Decanter New World Fine Wine Tasting: Grand Tasting

On Saturday, I attended the Decanter Magazine New World Fine Wine event in London, courtesy of publisher Sophia Dempsey. I attended both the Grand Tasting and the South American Wines Masterclass lead by Peter Richards.

I chose to use the Grand Tasting as an overview, tasting from a few tables from each of the represented regions: USA, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and South America. In the end, I tasted from 10 wineries but I enjoyed the depth rather than breadth of my approach.

A few highlights include the 2007 Ken Forrester (Stellenbosch, South Africa) FMC, Forrester Meinert Chenin Blanc (£18). The slightly off-dry start lead to a floral after taste with incredible length. It also helps with the wine maker is pouring for you in a checkered shirt and brightly-coloured bow tie, enthusiastically waxing poetic on his trade.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the 2008 Cloof Wine Estate (Darling, South Africa) Crucible Shiraz (£30). It was at this booth that I bumped elbows with Oz Clarke, after my tasting companion exclaimed, slightly too loudly, "Oh my God, it's Oz Clarke!" I started looking around for him 10 feet away, not assuming he was literally standing next to me. We felt proud of ourselves for independently choosing a booth that he wanted to taste at, and proceeded to spend the next 10 minutes eavesdropping on his conversation with the pourer. It turns out he has visited this particular winery, but hey, it's still a good recommendation!

Another honourable mention goes to the 2005 Vasse Felix (Margaret River, Western Australia) Heytesbury Cabernet Sauvignon (£30s). The strong berry flavours were still bright, with a tannin structure to keep it all in line without overpowering the fruit. This is drinkable now, but should continue to age well another 5 years.

Two more mentions go to the 2008 Saint Clair Pioneer Block 7, Berry Block Sauvignon Blanc (£15) which is exactly what an NZ Sauv Blanc should taste like and the NV Domain Ste Michelle (Washington & Oregon, USA) Blanc de Noirs (£11) whose clean, fresh strawberry fruit calls for summer sunshine and comfy patio furniture.

I did taste a few duds, and I was stumped by a white wine by Domaine Serene (Oregon, USA) which is actually made from 100% Pinot Noir. They call it Coeur Blanc and although tasty, seems rather too much of a gimmick perhaps.

Overall, it was an excellent event with interesting wines and a nice representation, although small, of what the New World is producing. But lest I complain, I remind myself that I am going to the London International Wine Fair this week. With over 25,000 wines to taste, I don't care how much I spit; I may be stumbling home.

A few whites to spark a train of thought

On a recent visit to Vinoteca near Farringdon, I had two interesting whites: 2007 Kamptal Gruner Vetliner 'Lois', Loimer, Austria and the 2007 Colli Piacentini Malvasia 'Tasto di Seta', Castello di Luzzano, Italy.

I enjoy trying Gruner Vetliner whenever it's offered at trusted establishments. They have the right balance of acidity and aromatics that goes well with any food, but they are equally enjoyable on their own. This one was reminiscent of Pinot Gris, but a "good" Pinot Gris, not the pub swill on offer by the glass.

The Malvasia was even more interesting, with more length to it and stronger floral on the nose. I partly ordered it because my drinking companion had turned up her nose to it, not wanting an Italian white, and declaring that she couldn't stand Pinot Grigio (not that this had any similarity to one). I have to admit, I do have a Pinot Grigio aversion, no matter where it's grown, but it's comments like these that make me want to get in people's heads and taste buds and try to figure out what they are are actually tasting (i.e. why they don't like a certain wine).

I had another friend recently confuse acidity and tannin at a recent tasting, which is a classic example of how, if you don't have the basic terminology sorted, you will not only confuse other people but you have less of a chance to find out what you actually like, and why. I suppose this is why I have an interest in wine education and leading tastings. I am on a personal mission to help people understand what they are drinking, so that they will have more positive experiences in the future trying and buying new wines.

Wine Clubs

I was asked today about the options for "wine of the month" type clubs by an American who has moved to London. After giving it some thought, I realised that the predominant wine clubs in the UK are of the wine-by-the-case variety, and are usually offered by an already established retailed such as Sainsbury's Nectar Wine Club, Waitrose Wine Direct , or Majestic Wine Warehouse.

The model for these retailers are typically to send you a case of mixed wine once each quarter. The emphasis is on seasonally-relevant wines (i.e. rose in summer, heavier reds in winter), good value (£4-6 per bottle), and usually from larger, yet often unknown, producers.

I have always preferred ordering my own mixed cases from Waitrose or Virgin Wines, and I particularly like the Virgin Wine method of offering a Wine Bank, where £20 is debited from your checking account each month and then whenever you choose to purchase wine, you use your pre-paid credit. They were also very flexible with me when I went travelling 8 months ago, freezing my direct debit, but maintaining my credit for whenever I returned to the UK.

I am wondering what other UK wine club options there are. I will research this further and post about my findings, but in the meantime, if anyone knows of a higher-end, smaller-quantity wine club, please let me know by posting a comment!