Tag Archives: Syrah

Wine tasting in Waipara

Posted on February 21, 2013 by James

About 45 minutes drive north of my hometown of Christchurch, NZ, lies the North Canterbury wine region of the Waipara Valley. The valley is nestled between the Teviotdale Hills, which shelter the region from the cool Pacific, and the foothills … Continue reading →

Posted in New Zealand | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

James Flewellen’s Top Wines of 2012

Posted on December 24, 2012 by James

A recent post by my friend Tom Parker on his top wines of the last year inspired me to go through my notes to consider the same question. Wine tasting being the highly subjective and opinionated business that it is, … Continue reading →

Posted in Suggested Wines | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A brief introduction to fine wine at Lincoln College

Posted on October 30, 2012 by James

I recently presented a tasting for the Lincoln College graduate students. We covered three different white wines, three reds and a dessert wine, all tasted blind to begin with. Here’s a précis of some of the tasting information covered along … Continue reading →

Posted in Blind Tasting, Oxford Wine Events | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Château La Nerthe – red wines

Posted on July 16, 2011 by James

This post continues my account of a tasting presented by Christophe Bristiel of Château La Nerthe to the Oxford Wine Circle. We tasted three vintages of the Château La Nerthe Rouge – 2007, 1998 and 1986, classic vintages in three … Continue reading →

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Château La Nerthe – white wines

Posted on June 23, 2011 by James

As I mentioned in a previous post, we were privileged to host Christophe Bristiel from Château La Nerthe to the Wine Circle recently. While the highlight of the evening was certainly the exclusive Cuvée des Cadettes, made from Grenache vines … Continue reading →

Posted in Oxford Wine Events, Rhone, Suggested Wines | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s all in the vine

Posted on June 19, 2011 by James

I recently attended a tasting at the Oxford Wine Circle presented by Christophe Bristiel from Château La Nerthe. La Nerthe is one of the foremost producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the famous appellation in the southern Rhône. Other than producing fantastic wine, … Continue reading →

Posted in Jargon Buster, Oxford Wine Events, Rhone, Suggested Wines | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hilary Term “Grand Cru”

Posted on March 19, 2011 by James

Recently we were treated to another fabulous “Grand Cru” tasting presented by Neel Burton. An Oxford Grand Cru tasting generally consists of wines from some of the finest producers out there, and if we’re lucky, these wines can have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Blind Tasting, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Germany, Italy, Oxford Wine Events, Rhone, Suggested Wines | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Classic Reds and Dujac 1990

Posted on October 31, 2010 by James

This week at the Oxford Course on Blind Tasting we looked at classic red grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. I mentioned a ‘fruit spectrum’ for the aromas of white wines; for reds it can be helpful … Continue reading →

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The Approach: Red wine in the glass (Part II)

Posted on September 1, 2010 by James

Part I of this post gave an introduction to the terminology of the appearance of red wines, and how the appearance can give clues to a red wine’s age. If you are feeling confident with these aspects, you may wish … Continue reading →

Posted in Blind Tasting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment