Valentine's Day Wine Tasting

Last month Hubby and I hosted another wine tasting evening for our friends, there was no definite theme although we did include a few nods to it being Valentine's Day.

The room always looks good when everything is set up; glasses, quiz sheet and importantly the wine list with tasting notes.

It had been requested that we try new wines which is a little tricky as we have been hosting these evenings for over 12 years, probably 3 times a year ... that's a lot of wines already tasted. 

However with new wines in our supermarkets appearing and our recent trip to The Wine Society we did serve 12 new wines.

Our evening started with Asda's Wine Atlas Garda made from Garganega grapes using the charmant method when the second fermentation is in large stainless steel tanks. This was a lovely sparkling wine enjoyed by everyone with flavours of red apple and lemon sherbet.

Our rose and white wines all had something interesting on their labels and were from France, Austria, Sicily and Portugal 

As we were trying new wines our French wines were my favourites with a difference. I have enjoyed Duo de Deux Mers from the Wine Society many times but it was a first to try Duo des Plages, a rose made from Cinsault and Grenache. From Rousillon in Southern France this rose had plenty of fresh fruit with a smooth finishing giving a subtle grapefruit flavour.

I really enjoy Sauvignon Blanc from the Tourraine region in the Loire Valley and this white caught my eye with its unusual spelling, Le Cheteau. It was very much enjoyed by those who like Sauvignon Blanc.

Carricante from Sicily is a new tasting for our group. Wine making is an important part of Siclian heritage with this grape variety being grown in Eastern Sicily for at least 1000 years. Carricante wa a light wine with floral notes and peaches flavours with a subtle mineral edge to its finish.

Our other two wines were from The Wine Society, one was in their Enomatic Wine tasting machines, the other had an unusual label depicting a bell. 

Gemischter Satz from Familie Mantler was a delicious Austrian wine made from two grapes we had tried before and a new variety. This unoaked white was 80% Gruner Veltiner, 15% Muller-thurgau and 5% Muskateller. It was a really good wine that we would not have discovered if it hadn't been an offered tasting at The Wine Society.

The bell on the label of Casa Ermeinda Freitas Sino Grande pays homage to the daily rhythm of the Vineyard that was established in 1920. From one of Portugal's largest producers this wine made using Fernao Pires, Antao Vaz and Verdelgho was full of apple flavours with citrus high notes.

All our red wines had striking black and red labels,  nod to Valentine's Day.

Our first wine was Asda's Extra Special Sicilian Reserve. A Nero d'Avola wine full of dark fruits with a superb note of chocolate on its finish. Produced in a warm Mediterranean climae with cooling coastal breezes it is aged in French oak barrels before a further 12 months maturation in the bottle.

Staying with an Italian wine our next tasting was Masso Antico Primivito from Puglia. It's name is taken from Masseria, an old farmhouse on their first vineyard that was covered in old gnarled vines, hence the detail on the label.

Four Portuguese varieties were used to make this delicious deep red wine; Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Cao. Beefsteak The Beast is matured in port barrels and as its name suggests pairs well with steak.

From The Wine Society and full of dark fruits flavour Baccolo Appasimento Rosso Veneo was enjoyed by everyone. A tribute to the ancient wine divinity Baccus, Barcelona had intense flavours from the Merlot and Corvina being partly dried before pressing.

Our final red was from one of my favourite French wine producers, Cellier des Dauphins. The Reserve Intense is a blend of Cotes du Rhone grapes Grenache and Syrah with the addition of Mourvèdre giving a complex flavour of blackberries, blueberries, plums, spice and vanilla.

All the reds were very well received, each having subtle differences that highlighted the right pairing and occasion for each to be enjoyed.

Our final tipple of the evening was Asda's Espresso Martini Cream Liqueur. I did think of pouring everyone a Baby Guinness but as this had very similar flavours I thought it worth a try as an easier pour. It was delicious, a great easy drink but not quite a Baby Guinness shot or Espresso Martini. 

Another super tasting with a few extras for Valentine's, I wonder what wines will be next!

Coventry Charterhouse - National Trust

National Trust have been working on saving Coventry's Charterhouse which has had a varied history over hundreds of years. Although I lived in Coventry for a short while I didn't know about it although Hubby who was born in city did know it was there.

It is not a furnished property, National Trust have focused on the building and how it has changed with various occupants. Built in the late 1300s it was originally a monastery with cloisters and a church, both destroyed in Henry VIIIs reformation. During the reign of Elizabeth I it was home to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and later John Whittingham who built the walled garden and cultivated a nursery. The house and grounds did fall into decline after beings a children's home, an old aged pensiors house and a training centre.

Inside the house there are many examples of the various occupants and styles of the times. One of the main changes is the addition of a second floor splitting the monastery's original huge dining hall in two and making more rooms on a first and second floor.

On the first floor there remains some amazing wall paintings. They are thought to have survived thanks to subsequent owners covering them with panelling. The black and white painting is from the 1500s and depicts wealth with fruits and plants, it has had additions as it is not all by the same artist, the main figure may be depicting Robert Dudley. 

The coloured painting has been split by the addition of the second floor, this is apparent with it showing only the lower part of people, in particular Jesus's crucification being just his feet on the cross.

Outside there is evidence of the church with one wall remaining and it is hoped some archaeology be done on the site to discover more. There has already been some features of the cloisters found, these have been placed in one of the garden walls. In the far corner a apple store still survived, thought to be an 18th century folly. 

It was a great day exploring a local National Trust property with of course a coffee and scone in the cafe. With extensive parkland it's a great place to visit, a lovely green space in the middle of Coventry, I hope we visit again when the plants and flowers are in bloom.