Testalonga | Postcards From Here and There

Real Wine Fair

The Real Wine Fair was held at London’s Tobacco Dock on the 12/13th May. The fair champions small, independent producers who produce wine that is a pure expression of time and place, made with minimum intervention both in the vineyard and winery. While there is no definition of real wine many of the wines on show are produced organically without the addition of any chemicals except perhaps for a tiny amount of sulphur in some cases.

Tobacco dock is a grade I listed building in East End of London and is a perfect venue. It is bright, with plenty of space for exhibitors and visitors alike. Having said that I visited on the Sunday and while it was relatively quiet in the morning it did get very busy by mid afternoon. The fair also features a number of artisan food producers and street food stalls so there is something for when you just need to take a little time out.

There was something around 178 producers from 21 different countries so choices most certainly had to be made for a successful visit. I concentrated mainly, but not exclusively, on wines from the New World and the notes that follow were some of the wines that I particularly enjoyed.

Rainbow Juice. Gentle Folk. 2018. Adelaide Hills. Australia. Gareth and rainbow Belton have been making wine under the Gentle Folk table since 2012 in the hills east of Adelaide. Rainbow juice is a blend of 23 varieties of both red and white grapes. This is what summer drinking is all about. Light, juicy with delicious red berries on the palate. An easy drinking wine which is just a little bit serious. Lovely stuff. All the wines on show were very good and I aLSO Particularly liked the 2018 Tiersman Syrah which was full of dark berry fruit, peppery with a touch of savoury spice.

Ada Chardonnay. Patrick Sullivan 2018. Yarra Valley. Australia. From grapes grown on volcanic soils at a higher elevation than his Baw Baw Chardonnay this is richer, well balanced and with lovely texture.

Coquelicot Cabernet Franc. Lo-Fi Wines. 2017. Santa Barbara County. USA. Two lifelong friends making wines with a philosophy of “nothing added, nothing removed”. The grapes were grown organically and were wild fermented whole bunch for 12 days before pressing to tank. Aged for 10 months in neutral oak. This has produce a fruit driven, super juicy and well balanced wine full of Californian sun. If you love vinyl records you’ll love the labels too.

Hughes Hollow Pinot Noir. Bow & Arrow. 2015. Oregon.USA. Scott Frank produces makes wines from the Willamette Valley in the Pacific Northwest. Specialising in Loire Valley varietals he produces a great range of wines including an excellent Johan Vineyard Melon Blanc. For me however it was the point noir which was the star of the show. A lovely nose of savoury red fruit with a gentle touch of perfume. The palate is well balanced and very inviting. Drinking very well. This plot of pinot was included. as part of a deal to buy Gamay grapes, it has turned out to be a rather good deal.

Riesling Off The Grid. Ovum Wines. 2017. Oregon.USA. Grapes from a single vineyard in southwest Oregon underwent a wild fermentation in concrete egg. This is wonderful stuff; limes, petrol, floral with a touch of honey and lovely balance. The finish is incredibly long and lingering.

El Bandito “Monkey Gone to Heaven”. Testalonga. 2018. Swartland. South Africa. 100% Mouvedre. Deep rose in colour, medium bodied,dark berry fruits, perfumed and with grippy tannins. Very nice.

Coef. Sebastien David. 2016.Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil. Loire. France. Fermented in amphora this is lovely stuff indeed. An intense nose of berry fruits . Earthy with a touch of peppery spice. A wine of real character. I also enjoyed the 2018 Hurluerlu that was on tasting.

Bunch Spring Tasting

One of the great things I like about Bunch Natural Wine Bar on Berry Street in Liverpool is that there is always something different to try. It is a welcome challenge to step out of your comfort zone and give something new and unfamiliar a try. The beauty of wines by the glass is that you don’t have the financial commitment to the whole bottle so if a wine turns out not to be to your particular liking its not such a costly mistake. Not that I ever come across many that I don’t like, there are simply some I prefer, and all of the wines are worth the effort of getting to know even if the odd one just remains a casual acquaintance. The spring tasting, held in the shop last week, was another great example of the diversity of wines on offer and most of them are well worth getting to know better.

