Thursday Club with Talk Radio: Boxed Wine

Do you whisper it or shout it out loudly and proudly? Boxed wine, bag in box wine or even bagnums these days (see what they did there?) are on the up with consumers and for many good reasons too. Quality packaging has come such a long, long way, so wines are kept fresher for longer, which in turn has meant that producers are happy to put higher quality wines in there. New, natty little taps and better bags keep oxygen out and flavour in and in many cases, the packaging has been upgraded too, to something you wouldn’t mind showing off in your kitchen. Add to this the fact that the same wine is cheaper when you buy it in more volume like this AND the packaging is generally much less harmful to the environment and you have a win-win situation. 

I’ve tried and tested a lot for you (it’s a tough job, eh?) and here are three boxed wines that are cracking value:

When in Rome Organic Grillo, Sicily, Italy. 

When in Rome were one of the first to bring high quality, interesting wines to the box, all the while keeping their green credentials intact. I love this crowd-pleasing, organic Grillo (that’s the grape); it’s crisp and ultra refreshing with a very aromatic nose of peach blossom and lemon cream. Fruity but light on its feet, it's highly drinkable and perfect for parties or that sneaky midweek glass straight from the fridge. 

£24.99 for 2.25L (bottle equivalent = £8.33) from Waitrosecellar and on offer on Amazon for £22.80

Terre di Faiano Rosso IGP Puglia Organic Rosso

This Italian red wine blend certainly wins the prize for great packaging with its eye-catching, blue tube. It is also a big, juicy hug in a glass. If you’re a fan of Primitivo with its notes of cocoa dusted raisins, very ripe dark berry fruit and vanilla pods, then you’ll love this. Of a slightly sweet style so not for lovers of old school, dry Claret perhaps, but a very easy drinking drop on a cool, Autumnal day. It would make a great match with some hard, salty cheese. 

£20.79 on offer (was 25.99) for 2.25L from WaitroseCellar ( £6.33 bottle equivalent)

Bea Organic Monastrell, The BIB Wine Company

The BIB Wine Company have nailed compact, classy looking boxes that hold properly fine wine. Come here for your quirky blends from lesser known wine regions as well as your old favourites, from Sancerre and Cotes du Rhone to fabulous Portuguese blends and dry, Hungarian Furmint. This Spanish Monastrell (that’s the grape. It’s also known as Mourvedre in France) is bold and grippy, much drier and tannic than the Rosso above and more old school European in style - dusty in a good way. Give it a steak and it will sing. 

£26.80 fro 2.25L (£8.93) from bibwine.co.uk

Stay tuned for more boxed wine recommendations on The Three Drinkers soon! In the meantime, here are 8 reasons why you should try boxed wine again.

Thursday Club with Talk RADIO: Côtes-du-Rhône

As the temperatures drop in October, I often find myself reaching for wines from an old favourite region in France: Côtes-du-Rhône AOC. If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll see how I like to compare this French appellation to boy bands like One Direction as they’re made up of a blend of distinctive grape varieties, each with their own personality. What may pass some people by however, is that there are various quality levels to explore. Start with Côtes-du-Rhône, then move up to Côtes-du-Rhône Villages and there’s even a more lofty level to explore too, where Côtes-du-Rhône Villages with a named village. You can read more about all of this here.

While the red wines are the most famous and the most plentiful (around 84% of all wines are red!), the whites (around 6%) and pinks (around 10%) are really starting to fly. Let’s take a look at a couple of whites and reds to see what all the fuss is about.

Les Dauphins, Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc, 2020

Hailing from vineyards in the southern Rhône, this white is a great example of an accessible  Rhône wine made with some of the great white grapes of the region, namely Grenache blanc, Marsanne and Viognier. With ripe, orchard fruit notes, a herbaceous touch and a distinctive freshness, Les Dauphins shows an effortless complexity and drinkability for a really great price. 

