Darren's Wine on Wednesday theme was: "Wines from places in the world you'd forgotten or didn't know made wine."
A promising start, for sure.
However (and unsurprisingly), Darren chose some superlative wines. We were supplied with a list of possible countries and grape varieties/blends - including a few obvious red herrings (like Wales). We then had to see if we could identify the country and the grape, and then guess the price banding (under £8, £8-£20, over £20).
I made it easy for myself, and just guessed "Wales" every time - mainly from a misguided sense of semi-national pride (I assume I only have semi-national pride, being only half Welsh).
Surprisingly, we weren't too far off, all of the time! Hot country versus cold country, based on taste and smell, was an important differentiating factor, and helped us narrow things down (those of us who weren't just guessing "Wales").
Even more surprising - the outstanding white wine of the evening was a fantastic aromatic dry white wine.... from a Welsh vineyard just north of Monmouth! It was the Monnow Valley Huxelrebe/Seyval Blanc: Welsh Table Wine 2007. The wine really caught us by surprise, not least because it is really well priced (most good English wines I've had have been £12 plus). Annoyingly, this was possibly one of the only guesses I made that wasn't Wales.
The red wine of the night, for me, was the last (which I don't think had too much to do with it!): the Orovela Saperavi from Georgia. Nish was right on the money as she knows her Georgian wines, and it was a big rich intense wine which I really really enjoyed.
The full list, with tasting notes from the suppliers:
Sparkling
BRAZIL: Miolo Brut Millesime: £16.49 (South American Wines Online)
A Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend. Light yellow presenting a green reflection
with fine and resistant bubbles. Complex and pleasant range of fruit and aging
bouquets (yeast maturation). Balanced
acidity, fine body, leaving a pleasant taste in the mouth.
White Wine 1
URUGUAY: Gimenez Mendez Sauvignon Blanc: £9.99
This wine has a very pale hue, in fact it is almost crystal
clear, showing just a faint tinge of straw. The nose is very pungent, filled to
the brim with grassy, weedy, green capsicum aromas. It has a very full-on
character on the palate, with a very firm and forceful structure. There is
plenty of tart acidity, a lot of green, grassy character, and again a pungent
style as on the nose. A firm although slightly juicy style, dominated through
to the finish by that firm acidity.
White Wine 2
SLOVENIA: Puklavec and Friends Sauvignon Blanc 2009:
£6.40 (Waitrose Wine)
This is a wonderfully fresh and aromatic white bursting with
grapefruit and lime flavours, notes of freshly cut grass and a long finish with
a twist of minerality. Grown on steep terraces near the village of Jeruzalem in
Slovenia, the Sauvignon Blanc grapes are hand-harvested to ensure optimum
quality. An excellent wine to enjoy with mildly spiced dishes.
White Wine 3
WALES: Monnow Valley Huxelrebe/Seyval Blanc: Welsh
Table Wine 2007: £6.90 (
Madeleine Angevine, Huxelrebe and Seyval Blanc vines grow on
the steep valley sides above the River Monnow, just a mile north of historic
town Monmouth. A light, aromatic and fresh, medium-dry wine which is best
served chilled. Flavours of peach and
apple.
White Wine 4
INDIA: Ritu Viognier 2010 Baramati: £8.54
Indian wine is increasingly making a name for itself around
the world for modern, well made styles that speak of the unique land they come
from. This delicious Viognier encapsulates the sunny days and cool nights the
Baramati region enjoys with its crisp, aromatic style. The wine is bursting
with aromas of white flowers and ripe peach and fresh apricot fruit flavours.
White Wine 5
URUGUAY:
Pisano Rio de los Pajaros Viognier: £12.95
Aromatic and fruity, with generous flowery aromas from
apples and pears. Reminiscence of figs and citrus on the palate, balanced by
delicious acidity and a long finish.
Red Wine 1
Tacama's Gran Tinto is a 12.5% alcohol blend of Malbec,
Tannat and Petit Verdot that pours a deep crimson colour. The nose has copious
ripe, black fruit, with plummy depth and a touch of sweet, damp earth and
violet. On the palate there's a little lick of firm, liquoricy structure here,
with a nicely tart and juicy black cherry acidity, overlaid with much softer
blackberry and spicy fruit compote flavours. A nice, easy-drinking wine this
with very good balance.
Red Wine 2
MEXICO: LA Cetto Petite Sirah, 2008, Baja California, Mexico: £7.80
A deep red - opaque, but young with a vibrant purple rim.
Lovely perfumed edge to the aroma. Palate is big, flavoursome and ripe. An
interesting rustic edge leads the finish with an inky, dry, well rounded end.
Needs some substantial foods.
Bonus Red Wine
CHINA: Dragon Seal NV: Not for sale in the UK
“DRAGON SEAL vineyards are located in Huailai county, 120Km
northwest of Beijing. Since 1987, Chinese agronomists and French winemakers
carefully crafted Dragon Seal wines respecting French traditional methods to
achieve the best quality, getting DRAGON SEAL wines among the top international
wines. Deep ruby red colour, with
flavours of red and black fruits and subtle oaky notes. Excellent with red
meats, can perfectly accompany any meal.”
Red Wine 3
GREECE: Tsantali Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2008/09
Halkidiki: £6.83
This is a juicy, medium-bodied and elegant Greek red made
from organically grown Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Halkidiki is in Macedonia, on
a peninsula south of Thessaloniki. The wine has a firm structure with notes of
cassis on the palate, making it a cracking partner to lamb and moussaka, or
enjoy with mature cheeses.
Red Wine 4
GEORGIA: Orovela Saperavi 2004: £15.19
A deliciously rich red, Saperavi is an old grape variety
indigenous to Georgia, a place which is regarded by many as the cradle of
winemaking. This limited-production wine is in a modern, fruit-forward style.
The palate shows intense flavours of blackberry and cherry, with a long, smoky
finish.
