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	<title>Wine &#8211; Reuben Gray&#039;s General Musings</title>
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	<title>Wine &#8211; Reuben Gray&#039;s General Musings</title>
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		<title>O&#8217;Briens Dublin Wine Fair &#8211; Spring 2017</title>
		<link>http://reubengray.com/2017/05/obriens-dublin-wine-fair-spring-2017.html</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuben Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 May 2017 13:57:30 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Wine]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://reubengray.com/?p=315</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>O'Briens Dublin Wine Fair I was invited along to the O'Briens Dublin Wine Fair the other week, an event I have been to in the past and enjoy very much. It's great value for money and you get a book with all of the wines in which you can take notes and mark wines you</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com/2017/05/obriens-dublin-wine-fair-spring-2017.html">O&#8217;Briens Dublin Wine Fair &#8211; Spring 2017</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com">Reuben Gray&#039;s General Musings</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-318" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170519_135518-Medium.jpg" alt="" width="744" height="1028" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170519_135518-Medium-420x580.jpg 420w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170519_135518-Medium-744x1028.jpg 744w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170519_135518-Medium.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 744px) 100vw, 744px" /></p>
<h1>O&#8217;Briens Dublin Wine Fair</h1>
<p>I was invited along to the O&#8217;Briens Dublin Wine Fair the other week, an event I have been to in the past and enjoy very much. It&#8217;s great value for money and you get a book with all of the wines in which you can take notes and mark wines you would like to keep an eye out for. You can even order at the event if you like. Don&#8217;t worry if you missed out because the next one is in November. In fact, there&#8217;s one in Dublin and Cork in November.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-316" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170506_153713-Medium-1200x675.jpg" alt="" width="744" height="419" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170506_153713-Medium-420x236.jpg 420w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170506_153713-Medium-744x419.jpg 744w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170506_153713-Medium-768x432.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170506_153713-Medium-1200x675.jpg 1200w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170506_153713-Medium.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 744px) 100vw, 744px" /></p>
<p>There were wine master classes from different vineyards. We went along to the Astrolabe tasting where Simon Waghorn himself talked us through his range. While all of their wines are excellent, the standard 2015 Sauvignon Blanc they are known for is actually the best. In fact, it&#8217;s the blend that Simon himself is the most proud of. It&#8217;s normally just shy of €20 but it&#8217;s down to €15.95 for the month of May.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-317" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170506_161123-Medium-1200x675.jpg" alt="" width="744" height="419" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170506_161123-Medium-420x236.jpg 420w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170506_161123-Medium-744x418.jpg 744w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170506_161123-Medium-768x432.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170506_161123-Medium-1200x675.jpg 1200w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170506_161123-Medium.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 744px) 100vw, 744px" /></p>
<h1>New Zealand</h1>
<h2>Astrolabe</h2>
<p>When myself an Pauline go to a wine fair, we always start off with New Zealand because it can often be the most popular so we get it out of the way before it gets too busy. Of the  six Astrolabe wines on the table, apart from the regular one I mentioned above, the 2013 Taihoa Sauvignon Blanc stood out for me. However, at €39.45 it&#8217;s just not worth the extra money when you can have two bottles of the regular version for that.</p>
<p>Pauline was also a fan of their 2014 Marlborough Riesling.</p>
<h2>Foley Family Wines</h2>
<p>Also based in Marlborough, they had two lovely Sauvignon Blancs. When we explained we would be visiting New Zealand soon, we were recommended to head to Martinborough on the north island. A lot of people neglect to go there and there are some amazing wines apparently. One in particular to visit is Te Kairanga (TK) so we have since altered our itinerary to visit there before heading to Wellington.</p>
<h2>Insight</h2>
<p>Of the 5 wines available from Insight, their Pinot Gris 2014 and Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 stood out for both of us.</p>
<h2>Urlar</h2>
<p>There were only two wines here, a Sauvignon Blanc 2015 and Pinot Noir 2014 but both were fantastic. They are actually from Martinborough and they mentioned there might be a bus tour running from Wellington to Martinborough in June. However we will be driving and staying the night but it was great to get that advice on the day.</p>
<h2>Whitehaven</h2>
<p>The five wines from Whitehaven were all excellent. We were both surprised to enjoy their Pinot Noir Rosé 2016 as it&#8217;s not a style we give much thought to but their regular Pinot Noir 2014 was beautiful.</p>
<h1>France</h1>
<p>France of course is where many people believe the real wine comes from. I love French wine so we both headed over to see what&#8217;s there.</p>
<h2>J.M. Cazes Sélection</h2>
<p>Of the six wines I had (they had 8) from them, these stood out.</p>
<p>Domaine des Sénéchaux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2013 was a standout. It&#8217;s not cheap at €36.95 but it is lovely.</p>
<p>L&#8217;Ostal Cazes Eclipse 2013 was unbelievably good and great value at €16.95</p>
<h2>Maison Schröder &amp; Schÿler</h2>
<p>I had all six of their wines on the day but for me, their Château Fourcas Hosten 2009 stood out. I love big tannic wines and this didn&#8217;t disappoint. It&#8217;s also down to €23.95 for May.</p>
