2021 Meetings Programme +
WAG2 Group Leaders - Sheila & John Stanley
All meeting reports from 2020 onwards are available via the links panel found on Current year Meeting Reports page.
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(This page is U3A WAG2, if you were looking for WAG1 click > Wine Appreciation Group 1 ).
WAG2 is a friendly social & informative group who meet once a month on the first Tuesday of the month. We started in September 2019, largely because the other group in Dunmow had no capacity for new members, we now have about 20 members. Our membership includes couples as well as individual members.
Each month one of our members offers to host the meeting and recently occasionally we have started to have another member planning the wine theme. The member planning the wine event would decide on a theme and this can be wines of a particular country, wines from small producing countries, local wines, wines for a particular event such as summer barbecues or even bonfire night. The theme member will usually purchase the wines, (normally 3 reds and 3 whites). We use special small tasting glasses. We often start with blind tasting to see if we could work out from tasting where the wine was from, grape variety, flavours, aroma, strength etc and after we vote which one we all liked best. The cost of the wine is be divided equally between all who attend the evening and usually under £10 per person.
We normally meet at 7PM and after we have sampled the first three wines we stop for some nibbles and chat before continuing. Sometimes there is a fun quiz, and we normally finish by 9.30PM. The host provides a spittoon as the wine may not be to everyone’s taste, or they may be driving. We try to share lifts where possible. We are all quite scattered from Thaxted in the North to Hatfield Broad Oak in the South.
Now we are not so Covid restricted we are hoping to have more days out perhaps visiting some vineyards. We enjoyed a nice afternoon at Great Bardfield Vineyard during the summer at one of their jazz wine picnic events.
WAG2 Group Leaders - Sheila & John Stanley
Dunmow U3A – WAG2 Group
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WINE APPRECIATION – for wine lovers!
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting 7th December 2021
Our Christmas event was hosted by Debbie and we had a great evening sampling a mixture of wines and gins. As per usual we taste and then see if we can work out the flavours, strength and where they are from.
The wines Debbie selected were as follows
Barefoot White Zinfandel 8% full of luscious pineapple and strawberry flavours and tasted deliciously fruity. A Californian wine very reasonably priced at £6.75
Yellow Tail Shiraz from South Eastern Australia 13.5 % which was rich and smooth with juicy red berries and hints of liquorice and spice. Priced at £7.00
Oyster Bay Cava a white New Zealand wine 12.5% described as elegant, assertive with glorious fruit flavours priced at £`13.00
Casillero del Diablo a white Chilean wine 12.5% This Pinot Grigio is full of fresh vibrant flavours of pear with undertones of citrus fruit. Cost is £8.00
We had a break from tasting wine to enjoy some Christmas nibbles together with cheese and biscuits. An opportunity for the 14 members who attended to spend time socialising and chatting amongst themselves.
The evening then continued with gin tasting something we had not done as a group before. These were
Gordons Sicilian Lemon with zesty Sicilian lemons balanced with Gordon’s original botanicals to deliver a crisp and juicy refreshing taste. Priced at £16.50
Greenall’s Wild Berry an original handcrafted pink gin which contains zero sugar. Subtle red fruit balance with rounded juniper notes and fresh citrus flavours. Priced at £14.50
Bombay Sapphire opens with a touch of juniper, ripe citrus and hints of spice in the fragrance. A London Dry Gin in a distinctive blue bottle contains 10 hand selected botanicals from exotic locations around the world.. £17.00
The consensus for the wine of the evening was the first wine sampled Barefoot White Zinfandel. and we enjoyed all the gins. We finished the evening on a sweet note sampling a Tesco’s Finest French Sauterne. Thank you to Debbie for hosting and organizing the evening, a merry time was had by all.
We are taking a break in January and meet again on February 1st when Barbara is hosting and Bob is guiding us through the wines.
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WINE APPRECIATION – for wine lovers!
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting 2nd November 2021
The theme for this month’s event was “Can you tell the difference between an expensive and a cheap wine” and our hosts were Toni & Mick. We had a fun evening scoring points if we guessed the type of wine, grape and any of the ingredients as well as deciding which one was the most expensive or the cheapest. Not by any means easy!
