Wine Appreciation Group Meeting December 2023
In December our wine group had a private wine tasting from Thoroughbred Wines who are based in Newmarket. Debbie who hosted the evening had met Jo at the Cressing Temple Barn’s Christmas Fair and arranged our evening event.
Jo came with 13 wines for us to taste, a mixture of red, white and rose, also a port from Portugal. Our top choices were Les Giustianina Gavi di Gavi priced at £17.00 from Northern Italy and a red Pinot Noir, Blaufrankisch costing £14.00. There was no pressure to purchase but a number of members did, the Kopke Tawny Port proving very popular as well as some of the wines.
It was a fun evening, rather more many wines than we normally sample but a lovely start to the Christmas festivities with an extra special Christmas spread (thanks Debbie)
The next meeting will be hosted by Sheila & John 7:30 January 30th 2024
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting November 2023
Sonia was our host, and we were treated to a selection of South African wines, most of which had travelled back with Sonia after she visited SA earlier this year, on holiday.
WHITE WINES
1. 2021 Sauvignon Blanc - Vergelegen Winery
Extremely aromatic with ripe passion fruit and rich gauvas, black currant leaf, a touch of lemongrass and good minerals.
13.5%
2. 2021 Chardonnay - Chamonix Winery
At an altitude of 450m above sea level this wine has been aged for 12 months in 225 litres French oak bottles.
13.5%
3. 2022 Chardonnay -Eagles Pass.
A fresh fruit driven wine with layers of ripe pineapple with zesty lime flavour, peach and vanilla.
12.5%
RED WINES
1. 2020 Pinotage - Rickety Bridge Winery
Red fruit forward with black and blueberry flavours in the background, while the light oaking accelerates flavours of redcurrant and blueberries. (All grapes picked by hand).
13.5%
2. 2018 Shiraz - Vergelegen Winery
Stunningly ripe and concentrated berry fruit including ripe black cherry fruit, hints of liquor, violet and spice. The flavours on the palate are intense and long-lasting with soft tanning leading to a clear finish.
14.5%
3. 2020 Pinotage - Fishhoek.
Full bodied wine with flavours of plum and fruit cake and a touch of oak
13.5%
The Chardonnay Chamonix Winery and Pinotage Fishhoek were the most popular white and red wines.
Following on from the tasting we were challenged by a wine quiz.
Our next meeting, on December 5th, will be with Debbie. It is our regular Christmas get together and will be a little different to our normal meetings.
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting October 2023
Our meeting in October was hosted by Toni and Mick. We were pleased to welcome Glenda and Colin, who are prospective members of the group and joined us, on this occasion for a trial meeting.
All the wines were French, locally purchased by our hosts when they were on holiday earlier this year. The evening theme was an expensive versus an economical wine - to see if we could see which was which.
The first challenge was sparkling wines:-
Vin Mousseaux Brute €1.65 versus Champagne Canard Duchene demi-sec €21.96
The Mousseaux one was a beautiful green / yellow colour with fine constant bubbles, fruity nose with flowery scent and slight fermentation notes. Alcohol 11%.
The Champagne was Pinot and Chardonnay grape with an elegant freshness and balance. Alcohol 12%
The next challenge was white wines:-
Croix D'Or €2.5 vs Petit Chablis La Sinuliere €9.9
The Croix D'Or probably used Sauvignon grape, golden shade, with a perfume of fruit tree from the orchard. This wine pairs well with foie grass trees and fruit desserts. Alcohol 11%.
The Chablis is based on the Chardonnay grape with lemon citrus fruit with refreshing acidity. This wine is best drunk young, and pairs well with fish or sushi - and can be used as an aperitif. Alcohol 12.5%
The final round was Red wines:–
Croix De Ceyassac (Bordeaux) €1.99 vs Château De Caladroy Antoine 2020 €14.75
The Bordeaux wines are usually a blend of Sauvignon and Merlot. This wine had the aromas of red fruit and caramel, with notes of smoke, and on the palate the tannins are round. The colour was intense garnet. This wine pairs well with cheese and grilled red meat .Alcohol 13%.
