Month: August 2018

Wine Round Up 2

A quick, brief round up of some of the more enjoyable wines drunk in the last month or so.

Alexandre Bain. La Levée 2015. Tracy sur Loire. France. Sauvignon Blanc but not as you may know it. About as far from the zingy New Zealand style, much loved by UK drinkers, as you can get. Fully biodynamic, the wines of Alexandre Bain are a serious attempt to create wines that are a true expression of terroir in the absence of chemicals and too much interference. La Levée is rich with aromas of peach, apricot, orange and a touch of honey. The palate is dry, stone fruit, lime and apple. The finish is long. This really is excellent wine.

Delheim. Chenin Blanc. 2014. Stellenbosch. South Africa. Fermentation with wild yeasts followed by ageing on the lees has produced a wine of real character. Golden yellow, clear and bright in appearance. Aromas of tropical fruit, peach, honey and a slight smokiness. The palate has lovely balance, creamy but with refreshing acidity. There is a nuttiness with tropical fruits and lime. Very good.

Vasse Felix. Filius. Chardonnay. 2016. Margaret River. Western Australia. Everything Aussie chardonnay should be. Aromas of tropical fruit, lemon and vanilla. The palate is well balanced with a gentle buttery creaminess. The finish is lingering flavours of lemon and oaky vanilla. this is very good at the price.

Casa Ermelinda Freitas. Dona Ermelinda. Pamela. 2015. Portugal. From the Setubal region south of Lisbon this is a wine of real character. A blend of chardonnay with arinto, antão Vaz and fernãs pires. The wine is golden with aromas of stone fruit and lemon with  a hint of almond/marzipan. The palate is medium with stone fruit, lemon, buttery vanilla and lovely balancing acidity. This is very nice.

Gonzalez Byass. Leonor. Palo Cortado. Spain. I just love sherry and its relative unpopularity means that there are some great value wines out there. This is one such example. Amber/gold in appearance the nose is intense and inviting with nuttiness, toffee/caramel and leather. The palate is well balanced, smooth, intense and complex. A lovely lingering finish. Great stuff.

Domaine Serge et Bruno Sourdais. Le Logis de la Bouchardière. 2017. Chinon. Loire. France. A Loire valley red to enjoy. Youthful and vibrant in appearance and deep in colour. The nose is very fruity, raspberry, cherry and a touch of bramble. Palate is red fruits with earthy spice and a lovely lingering finish. Great value for money.

Altolandon. Mil Historias. Bobal. 2016. Manchuela. Spain. A certified organic wine. A blockbuster with ripe cherry fruit along with some blackcurrant, violets and a hint of spice. There is a freshness here that makes this very approachable. tannins are soft. Very drinkable and very nice.

Bodegas Muga. Prado Enea. Rioja Gran Reserva. 2005. Spain. Great depth of colour showing maturity at the rim. Aromas of black fruits, leather, herbs and vanilla. The palate is full, soft with black plummy fruit with hints of spice and pepper and vanilla. Tannins have integrated. Great balance and complexity. The finish is herby with warming peppery spice. Excellent.

Chateau de Fonbel. Saint Emilion Grand Cru. 2014. France. Good affordable claret can be a challenge to find but this is a nice example. Good depth of colour with a garnet rim. plummy black fruits, vanilla and hints of tobacco. The palate is medium bodied, soft, sweet plummy fruit with hints of spice and soft tannins. Not overly complex but drinking very well.

Castelnau de Suduiraut. Sauternes. 2010. France. The sweet wines of Sauternes can be excellent value for money and this example is no exception. The second wind of Chateau Suduiraut and made from younger vines it is a real show stopper. It’s rich and smoothed, packed with aromas and flavours of orange, apricot, honey and creme brulée. The sweetness is well balanced with acidity making this a wonderful wine and great value for money. Sauternes is not very fashionable at present, a great shame.

Liverpool and The Beatles

It’s International Beatles Week from 22nd – 28th August with numerous events planned in their hometown of Liverpool. In light of this I thought I’d share a post highlighting some of the Beatles related locations that can be found in and around the city.

