Tuesday, October 25, 2016

November 2016 - Wirra Wirra wines from Gonzalez Byass, Ben Wyse

An excellent evening, presented by Ben Wyse of Gonzales Byass, who don't just do sherrry – these are from Wirra Wirra in Australia

The wines were:

Wirra Wirra Scrubby Rise White 2015: RSP £9.99 Ocado, Amazon.co.uk

Wirra Wirra Adelaide Chardonnay 2014: RSP £12 Cheers Wine Merchants, Divine Wines, Hennings Fine Wines

Wirra Wirra 12th Man Chardonnay 2015: RSP £19 The Wine Society, Hennings Fine Wines, Cheers Wine Merchants, Bin 21, Harper Wells, The Wine Chambers, Winos (Oldham)

Wirra Wirra Mrs Wigley Moscato 2015: RSP £9.99 Ocado, Cheers Wine Merchants, Bin 21, Hennings Wine Merchants, The Wine Chambers, The Vineyard (Dorking), The Whalley Wine Shop, Mmm & Glug (Newcastle), The Oxford Wine Company

Wirra Wirra Scrubby Rise Red 2014: RSP £9.99 Ocado, Amazon.co.uk

Wirra Wirra Adelaide Shiraz 2014: RSP £12 Hennings Fine Wines, Divine Wines

Wirra Wirra Church Block 2013: RSP £13.50 Waitrose, Ocado, Tesco.com ‘wine by the case’, Morrisons Cellar, The Wine Society

Wirra Wirra Woodhenge Shiraz 2013: RSP £19 thedrinkshop.com, Cheers Wine Merchants, Divine Wines

Wirra Wirra Dead Ringer Cabernet Sauvignon 2009: RSP £40 Cambridge Wine Merchants, Vagabond Wines, Abbey Fine Wines, H2Vin, The Wine Chambers, Cheers Wine Merchants, Vinea (Liverpool)

All good wines, I rather liked the first 2 whites – but the last wine is truly a great wine. Yes, it is £40, yes, i'm not going to drink it as an everyday wine, but it could well be the best wine you've ever tasted.

October 2016 - Austrian Wines by Sam Owens, Le Verre Gourmand

This month we had Sam Owens of La Verre Gourmand, who also has a Wine bar called "Thirsty" on the Chesterton Road in Cambridge presenting Austrian Wine

We had 

1. Gruner Veltliner - £12.30
2. Artisan Sauvignon Blanc - £12.10
3. Allram Riesling - £25.60
4. Artisan Halbturn (Chardonnay) - £25.30
5. Artisan Zweigelt - £12.60
6. Artisan St laurent Pure - £12.60
7. Artisan Neusiedlersee Zweigelt - £17.60
8. Artisan St Laurent Reserve. - £17.60

Now, Austrian wines are a bit niche, and a couple of them were a touch on the pricy side, but the lower priced ones were very good. For me the 2 stars were the Artisan Zweigelt and St Laurent Pure. Both reds, both of a lighter style - comparable to the best Beaujolais and Valpolicella Ripassos. 

A very good evening with a full house of 45 people - including 5 new members (we must be doing something right) we even had to crack open the 3rd bottle of each wine.