Natural Wine | Postcards From Here and There

Buon Vino Virtual Tasting

So what could be better on a cold night in February in the depths of a third national lockdown than a virtual wine tasting? Well its no substitute for the real things but in current times it’s better than nothing and turned out to be a very enjoyable experience indeed. Hosted by North Yorkshire natural wine merchants Buon Vino you chose the wines that interested you from a list of around eight available for the evening. Ours arrived very quickly indeed and they were followed on the evening of the tasting by a Zoom code to enable us to join the virtual tasting.

Roc’ Ambulle. Chateau Le Roc. Pet Nat. NV

This is a delightful Pet Nat made from Negrette and Mauzac grapes grown in Fronton in South West France, just north of the city of Toulouse. It’s low in alcohol at 9.5% making it an ideal drink for a warm summer afternoon in the garden. A delicate pink colour from a short skin contact it has lovely strawberry fruit and some delicate floral notes. A fine mousse gives it a gentle creaminess on the palate. There is a hint of sweetness but it is by no means sweet. A very drinkable wine with a very pleasant character. What’s not to like?

Ottavio Rube. Vino Bianco. Cooperative Valli Unite 2019.

A biodynamically produced wine from the Valli Unite cooperative in the Piemonte region of Italy. A blend of Cortese and Timorasso it has hints of pear, peach and lime in a wine that is crisp and fresh. It has a nice texture and is well balanced. Good value for money.

Chardonnay. Judith Beck. 2019

Organically grown grapes from the Burgenland in Austria were hand harvested and whole bunch pressed into old barriques where they were allowed to undergo a wild fermentation. The wine was aged for 6-7 months on the lees before bottling. This really is very good with nice weight and balance. Lovely lemon citrus together with a wonderful creamy texture from the ageing on the lees. The wine has seen no oak at all. A really nice Chardonnay and excellent value for money at £15.95

Tragolargo. Bodegas Vinessens. 2020

An orange wine that is a blend of Moscatel and Malvasia grown in the Alicante region of Spain. The wine has had minimum intervention and is certified organic. A short period of skin contact has produced a golden/light orange colour, the wine is aromatic, grapey with a gentle burnt orange flavour and a delicate floral perfume. There are some dry, grippy tannins here. All in all an orange wine for those who are new to this style of wine and want to explore.

L’Hurluberlu. St. Nicolas de Bourgueil. Sebastien David. 2019

Byodynamically produced Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley north of Chinon.This is a pure expression of Cabernet Franc with bags of cherry and red berry fruit. It is delicately floral but without that green edge that Loire Cabernet Franc can sometimes have. It is fresh, juicy, exceptionally fruity and very drinkable. Chill it down in the fridge for an hour or so and it would be perfect for drinking in the garden when the warmer weather arrives.

Tempranillo. Rioja. Bodegas Moraza. 2019

This is Rioja for those that want the purity of the fruit and not the use of oak. A wild fermentation in concrete it is unfixed and un filtered to retain purity of flavour. Fresh and vibrant, a really drinkable wine like so many at this tasting have been. It gets better and better as it opens out and breathes a little in the glass and develops an ethereal quality more usually associated with Pinot Noir.

Masieri Rosso. La Biancara. Angiolino Maule. 2019.

A blend of Merlot and Tai Rosso from the Gambellara region of Northeastern Italy. A minimum intervention wine with some lovely sweet, plummy fruit, a touch of spice, lovely texture and soft tannins.

4 Days in Perth

Perth in Western Australia may well be regarded as the worlds most isolated city which makes all the more reason for making the most of a visit here. It has so much to offer and is such a chilled and relaxed place that you should aim for at least a four day visit and maybe longer if you have the time. This gives you time to not only explore the city itself but also to get out and explore the wider city region. Here’s what we managed to do in four days, its a fairly relaxed itinerary and is by no means exhaustive, there is plenty more to see and do if you have the time or different interests. Whatever you choose to do you won’t be disappointed, Perth is a truly wonderful place and I can’t wait to go back there.

TAKE A WALKING TOUR

I always try to do a walking tour soon after arriving in a city. You get the benefit of local knowledge and in many places you have a choice of tours to suit your particular interests. Two Feet & a Heartbeat undertake a two hour tour of the Central Business District that includes historic buildings, alleys and lane ways, street art and concludes with a welcoming cold beer in Yagan Square. Tours are around two hours in duration, start times and frequency depends on the particular tour you choose.

KINGS PARK AND BOTANIC GARDEN

A visit to Kings Park is a must for a perfect view of the city below you. you can walk there in around 45 minutes from the CBD including a climb of the 242 steps of Jacobs Ladder depending on the route you choose. For the less energetic you can catch a bus (935) from St Georges Terrace right to the park and what’s more its free and fairly frequent. As well as the perfect viewing point you will find an information centre, café and the botanic gardens of Western Australia which are well worth a visit.

ROTTNEST ISLAND

Rottnest island sits in the ocean 11Km west of Fremantle. It make for a perfect day trip from Perth and is a very popular destination in the summer months. We booked a trip with Rottnest Express which included bike hire so we could explore the whole island during our visit. Ferries leave Elizabeth Quay early in the morning for a very pleasant cruise along the Swan River to Fremantle where it collects the remainder of its passengers.

Collect your bike as you disembark at the ferry terminal on Rottnest, its very busy close to the terminal but once you get a short distance away you will almost have the road to yourselves.The highlight of any trip is a viewing of Quokkas, small marsupials that can only be found in a small number of locations in Western Australia.

You can return to the terminal for a late afternoon sailing back to Perth, arriving just in time for pre dinner drinks.

FREMANTLE.

