Time to chill...

So, how was your Christmas?

Did Santa brought you nice presents? How was your dinner?

For us, we ate too much (and maybe drank too much).

So we wanted to find wines we like to drink when we don't feel hungry, 

we just want to relax after a very festive period...Before celebrating again!

1)   Valdimezzo, 2012, Valpolicella Superiore D.O.C. Ripasso, COOP (FI),  7.73€

Wine made from selected and local grapes grown on the sunny hills in verone region.

Varieties: 55% Corvina, 25% Corvinone, 15% Rondinella, 5% Croatina

                - Color: +             Bright red garnet with a great tone.

                - Nose: +              Smell is awarded by hints of red berry  and ripe cherries.     

                - Mouth: ++          The palate shows great smoothness for a very full body.

It goes to a dinner table where the first important dishes are really savored and seconds are wild meats cooked in the oven. To also pair with aged cheeses.

Personally, I think the Ripasso is a perfect wine, never too difficult to be understood, never too common to be forgotten.

2)   DOC Tai Rosso “Vigneto Riveselle”, Piovene Porto Godi 2009 , La Cantinetta del Chianti , 7 €

This is the example of the simple wine but perfect, obtained from Tocai Rosso grape from Veneto region (Grenache).

                - Color: +                  Exciting color, scarlet red, almost pinkish

                - Nose: ++                Floreal notes of rose petals,fruity notes of strawberry and cherry

                - Mouth: ++              Fresh and fruity aroma, crisp, fine tannins

The red Tocai is a light wine match with codfish, a classic of the region. Good tannic balance with a bitter aftertaste, harmonious and delicate.

3)   Domaine de la Louvetrie,Muscadet sur Lie: Cash Vin Bayonne, 7,50€

OK, I know what you will say “A Muscadet, really? Sorry but not for me, too acid too crispy “. We agree that through the time Muscadet (Western Loire Valley) earned a reputation of low quality white without great interest. Nowadays a bunch of Biodynamic winemakers managed to make some outstanding Muscadet, so as Jo Landron one of the leader of the AOP famous for his wines but also for his big moustache.

                - Color ++                 Medium yellow gold

                - Nose +                    Lightly intense, with strong aromas of lemon and minerality

                - Mouth ++                Light to medium – bodied, very fresh and lively, salty and pear aromas a little bit of thickness at the end.

Very good value for money wine, simple but very well balanced, perfect choice if you seek a light white to detox after all those Christmas meals, or also to share a dozen of oysters with your friends.

4)   Les Cabanes, 2011, Vin de France, Domaine de Simonet, Languedoc, Soif de Vins, 5,60€

Fed up by too rich dinners during this Christmas period, I went to my favourite wine shop to find a simple wine. And I went back home with this wine (and a few other bottles). No complexity, without any fuss.

                 - Color : +                  Pretty intense red, almost ruby.

                 - Nose : ++                Red fruits at first, then spicy hints. Very aromatic.

                 - Mouth : ++              Spicy at first, then evolve on red fruits. Simple but well balanced.

I really loved this wine. It’s a matter of taste, but this wine really fits me well: Balanced, simple and tasty, just what we need after eating so much! I had already tasted a few wines from this winemaker (Christophe Barbier), a little more expensive and complex, that were absolutely lovely. But for this price, this wine is definitely a very good value for money.

5)   EXCELLENCE, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux, 2009, Les Vignerons de Tutiac, 6,95 €.

                 - Color: +++               Deep shiny ruby, black reflect. 
                 - Nose: +                  Toasted with wood notes.
                 - Mouth: ++              Round and well balanced, slightly woody and spicy, a bit short/not enough long in mouth.

Well structured but not extraordinary. Easy to drink with a simple diner, after an excess of food and alcohol during Christmas!

Hope you'll be delighted by those five wines. We really needed to relax in this festive times, and this wines were perfect for it! Now, get ready for new years eve, and see you next year!

Drink cheap. Drink well!

It's bubble time!