Find it here at Tesco for £7

Gabriel Meffre Côtes-du-Rhône, 2020

Producer Gabriel Meffre has been based in Gigondas since 1936 and for this wine, they’ve used a traditional blend of white grapes including Grenache blanc and Viognier with some Roussanne this time. A little step up from the previous bottle, the Viognier really shines through here: exceptionally elegant and soft, it has delicately complex notes of peaches, pear, apricot and white blossom with a refreshing, citrus core. Just beautiful.

Find it here at Waitrose for £9.99

Terroir Daronton, Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Séguret, 2019

With Terroir Daronton, we see an example of one of the villages of the appellation getting a special shout out as grapes from here were deemed so worthy, there was no need to blend: Séguret. It’s bold in flavour but lean and refreshing with a gorgeous combination of spicy bramble fruit and a slick of salinity and minerality.

Find it here at Waitrose for £9.79

Splash Out Red

Taste the Difference Chartreuse De Bonpas, Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, 2018

Christmas cake in a glass! This bold and beautiful, velvety red is produced largely with Syrah, Grenache and Carignan to offer a rich blend of flavours from sweet, black cherry to brandy soaked raisins, grilled meat and spicy blackberry. A great food wine this; try it with stews or hard, nutty cheeses. 

Find it here at Sainsbury’s for £15

Like these? Read this and try some wines from the Rasteau appellation

Thursday Club with talk RADIO: White Wine from Rueda, Spain

What and where is DO Rueda?

Nestled up in the central-north part of Spain, with Galicia to the west and hugging the northeastern corner of Portugal, we find the wine region of Rueda. It forms part of the greater Castilla y Léon area and was the first of the 9 official regions within it to receive its own delimited status, earning the title ‘Denominación de Origen’ (or ‘DO’ for short), where strict rules around quality keep standards high. 

DO Rueda is most famous these days for producing zesty, fresh and fruity, un-oaked white wines made largely from the Verdejo grape, which considers Rueda to be its spiritual home. Sauvignon Blanc is it’s wing-man and a few other white varietals are now permitted into the blends, namely Viura, Palomino Fino, Viognier and Chardonnay. More experimentation is happening however with how these wines are made - and with the wines below, we can taste the difference! 

Diez Siglo Rueda Verdejo

Let’s start with Verdejo. This is a classic example of type: vibrant and refreshing, with notes of hay, guava, peach and orange-lemon citrus. Catch that characteristic hint of fennel on the finish too. Yum!

Find it at Amps Wine Merchant for £9.80 a bottle.

Excellens Sauvignon Blanc 2020

Next up, let’s see what Sauvignon can do in Rueda. Bright and clean again with its famous pale green tinge, this is a fruitier style of the grape, with powerful notes of cut grass, apple, blossom, tropical fruit and herbs. We can also so a creamier weight here thanks to some ageing of the wine on its lees (dead yeast cells left over from alcoholic fermentation). 

Find it at Fine Wines Direct UK for £9.89 mixed 6 price. 

Amador Diez 2015

Here’s what happens in Rueda when you add some age and some oak. It was named in tribute to the winery’s (Cuatro Rayas) former president, Amador Diez de Íscar. The top of this producer’s tree, this wine is produced from the best parts of their ancient, 100 year plus pre-phylloxera vineyard. Hand made at just about every level including bottling and in very limited quantities, this is a wine made to age. If you love white Rioja, you’ll love this! Think spicy orchard fruits, quince, honey, toast and spice, all with a cool, saline kick. A fantastic splash-out bottle. 

Find it at Ultracomida for £34 a bottle.

Read the full article on DO Rueda here.

Thursday Club with talk RADIO: The famous grapes from Piedmont, Italy

This week on the Thursday Club, we start to feel a little more Autumnal and head to Piedmont in Italy, which always comes into it’s own at this time of year. Think truffle hunting, wild boar stews, foggy mornings… it’s just beautiful. Piedmont is also home to some of the most famous wines in Italy. It’s the home of Barolo, Barbaresco, Gavi, Barbera and Dolcetto to name but a few and all are fantastic food wines. Today we are looking at three grapes that deserve your attention: Arneis, Barbera and Nebbiolo. Huge thanks to Corney & Barrow who supplied al l the wines for this tasting.