The Caladroy uses Mourvendre grape & was a deep and intense colour with the nose of red fruits. On the palate licorice with round tannins giving a long silky finish. This wine pairs well with red meats. Alcohol 14.5%
It was fun comparing, and in many cases, we were unable to identify the more expensive wine. Sometimes the cost differential was tenfold, so we concluded that it is worth assessing the economical ones to see if they suited our taste. The photo shows the chosen most popular wines.
The November meeting will be hosted by Sonia.
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting September 2023
WAG2 5th Sept 2023
Look to the East
Our first meeting after the summer break was on 5 September. Barbara kindly hosted the evening, and Bob had planned the wines. On this occasion we tasted a range of wines from Eastern Europe. The most popular white was a Chardonnay from Romania, and a red from Moldova. We also enjoyed the bonus Hungarian desert wine.
Incanta Chardonnay 2021 12.5% £7.99 (8.99) Romania
In recent years Romania has enjoyed a winemaking renaissance. Much of this is down to the family owned Cramale Recas winery where some of the vines date back to 1447. This Chardonnay is ripe and rounded with tropical fruit and citrus aromas and flavours of Melon and stone fruits.
Carpe Diem Bad Boys 2018 14% £19.99 (22.99) Moldova
No country demonstrates the hidden treasures of Eastern Europe like Moldova. Wine has been produced here for over 5 thousand years so they have learnt a thing or two. The Lucas family have dedicated their lives to crafting expressive wines over 4 generations
Under soviet control the vineyards were nationalised and the family shipped off to a Siberian labour camp! Eventually some of the family returned and the estate is thriving
Crafted from 2 local varieties Fetasca Neagra and Saperavi combined with Cabernet and Merlot this is seriously soft and rich. Ripe notes of blackberry and cherry with hints of pepper and cocoa. 12 months in French oak casks adds roundness and vanilla spice.
Royal Tokaji Late Harvest 2018 12% £13.99 (15.99) Hungary
This wine is making a return to the group having featured previously in one of Phil’s selections, but it is too good to ignore and fits perfectly into the Eastern European theme. Since it is a larger 50cl bottle there is more for you to enjoy! Royal Tokaji was formed in 1990 and brings together 62 small growers from Hungary’s finest winemaking areas. The sweetness is achieved by allowing the grapes extended ripening time on the vine increasing their sugar content. With notes of peach and exotic fruits it has the perfect balance of honeyed sweetness and fresh acidity.
The other white wines we tasted were:-
Royal Tokaji Dry 2019 13% £10.99 (12.99) Hungary Krasno Pinot Bianco 2021 13.5% £8.99 (9.99) Slovenia
and these reds:-
Incanta Pinot Noir 2022 12.5% £7.99 (8.99) Romania Colliano Merlot 2021 13.5% £11.99 (14.99) Slovenia
our next meeting scheduled to take place on 3rd October, hosted by Toni and Mick.
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting July 2023
This month our meeting venue was hosted by Debbie, with Phil hosting the wine content. We enjoyed a different evening, on this occasion we were told all about the wine, with the exception of its country of origin. We had to choose the country from a map of Europe. A different approach which was great fun. We largely avoided the obvious places - France, Spain and Italy - and chose wines from Greece, Bulgaria and Hungary, amongst others. None of the wines had been tasted in advance.
Several people liked Wine No. 1 (2017 Artemis Karamolegos – Santorini – 14% £16.50 Luckins) although others were not keen.
Wine No. 2 (2021 Junge Winzer Grauer Burgunder, Austria 13.5%
£8.99 Lidl) was reasonably popular.
Sadly we were unable to taste Wine No. 5 (from Switzerland) as the cork disintegrated - practically to dust - when we tried to open it.
Wine No. 7, (2014 St Stephan's Crown Tokaj Hungary 10%) A dessert wine from Hungary, was not popular amongst the group, despite being the most expensive wine per unit volume (£19 for 50cl). This was unusual the group generally enjoy dessert wines.