The red wines were:--
Rolf Binder2020 an Australian (Barossa Valley) Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 14% described as savoury dark chocolate , plums & spice creating a rich full bodied blend. Waitrose £13.99
Grand Passo 2017 from Portugal a Syrah with a mixture of 4 blended grapes Soft rich and fruity with a smooth long taste. 14% Waitrose £7.99
Taparoo 2020 an Australian Shiraz cherry and raisin sweetness with a hint of chocolate with some balancing of coffee & burnt toast kicks to stop it being too sweet 14% Tesco £3.99
The white wines were:-
Gable & Grace 2020 from South Africa a balanced blend of Chenin Blanc and Pinot Grigio tropical fruit flavours with bright mineral tones and a crisp refreshing finish.12.5% Waitrose £7.99
Camel Valley Bacchus Dry 2020 an English wine from Cornwall fresh and fruity with notes of gooseberry & elderflower 12.5% Waitrose £14.99
Chardonnay 2020 a Spanish wine crisp full of fruity peach flavours. 12% Tesco £3.69
The star was Jane who had the most points and also guessed correctly the cheapest and the most expensive in both the reds and the whites. All in all we had a lovely evening with lots of laughter and chat. Thank you to Toni & Mick for an entertaining evening.
Our next meeting will be hosted by Debbie on December 7th
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WINE APPRECIATION – for wine lovers!
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting 5th October 2021
This month’s meeting was kindly hosted by Barbara at her lovely home with Ken expertly pouring the wines. Attendees were asked to take along a bottle of wine of their choice. Ken took charge of the wines and placed them in bags so we could taste them ‘blind’. We first tasted three reds and after a short break for delicious nibbles, we tasted three white wines. We were asked to vote on the ones we thought the best. We were then asked if we could correctly identify the wine we had brought. Only then were the wines revealed.
1. South African Pinotage 2020 - slightly oaked intense fruit of
black currant and black cherry from Swartland region of the
northern cape. 13.5%. M&S £7.50
2. Chilean Pinot Noir 2020
Valle de Leyda Chile
It has intense aromas of black cherries and a hint of vanilla from
partial maturation in oak barrels and a fine silky palate.
13.5% The Wine Society £7.95.
3. The Full Fifteen
Cabernet based blend from South East Australia 2020.
Powerful flavours of red berries with a sprinkling of spice
soft tannins
15%. Laithwaites £7.50 ( normally £10.49 or £8.99 per case)
4. Ara Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough New Zealand 2020
Lively citrus flavours and subtle sweet sage
12.5%. Tesco £10
5. The Guv’nor Bianco
Main grape variety Verdejo with some Sauvignon Blanc and Oak Aged Chardonnay
The Verdejo grapes are harvested at night as lower temperatures cause less oxidation.
Aromatic soft and with some oak flavour
12.5%. Majestic wines £6.99
6. Tempus Two
Quartz Series 2020 South Australia
An approachable fruit driven contemporary wine
tropical fruit gooseberry and a citrus twist on the palate
12%. Tesco £9.00 (£7.00 with club card).
Following the tasting we had a discussion about future
meetings. We look forward to our next meeting which is to be
hosted by Toni and Mick.
Thanks again to Barbara for hosting this most enjoyable and
educational meeting
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WINE APPRECIATION – for wine lovers!
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting 7th September 2021
Our most recent wine meeting was kindly hosted by Jenny & Phil and Bob kindly led the evening giving us a very interesting evening about wines produced in the continent of South America but these were wines from l grapes not well known or normally always associated with South America. We tried three whites, three reds and one dessert wine and as it was blind tasting, the idea was to decide where the wine was from and what type of wine.
Our first wine was One to One Gewurztraminer 2020 and this had a very distinctive flavour which some really liked and others totally disliked. Less than1% of Chilean vineyards are planted with Gewurztraminer but they produce a small amount of great quality fruit, usually enough for 1 bottle per vine This aromatic wine with peach and citrus flavours was from Chile and is available from Majestic £8.99
Next up was an exceptionally elegant and fresh wine from the Mendoza region. Not an easy wine to know where it was from as this was a white Malbec and we rarely associate Malbec with white wine. It was Buenas Vides White Malbec 2021 from Argentina and can be found in Aldi at £6.79
The last white wine we sampled was the most popular and this was Elemental Organic Viognier 2020 from Chile and again from Majestic normally £12.99. another wine from the Casablanca valley with luscious and rich notes of apricot, peach, and honey. It was voted as the best white wine of the evening by our members.
