| Austria |
|
| Wine |
Tasted |
Source |
Notes |
Mark |
| Weingut Norbert Bauer Blauer Portugieser 2006 (Niederosterreich) 14% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Alliance Wine |
Young and rather tannic, but good fruit |
4+ |
| Weingut Norbert Bauer Blaufrankisch 2004 (Niederosterreich) 13% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Alliance Wine |
Barrel Fermented. Broad brown/pink fringe. Good fruit and oak tannins, not yet in balance |
4+ |
| Weingut Norbert Bauer Cuvee Rot 2006 (Niederosterreich) 13.5% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Alliance Wine |
Blau er Portugieser & Blauburgunder. Fresh fruit, coming into balance - almost ready |
5 |
| Weingut Norbert Bauer St Laurent 2004 (Niederosterreich) 13% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Alliance Wine |
Barirque aged, Pinot Noir clone. Broad pale edge. Red fruit on nose. Fruit and acidity coming into balance |
4+ |
| Feiler-Artinger Blaufrankisch 2006 (Rust) 13.5% |
IWD 17.08.08 |
Waitrose £8.50 |
Moderate red. Cooked fruit nose. Good acidity, but lacks fruit and development |
4+ |
| Weingut Alfred Fischer Trockenbeerenauslese 2006 (Burgenland) 9.3% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Alliance Wine £9 HB |
Riesling + Gewurztraminer. Pale gold. Rosewater and oil on nose. Sweet and fruity, but perhaps a little low in acidity |
4+ |
| Freie Weingartner Wachau Gruner Veltliner 2007 12.5% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
|
Wachau cooperative. Good clean palate with some weight of fruit and good acidity |
5- |
| Freie Weingartner Wachau Riesling 2007 12.5% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
|
Riesling character just beginning to show. |
4+ |
| Freie Weingartner Wachau Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten 2006 14% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
|
Single vineyard, 30% in oak barrels. Dry, with very good weight and character |
5 |
| Freie Weingartner Wachau Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg 2006 14% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
|
Single vineyard, 30% in oak barrels. Off dry and fruity, with very good weight and character |
5+ |
| Freie Weingartner Wachau Riesling Singerriedel 2006 14% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
|
Single vineyard wine, raised in old oak.Riesling character just beginning to show: very long finish |
5+ |
| Freie Weingartner Wachau Riesling TBA Kellerberg 2006 8.5% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
|
Very sweet, with good acidty and some Riesling character, but little development yet |
5+ |
| Heidler Weissburgunder Eiswein 2004 (Kamptal) 9% |
IWD 21.7.07 |
Berry Brothers & Rudd £19.95 HB |
Pale colour, little nose. Sweet fruit, intense acidity but little development. Impressive but still relatively simple. |
5+ |
| Van Hopler Trockenbeerenauslese 2006 (Burgenland) 9.5% |
IWD 24.5.09 |
Bought in Austria £15 HB |
Pale gold. Farmyard nose - some infection? Sweet, syrupy with some acidity and spice: unbalanced and undeveloped |
4? |
| Kirnbauer Classic Blaufrankisch 2006 (Mittelburgenland) 13% |
IWD 17.08.08 |
Bin Ends £9.60 |
Moderate, slightly cloudy red. Black fruits on nose. Quite tannic with good fruit under: reasonable finish but needs time to develop. |
5+ |
| Weinlaubenhof Kracher Cuvee Weiss Beerenauslese 2006 (Burgenland) 12.5% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Noel Young £7.50 HB |
Welschriesling , Chardonnay. Sweet but rather dull |
4 |
