With all this beautiful weather we have been having lately, what better way to enjoy it than with a glass of refreshing New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc? Our wine of the week this weekend is exactly that! The Blind River Sauvignon Blanc is a superb wine bursting with flavour and at £9.99 (when you buy any two New Zealand wines), it is a real treat!

An intense bouquet of passion fruit, guava and underlying citrus notes. The palate has more tropical fruit, minerality and an unusual richness due to partial barrel fermentation. A wonderful match with aromatic seafood dishes like thai prawn stir fry, or simply enjoy it on it's own!

Part 2, and a look at some of the best sparkling wines we got to try:

Codorníu Reina Maria Cristina £14.99 £9.99 (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-2328) - Another tasting with the winemaker, and a tour through the Codorníu range (including some new and exciting products).  We already knew how good this vintage cava was, but tasting it with the winemaker just reaffirmed this.  Beautifully dry with delicate florality and stone fruit flavours, but also a lovely richness as well.  An absolute steal at this price, and a great match for fish and chips!

Taittinger Prélude Grands Crus £43 £37 (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-22445) - Served this by none other than Monsieur Taittinger himself, this has been a wine we had wanted to try for aaaaaaages.  Traditionally, for Taittinger, made with a high percentage of Chardonnay (50%), and 50% Pinot Noir, the grapes for this are taken only from vineyards classified as Grands Crus.  I would describe it as very typically Taittinger.  Full of finesse, balance, freshness and complexity.  A lovely mix of fruit, honey and brioche flavours, and the ultimate accompaniment for smoked salmon!

Bollinger Grande Année £70 £60 (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-22134) - Quite possibly the star of the whole show, this is a true icon wine, from a stellar vintage.  Bollinger's touch is very evident from the bold yeasty richness, but there is just so much else going on, and it is tied together in one lovely irresistable package.  The freshness of the vintage is clear to see and it is undoubtedly a wine that will live on for many a year.  Would be heaven with some lobster, but I would just drink it on its own, sat outside in the kind of weather that we're having at the moment.

Yesterday a group of us were lucky enough to be able to take a trip to the annual London International Wine Fair.  Exhibitors range from producers, co-operatives and agents, to distributors and retailers.  There was a vast array of wines on shiw (too many to try, trust me!), including wines from countries such as Brazil, Uruguay, Slovenia, Russia and Turkey.  Here are a few of the highlights of the show:

Brunello di Montalcino 2007, Banfi £28 £24 (2 or more bottles) (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-13070)- Banfi were kind enough to show us a cross-section of their whole range, including Majestic classics such as Serena Pinot Grigio and Mandrielle Sangiovese, and some of their reserve Brunellos, but the star has to be this benchmark Brunello.  For a top-flight vintage, this wine was already showing wonderfully, with that classic Brunello power and bitter cherry flavour, alongside hints of mocha and tar, but the tannins were unbelievably velvety, and the wine clearly has a long future ahead of it.  An absolute steal at the current offer price.

Matsu El Picaro, Toro £9.99 £7.99 (2 or more bottles) (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-14010)- Again, we were lucky enough to be able to taste the entire Matsu range, and it confirmed what a star the El Picaro is.  Brilliantly vibrant, with a delicate richness, this is an excellent partner to all meat dishes, and is already selling rapidly.  There's some more stock due in soon, so make sure you pick up a case or 2!

Turkey Flat Shiraz, Barossa Valley £25 (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-19848)- Another cross-section tasting, this time of reknowned Barossa valley producers Turkey Flat.  Their Butcher's Block Red (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-19005) is new in to us and already proving popular, but this was a chance to visit an old favourite, the signature Shiraz.  Incredible concentration of flavour and a lovely bramble fruit/menthol complexity, but with a great elegance and delicateness not often found in Barossa Shiraz.

Part 2 and 3 to follow in the next few days...

With all this beautiful weather we have been having lately, what better way to enjoy it than with a glass of refreshing New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc? Our wine of the week this weekend is exactly that! The Blind River Sauvignon Blanc is a superb wine bursting with flavour and at £9.99 (when you buy any two New Zealand wines), it is a real treat!

An intense bouquet of passion fruit, guava and underlying citrus notes. The palate has more tropical fruit, minerality and an unusual richness due to partial barrel fermentation. A wonderful match with aromatic seafood dishes like thai prawn stir fry, or simply enjoy it on it's own!

Part 2, and a look at some of the best sparkling wines we got to try:

Codorníu Reina Maria Cristina £14.99 £9.99 (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-2328) - Another tasting with the winemaker, and a tour through the Codorníu range (including some new and exciting products).  We already knew how good this vintage cava was, but tasting it with the winemaker just reaffirmed this.  Beautifully dry with delicate florality and stone fruit flavours, but also a lovely richness as well.  An absolute steal at this price, and a great match for fish and chips!

Taittinger Prélude Grands Crus £43 £37 (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-22445) - Served this by none other than Monsieur Taittinger himself, this has been a wine we had wanted to try for aaaaaaages.  Traditionally, for Taittinger, made with a high percentage of Chardonnay (50%), and 50% Pinot Noir, the grapes for this are taken only from vineyards classified as Grands Crus.  I would describe it as very typically Taittinger.  Full of finesse, balance, freshness and complexity.  A lovely mix of fruit, honey and brioche flavours, and the ultimate accompaniment for smoked salmon!