We then had a break for some nibbles and chat before continuing with the reds. We started with Criollo Tannat Uruguay 2019 The Tannat wine creates rich juicy dark fruit flavours with mineral notes and is the champion grape variety of Uruguayan wine. Available from Aldi at £6.99
Followed by One to One Pais The Pais grapes come from La Constancia vineyard in the Maule valley. The vines are around 65 years old and are dry farmed with no irrigation and this produces concentrated quality fruit. The Pais grapes is a well kept secret with only 4% being exported to the UK. A wine both aromatic and elegant with a touch of French oak. This Chilean wine is available from Majestic at £8.99
The final red wine was Vinalba Touriga Nacional 2019 using Touriga Nacional the flagship grape of Portugal but grown in Argentina. This grape is more commonly known for boosting the palate-coating power of Port However together with blackcurrant and plum flavours it created a full bodied wine with great intensity. It was the most popular red although all were well received.
Normally we do not include a dessert wine, but Bob kindly included a “bonus” delicious bottle of Vistamart Late Harvest Moscatel 2017. This Chilean sweet wine available from Majestic at £6.99 proved very popular with everyone and Jenny had the perfect accompaniment, lovely sticky macaroons
Just as we thought the evening was coming to an end Bob said he had a quick 20 question cryptic clues quiz with the answers relating to South America.
All in all a great evening and thank you to Bob and our hosts Jenny & Phil.
Our next meeting is on October 5th, hosted by Barbara, and wine hosted by Ken.
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WINE APPRECIATION – for wine lovers!
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting 3rd August 2021
Our August meeting was the first indoors gathering for a long time at John & Sheila’s. The theme this month was local English wines and the hosts had visited several vineyards to purchase their wines and also find out about possible tasting tours.
The first wine we tried was from Chilford vineyard Chilford Hall is near Linton and it was established in 1972, and accepts visitors for a wine tour (£15), which can be accompanied by afternoon tea (£25) or lunch (£35). Sadly, however there is little availability (other than very small groups on Thursdays) for the remainder of this year. The wine we tried was called Roman Road, a white wine of pale straw appearance and herbaceous overtones. The wine is full of citrus and melon with a lingering finish of Mandarin. Priced at £11.95
The second wine was from New Hall located in Purleigh near Chelmsford one of the oldest and largest vineyards in England with 120 Acres. It has been growing and producing wine since 1969 A bottle of Bacchus Medium Dry White 11% Intense aromas of elderflower, apple & conference pear. On the palate tropical fruit flavours of melon and pineapple prevail leading to a crisp elegant finish. £11.50 This bottle was actually unlabelled as we were interested in finding out more about Rent A Vine scheme and this would be one of the wines that a leaseholder would receive. No tours currently available.
The third bottle we tried was provided by one of our members. We were initially all taken in by the label Basildon Blush bottled by the notorious St Martins Estate using the finest grapes from Safeway, Industrial alcohol and Ribena. Cleverly the original label had been removed and replaced with the Basildon Blush label. It was actually a Rose Cote de Provence Lidl £7.99
We then had a break for some nibbles but continued with a sparkling wine from Galleywood near Chelmsford. It was started in 2009 and now covers 20 acres of land and has several varieties of vines namely Pinot Noir , Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Bacchus. They produce both still and sparkling wine which benefit from the gentle pressing by a traditional coquard press. We tried the sparkling (champagne) at £23.99 a bottle but we were all very disappointed with it.
Next we tried a bottle of wine from Bardfield They grow grapes to produce four varieties of wine. The Bardfield Bacchus is a dry white wine, the Anne of Cleves is medium dry white. A blend of predominantly Pinot Noir grapes goes into the Bardfield blush. The sparkling Brut is a dry white wine made by the traditional champagne method with a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Seyval Blanc grapes. The wines are reasonably priced, at £13 per bottle - or £24 for the Sparkling Brut. They are open for tours until September, with wine tastings taking place in their barn. There are a number of options ranging from guided tours, to self-guided trails, and optional inclusion of Ploughman’s lunch or afternoon tea.