| Weinlaubenhof Kracher Cuvee Weiss TBA NV (Burgenland) 12.5% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Noel Young £6 QB |
Welschriesling, Chardonnay and traminer. Richer, with some oil and botrytis |
5 |
| Weinlaubenhof Kracher Grande Cuvee 7 TBA Weisse Nouvelle Vague 2005 (Burgenland) 10% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Noel Young £20 HB |
Gold colour. Heavy with oak. Sweet, good acidity, long but undeveloped. Needs time |
6- |
| Weinlaubenhof Kracher Scheurebe 4 TBA 2005 (Burgenland) 12% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Noel Young £18 HB |
Pale gold. Marmalade nose and palate. Sweet with balancing acidty and developing finish |
5+ |
| Winzer Krems Goldberg Gruner Veltliner 2007 (Kremstal) 13% |
IWD 24.5.09 |
Bought in Austria £7.50 |
Pale colour with some spritz. Apples on nose and palate. Quite long. |
5 |
| Winzer Krems Pfaffenberg Riesling 2007 (Kremstal) 13% |
IWD 24.5.09 |
Bought in Austria £13.50 |
Pale yellow, some spritz. Flowers and oil on nose. Off dry, oily not much development or length |
5- |
| Lenz Moser Trockenbeerenauslese 2004 (Burgenland) 11% |
IWD 24.5.09 |
Bought in Austria £14.50 HB |
Gold colour with a marmalade nose and some Riesling character. Medium sweet, with good oil and acidity: fair length |
5 |
| Weingut Munzenrieder Bouvier BA 2004 (Burgenland) 9% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Richard Spiers £9 HB |
Rather cooked nose: sweet but lacks acidity |
4+ |
| Weingut Munzenrieder Gruner Veltliner Eiswein 2004 (Burgenland) 11% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Richard Spiers £11 HB |
Pale. Restrained nose. Moderately sweet, with balanced fruit and acidty |
5+ |
| Weingut Munzenrieder Scheurebe TBA 2004 (Burgenland) 10% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Richard Spiers £12 HB |
Pale gold. Cooked fruit and some vegetal notes on nose. Rich sweet fruit with balancing acidity |
5 |
| Weingut H & A Nittnaus Cuvee Weiss TBA 2004 (Burgenland) 12.5% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Lea & Sandeman £13.50 HB |
Late picked Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Rieslings. Pale. Mainly oil on nose. Moderately sweet, well balanced palate with some length |
5 |
| Weingut R & A Pfaffl St Excellent 2005 (Niederosterreich) |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Astrum £14 |
40% Zweigelt, 30% each CS & Merlot. Good red. Nose has black fruit. Palate is ripe but possibly a little soft: need time to come together |
5 |
| Pittnauer Blaufrankisch 2005 (Burgenland) 12.5% |
CLWS 21.1.09 |
Fortnum & Mason £19 |
Modest red. Meaty nose. Palate is astringent and lacks fruit. |
3 |
| Heidi Schrock Zweigelt Kräftn 2004 (Rust, Burgenland) 14% |
CLWS 10.1.07 |
Nick Dobson £11 |
Dark colour. Good fruit, with good acidity and a little tannin. Medium length: finish has chocolate, white pepper. Fully ready |
5 |
| Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Gruner Veltliner 2006 (Traisental) 12.5% |
CLWS 5.12.07 |
Sainsbury £6.99 |
Quite yellow. Neutral, slightly musty fruit on nose. Jaggedly sweet and sour on palate. Slightly oxidised? |
3 |
| Bioweingut Sollner Riesling 2004 (Wagram) 11% |
Aus 5.2.08 |
Matthew Clark |
11% residual sugar. Pale, diesel nose. Sweet and oily with good acidity: good finish. Will develop |
5+ |
|
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|
|
| Belgium |
|
| Wine |
Tasted |
Source |
Notes |
Mark |
| Vig des Agaises Cuvee Signeur Ruffet NV |
CLWS 10.09.08 |
Direct £13 |
