc from South Africa matches better with Lamb or Pork (as in this recent post) I have found that certain foods and indeed certain drinks just seem to work better with certain moments in our lives than others.  Theres nothing quite like an ice cream cone on a sunny day when you're feeling like being a kid for a bit.  Theres nothing like a  chocolate cake to make your birthday feel special and theres nothing like a nice glass of red wine by the fireside in the winter.

I love the idea of pairing an album of music with a glass of something which just plain works.  Imagine the mental satisfaction of that great album of complex sounds and tonal texture alongside a glass of complex flavours and layered intricacy.  It is a great feeling and the two sensations, of pleasures both musical and flavourful, coming together is really something to enjoy.

I can cite a few great parings.  Nearing perfection in pairing music and booze is a simple bottle of beer, may well be just a Sam Adams Boston Lager (or in my personal Pennsylvanian case, Yuengling Amber Lager) with "Blood on the Tracks" by Bob Dylan.  It's my favourite album by far.  I think it just feels great listening to it, with the weight of the musical talent from the local musicians Dylan had to get a hold of at the last minute and the raw lyrical beauty of Dylan, it all just works.  That considered, it is surprisingly simple, and I just love laying on a couch in silence listening to my dad's old pressing scratching away on the beautiful set-up he's put together in the attic.

I just love Bob Dylan and though he might not approve of a boozy drink with his music, I think he could at least appreciate the idea of pairing two significant things in ones life together like this.  For me, I love the craft of music.  It occupied most of my youth (there may still be a myspace page with my music up somewhere) and I am happy to say that it is still one of the most important things to me and I hold music very close to my heart indeed.  Put that next to the things in my professional interests today, in my early maturity, such as wine and beer, and I see that as the sum total of my passions and I think that is an idea that anyone can relate to.

Tonight however, I am making an interesting pairing.  I remember some very good friends of mine informing me of the magical and unlikely pairing of California Zinfandel and "Heatwave Doritos," and in a way tonight's pairing is similar but in the end, it does make sense.   I'm listening to a collection of songs by the Canadian musician Stan Rogers sipping a glass of my favourite whisky, Ardbeg "Uigeadail".  Sort of a Canadian Nick Drake, he died well before his time in a bizarre plane accident, he embodied the folk-voice of his country and may never truly get the credit he deserves outside of his genre-circle of musicians.

As the songs progress, they begin openly brazen and brisk and they are over all bold with his classic song Barrett's Privateers and the bright Watching the Apples Grow.  The whisky begins openly powerful and peaty with big smoky character to match the songs' strength.  With Barrett's Privateers, there is a hint of the old-school sea shanty which matches the maritime character of this malt as you can smell the sea spray, seaweed and the ropes of the rigging in the whisky.

It is brooding and stormy as well as deceptively balanced and matched with the haunting lament Maid on the Shore, which tells of the troubled life of a captain bound to the sea, fooled by a mysterious maid on the rocky shore.  The whisky develops as your nose gets used to the power and becomes sweet and subtle just as Stan's big baritone voice sings the heartbreaking ballad, Forty-Five Years and dedication of the long life he would never have to his beloved wife.

The finish is balanced and provides an encore for all the beauty of the malt which had previously taken the stage and the peat, smoke, tar and brown sugar take a final bow.   It all settles down beautifully into a balance, with Stan Rogers' requiem Northwest Passage, in which he considers his place in history giving his humble admirations to those brave adventurers in the great wilds of Canada's Northwestern Territories looking for the Passage, a way to solve the savage wild.  I do not believe anything created by man, even this beautiful dram of whisky, can match the natural bravery of the adventurous hearts which choose their destiny and gamble all on it as do the characters in the songs by this Canadian poet. But as I sit in my comfortable chair in my comfortable corner of Scotland in my comfortable place in the world, I can send my thoughts across the wide reaches of the world to those distant lands and those magnificent deeds of brave explorers.

