Off to South America

Posted by Drud

Just came in the door from lovely Berlin where I spend the past two days in another area Prenzlauer Berg: contrary to my first days there, this area has lots of good resturants and wine shops in the streets. The journey from CPH to Berlin is only 35-50 min, but what a magnificent change one can experience here. I have to go back soon.

This friday I leave for South America on a film production where little internet is expected. I'll be back in December with new notes for Christmas wines. Till then.

In Berlin

Posted by Drud

After a few funny try-outs with the lower end of german wines, which is not advisable, I turned to France. So yesterday night wine in Fridrichheim here in Berlin was from Rhone made on 50% syrah and 50% grenache. No regrets.

Domaine de Grangeneuve Terre d'espices 2006

Notes of coffe, horse-saddle, wet gras, and liqurice. Very fine mineral structure with a great after taste of pepper on the backend. 90P, 15€ locally bought.

....Still seaching for the fine Spätburgunder.

Portuguese beauty with age

Posted by Drud

For the past time there has not been anything worth writing about, in terms of great, surprising wines or great-buys, which i've come across. Hence a bit of silence..

However, if one stuck out, it would be an elderly Portuguese which showed unussual livity, and thus deserves a note. Since I started collecting Portuguese wines in 2004/5, I've noticed that not all of them age with grace, in the same way as Bordeaux's, wines from Burgundy or Piemonte. After a few slips with older Portuguese table wines, I decided to uncork a Reguengos 2001 Garrafeira dos Socios from the Carmin Cooperative. I got it back in 2005 but it no longer retails in this vintage (now the 2002). Before opening, I feared the dissappointment but quite contrary it showed a huge strong livety! Great spicy complex nose, high coherent vertical structure and long finish. No flatness at all. We enjoyed it fully, although admittedly in between sips, I got the "could have kept it even longer" thoughts..

A fine Alentejo table wine with great liveliness - a shame it was the last bottle in the cellar..

...Off to Berlin tomorrow for Spätburgunder and other surprises.

How to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew

This is a rather new technique for most people, i am sure. Nevertheless watch and see the result..