I Wish I Was a Ninja. Testalonga. PetNat. 2018 Swartland. South Africa. The more I drink the wines of Craig Hawkins the more I like them. Here is a producer that really is worthy of further investigation. This was a new wine to me and it is absolutely delicious. Made from 100% Columbard, it’s off dry with 25g/l residual sugar. Pear, apple and elderflower along with a gently carbonation and lovely texture. A well balanced and refreshing wine for the summer ahead.

Fruit Basket. Yetti & the Kokonut. 2018. Eden Valley. Australia. From a 95 year old block in South Australias Eden Valley which contains 13 different grape varieties I have enjoyed this wine on several previous occasions. Revealing something different with each sip, it is a fruit salad in a glass. Sadly it didn’t reveal its true beauty tonight but I won’t let that put me off as I know how good it can be!

Chinuri. Iago Bitarishvili, 2015. Kartil. Georgia. They have been making wine in Georgia for 8.000 years or so. This is traditionally made from the indigenous Chinuri grape variety. It is an orange wine made in clay pots called qvevri. The pot is filled with grapes, buried and left for 6 months before pressing and bottling. It produces a style of wine that can divide opinion as it did on the evening but in the hands of a producer such as Iago Bitarishvilli I can’t think of a better place to start exploring these wines. It is dry with flavours of orange and pear with a touch of dried herbs. There are tannins here but nothing too heavy and the finish is incredibly long.

Basis Nobody. Matthias Warnung. 2016 Kamptal. Austria. A field blend of 90% Gruner Veltliner and 10% Zweigelt. Whole bunches are placed in a large old wooden vat for ten days. The bunches are then pressed and the wine bottled with the addition of a minimal amount of sulphur. The result is a delicate and elegant style of rosé that got better and better with each sip. Dry with lovely strawberry fruit and a touch of fennel. A very appealing wine.

Jumping Juice Half Full Red. Patrick Sullivan. 2018. Victoria. Australia. Mainly Shiraz with the addition of some Semillon and Viognier, this is an incredibly delicious and drinkable wine. For all those that think Aussie Shiraz is only a big, bold wine try this. It is so juicy with bags of soft red fruits a lovely texture and a gentle touch of savouriness on the finish. Delightful.

Blaufrankisch. Nachbil. 2016. Transylvania. Romania. To finish a very easy drinking and not unpleasant red. This wine has black fruits and is savoury and smokey. A slight sweetness to the fruit, nicely textured and a long finish.

October Tasting at Bunch

The October tasting at Bunch, the natural wine bar on Berry Street in Liverpool, provided the opportunity to taste six wines chosen by host Bobby in honour of his birthday.

Muller Thurgau. Pet Nat. Minimus. Oregon. USA. Slightly off dry with a lovely gentle mousse. There are pears, touch of honey and some bready yeast from the lees which gives the wine a nice texture. There is a slightly floral edge to the finish.

El Bandito Cortez. Testalonga. 2017. Swartland. South Africa. 100% Chenin Blanc from vineyards planted in 1972. Hand harvested, whole bunch pressed. Half fermented in stainless steel and half in large, old barrels then blended together. Nose is very understated with some apple, pear and stone fruit character. The palate is dry with a good rounded texture with stone fruit, almond and a slight touch of honey. Shows lovely balance with a hint of white pepper on the finish. Very nice indeed.

Cutis Deviner. Sobodne. 2015. Slovakia. Deviner is a cross between the rare Slovakian Devin and Traminer. Skin contact for 5 weeks. Ambient temperature ferment outside in open vats. The wine is then aged in old barrels for two years. The palate has lovely balance with orange, apricots and a floral touch giving a nice texture. An orange wine for those that don’t like orange wines! Very enjoyable.

Pomagrana. Lectores Vini. 2017. Catalonia. Spain. Very light in appearance. The nose is expressive red fruits, strawberry, cranberry. The plate is light and juicy, herby and slightly savoury with a hint of pepper on the back palate. A red wine that can be chilled down. Very enjoyable and good value.

Suspended Animation Syrah. 2017. Skinny Legs. Swartland. South Africa. Good depth of colour, nose is dark fruits and touch of farmyardy Brett. Palate is dry with dark berry fruits, it is savoury and smokey. tannins are dry. Needs to open out a little to show its best.

La Milla. Borgata. Piemonte. Italy. Dolcetto from 60 year old vines. Intense, inky colour. The nose is not very expressive with some black fruits and a hint of mint. The palate has earthy black fruits, a little spice and dry tannins. A wine for food.