Test your general wine knowledge over at Tom Cannavan’s Wine Pages. There are 20 questions in each of 12 quizzes and they cover the broad spectrum of wines across the world and are one of the most popular searches on this extensive site. Some of the questions are simple and some require much more knowledge but if you aren’t stretched then you are never going to learn.

Berry Bros and Rudd are London’s oldest wine merchant but are distinctly unstuffy. They have a random set of 10 questions from a selection of 400 which you can choose to make harder or easier depending on your level of knowledge. They also have a slighly old fashioned looking game but it does the trick of testing you out whilst learning at the same time.

The third quiz is a bit more specific as it’s about the regional identity of Australian wine. If you think you know or want to be able to tell what an Eden or Clare Valley Riesling tastes and looks like or a Barossa Shiraz, then try this innovative site.

Good luck and make sure you do the quizzes with a glass of wine beside you as a motivator!

From cool climate Sauvignons to full bodied spicy Shiraz there is something for everyone. Think of South Africa and it is easy to think of heat but there are a surprising number of regions including Elgin where the climate is cool enough to make Sauvignons to rival those from New Zealand. The Chardonnays from Walker Bay can rival good Burgundies from France and the Cabernet Sauvignons from Paarl or Stellenbosch are ripe, fruity and amazingly good value. Pinotage and Chenin Blanc are the two best known local grapes although Semillon used to be the most planted many decades ago. The best semillon I ever had was from South Africa.

Nowadays it is a peaceful democracy and a dynamic country of enormous diversity with a winemaking tradition that dates back over 3 centuries. It combines the modern winemaking techniques from the New World with the traditions found in the Old World. The country has an amazing biodiversity and it makes much of it with its theme of “variety is in our nature“. That biodiversity is found in its soils, climate and geography.

So next time you buy a bottle visit the South African wine shelves. With a difficult economy and much still to do socially and culturally even although apartheid is over, the country needs everyone’s support and what better way than by buying a bottle of wine.

This area illustrates the complexity of Italian wine with 400 grape varieties (or is it 1000?) and a myriad of IGT, DOC and DOCG classifications. There were Bardolinos, Luganas, Lake Garda DOC wines made from gropello (no I hadn’t heard of it either), S Martino della Battaglia and Chiaretto. Two stood out for me however.

Chiaretto, a light refreshing rose made from the same grapes that go into Bardolino and Valpolicella, is perfect for summer drinking around the lake. It’s a refreshing drink at lunchtime or sitting by the lakeside in the early evening light whilst deciding where to go for dinner. Although I did also enjoy pirlone which is mixed from white wine, or prosecco if you are feeling extravagant, sparkling water and Campari. Hideously orange but a joy to drink.

Bardolino reminds me of Beaujolais, a light red wine best served slightly cool. And as I’ve covered a rose and a red I ought to say what my favourite white is and it’s from the Lugana DOC but this was a wine i knew reasonably well before I went on my travels. Although only made from trebbiano and not from one of the currently fashionable Italian white grapes such as fiano or falanghina, it’s a very enjoyable wine.

Since getting back home I’ve looked around for these wines and been surprised at how available they are as long as you look beyond the obvious supermarkets. They are worth seeking out and will expand your enjoyment beyond the usual Italian styles.

It is not sufficient simply for Chianti Classico wines to be produced within the Chianti region, they must satisfy a whole series of regulations decreed by the regulatory body the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico. These include:

· sangiovese must be at least 80% of the blend
· the other grapes can be be the local canaiolo or colorino or international varieties including cabernet sauvignon or merlot
· the yield must not be greater than 52.5 hectolitres of wine per hectare
· the minimum alcohol level must be 12% or 12.5% for the riserva
· wine cannot be released for consumption until after October 1^st of the year following the harvest

Only if these criteria, plus a number of others, are met can the wine be labelled with the Classico designation which is then awarded Italy’s highest classification of DOCG.

There are two versions, normal and Riserva. Normal is a relatively young and fruity wine put on the market after October 1^st of the year following harvest. These are pleasant and easy drinking wines to have with a range of foods. Riservas on the other hand have been made from grapes especially selected for their ageing potential, ample bouquet and a balance of elegance and power. They are matured for a minimum of 24 months including at least 3 months in bottle. As I write this the youngest riserva you would be drinking now in 2008 would be a 2005. These wines are an ideal accompaniment to substantial meat dishes.

