The fifth wine of Sunday lunch.
The complete line up-
2018 Domaine Saint Aix Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Rosé
2014 Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Ribera del Duero Bodegas Condado de Haza Grupo Pesquera
2016 Château de Lestiac Bordeaux Supérieur
2016 Luigi Bosca Single Vineyard Malbec
Montaribaldi Rosso Dolce Birbet
Following the Malbec we had the Birbet.
Wine tells a story. The vineyard, the winemaker, the drinking, the company. What is in the glass on the day you open the bottle and take the first sip is an expression of journey. This is what makes wine special.
Sometimes, part of that story is how you come by the wine itself.
The Birbet was supplied by Tristan J, and this is how it happened, in his own words…
“I wander aimlessly through the aisles of wine stores. I could spend hours criss-crossing the store in search of the right bottle. Up one aisle; down the other; taking mental notes on potential bottles, before continuing on my journey. It drives my wife insane.
Recently, I found myself inside our local wine store, once more floating aimlessly down the aisles. I’d narrowed it down to a choice of three wines (2016 Domaine Silene rouge; 2016 Two Hands shiraz or this strangely interesting and unfamiliar Montaribaldi Birbet), when my wife poked her head out from behind the aisle.
“Are you still looking?” she said. “ Yes. I can’t decide. I’m tossing up between a few.”
“Well…” she responded, “Would it help if I told you that I’d ordered a grab… and it’s one minute away?”
Immediately, I sprang into action. Awoken from my usual approach to selecting wine, I was on the clock and the clock was ticking, fast. In my desperate attempt to ensure that I didn’t leave the store without any wine at all I grabbed the Montaribaldi Birbet along with two bottles of an organic merlot that my wife likes.
I arrived home and studied the Montaribaldi bottle more closely. Only 5% alcohol? What is this? I got online. What I found left me a little deflated. A dessert wine! What have I done? I’ve chosen poorly. The palm of my hand squashed against my forehead.
I have to admit, It took some working up to but I finally got around to opening the bottle yesterday. What a happy accident it turned out to be.” – Tristan J.
I had never heard of Birbet. Like Tirstan, when he showed me the bottle I assumed it was a red table wine. There is no indication this is a sparkling wine, it is under standard cork. When we saw the alcohol content I was concerned at how sickly sweet this wine might be.
There is no sign of carbonation in the glass, and there was certainly no pop to the cork. A pretty nose of violets, and other flowers I cannot name. The fruit is strawberry creams, but not over overwhelmingly sweet. The is certainly sweet, but not out of balance. There is an acidity that holds this together. There is the finest of bead on the palate with is refreshing. There seemed to be a touch of oxidisation that gave a sherry like flavour to the palate. Rather than detract, it enhanced the wine. Intentional or otherwise, it worked.
Matched perfectly to the apple and almond tart, this was a great, fun wine.
If I am honest, I was really looking forward to this wine. I love these unusual wines that sit outside the norms of day to day drinking. I was prepared to be let down, instead, this was fantastic.
