His reward for this great honour? A case of wine so fantastic that it inspired thousands of people (including our Chairman, Simon Berry, who came 590th)  to fight it out in a battle for the top fantasy football team made up entirely of players from wine producing nations.  This legendary case includes gems from Ch. Latour, Vega Sicilia, Penfolds Grange and Taylor’s Port – well done Richard and enjoy the wines, we’ll all be thinking of you!

The history of the wine was in point of fact born out of an accident, as it was found that the casks of fortified wine that passed through the port of Funchal, thence stowed on the ships en route for the The Indes or The Americas, actually improved from their apparently ruinous voyage through the humid tropics. Modern Madeira is made in a way to imitate this exposure to heat, either artificially (in heated tanks called estufas) or ‘naturally’ by leaving casks under the eves of the upper rooms of the lodges ( the canteiro method). A temperate climate and extreme humidity in high summer does the rest. Depending on the time of fortification the wine is either sweet (Malvasia/Malmsey and Boal varieties) or dry ( Sercial and Verdehlo varieties). This seeming simplicity is slightly undermined by the fact that 90% of the island’s plantations are in fact the red grape Tinta Negra Mole, which is used primarily for the 3 year old blends, so beloved of our friends on the continent.

In England, however, we have a nose for the finest things and few wines are as fine, complex and intellectually rewarding as old Madeira. High natural acidity and the legacy of an essentially oxidative maturation mean that the bottled wine is virtually indestructible, even when opened. And after a precipitous visit to some of the decorous pergola-trained vineyards, it was down to the serious business of the day…the tasting. Our delightful hosts Ana Soares, Ricardo Tavares and Francisco Alburquerque (above) had, several hours beforehand, opened and poured from 27 bottles, imbuing the tasting room with heady aromas of figs, molasses and decadence.

After a fascinating  initial flight comparing generic 10 year old blends with Colheitas (single casks) of similar age,  we were straight into the vintage wines,  armed with    the advice that of the two main companies with in the group the Cossart wines would be more elegant and feminine and the Blandy  examples more  masculine and more powerful. Sometimes this was discernible, sometimes less so; what was clear however, was the incredible difference in the styles over the course of their development. The oldest and most venerable wine was from 1870, although such was its freshness and purity of flavour that had one been asked to guess its age, one may well have been a whole century out! Thankfully the bottles were all on display, lined up in their distinctive white stencilled livery, each one older and more fascinating than the last!

All of the wines scored highly …… it is sometimes frowned upon to score wines, and yet it is probably the most effective aide memoire to tease out the truth of appreciation from behind the hyperbole of the tasting note……… but some scored more highly than others, and if one had been of a mathematical persuasion, I am sure that the average score would have been higher than for any other tasting I have ever been lucky enough to attend. To mention just  a few;  Blandy Bual 1977 for its amber foxy colour, and amazing almost tea-like complexity; Blandy  Verdehlo 1968, high-toned, firm, stentorian; Leocock  Sercial 1966, classic rancio nose, and tangy finish;  Blandy Bastardo 1954,  tasted like Christmas pudding!; Cossart Verdehlo 1934, mahogany colour, incredible aromas almost like seaweed or Islay whisky; Blandy Sercial 1910, flinty, figgy, astonishingly fresh, Blandy Bual  1920, almost impossibly youthful…had there been a mistake…no..no mistake!; Cossart Bual 1908 , toffee apple, Demerara sugar; and of course Blandy Verdehlo ex Solera 1870 ; peaty , white chocolate, coffee and figs, playful , yet focused, sweet yet dry, of symphonic scope yet with the purity of the sonata…………this an other apparent contradictions capture the enigma that is Madeira. An enigma with plenty of variation and magic and one which I would recommend time and time again as one of the most under-valued and astonishing wines of the world.

Wine and technology geeks can tap into our vinous knowledge and the shiny iPad’s magical multi-touch screen makes reading easier and browsing and navigation far simpler, and much more intuitive.

