2015 Decanter World Wine Awards: some photos

Judges listening as Sarah Kemp and Steven Spurrier 

set the scene for the day

– how to deal with over 16,000 wines @Tobacco Dock

DWWA judges gathering at the start  of the day

Nigel Wilkinson (RSJ Restaurant) judging Loires

Up at 3.20am to fly south from Edinburgh 

Chris Kissack (The Wine Doctor) is admirably awake

 Nicolas Clerc MS (Morris & Verdin)

Nicolas joined the Loire panel for two days 

Ian d'Agata

Monty Waldin – the UK PetNat guy

 

Mai Tjemsland MW

  Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW 

taking an exploratory sip of water...

not sure it will catch on 

Shane Jones, the Red Shirt who looked after 

our Loire panel brilliantly on Tuesday and Wednesday 

Salon Bios Jours de Bourgueil/ Dimanche 3 mai 2015

Les Halles de Bourgueil pendant le Bourgueillotherapie 2014

Créé en 2012 par le Domaine Catherine et Pierre Breton, le salon a pour but de rassembler les vignerons bios dans une ambiance conviviale et fédératrice !


 

Au tout début il s’appelait les 30 du 37 (30 vignerons bios d'Indre et Loire) mais face à l'engouement de la clientèle, le concept s'est étendu aux départements limitrophes et est devenu le salon les Bios Jours.

 


Il regroupe désormais des vignerons bios d'Indre-et-Loire, du Maine-et-Loire et du Loir-et-Cher !

 


Le salon se déroulera cette année le dimanche 03 mai, de 10h à 17h, sous les halles de Bourgueil.
Venez déguster les vins ligériens à cette occasion, de nombreux lots sont à gagner (magnum, verres...) et vous pourrez grignoter sur place.


Entrée 5€ verre compris.

Les vignerons présents :

BOURGUEIL 

Domaine Catherine Et Pierre Breton

Emmanuel et Stéphanie Caslot

Château de Minière

Domaine Laurent Herlin

Domaine Patricia et Hervé Ménard

Domaine de L'Oubliée – Xavier Couvant

Domaine du Petit Bondieu  - Thomas Pichet

Domaine Aurélien Révillot

Domaine du Rochouard

CHINON
Domaine Bernard Baudry

Claire et Florent Bejon

Nicolas Grosbois

Béatrice et Pascal Lambert

Gérard Marula

Helda Rabaut

Domaine Wilfrid Rousse

LES ANGEVINS

Isambert Côme 

Clos Cristal

Domaine de la Fuye

Eddy & Mileine Oosterlinck-Bracke

LES VINS DU COIN - 41
Domaine les Capriades - Moses et Pascal

Clos Roussely

Domaine de la Piffaudiere

MONTLOUIS-SUR-LOIRE 

Frédéric Courtemanche

SAINT NICOLAS DE BOURGUEIL
Sébastien David

Domaine Du Mortier

TOURAINE AZAY LE RIDEAU 

Château de la Roche en Loire  - Louis-Jean Sylvos 

TOURAINE 

François Plouzeau

VOUVRAY 

Michel Autran

Domaine Perrault-Jadaud

Domaine François Pinon

Vouvray: Foire aux vins le Week End de la Pentecôte 23, 24 et 25 mai 2015

 

les caves troglodytiques de la Bonne Dame

Le Week End de la Pentecôte à Vouvray
Les vignerons de l’Appellation VOUVRAY vous invitent à venir déguster leurs vins dans les caves troglodytiques de la Bonne Dame.

Entrée libre

Découvertes insolites dans les galeries troglodytiques du XVème siècle des Caves de la Bonne Dame à Vouvray. Tous les recoins de la Cave vous offrent différentes spécialités gastronomiques du foie gras aux charcuteries tourangelles.

 

Tout au long de ce périple, une vingtaine de Vignerons de l’Appellation VOUVRAY vous font découvrir leur production. Vous pouvez ainsi apprécier toutes les facettes d’un terroir millénaire en un seul lieu. Vous rencontrez à cette occasion une ambiance unique, une convivialité chaleureuse, et une décontraction apparente qui sont le reflet d’une génération montante tournée vers l’avenir mais néanmoins extrêmement rigoureuse et sérieuse sur la qualité des produits proposés.

