Another Empty Glass: Rugra Nivö, Nibiö 2011

In a desperate attempt to get some scribbles down, here is one of the wines I've tippled of late that has really caught my attention and brought me to care for a small flutter of words. Nivö; a Nibiö or rather Dolcetto, though not as you know it however, as this Dolcetto is Nibiö.
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@Rob_Gilmour has been writing for Empty for too long to mention, he is currently working in wine in Edinburgh. Being a balanced, multifaceted individual Rob's only interest in not wine, he is also interested in wine education as well, having passed his WSET L3 with distinction. Rob is also a deft hand at circumlocution. If you'd still like to contact him email: emptyglassie@gmail.com

Smoke and Substance; Pietradolce, Archineri, Etna Rosso 2008

As the dust settled and the smoke cleared, it was confirmed. The other half had sped off into the distance and popped over to the Emerald Isle. I, the abnormally big child, was home alone for the weekend. That meant wine. I reasoned, what better way to spend time than being bowled over by a big fire breathing red. So, knocking off work nice and early on Saturday I had only one burning question; what wine was going to get my weekend alone flowing?

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@Rob_Gilmour has been writing for Empty for too long to mention, he is currently working in wine in Edinburgh where he runs @Wine_Edinburgh and somehow has found time to be Vice-President of the @IWSScotland. Being a balanced, multifaceted individual Rob's only interest in not wine, he is also interested in wine education as well having passed with distinction his WSET L3. If you'd like to contact him email: emptyglassie@gmail.com 

The Battle of Bordeaux

June 1938. European heads of state are doing their thing and getting ready to murder lots of Joe-subs, again. Times like these lend themselves to blowing off steam. Nobody needed to do this more at this point than Czechoslovakia having just had a chunk of their country "annexed" by the Third Reich. Roll on June, that's just what they did.

Chile's Serious Side: Torres Cordillera 2005

I had made note of the Carinena or 'Carignan' varietal at the Wines of Chile tasting organised by Jean Smullen, in which the two stand out reds for me were this very grape. I described them to Rob as Chile's answer to Zinfandel, because of their bright fruits and crisp acidity. Of the two that were tasted the Cordillera from Miquel Torres was the more perplexing. My conclusion was that it needed more time in the bottle.

Power & Smullen Tasting Event: Portugal

Relatively a new comer to the Irish wine market, Portugal, seems intent on blazing a trail straight to our hearts. It's now common knowledge that for quality and value, Portugal is leading the way, and  rather conveniently, I just so happened upon a Portuguese tasting hosted by Lucan Wine Merchant, Power & Smullen only a short time ago.

Ara: A Pathway to Marlborough

While New Zealand is a toddler in the world of viticulture, Marlborough is younger still and yet despite this, it has managed its fair share of veterans. None more noted that the creator of the Marlborough's first "Grand Cru" estate, ARA, Jeff Clarke. Despite, Marlborough's haphazard discovery as a terroirist dream as recently as the late sixties, Jeff has a long history of involvement in the budding Kiwi wine industry, punching in well over 50 vintages with the Kiwi wine industry. To boot, he's ex-Penfolds and has been at the helm of Brancott during what could be called it's quality peak. Think you'll agree this guy doesn't submit to the term green.

Question Time With Empty

It's a good simple and concise question that John Wilson summed up recently by pointing out had we always used Stelvin we would never move to cork, yet is the answer really that simple? Having sat down to do a blind tasting of a wine Shane had left, I was presented with a dull and dead nose and a palate of harsh acidity... A fault no less, the blind tasting had been oxidised. Provoked by this and indeed the impending arrival of guests and Shane himself, I decided while the topic was hot and many opinions could be had, that I ought to crack open a pair of wines I had picked up in The Corkscrew Wine Merchants on Dublin's Chatham Street. What was so interesting about this? They were both the same vintage no less and to boot one was under cork and the other under Stelvin. 

Empty's Full Glass on Wine Australia

Rob and Shane give a post-mortem on Monday's wine Australia trade fair marking any notables from the day. Comments on the master classes, the Riesling table. We'll also be updating this in the near future with a podcast of the opinions of the guys. For now read way! Hope you enjoy, and as always comments and debate welcome!  

The Italian Job: Tenuta Santini Toscana Caricello 2006

Having found myself at the hands of a rather nasty bottle-shocking of travel from Maynooth to Monaghan over a tedious repetitive money-leeching meaningless "religious ceremony". I decided post-confirmation Rob was going to need something rather nice to cheer him up. Unfortunately, I was in Monaghan, and while it is where I hail from, it is the greatest hole on earth when it comes to wine, or so I thought... 

Beating Putin one glass at a time: Georgian Wines.

To quote someone in the business "What the industry desperately needs is a new grape". Oddly this was said in relation to Gruner Veltliner being grown in New Zealand, which is all very well and good, but if you will, allow me to take us all a little further abroad. Georgia, a tucked away corner that has been producing wine for about 8,000 odd years. How could a region this old have something new to offer you may ask? Simple it has over 500 indigenous grapes.  

(PhotoBlog) The Bordeaux Blends Of New Zealand

Very Rustic Bordeaux style, farmyard notes
http://coevintners.com/     

fair showing, out done really
Liberty Wines

Quinta De Fata Reserva 2003

The first day of holidays in Portugal I decided it best to tip down to the shops for some essentials for the apartment. While perusing the shelves of a local shop (under the pretence of going to the shop for some coffee and milk), not even a wine shop I was not expecting much. However, all was not as it would seem. Normally I am used to going into a supermarket and seeing overpriced banal branded wines staring back at me, today this was not the case.

