A Game of Spot the Imposter



Languedoc Crest on a bottle

 Our March event and sixth Tongham Tasters’ wine tasting evening was hosted by Steve and had Languedoc wines as it theme. However, he let us know at the beginning of the evening that one of the wines was an imposter and we had to try and spot it. This was going to be fun!

As well as Steve S, we had seven other intrepid tasters willing to play the game. Food was top notch and included some interesting saucisson sourced from Borough market, cheese, breadsticks and the usual palate cleansing celery and carrot sticks.

In order of preference after voting by the team, here are Steve’s wines and our views on them. Scores are in the order: John E, John S, Jane, Clive, Steve S and Sheila.

Definitely from the Languedoc!

1. Vinalba Cuvee Couture 2009, Argentian Red – Majestic £8.99
Incredibly with some very nice Languedoc wines in the line-up, the imposter won! Of our team trying to spot the imposter only Sheila managed it – well done! This was four of our team’s top wine of the evening and another two had it in their top three. It had a violet and liquorice bouquet and was both smooth and astringent. Some of the team found it a little too sweet. Scores were 12.5, 15, 19, 16, 17, 13. The wine is a blend of Malbec and Touriga Nacional. Not a bad little number from Argentina – quite a few would dance a tango with this wine.

2. Domaine Les Yeuses 2008 Syrah les Epices, Vins de Pays D’Oc – Majestic £6.99
For one of our team (John E) this was the top wine of the evening and another six had it in their top three. After the results were announced there was some sentiment that this wine should have won. It is one of Steve S’s regular favourite wines. Another slightly sweet wine the spiciness really came out. Some thought it was a Merlot imposter (woops – John E) but once you knew, it was obviously a nice Syrah (Shiraz) red wine. Clive found the bouquet reminiscent of his grandfather’s smoky slippers – it should be emphasized that this was his grandfather on his father’s side! Scores were 14.5, 15.5, 20, 15, 16.5, 12. At the price, a very nice wine.

3. Domaine Sainte Rose La Garrigue 2009 – Majestic £5.99

As usual, the lowest priced wine of the evening faired quite well. Two of the team had it as their favourite and another four in their top three. Scents of plum, tobacco, liquorice and chocolate it worked well in the top of your mouth but less well elsewhere. John E got this down as a red Grenache blend. Scores were 14, 15, 16, 14, 14.5, 10. At the price, this Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre blend is worth considering.

4. Roche Lacour Cremant de Limoux Brut 2007 – Laithwaites £10.99
Sparkling wines tend to do well in our evenings and this methode tradionelle Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Chenin Blanc blend was quite pleasant. Jane though it was a Prosecco imposter but actually this is a Languedoc sparkler and it got better as you tasted it. Bubbly lover Sheila had it as her favourite wine and two more had it in their top three. Scores were 12.5, 13, 10, 14, 13, 13. A nice change to taste something from Laithwaites.

Jane translating Le Guide Hachette for Clive

5. Paul Mas Estate Carignan Vielle Vignes Savignac Vineyard 2009 – Majestic £8.99

John E impressed by getting the grape variety on this one and one person had it as the runner up wine of the evening. Only one other had it in their top three. Perhaps it needed to breathe some more, because it got better as time went on. Scores were 11.5, 15, 16, 15, 14, 10. Quite good scores for a red wine at number five!

6. Rocs Blancs AOC Languedoc Picpoul de Pinet 2009 – Majestic £6.99
Some found this too much like grape juice and Steve W had a bouquet of floor polish which I think he found attractive. Steve S found it too simple which I think is why it scored so lowly. John E found some redeeming features and thought it had been served slightly too cold and actually showed some life in it. The scores for this typical Languedoc white wine were 10, 11, 11, 11, 9, 7. This would be enjoyable with some Bouzigues oysters sitting outside in the Languedoc listening to the Cicadas – but it didn’t work well in Tongham!

Artistic shot of the evening's debris!

Overall a very good consistent bunch of wines and we had great fun playing “Spot the Imposter”. The change to Friday night seemed to work well for many and conversation on many subjects flowed as well as the wine. We’ll have to consider more Friday dates going forward. Well done Steve.

Next month we venture into Hampshire to taste wines at John S’s place in Farnborough. Date is April . Do join us. Click on Wine Circle at the top of the page for more details.  Where else can you have this much entertainment for just £10.

Languedoc Generic Reds - TonghamTaster’s French Wine Tasting Course – week 10

Vineyards near Beziers

The 12 month on-line course to help you learn about French wines - Top tips on how to get value when buying them - Reasonably priced up-to-date recommendations of what to buy and try in the UK - Bringing you the best of Tongham Village Hall wine tastings.

INTRODUCTION
For March we will study the Languedoc-Roussillon wine area of Southern France, which is one of the oldest, largest and best value wine regions in the world. This week we cover the large generic red appellations of the Languedoc, before going on to some of the more specific appellations over the next three weeks. Later in the year we will cover some of the exciting Vins de Pays from the region.