<h2>Domaine Begude</h2>
<p>I had all five of their wines and two stood out. Etoile 2015 with its smooth oatmeal texture and Gewürztraminer 2015 which Pauline loved. There&#8217;s a real bite of melon and rose hip, sort of like Turkish delight. Pauline loved this one too.</p>
<h2>Laurent Miguel</h2>
<p>The lovely Neasa gave me five wines to try and they were all lovely but the one that stood out most happened to be the Les Beauchanps Syrah 2015 which has a lot of tannins. It&#8217;s also down to €9.95 for May.</p>
<h2>Germany &#8211; Lingenfelder Estate</h2>
<p>I only went to the one German table but I think there were only two anyway.</p>
<p>Pauline loved the Bird-Label Riesling QbA 2013 but I found it intensely sweet so she&#8217;s on her own with that one. It was also marked down to €12.95 for May. More to my liking was the Dornfelder QbA Osterberg Single Vineyard 2011 which was possibly the first German red wine I&#8217;ve ever had. It was bloody good too. An acidic wine packed with cherry and dark fruits.</p>
<p>We also wen to one table each in Austria and Chile and both had some really good wine but nothing that stood out and of course there are a few French tables I didn&#8217;t mention because they were just really good but not memorable.</p>
<p>There were so many tables and only a short time to get through them all. Of the 57 tables representing 11 countries, we managed to visit only 18 of them which is less than a third.</p>
<p>My thanks to Sean at Wolfgang Digital for the complimentary tickets.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com/2017/05/obriens-dublin-wine-fair-spring-2017.html">O&#8217;Briens Dublin Wine Fair &#8211; Spring 2017</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com">Reuben Gray&#039;s General Musings</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">315</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>I like Tannins in Wine</title>
		<link>http://reubengray.com/2017/03/like-tannins-wine.html</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuben Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Mar 2017 16:24:32 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tannic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tannin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tannins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wine]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://reubengray.com/?p=265</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>On Wednesday at my wine course, we covered The America's both North and South. I find most North American wines too sweet. Most of the wines we had from Argentina and Chile were reds and most were pretty sweet. One stood out for me though and that was Bodegas Callia Blend de Terroirs Cabernet Sauvignon. That's</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com/2017/03/like-tannins-wine.html">I like Tannins in Wine</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com">Reuben Gray&#039;s General Musings</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-266" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/20170228_203135-COLLAGE-Medium.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="768" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/20170228_203135-COLLAGE-Medium-50x50.jpg 50w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/20170228_203135-COLLAGE-Medium-420x420.jpg 420w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/20170228_203135-COLLAGE-Medium-744x744.jpg 744w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/20170228_203135-COLLAGE-Medium.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></p>
<p>On Wednesday at my wine course, we covered The America&#8217;s both North and South. I find most North American wines too sweet. Most of the wines we had from Argentina and Chile were reds and most were pretty sweet. One stood out for me though and that was Bodegas Callia Blend de Terroirs Cabernet Sauvignon. That&#8217;s the one in the top right corner of the image. It&#8217;s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from two different Terroirs or soil types.</p>
<p>Don&#8217;t get me wrong, it&#8217;s not an amazing wine or anything like that but it stood out because it was highly tannic. I think I was the only one that really liked it and that meant I got to finish off the bottle.</p>
<p>What&#8217;s a tannin though? What does it do to a wine? Well firstly, don&#8217;t mistake a tannic wine with a dry wine. They are not the same though a tannin is very drying. Essentially, a tannin has the effect of removing moisture from your mouth and makes you feel like you have fillings that are trying to escape. It&#8217;s pretty bitter too. I like bitter things, especially in beer but also in wine and chocolate. In fact dark chocolate is high in tannins too. The more cocoa, the more tannins. I also love strong, bitter tea which everyone knows is high in tannins.</p>
<p>Tannic acid helps break down meat so you can marinate a steak in a high tannin wine to tenderise it. Drinking a tannic wine with a big steak helps break down the meat in your stomach too and since they are often very rich and intense wines, it complements the steak too.</p>
<p>Tannins aren&#8217;t for everyone though but for me, I love a good tannic bite.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The week before was night three. We covered Italy and Spain</p>
<p>Here are some quick notes I made of the wines.<br />
Vedicchio &#8211; Slightly salty. Perfect for seafood</p>
<p>Tomassi Laguna &#8211; Paulone loves. Stewed veg. I don&#8217;t like it too much.</p>
<p>Le Volte &#8211; pauline not a fan. I like it.</p>
<p>Zenato Amarone &#8211; wow, portish. Lovely and dry but fruity too. Love it.</p>
<p>Twrras Gauda &#8211; is interesting. Pauline loves. I like it. Smells sharp but tasting immediately 180s to a big bodied, fruity sweet but still sharp citrus wine.</p>
<p>Las Rocas &#8211; super fruity. Lovely. We both love.</p>
<p>Muga Reserva &#8211; I like but Pauline not so much<br />
Dry and fruity. Not sweet.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com/2017/03/like-tannins-wine.html">I like Tannins in Wine</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com">Reuben Gray&#039;s General Musings</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">265</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Searsons Wine Tasting Event</title>
