Over forty members, guests and visitors turned out on a very cold night to attend our January meeting. We were addressed by Mr Richard Smith from Morganrot Chevalier who presented six new world wines for us to taste.
We began by tasting a Semillion Chardonnay (white) and a Shiraz Cabernet (red) - both from Aldridge Estate in Australia. A number of members found that whilst the Semillion Chardonnay presented good fruit it was very acidic, and lacked balance. There was an opinion expressed that the Shiraz Cabernet presented a very spicy wine without the body to required to offset it, giving a somewhat disappointing wine overall.
We then drank a Merlot from Rio Larqui estate in Chile. This wine was well received, and there was a consensus of opinion that the wine lived up to it's description as "Full bodied, smooth and easy drinking, good fruit on the nose and a deep Plumy flavour".
An unoaked Chardonnay from Copeland Estate in Australia provided a good deal of discussion, and general acclaim. This was a delicate and fruity wine and was refreshingly different from many Chardonnay wines in this price range (£5.49). It will feature in the top wines of the year.
The final white was an international medal winning Tohu Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. This wine although dry was intensely fruity, with citrus and tropical fruit much in evidence. There was a good balance of acidity and body. Because of it's intense flavours it would be an excellent accompaniment to highly flavoured fish and white meat dishes however its combination with delicate foods would not be beneficial. At £8.99 the price of this wine reflects it's quality.
A Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Rio Larqui estate in Chile finished the evening. This wine, in conjunction with the Tohu Sauvignon Blanc received universal approbation. This wine is oak matured and a very good balance between the tannins and the concentrated fruit flavours has been achieved. There is plenty of body and a good finish. The wine could be drunk by itself, although it would be an excellent accompaniment for red meat or cheese. At £7.29 it represents good value for money, a fact which did not escape many of the members who ordered various of the wines presented during the evening.
Over thirty members attended the Annual General Meeting, combined with a tasting of the most popular wines from the year.
The business of the evening was efficiently run. The accounts were presented. The Chairman gave a review of the last year. A new committee was elected.
We tasted a sparkling Chardonnay - Pinot Noir from the Jacob's Creek Winery and a Copelend estate Un-oaked Chardonney, both Australian and a Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie from France.
Our three reds were a Chilean Merlot from the Errazariz estate, Evolution du Serret from the Ardèch, and a Rawson's Retreat bin 35 from Australia.
Nearly forty members and guests enjoyed a most entertaining evening when Jane Coombs and Chris Norbury guided a tasting of cool climate wines.
The inspiration for the evening was a recent holiday in which many of the cool climate wine growing areas were visited. Wines from a number of the location visited were presented. Each wine was accompanied by carefully researched information about its area of origin and anecdotes and experiences from the visit.
1997 Redwood Trail - Chardonnay (California) (£5.99) is a wine made by dividing the harvest into three parts, which are treated separately, before blending.
The resulting wine is dry and complex although some members commented that it was too acid for their tastes.
New Zealand, which is famed for cool climate wines, was the origin of four of the wined of the evening.
Lindauer Brut, a sparking white wine from the Malbrough region on the South Island has been tasted and appreciated by the society before. Our presenters expressed disappointment that in Britain the price is three times higher than in New Zealand.
Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc (2000) also from the Malborough region was generally greeted with approbation. This wine costing about £6.99 has a distinctive green tint, is light and tangy with fruit flavours described variously as desert gooseberries or even peaches.
Hawkes Bay on the North Island provided our first red of the evening. From the Church road Winery we drank a 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot (£8.99). This was a very full-bodied wine with lots of oak. This wine had a mixed reception, some finding it cloying or over-oaked, while others enthused about it’s complexity.
Central Otago on the South Island is the most southerly wine growing area in the world. It has a small growing area based on north facing slopes of alluvial loam. We drank 1999 Perigrine from the Wentworth estate. This wine, made from Pinot Noir, has won numerous medals although only a small volume is produced, hence the high price tag of £12.99. The wine has a light body but intense and well balanced fruity flavours.
