The long weekend is upon, Sydney has been swamped with sailors and grey ships, One Direction is town, the NRL finals are on and all I want to do is go home and have a nice glass of wine.
But I will have to wait, as tonight I am off to see The Cult!
For those of a certain age and a more commercial taste in music, you have probably never heard of Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy. However for those few fans out there, this is kind of exciting news.
I say kind of, for I mixed feelings about tonight. One of my fondest memories is seeing these guys in the mid 1990’s at the Big Day Out whilst bouncing around the mosh pit with all the other shaggy haired kids . But 20 years later for both band and audience; I am not so sure. I had to be convinced into going to the concert, as I don’t really want to a see a slightly fat, balding, middle aged man wearing leather pants. Think of Mick Jagger, just 20 years younger and fatter.
This will not be a wine crowd or even a wine drinking event, but it got me thinking about wine and what you should listen too whilst drinking. The question is sort of silly, for the answer is almost anything. But if you think about it for a while, it makes a bit more sense. If you have a very serious, complex and thought provoking wine, then you really want to stay away from hard rock and hip hop. Something more mellow and lyrical would be in order. Don’t worry I won’t be going through my play list offering suggestions, but I did want to mention one of the more serious and thought provoking wines I have tasted in a while.
It was a wine that Dan Sharp of EST has chosen for our upcoming December delivery and it was a real eye opener for me. It comes from Portugal, which is known around the world for its fortified wines. For some time however, there has been a lot of noise generated by youngish winemakers that are bucking this trend and making sensational table wines from the traditional Portuguese varieties.
Quinta do Noval is one of the great Port houses, producing one of the most famous Vintage Ports of them all, the legendary ‘Nacional’. But their relatively new English wine director has forced them into spending more and more time and resources on their table wines. The results are really starting to pay dividends if this wine is anything to go by.
The 2007 “CEDRO DO NOVAL,” is a blend of 30% Touriga Nacional, 25% Touriga Franca, 10% Tinto Cao, and 35% Syrah. It is the Syrah component that really interested both Dan and I when we tasted and talked about this wine, as it adds a very fragrant and almost funky element to the wine. It is bright and succulent but beautifully structured. Quite a wine!
Would I want to drink a bottle of this wine while listening to or watching the Cult. NO! But with a few friends and a nice roasted lamb or beef dish, then that would be just sensational.
Matt