		<link>http://reubengray.com/2017/02/searsons-wine-tasting-event.html</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuben Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Feb 2017 17:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Wine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tasting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wine]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://reubengray.com/?p=248</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>On Monday, I headed along to the Searsons/Tindal Wine Tasting at the Marker Hotel. I was there last year too. It's great value at €15 and runs from 6pm until 9pm. It wasn't quite as epic as last year in that the snacks (cheese, crackers, bread and meats) were not replenished. Last year, Dungarvan Brewing</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com/2017/02/searsons-wine-tasting-event.html">Searsons Wine Tasting Event</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com">Reuben Gray&#039;s General Musings</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Monday, I headed along to the <a href="https://www.searsons.com/6th-february-2017-searsons-consumer-tasting/">Searsons/Tindal Wine Tasting</a> at the Marker Hotel. I was there last year too. It&#8217;s great value at €15 and runs from 6pm until 9pm.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-250" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170206_183928-Medium-1200x675.jpg" alt="" width="744" height="419" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170206_183928-Medium-420x236.jpg 420w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170206_183928-Medium-744x419.jpg 744w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170206_183928-Medium-768x432.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170206_183928-Medium-1200x675.jpg 1200w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170206_183928-Medium.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 744px) 100vw, 744px" /></p>
<p>It wasn&#8217;t quite as epic as last year in that the snacks (cheese, crackers, bread and meats) were not replenished. Last year, Dungarvan Brewing had a stand too. They left after about an hour and just left their beer on the table. Not too many people were going over to them at first but nearer the end of the evening, I think people were winding down so I jumped behind their desk to talk to people about the beer and serve generous samples in the water glasses.</p>
<p>It also seemed to lack as much choice but perhaps my memory of last year is somewhat clouded. It certainly didn&#8217;t seem as busy as last year.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-249" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170206_183743-Medium-1200x675.jpg" alt="" width="744" height="419" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170206_183743-Medium-420x236.jpg 420w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170206_183743-Medium-744x419.jpg 744w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170206_183743-Medium-768x432.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170206_183743-Medium-1200x675.jpg 1200w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170206_183743-Medium.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 744px) 100vw, 744px" /></p>
<p>This year, there were apparently 35 wine producers from more than 40 regions with a total of about 120 wines. I didn&#8217;t count to verify but there were 25 tables with an average of 6 wines per table. A few tables had 3 or 4 but many had more than 8 so it&#8217;s possible there was a lot more than 120 different wines. There was also 3 other tables. One with Poacher&#8217;s tonic water, one with Blackwater gin and one with Kalak vodka.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-251" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170210_152248-Medium.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="1180" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170210_152248-Medium-420x645.jpg 420w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170210_152248-Medium-744x1143.jpg 744w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170210_152248-Medium.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></p>
<p>I skipped past tables 1-4 and started on tables 5 and 6, Burgundy. I had two wines there with an intention of getting back but time got away from me. The following log of wines is more for my personal records of what to look out for but if it helps anyone else pick something, that&#8217;s great. Of course taste is subjective so these are only the wines that I enjoyed or didn&#8217;t enjoy as the case may be.</p>
<ul>
<li>2014 Mâcon Chardonnay from Clos de la Crochette, Domaine des Heritiers du Comte Lafon &#8211; €38.95 &#8211; Pretty good but not worth seeking out.</li>
<li>2014 Saint Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly, Hubert Lamy &#8211; €65 &#8211; A sharp citrus hit. Certainly not worth the spendy price tag.</li>
</ul>
<p>Table 7 then was Italy, Veneto and the Zenato winery. I had three wines there.</p>
<ul>
<li>2014 Volpolicella Superiore &#8211; €17.95 &#8211; Pretty good</li>
<li>2013 Ripassa Della Volpolicella Superiore &#8211; 25.95 &#8211; This was better and certainly worth keeping an eye out for.</li>
<li>2012 Anaribe della Volpolicella Classico &#8211; €52 &#8211; Very nice wine indeed. If you can afford it, go for it.</li>
</ul>
<p>Table 8 was still Italy but this time the Tuscany region. I had three wines again but they weren&#8217;t great. They were all from Badia a Coltibuono.</p>
<ul>
<li>2014 Chianti Classico Organic &#8211; €26.95 &#8211; An ok wine but pretty bland and watery.</li>
<li>2011 Chianti Classico Riserva Organic &#8211; €42 &#8211; A much better wine as the price tag indicates. Heavy and strong.</li>
<li>2011 Sangioveto di Toscana Organic &#8211; €58 &#8211; It&#8217;s grand but I wouldn&#8217;t pay that much for it. Pretty average.</li>
</ul>
<p>I skipped table 9 and moved on to Table 10 which was still Italy and the Vini Fantini winery.</p>
<ul>
<li>2015 Luccarelli Primitivo Puglia IGP &#8211; €14.95 &#8211; a good dry red. Can&#8217;t really go wrong with the price either.</li>
</ul>
<p>Table 11 was New Zealand. I had 5 of the 6 wines available. I&#8217;ll be heading to New Zealand in June so it would be rude not to do as much homework as I could. I do love New Zealand wine. This was all from the Craggy Range winery near Hastings. They have vineyards in three areas: Martinborough, Hawke&#8217;s Bay and Marlborough.</p>
