Four Steps to Total Wine Knowledge

Wine knowledge is a bottomless pit. You can delve into it for your entire life and still produce a blank look when faced with an obscure Italian grape.

And it gets worse. It’s a terrifying conversational topic, where a single slip-up can cause shocked gasps and dropped monocles. You thought Champagne was made with Chenin Blanc? Oh dear. 

The truth is that the vast majority of people know very little about wine, so just a little knowledge goes a long way. This is where my title is a white lie. You don’t need total wine knowledge, you only need to know the stuff that matters.

These are just four steps to having all the wine knowledge that you’re likely to ever need.

Pour Two Glasses

It’s amazing how many people will go through life drinking one glass of wine at a time. It’s nearly impossible to compare two different wines when you’re drinking them a week apart.

This is best if you have a study partner. Instead of ordering a bottle of wine with dinner, order a different glass each. How does it taste different? Most importantly, which do you prefer?

An even better method is to get together with a group of friends and crack open three or more bottles, having a glass of each in front of you. After trying this a few times, you may be surprised when you decide which grape you like best.

Pick a Grape

Now that you have your favourite grape, stick to it for a little while. Search the whole world for your grape. Does the Argentinian Shiraz taste different to the Californian? How about from Australia and New Zealand?
Sometimes you’ll find your grape of choice in a blend. Even better! How does the Shiraz-Cabernet taste different to the pure Shiraz? Don’t forget that Syrah is the same grape, but how does it taste different?

Chardonnay haters can indulge a personal pet-peeve of mine here. Taste a Chardonnay from Chablis and one from California. If neither of these are appealing to you then you don’t hate Chardonnay, you hate wine.

Pick a Region

So, Shiraz month is over, and you found yourself most impressed by the Rhone Syrah? The good news is that you’re ready to try different grapes. The catch? You’re stuck in the Rhone, with no escape.

No region is a one-trick pony. Bordeaux isn’t all red. There are crisp, dry whites and honeyed sweet wines. If you think New Zealand is all tropical Sauvignon Blanc, try their Pinot Noir, Syrah and Merlot.
The world is far too large to take on at once, so become an expert in your region. What do the wines seem to have in common? What makes them different?

Ask Questions

Now it’s time to talk to someone about wine. Thankfully, the staff at your local wine merchant or bar should be eager to help you, and now you’re talking the same language as them. Tell them which wines you like from your region of choice. Tell them about your favourite grape. This should be more than enough for them to point you to other wines you’ll enjoy.

Now that you’ve shown off your knowledge, test theirs. Ask how sweet wine is made. Ask why Cote Rotie uses a blend of red and white grapes. Ask what Sur Lie and Demi Sec mean. If you leave your wine shop with a good bottle and a new piece of knowledge each time, you’re on the right track.

3 Reasons I Still Feel Like a Teacher

Last year I left my teaching career to follow my dream of working in Wine and Spirits. Instead of walking through school gates every morning, I now open up a wine shop. Does this mean my teaching skills can be put into early retirement? Let’s see how many of them I still use.

1. Personalised Learning

Each pupil in your class has their own needs. This pupil can’t form letters. This one is mathematically gifted. This one will fight with anyone in his group. One of the toughest parts of the job is setting the right targets for the right pupil and teaching them in the way that will best help them achieve.

Flogging some wine has to be simpler than that, right?

It’s more subtle, but customers need personalised treatment too. Everybody has a different level of wine 

expertise. Some will want to know the characteristics of the 2005 Bordeaux vintage; others will ask if Chianti is a type of grape. Some will want to know the conditions of the vineyard; others will be happy with “this one tastes good”. Information overload will leave casual drinkers baffled and intimidated, but hardcore enthusiasts crave that extra detail. For them to come back to the shop instead of the supermarket I need to be able to advise them on their level.

2. Tough Marking

Assessing a glass of wine is similar to assessing a piece of work. There are certain criteria you’re looking for. Is its structure balanced? Is there enough flavour? Is it worth the price? Robert Parker wants to give a number to each wine but in the real world there are only really two grades: Buy or Pass. Just as a good piece of work can fail to meet assessment criteria, a good wine isn’t always worth buying.

Chateau St Michelle recently visited our shop for a tasting. Their Riesling was fantastic last time I tried it, and it exceeded my expectations on the day. It’s worth every penny of the recommended retail price. I wouldn’t stock it in the shop. We don’t get many customers buying New World Riesling. The grape is woefully unpopular. Those that come looking for Riesling tend to stick to Alsace. Even open minded white wine buyers tend towards £10 bottles, rather than £15. Assessment means using your head over your heart.

