Founded in 1879 Bodegas C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinicola del Norte de España) is still owned and run by the Real de Asua family.
There are four brands under C.V.N.E umbrella.
CVNE – (coonay) the flagship brand , made every year,classic Rioja made in the traditional style.
Imperial-rich, full-bodied Riojas, with the Reservas and Grand Reservas being some of the most long-lived in the region today. Excellent for aging and only made in the best years.First made in the 1920’s benchmark style of classic Rioja.
Vina Real- more fruit forward with a stronger new oak component more modern in style with a higher percentage of Garnacha made in a state of the art no expense spared winery outside Logrono
Contino- single vineyard brand established 1973 in Rioja Alavesa more fruit forward than Imperial or Vina real
This was a great way to welcome in 2022. We had a packed crowd of 34 wine lovers for this wine dinner hosted by Quentin Sadler. The wines were fabulous. Favourites were the deliciously textured delicately oaked Contino Blanco. The Rioja Reserva’s were fantastic with the Welsh lamb and the Contino Gran Reserva 2011 finished things off in style.
There was no better way to celebrate our first wine dinner since the start of the Covid pandemic than with the inimitable wines of Michel Chapoutier.
Maison Chapoutier was founded in 1808 and Michel Chapoutier took charge in 1988, he became the seventh generation of his family to run the Domaine. All his vineyards are farmed biodynamically.
We were lucky enough to meet the eccentric and amiable Michel at a party in his Maison when we arrived in Tain Hermitage some years ago. His wines are extremely high quality.
They have vineyards in the best sites including Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, St Peray, Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
They also produce in other areas of France such as Roussillon and outside France including Australia Portugal and Germany
Guillaume Lafragette, Brand Manager of M.Chapoutier presenting excellent wines
The atmosphere in the Club room at Frederick’s marked the occasion. A packed crowd on 34 wine lovers included new recruits including a cohort of wine enthusiasts, currently doing their WSET exams. We started with an introduction of Chapoutier. Guillaume Lafragette Chapoutier brand manager was equally as excited to be back to live events as our attendees
The wines showed incredibly well. Stuart’s Tasting notes below-
Esteban, Domaine de la Combe Pilate, VDF, Sparkling, White
Made using methode ancestralle where there is only a single fermentation which is stopped while the wines are put in a capped bottle to finish without any added yeast or sugar (unlike methode champenoise/traditionelle).
Light bubbles, bready, with a faint apricot nose. Opened up as it warmed up to expose more Viognier character. 9% ABV, very drinkable, not overly complex.
M. Chapoutier Les Tanneurs, Saint-Péray, White
100% Marsanne made in stainless steel. Apples, citrus fruit, mineral nose. Body medium +, acidity med +, very good balance between the fruit and acidity, with a lingering saline and slightly bitter finish. Very elegant, long and worthy of its place.
M. Chapoutier Mathilde Duché d’Uzès Southern rhone blend
A fuller wine made from a blend of Viognier, Grenache blanc, Marsanne and Roussane, fermented and aged in stainless steel, from clay-limestone soils. Apricots and other ripe fruit, some white flowers (Viognier), balanced with the cut of acidity from the Marsanne and Roussane, creating a beautiful blend that somehow balanced all the different weights and flavours.
M. ChapoutierSicamor, Crozes-Hermitage, Red
100% Syrah from Crozes Hermitage, made in concrete tanks. A very typical Syrah nose of leather, spices, pepper, and black fruit, with great balance. Showing some meaty notes as the wine opened up, with a penetrating fruit concentration, fine tannins and lovely overall balance. A very classic example of Crozes.
Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem Cotes de Roussillon
Blend of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan from Roussillon. A brute of a wine, dark in colour, exploding with garrigue and dried dark fruit, very herbaceous and spicy nose. On the palate, the wine overwhelms, with a bit of fiery bite, biting tannins as you get a sense of the individual parts of this wine as well as a good dollop of the 14.5% ABV. The wine is still quite primary, not quite knit, but based on experience, will evolve into a balanced beautiful expression of the terroir. Give it 5-7 yrs same to tame and settle.