The final wines we tasted were reds one from New Hall A bottle of Barons Red 2020 £11.50 A blend of Pinot Noir, Acolon and Rhondo grapes. Full of cherry and violet aromas with summer berries. A subtle hint of oak adds length structure and body to this English Red. 11% and one from Chilford Three Tuns - is a red wine which they produce only in exceptional years from hand selected Pinot Noir grapes. It has an aroma of cherries, cranberries and violets. This is a light bodied wine with hint of redcurrant. 11% priced at £14.95.
Overall the favourites were the white and the red from New Hall Vineyard. And the Bardfield Blush was well received too, with a smile!
Our next meeting will be hosted by Hazel on Tuesday 7 September.
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WINE APPRECIATION – for wine lovers!
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting 6th July 2021
WAG 2 met for the first time in person this year, gathering in the garden of Philip and Therese for a Tour de France. We were all looking forward to the evening and although there had been a lot of rain during the day we were able to enjoy the evening outside as Philip & Therese had kindly erected 3 gazebos and the largest one enabled us all to sit inside it enjoying barbecued burgers in buns after following Le Tour below sampling some delicious wines on the way
Le Grand Départ This year’s tour started 26th June in Brittany (more noted for its Cidre than wine) but our tour starts with Stage 4 on 29th June Redon to Fougéres. Redon is just north of the western Loire, an area famed for Muscadet. A perfect match for Brittany’s seafood. Our first wine of the evening was a Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine sur Lie 2018 well received and is a dry fruity delicate wine with a rich colour very drinkable and only £8.95 from the Wine Society
The Tour continued with Stage 6 departs from Tours 1st July. The route follows the Loire to Amboise with its famous chateau and then turns south towards the Cher valley and another famous chateau at Chenonceaux. Our choice a Touraine style Sauvignon Blanc Val de Loire 2020 vivid and vibrant with lemony grassy aroma and clean, high toned citrusy fruit. Also well received and very reasonable at only £6.95 from the Wine Society
Our third wine was linked to Stage 7 - 2nd July Vierzon to Le Creusot A long route of 248 kilometres heading towards Burgundy so what better excuse than to open a chilled white Burgundy from the Macon region before heading to the Alps The Society’s White Burgundy 2020 is their best selling wine, ripe and round with a broad appley palate and fresh finish priced at £9.95
We had a short break for nibbles and chat before we carried on. Stages 8 and 9. held over the weekend involving cycling mainly uphill in the mountains so today’s (6 July) is a fairly flat route from Albertville to Valence would be a relief. But before we sample wine from the northern Rhone we should take a virtual detour to tomorrow’s venue -Stage 11 Mont Ventoux
Our choice Ventoux Rosé from an arc shaped vineyard around Mont Ventoux a soft round rose with delicate fruit and floral aromas which can be found in Aldi priced £6.99
Ok back to today’s stage 10 finishing in Valence in the northern Rhone. Our choice Syrah typical of the area, this one from Brézème 15 kilometres south of Valence. The Society’s French Syrah 2019 is rich colour with lots of flavour, full of dry Syrah fruit and delicious in taste, Good value at £7.95
Stage 12 Thursday 8th July Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Nîmes in the southern Rhone.
The route goes along the beautiful gorges of the Ardèche before turning south to Nîmes.
Costières de Nîmes Tradition Rouge 2018 was the choice again from the Wine Society at £9.50. a full bodied syrah grenache blend, generous and fruity.
Stage 13 Friday 9th July Nîmes to Carcassone heading towards the Pyrenees and our wine choice was Cabardès Terroirs d’Altitude, Château de Pennautier 2016 which lies just six kilometres north west of Carcassone A superb full bodied wine smooth with a lovely spicy aftertaste well worth £9.95 from the Wine Society.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the evening and big thanks to Philip and Therese for hosting.
