Dan's wine tasting notes
added by dan 15-03-2002
Here follows my attempt at keeping wine tasting notes! Ha! Driven by ASP.NET... the wines are listed with most recently tasted first - enjoy!
If you're into wine, check out my wine guide.
PS... editor for wine details is here, but you'll need a password! Hehe!
| Name: | Little Boomey Chardonnay |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Chardonnay |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Screwcap! |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 21/02/2003 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Scrabble with Dav |
| Notes: | 12.5%
Colour: quite rich yellow with a glint of green. Nose: green grass, fresh air, melon, oranges, mango, complex. Palate: opens up as it warms up from refrigerator level, copmlex, fresh tropical fruit, mango, strawberry, lime, oranges, sweet grapefruit. A very nice chardonnay. On a par with Argento's chardonnay. |
| Name: | Valley White |
| Country: | England |
| Grape: | Vitis Vinifera |
| Vintage: | N/K |
| Stopper: | N/K |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 5.99 |
| Date tasted: | 21/02/2003 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Scrabble with Dav |
| Notes: | 11%, bought from the English Wine Centre. Clear pale yellow. Nice complex wine - to repeat! Nose: custard with apple crumble! Palate: peppermint, pepper, granny smith apples, squeeze of lemon, moderately high acidity. Minerally, new wood (oak). As it warms up, powerful flavours emerge - intense berry flavours, with a long aftertaste leaving a slight bitterness at the back of the throat. A nice wine. |
| Name: | Stanlake Valley Vineyards |
| Country: | England |
| Grape: | Unknown |
| Vintage: | 1997 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 6.99 |
| Date tasted: | 27/01/2003 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Davina |
| Notes: | This wine, bought from the English Wine Centre on the South Coast, is a beautiful example of the quality of the up and coming English wine industry. Very pale and clear in the glass, this wine, containing only 11.5% alcohol, showed herbaceous, fresh cut grass aromas. On the palate, lychees, lemon & ripe white grapefruit, making this wine slightly acidic. Delving further, pineapple and mango are obtainable. A very long aftertaste gives a lovely nutty taste. Delicious! |
| Name: | Vina Mara Reserva |
| Country: | Spain |
| Grape: | Blend (Rioja) |
| Vintage: | 1996 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 7.99 |
| Date tasted: | 26/01/2003 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Sunday lunch with Diego, Hannah & Mateo |
| Notes: | This bottle of Rioja was one of a case I bought a couple of years ago at half price (£4), making it an absolute bargain. However, I think that I have probably kept it too long before drinking, and that the wine was past its prime. Never the less, this is a nice wine, containing 12.5% of alcohol, which is delightfully smooth, with lots of oak & fruit, both very elegant and refined. |
| Name: | Steinweiler Kloster Liebfrauenberg Spatlese |
| Country: | Germany |
| Grape: | Unknown |
| Vintage: | Unknown |
| Stopper: | Unknown |
| Type: | Dessert |
| Price: | 3.99 |
| Date tasted: | 19/01/2003 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | At the Bates. |
| Notes: | See previous note on the same wine. Delicious wine: honeysuckle, avocado, pink grapefruit, kiwi, and sharp mangoes. |
| Name: | Arniston Bay Shiraz |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Grape: | Shiraz |
| Vintage: | 2002 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 5.99 |
| Date tasted: | 17/01/2003 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This is a delicious wine, underrated (in my humble opinion) by Superplonk at 15.5. It is a powerful 14.0% wine, with a beautiful, complex smell and delightfully peppery fruit on the palate. Very smooth, well balanced and complex. Well done Arniston Bay! |
| Name: | Baron Philippe de Rothschild Mouton Cadet Bordeaux |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Blend |
| Vintage: | 1998 |
| Stopper: | Natural cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 14/01/2003 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This is a bottle which I believe Simon Smith gave me - one I've been waiting for a special occasion to drink! It's a 12% bottle from France and we had it with a chicken pot roast and fresh bread. Yummy! The wine has big oak on the nose, and a perfect balance of tannins, fruit, and oak on the palate. Its fairly low alcoholic content was unusual and somewhat lacking on my Aussified palate which is more used to 13.5 or 14%. We drank this wine a little bit too cold - make sure that it is warm enough, as with warmth the tannins became more complex and textured. It is a very refined wine, that we enjoyed a lot. |
| Name: | Rosemount Estate Chardonnay |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Chardonnay |
| Vintage: | 2002 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 5.99 |
| Date tasted: | 31/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | New Year's Eve at the Bates |
| Notes: | 13.0%, with lemon on the nose. A colour of clear straw, with a clean, lemony palate. |
| Name: | Jacob's Creek Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Vintage: | 2000 |
| Stopper: | Unknown |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 31/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | New Year's Eve at the Bates |
| Notes: | The grapes in this wine are from various regions within South Eastern Australia. It's a nice blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, slightly acidic, with a full taste tainted with oak and berries. |
| Name: | Rosemount Estate Shiraz Cabernet |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Shiraz Cabernet |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 5.99 |
| Date tasted: | 31/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | New Year's Eve at the Bates |
| Notes: | A deep purple, 13.5% wine, with concentrated oak & fruit flavours. Great with cheese (especially large amounts of Dolcelatte). It is smooth, almost syrupy, with a very full flavour, and is slightly acidic. Nice wine. |
