Inaugural
Michael chose a selection of wines from some countries he has visited, for the inaugural Wine on Wednesday meet-up:
Starter wine. Italy. Prosecco San Leo. (Waitrose, £8.99 - on offer £6.75)
1. France. Picqpoul de Pinet 2010 (Majestic, £6.49)
2. New Zealand. Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (Waitrose, £6.49)
3. Greece. Hatzidakis Santorini White 2009 (Vinoteca, £12.99)
4. Australia. The Hedonist Shiraz 2008 (Waitrose, £11.99 was on offer @ £9.00)
5. Argentina. Gestos Malbec Malbec 2010 (Majestic, £6.49)
6. Spain. Imperial Rioja Gran Reserva 1999 (Waitrose, £27.99 was on offer @ £21.00)
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| Decanted reds |
The Piquepol had a fresh, green, lychee taste to it, and was very refreshing. We were trying to guess the countries and grapes as Michael had not showed us the bottles when he poured, and after we'd narrowed it down to France I was very pleased with myself for accurately guessing Languedoc. However, my (extremely limited) wine knowledge (or just lucky guessing skills!) completely deserted me as I completely failed to remember the Languedoc grape is Piquepoul. Fortunately I was in good company as none of us knew! I think the consensus was that this was a good, refreshing summery wine, perfect for a hot climate.
2. New Zealand. Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2010. 13%
The cat was out of the bag in terms of knowing what this wine was when served. Wither Hills is already a favourite of mine, and I think it is a great example of good New Zealand Sauvignon. I preferred the fresh citrus taste of the Wither Hills wine, and it had a much less sour aftertaste than the Picqpoul.
3. Greece. Hatzidakis Santorini White 2009. 13.5%
I'd not had Greek wine before, and so the guessing game of where it was from took a good while. Once we'd settled on Greece, the wine itself gave us some clues as to where it was from - it had mineral, sulphurous notes and Nish took all those clues and guessed the volcanic island of Santorini. I was a bit disappointed by this wine, and suspect the price tag reflects the fact that Greek wine isn't as common rather than the quality. Admittedly, I think I'm getting the beginnings of a cold, so wasn't getting much from the smell of the whites, and perhaps that affected my appreciation, but I would happily have chosen either the Picqpol or the Wither Hills Sauvignon over the Santorini every time.
3. Greece. Hatzidakis Santorini White 2009. 13.5%
I'd not had Greek wine before, and so the guessing game of where it was from took a good while. Once we'd settled on Greece, the wine itself gave us some clues as to where it was from - it had mineral, sulphurous notes and Nish took all those clues and guessed the volcanic island of Santorini. I was a bit disappointed by this wine, and suspect the price tag reflects the fact that Greek wine isn't as common rather than the quality. Admittedly, I think I'm getting the beginnings of a cold, so wasn't getting much from the smell of the whites, and perhaps that affected my appreciation, but I would happily have chosen either the Picqpol or the Wither Hills Sauvignon over the Santorini every time.
Rich, sweet, full-bodied and delicious, The Hedonist Shiraz was easily my wine of the evening - which came as a huge surprise to me. I've been avoiding Shiraz for a while; the last few bottles I have drunk have been huge, thudding great sour tanniny beasts, and I haven't enjoyed them at all. Of course, Michael had treated this one properly and had decanted it four hours earlier - and I'm pretty sure everything I have drunk recently was straight away after opening. So this McLaren Vale Shiraz was a fantastic surprise, and I will definitely go out and buy a few bottles - and probably a decanter!
5. Argentina. Gestos Malbec Malbec 2010. 14%
So good they named it twice; the Gestos Malbec Malbec is so-called because it it blends Malbec grapes from two different altitudes (700m and 1100m) . The wine was heavy on the tobacco and leather; still sweet but not as much as The Hedonist Shiraz, and though it was a very enjoyable wine, I think I was still rather blown away by The Hedonist and just wanted more of that!
So good they named it twice; the Gestos Malbec Malbec is so-called because it it blends Malbec grapes from two different altitudes (700m and 1100m) . The wine was heavy on the tobacco and leather; still sweet but not as much as The Hedonist Shiraz, and though it was a very enjoyable wine, I think I was still rather blown away by The Hedonist and just wanted more of that!
6. Spain. CVNE. Imperial Rioja Gran Reserva 1999. 13%
This was a good example of a well developed Rioja. It is aged in oak casks for 24 months then at least 3 years in the bottle before rebasing. It has an intense ruby red colour but lighter than the thick blackcurrant of the Shiraz. On the nose , blackberries and liquorice predominate the powerful structure. It was a smooth satisfying mouthful, but it too probably suffered by following the powerful Hedonist. The tannins are mature and the wine has developed elegance from its time in barrel. Michael reported he found the Rioja to have a very long finish with the distinctive oaky Rioja Alta flavour lasting even into the middle of the next day!
I can't complete this write-up of our first Wine on Wednesday without making special mention of the amazing contributions from Giles! Even though he wasn't attending (and won't be in future, because he doesn't drink wine!), Giles was amazing and baked us the most fantastic focaccia. It was really amazing - beautifully glazed with rosemary and salt, and went very nicely indeed with Michael's home-made pesto. Giles also made us a couple of part-baked fougasse for Micahel to finish off, which is not a bread I'd eaten before.
It was equally beautiful; crisp and crunchy and delicious. So thank you Giles, that was an amazing thing to have added to the evening for us!!
Michael also had a couple of fantastic cheeses - more once I get the details of what they were from him!
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| Giles' Foccacia |
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| Fougasse from the kitchen of Dr Giles |
Michael also had a couple of fantastic cheeses - more once I get the details of what they were from him!