<ul>
<li>2014 Te Muna Sauvignon Blanc, Martinborough &#8211; €23.95 &#8211; A very fruity wine. Very nice actually.</li>
<li>2013 Kidnappers&#8217; Chardonnay, Hawkes Bay &#8211; €27.95 &#8211; Pretty good but I prefer the first one.</li>
<li>2011 Gimblett Gravels Te Kahu, Hawkes Bay &#8211; €28.95 &#8211; Pretty nice indeed.</li>
<li>2013 Gimblett Gravels Syrah, Hawkes Bay &#8211; €34 &#8211; fruity and very drinkable. A very pleasant wine.</li>
<li>2012 Te Muna Pinot Noir, Martinborough &#8211; €39 &#8211; A dry but fruity with some sharp citrus. Pretty good.</li>
</ul>
<p>Table 12 was Chile and the Emiliana organic vineyard. All of their wines seem to be €13.95</p>
<ul>
<li>2016 Eco Organic Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley &#8211; €13.95 &#8211; Good and price is right too.</li>
<li>2016 Puna Snipe Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Central Valley &#8211; €13.95 &#8211; Very nice and sharp.</li>
</ul>
<p>Skipping on to Table 15 and Argentina with the Domaine Bousquet winery.</p>
<ul>
<li>2016 Organic Malbec &#8211; €14.95 &#8211; Very nice, great with spicy chorizo.</li>
<li>2014 Organic Malbec Reserve &#8211; €19.95 &#8211; a little fruitier, not as interesting though and didn&#8217;t work as well with the spicy meat I was eating.</li>
<li>2013 Organic Malbec Grand Reserve &#8211; €23.95 &#8211; Fully body and delicious. I have this marked as <strong>buy it</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Table 17 is South Africa with the Bouchard Finlayston vineyard. I had excellent 5 wines here.</p>
<ul>
<li>2015 Walker Bay Sauvignon Blanc &#8211; €21.95 &#8211; Pretty good, fruity and citrusy.</li>
<li>2015 Crocodile&#8217;s Lair, Kaaimansgat Chardonnay &#8211; €25.95 &#8211; This also got a <strong>buy it</strong> note. It also got a wow note so it must have been good.</li>
<li>2014 Missionville Chardonnay &#8211; €33.95 &#8211; A spendier version of the last one which might need ageing. Otherwise, it&#8217;s excellent.</li>
<li>2013 Hannibal &#8211; €42.95 &#8211; acidic, ok.</li>
<li>2013 Galpin Peak Pinot Noir &#8211; €43.95 &#8211; Pretty good actually, I liked it a lot.</li>
</ul>
<p>Table 18 was Spain and a table full of sweet wines. The only one I bothered to even note down was La Báscula, The Charge, Rioja &#8211; €16.95 and my note says too fruity. I moved on to the next table which was also Spain. This was the Tomàs Cusiné winery. Carlos Mora was doing the tasting and was excellent. I had every single one of his six wines.</p>
<ul>
<li>2015 Auzells, Costers del Segre &#8211; €19.95 &#8211; Very sweet, almost a dessert wine. Not my thing but Pauline likes it. <strong>Buy it</strong> is marked down.</li>
<li>2014 Drac Magic, DO Catalunya &#8211; €16.95 &#8211; Dry but fruity, I liked it but Pauline didn&#8217;t.</li>
<li>2014 Llebre, Costers del Segre &#8211; €18.50 &#8211; Lots of fruit, slightly acidic. Pauline loved it.</li>
<li>2014 Vilosell, Costers del Segre &#8211; €19.95 &#8211; Sharp but lots of fruit. I like it.</li>
<li>2013 Geol, Costers del Segre &#8211; €27.95 &#8211; Meaty, strong, I love it.</li>
</ul>
<p>Table 20 is still Spain and the Luis Cañas vineyard. Iñaki Cámara was brilliant in his presentation.</p>
<ul>
<li>2016 Rioja Blanco &#8211; €18.95 &#8211; I&#8217;ve never had a white Rioja before. It was pretty good.</li>
<li>2013 Rioja Crianza &#8211; €19.95 &#8211; Little like Sangria.</li>
<li>2011 Rioja Reserva &#8211; €24.95 &#8211; Love it. Meaty and big.</li>
<li>2010 Rioja Reserva Familia &#8211; €29.95 &#8211; Dry but big fruit, love it and buy it.</li>
<li>2010 Angeles de Amaren, Rioja &#8211; €32 &#8211; Fruity and decent.</li>
<li>2012 Amaren, Rioja &#8211; €46.95 &#8211; Super meaty, big flavours, oaky. Love it.</li>
</ul>
<p>Table 20 is the last of Spain and the Cair vineyard which was also represented by Luis Cañas.</p>
<ul>
<li>2014 Dominio de Cair Cuvee, Ribera del Duero &#8211; €20.95 &#8211; Acidic, very like it. Pretty different to the other brand.</li>
<li>2012 Crianza &#8211; €29.95 &#8211; drier and more acidic than the former but pretty good.</li>
</ul>
<p>Table 22 is the Rhone Valley. The only vineyard I got to was Domaine Boisson.</p>
<ul>
<li>2015 Côtes du Rhône &#8211; €14.95 &#8211; Nice but a little odd with marzipan notes. Not much going on.</li>
<li>2014 Villages Cairanne &#8211; €19.95 &#8211; Nice and fruity</li>
<li>20111 Clos de La Brussière &#8211; €21.95 &#8211; Seriously good, <strong>buy it</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Table 24 is the Languedoc region shared by Château D&#8217;Anglès and Jean-Luc Baldès.</p>
<ul>
<li>2013 La Clape Classique Red, Château D&#8217;Anglès &#8211; €18.95 &#8211; Pretty fruity, slightly acidic. I like it.</li>
<li>2012 La Clape Grand Vin red, Château D&#8217;Anglès &#8211; €25.95 &#8211; Meaty strong and robust. Worth a look.</li>
<li>2012 Malbec du Clos AOC Cahors, Jean-Luc Baldès &#8211; €16.95 &#8211; 100% malbec, slightly acidic and pretty nice.</li>
<li>2012 Clos Triguedina AOC Cahors, Jean-Luc Baldès &#8211; €29.95 &#8211; Slight blue cheese note, fruity. Lovely.</li>
</ul>
<p>Pretty much last of my notes now and table 25 which was Portugal and Dow&#8217;s Port. The lovely Isabel walked me through 8 of them. Everything from the 2013, €16.95 bottle of Tuella, Symington estates port which was pretty good to the 1985, €120 bottle of Dow&#8217;s vintage port. It was bloody good.</p>
<p>I had a little gin and vodka then and while talking to Pete from Blackwater, we decided that it&#8217;s juniper berries that I don&#8217;t really like. I can drink gin in small amounts but for the most part, I don&#8217;t like it much.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com/2017/02/searsons-wine-tasting-event.html">Searsons Wine Tasting Event</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com">Reuben Gray&#039;s General Musings</a>.</p>
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		<title>Wine Appreciation Course at The Hole in the Wall, Dublin</title>
