Sunday 22nd April
Shottle Hall
White Lane
Nr Belper
Derbyshire
DE56 2EB
From 11.30 – 16.30 (No Sunday lunch available)

Tuesday 24^th April
Hemsley (University Club)
Lenton Hall Drive
Nottingham University NG12 2RD
From 16.30 until 20.00

Thursday 26^th April
The Beetroot Tree
South Street
Draycott
Derby
DE72 3PP
From 18.00 until 21.00 (Please contact the Beetroot Tree Directly Click Here)

To register your interest please follow this link Click Here

If you’ve attended one of the above tastings feel free to leave any feedback you feel would enhance the experience for future events or even if you’d like to give a passing comment that may interest others it will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again and as always we hope you’ve enjoyed yourself at the tastings

An excellent iced nougat recipe for all Niepoort fans.
For more information on Niepoort Port then please visit the Niepoort Page

It takes about 60 minutes to complete, follow these 7 easy steps.  You’ll need a scale and a cooking thermometer.

Ingredients:

100g of honey

180g of sugar

105ml of Tawny Porto

120g of egg white

500ml of fresh cream, 35%mf country style thick cream

150g of candied fruits

5g of butter

50g of Brazil nuts

50 of almonds

About the ingredients:

Depending on your region, some type of milk cream might be hard to find.  Fresh cream is mostly used in French recipe while in America 35%mf is easier to find and much less expensive.  Both work for this recipe.

For the nuts, pick any 2 types you like, hazel nuts, pecans might also be very good.

For candied fruits, in this recipe I did use candied ginger and dried papaya.  Here again you can mix what you feel like.  I did pick a good proportion of dried papaya (125g) to make the whole thing less sweet while a small portion of candied ginger (25g) adds some zip.

For the honey, again you can play from the simple plain honey to as many varieties as different flowers exist.   Churned clover honey is normally of very good quality, this time I did pick honey from blueberry flower.

For the Port, I strongly recommend using Tawny type of Port.  Your end results will differ from having a young and frutier Tawny to an holder and nuttier Tawny.  Experiment!

Steps:

1-      Cut together the Brazil nuts and almonds.  In a pan, put 100g of sugar with 30g(30ml) of water and cook at medium heat until you get a medium dark caramel.  Add 5g of butter and remove from heat.  Add your nuts into it.  Blend altogether with a wooden spoon, the sugar will get into the nuts and crystallize again.  Before it gets too hard, spread it on a baking paper.  Let it rest, once it is hard you can cut it into small pieces.

2-      Cut together the candied fruits then put them in a bowl with 75ml of Port.  Let it rest.  Shake it once or twice so the port gets into all the fruits over time.

3-      In a cold bowl, abound (double the thickness, you don’t want whipped cream) your cream and let it rest in the fridge until needed.

4-      In a bowl, whip the egg white until stiff; add 30g of sugar half-way.

5-      In a pan, put the remaining 50g of sugar, the honey and 30ml of Port.  Cook it at medium heat until it reaches 121 Celsius (250F).   Slowly pour the resulting syrup over the egg white while whipping them.  Whip the meringue until complete cooling.

6-      Mix into the meringue the candied fruits with the Port and the nuts. Blend well but gently so you don’t break your whites.

7-      Blend your cream in by gently lifting your mixture.

8-      Pour into individual mold or metal circle.  You can put cling wrap into your mold so it is easier to unmold.  Put into your freezer until ready to serve.

9-      Enjoy!!! with a slightly chilled glass of Tawny Port

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For more information on Niepoort Port then please visit the Niepoort Page

Friday 18^thNovember
Quad
Market Place
Cathedral Quarter
Derby
DE1 3AS
From 18.00 – 21.00
Recommended parking The Assembly Rooms

Tuesday 22nd November
George Fentham Room
Marsh Lane
Hampton-In-Arden
B92 0AH
17.00 Until 21.00

Sunday 27th November
Shottle Hall
White Lane
Nr Belper
Derbyshire
DE56 2EB
From 11.30 – 17.00 (No Sunday lunch available)

Tuesday 29^th November
Hemsley (University Club)
Lenton Hall Drive
Nottingham University NG12 2RD
From 16.30 until 20.00

Wednesday 30^th November
North Staffs Conference Centre
Hartshill Rd
Stoke-on-Trent
ST4 7NY
From 17.30 until 21.00

Tuesday 6^th December
Erasmus Darwin House
Beacon Street
Lichfield
Staffordshire
WS13 7AD
From 18.00 until 21.00

Wednesday 7th December
Shottle Hall
White Lane
Nr Belper
Derbyshire
DE56 2EB
From 11.00 – 16.00

To register your interest please follow this link Click Here

If you’ve attended one of the above tastings feel free to leave any feedback you feel would enhance the experience for future events or even if you’d like to give a passing comment that may interest others it will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again and as always we hope you’ve enjoyed yourself at the tastings

1. Domaine Pierre Cros – Vieilles Vignes

The first entry is from the ‘King of Concentration’ comes a unique & mouth-watering 100% Carignon made in very humble quantities. Wines of 100% Carignon are very rare, as they can only be made from these old vines, of which Pierre has 106 years behind his. A deep garnet-purple, viscous wine which is ideal matching for rich red meats such as game, venison and boar.  We have included this on our list because we have long connections with Pierre Cros and this is a wine that’s consistently incredible, even in bad vintage conditions. A highly sort after wine and a must try for every enthusiast.

