Groovy Grüner

Friday 27 January 2012 – 9:44

Grüner Veltliner, or ‘Groovy Grüner’ as they are calling it down in New Zealand, is the latest big thing to come out of New Zealand and it’s causing quite a stir.

So what makes Grüner… well, groovy? I spoke to Saint Clair winemaker Matt Thomson who was in London this week for a Majestic tasting in Mayfair and a Grüner Veltliner masterclass at the New Zealand Annual Trade Tasting.

Is this more of an experimentation or long term project for Grüner in NZ and for St Clair?

“This is definitely a long-term project for Saint Clair. Besides the fact that you don’t plant a vineyard for the short-term, we believe the variety has a big future in Marlborough and will become an important feature of the region’s portfolio.”

What makes it exciting for you and what should people in the UK expect?

“It is exciting for us because there is very little known about how it will perform and how it should be made. That makes it a wonderful challenge with a clean sheet to work with. I think that it is likely to produce very aromatic versions that still show the classic traits of the variety in Austria; that is white pepper and citrus zest. I think the weight of the wines will improve with vine age and so we aren’t going to realise its full potential for a while yet, but the early work we have done so far shows real promise.”

Your dreamy food and wine matches?

“I suspect that you would want to avoid overtly spicy dishes as the heat from the white pepper may be accentuated. I think anything with orange zest would be wonderful. We have an idea that a seafood pasta with citrus tones would be perfect; clam and lemon linguine perhaps…..”

At the moment there are only 30 hectares of Grüner planted across the whole of New Zealand and Saint Clair has just over half of those. This small allocation still gives the opportunity for Matt and his team at Saint Clair to test the Grüner and get a feel for it’s popularity before deciding to plant more vines and experiment with methods of production.

Matt also believes that New Zealand can do something similar to the reputation for Austrian Grüner just as it has already done for Sauvignon Blanc in Loire.

I tasted the The Saint Clair Pioneer Block 5 Grüner Veltliner at the trade fair this week amongst other Gruners from New Zealand; it is an exciting and very interesting wine, and is one to watch out for.  Oh, and definitely groovy.

It is now available in the UK for the first time ever, and exclusive to majestic.co.uk

By William James | Posted in Wine News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment

Celebrate Burns Night

Monday 23 January 2012 – 14:57

Its Burns night this Wednesday 25 January and Majestic staff need no excuse to match up the haggis to some wine and single malts. Here are some top picks from Majestic store webpages…

Charlotte in Dundee

“There’s plenty of time to get your wine to go along with those haggis, neeps and tatties.

“Why not try Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva?* The toasted oak and vanilla flavours combined with summer fruit flavours would complement that Scottish delicacy fantastically.

“When it’s time to Toast the Lassies, everyone should have some Malt to hand. Try 12 year old Auchentoshan* or 10 year old Glenmorangie*. If whisky is not your thing, we have Blackwood’s Vintage Gin* which is distilled in Shetland; it makes the perfect gin and tonic. Come visit us at Majestic Dundee so you can celebrate Burns night too.”

Phil in Perth

“Now that we’re a few weeks into the New Year it’s almost time to begin our preparations to celebrate Scotland’s favourite son Rabbie Burns. This Wednesday sees us all delight in the works of Burns and what better way to mark the occasion than with ‘The Chieften o’ The Puddin’ Race’ and a well deserved a single malt! We are very excited to be stocking a limited edition range of single malts from progressive, Hebridean distillers Bruichladdich:

“Bruichladdich Laddie Classic* | Smooth, floral and elegant and matured in American bourbon casks
Bruichladdich Peat* | One of the peatiest Islay single malts around obtained from three strengths of peated barley

“Our store manager, Clare, promises a dramatic rendition of The Selkirk Grace upon every purchase of Bruichladdich!
(…Staff sales are set to sky rocket)”

Chris in Windsor

“With Burns night fast approaching here are a couple of wines that will go fantastically with Haggis and for a more authentic experience a couple of whiskies (uisge beatha) which are sure to make a fantastic evening:

“Chateau Aigues Vives Corbieres* | A classically structured southern French red, offering an array of red and black fruit aromas, nuanced with notes of cocoa, rose petal and savoury pepper. A robust tannic backbone provides a long finish.