Next time you have a bottle of Chianti Classico note the label carefully. You will see a unique number on the foil capsule. if you go to the Chianti Consorzio’s web site you will be able to track down the wine and learn all about its production. The Consorzio desribes traceability like this:

When it comes to safeguarding products, the key word has always been “traceability. Chianti Classico wine is monitored throughout all production stages, from the vineyard up to its bottling. Through Internet, the “traceability” system allows all consumers to trace every single wine bottle bearing the denomination of origin certificate. It is therefore possible to track down the bottler, the bottling date, the chemical-physical composition of the wine, the product’s certification, and in some cases, it is also possible to locate the exact vineyard that produced the grapes. All of the above is implemented to provide the consumer with appropriate product guarantee. “Traceability” also protects the consumer: the foil wrapper (the identification mark) enables the consumer to follow the course of a bottle in real time during its entire transformation process, from the grape harvest to the shelves of wine bars and stores.

The Kiwis don’t have a monopoly when it comes to making great sauvignon blanc. Sauvignon from the Loire in France is often dismissed unless it has a Sancerre label. I tasted a wonderful 2006 Touraine sauvignon which was all a good Sauvignon should be with aromas of gooseberries and nettles, and fresh and lively in the mouth. Great for summer drinking as one of my fellow Spirit World contributors wrote. It’s the Kiwis who have the reputation for making these fresh drinkable wines but don’t neglect the Old World producers.

Do step into the unknown with Italian wines. Presented with an array of Chiantis and Brunellos it really is tempting to focus on them and ignore what else is on the table especially if you don’t recognise the label. But going “off piste” can be truly rewarding and lead you to discoveries you are very satisfied with. I sampled a Sangiovese from Tuscany that wasn’t a Chianti. It wasn’t a DOC classification either but the simpler, less restrictive IGT. The wine maker therefore will have had more freedom to make the wine in the way he wanted to leading to a wonderfully expressive fruity wine which would have made a great partner to a tomato based pasta dish. So next time you are in the wine shop in the Italy section, look beyond the usual names and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Bordeaux really does take time to mature. Now I know it’s not really fair to compare a 2005 Blaye with a 1995 Palmer but when you focus on why it is you prefer the Palmer you’ll see the noticeable tannins and acidity in the young Bordeaux compared to the more mature one. The moral here is to wait to drink the 2005’s for a few years. You’ll be rewarded with a wine that is much easier and more enjoyable to drink.

Writing notes does help you focus. Writing notes can seem like a pain, juggling paper and pen and glass but it really does focus the mind. If you are trying 2 Montepulcianos, why do you like one more than the other? Forcing yourself to write down why makes you put into words what your senses are telling you. It’s also great to have a record so it makes it easier to recall what it was you drank.

The developers say “We aim to be the world’s most comprehensive, up-to-date, and authoritative source for online wine information”. It’s not for comparison shopping but for learning research. They have built their database by indexing 36,000 sites and 11,000,000 pages so far. It is only a beta version at present and they welcome comments for improvements and suggestions for inclusion.

The search engine came about as a result of studying for the WSET Diploma qualification when they realised how difficult it was to find trustworthy, relevant and up to date information on the internet so they set about making a site where they could share their bookmarks with others. It’s a good example of where an obsession has turned into a business although I think the only income so far comes from donations as there is no sponsored advertising.

I’ve added it to my blog and am looking forward to it helping me with my Diploma studies.

The fault was probably TCA in the cork and is one of these faults that has many people advocating screwcaps instead of cork. As I love Portugal, and much of the cork used in wine bottles comes from there, I hope wine producers continue to use cork as it’s an important source of income for many small farmers.

Without getting too technical wine faults are either reductive or oxidative. Reductive means the yeasts have struggled for oxygen often for lack of nutrients in the fruit. A good example of a reductive fault is sulphides or the smell of a struck match or even rotten egg. This fault is more prevalent in young wines rushed to market. Wines that are oxidised are, at extreme, vinegar.

However there are some faults that are acceptable in wine as long as they are in balance and don’t dominate. That farmyard smell you get from some French wines such as Chateauneuf du Pape is part of the style of the wine and is caused by “brett” but the same smell in a New World wine made from the same combination of grapes would be unacceptable.

So next time you smell something that doesn’t seem quite right, discuss it with the restaurant or shop where you bought it. You will be doing the winemaker a favour as it is not his intention to produce faulty wine and the only way producers find out is if they get feedback from us consumers. And you might be pleasantly surprised at the reaction you get.

I spent the day at Plumpton College with 14 other WSET Diploma students, the morning covered the vineyard and in the afternoon what happens in the winery.

