DIRECTORS’ CUT

MICHAEL’S PICKS

BABY BLUE ESTATE RED BLEND, BLUE ROCK VINEYARD, SONOMA COUNTY, 2019, LOT 2823, P51

GREG & MICHAEL’S PICKS FOR THIS CELLAR OFFERING

CRAUFURD PORTO, 30 YEARS OLD TAWNY, DOC PORTO, AGED IN WOOD (WOOD CASE), LOT 2801, WEB EXCLUSIVE BACKSTAGE, CABERNET SAUVIGNON, RESERVE, NAPA VALLEY, BACKSTAGE VINEYARD, 2015, LOT 2842, P55

GREG’S PICKS

HÖPLER GRÜNER VELTLINER, BURGENLAND, 2020, LOT 2765, P9 HOOK & LADDER PINOT NOIR, ESTATE BOTTLED, RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY, 2019, LOT 2817, P47 RAMILO COLHEITA TINTO, VINHO REGIONAL LISBOA, 2019, LOT 2774, P13

MASTER PIECE Choices, Choices, Choices How to Select Your Wine

Jane Masters MW is Opimian’s Master of Wine

Ever felt daunted by a wall of bottles and the sheer number of wines to choose from? Ever been handed a mammoth restaurant wine list and not known what to pick, feeling anti-social as you ignore your friends to pore over it in search of the right wine?

Wines are made all around the world from hundreds of different grape varieties and every single wine is unique. New emerging regions and the rediscovery of old ones means there will always be new wines to discover and this should be celebrated, yet it can also be intimidating. Wine is made to be enjoyed. It should not be intimidating or daunting. We all have different flavour preferences as well as differing levels of knowledge about wine, where it comes from, who makes it and how. But at the end of the day, wine is to be enjoyed. Getting to know our own preferences and discovering new wines can be part of the fun. When Members ask me what they should be buying, my first questions are always to understand which wines they have previously enjoyed. White? Red? Any particular grape varieties? The answers are a good starting point to explore similar wines. The flavour of wine is influenced by many factors: grape variety, region and winemaking. If you like Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, then why not try it from somewhere new to you? For a more mineral style, head to the Loire Valley. For a smoother rounder style, try California, or New Zealand for something in between. If you like Bordeaux reds, go for Cabernet based blends from Chile, Australia or other regions of France. If you are into big bold concentrated wines with high alcohol (14%+), these tend to be produced in warm climates like Australia, South Africa and southern France. European wines tend to have a more savoury character than the New World. If you are interested in good value, food friendly reds with cellaring potential, Portugal and Spain have some great examples. Your starting point can be grape variety, a wine region, style or producer. It really doesn’t matter! In my role as Master of Wine at Opimian, I want to help you discover wines that you will enjoy. Every wine is tasted and selected based on its quality and value for money. I compare and contrast wines from within their regions as well as in the global context to bring you the best examples. Descriptive tasting notes and the Cellar Up categories are helpful and give better insight than a numeric score. If you like sweet toasty buttery flavours of oaked whites from California, you might try an oaked Chardonnay from Australia or even give Réccua, Branco, DOC Douro, 2020 (Lot 2791) a whirl. But if you are into rich, oaky wines, then a high scoring wine with subtle aromas, no oak and mineral character is of little significance.

TALENTUS BY JOSÉ GASPAR, VINHO REGIONAL LISBOA, 2019, LOT 2786, P21

RÉCCUA, BRANCO, DOC DOURO, 2020, LOT 2791, P25