The Wine & Whisky Thread

[Beobloke]

What is it?

[struth]

Daiquiri?

[struth]

Suppose it could be a lemon drop as well.. Lol
Not big on cocktails but are fun to make.

Merry Xmas to you all..

[Marco]

What is it?

Lol - were you lot *that* drunk yesterday?

Read the title of the post!

Marco.

[hifilover]

Weapons of choice for today (there's a Chapel Down and Nyetimber English Sparkling in the freezer too, chilling nicely)

[Marco]

What food are you having with them, Danny-boy? Obviously if you're having fish, I'd go with the Pouilly-Fumé [gorgeous wine], but it could also be drunk on its own. I'm unfamiliar with the red next to it, but know Fleurie very well and always enjoy it. It's very 'florid', light and fruity, which I'm presuming is a style of wine you like?

I was under the impression you preferred 'big hitters', such as Musar?

Marco.

[hifilover]

What food are you having with them, Danny-boy? Obviously if you're having fish, I'd go with the Pouilly-Fumé [gorgeous wine], but it could also be drunk on its own. I'm unfamiliar with the red next to it, but know Fleurie very well and always enjoy it. It's very 'florid', light and fruity, which I'm presuming is a style of wine you like?

I was under the impression you preferred 'big hitters', such as Musar?

Marco.

The whites/English Sparklings will be an aperitif really; we're on smoked trout/salmon and pickled herring as nibbles etc; roast fore rib and goose as the 'mains'; but it's more like a walking buffet this afternoon

The Fleurie; like you said, very light and fruity, but a lot more complex than something like a Beaujolais or similar. The Mollydooker is an Aussie red, at 16% it's a good, rich and very full bodied red, not overly alcohol in its taste, very similar kick to the likes of a Bulls Blood or Il Bombero etc. It'll suit the goose and beef well; it's this years replacement to the Musar for today. We had a 93' Musar yesterday and a 2000 Pomerol, both were splendid

[Marco]

Ah, cool... All sounds good! The 2000 Pomerol must've been a stunner

Anyway, hope you enjoy your day, The food sounds great!

Marco.

[hifilover]

Ah, cool... All sounds good! The 2000 Pomerol must've been a stunner

Anyway, hope you enjoy your day, The food sounds great!

Marco.

It wasn't straight out the bottle... Like an unhappy Pauillac haha We decanted it yesterday around 8am, had a quick taste and it was harsh and very dry... But a good 5 hours plus of it breathing next to a warm radiator; it was a stunner! Get the turkey & trimmings out of the way and had a small glass; very, very good indeed. The right kick of oak, the right kick of grape skins and vine cuttings and then a peppery/plummy/fig and date taste to it with vanilla and damson jam on the back taste... As odd as it sounds, it went bloody well with cold pigs in blankets The red cut through the fattiness etc If you can find one, buy it and enjoy it!

I'm looking forward to the goose this afternoon we've homemade pickled chillies and mostarda de frutta (mustard fruits); I used home grown Williams pears and very small conference pears with mustard seeds/dry cider and red chillies. First time I've ever done these and they're superb; it was a River Cottage recipe I used

[Marco]

Hahaha... All part of the fun of the wine experience! In terms of the warming up, I thought you'd have had your coal/log fire on, so why the radiator? I've got a nice flat log I use to sit wine on, to the side of the log burner, and use that to bring wine up to temp

As you say, aeration (along with decanting for older wines) is absolutely essential, in order to for them to release their full potential. However, in terms of aeration, simply popping the cork and leaving the wine to 'breathe', no matter for how long, really don't achieve much, as without decanting, all you're doing is allowing air into the gap inside the neck of the bottle. It's not circulating throughout.

To achieve effective/optimum aeration, I normally just decant. However, I've wanted a proper wine aerator for ages, and got this for Christmas:



Works great and what a difference it makes!! Honestly, it transforms the drinking experience and really brings out everything that's good about the wine in question, especially in terms of fruit flavours. 2000 was a fab year for all 'clarets', including Pomerol. Do you also enjoy a good burgundy? Anyway, you need to post more about the wines you drink, not just whisky!

Hope you enjoy your goose, ours yesterday was fab!

Marco.