The Wine & Whisky Thread

[Marco]

Goodness - do you eat like this every day?

Heaven forbid, of course not. I was slumming it because we'd run out of venison!



Nope, nothing wrong with real ale or even good lager (Pils). In the summer when it's warm (it happens occasionally) this is mostly what we drink, alcohol-wise, or perhaps some good quality Devon cider, nicely chilled. Red wine drinking is limited, with preference being for a nice chilled Chablis or rosé.

I love pasta (obviously coming from Italian parents) but I'm not a big fan of Carbonara. It's too creamy and a bit heavy for me. My wife makes her own fresh egg pasta in the form of tagliatelle, linguine (love this baked in the oven in tinfoil with fresh tomato, chilli and basil sauce with langoustine and clams - yum!) ravioli, lasagne, etc.

She also makes home-made gnocchi and pesto, which is lovely

Marco.

[aquapiranha]

Heaven forbid, of course not. I was slumming it because we'd run out of venison!



Nope, nothing wrong with real ale or even good lager (Pils). In the summer when it's warm (it happens occasionally) this is mostly what we drink, alcohol-wise, or perhaps some good quality Devon cider, nicely chilled. Red wine drinking is limited, with preference being for a nice chilled Chablis or rosé.

I love pasta (obviously coming from Italian parents) but I'm not a big fan of Carbonara. It's too creamy and a bit heavy for me. My wife makes her own fresh egg pasta in the form of tagliatelle, linguine (love this baked in the oven in tinfoil with fresh tomato, chilli and basil sauce with langoustine and clams - yum!) ravioli, lasagne, etc.

She also makes home-made gnocchi and pesto, which is lovely

Marco.

I can confirm the tin foil method is a winner! and your wife is a fantastic cook Marco - I had the rest of the pasta and bread and it was yum! Ta.

I rarely drink these days, but will have the occasional grolsch or a malt.

[The Grand Wazoo]

For lunch today I am enjoying some pan-fried organic chicken breast with garlic, sautéed in Marsala wine..............
Marco.

I used to manage the forestry assets of a member of the aristocracy (or idle rich, depending on your point of view) who's family made their (very large) fortune out of exporting Marsala out of Sicily - one day Grandad woke up & decided that his house in Palermo had become over-run by grandchildren, so he bought each of their parents a country estate in England. Nice work if you can get it!

[Ian Walker]

I used to manage the forestry assets of a member of the aristocracy (or idle rich, depending on your point of view) who's family made their (very large) fortune out of exporting Marsala out of Sicily - one day Grandad woke up & decided that his house in Palermo had become over-run by grandchildren, so he bought each of their parents a country estate in England.

Bloody-ell that was Marcos grandad!!!

[Marco]

That's class!! Wrong part of Italy, though, for me. Tuscany is our zone

Marco.

[Steve Toy]

Bit late getting back to the subject of beers in Brum but the Old Joint Stock was closed on the Easter Monday. Fortunately the Wellington with the 16 real ales plus two German beers was open.

There were also a few interesting bars in Brindley Place by the Canal off Broad Street, not to mention fine eateries too including a fairly decent Indian. All Bar One sold Paulaner Original Munchner Pils on tap.

Marco if you fancy joining us from New Street station early one Monday evening and having a wander down it could be done. No need for a cab if the weather is decent as the 15 minute walk is actually quite pleasant and mostly pedestrianised.

[Beechwoods]

Wickwar Station Porter. 6.1% but I can still drink 2 bottles of the stuff and not have a whiff of a hangover in the morning. Slips down lovely And very very tasty

[Barry]

This site seems to have become a little quiet on the oenophile front, so thought it was time to make a contribution.

I have lately taken delivery of half cases of the following clarets:

Château L’Eglise 2006, Puisseguin Sainte-Emillion AOC,
Château Bellvue Chollet 2006, Bordeau AOC,
Château Maison Blanche 2006, Médoc AOC Cru Borgeoise.

Turns out that 2006 was a surprisingly good year for claret, well rounded and fruity, and the above certainly taste good to me. All the above are around £9 a bottle

I have also recently enjoyed bottles of:

Baume de Venise 2008 Vacqueyras, Côte du Rhône. 13.5%. Approx. £11.50 a bottle. Again this is a full-bodied red with a spicy aroma. Reckoned to be as good as 2005/2006,

and another claret:

Margeaux La Petite Echoppe 2006. 3/5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2/5 Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. 13%. ‘Vanilla top note with dark berry fruits’. Available from Marks & Spencer at £15 a bottle; so save for that special occasion.

Now that the summer has arrived we have of course been enjoying chilled whites: a mixture of Italian Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and various French Chablis, all courtesy of Tesco and whose exact names I have forgotten to note. Will no doubt be buying some more, so will post on these later.

Barry

[Barry]

I promised I would post on some white wines I have been enjoying this summer. Apart from the ever perennial Tesco

'Castel de Jesu Verdicchio' , the thoroughly acceptable South African

'Thandi Chardonnay', 2007, 13% ABV can also be recommended.

For a little more (~£6), I can thoroughly recommend a white Cote Du Rhone

'Caves Sainte-Pierre', 2008, this and the Chardonnay are also available at Tesco



For claret lover I just have to mention:

Margeaux 'La Petite Echoppe' 2006. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon 40% Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. 13%. Marks & Spencer (£15). Not cheap, but then decent claret isn't. Definitely one for a special occasion - so go on, buy a bottle and just make up any old excuse to drink it: birthdays, unbirthdays, the kids getting a University place, or anything!

Another memorable claret I have drunk recently is

Margeau 'Chateau Martinens' Cru Bourgeois 2005, 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Around £18. Oh, if only I had bought another bottle!

2007 was a very good year for Rhone, so keep an eye out for these in the near future.

[Barry]

Tesco's are having a bit of an offer on white wines. Three that I have tried recently and can recommend are:

'Les Pierre Blanches', 2007, disributed by Andre Tremblay. £8 reduced from £12,

'Les Armes de Chablis', 2007, again £8 reduced from £12,

'Cuvee Claude Dominique', £8 reduced from £9,

and

Tesco's own Chardonnay 'Macon Village Blanc', sorry can't remember the price, but not expensive.

Finally my recent trip to Conway, North Wales, allowed me to stock up on the Conwy Brewery 'Honey Fayre'. A bottle conditioned ale 4.5%. Whilst I was at the brewery, I noticed that there was a version with a new label. Upon enquiry I was told that it was for Marks and Spencer. I thought that it might only be the local Marks that would stock it, but it seems that it might be tried out nationwide. It certainly travels well, as I have proved on numerous occasions having carted a dozen bottles in the boot of my car 200 miles, so you might find it coming to a supermarket near you. Look out for it, as it can be thoroughly recommended !