It was great to see over 40 members and several guests come along to the
November wine club, where we enjoyed a comparison of some Crémants
followed by a few Ports. Crémants are French sparkling wines, made with
differing grapes (which gives you a different taste depending on the region)
but all made in the same style as the much more expensive champagne (i.e.
a second fermentation in the bottle)!
First we tried a Poulet & Fils Crémant de Die. The principle grape variety
here was a less well known Clairette Blanche, which gave it an apple torte
taste. Went down well with some members but less so with others, which is
great as the point of the club is to help you decide what wine is right for
you!
Next we tried a Cuvée Royale from Limoux. Made from 70% Chardonnay,
this was compared to champagne by some members, maybe because the
same grape can be found in both?
Next was a Crémant de Bordeaux. Unlike the other wines, this was made
with predominantly from the red Merlot grapes, which would have been
difficult to spot as just the white juice from this grape was used in
production, leaving a crisp white sparking wine, with some brioche and
apple notes to taste.
We then moved on to a Crémant from the Jura region, Domaine do
Montbourgeau. This was a 100% Chardonnay sparkling wine, bone dry and
with some wonderful floral and summer fruit taste. Perfect if you want to
try something a little different to Prosecco!
Our last Crémant of the evening came from the Alsace region. A Cuvée
Julien Dopff au Moulin. This was made by blending equal amounts of the
Auxerrois and Pinot Blanc grape. The result was a wonderfully fine bubble
sparkling wine, with hints of quince and white flowers.
If you do want to try something other then a Cava or Prosecco this Christmas
then any one of the above would be a wonderful alternative and at a price
far more affordable than Champagne!
To finish the evening, we looked at three Ports, the first being a late bottled
Port from the Wine Society. A perfect wine for Christmas, that pairs with
most strong cheeses for an end of meal or just evening treat!
Next was the Society’s Exhibition Crusted Port. Crusted Port is made in the
style of a vintage wine (grapes from one year) but will use grapes from
various harvests over several years. This was a great value wine with ripe
plum and blackberry notes – delicious.
Our final wine was a 10 year old Tawny Port, again from the Wine Society.
This has some ageing in oak barrels, which gave it a lovely smooth finish,
perfect with a bit of stilton!!
Many thanks to all those who made some food to go along with all the wines.
And special thanks to Giulia for making a surprise (but very welcome)
birthday cake all could share with the Chairman!!
On Wednesday 14th December the wine club will be hosting a Christmas
dinner and wine evening for just £15! If you would like to come along and
see what we are all about then please do get in contact:
mail@uptonwineclub.com
Hope to see you there!
Ian