A Quart of Ale± #120. On the craft journey with Lineman, Wide Street and a Treaty City double.

 A Quart of Ale± #120

On the craft journey with Lineman, Wide Street and a Treaty City double

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Lineman Big Calm Brown Ale 6.0%, 440ml can Yards & Crafts

 

“Big Calm is our kind of brown ale,” declared Lineman when they launched the beer late last year. "…We wanted to brew a brown ale that showcased the flavours of chocolate and caramel malts at their best.”

Did they succeed? Let us check. Colour is brown, a dark one with a short-lived tan head. The aroma box may also be ticked: rich coffee, caramel too. 

And that same combo appears in Act 3, filling the stage of the palate with superb flavours. Some of these chocolate/caramel/coffee beers can be over-sweet. No danger of that here because of a streak of tartness that helps provides an excellent balance plus a lip-smacking finish. 

Suitable for vegans, they declare. Suitable for brown ale lovers, I reckon. All boxes checked then.

Wide Street Monksland Belgian Stout 5.2% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

This Belgian style stout from Wide Street pours black and tan (head), just like a stout should. The head doesn’t hang about but that shouldn’t really matter, its lack of staying power more a cosmetic issue rather than an indication of a lack of quality.

There’s a chocolate element to the fore in the aromatics. And you also meet it, with a sweet fruity touch (figs, raisin), on the palate; here you’ll come across a streak of acidity and there’s also a strong presence of roasted malt. 

A stout with a difference and one worth considering for your shortlist. For all that, there are quite few really excellent Irish stouts and, overall, I’m as strongly inclined as ever, to favour the home variety but fair dues to Wide Street for offering this interesting alternative that is well worth a try.

This is unfiltered, unpasteurised and can-conditioned and may  contain yeast sediment. Refrigerate, store upright and pour carefully. Primary fermented with a Trappist ale yeast for an alternative fermentation take on a stout containing no less than five different Belgian malts.

Treaty City Outcast Juicy IPA, 3.8%, 440ml can O’Brien’s Douglas

A cloudy session beer bursting with fruity notes. The massive hop additions during every stage..give rise to tropical fruit flavours and a citrusy aroma. That’s was the build-up from Treaty City, the brewers of this Limerick IPA.

Colour is a very pale orange, a hazy one. It has a “massive” all-American hop line-up of Idaho 7, El Dorado, and Columbus (also known as CTZ), so expect pine, tropical (pineapple), citrus, and a refreshing pungency in the mouth. That is more or less what you get with quite a bit of fruit on the palate before a dry finish. And that US hop trio certainly lend it a hefty hit, no doubting its hoppy credentials in either aromas or flavour. Overall, it is more than a satisfactory session beer.

Malts, put somewhat in the shade by the hops, are: Pale Ale, Munich, Oats, Wheat

Treaty City, the brew/pub is close to King John’s Castle, say: Treaty City Brewery started in a small two bedroomed apartment in East Vancouver, Canada. After a long night of general debauchery, plenty of merriment and many bottles of bland tasteless beer, we decided enough was enough. Something had to be done. Life was too short to drink bad beer. The next morning, while nursing a spectacular hangover we headed for the local homebrew store and purchased our very first brewing equipment….. 

Soon they were brewing at home and not too long after that they found the real home was calling and, back in the Treaty City, they carried on brewing!

Treaty City Harris Pale Ale, 5.0%, 440ml can O’Brien’s Douglas

Named after Limerick’s most famous film-star, this Pale Ale has a lovely golden amber colour with a soft white head. Aromas are mostly citrus, some floral notes and a modest touch of pine. And it proves itself hop-forward and impressively well-balanced on the palate and beyond. Again the citrus (grapefruit) features strongly in the mouth and so too does the malt. And the combination also provides a very satisfactory finish indeed.

Wrote that paragraph about a year ago when I tasted it first. And I see no reason to alter it after tasting it again. 

The Harris Pale Ale (suitable for vegans by the way) is one of the brewery’s first and is named after Richard Harris, swashbuckling on and off the screen and a man who appreciated a good drink. He performed in a huge variety of films over a number of decades including The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Field (1990) and Gladiator (2000).

The label tells us that the malts used are Pale Ale, Caramunich, Carapils. “A generous helping of Cascade hops gives this tawny colored ale a citrus/floral aroma and a grapefruit flavour with a hint of resin. A blend of the finest Pale and Caramel malts gives a complex malt character while keeping the hops in the forefront.”

