Iberian Peninsula Wine Flight at Instituto Cervantes, Manchester | Wine Tasting with Marco Castelanelli

I was invited by a Spanish friend to attend this wine tasting event, Iberian Peninsula Wine Flight, at the Instituto Cervantes in Manchester in support of the institute and the event organisers Marco Castelanelli and Meruert Rakhimova.

With only days before I travelled to the Kingdom of Spain, to revisit the beautiful city of Barcelona, it was the perfect occasion to spend an evening with good friends, the fantastic organisers of this event, and meeting great new people, who were attending thanks to the website Internations.  Internations is a global social network, which primarily focuses on bringing ex-pats together with similar interests and for group activities and events, but also welcomes like-minded people who yearn for that specific international experience.  The network is an organisation for all people visiting, travelling, working and relocating around the world.

On this occasion, the wine tasting occurred in Instituto Cervantes, which is situated in the heart of Manchester on Deansgate in an inconspicuous building.  Inside, the building is incredible - the structure of the interior is very open like a hollowed shell, with metal stairs rising in the centre, classrooms around the outside, and floor to ceiling glass panels.  The building hosts language classes, specifically Spanish teaching, dance classes, a library, and a whole lot more!

A little bit about the host/sommelier/wine merchant, Marco Castelanelli:  he is a qualified Sommelier who has spent the best part of seven years in Italy working at one of Italy's prestigious vineyards, and building a network of contacts from wineries, restaurants, and wine producers.  Personally, I found Marco to be a really pleasant host, and I have attended a handful of wine tastings in the past years, and one thing that seems to be apparent in all great hosts, which adds to a splendid evening, is an abundance of passion for their craft - Marco is truly committed to his passion, and has a very calming exposition when talking through the varied wines and their histories.  He is without a doubt, full of knowledge about all the wines presented to everyone participating in the tasting, which becomes an engaging experience for all involved.

The setting of the tasting looked fantastic, with several tables dotted around the room, but one of the best parts (well, apart from the wine itself) were the placemats and information sheet.  The placemats contained 6 red wine stained rings for each glass to contain the different wines, and the information sheet was a map highlighting the origin of the wines listed.  Brilliant idea!

However, I wanted to bring your attention to another brilliant piece, which was the nose and taste picture guide to help participants place and describe the wines.  One of Marco's talents is to encourage everyone to engage with the discussions and presentations of the wines.  Excellent!

Now for the wine!  For the tasting, we had:

1.  Celler Can Blau, Blau 2015 - El Molar - Monsant D O - Catalunya
2.  Dfj Vinhos, Portada Selection 2015 - Vila Chã De Ourique - Lisboa
(1 & 2 were swapped around on the night, but this is the order from the infosheet)
3.  Bodegas Valdesil, Valderroa 2014 - Ourense - Valdeorras D O - Galicia
4.  Bacalhôa, tinto da Anfora 2014 - Azeitão - Alentejano
5.  Bodegas Beronia, Crianza 2013 - Ollauri - Tioja DOC
6.  Symington Family, Altano 2014 - Gaia, Douro

I like a full-bodied taste to my red wine, with an earthy and smoky aroma, so my two favourites were the Can Blau 2015 and Altano 2014.  Can Blau, in particular, has a fruity and spicy taste, and the oak leaves a sensation of roasted coffee on the palate; a great combination of taste.  As for the Altano, it has that dark fruit taste, again with a hint of spice.

I wholeheartedly recommend these wine tastings, and if you are interested in attending a event with Marco, they will be monthly in Manchester, with the next one scheduled for 31st May 2017 at Tapeo & Wine, and if you are interested, tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite here.  Further details will be available soon, but if you are interested, you can contact Marco through his website:  http://marcodrinks.com/

Yelp Event: Escape The City @ Reserve Wines | Manchester, UK

A great evening of cheese and wine (although I wasn't fond of the broccoli smelling cheese :/).

Reserve Wines can be found on Burton Road in West Didsbury and offers a magnificent array of wines. Shelves full from floor to ceiling with wines (red & white) from around the globe, and the store offers an intimate showroom to customers.

After the initial meet and greet with Prosecco, which I was uncharacteristically late for, we got settled down for the tasting. It was a select group of Yelpers on this event due to the size of the venue. The shop is so cosy, we only had boxes of wine to sit on around the counter as Nick, the manager, presents the wines. One of the first things he said, that a wine tastin may not be agood idea if you have a cold, as the tasting comes mostly from the smell. This must be the reason why my taste perception was the opposite of everyone else's,

Nick presented a lot of information about the various wines and fully engaged with the Yelpers coaxing our opinions and responses, although everyone was a little subdued to begin with, but after the fifth wine, we were doing ok.

