July and August can be quiet at Uncorked, with many of our customers on holiday. But the wider world has been very far from quiet. The terrifying fires affecting France and Spain have cost and imperilled human life, and destroyed property and livelihoods. They have also affected winemaking areas. In Spain, one of our favourite Gredos Mountain producers, El Reventón, saw their top San Gregorio vineyard burnt down.
There seems to have been a lot of sport recently, especially football. I am reliably informed that this is a game in which grown men run around a field chasing a ball. Footballers are very rich, so the ball is (I presume) stuffed full of money. Zoë was telling me about a man who ran a mile quite quickly, and Andrew (believe it or not) went to the trouble of actually staying in a château in France just so he could get a close-up view of some blokes riding their bikes up a hill. (They went by in a few seconds and that was that). And America celebrated a significant birthday. I must confess I wasn't paying attention, but as chance would have it on the fourth of July, I did have a bottle of American wine open (2014 Freeman Keefer Ranch, beautifully mellow, still room for further development). My reaction to the significant American birthday was that of any modern, well-thinking British parent: 'haven't they grown up quickly'.
What's new
For those of you who haven't spotted this already, Tempier rosé has (unusually) made it to Uncorked in time for summer. Be quick!
From Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, we have Massaya. It hasn't been easy making wine in a warzone, but Massaya have persevered. Their blanc is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Obeidi (a native Lebanese grape) and, while you can detect the presence of the Sauvignon, this broad, beeswax-and-cinnamon white sits far from most Sauvignon Blancs you are likely to have come across. The red Terrasses de Baalbeck is a Rhône-style blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, as juicy and joyful as it is dense and serious. They also do a Provence-style Cinsault rosé.
From the hills of Campania inland from Naples, we have Terredora. Despite being in the warm south, Campania is best known for white wines - it's the elevation, innit. Falanghina is probably the grape variety that made the Falernum wine revered by the ancient Romans. The honeysuckle lushness of the Terredora Falanghina leans into a surprisingly mineral finish, while their Greco di Tufo is more grapefruit and bitter almond. Their Fiano is less aromatic, more textural, with notes of lemon and gunflint meeting across a waxy mid-palate.
And we have a beer! The town of Cheltenham is known for the Gold Cup, GCHQ, Ed’s mum and now beer. DEYA are an excellent Cheltenham brewery and their Magazine Cover is a hoppy session ale. Rumours that we are stocking it just so Ed and Andrew can buy it at staff discount are entirely unfounded.
What have we been drinking
Zoë has been mixing Niepoort Rabbit Dry White Port and tonic, for nice cold long drinks. She garnishes hers with a sprig of mint from the garden and a slice of orange foraged from her local Tesco. Jabu has also been mixing. He started off with the Marquista Manzanilla En Rama, which is a lovely, very classic, lean and saline Manzanilla new to our shelves, then he made a Sharon - a Negroni in which Manzanilla sherry replaces the gin. 3 parts Manzanilla, 2 parts red Vermouth, 1.5 Campari or Vault Bitter Aperitivo, for a less-alcohol-than-usual Negroni. It doesn’t like ice, apparently, so take it stirred then neat.
Niall had a bottle of the 2023 Dönnhoff Krotenpfuhl GG. GG is short for Grosses Gewächs, 'great growth' or grand cru, and the term is used for top-tier dry wines from Germany’s best sites. Niall reports his bottle as zesty, very fine and evocative of elderflower. As is usual for great young wines, it was better on the second night. And mercifully, he didn't mix it with anything.
Dirk Niepoort’s Redoma Branco is often described as Portuguese white Burgundy. It's made from a selection of very local grape varieties in the Douro Valley. This is always a hard wine to pin down, but I really enjoyed my bottle of the 2023. The Douro is a hot area, but Dirk harvests early for freshness, and the 2023 clocks in at only 12%. (It can be 11% some years). Fruit is not in the foreground here; 2023 Redoma smells of chamomile and lanolin, with a bit of smoke and spice.
And Andrew loved his bottle of 2021 Mestres Visol. The Mestres family have documented roots as owners of vineyards around the Catalan town of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia since 1312, which makes them older than the Black Death (by 34 years). They are surely Spain's most quality-minded, artisanal Cava producer, and a world away from the inferior big brands. This Gran Reserva Cava spent 5 years ageing on the lees before release, and that shows in the energy and the depth of flavour.
Island life: Crete
As the seat of the ancient Minoan civilisation and at a crossroads in the Mediterranean, the Greek island of Crete has got more history than most places. It also has a lot of rare but superb local grape varieties. Many of these were on the fast track to extinction before a few quality-minded producers stepped in. At the head of the pack are Lyrarakis, who have made the revival of local varieties their defining mission. In reds, Liatiko is pale and perfumed (aromas of cherry and thyme), with good structure and a salty minerality on the end. Mandilari is big and bold, and powerfully aromatic (black fruit, cedar, chocolate, nuts). I think I’m correct in saying we're the only merchant in the UK carrying the Lyrarakis Mandilari Plakoura. In whites, the delicate Dafni evokes bay leaves and ripe lemon. Plyto is more stone fruit, and a great match with grilled calamari (or fish and seafood more broadly). Assyrtiko is less endangered, and this intensely mineral, top-quality variety is a Greek gift to the world.
Champagne draw: and the winner is
Every month we run a prize draw, and the winner gets a magnum of Champagne. To enter, you need to be on our mailing list and you need to make a purchase in store. Every purchase counts as one entry in the draw, so you improve your chances by making more purchases. Congratulations to this month's winner Robert, who takes home a magnum of Roederer Collection.
Hope to see you soon on Copthall Avenue. /NT
