My second neighborhood wine tasting was great fun. I selected wines from Australia and New Zealand since those regions offer so much diversity in variety and style. We tasted 3 white wines, 4 red wines and a sparkling red. Because we were a relatively small group of 9, we were seated around my dining room table and tasted many of these selections side by side.
Here is a summary of what we drank.
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2016, New Zealand
Even people who think they don’t like NZ Sauvignon Blanc liked this wine! Balanced acidity and plenty of fruit flavors make this a crowd pleaser. We sipped this one while I gave some background on the wine regions in Australia and New Zealand. Did you know that it is about 1200 miles from the eastern coast of Australia to the western coast of New Zealand? That’s approximately the distance from Houston to Buffalo! We tend to think of Australia and New Zealand as a duo, but they are distinctly separate in so many ways. We covered topics including sustainability, alternative closures, the impact of the Yellow Tail brand and Kim Crawford’s advice not to name your wine brand after yourself. (He lost the ability to use his name in the wine industry after the sale of his brand to Constellation Brands.)
Tyrell’s Wines Old Winery Chardonnay, 2014 and Evans & Tate Butterball Chardonnay, 2014
Presenting these wines in a flight was intended to show the impact of extended oak aging on Chardonnay. Imagine my surprise when the Chardonnay that I expected to be less oaked was actually more oaked and tasted mildly of pavement. Hmmm… Meanwhile, the Butterball expected to be quite significantly oaked (hence the name) was fairly well crafted and was the definite favorite between these two wines. I was given bad advice on the Tyrell’s! It was a learning experience.
Oyster Bay Pinot Noir Marlborough, 2014 and Villa Maria Pinot Noir Marlborough, 2014
Both nice choices from New Zealand. It was interesting to taste these comparatively since they are both from well respected producers, both from the same region, and only about $3 different in price. Frankly, the one feature that stood out the most was the peppery quality of the Villa Maria Pinot Noir. Guests enjoyed both, with no clear favorite.
Davey Family Estate Grown Cabernet McLaren Vale, 2013 and The Chook Shiraz Viognier, 2013
These two wines weren’t particularly well suited to be tasted side-by-side. Their differences were readily apparent from the first sniff. The Cabernet had the classic Cab aromas that we all recognize and love. The Shiraz Viogner is a blend of 95% Shiraz and 5% Viognier. Yes, Viognier and Shiraz actually ferment together. The Viognier provides two interesting points of distinction for this wine. First, it actually deepens the color to a dark purple thanks to the magic of science. Second, the Viognier provides a lovely aroma that is not typical of red wine. It smells like apricots! Both wines were delightful. The Cabernet had been decanted for about 4 hours. There was an insane amount of sediment in the bottle.
Paringa Sparkling Shiraz, 2012, Australia
Finally, we finished with what is often served as an aperitif in Australia – sparkling Shiraz! Although many of us are accustomed to drinking brut styles of Champagne and sparkling wine, this wine with a bit of residual sugar was a lovely change. Wow – the color is a bold ruby red and it is lightly fizzy. I wonder how much the age of the wine impacted the number of bubbles. I’m going to have to find a newer vintage (or the latest non-vintage offering) and find out. This was a fun wine, and everyone enjoyed it. The Chook also makes a sparkling Shiraz that’s widely available, and I think I’ll try that one next.
That wrapped up our evening of wine tasting. I should mention the activity that we did before sitting down to taste. I selected 6 unlabeled vials from my aroma kit (a great Christmas present from my hubby) to use in a smell test. The scents were apple, peach, citrus, pear, melon and passionfruit, all common scents in white wine. The activity was to sniff each vial, and then match what you’re smelling with the correct scent. Our top sniffers got 3 right! I don’t think you necessarily have to have a fabulous nose for wine tasting, but there is some skill involved with being able to name what you smell.
Wines tasted were purchased at Central Market or Total Wine. Contact me for more information or to find out how to set up a wine tasting with your friends! I’m looking forward to my next wine class with my neighbors which will feature affordable summer sippers. Next time I need to assign a photographer since I’m busy doing wine things and often forget to take photos!
