Showing posts with label Pinot Noir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pinot Noir. Show all posts

Friday, July 18, 2014

Fancy a trip to Chile?

Fancy a trip to Chile?
Cono Sur Competition



Fancy an all expenses paid trip to Chile? Here’s your chance. Wine company Cono Sur is offering just such a trip to the winners of a Recipe Competition.

They are in search of a savory new main dish to pair either with their Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc or Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, and calling all bloggers from Ireland to participate. “If your recipe is selected, we'll be sending you and a friend to Paris, France, to compete in the Grand Final with finalists from England, Finland and Sweden. The winner´s grand prize: A trip for two to Chile to visit Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery and discover its beautiful home country!”

Bloggers may well be the primary target but the competition is open to anyone. If you don't win the trip to Chile that Grand Final in Paris would be quite a consolation. Do get into the kitchen and get that culinary brain working overtime. Closing date is 11th August.

I have been in touch with the company and have received the tasting notes for each of the two wines and they are included below for help and inspiration.

Would love to head off to Chile myself but creating a new main course may be beyond me. Still, last weekend, I gave it a go and came up with my first effort, more a starter than a main course but tasty nonetheless.
Ingredients
Four scallops.
Four streaky rashers (try Truly Irish or Woodside Farm).
Seafood Butter by IASC*.
plus One bottle of Cono Sur Single Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Valle de Casablanca, 12%, €16.95, Bradley’s Off Licence, Cork.


The IASC seafood butter is an amazing product and may be used with all kinds of fish dishes. One top London chef uses it with escargots! Read all about it here.

Method
Gently fry the rashers until lightly coloured; make sure they are still soft and supple.
Take up rashers and wrap around the scallops, securing with cocktail sticks.
Brush exposed ends of the scallops with melted Seafood Butter.
Pop into the oven (top shelf) for 10-15 minutes (depending on size of scallops).
Serve with green salad and a big crisp refreshing glass of wine!

Serves two.

The Wines

Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

Selected for its ideal Casablanca Valley location, the Loma Roja (Red Hill) Block is a part of the El Centinela Estate, which is known for its red clay soil characterized by high water retention, giving this Sauvignon Blanc a greater aromatic expression. Just 7 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, it is one of the coldest regions in Chilean viticulture, where morning fog covers the vines each day and slows down the ripening process so that each grape reaches its full potential.

Food Pairing
A great aperitif or an excellent option to accompany light first courses, ideally green salads or seafood. It is also a perfect compliment to vegetarian dishes and fresh pastas with Mediterranean sauces. Cheese-wise, it prefers ripe Cheddar, Gruyere and soft cheeses.

Tasting Note
This Sauvignon Blanc has a bright yellow coloring with hints of green. In the nose are aromas of grapefruit, white flowers with citric and mineral hints. The palate is slightly salty with great acidity and a long finish. This fresh and elegant wine pairs beautifully with seafood, chicken, cheeses and vegetables.

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Cono Sur Single Vineyard Pinot Noir
Selected for its privileged coastal location, the Viento Mar (Ocean Wind) Block is located at the highest point of the Campo Lindo Estate in the San Antonio Valley. Direct maritime winds significantly cool the area and provoke one of the slowest ripening processes within this variety. In addition, red clay soils, intense sunlight and no springtime rains create a brilliantly colored grape of intense aromatic expression and impressive concentration.

Food Pairing
Due to its versatility, this Pinot Noir is a natural choice for some of the latest culinary trends. It makes any white meat look good, as well as soups, stews and flavorful fish dishes. It’s also great to serve with dishes such as roast pork with onions and apples, fillet steak with sautéed vegetables, grilled salmon with curry and ginger, and leek tart. As far as cheeses are concerned, Gouda and goat cheese are a great choice.

Tasting Note

This Pinot Noir has a bright ruby red colouring with purple tints. Ripe raspberries, black cherries and strawberries in the nose mesh delightfully with hints of coffee and cacao. The palate is fruity and delicate with soft tannins and a great balance. Serve with red meats, poultry game and aged cheese.

