jamie goode's wine blog

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Tasks achieved today. (1) ETA (electronic travel authority, a sort of Visa) for visiting Australia. Inputted all my details and then was told I already had one from my visit last October. D'oh. (2) Ordered four books from amazon for reading on the trip. Can't be too heavy; I read heavy stuff all the time, and this reading will be my relaxation and time out. (3) Also from amazon, ordered two SD cards for my digital cameras. I currently have two 128 mb cards, which fit about 80-90 pictures on each. Having two more 256 mb cards will mean I have to get my laptop out less often while I'm on vineyard visits. I'm also paranoid about back-ups, so I'll not have to delete stuff from the SD cards until I can burn back-up CDs. Not a good idea to just have your precious images on the hard drive of a laptop that gets some heavy use and is often near wine. Also, what if it got nicked? (4) Made good progress on an article on re-corking for The World of Fine Wine. Have good quotes from David Ellswood, Serena Sutcliffe and John Kapon.

Tonight I'm dibbling and dabbling with a range of wines. The Cable Bay Pinot from last night is pleasant again tonight. A quick taste of a more commercial wine, the Casillero del Diablo Viognier 2005 Chile (Morrisons, about £5, I think), shows that this is a very appealing perfumed peachy white that manages to capture this grape really well. Attractive stuff, supplemented by 30% fermentation and ageing in French barrels. The main wine this evening has been a Pinotage, but this is a good Pinotage that I approve of and enjoy. It's the Meinert Pinotage 2003 Devon Valley, South Africa (pictured; £7.95 Great Western Wines). There's a hint of the Pinotage funk, described on the back label as 'clove spiciness', but it's at the level where it adds to the wine. The dominant feature is charming vivid red fruit with a subtle herbal edge and plenty of oomph. The big appeal here is that it's food friendly, bold, and fruity. It's moderately serious and good value for the price.

I'm finishing tonight with one of those rare wine moments: something that takes me by surprise and leaves me feeling kind of awestruck and grateful. I decided to sample a small pour of the Fernando de Castilla Antique Pedro Ximenez Jerez (£19.99 50 cl, Wine Rack). I'm familiar with PX - old engine oil colour and consistency, liquid Christmas cake flavours - but this is an exceptional one. It's supersweet, complex, viscous and well balanced. One of the best I've tried. A wine of contemplation, and perfect for a very cold winter's day.

7 Comments:

At 11:49 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jamie,
you may be interested there was a review of wine websites in the LA times http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-wine22feb22,1,2668606.story?coll=la-headlines-food&ctrack=1&cset=true
did'nt seem to mention your excellent internet presence?
regards
paul gascoine (not the paul gascoine clearly)

 
At 12:22 PM, Blogger Jamie said...

Paul
Thanks for pointing this out. No mention for wineanorak? You win some, you lose some.
p.s. Great name. Do people call you gazza? Just curious.

 
At 9:07 PM, Blogger Kimberly said...

Hi Jamie,

Glad to see the your numerous comments on South African wines. Not had much time lately to give provide any comments - sadly i have to make my living being an finance manager and not in the wine business, still working on that - but drank some fantastic 2005 South African Sauvignon Blancs the last few week, namely Thelema and Mulderbosch, they have the citrus flavo(u)rs and grassy notes that I have come to expect from Sauvignon Blanc. Additionally, I want to comment on your new blog... fantastic!!! The interaction with your readers was missing before and

 
At 9:15 PM, Blogger Kimberly said...

sorry... my computer died, but posted..... strange!

...and I am glad to see that there is so much interaction etc now. Thanks for making the change.

Looking forward to your comments from your Australia trip.

Kimberly

 
At 12:14 PM, Blogger Jamie said...

Thanks for the comment Kimberly - Thelema's Sauvignon is lovely, I agree. (They also make another one that's just as good, but different, from another vineyard site.) Can't remember what I thought of the Mulderbosch, or even if I've tried it. Glad you like the new blog!

 
At 2:26 PM, Anonymous keith prothero said...

Pinotage the grape of Kings!! but dont keep giving it good reviews Jamie or else your well deserved reputation will drive the price up----------just like it did for Cano 2004 (get some cookies on this site please!!)

By the way,the very best Cape SB is Fryers Cove fantastic but also very expensive.Made in very small quantities in the Cederberg area and retails for about R95--pricey for the Cape.
Maybe I will bring a bottle round when you invite me for dinner.

 
At 8:18 AM, Blogger Jamie said...

This post has been removed by the author.

 

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