Whatever time it is, wherever you are, take a look at the brand new Vintage Charts, producer Profiles and Wine Ratings. We have listened to your feedback on our iPhone App launched last year and we have enhanced the search functionality and you can now filter by price and vintage rather than just the previous keyword search of wine name, region, producer and grape. We have also improved the transactional function which means it’s now even easier to purchase through the free App.

But don’t fear – you can still enjoy original favourites like tasting notes from our Masters of Wine and the Virtual Wine School video tutorials.

This is the must-have upgrade for all Fine Wine aficionados, whatever the size of your cellar – or portable communication device!! Download the free App at: www.bbr.com/app.

Understanding Barbecue Cooking

Barbecuing is a fast-cooking method that seals in food’s natural juices and flavours.  The high temperatures quickly sear the outside of the food and carmelise its sugars and fats, which further intensifies the natural flavours and also adds sweetness to the finished dishes. Sweetness is often accentuated by the use of marinades and sauces, such as barbecue or sweet and sour sauce.  Sometimes there’s a chilli and spice element to be considered too, as well as the smokiness that’s imparted from the charcoal, so you need to serve wines that will balance any spiciness in the dish as well as complement the intensified natural flavours of the food.

Matching Wines to Barbecue Food

Grapes grown in hot climates ripen easily and the wines made from them are full-flavoured and taste sweeter/riper. Often there is more residual sugar in a hot climate wine than a cool climate wine, hence they seemingly taste ‘sweeter’. These characteristics match those found in barbecued food. The ripeness or sweetness in some wines also will balance the flavour of any smoke and any heat and spice. So hot climate wines like those from California, the Med, Australia and Chile are often the best choice.

For more delicious alfresco dining ideas, why not come along to our Wines & Beef Barbecue Day this Saturday 3rd July at Berrys’ Factory Outlet in Basingstoke?!

If you can make it along to the event then you can…

…SAVE 15% or more on everything in Berrys’ Own Selection, including spirits, wines and fortifieds – plus there’s at least 25% off all our other bin end wines

…TASTE a vast array of wines, specially selected with barbecues in mind

…TRY Sarah Purdon’s fabulous Belted Galloway beef which will also be available for you to buy (in limited supply so arrive early)

…GET A FREE Berrys’ apron worth £15 when you spend £100 or more in store and become the smartest barbecue chef in town this summer!

…TAKEAWAY a free copy of Berrys’ Wine & Barbecue leaflet, which is full of great wine matching tips and tasty recipes from our Head Chef

Plus Sarah Purdon, who produces the best beef we’ve ever tasted, will be on hand to talk about and offer you tasters of her sublime beef. Sarah will also have beef available to buy on the day, but supply is very limited, so, once again, you’ll arrive early if you don’t miss out…

There is plenty of speculation; one angle is that the restaurant is reported to lose €500,000 per annum; such is its attention to detail. Another, perhaps, more whimsical, is that Adrià is weary of ‘serving up disappointment’ to all but 8000 guests from  the 2 million or so who try to reserve a table every year …. Whatever the reason, we were fortunate indeed to be at the table of the charming Amelia Aragon, and her brother Oscar, from the Cillar de Silos Bodega in Ribera del Duero, also her husband Gavin and Richard Bigg from El Camino in the UK…. The weight of expectation was almost over-whelming…………let’s preface what follows by saying that we were far from disappointed. On the contrary.

