Review & WIN Vintage Roots – In The Press – Winter Wine Selection

Welcome to Kelly Martin Speaks Christmas review and giveaways, and it’s my pleasure to introduce the amazing Vintage Roots once again.

UPDATE – PLEASE NOTE images will be different to original post due to an error when moving to another host for website.

Vintage Roots – The Organic Wine People – were kind enough to offer a case of wine, with a great selection for the Festive and Winter period this year for review, and for one lucky winner again. At Christmas we all love a good glass of wine, but more so something that meets our needs for serving with certain dishes, and to warm our insides up on cold winter nights.

This fab selection of wine called ‘In The Press Six Pack‘ contains 6 lovely bottles as diverse as the next, and all equally tasty.

This case of wine is called ‘In The Press’ because of its great reviews from the media and I was keen to put the media reviews to my testing tastebuds.

So without further ado, let’s get tasting!

VDP Cote de Gasgogne Domaine De Pagot

If ever there was a wine made to meet the ever-evolving demands of the British wine drinker, this is it. It’s an oak-free zone and the blend of four grapes (Colombard, Ugni-Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Gros-Manseng) make a refreshing, dry white wine that isn’t too heavy on the alcohol either.
Vintage Roots

Starting off the taste-testing with an easy drinking smooth white, a lovely combination of four blends of grapes, and a great all rounder for the party season.

Like all of Vintage Roots wines, I find I never experience any adverse effects from drinking the wine; the rosacea on my cheeks never flares up; so for that reason it gets a good thumbs up from me.

This is a French wine from South West France, and at 11.5% alcohol is enough to relax and enjoy an evening with friends and lovely dinner by candle light without overdoing it.

Grape: Ugni Blanc and alcohol content 11.5%

Review Summary

  • Suitable for vegans.
  • Beautiful citrus notes with lemon zest feel.
  • A fresh light and easy to drink white that will go brilliantly with with seafood/white meat or as an aperitif or simply for taking to parties.
  • The emphasis for me was that this wine is very smooth with a powerful lemon taste.
  • Colour is a pale golden yellow.
  • This is a good refreshing drink for the winter but also would be perfect in the summer season too.
  • A wine for any time of year and any occasion.

Harvested in the cool of the night the grapes are slowly fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel, helping to maintain vivid flavours and balancing crisp acidity.
Silver Medal – New Zealand International Wine Competition 2013 (2013 vintage)

 Vintage Roots

This is such a mellow drinking wine from New Zealand. We enjoyed it so much we kept making ‘Mmmm’ noises as we drank. A beautiful golden colour in the glass and a great all rounder. Overall the mouthfeel (the tech speak when tasting) was fantabulous.. yes there is no such word but this wine deserve a made-up word (grin!). This was one bottle; if we had a wine cellar, it would be stocked to the ceiling with this wine.

Grape: Sauvignon Blanc and alcohol content 13.5%

Review Summary

  • Suitable for vegetarians.
  • Soft and smooth on the palate.
  • Hints of vanilla and we also tasted hints of melon.
  • A yummy lingering aftertaste.
  • Will go well with white meat and white fish and easily drinkable on its own.
 
‘Fine fizz from a biodynamic producer that’s a blend of Chenin, Chardonnay and, unusually, Cabernet Franc. It’s dry but fruit-driven, with lots of ripe apple notes that decorate the zesty, vibrant, stylish palate. Great value for money’ 

 

17/20 90 Points Decanter Magazine 2014
As someone who is not generally a sparkling wine fan, this Brut totally surprised me. It was light, very easy to drink, and I would say perfect if you wanted a cheaper alternative to more expensive champagne.
Grape: Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and alcohol content 12.5%
Review Summary
  • Bio-dynamic wine.
  • Suitable for vegans.
  • From the Loire Valley, France.
  • Crisp and dry.
  • Light soft brut wine.
  • A hint of gooseberries in the flavour.
  • A good quality alternative to champagne if you are on a budget at a wedding or special event, will be perfect for New Year’s Eve.
  • Goes well with white fish and white meat, and is a great appetiser before the meal or at a social event to get the party relaxed and flowing.
This Carmenere is delicate and presents a deep colour. On the nose it has spicy notes, commonly related to this variety, which are nicely integrated with moderate oak. It has medium structure and velvety tannins making it very seductive and approachable.
Vintage Roots
This is a delightful Chilean wine, smooth to the palate and a lovely warming wine especially for the Winter season. My partner, who normally does not like red wine, was quite taken with the whole range of reds we tried and this was one he really liked.
Grape: Carmenère and alcohol content 13.5%
Review Summary
  • Suitable for vegetarians.
  • Full bodied red.
  • Instant scent of blackberries and the taste is infused in gentle blackberry with a hint of black pepper.
  • An easy smooth medium bodied red.
  • Goes well with rich spicy foods and dark meat and game and yet retains a sweetness.
A powerful liquorice-scented red. Spicy Syrah delivers abundant fruits and a weighty palate that carries the flavour for what seems like an eternity. Will age magnificently.
Vintage Roots
This had a lovely spicy and robust flavour, and even though it was full bodied, it was smooth, and for me it gave the taste of Rioja without the headiness of it, if this makes sense. As you can tell I’m not a wine expert, but I know what tastes good for me.

