The Wine Society

Just a quick post i recently applied to join The Wine Society to which i got my membership pack through today, and what a selection of wine they have. I am truly excited about this and it opens up many a new tasting opportunity. I will send for my first batch next month so watch this space.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Last night we booked the flights to California, the summer trip has become very real to myself and my partner. The excitement in both of us as the thought of spending the summer with family and friends in such a beautiful part of the world is a great feeling. For my partner, she looks forward to the shopping and spending a whole summer with her niece and for myself visiting Napa and making some new friends while sampling great wine and being educated by Vinogirl.
We are now on count down 129 days to go or 15 weeks.

My partner has just mentioned not to forget the eating part, lots of eating. American food and eating. I think you get the point.
I like the wine and she loves the food a great mix i think.

Such a Variety

I have been a little slow on the post lately but this is not because of the lack of wine as that has been pretty consistent, no it has been down to pure laziness and other commitments. Over the past few weeks i have a sampled a few different wines and continued to look for the right Zin to take on my trip this summer.
I recently discovered the Syrah variety which i was completely unaware to be the same grape as the Shiraz, but i must say that of the two labels that i have drank, one being another Pepperwood i have to say it seems to me to be a very different drink from the Shiraz that i have drank in the past. The Pepperwood is becoming quite popular in this household.
I also have turned to tasting some French wines, Bordeaux being the most popular of french wines, and i have to say the taste was what i expected it to be , more complex than my usual drinks but very likable, with a very intense colour and dry taste it was a wine that i have taken my time drinking and enjoying.
In a recent post i tasted a Dona Paula Cabernet Franc, to which the results were greatly approved by Thud ,this lead me to look further into the label and i found a Malbec. This grape i had not tasted before and so gave me another reason to purchase a bottle to consume at a later date.
And finally the Zin Challenge, well this has been hard to find at present and the only decent contender has been the Pepperwood, so this has lead me to start looking at Primitivo wines, the same grape just produced in southern Italy. I am currently drinking a bottle of Dorio 2003 which is a blend of Primitivo(85%) and Aglianico (15%). This has a deep colour and a distinct aroma that has a similarity to box a liquorice all sorts, strange i know but i kind of like it. The finish is long and pleasant and fruity. The Aglianico gave the acidity. Not sure if its a contender we will have to see.

Pouilly-Fuisse

Im not really a white wine drinker however on friday a weekly visit to Thuds to see the princess found me enjoying a 10 year old Pouilly Fuisse. This was the first vintage i had really had the pleasure of trying and as i very excited about it. The 1998 bottle had a very dark colour for a white which Thud suggested that it maybe past its best. The aroma had a very slight sweet smell to it but you could smell the age and i felt that alcohol over powered it slightly. In the tasting it had a deep taste with the reminance of sweetness and like the aroma the aftertaste was a little overpowering by the age, it didnt feel like a summer wine but a Christmas wine with a warm feel to it. The wine itself had gone past it best but still made enjoyable drinking.
Further to this while in town Yesterday i found a 2006 bottle of the same wine so i bought it to experience the wine in its drinking age.

Dona Paula

I opened the bottle of Cabernet Franc the other week and what a find!! this wine had an aroma that jumped right out the class and after a swirl or too i was starting to think that this wine may be better than that very special bottle Cabernet Franc i received off Thud.
The body was medium to heavy with a very deep taste and very distinctive, it had a woody and berry aftertaste that lasted a few moments i would say that this wine has depth. In the glass the colour was dark and it clings with a red stain around the the glass, i had never seen this before. I am aware of being able to see the strength of alcohol but never for the wine to coat the glass in such a way. I am but a beginner in the fine wine department.
This wine really impressed me and although at first i was sure it would beat Thud's wine it just missed something, i could not put my finger on it, maybe its because the wine from Thud had more of a rustic feel i dont know therefore i bought another bottle and enjoyed it with Thud and his mother. Their reaction to the wine was pleasing and although it was good they too agree it missed something. However i think i will be taking it to Nappa to let Vinogirl have a taste and compare it to her very own.
I have started to look harder for good wines of late as i have simply got sick of the bland tastes that iv been use to over the past years. This is becoming more interesting as i find these little gems and even though i may spend a few pounds more it seems completely worth it.
This Cabernet Franc is a hard wine to find but if you do come across it splash out and grab a bottle it truly is worth it, a great wine.