Sue Ray Uncorked
London Wine Fair 2024 - 20-22 May 2024
Olympia Events, Grand Hall, London, W14 8UX
When attending an event as large as the London Wine Fair, you must be selective. My highlights are Rodica from Slovenia, Lyme Bay from England and Apriori from Moldova. I also enjoyed the Vin IGP Méditerranée Masterclass, hosted by the engaging and entertaining, Anne McHale MW.
Organic Winery Rodica, Truške 1c, 6273 Marezige, Slovenia
The Rodica Family Organic Winery lies in the Istria region in southwest Slovenia. Located on top of a hill, it offers wonderful views over the Gulf of Trieste and the Dragonja river valley. The winery has 15 ha of vineyards; 70% belongs to Refosco (Refošk) and Malvasia (Malvazija). The remaining 30% includes Yellow Muscat, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Pinot Gris. Only 5% of the wines are exported.
I received a tutored tasting from business manager, Luka Ocvirk and family winemaker, Matic Rodica.
Malvazija Klasika 2022
100% Malvasia
Aged 6 months in used 250 litre oak barrels and 1 year in stainless steel.
Super fresh acidity, white flowers, honeysuckle, yellow grapefruit and peach.
Malvazija Selekcija 2019
100% Malvasia
Aged 30 months in used 250 litre oak barrels.
Selekcija is only produced every 2-3 years when the vines/grapes are deemed the highest quality. Whilst oak is evident in this wine, it has many of the floral notes of the younger style, together with some amazing honey and marmalade overtones.
Refošk Klasika 2022
100% Refosco
Aged 6 months in used 250 litre oak barrels and 1 year in stainless steel.
Deep purple with a violet rim. Jam-packed with ripe red fruit and complementing acidity.
Syrah Rezerva 2016
100% Syrah
Aged 30 months in used 250 litre oak barrels.
Fresh acidity, intensely fruity; black plums, blackberries and blackcurrants all wrapped up with a hint of wood, sweet spice, vanilla and tobacco. Great wine.
Refošk Rezerva 2015
100% Refosco
90 days of skin contact and aged 30 months in used 250 litre oak barrels.
Good acidity and extremely fruity; raspberries, black cherries, cooked blackcurrants and blackberries, wood, smoke, cedar and soft ripe velvety tannins.
Cuvee Truške Rdece Rezerva 2018
40% Refosco, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot
Grapes grown at the top of the hill, on south-facing slopes. Fermented separately, blended and aged 30 months in used 250 litre oak barrels.
Good balance of fruit concentration and acidity. Tannins silky and well-integrated. Rounded and fruity; black plums, blackcurrant and black cherries with oak and spice. Long finish.
Cabernet Sauvignon Rezerva 2015
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
90 days of skin contact and aged 30 months in used 250 litre oak barrels.
Great typicity, punchy, tannic, pronounced blackcurrant aromas and flavours, leather, eucalyptus, and an exceptionally long finish.
Rumeni Muskat Sladki 2022 (Yellow Muscat)
50% Muscat grown internationally and 50% Istrian Muscat.
Golden, rich, intense, sweet and refreshing. Marmalade and Seville orange flavours and aromas. Acidity is spot on.
Lyme Bay Winery, Shute, Axminster, Devon EX13 7PW, England
Lyme Bay Winery is home to LBW Drinks. They produce English and fruit wines, Mead, spirits and liqueurs. I met Head Winemaker, Sarah Massey, who talked me through the wines. In addition to vines planted on their own estate in 2009, they also source grapes from established growers all around the country. This consistently enables them to make the best of the best!
2017 Classic Cuvée
Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay
The Classic Cuvée is kept on lees for a minimum of 24 months to develop the secondary yeast flavours. The 2017 vintage was aged 5 years on lees, before being disgorged, then a further 6 months in bottle.
Delicate mousse, great acidity, and super fruity. Very typical Chardonnay nose; peaches, apricots, honey and toast. Long finish.
Sparkling Rosé NV
Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier
Fruit predominantly from the 2019 vintage. Aged on lees minimum 18 months.
Strawberries, redcurrants, honey, cream and toast. Superb wine.
Shoreline 2022
Reichensteiner, Bacchus, Chardonnay, Seyval Blanc, Ortega, Pinot Noir, Solaris
Pale lemon, dry white with high acidity, nettles, hedgerow, lemons and limes. Very green and very English!
Chardonnay 2021
100% Chardonnay
Harvested during the 1st week in November and fermented in both stainless steel and oak. Rich and complex, honeysuckle, white peach, apricots and honey. A hint of vanilla and a long creamy finish.
