Blind wine tasting is hard!

This week I attended a blind wine tasting hosted by Wine Australia, and I thought, "easy, I'm going to smash this", and although Aussie wines are some of my favourites, I haven't done any blind tasting since my WSET exams five years ago (gosh is it that long?!). I got it wrong. I got it all wrong.

We were given a piece of paper where we could write our notes, and given another which posed 7 questions about the wines, which we had to hand in at the end. Answer papers were marked and the top 4 people given recognition (no-one listed below the top 4, and no scores revealed - thus preventing any (my) embarrassment). It was a lovely experience and my fellow wine tasters were charming.

There were three flights of wine - Flight 1: four white wines, Flight 2: three red wines, and Flight 3: four red wines. We had to guess the single grape variety in each flight, decide which wines were from the same region in each flight, and identify the one wine of the day that was not from Australia (and where it was from). Straightforward right? It would seem... until you throw the way my brain works into the mix. Let me explain...

Flight 1:
My first thought was Chardonnay, of course these are Chardonnay, but hang on wine #1 is oily - in the way that cocoa butter is oily, and lemon aroma, so a bit like eating a Hotel Chocolate Lemon white chocolate. Yum. But not typical of chardonnay. There's a slight spritz on the tip of my tongue - again atypical for Chardonnay, hang on could this be Semillon? It has a full body - tick - and is not very complex (i.e. doesn't have many different flavours coming through - similar to a pinot grigio) - tick. Then I looked at the legs (the viscous drops down the side of the glass, which indicates alcohol level), and wiped it from my mind, no, no it can't be a Semillon, as Semillon has low alcohol, these thick legs mean high alcohol... so I continued tasting Flight 1 thinking the wines were Chardonnay (both wines 2 & 3 had buttery notes - typical of Chardonnay, but also possible for Semillon). But then, Wine 4 threw me - it was quite light and pale, with citrus and mineral, and dental floss (or, rather, a medical tasting eucalyptus flavour) - this can't be Chardonnay screamed the devil on my left shoulder! The angel on my left was too timid to remind me of the typical Chardonnay characteristics I had experienced with the other two wines.
I wrote Semillon on the answer sheet. These wines were Chardonnay. Then they asked which wine is from Barossa and although the eucalyptus is blatantly a clue for Wine 4, I wrote down Wine 1, because that white chocolate flavour made me think it had to come from a hot climate. I wonder now if that white chocolate is a result of a process during winemaking (such as Malolactic fermentation - I can cover this another day), rather than a characteristic representative of the terroir (the place where the grapes are grown). Bobbins!

Flight 2:
The wines were very pale in colour and had delicate aromas (i.e. you can't smell a thing), the wines had brownish edges, a sign of ageing. Wine 5 tasted of charries and burnt toffee, Wine 6 reminded me of eating fresh red fruits and buttered toast in the mountains, and Wine 7 felt like red velvet and made my lips tingle. It must be Pinot Noir - it's a widely-grown grape in Australia, it's pale, and ages well. But then, my brain switched again, I know that Austalians are using a much wider variety of grapes than we normally think of, and there was something distinctly savoury about these wines, and that brown colour that made me think it could be something else... ooh... Nebbiolo?! I wrote that down. WRONG - they were Pinot Noir - Doh! I saids wines 5 & 6 were made in the same region: wrong again! Wines 6 & 7 were.

Flight 3:
These wines showed characteristics of jammy fruit, blackcurrants, and vanilla. Where they differed to each other was Wine 8 had cooler climate sturcture (less jammy, higher tannins), Wine 9 was more Ribena-y and spicey and was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS, Wine 10 had a brick colour to the edges, Wine 11 was cherries, chocolate, and a bitter finish, Wine 12 had a tar aroma. So the debate was Shiraz versus Cabernet Sauvignon. Now, none of the wines had the characteristic Eucalyptus found in Aussie Cab Savs, so these wines were more typical of Shiraz. However, cherries, chocolate and a bitter finish (Wine 11) are atypical for Aussie Shiraz, as is the roughness of a tar aroma (Wine 12). So I wrote down Cab Sav. What I didn't think to consider was Wine 11 was not an Aussie Shiraz, it was from Chile; and Wine 12 was a £9 bottle of wine, which caught me out! In my blindness, I wrote that Wine 9 was the not-Australian wine, and because a) I had convinced myself these were Cabernets, and b) my other favoured region for wines is California, I wrote down Cali as the origin of the non-Aussie wine.