Next month, being August, we take a break from the normal formal meetings however it is likely that we will have an informal awayday – perhaps a picnic at a vineyard or we may return to Great Bardfield for their Wine and Jazz by the lake open day.
Barbara will be a host will meet again after the break on September 5th.
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting June 2023
Meeting hosted by Jane and Pete.
Another good session, this time hosted at Peter and Jane’s.
We tried something new this time. We copied a wine critic’s reviews of 4 sparkling rosés and 3 malbecs and we had to trawl through our oenophilic experiences to guess which wine was which.
Not surprisingly, we didn’t have a clue about the sparkling rosés, but the firm favourite turned out to be the Arestel Cava, which we got from Lidl for a mere £5.69.
Again with the malbecs, all of which came from Argentina, there were differences in recognising the wines from their description,
But this time the favourite wine was the 2018 Angelica Zapata malbec, our most expensive wine, which we bought from Tesco for £25. The least favourite turned out to be the cheapest.
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting May 2023
Meeting hosted by Jenny and Phil, wines by Bob.
Many thanks to Jenny and Phil for hosting the recent WAG2 meeting at the beginning of May. This month we were looking at a selection of wines priced between £10.99 and £15.99 from Virgin Wines. Although the attendees did not know it, two originated in France, the others came from Austria, Portugal, Northern Greece, Chile and California. They were asked to guess where in the World they came from and achieved mixed success.
Of the whites the favourite was the Gruner Vietliner from Austria, followed by the Greek Assrytiko with the Portugeuse Vinho Verde trailing in third place.
The Rose was deemed a bit insipid, but we have yet to find a Rose that we all liked. The Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon proved to be the favourite wine of the night, and also the cheapest, read into that what you will!
The Californian Zinfandel garnered some praise.
Kies Gruner Veltliner 2021 12.5% £13.99
Ardido Vinho Verde 2021 11.5% £11.99
Kir Yianni Assyrtiko 2021 13.5% £15.99
Penombre Rose 2022 12.5% £12.99
Astro Costera Cabnernet Sauvignon 2021 13% £10.99
The Intrepid Bear Zinfandel 2022 13.5% £11.99
We finished with a dessert wine from Majestic, which as they usually are, was appreciated by all
Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes 2016 14% £14.99
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting April 2023 - There was no meeting this month due to illness.
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting March 2023
Meeting hosted by Peter and Glenda
The theme of the evening was ‘Nostalgia – ain’t what it used to be!’
The wines were divided into 4 groups consisting of Wine A and Wine B – 8 wines in total. The group were asked to say which they preferred A or B. Sometimes A was from the 1970’s and sometimes B, versus a 2023 wine.
1. Mateus Rose (1970) Portugal. Youthful and fresh wine with a touch of sparkle and hints of red fruit.
{versus}
2. Sancerre (1923) France. Made from Pinot Noir grapes from the famous Sancerre vineyards. A delicate rosé with refreshing flavours of stone fruit, red cherries and a long crisp finish, served with salads or spicy food.
3. Cuvee Prestige (2023) France, Cotes de Rhone Village. This wine reveals a beautiful ruby colour and is the prefect accompaniment to roast meats, rustic dishes and mature cheese.
{versus}
4. Bulls Blood (1970) Hungary. Made from the native Furmint grape this has a divine mineral quality. Pear, quince, white peach and a dash of sage to give a fruity, fresh and distinctive wine. The rare volcanic hills of the region give the wine a delicate mineral freshness.
We then had a quiz based around whether an item cost more in 1970 or pro rata in 2023 allowing for inflation (£1 in 1970 is worth £19.79 in today’s money). E.g.
A loaf of bread cost 5d in 1970 equivalent to 86p today. Actual cost today £1.15
A pocket calculator cost £15 in 1970 equivalent to £236 today. Actual cost £10
A cup final ticket cost £2 in 1970 equivalent to £39 today. Actual cost £45 - £225
Refreshments were then served and we continued our wine tasting.
5. Gruner Vetliner (2023) Austria. This wine has white peach and lively lemon fruit flavours backed up with subtle white pepper and spicy notes.
