28.2.17
A group of 10 members met at Ray and Alison's house and enjoyed tasting and discussing a range of 2 white and 2 red wines and an altogether too enticing assortment of nibbles. Personal remarks of likes, dislikes, preferences etc were entered onto a comment sheet and each wine was given a 'mark out of 10'.
Ray had sourced the bottles from Laithwaites, an on-line mail order supplier and this month we sampled :
Abbesse Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire region of France - This is a clear, pale straw colour with a zingy citrus flavour and aroma highlighted by grassy, herby notes.
Duck 'n' Pheasant another Sauvignon Blanc, but this time from Marlborough, New Zealand. This wine had a more distinctive pale lemon colour and a gooseberry and citrus aroma. Its crisp, fresh and impressive flavour was balanced with a good intensity.
Los Rosales Don Miguel Carmenere This red wine, made from hand-harvested Carmenere grapes in Chile, is fermented before being matured for 9 months in oak barrels. At 14% alcohol it was the strongest of those we tasted. It had a deep, dark red colour and a plum and blackberry taste with a hint of spice.
Lobo e Falcao A wine made from a mix of Castelao, Alicante and Touriga Nacional grapes from Portugal. This full-bodied, dark crimson red wine, was smooth and rich with deep berry fruits and notes of sweet spices and oak. Our FAVORITE.