How can you celebrate the end of the year without drinking bubbles?

Even for broke students like us, we cannot spend our last days of 2013 drinking the same wines than all year long. For this special occasion, all of us went out to buy one bubbly bottle in his hometown. Here are the few bottles we found!

Tired of your bragging friends?

We all know these kind of guys who thinks to know everything about wines 
and they pretend to be confident in this field.

So we decided to surprise them, changing their habits to drink just wine from Bordeaux. 
We’ll share with you Organic wines from unknown regions, unusual grape varieties and particular styles for a reasonable price that you can present them!

    1)     Mas de la Seranne, 2012, AOC Languedoc, 6,60€

The grape variety Cinsault is common for rosé wine from Provence.

-           Color: ++      Pale red, light purple.

-           Nose: ++      Very candy, strawberry, wild red berries.

-           Mouth: +       Spicy, short length, a little bit bitter, vegetal.

It’s a BBQ wine, it is light, you can bring this kind of wine and impress your friends in this occasion. Especially if they only drink rosé with their barbecue.

     2)     Les Hauts de Median, 2012, IGP Pays d’Oc, 5,20€

Petit Verdot is a grape variety from the south west, it’s hard to find a wine 100% Petit Verdot usually is used for a blend. The winemaker is a woman.

-           Color: ++      The color is deeper and darker, purplish.

-           Nose: ++      The nose is very vegetal, mineral.

-           Mouth: +       Tender, sweetness, no deepness.

We can feel in the wine that the winemaker is a Woman, this wine is very pleasant and it’s hard to make a 100% Petit Verdot so agreable.

     3)     La Folle Noire d’Ambat, 2012, AOC Fronton, 7,90€

Negrette or Folle Noir is the grape variety, it’s from Fronton in the south west of France, it’s a very unsung variety from a non famous appellation.

-           Color: +           Medium intense ruby red, opaque.

-           Nose:  ++        The nose is very floral, violet, smoky, wild, marmalade.

-           Mouth:  ++       Juicy, light-medium body, a little bit of acidity, medium length.

It’s a perfect wine for blind tasting to get people lost!!!

    4)     Vin de Pétanque, 2012, Vin de France, Ardèche, 7€

Vin de Pétanque from the south of Ardèche, an unacknowledged place, it’s also a Vin de France and people are most of the time afraid of this kind of wine because of its bad reputation.

-           Color: +        Light Rubin, shiny.

-           Nose: +/-      Very light, little bit of fruit and alcohol.

-           Mouth: +/-     Structure, a little bit of astringency, very jammy.

A wine that needs a bit of aeration, a simple wine well made.

We decided to not give you a preference between the wines we tasted because the first three wines surprised us positively, the fourth one was still good, but it is quite standard. They are thought for different occasions, with different pairings where you can trouble your bragging friends!

We decided to buy all this bottles in the same place, a new wine cellar called “Autres Chateaux”, 29 cours portal, in Bordeaux. He opened two weeks ago and we went to visit him twice since! A very nice selection and a friendly owner, an address that we recommend you, dear readers!

Drink cheap. Drink well!

Romantic but cheap!

How many times as a young and broke student you wanted to impress your girl/boy friend by making a romantic dinner accompanied by a gorgeous wine without spending all your savings?

Did you ever think about 37,5? Yes in the wine language it means 375ml or half bottles of wine!

Half bottle is the perfect choice for couple during a romantic dinner. Indeed the price is way cheaper than a 75cl, you can afford a really good cuvee at half price, enjoy a glass or two without getting too drunk or wasting half of the bottle. It also could a be a good deal to taste different wines at your dinner (white for the starters/red for the mains).

The Paperbag Wine blog team decided to experience a half bottle tasting among two whites and two red from wine shops and a supermarket. Our objective is to select the best value wines in order to enhance your romantic dinner.

Each wines tasted and approved will be followed by Jamie Oliver recipes, easy and quick to make!