3. Having All The Answers

Pupils expect you to know everything. It makes sense. They wouldn’t send kids here to learn from someone that doesn’t know it all, would they? Of course, they soon catch you bluffing. The truth’s out. Sir is just another human.

I get similar looks of disappointment when customers ask me which grape an Italian wine is made from. Italy is my personal blind spot. I try to sneak a look at the back label but my wine-cred is gone. There’s no end of subject knowledge to learn. I’m progressing through the industry qualifications, but it’s a long way from Master of Wine. Perhaps when I’m finally comfortable with Italy I’ll take a break.

The Truth About Food and Wine Matching

For those that haven't seen my post over at Dropwines, I've been thinking about pairing wine with food. 

It’s the sommelier’s holy grail. The perfect food and wine pairing. A wine with a structure that perfectly compliments the dish, and flavours that interweave to achieve culinary bliss.

There’s a secret the sommeliers are hiding. It’s really not that hard. Forget about cross referencing flavour characteristics of the wine against each ingredient of the dish. Knowing just a little about your wine tells you what type of dish it matches well with. There are good wine matches for any plate of food. To get to them you need to know how to avoid the bad matches. There are just four rules to remember…

1. Big Wines for Big Food
Intensely flavoured, full bodied wines drown elegant food, and a light, neutral wine won’t stand up to robust dishes. Light wines for light food, big wines for big food.

2. Salt and Acid Tame Wine
You’ve got a hyper-acidic Sauvignon Blanc or a beefy Barolo. These are big characters and don’t always play well with others. When paired with salty or acidic food, these wines are tamed. Suddenly, you can taste the wine. There’s flavour behind the structure! 

Of course, taming isn’t always a good thing. If a wine lacks acidity, it feels thoroughly flaccid when paired with acidic food. Somebody told you not to pair tannic wines with salty foods? They were getting mixed up with our next rule.

3. Sweetness, Umami and Heat Make Wine Angry
Take the same dry, tannic Barolo I mentioned in the last rule. Pair it with a pecan pie or a pizza covered in sun-dried tomatoes and fresh chilli. Now the Barolo is angry. You won’t like it when it’s angry. These tastes make your wine seem more acidic, more tannic and weaken any fruit flavour. These tastes are responsible for some of the horror stories that make food and wine matching so daunting.

Instead, choose wine that isn’t going to rise to anger. Nothing with high tannins or oak. Sweetness in the wine should match the sweetness or heat in the dish. Anyone that thinks lager is the perfect match for a curry hasn’t tried taking on a Jalfrezi with a chilled, off-dry Riesling.

4. Cut the Fat
Oily or fatty food cries out for acidity. A good chef may squeeze some lemon onto the dish, but you should order a crisp wine just in case.

Beyond these rules, sommeliers often pair wines with typically regional dishes and look for traditional flavour pairings. Pork with an apple-flavoured Chenin and duck with a cherry-rich Pinot Noir. These can be effective, but it’s far more important to know how to avoid disasters. One angry Barolo is enough for a lifetime.

Château Fayau Cadillac, 2008

Cadillac is a Semillon-based sweet wine from Bordeaux. It's a similar style to Cadillac's more famous neighbours, Sauternes and Barsac.

There are a few methods used to make sweet wine. The most common are late-harvesting grapes, which are left to dry and develop an intensely sweet flavour, or exploiting Noble Rot. This friendly fungus dries the grapes and splits the skin. The end result is rich, complex wine that tends to take on candied fruit and marmalade flavours.

This Cadillac is a great example, and stays just under the magic ten-pound price point for a half bottle.

It's sweet, but not syrupy. The marmalade is there, but behind more subtle flavours of apricot, honeysuckle and vanilla. If you can't stomach the decadence of a Tokaji or Eiswein, then this is a much lighter style of dessert wine.

We drank ours straight from the fridge with some plum and mango crumble. Completely unplanned, but an excellent pairing.

A soft, inviting dessert wine, earning a C. A little more flavour intensity and acidity would lift it higher.

All-Star Wines

Wine shops can still be a daunting place for the casual drinker. It's difficult for wine lovers to accept, but not everybody wants to learn new languages and find their wine's birthplace in an atlas.

Some customers just want something they'll like the taste of.

They shouldn't have to learn which regions are likely to make oaky chardonnay or jammy Shiraz. They just need to know which wines fit their tastes.

I'd pick a set of All-Star wines for this purpose. Each All-Star is a fantastic example of a specific style of wine, aiming for a ten pound budget.

Place these wines front and centre. Now the casual customer has a handful of wine styles to choose from, rather than a global expedition. By rotating the All-Star cast regularly, a shop can expose a casual customer to a range of wines in their preferred style.

