weekly winedown Archives : Me, Annie Bee. https://meanniebee.com/tag/weekly-winedown/ A not so serious blog about family, life & wine. Sat, 05 Mar 2022 17:12:48 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://meanniebee.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/cropped-MABFav-32x32.png weekly winedown Archives : Me, Annie Bee. https://meanniebee.com/tag/weekly-winedown/ 32 32 125685776 Weekly Winedown #41 Colpasso Primitivo https://meanniebee.com/2018/06/22/weekly-winedown-41-colpasso-primitivo/ https://meanniebee.com/2018/06/22/weekly-winedown-41-colpasso-primitivo/#respond Fri, 22 Jun 2018 18:17:44 +0000 http://meanniebee.com/?p=6603 Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. Forgive me for I have sinned, It’s been three whole weeks since my last winedown. THAT’S how bad the English wine was! Even thinking about it now makes me shudder. For reasons unknown, I’ve barely consumed any wine over the last few weeks. My allegiance seems to have changed to gin, saying that I DID share a rather nice bottle of Zinfandel with a friend last Friday and it looks like my wine passion has been reignited! That and the fact I stacked it on the school run today which means it’s a need wine kind of a day. After weeks of lousy weather, we have a heat wave coming (allegedly), this teamed with the fact we are going away in a month makes me VERY happy and so sent me to Italy for my wine choice today. Let us say Ciao Bella to Colpasso Primitivo, an Italian red from the Puglia. Sounds exciting right? Let’s see! The Label I like the label, it’s cheery. It’s like the floor tiles you get in a Mediterranean villa or tavern type place. You know the lovely, rustic little local places owned by very old, very Italian people. Like I’ve seen on the TV. It’s a very attractive label, it’s creating a summer vibe and I’m sucking it up! The Blurb Primitivo has been grown in the region of Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, for hundreds of years. Colpasso Primitivo is the perfect combination of local tradition and modern wine-making, being robust at the same time as smooth and silky. Rich in fruit with a certain “savoury” feel, Colpasso Primitivo has an abundance of ripe, dark berry flavours and is the perfect accompaniment to rich, meaty pasta dishes.  Well, that sounds busy doesn’t it? Old and new, strong and smooth, fruit and savoury…it’s certainly hedging it’s bets. Let’s see if it is the glass of sunshine I’m hoping for! Hmm, so, when I pour it looks thin. A trait of an insipid wine. With an aroma of warm rubber and sweet fruit, it’s not the most appetising smell, especially as this has to go in my mouth. The taste is certainly smooth, I was expecting something a little more full bodied with a hint of spice maybe. It was more dark fruits and a little bitter. Using the benchmark set by the English wine THIS IS AMAZING. Using other wines as a benchmark, maybe not quite so. It’s inoffensive, not worth shouting about. If you want to spend £7.99 on wine, I’d suggest going to Aldi and buying their premium/prestige Zinfandel. I have popped the rest of this bottle in the fridge as I think chilled, it will lose some of that bitter edge and become a decent vin. Name – The Colpasso Primitivo Price – £7.49 Colour – A light red Smell – warm and rubbery Taste – Dark berries but bitter Goes well with – Hopefully a big fat curry Overall score – 3/5 – painfully average.    