| Name: | Little Boomey Chardonnay |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Chardonnay |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Screwcap! |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 5.99 |
| Date tasted: | 31/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | New Year's Eve at the Bates |
| Notes: | 12.5%, from New South Wales, this is a slightly green, but clear wine, with a slightly steely, elegant taste. A nice wine. |
| Name: | Steinweiler Kloster Liebfrauenberg Spatlese |
| Country: | Germany |
| Grape: | Unknown |
| Vintage: | Unknown |
| Stopper: | Unknown |
| Type: | Dessert |
| Price: | 3.99 |
| Date tasted: | 31/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | New Year's Eve at the Bates |
| Notes: | This 9.5% liqueur-like dessert wine comes from the Pfalz region in Germany. It is slightly yellow than the average white wine, which is typical for sweet whites. On the palate, honey and apricots, ripe mango, ripe honeydew melon. Very sweet and steely tastes, accompanied by big complex aromas. A delicious wine! |
| Name: | Coral Sands |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Cabernet Sauvignon Petit Verdot |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 26/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Boxing Day lunch at the Bates |
| Notes: | 13.5%. Colour: dark, rich velvety plum red. Nose: typical smooth Cabernet Sauvignon. Palate: very smooth, full, rich, nice, great tannins. Nice wine. |
| Name: | Argento Malbec |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Grape: | Malbec |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 26/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Boxing Day lunch at the Bates |
| Notes: | A slightly purply dark red in colour, this lovely wine presents tannic, well-balanced oak and fruit on the palate. 12%. |
| Name: | Little Boomey Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Screwcap |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 26/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Boxing Day lunch at the Bates |
| Notes: | 14% !! This wine, from Orange, Central Ranges, Australia, is very dark caramelly deep red. On the nose, oak, vanilla and maple. On the palate, a complex, alcoholic, spirit/liqueur type of effect, with a very long finish. A nice bottle of wine, that won a medal from the IWC. |
| Name: | Vina Mara Rioja Reserva |
| Country: | Spain |
| Grape: | Blend |
| Vintage: | 1996 |
| Stopper: | Natural cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 8 |
| Date tasted: | 26/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Boxing Day lunch at the Bates |
| Notes: | On the nose, lots of wood, oak, ripe red fruit and plenty of character. The colour was very dark, almost black, and on the palate, wood and spice (cinnamon and ginger). A very complex wine. |
| Name: | La Baume Sauvignon Blanc |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Sauvignon Blanc |
| Vintage: | 2000 |
| Stopper: | N/K |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 24/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Christmas Eve at the Whites |
| Notes: | A very pale wine, quite acidic on the palate. Also, very minerally, with grapefruit and passion fruit aromas. 13%. |
| Name: | Maison Delor Bordeaux Reserve |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Blend |
| Vintage: | 1999 |
| Stopper: | Natural cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 16/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner at David and Elizabeth's |
| Notes: | This wine, at 12.5%, was 'eleve en futs de chene', or aged in oak barrels. It won a silver medal at the Concours de Bordeaux, Vin d'Acquitaine in 2001. It had amazing aromas, but on the palate it left quite a bit to be desired. |
| Name: | Chateau Viramiere St Emilion Grand Cru |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Blend |
| Vintage: | 1998 |
| Stopper: | Natural cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 16/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner at David and Elizabeth's |
| Notes: | This wine, by J & P Dumon et Fils, Proprietaires a St. Etienne-de-Lisse, Gironde, weighs in at 13%, and was bottled at the chateau. It was a nice wine, that deserved longer to breathe than we gave it. |
| Name: | Riesling Heimbourg |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Riesling |
| Vintage: | 1996 |
| Stopper: | Real cork |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 14/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Mark and Tandy |
| Notes: | This wine from Alsace was a bottle given me for my 21st birthday by Rob and Helen Fielding. It has sat awaiting a suitable occasion in my cellar. It was DELICIOUS! Very clear and bright yellow, thicker than you'd think as you pour it out. It is very minerally, citrusy and grassy, with notes of passion fruit, gooseberries and creme brulee. What a wine! |
| Name: | Callinico "Cava" Table Red Dry Wine |
| Country: | Greece |
| Grape: | N/K |
| Vintage: | N/K |
| Stopper: | Poor quality cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 1.59 |
| Date tasted: | 04/12/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | We brought this wine over from the island of Zakynthos in Greece, when we visited it for our 2nd anniversary. The cork was very flimsy and poor quality, leaving me afraid that it would break as I pulled it out. No vintage was given. On the nose, vinegary and salty. On the palate, very acidic, vinegary, but with nicely balanced tannins. The colour was weak and thin-looking. This wine should be allowed to breathe for a minimum of 2 hrs. Overall though, my experience of Greek wine so far has left me with an unpleasant taste in my mouth. |
| Name: | Argento Malbec |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Grape: | Malbec |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 29/11/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Eugene |
| Notes: | Great all-rounder, 12%. We drank this after the Beaujolais La Bareille, and the Argento didn't quite match up to the quality of the French wine. However, a very nice wine, fairly complex, and very enjoyable. |