After an hour or so in the classroom going through the annual cycle in the vineyard we went out into one of Plumpton’s 3 vineyards to do some pruning. It was good to be able to see all the different vine training systems I had learned about for Unit 2 of the Diploma. We saw Guyot, Scott Henry, Lyre, Geneva Double Curtain and heard about which of the 15 various grape varieties in the college they were suited to.

It was a beautiful morning up on the edge of the South Downs and as I enjoy gardening I was in my element. However as you raise your glass in a toast to all the dedicated workers who toil away in the vineyard, remember they have to do it In all weathers. Vines can’t wait to be pruned so if it’s raining or cold the work still has to be done. I feel for the workers in vineyards that grow the grapes for Eiswein, out there in sub zero temperatures picking individual frozen grapes and bunches by hand.

The afternoon was spent in Plumpton’s new winery where we were walked through the process from receipt of grapes through pressing, fermentation, stabilization and maturation. We spent time in the lab talking about the need for stability checks on tartrates and proteins. We got involved in clarifying some rose with bentonite. It had shown some haziness at room temperatures and opened my eyes to the tests that go on to ensure we get a glass of clear and fresh wine. We also got a chance to taste a couple of Plumpton’s wines, the Dean Blush and The Apprentice.

So as you sit at home with your nice clear glass of wine, spare a thought for the winemaker who has dedicated himself to make sure the glass in your hand is in the best possible condition.

Cheers!

• current hot topics such as closures, global warming, harvest expectations and so on
• recommendations on wines to try and buy
• educational material especially anything that helps me towards my WSET Diploma

I’ve found the following sources really help me:

1. Harpers magazine. I wish I could afford their annual subscription but it’s just too much. However I subscribe to their daily bulletins via Google’s reader and this really works for me. I see a couple of lines summarising news items when I’m on the computer at home or work and I can always click the link to go their web site if i wish to read more
2. an unusual source of news items is South African Wines. They send out regular emails which summarise the key stories from around the world by directing you towards the various publications, web sites, blogs etc which have something interesting and relevant
3. there is no substitute for a monthly magazine which is good for those train journeys commuting to work. Decanter and Wine and Spirit are my favourites. I was working in the US last summer and enjoyed Wine Spectator and thought about taking out a subscription but the cost including mailing back to the UK was prohibitive
4. I love reading other people’s blogs. People like Jamie Goode and Andrew Jefford talk about people they have met, wines they have drunk and places they have visited. The problem with blogs is that there are so many (and yes I have one also) that it’s possible to subscribe to too many of them using Google’s reader that information overload soon takes over.
5. Podcasts are great for car journeys if you put them on a CD or train journeys if you play them on your phone. I’ve learned a lot from some of the podcasts from Grape Radio
6. For bedtime reading or sitting in a chair (with a glass of something nice of course) there is no substitute for the hard stuff ie: books. You can’t go wrong with a copy of the Oxford Companion to Wine by your side. I also try to look up every wine I try in at least one reference book such as the World Atlas of Wine, Wine by the Label or Oz Clark’s pocket wine book. These often give the context for the wine leaving the label to give the detail (unless of course it’s French!).

I may occasionally suffer from information overload but I do learn a whole lot of interesting stuff about wine which vastly increases my enjoyment of the stuff.

The one question I was left pondering with the suggestions was the distinction between wines for drinking 2008-2010 and for 2010-2018. Why do a couple of decent Italian reds from 2004 fit in the first category, but a Portuguese 2005 and a Spanish 2003 fit in the second? I know it’s down to how it is made and matured, but how are you expected to know that for the slightly more unusual wines? Labels don’t always given enough information and certainly very few give how long to keep the wine for.

I always peruse the Wines of the Month to see what recommendations I can pick up. These wines are available from stockists in the UK so I feel sorry for foreign readers who may be unable to source them. However I’m always a bit frustrated to read other reviews elsewhere in the magazine and see the dreaded “N/A” next to them. Although I figure what’s the point in reviewing them if they aren’t available in the UK I have to keep reminding myself how international Decanter is. In this month’s issue 4 of the 9 letters are from non UK readers. I am sure this helps the editorial team keep an international focus which is good for all us readers.

The panel tastings this month are both French, 2005 St Emilions and 2005 cru bourgeois. I was stunned to see a great value 2005 cru bourgeois at £7.35. I must seek it out.

Next month’s edition features Italy and is out, according to the ad in the magazine, on February 6. Oops – I think they forgot to change the date from last month’s edition as I’m sure they mean March 6th!