Category: Wine

New World Natural Wines

The monthly tasting at Bunch Natural Wine Bar on Berry Street in Liverpool had as its focus natural wines from the New World. While New World wines have a considerable share of sales in the UK the natural wines are perhaps not very well known and not so often encountered. This may be for a number of reasons but principally production is often small, in relative terms, and many wineries can sell their production within their own country. Couple that with the fact that natural wines are often made with little or no sulphur dioxide at bottling  means that they perhaps do not travel as well, especially over the huge distances from Australia and New Zealand. With these facts in mind it was a tasting that I very much looked forward to.

Naturalist Pet Nat. Cambridge Road. 2016. Martinborough. New Zealand. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris from Martinborough at the southern end of the North Island. The varieties are vinified separately using wild yeasts then blended together prior to bottling. There are aromas of lemon, pear and stone fruit which make this a very inviting drink. Dry but with a slight creamy texture thanks to the gentle mousse. Well balanced and with a lingering finish of lemon and a touch of bread yeast. Visit their website here

Since I Fell For You. Gewürztraminer. Ovum Wines 2016. Oregon. USA. Taking its name from a Nina Simone song this is a well made wine. Bags of floral, rose petal, lychee notes give way to tropical fruits. Medium bodied but rich in texture it is creamy with a hint of sweetness. The finish is long and floral. There is a purity of fruit here and a lovely freshness. This really is very nice. Visit their website here

Riviera Del Notro. Roberto Henriques 2017. Bio-Bio Valley/Itata. Chile A blend of Muscat, Semillon and Corinto. All have been vinified separately with skin contact; the Muscat for 5 months, Corinto for 7 months and the Semillon for 3 weeks. The wine is yellow/green with the slightest haze. There are intense aromas of grapes, roses and honeyed tropical fruits and this is reflected on the palate but with a slightly medicinal flavour. There is some volatile acidity. The wine improves a little in glass developing a smokey character. Very dry and a finish that lasts almost forever! A marmite of a wine, I became more of a fan as it opened out. Visit their website here

B’Rose. Yetti & the Kokonut. 2017. Barossa Valley. Australia.  David Geyer and Koen Janssens began their label as recently as 2015 and now make a range of low intervention wines from grapes sourced from the Barossa and Eden valleys in South Australia. This rosé is an unusual blend of Gewürztraminer (vinified on skins), Cabernet Franc and Grenache. It is a glorious salmon pink colour with aromas of strawberry fruit with a few floral notes thrown in. The palate is light, juicy red fruit, slightly off dry in style. My sample had warmed a little in glass and would have benefited from being a little more chilled but this is not an unattractive wine that would certainly go down well in the garden on a hot sunny afternoon. Their range is well worthy of further investigation.

Rockwell Red Blend. Minimus Wines. 2016. Oregon/Washington. USA. Winemaker Chad Stock started the Minimus label in 2011 with an underlying philosophy to embrace experimentation in winemaking and to continually strive to explore all the possibilities available in this region of North Western USA. This is the second vintage of Rockwell, a blend of 40% Tempranillo, 26% Sauvignon Blanc, 14% Viognier, 16% Syrah and 4% Chenin Blanc. This is a very unusual blend with lots of red fruits, floral, smokey, candy floss. There is a slight sweetness on the front palate but it is dry on the finish with some grippy tannins. There is an awful lot going on here – a crazy blend that actually works very well. Smooth, very drinkable and a lot of fun. Try it and you may be surprised just how much you like it. Visit their website here

Terracura Syrah. Silwervis Wines. 2015. Swartland. South Africa. Winemaker Ryan Mostert has made a New World wine which is very much Old World in style, reminiscent of the great syrahs of the France’s Rhone Valley. The nose is a little closed but there are hints of berry fruits and smokey spice. The palate is dry with dark berry fruit, leather and peppery spice. The finish has some lovely brambly fruit. This wine needs a little time to soften a little at the edges. Very nice now but put a bottle or so away for a few years and it will be well worth the wait. Visit their website here

Wine Round Up

Somehow missed posting this the other week. Here are some of the favourite wines tasted/drunk during the last few weeks. In no particular order.