| Name: | Beaujolais La Bareille |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Gamay |
| Vintage: | 1999 |
| Stopper: | Natural cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 29/11/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Eugene |
| Notes: | This wine won the IWC Gold in 2000. It is non-filtre, or unfiltered, and contains 12% alcohol. On the nose, massive maple syrup and fudge. On the palate, the same. A very full taste, very complex, and a delicious wine! I have drunk two bottles of this wine before, but they were at least a year ago. This wine appears to have improved with an extra year in the cellar, and if I could find any bottles left in the supermarkets, I'd snap them up. Delicious! |
| Name: | La Baronnie Madeleine Chinon |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | N/K |
| Vintage: | 1999 |
| Stopper: | Natural cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 5.49 |
| Date tasted: | 13/11/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | The vineyard that this 12.5% wine comes from is Couly-Dutheil, in France. It is very light in color, slightly neon, or fluorescent red. It's musty, with a slight lemon taste, and rather light. It has a nice aftertaste. On the nose you get whiffs of oak and pepper, but nothing special. The label says this wine is smooth, but it's not really very round in the mouth at all - I found it somewhat watery. It also says that it has rich aromas, which is a blatant lie. It has an unusual flavour, it's not a wine that we've had before, and we weren't used to it. It is quite acidic, and I also got nettles, grassy cat pee, and other assorted 'green' tastes. We drank this with delicious fresh ricotta and spinach cannelloni with fresh napoletana and cheese sauce. Not a wine I'd buy again, frankly. |
| Name: | Cabernet Sauvignon Prestige |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Vintage: | N/K |
| Stopper: | Natural cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 3.49 |
| Date tasted: | 06/11/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This is a Vin de Pays d'Oc, which is in the very south of France. It is part of a 'Classic Varietal' range, which seem to be quite popular. The label isn't much to look at, but informs me that this wine has an alcohol content of 12.5%. The colour was dark intense garnet. On the nose, classic Cabernet Sauvignon. On the palate, signature blackcurrant, very rich, reaching all the corners of my mouth. It was lovely paired with fresh vine tomatoes sprinkled with fresh ground sea salt and black pepper. The cork was interesting: "Mis en bouteille dans nos chats". It could have been "chais", but this is not a French word that I know. I can only surmise that it is an abbreviation of 'chateaux', or 'chaise'... Who knows? A nice wine, representing surprisingly good value. |
| Name: | Inycon Chardonnay |
| Country: | Sicily |
| Grape: | Chardonnay |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 3.99 |
| Date tasted: | 03/11/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Jimmy and Crystal |
| Notes: | This wine, coming in at 13.5%, merited the IGT - Indicazione Geografica Tipica, and was rather yellow in color, with a tinge of green. It was like drinking fresh air, very easy-drinking, fruity, and quite acidic. A nice wine. |
| Name: | Valdevieso Chardonnay |
| Country: | Chile |
| Grape: | Chardonnay |
| Vintage: | N/K |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 3.99 |
| Date tasted: | 03/11/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Jimmy and Crystal |
| Notes: | A very pale wine, on offer at £1 off from Sainsbury's. 13%, with fruit salad on the nose, this was a flawless wine, with honey, peach and passion fruit on the palate. A very nice wine. |
| Name: | Tiki Ridge |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Grape: | Sauvignon Blanc |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Natural Cork |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 3.99 |
| Date tasted: | 30/10/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Nate and Jeanette |
| Notes: | A pale yellow wine, with an alcholic content of 11.5%, this wine was fruity, not very minerally, quite light, with not a very large complexity or bouquet. It is very easily drinkable, and evokes memories of sweet honey. A nice wine, drunk with fried rice. |
| Name: | Excelsior Sauvignon Blanc |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Grape: | Sauvignon Blanc |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 30/10/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Nate and Jeanette |
| Notes: | This wine was Waitrose's 'Wine of the Month'. It was a clear pale straw color with a pleasant grassy greenish hue. On the nose, it was crisp, fresh, and orangey. On the palate, minerally, yet smooth. In fact, I've never tasted a wine that was quite as 'zingy'. There was a fair bit of sour grapefruit, but as the wine warmed up, that disappeared, along with some of the 'zing', and I got rich ripe peaches. A nice wine, which we drunk with fried rice (not the best choice frankly - would have been a lot better with lemon chicken or fish). |
| Name: | Rosemount Estate Shiraz Cabernet |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Shiraz Cabernet |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 5.49 |
| Date tasted: | 28/10/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Nate and Jeanette |
| Notes: | This is a lovely wine, which I've drunk a few times, and enjoy each time. 13.5%, it is dry on the tip and sides of the tongue, but spicy (from the Shiraz) on the back of the tongue. Lots of powerful flavours - goes well with flavourful bolognaise sauce. A very nice wine. |
| Name: | Old Git Grenache Syrah |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Grenache Syrah |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | N/K |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 28/10/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Nate and Jeanette |
