Outside of the travel-based features I try and provide mixed range of wines from a varied rage of companies; Waitrose features quite regularly as that is my local supermarket and they do have a decent range. As does Bibendum. Fully embracing and supporting the wine blogosphere of course helps!

As with all things Internet there is a steady stream of 'things' happening from Bibendum - wine maker lunches (which I annoyingly seldom seem to be able to attend), tastings and so on. Just this week Bibendum-Times has been launched.

Bibendum Times started as a small idea for our Annual Tasting concept and has grown into something completely unique in the world of wine events and communities. We are building on our ground-breaking social media strategy over the last 12 months to create an on-line hub for anyone passionate about wine, food, travel, news and social media. It will engage wine trade, press and consumers in so many different ways that we believe it the first of its kind...anywhere!

Of course the tasting is still the focus and we can't wait to share that particular experience with you on the 20th January 2010. It features over 1000 brilliant bottles from a range of about 200 different winemakers, all there to share their passion with you on the day. But as ever, it's more than just a tasting; it's a chance to join all of us at Bibendum for our huge celebration of all things wine.

The Bibendum Times is a website like no other and is here to stay, long after the Annual Tasting dust has settled. It's a community where all wine lovers can air their views, post their pictures and videos, and interact with Bibendum, wineries and other like-minded people. The website is brimming with reader stories and ideas and will spread the good message using social networking tools. Look out for a real sommelier slant as well as we try to engage this key audience more than ever before.

You can find the website at www.bibendum-times.co.uk.

One of the most important features of the website is that it both pulls in information, from readers and bloggers, and also pushes it out through Twitter, Flickr, Youtube, Facebook and LinkedIn.

This push and pull technology allows content to be published and shared in real-time and in a single viewable place. It also means everyone can interact and get involved with the website whether or not they are a member of the likes of Facebook, Flickr, Twitter. In this way, Bibendum Times can reach out to everyone, wherever they are and whatever they do online.

As we build up to the big day expect activity on the website and at the venue to go into overdrive. Those at the venue will be able to interact with each other in completely different ways. Post a video tasting note, ask Bibendum a question on Twitter, submit your tasting photos in real time or vote in the one of the polls. On top of that, wine lovers who couldn't make it will be able to follow the tasting like never before using the Homepage livestream, which relays all th e various activities as and when they happen."

Most of the Bibendum tastings are trade tastings (i.e. not open to the general public). With so many people enfolded by Bibendum-love the opportunity for food bloggers (who outnumber the wine bloggers greatly) to write their impressions (in a food-focused, less wine-geeky voice) and those in the trade without a blog is a great way to enhance the UK's wine-web offering. It is also a magnanimous step by Bibendum as they do seem happy to accept contributions not necessarily connected to the wines they list. If I had some spare time, what would I contribute?

Right, here is what you get - a thick little hard-backed book of 500 odd pages. Each of the 13 wine producing country chapters is simply a list of recommended wines each with an indication of price and a tasting note. A two page introduction to the country or region (France and the USA are sub-divided) includes a little run down on the grape varieties, 'vintage lowdowns and drinking curves' and a little background.

The idea is to provide a list of "those under-the-radar, superb wine bargains that taste as if they should cost two or three times the price but don't" All the wines are given an indication of price be it £ (£5-£9), ££ (£10-£13) or £££ (£14-£20).

The guide offers more than 1,500 wine producers and abbreviated tasting notes for more than 3,000 wines.

Not that the vast majority of UK wine drinkers will know who Robert Parker is, the notes are I assumed lifted from the Wine Advocate. Take Marc Kreydenweiss (whose estate I toured this year and thoroughly enjoyed his organic wines) who receives one recommendation for his Pinot Blanc Kritt :

"Organic pioneer Kreydenweiss's blend of Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois suggests pear cider and honeysuckle. Rich, often strikingly creamy, it finishes lusciously but without a hint of sweetness"

These notes are not vintage specific, which I think diminishes the power of each recommendation. Generalisation may be fine for where vintage conditions give little variation on the contents of each bottle (think New World) but this really doesn't work for Europe where vintage variations are so often apparent. With a vintage guide on the back pages vintages are obviously important to the authors so I fail to see how notes lacking vintage specifics are useful.