Our next meeting is on August 3rd hosted by John and Sheila
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WINE APPRECIATION – for wine lovers!
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting 1st June 2021
Our June evening zoom meeting was hosted by Barbara, the theme was what would be your wine choice to pair with your “desert island dish”. In essence - as per the long-running radio programme -imagine you are stranded on a desert island, firstly contemplate the dish you would crave for, then which wine would you wish to accompany it. Some of the suggestions included:-
Cotes de Provence Domaine Pique Rogue a pale salmon pink rose wine with delicate floral aroma. It is delicious on its own as an appetiser or with salads and seafood. An alternative would have been a chilled Sauvignon Blanc or unoaked Chablis. A desert island conjures up a balmy evening with the sound of waves breaking on a sandy shore and a meal of oysters, langoustines, and of lobster.
Chaussaux et Fils Sancerre from the Loire Valley, an elegant and stylish Sauvignon Blanc from the famous town of Sancerre. Wonderful flavours of white flowers and citrus, fresh and lively on the palate with a persistent finish. Brings back memories of holidays in France and pairs perfectly with seafood, chicken dishes or goat’s cheese.
Pinot Noir Beacon Hills from Romania is where insiders look for great value, great tasting Pinot. It’s in the swing of a post-Soviet winemaking renaissance – and Englishman Philip Cox, and his Romanian wife, Elvira, are ready to sing its praises to the rooftops. Grapes have been grown on the site of their vineyard since 1447 – but it’s only in the past three decades that Philip and Elvira have united the lattice of tiny plots owned by family growers under a label big enough to export. This Pinot is deliciously fresh and juicy. Full of black cherry, raspberry and cinnamon. It’s a wonderfully fruity, light and approachable Pinot Noir. And it’s incredible value at a price traditional Pinot Noir regions like Burgundy could never offer. This was paired with a delicious sow cooked Lamb Ragu and Flageolet Beans meal bringing back memories of family gatherings.
Utopian Block Malbec Grande Reserve Welcome to Utopia. nestled in the Maule Valley lies the subregion of Loncomilla. Close to the Andes, two rivers and the Colbun lake, it provides the perfect balance of cool nights, sun filled days and natural irrigation that allows grapes to thrive. Perfection, indeed. And it's there that the Cremaschi Furlotti family, craft their range of award winning wines of which one is the Utopian Block Malbec. Smooth tannic structure, rich fruit flavours with sweet spices and hints of vanilla, all balanced by a freshness. Ideal with a traditional English meal of Steak and Chips.
Some of our members also met up on Bank Holiday Monday at Bardfield VineYard for a Summer Picnic sitting in the Great Lodge Garden with live jazz music. It was a lovely sunny afternoon and perfect relaxing in the grounds by the pond. A glass of wine was included in the price of the ticket from a choice of white or rose. We really enjoyed a refreshing medium dry white called Anne of Cleves 2018 which has won awards, named as the Great Lodge was once in the ownership of Anne of Cleves. A close second was the Blush which is a blend of pinot noir grapes. All in all a very enjoyable sunny afternoon.
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WINE APPRECIATION – for wine lovers!
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting 4th May 2021
This month’s meeting hosted by Ken & Jill was about small producing wine countries. We all had to select a wine, of our choice but not from the UK, America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, China, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria or Germany! This led to an interesting evening with everyone choosing a wine from a different country. An added incentive was that there would be a prize for the person who selects from the smallest wine producing country.
Our hosts chose a wine from Kakheti, Georgia called Tbilvino 2019 bought from Majestic costing £14. An orange wine made using an ancient method whereby grapes are placed in large clay vessels and buried underground to ferment and age. Quite a distinct flavour which you may or may not like.
Additional choices included:-
Solomonar Reserve from Romania, a blend of fine indigenous grapes FETEASCA NEAGRA, magically blended with Cabernet and Merlot to create a luscious rich and intense wine that is truly one to savour. From the Cramel Recas winery with medium body, plum blackberry and loganberry flavours, good acidity, soft tannins and a background of aniseed, mocha and liquorice. Good value at £7.99.
