One interesting observation over the meetings we have had is the variation in opinions about how the wines taste. On some meetings we have an almost unanimous agreement on the score while in others there is a considerable difference between the best and worst score given. It was the latter situation that came to the fore on this occasion when Dave and Mollie had chosen two very different wines for our tasting. The first wine was one from Tesco’s “Finest Selection”. A 2008 Chianti Reserva. An overall score of 6.6 is somewhat lower than usual and perhaps also of interest is that Decanter wine magazine only awarded this particular wine two stars.
Interesting information about the wine itself is that it is made at a winery owned by the Piccini family and the history of the vineyards date back to 1882. The current owners Mario and Martina are the 4th generation to be involved. Piccini is also one of the few wineries in Italy that has a female winemaker. In one of the most traditionally male-dominated industries, Antonella Conti has had considerable success in producing world-class wines. Tasting notes from Tesco - An intense ruby red wine with aromas of plum and cherry.
Well-structured and smooth with a long finish - seem to be generally agreed with.
The second wine was a very unusually named wine called Chocco Chino Shiraz from South Africa. Again not particularly high scoring at 6.9 but there were also some very varied opinions. The wine is made by KWV one of the largest wine producers in in South Africa and again a producer with a long history – dating back to 1918. The wines are grown in the Swartland area of the western Cape. For anyone who wants to know more about these wines there is a profile of the winemaker – Thys Loubser - on one of KWV web sites
Again the tasting notes from Tesco were generally agreed with - Black cherry with dominant coffee and mocha flavours.
The wine is soft and fruity with a lingering finish.
Both wines are available form Tesco at £6.99 and £6.79 respectively.
Our Christmas meeting will be held at June and Ray’s on December 17th at 18:30
7 Dec 2011
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