A Tasting Menu of Wines - to Start

Herewith commences the first account of the first tasting of The Wine (& the first attempt at tasting notes)

* I rate things in stars - my rating system depends entirely on how much I like the wine at the time & is influenced strongly by my mood & the wines I'm tasting in relation. "/" means half :)

WHITE:

·         Eagles’ Nest Sauvignon Blanc 2010: Rounded & less acidic than normal sauv. (*)

·         Tormentoso Chenin Blanc 2012: Yum! American Oak. Coconutty, vanilla. Evil fish label (**)

·         Leeuwenkuil Reserve White 2011: Chenin + 4 others. Peachy, savoury, French oak; each variety fermented separately. Gooseberries & pith (/*)

·         Longridge Chardonnay 2008: Moss, pre-biodynamic, old fridge, worms. French oak. Grapes –> barrel –> bottle. Savoury butteriness, woody (/*)
*I have since come to love this wine - beginners' nose knows little!

ROSE:

·         Noble Hill Rose 2012: Mourvedre grape . Pretty. Tea-time dry wine. Less gay than normal rose. Smells like candyfloss – tastes like the stick. A la Waterfrod Rose Mary. (*) – Only available @ &Union

RED:

·         Collaboration Cinsault (cin-so) 2011: 2 chefs + a winemaker. Unwooded, meaty smell. Wow! Soft, serve chilled. ” Beautiful piece of fillet, rare with salad & balsamic vinegar” (**)

·         Tormentoso Mourvedre 2010: American oak, common in Shiraz blends, softer, smokey, horse-riding, metallic (try Beaumont’s Mourvedre) (*)

·         Pepin-Conde Cabernet Sauvignon 2009: Common wine-maker with wine above. “House wine”, smells fancy, beautiful French & American oak, tomatoes, cigar lounge wine, pencil case, huggable (*/*)

Notes for those not so in the Know:

·         Minerality = wet rock

·         Chill reds for 15 – 20 min before serving

·         Don’t serve whites too cold!