Stung on every question. I may have studied extensively and passed my WSET exams, but without practice you lose your touch. I intend to go back next month and try again, this time I hope to report better results! #practicemakesperfect

Thank you @Wine-Australia

Affordable Australian Wines

Australia is one of the biggest wine producers in the world (5th in 2017) and there are a lot of affordable Aussie wines on the shelves, so which ones to choose? These are the wines I served at Charvil Wine Club for Australia Day. Some of these wines feature at my pop up wine bar in Marlow Buckinghamshire. To find out mroe about my pop up wine bars in Bucks and Berks click here.

Image from Italian Wine Central

It's good to start by looking at which wines are typically produced in which region to get a taste for the different styles, then once you find a style you like to explore the same grapes from different regions, or other wines from the same producer.

Image from Wine Folly

Chardonnay and Semillon are Australia's most widely produced white wines. Semillon is the iconic wine of Hunter Valley, which is two hours drive north of Sydney in NSW. Semillon in the Hunter  Valley is harvested early with low sugar levels (resulting in low alcohol) and low acidity. The wines are almost neutral in flavour when first bottled, but then develop honey and toast with bottle age. This Lindemans shows gooseberry and lemon zest aromas, with a subtle honeyed finish. Lindemans Bin 1355, Semillon, Hunter Valley, Australia, 2013, 10.5% Waitrose £9.99.

Over-oaked Aussie Chardonnay is what led to the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) trend. Those days are mostly gone and wineries are now producing elegant Chardonnays like this one. It has light oak in it, detected by the vanilla note, and the lemon and pear aromas balance the wine nicely, with a hazelnut finish. Daydream, De Bortoli, Chardonnay, Yarra Valley, Australia, 2014, 12.5% Waitrose £9.99

Australia is known for its diveristy, so be brave to try something atypical. A full-bodied, aromatic unoaked white wine, with lovely peach, tangerine and honeysuckle flavours. You may notice an oily sensation on your tongue, which is common with this grape. It has quite a high alcohol content because the grapes are left on the vine longer to ensure they achieve their heady aromas. A vegan wine. Yalumba, Organic Viognier, South Australia, 2016, 13.5% Wine Rack £11.99

Eden Valley is known for minerally and dry Rieslings; Clare Valley is known for rich Rieslings, and this certainly is rich. Zingy citrus fruit, lime and a hint of petrol on the finish. Many Rieslings are off-dry like this one. However, its acidity is so high that without doing a sweetness test (dipping the tip of your tongue into the wine) you may not have detected the residual sugar. Baily & Baily, Folio, Riesling, Clare Valley, Australia, 2015, 11.5% Waitrose £8.49

Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon are the most planted red grape varieties in Australia. It's a great idea to try wines from different regions and at different price points. For example, if oak is used in the wine-making the wine will be more epxensive, so if you don't like the flavours imparted by oak (vanilla, caramel) then you'll be satsified by a cheaper wine. If you want full-bodied and juicy go for Shiraz from McLaren Vale or Barossa, but if you want something fresher and more like a French Syrah (same grape as Shiraz) then go for one from Victoria.