Where can a consumer acquire these wines from? This being an American publication (with the dollar references transposed to sterling) the chapters covering California, Oregon and Washington state list a great many wines that are simply not available in the UK, lowering the guides value considerably. But then where would one go to grab a bottle of Tselepos Moschofilero from Mantinia in Greece or Clos Teddi Patrimonio from Corsica? (The internet obviously and the likes of Snooth and Adegga!)

There is a lack of consistency in the country descriptions too, no doubt down to which of the six contributors penned the piece. New Zealand receives a breakdown by main region listing acres under vine, average annual production, and soil types. All very geeky - and which none of the other country listings provide - but no analysis of how these conditions influence the flavours of the wines. How does a wine buyer looking for a Sunday roast splash-out bottle benefit from knowing that Waipara is principally "chalk loam, rich in limestone"?

Who exactly is this American-penned wine guide aimed at?

Robert Parker's Great Value Wines: Seriously Good Wine at Remarkably Fair Prices is published by Dorling Kindersley for £13.99. Amazon are currently listing the guide at £7.78.

The fourth flour of Liberty's in London currently hosts a pop-up Nescafe coffee 'shop'; they are promoting some new releases by giving way samples (and a mini cupcake). Being up in town yesterday I made use of the promotion but have to admit to being just a touch underwhelmed. Instant coffee does just not compare to a cafetière brewed cup - as this second Douwe Egberts coffee video demonstates - Cafetière made coffee is all I use at home now.

As mentioned with the first video this is the second in a series of 3 short films that charts the fascinating story of coffee. This one shows the breakthrough that truly made coffee instant and global - the filter. We also meet Etienne, the passionate tasting master behind the last 3 decades of Douwe Egberts blends. The video series are linked to two competitions:

1) Douwe Egberts MAIN competition:

The Netherlands is where it all started for Douwe Egberts, some 250 years ago, and we've been following the fascinating stories behind coffee ever since. We love hearing about your ideal endings to the coffee story - the kind of special coffee moments that you look forward to enjoying, week after week. In return for sharing, we're inviting one lucky winner and their friend to experience where it all began. You'll enjoy 3 nights of 4* accommodation, flights and transfers, £100 spending money and a whole host of Amsterdam's cultural and culinary delights.

The winner will be selected as the most original and humorous entry. Closing date is midnight, December 31st 2009.

LINK: http://behindeverycup.douwe-egberts.co.uk/

2) Hamper Giveaway provided by Douwe Egberts
Douwe Egberts are sponsoring this competition for the UK readers of my Spittoon - basically giving away a Christmas hamper (6x Etienne Products, Cafetiere, 2x Mugs,1x Thermos Travel Mug1x Douwe Egberts storage tin) to the value of £45.00. The competition relates to the three Douwe Egberts videos being posted with the question being detailed along with the third video. Closing Date for this one will be December 5th 2009

And if you tweet at all you might like to add ouwe Egberts to your list of followers: http://twitter.com/EtienneBlends

I have a confession to make. An apology too.

The European Wine Bloggers excursion into the Alentejo was an excellent experience. The first stop was at Quinta do Mouro with the highly entertaining wine maker/owner Miguel Mouro. A highly entertaining chap, like many in the wine world, a 'character' who took us through his wine range with anecdote and aplomb... and it is here the apology/confession rears.

The previous night was a long one; wine during the conference, beer and rum during the evening after. And just 3 hours sleep. So the palate just wasn't functioning. I took no notes either and didn't tweet anything. Feeling very guilty.

One thing I did pick up during the multi-language discourse was that Quinta do Mouro has (the only?) plantings of the centurion grape in Portugal (centurion being a cross of cabernet and carignan). I recall a slurp or two and a play at blending with Touriga Nacional and Cabernet...

