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Our first tasting of 2013 took place as usual on the second Friday of the month but I had inadvertently organised a little trip to the Sancerre/Menetou- Salon area and thus missed it! However, the show must go on and Clive and the other Tongham Tasters managed well without Jane and me. Perhaps, this is why this report is a little scantier than usual. From all reports this was another great evening, particularly if you were a fan of white wines. All six wines were Sauvignon Blancs and originated from various parts of the globe. The job of our seven person tasting team was to rate them and guess which part of the World they came from. As Sauvignon Blanc is grown in many parts of France as well as New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Australia, California etc etc, this was not an easy task. Would Clive’s choices live up to Sauvignon Blanc’s reputation as a crisp, dry and refreshing wine (although sweet examples are also available) .
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| A small select group for our January tasting |
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| Some warming watercress and potato soup |
This wine was voted top wine by five of the seven attendees. Apparently there were some honey notes to the taste. Ian and Jill had this down correctly as a wine from Chile (and these two tasters also ended up the best in the country of origin competition - well done!) but the rest thought it was from New Zealand or Australia.
I’ve had this wine before and can definitely recommend this as a sub-ten pound Sauvignon Blanc.
2. The Township Winery Philippi Sauvignon Blanc 2010. Western Cape South African White 12.5%, Virgin Wines £9.99
Six of our tasting team put this in their top three wines, although nobody rated it as their top wine of the evening. Apparently, there were hints of honey and sherbet. South Africa is definitely an up and coming country for Sauvignon Blancs and they have done quite well in our tastings before.
Steve thought this New Zealand wine was the best of the evening but most rated it number three or slightly below. It was an unusual wine in that it was only 9.5% alcohol by volume rather than the normal 12.5% and is marketed as a possible lunchtime drink. The team thought it an enjoyable wine but it did not quite live up to what it said on the label in terms of taste – the label said "amazingly pungent".
4. Montpierre Reserve Vin de France Sauvignon Blanc 2011, South of France White 11.5%. Sainsbury £8.99.
This was Jill’s favourite wine of the evening but John thought it too reminiscent of cat’s pee, which is a typical Sauvignon Blanc characteristic. For a basic French wine it didn't do too bad.
This is one of a growing band of sparkling wines that are not made by the traditional Champagne method but that just have CO2 added like Coca Cola or other soft drinks. Jill and Kathryn quite liked it but the rest had it firmly at wine number five . Steve thought it a bit sweet. However, a pleasant opener to toast in a New Year’s tasting.
6. McGuigan Bin No.316 2012 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, Australian White 10.5%. Sainsbury £7.99.
The bargain price wine of the evening, it was also unanimously the least popular. Some felt it tasted vinegary and could be used as a condiment for your chips and other felt it tasted watered down like a spritzer. The less said the better, perhaps we got a rogue bottle as this was a trophy winner.
PS. Whilst the team were enjoying Clive’s choice of wines, Jane and I were supping a particularly good Sauvignon Blanc – A Domaine Minchin La Tour Saint Martin Menetou- Salon, well worth looking out for.
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| Goats' Cheese is always good with Sauvignon Blanc |
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| Smoked salmon can also work well |
As usual thanks to Clive for the photos and also for most of the report this month.