A couple of summertime beauties, Prosecco and Rosé, from O'Briens Wine

A couple of summertime beauties, Prosecco and Rosé, from O'Briens Wine

Proverbio Prosecco (DOC) Organic Extra Dry,  11%, €16.95, was 20.45  O’Brien’s Nationwide.

Very light straw colour on this organic and vegan friendly Prosecco and there is a fine head of bubbles with more rushing up to join in. White peach, apple and pear feature in the aromatics, a hint of yeast too, pretty typical of the Glera grape.  

It is fruity and sparkling, soft and fresh with an in-your-face acidity. Recommended as an aperitif (and I can confirm that) and also as a wonderful pairing with oriental cuisine (I’ll have to get another bottle to confirm that one!). Very Highly Recommended.

The producers, The Wine People, had a bit of fun with the name. While Proverbio is Italian for Proverb, it also incorporates three elements that describe the wine well: PRO for Prosecco DOC, VER for Vero (Truly) and BIO for Biologico (Organic).

Wine Folly advises that an extra dry style “is a great place to start with Prosecco”. “You’ll find the best wines come from the hilly areas..around Treviso and Colli Asolani, where the vines produce more concentrated grapes.”

Glera is the grape for Prosecco and indeed it was generally known as Prosecco.  But, a few years back, the growers association changed the name and were thereby enabled, according to Grapes & Wine, to legally “protect the Prosecco name from being used elsewhere in the world”.

Wine-Searcher.com tell us: “Italian wine produced from Glera is almost always either frizzante (fizzy) or spumante (fully sparkling). A few still wines are also made from Glera…”

You probably know that Prosecco is made by the Charmat method. This uses a second fermentation in a large stainless steel tank to trap carbonation in wine. In the Méthode Champenoise, the second fermentation happens inside the individual bottles in which the wines are sold. More on these methods here. 

The bottle weight is bit more than usual, as it the case with most sparkling wines (because of the contents being under pressure). The squat shape is also not usual; this particular one is more like a port bottle and not very different from some of the aged Redbreast bottles.

Château Gairoird Organic Rosé Côtes de Provence (AP) 2020, 13%, €14.96 (was 19.95)

This organic rosé from Provence, a blend that includes Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah, has a very pale salmon colour. Quite aromatic with, for me, strawberry leading the charge, also notes of grapefruit and white peach. Strawberry also on the full flavoured palate, raspberry too. By the way, the flavours are quite vigorous, far from the delicate that you sometimes find in rosé. It has good balance too. Plus a refreshing finish from this dry and elegant wine.  Highly Recommended

Perhaps this is more suited to table rather than aperitif duty.  A veal blanquette, cheeses, crab fritters, tuna tartare, grilled salmon, linguine with tomato and olive sauce, are among the dishes suggested.

Here is an extra use for it, one that came about more or less by accident. There was a little of this wine left over towards the end, close to a glass. There was also a little drop of the marvellous Viking Blackcurrant Liqueur in the fridge so I introduced them to each other and this improvised Kir turned out to be quite a treat.You know of course that the traditional Kir is made with white wine and creme de cassis (blackcurrant).

O’Brien’s, the distributors, tell us the Pierrefeu family has owned this estate since 1824 and have farmed it organically for the last ten years. The estate has a maritime climate and benefits from a sea breeze every day which keeps the grapes healthy and disease free without the need for spraying, this is a deliciously elegant textbook Provence. The terroir is classic Provence with free-draining, chalky-clay soil dotted with galets and, with wonderful echoes of Jean de Florette, the Château has its own ‘source’.

A Gorgeous Valpolicella Ripasso. And a couple to note when dining out.

A Gorgeous Valpolicella Ripasso.

And a couple to note when dining out. 

Musella Valpolicella Ripasso (DOC) Superiore 2017, 14%, O’Briens Wine €24.45

Musella is an organic family-run winery and one of the "13 Amarone Families", a group regarded as the best producers in the Veneto region, in the Northeast of Italy. Musella value their local grapes (grown in the predominantly limestone soil), including those in this blend:  Corvina and Corvinone 85%, Rondinella 10% and Barbera 5%.

The colour of the blend is a bright ruby red. And the nose draws you in further with aromas of red fruits and spices. The palate is full of vibrant cherry flavours, smooth for sure, and with the most perfect balance. And it finishes well and long with more fruit (raspberry included now) and some herbal notes plus a gentle touch of tannin on the lips. A very engaging Valpolicella indeed, complex yet quaffable,  and Very Highly Recommended.

