In May James from Majestic Abingdon delivered a witty and informative talk on Wines for Summer; with some lovely examples of wines for the BBQ season.
We started the evening off well with a Bouvet Samur Rose Brut NV (£8.99) which was a perfect light aperitif wine made from the Cabernet Franc grape, a crisp, clean fruity little sparkler.
We then moved on to the Whites with the first White being a Torres Vina Esmeralda, an aromatic blend of Gewurztraminer and Muscat which had aromas of honeysuckle and ripe pears and was quite unusual. The final White was a well balanced complex Sauvignon Blanc (Santa Ema SB Reserva 2013) from the Leyda Valley which tasted of grapefruit and passion fruit with a herby background.
The Red wines started with a light Giles Gelin 2011 Fleurie, which was full of fresh crushed berries and would pair well with pork chops or meat pates. The Majestic BBQ Summer Sizzler for the evening was the Parcel Series Shiraz 2012 at £5.99 after discount which was rich and fruity and went down well with the members.
The final two Red wines of the evening were also very enjoyable and were my personal favourites. The Passimento 2011, Pasqua was a deep, dark wine with concentrated berry fruits and a touch of leather and spice with grippy tannins and a long finish. The Ben Marco Malbec 2012 was another complex wine with ripe red fruits and a hint of vanilla and mocha; this wine would be perfect with a big juicy steak cooked on the BBQ.
And that was the end of another very enjoyable evening at the wine club 🙂
Frankie Jacklin