All I could manage was to take a few pictures...

The estates wines are listed on Adegga and Snooth but sadly none appear to be available in the UK.

Given the synergy between wine and food it is somewhat surprising that of the dozens of trade tastings only one or two lay on food specifically for the wines available for tasting.

A prefect showcase you would have thought for the unique cuisine of South Africa to be displayed against the countries wines at the recent South African Mega Tasting. Rather than slithers of delicious indigenous game or slices of home-produced cheeses we had to slum it with an over-chilled sandwich, a bag of crisps and an apple. And a Mars Bar.

Logistics and cost I imagine are the main stumbling blocks but the attendees at the Fells Portfolio Tasting on the 22nd October put on a fine display of canapés matched specifically to a selected number of wines.

As this was the second consecutive year of offering such food and wine combinations the logistics can't be that tricky to overcome...

There was some real thought put into these matches; each dish accompanied each wine beautifully and in several instances revealed hidden depths to the wine and added greater complexity to the flavours.

While the dishes could possibly be recreated, even without specific recipes, at the very least the descriptions should give some indication of the flavours that married so well with the wines.

• Domaine William Fèvre Chabils, 2007 (£15.99) matched with a Saffron Queenie Scallop, Roast Chorizo and Wood Fried Piquillo Pepper.


• E Guigal Condrieu 2008 (£30) with Chinese Chinese Satay with Chili and Ginger and Black Sesame Sprinkle (apparently meant to match any from Hugel's Alsace wines; but we went to the Rhone instead!) Viognier plus Satay!


• Murrieta's Well White Meritage 2007, Lovermore Valley, San Francisco Bay (£18.99) matched with Label Anglaise Chicken & Buttercup Cheddar Ploughmans with Perry Pickle, picturted to left (another we picked the wrong wine for; but a marvellous revelation. A disappointing wine by itself; spectacularly transformed by the food!) The wine is a blend of barrel fermented Semillon (52%) and Sauvignon (48%).


• Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rosé with Toasted Maltbread with Double Gloucester, Carrot and Ginger Marmalade


• Ibericos Rioja Crianza, 2006 (£9.49) matched with Cinnamon Smoked Lamb, Confit Pomme de Terre, and Roast Choke and Mustard (photo on flickr)


• Edmeades Mendocino Zinfandel, 2006, (£17.99) with Tandorri Venison and Bombay Potato with Tomato and Juniper Chutney. A hearty beast and not just Zin either but also 7.2% Petite Sirah, 3.7% Merlot, 2.7% Syrah and 1% Grenache.


• Chakana Reserve Malbec, Agrelo, Mendonza, 2007 (£10.49) with Roast Beef Fillet, Sweet Potato Chop, Beetroot Confit


• Torres Moscatel Oro, NV, Penedes, Spain (£8.49) Coconut Cheesecake with Mango topping (photo on Flickr with a different wine!)

I draw the line at drinking a strawberry milkshake, complete with strawberry garnish, paper parasol and pink bendy straw, in a bar on a Friday night (unlike two male friends!) but, and this surprises quite a few for some reason, I'm rather partial to a pint of real ale, the odd gin and tonic or two, late night rum and cokes, ice-cold Thames tap-water and the odd German wheat beer. Hence my participation in Mark Dredges' beerswap.

A decent coffee is THE only thing to get me brain into gear of a morning too...

Despite the apparent wine-centric focus on Spittoon the intention was to have coverage of other drinks; not just alcoholic ones either. This video is the first of three from Douwe Egberts those fine Belgian coffee people... for those in the UK these will lead eventually to a little Douwe Egberts competition...

"Douwe Egberts have an unrivalled heritage in the coffee world. With a wealth of experience spanning over 250 years, Douwe Egberts have mastered the art of making truly exceptional coffee. Blending smooth, delicious coffee is a skill that they have been perfecting since 1753. With the help of their master blender, Etienne Moernaut, Douwe Egberts bring you great tasting coffee from across the world in every cup.