The quickest and easiest way to get to Fremantle, at the mouth of the Swan River, from Perth is by train. Trains depart from the main Railway station every 15 minutes, more frequently at rush hour, and the journey takes 30 minutes. You will need at least a full day as there is much to see and do including Fremantle Prison where there are numerous tour options to choose from, Fremantle Markets, Little Creatures Brewery and a whole range of fascinating shops, cafés, bars and restaurants. Its even more chilled and relaxed than Perth and a visit is a must for anyone visiting the area.

SWAN VALLEY WINE TOUR

The Swan Valley wine region is just a short drive north East of Perth and makes for an excellent day out of the city. There are a number of companies that offer day trips which have hotel pick ups and drop offs in the CBD. We chose Out and About Wine Tours, visiting five wineries (Lancaster, Sandalford, Windy Creek, Sittella and Heaford Glen), Elmars micro Brewery and The Margaret River Chocolate Company. Lunch was provided overlooking the vineyards at Sittella. Tours depart fro the city at 10am and return at 5pm.

CRUISE ON THE SWAN RIVER A cruise on the Swan River is a lovely relaxing activity and a great way to get a slightly different perspective of the area. You can take a dedicated cruise with one of the operators from Elizabeth Quay or combine your cruise with another activity. The trip to Rottnest Island includes a cruise downstream to Fremantle and it is possible to cruise up stream as part of the Swan Valley wine experience. Either way its a delightful thing to do.

SEE SOME STREET ART Perth is regarded as the second best city for street art in Australia after Melbourne. I love street art and seek it out wherever I go as the street art scene can tell you an awful lot about a place. Hunting out street art can be time consuming but in Perth you get to see some fine examples on the CBD walking tour with Two Feet and a Heartbeat, especially in the area of Grand Lane.

TRY SOME CRAFT BEER AND NATURAL WINE There are so many options in and around the city its difficult to know where to start. In the CBD the State Building on Barrack Street is a good place to start. Here you will find Petition, a superb craft beer bar. With 18 beers available on tap and many more available by bottle you really are spoilt for choice, what’s more the list on tap changes rteqularly. We arrived late on a Sunday afternoon and there was live music and a lovely atmosphere. What more could you ask for.

In the same building is The Wine Merchant which has a very impressive wine list with bottles on the shelves for you to browse and select, if you prefer just a glass they have about 20 available at any one time. Wines of While is a small wine bar located on William Street in Northbridge. All the wines here are made with minimum intervention and no nasty chemicals. The list is eclectic and fascinating, a real gem and not to be missed by lovers of natural wine. further afield in Fremantle is Little Creatures Brewery and Taproom, great for a c old beer or two after a day spent sight seeing before catching the train back into Perth.

December at Bunch

The December tasting at Bunch Natural Wine Bar on Berry Street in Liverpool was a great way to end the year with some rather special bottles opened. The overall quality was high and these monthly tasting should be on the calendar of anon interested in low intervention wines which exhibit a true sense of place. Unfortunately I was unable to take photographs on the night so no bottle labels to accompany the notes. I’ll try better next time!

Magya Watt. Vinereuse. Gaillac. France. 2018. Marine Leys produces wines organically from five hectares in Gaillac. This is a rosé pet nat made from Gamay grapes which were hand harvested, destemmed and fermented in fibre glass. There was a short 2-3 day maceration on the skins. The wine was bottled without filtration before fermentation was completed. It has the gentlest of mousse with a lovely creamy texture and a nice touch of sweetness. Delicate strawberry fruit with just a hint of pear make this a very drinkable wine indeed.

Mad Dog. Madame Flock Wines. Mosel. Germany. 2018. Madame Flock wines is a joint venture of Robert Kane and Derek Labelle. Mad Dog is a single vineyard with vines of about 30 years old. Grapes were had picked and 30% fermented in old French oak and the remainder in stainless steel. The wine was aged for 10 months before bottling with no fining and minimum sulphur. a wine that really opens up given a few minutes in glass and a gentle swirling. Creamy and quite full with apple, apricot and a nice balance. A real grower, it got better and better.

Vita. Massa Vecchia. Tuscany. Italy. 2016. Massa Vecchia was founded in 1985 and has been certified organic since 1993. Vita is an orange wine made from 100% Malvasia di Candia.It spent two weeks on skins before being pressed into old oak barrels where it was left for a year before bottling. It then had a minimum six months before release. Golden in appearance, the wine is intense, powerful and complex with flavours of orange peel and candied fruits.The finish is incredibly long. A fantastic wine.

Rebela Rosa. Slobodne. Hlohovec. Slovakia. 2018. 50% Blauframkisch and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon which were vinified separately in old oak vats before blending and spending eight months in amphora. The aroma is quite floral with a nice touch of tarragon. The plate is round with a touch of sweetness.

Cette Main Légèrement Serrée M’a Laissé Perplexe. Anders Frederik Steen. Ardèche, France. 2018. Anders was formerly a sommelier and restaurateur in his native Denmark before his move into winemaking. He is now based in Valvignères in the Ardèche region of southern France where he makes a small range of highly individual wines. A blend of Carignan and Chardonnay aged for eight months in oak barrels then bottled without fining, filtration or the addition of sulphur. It is a medium bodied wine with lovely freshness and nice texture. Very drinkable and opens out really nicely in glass. The name translates as “the hand tightened a little too much left me perplexed”

En Remont. Julie Balagny. Beaujolais. France. 2018. Julie Balagny organically farms three hectares of vines in Fleurie from which she makes three wines; Cayenne, En Remont and Simone. She also has a small vineyard in Moulin-à-Vent. En Remont is made from old vines, hand picked, foot pressed before spending time in old oak barrels. This is serious stuff and a great expression go Gamay. Nice concentration, red fruits and hazelnuts in glorious harmony. An elegant wine with real character and a long, long finish. The wine of the evening for me.