 

Entrée libre- Prix du verre à dégustation 3 € - Restauration sur place

•••

 

 

Blossoms in Forest Hill, Dearie! + a long view of the London Marathon

Stunning cherry tree opposite Eliot Bank Primary School

equally wonderful with its autumn colours

Other blooms and plants:

 Barkin' birch

A long view of yesterday's London Marathon – the closest I got to the actual race:

Red balloons at the start on Blackheath can 

just be glimpsed through the gloom above the tree on the left

A couple of 2009 Loire treats

A couple of bottles from 2009 that I have recently really enjoyed, while being slightly surprised but pleased by their quality: a Touraine Sauvignon from Lionel Gosseaume and a Pinot Beurrot from the Charitois' vineyards of Serge Dagueneau et Fils. 

Firstly Lionel Gosseaume's 2009 Les Sauterelles Touraine Sauvignon. Often the advice given for Touraine Sauvignon is to drink the youngest vintage available. Although it depends upon how you like your Sauvignon to taste but, like the Sauvignon Blancs from the Central Vineyards, those from the best producers keep well. Les Sauterelles from Lionel Gosseaume is a good example. Showing the typical richness of a 2009 it has retained attractive freshness in the finish and the extra bottle age has brought addition complexity.    

Domaine Didier Dagueneau is rightly famous and acclaimed but this is a reminder, along with their wines from Pouilly, that there is a another Dagueneau domaine – that of Serge Dagueneau et Filles – of merit. Pinot Beurrot is a synomym for Pinot Gris, while Côtes de La Charité IGT used to be called the Coteaux Charitois.   

The vineyards of the Côtes de La Charité lie to the north east of La Charité, an attractive small town on the Loire between Pouilly-sur-Loire and Nevers. This Pinot Beurott is very much a Pinot Gris made in the style of Alsace – opulently rich with an attractive touch of evolution in the long finish – rather than most Italian Pinot Grigios. I started off drinking it as an excellent apéro. Then tried it with a piece of smoked haddock poached in milk. Doubtless an interesting experiment but too rich for the delicacy of the haddock. 

Although not a major Loire variety Pinot Gris/Pinot Beurrot crops up in various parts of the valley playing different roles. In Reuilly it makes a delicate and pale rosé. It is one of the three Pinots that goes into Noble Joué (just to the south of Tours) – the other two are Noir and Meunier. In The Coteaux d'Ancenis, at the gates of the Pays Nantais, it is known as Malvoisie where it is mainly used to make sweet wine, which ages well. In this guise it also pops up in eastern Touraine but rarely made in commercial quantities rather for consommation personnelle.        

 

24.4.15: CWW AGM @New Zealand House on Sauvignon Blanc Day

 A welcome glass of No1 at the end of formal business

Toasting the end of formal business

Yesterday The Circle of Wine Writers held their 55th AGM in the offices of the New Zealand Winegrowers. The AGM was followed by a tasting of 140 New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs at the top of New Zealand House, which has stunning views over London.  

The Circle's 55th AGM saw Rosemary George MW taking over as our President as Steven Spurrier is stepping down at the end of his term of office. Bob Campbell MW was elected as our first Vice-President based outside the UK. His fellow Vice-President is Oz Clarke, also elected yesterday. Seven committee members were elected: Kathy Burk, Michael Edwards (re-elected), Keith Grainger, Colin Hampden-White, Caroline Henry, Helena Nicklin and Liz Sagues. 

Following the formal business Rosemary George MW gave a presentation on the current state of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Bob Campbell MW was originally due to give this talk but around a month ago he injured his Achilles Tendon in the gym, so was unable to travel from New Zealand. Quite what ferocious exercise Bob was undertaking that caused this unfortunate injury is unclear. We are very grateful to Rosemary for taking over. Before Rosemary gave her presentation we were served a glass of No1 New Zealand sparkling wine.

Then we repaired to the top floor for the tasting of the 140 New Zealand Sauvignons going back to the 2007 vintage. Roger Jones, the very talented owner and chef at The Harrow, Little Bedwyn and CWW member, prepared delicious canapés to try matching with selected Sauvignon Blancs.

My thanks to NZ Winegrowers for allowing us to use their premises for our AGM. 

 Tasting of 140 NZ Sauvignon Blancs underway

 Roger Jones@work

 Views from the top of New Zealand House