Thursday 24 October 2013

Moving Forward


I have officially left my job now!! Two years and six months after beginning there, and beginning my interests in wine, I have decided to move on to pastures new!!
I think it was the right time to go for something new. I've been a general manager now, and I want to try and progress more specifically within a wine oriented role; which my new job seems to be!
The venue in question is 'The Wingerworth Pub & Kitchen'. A brand new gastro-pub venture, not yet open, in a village (Wingerworth) just outside Chesterfield. My role is to be the resident 'wine guy'. I will have a good deal of control over the wine list, food and wine matches.. Pretty much perfect!
So, rather than go straight from one job into the next, I decided a little time off was in order, not much, just a week of rest and relaxation. Which so far has included having a new boiler fitted, buying new uniform, and having a practise at baking our wedding cake! More info on the success of this at a later date I suspect! With this well earned rest, I think I should be able to relax with a glass or two!




Domaine Sainte Rose 'La Nuit Blanche' Roussanne, 2011, Languedoc
First up was this wine, a refreshing little thing that we drank on Friday night. Well, I didn't drink a great deal, I was feeling a little under the weather, but having tasted it once before, I knew what was coming.
The nose is deliciously rich, full of oak, and tropical fruits; pineapple, grapefruit and peaches, as well as vanilla and cream. It's pretty floral too The palate is big and fleshy, peaches, melon and lots of rich vanilla. In truth, it's a pretty weighty wine, lacking a little acidity and not necessarily in any way refined. But sometimes that's just what you need! And I enjoyed it greatly.




Montes Alpha, Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Colchagua Valley, Chile.
Now apparently, according to many sources, 2007 was a very very good year in Chile, particularly in places like Casablanca Valley and Colchagua. A slightly cooler summer that gave the grapes longer on the vines before reaching ripeness, and thus making it possible for the wines to develop great tannin structure to develop with age.
Upon opening, this wine I found it a little closed and restricted, showing some fruit and oak, but not a great deal. The palate was similar, acidity and muted fruit, Not so good.
A couple of hours later, and continuing the next day, my, how everything changed! The nose is packed with a mix of sweeter and savoury levels. Black cherry, cassis and black pepper are the real dominant features, but there is some greenness too, and a little smoky bacon! There is blueberry too, and some spicy oak, a pretty big nose, but with nice, soft edges.
The palate is equally large, but not overblown. Predominant flavours are, again, black cherry, blueberry, and black currant. There is some eucalyptus-menthol there, smoke and oak as well. And heaps of refreshing acidity. Delicious. I have one bottle left, which I will keep hold of I think, for a little while longer. I'll have to hide it mind. What makes this wine even more enjoyable is that I found it in Tesco for the princely sum of £4 per bottle!! BARGAIN!!!

So there you go. I'm keeping myself busy during my down time. Not long now before the new job officially begins!! I'm getting a mix of feelings right now, excitement and nerves, more nerves right now though. It'll all be OK though.
Now then, lets finish this baking......

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