The Smiling Grape Company

It was another chance to experience the joys of wine buying by visiting one of the world’s biggest wine exhibitions: Vinexpo in Bordeaux. 

Our first stop was a tasting at Moulin Pey-Labrie in Fronsac which featured some of our wonderful winemakers. 

Catherine & Pierre Breton from Bourgueil presented a wonderful Vouvray: Vouvray La Dilettante Sec 2008 which made me smile from ear to ear!  Simply divine applely fruit mixed with dolops of honeydew melon.

 Jean Foillard’s Morgon Classique 2007 is a true “classic”!  Unfiltered, unsulphured and unfined, it’s a bit different from what you expect a Morgon to be like but the wine has the most stunning flavours: spice, chocolate and black cherry.  Each sip is different!

Elian da Ras poured a delicious glass of his Chante Coucou Rouge 2006 which was powerful mixture of different grapes from the Mid-Garonne region of France.  Full bodied, ripe with explosive fruit on the palate - this definately calls for a hearty beef steak!

Allessandra Bera from Vittorio Bera et Figli in Piedmonte was aslo present showing her stunning Moscato D’Asti 2008.  Simply irrestible with melon, oranges and a touch of sweet apple.  It’s been so popular at The Smiling Grape Company that we’ve sold out.  You’ll have to wait until November for the 2009 vintage.

After a weekend visit to Rome I headed up the coast to visit one of Tuscany’s best wineries called Poggio Argentiera situated in Maremma, where I was met by the charming Antonio Camillo from Poggio Argentiera.

Antonio spoke as much English as my non existant Italian but we managed to communicate through the universal art of sign language plus a bit of French too!

Poggio Argentiera’s Morellino de Scansano Bellamarsilla has become a favourite choice for many Smiling Grape customers.  Morellino is the name of both a type of cherry and the local name of Sangiovese.  The wine is matured for 6 months: one third in stainless steel, one third in large 3 ton oak vats and the final third in small barrels of new American oak.  The finished result is impressive: ripe with delicious black cherry aromas and an impressive long, satisfying finish.

Another Smiling Grape success has been Poggio Argentiera’s Capatosta which is made from a selection of the best and oldest Sangiovese clones (30 years old).  This is a true blockbuster of a wine, full-bodied but elegant and graceful.  “Capatosta” is southern Italian slang for “stubborn” which is a tribute to the owner’s Grandfather!

Antonio has also started to produce his own wine.  He bought two vineyards totalling five hectares in the area between Sovana and Pitigliano in the south of Maremma on the border with Lazio.  The Smiling Grape Company currently stock’s Antonio’s magnificent Maremma Rosso IGT “Principio” 2008 which is made from 100% Ciliogiolo.  The wine dances on the palate with soft cherry, raspberry and strawberry aromas.  The length is long and pleasing.  A true smile wine!

I’m just back from a great trip to the Loire Valley where I visited The Loire Valley Wine Trade Fair  to meet some of our fantastic winemakers, taste their 2008 barrel samples as well as discover new wines.  The atmosphere of the show was relaxed and fun and I managed to impress many winemakers with my fluid French. 

I was hoping to post some pictures of our Loire winemakers but I unfortunately left my camera in the prison…er, I mean hotel (doh!).  Prison, you ask?  Well, I’ve stayed in some odd places in France but Hotel Les Jardins de l’Anjou was one of the funniest!  Built in the 1960s,  everytime I left my room I thought I could hear the banging of chamber pots & Morgan Freeman saying “The first night’s the toughest, no doubt about it…”  Blimey, I think I might have overdosed on Cabernet Franc… 

I can highly recommend the hotel’s restaurant located next to the indoor swimming pool.  A strong smell of chlorine awaits you.  You have to sample the Steak Tartare - so fresh that it could have been galloping through the fields a few days ago.  Check out http://www.viande-chevaline.fr.  When in France, eat like the French…

Travelling through muscadet country I stopped off for lunch at the erotic sounding seaside town of Pornic.  The restaurant offered a choice of two types of fish - unleaded or diesel but I had an “interesting” meal of pike washed down with an eye-watering muscadet.