		<link>http://reubengray.com/2017/02/wine-appreciation-course-hole-wall-dublin.html</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuben Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2017 12:36:20 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Wine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hole in the wall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wine appreciation course]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>A few weeks ago, I saw on Facebook that the local pub in Dublin, The Hole in the Wall, was putting on a Wine Appreciation Course. It was €80 per person and consisted of 6 Tuesday nights from 8pm to 10pm. The course was on every second weak which was nice as it requires less</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com/2017/02/wine-appreciation-course-hole-wall-dublin.html">Wine Appreciation Course at The Hole in the Wall, Dublin</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com">Reuben Gray&#039;s General Musings</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-229 size-full" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WineTasting.jpg" width="1920" height="569" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WineTasting-420x124.jpg 420w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WineTasting-744x220.jpg 744w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WineTasting-768x228.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WineTasting-1200x356.jpg 1200w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WineTasting.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
<p>A few weeks ago, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HoleInTheWallDublin/posts/10154194948805950" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">I saw on Facebook</a> that the local pub in Dublin, The Hole in the Wall, was putting on a Wine Appreciation Course. It was €80 per person and consisted of 6 Tuesday nights from 8pm to 10pm. The course was on every second weak which was nice as it requires less of a time commitment. Myself and my partner signed up. We were 40 minutes early the first night so we had some beer first. The pub has a great range of Irish Craft Beer on tap and is one of the most beautiful pubs in the country, perhaps even the world come to think of it.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s the schedule layout of the course for 2017 to give you an idea.</p>
<p><strong>Session One – Viti &amp; Vini culture – 17th January</strong></p>
<p><strong>Session Two – France – 31st January</strong></p>
<p>Session Three – Spain &amp; Italy – 14th February</p>
<p>Session Four – The Americas – 28th February</p>
<p>Session Five – Australia, South Africa &amp; New Zealand – 14th March</p>
<p>Session Six – Port, Desserts &amp; Champagne – 28th March</p>
<p>I have put the first two in <strong>Bold</strong> because I have completed those two sessions.</p>
<p>The course is run by Neville Whisker who is a <a href="https://www.wsetglobal.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">WSET </a>qualified wine expert with decades of experience. Neville is a real character and has many opinions about a great many things. He knows his stuff though. Essentially, this course is like a shorter version of the WSET course as it follows a similar structure and Neville uses the same diagram book for examples.</p>
<p>Some of the gems of wisdom imparted so far is that Chablis and Chardonnay are the same thing. Chablis is a region and Chardonnay is a grape variety but all wines from Chablis use Chardonnay grapes. He often got people come in to the different wine shops he has worked in saying they are bored of Chardonnay and want to try a Chablis. Cue the facepalm&#8230;.</p>
<p>Another one is that Syrah and Shiraz are both the same grape. It&#8217;s just that it&#8217;s called Syrah in Europe and most of the rest of the world but Shiraz in Australia. As Neville amusingly puts it, &#8220;because they couldn&#8217;t spell Syrah&#8221;. Shiraz as a name has Persian links as does the grape but why Australians chose to call it Shiraz, I have no idea.</p>
<p>Each session includes 6 wines to taste. Session one had a mix from around the world and session two concentrated on French wines from four of the main wine regions: Loire, Burgundy, Rhône and Bordeaux.</p>
<p>We also finish off the night with some cheese boards courtesy of the pub and this wasn&#8217;t mentioned before we signed up so thanks very much to The Hole in the Wall staff.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-230 size-medium" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170131_213010-Medium-744x1322.jpg" width="595" height="1057" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170131_213010-Medium-420x746.jpg 420w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170131_213010-Medium-744x1322.jpg 744w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170131_213010-Medium.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 595px) 100vw, 595px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>One of the standout wines from session two was this Ladybird wine from the Rhône region. Neville told us that vineyards often plant rose bushes in between vines. These will attract any pests like Aphids before they attack the vines. The farmer checks the rose bushes every day and if they are infested, they have that day to clear them from the rose  bushes before they move on to the vines. One solution is to encourage ladybirds to attack the pests. Vineyards love ladybirds for that reason so it&#8217;s nice to see a wine pay homage to that fact.</p>
<p>One of the things I like is that Neville picks the wines from the off-licence on the fly before he starts. Often, he picks wines he hasn&#8217;t had himself before. That&#8217;s a great way of doing things both for him and us as we all get to explore them for the first time.</p>
<p>There are still 4 sessions left but I would encourage anyone with an interest in wine to keep an eye out for this course. I&#8217;m not sure how often Neville does it or if he has different locations but it&#8217;s well worth it. It works out at about €13 per session and you get 6 small glasses of wine for that as well as a wealth of knowledge. There may also be an off-sales discount and if you are lucky, a cheese board.</p>
<p>The next session is conveniently on Valentines night and we booked in to the pub&#8217;s restaurant for dinner and then we have the wine session to look forward to. That&#8217;s Valentine&#8217;s night sorted then.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com/2017/02/wine-appreciation-course-hole-wall-dublin.html">Wine Appreciation Course at The Hole in the Wall, Dublin</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com">Reuben Gray&#039;s General Musings</a>.</p>
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		<title>The Rolling Vineyards of Saint-Émilion</title>
