This month’s meeting was hosted by Sue and Dave who provided a blind tasting but introduced each wine with a dance being played which gave a clue to the country it came from…
The wines are listed below were supplied by the wine society apart from the Sake which came from Waitrose.
England - Morris Dance; The Society's English White 2017 £ 8.25
Zingy English white wine, fresh and dry, with citrus and white-fruit aromas. A perfect aperitif as well as a delightful partner to any number of fish dishes.
Greece – Sirtaki; Retsina Tetramythos £ 8.50
A totally new concept of retsina: surprisingly delicate, herby certainly with pine flavours, but fruity and moreish. The secret was using superior roditis grapes, fermented in clay jars with wild yeast but totally without the oxidation familiar to Greek café retsina.
Austria- Vienese Waltz; The Society's Grüner Veltliner 2017 £ 8.25
A textbook Austrian grüner from the historic Stadt Krems winery, which punches well above its weight. Succulent pear and white-pepper aromas are followed by refreshing nectarine flavours on the palate.
France - Can Can; Côtes de Provence Rosé, Château de Galoupet Cru Classé 2017 £13.50
Positioned within sight of the sea at Hyères. It’s as pale as possible with wonderful delicacy and subtlety of flavour. Exquisite, dry and refreshing rosé from mainly grenache and cinsault grapes.
Spanish - Pasa Doble; Navajas Crianza Rioja 2015 £8.95
This smooth, plump Rioja wins pride of place as one of our members' favourite reds vintage after vintage. Lovely combination of vanilla-infused flavour from high-quality oak ageing and vibrant red-fruit notes.
Argentina – Tango; Weinert Carrascal Corte Clasico Mendoza 2013 £9.50
2013 is a very good vintage for this wine. It was cool, so the flavours are fine and intense. Three years in cask have left a rich and velvety texture, with mature flavours of cedar and leather. The blend of approximately 40% malbec, 35% cabernet sauvignon and 25% merlot works very well together.
Japan - Vapors Turning Japanese; Sawanotsuru deluxe sake £11.99
The name Sawanotsuru literally means ‘crane of the swamp’. The quality of the water used in sake production and the method used to prepare the rice for fermentation are both critical in determining the style of the sake produced.