Etienne's passion has been at the heart of Douwe Egbert's coffee since 1973. Working from the factory in Belgium, he proves his dedication by tasting between 250 and 300 cups a day. His extensive knowledge and insistence in tasting at every stage of the roasting process, to ensure balanced flavours, is the secret behind the great taste of Douwe Egbert's coffee.

Douwe Egberts' knowledge allows them to produce a delicious and consistent taste for both their Instant and Roast and Ground ranges. Whether you're on the go, or if you're after a moment to savour, their range sumptuous blends will satisfy every palette. From smooth and indulgent to vibrant and intense, Douwe Egberts' unique expertise allows them to deliver on taste every time.

Douwe Egberts have an unrivalled heritage in the coffee world and boast over 250 years of experience in making truly exceptional coffee. Blending smooth, delicious coffee is an art they have been perfecting since 1753."

I draw the line at drinking a strawberry milkshake, complete with strawberry garnish, paper parasol and pink bendy straw, in a bar on a Friday night (unlike two male friends!) but, and this surprises quite a few for some reason, I'm rather partial to a pint of real ale, the odd gin and tonic or two, late night rum and cokes, ice-cold Thames tap-water and the odd German wheat beer. Hence my participation in Mark Dredges' beerswap.

A decent coffee is THE only thing to get me brain into gear of a morning too...

Despite the apparent wine-centric focus on Spittoon the intention was to have coverage of other drinks; not just alcoholic ones either. This video is the first of three from Douwe Egberts those fine Belgian coffee people... for those in the UK these will lead eventually to a little Douwe Egberts competition...

"Douwe Egberts have an unrivalled heritage in the coffee world. With a wealth of experience spanning over 250 years, Douwe Egberts have mastered the art of making truly exceptional coffee. Blending smooth, delicious coffee is a skill that they have been perfecting since 1753. With the help of their master blender, Etienne Moernaut, Douwe Egberts bring you great tasting coffee from across the world in every cup.

Etienne's passion has been at the heart of Douwe Egbert's coffee since 1973. Working from the factory in Belgium, he proves his dedication by tasting between 250 and 300 cups a day. His extensive knowledge and insistence in tasting at every stage of the roasting process, to ensure balanced flavours, is the secret behind the great taste of Douwe Egbert's coffee.

Douwe Egberts' knowledge allows them to produce a delicious and consistent taste for both their Instant and Roast and Ground ranges. Whether you're on the go, or if you're after a moment to savour, their range sumptuous blends will satisfy every palette. From smooth and indulgent to vibrant and intense, Douwe Egberts' unique expertise allows them to deliver on taste every time.

Douwe Egberts have an unrivalled heritage in the coffee world and boast over 250 years of experience in making truly exceptional coffee. Blending smooth, delicious coffee is an art they have been perfecting since 1753."

Chardonnay should be the wine of choice when matching with fish pie; unoaked preferably. You need something ripe and silky to accompany the creamy element; a wine also with a little herby complexity to the flavour to match the mix in the dish (in this instance parsley and dill).

The new Billingsgate Fish Market Cookbook supplied the recipe, as detailed on SpittoonExtra. Naked Wines provided the wine, a rich, unoaked Chardonnay brimming with ripe peach and nectarine flavours with that required herb component.

"After enjoying this wine recently with freshly caught King George Whiting from Kangaroo Island of South Australia , one of Austrlia's iconic, premium and most loved fish, served in a beer batter and lightly fried for 10 mins, accompanied by a crunchy loaf of fresh home made Italian Bread, with locally or home grown organic garden salad and roma tomatoes, finished with a dash of premium olive oil over the top. WARNING !!! This food and wine combination served amongst your friends and family will likely enusre that you are a requalr host amongst all."

The Fetch Unwooded Chardonnay was one of 15 wines Naked Wines sourced via their unique 'flash mob' auction.

"Part flash mob, part social networking and part online auction all rolled into one. It seems crazy that this hasn't been done before - it's the next best thing to visiting three dozen wineries in one night and picking products straight from the cellar."

