There was a good number of regular and – equally pleasing – new members
at the October Wine Club meeting. All had come to see Michael Jelley from
this specialist wine merchant in Summertown and Wallingford talk about
some of his favourite wines from across France.
Armed with a little bit of knowledge, you can make some wonderful
selections on wines for very good prices. Our first wine was a great example
of this. If you like Sancerre wines but don’t enjoy paying a premium, then
try the Bellevue Touraine, also from the Loire Valley, but not far from the
Sancerre region. The same Sauvignon Blanc grape but at a fraction of the
price!
Next, we went to North Burgundy, where we tried Domaine Besson Chablis.
This was a wonderful wine from a small vineyard that produced a
Chardonnay wine with very crisp non-oaked tones. Perfect if you like the
grape but don’t enjoy the creamy buttery taste offered by some wines from
this grape.
In contrast then, for our next white, we went to the South of France, where
we tried a Champ des Nummus Chardonnay from Limoux. This wine had
been exposed to some ageing in oak barrels, that allowed it to react with
oxygen to create some wonderful buttery notes, synonymous with some
wines made with Chardonnay grapes.
Our final white for the evening was a Chateau Lapuyade Jurancon. A really
unusual wine, made from grapes harvested late in the year. This has given
each grape the maximum amount of sun, turning the wine a wonderful deep
yellow colour that you would normally expect from a sweet wine. If you like
dessert wines but find them a little too sweet then try this, with some
wonderful butterscotch and honeysuckle flavours coming through.
Our first red of the evening was a real crowd pleaser. A Julienas Cuvee Six
Beaujolais Villages. Made from the Gamay grape, this is a very affordable,
good quality wine that has soft tannins and a very refreshing red berry taste.
Perfect if you have a large number of guests over and are likely to get
through a few bottles!
Our next wine was not something many had tried often, if at all. A red wine
from the Sancerre region. Reds from this region are typically Pinot Noir and
the Berthier Sancerre was a really good example of a light red wine from
that region. If you are a fan of Pinot Noir and want to give your guests
something a little different then try this.
The next wine we tried came from Bordeaux, a Château des Gravières
Bordeaux Superieur. A typical Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend that
provides you with that classic black cherry, Oak taste that you would expect
from this region. A good price and one definitely to try if you like wines
from this region.
For our last wine of the evening we tasted a wonderful GSM (Grenache,
Syrah, Mourvedre) blend from the Côtes du Rhône region. The Domaine
Dionysos ‘La Devèze’ was wonderfully smooth with deep red fruit flavours
and a touch of spice. Great for Christmas!
The Upton Wine Club is there for residents from our village who enjoy wine
and simply want to find out a little more information, try something
perhaps a little new and socialise with some of your neighbours! If you are
interested in coming along then you can find out all about us at:
contact@uptonwineclub.com