If you have looked at the 'We got both kinds...' page you will know that as well as enjoying wine I am also fond of cheese.
My most recent purchase was some Manchego from a market stall in Barcelona at the end of a very enjoyable long weekend spent celebrating the forthcoming special birthday of good friend, with some other good friends.
Today I was back at the day job and I had the opportunity to nip out at lunch time to one of my regular suppliers to pick up a mature cheddar and salad torpedo. £3.70, which is at the top end of the local competitor's price range, but the cheese is very good. They also had some Old Amsterdam, being a mature Gouda and a personal favourite.
My supplier is The International Cheese Centre on the concourse at Liverpool Street Station. It would be tempting to suggest that delusions of grandeur are at work here, as the centre is an open-fronted shop with room enough for two and a half people behind the counter, but that would be missing the point. That is, they sell great cheeses from international sources and that, for me, more than justifies the name. I suspect they may be a somewhat larger behind-the-scenes operation, using their three station-based shop fronts as, well, shop fronts.
They supply not only cheese but also a small selection of related items (including a cheese curler which is something I had no idea I needed until I read about it) such as wine.
Therefore, week B (2014) is Wollsteiner Rheingrafenstein Rotwein QbA, 2011. Produced by Weingut Hermann J. & Jutta Muller. £9.95.
It is, as far as I can tell, 100% Blauer Portugeiser, a grape found mostly in Austria, but also in Rheinhessen, the German 'Anbaugebiete' (wine producing region) from which this example comes.
The back label is wonderful, saying 'serve this nice red wine between 15-18 degrees C, e.g. to meat, duck or pheasant, lentil dish, veal fricassee, or Bleu de Bresse, Gorgonzola and Taleggio cheese. Enjoy flavours of cherry, berries, elder, common juniper and orange, etc.'. I particularly enjoyed the 'etc.'!
As I write this I have yet to pull the cork and have to admit to having fairly low expectations. It is a QbA rated wine, which is the level below Germany's QmP. Think of this as the equivalent to the French Vin de Pays, but make it more complicated. It also comes in a bottle with a very flat bottom. This is sometimes a clue that the bottle itself did not cost the winemaker very much and possibly hints that s/he does not consider the wine worthy of the extra expense that accompanies a nice dimpled bottom.
I can also see that there is a ring of bubbles on the top of the wine inside the unopened bottle. Curious. Ok, I'm going in.
First thoughts are that it is an interesting colour. Pale to medium ruby/garnet which could be a concern for a mid-priced wine of only 2.5 years old. Mild aromas of red fruits. On the palate it is dry, but fruity and fairly simple. The 13% alcohol doesn't show itself too conspicuously and the finish is longer than I expected.
It is light and very easy to drink. It does not have great depth or complexity and would probably disappoint if served with a hearty meal, however, lightly chilled on a warm summer's afternoon I think this could be quite enjoyable. At a touch under £10 it is expensive compared to other wines that might be chosen on similar occasions, but this game is all about exploration and the name alone makes it more exotic than most supermarket plonk.
My most recent purchase was some Manchego from a market stall in Barcelona at the end of a very enjoyable long weekend spent celebrating the forthcoming special birthday of good friend, with some other good friends.
Today I was back at the day job and I had the opportunity to nip out at lunch time to one of my regular suppliers to pick up a mature cheddar and salad torpedo. £3.70, which is at the top end of the local competitor's price range, but the cheese is very good. They also had some Old Amsterdam, being a mature Gouda and a personal favourite.
My supplier is The International Cheese Centre on the concourse at Liverpool Street Station. It would be tempting to suggest that delusions of grandeur are at work here, as the centre is an open-fronted shop with room enough for two and a half people behind the counter, but that would be missing the point. That is, they sell great cheeses from international sources and that, for me, more than justifies the name. I suspect they may be a somewhat larger behind-the-scenes operation, using their three station-based shop fronts as, well, shop fronts.
They supply not only cheese but also a small selection of related items (including a cheese curler which is something I had no idea I needed until I read about it) such as wine.
Therefore, week B (2014) is Wollsteiner Rheingrafenstein Rotwein QbA, 2011. Produced by Weingut Hermann J. & Jutta Muller. £9.95.It is, as far as I can tell, 100% Blauer Portugeiser, a grape found mostly in Austria, but also in Rheinhessen, the German 'Anbaugebiete' (wine producing region) from which this example comes.
The back label is wonderful, saying 'serve this nice red wine between 15-18 degrees C, e.g. to meat, duck or pheasant, lentil dish, veal fricassee, or Bleu de Bresse, Gorgonzola and Taleggio cheese. Enjoy flavours of cherry, berries, elder, common juniper and orange, etc.'. I particularly enjoyed the 'etc.'!
As I write this I have yet to pull the cork and have to admit to having fairly low expectations. It is a QbA rated wine, which is the level below Germany's QmP. Think of this as the equivalent to the French Vin de Pays, but make it more complicated. It also comes in a bottle with a very flat bottom. This is sometimes a clue that the bottle itself did not cost the winemaker very much and possibly hints that s/he does not consider the wine worthy of the extra expense that accompanies a nice dimpled bottom.
I can also see that there is a ring of bubbles on the top of the wine inside the unopened bottle. Curious. Ok, I'm going in.
First thoughts are that it is an interesting colour. Pale to medium ruby/garnet which could be a concern for a mid-priced wine of only 2.5 years old. Mild aromas of red fruits. On the palate it is dry, but fruity and fairly simple. The 13% alcohol doesn't show itself too conspicuously and the finish is longer than I expected.
It is light and very easy to drink. It does not have great depth or complexity and would probably disappoint if served with a hearty meal, however, lightly chilled on a warm summer's afternoon I think this could be quite enjoyable. At a touch under £10 it is expensive compared to other wines that might be chosen on similar occasions, but this game is all about exploration and the name alone makes it more exotic than most supermarket plonk.
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