July 2018. Languedoc and Piedmont. Bill & Keith

This evening was presented by our very own Bill & Keith. Keith presented wines from Languedoc, where he visits every year, all wines bought in France. Bill presented wines from the other side of the Alps, from Piedmont in Italy.

The wines were:

Whites

Chateau Rives Blanques. Blanquette de Limoux (Mauzac), 2016. €10.80

Araldica Vini Piemontese. (Cortese) 2017. Wine Society £5.95

Chateau Rives Blanques. Dedicace 2017 (Chenin Blanc) €10.20

Cantina Del Nebbiolo. Langhe Nascetta 2016 (Nascetta) Wine Society £11.50

Reds

Ciabot Berton. Barbera d'Alba Fisetta (Barbera) Wine Society £10.95

Domaine Lorgeril. Chateau de Pennautier Cabardes 2015 (6 grape blend). Majestic £11.99/9.99

Luigi Einaudi. Dogliani 2016 (Dolcetto) Wine Society £11.50

Dessert

Chateau Rives Blanques..Lagremas D'Aur 2016 (Chenin Blanc) €13.50

All excellent wines and a good evening with over 40 people showing up

June 2018. Wines of Brazil. Nick Corfe

Nicholas Corfe – Go Brazil Wines www.gobrazilwines.com

Don Guerino Brut Chardonnay – Sparkling (Charmat method) - £15

Sinais Sauvignon Blanc 2017 - £11.50

Sinais Italico Riesling (AKA Welsch Riesling) - £11.50

Campo de Cima Viognier - £12.00

Aurora Varietal Pinot Noir 2015 - £7

Sinais Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 - £11.50

Don Guerino Reserva Telodego 2016 - £16

Pizzato Reserva Tannat 2012 - £18

Nick presented 8 wines from Brazil, all available direct from the website. He did say that Brazil is an expensive country, so the wines are all a touch more pricey than their competition, but not madly so.

Pretty well all of Brazils wines come from the very south of the country, close by Uruguay and Argentina – there are also some grown in the centre close by the equator.

The fizz was a well balanced, biscuitty style, which many liked, and at £15 compares well with many other decent sparkling wines.

The 2 Sinais whites, were yet another example of clean, fresh, well made whites – no complaints there, while the Viognier was a good example of the rich and oily Viogniers that I personally really like.

The Pinot Noir is, as Nick admitted, getting close to past its best, but many liked it, and if PN is your thing, its a steal at £7.

The Teroldego is an unusual grape variety from Northern Italy, and a good wine with hints of cherry & smokiness in there.

Finally, the Tannat, which at 6 years old, was still quite tannic – will it soften with age? Time will tell.

May 2018 Keith Grainger.- Cru Borgeois

This month we had Bordeaux Wines presented by Keith Grainger.

The main focus was on reds from the Haut Medoc, although we started with a Sauvignon Blanc and finished with a Sauternes.

Price wise, the reds were all in the £13 - £17 region, although as they were all bought at the Chateau, Keith used the Euro price to give a guide. Actual UK retail prices will be in that sort of region.

Keith is a real enthusiast for these wines, and you will have an entertaining evening.

However, for me the red wines here were all too similar – all a Cab Sauv/Merlot/Petit Verdot mix and although Keith implored us to search for the differences, I really couldn't. I guess I'm just not a Cru-Borgeois kind of guy. I did get in a bit of trouble at the end when the “mature” and “at its peak” 2010 Chateau La Tour Haut Causann felt to me to be well over the top, and lacking in character & fruit. Sacrilege!

I did rather like the first wine, and at £8.50 it is pretty good value from the Wine Society.

2017 Dourthe No1 Bordeaux Suavignon Blanc

2015 Chateau d'Hanteillan – Haut Medoc +

2015 Chateau Cambon La Pelouse – Haut Medoc

2014 Chateau Barreyres – Haut Medoc

2014 Chateau Fonreaud – Listrac Medoc

2014 Chateau Larose Trintaudon – Haut Medoc

2010 Chateau La Tour Haut Causann – Haut Medoc

2014 The Societies Exhibition Sauternes

www.crus-bourgeois.com

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.

March 2018 - WInes of Uruguay, Carla Bertellotti

For the 3rd time in 8 years, we had Carla presenting her range of Uruguayan Wines, particularly Uruguay's signature grape variety, the Tannat. As always, some good wines at some good prices

The Wines:
Marichal Permium Varietal Chardonnay 2017. £11.99
De Lucca Marsanne Reserve 2016 (Marsanne/Roussane). £9.99
Vinedos de Los Vientos Estival 2016 (Gewurztraminer/Chardonnay/Moscato Bianco). £12.99
Vinedos de Los Vientos Notos 2016 (Nebbiolo/Tannat). £12.99
De Lucca Nero D'Avola 2016. £16.99
Vinedos de Los Vientos Anarkia 2017 (Tannat). £12.99
De Lucca Tannat Merlot Reserve 2013. £11.99
Bodegones del Sur Tannat 2015. £13.99

The Marsanne is a marmite wine - love it or hate it - a very particular style. For me, a bit like a cross between a classic Gewurz and an old style heavily oaked chardonnay. I really liked it. Many didn't.
The Estival Gewurz blend is again something that perhaps shouldn't really work, but does, really well - the Moscato adds a nice touch of fresh grapiness.
The reds were all good, with perhaps the Anarkia being the most popular on the night, although I went for the Tannat/Merlot reserve.

Claras website is www.winesofuruguay.co.uk - well worth looking at

February 2018. English Wines, Robin Goldsmith

This February we had English Wines, Presented by Robin Goldsmith www.thewritetaste.co.uk.

The wines were:

• Jenkyn Place, Classic Cuveee. Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier - £29.50
• Exton park, Blanc De Noirs Pinot Noir - £29.95
• Chapel Down. Kit's Coty Blanc de Blancs. Chardonnay -£40
• Hush Heath. Balfour Brut Rose Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier - £29.50
• 2014 £38
• Nyetimber Rose NV Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier - £39.99
• Camel Valley. Darnibole Bacchus - £17.99
• Chapel Down. Bacchus reserve - £14.99
• Bolney. Lychgate Red. Rondo. - £14.99

The real difficulty for me is the sheer price of many of these wines. As you can get a half decent fizz for £10, and a half decent Champagne for £20, the sparkling English wines have a real challenge. So they are a bit niche. And for me, the first 4 were very much at the dry brut end of the scale. I did like the Nytimber as it came across as more well developed and rounded, and less austere.

The Bacchus wines were interesting, and certainly worth trying whilst the Lychgate Rondo Red was a bit of a novelty. A most peculiar nose, but tasted pretty good.

January 2018 - New Years Party

January, as always, was the UWS New Years Party

For the record the wines were:

Sparkling:

Bouvet Sparkling Saumur

Whites:

Dr Loosen Grey Slate Riesling

Invivo Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Valley (NZ)

Reds

Incanta Pinot Noir – Romania

Catena Malbec – Argentina

Dessert

Concha y Toro Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Valle Del Maule

Domaine de Leyrissat Monbazillac

Harveys Signature 12YO Cream Sherry.

All readily available Waitrose, Majestic etc....