Chateau Ksara from Reserve du Couvent the oldest and largest winery in Lebanon founded by monks in 1857. Winemaking in Lebanon began 5000 years ago and it’s Bekaa Valley hosts the Roman temple of Bacchus the god of wine. This evening’s wine is a blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.5% alcohol. It has aromas of berry fruit and light spice with a hint of oak and is a delightful blend with a long finish. From the Wine Society priced £10.95.
Vinsmoselle Cuvee Antoinette Cremant de Luxembourg a sparkling wine from the Moselle district in Luxembourg. Made according to the traditional method of sparkling wine production which includes a second fermentation in the bottle followed by nine months of maturation. From the Auxerrois grape and the Cuvee Antoinette Brut is loaded with elegant white peach and green apple notes. With a creamy structure and a touch of honey that is unique to the wines of Luxembourg. From Majestic costing £14.00.
Recanati Shiraz, Petit Sirah from Israel (2019) is a stylish Red, a perfect blend of juicy Carignan and Petite Sirah grapes, grown in the Judean Hills of Israel and gently aged in French oak barrels. The style of this wine is described as complex; it’s taste - blueberry, cassis and spice and best served with lamb tagine or falafel. A warm, medium bodied red wine combines flavours of fresh cassis with blueberry fruit. M&S winemaker Jeneve Williams discovered this stylish red on her Eastern Mediterranean wine travels, working with Recanati's winemaker Gil Shatsberg to create a perfect blend of juicy Carignan and Petit Sirah grapes grown in the Judean Hills, the source of many of Israel's finest wines. From Marks & Spencers at £10.00. 13.5% alcohol.
Tikves Vranec Merlot from Macedonia, Vranec translates to 'strong, black, powerful horse'. The metaphor is no mistake - wine made from this robust grape is known for its abundance of taste. The wine is known as 'black wine' in Macedonia. It's only found in a pocket of Eastern Europe. If you like a Bordeaux blend, you'll love its endless layers of flavour. Full or delicious fruit flavours - think strawberries, blackberries and redcurrants - this elegant red finishes with just a hint of smokiness. Also from Majestic costing £9.00.
Our competition winner was Hazel, who chose Kasteel Genoels-Elderen CHARDONNAY GOUD from Belgium. A dry white 2014 Chardonnay with intense warm yellow gold colour with high viscosity. A rich bouquet with full flavours of ripe apple, apricot, clarified butter and candied lemon peel and an amazing complex finish. 13% alcohol and purchased locally from Luckins in Dunmow at £12.00 a bottle. Out of all the countries we had chosen Belgium is the smallest wine producer.
Our gin expert was impressed with Tanqueray Blackcurrant Royale a sumptuous and unique distilled gin made with French blackcurrants and vanilla notes, elevated with a black orchid inspired flavour and balanced with the four classic London Dry botanicals. Best enjoyed in a copa glass with premium tonic water, plenty of ice and garnished with a wedge of lemon and a bunch of dark berries such as blackcurrants and blackberries.
The evening was rounded up with ten multiple choice questions on the smallest producing wine countries. We all agreed that we had a fun and informative evening and now have lots of new wines to try. Thanks go to Ken and Jill for all their hard work in making this such an enjoyable night.
Our next meeting is on the 1st June still on Zoom hosted by Barbara and we are all eagerly anticipating the July meeting which we hope will be in person.
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WINE APPRECIATION – for wine lovers!
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting 6th April 2021
This month we had a special event, thanks to Philip and Therese as we were joined on zoom by their daughter-in-law Siobhan, who is buying director for Wine Merchants - Haynes Hanson and Clark. HH&C are an independent friendly wine merchant delivering quality wines and value to customers doors, originally focused on the classic regions of France and now with an expanded portfolio.
All the participants had received a bottle of wine wrapped in silver foil and we began the evening by looking at the shape of the bottle, cork and the colour of the wine. A lighter bluey -red colour indicates a more youthful red wine as compared to a very dark deep berry colour. We then sampled the wine and it was very fruity with a hint of brambles. Siobhan asked if we know the region and the type of wine. We knew it was from France and one of our members guessed correctly that it was a Côtes du Rhône. Indeed, it was a Domaine de Verquiere 2019. The notes from the website included: - a blend of 80% Grenache with 20% Syrah, this vibrant, organic Côtes du Rhône was made in concrete tank to capture all of its vital fruitiness. Mid ruby colour, aromas are brightly perfumed and pure, recalling fresh raspberries and blackberries. The palate has ample depth, crunchy fruitiness, and a lifted, lively finish.
