Chablis: Jimmy Choos & Premier Crus

Chablis is just Chablis, innit? But why are some so much better than others? That was the latest question from Digiboy as we paired oysters with Chablis in a moment of decadence this week.

There may be only one place in the world that makes wine like the French village of Chablis, but there are many different qualities to chose from. It's worth bearing these in mind to give you that that extra push in the desired direction. Time for a Vin-alogy!

An elegant wine deserves an elegant image, so...

Grand Cru - the Stiletto. The greatest type: powerful, complex and capable of years of ageing. Like Jimmy Choos, don't wear them too young; it's a waste and people will just think 'tart!'

Premier Cru - the Kitten Heel. For finesse & fabulous structure, but without quite the weight of Grand Cru. This is your guest-at-a-wedding choice; not for everyday, but still kinda special.

Chablis - the Ballet Pump. Fresh, flinty & elegant with that classic chalky tang. Easy enough for everyday, but a day when trainers just won't do. Drink within 3 years or so of vintage.

Petit Chablis - the Flip Flop. Pleasant enough, light bodied and fragrant. Not exactly sophisticated because... it's a flip flop. It's just a Havaiana flip flop!  For early and very easy drinking.


Here are some other cool things you should know about our golden girl, Chablis:


* The grape variety is Chardonnay. Yes, Chardonnay! It's just the cool, lean, elegant Gwyneth Paltrow type as apposed to the big and flouncy, Pamela Anderson kind (See my Chardonnay blog).

* Chablis has a left bank and a right bank - just like Bordeaux.

* Its well-loved, unique chalk-flint and steely style is largely due to the area's distinctive limestone Kimmeridgian soil and the super-cool, climate.

* Straight Chablis is a haven for the anti-oak contingent (although you'll always find an occasional exception).

* It's awesome with white fish and oysters!

Tasting Tour - some easy-to-find, fantastic producers to try:

Billaud-Simon, Dauvissat, William Fevre, Louis Moureau, Jean Durup, Vincent Dampt.


Happy drinking. 


Winebird x

Châteauneuf-du-Pape: 3 Kings & a Christmas Cake

Digi says he understands things better when there's a visual analogy and I know he's not alone! So, here comes a belated Christmas-themed post...

Châteauneuf-du-Pape means The Pope's New Castle, so imagine the 3 kings of the nativity here, making the Pope a lovely house-warming Christmas cake.

In the Pope's kitchen, The King's gifts of Gold, Frankincense & Myrr become Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre grapes as the key ingredients in this full-bodied blend. There's also a rack with a further 10 spices on it should the Kings feel the need to add them. They know however, that their own gifts are pretty darn good, so they'll probably not need anything else!

The comforting, Christmas cake-esque flavours of Châteauneuf-du-Pape are much loved: yummy, sweet spice and dried figgy flavours combine deliciously with a rich and warming, full-body. The 10 'spices' mentioned above are the other 10 grape varieties legally allowed in the blend (some of them, white!) In practice however, they often don't make it in.

Named after the town (not the grapes) in France's Southern Rhône Valley, this area has a long vinous history dating back to when the Papacy was based in Avignon - hence the name. Pope John XXII in particular was apparently an avid wine drinker, and helped improve the area's winemaking practices no end. He even built the famous Chateau that has since become the symbol of Châteauneuf's winey gift to the world!

So there you go, Châteauneuf-du-Pape = 3 Kings making Christmas cake for the Pope! A vinous adventure with a bit of history thrown in....

Winebird x

Teach me the language of wine!

My last post got Digiboy and I into a discussion about the language of wine, so now we are doing an exchange à la school French trips at age 14. He will (eventually) be teaching me web-speak in exchange for wine-speak: two very modern languages for the 21st Century!

Wine is a language, you see. No one can be expected just to speak it straight away. And just because it uses words we all understand, the meaning is still often far from obvious.

Wine tastes like wine to the uninitiated - you know whether you like it or not and to be honest, that's the most important thing. Once you spend time concentrating on what you are tasting however, you'll see that the different grape varieties have certain distinctive qualities, no matter where in the world they are grown. The aromas and flavours associated with the various grapes are very similar to fruits, flowers and even textiles in some cases (see my Riesling blog). It's the fermentation process itself that releases them to be savoured!

As you taste more and more, you will also start to tell the difference between a grape grown in one country and the same grape grown in another. For example, the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety is usually full bodied and has a blackcurrant flavour. It is also quite tannic, so it looks dark in colour and has a rather drying texture. If you taste a French Cabernet and an Aussie Cabernet side by side, you will see that the two are similar in principal ways - body, blackcurrant, tannin for example, but the Aussie will probably seem much more juicy and may have a herbaceous character, whereas the Classic French will probably be more austere with less obvious fruit. These nuances are due to all sorts of things such as soil, weather, topography etc. but that's a subject for another time!

**Important point - a wine that is described as tasting of peach (for example) has not been anywhere near peaches. It's just the specific quality of that grape type! **

The reason wine ponces use this flowery wine language (which can definitely sound very OTT, it's true) is purely so they can describe wines accurately and judge its worth - both vital when buying and selling professionally. For the average consumer, such 'tasting notes' as are also useful, not because they are saying that a wine will taste of butter or melon or cat pee, but to give the customer an idea of the wine's style.

If I were to ask you which wine you'd pick to curl up with by the fire in winter, would you go for:

a) Crunchy, redcurrant fruit with herbaceous notes and refreshing acidity. Or
b) Rich and chocolatey, with notes of sweet spice.

My guess would be b) in most cases. You see, you don't have to 'get' the flavours yourself just because the pros and the ponces feel they do. It's about describing the style of a wine in a three dimensional way - feel, taste and smell. Don't take it all too literally!

Now gimme some of wine b. it's snowing.

Winebird x

p.s Fernanda is a top Parisien Sommelier and Rob is after a kick ass Grand Cru Burgundy. In case you're wondering.

p.p.s If you want to get seriously into the description, see Jancis Robinson!