Bubbles, a red, a new and an old sweetie
Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 4:11PM Stand out wines from a long and languorous foodie weekend
Playing host to a male 'friend' up from down south, someone who loves to eat and drink as much as me, last weekend's itinerary ran a lot like an A-to-Z of Glasgow's premier foodie spots.
In just five days (granted, we stretched the definition of long weekend), I managed to introduce him to a good number of my favourite haunts: Cafezique, Crabshakk, the west end farmers' market, Bar Gandolfi, Iain Mellis Cheesemongers, Kember & Jones, Monachyle MHOR Hotel and restaurant at Balquhidder, Perthshire (via their Callander outposts, the MHORBread bakery on our way there and MHORFish chippie on our way back for the best chips I've EVER had), the Stravaigin cafe bar and Ubiquitous Chip's Corner Bar.
Phew, I feel tired and out of breath just reading that list back to myself! Amazingly, it felt super relaxed at the time. Extremely so. But, to keep us all sufficiently aerated, I'll skip the home cooking and art exhibitions.
Monachyle MHOR's Tom Lewis, interior and view
Around Balquhidder, for Monachyle MHOR by Amoghavira PhotographyNow, I don't want the title of this piece to suggest that we took in a snifter at each stop off. In decidedly un-Scottish alcoholic moderation, we actually conducted a several-day-long Virgin Mary, hot chocolate (him) and coffee tasting (me). But there were a good few wines along the way. Two of which stood out, blasting the rest into comparative mediocrity - and not one of those was bad.
The first was a glass of bubbles at Monachyle MHOR. Comte Audoin de Dampierre Grande Cuvée. Unusually dark golden in colour and full of toasty, rich biscuit and tangerine flavours. Like an orange biscotti.
Orange blossom paper
I usually opt for girlie-style champers: foamy, apple-fresh and fruit-driven. Rather than the manly and robust yeasty variety, which are too often one-dimensional and a little overbearing; all brawn and no finesse, though I'm obviously not passing any comment here on male character in general. This combined the best of both worlds and should go down equally well with the ladeez and gentlemen. One of the most elegant champagnes I've tasted in a long while.
Dampierre Grande Cuvée is available in Scotland from l'Art du Vin, Edinburgh, minimum order of 9 litres (case of 12x75cl bottles or equivalent) but cases can be mixed; £22.29 per bottle, orders over £100 delivered free of charge, £10 p&p under £100. Orders of any size available in the UK from Best Cellars online wine merchants, £22.95 per bottle plus £7.50 p&p per delivery address for orders under £50.
For information on other Dampierre bubbles and an amusing insight into the man behind their greatness, check out the following clip of Le Comte himself, being interviewed at his chateau by Oz Clarke and James May, from the 2006 BBC series Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure. Sign up to the Dampierre facebook fan page to keep up to date with details of availability, new vintages and a nice line in champagne quotes.
"Three be the things I shall never attain:
Envy, content and sufficient champagne." Dorothy Parker
"Too much of anything is bad, but too much champagne is just right." Mark Twain
The second joyous wine was an Argentinian red, Colomé's Amalaya 2008, sold by the glass at Bar Gandolfi. A predominantly Malbec blend (75% Malbec, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% each Syrah and Tannat) from the world's highest commercial vineyard in the foothills of the Andes. Heady, perfumed fruit - violets, subtle vanilla, cherries, spiced plums and brambles - silky smooth on the palate with a very long finish, exceptionally so for a wine in this price bracket.
Having phoned round Glasgow's indy wine sellers with no luck at sourcing, I called Gandolfi who explained that many of their wines are exclusive to them. Not readily available elsewhere, so many customers were asking to buy that they started selling to take away just over two months ago. Each wine is sold at £10 below the list price. At £20.50 a bottle, the Amalaya can be yours to drink at home for just £10.50, making online ordering pointless unless you live out with easy reach. In which case it can be bought online for around £9 or £10 excluding p&p - see Classic Wines Direct or Slurp Fine Wines.
Photo by Ijonas Kisselbach and Michael BennettLast but not least, my new Southern sweetie brought me an old sweetie. A 1990 Tokaji Aszú (Hungarian dessert wine). Wow! My first Tokaji experience and with loads of age too. Love wines with age! All toffee and caramelised grapefruit, it went down a treat with a selection of blue cheeses from Mellis's, particularly the Strathdon Blue. A Scottish take on Roquefort that hails from Tain, just north of my Black Isle hometown; rich and intense like its French cousin, but softer and creamier in texture and more gently flavoured.
Strathdon Blue
The only disappointment of the weekend: our very first meal, at McSorley's pub and restaurant. On my hit list because their new chef has previously earned a Michelin star, worked with the likes of Raymond Blanc and designed an innovative menu pulling some interesting flourishes with the best of Scottish produce. Despite the credentials, the whole experience was much like eating at the sunday carvery of a large chain hotel. Overabundant quantity, entirely unremarkable quality, with some elements simply poor - the dry as dust pork fillet for example. A very good Tempranillo saved the evening, but my advice for would be triers: don't bother.
Reader Comments (3)
Many, many thanks for your kind words on Strathdon Blue. It's nothing but a complete pain in the arse to make with our greatest consistency being its inconsistency. There are so many components to the ripening stage that no matter how well the initial make has gone you can end up with all sorts after a couple of months. We refer to seasonality as a major component which infers that it's all about the milk. But in truth it's more of a reference to the ambient temperature of the dairy which doesn't see the sun from Nov to March (and little else in between) how it effects the cultures, blue mould and subsequent ripening. One day, if I keep at it, I might just make a consistenly average cheese. Very Heaven. Kind regards Rory Stone
Hello Ruaraidh, thanks very much for dropping by. Strathdon Blue sounds like a true labour of love. Tastes worth every moment of toil and trouble though! I've had a soft spot for it for a good while now, but my visitor hadn't tried any Scottish blues before. Of the three we tasted in Mellis's, yours was his favourite. Out of all 6 or 7 of the cheeses we bought there in fact. The production process sounds fascinating. I'd love to know more...
I love the idea of pairing the blue with the Tokaji. I've only had the wine once, but would give it another try in order to pair with the cheese. Oh, by the way, are you sure it was the list that made you out of breath? ;)