Siobhan talked in depth about the difference between growing the grapes for a normal or an organic wine. It is important that there is no use of pesticides or fungicides but to be more in tune with nature and the natural environment need to take extra care, keep the plants well aerated to avoid rot and keep well netted as birds can be a problem. The Domaine de VerQuiere converted to organic in 2014 as the demand for organic wine grew. Because of the extra attention to detail and biodiversity the yields can be lower to begin with. Also, there is a rigorous auditing procedure and once you pass this you can then have the symbols on your bottle - AB the certified body and the Green Leaf logo to show that your wine has been made with organic grapes.
We learnt that the DOMAINE DE VERQUIERE Winery is a 45-hectare estate that has been passed down from father to son over four generations. Situated in Sablet in the Rhone Valley, today the Winery is managed by Thibaut CHAMFORT who is continuing to develop the family vineyard.
Overall, we had a really interesting and informative evening and Siobhan had so many questions including how she chose the Wine Industry as a career choice and the EU impact on importing wine that she ended up talking for about an hour and a half.
Our next meeting is on Tuesday 4 May and will be hosted by Ken & Jill. This will be about small producing wine countries and there will be a prize for the person who selects a wine from the smallest wine producing country. A challenge ahead!
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WINE APPRECIATION – for wine lovers!
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting 2nd March 2021
Once again we had an enjoyable Zoom evening led by Toni & Mick. The theme was special memories or holidays where wine had made an impact. We had all received a bottle of wine at the weekend which was suitably wrapped with instructions to keep at room temperature. As usual we were blind tasting and upon opening the bottle we were impressed by the rich deep colour, together with the hint of blackcurrants and plums. It seemed to have a particular oaky aroma and was very smooth. No one was absolutely certain of where the wine was from although the New World was mentioned. We were enlightened by Mick that it was from the Mendoza valley in Argentina and was a Malbec. Tesco Finest Argentinian Malbec is made by the Catena family who produce this good value red for Tesco, costing only £8.00 a bottle.
Malbec grapes originated in France but the grape was introduced into Argentina in the mid 19th century and it has flourished in Argentina with Argentinian Malbec wine characterised by its deep red colour and intense fruity flavours with a velvety soft texture. It has been said that the word “malbec” originated from the French words “mal bouche” meaning bad mouth as the French thought the Malbec produced in France was undrinkable. However Malbec is now hugely popular thanks to Argentina and the Mendoza valley where the best Malbecs come from.
We also heard about another gin from our gin expert called Needle Blackforest Gin from Aldi. A dry spicy single batch gin made using a traditional Blackforest recipe and hand -picked botanicals including juniper, lavender, orange, lemon, ginger and spruce needles. It comes highly recommended and one that many of us would like to try.
The evening continued with many sharing special memories of wine tastings and holidays in Argentina, South Africa and France. Several of us had been to South Africa and visited Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. Another interesting fact emerged that some members had experienced Garagistes meaning garage wine whereby small winemakers were making wine in their garages and at harvest time these were open to the public.
Finally we finished the evening with a light-hearted quiz about Argentina.
We are already looking forward to our April meeting as we are fortunate to have Philip’s daughter in law from Haynes Hanson & Clark Wine Merchants joining us and demonstrating how the professionals taste wine.
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WINE APPRECIATION – for wine lovers!
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting 2nd February 2021
Hazel & Barron our hosts for this evening’s virtual meeting organized the delivery of two half bottles from Laithwaites for our blind tasting event. The bottles wrapped and colour coded with the instructions that the yellow ribbon bottles should be chilled for 30-40 minutes before opening. We all agreed that we were enjoying the first bottle of white wine with its refreshing citrus fruity taste although no one guessed where it was from. Once unwrapped we saw that it was Abessse Sauvignon Blanc 2018 from the Loire Valley, costing £5.99 per half or £10.49 per bottle. The Sunday Times review said that you could not hope to find a Sauvignon of this quality or the price in any of the Loire’s more famous regions like Sancerre or Pouilly. A refreshing zingy Sauvignon which goes well with goats cheese and lighter fish dishes.
