Wednesday 23 September 2015

September 2015 meeting

At the Club's September meeting, twenty members had the pleasure of tasting a selection of red wines carefully selected by their fellow member, Francis, under the intriguing heading of "Reds Off the Beaten Track".

These little-known wines came from Australia (Brown Bros Tarrango), France (Georges du Boeuf Fleurie), Italy (Palastri and Amarone della Valpolicella), Chile (Errazuriz), Portugal (Porta 6 Lisboa), Lebanon (Hochar), California (Ravenswood Lodi). The grapes, such as Tarrango, Primitivo, Carmanere, Corvina, were also mostly unfamiliar. 

Comprehensive tasting notes guided us in what to look for, such as "big, mouth-filling tannins, spicy notes, hints of dark chocolate and coffee" in the Carmanere, or "aromas of violets... spice... chewy tannins" in the Portuguese wine. The Californian Zinfadel promised "sweet blueberry, plums and spice aromas ... vanilla and toasted spices", while the Lebanon Hochar offered "black fruits, figs, dates and spices".

Deciding on the favourite was a close vote: first choice was the Amarone della Valpolicella from Italy, second was from Portugal, third from Lebanon and the fourth from Chile. 

A big thank you to Francis and Denise for presenting a thoroughly enjoyable event.

On Tuesday, 6th October, 8.00 pm at the Christchurch Centre, we are having the 'Beer and cider pub night' originally scheduled for May. You will have a chance to test your pub-game skills. Beer and cider are not obligatory. Do bring your own choice of bevvy.