With Spring finally upon us and Summer just around the corner I wanted to bring some exciting new seasonal wines to everyone’s attention. The quieter winter months are a great time to meet with our enthusiastic suppliers and attend wine tastings, this winter has been extremely productive and we have many fantastic new listings.
The first two wines are from small producers in Austria and Italy. Both wines come from our good friend Simon Newson who has a small wine importing company in London called Whirly Wines. Simon is the personification of enthusiasm when it comes to wine, he works very hard to import good quality wines from small producers who offer excellent quality and value.
The white wine is a Gruner Veltliner Klassik 2013. The wine is produced by the Mehofer family in Wagram, Austria. This is an ideal wine for the summer. It has a very fresh and lively acidity with lots of green apple and lemon on the nose. The palate is similar with a touch of Thyme thrown in. The finish is long, dry and very refreshing. The light alcohol content (only 11.5%) makes it an ideal wine to have as an aperitif or to sip whilst enjoying a summers day in the garden. However, it’s also a versatile food partner and works very well with cured fish, shellfish and lighter white cheese. Charlie’s citrus cured salmon with horseradish crème Fraiche and Avruga caviar is a dish that works excellently.
Lacrima Di Morro d’Alba 2012 from Marche in Italy is very interesting but not to everyone’s taste. When we tasted this wine last year Simon was jumping around the room with excitement as it is a wine like no other. I was equally enthusiastic but felt that the wine would benefit from further bottle ageing. A year on the wine is drinking extremely well and I think it will be an excellent wine to drink this spring or summer. The nose hits you with Turkish delight, rose and violets. The floral notes soften on the palate and ripe strawberries and cherries lead the way. The tannins are soft, acidity lively but not pronounced and the light alcohol is very well integrated. If you are a fan of lightly chilled red wine then this is a wine that works very well. It is also great at cellar temperature but if it gets too warm I find the fruitiness to be almost sickly sweet. This is a tricky wine to pair with food but we have found that duck, cheese and chocolate desserts work very well.
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