Our final wine was a 1999 Oxford Landing Cabernet Sauvignon (£6.99) Shiraz from Clare Valley in South Australia. This wine from Yalumba -Australia’s oldest family owned vineyard - provided plenty of spicy, peppery fruit.
About forty members and guests attended our April meeting when Simon Lawson and Anne Smith guided a tasting of organic wines.
There are three major accreditation organisations for organic wine, the differences in requirements being somewhat subtle. Most growers tend to seek accreditation from the organisation that already has a presence in their geographic region.
The process of wine making has traditionally used sulphur and its compounds to stop and stabilise the fermentation process. There is some debate to the extent that this can be employed in an organic wine.
We drank the following wines :-
There was a consensus that although the wines were more expensive than their non-organic counterparts, the premium did not guarantee a higher quality.
Over forty members and guests attended our May meeting where Janet Halstead, the Manager of Wine Rack in Poynton, presented a light-hearted wine tasting quiz.
The game, "Who’s Wine is it Anyway" was loosely based on the panel game "Call My Bluff". All the members were split into competing teams, which were given a wine to taste and identify based on one of three descriptions, only one of which was genuine.
Discussion within teams was animated, as different flavours within the wines were identified. Whilst some teams were experiencing difficulty in identifying grape varieties, others were arguing about hemisphere and continents. Everyone who attended enjoyed the evening, and some even learned something!
As in past years, our June meeting was a barbecue held on the lawn of Middlewood House. This year whilst the preparations were made a light drizzle began, as the wind rose and the temperature plunged we faced the inevitable and served our meal indoors.
About forty-five members and guests started the evening with a Californian sparkling white wine, and were then served with plentiful offerings of barbecued meat and fowl with a superb choice of salads. A range of hot and cold sweets rounded off the meal. The festivities continued with games and brainteasers and more wine tasting.
The September meeting was a tasting of English wines. These were selected and introduced by two members: Messrs Lawson and Simon. About forty members and guests attended the evening.
Six wines were presented - two each from three vineyards. The evening was started with a sparkling wine, which was followed by one rosé and four whites. The wines, varying from extremely dry to medium, demonstrated the wide range of characteristics which English growers and makers are able to produce.
The speakers showed photographs of some of the vineyards, and wineries, and gave insights into the growing techniques and production methods. There was a discussion of the history and present state of English winemaking, and information about the commercial availability of English wines.
Our October meeting was a study of the range of tastes within three grape varieties. Members of the society ran the meeting. Over thirty members and guests attended. The evening was both informative and enjoyable.
Our first grape variety was the Sauvignon Blanc giving flavours of citrus fruits and mown grass. We then sampled wines from the Merlot grape, this time soft plum and berry flavours dominating the wines. Finally we tasted the complex Cabernet Sauvignon with flavours of berries, spices and woods. For each grape we sampled two wines from different regions to appreciate the breadth of the grapes.
Over thirty members braved a bitterly cold night to attend our November meeting and were rewarded by an entertaining and stimulating evening sampling a variety of Uncle Sam’s finest wines.
Mr Jim Duxford, from Oddbins in Bramhall, led the tasting. We sampled and discussed three red and three white wines. We tasted both organic and conventionally produced wines. There was detailed information about all the producers including the fact that one of the wineries had its own cooperage plant.
In addition to the discussion of the wines we tasted there was also an explanations of the factors governing costs in US wine production, and a number of interesting comparisons between the wine industries in the Americas, Australia and Europe.
Over thirty members and guests attend our December meeting when the focus was on wines for Christmas.
We asked seven members to select a wine for the festive period. We sampled each wine under the guidance of the member who had chosen it. We were given information on appropriate occasions for serving the wines, and the reasons for their selection.
The wines ranged from a mulled wine through white wines, red wines and finished with a desert wine - Baumes de Venise. The desert wine was served with Christmas pudding, mince pies and brandy butter. Thanks are due to all the presenters, and the team who provided the food.