I didn't expect the music to overwhelm me as it did.  I expected the whisky and the songs to match like rum and a couple of sea shanties, but it became so much more.  I sat down to have a dram of whisky with some folk songs and I have found my imagination drawn to places of amazing beauty and complexity.  Next time you have the chance to have a quiet evening in, try putting on an album you love and have a glass of something you love and see how it works together.  For me it was really very special.

Much Love,
G

Beaujolais- Not to be taken lightly.

FlickingerPhotography

Hey Everyone,

Today's post comes to you after a prolonged period during which I have been in constant, coincidental contact with wines from the Beaujolais region of France.  I can't honestly say that I've ever been a huge fan of the wines of Beaujolais, generally considering them, along with many to be second-rate wines, forever to be overshadowed by the much more complete, serious wines of Burgundy.  This being put down to the commercial preeminence of the mass-produced, unaged wine made from the fruity-forward Gamay grape, many consider the wine of Beaujolais to be inherently inferior to it's northern neighbour in Burgundy.

Interestingly enough, history has similarly conspired to limit the achievements of the Gamay grape, with successive dukes of Burgundy outlawing the vine in their prized vineyards, in favour of the more elegant Pinot Noir variety.  Fair enough, this tactic paid off in the end, as the finest red Burgundies, such as those of Chambertin and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti can fetch unimaginable prices and in the words of Edward Scissor-Hands (ie Johnny Depp), they achieve the closest thing to nirvana in wine-form.

Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent & Morgon

Gamay however, seemed for a long time to be reduced to the role of producing a light, fruity, cheap red and in time developed a cult following for it's appearance as Beaujolais Nouveau.  So great was it'd appeal for a time that in many American households, indeed households the world over, November was the time of Beaujolais Nouveau parties, based around the release of the latest vintage.  No ageing, no patience required, just nip round to the local bottle-shop and grab the nouveau-est release and glug it down.

This all reached a head at the turn of the millenium and Beaujolais, with it's inexpensive masses of fruity jug-wine, there came the inevitable strike of the fickle consumer.  With over a million cases produced in 2001, there was a huge overstock and drinkers went elsewhere for their cheap fruity wines, after all, Chile was cheaper.  I believe that in large, this may have caused some soul-searching for the wine-makers in Beaujolais, perhaps they realised that all along this was what they wanted; a reason to make wine they could be proud of.  The punches a prize-fighter threw five years ago have grown old and they need to learn new moves.  Certainly these beautiful crus in Beaujolais are punchier and more serious, and they have put the fight back into the winemakers from Beaujolais.

This week, however, I have been given the chance to see just what Beaujolais can be.  Sure the best of Beaujolais are made as attempt to achieve the glory of Burgundy, and in some ways cru Beaujolais is essentially Burgundy-lite, in complexity and in price, but in truth there are some very satisfying wines to be found.  Made as more concentrated expressions of the Gamay grape, they can rest for a few years and gain a beautiful terra-cotta tinge and have all the florality of a decent pinot as well as a bit of that mature farmyard character.  While Fleury is no Volnay, nor is Moulin-à-Vent anything to challenge Mercurey, they are sturdy, expressive wines in their own right, showing off a good local character unique to their part of the world.

Case in point: Château des Jacques 2002.  This wine is elegant, it is complex and it is dusty.  It is made in a serious style intended for a decade of rest and with that time under it's belt, I believe it's done very well. It is cheesy like an old Pinot Noir but still has the strawberry aromas of a young Gamay balancing it all out.  It is a unique expression of Beaujolais and I think it is a lovely bottle, definitely something to behold and take into consideration as a serious wine.

Also, there are the great wines of Fleurie and Morgon; elegant, feminine and fragrant with bright aromas of pure strawberry, red cherries and floral perfume and a lovely, silky smooth palate.  Over all, well balanced and intriguing.  Put away your preconceived thoughts of those Beaujolais smelling of bubblegum/ candy-floss etc.  While that may be the case for the Nouveaux, these wines are serious, elegant and respectable alongside their northern neighbours.

