It is always pleasing when one of the progeny start to take an interest in their poor old man's hobbies. My son enjoys golf and has definitely got to the point where I would be very foolish to allow him a generous handicap. Or indeed any handicap. This is very pleasing.
His younger sister is not a golfer, but does appear to be in the early stages of developing an interest in the fruit of the vine. This, I hope, is a reflection of her appreciation of the subtleties of texture and flavour that can be found in a glass and not a consequence of her career choice. She is a primary school teacher. Year two. The jury is out.
When we had a family celebration, earlier this year, of two birthdays that occur on nearly consecutive days, mine and my bonus daughter's, we enjoyed a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand from the Dog Point winery. It was excellent, as is their Pinot Noir, so I decided to try her out a more traditional French style of Sauvignon Blanc to see if it met with equal approval.
Week Q (2015) Jean Charles Borgnat, Quincy 2013. Majestic £9.99
The short answer is that it didn't. Where the New Zealand wine is all crisp, acidic, gooseberry and elderflower, this has a gentler herbaceous character, which I like, but it isn't so familiar.
Quincy is a less well known neighbour of some much more famous names. Pouilly Fume? No? Ok, then how about Sancerre? All these three, and others such as Menetou Salon, are vineyard regions in the Central Loire valley, which is surprisingly (to me) far West in France, almost due South of Paris, and not really near the Chateau rich tourist zone of that long river's course.
So, what has this wine got in it's favour? Apart from the characteristic elderflower / cat piss aroma, it is quite light, works well as an aperitif, is not overly heady, leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth of citrus fruits and nothing feline,and, quite possibly most importantly, is about half the price of the Dog Point and possibly less than half the price of a similarly tasting wine from its most famous neighbour.
The world is awash with Sauvignon Blanc. That's not a crticism, it only got to be produced everywhere because a) it can be and b) it is very, very popular. However, this one has something that a lot of the well made, reasonably priced, predictable, usually New World, wines made form the same grape variety don't have. I'm not sure exactly what it is. Perhaps it is because it is not quite so 'zippy', but it seems to me to have a more earthy, take-me-seriously, presence to it than the identikit new(er)comers.
My daughter does not like wines that have had too much exposure to oak. This has had none, but to her palate it still had a hint of the thing that makes her dry heave like a cat with a fur ball, and she would far rather I paid twice as much for more of that delicious Dog Point. So you choose.
His younger sister is not a golfer, but does appear to be in the early stages of developing an interest in the fruit of the vine. This, I hope, is a reflection of her appreciation of the subtleties of texture and flavour that can be found in a glass and not a consequence of her career choice. She is a primary school teacher. Year two. The jury is out.
When we had a family celebration, earlier this year, of two birthdays that occur on nearly consecutive days, mine and my bonus daughter's, we enjoyed a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand from the Dog Point winery. It was excellent, as is their Pinot Noir, so I decided to try her out a more traditional French style of Sauvignon Blanc to see if it met with equal approval.
The short answer is that it didn't. Where the New Zealand wine is all crisp, acidic, gooseberry and elderflower, this has a gentler herbaceous character, which I like, but it isn't so familiar.
Quincy is a less well known neighbour of some much more famous names. Pouilly Fume? No? Ok, then how about Sancerre? All these three, and others such as Menetou Salon, are vineyard regions in the Central Loire valley, which is surprisingly (to me) far West in France, almost due South of Paris, and not really near the Chateau rich tourist zone of that long river's course.
So, what has this wine got in it's favour? Apart from the characteristic elderflower / cat piss aroma, it is quite light, works well as an aperitif, is not overly heady, leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth of citrus fruits and nothing feline,and, quite possibly most importantly, is about half the price of the Dog Point and possibly less than half the price of a similarly tasting wine from its most famous neighbour.
The world is awash with Sauvignon Blanc. That's not a crticism, it only got to be produced everywhere because a) it can be and b) it is very, very popular. However, this one has something that a lot of the well made, reasonably priced, predictable, usually New World, wines made form the same grape variety don't have. I'm not sure exactly what it is. Perhaps it is because it is not quite so 'zippy', but it seems to me to have a more earthy, take-me-seriously, presence to it than the identikit new(er)comers.
My daughter does not like wines that have had too much exposure to oak. This has had none, but to her palate it still had a hint of the thing that makes her dry heave like a cat with a fur ball, and she would far rather I paid twice as much for more of that delicious Dog Point. So you choose.
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