Down Under Wine Tasting

To start the new year I decided to focus on the sunnier side of our world for the wine tasting with our Scout Leaders. Our winter has not, as yet, been harsh but we all feel a little dull when the nights are long and the rain keeps falling. Australia and New Zealand are in the height of their summer enjoying, or maybe not, some very warm sun so I chose all the wines for this tasting from 'Down Under'.

No-one knew the theme of the tasting beforehand, the only clue was to bring something to do with the summer. Sun glasses, sun hats, even a bikini top (not worn),  Hubby's Australia hat and my sun parasol all helped us think about warmer days.

Places set for our trip Down Under

The wines I chose were from supermarkets and main wine stores; all priced between £5 and £9 which suits our price range. I remember when I first started these tasting how everyone only knew the lower priced popular brands. Although over time their wine choice has changed they are not WSET students or looking at working with wine as a career and as such the wines at our tasting are always ones we'd pick off the shelves to enjoy with our friends ..... the wine purchasers that keep the industry going !

Yellow Tails Bubbles

It's always good to start with bubbles and we did with a well known brand .... Yellow Tails Bubbles. Made from mainly Chardonnay in large stainless steel vats and being carbonated this bottle of fizz was enjoyed by most. It was full of sparkle, a lovely foam on the pour, a great colour in the glass and plenty of flavour.

For me a little sweet as I prefer dry bubbles but for the price of £5.99 from B&M Bargains this 11.5% bottle of fizz is a great buy, certainly one to get a BBQ going when it is our summertime.

We changed the plan slightly this time, instead of tasting the whites, pausing for our buffet and then tasting the red wines, we tasted all the wines before eating. Some wines were tasted on their own, others in pairs, not to compare but to see the difference.

I did pair some of the wines with nibbles, our first little snack being Burton's Fish and Chips, tasty biscuits snacks that did pair with our bottle of bubbles, nothing matches a fish supper better than a bottle of fizz!

The Ned Rosé

Our rosé wine was The Ned Rosé, £8.99 from Majestic Wine; this was our first New Zealand wine. Made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris this was a slightly dry wine, some enjoyed it whilst others found it lacking in fruit and flavour.

As our third wine was also from Marlborough, New Zealand we tasted it alongside the rosé. Exquisite Collection Sauvignon Blanc available from Aldi, priced at £6.99 this was a superb example of a New World wine. A lovely aromatic nose, plenty of flavour with a good finish it was one of my favourites of the evening.

Lidl provided our next white wine; Winemaker's Choice Riesling, £6.99. We have tasted Australian Rieslings before but most found them a little too petrolly. This however was enjoyed by everyone, especially with mini spring rolls and onion bhajis. It's a very clean wine, plenty of flavour without any overpowering, certainly a good wine to pair with Asian food.

Our next white is from a well known producer to our group, everyone enjoys McGuigan's wine when doing the tastings, however this was a new label to us. Asda stock their Classic range which was my initial choice but when in store we spotted McGuigan Black Label Pinot Grigio, £6.50. Tropical aromas and flavours with an elegant lengthy finish, this wine was the overall favourite white. Pinot Grigot is not a grape our group usually buy but everyone was taken with this wine.

The final two white wines were tasted together, only because they are both creamier whites and would pair well with our tasting of mature cheddar cheese. Yalumba is one of my top wine producers from Australia, Hubby and I had the privileged of meeting Louisa Rose, their Winemaker, at a tasting evening back in 2015. I still remember our Butcher, Baker and Winemaker evening at Joseph Benjamin with Louisa and Negociants with fond memories, memories that make me smile everytime I taste Yalumba wine, especially the Y Series Viognier.

Purchased from Majestic Wine  recently whilst on offer at £5.49 the Y Series Viognier was again a newish grape to our group. Quite a mineral wine with a hint of floral on the nose I really enjoy this wine, it is one of my top choice Viogniers and pairs well with cheese, although for me I prefer it with a chicken dinner.

Our final white wine was again from Majestic Wine, it's my go to Chardonnay at just £5.99 The Astronomer by De Bortoli is full of peaches and vanilla with a super creamy edge. Good on its own its finish was enhanced by the mature cheese, it was a perfect finish to our white wine selection.

Our New Zealand and Australian whites

And so to our red selection ..... everyone agreed it was better to try all the wines before pausing for food especially as the ladies prefer the whites and the chaps prefer the reds it gives everyone the chance to enjoy their preference with our buffet.

That said, to my, and a few others surprise, our first red was a hit with the ladies. McGuigan Black Label Merlot from Asda priced at £6.50 was such a smooth fruity red. It was full of rich dark berries with soft vanilla from its subtle oak but without any tannins, which is probably the reason everyone enjoyed it. 

Pinot Noir is a grape I rarely drink, I have yet to discover one with enough weight for me. Many people recommend this grape with steak (my choice is a good Argentinian Malbec) so as a pairing for our next wine, Lidl Winemaker's Choice Pinot Noir from New Zealand priced at £6.79, we all enjoyed some Walker's Max Flame Grill Steak crisps. A medium bodied wine it was full of cherries and red berries and a perfect match for our beefy snack.

Two wines together next with a shared tasting of chorizo slices. Exquisite Collection Shiraz from Aldi at £5.79 had all the expected characteristics; dark fruit, liquoirce, spice, it was a lovely glass of deep red wine. Enjoyed by everyone Shiraz is a grape most of our group buy quite often.

Our second wine of the two was another favourite of mine and the favourite of the evening, The Y Series Cabernet Sauvignon by Yalumba. This was on offer at £6.99 at Majestic Wine and in hindsight I should have bought some for ourselves. It is such a good wine, it makes everyone sink and relax into it. A silence fell over the room as we all enjoyed the cherries, blackcurrants and mocha finish; a sure sign of a good wine.

Staying with Majestic Wine our next red was also from De Bortoli but a grape new to many. 1628 Durif is a weighty red, full of very dark fruit, chocolate, vanilla with a hint of spice. To accompany this we tried very bitter dark chocolate which gave mixed reviews, some enjoyed the wine more with the chocolate, some prefered it without.

Our final red is available in most of the main supermarkets but I purchased it from B&M Bargains, £8.49, as it is quite a bit cheaper. We discovered the 19 Crimes brand at our previous tasting - Christmas Ideas - the history behind each label is fascinating. Our final red was 19 Crimes The Uprising which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Grenache. A rich deep red in the glass with jammy fruit flavours and a smokey finish, another red enjoyed by most.

Our New Zealand and Australian reds

After enjoying our buffet we had one final wine, a sweet wine to accompany dessert; there could be no other dessert to match our Down Under theme than a Pineapple Upside Down cake. And to match our cake  ....  De Bortoli DB Reserve from Asda at £7.00. Plenty of sweetness with apricot flavours with a smooth finish, this dessert wine was a great way to finish our evening of wines from the other side of the world.

Dessert wine 

I always enjoy our wine tasting evenings, it's great fun to choose a theme, source the wines and write the tasting notes. The evenings themselves are always entertaining, discovering wines with friends is for me what wine is all about .... now where shall we go next!

A superb evening - here's to the next one !!