The Wine Tasting Group met at Brian & Pat’s for a very pleasant afternoon of tasting with a very good selection of cheese and biscuits, supplied by our hosts, to accompany the wine.
The first wine we tried was a 2011 ISLA NEGRA MERLOT RESERVA from Morrisons priced at £5. This wine is produced in the Valle Central area of Chile. Isla Negra is a seaside village famous for artists and writers inspired by the ocean and the mystical landscape. I suspect that the wine must have some attraction as well! Members felt that this wine was very drinkable, but with a very unusual musty nose. Only one person did not like it, but even then it received an average score of 7.2. We felt that this was, a very clean, balanced, healthy looking wine, with a good flavour that lasted.
The second wine was a 2012 HARDY’S BANKSIDE SHIRAZ again purchased from Morrisons at a very reasonable £3.99. This fruity wine has notes of bramble and a hint of spice in the finish. This wine comes from South East Australia and is a product of one of the countrys oldest vinyards, Hardy’s, who have been producing wine since 1853. They bought a large block of land alongside the Torrens river which is where the Bankside cellars were built. The cellars were destroyed by fire, but the name was used for this wine in memory of them. Our members quite liked this wine, which they felt was a healthy ruby coloured, pleasant fruity drink with a flavour that lasted.
JOHN BENFIELD.
