September 2019. Rob Seddon - Italian WInes

This months wines wer presented by Rob Seddon of Jackson & Seddon  https://www.jacksonandseddon.com/our-story/

I could only get to end of the meeting, but it is very unusual for several other memebers to greet me with "you missed some fantastic wines", and "some of the best wines I've tasted for years"

So, they're good - apparently.  And here's the list

Villa Ligi – Setticolli 2107 – 70% Chardonnay/30% Verdicchio (Pergola, Le Marche) £20

Il Civettaio – Vermentino 2018– 100% Vermentino (Maremma, Tuscany) £18.00

La Valle Del Solle – Pecorino 2017 – 100% Pecorino (Offida, Le Marche) - £18.50

Il Civettaio – Chiu 2018 – 100% Sangiovese (Maremma, Tuscany) - £15.00

Muralia – Manolibera 2016 – 60% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot, 20% Cab Sauv – (Maremma Tuscany) £18

Corte Malgiacca – Rosso 2013 - 60% Sangiovese/10% Canaiolo/10% Ciliegiolo/20% Syrah – (Lucca, Tuscany) £22

Il Civettaio – Sangiovese 2014 – 100% Sangiovese (Maremma, Tuscany) £23

San Gabriele Arcangelo – Cuccuvaia 2010 – 100% Sangiovese (Maremma, Tuscany) - £37

August 2019 - Duncan Ross, Berkmann Wines. Spanish WInes

Duncan Ross of Berkmann Wine Cellars https://www.berkmann.co.uk/ presented Spanish Wines.

Berkmann are a wholesaler, so you can't order direct, but you will see their wines in restaurants and in retail shops. Prices quoted are those for the Society to order on the evening.

The Wines Were

White

Serra Da Estrella. Albarino 2018. Rias Biaxas, Galicia - £11.05

Azumbre. Verdejo 2018. Rueda, Castilla y Leon - £9.52

Reventos de Alella. Pansa Blanca 2018. Alella, Catalonia - £11.46

Promessa. Rioja Blanca 2018 (Viura/Macabeo). Rioja - £9.22

Red

Casa Bonita, Malbec 2018 (Old/Bush Vines) Castilla La Mancha. £8.05

Soto Manrique. La Transicion Grenache 2017. Cebreros, Castilla y Leon. £9.00

Rar, Priorat 2017. Catalonia £17.70

Finca Valpiedra. Rioja Reserva 2011. Rioja. £21.66

perhaps the most intriguing wine was the Pansa Blanca – a rare grape from Catalonia, with only about 100 Hectares planted. Many liked it, as it had something about it to separate it from all those pleasant, clean well made whites we all know, but perhaps are a little bored of!

Of the reds, the Grenache was considered to be a good buy at £9.00 and 14% - if you see one, that is..

An entertaining evening, with a full house of 44 members.

July 2019 - Wines from Majestic.

Unfortunately Andrew Price, our arranged speaker couldn't make it due to an emergency, which was a real pity as I was really looking forward to Georgian Wines. Hopefully we'll taste them before too long.

Phil, the Chairman, stepped in with a selection of wines from Majestic with a full range of grape varieties and countries

The wines were:

Rustenberg. Chenin Blanc 2018. Stellenbosch South Africa. £10

Russian Jack . Sauvignon Blanc 2017. Marborough New Zealand £9

Peter & Ulrich. Dry Riesling 2018. Mosel Valley Germany. £10

Montes. Chardonnay 2015. Casablanca Valley Chile. £9

Salvaje del Montecayo. Garnacha 2015. Navarra Spain £10

Santa Rita. Medalla Real Carmenere 2017. Colchagua Chile £11

Surani. Costa Rossa. Primitivo 2018. Puglia Italy £9

Wakefield Estate Cab/Sauvignon 2016. Clare Valley Australia £10

June 2019 WIne Quiz with Peter Freeman

This month it was a quiz presented by Peter Freeman. 8 wines with associated questions.

It started a bit slowly, but developed into quite an interesting evening. The quiz was quite difficult, but not too much – the winning team got (I think) 42 marks out of a possible 77. Peter did point out that setting wine quizzes these days is quite different, as 30 years ago, they'd be much more about prestigious French wines, while today, the world of wine is much wider, and there's less interest in the French wine.

The prize – a bunch of quarter bottles of wine – I think the chairman must have mugged an Airline Steward at some point.

The wines were:

German – Ahr Weissburgunder

Chilean Viognier

Australian Sauvignon Blanc, Hunter valley (tasted blind)

Beaujolais – Brouilly 2016

Fronsac 1998

Cune Rioja Reserva 2013

Porcupine Ridge Shiraz/Viognier blend (tasted blind)

Madeira – 10 yr old Malmsey.

May 2019. Ferro 13 (Italian) wines by Carl Koenen of Myliko wines

This Month we had Carl Koenen of Myliko Wines (www.mylikowines.co.uk) presenting italian wines from Ferro 13, a grouping of boutique wine makers https://www.ferro13.it/en/who-we-are/

The wines were:

• The Boss Prosecco. DOC2017. Millesimato Extra Dry. 11% £16.55
• The Link Lambrusco Rose Spumante Modena DOC. 12% £16.55
• Hashtag 2017 Sauvignon Blanc 2017 – Varietale Italia. 11.5% £15
• The Lady Pinot Grigio 2017 DOC delle Venezie. 12.5% £14.55
• Gentleman Pinot Nero 2017. Dell' Otrepo Pavese DOC. 12.5% £15
• Nerd Nero D'Avola 2017. Sicilia DOC. 13% £12.99
• Hipster Negroamoro 2017. Puglia IGT. 13% £12.99
• Hacker Sangiovese 2016. Toscana IGT. 13.5% £15

Carl was extremely knowledgeable and informative – a very good talker indeed, and he made an entertaining & interesting evening.

The wines are definitely boutique – a little bit different, and a little bit expensive. The labels are works of art – a couple of the ladies in the society nabbed some of the empties after, just for the labels!

Taste wise they are all absolutely fine, and you wont be disappointed, but at their price point they have a lot to live up to.

My particular choices would be

• the Prosecco, which is real quality stuff, and at 'extra dry' is not quite as dry as a 'brut' – which suits me
• The Negroamaro and Nero d'Avola are both a little cheaper, and are worth the money.

All in all, a good evening.