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]]> https://meanniebee.com/2018/06/22/weekly-winedown-41-colpasso-primitivo/feed/ 0 6603 Weekly Winedown #39 La Deliziosa Pinot Grigio https://meanniebee.com/2018/05/25/weekly-winedown-39-la-deliziosa-pinot-grigio/ https://meanniebee.com/2018/05/25/weekly-winedown-39-la-deliziosa-pinot-grigio/#respond Fri, 25 May 2018 18:44:58 +0000 http://meanniebee.com/?p=6349 Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy Today is a doozy of a day isn’t it? We’ll start light… After relentless spamming of our inboxes, the new GDPR rules have come into play. I, for one, was looking forward to an empty inbox from today. How mistaken I was, the emails have changed from ‘Please don’t let this be goodbye’ to ‘Please read our new privacy policy’. It made me feel popular at first but now it’s just doing my head in. I’m also pretty bitter because I spent far too many hours yesterday creating my own privacy policy. I’m not getting that day back. EVER. Blogging wasn’t meant to be this HARD but I am now compliant. Or at least I’m quite compliant… This afternoon, Harvey Weinstein and his stupid, smug face handed themselves into police in New York. He has, at this moment, been charged with rape and other accounts of sexual abuse against two women. It’s the tip of the iceberg but hopefully gives every other woman who has suffered at his hands the hope that their voice will be heard and taken as seriously and he will be held accountable. Also, Morgan Freeman? FFS man! I thought you were a good guy! Today is also a massive day for Ireland who are voting on the Irish abortion referendum. This is a pretty big deal and we won’t know the results for sure until late into the night/tomorrow morning, so I’m not going to bang on about it. I will say that I truly hope that this doesn’t become Ireland’s Trump or Brexit. I hope that Ireland votes in favour of women being allowed to make their own choices and have control over their own bodies. I told you it was a doozy of a day! In other, not even nearly as important news, today is National Wine Day (in America) and tomorrow sees the start of National English Wine week! A whole week of celebrating English wine AND I ONLY FOUND OUT TODAY. It’s OK though because next weeks wine will be English to celebrate! This week, however,  we are going to enjoy an Italian Pinot Grigio, yeah you heard, this week is a white wine. I chose it because it was gloriously warm and sunny when I did my online shop. Obviously, the shopping arrived in the cold and rain so I’m not sure I’m feeling it now…. I’ll persist though, for YOU. Ciao bello to La Deliziosa Pinot Grigio, currently £6.99 a bottle. The Label Well, this is a fancy pants, two label bottle of wine. One label simply has the brand name surrounded by a silver doily effect. Then underneath is a second, green and white label with the type of wine and a little description. It’s very confusing. The top label looks like weddings and the bottom one reminds me of apples. The top one is aloof and doesn’t need to tell YOU anything, the bottom one panicked that you’d walk past so provided the information you required. The Blurb Enjoy on it’s own or with zesty salads and grilled fish *Picks the bottle up and looks closer* Yes, that’s literally all it says! Luckily the chatty label on the front gives us more of a hint. Pinot perfection. Freshly picked apple and ripe melon. Salute!  So yes, all signs are pointing to apples. I’ll be honest, it’s making my tongue go funny just thinking about it. When I think of apples I think of Granny Smith’s which I hate. However, I do usually love a good Pinot so let’s crack this one open! The nose is pretty subtle, fresh with apples. Not Granny Smith’s though – pleasant apples. The taste is not unpleasant, it’s not a connoisseurs wine by any stretch of the imagination but it is wholly inoffensive. It’s a still, crisp wine. Dry but not dusty. The biggest hit is almost pear like (melon?) with a citrus finish. This is the kind of wine I crave on a hot day, to say it’s raining it’s held itself well. Name – La Deliziosa Pinto Grigio Price – £6.99 (should be £9.99) Colour – Pale straw Smell – Fresh apples Taste – pear and citrus Goes well with – Probably anything Overall score – a decent 3.5/5    

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]]> https://meanniebee.com/2018/05/25/weekly-winedown-39-la-deliziosa-pinot-grigio/feed/ 0 6349 Weekly Winedown #34 – Anciano Tempranillo https://meanniebee.com/2018/03/16/weekly-winedown-34-anciano-tempranillo/ https://meanniebee.com/2018/03/16/weekly-winedown-34-anciano-tempranillo/#respond Fri, 16 Mar 2018 19:35:04 +0000 http://meanniebee.com/?p=5947 Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy You may have noticed there’s been no Winedown for a couple of weeks. You probably didn’t notice. There were probably had more important things on your mind like Eastenders or something. But yes, I’ve slacked off. Initially I blame the beast from the East. Snow really throws me off my game. It’s like I suddenly find myself unable to think. I start to flap. “What do they mean ‘Don’t leave the house unless it’s absolutely necessary’?” Do they mean here or other places? What IS absolutely