They speculate whether when wines reach a certain point in their arc of development, their common secondary characteristics make them taste very similar, thereby robbing the drinker of what distinguished these wines originally.

Admittedly, there are wines that do age superbly well (not always the ones we expect) and others that are difficult to drink in their infancy - and the three cite examples of wines that may require holding back a considerable period of time before reaching their peak. The gang talk about the so-called drinking window for wines and whether it has any validity or meaning.

However, to illustrate that wines may mellow with age and reveal development without losing certain essential primary flavours, they taste a red wine from one of the pioneering Languedoc estates, Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge from the 2016 vintage, followed by the legendary South African wines, Paul Sauer from Kanonkop 2012, a well-known Bordeaux-style blend that exudes youthful power to say the least.

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The three uncork four very different wines that show how wide a spectrum of styles may be found to represent rosé wine. The first example, imported by Emily for her wine company in Berlin, is from north west Etna made by a young natural vigneronne. This is Gustinella, Jungimmune Rosato 2023, being a blend of all the local grapes. We comment on its freshness and tonic aspect.

Next a wine from the legendary natural winery Ligas in Pella, Greece, called Le Rosé, a wildly aromatic 100% Xinomavro with nothing added (2020 vintage). Two big guns are poured: the legendary Tondonia Rosado Gran Reserva, Lopez de Heredia from the 2011 vintage, and a red-hued Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2020 from Emedio Pepe, the rarest of rare wine gems and a glorious expression of Montepulciano.

Whilst admiring these wines from all angles, we also wonder at what point calling a wine a rosé/rosado/rosato serves any useful purpose if they are so different from run-of-the-mill rosés. Certainly, all the wines being tasted illustrate that wonderful wines can be made by pushing the envelope in terms of farming, natural winemaking and ageing. Just don’t call them rosé. Or indeed, just call them rosé!

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Doug

Emily

Jamie

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram

Find out more about us on our websites:

Doug

Emily

Jamie

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram

Find out more about us on our websites:

Doug

Emily

Jamie

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram

Find out more about us on our websites:

Doug

Emily

Jamie

The trio examine wine margins in restaurants, question why they are (undoubtedly) increasing and explain some of the reasons why this may be the case. We mention some of our favourite places to drink good value wine and why progressive mark-ups encourage customers to drink more interesting wines. Conversely, fixed gross-profit margins are pushing more and more wines out of the pocket of the average consumer. They observe that emerging regions and lesser-heralded grape varieties can provide great value discoveries.

To this end, the gang taste a white wine made from Thierry Navarre in Saint-Chinian called Lignières Blanc, a mix of rare and “forgotten varieties” including Ribeyrenc Blanc, Clairette du Languedoc & Grenache Gris, and agree this style of wine overdelivers for the price point.

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Doug

Emily

Jamie

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Doug

Emily

Jamie

The expressions icon wines and unicorn wine are bandied around willy-nilly by the wine trade. Emily, Jamie and Doug discuss about what these terms actually mean and cite examples of wines with an inflated reputation (and whether it is merited). We speculate why wine becomes a collectible and plaything to show off on socials and mention the grey market in regard to wine trading and how it inflates the price of certain wines, putting them beyond the reach of average consumers.

We sip (and swoon over) one of the fabulous unicorns of the natural wine world: Sonorité du Vent 2019 from Domaine des Miroirs in the Jura and also sample a luxury-brand Provençal rosé, Garrus 2022 from Château d’Esclans.

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Delving into its pros and cons Emily, Jamie and Doug discuss whether the current appellation system is still relevant and if setting standards to reach a common denominator of quality results in excluding those artisan growers who show initiative, originality and are often the real defenders of regional heritage (yet whose wines are not deemed typical by appellation standards).

The trio ask whether having appellation connotes a wine that is true its terroir or is more to do with establishing a stylistic uniformity of wines from a specific region.

They blind-taste a delightfully brisk and crunchy IGP d’Allobroges from Yann Pernuit in Savoie, a red blend from the very rare local Etraire de la Dhuy grape plus Mondeuse and we also assay an older vintage of Tom Lubbe’s Matassa Rouge from the Roussillon which is still in astonishingly good nick.

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Jamie, Doug and Emily attempt to define the slippery concept of terroir and surmise how a specific place (microclimate, aspect, biodiversity and soil) may be transmitted into the final wine and why it might be desirable for wines to convey their origins.

The trio pop open two bottles and enjoy a mineral Sakkie Mouton Colombar from Olifants River in South Africa and wax lyrical about a stunning Pinot Noir care of Kelley Fox (Maresh Vineyard Golden Crowned Sparrow Block) that sings the song of its beautiful vineyard.

This episode includes:

Pinot Noir 'Maresh Vineyard', Kelley Fox 2022

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Doug

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