Corvina Veronese, Monte Zovo, 2007

If there is one grape that tickles me fancy it has to Crovina. In fact my wine epiphany happened to involve just the culprit in the form of a Valopicella Ripasso, and has been the bar all wine finds itself up against ever since. Now, this is something a little different, it's a straight Crovina, form Monte Zovo, whose Bardolino has already struck a good note with me. So how did the single varietal stand up?

The Blueberries (Empty Awards for 2011)

Here at team empty we have decided that we could kick off the new year by having ourselves a little bout of awards just to mention some of the best wines, people, producers, regions and wine businesses that we've come across over the 2011. Our format is very simple, there is a first, second and third place, see simple. That in mind, here are our Blueberry awards for 2011.

Ring Bolt Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009

So with these occupation things being all the rage and us empty heads sharing an ironically leftie view of the world we said we would dedicate this review to the exec of Maynooth’s Student Union who at the time of writing are bailed up in a TD’s office in Naas. The wine would need the values of #Occupy at heart so what wine ticks all these boxes?

Conde De Valdemar Crianza 2007

Conde De Valdemar Crianza has long been a favourite of mine for many reasons. The has always been of exceptional quality, even in ropey vintages, such as 2006. When it returned to my local I wept with joy. Well, not really that would be a bit odd. I did however, purchase a bottle.

The Art in the bottle

The Tim Adams Shiraz is a wine I had heard a lot about and all good things at that. This always makes me wary, is it going to be like Avatar? The biggest hyped up movie of all time that turns out to be this mess of images and plot that leaves me left to wonder whether or not I have just witnessed the death knell of art and culture.

Where am I going with this? Well, after so many let downs of late by hyped up wines I decided to take a chance and buy a wine I spotted in ... wait for it ... Tesco. Gasp! As mentioned above, I had heard some very good things about the entire Tim Adams range , almost too much.

I am a very sceptical person at the best of times, so I approached this wine with great trepidation. Shiraz is certainly one of my favourite grapes, but it is abused far too often in making truck loads of wine to fill supermarket shelves the world over.

Artificial Decantation

I managed to follow this wine over three consecutive nights by accident. My busy schedule and a missing vacuum seal had left me relying on my trusty robot bottle stopper. So what were the consequences of this? Well the wine itself was left exposed to the elements, the main one being Oxygen.

Decanting allows a wine to be exposed to a large surface area of Oxygen. This is done to help the wine show its true potential, by mellowing the wine and allowing it to express hidden aromas. A well made wine will always benefit from an hour decanting. A wine that was closed and not up to much when first opened should be jumping out the glass ... unless it needs more time in the decanter or is rubbish to begin with. This isn't much help is it? Ok rule of thumb, if a wine has enticing aromas, but is somewhat elusive, give it some time.

So why so serious, or why are you banging on about this decanting so much? Well if you have stuck with me this far I will tell you why. I opened up the bottle over to the left on Saturday night and had two glasses. The wine displayed nice tight aromas of red fruits and nutmeg. Still slightly closed i left it with trusty Mr. Roboto.

Palha Canas, 2007, €13.95

Seeing as this week has been wine filled I felt it was okay to treat myself to something I personally had tucked away for a month or so waiting to open. Why was that such a treat? It’s coming from one of those few wine countries that I have always felt I get a bargain from, Portugal. Now dust off the images of port and Christmas for just a second. Because what you can be exposed to in this gem of a region if you simply take that first leap is truly quite astounding.

 

I could rant and rave for an extended period about why this is; however there is a better way - to let you read about my little treat for the week.

Let’s start popping the cork on this review, nose of a valop styled cherry assault the nose but not aggressively offing more of a velvet blanket to fall head first into. Things left curious by an underbelly of thick plum. This entire nose starts to take a berry like-structure and the juice of the wine can literally be detected vividly on the nose. Vanilla begins to start puncturing the fruit so prevalent on the nose. This is where in my experience of Portuguese wine, things liven up and they begin to distinguish themselves from the pack.

Berry notes started to become more distinct and developing into a riper red currant. Now excitement gets to me and the nose starts to dance with my fancies,. A mature cheddar giving grain to the nose, and a cider box smell that I am sure one of the team is obsessed over. The ashy tobacco lingers for a while, giving away the great depth this wine is hiding, and in a final swoop the wine already steals my heart, a new appearance on the scene blackcurrant evolving and existing alongside the redcurrant.

Swirling the glass, I finally pulled myself from the nose and was rewarded with a silky smooth cherry dominating the palate and having the nose mimicked with plum forming a core to the wine. The spices started to dance on the palate now too- cinnamon, a dominant one, its presence adding a wood sweet life across the palate. The tobacco developed and cheery filled the voids at the edge of the palate, vanilla began to cream up the alongside the notes of cinnamon.

A mild tannic structure had been forgotten as the fruits and sweet spices danced the palate fixating.

A textbook bargain from the Portuguese. Giving itself away at €13.95, from the Mill Wine Cellar. Something that tickled my tastes, and that I strongly advise tasting.

Score: 79


Rob

Montezovo, Bardolino, 2009, more commonly referred too as drink up.

The Corkscrew, €12ish quid

Truth be known I have been awash with disappointments with wines of late a corked Spanish wine being replaced only to be found on its last legs, fruitless, empty, and bitter ready to turn over to a vinegar. Bordeaux with honourable exception has become a stalwart of disappointment for me, anything and everything that it has thrown my way failing to live up to even basic expectation. Outside that safe haven for the pretentious and over-paid France was failing again, now in Cote D’Oc, a Cab Sauv, which opened with so much freshness turn to a decaying hunk of meat within 20m minutes not too long ago to add to all this.