Of the A$100,000 purchasing budget Amadio Wines, the producer received an order ammounting to A$8,050. The same auction also gave the Plunkett Fowles Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Chardonnay a listing at Naked Wines.

Last Tuesday saw a sprinkling of the crème de la crème of the food and wine blogging fraternity gather at Roast in Borough Market. For some reason they invited me along too.

Chapel Down were the hosts looking at raising the profile of their English wine range in a food/wine matching environment. The chef at Roast, Lawrence Keogh, constructed various dishes to accompany wines from the Chapel Down cellars; some matches worked beautifully, others less so.

Myself, that man-about-town who keeps popping up in all the cool places, the delightful Gourmet Chick, the lovely Liz of Gastronomy Domaine, the hard-working Eat Like A Girl and good-ol' Wine Sleuth, through caution to the wind (or maybe that was just too much of the Chapel Down fizz) and twittered incessantly during the meal (Liz has reposted her tweets here) but you can read all via #cdrlunch on twitter.

The net result is that Roast and Chapel Down have paired down our sampling menu into a full three courses plus wines meal deal exclusively for our respective blog readers.

That's you by the way!

If you would like the chance to sample the menu and the wines you need to head to Roast on the 24th November.

Andrew, as you're aware, your thoughts and feedback were crucial in putting together the special Chapel Down menu that your readers will be able to enjoy during a special evening service on November 24th. After some discussion and deliberation, that menu will be as follows:

- On arrival, a glass of Chapel Down Brut Rose
- Ramsey of Carluke haggis with celeriac and oxtail sauce, with a glass of Chapel Down Rondo Regent Pinot Noir NV
- Slow-roast Wicks Manor pork belly with mashed potatoes and Bramley apple sauce, served with a glass of Roast Bacchus Reserve 2007
- Spiced clementine custard with anise biscuits, served with a glass of Chapel Down Nectar 2007
- Tea or coffee

To take advantage of this menu, including the wine at just £44.50, you will need to quote Chapel Down Roast Bloggers' Dinner when you ring the restaurant to book - 0845 034 7300.

Let me tell you something people - that pork belly is worth the cost of the meal in itself! Delicious. The picture, below, is a half-sized sampler dish that we were served... and if you haven't experienced a decent haggis before (or any haggis come to that) then you are in for a treat...

A slightly odd-ball marketing idea; a national supermarket chain implementing wine back labels in the local dialect. Nothing like demystifying the incomprehensible into the ununderstandable... or summat...

The idea apparently is to find a "more palatable way of talking wine with its consumers". Spar has translated a number of its wines, adding various local dialects such as Scouse, Geordie and Scottish to its tasting notes.

An example:

Original translation:
"A truly great Merlot which is ablaze with succulent blackcurrants and blueberries. This Merlot has legs like a thoroughbred, strong and forward, which tantalises your palate. Its full bouquet is a delight for your nose and will leave you yearning for more. This isn't a wine for the faint hearted."

Geordie translation:

"A canny Merlot ableeze wi succulent blackcurrants an blueberries. This Merlot has legs leik a thoroughbred, strong an forward, tha sucks the leif oot of yer palate. Its stowed bouquet is a delight fer yer nose an will leave yee clamming fer moor. This ain ne blash"

Or, the translation to the tuneful sing song of the Mersey Beat or Scouse: [Listen MP3]

"A totally boss bottle of Merlot which smells o' blackberry, choccie, a brew and toffees. Juicy and complex like, this bevey is top wi most scran 'specially me ma's scouse. Tellin ye, this is deffo a bevey that will leave youz and youz mates made up over yez Sayers pastie."

In Somerset, SPAR describes the Merlot as:

"Alright my luvver, eers one helluva Merlot. Be stinkin hummin a sivvies thar be bleddy ansome wi yaw croust or oggy. Purfect ta share wi yaw pardy as i'' aiin ta eavy. Mygar be a purdy wine! Churs!"