		<link>http://reubengray.com/2016/10/rolling-vineyards-saint-emilion.html</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Reuben Gray]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Oct 2016 10:19:30 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belles Perdrix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bordeaux]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Château Valandraud]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saint-Émilion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Troplong Mondot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vineyards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wine]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>We left San Sebastian on a wet and miserable Monday morning. It was even a little chilly due to the rain. I had high hopes for the Bordeaux region of France which is known for its sunshine. Originally, we were supposed to stay for 2 nights in Bordeaux city itself and were going to visit</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com/2016/10/rolling-vineyards-saint-emilion.html">The Rolling Vineyards of Saint-Émilion</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com">Reuben Gray&#039;s General Musings</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-104" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_30022679065_o-960x640.jpg" alt="saint-milion_30022679065_o" width="960" height="640" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_30022679065_o-595x397.jpg 595w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_30022679065_o-768x512.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_30022679065_o-960x640.jpg 960w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_30022679065_o.jpg 1620w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><br />
We left San Sebastian on a wet and miserable Monday morning. It was even a little chilly due to the rain. I had high hopes for the Bordeaux region of France which is known for its sunshine. Originally, we were supposed to stay for 2 nights in Bordeaux city itself and were going to visit some vineyards from there but while in San Sebastian, we decided to change that. We had free cancellation with booking.com so we cancelled our city hotel and instead booked a Château a little outside of Saint-Émilion called Château Valandraud.</p>
<p>We knew very little about Saint-Émilion other than reports from friends that it was the place to go for wine and we knew nothing about Valandraud other than it was a relatively new vineyard that was about 20 years old.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-113" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908952712_o-960x1440.jpg" alt="saint-milion_29908952712_o" width="960" height="1440" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908952712_o-595x893.jpg 595w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908952712_o-768x1152.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908952712_o-960x1440.jpg 960w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908952712_o.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<p>We arrived to a stunning place indeed. First, we visited Saint-Émilion itself and walked around. We visited the visitor centre and it turned out that you can&#8217;t just arrive at a vineyard. You need to pre-arrange it. Some have open days but you have to get there yourself. It seems that the only way to do that is by taxi, private car or chauffeur. There were a lot of the latter around. We decided that since we were staying at a Château, we might as well just do that tour and then wing the rest of the trip.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-115" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908988142_o-960x640.jpg" alt="saint-milion_29908988142_o" width="960" height="640" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908988142_o-595x397.jpg 595w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908988142_o-768x512.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908988142_o-960x640.jpg 960w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908988142_o.jpg 1620w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<p>The town itself is set on a hillside overlooking the many vineyards of the region. It&#8217;s a UNESCO world heritage site with narrow alleys and what seems like more wine shops than people. The population is less than 2000 but there can be multiples of that number there at any one time due to wine tourists.</p>
<p>After an hour or so, we went off in search of Château Valandraud. this proved easier said than done because it showed up in different locations depending on what GPS system we used. It didn&#8217;t appear on any of the vineyard maps dotted around the countryside. Being 20 years old, it&#8217;s far too new to appear on any signs. We eventually found it by using google maps and having to use data roaming.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-102" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_173930-Large-960x540.jpg" alt="20160919_173930-large" width="960" height="540" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_173930-Large-595x335.jpg 595w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_173930-Large-768x432.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_173930-Large-960x540.jpg 960w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_173930-Large.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<p>Once we settled in, we grabbed a bottle of their Bad Boy wine from the fridge for €18 and sat on the deck just taking it all in. What an absolutely stunning view and experience. Sitting on a deck overlooking rolling vineyards drinking a bottle of rather good red wine. We spent an hour or so enjoying the scenery and then 20 minutes in the outdoors hot tub before we headed back to the room to get ready for dinner. We had arranged the last table at a local Michelin star restaurant at another Château. It was a 5.3km walk so we gave ourselves an hour and 15 minutes or more to do it in. Plenty of time since we normally walk 6km in an hour.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-103" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_201754-Large-960x540.jpg" alt="20160919_201754-large" width="960" height="540" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_201754-Large-595x335.jpg 595w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_201754-Large-768x432.