Plot of Land

Terroirs, by it's literal translation means "soils" or "plot of land", which I came to learn from a Hungarian wine buff at a Vinopolis wine tasting session. From Wikipedia - it is a French term in wine, coffee, and tea used to denote the special characteristics that geography bestowed upon particular varieties. Better yet - at its core is the assumption that the land from which the grapes are grown imparts a unique quality that is specific to that region.

And so we went. The wine bar's concept "derives from the Parisian natural wine bars with their emphasis on superb, rarely-seen wines, informal yet informed service, and excellent, hearty food." It certainly was, including a little French arrogance thrown in for good measure. They say the intention of their wine list is "to introduce customers to natural, hand made wines that they feel like drinking." The wines were lovely. Jim embraced the old world, including some Merlot and Beaujolais... at least for a night.

Tasty snacks too, particularly if you like anchovies. We finished these promptly... we had to be out by 9pm. Keeping the WoW dream alive we headed down the road to Gordon's Wine Bar for a few (bottles) more.

The prize on the night seemed to be our old friend Rioja - we finished strongly with some Viña Pomal Rioja Reserva 2003. Relating this particular wine back to the facts on Rioja - it is 100% Tempranillo [one of the grape varieties produced in the region]. Viña Pomal [the estate] is produced by the historic Bodegas Bilbaínas, the largest vineyard in Rioja Alta [one of the three principal regions within Rioja]. And as a Reserva - it's been aged for 3 years (in French oak for 1 year and in the bottle for 2 years). Rich and smooth. Lovely. Needless to say, there were some sore heads today.


Cheers