M. Chapoutier Bila-Haut Banyuls
Made from 100% Grenache noir, fermentation stopped by the addition of alcohol to create this 17% sweet and elegant dessert wine. Chocolate powder notes with kirsch, liquer dipped cherries. Smooth and delicious with both the chocolate pot and surprisingly, the Stilton. From 500cl bottles
My favourites on the night were the St Peray 100% Marsanne for it smooth full body and texture. Stuart was more of a fan of the Clos d’uzes Mathilde and the fruit packed well balanced Sicamor Crozes Hermitage.
I was pining for mature cheese with the Banyuls rather than the chocolate dessert. True to form my father delved into his travel bag and delivered a selection of mature cheeses including Michel Chapoutier personal favorite Blue Stilton.
We were delighted to welcome Paul Boutinot founder of Waterkloof.
Paul is originally from Manchester and started Boutinot Wines. He founded Waterkloof in 2004. It is a family owned, organic, biodynamic and WWF Biodiversity Champion farm overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, False Bay near Stellenbosch, South Africa.
I had met Paul recently at a South African wine tasting at Hammer and Tongs
We instantly hit it off being fellow Mancunians, also I spent a lot of my childhood in Heald Green where his family ran La Bonne Auberge.
His wines took my attention with their meticulous balance and beautiful tannins. After tasting them I found out that the wines are from Biodynamic vineyards, this didn’t surprise me as they stood out from the crowd.
At other tastings I have recently attended I have marked my favourites, Domaine Zind Humbrecht, Chateau Pontet Canet and Felton Road all produced biodynamically. I believe there’s something very special about looking after the land in this way.
It was an honour to have Paul talking about himself and his wines. He’s an incredibly humble down to earth chap who is very easy to warm too. Being a Man United fan helps too!
The wines displayed a beautiful balance.
I loved the Circle of white for its great texture balance and length. The Mourvedre with its characteristic savouriness went very well with the Welsh lamb.
“Aged in old 600-litre barrels.
Deep crimson. Not what I expected on the nose – peppery and fragrant, almost floral. Then shows the reductive character of the variety on the palate, but in a good way – smoky, dark and savoury. Even a hint of char. Blind I might have thought this was Syrah. Compact, fine and dry in texture. Lovely but embryonic. Julia Harding
Torres started producing wine in 1870, they are one of the best known wine families in Spain. Their estate is based in Penedes near Barcelona however they have Vineyards in Priorat, Ribera Del Duero, Rioja , Costers Del Segre Conca de Barbera and other areas. They also produce premium wines in Chile and California.
WanderCurtis Wine Quiz Night, Belsize Park, 7th February 2019
Getting together 100 people on a cold winter’s night was a formidable task. Lindsay and her excellent team were up to it.
We hosted at the Village School Belsize Park, raising money for Friends of Della and Don in support of Ratmalana in Sri Lanka devastated by the 2004 Tsunami.
We carefully selected wines to show of varietal qualities for the blind tasting quiz part of the evening and amended our wine quiz to compliment the evenings themes.
It featured an art auction with a collection of fine work from artists such as Grayson Perry and delicious homemade Italian cuisine by Riccardo of TortelliniCup.
The following wines were served-
Aperitif – Prosecco La Gioiosa et Amorosa NV DOC Treviso
Wine 1 Viñalba Selección Torrontés 2018 Lujan de Cuyo
Wine 2 Grand Ardèche Chardonnay 2016 Louis Latour
Break for Italian buffet
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2017 Monte Schiavo
Alain Grignon Carignan Vieilles Vignes 2017 PGI Pays de l’Hérault
Wine 3 Edna Valley Pinot Noir 2016
Wine 4 Valpolicella Ripasso 2016 Villa Borghetti
We used the local Majestic Wine in Chalk Farm. The Torrontes exhibited great typicity with floral fragrant notes of lychee and white blossom. This was in stark contrast to the buttery rich Chardonnay from Louis Latour.
The reds were similarly rewarding. To find a Pinot Noir of this quality from California for under a tenner was an achievement. The Edna Valley showed earthy qualities with a good red fruit core. Villa Borghetti’s Valpolicella Ripasso fermented on pomace from Amarone production displayed a richer wine with blueberry and spice aromas.