A short drive north of the resort of Roses, itself amazingly close to the French border, therefore Collioure and Pérpignon, Bulli nestles in an a gentle bay,  calmly basking in the gentle aromas of pine and eucalypt. The restaurant is moulded into the hillside, the Cap de Crues seeming almost an extension of its ambiance and magic. This, on the eve of the Festival of Saint Juan was significant indeed, with the families on the beach, and later, fireworks serving to add to the very special atmosphere. The restaurant itself is unassuming, bright and breezy with the kitchen, as it should be, centre stage, framed by a large picture window as the heart of the Bulli experience, with Ferran himself happy to be photographed, endlessly, next to the bronze bull on the preparation table, at the same time marshalling the dozens of chefs with supreme confidence. The 70 or so staff easily out-numbers the number of guests (50); their calm redolent almost of a colony of bees, ants even, if that doesn’t sound too pejorative. But happy souls all; Bulli is completely serious but does not take it-self too seriously. The trinkets of the eponymous bull-dog are playful and prevalent; the spirit of local-boy Dali is pervasive, not least of course in the kitchen, where the alchemical symphonies are born in Ferran’s note-book, composed in a completely different key every day, in homage to the infinite diversity of nature, and man’s capacity to nurture it. This note-book is valuable indeed; it has something of Leonado da Vinci about it, the notes punctuated by drawings, diagrams and formulae which appear to lend more to trigonometry than gastronomy. Construction, deconstruction, aesthetics and symbiosis capture the process, reflecting the ephemeral nature of food itself and our duty to respect it. The watch-word here is ‘deconstructuralisation’, the mood experimental, infinitely creative and fantastically imaginative.. The rules of the game are based on a respect for the natural process, however, and here I would suggest Ferran perhaps departs, temperamentally, from Salvador Dali. Finally everything cedes to the food itself even the ‘plates’ and cutlery, many of which were initially non-existent and when they did appear were frequently shaped, bizarrely, coquettishly to best show off the food. Like Dali’s clocks, perhaps, but with a more positive and energising purpose.    Everyone and everything here resonates with a spirit of humility, refreshing in such an august establishment and yet far removed from any Calvanistic rigour. We are in Catalonia here and we are here to have fun.

And have fun we most assuredly did………………to return to the story…

After the kitchen its out onto the terrace and the gastronomic odyssey begins. Soon forgotten are the parched rigours of Ryanair and the indulgences of the Costa Brava. Now, and throughout, we are in the hands of the knowledgeable staff and the gifted sommelier, another Ferran (Cantelles) and sometimes at their mercy as they patiently reveal the secrets behind the dishes, the subtle and beguiling combinations, one saucerful of secrets after another.. This is to be an opera in five acts; Act One being  the ‘snacks’, Act Two for the tapas, the key Acts Three  and Four for the ‘avant postres’ and the ‘postres’ and the final denouement, back on the terrace, for the morphings…

One could rehearse in minute detail every single dish and attempt to explain their significance to the ensemble and the incredible resourceful quality behind their genesis. But in all honesty my expertise and descriptive capacity pales in front of so much colour, so better for now, as a humble blog ‘amuse bouche’ to provide one or two impressions and pick out a few highlights. One can not ‘reveal’ the menu per se, as there is no tangible menu card or at any rate anything resembling stasis in a world of imaginary prestidigitation, the architecture of which defies any clumsy analytic despoliation. One is presented with the menu post facto, printed for that day only, for that meal only and for that individual only. A souvenir like no other. 

One of the key themes, perhaps, is the challenge to appearance and expectations..The seemingly sweet becomes savoury, the obviously salty is in fact sweetness itself and depth and texture beguile, flatter to deceive, fascinate and invite cerebral analysis. The ceremony is ludic as one is permanently ambushed by ideas. From the outset…………with the sugar cane mohito then the so-called handkerchief….. a delicate wafer-like edifice, its filigreed elegance concealing  an incredible depth of flavour…..ginger, hazelnut and more, then sweet sweet bitter cherries doused in alcohol,  a snow gin fizz which somehow achieved a juxtaposition and inversion of the sensations of warmth and cold,  and a extraordinary frozen Gorgonzola globe (above right), which almost disintegrated after its magnificent assault on the palate. Then the mimetic peanuts with their marriage of Campari and tangerines and the spherical olives, with their oozing explosion of liquid engineering, also known as olive oil…Wow……… And we were still in out on the terrace….

As important as the element of surprise, is the complete symphonic saturation of the senses. The textures defy the touch; the colours are bright and vivid, the aromas beguiling, achieving an effortless interface with the salty sea-air and the distant sounds of the sea itself are mirrored in dishes such as the ‘pond’ where one is obliged to ‘smash one’s way into the frozen casket of mint and green tea. The wave of gustatory indulgence crash onto the rocks of certainty and everything challenges and challenges again. There are of course certain leitmotivs, but they are far from the unsubtle over-use of nitrogenous foam or a facile recourse to bizarre pairings; there is, for example quite a lot of Japanese influence, the umami flavourings finding favour, and there seemed to be quite a proclivity for parmesan, foie gras and almond. To name just three…………but this is just that, merely three of two hundred individual ingredients, all afforded a pain-staking and poetic symbiosis.