Liverpool and The Beatles are still inexorably entangled  despite their last performance in the city being in December 1965, over 50 years ago. The Beatles came from Liverpool and it hasn’t been forgotten in the intervening years, they are as much a part of the city today as they were in their heyday in the sixties. The result is that there is much to see and do and a Beatles tour is time well spent.

In the city centre.

Pier Head Statue

Andy Edwards statue of the Fab Four was donated to the city by the Cavern Club in 2015 to commemorate 50 years since their last appearance in the city, which was at The Empire Theatre on Lime Street in 1965.

The Beatles Story – Albert Dock

This is a museum devoted to all things Beatles set in the historic Albert Dock. An experience that is really well done with recreations of some of the iconic locations associated with the Fab Four. You can visit the website here

John Lennon -Mathew Street

Made by Liverpool artist Arthur Dooley the statue of John Lennon is one of the oldest ‘musical’ statues in the city.

Four Lads Who Shook The World – Mathew Street

Also by Arthur Dooley this was moved from its original position opposite The Grapes to be next to the Lennon statue.

The Cavern – Mathew Street

The club itself first opened its doors as a jazz club  in 1957 but will always be remembered for the nearly 300 appearances The Beatles made in the early sixties.

The original club closed in 1973 following the sale of the building and its proposed demolition to make way for a ventilation shaft for the new Merseyrail underground railway. The shaft was never built and the site became a car park for a short while.

The Cavern was rebuilt in 1984. Plans to redevelop the original site were shelved when it was discovered that the demolition of the building had caused damage to the underground cellars in which  The Cavern were housed. As a result fifteen hundred bricks from the original Cavern were used to recreate the new Cavern. It is today one of Liverpools top tourist attractions.

Eleanor Rigby Statue – Stanley Street

Eleanor Rigby was a song on The Beatles album Revolver as well as a number one single in 1966. The sculpture was made by Tommy Steele in 1982 in recognition of the work of The Beatles and their place in the city.

The Jacaranda – Slater Street

The Jacaranda was opened as a coffee bar in 1958 by Allan Williams who was later to become The Beatles first manager. The band made several appearances here in their early days.

The Blue Angel – Seel Street

Once owned by Allan Williams  and a venue played by The Beatles in their early days. The Blue Angel is steeped in rock history as many other important rock acts played here in the 1960s including Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. it is also known locally as The Raz.

Number 4 Rodney Street

The birth place of Brian Epstein, manager of The Beatles from 1962 until his untimely death in 1967.The importance of Epstein in the career of The Beatles can not be underestimated. A small plaque on the wall commemorates his birth here.

Outside the city centre

Penny Lane

It is the junction of Penny Lane where it meets Smithdown Road and Allerton Road that is of the most interest to Beatles fans. In the 60’s it was the location of a bus terminus, the bus shelter is now a bistro. The barbers shop is still there but the fire station is actually a little further along Allerton Road. Nevertheless it is so closely associated with The Beatles song that it is still such a great location to visit.

Mendips – 251 Menlove Avenue

Mendips was the childhood home of John Lennon. He lived here with his aunt Mimi from 1946 until 1963. The house was bought by Yoko Ono in 2002 and donated to The National Trust who now manage visits here and Paul McCartneys former home in Forthlin Road. The house has been restored to how it would have been in the 1950s. Visits need to be pre booked through the National Trust website

20 Forthlin Road

Paul McCartney’s family home from 1955 until the mid 1960s. Owned and managed by The National Trust visits are part to the same ticket to visit Mendips. Unlike Mendips there is no blue plaque here as Paul is still very much alive.

Strawberry Field – Beaconsfield Road

Strawberry Fields Forever was a double A sided single along with Penny Lane and are probably the best Beatles singles that failed to reach number 1 in the UK charts. Strawberry Field was a Salvation Army children’s home close to John Lennon’s childhood home at Mendips, it had a special significance to him and he visited often in his youth though he was largely uninvited! Not much exists today and building work has recently begun to create a visitors centre and a training centre for your people with learning difficulties.