Pinot Noir Rosé 2022
6 hours skin contact and a cool fermentation in stainless steel. Copper coloured, intensely fruity; fresh strawberries and raspberries, with refreshing acidity.
Pinot Noir 2021
Harvested from end of October into early November. 7 days skin maceration and 11 months age in French oak; 32% new. Super fruity, full-bodied, red cherries, strawberries and redcurrants, this gorgeous wine has hints of oak and more body than the colour tends to indicate. Exceptionally good.
Martin’s Lane Vineyard – Chardonnay 2020
Less than 800 bottles produced. From Martin’s Lane Vineyard in Essex.
Full malolactic fermentation, extended lees ageing and 100% new oak. Rich, golden, intense, ripe lemon, peach, apricot, pineapple, mango, butter, honey, brioche, toast, vanilla and a super long finish. Rather special.
Apriori Wine, Republic of Moldova, MD-2023, Chișinău, Uzinelor 2 Street
https://apriori.wine/en/vinuri/
Apriori has around 500 ha vineyards on the hills of southern Moldova, in the wine region of Valul lui Traian. Both local and international grape varieties are grown, and all styles of wine produced. Adrian Pascaru, Director of Apriori Wine, guided me through the tasting. I found the reds particularly impressive.
Empirico Rară Neagră & Malbec
60% Rară Neagră, 40% Malbec
Rară Neagră is a black grape variety grown in Moldova and Romania known for producing high-quality wines with good ageing potential. Rara Neagră wines are deep in colour with aromas and flavours of blackberries, black cherries and red plums. With medium to high tannins, moderate acidity, they often display floral and spicy notes.
This wine was a great example bursting with dark fruit, a hint of vanilla, tobacco smoke and sweet spice.
Maestro Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
A very intense and complex wine with red and black fruit. Velvety tannins, vanilla, smoke and spice.
Maestro Merlot 2019
100% Merlot
A deeply coloured, elegant wine with raspberries, blackcurrants and cooked red plums. Gently oaked, well-integrated, silky tannins and a long finish.
Maestro Secret Blend 2022
A blend of 3 grape varieties; 2 international and 1 indigenous, oak aged for 6 months.
Extremely well crafted, tannins are soft, and alcohol is warming. A full-bodied, deeply coloured wine with cooked black fruit, wood spice, vanilla and tobacco.
Vin IGP Méditerranée Masterclass
IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée), is a quality category of French wine between Vin de France and Appellation d'Origine Protegée (AOP). IGP defines a broader region and far wider range of permitted grape varietals, together with more generous yields, compared to AOP. The emphasis here is on blending and innovation. With IGP, winemakers can explore local crossings or international varieties. It allows more experimentation and helps winemakers adapt to market trends.
The IGP Méditerranée covers an area of 10,500 hectares under vine and 10 French departments. With 2,500 hours of sunshine a year, rolling hills, a range of altitudes, well-drained calcareous and limestone soils near the Med, combined with alluvium along the Rhône, salt-tinged sea breezes and Le Mistral keeps the region dry. More than 100 different grape varieties produce 75% rosé wines, 15% red wines and 10% white wines.
IGP Méditerranée defines fun wines that evoke the mediterranean landscape and way of life. Think alfresco dining, pairing wine with food, good times, relaxing, laughing, having fun, blue skies, fragrant herbs and ocean breezes.
Anne McHale MW led the tasting. Four of my favourites below.
Marrenon Roséfine 2023 - Rosé IGP Méditerranée (#3)
60% Grenache, 20% Merlot, 20% Syrah
From the four Rosés we tasted, this had the deepest hue, but still a delicate salmon pink. Fresh raspberries and red cherries, a hint of rosemary and thyme and touch of salinity.
Château La Verrerie, Hautes Collines Viognier, 2022 - White IGP Méditerranée (#5)
100% Viognier
Pale lemon with pronounced aromas of white peach, apricot and honeysuckle. Beautiful balanced acidity, fresh apricots and mango on the palate.
mary.wright@libertywines.co.uk
Domaine de la Royère, Olivier 2023 - White IGP Méditerranée (#6)
60% Rolle, 40% Grenache Blanc
Fresh, floral, citrus on the nose and palate with a touch pear drop/banana from the esters created during low temperature fermentation.
https://royere-aop-vin-luberon-oppede.fr/en/oil-museum-wine-luberon/
Domaine Pontbriant 2020 – Les Bartavelles - Red IGP Méditerranée (#7)
Syrah, Merlot, Caladoc, Egiodola, Marselan
Bright and juicy red fruit, soft tannins, herbal notes and minerality. A true Southern French/Southern Rhône red.
https://www.domainepontbriant.fr/
chateaudebeaulieu.orange@gmail.com
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