The concentration here is the result of the Ripasso method. Ripasso (re-passed) wines are made by fermenting young Valpolicella wine with the unpressed but drained skins and lees left over from making Amarone and this process can give the Ripasso a “super-charge”. Read more details about the method here.

Suggested pairings are cold meats/pâtés, Duck, Nutroast, Pheasant/Pigeon, Pizza/Pasta, Rib-Eye Steak, Sirloin/Striploin/Rump steak.

By the way, I was just reading there in Vino Italiano that Valpolicella means “valley of many cellars” (vallis polis cellae). The Modern History of Italian Wine though, says the POL refers to large mounds of sand and gravel left behind after flooding in the local river but goes on to confirm that “this great land of wines has always practiced the characteristic technique of over-ripening and drying the grapes”.

Wine Folly has proposed a hierarchy of Valpolicella blended wines with our Ripasso in the middle. Above it are Recioto Della Valpolicella and Amarone Della Valpolicella while below are plain Valpolicella Superior and Valpolicella Classico. So now you know!

The Veneto (capital: Venice) is one of the 20 Italian regions and has a population of about five million.

Two O’Briens Spotted In The Wild

(Well, in restaurants really!)

Bodega Tandem Casual blanco 

I was surprised to find this one on the by-the-glass list (also by the bottle of course) in the Michelin Bib Gourmand Restaurant CUSH in beautiful Ballycotton. 

You rarely see Viura as a house white in Irish restaurants. Tandem's gorgeous Casual, with its elegant nose (floral and fennel) and its vibrant, fresh and mineral palate, could change all that. The wine, from Navarra, was superb with the halibut.

They like their Latin in this Spanish winery, even the Tandem is Latin. The wine name here is from the word casualis, accidentally, luckily. It is the only thing accidental about this wine though,  a beautifully made Viura from a gorgeous plot. Viura is perhaps best known as the main white grape in Rioja but has obviously crossed into neighbouring Navarra. In the rest of Spain it is known as Macabeu.

It has been fermented in stainless steel with its wild yeasts at 15-16ºC for 32 days and aged on its lees for 4 months at 16ºC. Recommended serving temperature is 12 degrees.

Lagar de Costa Geal Albariño

Geal Albariño is made on an artisanal scale by O’Briens Wine Director Lynne Coyle MW and the family owned Lagar de Costa winery in Rías Baixas, Spain. Most of these vineyards are very small and Lynne told us at a recent Albariño tasting that the Lagar de Costa winery has 11 hectares and is regarded as quite large.

The wine was aged on lees in a single concrete egg for eight months bringing complexity and depth. Geal Albariño is dry, refreshing, and lightly textured with green fruit notes, a hint of white peach and a lingering salinity making it an ideal wine for seafood. 

Geal by the way is the Irish and Scottish (Lynne is Scottish) for bright. Most of you will have come across it in school; if you don’t remember, check out the pronunciation here. 

In Nell’s, the new wine bar in MacCurtain Street, Cork, we took Aine’s advice and ordered a glass of the Geal and it went well with their lovely Fennel infused Nocellara olives.

It is also perfect with shellfish and seafood. The vineyard is right alongside the Atlantic and the vines grow on granitic soil. So that, and the fact the some of the roots are more or less in the water, may account for the traces of salinity in the Geal.

Celtic Cousins Linked By Wine. Galicia's Albariño Very Popular Here

Celtic Cousins Linked By Wine. 

Galicia's Albariño Very Popular Here 

Our Celtic cousins in Galicia, in Spain’s North West, are thrilled to know that their Irish relations are huge fans of their Albariño wines from the Rias Baixas region. Believe it or not, we are the fourth largest importers of this particular wine in the world!

Lynne Coyle MW

It has all happened quickly and relatively recently.  “It is a young industry,” said Lynne Coyle MW one of our hosts at the Rias Baixas Tasting in L’Atitude last Tuesday, “In 1975 there were just 200 hectares of Albariño here, now there are over 4,000, lots of small holdings, cottage farming. Indeed, Lynne herself has made Albariño in Rias Baixas, on an 11 hectare vineyard “which is regarded as quite large”.

“It is not organic here”, she told us. “It is a difficult area to go organic and they focus more on improving sustainability.” One method they use is to grow the vines on pergola type horizontal trellises. This helps ventilate the grapes and also allows the farmers grow their cabbages underneath!

