February 2013 - Waitrose Fine Wines

Well, we were desperate - Esther had drawn a blank and been let down by several speakers, so I decided to give it a whirl, and present Waitrose Fine Wines between £10 and £15 per bottle. The logic being that its the kind of price we might not normally pay, but would spend on a special bottle

All were selected from the racks at Waitrose Ruislip, although I did cheat on one.

The wines were

Leitz Rudesheimer Rosegarten Kabinett (Rheingau) - Riesling 2011. 9.5%

DeGrendel Cape Town.- Sauvignon Blanc 2011 13.5%
Hahn St Lucia Highlands 2010 (California) Chardonnay 14%
Gewurtztraminer – Paul Blanck 2011 13.5%
Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore. - Recchia 2009 14% Vol
Chateau Reynella 2008 Shiraz 14.5%
Blason du Rhone - Chateauneuf du Pape 2010 14%
Brazin Zinfandel Lodi (California) 2009 15%

I cheated on the Reynella, as it was £15.99, but I like it..

Generally, all good, but the De Grendel was a touch dissappointing, as was the Blason de Rhone - which was reduced from £21 to £14.

The star wine was the Reynella - very worth grabbing if you see some.

January - New Years Party

A good do, excellent turnout, and several new members.
Tony stocked up on the wines (except the stickies) before Christmas, to get some great deals - A Cordonieu fizz to start, then a Zalze Chenin Blanc and a Gerard Bertrand Viognier. For the reds, a Gerard Bertrand Minervois and a Portillo Malbec were good.
Pudding wines were a little more difficult, as Tony found that post-xmas, the range of stickies is much reduced, so we had to put up with (??) a very nice Elysium and that old standby, Mavrodaphne of Patras, which is always great value.