{Versus}
6. Blue Nun Liberfraumilch (1970) Germany. The winemakers have selected this medium sweet white from a blend of traditional German grape varieties to give a floral nose and soft citrus notes. Served chilled goes well with spicy curries.
7. Black Tower (1970) Germany. Refreshing and fruity with flavours of zesty pineapple and lime. Goes well with noodles, veggie wraps and spicy chicken wings.
{versus}
8. Nero Oro. (2023) Sicily. It is very unusual to find a white wine made appassimento style. It is made by drying a portion of grapes on the vine and a proportion in the sun. This method is best known for making decadently rich reds, like Amarone. But this is something entirely new. Grillo is a wonderfully aromatic and distinctly Italian white grape. The perfect base for this style of winemaking. Honeyed and full of dried fruit notes, this has the fresh zing of grapefruit and is delicious with Moroccan spiced rice dishes.
To round off the evening for those with a sweet tooth we sampled a dessert wine.
Tokaji Aszú from Hungary accompanied by a mini dessert.
(Aszú is the Hungarian word for when the grapes are attacked by the botrytis fungus and become dark, dried, shrivelled berries. This fungus pierces the skin of the grapes, allowing the water from the berries to evaporate. This concentrates the sugar, the acids and the flavour).
Conclusion: the majority of wines were liked 50:50 with the exception of Blue Nun which was a clear favourite with everyone!
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting February 2023
Meeting kindly hosted by Sheila & John
2023 Feb 7- WAG2 Wine Meeting – Why did we taste that wine?
Our first meeting of the year when 12 of us met at John & Sheila’s for an evening of sampling wines linked to celebrities or traditions. It involved a musical quiz whereby a short piece of music would be played and once that was known it should then help to lead to the person or tradition that it was linked to. Some found this easier than others!
We began with a track from Born to Run (Valentine Day) by Bruce Springstein and the wine we sampled was Orvieto Denominazione di origine Controllata Classico a full flavoured white wine costing £5.00 from Sainsbury and this was one of the faavourite wines of the night. This wine is from Terni, Italy the area in which Saint Valentine was born and beheaded.
Next we listened to “Iconic” a song by Canadian singer Alanis Morissette and the words in this song include It’s a black fly in your Chardonnay. We tasted Le Champ Des Etoiles Chardonnay 2021 from Laithwaites costing £10.49 which was not so well liked. Chardonnay is also linked to Bridget Jones as her favourite tipple and in her Diaries she writes about drinking copious amounts. However it is said that the sales of Chardonnay dropped dramatically afterwards, who wants to drink wine that makes you miserable!
Thirdly we listened to Mozart Don Giovanni (the Champagne aria) the name comes from an old tradition that required the singer to swig a glass of champagne before launching into the tongue twisting lyric and then hurl the glass away. For this one we sampled Etienne Brut Champagne from Sainsbury at£17.00 a bottle. This was also well liked and good value.
After a short break with nibbles, we continued with Whispering Angel Cotes de Provence Rose from the Esclans valley in France, a mixture of grapes including Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, 13% vol and costing £20.00. Currently a very trendy wine as it is Adele’s favourite tipple! The music link was Adele - I Drink Wine.
Our 5th wine was related to legendary actor Michael Douglas and the music was from Fatal Attraction. When at the Global Awards and asked about his favourite wine he said he liked Spanish wines Tempranillo being his favourite. We tasted Running with Bulls Tempranillo although this was from South Australia not Spain. This was from Tesco and cost £8.00.
Our last wine of the evening was Dark Horse a California Cabernet Sauvignon bold complex smooth with notes of plum a hint of oak and a smooth finish. From Sainsbury at £8.50. Ideally we should have been trying Chimney Rock as this was the wine linked to the music from Sex in the City. Carrie played by Sarah Jessica Parker frequently has a glass in her hand. However at £86.00 a bottle outside our budget.
Our next meeting is on March 7th hosted by Peter and Glenda, the theme yet to be revealed.
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