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_201754-Large-960x540.jpg 960w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_201754-Large.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<p>Les Belles Perdrix is the restaurant located on the Château Troplong Mondot estate. It sits atop a hill overlooking the surrounding countryside. As a result, it has a water tower which slightly spoils the look of the immediate area. That water tower is clearly visible from Saint-Émilion and it&#8217;s only about two kilometres from the town centre.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-100" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_210359-Large-960x540.jpg" alt="20160919_210359-large" width="960" height="540" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_210359-Large-595x335.jpg 595w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_210359-Large-768x432.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_210359-Large-960x540.jpg 960w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_210359-Large.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<p>They have a few menu options but we went for the carte blanche for €100 per person. That means whatever the chef wants to serve. I reckon it&#8217;s the most popular as the chef uses whatever local seasonal products are available and it&#8217;s a chance for him to experiment. I didn&#8217;t take any pictures of the food as that&#8217;s for Instagram users. We had a glass of house white while searching for a bottle of wine to drink from the menu. I did take a picture of the beautiful 2012 Mondot Saint Emilion Grand Cru we settled on. We made use of some data roaming to look up wine on the menu and the 2012 seemed the best value for money. It was €50 for the bottle in the restaurant but this bottle retails for about €90 and we loved it so much, we bought a few bottles to take home at €38 each. The 2006 vintage in Dublin is <a href="https://www.obrienswine.ie/chateau-troplong-mondot-2006.html">€179 in O&#8217;Briens</a> a the moment. I have read the 2012 bottle should reach its peak in 2018 so we will try to age at least one of them until then as it&#8217;s not too far away.</p>
<p>The food was stunning and I would go so far as to say it was the second best meal I have ever had in my life, the first being Chapter One in Dublin. It was only my 3rd Michelin star restaurant. Pauline on the other hand has been to many more and even she rated it one of the best she had ever been to.</p>
<p>While the walk was lovely earlier, we arrived just as it was getting dark and had no intention of walking back so we had them call us a taxi. One thing to bear in mind is that there appears to be a set price in the area rather than a meter system. The 5km journey cost us €20 so it&#8217;s something to bear in mind. In our case, the taxi driver didn&#8217;t even have to come out to collect us as he was waiting for another party that wasn&#8217;t finished yet so he took us for the 10 minute round trip rather than sitting there. It&#8217;s a good thing we had walked there as I believe the price to collect and take us there would have been €25. It might seem a little ironic to be complaining about taxi prices while dining at a Michelin star restaurant but we don&#8217;t make a habit of spendy nights out.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-101" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_173420-Large-960x540.jpg" alt="20160919_173420-large" width="960" height="540" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_173420-Large-595x335.jpg 595w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_173420-Large-768x432.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_173420-Large-960x540.jpg 960w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160919_173420-Large.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<p>The next morning at 11 we had a free scheduled wine tasting as part of our stay. We assumed we would meet in the living room or perhaps on the deck and taste a few wines. How wrong we were. Our young French guide spoke excellent English having learnt in Glasgow of all places. I believe her name was Lorraine or something similar. Possibly Lorien? Anyway, the tour started outside with some history and explanation about the land, terroir, classé and all of that fun stuff. It was incredibly interesting and informative.</p>
<p>One bizarre thing I learned about the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-%C3%89milion_AOC">Saint-Émilion AOC</a> is that the price of wine is determined by which appellation the grapes are grown. I imagine this holds true for the whole of France. If you look at the image above, it&#8217;s taken from the deck of Château Valandraud and overlooks their vineyard. Not all of that is theirs, there are other estates on either side and the plots are mixed. The price of land right here is €1m per hectare. That&#8217;s a lot of money. Now, take a look at the road in the top left, you can also see it in the picture of Bad Boy further up as the road appears in the glass. That&#8217;s a different appellation. Valandraud is in the Saint-Émilion appellation and across the road is another appellation within the local AOC called Montagne Saint-Émilion. Land over there costs a far more reasonable €200k per hectare.</p>
<p>Does anyone reading this seriously think that the land on the cheaper side of the road is so different to the spendy side as to make any real difference to the grapes that are produced? Valandraud does have some plots over there but can&#8217;t produce their Grand Cru from those grapes. Everyone knows there&#8217;s a certain level of snobbishness in the wine world but this seems to be the epitome of it. It&#8217;s basically vineyard apartheid.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-114" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908976382_o-960x640.jpg" alt="saint-milion_29908976382_o" width="960" height="640" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908976382_o-595x397.jpg 595w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908976382_o-768x512.