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Wines in the Press- March 19-21

The Guardian

The British now drink more South African wine than French, says Victoria Moore. According to the latest figures, imports, are up 20% by volume exceeding the French by some 4,000 cases.

She adds, it may not hold on to that position for long - in 2009, the harvest was down 8.4% on 2008.

Moore says this is likely to push up prices and may make cheaper brands that helped drive that success less competitive. "Then there's the question of what will happen with the dread C word - currency - that has played havoc with the price of wine from euro-countries," says Moore.

In the meantime, she recommends Buitenverwachting Sauvignon Blanc Constantia 2009 (£7.99, on offer at Majestic) and Crow's Fountain Chenin Blanc 2009 (£5.99, on offer at Marks & Spencer).

The Times
Jane MacQuitty says much of the pleasure from wine does not lie purely in the alcohol, or even in the taste, but the bouquet. "The finest wines delight the nose as much as the palate and any of you who hurtle through this stage of wine appreciation are missing out," she says.

The only thing that keeps her going at this time of year, is the promise of a spring perfumed white wine, she adds.

MacQuitty recommends aromatic New World whites, particularly the 2009s from Marlborough, New Zealand and its Wither Hills Pinot Gris 2009, (£9.99 Waitrose).

The Independent

Anthony Rose says that having previously neither been a blogger or Twitterer last year he succumbed.

He adds if you recognise its limitations, the maximum 140 characters of Twitter can be a boon in the world of wine.

Tweets may provide useful links to great interviews, or raise environmental issues such as plans for a Mosel viaduct across German wine country, says Rose. Blogging is more labour-intensive, but there are now sufficient wine bloggers to justify a collective noun. He suggests a blogorrhoea?

Some view new social media as the thin end of a dumbing-down wedge, says Rose, but by sifting and sorting "you can keep on your toes as the world of wine unfolds around you. Well, that's what I think today. Tomorrow's another day". antrose33@twitter.com

Financial Times

Jancis Robinson MW asks,"why and how does wine make you hungry?"

She says many is the time that she has sat for hours with others over a string of ancient vintages dreaming of lunch or dinner.

It's not that the members of the wine trade are not generous hosts, but many perhaps believe the aromas of food may interfere with the bouquet of the wines, she adds.

At Ridge in California, Robinson says it was a delight to find all 12 of the previously poured vintages were to be served with dinner. "This meant not only that there wasn't the distraction of waiters with bottles hovering over us but also that the wines had plenty of time to open up and develop in the glasses."

Ridge's philosophy has always been that wine is made to be drunk with food and I can only concur, says Robinson.

Sunday Times

Bob Tyrer asks, "hands up anyone who sniggers at a wine called La Clape. Nobody? Puerile lummox that I was when I first came across it in the 1970s, I thought it was even sillier than all those villages in Champagne with mad names: Bouzy, Moussy, Lucy, Dizy, Olizy and Péas."

He says there is no more laughing - La Clape has to be taken seriously now as its wines are getting their own appellation contrôlée and regularly win gold medals.

Tyrer tells us, La Clape is a chalk massif - something between a hill and mountain - between Narbonne and the sea in Languedoc and its reputation has grown.

One of the first to produce wine there was Jean-Paul Rosset, Tyrer says he reckoned that the ultra-hard chalk and the cooling breezes would enable vines to produce elegant wines.

He adds "to see how right he was, try his lemony-salty-creamy white," La Brise Marine (£8.49, taylorsfinewine.co.uk).