Episode 102 of the Bring a Bottle Podcast is packed with knowledge, with Helena joined by absolute cheese and wine guru and owner of Mouse and Grape, Jessica Summer! Inevitably, we took this opportunity to learn all about cheese and wine pairings, using an incredible value supermarket Graffigna Genuine Collection Reserve Malbec as an example. There are Earl Grey gin experiments, a G&T unlike any you’ve probably tried before, and money-saving insight into how wine lists work!
Our Guest Drinker
Sharing a drink with us this week is Jessica Summer, the owner of the cleverly named Mouse and Grape, a luxury cheese and wine business specialising in everything from gorgeous hampers to corporate tastings and events. Jessica really knows what she’s talking about and has WSET Level 3 and Cheese Academy Level 2 to back it up!
What’s In Our Glass?
We’re merrily sipping our way through Graffigna Genuine Collection Reserve Malbec, 2020, a fresh and fruit-forward Malbec. It’s voluminous and intense with black cherry and plum, and perfect alongside food for this time of year. Also, it was awarded 92 points from Decanter so it’s not just us that love it. Immense value.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £7.50 (usually £9)
Drinks News
The American lager brand Coors Light has released a nail varnish that tells you if your beer is cold by changing colour depending on how cold your beer is when you hold it. Surely, you’d already know if it was cold by that point though? But it’s a nice novelty and maybe it’s an attempt to get more women into beer?!
Graffigna Malbec and Cheese pairing
Of course, we were going to get up to some wine and cheese pairings when we’ve got Jessica on. We won’t do Jessica justice by trying to recreate her detailed pairing guide here, so you’ll have to listen! The Malbec is tested with Goat’s cheese and Cheddar with very different results, and you’ll definitely want to try it for yourself after.
Mixology with Helena
Helena’s got her mixology hat on and this time she’s concocting a milky cocktail inspired by Earl Grey Latte. With York Gin’s Grey Lady at the heart of it, it’s like a lighter aromatic Baileys with great flavour. Perhaps it needs more creaminess to really sing though? If you try it, let us know your thoughts here!
Drinkers Discovery
It looks like a potion discovered in an ancient alchemist’s lab with the pipette top, but it is in fact Cotswolds Gin Essence, 10x the concentrated flavour of usual gins. 4 or so drops of this with tonic and you get a G&T with a light and breezy feel, and less bitterness if you’re into that. Interesting!
Size: 100ml
ABV: 46%
Find here: £17.95
Mailbag
This week’s question concerns where to find the best value wine on a wine list! Helena and Jessica advise targeting the mid-range, to avoid the huge mark up on the cheapest wines and hefty price tag of the top end. Look out for Malbecs and Portuguese wines in general!
For all this and more listen in today!