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wines in the Press- March 12-14

Published:  16 March, 2010

The Guardian

 

Victora Moore says it isn't difficult to guess which of the world's vineyards might command the highest prices, but one place that stands out as odd is Italy's Alto Adige.

 

"This is unexpected," says Moore "Or at least it was to me. Once part of Austria, and Italy's most northerly wine-producing area, this alpine region, with its immaculate mountain lakes, frosted rocky pinnacles, narrow valleys, vineyards at 400-500m, ski slopes, and steaming platefuls of canederli (speck dumplings) is not a place with which even oenophiles are necessarily familiar, not least because it produces only 0.7% of Italy's wine."

 

Dr Heike Platter of the Laimburg Research Centre of Agriculture says: "The climate is very good. We have 300 days of sunshine a year, but very little space for cultivation, so land is precious."

No surprise, then, that the wine is not cheap says Moore.

She recommends; St Michael Eppian Pinot Grigio 2008 (£9.99, Waitrose). Josef Weger Pinot Grigio 2008 (£13.50, keith@viaggiovino.co.uk) and Weingut Niklas Lagrein 2007 (£10.15, slurp.co.uk; £10.80, Les Caves de Pyrene).

 

Telegraph

 

Susy Atkins is considering Mother's Day presents and suggests a bottle of golden dessert wine. She feels a glass of cool, sweet wine, to accompany one of Diana Henry's apple pies, is sure to be treasured.

 

"Some wines have inherently sweet, appley flavours. Try the crisp, light, delicate dessert wines of Germany, or the baked-apple-and-walnut nuances of sweet Chenin Blanc, which usually hails from the Loire in France. Slightly lighter demi-sec Vouvray - also a Loire Valley Chenin - can be a delight."



She recommends; Clos De Nouys 2007 Vouvray Demi-Sec, France (£9.99 Waitrose, 37.5cl) and
Darting Estate Eiswein 2007, Germany (£14.99 Marks & Spencer, 37.5cl).

 

Times

Bob Tyrer is advising on how to find the perfect wine. He likes Liberty wines as they tend to be "a bit out of the way, unusual, characterful, occasionally a revelation, sometimes expensive, but so interesting and agreeable that I think I've got something worthwhile for my money."

 

He asked managing director of Liberty David Gleave, Liberty, how to find a fantastic bottle of wine?

 

A few of Gleaves answers were; look for good customer service, spend a little bit more, focus more on the region than the vintage and visit local independent retailers, rather than just relying on supermarkets.

 

He added, ask for full traceability if you're buying at auction. "Make sure the auction house can tell you how the wine has been stored - it should have been in a good cellar, with a constantly low temperature, and it shouldn't have been moved often."

 

The Independent

 

Wine of Australia put on a blind tasting of 50 "world class" Chardonnays at this year's annual tasting, says Anthony Rose.

 

He lists the three groups as; crisp and refreshing, fine and elegant and rich and complex.


Rose says the first group contained everyday wines that failed to set his pulse racing. He favoured the 2008 De Bortoli Estate Chardonnay, the Jacobs Creeks' 2005 Reeves Point Chardonnay and the Punt Road's 2008 Napoleone Vineyard Chardonnay.

 

Rose says the second section lived up to its billing, with amongst others the Giant Steps Arthur's Creek 2008 Chardonnay, (£17.80, OW Loeb).

 

In the final group, Rose recommends the zesty-intense 2008 Ten Minutes by Tractor McCutcheon Vineyard, (£18.49-£20.15, The Wine Library).

 

He adds: "Overall, though, this was a confident demonstration, showing that Australian Chardonnay is back, and by some distance its greatest white hope for the future."