April 2018. Unusual Grape Varieties, Phil Miles

As it was the AGM, Our Chairman, Phil Miles presented a set of wines made from obscure grape varieties. And these are obscure! Amazingly they are also readily available – M&S or Laithwaites and inexpensive. For those who don't know the first 4 are whites, the rest reds.

Apostolos Thymiopoulos	Thiva	Malagouzia	Central Greece	2016	12.0%	£10.00	M&S
Le Revelation	Carcassonne	Chasan	France	2016	13.0%	£11.00	Laithwaites
Chateau Mukhrani	Kartli	Rkatsiteli	Georgia	2015	13.0%	£10.00	M&S
Lyrakakis	Heraklion	Dafni	Crete	2016	13.0%	£10.00	M&S
Cabeza De Toro	Utiel-Requena	Bobal	, Spain	2015	12.5%	£8.50	Laithwaites
Aluado	Lisbon	Alicante Bouschet	Portugal	2016	13.0%	£9.50	Laithwaites
Pillastro	Puglia	Susumaniello	Italy	2015	13.5%	£11.00	Laithwaites
Alexis Machua	Paphos	Maratheftiko	Cyprus	2015	13.0%	£9.00	M&S

The whites were all fine, but this is one of the problems with modern whites – clean fresh, well made etc... Nothing to complain about at all, except they are all a bit same-y. But you won't be dissappointed either.

The reds were more interesting. The Alicante Bouschet is a very particular taste, but deep, deep red. Itsoften added to other wines to add body and colour. Many liked it. The Susumaniello was widely liked – full bodied, well rounded, and a real star. The Maratheftiko however was really quite tannic, too tannic for most.

That being said, all of these wines are a good buy, and worth a punt to see if oyu like them, and are after something a little off-piste.