The winning table was ‘Chardonnay’ who leapt up in joy and around £11,000 raised for Charity.
Hugel & Fils were founded in 1639 in picturesque Riquewihr, Alsace, France. The Hugel family are pioneers of winegrowing in Alsace and their distinctive yellow label has commanded world-wide recognition for excellence. They are still run by the same family. This evening was hosted by Charlotte Hugel who is Thirteenth generation! Over a matched three course dinner, we tasted a range of the brilliant Hugel wines, from the best-selling Gentil range, Classic range, Estate range, and Grand Cru “Grossi Laüe”. The wines showed off their purity and precision and demonstrated why Hugel are one of the most respected wine family’s in France
Aperitif
Hugel Gentil 2016
Starter Prawn and Avocado Cocktail
Hugel Pinot Gris Estate 2015
Main course Pan fried Hake, Smoked garlic mash, French beans & beurre blanc
New Zealander Michael Seresin is a well-known cinematographer. In 1992 he set up Seresin Estate on the Wairau river terraces of Marlborough, which has New Zealand’s longest sunshine hours. Their wines are some of the first to be farmed organically and biodynamically.
‘This is pinot noir at its best. Incredibly expressive, pretty but also savoury, a smell that leaps out of the glass and wraps itself around you, blooming like a peony.’ Victoria Moore, Wine Correspondent.
Michael’s daughter Leah Seresin presented the following fantastic wines with dinner at Frederick’s on June 21st.
Maison Louis Jadot is a family owned business based in Beaune, Burgundy established in 1859. They also have substantial vineyard holdings throughout the Cote d’Or as well as the Maconnais as well as producing wine from a number of other appellations throughout Burgundy.
The winemaker, Jacques Lardière, has been with the company for over 30 years and together with Pierre-Henry Gagey and his father André before him, has built the company to be one of the finest in Burgundy.
We hosted at the excellent French Patron Restaurant in Kentish Town with Maison Louis Jadot’s Export Director Sigfried Pic.
A three course dinner was matched with some of the finest Burgundies from the Louis Jadot range.
Aperitif, we compared Chablis and Saint-Véran.
The Chablis was a favourite with lees ageing adding to texture and complexity with a lovely mineral/oyster shell note typical of Chablis grown on kimmeridgean soils
First course: Foie Gras with brioche served with Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanée 2013 – beautiful rich textured lovely vanilla from oak ageing nicely balanced with ripe stone fruit
Main course : Duck confit and Gratin Duaphinoise served with Beaune 1er Cru Theurons 2009
Dessert a selection of artisanal cheese served with Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cazetiers 2007 and served blind the Moulin-à-Vent La Roche 2007 in magnum
Following our brilliant evening a few years ago with Kevin McKee, UK Director of Family Taittinger, we had another treat at Fredericks with a marvellous Champagne selection.
The evening included a tasting, hosted by Kevin, of a range of their finest Champagnes matched with a delicious three course dinner in Frederick’s private club room.
We tried their signature Cuvee of the house through to their prestigious cuvee Comtes de Champage 2006 made in tiny quantities and only in exceptional years, the ultimate expression of Taittinger.
Alongside Comtes we had the unique opportunity to try Domaine Carneros Le Reve 2007, from Taittinger’s joint venture in California. Le Reve (“The Dream”) is Domaine Carneros’ masterpiece. A prestige cuvee made from almost 100% Chardonnay grapes. This is arguably America’s greatest sparkling wine.
Aperitif – Taittinger Non-Vintage in Magnum
Starter – Taittinger Prelude Grands Crus
Main – Comtes de Champagne 2006 + Domaine Carneros Le Reve 2007
Following Adam’s two week wine tasting tour with Wine Australia in November, we chose some of our favourite wines for this dinner.
Barossa in South Australia is one of Australia’s oldest and greatest wine regions .
We were hosted by Yalumba’s Chief Winemaker Louisa Rose who is one of Australia’s most experienced and talented winemakers. Her name is synonymous with Viognier in Australia. In 2014 ‘The Age’ named Lou Australia’s Best Winemaker. Yalumba is Australia’s oldest family-owned winery founded in 1849 and unusually has it’s own cooperage and nursery.
WanderCurtis Wine 