We tried two bottles of bubbles from our Fizz Club membership with the Champagne Warehouse late this week, and they were both wonderful!! Had I ordered these wines through the regular website, I would have only ordered single bottles and then thought "I'll have to buy more of this". With the Fizz Club, I already have second bottles here, just waiting to be drunk : )
The first bottle we tried was the extra dry prosecco from Stocco. This is made from 100% prosecco grapes and couldn't be more different from the previous bottle of rose prosecco that we drank from Stocco. This one was fresh and aromatic, smelling of spearmint with a touch of candied banana. The first impression on the tongue was a flash of the mint, but followed up by lots of green apple - not like apples off of the tree, but the kind of green apple flavour you get in sour candies. It had loads of bubbles and was just so much fun to drink. I definitely preferred this to their rose.
The second bottle that we tried was the new release of Vignarosa Amorino brut rosato. It was just gorgeous!! The ruby colour never ceases to amaze me, and the rich, balsamic vinegar aroma just draws you in. Like past bottles that we've drunk, this one had deep red berry flavours that go on and on. And I knew we were in for some good bubbles when I couldn't get the cork out and had to hand the bottle over to my husband...while I don't like the delay in opening the bottle, I loved the sharp, explosive 'pop' and all of the bubbles!!
A great start from the Fizz Club, thanks Champagne Warehouse!
Showing posts with label cabernet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cabernet. Show all posts
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Not What I Was Expecting
The lovely team at the Champagne Warehouse sent me a bottle of rose prosecco to try as a 'thank you' for some feedback that I gave them about their newly-launched Fizz Club. The wine was Rosamossa Rose Extra Dry from Stocco, a 100% cabernet sauvignon sparkler. I had high hopes for this wine having loads of berry flavours from the tasting notes that were sent to me, but it didn't turn out to be anything like what I was expecting.
The wine itself was a salmon-pink colour, and from the start, it had an incredibly amount of tiny, fizzy bubbles. It smelled like very acidic strawberries. When my husband asked what my first impression was on first sip, though, my reaction was - tomato. Not juicy, ripe-off-the-vine tomato, but just the slight aftertaste of tomato skin. There were definitely some berry flavours in there, but this wine was so dry it had a lot of vegetable flavours, as well. As it warmed up, it had a subtle finish of vegetable stock, with a mild celery and parsley taste.
This was such a surprise, and I'd be keen to try this with food rather than sipping it on its own as we did. It's not at all like the run-of-the mill rose proseccos that are out there, this is much more unusual.
A big thank you to the Champagne Warehouse for such an interesting bottle of prosecco, and a pitch for the Fizz Club, too - each month, the Champagne Warehouse are offering 6-bottle cases with 3 kinds of grower wines (2 bottles of each wine) - with options of just champagne, just non-champagne sparklers, or a mix of champagne and non-champagne sparklers. These wines aren't on offer on their website until well after the Fizz Club members have had their chance to order and re-purchase at a discount - so some of these wines might never reach the general website. It's quite reasonably priced, and no minimum commitment, so please do get in touch with them to sign up to receive the monthly tasting notes!!
The wine itself was a salmon-pink colour, and from the start, it had an incredibly amount of tiny, fizzy bubbles. It smelled like very acidic strawberries. When my husband asked what my first impression was on first sip, though, my reaction was - tomato. Not juicy, ripe-off-the-vine tomato, but just the slight aftertaste of tomato skin. There were definitely some berry flavours in there, but this wine was so dry it had a lot of vegetable flavours, as well. As it warmed up, it had a subtle finish of vegetable stock, with a mild celery and parsley taste.
This was such a surprise, and I'd be keen to try this with food rather than sipping it on its own as we did. It's not at all like the run-of-the mill rose proseccos that are out there, this is much more unusual.
A big thank you to the Champagne Warehouse for such an interesting bottle of prosecco, and a pitch for the Fizz Club, too - each month, the Champagne Warehouse are offering 6-bottle cases with 3 kinds of grower wines (2 bottles of each wine) - with options of just champagne, just non-champagne sparklers, or a mix of champagne and non-champagne sparklers. These wines aren't on offer on their website until well after the Fizz Club members have had their chance to order and re-purchase at a discount - so some of these wines might never reach the general website. It's quite reasonably priced, and no minimum commitment, so please do get in touch with them to sign up to receive the monthly tasting notes!!
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Fizzy Pink
Last night, we opened a bottle of Mas de Daumas Gassac Rose Frizzant that I bought from Green & Blue. I have to be honest, I didn't have high hopes for this wine, which is a French sparkler (rather than a champagne) and we've had variable experiences with these. The fact that they called it 'frizzant' didn't bolster my confidence in its bubbles.
