Wolf Blass premium wines

Added on January 11, 2012 by Johnny Mindlin

You may know the wines of Wolf Blass from the supermarket, where his Yellow Label wines sell pretty well. But Wolf began by making premium wines, characterised as Black Label, Grey Label and, more recently, Platinum Label. These high-end wines are much more about the individual character of the vineyards and are priced to match.
As a new-comer to the range beyond the ubiquitous Yellow Label, I was delighted to be invited to the 2011 UK launch of the rest of the range, held in the breath-taking penthouse of the Radisson Edwardian Hotel in Mayfair.
There I was given a chance to talk to Wolf Blass’ chief wine-maker, Chris Hatcher:

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Cocktails at The Lonsdale

Added on October 28, 2011 by Johnny Mindlin

Each group of drinks has an atmosphere, a “feel”: Beer is convivial, sociable and extended: one of life’s great lies is “Oh, I’ll just have the one!” … wine is considered, perhaps introspective, civilised … cider is refreshing and, like beer, for drinking in more public situations but it has a sense of danger … whiskey is for the serious drinkers, it can bring out the best and the worst in you … Gin, on the other hand, described by Dylan Moran as Mascara thinner, is a more refined drink for sipping … and vodka is the source, the distillation of reason … or un-reason.
All the major drink groups have their serious side; however, the one category of drinks that is uncompromisingly indulgent and fun, a little decadent and imbued with more science and art than most is the cocktail.
There is no doubt that ordering a cocktail is a statement about your approach to the occasion and the company and hints at your expectations of the rest of the evening. Cocktails can be sickly sweet, face-crunchingly astringent, long or short, sweet or sour but always worthy of attention, if only in a vain attempt to try and maintain a steady head.
One of London’s finest cocktail bars, The Lonsdale teamed up with London Cocktail Week so we went to meet them.

Cocktails At The Lonsdale

If you prefer a shorter version, here it is:

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CAMRA Beer Festival

Added on August 8, 2011 by Johnny Mindlin

The Great British Beer Festival 2011 just ended at Earl’s Court in London. As a judge in the CAMRA beer festival, I have, on occasion, got to go along and taste beers entered into the competition to win a medal and, hopefully, the title Best Beer. In the midst of this arduous work, I have taken the opportunity to talk to some of the visitors to the festival. Continue reading →

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Camaraderie

Added on July 25, 2011 by Johnny Mindlin

Every area of work has its networks of colleagues, contacts and friends, and, in an ideal world, it’s difficult to tell them apart. The same is true of the fraternity and sorority of wine-writers. We meet and compete in the convivial atmosphere of tastings and presentations and develop a sense of closeness, of belonging … that sometimes even lasts after the alcohol wears off! Continue reading →

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Chateau Tooting

Added on July 11, 2011 by Johnny Mindlin

While the grand wine houses boast of their age and ancient heritage and the newer wine-makers talk of creating a lasting presence in winemaking, there is a group of Londoners who are doing it the way it has always been done.
The Urban Wine Company have been gathering the grapes of private growers around London to create a wine that has been dubbed Chateau Tooting, although this year’s output goes by several names. Continue reading →

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What’s New In Champagne?

Added on June 26, 2011 by Johnny Mindlin

Some things are traditional and unchanging; or at least that’s the impression we have. It always rains at Wimbledon, the hats are huge at Ascot and Champagne will always be, well, Champagne. So, one might ask, what’s the point of the Champagne Bureau’s annual tasting in The Banqueting House, London if we’re going to get more of the same? Obviously, there’s the chance to taste unaffordable vintages and spend time in beautiful surroundings. But the times they are a-changing. There are trends and fads, styles and fashions so I went along in the spirit of research to find out what’s new in the ancient and tradition-bound world of Champagne: Continue reading →

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Microbrew

Added on June 12, 2011 by Johnny Mindlin

Beer is possibly the oldest form of manufactured beverage; certainly, the earliest documented. Over the last century or so, it has gone from home- and pub-brewed ales, through the industrial-made horrors in the 60s/70s, and now it’s back among the small operators with an explosion of small and microbreweries around the country. These are sometimes little more than a single vat in a hygenically and fully licensed shed but they almost all produce beery nectar. The Kernel brewery has 6 fermenters and produces beautiful beers so I paid it a visit, there also to meet both a home-brewer and an establised player in this game. Continue reading →

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Frescobaldi

Added on June 1, 2011 by Johnny Mindlin

A new vintage of wine like CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino is usually launched with a tasting and, occasionally, a party of some sort. These may be in highly prestigious city venues, in quirky Hoxton restaurants or at trade shows. While the tastings at the trade shows can justify themselves in a purely business sense, the other lunches and gatherings are, on the face of it, simply the chance for a good party. Continue reading →

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Shochu

Added on March 7, 2011 by Johnny Mindlin

Shochu is the newest thing at the bar. It’s not a wine, it’s not really a spirit as we understand it. It is Japanese but it is not Sake, so what it is and is it worth the effort of finding out? The Saki Bar and Food Emporium held a tasting of Shochu to help us answer these questions: Continue reading →

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Institute of Masters of Wine Annual Claret Tasting

Added on February 26, 2011 by Johnny Mindlin

The annual Claret tasting at the Institute of Masters of Wine is a vital date in the diary of any serious wine professional. I went along to talk to some of the participants and get the measure of the 2006 Bordeaux vintage.

Institute of Masters of Wine annual Claret tasting 2010.