necessary? Is school absolutely necessary? What if the Ocado van can’t get here? I’ll have no wine, that would be an absolutely necessary. The I get a bit twitchy. “We should stock up” “Aldi and Waitrose are right round the corner” “But just in case” “Just in case what?” “I don’t know, I just have the urge to stockpile” It turns out you can take the girl out of the south but you can’t take the south out of the girl. As you can see, we survived that round of bad weather only for me to spit my dummy about something or other last week and going on strike. That’s how I roll… I’m in dire need of sunshine and wonderful things to look forward to. Hurry up summer. This week I’m drinking a Spanish Tempranillo, I’m going to hold my hands up and confess to have consuming four bottles of this already over the last few weeks. It’s one sexy Spanish red – say Hola to Anciano Gran Reserva Tempranillo. The Label Before we even get to the label, we need ao acknowledge that this is one of those bottles of wine that comes with like gold net on. I’m not entirely sure of the purpose of that but it certainly works in getting me to buy it! Well done the marketing team! The label is made to look old, torn edges and that browned colour like someone wiped cold teabags on it. Seven, yes SEVEN different fonts have been used on the label. It’s most certainly trying to be something it’s not and yet…I appear to be OK with that. The Blurb “In the timeless Spanish winemaking tradition, Anciano Gran Reserva is matured in oak barrels for at least 18 months and in our cellars, to achieve its fine complexity and mellow oak character. It has smooth vanilla notes, rich black cherry fruit and  subtle hints of leather, blasamic and spice. Drinking well now.” OK. WHAT? It makes little sense to me. I don’t know if something has been lost in translation or they just had to make something up quickly as the labels were going to print. I’m also not entirely sure whether blasamic is being used in terms of the vinegar or of the tree but neither, combined with leather, make me think ‘get in my glass’.  As you can tell, I’m pretty unimpressed with the exterior of this wine BUT this is bottle number five so what’s going on inside? The smell nose is actually quite delicate. Soft fruit and a touch peppery. The taste starts strong with cherries and dark fruits. It’s rich, smooth offering a full mouthful(oi oi) with a subtle oaked, vanilla-y undertone with maybe a hint of dark chocolate. Beautiful and full bodied, certainly NOT vinegary or tree like! Currently on offer at £5.99, I don’t think the usual price of £8.99 is out of order. I am smitten with this kitten. Name – Anciano Gran Reserva Tempranillo Price – £5.99 Colour – Deep red. Smell – Soft fruit and spice Taste – Full, buttery,  cherries and vanilla. Goes well with – Life, all of it. Overall score – 4.5/5      

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]]> https://meanniebee.com/2018/03/16/weekly-winedown-34-anciano-tempranillo/feed/ 0 5947 Weekly Winedown #32 – Fitou Mme. Claude Parmentier. https://meanniebee.com/2018/02/09/weekly-winedown-32/ https://meanniebee.com/2018/02/09/weekly-winedown-32/#respond Fri, 09 Feb 2018 19:32:05 +0000 http://meanniebee.com/?p=5801 Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy Happy Friday! IWD is fast approaching so tonight I will celebrate with another woman, of sorts. Bienvenue Fitou Mme Claude Parmentier! Fitou hails from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France – sunnier climes with a bit of a Mediterranen vibe. Oh how I miss you so! I’ll be honest, I’m hoping for a glass of joy to run alongside my currently, happy self! The Label This is a very modest looking label. Mme Claude Parmentier clearly isn’t the showy type. The label is off white with black text. It’s intentions are clear – to be wine.  If this label were a business card, you would want to do business with the person who handed it to you. It’s so confident in itself it doesn’t need to show off. This label is quietly confident, I have high expectations. Yeah, I’m judging my wine by it’s cover!   The Blurb As with the last few bottles of wine featured in the Weekly Winedown, the blurb is in two languages. Is that a new thing? Who knows! It means I can brush up on my French whilst drinking wine. Though my language skills oft improve after wine anyway… “Raised on the family vineyards from where she gets her passion and her traditional know-how, Mme Parmentier works with love to create gourmet wines full of tenderness and typicity which are a reference in terms of quality. Thanks to her talent, her attention to detail and her involvement, Mme Parmentier’s wines cross borders with audacity, nobility and success”.  Seriously though. What? Basically the blurb is telling us that Mrs Parmentier grew up on a vineyard.  She likes to make Fitou that tastes like Fitou. Her involvement and knowledge means her wine is great and noble. It looks like someone used all their humility in the label and ol’ braggy pants appears in the blurb! Let me judge how noble your wine is Madame! OK, so it’s not awful. A spiced/peppery scent that reminds me of warm summer evenings in France, it is pleasant to the nose. Initial taste is tart plums but it soon mellows out into a soft, subtle spiced finished. She may be a bit of a braggy pants but that Madame DOES know how to make a good Fitou! Name – Fitou Mme. Claude Parementier. Price – £7.99 Colour – Dark Burgandy red. Smell – Summer spice with a hint of pepper. Taste – Tart but smooth plums (oioi) Goes well with – A Drama Llama daughter. Overall score – 4/5      