The evening continued with a lighthearted quiz with all the questions relating to Pancake Day which falls on Tuesday 16 February this year. Fortunately, we only had to answer with True or False. After the quiz we then decided to sample our second bottle. This was a red and again it was well received as smooth and easy drinking and we discovered it was a Rioja from Spain. Los Hermanos Manzonos Oak Aged Roija 2019. An easy going elegant red with silky fruit and plenty of character, this gently oaked Tempranillo has just the right balance of ripe berry notes and oaky richness. It’s the work of brother David and Victor Manzanos who learned to make Rioja from their father. It was 1890 when the first generation of the Manzanos family established a small winery in Azagra and with the current family management and recent acquisitions Bodegas Manzanos is now in the top 10 of appellation Rioja. This medium bodied red normally cost £11.99 a bottle or £5.99 for half a bottle.
Debbie, our gin expert was tasting Tesco’s Limehouse Aromatic Gin costing £17.00 which the makers describe as “Inspired by the colourful history of London’s East End” The multi -layer flavour comes from a blend of botanicals as well as earthy tones plus “ a hint of juniper and citrus” However overall it was not rated very highly.
Finally we finished the evening with Hazel providing us with some reasons why February is a month to look forward to with celebratory days to have a glass of wine. Firstly February 2 our wine evening was also Groundhog Day and initially Hazel had planned that we would drink wine from Pennsylvania as it is in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania that the custom originally began. However not easy to purchase wine from Pennsylvania in the UK. Other celebrations in February include World Nutella Day, Pancake Day, Chinese New Year and of course Valentine’s Day. Overall we all agreed we had a fun evening thank you to Hazel.
The next meeting is scheduled to take place on March 2nd via Zoom and will be hosted by Toni & Mick.
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WINE APPRECIATION – for wine lovers!
Wine Appreciation Group Meeting 5th January 2021
Our first virtual meeting of the year was hosted by Hilary and Bob and we continued with our theme of blind tasting followed by a light-hearted quiz. The host selects a wine of his choice and then suitably wraps and delivers to all the participants. The logistics of delivery is shared with other members and arrangement are made to leave the money in an envelope outside so social distancing is maintained!
Once we have all logged onto Zoom we open the bottle and sample to try and see if we can guess exactly what type of wine we are drinking and which country it is from. This month it was a white and was very favourably received but it was not an easy one to pinpoint. In the end Bob revealed it was Fiano from the Berton Vineyard in Riverino, Australia. One interesting fact was that it is actually made from the Italian white grape Fiano which is grown mainly in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is a “classical” vine and has been around for many centuries possibly behind the ancient Roman wine Apianum. In recent years it has had a revival and several Australian wine producers have begun to use this grape. The Fiano vines also thrive in the sunshine and limestone rich soils of the Riverina region in New South Wales, South Eastern Australia. Fiano is an easy drinking wine with crisp acidity and citrus flavours and an alcohol content of 11.5%. The label itself is interesting, unusually being made of metal - it states "aromas of lemon zest and orange stem meld with floral notes of jasmine". This Fiano also complements fresh seafood, poultry, and white meat dishes. It is available from Majestic priced at £9.99 and is well worth trying even if you are not normally a white wine drinker.
As mentioned previously one of our members enjoys a gin & tonic and this evening Debbie was tasting Two Birds Strawberry and Vanilla Gin. The distillery is based in Market Harborough, Leicestershire founded in 2012 and has a collection of over 20 spirits including 11 different types of gin. Debbie thought this gin was a little on the sweet side though.
Finally the evening finished with a multi choice quiz testing our knowledge of Australian wines. There were 15 questions with a choice of 4 answers ranging from the value of the Australian wine industry to identifying the most popular grapes. .I think we all found it challenging but very informative and fun. Our newest member Barbara was the winner, well done!
The next meeting is scheduled to take place on February 2nd via Zoom and will be hosted by Hazel.