| Notes: | Nate was very amused at the name of this bottle, and promptly declared that he would become an Old Git too. This wine comes from the Cotes du Ventoux, and the vines are an average of 45 years old. It comes in at 13.5%, and is quite dry, with lots of tannins. The predominant taste for me was strawberries. An average wine. |
| Name: | Banrock Station Petit Verdot |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Petit Verdot |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Natural cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 27/10/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Sunday lunch at Dennis & Duan's |
| Notes: | We drank this next to the Shiraz Mataro of the same vineyard. It was vastly more purple in colour that its very red cousin. On the palate, very smooth and fruity, juicy blackberries, with a hint of spice. The aftertaste left a hint of oak in your mouth. It is a rich, warm, and slightly sweet wine, which we liked very very much. This is the second bottle of Petit Verdot I have come across recently from Australia - it must be an up and coming grape, and I wish it all the best, for it was a delicious bottle of wine. |
| Name: | Banrock Station Shiraz Mataro |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Shiraz Mataro |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Natural cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 27/10/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Sunday lunch at Dennis & Duan's |
| Notes: | This was, famously, our wedding wine! This is, however, the newest vintage, and it was a very pleasant wine. A rather light and clear red, it had the very slightest tinge of brown to it. On the palate, spicy, oaked, but very smooth, due to the 13.5% alcoholic content. We drunk this colder than room temperature (as you always should anyway), and it went very respectably with quite a hot chilli con carne. A nice wine. |
| Name: | Fairview Pinotage |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Grape: | Pinotage |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | N/K |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 5.5 |
| Date tasted: | 08/08/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dennis' 65th birthday party |
| Notes: | Very acid and spicy at first, but this settles down to unveil a massive red, with a very dark opaque ruby colour and low tannins. 14%. Drink this with well-peppered steak. A delicious bottle. |
| Name: | Perfect Pinot |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Pinot Noir |
| Vintage: | N/K |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 4.5 |
| Date tasted: | 08/08/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dennis' 65th birthday party |
| Notes: | Colour: slight brown tinge. Smell: nothing remarkable, but very pleasant. Palate: round, 13% at a guess, earthy, dark red fruits and strawberries, with a very long and slightly spiced aftertaste. This is a VdP d'Oc and, as I guessed, it came in at 13%. See www.jflurton.com. |
| Name: | Vina Albali Tinto Reserva 96 |
| Country: | Spain |
| Grape: | Tempranillo |
| Vintage: | 1996 |
| Stopper: | Natural cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 08/08/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dennis' 65th birthday party |
| Notes: | This is a bottle that I LOVED the last time I had it. This time it didn't quite have the same effect on me. On the nose, right out of the bottle, very alcoholic, with complex vanilla and oak aromas. This wine is aged first in oak barrels then in the bottle. The colour had quite a pronounced brown tinge to it. On the palate, tannic, almost dusty (left a dusty feeling on the insides of my cheeks), complex, dry, not very round, but nicely balanced. A nice wine, but disappointed me after the last time I drank it. 12.5% |
| Name: | Winds of Change Sauvignon Blanc |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Grape: | Sauvignon Blanc |
| Vintage: | 2002 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 08/08/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dennis' 65th birthday party |
| Notes: | This is the first bottle of the 2002 vintage that I've drunk, of any wine. It comes from the Western Cape. It was minerally, quite crisp, and nicely drinkable. 12.5%. |
| Name: | Argento Chardonnay |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Grape: | Chardonnay |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic silver |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 05/08/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | On the nose, aromatic, like a thai soup with coriander at Jim Thompsons (an excellent eatery). On the palate, swells your tongue with a perfectly-balanced potion of acidity, texture and fruit. Smooth and velvety, it feels 'wide' on my tongue, and offers subtle green grass tastes. The color is crystal-clear pale gold. The nose indicates that it would go well with fish. 13% |
| Name: | Coral Sands Cabernet Sauvignon Petit Verdot |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 23/07/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Mark and Tandy |
| Notes: | This is a wine which we have tasted previously. We drank it tonight with the same meal that we had the Garnet Point Zinfandel Barbera with (anis star-spiced bolognese sauce, this time with spaghetti). I left it to decant for 15 minutes, as per my previous note, but it needed an hour. It's a very acidic wine, rather unbalanced, but stood its ground with the tastebud-busting bolognese sauce. A decent choice for big tasting meat sauces and stews. |
| Name: | Garnet Point Zinfandel Barbera |
| Country: | USA |
| Grape: | Zinfandel, Barbera |
| Vintage: | 2000 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 18/07/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This is a nice wine, which went beautifully with an anis star-spiced bolognese sauce and fusilli. It's made in California, and smells like banoffee pie. On the palate, this smell is confirmed by bananas, black pepper, a slight spiciness (from the Barbera grapes), earthy flavours, marmite, and liquorice. The texture is incredibly smooth, and this wine really fills your mouth, confirming a massive 14%. |