Roero Arneis, Cascina Ghercina, Italy, 2019

Keep your eye out for this white grape as it becomes more popular. If you’re looking for an alternative to Gavi, this elegant little white is for you. Arneis is the grape and here it comes from it’s spiritual home in the hills of the Roero, northwest of Alba in Piedmont. It’s a tricky grape to grow, which is why it’s often called the little rascal, but when treated properly, it flourishes to give a crisp, white wine with delicate floral aromas, notes of ripe pear, apricot and a touch of sweet spice. 

Find it here for £12.95 

Barbera d'Alba, Fratelli Antonio e Raimondo, Italy, 2019

The pretty, foggy hills of Piedmont’s Alba is the perfect place for classic Barbera (that’s the grape) like this one. Silky smooth and perfumed with notes of red cherry and fruits of the forest, this is a red for those who like less tannic reds like Pinot Noir without the bombastic fruit and oak of the New World. Quietly elegant and seductive, this is cracking with charcuterie too.

Find it here for £12.75.

Langhe Nebbiolo, Pian delle Mole, Giulia Negri, Italy, 2019

Nebbiolo is the most famous grape of Piedmont and one of the most notable in Italy, being responsible for the wines of Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara. It’s a paradox, looking quite pale and elegant in the glass but packing real power on the palate. Think Dita Von Tease and what she can do with a pole... The elegance but oh, the power! Tar and roses is the classic tasting note for Nebbiolo as well as a touch of marzipan, violet and truffle when it has a bit of age. They can keep for years thanks to the tannin and often need time to age. When from the Langhe region however like this one, they can be much more fruit forward and ready to drink earlier. 

Find it here for £18.50

Thursday Club with talk RADIO: Off the beaten track with The Wine Society

This week on the Thursday Club with Mike Graham on talkRADIO, we have a special guest! Helena is away, so Mr Freddy Bulmer is stepping in, presenting some fabulous, off-the-beaten-track wines. Freddy is a buyer at The Wine Society and is responsible for Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Eastern Europe as well as beers and cider. What a great job! Here are three Society wines that he’s handpicked for you from places that deserve a little more attention.

Villa Melnik Syrah, Bulgaria 2018

A brilliant value example of this superstar grape, grown in this instance in south-west Bulgaria! This is full bodied and bursting with fig and juicy blackcurrant flavours. There’s a peppery twist which gives this bargain bottle a warming bit of spice, and combined with the full, fruity flavours this makes it a perfect choice for Autumnal drinking. Worth veering of the beaten track for!

Find it here for £6.75

Xinomavro Jeunes Vignes, Thymiopoulos, Greece 2019 

This Greek red grape variety is little known in the UK but is well worth getting excited about! Coming from the north of Greece, not too far from the city of Thessaloniki, this medium bodied wine is similar to France’s pinot noir in some respects and northern Italy’s Barolo in others. Quite simply this has to be one of the best value wines available in the UK at the moment and it’s sure to surprise and delight all who fill their glass with it! Not to mention Apostolos Thymiopoulos, winemaker extraordinaire, is one of the nicest people in the wine world!

Find it here for £11.95

Nibiru Grundstein Rosé, Kamptal, Austria 2020 

This fresh, raspberry-sorbet-laden rosé comes from the beautiful rolling hills of Austria, around an hour west of Vienna. Made from an inspired blend of local grapes zweigelt and blauer portugieser, this has a delicious hint of freshly picked herbs and vivid red berry fruit. Light, bright and impossibly refreshing, this is the perfect rosé for drinking into Autumn as the summer comes to an end.

Find it here for £13.95

You can listen to previous episodes of Mike Graham’s show on talkradio TV here. For more infomration on the The Wine Society, click here!

Thursday Club with talkRADIO: Martini Three Ways!