You know what Gamay makes me think of?  It's like the Patrick Stewart of wine.  A perfectly capable grape that has been far too often typecast into the role desired by it's devoted cult following.  If Patrick Stewart could overcome his typecasting as Jean-Luc Picard/ anything sci-fi related, I see no reason why the popular conception of Gamay cannot become that of a serious grape variety.  It is a great grape and in the hands of a caring, aspiring wine-maker, it can achieve great things, far surpassing it's chequered history.  Perhaps Duke Philippe of Burgundy should have had more foresight than to ban Gamay in his best vineyards.  Afterall, seeing what Gamay has achieved in the past ten years, who knows what it could have done with 600 years of appreciation.

Why not grab a nice bottle of Cru Beaujolais?  Usually, they can be found in the sweet spot of £10-20 for a great example, so you needn't break the bank.  I do hope some of you can find a new place in your heart for good Beaujolais, it's definitely worth a visit.

Much love,
G

Thanks to my collegue, George Flickinger, who has been a great helping hand in regards to photos of my subjects.  His work can been seen in greater detail at www.flickingerphotography.com.

Loire Valley

Great examples of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé

Hi Everyone,

Today's post comes to you as I am currently exploring the under-appreciated valley of the Loire.  I know that many of us are introduced to the Loire through it's most popular district, Sancerre, but there is so much to be found as well as this full-flavoured Sauvignon Blanc.

The Loire is renowned throughout the world for so many reasons beyond it's great wines.  It is the very landscape of history, speckled with countless châteaux of the most stunning grandeur and beauty.  Some of the great marvels of European architecture, such as Château de Chaumont and the magnificent Chenonceau, dominate the towns and farmlands of this picturesque river valley.  The Loire itself is a beautiful river, flowing more than 1,000 miles from the south of France, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Saint-Nazaire. 

The wines of this region are as numerous and varied as the spires of the noble châteaux which dot the landscape, from the crisp Sauvignon Blancs of Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre to the full sweet Chenin Blanc of Vouvray.  Not to be forgotten of course are the reds, with the noble grape Cabernet Franc dominating alongside a couple of Pinot Noirs.  As I look more and more into these wines, I realise that the Loire Valley is home to some truly great wines, exuding minerality, balanced acidity and overall class and elegance.

Predictably for me, I love the Loire for it's willingness to embrace it's classic traditions.  For a region so visibly steeped in history, prominently exhibited in it's castles and mediaeval market towns, it is natural that the wine-making should follow suit and embrace it's own unique gifts.  Here, wine grows up around towns and gains a reputation for it's individual style.  For example, the wines of Pouily-Fumé, from the vineyards surrounding the town of Pouilly-sur-Loire have developed a delightful, crisp minerality which resembles a struck flint or wet stones.

The wines around the village of Saumur include some delightful reds and some wonderfully balanced whites, from Cabernet France and Chenin Blanc, respectively.  One producer in particular, La Cabriolé makes a great value pair of wines.  The red is freshly acidic, with light tannins and  between bright fruits and herbs.  While they aren't necessarily the world's most perfect wines, nor will they be aging for decades, they are well-structured and show an engaging set of flavours, aromas and acidity.  

Another interesting wine which oes not get nearly the attention it deserves are the reds from around the town of Chinon.  Fresh, light and friendly wines made also from Cabernet Franc are delicious on a summer's day and, in my humble opinion, vastly superior to the similarly light and fruity Beaujolais Nouveau, which serves a similar purpose.  It can be drunk in easily and has a fruity simplicity which makes it perfect for sitting on the porch, watching a summer rain shower.

Saumur, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc

So many of these delicious wines clock in under £20, in fact many cost less than £15.  The Loire must be under-appreciated because so many of these wines could easily be sold for more (indeed many worse wines are sold for more).  Not only are they good value wines, but they're also good food wines, matching pretty much anything you'd have.  A nice oaky Savennieres suits perfectly to a roast chicken, while a Muscadet Sevre et Maine can be a perfect companion to mussels and oysters.  If you're celebrating try a sparkling Crémant de Loire, a traditional fizzy wine blending  Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc along with many other permitted grapes.  Its a nice cheaper alternative to the consistently pricey Champagne.

