Round Two, Reduce a Few

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After starting a bit heavy on our first tasting, we at least showed that we learn quick, and kept it simple with four wines paired with a variety of cheeses, cold cuts and nice solid cut of honey! Split between white and red, the night was not solely meant for wine and pleasant conversation, this was the night where we really dug into the details of where we want to go and how to take you, our readers along with us, literally.

Soave Classico (2016)

The first element that strikes when tasting this wine, aside from its freshness, is a buttery taste that is linked to the fermentation process. Moving beyond taste, mentally, this wine will take you straight to the seaside and we could already picture ourselves with a fresh fish dish and the sound of the rolling waves. Having said that, given our choice of food for the night, this fruity wine matched well with the Stilton cheese as opposites, but also with the honey given their sweeter similarities. With a good potential to age, keep an eye on this wine for the future…

Trimbach Gewurtztraminer (2011)

Possibly our favourite of the night, this all-round amazing wine hit all the right notes in all the right places: it’s spicy, fruity, a hint (in our opinion) of nutmeg and upon tasting, we felt it would pair really well with Asian food. Definitely recommend this one if you’re out for an Indian or Middle-Eastern oriented lunch or dinner.

Albert Bichot, Gevrey-Chambertin (2014)

Some might say it’s better not to meet our heroes, as they might not be all that we make them out to be. Unfortunately, this was the case here, as we were expecting this to be at least our number one wine of the night, especially after the first whiff which had us practically salivating. It may be down to the vintage, but there was a slightly metallic taste to it, and though it has a smooth finish, we really wish we enjoyed it more. Notwithstanding, it goes well with Brie (neat Burgundy connection there) as well as carpaccio and other crudi, and possibly a beef tartare too!

Catena Alta Malbec (2013)

A fun fact about the Malbec grape is that it used to be indigenous to Bordeaux, but due to its poor resistance to weather and pests it never quite made it to the top of the French grapes. Luckily, a French botanist living in Mendoza, Argentina, fuelled by nostalgia (and the mayor’s orders) planted the grape there, and we’ve got him to thank for this lovely full-bodied wine. High in acidity and long on the finish, this is a wine that’s just asking for a juicy steak.

For next time…

Our next meeting is set to be our most interesting yet, with our date set for the 4th of July, the choice of wines will be American, as a celebration of America’s Independence. You can now also follow us on Facebook and Instagram and leave us feedback and ideas on past and future ideas for all things bottled!