Dark purple colour. Blueberry, black cherry, and black pepper, with hints of cocoa. The cool climate of the Grampians in Victoria allows this wine to develop more savoury characteristics. Shiraz from the Grampians is known for being peppery, and is often sourced for sparkling red wine production. A great value wine. Mount Langi Ghiran, Hollows Shiraz, Victoria, 2013, 14% Wine Rack £6.99

Black and silky, aged in new American oak with a long velvety finish. Blackcurrant jam, sweet spices, vanilla and coconut. A long finish, which means you are likely to drink it less quickly, and a bottle should last longer. Vegetarian and organic, made with minimal interference. IWC Gold and Decanter Silver medal winner. The Hedonist, Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia, 2014, 14% Wine Rack £15.49 THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE WINES

Cabernet Sauvignon wines from South Australia are fruit-forward, whereas Margaret River in Western Australia has a maritime climate similar to Bordeaux, so produces wines with more earthiness. 

Blackcurrant, cherry, liquorice, a hint of black olive and a savoury earthiness. An easy-drinking wine. The generous addition of Merlot (and a tiny drop of Malbec and of Petit Verdot) has softened the tannic structure of the Cabernet Sauvignon, making it a smoother, more approachable wine than Cab Savs from South Eastern Australia. Vasse Felix, Filius, Cabernet Merlot, Margaret River, Australia, 2015, 13.5% Waitrose £12.99

Coonawarra in South Australia is just about the best region for New World Cab Sav, known for growing grapes on its strip of ‘terra rossa’ soil. The 2014 vintage was rated as the best New World Cab Sav in Decanter magazine April 2017. Cherries and fresh blackberries with firm tannins and a lovely long length. Berton Vineyard, Reserve, Cab Sav, Coonawarra, Australia, 2013, 14.5% Wine-discovery.co.uk £14.75

Once you've tried the typical wines of Australia, try something different, like these wines from RedHeads. RedHeads is a kind of movement in winemaking. This team of dedicated winemakers scour Aussie vineyards to find spectacular parcels of grapes and blend them into outstanding wines.  They work in a small shed in McLaren Vale to make limited releases of wines that are great value for money. They are not tied to their own vineyards so they can make wine from the best grapes each year. If you find a RedHeads wine you like buy it quickly as they may not make it again next year. The Coco Rotie is a take on Cote Rotie, the Vinatus is copying the Rioja blend, and Nobs and Snobs is a Cab Sav / Malbec blend. You can buy RedHeads wines from Laithwaites.

  

And if you want to try something truly remarkable, go for this Aussie version of a Port (it can't be called a Port because its not from Portugal) by Penfolds, also available from Laithwaites.

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Hewitson Old Garden - Best wine ever?

I forgot just quite how amazing Hewitson's Old Garden is. We bought half a case from DVine Cellars and it has since almost doubled in price. I wish we'd bought a case. Or five.

Before you even taste it you can smell the complexity of the aromas and you know you're in for a treat. Then as you taste it, the flavours change over time. Last night I went through a journey starting with black fruits and chocolate, tobacco and eucalyptus. Then later I got notes of leather and buttered toast. Then it progressed to toffee and finally ginger biscuit. Delicious! The balance is perfect, it will age well, and its made from Mourvedre (aka Mataro).

It's such a treat, I highly recommend you get a bottle to try, even if it is just the once. If you can't justify the price, try the Baby Bush instead which is a cheaper version and also very good.

Penfolds

I went to a Penfolds tasting at Spirited Wines last weekend, and although the wines were enjoyable, none of them smacked me around the face. Unfortunately the manager has my tasting notes to process my order, but I will get them back.

What I went back to at that tasting was my old way of describing wines. I have been so focused on getting my WSET Advanced that I've actually strayed what's true to me. Usually when I taste wines I get a sense of where I am, what I'm doing, who I'm with, rather than if its black cherry vs red plum.I promise to go back to those descriptions, but you have to stick with me for now. On Saturday we had a ballerina wine (poised, elegant, but muscular). I shall be bringing these back to you.

But in the meantime, let me just say, I LOVE Penfolds wines, and I have a Penfolds Grange in my cellar and I can't wait to try it. Although I can, because I'll also be sad once its gone. Bottle of Bin 389 (baby Grange) please...!