Shaken, stirred, dirty, wet, dry, with a twist or something totally bonkers with onions, nothing says class like a Martini. What though actually is the difference between all these styles?

These days, there are over 200 variations on a theme of Martini with some barely resembling the ‘original’ version at all. Let’s go back to basics though and try make sense of some of the more classic recipes. 

Over time, the Martini as we know it has become progressively drier, having morphed from sweeter drinks, namely the Martinez or the Marguerite. The dry Martini as we know it is most likely to have gained traction at the end of the 19th century and start of the 20th, when London Dry Gin became a thing and there was a huge advertising campaign by the Martini & Rosso vermouth company who created a strap line saying ‘It's not a  Martini unless you use Martini”. Genius. It worked though. 

Shaken or Stirred

The point of shaking and stirring the Martini ingredients before serving is to cool and dilute the drink. Shaking does this faster than stirring but it also changes the texture slightly, creating tiny air bubbles that are held in suspension in the liquid, giving it a slightly cloudy look. Choosing which you prefer is a satisfying element of bespoking your own Martini.

Key styles of Martini

Classic Martini

The classic is a combination of London dry gin (2 parts) and dry vermouth (1 part), stirred with ice, then strained straight up into a chilled Martini glass and garnished with an unstuffed Spanish olive. If you use vodka instead of gin, this is simply a classic vodka Martini. Many prefer the classic ‘with a twist’, however, which is simply a slim twist of lemon peel.

Dry Martini

A less vermouth, the drier the Martini. A classic dry version will see the glass have a vermouth rinse before being topped up with gin, but it is still known as dry if there’s more like a splash of vermouth in there.

Wet Martini

A wet Martini is when you are upping the vermouth from more than a small splash, so that it can even be half gin (or vodka), half vermouth. This is also known sometimes as a 50:50.

Dirty Martini

A dirty Martini is when a splash of brine from the olive jar is added to the drink and is served with a stuffed olive. 

Perfect Martini

A perfect Martini means the drink includes equal parts of dry and sweet vermouth.

The Gibson

Fun fact! If you swap out the olives for cocktail onions, the drink becomes a Gibson! Named after the famous London bar of the same name.

Other Styles of Martini

Really, you can substitute the gin or vodka for any spirit. You can also substitute the vermouth! One example is the saketini, where vermouth is replaced by sake, or the tequini, where the gin or vodka is substituted for un-aged tequila!

Tequini Recipe

90ml Tequila Blanco

15ml Dry Vermouth

1 dash Angustura bitters

Twist of lemon or olive as preferred.

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Thursday Club with talk RADIO: Japanese Sake and Umeshu

This week on The Thursday Club with Mike Graham on Talk Radio, it’s a Japanese special to celebrate our Olympic wins! We’ll be getting to know two of Japan’s favourite tipples a little better and perhaps discovering some new delicious treats along the way.

What is Sake?

Sake is wine made by fermenting rice instead of grapes. The quality can vary a lot according to how much each grain of rice has been polished (the more the better). Traditionally, only lower grade sake is drunk warm and it really should be treated just like normal grape wine wine, out of a wine glass. The quality levels go up from junmai’, which is table sake, where no minimum rice polishing is required. Then, we move up in quality to a higher polish with ‘junmai ginjo’ at 60% and then at the top, there’s ‘junmai daiginjo’, where only 50% of the rice grain is used. Usually, the junmai ginjo and junmai daiginjo are more aromatic and elegant because of the polishing. Here’s much more info and your beginner’s guide to Sake on TheThreeDrinkers.com.

Shirayuki Japanese Saké 

Shirayuki is a brand of sake that has been going for centuries and hails originally from a place called Nada, near Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture; the historical birthplace of Japanese sake  since 1550. (Think about what Cognac is to Brandy - that’s what Nada is to Sake). This is a relatively small batch made just for Aldi, so get it while you can as when it’s gone, it’s gone! This is your entry level sake, which can be tasted child or warmed up if preferred. 