| Name: | Argento Malbec |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Grape: | Malbec |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 12/07/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This is one of Malcolm Gluck's favourites, although it got half a point less than the previous year's vintage. It is the sister wine to the Argento Chardonnay, which we love. On the nose, Mum's strawberry jam, crumpets and butter! On the palate, big and smooth, despite being only 12%; blackberries, dark chocolate, vanilla. The best way to describe this wine is that it is titillating. It really does fill your mouth, and goes great with pizza. |
| Name: | Tesco VdP Merlot Classic Varietal |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Merlot |
| Vintage: | N/K |
| Stopper: | N/K |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 2.99 |
| Date tasted: | 09/07/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This 12.5% wine had a character reminiscent of figs, in both the smell and the taste. This was quite pleasant, but did not counter the unbalanced acidity and toughness of this wine. It needs up to 2 hrs decanting to soften it up. |
| Name: | Coral Sands Cabernet Sauvignon Petit Verdot |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 28/06/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | Drank this with steak and chips. A very dark red wine, it showed strawberries and chocolate on the nose, and a slight spiciness on the tongue. The tannins were smooth and balanced, but the acidity was quite high, and I recommend leaving this wine to breathe for 15 mins. |
| Name: | Argento Chardonnay |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Grape: | Chardonnay |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic cork (silver!) |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 19/06/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Fay Sunter |
| Notes: | See earlier notes on this wine. This tasting confirmed that this is a delicious bottle of white, well worth the 16.5 or 17 points it gets from Malcolm Gluck of Superplonk. This time I can add nuts to the smells I detected, which one presumes, comes from the oak barrels this wine is aged in. A wonderful white! |
| Name: | Hardy's Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Vintage: | 2000 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 16/06/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Father's day with Dav's family |
| Notes: | Another bottle produced by Stamp of Australia, 12.5% alcohol. This wine was very nice, showing smooth fruit, very low in tannins, with moderate vanilla oak and mulberry (yes, this was on the side of the bottle, but it was certainly a mulberry taste!). We drank this with a peppery shepherd's pie, and it went beautifully. A nice wine - one to try again. |
| Name: | La Sansoure Corbieres Reserve |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Carignan, Grenache, Syrah |
| Vintage: | 1999 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 16/06/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Father's day with Dav's family |
| Notes: | This red, weighing in at 12%, is part of Tesco's finest range, and comes from near a town called Narbonne in Languedoc, southern France. It's a very very dark ruby in colour. In taste, very acidic and slightly spicy (the influence of the syrah, also known as shiraz). It's a very full and intense, concentrated taste. I let it breathe for an hour and it tasted better. After that time, a distinct caramel smell was detectable. Not a very bad wine, but not very good either. |
| Name: | Beaujolais La Bareille |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Gamay |
| Vintage: | 1999 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 12/06/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This wine won an IWC Gold medal in 2000. It's an un-filtered, vineyard-bottled, 12% red, in a well-presented bottle. The color was clear, light, but intense ruby with a tinge of orange-brown around the edge, which surprised me slightly as it's a relatively young wine. The smells were cherries, pineapple, and light oak. On the nose, this wine was at first pineappley, quite crisp and notably acidic. After breathing for about half an hour, the acidity died out and the wine became smooth and enchanting. Remember to let this wine breathe for at least half an hour. |
| Name: | Goats do Roam Rose |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Grape: | Various - see Notes |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic (supreme) |
| Type: | Rose |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 10/06/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Mark and Tandy |
| Notes: | This wine was very dark orangey red for a rose, which was surprising, but nicely so. 13% alcohol level. Without swirling, Mark and I couldn't detect any smells, but a quick swirl brought out strawberries and oranges. On the palate, a slightly tart but creamy and syrupy blend sour grapefruit and, when the wine was chilled further, a minerally tingle or fizz on the tip of our tongues. A nice wine on a summer's evening. Here follows the grape breakdown: Pinotage 29%, Grenache 23%, Gamay Noir 20%, Cinsault 12%, Carignan 5%, Pinot Noir 4%, Muscat de Frontignan 4%, Shiraz 3%. |
| Name: | Champagne Lanson Gold Label Brut Millesime |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Various |
| Vintage: | 1993 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Sparkling |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 30/05/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Danielle's birthday party |
| Notes: | This was a lovely bottle of bubbly we enjoyed before Danielle's birthday meal. It is made in Reims, France, in a house which was founded in 1760, and which still bears the Croix de Malte, which had something to do with its founder. Alcohol level 12.5%. |