“Highland Park 12yr Old* | With a delicious sweetness (heather-honey is their preferred description) and a warming, silky mouth feel, this is a whisky that never lets you down.”

*Please contact your local Majestic store for availability – have a look at their virtual tasting counter too, along with personal recommendations in the News section.

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Saint Vincent, Patron Saint of Winemakers

Saturday 21 January 2012 – 11:00

Thinking about how best to honour Saint Vincent the Patron Saint of Winemakers on the 22nd? Jaymi, Trainee Manager at Majestic Wine Evesham gives a few pointers to celebrate this feast day…

Saint Vincent of Saragossa is honoured every year on the 22nd of January as the patron saint of winemakers. Originally a Christian Martyr in Spain, legend has it that while travelling one day Saint Vincent stopped to talk to some workers in a vineyard and his donkey nibbled on the vines. That year those vines produced the best crop. From this, the workers discovered the benefits of pruning. Nowadays, according to tradition in some areas pruning does not start until after the feast of Saint Vincent.

So here is a selection of Spanish wines to honour Saint Vincent this weekend!

Gran Vendema Rioja Crianza
After spending 12 months aging in oak, this Crianza has plenty of oaky vanilla notes on the nose mixed with raspberry and strawberry finished off with a soft palate.

Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Blanco
This white Rioja has an impressively aromatic nose of apple and pear with a touch of floral notes, following with a fruitful palate with a delightful freshness.

Marqués de la Concordia Rioja Reserva
Aged for 24 months in oak barrels this wine has a complex nose blending ripe fruits, spices and cedar. With black fruits dominating the smooth palate which has hints of coffee and chocolate.

Martin Codax Albariño
This delicate white wine has hints of spices and sweets fruits on the nose with a refreshing palate of stone fruits with a slight hint of honey and a floral finish.

Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva
Regarded as one of the top examples of traditional Rioja this reserva has been aged for a 26 months in oak, with further bottle aging. Toasted oak combining with vanilla and red fruits on the nose are rounded off with smooth tannins and a fruity palate.

Viña Muriel Rioja Gran Reserva
Oaked aged for 24 months and a further 3 years bottle aging having given this wine a wonderful complexity. Dried fruits like figs and raisins blend with subtle spice notes on the nose and are rounded off by well integrated tannins that add a smoothness to the palate with a lingering finish.

Say hello to Jaymi in Evesham on twitter @majesticevesham

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Tuscany: Home of Leonardo Da Vinci, The Leaning tower of Pisa, and Sangiovese

Wednesday 18 January 2012 – 16:22

Stefan, Manager at Majestic Wine Worcester, explores one of his favourite Italian wine regions; Tuscany…

In my opinion, Tuscany is one of the best regions in the world in terms of art, beauty, food and wine! Famed throughout the world for its cultural centres Florence, Pisa and Siena, it is also the home of Sangiovese. The grape is the only one that can be used in Brunello di Montalcino and is the base for the blends used in Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the famous Super Tuscans such as Tignanello and Sassicaia. Prices for the differing styles vary drastically, from low end for basic Sangiovese up to exclusive prices for the best Brunello’s and Super Tuscans.

Of the famous hill top towns in Tuscany (the region is undulating, one factor which makes the scenery so stunning) I’ve been lucky enough to visit both Montalcino and Montepulciano. My trip to Montalcino wasn’t solely wine related: I was there (along with a few thousand others) to watch the finish of a Tour of Italy cycling stage on a day where the weather was Biblical, with torrential rain, wind and a shroud of mist cowering over the town. Just walking around you could feel the importance of wine in everything in the town, and a real pride in their wine. The same can be said of Montepulciano, with stunning views from the town across the rolling vineyards. A fair few of the producers have their own shops off the quaint square, so I managed to have a look in a few, including Poliziano, my personal favourite.

I’ve decided to showcase a couple of examples of the differing styles of Sangiovese from this area.
The first is the Banfi Mandrielle Sangiovese, on offer at £5.99 if you buy 2 or more, down from £8.99. This is a soft, ripe and juicy expression from the acclaimed Banfi stable, with plenty of ripe cherry flavours making this a perfect partner to Tomato based Pasta dishes.

