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The purpose of the evening was to look at choosing
the right wine for your Christmas celebration, and suggesting an
order of serving them. Various foods in the form of smoked salmon,
assorted cheeses, patés, sausage rolls and chocolate were
brought in by members, and thanks to them for contributing to the
evening.
There is no substitute for Champagne or sparkling wine for greeting
guests: We started with Canaletto Sparkling Pinot Grigio
Casa Girelli (Thresher £7.99). This was fresh and
crisp, with spicy pear fruit, and an off-dry slightly metallic finish.
It was pleasant and inoffensive, fading relatively quickly in the
mouth, but was considered an agreeable party wine, if not overpriced
by £2-3.
CHP rating: 5/10, average 5/10.
Aromatic dry whites with crisp acidity can make good appetisers
and can be continued into the starter course. We tried the Douglas
Green Sauvignon Blanc 2003 from Western Cape, South Africa
(£4.99 Safeway, Somerfield). It had pungent, fresh green gooseberry
fruit, but overall disappointed, as it was essentially rather dull
and flat, and had a bitter, slightly metallic finish.
CHP rating 5/10, Average 5/10.
It was suggested that the starter course would be cold, pre-prepared
and possibly fish or seafood-based, such as prawns or smoked salmon.
The classic match is White Burgundy from France, or Chardonnay from
the New World.
The Beau Monde White Burgundy (Chardonnay) Grande Reserve
2002 (Sainsbury, Waitrose £6.99) had classic, understated
fruit. It was crisp, with citrussy vanilla and butter, but perhaps
a tad sharp. The finish was pleasant.
CHP rating 6/10, average 5/10.
Moving to California, we then tried the Bonterra Chardonnay/Sauvignon
Blanc/Muscat 2002 (£6.99 Sainsbury, Safeway). The
idea of the blend is that the Sauvignon Blanc provides acidity and
the Muscat perfume to the rich buttery Chardonnay. The nose was
cheesy, but on the palate it was rich, soft and buttery. Disappointingly,
it faded from view rather quickly.
CHP 5/10, Average 4.5/10.
Kumala’s “Journey’s End” Chardonnay
2002 Stellenbosch South Africa (Waitrose £14.99)
is the flagship of this brand, and proved to be a real heavyweight.
Full-bodied, this had flavours of oak, toast, vanilla, coated with
spiced butter and butterscotch.
This divided opinion, but for me, it was an overbloated, over-priced
show wine, where the fruit was completely dominated by too much
oak. The wine was too alcoholic, and out of balance.
CHP rating: 5/10, Average 6/10.
The Chardonnay can be carried through to the turkey course. It’s
a meat which combines well with white or red wine. The only caveat
is that the white meat can dry out too easily. Hence the buttery
element in Chardonnay works well. For the same reasons, with a red
wine, avoid anything too tannic, as this can accentuate the dryness
of the meat and harshness in the wine.
Our next wine was the Baron Rothschild Mouton-Cadet Bordeaux
2000 (£7.55 widely available). This popular generic,
and a personal favourite of one of our group, was rather thin and
weedy, and certainly over-priced.
I detected stalky and juicy plum and currant fruit, with firm tannins
and a coffee-edged finish. A rather unloved and unlovely claret,
this rated 5/10 by CHP, but received a general rating of 3/10.
By contrast, the Beau Monde Red Burgundy (Pinot Noir) Grande
Reserve 2002 (Sainsbury, Waitrose £6.99) proved to
be the star of the evening. Pinot Noir is regarded as the best match
for traditional fayre, but good Red Burgundy is generally unaffordable.
This humble offering delighted, with its red fruits, squeeze of
lemon and rich silk smooth dark chocolate finish. A real find and
enjoyed by all.
CHP rating 8/10, average 7/10.
Turning to the New World, we then tasted the Bellingham
Shiraz 2002 Coastal Region, South Africa. It was a rather
stinky, sulphury, boot polish and liquorice confection, with notes
of rubber. Not well received, this scored poorly.
CHP rating: 4/10, general 4/10.
I preferred the red Bonterra Shiraz/Carignan/Sangiovese
2002 California (Safeway £6.99) to the white. With
juicy bramble and black cherry fruit, this was quite rich and spicy.
The finish, though was toffee-like and sweet, and not universally
well-received.
CHP rating: 5/10, average 5/10.
The second flagship wine, the Kumala Winemakers’ Selection
2002 Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon (£9.99 Threshers),
in my view, was better than the white, both in terms of balance
and cost. It had smoky, juicy plums and black fruits, seasoned with
spice and pepper, evolving to a smooth, rich coffee-ground finish.
Most agreed it was still a little too pricey, but received an average
score of 6/10.
CHP rating: 6/10.
To finish, with the pudding, we tried a fortified Madeira, Blandy’s
Duke of Clarence Malmsey (£8.99-£9.49 Waitrose
and others). Not overly sweet, this had baked caramel, cut through
with bitter marmalade and spice, and sprinkled with nuts. A complex
animal, this got a CHP rating of 7/10 and an universal rating of
7/10, as it was generally well liked. Perhaps a better match for
a sticky toffee pudding, as it just lacked a little sweetness.
Next Tasting:
Wednesday, 21st January 2004
“Wines of the Loire Valley”
Oddbins, 242a Hagley Road,
Edgbaston, Birmingham
Cost: £10 per person
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