| Name: | Argento Chardonnay |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Grape: | Chardonnay |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic cork (silver!) |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 28/05/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This wine, made in Mendoza, Argentina, by Miguel Navarro in the Tupungato and Agrelo vineyards at altitudes of between 900m and 1200m, is estate grown and bottled under the name of Bodegas Esmeralda. The website of the producers is www.catenawines.com. This was a superb bottle of white wine, displaying a vast range of smells and tastes, and leaving a beautiful aftertaste. The color was a clear straw. On the nose, my first impression was fresh air, swimming pools(!), green grass. Later on I got porridge, brown sugar, green salad, black pepper, and Dav got Granny Smith apples. It was surprisingly lightly oaked, although the oak developed with a smoky character after about an hour of breathing. On the palate, gooseberries, cinnamon, slightly sour grapefruit, some minerally slate, and very light oak. We drank the bottle with a green salad, and the freshly cracked black pepper went beautifully with the wine. For dessert, we had butterscotch Angel Delight, which did NOT go with the wine! A superb white, which I look forward to tasting many times in the future. |
| Name: | Kanu Blanc de Blanc |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Grape: | Chenin Blanc |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | N/K |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 12.5 |
| Date tasted: | 22/05/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner at Fish!, Birmingham, with Dav's parents |
| Notes: | This wine, of which we had a couple of bottles, contains 13.5% alcohol, which, as I stated for the last two wines tasted (see Ipanema wines), seems high for a white. In colour, a light straw green. On the nose, kiwi and seafood, the latter of which was replicated on the palate. It was crisp, with and tastes of herbs (in particular basil), cucumber, nectarines. The slight seafood qualities made this a perfect seafood wine. |
| Name: | Bush Vines Kleine Zalze |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Grape: | Chenin Blanc |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | N/K |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 12.5 |
| Date tasted: | 21/05/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner at Ipanema, Birmingham, with Dav's parents |
| Notes: | Had this bottle at Ipanema, which is a stunning cuban/latin-american restaurant on Broad St, Birmingham. Didn't have much time to concentrate on the wine, but here are my notes anyway: 13.5%, which seemed quite high for a soft white, this wine comes from Stellenbosch in SA. The tastes and smells we got were peanuts(!), lemon, lime, sweet grapefruit, peaches. The wine was quite acidic but nicely fruity. |
| Name: | Errazuriz Estate Sauvignon Blanc |
| Country: | Chile |
| Grape: | Sauvignon Blanc |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | N/K |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 14.5 |
| Date tasted: | 21/05/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner at Ipanema, Birmingham, with Dav's parents |
| Notes: | This bottle comes from vineyards in Casablanca Valley, Chile. It weighs in at 13.5%, which surprised me somewhat. It was quite a unique wine, which left an almost fizzy feeling, or a tingle, at the front of the mouth. Acidity was high, and it 'burnt' my lips slightly, but pleasantly. As for taste, we detected mangoes, sour grapefruit, pears, grass, and flint (which probably explains the minerally tingle). It was a very well balanced wine, crisp, with very noticeably textured tannins. |
| Name: | Tesco Merlot VdP |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Merlot |
| Vintage: | N/K |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 2.99 |
| Date tasted: | 12/05/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Diego and Hannah |
| Notes: | This wine comes in at 12.5% and is part of the Tesco Classic Varietal range. It didn't have a vintage given, which was not very good. We drank it with bread and soup, and overall, were quite disappointed with it, although the low price means that it's not bad value. In color, it was a deep garnet red. On the nose, I couldn't detect anything in particular, and on the palate, I struggled to detect intense dark flavors of plum, cherries, and grapefruit, which left a spicy note on the tip of my tongue. It was quite acidic and low in tannins, making for a rather non-soft Merlot. Compared to the Vina Albali which we had drunk the night before, this wine was very bland, no complexity, not very fun. Overall, a wine just to be drunk without thinking, rather than a wine to be enjoyed properly. Would I buy it again at that price? Hmmm, yes, but only for occasions such as a barbecue during the summer, or to go with a pizza. |
| Name: | Vina Albali Tinto Reserva |
| Country: | Spain |
| Grape: | Tempranillo |
| Vintage: | 1995 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 11/05/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This is a bottle Dav got me for my birthday last year and I've had it at the back of my mini-cellar keeping it for a rainy day. Bob Marley's anniversary was sufficient cause to get it out. An awesome wine! Grown, vinified, and bottled on the estate in Valdepenas, my favourite part of Spain for its wines, this wine comes in at 12.5%, and has the Denominacion de Origen stamp. The wine is a rich red, with no hint of purple, its age given away by a slight orange-brown tinge at the edges. On the nose, this wine is a treasure. Firstly, massive oak, then butter, then roast chestnuts, then butterscotch (this was very strong), and then later strawberries and white chocolate (the latter was very strong too)! I could have smelt this wine all night. One thing I learnt about smelling wines from this one is to smell them over a period of about an hour, if you can open the bottle before you make the meal, you have more time to appreciate the wine, leaving breaks in between sniffs to let your nose recover! As for the palate, a very round wine, with firm tannins and an acidic note on the roof of the mouth. As for fruit and so on, I detected mainly black cherries, avocado (!), and bark. We drank this with chargrilled vegetable tomato sauce with minced beef over pasta and it went very well with the powerful flavors of the sauce. This is a lovely wine which I shall be purchasing again. |