The second is the Avignonesi Rosso, the house wine of the Montepulciano based Avignonesi estate. Comprising of Sangiovese blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this wine displays more body and weight along with a complex cherry and blackcurrant flavour. Complimenting Beef dishes, this is excellently priced at £7.99 when you buy 2 or more, down from £9.99.

Say hello to Stefan on twitter @majesticwor to find out more about his trip.

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Guest Blog: The Graped Crusader – Wedding Wines follow up

Tuesday 17 January 2012 – 13:52

Choosing wedding wines? The post wedding follow up. Guest blogger The Graped Crusader saves the day….

People warned me how fast your wedding day tends to pass, but I was genuinely surprised by the sheer speed that it was all over. I’d barely had time to nip round the tables to check how the wine was going down before I was muddling my way through my first dance then found myself in a cab at the end of the night!

It wasn’t without incident of course. We’d decided (as a slightly ironic touch) that given I’m a wine nut we’d name the tables after ‘cheesy’ wines. We therefore had, to name a few, Blossom Hill, Liebfraumilch, Asti Spumante and Mateus Rose tables. Each table had a bottle of each wine for purely decorative purposes. What we hadn’t bargained for of course was the guests gamely cracking into these bottles as well as the wines I’d carefully chosen! There’s nothing quite like seeing your family downing a 1.5 litre bottle of room temperature Liebfraumilch to convince you that you should have spent less time choosing the ‘real’ wines….

Thankfully, given it was my main job, the ‘real’ wines all went down very well indeed. We started off by toasting the marriage outside in glorious November sunlight and balmy 13 degree heat. The Lindauer Special Reserve Blanc de Blancs NV was perfect for this and the guests did a sterling job in only just leaving enough for the post-meal toasts. As I said in my earlier piece, it’s a very easy drinking and pleasant sparkling wine. Five guests came up to me to enquire where they could stock up for themselves and by now I imagine they have done just that. For big occasions where the budget needs to be respected I think it’s a near perfect choice.

With the meal came the arrival of the red and white wines. To recap these were the Fairhall Cliffs Sauvignon Blanc 2010 from Marlborough and the Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel 2007 from California. I wasn’t worried about the Sauvignon Blanc. Us Brits have a ferocious appetite for the stuff and it was very well received. The star of the show though was my risky wildcat choice; the Zinfandel. This went really well with our hearty food and made for very pleasant drinking without food before and after the meal. It was the first Zinfandel many of the guests had had and they were impressed with the quality and the price. I suspect some of them will have sought out other examples in the weeks following the wedding. Having had dinner with Joel Peterson, the founder of Ravenswood, a few days before the wedding I was very pleased that I’d chosen the Ravenswood. It fitted the brief perfectly.

With the guests having enjoyed the first three wines so much the Concha Y Toro Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2007 from Chile was expected to go down well, and so it proved. I’d deliberately chosen only a moderately sweet dessert wine and it worked a treat. Ardent haters of sweet wine were caught tucking in with gleeful abandon and I’m delighted that I stuck to my guns in the face of my now wife telling me that non-one would drink dessert wine!

So there you have it, proof that you can provide decent wedding wine on a budget. If anyone finds themselves in a position where they need to do just that I’d urge them to pop down to their local Majestic store where they have the experience and the range to help you on your way. Just hold fire on the Liebfraumilch…..

You can read the first part of Richard’s Wedding Wines blog here

Richard Saxton AKA The Graped Crusader is a wine writer / blogger who writes wine columns for Emerald Street (Stylist), Good Bottle of Wine Magazine and Browse Bullring, amongst others. His website can be found at thegrapedcrusader.co.uk

By Majestic | Posted in Guest Blogs | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

A Majestic 2011

Thursday 12 January 2012 – 16:22

A quick look back at Majestic in 2011…

Will, Online Community Advocate

January is naturally a quieter month for the wine business after Christmas and New Year, but the Ravenswood parcel proved a success to staff and customers alike topping up their wine racks after the winter snow relented. Throughout the year other wine parcels were eagerly snapped up too, especially the German Schafer wines, Baysridge Sauvignon Blanc, and the McGuigan Shortlist wines, which also had their UK launch with Majestic staff at Kensington Roof Gardens. Watch out for more exciting web exclusives in 2012.

