October 2022. Wines of Hungary, Audrey Zarach

 This month we had Wines of Hungary, presented by Audrey Zarach from Malux Hungarian Wines.

Hungary has a long history of wine making, and a large range of unique indigenous grape varieties, some of which are included here. All the prices are a discounted rate for us, one night only.

 

The Wines were:

White.

1. Toth Ferenc, Egri Csillag 2021, Eger. 12.5% £13.50

A blend of Leanyka/Welch Riesling/Harslevelu/Muscat Ottonel

2. Frittmann, Ezerjo FPV 2016, The Great Plains. 12% £13.50

FPV - Frittmann Private Vintage 

3. Chateu Megyer, Harslevelu 2014, Tokaj. 12.5% £12.75

4. Korona, Crown Winery, Egri Leanyka 2018, Eger. 13.5% £13

Red.

5. Frittmann, Kekfrankos 2019, The Great Plains. 13% £12.50

6. Korona, Crown Winery, Egri Harmonia 2020, Eger. 13% £12.75

A blend of Cab Sauv, Blauburger, Menoire, Pinot Noir

7. Etyeki Kuria, Kuria Red 2018, Etyek Buda.

A blend of Merlot/Kekfrankos/Pinot Noir

8. Archabbey Pannonhalma, Tricollis red 2019, Pannonhalma. 14% £15

A blend of Pinot Noir/Merlot/Cabernet Franc

September 2022. WInes of Uruguay, Carla Bertellotti

 

September 2022. Carla Bertellotti, Wines of Uruguay

First, the bad news – This is the 3^rd or 4^th time Carla has presented to us, but as her business as expanded, she’s got less and less time to do these presentations. This will be one the very last ones. As part of that expansion, she has become vinoslatinos.co.uk to cover all of Latin America, no longer just Uruguay. We’ll miss her.

All the wines are available from www.winesofuruguay.co.uk, and in the future from www.vinoslatinos.co.uk

The good news: The Wines:

Whites:

1. Bodega Pablo Fallabrino Estival 2020

Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Moscato Bianco; Atlantida, Uruguay

13.5%, £13.50

2. Bodegones del Sur, Viognier Vineyard Select 2021

Canelones, Uruguay

12.5%, £14

3. Bodegones del Sur Sauvignon Blanc Limited Edition 2020 - Barrel fermented, and partially oak aged

Canelones, Uruguay

12.5%, £18.50

4. Viñedo de los Vientos Soul Surfer 2020 (rose)

Traminer, Barbera, Chardonnay; Atlantida, Uruguay

13.5%, £13.50

Reds

5. Bodega Pablo Fallabrino Catarsis 2008

50% Ruby Cabernet, 40 % Barbera, 10% Tannat; Canelones, Uruguay

13.5%, £14

6. Bodegones del Sur Cabernet Franc Vineyard Select 2020

Sierra de Mahoma, Uruguay

13%, £14

7. Deicas Tannat Valle de Los Manantiales 2016

Maldonado, Uruguay

£19

8. Familia Deicas Extreme Vineyards Suelo Invertido 2018

100% Tannat; Canelones, Uruguay

£26

All the wine prices are a bit variable, as they are exported in dollars, and the £/$ exchange is being quite unpredictable right now. Its quite likely that they will go up somewhat.

August 2022. Wines of South Africa by Phil Miles

 

South African wines by the Chairman, Phil Miles

Phil has travelled extensively in SA for his work in the Tourism industry and together with his love of wine has seen a lot of the SA wine industry. Here are 8 wines presented by Phil

One comment he made was that quite often Red wines are less difficult to make – White need a lot more care, so are often that bit more expensive. I think that showed in this tasting with the reds being better VFM. 

 

Whites:

Ernie Els Big Easy Chenin Blanc 2021. Penderberg, Paarl. 13.5% £13.50.