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]]> https://meanniebee.com/2018/02/09/weekly-winedown-32/feed/ 0 5801 Weekly Winedown #30 Chateau Corbonac Corbieres https://meanniebee.com/2018/01/19/weekly-winedown-30-chateau-corbonac-corbieres/ https://meanniebee.com/2018/01/19/weekly-winedown-30-chateau-corbonac-corbieres/#respond Fri, 19 Jan 2018 20:11:12 +0000 http://meanniebee.com/?p=5731 Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. 30 Winedowns! It’s like an anniversary or something! Anyway, this week Donald Trump has been deemed to remain ‘fit for duty’ for years by the White House Doctor (who has no invested interest in saying just that-obviously). According to the report, Ol’ Trump is physically and mentally capable of running America. Interestingly there was no morality test. As a woman of heft, I am not a fan of the BMI system (even when slimmer I find it ridiculous so it’s not a ‘fat person’ thing). However I do not, for one moment believe that Trump doesn’t fall into the obese category. I fear there may be some of that fake news in play, he may have added to his height and subtracted from his waist – good maths! So yes, sighs of relief all round. Donald has a good few years left in him to run America into the ground YAY. In good news though, I asked Aoife the questions on the cognitive test and she too is fit to run the USA. She also isn’t obese, just like Donny T… My high hopes for that girl have just gotten a little higher. Now, WINE! I am feeling the cold and wishing we were living in France and so, as the next best thing, I have French Wine. Bonsoir Château Carbonac Corbières, comment ça va? The Label Looks familiar, I’ve checked through previous weeks and never tried this wine though so I guess it’s just a bit generic. An off white label with black text and a line drawing of the Chateau on the Carbonac estate – tidy. It does what is required of it, tells you what’s inside the bottle. We don’t need any fancy stuff. The blurb “Just outside the village of Monze, close to Carcassonne, Carbonac is a wine-growing estate with a single-stretch of 33 hectares (82 acres) where they produce a wine known as the nectar of the Corbieres. On the edge of the “Bretonne” road, the estate is a former monastery for women. The old, tall and well preserved square tower still stands. Chateau Carbonac with deep purple reflections, offers an intense bouquet distinguished by notes of dark fruit and spice. On the palate, this wine produces wonderful expression, with tannins perfectly integrated. Served at 16-18°C, it will elegantly enhance red meats, game cooked in sauce, and firm cheeses.” You get a little geography, a touch of history and some wine information. That’s what I like to call ‘Wineducation’, you’ll all be saying it soon. ‘Intense’ combined with dark fruits and spice makes me hopeful that this is the kind of wine I’m hankering after to warm my cockles tonight. I’m hoping for something full bodied, a good mouthful. I’m hoping that the temperature has been specified to make the Vintner look more impressive. A wine that can go from good to bad in the space of a degree is far too risky a wine for me! Let us investigate! The nose was…..dubious, like when you open vacuum packed meat. Except it didn’t dwindle. If you can get past the smell the taste is actually OK. Not too fruity, certainly not sweet. Deep and full bodied, just how I like it. It’s not the best wine I’ve ever had but by no means the worst. I’d happily have a case of this on standby because, life.   Name – Château Carbonac Corbières Price – £6.99 Colour – Deep red/purple Smell – Like vac packed steak…with pepper Taste – Dry and full. Bitter aftertaste but not awful Goes well with – Average me. Overall score – 3/5

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]]> https://meanniebee.com/2018/01/19/weekly-winedown-30-chateau-corbonac-corbieres/feed/ 0 5731 Weekly Winedown #29 Altozano Tempranillo Syrah https://meanniebee.com/2018/01/05/weekly-winedown-29-altozano-tempranillo-syrah/ https://meanniebee.com/2018/01/05/weekly-winedown-29-altozano-tempranillo-syrah/#respond Fri, 05 Jan 2018 20:25:51 +0000 http://meanniebee.com/?p=5682 Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. Happy New Year! Reader, it’s been three weeks since my last winedown, I have sinned. To be fair, I declared back then that I needed a break so I took a bit of a step back from blogging over Christmas. Not QUITE the break I had hoped for, but one less thing to fret about was liberating. Now order is restored and I am back to grace your eyes with my thoughts. And wine. This week I have a Spanish red. I am quickly running out of reds to try from Ocado. Altozano Tempranillo Syrah is currently on offer at £6.74. £6.74, what a random price. It is what it is though. The Label A Neutral colour with red and black text. Very simple and unoffensive, nothing