The pennies are still being counted for Maggies, our Charity of the Year in 2011. Fundraising highlights included the gruelling Marathon du Medoc in September and the charity raffle at the Majestic Christmas ball. Majestic also helped raise money for Wine Relief (part of Comic Relief), putting together a mixed selection of wines with 10% of sales going to the Red Nose cause.

March saw the first of a handful of award wins; Majestic, picked up two gongs at the Retail Week Awards 2011. We followed this up with another two wins in September -  the IWC High Street Chain of the Year and the Decanter Readers’ National Wine Merchant of the Year. Thanks again to all you Majestic people who voted for us!

One of the main reasons for being shortlisted for these awards is our exciting calendar of in-store events. If you visited your local Majestic in 2011, you may have been invited to one of our free Wine Events.  In 2011, we added Wine Walks to our events line-up, which complement the already popular Wine Courses and Wine Evenings. If you haven’t yet been to a Majestic Wine Event, you’re missing out on a free, fun and easy way to enjoy and learn about wine! Have a look at the videos below:

For Fine Wine lovers, the choice  available at our Fine Wine Centre and local Majestic stores has grown ever more diverse, and the introduction of the Fine Wine Plan is a new and easy way for you to start your own Fine Wine collection. No room under the stairs? No worries, storage is taken care of at Vinothèque, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to professional storage of fine wine.

One of the biggest events for 2011 came over the Winter period when we broadcast our first ever  TV adverts, revealing what Majestic is all about to people who may not have been to one of our stores before. Here they are if you missed them:

Finally, we opened 16 new stores in 2011 from down on the Isle of Wight right up to Dundee, meaning we’re able to bring our innovative wine range, knowledgeable staff and exciting wine events to even more people across the UK.

2012 promises to be even bigger with new stores and new wines!

You can follow me on twitter @majesticwine, like Majestic on Facebook, and add me to your circles on Google+

By William James | Posted in Majestic News, Staff Articles | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment

Majestic chooses Bowel Cancer UK as Charity of the Year

Tuesday 10 January 2012 – 11:56

The new year brings a new charity! After a staff vote back in November, our Charity of the Year 2012 is Bowel Cancer UK

Every 15 minutes in the UK, someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer; this is nearly 40,000 men and women each year. Bowel cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer death in the UK. But it shouldn’t be: the disease is highly treatable if caught early. Sadly, over 16,000 die of the disease annually, which is why early diagnosis is so important. Bowel Cancer UK is dedicated to saving lives by raising awareness of bowel cancer, campaigning for best treatment and care, and providing practical support and advice.

Over 2012, we will be raising awareness and money for Bowel Cancer UK through collection tins in stores, mobile phone and printer cartridge recycling and staff fundraising activities. We’re hoping to continue to build on last year’s fantastic work for Maggie’s, our Charity of the Year 2011.

“Bowel Cancer UK is absolutely delighted to have been chosen as Majestic Wine Charity of the Year 2012. As a small charity tackling a big disease, this will make a huge difference and allow us to reach more people with life-saving messages. We are very excited about working with your staff and customers to raise much-needed funds and awareness.”

Deborah Alsina, Chief Executive, Bowel Cancer UK

For more information about Bowel Cancer UK, please visit their website bowelcanceruk.org.uk

Registered Charity No. in England & Wales 1071038 and in Scotland SC040914

By Majestic | Posted in Majestic News | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment

Happy Wine New Year

Monday 9 January 2012 – 14:18

Hello and welcome back to a new wine year on the Majestic Blog: Grape to Glass!

What would you like to see this year to make the Majestic Blog even better in 2012? Polls, Reviews, Critique, Video, Photo, Food & Wine, Guest blogs… Add your choice in the comments below.

