With my somewhat limited knowledge of wine, I do however, drink a sizeable amount of the stuff, and have a fair idea of what I do and don’t like. But to be honest, unless it’s corked or is just totally rancid, then I’m quite happy to drink the wine of most grapes and tend to choose a red or white depending on mood: dry whites for when I’m out socialising, and fruity reds for when I’m chilling, for example after a Sunday meal. I haven’t mentioned Rosé, because I very rarely drink it – I find it too inbetweeny (yes, that’s a made up word).
Tuscany Corner sent some samples from their new range of organic Italian products, and wine was one of them; a Sangiovese – Shyraz 2010. The wine had a deep ruby red colour, and was actually quite smooth given that it had a punchy, fruity taste – qualities I look for in a good red. It’s not mass produced either, only 8000 bottles were made. The wine, along with their other products, are all produced on the Tuscan country estate, ‘La Tenuta dell’Uccellina’, within Maremma National Park.
I also got to try Tuscany Corner’s extra virgin olive oil. I really liked its mild, fresh and slightly fruity flavour. They recommend using it for cooking, but I mainly use lighter oils as I find stronger ones too dominating – plus it’s too good an oil to waste in such use as cooking weakens the flavours, so I’ll be using it in dressings or as an accompaniment.
The last of the products I got to taste was their beef ragù. The flavours were really very good. You could identify each locally sourced ingredient and the sauce was deliciously rich. The ragù was made from a Tuscan recipe, and you could certainly taste the difference in quality if comparing it to commercially made products currently available in the UK. But I found the beef too tough – it had that odd type of texture you sometimes get with tinned, minced meats.
Overall Tuscany Corner produces some lovely tasting, quality products. You can get a taste of the above and more from their range at Terracafe, London and online at www.tuscanycorner.eu and www.terracafe.eu. The Sangiovese – Shyraz 2010 retails at £13.00 per bottle.
Thanks to Tuscany Corner for sending the samples.
