Our group started one fine day when I asked a couple of friends if they were interested in meeting up, each couple producing a wine defined by a particular theme. (I remember our first theme was "Cabernet Sauvignon around the world") We decided to keep the wines secret by wrapping them to disguise the bottle shape and label, and only reveal the wines after we had tasted them. One of the guys offered his place to meet and his wife was so kind to prepare nibbles and lovely sweets (Stefania has these delicious sweets available on internet click here.) All this was followed by a marking sheet where we rated the wines according to how much we liked the wines.
This was our first template. From there we moved on (mainly we removed the academic part) however now it is a nice occasion for meeting friends and sharing our wine experience. This enables us to try wines that the individual couples would never have picked up from the shelf due to personal preferences, or lack of interest.
 |
| Corks of "wines from weird places" session |
The way this group in organised is unlimited and the wines tried as varied or specific as you want. This brings me to the last tasting where the topic was "wines from weird places". The whole aim was to try wines from places not readily available and this resulted in a white from the island of Sardinia, and reds from Switzerland, India and Israel. Not everybody liked all the wines equally and some wines might not have been impressive, but that is exactly the whole idea, to try and enjoy different wines.
Here is a wine tried in one of the sessions.
Marques de Riscal Rueda (DO) 2009
I must admit that I liked this wine from the first moment I tasted it. I would describe it as the perfect summer wine. It is a crispy and fruity wine that can tolerate food but at the same time can be enjoyed as an aperitif.
Appearance; Pale, clear, lively pale straw with silver tints and medium viscosity.
Nose; Quite aromatic, simple and fully developed with tropical fruit and flowers come to mind such as peaches and violets.
Palate; Dry wine with a nice crispy acidity. Well balanced wine with medium finish. Ripe and vegetal flavour taste with medium alcohol. (slight bitter ending typical of type.. don't let this put you off)
On a personal note, I would try and find the youngest vintage for consumption. Tried this wine after storing in the refrigerator for a day and I thought that it was already missing something. This wine does not need to open up (like most white wines) so it is perfectly fine to open the bottle before serving. It goes well as an aperitif for those who like their wines full. Also perfect with sea food, pasta and white meats. I think this wine is tasty enough to hold its own against heavier dishes especially if you feel like a white wine. This is a wine to be served quite cold (suggested serving temperature is 8-10°C) I would describe it as a summer charmer.
It is easily found in wine shops across Malta around 6 euro which makes it a very good buy.
Appearance; Pale, clear, lively pale straw with silver tints and medium viscosity.
Nose; Quite aromatic, simple and fully developed with tropical fruit and flowers come to mind such as peaches and violets.
Palate; Dry wine with a nice crispy acidity. Well balanced wine with medium finish. Ripe and vegetal flavour taste with medium alcohol. (slight bitter ending typical of type.. don't let this put you off)
On a personal note, I would try and find the youngest vintage for consumption. Tried this wine after storing in the refrigerator for a day and I thought that it was already missing something. This wine does not need to open up (like most white wines) so it is perfectly fine to open the bottle before serving. It goes well as an aperitif for those who like their wines full. Also perfect with sea food, pasta and white meats. I think this wine is tasty enough to hold its own against heavier dishes especially if you feel like a white wine. This is a wine to be served quite cold (suggested serving temperature is 8-10°C) I would describe it as a summer charmer.
It is easily found in wine shops across Malta around 6 euro which makes it a very good buy.
***+
Technical specs
Grape variety;
85% Verdejo
15% Viura
Alcoholic strength 12.5°
Total acidity 5.4
pH 3.30
No comments:
Post a Comment