With each wine came full information about the type, origin, production, and the group was fully educated. In between the wines, we were presented with a sample of cheeses from goats cheese, cheddar and to a horrible broccoli smelling one. I wouldn't  recommend this one.

To the wines! We were offered the following:

Lopez de Haro Rioja Blanco 2014 (Rioja, Spain)

A complex taste of ripe fruits, and I thought it was a bit rich and smooth, but had a strong distinct smell, which was offputting,

Bodega Atamisque Serbal Viognier 2014 (Mendoza, Argentina)

This one offers more acidity and full of zesty fruits. 

Chateau Pinerale Cahos 2012 (Cahors, France)

This was my favourite from the evening. Red. Smooth. Woody. Full of dark fruits (berries, plum, and spices). You really get an impact from the tannins.

Espirito do Coa, Mencia (jaen) 2012 (Beira Interior, Portugal)

Quite bitter, full of dark fruits.

Le Riche 'Richesse' 2013 (Stellenbosch, South Africa)

Full of fruity flavour from the dark fruits, and subtle smokiness.

Overall, an enjoyable evening, and it is great to be educated so enthusiastically and informatively, and if I was hunting for a good wine, then I would stop by here.

Credit to Nick and his staff for hosting a great evening, and also to Matt, for once again organising a superb evening, but no more broccoli smelling cheeses please!

Yelp at BistroVin | Manchester, UK

Another great evening with the Manchester Yelp Community; this time at hidden gem BistroVin, situated on busy Deansgate opposite the likes of La Tasca, Prezzo, and Las Iguanas.

Walking past, one would think it was just a normal store specialising in wine, and spirits. However, once one is inside and takes a stroll upstairs, one is greeted by a lofty atmospheric dark woodened decor and furniture, which seems quite cosy for an establishment situated on Deansgate. With (more or less) floor to ceiling windows looking out over the street. The upstairs divided into two sections, with one side hosting a full cabinet full of splendid spirits, and a counter full of cheese.

After the normal meet and greet (with Champagne or Prosecco), and catchup between the Yelpers (from veterans, elite, and newbies), and then a brief intro from Lewis (joint Manager) we were ready to begin. BistroVin had set up three stalls, splitting the group up into the same number, the present a selection of their stock. This was a variety of red an white wines split between two tables, and a gin, a whiskey, and a rum set up at the third table.

My group started off with a selection of three good wines: French white wine Touraine Sauvignon; Chilean white wine Secret de Viu Manent; and French red wine Lauran Cabaret Minervois. With a quick demonstration on how to fully enjoy a wine tasting, we went through and tasted each wine. The sauvignon was quite fruity, full of flavour, and seemed to be a favourite amongst the group. The Chilean white was described as having a muddy texture, but I proposed it was more an earthly taste and quite sharp, but this was a bit hit-and-miss amongst the group, However, the red was a big hit with everyone: this had an old woody texture, very flavourful.

Moving on to the spirits presented my Jonathan, we had: Pinkster (gin), The Ben Riach aged 10 years (whiskey), and The Duppy Share (rum). Don't let the name or colour deceive you with the gin. The pinkness comes from raspberry, and it had a nice sharp taste to it, and one can quite easily drink this without a mixer. I know some gin fans, who I would recommend this to. One for the list! Apparently retails around £40. The rum was Caribbean and was quite sweet and had a warm taste, which is made from sugar canes. Finally, the whiskey! The smell was beautiful! Such a powerful aroma, and tasted great! Again, it had a very smooth taste and can easily be drunk without a mixer, which is what I would recommend.

The final table presented by manager Lewis had three more wines (one white, and two red). The first was white wine Saint Clair from New Zealand, which has quite an oceanic taste to it, and I would recommend this for a perfect evening on a beach front when all you have to do is relax. The second wine was red Bourgogne, which was quite nice, but my favourite wine from the evening was red wine Vibo Punta del Vienta; a flavourful fruity wine, with a bit of a savoury pinch to it.

After all the tastings, the Yelpers were able to mingle once again and going back and trying their favourites as the evening came to an end.

A super evening, and a fantastic establishment, and I look forward to returning, especially to attend one of their whiskey tastings. check out their Facebook page to see what tastings they have on offer, occurring every Thursday.

Elite Event: Yelp’s ‘One Night In India’ | ZOUK Tea Bar & Grill Review | Manchester, UK

My second #Yelp Elite Event, this time at ZOUK Tea Bar & Grill, has seriously raised the bar for this community. What a FANTASTIC evening of great food and amazing entertainment.