All this leads me to describe one of my favourite wines under £20.  The red wines of St Nicolas de Bourgeuil, made from Cabernet France with perhaps a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon are beauties for depth, complexity and finesse.  One example, Yannick Amirault La Mine, averaging around £15, has full blackberry flavours with some hints of licorice and a sprinkling of marjoram backed up by hints of bell-pepper.  Alongside a bit of grilled lamb, this wine is absolutely delightful and should be given the credit it deserves. 

Though the wines of the Loire speak for themselves, it seems that often their packaging is a bit old-fashioned and off-putting.  They don't jump out from the shelves as anything interesting.  They tend to look dated and tired, with old-fashioned labels coming between drinkers and a wine they may well enjoy greatly.  Case in point, Cour-Cheverny is a perfectly enjoyable white wine but the label is so dull and off putting, that very few people looking for an interesting wine they've never had would give it a try.

There are a few great gems in the Loire, and if we can get past the old-fashioned look of the bottles there is a bounty of great wine to be found within.  

Much Love,

G

A St. Andrews Brewery?!

Hey everyone!

Today I bring tidings of great excitement and hope.  For those of us here in St. Andrews, we have been long bombarded with the kitsch practice of booze companies producing their second-rate products and capitalising on the un-copyrighted name of our Auld Grey Toon for the sake of making 'The' St. Andrews version of their product.  Those of you who drink beer know that I am mostly talking about Belhaven.  Belhaven, aside from producing their typical mass-marketed "Best" (which is only slightly more palatable than Belhaven "Meh") produce a shameless brew known as St. Andrews Ale.

IPA, 70/- and the Oatmeal Stout

Now if this had a picture of Saint Andrew the apostle on his saltire crucifix, I would be totally apathetic about it's existence.  In fact, depending on the illustration of the blessed saint's martyrdom, I would applaud them for going all edgy-like.  As it stands, there is a ridiculously cliché picture of the Royal & Ancient.  That noble institution considered the heart of the golfing world, and something for St. Andrews to take pride in, is being used by a Dunbar-based slop-factory to promote a half-arsed beer meant to be our town's brew.  In a bar in Pittsburgh I found it being plied as "Scotland's Finest Craft Ale."  I nearly cried.  Scotland has so much to offer in the way of beer and, with any luck, so will St. Andrews itself.

This week I tasted some beers by the St. Andrews Brewing Co. and for a brand new company I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and style of the beers.  They aren't too flashy and the brewer obviously knows exactly what he's going for.  Individually, I thought one or two had some improvements ahead of them, but these are early days yet and I see nothing but good things in the future of this small operation.

I tasted five beers, across a range which is more or less representative of the classic beer styles, and in general they all pleased.  The first one I tried, the Fife Gold was nice and zesty with a good hop profile.  It could do with a hint more malt on the finish and it'll be up with Edinburgh Gold and Ossian as a delightful golden beer for easy drinking.  Either way, its a refreshing beer with a lot of positive qualities.  In general it's a good solid Gold.

Seventy Bob and Oatmeal Stout

The second was the IPA.  It has a good hoppiness for sure and a nice drying character.  That said, I thought this had a bit of work to be done for the next batch.  Again, it's a bit thin and a bit more maltiness could make this a classic style IPA that could stand out among the über-hop IPA's which seem to dominate the market.

The Neuk Ale was a very well balanced beer with a good maltiness, not quite a heavy, but rich and full flavoured with a nice deep amber colour.  I could happily have quite a few of these badgers and call it a successful session!

The Seventy Bob was a classic old-school 70/- with a great balance.  It avoids that cloying sweetness you get with MacEwans and Belhaven.  Overall, this was my favourite of the evening.

The Oatmeal Porter was a big, full bodied job with a nice bittersweet chocolate flavour and a lovely bit of dryness on the finish.  It was balanced and rich with a nice toastiness throughout.