1) Chateau Martinon, Entre deux Mers, 2010 – La Maison Gabin  – White Wine- 3€

-           Color: +++     Beautiful light gold color, hints of straw.

-           Nose: ++        Nice floreal note, peppermint a little bit tight.

-           Mouth: +        Very buttery, lemon and citrus aromas

-           Dish:               Risotto with mushroom or baked salmon

Grilled mushroom risotto by Jamie Oliver

Summer tray baked salmon by Jamie Oliver

              2) La Cave d’ Augustin Florent, Vin d’ Alsace 2011 – Carrefour city – White Wine- 4,18€

-           Color: +       White clear color and bright.

-           Nose: +        Banana, peach, exotic fruits,

-           Mouth: +      Fruity, a little bit of acidity

-           Dish:             Asian Style food   

 Seafood curry by Jamie Oliver

      3) Château d’ Arthus, Saint Emilion, 2012 – Carrefour city – Red Wine – 5,40€

CORKY

             4)  Château La Tour Camblanes, 2007, Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux – Nicolas – 4,50€

-           Color: +++    Rubin intense color

-           Nose: ++       Leather, smoky and ripe fruits.

-           Mouth: ++     Black fruit, very aromatic, well balanced

-           Dish:             Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese by Jamie Oliver

  è  The best value for money is the white wine, Chateau Martinon from Entre deux Mers, with a rich taste for a good price.

  è  The best quality/serious wine is the red wine Château La Tour Camblanes,  from Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, more complex and well balanced.

Drink cheap. Drink well!

Funny labels for funny friends!

What wine should we offer to a friend who doesn't know much about it?

As all the students, we are attracted by the beautiful labels, funny and colorful. But there are not always good wines and the pretty labels can sometimes hide a very bad wine ...

Therefore we did the experience, we have chosen the labels of bottles that we liked the most among different wine cellar, always at a low price!

  
1) Le Petit Thou, Pays d'Oc by Sud de France, 2009 – Art & vins – 3.80€
                       -           Color: ++       Beautiful ruby color.

-           Nose: +          Nice fruity nose.

-           Mouth: +        Ripe fruits, a little vegetal.

-           Label:             Simple and clear, seems to have been drawn by a child.

               2)  Le Petit Cluzeau, Bergerac, 2009 – Art & vins – 5€
                       -           Color: ++       Dark red wine, not perfectly limpid.

-           Nose: +/-       Fruity, not very expressive and maybe a little of reduction.

-           Mouth: +/-     Vegetal, a little fruity, bay leaves for the final.

-           Label:             Rebus label, funny, very young, it break the rules.

        3) Comoloco, Jumilla from Spain, 2012 – Wine More Time – 6.50€ 

-           Color: +++      Great ruby color.

-           Nose:  +          Pepper nose from the Mourvedre, liquorice, and candied fruits.

-           Mouth: +++    Very fruity, powerful, melted tannins and good balance.

-           Label:              Big bird in the Picasso style, searched and original.

        4) Fils du Peyrat, White Tursan wine, Gold Medal, 2009 – L’Oenolimit – 7€

-           Color: +++     Ochre, golden and glossy color.

-           Nose: +           The nose is a little sulphured, floral notes.

-           Mouth: ++      Fruity, full-bodied, toasted, fresh, citrus fruit and nice acidity.

-           Label:              Flashy color, picture of an old and friendly man in the vineyard.

         Between tradition and modernity.

The white wine is not comparable to the reds, but it’s a good white wine…
The screw cap is great for students who don’t know how to use a corkscrew. Simple and easy to take anywhere!

 è  The best value for money is the first one, from Pays d’Oc, it’s a wine very well made for such a low price.

 è  The best quality/serious wine is the third one from Spain, best balance, surprising! Our Coup de Coeur.

   For this article we choose to go and buy our bottles in wine cellars rather than on the supermarket shelves, only to show you that, for the same price, you can buy good wines there, and you'll have more original wines! And a lot more funny labels.

Drink cheap. Drink well!