RAISE A GLASS
I DOUBT I’ve mentioned before that I’m hooked on Samuel Pepys, the 17th century diarist. When I go to London I dip my toe in a corner of his world; perhaps I’ll walk down a street he mentions in his famous diary, or I’ll head towards St Olave’s church near Tower Hill where he is buried.
I was intrigued to hear about Copper Rivet Dockyard Gin (£29.99, 50cl, at selected Co-op stores, or online including Master of Malt, £28.45). The Copper Rivet distillery sits on the River Medway in Chatham’s historic dockyard in Kent and Chatham is slap bang in the middle of naval employee Pepys’ world.
I never thought I could link Pepys and gin in this space of mine, but there you go.
The gin distillery is one of only 10 in Britain to make its own base spirit, in its case from grain grown on the nearby Isle of Sheppey (which also has a mention in Pepys’ diary).
Enough. I’m not a history column. What of the gin?
Botanicals include elderflower, coriander seeds, Spanish orange peel, Italian lemon peel, Guatemalan green cardamom, grains of paradise from Africa, angelica root and orris root.
The citrus is bright alongside the classic juniper on the nose, with rich and inviting orange notes and around it all is the subtlety of elderflower, gentle and willowy.
ALSO IN MY GLASS …
I WORRY sometimes when I read my wine notes. There’s one wine here which I describe as a “smooch on a sofa”. I need to get out more.
Two whites... Dourthe No1 Sauvignon Blanc 2017, left (£8.50, from the award-winning thewinesociety.com) is a delightfully crisp Bordeaux white and it shouts sunshine and friends, summer salads and grilled fish.
It is classy and elegant with its vibrant notes of grapefruit
and lemon. The 2017 vintage marks 30 years since Dourthe released its first “grand” dry white wine from the region, hence some labels are branded with “30” to mark the occasion. I tasted its sister wine Dourthe La Grand Cuvee 2017
(Waitrose, £9.49) at an Everyday Bordeaux tasting and it was to die for, with zippy citrus notes, complexity and a fresh, fruity aroma.
Two reds …. ANDA (£5.99 from £7.99 until September 4, Waitrose,14%
abv) is a good wine to pour at barbecues. This blend of tempranillo and syrah from Andalucia in Spain has a deep personality, with black fruits, spice and plums on the nose, with smoky layers, and the flavours
reveal more of those plums, dark fruits and spice with just a hint of liquorice. The tannins are soft and palate friendly.
Nero Oro Appassimento Sicilian Nero d’Avola 2017 (£9.99, or £8.99 in a buy six
deal at Majestic, 14% abv) is not a rugged rumbustious red, but soft and welcoming like a “smooch on a sofa”. It is purpleblack, full bodied, with notes of blackcurrant, vanilla, liquorice, bilberry and blueberry. Nero d’Avola grapes are native to Sicily, and the term appassimento means that they have been dried before the wine is made, creating concentrated flavours.
Jane is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Find her on social media and online as One Foot in the Grapes.