While I think there is some work to be done, I can tell this guy has good touch with his beer and will continue to make better and better beers and I look forward to St. Andrews having a great brewery all it's own.  Afterall, the stuff did sell out very quickly from our shop, and it was after a general tasting, so the people must have liked it!  Definitely a big round of applause, and I look forward to all the great things the future will hold for St. Andrew's Brewing Co.

Much Love,
G

South of France

Consolation 2010 Juliette Roussanne Sauvage

Hey Everyone,

Today's message comes from a bit of frustration with the current wine market, in which it seems that the wines which once upon a time were good values are no longer affordable and the wines which were once obscure are becoming the value buys of our time.  There was once a time (two years ago) when I remember buying a decent Argentine Malbec for £4.99 and a good Australian shiraz for a fiver.  now, it seems that these cheap and cheerful wine regions have lost both the cheap and the cheerful.  So where does one go for a good bottle of wine these days?

I've become a bit of a bargain hunter since I've gotten my foot (ever so slightly) in the door of the wine trade and i've found that the traditional regions for good, cheap-ish wines no longer hold their titles very well.  You can't get a decent New Zealand Sauvignon for under £10 anymore nor can you find an acceptable Aussie Shiraz for the same.  As always, we must look to new horizons.  But one question we must ask is where that horizon may be... Bulgaria is becoming a premium wine region in it's own right, South Africa offers a few decent cheapies, and Chile offers the cheap (if not the cheerful) wines we crave.

The true value, my friends, lies in the south of France.  The regional 'vins de pays' offer superb value for money, spanning from budget wines with class, minerality and structure, to genuinely fine wines with so much potential and character that they could be mistaken for some cru classé Bordeaux.   Beauties like the Tramontane Macabeu and the Cuvée des Oliviers clock in under £8 and for under £15 you can find true gems like the Consolation Filles de Mai, and the Mas Christine range.

Like Jet Li in wine form.

There are also fine wines to be had for really great prices.  For amazing rosé have a look at anything Provençal, in particular Bandol rosé.  The Consolation Rosé Barriques made from 100% Mourvedre is stunning for it's depth, character and poise.  In every way it hangs with the some of best wines I've experienced.  However, my wine tonight is a Juliette 2010 Roussanne Sauvage and I have to say that it knocks the socks off anything else under £30.  It has everything going for it to the point where I believe that it has the potential to be my favourite bottle of wine considering it's price, style and versatility with food.

Anyone familiar with white Rhône varietals will know that Roussanne generally plays second fiddle to Marsanne and is a part of a punchy white blend.  This wine is big and full flavoured with lovely aromas of stewed peaches, overripe pears and a hint of flint alongside the oaky aromas of vanilla and clovey spice.  The palate is warm but not hot.  The alcohol is well balanced with the fruitiness and acidity and makes only the briefest of cameo appearances on the screen.  Overall it is an elegant ballet of flavours, silky texture and tantalising aromas.  It costs about £17 and is worth every penny of £30 for its elegance, beauty and overall finesse.  Try it sometime and I hope you will enjoy it.

I love the south of France.  It's wines are bountiful and wonderfully priced against the quagmire of over-priced sub-£20 Burgundy and Bordeaux.  They are dynamic and bold as well as elegant and balanced.  I hope your faith in the humble vin de pays will be reinvigorated.

Much Love,
G

P.S. for some great regional french wines try out these...