7.5/10. Straightforward white, clean fresh, but cant be said to be VFM

Steenburg Farm Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2021. Constantia Valley Cape Town. 13.5% £15.50

7/10

As above

Glenkelly Glass Collection Unoaked Chardonnay 2020. Idas Valley, Stellenbosch 12.5% £14

5/10

This had a quite off smell and not a great taste. Apparently has been made with a novel and special technique. It appears to have not worked.- Post meeting note. On discussing with other members, there were 3 bottles, and only this one bottle showed this flaw. It does very much appear that it was a duff bottle. We should have sorted this out at the meeting, but somehow failed to do so. 😢

Catherine Marshall Red Slate Riesling 2021. Elgin Valley 11% £12

8/10

A decent level of acidity with a hint of lemon. Pretty good. 

 

Reds

Rustenberg Stellenbosch Merlot 2020. Idas Valley, Stellenbosch. 14% £13

7.5/10

Oaked? Cedar & Cigars. Smooth & well balanced.

Darling Cellar Reserve black granite Shiraz 2020. Darling west coast. 14% £10

9/10

A very smooth Shiraz from Old Vines. Well balanced. Good VFM

Guardian Peak Cabernet Sauvignon 2019. Stellenbosch. 14.0% £12

9/10

As above

Kaapzicht Rooiland Pinotage 2020. Bottelary Hills Stellenbosch. 14.5% £18.50

8.5/10

Pinotage can be hit & miss. This one’s a hit, if pricey.

Wines of Chile: Mimi Avery

Wines of Chile, Presented by Mimi Avery, of Averys of Bristol

Sadly, I wasn't there, on holiday drinking German Wine….

So, for the record, these were the wines.

• Atakarma Sauvignon Blanc 2.25 litre Wine Box 2021 £22.50

• Casa Silva Paredones Cool Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2021. £17.49

• Riversong Viognier 2021. £10.99

• Casa Silva Chardonnay Semillon 2021. £11.99

• Pencahue Estate Pais 2019. £10.99

• Admiral Thomas Carmenère 2021. £9.99

• Alta Tierra Syrah Gran Reserva 2017 £16.99

• Le Dix de Los Vascos 2017 £45.00

 

June 2022. Austrian WInes from Robin Goldsmith - thewritetaste.co.uk

Austrian wines, Presented by Robin Goldsmith - thewritetaste.co.uk.

Robin is wine writer, and presents very well. An entertaining evening.

The wines are from the Clear Wine Company, except where noted. All the prices are approximate, depending on the deal from the CWC.

It does have to be said that at these prices, these are not everyday drinking wines.

Whites:

Lenz Moser, Niederosterreich (lower Austria) . Selection Austrian Chardonnay 2020. 12.5%, Aldi. £6.99. 7.5/10

Polz, Sudsteiermark (Styria) – Sauvignon blanc. 2020. 12.5%, £16. 7.5/10

R&A Pfaffl, Niederosterreich (lower Austria) Sonne Riesling 2020 . 14%, £16. 7/10

Stift Klosterneuburg, Niederosterreich (lower Austria) - Ried Steinriegel gruner veltliner reserve 2020. 13.5%, £17-20. 8/10

Reds

Artisan Wines – Burgenland. Sankt laurent reserve. 2018 13.8%, £16. 9/10

Robert Goldenits – Burgenland. Zweigold, 100% Zweigeld 2018. 12.5%, £11 (wholesale only). 8.5/10

Artisan Wines – Burgenland. Zweigelt Reserve 2017. 13.5%, £19.50. 9/10

Stift Klosterneuburg, niederosterreich (lower austria) – Blaufrankisch 2020. 13%, £11-14. 8.5/10

In general the Reds were preferred to the Whites, which is perhaps a little surprising., but those who know Austrian Wine know that the Reds can be very good indeed.

May 2022. Brazilian Wines by Nick Corfe of GoBrazil WInes

This is the 2^nd time we’ve had Nick Corfe – he’s the only company in the UK that specialises in Brazil wines. They aren’t the cheapest for various reasons, but they are very definitely getting the quality. A good evening.

https://www.gobrazilwines.com/

Whites

• Don Guerino sinais, serra gaucha, Rio grande do sul - italico riesling 2021. 12.5%, £13

8/10. Full bodied yet refreshing. To be drunk young. The grape is the Welsch Riesling, not the true Riesling.