3. Domaine Boudau - Muscat Sec

Regarding this wine the people have spoken, it would not be just to omit our most popular wine from the all-time greats. A wine from the highly under-rated Roussillon region, this is a twist on a normally sweet grape, Muscat. Harvested at night, the grapes retain freshness and vivacity producing a wine that is somewhat dryer and displays many of the characteristics of a northern French wine. Within the strict wine laws of France this wine from Henri Boudau brings something fresh & niche to the table that is served ideally as an aperitif or will compliment a spicy oriental dish.

4. Chateau la Calisse – Rosé

The only rosé to feature on our list of all time greats, Patricia Ortelli has crafted a delicious wine that offers subtleties and a delicateness that can only be achieved by a passionate winegrower with the right terroir. Made of Grenache & Syrah using only traditional, organic methods this wine is immensely popular throughout the Provence region and is highly regarded amongst the locals. In the true spirit of southern France this wine will compliment summer food such as barbeques and salads, especially local dishes like a salade niçoise.

5. Domaine Dupont Fahn – Meursault

Our only dessert wine on the list and a very original take on a french equivalent to port. With a firm belief in the richness of their terroir and the potential of the Grenache grape this wine has been naturally produced from 100% Grenache by brother and sister Boudau, Pierre & Veronique. Continually producing elegant wines under their personal axiom of quality, authenticity and fruit, the Boudau family never cease to impress us with their wines. It has been included on our list of important to complete a wide ranging variety of wines and is one of our more unique & quite seasonal winter specialities. Is best drank with chocolate and cigars or spicy food.

9. Domaine Seguinot Bordet – Chablis

The Seguinot Bordet vineyard dates back as far as 1590, giving them plenty of time to master the local terroir! The techniques they use in their vinifcation blend the best traditions from the past with new technology to produce a young, fresh & vivacious wine. Golden yellow in colour with light greenish tints and a steely palate, this is a repeatedly brilliant wine that never fails to deliver all the characteristics of a good Chardonnay. This features on our top 10 because our Chablis lovers never seem to tire of it and give us nothing but delightful reviews. Will accompany a nice goats cheese, lobster or grilled salmon to perfection.

10. Chateau de Rozier – Mittifiot

Formally the Chateau de Roziers premier wine made by Count Louis de Belair using very traditional methods of vinification, severe selection of grapes and feet crushing. Consisting of 70% syrah and 30% Grenache this wine hugely benefits from the terroir of Costieres de Nimes around the vineyard which has lots of pebbles that help retain heat at night, giving a greater richness and maturity to the grapes. It is very pleasant, refined and expressive wine that will captivate any wine fanatic and pairs perfectly with rich red meats such as lamb. This is one wine we had to involve in the list purely because of the sheer positive feedback we get from our customers!

So we bring our top 10 to a close. We hope it may have inspired some of you to try some of these outstanding creations and others of you to create your own personal top 10.

As always, Happy Drinking!

Chris, Jean-Pierre & Pierre

Click here to view the embedded video.

Having just arrived back at the office after attending Brightpearl’s first open day, I think it only fair we big up the success of it. For those of our customers & friends who don’t know we’ve been on Brightpearl’s system for around a year now and it rocks our world, bringing together all the internal elements of Hourlier Wines in one simple to use business management system. The format of the event itself was simple enough, an intro to the company and a number of workshops followed by a wine-tasting, yet  managed to benefit those who attended in many more ways than expected. As a user of the software we were able to gain a true insight into the company, the environment in which it had been developed and to meet the all-round awesome team behind the magic. The workshops gave us invaluable advice & inspiration on how to use the system better and hopefully helped the Brightpearl team to gain some useful feedback from their client base in one fell swoop, bearing in mind this all comes back to enhance the experience for the many shoppers out there who buy online through the Brightpearl system. More in-depth coverage  of the day and details of future open day events can be found on Brighpearl’s blog.