Tio Pepe Fino En Rama. – this is so good I wrote a post about it at the time. Fresh, vibrant and everything a quality fino should be. If you don’t think you like dry sherry try this. Furthermore it will keep in fridge happily for up to a week .

Etabeta. Fattoria Kappa. Tuscany 2016. Italy – Vermentino made with minimum intervention and no filtration. This is rich and seductive with bags of tropical fruit, peach and limes. Great texture and depth and lovely, lovely fruit. A very fine wine indeed.

On Pète La Soif. Jean Paul Thévenet. 2016. Beaujolais. France. – Beaujolais but not as we know it, its sparkling! Whats not to like about this wine, its bursting with flavour, strawberry juice with a hint of bubblegum and rose petal and off dry. With only 7.5% alcohol it makes a great aperitif. Fun in the sun.

Tinpot Hut. Sauvignon Blanc. 2017. Marlborough. New Zealand – Aromas of lime, gooseberry and a touch of apricot. Palate is fresh and crisp with zingy acidity and a lovely finish.

Cognettera Gwenn, Cognettes. 2015. Muscadet. France. -fermented in amphora with 10% whole berries using wild yeasts. Aged for 12 months in amphora. Nose is stone fruit and herbs. The palate is peach and pear, its soft, round with a touch of sweetness and a long, lingering peachy finish. A very appealing wine with real character and finesse. Excellent.

Juliénas. Domaine David Chapel. 2016. Beaujolais. France. – had this at a restaurant in London and was very impressed. Lovely, lovely wine. light red fruits with real elegance and a nice savoury finish.

El Inquilino Crianza, Rioja. 2014. Spain. – Great depth of colour and rich dark fruits with a splash of vanilla> Palate is rich, smooth with lovely peppery spice. The finish is blackcurrant. Great value for money.

Clonale Chardonnay. Kooyong. 2016. Mornington Peninsula. Australia. – This is well made chardonnay with real character. Aromas of lemons, stone fruit followed by a hint of vanilla. The palate is medium bodied with pineapple, lemon, peach and a touch of baked bread. Nicely balanced and a lingering finish. Very nice.

Bunch Wine Bar Tasting

Bunch is a natural wine bar on Berry Street in Liverpool. Since its opening in late 2017 it has hosted a number of tasting events. The latest was in conjunction with Wines Under the Bonnet and featured wines from the Muscadet region of western France.

Naturlich Pet Nat. Landron Chartier 2017  – Coral pink in appearance with aromas of red fruits and rose. Palate is dry with a good mousse giving a nice mouthfeel. Delicate red fruits with a nice finish of raspberry.

Gros plant, Cognettes 2015 – Production of wines has been organic since 2009. Fermented using wild yeasts in tank and then spending 6 months on lees. Aromas of green apples with some tropical notes. Palate is dry with a slightly creamy mouthfeel. Fresh acidity is balanced with delicate fruit, apples and stone fruits. Very good value for money.

Plongoire. Les Chants Jumeaux.2017 – Pale lime green with a slight haze and very light effervescence that quickly dissipates. Nose shows slight oxidation but palate is fine with stone fruit and some nice acidity. A quirky wine that is actually better than you might first think.

Cognetterra Gwenn. Cognettes 2015 – fermented in amphora with 10% whole berries using wild yeasts. Aged for 12 months in amphora. Nose is stone fruit and herbs. The palate is peach and pear, its soft, round with a touch of sweetness and a long, lingering peachy finish. A very appealing wine with real character and finesse. Excellent.

La Plage. Les Chants Jumeaux 2017 – A rosé that is actually light red in colour. Aromas of red fruit and perfume. Palate is light and delicate with  strawberry and a hint of biscuit. Finish has a hint of earthiness about it

Trait Gamay. Remi Sedes 2015 – First vintage was in 2013. Nose is dark red fruits, earthy. Palate is full and concentrated, dark red fruit, cola, violets and leather with tannins that still need to soften. A wine with good structure that has the capacity for further ageing. Excellent.

Also tasted but not part of the tasting;

Mayga Watt. Vignereuse (Marine Leys) Rosé Pétillant 2017 – Salmon coloured, slightly hazy. Aromas of strawberry, raspberry, bubblegum and a hint of fennel. Palate is delicate red fruits, off dry. Most gentle mousse. Very nice.