While up in Scotland, locals will like the sound of this red:

"A totally stoatin bevvy. It's bricht an' foo o' flavur, wi plum, curranty fruit, mackin it taste awffy braw. A youngane's colour wi cherries an black fruit on the nose, it has a laldy kick tae it, tha runs fae the front tae the back ae' yer mooth."

"Ultimately our wines will speak for themselves, but in the meantime it's time to speak people's language."

There is also a Brummie version [Listen MP3] just don't ask me to translate!

News received during the weekends Wine Bloggers Conference in Lisbon - the Wine Travel Guides website has made its wealth of content free to view!

Previously, the 50 guides to France, Italy and Spain were only available to paid annual subscribers, but now all website visitors can freely view the in-depth information to plan their own wine tours.

Aimed at independent travellers who want to include a wine tour as part of their visit to Europe, the exclusive on-line guides include over 1,500 recommendations of wine producers to visit, places to stay, eat and shop, local attractions as well as detailed information on regional wines. The 50 guides cover all major French wine regions as well as Tuscany in Italy and Rioja in Spain; more regions are planned for the future.

The Wine Travel Guides website was launched by wine writer Wink Lorch, owner of Wine Travel Guides in 2007. She commissioned insider experts, many of them well-known wine and travel writers to write the guides and has always sought high quality, independent content.

Wink Lorch comments:

"I decided to free up the 1,500 pages of information to be viewed by the growing number of travellers to Europe who are interested in wine tours. In-depth information is hard to find about travelling through European wine regions and we fill that gap with our comprehensive, well researched guides."

To make it easier for travellers to plan their wine tour, printable PDF guides are available to purchase and the website also continues to offer annual gold membership allowing the most recently updated guides to be downloaded at any time.

The website will accept selective advertising in the future but Lorch adds: "All our recommendations are strictly independently chosen and will continue to be so. We accept no sponsorship from individual wineries, hotels, restaurants or other recommended attractions."

The cost of individual downloadable PDF guides is just £5 (approximately US $8.50) with discounts for multiple purchases. The annual Gold membership, which gives full access to the most recent PDF updates of all the guides on the site, costs £29 (approximately US $49) and the website intends to negotiate a range of benefits for Gold members. A sample PDF guide is available to visitors who register on the website and all of the information contained in the guides can be viewed on-line before purchase.

With the insider expert information from Wine Travel Guides, independent travellers can now plan their own tours to wine regions with confidence.

Regardless of what you think of the actual wine - Nottage Hill being one of the top selling brands in the UK and as such is rather looked down-upon - such large producers are often at the forefront of innovation and development.

New Hardys Nottage Hill FreshCase is a stylish and convenient packaging innovation designed for lovers of quality wine that keeps fresh for up to six weeks after opening. Hardys Nottage Hill FreshCase is ideal for every day drinking and is a real treat. Indulge in a glass of high quality wine when you get in from work or enjoy after finner without feeling like you need to finish or waste the rest of the bottle. To really set off your dinner party table, why not decant FreshCase Cabernet Shiraz."

Having just sunk a couple of 'from the fridge' glasses of the FreshCase Chardonnay with a hastily knocked-together Pasta Carbonara I can attest that the wine does actually make for a decent pairing with the food. Less impressed with the Cabernet-Shiraz but for a mid-week slurp it passes muster; can't really say that I'd throw it into a decanter to impress guests though, but still...

If I have a complaint it's that you really don't have a clue as to how much is left in the case... but those environmental recycling benefits are clearly a plus point.

The Hardys Nottage Hill FreshCase is to launch in Sainsbury's from the 1st of November and will retail for £19.99.

Received a little video this week where Joe Wadsack "talks Pinot Noir Epiphanies and how to pair hors d'oeuvres with your favourite tipple"; thought it was only nice to share...