LOCALITY
The Coteaux du Languedoc is a very large wine area on the Mediterranean stretching from around the city of Montpelier south west to Narbonne and inwards from the coast to the mountains. Since 2007 there has been an even larger generic appellation in the area – the AOC Languedoc that covers the area all the way from Nimes in the east to the Spanish border and thus now covers Roussillon as well. The old Coteaux du Languedoc AOC will continue to be used until 2012. Many well known AOCs like St Chinian, Faugeres, Fitou, Minervois and Corbieres fall in this area but we will cover them separately next week.

VARIETALS
About 80% of the wine produced in this area is red with the balance split roughly equally between white and rose.
For the red and rose wines the main grapes are Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre with Carignan and Cinsault permitted in smaller quantities. All wines must be a blend of at least two grape varieties. The exact percentagse vary between the different appellations.

THE WINES
I remember first really appreciating the Coteaux du Languedoc wines as recently as 2003 when I bought a case of Chateau Rieutort Clos des Charmes 2000 which was a really beautiful wine. Like many of the wines of the region it was Grenache based (80%) but blended with 3 other varietals.

We have already mentioned the two main appellations – the old Coteaux du Languedoc and the newer AOC Languedoc which we will see increasingly on our wine shelves. These are wines of varying quantity but there are some gems amongst them and in most cases represent good value for money.

Jane tasting in La Clape

However, there are some sub-appellations that need to be mentioned such as La Clape and Pic Saint Loup amongst others. These are often better quality and so look out for these names on the label.

Another thing about Languedoc wines - there is no specified bottle shape, so you may see them in both Bordeaux and Rhone shaped bottles.

THE TASTE


A favourite of mine



The red wines tend to be full bodied and often quite alcoholic. You will get the usual berry flavours along with a variety of non-fruit flavours as well. In such a large appellation you will het a variety of quality and tastes.

TOP TIPS
• The wines of the Coteaux du Languedoc often represent great value for money.
 • There are some well known high quality large producers such as Gerard Bertrand that you will often see in the supermarkets and are worth trying.

• Also look out for the wines of JeanJean who are two women who produce wines in the Languedoc - again these are good value for money wines.

HOMEWORK
For your homework this week you need to buy and try any Coteaux du Languedoc or AOC Languedoc red and you may wish to try one of my recommendations below. Remember that you will only learn about wines by tasting them.
Waitrose - Chateau l'Hospitalet Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape Gerard Bertrand 2008 - About £11
or Waitrose – Chateau Callage 2008 Coteaux du Languedoc – About £8 but £6 this week.
Or Majestic – La Vielle Capitelle 2009 AOC Languedoc – About £8 but £5 if you buy 2 or more.
Or Marks and Spencers - Chateau du Parc 2008 Coteaux du Languedoc – about £7.50.

FOOD PAIRINGS
The Languedoc reds are great BBQ wines and go well with grilled red meats and sausages.

COMING SOON
Next week we move on to the reds of St Chinian, Faugeres, Fitou, Minervois and Corbieres.

If you missed the early weeks of this course, it is not too late to catch up. Just click on the French Wine Course link at the top of this page.

Languedoc-Roussillon

Where it is on a wine map of France

For those seeking good value French red wines, the Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the regions to look out for, although the really good wines can still set you back €20 or £20 in the UK; however, this price is still much less than a well known Bordeaux or Burgundy and there is real value to be had in the under €10/£10 category whether from good brands such as Gerard Bertrand (always reliable) or the small growers. When I first started drinking wine, the wines of this region were known for being cheap plonk and I used to avoid Minervois and Corbieres, whereas now I seek it out; the region has reduced production and increased quality. In our Tongham Village Hall wine tastings it was the first region we did, although we didn’t entirely do it justice as we mixed in with the Sud-Ouest. I was reminded of our holiday when drinking a really nice bottle of Faugeres (Domaine Thibault 2007 Cuvee Jaqueline Javy) last night, hence today’s blog. We were lucky enough to take a holiday in the region during April 2009. We were staying at Steve and Yvonne’s place near Beziers and their directions were “drive out of Beziers and turn right at the prostitute”. Unfortunately, she must have been attending to a client as we drove past, so we got lost! The holiday, luckily took an uphill climb after that and we sampled some lovely wines from the region and really enjoyed the food and countryside. The spectacular nature and greenness of the countryside were a surprise and if you’ve not been here is a taster...

Amongst my favourite appellations are Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape and Minervois la Liviniere. Whilst in the Languedoc the best wine maker we visited was Chateau Mire L'Etang in La Clape - their top of the range red at about €17 was really excellent.  Well worth a visit.   As mentioned in other posts the cooperative at Roquebrun (St Chinian) is normally great value.  Although we didn't get there, the wine of Les Trois Tomates (the three tomatoes) is a great recommendation from Steve. The Cote Sud restaurant in Beziers is very good and another must to try.  If you are a fan of oysters go to Bouzigues.