| Name: | French Connection Grenache-Sauvignon Blanc |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Grenache, Sauvignon Blanc |
| Vintage: | 2000 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 3 |
| Date tasted: | 09/05/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | Had this with a very 'varied' salad, with a mustard dressing. The mustard complimented the wine very well. Overall, this wine needs food - I wouldn't want to drink it on its own. The wine is very light gold, and on the nose has a smell of - wait for it - cheese on toast! Weird, I know, but that's what it reminds me of, and I've had several bottles! On the palate, marmite comes in to the equation - I've thought so for a long time, but been afraid to admit it! Along with the marmite, though, come distinct flavors of yellow, unsweetened grapefruit, with its familiar bitter aftertaste, along with pineapple, unripe kiwi fruit, and herbaceous mustard! Quite a powerful bouquet, but, due to the cheese on toast smell and aftertaste, I was pleased to drink this with food. |
| Name: | Mumm Cordon Vert Champagne |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and others |
| Vintage: | N/K |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Sparkling |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 05/05/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Celebrating the new contract at Dennis and Duan's |
| Notes: | This was a bottle that Rob Klok gave me - he bought it in France, I think, to celebrate Jon and Brechje's engagement, but it didn't get used. It's a G.H. Mumm & Cie. demi-sec champagne, coming in at 12%, and I'm sorry - but I didn't get the vintage! Whoops! Anyway, the champagne was a clear straw yellow with a pinkish tinge. On the nose, citrusy melon smells, which were confirmed on the palate, although the predominant taste was that of green apples. The bubbles were very creamy... A nice champagne, enjoyed by all. |
| Name: | Chateau Menota |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | N/K |
| Vintage: | 1995 |
| Stopper: | Reconstituted cork |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 30/04/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This is a wine that Simon Smith gave me. It's a Grand Vin de Bordeaux, a Graves Superieures, Mis en bouteille a la propriete par Benoit & Valerie Calvet. 13.5%. Sweet. This wine was a brilliantly clear yellow orange. A dazzling colour actually, one I'd never seen before. Very like the 24-carat gold you can get in the Middle East: intensely yellow. On the nose, whiffs of honeydew melon, but the real surprise waits for you on the tongue: very sweet honey and orange flavours over a dark chocolate and hazelnut base flavour. This wine is almost syrupy, with a slightly sticky aftertaste. The nearest you can get to describing this is as a cross between dark chocolate orange and Cointreau! |
| Name: | Dumisani |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Grape: | Cinsault Merlot |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Cork (reconstituted) |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 26/04/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | David and Elisabeth over |
| Notes: | This is a tasting bottle from Peter. VERY smooth. Awesome bouquet. We didn't spend very long analysing it, as we'd already consumed one bottle (see Salud), but it was an excellent bottle, the smoothness of which can hardly be described. It is an unfiltered wine, which may mean that the tannins gave it that smoothness. Delicious! Thank you Peter! |
| Name: | Salud |
| Country: | Spain |
| Grape: | Carinena |
| Vintage: | 2000 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 26/04/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | David and Elisabeth over |
| Notes: | This is a bottle that Peter gave me the last time we saw him. It's a 13% tasting bottle, evidenced by the words 'Barcode position guide 100% magnification' in place of a barcode. When I took the foil off, I noticed a red stain around the edge of the cork, and was worried that the cork had shrunk, letting the wine have contact with the air. We opened the bottle, and David bravely tasted it. It was fine. At first, on the nose, it was rather powerful, but that settled down a bit. The color was a rather cloudy ruby plum. On the palate, lots of barrelly oak and a hint of seafood accompanied by cherries. |
| Name: | Tesco Australian Shiraz Reserve |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Shiraz |
| Vintage: | 2000 |
| Stopper: | Synthetic Supreme |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 17/04/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This is a wine we've had before - and I loved it then. We had it with roast lamb chops with rosemary, and roast sweet red onions with parsley and butter. It went very well. The wine is a muddy red at the centre turning a pinkish orange at the edges. On the nose, there's a definite vanilla with a hint of chocolate. On the palate, lots of tannic, medium acidity fruit, in particular plums and cherries, but also a hint of chocolate spread! It's a medium bodied wine, fairly spicy, and comes in at a hefty 13.5%. It's made in South Eastern Australia. |
| Name: | Dinotte Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Country: | Italy |
| Grape: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Vintage: | 2000 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 08/04/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Peter and Sonia Crameri around for dinner |
| Notes: | Peter brought this one round and we had it after the Medoc. It's made by Pasgua Vigneti e Cantine, in Verona. It's got a IGT, and is 12%. It's only available in the UK through a Northern-based supermarket/winestore called Morrisons (I think). It was delicious. Quite a complex wine, with good tannins, but very mellow and smooth on the centre of the tongue. Davina detected a banana/banoffee pie scent, which Peter and I both confirmed was there! A very nice wine... |