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908976382_o-960x640.jpg 960w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29908976382_o.jpg 1620w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<p>We were then taken inside the production facility in to what looks surprisingly like a brewery. I have been on countless brewery tours and have visited quite a number of wineries in the US and one in Australia but I have never actually seen the production facility itself. In the image above, you will see three different types of fermenting vessel or tank used by Valandraud. As you might expect, there were the oak and stainless steel vessels but there were also two concrete tanks. Concrete? I would have thought that would be toxic but apparently not. It would seem that concrete has all of the advantages of both wood and stainless with none of the drawbacks. Stainless steel is too perfectly sealed and doesn&#8217;t allow the wine to breath but imparts no unwanted flavours. Wood does allow the wine to breath but imparts a woodiness that might overpower the fruit. Concrete allows the wine to breath at a microscopic level, imparts no undesirable flavours and also naturally keeps its temperature steady.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-121" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29988548716_o-960x640.jpg" alt="saint-milion_29988548716_o" width="960" height="640" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29988548716_o-595x397.jpg 595w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29988548716_o-768x512.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29988548716_o-960x640.jpg 960w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29988548716_o.jpg 1620w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<p>It would seem that wine makers all over the world are turning to concrete vessels to age their wine. I would say the only downside would be physically moving them around if you had to change the layout somewhat. Could a normal forklift move it or would you need to hire some sort of crane like machine?</p>
<p>&nbsp;<br />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-107" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29395947363_o-960x640.jpg" alt="saint-milion_29395947363_o" width="960" height="640" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29395947363_o-595x397.jpg 595w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29395947363_o-768x512.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29395947363_o-960x640.jpg 960w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29395947363_o.jpg 1620w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<p>If I remember correctly, when Jean-Luc Thunevin initially set up his vineyard in 1989, he was given either a gift or a loan of a number of barrels by a friendly cooperage by the name of Seguin Moreau. Since then, he almost exclusively uses those barrels so a very healthy relationship matured out of an act of kindness from a friend.  I could have that story completely wrong so feel free to correct me if you know better.</p>
<p>This was the first instance of what was termed <em>Garage Wine</em> in the region. It was literally made in a garage. In the beer world, we would call that <em>craft beer</em> so is this <em>craft wine</em>? Jean-Luc gained the reputation as the bad boy of Saint-Émilion and that name is reflected in his Bad Boy wines.</p>
<p>In 1995, respected and well known wine critic Robert Parker scored Valandraud higher than  Château Pétrus. This had an immediate impact on the price of the wine with prices jumping to over €90 in 1997. The 2005 vintage was €165 and I got to taste a little of that one at the tasting.<br />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-110" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29728476950_o-960x640.jpg" alt="saint-milion_29728476950_o" width="960" height="640" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29728476950_o-595x397.jpg 595w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29728476950_o-768x512.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29728476950_o-960x640.jpg 960w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/saint-milion_29728476950_o.jpg 1620w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<p>The obligatory bottling line. It doesn&#8217;t matter if it&#8217;s a brewery or it seems a winery that I visit. The bottling line is presented with puffed out chests and a lot of pride. We also learned that they produce kosher wine. The visiting Rabbis concentrate it after fermentation and from that point on, only they can touch it and they visit to keep an eye on it. Looking at the prices of this very limited batch, they are very expensive to buy.</p>
<p>The tour seemed mostly over and just the tasting left but it wasn&#8217;t that simple as the tasting turned out to be in Saint-Émilion itself. Rather than follow Lorraine in our car, we asked could she give us a lift and we would make our own way back and she agreed. She was also impressed that we chose to do that and be responsible rather than drink and drive. While France has the same alcohol limits as Ireland, in the wine regions, the police seem to be a lot more reluctant to intervene. Apparently the mayor and some of the higher ups have their own vineyards. It wouldn&#8217;t go down very well if they had random breath tests in the region. Anyway, we got a lift in and did the wine tasting. We then bought 3 of each of the wines we liked but could actually afford. If I decide to start writing about wine I&#8217;ll try to include them.</p>
<p>After that, we walked around Saint-Émilion, had lunch and eventually walked the 6.2km back to Château Valandraud for some wine and hot tub time. It was the second most relaxing part of our holiday. I even got a little astro-photography time that evening.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-126" src="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_5461-Large-960x640.jpg" alt="img_5461-large" width="960" height="640" srcset="http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_5461-Large-595x397.jpg 595w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_5461-Large-768x512.jpg 768w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_5461-Large-960x640.jpg 960w, http://reubengray.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_5461-Large.jpg 1620w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<p>The most relaxing time would come next in Cognac. I&#8217;ll write about that in a few days. Thanks for reading.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com/2016/10/rolling-vineyards-saint-emilion.html">The Rolling Vineyards of Saint-Émilion</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reubengray.com">Reuben Gray&#039;s General Musings</a>.</p>
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