Our afternoon of tasting and masterclass began downstairs in the renovated and always impressive L’Atitude. Lots of chat and lots of bottles lined up on ice for a silent tasting. Not quite silent though.

Basque vines grown in "pergola" system

They had a few sparkling Albariños on show and I immediately gave a big thumbs up to the Bodegas As Laxas Sensum  Brut NV, a gorgeous opener, from a winery in the sub region of Condado do Tea. The same winery also had an excellent still wine from 2020. 

As Lynne Coyle indicated, there are few large-scale producers but Martín Códax is one and a very consistent one. The winery is named after one of the most important medieval Galician troubadours and was founded in 1986 thanks to the idea of a group of winegrowers; as a winery made by people for the people. 

Their 2020 is of medium intensity with ripe citrus notes and tangerine. On the palate it is fresh with good balance and the citrus is there right through to the finalé.

Bianca points to the rias

Soon, maybe not as soon as planned, we were seated upstairs and Lynne filled us in on the area and later Blanca Valencia would enthusiastically tell us all about the similarities between Galicia and Ireland and also about the food of the area. And the first dish up was a beauty and typical: Razor clams, Mussel and potato crisp and a lively Olive and anchovy combo.

Val de Salnés, towards the north, is the main region. And it was from here and its granite soil that our first upstairs wine came from, the Mar de Frades 2020 in an eye-catching blue magnum with a big white wave splash as a label, the blue chosen apparently to remind us that this comes from the Atlantic coast where some vines have their roots in the coastal sand. And that ocean influence was evident in this dry crisp and elegant whine. “No oak, really fresh”.

Number 2, the Granbazan Etiqueta Verde 2020, also came from this area. Citrus and floral, “with more salinity, a quintessential Val do Salnés. The other sub regions are Ribeira do Ulla, the tiny Soutomaior, Condado do Tea, and O Rosal. 

Terras Gauda is perhaps my favourite from O Rosal and their 2020 tasted very well. This is, by the way, a blend. Mainly Albariño of course but with 20% Caiño and 8% Loureiro. 

You can expect more fruit in O Rosal and Condado do Tea, maybe not quite as fresh as those further north. O Rosal still benefits from the ocean of course while planting at altitude helps keep the wines of inland Condado fresh.  One of the big takes from the afternoon was that we were learning that not all Albariños are the same, that is there is quite a variety.

Lynne is often asked what should they change to make Albariño more popular? More sparkling? The use of oak? More blending? She was emphatic in her answer: "More of the same!”

Now, as Blanca took her turn we enjoyed a plateful of mainly bonito and sardines. Delicious, as was the final plate of cured meats and Galician cheeses. She told us that the area inland was very mountainous. “But the coastal areas are vibrant and dynamic. The scenery reminds me of Ireland.” 

She invited us to visit and not just for the Camino. But if you do find yourself in Santiago di Compostela, then head for the market and choose the seafood. It is not expensive. “So you don’t have to do any penance to enjoy it!”

And if you want to spend more, then there are scores of Michelin starred restaurants in the general area, one with a menu at less than 30 euro. 

People are very similar to the Irish, “they don't like to say no!” Someone suggested the phrase “I will, yeah!” They love their vegetables and greens. Pork is important, veal too and the cheeses are mainly from cows milk. Albarino works fantastically well with Indian, Asian and Mexican food also.

Tetella cheese (DO)

By now we were making progress on the second flight of wines. I noted two, both citrus and dry, each lip smacking. One was the Señorio de Rubios 2020 (imported by Honest 2 Goodness), the other, regarded as a modern classic, the citrusy mouthwatering Pazo Señorans 2020 (imported by O’Briens). 

Great to be back at a full room tasting again after the Covid enforced drought, not so much a lack of wine but a lack of company. And good too to have experts on hand such as Lynn and Bianca, with Lynda and Sinead of Wine Tasting Ireland keeping it all together with a pour and a laugh.

Supermarket Wines. Wines in Multiples. Celebrity Wines.

 Supermarket Wines. Wines in Multiples. 

Celebrity Wines. 

Supermarkets are where many of us bought and buy our first wines, and where many still buy all their wines. 

Two that I started with, decades ago, were the Sangre De Toro Red and Vina Sol White. Both are produced by the renowned and respected Torres family of Spain. I enjoyed those for quite a few years and both are still going strong in Irish supermarkets.

