Though I was feeling mildly guilty for skipping March, thanks to the absolute chaos that was April I’m beginning to feel a bit like March just missed me. Since our return from the snowier climes of WA State, we’ve moved house, I’ve dashed off to Thailand to visit my good friends at Lucaris and keep working on our new collection, puttered off to Austria to get cracking on picking wines for the Almásy Selection, judged around 250 Italian wines for 5StarWines (many concocted from such grapes as, among others, Cagnulari, Ribona and Foglia Tonda) then sidled down to the Amalfi Coast to do a little filming for Wine Masters, Season 1 of which is due on iTunes, Amazon and more any minute now! Next week: India. But for now, a moment of vinous reminiscence:
Raffaele Palma Costa d’Amalfi Montecorvo 2012 Discovered by accident when the Wine Masters crew asked for a red that I could swirl, taste and spit on camera, this quickly became a massive distraction with its addictively peppery, perfumed nose of thyme, hickory smoke and juicy red cherries.
Wenzel Furmint Garten Eden 2013 Scoffed down with almost criminal rapidity over a quick dinner of plush white asparagus at Meierei by Steirereck before running to the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the beeswax and acacia ghost of this silky, textured beauty stayed with me all through the Brahms and well into the Berlioz.
Domaine Philippe Tessier Cheverny 2016 Very much enjoyed at Brut, the fab little tapas place that has opened literally steps from our lobby, this one is a great illustration of why spunky little Gamay should perhaps not have been summarily dismissed from Burgundy all those centuries ago. Hand in hand, the Pinot and Gamay in this gem sparkle fruitily together, sending tendrils of furry funk up into the nostrils and down into the soul.
Kongsgaard Napa Valley Chardonnay 2012 This slippery little number wrapped its sensuous layers around the edible delights at Cuisine de Garden in Bangkok. Textural and luxuriant before anything else, this had the stone fruit and mandarin perfume in its finish to stave off palate fatigue.