Jonny Q. the Manchester Yelp Community Manager did a tremendous job organising this event, and picked the perfect restaurant to collaborate with. Situated on Chester Street  in the centre of Manchester, just off Oxford Road near the Manchester Metropolitan University, I have only visited this restaurant once before, but pass it almost every day. It has a beautiful terrace area outside, which has recently been refurbished creating a cosier environment. The terrace is also for endulging in flavoured Shisha, which the restaurant has to offer. I'm not one for smoking it, but the fruity smells are irressistable. We were greeted with fruity cocktails and as we gathered on the terrace before going inside to particpate in the evening's events. This was a great opportunity to mingle with a good 80 or so other Yelpers from the Manchester community.

Once inside, we occupied the upstairs area, which was a mezzanine overlooking the ground floor. It was a privelage to have this area for the whole event.

After settling at our tables, and Jonny's run down of the evening's events, we wee able to enulge in some appetisers and watch the first installment of the entertainment put on by Zouk. These were Indian dancing performers and so perfectly fitting for the event. Bravo Zouk! They gave a fantastic introductory performance. The appetisers were: Popadoms & Pickles and Samosa Chaat. Everybody loves popadoms and a good samosa, am I right? These samosas were absolutely delicious, but my favourite were the spicy chick pea chaat, which had the perfect amount of spice to them, and left me wondering why I don't have chick peas more often!  

Being delighted by the appetisers, we didn't have to wait long for the starters, and these were very generous portions. We were given the opportunty to "sample" the following starters: Chooza Chaat; Spicy Prawn Cakes; and Mozarella Balls.

My favourite was the Chooza Chaat, which was bite-size chunks of chicken and roasted peppers marinated in spices. Yummy! The Prawn Cakes were really nice and came with a saffron mayo to dip, and the Mozarella Balls were delicious with a subtle taste of mozarella surounded by Pakoa batter and tangy tomato chutney to dip. Just when we were done with these starters, out came Tava Lamb with mini wraps, chutney and pickles. The lamb was so succulent and crispy; perfect for making mini wraps. The starters were so much, and so nice, I and perfectly complemented each other. It was the best combination of food possible.

Whilst waiting for the mains to arrive (Chicken Khabani; King Prawn and Baby Spinach; Spiced Sea Bream; Lamb Laziz; and Nalie Gosht) we were entertained by another spectacle from the performers. When the mains arrived, we were once again treated to genrous portions, and fortunately for my table, we all had different preferences of he lambwhat we wanted to try. My focus was on the lamb dishes, which were accompanied by rice. I tried the Nalie Gosht, which was "hot rajistan style" lamb cooked and served on the bone and enveloped in a creamy curry. This was phenomenal! The lamb was cooked to perfection and so tender. Very tasty curry! The other lamb curry (Lamb Laziz) was milder and creamier "punjabi style curry", which resembled a Korma due to its taste and texture. But also very tasty. The Chicken Khabani was amazing, although I only had a small sample; it was marinated  in a spicy chili and tomato curry sauce. The prawn dish was accamponied by spinach and stir-fried with ginger and othe spices, and the Sea Bream was excessively cooked with garlic, which was my least favourite dish of the night. So this one would be for garlic lovers and the van Helsings!

 

Overall, the food left me very satisfied, and to be honest, left me full for the rest of the week. I would revisit Zouk in a heartbeat to try the main menu, especially as the food is so delicious, and has a great mix of veggie, meat and fish dishes to cate for everybody.
During the evening, most dishes were accompanied by a specific wine, and we receive a great education into the chosen wines. Such as the New Zealand Moko Black Sauvignon, which came with the starters and went very will with the Prawn Cakes and Chicken Chaat due to the fruity zest to it, and the Mozarella Balls and Tava Lamb came with my personal favourite: Calusari Pinot Noir from Romania. This wine also converted a non wine drinker, it was that good! And the wine did not stop flowing! We were delighted with Turkheim Reserve Riesling to accompany the Chicken and Prawn main, whic comes from northern France/German border, and complemented the spicy foods well. In addition, there was Borsao Rosado from Campo de Borja in Spain paired with the Sea Bream and a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon with the lamb curries. Such a big variety of wines paired with delicious foods, and you can tell that a lot of care and attention had gone into the menu. If any customers leave this restaurant dissatisfied, I would be really surprised, and I look forwad to returning, vey soon!

The performances throughout the evening were great touches and thoroughly enjoyed, which was appreciated by the whole Yelp community, and the management deserve a big round of applause for hosting the evening tremndously.