The imagination is constantly teased, the diner’s creative capacity almost sated as he tries to identify all the characters in an Opera which might make The Ring Cycle appear facile by comparison. The ladies in our group (as always, I suspect) were the best at identifying the particular tastes and flavours; Amelia excelled herself in picking out the artichoke and fennel, completely unrecognisable as either, in the ‘surprise dish’. It was one of thirty odd surprise dishes, if the truth be told, but the only one served blind. How to convey the riches without resorting to the clichés of the superlative? Impossible, but each dish was special and memorable. The flowers with nectar, their honeysuckle sucked out with bee-like delicacy; the green tea biscuits with their sushi flavours and lychee crystals; the oyster tartare consumed on a bed of oyster leaf, the white asparagus and miso soup, the melting Montjoli lentils, the coconut masquerading as caviar (and vice versa), the chorizo with ginger and honey, the apple baguettes and foie gras…one could go on and on. The meal itself lasted for six hours, but seemed far, far shorter…….like all the best and most rewarding artistic experiences. And there was plenty of room left for ‘petits fours’ aka  morphings (above left);  all sweetness and light, served from elegant cedar wood boxes and combining flavours of chocolate, almond, passion fruit, green tea, pistachio strawberry , raspberry, truffle and bitter chocolate…..the chocolate looked incredibly rich and heavy; it goes without saying that it was as light as a feather!

And what of the wines? Well Ferran’s selection was impeccable, and it was only afterwards that I realised that he had pretty much given us a who’s-who of the best Spanish white grape varieties. The Wine List stretches to 1600 references, excelling needless to say in Spain and includes page after page of venerable vintages of the greats; Artadi’s El Pison,  Allende’s Calvario and Aurus, Alvario Palacio’s Ermita and Finca Dofi , CastilloYgay, Pingus .. and the like. Our selection demonstrated the versatility and textural magnificence of Spanish white wines, including a fantastically subtle Albarino, a 100% oak-aged Godello from Rias Baixas, a white Garnacha and the most extraordinary Xarel-lo from Penedes……to mirror the wonderful Cava which had been enjoyed at the start. This is the last time I am rude about Xarel-lo as a variety! The wines combined freshness with the most exquisite and deep flavours, often redolent of the orange grove or a citric orchard in early June. The reds and sweet wines were fascinating too, a 2000 Toro almost Bordeaux-like in its elegance and an example from Montsant a perfect demonstration the intensity and depth of flavour of old-vine Garnacha from these schistous hills. The sweet wines ran the stylistic gamut, from the pineapple pastry, anis and chocolate orange flavours of the Terra Alta, 100% Grenache Blanc, to the huge complexity of the Solera wine from Empoda, its infinitely intricate fractional flavours almost keeping up with those of the morphings. The sommelier was fantastically attentive, articulate and aware, but once again marked by a sincerity and humility that is often, dare I suggest, somewhat lacking in those of his profession.

And so to the final curtain, the dance having been expertly choreographed throughout; the guests elated and happy………….full and yet not full, but completely satisfied in every sense. And it is all about sense really, not merely the five senses that have been so rigorously explored, but about what Ferran describes as the sixth sense. This is not especially supernatural, but it has its intangible element and a psychological back-drop, which is perhaps the most personal and subjective of them all. It is according to Sn. Adrià, a synthesis of memory, expectation, irony, sense of humour, mood, occasion and judgement. It is, in other words, the complete emotional, historical and psychological back-drop to each individual’s experience. In creating an astonishingly diverse, challenging and humbling experience of this magnitude Ferran acknowledges the infinite and intangible complexity of this sixth sense and in doing so, raises the status of a mere meal to a synaesthetic art form, that has to be experienced to be believed. Let’s hope the sabbatical really is only a short one!