But it surprised me. It was definitely more fizzy than bubbly, but the fizz endured - it had a nice texture throughout. The scent and flavour were unusual - very much like the juice that I get when I macerate strawberries with a little bit of balsamic vinegar. But then this wine is mostly cabernet sauvignon (a grape they use in one of my favourite proseccos) with a little bit of petit manseng, so the slightly heavier, tangier flavour made sense.
In all, it was a pleasant wine. I don't know that I would hunt it down again, but as an experiment and to broaden my horizons, I was glad to have tried it.
But it surprised me. It was definitely more fizzy than bubbly, but the fizz endured - it had a nice texture throughout. The scent and flavour were unusual - very much like the juice that I get when I macerate strawberries with a little bit of balsamic vinegar. But then this wine is mostly cabernet sauvignon (a grape they use in one of my favourite proseccos) with a little bit of petit manseng, so the slightly heavier, tangier flavour made sense.
In all, it was a pleasant wine. I don't know that I would hunt it down again, but as an experiment and to broaden my horizons, I was glad to have tried it.
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
End of the Weekend
Part of me was sad to see the end of the holiday weekend, but part of me was glad it was coming to a close because my husband was away in Italy with friends for the 4 days. I was excited for him to come home and put a bottle of prosecco - Vignarosa Amorino Brut Rosato from the Champagne Warehouse - in the fridge thinking he might want something Italian and bubbly as a nightcap. We sipped glasses as he recounted the adventures from the weekend. While I was sorry to have missed the trip, it sounded like they all had a great time. And I enjoyed the bubbles with his stories, marvelling again at how this prosecco is such a great balance of berry fruits and crisp dry-ness.
I'm also very excited because my husband arrived home bearing gifts from himself and from our friends, some new proseccos to try!! So very thoughtful of them!
I'm also very excited because my husband arrived home bearing gifts from himself and from our friends, some new proseccos to try!! So very thoughtful of them!
Sunday, 23 January 2011
A Rosy Do-Over
When I ordered my last case of bubbles from the Champagne Warehouse, I ordered a few bottles that I had tried and liked in the past. In an unusal instance of forward planning, I read the tasting notes that they supplied for the Vignarosa Amorino Brut Rosato (they recommended seafood) when I put the bottle in the fridge, and headed out to Borough Market yesterday for some prawns to cook for dinner. They were a great match - cooked in my husband's homemade chimichurri sauce and accompanied by rice with spinach and broccoli - a relatively healthy meal!
The prosecco was wonderful with it, the rich berry flavours shining through the shellfish and mild spice of the meal. It was a fantastic reward for braving the craziness of the market on a Saturday morning (something I can't be bothered to do much anymore with the frenzy of tourists that has taken over!). It was also a great reminder of how much better an already fantastic wine can be when served with the right food.
The prosecco was wonderful with it, the rich berry flavours shining through the shellfish and mild spice of the meal. It was a fantastic reward for braving the craziness of the market on a Saturday morning (something I can't be bothered to do much anymore with the frenzy of tourists that has taken over!). It was also a great reminder of how much better an already fantastic wine can be when served with the right food.
Monday, 20 September 2010
Power Pink
People who know me know that I'm not into girly, powder pink colours (or 'puff pink' as I call it). If I'm going to wear something pink or paint something pink, it's going to be bright, bold, in-your-face, power pink. I'm the same with rose wines. Don't give me something light and blush-coloured with an insipid taste. Give me something that's a beautiful, rich colour and that packs a wallop.
And that's exactly what the Champagne Warehouse did. We opened the Vignarosa Amorino Brut Rosato yesterday and were absolutely impressed with it. This prosecco is a blend of raboso, cabernet, and merlot grapes, which give it a deep pink colour and even more depth in the flavour - it's a wine with bubbles rather than a sparkling wine, and plenty of them. It's surprisingly dry, with loads of tart, wild strawberry flavour. It was wonderful to sip on its own, but went equally well with our homemade mac and cheese with bacon. At just shy of £11 per bottle, it feels like a real bargain, too!!
I'm loathe to recommend this too highly, as I both don't want to drive prices up and don't want the Champagne Warehouse to run out before I get around to ordering more. But it really is too good to keep it a secret...
And that's exactly what the Champagne Warehouse did. We opened the Vignarosa Amorino Brut Rosato yesterday and were absolutely impressed with it. This prosecco is a blend of raboso, cabernet, and merlot grapes, which give it a deep pink colour and even more depth in the flavour - it's a wine with bubbles rather than a sparkling wine, and plenty of them. It's surprisingly dry, with loads of tart, wild strawberry flavour. It was wonderful to sip on its own, but went equally well with our homemade mac and cheese with bacon. At just shy of £11 per bottle, it feels like a real bargain, too!!
I'm loathe to recommend this too highly, as I both don't want to drive prices up and don't want the Champagne Warehouse to run out before I get around to ordering more. But it really is too good to keep it a secret...
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