to shout about though. I originally thought they little picture on it was an acorn. Further inspection leads me to believe it might be a helmet or something? No idea. The Blurb The top bit of the blurb was written in Spanish. “Oh how exciting” I thought. Then I Google translated it and I realised it said exactly the same underneath in English. I can’t help but think it’s showing off with it’s bilingual skills. “Juicy red cherries, ripe plums and warm spices burst from this delicious blend of Tempranillo and Syrah with subtle hints of oak from cask ageing. You can enjoy this smooth and fruity wine on its own or as the perfect match to succulent roast meats and rich pasta sauces.” It sounds more interesting in Spanish to be fair. Though plums, spices and a hint of oak sound like a jolly good blend to me. I always find it interesting when they ‘match’ wine with a food. Especially when it’s as vague as ‘roast meats’. Roast chicken tastes entirely different to roast beef. I should imagine that roast venison taste different to those. Does the wine maker truly believe this wine will go with all those equally or are they hedging their bets? This really is a pointless discussion for me to be having as I don’t have one roast meat, never mind a variety to test out this claim. Anyway. Onwards! Hmmmmm. The nose (oh yes) is very plummy with a hint of cloves. Not a bad start! The taste. Well. It’s very tart, like unripened plums with an aftertaste of pepper. I wouldn’t say it was vile but it’s not entirely pleasant. As a frugal Yorkshire woman, I’m going to finish the bottle but I won’t be buying this again. Name – Altozano Tempranillo Syrah. Price – £6.79 Colour – Beautiful – like a blood red. Smell – Plums and cloves. Taste – Tart and peppery Goes well with – Dinner parties with those you want to leave early. Overall score – 1.5/5      

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]]> https://meanniebee.com/2018/01/05/weekly-winedown-29-altozano-tempranillo-syrah/feed/ 0 5682 Weekly Winedown #28 Beefsteak Club Malbec https://meanniebee.com/2017/12/15/weekly-winedown-28-beefsteak-club-malbec/ https://meanniebee.com/2017/12/15/weekly-winedown-28-beefsteak-club-malbec/#respond Fri, 15 Dec 2017 19:18:41 +0000 http://meanniebee.com/?p=5641 Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. Dear reader, I need a break. A break from everything. Not death – nothing that permanent. Just a day or so to breathe. A day where I don’t have to be at a certain place by a certain time. Where I don’t have to remember to feed a small person regularly (three times a day – what’s that about?). Just 24 hours without someone trying to pull up my dress, get in my pockets or honk my boob. Time without children sitting as on top of me as anyone could possibly sit. I’d like a day with pockets of silence, to be able to walk without being dragged in two different directions. To be able to start and finish a task without constant interruptions and forgetting what I was doing in the first place. I imagine sitting without being kicked in the face or shouted at for TV scheduling. A whole night of sleep. To dream the impossible dream! Instead I have Beefsteak Club Malbec, an Argentinian red on offer at £6.49. The Label Red, white and black. We all know I love that. The text looks like it’s been stamped on with wooden blocks and there is a picture of a bull. There’s also a little tale about the beginnings of the Beefsteak Club. It was established in 1705 don’t you know? Well you do now. As labels go, this is unoffensive. The Blurb “A bright, fresh Malbec made from high altitude grapes of Mendoza. Vibrant aromas of crunchy red fruits and plum with a lightly spice finished. Well balanced and smooth with soft tannins to perfectly complement a juicy steak.” WTF is a crunchy red fruit? I have wracked my brain (granted there’s not a lot to wrack) and I’ll be damned if I can think of a crunchy fruit. Do you know of any? I can’t get away from the idea of that weird freeze dried fruit you get in cereal. Interesting. The nose (oh yes) is nice, like rich dark chocolate. The really dark stuff that you can only have one piece of. It was a fruitier palate,  than I expected but a decent depth of flavour too. The finish was kind of licorice/oaky/woody. Lightly spiced and quite pleasant. This Malbec is a good all rounder and I can imagine is DOES go well with steak. I have no steak. Tonight Rory is out so I am having my Christmas ‘Do’. As a SAHM, my Christmas do is me drinking wine at home, alone, watching Elf. Actually not entirely alone. It’s a synchronised Elf watch. I am so hardcore. At least my wine is good. Name – Beefsteak Club Malbec. Price – £6.49 Colour – Rich red Smell – Subtle chocolatey Taste – Fruity with a woody finish Goes well with – Steak, apparently Overall score – 3.5/5