It is also in supermarkets that you’ll find most if not all of the celebrity wines, such as the Graham Norton Shiraz below. Graham now has quite a few to his name, including two Proseccos, even a gin. He and his Invivo wine professionals seem to be much appreciated.

Most of these celebrity wines are well made, not overly structured, and usually easy drinking. Not talking here about wines produced by celebrities that actually own vineyards, but rather about those who have teamed up with wine professionals to make one wine or sometimes a series. 

You will find decent wines at entry level prices in supermarkets and multiples. The first two below are good examples. The third, an easy-drinking bulk wine Sauvignon Blanc, hasn’t the longest finish but I don’t think that will be a major handicap when you’re enjoying it with a few friends and a chat in a pavement café or during a back garden interlude.

You don’t hear too much about bulk wine but, according to The Buyer, bulk (or rather bottled-in-market wines) it is the fastest growing part of the wine industry. 

Wine Folly: Some bulk producers have state-of-the-art automation methods that make solid, clean, and consistent wines year-after-year. 

So good value can be found for different reasons. And the reason in the case of the Romanian Pinot Noir from O’Brien’s is historical. Romania is only now recovering from the grim grip of the former Soviet Union on its wine industry and so prices are somewhat lower than the norm. But, with top wine companies investing there, expect to pay more in the future. In the meantime, enjoy!

Andre Goichot Fleurie (AOC) 2019, 13%, Supervalu €14.65 (€10.00 when on offer, as it was this Easter)

Fleurie is perhaps the best loved and also one of the very best of the Beaujolais area’s ten crus.  I’m quite a Fleurie fan and always look forward to opening a bottle and this was no exception, especially since I had enjoyed the 2018 not too long ago.

It is mid to dark ruby in colour. Cherry scents are prominent when you nose it and on the palate it has lots of deliciously fruit (raspberry, cherry) with a hint of spice and, importantly, with a refreshing acidity that helps create harmony right through to the dry finish. 

Medium bodied, it is soft and easy drinking, not a blockbuster or anywhere close to blockbusting, but it has character enough to pair well with a wide range of lighter dishes. The label recommends hard and soft cheeses and classic roasts, be it red or white meat. Worth a try also with spicy food.

Fleurie, like all ten crus, is in the north east of the Beaujolais region. Here, the Gamay grape thrives on the granite soil. The crus that produce the flagship wines are: Chiroubles, Saint Amour, Fleurie, Régnié, Brouilly, Cote de Brouilly, Juliénas, Chénas, Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent. Not everyday, you can try out a cru for this price!

Graham Norton’s Own Shiraz, South Australia 2017, 14.5%, Wines of the World and Supermarkets.

This was one of some very enjoyable wines - my first time meeting this particular Shiraz - at a Wines of the World Blind Online Tasting with Kate Barry (of Barry & Fitzwilliam) in 2021.

The Graham Norton Shiraz is from South Australia and is a mix of fruit from different regions offering a reasonably complex wine with a deep ruby colour. It’s a bold in aroma and on the palate,  a juicy wine with character, just like the man himself! Perhaps that’s why they called it Shiraz rather than Syrah (the French name for the grape denotes, mostly, a quieter wine). It is a juicy and fruity wine and easy drinking for sure.

This Shiraz is quite a good wine for a tasting actually. It came to ours in a brown paper bag! Kate enjoyed tasting this one. “A dry wine with medium plus acidity.” She expected a high alcohol count, judging mainly by the burn at the back of throat, and she was spot on. Lots of primary fruit flavours plus some spice. Pretty good finish too and well balanced. “I’m a lover of this wine and I hope you enjoyed it too,” she concluded.

Usually priced in the low teens and widely available, including in Dunnes, SuperValu and Tesco. 

The Bend in the River Sauvignon Blanc 2020, 12.5%, (widely available in supermarkets at around eight euro)

 

The Bend in the River range by Germany’s Reh Kendermann is widely available in this country, especially in the main supermarkets.

The Sauvignon Blanc has a light straw colour with some green tints.  Light fruity aromas plus hints of Elderflower invite you on to a refreshing, balanced and well flavoured wine (citrus-y mainly but also green apple, gooseberry notes too) with a lip smacking finish. The wine is an excellent aperitif and a perfect match to spicy or Asian Cuisine. It certainly has that second glass appeal.