It works just like an normal fantasy football game but you can only choose players from the 12 major wine producing nations who have made it to South Africa – and you can’t have more than one from each country (until the first round is over, at least).

And that isn’t even the best bit – as well as weekly prizes for top-scoring managers (and the chance to battle your friends to the bitter end in your own mini leagues) the overall winner will get a corking mixed case of wine worth £1,700! It contains a bottle of a top wine from each of these 12 nations, including Ch. Latour from France, Vega Sicilia from Spain and Penfolds Grange from down under.

Go to www.berryswineworldcup.com to see all the wines in the case and to register your team (make sure you do it by midnight on Thursday 10th June though to make sure you have all your players in place for the first match).  Finally, it’s all free – it doesn’t get much better than that (unless England bring the trophy home).

As my wedding was nearing, the obligatory Stag Do needed to be arranged. What was decided upon involved all the typically testosterone fuelled traits – such as “shooting each other” with paintballs, DRINKING and eating red meat.  The latter activity came in the form of booking the private dining room at the Hawksmoor. 

After nursing our war wounds, caused by repeated point blank shooting of one another, we got tidied up and made our way to the restaurant in Shoreditch.  When closed the restaurant resides behind some very industrial looking shutters – shutters that belie the quality of restaurant hidden within.  The restaurant itself is smartly presented but simple and non pretentious – the effort is purely focused on the quality of food and service.

We arrived with a few minutes in hand and were treated to some gin and tonics before being seated (they are quite well known by all accounts for their cocktails).  We had managed to reserve the private dining room – less of a separate room more of an annexe off the main seating area – which was great as it gave us a certain privacy but still felt involved us in the hassle and bustle of service.

Among other reasons for booking the restaurant, such as serving some of the supposedly best rare breed meat in London, was the fact that we were able to take our own wine and pay a minimal charge for corkage.  Among the nine of us we took three magnums – Loosen Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese 2006, Ridge Lytton Springs 2006 and Yarra Yering Dry No. 1 Cabernet 2003.

We were looked after right from the start, were never rushed and the courses came as and when we were rested between courses.  Decent sized goblets and decanters were supplied, although we had already double decanted the wines three hours earlier.

Starters were basic yet very tasty and consisted of smoked salmon, potted Yorkshire beef on toast etc. and these we drank with the Donnhoff – a beautiful, Riesling Spatlese showing fantastic delicacy and elegant freshness but still holding all the honeyed richness one would expect.  The wine was rich, yet finished, with a wonderful freshness and dynamism – a long life ahead of it, but irresistible now!

We then moved in to the main event – the steak!  There are fish options and vegetarian options (I think!) but this is not the place to come to unless you are having the meat as it’s all from rare breed longhorn cattle, aged for at least 35 days.  Dictionary thick, these steaks melt in the mouth and are from all cuts of the beast, cooked to perfection.  They were served au naturale, unsullied by any extraneous sauce, though sauces and sides (triple cooked chips – fantastic!!) could be ordered.  I had the rib eye whose fat melted like butter but, by all accounts, the Sirloin etc. had by others was just as wonderful.

We had the meat with the two reds, both showing wonderfully well.  Firstly, the Ridge Lytton Springs with its intense cassis note and rich palate yet with an old world savouriness / earthiness – very well balanced / defined and poised perfectly to counterpoint the richness of the meat.  The the Yarra Yerring, again very well balanced, yet with a more precocious new world element, riper blackcurrant fruit – a touch more glycerine I felt on the pallet.  We had a bottle of the Argentinean (Michel Rolland) Clos de la Siete in the wings  just in case we ran dry and frankly even though it was an excellent wine, one could see the quality jump and focus prevalent in the other two.

You realise that you have had a good time, when the next thing you know, it is about three hours later and you have not felt rushed in any way whatsoever – the service was excellent, food fantastic and wine great.

Next stop for the night – Sin City (or so I’ve been told by the best man!!)

The team here are obviously committed to enhancing the wine drinking experience in any way possible, so it was with plenty of gusto that six musical volunteers agreed to create their perfect playlists to accompany some of our favourite Wine Club wines.