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]]> https://meanniebee.com/2017/12/15/weekly-winedown-28-beefsteak-club-malbec/feed/ 0 5641 Weekly Winedown #27 Carta Roja Crianza https://meanniebee.com/2017/12/01/weekly-winedown-27-carta-roja-crianza/ https://meanniebee.com/2017/12/01/weekly-winedown-27-carta-roja-crianza/#respond Fri, 01 Dec 2017 20:31:22 +0000 http://meanniebee.com/?p=5593 Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. It’s happened. It’s finally happened, it’s been a long time coming but by heck it was worth the wait. December is here! The children were really giddy when they woke up as Advent had begun. I asked Aoife why Advent was important, she mumbled something about family, her birthday and chocolate. Priorities. Still, I’m glad family topped the list – just. I have finally caught up with myself, it snowed yesterday and I made about 100 biscuits on Wednesday so I am definitely in a festive mood. Life is feeling very cheery at the minute.. This festive spirit clearly made me leave my senses elsewhere when ordering my wine this week. Let us say Hola to Carte Roja Crianza, a Spanish beauty(?) currently half price at £4.99.   The Label Red and gold. I guess it’s aiming for a plush and posh kind of vibe. Like a throne or something equally as regal. It’s a nice colour scheme to be fair but the paper feels a bit cheap. The label is nothing to write home about. I’m down on this one already aren’t I? The Blurb Carta Roja is made traditionally from Monastrell and Syrah grapes which produce rich and intense wines, it is full-bodied with red fruit aromas and intense flavours of ripe plum and vanilla. Aged in American oak barrels, this wine has soft, smooth tannins. It makes a fantastic partner for game and lamb dishes and also hard cheeses. Plums, vanilla and intensity. Well, that sounds nice doesn’t it? Maybe I have been a little hasty… The only thing I would maybe like bit of spice as well. I guess I can’t have it all! Also, a great partner for game? I am currently reviewing Don’t be a Donkey. Should be perfect! The Verdict Meh. The red berries are tart, there is a smooth peppery finish which isn’t entirely unpleasant. Plum and vanilla have completely passed me by. From the promises it makes and the tastes it has I would hope for something ‘bigger’. It is a very thin wine. Had I paid full price of £9.99 for this I’d be kicking myself. For a £5 wine it’s ‘OK’ though. Just OK. You can get a lot better for a fiver. Don’t rush and get it for Christmas! Name – Carta Roja Cianza Price – £4.99 (should be £9.99) Colour – Insipid red. Smell – Muted. Taste – Bitter with a peppery finish. Goes well with – Come back to me on that Overall score – 2.5/5 Painfully average.    

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]]> https://meanniebee.com/2017/12/01/weekly-winedown-27-carta-roja-crianza/feed/ 0 5593 Weekly Winedown #26 KWV Big Bill Red https://meanniebee.com/2017/11/24/weekly-winedown-26-kwv-big-bill-red/ https://meanniebee.com/2017/11/24/weekly-winedown-26-kwv-big-bill-red/#respond Fri, 24 Nov 2017 18:30:24 +0000 http://meanniebee.com/?p=5568 Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. It’s been a funny old fortnight. Winedown was cast aside last week as we took a family trip to the theatre for my Dad’s birthday. He is a big fan of ‘Goodnight Mister Tom’ so off we trotted to watch that. BLOODY HELL. The acting was good, and the story was intense but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It was harrowing. I CRIED. On a Friday night, rather sober, I cried! It was not the feel good tale I had been led to believe it would be but it was nice to spend time with my family. Sitting in a theatre. Sobbing. This last week I have been trying to wade through the backlog created by Seth’s being ill and the internet being down for almost a week. It’s been particularly arduous given that Y, U, H, J, N and M have decided to only work sporadically. Hey ho, let’s go. The wine this week hails from South Africa, KWV Big Bill Red, on offer at £6.49 a bottle. The Label Red, black and white. My colour scheme of choice. The label is busy, part hand drawn and lots of text. The text tells the tale of the legend of Big Bill. Wrestler, war hero, rugby player and GM of KWV, wine producers. It doesn’t really say WHY he is a legend, aside from being a great multi-tasker and all rounder. That’s OK though, I’m sucked in. The Blurb “A bold red blend with upfront strawberry, cherry and mulberry aromas with hints of peppery spice and dark chocolate. The silky tannin structure is complemented by sweet fruit that contributes to the long, lingering finish.” I’m going to confess, I don’t know what a mulberry smells like. I just know that in the olden days they used to go round one. On  cold and frosty morning. Peppery spice and chocolate is something to look forward to. The Verdict Well, if that’s what a mulberry smells like I am a fan. The scent is sweet but not sickeningly so. It is a really lovely, soft smell. I would buy a candle that smelt like that. The taste, the very first taste has a bitter edge, this is no bad thing. The sweet fruit and deep spice blend beautifully. The wine is so smooth, absolutely perfect for snuggling under a blanket on a cold winter night. I really need to get me a log cabin with an open fire somewhere it snows. Only the fresh stuff though. No slush. This is certainly on a par with the 19 Crimes wine. Name – KWV Big Bill Red Price – £6.49 Colour – Dark, deep like velvet. Smell – Sweet with a hint of spice. Taste – Bitter start but smooth, fruity and warm. Goes well with – Winter and open fires. Overall score – 4.5/5 near as damnit perfect.  

