3 months Anniversary - Special Edition
Happy Anniversary to us, Club Members!
Today is a little bit of a special day for me. It was exactly 3 months ago when I sent out my first newsletter, ever! I have been talking about wines for years but I never thought I could write about them. And actually really enjoy doing so.
Never anticipated this would be the start of some truly exciting things to come. Or I will create an Accidental Wine Club with Friend, who by the way is turning out to be a great Ambassador for The 4pm Club. And he still thinks we will be famous soon.
But the biggest surprise in the last 3 months? All of you who signed up and read my newsletter, week in and week out. Thank you all for your support, you keep me going!
Since it is a Special Edition today, I thought I share with you some of my favourite write-ups, wines and discoveries from the past few months.
I have written about 60 wines exactly since September and definitely sampled far more than I'd like to acknowledge.
But 2 exceptional bottles of wines truly stood out and for very different reasons. I talked to Friend many times about one of them, the Vouvray, and he and I declared it was the best wine and the most memorable for us this year. And the only bottle I bought twice.
I am not going to spoil the surprise on what I thought we should revisit on this special day but for those who read it already: hope you managed to try them or this will encourage you to do so. And for all of you new members: enjoy!
8th December 2023: The French Revolution
The one that became the all-time favourite: Clos de Nouys Vouvray Demi-Sec
There was a time, early on, when I had a Vouvray pretty much every week. I just couldn’t get enough of it. Dry or sweet, they all had a different story to tell every time I tried them.
This Vouvray Demi-Sec from the Loire Valley is made of 100% Chenin Blanc grapes. The grapes here in general have a very high acidity which means they can make varieties from sparkling wines to well-balanced dessert wines; with this one being a bit more on the sweeter side.
It looked so welcoming in the glass. Beautifully moving legs and the pale golden straw colour showed great potential and a very good body. Friend’s eyes lit up when he smelled it. Ripe peach, melon and delicate floral notes, all bound together in a honeydew mist! Candied apricots followed on the palate and with every sip, those layers of aromas just kept growing. Acacia, nectarine, sweet peaches and unforgettable citrus notes to finish; this is a very complex Chenin. The palate is rich, concentrated and well-balanced between sweetness and acidity.
It feels luscious without being overly sweet. It’s rich and smooth whilst still keeping those delicate and light features. There is no other way to say it, it’s just absolutely delicious and stunning! We can’t keep talking about it! On the list for our Christmas celebrations, over and over again.
Name: Clos de Nouys Vouvray Demi-Sec
Origin: Anjou-Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Grape: 100% Chenin Blanc
ABV: 14%
Notes: Ripe white stone fruits, floral notes and honeydew mist on the nose. Candied apricots, nectarines and acacia on the palate with a nice, uplifting acidity to finish. Complex, concentrated and very well balanced, medium-dry.
24th November 2023: Chin Chin & Beyond - Birthday Edition
Domaine Machard De Gramont, Puligny-Montrachet Les Houilères 2020, Burgundy, France
Old World wines were my go-to wines for a very long time. I thought there was no point in mentioning anything else out there, other than beautiful Burgundies or Bordeaux. So much changed since but one thing I say, no matter what, I can always enjoy a glass of Puligny-Montrachet.
With the distinctive soft oak, the perfumed white flowers, stone fruits and green apples, this is a wonderfully designed wine made of 100% Chardonnay. Buttery notes and a hint of brioche, it is not as rich as some of its friends from the area usually are but equally as good as them. With great minerality and high acidity, this is as luxurious as it gets when it comes to white wine at this level. If you never tried Chardonnay from Burgundy, please do, will completely change the way you think about the grape! Even if you decide to opt for a New World one at the end.
10th October 2023: Snips to the rescue - the fight for Pinot Noir
Snips to the rescue
Vineyard Saturdays! It has been my favourite activity in the past few weeks but harvest days are almost over so this one had to be the last for me( only this year though as I already signed up to help with work next year!!)
This week I decided to take my friend with me ( Accidental Wine Club one ) so he could see what it was all about. First lesson learnt? I am definitely slower with a friend! Previously I had planned my own vineyard, bottle labels and so on whilst snipping away but this time I had no chance for planning. Instead, it was constant talk about restaurants, food, wine plans, and trips to wine tastings.
We cut through rows of Solaris in a timely manner( well, with some breaks for friend) and almost started to feel proud of ourselves for how good we were at this. And then the plans changed and we were taken to some beautifully ink-coloured bunches, Pinot Noir Précoce. This early ripening mutation of Pinot Noir or Frühburgunder as they call it in some parts of Germany appeared to be in an even better condition than Solaris. Easier to get to them, smaller bunches and what seemed like at first, hardly any rot. How wrong we were!! As we moved on further every single bunch needed our help to rescue them from that grey rot. First, it seemed like a challenge we were happy to take on. But as time passed and our buckets stayed half-full we realised it was not the challenge we expected. Quickly I had to tackle many obstacles: rescuing all the Pinot, not being annoyed by constantly sticky hands, and trying to keep friend entertained, gosh, who knew harvest can be so tricky! Especially after friend declared complete war on the grey rot and decided to go on a search for only the perfect bunches and leave the rest behind.
It wasn’t what we were asked to do but hey, he came at dawn to help me chase my dream of owning a vineyard one day. So I let him. And I just carried on, snipping away the rot.
And how it all started…
29th September 2023: Accidental Tuesday Night Wine Club
I think I created a wine club!? No, not one of those where you have to pay a monthly fee. Think of it as a private members club but with only 2 members.
This one started as a regular evening where you meet with a friend for a glass of wine. Nothing crazy as it is a midweek night, so you opt for that usual glass of innocent and low-alcohol sparkling wine. But as the night progressed and our glasses kept turning empty, I realised one thing: I love sharing my passion for wine and it’s just so easy to open one more bottle!
The excitement to talk about wine and share my findings with people always been my favourite wine related activity. It’s not about having the same opinions or even sharing the same bottles of wine, it’s about the journey, the discovery.
So what do you do when a one-off couple of drinks on a Tuesday night turns into this weekly, accidental wine club? Embrace it! Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Albariño, here we come!
Trying new wines every week, searching for the one your friend never tried and feeling like a well seasoned sommelier after a few bottles? I think it sounds like a pretty good club. Even when it’s not the best wine, at least you tried it.
I just wish it was on a Friday night…
Next time…
The Italian Job and that missing restaurant visit
Have a grape day!
The 4pm Club