Everyday Drinking_ The Distilled Kingsley Amis - Kingsley Amis [26]
Whatever the men in the know may say, a German wine label is a fearful thing to decipher. It tells you (starting at the top of the bottle) the vintage, the name of the village, the vineyard, the type of grape—moselles are always made from the Riesling type, and in their case this information is usually omitted, which makes things even more straightforward— the state of maturity of the grape when picked, in effect whether or not the wine was German-bottled, and the name of the grower or shipper. All very conscientious, but more than I want to know. However: note, as always, the shipper’s name, and you can learn something from the state-of-maturity bit, the word invariably ending in -lese. Spaetlese, or “late picked,” means a higher quality and often a good buy. Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese signify respectively selected grapes and selected overripe grapes, and produce the great sweet wines of Germany. I have never found one of these to beat a Château d’Yquem, the finest and most expensive of the Sauternes, but then I have never drunk a 1959 Trockenbeerenauslese. You can, if you can find one and can lay out £20 a bottle.
There are sparkling hocks and moselles. I can hear Leaver muttering about bottled death, and some people find them a little headachy, but I never have. They are considerably cheaper than champagne, can usually be passed off as it with the aid of a napkin round the bottle (a good tip for the mean man), and will certainly enliven a wine punch.
8. OTHERS. In general, these are best approached under merchants’ advice or via your off-licence as described in the first paragraph of my Further Thoughts on Wine, but here are a few notes.
Italy. Remember that chianti is not the only Italian wine; some people will find some of the reds a little heavy (cut them with Pellegrino mineral water). Barolo is a good solid red, and Soave a nice lightish white.
Spain. Rioja is usually spoken of as the best Spanish red. Avoid all sweet whites, and according to some (me included) the dry whites are not very nice either.
Portugal. Dão, both red and white. Mateus Rosé for student-age types.
Switzerland. If you are flush, try the full but soft red Dôle and the light white wines of Neuchâtel and Fendant.
Algeria. There are plenty of sound full-blooded reds at about 75p.
Yugoslavia. The Lutomer wines are usually good value and quite cheap.
Hungary. Bull’s Blood is a fine strong red. You must try Tokay, the famous sweet desert and after-dinner wine.
FINAL NOTE
If you can afford the initial outlay (about £150 for something drinkable, £190 for something really good), buy a hogshead and bottle it yourself. You will end up with something like 300 bottles and save about a third on what the same wine would have cost you ready-bottled. Your wine merchant will arrange a preliminary tasting for you and give you the necessary advice and aid. A crew of three can cope easily. Remember that you may well find yourself “trying” the stuff while bottling, so take care not to invite too many neighbours in to “help,” or that 300 will diminish sharply.
* Point for pedants. The established rule is a capital for the place and a small letter for the wine, so you drink burgundy in Burgundy (if you have the luck), see that your champagne comes from one of the best spots in Champagne. This breaks down when we come to districts within a wine-producing region. I have yet to read of anybody calling for a nice médoc or knocking back a glass of pouilly fuissé.
* What with the floating of the pound, the coming of V.A.T., etc., drink prices are on the rise. All the ones I quote are approximate.
* Bottled at the place of origin. A château in the wine sense is not literally a castle; it is much more likely to be a straggle