In this video, wine expert Joe Wadsack gives you tips on making the most out of Port (and not just for Christmas), the wines of the Burgundy region in France and the Douro Valley in Portugal. He'll also give advice to ensure you're trying true top-quality European foods that have the PDO official stamp. Watch Joe's video to find out how to have your own "Pinot Noir Epiphany" and the best way to serve and eat hors d'oeuvres like Parma ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

To view just click this link - http://www.linkto.tv/iframe/show/uuid/409Et6H1WhI

For those who don't follow Spittoon on Twitter (via wine_scribbler) a recap on the twitter tasting notes sent during the South African Wine Mega Tasting. Held over two days last week the tasting is THE main showcase for the South African wine industry in the UK; noticed that many Europeans were also in attendance...

With limited time the generic tables held the attention; sadly no selection of Blends (Jo, how about this next year?) Cape Blends or otherwise.

Extra details given in brackets. Also restricted myself to the E and F price categories which equate for E to £10-£20/€15-30/US$30-50 and for F to above £20/€30/US$50.

• arrived south africa megatasting going to start on the themed tables i think 10:45 AM Oct 13th from txt
• liking the oak valley chardonnay 08 from elvin, quite classy and elegant 11:02 AM Oct 13th from txt [mistyped Elgin not 'elvin', 13% alcohol, elegance and very precise. Price E].
• winery of good hope 08 chardonnay also impresses. in sub£20 category here excellent balance concentrated finish 11:08 AM Oct 13th from txt [Alcohol 13.5%, Stellenbosch, classy packaging with tapered bottle, available from Les Caves de Pyrene Price E]
• also impressed ~racey oak edge and powerful finish to moreson 06 chard. moreson : sun of the morning 11:18 AM Oct 13th from txt [from Franschhoek, 14% alcohol, orange and pea edge to flavour, long finish. Price E]
• loving the vibrant pea and nettle led kleine zalze family reserve 08 sauvignon 11:24 AM Oct 13th from txt [13.5% alcohol, clean, zippy palate, nice weighty mouthful]
• best sauvignon so far though single vineyard kumkani lanner hill 08 wonderful balance/weight/concentration 11:33 AM Oct 13th from txt [smooth, complex flavours, roasted green peppers, stonking!. Alcohol 13.5% Price E]
• theres some power behind the kleine zalze vineyard selection chenin but 09 vintage = too young 11:43 AM Oct 13th from txt [you can feel the potential! Alcohol 14% Barrel fermented Price D]
• enjoying too the richness to the simonsig chenin avec chene 08 'flamboyant' layered 11:52 AM Oct 13th from txt [Stellenbosch, 14.5% alcohol, tropical fruity richness. Price E]
• wish twitpic worked on this phone. packaging on pink expression 09 unique and elegant label female portrait by iwan labuschagne. wine f ... 12:12 PM Oct 13th from txt [didn't like the aroma much but the palate good with red berries and tropical fruit notes. Price C, a very pale coloured rosé]
• talking of packaging, not sure of gold striped label on escapades pinotage 08; nice sweet fruit led palate good structure 12:23 PM Oct 13th from txt [Stellenbosch,13.5% alcohol]
• some decent complexity to morkel 08 pinotage; baked tomato palate smoky edge to nose, 12:29 PM Oct 13th from txt [Alcohol 13.5%, perhaps overly dry finish, Price D]
• lyngrove platinum 05 shiraz, the colour of mud but retaining a powerful vibrancy on palate. 12:35 PM Oct 13th from txt [Some age, very noticable on the colour but offerng rounded, smooth, deep palate. Alcohol 14.5%. Price E]
• plenty of shiraz ~ kleine zalze family reserve showing v well but why no blends table? 12:41 PM Oct 13th from txt [Price E, also great was herby/minty Kumkani Tripe J Shiraz 06]
• who left their bag propped up against the spittoon. silly silly people,they dont call me dribble for nothing! 12:46 PM Oct 13th from txt
• cloof cruicible shiraz 06 showing great power & concentration. so it should being the most expensive on display £20+ 12:48 PM Oct 13th from txt [Price F,alcohol noticable at 15.5%, plenty of gravelly tannins, blackberry, rosehips, lovely]