>> This won Silver in the 2013 Decanter World Wine Awards and Bronze in the 2014 Awards.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Classy Pinot Noir double from Hawkes Bay

Pinot Noir on the double from Hawkes Bay

Bilancia, Pinot Noir 2006, Hawkes Bay (NZ), 13.5%, €22.45, Karwig Wines 

This medium red coloured wine is nice and bright considering it is 2006. On the nose, it is classic red fruits, cherry and raspberry. In the mouth, it is juicy and beautifully fruity and very well balanced (the balance,  a prime aim of the makers Leheny and Gibson). The flavours have been enhanced by 15 months in new and old French oak and it finishes long and well. Very highly recommended.

More about Bilancia, which translates as balance, here 


Tahuna, Pinot Noir 2010, Hawkes Bay (NZ), 13.5%, €15.40, Karwig Wines 

This is quite a light red, again with the classic nose. On the palate, the feel is light and the wine is fruity for sure with a smooth dry finish. It is made for "early enjoyment". A comparative juvenile that lacks the adult heft and sophistication of the Bilancia. Nonetheless a lovely wine and a very pleasant companion, they suggest, “for hearty pastas, duck and lamb”. Highly recommended.


More about Tahuna here 

Monday, October 1, 2012

Massive Pinot Noir Event in New Zealand


Sam Neill
Massive Pinot Noir Event
 in New Zealand


Actor and now wine-maker Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, Reilly Ace of Spies, The Piano, The Dish, Dead Calm, Hunt for Red October) will be among the speakers when Pinot Noir 2013 NZ gets underway on 28 January 2013. Emmanuel L.T. Bourguignon, Tim Atkin MW and Ned Goodwin MW are listed among the other speakers.

New Zealand wine-maker Larry McKenna, during his recent visit to Cork, told me enthusiastically about the huge wine event on the Wellington Water Front. No surprise to see Larry pushing it. After all he is better known as Larry McPinot and makes some fantastic examples himself as he showed recently in Ballymaloe.

Pinot Noir 2013 NZ  is going to be massive. The website tells me there are over 120 days to go and there will be almost as many New Zealand wineries there showing their examples of this grape. Some competition here for Burgundy!

All the country’s famous wine regions will be represented: Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Nelson, Wairarapa/Martinborough, Marlborough, North Canterbury/Waipara Valley, Waitaki and Central Otago. Many of the wine-makers will be unfamiliar to us but some that I know are Tim and Judy Finn’s Neudorf, Villa Maria, Cloudy Bay and McPinot's own Escarpment.

"Initiated in 2001, and now dubbed as the "fresh thinking" event, Pinot Noir NZ digs deeper into New Zealand's five Pinot producing regions, bringing the latest developments from the grass roots level. Learn of new innovations direct from the winemakers as they make available over 300 wines to be tasted and reviewed. Freestyle forums allow for uncensored opinions to be heard on the fastest growing wine story of the 21st Century.

Guest speakers offer fresh opinions on the latest international thinking about Pinot. At previous events speakers have included Jancis Robinson MW, Oz Clarke, Tim Atkin MW, Allen Meadows, Claude Bourguignon, Andrew Caillard MW and more.

Pinot Noir NZ pushes Pinot to the limit, testing whether Pinot really is one of the most versatile red grape varieties to match with food. Both the wild and the raw are explored as guests are offered the freshest cuisine from the welcome party to the final gala dinner.

The Pinot story in New Zealand is continuing to develop at pace. Pinot Noir NZ is the place to be to keep ahead of the game.”

Delegate registrations are open now and you can find all the contact information here! Bon voyage and Bon Pinot!


Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Good Value NZ Pinot Noir


Tahuna, Hawkes Bay (Australia), Pinot Noir 2010, 13.5% abv, €13.50 at  Karwig Wines

The white Kiwi feather features on the neck of the bottle from this winery which has vineyards in both Hawkes Bay and Marlborough .

Colour is light red, not see-through, while you'll get scents of cherries and raspberries on the nose. The same fruits feature on the elegant palate. It is juicy, slightly spicy, with a smooth lingering dry finish. Flavour rich, easy drinking and good value.

The winery's aim is to "produce rich, soft and approachable wines of exceptional quality"'. Exceptional might be pushing it but it is certainly very good. Recommended.  




Sunday, July 3, 2011

LITTLE BEAUTY IN SEE THROUGH RED


Little Beauty Pinot Noir 2009 (Marlborough, New Zealand), 14%, €23.99, stockists


This Little Beauty comes in a see through red with scents of plum and spice. Is there substance behind the sexy intro?


Yes indeed, that first kiss lingers. It does finish, of course, as all good things come to an end. But not before the passion ignites.