The fruit is raised in South Africa and imported and bottled by Reh Kendermann in Germany. It is therefore what is known as a bulk wine. It is not the only Reh Kendermann wine I’ve come across in recent weeks. They have a few wines (made from home grown German fruit) exclusively with Dunnes Stores and they, retailing around €11.00 to 11.50, are definitely worth checking out here.

Wildflower Pinot Noir Romania 2019, 12.5%, €9 (was 13.95) https://www.obrienswine.ie/products/wildflower-pinot-noir 

Romania? Haven’t heard much about their wine? Reasonable questions. But vineyards were first planted in Romania by the Romans so there is an ancient winemaking history here. Nowadays, according to the World Atlas of Wine, “EU membership has encouraged considerable investment in Romania’s vineyards and relatively well-run wineries”

This Pinot Noir is a pale ruby colour, as you might expect from the varietal. There’s a fruity nose (raspberry, strawberry, cranberry) and fairly spicy too. Very fruity on the palate, richer than you’d generally find in France. But it’s light and fresh, and acidity enough to make it very quaffable indeed. Good finish too. A pleasant intro to the Pinot Noir grape and excellent value.

The label says this is “an outstanding example of this famous varietal and can be enjoyed on its own, slightly chilled on a hot summer evening, or as perfect companion to BBQs where it will definitely keep all your friends happy.”

A Couple of Very Highly Recommended Whites from O'Brien Wines. Chablis and a Marlborough Sauvignon

A Couple of Very Highly Recommended Whites from O'Briens

Chablis and a Marlborough Sauvignon

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Julien Brocard Boissonneuse Chablis (AOC) 2019, 13.5%, €25.95 (was €29.95)

This biodynamic Julien Brocard Chablis “is a revelation” according to importers O’Briens: “..this is a Chablis that leaves some of the best Premier Cru in its wake.”

Colour is a clean and bright straw. Intense white fruit aromas rise to greet you. These are reinforced on the palate, the purity of the fruit (citrus and a sweet apple) with an underlying minerality, all balanced by the acidity. A rich harmony all the way to a lengthy dry finish. Indeed, it is reminiscent of a Premier Cru and no hesitation in placing this on the Very Highly Recommended list. It has been part fermented in oak foudres, part in tank to open up this structured wine.

This Chablis is so well made, so precise from start to finish, you tend to reckon it is the result of modern wine-making. Not “techie” modern though, and it looks as if the sun and moon, along with the wine-makers of course, have that precision.

Speaking of precision, I have to admit I wasn’t that precise - let’s say I wouldn’t have passed any somm exams - when opening this one and its wax closure. But these closures are quite easy to open and you can see how on this video here. 

The 7 Lieux? Julien Brocard is the son of Jean Marc Brocard. In 2012 he launched his 7 Lieux range, comprising 7 wines made from plots in the family's winery in Prehy.

They say: The 7 Lieux wine was born from our desire not to exploit the earth, but let it guide us unrestrained. The soils formed during the Jurassic nourish the vines and impart a unique personality to them. The celestial cycles of the moon and sun in our northern climate give perfect maturity to the grapes. In adopting biodynamic principles, we have learned to respect this delicate union. The 7 lieu wine delivers a harmonious balance of taste and aromas as result of this intricate journey.

* Frost is a regular problem in Chablis which is somewhat isolated from the rest of the Burgundy. Indeed it is closer to Champagne that it is to the rest of Burgundy vineyard.

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Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2021, 13%, €17.95

Pale lemon is the colour. Citrus lead the aromatics, classic for the area. On the palate, it is the turn of white peach to shine and it does, along with a supporting cast that again includes citrus. This is concentrated and elegant and not as “wild” as some NZ Sauvignons. And there’s a lingering finish. 

A Very Highly Recommended Marlborough and it goes so well with goats cheese as they recommend, at least with the Ardsallagh Phantom Ash that we had handy. Other pairings they hint at are fresh seafood, summer salads and light poultry dishes.

O’Briens tell us that Whitehaven was set up by Sue White and her husband Greg. “This wine is a perennial favourite with our customers and staff alike …..is quintessentially Marlborough.”

The winemakers: The climate in Marlborough is cool Maritime, with cool summers and moderate winters. Even in the height of the summer the region experiences cool nights, which help to retain freshness and acidity in the wines. 

 

By the way, they recommend drinking this 2021 Sauvignon Blanc while it is young and fresh, but the wine is capable of developing nicely beyond five years if carefully cellared. Serve lightly chilled