• Don Guerino sinais, serra gaucha, Rio grande do sul - moscatto giallo 2021. 12.5%, £13

9/10. Moscatto Giallo is the so called Yellow Muscat and fairly rare. Tastes of grapes!, and honeysuckle etc.

• Campos de cima tres bocas blanco, campanha gaucha, rio grande do sul. - arinto/alvarinho/voignier 2021 12.5%, £16

7/10. This is sort of a vinho verde with a splash of viognier. Personally I didn’t think this works particularly well. You may like it.

• Guaspari vale de pedra blanco. serra de mantiquiera, sao paulo - sauv blanc/chard/voignier 2017. 13%, £23

7/10. This is a high altitude wine – all the vinyards are >1000m altitude. Again, for me, suffers from the same problem as the previous – Viognier can be very powerful, and can overwhelm the other grapes.

Reds

• Pizzato fausto, serra gaucha, rio grande do sul - merlot 2016, 13%, £14

8/10. Smooth, Full bodied, Well balanced – note 2016, so 6 yrs old.

• Don Guerino 'vintage', serra gaucha, rio grande do sul, - malbec 2019, 13.5%, £16

6/10 (personal view). Some of us encountered an odd background taste of burnt rubber (?), but plenty did like it, tasting caramel instead. Quite light for a malbec.

• Don Guerino el gaucho, serra gaucha, rio grande do sul - tannat 2020, 14%, £16

9.5/10. A Very dark, solid, full bodied wine. Still young for a tannat, so should improve for 10 years yet.

• Campos de cima assinatura, campanha gaucha, rio grande do sul - shiraz/tempranillo/tannat 2018. 14%, £24

9/10. Only 2000 bottles of this in existence. Another good solid, hefty wine. Nicely mature, and deceptively light given the grapes.

April 2022. AGM and Quality Wines

 

April – the AGM. As it’s been 3 years since the last AGM – for obvious reasons, Phil the chairman decided to push the boat out on the wine. One little benefit to us from all the chaos in the last 2 years is that the tastings we’ve had have all been in house, so no speaker fees, which left us with a bit a spare money. And of course, it has to be spent on wine doesn’t it?

An excellent selection, all in the £20 - £30 range, somewhat more than most of us would spend usually (if ever!) All wines are either from Majestic (M) or Waitrose (W). Note that at this price, the Waitrose wines might be on-line only

1. Nicolas Feuillatte selection Brut Champagne – France. 12%, £27. M

8/10. This is one of the highest selling champagnes in France, and the only coop in Champagne. A very well balanced, toasty/biscuity champagne

2. Rabl Schenkenbichl Riesling reserve 2018 – Austria. 13% £21. W

8/10. Some riesling petrol notes which you either like or don’t. Clean finish, reminiscent of a good viognier.

3. Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2021 – NZ. £13.5% £25. M

9.5/10. This wine screamed “quality”. You can taste where the money goes. A clean fresh, tasty great example of a NZ SB. Made by the same people who make Cloudy Bay.

4. Stags Leap Hands of Time Chardonnay 2019 – California. 14.5% £25. M

6/10. A cooler style of Chardonnay, with some oak. But it seemed to be in some odd halfway house between no oak and lots of oak. There was a powerful flavour of something like vanilla. Not convinced.

5. Craggy Range Te Muna road Pinot Noir 2018 – NZ. 13.5% £23. W

9/10. Cool climate PN. An excellent example. Smooth, fresh, full of flavour

6. Terre de Barlolo 2016 – Italy. 14% £20. W

9/10 Lighter than might be expected, quite still with tannins. Excellent

7. Reserve de Diacres Chateauneuf de Pape 2020 – France. 15% £25. M

9/10. Quite light for a CdP, but well balanced, dense, heady, spicy..

8. Scala Dei Priorat 2016 – Spain. 15% £20. W

9.5/10. A monastic wine since the 12^th C.