Christmas and New Year are over for another year, and the January sales are coming to an end in most shops. At Majestic all our strongest festive offers are the same all the way through January, so no need to worry about last minute January wine sales shopping. Have a look online or browse what wines are open to try on your local Majestic’s tasting counter. Enjoy!

Will
Online Community Advocate

By William James | Posted in Majestic News | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment

Christmas Food & Wine Matching Tool

Tuesday 20 December 2011 – 14:44

Whether you’re the last minute Christmas Eve shopper or the militarily organised type at Christmas, this Majestic Food & Wine matching tool will save you some time from when you whiz round your local Majestic’s aisles or ‘click click’ on the website to serving the wine on the big day…

By William James | Posted in Majestic News | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

delicious. Wednesday

Wednesday 14 December 2011 – 9:52

Buttered turkey with sausage, pancetta and apricot stuffing

by Lizzie Kamenetzky

We’ve teamed up with deliciousmagazine.co.uk in the run up to Christmas to find the perfect wine matches to some of the UK’s favourite dishes. In 4 weeks, we’ll feature 4 easy to make delicious. dishes, each matched to a selection of wines, making it as easy as possible for you to choose your festive wines this year.

Week 4: The final recipe! Impress the whole family this year by making this divine turkey recipe the star of the show for Christmas lunch

Serves: 8 with lots of leftovers
Takes: 30 minutes to make, 2 hours 10 minutes – 2.5 hours to cook, plus cooling

Ingredients

  • 5kg free-range turkey (take out of the fridge at least 45 minutes before cooking)
  • 200g butter
  • Good pinch of saffron threads (optional)
  • Bay leaves and rosemary for the cavity (optional)

For the stuffing

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 100g pancetta, chopped
  • Knob of butter
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 25g fresh breadcrumbs
  • 200g sausagemeat
  • 100g pork mince
  • 100g soft dried apricots, finely chopped
  • Small bunch of fresh parsley and 6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

Method

  1. First make the stuffing. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, then fry the pancetta until starting to crisp. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Lower the heat, add the butter to the pan, then the onion and cook for 10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the onion and garlic to the pancetta, then mix in the breadcrumbs. Set aside to cool completely. Stir through the sausagemeat, mince, apricots and herbs. Season well.
  2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Using your fingers, prise the skin away from the neck end of the turkey, being careful not to tear the skin. Fill the pocket with the stuffing, pull the skin back over the stuffing and secure the skin underneath. Season the bird inside and out. Weigh and calculate the cooking time (20 minutes per kg, plus an extra 30 minutes).
  3. Melt the butter and saffron (if using) in a large pan, add a 50cm square piece of muslin and, with tongs, turn to soak in the butter. Remove and lay over the turkey, then place in a large roasting tin. Stuff the body cavity with the bay leaves and rosemary (if using).
  4. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4 and roast for the rest of the calculated cooking time (see above), basting occasionally with the juices from the tin. Remove the muslin for the final 30 minutes of cooking to crisp the skin (keep an eye on the stuffing and cover with foil if it starts to brown too quickly). The turkey is cooked when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh and the juices run clear. Rest the turkey, loosely covered with foil, for 30 minutes before serving on a warm platter.

Nutritional info: Per serving: 518kcals, 27.3g fat (13.2g saturated), 59.4g protein, 8.6g carbs (5.3g sugars), 1.4g salt, 1.4g fibre

Tip: Covering the turkey breast with buttered muslin prevents it from drying out and the saffron gives a wonderful colour, aroma and flavour.

Majestic Wine Pairings

Grand Ardèche Chardonnay Louis Latour, Vin de Pays des Coteaux de l’Ardèche

A buttery Chardonnay from the South of France oozing warmth and whole hearted delight.

Why this Wine?

Full in body and buttery all over this wine stands up perfectly to the multitude of big flavours served up with the Christmas roast.

Château Caronne Ste-Gemme Haut-Médoc

A well rounded and moreishly savoury Bordeaux, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon.

Why this Wine?

Roast Christmas lunch would not feel complete without a bottle of Bordeaux on the table. This Caronne Ste-Gemme hits all the right notes, and is even more than palatable on it’s own too.

By Majestic | Posted in Guest Blogs | Tagged , , | Comments (3)
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