Have you ever wondered why some wines can be purchased for a perhaps
£10 but others cost considerably more? What’s the difference and are they
“worth the price”? In May, we looked at some wines that were in the region
of £30 per bottle and asked ourselves this very question.
We started the evening by sampling two Rieslings. The first was from
Austria by a wine producer called Johann Donabaum. This was a very dry
wine, fresh and with tones of lime and white pepper. The second was
called The Florita and was from Clare Valley, Australia. Not perhaps where
you might first expect to find a Riesling but made by Jim Barry, known for
his excellent quality wines. Another dry wine full of lemon and lime zest.
Rieslings are great wines for spicy foods as their alcoholic content is lower,
allowing you to enjoy the flavours in the food even more.
Our next two wines were made from the Chardonnay grape. The first was a
Burgandy wine from Poully-Fuisse, famous for quality Chardonnay wine,
called Domaine Ferrand. The rich complex aromas of exotic fruit and
vanilla were created in part by aging some of the wine in French oak casks
“on lees” – or with some of the stems, pipes etc. still in contact with the
juice to create a unique flavour. In contrast the second wine was from a
well known vineyard called Sleepy Hollow, Santa Lucia Highlands in
California. Carefully selected, hand-harvested grapes that again were aged
in 100% French oak barrels, which gave a wonderful taste of pink lady
apples, pineapple and caramelised brown sugar.
Our next two wines came from the Rhone region in France. The first was
from the Gigondas region by the wine producer, Domaine St Damien. This
was a full-bodied wine, rich with intense flavours of warm fig and dark
chocolate. Our second wine came from the well known region of
Chateauneuf-du-Pape and was called Chateau Fortia. A brilliant example of
a wine from this region that produced a flavour of black fruit jam and
spice, having been matured in oak barrels for 24 months.
We finished the evening with two wines from Bordeaux. Our first wine was
from an AOC region in Medoc called St Estephe and a vineyard called
Chateau Le Haye. A well blended Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and
Merlot. The wine had good length with flavours of Cassis and blackcurrant.
Our final wine was another real treat. A Chateau Violet Sauternes desert
wine. A wonderful sweet wine that would go with sweet desserts or cheese
to finish an evening. Made from grapes that are only harvested when a
special fungi called botrytis has grown on the grapes, making them small
but very rich in flavour, with notes of candied fruit and a beautiful rich
taste of apricots and peach fruit.
So, were they worth the price? As always, that’s down to the individual but
if you consider that these bottles would set you back between £80-£100
typically in a restaurant, then the option to buy some and enjoy a very nice
meal in with friends becomes very attractive! If you wanted to try any of
the wines, they came from Strictly wine and Grape minds, both local wine
merchants.
The next wine meeting is on the 21st June and will mark the end of season
for this year. We would love to see you there for some fun, food and the
odd glass or two!!!
Ian Langley
Chairman Upton Wine Club
For further information, please see our website: www.uptonwineclub.com