The 2010 Bush Vines, Chenin Blanc from Zalze is still very youthful with fresh, floral aromas. Easy drinking with a touch of sweetness – it has 3.8 g/l residual sugar. 60% of the grapes were harvested in a slightly botrytised state to give richness, while 40% were harvested earlier to provide freshness and acidity. Pleasantly easy drinking at present – somewhat two dimensional but could gain additional complexity with a year or two in bottle. A sample – currently available in the UK through Waitrose@£6.49.

The Zalze is closed with a screwcap, which is a reminder that 10 years ago 16 Riesling producers in Australia's Clare Valley bottled their 2000 vintage in screwcap, provoking a revolution that continues to this day.

I would love to tell you what this 1983 from the Rhine tasted like but the cork had fallen in and over the years the wine had seeped out leaving only a tiny dribble in the bottom. An old example of Sainbury's Vintage Selection range from the time when Sainbury's did rule the UK High Street!

1976 Riesling Reserve, Cave Coop de Bennwihr-Redgarten

The second bottle was a 1976 Alsace Riesling. Fortunately the cork was intact and hadn't fallen into the bottle but the colour was quite developed as the photo above shows – a light mahogany with a considerably oxidised nose like a good dry fino from Jerez. However the taste was still fresh and clean but complex with a long mineral flavour. Was the cork right? Would other bottles of the same wine been less deep coloued and less oxidised on the nose? I'm not in a position to say, although my guess is that had it been closed with a screwcap both the colour and the aromas would have been less developed.

All in all probably a testament to the staying power of Riesling!

Lahore Kebab House,  2-4 Umberston Street London E1 1PY

Extending the East London Line down into Forest Hill and onwards to Crystal Palace and West Croydon has opened up parts of the East End of London to inhabitants of SE23. True it was always been possible to catch a train from Forest Hill to New Cross Gate and then change onto the East London Line for stations to Whitechapel but it was more of a effort and the service was less frequent than it is now.

Last Monday three of us went to the Lahore Kebab House, a short walk from Shadwell Station. A friend had recommended it as one of his favourite 'Indian' restaurants. The Lahore is obviously very popular and has room for 350 people on two floors. The service was very efficient and friendly, the food excellent and amazingly reasonably priced – just over £37 for three people and we couldn't eat anymore! 

We started with some vegetable and lamb samosas. For mains we choose the fish curry, butter chicken and the karahi gosht plus a daal tarka with rice and some nans.

2006 Steingarten Riesling, Barossa, Jacob's Creek

The Lahore doesn't have a licence but you can take your own wine, beer etc. On this occasion we didn't take any Loire wine instead I selected the 2006 Steingarten Riesling, Barossa (closed with a screwcap) from Jacob's Creek. Excellent citric and minerally Riesling that made a fine apéritif. Definitely a remind that top of the range Jacob's Creek should not be dismissed out of hand.

1997 The Signature, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, Barossa, Yalumba

Fortunately I had opened The Signature at home before we left to check that it wasn't corked. Although it wasn't TCA affected, the cork broke off three quarters of the way in where it appeared to have glued itself to the bottle. It was extremely difficult to get the remaining fragment either out of the bottle or (not the preferred option) into the wine. I managed to make enough of a hole to be able to decant the wine into a spare screwcap bottle. It was well worth the trouble as the 1997 had lovely rich, soft black fruits and certainly flavoursome enough to stand up to the curries. Yet another disadvantage of cork! 

From Wednesday to Sunday the Lahore offers a number of specials, so we will have to go back for these. Furthermore the East London Line is now also extended northwards to Dalston Junction, where I gather there are some very good Turkish restaurants to explore. 

Lahore Kebab House,  2-4 Umberston Street London E1 1PY
Tel: 020-7481 9737
Email: contact@lahore-kebabhouse.com