InterWined is not a huge fan of white wines that are not dry at all.
There is something unsettling about drinking white wine without a bit of pucker.
Torrontes is a white wine grape that is considered 100% Argentinean. It is widely grown in the Calchaquies Valleys, as is the 2007 La Esperanza new to Marks & […]

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Watch the Olympic torch make its way around the world, and one is filled with images that just don’t go together. The journey of the flame is proving more of a divider, not a uniter. Blue-suited Chinese paramilitary, without any seeming executive powers, roughing up interlopers that are oddly obsessed with extinguishing the fire. The […]

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A standard California table wine, The Boulders Viognier 2004, goes for £5. Viognier is an ancient lady, common in the Rhone. Needs sun as it is prone to rot.

The Boulders isn’t very floral, as one would expect when the grape is grown in America or Australia. A probably a bit too heavy for such a heavy dish. But Interwined has a big belly, so here we go: Greasy and tart, some hints of orange zing, quick finish, but heavy in body. Perfect with fish and chips. By itself: 8.2.

German Riesling is the fall back guy for difficult food pairings. 2004 Mineralstein Riesling, from between the Mosel and Rhein rivers, around £7 from Marks and Spencer. The low alcohol, nice apricot aroma and peach-smartie type flavor really enhance the spice on Buffalo chicken wings (what spice is that, anyway?). The wine itself is a gem, dry and flinty, with a unbelievably long finish… If Cricket were a wine sport, Mineralstein would be it’s star.
Perfect wine Buffalo chicken wings: 8.6.

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The party wine was a 2003 Premiere Bordeaux Chateau Haut Rian: a bit thin, not notable. Light airy, aloof, like many at a party. Little oak, less earth; slight aroma of berries, mainly black, and that is about it: 8.2 points. Perfect for a party. Easy drinking, inexpensive red. Didn’t complain of course, yet the host said ‘this one’s for you.’

A bottling from Austria; forgot the vintage. Made mainly from a grape called St. Laurent. Also Merlot, Zwigelt. Cool climes for cool times. Seemed a bit bland at first. Let it breathe. The strong tartness gave way to sublime bitterness. Dig the dark chocolate. The wine found its soul when finally set free. Almost desperate to impress; excellent: 8.9.

Drank a bottle of Montepulciano di Abruzzo from Marks and Spencer, £8. Italian wine is a minefield. Montepulciano, for example, was the grape used in the wine from Abruzzo. However, Montepulciano is also a town in Tuscany, which makes Vino Nobile, made from Sangiovese. Huh? What’s that? Make sense. Please.

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The Marks and Sparks white Burgundy 2004 and San Tommasi ‘Giani’ Sicilian white; both served at a friend’s finally-off-of-probation celebration. Both were good bargains, excellent and crisp. Both were served cold and felt proper, and tasted too similar, coming not only from different countries, different climates and different soils.

Also, three nights were devoted to three bottles of Bonterra Organic 2004 Shiraz Carignan Sangiovese.

All three bottles were great, with or without food, fresh and clean.

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