Bollinger Grande Année £70 £60 (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-22134) - Quite possibly the star of the whole show, this is a true icon wine, from a stellar vintage.  Bollinger's touch is very evident from the bold yeasty richness, but there is just so much else going on, and it is tied together in one lovely irresistable package.  The freshness of the vintage is clear to see and it is undoubtedly a wine that will live on for many a year.  Would be heaven with some lobster, but I would just drink it on its own, sat outside in the kind of weather that we're having at the moment.

Yesterday a group of us were lucky enough to be able to take a trip to the annual London International Wine Fair.  Exhibitors range from producers, co-operatives and agents, to distributors and retailers.  There was a vast array of wines on shiw (too many to try, trust me!), including wines from countries such as Brazil, Uruguay, Slovenia, Russia and Turkey.  Here are a few of the highlights of the show:

Brunello di Montalcino 2007, Banfi £28 £24 (2 or more bottles) (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-13070)- Banfi were kind enough to show us a cross-section of their whole range, including Majestic classics such as Serena Pinot Grigio and Mandrielle Sangiovese, and some of their reserve Brunellos, but the star has to be this benchmark Brunello.  For a top-flight vintage, this wine was already showing wonderfully, with that classic Brunello power and bitter cherry flavour, alongside hints of mocha and tar, but the tannins were unbelievably velvety, and the wine clearly has a long future ahead of it.  An absolute steal at the current offer price.

Matsu El Picaro, Toro £9.99 £7.99 (2 or more bottles) (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-14010)- Again, we were lucky enough to be able to taste the entire Matsu range, and it confirmed what a star the El Picaro is.  Brilliantly vibrant, with a delicate richness, this is an excellent partner to all meat dishes, and is already selling rapidly.  There's some more stock due in soon, so make sure you pick up a case or 2!

Turkey Flat Shiraz, Barossa Valley £25 (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-19848)- Another cross-section tasting, this time of reknowned Barossa valley producers Turkey Flat.  Their Butcher's Block Red (http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-19005) is new in to us and already proving popular, but this was a chance to visit an old favourite, the signature Shiraz.  Incredible concentration of flavour and a lovely bramble fruit/menthol complexity, but with a great elegance and delicateness not often found in Barossa Shiraz.

Part 2 and 3 to follow in the next few days...

We've some great jubilee offers on at the moment, on a limitied-time-only basis until the 28th May.  Here are some of the highights:

The Ned Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ - £8.11 £6.49 £5.99!!*

Prsoecco Corte Alta - £9.99 £6.66

Vina Eguia Crianza, Rioja, Spain - £8.49 £4.99*

Vinalba Malbec Reserva, Mendoza, Argentina - £9.99 £7.99*

Peroni Nastro Azzurro 12-packs and 24-packs - £1-per-bottle!

There's loads more as well, so pop in, email us at egr@majestic.co.uk or give us a call on 01342 313 600!

This is a great slob out recipe that is also good for the barbecue

Ingredients

Approx 500g of pork ribs,

Half an onion,

Four cloves of garlic,

A thumb sized piece of ginger,

A lemon,

Two teaspoons of five spice,

Four tablespoons of dark soy sauce,

A tablespoon of honey,

A tablespoon of sesame oil,

Method

Put the ribs in a large saucepan along with the onion, half of the garlic and and ginger, half a lemon, one teaspoon of five spice and a tablespoon of soy sauce. Next cover with boiling water and put the lid on. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down to a simmer for about an hour and a half.

Chop up the rest of the ginger and garlic then put in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of course salt and grind into a paste. I you don't have a pestle and mortar you could do this with the flat side of a knife bu you wont get as fine a paste. Heat the oil in a small saucepan and put the garlic and ginger in. Fry off for a minute or two making sure not to burn anything. Next put in the rest of the soy sauce, and squeeze in the other half of the lemon. Bring the sauce up to a light simmer then stir in the honey. If the sauce is a bit thick you can ladle in a little of the cooking liquor.

Put the ribs into an oven proof dish and pour the sauce over the top of them. Make sure they are well coated then put in hot oven for about twenty minutes.

That is it! serve with some barbecue beans and some coleslaw for a lazy Friday nights dinner, or instead of putting the ribs in the oven chuck them on a barbecue to get a lovely charred finish. One last tip. Don't throw the stock away! Strain it and reheat in a saucepan, then throw in some rice noodles for an epic noodle soup!

Wine Choice

White

Yali Reserva Gewürztraminer, 2010. This complex Chilean wine is full of tropical lychee fruit and has a spicy finish that will compliment the five spice in the dish perfectly. A steal at £6.79 a bottle!

Red

Luis Felipe Edwards Signature series Syrah, 2010. This is a rich inky purple wine that is bursting with pepper spice and blackcurrant fruit. If you go for the barbecue ribs option this will match the char grill flavour perfectly! £6.39