After all the formalities it was then our time to shine and present a couple of nice wines alongside the opportunity to network and bring an already successful day to it’s natural close. Beginning with our Chateau la Calisse Rosé to ease the guests into the tasting with its pronounced aromas yet delicate palate that once again proved itself to be the crowd pleaser by which it is so often characterised. This was followed by a muscat sec from Domaine Boudau which is an unusually dry version of a normally sweet wine, achieved by picking the Muscat grapes before they have fully ripened. We noticed again that this was another wine that had many coming back for seconds. The final wine we had to offer was Domaine de Berane  ‘Les Blaques’, a typical Southern Rhone blend of Syrah, Grenache & Mouverdre that we had initially intended for those of a bolder palate but which had the majority of people sampling it by the end.

Very much looking forward to a repeat performance at the next open day in Derby.

In the mean time, kudos to the Brightpearl team and many thanks for throwing a spot-on event!

To buy French Wine please visit www.hourlierwines.co.uk

We hope you enjoy watching them as much as we’ve enjoyed putting them together.

If you’d like to see our selection of French Wines visit “Wine by Type”

What sets smart wine drinkers apart from others is that they’re willing to take the time to really understand different grapes. However, there are many myths surrounding grapes, so let’s dispel at least one right here! My favourite grape myth is that French makers do not put the name of the grapes on their bottles except for Vin de Pays influenced by the New Word. The main point to realise is that French wines are complex – not just the taste, but the Appellation system as well!

For grape varieties, there are some simple rules, so let’s start with the most well known areas of France:

* All white Burgundies are made with Chardonnay grapes – which includes Chablis (there is one exception – Bourgogne Aligoté – but you won’t come across it too often).
* All red Burgundies are made with Pinot Noir, from Bourgogne Rouge to Villages names like Gevey Chambertin, Beaune etc
* Red Bordeaux are usually made with two main grapes: Cabernet-Sauvignon and Merlot.
* In the area north of Bordeaux, Medoc wines predominantly use the Cabernet Sauvignon grape.
* In Saint Emilion and Pomerol, Graves, Merlot is the main grape variety.
* White Bordeaux are usually made with Sauvignon and Semillon grapes.
* The famous Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé wines are made with 100% Sauvignon grapes.
* In the South of France, the area stretching from Provence, Rhone, Languedoc and Roussillon near the Spanish border makes predominantly red wines. The most well-known area is Chateauneuf-du-Pape from the Rhone. The two main grapes for all these areas are Grenache and Syrah.

What you need to do is discover which grapes you’re more receptive to by deciding if you prefer a White Burgundy with Chardonnay grapes or you prefer a Sancerre (with Sauvignon grapes, for example). As ever, this involves experimentation – which is always an enjoyable experience!

Browse our many types of French wine at www.hourlierwines.co.uk

Wine needs to be kept in a cool, dark and preferably slightly damp place. Modern houses do not usually have cellars, so caution is required – and if you want to keep your wines for a long time and in good condition, you may need to opt for temperature-controlled storage. The trouble with wine storage units is that they tend to be quite expensive, and will also limit you as to your storage capacity.

If you are keen enough you could always have have a spiral cellar excavated in your floor – or you could always ask your wine merchant to keep your wines in a bonded warehouse (for a relatively modest fee). If none of these options is viable, choose the best place in your house to store your wine – under the stairs, in an unheated room or in an insulated garage.
Wines left in the kitchen on a wine rack should be consumed within two to three weeks – especially if the kitchen is a hot environment.It’s worth bearing in mind as to whether you like old wines (and whether you’re prepared to store them for years) – because wines of 15 to 20 years old are an entirely different drink from younger wines. The fruits have usually gone and the tannins have blended, giving a more complex and intense taste. Some bottles can be remarkable but some can be disappointing. The older the wine is, the greater the chances of opening a disappointing bottle – so beware!

Browse some

Essential tips on Wine – How to decant wine

I’d like to tell you about the best way to get the most out of your wine, and how to truly enjoy your wine-drinking! One of the best ways to enhance the flavour of your wines is to decant them beforehand – and to prove it, I’d like you to undertake a simple experiment, for which you will require three bottles of the same wine.

1. Take the first bottle and pour the wine into a decanter around two to three hours before you plan to drink it.

2. Take the second bottle and remove the cork between two and three hours before you plan to drink it, but do not decant it.

3. Open the third bottle when you’re ready to start the experiment.

4. Pour a little (or a lot if you prefer!) wine from each container into three separate glasses. Put on a blindfold and ask a friend to hand you each of the glasses in turn. Ask your friend to remember the order and the source of the wine in each glass and then simply say which you preferred – number one, two or three. Let your friend reveal the source of your first, second and third preferences – and chances are highly likely that your first choice will be number one, above, followed by number 2 and number three – in that order!

You can then decide how you will serve your wine in future.

There you have it – a scientific result confirmed by your taste-buds! By the way, this experiment applies just as much for white wines, although the results are sometimes less obvious than with red wines.

As ever, we are here to answer any questions and look forward to hearing the results of your test. How to decant wine, you decanting wine experiment!

Happy Drinking! Pierre Hourlier