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]]> https://meanniebee.com/2017/11/24/weekly-winedown-26-kwv-big-bill-red/feed/ 0 5568 Weekly Winedown #25 Anakena Birdman Merlot https://meanniebee.com/2017/11/10/weekly-winedown-25-anakena-birdman-merlot/ https://meanniebee.com/2017/11/10/weekly-winedown-25-anakena-birdman-merlot/#respond Fri, 10 Nov 2017 19:32:21 +0000 http://meanniebee.com/?p=5451 Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. Ennui with a splash of disinterest, a dollop of crisis in confidence and a huge helping of accidentally caring what other people thought has led to me being in a peculiar place this week. A week where I wondered why I was bothering with this blogging lark at all. It has felt long and arduous and has been accompanied by a huge, constant headache. Moan, moan. It’s all passed now though. I pulled my big girls pants on, remembered how bloody funny I am and gave my head a shake. Once again I can count the amount of fucks I give on no hands. Order is restored. To celebrate this epiphany let’s say buenas noches to our wine, Anakena Birdman Merlot from Chile. Down from £7.49 to £4.99 at Ocado. The 19 Crimes red blend last week was so close to perfect. In fact, I am unsure as to why I didn’t give it a 5/5. I may have to revisit it soon just to test. Unfortunately, it means this wine has to aim really high this week. The Label The label is black with gold font and a gold, Polynesian style bird (or birdman?). It is to the point with minimal faff. Despite being a bit like a box of Black Magic, it’s not entirely awful. I do love the image too. The Blurb “This range of wines comes from the award-winning Anakena winery, which is nestled in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Every Spring the Easter Island sea bird (Manutara) lays its precious egg in coastal cliffs. The Birdman legend tells the story of how the men from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) would show their worth by swimming the long distance to the islet of Motu Nui in search of an egg. The first islander to bring it back safely was given the title of ‘Tangata Manu’, the Birdman. We pay homage to the spirit of the Birdman in our latest range of wines. A fruit driven wine bursting with raspberry aromas and blueberry flavours. Anakena Merlot has a smooth texture and pleasing finish” That’s a whole lot of information right there. A very informative tale yet revealing very little about the wine. Raspberry and blueberry sound like a fresh mix. Chilean wines normally have a bit of depth to them, I am hoping that is the case with this one, it’s sounding a bit thin…. The Verdict The colour is a dark ruby red, perfect to look at. The ‘nose’ (yeah I did that) is soft red fruit and quite light. The two contradict one another, I’m not sure I like the confusion. The initial taste is tart raspberries and redcurrants and slightly acidic. It kind of gets better over time, but I don’t know if that’s my taste buds getting used to it or giving up. It’s not entirely awful or unpalatable, but I don’t think I’d choose this again. Ever.   It’s not how I like a Merlot to be, it pitches itself as smooth but I’d be inclined to disagree. Get thee behind me Birdman! Name – Anakena Birdman Merlot. Price – £4.99 Colour – Dark ruby red. Smell – Light & fruity. Taste – Sharp and thin. Goes well with – Cheese, I imagine it suits cheese. Overall score – 2.5/5 painfully average.    

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