It’s easy to see how people can get a bit intimidated by wine. I went on a wine course once. I forked out over £200 to end up knowing less about wine than when I started.
I had no idea how vast a subject it was. There’s a mind-boggling amount of factors that go into wine-making such as grape variety, climate, weather, drainage, soil, ageing, fermenting, bottling, etc. It can get properly geeky.
To be a wine expert, you’d have to know all about world history, geography and chemistry as well as keep up to date with what’s being produced now. Recommending what food to match it with is the easy bit.
We were invited to a wine tasting by the Chilean winemakers Casillero del Diablo.
Well, I say invited, but one of my recipes won their Spring Supperclub competition (despite support from hubby in the form of ‘you’ll never win with that’) and this was part of the prize.
Follow the link for my winning recipe.
http://supperclub.chileanlegend.com/recipes/steak-served-with-a-pink-peppercorn-sauce-stuffed-mushrooms-roast-vine-tomatoes-and-chips
The wine tasting was lead by Ray O’Connor, who was going to talk us through six of the wines that Casillero del Diablo had brought for us to taste from their stable of 12. It was held at L’artelier des chefs and preceeded a cookery class.
Ray worked for Gordon Ramsay as Assistant Head Sommelier and won Young Wine Writer of the year in 2007. His aim (according to www.rayoconnorwine.com) is ‘de-mystifying wine for everyone’.
Ray, in full flow
The first thing Ray wanted to talk about was HOW to taste wine to get the best out of it and let it reveal its qualities.
1. Give it a bit of a swirl in the glass to ‘wake it up’. Hold white wines by the stem so your hands don’t warm the chilled wine in the glass.
2. Smell the wine, or as Ray put it ‘stick your nose right in there like it’s not your business.’ Just fill your lungs until your nasal hairs start twitching.
3. Take a mouthful and make a big old shlurping sound. Using your mouth like a wind tunnel provides oxygen which opens up the fruit flavours.
4. Spit it out (if you’re driving) or swallow it down.
I swallowed obviously
Don’t be shy or embarrassed when swirling, sniffing or tasting wine. You need to do it to get the most out of the wine – and you’re bound to make more of an arse out of yourself after you’ve ‘tasted’ the whole bottle.
Aagh, which one to taste next?
Casillero del Diablo was founded by Don Melchor, founder of Concha y Toro winery in 1891. He kept the best wines back for his own private cellar - perk of the job, but noticed that a few bottles kept going missing. So, he started spreading rumours amongst the thieving, but churchgoing, local villagers that the devil lived in his cellar. This old-fashioned security measure proved to be very effective and the business thrived. They now supply wine to over 120 countries so it’s pretty likely you’ll have tried their wine before.
We tasted Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Shiraz Rose, Carmenere & Cabernet Sauvignon
Ray then explained how the geographical shape of Chile is really conducive to wine-growing. Chile is a long, thin country in South America. It has a unique climate as it’s surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, Antarctica, the Andes and the Desert. The sun has helped bring out all the best characters, so all the Casillero del Diablo wines are ‘built to give pleasure now’.
Sparkling Chardonnay Brut -presented to us on arrival- a delicious and great value alternative to Champagne. My second favourite of the evening
My favourite of the night was the Carmenere. I’ve never even heard of this wine before. Carmenere grapes were almost wiped out in France by the Florixira plague around the 1850’s. Some un-diseased vines were saved and shipped over to Chile where they flourished, so now 99% of Carmenere grapes are grown in Chile. It’s light in character but has good length so pairs well with Sunday roast. I would describe it as a St. Emillion for beginners. Nothing too challenging, easy drinking but good length and enough sophistication to impress your dad. What more do you need.