| Name: | Chateau La Raze Beauvallet |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | N/K |
| Vintage: | 1999 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 7.49 |
| Date tasted: | 08/04/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Peter and Sonia Crameri round for dinner |
| Notes: | I got this at Tesco a few months before opening it. It's a Grand Vin de Bordeaux, is Mis en Bouteille au Chateau, and is 12%. It had a lovely bouquet which was confirmed as being delicious by the taste. It was a bottle that even Peter - Lord of wine - did not recognise - I'd recommend it, although perhaps a little bit overpriced. |
| Name: | Picajuan Peak Bonarda Mendoza |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Grape: | Bonarda |
| Vintage: | 2000 |
| Stopper: | Plastic |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 4.99 |
| Date tasted: | 06/04/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This bottle was lovely. Dav got it for me as part of my birthday present (22nd). It's a 'Selected by Tesco' wine, 12.5%, produced by La Agricola, in Mendoza, Argentina. As soon as I opened it, I loved the odours, and it tasted wonderful to go with it. Still working on identifying those flavors. |
| Name: | Argento Malbec |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Grape: | Malbec |
| Vintage: | 2000 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 3.99 |
| Date tasted: | 30/03/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | At Mum and Dad's with Israeli meal |
| Notes: | Was initially trying to find some Israeli or Lebanese wine, but no luck, so turned to good old Malcolm Gluck's weekly newsletter which told me that Sainsburys had Argento Malbec (17.5 pts in Superplonk) for 20% off! So I picked up a bottle and gave it a whirl. I wasn't in the right ambience to taste it properly, so will have to get some more and try it again (excuse? ... maybe!) Peter Crameri certainly thinks it's as good as Malcolm does, so I'll pay it more attention next time (the first time was at a New Year's Eve party - at the Smiths - and I drank it out of a plastic cup!) |
| Name: | Marquis de Soveral |
| Country: | Portugal |
| Grape: | Blend (Garrafeira) |
| Vintage: | 1967 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 0 |
| Date tasted: | 27/03/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Over at Peter and Sonia Crameri's. |
| Notes: | Drank this over at Peter and Sonia's after helping them move. Drank it out of glass goblets (yuck!) but it was delicious. Very intense flavours, with aromas somewhat more delicate. This wine is a Vinho de Mesa, made by Real Companhia Vinicola Do Norte. It's a Garrafeira, which refers to either a wine or a blend of wines from more than one region with no restriction on the varieties of grape unless indicated as a "Garrafeira RD". The wine must be of good quality - red wine is aged in wood for two years, white wine is aged for six months. The cork was a bit tricky to get out, and there was a slightly metallic taste to the wine, which may have been from the lead cap leaking through the cork over the 35 years this wine has been in the making. |
| Name: | Famiglia Cielo Valpolicella |
| Country: | Italy |
| Grape: | Corvina Rondinella Molinara |
| Vintage: | 2000 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 3.5 |
| Date tasted: | 26/03/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | Got this one in Calais. It was a nice wine, which went excellently with green olives! On the nose, it had a distinct smell of fresh apples, and some unidentified connection with our mealtimes in Tunisia. Perhaps it was the spicy nature of this wine, which left my lips tingling. Only 11.5% though, this wine went well with stuffed tomato, a green salad with olives, and fresh bread. |
| Name: | Rosemount Estate Shiraz Cabernet |
| Country: | Australia |
| Grape: | Shiraz Cabernet |
| Vintage: | 2000 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 4 |
| Date tasted: | 22/03/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This is one of my favourite Rosemount reds - along with the Cabernet Merlot. It's fairly spicy, thanks to the Shiraz, and the Cabernet gives it the solid fruitiness. It's a big wine at 13.5% and tasted like strawberries with pepper. We had it with cassoulet, which was kindly given us by our friends Peter and Sonia Crameri. The wine sliced through the relatively fatty duck and bean dish easily. |
| Name: | Bouchard Pere & Fils Brouilly |
| Country: | France |
| Grape: | Gamay |
| Vintage: | 2000 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | Red |
| Price: | 3.5 |
| Date tasted: | 20/03/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Dinner with Dav |
| Notes: | This is a bottle that Simon Smith brought me back from EastEnders in Calais. I was disappointed with the other cheap Beaujolais Crus, and wasn't impressed with this one either. On the nose it was very acidic, almost vinegary, and that was confirmed by the first taste. I decanted it into large wine glasses and let it breathe for a while, and it became more palatable, even pleasant at the front of the mouth, although it still left a rather acidic aftertaste.
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| Name: | Vinho Verde - Selected by Tesco |
| Country: | Portugal |
| Grape: | N/K |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 2.99 |
| Date tasted: | 15/03/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Mark and Tandy for dinner |
| Notes: | Only 9%. The main thing to note about this wine is the tingly sensation on the tip of your tongue when tasting. It's akin to something slightly bubbly, or perhaps a better comparison is touching the tip of your tongue with a battery's nodes. The slight steely, stimulating feeling was quite pleasant, and rather unusual! Overall, it was quite minerally. |
| Name: | Lamberti |
| Country: | Italy |
| Grape: | Pinot Grigio |
| Vintage: | 2001 |
| Stopper: | Cork |
| Type: | White |
| Price: | 4.9 |
| Date tasted: | 15/03/2002 00:00:00 |
| Occasion: | Mark and Tandy for dinner |
| Notes: | Easy drinking. 12% alcohol level (for Warren's benefit). IGT. |
