Confessions of a Wino

I read an interesting piece in the Times this week about the super high price of Bordeaux 2006.  Leave it alone.  It’s all been purchased by far eastern investors who are going to lose their money anyway.

Stick to 2005 and (as I keep saying) the cheaper marques.  For example Château Reignac de Tizac, Bordeaux Superieur.

The initial aroma was of iron rust.  A mineral, earthy and “muddy” wine.  Flavours of root vegatable perhaps beetroot, carrot, swede (turnip).  Some spicy peppery notes of watercress?

Not a particularly delicate wine and not one I would drink on its own, but went very well with chargrilled lamb.  You know that meat and veg go together well!

OK so not the most glowing review and not the best 2005 Bordeaux I have yet tasted, but I would still recommend that you try it.  This one came from the  Wine Society at a paltry £5.25.

Above all I urge you to try any cheap 2005 Bordeaux you can find from wherever you buy your wine and leave 2006 to the “investors”.

I am a big fan of Oliver Sweeney.  No, he is not a pop star, nor an artist, but a shoemaker.  Think of him as the Paul Smith of shoes.  Designs for the guy who still thinks he is younger than he is, but appreciates quality without the stuffiness of “city” attire.  They are fun shoes but they are not cheap.  The killer feature is that unlike most shoes you may buy (albeit at less than half the price Oliver charges), his shoes actually fit first time and you don’t need to break them in.  Only one pair of Ollies have I ever suffered blisters from.  Compare that to Barker’s, Church’s, Grenson’s, Cheaney or other leading (and expensive) brands that can take weeks to break in.  So why can’t winemakers in Bordeaux make wines that one can drink straight away?  Where is the Oliver Sweeney of the Bordelais?

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After numerous weeks of seemingly endless rain, I was close to completing my ark.  However, still no closer to cutting the lawn which was starting to look like a very green field with very long grass on it.  Then one evening we had a breakthrough.  The sun shone and I went outside looking for pairs of worms, slugs, blackbirds, snails and magpies to take with me on my maiden voyage.  They all seemed to be absent, so in desperation I mowed the lawns.

Now, my front lawn is on an angle of about 45 degrees, so I have to mow it wearing golf spikes, but with a petrol mower, this is the gardening equivalent of climbing the north face of Everest in a t-shirt and a thong.

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Is Channel M the future?  As I sat in my living room in Leeds I pondered the segmentation going on in the digital TV market.  I have a foot either side of the Pennines so frequently flick to Channel M to find out what is going on in Manchester.  I could equally be living in Spain and watching the aptly named Living in Spain channel, or enjoying a glass of plonk whilst watching Wine TV.  However, as a Man City fan there is fat chance you will find me subscribing to MUTV (no hyperlink – I don’t want to promote that channel).

So it seems that whatever your interest, you can find a TV channel to suit.  So why not specialised wine dealers, I thought.  My next business plan may be to open a wine shop that specialises in unfashionable Bordeaux wines.

La Réserve du Grand Plantier 1990 is a Côtes de Bourg wine that I have never heard of, so this is not a good start to my business idea.

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Does your tongue sweat?  I think mine might.  Here’s the science bit.  I did a bit of physics and chemistry at school but no biology – my dad didn’t want me to get an ‘ology and I am not really into science so I sometimes wonder what makes me ask such pointless questions as “does my tongue sweat?”.

Sport is another matter though, and I have always tried to stay active despite my overweight status.  So I often follow Gillian McKeith’s advice to exercise before eating to “earn my meal” …and wine in my case.  Admittedly, I am taking a liberty here since Dr McKeith specifically prohibits alcohol consumption from her diet plans.

On opening a bottle of Château Laroze 1998 that I have been carefully keeping for a while, I was at first delighted to find the cork and wine in apparently perfect condition.

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Just a very quick one tonight on a nice Médoc.  This is yet another very impressive effort from the Wine Society’s own brand.

At first it was slightly thin but opened up quickly to a smooth Crème brûlée flavour.  Haven’t I tasted this somewhere before?

If you haven’t yet sampled the Wine Society‘s own brand wines I commend you to do so.  If you are not a member or you don’t know anyone who is, then look out for one of the joining offers they occasionally put out.

Somewhere roughly east of the Eden Project in Cornwall you may stumble across Newquay and Watergate Bay.  Here you will find another highly commendable charity establishment.  Fifteen Cornwall is Jamie Oliver’s project to give young (and often disadvantaged) young people the opportunity to make something of their lives, by learning how to cook very very expensive food.

As it was the first anniversary of the opening of Fifteen Cornwall and this marked the graduation of the first batch of trainees we thought it would be rude to turn down the opportunity to try the highly popular place.  OK then it wasn’t exactly a personal invite from Jamie but it was nice to be there.

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I’ve just received my first case of 2004 en primeur and although arguably a bit early to drink, I always like to have a taste of any wine I receive.

I’m not sure how much this wine cost me in the end, since I lost my records.  The only offering I could find online was in magnums from Berry Bros and Rudd at an equivalent to £20.75 per bottle.

I got strawberries dipped in dark chocolate and champagne sauce. It opened up after while to reveal notes of blackcurrant and grapefruit. At 13%, a powerful wine but not over-alcoholic.

Verdict – very nice wine but needs longer in the bottle.  The Winediva also seems to like 2004 Batailley although warns of patchy quality around Bordeaux from that vintage.

The first Batailley I tried was from the 1996 vintage and I remember thinking what good value it was for the quality of the wine.  This one again is good value.  2004 may not be the best year ever in Bordeaux especially when compared to the remarkable, 2000, 2003 and 2005 vintages that ambushed it.  But I like it and very much look forward to trying my next bottle…in a year or so.

So I hear that Sven is in the running for my beleaguered team Manchester City.  As if crisis following crisis following crisis is not enough, we are trying to tempt the heel enhanced weather girl lover to manage our sorry club.

It’s not that I dislike Eriksson for footballing reasons, it’s just that the reasons he would want to join would only be financial.  He is a clever man and despite all the moanings, he was one of the most successful England managers and that followed a highly successful club career.

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I’ve got Bordeaux fatigue.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love most of the 2005’s I’ve tried so far.  I’ve got a load booked en primeur to come later this year.  I’ve bought 2004, 2003 and 2000, all of which have so far impressed me.

But after so many years of exceptional, extraordinary, legendary, once in a lifetime, holy grail, once in a several millennia, best ever vintages, to hear 2006 described by most people as “patchy” is an opportunity to take a breather and give my poor wallet a rest.

So everyone who is currently sending me invitations to “invest” en primeur in 2006, please save your paper.  For a “patchy” vintage the prices are too high and the risk of disappointment too great in my opinion.

I might well buy 2006 Bordeaux once it is released but I won’t be investing in bond.