Mostly Chardonnay. Pale yellow green, lots of fine mousse. Yeasty nose. Some fruit on light, dry, delicate palate, with yeast showing again on finish. |
5 |
|
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|
|
|
| England |
|
| Wine |
Tasted |
Source |
Notes |
Mark |
| Chapel Down Bacchus 2007 (Kent) 11% |
IWD 27.6.09 |
Waitrose £10 |
Pale. Grapy nose. Slightly off-dry, with good balance and finish |
5 |
| Denbies Surrey Gold 2006 11.5% |
HASS 8.6.09 |
Waitrose £8 |
Pale colour, slightly frizzante. Little nose. Off dry, short and neutral palate |
4- |
| Nyetimber Classic 1998 (Sussex) |
IWD 18.05.08 |
Majestic £25 |
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Good colour, plenty of smallish mousse. Some yeasty aromas. Good fruit and acidity; delicate mature finish |
5+ |
|
|
|
|
|
| Georgia |
|
| Wine |
Tasted |
Source |
Notes |
Mark |
| Mukuzani 2003 12.7% |
CLWS 30.1.08 |
14 Queensway £11 |
Dry red from Saporavi grape. Very poor bottles and tight corks. Lightish ruby colour. Little nose. Off dry, some tannins: little weight or finish, with a curiously slippery texture |
3 |
| Orovela Saperavi 2004 12.5% |
IWD 17.08.08 |
Waitrose £17 |
Purple red. Black fruit on nose. Ripe fruit and structure, with fair length, but not quite in balance yet and undeveloped |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Hungary |
|
| Wine |
Tasted |
Source |
Notes |
Mark |
| Alto Picco Irsai Oliver NV 11.5% |
CLWS 25.10.06 |
Morrisons £4 |
Off dry, acid prickle. Little finish. |
3 |
| Margaret Island White 2004 11.5% |
CLWS 14.11.06 |
Sainsbury £3 |
Very ordinary |
3- |
| Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos 1999 (Tokaj) 11% |
CLWS 14.3.07 |
Majestic £16 50cl |
Pale tan colour. Oxidised nose with orange and burnt toffee. Intense sweetness, oil and good acidity. Fair length, not much development – slightly burnt. |
5+ |
| Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos 2000 (Tokaj) 11% |
IWD 18.05.08 |
Majestic £18 50cl |
Orange colour. Marmalade and honey on nose. Sweet palate, well balanced with botrytis character and acidity |
6 |
| Royal Tokaji 6 Puttonyos Szt Tamas 1993 (Tokaj) |
ONS 12.11.07 |
about £40 for 50cl |
Amber colour. Strong botrytis on nose. Intensely sweet with balancing acidity: very long, intense, complex finish |
7- |
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|
| Moldova |
|
| Wine |
Tasted |
Source |
Notes |
Mark |
| Black Doctor Semi Dessert Wine NV (bottled 2006) 14% |
CLWS 11.4.07 |
Ex-cellars |
Nut brown. Stewed fruit on nose. Not very sweet - quite tannic, with acidity on end. Is it oxidised deliberately? |
4- |
| Firebird Pinot Gris 2007 13.5% |
IWD 18.7.09 |
Waitrose £8 |
Neutral colour and nose. No varietal character, vaguely unpleasant |
3- |
|
|
|
|
|
| Slovenia |
|
| Wine |
Tasted |
Source |
Notes |
Mark |
| Sivi Pinot (Radgona) 2002 11.5% |
CLWS 23.7.08 |
Waterloo Wines £8 for 50cl |
100% Pinot Gris. Tellow gold. Cooked nose. Late picked sweet/sour style with some oil showing. Not much weight or length |
5- |
| Rudolf Starko Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 13% |
IWD 16.8.09 |
Ex-cellars |
Very brown. Varnish aromas. Some fruit, but tastes mainly of old wood, rather oxidised |
1 |
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|
|
| Switzerland |
|
| Wine |
Tasted |
Source |
Notes |
Mark |
| Roger Burgdorfer Dom du Paradis Le Diable Rouge 2004 (Geneva) 14% |
CLWS 10.1.07 |
Nick Dobson £16.50 |
Syrah. Pale colour, light nose. Fruit dominated by tannins and considerable acidity: modest finsh, rather dilute |
4+ |
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