Friday, 14 March 2014

Wine Review: Stella Alpina Chardonnay 2012 Alto Adige ITALY

Yes I know most of the wine has gone...
I am a massive chardonnay fan, I will always choose it over the ever popular sauvignon blanc. I also love Italian wine, their bold, full bodied reds and their easy drinking, light whites. So when this wine came to our store (on a great offer) I had to try some!

Coming from Alto Adige, the most northern wine region of Italy. The grapes are grown in a cool climate so I was expecting a cheap burgundian style. I was right to some extent, though way off on the quality! the wine has a lovely buttery texture with a steely edge, typical of burgundy chardonnay. I was surprised at the depth and finish this wine has, and a lovely smoothness which goes down almost too well. well balance with hints of lychee and pineapple. This is a lot better than many burgundies I have tried.

On reflection, I'm not sure why I was so surprised at how good this wine is. Stella Alpina also do an amazing pinot grigio, much better than the cheap stuff constantly ploughed out of Italy. This is the first 100% chardonnay I've tried from Italy. I recently had the chardonnay, pinot grigio blend from Sainsbury's which was, frankly, weird. (drinkable! but weird…) I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for more to compare. In the mean time, this is a must try for any chardonnay lover.

I would recommend not drinking it too cold! always leave your white wines out for 10-15 minutes before drinking so that you can get the full flavour of the wine.

Currently at £9.32 as part of Majestic's Pick and Mix offer (buy 2 save 33.33% single bottle price: £13.99)

Worth every penny! get some before I grab it all….

Nomnomnom: raspberry brownies.


Found this recipe online and was amazing! a great bake for fresh strawberries but i guess you could just as easily use defrosted frozen red berries. The tartness of the berries goes incredibly with the rich chocolate. You can use whichever kind of chocolate (dark, milk or white) you prefer. I'd recommend a mixture of milk and dark! whatever is easiest for you, this recipe is so versatile.

300g dark or milk chocolate
250g salted butter
400g soft light brown sugar 4 large eggs140g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
200g raspberries

My Boyfriend wasn't a massive fan however, he doesn't like fruit much...



Lemon cake with lemon cheese icing

I think its safe to say that everyone wants Mary Berry to be their favourite Auntie who constantly feeds them with yummy bakes. After watching the first episode of her new BBC series 'Mary Berry Cooks' I was inspired to bake her amazing looking Lemon cake with lemon cheese Icing. Plus, with the amazing weather we've been having I thought lemon would go down nicely!


Slightly comply consistency, tasted amazing!
The hardest part of the whole bake was the fancy decoration on top. though the lemons were easy to peel I wasn't sure exactly what I was bring to achieve as I boiled them in sugared water. As I didn't have time to dry them out over night I did it in a low oven for around 40 minutes and they came out good! I bit chewier than I would have liked, think I should have boiled them for a bit longer. 

The cake itself was a very simple sponge. With two whole lemons in it I was a bit sceptical but it turned really well. The tins i used were a bit large so it was probably a lot harder for me to cut the sponges in half. Though I think it worked out ok in the end! apart from a slightly messier, crumply consistency than I was expecting. Its the taste that counts in the end.


The 


Thursday, 23 May 2013

Wine Review: Pietrariccia Fiano 2012 Surani

8The worst thing about working in retail is the fact that you rarely get a weekend off. My weekends happen during the week, so having a couple of glasses of wine on a Thursday night becomes the norm. Even when, like this week, I am trying (failing) to be healthy.
Well this is my excuse antsy way when I feel a bit guilty about a cheeky tipple when I'm trying to be good.                    

Tonight I am drinking a wonderful white from Italy. This wine is made from the Fiano grape, a grape native to Italy and  exclusively grown in Italy, Sicily and Greece. In fact, a large amount of wine grown in Italy seem to be made from native grape varieties.  
 
From discussion with colleagues I have gathered that often Italian whites are pretty..... Boring. Seems a harsh judgement seeing as almost all the italian whites I have tried I have really enjoyed. I can see where this view comes from, the most infamous of Italian whites, the Pinot Grigio, is a pretty average party pleaser. Good at an event, 
but no real wow factor.

This too is very subtle, fruity and pleasant with no over complex flavours on the palate. However, it has an an added complexity that gives it an extra kick.

There is lovely honeyed nutty note which gives a great texture to the wine. Allows it to slide down you throat with some well balanced acidity.

This is not a boring wine but an easy one, perfect for aid week tipple. A colleague once described Italian whites as 'like water, but in a good way' as in its so good and subtle style goes down as quick as a glass of water. Too quick when you consider the alcohol content! 

Overall I give this wine 3.5 out of 5 (cheating with an extra half mark) a lovely. Easy drinking wine perfect with fish and white meat. Or for just drinking in the sun. 

Make sure you are sharing a bottle as it would be too easy too drink to yourself! 

Wednesday, 22 May 2013

Wine Review: Fetzer White Zinfandel, California.

My first wine review!


Now, bearing in mind that i've only been trying wine for the past 6 months i am by no means an expert. These reviews are for the average person, who is interested in wine but doesn't know much about it (like me!)

Since starting working with Wine what has become overwhelmingly clear is how complicated the wine world is. So many different varieties, processes, styles and tastes. Its all so bloomin confusing! at the minute i can't even comprehend all the information I'm going to have to learn to gain some level of understanding, so for now i'm going to focus on the best part.... the drinking!


My first wine up for review is the Fetzer white Zinfandel from California.  Maybe not the best one to start with as this is the first, and maybe last, white Zinfandel I have ever tasted. 



On the nose it smells sweet of strawberry's and cherries, very in-your-face fruitiness! on the palate too there is an overwhelming cherry flavour, with a harsh citrusy sweetness. It tastes too much like cherry sweets or cherryade that one (small) glass is all you could really handle! (of course I drunk more, didnt want to waste it...)



Saying this, my housemate who i shared it with absolutely loved it! by her own admission she doesn't really like wine (i'm converting her) so i have concluded that this is a wine suitable for those who don't drink it often, and like really sweet wine. Its one I'd recommend to customers who say they 'don't like dry wine' and like 'sweet wine but not dessert wine' shunning all other wine in the store.



Conclusion: the perfect wine for people who don't like wine but love cherry Lambrini. Its probably a very popular wine choice for summer drinking, wouldn't recommend it with any fancy food though! would go well with some spicy crisps.




I give it 1 out of 5 and probably wouldn't recommend it, especially with an RRP of about £8.99, you can get better for cheaper. I'd rather have the Lambrini....