The February 2013 gathering of WoW found us in a football
stadium, which you might think is
strange place to taste wine – however we were actually in Derek’s
fabulous apartment in the old Arsenal stadium in Highbury, rather than
gathering on a rain sodden and muddy pitch (although there may well be a new
sport combining kicking balls and drinking wine – with extra points for not
spilling - if we could combine it with an ice rink it might give us a chance of more Winter Olympic medals).
Derek had decided to set us a challenge – starting with
providing an almost unprecedented number of wines (giving the challenge of
remaining sober enough to remember what things tasted like). He had chosen two
examples of 6 of the “big 8” grape varieties (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay,
Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon) – in
other words 12 wines in total and 6 grape varieties.
You would think this would be relatively easy – well known
grape varieties, that make up the bulk of everyday drinking – surely we should
be able to easily identify the grape type!!!! As the notes below reveal, this
was in some cases trickier than we expected………
One thing we did learn, was that there are a lot of wines
around the £6 / £7 mark that are good easy drinking – fruit driven and not
particularly complex, but perfectly decent (although this might also be a
reflection of the relative lack of sophistication of our palates).
We started with Prosecco (which wasn’t part of the formal part
of the evening and so I won't write anymore about that, other than to say how lovely Prosecco is).
The first two wines were a Chateau Ksara, Cuvee du Pape Chardonnay 2010 (Lebanon) and a Yellowtail, Unoaked Chardonnay, 2013(Australia). This was an easy grape to
identify – I think we all got this very quickly. The Chateau Ksara was the more interesting
wine – quite obviously oaked, but with some citrus taste and quite a honeyed
nose – but at £12 per bottle nearly twice the price of the Yellowtail (which is
£6.19 at Waitrose). The Yellowtail was a
complete contrast, and demonstrated the impact of oaking on wines – the Yellowtail
was light, dry and very citrus-y – almost like a new world Sauvignon Blanc.
We then moved onto a couple of wines that were a bit more
difficult to identify (although we got there eventually) – these were The Ned,Pinot Grigio (New Zealand) and an Italia, Pinot Grigio, 2013 (Italy). Waitrose sell the Ned at £9.99 and describe
it as “Pear drop, white blossom and nectarine aromas and flavours support the
palate, which displays purity and energy”.
I’m not sure that I got all of those flavours, but it did set us off on
a Viognier route, then wandering around Alsace (and their very nice Pinot Gris
wines, which then led a discussion of a road trip to Italy via Alsace), until
we tasted the Italia, which sadly was an example of why Italian Pinot Grigio
gets a bad name (but did immediately allow us to identify the grape). The Italia
was thin and a bit acidic – Waitrose sell it at £7.49 and describe it as “A
wonderfully crisp and aromatic wine from the north of Italy. The stylish bottle
and modern flavour profile make it a great purchase both as an everyday
accompaniment to a wide range of foods, or as a welcomed gift”. I think the
fact they are talking about the “stylish bottle” tells you all you need to know……
We then moved on to the white wines that confused us – an
Emiliana Riesling from Chile and the Robert Oatley, Great Southern Riesling,2012 (Australia). Feeling smug after
identifying the first two wines, we struggled with these. Both were good wines – the Emiliana was quite
full on and fruity – more like a Gewurztraminer in terms of the intensity of
flavours, while the Oatley was a drier wine, with much more mineral tastes – at
the time I hadn’t realised it was from Western Australia.
We then moved on to the red wines, starting with a couple of
Pinot Noirs (which we got straight away).
These were firstly the Turning Leaf, Pinot Noir California, 2012 (USA), which
was a very fruit driven and quite simple wine, but very easy drinking. Alongside that we had the Wither Hills,
Marlborough Pinot Noir 2010 (New Zealand), which was a much better wine. Majestic, going all poetic on us, describe
this as “Enticing aromas of ripe black cherry and rich plum with hints of
liquorice and rose petal. Silky and sublime, with cocoa notes and a purity of
youthful, bright and elegant fruit flavours and subtle power”, and sell it for
£12.49.
The next set of reds were easily identified as Merlot’s –
both with a fruit driven and not hugely complex approach. Both the Barefoot Merlot, California NV (USA) and the Cellier des Dauphins, Merlot / Grenache NV (France) were about
£6. There was a clear distinction
between the new world and old world wine, with the French wine being drier and
having more tannin. Both though were fairly uncomplicated and very easy
drinking.
The final reds (like the whites) were less easy to identify –
although after 10 wines the fact we were saying anything other than “mmmmm, it’s
wine, red, yes…….” Is impressive. Derek
didn’t make it easy by making one of the wines
very unusual blend, an Elaborar, Oak Aged Cabernet Sauvignon /Tempranillo / Grenache 2007 (Spain) which was matched against a Gallo Family Vineyards, California Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 (USA). The Gallo was much more typical of a Cabernet
Sauvignon, with at least some of the pencil shaving / graphite smells and
tannins you expect, although it was still quite easy drinking. The Elaborar had lots of bramble fruit and a
bit of pepper, which made us think first of Shiraz – currently on offer at
Ocado for less than £6, this was very good value.
Overall, a great evening and thanks to Derek (and great food too)!