These are the six All-Stars every wine shop needs.

The Red Velvet
A red that doesn't put up a fight. Keeps the tannin soft and the fruit flavours far in front of any oak, earthiness or spice.
Characterised by being Easy Drinking and having soft tannins. Consider Aussie Merlot, Macon Rouge, Chilean Pinot Noir or Valpolicella Classico.

The Fruit Bomb
Sometimes you just want jam in a bottle. This wine packs a big punch of fruit flavour and may be supported by a good level of tannin. Great with thick casseroles or chilli con carne.
Characterised by Fruit Intensity and full body. Consider Argentinian Malbec, Aussie Shiraz, Chianti Classico or Californian Zinfandel.

The Spice Box
This is a wine where the secondary flavours really shine. There may be oak, black pepper, cigar smoke and coffee beans present. These wines can be challenging, but are full of character. Perfect with a big steak.
Characterised by Secondary Flavours and firm tannins. Consider a Bordeaux Superieur, Rioja Reserva or nearly anything from the Rhone.

The Classic
An elegant, balanced white with soft flavours, a little minerality and just enough acidity to refresh. The perfect accompaniment to simply prepared seafood.
Characterised by being Easy Drinking and having a crisp, dry structure. Consider Pinot Grigio, Chablis or nearly any Loire white.

The Fruit Cocktail
An explosion of fruit flavour with fresh acidity. May show signs of tropical, citrus, stone fruit, or a combination of all three. Hits hard and stands up to full-flavoured or spicy dishes.
Characterised by Fruit Intensity and refreshing acidity. Consider Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Argentinian Torrontes or Kabinett Riesling.

The Golden Boy
Full bodied, luscious mouthfuls of soft fruit and buttery luxury. May have flavours of baked fruit, vanilla and toast. Perfect with roast chicken.
Characterised by Secondary Flavours, often with a soft acidity and full body. Consider Macon Villages, Californian Chardonnay, Aussie Viognier or South African Chenin Blanc.

Is Rosso The Best Italian in Manchester?

Italian food is simplicity. Finely selected ingredients given a gentle touch. Big flavours unclouded by elaborate techniques. 

Rosso brings exceptional flavours but throws simplicity out of the window. Let's put those chefs to work. 

Is the trade-off worth it?

The setting is luxurious without being daunting. Domed ceilings and chandeliers give a theatrical atmosphere. 

But we're here to eat.

Pig's cheeks wrapped in Parma ham, with prunes and treacle jus

Is it too soon to peak? This was the high point of my meal and one of the tastiest starters I've had in Manchester. 

Cheeks are becoming my go-to cut. Dense, soft meat crammed into the Parma ham wrapping. This was a whole pig of flavour on one plate. Deep prunes ramped up the decadence and black treacle gave the flavour abyssal depths. 

This is a must for any pork fan. 

(A)

Black pudding potato cake on buttered cabbage, topped with a quail egg

A monster starter. The classic combination of potato, cabbage and black pudding speaks for itself. It was a crisp, buttery, sulphurous treat. 

I would have happily traded the tiny egg for something full sized, barely poached and oozing everywhere. 

(B)

Chicken breast stuffed with chicken liver pate coated in polenta crumb, served on spinach with garlic butter sauce
I got glares from over the table when I suggested this was a posh Kiev. 

The rich chicken was lifted by the creamy spinach. Better yet, our wine was a perfect match. Cataratto is a big white with buttery lemon zest. It stood up to this dish admirably.

My spell checker wanted to give this chicken a "placental crumb". I'm relieved that Rosso also ignored this suggestion. 

(A)

Marinated lamb rump with pan-friend gnocchi and pesto

Crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside. Fried gnocchi is always a treat and here it was joined by rich lamb juices and fragrant basil. The meat was tender and every drop of flavour was thoroughly mopped from the plate.

(A)

Olive oil cake with pears

Luxurious, dense sponge lifted by perfectly cooked pear. Buttery, slightly spiced. The sort of dessert you keep eating when you're uncomfortably full.

(A)

Raspberry and rosehip shortbread tower

Thin slices of shortbread put up a fight against my fork. The crunch in the mouth was worth it. The surrounding fruit and cream swept my palate clean and dusted it with Summer. 

(A)

Overall, I can't give Rosso anything other than an A. They've set the bar high for Italian restaurants in Manchester. 

Where are the contenders?

Every Cloud Cocktail

Not bad for a weeknight.

1.5oz Gin
.5oz Elderflower Liqueur
.5oz Lychee Liqueur
Dash Creme Violette
Dash Peychaud Bitters

SHAKE, strain,up, lime zest.