Following on from research suggesting that music can enhance the taste of a wine, we rounded up Masters of Wine, Marketing Execs and The Chairman himself and asked them to sample a selection of wines and decide the perfect tune to listen to for each.

The results are interesting – who’d have thought that Alun Griffiths MW would choose a bit of Fleetwood Mac to accompany his New World Cabernet?  Or that manly Jonathan White would have a guilty penchant for Girls Aloud with his fruity Italian reds?  The fact that Simon Staples digs a bit of Stevie Wonder didn’t surprise anyone…

We’ve also got our Wine Club members involved, giving them each five download tracks on 7Digital.com to see if they can do any better than our in-house music lovers. But what about you?  Do you have a penchant for Pink Floyd and Pinot?  Maybe a little Vivaldi with your Viognier?  Let us know what you’d drink with your favourite wines – there might even be a prize in it too…

“Jasper Morris, as master of wine and a buyer for the merchant Berry Bros. & Rudd, is as keen on tea as he is on Bordeaux and Burgundy. He keeps his wine in a cellar, but his tea is stashed in his wardrobe behind his winter jumpers where it remains warm and dry. He particularly enjoys Pu Erh, which is sold in dried-out cakes; a good vintage can, much like wine, can be aged for over a decade, becoming increasingly complex in flavour the longer it is kept. Such fine tea does not come cheap. Jasper once spent HK$3,800 on a small amount of Pu Erh. How much, I asked him, would that be in Sterling? ‘About the same price as a case of Chasse-Spleen’*, he explained breezily, leaving me not very much the wiser. ‘There are twelve bottles in a case and I have about enough tea to make twelve pots, so that seemed about right’. This is probably not the sort of thing you would neck with fried eggs and bacon at breakfast; Jasper drinks his fine tea with his wife in the afternoon when they want to reward themselves and have time to appreciate it…”

*Or about £320 at current exchange rates at the time of writing

We spoke to Jasper in a bit more detail about his love of tea and here’s what he had to say:

Victoria was disappointed when I said that I did not actually keep my cakes of tea in the cellar alongside my bottles of wine, but unfortunately the humidity which is desirable for the wine would soon turn the tea mouldy. Instead the young teas are living in a cupboard at room temperature.

I have a few packets of older vintage dated teas, including some 1953 of Vietnamese provenance and an amazing 1975 Pu Erh kept for very special occasions. The extraordinary thing about these teas is that you can infuse the same leaves up to a dozen times, being careful to pour off all the water each time, and every infusion gives you a different range of aromas and flavours. Early infusions are tarry and with quite a rough texture but then more fruit appears, with sweeter notes, then they might become more flowery and deliciously subtle – and so it continues until eventually the first signs of dilution appear and it is time to move on.

Click here to buy How To Drink and here to learn more.

 
Lentils with cotechino (a pork salami) as an antipasti/starter; the dish is thought to bring good luck and it will probably be accompanied by a fresh smooth Verduno Pelaverga from Fratelli Alessandria.

The primi piatti/pasta dish will be agnolotti, small hand-pinched ravioli filled with meat, smothered with Ligurian olive oil and seasoned with salvia (green sage) and paired with Davide Rosso’s Barbera d’Alba, grown just down the road on minerally white solid; a lush sapid thing.

For the main/secondo I trust it’ll be roast conoglio (rabbit), more common round these parts than chicken, and tastier too, especially alongside Nebbiolo. Being Natale it’ll have to be a Barbaresco or Barolo – rabbit’s got a subtle gamey flavour so I hope it’s refined, traditional Barbaresco from Rivella Serafino; a 1999 if I play my cards right.

As for the finale it can only be panettone, the peerless sultana cake-like bread whose candied fruits go oh so well with Moscato d’Asti, ideally the 2008 Vigna Senza Nome (translated Vineyard without a Name) from Braida and which will last for days (providing you’ve invested in a turkey-sized panettone!)

And finally perhaps a drop or two of Tocasana Nero, a 20% herbal, liquorice liqueur, or Barolo Chinato from Capellanno failing that…

Buon appitito!