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I taste a heck of a lot of wine and most of this happens in cruel conditions. If I taste 100 wines in a day, and have a train to catch, I really have to work at it and keep focussed and, to some extent, blinkered. Ideally, each wine would be tasted with food, or in a comfy armchair, whilst chatting to friends. Sniffing, writing, tasting, writing, spitting, writing, emptying glass and refilling a hundred times does little to improve the impression of the wine. Last Monday I went to Tipputs Inn in Nailsworth and spent a good three hours tasting five wines from the Lebanon and three from the Rhone, served with a stunning selection of wine-enhancing dishes. I’m fairly sure that the wines would have stood up well in a straight line, amongst 92 other wines, but in this atmosphere, they sang.
The Lebanese wines all came from Massaya Estate and Sami Ghosn described the perfect climate and lack of pests and diseases. The grapes are, in effect, grown organically but haven’t been certified. Of course, the Lebanon does challenge the grape grower in other ways and I don’t imagine for a moment that they have an easy life.
We started with a sand crab, chilli and glass noodle salad, served with Massaya Classic White 2005 (£8.65 retail), which is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Clairette. The green, fresh flavours of this clean white wine did something wonderful with the salad. Interestingly, it was served with a white Chateauneuf which tasted the better of the two before we ate, but the Classic White was transformed by food.
If Tipputs don’t put the rabbit and wild mushroom suet pudding, with Madeira reduction on their menu full time, they are really missing a trick. If the word “suet” recalls something damp and dense, think again. This was lightly golden and crispy. The Madeira reduction had a very, very attractive smell and the Massaya Classic Red 2005, which is a blend of Cinsault, Cabernet and Syrah (£6.65) was delicious with it. While all the other wines were good and perhaps technically better, as prices rose, this wine is stunningly complex and interesting. It smelt astonishingly peppery and spicy on the nose, with a baked cherry taste.
The rack of lamb was so perfectly pink, it almost seemed unbelievable. How can they serve 30 people and manage this perfection on each plate? It was sweet and meltingly tender and the Massaya Silver Red 2003 (£10.90), which wasn’t as overtly spicy as the Classic Red, allowed the meat’s flavours to have a say, whilst offering up sweet perfume.
We then had a selection of local cheeses, which were pretty good, but rather overshadowed by the previous courses and the Massaya Gold Red 2003 (£17.95) which required serious contemplation. It is a blend of Cabernet, Mourvedre and Syrah and smelt beautifully herbal. It’s aged in new French barriques, and has a touch of farmyard, which I love.
The wines are mainly available in restaurants, but can be bought direct through Christopher Piper Wines in Devon 01404 814139, sales@christopherpiperwines.co.uk