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Biodynamic Chablis

Added on November 26, 2010 by Johnny Mindlin

You will probably have heard of organic wine production but have you come across biodynamics? It’s the new kid in town, utilising homeopathy, astronomical charts and other practices that might seem odd at first sight. However, more and more growers are adopting biodynamic wine production methods in the belief that it is the best right way to produce the best wine. This is most obvious in Chablis and so I went to a seminar on the subject at the Royal Opera House in London to find out more. Continue reading →

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Master of Wine

Added on August 17, 2010 by Johnny Mindlin

If you really want to stand out in the world of wine, one thing you can do is get yourself qualified as a Master of Wine. This title is administered by the Institute of Masters of Wine. It’s a difficult course to complete and MWs are generally respected and held in high esteem within the trade. But how hard can it really be? My colleague, Johnny Mindlin, went along to an open day to find out

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Gin

Added on June 26, 2010 by Johnny Mindlin

Gin has been around since the mid 17th century. It has a chequered history and a huge influence on the social history of England and particularly on London. While I’ve been a fan of the stuff for many years, I realised I didn’t actually know all that much about it so, when an invitation arrived to join the likes of Virginia Berridge from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Philip Wilson of Eau de Vie at the launch of a gin club at the Graphic Bar I jumped at the chance: Continue reading →

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Sake

Added on May 26, 2010 by Johnny Mindlin

Sake. Most people will have come across Sake as a body-temperature alcoholic drink served in Japanese restaurants, usually with Sushi. Most people know it’s made from rice and that it comes from Japan … and that’s usually where the knowledge ends. But Sake is carving out a clear niche among the wine cognoscenti as an alternative to grape wines. This rise in popularity is, no doubt, fuelled by the increasing number of sushi and other Japanese restaurants in the UK and by the growing realisation that Sake has huge variety and subtlety. This pleases connoisseurs and importers alike. One of the indicators of Sake’s rising import is its place within the International Wine Challenge, held this year at The Barbican in London. As someone who knew precious little about Sake, I was pleased to attend a seminar given by Kenichi Ohashi, as part of the Discovery Tasting sponsored by the Sake Samurai Association. The main thrust of the seminar was to compare the two styles of Sake: junmai and non-junmai. Continue reading →

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Terroirs et Signatures de Bourgogne

Added on March 26, 2010 by Johnny Mindlin

A stroll through the wine section of your local supermarket or wine retailer will show shelves with almost equal space given to new and old world wines, to Italian and French, Chilean and South African. This is unrecognisable from 20 years ago, when the French dominated fine wine drinking in the UK and top of the wine regions was Burgundy, with legendary names like Latour and Chablis. So, for wine-buyers, why bother with Burgundy these days? The wine is generally more expensive than the rest and there is always a niggling worry that the region has been left behind by wine producers who change their styles to entertain and delight the palette. A perfect opportunity arose to answer that question in the annual trade tasting for the Burgundy region, held at Lords Cricket Ground. What do the makers have to offer a buying public spoiled by head-spinning choice? Continue reading →

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Champagne Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards 2009

Added on August 26, 2009 by Johnny Mindlin

The 5th Champagne Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards ceremony took place in September 2009 in a glamorous event at the very top of The Gherkin in St Mary Axe in the City of London. A lucky few of the wine trade’s great and gathered to celebrate the finest writing on wine and to witness the awarding of “Roederers” (with complementary magnum of Cristal) to some of the best writers in the business.

Since I had the honour of attending the Roederer Wine Writers Awards ceremony and as a tireless investigator of all things vineous and literary, I went to have a chat with some of the nominees and the organisers and learned some things that should give real pause for thought. This podcast is a preview of the event.

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Anthony Rose – A Voyage Of Discovery

Added on May 26, 2009 by Johnny Mindlin

The wines of the south west of France or, in French, Les vins du Sud-Ouest, have, since the horrors of phylloxera, been fighting to get recognition on the international wine market. Cooperatives and wine makers have taken the region’s local grapes, such as Gros Manseng, Fer Sarvadou, Tannat, Pinenc and Loin de l’oeil and, using the diverse terroires, have created a range of wines that can now hold their own among the more traditional grape varieties. The region includes appellations like Cahors, Madiran, Saint-Mont, Fronton, Gaillac and Irouleguy. A seminar was held at the London International Wine Fair in May 2009, hosted by Anthony Rose, wine writer for The Independent Newspaper, to publicise these wines. I went along to Excel for the LIWF to find out what they have to offer and perhaps get some recommendations for summer drinks or wines for laying down. Continue reading →

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Wine and Health

Added on May 2, 2009 by Johnny Mindlin

Every week, we hear conflicting stories about the health benefits of wine – it gives you cancer, it helps you live longer, it’s good for you, it’s bad for you … but one thing that appears to be true is that people in areas of the world that grow certain red wines tend to live longer. To try and get to the bottom of this, I went to a seminar co-hosted by Roger Corder, professor of experimental theraputics at the William Harvey Research Institute; he has published a book called The Wine Diet, which looks at wine in relation to our health. He told me which types of wines we should drink if we want to get gain the most health benefits while ejoying really good glass of red.

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Sainsbury’s Spring Tasting

Added on March 26, 2009 by Johnny Mindlin

Supermarkets like to publicise their wine lists twice a year; once in the spring, for the summer market and again in the autumn to highlight their Christmas drinkies. Sainsbury’s held their Spring tasting in the back room of the Delfina Gallery in Bermondsey and I set out to get a sense of what is likely to be good for the summer parties and picknicks from the Sainsbury’s range.

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The Champagne Bureau

Added on March 6, 2009 by Johnny Mindlin

The Champagne Bureau’s annual tasting 2009 took place in March in the Banqueting House in Whitehall in London. It was a chance for the Champagne industry to get together and show the year’s new wines. I took my grumbling liver to Westminster to find out the state of the industry at this time.

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