Around and under £10- Tramontane Grenache Gris, Tramontane Macabeu, Tramontane Grenache, Cuvée de Oliviers, Tramontane Cotes de Rousillon, Jean Luc- Colombo Rosé, Filles de Mai Macabeu, Wild Boar Syrah

Around £20- Juliette Roussanne Sauvage, Dog Strangler Mourvedre, Tempier Bandol, Chateau Thenac Bergerac,  Chateau Thenac Bergerac Blanc,

Traditions of Independence

Hey Everyone,

Today I'm writing about something a tad different than my usual subject matter.  I've stated many a time that I love the unselfconscious style of traditional wine makers who make the styles of wine consistent throughout the centuries.  But what does a producer do when there is relatively little history for their craft and they are more or less starting from scratch?  The answer is of course debatable and anyone can take their own line of argument.  For instance, some might say that they should find another tradition tried and true throughout the ages and adopt it as their own.  This has worked in Napa Valley, where some winemakers are making some of the most classic Burgundy-style chardonnay on the market.  But my answer is that they must look beyond their specific trade and find a native tradition and craft their art so that it stays as true as possible to the spirit of the people.

That spirit is nowhere better displayed than in the American industry of Craft brewing.  While the brewing trade has developed to a much more highly refined and diverse set of styles than it's original form as an offshoot of the 18th century British tradition, that can be put down merely to the fact that the years go on.  Quite simply, time moves forward and all things must develop.  Why then, is it that the american brewing industry made the great leap into craft brewing brewing and the population so readily embraced it as enthusiastically as they did?  in a country so set in it's ways as a light ('lite') lager drinking nation, how is it that thousands of microbreweries making such adventurous styles of beer gained such success?

I believe that it all comes down to the spirit of independence.  The American beer industry had the opportunity to be based upon the British style of bitters, or the German style of lager and in turn embraced those two, but in equal measure moved on to something more interesting.  Look at nearly every beer producing country in the world and historically the styles of beer produced was relatively monolithic.  That is why we have a certain image in our heads of Belgian beers as all looking like the three Chimay's or German Beers as looking more or less like variants of Erdinger.  I'm definitely not trashing the beer produced in these countries, I love Belgian Lambic and will no doubt one day write about it!

However, American microbreweries have no inhibitions.  Therefore, in the best and most original breweries, the head brewer will have designed his recipe because it was exactly the kind of beer he wanted to drink and it didn't exist.  It stems from a culture where making beer is fun.  Its like a grown-up-ish version of spin-art.  You throw in the ingredients and give it a couple goes until you realise that you can make some amazing stuff!

As I write this message to you, I am sitting here having a bottle of Hop Head Red by the Green Flash Co. based in San Diego.  It ticks my boxes in every way.  It's got a beautiful deep amber colour, which darkens into an opaque core.  Its aromas are pine needle-like, with a lot of fruitiness and some beautiful zest, like lemon peel.  It's fresh and pleasing with a great hoppy profile and upon sipping it, I get sweetness, richness, a thickness of body and texture followed by a drying hoppy bitter finish.  In short, it's a great red ale crossed with a great IPA.  It's a great example of the production of a style of ale that a brewer thought would be a good idea and, went ahead and made it.  The result is a complex, powerful beer that I now believe to be the single, perfect match for spicy Lamb Madras curry.

Because of this wonderfully independent style of beer production, I think that America has achieved the height of beer crafting and that it keeps true to the national spirit.  I believe that it is catching on elsewhere around the world, with micro-brewing movements in Scotland leaping forward.  Breweries such as Loch Fyne, Black Isle and Swannay as well as countless others are beautiful pockets of craft brewing leading the charge for independent brewing.  England as well is making some amazing beers these days with Kernel brewery miles ahead.

I think that in the way that Italy has it's rustic wines, which show off the spirit of the Italian countryside, America has it's craft beer.  For me, there is no bottled ambassador for america better than it's micro-brewed beers.  So go to your local beer shop and check out this great tradition of brewing.

Much Love,
G

For a few examples of some nice craft beers to check out, have a look at these:

USA: Green Flash Brewing Co., Sierra Nevada, Dogfish Head, Magic Hat, Stone, Great Divide, Aloha Brewing Co., Brooklyn Brewery and Anchor Brewing Co.

Scotland: Fyne Ales, Black Isle Brewery, Swannay, Orkney Brewery, Brew Dog, Luckie Ales, Stewart's Brewing, Williams Brothers, Traquair House, Strathaven and Houston

The list goes on!