It's great fun planning these evenings, choosing a theme, researching wines, going on a wine spending spree (a task in itself), deciding on the food pairings and setting up.
 |
| All set for another great evening |
We began with bubbles .... as always .... this time English Sparkling Wine. Denbies Broadwood's Folly Brut from Lidl (£14.99). This seemed even more appropriate as the estate is celebrating its 30th anniversary, as are Hubby and I later this month.
Broadwood's Folly had plenty of bubbles, larger in size than some English Sparkling Wines, and which were quite lively producing a good foam. This pale pear yellow glass of fizz was full of citrus with a touch of toasty brioche and a dry finish. Overall it was a decent wine but for me I'd prefer Aldi's Cremant de Jura at half the price.
 |
| Denbies Broadwood's Folly |
Our first wine was animus Vinho Verde from Portugal, an Aldi wine at £4.79. This wine made from Loureiro and Arinto grapes is a light wine full of freshness with some stone fruit. I was expecting a heavier wine but it had quite a short finish and if you are looking for a light lunch time wine this would be perfect.
Staying with the low budget supermarkets we changed countries and moved to Hungary with a Pinot Grigio. Dunántúil PGI was our cheapest wine of the evening, £3.69 from Lidl. There were many tastes in this wine but all very subtle: apple, honey, citrus and sweet fruits. I'm pleased to have tried this Eastern European wine but it didn't have enough body for me.
Austria next with a wine I usually enjoy with Asian or Chinese food, that said I paired it with Asda's Hoisin Duck crisps, a pairing everyone enjoyed. Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Gruner Veltliner (£8.25) didn't disappoint with its expected white crisp peachiness, hint of lemon and slight white pepper in its high notes. I really enjoyed this and as I said it is perfect with Eastern foods.
Everyone was surprised by the origins of the wines, most had only tasted French, Spanish, Germany or Italian wines from Europe before; they were very surprised when our next white came from Bulgaria. Stone Arka Chardonnay from Majestic at £7.99 had flavours of peach, citrus and buttery nuts. It was quite a soft delicate wine which, if you love chardonnay, may have left you wanting more.
Moving north into Romania our fifth white was a Sauvignon Blanc, always a favourite of mine. This had a full nose similar but not as heavy as a New Zealand wine. Bradshaw The Peacock Series Sauvignon Blanc from Asda at £5.50 would, in my opinion, be a great lunch time in the garden wine. A dry wine with plenty of fruit, a kick of citrus and a light acidity.
Our final white wine was from England, last October Hubby and I visited Lyme Bay Winery, I love their Bacchus wine. It's a long way to Devon but thankfully Aldi now stock Lyme Block Signature (£9.99), a combination of Bacchus, Pinot Blanc, Reichensyeiner, Madelaine Angeline and Seyval Blanc. It was the favourite white of the evening which came as no surprise as it's full of flavour, plenty of green apple, lime zest and melon with a smooth finish and great length; it's a superb wine.
 |
| Our whites from around Europe |
Two Sainsbury's wines next, the first one in their Taste the Difference range and a trip back to Austria with Zweilgelt at £8.00. I have noticed how, now that we have held many of these events, everyone is trying hard to discover the fragrances and flavours I list on the tasting note. This wine caused great hilarity as everyone tried to find the 'prunes'. It had plenty of cherries but the hint of mint on its finish was not enjoyed by a few.
Our second was an old favourite, a Cellier des Dauphins from Sainbury's at £5.75. I love this producer and will never miss an opportunity to enjoy their wine. Although from France which isn't alternative, it's unusual for us to find a Merlot Grenache blend. Soft fruits, raspberries, pepper and spice .... need I say any more.
Travelling back to Romania our next wine was from The Wine Atlas range in Asda. Feteasca Neagra (pronunciation was skipped) £5.25 was a great price for this blackcurrant heavy wine. So much deep fruit with pepper dancing around this was one of the favourite red wines.
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference range was quite popular with everyone, the penultimate wine from Portugal was liked by most, however we have tried a few Portuguese wines in previous tastings which people preferred. Lisboa is a blend of Castelao, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Syrah and is reasonably priced at £6.00.
Our final red was voted the overall favourite: Selone Puglia Negroamaro from Lidl priced at £5.69. This Italian red was full of dark fruit, had plenty of spice and soft vanilla finish. I don't see it very often in store but I'll be grabbing a bottle when I do.
 |
| Our red selection |
2 parts vodka
1 part coffee liqueur
cream to taste
Our wine tastings evenings are such fun, it's a great way to share our favourite wines with others and/or to discover new wines as in this tasting. Our Scout Group has such dedicated leaders it is great to have a social night that isn't all about fundraising - here's to the next one .... theme thinking has begun!
No comments:
Post a Comment