The Wine List Review
The Wine List deliver unique wines to your door, so you can teach yourself more about wine through guided wine tasting. Read what I thought in this review of The Wine List.
It’s no secret, I love wine. My business name probably gives it away with the ‘carafes’ element, but I’m often found with a glass of the good stuff in my hand.
I love learning about wine and I’m sure like me you have a few favourite grapes or blends that you turn to when choosing a wine, whether that’s from a restaurant’s wine list or picking out a bottle at the supermarket or online shop.
I’m always keen to try new wines, and learn about the grape and the region but my favourite bit is actually the story of the vineyard. They usually have a fascinating family history attached to them where winemaking has been passed down through the generations.
When The Wine List got in touch and asked if they could send me a gifted June Subscription Box to review obviously I said YES!
You can save 30% on your own The Wine List box using discount code: cookingandcarafes30
How it works
The concept of The Wine List is that over a period of time (ideally at least 6 months) you’ll have learnt so much more about how to taste wine, and identify what you like and dislike so that you’ll feel more confident when choosing wines. Josh, the founder is keen to help shift ‘wine snobbery’, taking away a nervousness around the subject and helping people feel confident in their wine choices.
What I like is that The Wine List carefully select and send you wines that you perhaps wouldn’t find more easily elsewhere, this is to help broaden your knowledge while at the same time delivering you a fine wine to enjoy.
Think of it like a mini wine tasting; two bottles delivered each month, tasting notes card and a booklet on all the things you need to consider when tasting wine. Take notes on the tasting cards of things like colour, smell, flavour profiles and finish, all of which you are guided through what to look for and how to do this in your Wien List guide to tasting. Most importantly decide if you like a style of wine or not and keep a note of it!
One of my favourite things is that the tasting notes suggest the type of food to enjoy each wine with, including a traditional local (to the wine region) dish. So if you’re a foodie like me you could cook up something special to try alongside the wine too. The notes also recommend other styles of wine you might like if you like that particular one, so you could always make your next wine choice based on that.
The wines
For June’s Wine List subscription I received a bottle of Lebanese White and a Chilean Red. I’d like to point out how well packaged they came too to avoid any breakages.
The Lebanese White, Massaya was a blend of five grapes and grown on the foothills of Mount Lebanon, I had high hopes for this wine the notes suggested that if you liked it you might like a white rioja (which I do!). It didn’t disappoint, perhaps nothing too stand out for me but I’d happily drink it or a wine like it again if I was looking for something crisp and refreshing on a warm day.
The red was a beautiful bottle from Argentinian producers, I loved the label before I’d even tasted the wine to be honest, Cara Sucia. This for me was certainly very different as usually I’d think of an Argentinian Malbec, but this was very light in colour, had a nice long finish, a little dry but easy drinking. It was nice to discover something I wouldn’t usually have and wouldn’t have picked out. Especially as it was a grape I was unfamiliar with, Cereza, an Argentinian grape. This is also part of Josh’s vision, The Wine List choose lesser-known grapes, from lesser-known regions and wine makers.
My verdict
There’s nothing that pleases me more than a bottle of wine being delivered to my door! I love the concept and I think if you made it your own little event where each month you had a wine tasting night, it works. In terms of value, the subscription is usually £39 a month which I think some will consider high for two bottles of wine, but I would liken it to going out for dinner twice a month and ordering a £20 bottle of house wine, you’re getting better quality wines and having time to appreciate them and learn about them with The Wine List.
While we’re still in these strange Covid-19 times I think this would definitely be something to look forward to each month. You could also arrange a virtual catch up with friends, where you all order a subscription and have a wine tasting over zoom or FaceTime while catching up; each of you picking out the notes you smell, and the flavours you depict.
Sign up and save
The Wine List is fully flexible. That means there's no minimum contracts, and you can cancel or skip deliveries at any time. Find out more and sign up here.
Save 30% on your Wine List subscription using discount code: cookingandcarafes30
I was gifted these wines by The Wine List to give an independent and honest review.
You can watch me doing a Live Tasting, where I taste the wine and explain more about the subscription, over on my IGTV.
When in Rome...
The perception of box wine is being changed with quality Italian wines from When in Rome
When I discovered When in Rome wine on Instagram I was naturally intrigued. Italian wine, from independent wine producers, by the box...and delivered to your door - what’s not to like?
To be honest, I’ve never been that against box wine; when I’m visiting my parents Dad and I often have a glass of red from a box. If you’re a fan of french wine you’ll also know you can get excellent wines by the box over there, including Provence rosé. All that said I’ve never seen good quality Italian wines available like this and When in Rome want to change people’s perceptions of box wine so you see it more than just cheap plonk.
The beauty of wine by the box is the wine stays at its best for longer once opened. My other half isn’t such a big fan of reds, and he has more willpower than me when it comes to refraining from a cheeky glass of wine in the week, so having good quality italian wine to hand is perfect for me. It beats leaving a bottle of red on the side for too long, making it only preferable to use for cooking - those that know me will know that whilst I love cooking, I love wine more!