Grape: Grenache, Syrah / Shiraz. Alcohol content 14.5%

Review Summary
  • Deep dark cherry bouquet with a hint of spices.
  • Very easy to drink, soft and light even though the nose is spicey and robust.
  • Fruity and peppery.
  • Full bodied aroma with a rich yet smooth and long-lasting flavour.
  • Scent of a rioja without the headiness of it.

When We Dance  – Tenuta Li Palagio Chianti

Named after another of Sting’s songs, the latest addition to the Tenuta il Palagio cellar is When We Dance, a DOCG Chianti, made predominantly with Sangiovese, with small quantities of Canaiolo and Colorino. It is a great value Chianti that has true class in abundance.
 
Vintage Roots
I have always wanted to try a Chianti, which sounds a crazy reason to try a wine (grin), but after hearing the eerie way Hannibal Lector from the scary movie ‘Silence Of The Lambs’ mentioned Chianti, I just really wanted to see what it tasted like (weird I know – grin).
This wine was not a let-down. It was surprisingly a lighter red than I had expected, and I loved that this particular wine is from one of my favourite musicians Sting’s winery in Tuscany Italy. It is the most recent addition to the Il Palagio cellar and is named after a Sting song ‘When We Dance’.
Grape: 95% Sangiovese blended with Canaiolo and Colorino grapes, the alcohol content is 13%.


Review Summary
  • Biodynamic
  • Spicy, peppery nose.
  • Ruby red colour.
  • Dry to begin with, but the pallette adjusts and it’s quite a light red.
  • An easy drinking wine that would go well with tomato based dishes like lasagne, spaghetti bolognaise, pizza and anything with a rich sauce, or lamb with a spicy marinade.

Biostilla Limoncello

Intense and very natural lemon scent . A round taste with beautiful freshness leaving a long lemony rich finish. An innovative and natural limoncello, made using only unsprayed, organic lemons. It contains less sugar, and more lemon juice and aromatic oils from the peel, which gives this liqueur unrivalled taste. 
 
Vintage Roots

*NOT PART OF THE PRIZE*

Okay this was not technically part of the review but a lovely bonus from Vintage Roots, and I had a very upset partner once this bottle was finished.

I have never had Limoncello before so was not sure what to expect. I had read up on it online and discovered it was a drink often drunk in Italy as an apertif, or after a meal, to refresh the digestion. I was not expecting such deliciousness.

My friends told me to put it in the freezer first, but my partner (in his apparent knowledge thought that was wrong to do – personally I think it was because he was so keen to drink it; he did not want to wait – grin!).

So instead we had it ice-cold from the refrigerator and I added ice-cubs to my glass. On first drink the lemon really packs a punch, BUT this becomes such a yummy punch as you get used to the flavour.

A heavenly liqueur. Too small a bottle, as I said my partner wanted more LOL

Okay so what was my verdict?

Review Summary

  • This literally packs a lovely punch.
  • A refreshing digestif after a large meal
  • By the end of my glass it turned out to be a lovely warming liqueur.
  • It has a bold lemon flavour yet is balanced by sweetness
  • This is a lighter version of limoncello.
  • Gets even better as you drink it.
  • Natural lemon scent is intoxicatingly wonderful.


If you like what you see here check out last years review of intoxicatingly yummy organic wines here.
Sooo now your turn. How would you like to win a case of beautiful organic wine? Do I see nods behind that computer screen?
Well it’s pretty easy to enter.
All you need to do is enter via the GLEAM app below (UK only please). And make sure you sign up to Vintage Roots newsletter (this is mandatory, if you don’t your entry will not be entered into the competition – I will be keeping in touch with Vintage Roots to make sure entries are followed through).
So enter via the app and you get extra entries for sharing.
 
GOOD LUCK!! And cheers!


*ANY entrants not following through with mandatory newsletter signup & comment will be immediately disqualified – I will be checking with Vintage Roots on sign-ups*

Vintage Roots – Organic Wine Giveaway

*Post Disclaimer: I received 1 Case of ‘In The Press’ Wine from Vintage Roots for review. All opinions are my own. 

Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com 

Check out Loquax – Home of the Lucky Duck

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Kelly Martin
Kelly Martin

Kelly Martin, author of ‘When Everyone Shines But You’ is a dedicated writer and blogger who fearlessly explores life’s deepest questions. Faced with a decade of profound anxiety and grief following the loss of her father and her best friend Michael, Kelly embarked on a transformative journey guided by mindfulness, and she hasn’t looked back since. Through her insightful writing, engaging podcasts, and inspiring You Tube channel Kelly empowers others to unearth the hidden treasures within their pain, embracing the profound truth that they are ‘enough’ exactly as they are.

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