Eleanor Rigby’s Grave – St Peter’s Parish Church, Woolton

Although the song was recorded in 1966 the grave was not discovered in the churchyard until some twenty years later. John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met at the church fete here in 1957 so it is perhaps likely that McCartney came across the grave some time after this. The name lay dormant until he wrote the song but didn’t, at that time, recall where the name came from.

For those wishing a formal tour complete with commentary there are a number of options available. I list a few here but it is by no means a recommendation as I haven’t tried them

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour – Bus/coach

Liverpool Beatles Tours – minibus

Fab Four Taxi Tours – Black cab

Beer Round Up 2

A few notes about some of the beers that I have enjoyed recently. There is no particular order to the listing. A couple of them have featured in some earlier posts.

Northern Monk. Heathen IPA 7.2% – yellow/gold with a haze and pours with a good head. This is really appealing with citrus aromas of grapefruit and lemon with tropical mango, pineapple and a slight touch of pine. There is a slight creaminess but also a crispness which make sit very refreshing. Low bitterness, nice mouthfeel. The finish is dry with an aftertaste of bitter oranges. This is excellent and very drinkable. Beware the ABV.

Northern Monk. Moobing on up. Triple IPA 10% – Yellow and as cloudy as it gets! Aromas of peach, banana and lemon. Palate is low bitterness, creamy, smooth, tropical fruit, merest hint of liquorice, gentle sweetness. This is a lovely beer, packed with flavour and a long, long finish.

Brixton Brewery. Low Voltage Session IPA 4.3% – Unfiltered, unpasteurised, natural beer. Light amber, hazy with a non persistent small head. This is  a very clean, refreshing beer. the nose has lovely aromas of malt, orange, grapefruit and a touch of mango. The palate is low bitterness with excellent character, hoppy with a touch of pine. Well made and very drinkable with a nice touch of bitterness on the finish. just what you want from a session beer.

Top Rope. Papa Mango, Mango Pale 5.1% – Vibrant orange in colour, cloudy with a strong white head. Aromas of mango, pineapple, banana. Palate is intense mango, low bitterness, nice carbonation. Mouthfeel is good with a slight creaminess. Long, lingering finish of mango puree!  Have been rather unimpressed with this beer in the past but this example was rather excellent.

Wylam. All Formats. DDH Citra Pale 5.2% – Yellow,cloudy, nice persistent head. Aromas of lemon, peach, apricot. Palate has low bitterness and is nicely carbonated. Tropical fruits, bags of lemon citrus. There is a lovely bitter lemon finish.

Verdant. Maybe One More PSI. DIPA. 8% – Orange/yellow and cloudy. Pours with a strong, bubbly white head. Aromas is complex,  orange, mango, peach and grapefruit, there is a lot going on here. The palate is juicy, tropical, low bitterness with gentle carbonation. A very well balanced beer with a lovely orange finish. This is so good, very drinkable despite the high alcohol.

Verdant. Track and Field. IPA. 7.2% – Yellow, cloudy, thin white head. Aromas of tropical fruits, pineapple, mango and banana, malty with a touch of pine. The palate is creamy, excellent mouthfeel, gentle carbonation, low bitterness with bags of tropical fruit and lemon. Nice finish. Very nice.

Yakima. Great Heck Brewing. IPA. 7.4% – Dark amber, clear and with a small white head. Aromas of malt, caramel, toffee and nuts. This is a serious west coast style IPA with bags of sweet malt flavours, it is creamy with low bitterness and hints of citrus and dark muscovado sugar. Very nice.

Rigg and Furrow Farmhouse Brewery.. IPA. 5.6% – Yellow, cloudy with no head. Aromas of orange, lemon and malt. The palate is juicy with a slight sweetness, good mouthfeel, low bitterness, gentle carbonation. A very refreshing beer that is very drinkable. A brewery based in the North East that is new to me.

Magic Rock. Cannonball IPA 7.4% – Amber, hazy with a strong white head. Aromas of citrus, pine, orange, earthy, malty. Palate is medium bitterness tropical fruits with orange, creamy with nice gentle carbonation. Finish is bitter orange. Very good.

In conclusion a lot of IPAs and several with high ABV. Perhaps I will look at some different styles in the next instalment.