My When in Rome delivery
When in Rome wine
I received a box of Dolcetto from Piedmont along with a brilliant refillable wine bottle. If you like knowing where your wine comes from each box of When in Rome wine comes with tasting notes so you can read more about the wine and the producers too. Dolcetto means ‘little sweet one’ although this isn’t necessarily reflected in the flavour, this dry wine is best enjoyed young (one year after harvesting), and with food to enhance its flavours.
I paired the wine with cured meats and an italian style sausage stew with cannellini beans to give a Tuscan feel and draw out the flavours of the wine - delicious!
If you want to join me and #thinkinsidethebox it’s time to sign up to When in Rome’s Glitterati - the UK’s first box wine club. You’ll get to discover some of Italy’s most exciting small and independent wine producers. For just £29 a month you’ll receive:
One La Mezza box of wine each month (2.25L)
A swanky refillable wine bottle
Special prices on selected wines
First dibs on Limited Edition wines
Invitations to exclusive events and tastings
Join now at www.wheninromewine.com/glitterati or if you fancy starting with just one head to their website and order a box of your choice. Drink as the Italians Do (now there’s a motto I can get on board with)
Italian sausage stew paired with Dolcetto wine
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Vigne Surrau | Wine tasting in Sardinia
Take a trip to this vineyard to taste award winning Sardinian wines
From the moment our trip was booked we'd planned to head to some Sardinian vineyards, little did we know we'd find this one practically on the hotel's doorstep!
Having been exploring in the car through the mountains in search of Lago di Liscia we’d passed plenty of vineyards with roadside signs stating who owned them and ‘Vigne Surrau’ certainly took precedent.
On our return to our hotel in Baia Sardinia, we asked the concierge about the vineyard, whose wine was also recommended in the hotel wine list, and he brought out a map to show us the short drive.
The next day we headed to nearby Porto Cervo in the morning, but after having wandered the artificial streets and window shopping in the luxury stores we decided it wasn’t for us, so where to next…? A vineyard of course!
On arrival it doesn’t look like much from the car park, some barrels tower over the entrance road and the car park was more or less desolate. We wandered to the driveway and made our way to the main building entrance. As soon as we stepped inside it was a wine lovers dream… so I was in heaven. We were greeted by a young sommelier who welcomed us to try some of their wines. He selected four for us initially, two red and two white; from the Cannonau and Vermentino grapes, famous for Sardinian wine.
We began with the Branu Vermentino di Gallura, Commended in the Decanter World Wine Awards. Translated from Gallurese, Branu means ‘spring’ – with its straw colouring, this wine was fruity with a relatively long finish and mineral undertones and would be perfect served with a local fresh fish dish. Next up we tried the Sciala Vementino di Gallura, which was slightly higher in alcohol content at 14% but had a smooth and long refreshing finish.
Then we moved onto the reds, the Barriu Isola dei Nuraghi and the Sincaru Cannonau di Sardegna. The blended Barriu has won multiple awards but both tasted great to me as I’ve been a lover of Cannonau since my early trips to Sardinia. It’s hard to get hold of in the UK so was worth savouring!
As we tasted sommelier, Simone talked us through the wines and how the vineyard now welcomes over 10,000 visitors a year. We also exchanged conversation about his time in Ireland (which had led to his fantastic English), his parents and grandparents are all from different regions across Italy. However our common thread we discovered was he was from Cagliari, where my Sardinian journey began 10 years ago!
We took in our surroundings and looked at the hundreds of bottles of wine, along with wine books and other paraphernalia, the little deli fridge filled with cheeses, salami, honey and chutneys. Then Simone asked if we wanted to try a dessert wine and mirto (the Sardinian digestif) – naturally we obliged.
The main building also has a panoramic seating area overlooking farmer’s fields where they serve a flight of wines accompanied with meats and cheese, my friend Enrico said it was best for this later in the day from 5pm onwards when it’s a little busier.
Simone, then to our surprise asked if we’d like to see the cellars and after checking with his colleague we were lucky enough to see the beautiful barrels ageing the wine, including some of the winemakers most recent trials that they only had a limited number of. It was truly remarkable, the sheer size of some of the barrels for one and then other smaller barrels marked with the age of when they bought them to ensure any oak wasn’t too strong. Older barrels give a softer, less intense oaky flavour to the wine.
After being mesmerised by so much wine, we picked up a few bottles to enjoy back in our room as we didn’t want to risk packaging them in the suitcase. Fortunately we managed to pick up a few bottle at Olbia airport but at a much higher price tag. Since returning I’ve found Ocado stock the Cannonau and Vermentino di Gallura.
All in all it is the perfect way to spend an hour or so enjoying great wines and hospitality from the team there. I will definitely be returning!