Find it for £4.99 at Aldi here

Junmai Daiginjo Sake

This Junmai Daiginjo from Kamoizumi brewery in Hiroshima, where there is particularly soft water, which is ideal for elegant sake. It’s a great example of finer styles of sake: bold and leafy, with umami notes of mushrooms and a slight sweetness on the finish. Try this with rich seafood dishes or even duck pancakes..

Find it for £25.75 from The Whisky Exchange here.

Sparkling Sake

Awashizuku Sparkling Sake

from the Kuichi Brewery, the makers of Hitachino Nest Beer. This is a junmaishusake, which is made using only rice, water and the sour kojhi mould that kicks of fermentation. It can be made with a secondary fermentation like champagne ot the addition of CO2. It’s sweet, earthy and refreshing - a great alternative to Prosecco and fabulous with salty snack like parma ham. 

Find it for £6.95 at The Whisky Exchange here.

Umeshu

Akashi-Tai Shiraume Ginjo Umeshu

What is Umeshu? Umeshu is an alcoholic Japanese drink made by steeping plums in sake. It’s usually fairly sweet with a moreish sweet and sour note. It’s often called plum wine, even though it is not wine made with plums; it’s actually fine sake that has had plums steeped in it with sugar added, so it; smore like a liqueur. ‘Ume’ means plum and shu means alcohol and there’s a sweet and sour note to it as the plums alone are quite sour - not to eat alone. Umeshu is best served chilled on its own in summer, or with a little hot water in winter.

Find it for £19.25 at The Whisky Exchange here.

See more about Sake on our beginner’s guide here! Want more suggestions for Japanese drinky treats? Check out this article! And for the best Japanese whisky? Look here.

Thursday Club with talk RADIO: Classic Iberian Wines

This week on talkRADIO, we are continuing the Iberian theme for the summer as most of us can’t get out to Spain or Portugal. I’ve gone for three wines in very different styles that you may have heard of, but not be sure what they are. We have a white, a red and a dry sherry. Yes! It’s time to taste that again.

ILUSIONISTA, Verdejo, Rueda, Spain. 

Rueda is another Spanish wine region that favours white wine, and these whites are made with a grape called Verdejo. If you like a more tropical style of Sauvignon Blanc, you will love this. It’s aromatic, zesty and limey with notes of smoky passion fruit and guava. There’s a creaminess here too that makes it a great food pairing wine and as you’d expect, it loves Spanish cuisine. Try it with seafood, white meat, carpaccios, sushi and semi-cured cheeses.

Find it for £11.15 from Vinissimus here.

Tio Pepe Fino Sherry, Jerez, Spain.

Don’t run away! This is not the sweet stuff your nan drinks. Sherry is one of the most misunderstood wines in the whole world. I think it’s because the word itself sounds sweet! The truth is, classic, ‘proper’ sherry is dry. Bone dry. If you’re into salted almonds, twiglets and salty umami goodness, then you should give it a try, chilled in a small glass. It’s incredibly moreish and fantastic with salty snacks. Fino is made with a grape called Palomino fino, hence the name. It’s made as normal dry white wine, then fortified with grape spirit to around 15% and aged in barrels under a type of yeast bloom called ‘flor’. You could also switch thing up and try it in a ‘Tiojito’ instead of rum. So refreshing! Here’s more on Fino and the other style of Sherry here.

Find it for £10 from Sainsbury’s here and many other stores

Extra Special Douro Red, Portugal.

In the past when we thought about red wine from Portugal, it was all about Port: a fortified red. Nowadays however, Portugal is producing some fantastic DRY red wines that are totally unique to the country and provide fantastic value for money as they are less famous than others. The main red wine grape used to make quality red Port is Touriga Nacional and the Douro wine region is king for this. It often forms the backbone of the red wine blends (they’re usually always blended), with the rest being made up by several local red wine grapes. Always big and bold, think blackberry, prune, blackcurrant and cinnamon spice. Open it up early to give it some air and it would love some grilled meat or even dark chocolate.

Find it on offer for £4.88 (down from £6.50) at Asda here.