The Annual General Meeting was held at the start of the meeting on 19th September, the first after the Club’s summer break. The secretary, Kevin Jacklin, reported that the club had 66 members and that an average of 41 attended meetings during the past year when 75 different wines had been tasted. Frankie Jacklin presented the audited accounts which showed that the club was on a sound financial footing. No increase in annual membership or meeting costs was proposed. Mike Collins, chairman, thanked the committee, the speakers and the members for all their support. Ellie Bunston was elected to join the committee, replacing Chris Traynor who wished to stand down. The remainder of the committee continues unchanged.
Mike Collins introduced the wine tasting following the theme of “Let’s Try something Different”.
During the AGM we tried an Upton version of Kir Royale made from Undurraga Sparkling Pinot Noir (Chile) and Blackcurrant Schnapps (Germany) which helped to lubricate the formalities.
The subsequent wines were taken from parts of the world that had not been previously been explored in the Club’s tastings. Among them the following stood out:
A Goteoldal Single Vineyard Pinot Grigio from the Hilltop Estate, Hungary (2011) with a full ripe, and truly flavoured pinot grigio, impressed the club and was at a reasonable price (£6.25).
The club has never before tasted a Valpolicella wine from Italy. This had gained a poor reputation through over exploitation in the years after 1968 when the DOC regulations were introduced. Changes made in 2003 have reversed the trend. The wine tasted, Torre del Falasco, Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso, 2010, DOC, made a good impression on tasting, with the ripasso process adding complexity and concentration. At £8.95, it was thought good value. Since this wine was tasted blind, we were amazed that one cognoscenti present accurately identified the wine!
Massaya Classic 2009 from the Bekka Valley, Lebanon also impressed the club. This wine, 60% cinsault, 20% cabernet sauvignon and 20% syrah had been made with the help of experts from Burgundy and the Rhone in France and clearly showed their influence. At £9.95 it was well received.
The evening was brought to a close by a magnificent dessert wine, Seewinkle Eisiwein, 2008 made by Jana Klein in Austria from the Gruner Veltliner grape. The concentrated exquisite flavours stood out and compensated for the very high cost of a wine (£20 for 50cl) which most of us would not normally ever taste.
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 17th October when Derek Whitmell will introduce wines from the Southern Rhone. Anybody interested in joining the club should contact Mike Collins (tel. 850989) or Kevin Jacklin (851404).