Meeting June 15th

Yet another very interesting choice of wines was waiting for us at John and Sheila’s. Both are best sellers from Wine Rack in Lyndhurst but were very, very different from each other. The first wine was a 2007 Grand Mayne Red (Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot at £6.39. The Domaine du Grand Mayne lies within unspoilt countryside near the tiny village of Villeneuve de Duras in the Lot et Garonne department of France, just south of the Dordogne. It's an hour from Bordeaux, and half an hour from Bergerac. However despite the reputation, the wine was not well liked by the group and obtained an overall score of 6.4. A substantial sediment did not help its appearance which was slightly hazy although a very attractive deep purple in colour. A fairly weak nose with some fruits, a light bodied, slightly tart taste, little tannins and no length to the flavour all helped to determine a fairly low score by the group.
The second wine by contrast and to everyone’s surprise was a local wine from the Wickham vineyard. The 2008 Wickham Special Reserve Red - £9.07, although normally retailing at £12.20, gained an above average score of 7.4 with one rating of 9.0. The wine is a blend of Rondo and Pinot Noir grapes and for this wine, the winemakers notes “displays a wonderful full body and a rich finish, it has some good fruit flavours with hints of damsons and blackberries with soft oak tannins on the finish. 12 months maturation in small French oak barrels give the wine a powerful nose and smooth silky palate” were not dissimilar to the group’s descriptions. One question left open however was whether English wines are worth the substantial premium over similar wines from the New World? However perhaps more answers may be found as we endeavour to hold the August meeting at Wickham Vineyard.
Wickham vineyard was established in 1984 and occupies 18 acres of a 40-acre estate. One of the white wines produced, named "Fumé", is served at the House of Commons. After harvesting in October; the grapes are crushed and then fermented on site. The full process takes place in a specially converted 200 year old barn that has been fully upgraded to modern standards. The grape varieties are typically Germanic due to the similar climate. Two of the wines are matured in traditional French oak barrels and traditional French and German wine making techniques feature strongly in the wines produced by the vineyard.
Next meeting is at Jack’s 2.00 pm , Tuesday July 13th