What Was Your Most Recent Bottle of Wine?

[richardfinegold]

A friend returning from a lengthy sojourn in Mexico brought a vacuum pack of mole negro paste from Oaxaca, the culinary heart of the country, so it only seemed appropriate to make Chicken Mole Poblano. The paste takes all the hard work of making the mole from scratch, requiring only a cooking with tomato and chicken stock before a final finishing of the chicken in the formidably black sauce.

But the cellar has no Mexican wines (they can be very fine but are difficult to source). Such a grand dish deserves a grand wine, and a Weinert Tonal 111 Malbec from 1994 was opened, more out of approximate geographical considerations than culinary orthodoxy, and consequently with some trepidation.

It’s a wonderful wine, still, after all this time, requiring decanting and time in a (big) glass to release its aromas, which are decidedly on the leather and the tobacco spectrum, but with autumn berries buried beneath, so a strata of scents. The colour is a deep, opaque mahogany red, but the pale rim when held to the light betrays its age. The tough tannins, which would have made the wine undrinkable in its youth, have softened to a provide a velvety finish that bolsters a sequence of flavours from first taste to long finish. Primarily this is a complex dark and deep fruit mix, ripe blackberrys and blackcurrants, but with the sweetness knocked off, then comes a prickly spiciness. And that is what makes the match with the mole a happy success. The mole is a deeply aromatic spicy, smoky, fruity and smooth complex of flavours, with a subtle residual heat. It’s a powerful sauce and the Weinert proved to be an unexpectedly successful partner to it. Best wine drunk this year!

Mole paste definitely makes it easier. Chicago has the third largest Hispanic population in the US and our local groceries have large amounts of store space dedicated to Hispanic foods.
I prepare it much as you describe, but add a small jar of Frontera Grill salsa.
A local restaurant carries wines from Baja California. They tend to be a bight lighter than Malbec or Cabarnet Sauvignon. I haven’t seen these wines in our local wine shops but they are easily available on the Internet

[Barbirollians]

I see the Times recommended Lidl's Deluxe Argentinian Malbec in its 50 best red wines to drink this winter on Saturday £6.29 13.5% alcohol .

My favourite god value Cahors is Clos la Coutale from the Wine Society, It keeps too - a 2017 was lovely last week . Its £9.95 though it was only about £7.95 a couple of years back .

Another very good Malbec is the Fairtrade Organic Malbec from Co-op . I think it was £8.99 not at all overblown and silky smooth fruit. I imagine it would go vry well with Christmas dinner.

[hmvman]

ALDI still do a very tasty Malbec at £3.99, hmvman, either Spainish or Argentine.

Thanks, smittims, yes, I've had few different Malbecs from Aldi and all generally good.

[smittims]

ALDI still do a very tasty Malbec at £3.99, hmvman, either Spainish or Argentine.

[kuligin]

Latest bottle

Clos du Roi Pinot Noir Bourgogne Coulanges La Vineuse. 9e from the grower. The sort of wine I like, only 13per cent, light but with real Pinot Noir flavour. Of course it can not compete with Burgundies from the Côte d’ Or but a very attractive affordable alternative.

[hmvman]

I'm very fond of Malbec in its Cahors incarnation. Aldi used to do a very good one at a cheap price but it disappeared a few months ago. They've now introduced one at the higher price of £6.69 (not exactly expensive, I will admit) and I bought a couple of bottles to try. I wasn't so impressed on first tasting, it seemed a bit thin and unexciting. I'll give the other bottle a go sometime to see if second impressions are better.

[smittims]

I've just finished a French Malbec from ASDA, 'Le Manoir du Baron'. £4.95. Very smooth , the flavour emerges nicely when taken with Stilton cheese.

[Belgrove]

A friend returning from a lengthy sojourn in Mexico brought a vacuum pack of mole negro paste from Oaxaca, the culinary heart of the country, so it only seemed appropriate to make Chicken Mole Poblano. The paste takes all the hard work of making the mole from scratch, requiring only a cooking with tomato and chicken stock before a final finishing of the chicken in the formidably black sauce.

But the cellar has no Mexican wines (they can be very fine but are difficult to source). Such a grand dish deserves a grand wine, and a Weinert Tonal 111 Malbec from 1994 was opened, more out of approximate geographical considerations than culinary orthodoxy, and consequently with some trepidation.

It’s a wonderful wine, still, after all this time, requiring decanting and time in a (big) glass to release its aromas, which are decidedly on the leather and the tobacco spectrum, but with autumn berries buried beneath, so a strata of scents. The colour is a deep, opaque mahogany red, but the pale rim when held to the light betrays its age. The tough tannins, which would have made the wine undrinkable in its youth, have softened to a provide a velvety finish that bolsters a sequence of flavours from first taste to long finish. Primarily this is a complex dark and deep fruit mix, ripe blackberrys and blackcurrants, but with the sweetness knocked off, then comes a prickly spiciness. And that is what makes the match with the mole a happy success. The mole is a deeply aromatic spicy, smoky, fruity and smooth complex of flavours, with a subtle residual heat. It’s a powerful sauce and the Weinert proved to be an unexpectedly successful partner to it. Best wine drunk this year!

[gradus]

I hope the Riesling is still good after 8 years .

So do I!

[smittims]

I hope the Riesling is still good after 8 years .

[hmvman]

While looking for a tree tie in the garage, I found half a dozen bottles of Riesling from two producers,a 2016 Trocken from the Rheingau grower Peter Jakob Kuhn and another 2016 Dengler Seyler Trocken Riesling from Maikammer in Oben Weinsper that I'd bought 2 years ago and forgotten about. Odd really, white wine doesn't usually hang around chez nous.

That must be the equivalent of finding a £10 note in the pocket of an old pair of trousers! I wish I could find a long-forgotten supply of wine somewhere when looking for something else...

[gradus]

While looking for a tree tie in the garage, I found half a dozen bottles of Riesling from two producers,a 2016 Trocken from the Rheingau grower Peter Jakob Kuhn and another 2016 Dengler Seyler Trocken Riesling from Maikammer in Oben Weinsper that I'd bought 2 years ago and forgotten about. Odd really, white wine doesn't usually hang around chez nous.

[smittims]

Thanks for that, Barbirollians. As a long-time Claret drinker I'll be trotting round to Tesco. ALDI do a good one , Pierre Laurent, at £4.99.

[Barbirollians]

There was a piece on bargain wines in the Times yesterday . For anyone not wishing to go behind their pay wall they were.

Sainsbury’s House Pinot Grigio 5.35
chapter and verse Sauvignon semillon 5.19 Aldi
Tesco des Tourelles Claret 5.49 ( I agree with this one also recommended by Jancis Robinson as a mega bargain) tastes like a £10 wine)
Aldi Contevedo Cava 5.49 ( much better than sickly cheap Prosecco IMO)
Lidl Cepa Librel Crianza Rioja 4.99 ( cheap at 4.99 but nowhere near as good as that Tesco Claret
Tesco Asti 4.75

[Barbirollians]

... a pinot noir from the Loire, 'pure vallée' vin de France from Bougrier.

I liked the blurb on the back - "we have conceived enjoyable and generous wines, on the fruit side and the freshness of our terroirs. Beautifully balanced, the mouth is velvety with black cherry aromas. Only fruit and immediate pleasure with a generous mouth and a lovely finish... "

To accompany some roast chicken, and a 'herby bean and celery salad' from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's new book "How to Eat 30 Plants a Week". Mme v is on a mission...

.

From the Wine Society ? Very good lightly chilled if we get this early Indian summer this week.