This evening took the form of a fun wine-tasting, to help members try and identify 8 classic grape varieties. The wines were served blind, and each member was asked to identify the grape, the country or region, and finally, the vintage.

The Wines:

1. Riesling: Palandri “Boundary Road” 2003 Frankland River, Western Australia.
Pale straw in colour, with a bouquet of green apples and lime, and a hint of kerosene. On the palate, there was crisp apple and lime fruit with a touch of oil, spoilt by a nasty bitter aftertaste.

2. Chenin Blanc: Brown Brothers 2003, S.E. Australia
Lemon-straw appearance, with aromas of quince and pear. Medium-dry and crisp, this tasted of quince and pear, but again had an unpleasant bitter finish.

3. Sauvignon Blanc: Montana 2004, Marlborough New Zealand
Pale straw in colour, with a pungent, vegetally and green capsicum bouquet. Big and full-flavoured, it took no prisoners. Lacked any grace or subtlety.

4. Chardonnay Esser Cellars 2003 California
Honeyed straw, with a developed bouquet of honey, vanilla and toast. Very smooth, with vanilla, peach and toasted flavours, with a pleasing finish. A little too polished and lacking in character, particularly fruit or minerality.

5. Pinot Noir: Cartlidge & Brown 2003, California.
At first, this was rather cardboardy and vegetally, but with a little air, some cherry fruit and Pinot character began to shine through. Lighter coloured than the other three reds, this glimmered with some pleasant cherry fruit, silky richness and some chocolate on the finish. A little hot and spicy, at times stewed and muddy, it was a passable effort for a difficult variety.
6. Merlot: La Baume 2003 Vin de Pays d’Oc, France

Medium-bodied dark red, this smelled of juicy plums and leather. There was a faint reductive odour, of burnt types, possibly caused by the screw-cap, but this dissipated with air. This had classic flavours of juicy plums and leather, with soft tannins and a pleasing chocolate–powder finish.

7. Shiraz: Masterpeace 2004, SE Australia

Almost inky black in colour, with a sweet blackberry nose. On the palate, firm blackberry fruit, seasoned with pepper and spice, with some residual sugar on the finish. A touch too sweet for me.

8. Cabernet Sauvignon: Anakena Reservado 2002, Chile
Dark inky concentration, with an atypical bouquet of rose petals and perfumed plums. Good, firm structure, with drying tannins and some black chocolate on the finish.

It may have said Cabernet Sauvignon on the label, but this blend was dominated by the Chilean signature grape, Carmenere.
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The three highest scores were Eric 33, Tim 32, and Dan 28. Congratulations to our new member, Eric, and Tim, who each went home with a bottle of wine each.

Next Tasting:

Tuesday 29th March, 2005
Wines of South America
St. Augustine’s Church Hall, 9 Lyttleton Road, Edgbaston
To avoid disappointment, book early with Tim White
Tickets: £10 per head