May 2024. Portugal. Nick Oakley

 

Nick is the founder of Oakley wine agencies, based in Colchester, and has been specialising in Portugal for over 30 years. He’s a wine agent so represents the vineyards to the end customers – mostly the big supermarkets and wine merchants – and then acts as the importer. As a result he’s got a unique perspective and insight into the wine industry and how it works.

Of the 8 wines presented, 4 are in the shops right now, 3 are looking for customers, and the Port is a legacy bottling from a vineyard which no longer makes Port.

The alcohol strength has become all important. In general, higher strength wines sell better. However, the new UK wine tax laws coming in next year have added a layer of complexity, with the duty increasing every additional 0.5% rather than a flat rate. This is apparently a Brexit Benefit. It does mean that there is an incentive to persuade the vineyard to bottle at a lower strength. We’ll see what happens when it comes into force fully next year.

 Wines:

White

Conde Vimioso reserve 2020, Tejo region. Arinto. 13%. Not on sale here, would be around €4.50 ex cellar, and perhaps £13 retail.

JPR* Alvarinho, Monção & Melgaço. 12% Not on sale here yet. similar price to above.

 

Rose

Morrison's Best Espadeiro Vinho Verde. 11.5% £7. This is what Mateus Rose could be… Not a serious wine, but simply for sitting in the sunshine and enjoying.

 

Red

Agenda Dão. 13% £8.99, Majestic managers choice It may well be on offer for less right now.

Marques de Borba Alentejo JPR 14%. Alicante Bouschet + Aragonez, Castelão, Syrah. The Old vine version is on sale in Majestic at £13, so this would be maybe £10-£11.

Morrisons Best Douro. 13% £7.50. This is Nicks best seller, about 330,000 bottles a year. A very straightforward red. And clearly very popular

Quinta do casal Branco, Merlot. JPR. Tejo region. 14%. Not on sale here, would be perhaps £9.99. At that price it would be a bargain.

Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo, Douro - CLA Special Reserve Port. This is a heirloom bottling of port from an estate that used to make port. Very nice it was too.

 

*JPR – Joao Portugal Ramos. A big winemaker/consultant in Portugal – Nick has been working with him from the very beginning.

 

April 2024. AGM and WInes from the Good Wine Shop, Twickenham

 

Wines selected by our Treasurer Keith, with much assistance from Pippa Hayward, who consults there and happened to be in the shop at the time.

Whites:

Chateau Lauduc, Cremant de Bordeaux NV. Cabernet Franc 20%, Semillon 80%. 12% £18.50.

Interesting. A very slight tint from the Red C-F grape, also a hint of C-F comes through on the palate. An unconventional fizz.

Coto do Gomirez, Flower & the Bee 2022. Treixadura. Galicia Spain. 13% £20

Classic light fresh, fruity white wine. Expensive for what it is. Waitrose do a nice Treixadura at half the price.

Famille Arbeau, Arbelle 2020, Chardonnay & Vermentino. Languedoc France. £18

This one, sadly was off. One bottle was most definitely off, and the other 2 were seriously weird. Hard to say anything else.

Sokol Blosser, Evolution Lucky No.9 2020. Oregon U.S.A. Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Canelli,Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer. Riesling, Pinot Gris, Semillon + 2 more, £20

Too many grapes in there. It all ended up as a rather sweetish white wine of no particular character. You could taste the Muscat and Gewurz but really too much going on. Less would have been more.

Reds

A much better selection, after a somewhat disappointing set of whites.

Ciu Ciu, Bacchus Rosso Piceno 2022, Marche/Piceno Italy Sangiovese and Montepulciano. 13.5% £12.50

Reckoned to be the best of the evening. Very smooth.

Massaya, Le Colombier Red 2020 Bekaa Valley Lebanon Grenache Noir 35% Cinsault 35%, Tempranillo 30%. 14.5%, £21.50

Also very good, but at £9 more than the Ciu Ciu, most people would go for that one.

Chateau Du Barrailh, La Grave Singalier, Bordeaux Superieur 2020 Merlot 80%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%. 13.5%, £16.75.

Cedary, Oaky, Woody. An excellent example of a Bordeaux.

Cesar Florido, Moscatel Dorado Sherry NV, Muscat, Jerez Spain. 17.5% £20.50. (Full bottle).

This isn’t a classic sherry, more of a light dessert wine from the Jerez region. Very nice it is too.

March 2024. Wines of Moldova

 

PRESENTERS: Aliona Bejan and Sergiu Hriplivii,  Novus BH Magister Ltd - www.moldovawine.co.uk

Moldova has a long wine history (5000 years) and used to supply a significant proportion of the wine to the Soviet Union, but after independence in 1991 everything changed. Wine is still an important part of the Moldovan economy and is its 5^th largest export.

There are quite a few unusual/local grape varieties, although several of them are recent crosses from post war. Several of the grapes on show here, are Georgian – Sapravi and Rkatiteli. Georgia was one of the other big wine growing regions of the Soviet Union, with a history going back even further.

Aliona and Sergiu set up the company with Aliona’s sister relatively recently to bring Moldovan wine to the UK. They do come from a winemaking family.

The Wines Were:

Whites

1)      Cricova Winery 100% Feteasca Alba. 2022. 12% £16

2)      Timbrus Winery . 100% Viorica. 2021 12.5% £16

3)      Novac Winery 50% Floricica/50% Alb de Onitcani. 2021. 14% £23

4)      Novak WInery 60% Alb de Onitcani/40% Rkatiteli. 2019 13%

Reds

5)      Timbrus Winery 100% Sapravi. 2020. 13% £17

6)      Timbrus Winery Polyphonia Note#2 Malbec, Shiraz, Rara Neagra. 2020. 13% £17

7)      Atu Winery 70% Codrinskii/30% Saperavi. 2020. 13.5% £27

8)      Cricova Winery 100% Feteasca Neagra. 2020.£14% £17

 

Some points of note:

The Florica/Alb de Onitcani blend is matured in Acacia Wood barrel due to plentiful supplies of Acacia in Moldova. Both grapes are 1960s crosses.

Saperavi, better known as a Georgian variety, is reckoned to be the worlds oldest variety.

The Codrinskii is a very rare cross – Cab Sauvignon x Rara Neagra. Only grown in one vineyard in Moldova.